Reading through President Joe Bidens 21-page memo on building back better, its hard to discern which parts of the plan the United States can do without if our nation is to retain its economic and scientific preeminence.

Observing how the ultra-wealthy and corporations have used their windfalls to create financial bubbles, boost wealth inequality and spend money frivolously, its hard to argue they would spend the cash any wiser.

At a time when the top 1 percent holds 31 percent of the nations wealth, Biden offers a new New Deal to reorient the countrys development. His plan is not comparable to President Franklin D. Roosevelts pseudo-socialist agenda, nor is it a rebranding of Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortezs New Green Deal.

Biden plans to invest in the things weve neglected for the last 40 years: roads and bridges, ports and airports, Internet connectivity and quality schools, workers and health care. Most importantly, he wants Americans to own the technology of the future.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Economy bouncing back from COVID

Sure, $2.2 trillion is a lot of money to spend over eight years, and no one likes paying higher taxes. But to put that number in perspective, consider that Americas 664 billionaires saw their net wealth grow by $1.3 trillion in 2020, according to Americans for Tax Fairness.

Most low- and middle-income Americans ended 2020 worse off than they began it, Federal Reserve data shows.

The president wants to spend $621 billion on transportation. That money could go to dredging the Houston Ship Channel, building the Ike Dike and updating San Antonios airport. Texas could even get an inter-city passenger rail system.

The White House plan would also encourage Americans to switch to electric vehicles and add charging stations. Driving an EV remains a roll of the dice on too many stretches of highway, such as Interstate 37 between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.

The Biden plan would spend $213 billion on affordable housing, the biggest challenge facing Americans today. A record low number of homes are available, and prices are rising at the fastest pace in 15 years.

The United States needs millions of new, affordable homes over the next decade. Too many people are living at campsites or in overcrowded, multigenerational homes.

Baby boomers should be thrilled to see $400 billion dedicated to helping in-home caregivers. As they enter their 70s, this bulge in our demographics will need enormous assistance to avoid getting warehoused in low-rent assisted-care facilities.

The pandemic, meanwhile, has reminded us that 19 million homes do not have access to high-speed Internet. In todays economy, broadband is as essential as water or electricity. Spending $100 billion to expand connectivity is as crucial as the millions spent on rural electrification in the 1920s.

The most essential spending, though, will be on researching, developing and selling the technologies that will dominate the 21st century. Chinas President Xi Jinping plans to make this the Chinese century. We will need to rally to ensure our best years are ahead of us.

Biden wants to spend $52 billion to boost domestic manufacturing and another $50 billion to shore up U.S. supply chains. The plan would invest $50 billion in scientific research and $48 billion in workforce development. An additional $40 billion would help workers retrain when their old jobs disappear.

Americans have not seen a plan like this since President Lyndon B. Johnsons War on Poverty, which explains why it is so desperately needed now. In the name of low taxes and small government, we have sat by and watched the infrastructure our grandparents built decay.

The American Society of Civil Engineers gives the U.S. road network a D grade. Many developing countries have better Internet connectivity. U.S. businesses complain they cannot find enough skilled American workers.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: US oil and gas companies playing catch up in clean energy

The U.S. is far behind other wealthy countries on renewable energy and electric vehicles. Americans die at a higher rate from preventable illnesses, and at a younger age, than people in Asia and Europe.

Conservatives have long argued the private sector spends money more wisely, but the last 20 years prove them wrong.

While Americans have rested on the work of past generations, Chinas command economy has turned a nation of subsistence farmers into a leader in artificial intelligence, clean energy and manufacturing.

Corporations spent most of the money from the 2017 tax cuts on buying back shares without generating the earnings to justify it. The wealthy, meanwhile, used their savings to create bubbles in real estate, bitcoin and digital art.

If the United States wants to retain its edge, its time for a bit of wealth redistribution to put the nation back on track to remaining the greatest nation on earth.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
Bengaluru: A 53-year-old man who works as an auto driver in the city had developed an ulcer on his tongue two months ago and was treated by the doctors miraculously.

The shocking information was that the man had never consumed tobacco. The city auto driver didnt suspect anything serious out of the ulcer and initially resorted to local remedies.

But as time passed the issue accelerated and a friend of him referred him to Dr Satish C, Consultant Surgical Oncologist at Trustwell hospital.

At the initial level of the treatment the doctor suggested a CT scan and biopsy of the ulcer. Following the results the doctor realised that the man had cancerous growth on half the tongue which extended to the lymph nodes of the neck.

In order to stop the spread of cancer, a radical surgery was performed on the man, which involved removal of three-fourth of the right tongue and lymph nodes from both sides of the mans neck.

Following the surgery, another one was conducted on March 5. This was a reconstructive surgery. Dr Satish C revealed that, Generally, a part of the flesh along with skin from the patient's outer body part is reframed into tongue and sewn together in such cases. But, we came up with a very unique solution for this case.

Humans tongue is the strongest muscle in the whole body. The most challenging part for the surgeons was that if they reconstruct the tongue with skin as the outer flap is very uncomfortable for patients, because of hair follicles in them, which can later result into growth of hair on the new tongues outer layer.

In order to avoid such inconveniences, the doctors found an innovative solution, they harvested a part from the patients stomach and made it into the brand new tongue. Now this stomach flap was reversed to make the outer layer of the tongue.

This survey was first of its kind in Karnataka and was successfully carried out after a 10 hours long effort by the doctors.

ALSO READ: Medical miracle in Delhi hospital, woman able to open her mouth after 30 years

The patient is able to have normal food and also speaks well. The hospital has also given a considerable discount on the treatment cost, said the patient while thanking the concerned people and doctors.

Live TV
I once watched a guy run down a tourist beach in Spain throwing money away.

He literally sprinted over the sand, cackling dementedly as he chucked large wads of bank notes into the air and shouted at everyone to 'TAKE MY CASH!!'

It seemed like the most wondrously generous thing imaginable and gleeful holidaymakers sprang off their sunbeds like they'd been electrocuted in a frantic race to grab the booty.

But there was a problem.

It was a very windy day, and most of the money flew straight out of his hands into the choppy ocean and disappeared with the strong tide never to be seen again.

The comical scene reminded me of that famous Biblical quote from the Book of Job: 'The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.'

President Biden reminds me of that guy on the beach, he just loves giving money away.

Biden's only been President for three months, but he's already persuaded Congress to spend $1.9 trillion on a Covid stimulus package, and now he wants it to spend another $2.3 trillion on his infrastructure renewal plan.

He claimed it was a 'once in a generation' spending plan and boasted: 'I'm convinced that if we act now, in 50 years people are going to look back and say this is the moment when America won the future.'

Biden's only been President for three months, but he's already persuaded Congress to spend $1.9 trillion on a Covid stimulus package, and now he wants it to spend another $2.3 trillion on his infrastructure renewal plan

These moves would roll back his predecessor Donald Trump's expansive and very popular tax cuts and they've gone down like a lead balloon with many of the same business chiefs who had broadly supported the Covid relief package

Hmmmm.

Rather like the guy on the beach, I'm not sure Biden's read the wind very well.

It's all very well tossing trillions of federal dollars around like this, but at some stage, as even the most economically imbecilic know, it's going to have to be paid back.

And as always, the debt will have to be settled by the American people.

The President insists it will just be the rich who will have to pay more, vowing to only raise taxes on those earning over $400,000 a year.

Indeed, as he announced his new infrastructure plan on Wednesday, he emphatically and unambiguously doubled down on that pledge, saying: 'No one making under $400,000 will see their federal taxes go up, period.'

That couldn't be clearer, except that Biden's own press secretary Jen Psaki has said this limit will apply to whole families, not individuals.

So, if two people in the same household earn $200,000 each, then it's likely they will both pay more tax which would make a mockery of the 'no one making under $400,000' guarantee.

Biden's also planning to recoup a large slab of the spending costs by hiking US corporate tax rate up from 21% to 28%, and by imposing a global minimum corporate tax rate of 21%.

These moves would roll back his predecessor Donald Trump's expansive and very popular tax cuts and they've gone down like a lead balloon with many of the same business chiefs who had broadly supported the Covid relief package.

The President insists it will just be the rich who will have to pay more, vowing to only raise taxes on those earning over $400,000 a year. That couldn't be clearer, except that Biden's own press secretary Jen Psaki (pictured) has said this limit will apply to whole families, not individuals

The US Chamber of Commerce blasted Biden's plan as 'dangerously misguided', the National Association of Manufacturers raged it would 'turn back the clock to the archaic tax policies that gave other countries an advantage over America', and the Business Roundtable warned it would create 'new barriers to job creation and economic growth.'

Biden's plan is also predicated on a con.

He wants America to think he's the presidential version of Robin Hood, only going after the wealthy bloated fat cats in Wall Street as he takes care of the little guys.

But if he gets his way on these hefty corporate tax increases, you can bet your bottom dollar that corporate America will simply pass the extra burden back to the consumer - meaning that while most Americans won't see their individual taxes go up under this plan, they will all end up paying more for their goods.

Not that you would realize this obvious sting in the tale if you only read coverage of the plan in Biden-slathering liberal media like the New York Times.

'Biden plan stresses jobs, roads and growth' enthused the NYT's banner headline, with another of its P1 headlines gushing equally uncritically: '$2 trillion for a once in a generation fix of infrastructure.'

The paper's coverage was so positive that the President's own White House Chief of Staff, Ron Klain, tweeted out the NYT front page with the jubilant exultation: 'America: let's go win the future!'

As Tucker Carlson put it on Fox News, the Times 'approached the plan with the calculated enthusiasm of Izvestia applauding yet another record Soviet potato harvest.'

Yet if the NYT had bothered to view the plan with a more critical eye, it might have unearthed some rather surprising facts.

For example, less than $750 billion of Biden's $2.3 million 'infrastructure plan' is actually going on any conventional concept of infrastructure.

Much of it is targeted towards 'green' projects like electric cars and climate change, along with childcare facilities, science research and care for the elderly and disabled.

In fact, only 5% is dedicated to repairing roads, bridges, highways, train tracks and streets.

Ironically, Biden's also being attacked for not going far enough by the far-left progressive wing of his own party, led by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who says the plan should be at least $10 trillion. No, AOC. That would bankrupt the country

Republicans have been quick to seize on this disingenuous labelling and signalled their intent to rigorously oppose the plan.

'It's called infrastructure,' said Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, 'but inside the Trojan horse it's going to be more borrowed money, and massive tax increases on all the productive parts of our economy.'

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy sniped: 'This is not an infrastructure bill - this is the green new bill with raising taxes. Very little infrastructure in it at all.'

And former President Trump fumed in his usual hyperbolic way: 'Biden's ludicrous multitrillion-dollar tax hike is a strategy for total economic surrender.'

Ironically, Biden's also being attacked for not going far enough by the far-left progressive wing of his own party, led by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who says the plan should be at least $10 trillion.

'I know that may be an eye-popping figure for some people,' she said, 'but we need to understand that we are in a devastating economic moment. Millions of people in the United States are unemployed. We have a truly crippled health care system and a planetary crisis on our hands, and we're the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. So, we can do $10 trillion.'

No, AOC, you can't.

That would bankrupt the country.

Her ridiculous comments confirm my fear that large dollops of insanity are creeping into the fiscal debate in America.

The coronavirus pandemic prompted panicky governments all over the world to behave with the same reckless attitude towards money that I witnessed with the cash-tossing beach guy in Spain.

But thanks to the vaccines, we're coming out of the crisis, and America is coming out of it faster than most thanks to its very impressive vaccine roll-out.

Most experts expect there to be a massive and much needed rebound in the US economy when life returns to relative normality later this year, with gangbusters growth as people get back to spending again.

If that happens, it will have a positive financial impact on every American.

So, the last thing Americans need right now is their President committing to reckless unaffordable spending plans that he can only pay for with huge tax hikes.

'Put simply,' Mr Biden said on Wednesday, 'these are investments we have to make. We can afford to make them, or put another way, we can't afford not to.'

Really, Mr President?

If you're not very careful, your plan might just send America's post-pandemic economic recovery skidding off the rails and back into another financial crisis.

Far from this being the moment you won America's future - it might be the moment you lost it.
Srinagar, Apr 2 (UNI) Three militants, involved in Thursday's attack on BJP leaders house at Nowgam in Srinagar were killed by security forces in an encounter which ensued during a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in the south Kashmir district of Pulwama, a police spokesman said on Friday.

He said on a tip-off about the presence of militants, Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police, CRPF and Rashtriya Rifles (RR) launched a joint CASO at Kakpora on the banks of the river Jhelum in Pulwama late Thursday night.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar said the operation was launched after it was learnt that militants involved in Nowgam encounter were hiding there. A police constable was killed in the attack and militants had snatched his weapon at Nowgam Thursday.

All roads leading to Kakpora were closed and exit points sealed, spokesman said, adding that when the security forces were moving towards a particular area, militants hiding there opened fire with automatic weapons. Security forces also retaliated ensuing in an encounter, he said, adding four civilians in the area were rescued to safer place.

Later, search operation was stopped due to darkness, he said, adding with the first light this morning security forces again moved towards the area from where militants were firing.

Security forces made repeated appeals to holed up militants surrender who continued firing. Residents in the nearby houses were taken to safer places, he said.

Later in fresh exchange of fire three militants were killed, he said adding operation was still going on when the reports last came in. Large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants, he said. One AK 47 rifle, one pistol and one Self Loading Rifle (SLR), which was snatched from deceased cop were recovered from the slain militants.

The dead militants were identified as Suhail Lone, Nissar Lone and Junaid. Suhail was in a burqa during the attack on the house of BJP leader. He said one of the militant killed in today attack might have entered Kashmir via Nepal.

IGP has congratulated security forces for killing the militants within 24 hours of Nowgam attack.

Mobile internet in the Pulwama has been suspended as a precautionary measure to prevent rumours.

UNI BAS SY 1601
(Photo : Sony Official Facebook Page)

Sony announced the upcoming Xperia product launch event that will be live-streamed on their YouTube channel on Apr. 14 at 9:30 CEST.

While the event did not give any hints about which phones will be launched, several leaks claim that the company will unveil the Xperia 1 III, Xperia 10 III, and the Xperia 5 III at the event.

Another phone rumored to launch at the event is the new Xperia Compact, which fans call as the Android rival of the iPhone 12 Mini.

Xperia 1 III Rumored Specs: Is This Sony's New Flagship Phone?

On Thursday, Apr. 1, TechRadar reported that Weibo leaker uncovered the specs of the upcoming Sony Xperia 1 III, and it has the quality of a flagship phone.

According to the leaker, known to Weibo as ZACKBUKS, the Sony Xperia 1 III will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, present in all the flagship phones released in 2021.

Sony Xperia 1 III will also feature 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, 6.5-inch 4K OLED 120Hz display bearing a 21:9 aspect ratio-the display format that has become a signature feature on the Xperia series.

The report added that the Sony Xperia 1 III will have a 5,000mAh battery and will be fast charging at 65W.

Meanwhile, OnLeaks teased an unofficial render of the Sony Xperia 1 III on Jan. 28, suggesting that the rumored flagship phone will be fitted with a periscope lens.

The rumor was apparently confirmed when the Weibo leaker said that the periscope lens would be made in-house by Sony's Cyber-shot division.

The Sony Xperia 1 III will also be fitted with 64MP wide-angle camera and accompanied by a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor.

Also Read: [Review] Sony Xperia Pro Comes with Powerful Specs to Justify Hefty Price Tag But with Major Turnoffs

Xperia Compact-Could The Return of the Compact Rival the iPhone Mini?

According to GSMArena's report on Apr. 1, there had been talks about the Xperia Compact series's return, which gained popularity back in 2018.

The rumored Xperia Compact is said to feature a 5.5-inch screen, which is just a bit bigger than the iPhone 12 mini.

It is also said to feature a Snapdragon 700-series chipset, an 8-megapixel selfie camera in a teardrop notch, and a dual-camera setup with a 13-megapixel main camera on its rear.

If confirmed, the 2021 Xperia Compact would be the first phone from Sony to bear the "Compact" name since the Xperia XZ2 Compact back in 2018.

The unofficial render leaked shows that the Xperia Compact's small body will have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button like any other Sony smartphone and a 3.5mm headphone jack and a 21:9 aspect ratio.

However, Sony fans might feel disappointed to learn that the Xperia Compact is rumored to launch only in Japan and might go under a different name.

Rumors claim that the Xperia Compact may actually be a follow-up to the Sony Xperia Ace launched in 2019.

Related Article: Sony Xperia 5 III: Specs, Price, Release Date, Leaks, and Everything You Need to Know!

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Lee Mercado

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A Morgan County sheriffs deputys suspicions during a routine traffic stop Thursday resulted in the discovery of more than $1 million worth of suspected cocaine.

The deputy pulled over a car on Interstate 72 near the Jacksonville exit at 3:54 p.m. Thursday for traffic-related offenses that included speeding and a violation of the states Move Over Law. After talking with the driver, the deputy determined there was probable cause to search the car, according to authorities.
Spirit Airlines Expands Into International Service and Adds New Domestic Routes

Spirit Airlines today announced its expansion into international service, with daily flights between Los Angeles International Airport and Los Cabos International Airport starting May 5, and nonstop flights to Puerto Vallartas Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport starting July 1.

Spirit will also offer the only nonstop flights from LAX to Columbus, Milwaukee, LaGuardia and Louisville, as well as a new nonstop flight to St. Louis, substantially expanding the airlines flight offerings in Southern California.

Our new nonstop routes to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta mark our first-ever international service out of LAX and are great complements to our beyond continental 48 route map which now serves 30 destinations in Latin American and the Caribbean, said John Kirby, vice president of network planning at Spirit Airlines.

ADVERTISEMENT

In addition, our convenient new nonstop domestic flights, along with our low competitive fares, create even more great getaway options for our guests in the L.A. Basin. Justin Erbacci, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports, welcomed the news.

With travel beginning to rebound, we are excited that Spirit Airlines is adding international service to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, as well as expanding domestic service from Los Angeles International Airport, he said. LAX is the West Coast gateway to the world and these new nonstop destinations will provide new options for travelers who are ready to fly again.

In 1999, Spirit launched its service in California with flights out of LAX, and later grew to serve Sacramento, Oakland and San Diego. Recently, the low-fare carrier added service to Burbank and Orange County.
... Le1.4 trillion in four years

The National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM), held its Consumer Parliament in Bo City on Friday 26th March 2021. The Commission brought together various stakeholders, including Mobile Network Operators, Civil Society Organizations, Media, and Consumers amongst others at the 2021 Consumer Parliament with the theme "Digital Penetration for Consumer Satisfaction in Telecommunications".

Orange Mobile Company was widely acclaimed during and after the presentation of its Head of Legal and Company's Secretary, Haffie Hafner. She confidently ascended on the podium as the first speaker amongst other MNOs and was able to capture the attention of her audience who were amazed to hear a catalog of services and developmental projects undertaken by the country's telecommunications choice. "We strongly believe that digital inclusion is a major accelerator for inclusive growth, economic and societal development, as well as a success factor in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. This is why digitalization has been a core pillar in Orange strategy and we have over the last 4 years played an integral role in the digital transformation of Sierra Leone," she remarked.

The company has an investment of over Le1.4 trillion and it has been at the forefront of connecting the 7million plus people in Sierra Leone with 3G and 4G network services. Today, Orange can boast of over 440 sites in the country, with 100% of its sites are at least 3G compatible meaning that customers can access the internet from every Orange site around the country. It is further praised for having the widest network covering 74% of the population, meaning 4 out of every 5 Sierra Leoneans is an Orange customer with access to voice and data services.

Hafner furthered that the company has enriched the products and services catalog to ensure customer satisfaction. "We are committed to the Expansion of Internet penetration in SL and providing the best Quality of Service is a priority with our Data Portfolio and Network: More than 140% reduction in Price with more volume for our customers in the last 4 years; With Speed and Quality as our driver we launched Di real 4G with sites in every region of SL, and to complement the Educational sector and improve the capacity of our students we launched the most affordable data offer for Schools & Universities called SPAK," she said and added that the company remains the leader in mobile financial services and continue to enrich its portfolio by being the first mover in international remittance and microloan services. "We are also the first partner for energy, mobile for development in agriculture, education, and health. Our Diversification strategy will strongly impact digital inclusion in Sierra Leone as we launch our Orange business to include new opportunities the first-ever," the Head of Legal and Company's Secretary noted.

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Giving an overview of the Consumer Parliament, Ambassador Joe Blell, NATCOM's Chairman said even though there are difficult tasks ahead in the telecoms sector, there is the need for effective collaboration to bridge the digital gap in the sector, and added that NATCOM is part of a global community that is why it has to follow certain regulations that govern international telecoms best practices. "ICT is not a child's play and so we should do things of international standards," he said and further noted that the country cannot develop without communications. "We have to take everybody along through rural connectivity. Cell sites should be taken to everywhere across the country," he advised.

NATCOM's Director-General, Daniel B. Kaitibi was happy to celebrate his first year in office as Director-General with a Consumer parliament successfully held. He commended the massive turnout of stakeholders and revealed that the Consumer Parliament will be made twice annually.
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Shoprite workers at Ring Road branch, Ibadan, on Friday, embarked on another round of protest, shutting down the company indefinitely.

The workers, under the aegis of the National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees (NUSDE), vowed that the company would remain shut until management acceded to their demands.

The Chairperson, NUSDE, Shoprite branch, Williams Peter, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan that the union was using the Easter period to press home its demands since dialogue had failed.

He stated that all Shoprite stores had been shut down nationwide because the negotiation between the union and the management had been deadlocked.

Mr Peter attributed the indefinite strike to the alleged refusal of the management to meet up with the demands of the union.

He said that although the planned transfer of Shoprite to a new owner had been withheld for now, we see this Easter period as the right time to get management to listen to us and accede to our demands.

However, if the management is not ready to listen to us, it then means that Shoprite is not ready to open this April. We will shut the company down until they listen to us.

Give us what we want and we will then be ready to discuss with the new investors and have a new agreement with them, the union leader said.

Meanwhile, the management of the company has described the industrial action embarked upon by the workers as unlawful.

The management, in a memo issued by its Divisional Human Resources Manager, Adeola Kagho, the company said that it was appropriate action to be taken against the striking workers, saying that this might include their summary dismissal, should they fail to return to work.

Please note that your conduct is in breach of your contract of employment, company rules and procedures and the applicable federal legislation.

The company is not prepared to tolerate your participation in any unlawful industrial action.

The company is now considering appropriate action to be taken against you and this may include your summary dismissal, should you disregard the instruction/ultimatum hereunder.

You are accordingly instructed to return to work immediately in an orderly and diligent manner, Kagho said.

She urged the workers to follow the established companys internal procedure, should they wish to raise any grievance.

NAN reports that the unions demands include better conditions of service and payoff whenever the company decides to change its ownership.

NAN also reports that the union had embarked on a warning strike on March 2. (NAN)
Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has narrated how gunmen attacked him and his security details.

Soludo, who described the killing of three of his police orderlies as senseless, prayed for the repose of their souls.

Soludo was on Wednesday attacked in his hometown in Isuofia in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The former CBN governor is a leading governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), in the November 6 governorship poll in the state.

Speaking last night on the incident on Channels Television's 'Politics Today,' Soludo said, "we were having an interactive session and we finished the mass about 4pm and the scheduled interactive meeting with the Isuofia youths. By the way, Isuofia happened to be my hometown. I'm a village boy and this is where I feel safest anywhere in the world. I walk the street, I jog in my community, I take long walk, I am everywhere as a village boy.

"With this interactive session, there were over a thousand youths seated and I was just making preliminary remarks to open up the interactive session with other dignitaries from the communities, commissioners and members of the house of assembly. And just as I was about to wrap up and I said, 'Finally!' for them to open up for comments and answers, gunshots! At first, I thought may be the policemen were shooting in the air with the kind of exuberance in the hall until I began to hear people screaming and we all scampered for safety.

"It took more than 10, 15 minutes of continuous gun battle. By the time we all came back, we saw three bodies there lying in the pool of their blood - they were the three policemen. May God grant their souls eternal rest. We will continue to pray and support the family."

"I was totally unhurt, not in anyway hurt," he narrated.

When asked whether the attack was linked with his governorship ambition, he said, "I am friend with everybody contesting the office. I don't think the office is worth the blood of even a chicken let alone a human being. I will be shocked that it was politically-motivated and that it was aimed directly at me."

He expressed worry over the kidnap of the state Commissioner for Public Utilities, Mr. Emeka Ezenwanne, during the attack.
More than 60% of U.S. adults who vape are interested in quitting, according to a study published today in JAMA Network Open by MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers. And among those who vape to help them to quit smoking, some are successful while others continue smoking and using electronic cigarettes.

The study, which analyzed longitudinal survey data from more than 30,000 adults across the country, aimed to provide the most up-to-date estimate of how many Americans are interested in stopping their use of e-cigarettes or have made past attempts to quit.

According to the findings, former cigarette smokers had the highest intentions and interest in quitting. This is likely due to an increasing number of smokers using e-cigarettes to transition away from cigarettes, said the study's authors.

While evidence has shown that switching to e-cigarettes can be as effective as medication-based treatments for smoking cessation in some cases, many people continue to vape even after they've quit smoking. Those who aren't able to stop smoking often end up using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes simultaneously, increasing potential risks to their health.

"One of the best things you can do for your health is to stop smoking. While e-cigarettes may work for some people, they're hindering quit attempts for other people," said Amanda Palmer, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in MUSC's Department of Public Health Sciences and the study's first author.

"What's interesting about the people who keep using e-cigarettes after they've quit smoking is that we don't really see that effect with other types of nicotine replacement drugs. It's rare to see someone still using a nicotine patch or nicotine gum months or years after they've quit smoking, so there's something special about e-cigarettes, even though they're delivering the same drug."

From one addictive habit to another

Unlike other nicotine replacement therapies, e-cigarettes are created to be addictive and have a similar nicotine curve to regular cigarettes, making it difficult for people to quit. People who use both cigarettes and e-cigarettes often report feeling more addicted and have trouble quitting either product.

To make matters worse, there are currently no evidence-based treatments that help people who want to quit vaping. Psychologists like Benjamin Toll, Ph.D., chief of Tobacco Cessation and Health Behaviors at Hollings and the study's senior author, can only offer methods that are proven to help people to quit smoking, which may not be relevant to adults who vape.

"I think we're doing patients a disservice by not having rigorous research to give these patients appropriate evidence-based care," said Toll, who also co-directs Hollings' Lung Cancer Screening Program. "Many of my patients who have switched to e-cigarettes find it challenging to stop using them. I would like to have data supporting the methods I share with them, and we currently don't have those in any of our clinical practice guidelines."

Smoking cessation is best achieved through a combination of medication and behavioral counseling that helps people to break the habit with coping skills and substituted behaviors. But because there may be different reasons and situations that cause people to pick up an e-cigarette versus a cigarette, the methods that help people to quit successfully may vary.

Palmer explained it this way. "If you use cigarettes, you're probably smoking for a short duration 10 to 20 times per day, whereas a lot of our e-cigarette users are vaping continuously all day and in situations where they might not otherwise be smoking," she said. "That's evidence that there needs to be different behavioral treatments, because the coping strategies I would recommend to someone who smokes are not the same for someone using e-cigarettes."

A growing need for data

Aside from uncovering how many people want to quit vaping, this study sheds light on the urgent need to understand e-cigarette use among adults more fully. Recent estimates show that roughly 3% of U.S. adults vape, but the popularity of these products may be rising.

"A lot of the press and attention around e-cigarette use has to do with youth and adolescents, but it feels like a lot of people older than 25 who use e-cigarettes tend to be left out of that conversation," said Palmer, who noted that adults are likely vaping for different reasons than those age 18 and younger.

Young people are more likely to vape on an experimental basis, whereas adults - especially those who are using e-cigarettes to quit smoking - are often using them consistently, resulting in a need for tailored interventions.

Now that they know that most adults who vape want to quit eventually, Hollings researchers plan to focus on developing data-driven interventions to help people to achieve that goal.

Palmer is beginning a new pilot study to test basic self-help kits that combine tailored medications and behavioral support that providers can offer to patients who express interest in quitting e-cigarettes. The study will also solicit feedback from providers and adults who vape about what they think they may need to quit or to help their patients to quit.

Until more data is available, Palmer and Toll recommend that people who want to use e-cigarettes as a method to stop smoking weigh the pros and cons of all available interventions before making that decision. They also urge patients to speak with their medical providers to determine which approach may be best for them.

"E-cigarettes are addictive and are not 100% safe," said Palmer. "If you're considering vaping as a method to quit smoking, consider some of the risks and benefits, and be aware that many people continue to vape after they quit smoking."

###

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the oldest medical school in the South, as well as the state's only integrated, academic health sciences center with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The state's leader in obtaining biomedical research funds, in fiscal year 2019, MUSC set a new high, bringing in more than $284 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available, while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 1,600 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians' practice plan, and nearly 275 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eight hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Florence, Lancaster and Marion counties. In 2019, for the fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3.2 billion. The more than 17,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care.

About MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the largest academic-based cancer research program in South Carolina. The cancer center comprises more than 100 faculty cancer scientists and 20 academic departments. It has an annual research funding portfolio of more than $44 million and a dedication to reducing the cancer burden in South Carolina. Hollings offers state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques within multidisciplinary clinics that include surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and other specialists equipped for the full range of cancer care, including more than 200 clinical trials. For more information, visit hollingscancercenter.musc.edu.
The guests have been revealed for tonight's Late Late Show on RTE One.

Adrian Dunbar, Enda Kenny, Sarah McInerney, and Paul Howard are among guests on The Late Late Show, with musical performances from John Spillane and Wild Youth.

On tomorrow night's Late Late Show, Ryan will chat all things Line of Duty with an Irishman who's leading the charge at AC-12, Adrian Dunbar. Adrian will discuss how it feels to become watercooler famous more than 40 years after leaving the island to become an actor, and why his wife finds it hilarious that the show has turned him into a sex symbol.

Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny joins Ryan to speak about life after politics and his new series that starts next week on RTE, sees him rediscovering Ireland's railway routes.

Broadcaster Sarah McInerney, recently announced alongside Fran McNulty to join Miriam O'Callaghan as new presenters of Prime Time, will speak with Ryan about her new role, taking those in power to task and how she ended up presenting a whole radio show on her mobile phone!

Paul Howard, journalist and author of 23 books featuring Ross O' Carroll Kelly, will be on the show to discuss everything from class privilege in Ireland, to how ROCK is surviving the pandemic.

To mark World Autism Awareness Day, we will meet with a group of parents and children who are living with autism and the everyday challenges they face.

Hotelier John Fitzpatrick will chat about New York opening up and the vaccine rollout and whether well see the Irish in the Big Apple anytime soon.

The music line-up includes Wild Youth exclusively performing their new single 'Can't Say No' and, on the day of its release, John Spillane performs a song from his critically acclaimed album '100 Snow White Horses'.

The Late Late Show, RTE One, Friday, April 2nd at 9.35pm.
As reactions to Prince Harry and Meghans interview continue to pour in even weeks after it was first aired, the archbishop of Canterbury has confirmed that he legally married the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018. However, in the tell-all interview with American presenter Oprah Winfrey, the couple claimed that days before the public wedding, they had another private ceremony.

Meghan told Winfrey that three days before our wedding we got married. We called the archbishop and we just said, look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us...So the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the archbishop of Canterbury. However, Justin Welby has said that the couple was legally married only after the Windsor wedding that was watched live by millions of people. He also refused to disclose what occurred at private meetings before May 19, 2018.

I signed the wedding certificate, which is a legal document, and I would have committed a serious criminal offence if I signed it knowing it was false, said Welby, who is head of the church of England.

Welby told an Italian newspaper La Repubblica that I wont say what happened at any other meetings and added that hed had a number of private and pastoral meetings with the duke and duchess before the wedding.

Prince William denies Meghans racism claims

Apart from Welby revealing that Prince Harry and Meghan were legally married only on May 19, 2018, another claim that the couple made during the bombshell interview has been dismissed by the royal family which was evidently rocked by Duke and Duchess of Sussexs interview.

Earlier, Prince William broke his silence on Prince Harry and Meghans racism allegations and stressed on March 11 that the royals are very much not a racist family. Speaking for the first time since the explosive interview aired on CBS on Sunday night with American presenter Oprah Winfrey, the Duke of Cambridge said he is yet to speak to his brother, Duke of Sussex about the two-hour-long talk of the trio.

As per the Telegraph report, while on a visit to a school in east London on Thursday, when Prince William was asked if he has spoken to his brother since the interview, the Duke of Cambridge replied, No I havent spoken to him yet but I will do.

Image credits: AP


The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.

Europe

Belgian private sector general strike against 0.4 percent pay rise cap

On Monday, private sector workers across Belgium took part in a one-day general strike against a law preventing average wage increases from exceeding 0.4 percent.

RTBF reports the strike affected public transport in multiple cities, and seven in 10 technology companies. The FGTB union reports the manufacturing industry in Wallonia was practically at a stop. Workers at Liberty Steel in Tilleur, Liege, picketed a plant which is threatened with closure, putting 761 jobs at risk.

The strike was called by the CSC and FGTB unions, with a combined membership of three million, who have complained that profitable sectors of industry could offer more than 0.4 percent. In the face of massive opposition in the working class to stagnating wages after working through a deadly pandemic, the Liberal Prime Minister Alexander De Croo floated the possibility in an interview with RTBF of allowing wage increases above 0.4 percent in sectors of the economy such as logistics, which have profited through the pandemic. The president of the Socialist Party, which forms part of the coalition government, also backed the strikes.

The pseudo-left opposition called for minor reforms of the pay law. A spokesman for the Stalinist Workers Party of Belgium (PTS/PVDA) proposed a feeble amendment to make the pay restriction indicative rather than mandatory.

Bus drivers at depot in Liege, Belgium walk out after another violent attack

On Wednesday morning, Belgian bus drivers in the largest bus depot in the city of Liege walked out after stones were thrown at a bus. According to RTBF, the driver was uninjured, but this is the fourth attack on Liege bus drivers in five days by customers refusing to wear masks. The drivers are demanding the presence of guards to protect drivers and conductors from aggression.

Wednesdays stoppage follows a similar strike in Lille, France last week, after a driver was attacked, and is part of a pattern of increasing violence against drivers throughout the pandemic, tragically leading to the death in July of the French bus driver Philippe Monguillot.

Amazon workers in Germany strike for pay rise

Around 2,000 workers at Amazon in Germany took four days of strike action starting Monday, to demand the company adhere to regional collective agreements made with the retail and mail order sectors, including a 4.5 percent pay rise, according to Le Figaro and Reuters. The strike affected sites in Werne, Leipzig, Rheinberg, Koblenz and Bad Hersfeld.

The Verdi union issued stated the company made massive profits while coronavirus outbreaks spread through its warehouses but has called for no action to close down these unsafe workspaces, instead directing workers into limited and isolated struggles. Orhan Akman, the union representative for retail and mail order, told press No company has ever perished because it pays workers according to the retail collective agreements or because it talks to unions.

Miners at coal mine in Bosnia and Herzegovina begin indefinite strike over unpaid wages and poor conditions

Over 2,000 miners began an indefinite strike on Friday at the Kreka coal mine, near the city of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The workers were due to be paid on Thursday, after months of inconsistent payment of wages. They walked out indefinitely after they were not paid yet again.

The unions involved in the strike are quoted by Raport describing inhumane conditions in the mines. The Kreka mine is run by EPBiH, the governments electric utility company, and production of coal there underpins the stability of the countrys energy system. The strikers declared that they will remain out until their demands for regular payment of wages and a modernised and humane production process are met.

French primary school teachers in Paris to strike over school openings during third wave of pandemic

A one-day walkout of French primary school teachers in Paris was called for Tuesday in the face of the governments opposition to school closures, after the Education Minister boasted that France has kept schools open longer than any other country in Europe throughout the pandemic.

Reuters reports that the limited action has been called by the SNUipp-FSU union, but it follows a wave of refusals among teachers to work in unsafe conditions, with several schools being shut by strike action.

The union called the one-day strike to gain control of teachers opposition and prevent it from becoming a wider movement in the working class. Throughout the pandemic, the unions have opposed the closure of schools. When strikes broke out against reopenings in November, the unions prevented their extension and eventually managed to shut the strikes down.

Strike planned at French national electric company EDF against partial privatisation and reform

A strike is planned April 8, at the French state-owned electricity company EDF. It has been called against Project Hercule, the plan to split up the company and privatise the more profitable distribution and renewables parts of the business.

The French government, EDF management, and the European Commission are calling for the breakup of the company, according to Le Figaro, but strikes against the plan have been called by major union federations representing workers at EDF. In each of the previous five days of strike action against the plan, around a quarter of EDF workers walked out.

Steel workers at Spanish company continue struggle against job cuts

Around 800 steel workers at Spanish company Tubacex are continuing their strike, begun February 11, against plans to cut 129 jobs. The company has already announced a reduction in working hours to 60 percent, citing reduced demand.

The workers have staged multiple protests. On Tuesday they protested in front of the Basque Parliament in Vitoria, stopping tram and road traffic in the regional capital, reports El Correo.

At a picket at one Tubacex plant, workers clashed with police who used armoured vehicles and rubber bullets to break through pickets and barricades. Joint demonstrations were arranged between workers at Tubacex and PCB, where 80 jobs have already been lost, and there have been multiple signs of support from the working class for the steel workers. Europa Press reports that thousands of people attended a demonstration called by several unions on March 25 to demand the repeal of labour reforms, which allow collective dismissals to be made without a practical justification. The workers expressed their determination to remain on strike indefinitely until the threat of dismissals is withdrawn.

Indefinite strike called by Spanish workers at SEG Treto auto plant

On Tuesday, the 750 Spanish workers at the SEG Treto auto plant will begin an indefinite stoppage against restructuring, affecting 275 workers, and a 19 percent pay cut, reports Europa Press.

The works council at the plant called the strike after negotiations with management broke down. The five unions represented in the council agreed to a reduction in pay and working hours, but the company was not satisfied with the level of concessions.

SEG management threatened to close production entirely at the plant, claiming the Treto works council is being unreasonable. Management cited the fact that in Germany it has been allowed to cut most of the jobs at its Hildesheim factory, and the Stuttgart workers council agreed to lose 30 percent of all jobs. As an alternative to the restructuring, the Treto works council has proposed selling redundancies in a different way, suggesting that job cuts be ordered by age.

March in support of dismissed Spanish metal workers in A Coruna

Thousands marched through the streets of A Coruna on Saturday, calling for an industrial future and protesting against the dismissal of workers by the Spanish aluminium manufacturer Alu Iberica.

Workers at the A Coruna plant began an indefinite strike in December, after a colleague was fired and members of the works council were disciplined for what management alleges was a brawl when the dismissal was announced, reports El Espanol. Four members of the works council were later fired.

The demands at Saturdays demonstration included support for the dismissed workers. After Alu Iberica announced the sale of its plants at A Coruna and Aviles, the CIG union called for the government to step in and nationalise the plants, reports EFE.

Spanish auto parts workers strike over possible plant closure

Workers at the Barcelona plant of Delmon Group Iberica, which produces rubber parts for the auto industry, began a strike on March 20, after news emerged that production may be moved elsewhere and the plant closed, reports El Espanol. The strike was planned to last until March 31 and may be extended indefinitely. The CCOO union called for management to clarify the future of the 35 workers affected.

Strike at Spanish Public Employment Service offices

A strike called by the USO union at the Spanish Public Employment Service (SEPE), which processes unemployment claims among other services, took place Monday and Tuesday.

The stoppage was called over understaffing amidst a spike in unemployment applications during the pandemic. According to Catalan News, applications made in August had still not been processed three months later. The service also suffered a cyberattack at the start of March, leading to an even longer queue of applications.

The unions representing workers at SEPE were divided over the strike. The USO called for strike action to demand raised staffing levels, but the larger CSIF union called this inappropriate, stating more negotiation should occur. The USO estimates around 30 percent of workers walked out, although the SEPE claims it was 2.8 percent.

Delivery riders strike for national contract in 31 Italian cities

Delivery riders in 31 cities across Italy took another day of strike action on March 26. The riders rejected a deal signed by the UGL union federation a few days before with the AssoDelivery group (including Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats).

The UGL-AssoDelivery contract contained a minimum fee of 10 per hour worked, bonuses for performance, night work, holidays and poor weather conditions, and some extra safety measures and insurance, according to La Stampa. The Rider X i Diritti (Riders for Rights) network confirmed that its planned strike would continue despite the deal, reports ANSA. The Riders Union Roma condemned the contract as a leash and called on AssoDelivery to return to the negotiating table.

Strike by train conductors at ScotRail, Scotland

Several hundred train conductors working for Scottish rail transport company ScotRail held a one-day strike Sunday. They are also working to rule. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members are protesting being paid a lower rate of overtime than train drivers. Further strikes are planned for April 4, 11, 18 and 25.

Further Scotland-wide strike by college lecturers

Lecturers at 26 further education colleges across Scotland began a two-day strike Wednesday, following a one-day strike last week.

Educational Institute of Scotland Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) members are protesting plans by the employers body, Colleges Scotland, to replace lecturer posts with lower-paid instructor posts. Further two-day strikes are planned after the Easter holiday break, with plans to escalate to three days.

In addition, lecturers at West Lothian college in Scotland voted by an 87 percent majority on a 54 percent turnout to take industrial action short of strike action on the same issue. These instructor posts will be on lower pay, have more contact time, less time for preparation and lower leave allowance.

Occupation by university students in Edinburgh, Scotland

UK students on rent strike at Edinburgh University, Scotland occupied halls of residence on March 26, after receiving letters from university authorities demanding unpaid rent. The rent strike began after face-to-face teaching was replaced by inadequate remote learning with poor Wi-Fi connections. The students were still expected to pay full rent and tuition fees in spite of their inadequate student experience.

Lecturers at Scottish college being balloted over compulsory redundancy threat

Lecturers at Argyll college in Scotland are being balloted for strike action over the threat of compulsory redundancies. The EIS-FELA branch members voted by a 76 percent majority on an 82 percent turnout in a consultative vote to ballot for strike action. Lecturers in the college are also taking part in the Scotland-wide programme of industrial action over the downgrading of lecture posts, replacing lower graded instructor posts. The ballot over compulsory redundancies began on March 26 and closes April 15.

Post workers in southwest England walk out in support of sacked colleague

Around 100 postal workers in the English town of Bridgwater walked out on Thursday over the dismissal of a colleague with 26 years of service. The members of the Communications Workers Union returned to work later in the day. The postal worker who was dismissed was due to retire shortly.

Management had dismissed the postal worker for alleged poor attendance. Colleagues who walked out in his defence say his health problems were not taken into account. Postal workers at the same depot walked out in November 2020 over the dismissal of a young colleague.

Walkout by London United bus drivers

Bus drivers working for French owned RATP subsidiary, London United began a 48-hour strike Wednesday with further action planned for April 7 and 14. The company operates services in south and west London. The Unite union members are opposing attacks on pay and conditions. Drivers face losing up to 2,500 work longer hours.

Drivers at two other London RATP subsidiaries had been involved in strike action over pay and conditions, London Sovereign and Quality Line but the Unite union called off these strikes after pushing through rotten pay deals. Strikes at London United had also been suspended for talks but these broke down and strike action resumed.

Strike by aerospace workers at UK plant escalates

Around 200 workers at the UK aircraft parts manufacturer SPS Technologies in Leicester began all out continuous strike action on Monday, due to last until June 3. They had previously held one-day strikes beginning in March.

The Unite union members are opposing company plans to fire and rehire, imposing a new contract which will mean an annual wage loss of between 2,500 and 3,000. SPS Technologies is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, an American conglomerate owned by billionaire Warren Buffett.

Last year 60 workers were made redundant. Many of the workers involved in the dispute have decades of service with the company.

Further strike action by British Telecom engineers

Around 170 British Telecom Openreach Repayment Project Engineers held a three-day strike beginning Monday. This follows a five-day strike beginning March 18 and two- and three-day strikes.

The Communication Workers Union members voted by an 86 percent majority on a 94 percent turnout for action to defend jobs, terms and conditions as a result of regrading.

Strike action by outsourced staff in hospital in northwest England

Around 150 UK hospital staff comprising catering staff, cleaners, porters and switchboard staff at Cumberland Infirmary in northwest England began a two-day strike on March 26. The Unison union members are employed by outsourcing company Mitie.

They are seeking pay parity with directly employed NHS staff. NHS workers receive enhanced pay at time and a half and double time for overnight and weekend work, which the Mitie employees do not receive, leaving them severely out of pocket. They have already held two days of strike action over the last month.

The North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, says it included a tranche of money to cover unsocial hours payments when Mitie took over the roles. Mitie states it never received this payment.

Teachers and support staff at London school strike over sick pay

Around 150 UK teachers and support staff at the Beal High school in the London borough of Redbridge walked out on March 25, the first of six days of planned strikes.

The National Education Union (NEU) members voted by a 60 percent majority on a more than 80 percent turnout for action. They are demanding all teachers and support staff be entitled to the nationally agreed sick pay. They accuse Beacon Academy Trust that runs the school of applying inferior sick pay terms to staff employed after 2016.

Further action by teachers at Leaways School in London

Teachers at the Leaways School in the inner London borough of Hackney were on strike Tuesday and Wednesday this week. It follows two days of strikes last week, and six in December. Leaways is a special school run by the Kedleston group, providing support to children with emotional, social, and mental health problems.

The NEU members are demanding a 2.75 percent parity pay rise as given to local authority teachers, as opposed to the one percent offered. They are calling for additional teaching staff with specialist knowledge to meet the needs of the students and are also protesting the dismissal of two teachers since the dispute began. They accuse the school management of bullying.

Further strike in defence of sacked teacher at three Shrewsbury College sites

UK teachers at three Shrewsbury College sites were on strike Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The NEU members mounted socially distanced picket lines in defence of NEU rep John Boken, who has been charged with gross misconduct and issued with a final warning.

He is currently seeking an overturn of the final warning, and an appeal hearing has been set to begin in April. A petition on his behalf lodged on change.org has so far attracted over 1,400 signatures.

Strike by IT staff at London tenant referencing service

Around 20 UK staff working for Goodlord in London are continuing their indefinite strike, begun March 1. On February 22 they began discontinuous strikes, before escalating on March 1. Goodlord provides checks on potential tenants for estate agents.

The Unite union members, employed by the company on rolling fixed-term contracts, took action after the company cut their pay by 20 percent, a form of fire and rehire. Under the new contract they would see salary cuts of up to 6,000 leaving staff on around 18,000, less than the current London Living wage of 21,157. Unite has called for Goodlord to lose its Living Wage Foundation accreditation, as the pay cut would mean it no longer qualifies.

Bus drivers at Southampton company to ballot for industrial action

UK drivers at Bluestar bus company in Southampton are to be balloted for industrial action. The RMT union members are calling for the reinstatement of union branch secretary Declan Clune. Bluestar sacked Clune after he reported a bus hitting a rail bridge to Network Rail.

An RMT press release noted, A Directors Review of the matter of the dismissal has now been granted and our officials will be putting a strong case for reinstatement and to right this wrong. The company should seize this opportunity to reinstate Declan rather than provoking an industrial dispute and action by our members.

Engineers servicing fighter planes in northern England end their strike

After more than 20 days of strikes, UK engineers employed by Babcock International servicing fighter planes at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire have returned to work.

The Unite union members were protesting a disparity in overtime pay with colleagues carrying out similar duties at RAF Valley in Wales. The Leeming workers say they were around 5,000 a year worse off than their Welsh counterparts.

Workers accepted an offer from Babcock of a 1,500 a year, and a 2.5 percent pay rise backdated to April last year.

Teachers at school in Birmingham, England to strike over redundancies

UK teachers at Starbank secondary and primary schools in Yardley, Birmingham plan to strike from April 20 to 29, after the Star Academy which runs the schools threatened to push through 67 redundancies in April. The teachers are members of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers. Star Academy says the redundancies will offset a 4 million deficit.

Driver and vehicle registration staff at Welsh site to strike after Easter

Workers at the UKs Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency based in Wales will strike for four days from April 6. The strike will involve operational staff. They will also begin an overtime ban and work to rule from April 10. The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) members voted by a near 72 percent majority on a turnout of just over 50 percent for the action.

They are protesting that the DVLA forced around 2,000 workers to attend the DVLA office during the last COVID-19 lockdown. Previously they let staff work from home. Since September last year there have been more than 600 cases of staff testing positive for COVID-19, the most in one workplace in the UK. One worker employed there died of Covid.

Union calls off UK passport control staff at Heathrow airport strike

The PCS has suspended a week-long strike of around 450 UK passport control staff at Heathrow airport, planned from April 1, and entered talks with management. This follows a work-to-rule and overtime ban begun March 24 until April 21. In January workers voted by nearly 97 percent on a 68 percent turnout for strike action.

The PCS members are opposed to roster changes imposed on them by Border Force management. Border Force comes under the auspices of the UK government Home Office. The roster changes make it difficult for staff with disabilities or caring responsibilities to carry out their work duties.

Strike vote by staff at UK retail chain

In a consultative ballot of workers at the UK general retail chain Wilko, 88 percent voted in favour of striking. The GMB union members are opposed to cuts in sick pay imposed by the company. Previously staff were entitled to four periods of sick leave with company sick pay per year. However, from February 1 they would lose their entitlement to sick pay after the first period of sickness. Many of the 21,000 workers affected are on low pay and part time contracts. Wilko workers have continued to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proposed strike by UK Isle of Wight ferry workers called off

In January, workers on the Wightlink ferry route, which operates services between the Isle of Wight and the UK mainland, voted overwhelmingly to strike. The RMT members were opposed to plans by the company to close the defined benefit pension scheme and reintroduce a flexible working roster used in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dates were set for 18 days of strike action in April, covering the Easter period and in May and June. In early March, the RMT announced the suspension of the proposed stoppages citing commitments made by Wightlink. Following this the company tabled re-negotiated proposals on pensions and changes to working terms and conditions. Ferry workers returned a vote of 173 in favour of the re-negotiated proposals, with 21 rejecting them.

Workers at catering company in Portugal strike against collective dismissals

Workers at the catering company Eurest in Lisbon, Portugal took one day of strike action on Friday, after the company announced collective dismissals affecting 146 employees.

The FESAHT union is quoted in Noticias ao Minuto criticising the company for dismissing the workers after having laid off 116 workers recently. The unions only defence of jobs has been a single day of isolated strike action.

Portuguese manufacturing workers at mould company strike over fixed shifts

Workers at the mould manufacturer MDA in Oliveira de Azemeis in Portugal went on strike on Friday, protesting in front of the factory against changes to shift patterns which left some workers permanently on the night shift. According to JN, workers at the factory previously alternated between early and late shifts but complained that the companys unilateral change in policy leaves some of them with no possibility of enjoying family life. The loss of the shift allowance means a 15 percent pay reduction.

Russian drivers for construction company in St. Petersburg win wage rise

Drivers at the Petrovich construction company in St. Petersburg, Russia received a pay rise following a strike on Monday morning. According to RIA, several dozen drivers gathered in the warehouse and stopped work to protest their low wages. After management negotiated with them and agreed a higher wage, the drivers returned to work.

Unions end Bucharest metro occupation in Romania

On Saturday, workers at Metrorex ended their protest and occupation which had paralysed the subway in the Romanian capital of Bucharest. The occupation began early on Friday. According to company estimates, around 600 workers and traders took part.

The city had attempted to shut down commercial spaces inside the stations, prompting anger among the traders. In response to government allegations that the USLM union took the action because it had a commercial interest in the spaces, the union cited salary cuts, layoffs and working conditions as causing the anger of metro workers, reports AGERPRES.

Local and national politicians made inflammatory comments, calling the protesting workers mafia and terrorists, and threatening draconian legal consequences. After a meeting between the unions, management and representatives of the strikers, chaired by Bucharest city prefect Alin Stoica, Stoica announced that People have understood that it is important to stop the protest. The lines resumed service on Saturday without any concessions being announced.

Middle East

Moroccan teachers hold three-day strike

Teachers in Morocco began a three-day strike on March 23. They were protesting the temporary fixed-term contracts of teachers employed since 2016. These contracts offered less security and lower pensions and restrict where teachers can apply for new teaching posts.

Previously teachers were appointed as public servants. Teachers fear the dilution of their conditions is a prelude to ending public education.

Peaceful protests by thousands of teachers in the capital, Rabat on March 16 and 17, were violently attacked by riot and plainclothes police. Teachers have held regular protests in Rabat and other major Moroccan cities.

Demonstrations by Turkish auto workers

Turkish auto workers at the South Korean-owned Hyundai factory in Izmit held demonstrations on March 25 and 26, over an inadequate pay rise for 2021. On March 26, they refused to board shuttle buses to take them home and instead gathered outside the factory. Police with water cannons were called. The company has refused to allow workers to join a union.

Protests and strikes in Lebanon

Lebanese workers held protests on Saturday and Sunday over deteriorating living conditions. On Saturday, protestors gathered outside the presidential palace in Baabda, while on Sunday demonstrators marched to the Economy Ministry in Beirut. The Lebanese currency has lost around 90 percent of its value, leaving those without access to dollars in dire straits.

Bassam Tleiss, president of the general confederation of transport unions, announced a strike by transport workers to take place April 7. Among the issues is the continuing rise in fuel prices.

Ongoing protests by Iranian workers

On Saturday, workers at the southwestern city of Ahvazs Water and Sewage Enterprise protested over wage arrears. They have not been paid for the last two months.

Also Saturday, Haft Tapeh sugar cane factory workers held a further protest in their long-running dispute. They gathered outside the factory security office to denounce the sacking of eight workers and reduction in the length of contracts of other workers.

Workers at the state-owned Pars Pamchal factory in Tehran took action over five months wage arrears. The chemical company produces paint products. Workers seized 15 tons of paint to sell off in lieu of their five months wage arrears.

Africa

Nigerian doctors strike over salary arrears

Resident doctors in Nigeria began an indefinite strike on April 1 over mounting salary arrears and unpaid COVID-19 inducement allowances.

Other demands include a review of the hazard allowance to 50 percent of the basic salary, and payment of death in service insurance to all health workers who fall victim to COVID-19. Many doctors in state-run hospitals have not been paid any COVID-19 inducement allowance.

Abia State University Teaching Hospitals owe some staff 20 months salary arrears, Imo State University Teaching Hospitals five months and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospitals three months.

Resident (learners and care providers) doctors comprise a large proportion of all doctors in Nigerian tertiary (specialist) hospitals.

Nigeria reported 162,891 coronavirus cases and 2,057 deaths.

Nigerian tanker drivers threaten action over tanker explosions

Tanker drivers in Nigeria are threatening to strike over the lack of action in fitting safety valves to their vehicles, despite a Federal Government commitment to make them mandatory. The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers members are threatening strike action from May 1.

In January this year, a tanker exploded causing the deaths of a woman and three children, and leaving 11 others with severe burns in Agbor, Delta State. In March, a tanker carrying petrol exploded near a filling station in Ogun State causing a fire at the facility.

The lack of safety is combined with deteriorating pay for a workforce considered essential workers.

Teachers in Mauritania stage three-day strike for better pay and conditions

Starting March 22, teachers in Mauritania took strike action for three days to demand improvements in their pay and living conditions. Teachers held large protests at the Education Ministry offices in the capital Nouakchott, as well as in other regions.

The teaching unions in Mauritania formed the Coordination for the Defence of Teachers (CDE) that regularly engages in fruitless talks with the government. The CDE combines four unions in secondary and technical education.

Despite the unions best efforts to contain it, there is growing anger over worsening conditions, especially in the public sector.

South African health workers in Limpopo threaten strike over work conditions

Over 50 doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in Limpopo province, South Africa, stopped work and picketed hospitals and clinics on Monday, threatening further stoppages in protest at work rotas imposed on them without consultation.

The seven unions representing the workers, including the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, the National Health, Education and Allied Workers Union, the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa and the Public Servants Association, reached an agreement with the provincial health department earlier in March, and suspended an intended strike.

The department had warned workers that any strike would not be protected as they provided an essential service. They also threatened to withdraw the COVID-19 vaccine from strikers.

Workers say the health department has reneged on the agreement and are again threatening a stoppage. The unions demanded the removal of the health department head, and the intervention of the provincial councils member for health to avoid a strike.

South Africa has 1,548,157 coronavirus cases, with 52,846 fatalities.
DC Comics fans have gone crazy for Zack Snyder's Justice League cut on HBO Max which is four hours long.

And while promoting the Oscar contender Promising Young Woman which she produced, Margot Robbie joked with Variety that there's a '20-hout cut' of her Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood.

'For personal reasons, Id love to watch the five-hour cut of every movie Ive ever done,' the Australian actress, 30, shared.

Tongue in cheek: Margot Robbie joked with Variety that there's a '20-hout cut' of her Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, following the success of Zack Snyder's four-hour Justice League cut on HBO Max

'Theres a 20-hour cut of Once Upon a Time inHollywood,' she laughed.

'Theres so much more that you didnt get to see, that we shot that was amazing, and for a million reasons obviously, cant make the cut.'

On Varietys Awards Circuit podcast, Robbie shot down rumors that there could be a David Ayer cut of his 2016 DC Comics movie Suicide Squad.

'Not to my knowledge, there is not a David Ayer cut that is in the works or going to be released,' she said.

Joke: 'Theres so much more that you didnt get to see, that we shot that was amazing, and for a million reasons obviously, cant make the cut,' Robbie shared on the Awards Circuit podcast

Not happening: The Australian actress also shot down rumors there could be a David Ayer cut of his 2016 DC Comics movie Suicide Squad in which she played Harley Quinn (pictured)

She is reprising the comic book character of Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad helmed by James Gunn that's set for release on August 6.

And on Thursday, a new trailer for the supervillains-turned-superheroes story was released by Warner Bros.

The new clip dispenses with the cheerful bloodletting of the first red-band trailer in favor of a more somber tone, depicting the new characters and their occasionally bizarre superpowers.

Back in a darker tone: Robbie is reprising the comic book character of Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad helmed by James Gunn that's set for release on August 6

The trailer opens with a group of Suicide Squad members standing at the open backside of a cargo plane in midair as they prepare to parachute out of it.

On the soundtrack a wispy voice seems to address them, urging for one-time villains to do good for once to save their reputations.

'Supervillains. Sad souls in costumes, wanting you to think they're all dark and deep,' the voice slowly taunts them.

'What's it like, living life as a punch line? But all it would take would be one blessed act of rebellion for you to restore your dignity in its entirety,' it adds.

Jump: The trailer opens with a group of Suicide Squad members standing at the open backside of a cargo plane in midair as they prepare to parachute out of it

Mysterious voice: 'Supervillains. Sad souls in costumes, wanting you to think they're all dark and deep,' a voice taunts the villains on the soundtrack

Hopeful: 'What's it like, living life as a punch line? But all it would take would be one blessed act of rebellion for you to restore your dignity in its entirety,' it adds

While the unseen voice speaks, the characters are shown in short bursts, with Idris Elba's character Bloodsport and John Cena's Peacemaker being singled out.

There's also a humorous photo of Shark King (voiced by Sylvester Stallone and portrayed on set by Steve Agee) looking into a tank of cute aquatic creatures that could have been taking from Finding Nemo.

The pace picks up then as Viola Davis' character Amanda Waller is shown entering a prison.

She's the head of a program using imprisoned supervillains to go on dangerous missions with little chance of survival.

She explains that they'll get 10 years off their sentences if they're successful and they survive, though many of them will likely be killed.

Cute: There's also a humorous photo of Shark King (voiced by Sylvester Stallone and portrayed on set by Steve Agee) looking into a tank of cute aquatic creatures that could have been taking from Finding Nemo

Boss: The pace picks up then as Viola Davis' character Amanda Waller is shown entering a prison. She runs the Suicide Squad program that uses supervillains to do dangerous missions

Better than nothing: She explains that they'll get 10 years off their sentences if they're successful and they survive, though many of them will likely be killed

To ensure they follow her orders, explosive devices are implanted in the bases of their skulls.

In an info session in an auditorium, King Shark reveals he's not very bright when he gets distracted by his own hand when Amanda asks if there are any questions.

'We're all gonna die,' Bloodsport moans.

'I hope so,' adds Polka-Dot Man, played by David Dastmalchian.

Not a good sign: In an info session in an auditorium, King Shark reveals he's not very bright when he gets distracted by his own hand when Amanda asks if there are any questions

Not optimistic: 'We're all gonna die,' Bloodsport moans. 'I hope so,' adds Polka-Dot Man, played by David Dastmalchian

The trailer's pace quickens in the second half after the team assembles for a raid in what looks like a jungle, with Elba, Cena and Joel Kinnaman's characters sporting automatic weapons and shotguns.

The Suicide Squad members show off their powers, with Polka-Dot man revealing that the dots on his suit are actually weapons that he can throw.

Nathan Fillion, who plays TDK, reveals that he can detach his arms from his body to somehow aid him in the fight.

Daniela Melchior is revealed to be a female version of the character Ratcatcher, who can lead armies of the rodents to do her bidding.

And Bloodsport is picture doing what he does best as he aims a massive weapon with a rotating muzzle.

Battle: The trailer's pace quickens in the second half after the team assembles for a raid in what looks like a jungle, with Elba, Cena and Joel Kinnaman's characters sporting automatic weapons and shotguns

On the attack: The Suicide Squad members show off their powers, with Polka-Dot man revealing that the dots on his suit are actually weapons that he can throw

Weird: Nathan Fillion, who plays TDK, reveals that he can detach his arms from his body to somehow aid him in the fight

Yuck: Daniela Melchior is revealed to be a female version of the character Ratcatcher, who can lead armies of the rodents to do her bidding

Taking aim: And Bloodsport is picture doing what he does best as he aims a massive weapon with a rotating muzzle

It's not clear if John Cena's Peacemaker has any special powers, but his character reveals the fascistic mindset that animates him to seek out 'peace.'

'Nothing like a bloodbath to start the day,' he says, before explaining the meaning behind his name.

'I cherish peace with all my heart. I don't care how many men, women and children I need to kill to get it,' he says blankly.

Scary: It's not clear if John Cena's Peacemaker has any special powers, but his character reveals the fascistic mindset that animates him. 'I cherish peace with all my heart. I don't care how many men, women and children I need to kill to get it,' he says blankly

Not good: The trailer ends with a hilarious scene featuring Peter Capaldi's character the Thinker. 'Here's the deal,' says Kinnaman's character Rick Flagg. 'We fail the mission  you die'

Whoops! Then Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn goes off the rails. 'If we find out you have personalized license plates  you die,' she says in deadpan

The trailer ends with a hilarious scene featuring Peter Capaldi's character the Thinker.

'Here's the deal,' says Kinnaman's character Rick Flagg. 'We fail the mission  you die.'

Bloodsport adds: 'We found out any information you gave us was false  you die.'

Then Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn goes off the rails.

'If we find out you have personalized license plates  you die,' she says in deadpan before Flagg says that's not the case.

Suicide Squad will be available simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max for subscribers starting on August 6.
Raymond Clark sits outside his home in Teesto, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Teesto workers, health representatives, volunteers and neighbors keep close tabs on another to ensure the most vulnerable citizens get the help they need.
China in Focus (April 1): China State-Run Media Comments on April Fools Day

This year, even the Chinese Communist Party is taking notice of April Fools Day. But it seems the apparent jokes went too far.

The Biden administrations first trade report labels Beijing as the worlds leading offender of creating overcapacity in a number of sectors. It also reiterates Chinas responsibilities under the phase one U.S.China trade agreement.

Chinese state-run media outlets quote a French reporter who denies that genocide is happening in Chinas Xinjiang region. But French media say this reporter doesnt actually exist.

A number of international fashion brands are refusing to use cotton from Xinjiang due to concerns over forced labor. But the abusive labor practice isnt just limited to that region. A new book brings the situation to light.

Two Chinese-made vaccines have met the World Health Organizations standard. But some countries that have distributed those doses are facing a surge of new infections.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW HAVEN  A 42-year-old man is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after crashing into a utility pole in the Dixwell neighborhood Thursday evening, according to police.

Officers responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash with injuries near Orchard Streets intersection with Charles Street in the Dixwell neighborhood around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Capt. Anthony Duff said in an email.
Mumbai, April 2 : Amitabh Bachchan on Friday blogged to inform that he has been administered the Covid-19 vaccine. "All family done except Abhishek", he wrote, hinting that the family, except his son Abhishek Bachchan, has taken the shot for protection against coronavirus.

"DONE .. vaccination done .. all well .. did Covid test for family and staff yesterday .. results came today .. all good , all negative .. so done the vaccine .. all family done except Abhishek .. he be on location and shall do it on return soon in a few days," Big B wrote in his blog post.

Calling the vaccination procedure "historic", he added: "oh .. the entire procedure of taking the vaccination needs a rather detailed exclusive Blog .. shall do so .. later .. it was historic !!" The 78-year-old actor had also tweeted about being vaccinated on Thursday night, a couple of minutes before midnight.

"Got it done ! My CoviD vaccination this afternoon ..All well," Big B tweeted.
Lawmakers in Texas, a state that already claims the most onerous voting laws in the nation, on Thursday took a major step toward making it even tougher to cast a ballot, the latest in a bevy of Republican-backed efforts to restrict voting ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

The State Senate approved an overhaul of election law that would roll back many steps taken by counties last year to facilitate voting during the pandemic and impose new curbs in their place, including statewide limits on polling-place hours, a new formula for locating polling places and a ban on drop boxes that were widely used nationwide last year to assist mail-in voters.

The proposal also would ban anyone except the voter who filled out a ballot from dropping it in a mailbox or delivering it to an election official. It adds new paperwork requirements for voters who need help because of language problems or disabilities. And it would give so-called poll watchers  untrained monitors, usually chosen by candidates or party officials, who are stationed inside polling places  the right to videotape voters if they deem them suspicious.

The Texas measure comes on the heels of efforts in Iowa and Georgia, where lawmakers significantly tightened voting rules last month. The Georgia measure has been criticized by executives of several major companies with headquarters in the state. In Arizona, two Republican-backed bills that would erect roadblocks to voting by mail  the method used by eight in 10 voters  are approaching final votes in the State Legislature.
Seven sheriffs officers in Collin County, Texas, were fired Thursday in connection with the death of Marvin Scott III, a 26-year-old Black man who died after being restrained at the county jail last month.

Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established Sheriffs Office policies and procedures, Sheriff Jim Skinner said in a statement, adding that an eighth officer had resigned.

Police in Allen, Texas, just north of Dallas, arrested Scott on a marijuana possession charge on March 14. He had less than 2 ounces of the drug, according to the authorities  a misdemeanor.

The police said they had taken Scott to a hospital because he was acting erratically. He was then taken to the county jail, where county officers restrained him and pepper-sprayed him. A spit hood was placed over his head. He died later that night.

Every evening for more than two weeks, members of Scotts family have been gathering to protest outside the Collin County Jail, demanding transparency and accountability.

We want to know, how did my son die? Scotts mother, LaSandra Scott, said at a news conference last week, according to NBC 5. We want answers.

Marvin Scott had a schizophrenia diagnosis and sometimes used marijuana as a form of self-medication when his prescription medication did not work well, according to S. Lee Merritt, a lawyer representing the family.

Amy Gruszecki, a forensic pathologist who performed a second autopsy on Scott after his body was examined by the Collin County medical examiner, said at the news conference that according to her preliminary findings, it was possible that asphyxiation, as well as a physical struggle against his restraint, might have contributed to Scotts death.

The county medical examiner did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Merritt said the countys autopsy results had yet to be released.

The officers who were fired Thursday had been placed on administrative leave after Scotts death. The sheriffs office opened an internal investigation into the episode, and the Texas Rangers, a state law enforcement agency, is conducting a criminal investigation.

Merritt said the family was asking for the officers involved to be arrested and for the release of security camera footage from the jail on the night of Scotts death.

They laid Marvin to rest on the 30th, just a couple days ago, he said. The family continues to protest every night along with other members of the community.

The firings in Texas were announced during the trial in Minnesota of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyds neck before Floyd died on May 25, prompting nationwide protests. Holding law enforcement officers accountable in the United States has long been difficult, in part because of powerful police unions and a legal system that gives wide latitude for officers to use force.

At a March 19 news conference, Skinner called Scotts death a tragedy and said he had met with Scotts relatives.

According to a statement from the Allen Police Department, police officers encountered Scott on March 14 while responding to a disturbance call at an outlet mall and were concerned for his safety due to the possible ingestion of drugs.

Scott was taken to an emergency room, where he remained for three hours before being released with a physicians clearance, the police statement said. It added that he had been taken to the police headquarters in Allen before being transferred to the Collin County Jail in McKinney.

Skinner said the police had taken Scott to the county jail shortly before 6:30 p.m. While in the booking area, Mr. Scott exhibited some strange behavior, he said. Several detention officers tried to secure him to the restraint bed, and during the process used O.C. spray once, and also placed a spit mask on his face.

O.C. spray  its formal name is oleoresin capsicum  can also be referred to as pepper spray. Skinner described a spit mask as a mask that fits over ones head. It has a net on it in order to keep spittle from being spit on another person.

The sheriff said that Scott had become unresponsive around 10:30. He added that the Texas Rangers, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening, were examining video footage of the episode.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address rallies in poll-bound Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Friday (April 2).

He will address a public rally at the Amma Thidal grounds in Tamil Nadus Madurai at 11.30 a.m. Chief Minister K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief minister O.Panneerselvam and senior BJP leaders will be present in the programme.

Prime Minister Modi arrived at Madurai on Thursday night and visited the famous Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple clad in traditional Tamil attire of "Veshti", white shirt and "Angavastram".

Heavy police security has been deployed at Madurai with more than 4,000 policemen pressed into duty for the programme.

Narendra Modi will travel from Madurai to reach Pathanamthitta in Kerala where he will address the public programme at the Rajiv Gandhi indoor stadium at 1.15 p.m.

He will reach Kanyakumari from Pathanathitta in Kerala where he will address a public meeting at Konni for the election campaign of Kerala state president of BJP, K. Surendran and other leaders at 1.15 p.m. at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor stadium.

Prime minister will travel from Pathanamthitta to Kanyakumari by helicopter.

At Kanyakumari, he will address the public at Vivekananda college ground at Agastheeswaram.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan is contesting from Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat where a bypoll was necessitated following the passing away of the sitting MP, H. Vasanthakumar of the Congress owing to Covid related ailments.

Pon Radhakrishnan had won from Kanyakumari in 2014 but in 2019 he lost to Vasanthakumar by a margin of 2,99,000 votes. The BJP is contesting elections in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the AIADMK and this has given much hope for Pon Radhakrishnan.

Other than the Lok Sabha candidate, the NDA candidates contesting the Assembly polls from Kanyakumari district and adjoining constituencies will participate in the Prime minister`s programme.

Security has been beefed up in Kanyakumari district and 3,500 policemen are deployed for the programme.

Modi will return to Thiruvananthapuram where he will address a public meeting at Greenfield stadium, Kazhakootam in which all the NDA candidates of Thiruvananthapuram district will participate.

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Employers should consider appointing "vaccination ambassadors" to make workers more likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ensure certain precautions are in place before appointing vaccination ambassadors, legal experts recommend.

"Recent reports show a big percentage of health care workers, front-line essential workers and other critical infrastructure workforces are hesitant or outright refuse to receive a vaccine for the virus that causes COVID-19," according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). CISA noted that if vaccine acceptance is low among these workers, others may also be reluctant to get the vaccine when it becomes available to them.

Recommended Steps



The following measures may increase vaccine acceptance in the workforce, according to the CDC:

Train interested staff to become COVID-19 vaccination ambassadors who will speak confidently and honestly, relaying personal stories about the vaccine to fellow co-workers and addressing any of their concerns.

Employ all available communication tools when promoting the COVID-19 vaccine to staff, including social media, internal communication channels, and posters or signs around the workplace.

Hold a virtual town hall where leadership, respected local medical experts and staff share their COVID-19 vaccine experiences and other vaccine facts and answer audience questions. Use experts to communicate to staff when talking about the COVID-19 vaccine. Ensure the experts present facts about the vaccine, including the risks.

Consider giving employees paid time off to get the vaccine and offering paid sick leave for employees who have adverse reactions.

Have workplace leadership take the COVID-19 vaccine, capture their experience using video or photo, and share the experience with staff.

The employer should ensure that any decision by a member of leadership to share his or her COVID-19 vaccination experience is voluntary and confirm in writing the voluntary nature of that decision, said Jennifer Barna, an attorney with Epstein Becker Green in Newark, N.J.

Vaccination Ambassadors

Prior to creating vaccination-ambassador programs, organizations should develop a comprehensive vaccination policy, said Naomi Bradley, managing director of Deloitte Consulting LLP in New York City.

The policy should provide guidance to employees around vaccination mandates and incentives, and any health, safety and privacy protocols. Vaccination ambassadors should be trained on the organization's policy along with anti-discrimination policies prior to rollout of the program, she said.

Bradley added that if vaccination ambassadors are not medical professionals, they should avoid responding to any health-related questions employees may raise. Instead, such questions should be directed either to HR or a medical professional, she said.

"Unless the person is highly trained in the science underlying the vaccines, thought has to be given as to what types of questions the ambassadors would actually be qualified to answer," said Sandi King, an attorney with Manatt in Los Angeles.

For example, she said, the ambassadors, when asked, can share their own experiences in getting the vaccine, such as:

How to register for an appointment.

What the wait time was like.

Whether it hurt to get the shot.

Whether they personally experienced any side effects.

"But it is unlikely that the average employee would be qualified to address any other specific vaccine-related topics," she said.

King added that vaccination ambassadors should avoid affirmatively reaching out to co-workers. She said the better approach "would be for the company to let their employees know that certain identified individuals who have received the vaccination are willing to discuss their personal experiences in getting the vaccine. Leave it to interested employees to make the reach-out to a vaccination ambassador whom the employee trusts or has a good relationship with."

Vaccination ambassadors do not need to have an answer for every question, said Catherine Cano, an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Omaha, Neb.

For example, co-workers might voluntarily disclose that they are unsure about the vaccine due to medical conditions or pregnancy. "Vaccination ambassadors are not in a position to provide any input on those situations," she said. A vaccination ambassador might respond, "That sounds like something you'd have to discuss with your doctor, but are there any other questions you have about my experience?"

"I'd encourage vaccination ambassadors to always speak the truth and talk about what they know and don't know," said Dr. Leana Wen, a Baltimore-based public health professor at George Washington University and senior advisor at Avalere Health. "Meet people where they are. That means intentionally listening to the person they're speaking with, without judgment."

Vaccination ambassadors should be trained not to push employees to explain why they don't want to get a vaccine, as this may prompt the disclosure of protected information, such as a medical condition, said Joseph Harris, an attorney with A.Y. Strauss in New York City.

Town Halls

At a company town hall, "be prepared to answer tough questions and debunk misinformation," said Brian Pezza, an attorney with Lewis Rice in St. Louis. "Have a dress rehearsal."

If a company is based in one location, include a local doctor from an institution with strong name recognition in the community, Wen recommended, but if the company is national, a nationally prominent expert may be best. "Many studies show that some of the most trusted messengers are medical experts."



When confronted with opposition, "the company may calmly and factually respond to any concerns raised," said Nathaniel Glasser, an attorney with Epstein Becker Green in Washington, D.C. "To the extent these contentious issues are raised in town halls, however, ambassadors should attempt to move the discussion to a private setting."

"A virtual town hall has the potential of getting out of control if not well-organized," said Molly Batsch, an attorney with Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale in St. Louis. "There is also the risk of staff sharing misleading or inaccurate information. Ways to reduce these risks include assigning a moderator, vetting staff experiences ahead of time and providing staff with important talking points after gathering information about their experiences. Planning ahead is key."


At least 44 minors killed so far to quell the pro-democracy revolt. The Chinese are asking the coup generals to protect the gas and oil pipeline built as part of the Belt and Road. More charges against democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi: she faces 14 years in prison.

Yangon (AsiaNews)  While dissidents and humanitarian organizations denounce the atrocities ordered by the Burmese generals against children and minors, Beijing has other priorities: it wants the military junta to protect the oil and gas pipelines that connect the two countries, two infrastructures subsidized with Chinese money as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (the "new Silk Roads).

The Chinese government seems intent on giving full support to the Naypyidaw military, engaged in a bloody repression of the popular protests that broke out after the coup on February 1.

Meeting his Singapore counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan, on March 31 in Nanping (Fujian) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made it clear: China appreciates that ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Countries) has adopted "a policy of non-interference" with respect to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.

From Beijing's point of view, external interference - especially Western interference - is a danger to its commercial and strategic interests in Myanmar.

According to The Irrawaddy, Chinese authorities have asked the Burmese junta to strengthen the defense of the pipelines carrying oil and gas from Kyaukphyu, on the Bay of Bengal, to the Chinese province of Yunnan.

China's concerns about these energy structures have multiplied after ethnic militias stationed in Shan State threatened to join the revolt against Burmese generals in recent days. Before arriving in Chinese territory, the pipelines pass through this area of Myanmar.

Meanwhile, the toll of demonstrators killed by the military continues to grow. The Association for Political Prisoners estimates that to date there are 543; this number includes 44 children. Save the Children has estimated that the number of minors killed at the hands of the Burmese security forces has doubled in the past 12 days.

The regime of General Min Aung Hlaing has so far detained 2,700 opponents. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Democratic leader ousted by the junta, continues to remain under arrest. After allegations of corruption, the military authorities charged her with violating a law on state secrets dating back to the British colonial era: she faces 14 years in prison is found guilty.

Yesterday Mya Aye, another historical exponent of the democratic front, was also charges. He is a veteran of Generation 88, the group of dissidents who were the protagonists of the revolt of 1988, later suppressed by the Armed Forces. The accusation against him is that he incited the population to commit crimes.
Whats new: Trading in China Huarong Asset Management Co. Ltd. shares was suspended in Hong Kong Thursday over delays in publishing annual results.

The state-owned bad debt manager was one of about 50 Hong Kong-listed companies suspended from trading after they failed to report earnings by the March 31 deadline.

In a brief online communication with investors, interim Huarong President Wang Wenjie said auditors need more time to review the 2020 results as certain relevant transactions are still to be determined. The company also hasnt disclosed unaudited 2020 results. Wang said unaudited results may not accurately reflect the companys financial performance and may cause confusion and mislead investors.

Caixin learned that Huarong and regulatory authorities proposed financial restructuring plans to major shareholders. The relevant transactions mentioned in the companys statement might refer to the restructuring plans, Caixin learned.

Wang didnt disclose when Huarong plans to publish its results and said its main business is operating normally.

The background: Former Huarong Chairman Lai Xiaomin was executed in January. He was convicted of taking a record 1.79 billion yuan ($276.8 million) of bribes  including 104 million yuan of bribes that ultimately failed to take place  from 2008 to 2018 in exchange for his help in financing, promotions and more. He was also convicted of bigamy and colluding with others to embezzle 25.1 million yuan of public funds.

Established in 1999, Huarong is one of four national asset management companies created to dispose of massive volumes of nonperforming assets held by Chinas big state banks.

During his five-year-plus tenure as Huarongs chairman, Lai oversaw an aggressive expansion that transformed the company into one of the biggest players in Chinas financial sector but also left the company with hundreds of billions of yuan of unresolved bad debt.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full story in Chinese, click here.

Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com).

Support quality journalism in China. Subscribe to Caixin Global starting at $0.99.

Follow the Chinese markets in real time with Caixin Globals new stock database.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 23:44:37|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Thursday announced that the country's locust invasion will be effectively contained by mid-April.

Cyrus Oguna, government spokesperson, told journalists in Nairobi that control and containment efforts by the government in collaboration with the county governments and other development partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCEO) and the World Bank, have managed to reduce the swarms to only three.

"These have split into small swarmlets which are currently concentrated around Gilgil and Elburgon in Nakuru County. Efforts continue to be applied to ensure that the last of the swarmlet is contained," Oguna said.

Oguna revealed that a total of 25 counties had been infested by the pests in different magnitudes and there has been remarkable progress made with the containment efforts against locust invasion.

According to the government spokesperson, the first swarms crossed in November 2020 and invaded counties bordering Ethiopia and Somalia. Enditem
An increase in the mutual investments and commissioning of a free trade agreement (FTA) could easily pave the way for Turkey and Azerbaijan to reach as much as $15 billion (TL 121 billion) in bilateral trade volume, Turkeys Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said Friday. Pekcan's remarks came as she and the accompanying delegation arrived in Baku to meet with Azerbaijani officials and hold talks on bilateral relations, Daily Sabah writes.

Pekcan, during her tie in the Azerbaijani capital, paid a visit to the grave of former President Haydar Aliyev. She also visited the Alley of Martyrs to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in a massacre of more than 130 people by the Soviet army in Baku and the surrounding areas on Jan. 20, 1990, on the eve of the country's independence. The minister visited the Turkish martyrs cemetery in Baku, as well.

Referring to the preferential trade agreement signed between the parties last month, Pekcan said that the ultimate aim is to ink an FTA and that their works are continuing with regards to this. Pekcan, who stated that the Simplified Customs memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries will come into effect on April 15, stressed that they will work together on the removal of transition quotas, the reduction of toll fees, the strengthening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) line and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (ITR) Middle Corridor and to make Azerbaijan a logistic hub while also contributing to all other regional countries.

Commenting on Azerbaijans victory over Armenia and the retaking of occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, Pekcan said Turkey, with both its state institutions and private sector, is ready to take part in the reconstruction and restructuring of the liberated areas.

Pekcan is accompanied by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) Chairperson Rifat Hisarckloglu, the Turkish Confederation of Merchants and Craftspersons (TESK) Chairperson Bendevi Palandoken, Turkey Exporters Assembly (TIM) Chairperson Ismail Gulle, the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) Chairperson Abdurrahman Kaan and Turkey Contractors Union (TMB) Chairperson Erdal Eren.

The newly agreed preferential trade agreement, which came into effect on March 1, only includes a limited number of products, and a free trade agreement is suitable for both countries, Pekcan said. Mentioning visa-free travel between the two countries, which has just entered into force, Pekcan said the two brotherly countries should now focus on trade liberalization.


A train carrying hundreds of people derailed in Taiwan on Friday, killing at least 50 people. Officials say the train crashed into an unattended truck that had rolled down a hill onto the tracks.

The National Fire Service said more than 100 people were injured in the crash -- Taiwans worst railroad disaster in more than 70 years. It said the number of deaths was likely to rise.

People just fell all over each other, on top of one another, a woman who survived the crash told a local television station. It was terrifying. There were whole families there.

Officials believe the train was carrying more than 400 people. Many passengers were tourists or people traveling to see family ahead of a yearly religious holiday.

The train was traveling from the capital Taipei to the southeastern city of Taitung.

Feng Hui-sheng is deputy director of the Taiwan Railways Administration. He told reporters the train derailed north of the eastern city of Hualien after hitting the truck, which rolled onto the tracks from a nearby building site.

At present it is suspected (that) the vehicle wasnt braked properly, (and) slid for around 20 meters along the site access road, Feng said.

The official added that an investigation had been launched into the crash and police had questioned one person about the truck.

Fire Service officials showed a picture of what appeared to be wreckage of the truck beside the derailed train.

Survivors described their terror as the train hit the truck and stopped.

It suddenly came to a stop and then everything shook, one survivor told local television. It was all so chaotic.

The crash happened as the train was entering a tunnel. Many passengers had to be led out of the tunnel to safety, railway officials said.

Taiwans mountainous east coast is popular with tourists. The railway that travels from Taipei down the coast is known for its tunnels.

Taiwan's last major crash happened in 2018, when 18 people died and 175 were injured after a train derailed in the islands northeast.

In 1948, 64 people were estimated to have died when a train caught fire in northern Taiwan.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Ann Wang reported on this story for Reuters. Ralph Jennings and Johnson Lai reported for The Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted the reports for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

derail  v. when a train derails, it comes off the railway tracks

tourist  n. someone who travels to another place for pleasure

brake  v. to make a vehicle stop moving or move more slowly

access  n. the right or ability to approach, enter, or use

chaotic  adj. in a state of complete confusion or disorder

tunnel  n. an underground passage that permits trains and vehicles to travel through mountain areas
While both of the two new vehicles were out of commission, the fire department has been relying on its spare vehicles for calls. ODonnell said those vehicles have a lot of wear due to the volume of calls the city receives. On average, Gary firefighters respond to about 7,000 calls a year.
Sony just announced an upcoming Xperia event on April 14.

The announcement came from their official YouTube channel banner which reads "Xperia New Product Announcement April 14 2021, 16:30 JST / 9:30 CEST #SonyXperia."

There are no other hints of what product would be announced. However, rumors of the new flagship Xperia 1 III, Xperia Compact, Xperia 5 III, and Xperia 10 III could be the reason for this event.

Androidheadlines reported that Sony has been conservative with their new Xperia phone series. Not many companies have access to the rumored Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 III, and Xperia 10 III. However, here is a complete list of the possible smartphones to expect this April 14:

Sony Xperia 1 III

Techradar provided some leaks for the Sony Xperia 1 III specs. The new Sony Xperia 1 III could be the next flagship smartphone of the company. Reportedly priced at $1370, the phone is on the expensive side of the spectrum, but it would reportedly have features well worth the price. The Sony Xperia 1 III could have a periscope lens that allows up to 5x to 10x long-distance zooming. Its selfie camera is also upgraded with a wider aperture.

The phone should have a 6.5-inch 4K display OLED panel with a 21:9 aspect ratio and 15% more brightness than its predecessors. The phone is expected to run refresh rates up to 120Hz. The Sony Xperia 1 III hardware has 5G technology and the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset with 12-16 GB RAM and 256-512 GB internal storage, depending on if you would get the standard or premium variant. The Premium edition is expected to boast higher-end specs than the standard edition and not simply the increased storage capacity as mentioned.

Read Also: Sony Xperia XZ In-Depth Review: Specs And Features

Sony Compact 2021

Although the internet believes that the event is the official unveiling of the Sony Xperia 1 III, other wildcards are ready to make their debut. Sony first released their "Compact" branded phone in 2018, and rumors say that a 2021 version is underway. The new Compact is expected to have a 5.5-inch display, the perfect size to compete against iPhone 12 mini. The new Xperia Compact offers top-notch dual-camera setups with an 8-megapixel selfie camera and a 13-megapixel main camera.

Sony "Masterclass" Phone Xperia 5 III

Another phone that could show up in the event is the Sony Xperia 5 III. The smartphone is rumored to have a 6.1-inch FullHD+ HDR OLED display, 4000 mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage, and supporting 5G connectivity.

Sony Xperia 10 III

The Sony Xperia 10 III is the budget alternative to all the other Xperia smartphones. The phone is expected to have 6.1-inch display, a 4300 mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 690, 6 GB RAM, 128 GB of storage, and 5G connectivity support.

All these specs remain unofficial until the event on April 14, where Sony would confirm if these leaks stand true. However, the waiting would not be long. Keep an eye out for Sony's YouTube Channel at 3:30 AM EST, or 12:30 AM PT for the official reveal of the next-generation Xperia smartphones to enter the market.



Related Article: Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite Specs, Battery and More: New Leak Photos Show Design!
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed farmers in Varanasis Shahanshahpur on Saturday. PM Modi laid foundation for toilet under 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' in Shahanshahpur. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also present.

Here are the live updates from PM Modi's tour:

# LED bulbs have been installed in street lights in Kashi, says PM Modi

# We have taken responsibility for tough jobs, says PM Modi

# If Modi won't do tough jobs then who will, says PM Modi

# 'Swachhta' has to become 'Swabhav', it's our collective responsibility. A cleaner India will also be a healthier India: PM Modi

# For us, country is bigger than party: PM Narendra Modi in Varanasi

# By 2022, all the poor will have a home of their own, says PM Modi

# It is our responsibility to provide shelter to poorest of poor, says PM Modi

# Cleanliness can eradicate all diseases, says PM Modi

# It is my privilege to lay foundation for toilet, says PM Modi

# Unhygienic conditions are root cause of many diseases, says PM Modi

# Our target is to double income of farmers by 2022, says PM Modi

# For us, governance is not about vote banks or winning elections. Our priority is development of the country: PM Modi

# We are very ahead in milk production but it is dismal in terms of milk production per cattle, says PM Modi

# Our priorities are not set according to votes: PM Modi

# People will benefit from Pashu Arogya Mela: PM Modi

# I congratulate CM Yogi Adityanath for Pashu Arogya Mela, says PM Modi

# I won't let the efforts of people, who are attending the addressal, to go in vain, says PM Modi

# PM Modi begins speech in front of farmers in Shahanshahpur

# Varanasi: PM Narendra Modi at Pashu Arogya Mela in Shahanshahpur. He will later address the farmers.

Varanasi: PM Narendra Modi at Pashu Arogya Mela in Shahanshahpur. He will later address the farmers. pic.twitter.com/4buMj5QXxF  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 23, 2017

# PM Modi inaugurates Pashu Arogya Mela in Shahanshahpur

# Governor Ram Naik and CM Yogi Adityanath was also present

# PM Modi interacts with villagers in Shahanshahpur

# PM Modi lays foundation of for toilet under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Varanasi: PM Modi lays foundation for toilet under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, in Shahanshahpur, CM Yogi Adityanath also present pic.twitter.com/OkyELlanJb  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 23, 2017

# PM Modi reaches Shahanshahpur

# PM Modi to reach Shahanshahpur shortly

Earlier on Friday, PM Modi said development was the solution to all the problems in the country and accused the previous governments of destroying the public exchequer in their bid to win elections.

Modi, who is on his first visit to Varanasi after the BJPs landslide victory in the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in March this year, also launched several development projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore for his Lok Sabha constituency.

Development is the solution to all our problems, Modi said addressing a public meeting here.

Governments in the past were such that they seemed to hate development. For them, national exchequer was destroyed in the task of winning elections), he added.

Targeting the previous governments, Modi alleged they were driven by political calculations, resulting in schemes being inaugurated but never seeing completion.

We not only launch but also complete projects.

Asserting that his governments effort was to empower the poor, he said, Our aim is to see that the dream of development is fulfilled and lives of poor changes and they get opportunities.

Modi said even the poor people do not want their future generations to eke out a living like themselves. No poor person wants to give their children their poverty in inheritance, Modi said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
NIAMEY, Niger (AP)  Niger has sworn in its new president in the West African nations first democratic transfer of power.

Newly elected President Mohamed Bazoums inauguration Friday comes days after Nigers security forces thwarted an attempted military coup at the presidential palace overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday. Niger already faces unprecedented threats from Islamic extremists near its troubled border with Mali.

Bazoum succeeds President Mahamadou Issoufou who is stepping down after serving two terms, in accordance with Nigers constitution. Issoufous decision to respect the constitution has been widely hailed and paves the way for Nigers first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since its independence from France in 1960. The West African nation has seen four coups.

Bazoum pledged to be the elected President for all Nigeriens during his inauguration speech Friday. While promising to preserve the unity and brotherhood of the Nigerien people, President Bazoum said he was prepared to maintain with the leaders of the opposition the constructive dialogue necessary to promote a peaceful political climate, favorable to the interests of our country.

His main election rival, Mahamane Ousmane, has rejected election results claiming fraud. Supporters for Ousmane have held mass demonstrations.

I will be a President of the Republic in the service of peace, progress and happiness of the Nigerien people and of the African continent, Bazoum said.

Bazoum is Issoufous chosen successor and a longtime Cabinet minister who is from Nigers small ethnic Arab minority. He was a former interior minister in Niger and is also a teacher by training.

Fears, however, have been mounting that the inauguration could prompt more violence in Niger. The latest massacre killing at least 137 people came on the same day the constitutional court certified Bazoums electoral victory. And at least 100 others were killed in villages near the border on the day that Niger announced the presidential election would go to a second round on Feb. 21.

Security was tight Friday in the capital, Niamey.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price congratulated the newly inaugurated president.

The United States congratulates Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on his inauguration, marking an historic transfer of power from one democratically elected president to the next. This is a significant milestone for Nigers democracy, according to the statement. We value the strong relationship between the United States and Niger and look forward to working with President Bazoums administration to expand bilateral relations including in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance, security, and trade.

The U.S. also remains concerned by the recent outbreak of violence in the capital, and condemns any attempt to undermine Nigers democratically elected government, according to the statement.

By DALATOU MAMANE

Associated Press
Zookeepers are celebrating the birth of an antelope which is assessed as extinct in the wild.

The scimitar-horned oryx calf named Freya was born to Christina and Tenzi at Marwell Zoo.

The youngster is said to be thriving in its home in the large paddock at the Hampshire zoo shared with white rhinos, Grevys zebra and ostriches.

Tim Rowlands, hoofstock team leader, said: The calves will hide for the first few days, which is why their pelage is sand-coloured and replaced with a white coat as they grow.

After the first week, the calf follows the dam as she calls her to explore new areas but shes not at the age to venture too far on her own just yet, however calves are able to run as fast as the adults as early as 20 days old and she has been enjoying running around in the paddock.

The once abundant scimitar-horned oryx was assessed as extinct in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2000 and the species is reliant on captive breeding and reintroduction efforts for its continued survival.

Marwell Zoo, which is currently closed but is set to reopen on April 12, manages the International Studbook for scimitar-horned oryx and has been involved in creating international conservation strategies for the species.

Conservation biologist Dr Tania Gilbert said: The scimitar-horned oryx was one of the first species we brought to Marwell Zoo in November 1971.

Weve had 378 births here, making the species one of our biggest success stories in terms of breeding and conservation success.

We have reintroduced groups of oryx into protected areas in Tunisia to re-establish them in their natural habitat and we continue to research the re-established populations and work to enhance the biodiversity of the protected areas where they live.

The Tunisian reintroductions began in 1985 with 10 scimitar-horned oryx from Marwell and Edinburgh Zoo co-ordinated by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and now there are nearly 300 oryx living across five protected areas.
A 65-year-old woman who came to the United States from the Philippines was attacked while walking to church in New York City on Monday.

A man kicked her several times. Police arrested him on Wednesday on assault and hate crime charges.

The man shouted anti-Asian insults and reportedly said you dont belong here.

The woman, identified as Vilma Kari, was taken to the hospital with broken bones. She was released a day later.

Nguyen Van is a 76-year-old woman who lives in the Bronx area of New York City. She told VOA that she is afraid to go out even though she does not know of any problems in her neighborhood.

Im afraid if they hit me, Ill fall, she said. I dont get it why they would attack an Asian woman in the street, I feel so bad for her.

The New York attack came about two weeks after six Asian women were killed by Robert Aaron Long in the southern U.S. state of Georgia. The women all worked at spas near Atlanta.

AAPI stands for Asian American and Pacific Islanders. A group called Stop AAPI Hate said 3,800 anti-Asian incidents were reported in the last year. While the number seems large, the group said many incidents do not get reported.

Research from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University in San Bernardino shows hate crimes against Asians rose 150 percent last year while hate crimes overall dropped by seven percent.



Measures to help the Asian community

Asian American groups around the U.S. are pushing officials to take these attacks seriously. But they are also taking measures to help protect people in their community.

In the recent attack against Vilma Kari, two people who worked in a nearby building did not help. They said they were worried about being hurt themselves.

Emily May runs a group called Hollaback!. She trains people on what to do when they see something bad happening. May said there were things they could have done, even if they were worried about harm coming to themselves, like shouting.

Stan Lee is a firefighter in San Francisco. He and other volunteers are patrolling with people  not only Asian people  around their neighborhoods to keep their neighbors safe.

We see everyone in our community as our own, he said. It doesnt have to be just Asians.

Teresa Ting is a 29-year-old New Yorker. She said she started the Main Street Patrol following an attack on another Asian-American woman in the Flushing neighborhood last February.

It literally could have been my mother had it been the wrong place, wrong time, Ting said of that attack.

Ting wanted to do more than putting messages on social media. She organized volunteers who go out on weekend afternoons to help keep other Asian Americans safe. A number of crimes against Asian people do not get reported, she said, because the people who are harmed do not speak English well.



Looking to change behavior

Duc Pham is a 22-year-old software engineer for Facebook. Pham said he received a letter from New York Citys housing department addressed to him as Chin Chong.

He told VOA, "Its one of the racist terms often used to mock Asian people perceived to be Chinese.

The city apologized as the incident became well known on social media. But Pham said he hopes New York City will do more to educate its city employees and start to change racially insensitive behavior.

Last week, the New York Police Department started sending Asian-American police who are not wearing uniforms into neighborhoods with large Asian populations. They hope to prevent future attacks.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by VOA Vietnamese Service and The Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor.

Would you be concerned about visiting the U.S. from Asia right now? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

assault n. the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically

spa n. a place where water that has many minerals in it comes up naturally from the ground and where people go to improve their health by swimming in, bathing in, or drinking the water

patrol n. a group of people, vehicles, etc., that go through an area to make sure that it is safe

literally adv. used to stress that a statement or description is true and accurate even though it may be surprising

perceive v. to think of (someone or something) as being something stated

insensitive adj. showing that you do not know or care about the feelings of other people
Good intentions and a well-considered plan have not gotten the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where it wants to go for improving its faculty diversity. Not yet.

Those charged with increasing minority representation on UL Lafayettes faculty say the needle has slowed or stuck when it comes to progress, victim to a pandemic or a short candidate pool or a community too small to lure  and keep  diverse professors here. Sometimes, its a matter of more than one thing that keeps the number of minority professors too low.

Our faculty diversity leaves a lot to be desired, said Taniecea Mallery, director of the Office of Diversity. Under her direction, UL Lafayette has developed campuswide committees, launched conversations and encouraged a comprehensive plan that seeks not only to increase the number of minority faculty, but to also retain those faculty members already on campus. That three-year plan was launched but midway ran headlong into COVID-19, which has hampered some efforts.

Mallery said that because of nationwide concern in the wake of the 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, conversations about race have gained new energy at UL Lafayette and in the community. Campus organizations want to take action and show their solidarity with that objective. Recruiting and retaining minority faculty seems to be one cause around which people of goodwill can coalesce.

Our student body is very diverse, Mallery said. The faculty? Thats another matter.

DataUSA says UL Lafayettes student body  full- and part-time students  is 65.3% White, 19.4% Black or African American; 5.32%, Hispanic or Latino; 2.32%, Asian.

But Paul Thomas, ULs chief human resources officer, said of 652 faculty members, about 74% are White; 10%, Asian; 5%, Black; 3% Hispanic or Latino. The numbers dont add up to 100% because some faculty members identify with more than one race or their race is unknown. Those demographics, Thomas said, have been consistent over the years. He said the prevailing wisdom suggests UL's faculty and staff make-up should be roughly the same as that of the student enrollment.

+5 Deputy who died by suicide left haunting videos on racist policing, division: 'I've had enough' Before deputy Clyde Kerr III took his own life Monday outside the Lafayette Parish Sheriffs Office, he left haunting final words in a series 

Provost Jaimie Hebert said theres a clear desire at UL Lafayette to increase hiring of minority faculty and an appreciation of why it matters. Recruiting minority faculty, he said, is not solely about matching demographics. Its about doing what we need to engage students, retain students and make them successful.

A diverse faculty, he said, brings new perspectives to the academic table. It provides a real world landscape for students who will someday leave campus for the workforce.

It raises new possibilities in students minds, too. Nathan Roberts, dean of the College of Education, said, Its beneficial for students to see people like themselves (on faculty). If a woman never sees a woman firefighter, she never thinks of becoming a firefighter. Just seeing people in those positions, you think, I can do that, too.

Theres this, as well: Some students of under-represented minority groups might take comfort in seeking out academic advice or other guidance from faculty members who hold similar backgrounds. I would appreciate it if there were more Black faculty members, just so I know I had people to talk to, said Christopher Ntambi, a freshman from New Orleans who is studying biology.

Ntambi, who is Black, said he was surprised when he arrived at UL Lafayette and found so few Black faculty members on campus (there are 37) among the 652 faculty members. He said he sees few Black women on the faculty, females of color to whom we could look up.

I didnt realize that until I got here, said Ntambi, who went to a majority White high school Belle Chasse.

Jasmine Goodly, a freshman from Lake Charles who is studying nursing, said she sees Black faculty in her college, but perceives there are fewer Black administrators at UL. Initially, she had intended to go to an historically Black campus, such as Southern University in Baton Rouge or Texas Southern in Houston, but she found that UL Lafayette provided the same or similar opportunities to join organizations like the NAACP on campus. She said shed recommend UL Lafayette to Black friends.

Aasritha Kotha, a graduate student in computer science from India, said she sees and appreciates the diverse faculty in her school at UL. She said students and faculty come from Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, India, China and the United States.

Which Lafayette neighborhoods have the highest COVID vaccination rates? See the map As Louisiana opens COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone over the age of 18, state data shows similar disparities in Lafayette Parish as se

Its helpful to have a diverse faculty because you encounter different study perspectives, she said. In India, for example, faculty had a very practical approach to computer science. Shes found broader perspectives here.

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

In fact, whether students encounter Black faculty may depend upon their course of study. Roberts said the College of Education is overwhelmingly White and female. He said hes pursuing grant money to help diversify the faculty and student enrollment, but he said the real work for that might come through K-12 education, where more minority students must be recruited to teach. About 10 percent of his faculty is from underrepresented minorities, he said, from Black, Hispanic or Asian backgrounds.

Theo Foster, who teaches African American history at UL, said UL faces numerous challenges in attracting Black faculty. He said he was fortunate to land a job in Lafayette; hed graduated from prestigious Northwestern University in Chicago, but there were few jobs available for African American studies scholars at graduation. He said he applied to about 50 colleges and universities for positions and was pleased to land at a university with a representative Black student enrollment.

Its attractive for a Black professor to know students will share an experience with the content, he said.

He said hiring Black professors and retaining them are separate issues, though, and UL is behind in investing resources in retaining and recruiting Black faculty members. He said the salary is what he expected in Louisiana  it is low  and that the Legislature must address investing in higher education: We need raises and salaries here.

Black faculty members also need the time and resources for research and writing if theyre going to move up. Heavier teaching loads at UL, he said, leave faculty at a disadvantage for both.

Its a structural issue, and Im not speaking ill of my employer, he said. But teaching with heavy loads and trying to advance professionally becomes a hamster-and-wheel thing.

The University of Louisiana System hopes to make headway on faculty salary during the legislative session that opens April 12. The system, which represents its nine member institutions, wants to reach the Southern regional average for faculty pay.

That would help one part of a wider topic of concern  retention  in Mallerys office and elsewhere: Are minority faculty members getting the support they need to be successful at UL?

We are having conversations around the country about retention, she said, that include re-thinking the tenure process. She said the few Black faculty members are called upon to do substantial amounts of committee and community work  a whole lot of service. Is that valued enough in considering professional advancement?

These three UL assistant professors just won 'one of the most prestigious funding awards' Three University of Louisiana at Lafayette faculty members  Dr. Nicholas Kooyers, Dr. James Nelson and Dr. Mohsen Amini Salehi  earned one o

Foster participated in a community discussion on voting rights this spring that turned political when board members of the sponsor, the local library, suggested the discussion guides were too liberal and would not represent opposing views. The UL Lafayette library sponsored the program instead, but Foster said hed been targeted by right-wing politicos. Nonetheless, he added, the UL administration showed him strong support.

A second consideration: With so few minority faculty members, are new faculty members getting the camaraderie and shared experiences that will keep them here? Mallery and Hebert both suggested that shared experiences might develop from work on broad, interdisciplinary challenges, which invites cluster hires  teams of scholars who might share efforts in multidisciplinary fashion on big topics such as sustained energy or the coronavirus. Matching those big topics to scholars who can work within portions of them might develop opportunities to hire minority faculty, drawing them together within a wider community of scholars.

Camaraderie and shared experiences often matter to young faculty members who are moving to a smaller metropolitan community, where they not only build a career but a life. Thomas suggested that UL would do well to focus on providing mentors for new faculty members and particularly for minority faculty members who might not have natural support in a mostly White community.

Smaller communities present unique challenges for young faculty, Thomas said. Youre bringing them into a small community for fewer opportunities for socialization and to meet people." Smaller communities have less appeal.

Folks may spend a lot of time at work, but time outside of work counts as much, he said.

Success in recruiting and retaining minority faculty members would serve a goal wider than that at UL Lafayette. The UL System Board of Supervisors has declared more representative faculties as part of the systems priorities. Diversity, the board said, is essential to operational effectiveness and mission fulfillment.

We want to reflect the population we serve, Mallery said. We want to be reflective of the student body. Five percent is not cutting it.
SAUGET  Larry McCulley, CEO of SIHF Healthcare and Touchette Regional Hospital, recently welcomed Dr. Bob Farmer to the team at both organizations.

I am very excited to welcome Dr. Farmer to our leadership team. He is an experienced, professional leader who will bring valuable input and new ideas into our organizations, McCulley said. Dr. Farmer will serve as the Vice President of Medical Affairs at Touchette and will provide transformational guidance in a new role advising at SIHF.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 20:23:08|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday joined Beijing citizens to plant trees and urged efforts to build a beautiful homeland with harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a tree-planting activity in Beijing's Chaoyang District. Enditem
Pakistan has once again taken a U-Turn and this time it is on resumption of import from India. On 26th March, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in his capacity as Minister of Commerce presented the proposal to resume the import of Cotton and Sugar from India during the Economic Coordination Committee meeting.

But the irony is the decision that Imran Khan took as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. On April 1, the Imran Khan-led cabinet took a U-Turn and decided not the give a go-ahead to his own proposal. Pakistan said that it needs reconsideration, while once again raking up the issue of Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. The documents exclusively accessed by Republic World also show how Khan succumbed to pressure from the ISI and Pakistan Army and rejected his own proposal.

"One step ahead and two step reverse" seems to be the new Policy of Pakistan when it comes to its so called "Good" Relations with India as it has always backstabbed the Indian side.

"In todays Cabinet, ECC- Economic Coordination Committee request seeking approval for resuming import of Cotton and Sugar from India, was discussed and after discussion that it is deferred as it needs further consideration. The Cabinet has not gone with the ECC- Economic Coordination Committee decision. It was discussed that relations with India improved and everyone said that unless the decision of August 5, 2019, is not reconsidered by India, it will not be possible to bring relations to normal," Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan Foreign Minister said after meeting.

Pakistan Federal Minister Shiekh Rashid Ahmed also said that decision in this regard has been deferred as it won't resume cotton and sugar import unless India restores Article 370 and 35A. On 29th March, Adviser to PM Pakistan for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said, "All steps be taken through cross-border imports of cotton yarn including by land. A summary will be presented at the next ECC to ensure the availability of cotton and yarn in the coming months. A meeting was held with Prime Minister Imran Khan escalating prices of cotton yarn were discussed. He was sympathetic towards the value-added sectors & advised that in order to ease the pressure on yarn and keep the momentum of value-added exports".

Image Credits: AP
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Global Embedded Systems Market: Overview

Embedded system is a computer system, used within in large mechanical and electrical systems to solve real time computing constraints. It is integrated within the hardware of the electric or mechanical parts. These systems provide better adaptability, reliability, accuracy, power and smaller size. Embedded systems are employed in variety of industry verticals such as electronics, mobile communication, railways, automobiles, healthcare and aeronautics tom fulfill specialized purposes.

The Embedded Systems market is expected to be driven by increasing adoption in automobiles, wearable devices, smart appliances in smart homes, use of multi-core processor technology in military applications and burgeoning demand in healthcare equipments. Moreover, innovation in technology coupled with smart grid initiatives likely to fuel of the Embedded systems market. However, the market is constrained with production of embedded systems, which requires set of complications arise on real time embedded systems implementations and theft and data privacy concerns.

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The revenue generated in the global market for embedded systems is, as a result, expected to progress at a strong CAGR of xx % from 2018 - 2028. This market is expected to reach US$ xx billion by the end of 2028.

Global Embedded Systems Market: Segmentation

Embedded system market, by Functionality

Stand alone embedded systems

Real time embedded systems

Networked embedded systems

Mobile embedded systems

Embedded system market, by Microcontroller

Small scale embedded systems

Medium scale embedded systems

Large scale embedded systems

Embedded system market, by Types

Embedded Hardware

Embedded Software

Embedded system market, by Application

Automotive

Telecommunication

Healthcare

Industrial

Consumer electronics

Aerospace and defense

Others

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Regional Outlook

The major chunk of total revenue in the embedded systems market is expected to come from North America. The region is has consistently remained top consumer of embedded systems and is likely to show high demand in the region.

Asia Pacific is expected to show meteoric rise in demand for the embedded systems in the coming years. The region comprises of large number of industries that are rapidly evolving will require embedded systems to streamline their processes. The availability of skilled professionals in software development and presence of fabrication plants in the regions will further augment the growth of the embedded systems market.

Competitive Scenario

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The companies operating in the Embedded Systems Market are Intel Corporation (US), Infineon Technologies AG (Germany), Renesas Electronics Corporation (Japan), Texas Instruments Incorporated (US), Microchip Technology Incorporated (US), STMicroelectronics N.V. (Switzerland), Qualcomm Technologies Incorporated (US), Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (US), Analog Devices Inc. (US), Broadcom Limited (US), Fujitsu Limited (Japan), NXP Semiconductors N.V. (Netherlands), and Toshiba Corporation (Japan).
Leftist activists are busy whipping up a national boycott of Georgia-based businesses over the states new election integrity law. The boycott has the support of Hollywood and the White House, with President Joe Biden saying this week that he would support moving the MLBs All-Star Game out of the state as a sign of protest.
LANSING  The Great Lakes Coalition will host a webinar "Protecting Your Shoreline Property" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on April 28.

The webinar will feature comments by Jerrod Sanders, assistant director within the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Water Resources Division and members of his regional staff that issue the permits to regulate what property owners can legally do to protect their shoreline property.
Active COVID infections in Massachusetts rose to 32,868 on Thursday, up from 31,911 the day before, according to the latest data from the Department of Public Health.

State health officials confirmed another 2,455 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. Thats based on 107,740 new molecular tests, according to the Department of Public Health.

Officials also announced another 32 COVID-related fatalities, bringing the death toll from the pandemic to 16,876.

The seven-day average of positive tests is at 2.49%.

New infections continue a troubling rise in recent weeks. Last week, cases were up 20% over the prior week, and 44% since hitting a post-surge low the week of Feb. 28, data shows. Since the pandemic began, officials have confirmed 600,632 total COVID-19 cases across the state.

The number of COVID patients currently hospitalized on Thursday is 700, which is up slightly from 690 the day before. Of them, 166 are in intensive care, and 86 are intubated, data shows.

There have been a total of 3,638,590 COVID vaccine doses administered in Massachusetts to date, and 1,370,079 residents are now fully vaccinated.

New cases continue to be highest among the 0-19 age group, with 6,959 cases reported over the last two weeks, according to the latest data from the Department of Public Health. Twenty-somethings make up the second-largest age bracket, with 6,155 reported over those two weeks.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday said the growth in new cases is being driven largely by residents under the age of 40.

In fact the numbers among those over the age of 70 have dropped dramatically since January, which is a really important sign with respect to the importance of the vaccine, Baker said.

Baker issued a warning to residents looking to celebrate in-person and indoors ahead of Easter Sunday, urging celebrants to wear a mask and socially distance.

The virus, as we know from previous holidays, has a particular opportunity to spread in those environments, he said. We saw it happen at Thanksgiving; we saw it happen at Christmas.

Total COVID cases by county:

Barnstable County: 12,247

Berkshire County: 5,559

Bristol County: 60,145

Dukes County: 977

Essex County: 89,599

Franklin County: 2,222

Hampden County: 46,061

Hampshire County: 8,361

Middlesex County: 122,757

Nantucket County: 1,326

Norfolk County: 50,141

Plymouth County: 44,357

Suffolk County: 85,036

Worcester County: 70,617

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Police wouldnt say if anything was stolen, but a witness told CBS 2 news he saw at least four cars pull out of the dealership a few minutes later Fast and the Furious style. He said the three men smashed through the dealerships windows with bricks.
MOSS POINT, Miss. -- The Mississippi Legislature approved $2 million in Gulf Coast Restoration Fund money for Moss Points I-10 corridor project which would result in service roads being built to connect Highways 63 and 613 on both the north and south sides of Interstate 10.

The project had been touted as the Magnificent Mile project until it was learned the City of Chicago had already trademarked that phrase.

Whatever its called, Moss Point alderman Wayne Lennep has been championing the project for two years after initially proposing the project. The multi-phase project would result in not only the connector roads between the two highways, but other improvements to improve connectivity and traffic flow along the I-10 corridor which would not only aid existing business, but serve as an economic driver for the area.

Lennep said the total cost of the project is about $15 million, but he and other City officials, after talking with local legislators, opted to break the project down into phases, thinking the legislature might find it more palatable when doling out the RESTORE money.

Everyone knows this Restore Fund money is competitive, he said. Everybody wants their piece of it. I just thought it would improve our chances to break it into phases.

The initial $2 million will allow for the extension of the existing service roads to create a continuous loop for motorists in the area. Future phases would include working with the Mississippi Department of Transportation to widen I-10, making improvements to Highway 613 from the interstate to the river, adding some turning lanes in front of Pelican Landing.

Eventually, youll be able to get across from 613 to 63 without having to get on the interstate, which will be safer, and also more convenient, Lennep said. But it will also open up road access to land that can be developed. If you look at whats there, the development stops where the service road stops.

Lennep also said there has already been interest in some of that property from businesses and developers.

Weve already had requests for more commercial zoning, he said. We already know two new car dealerships are coming. We could end up with five or more car dealerships in that area  and thats good. Thats a lot of tax revenue for the city.
Bangladeshi experts call for closer relations with China

Xinhua) 16:37, April 02, 2021

DHAKA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh is ready to strengthen relations with China and enhance bilateral coordination on issues of common concern, Bangladeshi experts said at a virtual meeting held here.

At the online seminar on Wednesday with the theme of Impression of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangladeshi founding father) about the Newly-Born People's Republic of China, Bangladeshi prime minister's foreign affairs adviser Gowher Rizvi said China plays a noticeable role in the development of Bangladesh.

It is "the symbol of our friendship," said Rizvi.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited China twice in the 1950s and wrote a book titled "Amar Dekha Naya Chin" (The New China as I Saw).

Through his visits, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman acquired knowledge about China's governance systems, and introduced them here, said Rizvi.

"Bangladesh-China relations are quite important in many ways," said the adviser, adding that Dhaka has been keen to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and other development programs of China.

China has made remarkable achievements since the founding of the People's Republic of China, said Rashed Khan Menon, president of the Workers' Party of Bangladesh, an ally of the country's ruling party, at the meeting.

Bangladesh can achieve its development goals by further strengthening its relationship with China, he stressed, saying the country should join more Chinese development initiatives.

In his speech, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said the seed of China-Bangladesh friendship had been planted by older-generation leaders of the two countries.

China attaches great importance to its relations with Bangladesh, the ambassador said.

"Bangladesh and China have carried forward the traditional friendship, continuously deepened their political mutual trust, and promoted economic and trade cooperation," he said.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Bianji)
American Airlines Group Inc. said its strongly opposed to a voting rights bill passed by the Texas Senate, days after watching rival Delta Air Lines Inc. become engulfed by controversy over a similar measure approved in Georgia.

The Texas proposal would limit early voting hours and outlaw drive-thru voting stations as well as the use of parking lots, garages and tents as polling places. Republican supporters say the bill will insure election integrity, while opponents claim its designed to suppress voting by minorities and is part of a broader effort across at least 43 states.

WHAT TO KNOW: Here's how Texas Republicans want to further restrict voting

We acknowledge how difficult this is for many who have fought to secure and exercise their constitutional right to vote, American said in a statement late Thursday. Any legislation dealing with how elections are conducted must ensure ballot integrity and security while making it easier to vote, not harder.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is wading into the voting debate in its home state after Atlanta-based companies including Delta and Coca-Cola Co. drew fire for not initially opposing the Georgia law more strongly. Dozens of Black executives across the U.S. called on corporations to take more action against similar voting-rights legislation.

Americans crosstown rival, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co., weighed in with a statement saying every voter should have a fair opportunity to let their voice be heard. Southwest didnt take a stance on the Texas voting bill.

SURVEILLANCE: Texas bill would allow partisan activists to record Texas voters without consent

Delta was widely rebuked for issuing a statement March 26 that critics viewed as a weak reproach to the Georgia law, which includes provisions limiting ballot drop boxes and requiring voters to provide a state-issued identification card when asking for an absentee ballot.

The criticism  and calls for a boycott  prompted a second Delta statement Wednesday in which Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said the stated rationale for the bill, widespread voter fraud in Georgia in 2020, was a lie.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp fired back with a statement saying Delta had expressed no opposition during the legislative process to key elements of the law. The Georgia House of Representatives later approved a measure to eliminate a jet fuel tax exemption for the carrier.
Phuket Airport reminds travellers gophuget registration still required

PHUKET: Phuket International Airport has reminded travellers that they must still register their intended travel to Phuket through the gophuget.com web portal and have MorChana installed on their phone in order to be cleared to arrive on the island.

COVID-19tourismtransport

By The Phuket News

Friday 2 April 2021, 11:54AM

Photocopies and digital image copies of boarding passes are not being accepted. Image: Suvarnabhumi International Airport

The announcement followed a visit by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday (Apr 1) to inspect the mass vaccination efforts now underway at the airport. Photo: AoT Phuket

The announcement followed a visit by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday (Apr 1) to inspect the mass vaccination efforts now underway at the airport. Photo: AoT Phuket

The announcement followed a visit by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday (Apr 1) to inspect the mass vaccination efforts now underway at the airport. Photo: AoT Phuket

The announcement followed a visit by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday (Apr 1) to inspect the mass vaccination efforts now underway at the airport. Photo: AoT Phuket

The announcement followed a visit by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday (Apr 1) to inspect the mass vaccination efforts now underway at the airport. Photo: AoT Phuket

The announcement followed a visit by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday (Apr 1) to inspect the mass vaccination efforts now underway at the airport. Photo: AoT Phuket

The reminder came through a notice posted on the Airports of Thailand Phuket airport (AoT Phuket) official Facebook page, following a visit by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday (Apr 1) to inspect the mass vaccination efforts now underway at the airport.

People must wear face masks at all times while in the airport area, and all travellers must register their travel details via gophuget.com and install the Mor Chana app, in accordance with a provincial order issued by the Phuket Governor, AoT Phuket noted.

Also, no people with body temperatures over 37.3C will be allowed to enter the airport. All people will have their body temperatures checked when entering airport buildings.

Cleaning and sanitizing have been stepped up at all touchpoints (escalator handrails and luggage cart handles, etc.), and hand sanitizers have been placed throughout the airport, AoT Phuket also assured.

Passengers should arrive at the airport at least 1-2 hours before departure time, the airport management advised.

AoT Phuket yesterday also released its full monthly schedule of domestic flights, showing Bangkok Airways, Thai Lion Air, Vietjet, Nok Air and Thai Smile all flying to and from Phuket, for the month of April.

However, the airport cautioned that the flight schedule was subject to flight changes or flight times without prior notice.

Please contact the airline directly before booking the ticket, the notice said.

People can file complaints with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), AOT Phuket noted in a separate post today (Apr 2). The CAAT complaint form can be found here.

Meanwhile, the AoT management team responsible for Suvarnabhumi International Airport today issued a reminder that digital capture images and photocopies of boarding passes will not be accepted.

Only e-boarding passes present in an official app or presentation of an email will be accepted, the Suvarnabhumi airport operators confirmed.
IT Device Management Support Consultant (Remote), Rome, Italy

Organization: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

Country: Italy

City: Rome, Italy

Office: WFP Rome

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance

Who we are looking for : we are seeking to identify IT Device Management Support Consultant.

What we offer : an international consultancy contract of up to 11 months from start date will be offered to the selected candidate.

Workplace : due to current travel restrictions in most areas of the world, the incumbents are expected to remote work until traveling to Regional Bureaus or other locations/Country Offices will be allowed.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

TECM is a branch within the TEChnology division, responsible for all activities related to service management. The Workplace Management team within TECM is responsible for the global infrastructure, cloud services, Office365, Citrix and Identity and Access Management. The incumbent is expected to contribute heavily to another fundamental workload in the Workplace Management team which is global device management. The team is responsible for ensuring 20,000 Windows devices globally are standardised, updated, secure and compliant and the incumbent will contribute heavily in this area. In alignment with the digital transformation initiatives across the organisation, the device management technologies used in the organisation are also being modernised, leveraging heavily on the cloud. The incumbent will be expected to therefore contribute to the modernisation of the global service.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Reporting directly to the Workplace Management Lead and under the general supervision and guidance of the Chief of TECM and the Head of Service Delivery, the incumbent is accountable for providing required support to all activities related to client workstations and servers lifecycle in the global infrastructure; design and implementation of automated mechanisms for the maintenance of the infrastructural elements and other related activities. That includes, but not limited to, ensuring the service is able to maintain servers and workstations operating systems compliancy with WFP IT corporate standards using modern technological solutions (on-prem and cloud), imaging services are fully operational, and providing support to WFP IT in order to guarantee continuous improvement of related IT infrastructure processes in line with the highest technology standards.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Support the implementation of the strategy for the transition of the SCCM solution into Microsoft Endpoint Manager, ensuring relevant documentation is produced.

Ensure the global device management support service levels are working efficiently and are provided with the relevant documentation to provide efficient support for device management related workloads.

Ensuring all agreed compliance levels are met and reported correspondingly, with ensuring appropriate data security and access controls are implemented and managed correspondingly

Research and implementation of new technologies in order to improve the device management infrastructure.

Definition and development of innovative processes to generate image files for workstations and servers, based on a number of known use-cases, including delivery mechanisms (Cloud, direct, on-prem, etc.)

Maintenance of an effective partnership with external partners / contractors, including management, tasking and supervision of resources obtained from contractors.

Support the general maintenance of the global infrastructure including Active Directory Administration and Read-Only Domain Controller administration, providing adequate support to IT colleagues globally.

Provide efficient support to end users on all matters related to workstations, ensuring an excellency in customer service approach and mindset.

Knowledge Management and SOP: ensure documentation on installation and implementation procedures and other related matters are in order; compile guidelines to be shared with all stakeholders and users.

Perform other related duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Education

Post-secondary education combined with significant relevant working experience.

University degree in the field of Computer Science/Engineering or related STEM disciplines is an advantage

Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (e.g. MCSA Universal Widows Platform or Server 2016) or any other relevant Microsoft certificates (e.g. Microsoft 365 or Azure or DevOps certification on Associate or Expert levels) are desirable

Experience

At least 2 years of professional experience in Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) technology and Cloud technologies and services, including experience in operating systems migration and project management.

Technical Experience, Skills & Knowledge

Detailed knowledge for producing assessment documentation and operational guidelines

Proven ability to automate and standardize processes within a business environment

Ability to identify and solve quickly issues and problems

Teamwork oriented and ability to work under pressure

Positive attitude for working in cooperation with different teams.

Language:

Fluency in oral and written English with an intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFPs working languages) is desirable.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

WFP offers a competitive compensation package, which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidates qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.

http://www.wfp.org Click on: Our work and Countries to learn more about WFPs operations.

Deadline for applications: 21 April 2021 at 11:59pm Rome Time

REF: 141590

Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1617203025850
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 16:15:49|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

DHAKA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh is ready to strengthen relations with China and enhance bilateral coordination on issues of common concern, Bangladeshi experts said at a virtual meeting held here.

At the online seminar on Wednesday with the theme of Impression of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangladeshi founding father) about the Newly-Born People's Republic of China, Bangladeshi prime minister's foreign affairs adviser Gowher Rizvi said China plays a noticeable role in the development of Bangladesh.

It is "the symbol of our friendship," said Rizvi.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited China twice in the 1950s and wrote a book titled "Amar Dekha Naya Chin" (The New China as I Saw).

Through his visits, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman acquired knowledge about China's governance systems, and introduced them here, said Rizvi.

"Bangladesh-China relations are quite important in many ways," said the adviser, adding that Dhaka has been keen to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and other development programs of China.

China has made remarkable achievements since the founding of the People's Republic of China, said Rashed Khan Menon, president of the Workers' Party of Bangladesh, an ally of the country's ruling party, at the meeting.

Bangladesh can achieve its development goals by further strengthening its relationship with China, he stressed, saying the country should join more Chinese development initiatives.

In his speech, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said the seed of China-Bangladesh friendship had been planted by older-generation leaders of the two countries.

China attaches great importance to its relations with Bangladesh, the ambassador said.

"Bangladesh and China have carried forward the traditional friendship, continuously deepened their political mutual trust, and promoted economic and trade cooperation," he said. Enditem
Editor's note: In February 2020, the Daily News reported on the soon-to-take-place reunion between Snowball, an Australian Shepherd, and his owner, Laura Young of California. Midlander Amy Earley spent almost a year patiently coaxing Snowball until he came inside after 2 1/2 years in the wild.

In this update, we look back at the reunion and at the remarkable events that led up to it.

It took Midlander Amy Earley almost an entire year of patient, persistent coaxing to bring Snowball, an Australian Shepherd, inside from the wild. What followed soon after was a joyful, tearful, cross-country reunion with his owner.

In March 2020, Earley and her friend, Carmen Chaffee, drove Snowball about 1,100 miles to eastern Colorado, where he was reunited with Laura Young of Menifee, Calif., on March 6, for the first time in more than two and a half years.

Earley and Young had agreed to meet in the lobby of a motel there in Colorado to restore the long-lost dog to his owner.

Earley recalls the moments that unfolded over those few minutes.

"(Snowball) looked back at me and Im like, 'Go ahead!'" Earley said of the approximately 65-pound dog. "(Young) started petting him. He knew in like 30 seconds it was her. His tail started wagging. We were all crying, it was so emotional. He started sniffing her from head to toe. He jumped on her and knocked her over.

"It was unbelievable; he remembered her after two and a half years. He kept looking back at me like, 'I love you too, but this is my mom.' It was one of the sweetest things I've ever been a part of."

For her part, Young is so grateful as she looks back on that day.

"It was just a lot of excitement when I got the phone call that they found him," Young said in a phone interview from Menifee, which is between Los Angeles and San Diego. "When I first saw them in the hotel, I was nervous he wasnt going to remember me.

"Then he started wagging his tail and jumped on me and knocked me over. The whole ride home, he wouldnt leave my side," Young continued.

Snowball, who is now 8 years old, had gotten loose while Young was visiting relatives in Coleman, Michigan, in June 2017. Earley first noticed him two winters later.

"I had a small hope, but I didn't really think after two and a half years he was still going to be found," Young said.

Earley, a married mother of two teenage daughters, Anna and Claire, and an occupational therapist for Midland County Educational Service Agency, is an animal lover herself. Her family had two dogs and two cats at the time that she discovered Snowball near the woods across the street from her Countryside Drive home.

Initially, Earley couldn't get the dog to stop long enough to get a good look at him. At first, from a distance, she thought he might be a coyote.

As winter turned to spring and then summer, though, the dog gradually warmed up to Earley, while many neighbors were also keeping an eye out for the dog.

"Every time we saw him, I would slow down and say, 'Hi buddy,'" Earley said. "After a while he started looking at me or my daughters. He would stop and look and then he would run. But he would look for longer each time."

They started calling the dog "Patches," which was Earley's daughter Anna's idea because he had brown patches in his fur.

By the fall of 2019, the dog felt comfortable enough to approach the Earleys' driveway. In October, a woman named Stephanie from Midland County Pit Stop assured the Earleys that this was indeed a dog.

"She said, 'Keep putting food and water out for him. Make sure hes fed, and well go from there,'" Earley recalled. "Myself and some neighbors would put food by this tree at the edge of the woods and we would watch him eat it.

"He definitely was getting more comfortable getting closer  I'm talking 50 feet away. He would eat anything we would put out."

Earley started feeding Snowball hot dogs, which he loved. She recalled that it was a particularly cold winter, and the dog would come near her house every day to be fed.

Gradually, he would come closer and closer, and eventually ate a hot dog right out of Earley's hand.

Finally, on Feb. 16, 2020, she was able to put a leash on him.

"Im texting my husband (Don), 'You've got to come out here, I have him!' I sat down on the sidewalk, and he came on my lap and started licking my face," Earley said.

Earley was very grateful she had persisted in coaxing Snowball for a whole year.

"I'm so glad I did it. Thats how he finally got comfortable with me," she said.

Gwen Drake of Midland County Pit Stop had a microchip reader and within 24 hours was able to identify Young as the owner of Snowball.

"She was so thankful, so gracious," Earley said of Young when they met in Colorado. "She was like, 'You changed my life.' That made it extra special for me."
Facebook has deleted the page of Noah Green, a 25-year-old black man who was a follower of the nationalist Nation of Islam movement. Authorities have identified 25-year-old man Noah Green from Indiana as the suspect killed during a vehicle attack at the U.S. Capitol that also left a police officer dead and another in the hospital on Friday, according to NBC News.

American Oversight: We obtained text messages that show the day before the transcript of Donald Trumps call with Ukrainian President Zelensky was released, former Attorney General Barr texted U.S. Attorney John Durham Call me ASAP. 12 hours later, Durham asked for another quick call. Durham was the federal prosecutor tapped by Barr to probe the origins of the governments investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, and his inquiry was repeatedly touted by Trump allies as an effort to counter the narrative of Russian influence. These text messages show coordination between Barr and Durham at a key moment in the Ukraine scandal that led to Donald Trumps first impeachment, even as there appears to be little connection between the Mueller investigation and the Ukraine scandal. Last year, we uncovered records showing that Barr & his top aides began meeting with Durham almost immediately after Mueller finished his investigation. There has already been significant concern that Durhams investigation is inappropriately politicized. Barr and Durham, contrary to normal DOJ practice, repeatedly discussed Durhams ongoing investigation publicly, including to refute the findings of Inspector General Horowitz.



MLB announces itll move the All-Star Game and Draft out of Atlanta due to the state passing a new elections law last week.
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Rep. Matt Gaetz allegedly paid women via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotels after being introduced to them by former tax collector Joel Greenberg, according to a bombshell report about the Justice Department sex trafficking probe.

The damning allegations were revealed in a New York Times report Thursday night which cited several unnamed sources close to the DOJ investigation as well as text messages and payment receipts reviewed by the outlet.

Multiple women reportedly told DOJ investigators Gaetz, 38, would tell them a time and place to meet and how much he was willing to pay them for sex.

They would then meet in hotels in Florida where the lawmaker and staunch Trump ally would sometimes take ecstasy before they had sex, the women said.

The DOJ investigation is also reportedly looking into whether one of the women involved with Gaetz was 17 at the time and whether he paid her or gave her gifts to have sex with him.

Gaetz was reportedly first introduced to the women through close ally Greenberg, the former tax collector of Seminole County who investigators believe met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites.

Greenberg is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges related to a minor aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017.

Sources said the minor is the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe and the DOJ is investigating whether other men connected to the two men also had sex with the child.

The two men were pictured together on social media with Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress, in 2017.

Gaetz denies ever having paid anyone for sex and has not been charged with any crime.

'Matt Gaetz has never paid for sex. Matt Gaetz refutes all the disgusting allegations completely,' his office told the Times in a statement.

'Matt Gaetz has never ever been on any such websites whatsoever. Matt Gaetz cherishes the relationships in his past and looks forward to marrying the love of his life.'

Rep. Matt Gaetz allegedly paid women via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotels after being introduced to them by former tax collector Joel Greenberg, according to a bombshell report about the Justice Department sex trafficking probe

Gaetz was reportedly first introduced to the women through Greenberg, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Greenberg, Gaetz and Roger Stone pictured together in 2017

The shocking report marks the latest twist in the saga involving the Republican lawmaker which came to light this week.

It emerged Tuesday that Gaetz was under investigation by the DOJ for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and for violating federal sex trafficking laws by paying for her to travel across state lines with him.

Gaetz denied the allegations and instead claimed he was the victim of an extortion plot involving former Justice Department official David McGee.

He claims McGee was trying to extort him and his family for $25 million using the sex trafficking probe as leverage.

Gaetz said he and his father - former Florida State Senator Don Gaetz - contacted authorities and were working with the FBI on a simultaneous investigation, with Don backing up his son's claims Wednesday that he wore a wire to try to expose McGee's apparent plot.

McGee denied he was extorting Gaetz and said he had no involvement in the DOJ sex trafficking probe into Gaetz other than being one of 'a thousand people who have heard the rumors' about the congressman's alleged actions with underage girls.

On Wednesday, Gaetz released bombshell text message screenshots, an email and a printout purporting to show the alleged extortion plot.

The documents, which were shared with the Washington Examiner, claim to show the congressman was being extorted by McGee and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent in a ploy to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran.

Greenberg met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites such as SeekingArrangement, investigators believe

What is SeekingArrangement? Dating site SeekingArrangement - adored by the rich and powerful including disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, Virginia lawyer Matthew Erausquin and Tiger Woods' former mistress Rachel Uchitel - has found itself back in the spotlight after Rep. Matt Gaetz became tied to the website. The 'sugar daddy' website is used by rich men who pay women in gifts, travel, fine dining and allowances in exchange for going on dates with them, investigators said. The site, which caters for so-called 'sugar babies' and 'sugar daddies', was at the center of another political scandal when disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner used it to meet Sydney Leathers, one of the women he had extramarital sex with. With subscriptions starting at $19.95 a month and launched in 2006, the site differs from standard dating sites by connecting people looking for 'arrangements' with members being able to 'define their terms' on what they're looking for. Traditionally, sugar babies are looking to be taken care of financially with their sugar daddies willing to foot the bills. The site was also used by Tiger Woods' mistress Rachel Uchitel to meet her married boyfriend and San Diego lawyer Ed Batts, 47. Uchitel, 45, has a profile on SeekingArrangement where she touts herself under the strapline 'high class discretion'. Since joining in November, she has made at least two 'arrangements' with men she has met on the site  one of whom is Batts who dumped his wife and her three kids from a previous marriage five days before Christmas to move to Palm Beach, where Uchitel is living. Batts has denied he had left his wife for Uchitel and claimed they were not dating - despite a video showing the pair kissing. The site defines a sugar baby as 'attractive people looking for the finer things in life' who 'appreciate exotic trips and gifts'. It says sugar daddies are men who 'know what they want. Money isn't an issue, thus they are generous when it comes to supporting a Sugar Baby'. The site is free to sugar babies and it offers a free trial to sugar daddies. Men who then wish to continue with the service have several tiers of subscriptions to choose from that run from $19.95 a month for a premium subscription up to $249.95 a month for a Diamond membership, which buys sugar daddies greater visibility on the site. The site was also the stomping ground for Virginia lawyer Matthew Erausquin who allegedly used it to meet half a dozen high school girls. Erausquin, 45, a founding partner of top law firm Consumer Litigation Associates, was taken into custody last in December last year, accused of sex trafficking six minors after targeting them on the sugar daddy website. Cops say he leveraged his wealth and power to lure the students aged 16 and 17 into sordid group sex sessions and paid them with off with drugs, cash and $20,000 handbags. Founder Brandon Wade said on the site: 'Every successful relationship is an arrangement between two parties. In business, partners sign business agreements that outline their objectives and expectations. 'Likewise, romantic relationships can only work if two people agree on what they expect, and what they can give and receive from each other.' Advertisement

According to the documents, Gaetz had been seen in compromising photos having sex with underage prostitutes, a grand jury had heard testimony from at least one underage girl who says she was paid to have sex with him and Gaetz was about to be indicted on charges.

The alleged extorters claimed they could stop the probe if the Gaetz family put up $25million which would help secure Levinson's release.

Levinson worked for the FBI for 22 years then vanished in 2007 while in Iran. Nothing was known as to whether he was alive or dead until 2011 when Levinson's family shared images and a video of him being held captive and pleading for help.

Levinson's family said in March 2020 that they had been informed by US officials that he had died in Iranian custody, while being held in Iran as the longest-held hostage in American history.

But Kent claimed he was very much alive and that if Gaetz provided the money to release him, he would be given public credit for the operation and the 'team' would tell President Biden to give him a pardon in the sex trafficking case, according to the documents shared by Gaetz.

McGee used to work for the Department of Justice but now works in private practice and is the Levinson family's lawyer. Kent has claimed in the past that he has worked on plans to secure Levinson's release.

Kent denied the claims Thursday telling the Times he had heard about the DOJ probe into Gaetz but was not trying to extort him over it.

'I told him I'm not trying to extort, but if this were true, he might be interested in doing something good,' he said.

Kent said Gaetz 'threw Levinson and the entire Levinson family under the bus' by trying to tie the DOJ probe to the Levinson case.

'I can't imagine what these poor people have been through. This guy, to divert attention from himself, has raked up the attention to the family,' he said.

McGee also denied any involvement in an extortion plot and Gaetz was trying to detract from the sex trafficking allegations.

'He's trying to distract attention from a pending tidal wave that is about to sink his ship,' he said.

On Thursday, fresh allegations surfaced claiming Gaetz had shown other lawmakers naked photos and videos of women he said he had slept with and boasted about his sexual conquests to his colleagues.

Multiple sources, including two people who said they had been shown the compromising photos first hand, told CNN, the 38-year-old congressman displayed the images of the women on his phone including while he was on the House floor at the US Capitol.

The report sparked further calls for the lawmaker to resign from his role.

New details have now emerged about the DOJ sex trafficking probe in a bombshell report by the New York Times Thursday night.

The investigation into Gaetz first spiraled from a probe into Greenberg, who was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17.

Three sources told the Times that DOJ investigators have since interviewed multiple women about their alleged encounters with Gaetz.

Investigators believe Greenberg first met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites including SeekingArrangement, where rich men pay women in gifts, travel, fine dining and allowances in exchange for going on dates with them, they said.

Greenberg then introduced the women to Gaetz who allegedly also had sex with them.

One of the women told investigators she had sex with an unidentified person in Florida Republican politics as well as Gaetz and Greenberg, the Times reported.

Sometimes, Gaetz and the other men and the women allegedly took ecstasy before they slept together.

Gaetz would sometimes ask the women to introduce him to other women who would have sex with him and his friends, two sources told the Times.

Receipts from the mobile payments app Cash App and Apple Pay show both Gaetz and Greenberg sent payments to one woman and Greenberg sent a payment to a second woman, the Times reported.

Sources said the women said the payments had been for sex with Gaetz and Greenberg. Another person said the men also sometimes paid in cash.

The trysts took place in 2019 and 2020, according to the Times.

Gaetz got engaged to food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, in December at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club.

He met Luckey in early 2020. It is not clear exactly when the couple met nor when in 2020 some of the alleged encounters with the other women took place.

The women told investigators Gaetz told them that, if their relationship ever came to light, they should tell people the congressman only paid for their hotel rooms and dinners as part of their dates, the Times reported.

When news of the DOJ probe surfaced Tuesday, Gaetz gave an interview to Axios where he claimed he often 'provided for' women he was dating when he was single, such as paying for flights and hotel rooms.

A lawyer for Greenberg declined to comment to the Times Thursday.

Greenberg was indicted last summer on 14 felony charges including child sex trafficking, fraud, identity theft and stalking a former political rival.

Ginger Luckey and Matt Gaetz. Gaetz got engaged to food analyst Luckey, 26, in December at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago

Sources said the minor Greenberg has been charged over is the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe and the DOJ is investigating whether other men connected to the two men also had sex with the child

Gaetz with his fiancee food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26. Multiple women reportedly told investigators the Florida lawmaker and staunch Trump ally, 38, would message them arranging a place to meet and telling them how much he was wiling to pay them

Greenberg (pictured) was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking of a minor between the age of 14 and 17

The sex trafficking charge involves alleged encounters with a girl aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017.

He was also accused of violating the Driver's Privacy Protection Act by using his access as an elected official to illegally look up information about the minor in The Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID).

He reportedly looked up the girl's photo, driver identification number, in addition to other information.

Prosecutors say he also used the database to look up other people, with whom he was embroiled in 'sugar daddy relationships' with.

Greenberg had first been indicted by a federal grand jury in June on charges that he stalked political opponent Brian Beute in the Republican primary for the Tax Collector's race and for identity theft.

Greenberg resigned the following day and the additional charges were added in August.

He was arrested earlier this month for violating the terms of his bond after he allegedly traveled to Jupiter and was involved in some type of police incident there.

Gaetz and Greenberg have known each other for several years. The ex-tax collector shared a photo on Twitter of the two men together at the White House in 2019.

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe (above) said there must be a 'significant degree of information' for federal officials to have launched a sex trafficking probe into a sitting member of Congress

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators'

The year before, Gaetz backed Greenberg's successful bid for local office.

And back in July 2017, Gaetz shared a photo on his Facebook of himself with Greenberg and Roger Stone - Trump's aide who was convicted of lying to Congress before being pardoned by the former president.

The new details about the sex trafficking probe surfaced after former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe said there must be a 'significant degree of information' for federal officials to have launched a sex trafficking probe into a sitting member of Congress.

McCabe described the allegations as 'very serious' after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that Gaetz is under investigation by the Department of Justice over claims he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him across state lines.

'It's substantial and very serious. You know [after] 21 years of opening and overseeing, conducting investigations, I can tell you that nobody opens a sex trafficking investigation in which the subject is a sitting member of Congress without having a significant degree of information,' McCabe, who was fired by Trump in 2018, told CNN Wednesday.

Gaetz's main support since news of the DOJ probe broke has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene

'In any case, I can assure you the FBI doesn't open these cases lightly, and don't get briefed to the attorney general without some significant momentum behind them.'

Long before this week's saga unfolded, Gaetz had gained a reputation on Capitol Hill for bragging about his sexual exploits to other lawmakers and staff and parading photos of nude women he said he had sex with, sources told CNN Thursday.

One source described one video showing a naked woman with a hula hoop, as another said 'it was a point of pride' for Gaetz to show the images off.

There is no evidence that the nude photos are in any way connected to the DOJ's probe into allegations of sex trafficking.

It is also unclear when these alleged encounters took place.

But this isn't the first time Gaetz has been accused of acting inappropriately in Congress.

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators.'

Latvala leveled the accusations against Gaetz amid a Twitter spat in January 2020.

'And you created a game where members of the FL House got 'points' for sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators. Hope DC is treating you well, Congressman,' he wrote.

Gaetz denied the allegations.

Rumors of a game with a point system involving 'young male FL Reps' first surfaced in a Politico report in 2013 but did not name the alleged culprits.

Bombshell texts, an email and a printout with the heading 'Project Homecoming' detail the alleged scheme involving former DOJ official David McGee (left) and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent to free US hostage Robert Levinson (right)

Florida congressman Gaetz served in the House from 2010 to 2016.

While these alleged instances have no known connection to the DOJ sex-trafficking probe, Gaetz has received little in the way of support from members of his own party since the bombshell claims surfaced.

This is the text Matt Gaetz's father Don says he received from Bob Kent, an Air Force intelligence officer, on March 16, detailing an extortion plot that would involve the Gaetz family giving up $25million

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the allegations 'serious' and vowed to 'find out' the truth over the allegations.

'If a member at my conference gets indicted, they will get removed from a committee,' McCarthy told NBC News.

'He says this is not true. And we have a newspaper report that says something else. We'll find out.'

Meanwhile other top Republicans have stayed silent and Trump has also remained uncharacteristically quiet.

This is perhaps surprising given the two men's closeness. Gaetz backed the former president during both impeachment trials and is a regular fixture at his Mar-a-Lago estate - even proposing to his fiancee there in December.

Several sources told NBC Gaetz is not well-liked on Capitol Hill because of his criticism of fellow Republicans.

Gaetz railed against GOP Rep. Liz Cheney at the Wyoming capitol back in January after she voted to impeach Trump.

Meanwhile, his constant self-promotion and near-daily appearances on right-wing news outlets, especially Fox, are also another source of contention among other Republicans, sources said.

His main support has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon-supporting freshman Georgia lawmaker who was stripped of her committee assignments in February as it emerged she had pushed unfounded conspiracy theories and showed support for executing top Democrats before being elected to Congress.

'Remember all the conspiracy theories and lies like Trump/Russia collusion and propaganda that the media has spread around. Take it from me rumors and headlines don't equal truth. I stand with @mattgaetz,' she tweeted.

In another tweet she called for the release of FBI tapes Gaetz has claimed prove the extortion plot.

This document was given to Gaetz's father Don on March 17, allegedly by Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent. The plan involved the Gaetz family putting up $25million to secure Levinson's release but it doesn't say how the money would secure that

Another document that Gaetz has produced is an email from the Assistant US Attorney for the Northern District of Florida which confirms that the family was working with the FBI

TIMELINE OF THE GAETZ SAGA MARCH 30: The New York Times reports that Gaetz is under investigation for a sexual relationship with an underage girl. Details are sparse but the relationship reportedly happened two years ago. Gaetz went on Tucker Carlson's FOX News show that night to deny the allegations and claim he was the victim of an extortion plot. He names David McGee as a DoJ official who is extorting him. McGee denies it. MARCH 31: Gaetz's father Don tells Politico that the extortion plot is real and that he was working with his son and the FBI to expose it Texts emerge to support Gaetz's claim that he was being extorted and they introduce a new element to the saga - that the extortion plot was part of a ruse to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran. APRIL 1: The New York Times reports new details of the DOJ probe including allegations Gaetz paid women for sex in hotel rooms in Florida, sometimes while on ecstasy. WHO'S WHO Rep Matt Gaetz Gaetz, 38, is the representative for Florida's 1st congressional district. He is a Trump ally who has ties to Roger Stone and he's been known to fan the flames of controversy in the past. He has DUI convictions, has been accused of inciting violence on Twitter and claimed that facial recognition technology proved some of the January 6 Capitol rioters were not Trump fans, but 'antifa' masquerading as them. Don Gaetz Gaetz's father who was a well-liked Senator. He sold his company with his partners for $406million in 2004. They had founded VITAS Healthcare in the 1980s. He was a senator for ten years from 2006 until 2016. David McGee McGee was a prosecutor with the Department of Justice but he is now a private practice attorney. According to his bio on his law firm's website, he spent six years as the First Assistant at the United States Attorney's Office and for seven years as the Lead Attorney for a United States Department of Justice Organized Crime Task Force. Bob Kent Kent is an Air Force intelligence officer whose involvement in the alleged plot was only revealed on Wednesday night through the texts. Robert Levinson Levinson spent 22 years working for the FBI before he vanished in Iran in 2007. The government claimed they knew nothing about it but later admitted he had been working there for the CIA. The last time he was seen alive was in 2011, when he appeared in proof of life photos. His family say that this month, they were given reason to believe he was dead. Joel Greenberg Greenberg is the former tax collector in Seminole County, Florida. He is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges related to a minor aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017. The minor is said to be the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe. Greenberg also allegedly introduced Gaetz to the women the congressman is accused of paying for sex with. Advertisement

'The DOJ needs to release the tapes instead of allowing another witch hunt to take place,' she wrote.

Gaetz regularly appears on Fox, reportedly racking up on average 90 minutes of screen time a month in the last year.

Hours before the allegations of both sex trafficking and extortion surfaced Tuesday, a report from Axios had revealed Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and taking a media job at Newsmax.

Gaetz then claimed Wednesday he's had 'many conversations' with right-wing TV networks about a career after Congress including Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business and Real America's Voice.

But Fox News instantly denied the claims saying it had 'no interest in hiring him' and denying the congressman had spoken with anyone with authority on the matter.

The network sought to distance itself from Gaetz after he appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night in a bizarre interview where he appeared to try to rope Carlson into the saga.

Carlson later said the segment was 'one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.'

The complex saga took another unexpected turn Wednesday as new texts and documents released by Gaetz Wednesday appeared to support his claim that he was being extorted and suggested that the 'plot' was part of a ploy to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson.

The texts are purportedly from Kent to Gaetz's father, former Senator Don Gaetz. They were sent on March 16 and 17.

'Mr Gaetz, I would like to talk with you immediately about the current federal investigation and the indictment that is about to be filed against your son. I have a plan that can make his future legal and political problems go away,' the first text, sent on March 16 purportedly from Kent, says.

Kent goes on: 'Last summer, we located Robert Levinson in Iran and took two proof of life videos but the US government foiled our rescue attempt. We have one more opportunity to rescue Levinson. If you and Matt are willing to help us privately and clandestinely obtain the release of Robert Levinson, I will ensure...'

There is no screenshot of the next part of the text.

On March 17, the day after the text was sent purportedly by Kent to Gaetz's father, Don claims he met with Kent and Stephen M. Alford, a real estate agent convicted of fraud who McGee has represented in the past, and was given the three-page 'Project Homecoming' document.

It detailed plans for the Gaetz family to give them $25million. They said they would use the money to free Levinson and that in exchange, 'the team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.

The document begins with details of the alleged probe into Rep. Gaetz over 'various public corruption and public integrity issues.'

It outlines some of the most damning allegations to surface against Gaetz to date, claiming the FBI has 'compromising pictures' depicting Gaetz and an unidentified election official in a 'sexual orgy with underage prostitutes' in Maitland, Florida.

The photos came to light during an unrelated probe into political corruption and public integrity in another criminal case, it reads.

Sources previously told the New York Times the probe was part of a wider investigation into Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, who was charged with sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17 last year.

The document says the discovery of the photos and 'subsequent information' has led to Gaetz being the 'target' of a 'widening investigation into serious underage sex trafficking, political corruption, public integrity, and other criminal allegations.'

On Tuesday, Gaetz insisted he had been told he was the 'subject' and not the 'target' of a probe.

The document claims that a Grand Jury has been impaneled to determine if charges should be brought against Gaetz and others.

It says that a number of people have testified to the Grand Jury about Gaetz including one underage girl who claims she was paid by Gaetz for sex and 'other individuals, whom are facing serious criminal allegations themselves'.

'At least one underage female has testified to the Grand Jury that Congressman Gaetz has paid her to engage in sexual activities,' it reads.

The probe is being handled by the Public Integrity Division of the DOJ and is being managed out of the DC field office, with the US Attorney from the Middle District of Florida overseeing the case.

The document goes on to describe a 'strategy' to 'mitigate Gaetz's 'legal and political troubles' by arranging for $25 million in funds needed to apparently release Levinson from Iranian captivity.

The money would be deposited into the trust account of Beggs & Land law firm, where McGee works, no later than March 19, the Examiner reported.

It describes a setup wherein Gaetz could take the credit for Levinson's release and present the captive's return to the US, and would be put forward for a presidential pardon and for all investigations to be dropped.

'In exchange for funds being arranged, and upon the release of Robert Levinson, Congressman Gaetz shall be given credit for facilitating the release of Mr. Levinson.

'Congressman Gaetz shall also be on the plane that returns Mr. Levinson to freedom, and shall be the person to 'reunited' Mr. Levinson with his family and bring Mr. Levinson back to the United States,' the document reads.

'The team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President of The United States shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.'

The three-page document also suggested at least some White House knowledge of the plan claiming: 'The team has been assured by the President that he will strongly consider such matters because he considers the release of Robert Levinson a matter of National Urgency.'

The White House did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Gaetz and his father Don Gaetz. Don served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016

BILL BARR CANCELED AN APPEARANCE TO APPEAR WITH GAETZ BECAUSE OF PROBE Bill Barr was aware of the ongoing sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz and took no objection to it when he was the Attorney General. Instead, he made sure he was never seen with him in public. According to Politico, Barr canceled an event where he was due to appear with Gaetz in the summer of 2020. He had been scheduled to appear at a meet-and-greet with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee but when he saw that Gaetz was also attending, he pulled out of it. Barr has not commented on the investigation into sex trafficking that Gaetz is said to be a target of. Advertisement

The Examiner also obtained an email chain allegedly between Don's attorney Jeffrey Neiman and federal prosecutors that appears to confirm the FBI is looking into an alleged extortion.

Assistant US Attorney David Goldberg wrote to Neiman that he could 'confirm that your client is working with my office as well as the FBI at the government's request in order to determine if a federal crime has been committed'.

The FBI declined to comment and directed to DailyMail.com to the DOJ. The DOJ did not return a request for comment.

The release of the documents came after Gaetz's father backed up his extortion claims and said he wore a wire to try help his son expose it.

'The FBI asked me to try and get that information for Matt and an indication we would transfer money to Mr. David McGee,' he told Politico Wednesday.

McGee did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The attorney denied any involvement Tuesday telling The Washington Post Tuesday he was not part of a plan to extort Gaetz nor was he connected to the DOJ's sex trafficking probe.

'It is completely false. It's a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that he's under investigation for sex trafficking of minors,' he said.

'I have no connection with that case at all, other than, one of a thousand people who have heard the rumors.'

The attorney said Gaetz's father had 'called me and asked to talk to me' and said he would welcome a tape of their conversation being made public. He did not detail what the conversation was about but insisted it was nothing 'untoward' but simply 'a pleasant conversation of a dad concerned about his son and the trouble his son was in'.

He added: 'If there is a tape, play the tape. There is nothing on that tape that is untoward.'

Gaetz accused McGee live on Tucker Carlson of trying to extort millions of dollars out of him and his family in exchange for 'making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away' in a bizarre interview just hours after the reports of the DOJ probe surfaced.

Gaetz accused David McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, of trying to extort millions from him and his family in exchange for making sex trafficking allegations 'go away' on Fox News Tuesday

Tucker Carlson says Gaetz interview was his 'weirdest ever' Fox News' Tucker Carlson was stunned by Rep Matt Gaetz's appearance on his show Tuesday night, calling it one of the 'weirdest interviews' ever. Gaetz claimed he is the victim of a $25million extortion plot after the New York Times revealed he is under investigation for sex trafficking. During the interview Gaetz denied all of the allegations against him. 'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson. 'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.' When asked about the alleged sexual relationship with the teen, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'. However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme'. 'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said. 'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.' In response to that claim, Carlson says: 'I don't remember the women you're speaking of or the context at all honestly.' Following the segment, Carlson told his viewers: 'You just saw our Matt Gaetz interview. That was one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.' 'That story just appeared in the news a couple of hours ago, and on the certainty that there's always more than you read in the newspaper, we immediately called Matt Gaetz and asked him to come on and tell us more. Which, as you saw, he did. I don't think that clarified much, but it certainly showed this is a deeply interesting story and we'll be following it,' Carlson added. Advertisement

Gaetz claimed the sex trafficking allegations against him were 'verifiably false' but said he and his family were victims of an extortion effort by McGee to make the allegations and the DOJ investigation 'go away.'

A separate probe was launched by the FBI into the extortion plot, he said. Gaetz claimed the Times report had then foiled a plan to transfer a bribe of $4.5 million to McGee Wednesday which would have then exposed the alleged plot.

However Times' reporter Katie Benner told MSNBC it is the congressman who has in fact 'blown up' the alleged extortion investigation in an effort to divert attention away from the fact the sex trafficking concerns were serious enough for the Trump administration to launch an investigation - even though Gaetz is a close ally of the president.

Reports of the two investigations came just hours after it was revealed Gaetz is considering retiring from Congress and taking a job at right-wing news outlet Newsmax.

Gaetz's alleged encounters with the 17-year-old girl took place around two years ago with the DOJ investigation focusing on whether the lawmaker paid for her to cross state lines, the Times reported.

Under federal law, it is a crime to transport someone under the age of 18 across state lines, or coerce them to travel across state lines, to engage in sex in exchange for money.

Gaetz, who was the only member of Congress to vote against a largely bipartisan human trafficking bill back in 2017, insisted the allegations are false.

'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson.

'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.'

When asked about his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'.

'The person doesn't exist. I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false,' he said.

However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme.'

'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said.

'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.'

Instead, Gaetz claimed he and his family have fallen foul to a plot to extort money.

The congressman told Carlson the alleged scheme came to light on March 16 when he claims his father got a text message 'demanding a meeting wherein a person demanded $25 million in exchange for making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away'.

Gaetz's father is Don Gaetz, former member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 and Senate President from 2012 to 2014. Don has not publicly commented on the apparent extortion plot.

Gaetz claimed his family were told about 'pictures of me with child prostitutes' which he insisted are 'obviously false'.

Gaetz named McGee on air on the Fox News show, accusing the lawyer of being behind the extortion plot.

'His name is David Mcgee. He was a top official in the leadership in the northern district of Florida as a prosecutor,' he said. 'He currently works at the Beggs & Lane law firm.'

He claimed: 'There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators.'

Gaetz said he contacted the FBI and the DOJ and has been working with them to expose the plot.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump fired out a series of tweets Tuesday claiming a former Justice Department employee had been trying to extort $25 million from him and his family while 'threatening to smear my name'

Rep. Matt Gaetz's father Don sold his hospice company for $406million and used the money to fund his political career Rep. Matt Gaetz's father made millions by selling his hospice company in 2004 and used the money to launch his own political career, years before they were 'extorted' over allegations the younger Gaetz slept with an underage girl. Don, a former Florida Senator from 2006 until 2016, has backed up his son's claims of an extortion plot and says he even wore a wire to a meeting with one of the extortionists to try to help expose the plot. Gaetz claimed the people involved were claiming to extort him to free American hostage Robert Levinson, who was captured in Iran in 2007. He said the extortionists told his family they needed $25million to free Levinson - whose family say is dead - and that in exchange, they would ask Joe Biden to pardon Gaetz from any sex trafficking charges. The amount is the same amount that Don Gaetz's net worth was reported as when he launched his first Senatorial campaign in 2006. He and his partners had sold Vitas, a hospice company, two years earlier for $406million. It's unclear how many partners there were, but when Don was campaigning, his net worth was well reported. The family comes from Niceville, Florida, a conservative, Christian town on the panhandle. Don Gaetz is shown, left, on the Florida Senate floor. He is shown right, with his wife Vicki Don's own father, Jerry, was the mayor of a small town in North Dakota. Don was referred to as 'baby Gaetz' early on in his career. He and his partners founded Vitas in the 1970s and turned it into the largest hospice care provider in the country, after lobbying Congress to have their care paid for under Medicaid and Medicare. They sold the company in 2004 but were later sued for Medicaid fraud. The lawsuit did not name Don specifically, and he denied wrongdoing. Don was well-liked in the Senate because he was considered 'old fashioned' and 'decent'. His views, while Republican, are less extreme than his son's. 'Don Gaetz was very much more of an old-school Republican. He would tell you that Matt is much more tea party Republican than he is,' Ben Wilcox told Mother Jones for a profile on the pair in 2019. Matt launched his political career in Florida in 2010 and has since made a name for himself supporting Trump. He has spoken in the past about how his mother became partially paralyzed due to complications she suffered while pregnant with his sister, and how her devotion to the pregnancy and baby has enforced his anti-abortion views. Advertisement

'Our family was so troubled by that, we went to the local FBI and the FBI and the Department of Justice were so concerned about this attempted extortion of a member of Congress that they asked my dad to wear a wire, which he did with the former department of justice official,' he claimed.

Gaetz claimed that, prior to the Times' report of the sex trafficking inquiry, his family and federal authorities had made a plan to send $4.5 million as a down payment to McGee.

He claimed this plan 'would have shown even more evidence of David McGee's work in this extortion scheme' but that it was 'foiled' by the Times' report.

'What was supposed to happen was the transfer of this money that would have implicated the former colleague of these current DOJ officials.

'But that's obviously not going to happen tomorrow because the New York Times story was leaked in order to quell that investigative effort,' he claimed.

Gaetz called on the FBI to release the tapes of his family's alleged encounters with the extorter in order to prove his 'innocence.'

'If the FBI and department of justice will release the tapes that they are in possession of, the American people will see what is really going on,' he said.

New York Times' Justice Department Reporter Katie Benner hit back at Gaetz's claims telling MSNBC that McGee is not involved in the DOJ's sex trafficking probe as he works in private practice.

'No that person is not involved in the investigations. That person is currently in private practice and does not work at the Justice Department,' she said.

Benner questioned Gaetz's motive for speaking out about the alleged extortion plot in a move that she said has 'destroyed and blown up' the FBI investigation into it.

Gaetz was first to publicly expose the FBI probe into the alleged extortion plot, with no mention made in the Times' initial report.

Benner said she believes Gaetz was speaking out to deflect from the fact that the sex trafficking probe was 'serious enough' to be launched by Trump's DOJ.

'Keep in mind this is an investigation that if you look at the timeline was very serious and was taken seriously by Trump administration officials in the Justice Department,' she said.

'I think that one of the reasons why he has talked publicly about this extortion plot, one of the reasons why he has publicly said that the FBI has asked his own father to wear a wire is in order to try to get people to not pay attention to the fact that it was in fact the Trump admin that felt it was worthy to investigation him.'

She hit back at his claim that the Times' report had 'foiled' the FBI plot.

'In publicly talking about the extortion plot that he has described and publicly saying that his father wore a wire he has basically destroyed and blown up an FBI investigation which is in itself something you would think would be against his own interests,' she said.

'You would think he wold be wanting to work with the FBI and would think he would be wanting to keep this quiet... in doing this and basically blowing up an FBI investigation into people trying to extort his family he has both complicated that investigation and also cast aspersions on something that was serious enough that Attorney General Bill Barr proved it.'

Gaetz went on the defense as soon as the Times story broke Tuesday evening, going on a tweet storm describing the alleged extortion plot and slamming the allegations as 'lies'.

'Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name,' he tweeted.

The congressman said he and his family had been working with the FBI on the plot to extort money from his family.

'We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI's direction to catch these criminals.

'The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation.'

Gaetz called on the Justice Department to release tapes he said shows the alleged scheme by an ex-DOJ employee.

'I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations,' he tweeted.

Gaetz went into damage control mode after news of the inquiry surfaced.

He told the Times his attorneys had been told by the DOJ that he was the subject and not the target of the probe.

'I only know that it has to do with women,' he said. 'I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.'

The congressman confirmed the DOJ probe in an interview with Axios and doubled down that the allegations are 'false' and 'unclear' as he blamed the apparent extortion plot.

'The allegations of sexual misconduct against me are false,' he said. 'They are rooted in an extortion effort against my family for $25 million in exchange for making this case go away.'

Axios reported that it had seen screenshots of text messages, emails and documents from Gaetz purporting to show the alleged scheme.

Gaetz denied the accusations against him after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that the DOJ had launched a probe to investigate whether he had violated federal sex trafficking laws. Pictured Trump and Gaetz

'I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy,' he said.

The 38-year-old said while he often 'provided for' women he was dating when he was single, such as paying for flights and hotel rooms, he was 'absolutely' confident none of the women were underage.

'I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I've dated. You know, I've paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I've been, you know, generous as a partner,' he said.

'I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.'

Sources told the Times that senior Justice Department officials, including some Trump appointees, were aware of the investigation due to its nature and the congressman's profile.

They said it is part of a larger probe into Greenberg.

News of the sex-trafficking inquiry came the same day reports surfaced that Gaetz is mulling quitting politics altogether for a career as a media personality.

Gaetz has told friends he is considering not seeking re-election in 2022 and may even leave Congress before the end of his term for a job at conservative outlet Newsmax, according to Axios.

The congressman lost much of his personal power in DC when Trump, a close ally, lost the White House and Republicans failed to take back control of the House of Representatives.

Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December. Pictured the couple when they got engaged

Newsmax, meanwhile, has become a favored outlet for conservatives after Trump started criticizing Fox News, leaving an opening for it and competitor One American News.

Gaetz is already a frequent guest on the network, which recently hired former White House staffer Andrew Guiliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani, and former Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators

Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and defended the former president during both impeachment trials.

He also pushed the false claims that the MAGA mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a riot that left five dead were from Antifa. Investigations have proven they were not.

Gaetz also made a name for himself when he became the only House lawmaker to vote against a bill to provide greater funds to fight human trafficking.

The legislation - the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act - gave the federal government more money to tackle human trafficking.

It was backed by both Republicans and Democrats and sailed through the House and Senate.

'Unless there is an overwhelming, compelling reason that our existing agencies in the federal government can't handle that problem, I vote no because voters in Northwest Florida did not send me to Washington to go and create more federal government,' he said at the time.

He also hit headlines for wearing a gas mask on the House floor during the COVID pandemic and criticizing Democrats for banning guns in Congress.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators.

Outside of DC, Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December.

The couple met at an event at the club sometime earlier in 2020.

Luckey works for a company called Apeel, that says it 'works with nature to reduce food waste and create abundance for all.'
The World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved 300 Million US dollars loan for canal based drinking water schemes under Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project with a view to ensure quality drinking water 247 and minimize the water losses for holy city Amritsar and industrial hub Ludhiana.

Notably, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had been vigorously pursuing with the Centre to secure World Bank and AIIB loan to ensure clean drinking water to the residents in these cities. The other two canal based water supply projects in Jalandhar and Patiala are already under execution.

Captain Amarinder Singh

It may be recalled that at present, Amritsar and Ludhiana are being supplied with ground water source i.e. tube wells. As per the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) report, the ground water has been over exploited and the quality of drinking water has deteriorated causing health hazards. Therefore, it has been proposed to change water supply from ground to canal water to ensure uninterrupted potable drinking water supply in the urban areas.

Giving the break up of the total estimated project cost of 300 million US Dollars for the canal based water supply project at Amritsar and Ludhiana, the spokesperson said that the entire project would be co-financed by IBRD (World Bank) Loan of 105 Million US Dollars and an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) loan of 105 Million US Dollars alongwith Government of Punjab (GoP) funds to the tune of 90 Million US Dollars.

Pointing out further, the spokesperson said that in Amritsar project, the source of surface water supply is Upper Bari Doab Canal and thereafter a 440 MLD (Million Litres per Day) Water Treatment Plant would be constructed in village Vallah, Amritsar for treating the surface water. After treatment, the clear water would be pumped to the Over Head Service Reservoirs (OHSR)which would further serve to the city residents to maintain continuous supply of water.

Captain Amarinder Singh

The Infrastructure has been designed to meet the water demand for 30 years. It would benefit the residents of Amritsar with estimated population of 14.51 lakh for 2025 and 22.11 lakh for 2055.

At present, the Canal Based Water Supply Project for Amritsar has been awarded to M/s Larsen & Toubro Limited at a contract amount of Rs 784.33 Crore.

Likewise, the source of water supply in Ludhiana project is Sirhind Canal and thereafter a 580 MLD (Million Litres per Day) Water Treatment Plant would be constructed for treating the surface water. After treatment, the clear water would be pumped into the OHSR which would further cater to the city residents to maintain continuous supply of water.

World Bank

The Infrastructure has been designed to meet the water demand for 30 years. It would benefit the residents of Ludhiana with estimated population of 20.76 lakh for 2025 and 29.35 lakh for 2055.

The total estimated Design Build Cost of Ludhiana Project is Rs 1093.92 Crore and the period for completion of the same is 36 months. The estimated Operation &Maintenance cost is Rs 270.73 Crore for 10 years. The total amount for the project comes out to Rs 1364.65 Crore.

At present, in the Canal Based Water Supply Project for Ludhiana, the Request for Proposal is under finalization and would be floated shortly.
Russias current escalation in the Ukrainian territories occupied by it is the largest in recent years. Moscow must cease escalating military tensions and reaffirm its commitment to the ceasefire.

Ukraine and its partners state that Russia systemically aggravates the security situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and in Crimea while refusing to reaffirm its commitment to the ceasefire, reads the statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.

The minister notes that Russias current escalation is systemic, the largest in recent years. Russias actions have brought the situation to a dead end. The only way out is diplomacy, Kuleba underscores.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasizes that Moscow must cease escalating military tensions, immediately and unconditionally reaffirm its commitment to political-diplomatic means of resolving the conflict and to the ceasefire.

Ukraine together with Germany and France as Normandy format mediators make everything possible to encourage Russia to engage constructively in negotiations. Our other partners, including the US, Canada, the UK and NATO also support Russias continued engagement in negotiations, says the statement.

Whatever disinformation Russia may promote now, I would like to assure that Ukraine prioritizes political-diplomatic means of resolving the conflict, because peace and human lives are fundamental values to the Ukrainian state, the minister stresses.

As reported, at the Trilateral Contact Group meeting on March 31, the Russian delegation did not support the proposal of head of the Ukrainian delegation Leonid Kravchuk to ensure compliance with the full and comprehensive ceasefire from 00:00 on April 1.

The day before, on March 30, President of France Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks with President of Russia Vladimir Putin through video conferencing. The leaders of France and Germany, in particular, stressed that Russia needed to commit itself to ensuring the ceasefire in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and to help overcome the crisis in compliance with the Minsk Agreements.

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A Taiwanese Air Force F-16 fighter jet flies alongside a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) H-6K bomber in the western Pacific, one of the Chinese military aircraft that reportedly flew over Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait near Japans Okinawa island chain on the morning of May 11, 2018. (Released by Taiwan ROC Air Force)

Chief Editor of Global Times Suggests Forcing Chinese People to Invade Taiwan

Chief editor of Chinese state-owned Global Times said on Wednesday that Taiwan must be unified by force and veterans should force young people to fight on the frontlines.

I must go to the [China-Taiwan] battlefield. As a veteran, I will rejoin the army when required, Hu Xijin, chief editor of the tabloid answered a netizen on Chinese social media Weibo.

I will catch you [the young male netizen] and send you to bomb the bunkers on the island as a member of the commando. If you dare to run away, I will shoot you from behind, Hu added.

Taiwan faces Mainland China across the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese regime claims the island as its own, despite the fact that Taiwan is a de facto independent country, with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution.

Hu Xijin, chief editor of Chinese state-owned Tabloid Global Times, talks about a China-Taiwan war in Beijing, China on Sept. 25, 2020. (Screenshot/Hu Xijins YouTube channel)

The CCPs Threatening Posture

In recent decades, Beijing authorities tried to unify Taiwan in a peaceful way, which it called one country, two systems that it also used in ruling Hong Kong and Macao. In the past months, the Chinese regime maintained the threat that it would unify the island nation by force.

As chief editor of a state-run media, Hu talks more aggressively on Taiwan topics recently.

Dont believe theres a strait [that can protect you from Chinas attack]. You have a military [to defend yourself], and the United States backs you under the Taiwan Relations Act, posted on Chinese social media Weibo on Tuesday. The [Taiwanese] Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities should be clear-headed.

Hu then threatened Taiwan that the Chinese regime might use the way that it treated Hong Kong pro-democracy activists to treat Taiwanese if Taiwan takes further action.

An H-6 bomber of the Chinese PLA Air Force flies near a Taiwan F-16 in this handout photo provided by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense on Feb. 10, 2020. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense/Handout via Reuters)

The Chinese regime promised to maintain Hong Kongs independent governance for 50 years to 2047 before it took over the city from the UK. It claimed that the city would be ruled by Hongkongers and the central government wouldnt meddle with the citys governing.

However, the Beijing authorities launched a series of laws and rules to target the citys autonomy and freedoms. It has detained Hong Kong pro-democracy activists in the past months.

On March 30, the Chinese regime finalized a sweeping overhaul of Hong Kongs electoral system, drastically curbing democratic representation in the city as authorities seek to ensure people loyal to the CCP rule the global financial hub.

On June 30, 2020, the regime passed the national security law, which gave Beijing sweeping power to target individuals for any acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. Under the law, Hong Kong pro-democracy activists could be imprisoned for life if convicted.

Pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui (C, blue shirt) is escorted by security out of the Legislative Council after pro-democracy lawmakers disrupted a House Committee meeting concerning the second reading of a national anthem bill in the chamber in Hong Kong on May 22, 2020. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

CCP Hostility

Hu has supported increased hostility with Taiwan and the United States. He has consistently focused on Taiwan-U.S. relations when he spoke about Taiwan topics. The United States support for Taiwan is one of the biggest impediments that has angered the Chinese regime.

On Dec. 6, 2020, Hu published an editorial on Global Times in which he encouraged a war in the Taiwan Strait if then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would visit Taiwan.

No matter what strong reaction Mainland China takes [to respond to the United States], people in the world can understand, Hu wrote. We should send our warplanes over Taiwan.  Once the Taiwan military fires [at Chinese warplanes], it means war, and our army can immediately carry out a devastating attack on the important Taiwanese military facilities, such as airports.

In fact, Pompeo didnt visit and didnt announce any plan for a Taiwan trip at that time. Hu created topics to threaten Taiwan.

On Sept. 25, 2020, Hu claimed on his YouTube channel that the United States planned to deploy troops in Taiwan. He then threatened: You [the U.S. and Taiwan] should prepare for a war if you dare to do that.
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Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) greets supporters after speaking to a crowd during a rally against Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) on January 28, 2021 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Matt Gaetz allegedly shared a nude photo on the House floor of a woman he said he had slept with, a report says.

The Florida Republican congressman is accused of showing photos and videos of women to other lawmakers, according to CNN.

Mr Gaetz, 38, had a reputation on Capitol Hill of bragging about his sexual relationships, multiple sources told the news network.

CNN says its sources include two people actually shown the material, who said that Mr Gaetz showed them pictures of women and talked about having sex with them.

One of the videos reportedly showed a naked woman with a hula hoop.

Read more:

It was a point of pride, one of the sources said of Mr Gaetzs behaviour.

There is no suggestion that any of the pictures or videos are linked to the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into Mr Gaetz.

The DOJ opened a probe into the pro-Trump congressman under former attorney general Bill Barr before the end of the ex-presidents time in office.

Investigators are looking at the nature of Mr Gaetzs relationship with a 17-year-old woman and if it broke federal sex-trafficking and prostitution laws.

Mr Gaetz has confirmed the investigation is ongoing but strongly denied any wrongdoing on his part.

He has claimed that he is also the victim of a $25 million extortion plot relating to the investigation.

Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name, Mr Gaetz said in a statement.

We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBIs direction to catch these criminals.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 08:53:08|Editor: huaxia

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MEDELLIN, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Former Inter Milan midfielder Fredy Guarin has been arrested following an alleged episode of domestic violence in Colombia, police said on Thursday.

Officers were called to the home of Guarin's parents in the northwestern city of Medellin after he was accused of physically assaulting at least one member of his family.

"When the police arrived at the scene, they saw that personal injuries [were sustained] inside a house, where the son was involved in a fight with his parents," national police chief Jorge Vargas told a news conference.

He added: "The parents asked for assistance so that this person was detained as the law stipulates. We are awaiting the actions that will be legally initiated by his family."

Videos circulating on social media show the 34-year-old arguing with police officers with blood stains on his clothes.

Vargas said Guarin appeared to be under the influence of "substances that could cause dependency" and was initially taken to hospital for treatment, without providing further details.

Guarin currently plays for Colombian first division side Millonarios. He has been capped 57 times for Colombia's national team in a career that has also included spells with Boca Juniors, Porto, Inter Milan and Shanghai Shenhua, among other clubs. Enditem
New Delhi, April 3 : Former Andhra Pradesh minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy's daughter N. Suneetha Reddy on Friday found fault with the delay in the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into her father's murder.

Claiming that it was a political murder, she visited the CBI headquarters in New Delhi to enquire about the delay in the probe by the central agency.

Later, talking to reporters, she reiterated that she has doubts about some of her family members.

She said though it has been more than two years since the murder of brother of (undivided) Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of present (bifurcated Andhra) Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, those involved have not been arrested.

She expressed her unhappiness over the way the investigation into the case is progressing. "If this can happen in the murder case of a brother of former CM, what will be the plight of a common man. How long we have to wait for justice," she asked.

Suneetha Reddy, on whose petition the Andhra Pradesh High Court had last year ordered a CBI probe, claimed that many people advised her to drop the case but she made it clear that she wants to continue her fight for justice.

"How many more witnesses have to die before the investigations in the case will be completed," she asked.

Suneetha Reddy said she needs support of all in her fight for justice. She appealed for cooperation in early completion of the probe.

She also stated that Rajasekhara Reddy's daughter Y.S. Sharmila assured her of support.

"I met some officials in connection with my father's murder case. They stated that murders are common in Kadapa area. I couldn't understand how murders can be common," she said.

She pointed out that she gave the list of people whom she suspect along with the petition filed in the High Court. The names in the list include her cousin and MP Avinash Reddy, and his father Y.S. Bhaskar Reddy, Y.S. Manohar Reddy and former minister Adinarayana Reddy.

"I don't think there are any financial reasons behind the murder. As far as I know, this was a political murder," she said She said she did not get any response from the state government to her request to expedite the probe into the case. She said delay in the probe could lead to harm to some witnesses. She expressed the apprehension that the evidence could be wiped out.

Suneetha Reddy said she approached all including Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy for justice. She said she came before media as she did not get justice with the CBI probe.

It was in July last year that the CBI began probe into the case. This came four months after the Andhra Pradesh High Court ordered a probe by the central agency.

Observing that there is no progress in the investigation even after nearly a year, the high court on March 11 had directed that the case be investigated by the CBI.

The court gave the direction on petitions filed by Suneetha Reddy, her husband and others.

The former state minister and MP was found murdered at his residence in Kadapa on March 15, 2019, a few days before the election.

The 68-year-old leader was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him. He was killed hours before he was to launch YSR Congress Party's election campaign in Kadapa.

Though three Special Investigation Teams (SITs) conducted the probe, they failed to solve the mystery.

Suneetha Reddy expressed suspicion over the conduct of her cousin and Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy and his father Bhaskar Reddy.

In her petition filed in November, she said the shifting of police officials investigating the case and the slow pace at which the probe was being carried out also gave rise to suspicion.

She had wondered why Jagan Mohan Reddy did not hand over the case to the CBI though as the then Leader of Opposition he had raised the demand and submitted a memorandum to the Governor.

Suneetha Reddy also questioned the wisdom of the Chief Minister in constituting another SIT to investigate the crime, alleging that the SIT ended up interrupting the investigation and its conduct gave rise to several doubts about the intention of the state police to implicate innocent people in the case, so as to allow the real culprits to go scot-free.
Ever since he started attending Camp Greenkill in Huguenot, Orange County in 2011 at six years old, Mark Garel planned to be a counselor-in-training.

He first made the trip from New York City to the YMCA camp in the western part of the county for Winter Week, and came back in the summers, playing sports and games with other kids from the city, hiking and learning outdoors skills like campfire cooking and building shelters. But his favorite part was the horses.

I learned how to take care of [them], Garel, now 16, said. How to groom them, how to saddle up and how to ride.

The camp also helped Garel make friends. We were able to make connections with people and keep them over time, he said. We [were] able to see our friends summer after summer because they kept coming.

But Garels plan to be a counselor-in-training will not come to be. With little notice, the YMCA of Greater New York announced March 9 it would be selling its three camps in Orange County, releasing a statement it posted to Twitter that blamed financial problems born of the pandemic, which shuttered sleepaway camps last summer. But the strangely low sale price and sudden announcement of the sale surprised board members.

Members of the Board of Managers, who oversee the three adjacent YMCA camps  Camp Greenkill, Camp Talcott and Camp McAlister  said they were told of the decision only a few days before the roughly 1,000-acre property was put on the market for $5 million.

The camps opened 102 years ago, and recently hosted between 1,200 and 1,400 campers a summer, making it a popular destination for New York City kids.

An unusually low sale price

Though the camps were initially put on the market for $5 million, according to board members, the property was assessed at more than $12 million by the Town of Deerpark. The land is zoned for camps, hotel, resorts and other accommodations, as well as for religious institutions.

The reasoning behind the sale price was not discussed with board members, and Kennedy said the board felt YMCA leadership was giving it away. She pointed out the YMCA owned dozens of properties in New York City, many of which could fetch a high price, and expressed confusion that the leadership would sell its only property outside the city - and the only one capable of giving city kids an experience in nature.

The YMCA of Greater New Yorks leadership did not respond to queries about the camp, except to point to their public statement announcing the sale. A YMCA spokesperson reportedly told the New York Times, however, that the pandemic-related closures of its New York City gyms led to a $100 million shortfall.

The members are now hoping the property will remain a low-cost camp for city kids, but they say a lack of communication from the YMCA of Greater New Yorks leadership has kept them in the dark.

Board members attempt a crowdfunded purchase

Like many members of the Board of Managers, Monica Bermiss started out as a camper, first attending in 1985. She continued as a counselor, coming back every summer until she became Camp Director for Camp McAlister when she was 25.

The way the camp is structured is, if you wanted to grow with them, they wanted to grow with you, she said. Bermiss expressed frustration at the YMCA of Greater New Yorks leadership for not working with the Board of Managers. "If they had told us that they were going to sell the camp in a year or six months, that would have really allowed us time to come together with people that are interested in continuing the legacy and the mission of that particular facility, she said.

Bermiss and a group of former campers talked to other camp operators with similar visions, and set up a GoFundMe page, hoping to raise money to help save the camp. The crowdfunding campaign yielded less than $60,000 to date. We were speaking to a number of interested parties, but everyones response was: We dont have enough time to really put something together, she said.

Board members said YMCA of Greater New Yorks leadership received multiple bids for the property within days and extended the time the group had to raise money and find a good buyer. The clock ran out March 26.

The property is being listed as-is by Pyramid Brokerage. The agent handing the sale refused to comment on potential buyers. Previously, Gothamist reported that a private camp operator was rumored to be interested in the property.

Executive Director of the American Camp Association for New York and New Jersey, Susie Lupert, said the YMCA was the only camp in the association* closing because of financial difficulties related to the pandemic, and she was unaware of any camp in New York other than the YMCAs shutting for financial reasons.

Many New York camps received PPP loans from the federal government, Lupert said, but YMCA of Greater New York did not.

A total of 262 camps received the loans in New York, with the median loan just around $130,000, according to a federal database. The majority of PPP loans are generally used to pay employees. While YMCA of Greater New York did not receive any PPP loans, many other YMCAs in New York did: Frost Valley YMCA in the Catskills, for instance, received a loan of $2 million, allowing the camp retain 131 employees.

Im not implying that everything is rosy, but certainly like many other storms throughout the years, theyve been able to weather it the best they can, Lupert said of the camps.

She believes the pandemic was probably just one factor in the YMCAs decision to close. "Thats a decision thats been going on for years," she said.

Hopes for the propertys future

Mark Garel

Amina Kennedy, a former camper, said she grew up in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn in the late 1980s. "It wasnt very diverse, she said. We were the second black family in our building.

Meeting a diverse range of kids from around New York City helped her in her youth, Kennedy said. No one would ask me why my hair did certain things, because everybodys hair there did certain things, she laughed.

Now a teacher and a board member, Kennedy said she worries the camps buyer will not make it accessible to lower-income families from New York City. Kennedy was raised by a single mom who worked in a 911 dispatchers office, and she was only able to attend the camp because of a YMCA scholarship, which are given to about 70 percent of campers.

Board members sent an open letter to YMCA of Greater New Yorks leadership in late March expressing their distress at such a hallowed institution being sold and stating their hope the camp would continue to serve low-income New Yorkers in different hands.

Kennedy said a lesson she learned from the pandemic was the importance of the camp.

Kids need a space like this, they need a space thats safe, where they can get three square meals a day, where they can have experiences that theyve never had before, to learn about ecology, learn about the stars, see friends from different areas, she said.

Bermiss knows the situation is out of the Board of Managers hands, but she hopes whoever buys the land will keep with the camps original intent, one that has their doors open to all New York City children.

*CORRECTIONS NOTE: A prior version of this article misstated the YMCA of Greater New York's affiliation with the American Camp Association of New York and New Jersey. The YMCA is a member of this group. We regret the error.
Indias leading Natural Beauty Brand Lotus Herbals launches a nationwide hunt through a high decibel social media campaign Go Glow Girls for its flagship brand Lotus WhiteGlow. The campaign featuring Lotus whiteglows brand ambassador actress Jacqueline Fernandez, kick starts a month-long contest commencing on 1st April 2021 that will be showcased on all Lotus Herbals social media platforms. The objective of the nationwide hunt is to identify and choose 4 alluring girls from across India, who will be the social faces of the brand for the next 2 months. The victorious girls will win a Paid Collaboration with Lotus WhiteGlow, a Sponsored Trip to Goa and complimentary WhiteGlow skin care products for a period of two months. The hunt will be an exciting initiative to generate buzz about the brand while getting its social media audience invested in the outcome of the contest.

Commenting on the launch of the Lotus WhiteGlow Campaign, Mr Nitin Passi, Joint Managing Director, Lotus Herbals says, This is the 1st time that we are embarking on a nationwide hunt to discover new talent who will be the social faces of the brand. With this campaign we aim to break through the clutter and engage directly with millennials, who form a large part of our consumer base. Miss Universe Sri Lanka and brand ambassador for Lotus WhiteGlow, Jacqueline Fernandez says, This is a fun peppy campaign and its wonderful that Lotus WhiteGlow is creating a platform where budding talent can showcase their creative skills. Its a perfect medium to connect with young aspirational women and I am really looking forward to seeing the new Glow Girls.

The Lotus WhiteGlow Go Glow Girls social media campaign will be led by the gorgeous actress Jacqueline Fernandez who will appear in films and static images that will play across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and twitter. To enhance the contest experience Lotus WhiteGlow will also shoot social media content with the winning girls which will go live on all social platforms. To amplify the campaign the brand will also leverage celebrities and social media influencers to build engagement with its audience.

Lotus WhiteGlow is constantly looking at reaching out to its community of followers through innovative advertising and marketing initiatives. The Lotus WhiteGlow Go Glow Girls campaign with its nationwide hunt is yet another step in that direction.
Lawyer Lamin K. Mboge, yesterday in his second day of testimony before the TRRC revealed that former President Yahya Jammeh ordered the imprisonment of former Attorney General Harry Sambou, former Secretary General Njogu Bah and his personal assistant, Momodou Sabally just to cover-up his lies.

"Yahya Jammeh signed an order for Justice Wowo to be arrested, detained and tried but when he realised that Justice Wowo had American citizenship and the ambassador raised concerns over the illegalities under which Wowo was arrested, Jammeh withdrew his orders and blamed former Attorney General, Njoigo Bah and Sabally for responsible of Wowo's arrest."

Lawyer Mboge said the three top authorities were tried in court and on the judgment day, they had hope for possible discharge. He added that the court was slated for 10 a.m. but the judge was in his chambers till 1 p.m. and the information they heard was that some plain clothes officers were in the judge's chambers to change his judgment in order to convict the three authorities.

"Jammeh imprisoned the three just to cover-up his lie."

The witness continued that many things had happened in the country during Jammeh's 22 year rule. He added that Mai Fatty's accident was not normal, saying it was planned by a group of people who worked for Jammeh to eliminate Fatty from the judiciary.

In an attempt to eliminate him (Mboge), he further testified that in 2006 during the treason trial, one NIA officer, Lamin Bojang came to his car that was parked in his compound at Brikama.

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"I was called and upon arrival, I saw him running with a black and tinted glass car. I suspected that it was the NIA because they were the people who drove those kinds of vehicles."

In a different trap, the witness testified that a similar thing happened on another occasion as he carried his family to the village for a Tobaski feast.

"In another planned accident with a truck in 2016, I was pronounced dead but thank God we are alive because I was in the car with my five family members including my wife."

He told the commission that in 2016, some marked men, dressed in black were in search of him to eliminate him but to no avail.

In 2009, in a case involving Lang Tombong Tamba, in which he represented Sarjo Fofana, the witness said he was later arrested, charged and remanded in custody. He added that his case was politically motivated.

Mboge confirmed to the commission that he later supported Jammeh's government on condition to get discharged from court.

"I supported Jammeh and even campaigned for him. I publicly announced my loyalty to him and later established the Rival Bar Association. "

After long debate with Lead Counsel Essa Faal on many legal terms, the witness finally accepted being used by Jammeh against his colleagues.

In his concluding remarks, he called on the government to help the judiciary with funds for capacity building. He also called on the state to act fast in addressing the 'slave' issues in the Upper River Region.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise has this week announced plans to recruit 150 experienced technologists in Ireland over the next two years. The company has also named Galway as its European hub for cyber security operations and is establishing a new Hybrid Cloud Practice to help Irish customers accelerate their digital transformation.

This will enable the company to grow its operations and employee base in the country, increase its R&D, product development and global cyber security services.

In particular, HPE will hire experienced talent with expertise in areas of cyber security, software development, global R&D and cloud consulting. The jobs will be based at HPEs sites in Galway and Kildare, but thanks to HPEs Edge-to-Office initiative the majority of work can be carried out from flexible locations, thus opening up these roles to applicants from anywhere in the country.

Welcoming the news, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said, "Im really pleased to see that Hewlett Packard Enterprise is expanding its operations in Ireland by creating 150 highly skilled jobs over the next two years. Its also great news that the company has chosen Galway for its European hub for cyber security operations. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has been long-established in Ireland and is a significant source of employment in both Galway and Kildare."

President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Antonio Neri added, "This year HPE will celebrate a fifty year legacy of operations in Ireland, so I am delighted to be building on our strong history of investing in Ireland with todays announcement of new jobs and operations in the country. Ireland has an incredible technology-focused economy and a highly skilled workforce, and our investment in the country will further develop the country as a critical market for HPEs global business, as well as benefitting our customers, partners, team members and the citizens of Ireland."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Plenty of people are eager to return to the office, especially younger workers who feel they have more to lose by being away.

Sheeta Verma, 21, a recent graduate, was hired early last year before the pandemic shut down the offices of her tech firm Neurable, based in Boston.

Being the youngest in the office, I dont get to connect with my colleagues and its important that I connect, to get to know them, understand their mind set, how they learn and how they grew their careers, Ms. Verma said.

Yet, even Ms. Verma wants her employer, who hasnt yet set a date for a broad return of employees to the office, to let her work from home some of the time, a hope shared by experienced workers like Deborah Paredes, who works at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.

Ms. Paredes commuted one hour each way from her home in Palmyra, N.J., to her desk before the pandemic. She is not interested in resuming that trek daily.

Some of Ms. Paredess concerns are about her health. She has had both Covid-19 vaccine shots, but has asthma and an autoimmune disorder. I dont fancy being packed into an elevator with all of the people and the trains. It just seems silly, Ms. Paredes, 59, said. Who decided we needed to leave our homes and go to an office to work?

Ms. Paredes also believes she got a lot more done working at home. A self-described introvert who is easily distracted, she liked working at her own pace without standard office interruptions. I can wake up, go for a jog and be working by 8:30 and sometimes Ive worked until 10 at night and I dont feel resentful about that because Im on a roll, she said. But theres no way I could have been in the office until 10 p.m. working.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 16:12:32|Editor: huaxia

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HARBIN, April 2 (Xinhua) -- A full-ocean depth autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developed by China's Harbin Engineering University (HEU) dived to a depth of 7,709 meters in a recent deep-sea trial, setting a new record for the country's autonomous submersibles, the Science and Technology Daily reported Friday.

The AUV, named Wukong, had carried out the third phase deep-sea trial of the HEU Key Research Program on Full Ocean Depth AUV in February and March, and returned to Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province on Thursday.

In its last dive on March 21, Wukong reached the designed depth above the seafloor and cruised for three hours and 15 minutes, taking 1,543 pictures and shooting 144 minutes of video footage. It reached the maximum depth of 7,709 meters, only second to the record set by Russian AUV Vityaz-D.

In the previous two missions of deep-sea trial, Wukong had reached depths of 5,016 meters and 6,656 meters, respectively.

A part of China's key plan to research and develop deep-sea technology and equipment, this program was jointly operated by the State Key Laboratory of Underwater Robot Technology in HEU, the Shenyang Institute of Automation and the Institute of Oceanology both affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China's National Deep Sea Center. Enditem
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A new Chinese satellite was recently launched to increase the number of high-definition observation satellites available to state authorities.

According to a Space.com report, this latest development, the Gaofen-12 (02) satellite, the second of its kind, reportedly launched on March 20 at 6:45 pm EDT, or 6:45 am on March 31 local time.

The space report said the rocket used for the launch was a Long March 4C. Video footage from the said takeoff which CGTN Global Business posted, shows insulation tiles that fall off the rocket as the booster's red glare fills the predawn sky.

In a statement, state media provider Xinhua said the satellite will be used in urban planning, crop yield estimation, land surveys, road network design, urban planning, and even disaster relief. It also noted that the satellite successfully entered its planned orbit.

ALSO READ: Virgin Galactic Will Not Be Launching Tourists to Space This Year Due To Technical Delays





Gaofen-12 (02) Now in 600-Kilometer Sun Synchronous Orbit

According to SpaceNews, the Stated States satellite tracking proposed that the satellite is now in a 600-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.

This means that the satellite has a consistent lighting condition on Earth underneath. The said report also specified that Gaofen-12 (02) possibly has some uses in the military.

Resolution capabilities, as well as other information, have been reported for lower-numbered series satellites of the Gaofen, the space news site said.

Nevertheless, information for these satellites numbered "8 and higher," has not been openly released, proposing the satellites are intended for national defense purposes.

This new satellite is set to join other radar and optical remote sensing satellites in the Gaofen series for CHEOS or the China High-resolution Earth Observation System.

Gaofen-12 (01)

A pioneer of this series, Gaofen-1 launched in 2013 with functionalities in high-resolutions, multispectral and panchromatic imaging.

This particular launch marked its eighth attempt this year by China, with seven of the earlier launches successfully taking place.

China is hoping to hose over 40 launches in 2021, Space News said. Before the COVID-19 crisis, China was launching several satellites with just a few hours of interval.

Earlier on, in 2019, exactly on Thanksgiving, Chin launched the Gaofen-12 satellite into the orbit of Earth, capping off the country's very busy month.

This then-new Earth observation satellite, Xinhua also reported, flew from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center to space in the Shanxi Province of China.

Successful Takeoff

As mentioned earlier, Gaofen-12 successfully launched on November 28, at 7:52 am Beijing time or 6:52 pm EDT on November 27.

This space rocket took off on a Long March-4C rocket, which marked the 320th flight for this type of space rocket.

Footage at that time, from Chinese television station CCTV exhibited the rocket smoothly lifting off into a cloudy sky, flames coming out from underneath the booster.

The said footage showcased engineers too, as well as other officials who closely monitored the progress of the rocket into orbit.

Based on the CCTV's translation, the unnamed engineer said, he hereby announced that the launch mission was a success.

As part of China's HD Earth observation initiative, what was described as a 'microwave-sensing satellite' is capable of producing images with a resolution of better than three feet.

A similar report is shown on Rocket Launch Short's YouTube video below:

RELATED ARTICLE: Virgin Galactic Signs With NASA for Private Space Missions Program





Check out more news and information on Space on Science Times.
[April 02, 2021] The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Reminds Investors of Looming Deadline in the Class Action Lawsuit Against Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN)

The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz reminds investors of the upcoming April 5, 2021 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors who acquired Tyson Foods, Inc. ("Tyson" or the "Company") (NYSE: TSN) securities between March 13, 2020 and December 15, 2020, inclusive (the "Class Period"). If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. On December 15, 2020, the New York City Comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, issued a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (" SEC (News - Alert) ") calling for an investigation into Tyson's failures to carry out its stated coronavirus protection policies. The letter stated that Tyson's steps "to protect employees were grudging and minimal, such as letting workers use bandanas or sleep masks." The Company also "penaliz[ed] workers who take sick leave to avoid contact with any exposed workers" and, "as ofDecember 3, 2020, Tyson ha[d] the highest number of COVID-19 cases of any company in the meatpacking industry [and] twice as many deaths as any other meatpacking company."



On this news, the Company's stock price fell $1.78 per share, or 2.5%, to close at $68.25 per share on December 15, 2020, thereby damaging investors. The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Tyson knew, or should have known, that the highly contagious coronavirus was spreading throughout the globe; (2) Tyson did not in fact have sufficient safety protocols to protect its employees in its facilities; (3) as a result, Tyson employees contracted and spread the coronavirus within the facilities; (4) as a result of the foregoing, Tyson would face negative impact to its production, including complete shutdowns of certain facilities; (5) due to the failure to protect its employees, Tyson would suffer financial harm related to its lowered production; and (6) as a result, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert) : twitter.com/FRC_LAW. If you purchased or otherwise acquired Tyson securities during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than April 5, 2020 to request appointment as lead plaintiff in this putative class action lawsuit. To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to info@frankcruzlaw.com, or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005034/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Oregons top public health official urged the governors office this week to press the federal government to remedy an apparent widening disparity in the COVID-19 vaccine doses sent to Oregon compared to many other states.

If federal officials gave Oregon the same amount of vaccine doses per capita as California, Oregon could have likely vaccinated an additional 150,000 residents, Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen wrote in a March 28 email to Gov. Kate Browns office.

At Kansas level, it could mean nearly 227,000 more Oregonians vaccinated with a first dose, according to Allens calculations. And at Wyomings rate, 370,000 additional Oregonians, Allen said.

Allen wrote about his struggles to get an explanation for what seems like an extremely inequitable process.

He didnt know if the issue should be directed to the White House, the head of the federal COVID-19 vaccine response or to Oregons Congressional delegation.

But, he advised, it seems we at least need to start raising a ruckus.

Oregons vaccine allocation from the federal government is coming into sharper focus following reporting by The Oregonian/OregonLive, which last month showed the state falling backward in shots administered compared to other states.

Oregon ranked 39th in doses administered per capita from Feb. 14 to March 14 despite receiving middle-of-the pack allocations at the time.

State officials had already been monitoring the allocation issue, but the newsrooms reporting in part prompted additional inquiries, said David Baden, the health authoritys chief financial officer who oversees vaccine allocations.

We had a couple of discussions about it, yes, but admittedly had not raised big alarm bells or had not pushed (federal officials) hard at that point, Baden said of the apparent disparities in allocations. He said the news organizations reporting reaffirmed that is wasnt just us seeing it ourselves, that you were seeing it as well in your reporting.

After Allen highlighted the apparent disparities to the governors office, officials subsequently contacted the White House COVID-19 Response Team, Browns spokesperson Charles Boyle said in an email.

Boyle said several other governors also expressed concern about allocations falling short, too. That prompted a meeting Thursday morning with the Biden Administration in which officials from Oregon and other states asked for greater transparency and explanations, Boyle said.

Boyle didnt provide details when The Oregonian/OregonLive asked what was said during the discussion with federal officials  including whether they agreed with Oregon that there is a problem.

We are continuing to monitor this situation, to ensure that Oregonians have fair access to the federal governments vaccine supplies, Boyle said.

The Oregonian/OregonLive earlier this week asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  which publishes online data tracking vaccines delivered and shots administered state by state  if it agreed there was a large gap in doses allocated per capita and, if so, why thats happening and what the agency is doing to remedy it.

The CDC didnt respond.

The agencys website says vaccines are allocated based on the adult population of each state. The website also acknowledges factors that might lead to one state receiving more: Doses that are sent directly by the federal government to tribes and federal entities such as the Veterans Administration and military bases, for example.

Oregons public health officials say they dont have detailed data to show if Oregon is getting shorted even after accounting for extra doses that went to tribes and other entities.

But its clear that more doses are going to states with, for example, high populations of indigenous people associated with tribes.

Alaska, with about 15% of its population who are Alaska Natives or Native Americans and a high proportion of military personnel, leads the nation in the highest per capita vaccine doses sent there -- more than 84,000 per every 100,000 residents. Alaska also receives an entire months worth of shipments at once due to its remote location, skewing its numbers higher just after that shipment arrives.

Other states with sizable tribal populations, such as New Mexico and South Dakota, also received high per capita doses at about 71,000 to 72,000 doses per 100,000 residents.

All three states rank within the top 10 states in overall percentages of their residents partially and fully inoculated against the novel coronavirus.

Oregon, with just under 2% of its population identifying as Native American and relatively few military personnel, has received about 59,000 doses per 100,000 residents, ranking it 36th in per capita doses delivered by the federal government.

Allen, the Oregon Health Authority director, said he suspects theres a direct correlation between that and Oregons rank as 35th in the nation for the percent of residents whove received at least one shot.

Of the 34 states whove vaccinated larger proportions of their residents than Oregon, 30 of them had received more doses per capita from the federal government, according to the news organizations analysis.

We could be vaccinating faster, especially in the metro area, with more doses, Allen said in his email.

The news organization found Allens general conclusions in his email to Browns office -- that Oregons allocation appeared to lag behind many states -- to be accurate and that Oregon could likely vaccinate more people with more doses even if some of his calculations in the number of additional people that could be inoculated was higher than an analysis by The Oregonian/OregonLive. That might be in part due to newer data that the news organization used.

As of Thursday, nearly 1.2 million Oregonians are at least partially inoculated. Thats about 28% of the states population, one percentage point behind the national average.

But Oregon officials point out that even if Oregons performance in vaccinating people with first doses is slightly behind the national average, the state and its residents have done a good job of limiting coronavirus infections compared to most other states. Oregon has the fourth lowest number of cases and fifth lowest number of deaths since the pandemic began.

Baden, who oversees the states vaccine allocations, said if Oregon doesnt get a satisfactory explanation and a plan of action, he expects the governor and Oregons congressional delegation to push for a remedy.

We are most definitely following up, Baden said, ... and really want to get to the bottom of what this is.

On Friday, after The Oregonian/OregonLive published this story online, six members of Oregons congressional delegation sent a letter to Jeffrey Zients, the federal coronavirus-response coordinator.

They asked for confirmation about whether theres a gap between allocations for Oregon and other states, and sought an explanation for all the factors used to determine allocations. They requested answers by April 9.

Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter

-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee
To a tourist magnet - and tourist-dependent economy - such as New Orleans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention delivered an early Easter basket on Friday: It's now safe for fully vaccinated people to travel without quarantining or getting a COVID-19 test.

This is progress, said Stephen Perry, president of the citys chief tourism and convention promoter, New Orleans and Co. Its a step toward normalcy.

Fully vaccinated people can travel again without getting tested or quarantining, CDC says NEW YORK (AP)  Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday.

Citing a decrease in new coronavirus cases and increase in vaccines, Perry said the U.S. Travel Association had been pushing for the CDC to issue a statement similar to Fridays new guidance.

Perry said New Orleans has seen an influx of visitors just in the past three weeks, likely due to vaccines and the return of confidence in travel. Hotel occupancy rates, which had been around 20%, climbed to 40% for this weekend, and outdoor attractions such as Audubon Zoo have been popular for families finally going out again.

The CDC's announcement might not immediately spur a large increase in travelers to New Orleans because the city was already open - with some capacity limits on businesses - to visitors. But Perry hopes it will convince the public that the vaccine is the way out of the yearlong pandemic.

It might even motivate business travel, which Perry said is still lagging even as leisure travel picks up. Weekdays are typically when New Orleans finds its hotels occupied by visitors in town for conventions and professional meetings.

+22 With cannabis expo, New Orleans Convention Center holds first event in 320 days; here's how it went The HQ Event, a two-day expo for several hundred entrepreneurs in the cannabis trade that started on Tuesday, marked the first trade show at t

The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, which has been hit hard by a years worth of cancellations, called the easing of travel restrictions a positive step toward returning to everyday business activities.

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

The Convention Center has already seen encouraging signs that meeting planners are beginning to plan for a return to activity and are looking for places to hold events, Convention Center President Michael Sawaya said. The Convention Center's preparation, along with the state's health measures and the CDC's guidelines, should give the planners and attendees full confidence that their groups will be able to meet safely in New Orleans.

Last month, the convention center held its first exhibition in 320 days: a cannabis trade exposition called the HQ Event. It has also been operating as a mass vaccination center.

Even before the CDCs latest guidance, most major airlines were booking planes at full capacity or announced they will soon sell middle seat tickets.

Louis Armstrong International Airport's daily passenger count reached 12,000 on March 14, the highest since the pandemic crippled commercial air traffic last spring. The airport also announced the return of an international flight to Cancun, Mexico, and a new domestic flight to Austin, Texas.

+12 New Orleans airport sees traffic rebound; see which international flight is returning New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport said last weekend's passenger traffic rose to the highest level since the beginning of the p

Still, airport officials remained cautious and said traffic might not rise to pre-pandemic levels for years to come.

City officials were pleased with the CDC news but held up one key part addressed of the agency's new view: We remind vaccinated visitors that the latest guidance from the CDC directs everyone to continue wearing masks and to continue to practice social distancing, a City Hall spokesperson said.
The new U.S. Presidential Supersonic Jet could arrive sooner than expected. It was also rumored to bring new features that are more advanced compared to other commercial planes and even other fighter jets.

According to CNN's latest report, the said technology was first revealed previously in September 2020 by a California start-up, Exosonic. The company said that it is working with the United States Air Force to develop a supersonic plane, which could also function as an Air Force One aircraft.

The U.S. Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate (P.E.) gave the Exosonic a contract. The collaboration of the two agencies was formed after the Exosonic impressed the U.S. Military with its concept for a low-boom supersonic Mach 1.8 twinjet.

To give you more idea, here are the major details you should expect.

US Presidential Supersonic Jet's details

Exosonic's upcoming aircraft is expected to be used by the U.S. Executive Brach's distinguished visitors or DVs. Aside from being used as an Air Force One, the giant manufacturer also stated that it could also be used as an Air Force Two, which is the plane that is used to carry the U.S. vice president.

These were Boeings sketches for a 2707 variant, the US Air Forces Presidential Airlift Groups Supersonic Air Force One, done in Raymond Lowrys iconic Jackie Kennedy signature livery. The plane never took off. But can a Boom Overture XB-1 take on that presidential duty? Hmmm. pic.twitter.com/EZBY3t4zjX  Sgt Al (@SgtAlCastro) May 23, 2019

Also Read: Leaked Satellite Photos Show China Building More Missile Silos Capable of Launching Its Most Powerful ICBMs

"With this concept, we are planning to implement new technologies that are not available today or that you don't (yet) see on commercial or business aircraft,' said Exosonic's Principal Aircraft Interior Designer Stephanie Chahan.

"So whether they're flying the vice president or the first lady, or the first gentleman, we'd have a lot of flexibility here," she added.

Exosonic's upcoming supersonic jet is expected to have a 5,000-nautical-mile range.

Aside from this, it could also use boom-softening techniques, which could allow it to reach almost twice the speed of sound without making too much noise.

On the other hand, the upcoming advanced aircraft could boast a speed of Mach 1.8, which is around 1,381 miles per hour. This means that it could be two times faster than the current cruising speed of a long-distance commercial plane.

Exosonic also added that its upcoming U.S. Presidential Supersonic Jet could arrive by 2030.

Is it the fastest commercial jet?

Exosonic's new aircraft might sound promising, but it may not be the fastest commercial jet since there is another aircraft rumored to reach five times the speed of sound. The Byte previously reported that the U.S. Air Force also gave a contract to Hermeus, an aerospace startup, to develop a commercial jet that could reach ultra-fast speeds up to Mach 5.

You can click here for more details.

For more news updates about the upcoming U.S. Presidential Supersonic Jet and other new advanced aircraft, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: US Air Force Admits Its F-35 Program is a Failure: Chief Staff General Suggests a Possible Solution for the Issue

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Giuliano de Leon

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Since the MDC-Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa's loss to President Mnangagwa in the 2018 harmonised elections, the opposition outfit has been throwing around a number of accusations against Zanu PF and Government to cover up its own leaders' shortcomings.

Claims of poll theft and illegitimacy

When Chamisa lost to President Mnangagwa, he claimed that the Presidential poll had been rigged. He petitioned the Constitutional Court which heard his matter on August 24, 2018.

The court proceedings were covered live by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC)'s television services to facilitate transparency and in the interest of public information.

When Chamisa's defence counsel led by his friend, Thabani Mpofu, was asked to produce evidence to support their claims by way of completed Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) V11 forms, they failed.

No amount of throwing a lot of Latin legalese by Mpofu could save the day for the embarrassed Chamisa.

He lost the case, paving the way for President Mnangagwa's inauguration two days later.

This was despite Chamisa's earlier tweet in which he claimed that he had all the requisite V11 forms he needed and vowing that he would offer his sister to President Mnangagwa if the latter won so much as five percent of the valid votes cast.

A senior member of his then coalition, David Coltart, used his Twitter handle to appeal to supporters to avail V11 forms.

He said "we particularly need V11 forms from Mashonaland Central and West provinces where it appears the main focus of rigging was."

It turned out that Chamisa and his team had not paid their polling agents.

His poor preparations for the polls cost him the votes, but instead of admitting defeat, he began to mount a campaign of illegitimacy against the President.

Put differently, he attempted to save his face by lying that he had lost due to poll theft.

To this day, nearly three years later, Chamisa continues to believe his own lie and propaganda.

Fortunately, the world has joined Zimbabweans in recognising President Mnangagwa's administration and moved on.

Chamisa's lies on local authorities

Since 2000, successive MDC-dominated councils have presided over Zimbabwe's 30 urban local authorities and their tenure has been characterised by deteriorating service standards.

This state of affairs worsened during Chamisa's tenure after he grabbed the MDC-T party from the rightful heiress, Dr Thokozani Khupe in February 2018 following his predecessor, the late Morgan Tsvangirai's death.

Nowhere is it more pronounced than in Harare, where mounds of uncollected refuse in the city centre and residential areas have become a common sight.

Instead of tackling this, Chamisa and his councillors are claiming that they cannot remove refuse from the streets because of central Government interference, which is another lie that they created, fervently believe in and peddled around.

They claim that they cannot repair roads because Government removed the motor vehicle licensing function from urban local authorities to the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA), as if they are not collecting revenue from residents.

They are blaming central Government for their failure forgetting that the electorate votes for councillors and not central Government to represent them in councils.

If they were honest politicians, they would acknowledge central Government's routine assistance with securing water treatment chemicals and road rehabilitation.

The "lawfare" nonsense

Chamisa's faction childishly believes in getting arrested and using the arrests to accuse Government of not respecting human rights.

Realising how badly this was backfiring, its senior members have been claiming that Government is persecuting its members by prosecution.

Chamisa himself is on record claiming that Government upheld rule by law instead of the rule of law.

They are have devised the term "lawfare" in their bid to celebrate their made up victimhood.

They even include convicted murderers among their members as "prisoners of conscience" -- a euphemism for political prisoners.

An examination of the cases of the so-called political prisoners reveals that some are convicted criminals and some like Makomborero Haruzivishe are facing serious criminal charges.

He is facing charges of kidnapping after locking up Impala Motor Spares workers in their shop in Harare in October last year.

Others such as activists, Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri, are trouble makers, who cannot stay away from the police's handcuffs.

Mamombe is facing charges of breaching lockdown regulations when she, Chimbiri and Netsai Marowa organised a protest in Warren Park in Harare on May 13 2020 during a lockdown.

Before they were tried for the offence on February 1, 2021 they were arrested for undermining the police when they insulted police officers in a motor vehicle in Harare city centre.

They were granted bail on February 10 this year.

They were arrested again on March 5 for addressing a media conference on February 25 2021 at the Harare Magistrates Court in support of Haruzivishe.

They have been breaching their bail granted on the previous charges they were already facing.

Like the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) leader, Takudzwa Ngadziore, they have become some kind of a legal nuisance all in the name of making Government look bad.

Surely, such people are not victims as their faction wishes the world to believe in their propaganda. These cases demonstrate that the claims of "lawfare" are just that -- mere face-saving claims.

Opposition decimation hallucination

Arising out of Chamisa's irregular wresting of the control of the MDC-T from Dr Khupe have been a number of recalls which followed the Supreme Court judgement of March 31 2020.

The judgement restored Dr Khupe's leadership of the MDC-T, which Chamisa had renamed MDC Alliance after the 2018 elections.

Under Dr Khupe, the MDC-T's then secretary general, Douglas Mwonzora instigated a number of legislator recalls.

These continued into 2021 when he became the party's president following the MDC-T's December 2020 congress.

Instead of admitting his error and taking corrective action, Chamisa has been baselessly claiming that Zanu PF was working with Mwonzora to decimate his faction.

Chamisa's woes were self-made and no amount of claiming a Zanu PF hand therein will reverse his unenviable circumstances.

Miffed by MDC-Alliance faction co-vice president, Tendai Biti's departure from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to join the MDC-Alliance without its approval, the PDP recalled him and five other legislators on March 17 last year.

This readily elicited a response from Biti's Western handlers.

Within days, the US Department of State spokesperson, Ned Price accused Zanu PF of misusing State power to "subvert the will of voters, further undermine democracy, and deny millions of Zimbabwean citizens their chosen representation."

It is sad that the US has also taken the MDC-Alliance's lies, propaganda and false claims that Government is behind the recalls, which have so far seen 39 legislators and 81 councillors being ousted from Parliament and various councils respectively.

No well-meaning stakeholder would believe the claim that Zanu PF removed opposition councillors from Parliament and councils when this was initiated by their respective political parties.

While some people tried to question the legality of the recalls, constitutional experts such as Dr Lovemore Madhuku explained that nothing was amiss for as long as Parliament received a letter from the affected legislator's political party.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zimbabwe Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Biti tried another propaganda claim that he was targeted for exposing corruption as the chair of the Public Accounts Committee, but became tongue-tied when asked how the PDP was connected with the alleged corruption in Government.

This even exposed the fact that the committee he chaired was one of those which had failed to produce reports on time. In other words, Biti was concentrating on playing politics in the Committee instead of serving the nation.

One-Party State lie

When Chamisa noted that his political walls were collapsing around him following the recalls, the mass defection of his members to Zanu PF and the general doomed circumstances of his faction, he devised another lie which he is currently spinning.

In his March 9, 2021 Agenda 2021, he claimed that Government was targeting to introduce a one-party state in Zimbabwe by destroying his faction and working with other opposition parties.

If the President is going to work with other political parties (as he is already doing), would that be a one-party state? Common sense is not common to everyone.

Zimbabwe has more than 20 opposition parties and it is naive for Chamisa to believe and sell the lie that the imminent self-invited collapse of his faction means the death of democracy in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabweans are active politically. The moment his faction dies new or existing players will take its place and life continues as if nothing happened.

Chamisa should know that no amount of lies and propaganda will miraculously undo his gross leadership deficit, which is the source of his woes.

Spinning falsehoods for political survival will not reverse the mass defections which are emptying his faction to a hollow shell.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 21:45:10|Editor: huaxia

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GABORONE, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Bank SBI Botswana Limited, a 100 percent subsidiary of State Bank of India, is expected to stop its operations in Botswana by June 30, 2021, Botswana's central bank announced Thursday.

"Bank SBI Botswana Limited will surrender, effective June. 30, 2021, its banking license to transact banking business in the domestic market (of Botswana)," Bank of Botswana (BoB) said in a statement.

According to BoB, the public is advised to thereafter not transact banking business with any person purporting to represent and/or trade in the name of Bank SBI Botswana Limited.

In 2018, State Bank of India announced its intention of closing down nine branches over a period of five years but no reasons were given for the decision.

At the time, State Bank of India, the largest public sector lender in India, was operating in 36 countries with nearly 190 branches. Enditem
When the Ocean Burps on Oregon / Washington Coast It's Insanely Cool

Published 03/31/21 at 1:55 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon)  You're walking on a pleasant beach somewhere along the Oregon or Washington coastline, sometime between October and maybe late spring. Maybe it's up around Ocean Shores, maybe Manzanita, or perhaps down around Gold Beach. Along this long, pleasant expanse you spot a brown mass covering the beach almost entirely for 100 feet or more. It's nothing remarkable, you think to yourself. No big deal. (All photos courtesy Seaside Aquarium)

Wrong.

You're probably looking at what is called an ocean burp  or a mass of detritus. And it's a treasure trove of freaky finds and wowing bits. Sometimes there's stuff still alive in there as well. Laying in that seemingly - at first glance, anyway  pile of sea garbage could be all sorts of stunning stuff, like skate eggs that are still alive, elaborate sea shells, cockleshells, hermit crabs, squid eggs and somewhat rare rock finds.

Tiffany Boothe and Keith Chandler of Seaside Aquarium often talk about these discoveries over the years, reporting into Oregon Coast Beach Connection with regularity about these finds.

When conditions are just right the ocean will kick up debris that has been collecting on the sea floor and distribute it onto the beach, Boothe said.





Boothe and Chandler urge beachcombers to keep their eyes peeled on the beaches they're walking on as more engaging stuff is bound to be discovered. It happens a bit more in winter during stormy periods, but spring can provide gobs of these as well.

If you see a patch of dark brown on the beach, go look through it because you'll find some cool stuff, Chandler said.

Sea stars, sponges, volcanic rock pumice and sometimes bits and pieces of fish or mammals show up as well. Sometimes, species of starfish rarely seen out of the ocean get chucked up onto the beaches with these episodes. It's a massive cornucopia. Some of these ocean burps have covered enormous chunks of a beach; the aquarium noted one in 2012 that covered two whole blocks worth of Seaside's sands.

It's the live stuff that's the most amazing, and the first to get gone. Chandler said seagulls love these finds and make a feast on them.

One minute they're happy and safe on the bottom of the ocean, and then all of a sudden they're staring into the eye of a seagull, Chandler said.

Where and when to look? It's largely luck  and you need a long sandy area, not a rocky cliff, of course.

Squid eggs found by Seaside Aquarium

It's not possible to predict these events, Chandler said, but if two happen in close succession, there's a good chance another one or two upwellings of these objects will happen again. The conditions that create them are somewhat of a mystery  or at least very unpredictable, Chandler said.

Yet both Chandler and Boothe admit less populated beaches will likely yield more interesting stuff as they're less picked over. Which means the farther south you go into remote parts of the Oregon coast or far north into the Washington coast, these could be a goldmine. MORE PHOTOS BELOW

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FOR Deo Persad, who knew nothing but family, work, and church, life was complete.

That was evident in the trademark grin on his resting face, hence his nickname Smiley Boboy.

Then one day, his heart-warming and comforting smile, even when he was angry, was lost, and the man who never took a vacation day in his life walked out of his familys home on August 6, 2020, leaving confusion, hurt and grief at their doorstep.

On Deos 53rd birthday on December 14 last year there was nothing but hope that he would walk back into their lives.
Online fashion retailer Boohoo sold the same products for different prices across a number of its fashion brands, a probe revealed.

Price disparities include selling a coat for 89 at Oasis with the same product listed as 65 at Dorothy Perkins.

Another product was being sold for 34 more via the Coast clothing website than it was listed as on the Dorothy Perkins website.

In pictures that will raise questions for the retailer, it appears the Dorothy Perkins branding was also cut off from the label of the product sold to Coast customers.

The retailer is investigating the differences across the Boohoo-owned brands and say that the error was 'not intentional'.

A BBC investigation found that Boohoo were selling the same coat on Dorothy Perkins' website and via the Coast brand - both owned by the fast fashion giant - for different prices

It also appears the Dorothy Perkins branding was cut off from the label of the product sold to Coast customers, according to the BBC

The fast fashion retailer carving up the High Street: Boohoo's growing list of brand acquisitions Retail giant Boohoo, which targets fashion for young twenty-somethings, was founded in 2006. Boohoo owns several different brands after buying up businesses when their owners fell into administration. Boohoo rescued MissPap, Karen Millen, Coast and the Warehouse and Oasis brands after all three entered administration at the height of the pandemic. In February they also announced a 25.2million deal to buy Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton after Sir Philip Green's Arcadia empire collapsed amid the pandemic. The online retailer said they would be buying the brands and stock but would shut all 214 physical stores, concessions or franchises with 2,450 job losses. The chain also rescued department store chain Debenhams in January. Their 55 million deal involved taking the company online-only. Advertisement

Fashion giant Boohoo owns several different brands after buying up businesses when their owners fell into administration.

In February they announced a 25.2million deal to buy Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton after Sir Philip Green's Arcadia empire collapsed amid the pandemic.

The online retailer said they would be buying the brands and stock but would shut all 214 physical stores, concessions or franchises with 2,450 job losses.

Fast fashion giant Boohoo, which is owned by billionaire Mahmud Kamani, also owns PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal, MissPap, Karen Millen, Coast and the Warehouse and Oasis brands.

The price differences across some of their brands were discovered following a BBC investigation.

According to their findings, a 'luxe' padded coat was originally sold for 89 at Oasis but was retailing for 65 at Dorothy Perkins.

The same coat in a khaki colour, instead of mushroom, was in the sale for 30 in Warehouse and 66.75 in Coast.

The price of both products has now been changed to 18.

Changes have also been made to the price of the coat selling on both Dorothy Perkins and Coast's website, with customers now offered the product for 17.

Boohoo told the BBC the 'miscommunication was not intentional' adding: 'All Boohoo group brands work independently, and so this miscommunication was not intentional as teams are not privy to what's being bought and sold across the other group brands.'

The BBC investigation found a 'luxe' padded coat was originally sold for 89 at Oasis but was retailing for 65 at Dorothy Perkins

The same coat in a khaki colour, instead of mushroom, was in the sale for 30 in Warehouse and 66.75 in Coast

'Our internal investigation continues and we will be re-pricing all the crossover stock to be aligned.'

Fast fashion giant Boohoo, which is owned by billionaire Mahmud Kamani, (pictured) also owns PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal, MissPap, Karen Millen, Coast and the Warehouse and Oasis brands

The retailer is no stranger to controversy.

Investigations over the past five years revealed concerns over low pay and poor working conditions at their Leicester clothes factories.

The working conditions at the factories were further highligted when there was an outbreak of Covid amongst the workers at the start of the pandemic.

A damning report released last year also indicated directors were aware of questions over its supply chain much earlier after reporters and politicians raised the issue.

Boohoo was founded by Indian-born businessman Mahmud Kamani, 55, who before launching the company started his business selling handbags at a traders' stall in Manchester.

He spotted the potential of internet sales and set up his online retailer in 2006 with the aim of delivering their own-branded fashion at rock bottom prices.

It since became synonymous with the wildly popular, yet equally controversial, fast-fashion phenomenon.

Its sales topped 850 million in 2019, propelling Mr Kamani to 131st place on The Sunday Times Rich List, with a family fortune of 1.16 billion.

Boohoo was contacted by Mail Online for comment.
(ANSA) - ROME, APR 2 - Russia's ambassador to Italy on Friday said he hoped a case of alleged spying in Rome would not hurt relations between the two countries.

On Tuesday night an Italian navy captain, Walter Biot, was caught allegedly passing NATO telecoms documents to a Russian embassy official for 5,000 euros.

The embassy official and the Russian naval attache have been expelled from Italy in the case.

"This incident arouses deep sorrow, as does the decision by the Italian side to declare two officials 'persona non grata' ," Ambassador Sergey Razov said in an interview on Rainews24.

"As I stressed during my meeting with the heads of the Italian foreign ministry, we trust that this incident will not negatively influence the broadly constructive relations between our two countries, you have to have a wider view, they are broadly articulated relations that cannot absolutely be reduced to single unpleasant episodes", said Razov.

The judge who remanded Biot in custody Thursday night said Tuesday's incident was not an isolated one and that he had unscrupulously betrayed Italian institutions by using four smartphones and other ruses to pass many top secret documents to the Russians.

Bio's wife said he had been driven to take Russian money because he was desperate over family finances, unable to meet mortgage payments and fund the activities of their four children, one of them seriously handicapped, as well as their four dogs. (ANSA).


NEW YORK, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Janitorial Equipment and Supplies market will register an incremental spend of about USD 7.67 Billion, growing at a CAGR of 5.50% during the five-year forecast period. A targeted strategic approach to Janitorial Equipment and Supplies sourcing can unlock several opportunities for buyers. This report also offers market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Download free sample report

Janitorial Equipment and Supplies Market Procurement Research Report

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

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 Janitorial Equipment and Supplies market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Janitorial Equipment and Supplies 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 3.00%-5.00%.

Identify favorable opportunities in Janitorial Equipment and Supplies 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 Janitorial Equipment and Supplies suppliers listed in this report:

Story continues

This Janitorial Equipment and Supplies procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

3M Co.

W. W. Grainger Inc.

Sonepar Group

Costco Wholesale Corp.

Staples Inc.

OFFICE DEPOT INC.

Amazon.com Inc.

WalMart Inc.

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

Worldwide Janitor

To get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment, Subscribe Now for Free.

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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SOURCE SpendEdge
Russia has allocated about $15 million as aid to victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh escalation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in an interview Friday.

"Russias direct financial aid to Nagorno Karabakh victims is about $15 million as of today," he said.

The diplomat noted that the Russian peacemaker contingent and the humanitarian response center guarantee the security and stability in the region, and carry out tasks, vital for the local population. Rudenko noted the results of the trilateral working group, chaired by Deputy Prime Ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, which works on unblocking economic and transport connections in the region, which has already held five meetings.

"We establish conditions for restoration of normal life in the Southern Caucasus, for converting it into a territory of mutual trust, safety and prosperity. All this proves that Russia is always ready to provide a shoulder to the brotherly Armenian people, and work together for the sake of our common interests," TASS cited him as saying.
In the early 1970s, Margo Margolis was part of a movement to transform Manhattans SoHo from an industrial wasteland to an affordable haven for artists. A young painter, she rented a cheap loft there and converted it into a studio and living space. When her landlord went bankrupt, she and her fellow artist tenants pooled money and bought their building to run as a co-op. Around them, galleries and scrappy businesses began springing up. One of her favorites was Pearl River Mart.

Ms. Margolis became a regular of the emporium, which sold goods from mainland China and moved to SoHo after originally opening in Chinatown. She found inexpensive blue-and-white ceramic bowls there, as well as patterned pajamas and black cotton Mary Jane shoes. For her job as a painting instructor and later as a professor, she would buy paper lanterns and fans to create still life arrangements for her students. It was sort of like going on a holiday to a different country, she said recently.

As the decades went by, and SoHo became fashionable, rising rents drove out many of the small businesses like Pearl River, which was forced to leave the neighborhood in 2016 when its landlord decided to raise the monthly rent to $500,000 from $100,000. That year, the flagship store moved to TriBeCa, but the rent was still dauntingly high, which set up Pearl River for financial trouble when the pandemic hit the city last year and sales plunged.

When Ms. Margolis and the other members of the co-op at 452 Broadway recently found themselves with an empty storefront in their building and learned that Pearl River was in search of a new home, they jumped at the chance to bring back a homegrown store that represented the more spirited and entrepreneurial SoHo of yore. They offered Pearl River a seven-year lease, starting with a reduced rent that would give the store a chance to find its footing; the rent would gradually rise in subsequent years.
In 1995, the astronomer Bob Williams did something that nobody could understand or agree with. He pointed the worlds most powerful telescope at nothing. For 100 hours, the Hubble Space telescope observed a patch of the night sky that contained absolutely nothing of interest. His colleagues cautioned him to put the telescope time to better use, but Willaims was willing to take the risk for scientific discovery. As it turned out, this experiment had untold ramifications for astronomy - the number of estimated galaxies in the universe multiplied five fold, new shortcuts

were developed to determine cosmological distances, and large portions of the universe were unlocked.



Anand Gandhi, a cultural scientist of a different kind, is bound to Williams in his aspiration to find stars where only darkness existed before. As the face of a new wave of Indian cinema, Gandhi has worked towards expanding the paradigm of culture in this region with his films Tumbbad, Ship of Theseus and An Insignificant Man. As the founder and producer at Memesys Culture Gandhis ambitions are astronomical - nothing short of moonshots at culture will suffice.

Every good revolution needs people to lead it, and Memesys goes to great lengths to identify their champions. Gandhi shares his studios process to discern the makers of tomorrow. First, a burgeoning creator must indicate a deep curiosity and comprehension of the human experience.

Second, they must rigorously follow through on that curiosity by investing in their education in sciences, philosophy, literature, and cinema. And lastly, they should display some prowess in articulating their insights and abilities, be it through first-draft scripts or early storyboards or short

pieces of cinema.

When I see signs of curiosity, comprehension and clarity in a burgeoning creator, I invest in the augmentation of their worldview and craft with my full weight behind them, shares Gandhi. The Memesys model has been built around this approach of aggressively facilitating the would-be creators. The studio invests significant resources in building talent, honing their crafts, and expanding their frameworks through education in everything from design and art to science and politics. The idea is to help makers manifest their deepest creative abilities and insights through

precise articulation and craft.

Once their mentorship, creative incubation, and peer review is over, we chart a course to the moon, says Gandhi. When our creators are ready, our infrastructure and faith supports them as ground control, and we let them take their wildest shot. Like any cosmonaut will tell you, no two space flights are the same, and charting the vast unknown is no easy task. When the rocket launches successfully, a small landing can be a giant leap for culture. And when it doesnt?

Gandhi maintains that every hiccup is an opportunity to study more, build a better launchpad, a more aerodynamic rocket, and make the science more rigorous. Any experiment undertaken with courage and integrity is valuable. In a world of cultural noise pollution and intellectual laziness, the ambition of originality is worth protecting. Like his studios name suggests, a culture lab will not shy away from tinkering.

This bold approach has yielded many successes for creators and the slowly-changing Indian landscape alike. Gandhi has collaborated with Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shuka for several years, cementing their place among the finest nonfiction filmmakers in the country. As the producer of their maiden film, An Insignificant Man, Gandhi enjoyed critical acclaim and unprecedented commercial success for a documentary. They continue to work together closely, with him producing both of their next feature films.



Gandhis partnership with Zain Memon has also been remarkable. Memon went from an outreach intern under Gandhis mentorship to a special effects supervisor on Tumbbad to the cofounder of their company. Gandhi was also a hands-on producer on SHASN, Memons first major undertaking, and the most celebrated strategy board game out of this part of the world.



Before Tumbbad became the cinematic horror phenomenon it is now, Tumbbad was the seed of a new universe hidden in early mood boards made by Gandhis collaborator Rahi Barve. Gandhi identified the full potential of this early story and worked tirelessly to bring it to life. He

re-imagined the scope of the story, co-wrote the script, and went on to co-create Tumbbad as the films creative director and executive producer.

Gandhi produced Chaitanya Tamhanes debut play, Grey Elephants in Denmark, years before he went on to make Court and Disciple. Nitin Zihani Choudharys journey from an art intern to a Filmfare Award-winning production designer under Gandhis mentorship is another feather in Gandhis cap.



The newest creators that Gandhi has introduced to the world are Pooja Shetty and Neil Pagedar, the minds who have jump-started a dialogue around Indian science-fiction with OK Computer. When Pooja and Neil first came to me with their idea, I was blown away, says Gandhi. They ticked all the boxes in a big way. They had gone through a rigorous peer review program at Memesys. Their vision was vast and I believed in it completely. We were absolutely convinced about taking a bet on these creators, and well do it again.



Now that Shasn and OK Computer are out there in the zeitgeist, one cant wait to see what Gandhi and his studio are going to produce next. Memesys doesnt fear the variables of culture, nor seems content to keep making test flights. Whether every shot lands on the moon or not, it

is safe to assume that the ride is going to be worth coming along for.
In Bhattarais case, the group, described as two or three African American males, confronted Bhattarai, who did not speak English, and demanded money, the alert said. Bhattarai kept walking, so they stabbed him several times. Police did not give a further description of the suspects.
Close

Harvard University's solar geoengineering project dubbed as Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) plans to launch a high-altitude balloon from the Esrange Space Station near the Arctic town of Kiruna in Sweden this June.

This will test the ability of the balloon to carry a gondola with 600 kg scientific equipment about 12 miles (20 km) high that will release solar radiation-reflecting particles in the stratosphere.

The SCoPEx project aims to dim the sunlight by reflecting the radiation to space in an effort to help cool the planet. In a previous report by Science Times, Bill Gates and other private donors have expressed their intention of supporting this program to block sunlight from reaching Earth's surface.

However, Phys.org reported that the planned test flight of the high-altitude balloon in the summer has been canceled by the US and European scientists due to growing concerns about the possible harmful effects of the controversial solar geoengineering project on the ozone layer and ecosystem.





Controversial Balloon Test Flight Rescheduled to 2022

The SCoPEx project that Harvard scientists hope to become a method to fight global warming mimics the effect of volcanic eruptions in cooling the planet.

But solar engineering has since raised many concerns both from scientists and environmentalists who said that this method is risky and dangerous for the whole planet.

In a statement last March 31, state-owned Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), which operates Esrange said that the scientific community is divided on the benefits of solar geoengineering. Following discussion with experts, the SSC has decided not to continue the controversial high-altitude balloon test flight in June.

Moreover, Harvard's special committee who studies the societal and ethical aspects of the project also called for the cancellation of the test flight to review the implications it will have on Sweden's indigenous Sami people and generally in Sweden.

They recommended that societal engagement should take place before the SCoPEx test flight will be conducted in the country. Instead this summer, the test flight is likely to happen in 2022.

ALSO READ: Can Solar Climate Intervention Alleviate Global Warming?





Solar Geoengineering Pros and Cons

Solar geoengineering could be done by adding sulfur dioxide to the stratosphere, spraying seawater into the air to increase the concentration of droplets in clouds, and spray bismuth tri-iodide high in the atmosphere.

Although it might bright benefits to the Earth it also has its dark side. Here are some of the pros and cons of solar geoengineering according to New Scientist:

Pros:

Could offset global warming

Affordable and feasible

Adding sulfur dioxide to the stratosphere is similar to the effect of volcanic eruptions on the atmosphere

spraying seawater to clouds will not need toxic chemicals

Cons:

Most solar geoengineering methods reduce rainfall

Could alter regional climates with disastrous effects

Will make the sky whiter

No real-world test has been done yet in injecting seawater into clouds so it might not work

Carbon dioxide might continue to increase if spraying of seawater and injecting sulfur dioxide is stopped



RELATED ARTICLE: Bill Gates Backs Geoengineering to Block Sunlight From Reaching the Earth's Surface





Check out more news and information on and Solar Geoengineering and Climate Change on Science Times.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-03 00:57:07|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

NIAMEY, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The new president of the Republic of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, was sworn in Friday for a five-year term, during an inauguration ceremony held in Niamey.

In his inauguration speech, Bazoum said that he would be "the elected president for all Nigeriens."

"My duty is to treat Nigeriens equally. I am committed to consolidating the unity of our country and the fraternity that should dominate our relations between us," he stressed.

He also promised to continue the program of his predecessor, and tackle in his tenure the challenges the country faces in the fields of security, climate, economy, education and health.

Heavy security measures had been deployed across the capital to ensure the safety of the two presidents and other visiting heads of state and government, since two days before Bazoum's inauguration ceremony, an attempted coup in Niamey was foiled by the Nigerien government.

Also, the country faces severe terrorist threats coming from its western part bordering Mali and Burkina Faso. In March alone this year, more than one hundred civilians were killed in various attacks launched by djihadists.

Bazoum is expected to name a new Prime Minister soon to form a new government to lead the country and tackle the security issues.

Mohamed Bazoum, 61, the candidate of Niger's ruling Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS-TARAYYA), was elected with 55.66 percent of the votes during the second round of presidential election held on Feb. 21.

President Bazoum's inauguration marks a turning point in Niger's political history, as this is the first time the country sees a peaceful power transition between two democratically elected presidents. Enditem
The State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving and the Ukrainian Hydrogen Union signed a memorandum of cooperation in the development of hydrogen energy, the agency said on its website on Friday.

The parties agreed to work together to identify and remove legislative barriers to the introduction of hydrogen technologies and to develop partnerships in this area with the EU, the United States and others.

"Ukraine is considered by the European Union as one of the strategic partners in the development of hydrogen energy. Taking into account our potential, we have every chance to integrate into Europe's hydrogen plans and must create conditions for the effective functioning of this market," Head of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency Kostiantyn Hura said. He added that, together with the Ministry of Energy and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), work on the Hydrogen Energy Development Strategy until 2050 is underway.

According to President of the Ukrainian Hydrogen Union Oleksandr Repkin, there are a number of common initiatives that are planned to be implemented for the development of the hydrogen economy.
"Leaf Home Solutions is a young, exciting company poised to continue to disrupt the industry," Payne said. "My expertise is in working with management teams to develop strategy and provide financial oversightespecially in times of transition and fast growth. As a woman working in a male-dominated field, I appreciate that LHS is prioritizing bringing diverse voices to the table."

Payne is the retired Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Taubman Centers, Inc., a NYSE listed Real Estate Investment Trust which owns, operates, and develops regional shopping centers nationally and internationally. She also served on the board of directors.

Prior to Taubman, Payne was a Vice President in Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. Her 10 years of service included broad real estate experience in acquisition and development financing, merger and acquisition advisories, and public and private debt and equity offerings. Before joining Goldman Sachs, she was a Vice President in Chemical Bank's real estate department.

This appointment marks Payne's third board seat. In addition to LHS, she is also a member of two NYSE companies, where she chairs the Audit Committee of Masco Corporation and the Compensation and Talent Management Committee of Rockwell Automation.

"With Lisa's background as Chief Financial Officer of a public company, she brings a wealth of knowledge surrounding successful business growth strategies," said Jeff Beck, CEO and President of Leaf Home Solutions. "As LHS continues its strong growth, we are excited about bringing on an independent audit chair and board member to provide additional expertise and governance of our financial and strategic priorities."

About Leaf Home Solutions

Leaf Home Solutions is North America's leading tech-enabled direct-to-consumer provider of home solutions. Our innovative products enhance the safety, enjoyment, and comfort of homeowners and their families and protect the condition and enhance the appearance and value of their homes. Customers value our quality products and the exceptional service we deliver through our end-to-end DTC sales and service model. Our proprietary data-driven platforms for marketing, customer service, field services, and talent management driven by our "Today-Not-Tomorrow" culture underpin our competitive advantage and high, sustained growth.

Learn more about Leaf Home Solutions at www.leafhomesolutions.com.

For more information, contact: [email protected].

SOURCE Leaf Home Solutions

Related Links

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Mumbai, April 2 : In its ongoing onslaught against the drugs mafia, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) carried out raids in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and nabbed a Nigerian national with 260 gms Heroin and 22 gms Cocaine, a top official said here on Friday.

NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede said the Nigerian -- who is currently being interrogated -- is the 8th foreigner, with seven others of different countries caught and arrested in the past one year.

In the second raid, the NCB seized 55 gms of Mephedrone and caught one peddler Nasir Samiruddin from a location in the Jogeshwari west suburb in Mumbai.

Officials explained that Heroin is an opioid drug made from morphine, a natural substance in the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant, and can be mixed with water to inject, or can be smoked or snorted up the nose.

All these ways of taking heroin send it to the brain very quickly, making it very addictive and is covered under the NDPS Act, 1985.

Further investigations are on in both the cases to find out the suppliers, financiers, and end-users of the narcotics and their possible links with the glamour industry.

The NCB has gone hammer-and-tongs to unravel the drugs-Bollywood nexus as an offshoot of the probe into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput at his home in June 2020.

Besides the eight foreign nationals, the NCB has arrested or interrogated several prominent Bollywood personalities in the past six months, sending shockwaves in the film world.
Chief Minister will address people of the state today at 8:30 pm, said Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar.

Pednekar also hinted that some restrictions could be introduced in the city from today in view of rising cases.

"Cases are rising daily in Mumbai, this is a matter of concern. Due to the surge, a shortage of beds and ventilators is also being seen. We had been appealing to people since last March but they are showing carelessness," said Pednekar

"Nobody wants lockdown but keeping in mind the manner in which cases are rising and creating pressure on the health infrastructure, some strict measures will have to be taken," she added.

reported 43,183 new COVID-19 cases and 249 deaths on Thursday taking the total number of cases in the state to 28,56,163. There were 3,66,533 active cases in the state till yesterday.





Thackeray will on Friday evening hold a meeting with the state officials over the deteriorating COVID-19 situation in the state.

The meeting, scheduled to take place at 4:30 pm at CM's Varsha residence, is likely to be attended by some officials of the union health ministry as well.

Thackeray on Sunday had instructed senior officials of the State Health Department and the COVID task force to prepare for lockdown. The remarks had come at a meeting of senior officials of the state's health department and the state government's COVID-19 task force.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister was informed that the way the number of cases is increasing on a daily basis, may soon face a scarcity of beds for COVID-19 patients.

The Chief Minister had observed that people are not taking the guidelines seriously and that is why serious steps, similar to a lockdown, need to be considered.
Displays of solidarity for Taiwan wont contain Beijings

ambition, but U.S. support must factor in its thinking.

Those whove been reading the news in the past few weeks could be forgiven for thinking we are on the precipice of war in the Taiwan Strait. Not only do some analysts argue that this is a phase of preparation for war, but senior U.S. officials are telling the media that Chinas President Xi Jinping looks to be prepared to take more risks.

These concerns stem from a significant increase in Chinas pressure on Taiwan since the re-election last year of Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen. The record numbers of Chinese military incursions in the Taiwan Strait in recent months have been of particular concern, as Chinas leaders evidently seek to test the new Biden administration, as well as the capability of the Taiwanese military to respond, and normalise Chinas military presence in the Taiwan Strait.

As Taiwanese public opinion has moved ever further away from unification with China, Beijing has also increased its economic coercion of Taipei, and sought to further limit the already-small space that it occupies on the international stage. Taiwans successes in dealing with Covid-19 have made Chinas efforts to isolate Taiwan more difficult, though China continues to exclude it from the World Health Assembly.

The U.S. has gone beyond past practice in assisting Taiwan to retain its few remaining diplomatic partners, which China is constantly looking to poach.

Chinas aggression has propelled Taiwan and the United States closer together, rather than acting to deter the Taiwanese or break down the bipartisan U.S. support for Taiwan. The closer ties were already on display under the Trump administration, when the U.S. passed numerous laws between 2016 and 2020 that supported Taiwan to increase high-level visits, retain its diplomatic partners and boost its participation in international organisations.

The Biden administration has maintained this momentum by dispatching U.S. navy vessels to make a symbolic transit through the Taiwan Strait, and by not revoking former Secretary of State Mike Pompeos decision in the final days of Trumps presidency to loosen the restrictions on meetings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials.

Taiwan also ranked as one of the top three concerns raised by President Joe Biden in his first phone call with Xi.

The U.S. has also gone beyond past practice in assisting Taiwan to retain its few remaining diplomatic partners, which China is constantly looking to poach. Following reports that China had offered to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Paraguay in exchange for breaking its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Paraguays president to reiterate the importance of continuing to work with democratic regional and global partners, including Taiwan.

Last week the U.S. representative in Palau accompanied Palaus president on a visit to Taiwan to launch a travel bubble, a symbolic and unprecedented show of support for the Taiwan-Palau relationship.

What a triumvirate! Minister Wu, President Whipps & Amb. Hennessey-Niland are as one when it comes to trilateral cooperation. #Taiwan, #Palau & the #U.S. are forces for good working together in promoting peace, security & prosperity in the #IndoPacific & around the world. pic.twitter.com/hiNt9byXgR   Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan)  (@MOFA_Taiwan) March 29, 2021

In a sense, every time Beijing has upped the bet, Washington has called it. This carries significant risk, particularly of a miscommunication or an accident that escalates in the Taiwan Strait. But this balanced escalation could also be stabilising. If China is testing U.S. resolve, Beijing appears to have  to some extent  an answer.

Chinas ambitions are not constrained by these displays of solidarity for Taiwan. But while the U.S. approach will not lead China to compromise, it may encourage caution. After floating the idea of passing a unification law for Taiwan in advance of last months Two Sessions of the National Peoples Congress and Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference  which could have been a signpost not dissimilar to Hong Kongs national security law  China ultimately stuck to boilerplate language.

For now, Chinas goal appears to be preventing Taiwan from declaring independence, rather than forcing unification. And Taiwans Tsai Ing-wen has moderated any push for more pro-independence policies in her party, while leaning in to a national security agenda and seeking high-level U.S. support. Taiwans representative in Washington attended Bidens inauguration, another first in the relationship.

Chinas calculation about Taiwans future will shift as the confidence of the PLA grows. This situation is made more dangerous by what appears to be a looming gap in perception, as China sees itself as becoming more powerful while the U.S. is in terminal decline.

In this context, it would be possible for U.S. support to cross an invisible line in Beijings eyes. Some have called for the U.S. to change its approach to Taiwan from strategic ambiguity, where it remains unknown whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan if attacked, to strategic clarity, where the U.S. makes explicit it would respond to any use of force against Taiwan. This change risks undermining decades of successful deterrence, and carries a high risk of escalation, where Chinas leaders would no longer see time as on their side.

But without any change in Beijings views towards Taipei  which seems unlikely if not impossible  the close ties between Taiwan and the U.S. are an appropriate response to China changing the status quo. The U.S. is ensuring that its commitment to Taiwan is a constant factor in Beijings thinking, rather than preparing for war. This makes the region more stable, not less.

Natasha Kassam is Director of the Lowy Institutes Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program. She is a former Australian diplomat, researching Australias Indo-Pacific strategy, Chinas domestic politics, Taiwan, and Australia-China relations. She is also a Fellow of the ANU National Security Colleges Futures Council for 2020-21. Natasha is a regular contributor to Australian and international media outlets including CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC and the New York Times.

This article appeared originally at Lowy Institute's the interpreter.
Access Hollywood host Mario Lopez has a full plate these days  literally. The Emmy Award winner just launched his own virtual restaurant, showcasing dishes rooted in his Mexican heritage. Creating the menu with acclaimed Chef Eric Greenspan, Lopez recently spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet on his new business venture as well as starting season 2 for the Saved by the Bell reboot.

Mario Lopez | Marios Tortas Lopez

Mario Lopez launches delivery-only restaurant

Inspired by the cuisine from his Mexican roots, Lopez launched Marios Tortas Lopez, which offers a full menu of authentic dishes the actor enjoyed during his childhood. Now a part of the Virtual Dining Concepts portfolio, the delivery-only restaurant is available for online and mobile app orders through Grubhub, and prepared by local, independent restaurateurs.

Ive been wanting to get into the food space for a while, Lopez told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Its something that Im passionate about. Everyone that knows me knows that Im a big foodie. And I always say Im about the five: family, faith, fitness, fun, and food. So it made a lot of sense.

Lopez and Greenspan collaborated on the restaurants offerings, which includes six signature Mexican sandwiches (aka Tortas) that can also be made into cauliflower rice bowls. Served on a griddled telera roll, the Tortas options include Beef Barbacoa, Chorizo & Egg, Grilled Chicken, Pork Carnitas, Chile Relleno, and Vegan Chorizo.

Menu items from Marios Tortas Lopez | Marios Tortas Lopez

RELATED: Which Original Saved by the Bell Star Has the Highest Net Worth Today?

Side dishes include nachos, chile rellenos, chips and guacamole, black beans, elote, and cinnamon sugar dusted churro doughnuts served with dulce de leche.

Saved by the Bell star hopes to help struggling restaurants

With scores of food establishments having to close their doors due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, Lopez saw this business venture as a perfect opportunity to launch his virtual restauurant.

During this time, I was really inspired by the effects of the pandemic and the fact that a lot of these restaurants were struggling, Lopez shared. I felt like it could really help them out and be a good thing  its a win for everyone.

Offering free delivery through the month of April, Marios Tortas Lopez allows current restaurants to carry the menu while maintaining their own establishment.

Mario Lopez | Mario Tortas Lopez

It operates out of existing restaurants, and allows them a new source of revenue without without impacting their operation, the Saved by the Bell star explained. The online venue is available through GrubHub, and theyre offering free delivery, which is great. I was personally involved with all the food.

Saved by the Bell resumes production in June

While serving as Access Hollywood host and recently subbing for Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show, Lopez is also heading back to Bayside High School for season 2 of Saved by the Bell. He commented on reprising his iconic role as Slater.

Its been sort of a trip, Lopez remarked to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, adding that the first season of the reboot was well-received. We got that critical acclaim, and hopefully that will be the case the second go-round.

With the Peacock series currently on hiatus, Lopez isnt sure whats in store for Slater in season 2.

RELATED: Saved By the Bell: Mario Lopez Credits His Iconic Look As Slater to an A-list Star

I have no idea, he said of the reboots sophomore season. We dont go back until June.  We havent really gotten into the storyline yet. The writers are just getting together.

Currently filming a new Lifetime Christmas film entitled Holiday in Sante Fe, Lopez shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Dogwood Trail Opens Awards to Entire City

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Organizers for the 57th Annual Dogwood trail report that Paducah is on track for another fabulous trail, and they're encouraging residents city wide to get in on the fun.This year's trail is about 17 miles of spotlighted dogwoods, along with blooming shrubs and trees. Those who live off the trail are also encouraged to light up to create an entire city of beauty for all who live here and visit this spring."We would like to encourage everyone both on and off the trail to participate in lighting their dogwoods," Dogwood Trail co-chair Jackie Smith said. "We will divide the awards evenly this year. Cash awards and yard signs will be distributed to all the winners city wide. If you live on the south side of Paducah, we hope you will light your dogwood trees as we will now be looking all over the city for winners."If you are chosen as a winner, you will be notified by a letter on your front door. You will be instructed to contact a phone number or email within 24 hours to give permission for a temporary yard sign to be installed, and receive information to collect your prize.Smith said weather conditions the rest of this week will determine the exact date for the trail to be declared open. She told West Kentucky Star the conditions are just right for the dogwoods.A Dogwood Trail Bike Ride, organized by BikeWorld, is planned for Sunday, April 18th. Details are on the Events page of WestKyStar.com.You can find additional information about the trail by clicking here. On the Net:
Abu Dhabi Aviation Co. (ADA) has expressed intent to fully acquire Falcon Aviation Services (FAS), an aviation service company based in the Emirati capital, Zawya reports.

The intent is in line with ADAs strategic plan to expand and enhance assets and revenues, the media notes citing a disclosure from the company to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) on Thursday.

The financial impact of the potential acquisition will be determined after completing the negotiations. Talks for the deal have already begun but are in early stages.

Falcon Aviation Services posted in 2020, a 28.2% decrease in its annual profit attributable up from AED 246.194 million in 2019.

FAS, established in 2006, delivers a variety of services, including private jet & helicopter charter, aircraft management, MRO, oil and gas aviation support, and aircraft solutions.
The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) is monitoring the situation around the clock and is developing various scenarios to respond to Russia's attempts to destabilize the situation, the NSDC's press service has reported.

According to the report, NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said this at a meeting with Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Larisa Galadza.

"The parties exchanged views on the security situation in the region, particularly in the context of escalating Russian influence on neighboring Belarus and preparations for the Russian-Belarusian strategic exercises Zapad-2021," the statement reads.

According to Danilov, the NSDC is monitoring the situation around the clock and is developing various scenarios to respond to developments. "Unfortunately, Russia does not intend to stop its attempts to destabilize the situation in the region," he said.

Danilov added that the support of Ukraine's strategic partners was extremely important to counter the Russian hybrid threat.

He thanked the Canadian side for its comprehensive assistance to Ukraine. "Canada is our reliable friend and partner," he said.

Galadza, in turn, noted Ukraine's determination on sanctions policy and stated that Canada's support for the restoration of territorial integrity and sovereignty over the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine remained unchanged.

op
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 10:47:09|Editor: huaxia

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Tung Chee-hwa, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, delivers a speech during a conference organized by Our Hong Kong Foundation in south China's Hong Kong, March 12, 2021. TO GO WITH "Interview: Tung Chee-hwa calls for concerted efforts to regain order, prosperity in Hong Kong" (Xinhua)

HONG KONG, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) would bring the legislature operation and the government administration in the HKSAR back on the right track, while implementing the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle would open up a new perspective in tapping human resources, the first HKSAR Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa has said.

Hong Kong residents should strive together in unity to usher in a golden era featuring Hong Kong's shift from chaos to order and from order to prosperity, Tung, now vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"PATRIOTS ADMINISTERING HONG KONG" NOT MEANT FOR SUPPRESSING OPPOSITION

China's top legislature on Tuesday voted to adopt the amended Annex I and Annex II to the Basic Law of the HKSAR, systematically amending and improving the methods for the selection of the chief executive and the formation the Legislative Council (LegCo).

The amendments were passed at the closing meeting of the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC).

Improving Hong Kong's electoral system would provide bigger room for participation of different political organizations across the political spectrum, Tung said.

"Different places around the world have different electoral systems, be it the United States, Britain, India or Singapore. Could anyone say which one is the best?"

"The ultimate test for any method of election is whether it brings happiness and well-being for the people," he said.

Some people may have the concern that the central authorities improved Hong Kong's electoral system and implemented the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle with the purpose of suppressing opposing opinions. In response, Tung said the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle does not aim at the opposition, but rather at the small number of anti-China disruptors.

"Hong Kong is a diversified society, with residents' rights and freedom guaranteed by the Basic Law," Tung said.

"Residents have been allowed and will continue to be allowed to express opinions against a particular policy or even to criticize government officials, as long as it is done lawfully on the basis of respecting national sovereignty, security and development interests," he said.

"Hong Kong offers a broad space for political participation for those who are willing to sincerely uphold the constitutional order as set out in the Constitution and the Basic Law, make solid contribution to Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, and draw a clear line between themselves and the anti-China disruptors," said Tung.

The chaos in Hong Kong in the past several years showed that a small number of anti-China disruptors exploited the loopholes of the electoral system to worm their way into the administration structure of the HKSAR, gravely endangering national security and people's well-being, Tung noted.

Therefore, the central authorities acted from the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" to improve Hong Kong's electoral system, so as to plug the loophole from the root and ensure the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems," he said.

STRIVING FOR PROSPERITY TO REGAIN GLOBAL ROLE

For the past few years, Hong Kong has undergone a series of political events, and has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic since last year. As a result, Hong Kong's economic development and people's livelihood have been hardly hit.

Under these circumstances, improving the electoral system will help Hong Kong walk out of the chaos and lay a solid foundation for the prosperity and stability of its economy, Tung said.

"As a highly open and export-oriented economy, Hong Kong needs to attract investors and tourists from all parts of the world. A peaceful social environment has always been the cornerstone of Hong Kong's past successes," he said.

Facts proved that the 2014 illegal "Occupy Central" movement and the social unrest over the proposed amendment bill in 2019 have severely undermined Hong Kong's social stability and eroded the confidence of investors and tourists, causing a very adverse impact on Hong Kong's economy.

Improving the electoral system will help protect Hong Kong's economic development from being kidnapped by vicious electoral politics and prevent various political forces from disturbing the market through elections, he said.

The "two sessions" in March endorsed the 14th Five-Year Plan of the nation, in which the central government expressed explicit support for Hong Kong in upgrading its position as a global finance, shipping and trade center as well as a global aviation hub, and building itself into an international center for science and technology innovation and a leading center for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tung expressed full confidence in Hong Kong's future development.

"The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR has helped Hong Kong move from chaos to order, but only restoring social stability is not enough. We now need to strive for prosperity."

The country's deepened reform and rapid development have presented unprecedented opportunities for Hong Kong. The central government highly values Hong Kong's role in advancing the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong has been identified as one of the core engines of the region, he said.

"By participating in the national strategies such as the 14th Five-Year Plan and the Greater Bay Area, I believe Hong Kong will surely have an economic takeoff once again," said Tung. "The key point is to promote the public's knowing and understanding of the country, and foster Hong Kong residents' broad vision and national concept."

BUILDING A CITY OF HOPE

Tung, as the first HKSAR chief executive, was deeply touched by the development of Hong Kong since its return to the motherland.

"We should work together to build a Hong Kong with booming economy, thriving culture, revitalized businesses and harmonious families and a Hong Kong where the poor and the sick feel warmth, the grassroots live with dignity, the middle class give full play to their strengths, and young people regain hope," he said.

"I often tell foreign friends that China is able to make world-renowned miracles just in a few decades and the secret is 'the whole country serves the people and all people serve the country,'" said Tung.

Adhering to the principle of people first and continuously delivering on people's aspirations for better life are the targets that Hong Kong should strive for, he said.

As one of the richest cities in the country, Hong Kong has the capability, resources and the responsibility to solve the needs and aspirations of the people so that the whole society can share the fruits of economic development, he said.

Noting that Hong Kong is now facing deep-rooted problems such as housing shortage, the extreme disparity between the rich and the poor, and difficulties in future development of young people, Tung believes that a multi-pronged approach should be taken to address these accumulated and complicated problems.

"We should continue to give our residents a greater sense of fulfillment, happiness and security so as to build Hong Kong into a city of hope where people can live and work in peace and contentment, and live out their dreams," he said.

He also encourages the young people in Hong Kong to explore the long history and splendid culture of the country and to see themselves the great development and broad prospects of the country.

DETERMINATION, COURAGE, VISION NEEDED TO ADDRESS HOUSING IN HONG KONG

Tung viewed housing as the most outstanding and pressing problem entrenched in the Hong Kong society.

To solve the housing issue, the HKSAR government needs not only resources, technologies and talents, but also, in particular, firm determination, great courage and ambitious vision, he said.

"We should learn from the mainland. The central authorities unveiled the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and the long-range objectives through the year 2035, which has outlined the roadmap for national development in the next 15 years, demonstrating the central government's determination, courage and vision," Tung said, adding that Hong Kong also needs a long-term plan to address the housing issue.

The housing problem in Hong Kong lies in the shortage of land supply. According to a study of think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation, Hong Kong needs more than 9,000 hectares of new land over the next three decades.

Tung believed that the large-scale reclamation plan outside the Victoria Harbor put forward by Our Hong Kong Foundation and the HKSAR government's Lantau Tomorrow Vision (LTV) to build a reclaimed island off the Lantau island are the most effective methods to increase land supply in Hong Kong.

Tung said it is imperative to reach a consensus in the Hong Kong society to seek a solution for the housing issue.

As the proverb goes "One shall have his peace of mind when he possesses a piece of land," housing concerns the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong as well as the livelihood of every Hong Kong resident.

Tung called on Hong Kong residents to support the HKSAR government in solving the housing shortage problem by discarding political disputes and vested interests for the overall interests of the Hong Kong society and the long-term well-being of Hong Kong residents. Enditem
VICE-PRESIDENT Dr Philip Mpango has tasked Finance and Planning Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba and Minister of State Vice- President's Office (Union and Environment) Selemani Jafo to work on the dispute over the sharing of revenue between Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania.

The VP issued the directives at the Chamwino State House in Dodoma, at the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed Chief Secretary, ministers and deputy ministers following appointments and mini cabinet reshuffle made by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Wednesday.

"This should be your first assignment we should make sure we resolve this challenge as soon as possible... we are one country, there is no reason why we should not build a powerful government by considering the interests of the both sides of the Union," Dr Mpango said.

He directed Dr Mwigulu to collaborate with his Deputy Minister Hamad Masauni and the entire team in the ministry to find a solution to the challenge.

Dr Mpango vowed to make a close follow up on the directives to ensure that the matter is resolved.

Currently, Zanzibar receives 4.5 per cent of the total Union revenue, which was proposed by International Monetary (IMF) and approved by the government in 1994.

Speaking at the Chamwino State House in Dodoma on Wednesday during the swearing- in of the Vice-President Dr Mpango, President Hassan tasked him to work on revenue distribution between Mainland and Zanzibar.

She said that a lot of work has been done to strengthen the Union but revenue sharing issue was still unresolved, noting that it was under Dr Mpango when he was serving as Finance Minister.

"I believe that Dr Mpango will now resolve this matter," she said.

At the same occasion yesterday, the vice-president warned cabinet ministers and permanent secretaries about strained relations.

"The president yesterday warned ministers and their deputies of their poor working relationship ... I hope you heard her very well and we are going to make a close follow up, assign them tasks ... we are building the same house so there is no need for you to quarrel," he said.

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The VP also informed newly appointed Chief Secretary Hussein Kattanga that there were also frictions among permanent secretaries and deputy secretaries.

"There are some permanent secretaries who are not happy with the good performance of their deputies... tell them that we are making a close follow up and we will take action against those who will not improve their working relationship," Dr Mpango stressed.

He said it is important for government officials to work as a team, adding that people are confident with their government.

Dr Mpango further directed all ministries in the country to properly manage revenue collection, especially the Ministry of Finance and Planning to increase revenues collected from public institutions.

"We need to increase revenue collection from public institutions. I wish before the end of this year to have reached at least 2trn/- per month, it is possible."

He also directed the Minister of State, President's Office Regional Administration and Local Government Ms Ummy Mwalimu to strengthen revenue collection and control expenditure.
TOKYO, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Paidy Inc., Japan's leading "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) service provider, is pleased to announce that it completed the Series D round of funding by March 31, 2021, raising a total of US$120 million from JS Capital Management LLC, Soros Capital Management LLC, Tybourne Capital Management Ltd., and Wellington Management. Since late 2020, Paidy has additionally completed the loan facilities set up by upsizing the warehouse facility with Goldman Sachs, newly establishing the secured loan facility with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and the other warehouse facility through the syndication led by Mizuho Bank, Ltd. This capital increase and additional debt financing from the financial institutions bring total capital raising since the company's founding to US$585 million (of which, equity is US$337 million, one of the largest amounts of funding ever raised by a startup in Japan).

(Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202103313114-O1-v8Dv0Gp5)

(Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106563/202103313114/_prw_PI2fl_qt0N0Quw.jpg)

With the corporate mission to "Take the hassle out of your payment and purchase experiences," Paidy aims to create an environment where everyone can shop wisely and joyfully. With Paidy, customers can settle easily with just their mobile phone number and email address, and then pay the accumulated charges the following month. Paidy has been used by a large number of customers since the launch of the service at the end of October 2014. As of March 2021, the number of websites accepting Paidy exceeds 700,000 in Japan and the number of consumer accounts exceeds 5 million (*1). Aiming to make the service more convenient, Paidy also recently began offering "3-Pay," a service that allows customers to split charges into three equal, interest-free, monthly installments, (*2) which has been very well received.

The funds raised in the latest round will be used to expand transactions with large merchants, develop new services, and strengthen its balance sheet in response to the rapid expansion of "3-Pay."

Notes:

(*1) Including Taiwan business

(*2) Interest-free installment payments are available only with account transfers or bank transfers.

Russell Cummer, Founder and Executive Chairman of Paidy Inc., commented:

"Having the support of a powerful lineup including our existing shareholder JS Capital and Soros Capital of the United States and Tybourne of Hong Kong, and Wellington Management, makes me feel very encouraged about the future growth potential of a born-in-Japan startup that offers new values to the world. We intend to continue expanding our horizons and raising our sights. As our payment volume increases and '3-Pay' is used by more and more customers, we are strengthening our financial base to secure our growth trajectory as a trusted brand and reliable business partner for our merchants."

-Comments from investors participating in Series D:

James Chang, investment partner of JS Capital and Soros Capital (the family offices of Jonathan Soros and Robert Soros, respectively):

"As existing investors, we are pleased to support Russell, Riku Sugie and the entire Paidy management team with financial and strategic support by co-leading this financing round. Paidy's team, brand, technology and network have grown tremendously since our initial investment, and we are excited about their prospects as a leader in BNPL services for both customers and merchants in Japan."

Eashwar Krishnan, Managing Partner of Tybourne Capital Management:

"We are pleased to be investing in Paidy's latest round, following our series C investment in the company in Japan. Paidy is building a world-class organization in the BNPL space in Japan and we have been very impressed with what the company has accomplished even before the recent round of investment and are excited about its future. As an investment firm, we are very focused on supporting Japanese startups as we believe that these young entrepreneurial companies will lead the pace of innovation in the country. We look forward to working with Paidy management for many years to come to build an enduring company."

About Paidy

Paidy is Japan's pioneer and leading BNPL service with the mission to spread trust through society and to give people room to dream. Paidy offers instant, monthly-consolidated credit to consumers by removing hassles from payment and purchase experiences. Paidy uses proprietary models and machine learning to underwrite transactions in seconds and guarantee payments to merchants. Paidy increases revenue for merchants by reducing the number of incomplete transactions, increasing conversion rates, boosting average order values, and facilitating repeat purchases from consumers. Paidy continues to innovate to make shopping easier and more fun both online and offline.

https://paidy.com/

SOURCE Paidy Inc.
Parents of Armenian prisoners of war marched from the government building to the Embassy of the Russian Federation today.

One of the parents informed that they had previously addressed the Embassy of the Russian Federation in regard to the statements made by the President and foreign minister of Azerbaijan.

We presented a demand to Russia in regard to the statements by the President and foreign minister of Azerbaijan with respect to entry and exit through the Lachin corridor. They wanted to prepare ground to target our children as saboteurs. Russia is a warrant under the trilateral agreement, and we have addressed the Russian embassy with the request that Russia restrain the President and foreign minister of Azerbaijan. The Armenian government was supposed to solve this issue and make official statements, but it disregarded the statements. Now were going to the embassy to receive an answer from the embassy, the parent said.

As reported earlier, the parents of 62 soldiers from Armenias Shirak Province (captured in the Hin Tagher-Khtsaberd sector after the signing of the trilateral statement by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia) gathered near the government building yesterday as well and declared that they intended to spend the night near the government building since a government official had told them that Pashinyan will self-isolate until April 9 and wont be able to meet with them.
Galaxy S21 Ultra may come with S Pen support, reveals new case Image Source: IANS News

San Francisco, April 2 : Samsung Galaxy S21 Series outsold its predecessor S20 by a two-to-one margin during the first six weeks of launch, according to data from industry tracker Counterpoint Research on Friday.

Key to the success of this latest flagship has been its lower $799 starting price and strong support from US carriers, said the report, adding that the pandemic hampered S20 Series launch last year also helped magnify S21 Series' comparative performance.

"There has been a significant change compared to last year in terms of the model mix, with one-third of S21 Series sales coming from the base model S21," Counterpoint's US Research Analyst Maurice Klaehne, said in a statement.

"Lower cost coupled with trade-in offers that essentially make the S21 device free, is helping increase demand for these 'entry-level' flagships." Counterpoint Research's monthly consumer insights and retailer interviews revealed some interesting points regarding S21 Series sales.

Carrier representative pointed to the aggressive promotions for the S21 that have helped drive sales for the device.

Customers said they like the improved contour-cut camera design which makes the cameras feel more flush compared to the protruding bump of the S20.

The plastic back has not been an issue for most customers, according to representative. In fact, some prefer it for giving the device a better grip.

No charging brick in the box was a mild annoyance to some consumers but not a deal breaker.

The insights revealed that 5G and upload/download speeds are rarely discussed by users. However, as 5G networks continue to roll out, the S21 will get some good marketing as it is an early device which supports 5G carrier aggregation.

The Galaxy S21 Series accounted for almost half of overall sales for Samsung in February, but Klaehne expects this to decline in March and April.

"By then, tax season will be in full swing and many Americans will have received their latest round of stimulus money - these two factors will help drive the prepaid market," he said.

"We expect prepaid sales of Samsung A-Series devices - especially the A01, A11 and A22 - to increase, taking share away from Samsung's premium segment."
Texas college students harassed for hosting Bible verse Easter egg hunt on campus

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A politically conservative student group at the University of North Texas said they were harassed by other students for distributing Easter eggs on campus filled with Bible verses.

On Sunday night, members of the Young Conservatives of Texas UNT chapter placed 250 colorful Easter eggs with Bible verses hidden inside them around campus and posted an announcement on social media about the egg hunt beforehand.

Kelly Neidert, a senior and chairman of YCT's UNT chapter, told The Christian Post in an interview Wednesday that they hid the eggs in part to celebrate Easter and as something fun for students to enjoy since the campus is under lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19.

My group decided we wanted to do this event because our school has really strict COVID guidelines right now, and we just thought that putting some Easter eggs out with some Bible verses would be kind of fun for everybody and a good way to celebrate Easter without breaking our COVID guidelines, Neidert said.

Neidert told The College Fix in an interview earlier this week that half of the verses were about Easter and Christ, while others were uplifting Bible verses unrelated to Easter.

Due to the religious nature of the Easter eggs, members of YCT were attacked on social media, including on a UNT Facebook group used by some 9,000 students, parents and UNT alumni, The College Fix reported.

Neidert said the group is often attacked for its conservative beliefs, but the faith-aspect of the event seemed to provoke students even more.

Theyre obsessed with harassing us just because thats what they like to do, Neidert told CP. They dont like that were conservative, but I think that this probably was a little more inflammatory in their minds because of the religious aspect. And they dont feel included somehow ... [since] its a Christian holiday. I think that was a lot of the problem they're having with this.

Neidert retweeted screenshots of some of the students slamming the Easter eggs hunt. Some students accused them of littering, while others called for the student body to stomp on or trash the eggs. In reference to the Bible verses inside the eggs, one student wrote on Twitter: "Awesome! I was low on toilet paper."

Some eggs were found around campus with the Bible verse removed and condoms left inside.

In the past, UNT students vandalized YCTs abortion memorial in memory of victims of abortion. Neidert said she should have known students would have the same response to the Easter eggs.

Neidert showed CP screenshots of some of the social media posts from the students mocking the Easter eggs.

Once the eggs were out, we got a lot more backlash from more students, Neidert said. They were trying to go stomp them. They said they would go throw them away, and they just sent some nasty messages to me and about the event.

Some parents of UNT students also joined in the criticism, saying the Bible-verse Easter egg hunt wasn't appropriate since not everyone on campus is Christian, and suggested the students should have filled the eggs with candy instead.

Neidert said many students in YCT were disappointed with how the event turned out. But despite the backlash, she noted that some students seemed to enjoy the Easter eggs.

It looks like a lot of students did pick them up and just appreciate them, but I know some students were also throwing them away, Neidert added.

YCT is frequently attacked on college campuses throughout the state. At UNT last year, a petition to remove the club for so-called hateful actions  racism, transphobia and homophobia  received over 2,700 signatures.

In response to demands from left-leaning activists to remove the conservative club from campus, Neidert released a statement on behalf of the YCT chapter last July.

We are not a perfect organization, but it is clear that some people want us disbanded because we are conservative. , Neidert wrote. Everyone on campus, including us, has First Amendment rights. We will stand unapologetic in our beliefs.
Every year, the army gets a chunk of the national budget. Most times, the Defence budget is higher than even education or works, essentially because we value security. But we have not got quite a good deal in the issues of security. It all got worse with the advent of the Boko Haram terrorism in 2009. It has only worsened in recent years with the raiding of communities and mindless killing of innocent people. If nothing else, the rising cases of Internally Displaced Persons across the northern and even in certain southern parts of the country are eloquent testimonies that we are in danger.

So, when it got clear that the regular budgetary allocations were not enough to tackle the rising cases of insecurity, the decision to pull out $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was taken. With the $1bn, more arms and ammunition would be bought to combat and over run the terrorists. That was the whole idea

I am aware that the former service chiefs once complained of having not received the said $1bn at a time. When it was eventually released, perhaps in tranches, the public was no longer carried along.

But what is perhaps key is that the money got released. Some arms were bought. How many? We do not know. Did the service chiefs buy the entire items on the weapons' inventory list? Nobody is sure. What was the cost of the weapons bought thus far? Was the entire $1bn expended as planned on the arms and weaponry? No! Does anybody actually audit or oversee the activities and transactions of the service chiefs, except the Commander-in-Chief? Does our C-in-C bother about such details? Not sure!

The last check point is therefore the National Assembly which exercises oversight functions on every aspect of governance, include the military.

That, perhaps, explains why in recent times, the National Assembly had to invite (and later summon) the service chiefs to explain some of the fog surrounding the utilization of the $1billion. The trigger to this inquest must have been the alarm earlier raised by the National Security Adviser, Gen Babagana Mungono, to the effect that the sum of $1billion was missing as neither the money nor the arms can be seen. In an interview he granted BBC Hausa service, Mungono noted that, "We don't know where the money went to. The president has given out some money for equipment but they are yet to arrive," he said.

"The president has done his best by ensuring that he released exorbitant funds for the procurement of weapons which are yet to be procured, they are not there. Now the president has employed new hands that might come with new ideas. I am not saying that those that have retired have stolen the funds, no. But the funds might have been used in other ways unknown to anybody at present.

"Mr President is going to investigate those funds. As we are talking with you at present, the state governors, the Governors Forum have started raising questions in that direction. $1 billion has been released, that and that has been released, and nothing seem to be changing. So I assure you that the president will not take this lightly.

The tongue-in-cheek allegation of the NSA is that the money meant for arms is missing, hence the emphasis on Mr President's determination to investigate the issue.

But the President's spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, dismissed the "misinformation(?) that some money meant for arms purchase were missing. He explained that not all the arms procured by the former service chiefs have arrived the country. He noted that the sum of $536 million was paid directly "government-to-government" to the government of the United States of America for the supply of some arms. He noted further that the biggest catche of arms will soon come from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

So, is it that the NSA is not informed on such core and sensitive issue under his purview as to raise the alarm he raised?

Not surprisingly, the NSA had, a day after the interview was published issued a statement claiming that, as usual, he was "quoted out of context", even when his subsequent explanation of what he purportedly said at the interview was not significantly different from what the BBC published.

But Nigerians had fallen back on the lawmakers to know the whole truth about the arms deal. However, efforts by the lawmakers to get to the root of the matter which has been suffering setbacks from the military chiefs who have refused(?) to honour the invitation from the lawmakers investigating the matter. They have been invited about three times without any of them (military chiefs) showing up at the National Assembly Committee room.

So why are the Service Chiefs shunning the lawmakers' invitation? Are they afraid that their appearance before the lawmakers could reveal some classified information about the deal? Are they desperate to protect their predecessors from being further investigated? Are they guilty? Only the guilty are afraid! Or are the Service Chiefs shunning the invitation because they do not have the expected information? Were they not the ones who complained to the NSA that they can neither see the arms nor the $1 billion?

If the new Service Chiefs must make a difference in the fight against the terrorism menace, then the fog covering the $1billion arms deal must be cleared. Nigerians need to know. It should not and cannot be swept under the carpet.

Luckily, the members of the House of Representatives probing the arms funds said they have details of all arms procurements since 2016 and that they also have records of the many diversions that have taken place on the fund. Nigerians cannot wait to get the full details.

Thus far, only the Defence Headquarters, Civil Defence Corps and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have co-operated with the lawmakers' investigations.

This is even more important now as the Buhari administration , at its inception , had made a song and a dance over how some service chiefs in the previous administration stole huge sums of money meant for the prosecution of the war, leading to the endangering of the lives of soldiers in the front line including the lives of many civilians who could have been protected of the soldiers were better armed.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Arms and Armies By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

I recall how the sum of N3billion was traced to the accounts of Mrs Lara Amosu, the wife of former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu, and even another $1 million found in a newly constructed septic tank in their Badagry country home.

How can I forget also how the former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh who was said to have stolen N558 million and later converted same to $20 million. He was being tried, after one of his seized properties was gifted to Voice of Nigeria. He was later shot and killed on the Abuja-Keffi road by assailants.

So it is not enough believing the explanations of Mallam Garba Shehu, especially as the NSA do not know what Shehu is explaining. How many arms and weapons are being expected from the UAE? How many altogether have we received? What is the total cost of the ones received as well as the ones expected? And pray, what is the diplomatic impasse stalling the delivery of the said arms and weaponry from the UASE. Our soldiers are dying. Our nationals are dying! With better weapons the gallantry of our soldiers will be exceptional. We cannot layback and compromise on this. You cannot literally send soldiers to go confront charged terrorists bearing sophisticated weapons with "catapults", so to say.

If the soldiers are not hiding anything, let them show up at the National Assembly and answer all questions that can help Nigerians reinforce their belief in the Nigerian system.
French fishing boats spotted off the coast of a British Channel Island are continuing to 'decimate' the seabed with unsustainable 'industrial fishing methods', officials say.

Don Thompson, president of the Jersey Fishermen's Association, made the comments after multiple vessels appeared a few miles off the coast.

He said that some of the boats had up to 1,000 horsepower, were around 20 metres long and were taking 'tonnes' of scallops off the sea bed.

Mr Thompson, president of the Jersey Fishermen's Association, said the resentment is growing among the local fishing industry and that something had to be done.

People in Jersey claim to have seen French fishing boats 'decimating' the seabed off the coast of the Channel Island with 'industrial fishing methods'. Picture: Stock

He said: 'We are seeing boats out there with 1,000 horsepower, and around 20 metres long, that are taking literally tonnes and tonnes of scallops off the ground.

'The heavy gear used by those big powerful boats just wrecks the ground, there's no two ways about it.

'That's industrial fishing and it's unsustainable fishing. Those are the scallop stocks that our fishermen will rely on for the future and they are being absolutely decimated.'

Earlier this year a post-Brexit 'amnesty' deal was put in place allowing French boats that were able to fish in the Island's territorial waters before Brexit to continue doing so until the end of April.

Don Thompson (pictured), president of the Jersey Fishermen's Association, said some boats had up to 1,000 horsepower, were around 20 metres long and were taking 'tonnes' of scallops off the sea bed

The deal will see the EU's share of British waters dropping by 25 per cent in stages over the next five years, after which the UK could exclude European boats completely.

Currently, non-Jersey vessels have access to the six to 12miles from the shore, must prove that their historic operation within the Island's seas and obtain a permanent licence to continue fishing here beyond 30 April.

Don continued: 'All that [unsustainable fishing] is being done under the amnesty provided just to appease the French by our own government.

'It really is making fishermen very angry.'

He also said that French vessels had caused 'several thousand pounds worth of damage' to local fishing pots.

He added: 'These big powerful scallop boats from France just kept going through our fishermen's gear and just towing it away - it's a ridiculous situation.'

Islanders were watching radar images of the boats which circulated online, and one commented 'I'm watching them live - decimating the sea bed. So sickening to watch.'

Local photographer David Ferguson intercepted the French trawlers about five miles off the coast to record what the boats were doing, alongside representatives from Jersey Fisheries officers and Jersey Coastguard.

David, a surfer who champions the preservation of the marine environment, said: 'Knowing that the French vessels were beyond the three-mile limit and perfectly entitled to fish in this area legally, it was more of an exercise in seeing how large these vessels were in comparison to our local fleet.

'It's a well known fact that continuous dredging will completely decimate the ocean floor and the breeding grounds that go with it.

'There simply has to be a better way of managing fisheries with our EU colleagues in and around our islands.'

Mr Thompson claimed French vessels had caused 'several thousand pounds worth of damage' to local fishing pots. Picture: Stock

Local man Bob Tompkins said that the local boats were much smaller in size, and did less damage to the seabed than the larger French vessels.

He said: 'If you've got 20m or 25m boats coming out of Granville - and these are really big, powerful boats - the equipment that they are dragging behind them is two or three times the size.

'They can cover huge areas in a very short time and they really do hammer the ground.'

He added that there was 'confusion' about when the amnesty would end and said the French boats were 'making hay while the sun shines'.

He continued: 'The reason the French are hammering the ground now is because, chances are, many of the ones that are doing don't have licenses anyway.

Charles Clover, the executive director of the Blue Marine Foundation, said: 'The level of fishing effort by this fleet of big, powerful French boats is totally unsustainable and Jersey ministers need to manage it now or there will be nothing left for the domestic fleet to catch.

'What is going on is unregulated and irresponsible and it needs to stop.'

Earlier this month Jersey fishermen blockaded the entrance to St Helier Harbour in a protest calling for government support after some skippers faced difficulty landing catches in Europe.

Islanders were watching radar images of the boats which circulated online, and one commented 'I'm watching them live - decimating the sea bed'. Picture: Stock

Mr Clover said the Government of Jersey should manage fishing in its seas and set a 'limit on [the] size of boats and engines allowed in Jersey waters'.

He said: 'This is common practice in the UK and around the world and was the case in Jersey before the transition period.

'These French boats are just filling a policy vacuum Jersey ministers have inadvertently created and which needs to be managed.

'And ministers should definitely not be considering extending the amnesty period after April when this kind of annihilation fishing is going on.'

Environment Minister John Young said he had been assured that - with the exception of a single boat that was still being checked - all of the vessels spotted the other day had been verified as having the right to fish in the Island's waters.

He said: 'After the transitional period we will be bringing in measures to conserve stocks in the most sensitive areas.'
Member for Bankstown Tania Mihailuk speaks at the Parliament of New South Wales in Sydney, Tuesday, May 12, 2020. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

Labor MP Warns Party of Straying Too Far Down the Wokeness Path

Tania Mihailuk, a New South Wales (NSW) state MP has warned that the left-leaning Labor Party needs to steer away from wokeness and back to the centre, otherwise it risks losing the support of Sydneys extensive multicultural and religious communities.

The remarks follow the release of the NSW Parliaments Joint Select Committee report into how religious freedoms should be protected in the state, with the committee recommending an amendment to existing anti-discrimination laws.

Currently, in NSW, it is illegal to discriminate against a person based on age, gender, sexuality, race, or disabilitybut not religious belief.

Mihailuk, the state member for the multicultural electorate of Bankstown, conceded that after a decade in opposition at the state and federal level, the Labor Partys policies were not resonating with voters in NSW.

Father James Collins holds a service in the yard of St Pauls Anglican Church in Burwood with seating observant of social distancing on March 22, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

We have in recent years failed to ensure that all voices and views are represented, and we are now risking straying too far down the path of wokeness, she wrote in an op-ed in The Daily Telegraph.

Labor should reject the false dichotomy that it must choose between supporting religious or LGBTIQ communities, she added. We should instead return to where Labor has traditionally stood and ledfrom the sensible centre that protects all groups from discrimination and guarantees human rights for all.

Mihailuks electorate of Bankstown is located within the Western Sydney region, home to some of the most religious postcodes in the country.

According to Census data, 74 percent of people in Western Sydney identified as religious, compared to the national average of 60 percent.

Mihailuk said that in the past, political parties could rely on a cynical divide-and-conquer approach, where different religious denominations would be swayed by a wide range of issues and would vote accordingly.

However, she conceded that religious groups were now unified and had an expectation that they could practice their beliefs without fear of discrimination and have their right to religious freedom protected.

An online questionnaire conducted during the inquiry around the Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 found strong support for a religious freedom law, with around 74 percent of the 19,502 respondents saying they were in favour.

The Labor Party at the federal level has also struggled with finding a policy balance between its traditional working-class constituents, and its newer progressive supporter base.

This was seen at the 2019 federal election when the Labor Partys Joel Fitzgibbon nearly lost his seat in the coal-mining electorate of Hunter.

The result compelled Fitzgibbon to declare that Labor needed to reconnect with its blue-collar base, and place less emphasis on climate change-driven reform.
Richmond Kwadwo Nti, a military recruit, was on Tuesday, arrested at Burma Camp for allegedly stealing a mobile phone of another recruit.



The suspect was undergoing a recruitment documentation process at Burma Camp.



Deputy Superintendent of Police, (DSP) Mrs Effia Tenge, Head of Public Affairs Unit of the Accra Regional Police Command, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview.



She said on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, at about 2200 hours, the Military Police at Burma Camp, arrested and brought Nti to the Police Station for stealing another recruits mobile phone while undergoing documentation.



Mrs Tenge said all the potential recruits were gathered in the Garrison Presbyterian and Methodist Interdenominational Church Auditorium for screening when Nti stole the Techno SPARK 5 mobile phone valued GHC 500.00 belonging to one Obediah Nketia, also a recruit.



She said the blue Techno Spark 5 cellular phone has been retrieved.



Mrs Tenge said Nti was in Police custody assisting in investigations.









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 community is invited to join the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest for a virtual Yom Hazikaron program, in observance of Israels Memorial Day, to honor the memory of fallen soldiers and victims of terror.Other hosts include Congregation Beth Yeshurun, the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, the Israeli-American Council Houston and the South Texas Chapter of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. The program will be online Tuesday, April 13, at 7 p.m.This years Yom Hazikaron observance will be dedicated to all of the lone soldiers who have served or are currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces.In an effort to make the event accessible to everyone, there will be two options to watch the program, via Zoom and Facebook.Log in a few minutes in advance at either bit.ly/YomHazikaronZoom or on Facebook, bit.ly/YomHazikaronFB
One man was killed and another person was severely injured in a shooting in El Sobrante, Contra Costa County sheriffs officials said Thursday.

The shooting occurred around 8:41 p.m. Wednesday. Deputies were called to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon on the 4500 block of Appian Way. They found two people with gunshot wounds. One, Dejante Kennedy, 25, of Pittsburg, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was transported to a hospital in critical condition.
FILE - In this Monday, March 22, 2021 file photo, a member of the the medical staff prepares a syringe with the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, during preparations at the vaccine center in Ebersberg near Munich, Germany. German officials have decided to limit the use of AstraZenecas coronavirus vaccine in people under 60 after more unusual blood clots were reported in a small number of people who received the shots. Earlier this month, more than a dozen countries, including Germany, suspended their use of AstraZeneca over the blood clot issue. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, FIle)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The Dutch government said Friday it is temporarily halting AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccinations for people under 60 following reports of very small number of people suffering unusual blood clots after receiving the shot.

The Dutch decision comes three days after authorities in Germany also stopped using the AstraZenecas vaccine in the under-60s, citing fresh concerns over unusual blood clots reported in a tiny number of those who received the shots.

Earlier Friday, a Dutch organization that monitors vaccine side effects said it had received five reports of blood clots with low blood plate counts following vaccinations. All the cases occurred between seven and 10 days after the vaccinations and all the people affected were women aged between 25 and 65 years.

The organization said in the period when the five cases were reported, some 400,000 people were vaccinated in the Netherlands with the AstraZeneca shot.

Health Minister Hugo de Jonge says the temporary halt is a precautionary measure.

I think it is very important that the Dutch reports are also properly investigated, De Jonge said. We must err on the side of caution.

The news is another setback for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is critical to Europes immunization campaign and a linchpin in the global strategy to get shots to poorer countries, for it is cheaper and easier to use than rival vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. It comes two weeks after the EU drug regulator said the vaccine does not increase the overall incidence of blood clots following a similar scare.

The European Medicines Agency said at the time that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, but it could not rule out a link between the shot and some unusual kinds of clots, and recommended adding a warning about possible rare side effects.

Most European Union countries, including Germany, resumed using the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 19.

De Jonge said the Dutch pause comes ahead of an update next week from the EU medicines agency on the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Story continues

___

Follow APs pandemic coverage at

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
If Congress passes President Joe Bidens $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, Birmingham would experience more frequent rail service while the plan to resume trains on the Gulf Coast might be expedited, according to Amtrak.

The presidents proposal, dubbed the American Jobs Plan by the White House, includes $80 billion for Amtrak. Those funds include repairing existing rail corridors and adding new routes.

Currently, Amtrak service from New York to New Orleans, which stops in Birmingham, only runs once a day with one eastbound train and one westbound train.

But with $80 billion available if Congress approves Bidens proposal, the result would be more frequent service that uses that existing service as a foundation in Birmingham, said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.

Birmingham would get more frequent rail service while the project to restart trains in Mobile would add a stop in Baton Rouge if President Biden's infrastructure plan is approved.

Imagine going more often between Birmingham, Atlanta and on to Charlotte, Magliari said. All of those things are possibilities with the right funding.

Magliari cautioned that the infrastructure plan, which also allocates funding to repair roads and bridges across the country, is a starting point in talks between Biden and Congress and that it is too soon to give timelines or exact funding amounts for any potential projects.

And Alabama congressional Republicans, like their counterparts across the country, have signaled that the proposal is dead on arrival.

Our map is an aspiration, its not a prescription. Our map is a vision, but its not the only vision, Magliari said. In the end, the communities and the states and the regions will make decisions thats best for them.

Even before Biden laid out his proposal, Amtrak had plans to resurrect Gulf Coast rail service between Mobile and New Orleans with stops in Mississippi that ended after Hurricane Katrina.

But with the funds available, its possible the service could be restored before the original target of 2022 while the route would extend to Baton Rouge.

Another benefit Mobile has than other cities Amtrak is looking to invest in is the Southern Rail Commission, an advocacy group that pushes the advantages of rail service in Alabama and the rest of the South.

Having the Southern Rail Commission in place gives that part of the country an advantage over other parts of the country, Magliari said.
Pandya agrees infrastructure is an issue. He wants to make sure it is equitably divided, so all residents can benefit, which he believes is not the case now. If elected, he said to will make sure he is accessible to everyone.
Oil prices climbed on Thursday despite the surprise decision by OPEC+ to increase production, a decision that has been seen as promising for demand.

Oil prices rose despite OPEC+s decision to increase production. In fact, rather than a bearish move, investors interpreted the decision as a vote of confidence in demand. The [supply] deficit that were already in is likely to accelerate, Jeff Currie, head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., said in a Bloomberg Television interview

OPEC+ agrees to gradually increase production. OPEC+ decided to add more than 2 mb/d over the next few months, betting on rising demand. The deal calls for a 350,000-bpd increase in May, followed by the same amount in June, and then by 450,000 bpd in July. At the same time, Saudi Arabia will ease its voluntary 1 mb/d cuts by July. OPEC+ surprised markets last time around by maintaining cuts, this time they surprised in the other direction after analysts expected no change.

Pioneer Natural Resources nears $6 billion deal for DoublePoint Energy. Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD) is nearing a $6 billion deal to acquire DoublePoint Energy, a cash and stock deal, according to Reuters.

Shale output to erode. U.S. shale production is set to decline through at least 2022, according to BNEF. By the end of the year, the industry could lose another 485,000 bpd. It could be a while before U.S. oil companies feel comfortable growing production again, BNEF analyst Tai Liu said in a note.

Total and Shell see lingering refinery issues. Totals (NYSE: TOT) Port Arthur refinery may be offline for another three to four weeks for repairs after an unplanned shutdown during the Texas freeze. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) is having problems with its Deer Park refinery as well. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) said it would take an $800 million hit related to the storm.

Oil companies win one climate court case, lose another. A federal appeals court rejected New York Citys effort to hold oil majors accountable for climate change, a big win for the industry.

EVs gain in Bidens $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan. President Joe Biden introduced the outlines of his major infrastructure package, which would have far-reaching effects on the energy industry. The bill calls for $174 billion for EV recharging stations. For the EV sector, the Street has been awaiting this day since Biden was elected, an analyst with Wedbush Securities wrote in a note to clients. ChargePoint Holdings Inc (NYSE: CHPT), the largest owner and operator of EV-charging stations in the U.S., jumped as much as 24%

Aramco could reduce dividend. Aramco could pay less than the originally planned $73.5 billion to its Saudi state shareholder in order to prioritize investments, Crown Prince Mohammed said earlier this week, opening the door to the oil giant to relieve some of the pressure on its balance sheet

Renewables gain too. The infrastructure plan calls for a 10-year extension of wind, solar, and battery tax credits. It also calls for incentives to build out 20 GW of long-distance transmission.

Oils surprise gain in Bidens plan. Bloomberg notes that Bidens infrastructure plan, which leans heavily on clean energy, would also stoke demand for asphalt, boosting heavy crude blends.

Is Russia About To Invade Ukraine? While the world is focused on OPEC news and Easter preparations, the Ukrainian crisis is heating up and there is a real threat of a military confrontation involving Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.

California turns to energy storage. California is expected to add 1.7 GW of energy storage this year, enough to power 13 million homes. The state is hoping that the batteries will help head off blackouts this summer.

Energy storage to take $277B from the grid. Energy storage will become a $277 billion market between 2020 and 2050.

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ConocoPhillips takes a hit from hedges. Oil prices are up sharply this year, but ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) said that its first-quarter results would take a $600 million hit from its acquisition of Concho Resources and hedges. The incident highlights that many companies would miss out on the oil price rally due to hedges they locked in at lower prices. According to Reuters, many independent companies hedged their production at an average between $43 and $45 per barrel.

Santos announces LNG FID. Santos (ASX: STO) announced an FID on its Barossa joint venture, a $3.6 billion LNG export project in Australia. Santos had to take on a greater share of the project than it had previously wanted.

Europe lockdown to hit demand. Oil demand will take a hit from new lockdowns in Europe and slow vaccinations. Rystad Energy says it could prevent 1 mb/d of demand from coming back this year.

Two countries leading on offshore drilling. Lower lifting and breakeven costs at the most prolific offshore oil regions off Brazil and Guyana are setting the stage for a rebound in offshore drilling in South America, which will be one of the main growth drivers of global offshore activity this year.

Europe gas storage depleted. Diminished natural gas storage in Europe could provide a jolt to the global gas market as the year wears on.

Canadas oil sands face pressure to transition. Canadas oil sands producers are posting stronger cash flow than expected, and investors praised producers for returning cash to shareholders and to pay down debt. However, they are also under growing pressure to plan for the energy transition.

World Bank revises lending policy. The world bank revised its climate change commitments but stopped short of halting all funding for fossil fuels.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has condemned Russia's aggressive and provocative actions aimed at escalating the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Pentagon has reported, following a phone call between the defense ministers of the United States and Ukraine.

"Secretary Austin reaffirmed unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. He condemned recent escalations of Russian aggressive and provocative actions in eastern Ukraine and offered condolences to [Ukrainian Defense] Minister [Andrii] Taran on the deaths of four Ukrainian soldiers on March 26," the report reads.

In addition, Secretary Austin reiterated the U.S. commitment to building the capacity of Ukraine's forces to defend more effectively against Russian aggression.

According to the latest data, Russia is moving troops and military hardware to its border with Ukraine. At the same time, Russian-backed forces in certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions continue to violate the ceasefire.

Photo: Carlos Bongioanni/Stars And Stripes
The master plan will see Ha Tinh prioritise development of manufacturing, logistics, services, and more. Photo: Le Toan

Nguyen Chi Dung - Minister of Planning and Investment, Chairman of the Appraisal Council Vietnam currently has five big opportunities  stable political, social, and economic environment in addition to improved infrastructure; 14 free trade agreements that the country has inked with partners for further development; the Fourth Industrial Revolution; a gradual shift in trade and investment structures favourable for Vietnam; and a golden population of nearly 100 million people with big consumption power. To materialise these opportunities, one of the most important things is to conduct planning effectively. Planning is extremely important to all sectors, all localities, and the whole country. If we want to go fast, we must have a correct path. If we want to have a correct path, we must have sound solutions, places to go to, and the means to go effectively. The Law on Planning was promulgated by the National Assembly in 2018. For the law to be implemented well, planning for sectors and localities must be made. Planning is one of the most important jobs that we must do now and in the time to come. We are reshuffling all planning-related activities in the country to put them right in accordance with the law. Planning of all sectors and territories must be integrated into a multi-sector master planning covering all development space of localities. However, it would be difficult to demonstrate all integrated content of sectors in a master planning as it has to ensure close planning management and high flexibility. At present, 61 out of 63 cities and provinces nationwide have either had their master planning adopted or been building up their master planning. However, only Bac Giang and Ha Tinh provinces have thus far had their master planning appraised.

The hall of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) last Wednesday was packed with experts and scientists who were attending a meeting of the Appraisal Council of the central province of Ha Tinhs master planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision until 2050. The draft planning will be submitted to the prime minister for consideration and approval.

In line with the Law on Planning, the master planning is built up by US-based global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group in combination with Ha Tinh province and feedback from ministries, experts, and scientists.

The planning will pave a new way for Ha Tinh, whose economy is flourishing with a focus on industrial development, to make great strides forward to become a developed locality over the next decade. It will also help the province fully tap into its great potential.

In the 2011-2020 period, Ha Tinh developed vehemently, from a poor province to one of the localities taking the lead in economic growth. Thanks to great efforts in attracting foreign direct investment, improving infrastructure, and removing difficulties for the business community, Ha Tinh has made major contributions to the socioeconomic development of the north-central region.

Ha Tinh hit an average annual growth rate of 11.5 per cent in the 2011-2019 period and a GRDP scale of 78 trillion ($3.39 billion) in 2019.

In the 2021-2030 period, the province continues setting a goal of high economic growth and becoming one of the development pillars of the north-central region and the central coastal region. Thus, Ha Tinh needs high-quality master planning in order to materialise this ambitious goal, said Hoang Trung Dung, Secretary of Ha Tinh Party Committee.

Ha Tinh borders Nghe An province to the north, Quang Binh province to the south, Laos to the west, and the East Sea to the east with a 137km coastline.

Key focus

Ha Tinh has set an ambitious target that its per capita regional GDP will be higher than that of north-central provinces by 2025. It will become a relatively developed locality by 2030 with per capita regional GDP of nearly $7,000, which will soar to $17,700 by 2045 and $26,000 by 2050.

Under the draft master planning, Ha Tinh will prioritise the development of several key sectors: steel manufacturing; energy development; agro-forestry-fishery; commerce, services, and logistics; and also tourism.

The planning also determined three urban centres, three economic corridors, and one pivotal centre serving as the key driving force behind Vung Ang Economic Zone.

To ensure sufficient energy for these initiatives, Ha Tinh has also set a goal in the draft master planning that besides the existing 1,200MW coal-fired Vung Ang 1 power plant, the Formosa first-phase 650MW thermal power plant, and other current hydropower and solar power plants, the province will in the 2021-2030 continue construct others. These are the 1,200 coal-fired Vung Ang 2 thermal power plant, the gas-fired Vung Ang 3 thermal power plant, and the gas-fired 600MW second-phase Formosa thermal power plant. Furthermore, the province will also build four wind power plants with total capacity of 958MW and four solar power plants at a total of 799MW.

However, Dinh Trong Thang, director of the MPIs Department of Planning Management and representative of the master plannings Appraisal Council, said that in order to meet the requirements with a huge need for electricity, Ha Tinh should combine with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to make further studies to clearly determine the demand and capacity of power production in line with the national power planning for the 2021-2030 period whose draft has been finalised.

Meanwhile, according to Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, because Ha Tinh has a long coastline and a large sea area, it should focus on developing a maritime economy featuring tourism, seaports, and offshore wind power projects.

You are heavily focusing on producing electricity from oil, coal, and gas without paying significant attention to offshore wind power potential, which is great now and can attract many investors, Ha said. If offshore wind power is fully tapped into, in addition to other sources of energy and development of logistics and seaports, Ha Tinh will be quite different from other localities and woo more investors.

Senior economic expert Cao Viet Sinh also commented that the draft master planning is covering too many sectors. It will be difficult to simultaneously develop these sectors. Ha Tinh should reconsider what specific sectors will be specified for prioritised development, he said.

According to Sinh, in the context of Industry 4.0, Ha Tinh, like many other localities nationwide, must roll in the trend of innovation, startup, and digital transformation.

It seems that the draft master planning still lacks this important thing without which no locality can develop strongly and attract high-quality investors, and tap into all of its potential, Sinh said.

Figures from the MPI showed that as of February 20, Ha Tinh was home to 79 foreign-invested projects registered at $11.74 billion.

Depending on steel

At the meeting of the Appraisal Council last week, Ha Tinh was advised not to continue relying largely on steel development for fear of environmental pollution, and instead to develop energy and logistics as a key driver for its development over the next decade.

Over past years, Taiwanese-backed Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation (FHS) has been operating in the province a large iron and steelmaking plant and seaport complex worth nearly $12.8 billion. The project covers a total area of just over 3,300 hectares, including around 2,000ha of land and 1,300ha of sea surface.

FHS has completed the first-phase construction of the gigantic project including a steel plant, a 11-pier seaport, and a 650MW thermal power plant. Last year, FHSs steel billet capacity hit 5.85 million tonnes. The company consumed 5.9 million tonnes of steel products with total revenue of $2.9 billion, and state budget contribution of $440 million.

FHS is employing over 7,000 labourers including nearly 6,400 Vietnamese, of whom 76 per cent are Ha Tinh locals.

It is expected that in this year, the total steel billet output will be 6.5 million tonnes, with a consumption volume of 6.5 million tonnes of finished products, a total revenue of about $3.7 billion and contribution of $240 million to the local coffers.

According to Ha Tinhs Statistics Department, in 2020, the provinces total export turnover hit $1.2 billion, in which 85.8 per cent was from FHS steel and steel ingot exports valued at $938 million. Meanwhile the provinces total import turnover reached $2.2 billion which was almost spent on importing input materials for FHS production.

Hoang Van Quang, who is director of Ha Tinhs Department of Industry and Trade, said FHS projects have helped boost the provinces economic growth rate by nearly 6 per cent a year in the 2016-2020 period, expand the provincial economys scale by over 1.5 times  the regional GDP rose from over VND55 trillion ($2.39 billion) in 2015 to nearly VND84 trillion ($3.65 billion).

However, an MPI senior official warned at the meeting last week, The world is limiting development of steel manufacturing projects as they can cause environmental pollution. If Ha Tinh continues significantly relying on Formosas performance, it will be not good. If the company faces difficulties, the provinces growth will be seriously hurt.

In 2016, Formosa Ha Tinh Steel had paid $500 million in damages and admitted that its steel plant had caused massive fish deaths along a 200km stretch of coastline that occurred that April. Currently, the company has met standards on wastewater treatment.
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[April 02, 2021] University of Phoenix and Bergen Community College Working Together to Help Students Affordably Earn Degrees

University of Phoenix and Bergen Community College recently announced an agreement allowing graduates of Bergen Community College to transfer their credits more easily to University of Phoenix, working toward earning a bachelor's degree. The 3+1 transfer program will allow students to save on the cost of their education by spending three years completing general course requirements at the community college and then finishing the fourth and final year at University of Phoenix. Bergen Community College provides a variety of degree tracks, and this new partnership with the University of Phoenix will include Bachelor of Science degrees in Business, Health Management, Information Technology and Nursing. "This new agreement with Bergen Community College aligns with our mission to make higher education more attainable through pathways that save students time and money," said Dr. John Woods, chief academic officer and provost for University of Phoenix. "Eligible students will need to complete just 11 classes to finish their bachelor's degree and can graduate in as little as 14 months when transferring 87 credits to University of Phoenix."



If all 87 credits are transferred, students will only need to complete 33 credits to graduate. University of Phoenix offers undergraduate students one course at a time at five-week increments with new courses starting monthly. Additionally, University of Phoenix will waive all fees and tuition for the first course and provides a special Associate Degree Transfer tuition rate for all remaining courses, which is a savings of $144.00 per course.

For more information visit: www.phoenix.edu/ccstudent About University of Phoenix University of Phoenix is continually innovating to help working adults enhance their careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses and interactive learning help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. We serve a diverse student population, offering degree programs at select locations across the U.S. as well as online. For more information, visit phoenix.edu About Bergen Community College Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005021/en/

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By Kang Seung-woo



A free service will be launched that translates Korean-written school notice or teachers' messages for marriage immigrant who are parents of elementary school children to their mother tongues, a conglomerate-run social contribution foundation said, Thursday.





According to the Happiness Foundation, established by SK Group, it will begin the service on April 12 in Seoul with four languages: English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian. However, if more than five foreign parents make a request for their particular native language, it will be added.



Parents can subscribe to the translating service already, the foundation said, adding that it is reaching out to Seoul-based elementary schools with a large number of international and multiracial students.



The project is in partnership with the ODS Multicultural Education Research Institute, a Daegu-based social enterprise comprised of female activists from various cultural backgrounds.



Foreign parents who are not fluent in Korean often have difficulty fully understanding notices from homeroom teachers or schools, provided either in the form of leaflets or postings on apps, which include homework and school newsletters for the families. Misunderstandings by parents often lead their children to submit assignments incorrectly and fail to study properly, potentially restricting those children's academic achievements.



Last year, the research institute test-operated the service for 106 students in four schools in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province and saw a 40 percent increase in the children's homework completion and proper studying of course materials.



"Many marriage migrants who have elementary schoolchildren are still not skilled at Korean. In that respect, we expect that the translating service will help them a lot," a foundation official said.


PSNI seized suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of 1,200

The PSNI have released images of a haul of suspected cocaine seized from a vehicle and property in Belfast.

Police said the drugs were recovered during what was described as a "proactive" search of a vehicle and property earlier on Friday. Police confirmed that a man has been arrested following the searches.

In a statement, the PSNI said: "Officers from Belfast District Support team have seized suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of 1200 during a proactive search of a vehicle and property on Friday 2nd April.

"A quantity of cash and related drug paraphernalia was also seized. One male arrested."
The Suez Canal Authority is considering the option of expanding the canal's width after the Ever Given container ship incident, but sees no need to deepen the canal bed, administration head Osama Rabie told CNN Arabic on Friday

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2021) The Suez Canal Authority is considering the option of expanding the canal's width after the Ever Given container ship incident, but sees no need to deepen the canal bed, administration head Osama Rabie told CNN Arabic on Friday.

"We are exploring the option of expanding the Suez Canal after the Ever Given incident, but there is no need to deepen the channel," Rabie said, adding that at the moment its depth was up to 24 meters (78 feet).

According to the latest data provided by the channel operator Leth Agencies, 357 vessels have passed through the channel since March 29, when it was unblocked, and another 206 ships are waiting for passage.

Earlier, Rabie outlined the intention of the channel authority to supply its technical services with more powerful tugs and dredging vessels to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future.

The 224,000-tonne Ever Given container vessel ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23, blocking traffic along the waterway for six days, which led to numerous delays of ships carrying some $9.6 billion worth of cargo ranging from oil to consumer products. The channel was freed on Monday after the vessel was finally refloated in the direction of the Bitter Lakes.
Public Relations (PR) and Social Media agency, Crosshairs Communication has been awarded PR and social media mandate for Amyr - a fine menswear jewelry brand and social media mandate for Misa a luxury candle-making brand. The Boutique Agency would be helping out brands reach better heights and create a remarkable strategy to suit the brands needs.



Crosshairs Communication is one of the leading Public Relations and Social Media agencies in India. The core values that drive its philosophy are innovation, strategy, and entrepreneurial spirit, leading to impactful results and delivering beyond expectations.



Commenting on this successful venture, Ms. Stuti Jalan Surekha, Founder, Crosshairs Communication said, We are ecstatic to be the communication partners of Amyr and Misa. These brands are game-changers in the luxury fashion and home decor markets respectively. Also taking into account the dynamic nature of consumer-driven markets its integral to communicate and engage with them in a planned manner. We look forward to building strong visibility for them in the relevant segments.



Taking into account the rise in demand for mens accessories Amyr has launched a line of bespoke contemporary and innovative jewelry creations for men. Amyr is a jewelry company curated for the modern man aimed at revolutionizing fine mens jewelry with its radical style and unique design-centric approach to crafting distinct pieces for the fashion-forward gentleman. Audacious and determined, Amyr is the embodiment of the discerning man looking to make a statement.



Given the current scenario, a calming vibe is an integral part of staying at home and what better way to get the peaceful vibes than candles. Taking this thought ahead Misa is a brand that makes handmade candles in the finest tradition of luxury candle-making, with fragrances are painstakingly curated by the best perfumers in France and the USA. All the candles are hand-poured in small batches allowing for the utmost attention to detail and quality.



As an agency Crosshairs Communication has handled an array of clients in luxury, lifestyle, hospitality, and corporate space.




Melbourne University is bracing for reputational damage as it prepares to cull science subjects and senior academic positions in the latest response by the states higher education sector to tumbling revenue.

Internal documents obtained by The Age reveal that 11 units in chemistry, physics, biology and earth science are earmarked for discontinuation or suspension in phase two of the universitys pandemic reset program in response to an expected $900 million budget shortfall over four years.

The University of Melbourne will discontinue some science subjects as part of its pandemic reset program. Credit:Wayne Taylor

The documents reveal the university anticipates reputational damage from cuts to its renowned science programs and loss of senior academics widely known to the Australian and international chemistry communities. Australias richest university also fears the loss of research funding.

The cutbacks are the most visible example of what university leaders and education experts say is the most severe crisis in higher education in 60 years. The Age begins a series today investigating the impact of the pandemic on universities, a sector vital for Australias future education standards and research.


Hippos and cetaceans are direct relatives, but their mutual "aquatic" skin traits weren't gotten from a common ancestor. A recent study shows that the closely smooth, almost hairless skin of whales and hippopotamuses developed independently.

The Flight Evolution

The work proposes that their final common ancestor was probably a terrestrial mammal, uprooting recent thinking that the skin came adjusted for life in the water from an amphibious ancestor that is shared.

The study was published on the 1st of April in the journal Current Biology and was conducted by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History; University of California, Riverside; University of California, Irvine; the LOEWE-Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Germany; and Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics.

A senior research scientist, John Gatesy, in the American Museum of Natural History's Vertebrate Zoology Division and a corresponding author on the study said that the way mammals migrated from terra firma and became completely aquatic is one of the most amazing stories of evolution, perhaps opposed only by how animals swapped water for land in the first place or by the flight evolution.

Also Read: Blue Whales of Antarctica Seen Again in South Georgia After Near Extinction

Ancestor of Hippos and Cetaceans

Recent findings dispute the current field's dogma --that families of the amphibious hippo might have been among the alteration as mammals re-entered life in the water.

In spite of their different appearances, completely aquatic cetaceans - the group that comprises dolphins, whales, and porpoises - and semi-aquatic hippopotamuses are one another's nearest living relatives and share the same ancestor that lived about 55 million years ago.

Features that are unusual for most mammals are also shared among them: they deliver their babies and nurse them underwater and doesn't have sebaceous glands ( gland that secrete oily sebum) and scrotal testes as well as most of their hair.

Since these traits are hardly seen in other mammals, one would take it that they were present in the common ancestor of hippos and cetaceans already. But how and when cetacean ancestors became entirely aquatic still remains a topic of intense debate.

Genomic Screens

The scientists made a comparison of the anatomy of hippo and cetacean skin centered on histology and used genomic screens to put together a complete list of "skin genes" that have been deactivated in both cetaceans and hippos. This was assisted by studying for the initial time the genome of the pygmy hippo, (Choeropsis liberiensis) one of the only two living hippo species.



"When you glance at the molecular signatures, there is a noticeable and clear answer," study co-corresponding author and evolutionary genomicist Michael Hiller, from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and the LOEWE-Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics in Germany said.

The outcomes firmly support the notion that skin traits of 'aquatic' found in both hippos and cetaceans developed independently. And not that only, the losses of gene can be seen in the hippo's lineage that occurred much in the future than in the cetacean lineage. These gene outcomes are in line with studies of the skin itself. Hippos actually have a very specialized type of sweat gland that manufactures "blood sweat," a substance that is orange-colored speculated to have natural anti-microbial and properties of sunscreen unlike whales.

Related Article: Hippo Hippo Hooray! Hippopotamus Population Recovering from Poaching

For more news, updates about whales, hippos and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
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(TNS)  A new report that ranks cities around the world when it comes to smart development and use of technology to help their cities puts the major international hubs ofandfirst, second and third.The topcity is, ranked sixth, according to a new report from, a consulting firm based inthat, among other things, supports companies and governments to bring innovation.The nextcity to make the list: Columbus, which ranks 11th  ahead ofandMore than 230 cities were evaluated by the institute for the study, which looks at the role played by city governments as a driver for what it calls smart development in terms of deploying technology in their cities along with efforts to help residents use that technology.Columbus scores so well in large part because it won the Smart City competition in 2016.That win came with a $40 million grant from thefor research on what a smart transportation system could look like and a $10 million grant from Paul G. Allen Philanthropies meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mostly by encouraging more consumer and fleet adoption of electric vehicles.Smart Columbus, a collaboration of the city and the, which is composed of local business leaders, used those grant dollars to leverage commitments totaling more than $500 million.The report credits the city with a having a clear smart city vision."This clarity and alignment between a city-level vision and projects is often lacking in other smart city plans," the report noted.The report also praised the city for using the grants to leverage money from throughout the region to support projects in Columbus."This is an area in which other smart cities often face difficulty and hence initiatives launched are often unsustainable or unsuccessful," the report said.Winning theof Transportations Smart City Challenge united our community in seizing the opportunity to use emerging technologies to create a more prosperous future for everyone," Mayorsaid in a statement. "As the past year has demonstrated, Columbus and cities like us face critical challenges related to equity, sustainability, digital access and regional competitiveness. By harnessing technology to achieve community good, our community has the potential to solve some of our most pressing challenges and emerge as a city of the future.
April 2 marks the 29th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Azerbaijan. The two countries know that they need each other, and as worthy and trusted members of the international community, they honestly and conscientiously fulfill all their obligations towards each other. In particular, Azerbaijan and China recognize each other's territorial integrity and wholly reject separatism, CGTN writes.

Last year, on the 28th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties, the Chinese side organized the transfer of anti-epidemic materials to Azerbaijan. Despite China badly needing such funds at the time, it still helped Azerbaijan and once again demonstrated the close friendship and mutual trust with Baku. One year on, China is sticking to its commitment to cooperate in the battle against the pandemic. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev emphasized at a recent press conference that China was the only country to fulfill its partnership obligations by supplying his country with vaccines, when others failed to do so. In turn, Azerbaijan also provided considerable assistance to the Chinese side during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's also worth talking about economic relations that are expanding between our countries. With the launch of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the expansion of the implementation of the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China and Azerbaijan have become closer and need each other now more than ever. No one will deny that China is a global economic giant, a power that, as experts predict, will eventually become an engine of the world economy. In principle, signs of this process are visible to the untrained eye. Azerbaijan has an advantageous position in the corridor connecting the East and West, Asia and Europe, and can offer China safe transit routes. These paths have already begun to be used since the end of last year.

Despite decreasing trade between China and Azerbaijan because of the pandemic, Azerbaijan remains China's most important trade and economic partner in the region. Transit through Azerbaijan is considered within the BRI framework as a median transport corridor. This is of symbolic importance given that the middle path in Chinese philosophy is considered the optimal path of development.

In December 2020, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was launched in both directions for the first time. On December 4, a train left Istanbul, and 15 days later, it reached the Chinese city of Xi'an. The first freight train in the direction from China to Azerbaijan arrived at the Baku International Sea Trade Port on February 17, 2021. As a result, the port of Baku is now connected with Qingdao, one of the largest port cities in China. In the future, the convergence of trans-European and trans-Asian railways via Azerbaijan would revive the ancient Silk Road by means of railway communication along the East-West route.

Broader prospects for China's use of Azerbaijani transit are opening up the restoration of communications in the region, provided by the peace statement of November 10, 2020, which was signed between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Unblocking all communications in the South Caucasus, among other advantages, will strengthen Azerbaijan's position as a trade, economic, transport and logistics link between China and Europe.

The BRI is in line with the strategic interests of Azerbaijan and is received in Azerbaijan with great enthusiasm. In principle, both Azerbaijan and China win here. After all, Azerbaijan has plenty of opportunities to offer China thanks to its modern port and rail infrastructure that enables traffic connecting the western areas of China and Europe via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. The common interests of Azerbaijan and China are growing with confidence and the future of Azerbaijan-China cooperation is promising.
The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.

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Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer.
[April 02, 2021] Masdar celebrates groundbreaking on Uzbekistan's first wind farm and agrees to extend project capacity

- High-level event held in capital of Uzbekistan to mark progress on utility-scale wind farm project  largest in Central Asia - Masdar signs Implementation Agreement to extend capacity of project to up to 1.5 GW ABU DHABI, UAE, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Masdar, one of the world's leading renewable energy companies, announced today that it signed an Implementation Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan to extend the capacity of its utility-scale wind farm project  the first such project in Uzbekistan  to up to 1.5 gigawatts (GW). The agreement was signed in the presence of H.E. Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade for the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Alisher Sultanov, Minister of Energy for the Republic of Uzbekistan, and H.E. Saeed Matar Al-Qemzi, UAE Ambassador to Uzbekistan, during an event in Tashkent to celebrate the groundbreaking on the project, with H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman of Masdar, and H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure for the UAE, attending virtually. H.E. Shukhrat Vafaev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, and H.E. Sherzod Khodjaev, Deputy Minister of Energy, signed the project capacity extension agreement with Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar. H.E. Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade for the Republic of Uzbekistan, said, "Mobilization of renewable energy potential in Uzbekistan would provide significant contribution to sustainable economicgrowth and fighting climate change. Along with that, expansion of clean power generation capacities by Masdar will support our objective to double the volume of electricity generation by 2030. Masdar will become a strong bridge connecting our countries, through which new Emirati companies will also invest in Uzbekistan."



H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said, "For the UAE it is important that our actions on climate can help amplify the efforts of others around the world. This partnership is a clear example of how we are putting that tenet into practice. Together, we have an unprecedented opportunity to leverage our collective climate action to enhance sustainable growth in Uzbekistan, while making real progress on global climate goals." H.E. Alisher Sultanov, Minister of Energy for the Republic of Uzbekistan, said, "We value our partnership with Masdar and welcome this expansion, which will be the largest facility of its kind in our region. This is a vitally important project for Uzbekistan, helping us build towards our target of 25 percent of electricity generated by renewables by 2030."

H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, the UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said, "Today's landmark agreement will enhance co-operation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates in the field of renewable energy. As signatories to the Paris Agreement, Uzbekistan and the UAE are committed to driving collective action on climate. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Uzbekistan further by developing more clean energy projects with them in future." Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said, "Today's event highlights the significant progress we have made, not only on this project but in helping the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan to achieve its clean-energy and climate change objectives. As a global leader in the development of utility-scale wind power, Masdar is proud to support Uzbekistan's low-carbon energy strategy, and to strengthen our partnership with the Government to drive sustainable development." Masdar entered into bilateral agreements with the Government of Uzbekistan last year to develop, build and operate the 500-megawatt (MW) wind farm project, its second utility-scale clean energy project in the country, and the largest wind farm in Central Asia. The project will attract foreign direct investment of more than US$600 million. Extending the capacity of the project, located in the Zarafshan district of the Navoi region, to as much as 1.5 GW will further help Uzbekistan achieve its objectives of adding up to 3 GW of wind energy and meeting 25 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources by the end of the decade. The 500 MW Zarafshan wind farm is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of 2024. At a capacity of 500 MW, the project would provide enough electricity to power 500,000 homes, while displacing 1.1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. Masdar signed the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and Investment Agreement for the Zarafshan wind farm with the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan and JSC National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan in June last year. Last December, Masdar announced financial close on the 100 MW Nur Navoi Solar Project  Uzbekistan's first successfully-financed independent power producer (IPP) solar project. Masdar signed a PPA and Government Support Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in November 2019 to design, finance, build and operate the solar plant. Masdar was announced as the winning bidder for the solar project after tendering the lowest tariff of 2.679 US cents per kilowatt hour in a competitive auction. In March 2019, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, attended an exchange of agreements, focused on the energy sector, between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Mubadala Investment Company. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1480254/Masdar.jpg

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Nigerian Doctors On Strike Over Pay, Inadequate Facilities

An indefinite strike by doctors has paralysed medical services at public hospitals in Nigeria, leaving hundreds of patients unattended. The National Association of Resident Doctors threatened to strike if the government failed to meet demands that include non-payment of allowances and lack of facilities at state-run hospitals. Doctors have been complaining at the lack of beds and drugs in hospitals and the inadequate protective kits. Other demands include life insurance coverage, a pay rise and payment of outstanding salaries. The doctors' union has previously called for work stoppages on similar issues, bringing activities in government hospitals to a grinding halt, before calling it off. Labour Minister Chris Ngige has appealed to doctors to consider the damage the strike would inflict to a health system already stressed by the novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari is in London for a "routine" medical check-up, with his critics enraged at his frequent trips abroad for medical treatment and the country's fragile health care system.
You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa at this link, or on any of your favorite app including Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Feel free to subscribe, follow or rate Today in Pa. as you see fit!

Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | April 2, 2021

A 29-year-old man was charged with the murder of a Lancaster County mother of six whom he fatally shot during a road-rage incident. The remains of a Beth Doe found near the Lehigh River in 1976 were at last identified, as was her murderer. The governors offices in the state Capitol got the green light to undergo a $1.5 million renovation. And three craft breweries in the state have been ranked amongst the nations best.

Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa, a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Claudia Dimuro. Today in Pa is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories pertaining to Pennsylvania that lets you know, indeed, whats happening today in Pa.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

If you enjoy Today in Pa, consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, wed like to know what you think about the program, too.
HARRISBURG  Former employees of a Harrisburg lobbyist are now atop the official staff and political fundraising arm of the Pennsylvania Senates Republican majority, further deepening the influence and ties of the lobbyists firms with decision-makers in the Capitol.

Within the past few weeks, Senate Republican leaders hired Cody Harbaugh, a onetime political strategist at Red Maverick Media, as executive director of the campaign committee that raises money for the chambers GOP candidates. Red Maverick is headed by Ray Zaborney, who with his wife runs a trio of companies known as The Mavericks that help elect public officials, then lobby them once they are in office.

Harbaughs hiring comes months after another one of Zaborneys lobbying partners, Krystjan Callahan, was brought on as chief of staff by the Senates top Republican, Jake Corman of Centre County. At the time, the move raised concerns in the Capitols political circles about whether Zaborney and his firms were gaining outsize influence with legislative Republicans. In Harrisburg, the GOP firmly controls both chambers and sets the policy agenda.

Its cozy. Its integrated, Christopher Borick, political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, said of Zaborneys ties to former Maverick employees now working in the public policy and campaign realms.

In an email, Zaborney rejected any suggestion that having former associates in key policy and fundraising positions would give his businesses, or his lobbying clients, an advantage.

He did note that, since taking the job with the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, Harbaugh has cut professional ties with Red Maverick. Harbaugh was still listed as an employee on the firms website until The Caucus and Spotlight PA questioned it earlier this week.

Harbaugh did not respond to emails and other requests for comment.

According to his online biography, Harbaugh worked for the state Republican party and ran political campaigns before joining Red Maverick Media in 2019.

Over the years, Red Maverick has grown to represent dozens of Republican campaigns both in and out of the state. In Pennsylvania, the firms marquee client is Corman, who just this year was elected by his peers to the state Senates top spot of president pro tempore.

Harbaugh previously confirmed to The Caucus and Spotlight PA that he was the executive director of a dark money nonprofit group, the Growth and Opportunity Fund, that Zaborney launched. Because of the way the group is organized under the federal tax code, it does not have to disclose its donors, and only makes public limited information about what it spends its money on or how that aligns with its agenda.

Corman helped raise money at an exclusive event in California last year for the Growth and Opportunity Fund, The Caucus and Spotlight PA reported. The event coincided with a campaign fundraiser, organized by one of the Maverick firms, that Corman was having at the same resort.

Neither Harbaugh nor the dark money groups president responded to questions about whether Harbaugh has left or intends to step down from his post with the fund. The last publicly available tax filing from the Growth and Opportunity Fund was for the 2018 calendar year.

Sen. Dave Argall, R-29, Rush Township, the Schuylkill County Republican who heads the SRCC, said in an interview that Harbaugh was hired by Senate GOP leaders some time in late January or early February. Although he said he did not know whether Harbaugh had given up other employment, he said being the SRCCs executive director is a full-time job.

As far as I know, this is all hes doing, said Argall, adding that Harbaugh brought considerable credentials to the job.

I know that hes been very responsive to me, whether I call him at 8 in the morning or 8 at night, Argall said.

The SRCC is a significant player in Pennsylvania fundraising circles. Between 2018 and 2020, it raised just shy of $10 million to bolster the GOPs majority in the Senate, according to campaign finance reports.

The Senates top leaders, Corman among them, along with the SRCCs executive director get to decide which campaigns to spend money on and how much each will receive. Harbaugh will now be a key player in that decision-making process.

Argall said favoritism does not and will continue to not play a role when making political calculations on which campaigns receive funding. There will be, he said, no special treatment at all, and any senator who is concerned should talk to me.

Still, the close relationships showcase the tangled nexus between politics, policy and campaign fundraising, perpetuated by the states weak lobbying and campaign disclosure rules, and little appetite among the legislative majority to prioritize changes.

One reform, touted by advocates as necessary to increase public confidence in government, would ban lobbyists like Zaborney from also operating as campaign consultants. Though there are only a handful of firms in Harrisburg that do both lobbying and campaign work, they run the lions share of Republican campaigns in both chambers.

Zaborneys Red Maverick, for instance, did work for at least 35 state legislative candidates in 2020, when all 203 seats in the House and half of the 50 seats in the Senate were up for grabs, campaign finance reports show. His lobbying firm, Maverick Strategies, represents 70 clients in industries like health care, gambling, liquor, cannabis and energy, according to lobbying disclosure reports.

The reform, introduced at least twice in as many legislative sessions, has never received a hearing.

(Sam Janesch of The Caucus contributed to this article.)
This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.

At 21, Daniel Laske was on the cusp of a career, one in which he planned to combine his devotion to medicine with his love of politics. He wasnt quite certain what that would look like. But he was studying political science at Hunter College in Manhattan and working as a medical assistant at a CityMD urgent care center in the Bronx, all with the goal of making the world a better place.

Mr. Laske tested positive for Covid-19 in February, his father, Darius Laske, said in a phone interview. This was surprising because Daniel, who had a condition that made him prone to infections, had been hyper-cautious about the coronavirus, so much so that he had always worn two masks. After falling ill, he told his family that he had only a slight fever and muscle fatigue. Not to worry, he said.

Daniel died the next day, on Feb. 26, at his mothers apartment in the Bronx. Though the medical examiner did not determine the official cause of death for some time, he told the family, Covid definitely had something to do with it, Darius Laske said.
James Franco

CLIFTON PARK - The Senior Services Committee of CAPTAIN Community Human Services will offer a remote program on journaling and memoir writing for senior citizens from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, April 14, 21 and 28.

The free class will be led by Janine DeTillo Cammarata who has more than 30 years of experience writing a personal journal.



The class will focus on journaling techniques to record daily events as well as creating memory threads to write a memoir. No experience is needed to participate.



Participants are limited to 12. Early registration is encouraged at Cammaratas website at www.janinedetilliocammarata.com.
Even so, Barbusca said he felt that the writers on Chad had captured a truthful depiction of an adults point of view on a teenage boy.

I think its as simple as them remembering how awful it was to be a teenager, he said.

Ryan, who is 17, said that the bluntly opportunistic ways that the Chad characters discussed the pursuit of popularity felt real to him. When I was 14, I can remember talking to people that way, he said.

During production, Ryan said that Pedrad  still in her Chad makeup and costume  would quiz him between takes to see if the teenage characters were coming across as authentic.

She would ask us if these were things that people my age would say and do, Ryan said. When they filmed a sequence in which Chad awkwardly tries to interrupt another boys attempt to flip a water bottle, Ryan said, She asked me, is bottle-flipping still in? I felt like it was.

Pedrad, from her perspective, saw her co-stars behavior differently, though in a way that Chad would probably understand.

When they would call cut, Pedrad said, they would begin  in an absolutely normal way, as 14-year-olds  to talk about things that I had no idea about. They were making references that I was immediately Googling so I could partake in the conversation.
The Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday advanced two bills that would allow Alabamians to have alcohol delivered to their homes.

The House approved S.B. 126, a bill that would allow licensed businesses to deliver sealed containers of beer, wine, and spirits to patrons homes. Lawmakers in the House also approved H.B. 437, which would allow wine manufacturers to ship their wine directly to residents in the state.

The House made amendments to S.B 126 in approving it by a 79 to 12 vote. The amendment clarifies language in the bill to specify that brewpubs, winemakers, and distilleries would also be included in the legislation. That bill now goes back to the Senate to consider the changes the House made.

In February, Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) introduced S.B. 126 and Rep. Gil Isbell (R-Gadsden) introduced a companion bill in the House.

Weeks later, the Alabama Brewers Guild proposed an amendment to the bill, claiming the legislations language excluded breweries and distilleries by using terms such as retail license and retailer (under state alcohol code, breweries, distilleries, and wineries have manufacturer licenses, not retail licenses). While the language was subtle and legalistic, it laid the ground for breweries, distilleries, and wineries to potentially be excluded from the bill, Dan Roberts, Government Affairs Manager for the Alabama Brewers Guild, explained in a statement to AL.com that month.

On February 24, the House Judiciary Committee amended the bill with language that would include breweries, distilleries, and wineries. The proposed amendment deleted phrases from the legislation such as a retail premises.

Thursday, on the House floor, Isbell tabled that House Judiciary amendment and introduced a new amendment that directly addressed manufacturers and brewpubs with off-premises retail privileges.

The amendment was about the distilleries and craft brewers, Isbell told Al.com in an interview Thursday afternoon. The amendment was that they would be able to have their product delivered within the limits approved by law.

The roadblocks were originally that it wasnt including craft beer, brewers, and distillers, Isbell added. And this just helps level the playing field and include almost everyone.

S.B. 126 has gone through some changes since it was introduced in February. Under the bill, as it stands now, qualified businesses would have to file an application with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and pay a non-refundable filing fee of $100 and a $250 license fee (The license fee was initially $1,000). Potential qualified businesses include grocery stores, independent package stores, wineries, distilleries, breweries, and restaurants.

The bill lists a number of restrictions for alcohol deliveries, depending on the beverage:

Beer delivery (with the exception of draft beer) may not exceed the equivalent of 120, 12-ounce containers of beer per customer in any single 24-hour period. Draft beer may be sold in accordance with board rules and may not exceed 288 ounces per customer in any single 24-hour period. Wine may be sold in any size container, provided the total amount delivered does not exceed 9,000 milliliters per customer in any single 24-hour period. Spirits may be sold in any size bottle, provided the total amount delivered does not exceed 9,000 milliliters per customer in any single 24-hour period. Restaurants, however, may not exceed 375 milliliters per customer in any single 24-hour period. All alcohol deliveries from restaurants would have to be accompanied by a meal.

If the bill passes, businesses would be limited to a 75-mile delivery radius.

While lawmakers on Thursday didnt do much debating on the House floor, House members did have questions about the bills logistics and potential safety issues. During the session, Isbell explained provisions in the bill that would set up rules to prevent the delivery of alcohol to minors: Customers ordering alcohol would have to provide a valid I.D. to businesses, and an adult over 21 would be required to sign for the alcohol delivery. During discussion, Isbell also confirmed to Rep. Allen Farley (R- Jefferson County) that delivery drivers would be required to have scanning technology to verify the validity of I.Ds.

Under S.B. 126, businesses could use either their employees or independent contractors to deliver alcohol. In order to deliver alcohol, drivers must be 21 and have a valid drivers license. Potential delivery drivers must also undergo a background check and an ABC-approved training program for certification.

Isbell told AL.com hes hopeful the bill will make it through the Senate, especially given the lessons lawmakers learned last year after the ABC issued an emergency order authorizing restaurants and bars to sell bottles of alcohol to-go as a way to help businesses stay afloat amid the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the state mandated Stay-at-Home order. Craft breweries in Alabama also pushed for home delivery during the last years shutdown.

The bottom line of the bill, says Isbell, is about convenience for the citizens of Alabama.

In alcohol, you always have risks of certain things. A person asked would this contribute to alcoholism? I said, I dont know what answer, said Isbell. But if people want to go buy things, they can go buy it now at the store. And I think we learned a lot with the COVID experience. [That] convenience is very important.

Attorney James Pittman of Alcoholic Beverage Consultants, LLC in Daphne says he has been involved in workshopping the bills language. His alcohol licensing and regulatory practice includes a number of clients from national chains to independent retailers and breweries. He says while he understands concerns about minors potentially gaining easy access to alcohol if the bill is passed, potential licensees would take liability very seriously.

I think the way the bill is written, and the way my clients structure their systems are very secure and go above and beyond what Alabama laws require from carding and verification of age, Pittman told Al.com in early March. The person placing the order has to clear security benchmarks beyond a shadow of doubt that they are of age to purchase the alcohol.

A number of companies that already deliver alcohol in other states have their eyes on S.B. 126 as it progresses through the Alabama legislature. In a statement to AL.com, an Instacart representative said the companys potential expansion of alcohol delivery in Alabama will depend on how the state enacts the necessary regulations. The company already requires all shoppers to take mandatory alcohol compliance training before being cleared to deliver alcohol.

Birmingham-based Shipt requires its shoppers to pass an Alcohol Certification Course which educates shoppers on acceptable forms of ID, how to determine if a person is intoxicated, and what they should do if they feel uncomfortable about making a delivery. Shipt also uses ID scanning software in its Shipt Shopper app.

We appreciate both the Alabama House and Senate for supporting a clear set of rules that will help ensure safe alcohol deliveries to homes throughout the state, Shipt spokesperson Evangeline George said in a statement regarding the House passage of S.B. 126. Weve heard consistently from customers across Alabama how much they value getting groceries and household essentials they need delivered by Shipt  but that theyd like the option of having alcohol along with the rest of their order. This legislation brings that convenience one step closer.

The potential passage of S.B. 126 would also open the doors for alcohol e-commerce platforms such as Drizly to enter the market in Alabama.

Attorney Jaci Flug, General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Drizly, has been tracking movements toward alcohol home delivery legislation in Alabama since 2018. After S.B. 126 was introduced this year, Flug wrote a letter to lawmakers asking for amendments to increase the amount of alcohol licensees would be permitted to deliver.

She says Drizlys business increased over 350% last year when states started to shut down in March during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nationally, with the onset of COVID, theres been an increase in demand for delivery of alcoholic beverages. When COVID began, every state except Pennsylvania deemed alcohol retailers essential business, said Flug. So, the awareness that alcohol could be delivered was certainly increased due to COVID and everybody being at home.

S.B. 126 will head back to the Senate.

H.B. 437 is sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins ( R-Decatur). Under current state law, producers of alcoholic beverages may only sell their products to distributors and wholesalers. They can only sell directly to consumers in limited quantities at their licensed premises. Patrons may order alcohol directly from manufacturers, but the beverages must be delivered to an ABC store for pickup.

Under Collins bill, wine manufacturers would be able to apply for a wine direct shipper license from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to ship their products directly to Alabama residents who are at least 21 years old. Manufacturers would have to pay a filing fee of $200, as well as an annual license fee of $100.

The bill heads to Senate committee.

RELATED:

Instacart launches same-day alcohol pickup in Alabama in partnership with Publix and ALDI
"The remobilization of the project that was envisaged at the beginning of the week is obviously now suspended," Total said In a statement Saturday (27 Mar) "Total has decided to reduce to a strict minimum level the workforce on the Afungi site."

It said nothing about conditions for return, saying only "Total trusts the Government of Mozambique whose public security forces are currently working to take back the control of the area." This is a polite way of saying that government has to sort out better security before Total will consider returning. That means bringing the Mozambican army up to scratch, or hiring a mercenary army.

Insurgents still in control

As of Monday morning, it appeared that insurgents were still in control of much of the largely empty town of Palma, and skirmishes continue. In the past, in their first attack insurgents have not tried to hold district capitals, and after causing death and damage have drifted away. This will probably happen in Palma in coming days.

There is still no mobile telephone communication, so reports remain confused, coming from people with satellite phones and or who have reached Pemba. It is widely estimated that at least 50 people have been killed.

Fighters came into Palma over several days, some dressed in military and police uniforms, and stayed in supporters' houses. Other groups came from outside on Wednesday (4 Mar) and Thursday. Three attacks started at 4 pm local time on Wednesday, and they met little resistance. This is the same pattern that was followed in the attacks on Mocimboa da Praia.

Government infrastructure in the town was targeted in a systematic manner, with the local police station and military base overrun and destroyed, while at least two banks were raided. (Guardian, London, MediaFax 29 Mar) Lionel Dyke of the private military company Dyke Advisory Group (DAG) told the BBC (29 Mar) that on the first day insurgents went from house to house killing selected people, and It was initially not indiscriminate killing. But there were attacks on road traffic, including food lorries, which also affected evacuation.

The property company African Century which runs Palma Residences and Business Park evacuated on Saturday 19 staff and 4 customers "under heavy fire". The Amarula hotel came under siege on Thursday but was initially not attacked. On Friday (not Saturday as stated in the last bulletin) a convoy tried to break out and reach the beach, but was attacked and 7 people were killed. Some others in the compound were rescued by DAG helicopters; others fled on foot to the beach or into the forest. There are totally contradictory reports, some saying no one who remained in the Amarula hotel was killed, and others saying there was an eventual attack and deaths.

Initially rescue operations were unorganised and done by local people. On the day of the attack many local boats - including sailing dhows - took people to nearby islands or to Tanzania, which is closer than Pemba.

DAG helicopters rescued 300 people, Dyke said. Police, army, air force and Total became involved later. People were taken to the beach or to the Total installation on the nearby Afungi peninsula, from which commercial flights were going to Pemba.

Dyke says that the insurgents were using weapons captured from raids on army and police in recent months. But with one exception. For the first time they appeared to using mortars, not used by he Mozambique army, and Dyke suggests they probably came from Tanzania.

Warnings but no plans for Palma



Palma has been under siege from several months, with access roads cut. and growing food shortages. Mocimboa da Praia had been cut off in the same way before it was attacked. Thus Palma was an obvious target. In the rainy season it is difficult for everyone to move about, including insurgents. The end of the rains - now - is called the fighting season, and the insurgents attacked Palma.

There seems to have been no military plan to repulse the attack. The large military force inside the Total construction zone to protect it remained there to protect workers and not to repel the attack, only moving outside the Total zone on Sunday. There was some fighting from Thursday, but the insurgents appear to have taken control of Palma without major opposition.

SISE is so preoccupied with pursuing and controlling those who disagree with the government that it has had no time to penetrate the insurgents, and thus the security service SISE was again surprised by the attack, commented Adriano Nuvunga, director of CDD (Centre for Democracy and Development).

Total evacuates staff but takes no responsibility for contractors



Total quickly hired a large ferry in Tanzania which overnight Saturday/Sunday took 1200 Total workers to Pemba. The photo shows the arrival.

"Totals absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who work on the project. Total confirms there are no victims among the staff employed on the site of the project in Afungi," it said Saturday. That makes a key distinction.

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Much of the support work is done by contractors, subcontractors, and private businesses like the Amarula Hotel and the man reported missing who was organising a camp to 2000 contract workers. All are in Palma, outside the Afungi fence, and are not Total staff on the site. Some are foreign, but many are Mozambicans from outside Cabo Delgado.

The raid on Palma made clear that there were no plans or systems to evacuate contract staff in the event of an attack, and Total only took responsibility only for their own staff. There were social media reports (unconfirmed) about Total initially not allowing some contract staff into the Afungi secure zone. DAG helicopter rescues were curtailed because Total has a policy against supplying fuel to private military companies.

So contract workers and companies were left on their own - and are angry. They feel Total had some responsibility to them.

ISIS claimed credit for the attack, in a very general 28 March statement. In a statement issued on official media channels, ISIS claimed insurgents killed more than 55 members of local security forces and Christians, including those from Crusader nations, and destroyed official buildings and banks. The statement is very general and seems based on media reports.
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu says he was still fully in charge of the minority caucus.

He said despite the suggestions that the Minority in Parliament was in a crisis, he was still fulling in charge.



This follows the resignation of the Member of Parliament (MP) from North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa from the Appointments Committee of Parliament and the breaking of ranks by the Bolgatanga Central MP, Isaac Adongo who disagrees with the approval of Mr Ken Ofori-Atta as Minister of Finance by the minority caucus.



At a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Iddrisu said is caucus will sail through the "storm."



"The parliament organ [minority] led by me currently will do what is needful to work in tandem with the party to hold the Nana Akufo-Addo government accountable and to lead the party into victory into 2024.



Whatever storm it is, we will weather it. I'm fully in charge, I'm Minority Leader this morning [and] I've just engaged with the party leadership and council of elders, no further comment on someone resigning or not."



Following the Parliamentary approval of all 46 ministerial nominees by President Akufo-Addo in his second term, the Minority in Parliament has come under a public verbal attack by some members of the NDC.



The Minority has been accused of not scrutinizing the nominees enough and rejecting their nominations contrary to what they had publicly declared about the said nominees.



This has resulted in a number of reactions including the resignation of the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa from the Appointments Committee of Parliament.



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Mr Ablakwa in his resignation letter dated March 30, 2021 and addressed to the Speaker of Parliament said he would want to discontinue his membership of the Appointments Committee after days of careful reflection and thoughtful considerations.



A copy of the letter seen by Graphic Online reads: This is to formally convey my decision to discontinue my membership of the Appointments Committee after days of careful reflection and thoughtful consideration, he stated. In the letter, Mr Ablakwa explained that the reasons for the decision to step down had been a difficult one, stopping short to shed light on what might have informed his decision. I shall like to state that the reasons for this is difficult and that the decision is both personal and on principle.



Respectfully, ... my resignation is with immediate effect and therefore I shall not be available for the vetting of the nominees for deputy ministerial positions, the letter read.







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 'A-Train Ripper' who was arrested covered in blood after going on a subway stabbing spree was indicted in New York Supreme Court on Thursday on two murder charges and two assault charges.

Rigoberto Lopez, 21, had previously confessed when he was arrested for the deadly slashings which happened over the course of 14 hours beginning on February 12 along the A line of the subway system in New York City.

During the court hearing, Lopez appeared before Judge Laura Ward and sat with his head down - never looking up - as he was surrounded by his two lawyers and a Spanish interpreter.

When asked how he pleaded to his charges, Lopez remained silent.

The court and his lawyers agreed to a '730' mental health evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial - a process that usually takes a couple of weeks before completion.

The A-Train Ripper, who was arrested covered in blood after going on a subway stabbing spree, was indicted in New York Supreme Court on Thursday

Rigoberto Lopez (pictured), 21, who is allegedly mentally ill, was charged with murder and assault after confessing to the attacks

Rigoberto Lopez, 21, appeared in court for two murder charges and two assault charges

During the court hearing, Lopez appeared before Judge Laura Ward and sat with his head down - never looking up

When asked how he pleaded to his charges, Lopez remained silent during his indictment on Thursday

A lawyer for Lopez also asked the court to modify an order of protection that would allow his father to appear in the courtroom during future proceedings concerning his son. He was not present on Thursday because of the court order.

Judge Ward granted the request and remanded Lopez back to jail while he wore a bright orange jumpsuit with a Department of Corrections stamp on the back.

Lopez had been arrested while covered in blood at W. 186th St and Audubon Avenue in Washington Heights - just blocks from where the rampage began, according to the New York Daily News.

The court and his lawyers agreed to a '730' mental health evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial

A lawyer for Lopez also asked the court to modify an order of protection that would allow his father to appear in the courtroom

Judge Ward granted the request and remanded Lopez back to jail while he wore a bright orange jumpsuit with a Department of Corrections stamp on the back

Police sources said Lopez, who is allegedly mentally ill, confessed to all of the attacks and released an image of the knife on Twitter at the time, saying: 'The suspect was found with this knife at the time of arrest which he used on the vulnerable.'

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said that a 'surge' of 500 additional cops for the department's Transit Bureau were immediately deployed across the city after the attacks started.

During a news conference announcing the initial arrest, police told reporters that the violent stabbing spree started at around 11:20am on February 12.

That's when a 67-year-old man was stabbed by an assailant at the 181st Street A-line subway station.

The victim, who survived, told cops that his attacker had shouted 'I am going to kill you' before he was stabbed in the right knee and left buttock, the New York Post reported.

The next attack took place before midnight, when authorities found a man stabbed to death in his seat on the A train at the Mott Avenue station in Far Rockaway, Queens.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene of stab wounds to his neck and torso.

Just two hours later, a 44-year-old was found unconscious after she was stabbed while riding the A train at the 207th Street Station in Upper Manhattan.

Police are seen on the A line subway train bound to Inwood on Saturday looking for the subway slasher

Police released an image of the knife, saying: 'The suspect was found with this knife at the time of arrest which he used on the vulnerable.'

The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

And minutes after that, a 43-year-old man was stabbed at the A subway station on West 181st Street in Manhattan. He was rushed to hospital where he recovered.

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an uptick in violent incidents inside the largely desolate subway stations as ridership has plummeted due to fears of getting infected.

Transit workers have been demanding that the 24-hour subway schedule be resumed after several reported being assaulted during the overnight hours when trains are shut down for COVID-19 cleanings.

The union representing Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers who operate the city's public buses and subways are assaulted, harassed, spit upon, and in severe cases nearly killed by assailants in largely empty stations.

In November, the New York Police Department said that it would add around 200 cops on its patrols of subway stations after a series of disturbing incidents.
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Jharana Kandel, a media student in Kathmandu, was terrified after her friend forwarded an audio message on her Messenger account on March 20, 2020. Why wouldnt she be? At a time when Nepal did not have any active Covid-19 cases and the infection was considered a stigma, she was told that Nepal already had six positive cases but the government was hiding them owning to its failure to control the chaos after the revelation.

I was so scared that I kept washing my hands and sanitising them repeatedly and forced my parents and siblings to do so, Kandel remembers, But, I dont want to remember that day.

The next day, Kandel came across a fact-checking post on Mysansar, a popular blog published by journalist Umesh Shrestha alias Salokya, to find that the audio she received was fake. It was such a relief, Kandel says.

As the Covid-19 pandemic tightened its grip in Nepal, fake news and false information spread as another equally big epidemic through the past year. Kandel says this was the time when she remembered the need for fact-checking institutions in the country.

Then, Kandel tried to learn more about the fact-checking institutions and found that there were only two such organisations dedicated to fact-checking in Nepal. As the world celebrates the International Fact-Checking Day today (April 2), Kandel feels this is insufficient and there need to be more fact-checkers in the countrys media industry.

Other media consumers, media practitioners and observers, and fact-checkers alike agree with Kandel about the need for a stronger fact-checking culture in Nepal. However, they are not sure if the Nepali media industry is ready to sustain the fact-checking industry.

Fact-checking in Nepal and the world

As the Covid-19 pandemic tightened its grip in Nepal, fake news and false information spread as another equally big epidemic through the past year. Photo: UN Covid-19 response

Ghamaraj Luitel, a media educator at the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication in Tribhuvan University, views that there had been a lack of fact-checking culture in Nepal and the Covid-19 pandemic exposed it quite widely.

According to Deepak Adhikari, the editor of South Asia Check, a fact-checking website of Nepal, big international media houses like The New York Times and The Washington Post have their own fact-checking units, adding it is high time Nepali media also adopted this culture.

Besides media houses fact-checkers, many independent organisations such as PolitiFact (the USA), Alt News, Boom Live (India) and Africa Check (South Africa) are working actively to debunk the fake and misleading information in different parts of the world, according to Adhikari.

He stresses if Nepali media invest in fact-checking from establishing a fact-checking department to hiring human resources and training them, this will make their editing process stronger and add to their credibility, which he says is the greatest wealth of any media.

But, I have not seen any investment being made by Nepali media organisations in these crucial sectors.

Umesh Shrestha, the editor of Nepal Fact Check, agrees and says, This practice has not started in Nepal.

South Asia Check (2015) and Nepal Fact Check (2020) are the only two institutions dedicated to fact-checking media contents in Nepal.

But, around the world, fact-checking is in an emerging and evolving phase till today, Adhikari says, Lately, the importance of fact-checking grew significantly after Donald Trump was elected the US president and began making fake and misleading claims in his speech.

Bigger need

As Trumps claims yielded a need for fact-checking in the US, several recent developments in social and political spheres did so in Nepal, according to Adhikari and Shrestha. Further, Luitel adds, There is the need for fact-checking not only in the media but also in every sector such as academia and politics.

Photo: Sigmund on Unsplash

The use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for obtaining information has escalated of late, Adhikari says, Not only information but a lot of misinformation is also being catered through social media.

This is also revealed by the Nepal Twitter Users Survey conducted by the Centre for Media Research-Nepal in 2019 as it found that 95 per cent of Nepali internet users are exposed to disinformation.

Adhikari, hence, explains, We fact-check such content and cater fact-based information accordingly. We debunk fake and misleading information. Therefore, the significance of our work has increased.

Especially in times of elections, disasters, and epidemics like Covid-19, various fake and misleading contents and photos go viral impacting thousands of lives, Adhikari observes, adding, such times have raised the importance of fact-checking.

Questions on sustainability

As the significance of fact-checking has gradually risen, Adhikari believes that fact-checking has a good future. However, he says that there still lies a big question on its sustainability.

Shrestha agrees and says the future of fact-checking is not that bright in Nepal as many people do not have an idea of what it is and how it is done as it is a technical issue. Likewise, in his experience, fact-checked contents have reached way fewer people than false or fake viral contents did, and also at a much slower pace.

Regarding its economic sustainability, the nature of fact-checking is different; it is not of business nature, he says, It is done for catering awareness. Fact-checking organisations cannot run like news portals by earning from advertisements. If they get ads, the question of impartiality arises there.

But, Luitel thinks such organisations can sustain themselves by generating income from advertisement, meanwhile, without compromising on their editorial policy. He states, It is not sure that funds will always be available for such organisations.

However, both the fact-checking organisations currently operating in Nepal are run on grants.

Adhikari says, We [South Asia Check] are operated with the funds given by Open Society Foundation. Once the funds stop, it will be difficult for us to sustain. However, we have taken this as a movement to establish and promote fact-checking culture in Nepal and encouraging media houses to establish fact-checking units.

Adhikari views that for fact-checking to operate economically, it has to be owned by the media organisations. They should fact-check their own work and also can cross-check other viral contents, he suggests.

For independent fact-checking organisations, some other ways to be sustainable can be generating revenues by giving training to journalists and others about fact-checking as well as reviewing various reports and books for different organisations.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Encompass Health Corp. (NYSE: EHC) today announced that April Anthony has decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer, Home Health and Hospice, effective mid-June 2021.

"Throughout our more than six years working together, April has provided outstanding leadership to the home health and hospice business," said President and Chief Executive Officer of Encompass Health Mark Tarr. "Together, we have grown this segment's revenue from approximately $400 million to $1.1 billion and substantially increased the geographical footprint of our services. We thank April for her innumerable contributions, which will have a lasting positive impact."

Ms. Anthony commented, "It's been my honor to lead Encompass Health's home health and hospice segment, and I am proud of what we have accomplished. We have developed a premier network of nurses, therapists, social workers and home health aides across the country and have set a new industry standard for providing high-quality, cost-effective integrated care. With our culture, talented workforce and technology in place to deliver superior clinical outcomes, the division is poised for ongoing success, and now is the right time for me to step aside. I look forward to working together over the coming months to achieve a successful transition."

Mr. Tarr said, "Our home health and hospice business is positioned to meet the demands of an aging population that has a strong and increasing preference for in-home care. Our search process to identify a successor is underway, and we have a strong foundation in place to aid in this transition. As we continue our review of strategic alternatives for our home health and hospice business, we will maintain our focus on operational excellence."

The Encompass Health board of director's review of strategic alternatives for the home health and hospice business, announced on Dec. 9, 2020, remains ongoing. No timetable has been established for the completion of the strategic review, and the Company does not intend to disclose further developments with respect to its strategic review process, unless and until its Board approves a specific transaction or action, or otherwise concludes the strategic review.

About Encompass Health

As a national leader in integrated healthcare services, Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) offers both facilitybased and homebased patient care through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, home health agencies and hospice agencies. With a national footprint that includes 138 hospitals, 241 home health locations, and 82 hospice locations in 39 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides highquality, cost-effective integrated healthcare. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, Twitter and Facebook.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release which are not historical facts, such as those relating to management succession efforts, the ongoing strategic review and its impact on Encompass Health's business and stockholder value, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, Encompass Health, through its senior management, may from time to time make forward-looking public statements concerning the matters described herein. All such estimates, projections, and forward-looking information speak only as of the date hereof, and Encompass Health undertakes no duty to publicly update or revise such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties about Encompass Health's exploration of strategic alternatives for its home health and hospice business, including the potential benefits and timing thereof, and about the prospects and potential opportunities for its home health and hospice business after the review and management succession. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the possibility that Encompass Health may not be able to realize higher values for its home health and hospice business through strategic transactions and therefore retains its current corporate and business structure; the possibility that Encompass Health may decide not to undertake a transaction following the review of strategic alternatives or that it is not able to consummate any proposed transactions resulting from the review due to, among other things, market, regulatory and other factors; the potential for disruption to Encompass Health's business resulting from the review of strategic alternatives or the undertaking of any transactions following the review; Encompass Health's ability to attract and retain key management personnel; any potential adverse effects on Encompass Health's stock price resulting from the announcement of the strategic review or the results thereof, and, with regard to the prospects and potential opportunities for, and Encompass Health's ability to enhance the value of its home health and hospice business, the uncertainties and variables inherent in business operating and financial performance, including, among other things, competitive and regulatory developments and general economic, political, business, industry, regulatory and market conditions. Additional risks and uncertainties are set forth in Encompass Health's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and in other documents Encompass Health previously filed with the SEC, many of which are beyond Encompass Health's control and may cause actual events or results to differ materially from the views, beliefs, and estimates expressed herein.

As such, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the estimates, projections and other forward-looking information in this press release, and a potential transaction and its effects as contemplated in this press release may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

Encompass Health Contacts:

Media: Casey Lassiter| 205 970-5912

[email protected]

Investor Relations: Crissy Carlisle | 205 970-5860

[email protected]

SOURCE Encompass Health Corp.

Related Links

http://www.encompasshealth.com


By Rich McKay and Sebastien Malo

ATLANTA (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Georgia in ending its eight-year battle with Florida over water that runs through Atlanta's thirsty metro region and downstream past cotton and peanut fields to Apalachicola Bay and its depleted oyster fisheries.

The high court tossed out claims by Florida that Georgia is using too much water from the Chattahoochee River, a tributary of the Apalachicola River basin downstream, driving up salinity levels in the estuary it feeds and causing the once-rich oyster population there to collapse.

In the eyes Michael Dasher, a fourth-generation Florida oysterman counting on a different outcome in legal bids to wrestle back more freshwater supplies for his vanishing way of life, it's over.

"We thought the court would finally do what's right and help us out, send more water," said Dasher, 54. "We know Atlanta and them all in Georgia need it too, but they've about run the river dry. This is pretty much the end for us."

In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the court ruled that Florida did not prove that its proposed water diversion caps on Georgia were warranted, given the balance between the needs of Georgia's population and agricultural needs versus the needs of Florida. Nor did the court accept that water depletion was the cause of the Florida's declining oyster beds.

Georgia has argued over-harvesting by its southern neighbor in recent years and a 2012 drought were to blame for the oyster crash.

Florida had also neglected to "reshell" its oyster bars, a management practice that gives young oysters greater habitat, the justices wrote.

A spokesman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection was not immediately available to comment, but the agency has said that it had hoped the court would restore the historic flows of the Apalachicola River.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp touted the court win as a "resounding victory for Georgia and a vindication of years-long effort by multiple governors and attorneys general here in the Peach State to protect our citizens' water rights."

Story continues

According to federal precedent dating back 100 years, both states have a claim to a share of the water in question, but it's "not a 50-50 split," Santa Fe attorney and water rights expert John Draper, previously told Reuters.

Thursday's ruling was not unexpected, given that a state water rights expert named "special master" in the case by the high court, had recommended that the justices side with Georgia.

Georgia officials and farmers say they are already conserving more water than ever. The Atlanta Regional Commission said the nine-county greater metropolitan area around the state capital now uses 10% less water than it did 20 years ago, even though the population has climbed by 1.2 million.

Katie Byrd, a spokeswoman with the office of Georgia's attorney general, said the ruling "affirmed what we have long known to be true: Georgia's water use has been fair and reasonable."

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Sebastien Malo in New York; Editing by Steve Gorman and Grant McCool)
Butchers in the Wenchi Municipality of the Bono Region have expressed concern about the poor sanitary conditions at the Wenchi slaughterhouse.



They said the condition at the Boadan slaughterhouse was a serious public health threat and appealed to the government to rehabilitate the facility to prevent the outbreak of diseases.



During a visit, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) noticed the butchers slaughtered and dressed animals on the floor.



Only a cleaner engaged by the assembly worked around the entire facility.



The drainage system around the facility is poor and the only manhole that collected liquid waste is full of debris.



In an interview with the GNA, Alhaji Seidu Mamudu, the Wenchi Municipal Chief Butcher, said persistent appeals were made to the Municipal Assembly to rehabilitate the facility but to no avail.



He expressed fear that the unhygienic condition could trigger the outbreak of communicable diseases if the deplorable conditions were not addressed.



"The situation is very bad and a serious public health hazard. It is very difficult now to collect revenue from the butchers because many of them have resolved not to pay until the facility is renovated," Mr Simon Gameli Kusorgbor, the Acting Wenchi Municipal Veterinary Officer, told the GNA.



He said revenue generated from the facility fell to about 50 percent and appealed to the Municipal Assembly to address the problem.



"The slaughterhouse is not conducive for slaughtering animals for human consumption," he said, adding that despite the unhygienic condition, butchers from parts of Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions used the facility.



When contacted, Dr Prince Kwakye Afriyie, the Wenchi Municipal Chief Executive, said the Assembly was working to address the situation.



He said the butchers had failed to relocate to a new site despite several engagements with them.



Until the butchers relocate, it would be difficult to carry out any major rehabilitation work, Dr Afriyie said.



Meanwhile, residents had complained about the situation and appealed to the assembly to relocate the butchers.



They said they were uncomfortable with the stench that emanated from the slaughter house, particularly during the rainy season.



Some of the residents told the GNA on condition of anonymity that during the wet season, liquid and waste materials from the facility flooded parts of the Boadan community due to poor drainage systems.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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New Delhi: Dismissing Chinese claim to appoint the next Dalai Lama, President of the Tibetan Government in Exile said on Friday (April 2) that Tibetans have "copy right" over reincarnation, but Beijing is planning to have a "duplicate" copy.

Lobsang Sangay, Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration (Tibetan Government in Exile), said, "Communist Party of China has zero credibility, as far as reincarnation is concerned. The Communist Party believes in atheism. They say religion is poison, why do they want to interfere in our internal affairs."

Responding to a question from Zee Media in an event, Sangay, who is the political successor to Dalai Lama, explained, "for almost thousand years, we the Tibetans have selected our own reincarnate Lamas, including the Dalai Lamas. So we have the patent and copyright over reincarnation. So we are the original and Chinese will have a duplicate. Original original hota hai, duplicate, duplicate."

Keen to increase its influence on Buddhism, China has stated that it will appoint the next Dalai Lama, the 15th in the line of succession. The current Dalai Lama is the 14th one and had to leave Tibet in 1959 after the region was occupied by the Communist regime.

Asked if China could do a repetition of Galwan or Doklam incident, he said, "very likely, 60 years ago after they occupied Tibet, they said, once we occupy Tibet as the palm, they will come after 5 fingers right. What you saw in Doklam, is one of the 5 fingers. What you saw in Galwan is one of the 5 fingers, these kinds of incursions will continue. Chinese govt policy is expansionist, therefore, such incidents will keep happening"

The 2020 Galwan incident witnessed the death of 20 Indian soldiers at the Line Of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh due to aggressive Chinese action. In 2017, China tried to occupied Bhutanese territories in Doklam but was stopped by Indian forces.

Live TV
Two policemen are accused of luring a 17-year-old girl they met at a train station into a hotel and attempting to rape her.

James Delinicolis, 29, allegedly met the girl on duty while she was waiting for a bus in her school uniform in southwest Sydney in March 2020.

Days later he invited her to the hotel room and one they were there he allegedly attempted to rape her while Angelo Dellosa, 30, held her down.

James Delinicolis, 29, (left) and Angelo Dellosa, 30, (right) were arrested and charged following the alleged incident in southwest Sydney in March 2020

The pair face five charges including attempted rape, misconduct in public office and three counts of recording an intimate image without consent.

The pair initially denied the charges in August when they were granted bail, but on Thursday their lawyer indicated this may change.

Lawyer Yashvi Shah told Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court the matter could be settled without a trial.

'There are serious talks of perhaps having this matter finalised by way of sentence, as opposed to going to trial,' he said.

He said lawyers have been locked in negotiations with prosecutors to finalise their clients' cases, The Australian reported.

Lawyer Yashvi Shah told Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday the matter could be settled without a trial (pictured, Delinicolis leaving court on Thursday)

The court adjourned the matter until May 13.

Delinicolis, who was waiting outside the courtroom, left without providing further comment to reporters.

The court previously heard that after arranging to meet the girl at the Ramada Hotel in Cabramatta on March 13, Delincolis allegedly tried anally rape the girl while co-accused Dellosa pinned her down.

Crown Prosecutor Sally Stuart told the court it was a clear the teenager did not consent.

'She made it extremely clear and said no several times and was held down against her will by the co-accused (Dellosa),' she said.

Detectives alleged the pair, who were working out of the Bankstown Police Transport Command, filmed the encounter so they could watch it later.

Dellosa's (pictured) legal team was only accused of being involved towards the end of the alleged encounter

Delinicolis' lawyer Phillip Strickland SC in August argued the encounter was consensual.

'At the hotel when the intercourse occurred there were sexual acts done consensually before the alleged offence and after the alleged offence,' he said.

Dellosa's legal team argued his alleged involvement was significantly less serious, and he had not invite the girl back to the hotel.

He said Dellosa was only accused of being involved towards the end of the alleged encounter.

Magistrate Margaret Quinn warned the officers a guilty verdict would bring a significant penalty.

'I can't say that's a weak case at all, it may well come under challenge to consent issues, but I can't say it's a weak case,' she said.
MUSKEGON, MI  Muskegon County residents who want a COVID-19 vaccination should soon not have to wait much longer than a week to make an appointment, according to the public health director.

Starting on Monday, April 5, statewide eligibility for the vaccine expands to all individuals age 16 and older.

With vaccine flowing into the county on a regular, reliable basis, providers are now willing to schedule appointments several weeks out, said Kathy Moore, director of Public Health  Muskegon County.

Previously, they were hesitant to schedule much more than a week ahead of time because of uncertainty about vaccine availability, she said.

I feel very comfortable that we are getting an adequate supply, Moore said.

Related: Demand for COVID vaccine among young Muskegon residents ramps up as eligibility approaches

The website vaccinatewestmi.org has links to vaccination sign-ups for many West Michigan providers. In Muskegon County, Mercy Health, Meijer and the health department have become the primary providers.

Those who need assistance registering can call 211 for help.

Adults willing to travel may want to check for appointments at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, where mass vaccination clinics have been held almost daily. Those clinics have already expanded eligibility to everyone over age 16.

Hackley Community Care and Muskegon Family Care health clinics in Muskegon Heights also are receiving vaccine and are vaccinating their patients, Moore said.

The Muskegon County health department will soon start taking vaccine into manufacturing facilities to hold vaccination clinics for employees, Moore said.

Though eligibility expands on Monday, priority is still being given to people who are 60 and older, Moore said. Any walk-in clinics the county health department holds in the future will include special express waiting lines for older residents, she said.

Nearly 37 percent of Muskegon County residents have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to state numbers.

Also on MLive:

I want to do my part, says recipient of 100,000th COVID-19 vaccine dose at DeVos Place clinic

Ferris State University getting nearly 2,500 COVID-19 vaccine doses for students, staff

Michigan coronavirus data for Friday, April 2: Sanilac, Huron, Oscoda lead 13 counties over 20% test positivity
A highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant was unknowingly spreading for months in the United States by October 2020, according to a new study from researchers with The University of Texas at Austin COVID-19 Modeling Consortium.

Scientists first discovered it in early December in the United Kingdom, where the highly contagious and more lethal variant is thought to have originated. The journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, which has published an early-release version of the study, provides evidence that the coronavirus variant B117 (501Y) had spread across the globe undetected for months when scientists discovered it.

"By the time we learned about the U.K. variant in December, it was already silently spreading across the globe," said Lauren Ancel Meyers, the director of the COVID-19 Modeling Consortium at The University of Texas at Austin and a professor of integrative biology. "We estimate that the B117 variant probably arrived in the U.S. by October of 2020, two months before we knew it existed."

Analyzing data from 15 countries, researchers estimated the chance that travelers from the U.K. introduced the variant into 15 countries between Sept. 22 and Dec. 7, 2020. They found that the virus variant had almost certainly arrived in all 15 countries by mid-November. In the U.S., the variant probably had arrived by mid-October.

"This study highlights the importance of laboratory surveillance," Meyers said. "Rapid and extensive sequencing of virus samples is critical for early detection and tracking of new variants of concern."

In conjunction with the paper's publication, consortium members developed a new tool that decision-makers anywhere in the United States can use in planning for genetic sequencing that helps to detect the presence of variants.

To help the U.S. expand national surveillance of variants, the new online calculator indicates the number of virus samples that must be sequenced in order to detect new variants when they first emerge. For example, if the goal is to detect an emerging variant by the time it is causing 1 out of every 1,000 new COVID-19 infections, approximately 3,000 SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens per week need to be sequenced.

Health officials are looking for better ways to manage the unpredictability of this virus and future variants. Our new calculator determines how many positive SARS-CoV-2 specimens must be sequenced to ensure that new threats are identified as soon as they start spreading." Spencer Woody, Postdoctoral Fellow, UT COVID-19 Modeling Consortium

He explained that the calculator has a second feature. "It also helps labs figure out how quickly they will detect new variants, given their current sequencing capacity."

"We created this tool to support federal, state and local health officials in building credible early warning systems for this and future pandemic threats," Meyers said.
Sarm Heslop was reported missing in the early hours of 8 March (Reuters)

British police have joined the investigation into the disappearance of a woman reported missing from a yacht in the US Virgin Islands more than three weeks ago.

Sarm Heslop, 41, from Southampton, had been staying on the Siren Song, a catamaran her friends say is owned and operated by her American boyfriend Ryan Bane, moored off the coast of Saint John.

Ms Heslop was last seen having dinner with Mr Bane at a restaurant on St John island.

Mr Bane reported her missing in the early hours of 8 March, telling police he had woken up to find his girlfriend gone.

The FBI is also assisting the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) investigation and searches continue on St John and nearby St Thomas.

Read more:

Ms Heslops family say they are becoming increasingly concerned for her and have expressed their gratitude for those helping the search.

They said they were grateful that the local community was continuing to search for her.

It is now over three weeks since Sarm went missing, 25 days in which we get more and more concerned as we wait for news, the family said.

We know that the Virgin Islands Police Department is doing as much as possible and we are pleased that Hampshire Police is also assisting their investigation.

If we could travel then we would; we just want to be on the island helping with the search and we dream of being able to wrap our arms around our darling daughter.

Ms Heslops friends, who have set up a Facebook group to raise awareness and share details as they emerge, said locals have been putting up posters.

Ms Heslops belongings were said to have been left aboard the catamaranReuters

One of her best friends, who did not wish to be named, said: As a friends group, we are doing everything we can to help support her parents and each other.

Story continues

No matter how insignificant something may seem, the tiniest detail may be relevant so we would encourage people to come forward and speak to VIPD immediately.

Ms Heslops friends previously called for a thorough fingertip search of the boat after Mr Bane denied police access.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson confirmed officers were providing operational support to assist the VIPD investigation.

This assistance is being facilitated through the UK governments Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, they said, but declined to comment further.

Additional reporting by Press Association
A group of Katy ISD parents filed a lawsuit Thursday against the school district, contending that its mask policy is unconstitutional and violates Gov. Greg Abbotts recent executive order, according to the complaint.

The suit  filed by Houston attorney Jared Woodfill on behalf of plaintiffs Bonnie Anderson, Jenny Alexander, Doug Alexander, Heather Calhoun and Stephen Calhoun  says the school district issued a COVID-19 mitigation plan that requires students to wear masks inside buses, hallways and common areas. It also requires masks upon arrival and dismissal, as well as when social distancing is not feasible, the lawsuit says.

People who do not comply, according to the suit, are required to attend classes virtually. The complaint alleges this violates Abbotts March 2 executive order lifting the statewide mask mandate, which says residents cannot be required to wear a face covering by any jurisdiction. Abbotts order also strongly encouraged masks when social distancing is not possible.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Attorney: Galveston ISD board violated Texas Open Meetings Act

Current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the use of multi-layered masks, with recent research indicating they help reduce the emission and inhalation of virus-laden respiratory droplets.

Katy ISD responded to the filing in a prepared statement:

Katy ISD continues to follow the Governors Executive Order GA-34 and comply with theTexas Education Agencys Public Health Planning Guidance that states every student, teacher or staff member shall wear a mask over the nose and mouth when inside a school building, school facilityor when in an outdoor space on school property used for school activities, wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household

The lawsuit also argues that Katy ISDs policy flouts Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled racial segregation of children in public school was unconstitutional.

Almost 70 years later, it appears that Defendant Katy ISD Superintendent Kenneth Gregorski has forgotten the lessons of Brown v. Board of Education, by implementing a policy that fails to make education available to all on equal terms.

The suit also argues that scientific evidence shows children are less susceptible to COVID-19 and are less likely to transmit the virus.

julian.gill@chron.com
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size All political careers end badly. This is an utterance often made, but I can attest to how it is more of an iron law than a piece of whimsy. Either the electorate will reject you or your colleagues will betray you, or if you try to anoint a hand-picked successor you will find your successor repudiates you. Even if you manage to leave on your terms, you are still likely to be seduced by delusion and go back into the burning house for the final incineration that you thought you had cleverly side-stepped. There are few exceptions. Those who escape tend to be those who can still recognise a wake-up call saying that the personal costs are getting too large. The life of a politician is quite unnatural, being an uncomfortable combination of celebrity, conflict, power and risk. I used to watch ministers walking to the chamber for Question Time with the bells ringing, clutching their folders and with a look on their faces which said: Is today the day I destroy my career? As a class, politicians tend to be risk-lovers, which explains why so many do inexplicable things. They wear scars from a highly adversarial working environment where they are continuously subjected to savage criticism, and a career structure where the pathway to success depends on the regard of their colleagues. Conflict is the nature of politics. It is how countries chart a new course, set priorities, make choices and resolve disputes. To deliver, a leader needs to be able to win an argument, stare down political opponents and marginalise any opposition. A leader who delivers will earn acclaim and is well placed to build a long career. Declining support for democracy elsewhere in the world and disenchantment with political leaders in general is no doubt linked to stagnant real incomes, rising inequality and the deep divisions that are appearing in many countries. To date, Australia has avoided the worst of the overseas experience, but there is a frustration and disengagement with political leadership in our country that is disturbing. Why is it that there have been some periods when great acts of leadership have been possible, and others when the country has seemed unable to deal with its problems? Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese during Question Time last year. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen There is a complicated story here involving how governments and decision-making are organised, but at its heart it is about what motivates our politicians.

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Politics is a relative profession, with participants schooled in the notion that they only need to be better than their opponents to be successful. But a legacy is an absolute that needs to stand on its own  it requires broad recognition and must deliver lasting public benefit. Simply winning elections or holding high office is not enough. It can take time to see the full significance of somebodys contribution, but a legacy without consequence is usually immediately recognisable. The absence of supportive third-party endorsements is a good indicator, and there are certain other giveaways when a politician has added little to the public good. They tend to argue that black is white, they will repeat the same three points regardless of the question, and they will have a leadership style based around obfuscation and deflection. It is surprising that building a reputation and a legacy appears to be such a low priority for many politicians. They can be willing to lead an exceptionally harsh life, and take great risks with their personal relationships and their own wellbeing, for very little. This is puzzling behaviour. In 2008 I was in Canberra to present the Chris Higgins Prize to the student who had achieved the best result in the Australian National University course Case Studies in Applied Econometrics. As part of my prepared remarks, I made the observation that, based on my experience, which at that time was grounded in the Hawke-Keating years in Canberra, and my time in Washington as Australias ambassador during the early Clinton years, political figures can be divided into two groups. There are those who subscribe to the notion that if you are nice to the electorate, the electorate will be nice to you. The other group tends to believe that the electorate is much more impatient, and that unless you are being useful, they will inevitably tire of you and replace you. Loosely speaking, these two groups can be described as the pleasers and the doers. Pleasers try not to upset people and will seek approval from as many groups as possible. They will try and shield the electorate and themselves from bad news. Pleasers will be extremely interested in polling the views of people to be in a better position to please them. Doers, on the other hand, will identify problems. They tend to maintain a dialogue with the electorate and endeavour to educate and inform people. They will seek acknowledgement for tasks accomplished.

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For a doer, transparency can be an asset. The identification of a problem can be the basis for their next challenge. For a pleaser, transparency can be scary. Once a problem is identified, it might need to be dealt with, which could have unpredictable and possibly painful consequences.I have observed that doers tend to have more fun. They also get to experience the exhilarating thrill of accomplishment and the knowledge that they have done something worthwhile. Pleasers find it hard to gain acknowledgement and live the life of a thousand miseries. Inside the ministers office To understand what political leadership means in the current context, we must consider changes to the framework in which ministers operate. There are three key influences here: the role of ministerial staff; the public service; and communicating with the public. The basic nature of ministerial offices has not altered that much since the Hawke-Keating years. What has changed is the nature and backgrounds of the staff. In the years after my return to public policy in 2011, I worked with 20-odd ministerial offices, as well as a premiers office and the PMO. What struck me was the diminished number of public servants across these offices. In the 1980s and 1990s, public servants on secondment would play a much more significant role. In fact, it was common practice for the head of a ministers office to be a relatively senior public servant. What does it mean to surround ministers with influential advisers who, by and large, no longer have public service or policy experience? Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Fairfax Media Time in a ministers office has always been viewed as a potential pathway to preselection and a political career, and Parliament House is clearly a strategic place to network and look for powerful mentors. However, the possibility of preselection for a House or Senate seat has not been a major motivator for career public servants recruited by ministers. The dramatic reduction in the number of public servants in ministers offices has meant that there are now many more advisers thinking of the time when they too will sit on the other side of the desk.

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There are also now more advisers who see themselves as career ministerial staffers. Some move between state and Commonwealth roles; some consider themselves factionally aligned and expect to be looked after as ministers come and go; some see themselves as subject specialists; and some see themselves as generalists with an interest in tactics, communications or speechwriting. What these advisers are not are people experienced in public sector probity, administration and policymaking. Few can harness the strengths of the public service to the benefit of the minister. Many believe that the Australian Public Service is part of the problem and instinctively take an adversarial approach when dealing with their public service contacts. Those ministers who decide to head up their offices with an experienced public servant have tended to be more successful than those who do not. The standout success in this regard was Greg Combet, who chose Allan Behm, an experienced senior Defence official, as his chief of staff. Greg Combet was tasked by his prime minister, Julia Gillard, to develop and implement the Clean Energy Act 2011, a major piece of Commonwealth legislation. Those familiar with the Hawke-Keating era would have found the Combet office very recognisable. An office overly staffed with people experienced in conflict, crisis management and short-term political responsiveness will tend to approach everything from that perspective. Without the capacity to see the broader context, even a well-managed office, one adept at dealing with problems, will leave the minister adrift, with a limited ability to proactively control their destiny. Building a network of advice around ministers that restricts their capacity to think beyond the immediate does them no favours. It also weakens governments and certainly undermines the political process in delivering for the community. Morrison and the public service In December 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison released Delivering for Australians, which laid out the governments APS reform agenda. The publication also embodied the governments response to the Thodey Review of the public service, which was released at the same time and made 40 recommendations. In stating that it is Ministers who provide policy leadership and direction, Morrison was simply declaring what all Australian prime ministers since Whitlam have taken as an article of faith: ministers will not be dictated to by public servants.

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Recommendation 11 of the Thodey Review called for the federal government to set guidance for ministerial offices for at least half of their policy advisers to have public service experience. This was rejected by the government, as were recommendations seeking to amend the Public Service Act, enshrining new principles of openness and integrity; make systematic changes to Cabinet and budget processes; establish an Integrated Strategy Office in the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet; reinforce the leadership roles of the head of PM&C, the APS commissioner and portfolio secretaries; build more process around the appointment of agency heads; and establish more robust processes around the termination of secretaries. Given the adversarial stance of both major parties towards the public service when in office, the governments response was not that surprising. Prime ministers do not like to be hemmed in when it comes to appointing or dismissing secretaries, nor are they keen on increasing their powers in an ill-defined way. In his response to Thodey, the Prime Minister recognised the Commonwealths involvement in expanding new areas such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme, aged care, mental health and suicide prevention. As opposed to traditional Commonwealth service-delivery responsibilities such as pension payments, which rest on large, systems-based platforms, these new areas involve highly discretionary engagement with people and are more akin to the service-delivery responsibilities of the states. As is all too familiar to state ministers and premiers, things can go wrong when public servants need to use their judgment or are overseeing private providers and vulnerable people are involved. And when things go wrong, they can go wrong in an unconscionable way that brings a firestorm of public scrutiny. <i>Leadership</i> by Don Russell is published by Monash University Press. Credit: COVID-19 and its impact on aged care has already made the Commonwealth minister [Richard Colbeck] a focus of attention. I would anticipate that this level of scrutiny will be more damaging the more adversarial the nature of the relationship between ministers and public servants. Which brings me back to the core questions: What is the role of the public service and what is the role of the departmental secretary? And how is this related to political leadership and successful outcomes for governments and the community?

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(Natural News) Richard Terrell, one of the first Americans to receive Johnson & Johnsons (J&J) Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injection, reported suffering a severe full-body rash that caused much of his skin to become inflamed, turn red, and ultimately peel off his body.

The 74-year-old resident of Goochland developed the strange symptoms about four days after getting jabbed. He had to be rushed to the emergency room for treatment, without which he could have died, doctors say.

I began to feel a little discomfort in my armpit and then a few days later I began to get an itchy rash, and then after that I began to swell and my skin turned red, Terrell told local news station WRIC.

It all just happened so fast, Terrell added about how quickly the rash spread all over his entire body. My skin peeled off. It was stinging, burning, and itching. Whenever I bent my arms or legs, like the inside of my knee, it was very painful where the skin was swollen and was rubbing against itself.

Dr. Fnu Nutan, a dermatologist and one of Terrells attending doctors, admitted to WRIC that the horrific reaction was, in fact, caused by J&Js Chinese virus injection.

We ruled out all the viral infections, we ruled out COVID-19 itself, we made sure that his kidneys and liver was okay, and finally we came to the conclusion that it was the vaccine that he had received that was the cause, she is quoted as saying.

Skin is the largest organ in the body, and when it gets inflamed like his was, you can lose a lot of fluids and electrolytes.

To learn more about the injuries and deaths being caused by Wuhan flu shots, visit ChemicalViolence.com.

Nutan says people should still get injected

Despite these horrors, Nutan remain steadfast in advocating for Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination. She claims the jab from J&J is still safe and effective, regardless of Terrells skin reaction.

If you look at the risk for adverse reaction for the vaccine its really, really low, Nutan contends. We havent seen a great concern at all. I am a big proponent of the vaccine.

Other news outlets are claiming that the J&J injection may, in fact, be superior to its counterparts from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

According to Nutan, anyone receiving any of these injections should be fine. If not, all they have to do is monitor the situation and rush to a nearby hospital should they develop deadly side effects.

I wouldnt hesitate to get it, Nutan told WRIC.

Another concern with the J&J jab, at least for Roman Catholics, is the presence of ingredients derived from aborted human fetal tissue.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a warning to parishioners that they should avoid getting the J&J injection because unborn children were murdered in order to create it.

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is joining the Catholics in opposing the J&J jab, though the SBC is fully on board with the other jabs.

Commenters responding to the news have all sorts of questions including why governments are allowing the J&J jab to be administered but not the AstraZeneca one, at least in numerous European countries. Others pointed out once again that these so-called vaccines are experimental gene therapy injections.

Remember, these are not vaccines and should not be called as such, wrote one person at the Daily Mail Online. It is illegal for the government to even be calling them vaccines.

They call them vaccines so the pharmaceutical companies are not liable for any deaths or adverse side effects they cause. These are mRNA injections that are still experimental.

Sources for this article include:

NYPost.com

News.Yahoo.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

DailyMail.co.uk
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the three ministers touched upon humanitarian issues and the unblocking of economic and transport links in the region.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazian was cited by his office as telling Lavrov that Azerbaijan is continuing to violate the ceasefire agreement brokered by Moscow on November 9. Ayvazian singled out Bakus refusal to free more than 100 Armenian prisoners of war and civilians remaining in Azerbaijani custody.

The truce accord calls for the restoration of transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russian President Vladimir Putin, his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian decided to set up a trilateral working group for that purpose when they met in Moscow on January 11.

The group co-headed by deputy prime ministers of the three states has held several meetings since January 30. Its Russian co-chair, Alexei Overchuk, met with Aliyev and Pashinian in Baku and Yerevan on Thursday.

Aliyev reportedly praised the trilateral group, saying that it has already achieved concrete results. He also told Overchuk that the risk of a renewed escalation of the Karabakh conflict is now minimal.

Aliyev and Putin spoke by phone later on Thursday. According to the Kremlin, they both were satisfied with the work of the Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani task force.
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Former Chief of General Staff Oladipo Diya has called on President Muhammadu Buharis government to work harder to solve the nations security challenges.

Mr Diya, who was the de facto second-in-command to the late military dictator, Sani Abacha, stated this on Friday, in a statement written to celebrate his 77th birthday.

The retired general explained that there is a need for the government to arrest all forms of insecurity rocking the nation to ensure unity and peace.

As mortals, we must celebrate every day as it comes. However, by the special grace of God and some divine arrangement, I am alive and in good health to celebrate my 77th birthday. I give all glory, honour and adoration to the Almighty God, Mr Diya wrote in the statement he titled A Clarion Call for Peace in a Nation in Dire Need of Unity.

This special day also affords me an opportunity to reflect and attempt to proffer a solution on the state of our dear nation, Nigeria. There is no gainsaying that we all need to come together to confront our common enemy  war and its apostles  so that we can rise together as one.

Nigeria is a uniquely blessed nation. God has bequeathed on us a large vibrant population; a vast land filled graciously with milk and honey. North, East, South or West, everywhere you turn, there is a mineral resource that will remind you that God loves us.

Mr Diya said the countrys natural resources are turning citizens against themselves and what we are witnessing in the recent past is alarming. It is taking a dangerous turn. The signs are ominous. We seem to have forgotten that, fundamentally, we are brothers and sisters from one source, in one nation with a common destiny. Let us pursue peace and eschew violence at all costs, by all means.

Many actors have made their positions known. A lot more have pointed accusing fingers. We have turned the table and changed the narratives, just to suit our positions. One thing is certain, we cannot continue like this. Enough is enough. Let us cease the practice of name-calling. There is no part of the nation that does not have its inherent security challenges. Hence, the first solution is to look inwards. Let us do a soul searching.

The retired General noted that while Mr Buharis leadership had recovered numerous territories hitherto occupied by insurgents, more work is needed to be done.

More work however needs to be done by the government to solve the perennial problem of banditry, farmer-herder crisis and all forms of terrorism in the land, he said.

The arrival of the COVID vaccine is a welcoming relief. I have taken my jab, without any side effects. I took the vaccine, ate then slept like a baby. I urge the organizers to keep improving the delivery process, in order to vaccinate more Nigerians.

Sociologists have always warned us that the rumours of war always justifies armament. Armament itself heightens the possibility of war. We must avoid a repeat of mistakes of the past. Peace is all we need. The Political Class must play by the rules and observe the thin line that separates Politics from Governance.

Security matters should not be toyed with on the altar of politicking. Hate speech, fake news, as well as inciting ethnic-religious acts should be completely eradicated. I have fought many wars in my life. I have been out there all my life. I know the feel, the smell, the agony and the long time implications of wars. After a war, there must still be a dialogue, so it is better to dialogue and talk our way out of the problems.

Mr Diya is one of the former leaders that ruled Nigeria in the military days. He was accused by the Abacha government of leading a military coup to topple the head of state and was subsequently sentenced to death by a military court.

He was awaiting death, when Mr Abacha died in June 1998.
A Scranton attorney agreed to plead guilty to charges of mail fraud and tax evasion for stealing nearly $92,000 from a client and hiding other income from the government.

Jonathan Olivetti, who had offices in Scranton and Philadelphia, is accused of pilfering money from the estate of a person who was posthumously awarded $138,306 from a lawsuit, according to charges filed by federal prosecutors.

According to court documents, the persons mother, who is not identified, hired Olivetti in May 2019 to help administer the estate. He deposited proceeds from the lawsuit into a bank account.

Prosecutors say the woman repeatedly requested Olivetti disburse the proceeds to her, but he falsely advised her they had been seized by the Internal Revenue Service. He withdrew $91,991 of the funds between May 2019 and May 2020.

Olivetti is also charged with income tax evasion for 2011, 2012 and 2014. Prosecutors allege he hid personal income by depositing it into an escrow account that held clients funds, resulting in a tax loss of $133,269 to the government.

Olivetti is scheduled to enter a guilty plea to the charges Thursday before U.S. District Judge Malachy Mannion.
A TEENAGER who set fire to an apartment in the city centre following a row with his father has been jailed for 18 months.

Moaid Ibrahim, 18, who has an address at Rices Corner, Thomondgate, Limerick had pleaded guilty to arson following the incident at Mount Kennett Place on October 18, 2019.

During a sentencing hearing, Limerick Circuit Court was told the defendant, who is originally from Sudan, set fire to a bundle of clothes in the corner of a room as he was annoyed with his father.

After the fire caught hold, it spread and caused almost 50,000 worth of damage. While the complex was evacuated, there were no serious injuries.

Seeking leniency, barrister Pat Whyms urged the court to note that his client had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol and drugs and that there was a background to the offence.

It was highly reckless, it was not his intention to burn down the property, he said.

Mr Whyms also urged the court to note his clients admissions and the fact that he has done his very best to engage with various services while in prison.

Judge Tom ODonnell said what happened was very serious and that the consequences could have been a lot worse.

He noted that residents in neighbouring apartments had been evacuated on the night and that, while insured, the owners have seen their premiums increase as a result of the fire.

The judge accepted Mr Ibrahim was only 17 when he committed the offence and that the relationship between him and his father was difficult and testing.

However, despite the mitigating factors and the positive contents of a probation report, he said a custodial sentence must follow given the seriousness of the offence.

A three year prison sentence was imposed with the final 18 months suspended.

A separate concurrent 18 month sentence was imposed in relation to an assault of a garda which occurred in the city centre a number of months after the fire.

During that incident, which occurred at Cruises Street on February 22, 2020, a female garda was struck in the face when she attempted to provide assistance to Mr Ibrahim who was lying on the street while completely out of it.
With Easter just around the corner, here are a few of the best Easter recipes from celebrity chefs and social media influencers. From Easter brunch ideas to the best Easter cakes, these recipes from some of your favorite foodies will put a smile on your face this Sunday.

Easter eggs and cakes in Moscow | Vladimir Gerdo\TASS via Getty Images

Tia Mowry

Tia Mowry and her twin sister, Tamera Mowry, shot to fame as teens on Sister Sister. Now Tia is a mom of two, and you can whip up her kid-friendly Easter brunch  eggs in a basket, or a breakfast egg scramble in mini bread bowls  in just 40 minutes.

RELATED: 5 Child Stars Who Became YouTubers

Christy Carlson Romano

Christy Carlson Romano became famous on The Disney Channel through her roles in movies like Cadet Kelly and shows like Kim Possible. Now, shes a popular YouTuber and influencer. In her Easter Brunch in 60 Minutes video  ideal for busy parents  the voice of Kim Possible will help you make the perfect Easter quiche, as well as a berry banana fruit salad and hash browns.

Gordon Ramsay

If youre hoping to serve up the perfect Easter leg of lamb dinner, Gordon Ramsay has one of the best roast lamb recipes. Its deboned and butterflied to make it easier to roast and served with goat cheese and mint vinaigrette.

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewarts Easter recipes, all involving Easter phyllo dough, come from all around the world. Theres baklava from Turkey, ruffled milk pie and spanakopita (spinach pie) from Greece, and bisteeya (meat pie) from Morocco.

As usual, Ina Garten has several recipes that are perfect for a festive Easter brunch or Easter dessert  like Parisian-inspired herb-baked eggs and a fresh coconut cake, perfect for a springtime treat.

Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman)

Ree Drummonds holiday recipes are always a big hit, especially for a large family dinner. Her beautiful glazed baked ham, ideal for an Easter dinner or brunch, is no exception.

Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray is famous for sharing easy, indulgent comfort food recipes on The Rachael Ray Show. For a slightly different take on an Easter lunch or dinner, you can try out her recipe for Greek-inspired rolled spring meatloaf with spinach and feta.

Yolanda Gampp (How to Cake It)

Yolanda Gampp of How to Cake It is known for her super-creative, over-the-top cakes. If youre into big, bold Easter cakes, you might be excited to take on the challenge of baking her Easter Egg Surprise cakes. Theyre shaped like giant Easter eggs, filled with candy, and covered in colorful sprinkles and gold luster dust.

Laura Vitale (Laura in the Kitchen)

Laura Vitale of Laura in the Kitchen has a popular recipe for pizza rustica, otherwise known as Easter savory pie. The rich, meat-and-cheese-packed pie is often served up on Good Friday in order to celebrate the end of Lent.

Zoella

Zoe Sugg, known as Zoella, is an enormously popular lifestyle influencer with over 11 million YouTube subscribers. Her six easy Easter treats include adorable mini confetti pastel meringues, Easter Rice Krispie treats with colorful mini marshmallows, no-bake Easter chocolate nests, and more.

Rosanna Pansino

Rosanna Pansino, who started out as an actress on shows like Glee, is now an award-winning creator thanks to her cooking show, Nerdy Nummies. Shes even appeared as a guest judge on Nailed It!

Her healthy Easter recipes include vegan Easter egg cupcakes with vegan jelly beans and vegan frosting, as well as adorable gluten-free chocolate birds nest cookies.
Its unseemly to whine, but when enough little train wrecks pile up, its not quite the Ever Given in the Suez, but it can feel as difficult to get cleared out. Yesterday, on top of the bizarre spectacle of the assistants to three different doctors ghosting me (all with practices that have official we schedule appointments in 24 hours policies), USPS just messed me up with returning a letter Id sent certified.as undeliverable.to Vanguard with the correct address! And that itty bitty SEP IRA contribution needed to be postmarked by March 15, which cant happen absent a time machine. BTW, the MDs ghosting me had nothing to do with insurance or payment; we hadnt gotten that far in the intake process.

So rather than attempt to write a post and have it either not be all so hot or take too long due to my frazzled condition, a change in programming seemed to be in order.

Today is Good Friday, which the Christian world outside the US takes more seriously than Easter. For instance, when I lived in Australia, the only two days of the year pubs were required to close were Christmas and Good Friday. By contrast, we Americans with our Disney tastes prefer to focus on the happy ending to Christs Passion.

I grew up in a non-religious household and barely had any acquaintance with normal Christian habits. We did belong to the Unitarian Church for the two years we lived in Boston, which had a grand traditional building, and very briefly to a Presbyterian Church down the street from the first house we lived in in Oregon (we moved to a much more glamorous company house in a few months after my father was promoted and the church attendance stopped). So most of Lamberts Scripture citations are lost on me. But one part I was aware of missing were the holiday sermons and the music. I very much like choirs, particularly when they are big enough to produce a wall of sound, as well as gifted soloists.

Thus this musical offering isnt an Easter special in the traditional sense, but I hope you will enjoy it. Marcelito Pomoy came from the most desperate background imaginable in the Philippines, abandoned by his mother after his father was imprisoned, and then leaving his adoptive father at the age of 8 when he remarried. Pomoy lived on the streets, managing to find enough odd jobs to eat. Hes self-taught, learning to sing by watching from outside at music halls and imitating the performers exactly. The inspiration for Pomoys rendition is a performance of The Prayer by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion. Oh, and fun fact: performing seated is far more difficult, it reduces your lung capacity.

Theres even a genre of reaction videos to this performance. My fave:

Voice Teacher Reacts to Marcelito Pomoy  The Prayer

And a small sampling of the many many more:

Enjoy!
Several people gathered Wednesday at the Capitol to celebrate a nuclear-powered U.S. Navy submarine that will bear the state's name and carry a crew of honorary Montanans.

A bell for the USS Montana  the first Navy vessel to be named after the state since 1908  was unveiled at the event that marked the beginning of a nearly yearlong series of presentations with the bell throughout Montana.

"This is a great day," Gov. Greg Gianforte said, noting the Treasure State has a proud history of military service.

"Veterans are part of the fabric of our state and our communities," he said.

Gianforte said Capt. Michael Delaney, commanding officer of USS Montana, who was participating online, was an "excellent choice" to be the submarine's first commander.

"In case your crew doesn't already know it, this submarine will always embark with the support of all of Montana and any sailor who boards her will be an honorary Montanan," Gianforte said. "May God keep her, Capt. Delaney, and your crew safe."

Delaney said five of the 135 crew members are from Montana. He said the USS Montana was tested to be seaworthy and they can now do much of their training on board.

"I would like to thank the citizens of Montana for their support of the crew through numerous avenues," he said, adding that support included hosting crew members visiting Montana at their homes to providing Montana hot sauce to spice up their meals.

"It's obvious your support has been incredible," Delaney said.

Bill Whitsitt of the USS Montana Committee showed the public the Oro y Plata ship bell, a replica of the bell for the first USS Montana. He said when it was rung it was important to remember the missions the crew members will take on behalf of this country. The USS Montana Committee is a nonprofit created by a group of Montana residents wanting to support the submarine and endorsed by the governor and Legislature in 2017.

"Bless those who serve beneath the deep, through lonely hours their vigil keep," he said, reciting the Navy hymn.

The event was capped with various state officials and others lined up to ring the bell.

The USS Montana was launched March 3 into the James River at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division in Virginia, company officials said. The $2.6 billion USS Montana, also known as SSN 794, is scheduled to be commissioned in spring 2022.

The 7,800-ton nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarine is 377-feet long. It is a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine that will replace the Navy's Los Angeles-class submarines as they are retired. The submarines incorporate dozens of new technologies that increase firepower, maneuverability and stealth and enhance their warfighting capabilities. These submarines can support multiple mission areas and can operate at more than 25 knots for months at a time.

They have 12 Tomahawk missile tubes and four torpedo tubes, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

The submarine will be outfitted with reminders of the Treasure State. The insignia, the official emblem of the USS Montana, includes a Glacier National Park scene, a gold star within the submarine's hull number, SSN 794 and the state motto of Oro y Plata (gold and silver).

It includes two eagle feathers representing the values, culture, and courage of Native American warriors and their tribes, a grizzly bear and 3-7-77, a symbol associated with Montana's early citizen vigilantes.

The first USS Montana, ACR-13, was an armored cruiser also built at Newport News Shipbuilding and commissioned in July 1908. She served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, landed Marines during unrest in Haiti in 1914 and escorted convoys during World War I. She was decommissioned in 1921.

Gianforte was joined at the front of the room by Sen. Mark Blasdel, R-Kalispell, and Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., briefly addressed the crowd online. Submarine veterans were among the veterans in attendance.

This article is written by Phil Drake from Independent Record, Helena, Mont. and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
VANCOUVER - The man accused in a stabbing attack that left one woman dead and six other people hurt in North Vancouver appeared in provincial court on Thursday.

A lady places flowers at a makeshift memorial outside of the Lynn Valley library in North Vancouver, B.C., Monday, March 29, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

VANCOUVER - The man accused in a stabbing attack that left one woman dead and six other people hurt in North Vancouver appeared in provincial court on Thursday.

Twenty-eight-year-old Yannick Bandaogo, who faces a single charge of second-degree murder, attended the provincial court hearing via video link wearing a white prison outfit and a bandage on his arm.

Police have said shortly after Bandaogo was arrested near the scene of the stabbing at the Lynn Valley library last Saturday that he underwent surgery for self-inflicted wounds.

Through a French interpreter, Bandaogo agreed to meet with a French-speaking lawyer provided through legal aid ahead of a scheduled court appearance next Wednesday.

Judge Patricia Janzen told Bandaogo he has the right to a trial with a French-speaking judge if he makes such an application.

Bandaogo was first scheduled to appear in court via phone on Monday, but an RCMP officer said he refused to leave his cell to participate.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has said Bandaogo has links to Quebec and doesn't appear connected to any of the stabbing victims, who ranged in age from 22 to 78.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.
Contact tracing data from a new preprint study on the medRxiv* preprint server provides further evidence that the B.1.1.7 variant  first reported in the United Kingdom  has a high transmission rate. The research, led by Birgitte Freiseleben de Blasio from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the University of Oslo in Norway, estimates B.1.1.7 has a 60% greater transmission within households than other severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern.

The researchers write:

Our study suggests that households are major locations for rapid transmission of the lineage B.1.1.7. Therefore, lowering the risk of spread within the families is pivotal to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic with new and more transmissible lineages.

How they did it

The researchers used data from the contact tracing database PasInfo to find primary positive cases for COVID-19 infection from January 4 to February 28. They used whole-genome sequencing to verify the presence of the B.1.1.7 variant. Primary cases also had to have been infected by a person outside their household.

The team evaluated secondary cases to determine increased coronavirus transmission from B.1.1.7 in Norway. Close contacts were someone with a direct physical or close contact for more than 15 minutes and over 2 meters within 48 hours of the primary cases symptom onset or time of test for asymptomatic cases. They compared the number of cases from close contacts infected from a person with the B.1.1.7 variant to the number of secondary cases from other SARS-CoV-2 variants.

About 45 cases were excluded from the data analysis leaving a total of 415 primary cases and 2,718 close contacts. About 368 of the 415 tested positive for the COVID-19.

Prevalence of the B.1.1.7 variant in homes

Data results showed 146 of the 415 cases were infected with the B.1.1.7 variant, and the other 269 were infected with different lineages. About 251 cases were in close contact with at least one person in their household. Of the 251, 85 had the B.1.1.7 variant.

People infected with the B.1.1.7 variant had an average of 6.83 contacts with an average of 1.01 secondary infections. Within a household, the number of close contacts was about 1.46, with a 0.61 rate of secondary infections.

Results were low with other variants. People had an average of 6.4 contacts, with about .82 reporting a secondary infection. In the household, people had about 1.36 close contact with an average of .36 secondary infections. The researchers note the high number of close contacts in people over the age of 19 was more likely due to cohorting and school class testing, making the number overdispersed.

When the researchers adjusted the number of secondary infections by age, they found it did not change the estimates. The household attack rate for infection was 0.27 for non-B.1.1.7 lineages and 0.42 for B.1.1.7 lineages. B.1.1.7s reproduction number was 24% greater than other variants. The team estimates the B.1.1.7 lineage to be 16% more transmissible than other variants.

Reason behind decreased transmission outside households

The researchers note B.1.1.7s transmission rate reduced for secondary infections outside the household. They provide two potential explanations:

There could be bias in the data when considering all close contacts. By restricting our analysis to contacts within the household, we control for potential selection bias of contacts introduced by the contact tracing, as contacts within households are more likely to be complete in any case and thus comparable across variants. Another possibility is that there is very little difference in the transmissibility for contacts outside households because of stringent and efficient distancing interventions.

Although the estimates did not vary when the team controlled for age, they strongly suggest overall increases in B.1.1.7 transmission across all age groups.

Study limitations

The researchers acknowledge theres no way to disprove the possibility that the close contact could have infected the person with the primary infection or that one close contact could have been the primary infection for multiple infections. Additionally, people may have been infected but did not report or test for SARS-CoV-2. Theres also the off-chance that close contacts who did not test positive had gained immunity from a prior COVID-19 infection.

*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.
Vladimir Vladimirov / Getty Images

Many Americans dread doing their taxes  especially if they know they will end up owing the IRS. If you are one of those taxpayers who will owe money this year, read on to find out everything you need to know before paying your tax bill.

Find Out: 8 New or Improved Tax Credits and Breaks for Your 2020 Return

Be Aware of the Deadline To Pay

The deadline for paying your taxes is the same as the deadline for filing your taxes: May 17, 2021. The IRS extended this deadline for paying 2020 taxes, although usually it is on April 15.

Many people who owe taxes they cant afford to pay put off filing or avoid filing altogether. Unfortunately, this isnt a great strategy, said Richard Lavina, co-founder and CEO at Taxfyle. The sooner you file, the better chance you have of avoiding, or at least reducing, IRS penalties.

The IRS charges penalties for failure-to-file as well as for failure-to-pay, and these penalties increase the later you are to file or pay.

If you do not file, you can be penalized up to 25% of the amount that you owe, said Morris Armstrong, founder and owner at Morris Armstrong EA LLC. Simply filing the return or an extension, and then filing by the due date removes that penalty.

This means that you should file on time, even if you cant pay your taxes by the due date.

Related: Tax Year Deadline Dates You Need To Know

Know Your Options If You Cant Pay the Full Amount You Owe

You may not be able to pay all of the taxes you owe at once, but dont panic  the IRS does offer payment options.

There are payment options available for most taxpayers, especially if someone owes less than $50,000 and they dont owe any other back taxes, said Arnold van Dyk, Esq., director of tax services at TaxAudit. In November 2020, the IRS also announced additional relief for taxpayers who owe taxes but are struggling financially because of the pandemic, such as automatically adding certain balances to existing installment agreements, and making it easier to qualify for installment agreements on balances owed of up to $250,000.

Story continues

Find Out: What Are the 2020-2021 Federal Tax Brackets and Tax Rates?

The IRS offers both short-term and long-term repayment plans.

If you can afford to pay what you owe within four months (120 days), this is the easiest way to go because the IRS doesnt charge a set-up fee, Lavina said. Call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 or request a payment plan online. If you need more than 120 days, the IRS offers several installment agreement options. You tell the IRS how much you can afford to pay each month, and the IRS either approves or denies your request. There are set-up fees involved in long-term payment plans, but you can minimize the fee by applying online and making payments via direct debit from your checking account.

If you owe back taxes, van Dyke recommends seeking help from a tax professional who specializes in tax debt issues.

They can help set up an affordable payment plan, perhaps get penalties removed if there are any, and request an appeals review of the case, he said.

You might also consider seeking a professional if you really cannot pay the taxes you owe.

Be Ready: These Are the Receipts To Keep for Doing Your Taxes

If youre dealing with a financial hardship and theres no way you can afford payments, you might be able to qualify for an Offer-in-Compromise (OIC) or Currently Not Collectible (CNC) status, Lavina said. An OIC settles your tax debt for less than you owe. CNC status means the IRS acknowledges you cant afford to pay your back taxes and agrees not to come after you. However, these are tough to qualify for, and you really need a professionals help to apply.

Think Twice Before Paying Taxes With a Credit Card

Ideally, you will pay any taxes you owe with cash. You might be tempted to pay your taxes with a credit card, but this could end up costing you more in the long-run.

You can pay your taxes with a credit card, but you will pay interest on the amount you charge which, in some cases, will be higher than the interest charged by the IRS, van Dyke said.

Did You Know: Lost Your W-2? Heres What To Do

Using a credit card to pay your tax bill can also come with some additional downsides.

IRS-approved payment processors charge an extra fee for paying taxes with a credit card, said Michael Benninger, banking writer at Finder.com. Paying your taxes with plastic could also hurt your credit score depending on your overall credit utilization.

If You Believe You Dont Actually Owe the IRS, Dispute the Assessment

Sometimes taxes arent so cut and dry. If you believe your tax assessment incorrectly states that you owe taxes, you have some options.

Read More: Made a Mistake on Your Taxes? What You Should Do Now

There are procedural options available for taxpayers to dispute proposed IRS assessments, and in certain cases, even after the IRS assesses a tax liability, van Dyke said. These options can include filing a petition with tax court or disputing the case through filing a request for a collection due process hearing if you have not had a previous opportunity to dispute your issue. An audit reconsideration may also be an option. Make sure you are working with a qualified tax professional who specializes in tax debt issues.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 4 Things You Need To Know Before Paying Your Tax Bill
The recent catastrophic event in Texas cut a wide swath of devastation, leaving 4.4 million people without electrical power  including heat and running water. Once incredibly proud to be about 90% energy-independent, a natural phenomenon no one could predict brought the Lone Star state to its knees. Rendering millions of people displaced and helpless, this tragedy left people wondering where they will sleep, when they will eat and ultimately  how could this happen?

Its horrible that it takes a tragedy to provoke change, but sometimes it is the only motivator. For the people of Texas and all people everywhere, transcending adversity relies on the ability to see the positive potential in a situation, even in times of extreme hardship.

Related: 9 Smart Ways to Recession-Proof Your Business (Fast)

Looking backward for guidance going forward

Looking back, the formation of many innovative companies began with change. The founders of Home Depot, the first big-box home improvement store, were fired from their local hardware store. One year later, the first two Home Depot stores opened in Atlanta, Ga. Groupon, a website that promotes companies by offering deals on their products and services to consumers, developed right in the middle of the 2008 recession. This companys aim was two-fold: promote struggling companies products and ease the publics financial burden with discounts.

The point? Adversity inevitably brings change, and this trend of change spurring innovation is constantly recurring. Therefore, entrepreneurs and businesses should always think of how to turn todays adversity into tomorrows bright star.

Knowing positive change is on the horizon was little comfort for people in Texas. It was also a hard pill to swallow for businesses suffering the effects of a yearlong pandemic. Companies of all sizes and all realms should take a hard look at what happened in both situations. In doing so, one truth keeps sounding loud and clear: Complacency in times of prosperity is a recipe for disaster.

Its no secret; the most successful businesses never let their guard down. Even in the best of times, they never stop thinking forward, trying to anticipate the next patch of rough water. Therefore, when the unexpected hits, its not so shocking because their preparedness level keeps them functioning at top levels, not merely treading turbulent waters trying to survive. Companies at this level have the resources and the ability to reach out and help those struggling. And this ability to pay it forward is a real blessing and lifesaver for those in dire need.

Related: Turning Crisis into Opportunity: 5 Ways to Deal With Hardship

Building a disaster-resistant company: Be ahead of the curve

So, how does a company adopt this way of functioning? It all comes down to infrastructure. First of all, a great leader must have passion for their purpose, and they must communicate this purpose with a joint mission and a clear vision on how to achieve the company goals. You will not be capable of building a rock-solid team without a rock-solid foundation.

One common misconception in business is that the leader is the most important person on the team. The leader is essential in the process of building the team. But after this accomplishment, the ultimate victory for any leader should be a company that can run like a well-oiled machine without their presence. The most efficient companies have made everyone replaceable. No one should have such a specialized function that productivity sufferers if that person is gone.

At the start of the pandemic, millions of businesses were scrambling to implement and learn the process of remote work. And yet, there were some companies out there that had been doing it for years. As you can guess, these companies fared the darkest moments of the pandemic much better than others because they did not have to introduce and learn a new way of working at the moment or, on the fly, as they say.

Companies with remote components merely flinched when everyone else was wincing and on the verge of a meltdown. One can attribute this calm composure to a high level of preparedness. Did these businesses predict the pandemic and the necessity for working remotely? No, but their willingness to try something different at some point led to a new way of doing things that worked for them. Having multiple paths to achieve your purpose instead of just one will always be a plus when the unexpected arrives.

For most companies ahead of the pandemic curve, going remote was a fiscal decision several years ago. The businesses that took a hard look at their priorities and placed luxurious corporate office space far down the list also seemed to have another trend. Many of these businesses spent their funds on acquiring quality employees and state-of-the-art technology because these elements are the futures driving forces.

Learning from adversity

What businesses should learn from tragic times such as the pandemic and the Texas energy crisis is to be better prepared. This preparedness level comes from a strong leader who communicates a clear mission and vision of getting there. This leader must also build a phenomenal forward-thinking team that works toward the common goal. And maybe most importantly, this team and their leader should never let their guard down during prosperous times. Instead, they must always anticipate adversity, so they can avert it without much disruption when it arrives.

Related: 10 Ways Successful People Push Through Adversity

Whats done is done. In Texas, the people must learn from the tragedy so it never happens again. It is the same with post-pandemic businesses. The goal should always be to see adversity as a positive forerunner of change and to adapt accordingly.

Weve all learned a lesson or two, no matter what our level of preparedness. We must adjust to the changes and get ahead of the curve by not settling-in with new habits. We must always learn from the past so we can keep thinking forward. With this mindset, the next potential disaster will not be so crippling.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
EUGENE, Ore. -- The number of new COVID-19 cases among school-aged children in Lane County has doubled during the past week, according to local health officials.

Lane County Public Health cited one example where an unvaccinated teacher traveled during spring break and exposed several school community members, including students, to the virus upon returning.

That teacher did not receive a COVID-19 test before returning to the classroom, but according to local health officials, they were tested after showing symptoms. That test came back positive.

Everyone who was exposed to that teacher has been contacted, Lane County Public Health said.

Health officials were unable to say which school district this incident occurred in, but confirmed it did not take place in Bethel, 4J, or Springfield districts.

During a press conference Thursday morning, health officials said Lane Countys current metrics indicate a possible move to the high risk category when risk levels are reassessed for Oregon counties.

This news comes nearly one week after Lane County moved into the low risk category.

"We are not out of the woods yet and can very much experience case surges," Lane County Public Health spokesman Jason Davis said. "We can still experience high numbers of hospitalizations despite really great coverage in some of our most at-risk populations."

But theres still time to reverse numbers. Counties facing the possibility of moving to more restrictive risk levels are granted a two-week grace period to attempt to lower the numbers.

Moving to high risk would mean that businesses including restaurants and fitness centers would be forced to once again lower their maximum capacity from 50 percent to 25 percent.

"Nobody wants to go backwards. Everbody wants to go forwards, so having to basically go through the rollercoaster of ups and downs and everything else when you're able to seat only 25 and you can't afford to have as many employees here, it's a huge chain effect," said Chris Novara, the owner of Buddy's Diner in Eugene.

KEZI also spoke to Dede Dorsey, the general manager at Elements Health Club at the Oakway Center.

"Changing statuses as often as we do keeps us on our toes because we have to make sure we're following the guidelines each time," Dorsey said. "Some guidelines may change ever so slightly from one tier to the next, and for us trying to keep compliance, sometimes the members have a hard time following so they get frustrated."
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Gunmen, on Thursday night, abducted another resident of the Pegi community in Kuje Area Council of Abuja. The victim was returning from work when he was kidnapped.

The victim, identified as Friday Adewole, was abducted around 9 p.m. along the 1000 Units Estate road. The kidnappers left his Honda car, popularly called End of Discussion (EOD), by the road side.

A spokesperson of the community, Oyedeji Oyetunji, said Mr Adewoles car was found very close to a police checkpoint though the police were not on duty at the time of the incident.

Until this morning when the abductors made a demand of N50 million as ransom, the identity of Mr Adewole was unknown to the community leaders who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES earlier about the sad development.

The abduction came exactly one week after four persons were abducted from their homes in Kiyi, a village about three kilometres from Pegi.

The abductors demanded a ransom of N50 million from the family of Olalekan Salami, a senior official of the FCT Administration, who was among the four victims kidnapped on March 24.

The Pegi community chairman, Taiwo Aderibigbe, on Friday morning told PREMIUM TIMES that professional hunters who work with the DSS are currently combing the forest in search of the abducted resident.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the district, Magit Solomon, declined comment on the incident when contacted by this newspaper.

Sorry, no, I cannot grant an interview unless its from the FCT Police PROs office, Mr Solomon told PREMIUM TIMES before ending the call.

Efforts to speak with the FCT police spokesperson, Mariam Yusuf, were unsuccessful as she did not respond to phone calls or replied text messages from this reporter.

There has been an upsurge in the cases of abduction in the Pegi community in the recent past.

Its leaders said at least 30 persons had been kidnapped in the area in the last two years and about N50 million had been paid as ransom.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the abductions are going on in the community despite the presence of a division of the Nigerian police and a naval barracks.
HOUSTON - (April 2, 2021) - Understanding what drives food choices can help high-volume food service operations like universities reduce waste, according to a new study.

Researchers have concluded that food waste in places like university cafeterias is driven by how much people put on their plates, how familiar they are with what's on the menu and how much they like - or don't like - what they're served.

Food waste has been studied often in households, but not so often in institutional settings like university dining commons. What drives food choices in these "all-you-care-to-eat" facilities is different because diners don't perceive personal financial penalty if they leave food on their plates.

Published in the journal Foods, "Food Choice and Waste in University Dining Commons -- A Menus of Change University Research Collaborative Study" was conducted by a team of experts from Rice University; the University of California, Davis; Stanford University; Lebanon Valley College; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and the University of California, Berkeley.

Co-author Eleanor Putnam-Farr, assistant marketing professor at Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business, is available to discuss the findings and potential impact with news media.

The researchers conducted student surveys during the 2019 spring and fall semesters to study foods types, diner confidence and diner satisfaction. They used photos taken by diners themselves before and after eating to measure how much food was taken and how much of it went to waste. "Diners were intercepted at their dining halls and asked if they wanted to participate in a study about food choices and satisfaction, but the objective of investigating food waste behavior was not disclosed," the authors wrote.

The study found the amount of food wasted didn't significantly differ among types of food. Instead, researchers discovered waste was related to the amount of food diners put on their plates, how satisfied they were with their meals and how often they went to the dining commons. If students were satisfied with their food, they tended waste less of it. And diners who visited the commons most often -- making them more familiar with the menus and more confident in their choices -- tended to waste less.

Mixed dishes, like sandwiches or stir-fry, took up a greater percentage of the surface area on surveyed plates than animal proteins or grains and starches. Those three types of food took up a greater area of the plates than fruits, vegetables or plant proteins. The amount of food wasted, however, did not significantly differ among the various food categories.

The mixed dishes and animal proteins that took up greater portions of the plate tended to be pre-plated by the commons staff or have a suggested serving size. The study's results showed that greater amounts of food taken by diners correlated with the item being pre-plated or served by others.

The authors recommend future research on the topic uses their multicampus approach -- which enabled them to study food choice among a large and diverse group -- to better understand what causes food waste and find out if it can be reduced by interventions such as posting signs that encourage healthier choices.

###

To schedule an interview with Putnam-Farr, or for more information, contact Avery Franklin, media relations specialist at Rice, at averyrf@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.

Related materials:

Paper: https:/ / www. mdpi. com/ 2304-8158/ 10/ 3/ 577 .

Putnam-Farr bio: https:/ / business. rice. edu/ person/ eleanor-putnam-farr .

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

This news release can be found online at news.rice.edu.






Position Objective: The Credentialing Coordinator is responsible for creation of, reviewing and processing credentialing applications and supporting documentation for the purpose of enrolling individual physicians and physician groups with payers. This individual must maintain accurate records for each provider at all times. This individual is an essential part of the new provider initial credentialing process as well as existing provider re-credentialing process. Essential Job Duties: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions Maintains integrity of Credentialing database, by entering new providers and updating provider and practice information on an as needed basis. Completes monthly provider grid reports in a timely manner. Maintains integrity of provider files, in alphabetical and prescribed formats. Prepare the CAQH application for newly affiliated and existing healthcare providers Maintains credentialing databases and ensures up-to-date tracking of file process. Display in-depth knowledge of and execute all standard operating procedures (SOPs) as well as communicating issues, trends, concerns and suggestions to leadership. In-depth working knowledge of the various payer applications associated and the workflow process. Ensure all workflow items are completed within the set turn-around-time, meeting quality expectations. Takes an active role in improvement process, anticipates problems, makes suggestions and independently resolves minor obstacles. Interact professionally with providers and staff representatives to provide information on any necessary documentation required for processing. Generates letters to practice leadership in advance of documents' expiration dates to request copies of current documents. (E.g. license, CDS, DEA, malpractice insurance certificates) Interact professionally with providers and staff representatives to provide information on any necessary documentation required for processing. Ability to work within a deadline-intense environment. Educational/Experience Requirements: 3 years of experience in a centralized credentialing office and direct provider enrollment experience, such as credentialing or file maintenance, preferred with experience in Word and Excel

Knowledge of health plan and governmental payer credentialing, enrollment and requirements acquired through completion of a CPCS certification course, or sufficient job-related experience with intent to pursue certification.

Knowledge of Microsoft Word and other PC applications including preferred experience in a medical staff electronic database system, i.e. MD Staff.

Knowledge of PECOS and State Medicaid Enrollment applications

Knowledge of standards interpretation as related to NCQA Required License/Certifications: Working Conditions, Equipment, Physical Demands: There is a reasonable expectation that employees in this position will not be exposed to blood-borne pathogens. Physical Demands - 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.


Nairobi, April 2 : More than 1.4 million Kenyans are at risk of hunger, starvation and potentially face acute food insecurity, a government official warned on Thursday.

Cyrus Oguna, the spokesperson for the government of Kenya, told a media briefing in Nairobi that the country is committed to ensuring that no Kenyan dies from lack of food as a result of the looming drought, the Xinhua news agency reported.

"The government assures Kenyans that the situation is firmly under control and that there should be no cause to panic. As a country, we have enough food stocks to support the population," Oguna said. "The national government in collaboration with county governments of the affected counties has initiated interventions, which includes close monitoring of areas that may be threatened for an immediate response." He noted that the provisional budget being considered for the provision of relief for drought victims is 2.28 billion shillings (about $21 million).

He added that some parts of the country including Marsabit, Tana River, Isiolo and Turkana are already experiencing drought stress.

The Kenyan official urged farmers in areas expected to receive good rainfall to take advantage of the rains and plant the correct crop variety for their zones as advised by agricultural extension officers.

Oguna noted that the overall food security in the country is good but because of the poor performance of the short rains in the months of October-December 2020, the national food and nutrition security was marginally compromised.

He said that with the performance of the 2021 long-rains season forecasted to be poor, the food security situation is likely to worsen and the number of those in need of humanitarian support likely to increase towards August.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) speaks during a news conference with members of the House Freedom Caucus about immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 17, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Rep. Gosar Unveils Bill to Expose Spewing of Propaganda in Confucius Institutes

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) on Thursday unveiled a bill that seeks to expose Confucius Institutes and other foreign influence programs in the United States.

The legislation, called the Higher Education Transparency Act, mandates complete transparency to expose Chinese Communist Party (CCP) funded Confucius Institutes (CI) and other foreign influence programs on college campuses disguised as cultural and language programs.

It would require American universities to be transparent about any agreement they have with foreign entities, including CIs. These foreign entities, said Gosar, are seeking to leverage influence on American college campuses.

Billed as language and culture centers, Beijing-funded CIs have drawn intense scrutiny over their role in spreading Chinese propaganda and stifling academic expression across college campuses around the world. Theyre funded and largely staffed by Hanban, a nonprofit that claims to be non-governmental but is directly controlled by the CCP, according to a report by the Senate Homeland Security committees investigations subcommittee (pdf).

The institutes came under intense scrutiny from U.S. officials under the Trump administration over concerns that they spread communist propaganda, restrict academic freedom, and facilitate CCP espionage in U.S. classrooms.

Confucius Institutes at U.S. colleges and universities are spewing CCP propaganda, the Republican congressman said on Twitter in announcing the bill.

According to the National Association of Scholars (NAS), as of March 25, a total of 50 CIs currently exist in the country, including eight that are scheduled to close. Of these, 44 are at American colleges and universities, and one is at a private educational organization, the China Institute. There are also five CIs at K-12 public school districts.

Separately, 74 such institutes have so far closed or are in the process of closing, according to NAS.

Institutions of higher education (IHEs) are the stepping stone for the development of the minds of the future leaders of America. It is important that colleges and universities are a place for the robust debate of ideas and absent of foreign influences, including those with ties to communist regimes, Gosar said in a statement.

Unfortunately, foreign entities disguising themselves as cultural education institutions raise many concerns about academic freedom and autonomy on our public universities, he continued.

CIs serve as a platform to advance Chinas political agenda by allowing it to export its state censorship, control academic staff, choose curriculum, and restrict free speech and debate in college classrooms, Gosar said.

The congressmans office noted that the Department of Education found in February last year that over $6 billion in gifts and contracts from China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates went unreported from various American IHEs, in violation of the Higher Education Act.

Failing to adhere to reporting requirements undermines transparency and academic freedom, the release said.

Gosars office said that the new bill would address these issues by requiring that Institutions of higher education (IHEs) post online the full content of any agreement between the IHE and a foreign source that provides language and cultural teaching resources and services to its students.

Students educated at our colleges and universities deserve transparency when making choices about the institution they plan to attend and classes they wish to take, added Gosar.

Rebranding

The NAS has warned that although CIs might be gradually closing in the United States, they are being reorganized and rebranded as part of a ploy to evade the public eye and continue exerting its soft power on American campuses.

For example, the Asia Society, a private nonprofit that cosponsors a K-12 version of CIs, has renamed its program the Chinese Language Partner Network.

Rachelle Peterson, a senior research fellow at NAS, noted that some colleges and universities are replacing their CIs with other substantially similar forms of partnership with the Chinese regime. Many of these newly established China-focused initiatives retain some CI staff and programs.

After closing its CI, the University of Michigan continued to receive funding from Hanban, according to foreign gift disclosures.

Cathy He contributed to this report.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

An important component of New Mexicos successful COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been reaching people with physical or intellectual disabilities and people who are homebound.

Equity for people with disabilities is not just about distribution, but about dismantling the physical and communication access barriers in the vaccine process, Linnea Forsythe, executive director of the Governors Commission on Disability, said during a news conference Thursday. Representatives from several state agencies that work with the disabled community also spoke at that news conference.

Among the measures that have been taken to ensure people with special needs are accommodated, are:

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

 Expanding the 1B priority group to include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities;

 Prioritizing individuals with disabilities through senior vaccine clinics;

 Initiating transportation programs with Sun Van and the University of New Mexico to get people with disabilities to and from vaccination sites;

 Providing ADA accessibility guidance at vaccine clinics regarding physical access, equipment and communication;

 Creating a homebound designation in the online vaccination registration portal;

 Changing the online registration and medical questionnaire to be more user friendly for people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hearing impaired.

State Department of Health officials on Thursday reported five additional COVID-related deaths and 297 new cases, bringing the number of deaths statewide to 3,942, and the total number of cases to 191,945. Of those, 173,824 people are designated as having recovered. There are currently 96 people hospitalized in New Mexico from the virus.

The most recent deaths are a woman in her 60s from Chaves County; a woman in her 80s from Dona Ana County; a man in his 80s from San Juan County; a man in his 70s from San Miguel County; and a man in his 70s from Taos County.

Katrina Hotrum-Lopez, secretary for the state Aging and Long Term Services Department, said her agency has hosted about 50 clinics that have given vaccines to more than 19,000 seniors and people with disabilities.

We are now getting 5,000 to 6,000 vaccines allocated directly to our specialty population every week from the Department of Health, she said.

Her department has also initiated a pilot program with Presbyterian Hospital to vaccinate Presbyterians homebound members, and there are plans to expand it to other managed care organizations. To date Aging and Long Term Services has vaccinated more than 1,000 homebound individuals, Hotrum-Lopez said.

The department has also been working with the UNM Community Health Division to coordinate transportation to vaccination sites for people who do not have transportation.

Greg Trapp, executive director of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, said his agency has worked with the developers of the DOHs vaccine website to make it more accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired.

The website can interface with a users speech reader program that turns written words on a web page into speech, allowing the user to navigate the website with a computers tab or arrow keys. Trapp also pushed to change the signature box on the day-of-vaccination medical questionnaire from an actual signature to a checkbox.

New Mexico is one of the very few states with a vaccine information and registration website that have accessibility features built in to them so that people who are blind or visually impaired can interact and navigate, using compatible technology on their home computers, Trapp said.

Nathan Gomme, executive director of the New Mexico Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, said his agency has created and distributed 50 videos using American Sign Language and captioning to explain the red-to-green framework for classifying a countys COVID risk, where to get shots and how the DOHs online portal operates.

The DOH on Thursday also announced that New Mexicans registered at vaccineNM.org can now go to the website to self-schedule their booster shots. People who have had their first dose, either through the website or elsewhere, can log in, choose their location and then select from booster appointments available to them.

A new page on the site has been created to answer frequently asked questions about the vaccine, eligibility, registration and other health-related topics, and to offer testimonials about the vaccine from people around the state.

To access the page, go to vaccineNM.org/facts.
(Natural News) Last week, Democrats in Congress officially launched their efforts to destroy state voting laws and rules that make elections fair and balanced after the House passed the grossly misnamed For the People Act.

According to the Donkey Party, the bill standardizes voting rules in each state and strengthens democracy (where have we heard that lie before?) but in reality it sets up a system that will make it impossible for opposition candidates, mostly Republicans, to win national elections.

And thats outside of the fact that this monstrosity is patently unconstitutional. While our founding document does give Congress some role in making election laws, Article II, Sect. 2 specifically designates state legislatures as the principal entities that decide the time, place and manner of elections: Who is legally able to vote, how, when and where.

In an analysis of the act, Victoria Taft at PJ media listed several ways it will destroy voting integrity:

No more voter ID and verification: This rule is absurd on its face, for if the objective, as Democrats claim is free and fair elections, then the number one requirement ought to be ensuring that only people who are allowed to vote can vote. And thats what voter ID laws do  they ensure that voters are legally able to vote, not casting a ballot where they shouldnt, and not casting more than one vote. But this provision of the bill considers voter ID requirements an impediment to casting ballots  sure, like having to show an ID to buy liquor, get on a plane, or enter a federal building is an impediment.

States must register teens: Another provision requires states to register 16- and 17-year-olds despite the fact that the federal voting age limit is 18 years old and currently requires the young adult to take responsibility for registering. But this is transparent: Democrats want to lower the voting age to 16 and this requirement will give them an instant pool of millions of new voters (who trend liberal in their views).

Nationwide same-day registration: This requirement removes all current requirements to ensure people are allowed to vote and are not trying to vote in precincts where they dont live.

Nope.

Mail-in balloting, ballot harvesting, early voting: The Act standardizes the chaos we saw in the 2020 election, in other words. All of these changes were made in several battleground states that Joe Biden just happened to flip this year from Donald Trump, though Trump won the bellwether states of Ohio and Florida as well as 18 of 19 bellwether counties.

But yeah, Biden won.

IRS empowered: The countrys tax agency should not have any role at all in our elections, but this act provides the IRS with one. In fact, this bill makes legal the very illegal act of imposing political ideological purity tests on any group seeking tax-exempt status, like what happened ahead of Obamas 2012 reelection when conservative orgs were singled out and denied status so they couldnt engage in in political activities.

Individuals registered, not simply citizens: You know what this is about, right? Yes  getting illegal aliens registered to vote so that they can. And you know who most will vote for, right? Yes  Democrats (and Democrats know this too). Ditto for ex-cons who are otherwise currently not allowed to vote.

Drive-by voting: This provision is just what it sounds like  allowing people to simply drive by a polling place and drop off a ballot (or ballots) by banning any curbside voting limits.

Voting drop boxes: These were used to great effect in states like Wisconsin to give Biden his outsized victory and the bill actually mandates these. The catch? They arent monitored so anyone can put ballots in them and of course those ballots must be counted.

Doxxing PAC contributors: Under the lie of transparency, the bill exposes people who donate to political action groups; even the left-wing ACLU says this provision will chill free speech, not to mention put donors at risk of retribution at the workplace or physically.

Theres more in the bill, Taft says, but these are the worst provisions. Now it goes to the Senate where itll likely die because there, at a 50-50 split with the GOP, Democrats dont have the filibuster-proof 60 votes to pass it.

But that doesnt mean they wont kill the filibuster and then pass it.

See more reporting like this at VoteFraud.news.

Sources include:

PJMedia.com

NaturalNews.com
Blatant counterfeiting

Ben Thanh Market, Dong Xuan Market and the e-commerce platform Shopee are on the USTR blacklist for selling counterfeited goods of unknown origin. For many years now, e-commerce platforms and online shops in Vietnam have long been criticized for selling counterfeited goods and pirated brand names. An online shopper looking to buy a Rolex watch on e-commerce platform Shopee can choose from many suppliers of the world-famous Swiss brand. Prices could range from just VND 250,000 to about VND 2 mn for a watch. It has never been so simple and easy to buy products of famous brands.

Similarly, shoppers may search for a Louis Vuitton or Gucci handbag on Shopee and easily find dozens of suppliers of these two famous brands at unbelievably low prices of just VND 100,000. When famous brands introduce a new product line, shoppers can almost immediately find such an article on an online store. The unreasonably low prices confirm the fact that all these brand names are actually all counterfeited products, yet the sellers blatantly publicize their products to buyers.

Such sales on counterfeit goods are not just commonplace on Shopee, but also on other famous online platforms like Lazada. Louis Vuitton handbags are being offered on Lazada for just a few hundred thousand Vietnam dong, and Nike brand shoes are being sold for only VND 100,000 a pair. Such cheap fake products are even being offered at discount rates.

Blatant sale of counterfeited products of world famous brands on e-commerce platforms in Vietnam may not come as a surprise to many. Not many Vietnamese businesses are even flabbergasted to find staggering numbers of fake items selling on e-commerce platforms. Not very long ago, Idocean, a business providing raw material for milk tea, said that its products have been selling on online platforms since 2019, and the company discovered that one of its bestselling items had been counterfeited and was being sold publicly by several suppliers on Shopee. Idocean spoke with Shopee about this issue, and the online platform blocked all providers of this fake product. However, the fake products are now back and selling once again on a lot of online shops.

Copyrights infringed

First News Publishing Company, Ltd. has also been struggling in its fight against fake books. It has even sued the online platform Lazada for helping fake book suppliers to sell fake items. Lots of book sellers infringe the copyrights that First News owns and sells such books at a discount on this platform. Consumers are deceived when they do their shopping online while companies like First News have seen their reputation ruined and their business performance seriously hurt.

These stories indicate that it is not without a valid reason that Shopee has been put on the USTR blacklist. This has also once again raised the alarm about constant concerns of legal traders who bend over backwards to comply with laws and regulations while providing services, and consumers who need to be protected from being duped into buying fake products from online shopping platforms.

Soon after USTR released its review, the Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance (DMS) responded. With regards to Shopee alone, the USTR review listed its whole system in many countries, including Vietnam. According to DMS investigation, Shopee Vietnam has a mechanism that deals with complaints about intellectual property rights, and it has procedures and measures in place that can control the products registered for sale and their suppliers.

This response from DMS can hardly convince the consumers that Shopee is reliable. If online platforms, and particularly Shopee in this case, can control the quality of the sellers and their products, then counterfeited goods would not flood the market. If they have a mechanism capable of satisfactorily handling complaints, then such companies need not have to justify why fake goods are continuing to sell on their platforms.

As a matter of fact, the problem of counterfeit goods on e-commerce platforms is not common only in Vietnam, yet we should admit the truth that too many fake products are sold publicly. It has been reported that several online platforms have signed commitments and pledged to say no to counterfeit good in their online shopping services. However, their commitments are just on paper, and the problem of counterfeiting and piracy is still beyond their control.

Some buyers know the products are fake, but they still want to buy them. Yet lots of other buyers do not know the products are fake, and when they find out the truth, it is extremely hard to file a complaint because of complicated formalities. Competent agencies have lots of difficulties because the online network is too large while legal regulations have not been revised to adapt to new changes in the online market.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has prepared a draft to revise Decree 52/2013/ND-CP concerning e-commerce. People may wonder whether the revised decree will better manage the e-commerce market and if the e-commerce platforms will be able to fulfill their responsibilities and prevent counterfeiting and piracy.

It is true that laws and regulations may sometimes be unable to adapt to new changes, but laws are supposed to be more or less able to protect consumers and legal manufacturers and also prevent counterfeiting and piracy. The e-commerce platforms must stop focusing only on launching promotional campaigns with appealing discounts, and begin filtering out unfair and fraudulent business practices so as to become more answerable to customers.

Thai Ha
San Marino: On the ground floor of the only hospital in San Marino, a tiny, independent republic perched high above the surrounding Italian countryside, nurses prepared doses from glass vials labelled in Cyrillic script, flicked needles and sought to put nervous residents at ease.

Have you started speaking Russian since you got your first shot? one nurse asked, coaxing a smile from Erica Stranieri, 32, as he injected Russias Sputnik vaccine into her arm.

San Marino, an ancient enclave within northern Italy, topped with crenellated medieval battlements on a mountain near the Adriatic coast, is best known  to the extent it is known at all  as one of the smallest countries on Earth. But the coronavirus has given it a new, tragic distinction: one of the worlds highest death rates from the coronavirus.

Protesters demanding an end to the coronavirus lockdowns in front of the government headquarters in San Marino, Italy. Credit:New York Times

Just six weeks ago, San Marino risked becoming the last country in Europe to start inoculating its people. It had counted on an agreement with Italy to furnish it with vaccines, but they never materialised. With tensions rising and doctors threatening to stop working, the desperate government turned to Russia and found a warm embrace.
This year marks a very special one as we celebrate the Festival of Italian Culture in India which is held in parallel with the Indian Cultural Festival in Italy. The initiative was promoted at the last bilateral digital summit held on November 6, 2020 between the two Prime Ministers and it was also acknowledged by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, as one of the pillars of the bilateral cooperation between Italy and India. In his message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Republic Day, Mr Mattarella said: The Festival of Italian Culture in India and Indian Culture in Italy will take place in 2021. These events will facilitate the reciprocal comprehension and the closeness among our people.

We inaugurated the festival in January and had the honour to host the minister of external affairs, S. Jaishankar, for the first in-person event since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The festival is a unique opportunity to further strengthen the historical cultural relations between the two countries and to share the new dynamics of exchanges between the protagonists of the Italian and Indian culture and creative industries.

The cultural exchanges between the two countries date back to ancient history. Not only can ties between European and Indian cultures be traced back to 700 BC, there are also testimonies of linguistic influences in the sixteenth century. In the last century, Giuseppe Tucci and Luigi Tessitori contributed to the knowledge of Indian culture and artistic tradition in Italy by collecting scientific studies and artistic testimonies still preserved in Italy. Thanks to these experiences, Italy boasts the most important tradition of Indology studies in the world outside India. In the last 50 years, exchanges in the cinematic field have flourished with the production of docu-films by Pierpaolo Pasolini and Roberto Rossellini and awards at the Venice Film Festival to Satyajit Ray and Mira Nair. We recently hosted the screening of Rossellinis and Pasolinis masterpieces during a three-night open-air Notti Stellate, Italian Cinema under the Sky, where unedited images from their travels throughout India in the late 1950s and 1960s are a testament of life in those days.

Cultural ties between Italy and India are not only rooted in the past, but they are very much driven by innovation, creativity and contemporary cultural contamination.

To celebrate the Festival of Italian Culture in India, together with the Embassy of India in Rome, we crafted a rich agenda of events in various fields -- cinema, music, literature, visual arts, fashion and design. This year Italy celebrates the 700th anniversary of the death of the most important figure of the Italian culture -- the father of Italian language and its most famous poet, Dante Alighieri. We are commemorating him in many of our cultural activities -- from theatre to literature, exhibitions and musical performances. In February, I moderated a panel with two eminent professors from Rome and Trento University in which we analysed the figure of Dante Alighieri and how contemporary its masterpiece The Divine Comedy is today.

We are also working on a very special project on Italian Indology and Sanskrit studies. Together with the University of Rome La Sapienza, we are putting together a collection of publications by the most prominent Italian Indologists. The project is composed of four volumes -- the first one will be a collection on Italian studies on Indian History, Economy, Society; the second volume focuses on culture and literature; the third is the English translation of the biography of Giuseppe Tucci; the fourth will be entirely dedicated to Indian contemporary art.

Our events are a constant dialogue between innovation and tradition. We are focusing on our traditions but also on our dynamic and contemporary cultural drive. We are also attaching great importance in forging partnerships with our Indian counterparts and are thus working on strengthening cooperation among museums, developing projects on the protection of our cultural heritage, enhancing collaboration among artists, musicians and our creative industries.

Promoting culture in the midst of a pandemic is not easy. As with all the cultural institutions around the world, we also had to reinvent ourselves taking full advantage of the digital tools we familiarised with, without giving up on the possibility of nurturing our Indian friends with limited outdoor events carried out in full observation of health safety protocols. It is thanks to the digital tools that we have been able to connect Italy and India even more. The availability of digital performances through the channels of the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi, the consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata and the Italian Cultural Institutes of New Delhi and Mumbai, along with the innovative platforms launched by the Italian foreign ministry have been quite successful. The promotion of arts, music, culture knows no limits.

Numerous more events still lie ahead, and I am sure the Festival of Italian Culture in India will further consolidate the relations between Italy and India, two culture superpowers.

The writer is the Italian ambassador to India
Dhaka, April 2 : At least three Rohingya men died on Friday after a blaze gutted shops at a makeshift market near a refugee camp in Bangladesh's Coxs Bazar district, firefighters said.

The bodies were found in one of the 20 shops that were gutted after the fire broke out at the market near Kutupalong refugee camp, fire brigade official Khisha Khoi Marma told dpa news agency.

The accident occurred near the sprawling Rohingya refugee camps in the district, nearly 325 km south-east of the capital Dhaka.

The men who died were aged between 20 and 25 and had worked at a clothing shop that was destroyed, Marma said.

They might have been sleeping inside the shop when the fire broke out, he added.

An electrical fault could have caused the blaze, according to Emdadul Haq, head of the local Fire Service and Civil Defence department.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire, Haq said.

Last month, a huge fire destroyed four refugee camps, killing at least 15 people and leaving more than 45,000 others homeless, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

More than 1 million Rohingya Muslims have been living in 34 squalid camps built on more than 3,000 hectares of hilly land in Cox's Bazar since they fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Nearly 750,000 of them crossed the border after Myanmar launched a military crackdown on the ethnic group in 2017.
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Auburn University is joining more than 100 universities around the world in a global climate education initiative that aims to solve climate change while also supporting struggling communities that have faced joblessness, sickness and loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of that effort, Auburn will host a public webinar on Green Recovery, Climate Solutions and a Just Transition on Wednesday, April 7, from 6-7:30 p.m.

The webinar is one of 125 similar events being held across the planet in early April as part of a global project called Solve Climate By 2030, sponsored by Bard College in New York.

Worldwide, from Australia to Alabama, Kyrgyzstan to Kentucky, Colombia to Colorado and Malaysia to Minnesota, students and community members will hear from local climate experts about concrete steps focused on moving the needle on climate change, while creating much-needed jobs and income for all.

This webinar will present realistic and optimistic possibilities in Alabama for a climate-friendly economic recovery, a transition to renewable energy that has tremendous social and economic potential and for a just transition to a society that includes and meets the needs and rights of the most vulnerable among us, said Mike Kensler, director of Auburns Office of Sustainability.

Auburns April 7 discussion will feature the following speakers examining topics of solutions for Alabama:

Daniel Tait, chief operating officer of Energy Alabama

Alan Booker, founder and executive director of the Institute of Integrated Regenerative Design

Nina Morgan, climate and environmental justice organizer of the Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution

Eban Goodstein, economist and director of the Solve Climate project at Bard College, urges climate-concerned teachers at the college, university and high school level to kick off Earth Month by discussing the overview of climate solutions here in Alabama.

Professors can utilize Auburns webinar to engage students in this critical dialog on social media by using #MakeClimateAClass.

You dont have to be an expert on climate to talk with your students, said Goodstein. Every subject contributes to understanding climate solutions. Whether you are teaching art, literature, business, philosophy or any other discipline, you can access easy-to-use teaching guides to Make Climate A Class at Auburn University.

Registration to watch the Alabama webinar is available online: https://auburn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iyYlYX1tQHuT1O6G_NUTIw.
Yingluck freed of B35bn rice compensation order

BANGKOK: The Central Administrative Court on Friday (Apr 2) annulled the Finance Ministrys order that fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra pay B35.7 billion in compensation for her administrations loss-ridden rice-pledging scheme.

corruptioncrimepolitics

By Bangkok Post

Friday 2 April 2021, 06:30PM

Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra appears at the Supreme Courts Criminal Division for People Holding Political Positions in Bangkok on Aug 1, 2017, to deliver her closing statement in the case involving her administrations corruption-ridden rice-pledging scheme. She fled the country later in the same month. Photo: Bangkok Post / file

The court found that order number 1351/2559 issued in October 2016 was not legal because the corruption in the process  which included the verification of farmers qualifications, the illegal use of foreign rice in the scheme, the substandard storage of pledged rice and fake government-to-government rice sales  happened at the operational level, reports the Bangkok Post.

Yingluck had been aware only of memorandums of understanding for G2G sales of pledged rice and there had been attempts to investigate graft in the scheme. She had not intentionally allowed corruption to grow, the court said.

Besides, the Finance Ministry admitted there was no clear evidence proving that Yingluck had been directly responsible for damage caused by the scheme, the court said.

The ruling was in response to Yinglucks petition against the compensation order. The B35.7-billion figure was considered to be 20% of the total damage from the rice-pledging scheme.

Yingluck fled Thailand in August 2017 to escape punishment over her administrations failed rice-pledging scheme, just before the Supreme Courts Criminal Division for People Holding Political Positions was set to pass judgement.

She was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison.

Deputy Prime Minister Wisanu Krea-ngam said on Friday that the government had the right to appeal against the courts ruling.
A general view of the Department of Justice building in Washington, on April 18, 2019. (Amr Alfiky/Reuters)

California Man Indicted for Using Electroshock Weapon to Assault Officer on Jan. 6

A Southern California man has been indicted for assaulting a police officer with an electroshock weapon and flagpole during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, federal prosecutors said.

Daniel Joseph Rodriguez, 38, of Fontana, California was indicted on eight counts related to the Jan. 6 breach, and was arrested by the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office on Wednesday, court records (pdf) show.

He is charged with using the weapons against a law enforcement officer, that is M.F., an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Rodriguez has also been indicted on one count of obstructing an official proceeding; one count of impeding, obstructing, or interfering with a law enforcement officer during the commission of a civil disorder; one count of theft of government property; one count of destruction of government property; and three counts of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building without lawful authority with a deadly or dangerous weapon.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the officer was assaulted after being dragged into a crowd. Officer Michael Fanone told reporters that he heard people encouraging each other to kill him with his own gun as they attempted to grab his weapon and pieces of equipment off his vest.

The charges against Rodriguez were filed last week but werent made public until Wednesday after the indictment was unsealed by the DOJ.

At least one other person has been charged by prosecutors related to the assault on Fanone. New York resident Thomas Sibick was arrested on multiple charges including assaulting or impeding officers and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder.

Prosecutors said Sibick was seen on police body-camera footage assaulting Fanone as he lay on the ground outside the U.S. Capitol.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Rodriguez on Friday morning in the Central District of California. The charge of assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
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If you havent heard of this company yet, prepare to add it as an option for your next RV or camper purchase.This team has been around since 1996, when Peter Liegl decided to start an RV company focused on offering a greater outdoor experience to people by building a better vehicle. Sure, they may not have been around since the first days of companies like Airstream and Winnebago, but once youre done learning about what they can offer, that wont matter.Over the years, this company has grown to be considered one of the larger RV companies in North America, producing everything from class A and C motorhomes, travel trailers , fifth wheels, toy haulers, and camping trailers like the Flagstaff.Now, like most other trailers of this kind, several floorplans are available to choose from, each depending on your needs, style, and of course, bank account. Each of these floorplans falls into three different series: MAC, Limited (Ltd), and High Wall (HW).The MAC Series are the sort of tents meant to pack the most possible bang for buck from the three series. It targets the active family with plenty of standard features and enough extras to create your own one-of-a-kind.Ltd Series campers are a bit lighter on all the bedazzling but with an emphasis on construction and quality. These are the entry-level campers from the team and include a limited lifetime warranty.HW Series campers are exactly what the name would imply. Designed for camping families, the focus was to create a camper with large features in an ultra-light setting. Large spaces, upgraded appliances, and tasty interiors are signatures of this series.No matter the series you choose, the following specs are valid for all camper bases, according to the massive brochure this team puts at your disposal . Starting from the ground up, nitrogen-filled steel-belted radial tires hold a tubular powder-coated steel frame. When at rest, the tent will be standing on a set of stabilizer jacks with sand pads. Dexter Torflex axles are mentioned, but not if all models include this feature.The largest of the options you can choose is the HW29SC from the HW Series. With an Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW) of 3,721 lbs (1,687 kg), youll need a decent-sized truck to pull this puppy along. The lightest option would be the 176LTD from the Ltd Series, coming in with a UVW of 1,465 lbs (664.5 kg). As mentioned, that's quite the range.For the HW Series, standard features include Slatewood interiors, white fiberglass exterior, wood drawers with full extension guides, solar prep on the frame, and countless others. LED ceiling lights, aluminum wheels, oven, microwave, and shower/cassette toilet, are also available. Im not even going to mention the options you can add.Ltd Series tents are a bit less equipped . For example, theres no mention of an oven or toilet but it does include the same Slatewood interior, solar prep, and only two rear stabilizer jacks. Leaf spring axles, roof vent, and 25-amp converter are a few other standard features. Here too, the team at Forest places a few options at your disposal, including a 40-amp solar portable solar panel, electric brakes, and a power lift system.As for the MAC Series campers, the list of features is absolutely endless. Heated mattress bunk ends, power roof lift, awning with LED lighting, wood plank flooring, electric water pump, and USB charging ports are a few of the options found inside this fully equipped camper. Four stabilizer jacks, a permanently mounted three-burner range, and plenty of storage are also standard. As for some extras, you can have bike or kayak carriers, shower and cassette, and hot water package with outdoor shower.As far as pricing goes, it all depends on the dealership you use. For the 2021 options, the rates I've found have been anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 and up. Again, this depends on the dealership, and sometimes, even the camper being new or used, not to mention the added extras you can opt for.Think of it this way, what youve just read only represents about 10 to 15% of all the standard features and options available for the Flagstaff. Imagine what this team has in store for this and their larger, better-equipped vehicles.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 2, 2021 - 19:41 | All, Japan

Japanese physicist Isamu Akasaki, a co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics for inventing the world's first efficient blue light-emitting diodes, has died, Meijo University said Friday. He was 92.

Akasaki, a professor at the university, had been recognized for the invention which has contributed to bright and energy-saving white light sources, widely known as LED lamps.

He died of a pneumonia Thursday morning at a hospital in the central Japan city of Nagoya, the university said.

Akasaki, born in Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan's southwest, graduated from Kyoto University in 1952 before working at Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., now Panasonic Corp. He started working at Nagoya University as a professor in 1981 and was later given an honorary title.

In 2014, he shared the Nobel Prize with Japanese physicist Hiroshi Amano, professor at the university, and Japanese-born American Shuji Nakamura, professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Akasaki, when he was a professor at Nagoya University, worked with Amano to produce gallium nitride crystals, and succeeded in 1989 in creating the world's first blue LED.

Akasaki was honored in 1997 by the Japanese government with the Medal with Purple Ribbon, an honor bestowed on those who have made contributions to academic and artistic developments.
Srinagar, April 2 : Two of the three terrorists killed in an encounter at Kakpora in South Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday were responsible for attacking a BJP leader's residence in Srinagar, said police.

"Less than 24 hours after the Nowgam terror attack, police have solved the case," Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said at a press conference here.

He said the Nowgam terror attack on Thursday was jointly carried out by terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Al-Badr. One policeman was killed in the attack.

The IG said after Thursday's Nowgam terror attack, the police pursued a lead and sustained interrogation of three over ground workers of terrorists led to the three militants, who were holed up inside a house in Pulwama's Ghat village.

The house was cordoned off and the encounter ensued in the night.

"The terrorists took some civilians as hostages that delayed the operation," he said.

In the encounter, three terrorists were eliminated, who have been identified as Suhail, Yasir and Junaid, all are Pulwama residents.

The IG said that Suhail and Junaid were involved in Thursday's attack on the BJP leader's residence in which policeman Rameez Raja was killed.

From the possession of the killed terrorists one AK-47 rifle, one pistol and one SLR rifle were recovered. The SLR was the one snatched by terrorists on Thursday.

The IG further said two more LeT terrorists -- Obaid and Shahid -- involved in Thursday's attack were still on the run.

"They will be soon nabbed or neutralised," he said.

He said the Alto car that was used by the terrorists was found outside the house in Pulwama where the encounter took place. He said the vehicle belongs to the house owner and he will be booked under the UAPA.
(Newser)  An April Fools' joke in Belgium did not go over well Thursday as police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd that had gathered to attend a concert, which turned out to be a hoax. An announcement posted to Facebook in March promised a slate of famous DJs would be spinning tracks at Brussels' Bois de la Cambre park on April 1, reports the BBC. An estimated 2,000 to 5,000 people turned out, despite national restrictions limiting outdoor gatherings to four people, per the BBC and Reuters. Police officers soon moved in, attempting to disperse the crowd. Some attendees threw projectiles, the Guardian reports, noting one officer was hit.

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Police said three officers were injured, including one who was taken to a hospital, per AFP. Reuters reports at least two attendees were also injured. Some complained of police brutality, saying, "We were tear-gassed for no reason at all," per AFP. An attendee tells Reuters the goal was "not to annoy the police." Rather, "we are all depressed and "want to take advantage of our youth." Brussels Mayor Philippe Close says he understands that people wanted to get outside, but "we can't tolerate such gatherings." Four people were ultimately arrested, per AFP. Police note the event organizer, who admitted the concert was a hoax prior to Thursday, could face prosecution. (In the US, a mom's April Fools' joke also resulted in a police response.)
Four Houston-area residents in the same family face federal sex trafficking charges after allegedly coercing waitresses at a Houston bar to perform sex acts over a 13-year period, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced Thursday.

Maria Botello, 54, her son Edgar Botello, 28, her nephew Arian Botello, 23, and her daughter Yudy Lucatero, 31, are expected to make their initial appearances Friday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy.
The Federal Government and Transparency International, TI have continued in their disagreements over the state of the war on corruption in Nigeria as they trade tackles during an anti-corruption radio programme in Abuja this Wednesday.

The international anti-corruption watchdog recently faulted Nigeria's war and again scored her low in the 2020 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (TI-CPI), describing it as inaccurate and unreal.

Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari On Public Affairs, Ajuri Ngelale and, Programme Officer Anti-corruption at CISLAC which houses the Nigerian chapter of TI, Samuel Asimi disagreed on issues of nepotism, transparency, and rules of engagement in the FG's fight against corruption.

They both were guests on the popular radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE produced by the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development, PRIMORG, Wednesday in Abuja.

it will be recalled that Nigeria was ranked 149th out of 180 nations surveyed when Transparency International released its 2020 Corruption Perception Index. And similarly, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), a subsidiary of Transparency International accused the Buhari-lead administration of lack of transparency in the recovery of stolen assets.

While dismissing the 2020 CPI rating, Ngelale said that perception is different from reality, noting that prioritizing corruption perception of a country over realities on ground was a problem.

He acknowledged that Nigeria has more work to do in the war against corruption, but has progressed under President Buhari's leadership.

Responding to allegations of lack of transparency in the emergency response of the government to COVID-19, nepotism, and favoritism in the appointment and promotion of some public officers, Ngelale had these to say: "I want to deal with facts and not emotions or perceptions, before now Vanguard and Premium Times researches show that the Buhari government gave 51 per cent appointments to Southerners.

"When President Buhari took over office, it was then the full list implementation of Treasury Single Account was put in place, and we have seen the result of that.

"Look at EFCC and what they have recovered in a ten-year period from 2009-2019, the EFCC recovered about N1.28 trillion and it is not including dollars or Euros recoveries, properties, and physical assets, only naira recoveries. Now, out of that N1.28 trillion that was recovered by the EFCC between 2009-2015 which is six years' period, less than 300 billion was recovered from 2015-2019.

"Right now, over five thousand Nigerians are being paid their salaries directly by the Federal government of Nigeria through the survival funds, N300 billion CBN COVID-19 loan, and this administration leveraged on ICT on N-Power.

"I think anybody saying that we have not been transparent is a general misinformation," Ngelale said.

He decried that Nigerians focus more on the Federal government, whereas a lot more anomalies go on at the state level.

Ngelale also questioned the credibility of Transparency International, alleging that one of the founders of the organization ran for Presidency against Buhari in 2015, hence cannot be trusted.

On his part, Program Officer Anti-corruption at CISLAC, Samuel Asimi debunked any form of political interference or influence in the ratings churned out by Transparency International on a yearly basis.

He, however, noted that CPI does not measure only corruption at the Federal Government level but also at the states, adding that CPI ratings was not targeted at trivializing the efforts of the government on anti-corruption war.

On the issues of lack of transparency by the Buhari administration, Asimi stated that the Federal government still do not have a dedicated and known database to track recovered assets, stressing that transparency and accountability will increase if only the government provided a portal where citizens can view stolen assets recovered by the government.

"If there's a portal that citizens can go straight and get information about recovered monies, the doubt in government processes will reduce drastically."

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Asimi maintained that nepotism was a major problem of the Buhari-led government and remained one of the reasons why Nigeria dropped on the 2020 Corruption Perception Index. Adding that besides nepotism, Inadequate anti-corruption legal frameworks and interference in the operation of law enforcement agencies; Prevalence of bribery and extortion in the Nigerian Police; Security sector corruption; and absence of transparency in the COVID-19 pandemic were some of the main reasons Transparency International rated Nigeria low in 2020.

He called on the Buhari-led government and the National Assembly to enact a legal framework for the management of the recovered stolen assets, as well as ensure that anti-corruption agencies are fully independent and work in synergy.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, also rejected the 2020 CPI rating of Nigeria and CISLAC's assessment of the Buhari administration last week, describing it as unfair and unacceptable.

Vanguard News Nigeria
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 15:00:31|Editor: huaxia

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LOS ANGELES, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A 9-year-old boy was among four victims killed in Wednesday's mass shooting in U.S. Orange County in Southern California, authorities said Thursday.

The boy was one of the two victims found by police officers in the courtyard area of a business complex in the city of Orange where the mass shooting happened, according to the Orange Police Department.

The police department said in a release posted on its Facebook page that an adult female who had also been shot was found with the boy.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters Thursday during a press conference that the boy died in the arms of his wounded mother who was trying to save him during the bloodshed.

The Orange Police Department said it received multiple reports of shots in the city at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time (0030 GMT). Officers were unable to enter the courtyard of the business complex initially because the gates were locked from the inside by the suspect with a bicycle-type cable lock.

Officials said that two officers engaged the suspect from the outside of the gates and an officer-involved shooting occurred. Upon entry, officers located the suspect who was injured and taken into custody.

The female victim and the suspect were transported to a local hospital where they both remain in critical but stable condition. Officers quickly began a systematic search of the complex and located three deceased victims, including two adult women and one adult man.

Police said that the suspect has been identified as 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez with a last known address in Fullerton, a city located in northern Orange County.

Investigators recovered several items at the scene including a semi-automatic handgun and a backpack containing pepper spray, handcuffs and ammunition which are believed to belong to the suspect, according to the police. Enditem
President Muhammadu Buhari has rejoiced with Christians on the occasion of this year's Easter celebration.

The President in a statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, recalled that a year ago, "in most of our major cities, our celebrations were somewhat subdued, as we battled the effect of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

"The restrictions meant that our brethren could not attend traditional church services as they would have wished. I salute their resilience and understanding.

"Today, we are able to congregate and worship together, cautiously."

President Buhari deeply acknowledged and appreciates the sacrifices of our doctors, nurses and other frontline health workers, "who have made the difference in saving lives and ensuring the reduction of the spread of the virus.

"I thank Nigerians who have religiously adhered to various interventions to curb the spread of COVID-19, including regular hand washing; safe distancing, wearing of face masks, and embrace of vaccination.

"We are united in our belief that if we do the right things, take the right decisions and act responsibly, the pandemic, like others before it, will no longer be a threat."

As Christians celebrate Easter, the President says it is an opportunity to renew hope and faith, show love and appreciation to one another and not to despair, no matter the challenges of the period.

"As a government, we will continue to ensure that the weak, the poor and the underprivileged in our midst are not abandoned.

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"We have reached out with palliative care even in the midst of dwindling resources; we have tried our best to provide support to families and businesses affected at this time.

"That is the spirit of Easter. The spirit of Faith. The spirit of Belief. The spirit of Hope."

The President equally commended law enforcement and military personnel who continue to confront evil-minded individuals through the darkest of nights to keep us safe.

"I am convinced that the new resolve within the security personnel to make sure that insecurity in the country becomes part of our history will come to pass.

"We should not allow the antics of a few mischief mongers to fragment the unity and faith that the vast majority of citizens of this country cherish and believe in. As I've said before, we are better and stronger as one nation under God.

"I congratulate our brothers and sisters once again on this occasion and wish everyone a Happy Easter celebration," he added.
Source: Centers for Disease Control. Percentage vaccinated is based on all residents including children, who are not currently eligible to be vaccinated.

The hot spots map shows the share of population with a new reported case over the last week.

loading... (please enable JavaScript to use this feature)

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Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). Tests, hospitalizations and deaths show seven-day averages. Hospitalization data may not yet be available for yesterday. Figures shown are the most recent data available.

These are days with a reporting anomaly. Read more here .

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, a member of the New Progressive Party, announced he would relax a number of restrictions beginning May 24, including a territory-wide curfew. Most businesses will be allowed to increase to 50 percent of capacity. More details 

Source: Centers for Disease Control. Percentage vaccinated is based on all residents including children, who are not currently eligible to be vaccinated.

Information on cases linked to these places comes from official releases by governments, companies and institutions directly. The Times is publishing lists of groupings of 50 or more cases related to a specific site, workplace or event.

Since March 2020, The Times has paid special attention to cases in the types of places with some of the worst outbreaks, like nursing homes , food processing plants and correctional facilities .

Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). The seven-day average is the average of a day and the previous six days of data. Currently hospitalized is the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 reported by hospitals in the state for the four days prior. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government. Tests represent the number of individual P.C.R. viral test specimens tested by laboratories and state health departments and reported to the federal government.

These are days with a reporting anomaly. Read more here .

These are days with a reporting anomaly. Read more here .

These are days with a reporting anomaly. Read more here .

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, a member of the New Progressive Party, announced he would relax a number of restrictions beginning May 24, including a territory-wide curfew. Most businesses will be allowed to increase to 50 percent of capacity. More details 

Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (hospitalizations); Centers for Disease Control (vaccinations); Census Bureau (population and demographic data). The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days. Hospitalized for each county shows the average number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized per 100,000 residents within any hospital service areas that intersect with the county. Vaccination data is not available for some counties. All-time charts show data from Jan. 21, 2020 to present.

This table is sorted by places with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days. Charts show change in daily averages and are each on their own scale. Select a table header to sort by another metric.

About the data

In data for Puerto Rico, The Times primarily relies on reports from the territory. Puerto Rico typically releases new data each day. Weekend counts may be lower because fewer sources report to the territory.

The Times has identified the following reporting anomalies or methodology changes in the data: May 6, 2021: The reported number of tests likely includes many older tests.

The reported number of tests likely includes many older tests. April 13, 2021: The reported number of tests likely includes many older tests.

The reported number of tests likely includes many older tests. March 30, 2021: The daily testing count includes many older tests.

The daily testing count includes many older tests. March 7, 2021: Puerto Rico changed the format of its data, resulting in one-day adjustments of cases and deaths in some municipalities.

Puerto Rico changed the format of its data, resulting in one-day adjustments of cases and deaths in some municipalities. Oct. 23, 2020: Puerto Rico added a backlog of test results from unspecified days.

Puerto Rico added a backlog of test results from unspecified days. April 21, 2020: Puerto Rico revised the number of cases downward after resolving an issue with duplicates.

Puerto Rico revised the number of cases downward after resolving an issue with duplicates. April 12, 2020: Puerto Rico started including some probable Covid-19-related deaths. From April 19 to April 22, the territory stopped reporting probable deaths, and then continued again on April 23. The territorial health department acknowledged in late April that it had been double-counting some patients. That issue had been resolved by early May, officials said.

Muncipality-level weekly cases per capita are shown starting in early May, when The Times began gathering the data.

On Nov. 7, Puerto Rico updated its case definitions and recategorized thousands of previously announced cases identified through antibody testing as suspected cases. Officials had previously included these cases as probable cases. The Times data includes cases identified through antibody testing announced before Nov. 7, but includes only cases identified through P.C.R. or antigen testing after this date.

The tallies on this page include probable and confirmed cases and deaths.

Confirmed cases and deaths, which are widely considered to be an undercount of the true toll, are counts of individuals whose coronavirus infections were confirmed by a molecular laboratory test. Probable cases and deaths count individuals who meet criteria for other types of testing, symptoms and exposure, as developed by national and local governments.

Governments often revise data or report a single-day large increase in cases or deaths from unspecified days without historical revisions, which can cause an irregular pattern in the daily reported figures. The Times is excluding these anomalies from seven-day averages when possible.
13th Annual Muslim Mental Health Conference

13th Annual Muslim Mental Health Conference

April 2-3, 2021 Online

Theme: Restorative Healing and Liberation in Context

Healing from pain and traumas that result from oppressive sociopolitical structures such as racism, Islamophobia, and sexism must be approached from a multifaceted perspective. The individual must understand themselves in context, and heal on a personal level, while society must change to stop oppression from occurring. Thus, healing cannot be done alone and does not happen in a vacuum. For true healing to occur, a transformation needs to happen on the individual and societal level. These transformations take place when we as a community can work to raise awareness of issues of inequality and intersectionality, affirm salient cultural identities, resist against oppressive systems, and promote social change that will alleviate suffering. This year, we welcome all proposals related to Muslim Mental Health, with a special emphasis on proposals focused on Restorative Healing and Liberation in Context.

Who should attend? Mental Health practitioners, religious leaders, faculty, graduate students and community members. Conference flyer is found here.

Program

The conference program can be viewed here.

Oral and Poster Presenters can be viewed here.

Full abstracts can be viewed here.

Conference Registration

Fees for the conference are: USD $50 professionals, $25 students and low to middle income countries. Registration link here will open in a new window.

Continuing Education Credits

Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) will be providing 10.5 Continuing Medical Education credits. The Center for Rural Health will be providing 16 Social Work continuing education credits. The Michigan Center for Rural Health is an approved provider with the Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative. Approved Provider Number: MICEC-0070.

Advertisements

Organizations and individuals are welcome to provide an ad for the display carousel during the breaks of the conference, and before and after each session. The cost is $100 and includes one registration. See the registration link above and choose the Sponsors option.

Conference Refund and Cancellation Policy

We hope everyone who registers for the conference will be able to attend; however, we know extenuating circumstances do occur. The Cancellation and Refund Policies are as follows:

Conference registration canceled on or before March 15, 2021 is refundable but subject to a $10 administrative fee.

is refundable but subject to a $10 administrative fee. Registrants canceling on or after March 26, 2021 will not receive a refund. The refund and cancellation policy will not be waived. Registration fees may be transferred to another individual by submitting name to email below.

Co-Hosts and Sponsors

The Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Psychiatry will host the 13th Annual Muslim Mental Health Conference, in partnership with the Institute for Muslim Mental Health, IMANA, and Governors State University. Additional support provided by MSU College of Human Medicine, MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, MSU International Studies and Programs, MSU Provost Office, MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, University of Michigan Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Michigan Center for South Asian Studies.

Contact Us

For more information or if you have questions about the Conference, please email msummhconference@gmail.com
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will hold face-to-face talks with Joe Biden in Washington on April 16, as the first foreign leader hosted by the US president, the Japanese government said Friday.

Local media had reported the trip would take place next week, but top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said the mid-April date would give both sides time to prepare.

The trip comes at a time of renewed focus on China's role in the region, as well as its alleged abuses of the Uyghur minority and its crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong.

"We had been coordinating for early April, and a final decision was made that the date will be April 16, to allow us to prepare to make sure the prime minister's US visit is successful," Kato said.

The talks follow a visit by the Pentagon chief and top US diplomat to Japan in March, when the two countries warned China against "coercion and destabilising behaviour".

Kato said Suga's trip would be a chance to discuss "strengthening the Japan-US alliance" and issues ranging from the coronavirus to climate change.

Matters related to China and North Korea will also likely be on the agenda, Kato added. North Korea carried out missile tests last week in its first substantive provocation since Biden took office.

Suga, 72, became prime minister in September after his predecessor Shinzo Abe stepped down for health reasons.

He has had his first shot of Covid-19 vaccine in preparation for the US trip, although Japan is not expected to begin mass jabs for weeks.

Suga will also reportedly use the trip to invite Biden to the Tokyo Olympics, due to begin on July 23 after a year's pandemic delay.

kh-kaf/am/hg
Houston Independent School Districts school year will continue to start in late August after a district committee resoundingly rejected a proposal that included the option to begin classes earlier in the month.

Members of HISDs District Advisory Committee voted 21-10 last week to shoot down a new District of Innovation plan, which would have allowed HISD to opt out of state laws related to school start dates, the hiring of noncertified vocational teachers and minimum requirements for in-class participation. The group is composed of HISD staff members, parents and community leaders, about half of whom are appointed by school board trustees.

HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan had pushed for adopting the plan despite calls to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and resistance among leaders of the Houston Federation of Teachers, the districts largest employee union.

HISD administrators argued that the plan would give them more flexibility to move up the first day of school, balancing out the number of days in each semester. HISDs first semester typically lasts nearly 80 days, while its second semester approaches 100 days.

District leaders also said the calendar change would provide students more time with teachers before spring standardized tests, such as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness and Advanced Placement exams.

In addition, HISD administrators said the certification exemptions would help in the hiring of hard-to-staff vocational teaching positions, while the participation waiver would give students more options to attend unique programs outside the classroom.

The proposal faced strong opposition from some employee groups, who argued that it set a bad precedent that could lead to future changes they opposed. Other critics said HISD administrators failed to provide enough information about the plan, including why the changes were necessary.

Maria Fernandez, a District Advisory Committee member appointed by HISD Trustee Anne Sung, said it was not clear to me what the actual problem was we were trying to solve.

I began to feel that the DAC was being considered as a rubber stamp, said Fernandez, the mother of two sons attending HISD schools. We asked for additional information, we asked for additional meetings, we asked if we could vote just on changing the calendar date. And we werent given a clear answer.

August Hamilton, HISDs general manager of strategy and innovation, said he gave committee members the final plan in early March, held a 90-minute briefing with time for questions and answered any follow-up queries by email. In addition, the exemptions sought by HISD have been public since last May.

To me, I just feel like its kind of disingenuous to say none of our questions were answered, because there were so many opportunities to do that, Hamilton said.

Texas legislators created the District of Innovation framework in 2015, allowing school and community leaders to seek exemptions from certain state education laws in the spirit of greater local control. Plans must garner majority support from a district-appointed committee and approval from two-thirds of school board members before taking effect.

All the Houston areas largest districts have approved District of Innovation plans, with the exception of HISD and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. Each district sought an exemption to start the school year earlier  state law says districts cannot begin before the fourth Monday in August  and many included other provisions related to teacher certification, attendance requirements and class size limits.

HISD trustees voted 7-2 last May to begin the District of Innovation process, despite early opposition from the Houston Federation of Teachers and reticence from some board members.

Much of the criticism centered on the proposal to allow the hiring of noncertified vocational educators, with some teachers arguing the move undermined their credentials.

Although the plan specified that the exemption would apply only to career and technical education teachers, some committee members questioned whether HISD would have to legally opt out of certification requirements for all teachers under the states District of Innovation law.

I dont think the districts intention necessarily matters when you look at the law, said HISD teacher Coretta Mallet-Fontenot, an employee committee member who voted against the plan.

Hamilton said HISD administrators received assurances from legal counsel that the exemption could not spread to certification requirements of nonvocational teachers.

Throughout the months-long process, some District of Innovation critics said HISD would dramatically expand the scope of the plan if it passed. At a hearing ahead of the committee vote last week, an opponent falsely claimed that approval would lead to the elimination of class size requirements and termination of employee contracts.

Under state law, districts must restart the District of Innovation process before changing, renewing or rescinding a plan.

Durrel Douglas, the executive director of the advocacy group Houston Justice and a District Advisory Committee member who voted for the proposal, said the misinformation fueled opposition to the proposal.

Compared with what some other districts are doing, I didnt figure it would be that controversial, said Douglas, who was appointed by Trustee Kathy Blueford-Daniels. I thought it was well-explained by folks in the district. These are the experts, this is what they recommended and theres truth behind each of these points that makes common sense.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com
President welcomes Catholicos of All Armenians who has arrived in Artsakh

Armenia PM chief of staff: Possibility of full-scale war still exists in region

Two Azerbaijan reporters die in landmine explosion in Artsakhs Karvachar

Downtown Yerevan murder solved, murder suspect is foreigner

Armenia former President Kocharyan: These authorities really have nothing to say

Armenia parliament holding 2nd special session in one day

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan instrumentalizes captured people as political hostages, tools to pursue other goals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: These authorities have not kept any of their promises in 3 years

UN Security Council will make a recommendation on the next Secretary-General on June 8

Armenia ombudsman: Water resources have come under Azerbaijan army control

US lawmakers call for Turkey to be held accountable for repeated religious freedom violations

72 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Candidate for post of Head of State must undergo psychiatric evaluation

Armenia legislature continues special sitting

Israel defense minister changes tone over Iran nuclear deal during US visit

Armenia parliament to convene 2 special sessions Friday

University of Nevada new School of Medicine to be named after Kirk Kerkorian

World food prices reach highest level in 10 years

Newspaper: Armenia ruling party to hold fundraiser Saturday

Newspaper: Russia does not manifest very active efforts in trilateral talks with Armenia, Azerbaijan

US to donate 25mn doses of coronavirus vaccine

Armenia is elected UN World Tourism Organization Executive Council member for period of 2021-2025

Armenia 2nd President meets with leaders and officers of Police, MOD and National Security Service of various years

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative: Incumbent authorities' mistakes are irreversible

Armenia ombudsman: Any persecution, trial of captives is gross violation of international law

Europe sees progress in latest rounds of Iran nuclear talks

Armenian analyst: Turkey wants to push Russia out of the South Caucasus

Young Armenian says brawl with Azerbaijanis in front of Azerbaijan Embassy in Moscow might have been organized

Catholicos of All Armenians leaves for Armenia's Syunik Province and Artsakh on pontifical visit

Armenian and Russian Prosecutors General meet in St. Petersburg

Armenian acting minister: EU allocated EUR 68,700,000 to Armenia for budget support in 2020

Armenia Finance Ministry: MFA's budget grew by AMD 1,600,000,000 in 2020

Bodies and remains of Armenian soldiers are kept in morgue in Armenia's Martuni

White House confirms Biden-Erdogan meeting in Brussels

Armenia acting MOD touches upon priority directions for development of Armed Forces

Diaspora Armenian writer, publicist Toros Toranian dies

2 Armenian soldiers injured in scuffle with Azerbaijan, Armenian POW is hospitalized, Jun. 3 digest

Wedding held in Armenia's Shurnukh for first time since the war ended

EEU member states to finish preparing for negotiations over free trade zone in Iran in late June

Armenia Central Bank: Economic downfall in 2020 was due to decline in service and construction sectors

Armenia legislature adopts several bills in first reading

Armenia President meets with Nursultan Nazarbayev

Dejavu: Armenia ruling party distributes money for votes at Yerevan district election office

Chief Advisor to Karabakh President sacked

Russian MFA: Works are carried out to settle situation around Karabakh every day

Armenia opposition MP sounds alarm about Baku fabricating criminal cases against Armenian prisoners

Armenia acting health minister: I have apologized, I am not going to resign

Helga Schmid meets with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs

Armenia's deputy foreign ministers resigned or have heavy workload?

Dollar goes down in Armenia

Armenia Elections Oversight Committee reports Iranian citizenship of ruling party's MP candidate

Acting deputy minister: Only 17 of 711 Iran-Armenia power transmission line towers were installed by 2017

Armenia Parliament Council holding session

Armenia to host CSTO "Thunder-2021" military exercises

NYT: Chinese hackers launch cyberattack on New York city transportation authority

Armenia President to Kazakhstan counterpart: I would like to see much deeper cooperation between our countries

Armenia citizens shut down Etchmiadzin-Ashtarak road, complaining about lack of irrigation water

Armenia independent MP: Foreign minister and his deputies don't want to take part in treacherous acts

Armenia to get $11mn loan, 350,000 grant for agriculture

WHO worries about worsening mental health worldwide amid pandemic

Armenia health ministry on improper handling of Artsakh war victims bodies: There is no justification

Armenia bloc election foundation already in operation

Russia ambassador to Armenia paying working visit to Syunik Province (PHOTOS)

China pledges to step up resistance to foreign interference in Hong Kong

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan: There can be no talk of corridor for Azerbaijan

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan on incumbent authorities: Wherever they flee, we will bring them by the feet

President: Impossible to ensure peace in region or stay in Artsakh without Russia army joint efforts

China Daily: Dispatch from Makit: Thriving in the desert

Karabakh President: We will never put up with being part of Azerbaijan, it is ruled out

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
(Natural News) A batch of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines made by American pharma giant Johnson & Johnson has been thrown out after it failed quality control, the drugmaker announced on Wednesday, March 31.

The incident occurred at Emergent Biosolutions, a factory in Baltimore, Maryland that Johnson & Johnson had contracted out to produce its vaccines. Johnson & Johnson said in a statement:

This quality control process identified one batch of drug substance that did not meet quality standards at Emergent Biosolutions, a site not yet authorized to manufacture drug substance for our COVID-19 vaccine. This batch was never advanced to the filling and finishing stages of our manufacturing process. As with the manufacturing of any complex biologic medication or vaccine, the start-up for a new process includes test runs and quality checks to ensure manufacturing is validated and the end product meets our high-quality standards. This approach includes having dedicated specialists on the ground at the companies that are part of our global manufacturing network to support safety and quality.

The spoiled batch could have produced as many as 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. (Related: Yearly COVID-19 shots might be needed by everyone, Johnson & Johnson CEO now conveniently claims.)

The Emergent Biosolutions factory where the incident occurred has had other problems in the past, according to the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) last inspection of the factory. Reports have previously come in about how the sites location had cracked vials and mold around one of its facilities.

Furthermore, the FDA had previously flagged another Emergent plant in Baltimore where the factory in question failed to test its ingredients for anthrax. This led the investigator in charge of the inspection to report that the company was failing to train its employees in the particular operations they perform as part of their function and current good manufacturing practices.

The incident has also raised concerns about how many other Johnson & Johnson vaccines were erroneously made.

As of April 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions vaccine tracker shows that nearly 7.9 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been delivered.

The company is committed to manufacturing 80 million doses of its vaccine by the end of May, and 100 million doses by the end of June. Johnson & Johnson said it is also still on track to deliver more than one billion doses around the world by the end of the year.

FDA to conduct probe on what caused vaccine batch to fail quality control

The FDA has announced that it is opening an investigation to figure out what caused a batch of Johnson & Johnsons vaccines to go bad.

The agency said it may send an inspection team to assess the situation in Emergent Biosolutions plant in Baltimore.

Emergent Biosolutions said in a statement on Thursday, April 1, that it was able to isolate the batch that did not meet Johnson & Johnsons quality standards and that it would dispose of the batch properly.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson said that while discarding a whole batch of vaccines was disappointing, it could happen from time to time because of the complex vaccine manufacturing process. The company also said the lapse in quality from this one batch has not affected the overall quality of the vaccine doses that have already been distributed in the United States.

Johnson & Johnson further claims to have enough supply of vaccine doses to meet its near-term commitments, despite the setback of losing 15 million vaccines.

The company said it was sending experts in technical operations, quality and manufacturing to the Emergent Biosolutions plant to oversee all manufacturing of the vaccine.

On Thursday, the White House responded to the incident with Johnson & Johnson by saying that it did not expect this setback to affect the companys promised supply of vaccines. The administration of President Joe Biden has already agreed to purchase 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine for $1 billion. The federal government expects these doses to be delivered by the middle of the year.

We have been assured that they expect to meet those deadlines, said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

Learn more about the many problems arising with all of the coronavirus vaccines by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

TheHill.com

COVID.CDC.gov

WSJ.com
In the summer of 2019, an unknown object arrived in our solar system from an unidentified star. It was the first interstellar comet ever observed. No one knew what it was made from, or how long it had traveled through space. On Earth, an amateur astronomer from Ukraine, Gennady Borisov, was the first to spot it, and it was named 2I/Borisov in his honor.

Until then, only one object is known to have arrived from another solar system: the asteroid Oumuamua, whose odd shape has fuelled speculation since it was observed in 2017. Interstellar comet? Cosmic iceberg? Alien space wreck? asked The New York Times. The most recent theory suggests it was chipped off a Pluto-like planet somewhere far, far away.

These rare objects are exciting, like a time capsule of information about other stars unreachable by human spacecraft, and possibly about the planets around them. The Sun and the planets around it, including Earth, travel through the Milky Way at 220 kilometers per second. During this journey it is possible that we may pass so close to another solar system that a comet or asteroid gets sucked into the Suns field of gravity, or into the orbit of giant planets like Jupiter or Saturn. These visitors may get trapped in their new home forever, or pass right through and back out into interstellar space.

Researchers speculate that there may have been giant planets of gas in that solar system that attracted the comet with their gravitational pull

Thats how astronomers think Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov arrived, and its tantalizing to consider whether space travelers like these could carry elements critical to life from one star to another, and even seed them on other planets. This week, two teams of astronomers presented the results of Borisov observations made with two of the most powerful telescopes on Earth.

The first team attempted to understand when this comet formed and how its long journey through space has affected it. The astronomers targeted Borisov with the Very Large Telescope, a telescope facility operated by the European Southern Observatory in the Atacama Desert in Chile. They compared the observations with those of other known comets. The only one that it resembles is Hale-Bopp, a comet that was discovered in 1995 and was so bright it could be seen with the naked eye in the night sky for 18 months straight. The results of the first study, published this week in Nature Communications, point to Borisov being even more intact.

Comet 2I/Borisov most likely never passed close to the Sun or any other star, and may represent the first truly pristine comet that has ever been observed, the studys authors wrote. Pure means old, so it is possible that its raw material is dust and gas very similar to that which existed around the Sun shortly after its birth about 4.5 billion years ago, before the planets of our solar system existed. The researchers believe that since its formation, Borisov has never passed close enough to a star to degrade.

The second study, published by the journal Nature Astronomy, shows that the comet is made of particles and pebbles of different sizes. Bin Yang, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory, analyzed Borisov with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), currently the largest radio telescope in the world. Her results suggest the comet is a mixture of materials from different regions of the solar system where it formed.

The researchers speculate that there may have been giant planets of gas in that solar system that attracted the comet with their gravitational pull. Borisov is currently 10 astronomical units, or about 1.4 billion kilometers, away from Earth, explained Luisa Lara, a researcher at the Andalusia Institute of Astrophysics. It will keep travelling away from us and will eventually leave our solar system in about 15,000 years, she said. Lara was part of the scientific team of the Rosetta mission, a European deep space probe sent to sample the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It found oxygen and organic material regarded as crucial for the origin of life on Earth.

The astrophysicist often reminds people that the basic ingredients for life arrived on Earth from space, probably on the back of comets. Glycine, an amino acid that may have been one of the first building blocks for the formation of living molecules such as RNA, has been found on comets. In her opinion, the two studies published this week are in line with what would be expected for a comet, because although it may have formed in another solar system, it is consistent to those that exist in our own.
The commanders of the three branches of Brazil's armed forces resigned Tuesday, a day after President Jair Bolsonaro forced out his defense minister.

Why it matters: The resignations  unprecedented in Brazil since military rule ended 36 years ago  may signal a breakdown between Bolsonaro and the countrys military, according to AP. They have also sparked fears that the president may use the opportunity to assert greater control over the military by appointing loyalists.

Context: Bolsonaro replaced six cabinet members, including his defense minister, on Monday, in response to mounting pressure over his administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, per Reuters. It was the largest cabinet shakeup since he took office.

The coronavirus has killed more than 317,000 people in Brazil, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The big picture: The heads of Brazil's army, navy and air force met with Bolsonaro's new defense minister, Gen. Walter Souza Braga Netto, on Tuesday before resigning, according to AP.
Aung San Suu Kyi and her Australian economic adviser are among those who have been charged with breaking Myanmars colonial-era official secrets law. The leaders lawyer revealed the accusation after the UN security council was warned that Myanmar was at risk of civil war if the military rulers continued to violently repress the protest movement. According to the reports by The Guardian, Suu Kyis chief lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw said that Suu Kyi and three of her deposed cabinet ministers and a detained Australian economist, Sean Turnell, were charged in a Yangon court under the official secrets law.

Current situation in Myanmar

After the February 1 coup, tens of thousands of people have been protesting against the military, demanding the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. Security forces have failed to bring the widespread demonstrations under control and the junta has ordered the use of force against peaceful protesters, killing more than five hundred people since February and arresting thousands of others. The killings of civilians have drawn international condemnation, with multiple diplomatic missions to Myanmar releasing statements and calling out the army in Burma to follow international standards of military professionalism.

Myanmar activists, on the other hand, have launched a garbage strike to oppose the military coup. According to CNN, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group (AAPP) said that amidst crackdowns in Kyauk Myaung, Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, people banged pots and pans in protest. At that time, the junta forces told people they will arson neighbourhoods if people continue, AAPP said. Additionally, the reported influx of people fleeing into neighbouring Thailand also marks a new phase in the deepening crisis for Myanmar.

In another significant development, lawyer Min Min Soe told reporters on April 1 that Myanmars ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and detained President Win Myint appeared in good health, but it was unclear if they were aware of the current situation in the country. Soe, who represents both the deposed leaders, said that she was not able to inform Suu Kyi and Win Myint about what was happening outside. She also informed that she is not allowed to meet the ousted leaders in person.

However, Soe told reporters that Suu Kyi and Win Myints hearing was adjourned until April 12. Suu Kyi, who has been under detention since the February 1 coup, had a brief meeting with a member of her legal team on March 31, ahead of a court hearing on Thursday. After the meeting, Suu Kyis lawyer informed that the 75-year-old Nobel laureate looked in good health during the video conference.

(Image Credits: AP)
Vishva Sai Silks

Vishva Sai Silks, LLC, (http://www.VishvaSaiSilks.com), a Charlotte, NC-based expert in Indian Ethnic Wear, is pleased to announce that the company has added Indian Ethnic Jewelries to compliment their other Indian Ethnic Wears.

Vishva Sai Silks has done extensive market research and analysis since the launch of their business in April 2019. Based on this market analysis, the co-founders of Vishva Sai Silks, Sujatha Amarnath and Karthiga Nattanmai, have added elegant Indian Jewelries to their line of business.

When I was looking for good quality Kanchi Pure Silk Sarees for my daughters wedding, I realized that most of the shops in the USA that sell Sarees neither carried good quality products nor were affordable. While talking to a few friends, my friend and partner, Karthiga, also noted that theres a great need for quality Silk Sarees at nominal prices and we decided to launch Vishva Sai Silks, noted Sujatha, President of Vishva Sai Silks.

That sparked them to reach out to weavers in India directly and start procuring great quality Sarees at fair prices.

I was looking for some modern Indian attires and my friends were looking for designer Sarees. We didnt find anything satisfying, and thats when Sujatha expressed the same sentiments, added Karthiga, CEO of Vishva Sai Silks.

As the need for Indian ethnic wears have grown, they have added Designer Sarees with Stitched Blouses, Lehengas, Banarasi Silk Sarees, Half Sarees, Little Girls Pavada sets, Little Boys Dhoti sets, Ready-made Blouses & Teen Girls Dhaavani sets to their core product of Kanchi Pure Silk Sarees.

As part of this growth, they have now added Indian Jewelries to their line of products and have expanded the customer service area to all of North America including USA, Canada, and Mexico.

For inquiries, they can be reached at 704-456-9451 or 704-802-2341 or VishvaSaiWhatsApp. Their FaceBook page is http://www.facebook.com/VishvaSaiSilksPage and online store addresses are http://www.VishvaSaiSilks.com and http://www.VishvaSaiSilks.store.
By Guo Xiaobing

Britain recently released an evaluation report, unveiling its long-term strategic blueprint after Brexit. According to the report, Britain will significantly adjust its nuclear strategy, which indicates three features from the perspective of arms control.

First, the number of Britain's nuclear warheads will rebound. Since the end of the Cold War, Britain has been cutting its nuclear warhead stockpile. In 2010, the British government pledged to reduce its nuclear warhead stockpile to 180 by the mid-2020s. However, this time it announced to reverse its previous policy of nuclear disarmament over the past 30 years and instead plans to increase the number of nuclear warheads to 260 at most, an increase of more than 40%.

Second, Britain plans to lower the threshold to use nuclear weapons, announcing that it would resort to nuclear arms against threats from emerging technologies. Previously, it adopted the policy of using nuclear weapons mainly to respond to threats from nuclear, biological, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction. The newly added emerging technology threats, according to the British media, will include cyberattacks, AI, encryption and laser weapons.

Third, Britain starts to maintain deliberate ambiguity of its nuclear policy and keep secret the stockpile of nuclear warheads deployed instead of making it public. Before that, Britain had always boasted about its transparency in nuclear weapons. Now it announced that it would no longer unveil its nuclear warhead stockpile and the numbers of warheads deployed and missiles in an attempt to confuse enemies and increase the difficulty of their attacks.

The adjustment of British nuclear strategy will have a series of adverse impacts on international nuclear arms control and non-proliferation.

First, it increases the barrier to international nuclear disarmament. On the one hand, the US and Russia extended the New START Treaty at the beginning of this year, bringing hope to international nuclear disarmament despite turns and twists. Moreover, the two countries both expressed willingness to discuss new arms control plans based on the treaty. Russia has always proposed that nuclear disarmament shall take into account the nuclear arms of Britain and France. In this context, Britains decision to significantly increase its nuclear warhead stockpile will definitely discourage the US and Russia in the process of nuclear disarmament.

On the other hand, the adjustment of British nuclear posture will bring negative impacts to the US nuclear strategy. Currently, it can be seen that the Biden administration is relatively proactive in arms control and alleged that it would adjust the nuclear policy of the previous administration and consider suspending some nuclear weapon development projects, including the W93 warhead to be deployed on the US Navys ballistic missile submarines. However, Britains nuclear weapon modernization plan relies on the development of the W93 warhead, so it will actively lobby the US Congress to earmark funds for the warhead research. To maintain its special relationship with Britain, the Biden government is likely to breach the red line and develop the W93 warhead. This is definitely not good news for international nuclear disarmament initiatives.

Second, it increases the risk of using nuclear weapons. The scope of emerging technologies is extensive, and their usage threshold is much lower than nuclear weapons. Britain warns that it will resort to nuclear weapons in response to attacks using emerging technologies. This will diversify the scenarios of nuclear weapon usage and do grave harm.

Finally, it will impact the international nuclear non-proliferation mechanism. Out of their extreme dissatisfaction with the stagnation in nuclear disarmament, non-nuclear-weapon states signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), putting forward a series of radical measures on nuclear arms control. As a member of NATO, Britain has been sheltered by the umbrella of the US. Even so, it still intends to increase its nuclear warhead stockpile and lower nuclear arms transparency. Undoubtedly, this move will arouse discontent among non-nuclear-weapon states and cast a shadow over the 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to be held in August this year. If the review conference cannot achieve substantial results , the universality and authority of the international nuclear non-proliferation mechanism will be undermined.

(The author is the director of the Arms Control Studies Center, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.)

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.
A Donegal emigrant who has just celebrated his 80th birthday is seeking help tracking down a photograph of his deceased mother.

Michael John Docherty, who now lives in Preston in Lancashire in England, was born in Inishowen in Carndonagh on March 24, 1941.

The family's name was originally spelled 'Doherty', which changed to 'Docherty' many years later.

Michael has never seen a photograph of his mother who sadly passed away when he was very young.

Michael's daughter, Tammy, said he was now desperate to see his mother's face just once in his life.

Tammy is hoping a reader of Derry Now might remember Michael's family and might have a photograph of his mother, Ellen Doherty.

Tammy said: My dad was 80 last week and he has never, ever seen a photograph of his mother, who passed away when he was a young boy.

We have not been able to find out much information about her, so even to have a photograph would be wonderful.

My grandmother passed away when my dad was very young and he is desperate to see his mother's face just once in his life.

Ellen's parents were called Cassie (nee McGonagle) and Barney Doherty.

"Ellen lived in Drung and went to St Columba's school. She was born on October 21, 1911 and passed away around the age of 34 or 36.

"She was married to Michael John Doherty and they had four children: Irene, Michael, William and the late Bridget.

We have not been able to find a photograph of Ellen. Nobody knows anything about her. It is almost as if she never existed.

A few of my dad's family in Ireland remember her but they were kids, they are now old men, so they do not have much recollection.

Tammy's dad said Ellen was buried in Carn cemetery, Moville Upper. Unfortunately he does not know the exact plot.

Tammy added: All we are after is a picture of Ellen, even if it is a picture from when she was at school.

Dad says he cannot believe he will never see her face, it makes me so so sad.

"I would love to be able to find perhaps a tiny bit of information about her or just a picture and I would appreciate it, more than they would ever know, if any of your readers could help us.

We have tried for years. I just feel there has to be a picture somewhere maybe from Ellen's school days. Dad is but is so desperate to see her face just once in his life. I wonder if there would be a wedding photo anywhere?

My dad's dad remarried when Ellen died, which is probably why he has never seen any of his mum and dad's wedding photographs.

When Michael was three years old, he and his siblings were sent to live in Glasgow in Scotland. Ellen had passed away by then.

The Docherty family came back to Ireland about 20 years ago to do some research.

However, all of the information had been burned due to church fires and due to the war.

All census information had been burnt or not done. The 1921 census did not go ahead and the 1931 and 1941 censuses were destroyed. Some say my dad parents met in service others say they met at a dance.

If anyone can help Tammy and Michael Docherty, please contact catherine.mcginty@iconicnews.ie.
Bidens First Joint Address to Congress Still Not Scheduled

President Joe Bidens first speech to a joint session of Congress is still not set, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday.

The joint address typically takes place in February of each year and is known as the State of the Union address every year except a presidents first in office.

Part of the decision in that regard is in the hands of the Capitol physician as well as the Sergeants-at-Arms, Pelosi told reporters during a virtual briefing.

So, in terms of how we can do that, and how many people can be in the room and this or that will behopefully the more people who get vaccinated, the more people we can have in the room. Some people have objections to vaccinations, which I hope that they can overcome in the very near future, she added, referring to COVID-19 vaccines.

Bidens chief of staff, Ron Klain, said last month that the address would likely be scheduled shortly after the COVID-19 relief bill was passed by Congress and promoted by the president during a tour to various states. Biden signed the bill into law on March 11.

I think we wanted to get through this rescue plan first and get it done and get it passed. Then were going to go to the country, were going to take a couple of weeks to really explain the plan, Klain said. I think shortly after that youll see him work with the Congress on a joint address that is appropriate for COVID and all of these other times we are living in.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 19, 2021. (Graeme Jennings/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Psaki touched on the matter on March 14, telling reporters in Washington that there was not an official date to share. She also claimed it was never planned for February, even though Biden had said he would deliver the speech that month.

On Thursday, Psaki indicated Biden may not deliver the address.

He is definitely considering giving a joint session address. I cant wait until we finally announce this because I know you all really want a date. Were working with leaders in Congress to finalize that. I just dont have a date quite yet for you, she told reporters at the White House.

The president took over two months to hold his first press conference, finally engaging in an extended question-and-answer session on March 25. He met with his Cabinet in person for the first time on April 1. He is still not meeting with foreign leaders in-person, though Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Sugas government said Friday the official would visit Biden on April 16 and be the first foreign leader to meet with him in person.

Pelosi said that Congress will be ready whenever the president is ready to come, and well extend that invitation, which is the tradition.

Its a collaboration. We dont pick a date, and they dont pick it. We do it together especially in a time of COVID. I mean, this is the first COVID. We had the state of the union last year as you may recall right before COVID. That was when I tore up the speech, the pack of lies. Remember that? But this is now this year, she added.

So, it will be soonI hope[and] participated in as safely possible. And our office will be in touch with them and well [have a] conversation about when that would be.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 20:03:00|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Nanping, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

FUZHOU, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday held talks with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, and both sides expressed willingness to further advancing bilateral cooperation.

Noting that China and Indonesia are major developing countries and representatives of emerging economies, Wang said both sides share broad common interests and similar development concepts.

Strengthening bilateral strategic communication and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation is not only of great significance to the respective development of the two countries, but also has a positive impact on the region and the whole world, Wang said.

He said that China stands ready to work with Indonesia, following the direction set by the two heads of state, to continue deepening the synergy of strategies, enhance practical cooperation, strengthen coordination and cooperation on regional and international affairs, and contribute more to the stability and development of Asia and the world in the post-pandemic era.

Wang said China and Indonesia joined hands to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which set an example of cooperation among developing countries. "China is deepening cooperation on vaccines with Indonesia and discussing the establishment of a mutual health-code recognition arrangement to promote the availability and affordability of vaccines in developing countries," he said.

Wang also expressed hope that Indonesia will actively support the implementation of China's "spring sprout" program in Indonesia.

Wang called on the two countries to enhance cooperation on the digital economy, big data, cloud computing, 5G, and smart city construction to inject new impetus into their high-quality economic development.

He called for advancing cooperation in the fields of navigation safety, marine environmental protection, maritime search and rescue as well as fishery.

Wang said that China is willing to discuss with Indonesia the establishment of a bilateral comprehensive economic partnership.

Wang said China stands ready to work with ASEAN countries including Indonesia to promote the early entry into force and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Retno said Indonesia and China have always maintained close cooperation in various fields. He added that Indonesia looks forward to furthering cooperation on vaccines with China, jointly promoting major project construction in the post-pandemic era, and expanding cooperation on trade, investment, fisheries, and infrastructure construction.

Retno said Indonesia supports deepening cooperation between the ASEAN and China. Enditem
Pennsylvania court rules against abortion clinics, state can limit Medicaid funding for abortion

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A Pennsylvania court has ruled against a group of abortion clinics suing the state over a law that limits Medicaid funding for abortion.

A seven-judge panel of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled last week in the case of Allegheny Reproductive Health Center et al v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that the abortion clinics lacked the standing to sue.

At issue in the lawsuit was Pennsylvanias Abortion Control Act, which prohibits the use of state and federal funds for abortions, with exemptions for rape, incest, and life-threatening medical emergency for the mother.

President Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt authored the majority opinion, concluding that women enrolled in Medicaid, not the clinics, had the right to sue the state over the limits.

We conclude that Reproductive Health Centers do not have standing to vindicate the constitutional rights of all women on Medical Assistance, some of whom may not be their patients, and who may or may not agree with the claims asserted on their behalf in the petition for review, wrote Leavitt.

The interests of Reproductive Health Centers are not inextricably bound up with the equal protection interests of all women enrolled in Medical Assistance.

Judge Ellen Ceisler, a member of the seven-judge panel, authored an opinion that dissented in part and concurred in part, arguing that the clinics did, in fact, have the standing to sue since they suffer direct financial damage because of the limits.

Providers argue persuasively that analogous United States Supreme Court authority, adopted by this Court as applicable in Pennsylvania, confers standing in the circumstances of this case, wrote Ceisler.

Pennsylvania House Republican Leadership, who alongside Democrat Governor Tom Wolf defended the law in court, released a statement celebrating the Commonwealth Court ruling.

Pennsylvanias courts have been consistent for decades that medical assistance dollars and other publicly funded programs should not fund abortion procedures. This policy is consistent with existing federal law as well, stated House Republican Leadership last Friday.

This case was brought forward by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers who want to make abortions more prevalent in our communities. This ruling in our favor is a victory for all pro-life Pennsylvanians.

The Womens Law Project, which argued the case on behalf of the clinics in court last October, denounced the ruling and vowed to appeal the case to the state Supreme Court.

While the outcome was expected, a deeply disturbing aspect of todays ruling was that the Wolf Administration had challenged the abortion providers standing to bring this litigation, and the court agreed, stated the Project.

The court determined that abortion providers cannot challenge abortion restrictions on behalf of their patients; in other words, the court asserted that pregnant patients must be the ones to go to court.
Actor Madhuri Dixit Nene celebrated Holi in the most special way possible. The Aaja Nachle actor then flew down to the Maldives for a quick vacation with her husband Sriram Nene. Madhuri Dixit has been sharing pictures from her vacations on the island, with the most gorgeous backdrops ever seen. The Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! actor took to Instagram to share a couple of pictures of her special date night with her husband Sriram Nene, surrounded by the sand, sea and some wine.

Madhuri Dixit Nene's Maldives photos

Madhuri Dixit Nene shared two black and white pictures with her husband as they enjoyed a candlelight dinner by the sea. Madhuri looked gorgeous in her one-shoulder evening gown while her husband wore a semi-formal outfit for the date. She shared in the caption, "Nothing like a candlelit dinner. Cheers! @sonevajani @discoversonevajani". She also shared another picture of her posing with a glass of wine in her hand. The Ram Lakhan actor went for a no-makeup look for the evening and pulled off the look with grace.

Heart and other emojis flooded in the comment section of Madhuri Dixit Nene's Instagram. Some netizens also left cute comments for them in the comment section. An Instagram user wrote, "So cute", while another wrote 'Lovely' and 'So Sweet', in the comment section.

Madhuri Dixit shared the weather in the Maldives on one of her Instagram stories. She shared that it was Day 4 of their vacation and they were planning to go scuba diving; however, it started raining and they were stuck indoors. She added that they might enjoy a spa day or stay indoors watching a movie with her sons or play some games with them. She also said that the weather was amazing there and urged her fans to stay safe in Mumbai amid the rising Covid-19 cases.

On the work front, Madhuri Dixit Nene was last seen in the film Kalank, directed by Abhishek Verma. The film starred Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjay Dutt in the lead roles. The film received negative reviews from the audience and the critics.

(Image source: Madhuri Dixit Nene/Instagram)

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.
With the campaigning for Kerala Assembly elections entering the final phase, the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act has taken the centre stage among political parties in the fray. On Thursday Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi trained guns at the BJP-led NDA, stating that those who are not preferred by the ruling dispensation can end up in the detention camps, under the controversial law.

"We will not allow it to be implemented. So, no need to worry about it," said Gandhi said at an election meeting organised by the Congress-led UDF in Malappuram.

The former Congress president, who campaigned in various Assembly constituencies across Wayanad and Malappuram districts on Thursday, said he also assured the people of Assam on the issue of CAA, two days ago.

'CAA akin to Myanmar crisis'

Earlier, while addressing a press conference in Kannur, CM Vijayan cited the Myanmar military's crackdown on protesters and said such a scenario can happen anywhere under a fascist regime.

"Let's not be under the false impression that CAA-NRCs detention camps are meant only for a certain community. Myanmar's example is before us. Anyone who isn't preferred by the ruling dispensation can end up in it. That's how fascism works. Secularism shouldn't be compromised," Vijayan said.

The attacks from the Congress and CPI(M) leaders came a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second visit to Kerala on Friday to address poll rallies. While campaigning in Assam and West Bengal, BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have assured that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, passed by Parliament in 2019, would be implemented in time.

The Central government has maintained that the CAA will grant citizenship to persecuted minorities from Islamic nations including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. CPI (M)-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF have led numerous protests across Kerala seeking withdrawal of the CAA, describing it as "discriminatory" and "anti-Muslim."

(With inputs from agency)
MSU-KLC Unite for Economic Development Partnership

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MURRAY - Murray State University and the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) are teaming up to provide Murray States Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development training and informational services to elected city officials. Additionally, KLC and the center will work together to identify and seek solutions to the challenges and issues facing elected city officials in the areas of community and economic development. This partnership will capitalize on Murray States regional footprint and will aim to develop opportunities across the Commonwealth.The objectives of the new partnership include the following:To better inform elected leaders of best practices for working alongside economic development professionals within their citiesTo provide resources to help local officials craft policies and provide appropriate amenities that make their cities more attractive to developmentTo further expand economic development opportunities and grow jobs within local communities, particularly within local business districtsMurray States Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development provides western Kentucky entrepreneurs, small businesses and industries with the management consulting, business training and access to business resources needed to compete in todays challenging global economy. The center also seeks opportunities to connect businesses in the region with students through internships, mentorships, project assistance and other engagements. These engagements can provide experiential learning opportunities for students and provide businesses and industries with needed skill sets as well as potential employee identification. The center serves the 24 counties of west Kentucky.The Kentucky League of Cities is an association of 380 Kentucky cities, made up of elected leaders, city employees and organizations that provide municipal services. KLC provides resources, advocacy, training, community and economic development, legal and other assistance that make cities more livable and help attract businesses.We are very excited to partner with the Kentucky League of Cities as we advance economic development initiatives throughout the state, said Murray State University President Dr. Bob Jackson. We have a tremendous responsibility to assist the Commonwealth in promoting high-quality, high-value educational and training programs through our Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development as well as other academic units as we further develop our economy and workforce."Dr. Tim Todd, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs said, Under President Jacksons vision, establishing the Murray State University Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development allows this unit, in the Bauernfeind College of Business, to serve as a front door for educational opportunities to assist the business community. We are very excited to work directly with the Kentucky League of Cities, and we look forward to a long and prosperous working relationship to enhance the Commonwealths economy and workforce.Dr. David Eaton, Interim Dean of the Bauernfeind College of Business said, "We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Kentucky League of Cities and look forward to working with local elected officials to help them provide economic growth opportunities to their communities and citizens."I am excited about the opportunity to partner with the Kentucky League of Cities to assist in supporting economic development efforts across the Commonwealth, said Chris Wooldridge, Director of the Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development.KLC Executive Director/CEO J.D. Chaney praised the partnership, saying, Murray State Universitys Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development will be an invaluable resource to Kentuckys locally elected city officials. We believe this partnership will produce long-term economic impacts and provide a model that can be replicated across the Commonwealth.Murray State and Kentucky League of Cities will launch the new initiative at the KLC ACE Conference to be held in Lexington, Kentucky on June 15-17, 2021.
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions
(Natural News) This is not an April Fools joke. According to The Sun (UK), China has become a dumping ground of horrifying genetic experiments that are combining human genes with chimpanzees (and other primates) to create hybrid Planet of the Apes specimens. The long-term goal is to genetically engineer a race of obedient humanzee hybrid super soldiers who have the crazy strength of apes and just enough intelligence and obedience to follow orders and carry weapons.

As I explain in todays Situation Update, people who live in California shouldnt be surprised if, one day, a CCP transport ship hits the beach and starts unloading armed Planet of the Apes humanzee soldiers as part of a communist invasion of America. This is no longer science fiction; its part of Chinas global domination plan.

Human-monkey hybrids, souped-up viruses, head transplants and gene editing are just some of the tests known to have been carried out by Chinese scientists, reports The Sun. [I]t is known the Communist Party-state has been carrying out all kinds of dangerous and ethically controversial research which may not be allowed in Western countries.

Because the CCP has zero ethics and no regard for morality, compassion or the value of life  theyre also athiests who hate Christians, by the way  China has become the choice for mad science experiments that may unleash devastating consequences for humanity. The CCP also runs the Biden crime family, of course.

The Wuhan Virology Institutes release of the SARS-cov-2 virus  covid-19  is a perfect example of this danger. With the help of sociopathic medical tyrants like Dr. Fauci, China built a viral bioweapon and unleashed it upon the world, setting in motion a devastating series of events that are impacting human freedom, economic productivity and even elections.

Are the White Hats still in charge, somehow?

Also today, Patrick Byrne makes a statement about bombshell new evidence that will be released soon, which he says could possibly put Trump back in the White House later this year.

Apparently, theres irrefutable proof of election rigging that cant be suppressed, but well have to wait and see exactly what it is.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson managed to screw up the ingredients of its coronavirus vaccine, causing 15 million doses to accidentally use an ingredient thats normally reserved for the AtraZeneca vaccine thats been killing people with blood clots. So now, J&Js 15 million doses are on hold while the FDA pretends to investigate their safety, which is of course a complete joke.

Frances president has ordered a new nationwide lockdown, most likely due to post-vaccine super strains now gaining a foothold in the country and sending more people to the hospital.

YouTube is removing dislikes from Biden / White House videos to protect the wildly unpopular fake president, and 24 world leaders are announcing theyre all-in for the covid-19 great reset to enslave humanity and proceed toward the Final Solution of global extermination.

Youll find all that and more in todays Situation Update podcast, featuring armed genetically engineered space monkeys from China as the thumbnail image:

Brighteon.com/2ddf68f7-c5ce-4f6c-a901-f4a53a8435b5

Find a new podcast each weekday at the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
Herculaneum gets new eco-compatible look for park personnel Uniforms result of collaboration with Vanvitelli University

(ANSAmed) - ROME, 02 APR - Personnel at the Herculaneum Archaeological Park will be wearing new, light-coloured uniforms made of eco-compatible materials designed in a joint project with the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design at the University of Campania-Luigi Vanvitelli.



The collection "shared uniforms" came from a joint project involving the university and members of the park's staff.



The park said the project involved university professors, young graduates, interns, and park personnel, from creating models to choosing the uniform's fabrics and colour palette, to create comfortable and eco-friendly garments characterised by tones inspired directly by ancient Herculaneum.



"The creation of uniforms for our security personnel is a sign that clearly identifies them as part of the place," said park director Francesco Sirano.



"The simple lines, light colours and eco-compatible materials perfectly portray the spirit of the park, a place of continual rebirth between the past and the future. Our personnel are our calling card and we wanted them to feel comfortable in elegant and recognisable uniforms, from which other clothing items and accessories will be created to offer our visitors. I am very pleased by the synergy with Vanvitelli University and proud of the valorisation of young people in this project, which sends a strong message of the possibilities that this territory offers to the younger generations," he said.



The two institutions work in a reciprocal and parallel way in the area.



The park promotes an increasingly close relationship with its urban and cultural surroundings, facilitating the creation of networks and forms of partnership with institutions and entities.



The university and the department work under the leadership of professor Luigi Maffei, Vanvitelli's vice-rector for technological and IT innovation.



Professor Ornella Zerlenga, director of the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, said the agreement with her department "was signed in order to structure a close connection between the academic environment and the archaeological site, creating new forms of scientific and research collaboration for training, orientation and didactics, on topics of shared interest for both entities, structuring research activities in the areas of culture, production and technology, contributing to strengthening relations between the university, entities, companies, and associations for the development of educational-productive processes". (ANSAmed).




New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a campaign rally in poll-bound West Bengal on Friday (April 2) attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that she runs her government on 3T model- Tolabaji (extortion), Tanashahi (dictatorship) and Tushtikaran (appeasement).

Addressing a rally in Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar district, the senior BJP leader claimed, Didi is running the government on a 3T model: Tanashahi, Tolabazi, and Tushtikaran, but Modi Ji runs it on a 3V model: Vikas, Vishwas, Vyapar.

Shah also promised to provide Rs 2000 crore annually for the development of North Bengal. Your development will be our topmost priority if we form a government in West Bengal. We'll give Rs 2000 crores to the North Bengal development board for your development. There'll also be a battalion of Rajbanshi youth, to pay tribute to Narayani Sena, he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Raising poll pitch on the infiltration issue, the Union Home Minister said that after his party comes to power, they will completely stop cross-border infiltration.

The second phase of polling concluded in West Bengal on Thursday (April 1). 30 constituencies across four districts went to polls in this phase of the eight-phased West Bengal Assembly elections. The high-profile seat of Nandigram, which went to polls in the second phase, witnessed a fierce battle between TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and her protege-turned-BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari.

Meanwhile, Shah in his rally also said that Banerjee is losing in Nandigram.

The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(With inputs from agencies)

Live TV
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The public authority that owns Van Andel Arena and DeVos Performance Hall plans to apply for a federal grant designed to help theater and music venues that have been shuttered because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority (CAA) is also exploring whether its eligible for a share of the recently approved $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.

Rich MacKeigan, regional general manager for Van Andel Arena and DeVos Performance Hall, said his staff plans to seeks a U.S. Small Business Administration Shuttered Venue Operators Grant once the federal agency begins accepting applications.

That could happen as soon as next week, he said.

Weve got all hands on deck on this, because we know it is so important relative to the mid-term and long-term success of the CAA and its venues, said MacKeigan, whos works for ASM Global. ASM Global is contracted by the CAA to operate and manage the authoritys venues.

The CAA board discussed the issue at its meeting on Friday, April 2.

The arena and performance hall have been hard hit by the pandemic. There has been little to no event activity at either venue since COVID-19 hit Michigan in March 2020, and the CAAs financial standing has been hurt because of the lost activity.

The CAA, which also owns DeVos Place, was expecting a $4 million surplus in the 2020 fiscal year. But because of COVID-19, the authoritys budget broke even, MacKeigan said. The authority is forecasting a $6 million operating deficit for the current fiscal year.

The CAAs cash reserves have also fallen from $24 million to $12 million.

However, MacKeigan stressed that the larger economic impact of COVID-19 has been the lost spinoff business activity thats typically generated by the arena and performance hall.

The CAAs buildings are in the business of making other people money, he said. Getting people into hotels and people into restaurants. That is the impact. The over 1,000 events that have been canceled. The over 2.25 million guests who wont be coming downtown.

MacKeigan said its unclear how much grant money the CAA would be eligible for under the SBAs Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. However, he said its our hope that its a seven-figure opportunity.

According to the SBAs website, the grant program has over $16 billion in grant funding available for shuttered venues. Applicants may qualify for grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million, the SBA says.

The CAA is also exploring whether its eligible for a portion of the Biden administrations $1.9 trillion stimulus package, which includes $1,400 checks to eligible Americans and billions for state, county and local governments.

Grant Hall, business operations manager at ASM Global, said state and local governments that receive a share of the $1.9 trillion stimulus funding have broad leeway in how they use the funds.

MacKeigan said his staff and the CAA plan to have conversations with the city and the county, because my presumption is those funds will be coming from those two entities for disbursement.

I would acknowledge that we are one of many that have been negatively impacted, he said. So, we would be looking to be participatory in terms of what the best interest is for the community, while still maintaining a strong voice of advocacy for our venues.

The city of Grand Rapids is expected to receive $94 million from the $1.9 trillion package. Kent County, meanwhile, is expected to get $127.4 million.

Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, who sits on the CAA board, said the citys first priority is to use its stimulus funds to fill a hole in its budget caused by a decline in city income tax revenue.

The city is projecting an estimated up to $20 million in lost city income tax revenue this year. Its caused by non-city residents, who normally work for city-based businesses, but have been working from home the past year and can now choose to withhold their city income taxes.

We also have, as you can imagine, a number of other priorities that were looking at based on how much money we have left over after we plan for budget deficits, she said. I dont know if well actually have any type of application process quite frankly.

Read more:

Easter events adapt to another pandemic holiday, health officials say to gather safely

DNR warns paddlers of possible danger near river mouth on Lake Superior

Secession from Muskegon County pursued by commissioners representing rural areas
FOREST CITY, Iowa  A Lake Mills man has pleaded guilty to causing a head-on crash that seriously injured six people.

Michael Scott Olsen, 22, of Lake Mills, has taken a plea deal for the January 1, 2019, collision where his pickup truck smashed into a car around 2:21 a.m. on 120th Avenue, about five miles northwest of Forest City.

Authorities say the crash caused serious injuries to Maya Barrientes, Taylor Pattison, Alex Fritze, Kayla Kittleson, Carter Hammervold, and Cole MIllsap.

Olsen has now pleaded guilty to three counts of serious injury by vehicle. Eleven other criminal charges will be dismissed.

Olsens sentencing is scheduled for May 25.
The Cu Lao Dung district Police in Soc Trang province on March 31 detained and questioned Tran Thi Tuyen about the organization of a fake funeral at her home.

Tuyen admitted to authorities that she had played dead

According to the Cu Lao Dung Peoples Committee, Tuyen owes money to many people. She went to Dong Thap Province to avoid meeting people in her area. On March 29, Tuyen bought a coffin in Dong Thap and hired a car driver to carry the coffin to her home, where she organized a fake funeral.

Tuyens children said their mother was murdered in another province and they had carried the dead body to the home village for the funeral.

The police suspected that something was amisd as they believed that if someone was killed, the investigation agency in the locality where the murder occurred would have followed investigation procedures in accordance with the law.

With the suspects present, the police decided to open the coffin for an autopsy and discovered that three sandbags were inside.

The police, after verification, found that Tuyens son had taken his mother to buy the coffin in Dong Thap.

The police on March 31 provided information about the initial results of the investigation.

On March 29, Nguyen Van Liet, 59, in Phuoc Hoa An Hamlet in Cu Lao Dung Town held a funeral for his wife Tran Thi Tuyen. The death notice showed Tuyen passed away on March 27.

Liet said his wife died in Hong Ngu Town in Dong Thap province and her body was brought home for the funeral.

Suspecting that Tuyens body was brought from a pandemic-hit area (adjacent to the border with Cambodia), the Cu Lao Dung district police joined forces with the districts Covid-19 prevention and control unit to spray disinfectant where the funeral was held.

Appropriate agencies decided to examine the coffin in accordance with the regulations on epidemic prevention. When opening the coffin, they did not see Tuyens body but only some branches of tuberose and three bags of sand.

The police then worked with agencies to examine the site and seized relevant objects and documents.

Tuyen admitted to authorities that she had played dead.

According to local authorities, as Tuyen owes money to many people, she decided to pretend to be dead to flee from her creditors.

Thien Chi

2020: black credit pushes people to the wall Black credit grew strongly in 2020 when many people lost jobs because of Covid-19 and faced financial problems.
Hyderabad, April 2 : The Telangana Police arrested two persons for meting out inhuman treatment to two innocent minor boys on suspicion of stealing mangoes from an orchard.

The accused not only tied the two boys with a rope and thrashed them but also stuffed dung in their mouths.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening at Thorrur in Mahabubabad district.

The boys had gone to the outskirts of the village in search of their pet dog. Two men guarding a mango orchard caught hold of them and started beating them on suspicion that they were stealing mangoes.

Though the boys told them that they were searching for their pet, the two men showed no mercy. They tied the boys with a rope and continued beating them. The men then smeared dung on the faces of boys and even stuffed dung in their mouths.

The accused videographed their shameful act on their mobile phones and shared the video on social media. As the video went viral, it evoked public outrage and soon authorities were flooded with requests under to act.

Police swung into action to arrest the accused.

District Superintendent of Police (SP) Nandyala Koti Reddy said the accused were identified as Banothu Yaku and Banothu Ramulu, hired to guard the mango orchard.

The accused were booked under sections 342 (Punishment for wrongful confinement), 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) 504 (Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 75 Juvenile Justice Act (Punishment for cruelty to Child).
Researchers from University of Queensland, University of Melbourne, and Universidad Finis Terrae published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that studies consumer resistance to a nationwide plastic bag ban implemented in Chile in 2019.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled "How Do I Carry All This Now?': Understanding Consumer Resistance to Sustainability Interventions" and is authored by Claudia Gonzalez-Arcos, Alison M. Joubert, Daiane Scaraboto, Rodrigo Guesalaga, and Jorgen Sandberg.

As environmental crisis challenges accelerate, governments are searching for solutions to reduce the negative impacts of economic activity. One popular measure has been to ban disposable plastic bags. Bans on plastic bags may seem like an easy way to reduce plastic pollution, but are often met with strong pushback by consumers, retailers, and other members of society.

The researchers studied consumer resistance to a nationwide plastic bag ban implemented in Chile in February 2019 with the goal of answering the following questions: What causes consumer resistance to sustainability interventions such as bans on plastic bags? And how can consumer resistance be reduced to make such interventions more effective? They conducted interviews, observed consumers, and collected documents, news articles, and social media posts related to the Chilean ban, starting in 2013 when an initial ban in coastal areas was announced until four months after the implementation of the ban in the entire country in 2019.

Gonzalez-Arcos says, "We discovered that consumers refuse to accept or support a sustainability intervention because the individual behaviors being targeted--in this case using disposable plastic bags for shopping--are not separate from, but embedded in, social practices." Social practices are activities, materials, and meanings that are similarly understood and shared by a group of people. Eating, cooking, shopping, driving, and reading are examples of social practices shared by large groups. These practices determine people's way of life and, to a large extent, who they are. From this perspective, a behavior such as using a plastic bag to carry groceries is simply a performance of the socially shared, habituated practice of shopping.

An intervention like banning plastic bags triggers change in the social practice of shopping because plastic bags are one of the materials that constitute this practice. Plastic bags are used in many shopping activities (bagging groceries, carrying them home) and meanings (convenience, speed). To change the social practice of shopping after a plastic bag ban, consumers need to navigate three processes: (1) sensemaking, which means understanding and developing new meanings for the changing shopping practice; (2) accommodating, which means developing new competencies for using and handling the new materials used to shop; and (3) stabilizing, which means performing the changed practice often and efficiently. Consumers do not find these processes easy: engaging in them disrupts routines, lifestyles, and even consumers' perceptions of themselves.

In addition to changed social practices such as shopping, consumers face other challenges that prompt them to resist plastic bag bans. Plastic bags and other sustainability interventions often fail to acknowledge that individual actions are part of broader social practices and aim for individual behavioral change rather than change to the social practice itself. Consequently, consumers face three major challenges: (1) battles about who is responsible for making practices more sustainable; (2) unsettling emotions brought about by the changing practice; and (3) changes to other linked practices that dismantle their ways of life. Once these reasons for consumer resistance are known, they provide greater clarity around why consumers will push back against sustainability interventions.

"Consumer resistance interferes with social practice change, which significantly undermines the effectiveness of the sustainability intervention. Our findings show policy makers and other agents involved in sustainability interventions that changing social practices--not individual behaviors--should be their primary goal," explains Joubert. The study presents a framework for designing and managing practice-based sustainability interventions that considers the role of consumer resistance.

To plan and design a practice-based intervention, the researchers recommend the following steps:

Identify the practice being targeted (e.g., shopping), and how it is likely to be disrupted (e.g., material will be eliminated--plastic bags).

Distribute responsibility for change among those involved in the practice (e.g., consumers, retailers, bag manufacturers, government).

Determine potential emotions that may manifest (positive to leverage and negative to placate).

Identify links between the targeted practice and other social practices (e.g., the plastic bags used in shopping are also used for garbage and waste management). Next, to monitor and adjust practice-based interventions if consumer resistance emerges, these three main strategies are recommended:

Refocus sensemaking if consumers are experiencing tension and lacking focus.

Encourage accommodation if consumers are avoiding risks and restricting their experimentation during the change process.

Accelerate stabilization if consumers are grappling with discomfort and do not seem to be able to settle with a new version of the social practice.

###

Full article and author contact information available at: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1177/ 0022242921992052

About the Journal of Marketing

The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Christine Moorman (T. Austin Finch, Sr. Professor of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University) serves as the current Editor in Chief. https:/ / www. ama. org/ jm

About the American Marketing Association (AMA)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 23:43:39|Editor: huaxia

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BANGUI, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Mahamat Abass Sidiki, the leader of the 3R, a major rebel group in Central African Republic (CAR), died in March after being injured in attacks in November 2020, according to a statement released by the group Friday.

The founder of the 3R died on March 25 at a health center in Kamba-Kota in the northwestern part of the CAR following injuries he got during attacks in western CAR town of Bossembele on Nov. 16, said the statement, which was signed by Sambe Bobbo, who became the new leader of the rebel movement.

Sidiki had been announced dead by the authorities and the press several times. In December 2020, the CAR national radio said he was killed in Bossembele in a operation by the CAR army and UN peacekeepers.

Sidiki was one of the signatories representing the armed groups of the peace agreement of Feb. 6, 2019. Due to the subversive actions of his combatants, however, the CAR government and the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA) decided in August 2020 on a joint military operation against the group. Enditem
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky speaks to reporters after visiting the Hynes Convention Center FEMA Mass Vaccination Site in Boston, Mass., on March 30, 2021. (Erin Clark/Pool/Getty Images)

CDC Walks Back Comments From Director on People Fully Vaccinated Against Virus From China

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is walking back comments from its director about people who have been fully vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.

Rochelle Walensky, the director, said this week that new data from an agency study suggests that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, dont get sick.

But the CDC disputed the remarks.

Dr. Walensky spoke broadly during this interview, an unnamed spokesperson told the New York Times. Its possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get COVID-19. The evidence isnt clear whether they can spread the virus to others. We are continuing to evaluate the evidence.

Scientists told the paper that they were concerned about Walenskys comments.

There cannot be any daylight between what the research showsreally impressive but incomplete protectionand how it is described, said Dr. Peter Bach, director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

This opens the door to the skeptics who think the government is sugarcoating the science and completely undermines any remaining argument why people should keep wearing masks after being vaccinated.

Walensky was discussing results from a real-world study conducted by her agency that found COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer were highly effective.

A social distancing reminder is posted on a hallway floor of Nebinger Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pa., on March 19, 2021. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

In a written statement, she said the findings should offer hope to the millions of Americans receiving COVID-19 vaccines each day and to those who will have the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated in the weeks ahead.

The CDC didnt respond to a request for comment.

Walenskys off-the-cuff remarks have been disputed before.

During a briefing in early February, she told reporters that there is increasing data to suggest that schools can safely reopen and that safe reopening does not suggest that teachers need to be vaccinated in order to reopen safely.

But the White House claimed that Walensky, who was taking part in an official press conference, was talking about school reopenings in her personal capacity as the Biden administration resisted efforts to quickly reopen schools.

The CDC later issued school reopening guidance that critics found too restrictive. Among the critics were researchers whose analysis was cited by the agency. They said their research, and other data, showed that social distancing requirements should be three feet at most, a view Walensky shared last year.

The CDC later altered its guidance to acknowledge three feet of social distancing is adequate in some scenarios, while maintaining that six feet is needed in some environments.
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The Report Contact Lenses Market [By Product Type (Soft Lens, Hybrid Lens, Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Lens); By Design Type (Toric, Spherical, Multifocal, Others); By Usage (Corrective, Therapeutic, Cosmetic/Lifestyle, Prosthetic) By Regions]: Market Size & Forecast, 2017  2026 According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research the global contact lenses market is anticipated to reach USD 18.9 billion by 2026.

Once of the key factor driving the contact lenses market is to enhance aesthetic appearance by using them as fashion accessory particularly, by the youth population. Also, constant development in technology of product materials and given a boost to colored or decorative contact lenses, which is further anticipated to influence the demand. Moreover, the rising incidences of visual imparities such as myopia, presbyopia, hyperopia and astigmatisam is propelling the market growth. The World Health Organization, in 2015, estimated that approximately 1.9 billion people across the globe have been affected by myopia and the number is anticipated to be more than 2 billion by 2020. Thus, the demand for contact lenses during the forecast period will experience a growth.

Browse for full research summary: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/contact-lenses-market

The contact lenses manufacturers and vendors are appealed by the high profit margins offered by the contact lenses thus, boosting its manufacturing as well as enhancing the network of distribution. Also, advancements in technology in form of material will provide new opportunities to the manufacturers with time. By type segment, the Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Lenses was valued over USD 800 million in 2017 owing to factors including, sharp vision, high oxygen permeability, cost-effectiveness in the long run, and durability.

The contact lenses market by usage type is segmented into Corrective, Therapeutic, Cosmetic, Prosthetic, and Lifestyle-oriented. The corrective lenses usage segment is currently growing at a CAGR of more than 6.2%. The demand is attributed to its various applications. Whereas, cosmetic lenses segment is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. On the basis of design, the hybrid lens segment is anticipated to experience a noteworthy growth as it is a combination of both soft lenses and rigid gas permeable lenses. Thus, it provides comfort of soft lenses coupled with the visual clarity offered by rigid gas permeable lenses. The growth of hybrid lenses segment is expected to propel with the increased demand from people with keratoconus and astigmatism conditions.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/contact-lenses-market/request-for-sample

The North America market holds the largest share owing to presence of better eye care treatment facilities as increasing elderly population. Although, the Asia Pacific market is expected to bolster with a high CAGR attributed to the increased awareness regarding contact lenses among the population as well as their increasing ability for healthcare spending.

The key strategies adopted by the market players include long-term partnerships among the other players in supply chain particularly, distributors and suppliers with an aim to increase their geographical footprint. For instance, in 2016, Vision Direct Group Ltd. was acquired by Essilor International S.A. for the enhancement of its online retailing business presence. Major industry players include Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., Bausch + Lomb, Incorporated, Carl Zeiss AG, CooperVision, Inc., Contamac U.S., Inc., Hoya Corporation, Essilor International S.A., Medennium and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. among others.

Check for discount: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/contact-lenses-market/request-for-discount-pricing

Contact Lenses Market Size and Forecast by Product Type Rigid Gas Permeable Lens Hybrid Lens Soft Lens

Contact Lenses Market Size and Forecast by Design Type Spherical Lenses Toric Lenses Multifocal Lenses Others

Contact Lenses Market Size and Forecast by Usage Type Corrective Lens Therapeutic Lens Cosmetic Lens Prosthetic Lens Lifestyle-oriented Lens

Contact Lenses Market Size and Forecast by Regions North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK France Italy Asia Pacific China South Korea Japan India Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa



Make Inquiry about this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/contact-lenses-market/inquire-before-buying

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Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world.

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Manitobans can see a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel as vaccine supplies are arriving in greater volume and the immunization effort is gradually ramping up.

Manitobans can see a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel as vaccine supplies are arriving in greater volume and the immunization effort is gradually ramping up.

SUPPLIED Dr. Jason Kindrachuk - assistant professor and Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba Winnipeg Free Press 2020

But experts warn that Easter and the end of Passover this weekend are not reasons to throw caution to the wind, even for people who've received a dose  or two  of a vaccine.

University of Manitoba virologist Jason Kindrachuk says there are some less-risky ways to gather over the weekend, but emphasizes we're a long way from being out of the woods.

"We all see the benefits in real time of what the vaccines have been providing but we can't get ahead of ourselves," he says.

What do officials say about holiday gatherings?

Dont risk it.

Manitobas chief public health officer is urging people to stick with the current rules of gathering only within your household or with two designated visitors.

"The more people gather, the more transmission we are going to see," Dr. Brent Roussin said.

Like most provinces, Manitoba saw waves of COVID-19 infections following Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers.

"We have to remember what happened, and we have to make sure it doesn't happen again this Easter and Passover season, and let that never happen again," Premier Brian Pallister said recently.

What changes for people who are vaccinated?

The three vaccines currently available in Canada are most effective two weeks after receiving the second dose. It's unclear how much protection comes before that point.

Data suggests its nearly impossible for someone to die of COVID-19 once they're fully immune, though they might still become ill. And studies increasingly indicate someone who has had both shots is dramatically less likely to pass along the coronavirus to others, but that doesn't mean it's not possible.

"We're not at that point where we have enough vaccine coverage in the community to actually make a big dent," Kindrachuk says.

Grandma got both shots before mid-March; can she hug her grandkids?

Just 1.6 per cent of Canada's population had received a second dose as of two weeks ago, and many of those people live in the Territories.

While many assisted-living residents have been immunized, they could still carry the coronavirus and infect other people by transmitting it to children, who then spread it to parents and friends.

"An individual might have that level of protection, but it doesn't mean your community does," Kindrachuk says, arguing that more-contagious variant strains of the virus make it difficult to gauge the risk.

"We don't understand what this looks like, in regards to transmission and subsequent transmission within communities, across different age groups."

However, he acknowledged that many people will probably accept that risk with a grandparent who lives alone, or in a communal facility where all the staff and residents got their second shot two weeks ago.

Meeting outdoors, wearing masks and keeping a distance make those gatherings safer.

What about people who got the first dose?

Real-world data suggest the first dose starts to gradually provide some protection, particularly against death and, to a lesser extent, severe COVID-19 symptoms.

However, Public Health England has observed that Britons who got their first shot seemed to be taking more risks, based on a higher infection rate and more contacts than those in the non-vaccinated population.

Kindrachuk says the immunity provided by the first dose likely hinges on the state of someones immune system.

"That glove doesn't fit every hand," he says. "The social determinants of health affect different populations."

For example, First Nations in Manitoba have documented 30 cases of COVID-19 infection within 28 days of receiving a first shot.

Officials suggest thats due to a high prevalence of the health issues that make COVID-19 more severe in First Nations communities. Crowded living conditions on reserves translate into higher infection rates for contacts compared to people in the overall Manitoba population.

Thats why people in remote communities will get their second doses ahead of most Winnipeggers.

How come Americans can gather?

Theyre far ahead of us, with nine times the proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, thanks to ample supply that includes the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine, not yet approved for use in Canada.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control announced March 8 that fully immunized people can have visitors. On that date, 9.4 per cent of Americans were fully vaccinated, compared with 1.5 per cent of Canadians; we are now at 1.8 per cent.

"We're now a little bit behind the 8-ball," Kindrachuk says. "We see where things are going, but we just don't have that coverage yet."

Some provinces have botched mass-vaccination site operations and online registration, in part because they don't have enough shots to simply open up registration to all adults.

Didnt we already vaccinate the most vulnerable people?

Yes, but more contagious and deadlier COVID-19 variants are putting more pressure on hospitals.

"We're seeing a lot more younger (patients) over-represented in those hospitalizations," Kindrachuk says.

The strain on ICU wards limits the ability to respond to things that have nothing do do with COVID-19, such as car crashes or heart attacks.

"We've certainly done our due diligence in trying to get vaccines out to the highest age groups but that doesn't give us all the protection we need for what we're facing right now," Kindrachuk says.

Im so tired of this.

Surveys suggest Canadians mental health has deteriorated over the course of the pandemic. The increasing number of cases linked to variants and the many changes in the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine are dampening some of the hope that accompanied the first shipments of vaccines.

"Prior to the last few weeks, things looked like they were turning in the right direction," Kindrachuk says. "Everybody's been doing this for months on end; we're all extremely tired of it, even those of us that are working on the virus."

Yet there is still plenty to look forward to.

Over the past few weeks, vaccine manufacturers reported an increase in shipments to Canada, well ahead of what was originally planned. Even with trade disruptions abroad, there are good signs that all adult Canadians will be able to get a shot before the fall.

And preliminary data suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines work well on youths age 12 to 15, leading to hopes of a normal 2021-22 school year.

The short-term pain of avoiding a big Easter gathering will make it more likely that it will be an enjoyable summer.

"We know how quickly the situation can escalate out of control, and we need a bit longer," he says. "We have to make those right decisions, to get to where we want to be later this year."

Shouldnt we have national guidance?

Prominent health experts are calling on Ottawa to release standard guidance for people to reduce their risk, instead of leaving it to individuals to decide if and how theyll skirt the rules.

Thats the harm-reduction approach behind sexual education and guidance on illicit drugs, aimed at empowering people to limit their risk, instead of simply telling people to abstain.

Even the co-chair of Ottawas arm's-length panel on vaccine usage says were past due for some official advice on how immunized people can gather.

"Canadians want to know what are the next steps," Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh told the National Post last month.

"We have asked that same question of the Public Health Agency of Canada."

PHAC says its looking into some kind of guidance, but insists on sticking with the basics of avoiding crowds and indoor gatherings, wearing masks and washing hands.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled MRSA Testing Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

The MRSA testing market is poised to grow by $ 518.33 mn during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of almost 12% during the forecast period.



View an Exclusive report talking about Market scenarios, Estimates, the impact of lockdown, and Customer Behaviour.

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The report on the MRSA testing market provides a holistic update, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis.

The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario and the overall market environment. The market is driven by increasing incidence of Staphylococcal infections.

The MRSA testing market analysis includes end-user segment and geography landscape. This study identifies the increasing demand for automation and system integration as one of the prime reasons driving the mrsa testing market growth during the next few years.

This report presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters.

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The MRSA testing market covers the following areas:

MRSA Testing Market Sizing

MRSA Testing Market Forecast

MRSA Testing Market Analysis

Companies Mentioned

3M Co.

Abacus Diagnostica Oy

Abbott Laboratories

Becton, Dickinson and Co.

bioMerieux SA

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.

Danaher Corp.

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Hain Lifescience GmbH

Luminex Corp.

Related Reports on Health Care Include:

Endoscopic Closure Devices Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025- The endoscopic closure devices market size has the potential to grow by USD 579.00 million during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.88% . Get FREE sample report in minutes



Marine Pharmaceuticals Market by Product, Source, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025- The marine pharmaceuticals market size has the potential to grow by USD 1.43 billion during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 7.60%. Get FREE sample report in minutes

Key Topics Covered:

Story continues

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Five Forces Summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by End-user

Market segments

Comparison by End-user

Hospitals and diagnostic laboratories - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Academic and research institutes - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by End-user

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

POC

Immunodiagnostics

Molecular diagnostics

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Asia - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

ROW - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor Landscape

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

3M Co.

Abacus Diagnostica Oy

Abbott Laboratories

bioMerieux SA

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.

Danaher Corp.

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Hain Lifescience GmbH

Luminex Corp.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
Opposition to vaccine passports picked up last night as 72 MPs from different parties vowed to block them.

An unlikely alliance of Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott and former Tory Cabinet ministers Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Sir John Redwood and Esther McVey condemned them as divisive and discriminatory.

Members of the coalition, organised by the pressure group Big Brother Watch, have signed a pledge to oppose the idea if it is brought forward by ministers.

Their statement says: We oppose the divisive and discriminatory use of Covid status certification to deny individuals access to general services, businesses or jobs.

The Covid-19 vaccination pilot scheme will begin after work on an updated NHS Covid app is completed, that will show a person's coronavirus vaccination status. Pictured: A person holds up a smart phone with a mock-up of a vaccine passport

Ominously for the Government, the signatories include 40 Conservative MPs  enough to wipe out Boris Johnsons Commons majority.

They include six former Cabinet ministers and Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs.

Boris Johnson, who will publish the interim findings of a review of the issue next week, said yesterday that some form of vaccine certification was likely to be essential for foreign travel and useful domestically. But Sir Graham said the vaccine rollout would make this unnecessary.

Covid status certification would be divisive and discriminatory, he said. With high levels of vaccination protecting the vulnerable and making transmission less likely, we should aim to return to normal life, not to put permanent restrictions in place.

Trials of vaccine passports could begin as soon as next month, the Mail can reveal. Pictured: A covid-safe pub lunch

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said easing lockdown should restore freedoms, not create creeping authoritarianism, adding: We should start getting our freedoms back. Vaccine passports  essentially Covid ID cards  take us in the other direction.

Shami Chakrabarti, Labours former shadow attorney general and a former director of the civil rights group Liberty, said domestic use of vaccine passports was unacceptable.

She added: International travel is a luxury, but participating in your own community is a fundamental right.

Former RAF Flight Sergeant Louis Godwin receives his second injection of the coronavirus vaccine at Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire, March 27

'So internal Covid passports are an authoritarian step too far. We dont defeat the virus with discrimination and oppression but with education, vaccination and mutual support.

The size of the cross-party rebellion will alarm ministers, who believe they will require new legislation to introduce vaccine certification schemes.

If Tory opposition remains firm, ministers would be forced to rely on the support of Sir Keir Starmer.

The Labour leader said he would examine the details of any plans before deciding whether to oppose them.

He added: My instinct is that as the vaccine is rolled out, as the number of hospital admissions and deaths go down, there will be a British sense that we dont actually want to go down this road.
Can vaccinated people spread the virus?

Do vaccinated people still need to follow all the guidelines like wearing masks and limited gatherings with social distancing? Scientists say even though it is much harder and highly unlikely that those vaccinated can get infected with the virus, one cannot completely rule out the possibility. However, the evidence isnt clear whether they can spread it to They say that "vaccines are very substantially effective against infection as there is more and more data on that  but nothing is 100 percent. Read more

Let's look at the global statistics Global infections: 129,634,035 Global deaths: 2,827,504 Nations with most cases: US (30,539,175), Brazil (12,839,844), India (12,303,131), France (4,755,779), Russia (4,503,291). Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

Pakistan will allow residents to buy a vaccine dose rather than wait in line

Pakistan says it would allow Covid-19 vaccine doses to be sold commercially to patients, starting with the vaccine developed in China and Russia's Sputnik, officials said. The policy will allow rich Pakistanis to pay to get the shots at large private hospitals whenever they want, while most people wait their turn for a state-supplied vaccination. The government said that it will provide free vaccine to 98 percent of the people but to the affluent 2 percent of the population who dont wish to wait in a line, it has decided to allow the sale of private vaccine. Read more

IMF calls for tax hikes on wealthy to reduce income gap

Moving to cut the gap between the rich and poor, that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, the monetary fund (IMF) has urged nations to increase taxes on wealthy. In a warning that the economic shock triggered by the pandemic could undermine public attitudes to the fairness of taxation and welfare systems and lead to social unrest, the Washington-based organisation said surveys showed governments would have the support of the public if they shifted the burden of taxation away from low and middle earners to better-off members of society. Read more

Russia registers world's first Covid vaccine for animals

Having already developed vaccines against for humans, Russia went a step further and registered the world's first vaccine, exclusively for animals and mass production could start as early as April. The country currently has three vaccines for humans, the most well known of which is Sputnik V. Moscow has also given emergency approval to two others, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac. The vaccine for animals was named Carnivac-Cov. The clinical trials have started last October, involving dogs, cats, Arctic foxes, minks, foxes and other animals. The results showed that the vaccinated animals have developed antibodies and the shot is well tolerated, according to the officals overseeing the trial. Read more
Yves here. While the general thesis, that opposed interests, rising hostility, lack of negotiating inclination/skills, mutual misunderstanding, and aggressive gestures being believed to be popular at home could too easily lead to an otherwise not intended war, is sensible, Im not sure I agree with Klares take on Taiwan. He acknowledges that Both sides recognize that such contradictory impulses are only likely to be resolved through armed conflict yet argues that neither side wants war but that it might come about by mishap. Thats not the report I get from individuals in countries in Southeast Asia who watched Chinas seizure of Hong Kong with alarm. They admittedly can react to only what they see, but they view China as full intent on perfecting its territorial claims and therefore judge a Chinese attempt to take Taiwan in the next 5 years as disconcertingly probable.

Needless to say, reader input welcomed.

By Michael Klare. Originally published at TomDispatch

The leaders of China and the United States certainly dont seek a war with each another. Both the Biden administration and the regime of Chinese President Xi Jinping view economic renewal and growth as their principal objectives. Both are aware that any conflict arising between them, even if restricted to Asia and conducted with non-nuclear weapons  no sure bet  would produce catastrophic regional damage and potentially bring the global economy to its knees. So, neither group has any intention of deliberately starting a war. Each, however, is fully determined to prove its willingness to go to war if provoked and so is willing to play a game of military chicken in the waters (and air space) off Chinas coast. In the process, each is making the outbreak of war, however unintended, increasingly likely.

History tells us that conflicts dont always begin due to planning and intent. Some, of course, start that way, as was the case, for instance, with Hitlers June 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union and Japans December 1941 attacks on the Dutch East Indies and Pearl Harbor. More commonly, though, countries have historically found themselves embroiled in wars they had hoped to avoid.

This was the case in June 1914, when the major European powers  Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire  all stumbled into World War I. Following an extremist act of terror (the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie by Serbian nationalists in Sarajevo), they mobilized their forces and issued ultimatums in the expectation that their rivals would back off. None did. Instead, a continent-wide conflict erupted with catastrophic consequences.

Sadly, we face the possibility of a very similar situation in the coming years. The three major military powers of the current era  China, the United States, and Russia  are all behaving eerily like their counterparts of that earlier era. All three are deploying forces on the borders of their adversaries, or the key allies of those adversaries, and engaging in muscle-flexing and show-of-force operations intended to intimidate their opponent(s), while demonstrating a will to engage in combat if their interests are put at risk. As in the pre-1914 period, such aggressive maneuvers involve a high degree of risk when it comes to causing an accidental or unintended clash that could result in full-scale combat or even, at worst, global warfare.

Provocative military maneuvers now occur nearly every day along Russias border with the NATO powers in Europe and in the waters off Chinas eastern coastline. Much can be said about the dangers of escalation from such maneuvers in Europe, but lets instead fix our attention on the situation around China, where the risk of an accidental or unintended clash has been steadily growing. Bear in mind that, in contrast to Europe, where the borders between Russia and the NATO countries are reasonably well marked and all parties are careful to avoid trespassing, the boundaries between Chinese and U.S./allied territories in Asia are often highly contested.

China claims that its eastern boundary lies far out in the Pacific  far enough to encompass the independent island of Taiwan (which it considers a renegade province), the Spratly and Paracel Islands of the South China Sea (all claimed by China, but some also claimed by Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines), and the Diaoyu Islands (claimed by both China and Japan, which calls them the Senkaku Islands). The United States has treaty obligations to Japan and the Philippines, as well as a legislative obligation to aid in Taiwans defense (thanks to the Taiwan Relations Act passed by Congress in 1979) and consecutive administrations have asserted that Chinas extended boundary claims are illegitimate. There exists, then, a vast area of contested territory, encompassing the East and South China Seas  places where U.S. and Chinese warships and planes increasingly intermingle in challenging ways, while poised for combat.

Probing Limits (and Defying Them)

The leaders of the U.S. and China are determined that their countries will defend what it defines as its strategic interests in such contested areas. For Beijing, this means asserting its sovereignty over Taiwan, the Diaoyu Islands, and the islands of the South China Sea, as well as demonstrating an ability to take and defend such territories in the face of possible Japanese, Taiwanese, or U.S. counterattacks. For Washington, it means denying the legitimacy of Chinas claims and ensuring that its leadership cant realize them through military means. Both sides recognize that such contradictory impulses are only likely to be resolved through armed conflict. Short of war, however, each seems intent on seeing how far it can provoke the other, diplomatically and militarily, without triggering a chain reaction ending in disaster.

On the diplomatic front, representatives of the two sides have been engaging in increasingly harsh verbal attacks. These first began to escalate in the final years of the Trump administration when the president abandoned his supposed affection for Xi Jinping and began blocking access to U.S. technology by major Chinese telecommunications firms like Huawei to go with the punishing tariffs he had already imposed on most of that countrys exports to the U.S. His major final offensive against China would be led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who denounced that countrys leadership in scathing terms, while challenging its strategic interests in contested areas.

In a July 2020 statement on the South China Sea, for instance, Pompeo slammed China for its aggressive behavior there, pointing to Beijings repeated bullying of other claimants to islands in that sea. Pompeo, however, went beyond mere insult. He ratcheted up the threat of conflict significantly, asserting that America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law  language clearly meant to justify the future use of force by American ships and planes assisting friendly states being bullied by China.

Pompeo also sought to provoke China on the issue of Taiwan. In one of his last acts in office, on January 9th, he officially lifted restrictions in place for more than 40 years on U.S. diplomatic engagement with the government of Taiwan. Back in 1979, when the Carter administration broke relations with Taipei and established ties with the mainland regime, it prohibited government officials from meeting with their counterparts in Taiwan, a practice maintained by every administration since then. This was understood to be part of Washingtons commitment to a One China policy in which Taiwan was viewed as an inseparable part of China (though the nature of its future governance was to remain up for negotiation). Reauthorizing high-level contacts between Washington and Taipei more than four decades later, Pompeo effectively shattered that commitment. In this way, he put Beijing on notice that Washington was prepared to countenance an official Taiwanese move toward independence  an act that would undoubtedly provoke a Chinese invasion effort (which, in turn, increased the likelihood that Washington and Beijing would find themselves on a war footing).

The Trump administration also took concrete actions on the military front, especially by increasing naval maneuvers in the South China Sea and in waters around Taiwan. The Chinese replied with their own strong words and expanded military activities. In response, for instance, to a trip to Taipei last September by Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Keith Krach, the highest-ranking State Department official to visit the island in 40 years, China launched several days of aggressive air and sea maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait. According to Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang, those maneuvers were a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Speaking of that islands increasing diplomatic contact with the U.S., he added, Those who play with fire will get burned.

Today, with Trump and Pompeo out of office, the question arises: How will the Biden team approach such issues? To date, the answer is: much like the Trump administration.

In the first high-level encounter between U.S. and Chinese officials in the Biden years, a meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 18th and 19th, newly installed Secretary of State Antony Blinken used his opening remarks to lambaste the Chinese, expressing deep concerns over Chinas behavior in its mistreatment of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang Province, in Hong Kong, and in its increasingly aggressive approach to Taiwan. Such actions, he said, threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability. Blinken has uttered similar complaints in other settings, as have senior Biden appointees to the CIA and Department of Defense. Tellingly, in its first months in office, the Biden administration has given the green light to the same tempo of provocative military maneuvers in contested Asian waters as did the Trump administration in its last months.

Gunboat Diplomacy Today

In the years leading up to World War I, it was common for major powers to deploy their naval forces in waters near their adversaries or near rebellious client states in that age of colonialism to suggest the likelihood of punishing military action if certain demands werent met. The U.S. used just such gunboat diplomacy, as it was then called, to control the Caribbean region, forcing Colombia, for example, to surrender the territory Washington sought to build a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Today, gunboat diplomacy is once again alive and well in the Pacific, with both China and the U.S. engaging in such behavior.

China is now using its increasingly powerful navy and coast guard on a regular basis to intimidate other claimants to islands it insists are its own in the East and South China Seas  Japan in the case of the Senkakus; and Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines in the case of the Spratlys and Paracels. In most instances, this means directing its naval and coast guard vessels to drive off the fishing boats of such countries from waters surrounding Chinese-claimed islands. In the case of Taiwan, China has used its ships and planes in a menacing fashion to suggest that any move toward declaring independence from the mainland will be met with a harsh military response.

For Washington in the Biden era, assertive military maneuvers in the East and South China Seas are a way of saying: no matter how far such waters may be from the U.S., Washington and the Pentagon are still not prepared to cede control of them to China. This has been especially evident in the South China Sea, where the U.S. Navy and Air Force regularly conduct provocative exercises and show-of-force operations intended to demonstrate Americas continuing ability to dominate the region  as in February, when dual carrier task forces were dispatched to the region. For several days, the USS Nimitz and the USS Theodore Roosevelt, along with their accompanying flotillas of cruisers and destroyers, conducted mock combat operations in the vicinity of islands claimed by China. Through operations like this, we ensure that we are tactically proficient to meet the challenge of maintaining peace and we are able to continue to show our partners and allies in the region that we are committed to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, was the way Rear Admiral Doug Verissimo, commander of the Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, explained those distinctly belligerent actions.

The Navy has also stepped up its patrols of destroyers in the Taiwan Strait as a way of suggesting that any future Chinese move to invade Taiwan would be met with a powerful military response. Already, since President Bidens inauguration, the Navy has conducted three such patrols: by the USS John S. McCain on February 4th, the USS Curtis Wilbur on February 24th, and the USS John Finn on March 10th. On each occasion, the Navy insisted that such missions were meant to demonstrate how the U.S. military would continue to fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows.

Typically, when the U.S. Navy conducts provocative maneuvers of this sort, the Chinese military  the Peoples Liberation Army, or PLA  responds by sending out its own ships and planes to challenge the American vessels. This occurs regularly in the South China Sea, whenever the Navy conducts what it calls freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPs, in waters near Chinese-claimed (and sometimes Chinese-built) islands, some of which have been converted into small military installations by the PLA. In response, the Chinese often dispatch a ship or ships of its own to escort  to put the matter as politely as possible  the American vessel out of the area. These encounters have sometimes proven exceedingly dangerous, especially when the ships got close enough to pose a risk of collision.

In September 2018, for example, a Chinese destroyer came within 135 feet of the guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur on just such a FONOP mission near Gavin Reef in the Spratly Islands, obliging the Decatur to alter course abruptly. Had it not done so, a collision might have occurred, lives could have been lost, and an incident provoked with unforeseeable consequences. You are on [a] dangerous course, the Chinese ship reportedly radioed to the American vessel shortly before the encounter. If you dont change course, [you] will suffer consequences.

What would have transpired had the captain of the Decatur not altered course? On that occasion, the world was lucky: the captain acted swiftly and avoided danger. But what about the next time, with tensions in the South China Sea and around Taiwan at a far higher pitch than in 2018? Such luck might not hold and a collision, or the use of weaponry to avoid it, could trigger immediate military action on either side, followed by a potentially unpredictable escalating cycle of countermoves leading who knows where.

Under such circumstances, a war nobody wanted between the U.S. and China could suddenly erupt essentially by happenstance  a war this planet simply cant afford. Sadly, the combination of inflammatory rhetoric at a diplomatic level and a propensity for backing up such words with aggressive military actions in highly contested areas still seems to be at the top of the Sino-American agenda.

Chinese and American leaders are now playing a game of chicken that couldnt be more dangerous for both countries and the planet. Isnt it time for the new Biden administration and its Chinese opposite to grasp more clearly and deeply that their hostile behaviors and decisions could have unforeseeable and catastrophic consequences? Strident language and provocative military maneuvers  even if only intended as political messaging  could precipitate a calamitous outcome, much in the way equivalent behavior in 1914 triggered the colossal tragedy of World War I.
The industries that pay pilots to guide their goods up and down the Mississippi River on seagoing ships have unsuccessfully tried to get the governor to remove regulators they say are biased. Then, they tried and failed to recuse the commissioners for being too beholden to the river pilots.

Now theyre asking the 19th Judicial District Court to essentially fire three commissioners.

The Louisiana Chemical Association claims the river pilots succeeded in packing the Louisiana Pilotage Fee Commission with compliant regulators who set the pay for the pilots, which in 2019 will average $473,692.

Only one of the three commissioners whose neutrality is being questioned is still on the board.

One quit almost as soon as she was appointed by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2016. And retired Metairie businessman Daniel Kingston, said Thursday he abruptly resigned over the holidays for personal and family reasons.

Kingston, who ran a body shop for 20 years, said he didnt know much about river traffic but always had an interest. When introducing himself in August 2016, Kingston said: I was looking to kind of give back.

Yet he was dragged through political muck by the Louisiana Chemical Association, said Capt. Stephen H. Hathorn, president of the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association.

Theres no allegations of wrongdoing. This should be a dead issue but they (the Louisiana Chemical Association) just want to keep it alive, Hathorn said in an interview Thursday. How are you going to get people to serve on boards when you treat people like this?

Greg Bowser, president of the Louisiana Chemical Association, said the lawsuit questions the procedures that allowed the appointments in the first place.

It was Hathorns March 2016 recommendation to the governor of Kingston, St. James Parish lawyer Bruce Mohon, and Kenner businesswoman Lenora Cousin that cast doubts on threes impartiality, which is at the root of the lawsuit, Bowser said.

Cousin quit and was replaced by Noel Cassanova, a retired clerk of the New Orleans Traffic Court.

The pilots have an economic direct financial interest. Their effort was to pack the board and have the majority on votes, Bowser said. Weve never had this situation before. We think an independent party has to look at it.

State law requires vessels to hire pilots to sail the seagoing vessels up and down the Mississippi River and Calcasieu River. The pilots and the industry have fighting for the past three years over rules that would increase annual pilot pay that the industrial users of waterborne shipping have to fund.

Created in 2004, the Pilotage Fee Commission is made up of four river pilots, four representatives from industries the pilots serve and three independent commissioners who have no links to either side. All 11 are appointed by the governor. They receive $150 per diem for meetings.

The three independents tend to be the swing votes who decide whatever issue is before the commission. They must sign a promise to remain neutral.

Shortly after Hathorn recommended the three commissioners to the governor, Edwards staff emailed the three and asked if they wanted to apply, which they did. Edwards appointed the three.

Hathorn said theres nothing odious about making recommendations, as he did. None of the three have business dealings or connections to river shipping. What Bowser is really upset about is that industry failed to make any recommendations, he added.

No, Bower countered, the intent is for the governor and his staff to find candidates who have no link to industry or the pilots.

We felt that making recommendations would have been corrupting the system, just like they did, Bowser said.

Industry group head asks Edwards to remove his pilotage commission appointees, find 'independent' replacements The head of an industry group represented on the commission that sets fees and river pilot salaries that generally exceed $500,000 is calling 

Evidence of pilot control of the board, Bowser and the lawsuit claim, is when one group of pilots wanted to raise their transportation rates to go to and from boats by 40 percent or about $98,000. The Louisiana Chemical Association asked for evidence supporting those fees and were told the evidence did not exist. The three neutral members sided with the pilots in deciding such information was unnecessary. A 19th Judicial District Court later said that decision was incorrect.

Bowser said he met with the governor. Edwards told him there were no shenanigans involving the appointments and no evidence has been presented that they have not acted impartially.

Members representing major industry groups call on Gov. Edwards to pull his LPFC appointees Five Louisiana Pilotage Fee Commission members representing some of the states major industry groups are calling on Gov. John Bel Edwards to 

Bowser then led a group including representatives of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association, the Louisiana Association of Business & Industry to write Edwards in June asking that the independent commissioners be replaced.

Richard Carbo, the governors spokesman, said back in June and reiterated on Friday that the appointments were made in public following the applicable law. The commissioners can be removed only with a showing of wrongdoing, evidence of which hasnt been presented.

In August, the three neutral commissioners  Kingston, Mohon and Cassanova  refused to recuse themselves from voting on certain issues.

Industry asked for an investigation of how the three independents came to be asked to join the board.

Eve Kahao Gonzalez, an attorney who once oversaw the staff at the Public Service Commission, found that existing law governing the appointments was followed when the three were selected, according to the transcript of a November meeting that hasnt been released publicly yet .

Bowser said the investigation didnt get into any of the mechanics and reasons behind the recommendations and appointments as he had hoped. When he asked for further investigation, the majority on the board refused by voting to move on to the next item on the agenda.

That decision, essentially, validated the three appointments, an act not expressly granted in state law, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit asked the state district court to review that decision and determine if the Pilotage Fee Commission overstepped its authority.

If so, the court could then look at whether the three commissioners were improperly nominated and selected.
Dr Fauci has said the US may not need AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine even if it wins regulatory approval, as Moderna is given the green light to speed up its rollout with bigger vials.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the White House, told Reuters Thursday that America has enough contracts with other vaccine makers to inoculate its entire population even without approving the AstraZeneca vaccine which is being used in dozens of other countries.

The US has so far authorized and rolled out three COVID-19 vaccines - Pfizer and Moderna with their two-shot vaccines and Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine.

Fauci said the supply coming from these three drugmakers will not only be enough to get all Americans vaccinated but may also be enough for booster shots to be given out in the fall.

Dr Fauci has said the US may not need AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine even if it wins regulatory approval

'My general feeling is that given the contractual relationships that we have with a number of companies, that we have enough vaccine to fulfill all of our needs without invoking AstraZeneca,' Fauci said.

'If you look at the numbers [of doses] that we're going to be getting, the amount that you can get from J&J, from Novavax from Moderna if we contract for more, it is likely that we can handle any boost that we need, but I can't say definitely for sure.'

Fauci added that the potential authorization of the AstraZeneca vaccine was still 'up in the air'.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use by dozens of countries, excluding the US, but some concerns have been raised in recent months.

Late last year, the drugmaker and Oxford University published data from an earlier trial with two different efficacy readings as a result of a dosing error.

Then in March, more than a dozen countries temporarily suspended its use after reports linked it to a rare blood clotting disorder.

The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization have said the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks, but are monitoring the situation.

A woman receives the Moderna vaccine. Moderna was given the green light Thursday to speed up its rollout with bigger vials

This week, Germany said only people aged 60 and over should receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Meanwhile, also in March, a US health agency said data from the company gave an incomplete picture of its efficacy.

Days later AstraZeneca published results showing diminished, though still strong, efficacy.

Fauci's comments came the same day Moderna was given the go ahead for two changes to its vaccine that will help speed up getting shots into the arms of Americans.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) late Thursday granted Moderna approval to now fill a single vial with up to 15 doses, up from its original vials designed to hold 10 doses.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use by dozens of countries but some concerns have been raised about potential ties to a rare blood clotting disorder

The agency also said providers can safely extract up to 11 doses from the original 10-dose vials, instead of the 10 previously permitted.

Moderna said the approval means its vaccine can now can be supplied in vials containing 11 or 15 doses, and it expects to begin shipping 15-dose vials in coming weeks.

'Both of these revisions positively impact the supply of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, which will help provide more vaccine doses to communities and allow shots to get into arms more quickly,' said Peter Marks, director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

However, the regulator also warned that without proper syringes and needles it may not be possible for people administering the vaccine to extract more than 13 doses from Moderna's 15-dose vials or 11 from the current vials.

Moderna has so far supplied 100 million doses of its vaccine to the US as of March 29.

More than 153 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine has so far been administered to Americans, with almost a third of the population now having received at least their first shot.

A total of 30 percent of Americans have had their first dose with 16.9 percent fully vaccinated in the less than four months since a New York nurse became the first to get the vaccine.
REDDING, Calif.  April is the start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Stephen Campbell, the Interim Executive Director of One Safe Place in Redding, explains why its such a common problem in Shasta County

In Shasta County, we have some of the highest ACEs scores in any of the counties in California, said Campbell. The other thing that's kind of unique about where we are as well is because we're here in Northern California and right on the I-5 corridor. There's just a significant amount of human trafficking that happens through our area as well.

From July 2018 to June 2019, One Safe Place served more than 1800 domestic violence clients, 186 sexual assault clients, saw 685 crisis hotlines and had more than 7000 visits for service.

In 2020, One Safe Place said because of the pandemic it saw an increase in its crisis hotline calls but a decrease of in-person services.

Campbell said there are signs identify if someone is a victim of sexual assault or abuse. The biggest sign is a change in behavior, such as when a person begins to withdraw or starts to act out.

Jessie Ballard is the program director at Shasta Colleges Shasta Campus Advocacy, Resources, and Education for Safety or CARES program. She works with students whove experienced sexual assault or other forms of sexual violence.

Prior to COVID-19, we would see students coming in, said Ballard. A lot of times there were a lot of stalking cases that we would see our students coming in for.

Both Ballard and Campbell agree the best way to help victims of sexual assault is to listen to them and believe in them.

The biggest thing we can do is listen and believe and have non-judgment in our hearts to show survivors that we are there to support them, said Ballard.

It's so critical that if somebody comes to you and tells you that they've been assaulted that you believe them, said Campbell.

Shasta College also has a One Safe Place advocate that is on campus and works with students.
Calloway Burglary Investigation Nets Two Arrests

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CALLOWAY COUNTY - A burglary investigation Thursday led to the arrest of a St. Louis couple on numerous charges.Thursday morning, Calloway County deputies were called to Highway 80 near Todd Road for a reported burglary in progress.At the scene, authorities located a stolen vehicle stuck in a field and learned a nearby business had been burglarized. Deputies noticed 39-year-old Nicole D. Siebert walking through the area and placed her under arrest.Siebert was charged with receiving stolen property, third-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief, third-degree criminal mischief, possession of a burglar's tools, first-degree trafficking in meth, first-degree trafficking an unspecified drug, drug paraphernalia possession.Witnesses also provided information about a man believed to have been involved in the burglaries. The man was identified as 28-year-old Michael E. Pirtle.Thursday afternoon, Calloway County Dispatch received a report of a man matching Pirtle's description running from the woods near Highway 80 East and Purdom Road. The caller said the man got into a silver car. Deputies located the vehicle a short time later at the intersection of Highway 80 and Highway 641. Authorities say Pirtle was a passenger in the car.Pirtle was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree attempted burglary, second-degree criminal mischief, two counts of third-degree criminal mischief, possession of a burglar's tools, first-degree trafficking in methamphetamine, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, receiving stolen property, and possession of drug paraphernalia.Both Siebert and Pirtle were lodged in the Calloway County Jail.
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A recent market study published by Future Market Insights titled 'Defence Communication System Market: Global Industry Analysis 2014-2018 and Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029' provides the global market dynamics and trends of the defence communication system market across seven regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Japan, China, South East Asia and others of Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. The report also provides the current nature and the future status of the defence communication system market over the forecast period.

A direct market overview provides the growth scenarios and market potential with maximum precision, which is adjudged with suitable assumptions. The report features the unique and relevant factors that are likely to have a significant impact on the defence communication system market during the forecast period. This report includes a detailed and considerable amount of inclusion, which will help new manufacturers in the most comprehensive manner for better understanding.

Chapter 1  Executive Summary

The report commences with the executive summary of the defence communication system market, which includes a summary of the key findings and key statistics of the market. It includes the market value share of the leading segments in the defence communication system market. In addition, this section includes the supply-side trends, demand-side trends, and recommendations for the defence communication system market.

Chapter 2  Market Overview

Readers can find a detailed market structure and definition of the defence communication system market, which will help them understand the basic information, such as market dynamics, key players, and regulation policies, included in the report about the defence communication system market. The definition section considers the factors included and excluded for the purpose of this report.

Chapter 4- Market Background

Readers can find the outlook of the global defence communication system market taking into consideration the various factors associated with its growth, which will help them track the current scenario of the market, with key inferences drawn from historical data, current trends, and future prospects. The macro-economic factors influencing the market are also discussed in this section.

Chapter 5  Global Defence Communication System Market Analysis 2014-2018 and Forecast 2019-2029, by Region

Based on the region, the defence communication system market has been segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East & Africa. Readers can find detailed information regarding the key market trends, developments, and market attractive analysis in the defence communication system market based on the regions.

Get more Insights Analysis on this Defence Communication System Market @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-9656

Chapter 6  Global Defence Communication System Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029 by Product Type

This chapter summarises the information regarding the key market trends and attractiveness analysis of the defence communication system market based on product type. On the basis of product type, the defence communication system market has been segmented into systems which include radio systems, satellite communication systems, and radar & sonar systems, and services that include consulting, testing & integration, and support & maintenance.

Chapter 7  Global Defence Communication System Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029 by Application

This chapter summarises the information regarding the key market trends and attractiveness analysis of the defence communication system market based on application. On the basis of application, the defence communication system market has been segmented into force command and control, situational awareness and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).

Chapter 6  Global Defence Communication System Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029 by Military Branch

This chapter summarises the information regarding the key market trends and attractiveness analysis of the defence communication system market based on military branch. On the basis of military branch, the defence communication system market has been segmented into naval force, air force, and land force.

Chapter 8  North America Defence Communication System Industry Analysis 2014-2018 and Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

This chapter includes the detailed analysis of the growth observed in the North America defence communication system market, along with a country-wise assessment of the U.S. and Canada markets. Readers can also find information on the regional trends, regulations, and market growth based on the product type, application, military branch, and countries in North America.

Chapter 9  Latin America Defence Communication System Industry Analysis 2014-2018 and Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

This chapter includes a detailed analysis of the growth of the Latin America defence communication system market, along with a country-wise assessment that includes Brazil, Mexico, and the Rest of Latin America. Market attractiveness based on various segments is provided for the Latin American region.

Chapter 10  Europe Defence Communication System Industry Analysis 2014-2018 and Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

Important growth prospects of the defence communication system market can be found with market attractiveness based on the product type, application, and military branch. European countries, such as Germany, Italy, France, the UK, Spain, BENELUX, Russia, and the Rest of Europe, are included in this chapter for industry analysis.

Chapter 11  East Asia Defence Communication System Industry Analysis 2014-2018 and Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

China, Japan, and South Korea are among the leading countries in East Asia, which have been assessed to obtain the growth prospects of the East Asia defence communication system market in this chapter. Readers can find detailed information about the growth parameters of the market in this region. Market attractiveness based on the product type, application, and military branch for defence communication system in the East Asia region is also provided in this section.

Chapter 12  South Asia Defence Communication System Industry Analysis 2014-2018 and Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Rest of South Asia are among the leading countries in South Asia, which have been assessed to obtain the growth prospects of the South Asia defence communication system market in this chapter. Readers can find detailed information about the growth parameters. Market attractiveness based on the product type, application, and military branch of defence communication systems in the South Asia region is also provided in this section.

Chapter 13  Oceania Defence Communication System Industry Analysis 2014-2018 and Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

Australia and New Zealand are the prominent countries in Oceania, which are assessed to obtain the growth prospects of the Oceania defence communication system market in this chapter. Readers can find detailed information about the growth parameters. Market attractiveness based on the product type, application, and military branch of the defence communication system market in the Oceania region.

For more insights on the Defence Communication System Market, you can request for TOC at @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/defence-communication-system-market/table-of-content

Chapter 14  Middle East & Africa Defence Communication System Industry Analysis 2014-2018 and Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

This chapter provides information about how the defence communication system market will grow in the major countries of the MEA region, such as GCC Countries, Turkey, Northern Africa, South Africa, and Rest of Middle East and Africa, during the period 2019-2029.

Chapter 15 - Market Structure Analysis

This section includes the market analysis by tier of companies, market concentration, and share analysis of the key players of the defence communication system market.

Chapter 16  Competitive Analysis

This chapter includes a comprehensive list of all the leading manufacturers in the defence communication system market, along with detailed information about each company, which includes the company overview, revenue share, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Some of the market players featured in this report include General Dynamics Corporation, Airbus S.A.S., QinetiQ Group PLC, BAE Systems PLC, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Rockwell Collins Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Raytheon Company, Thales Group, and Harris Corporation.

Chapter 17  Research Methodology

This chapter helps readers understand the research methodology that is followed to obtain various conclusions, important qualitative information, and quantitative information about the defence communication system market.

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Russia will not leave unanswered new sanctions slapped by Canada over Crimeas reunification with Russia in 2014, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Russia will not leave the latest attack from Ottawa without a due response, it is now being prepared," the diplomat said.

According to her, this policy of Canada "demonstrates absolutely painful stubbornness" in its denying the objective reality. "There is only one recipe here - parting with illusions that the residents of Crimea who voted to return to where they belong can be forced to abandon their historical choice," TASS cited the diplomat as saying.

"Attempts by the Canadian authorities to dictate to sovereign countries how they should live, what values they should choose and be guided by, undermine the reputation of Canada itself, plunging it into confrontation with a growing number of important international players," she summed up.
Kim, who lived in Ecuador during childhood and came to the U.S. for college, is among thousands of Asian international students at the Urbana-Champaign campus. On one of her first days of law school, someone asked if she went by Sue instead of her given name, a microaggression she described as trying to erase my culture.
The Perspective

Atlanta, Georgia

April 2, 2021

Female Protesters of Pleebo-Sodoken District Trek to Harper to Seek Justice

The peace-loving people of Harper unexpectedly on a dull and cloudy Sunday evening in 1977 were forced to go to bed without LEC-powered lights. There were signs of rain on that Sunday, but the rain never came. The city was engulfed by a dark cloud. The day was for the most part hazy. Religious faithfuls went to their various places of worship in reverence to Our Creator. Some of the folks whose hands were later allegedly caught in the cookies jar even sadly attended Divine Worship Service. Such are the wicked hearts of humankind folks.

By early the next Monday morning in the very year, students of Methodist-run J.S. Pratt Elementary School found the mutilated body of a renowned local Kru drummer, Moses Tweh lifeless with several parts extracted. Gush! What! Harper City was on edge as murmurs, whispers and speculations started to become rife. Prior to the gruesome death of Moses Tweh, the people of the Grand Cess community in Harper City launched a massive manhunt after he had gone missing while at sea.

One account said the canoe he was paddling along with others while on a fishing expedition capsized; and another account claimed he just disappeared at sea. Mysterious, isnt it? In the midst of the manhunt ending in futility and desperately enraged by such act of barbarism, the grisly and mindless killing of another man, the kin and kith of Moses Tweh increased their pursuit or as it was expanded their consultations that included citizens of the Grand Cess Community in Monrovia.

The outrage of the Grand Cess folks was arguably incensed by the outright lackluster on the part of local county officials to attach some degree of seriousness to the insane killing of Moses Tweh. Undoubtedly, they aggressively took the matter to another level. The audience was sought with the late President William R. Tolbert regarding a compelling need for immediate intervention. The courtesy call of the high-powered Grand Cess delegation on the late President Tolbert paid off and heads started to roll.

Critics of the manner and form adopted to make massive arrest and detention of suspects including former local government officials argued that the methods were unscientific, outside of the stature, and could not be admissible in court. The critics further argued that the fundamental rights of the suspects were violated by the government. However, government lawyers counter-argued that the brutal murder of the deceased was a violation of his basic fundamental civil liberties and that he had a right to life, which should never have been taken under such spine-chilling circumstances. When the guilty verdict was rendered at the Fourth Judiciary Circuit in Harper, Maryland, an appeal was sought at the Honorable Supreme Court of the Republic. The verdict of the Fourth Circuit Court was upheld by the Supreme Court and on February 16, 1979, six Marylanders were hanged on the gallows.

Stunningly, the hanging had appeared like a war zone. President William R. Tolbert drafted scores of battle-readied troops as well as paramilitary law enforcement operatives. It was a sad day for Maryland County though. But was justice done to end a nightmare? Farfetched in all respect!

When Marylander reckoned February 16, 1979, hanging was the beginning and end to ritualistic killings, they were mistaken. Seven years down the line (1986), we were back at square one. Two kids, at about 6 and 7 went missing mysteriously while a Cultural Troupe from Grand Gedeh was making rounds across Harper ahead of a major performance at the Harper City Hall. The kids were children of two opposite neighbors in downtown Reevy Street, Harper City. It was alleged a neighbor of the ritualistically sacrificed kids mysteriously kidnapped the two boys in the midst of a human avalanche as the visiting Cultural Troupe was performing. Horrifyingly, no one would ever imagine that supposedly a friendly neighbor could resort to such frightening madness. Such is the evil in a mans heart though.

The scary, concerning cum mysterious disappearance of those kids then led to a series of mass citizens meetings at the Harper administrative building. At the meeting, citizen after citizen called for radical action to ensure appropriate remedial outcome to find the missing kids. Grief-stricken parents including a local nurse who worked at the J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital in Harper and the local Customs Inspector had become consumed by so much fear, uncertainty, and wailing.

With little or no action while the late Superintendent, David WA Hne, Sr. was on an official visit to Monrovia; irate students hastily convened a mass meeting at the Merry-go-round in the city center and resolved on a mass demonstration. Members of the student community of the then William V.S. Tubman College of Science and Technology (W.V.S.T.C.S.T.), who did not later directly participate in the series of protests, which followed however provided revolutionary guidance ahead of the student-led demonstration.

In their strategic planning, student leaders from all high schools started a Jehovah Witness-styled cum converts-winning visits to various high schools in Harper District  demanding solidarity support as it were. When they had adequately mobilized categorical support from schools across the Harper District enclave; students formed columns and moved in single file positions from East, West, North, and South  chanting: We shall overcome! Bojo! We shall overcome Bojo! The Bojo killing us! We shall overcome someday! Some students marched to the Harper administrative building, while another group of students marched through the principal streets of the city. The students barricaded the seat of the local administration where mainly local officials were camping. There was a game plan amid whispers and murmurs about alleged suspects. On the grounds of the administration building, the local chairman of the then ruling National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL) official party vehicle was set ablaze by unknown persons in the midst of a mammoth crowd. Strange commando-styled arson attack if you may.

One by one, a militant student unit embarked on a citizens arrest tactic and summarily bundled up mostly leaders of the local administration the exception of Superintendent David Wah Hne, Sr. who had no fish to fry in such diabolical action intent on taking another humans life for fame and influence. Those rounded up through the citizens arrest were turned over to local law enforcement.

In 2009, Maryland was at it again following the mysterious killing of a pregnant woman in Harper. Josephus Moses Gray wrote via The Perspective: Some panic-stricken inhabitants of the southeastern county of Maryland, mainly in Harper city, over the weekend took the law into their hands when they staged a violent protest over the wave of ritualistic killings which has resurfaced in the area. The county is noted for ritualistic killings, despite serious actions taken over the years by the Liberian government  by putting perpetrators to death

The barbaric incident led to the arrest of former Interior Minister and Maryland Superintendent cum Ambassador-at-Large H. Dan Morias, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and former Maryland County Attorney Cllr Fulton Yancy, Current Acting Superintendent Hodo Clarke, current Port Manager Wallace, along with at least six persons were arrested. Cllr, Fulton Mansfield Yancy was released for lack of credible evidence. Although the eight others as well as former senator Dan Morias were since released, the case, which was transferred to the Temple of Justice in Monrovia remains inconclusive.

The Late Mondicious Nyemah

Some 12 years on (2021), the trappings of Maryland-incensed Bojo madness have resurrected. Strangely, this time amid Harper seemingly left off the hook; Pleebo District has hit the newsstand and is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Multiple accounts from faraway southeastern Liberia say barbaric elements are at it again for ritualistic purposes.



Local journalist, Christopher Appleton who contacted A Patriotic Diary confirmed the alleged murder purportedly for ritualistic reasons of a motorcyclist identified as Mondicious Nyemah, which has sparked a protest by the people of Maryland, calling for justice. The victim, a 12th Grade student of Pleebo High School was allegedly killed with body parts missing. A suspect is currently in police custody while scores of motorcyclists and peaceful citizens are protesting for justice to be done. Unconfirmed reports have it the local prison in Harper was attacked by protesters. That has not been independently verified. In a related development, a human chain of protesters is on the move in Pleebo demanding justice for the murdered 12th Grader.

The last time we heard about Bojo, recently, was during the recent County Tour in Nimba County when President George Weah sought to position a cutlass under his arm and told the story about what he and others did back in the days to ward-off any eventuality emanating from the presence of Bojo. During his visit to Maryland, an unconfirmed report had it that another 12th Grade student committed suicide owing to a lack of support to fund his education. While the suicide has no connection to the Presidents visit, regrettably it did not find its way on any of the pages of local newspapers amid the huge presence of media managers on the visit.
Tom Colicchio from Top Chef has the answer to the neverending search for the best Below Deck chef  hell do the cooking!

Actually, Colicchios declaration that hell be the newest chef on Below Deck was his April Fools prank on fans, but some were seriously here for seeing him join the series.

Nooooo way!!!!! Im sooooooo here for this! A famous chef! I cant wait until I see these guests see whos cooking for them. Bring back the guy Kate put a penis on his bed and see if he mouths off to @tomcolicchio (@Kate_Chastain you might want to come back for this season), one fan wrote on Bravos prank tweet.

Captain Lee Rosbach, Padma Lakshmi, Captain Sandy Yawn, Tom Colicchio, Emeril Lagasse, Nilou Motamed on Top Chef |David Moir/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

Tom Colicchio was in on the joke

It wasnt just Bravo pranking fans. Colicchio shot a video claiming he was going to be the next chef on the series. Besides being in the kitchen, one of my favorite things is to be out on the water, he claimed. Open ocean, salt air. I just absolutely love it. And thats why Im going to be the executive chef on the next season of Below Deck.

While Colicchio delivered the line with a completely straight face, he was totally joking. April Fools! he exclaimed. No, but I will be judging this season of Portlands Top Chef tonight. See you there.

Breaking News! #TopChef's lead judge @TomColicchio is pulling up anchor for a new adventure at sea, as the Executive Chef on #BelowDeck. Check out the link for all the details! https://t.co/cUf7JQtikk pic.twitter.com/5hnizI1VwS  Bravo (@BravoTV) April 1, 2021

RELATED: Is Top Chef Coming Back in 2021?

Top Chef Season 18 debuted on April Fools day so the video was more than perfect for the occasion.

Below Deck has already had a Top Chef moment

The Below Deck captains would have definitely welcomed Colicchio with open arms. In fact, Captain Sandy Yawn from Below Deck Mediterranean and Captain Lee Rosbach from Below Deck appeared on Top Chef Season 16.

Yawn and Rosbach oversaw a challenge on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky where contestants were charged with having to throw the perfect houseboat party as their elimination challenge. Rosbach and Yawn toured the houseboat and then joined the judges for the competition.

Yawn and Rosbach stood on their own individual houseboat and welcomed the contestants, much to their surprise. The captains walked down to the dock to greet the contestants. Welcome to Lake Cumberland, Yawn said to the contestants. Rosbach added, You guys ready to rock and roll? Lets get your stuff, get on board and get after it!

RELATED: Below Deck: Captain Lee Reveals How He Knew the Season 3 Kitchen Fire Was Chef Leons Fault

This style galley is a family-style galley, Yawn told her group of contestants during the tour of her houseboat. So when you guys see your competition it may be a little tight. The boat is equipped with a slide, but not the kind seen on Below Deck. This slide is a permanent fixture on board.

Rosbachs boat is simliar. Not a lot of counter space, he explained. Youll have to adapt. Rosbach also shows his group the sleeping quarters. While the boat has a hot tub, Rosbach reminds them they probably should be spending the majority of their time in the galley kitchen. Sounds familiar.

Top Chef is on Thursday at 8/7c on Bravo.
Apr. 2Portland Mayor Kate Snyder has rescinded a mayoral proclamation that reopened old wounds between local Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

Snyder said in a letter this week that, after "significant reflection" and community conversations, she was rescinding a proclamation recognizing Feb. 26 as Khojaly Remembrance Day.

The proclamation was drafted at the request of Mainers of Azerbaijani descent to acknowledge the 1992 killing of hundreds of Azeris by Armenian and Soviet forces. But some Armenian Americans criticized the proclamation as being part of a propaganda campaign by Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are former Soviet Republics that have fought on and off since the 1980s, including a recent conflict over a disputed territory in the mountainous border between the two countries.

Snyder quickly apologized to members of the Armenian American community angered by the proclamation in February, and promised that the city would more carefully review future proclamation requests related to international conflicts. She did not decide to rescind the proclamation until this week, however.

"I have heard from, and engaged with, many members of the Portland community who have shared their experiences, feelings and insights," Snyder said in her April 1 letter. "I understand there is longstanding disagreement and conflict. That said, I believe it's in the city's best interest to remove this proclamation from the public record."

The move comes three weeks after former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh rescinded a similar proclamation and apologized to that city's Armenian population, which he said was the third largest in the U.S.

Westbrook City Councilor Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, a survivor of anti-Armenian ethnic cleansing in Azerbaijan, applauded Synder's decision. She said Armenian refugees who came to Maine felt targeted by the proclamation. She said the proclamation was based on "falsified history" and seeks to distract attention from a February 1988 massacre of Armenians.

Story continues

"I commend (Snyder) for her strength, her thoughtfulness and resolve through this difficult time and for doing the right thing," Turcotte said in an email. "As a refugee, my faith in this country and everything it stands for is as strong as it was the day I became a citizen."

The mayor's decision was disappointing to some Azerbaijani-Americans, some of whom said it felt like a sign that nobody cared about the Khojaly massacre.

"It was heart-breaking," said Tarlan Ahmadov, who drafted the proclamation rescinded by Snyder. "I was not only upset by her actions, but also about what some people in the Armenian community in Maine put on the Facebook  it was just heart-breaking how they were bragging and bullying all of us."

Tarlan hopes that both communities can come together, have a dialog and move towards healing.

The tensions are part of a long, complicated dispute over the mountainous territory between the two South Caucasus countries, which once again broke into all-out war late last year.

Audrey Altstadt, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who studies and has written books about Azerbaijan, told the Press Herald that the historical conflict stems from a disputed border drawn between the two countries when they were both independent republics of the Soviet Union. She said the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region was placed inside of Azerbaijan by the Soviets, even though it had an Armenian majority population and Armenians controlled the administrative functions.

Small-scale fighting between the Azeris and Armenians began in the late 1980s, she said, and escalated into an all-out war after the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991. The war raged from 1992-94, claiming 30,000 to 35,000 lives and displacing 750,000 to 1 million people in the region.

The Khojaly massacre occurred overnight from Feb. 25-26, 1992.

Altstadt said that 1994 cease-fire was generally followed until last year, when Azerbaijan launched an offensive, using drones obtained from Turkey, and ultimately reclaimed the territory. A cease-fire was negotiated by Russia on Nov. 10. Azerbaijan retained control over the disputed region and Armenians have been protesting the agreement, causing political turmoil.

Altstadt said the push to recognize Khojaly Remembrance Day in U.S. states and cities began about 10 years ago, when the Azerbaijan Embassy in Washington, D.C., began running ads on public buses. The campaign was an effort to counter the vilification of Azeris and the political clout of Armenians, she said.

Snyder's letter said that, like Walsh, she only wanted to honor and celebrate Portlanders of all walks of life.

"I once again apologize for the pain and harm that the issuance of this proclamation has caused, and I remain dedicated to process changes for all proclamation requests which, among other things, includes review for historical accuracy, and unintended consequences," she said.
Now that most smartphones support some form of fast-charging, its time to upgrade your power bank to a unit that works well with your smartphone. Along with smartphones, power banks have also started to support fast-charging and do not break the bank. Weve compiled a list of power banks that not only support fast-charging but also cost less than Rs 2,000. Here are the best power banks you can currently buy in India.



1. OnePlus Power Bank (10,000mAh)

 OnePlus

Currently available for Rs 1,099, this power bank offers a great solution for OnePlus smartphone owners and other devices that support the power-delivery protocol. The Power bank also supports passthrough charging which means you can charge your smartphone/device and the power bank at the same time. Even if you arent a OnePlus smartphone user, you can use the power banks power delivery protocol to charge devices like the iPhone, Nintendo Switch and most other smartphones that support 18W PD charging.



2. Realme RMA156 Power Bank (10,000mAh)

 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

Much like the OnePlus power bank, the Realme offering does the same for its smartphones and also offers power delivery charging for other devices. If you own a Realme smartphone, the power bank is capable of charging the smartphone with the 30W Dart Charge tech. You can also use the 30W Dart charger by Realme to fast charge the power bank to save time. The power bank currently retails at Rs 1,999 and offers dual output ports as well (USB-A and USB-C)



3. Stuffcool PB81PD-BLK PD Power Bank (10,000 mAh)

 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

Indian brand Stuffcool also offers some great alternatives to the aforementioned power banks where this particular model offers QC3.0 compatible ports and a Type-C port with 18W power delivery protocol. The power bank currently costs Rs 999 and has a capacity of 10,000mAh. The power bank is about the same size as a credit card and is easy to carry in your pocket or handbag.



4. Mi Power Bank 3i (20,000mAH)

 URBN

The Mi Power Bank 3i currently costs Rs 1,499 and offers not only PD fast-charging but also support for every kind of port out there. The power bank has a triple-port output and dual-input ports that take care of every device you may have at home. It also offers a higher capacity than the rest of the power banks on this list which means you can charge your devices more frequently on a single charge.



5. URBN UPR205_CO (20,000mAh)

 Mi

A relatively new Indian brand offering power banks and other accessories in India came out with a model that offers everything you need from a power bank. This particular model costs Rs 1,549 and offers more bang for the buck than any other power bank on this list. The power bank supports the following charging protocols: PD18, PPS, QC3, VOOC, DASH, and Super Charging for VIVO phones.


opinion

Abuja  What does water mean to you? This was the question asked on March 22nd as the world celebrated World Water Day. The International water day aimed to draw attention to the global water situation, the need for effective water management as global water systems/aquifers continue to shrink and the stress faced by marginalised communities who lack access to water.

It is a great step that the day was celebrated in Nigeria to create awareness on the lack of clean water in rural communities, but it should not stop at picture posting or story-telling, something must be done about the issue. Creating awareness alone on the lack of access to clean water in rural communities once a year isn't enough to drive the sustainable change that will bring about the realisation of SDG 6 in Nigeria. Stronger and intentional political action is needed to bridge the widening gap between the entire population and the number that have access to clean water. Without actions being taken of what use is the knowledge. According to J.W. Von Goethe, "knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do". And no truer words have been spoken, the knowledge is simply not enough it must be applied.

The importance of water in our lives cannot be overemphasised. Water is life, it is more than just a basic need it is a fundamental human right. We need water just as much as we need the air we breathe. The sacrosanct nature of water is heightened when issues bordering around hygiene and sanitation are put in perspective.

It's really a thing of concern how persons in marginalised communities survive with little access to clean water. Their daily struggle to access water which in many cases is unclean and contaminated predisposes them to a lot of dangers and hazards. For many women and girls; they are exposed to sexual and gender-based violence, their menstrual hygiene is threatened and productive time is lost. For school children; they lose productive school time simply because they have to go in search of water. In general, many rural communities are vulnerable to disease outbreak that are water related such as cholera and these also contribute to money lost to emergency aid provided by government thereby impacting the GDP of the nation.

In Nigeria, poor access to clean water and sanitation has been a developmental issue plaguing numerous communities around the country. Lack of access to clean water seemed more or less a rural area problem but slowly this problem has started creeping its way into some peri-urban and urban areas. According to UNICEF, "seventy-three percent of the diarrheal disease burden is associated with poor access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and children from poorer homes are largely affected by this". These WASH related illnesses sometimes lead to poor performance in school and even malnutrition in children. Some other studies show that poor access to water and sanitation leads to open defecation. It is quite evident that poor access to water has a domino effect in our society. Issues pertaining to water can never be isolated, because in its absence it creates more problems and hinders our progress.

Nuhu Joseph a community leader in Rije community of Kuje Area Council, spoke with HipCity Innovation Centre (HipCity Hub) on the lack of clean water in his community. He said, to them water is more of a luxury than a necessity, most of the boreholes in his community are either nonfunctional or inadequate to cater for the residents of the community. They have resorted to getting their water from a stream close by as they lack the funds to repair the damaged boreholes and help from the government is not forthcoming. The source of water Joseph spoke of was clearly unfit for drinking and other domestic uses, but this is reality for the residents of Rije community and several other suburbs in the Federal Capital Territory.

The UN Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water put the figure of Nigerians who do not have access to safe drinking water at 67 million while 42 per cent of households do not have access to clean water. This number is alarming and bodes ill for the public health and safety of citizens.

It is the duty of the State through its appendage Water Boards and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RUWASSA) to provide safe and clean drinking water for all citizens. For efficiency and greater output, they are expected to work with local governments in their various states to ensure each local community is adequately catered for. There is an obvious need for the government to re-strategise and double their efforts in ensuring the provision of clean and safe water for all Nigerians.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Water By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

With proper monitoring and evaluation; progress can easily be tracked and areas that are still lacking or in need of maintenance can effectively be given the attention they require. It is not enough to just create awareness on water challenges, the government must keep their promises and be held accountable because they owe the people this duty.

Joining the global commemoration of March 22 shouldn't just end at government making political statement it must be matched with strong political will and commitment to rescue over 60 million Nigerians facing water poverty.

Oduah wrote from HipCity Innovation Centre, Abuja.
MASON CITY, Iowa - As college and university students enter the home stretch of the school year, Governor Kim Reynolds has developed a plan to get students and faculty vaccinated ahead of the last day of the semester.

During her press conference on Wednesday, Reynolds announced that the state will be deploying the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to campuses statewide. NIACC President Dr. Steve Schulz met with the Governor's staff and other public and private college presidents via Zoom to discuss logistics of the rollout. He says the college placed an order for 600 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, with the anticipated doses scheduled to arrive by mid-April. The school is also working to set up times at CG Public Health's clinic on South Federal Avenue, as well as a makeup day on campus, hoping to get them here by mid-April.

With the expansion of eligibility to Iowans ages 16 and older to receive a vaccine to begin next week, Schulz is optimistic about what lies ahead, including a return to a normal schedule beginning in the fall.

"It fuels your hope that when we get into the end of the summer and back in the fall, that we'll be sitting shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues and our students and doing the work we're so good at. We're just really excited about it."

While the college has not yet polled students if they're willing to receive the vaccine, Schulz notes the strong demand among faculty, with a little over 50% saying they want to receive one when vaccine distribution began.

"Just yesterday, we had 30 faculty and staff members who are looking for that opportunity, so we're really glad we're able to give it to them."

As the last day of school year gets closer, Schulz says the school will hold four separate commencement cermonies in May, with limited attendance to two guests per graduate.

"We're glad to be able to recognize those people in person. They've put in a lot of hard work, this is a milestone in their lives. We're going to do that even if we have to do it on a bit of a throttled back basis in terms of attendance."

Waldorf University is also supporting the Governor's strategy. University President Dr. Bob Alsop says they're working with Winnebago Public Health to provide vaccinations on campus for faculty, staff and students in the coming weeks.
Jim Shulman, a Pittsfield native living in Ohio, is the author of Berkshire Memories: A Baby Boomer Looks Back at Growing Up in Pittsfield. If you have a memory of a Berkshire baby-boom landmark, business or event youd like to share or read about, please write Jim at jesjmskali@aol.com .
Minor frustrations seem major today and you might not even know why you are so angry. Turning to your close relationships for support can help you get out of your funk, as you may find you are not alone in feeling hemmed in. Even if you cant set out on an exciting trip to get out of your routine, it might relax you to look at pictures from past travel or dream about where you would like to go in the future. There are no limits within your mind.
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A project to store high-level nuclear waste in southeast New Mexico was delayed as the federal government sought more answers from the company proposing to build and operate the facility as to its potential risk to human life.

Holtec International proposed to build the consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) to temporarily hold spent nuclear fuel rods from generator sites across the country as a permanent repository was developed.

Permanent, offsite disposal for high-level waste does not exist in the U.S. after such a project at Yucca Mountain in Nevada was blocked by state lawmakers.

More: New Mexico files lawsuit to block Holtec nuclear waste facility, cites risk to oil and gas

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Holtects project is amidst a federal licensing process overseen by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) which released an environmental analysis last year that reported minimal impact was expected from the construction and operation of the CISF.

The initial license application was to store 8,680 metric tons (MT) of spent nuclear fuel under a 40-year term, and the company intended to file additional applications for up to 20 phases for a total of up to 100,000 MT of waste and 120 years of operation.

Following the environmental review, the NRC embarked on a review of the proposed facilitys safety and security and made numerous requests for additional information (RAIs) to Holtec in September 2020.

More: Sparking nuclear waste drum at Los Alamos National Lab leads to evacuation at WIPP

But in a March 25 letter to Holtec, the NRC informed the company that its responses to the RAIs submitted in October and November 2020 and again in January were inadequate and more requests were needed.

This would delay the project, the letter read, past the May 2021 deadline for completing the safety review.

NRC staff found Holtecs responses related to soil impacts, flooding, aircraft crash hazards, some building designs and analyses of the sites shielding, thermal and aging management were unanswered or incomplete, the letter read.

More: New Mexico alleges in court filing Los Alamos National Lab failed to clean up nuclear waste

However, the schedule assumed that Holtec would provide timely and high-quality responses to all outstanding requests for additional information (RAIs) by November 2020, and that no follow-up RAIs would be necessary. If additional RAIs were necessary, the staff would revise its schedule accordingly, the letter read.

Accordingly, the staff will not be able to complete its safety and security review and publish a final (safety evaluation report) in May 2021.

A second set of RAIs was planned to be sent to Holtec in the next month, read the letter, repeating the requests, providing details on the information still needed and setting a two-week deadline for responses.

More: WIPP: Hearing planned for new utility shaft amid fears it could extend nuke waste disposal

The schedule for the final report would not be updated by the NRC, until Holtec responds to the inquiry.

In the letter, the NRC said it already held a clarification call with Holtec staff on the RAIs and intended to hold more meetings to ensure the agencys questions are properly addressed.

We expect to schedule additional calls over the next few weeks to discuss the remaining items, the letter read.

In order to ensure your responses to the staffs second RAI are complete and adequately resolve the remaining issues, the staff strongly recommends Holtec staff meet with NRC to discuss the proposed answers prior to their submission.

More: Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Nuclear waste shipments reduced, projects delayed amid COVID-19

Holtec Director of Government Affairs Joe Delmar said the company planned to work closely with the federal government in answering the needed questions and displaying the safety of the facility and its nuclear waste storage system.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing process is rigorous, thorough and transparent to ensure the protection of public health and safety and the protection of the environment, Delmar said.

Holtec remains committed to completing the NRCs licensing process for HI-STORE CISF and remains equally committed to providing the country a supremely safe, secure, retrievable and centralized facility for storing spent nuclear fuel on an interim basis.

More: New Mexico senator renews push for more state oversight of nuclear projects

New Mexico State leaders voiced strong concerns for the project, opposing Holtecs proposal for its potential to impact existing industries in southeast New Mexico such as oil and gas and agriculture.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called the project economic malpractice while State Attorney General Hector Balderas filed a lawsuit against the NRC to block the facility from being licensed.

Balderas argued federal law precluded the federal government from taking ownership of the waste while in transport to the Holtec site and thus project was illegal.

More: Checking in: WIPP maintenance work on schedule during 2-month operations pause

Last year, the NRC rejected multiple similar contentions from environmental and watchdog groups, arguing they were not admissible or the groups lacked standing to intervene in the licensing process as members did not reside within 50 miles of the facility.

The NRC dissented with arguments from the the Sierra Club, Beyond Nuclear and Fasken Land and Minerals that the Nuclear Waste Policy Act barred the U.S. Department of Energy from taking ownership of the waste.

Those groups displayed standing under the proximity standard.

More: What did the U.S. Department of Energy achieve at New Mexico nuclear sites in 2020?

The application, per the NRCs decision, suggested Congress could change the federal law or nuclear plant owners could take ownership and be Holtecs customers.

The Board rejected the argument that the mere mention of DOE renders Holtecs license application unlawful. The Board observed that Holtec is committed to going forward with the project by contracting directly with the plant owners, the decision read.

The Board held that whether that option is commercially viable was not an issue before the Board.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-618-7631, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Nuclear waste project in southeast New Mexico delayed as feds demand answers

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(c)2021 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.)

Visit the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) at www.currentargus.com

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A ten-man team from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) financed Climate-Change Adaptation and Agribusiness Support Programme (CASP) in Nigeria, has concluded a study tour on Financial Services Associations (FSAs) in Sierra Leone.

The purpose of the study, which spanned from 23rd -28th March 2021, was to ensure participants from Nigeria gain a deeper knowledge of the FSA model and implementation in Sierra Leone, since its establishment in 2007 by the IFAD financed Rural Finance and Community Improvement Programme II (RFCIP II).

During the course of their stay in the country, the team held an initial meeting with staff of the RFCIP II, Apex Bank, Bank of Sierra Leone, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at the National Programme Coordination Unit (NPCU) office in Bo, where presentations were made on the project.

It preceded a field visit to selected FSAs in Bo, Kenema, Kailahun, Kono and Tonkolili districts respectively, where they met and discussed with management and staff, board members and beneficiaries of each FSA.

They discussed issues relating to the management structure, governance and loans system, successes, and challenges among others.

However, Mohamed Tejan-Kella, the RFCIP II Programme Coordinator, welcomed the team and thanked them for choosing to visit Sierra Leone at this time amidst the current pandemic.

He noted during his presentation that Sierra Leoneans will always be grateful to Nigeria for their invaluable support to Sierra Leone during the 11 years civil war.

He said the reasons for establishing Community Banks (CBs) and FSAs in Sierra Leone were to provide financial services in the rural communities where commercial banks are averse to operate due to high transaction cost.

"With the network of 17 CBs and 59 FSAs established across the country, the RFCIP II has impacted over 221,000 households including women and youths, transformed the Technical Assistance Agency into the Apex Bank to monitor and supervise the said institutions," he said.

He also noted that the RFCIP II has also constructed 93 staff quarters for all CBs and FSAs to ensure staff are resident in various communities to guarantee community ownership.

Buba B. Godobe, Deputy Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria, said they were in Sierra Leone as a result of the successes recorded by the FSAs in Sierra Leone and to adopt the best practices in Nigeria.

"The FSAs in Sierra Leone are at an advanced stage compared to those established in Nigeria," he said, adding that they were very impressed to witness firsthand the impact FSAs have had on the lives of the rural people across the country.

Alimamy Conteh, Director of Business Development at the Apex bank, said FSAs are community-owned and mobilized savings in the form of equity through sale of shares to members in poor rural areas and extend the same to them as loans for grass-root businesses.

The FSAs started operation in Sierra Leone in April 2007, in Sengbe (Koinadugu district) and Nimikoro (Kono district). In 2008, 4 more FSAs were created and commenced operations in Peje West (Kailahun District); Mandu (Kailahun district); Nyawa (Kenema District) and Gaura (Kenema District).

It is important to note that a shareholder in FSAs can access loan 4 times his/her share and also FSAs do not have the mandate to accept deposit, but can accept safekeeping.

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Meanwhile, all 59 FSAs established since 2007 currently have over 111,000 shareholders and can now take care of their staff salaries and running cost.

Capitalization, according to FSAs, still remains a major challenge faced by the network as the demand for loans (particularly agricultural loans) is higher than the available capital.

Madam Amie F Kallon, a shareholder and beneficiary said since she joined the Nyawa FSA in Kenema District, she has been empowered beyond her imagination.

"I use to be behind in making decision at home and in my community, but now with loans from this Nyawa FSA, I am no longer behind because if my husband can give me Le 50,000, I can contribute Le 20,000. Now I can support my husband to take care of our children, pay school fees and embark on other developmental projects like house construction among others," she said.
A Texas sheriff has fired seven officers who had been put on administrative leave after the death in custody of a Black man.

The firings come during the trial of former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin for the murder of a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, by kneeling on his neck during an arrest last May, an incident that triggered protests worldwide.

Marvin D Scott III, 26, arrested after a March 14 disturbance at an outlet mall, was acting in an erratic manner and police were concerned for his safety because of the possible ingestion of drugs, they said at the time.

He died later that night after having been restrained and pepper-sprayed following his handover to the county jail, the paper said, adding that a spit hood had been placed over his head.

"Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established sheriff's office policies and procedures," the New York Post quoted Jim Skinner, the sheriff of Collin county, as saying.

He added that an eighth officer had resigned, the paper said.

A representative of the Collin county sheriff's office did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

The newspaper said Allen city police had arrested Scott on a marijuana possession charge and that he had less than two ounces of the drug, which is a misdemeanor.

Floyd's death set off protests across the United States, and around the world, targeting racial injustice and police brutality to Black people.
With advantages such as reliability, flexibility and energy-saving, modular UPS is gradually becoming the focus of the market. As it said in the Report, Modular UPS technology accounts for 12.2% of the UPS hardware market. By 2024, this proportion is expected to reach 13.3%. Among the top 9 entities, KEHUA is one of the three companies which have expanded market presence.

KEHUA's performance can be boiled down to its continuous investment in R&D. The company has made several technological breakthroughs in recent years.

In January 2021, KEHUA released the global-first 125kW modular UPS, representing a new level of R&D for UPS. As a world-leading UPS brand, the company has shown strong influence in more than 100 countries and regions.

Besides, KEHUA has constructed seven self-built data centers in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou which covers an area of over 23,000m2 with more than 28,000 cabinets.

To better adapt to the market trend of modular UPS, KEHUA would continue to develop advanced technology and enhance its core technology competitiveness. Upholding rigorous standards of safety and reliability, KEHUA will offer more reliable, efficient and high-quality solutions for IDC construction in the digital era.

About KEHUA

Established in 1988 and went public in 2010, KEHUA is a leading power conversion expert, with the commitment to provide cutting-edge solutions in Critical Power, Renewables Energy and Cloud Infrastructure. Business involves UPS, solar inverter, energy storage, IDC construction and O&M.

For more information:

Web: www.kehua.com

Email: [email protected]

Name: Jon Zhang

Tel: +86 (0592) 516 5883

SOURCE Kehua Data Co., Ltd

Related Links

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Heres a roundup of some initial reaction to and analysis of Bidens $2.25 trillion plan.

Critics find plenty to dislike: While theres widespread support across the political aisle to upgrade the nations infrastructure, critics of Bidens plan  and even some of its supporters  have raised questions whether all the spending in the plan is truly needed, whether the tax increases on corporations are excessive and why the White House is using an unusual accounting approach to capture the deficit impact, The Washington Posts Heather Long writes.

Biden is making a big bet on the benefits of tackling climate change: The president is trying to make the case that fighting climate change can create jobs, not destroy them. For decades, Democrats have insisted jobs versus the environment is a false choice. But in the scale of his proposal and the audacity of his promises, Mr. Biden may be laying his political future on that idea, The New York Times reports. He faces a lot of skepticism. Union leaders, the Times adds, are skeptical that the well-paying union jobs the president promises will materialize, noting that, so far, the ecosystem of manufacturers, contractors and utility developers that has grown up around the green economy has often been low-paying and hostile to unions.

And hes challenging GOP orthodoxy on taxes and economic growth: The 2017 Republican tax cuts were based on the argument that lowering taxes on businesses would spur investment and job creation. But gross domestic product grew at a 2.4% rate in the two years before the tax overhaul and 2.4% in the two years after, writes Patricia Cohen of The New York Times.

By contrast, Cohen says, the animating idea behind the tax plan put forward by the Biden administration on Wednesday is that the best way to increase Americas competitiveness and foster economic growth is to raise corporate taxes to finance huge investments in transportation, broadband, utilities and more.  By shifting the tax burden, the Biden administration is saying corporations  among the biggest winners the last time around  should pick up more of the tab this time.

Story continues

Not surprisingly, thats drawn strong opposition from the business community. We strongly oppose the general tax increases proposed by the administration, which will slow the economic recovery and make the U.S. less competitive globally  the exact opposite of the goals of the infrastructure plan, Neil Bradley, chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in a statement Wednesday.

Hes also taking sides in a Democratic Party argument: In announcing his infrastructure plan Wednesday, Biden said he wants to build from the middle out. Bloomberg Businessweeks Peter Coy explains that the phrase is more than just a rhetorical flourish. Biden, he says, was taking sides in a long-running argument inside the Democratic Party. He was siding with the populist, liberal wing of the party and implicitly distancing himself from the low-tax, pro-business wing associated with former Treasury secretaries Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers, among others.

The phrase, Coy explains, was coined by Nick Hanauer, a wealthy entrepreneur and venture capitalist who now advocates for liberal causes, and it indicates an economic approach focused on building a prosperous middle class in order to juice broad-based growth. Its the lefts alternative to top-down, or trickle-down economics, which is based on the concept that cutting taxes and reducing regulation on the rich will unleash their entrepreneurial energies and benefit all, Coy writes. And Bidens use of the term is another indication that while he has long been seen as a centrist, hes taking a more progressive approach to the economy than Bill Clinton or Barack Obama did.

The Biden administration is the first administration in my lifetime to actually believe that the neoliberal framework is wrong and to advance a counter-narrative and new agenda, Hanauer tells Coy. Its incredibly exciting and will lead to ridiculous prosperity for everyone.

Tax hikes on the rich are popular. Corporate tax hikes less so: A Morning Consult/Politico poll released Wednesday found that more than half of voters support tax hikes to fund infrastructure spending  and voters by a two-to-one margin prefer infrastructure improvements paired with tax increases on the rich and corporations to those without tax hikes.

But the tax hikes on individuals earning more than $400,000 a year and those on corporations arent seen the same, with a 10 percentage point drop in support for the business taxes.

The survey of 2,043 registered voters was conducted March 26 to 29 and has a margin of error of 2 points.

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What Im saying is, Bidens proposal is gargantuan. And if a version manages to pass Congress at anywhere near its current scope, it would constitute a historic level of spending to mitigate the climate crisis and improve basic American services to a level above crumbling.

Yet here is the stark shame of our current political moment: Huge as it sounds, the Biden plan is not nearly big enough. Rather than inspiring optimism, then, the vast size of the proposal sets up a disheartening conundrum for anyone looking forward to a habitable future on this fragile planet: Any plan bold enough to effectively address climate change seems unlikely to survive the American political system. And any bill that can survive our politics may not make enough of a dent on the climate.

A 2019 estimate by the Roosevelt Institute suggests it will take about $1 trillion in spending per year over at least 10 years to achieve a carbon-neutral American economy; several other estimates come to a similar conclusion. Part of the investment is likely to come from the private sector, but most will need to be from the government. Bidens proposal is just a fifth of what the institute estimates is the minimum amount that the government needs to spend to stave off the worst projected dangers of a warming climate; at the high end of spending projections, its only an eighth.

Republicans are already balking at the cost of Bidens plan  or, more precisely, theyre balking at the prospect of raising taxes on corporations to pay for it. Last month Democrats passed Bidens $1.9 trillion Covid-19 recovery plan, and a huge infrastructure proposal seems to poll well with voters. But congressional Democrats from different factions are already calling for big changes to various parts of the plan, and the party doesnt have much room to lose support in either the House or the Senate.

It isnt just climate change that might be left behind when Congress is done chewing up Bidens plan. I spent much of Wednesday afternoon talking about Bidens ideas with advocates for public transit and other environmentally friendly transportation systems. They were giddy about the boldness of Bidens proposals, especially its recognition that the nation is far too dependent on cars.
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The Nigerian alpha jet that went missing on Wednesday may have crashed, an official has said.

The spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet, said this in a statement Friday morning.

Intelligence report gathered by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) indicates that the Alpha Jet aircraft (NAF475) that went off the radar with 2 crew members on board on 31 March 2021 might have crashed, he said.

Mr Gabkwet, an air commodore, also named the two pilots missing from the incident.

The cause of the crash as well as the whereabouts of the 2 pilots remain unknown. The pilots are Flight Lieutenant John Abolarinwa and Flight Lieutenant Ebiakpo Chapele.

Extensive search and rescue efforts are still ongoing by NAF surveillance aircraft as well as NAF Special Forces and Nigerian Army troops on ground.

At this point, the NAF is not ruling out anything regarding the incident. It however remains hopeful that the crew would soon be found and rescued, he said.

The alpha jet was carrying out a mission against Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State when it went missing at about 6 p.m., officials had said.
During a session of Parliament's higher education oversight committee on Thursday, 1 April, visible fractures emerged between stakeholders at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) - the largest university in the Western Cape - has had issues related to student and labour unrest, dating back to #FeesMustFall. In 2017, clashes between students and private security became a key focal point. In March 2020, the university's Student Representative Council marched to Parliament calling for an intervention at the university. At the time, EWN reported classes were suspended due to the protests as students wanted better transportation and accommodation.

At Thursday's meeting Vice-Chancellor Dr Chris Nhlapo said the university issued an "unreserved apology" for missing the previous meeting, which was scheduled for 23 March 2021. Advocate Zuko Mapoma, chairperson of the university's council said "I apologise if we came across as arrogant" following complaints by the committee, which had threatened to subpoena CPUT, about the university missing the meeting.

During Thursday's meeting, issues were raised about the relationship between unions, student representatives and CPUT council and management.

Nonele Ganyile, the secretary-general of the Student Representative Council (SRC) said she had not seen "any change" in...
Drew Receives Global Citizen Scholarship

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MURRAY - Maggie Mae Drew, Murray High School sophomore, was selected to receive a Global Citizen scholarship from the National Spanish Exam.The first MHS student to receive this award, and one of only eight students selected from across the country to receive this highly competitive scholarship, Drew will attend the Concordia Language Villages virtual immersion program in Spanish this summer.Lauren Hines, MHS Spanish instructor, extends her congratulations to Drew. "I am so very proud of Maggie for her dedication to learning throughout the year and specifically in preparing and applying for this scholarship. The hard work and effort inside and outside of the classroom is evident in Maggie's Spanish skills and I'm so excited for the opportunity for her to continue to improve with an immersion program this summer."The Global Citizen Scholarship is a competition requiring a written essay and oral interview in Spanish open to students from 8th-10th grades who have received a bronze medal or higher (75th percentile or higher) on the previous year's National Spanish Exam. Due to Covid-19, some of the scholarship prizes this year were made available for students to participate virtually through the Concordia Languages Villages, a highly respected language immersion program in Minnesota.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 17:41:58|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a message of sympathy to Pakistani President Arif Alvi over the latter's infection with COVID-19, wishing him an early recovery.

In the message, Xi stressed that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, and that the Chinese government and people will always stand firmly with their Pakistani counterparts to beat the pandemic shoulder to shoulder.

The Chinese president said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Pakistan relations, and is ready to work with President Alvi to push forward the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future for the benefit of both countries and their people. Enditem
The revamped Alamo Plaza renovation plan is gaining speed after nearly half a year of inaction, winning another round of support  this time from the Alamo Citizen Advisory Committee.

The new multimillion-dollar makeover, which includes permanently closing Alamo Street between Houston and Crockett streets by June 1 and keeping the Cenotaph where it has stood for more than 80 years, now heads to the City Council.

If all goes well, construction could begin next year.

Weve come a long way in a month, said Assistant City Manager Lori Houston.

The committee unanimously signed off on all the changes, save the one about the controversial Cenotaph. Still, the decision not to move the 56-foot-tall memorial also won approval, 27-3.

Wednesday nights action by the citizen advisory panel ended a string of rapid-fire changes to the project.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced March 1 that he was replacing Councilman Roberto Trevino as a tri-chair of the citizen group and as one of six members of the Alamo Management Committee. Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, appointed by the mayor to those two positions, will keep them after her final council term expires in May.

William Luther /Staff

Kate Rogers began working March 24 as the new Alamo executive director, replacing Douglass W. McDonald, who was Alamo CEO for three years before he resigned in October.

The 30-member committee approved several statements of support for design assumptions of the revamped Alamo plan, including allowing Fiesta parades and other events in the plaza with guidelines to ensure the proper reverence is observed; using surface pavers to mark the site of the historic mission-fort instead of excavating the site and lowering the ground level by 2 feet; and ensuring the walking public has unrestricted access in the plaza.

On ExpressNews.com: Citizen panel breaths new life into Alamo plan

The votes this evening allow this process to proceed, said Sue Ann Pemberton, an architect and the only tri-chair on the citizen committee to have served since it was formed in 2014.

The statement regarding the Cenotaph acknowledged the Texas Historical Commissions action in September to deny a permit to relocate the monument honoring the Alamo defenders and committed to keeping it where it is now, near the Long Barrack. Thats where it was dedicated in 1940.

It also called for developing a plan to repair the weather-worn memorial, which will be presented to the committee and reviewed by city and state preservation officials before any work is done.

Former City Councilman Roger Perez and fellow panel members George Cisneros and Anthony Edwards voted against the Cenotaph statement. Perez said he had strongly supported moving the monument and still felt its longstanding location is not the best place for this Cenotaph.

I dont want to send a unanimous approval of the statement, Perez said.

The City Council is set to hear a presentation on the newly revised plan at a work session next Wednesday, and a vote is set for April 15 to amend a lease agreement with the Texas General Land Office for a portion of the city-owned plaza.

The proposed design changes follow Nirenbergs direction for the project and are in keeping with a council consensus to amend the lease, rather than end it.

The public-private Alamo project, expected to cost about $450 million, had been in limbo for months after the state commissions decision to deny the permit to move the Cenotaph.

But Nirenberg moved to revive the project, seeking commitments to have an open, accessible plaza and to preserve the Woolworth Building, one of three state-owned historic structures on the west side of the plaza, where a museum/visitor center is planned. The project is intended to provide an improved visitor experience that honors the 1836 Battle of the Alamo and recognizes the sites 300 years of history.

In a previous version of the plan, project officials had not ruled out at least partial demolition of the state-owned buildings, even after an engineers report done for the nonprofit Alamo Trust recommended preserving the structures and incorporating them into a museum design.

Houston said she and her team will be the drivers when it comes to the plaza, coordinating work in the city-owned part of the plaza. The Alamo Trust and the Land Office will take the lead on work pertaining to the museum and state-owned Alamo complex, in consultation with the city, Houston said earlier this week.

Were keeping the partnership together, but theres going to be a lead partner in different components, she said.

Rogers, who as Alamo CEO is an employee of the Alamo Trust, agreed that the trust, city and state agency are striving to develop a seamless, robust experience for future Alamo visitors. The trust is working on a museum design and restoration of the mission-era church and Long Barrack.

On ExpressNews.com: Alamo announces new executive director

It will be important that we continue to work closely together, so that everything comes together in the end, Rogers said.

shuddleston@express-news.net
Algiers  The Polisario Front representative in Washington, Mouloud Said welcomed Wednesday the call of the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to "speed up the appointment of a personal envoy of the UN Secretary General to Western Sahara and the resumption of negotiations between the two parties to the conflict," considering it as "a good sign."

"The new position of the U.S. administration, expressed by Anthony Blinken, during a meeting, in a video-conference, with Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is consistent

with the traditional positions of U.S. diplomacy regarding the conflict in Western Sahara," said the Polisario Front representative in a statement to Radio Algeria International.

During the meeting, Antony Blinken, called on Antonio Guterres, to expedite the appointment of a personal envoy to Western Sahara, stressing the support of the United States to the process of

political negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front, sponsored by the UN, said the spokesman for the U.S. State Department, Ned Price.

The statements of the head of U.S. diplomacy came on the eve of the announcement of the 2020 report of the U.S. Department of State on the situation of human rights in the world in which a

chapter was devoted to Western Sahara and Morocco. In this report, the State Department considers Western Sahara as a separate and distinct territory from the Kingdom of Morocco, in addition to recognizing the role of the Polisario Front as a

liberation movement fighting for the independence of the Sahrawi territory.
A Union Jack and EU flags fluttering outside the Berlaymont building, the European commission headquarters, on Dec. 9, 2020. (Francois Walschaerts/AFP via Getty Images)

EU, UK Voice Concerns After BBC, RTE Correspondents Forced to Leave China

The European Union and the UK on Friday voiced their concerns over media freedom in China after two journalists working for British and Irish broadcasters were forced to leave the country late last month.

The BBCs China correspondent John Sudworth and his wife, Yvonne Murray, the China correspondent of the Irish broadcaster RTE, left China for Taiwan on March 23.

The EU is concerned as BBC and RTE correspondents left #China. This departure comes after a long period of harassment and latest case of foreign correspondents being driven out of the country. Read the full statement. https://t.co/37eyUYDjfV  Nabila Massrali (@NabilaEUspox) April 2, 2021

This departure comes after a long period of harassment of Mr. Sudworth and his BBC colleagues by the authorities, comprising surveillance, threats of legal action, obstruction, intimidation, and the posting online by official media of videos that personally named him and made use of police video footage, said Nabila Massrali, EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy.

This is the latest case of foreign correspondents being driven out of China as a result of continuous harassment and obstruction to their work, coming on top of the expulsion of at least 18 correspondents last year, she said in a statement.

She said the EU had repeatedly expressed its concerns to Beijing over the undue working restrictions imposed on foreign journalists and reported related harassment.

The EU calls upon China to abide by its obligations under national and international law and ensure the freedom of speech and press, said the statement.

Responding to a request for reaction from The Epoch Times, a spokesperson for the UKs Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: We remain deeply concerned about the lack of media freedoms and the deteriorating situation for journalists in China and we raise this regularly with Beijing.

According to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC), Sudworth left after months of personal attacks and disinformation targeting him and his BBC colleagues, disseminated by both Chinese state media and Chinese government officials.

The FCCC said the Chinese authorities had issued Sudworth only short visas lasting one, three, and six months for the past two years, apparently in retaliation for his coverage of Xinjiang, the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues that Chinese foreign ministry officials repeatedly said had crossed red lines.

The threats intensified after the UKs broadcasting regulator Ofcom on Feb. 4 revoked the license of CGTN, an international English-language satellite news channel directly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The Chinese regime announced on Feb. 11 that it was pulling BBC World News off the air in China.

On March 18, the Global Times, a Chinese propaganda outlet, quoted a Xinjiang official as saying a number of individuals in the region were planning to sue BBC for producing fake news, spreading rumors about Xinjiang, and slandering Chinas policy in its Xinjiang region.

Alarmingly, Chinese authorities have also shown a greater willingness to threaten journalists with legal measures, proceedings that could subject them to exit bans, barring them from leaving China, the FCCC stated.

In September 2020, the Australian government evacuated two journalists from China after the authorities tried to prevent them from leaving.

Bill Birtles from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Mike Smith from the Australian Financial Review spent five days sheltering at diplomatic missions until they were allowed to leave.

Victoria Kelly-Clark contributed to this report.
Islamic State (IS) claimed credit for the attack on Palma, but the claim is clearly fake and, indeed, it seems likely that IS was never in contact with the insurgents about Palma.

The IS-aligned AMAQ news agency issued a statement 29 March claiming that IS had attacked Palma, and destroyed government offices and banks - which by then had been in the international media. And it included the photo below. Enlarging the upper left corner of the picture gives the location, Mocimboa da Praia.

Jasmine Opperman (@Jasminechic00), senior researcher at ACLED, says "the photo is not from Palma, but from Mocimboa da Praia in 2020. A giveaway is the foliage. It looks like they took the photo at the road close to Mocimboa da Praia airport." AMAQ has also released a video said to be Palma, but that, too, is Mocimboa da Praia.

Indeed, in attacks over the past year, one of the first things destroyed has been mobile telephone towers and equipment, to prevent communications with the outside, and that happened in Palma. Instead of trying to gain publicity, insurgents seem to be trying to prevent it.

The insurgents did make links with IS in 2019 and sent out films taken on mobile telephones, including some with insurgents flying the black IS flag. But this appears to have ended more than six months ago.

Fighting continues after organised attack

Fighting continues in Palma. As in all of its raids, the insurgents do not initially try to hold towns, but drift away as the military response increases. But there are still insurgents in Palma and still the sound of gunfire. On Tuesday afternoon (30 Mar) the Defence Ministry took a group of journalists to Palma to show the town was in government hands, but instead were forced leave after 30 minutes when the helicopter came under insurgent fire.

Much of the town is empty and abandoned or destroyed. There is still no telecommunications, making it difficult to obtain details.

Fresh troops have been flown in from Maputo and the defence forces have launched an operation to identify everyone in Palma and the reasons for their presence, to try to identify remaining insurgents. But that raises the danger or the army harassing innocent civilians, as has happened in the past.

The UN migration agency IOM reported that at 17h00 on Wednesday 31 March nearly 8,200 displaced people had been identified, with 3,600 in Mueda and 1,200 in Nangade. Many thousands more are in transit or hiding in forests. In a statement Wednesday afternoon, OCHA said "Many more people remain displaced inside of Palma - including thousands who have reportedly gathered near the Afungi complex - where the security situation remains volatile." A second boatload of 1400 Total workers is expected to arrive in Pemba on Thursday.

The 24 March attack was well planned and coordinated. Insurgents robbed three international banks and a WFP warehouse, taking 90 tonnes of food. They seized at least 80 civilian vehicles, including two fuel bowsers, and stole army munitions in the highly-coordinated attack. This should keep the insurgents supplied for he near future. (Intelyse 30 March)

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People who fled to Nangage told MediaFax (30 March) that killing was not random, and insurgents targeted civil servants. Similarly, the attack on the Amarula Hotel was not to attack foreigners, but because senior government staff, including the district administrator, had taken refuge there.

Friendly fire: Six people were killed and more wounded when a helicopter of the Mozambican armed forces fired on a lorry transporting soldiers and civilians away from Palma. (@ Verdade)

Three members of the UKs elite military regiment, the Special Air Service (SAS) went to Cabo Delgado hunting for a British man, Phil Mawer, killed after a convoy from the Amarula hotel came under attack from militants. (The Times, London, 31 Mar)

Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) whose contract with government is ending 6 April has joined with one of the largest private security companies, GardaWorld, according to Africa Intelligence (31 March).
VANCOUVER - An appeal has been filed in a British Columbia Supreme Court decision that upheld public health orders banning indoor religious services in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the province.

Free Reformed Church is seen as people attend Sunday Service, in Chilliwack, B.C., on Sunday, February 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER - An appeal has been filed in a British Columbia Supreme Court decision that upheld public health orders banning indoor religious services in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the province.

A statement from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which represents a group including three Fraser Valley churches, announced Thursday that it was asking for a higher court to review the decision.

Paul Jaffe, a lawyer with the advocacy group, argued during hearings last month that the orders by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry unjustifiably infringed on his clients' right to freedom of religion.

Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson found the orders were justified and the question before the court wasn't whether Henry struck the right balance on the infringement, but whether she acted reasonably given the information available to her.

No one from the Attorney General's Ministry was immediately available for comment on the notice of appeal.

Justice Centre lawyer Marty Moore says in a statement the judge decided to "set aside the constitutional scrutiny" that applies to such laws "in favour of extreme judicial deference to an unelected bureaucrat."

"A declared public health crisis does not permit courts to neglect their constitutional obligation to ensure that government actions respect the charter rights of citizens," he says.

The notice of appeal dated March 31 seeks an order quashing Hinkson's judgment and granting the original relief sought by the petitioners, along with costs.

Henry made changes to her rules for houses of worship last week that would have allowed for services of up to 50 people in indoor settings, but reversed that decision this week as COVID-19 cases reached a new peak.

Her orders now allow outdoor services under certain rules and restrictions.

Jaffe has said the petitioners, which include the Riverside Calvary Chapel in Langley, Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church in Abbotsford and the Free Reformed Church of Chilliwack, had been careful to adopt safety protocols similar to those approved by Henry in places that remained open.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.
The Republican super majority rule Topeka and this afternoon they're revolting against continued mask protocols and pandemic precautions as the plague remains highly politicized.



Read more . . .

TOPEKA, Kan. - Top Kansas legislators on Thursday revoked an order aimed at encouraging counties to keep mask mandates amid the coronavirus pandemic, just hours after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly issued it. Kelly's order required people to wear masks indoors at businesses and public spaces and outdoors when they can't socially distance.
European Union and Central Asias wealthiest country are keen on deepening relations in the realms of the energy industry as government officials met Monday to discuss current and future projects. The meeting brought together Sven-Olov Karlsson, who heads the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, and Nurlan Nogayev, Kazakhstans Energy Minister. During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of joint cooperation in the field of energy, including within the framework of the modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty, as well as mechanisms for monitoring methane emissions during the production and transportation of hydrocarbon raw materials, reads a statement issued by the countrys energy ministry, aspian News reports.

Relations between Kazakhstan and the European Union run deep and are represented in the document known as the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), which went into effect last March. The document covers 29 areas of activity, and, among others, recognizes the need for cooperation in the field of energy based on mutual interest, reciprocity, transparency and predictability.

Kazakhstan, which has an economy heavily dominated by oil and natural gas production, is ranked the EUs third largest non-OPEC energy supplier, after Russia and Norway. According to data compiled by the countrys energy ministry, more than 80 percent of the countrys total oil exports is going to the EU countries. In addition, Kazakhstan is the largest supplier to EU nuclear energy industry, meeting more than 21 percent of the EU uranium demand. The EU has also provided Kazakhstan with political and substantial financial support for the creation of the uranium bank designed to guarantee countries an uninterrupted supply of low-enriched uranium needed to run civil nuclear power plants.

The country has been participating in various EU-sponsored energy-related programs and initiatives. Kazakhstan is a member of the Energy Charter Treaty, an international agreement that establishes a multilateral framework for cross-border cooperation in the energy industry and covers all aspects of commercial energy activities, including trade, transit, investments, and energy efficiency. The country is actively participating in the currently on-going debate aimed at the treatys modernization. Kazakhstan also benefits from the EU4Energy program, which aims to improve the quality of energy data and statistics, shape regional policy-making discussions, strengthen legislative and regulatory frameworks and improve access to information in the partner countries.

Meanwhile, some major EU-based energy companies, including Eni, Shell, and Total, have significant investments in the Kazakh oil and gas industry. Italys Eni has been involved in the Central Asian country since 1992 within various projects, including giant Kashagan and Karachaganak fields, as well as Isatay and Abay blocks. At the same time, the company have been developing various renewable energy projects in Kazakhstan. Frances Total has also been active in Kazakhstan since 1992. The company is one of the operators of giant Kashagan, and also has an interest in the Dunga onshore oil field, and Khvalynskoye offshore gas field. The British-Dutch Shell has stakes in the offshore Kashagan field and in the Pearls PSC, both located in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea.

In its turn, Kazakhstans national oil and gas company KazMunayGas (KMG) controls important EU-based assets for refining, trading and retail in South-Eastern Europe and countries of the Eastern Partnership.
After the high-voltage second phase polls in Nandigram, Chief Minister on Friday alleged that Union Home Minister was actually managing the ongoing elections in the state, instead of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Speaking at a public gathering in Dinhata-Sanhati maidan, Banerjee said: "Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has killed a lot of our workers. Our workers were killed yesterday in several areas. I am only waiting for the elections to be over. I will spare no one, I know the fight. I say this with great regret and with humble regards to the Election Commission, it is not managing the elections, the elections are being managed by "

Banerjee also made a lot of promises to the people if her party won the ongoing elections in the state.

"I know I will win, but if other Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates do not win with me, how will the numbers increase, and if the numbers don't increase and I do not get 200 seats, then how will I form the government? If I am not able to form the government, there will be no Kanyashree, Rupashree, free ration, free bicycles and free land for farmers," she said.

The Chief Minister also alleged that Central forces in were colluding with BJP to create chaos in different areas. "We respect CRPF and BSF, but please stop the terrorising villages with the help of BJP's workers," she remarked.

Speaking on defecting members of her party, Banerjee said: "BJP does not have its own candidates, they have borrowed from the CPI-M or traitors from TMC. They were fed by TMC and now they have gone to BJP to save their money. They are traitors and are roaming around with the CRPF."

"Look at the terror they are inflicting on Bengal. I am alone, and over one lakh politicians have come to fight me. They have rented several hotels, planes and cars. They have even brought politicians from Assam. After the Assam elections are over on April 6, they will bring all of them here. Do not let them enter!" she told the people.

Nandigram witnessed a high-voltage "Khela" (game of power) on Thursday in the second phase of Assembly polls.

The constituency had witnessed a direct contest between West Bengal Chief Minister and her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year. contested from Nandigram and not from her home turf Bhabanipur seat making this election more interesting.

West Bengal recorded a final voter turnout of over 80 per cent in the second phase of the state Assembly polls, while Nandigram recorded above 87 per cent turnout, according to the ECI.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) who is also an aspirant in the forthcoming Anambra State gubernatorial election under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Chukwuma Soludo said the attack on him during a town hall meeting he organised was politically motivated.

Three policemen were killed during the attack while the Anambra State commissioner for public utilities, Emeka Ezenwanne, was abducted during the incident.

The police said a total of five suspects had been arrested by the operatives of the state police command in connection with the Wednesday's attack.

Speaking on Channels Television programme, "Politics Today", for the first time after the attack, Soludo said he won't jump into the conclusion but added there are many theories to it.

The former CBN governor who expressed sadness over the killing of the policemen, said he will go ahead with his gubernatorial ambition.

"When it was all over, it took several minutes, 10 or 15 minutes of continuous gun battles going back and forth of stopping, starting again," Soludo said.

"By the time we all came back, we saw three bodies lying in the pool of their blood. They were the three policemen. May God grant their soul eternal rest. At first I thought, maybe the policemen were shooting in the air. Until I began to hear people screaming and all of that and everybody just scampered for safety.

"Just as I was about to wrap up the town hall meeting and said finally for them now to open up for comments and answers, there were gunshots," Soludo said while promising to support the families of the fallen officers.

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"There are a lot of theories concerning the attack," Soludo said, adding that he won't want to prejudge the outcome of the investigation.

While confirming that the police have made arrest, Soludo said the office he is looking for does not worth the blood of a chicken.

"I am surprised people can go such a mile. Whatever is the motivation, I won't want to go into details now because the security agencies are still investigating," he said, while praying for the quick release of the abducted commissioner, Ezenwanne.

He said that he was the target because those who fear his closeness to Governor Willie Obiano, his capacity and acceptance by the people believed that if they take away "Soludo, the coast will be clear for them."

Spokesman of the state police command, deputy superintendent of police(DSP), Tochukwu Ikenga, who earlier yesterday announced the arrest of one person in connection with the incident, stated that four more suspects were nabbed by men of the command.

Ikenga said one Mbah Victor 'M' aged 30 years, John Olisakwe 'M' aged 21 years. Chigozie Omeh 'M' aged 20 years and Emmanuel Nnobi 'M' aged 28years were arrested by the police.

Ikenga in a statement announcing the fresh arrests,said "Police operatives attached to Anambra State Command today, 1st April, 2021 have arrested four additional suspects in connection with the recent attack and gruesome murder of three policemen at Isuofia Civic Centre in Aguata LGA of Anambra State.
Photo: The Canadian Press Free Reformed Church is seen as people attend Sunday Service, in Chilliwack, B.C., on Sunday, February 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

An appeal has been filed in a British Columbia Supreme Court decision that upheld public health orders banning indoor religious services in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the province.

A statement from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which represents a group including three Fraser Valley churches, announced Thursday that it was asking for a higher court to review the decision.

Paul Jaffe, a lawyer with the advocacy group, argued during hearings last month that the orders by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry unjustifiably infringed on his clients' right to freedom of religion.

Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson found the orders were justified and the question before the court wasn't whether Henry struck the right balance on the infringement, but whether she acted reasonably given the information available to her.

No one from the Attorney General's Ministry was immediately available for comment on the notice of appeal.

Justice Centre lawyer Marty Moore says in a statement the judge decided to "set aside the constitutional scrutiny" that applies to such laws "in favour of extreme judicial deference to an unelected bureaucrat."

"A declared public health crisis does not permit courts to neglect their constitutional obligation to ensure that government actions respect the charter rights of citizens," he says.

The notice of appeal dated March 31 seeks an order quashing Hinkson's judgment and granting the original relief sought by the petitioners, along with costs.

Henry made changes to her rules for houses of worship last week that would have allowed for services of up to 50 people in indoor settings, but reversed that decision this week as COVID-19 cases reached a new peak.

Her orders now allow outdoor services under certain rules and restrictions.

Jaffe has said the petitioners, which include the Riverside Calvary Chapel in Langley, Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church in Abbotsford and the Free Reformed Church of Chilliwack, had been careful to adopt safety protocols similar to those approved by Henry in places that remained open.
Greys Anatomy is a medical drama that Shonda Rhimes created. The shows cast consisted of several actors who were making a name for themselves in Hollywood. One of those performers was Ellen Pompeo. Although shes one of the TV industrys biggest stars, she didnt have the easiest time becoming Meredith Grey.

Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey in Greys Anatomy|Michael Desmond/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

Ellen Pompeo worked as a bartender before booking Greys Anatomy as Meredith Grey

Pompeo was born in Everett, Massachusetts, on Nov. 10, 1969. When she turned 4, her mother, Kathleen Pompeo, died unexpectedly. While being raised by her father, Joe Pompeo, the actor wanted to do more than her hometown offered. However, she told People in 2006 that her career ambitions didnt match Pompeos circumstances.

Where I come from, you dont just say, Oh, Im going to become an actor, she said to the outlet. Talk like that, and they think youre crazy.

RELATED: How Tall Is Greys Anatomy Star Ellen Pompeo?

After graduating from Everett high school, Pompeo decided to work as a bartender. By the time she was 24, her dad had encouraged her to pursue acting. Although they didnt have any Hollywood connections, Pompeo said Joe always supported her dreams.

He always told me you can do anything you want to do, the actor said of her dad.

How did Ellen Pompeo book Greys Anatomy?

RELATED: Greys Anatomy: Ellen Pompeo Explains How Sandra Oh Prepared the Cast for Her Exit

Once she got her fathers blessing to act, Pompeo moved from Everett to Miami at 24. Initially, the actor made a living doing commercials for brands such as LOreal. After she ventured to New York, Pompeo started booking acting roles. The SAG Awards recipients first jobs were supporting parts in Law & Order, Strong Medicine, and Old School. However, it was her 2002 appearance in the movie Moonlight Mile that caught ABCs attention. In 2004, the studio approached Pompeo about starring in its upcoming medical drama, Greys Anatomy.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pompeo said that she initially wanted to work on another ABC pilot. The actor feared that staying on a medical show would hurt her chances of finding other roles. Nevertheless, Pompeo was struggling to pay her rent at the time and begrudgingly agreed to the part.

I was like, Im not going to be stuck on a medical show for five years, she remembered telling her agent. Are you out of your f**kin mind? Im an actress.'

What is the Meredith Grey actors salary?

Although she accepted the part of Meredith Grey in Greys Anatomy to make ends meet, Pompeo said she never expected the shows success. Since its premiere on March 27, 2005, the medical show continues to soar in ratings. Additionally, it became the longest-running show on ABC in 2019. The series is also currently in its 17th season.



RELATED: Greys Anatomy Season 17: Chandra Wilson Shares How She Wants the Show to End

Pompeo is one of Greys Anatomys only original characters. Viewers of the show watched as several cast members, including Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, and Justin Chambers, eventually left the series to focus on other projects.

Instead of jumping ship with her co-stars, Pompeos love and respect for Rhimes keep her on the show. The actor also earns a hefty payday to remain on Greys. She receives $20 million a year to film the long-running drama and gets paid $575,000 per episode. The actor directs and produces episodes of Greys as well, which brings in an estimated $6 million to $7 million.
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A Kenyan music producer is taking his work to remote villages to record up-and-coming artists on location to offer something new and different for Kenyas competitive music industry. Juma Majanga caught up with producer Presta George in Awendo, Kenya, and filed this report.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 19:42:06|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The parties to the Iran nuclear deal will convene in Vienna on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of lifting sanctions on Iran and the country's responsibility for further implementing the agreement, said the European Union (EU) on Friday.

Following a virtual meeting on Friday morning, the EU said in a press release that it will "also intensify separate contacts in Vienna with all JCPOA participants and the United States." Enditem
Access to arable land for agriculture is stifling the productivity of farmers in the Niger Delta region of the country, a group, Foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND), has said.

The disclosure was made at a roundtable organised by the civic organisation on Wednesday.

According to Chuks Ofulue, PINDs advocacy manager, increased access to agricultural land will improve the quality of lives of vulnerable citizens in the Niger Delta region.

Mr Ofulue explained that access to land is the fundamental means through which the poor can ensure food supplies to generate income through production and processing.

Yet, access to arable land remains a major constraint to the increased productivity of small farm holders in Nigeria, particularly the Niger Delta, he lamented.

As you know, Niger Delta suffers from a shortage of arable land based on the fact that it is surrounded by water.

The organisation also launched a report on the various factors affecting farmers productivity in the region.

Report

Presenting the report, Biyi Daramola, a professor at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, said the insecurity concerns in the region and across the country revolve around issues of access to land.

Represented by Adegboyega Oguntade, another lecturer in the same university, the professor said availability of land is limited by extant regulations.

Meanwhile, PIND said in its report that the study was informed by the need to understand the public policies of the three focal states (Delta, Edo, and Ondo) with respect to access to agricultural land and how such policies are being implemented.

Starting with the national policies and efforts at alleviating the problems of access to agricultural land some past and present policies and programmes of the federal government were reviewed, it said.

To get a proper handle on these issues, it is important to adopt a value chain approach since it affords the opportunity to comprehensively study the factors influencing such issues.

PIND says the study revealed the state of affairs in access to agricultural land in the three states covered, adding that many of the states are not doing enough to assist the real farmers in expanding their farming businesses.

They are not doing enough in assisting some vulnerable groups such as unemployed youths and women in their quest to access agricultural land for productive ventures, the report said.

As for the big investors with enough resources, the story is different as they can access significant land with the assistance of the state governors. In general, the three states acknowledge the fact that access to land is a big problem and binding constraint in agricultural production.

Recommendations

In its recommendations, PIND called on the government to encourage the communities to donate land for agricultural and other uses; directly acquire land for public interest as enshrined in the constitution; open up primary and secondary forests for agricultural purposes; and build access road to farmland.

It also urged the government to determine the fertility of the soil to provide farmers with appropriate recommendations on fertilizer application and provide improved agricultural inputs at subsidized rate.

The report urged communities to come out with a guideline on land acquisition which should be witnessed by all the approved structural representatives; encourage people to form a cooperative society; set up a committee to deal with all land issues where offenders should be appropriately sanctioned, among other measures.

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[April 02, 2021] Alion Awarded $77 Million F-35 Task Order to Provide Aircraft and Weapons Systems Research and Development for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force has awarded Alion Science and Technology a $77 million task order with a 60-month period of performance to provide aircraft and weapons systems research and development for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office (JPO). Alion was awarded this contract under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center's (DoD IAC) multiple-award contract (MAC) vehicle. These DoD IAC MAC task orders (TOs) are awarded by the U.S. Air Force's 774th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron to develop and create new knowledge for the enhancement of the DTIC repository and the Research and Development (R&D) and Science & Technology (S&T) community. "Alion has bought together a team with key capabilities to provide affordable solutions to the F-35's most pressing challenges and is uniquely qualified to deliver integrated solutions to the JPO that are required to advance F-35 systems into the next generation," said Terri Walker-Spoonhour, Acting Senior Vice President and General Manager of Alion's Cyber and Electronic Warfare Group. "Alion has a long partnership with the F-35 JPO and demonstrated strengths in researching and identifying alternatives tha affect aircraft and weapons system's life cycle affordability, approaches to resolve technical or supportability deficiencies and design, as well as integrating and validating solutions."



Alion will provide research, technical studies, and analysis on weapons systems and platforms, including shipboard and airborne radar and electronic systems; electrical generation systems; weapons control systems; engines; aircraft launch and recovery equipment; support equipment; and other complex machinery. Alion will also provide solution alternatives for weapons systems and platforms as well as avionic and shipboard systems that affect the life cycle, with a focus on affordability and develop approaches that resolve technical or supportability deficiencies affecting weapons system functionality. ABOUT DOD IAC PROGRAM



The DoD IAC program operates as a part of Defense Technical Information Center and provides technical data management and research support for DoD and federal government users. Established in the 1940s, the IAC program serves the DoD Science & Technology (S&T) and acquisition communities driving innovation and technological developments by enhancing collaboration through integrated scientific and technical information development and dissemination for the DoD and broader S&T community. ABOUT ALION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

Solving some of our nation's most complex national security challenges, Alion works side-by-side with our Defense and Intelligence communities as we design and deliver advanced engineering solutions to meet current and future demands. We go beyond the superficial and dive deep into the root of the engineering complexities and bring innovation to reality. With global industry expertise in Big Data, Analytics, and Cyber Security; Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Live, Virtual, and Constructive Solutions; Electronic Warfare and C5ISR; and Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing, Alion delivers mission success where and when it matters most. To learn more, visit www.alionscience.com. Disclaimer. "This material is based upon work supported by the DoD Information Analysis Center Program Management Office (DoD IAC PMO), sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)under Contract No. FA807518D0002." Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited. "Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the 774th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron (774 ESS)." View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alion-awarded-77-million-f-35-task-order-to-provide-aircraft-and-weapons-systems-research-and-development-for-the-f-35-lightning-ii-joint-program-office-301261145.html SOURCE Alion Science and Technology Corporation

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The United States will take part in indirect talks about the Iran nuclear deal with diplomats from Europe, Russia, and China next week, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.

We have agreed to participate in talks with our European, Russian, and Chinese partners to identify the issues involved in a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA with Iran, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement, carried by Bloomberg.

Talks on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, will begin in Vienna on Tuesday, April 6, the State Department said.

The United States will not be talking directly to Iran, but senior officials from the other countries that signed the nuclear deal will take part in rounds of talks with Iranian officials.

These remain early days, and we dont anticipate an immediate breakthrough as there will be difficult discussions ahead. But we believe this is a healthy step forward, the State Departments spokesman Price added.

Talks are expected to clearly identify sanctions lifting and nuclear implementation measures, Price noted.

If these early talks lead at some point in the near future to some sort of an agreement and sanction lifting, Iranian crude oil could return legitimately on the global oil market.

Currently, the U.S. sanctions imposed by the Trump Administration are preventing Iran from exporting much of its oil, as many buyers around the world dont want to risk their U.S. assets by doing business with Iran.

But others like China are openly defying the U.S. sanctions, and Beijing has been considerably boosting its oil imports from Iran in recent months.

A few days ago, China and Iran officially stated they would boost their energy and political cooperation as part of a 25-year strategic partnership agreement at a time when the U.S. is looking to sanction covert Iranian oil exports to China.

The Biden Administration warned China last month that it would not turn a blind eye to rising Iranian oil exports to Chinese ports, the Financial Times reported, citing a senior Biden administration official.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Children's hospitals are on the frontlines when it comes to protecting the health of future generations, but they can't do it alone.

Club Car Wash is a family owned and operated company since 2006, based out of Columbia, MO with over 30 locations throughout the Midwest. Club Car Wash, best known for its unlimited car wash memberships in addition to single-service washes, will be supporting local CMN Hospitals with a year-round campaign called Ten Dollar Tuesdays. Every Tuesday beginning on March 30, Club Car Wash will discount their MVP Wash, regularly priced at $25, to $10, with $1 donated to CMN Hospitals. Club Car Wash MVP members can also participate by choosing to get their car wash on Tuesday resulting in $1 back to CMN Hospitals.

About Club Car Wash

Founded as Tiger Express Car Wash in 2006, the company rebranded to Club Car Wash in 2019. Currently operating more than 30 locations in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, and Iowa, Club Car Wash is one of the largest and fastest growing express car wash companies in the Central United States. Club Car Wash has plans to scale rapidly into Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee through acquisitions and new developments. For more information about acquisitions, please contact Justin Barnes at [email protected] .

To learn more about Club Car Wash, please visit: www.clubcarwash.com .

Media Contact:

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SOURCE Club Car Wash

Related Links

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 06:25:15|Editor: huaxia

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A nurse prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Santiago, Chile, March 25, 2021. Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris announced on April 1 that current health restrictions will be tightened throughout the country, after Chile registered a new peak of COVID-19 infections and saw more than one million cases in total. (Photo by Jorge Villegas/Xinhua)

SANTIAGO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris announced on Thursday that current health restrictions will be tightened throughout the country, after Chile registered a new peak of COVID-19 infections and saw more than one million total cases.

The Health Ministry reported 7,830 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which surpassed the previous record of 7,626 cases registered on March 26, bringing the accumulated total to 1,003,406, along with 193 more deaths, for a total of 23,328.

In a press conference, Paris said that starting Monday, non-resident foreigners will be prohibited from entering Chile for 30 days, with the exception of those authorized by the Chilean consulate in the country of origin based on health criteria issued by the ministry.

Travel abroad will also be restricted for 30 days for both Chilean citizens and resident foreigners, except for urgent and humanitarian reasons, health treatment or the proper functioning of the country.

Meanwhile, the curfew in place will be brought forward by an hour, to 9 p.m., while individual travel permits will be limited to two per week for quarantined towns.

In addition, starting Saturday, 19 more towns will enter quarantine, joining the more than 16 million residents already in confinement. Enditem
Many of those involved in The Foundationalist are, like Wellschlager, English majors, but not all. Lily Poppen, for example, is majoring in German and art history and prefers to be involved in the editorial and organizational side of the magazine, rather than providing literary content. When it comes to assessing submissions, she said, the editors consider three guiding principles. Firstly, we look at mastery of writinghow well written the piece is grammatically, the use of syntax, and so forth; secondly, we pay close attention to what moves people, what emotions the writers are connecting with; and, finally, we consider the geographic reach of the submission, because in many instances our geographies directly affect what were writing and the perspective were presenting. The pieces are ranked according to this rubric, said Poppen, with an A meaning its acceptable as is and a B meaning it needs some revision.

These guiding questions are critical to the process, said Poppen, but its more than a straightforward points system. Theyre designed to help us closely read each work and identify certain things that speak to our readers, as well as creating channels for open discussion.

The Foundationalist has enjoyed more than 23,000 online views since it started three years ago. Printed copies are also available (designed and formatted completely by our student staff). The last one ran to 120 pages, said Poppen. Its incredible to think this all started in a small room in Coles Tower, and that within three years, weve gone from only having two or three members to having three branches with diverse boards at each one. The traction gained by the magazine in that short time speaks volumes for the strength of creative writing and the excellence of the English department at Bowdoin, not to mention the commitment of those students on the editorial panel.

As for the future? The literary magazine industry as a whole faces a lot of challenges, often not being able to pay writers. Poppen said this is even more of a problem for undergraduate publications like The Foundationalist, where resources are scarce. We would love to be able to support our writers financially and will continue exploring how to make this possible someday.
The $2 trillion in new spending just enacted by congressional Democrats is a COVID relief bill in name only. Its plenty of money all right, but so little of it goes to fighting the pandemic it brings to mind an observation attributed to Benjamin Franklin concerning an ox that had been mistaken for a bull.

Hes thankful for the honor, the great man supposedly said, but hed much rather have restored whats rightfully his.

The politicians and public sector employees whose campaign contributions keep them in office have seized on the COVID crisis to replenish the funds in their chronically underfunded pension plans while the voters werent looking. And they should be ashamed of themselves.

Before COVID-19, public pensions were in perpetual crisis, especially in blue states like California, Illinois and New York, where the Democrats now reign with impunity. The politicians and public employee unions sitting across the table from one another at collective bargaining time uses pension benefits as bargaining chips, offering unsustainable promises in exchange for political support.

All the red ink forced them to create manipulative workarounds taxpayers dont notice until its too late. In California, whenever someone calls 911, the fire department is most likely the first to arrive  not because its needed, but because it generates a bigger reimbursement from the feds.

According to Boston Colleges Center for Retirement and Research, The average normal cost for public safety pension benefits is nearly double that of all other government employees. Significant portions of city budgets are now dedicated to employee salaries and benefits. As pension obligations rise, if new revenue sources cannot be tapped by, for example, bringing emergency services in-house, critical programs are reduced or eliminated.

Those days must end. These obligations are driving states toward default  or were until the so-called stimulus passed.

Californias total estimated pension liability is something like $1 trillion. To balance its books, Sacramento had to get money from taxpayers in South Dakota, Florida, Utah and other better-managed states (through the COVID stimulus) to close the gap. Whether it will be enough to stop city fire departments from bringing private ambulance and medical services in-house is yet to be seen. Hopefully, it will  which would be a good thing for taxpayers and people in need. Otherwise, the pattern of using federal reimbursements for services provided to cover the losses in underfunded public employee pension plans will continue, much to the determinant of taxpayers.

These services, essential when theyre needed, are something the private sector already provides. Theres no need for government to take them over except for politicians and professional managers who watch over the revenue stream needing more income generators. Thats never a good reason for a competently run private sector function to be turned into a public one.

Even without crunching any numbers regarding efficiency, cost, or patient outcomes, we know this is a bad idea. Government-provided services are never as efficient or well-managed as private sector businesses, even when it comes to first responders like ambulances. A government-run system would be a monopoly insulated against cost concerns because it was taxpayer-funded and would leave the citizens it was supposed to serve with no recourse if its performance declined and lives were lost as a result.

In short, the ambulance and medical services subsumed into the fire department would become more like the DMV, the IRS, and the post office and a lot less like what you used to see Gage and DeSoto doing on Emergency!.

There are better ways to settle the outstanding pension obligations than by expanding the range of services citizens must get from the government. Moving new hires from a defined benefit plan into a defined contribution plan like a 401K or Roth IRA they would own. This is difficult to do because it would take control of the plans from union officials who currently run them, but it is not impossible.

Its a better deal for workers and for taxpayers who must foot the bill for all kinds of nonsense.

The answer to these problems, to ending these revenue shortfalls is not for government to take more jobs away from the private sector. Its to let government workers manage their own pensions. Anything else just kicks the can down the road. The time to make that change is now.

Peter Roff is a senior fellow at Frontiers of Freedom and a former U.S. News and World Report contributing editor who appears regularly as a commentator on the One America News network. He can be reached at RoffColumns@gmail.com.
Celebrate World Amateur Radio Day 2021 on April 18 Sunday, April 18, is World Amateur Radio Day (WARD). This year marks the 96th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), founded at the 1925 International Radiotelegraph Conference in Paris. ARRL cofounder and first president, Hiram Percy Maxim, 1AW, was there, and today, ARRL is the International Secretariat of the IARU. ARRL has resources that members can use to celebrate WARD, including graphics for social media posts and radio club websites, as well as a printable flyer. IARU has chosen Amateur Radio: Home but Never Alone as the theme for WARD 2021. The theme acknowledges that during our physical distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19, amateur radio stands out as a welcome respite for its variety of activities and opportunities. Amateur radio experimenters were the first to discover that the HF spectrum was not the wasteland experts of that time considered it to be, but a resource that could support worldwide communication. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, amateur radio was in grave danger of being pushed aside, IARU history has noted, prompting the founding of the IARU. At the 1927 International Radiotelegraph Convention, amateur radio gained allocations still recognized today  160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. Over the years, the IARU has worked to give all radio amateurs new bands at 136 kHz, 472 kHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 18 MHz, 24 MHz, and 50 MHz, and a regional European allocation at 70 MHz, and IARU defends those allocations. The 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925 have grown to include more than 160 member-societies in three regions. IARU Region 1 includes Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and North Asia. Region 2 covers the Americas, and Region 3 is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific island nations, and most of Asia. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognized the IARU as representing the interests of amateur radio. Read the full ARRL article at

http://www.arrl.org/news/celebrate-world-amateur-radio-day-2021-on-april-18
The new Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft of the Blue Air company will operate on Friday evening the first passenger flight on the route Bucharest Otopeni - Lisbon, informs the company.

"Blue Air marks a double first, its new aircraft being the first Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft to operate commercial flights in Romania and the first to join the fleet of a Romanian air carrier. The new Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, registered YR-MXA, entered operational service today, April 2, 2021, operating the first passenger flight on the route Bucharest Otopeni - Lisbon. The aircraft will operate flights to the most attractive Blue Air destinations - London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon and Paris Charles de Gaulle," reads a press release of the air operator, agerpres.ro confirms.

The company operated an inaugural overflight flight over Romania on Thursday, April 1, for partners, agents, representatives of the authorities and some of the company's loyal customers.

Blue Air will receive another 9 737 MAX aircraft in the fleet by the end of 2022.

"Blue Air received the first new generation Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft in the fleet, marking a turning point in the company's reconstruction and development. We are pleased that, despite the complicated situation caused by the pandemic, we have been able to accelerate the fleet renewal program. We hope that the new Blue Air comes to mark a new beginning for us and for the entire travel industry, so that we can all welcome the summer of 2021 by doing what we know how to do better than anyone: flying. Blue Air is the better way to fly!," said Oana Petrescu, CEO of Blue Air.

Blue Air is the largest Romanian airline in terms of the number of passengers transported, with an Ultra - Low - Cost (ULC) business model. The company operates Boeing 737 aircraft. In its 16 years of operation, Blue Air has carried more than 32 million passengers and flown more than 340 million kilometers. The company is certified IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for exceptional operating standards and is a full member of IATA.
Almost nine years ago, Bristol Myers Squibb filed paperwork in Ireland to create a new offshore subsidiary. By moving Bristol Myers profits through the subsidiary, the American drugmaker could substantially reduce its U.S. tax bill.

Years later, the IRS got wind of the arrangement, which it condemned as an abusive tax shelter. The move by Bristol Myers, the IRS concluded, would cheat the United States out of about $1.4 billion in taxes.

That is a lot of money, even for a large company like Bristol Myers. But the dispute remained secret. The company, which denies wrongdoing, did not tell its investors that the U.S. government was claiming more than $1 billion in unpaid taxes. The IRS did not make any public filings about it.

And then, ever so briefly last spring, the dispute became public. It was an accident and almost no one noticed. The episode provided a fleeting glimpse into something that is common but rarely seen up close: how multinational companies, with the help of elite law and accounting firms and with only belated scrutiny from the IRS, dodge billions of dollars in taxes.

Then, in an instant, all traces of the fight  and of Bristol Myers allegedly abusive arrangement  vanished from public view.

Tax reduction

Like most big pharmaceutical companies, Bristol Myers, which is based in New York, reduces its U.S. taxes by holding patent rights to its most lucrative drugs in subsidiaries in countries with low tax rates. The result is that the companys profits move from high-tax places like the United States to places like Ireland, which has a low corporate tax rate and makes it easy for companies to attribute profits to locales with no income taxes at all.

(The $2 trillion infrastructure plan that the White House unveiled Wednesday proposed increasing the minimum overseas tax on multinational corporations, which would reduce the appeal of such arrangements.)

For the three years leading up to 2012, Bristol Myers tax rate was about 24%. The U.S. corporate income tax rate at the time was 35%. (It is now 21%.)

The company wanted to pay even less.

In 2012, it turned to PwC, the accounting, consulting and advisory firm, and a major law firm, White & Case, for help getting an elaborate tax-avoidance strategy off the ground. PwC had previously been Bristol Myers auditor, but it was dismissed in 2006 after an accounting scandal forced Bristol Myers to pay $150 million to the U.S. government. Now PwC, with a long history of setting up Irish tax shelters for multinational companies, returned to Bristol Myers good graces.

A spokeswoman for PwC declined to comment. White & Case lawyers and a spokeswoman did not respond to a list of questions.

The plan hinged on a tax write-off known as amortization. It lets companies deduct from their taxable income a portion of the cost of things, like the value of a patent, over a period of years. (For physical assets like office buildings, the process is known as depreciation.)

In the United States, Bristol Myers held rights to patents on several drugs that it had already fully written off for tax purposes.

In Ireland, a Bristol Myers subsidiary held rights to patents that it had not yet fully written off.

That mismatch provided a lucrative opportunity. The company moved the patent rights from the U.S. and Irish subsidiaries into a new company. As the U.S. patents generated income, the Irish amortization deductions now helped offset U.S. taxes.

When a company deploys a complicated new arrangement like this, it will generally seek the imprimatur of law and accounting firms. If they vouch for the maneuvers legitimacy, that can protect the company from accusations that it deliberately broke the law.

In fall 2012, after the new structure was set up, Bristol Myers asked PwC and White & Case to review the arrangement. Both firms provided the company with lengthy letters  each more than 100 pages  essentially signing off from a legal standpoint.

Bristol Myers Squibb is in compliance with all applicable tax rules and regulations, said Megan Morin, a company spokeswoman. We work with leading experts in this area and will continue to work cooperatively with the IRS to resolve this matter.

A spokeswoman for PwC declined to comment. White & Case lawyers and a spokeswoman did not respond to a list of questions.

But there were ample signs that the IRS would probably take a dim view of the arrangement. A few months earlier, a federal appeals court had sided with the agency after it challenged a similar maneuver by General Electric using an offshore subsidiary called Castle Harbour. The IRS also contested comparable setups by Merck and Dow Chemical.

The Bristol Myers arrangement appears to be essentially a copycat shelter, said Karen Burke, a tax law professor at the University of Florida. Since the IRS was already fighting similar high-profile transactions, she said, Bristol Myers behavior seems particularly aggressive and risky.

The next January, the company announced its 2012 results. Its tax rate had plunged from nearly 25% in 2011 to negative 7%.

The current status of the tax dispute is not clear. Similar disputes have spent years winding through the IRSs appeals process before leading to settlements. Companies often agree to pay a small fraction of what the IRS claims was owed.

On a call with investors, executives fielded repeated questions about the drop in its tax rate. Presumably, all drug companies try to optimize their legal entities to take their tax rate as low as they can, yet your rate is markedly lower than any of the other companies, said Tim Anderson, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. So Im wondering why your tax rate might be unique in that regard?

Charlie Bancroft, the companys chief financial officer, would not say.

The more than $1 billion in tax savings came at an opportune moment: Bristol Myers was in the midst of repurchasing $6 billion worth of its own shares, an effort to lift its stock price. By January 2013, it had spent $4.2 billion. The cash freed up by the tax maneuver was enough to cover most of the remainder.

The botched redaction

It is not clear when IRS agents first learned about the arrangement. But by last spring, the IRS chief counsels office had determined that it violated a provision of the tax law that targets abusive profit-shifting arrangements.

In a 20-page legal analysis, the IRS calculated that the offshore setup was likely to save Bristol Myers up to $1.38 billion in federal taxes.

After a complex audit, the IRS often circulates its analyses to agents nationwide in case they encounter similar situations. A redacted version of the report is also made public on the IRS website, cleansed of basic information like the name of the company.

But when the IRS posted its Bristol Myers report last April, it was not properly redacted. With tools available on most laptops, the redacted portions could be made visible.

The IRS quickly removed the improperly redacted version from its website. But Tax Notes, a widely read trade publication, had also posted the document. When the IRS provided a clean version, Tax Notes took down the original.

An IRS spokesman declined to comment.

Cara Griffith, CEO of Tax Analysts, the publisher of Tax Notes, said the publication erred on the side of not publishing confidential taxpayer information that was accidentally released through an error in redaction, unless it reaches a very high threshold of newsworthiness.

In the intervening hours, though, some tax practitioners had downloaded the original version from Tax Notes. One of them shared it with The New York Times, which viewed the document without the redactions.

In addition to detailing the offshore structure, the IRS report revealed the role of PwC and White & Case in reviewing the deal. While both firms assessed the arrangements compliance with various provisions of the tax law, neither firm offered an opinion on whether the deal violated the one portion of the tax law  an anti-abuse provision  that the IRS later argued made the transaction invalid.

Tax experts said they doubted the omission was inadvertent. The IRS can impose penalties on companies that knowingly skirt the law. By not addressing the most problematic portion of the law, Bristol Myers advisers might have given the company plausible deniability.

Both firms appear to have carefully framed the issues so that they could write a clean opinion that potentially provided a penalty shield, Burke said.

David Weisbach, a former Treasury Department official who helped write the regulations governing the tax-code provision that Bristol Myers is accused of violating, agreed. PwC and White & Case are giving you 138 pages of legalese that doesnt address the core issue in the transaction, he said. But you can show the IRS you got this big fat opinion letter, so it must be fancy and good.

There is a real chance that a matter like this could be settled for as little as 30% of the amount in dispute, said Bryan Skarlatos, a tax lawyer at Kostelanetz & Fink.

In that case, the allegedly abusive tax shelter would have saved Bristol Myers nearly $1 billion.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

On a call with investors, executives fielded repeated questions about the drop in its tax rate. Presumably, all drug companies try to optimize their legal entities to take their tax rate as low as they can, yet your rate is markedly lower than any of the other companies, said Tim Anderson, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. So Im wondering why your tax rate might be unique in that regard?

Charlie Bancroft, the companys chief financial officer, would not say.

The more than $1 billion in tax savings came at an opportune moment: Bristol Myers was in the midst of repurchasing $6 billion worth of its own shares, an effort to lift its stock price. By January 2013, it had spent $4.2 billion. The cash freed up by the tax maneuver was enough to cover most of the remainder.

The botched redaction

It is not clear when IRS agents first learned about the arrangement. But by last spring, the IRS chief counsels office had determined that it violated a provision of the tax law that targets abusive profit-shifting arrangements.

In a 20-page legal analysis, the IRS calculated that the offshore setup was likely to save Bristol Myers up to $1.38 billion in federal taxes.

After a complex audit, the IRS often circulates its analyses to agents nationwide in case they encounter similar situations. A redacted version of the report is also made public on the IRS website, cleansed of basic information like the name of the company.

But when the IRS posted its Bristol Myers report last April, it was not properly redacted. With tools available on most laptops, the redacted portions could be made visible.

The IRS quickly removed the improperly redacted version from its website. But Tax Notes, a widely read trade publication, had also posted the document. When the IRS provided a clean version, Tax Notes took down the original.

An IRS spokesman declined to comment.

Cara Griffith, CEO of Tax Analysts, the publisher of Tax Notes, said the publication erred on the side of not publishing confidential taxpayer information that was accidentally released through an error in redaction, unless it reaches a very high threshold of newsworthiness.

In the intervening hours, though, some tax practitioners had downloaded the original version from Tax Notes. One of them shared it with The New York Times, which viewed the document without the redactions.

In addition to detailing the offshore structure, the IRS report revealed the role of PwC and White & Case in reviewing the deal. While both firms assessed the arrangements compliance with various provisions of the tax law, neither firm offered an opinion on whether the deal violated the one portion of the tax law  an anti-abuse provision  that the IRS later argued made the transaction invalid.

Tax experts said they doubted the omission was inadvertent. The IRS can impose penalties on companies that knowingly skirt the law. By not addressing the most problematic portion of the law, Bristol Myers advisers might have given the company plausible deniability.

Both firms appear to have carefully framed the issues so that they could write a clean opinion that potentially provided a penalty shield, Burke said.

David Weisbach, a former Treasury Department official who helped write the regulations governing the tax-code provision that Bristol Myers is accused of violating, agreed. PwC and White & Case are giving you 138 pages of legalese that doesnt address the core issue in the transaction, he said. But you can show the IRS you got this big fat opinion letter, so it must be fancy and good.

There is a real chance that a matter like this could be settled for as little as 30% of the amount in dispute, said Bryan Skarlatos, a tax lawyer at Kostelanetz & Fink.

In that case, the allegedly abusive tax shelter would have saved Bristol Myers nearly $1 billion.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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In the name of order or for disorder, but definitely in their interests, international powers perpetually intervene in African affairs in order to build the world in their graven image. This week, the United States, U.S., under the cover of human rights, intervened in the Nigerian judicial process.

There were mass protests against police brutality in Nigeria some months ago culminating in the October 20, 2020 military shootings at the Lekki Toll Gate, one of the venues of the protests. These enraged many and there were demands for a thorough investigation to determine what happened, identify the victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

The American government was one of the foreign powers which made this demand. The then American Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, issued a statement within hours of the shootings saying: We welcome an immediate investigation into any use of excessive force by members of the security forces. Those involved should be held to account in accordance with Nigerian law. This ordinarily made sense, especially with conflicting local and international claims on the Lekki events in particular and the general protests tagged End SARS. The Nigerian government did the needful by establishing judicial panels of inquiry that will adopt public hearings.

In Lagos, the epicentre of the protests, the State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, established the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution into abuses by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS. As part of the terms, the panel is empowered to take evidence from all victims or the families of victims of police brutality, determine the compensation payable, and also determine the officers (or anyone for that matter) responsible for abusing any victim and to recommend the prosecution of such persons. The panel, headed by retired Justice Doris Okwuobi, has a fair representation, including the organisers of the protests, human rights activist and senior lawyer, Mr. Ebun Adegboruwa, and Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police.

However, in the course of this judicial process, the US choose to intervene through a Report on the shootings which are under investigation. In a March 30, 2021 report tagged, 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria, it sought to cast doubt on the panels work by declaring somewhat magisterially that: Accurate information on fatalities resulting from the shooting was not available at years end. How did it know? Did it conduct its own investigations? If so, where is the report? Has it an insight into the findings of the panel? If so, how: through spying, interviewing members of the panel? What is the motive of the American government in reaching such a baseless conclusion? Is it to intimidate the panel or influence its outcome? Is this declaration meant to divert attention or dictate an outcome to the judicial panel? Is it to assure the Nigerian Army that America will help it cover its tracks? Clearly, the American report is aimed at circumventing the work of the panel and casting doubt in the minds of Nigerians.

As we know, there are serious acts of police brutality in the U.S., which has led to the universal Black Lives Matter movement. Despite this, the rest of humanity has sought to respect the American judicial process. So, even with incontrovertible video evidence of the American police murder of George Floyd, people are giving the American judicial system the freedom to operate, including giving suspects the benefit of doubt. So, it will be unthinkable of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington to issue a report casting doubt on the American judicial system or announcing there is no accurate information. But it is in the DNA of the American establishment to claim to be knowledgeable on all issues, when it might actually be as dumb as Donald Trump.

While the Americans are squash bucking like the cowboys of old, you do not need a Markle Meghan or Prince Harry to tell you that the British are much more circumspect. So, when British diplomats talk, you need to understand the connotative and denotative meanings of their words. That is why I am still studying this weeks statement by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, that the British are willing to assist Nigeria fight insecurity. She said: We are extremely concerned about the deteriorating security situation. I mean, Nigeria is facing a lot of problems everywhere  in the Northeast, terrorism; in the Northwest, banditry, kidnapping; in the Middle Belt, the farmers-herders conflict; in the South, the Niger Delta conflict everywhere and the secession movements in the Southeast. So, Nigeria is really struggling So, we are here for a long time. This is a Nigerian partnership. Your insecurity becomes our insecurity if we dont help you tackle it. So, we are here and we are trying to do our best to support you.

I am wondering what this means given the fact that unlike the Nigerian Civil War when it denied the government support, the British actually have a defence pact with Nigeria signed in August 2018 to help fight insecurity. Under that pact signed by then Prime Minister, Theresa May, Britain was to assist Nigeria expand its provision of military equipment, including anti-mines, and train over 30,000 Nigerian military as full army units rather than individual soldiers before they deploy against the Boko Haram and other terrorists. Ms May had announced that the pact is to ensure that: No-one should live in fear of being targeted by militants or forced from their homes, and no child should lose out on an education because of the threat of terrorWe are determined to work side by side with Nigeria to help them fight terrorism, reduce conflict, and lay the foundations for the future stability and prosperity that will benefit us all. Under the pact, Britain was supposed to deliver a new 13 million programme to educate 100,000 children living in the conflict zones, provide equipment, teacher training, and safe places to learn; cut the number of new recruits joining Boko Haram by tackling the lies and false information spread by the group to attract new members and implement a new Nigerian crisis response mechanism, similar to the UKs COBR system to help the government respond to incidents like terror attacks. Also, Britain was to help Nigeria strengthen policing, reduce piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, tackle organised crime  including kidnapping and trafficking, and stamp out corruption.

So, three years down the line, the British High Commissioner cannot be promising Nigeria security assistance. Rather, she should tell us how far Britain has gone in implementing the security pact and why British involvement does not seem to have had any impact on the ever-deteriorating security situation in Nigeria. Ultimately, only Nigerians can save their country; hope in foreigners might be grossly misplaced.

Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.
New Delhi, April 2 : The Central government on Friday asked states and Union Territories to increase the number of oxygen beds, ventilators and ICU beds, plan for adequate oxygen supply, and strengthen ambulance services to minimise daily fatalities due to coronavirus.

Globally, India is on the fourth position, after the US, Brazil and Mexico in terms of deaths. A total of 469 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 162,927.

The directions were given during a review meeting of Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba with Chief Secretaries, DGPs and Health Secretaries of Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana.

Directions were given for stringent enforcement of containment and surveillance measures, ramping up of vaccination and strict enforcement of Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

States were asked to examine Case Fatality Rate hospital-wise, devise appropriate strategies and mitigate concerns regarding late admission in hospitals and non-adherence to the National Clinical Management Protocol.

The need to formulate District Action Plans with a focus on mapping of cases, reviewing of ward or block-wise indicators, and round the clock Emergency Operations Centre was stressed upon. States and UTs have also received directions to strictly enforce Covid Appropriate Behaviour (CAB).

In order to minimise daily fatalities, the states were advised to strengthen public and private healthcare resources. They were specifically asked to increase the number of isolation beds, oxygen beds, ventilators or ICU beds as per requirement.

They have been asked to plan for adequate oxygen supply, strengthen ambulance services and reduce response time and refusal rate with regular monitoring by local administration and ensure adequate number of contractual staff and optimum rostering of duties.

The Cabinet Secretary directed use of the Police Act, the Disaster Management Act and other legal or administrative provisions for imposing penalties on defaulters.

Use of local officials, political, cultural, sports, and religious influencers to disseminate information proper wearing of masks and maintaining physical distance was also stressed.

States and the UTs have been asked to focus on markets, fairs/melas, social and religious congregation that could become 'super-spreader' events.

In order to saturate vaccination for priority age groups in districting reporting surge in daily Covid cases, the states and UTs were advised to make a time-bound plan of 100 per cent vaccination of eligible healthcare workers, frontline workers and eligible age groups.

They were asked to coordinate with the Union Health Ministry to ensure adequate vaccine doses, as the Centre stressed that there is no shortage of vaccines with states and UTs and it will continually replenish their requirements.

The Cabinet Secretary exhorted the Chief Secretaries to galvanise the state administration and to use all resources at their disposal to tackle the recent surge of Covid cases.

The need to expand the efforts to departments other than the Health Department, through a "Whole of Government" approach, was re-stressed at the meeting.

It was emphasised that the Centre continues to provide all resources and support to all states and UTs for public health measures and clinical management for fighting Covid.

These states and Union Territories have been reporting very high rise in daily cases and daily mortality because of Covid-19 in the last two weeks. India recorded 81,466 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, highest since October 2020.

Taking note of the present situation due to the continuous deterioration of the Covid scenario over the fortnight, the Cabinet Secretary pointed out that the current COVID case growth rate of 6.8 per cent in March 2021 has surpassed the previous record of 5.5 per cent in June 2020.

The country also reported 5.5 per cent growth rate in daily Covid deaths in this period. While it was reporting around 97,000 daily new Covid cases at the peak of the pandemic in September 2020, the country has now reached the critical figure of 81,000 daily new cases.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
As reports of atrocities by fighters emerge in Tigray, women are struggling to feed their families. The World Food Programme provided urgently needed supplies to more than 28,000 more people on March 29.

Ethiopian Ambassador to Germany, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, Mulu Solomon held a fruitful discussion with Director of the Department of Sub-Saharan Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Nicol Adamcova.

The discussion focused on the latest developments on the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD), border issue with Sudan, current situation in Tigray, the 6th National Election, and other mutually beneficial bilateral matters.

On the occasion, Ambassador Mulu expressed her gratitude to the Government of the Czech Republic for the recent initiative to the COVID-19 response and regular healthcare services, oxygen production plants, Intensive Care Units (ICU) worth 20 million Birr that strengthens ties and historic friendship.

Regarding the situation in Tigray, the Ambassador underscored that the government's measure on TPLF spared the Horn from becoming a hotspot for terrorism.

She stated that the government was able to provide humanitarian assistance to more than 4.1 million citizens by building the destroyed infrastructures which were destroyed by TPLF.

She also mentioned that the already supplied Aid was 70 percent covered by the government while 30 percent was by the international community and NGOs.

Ambassador Mulu further called for more support from the International Community, as it is about 40 days since unfettered access and unhindered mobility are allowed for Humanitarian agencies in the Tigray region.

Ambassador Mulu also gave a briefing and expressed Ethiopia's position on the GERD negotiation and the border conflict with Sudan.

She stated that Ethiopia always stands for a peaceful and negotiated solution for both cases and requested for the understanding of the benefit of GERD for all and the truth on the ground.

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Director of the Department of Sub-Saharan Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Nicol Adamcova commended the longstanding bilateral relationship between Ethiopia and Czech.

She expressed the 10 million Czech crown support given by the Czech Republic through UNHCR to ease the burden of the Ethiopian government at the end of last year.

The director added that as the cooperation continued Ethiopia and the Czech Republic have signed MoU for the oxygen production plant, maternity ICU's and NICU's worth 20 million birr.

Adamcova noted that the personal initiative of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for reform including the work done to improve women's role in the Country's politics and other aspects is impressive.

She stated that Ethiopia has become a champion in empowering women and bringing them to politics.

The director also noted that Ethiopia is considered a provider of regional stability, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Democratic State Rep. Sheila Klinker said the state's proposed funding formula for public schools is flawed.

"That's ridiculous with the efforts that are made in West Lafayette as well as all of our other school corporations," Klinker said.

West Lafayette Community School Corporation Superintendent Rocky Killion agrees. He says, based on the proposed formula, it's unlikely they'll get the full increase in funding.

"In order for us to get this 10% increase, we have to grow by 172 students in enrollment this year," Killion explained.

He said it's an unrealistic goal.

"Since I've been here, we've never grown by 172 students," said Killion. "We're a small school district, landlocked boundaries."

Each year, legislators put together a formula showing what schools can expect to see the next year. The numbers are based on funding per student using average daily membership and attendance.

According to Killion, WLCSC is currently the third lowest supported district in the state when it comes to per-student funding.

Even if they don't get the full 10% increase, they get a slight increase regardless of enrollment. Right now, West Lafayette is set to go up by about $147 per student between the 2021 and 2022 school year.

"That is a very small increase per student even though our costs are much higher," Killion added.

The corporation is currently using referendum funding to pay for any additional costs not covered by the state. It expires December 31, 2024.

"If we ever, at some point, lost the referendum, we're looking at major cuts and probably class sizes in the 30's to low 40's at the elementary and intermediate schools," he said.

Currently, the average class size is about 21 students.

Killion hopes legislators make some changes, and those include the one-third of the state's education funding boost going to the voucher program.

He said that's a lot of money for a system that serves about 10% of Indiana students.

"We should be putting our resources into where 90% of the students are enrolled," Killion said.

Klinker said enrollment increases shouldn't be the only factor when in comes to increasing funding.

"In school learning, e-learning, that's a lot of work," Klinker said. "Base it on the work that's being done."

Right now, the funding formula is in the Senate.

Republican State Sen. Ron Alting said he wants to see changes made that would increase funding overall for public schools.

News 18 reached out to several legislators who support the current formula, our calls and emails were not returned.
Lucknow, April 2 : Devotees will no longer be able to ring the bells at temples in Lucknow in view of the increasing cases of Covid positive patients.

Most temples in the state capital have tied a cloth over the bells to prevent people from touching them.

Ringing bells, known as 'ghanta' is a part of rituals during prayers in temples.

At the famous Hanuman Setu temple, the entry of devotees into the sanctum sanctorum has been stopped and only those who wear masks will be allowed to make offerings before the deity.

Chief priest Chandrakant Dwiwedi said that most of the priests have been sent home on leave in view of the Covid situation.

Ringing bells at the Mankameshwar temple has been banned and the entry of children below ten years and senior citizens has been prohibited.

The Mahakaleshwar temple in Rajendra Nagar in the state capital has stopped accepting offerings from devotees.

With Lucknow, reporting 935 new Covid cases till Thursday night, the state government has started taking strict measures to check the spread of the deadly virus.

The number of patients with active infections crossed the 3,900 mark for the first time in the city in nearly four months.

The number of new cases reported in other districts was 2,600.

Health officials said that high complacency in public behaviour that ushered in post-January and decline in herd immunity developed during the peak months of August and September is responsible for the surge.

The Lucknow district administration sealed a prominent city mall for allegedly violating the anti-Covid precautions issued under the Epidemic Act.

The district administration issued a notice to the Fun Republic Mall in the posh Gomti Nagar area, seeking its explanation for the violations, failing which the administration threatened to cancel its license.

The mall was earlier inspected by the district administration officials on March 23 when no visitor register was found there and people were also allowed to enter the mall without masks, prompting the administration to first issue a notice to it.

Six other commercial establishments, including a sweet shop, coffee shop, bar and cafe were also sealed for similar reasons.

District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash said that more such action would be taken if anyone was found violating the safety protocols.

Meanwhile, the district court and all other courts in Lucknow have been closed for three days after 13 judicial officials tested positive for Covid on Thursday.

All educational institutions in the state have been asked to conduct classes in the online mode and not to force any student to physically attend classes.




(Global Times)As China rises on the international stage, some Western countries feel that China is being increasingly offensive. China's moves that fight for its own interests and even objectively state facts will be regarded as "wolf warrior diplomacy" or even "arrogant." In their minds, China should swallow its anger, insults and smears, or at least not be on par with the West. These Western elites still believe this is the time when they can act capriciously.

For example, The Economist released an article online for its April 3 print edition entitled "China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline." The article listed China's tough stance during the Alaska talks and China's recent sanctions on some British, Canadian and European Union individuals, concluding that China is "hubristic and paranoid" and is prepared for a "protracted struggle."

Times have changed, but the mind-set of some Western elites has not. The US and other Western countries need a complete change in their understanding and attitude toward China. In the Western stereotype, China has been in a passive position in the international community ever since its gate was forcibly opened by the West in the 19th century. Western elites cannot accept that China is now righteously refuting their arrogance and nonsense. They should stop pretending that they can point fingers at China imperiously. That era has long been gone.

April 1 marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of Chinese air force pilot Wang Wei who died when his fighter jet collided with a US military reconnaissance aircraft in the South China Sea. In 2001, the US showed off at China's doorsteps, leading to Wang's sacrifice. But the US did not even apologize and the American pilot who crashed Wang's jet was even praised by the US. Today, does the West still expect China to endure Western elites' provocation like 20 years ago?

China is a country of etiquette and Chinese diplomats abide by diplomatic etiquette. But when China is provoked and its core interests are threatened, China will never give in. When Western countries use fake news to smear China's governance in Xinjiang, try to mess up China's stability and even impose sanctions, China is absolutely justified to respond with countermeasures. This is what every sovereign country would do.

China was once invaded by the "Eight-Nation Alliance" - troops from Britain, the US, Germany, France, Russia, Japan, Italy and Austro-Hungary, and now it seems that the Group of Seven members are still staying in that era, trying to jointly criticize China's policies on Xinjiang, Hong Kong and other internal affairs. However, they can no longer use their so-called gunboat diplomacy to change today's China. They must deal with China in an equal and respectful manner.

And if Western countries stubbornly twist the facts, wantonly undermine the rules and blatantly criticize China, then China's counterattack is completely justified. The right or wrong in this world is not determined by Western elites. Although it is very hard to change their mentality, they will gradually learn it the hard way from China's statements and acts.

As China is gradually moving toward the center of the international arena, it is also viewing the world with a more confident, equal and tolerant mentality. However, the West is becoming increasingly paranoid. Western countries must understand that it is not their privilege but the rights of all countries - big or small - to speak out for their legitimate interests. Is the strength of the US and other Western countries declining? All countries will have their own judgments. But regardless of the balance of power, China's determination to safeguard its national dignity and core interests will never change.
A federal judge has thrown out a rule allowing pork plants to speed up production lines because the U.S. Department of Agriculture didnt properly consider the risks to workers.

The judge in Minnesota ruled Wednesday that the agencys Food Safety and Inspection Service didnt follow proper procedures before President Donald Trumps administration issued the rule in 2019. The lawsuit was filed by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union along with local unions in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma and the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.

U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen said the agency expressly identified worker safety as an important consideration and requested public comment on whether increasing line speeds would harm workers. Then, after receiving many comments raising worker safety concerns, FSIS rejected the comments and eliminated line speed limits without considering worker safety.

The USDA said Thursday that the agency is reviewing the ruling, and it remains deeply committed to worker safety and a safe, reliable food supply.

Union officials praised the ruling because they say faster line speeds at pork plants increase the risk of knife injuries, knee, back, shoulder and neck traumas, and repetitive motion injuries for workers.

With the success of this lawsuit, our countrys essential workers have sent a powerful message that the safety of Americas food and workers is not for sale and that these companies will finally be forced to stop these dangerous practices, UFCW International President Marc Perrone said.

Public Citizen attorney Adam Pulver, who represented the unions, said the agency should have considered worker safety.

An agency cant put its hands over its ears and refuse to consider facts that cut against its policy preferences, as USDA did here in ignoring workers and public health advocates, and blindly following industrys wishes, Pulver said.

The judge said her ruling wont take effect for 90 days to allow regulators time to determine how the change will affect plants that already switched to faster line speeds.
An MEP has criticised delays to a new cheese manufacturing plant in South Kilkenny.



MEP for Ireland South, Billy Kelleher, commented on a proposed cheese manufacturing plant in Belview, delayed by planning, and now legal, challenges by An Taisce on environmental grounds.



An Taisce do not get to decide what government policy is; the Irish Government do. It is planned, and supported by the Government, to increase dairy production to 9.49 billion litres by 2027, said Mr Kelleher.

Read also: Kilkenny branch of An Taisce backs legal challenge to Belview cheese plant



An Taisces challenges are damaging to job creation in construction, and damaging to Irish dairy farmers who will feel the pinch in 2022 when Glanbia apply caps on production due to the failure of the new plant to open on time.

The High Court granted An Taisce permission to bring a legal challenge to Bord Pleanalas approval last November.
Cairo, April 2 : Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said that it will seek over $1 billion in compensation for the losses caused by the massive container ship which had blocked the vital waterway since March 23.

The compensation for the losses and damages "will reach over $1 billion dollars" Xinhua news agency reported citing SCA chairman Osama Rabie as saying.

"This is the right of the state and we will not give it up." The 224,000-tonne Panama-flagged ship, Ever Given, was grounded on March 23 after it had veered off its course in a single-lane stretch of the canal during a sandstorm.

It was refloated six days later through the efforts of the SCA in cooperation with the Dutch firm Boskalis and its emergency response team SMIT Salvage hired by Ever Given's owner.

The SCA chairman explained that the compensation demanded by the authority is not only for the financial losses caused by six-day navigation suspension, but includes the expenses of using dredgers and tugboats and the physical damage caused during the salvage process.

Egypt resumed navigation in the canal several hours after the Ever Given was freed and re-floated on Monday, after which many of the 422 ships that have been kept waiting started to cross the waterway.

By Saturday at most, all 422 delayed ships will have crossed the Suez Canal, according to Rabie.

Linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, the Suez Canal is a major lifeline for global sea trade since it allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa, thereby reducing the sea voyage distance between Europe and India by about 7,000 km.

Some 12 per cent of the world trade volume passes through the man-made canal.

At least 18,840 ships passed through the canal last year.

The Suez Canal provides one of Egypt's main sources of income, alongside tourism and remittances from expatriates.

Revenue from the waterway reached $5.6 billion last year.
Falun Gong practitioners take part in a candlelight vigil to commemorate the practitioners killed in China for their belief, in Washington on June 22, 2018. (Mark Zou/The Epoch Times)

Chinese Police Force Paralyzed Woman to Sign Statement Renouncing Her Faith

A 68-year-old Falun Gong practitioner who suffered two decades of torture leading to paralysis was forced to sign a statement to renounce her faith when police raided her home last year. The practitioner died on Jan. 29 after asking her fellow practitioners to let the world know that she was made to sign the statement against her will.

She had also urged for an investigation into the prison practice of injecting Falun Gong practitioners with a red fluid, which she said she believed was a way to poison practitioners.

Liu Xiufang had been arrested eight times since 2000 and subject to brutal torture for practicing Falun Gonga Buddha-school self improvement method that teaches people to follow truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

Liu personally submitted testimony about her persecution at the hands of the CCP to Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that documents the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the CCP, in January 2013. Her testimony matches that of other witnesses as well as the testimony in other Minghui reports over the past years.

In her testimony, Liu said she had received a healthy body from practicing Falun Gong in May 1995. When she was around 40-year-old, she had suffered from rheumatic heart disease, asthma, and urinary incontinence. In 1995 at the age of 42, Lius diseases were cured after she practiced Falun Gong.

When the CCP launched its political campaign to eradicate Falun Gong in July 1999, Liu started to petition the government to clear Falun Gongs name, telling the regime and her fellow Chinese people about what she had experienced from her practice.

However, Lius actions to challenge the governments position on Falun Gong angered the CCP. She was detained by police many times, fined, and tortured in detention centers, labor camps, and prisons.

There are no words that can describe the pain of being handcuffed on a death bed  my chest felt like it was going to split open, Liu said of a weeks torture she endured in 2000 in her account published to Minghui.

Cuffed to a bed in a painful position. (Minghui.org)

Moving hands and feet a little would cause the handcuffs to cut deeper into my wrists or ankles, Liu continued. The death bed is a torture method used by the CCP in which a persons four limbs are tied in extremely tight position to four sides of a bed for hours or even days.

She was also arrested twice in 2002, once in 2003, and once in 2005 when she was sent for the second time to perform forced labor for half a year.

In February 2009, Liu was tied to a tiger bench for five days and four nights. After being released from the bench, Liu suffered urinary incontinence.

In the torture called tiger bench depicted in this drawing, the elevation of the legs over time causes excruciating pain. Torture is routinely used on Falun Gong practitioners detained in China. (Minghui.org)

From September 2009 to February 2012, Liu was detained at Heilongjiang Women Prison, where she was injected with unknown medicine several times.

The moment the prison doctor injected the red color fluid, I felt like my head would blast open at any time. I screamed and cried from the pain, Liu wrote. After her release from prison in 2012, Lius legs started to swell, and walking became more and more difficult.

Liu called the practitioners she knew who had been detained at Heilongjiang Womens Prison and figured out if others were suffering the same symptoms.

Cui Shengyuns legs have been swollen for over half a year  Qiu Yuxia became paraplegic after she lost muscle function in the lower half of her body, Liu wrote.

Liu suspected that the prison had poisoned Falun Gong practitioners who were detained there just before releasing them. In her submission to Minghui, she urged for an investigation and asked people to defend justice.

In the torture called beaten depicted in this drawing, with the policemen beat the victim badly. Torture is routinely used on Falun Gong practitioners detained in China. (Minghui.org)

2020 Clear Out Campaign

The CCP launched another Falun Gong campaign last year it dubbed the clear outa concerted effort to force any remaining Falun Gong practitioners on the governments blacklists to renounce their belief.

Liu was on one of these blacklists and became a target of the CCPs campaign. In 2020, Liu was living with her husband away from her family at an address not listed on Lius registration record.

This led police officers and a CCP community official to threaten Lius daughter-in-law for her address. They told the daughter-in-law that they would stop her employer paying her salary if she didnt tell them what they wanted to know.

Police tracked Liu down at her house in early July 2020. At that time, Liu was bed-ridden. She became paralyzed 13 months earlier when she suffering a stroke in June 2019. She and her family told Minghui they believe that the torture she suffered in the previous 20 years caused the stroke.

They [police] forced her to press her fingerprints as required by the community official on a printed form. They also videotaped her, Minghui reported on Sept. 12, 2020.

The form that Liu forcibly signed was a prewritten statement for renouncing belief in Falun Gong. However, Liu didnt want to give up her belief in Falun Gong. She asked a fellow practitioner to publish her story on Minghui to expose the evil rule of the CCP in China, as well as her regret for signing the statement.

Liu Xiufang, a Falun Gong practitioner from Jiamusi city in northeastern Chinas Heilongjiang Province passes away on Jan. 29, 2021. (Minghui.org)

Upon news of Lius death, her daughter-in-law was in deep sorrow for having given the police her address.

Lius husband had became mentally unstable after he was detained and beaten for five days in February 2009 because his wife practiced Falun Gong, According to Minghui, 12 years later, he hasnt recovered and suffers from dementia.

Falun Gong

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, was first introduced to the public in China in 1992. The practice spread rapidly by word of mouth to all parts of China. Individuals reported experiencing improvements in health and morality, better relationships with family and co-workers, and less stress. According to Chinese state reports in 1999, 100 million people in China1 in 13 Chinesewere practicing Falun Gong.

On the evening of April 25, 1999, the then-head of the CCP, Jiang Zemin, lay the groundwork for the genocidal persecution he would launch a few months later with a letter to the Politburothe partys highest executive committee.

Falun Gong practitioners meditate prior to a rally that called for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on June 20, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Jiang expressed concern that Falun Gong was a kind of national organization with many followers, from Communist Party officials, scholars, soldiers, to workers and peasants.

He feared that Falun Gongs traditional moral teachings were a threat to the legitimacy of the CCPs ideology, which is based on atheism, materialism, and the idea of struggle.

Jiang wrote: Can the Marxism, materialism, and atheism that our Communist Party members uphold not win the battle with what Falun Gong promotes?

The letter continued: This is absolutely ridiculous!

On July 20, 1999, Jiang brought the whole weight of Chinas party-state down on the heads of Falun Gong practitioners. Hes reported to have given the order to destroy their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and eliminate their bodies.

Jiang is said to have believed he would eradicate the practice of Falun Gong in three months, and, based on the experience the CCP has had in stamping out other groups, this expectation wasnt unrealistic.

Practitioners of Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa) practice the sitting meditation of the spiritual discipline in Central Park in Manhattan, on May 10, 2014. (Dai Bing/Epoch Times)

The CCP has done its worst. Minghui lists the number of confirmed deaths from torture and abuse at 4,363 practitioners. Due to the difficulty of getting information out of China, the actual number of such killings is undoubtedly many times higher.

There also is a very large but unknown number of Falun Gong practitioners killed through the practice of forced, live organ harvesting, which some researchers have warned is a cold genocide.

Yet, 22 years after the persecution began, Freedom House estimates that up to 20 million people are still practicing Falun Gong in China, and the official Falun Gong website, FalunDafa.org, shows the practice has spread to 91 countries.
Over the last two months the snow from the railing top slowly spilled off the railing while becoming more curvaceous with each passing day. Photo courtesy of Gayle Garrigues
At least 30 shots were fired, and police said at least three shooters, wearing drawn, hooded sweatshirts and masks, were in a white, compact four-door imported sedan. A second vehicle may have been involved, police said, asking anyone with information call the department at 708-335-9640.
Bruce Springsteen has reacted to his song Born in the USA being appropriated in support of right-wing politicians.

Barack Obama can be heard asking the artist about the song in a clip from their Spotify podcast, Renegades: Born in the USA, released on Thursday. According to Rolling Stone, the clip is from the podcasts final episode, due to air on 5 April.

Released in 1984, Born in the USA has been used and referenced by politicians on the right. In that context, the song has often been misconstrued as a patriotic anthem, when its lyrics are in fact a searing critique of the treatment of war veterans in the US.

This is a song about the pain, glory, shame of identity and of place, Springsteen told Obama.

So its a complex picture of the country. Our protagonist is someone who has been betrayed by his nation and yet still feels deeply connected to the country that he grew up in.

Read more:

The former US president then remarked that the song ended up being appropriated as this iconic patriotic song, even though that was not necessarily [Springsteens] intentions.

But I think why the song has been appropriated, one was because it was so powerful, two was because its imagery was so fundamentally American, Springsteen said.

But it did demand of you to hold two contradictory ideas in your mind at one time that you can both be very critical of your nation and very prideful of your nation simultaneously. And that is something that you see argued about to this very day.
Several people on the Northampton City Councils virtual Zoom meeting Thursday night sported profile pictures that featured four words: Declare a climate emergency.

Others accounts bore pictures saying we support investing in communities, divesting from police, Black Lives Matter and we support real safety and strong communities, not policing. Another said right people for the right response.

The profile pictures were a reflection of residents opinions shared during the public comment portion of the meeting, which drew more than 50 participants. Many of the people who spoke during this time shared their support for both a resolution declaring a climate emergency in Northampton and the creation of a new municipal agency composed of unarmed peer emergency responders.

Robert Eastman is a resident of Ward 3 in the city and volunteer organizer with Northampton Abolition Now (NAN), an activist organization seeking a 50% reduction in the Northampton Police Departments budget. He was one of several participants in Thursdays meeting who called for both the climate resolution and the formation of the unarmed peer responder agency to shift certain 911 responsibilities away from law enforcement.

As weve heard throughout several public hearings, many people - particularly Black, Indigenous and people of color - do not feel safe calling the police, Eastman said during the meeting.

Late Thursday, the council unanimously voted in favor of the resolution declaring the climate emergency and affirming human activity and fossil fuels caused the crisis. The legislative body will cast a second, final vote on the resolution later this month.

The councils resolution also bluntly stated the ongoing crisis threatens Northampton, Massachusetts, the United States and humanity broadly. A mobilization to meet the challenge of climate change is both a moral imperative and an unprecedented opportunity to stabilize the climate, remedy environmental harms, create clean-energy jobs and improve human lives, the resolution said.

Denise Lello, a Northampton resident, Smith College environmental science lecturer and representative of the climate activist organization Mothers Out Front, said she supports the resolution and hopes its words are followed by action.

Seniors and other low-income residents [should be] prioritized as health and financial beneficiaries as we move forward to a sustainable future, Lello noted.

City government officials, civic groups, businesses and residents in Northampton should commit to bringing the communitys carbon emissions to net-zero by no later than 2050, according to the resolution, which was co-sponsored by City Councilors Karen Foster, Rachel Maiore and Alex Jarrett.

In the eyes of Jarrett and others who spoke at the meeting Tuesday, issues surrounding climate change go hand and hand with racial justice matters.

I think there are so many other issues pulling at our attention, and they are important issues, Jarrett said at the meeting. Justice and climate must work together. And I dont think we can solve one without the other.

Jarretts comments come as dialogue is in full throttle centered on what public safety in Northampton should look like in the coming years.

Over the summer, the Northampton Policing Review Commission (NPRC), a 15-member civilian group, was tasked in the wake of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin with looking at how the face of public safety in Northampton can change for the better. The commission was charged by Mayor David Narkewicz and City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra with studying an array of issues pertinent to law enforcement, ranging from police union contract negotiations to the handling of mental health emergencies.

Last month, the commission came out with its final report. Chief among the sweeping, 58-page documents recommendations is the creation of the agency of unarmed peer responders, called the Department of Community Care. The agency was the subject of much discussion at the council meeting Thursday and during the commissions presentation to the mayor and council earlier this week.

At the presentation, commissioners not only spoke about their recommendations, touching on the inspiration they drew from alternative mental health emergency response models in places like Austin, Texas, Eugene, Oregon and Ithaca, New York. They also talked about some of the difficulties they faced as a commission, including disagreements about the role of law enforcement and a gender imbalance on the municipal body.

Between September and March, the group lost five of its commissioners, three of whom are women of color, leaving Elizabeth Barajas-Roman, president of the Womens Funding Network, as the sole woman of color remaining on the commission.

The impact of women of color and of gender in this conversation is significant, Barajas-Roman said after the commissions presentation to the mayor and council Tuesday night. I just would be remiss to not acknowledge, its more than the time that was lost when it comes to people who have been impacted by police violence. It is some of the listening with an open mind, an open heart to their testimonies.

Much of the discussion was centered on the community care agency proposed in the final report, titled Reimagining Safety. If created, the new department would shift certain emergency response responsibilities away from police and to unarmed, peer responders trained in de-escalation and harm reduction.

Proponents of such an agency say it should be funded by money freed up through a 10% budget cut, worth nearly $883,000, to the police department over the summer as well as through grant money.

The commission also recommended the community care agency be designed, staffed and led in part by people who have been historically marginalized by law enforcement, including people of color, immigrants, houseless individuals, members of the LGBTQ+ community, poor and working-class residents and survivors of sexual, domestic or psychiatric violence.

Along with Eastman, Mary Mimi Odgers, who lives in Ward 6 and has been a resident of Northampton for roughly 20 years, also shared her support for the formation of the Department of Community Care as well as the climate emergency declaration.

Odgers was one of the numerous residents at the meeting who backed such an agency. There were more than 55 people on the call at points, and none of whom who spoke during the public comment period said they were against the proposal for the new department.

That was one of the questions people had: Should we be creating a new department? I think the answer to that is yes. Again, as a taxpayer, Im absolutely in favor of that, Odgers said. The city can change and shift at different times. We used to have a Board of Public Works. The charter came in and changed that department, shifted those priorities, moved things around, so I think that the city is used to kind of figuring stuff out.

Jose Adastra, who organizes to aid houseless individuals in Northampton and lives in the community with his family, also spoke in favor of the Department of Community Care. He and Eastman were both vocal participants during the policing review commissions meetings and hearings in the past several months.

At the council meeting Tuesday, Adastra said he and others who have been strongly advocating for bold changes to public safety in Northampton  in his words, antagonizing councilors  have intimate relationships with the people that need help, the people that are on the street.

The Northampton resident noted he supports the majority of the commissions recommendations but said its important to heed the advice of commission co-chair and University of Massachusetts Amherst senior lecturer Cynthia Suosis, who told city officials the suggested changes in the report need to be made immediate priorities.

We need to figure out how to integrate that, and it needs to be as soon as possible, Adastra said. People are still staying in the streets, and services are barely being provided, and mutual aid is kind of being able to put a bandaid on a wound.

Adastra said he doesnt support a few of the commissions other recommendations, including investing more money into the current complaint process within the citys police department.

Thats not going to help at all. Thats a complete waste of money. Every dollar spent on the police department can be better spent somewhere else. We dont need to invest in them anymore. We need to take money away from them, he said.

Hes not the only one with that opinion.

Members of NAN came out with a statement earlier this week saying they too are against the commissions call for improving the agencys complaint process. Made up of Western Massachusetts-based artists, community leaders, educators and organizers, the activist organization also said it opposes the recommendation for the creation of a strategic plan for the police department to guide it in reaching its goals.

A resident of Ward 1 in Northampton, who identified herself only by her first name, Lemy, said shes concerned about the so-called reforms to law enforcement talked about during the commissions presentation Tuesday to the mayor and city council. She argued the idea of improving the police departments relationship with the community to make things better wont pan out.

Unfortunately, thats never going to work, because just improving the relationship with the community, theres still a population that is going to be policed and going to be marginalized by that, she claimed.

Ward 3 resident Rye Buckley said he completely supports the resolution declaring a climate emergency and the creation of a community care department, noting there was a lovely sense of unity and agreement among members of the public who spoke during the council meeting this week.

Per the policing review commissions report, the community care agency would be created and funded in fiscal year 2022 and be made fully operational by FY 2023.

I want to urge Mayor Narkewicz and all the city councilors to support and work towards the creation of this Department of Community Care this year, right away, Buckley said. I know it will be difficult, but its an urgent need and desire of our community.

Others shared a similar sense of urgency during the meeting late Tuesday. Eastman urged the city council to get the ball rolling on the policing review commissions recommendations by appropriating some of the more than $2.6 million from the citys marijuana community impact fee stabilization fund to set up an advisory board of Black and brown residents or those who have experienced criminalization to oversee and decide how revenue from cannabis-related businesses is used in Northampton.

Revenue generated by the community impact fee on recreational cannabis businesses in Northampton has previously been used for paving, road repairs, on-street parking and other construction project. In January, Narkewicz became the first mayor in the Bay State to waive the 3% fee, noting the city understands how marijuana companies operate and is largely not negatively impacted by them.

On a first read Tuesday night, the city council voted unanimously to allocate $1 million of the stabilization fund money for streetscape improvements on Hockanum Road and Conz Street and another $1.61 million for a proposed community resilience hub.

The latter is viewed as the mayors key project before leaving office on Jan. 22. The hub would serve as a community day center of sorts dedicated to supporting vulnerable residents who face chronic and acute stress due to natural and human-caused disasters, climate change and social and economic challenges.

Im excited to see revenue generated from the impact fees being used to work on projects to improve our city, but I wonder how we might hold ourselves accountable to the Black and brown communities who have disproportionately been impacted by decades of racist and militant drug policies, Eastman said at the meeting.

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The fraudster known as the Fake Heiress, Anna Sorokin, who was jailed for swindling banks, hotels and members of New York high society out of $275,000 (198,699), has revealed her biggest aim is to 'make as much money as possible.'

Sorokin, a Russian born German who moved to the US in 2013, now 30, was charged with grand larceny after she conned the New York elite for several years, pretending to be a rich heiress called Anna Delvey.

She was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison for her crimes in 2019, but was released early for good behaviour on February 11 and now temporarily lives at the NoMad luxury hotel in New York.

While deportation to Germany is currently on pause while she appeals her conviction, if forced to leave the US, Delvey would reportedly call London home.

'Watch out!' she said, speaking to The Telegraph. 'I love the English and I have lots of British friends. London is a bit like New York: you can always get something done.'

She went on to say she'd head straight to celebrity hot spot Chiltern Firehouse - adding it's 'kind of homey' and 'knows' the hotel owner Andre Balaz.

The fraudster known as the Fake Heiress, Anna Sorokin, 30, who was jailed for swindling banks, hotels and members of New York high society out of $275,000 (198,699), has revealed her biggest aim is to 'make as much money as possible.' Pictured, during her trial in May 2019

Living the high life: During her spree, Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, lived in luxury New York hotel rooms that she couldn't afford, promised a friend an all-expenses trip to Morocco and then left her with the $62,000 bill, and peddled bogus bank statements in her quest for a $22 million loan for a private arts club. Pictured, Sorokin in an Instagram snap

Sorokin told how she first learned to try and make 'as much money as possible' from the tender age of nine when she began playing video game, The Sims.

'I would create a Sim and give them as much money as possible,' she recalled. 'I thought it was such a waste of time to actually make your Sim go to work.

'I would spend half an hour filling up their bank accounts with the cheat code [which enabled players to max-out their virtual bank account]. It's a very f-d up game if you think about it.'

Since being released from prison, Sorokin now has her own book deal, a self-funded reality show called Anna Delvey, and fashion range, Correction Collection.

More recently, it's been announced that Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana in Netflix hit series The Crown, will play a character inspired by her in new West End production, Anna X.

'It's funny how they just helped themselves to my story,' she said. 'I guess it's a compliment.'

While deportation to Germany is currently on pause while she appeals her conviction, if forced to leave the US, Delvey would reportedly call London home. Pictured, Sorokin at her sentencing at Manhattan State Supreme Court in May 2019

She went on to say how she hopes the actress will visit her in New York, adding: 'I'll take her to Rikers. To the courthouse. To SoHo. Drinks will be on me. I feel great about her playing me - hopefully she'll do a better job than I did.'

The fraudster admitted that she even picked up certain prison skills that she took home with her - and explained how being stuck around 40 'devious' females taught her how to 'read people.'

Sorokin's comments come after news the fake German heiress, who was only released from prison last month, has been taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The 30-year-old was put back behind bars last Thursday after she reported to immigration authorities in Manhattan and is currently being held at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey, the New York Post reports.

After her release from prison, Sorokin - a German national - was ordered to check in with immigration authorities for overstaying her visa.

Sources said she was scheduled to be deported to Germany on March 26, the day after she handed herself in. Sorokin, however, didn't leave the country on that day.

It is unclear if she delayed the deportation by legally challenging it. It also isn't clear when she will be deported.

DailyMail.com has contacted ICE for comment.

Now fresh out of prison, the fraudster went back to enjoying a life of luxury shopping sprees and lined up interviews with international press

The fraudster previously told how she takes being branded a 'sociopath' as a compliment.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Sorokin, who refused to say whether she was ashamed of her crimes, said she was not a 'penny pincher' and that people who call her a 'sociopath' would refer to tech moguls Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk in the same words.

Extracts from Anna Delvey Diaries On the impact of Covid on prison food 'It will forever stay in my memory how, due to some interruption in the food supply chain, they took the liberty of replacing vegan French dressing with a regular blue cheese one. Like having to settle for non-organic mixed greens and broccoli wasn't punishment enough... 'I survived the hours of uncertainty when they floated the possibility that cocoa butter may never be getting delivered to our commissary again. It wouldn't be fair to people with shea butter allergy/aversion, pretty much the only alternative available. 'In fact, it would almost amount to discrimination, and we all know what happens to those who violate local inclusion and diversity guidelines. They are never to be seen again. So, cocoa butter is back in the game.' On how she passes the time Revealing how she spent her time, Sorokin says she watched self-help and suicide prevention videos provided by the prison, does nine yoga classes a week and 'finally read Euclid's Geometry, Ulysses and Nietzsche's Thoughts Out of Season'. She continues: 'I made my own nut mylks, grew my herb garden, and tested every organic produce supplier that would deliver here. 'And if I'm not a better person now than I used to be couple months ago, I definitely am a thinner, and an inch and a half taller one. Can someone google and let me know if it's permanent or will I have to continue to stretch for two hours every day to maintain?' On watching self-help videos 'For over twenty minutes, Eric is talking about the importance of taking re-entry to society seriously, while Joshua is explaining how he chose to move on and forgive himself for committing a murder in first degree and advises everyone to follow his lead. Basically the usual aspirational/motivational stuff. 'My personal favorite is the 'Do It (or Don't)' episode. It's not always this easy, but it's often this easy. 'I skip 'You've got a choice' and 'It's all in the family,' since incest is not a topic I wish to explore further. Finally, I find something that resonates with me'Getting Past Addiction,' which reminds me of that time I went to rehab and beat my sugar addiction. Sugar is hundred times more addictive than cocaine and is number one cause of craving more sugar, which leads to premature aging and death. I am a survivor.' Advertisement

'I actually see it as a compliment because they see Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk and Steve Jobs as sociopaths, so if they mean it in that way, I'll take it,' she said.

Sorokin was arrested on six charges of grand larceny in 2017 for scamming New York acquaintances and hotels. According to the Manhattan District Attorney's office, her theft totals around $275,000 (198,699).

In total, Sorokin spent 21 months in Rikers Island in New York - the prison which has housed other criminals such as Harvey Weinstein, and 20 months at Albion Correctional Facility, a prison for women in upstate New York.

She said being in prison was an intellectual challenge where she had to figure out how she could get guards to get her things without being able to offer anything in exchange.

She also said she witnessed more drugs at Rikers than on the New York party circuit.

Before her arrest, Sorokin convinced City National Bank to loan her $100,000 (722, 54) and forged bank documents to obtain another loan of 22 million to fund the Anna Delvey Foundation, a private arts members club she hoped to open.

She said the project snowballed and that the only way to stop her was to put her in prison.

Her lawyers are currently paying her hotel bills with money she received after striking a deal with the streaming platform Netflix for $320,000 (231,213) - most of which is being used to repay her bank loans, fines and legal fees.

Sorokin told the Times she enjoyed being in control, and was now looking for a bigger purpose to focus on.

She added she disliked being referred to as a fake heiress, and that it was not what she had set out to do when she started her streak of fraud.

'I never felt like I came through pretending to be this heiress. There are so many rich people in New York, so who gives a f***? No one cares,' she said, adding she'd never be able to impress with money in New York.

She referred to her crimes as cutting corners and shortcuts, but said she never expected to end up in jail for them.

While she admitted she had apologized to her parents for causing them stress, she said she felt that fraud seemed like a good idea at the time she conned hotels and friends - adding that all she can do now is face the music.

It was reported Sorokin used the prison phone to go on a shopping spree before getting out of jail, splashing on Celine sunglasses, a $720 (520) Balenciaga hoodie and Alexander McQueen and Nike sneakers.

She said she still had some money from her Netflix deal and other projects she was working on that had not been publicized.

In her first interview since being released, she added prison was a 'pointless' 'waste of time', called the prosecution against her an 'insult to her intelligence' and boasted that guards treated her like a 'celebrity'.

On Twitter, she joked that the only job she would consider is creative director of Goldman Sachs.

And within hours of her release, she asked for $720million (520million) from Fortress Investment Group. She also said 'going to trial is the new sex tape'.

Sorokin duped friends, hotels and even banks into giving her money between 2016 and 2017.

She pretended to be the daughter of a mysterious oil baron in Europe and lived an exorbitantly expensive lifestyle in Manhattan without ever actually paying for it.

It came crashing down in 2017 after she took a friend, a Vanity Fair photo editor, to Marrakesh with her, racked up thousands in charges at hotels and then gave the photo editor the $62,000 bill (44,797), promising to pay her back.

Confirming she is writing a book Sorokin told Insider: 'It's going to be my take on the criminal justice system and my jail experience. My point is basically going to be like the pointlessness of the whole thing.

'They just wasted everyone's time and money.'

After cameras were seen following her around Manhattan last month, Sorokin said of 'Anna Delvey TV': 'I'm just kind of filming everything I'm doing right now and I'm going to see what to do with it later.'

Explaining why she would still be using her fake name of Delvey, Sorokin added: 'Why shouldn't I? I'm a movement by myself.'

Sorokin had also asked fans on social media to tune in to a 'live' video where she promised a no-holds-barred Q&A but then disappointed them by only filming herself in the bathtub and not answering any questions.

How long Sorokin will be able to stay in the country remains a mystery. She is a German citizen and has no legal status in the US but has never been deported. ICE did not immediately respond to inquiries about her status on Monday morning.
An Atlantic City Boardwalk store owner collapsed and died Thursday shortly after being robbed by a knife-wielding 12-year-old boy during a confrontation with multiple juveniles at his shop, authorities said.

The death of 66-year-old Mahmood Ansari sparked outrage among fellow merchants, who held a protest calling for justice in the case Friday afternoon. Two juveniles face charges related to the incident, authorities said, but were not accused of the mans death.

An autopsy was pending, and the circumstances surrounding Ansaris death were under investigation, according to Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner, who announced multiple charges were filed against the 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl in the encounter.

Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting a person with a knife around 7:40 p.m. Thursday along the Boardwalk, between Kentucky and New York avenues, authorities said. Staff at the Atlantic City Police Surveillance Center also further advised officers that multiple juveniles were damaging the store and assaulting individuals, according to the prosecutors office.

While attempting to steal items, a 12-year-old male brandished a knife and threatened the store owner, Tyner said in a statement.

Shortly after the arrival of the officers, [Ansari] collapsed and was not breathing, the prosecutor added.

Community members and merchants have gathered outside of City Souvenirs on the boardwalk to protest harassment and shoplifting that they say has been persistent since the summer. The owner of City Souvenirs died last night following an altercation with shoplifters. pic.twitter.com/mrbbZ0PJ9q  Molly Shelly (@mollycshelly) April 2, 2021

A bystander began CPR before an Atlantic City police officer took over efforts to revive Ansari, according to authorities. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died.

The two juveniles have not been charged in the merchants death. Both face counts of robbery, shoplifting, simple assault and conspiracy, the prosecutors office said.

The 12-year-old boy was also charged with terroristic threats and weapons offenses, according to authorities. He was taken to the countys juvenile detention center. The girl was released to her parents ahead of court proceedings. Authorities did not release the names of the Atlantic City juveniles because of their ages.

City Council President George Tibbitt told the Press of Atlantic City that Ansari suffered a heart attack during what started as a theft and fights involving children.

There have been complaints. They have a problem with youngsters always coming to the Boardwalk and stealing stuff, threatening the owners, Muhammad Anjum Zia, 5th Ward Councilman, told the newspaper.

Deputy Chief James Sarkos, interim officer-in-charge of the city police, addressed concerns from business owners Friday.

The Atlantic City Police Department is aware of the concerns and complaints from the business community, regarding juveniles, Sarkos said in a statement. As the weather turns warmer, the Atlantic City Police Department will work and coordinate with businesses along our famous Boardwalk and retail areas. We are working closely with the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office on this investigation.

At the protest Friday, family and fellow business owners gathered to remember Ansari and demand more protection on the Boardwalk.

Boardwalk needs protection, read one sign. We need justice, another sign stated.

We want to continue to hold everyone accountable that commits crimes....Senseless violence has no place in our community, Mayor Marty Small Sr. told the protesters, according to video from the scene. On behalf of the city, again, I want to apologize for the loss and anything that we can do to assist we will be here

Small said the investigation was turned over to the county prosecutors office, in cooperation with city police.

Detectives with the prosecutors office major crimes unit responded to the scene and investigators were working to identify other juveniles involved in the incident, according to Tyner.

There is an active investigation into the circumstances of the death of Mr. Ansari and his autopsy results are pending, the prosecutor said. We should look to support one another as we prepare to welcome visitors to our region for the spring and summer tourism season.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.
Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong / Yonhap



Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong arrived in China on Friday for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to discuss bilateral ties, the Korean Peninsula situation and regional and global issues, his office said.



The ministers are set to hold their first in-person meeting in their current capacities in the southeastern city of Xiamen on Saturday, amid renewed tensions caused by North Korea's recent missile launches and an escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry.



The talks come after Chung met separately with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Seoul last month to deepen bilateral ties and cooperation in advancing Seoul's agenda for peace on the Korean Peninsula.



Before his departure, Chung said that it is "very important" to cooperate with China in order to make progress in Seoul's efforts to foster lasting peace on the divided peninsula.



"Discussions between South Korea and China on that matter have been proceeding fairly well," he told reporters. "I expect there will be discussions on that matter as there is a need for China to continue to play a constructive role."



The agenda for the talks is expected to include cooperation in preventing an escalation of tensions by the North's possible saber-rattling, future high-level exchanges and preparations for events to mark the 30th anniversary next year of the establishment of bilateral relations.



Issues related to a Sino-U.S. rivalry could also surface, as Washington seeks to tighten a network of alliances with South Korea, Japan and others to shore up its regional leadership and oppose China's policies on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea.



After the talks, Chung and Wang are set to hold a luncheon meeting and issue separate press statements.



The bilateral talks come amid the Chinese minister's brisk diplomacy toward neighboring countries apparently aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation amid growing tensions with the U.S.



Wang has held or plans to have talks with his counterparts from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines in Fujian Province this week.



Seoul and Beijing picked Xiamen as the venue for Saturday's meeting due to their respective antivirus policies and scheduling matters, a Seoul official said.



But speculation has lingered over geopolitical implications of the venue as Xiamen is close to Taiwan, which Washington sees as a key partner for its "free and open" Indo-Pacific vision.



A South Korean foreign minister last visited China in November 2017. The last foreign ministerial talks between the countries took place in Seoul in November.



Days after his inauguration in February, Chung held phone talks with Wang, during which Wang invited Chung to visit China.



Chung is set to return home Saturday. (Yonhap)
RICHMOND, Va., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With tremendous sadness and heavy hearts, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Robert M. Blue and Lead Director Robert H. Spilman, Jr., of Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE: D), announced today the passing of Thomas F. Farrell, II.

Mr. Farrell, who served as the company's chairman, president and chief executive officer from 2007 to 2020, was 66. He had been battling cancer, which took a sudden turn in recent weeks.

"Tom was a peerless mentor and outstanding leader who sought to find innovative solutions to challenges at Dominion Energy, in the utility industry and in the community he called home," said Blue, who came to the company in 2005. "In his tenure at the company, Tom oversaw an era of prosperity and growth, and a long-term transformation that will have a lasting impact on clean energy development and on the health of the environment. Above all else, he loved spending time with his wife, his sons and their spouses, and his grandchildren. We will miss him greatly, and extend our deepest condolences to his loving family."

"Over his years as chairman, Tom shaped the board in his image  strong and able with a keen eye on ethical behavior, diversity and inclusion, public and community service and innovation," said Spilman, who was elected to the Board of Directors in 2009. "The Commonwealth of Virginia has lost a kind soul who was abundantly generous to nonprofits supporting the arts and culture, education and critical community needs."

"We are heartbroken. This is an incredible loss of a remarkable man," said Richard Cullen, former chairman of McGuireWoods, LLP, and brother-in-law of Mr. Farrell.

After graduation from the University of Virginia's School of Law, Mr. Farrell spent more than 15 years practicing law before joining Dominion Energy as general counsel in 1995. Over the next nine years, he served in several senior management positions at the company.

As Dominion Energy focused domestically in 1999, Mr. Farrell and then-Chairman and CEO Thomas N. Capps, led the company's simultaneous divestiture of foreign assets and the successful acquisition of another major U.S. energy company, Consolidated Natural Gas, the following year. The combined company became the nation's largest integrated natural gas and electric power company, and today serves about 7 million electric and natural gas utility customer accounts in eight states.

Mr. Farrell was named president and chief operating officer in 2004, and president and chief executive officer in 2006, and was elected chairman in 2007  a post he held until April 1, 2021.

During his time as CEO, he focused on growing the company's regulated asset portfolio, building clean energy facilities, reducing pollutant emissions with a commitment to net zero emissions, improving workplace safety, promoting supplier and workplace diversity, hiring veterans, bolstering its philanthropic and community presence, and more. As a leader, he always put the well-being of employees, customers and the communities the company serves first.

He was proud of Dominion Energy's safety accomplishments. The company's OSHA recordable injury rate  the number of reported injuries per 100 employees over a year  fell 78% between 2006 and 2020. And of its efforts to hire military veterans, beginning with an initiative he began as chairman of the Edison Electric Institute called Troops to Energy Jobs. Today, one in five new hires at Dominion Energy served in the Armed Forces, and they make up about 15% of the company's workforce.

In addition, operating earnings  despite sales of oil and gas exploration and production, interstate natural gas pipeline and storage, and merchant generation businesses  increased from $1.8 billion to $3 billion, and the company's market capitalization went up 175%. Meanwhile, Dominion Energy has built the third-largest solar portfolio among U.S. utility holding companies, according to S&P Global, and cut emissions of carbon dioxide in half and methane by a quarter, and slashed emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and mercury by well more than 80%.

Dominion Employees contributed more than 1.5 million hours of their time volunteering in their communities and the company donated more than $400 million to philanthropic causes. Spending with diverse suppliers more than doubled during Mr. Farrell's tenure.

He chaired the board of the Edison Electric Institute and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. Mr. Farrell was the chairman of Altria Group, Inc., and served on the AEGIS board of directors.

In the community, he was chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's board of trustees and was appointed to the Board of Visitors at the University of Virginia, where he was rector, and Virginia Commonwealth University. He was a member of the board of trustees of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and a Council on Foreign Relations independent task force that produced the June 2008 report, "Confronting Climate Change: A Strategy for U.S. Foreign Policy."

Mr. Farrell led the Virginia Governor's Commission on Higher Education Reform and served as co-chairman of the Governor's five-member transition committee; as a member of the Governor of Virginia's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates; as chair of the Virginia Business Council and of the Management Roundtable; and a board member of the Greater Washington Partnership, the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

Mr. Farrell received bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Virginia.

More than 7 million customers in 16 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D ), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable and safe energy and to achieving net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions from its power generation and gas infrastructure operations by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.

SOURCE Dominion Energy

Related Links

http://www.dominionenergy.com


Jeannie Mai and Jeezy have officially tied the knot!

The couple were married during an intimate wedding ceremony held in the backyard of their Atlanta, Georgia home on Saturday, March 27, as confirmed by Vogue.

The 42-year-old TV personality opened up to the outlet about her and the 43-year-old rapper's nuptials and how the coronavirus pandemic altered their wedding plans.

Tied the knot! Jeannie Mai and rapper Jeezy were married during an intimate wedding ceremony held in the backyard of their Atlanta, Georgia home on Saturday, March 27, as confirmed by Vogue; Jeannie and Jeezy pictured in 2019

'We were really looking forward to having all of our friends and family there to celebrate. But we had to change all of our wedding plans due to COVID,' said Mai, who originally intended to marry Jeezy in Italy.

She revealed that the sudden passing of Jeezy's mother Sandra Rose in February inspired them to scrap their earlier wedding plans and move forward with a 'mini-mony.'

'After Jeezy's mother unexpectedly passed, we quickly learned that life is too short. And at the end of the day, Jeezy and I really just wanted to become husband and wife.

'So we decided to turn our original wedding into a mini-mony, where we exchanged our vows in front of our immediate family and a few close friends,' she explained.

Change of plans: The 42-year-old TV personality opened up to the outlet about her and the 43-year-old rapper's nuptials and how the coronavirus pandemic altered their wedding plans; the couple pictured in 2020

Despite the size of their ceremony, that did not stop the now married couple from splurging on luxuries, including custom ensembles for bride and groom.

Jeannie walked down the aisle - more specifically the grand staircase of her sprawling Atlanta abode - in a stunning Galia Lahav gown, complete with a dramatic veil and custom diamond earrings by her pal Rosalina Lydster.

'I envisioned this gown before it was even made,' the Emmy Award-winning presenter recalled of her custom get-up. 'I can't believe it turned out so perfect. It's the most beautiful gown I have ever seen.'

'We were really looking forward to having all of our friends and family there to celebrate. But we had to change all of our wedding plans due to COVID,' said Mai, who originally intended to marry Jeezy in Italy; Jeezy and Jeannie pictured in 2020

Tragedy: She revealed that the sudden passing of Jeezy's mother Sandra Rose in February inspired them to scrap their earlier wedding plans and move forward with a 'mini-mony'; Jeezy pictured at his mother's funeral

Jeannie told the outlet that she 'got dressed by myself before I walked down the aisle' because 'the quiet calms me,' adding she was 'so thankful to be in our very own home as I got ready.'

'Jeezy insisted my dad walk me down the aisle, and we were so glad he did,' she revealed. 'My dad is my rock.'

Jeezy, known for his ultra suave style, turned the traditional groom silhouette on its head by sporting a satin pale pink suit.

He rounded out his wedding day ensemble with a black bow tie, coordinating pocket square, and a crisp white dress shirt, which were all curated for him by his go-to tailor Teofilo Flor and stylist Chris Shelby.

Togetherness: 'After Jeezy's mother unexpectedly passed, we quickly learned that life is too short. And at the end of the day, Jeezy and I really just wanted to become husband and wife,' she explained; Jeezy and Jeannie pictured in 2020

Adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols, Jeannie and Jeezy made sure that all of their guests, who were asked to don off white, were tested for the virus twice before attending the ceremony.

To prevent the details of their wedding from being leaked to the public, the couple had their family and friends 'leave their phones at the door.'

As for the ceremony, it was important for Jeannie to pay homage to her Vietnamese heritage by incorporating a traditional tea ceremony, which was hosted by her brother.

Custom creations: Jeannie walked down the aisle - more specifically the grand staircase of her sprawling Atlanta abode - in a stunning Galia Lahav gown, complete with a dramatic veil and custom diamond earrings by her pal Rosalina Lydster

Emotional: She also noted that her husband's emotional wedding vows 'brought [her] to tears and joy,' before promising the hitmaker that 'every kiss would feel like this'

'In this ceremony, we honored our parents by pouring tea as a gesture to welcome Jeezy into my family, and me into his. Then we paid our respects to our parents and ancestors by bowing four times, each one symbolizing a significant gift in the life that they have provided us with,' she recalled.

She also noted that her husband's emotional wedding vows 'brought [her] to tears and joy,' before promising the hitmaker that 'every kiss would feel like this.'

Once they officially become husband and wife, the couple and their small wedding party enjoyed a jazz-filled reception, complete with a live band.

Heritage: As for the ceremony, it was important for Jeannie to pay homage to her Vietnamese heritage by incorporating a traditional tea ceremony, which was hosted by her brother; Jeannie pictured in 2020

'And then we danced the night away to our favorite hits, feeling cozier than ever,' she told Vogue of the reception.

Prior to finding love with Jeezy in the fall of 2018, Jeannie was married to ex Freddy Harteis, whom she finalized her divorce from in 2018 after 10 years of marriage.

Though Jeezy was never married prior, the Put On rapper is father to three children, son Jadarius with ex Tenesha Dykes, son Shyheim with unknown, and Amra Nor with musician ex Mahlet Gebregiorgis.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday called for repealing the Republican tax laws $10,000 cap on deducting state and local income and property taxes, saying she hoped to add the provision to President Joe Bidens $2 trillion infrastructure legislation.

The cap disproportionately affected high-tax states like New Jersey, which annually send billions of dollars more to Washington than they receive in services. Most of them are run by Democrats.

It was a political action on the part of Republicans, Pelosi, D-Calif., said at her weekly press conference. It was mean-spirited to begin with, politically targeted.

Hopefully we can get this into the bill, she said of the repeal.

Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., Bill Pascrell Jr., D-9th Dist., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., said this week that they would not support any changes to the tax code that did not also repeal the cap.

Speaker Pelosi is absolutely right:, Pascrell said Thursday. The landmark infrastructure and jobs bill will not be complete without removing the cap on deducting state and local taxes.

The Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced legislation in January to repeal the deduction limit, meaning both legislative leaders are now on board.

Its always good to have leadership on board the train, Gottheimer said. Im sure theyve heard at home too, as I am every day, about getting this deduction back. If were going to touch the tax code and were going to pass a law, this has to be part of it.

From D.C. to Trenton to your town, the N.J. Politics newsletter brings the news right to your inbox. Sign up with your email here:





Biden proposed raising corporate taxes to fund the infrastructure bill. The president has talked about increasing taxes on those making more than $400,000 a year to pay for a second package addressing child care and health care, among other issues.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Fox News Sunday that the second bill could be announced later this month.

Psaki said Thursday that the White House would entertain eliminating the cap on deducting state and local taxes if Democrats advocating repeal want to propose a way to pay for it, and they want to put that forward, were happy to hear their ideas.

The House did just that in 2019, voting to pay for repealing the cap by raising taxes only on those making at least $518,400, but Senate Republicans did not take it up.

Two-thirds of those hurt by the deduction cap in New Jersey, with the nations highest property taxes, had income between $75,000 and $200,000, according to Internal Revenue Service statistics. In addition, Moodys Analytics found home values across the state below what they would have been without the limit on state and local tax deductions.

This is just a critical issue, said Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist. If youre looking at ways that you are going to invest in the economy, youve really got to address this punishing tax plan.

Congressional Republicans have attacked the deduction as a giveaway to the rich, even as 26 GOP senators introduced legislation last month to repeal the estate tax, levied only on inheritances of at least $11.7 million for individuals and $23.4 million for couples.

None of the beneficiaries of repealing the estate tax would be family farms or small businesses, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive research group.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

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March 25

Identity theft was reported at the 2700 block of W. 4th St. on March 25.

Identity theft was reported at the 100 block of NW Alpine St. on March 25.

Police arrested 33-year-old Angel Nicole Gonzales during a traffic stop at E. 6th and Beech St. on March 25. Gonzales was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. She was charged with manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance, which is a felony.

Public intoxication was reported at the 2000 block of W. 25th St. 36-year-old John Henry Galvan was arrested on March 25 for charges of public intoxication and for active felony warrants.

Shoplifting was reported at the 1000 block of N. Interstate-27 on March 25.

March 26

Criminal mischief was reported at the 1900 block of Smythe St. on March 26. Damaged property was reported.

Mail theft was reported at the 2000 block of Houston St. on March 26.

Theft was reported at the 700 block of N. Interstate-27 on March 26. The suspect took a phone without the owners consent.

Shoplifting was reported at the 2400 block of N. Columbia St. on March 26. Nicole Marie Kelly, 46, took bottles of body wash from a store at the location where she had previously been issued a criminal trespass warning and her entry to Amigos was forbidden, according to the police report. Kelly was found to have active warrants and was arrested. She was charged with criminal trespass, active warrants and theft of property valued at less than $2,500 with two or more previous convictions, which is a felony.

Shoplifting was reported at the 2400 block of N. Columbia on March 26.

March 27

A burglary was reported at the 1500 block of El Barrio Road on March 27.

A theft was reported at the 2400 block of N. Columbia St. on March 27.

A theft was reported at the 1500 block of N. Interstate-27 on March 27. A victim shopping at the store realized their wallet was missing at check out. The wallet was located and $90 was found to be missing.

An assault was reported at the 700 block of W. 23rd St. on March 27.

A crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported at the 100 block of SE 4th St. on March 27.

Forgery was reported at the 2200 block of W. 5th St. on March 27.

A theft was reported on March 27 at the 500 block of W. 5th St.

Officers responded to the 2900 block of W. 20th St. on March 27. A 58-year-old man was asked to leave a backyard but refused. Officers arrived and told the suspect he was asked to leave. The suspect got up and a can of gold spray paint was found on the ground along with a clear plastic baggie that contained the paint. The paint was also observed to be on the suspects nose. The individual was charged with possession or use by inhaling/ingesting a volatile chemical and with inhalant paraphernalia use/possession to inhale.

Criminal trespassing was reported at the 900 block of Ash St. on March 27.

March 28

Shoplifting was reported at the 1500 block of N. Interstate 27 on March 28.

Theft was reported at the 800 block of W. 11th St. on March 28.

A stolen vehicle was reported at the 600 block of W. 11th St. on March 28. A victim let a friend borrow their vehicle for a trip to the bank and the friend never returned.

Police arrested a 15-year-old individual on March 28 at the 1300 block of Smythe St. The individual was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, which is a felony.

Criminal trespass was reported at the 900 block of N. Columbia on March 28. The victim reported damages to a door after someone tried to break in.

Monday, March 29

A hit-and-run crash that resulted in vehicle damage was reported on Monday at the 500 block of Joliet St.

Police were called to the 3600 block of Grandview on Monday in reference to criminal mischief. Damage to a vehicle was reported.

Theft was reported at the 1500 block of N. Interstate-27 on Monday.

A crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported Monday at the 1100 block of Industrial Blvd. A Toyota Corolla traveling west on the 1000 block of Industrial Blvd. veered into the oncoming lane striking a Dodge Ram.

An assault was reported at the 1200 block of Raleigh on Monday. The female victim reported unwanted touching by a male. Another report for aggravated assault was reported at the same location. A male reported being assault with a knife by a female.

Tuesday, March 30

Harassment by phone was reported at the 1500 block of Yonkers on Tuesday. The victim reported harassment by an ex.

An assault was reported at the 1600 block of N. Date St. on Tuesday. A victim was struck with body force.

Officers responded to the 1900 block of W. 7th St. on Tuesday in reference to trespassing.

Hinacio Contreras, Jr., 30, was arrested at the 700 block of Portland St. on Tuesday for a felony warrant.

Check forgery was reported Tuesday at the 800 block of W. 11th St.

Criminal mischief was reported at the 200 block of S. Holiday on Tuesday. A damaged window was reported.

Police arrested a 15-year-old individual on Tuesday after the individual stole a vehicle and later led police on a foot chase. The reporting party told officials her son lived with his father in New Mexico before moving to Plainview and stole a vehicle from his father, which was reported stolen. The teen was also reported as a runaway. The reporting party told officers she tried to make contact with the individual and he hit her car and fled. The vehicle was later found abandoned at the 1200 block of Nassau St. The juvenile fled the area on foot. He was later found at the 1100 block of Oakland after a foot pursuit. The teen was found in possession of marijuana after he was searched. He was arrested for evading arrest, possession of marijuana, an accident involving damage to a vehicle and unauthorized use of a vehicle, which is a felony.

Theft from a bank was reported at the 2500 block of 26th St. on Tuesday. A suspect transferred funds without the consent of the property owner.
The Ministers of Health and Economy, Vlad Voiculescu and Claudiu Nasui have met on Friday, during a shared work group, with representatives from the hotel industry in Romania, the discussions being about the plan to open the business environment.

According to a briefing of the Ministry of Health, the shared message of this work group was "preparing a calendar of opening up the economy, with an indicative amount", agerpres.ro confirms.

Furthermore, there were talks regarding "possible measures" of access of people to the lodging structures.
An American flag flies above the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 9. AP-Yonhap



By Kim Bo-eun



Samsung Electronics officials are set to attend a White House meeting with other firms in the industry later this month to discuss ways to tackle the global chip shortage.



A Samsung Electronics official said Friday he could not confirm the meeting, but the top chip maker was mentioned along with General Motors and GlobalFoundries as companies that would meet with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese to discuss the issue, in a Bloomberg report published April 1.



According to the report, the White House is also in talks with Congress and foreign allies over dealing with the semiconductor shortage.



The global shortage of semiconductors is attributed to a surge in demand for electronic devices amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as work and school were brought home.






Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 72F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Outdoors lovers, rejoice: the development of Texas' first new state park in nearly two decades is currently underway.

Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, located about four hours north of San Antonio and 75 miles west of Fort Worth, spans nearly 5,000 acres and includes rolling hills, stunning vistas and a massive body of water called Tucker Lake.

Once open, Texans can head to Palo Pinto for hiking, camping, fishing and more. It will also include an extensive network of trails for hikers, bikers and horseback riders. Other highlights include RV parks, primitive camp sites, playgrounds and picnic areas.

READ MORE: The 11 best glamping getaways are just a road trip away from Houston

When that opening date might be, however, is still unknown.

The project began in 2011 when a 3,300-acre portion of former ranch land was purchased by Texas Parks & Wildlife. Currently, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the state's parks department, is working to raise about $9 million for Palo Pinto.

The state park opening process is multi-phased and informed by a lot of surveying. Though the financial goal has yet to be met, building and development has officially, if tentatively, kicked off.

If you want to donate to the Texas State Park effort, whether you want to help conserve the land (or selfishly want to expedite the road trip scheduled on your calendar) you can contribute a donation online.

Camille Sauers is a freelance writer based in San Antonio. Follow her on twitter @camillesaccount. Send her emails to camillefrancissauers@gmail.com
A cane toad has been found in Sydney raising the alarm that the invasive pest may be spreading farther south.

The poisonous pest was found by a shocked resident in Gilchrist Reserve in Bexley North, in Sydney's south, joining several others caught in the city recently.

Campbelltown Council warned residents to be on the lookout and avoid contact as the toads can secrete poison that is incredibly lethal to wildlife.

'Cane toads can cause devastating impacts to native animals and ecosystems due to their rapid spread, use of limited natural resources and ability to poison animals that try to eat them,' the council wrote on its social media on Thursday night.

A cane toad has been found in Sydney raising the alarm for locals to be cautious and protect their pets

Macquarie University's professor of biology Richard Shine said the cane toad had probably been driven out of its home because of the recent one-in-one-hundred year storm in south-east Queensland and northern New South

Cane toads are typically found in parts of northern Australia, including Queensland, Northern Territory and the Kimberley Region in Western Australia.

Although they can be found in northern New South Wales, they are not a typical seen in places farther south, like Sydney.

Macquarie University professor of biology Richard Shine said the cane toad was probably driven out of its home by the recent once-in-50-years storms in Southeast Queensland and northern NSW.

Some parts of the two states received half their annual rainfall in a matter of days, leading to flash flooding and mass evacuations.

But it wasn't just the residents who were forced to seek higher ground with spiders, snakes and cane toads were spotted fleeing the floodwaters.

'Cane toads have been turning up all over the place over the past couple of weeks,' Professor Shine told the Macarthur Chronicle.

'We seem to have had an upsurge recently because of the rain and we've been tracking toads in that part of the world but when we get more rain they cover much more distances.'

Animal rescue services cautioned locals on social media to only try to catch the animal if they were wearing appropriate protection.

Some parts of the two states received half of its annual rainfall in just a matter of days, leading to flash flooding and mass evacuations

It wasn't just the residents who were forced to seek higher ground with spiders, snakes and cane toads spotted fleeing the floodwaters

'Please bare in mind anyone attempting to catch a cane toad should ensure they wear protective clothing such as disposable gloves, long sleeves and eye protection for their safety and keep their pets away as they are highly toxic if consumed,' a wildlife service wrote.

'These poisonous creatures can also be mistaken for native and threatened frog species, so please do not harm the animal and keep it in a well-ventilated container in a cool location with water.'



Cane toads are native to South and Central America and feed on insects, spiders, snails small frogs and even other cane toads.

Their taste for insects made them an ideal and natural alternative to chemical pesticides in farming.

Residents are seen standing near floodwaters spilling from Logan River onto Waterford Tamborine Road in Logan City

The Logan River broke its banks following the heavy downpour in south-east Queensland

They were brought to northern Queensland in 1935 to eat and control the pest beetles population in the sugar cane industry.

However, the population ballooned and the cane toad became a new pest in Australia.

They migrated south to Brisbane, north to Cape York and they are increasingly making their way west across the country.

They have glands that release a poison when they are threatened, making them extremely deadly to pets and other wildlife.

Symptoms of poisoning include heart palpitations, excessive salivation, convulsions and paralysis.
As many know the pandemic has taken a toll on the semiconductor business. Samsung and the White House along with other chipmakers and manufacturers are looking to solve the supply chain shortage according to SamMobile. The chip shortage is still causing multiple industries to struggle with keeping up with production.

Samsung Note fans were disappointed when news broke that the company would not be releasing a Galaxy Note 21 this year. The global chip shortage is one reason for this. To try and combat this shortage affecting supply chains the White House will hosting a meeting.

According to Reuters, the meeting will be on April 12. Both chipmakers and car manufacturers will be attending. Outside of the smartphone market, the auto industry is suffering from shortages as well which has slowed auto production around the globe.

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The U.S. government has been planning on how to solve this shortage for a while now. Earlier this year news of the President using an Executive Order to help was announced. Although Samsung has not officially announced its participation, the company has been named as a participant in multiple reports.

Samsung and the White House could be a partnership that will end the chip shortage

Samsung will not be the only big name to be attending. Other participants will include General Motors and GlobalFoundries. The Biden administration is looking to solve this by asking chipmakers to build new production facilities here in the United States.

The chipmakers will receive incentives in doing so. Samsung is already in the works of investing in ramping up its own chip production. The company is also in the early stages of setting up a $17 billion chip plant in Austin, TX. With this in mind, it is no surprise that Samsung will be a valuable player in solving the global chip shortage.

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Samsungs announcement that the Galaxy Note 21 will not be getting a release this year is a letdown for many. But the companys Galaxy S21 is trying to alleviate that sting. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is able to use an S-Pen as the Note series can as well.

The Note 21 isnt the only victim of this global chip shortage. Computer the auto industry is suffering, and as demand for laptops and other electronics increase other manufacturers are struggling.

According to Reuters the current chip shortage stems from a few different factors. These factors include factory shutdowns, high demand for consumer electronics, and sanctions against Chinese tech companies.
A photo of Orange mass shooting suspect Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez is displayed during a media briefing at the Orange Police Department. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The suspect in this week's shooting at an Orange business that killed four people, including a 9-year-old boy, has been charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder, the Orange County district attorney's office said Friday.

The charges against Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 44, who is hospitalized and in critical condition, were announced as authorities identified the four people killed Wednesday at Unified Homes, a manufactured homes business.

The Orange Police Department said the victims were Genevieve Raygoza, 28; Luis Tovar, 50; Matthew Farias, 9; and Leticia Solis Guzman, 58.

Another woman remains hospitalized in critical condition after suffering multiple gunshot wounds, according to a family member.

Gonzalez has been charged with four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, all felonies, the district attorney's office said.

He has also been charged with four felony enhancements of the personal discharge of a firearm causing death, and one felony enhancement each for the personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury, premeditation, the personal use of a firearm and the personal discharge of a firearm. Prosecutors are also alleging the special circumstance of multiple murders.

Gonzalez, who was living in an Anaheim motel, was hospitalized Wednesday after exchanging gunfire with two police officers in the courtyard of the office complex where the shooting occurred, according to authorities.

Police said he locked the gates to the complex with bicycle cables before opening fire on the victims.

Calling it a horrific massacre, Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said Thursday that the severity of the crimes meant his office could seek the death penalty.

Its a horrible, horrible tragedy, Spitzer said, that Mr. Gonzalez made a decision to use deadly force to deal with issues he was dealing with in his life. So he will suffer the consequences.

Story continues

Gonzalez is in critical but stable condition at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange. Speaking from the hospital via livestream Friday afternoon, defense attorney Ken Morrison, with the Orange County public defender's office, said Gonzalez was "present but he is not conscious."

Gonzalez's arraignment was postponed until Monday, although Morrison said it may have to be postponed again.

"I fear we might have to continue doing this day-to-day for some time," Morrison said. "That is not a medical assessment that I'm making. It's just my judgment based upon my observations today."

Gonzalez was remanded to custody of the Sheriff's Department, and no bail was set.

Officers arrived at the office complex in the 200 block of Lincoln Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, minutes after receiving reports of shooting. They encountered gunfire and shot through the locked gates, wounding the gunman, Orange police Lt. Jennifer Amat said. They used bolt cutters to enter the complex.

Officers found two victims in the courtyard  the boy and a woman who was alive and taken to a hospital. Spitzer said it appeared that the boy died in the arms of a woman who was trying to save him.

Police said Gonzalez had a business and personal relationship with the victims and that the attack was not random.

Our hearts are shattered into a million pieces as the community mourns the loss of four innocent lives, including a young boy, as a result of the horrific events that unfolded Wednesday evening and we pray for the recovery of the sole survivor, Spitzer said in a statement Friday. The taking of the life of another human being is the most serious of crimes and the slaughter of multiple people while they were essentially locked in a shooting gallery is nothing short of terrifying.

"The residents of Orange County can rest assured that the district attorneys office is taking every possible step to ensure that every aspect of this case and the subsequent officer-involved shooting is thoroughly reviewed and that justice will be served for each and every victim," he added.

In a statement Friday, Fermin Leal, a spokesperson for the Santa Ana Unified School District, said Matthew was a third-grader at Hoover Elementary School.

The school district was "heartbroken by this senseless act of violence" that took Matthew's life, the statement read. Officials encouraged anyone within the district who needed support to call its mental health help line at (657) 290-9527.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The heartbreaking 911 call from a husband trying to save his dying wife after she was shot in a horrific road rage attack has been released by police.

Ryan and Julie Eberly were driving along Interstate 95 in North Carolina to start a beach vacation on March 25 when Mr Eberly failed to see a car while merging lanes and accidentally cut off the other driver.

Dejywan Floyd, 29, allegedly retaliated by firing multiple shots into their car, hitting Julie in the head.

Julie Eberly and her husband Ryan were driving down Interstate 95 headed to a beach vacation when authorities say she was shot and killed in a road rage attack in North Carolina

Authorities say the couple's couple's GMC Yukon cut off Floyd's Chevrolet Malibu while merging into another lane

Floyd was arrested on Thursday and charged with first-degree murder of the mother-of-six, 47, who was on her way to a beach vacation.

Robeson County Sheriff Office has released the distressing audio of the call made by Ryan to a 911 handler after the shooting.

Dejywan Floyd, 29, of North Carolina was charged with first-degree murder of Pennsylvania mother-of-six Jule Eberly in March

The panicking husband keeps imploring his wife to 'breathe' and 'stay with me' as she slips out of consciousness.

The recording shows Ryan crying as he said: 'Some guy just shot into my car in my wife's head... My wife is shot, she's bleeding badly, I need help now!'

The handler tells him to lay Julie down flat and listen to her breathing which the husband describes as 'slow and labored'.

Ryan then describes how he saw one man in a white or silver sedan carry out the attack.

He said: 'Keep breathing, dear. I am right here. We're getting help.'

Police took around ten minutes to arrive on the scene to take Julie to UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton, where she died.

Authorities say the couple's GMC Yukon cut off Floyd's Chevrolet Malibu while merging into another lane.

Robeson County Sheriff Office has released the distressing audio of the call made by Ryan to a 911 handler after the shooting

The panicking husband keeps imploring his wife to 'breathe' and 'stay with me' as she slips out of consciousness in the audio

Police took around ten minutes to arrive on the scene before taking Julie to UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton, where she died

Police say Floyd immediately retaliated by firing multiple shots into the passenger side of the couple's car.

According to Julie's husband, there was no confrontation leading up to the fatal shooting.

'I didn't give him the finger or beep my horn at him or anything to heighten the situation at all,' Eberly told Lancasteronline.

Eberly says that switched into the right lane to get around a slower driver when he became aware of Floyd's Malibu driving on the shoulder.

He says the driver then rolled down his window and gestured to which he responded with an apologetic gesture and returned to the left lane.

Police say Floyd fired into the passenger side of the car Eberly and her husband were in after he was accidentally cut off

A GoFundMe campaign launched to help the family start a memorial foundation in Julie Eberly's name has raised over $65,000

Police said after the shooting Floyd sped away and took Exit 22 before crossing the bridge into Lumberton

According to Eberly, shortly after he noticed the Malibu tailing him before pulling up to the side, rolling down the window and firing into his car.

'I looked over. The passenger window of my car was shattered. My wife called my name,' Eberly told Lancaster Online.



Police said after the shooting Floyd sped away and took Exit 22 before crossing the bridge into Lumberton.

'This was an innocent family from Pennsylvania headed to the beach for a vacation. Thankfully they had left their six children at home with grandparents but now these kids have to live with the thought of their mother being murdered  in such a cowardly and senseless way,' Sheriff Wilkins said.

A GoFundMe set up by Julie's mother-in-law to help start a memorial foundation in her name has raised over $65,000.

'We want to raise funds to honor Julie and her life,' the description reads. 'Julie was a beautiful, loving, generous, and giving person. We will be using the funds to help others and to give to the organizations that were close to her heart.'
New Delhi:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided not to move Supreme Court against the Kolkata High Court order to allow Durga Puja idol immersion on Muharram.

However, she issued a new order that says those who are planning Durga Puja idol immersion will need prior permission from the West Bengal government.

Security is my first priority, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while issuing the new order.

Earlier, West Bengal government had issued an order to ban idol immersion on Vijayadashami on September 30 after 10 pm and on October 1, the day when Muslims will observe Muharram.

Also Read | Calcutta HC to Mamata govt: 'Don't create communal divide when there is harmony'

The order to idol immersion was opposed by BJP and other right-wing organizations and as much as three PILs were filed in the High Court against it.

The Kolkata High Court had slammed West Bengal government for arbitrary use of powers and said idol immersion will continue on all days, including October 1, which is Muharram.

The High Court asked,When you (state government) are firm there is communal harmony in the state, why are you creating a communal distinction between the two?

"Let them live in harmony. Do not create a line between them. Let them live together," the High Court said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
A former prisoner, given a job by Timpson despite his criminal record, has gone from apprentice to shop manager in just six months.

Jack Twigg, who previously worked as a prison officer, went viral after he tweeted about his experience, praising the company for taking a chance on him.

He wrote: 6 months ago I was struggling to find work with a criminal record. Timpson offered me a trainee role which changed my life. Today Ive been told from April 12th Im officially a branch manager with my own shop!! I cant wait to get started and kick on as a manager!

6 months ago I was struggling to find work with a criminal record. Timpson offered me a trainee role which changed my life. Today I've been told from April 12th I'm officially a branch manager with my own shop!! I can't wait to get started and kick on as a manager! :D #proud  Jack Twigg (@JackTwigg4) March 31, 2021

The 30-year-old from Manchester told the PA news agency he hoped his story would open a few eyes with employers, and get them to take a chance on an ex-offender.

He said: Not all of them are bad people, some of them have just made a mistake, and the ones who want the chance will give you the best of them.

Mr Twigg was working as a trainee prison officer when he was charged with causing a serious injury by dangerous driving, following a head-on collision on a main road.

At the time he was struggling at work and begun drinking: It was a combination of a few things that all came to a head. Id been quite bad mentally for a while.

He was sentenced to 28 months in prison, with a minimum time served of 10 months. After being released at the end of 2017, he worked a few manual jobs before an arm injury forced him to look for a different type of work. He said he sent over 200 job applications.

Mr Twigg said: Half of them were completely ignored. I got one interview at a bookmaker, and I had six years of experience in the field.

But the feedback was not, we cant pursue you because of your criminal record, which I felt was the real reason, but that I didnt have enough experience.

Eventually, he wrote directly to Timpsons CEO, James Timpson. Approximately 10% of the companys workforce has been recruited from prison or has a criminal record.

He was invited to interview at his local store, where he was given the chance to explain his conviction and in less than six months he went from working as an apprentice to shop manager.

Its unbelievable. Its been such a quick turnaround, and it did come as a bit of a shock, he said.

But I was told during my training, work hard, pass your skills and theyll give you that chance.

Im very grateful for that chance.

Darren Burns, from the Timpson Foundation, said: We believe in second chances. We try to look beyond a persons past mistakes and instead look to what they can become in the future.

Our approach allows people to lead a crime-free existence, creates fewer victims and makes our communities safer. Recruiting from this cohort is also good for business, as the people we recruit from prison are more often than not, very loyal, hardworking and honest.

There are over 11 million people in the UK with a criminal conviction, more serious than a driving offence. To us, as a business, it simply doesnt make sense to throw such a huge proportion of our population on the employment scrapheap and assume they have nothing to offer.

Our culture of kindness and compassion means that we are able to offer hope to many. Jack is a great example of this and were sure hell go on to be a huge asset to our business.
This week, 10 automakers in BrazilVolkswagen, Volkswagen Trucks and Buses, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Nissan, Toyota, Renault, Volvo, Scania and Hondasuspended totally or partially their production, sending more than 50,000 workers home for periods ranging between five and 15 days, depending on the plant.

The shutdown was an initiative of the companies themselves and, in the midst of the uncontrolled pandemic in the country, was presented as an effort to fight COVID-19. Brazil has so far registered more than 320,000 COVID-19 deaths, with a record of 3,869 deaths on Wednesday. March ended as the deadliest month of the entire pandemic.

Brazilian Ford workers outside the plant in Taubate, Brazil, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, the day after Ford Motor Co. announced it will close three plants in Brazil and stop producing automobiles in the South American country where it has been operating since 1919. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

The first to announce its closure, Volkswagen, which employs about 15,000 workers in the country, said it would suspend production at its four plants for 12 days in order to preserve the health of its employees and their families. The management of Mercedes-Benz, Scania, Nissan, Renault and Honda have made similar announcements.

But there are other reasons pushing billion-dollar companies like these to halt their production, and the first one on their list is certainly not the health of their employees.

First of all, it is important to underscore that such measures have been taken exclusively in the auto industry, which is undergoing a deep restructuring of production, with substantial workforce reductions in every country, and which is currently facing parts shortages in different parts of the globe.

A March 18 article in Folha de Sao Paulo reported that Hondas plant in Sumare, in the state of Sao Paulo, which employs around a thousand workers, was the first automaker to stop its production for lack of electronic circuits. Production had already been halted for a week in February and for another 10 days in March, and this week it has stopped again.

Other companies, such as Toyota, Volkswagen, Renault, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, had already halted or reduced production. According to the same report, Volkswagen Trucks and Buses (VWCO) had been keeping unfinished vehicles in the lot waiting for parts, and when the parts arrived, the employees had to work overtime to finish the job. Now, VWCO is shutting down the plant completely from March 29 to April 4, keeping its 3,500 workers at home.

Volvo, which followed its competitors in adopting the pretense of fighting the pandemic, was one of the only ones to admit that the measure was also due to the instability in the parts supply chain. Its plant in Curitiba, in the state of Parana, was not totally paralyzed, but production was reduced during the last eight days, with about 2,000 fewer workers.

It is clear that the companies have made a calculation. Foreseeing the need for new stoppages due to the instability in the production chain as well as cuts imposed by their own restructuring plans, many, if not all of them, took advantage of the pandemic conditions to justify their shutdowns as a benevolent act in the interests of their workers. It was, at the same time, a way to prevent an action by the working class in response to the increasing infections in the factories.

In the industrial complex of ABC, in Sao Paulo, which currently has five plants shut down (Mercedes, Volks, Scania, Toyota and GMwith a total of about 30,000 workers at home), the Metalworkers Union (SMABC) presented the production halt as an achievement of their negotiations with the companies.

A few weeks ago, as the pandemic worsened in the country and especially in Sao Paulo, the union was criticized by workers witnessing an increase in deaths among their colleagues.

On the Facebook page of the Mercedes CSE (Companys Union Committee), which is an arm of the SMABC, a worker commented on the news of a colleagues death:

Thats very sad.  It is also sad that many people are being infected inside the company and they still claim that it all comes from the outside. Is it a coincidence that the same department [of the plant] has more than 6 people infected, all coming from the outside? How many more will have to die for someone to take an attitude? Many people go to work afraid of being infected and infecting someone back at home who may be in higher risk. But the company just wants to know about production, because inside there we are just another number that died and they will put a new one in our place. But you cant replace a family member.

Other workers warned about the lack of basic preventive measures. Hand sanitizer is missing in many dispensers; the one in my leisure area, for example, only saw alcohol at the moment it was installed, commented one of them. Go at 11 oclock in the cafeteria and youll see the crowding. An invitation for contagion, said another.

Its past time for the union to organize a plant shutdown. Last year when the situation was not at this level, there were collective [vacations] and bimonthly employee alternation.  Now that we are in a much worse scenario, we are all working normally! said another worker.

These comments come from workers at the Mercedes plant in Sao Bernardo do Campo, which has already recorded six deaths of employees, four of them in March alone. The plant has the second highest number of infections in the region, according to Diario do Grande ABC. With a total workforce of 8,500, Mercedes-Benz had 1,447 (17 percent) infected workers.

First on the list is Volkswagen, with 1,560 infections, or 18.3 percent of the approximately 8,500 employees. It had registered five deaths up to March 21. At Scania, 761, or 19 percent of the approximately 4,000 employees were infected, and one died. At Toyota, 137 were infected, or 9.1 percent of the 1,500 employees.

Trying to minimize the unsafe conditions at the assembly plants, which have an infection rate three times higher than the national average, SMABC president Wagner Santana told Diario do Grande ABC that this difference is due to the fact that the auto companies have tested 100 percent of their workers, and that if there was mass testing in the country, the national average would be equal or higher than that of the plants. This argument was angrily refuted by a GM worker on the comments section: A hundred percent were tested? I work at an assembly plant and that didnt occur.

The union officials effort to protect the company went even further. Echoing the claims of capitalist managers, he implied that workers get infected at home or in the streets, not in their workplaces.

No matter how much [the auto plants] present the feeling of being very safe, since they really do everything possible to make the work environment safer, even more so if we compare it to someone who works in a store ... and has to take a crowded bus to get there, the worker is not safe. Moreover because he doesnt live in the assembly plant. He circulates. He goes home to his family, to the supermarket, Santana argued.

The loyalty of the unions to the automakers, explicitly expressed by Santana, is fundamental to guaranteeing that the response to the pandemic remains subordinated to the interests of the transnational capitalist groups controlling these companies. The terms of the shutdown of the production underscores this: the companies are considering the days off as time off, to be compensated later by the workers.

Some of these companies are also counting on the calendar of municipal holidays. In an attempt to counter the catastrophic spread of the pandemic, several cities have rescheduled holidays in order to create a period of 10 consecutive days off, starting this week. Others companies have opted to give collective vacations to their employees and, in these cases, the workers will not have to make up work days, but they have lost their right to choose their vacation period.

Moreover, the established period for these shutdowns is totally insufficient to really contribute to the fight against the pandemic. In most of the factories, work will resume on April 6. With the current pace of the pandemic in Brazil, with daily averages of over 75,000 new infections and more than 3,000 deaths, there is no possibility that the situation will be under control in less than a week; in fact the expectations are that it will be worse. In other words, workers will return to be infected in the unsafe environments of the factories, and deaths will increase again.

This path of death must be rejected by autoworkers throughout the industry with a strike that prevents their return to work, demanding full payment of their salaries while isolation is necessary. All the costs must be paid out of the profits accumulated by the automakers, and not with layoffs or overtime work.

This policy can only be advanced through the formation of rank-and-file committees that are independent of the unions. These committees should appeal to every section of the working class for a general strike to stop the pandemic, closing every non-essential activity and guaranteeing full income for all working families.
Columbia Borough has received confirmation that Matthew Grabs complaint, filed in April 2020, alleging excessive force against the Borough, Chief Jack Brommer and Officers James Jacobs and Brett Keyser has been voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff and that dismissal has been confirmed by the U.S. District Court. The voluntary withdrawal of all claims thoroughly vindicates the position of the Borough that its officers acted professionally and appropriately at all times.

On April 18, 2020, officers from the Columbia Borough Police were asked to assist a state parole agent in the 100 blk. of N. 6th St. Upon the officers arrival, Grab attempted to flee, but was taken into custody after a brief foot chase. It was then discovered that Grab was hiding a bag of cocaine in his underwear, according to court records. Grab (39), a Columbia resident, was charged with one count of Possession with Intent to Deliver Cocaine. He was later taken to Lancaster County Prison by State Parole.

Our entire police department takes its role in serving and protecting our community with great responsibility. Just as concluded, we were confident that the facts of this circumstance would result in dismissal of the lawsuit and we want to thank the U.S. District Court for their due diligence in this process, stated Chief Jack Brommer of Columbia Borough Police.

Case Information: US District Court for Easter District of Pennsylvania, 5:20-cv-01815-EGS Document 46 Filed 03/24/21

###

About Columbia Borough Police

Under the direction of Chief Jack Brommer, the police department employs 18 full-time officers, 3 part-time officers and 3 full-time support staff. The department is responsible for a jurisdiction covering 2 square miles and containing a population of approximately 10,500. http://www.columbiapd.org
Chinese Ambassador H.E. Hu Zhangliang

AYV CEO Anthony Navo

FM 98.1 Station Manager Asmaa James

Time: 10 am, March 30th, 2021

1

Mr. Navo: Good morning Your Excellency Ambassador. Today, Myself Ambassador Anthony Navo Junior, CEO of the AYV Media Empire, together with Madam Asmaa James, who is also the Station Manager FM 98.1. We are jointly conducting a dialogue on China's development and China-Sierra Leone Friendship. Myself and Madame Asmaa James will be asking a few questions for you. I hope you don't mind. Thank you for joining us Ambassador.

Ambassador Hu: Good morning Anthony and Asmaa. It's my pleasure to join this dialogue. I wish this dialogue will help our Sierra Leonean friends better know the facts of China's development and China-Sierra Leone friendship.

Mr. Navo: Thank you Ambassador. We know that recently, China's "Two Sessions"(the Fourth Session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) and the Fourth Session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)) concluded successfully. Could you take us through on the "Two Sessions"?

Ambassador Hu: Yes, you are right. The "Two Sessions" you mentioned are major events in China's political life. Every year, the "Two Sessions" will review and adopt important policy decisions on the political, economic, social and cultural development of China. This year, the "Two Sessions" were held earlier this month.

Mr. Navo: Ok, thank you. What are the important outcomes of this year's "Two Sessions", Ambassador?

Ambassador Hu: You know that this year is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), so it's a year of great significance. It is also the first year for China to implement the building of a modern socialist country in all respects.

This year's "Two Sessions" fully recognized the historic achievements made by the Chinese government and people under the staunch leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.

Mr. Navo: Thank you, Ambassador. Did the "Two Sessions" set out any development plan for the year of 2021?

Ambassador Hu: The "Two Sessions" this year reviewed and adopted the Report on the Work of the Government made by H.E. Premier Li Keqiang, adopted the Report on the Work of the Standing Committee of NPC, the Report on the Work of the Standing Committee of Committee of CPPCC. It also adopted the Outline for the 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035. Also, the "Two Sessions" approved the NPC's Decision on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

It also reviewed and adopted the National Budgetary Report as well as other issues. All items on the agenda of the "Two Sessions" were completed successfully, laying a solid foundation for China's development in the new era.

You mentioned what are the targets for China's development in 2021. Here I can give you some highlights. Our target is that in 2021, the GDP will grow above 6 percent. We are going to create over 11 million new urban jobs. We will control the surveyed urban unemployment rate at around 5.5 percent. We are going to ensure that the grain output will stand at 650 million tones. And we will keep the CPI increase at around 3 percent. We're also going to improve China's foreign trade, balance of payments, personal income, environment protection, scientific and technological R&D and food security.

Those are the major targets. We foresee another year of rapid progress for China although not without challenges.

Recently, a report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) projected that China's economic growth in 2021 will be at about 8.1%, above what we set for the development goal in our government report. It reflects the international community's confidence in China's economic development.

Mr. Navo: Thank you very much, Ambassador.

2

Ms. James: Thank you Mr. Navo. Ambassador, I've been listening to you, you mentioned that the "Two Sessions adopted "the Outline for the 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035. And we all know that China did exceptionally well in terms of development. Could you please tell us what kind of development achievements China has made in the period of the "13th Five-Year Plan"?

Ambassador Hu: Since 1953, China has been formulating and implementing five year development plans. It is one of the important measures to achieve desired, fast and sustained national development.

During the "13th Five-Year" plan period from 2016 to 2020, China made great achievements in socioeconomic development. The GDP reached 101trillion RMB, which is over 15 trillion U.S. dollars. Now China's GDP accounts for 17% of the world's total. China succeeded, during the "13th Five-Year" period, in eradicating abject poverty, achieving the UN SDG on poverty reduction 10 years ahead of schedule. China's annual grain output remained above 650 million tonnes for five consecutive years, which ensured China's food security and self-sufficiency. China succeeded in building the largest social security network in the world. The basic medical insurance covered 1.3 billion people and the basic old-age insurance covered nearly 1 billion people. The development or advancement in science and technology also achieved great breakthroughs. Those are the major achievements during the "13th Five-Year" plan period.

Ms. James: How about the development achievements for the year of 2020? Can you give us more details?

Ambassador Hu: In the year of 2020, the whole world was severely taken by the COVID-19 pandemic. China is the same. And we are also facing a deep global economic recession. The Chinese people, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with H.E. General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, reacted with firm resolve and profound tenacity. China achieved major strategic success in containing COVID-19 and China was the world's only major economy which achieved positive GDP growth (2.3 percent). The registered urban unemployment rate dropped to 5.2%. China attained a complete victory in the fight against poverty. New strides were made in China's opening up to the outside world, for instance, the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement. This agreement will create the largest free trade area in the world, in which China played an important role. In 2020, a stream of scientific and technological breakthroughs were also made, for instance, the explorations of the Mars, of the moon and of the deep-sea etc..

H.E. President Xi Jinping and other state leaders hosted or attended several major diplomatic events, including the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19. China has been very firm in upholding the UN centered international system, safeguarding multilateralism, and promoting international anti-COVID-19 pandemic cooperation. China was actively promoting and advocating for the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and a community of health for all.

Ms. James: Wow, that's impressive. Ambassador, China's contribution to world peace and development are obvious. And China's foreign policy meets the expectations of the world especially of the developing countries. What is China's target for the "14th Five-Year (2021-2025)" period?

Ambassador Hu: During the 14th Five-Year Plan period from 2021-2025, China will follow the new development philosophy and formulate a new development paradigm to firmly advance high-quality development. In the 14th Five-Year Plan period, our target is to achieve high-quality development. The major targets will be the following: new strides in economic development, new steps in reform and opening up, new enhancement in social etiquette and civility, new progress in building an ecological civilization, new level in the well-being of the people and new advancement in governance capacity. In short, we are going to achieve a development that is more innovative, more coordinated, more open, greener and more inclusive. This will lay a solid foundation for China to basically achieve socialist modernization by the year 2035.

China will create more cooperation opportunities for countries around the world. As you know, now every year, China imports about 2 trillion USD of goods and services, which means in the next five years, China will import more than 10 trillion USD of goods and services, which is a huge opportunity for all over the world.

Ms. James: Thank you very much, Ambassador.

3

Mr. Navo: Ambassador, let me draw you a little bit with the issue of Hong Kong. You know, as a CEO of a media company and also an international business person, I visited Hong Kong many times as well as China. Ambassador, I want to draw your attention. We have been noticing that some western media like BBC etc. have been focusing on the Hong Kong related issues for a while. And you also mentioned just now that the National People's Congress of China deliberated and passed the decision on improving the electoral system of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. What is the background for China to do this? What is the significance of improving the electoral system of Hong Kong? Could you please take us to on that as well?

Ambassador Hu: Thank you Anthony. You know Hong Kong is China's territory. China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997. However, since 2019, anti-China rioters in Hong Kong, supported by external anti-China forces, created big chaos and mayhem in Hong Kong, which seriously threatened national interests and Hong Kong SAR's social stability. Those destabilizing forces used the electoral platforms of the Hong Kong SAR or their positions as public servants to blatantly carry out anti-China and destructive activities.

Combined with the impact of COVID-19, it's imperative to take effective measures to forestall sabotaging activities and safeguard Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity. The NPC's decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong SAR is meant to plug up the loopholes in the system, uphold the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and ensure the steady implementation of "One Country, Two Systems".

Hong Kong's transition from chaos to governance is in the interests of all, including the Hong Kong residents and foreign investors. It falls under China's sovereignty and is fully in line with China's Constitution and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to improve the electoral system of Hong Kong.

China refuses to accept the irresponsible remarks and vicious attacks by certain Western countries with regard to this issue.

4

Mr. Navo: Thank you very much, Ambassador. That is clear. Ambassador, I am also very interested in China's experience of poverty alleviation, especially as an African. We know that several decades ago, China was one of the underdeveloped countries. While today, China has grown into the 2nd largest economy in the world. Just now you mentioned China's overall victory in the fight against poverty. What are the specific progress and achievements? That's the one, and secondly, will China continue to carry out poverty alleviation work in the future?

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Ambassador Hu: Yes, you're right that a few decades ago, China was very much underdeveloped, maybe not even comparable to some of African countries at that stage. But now, through the hard work of the Chinese people, we have reached another stage of development.

In February 2021, H.E. President Xi Jinping solemnly declared that China has won a complete success in eliminating poverty. Between 2012 and 2020, all the 98.99 million rural poor people under China's current poverty line had been lifted out of poverty. Over the past 40 years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, China succeeded in lifting out of poverty 850 million. It is a great historic achievement because the Chinese nation had been plagued with poverty for thousands of years. It is also a miracle in the human history in poverty alleviation. The results are not easily won. They are the crystallization of the decades long assiduous work of the whole nation and the sound policies of the Party and Government.

Shaking off poverty is not the finishing line, but the starting point of a new stage. China will continue to solve the problem of unbalanced, inadequate and insufficient development, narrow the gap between urban and rural areas, and realize all-rounded human development and prosperity for everyone. We are moving forward courageously towards the realization of the second centenary goal, that is, by the middle of this century, China will develop into a strong, modern socialist country.

Mr. Navo: Thank you very much, Ambassador.

5

Ms. James: Thank you very much, interesting achievements and comments from the Ambassador there. Ambassador, Africa and China have been good friends and our two sides enjoy cordial relationship for a long time. During the "Two Sessions" this year, both Premier Li Keqiang and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met the press and answered their questions. What message do you think that they brought about China-Africa cooperation?

Ambassador Hu: During the "Two Sessions" this year, Premier Li Keqiang and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with journalists respectively via video link because of the COVID pandemic situation. H.E. Mr. Wang Yi answered questions on China-Africa cooperation. The messages are consistent.

China and Africa are perpetual good friends and good partners. Last year is the 20th anniversary of the founding of FOCAC (the Forum on China Africa Cooperation). Over the past 20 years, China-Africa trade has grown by 20 times. China's foreign direct investment to Africa increased by 100 times. The sister cities between China and Africa now reached 150 pairs. China-Africa cooperation has become a model of South-South cooperation and a fine example of international cooperation with Africa.

Currently, it is a top priority for China-Africa cooperation to fight the pandemic and help Africa bring the economy back on track.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted talks on Thursday with populist politicians from Italy and Poland in a bid to create a new right-wing nationalist political force on the European stage.

The trilateral meeting brought Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Italy's former interior minister Matteo Salvini to Hungary's capital of Budapest, where at a press briefing following the talks, the politicians vowed to continue their cooperation in pursuit of what Orban called a "European renaissance."

The mini-summit came exactly two weeks after Orban's ruling Fidesz party finalized a break with its centre-right political family, the European People's Party (EPP), bringing an end to years of conflict over Hungary's adherence to democratic norms and Orban's construction of what he calls an "illiberal democracy."

"The strongest right-wing party to date, the European People's Party, visibly committed itself to working with the European left, so many millions of Europeans have been left unrepresented," Orban said.

His party now without a caucus in the European Parliament, Orban has signalled he hopes to "reorganize the European right wing" and find a home in Brussels for Hungarian lawmakers in alliance with other anti-immigration parties, like those of Salvini and Morawiecki.

Salvini, who shares Orban's firm opposition to immigration, heads Italy's League, the largest member party of the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament.

Salvini noted on Wednesday that if the group were to merge with the eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) - which contains Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party - the formation would be the parliament's second-largest bloc after the powerful EPP.

"We propose ourselves as the historical and founding nucleus of an alternative to this left that calls into question the very roots of Europe, and we do not set limits," Salvini said.

Poland's ruling party shares Fidesz's disaffection with the EU, with both parties arguing Brussels has infringed on their sovereign decisions.

The conflict with the bloc came to a head late last year, when Hungary and Poland vetoed the bloc's seven-year budget and coronavirus recovery package over provisions that tied the payment of EU funds to following the rule of law.

On Thursday, Morawiecki echoed Orban's calls for a European political force that respects national sovereignty and freedom" and defends traditional values.

"Today we can see that Europe is frustrated, that it's being torn by various contradictions and that the European elites in Brussels are trying to present the European Union as a project of these Brussels elitist groups," Morawiecki said.

Orban said the politicians would meet again in May, most likely in Warsaw.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
OTTAWA, ON

April 1, 2021

Canada

Canada's

Canada

Canada

Susan Fitzpatrick

Ontario

Canada

Canada

Fall Economic Statement 2020 outlined the concrete steps the government is taking toward the implementation of national, universal pharmacare.

Budget 2019 provided Health Canada with $35 million over four years, starting in 201920, to establish a Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office to work with provinces, territories, and other partners to develop a vision and mandate for the Canadian Drug Agency.

over four years, starting in 201920, to establish a Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office to work with provinces, territories, and other partners to develop a vision and mandate for the Canadian Drug Agency. To help Canadians with rare diseases access the drugs they need, Budget 2019 invested up to $1 billion over two years, starting in 2022-23, with up to $500 million per year ongoing.

over two years, starting in 2022-23, with up to per year ongoing. As announced on January 27, 2021 , the Government of Canada is engaging provinces, territories, stakeholders, Indigenous partners, and the public on a national strategy for high-cost drugs for rare diseases to improve access to effective treatments.

Susan Fitzpatrick

/CNW/ - Prescription drug prices inare among the highest in the developed world.patchwork of drug coverage leaves many Canadians facing significant barriers to getting the prescription drugs they need. To that end, the Government ofis taking concrete steps to establish the foundational elements of national, universal pharmacare.Today, the Government ofannouncedas the head of the Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office. Ms. Fitzpatrick has extensive experience leading health care organizations in the Province ofand she has guided significant organizational changes to improve the delivery of care.The Transition Office will advance work on pharmacare-related initiatives and provide dedicated leadership and resources to support federal-provincial-territorial discussions. It will also engage provinces, territories and stakeholders in discussions on the creation of a new Canadian Drug Agency.The Transition Office will also work closely with partners to develop a national formularya comprehensive, evidence-based list of prescribed drugs that will support consistent patient access to treatments across the country."Susan has a thorough understanding of the delivery of health services inand she has led significant changes in health organizations, which makes her the ideal candidate to address these complex issues. Having Susan as the head of the Transition Office will support the Government ofin accelerating work to implement national, universal pharmacare."Biography National Strategy for High-Cost Drugs for Rare Diseases Online Engagement National Pharmacare to Make Prescription Drugs More Accessible and Affordable Final Report of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National PharmacareSOURCE Health Canada
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan briefed reporters Friday after a police officer was killed and a second officer was injured when a motorist rammed them with his vehicle near the U.S. Capitol.

Police shot and killed the assailant after he left his vehicle and lunged at police with a knife shortly after 1 p.m., U.S. Capitol Police chief Yogananda D. Pittman told reporters after the incident.

I just ask that the public continue to keep U.S. Capitol police and their families in their prayers Pittman said. This has been an extremely difficult time for U.S. Capitol police after the events of January 6, and the events that occurred here today.

Police said the assailant was not previously known to them. They said his attack doesnt appear to be related to terrorism, but they are still trying to understand its motivation.

Ryan, a Niles-area Democrat who heads the House of Representative appropriations subcommittee that oversees security around the U.S. Capitol, identified the dead U.S. Capitol police officer as William Evans.

We are deeply saddened by his loss and our deepest condolences to him and his colleagues at the United States Capitol Police Department, said Ryan. This is a group of men and women who have been through a significant amount of trauma over the last few months. And today is just another example of what they do every day for us to put their lives on the line and officers across the country.

Ryan said hes not sure if new incident will cause reinstallation of fencing that was removed after it was installed in response to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

I recognize that the fence is a disturbance, said Ryan Its an eyesore. It sucks. Nobody wants that there. But the question is, is the environment safe enough to be able to take it down? And, you know, in the meantime, maybe that fence can prevent some of these things from happening.

A statement from President Joe Biden sent heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans family, and everyone grieving his loss, and expressed gratitude to all who quickly responded to the attack.

Im deeply saddened by the news that a U.S. Capitol police officer has died today as a result of another violent attack on our nations capital, added a statement from Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Our hearts and prayers are with the officers family and friends, as well as the other officer injured in the attack. My office will continue to closely monitor the situation and offer any assistance we can to help keep our law enforcement officials -- and the public they serve -- safe.

A statement from Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman described the incident as heartbreaking.

My prayers are with the officers family, friends, and colleagues on the USCP force, Portman said on Twitter. God bless the US Capitol Police.

Rocky River Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez urged people to pray for the soul of the fallen police office as well as the entire USCP family.

These brave men and women put their lives on the line everyday and they need our support now more than ever, Gonzalez continued on Twitter.

Toledo Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur posted her own statement on Twitter that described the incident as a horrific tragedy and said shes praying for the family of the officer killed in the line of duty and the officer who was injured.

It has been a devastating year for the Capitol Police and those who serve in the Capitol, said Kaptur. They are in my heart today.

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The North Korean works include a picture of nation founder Kim Il-sung and his son Jong-il grinning against a background of a missile launch -- "The Missiles" by Pak Yong-chol -- and another depicting the brutal Kim dynasty in saccharine socialist realist style.

The foundation said Bern is home to the embassies of both North and South Korea and added the exhibition will "unravel the starkly contrasting images of the South and North through art."

Titled "Beyond the Border," the exhibition that opens on April 30 consists of 75 works from both Koreas from the vaults of prominent art collector Uli Sigg (75), who was the Swiss ambassador to North Korea from 1995 to 1998.

The state-funded Korea Foundation is sponsoring an exhibition that includes North Korean propaganda art in Bern, Switzerland.

A foundation staffer Thursday told the Chosun Ilbo, "We decided to sponsor the exhibition after considering its aim and composition. We fully trusted the art gallery to choose the artworks."

It also includes works by Chinese artists showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting a salt field or former Chinese premier Hua Guofeng holding hands with Kim Il-sung during a visit to Pyongyang in 1978.

Conservative critics say that considering North Korean or Chinese propaganda purely as art risks decontextualizing them from the abuses of the regime and the very real threat it poses.

The Korea Foundation last December decided to contribute US$77,000 for the exhibition, and the money will be sent to the organizer by the middle of this month.

"We merely tried to show the difference in the South and North's art and have absolutely no intention of publicizing North Korea," the staffer said. "We promise to pay closer attention to future sponsorship decisions."

The foundation is funded by the Foreign Ministry and this year's annual budget totals W51 billion (US$1=W1,131).
Waymo, the autonomous car unit of Googles parent company, Alphabet, said John Krafcik is stepping down as chief executive after five and a half years at the helm.

In a statement, Waymo said the chief executive duties will be divided between two current company executives  Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov. Ms. Mawakana was Waymos chief operating officer, and Mr. Dolgov was the companys chief technology officer before the promotion.

In a blog post announcing the move, Mr. Krafcik, 59, did not specify a reason for why he was stepping down at this moment other than to say he was pursuing new adventures. Waymo said it was Mr. Krafciks decision and that he plans to remain an adviser to the company.

Mr. Krafcik, a longtime auto industry executive who oversaw Hyundai Motors U.S. operations, joined Waymo in 2015 when it was still part of Google. During his tenure, Google spun out Waymo into a separate subsidiary of Alphabet, and the company raised more than $3 billion from outside investors in a move that signaled a greater independence from its parent company.
On Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson acknowledged that a huge batch of vaccinesenough for 15 million doseshad to be tossed out after it was found to have been contaminated during the production process. Soon afterward, several outlets reported that the company producing the vaccine at that Baltimore facility, Emergent BioSolutions, had been cited multiple times before for quality control issues. The sheer number of doses that were discarded, and the idea of a contamination of a COVID vaccine, has raised plenty of questions.

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To get some idea of just how unusual such a mistake really is, whether there is precedent for such a large error, and how the public should process the news, Slate spoke with Tinglong Dai, an associate professor of operations management at Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Molly Olmstead: How big of a deal is this?

Tinglong Dai: Well, first of all, the situation is a little bit confusing. The original story from the New York Times said 15 million doses had to be thrown away because of some mix-up issue. And then the Washington Post had a report saying that they pretty much mixed up the two different kinds of vaccines, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Thats really bad. But then yesterday, the CEO of Emergent BioSolutions went on CNBC telling people that it wasnt the case that two different kinds of vaccines were mixed up. He used some words like out of spec, although he had never defined what that meant. So I think overall, whats really going on is a very big unknown. Because we didnt get any information from Johnson & Johnson. We didnt get any meaningful information from Emergent.

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What we know is that we have this one large batch of a Johnson & Johnson vaccine: 15 million doses. Thats enough to vaccinate 7 percent of the U.S. adult population. Thats the number to vaccinate the entire state of Maryland, plus West Virginia, plus a few other states. And it had been thrown away. And so the FDA and the Biden administration has asked Johnson & Johnson to step up its supervision of Emergent BioSolutions. And this factory in Baltimore, which hasnt been authorized by the FDA yetits authorization process will be delayed.

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It does not look like its going to change Johnson & Johnsons delivery schedule, which is 100 million doses by the end of May. That seems to be on schedule. So thats what we have learned.

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How unusual is this sort of thing?

Well, its not normal. This is an errorbut this has happened before. I study flu vaccines; this does happen from time to time. Flu vaccine manufacturers want to deliver on time, but the FDA doesnt tell them what to produce until February or March. The production of a flu vaccine takes, like, six months. So sometimes those flu vaccine manufacturers start production even before they learn what to produce. So then what they produce ends up being different from what the FDA asked them to produce, and they have to throw it away. And that happens every couple of years.

The other scenario I can think of is the case of 2004 when there was this factory in the U.K. producing flu vaccines. The inspectors found a serious contamination; they had this bacteria level more than 1,000 times the accepted level. So they shut down the whole factory and destroyed everything. That led to a major shortage of flu vaccines for that year.

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The other major manufacturing error with COVID was from AstraZeneca. You probably recall last November, when AstraZeneca released its clinical trial results, and we found out that due to a manufacturing error, they gave 3,000 patients half doses instead of full doses. So this does happen from time to time. But the 15 million is still a lot. This is a major manufacturing error. This scale is rare.

Do you know how something like this would even happen in this case?

We have no clue. Maybe they got the leveling wrong. Or maybe they didnt train their people enough. Emergent BioSolutions is a small company, and theyre hiring very aggressively. When hiring people, you also have to keep in mind the training and all kinds of regulations and compliance. But we just havent heard any details. So we need them to tell us exactly what happened on the factory floor. Because remember: This happened in February. And now were already in April. That is almost two months. I dont think it takes that long for them to find out. They have cameras. In fact, I wouldnt be surprised if the FDA has all the information already. Im sure they do. So I think they should be really transparent about what really happened.

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This is about the publics trust in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. We talk about how all of the supply will be on schedule. But you also have to remember that demand will also need to be on schedule. When the vaccines are actually released to the public, people should be willing to take the vaccine with confidence. I think that we should be confident, but I think they should help us be more confident.

Are there elements of vaccine production that might make it more prone to errors than other pharmaceutical products?

Well, I think its very different from other pharmaceutical products in that this is given to healthy people, and if you want to give something to hundreds of millions of healthy people, the quality standard has to be higher, because you dont want people to get sick from getting vaccinated. That has happened in the past: Back in 1955, hundreds of people got infected with the polio from the vaccine from contamination in the production process.

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Its many different ingredients, in many steps, and that makes the product very error-prone. But thats also why we have a lot of tests in place. With the flu vaccine, they spend 70 percent of the time just doing quality control tests, and 30 percent producing the vaccine. We have heard from Pfizer that its spending half of the time just running the tests, and the other half of the time doing actual production. Now were talking about giving that to everyone, to allow kids, even infants eventually. This is a huge undertaking. Almost nothing can go wrong. Everything has to be right.

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What is something that you really want people to make sure they understand about this story?

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The bottom line is that this is not unique to Johnson & Johnson. Maybe this factory has a long history of safety violations. [But] all the major brands, all the major vaccine manufacturers, got very bad-looking citations from the FDA, accusing them of violating quality standards, accusing them of not following the factory hygiene standards, etc., etc.

But we should be confident about the end product because of the many tests. It is very unlikely that the quality issues would go undetected before they go to market. It has a lot to do with the processes. Pretty much every factory, before they started producing COVID vaccines, had a serious issue. If you just looked at those results from the FDA, you would think thats a complete failure. And then they have to transform themselves from a failed student to an A student overnight. But thats exactly what has happened. So violations are very common, and contaminating 15 million doses isnt common, but does happen. We should still be comfortable with the results.
[April 02, 2021] Employers Holdings, Inc. Announces Leadership Transition as Katherine H. Antonello Becomes President and Chief Executive Officer

Employers Holdings, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE:EIG) today announced that Katherine H. Antonello has formally taken over the role of President and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") upon the retirement of Douglas D. Dirks on April 1, 2021. The Company had previously announced Ms. Antonello's appointment in November 2020 (which can be referenced here: Katherine Antonello Appointment). Ms. Antonello noted, "I am honored to succeed Doug as CEO and have been working closely with our management team over the past several weeks to ensure that we are in a position to fully capitalize on the post-pandemic economic lift on the horizon. In support of this aticipated recovery, we have continued to pursue and advance the significant investments we have made in delivering a superior customer experience for our agents and insureds."



 2021 EMPLOYERS. All rights reserved. EMPLOYERS and America's small business insurance specialist are registered trademarks of EIG Services, Inc. Employers Holdings, Inc. is a holding company with subsidiaries that are specialty providers of workers' compensation insurance and services focused on select, small businesses engaged in low-to-medium hazard industries. The Company operates throughout the United States, with the exception of four states that are served exclusively by their state funds. Insurance is offered through Employers Insurance Company of Nevada, Employers Compensation Insurance Company, Employers Preferred Insurance Company, Employers Assurance Company and Cerity Insurance Company, all rated A- (Excellent) by the A.M. Best Company. Not all companies do business in all jurisdictions. See www.employers.com and www.cerity.com for coverage availability.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005004/en/

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When McDonnell learned about the opportunity to volunteer at the fairgrounds facility, she said she quickly said yes, not only to help with the effort but because she wanted to set an example for her constituents and the rest of the county.
It was depressing to be in church, said Scales as she talked about the impact. When I go into the fellowship hall to do something, its just absolutely hollow. By now, wed have had Lenten dinners, church womens luncheons. Now, its just dead.
This was during an investigative mission headed by the Senior Divisional Officer for Meme Division on March 28, 2021.

The population of Foe Bakundu, a village in Mbonge Subdivision of the South West Region, have debunked the allegations that has gone viral on social media about the massacre of inhabitants of the village by the Cameroon military. They denied the allegations on Sunday March 28, 2021, during an investigative mission to the said village by the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Meme Division, Ntou'ou Ndong Chamberlin.

According to the spokesman of the village who refused to be named, they have not heard of any body complaining in their village. He said they are only aware of the killing of one "general Spirito" and five other separatist fighters on March 18, 2021 by the Rapid Intervention Battalion BIR, led by Colonel Maidoang Desire. He said effective school resumption has been interrupted by separatist fighters with the population living in fear due to constant kidnappings for ransom.

"The separatist fighters have levied each house depending on their financial strength sums ranging from, FCFA 50,000 to 200,000 monthly. He said there is a lot of harassment and threats," he cried.

The SDO, while presenting himself as the father of the Division, promised the people that schools will open their doors in the village because the future of children will be bleak if they are not educated. He equally promised to hunt the separatist fighters if they do not want to surrender their weapons. After delivering the Head of State's message of peace to the population, the SDO visited the scene where the self-proclaimed "general" was neutralized a fortnight ago and was presented with some items such as the bikes he used in carrying out his evil operations, some mystical equipment, a knife and even military uniforms.

Talking to the press after addressing the population, the SDO revisited the allegations on social media reiterating that after the killing of "general spirito" and his five disciples, only one lady was affected by a stray bullet and was immediately conveyed via an helicopter to a hospital in Douala where she is responding to treatment.

The Meme boss also called on the villagers to make sure they maintain peace and love, and collaborate with the administration and the security forces.
A court in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang on Thursday condemned a 36-year-old man to life in prison for killing his own daughter in 2019.

According to the indictment, Bui Van Hoi, hailing from the northern province of Thai Binh, was granted custody of his daughter, 10-year-old B.T.U.N., after divorcing his wife in February 2018.

Hoi and N. relocated to Da Nang, where he sent the girl to a temple to live there due to his busy work, in the same year.

Later that year, Hoi married South Korean L.J.Y. and asked the temple administrators to allow him to take N. out for staying with him at a hotel.

One time when N. disobeyed Hoi, he slapped the daughter so strongly that she hit the wall and got her forehead bruised.

On the afternoon of February 1, 2019, Hoi yelled at N. as she spilled milk on the bed.

As N. argued back, in his anger, Hoi sat on her lap and used his hands to strangle her.

After a while, Hoi let go of his hands and gave N. 30-40 minutes of artificial respiration, but she did not regain consciousness.

Thinking that N. was dead, the man planned to get rid of her body.

He bought two sacks and rolls of plastic rope and called Y., but the South Korean woman did not answer his call.

When Y. called back late on the evening of the same day, Hoi told her the entire incident and asked the woman to give him money to pay for the hotel room where he and N. were staying and to buy a suitcase to put the girls body into it.

But Y. did not believe Hoi, thinking that the man was scamming her.

At around 10:00 pm on the same night, Hoi placed N.s body in a backpack and carried it to the local Thuan Phuoc Bridge.

On the way, he stopped by a vacant land lot to collect two rocks and put them in the backpack.

Hoi waited until midnight, when the bridge was empty of commuters, and threw the backpack with N.s body in it into the Han River.

On February 25, Hoi went to the police to confess.

Up to date, N.s body has not been found.

At Thursdays court, Hoi admitted his criminal act, saying that he felt extremely regretful and guilty and was willing to receive all forms of punishment for his crime.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Mumbai: Actor Alia Bhatt revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday (April 2). The Raazi actress also added that she is currently under home quarantine.

The 28-year-old actor took to Instagram and posted a short note, informing her fans that she is currently following all the safety protocols listed by her doctors.

"I have tested positive for COVID-19. I have immediately isolated myself and will be under home quarantine. I am following all safety protocols under the advice of my doctors. Grateful for all your love and support. Please stay safe and take care," the Kalank actor wrote.



Earlier in March, film director Bhansali had tested positive for the COVID-19 and recovered in a few weeks. Additionally, Alia Bhatt's boyfriend, actor Ranbir Kapoor, was also tested positive of COVID-19 last month. Following which, earlier, Alia had revealed in an Instagram story itself that she was in isolation for a few days and had tested negative.

"I've been reading all your messages of concern and care. I have tested negative for COVID-19 and after isolating and speaking with my doctors, I am back to work from today. Thank you for all your good wishes. I am taking care and staying safe. You please do the same," Alia had posted on March 11.

On Thursday, Mumbai reported at least 8,600 new coronavirus cases, its highest one-day rise since the outbreak of the pandemic. The city's overall caseload tally has reached 4,23,360.

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National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on Wednesday announced the expansion of its regular flight schedules from Vietnamese airports to destinations in Japan, South Korea, and Australia over the next three months.

Specifically, an increase in regular flights from Hanois Noi Bai International Airport to Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan; Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea; and Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia; as well as departures from Ho Chi Minh Citys Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Sydney Airport, was announced.

In April, Vietnam Airlines flights to Seoul will depart Hanoi every Thursday, while flights to Tokyo will leave Hanoi on April 3, 8, 11, 16, 23, 27, and 29.

That schedule will expand to every Thursday and Saturday in May and June.

Meanwhile, services to Sydney will depart from Hanoi every Saturday and from Ho Chi Minh City every Thursday and Sunday.

According to Vietnam Airlines, these flights will only serve Vietnamese who leave the country to resume study or work abroad, as well as citizens visiting family members outside of the country who fulfill the entrance criteria of their destination.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese citizens looking to repatriate and experts with job duties in Vietnam can sign up for Vietnam Airlines repatriation flights and expert-exclusive flights, respectively, as commercial flights into Vietnam remain shuttered.

The flag carrier is also eyeing the launch of flight packages which include airfares and quarantine fees for passengers from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The plan, however, must receive approval from relevant authorities before it is implemented.

Earlier, a Vietnam Airlines representative said the carrier is on track to launch regular direct flights to the United States.

Vietnam has closed its borders to inbound commercial flights since March last year in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Since then, only Vietnamese repatriates, diplomats, foreign experts, and highly-skilled workers have been admitted into the country under stringent requirements, while outbound commercial flights are maintained only in limited frequency.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Ameren Illinois will continue work this month to advance the environmental remediation of a former manufactured gas plant in Jacksonville.

Site preparation activities are anticipated this month with the remediation activities to follow, according to the utility.

Ameren enrolled the site at 101 and 221 Anna St. in the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Site Remediation Program, a voluntary cleanup program administered by the state EPA.

Materials Ameren will be removing from the ground at the site has been impacting the soil for more than 100 years and doesnt move quickly, according to Ameren, but the goal is to clean the sites before they become a potential issue for nearby residents.

So far 43 of Amerens 55 remediation sites have been completed.

Work will happen between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend work.

Construction at the Jacksonville MGP site began in 1856, and production of manufactured gas began around 1858.

Gas production at the site ceased around 1932.

After manufactured gas production ceased, Illinois Power used the property as a natural gas storage facility. Demolition of the MGP facilities was completed in the mid-1960s.

The planned remediation was developed based on results of site investigations.

Amerens goal for the site and its surrounding area is to restore it to a condition considered acceptable by the states environmental standards.

The plan for meeting the environmental standards, which will be performed in cooperation with the Illinois EPA, includes techniques to stabilize the hazardous materials and the excavation of impacted soil.

Dave Palmer, manager of remediation projects for Ameren, said the entire layout includes five parcels, three of them on the north side of Anna St.

He said the remediation work should be done by the end of the year.

Residents near the site can expect truck traffic and construction noise such as hammering, heavy equipment engines and trucks. Some vegetation also will be cleared.

The benefits are a cleaner environment, and were hoping there will be some kind of beneficial reuse of the property when were done, Palmer said.

The goal is to make sure chemicals are removed and there are no additional hazards, Palmer said.

Jacksonville is specifically important in that we started this remediation effort 11 years ago now and we hate to have any work not completed, so it will be good to get this wrapped up for the city and for us, he said.
NEW DELHI: Actress Dia Mirza, who tied the knot with Mumbai-based businessman Vaibhav Rekhi in an intimate ceremony in February on Thursday (April 1), is expecting her first child. The actress took to Instagram and shared the update with her fans with a beautiful note. She also shared a picture of herself from the Maldives, cradling her baby bump.

"Blessed to be...One with Mother Earth... One with the Life Force that is the beginning of everything...Of all stories. Lullabies. Songs.Of new saplings. And the blossoming of hope. Blessed to cradle this purest of all dreams in my womb Photo by @vaibh_r #SunsetKeDiVaNe," the actress wrote while flaunting her baby bump in a printed red outfit.

Dia, Vaibhav and Samaira have been on a holiday in the Maldives since the end of March.

The post has since then received more than 4.71 lakh likes. Meanwhile, scores of Dia's fellow celebrities and fans flooded the comments section with congratulatory messages. Karisma Kapoor was one of the celebrities to congratulate Dia on the pregnancy announcement. She commented, "Congratulations Diya @diamirzaofficial" while Jacqueline Fernandez also congratulated the couple and wrote, "so happy for you!!!".

Other celebrities including Malaika Arora, Aditi Rao Hydari, Vikrant Messy and more wished the to-be-mom.

Dia Mirza got married to businessman Vaibhav Rekhi on February 16, this year in an intimate ceremony held at Bell Air Apartments in Bandra West. This is the second marriage for both of them. Dia was earlier married to film producer Sahil Sangha.

The couple parted ways back in 2019, after being together for 11 years. She had been rumoured to be in a relationship with Vaibhav for quite some time, but they never spoke about it publicly.

The actress was last seen in a supporting role in Anubhav Sinha's 2020 released 'Thappad'. Her next film, an action-thriller venture 'Wild Dog', released theatrically on April 2, 2021.
In spite of their public anguish over drive-thru voting, expanded early voting and efforts to allow more people to vote by mail, Texas Republicans were happy with the results of the states 2020 elections.

They held steady in the Texas House, with 83 of 150 seats both before and after the election. They lost a seat in the Texas Senate, one that they were lucky to have won in the first place, but still have the majority there, too. And they won all of the statewide races, continuing a streak that is now more than a quarter of a century long. Donald Trump won in Texas, too; the streak of Republican wins in that category extends all the way back to Ronald Reagans 1980 victory. And they did it all with the kind of high turnout they had feared would favor Democratic candidates.

RELATED: Texas Senate advances bill limiting how and when voters can cast ballots, receive mail-in voting

Even so, the partys legislators are working hard to make voting in Texas more difficult. Legislation approved by Senate Republicans over the unanimous objection of Senate Democrats in the wee, small hours of Thursday morning would prohibit drive-thru voting, make it illegal for election officials to send vote-by-mail applications unless people ask for them and block the kind of 24-hour early voting offered in Harris County last year. It would prohibit voting in tents and other temporary structures. It allows poll watchers  usually people brought in by the political parties  more freedom at polling and vote-counting locations.

Whats to worry about? They got the results they wanted.

Its the 2018 election that alarmed the states majority party. The legislation theyre pushing would arguably tilt the table their way in the 2022 elections that are up next.

Those two non-presidential election cycles are when most of the statewide seats in Texas are on the ballot  and where a number of the this-is-supposed-to-be-a-layup contests turned into close calls.

The promoters of the new law say they want to protect election integrity, a premise with two problems. First, they havent produced evidence of widespread or election-changing voter fraud in Texas elections. Second, though the idea is popular with Republican voters, recent polling finds Texans suspicious about voting practices elsewhere, but not in Texas.

READ MORE: Texas Senate approves bill to stop social media companies from blocking political views

In the February University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, 52% of Texas voters said they think the official U.S. election results are accurate  a number that included 89% of Democrats and just 23% of Republicans. But when asked about Texas elections, 78% said they think the results are accurate, including 88% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans. Only 40% wanted election laws left alone, but the proponents of change were not in agreement: 46% of Republicans think they should be stricter, while 50% of Democrats would make the laws less strict.

Turnout is almost always higher in presidential elections. Months of national attention and advertising and the general din all raise voter engagement. A race for governor or lieutenant governor just doesnt do that, although the pitched battle between U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and then-Rep. Beto ORourke in 2018 raised turnout to near-presidential levels.

The big swing in the 2018 election was down the ballot, where Democrats won a dozen House seats and two Senate seats that had been held by Republicans.

The statewide races all went to the Republicans. But Cruz, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller all won close races  each within 5 percentage points of their Democratic foe. Four years earlier, Patrick won by 19.7 percentage points; Paxton and Miller each won by more than 20 percentage points.

Some might attribute the shift to national politics: When a Democratic administration was in power in Washington D.C., Republicans in Texas did well; when a Republican was in the White House, Democrats did better. But turnout was dramatically different in those two elections, too, raising Democratic hopes and Republican fears of a change in the Texas electorate.

In 2014  the year all of the statewide Republicans were winning so easily  33.7% of the states registered voters turned out. In 2018, when the margins were so thin and Republican legislative strength waned, 53% turned out.

They apparently liked 2014 better.

Editor's note: If you'd like an email notice whenever we publish Ross Ramsey's column, click here.

If you would like to listen to the column, just click on the play button below.

(Audio unavailable. Click here to listen on texastribune.org.)

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Dear Mr. President:

In October of last year, I wrote an open letter to you published by the Chosun Ilbo in which I appealed for urgent help to save the lives of North Korean women, men and children currently detained in Chinese detention centers. I appealed to you to do something that every previous South Korean president including Kim Dae-jung has done since the North Korean refugee crisis began -- save Koreans from certain torture and imprisonment and possible death. I pointed out that it was a "golden opportunity" for you to do this because North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's fear of COVID-19 had led the regime to close its borders and refuse to take back North Koreans that China wants to forcefully repatriate.

This was an opportunity for you to ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to show humanitarian compassion and allow them safe passage to South Korea, thus relieving the burden on China.

But you did nothing. That appeal was followed by a letter sent to you on Nov. 2, 2020 by 20 former U.S. government officials representing every U.S. presidency since Richard Nixon, who wrote, "We urge your administration to seize the moment to reach out to the People's Republic of China, as South Korean administrations have quietly and very successfully done in the past, to ask for humanitarian consideration for the North Korean women, men, and children currently detained in [China] and request they be allowed safe passage to the [South] Korea or a third country."

In the belief that you would do the right thing, that letter was not released publicly. But again you did nothing.

Today I learned that two young Korean women held in Chinese detention centers since September 2020, have been released -- not to South Korean authorities, which they had requested, but to their abusers. The Chinese police gave these victims of human trafficking back into the hands of the Chinese men who had bought them. Because of your inaction, they were returned to their slave masters.

You turned your back on these two women and hundreds of others, but it is not too late. Among those still in detention are Christians and those trying to reunite with their families in South Korea, two crimes that are punishable by death in North Korea. They face execution if Chinese authorities force them back to North Korea.

I understand that you are a Catholic. If you will not consider these requests for help, would you at least consider Proverbs 24:11-12? It calls on you to "deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain," and warns that "if thou sayest, behold, we knew it not," God will "render to every man according to his works."

As I wrote before, it was because of action taken on behalf of your own family that you had the great good fortune to choose your own path and thrive in South Korea, and even to become its president. Now you are the person with the most authority in the world to act to protect the lives of these refugees and enable them to have the same opportunities.

There is still time. Please act. You know full well that your country has plenty of room to accommodate these women, men and children.


Johannesburg  AN energy executive has called for urgent international support for Mozambique to combat terror in the northern Cabo Delgado region.

The call by NJ Ayuk, executive chairman of the African Energy Chamber, comes amid the worsening conflict.

"The terror attacks on Palma are not simply targets of opportunity. They are strategic targets," Ayuk said.

"The goal is to destroy Mozambique's government's ability to produce, export gas, fight poverty, create jobs and to make it clear that the government cannot protect oil company personnel or assets."

Ayuk said the international community was realising that the issue of terrorism is not only a Mozambique problem but a global problem.

"A swift and coordinated global response is needed to confront this band of terrorists, whose only goal is to inflict pain and poverty into a population that is already in distress," he added.

The terror in Mozambique is blamed on Islamists.

It is believed they are opposed to the presence of foreign companies in the resources-rich Cabo Delgado.

More than 2 000 people have been killed since 2017.
All Ireland Senior Fiddle Champion, Lisa Ward from Aghacashel announced the release of her second solo fiddle album Utopia on Thursday, March 25.

The title track Utopia is Lisa's own composition. Following up from her debut album Black Swan, Utopia features a number of never before recorded tunes, and several Leitrim compositions including those by Liddy & Lennon.

An unaccompanied fiddle album, Utopia was also recorded and mastered in County Leitrim.

As so many musicians are missing out on their weekly music lessons. Lisa compiled a downloadable tune book to accompany the album.

Musicians can listen to the CD and have the sheet music for each tune readily available. They can learn the tunes at their own pace and in their own time, without committing to a weekly zoom lesson.

The past year has really highlighted the importance of music in our lives. It has the power to transport the listener and the performer to an idyllic world ~ utopia.

For more information and to purchase a hardcopy of Lisa's album you can visit her website: www.lisawardmusic.com or email lisawardmusic@gmail.com




Developed to support efficient deployments in what will be the key spectrum for the next-generation network, helping operators minimise hardware needs and simplify rollouts, Samsung has introduced technology designed to double bandwidth support of its mid-band 5G portfolio.

The new technology expands bandwidth support for its next-generation radios, including Massive MIMO radios, and are designed to help operators drive more flexible and cost-effective 5G deployments. With this new technology, Samsung says that it will extend the bandwidth support of its 5G radios to 400MHz, double the 200MHz supported by its current commercial radios.



With wider bandwidth support, Samsung says that its radios will help operators maximise the utility of their mid-band spectrum for 5G networks, while using less hardware. In addition the new technology has also been designed to help operators reduce the number of radios required when managing spectrum in various deployment scenarios. This includes when an operator owns non-contiguous frequencies within 400MHz of bandwidth. Operators can also use this solution for radio access network (RAN) sharing, where they actively share network infrastructures with other operators through joint deployments.



We are proud to develop new solutions that can help operators drive deployment efficiency by minimising hardware changes and reducing installation costseven as they expand their spectrum range, said Dong Geun Lee, vice president and head of H/W R&D group, networks Business at Samsung Electronics. Through our technical expertise and industry-leading 5G capabilities, were excited to continue delivering innovative 5G solutions that will bring more benefits to operators and their customers.



Samsungs new wideband solutions, including Massive MIMO radios, will be commercially available in early 2022. The new launch is Samsungs second mid-band introduction in a matter of weeks, following the introduction of the Mobility Enhancer AI-based technology which is designed to improve beamforming performance in its Massive MIMO radios. This is attributed with the ability to increase throughput by up to 30% in mobility environments.
Nigers new president Mohamed Bazoum lashed out on Friday at jihadists who have carried out devastating attacks on his country, accusing them of war crimes after he took the helm of the troubled nation.

The inauguration marked the first-ever transition between elected presidents in Nigers six decades of independence from France  a historic moment that has been widely praised.

But the Sahel countrys problems were deeply underscored in the run-up to Fridays ceremony, after a string of jihadist massacres and an alleged attempted coup just two days before the handover.

Bazoum hit out at terrorist groups whose barbarity has exceeded every limit.

These groups carry out large-scale massacres of innocent civilians, and in doing so, commit real war crimes, Bazoum declared.

Niger is being hit by insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda or the so-called Islamic State (IS), crossing from Mali and Burkina Faso in the west, and by Boko Haram, crossing from Nigeria in the southeast.

Thousands of people have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

Since the start of this year alone, more than 300 people have been killed in three attacks in the west.

In its campaign to roll back the threat, Nigers diplomatic efforts will be centred on Mali, Bazoum said.

IS-linked insurgents are based in Menaka and Gao, in eastern and central Mali respectively, said Bazoum.

Combatting them will be very difficult so long as the Malian state does not exercise full sovereignty over these regions, he said.

The current situation in Mali has a direct impact on domestic security in our country.

Bazoum has previously ruled out any talks with the jihadists.

We cannot envisage any dialogue of any kind so long as there is a single Nigerien jihadist chief, a single jihadist base on our territory, he said in a recent interview with the French media channels RFI and France 24.

 Attempted coup 

Bazoum, 61, is a former interior minister and right-hand man of outgoing president Mahamadou Issoufou, 68, who has voluntarily stepped down after two five-year terms.

Bazoum won a runoff vote for the presidency in February with 55.6 percent of the ballot, according to official results contested by his opponent, Mahamane Ousmane.

His inauguration has been showcased as a democratic watershed in a country that has suffered four coups in its history, most recently in February 2010.

Reminders of that volatility came in the early hours of Wednesday, when gunfire broke out near the presidency in the capital Niamey.

The government announced an attempted coup had been thwarted  a cowardly and regressive act which sought to threaten democracy and the state of law.

The alleged coup leader is an air force officer in charge of security at Niameys air base and is being actively sought, a source within Nigers security services told AFP on Wednesday.

Another security source said a few members of the army had been behind the coup but had been prevented from approaching the presidential palace by the elite Presidential Guard.

Some arrests were made, the source said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was among worried foreign leaders, calling on the armed forces to strictly abide by their constitutional obligations.

In addition to insecurity, Bazoum is tasked with easing poverty in a country ranked the poorest country in the world, according to the benchmark of the UNs 189-nation Human Development Index (HDI).
In United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Number 6, addresses the need for access to clean water and sanitation for all. In the worldwide situation, one in three people do not have access to safe drinking water, and two out of five do not have basic hand-washing facilities with soap and water.

Water quality also address to elements dissolved. In the case of fluoride, controlled amount are recommended for protect tooth, e.g. included in toothpaste. Higher levels can cause fluorosis, interfere in tooth enamel formation, correct growth of the bones, and cause crippling deformities of the spine and joints. The incidence of higher concentrations of fluoride in water is higher in rural areas without access to an appropriate water network.

Fluoride in water sources has a geogenic origin instead of anthropogenic, the fluoride concentration in water is determined by geological formations in riverbeds. This, making the fluoride distribution inhomogeneous in the affected regions, finding water sources with safe and unsafe fluoride levels in a close distance. In this case, the fluoride problem could be solved by the local population provided with specific equipment to detect the levels of fluoride in the water and help them to consume safe water.

The equipment cost for fluoride detection is moderate to high, and requires training to be used effectively. This cost is not affordable for the populations in rural areas. For these reasons, the group led by Professor Mutsumi Kimura and Dr. Eugenio Otal from Shinshu University decided to develop an affordable portable equipment which can detect fluoride in a simple manner at low costs, which was recently published in Chemistry - A European Journal. The cost of the developed tech-demo is about US$23, but this price can be reduced to less than the half if production is scaled up. The main cost is related to electronics which is useful for many determinations.

Lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer a good platform for fluoride sensing due to their high affinity by fluoride and intense emission in the visible spectrum. The strong affinity of lanthanides by fluorides transforms the MOFs into the corresponding fluorides, quenching the lanthanide fluorescence. This intensity change can be used to determine the fluoride level in drinking water. Researchers at Shinshu University chose cotton as a substrate for their hydrophilic nature, allowing a good synergy with the porous MOFs and a good control over the amount of liquid sample introduced in the device, making the results reproducible and simplifying the previous systems used.

These innovations are compatible with the group's previous developments, which were published in ACS-Sensors in January of this year. In this previous article, they present the electronic platform based on an Arduino microcontroller, which uses a smartphone as a power source and data acquisition platform. This innovation eliminates the battery and screen, reducing the costs and allowing to transfer the fluoride quantification information directly to the smartphone. The Arduino code used in the device can be also modified according to the requirements of the local population.

To transfer the information, a friendly graphical interface was developed (https:/ / hello. fridie. de/ zensorics-app/ ), it collects the fluoride quantification data, the time, date, and position from the smartphone GPS and transfer them via email, SMS, WhatsApp or any instant messaging service to be included in a safe-water map to be shared with the rest of the local population.

This novel system accomplishes the 4.0 Industry concepts, it is 3D printable, Arduino programmable, open-source, and the device can be produced locally and distributed. All this innovation produced a low-cost device which can be easily operated by non-trained users.

Many times, science and technology are dissociated, but represents two aspects of the same search. Science provides intellectual satisfaction, feeds our curiosity, while technology provides the ability to implement science to achieve comfort, and health, among other things. The research group used both to find new ways to reduce the impact of fluorosis in areas without access to safe water, like synchrotron measurements, to understand the basics phenomena in the material and helped them to design a more sensitive and reliable sensing device. To the device development also contributed, Hideki Tanaka (Shinshu University), Manuela L. Kim (Shinshu University), Juan P. Hinestroza (Cornell University).

The next step is to implement a MOF with even better performance. The actual system uses a UV LED for excitation of the lanthanide MOF and detects the green emission. First author Eugenio Otal states, "we developed a modification of this MOF which can be excited with visible light and the signal will be detected in the Infrared. This innovation could reduce the cost of the electronics and use cheaper and more sensitive detectors in the infrared region of electromagnetic spectra."

Their final goal is to develop a portable device for water quality using the same concepts they used here, making it modular according to the requirements of each region and make their contribution to the Goal 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all a reality, with a portable and affordable device.

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The Section for the Investigation of Judicial Crimes (SIIJ) did not meet the deadline set by the Supreme Court, respectively April 1, for solving the case in which former chief of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi is being investigated for abuse of office, bribery and false testimony over the extradition to Romania of former director of the bankrupt National Investment Fund (FNI) Nicolae Popa.

On January 27, a judge with the High Court granted SIIJ prosecutor Adina Florea investigating this case the deadline of April 1 to complete the investigation, with two options, either send Kovesi to court or remove her from under criminal investigation and file the case, agerpres.ro confirms.

In response to AGERPRES' request, the Special Section conveyed on Friday, through the Press Office of the General Prosecutor's Office, that "no solution had been adopted in Laura Kovesi's case".

In practice, the Special Section did not enforce a final decision of the Supreme Court.

Recently, the Prosecutors' Section of the Superior Council of Magistrates (CSM) notified the Judicial Inspection so that investigations be conducted into how Adina Florea ordered judicial control in the case of Laura Kovesi. Adina Florea was proposed by former Minister of Justice Tudorel Toader as head of the DNA, in lieu of Laura Kovesi, removed from office. However, President Klaus Iohannis rejected the appointment of Adina Florea at the head of the DNA, and she applied for a position in the Special Section.
The campaign against open defecation has taken a new dimension in two Bauchi local government areas: Ganjuwa and Toro local councils, which have formally enacted by-laws making it an offence for any of the residents to defecate in any open space.

Under the law, which came into effect this week, any person who defecates openly would be jailed for two months or pay a fine of N10, 000. The law also imposes a N20, 000 fine or three months imprisonment for any person or group of persons that constructs a toilet other than pit latrine or water closet.

Signing the by-law at the palace of the District Head of Ganjuwa, the Chairman of Ganjuwa Local Government, Baba Gidado, said that health personnel and traditional rulers in the area would, however, continue to educate the public on the dangers of open defecation.

The District Head of Ganjuwa, Ahmed Baba Gidado, said traditional and religious leaders of the community have already been sensitised on the danger of indiscriminate defecation and the health hazards associated with it, promising that no human faeces would be found in the area.

Similarly, the Chairman of Toro Local Government Area, Adamu Danyaro Geji, said Toro Community Radio and the information unit of the council would partner with religious and community leaders in ensuring that contents of the enacted by-law are disseminated to enforce compliance.

Although some residents of Toro and Ganjuwa local government areas like Ahmed Usman, a volunteer healthcare worker, who spoke with Arewa Voice, have welcomed the open defecation bye-law they, however, noted that compliance with the law would be difficult because of the seeming urgency in compliance.

Ahmed Usman, a volunteer healthcare worker in Ganjuwa local government area told Arewa Voice that people would need money and time to build pit latrines or modern water closet toilets in their houses, noting that more time should be given to allow residents gather enough money to construct toilets in their homes.

"It (open defecation by-law) is a welcome development. The only challenge here is that there is not enough time to allow people save up money to construct these facilities. You know how difficult it is to get money now. Most of our people are peasant farmers and it is a known fact that there is no way some of them will source this money given the urgency of the by-law.

Although it is true that the authorities have been speaking against the practice of open defecation for a very long time and people have been reluctant to comply, I want to appeal to the authorities for more time to allow people source the money for the construction of the toilets," Usman said.

Speaking with Arewa Voice, a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH, expert, David Ayodele, explained the benefits that come with open defecation free zones, saying that it also attracts international donor support for a community. "The signing of the by-law brings lots of benefits to people of Ganjuwa and Toro local government areas.

If there is compliance with the law, the water system will be safe for consumption because there won't be faecal substances that will be carried around by wind. And you know that our people have this culture of drying most of their food grains and flours in the open air which can be contaminated. When it rains, dry faecal matter is washed into our rivers and streams where some of our communities source their water. And, when children play around, like some that play with sand, they stand the risk of being contaminated with fecal matter because of open defecation.

"This will help to check the spread of water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea and others. Further to this, children that would have been at home because of diarrhoea or dysentery can be learning in their schools because they would be enjoying good health. And lastly, open defecation byelaw is an achievement that attract international donor support," the WASH expert noted.

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Responding to why enough time was not given to allow residents build their toilets, Ayodele said: "This campaign has been on for a long time. Our people were just not ready to comply. Besides, some donor agencies have gone as far as providing WASH facilities in these areas through the Village Savings Loan, VSL, which they channel through some NGOs, so that communities can borrow to construct their toilets."

Findings by Arewa Voice revealed that a validation exercise by UNICEF would be carried out very soon in the two local government areas to scale their compliance with the open defecation by-law which would subsequently qualify them as open defecation free local government area or not.
The NSW road toll for the Easter long weekend has climbed to five after three separate crashes involving vehicles leaving the roadway and crashing into stationary objects, with a young child and a motorcyclist among the victims.

At around 1pm on Saturday a motorcycle slammed into a parked truck on Chicago Avenue in Blacktown.

The rider, a 57-year-old man, died a short time later at Blacktown Hospital.

It came after tragedy struck at Lake Tabourie, south of Ulladulla, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
- By GF Value





The stock of Canadian Solar (NAS:CSIQ, 30-year Financials) shows every sign of being significantly overvalued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $48.51 per share and the market cap of $2.9 billion, Canadian Solar stock is believed to be significantly overvalued. GF Value for Canadian Solar is shown in the chart below.





Canadian Solar Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Significantly Overvalued

Because Canadian Solar is significantly overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be much lower than its future business growth, which averaged 2.3% over the past five years.

Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk.

Investing in companies with poor financial strength has a higher risk of permanent loss of capital. Thus, it is important to carefully review the financial strength of a company before deciding whether to buy its stock. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage is a great starting point for understanding the financial strength of a company. Canadian Solar has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.42, which is worse than 78% of the companies in Semiconductors industry. GuruFocus ranks the overall financial strength of Canadian Solar at 4 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Canadian Solar is poor. This is the debt and cash of Canadian Solar over the past years:

Story continues

Canadian Solar Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Significantly Overvalued

Investing in profitable companies carries less risk, especially in companies that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. Typically, a company with high profit margins offers better performance potential than a company with low profit margins. Canadian Solar has been profitable 8 years over the past 10 years. During the past 12 months, the company had revenues of $3.5 billion and earnings of $2.44 a share. Its operating margin of 6.34% in the middle range of the companies in Semiconductors industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks Canadian Solar's profitability as fair. This is the revenue and net income of Canadian Solar over the past years:

Canadian Solar Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Significantly Overvalued

Growth is probably one of the most important factors in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus' research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long-term performance of a company's stock. If a company's business is growing, the company usually creates value for its shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. Likewise, if a company's revenue and earnings are declining, the value of the company will decrease. Canadian Solar's 3-year average revenue growth rate is in the middle range of the companies in Semiconductors industry. Canadian Solar's 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 16.6%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Semiconductors industry.

One can also evaluate a company's profitability by comparing its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the return on invested capital exceeds the weighted average cost of capital, the company is likely creating value for its shareholders. During the past 12 months, Canadian Solar's ROIC is 5.21 while its WACC came in at 7.32. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Canadian Solar is shown below:

Canadian Solar Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Significantly Overvalued

To conclude, The stock of Canadian Solar (NAS:CSIQ, 30-year Financials) shows every sign of being significantly overvalued. The company's financial condition is poor and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks in the middle range of the companies in Semiconductors industry. To learn more about Canadian Solar stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.

To find out the high quality companies that may deliever above average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


WASHINGTON, D.C., USA  The Biden administration is considering a temporary lift of COVID-19 vaccine patents at the urging of several lawmakers, including Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer.

International humanitarian aid and health organizations in Oregon said the move is necessary to beat the virus globally.

Portland-based Mercy Corps is one of them. Spokesperson Lynn Hector emphasized the pandemic has exacerbated existing problems in less-developed countries.

"Extreme poverty is on the rise for the first time in two decades," Hector explained. "And there has actually been a 40% increase globally in the amount of people who need humanitarian assistance."

Issues such as hunger, civil and external conflict and gender inequality have all worsened, according to Mercy Corps.

Many countries experiencing those problems also do not have the resources to produce and develop their own vaccines against coronavirus.

Hector said despite the U.S. contributing $4 billion to COVAX, an international vaccine aid program, some of the world's poorest countries may not see widespread vaccination until at least 2023.

"Wealthy, high-income countries have purchased the vast majority of vaccine supply," Hector said. "You can bring money to a grocery store, but if the shelves are empty, you're going to leave hungry and empty handed."

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer said leaving underdeveloped nations to fend for themselves is inhumane. He joined several other lawmakers in urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take the issue to the White House.

According to NBC, President Biden is now considering a temporary lift on certain medical patents: the intellectual property rights to the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

This would allow more companies to quickly and cheaply produce effective vaccines in poorer countries, likely saving lives where people have less access to health care.

"This is something every American needs to think about," Blumenauer said. "We've done this in the past with AIDS. We're going to have another pandemic. This is not going to be the last global health challenge we have."

Medical Teams International is another aid organization in the Pacific Northwest feeling the pandemic's impact abroad.

"Felt like all systems go for a whole year now," said president and CEO Martha Newsome.

Her team is helping vaccinate refugees and people in less-developed countries.

"So bit by bit, vaccines are starting to make their way to the poorest nations, but they're behind," Newsome said.

Pharmaceutical companies are against waiving patent protections.

Clete Willems, former deputy director of the National Economic Council, told CNBC lifting the protections would set a dangerous precedent.

The administration needs to steer clear of this trap, which would undermine decades of U.S. policy against forced technology transfer to countries like China and wont directly increase vaccine distribution," Willems said.

However, advocates argue new, more resistant COVID variants could emerge if left unchecked in other countries.

"We're not safe until we're all safe," Newsome said.

"We're only a plane ride away from being reinfected," Blumenauer agreed. "We all have a stake in crushing this virus...Large pharmaceutical companies have benefited from major investments that the United States government has made ... And the more we can cooperate toward global health, the healthier we'll all be."

"The virus itself does not respect borders," Hector said. "We've already seen new strains of the virus...So the longer countries around the world are waiting for vaccines, the longer the virus will spread."
Cornell Faculty, Students Oppose Partnership With CCP-Controlled Peking University

The governing bodies of faculty and undergraduate students at Cornell University have voted against a proposed partnership with Chinas Peking University (PKU), citing the state-run institutions poor record of academic freedom and human rights.

In a 16-39 vote with 20 abstentions, the Cornell Faculty Senate on Wednesday rejected a non-biding resolution endorsing a proposed dual-degree program between Cornell and PKU, one of the 76 top-tier universities directly administered by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

The proposed two-year program, according to the website of Cornells School of Hotel Administration (pdf), would allow graduates to obtain a master of management in hospitality degree from Cornell, and a master of business administration degree from Peking.

Once a hotbed of the nationwide pro-democracy protests in 1989, the PKU is now more than willing to discipline faculty and students whose ideologies are not aligned closely enough with the interests of the Chinese communist regime. In 2019, a campus Marxist society was forced to shut down, with some of its members arrested, after they tried to help factory workers unionize to improve harsh working conditions. The PKU amended its charter following the incident, effectively handing ultimate control over the universitys academic and administrative affairs to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

[If we have] partnerships with organizations and universities under the sway of authoritarian regimes, we risk degrading and compromising the Universitys mission, function [and] reputation, Cornell English professor Joanie Mackowski said at the faculty senate meeting, reported student newspaper The Cornell Daily Sun.

The faculty senate vote came a few days after the Cornell Student Assembly approved a resolution calling on the administrators to uphold ethical guidelines while collaborating with international institutions.

The resolution, which passed in an 18-0 vote with four abstentions, specifically asked Cornell to reconsider the proposed dual-degree program with Peking, highlighting the CCPs suppression of academic freedom and violations of human rights.

Continuing to partner with PKU and other institutions in China normalizes and accepts the genocide that is currently ongoing, Laila Abd Elmagid, the senior who proposed the resolution, told the Cornell Daily Sun.

In January 2021, at the very end of President Donald Trumps first term, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that the CCP is committing crimes against humanity and genocide against the Uyghur population, making the United States the first nation to use those terms to describe the human rights abuses taking place in Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang. The declaration has been affirmed by Pompeos successor, Antony Blinken, as well as the governments of Canada and the Netherlands.

In China, government authorities committed genocide against Uyghurs, who are predominantly Muslim, and crimes against humanity including imprisonment, torture, enforced sterilization, and persecution against Uyghurs and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups, Blinken said Tuesday at the launch of his departments annual report documenting human rights situations around the world.

Neither Cornell nor Peking University responded to a request for comment.
Maybe historians will look back on this as the year of Old Power.

Think about it. Older people, who were some of the first in line for the vaccine shots, are now being celebrated as the leaders of the post-COVID social scene. Good news: I just got vaccinated! tweeted Steve Martin. Bad news: I got it because Im 75.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, 78, is going like a house on fire. A few weeks ago, Congress passed his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. Now hes introducing the world to his $2 trillion infrastructure plan. Second big whopper of an initiative from a guy lots of Americans expected to be sort of mild, like a mellow aging uncle who might own a very nippy German shepherd.

Everything Biden is big! This infrastructure plan is so large its going to require a lot of pondering on the part of serious citizens. Your first question is probably going to be 

What exactly is a trillion?

OK, I know it doesnt come up in your normal check-balancing. A trillion is a thousand billions, and the next thing after that would be a quadrillion, which is 1,000 trillions. A quadrillion is  a lot. If you traveled back in time a quadrillion seconds youd be able to watch the Antarctic ice sheet form. Were talking about 31.7 million years.

The Biden infrastructure plan does not go into quadrillions  some progressives dont think it even goes into enough trillions. (This is not nearly enough, tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.) But still, its a hell of an ambitious enterprise, one that would, as Jim Tankersley reported in the New York Times, overhaul the economy and remake American capitalism.

OK, question two  what exactly is infrastructure? First, we tend to think about roads. Everybody loves roads. Well, maybe not the one theyre planning to run right through your backyard. But the ones you need to get to work, to school, to drive to visit your friends and family. Dwight Eisenhower will always be remembered as the president who gave us the national highway system, and we still look back on him as a good guy. (True, he was also supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe during World War II. Take your pick.)

Will Joe Biden be remembered as the supreme commander of the American Overhaul? Besides fixing up 20,000 miles of roads, he wants to do everything from electrifying yellow school bus fleets to getting rid of lead pipes that taint the water supply to making a $400 billion commitment to helping the elderly and disabled.

A Trojan horse for massive tax hikes and other job-killing left-wing policies, steamed Mitch McConnell, 79. What Mitch hates most is the fact that Biden is actually paying for much of what he wants to spend, through higher taxes on corporations.

The Republican Party used to believe in balanced budgets, but its been awhile. These days a new Republican president, be he George W. Bush or Donald Trump, starts off with a sweeping tax cut that leaves the government sloshing in the red. Ronald Reagan theorized that if he cut taxes, Congress would automatically cut spending to match the new bottom line. He called it starving the beast, although not a single beast even suffered a serious burp.

Starve didnt work, no, said Eric Toder of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. And by the time Clinton became president, he was really hemmed in.

So, expect resistance from the Republicans on those tax hikes. But theres a whole lot of other stuff that theyre going to find very attractive. Its hard to imagine politicians throwing their bodies in front of a plan thats going to fix their downtown bridge and get broadband service out to the folks in remote areas.

One of the many wonderful things about Bidens proposal is the way it differs from Donald Trumps. Remember the first Trump Infrastructure Week? He couldnt quite figure out what to put in the package, so he started out with a call to privatize the air traffic control system.

Didnt work out, although Trump still really loved talking about infrastructure. And having Weeks! Like American Dream Week, which he celebrated with a call for a 50 percent cut in legal immigration.

In the end, that Infrastructure Week was a bust for highways and trains and such. But Trump figured he was a huge success, since he counted all his spending on the Mexico wall as infrastructure.

Then, in 2019, Trump scheduled an infrastructure meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. They were invited to discuss a $2 trillion plan! Shades of  now. But when the president arrived at the meeting, he refused to shake anyones hand and said he wasnt going to talk about stuff like road repair until the Democrats stopped investigating his relationships with Russia.

Before the Democrats were totally shooed out of the meeting, Trumps staff had set up a lectern with a big new sign saying No Collusion, No Obstruction. Small minds might refer to it as one of his better construction projects.
A 13-year-old boy has been shot and killed by Chicago police, prompting Mayor Lori Lightfoot to call for the release of bodycam footage of the shooting.

Adam Toledo, 13, who dreamed of being a cop when he grew up, died of a gunshot wound to his chest early on Monday, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said.

Police said officers were dispatched to the Little Village neighborhood on the city's West Side shortly after 2am when ShotSpotter technology detected the sound of gunfire in the area.

'Officers observed two subjects in a nearby alley, one subject fled on foot' and the officers began chasing him, department spokesman Tom Ahern said.

The officers chased him into an alley behind Farragut Career Academy High School, where one officer shot him once in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene while another suspect, Ruben Roman, 21, was taken into custody.

Shortly after the shooting, police shared a photo of a handgun recovered at the scene, but the victim's age was not revealed until days later by the Medical Examiners office.

Howard Ludwig, a spokesman for the police department, said investigators are still trying to determine if the teen fired a gun at the officers before he was fatally shot.

Scroll down for video

Adam Toledo, 13, died of a gunshot wound to his chest early on Monday in what Chicago police called an 'armed confrontation'

Chicago Police said an officer was responding to a scene where gunfire had been detected when the officer shot Toledo

The boys mother, Elizabeth Toledo, said he was 'so full of life' as she was surrounded by family

The officers chased him into an alley behind Farragut Career Academy High School, where one officer shot him in the chest

Adam's mother Elizabeth, who lives a mile away from where the shooting took place, said: 'He was so full of life. They just took it away from him.'

Toledo said she last saw her son, who was in seventh grade, on Sunday during a memorial service for a relative who died a few years ago. She said he would sneak out at night while she was asleep.

'I want (to) know what happened,' she said regarding how her son died. 'I just want justice for my son. Thats all.'

She also told the Chicago Sun-Times: 'He wanted to be a cop when he grew up. And next thing you know, a cop took his life.'

Police said the other person who ran from police officers, Roman, of Chicago, was arrested on a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.

Police said a weapon was recovered at the scene after the deadly shooting in the early hours of Monday

Police officers at the schene of the fatal shooting

The shooting took place in an alley west of the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue, near the school

Toledo said she last saw her son, who was in seventh grade, on Sunday during a memorial

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting and the officer or officers who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative duty for 30 days, both of which are routine in police shootings.

In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, COPA confirmed the details provided by the police department.

It also said the shooting was captured by a police body camera but that COPA is prohibited by law from releasing the video 'absent the issuance of a court order' because the teen who was shot was a minor.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot took to Twitter saying it is important video footage of the shooting be shown first to the boys family and then the public as quickly as possible.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for the release of bodycam footage from the incident on Thursday

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot responded to the shooting in a statement posted to Twitter

'As a mother of a 13-year-old myself, I can only imagine the incredible pain this boy's parents are experiencing at this moment. My heart goes out to them,' Lightfoot tweeted.

'The facts and the circumstances around this case are under investigation, but we must ask ourselves how our social safety net failed this boy leading up to the tragic events in the early hours of Monday morning.'

She continued: 'While the investigation is ongoing it is critically important that COPA release relevant videos first to the family, and then to the public, as quickly as possible, with appropriate protections, given his age.'

'Because his family and the public will undoubtedly have many questions, we must release any relevant videos as soon as possible. Recognizing that these are the most complex cases that COPA investigates, transparency and speed are crucial,' she added.

Police Superintendent David Brown said the department was 'adamantly' calling for the release of the body camera video

In a statement issued Thursday offering his condolences to the teen's family, Police Superintendent David Brown, whose department has struggled to regain public trust in many Chicago neighborhoods, said the department was 'adamantly' calling for the release of the body camera video.

Brown said the fatal shooting is an example of several recent violent crimes in the city involving juveniles, including several carjackings.

There has also been a spike in juveniles aged 17 and under being arrested for first-degree murder, with 36 arrested for homicide in 2020, a 35 per cent increase on 2019.

'My greatest fear as the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department has been a deadly encounter between one of our own and a juvenile especially given the recent rise in violent crimes involving juveniles throughout our city,' Brown said.

'Unfortunately, this fear became a reality earlier this week. Any loss of life is tragic, especially when it involves youth.'

He continued: 'The split-second decision to use deadly force is extremely difficult for any officer, and is always a heavy burden to bear for officers involved in fatal shooting incidents.

'We fully support the investigation being conducted by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) and adamantly call for the release of any and all video, including body-worn camera footage, related to the incident, as permitted by laws pertaining to juveniles.'

COPA later revised its statement according to Chicago CBS Local, saying: 'COPA is currently making every effort and researching all legal avenues that will allow for the public release of all video materials which capture the tragic fatal shooting of 13 year old Adam Toledo.

'COPA's commitment to transparency remains unwavering, one of our core values and paramount to our ability to build and sustain trust.

'The death of 13 year old Adam Toledo is tragic and we have all been saddened by this incident. COPA has been in contact with the Toledo family and will provide the family a review of all video materials.

'We are committed to releasing video materials to the extent legally possible and as a part of our commitment to transparency and building public trust.'
Rock Island, Ill., April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Royal Neighbors of America, a fraternal provider of life insurance and annuities, has been Great Place to Work-Certified for a third time.

Certification is a significant achievement and is based on validated employee feedback gathered through a rigorous, data-driven methodology. At minimum, certification confirms 7 out of 10 employees have a consistently positive experience at an organization. But, for Royal Neighbors, results indicate that 93% of employees say it is a great place to work. Employees cited the focus on culture and employee development, a sense of community, and the opportunity to work for a mission-driven organization as reasons for their ratings.

We are thrilled to be Great Place to Work-Certified again, says Lena Holland, Senior Director, Human Resources at Royal Neighbors. We make employee experience and culture a priority every day, and it means a lot that our employees have reported a consistently positive experience with their coworkers, their leaders, and with their jobs. This is important to us because we know that when our employees have a high-trust experience every day, they are more productive, drive better business results, and create an excellent experience for our members.

We congratulate Royal Neighbors of America on their Certification, said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, Vice President of Best Workplace List Research at Great Place to Work. Organizations that earn their employees trust create great workplace cultures that deliver outstanding business results.

About Royal Neighbors of America

Royal Neighbors of America is a unique provider of life insurance and annuities whose mission is to protect women financially and empower them to improve their lives, families, and communities. In 1895, Royal Neighbors was founded as a membership organization by nine pioneering women who recognized the need to insure the lives of women and children and the importance of localized philanthropy. Headquartered in Rock Island, Illinois, with an operation in Mesa, Arizona, Royal Neighbors serves more than 220,000 members.

About Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Great Place to Work helps organizations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a Great Place to Work For All.
SES workers launch their rescue craft into the flooded Hawkesbury river along Inalls lane in Richmond on March 23, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

More Rain Coming for Soaked Northern NSW

More rain is on the way for the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) catchments soaked by widespread flooding two weeks ago, with minor inundation likely.

The final remaining NSW residents forced from homes by floods have only just been allowed to return but another storm system capable of swamping already-soaked catchments is on its way.

Those living in low-lying parts of Freemans Reach on the Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney, were on Thursday night given permission to go home, 11 days after they were ordered to leave.

The all-clear was issued by the State Emergency Service after teams assessed damage in the area, and was the final evacuation order to be lifted following widespread flooding across NSW.

But the Bureau of Meteorology has warned communities in the states north still mopping up from the last deluge could soon be hit with another.

A flood watch has been issued for the Tweed, Brunswick, and Wilsons rivers in the states north.

A low pressure trough will bring heavy rain from Sunday and the potential for minor flooding exists in the Northern Rivers region from Monday.

The Bureau has also forecast heavy rains for the Capricornia, Wide Bay and southeast coasts in Queensland from Sunday through to Tuesday.

NSW SES Incident Controller Maria Frazer has urged residents in the systems path to prepare homes, to prevent damage and minimise the workload of exhausted volunteers.

Catchments across the Northern Zone are sodden from recent flooding and affected catchments are likely to respond quickly to further rainfall, she said.

The warning comes as the states Environment Protection Authority said last months intense flooding followed by warm, sunny weather was causing fish deaths and bad smells.

By Tiffanie Turnbull
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 05:21:19|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain, and Iran will meet virtually on April 2 to discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA, the European Union said in a statement.



WASHINGTON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Department of State said on Thursday that it welcomes the EU-led virtual meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) scheduled on Friday.

"We obviously welcome this as a positive step," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters during a press briefing.

"We have been clear for weeks now that we are ready to pursue a return to compliance with our JCPOA commitments, consistent with Iran also doing the same," said Price.

He noted that Washington talked with partners about the best way to achieve this objective, including through a series of initial mutual steps.

The European Union said in a statement earlier in the day that representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain, and Iran will meet virtually on April 2 to discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal.

The United States and Iran are in a standoff over reviving the nuclear deal. The Joe Biden administration said that if Iran returns to full compliance with the JCPOA, the United States would do the same. But Iran insisted its compliance would only take place once U.S. sanctions were removed.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the opening session of Iran's new parliament in Tehran, Iran, May 27, 2020. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday criticized Washington for the delay in re-embracing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, according to the state TV.

"This would mean a win-win bargain for the region and the entire world, which would benefit them. The Americans were not able to understand that, and they have failed to seize this golden opportunity," Rouhani said.

U.S. media earlier this week reported that the Biden administration planned to put forth a new proposal for Tehran as soon as this week to break the deadlock.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Politico said in a Monday piece that the proposal asks Iran to halt some of its nuclear activities in exchange for some relief from U.S. economic sanctions.

Washington withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and tightened sanctions on Iran under former President Donald Trump. In response to the U.S. moves, Iran suspended the implementation of parts of its obligations under the deal. 
A new poll suggests the Alba Party will not pick up a seat at the Holyrood election - Getty Images Europe

Alex Salmond's hopes of staging a political comeback in the Holyrood election suffered a major blow last night after a poll suggested his new Alba Party will not win a single seat.

Mr Salmond has claimed the party, launched last Friday, could form a pro-independence "super-majority" with the SNP after May's Holyrood election but the survey found only three per cent of Scots plan to vote for it.

Prof Sir John Curtice, Britain's most eminent psephologist, said the findings indicated that at best Mr Salmond may "just" get a seat in the North East of Scotland but none of the other Alba candidates would win election.

The Survation poll for DC Thomson also said that 71 per cent of Scots view Mr Salmond unfavourably, by far the worst rating for any mainstream UK political leader.

In comparison, Boris Johnson was viewed unfavourably by 56 per cent of Scots, while 50 per cent had a favourable view of Nicola Sturgeon.

More than half of those polled also held the view that Mr Salmond was hindering the cause for Scottish independence, compared with only 17 per cent who said his contribution was helping it.

In another major boost for Ms Sturgeon, the poll indicated the SNP is on course to win a narrow majority in the May 6 Holyrood election despite her being embroiled for months in the scandal around her government's unlawful investigation of allegations against Mr Salmond.

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The results were published after Mr Salmond declined to show contrition for his inappropriate past conduct towards women and insisted that the Scottish public was prepared to accept his acquittal on sex assault charges and move on.

Sir John told the Dundee Courier: The headline is that it looks as though its all over for Salmond, though he might just get a seat in the north-east himself.

But this is not what he needs if he is going to get his campaign to take off." He said that similarly low support in other polls would be the death knell to Mr Salmond's hopes of being included in any live TV debates.

Story continues

The results put the SNP ahead in both constituency and list votes, on 49 per cent and 37 per cent respectively, while the Tories were on 21 per cent and 18 per cen.

Support for Labour was 20 per cent and 19 per cent, for the Liberal Democrats on nine per cent and eight per cent, the Greens on 11 per cent in the list and the Alba Party trailing three per cent

The figures translate to a narrow majority for the SNP on 66 MSPs out of 129, with Labour in second on 24, Tories on 21, Greens on 11 and Lib Dems on seven.

An Alba Party spokesman said: "After only three days since the launch of Scotlands fastest growing party Albas scores are on the board.

These early indications put Alba within touching distance of representation across Scotland. With five weeks still to go Albas support can only grow as we approach polling day."
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BRIGHTON  Illinois State Police have been asked to investigate a fatal shooting by police.

Macoupin County sheriffs deputies and Brighton Police officers were called to a house in the 100 block of North Street in Brighton about 7 p.m. Thursday to check on the well-being of a resident.

The check was because a caller, later identified by authorities as James A. Iler, 47, made an unspecified statement that caused alarm, according to state police.

Three deputies and a Brighton Police officer responded to the scene and spent almost an hour talking to Iler. During that time, Iler is said to have charged at one of the deputies while armed with a knife. The deputy fired two shots. Despite efforts to revive him, Iler died at the scene, according to police.

Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl asked state police to investigate.
Barbers and hair stylists across the UK are fully booked up for two weeks from when they reopen, as millions of Britons rush to get rid of their lockdown locks.

Salons can once again welcome customers back to the chair for the first time this year on April 12.

And it appears many are desperate to get back, with scores of businesses not having any remaining slots for haircuts.

Hair salons and barbers were forced to close their doors to customers when the country was plunged into its third lockdown on January 5.

Under the Government's roadmap out of lockdown, hair salons will be allowed to reopen on April 12, along with shops and gyms.

Brits can't wait to get their hair cut once salons reopen on April 12. Pictured: Sarah Hamill has not had a cut for two years (left) and Adam Hay (right) shows off his lockdown locks on Twitter

Artists Aaron Thomson told his Twitter followers he needed a haircut once the barbers reopen

Pubs will also be allowed to serve pints and meals outdoors.

Since the pandemic began, hairdressers have had to bring in a host of new protective measures to ensure customers and staff are protected while they are open.

This has included Perspex screens and face masks as well as one way systems to ensure their premises are Covid secure.

Since the announcement that salons will reopen on April 12, Brits desperate for haircuts have snapped up appointment slots with many being fully booked for at least two weeks from April 12.

Jacks of London in Wimbledon as well as Bertie and Belle in Brighton are both fully booked from April 12.

Meanwhile, stylists at Toni & Guy branches across the UK are also booked solidly for weeks from the point of reopening, including in York, Manchester and Essex.

TV presenter Jake Humphrey looks concerned over his lockdown '90s' haircut (left) while author Jeanna Louise Skinner showed off impressively long locks on her Twitter feed (right)

Stylists at Rush in Basildon and Croydon are not available for appointments until late April

Booked: Top stylists at Toni and Guy in York (bottom) and Altrincham (top) are fully booked with no appointments for more than two weeks after they are allowed to reopen on April 12

The same applies to Rush salon chain where stylists have found themselves booked solidly for two weeks in towns and cities throughout the country.

Desperate Brits have taken to social media to share snaps of their lockdown locks which have grown wild and free since the closure of salons earlier this year.

With barbers and salons closed for most of the past year - and not set to open until April 12 - Brits have instead either been letting their barnet grow or have tried their hand at DIY hairdressing.

The reopening will come as a much-needed break after long periods of closure have put unprecedented strain on the sector.

Earlier this week, research revealed hairdressers have lost out on more than 4bn in the past year due to lockdown.

A study by Barclays found that the average British household - of which there are 28m - had saved a whopping 144 over the past 12 months on not going to the hairdresser.

Since the pandemic began, salons have had to install a number of protective measures when they've been allowed to open including masks and Perspex screens as well as one way systems

Over the UK as a whole, that works out at just over 4bn-a-year we have not spent at a barbers or hairdressers since the first lockdown in March 2020.

The study even found that 47 per cent of the 2,000 Brits polled said they would continue to do their own hair 'on occasion' - although 44 per cent confessed to making a hair-do bungle.

A spokesman for Barclays said: 'With hair salons and barbers set to reopen imminently, our research has revealed how Brits have saved around 4bn throughout the pandemic by giving themselves DIY hairdos in-between hairdressers' doors being open.

'That works out at an average of 144 per household.'

She added: 'Around 24 million Brits spent money buying hairdressing equipment so they could give their own and family members' hair a spruce in the past year.'

Gillean Dooney, MD of Barclays, said: 'As the country starts to open up again, our spending on those social and leisure activities we've been missing out on is no doubt set to increase.

'Haircuts are high on the list for many, so, as we prepare to readjust back to some sense of normality, now is a great time to be proactive with managing our finances so we can get back into the swing of factoring in those expenses within our budgets.'

Earlier this year, a group of salon owners launched a campaign to urge the Government to urgently reduce VAT for salons, spas and other personal care businesses.

The campaign group, called Save Our Salons, is instructing salon owners across the country to write to their MP explaining the personal effect that the Covid-19 pandemic and multiple lockdowns have had on their businesses.

The group is asking for a cut in VAT rate from 20 per cent to 5 per cent in line with the reduction given to the hospitality sector.

Hellen Ward, one of the group's founders and managing director of Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa in London, said: 'Our industry is in crisis. Statistics suggest that nearly 8,000 salons will never reopen due to the pandemic.

'When we translate that into jobs lost, the damage becomes unthinkable. We simply have to act to prevent any more heart-breaking harm. And we have to act now.'
(Newser)  The London flat where Diana Spencer lived before marrying Prince Charles will soon be marked with a blue plaque by English Heritage. The plaques connect significant London residents with the buildings where they worked or lived. Diana lived in the west London flat with three friends after her parents gave it to her as an 18th birthday gift in 1979. Nominations were offered by the public, the Guardian reports, and Diana's went through the standard process. "Diana is undeniably a really significant figure of the late 20th century," said Anna Eavis of English Heritage. "She made a huge impact and was very popular." Eavis also cited Diana's work on landmines and homelessness, as well as her efforts on behalf of people with HIV, leprosy, and depression. She would have turned 60 this year.

story continues below

London has more than 900 plaques, but only 14% honor women. A dozen will be added this year, half for women, to reduce the inequity. "We still have a long way to go," Eavis said. The other women being honored, per the BBC, are:

Ellen Craft, an American who was enslaved before fleeing to England with her husband in 1850. She disguised herself as a white man, and her husband, who had darker skin, posed as her slave. They lectured against slavery around England.

Kathleen Lonsdale, who went to boys schools early last century for math and science classes because they weren't taught at her girls school. Her niche was crystallography, the science of working out the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids. She became a professor and campaigned for peace and prison reform.

Caroline Norton, whose battle for custody of her children influenced Britain's 1857 divorce law. The act permitted women who accused their husbands of cruelty and desertion to obtain a divorce.

Helena Normanton, the first woman to practice law at the bar in England, and who fought for married women to be able to keep their money and property instead of turning it over to their husband. She co-founded the Married Women's Association early in the 20th century.

Jean Muir, a fashion designer who championed Britain's fashion manufacturing as a skilled industry. "We must combat once and for all the idea that there is something lowly about working with one's hands," Muir said. "Hands need the mind."

(Read more London stories.)
Investigators open new case against Mayor of town of Maikop

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

11:09 02/04/2021

MOSCOW, April 2 (RAPSI)  The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has opened a new criminal case against head of town of Maikop municipal district in the Republic of Adygea Andrey Getmanov, the press service of the body informs RAPSI on Friday.

The official is suspected of illegal acquisition and storage of ammunition. Investigators allege that not later than on March 24, 2021, the suspect illegally acquired and stored in his house in Maikop live cartridges for rifled firearms, which were found and seized during the search in the said house, the statement reads.

Earlier it was reported that the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in Adygea had opened a criminal case over extortion against the man.

Getmanov was charged accordingly at the end of March; by a court ruling he was detained until May 23, 2021.
In ordinary springtimes, many allergy sufferers must cope with bothersome, or even debilitating, symptoms such as itchy, red, watery eyes; sneezing; a runny or stuffy nose; and sometimes, coughing, wheezing or feeling short of breath. But during this pandemic, they are also dealing with concerns about whether their symptoms might be due to covid-19.

As the beginning of this year's pollen season coincides with yet another troubling increase in new coronavirus infections, we've compiled answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about allergies, the coronavirus and vaccines. The information and recommendations below are drawn from previously published Washington Post articles and new interviews with allergy and immunology experts.

Please keep in mind that as research into the virus and vaccines continues, guidance may change.

Q: How do I know if it's allergies or covid?

A: "It can be confusing, and it's important to differentiate," Sally Joo Bailey, an allergist at Allergy Associates of Northern Virginia in Arlington, told The Washington Post in early March last year. "If it's viral, every time you cough, you're spreading droplets" that can infect others. Allergies, on the other hand, are not contagious.

There are key differences between the virus and allergies that should help you determine what's causing you to feel unwell. One of the symptoms doctors often look for is the presence of a fever, typically a temperature above 100.4, says Jody Tversky, an assistant professor of medicine and former clinical director of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Johns Hopkins University.

"It would be very unusual for someone with nasal or sinus allergies to develop a fever," Tversky says. "That just really doesn't happen on exposure to allergens."

Other symptoms more commonly associated with viral infections include chills and body aches. It is also unlikely that common allergies would cause you to suddenly lose your sense of smell and taste, another telltale sign of covid, says Ryan Steele, a board-certified allergist-immunologist and internist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at Yale.

To help people figure out the likely cause of their symptoms, the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) have created online charts comparing allergies, covid, the flu and the common cold.

But rather than relying on symptoms alone, experts recommend assessing other factors, such as your history of allergies, the timing of the onset of your symptoms and whether you may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

"If you tell us, 'I've never had allergies before, but I went to a dinner party last week and I found out that three people tested positive for covid, and now I'm getting symptoms that I have not experienced - congestion, stuffy nose, feeling a little bit tired,' that's very different than someone that tells you the same sort of symptoms with no new exposure, but in fact, a long history of allergies," Tversky says.

When in doubt, get tested if possible, advises Mitchell Grayson, chair of AAFA's Medical Scientific Council.

"That takes the covid risk off the table, because that's going to be the most worrisome piece of this," Grayson says, adding that you should "act as if it is covid until you find out otherwise" through your test results.

It also may be helpful to start preventive treatments for seasonal allergies or asthma symptoms early, says Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist with the Allergy and Asthma Network.

"We recommend that every year, even when there's no pandemic," Parikh says. It's especially important this year, she adds, because if at least "your allergy and asthma are under control, it's easier to navigate what's going on."

Q: Does having allergies increase my risk of contracting covid?

A: There is no definitive scientific evidence that people with allergies have a greater chance of becoming infected and falling ill, experts say.

A recent large-scale international study published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences found that higher airborne pollen levels appeared to be associated with an increase in coronavirus infection rates. But experts emphasize that correlation does not necessarily mean causation and are urging people to not jump to conclusions about their risk levels based on those findings.

"The first thing to do is not panic," Tversky says. Instead, he recommends continuing to practice risk mitigation strategies such as masking. Wearing masks, he adds, may serve "double duty on a high-pollen-count day. This may prevent not only virus particles from being inhaled, but it may prevent pollen particles from being inhaled."

Q: Should I be vaccinated against covid if I have allergies?

A: A common misconception among people with allergies is that they can't safely be vaccinated against the coronavirus, Parikh says.

"Unless you're allergic to an ingredient in the vaccine itself, there's no reason to avoid it," says Parikh, a vaccine researcher who has been involved with trials at NYU Langone Health. She noted that people with seasonal allergies also are not at increased risk for developing side effects or having serious adverse reactions to the shots.

These recommendations are supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In its guidance about allergies and the vaccines, the agency cautions against taking certain shots if you have had a previous allergic reaction to ingredients such as polyethylene glycol, also known as PEG, or polysorbate. PEG is an ingredient in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines and polysorbate is used in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

If you have an allergic reaction within four hours of receiving your shot, the CDC does not recommend getting a second dose of the same vaccine. If you have had allergic reactions to other vaccines or injectable therapies in the past, the CDC recommends talking to your doctor about whether you should get any of the available coronavirus vaccines.

Another potential reaction to the vaccine is a red, itchy, swollen or painful rash at the injection site known as "covid arm." In this case, the CDC says you should still get a second shot of that vaccine. The agency recommends telling your vaccination provider about the reaction, noting that the provider may then suggest you get the second shot in your other arm.

Grayson and other experts say they are generally not advising people with a history of anaphylaxis or reactions to non-coronavirus vaccines to skip the shots.

"You should be observed, but you should still get the coronavirus vaccine," Grayson says. The small risk of some populations having additional side effects "is far outweighed by the value of the vaccine itself," Tversky adds.

Approved vaccination sites have a recommended 30-minute waiting period after the injection for people with a history of reacting to vaccines and are equipped to treat anaphylaxis, Steele says. Although the CDC has reported that such events are uncommon, anyone at risk should come prepared for the possibility of a severe allergic reaction.

"If somebody does have a history of anaphylaxis, they should bring their own EpiPen with them," Steele says. "Just in case you do fall outside that window or it's on the way home, you do have protection."

Q: How should I prepare for my vaccination?

A: People with nasal or sinus allergies often also have asthma, and if you're among them, experts recommend getting your asthma symptoms under control before taking the vaccine. Acute or uncontrolled asthma could make an adverse allergic reaction more severe.

"Generally speaking, we tell patients if they have asthma, to make sure their asthma is under control before they have any sort of therapy, whether it's a coronavirus vaccine or allergy shots or any other sort of remedy," Tversky says.

As noted above, experts advise trying to control any seasonal allergy symptoms this spring. But a runny nose, sneezing or itchy eyes aren't reasons to delay getting your vaccine, Grayson says.

"If you have the opportunity to get the vaccine, get the vaccine," he says. "If it wasn't a pandemic situation, I would say then you have the luxury of time."

Q: I get regular allergy shots, how should I schedule my vaccine appointment?

A: Avoid getting your allergy shot and the coronavirus vaccine on the same day. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology recommends separating the shots by 48 hours.

"The reason why is simply so there's no confusion about a reaction," says Grayson, who is a member of the organization's coronavirus task force. "But there is no mechanistic reason to really space them out at all."

Q: Will my allergy medicine have an effect on my immune system's response to the vaccine?

A: Common over-the-counter allergy medicines such as inhalers, nasal sprays and antihistamines should not have a significant impact on your immune system's ability to respond to the vaccine, experts say. But if you're taking regular high doses of oral or injectable steroids, you should consult with your doctor before getting vaccinated.

"Steroids suppress your immune system; that's how they work," Parikh says. "Often you need to suppress your immune system if you're having a flare up of allergies or asthma or other conditions" such as autoimmune diseases.

"But because of that effect of the steroid, it can also suppress things you don't want to suppress, like the formation of antibodies or T-cells that help you fight covid-19," she adds. "So ideally, it's best if you don't need the steroid during that time to be off of it, but sometimes it's unavoidable."

Inhalers and nasal sprays also contain steroids, but they usually only have a small amount and not much is absorbed into the body, Grayson says.

Experts emphasize that you should not make the decision on your own to abruptly stop taking prescribed steroids. Even if your doctor can't pause or adjust the dosage of your medication, "the likelihood is most people will still mount a response to the vaccine," Grayson says.

Steele agrees. Though "you may not make as robust an immune response," he says, "it's still going to be better than the protection you would have if you're not vaccinated."

Q: Where can I go for trusted information?

A: Always talk to your primary care provider or allergist if you have concerns or questions. Experts also recommend using online resources provided by the CDC and trustworthy professional medical organizations.

You should not try to self-medicate, especially if you're not sure whether you have covid, Parikh says. Any serious or abnormal breathing issues should be seen by a medical professional.

If you have an allergy to ingredients in the coronavirus vaccines, it's important that you don't "write off getting the vaccine all together," Steele says. "Now that we have multiple vaccines, even if someone has an allergy to the component of one, we can now have an alternative to give them, so it's really important that they get evaluated by an allergist and we can usually find a safe vaccination strategy."

- - -

The Washington Post's Sindya Bhanoo contributed to this report.
The security posture is "steady" on Capitol Hill after a suspect rammed a car into two police officers Friday, acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters in a press briefing.

The suspect was gunned down by police after exiting the vehicle and "lunging" at officers with a knife, she added.

Law enforcement have not yet released details on the suspect. Officer William F. Evans was identified by authorities as the police officer killed in the attack. He had served with the Capitol Police since March 2003.

National Guard troops mobilized, providing a more visual presence on Capitol Hill immediately following the attack. A large group of troops equipped with riot gear could be seen running toward the site of the attack, where they secured a major road that goes through the Capitol campus.

Read Next: Officer Killed as Car Rams into Police at Capitol Barricade

"The D.C. National Guard deployed an Immediate Response Force (IRF) composed of National Guard soldiers and airmen to the Capitol complex this afternoon to support the U.S. Capitol Police," the National Guard Bureau said in a statement.

The attack came while 2,300 troops are still patrolling the Capitol campus, a significant reduction from the 27,000 Guardsmen who deployed to Washington, D.C., in January in response to a pro-Trump mob attack on the Capitol in which another police officer died.

It is unclear whether additional soldiers will be called to respond to D.C. Pittman said there is currently no evidence to suggest there is an ongoing threat.

Authorities said they do not know the assailant's motivation or whether the attack is connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Capitol Police and the Defense Department, which have not detailed any specific ongoing threats, have had to defend their plan to keep troops on Capitol Hill at least through May.

There has been a bipartisan call from lawmakers for the Guard to withdraw, something even top brass within the Guard itself have endorsed.

Last month, Reps. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the top lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee, pushed back on the Pentagon's proposal to keep soldiers on Capitol Hill.

"We are deeply troubled by the current level of security around the United States Capitol. More than two months after the January 6 attack, the seat of our nation's democracy remains heavily protected by Guardsmen and surrounded by a perimeter fence," the pair said in a joint statement.

The two agreed there should be some troops in the D.C. area to respond to credible threats but said, "The present security posture is not warranted at this time."

In a memo obtained by Fox News, Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, suggested withdrawing the nearly 2,280 troops remaining in D.C., saying states are unwilling to continue the mission. He added that unclear mission parameters hinder the Guard's ability to juggle its other domestic missions, such as vaccine distribution and deployments abroad.

Hokanson was reportedly overruled by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Troops from Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, Delaware and New Jersey remain in D.C., according to the National Guard Bureau.

Brian Sicknick was the officer who died after the Capitol assault in January. The specifics regarding his death are still being investigated, and two men have been charged in connection with it.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Almost Nobody Wants Troops at the US Capitol, Including the Guard Chief and Congress
North Dakota bans govt officials from mistreating churches during pandemics

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North Dakota has passed a law that largely prohibits the state government from treating houses of worship worse than non-religious establishments during times of emergency.

Gov. Doug Burgum signed Senate Bill 2181 into law on Monday, which amends subsection 12 of section 23-01-05 and section 37-17.1-05 of the North Dakota Century Code.

The new law prohibits state government health officials from, among other things, issuing emergency orders that treat religious bodies worse than secular entities unless a compelling state interest exists.

SB 2181 states that any orders relating to disease control measures cannot substantially burden a person's exercise of religion unless the order is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest." The states that officials can't treat religious conduct more restrictively than any secular conduct of reasonably comparable risk, unless the government demonstrates through clear and convincing scientific evidence that a particular religious activity poses an extraordinary health risk.

Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal nonprofit that has filed multiple lawsuits on behalf of churches against various state restrictions on in-person worship during the pandemic, celebrated the news.

Houses of worship and religious organizations provide soul-sustaining operations that are essential to our society and protected by the First Amendment, ADF Legal Counsel Greg Chafuen said in a statement.

We commend North Dakota for making it clear that officials cant use a public crisis to discriminate against religious operations while promoting secular ones, and we encourage other states to pursue similar legislation.

Sponsored by six Republican state lawmakers, SB 2181 garnered broad support in the North Dakota legislature, passing the Senate by a vote of 46-0 and the House by a vote of 88-4.

Earlier this month, the North Dakota Catholic Conference sent an open letter to the House Judiciary Committee expressing its support for the legislation.

The nationwide pandemic has brought renewed attention to how government actions can, intentionally or not, restrict the exercise of religious freedom, the conference argued in its March 16 letter.

For the most part, North Dakota has been spared the imposition of rules and policies unduly interfere with religious activity. Nevertheless, both the state and people of faith could benefit from established protections and parameters in the law.

The House of Representatives in Oklahoma passed a similar bill earlier this month that states that no governmental entity shall substantially burden a persons free exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability.
New Delhi:

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said the economy is on a downhill path because of the adventure of demonetisation undertaken last year which was not required at all, either technically or economically.

Singh, a renowned economist considered to be the architect of the reforms of the early 1990s, said demonetisation has not been successful in any civilised country, except some of the Latin American nation.

I dont think demonetization was at all required... I dont think it was technically, economically necessary to launch this adventure, he said at the Indian School of Business (ISB) Leadership Summit here when asked if the note ban decision was the right one.

However, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley defended the move and said demonetisation was a shake-up which achieved its principal objectives of decreasing cash transactions, expanding the tax base and increasing digitisation.

I think the demonetisation debate in India actually is being held at two different levels. The first level was theres an inconvenience caused, there are queues which have come up.

(The second argument being) Oh the money has come back into the system. But that was the whole idea. The idea is not to confiscate money, the finance minister said.

The idea is to make sure that this anonymous cash operating in the system itself becomes a part of the system, he said.

There were three principal objectives besides the big picture that we wanted to shake and break the Indian normal. We wanted to create a new Indian normal, he said.

While announcing the decision to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the move was aimed at reducing black money, checking counterfeiting and curbing extremism.

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For the past year, Dr. Linda Esuzor has seen the disproportionate effects of the coronavirus pandemic firsthand.

As a hospitalist at Baptist Medical Center in downtown San Antonio, time and again she has treated COVID-19 patients whose social and economic circumstances set them up for worse health outcomes.

There were patients who did not come to the hospital until they were gasping for air. Many were worried about the bill, had underlying health problems that were undiagnosed or untreated due a lack of insurance or had avoided getting tested because they could not afford to miss work.

A lot of social issues have played a role in determining how patients would do when they get sick, Esuzor said.

Since the coronavirus began spreading in San Antonio in March 2020, it has infected at least 208,000 residents, killing more than 3,200 of them. The once-in-a-century crisis abruptly altered nearly every aspect of daily life. And it tested the resolve of long underfunded public health departments and a decentralized health care system  and laid bare the systemic shortcomings of both.

Like Esuzors patients, many of the people who became the sickest from COVID were uniquely vulnerable to the virus due to their race or ethnicity, the nature of their jobs, their living situations, chronic health conditions and lack of access to preventive health care or insurance.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

On ExpressNews.com: Burnout. Trauma. Disillusionment: The toll of COVID-19 on San Antonio hospital workers

Without a unifying federal response, states and cities were left to figure out health regulations on their own. The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and other health departments struggled to keep up with the highly contagious virus and communicate shifting guidance amid rampant online misinformation and disinformation.

Local hospitals were in danger of being overwhelmed as they were flooded with thousands of COVID patients during surges last summer and winter. There were only so many public health and medical workers to go around, and many grew exhausted as they dealt with enormous workloads and the trauma of mass death.

With rising vaccination levels, Americans have reason to hope that some semblance of normalcy might be restored this year, even if the virus and its variants are still in circulation. As the threat of the virus recedes, medical and public health leaders will begin to assess the damage, pick up the pieces  and do some soul searching.

We cant forget what happened. We need to take the experience from this and be willing to be critical of all of our mistakes, said Cherise Rohr Allegrini, an epidemiologist who previously worked for Metro Health and the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Communicating through crisis

During times of crisis, local health departments usually take their cues from their state and federal counterparts. But during the first months of the pandemic, both were in disarray.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was not there for us, said Colleen Bridger, an assistant city manager who became the citys coronavirus czar. They were inconsistent. They were inaccurate. They were all over the place.

That absence of leadership was coupled with abrupt changes to messaging about the importance of wearing masks and the danger of the virus in comparison to the flu. Without proper explanation, flip-flopping guidance can damage public trust, Rohr-Allegrini said.

And it encouraged politicization of the pandemic and the spread of information from suspect sources. The high level of public scrutiny also led to a barrage of abusive calls to city leaders, Bridger said.

Everybody on the street was an epidemiologist, said Anita Kurian, head of the communicable disease division at Metro Health.

On ExpressNews.com: A last resort against COVID-19: A ventilator wasn't enough for this 30-year-old patient, so S.A. doctors improvised

As the months progressed, Metro Health had to continually course correct. The department failed to build up an arsenal of case investigators for contact tracing until it was too late, despite earlier recommendations from an expert panel, and it lacked proper infrastructure to do the work. Dawn Emerick, the new health director, resigned in June amid internal strife and the citys first major wave of infections.

Across the country, the pandemic has been a humbling experience for health departments, which Rohr-Allegrini said tend to be insular and unwilling to accept outside input. Moving forward, she said, health leaders should reflect on how they communicate with the public and partner with community organizations to ensure they are better prepared for the future.

To do that, the funding needs to be there, said Dr. Junda Woo, Metro Healths medical director. Public health departments cannot adequately respond to the next national crisis if their infrastructure is not maintained over time, she said.

What happens in Washington can be a problem in Florida or a problem in California within hours or days, said Dr. Jason Bowling, an infectious disease physician with UT Health San Antonio and University Health.

Surviving surges

Under normal circumstances, hospitals run on tight margins. To remain as efficient as possible, they are built to adjust staffing and beds based on need, so they do not usually have an excess of either.

Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News

But that system has its shortcomings. In San Antonio, it only took 1,200 to 1,500 extra patients infected with coronavirus to catapult hospitals into crisis mode. To stay afloat, they had to scale up operations quickly and rely heavily on contract medical workers.

Health systems work on a fairly predictable pattern of seasonal illness and elective procedures and things that happen in their communities, said Dr. Bryan Alsip, chief medical officer for University Health. When you throw in a significant amount of excess disease, that tips the balance for a lot of these systems.

While San Antonios hospitals were able to recalibrate during COVID surges, Alsip said, it came at the expense of other patients, whose delays in care would cause them to come in with more advanced disease.

In most cities, health care is fragmented, a patchwork of systems operated by public and private entities.

On ExpressNews.com: 18 hours inside a COVID-19 ICU

That decentralization can make it difficult to work together during an emergency, said Eric Epley, executive director of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, which manages trauma and emergency services for San Antonio and the surrounding region.

Through STRAC, San Antonios hospitals and EMS agencies work together on a day-to-day basis, even as they are competition with each other. That level of coordination and communication does not exist everywhere, Epley said. And it proved vital during the pandemic, especially when hospital staff and beds across the city became scarce.

Infectious disease doctors from across San Antonios hospital systems have regularly met to share best practices.

While the areas hospitals were twice on the verge of being overwhelmed with patients during the summer and winter surges, the city managed to avoid the acute crises experienced by El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley and other areas.

A big part of that, Epley said, was load balancing.

If the hospital has a bunch of patients for whatever reason, another hospital has a lot of room, it makes sense for those hospitals to share that load, so no one goes under, he said. You just have to be able to work together, and thats not necessarily a natural thing in health care markets.

Under-served groups suffer

While COVID is caused by a respiratory virus, it also targets multiple organ systems, putting people with chronic conditions at a great risk of severe illness and death.

The severity of Americas COVID crisis could have been mitigated by increased access to primary health care, Bowling said.

We need to shift more to a prevention first, rather than a reaction type of system, Bowling said. If you just rely on hospitals alone, we clearly dont have enough hospital beds if everybody starts getting sick.

In many cases, chronic health conditions are linked to social factors that disproportionately affect communities of color and people who are lower income, said Dr. Lynnette Watkins, chief medical officer for Baptist Health System.

On ExpressNews.com: What if we pull the plug too early?: In the age of COVID-19, decisions about death are fraught.

San Antonio, with its large Hispanic population, has some of the highest rates of diabetes and kidney disease in the country. Hispanics make up 60 percent of Bexar County residents but three in four of those infected.

It unmasked the disparities and differences in access to health care, Watkins said.

Vaccination has also been slower among Hispanic and Black populations, who have suffered the most during the pandemic, Rohr-Allegrini said. Those groups are also more likely to distrust medical systems due to historically unequal treatment.

Public health professionals have long known about these structural disparities, she said. Now, at least the public is more aware of them, too.

Vaccines versus variants

For the past several weeks, there has been rising optimism among the public as the availability of COVID vaccines has expanded over the past several weeks.

In early March, President Biden announced that all American adults would be able register for an appointment by May 1, adding that he was hopeful about the safety of gatherings by the Fourth of July. Many states, including Texas, have opened up their eligibility requirements well ahead of that target.

In San Antonio, coronavirus transmission has fallen to its lowest levels since last spring.

But as Texas and other states have begun to relax health measures, the CDC director has warned that the country could see a new wave of cases. It has become a race between vaccination and the spread of more contagious variants.

On ExpressNews.com: A more contagious coronavirus variant is in San Antonio. Now what?

There is a lot of cautious optimism about what the next several months might look like, Alsip said. But we also have been fooled in the past, and the disease has surprised us in so many ways, and may still have some tricks up its sleeve.

However, another surge would likely look different from those that came before.

While some variants are feared to reduce the efficacy of vaccines, the shots should still provide strong protection against severe disease, Bowling said. And many people who are most vulnerable to COVID have already been inoculated, potentially lessening the impact on hospitals.

With the coronavirus still circulating across the globe, the virus is not likely to disappear any time soon. As vaccines are administered and the pool of potential hosts shrink, COVID will shift from pandemic to endemic, Woo said. The virus will continue to spread, but its threat to the public will be greatly neutralized.

Once that happens, Bowling said, it will be tempting to forget and move on. But the time for change is now.

The timing is now to start assessing: What do we need to gear up and improve? he said. This is not the last pandemic that were going to see.

lcaruba@express-news.net
The 29-year-old sister of a Hoover woman who left her family to join ISIS in 2014 was arrested Wednesday in New Jersey as she and her husband prepared to board a cargo ship to go and fight for the terrorist group, prosecutors and law enforcement said Thursday.

Hoda Muthanas older sister, Arwa Muthana, and Arwas husband, James Bradley, a 20-year-old Bronx man also known as Abdullah, were arrested in Newark.

Arwa and Bradley are charged in Manhattan federal court with attempting and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The couple were arrested Wednesday in Newark, N.J. as they attempted to travel to the Middle East to fight for ISIS, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.

The two were arrested at a seaport while attempting to travel together by cargo ship, a DOJ press release states. It was not clear Thursday night if either had attorneys.

Fearing they might not be able to travel abroad, the two planned to attack the U.S. Military Academy at West Point or another area university where Bradley knew military recruits to be training, federal prosecutors said.

Hoda Muthana (The Associated Press)

Bradley suspected they might be on law enforcements radar, so he and Arwa planned to travel to Yemen by cargo ship to fight with the terrorist organization.

However, the person Bradley was planning the journey with was an undercover officer and their plans to wage attacks against the United States have been thwarted, U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said.

Since at least 2019, Bradley has expressed violent extremist views and a desire to support ISIS overseas or by committing a terrorist attack in the United States, according to the DOJ.

Bradley allegedly said that if he could not leave the United States because he might be on a terrorism watch list, he would do something in the United States instead, referring to carrying out an attack, prosecutors say.

In January 2021, Bradley allegedly told an undercover officer he knew of an university in New York State where he frequently saw Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets training. Bradley, prosecutors say, stated that he could use his truck in an attack, and that he and Arwa could take all of the ROTC cadets out.

That same month, Bradley and Arwa married in a large Islamic ceremony, according to the DOJ. The two planned to travel to the United Kingdom and then Gambia, where Muthana could work as a teacher, a court filing states.

On March 6, Bradley flew to Alabama to visit Arwa, prosecutors say.

The next day, they went by bus back to New York and made plans to travel to Asia or Africa by cargo ship, not knowing the person who was helping them facilitate the journey was an undercover officer, according to prosecutors.

Bradley allegedly paid the officer $1,000 to help them get to Yemen, the DOJ said, and the couple was told last week the cargo ship was departing on Wednesday.

They were arrested as they walked the gangplank to board the ship.

After (Arwa) Muthana was arrested, she waived her Miranda rights and stated during an interview that she was willing to fight and kill Americans if it was for Allah, a press release stated. Also on March 31, 2021, in connection with a court-authorized search, the FBI seized from a bedroom previously used by Bradley what appears to be a hand-drawn image of a jihadi flag commonly used by ISIS and a hand-drawn map of the Pakistan region.

Prior to her arrest, Arwa told the undercover officer she wanted to travel to the Middle East so that she, too, could fight in [the] sake of Allah, a court filing states.

According to Arwas LinkedIn account and independent sources, she was a one-time student at UAB where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Medical Technology.

In 2014, Arwas now 26-year-old sister, Hoda Muthana, left her home to join ISIS.

In November 2014, Hoda Muthana tricked her family into letting her go to Atlanta for a school field trip, and instead boarded a plane to Turkey and then to Syria to meet with ISIS.

A few weeks later, she married Suhan Abdul Rahman, an Australian jihadist, who died a few months later during a battle. She went on to marry at least two more times, according to reports.

While she was in Syria, she reportedly tweeted anti-American statements, urging jihadists in America to go on drive-bys, and spill all of their blood.

Hoda gave birth to a son, Adam, according to news reports, and later said she regretted joining ISIS and wished to return to the U.S.

In 2019, Hoda told NBC News in an interview in a Syrian refugee camp that she regrets every single thing that she had done.

Anyone that believes in God believes that everyone deserves a second chance, no matter how harmful their sins were, she told NBC News.

A federal judge in 2019 ruled Hoda is not a U.S. citizen and could not return to America.

Former President Donald Trump at one point weighed in on the case.

I have instructed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and he fully agrees, not to allow Hoda Muthana back into the Country! Trump said in the tweet in February 2019.

In January, that ruling was upheld when the D.C. Circuit Court said Hoda didnt receive U.S. citizenship simply by being born in New Jersey, Bloomberg Law reported.

Hoda and Arwas father, Ahmed Ali Muthana, was a Yemeni diplomat. His U.S. assignment ended by the time Hoda was born, but he hadnt yet surrendered his diplomatic credentials.

Hodas family stayed in the U.S. and the other family members became naturalized citizens. Hoda, however, did not.

A team of FBI agents arrived at the familys Hoover home on Pine Rock Lane about 9 a.m. Wednesday -- the day Arwa was arrested -- and left shortly after noon.

Agents had a fleet of vehicles there and a tent set up outside the home. A marked Hoover police car was also there.

FBI spokesman Paul Daymond would only say they were at the home Wednesday as part of a law enforcement action.

No one answered the door of the home on Friday when AL.com went seeking comment.
Mumbai, April 2 : After a hunt of nearly 10 days, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) finally caught and detained a 'mystery woman' seen (in CCTV) behind accused police official Sachin Vaze in the SUV and Thane businessman's death case.

Late on Thursday, the NIA accosted her at the Mumbai Airport and detained her. Later a team searched her home in suburbs in the western Thane district, and was questioning her.

As per preliminary information, the woman was allegedly engaged in converting black money into white using a currency note counting machine, one of which was found in one of the two Mercedes Benz cars used by arrested-suspended Assistant Police Inspector (API) Vaze which were seized by the NIA last month.

The 'mystery woman' angle had emerged in the case from March 25 when CCTV grabs of a five-star hotel showed her closely trailing Vaze out of the hotel, where he had stayed for at least five days in mid-February, baffling the NIA sleuths.

The developments came close on the heels of a posh restaurant in Girgaum that was raided by the NIA on Thursday morning as part of the probe into the two cases.

The NIA has reportedly found some incriminating documents pertaining to more than half a dozen mobile SIM cards used by Vaze.

The central probe agency is investigating two connected matters -- the SUV Scorpio which was found abandoned with 20 gelatin sticks and a threat note near Antilia, the home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani on February 25, followed by the death of its owner, Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren whose body was found in the Thane Creek wetlands on March 5.

In the probe, the NIA has seized seven high-end cars -- the first one was a Scorpio, an Innova, two Mercedes Benz, a LandCruiser Prado, a Mitsubishi Outlander and a Volvo -- and is now on the trail of another car in which Vaze and some co-accused, have been caught on CCTV footage while travelling to an undisclosed location.
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Chifundo Kachale has said all those suspected to have committed various electoral offences must be reported to police.

Kachale said this when he officially announced winners in the Tuesday by-election.

He said the commission received complaints that some candidates were offering handouts, reports of violence and some candidates campaigning outside the recommended time.

According to Kachale, who is also High Court judge, these complaints should be reported to law enforcement agencies with evidence.

Kachale says these are electoral criminal cases and must be reported.

He has also warned against those who wanted to use their connections with the Commission to get their nominations submitted outside the required time.

Kachale says MEC does not take any excuses from those candidates who delay to submit their nominations.

The head of the electoral body has also expressed disappointment with political violence that took place in Nsanje North, Central and Karonga North West Constituencies. He has called on the Police to do their job.

He has further expressed worry that some centers were not following the Covid19 preventive measures.

According to Kachale, this is breach of the agreement MEC had with the political parties and candidates.

Kachale has further thanked government through ministry of Finance saying the processes went smoothly without any logistical challenges because they had enough funding.
on Thursday said that services of the train Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad have been suspended for one month due to recent increase in COVID-19 cases.

In a tweet, the shared a statement that read, "Temporary suspension of ADI-BCT-ADI due to recent COVID-19 rising cases. Keeping in view the rising cases and in the larger public interest, it has been decided to suspend the services of train no.82902/82901 Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad from April 2 for a period of one month."

" is committed in its endeavor to ensure the highest standard of safe and comfortable journey of rail passengers," the statement read.
For so many people the dream of living in a rural idyll has been in their heads for a very long time. It might be a chance to get back to the quiet parish where they grew up, or the idea of returning to live in the town of their childhood.

For others, is it simply about moving out of a large city and bringing up their children in a place surrounded by nature.

But there has always been that one big problem. How do you make a living? Technology has the ability to change that because in theory at least it enables people to work from anywhere. One of the biggest obstacles in the past was convincing your employer that this was possible.

The Covid-19 crisis has proven that in a great many cases it is possible. Now the Government says it wants to make it happen.

As recently as ten years ago, many in rural communities in Ireland believed that if IDA Ireland could just land a factory in the town, employing 200 or 300 people, the whole place would be saved.

There is something genuinely revolutionary about the idea that it isnt just about attracting 300 new jobs to an area, but attracting 300 new people to an area who already have jobs somewhere else.

Technology and the possibility of remote working have the potential to open up that opportunity.

In some rural communities and smaller towns, it will just evolve that way anyway. This is because some towns in Ireland are far better than others when it comes to using their existing intellectual capital to come up with new ideas, to pull together and bring about change.

Other places will need help if they are to maximise this opportunity.

This is where the Governments new strategy comes into play. There are dozens of ideas contained in the Governments new plan but no targets, funding or detail on incentives.

It is one thing for the Government to piggyback on a trend that is already happening  such as movement of people from cities, remote working and a new surge in demand for properties in idyllic rural locations.

It is another thing for the Government to drive forward with properly-funded incentives to make sure opportunities are maximised and in the places where they are needed most.

There are two major factors driving this push towards a new life in a small town or a rural community. One is the cost of housing in big cities and the other is quality of life issues around local schools, commutes and space.





Read More

If it really happens, house prices in some rural areas will increase. The other reality is that a huge proportion of people living in rural Ireland already commute, often quite long distances, to their jobs in regional towns or cities.

The ultimate goal has been to populate rural communities with people who live and work there. This has tended to be confined to farmers (reducing in number), retailers (under huge pressure), hospitality jobs (depending on tourism) and essential public services like gardai, teachers and others.

The idea that more people from very different backgrounds and with different ideas would live and work in local communities is radical, and to some extent possible.

Firstly you have to define rural Ireland. Is Dundalk, Portlaoise or Athlone rural Ireland? These are big urban centres with their own challenges, among them the fact that not enough people who live there also work there.

Every day, thousands of people leave Portlaoise by bus, car and train to work in Dublin. Improving the economies of these big towns is a regional economic challenge rather than a rural Ireland revolution.

If one of the big attractions to leave a place like Dublin is to own a larger and less expensive home, or even just to buy any home, then what approach will banks take to granting mortgages?

Will enough people be able to convince the bank that they will have a long-term sustainable job in this rural location, as opposed to their employer in Dublin saying give it a go but if it isnt working out, youre gone.

The plan also envisages reviving old town and village centres by incentivising future development in the towns instead of on the outskirts. It is tempting to say this is a bit late in many cases, but it is a welcome idea none the less.

However, lots of properties, lets say old houses in the centre of Limerick City, might be operating as commercial premises. Would a prospective buyer get a mortgage without the property being re-designated residential?

These will be the nuts-and-bolts issues that will have to be dealt with if a genuinely radical change is to take place.

I havent even mentioned rural broadband. The situation has improved but is still five to seven years away from where it should be.

Public transport is also a major issue. Do we want a re-population of rural Ireland to be matched with an enormous increase in traffic congestion? The simple truth is that for many people outside of towns, you cannot move without owning a car. You take your life in your hands even on a bicycle with the way many drive.

Transport, broadband, financial incentives and tax breaks, as well as regional economic and spatial planning are all required to do this properly.

That is why it was so disappointing to find no targets and no money in this weeks (otherwise very interesting) plan. The reason given was that it would be a matter for Budget 2022 and that should not be pre-empted.

Why not? Each six-week lockdown is costing 1.5bn in direct exchequer payments. The heavy hitters of Government, who were all there at the announcement (with the exception of the Minister for Finance), should have put some real figures behind it.

I fear that when Budget 2022 comes along, the incentives will be, shall we say, modest.
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CAN chairman in Kogi, John Ibenu, on Friday urged people in the state to accept and take the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it is safe.

Mr Ibenu gave the advice in Lokoja when officials of Kogi State Ministry of Health and Kogi Primary Health Care Development Agency paid him an advocacy visit preparatory to receiving COVID-19 vaccines in the state.

He said a stakeholders meeting between CAN National President, Ayokunle Samson, the Minister of Health, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, NAFDAC and others came to the conclusion that COVID-19 is real.

He said the meeting also concluded that it was safe to take the vaccine.

We listened to many presentations by professionals and we carried out our own investigation and concluded that the vaccine is beneficial to mankind and that everyone should accept it.

He assured Nigerians that CAN would be the number one body to stand against anything that could harm anyone.

He stressed that it was against international standard and health practice to introduce anything that would be harmful to humanity, saying, CAN will never be part of anything that will be harmful to humanity.

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe; there is no trick in it; please let us not be left behind.

Mr Ibenu noted that it was not compulsory to take the vaccine and that those who did not want it could stay away.

It is for the benefit of humanity and we certify it to be okay for everybody, he stressed.

The cleric thanked Kogi State government under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello, for all it had done to save lives in the state since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier, Acheku Yusuf, Kogi State Health Promotion Officer, said the visit was on the mandate of Kogi government to seek CANs support on COVID-19 vaccination.

He said that Kogi was expected to receive COVID-19 vaccines very soon, and CAN would be needed as one of the critical stakeholders to educate the people.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the state governor has been one of the leading critics of COVID-19 in the nation. The state has also not recieved its allocation of the vaccines as federal officers say the state does not have storage facilities.

The governor hss been discouraging the use of the vaccine.
Society needs to embrace the 'long-term value of sorrow' and stop 'shaming' people for experiencing pain years and even decades after a bereavement, according to a new book on the phenomenon of long-lasting grief.

The Aftergrief, by Hope Edelman, published by Michael Joseph, focuses on people who are still feeling acute emotional pain years after their loved one has died, and distinguishes it from the grief we immediately feel after a death.

Hope, who became a best-seller with her other work Motherless Daughters, which charts her experience of losing her mother at 17, interviewed bereaved people about their 'aftergrief' and distinguishes it from the emotions we immediately feel after a death.

She says that 'Aftergrief,' reflects the moment where people recallibrate their perceptions of past events and their relationship with the deceased, bringing new meaning to their loss.

'The Aftergrief is where we learn to live with a central paradox of bereavement: that a loss can recede in time yet remain so exquisitely present,' she says.

Hope, pictured, lost her mother when she was 17 which triggered her interest in grief. She also penned the bestselling book Motherless Mothers, where she looks into becoming a mother herself, without the support of her late mother

Hope, second left, with her sister, brother, father and mother when she was a teenager, before her mother passed away

She explains that the Aftergrief happens when people learn to accept and live with the fact that a person's has died and understand that the feelings of grief they used to feel can recede, while the feelings of loss remain present in their lives.

Unlike immediate grief, where we are violently confronted with death and its repercussions on our lives, Aftergrief follows us for the rest of our lives and manifests itself differently depending on the person.

'This thing we call grief is just the beginning of a much longer engagement with the thing we call 'loss.' This next part is what I call the Aftergrief,' Hope writes.

'The Aftergrief - until now, underappreciated, underreported, and largely misunderstood - is where the questions 'what now?' and 'what next' begin to be answered,' she adds.

'It's where we continuously recalibrate our perceptions of past events, refresh our inner relationships with the deceased, and reconsider the meanings we attach to the loss.

Claire Bidwell Smith, who lost both of her parents by age 25 explains in the book how long-term grief has affected her in a bittersweet way and said it made her a 'deep feeling' person with a newfound appreciation for life

Claire, pictured with her mother as a child, said she could go to a place of deep sorrow rather quickly

For her book, Hope spoke to several people who experienced grief in different ways about how it developed over time.

One mother named Nancy, whose son died by suicide when he was 19, 21 years ago, said: 'The Aftergrief came after I'd gotten used to the death.

'And by "getting used to the death" I mean my bones and my muscles had gotten used to carrying it, and I'd built up enough strength to pick up other things, too,' she added.

Claire with her parents as a teenager. They both died by the time she was 25-years-old and says she has a 'root system' that brings her back to loss at all times

Hope as a baby in the arms of her mother. The author argues society is too concerned about suppressing grief

Claire as a baby with her parents at her christening. Claire said she 'tipped over' after a period of 20 years where she felt sad, and started crying about how beautiful life is

Hope also argues that bereavement services often focus on alleviating recent grief rather than focusing on people who struggle to recover from a death that has happened further back in time.

'We'll need to redirect some of the attention that goes to alleviating shortterm painful symptoms towards a longer range view of mourning,' she said.

'We have to get over the idea of getting over it to embrace the prospect of moving on with it, and all this involves,' she added.

'This is not to say that a loved one's death should be rebranded as a wholly positive experience. Not at all. The parts that are awful are legitimately awful. But a society that focuses principally on reducing the short-term pain of distress risks losing sight of the long-term value of sorrow.

Claire Bidwell Smith, who lost both of her parents by age 25 explains in the book how long-term grief has affected her in a bittersweet way.

'I can go to a place of deep sorrow very quickly, like a root system that leads back to loss all the time. But it's had a really positive impact on me, too,' she says.

'It's made me such a deep feeling person. I'm so appreciative of life all the time. I have such wonder and gratitude that we get to be here at all. It took me a while to get to that place, though.

'There was kind of a midway point over the last 20 years, and once I tipped over into that area I just wept all the time at the beauty of everything.'

Poet Gabriel Ojeda-Sague, who lost his father aged 11, agrees that this loss had made him 'fundamentally' different from the boy he was aged ten

Leeat Granek, associate professor of Health psychology at York University in Toronto next to her mother when she was a child

Poet Gabriel Ojeda-Saque, who lost his dad aged 11, agrees that this loss had made him 'fundamentally' different than the boy he was aged ten.

'So can I call it living without, if I feel like it's fundamentally shifted my values, my perception, my conscience?

'That's a hinge for me. It is like adapting. It is like learning to live without him. But it's also like living anew, in a different frame,' he adds

Hope, who experienced grief herself, says she was left confused by the fact her sorrow was not going away, in spite of doing 'everything right.'

She says that some people felt they were 'failing' at grief because they often felt shamed for not getting over someone's death quickly enough.

'It meant the rules we were trying to conform to were failing us instead,' she says.

Hope and her interviewees reflect on how society looks at grieving, with some saying they felt shamed for grieving too long.

The message in our society is that grieving is a weakness, says fifty-year-old Sasha, who was twelve when her father died of a heart attack, and who lost her mother to breast cancer five months later.

As if theres a weakness to not pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, or pulling out your cheque book and going shopping.

'Its like, Okay, this is terrible. This is awful. Now lets move on. If youre not ready to do that, theres almost a shaming that goes along with it,' she adds.

Leeat Granek, associate professor of Health psychology at York University in Toronto, explains in the book that people are sometimes led to ask themselves 'Is there something wrong with me because I'm not grieving properly?'

She says this question puts a lot of shame and extra weight and despair as well as guilt on the people who are mourning.

The grieving process is difficult enough. On top of this, we dont need a constant critical voice thats judging, Am I doing this right? Thats something thats constructed. Its new. Its not innate. she adds.

Leeat said she was struggling with grief and at the same time, was asking herself 'why do we feel the way that we feel?'

Leeat herself lost her mother when she was 25 and says she could feel her loved ones were eager for her to overcome her grief at the time.

'It was really puzzling to me. I was sort of marinating in the grief, and at the same time I was looking at the culture and wondering, Why do we feel the way we feel? Why do we think the way we think?', she asks.

The book also explores the different hurdles people of different genders are faced with when grieving.

'Its like, Okay, this is terrible. This is awful. Now lets move on. If youre not ready to do that, theres almost a shaming that goes along with it,

Hope cites the work of Tom Golden, a therapist in Gaithersburg, Maryland, who has talked extensively about male bereavement.

He explains that men will look to alleviate the grief with actions and emotional restraints, while women will use emotional communication to cope.

Often, the public perception of grief is that people need to rely on others for help, which involves images of dependency that some men may struggle with.

'Dependency is forbidden in our culture for men, Tom says. 'If you show yourself being dependent, youre considered less than a man. And that creates a double bind, because if men admit theyre dependent, they are shamed. But if they dont admit theyre dependent, then they dont get help.

One of the male interviewees, named Patrick, reveals he lost his mother aged 22 and went from being carefree to being in charge of his elderly grandparents.

The Aftergrief: Finding Your Way on the Long Path of Loss, by Hope Edelman, is published by Michael Joseph

His body struggled to cope with the stress this new situation created for him.

In July I broke out in a rash that started on my foot, and then it was on my leg and then it was all over, he says.

'I was covered in it. I thought that I was really sick, but I went to the dermatologist and it turns out it wasnt any sort of outward infection. It was just my bodys stress reaction. So I didnt really deal with the grief all that well.

One woman who lost her infant son Daniel 45 years ago says she still suffers from acute grief each year around the time he was born and died shortly after.

'[Daniel] died on October 8, and for years during the first week of October I would relive that week with This is the day I started feeling contractions, and this is the hour of his birth, and this is when he died, and this is the next day,' the woman, 73, says.

'It was never gone from my mind during that whole week. This is really the first year that I didnt give it as much thought.

'The anniversary was two days ago, and it was already late in the day on the eighth when I thought of it,' she says.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday ordered repolling in polling booth 149 of Ratabari, Assam. The order has been given following public outrage over an EVM which was found being transported in a car that belonged to Krishnendu Paul who is a BJP candidate from Patharkandi. A video of the EVM kept in Paul's car had gone viral on social media on April 1.

ECI has suspended the polling officers who were responsible for the transportation of the EVMs. The viral video was originally tweeted out by a Guwahati-based journalist. The video was uploaded shortly after the second phase of polling for the Assam Legislative assembly elections was completed on Thursday.

On Friday, the video was retweeted by Congress Leader Priyanka Gandhi. Gandhi complained that every time that there is an election, EVMs are found being transported in private vehicles.

She added that these incidents have a few things in common which are that the private vehicles usually belongs to a BJP candidate, videos captured are passed off as one-off incidents and dismissed as aberrations. Launching an attack at BJP, she said that the party uses its media machinery to accuse those who expose such incidents as sore losers. "The fact is that too many such incidents are being reported and nothing is being done about them," she added.

Every time there is an election videos of private vehicles caught transporting EVM's show up. Unsurprisingly they have the following things in common: 1. The vehicles usually belong to BJP candidates or their associates. .... 1/3 https://t.co/s8W9Oc0UcV - Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 2, 2021

In another tweet, Gandhi said that the ECI must act decisively on such complaints. She added that all national political parties need to re-evaluate using EVMs for polling.

.. The EC needs to start acting decisively on these complaints and a serious re-evaluation of the use of EVM's needs to be carried out by all national parties. 3/3 - Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 2, 2021

In response to the whole incident, ECI in a press statement released on Friday said that a vehicle carrying the EVM and the polling officers had broken down on Thursday due to traffic congestion and heavy rains. ECI explained that the sector officer was immediately informed about this development and an alternate vehicle was being arranged for the polling officers.

Meanwhile, the polling officers whose car had busted, arranged a vehicle by themselves. Later after it was found out that the alternate car they had arranged belonged to the BJP candidate."On examination, the polled EVM comprising of BU, CU and VVPAT was found to be with its seal intact without any damage whatsoever. All the items have been deposited in the strong room," the ECI statement had added.

Also Read: PM Modi to address two election rallies in Kerala today

Also read: Kerala Election 2021: Voting dates, poll schedule, timings, election results, all FAQs
Bam Margera detailed a host of medications prescribed during his latest stint in rehab as part of his treatment plan for returning to Jackass 4.

The 41-year-old stuntman caught up with TMZ in Los Angeles on Thursday were he revealed 18 prescription pills needed post rehab where he was initially being treated for 'Adderall and alcohol.'

Bam told the outlet he was initially supposed to be in treatment for 30 days but 'they insisted he do 90 days' and that all of the medication led to 'suicidal tendencies.'

Tough times: Bam Margera detailed a host of medications prescribed during his latest stint in rehab as part of his treatment plan for returning to Jackass 4

Bam told TMZ: 'I went to rehab for Adderall and alcohol. And I went there thinking I was going to do 30 days, but they insisted that I do 90 days and I'm like, alright, is this on my bill or yours?'

He was hesitant to do the 90 days, but said he would do it because he gets '$5million every time we do a movie or more.'

Margera went on to describe 18 medications doctors prescribed to combat his various issues in addition to his attention deficit disorder, which he said he's taken Adderall for 13 years.

Yikes: The 41-year-old stuntman caught up with TMZ in Los Angeles on Thursday were he revealed 18 prescription pills needed post rehab where he was initially being treated for 'Adderall and alcohol' (seen in 2013)

He listed a host of drugs the rehabilitation ordered him to be on for his release, including Zoloft, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, and Klonopin.

'This is what the doctors say I need,' he said. 'And then it led to suicidal tendencies on all 18 medications I was on. I'm like, well what's the point of a $5 million contract that I have to walk on eggshells and jump through your hoops, which is already impossible, to obey if I'm dead?'

When asked about Jackass 4 producers demands, Bam noted: 'It was the definition of f***in torture,' he said. 'They tortured me.'

Honest approach: From the start of the project, filmmakers were worried about Bam's addiction issues and erratic behavior where he most recently admitted he was manic bipolar, but that they wanted him to be part of the project from the beginning

Margera was reportedly fired from the Jackass 4 project earlier this year because he couldn't abide by conditions set forth by the producers relating to his addiction issues.

Insiders revealed that the conditions included taking his medication, blowing into a breathalyzer, his commitment to staying sober, seeing a psychologist and routine drug tests during the project.

From the start of the project, filmmakers were worried about Bam's addiction issues and erratic behavior where he most recently admitted he was manic bipolar, but that they wanted him to be part of the project from the beginning.
Guam's request for Taiwan to reopen its leisure travel to Guam is under consideration, Taiwan's government broadcasting agency reported.

Radio Taiwan International reported Thursday that Transport Minister Lin Chia-lung confirmed talks with Guam over a potential opening of international travel are ongoing.

The government of Guam has stated previously that it hopes to establish a travel bubble arrangement with Taiwan.

On Tuesday, Palau and Taiwan launched a travel bubble arrangement called "sterile travel corridor" during the Palau president's visit to Taiwan.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen hosted a banquet for Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. and first lady Valerie Whipps at the Taipei Guest House, where the president welcomed the members of the Palauan delegation visiting Taiwan.

More than 100 tourists from Taiwan departed for Palau on Thursday, marking the first of what will be weekly flights from Taipei.

In a speech, the Taiwan president said she supports Palau's goal of 100,000 tourists a year from Taiwan.

Singapore and Vietnam also are seeking travel bubble arrangements with Taiwan, Radio Taiwan International reported.

'Constant communication'

Former Gov. Carl Gutierrez, president and CEO of the Guam Visitors Bureau, said, "We are in constant communication with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and the Office of Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero" on the travel bubble plan.

Guam plans to reopen the island's tourism industry on May 1 if half of the island's population age 16 and older has been vaccinated against COVID-19.

"We are also monitoring the travel bubble in Palau. Gov. Leon Guerrero's success in May with her reopening goals will help us pursue the quickest way possible to achieve a travel bubble," Gutierrez said.

Taiwans Tourism Bureau received a letter from Guam officials Wednesday expressing interest in establishing a travel bubble, according to Radio Taiwan International.

Taiwan has begun intensive talks with the U.S. territory through local Taiwanese representatives, Radio Taiwan has reported, but the sides have yet to reach an agreement.

In December, Leon Guerrero said she'd like to visit Taiwan sometime this year. There's no date set for the Taiwan trip, governor's communications director Krystal Paco-San Agustin said Friday.

Paco-San Agustin said it was her understanding Guam did not send a letter but had some discussions early in the pandemic last year about a travel bubble arrangement with Taiwan.

GVB officials last year said a travel delegation from Guam to Taiwan, led by the governor, will help boost the tourism bubble plan.
New Delhi:

In a peculiar discovery, researchers have uncovered an underwater octopus city off the coast of Australia. Octlantis, as they call it has become a home for 15 octopuses.

The study that was published in the academic journal Marine and Freshwater Behavior and Physiology contradict earlier assumptions which see octopuses as hermits. The scientists said that the creatures are perhaps not the isolated and solitary creatures we thought they were".

These behaviors are the product of natural selection, and may be remarkably similar to vertebrate complex social behavior. This suggests that when the right conditions occur, evolution may produce very similar outcomes in diverse groups of organisms., Lead researcher David Scheel of Alaska Pacific University told Quartz.

Read more: Earth to face sixth mass extinction by 2100, predict MIT scientists

Earlier in 2009, a separate octopus site was found, and researchers named it Octopolis. Two to 15 octopuses can be seen at that site at any given time, according to the reports by Quartz.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Niigata, Japan - Cancer is the world's second deadliest disease which contributes towards the fatality of over 10 million people per year. Oncologists adopt a variety of treatment procedures to treat cancer cells. Among the different methods used to fight cancer, chemotherapeutic treatment is a prominent and well-adopted technique. It is a drug based method, wherein powerful chemical compounds are injected into the body to annihilate the malignant cells. Although these chemicals support the destruction of the cancerous cells, optimizing their dosage has always been a challenge to the medical specialists.

Cisplatin is a chemotherapy medication which is used to treat a number of cancers such as lung cancer, brain tumor, breast cancer, liver cancer etc. This platinum-metal based chemotherapy drug is highly powerful and is instituted by the intravenous route into the body. Although it is renowned for effective destruction of cancerous cells for the past 4 decades, its alarming side effects is of serious concern to the medical community. Researchers have reported that administration of high dosage of the chemical is not only ineffective on the tumor cells but is also responsible for adverse side effects which may even lead to the sudden demise of the patient. The control on the level of the cisplatin drug has been a matter of persisting concern for medical practitioners. A recent study on monitoring the cisplatin level in liver cancer cells reported by researchers from the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences at Niigata University, Japan and their collaborators from Niigata Medical Center, Uonuma Institute of Community Medicine Niigata University Hospital, Niigata City General Hospital, Saiseikai Niigata Hospital and, Kashiwazaki General Hospital and Medical Center provides a ray of hope to the health professionals. The findings were published recently in the prestigious Scientific Reports journal from Nature publishing house. The multi-disciplinary research team has identified adipose most abundant 2 protein (APM2) as a potential marker to indicate the permissible level of the drug. They have experimentally investigated the liver and gastro cancer cells and have compared the variation in the protein concentration in the presence and absence of the chemo drug.

"Our results demonstrate a significant relationship between the high level of APM2 expression in serum, cancerous cells in the liver, the surrounding liver tissue and cisplatin resistance. The study reveals that APM2 expression is related to cisplatin sensitivity" explains Professor Kenya Kamimura of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University. The research study paves way for effective monitoring of chemotherapeutic drug level and their safe administration. Professor Kenya Kamimura states with confidence that, "The serum APM2 can be an effective biomarker of the liver and gastric cancer cells for determining the sensitivity to cisplatin. The results of the study would provide an advantage for the technicians, allowing easy adaption in small local clinics."

The research group has noticed that APM2 concentration favours the development of ERCC6L gene card. This is manifested by the growth of the cancerous cells and marks the resistance to the chemo drug. The valuable findings offers the potential to control the cisplatin dosage level and avoid cytotoxicity. Such a study is essential in today's context as research groups across the globe strive to develop new methodologies to optimize the dosage and control the severe side-effects induced by the concentration of chemo drugs. The research team has also utilized bioinformatics based tools to complement the experimentally obtained results.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate that the serum level of APM2 can be the predictor of the CDDP chemosensitivity. This study thus represents a milestone for detecting CDDP sensitivity, and further studies will help modify APM2 expression, which could contribute to the chemosensitization of the tumor" describes Professor Kenya Kamimura.

The interesting results of the research study has laid a foundation to track the chemo drug level. Future studies will explore the mechanism and relation between APM2 and ERCC6L. Such studies are on the cutting edge research areas of oncological sciences and hold immense potential in further extending the results to other types of cancers.

###

The research in the authors' laboratories has been supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Sciences 20390205, 25670370, and 23659395 to Takeshi Suda and Yutaka Aoyagi; 17K09408 to Kenya Kamimura; and grant provided from the Ichiro Kanehara Foundation.
Opening day of the 2021 New York trout fishing season will be memorable for several reasons.

Among them, the snowy, freezing conditions that anglers endured and still caught fish. In addition, theres the new inland trout management plan and regulations just been put in place by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Changes include new stream classifications, new stocking strategies and the start of a year-round, statewide catch and release season.

Below is a photo gallery of submitted photos by Upstate NY anglers of their catches on April 1 and during the upcoming season. More will be added as they come in.

Andy Bevilacqua, of Earlville, caught and released this impressive, 22-inch brown trout on opening day fishing in the Chenango River.

Brandon Stewart, of Auburn, landed this nice brown trout on opening day in North Brook in Cayuga County on a spinner.

Tyler Anthony, of Clarence, N.Y., holds up a 29 1/2 inch rainbow trout he caught and released opening day on Naples Creek on an orange bead. It's his personal best. He wrote: "Have not missed an opening day on Naples since the fifth grade and call three generations of us to make the trip every year to include my father and grandfather."

Send us your photos:

Photos should be sent to outdoors writer David Figura at dfigura@NYup.com. Angler who caught the fish needs to in photo. Include the anglers full name, where he or she lives, when and where the fish was caught  and on what.

Josh Smith, of Syracuse, with a nice brown trout he caught on opening day on a stream in Cayuga County. He caught it on a worm.

Patrick Clark, of Chenango Forks, caught his nice rainbow trout on opening day on Naples Creek, a tributary of Canandaigua Lake. He wrote that he caught it "on an egg sac with my centerpin."

Matt Rice, of Orwell, N.Y. caught this nice rainbow trout in Salmon Creek, a tributary of Cayuga Lake in Tompkins County.

Derek Denton, of Herkimer, N.Y., with an impressive brown trout he caught opening day on a stream in Oneida County County. He said he caught in it on worm.

James Miller, of McGraw, didn't have any luck fishing Grout Brook at the southern end of Skaneateles Lake on opening day. He returned on Friday and cashed in with these two nice rainbows (one was 23 inches; the other, 22) drifting orange egg sacs.

Ryan Burdick, of Jamesville, N.Y., landed this impressive brown trout on opening day fishing in Butternut Creek in Onondaga County. He said he caught on a black, Panther Martin lure.

A happy Sondra Ritzel, of Cicero, landed this nice, 17.5 inch brown trout on a lure fishing in Ninemile Creek opening day.

Tanner Hamilton, 10, of Cortland, caught this nice brown trout fishing opening day on Ninemile Creek with his father, Dalton Hamilton.

Bill Wood, of Homer, holds up a 23-inch, rainbow trout he landed on Grout Brook on opening day. He caught it on an egg sac.

Dell Robey, of Baldwinsville, with an impressive brown trout he caught on opening day on Ninemile Creek.

Brandon Smith landed this eye-opening steelhead fishing in the Oswego River opening day of the trout fishing season. He wrote: "Went 4/5 with a mix of steel and rainbows, released all but this one. Awesome opening day!" He said he caught it casting a pink glo bug.

Rosie Thompson, of Skaneateles, landed this 17-inch brown trout on Ninemile Creek opening day using a spinner.

Cody Kadlubowski, 10, of Fabius, caught this 17-inch brown trout on opening day fishing with his grandfather, Warren Virgil, on Fabius Brook in Onondaga County.

Nick Scarfino, of Cicero, gives the thumbs up after landing a pair of nice brown trout while fishing Butternut Creek in Jamesville in Onondaga County. He said he caught them using a Black Panther Martin lure.

Chuck Florczyk, of Cicero, had a great opening day fishing for trout on Ninemile Creek in Marcellus. He caught these browns using a Phoebe lure.

Spencer Short, of Oswego, caught these two beauties -- a 15 and a 14 1/2 inch brown trout -- on opening day fishing with his grandfather on Ninemile Creek. He showed up his grandfather, who got skunked. The boy caught them both on night crawlers.

Jaime Jaeger, of Warners, N.Y., holds up a 16-inch brown trout he caught on Ninemile Creek using a Phoebe lure.

George Markewich, right, of Syracuse, caught this nice brown trout Easter morning while fishing on Ninemile Creek using a night crawler. Also pictured is Kevin Johnson, also of Syracuse.

Brian Davis, of Skaneateles, with a nice pair of brown trout he caught on Ninemile Creek on a gold lazer lure.

MORE UPSTATE NY OUTDOORS

Opening day of trout fishing: Most anglers caught fish, most glad they got out

Confused about NYs new trout fishing plan and regulations? Go online -- for now

Dont be that trout angler who trashes the side of a stream, ruining things for others

Anglers tail: I caught a 14 1/2-inch goldfish in Onondaga Lake with my fly rod

What you need to know about NYs new trout fishing regulations that take effect opening day

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Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, on the Union Day of Russia and Belarus, which is celebrated on April 2 annually, praising bilateral cooperation in politics and the economy

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2021) Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, on the Union Day of Russia and Belarus, which is celebrated on April 2 annually, praising bilateral cooperation in politics and the economy.

"The treaty on formation of the union between Russia and Belarus was signed a quarter century ago, it became the first significant step toward our countries' integrative cooperation. Since then, much has been done to strengthen the Russian-Belarusian ties.

The Union State mechanisms support the high level of our bilateral cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, humanitarian sphere and many other areas. Moscow and Minsk coordinate their efforts in the international arena, making a significant contribution to ensuring stability and safety in Eurasia," the congratulatory message, released by the Kremlin, read.

The Russian leader expressed confidence that Russia and Belarus would continue further developing the constructive allied relations.
COEYMANS  Albany County Legislator George Langdon IV on Thursday apologized for making what he called "foolish" remarks denigrating the LGBTQ community at a "constitutional liberty" seminar held over the weekend. In a statement released Thursday, Langdon said he regrets having made the remarks.

Many Albany County Democrats have called for Langdon's resignation, and a rally is planned for Friday asking for Langdon to step down.

He released the statement about two hours after the Times Union published a story about the rally.

"I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community and all others for the hurtful remarks recently made at a conference," Langdon said, referring to the "A Return to Liberty under the Constitution," seminar held at Camp Pinnacle in New Scotland.

Langdon was one of many speakers at the seminar, a video of which was posted in its entirety on YouTube.

"Everything God does is sustainable -- it's sustainable. It's perpetual," Langdon said in the video. "Sorry, when you have homosexual relationships, it's not perpetual. Give them an island, they'll be gone in 40 years. Because God created us this way. There's so much common sense that needs to be applied to our policies, our procedures that we do in our government."

Langdon, a Republican, is in his first term as a legislator. He was previously a Coeymans Town Board member. His family runs a financial consulting business in Latham, and he is elder and usher ministry leader at Abounding Love Christian Fellowship in Ravena.

"I have never been homophobic nor do I think any individuals should be placed on an island. I deeply regret my foolish off-the cuff comment that has caused so much pain," Langdon said in his statement. "I commit to doing a better job of respecting diversity. I hope my years of past public service demonstrate genuine concern for all individuals. I will be taking time to reflect on how to best serve moving forward."

Ravena village Mayor Bill Misuraca is the lone Republican in Coeymans or Albany County to make a forceful statement about Langdon, posting on Facebook late Wednesday: "I'm pissed off that in 2021, here and now after our country and world has been rocked by so many troubles, that this kind of thought and behavior is STILL EVEN A THING. Isn't being happy the one thing that EVERYONE wants? Then why, for the LOVE of God would anyone, let alone an elected representative of the people (ALL The people!) think this kind of behavior is remotely acceptable?"

Misuraca said, "George, no sugar coating it, you gotta go. There's no place [for] that mindset in government, (or in day to day life, for that matter)."
Oil prices have lost some momentum in recent weeks, pushed from highs not seen since early 2020 by headwinds like a stronger dollar and concerns about global oil demand.

But prices remain above $60 a barrel as the industry approaches the first anniversary of the first  and only  day of negative pricing, when prices fell to negative $38 a barrel on April 20, 2020.

Traders headed into the long Easter weekend Thursday by sending West Texas Intermediate on the New York Mercantile Exchange up $2.29 or about 4 percent to $61.45 a barrel. The posted price ended the week at $57.93, according to Plains All-American.

Fueling the surge was an announcement by members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied nations to boost output by 2 million barrels a day from May to July. Before the announcement, oil prices had spent a week wavering between $61 and $59 a barrel.

The markets did take the OPEC action in stride as did oil prices, Ben Shepperd, president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, commented to the Reporter-Telegram by email. Hopefully, global demand will continue to increase, offsetting the increase in supply.

Economist Ray Perryman told the Reporter-Telegram by email, I dont think this is any particular surprise to the market. The prior production cuts were made at a time when the economy was shutting down around the globe and oil prices were collapsing. Everyone expected producers to raise output as the world economy opens up and prices permitted it. The crucial factor is to avoid the types of increases that will disrupt the overall market, which is unlikely. Most of the OPEC members need prices at or above current levels to sustain the social infrastructure that they have built around their energy resources.

Under the plan announced Thursday, OPEC members and allied nations will increase output by 350,000 barrels a day in May and June and 400,000 barrels a day in July. At the same time, Saudi Arabia will restore 1 million barrels of cuts it had made unilaterally to support the market.

OPEC+ has a fine line to walk  they are trying to maximize profit by increasing pricing and volumes, but not let prices get out of control and motivate US producers to increase rig count too fast, Grant Swartzwelder, president of OTA Environmental Solutions, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. With their previous actions they have done serious harm to US domestic production capabilities. OPEC sees that it is in their best interest to keep a thumb on the US capabilities.

He went on to comment, But this all has to be couched with what is going on with the world economy. With the world opening up and the economy returning somewhat, it should allow production increases without too much price volatility. Such volatility requires constant adjustments thus we should expect very frequent OPEC meetings and volume announcements.

The strength in prices has fueled a recovery in drilling activity, especially in the Permian Basin. Pioneer Natural Resources, one of the top producers in the region, now has 10 rigs operating in Midland County, up three from a year ago, and two rigs in Glasscock County.

Pioneer management told the Reporter-Telegram by email, While the improvement in oil price is welcome, Pioneer remains committed to a ~5 percent annual production growth rate, strengthening our top-flight balance sheet and returning free cash flow to shareholders.
New Delhi, April 2 : Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has cancelled her campaign schedule of Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala after coming in contact with a Covid patient.

She has released a video message apologising to the people but said that doctors have asked her to be in isolation, so she is following the guideline.

Priyanka Gandhi said, "Just to say that I have been exposed to the coronavirus although the report is negative but doctors have advised me to self-isolate and unfortunately I have to cancel the program which was scheduled for me for Assam campaign today and for Tamil Nadu tomorrow and Kerala a day after tomorrow. I would like to apologise as I will not be able to be there." She also wished all the Congress candidates for their victory. The Congress General Secretary was supposed to address three rallies on Friday in Assam ahead of the last phase of polling.
Courtesy of Dog Friendly SA

This month, Dog Friendly San Antonio and Daisy Cares, are partnering with Local Coffee Founders, North Park Subaru, The Good Kind, Impact Guild and Feliz Modern Olmos Park in a quest to raise 30,000 pounds of dog food for local canines in need.



Anytime between April 15 and May 15, you too can help out some furry friends by contributing a cash donation online, or by dropping off pet food provisions at any one of the listed local businesses. In the spirit of giving, Local and The Good Kind participants will receive a 10 percent discount upon mention of their donations at checkout. Impact Guild will offer 15 percent off venue rentals booked during the drive, and at Feliz Modern, participants will receive a 10 percent mark-down on pet supplies. At each business, bringing your own pup along to enjoy the outing is encouraged.

READ MORE: Local professor tried walking every aisle at all 46 San Antonio H-E-B stores in 1-day



The third annual 30k for Canines dog chow drive will assist the San Antonio Food Bank and their pet partner Daisy Cares in providing the citys pets with vital sustenance. Since the advent of the pandemic, there has been an uptick in demand at the food bank, and more families with pets passing through. While 30,000 might appear like a hearty goal, the institution currently distributes around 40,000 pounds of pet food each month.



We often receive donations for food for families, and while that is a vital part of our mission we also have to remember pet food is another need in our community that must be met each month. Daisy Cares is our operation to do just that, and were grateful community members like Dog Friendly San Antonio are willing to help, said Eric Cooper, President and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank, in a statement.



Pet food donors are additionally encouraged to share a selfie at their donation site on Instagram, tagging @dogfriendlysa and a #30KforCanines. On May 17, one poster will be randomly selected as a giveaway winner, with a haul of goodies from local-dog friendly businesses.



Camille Sauers is a freelance writer based in San Antonio. Follow her on twitter @camillesaccount. Send her tips and emails to camillefrancissauers@gmail.com.






A bankrupt oil tycoon once worth 125million charmed a struggling business by posing as an investor, only to have his mum pay a fraction of his funds and be caught living out of a sleeping bag in their office.

Calum Melville, former Dundee FC director, used his 'charm and charisma' to lure in the luxury spa break retailer and offered 50,000 to buy the business despite its 250,000 asking price.

When they turned him down, Melville - who in 2009 was on the Times rich list - instead agreed to invest the 50,000 after assuring I Need Pampering Ltd bosses that he had the money.

Former oli tycoon Calum Melville (pictured), 52, posed as an investor to a business only to have his mum pay a small fraction of the funds he promised

The former Dundee FC director (pictured) was caught living out of a sleeping bag in the I Need Pampering office

However, it took the so-called entrepreneur three months to finally cough up any money - which was a mere 4,500 paid by his mother.

Later, Melville was arrested after directors discovered him squatting at their Manchester office in his 'yellow underwear', where he was living on petty cash and running up bills in the company's name including a 4,000 photocopier.

He had been living out of a sleeping bag on the office sofa for eight weeks.

Now, disgraced Melville, 52, has lost an employment tribunal - after he claimed he was unfairly dismissed - and was ordered to pay 18,136.

As well as sleeping in the office, Melville was living on petty cash and running up bills in the company's name. Picture: General view of the I Need Pampering office

A senior I Need Pampering spokeswoman branded him a 'con-artist' and 'monster' who cost them 'thousands and thousands'.

Ex-Dundee director Melville was 436th on the 2009 Sunday Times list, with an estimated fortune of 124 million, making him one of Scotland's richest men.

Who is Calum Melville and how did he make his fortune? Calum Melville rose to success when he took over his family oil and gas business, GTC Group, when he was just 21. He sold the company to Cosalt, a Grimsby-based business in 2007, and it was estimated to have made a 100million fortune, The Courier reports. In 2009 he was 436th on The Sunday Times rich list. That same year Melville, once hailed as one of Scotland's richest men, joined the board of Dundee FC with a reported 1.6million investment. The following year he was named Grampian Industrialist of the Year but also suspended from Cosalt. Police investigated allegations of fraud in 2013 and directors, including Melville, were sued by Cosalt after it claimed they failed to deliver equipment. They agreed to pay the new Cosalt owners 2million. After the incident, he was declared bankrupt and evicted from his holiday home in the Gleneagles. He was given 14 days to gather his possessions due to missed payments to Clydesdale Bank. He fled to Dubai with his family, leaving behind his debts, and rebuilding his empire running hotel and nightclub businesses. According to Press and Journal, he was forced to leave Dubai a few years later after failing to pay his bills for his home and office. Despite building 750k in debts and losses, he said he 'refused to give up' and he was 'absolutely, unequivocally not crooked'. Advertisement

However, the oil tycoon ran later faced court action over massive unpaid debts, was evicted from his lavish Gleneagles mansion in Scotland, was declared bankrupt in 2016 and fled the UK, and has also faced probes over his links with bankrupt firms.

The employment tribunal in Manchester heard Melville contacted I Need Pampering in October 2017, when its directors put it on the market.

A tribunal report said: 'Melville described himself on his LinkedIn profile as 'an entrepreneur with 30 years' experience starting and running businesses from start-ups to 1,000+ people and companies'.

'Melville emailed to say that he would only offer 50,000 to purchase the business. This offer was significantly under the asking price of 250,000.

'Melville admitted to the respondent that he had a bad reputation but he assured them that he had the funds and ability to assist, and they noted he was very charming and charismatic.'

Melville agreed to invest 50,000 on November 1, 2017.

The report continued: 'Melville originally indicated he would be operating from his offices in Scotland but then said that he had rented a property in a residential development near their Manchester office and he would work a little more from there in the New Year.

'He asked for a key to the office premises to enable him to go into the office at unusual times on his return from abroad.

'On January 29, 2018, Melville finally invested 4,500, not the 50,000 expected. The payment was in fact made by Melville's mother. After January 29, 2019, Melville made no further payments to the [company].

'It became apparent in early February that he did not have the funds to invest but was running up bills in the [company's] name, including that he had signed a lease agreement with BNP Paribas, holding himself out to be a director of the [company] in order to obtain a 4,000 photocopier.'

It was heard the directors 'subsequently found out that Melville was in fact living in their offices'.

The report said: '[One of the directors] found Melville in a sleeping bag on the sofa in the office and became aware that he was actually living there.

'Melville was asked to leave [four days later]; he refused and was arrested and escorted out by the police.'

It was heard the directors, who said Melville lived on petty cash, 'believed him when he said he wanted to be an investor' and that 'it would seem that this is not the first time Melville has been less than honest with business partners'.

The former Dundee director Melville (pictured) was 436th on the 2009 Sunday Times list, with an estimated fortune of 124 million, making him one of Scotland's richest men

Melville, who did not attend the Manchester tribunal, had his unfair dismissal claim thrown out and was ordered to pay I Need Pampering 18,136 in costs.

Judge Sherrilyn Warren said: 'Melville had led them to believe he was a man of substance with an interest in investing in businesses.'

Speaking today, the I Need Pampering spokeswoman said: 'He cost us thousands and thousands, he ran up huge bills.

'We call him a monster, that's our name for him. He's a real con artist, a real nasty piece of work.

'The tribunal victory is a shallow one because he has caused so much damage but we are glad we can put it behind us.'

The spokeswoman said Melville was found squatting in 'yellow underwear' and had been there eight weeks. 'He had run out of money', she said.
SALEM, Ore -- Gov. Kate Brown announced during a press conference this morning that household family members of frontline workers are now eligible to get vaccinated.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise, and Brown said the fourth surge of COVID-19 is at our doorstep.

During the conference, which was held over Zoom, Brown also expanded criteria of underlying conditions to meet the CDC's extended list of people with underlying health conditions. That list includes the following groups:

Cancer

Chronic kidney disease

Chronic lung diseases

Dementia or other neurological conditions

Diabetes (type 1 or type 2)

Heart conditions

HIV infection

Immunocompromised state

Liver disease

Overweight and obesity (BMI greater than 25 kg/m2)

Pregnancy

Sickle cell disease or thalassemia

Smoking, current or former

Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant

Stroke or cerebrovascular disease

Substance use disorder

Oregon is administering more than 29,000 shots every day on average, the governor said.

According to the governor, if Oregon had as many deaths per capita as the national average, nearly three times the amount of people would have died across the state.

Brown was joined by Oregon Health Authority Director Pat Allen and State Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger.


Walking a long way of the cross this last year Walking a long way of the cross this last year

All of us have been walking a long way of the cross this year, says Bishop Alan Hopes in his Easter reflection.

On the way of the Cross, blood is mingled with tears  the Blood of Christ, and the tears of the Virgin Mary, of St Mary Magdalene, the women, and St John. With the saints leading us, by faith we know that we ourselves have walked along that way of the Cross.



It is part of the Christian mystery that our own lives are caught up in the life of Christ. Our own passion is absorbed by his compassion. Not a drop of our tears, blood or sweat falls to ground without being touched and transformed by those of Christ. Nothing is wasted by God. His guiding hand draws us through the valley of darkness into the brightness of the empty tomb, where he weaves human thorns into crowns.



All of us have been walking a long way of the Cross this year. And we continue to walk it. Suffering brings strong reactions, whether to those of Christ on the Cross, or of my own personal suffering, that of my neighbour or of the whole human family. As was the case with the saints, we can be left incoherent, confused and lonely.



Looking at our wounds, however, we can never forget that Jesus, once suffering and once dead, is now alive and present to us, not only in our sentiments, but in reality  his real, sacramental Presence before us.



At Easter, and every day in the celebration of the Mass and in the Churchs whole life of worship, proclamation, and love, we are reminded that the horror of Calvary is not the end of our story.



The mystery of the Resurrection breaks into our confusion with a bright and radiating change for the better. Nothing can ever be the same again. Men and women can never remain exactly the same. The truth and brightness of the Resurrection shattering our prison bars is not a distant theory, but our real, Christian experience of a life of faith in the Risen Lord. Our co-operation with Gods guiding hand over time gradually changes the way we act, and how we read the signs of the times within and around us. After tragedy, God re-creates. Wounds remain, but with eyes of faith focussed in hope on Gods promises, we may see the vitality of his new creation.



We have received the gift of new life through, with, and in Jesus Christ for a particular purpose: to enable us to see his guiding hand in our lives, that no wound is wasted, and that always and everywhere, we may give thanks to him, as we sing, Alleluia!



Rt Rev Alan Hopes, Bishop of East Anglia
Gov. Charlie Baker and First Lady Lauren Baker are traveling to Florida, with plans to return on Sunday.

A Baker aide said Friday morning that the Bakers plan to attend to family matters in Florida. The aide said the Bakers will comply with all Massachusetts travel protocols.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito serves as acting governor when Baker is out of state.

The Baker family traveled to Florida early last month after a death in the family.

Lauren Bakers parents had lived in Florida as recently as 2018, and the governor and his family have visited there on several occasions during his time in office.

Previous Massachusetts travel restrictions required anyone entering the state, including returning residents, to quarantine for 10 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered within 72 hours of their arrival.

The travel order has since been downgraded to an advisory, with exceptions for fully vaccinated residents and visitors.
Lawton, OK (73501)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High near 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 62F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Shoprite workers at Lugbe, Abuja, on Friday, embarked on another round of protest, shutting down the company over a row with the management.

Cherish Ogenyi, the unit chairman and coordinator of the northern region of the National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees (NUSDE), an affiliate of the Nigerian Labour Congress, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES described the action as picketing.

What you see happening here today is just a picketing type of strike, that is what the workers came here to do. Just to picket the entrance of Shoprite. Apparently, in a bid to stop them from trading until our pending proposals and demands are met by the management, he said.

Following the purchase of Shoprite Nigeria by some Nigerian investors, Mr Ogenyi said the workers are supposed to be paid off and not transferred to the new owners without their consent.

He said, We held a similar strike on March 2, to which they rushed to the Ministry of Labour to lodge a complaint to them, the Ministry of Labour called us and an MOU was reached and agreed upon.

Mr Ogenyi explained that one of the contents stipulated in the MoU with the Ministry of Labour in Lagos State was that Shoprite must not hand over on or before April 1, until all the parties come together to negotiate the pending agreement they had.

He said; It was noted on the proposal that they are supposed to pay us off as workers, but we understand that gratuity is not obtainable under the Nigerian Labour Act. It has been expunged in 2004 Act as amended and is being replaced with pension act.

Under the same Labour Act, he said, we have redundancy and when an entity is sold, the employee role under the old employer becomes redundant.

Also, the NUSDE official stated that they also took cognisance of some of the clauses in the Nigerian Labour Act, especially sections 10 (I) & (II) which state that employees must not be transferred to another employer without first seeking the consent of such an employee.

Mr Ogenyi added that subsection (II) said after such consent has been granted, it is the duty of an authorised labour officer to endorse the consent.

The company told us that the people who bought them, bought the workers. To us it is an insult because to us it is pure human trafficking and we will not accept it, he said.

He said they have been going to Lagos to negotiate with the Shoprite management, but that they told them that they cannot pay redundancy to every worker because theyre not asking anybody to go, and that any worker who is not comfortable with them being transferred automatically without seeking their consent should resign.

Mr Ogenyi said they were told that because if they should pay off their experienced workers, the business would collapse under the new workers, but that they (NUSDE) asked them to terminate their existing contract, then allow interested workers to sign another MoU with the new employer.

That way, whoever is comfortable with the new employer should stay, those who are not should be allowed to go, he said.

Another worker, Gideon Akasin, who was seen seated on a table placed by the entrance of the shopping mall, carrying a placard with the inscription  Save our souls, pay us our terminal benefits, said the challenge they are having is that the company has been sold off, and that they have refused to pay them off.

We have been trying to negotiate with them, but they seem to be tricky with our members. They keep tossing them around by asking them to come today, tomorrow and the next, were tired of such tricks, the worker said.

Mr Akasin, who has been working with Shoprite for over five years said: We are demanding for pay off, pay us off, let us go, then if theyre willing to re-engage us, they should call us back to sign another contract with the new owners.

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Tina Ehikhuemen, another worker who spoke with this newspaper, explained that the management of Shoprite has not been fair to them as staff of the company.

If youre working in a place and youre treated fairly, youll be happy. But these people, theyre not treating us fine, theyre only treating us like slaves, she said.

Ms Ehikhuemen said, Theyre enslaving us, especially the management, theyre not treating us well, you cant sell your company and sell your staff alongside with it, who does that?

Customers react

Some customers who came for shopping but could not gain entrance into the mall shared their thoughts.

Emmanuel Yusuf said he felt disappointed with what happened, but that he is in full support of what the workers are doing after looking at the reasons why the protest is being staged.

People cant come to our country, invest, and we give you all you need and then you have Nigerian staff that are not treated very well, thats bad, he said.

Also, Bayani Yukana, said he came with the hope to buy stuff he could use to celebrate Easter, but that he was disappointed.

The staff are demanding for their rights, and since theyre into business they know what is right for them and the other new company taken over, Mr Yukana said.

However, the management, in a memo issued by its Divisional Human Resources Manager, Adeola Kagho, said the workers may be dismissed should they fail to return to work.

Please note that your conduct is in breach of your contract of employment, company rules and procedures and the applicable federal legislation.

The company is not prepared to tolerate your participation in any unlawful industrial action.

The company is now considering appropriate action to be taken against you and this may include your summary dismissal, should you disregard the instruction/ultimatum hereunder.

You are accordingly instructed to return to work immediately in an orderly and diligent manner, Mrs Kagho said.

She urged the workers to follow the established companys internal procedure, should they wish to raise any grievance.
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On the heels of Friday's 900,000-plus jobs report, President Joe Biden pressed that his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, paid for by tax hikes, would not slow down economic growth.

'Raising taxes will not slow the economy at all,' Biden told reporters. 'Asking corporate America just to pay their fair share will not slow the economy at all, it will make the economy function better and will create more energy.'

Biden laughed when a reporter asked about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's pledge to fight the 'fight them every step of the way.'

'Raising taxes will not slow the economy at all,' Biden told reporters after delivering remarks Friday on the 900,000+ American jobs that were added in March

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden - with flowers in tow - are photographed leaving the White House Friday for Camp David

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk onto the South Lawn as they leave for Camp David for Easter weekend. Dr. Biden held a spring bouquet

The president escorts the first lady onto Marine One Friday as the Bidens leave to spend Easter weekend at Camp David

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed Thursday to 'fight them every step of the way,' as he talked about the Biden administration and the president's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan

'I don't think the American people gave them a mandate to drive our country all the way to the political left,' McConnell said Thursday from Kentucky.

On Wednesday from Pittsburgh, Biden debuted his $2 trillion infrastructure plan that will invest in roads, bridges, broadbant technology, water projects, housing and job training efforts.

It will be paid for by hiking taxes on big corporations to a higher rate than what former President Donald Trump signed off on in his 2017 tax package.

Americans who make more than $400,000 annually could also see an increase.

On Friday after Biden made remarks about the jobs numbers, he briefly participated in Q&A with reporters.

He scoffed at the idea that Republicans are suddenly against infrastructure.

'If the Republicans argue that we don't need infrastructure. They've been talking about the need for it for years now. If the Republicans decide that we need it but they're not going to pay for it, it's just going to increase the deficit,' Biden began.

'If the Republicans say the next phase of my plan we don't need to invest in VA hospitals and keep the sacred obligation we made to so many Americans, if the Republicans say that the 400,000 homes and schools and daycare centers that have lead pipes, lead pipes, deliverying water to their doors,' he continued.

'They say we shouldn't be doing that?' he asked.

'What do you think would happen if they found out all the lead pipes were up on the Capitol, everytime they turned on the water fountain,' Biden remarked.

Like with the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, Biden indicated he's betting on support from Republican voters, not politicians.

'I think the Republicans' voters are going to have a lot to say about whether we get a lot of this done,' he told reporters as he exited the room.

Biden gave brief remarks before taking Marine One with his wife, first lady Dr. Jill Biden, to Camp David to spend Easter weekend.

Dr. Biden held a bouquet of spring flowers as she exited the White House.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The foreign ministers of the G7 countries are "strongly concerned" over recent reports of human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law in Ethiopia's restive border region of Tigray, according to a statement issued on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2021) The foreign ministers of the G7 countries are "strongly concerned" over recent reports of human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law in Ethiopia's restive border region of Tigray, according to a statement issued on Friday.

"We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union are strongly concerned about recent reports on human rights violations and abuses, and violations of international humanitarian law in Tigray," the statement, which was carried by the UK's foreign office, read.

The G7 foreign ministers called on all parties to exercise the "utmost restraint" and expressed their condemnation of the killing of civilians and "indiscriminate" shelling attacks.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said one week ago that Eritrean troops would leave the Tigray region, and the G7 foreign ministers said that they welcome this announcement.

Rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch, have accused the Eritrean armed forces of killing dozens of civilians in the Tigray town of Axum during the recent hostilities in the region.

The Ethiopian armed forces launched a military operation in the Tigray region this past November after the government in Addis Ababa accused the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the regional ruling party, of attacking a military installation.

On November 28, Ahmed said that the military operation against the TPLF had come to a successful conclusion after government troops had taken "full control" of Mekelle, the regional capital.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 60,000 Ethiopians fled the fighting and crossed the border into neighboring Sudan.
The convicted mom killer who beat a Filipina woman on a Manhattan street on Monday has been pictured in his mugshot after surveillance footage of security guards showed them closing the door on the attack.

Vilma Kari, 65, was walking to church in midtown Manhattan when Brandon Elliot, 38, allegedly kicked her in the stomach, knocked her to the ground, stomped on her face, shouted anti-Asian slurs and told her: 'You don't belong here'.

He then casually walked away as onlookers watched and the security guards only came to the woman's aid once her attacker fled.

Two of the men, who were building staff and appeared to be doormen, were suspended from work for doing nothing to help Kari as she was attacked.

Previously released footage shows one of the men closing the door while the alleged attacker kicked and stomped on her face at least three times on Monday morning.

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO

Brandon Elliot, 38, has been pictured in his mugshot after he allegedly stomped on the face of Vilma Kari, 65, while bystanders watched

Vilma Kari, 65, has been identified by police as the woman who was brutally attacked by a man in Midtown Manhattan while she was on her way to church. Her daughter says she is 'safe and in good spirits'

The footage, released to Pix11 by building owner The Brodsky Organization, shows three men from inside the building going to Kari's aide once the attack was over.

The workers claimed they did not initially intervene because they saw the attacker pull out a knife, The Brodsky Organization told Pix11.

Both men remained suspended pending an investigation into whether they followed proper safety protocols. The workers' union said they called for help immediately.

Residents of the building defended the workers Wednesday in a letter to the management company and the media.

They contend that a video clip focusing on the suspect and the assault was 'unfortunately cut to inadvertently exclude the compassionate action' taken by the staff, which they said included giving the victim aid and alerting medics.

Detective Michael Rodriguez said there were no 911 calls.

He said patrol officers driving by came upon the victim after she was assaulted.

In a statement on GoFundMe, her daughter Elizabeth Kari wrote that her mother was 'safe and in good spirits'.

'My mom is humbled by the outpouring of messages and support from not only our friends and family, but from the kind souls all over the world,' she wrote.

'Although the healing process will not be easy, she has always been a resilient role model for me. We are hopeful that in time she will make a full recovery.'

Kari, who was repeatedly kicked and stomped, suffered serious injuries including a fractured pelvis and was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, officials said. She has been speaking to police.

Her daughter added that while security footage of the brutal attack that went viral was 'the most difficult thing to watch', and 'there were many times that I wish someone would have stepped in'.

NYPD released surveillance camera footage of the man suspected of attacking an Asian American woman near Times Square on Monday

Surveillance footage from the building where doormen watched a brutal attack on Vilma Kari showed them closing the door during the beating

Another angle from the surveillance footage shows the men went outside to help the Kari after the attack

She also thanked a witness across the street who filmed the incident from a different angle and who yelled and screamed at her mother's attacker to get his attention.

'That is where the video cuts off as the attacker crossed the street to him,' she wrote.

Kari's daughter told The New York Times that she emigrated from the Philippines several decades ago.

The alleged attacker, Elliot, appeared in court on Wednesday after being charged with three counts - two of assault in the second degree, as a hate crime, and a third count of attempted assault in the first degree, as a hate crime.

He will next appear in court on April 5. If he is convicted of hate crimes, he faces 25 years in prison, plus further penalties for violating his parole.

He was represented in court on Wednesday by two public defenders who did not contest his detention - which was automatic, given that he was on a lifetime parole for murdering his mother.

New York's police chief said earlier on Wednesday that it was disturbing that Elliot was released from prison in 2019 and ended up in a homeless shelter, and called for a reassessment of how former convicts were rehabilitated.

Elliot murdered his mother in the Bronx in 2002, in front of his five-year-old sister, and was sentenced to 25 years to life. He was released from prison on lifetime parole in 2019.

Dermot Shea, NYPD Commissioner, said Elliot's behavior after he was released from prison raised serious questions about failures in the social services.

'For the life of me, I don't understand why we are releasing or pushing people out of prison - not to give them second chances, but to put them into homeless facilities or shelters, or in this case a hotel - and expect good outcomes,' said Shea at a news conference on Wednesday.

'We need real opportunities. We need real safety nets.'

The parole board had previously twice denied Elliot's release. His record also included an arrest for robbery in 2000.

'He was released on parole,' said Shea.

'Anyone who is given a second chance deserves a second chance.'

But he said he saw recidivism 'far too often'.

He said it was 'misguided' to simply 'push people out and think we are helping them'.

On Wednesday sources told DailyMail.com that Elliot denied carrying out the attack, but 'he puts himself in the area at the time of the incident.'

The man has been identified as Brandon Elliott, 38, who murdered his mother in 2002

He told officers he was going to a store in that area at the time.

Police executed a search warrant in his room and recovered some of the clothing seen on the suspect during the attack, including his pants and a red scarf he had tucked inside a sweater he was wearing.

Elliot told officers he takes medication for an unspecified condition, and said he was taking his medication at the time of the attack.

'He was totally lucid under questioning,' the source said.

Elliot told officers that his family cut him off after he killed his mother.

'He said he has no family ties. He has been ostracized by the rest of the family,' the source said.

There is no indication Elliot knew the victim, the source told DailyMail.com.

'She was going to church. The victim says she heard him saying, 'What are you doing here?' Then he set upon her. He totally 'unprovoked attacked' her.'

Elliot was taken into custody at the hotel around midnight. Tips from the public led to his apprehension, police said.

Dermot Shea, NYPD Commissioner, said it was 'misguided' to release convicts with no support

NYPD Officer Rodney Hierro keeps an eye in Flushing, a largely Asian American neighborhood

The NYPD offered a $2,500 reward for information that would lead to an arrest

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea called Monday's attack 'disgusting'

The video - from a previously unseen angle - shows Kari, 65, pushed to the ground and kicked in the head by Elliot during the vicious daylight attack

NYPD have increased their patrols in Asian American neighborhoods of the city

The country's foreign secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr., condemned the attack, writing on Twitter: 'This is gravely noted and will influence Philippine foreign policy.'

He didn't elaborate how.

The Philippines and United States are longtime treaty allies. But Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte is a vocal critic of U.S. security policies and has moved to terminate a key agreement that allows large-scale military exercises with U.S. forces in the country.

'I might as well say it, so no one on the other side can say, 'We didn't know you took racial brutality against Filipinos at all seriously.' We do,' Locsin said.

Monday's attack, among the latest in a national spike in anti-Asian hate crimes, drew widespread condemnation and concerns about the failure of bystanders to intervene.

Cyrus Vance, the Manhattan District Attorney, said: 'This brave woman belongs here. Asian American New Yorkers belong here. Everyone belongs here.'

NYPD Officer Joanna Derkacz on patrol in Flushing, Queens on Tuesday

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the attack 'absolutely disgusting and outrageous' and said it was 'absolutely unacceptable' that witnesses didn't help the woman.

Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang on Tuesday said he was furious that nobody tried to stop the assault.

'Like so many other people, I woke up to a horrifying video of an Asian woman being horribly beaten for no other reason than her race,' said Yang, who is currently considered the favorite to succeed de Blasio.

'An elderly Asian woman walking the streets of Hell's Kitchen could easily have been my mother, because that's where we live.

'And so when I saw this video, that is who I thought of.'

Yang's comments were reported by the New York Post.

The former candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for president is vying to be the first-ever mayor of Asian descent to take over City Hall.

Monday's attack happened in front of a luxury apartment building in Hell's Kitchen, a predominantly white neighborhood west of Times Square.

The attack happened just weeks after a mass shooting in Atlanta left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent.

It also came just a days after a 65-year-old Asian American woman in the same Manhattan neighborhood was threatened and heckled with anti-Asian slurs.

The surge in violence has been linked in part to misplaced blame for the coronavirus pandemic and former President Donald Trump's use of terms like 'Chinese virus.'

This year in New York City, there have been 33 hate crimes with an Asian victim as of Sunday, police said. There were 11 such attacks by the same time last year.

Four have been charged this year so far, with nine charged last year.

The NYPD said last week that it was increasing outreach and patrols in predominantly Asian communities, including the use of undercover officers to prevent and disrupt attacks.

'This is crucial to the equation,' de Blasio said of the new policing efforts.

'It's a very few people but we need to find each and every one of them and stop this.'
Cincinnati, OH (April 2, 2021) - - To celebrate Good Friday and Easter this year, Crossroads Music announces the release of their EP, "Conquered Grave." This EP will feature four songs: "Conquered Grave," "We Say Yes," "God of the Breakthrough" and "That Name."



The Crossroads Music team strategically released this EP on Good Friday as a timely reminder that Jesus conquered the grave and reigns victorious over death! In 2020, only a few weeks into quarantine, Austin Livingood, Dustin Smith (from Here Be Lions) and Robbie Reider penned the lyric, "Death has died, crushed by nail-pierced hands," as a reminder that our ultimate struggle has already been laid to rest by what Jesus did on the Cross.



Little did they know that those lyrics would become the anthem for Crossroads Church this Easter. They are eagerly looking forward to having their community sing out, "Every day we wake to a conquered grave," to celebrate Easter this weekend!



Co-writer, Austin Livingood, said "This album is a constant reminder of the reason I have new mercies every morning. I have a reason to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Sometimes I tend to focus so much on Jesus dying on the cross, that I forget about the conquered grave and the freedom and joy that comes with it. The cross is important, but the cross without the grave means nothing."



One of the featured songs on the EP, "God of the Breakthrough," is an anthem written out of desperation to have God intervene in impossible situations. The Crossroads Music team had seen people in their community go through maddening life circumstances: cancer treatments, heart attacks, surgeries and friends passing away.



Regarding "God of the Breakthrough," Livingood said, "When we wrote this song, our church was going through a difficult season. We started chasing down an idea, and in the middle of the session, we got an email that one of our Executive Pastors had a heart attack. It completely changed everything. We immediately prayed, and I was reminded of these lines I had just written a few days ago:





"God of the breakthrough

Your promises stand true

You haven't failed us yet."



That was all I had, and from there, we built a song of petition for God to show up. Time and time again since writing this song, it has served as a reminder that when I have nowhere else to go, I go to a place of surrender."



Director of Crossroads Music, Robbie Reider, said, "When we have nowhere else to go, we want God near; His presence can change everything. Though it may not be specific results, it can change the posture of our heart, mind and spirit towards Him. This song is a reminder to us that though we dont have all the answers in life, we can always depend on his presence being near to us in broken times, to hold onto his faithfulness. This song is as much an invitation to the miraculous as it is miraculous that we can have God to lean on in times of hardship."



The Crossroads Music team wants this album to be something that doesnt just produce self-reflection and somberness...but is a cause for celebration! Their hope is that this Easter weekend, the church will celebrate and have confidence in the fact that Jesus paved a way to life.



Additional information about Crossroads Music can be found on the Crossroads Music Website. You can stream or download their EP on all major music platforms here.

About Crossroads Music: Crossroads Music is a part of Crossroads Church, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The music they create and sing is meant to express the human journey  from brokenness to wholeness, from seeking to finding, from darkness to light. Their songs display the redemption and restoration of a loving God and the natural responses of gratefulness and worship. Crossroads Musics hope is that these songs become not simply the soundtrack of day-to-day lives, but tools used to get and give God as much glory as they can. Recently named the fastest-growing and third-largest church in the country, the Crossroads Church community of 30,000 gathers in 13 locations in Ohio and Kentucky, along with Crossroads Anywhere, an online campus.

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Overview of the Blockchain in Telecom Market Research

Blockchain, a decentralized solution originally developed for the cryptocurrency bitcoin, has evolved beyond its intended scope and offers several other opportunities in many sectors such as government BFSI, healthcare, education, IT & telecom, energy, and industrial. Blockchain can verify data in real time and thus helps in reducing fraud across various industries. Telecom operators are transforming themselves from legacy telecom service providers (TSP)s to service providers focusing on customer experience and core business segment.

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The Telecom Industry involves many vendors, network providers, distributors, partners, VAS providers & customers and has the most complex operations framework. This creates challenges including transparency and trust issues among others, especially with the involvement of multiple entities. The Blockchain Technology can be applied to a variety of telecom processes, which can simplify day-to-day operations, increase security, and reduce operating costs.

Blockchain in Telecom Market Analysis

According to TMR Research, the Global Blockchain in Telecom Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 77.9% during the forecast period to reach revenue of $1.37 billion by 2024. For increasing the overall revenue, profitability, and addressing the rising customer needs, traditional telecom companies are focusing on adopting blockchain technology to unlock new opportunities. Rising security concerns, demand for fraud management, and 5G implementation are few of the factors driving the growth of the Blockchain in Telecom Market The increasing number of blockchain consortia, such as Hyperledger, Carrier Blockchain Study Group (CBSG), and many more, is also among the primary factors leading toward the growth of blockchain applications in telecom. For instance, the number of blockchain consortia increased from around 27 in 2017 to more than 60 in 2018.

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The report provides in-depth qualitative insights and validated market forecast or projections based on certain assumptions and historical data. The projections and trends featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions based on the vendors portfolio, blogs, whitepapers, and vendor presentations. Thus, the research report represents every side of the market and is segmented based on regional markets, providers, applications, and organization size.

Blockchain in Telecom Competitive Analysis

The report covers and analyzes the Blockchain in Telecom Market. Major vendors across different verticals are planning for high investments in this market, and as a result, the market is expected to grow at an impressive rate in the coming years. The key players are adopting various organic as well as inorganic growth strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, collaborations & partnerships, joint ventures, and few other strategies to be in the strong position in the market.

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The report contains an in-depth analysis of the vendors profile, which includes financial health, business units, key business priorities, SWOT, strategies, and views. The prominent vendors covered in the report include IBM, SAP, Microsoft, AWS, Huawei, BubbleTone, Clear, Guardtime, TBCASoft, and Filament among many others. The vendors have been identified based on the portfolio, geographical presence, marketing & distribution channels, revenue generation, and significant investments in R&D.

IBM, SAP, and Microsoft are the key players in the Blockchain in Telecom Market. In 2018, Telefonica, a Spanish telecom company, partnered with IBM for using its Blockchain Technology for managing the international call traffic. IBM is working with Indian telecom firms and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for offering Blockchain Solutions and Addressing problems of coordination between multiple parties in mobile number portability (MNP) and to Do Not Call (DNC) registries. In 2019, Tech Mahindra partnered with Microsoft in India for creating blockchain-based solutions for combating spam calls. In June 2018, Deutsche Telekom, a German telecommunication company announced that it was working with SAP on blockchain technology for preventing hackers from accessing data on stolen phones.

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North America held the largest market share in 2017 and is expected to dominate the Blockchain in Telecom Market during the forecast period. The high presence of key players offering Blockchain in Telecom Solutions such as IBM, AWS, and Microsoft is the main factor leading to the growth in the North America region. The increasing number of partnerships in this region is also among the factors driving the growth of the market. Recently in January 2019, Synchronoss Technologies, a US-based provider of cloud, messaging, digital, and IoT products, and TBCASoft, Inc., a US-based innovator of cross-carrier Blockchain platform technology announced their partnership for redefining telecom operators with blockchain.

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The report provides an in-depth analysis of the Blockchain in Telecom Market. Blockchain can enable the telecom operators in generating a new layer of confidence on the Internet, based on the data itself. Blockchain helps in building a network of peers, which consist of service providers, vendors, telecom operators, and other parties for increasing the trust among different partners within the ecosystem. Blockchain helps telecom companies in generating new revenue opportunities and streamlining internal processes. Blockchain provides strong encryption to record and store the data on the network in a more secure and verifiable way. It makes the information transparent and tamper-proof. Blockchain technology is expected to help the telecom companies in bolstering their network security and reducing the operational costs. The report discusses the market in terms of providers, applications, orgnaization size, and regions. Further, the report provides details about the major challenges impacting the market growth.
Italy may be in a strict coronavirus lockdown this Easter with travel restricted between regions and new quarantines imposed. But a few miles offshore, guests aboard the MSC Grandiosa cruise ship are shimmying to Latin music on deck and sipping cocktails by the pool.

Passengers take selfies on a deck of the MSC Grandiosa cruise ship in Civitavecchia, near Rome, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. MSC Grandiosa, the world's only cruise ship to be operating at the moment, left from Genoa on March 30 and stopped in Civitavecchia near Rome to pick up more passengers and then sail toward Naples, Cagliari, and Malta to be back in Genoa on April 6. For most of the winter, the MSC Grandiosa has been a lonely flag-bearer of the global cruise industry stalled by the pandemic, plying the Mediterranean Sea with seven-night cruises along Italys western coast, its major islands and a stop in Malta. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italy may be in a strict coronavirus lockdown this Easter with travel restricted between regions and new quarantines imposed. But a few miles offshore, guests aboard the MSC Grandiosa cruise ship are shimmying to Latin music on deck and sipping cocktails by the pool.

In one of the anomalies of lockdowns that have shuttered hotels and resorts around the world, the Grandiosa has been plying the Mediterranean Sea this winter with seven-night cruises, a lonely flag-bearer of the global cruise industry.

After cruise ships were early sources of highly publicized coronavirus outbreaks, the Grandiosa has tried to chart a course through the pandemic with strict anti-virus protocols approved by Italian authorities that seek to create a health bubble on board.

Passengers and crew are tested before and during cruises. Mask mandates, temperature checks, contact-tracing wristbands and frequent cleaning of the ship are all designed to prevent outbreaks. Passengers from outside Italy must arrive with negative COVID-19 tests taken within 48 hours of their departures and only residents of Europe's Schengen countries plus Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria are permitted to book under COVID-19 insurance policies.

On Wednesday, the Grandiosa left the Italian port of Civitavecchia for its weeklong Easter cruise, with 2,000 of its 6,000-passenger capacity and stops planned in Naples and Valletta, Malta, before returning to its home port in Genoa.

Passengers welcomed the semblance of normalcy brought on by the freedom to eat in a restaurant or sit poolside without a mask, even if the virus is still a present concern.

Passengers enjoy the sun by a swimming pool on board the MSC Grandiosa cruise ship in Civitavecchia, near Rome, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. MSC Grandiosa, the world's only cruise ship to be operating at the moment, left from Genoa on March 30 and stopped in Civitavecchia near Rome to pick up more passengers and then sail toward Naples, Cagliari, and Malta to be back in Genoa on April 6. For most of the winter, the MSC Grandiosa has been a lonely flag-bearer of the global cruise industry stalled by the pandemic, plying the Mediterranean Sea with seven-night cruises along Italys western coast, its major islands and a stop in Malta. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

After a year of restrictive measures, we thought we could take a break for a week and relax, said Stefania Battistoni, a 39-year-old teacher and single mother who overnight from Bolzano, in northern Italy, with her two sons and mother to board the cruise.

The pandemic has plunged global cruise ship passenger numbers from a record 30 million in 2019 to more than 350,000 since July 2020, according to Cruise Lines International, the worlds largest cruise industry association representing 95% of ocean-going cruise capacity. Currently, fewer than 20 ships are operating globally, a small fraction of CLIAs members fleets of 270 ships.

The United States could be among the last cruise ship markets to reopen, possibly not until fall, and not until 2022 in Alaska. Two Royal Caribbean cruise lines that normally sail out of Miami opted instead to launch sailings in June from the Caribbean, where governments are eager to revive their tourism-based economies despite activist concerns about the health and environmental impact.

On the MSC ship, extra cabins are set aside to isolate suspected virus cases. Because of the contact tracing wristbands, if a passenger tests positive, medical personnel can identify anyone with whom they were in contact. Once the situation is clear, anyone who is positive is transferred to the shore.

According to an independent consulting firm, Bermello Ajamii & Partners, just 23 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed on ships since the industry began its tentative relaunch last summer, for a passenger infection rate of 0.006%.

But cruise industry critics say the risk isnt worth it and add that cruise companies should have taken the pandemic timeout to address the industry's long-standing environmental and labour problems.

All large cruise ships burn huge volumes of the dirtiest, cheapest fuel available, said Jim Ace of environmental group Stand Earth. Cruise ship companies could have used the COVID shutdown to address their impacts on public health and the environment. Instead, they scrapped a few of their oldest ships and raised cash to stay alive.

Passengers pose for a group photo as they board the MSC Grandiosa cruise ship in Civitavecchia, near Rome, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. MSC Grandiosa, the world's only cruise ship to be operating at the moment, left from Genoa on March 30 and stopped in Civitavecchia near Rome to pick up more passengers and then sail toward Naples, Cagliari, and Malta to be back in Genoa on April 6. For most of the winter, the MSC Grandiosa has been a lonely flag-bearer of the global cruise industry stalled by the pandemic, plying the Mediterranean Sea with seven-night cruises along Italys western coast, its major islands and a stop in Malta. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

On board, though, passengers are relishing the chance to enjoy activities that have been mostly closed in Italy and much of Europe for a year: a theatre, restaurant dining, duty-free shopping and live music in bars.

The rest of Italy is heading back into full lockdown over the Easter weekend, with shops closed and restaurants and bars open for takeout only to try to minimize holiday outbreaks. In addition, Italys government imposed a five-day quarantine on people entering from other EU countries in a bid to deter Easter getaways.

Lets say that after such a long time of restrictions and closures, this was a choice done for our mental health, said Federico Marzocchi, who joined the cruise with his wife and 10-year-old son Matteo.

The European cruise industry is looking to expand the reopening this spring.

Cruises are circulating on Spains Canary islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, including the company AIDA catering to German tourists. Costa Cruises, which with MSC is one of Europes largest cruise companies, will resume cruises on May 1, with seven-night Italy-only cruises. Costa plans to begin sailing in the western Mediterranean from mid-June.

Britain is opening to cruise ships in May, with MSC and Viking launching cruises of the British Isles, among several companies offering at-sea staycation cruises aimed at capturing one of the most important cruise markets. The cruise industry is hoping Greece will open in mid-May, but the country hasn't yet announced when it will reopen tourism.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a framework for resuming cruises in the U.S., but the industry says the health agency hasn't spelled out the details that companies need to operate their ships. Once the CDC provides technical requirements, industry officials say it takes about 90 days to prepare a ship for sailing.

The cruise companies complain that last falls CDC framework is outdated and should be scrapped. They say it was issued before vaccines were available and before the restart of cruises in Europe, which they say have safely carried thousands of passengers under new COVID-19 protocols. And they complain that cruising is the only part of the U.S. economy that remains shuttered by the pandemic.

The Cruise Lines International Association trade group is lobbying for an early July start to U.S. cruising, noting that loyal cruise customers will just go to elsewhere.

Cruisers love to cruise, and they will go where the ships are sailing, said Laziza Lambert, a spokeswoman for the trade group.

Still, environmentalists pushing back against an earlier restart say the timeout imposed by the pandemic provides a window to address the industry's issues.

Large cruise ships pollute our air, our water and contribute to climate change. They are toxic to port communities. And they spread COVID. They exploit workers and put passengers at risk,'' Ace said. Why should large cruise ships be allowed to return before they have addressed these concerns?"

AP reporters Colleen Barry in Soave, Italy, Nicole Winfield in Rome, and David Koenig in Dallas, contributed to this report.

Follow APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
The airport staff unload the China-donated vaccines at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, March 31, 2021. The second batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines has arrived here. Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong were among those present at the hand-over ceremony held at the airport late on Wednesday, on the vaccines' arrival. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

VIENTIANE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The second batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines has arrived here.

Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong were among those present at the hand-over ceremony held at the airport late on Wednesday, on the vaccines' arrival.

Ambassador Jiang recalled Feb. 8, when the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China arrived in Vientiane, saying over one month later, the second batch of donated vaccine well demonstrates China's continuous contribution to the vaccine accessibility in developing countries, and displays the spirits of the China-Laos community with a shared future.

Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh said, when addressing the hand-over ceremony, that his country has achieved greatly in pandemic prevention and control, with the total number of confirmed cases remaining under 50.

China, according to the Lao prime minister, contributed to the achievement.

He expressed gratitude to China, saying the inoculation of the first batch of China-donated vaccines has so far seen no report of severe side effects. Enditem

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
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ELCA pastor: "I have friends who are in wonderfully healthy poly relationships".

The Christian Church has taught for 2000 years that sexual intercourse is for one man and one woman within the bond of holy matrimony. The Church has never endorsed polyamory (having multiple sexual partners at the same time). But Pastor Clint Schnekloth, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has recently posted this: "...I have friends who are in wonderfully healthy poly relationships. Mutuality, consent, health, these are critical. I don't know what I would do about a throuple seeking a church blessing or marriage. It hasn't come up. I'd probably start by learning from them."



So it appears that Pastor Schnekloth, rather than pastorally urging a "throuple" to repent of such behavior, would listen and learn from them. Schnekloth also states: "I perceive most arguments of slippery slope to arise out of unwarranted fears. I prefer to recognize that if something causes no harm then perhaps the church labeling it as sinful is misguided. If there are great benefits I can clearly perceive together with other Christians in those relationships then I tend to think bigotry has snuck into our theology under the guise of "God's will."



Pastor Schnekloth does not explain what the "great benefits" of polyamory might be, but he thinks endorsing such would not begin a slippery slope.



The ELCA is not at the beginning of a slippery slope, it has slid all the way to the bottom. The ELCA has practicing homosexual pastors and transgender pastors, and has also had two practicing homosexual bishops. The ELCA pays for abortion in its denominational healthcare plan. So why not also endorse multiple sex partners? Pastor Schnekloth is overseeing an ELCA congregation. Recently ELCA head bishop Elizabeth Eaton has written that the ELCA is not an "everything goes" church. Will the ELCA discipline Pastor Schnekloth? If not, and I am almost certain it will not, then indeed the ELCA has become the church of "anything goes."
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Families face having to fork out hundreds of pounds for Covid tests to go on foreign holidays this summer, even if travel bans on some countries are lifted - but new plans would allow fully vaccinated Britons to avoid tests, it has been claimed.

Under the Government's traffic light system, each traveller will have to take at least two tests on holidays to low-risk 'green' destinations, potentially costing at least 600 per family.

One would be taken 72 hours before boarding a UK-bound flight with another two days after arrival. The latter would be for detecting whether travellers have picked up any mutant strains while abroad.

Last night it was claimed that people who have had two doses of the vaccine could avoid quarantining when returning from a medium-risk 'amber' country.

Those who are fully vaccinated may only have to have one test upon arriving back in the UK, the Daily Telegraph reported, compared with multiple tests and a ten-day quarantine for the unvaccinated. It was also claimed that vaccinated holidaymakers could return to the UK from a green list county without having to do a test.

A government source said: 'For amber countries, you would remove home quarantine. The debate is whether there will be any testing required instead of quarantine.'

There could be as few as 12 countries on the government 'green list' for quarantine-free travel initially, with more travel options potentially delayed until July or August. Hesitancy towards the vaccine across parts of mainland Europe may mean that traditionally favoured continental destinations among British holidaymakers are deemed more high-risk than the likes of the US and Israel, where vaccination rates are good.

Plans under consideration by the Government's global travel taskforce could mean holidaymakers who have been fully vaccinated will be able to return from 'green list' countries back to Britain without any tests on arrival, as long as they have negative results from a test taken before they left.

Those who have not been vaccinated would require another test when they get back to the UK.

Fully vaccinated travellers from countries on the 'amber list' might need just one further test upon arrival, and avoiding the 10-day home quarantine.

But those who have not been vaccinated would still need to self-isolate for 10 days, being tested on days two and eight.

Travel bans will be in force for 'red list countries', and Britons who return from them will have to quarantine in hotels, costing up to 1,750 per person, also being tested on days two and eight.

It comes as:

Hundreds gathered in street parties as Britain recorded the lowest number of Covid cases since September

Pakistan, Kenya, Bangladesh and the Philippines are put on Britain's travel 'red list' but not for seven days

Boris Johnson offers to set a 'time limit' on vaccine certificates to answer critics' fears on civil liberties

Vaccine centres are urged to make the most of Easter weekend by critics who warn 'the virus doesn't sleep'

Care home residents will be allowed to have two visitors from April 12 enabling to see their grandchildren

The traffic light system could add hundreds of pounds to the cost of family holidays abroad

The pre-departure test before boarding a UK-bound flight could even apply to fully vaccinated travellers

Studies submitted to ministers considering how to unlock foreign travel show two-test systems are more effective at controlling the spread of infection.

Care home residents will be allowed to have two visitors from April 12 Care home residents will be reunited with more loved ones in a major easing of restrictions. Lockdown rules will be relaxed so they can have two regular visitors from Monday, April 12, instead of the current one. Residents will be able to meet two nominated relatives or friends indoors and hold hands but the guests will have to wear PPE and be tested in advance. Babies and very young children will also be able to join in for the first time without being counted as one of the visitors. It means some grandparents and great-grandparents will be able to meet the newest members of their families for the first time. Care minister Helen Whately said: 'We want to go further and our aim is to make visiting to care homes as normal as possible by the summer.' The Daily Mail has been campaigning for an end to cruel visiting bans that have seen some residents separated from loved ones for longer than a year. New guidance came into force on March 8 stating all residents should be allowed indoor visits with one designated relative or friend. But campaigners have warned there has been a cruel lottery with some care home bosses still refusing to let visits take place. Boris Johnson said last night: 'Reuniting family and friends has been a priority each time restrictions have eased and the next step will be no different. 'I'm particularly pleased to allow residents to have more visitors.' Guidance on the new arrangements will be published on Monday before it comes into effect as part of the next stage of lockdown easing on April 12. A care home resident with two children will now be able to have both to visit indoors  either together or separately  rather than just picking one. However, they will have to stick to the same two nominated visitors. Existing rules allowing extra visitors outdoors or behind a screen will remain in place. Fiona Carragher, of the Alzheimer's Society, said: 'Visits are vital to care home residents with dementia, who have been isolated from their loved ones and as a result experienced a devastating increase in their symptoms over the past year.' Advertisement

But arranging pre-departure tests abroad could prove a logistical nightmare and alone add at least 400 to the cost of a holiday abroad for a family of four.

The second post-arrival test could put on a further 200.

Destinations are also likely to retain demands for a pre-holiday test to be shown at the border for people not fully vaccinated, potentially adding hundreds more pounds to the cost of a getaway.

Although ten-day post-arrival quarantine would be dropped for holidaymakers arriving from 'green' destinations, many families will be put off by the additional costs and hassle of arranging the tests.

It is understood the pre-departure test before boarding a UK-bound flight may even apply to fully vaccinated people.

Croatia yesterday became the latest country to announce Britons would be welcome this summer.

But unvaccinated visitors will have to show a pre-holiday test taken within 48 hours upon entry.

Holidaymakers staying for two weeks would be required to take a second test by the tenth day.

It means unvaccinated tourists on longer stays would face having to take four tests in total even if the country makes it on to the Government's green list.

Boris Johnson is set to confirm plans for a staged lifting of the ban on foreign holidays on Monday, with a further announcement in the following weeks explaining how the scheme will work.

He will set out the rough framework of the traffic light system.

The PM will say it is too early to set a date for when it will come into operation, but Whitehall sources said he will not completely rule out the possibility some travel could resume on May 17.

A Government source said: 'It is still too early. At the moment, we have vaccinated half of the adult population but we still don't know how strong our wall of defence is until we see more of the data.

'We are not going to do anything that threatens the roadmap and will take a cautious approach until we better understand the impact of the vaccines.'

Only destinations with high vaccination rates, low prevalence of mutant variants with good capabilities for detecting them and low infection rates are likely to make it on to the green list.

By May 17, only a handful of countries  if any  are likely to be designated green.

The US, Maldives and Malta are among the contenders due to their higher vaccination rates. All three have rates of about 45 per 100 people. By comparison the UK's vaccination rate is 53 per 100 people.

Other possible destinations are Gibraltar, Israel, the Seychelles and the United Arab Emirates.

Some Caribbean destinations could also become contenders if their vaccination drives continue at pace.

But quarantine-free holidays to traditionally popular destinations such as Greece, Italy and Spain may be some way off amid the EU's sluggish vaccine rollout.

The countries' vaccination rates are all around 17 per 100 people. Most of the Continent is likely to be 'amber' until July or August.

It came as travel industry leaders warned failure to reopen for the summer would put more than a million jobs at risk and could stall the post-pandemic recovery.

Boris Johnson is set to confirm plans for a staged lifting of the ban on foreign holidays on Monday, with more information coming in the next few weeks

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said: 'We have to start somewhere  for the sake of jobs, the billions our sector provides the Treasury and any realistic concept of a Global Britain future.'

But a senior scientist has warned that international travel should reopen slowly, with any traffic-light system having the potential to be 'leaky' to Covid variants.

Professor Robin Shattock, head of mucosal infection and immunity at Imperial College London's department of medicine, said an ideal scenario would be for people to quarantine when they return from any country - though this was unlikely to be seen as a practical option.

In a wide-ranging interview, he said it was possible coronavirus will become 'much more of a fairly trivial infection' for most people while it was still uncertain whether the entire population would need to be vaccinated again each winter.

The travel taskforce set up by Boris Johnson is due to report shortly, with many expecting it to propose a traffic-light approach.

This ranks countries red, amber or green depending on infection rates and the prevalence of Covid-19 variants in overseas destinations.

Prof Shattock said: 'I suspect there will be pressure to start international travel again, probably still with self-isolation/quarantining when you come back to the UK.

'There may be some implementation of a scheme where if you've had the vaccine you're allowed to travel.

'I don't know that it will necessarily be mandated by governments, but it may well be mandated by different carriers.

'Or you may find that different governments around the world put in place requirements so it may not be that the UK says you can't travel without a vaccine, but if you're going to a holiday destination they might say, 'well we're opening it up to people who have been vaccinated'.

'It's a very fluid picture. I'm sure that, over time, we will start to return to international travel.

'I think it's going to be slow, I think it's going to be cautious and I don't think it's likely to take off in a big way until at least the autumn when everybody has had hopefully one, if not two, doses of a vaccine.'
American Airlines has announced it will resume non-stop flights from Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) to Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.

The service, which began in January 2020, was suspended at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Same-day flights to DCA are available for purchase at aa.com.

The convenience of a day trip makes the MGM-to-DCA flight schedule a customer favorite. Passengers can leave early morning and return to Montgomery in time to put the kids to bed, Marshall J. Taggart, Jr., MGMs executive airport director, said. Our customers have consistently inquired about the return of the non-stop flight to Washington, D.C., and we are so pleased that American Airlines has restored this service.

American Airlines also will continue to offer three daily flights to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
The Ontario Select Yearling Sale will be held on Sept. 26 at Winbak Farm of Canada.

"We believe this date will work well with the major races at Mohawk being on the same weekend, said Pat Woods, Ontario Select Sale Manager. The Saturday night program with the Mohawk Million and other lucrative races should bring an exciting list of connections to the area, and then they can come to the sale on the following day.

Entries are now being accepted. The deadline for entries is June 1.

Please note that entries will be capped at 160. There is a $250 entry fee.

The Ontario Select Yearling Sale Commission will be tier-based. The minimum commission will be $500. The commissions will be set as up to $50,000 is 5 per cent, $50,001 to $99,999 is 4 per cent, and $100,000 and up is 3 per cent.

We came up with the commission tiers to award consignors who trust us to sell their best horses, said Woods. We believe that this is a great way to attract Ontarios best to the sale.

Those interested in the sale are encouraged to check www.ontarioselectyearlingsale.com frequently for more information.

We have already received interest from several of last years consignors, said Woods. We look forward to working with both returning and new consignors in the coming season.

For information on the sale, please contact Pat Woods at [email protected] or call him at 905.838.2145.

The Ontario Select Sale is looking forward to being bigger and better than last year, said Woods. Last year was our first year, and even though we thought it was very successful, we are excited for the opportunity to grow and be even stronger in 2021.

(Winbak Farm)
Rege-Jean Page will not return for the second series of 'Bridgerton'.

The 31-year-old actor shot to international fame as the Duke of Hastings in the Netflix series but it has been confirmed that he won't be returning for the next instalment. However, Phoebe Dynevor - who plays Daphne Bridgerton in the show - will be featured in Season 2 but it is not known by how much.

In a statement, they said: "Dear Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgertons quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Rege-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings.

"Well miss Simons presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family. Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer  more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear."

Meanwhile, Rege-Jean insisted there was no "embarrassment" in shooting the number of intimate moments with co-star Phoebe in the period drama.

He said: "There was a fair bit! We had an intimacy coordinator, so everything is choreographed. It takes the risk and the embarrassment out of the scene."

And the actor tried to warn his family, but some missed the memo.

Speaking about the scenes, he added: "There were some cousins missing from the family WhatsApp group and they said, 'We made our tactical cups of tea when you started and when we came back you were still going!'"

And the actor joked the attention he's received from doing the show has made him "scared" of who might approach him whilst the UK is in lockdown.

He said: "Its just me and the four walls and I dont go to the front door because I am scared. You dont know whos going to be there."
Image via Getty/ Jorge Sanz/SOPA Images/LightRocket

Nike has made $4.1 billion in profits over the last three years but didnt pay a dime in federal income tax for its earnings, according to new reports by the New York Times.

The publications latest findings revealed that the sportswear giant was among the companies that were able to evade federal income tax payments legally for the last three years, even though the brand made $4.1 billion in that time frame combined according to new data compiled by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

The publication also notes that the Tax Reform Plan passed in 2017 by the Republican majority Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump was one of the driving factors that helped top-grossing companies shrink their tax bill as it reduced the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. In some cases, many also employed a range of legal deductions and exemptions further reducing their bill.

In addition, a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill known as the CARES Act was passed last year by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in an effort to assist businesses and families in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation temporarily allowed businesses to use their losses in 2020 to offset profits earned in previous years, according to the institute.

U.S. Senator of Vermont Bernie Sanders also chimed in on the discrepancy via Twitter. If you paid $120 for a pair of Nike Air Force 1 shoes, you paid more to Nike than it paid in federal income taxes over the past 3 years, while it made $4.1 billion in profits and Nikes founder, Phil Knight, became over $23 billion richer, Sanders wrote.

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Carbon dioxide is persona non grata in leftist circles. Listening to Democrat blathering over CO2, which they exhale copiously with each breath, one would think this gas is poisonous, on par with Sarin or other nerve gases. In reality, CO2 is plant food, and essential for life on planet Earth.

One of President Bidens first executive orders, signed on January 20, aims to restore science to tackle the climate crisis. Joe claims, the policy of my Administration to listen to the science. Really?

His administration cant decide how many masks we should wear, how far apart we should stand next to each other, or why despite millions of Americans getting vaccinated every day, we need to consider more lockdowns. Most of these recommendations did not listen to the science and now the arbitrary changes are still not following any science, particularly evidence-based clinical trials, the holy grail for Drs Fauci, Birx, and the rest of the medical smart set.

In the executive order, Biden emphasizes the social cost of carbon, whatever that means. Is there a social cost of air and water too? Is the word social a convenient excuse to invoke social justice, systemic racism, oppression, intersectionality, privilege, and other leftist dog-whistle buzzwords in the grand plan of fundamentally transforming America?

Carbon happens to be the building block of life on Earth. It is also organic, produced by natural processes that cannot be reproduced by man in any meaningful way, specifically the creation of coal, oil, and natural gas. Carbon is non-GMO, free-range, pesticide free, and everything else needed for it to be sold at Whole Foods if it was edible.

Carbon dioxide is one of several greenhouse gases, and certainly not the most prevalent as that distinction belongs to water vapor. Should there be a ban on water?

Carbon and CO2 are not the same thing, but interrelated. CO2 feeds plants which ultimately become fossil fuels over long periods of time, and when those fuels are used, C02 returns to the atmosphere to feed more plants. The circle of life.

CO2 is a relatively small percentage of the atmosphere, 0.04% to be exact, a fraction of a percent of the air around us. CO2 levels can vary significantly, from less than 400 parts per million outdoors to over 1000 inside a crowded room. Crews of submarines can handle CO2 levels of up to 8000 parts per million without adverse health effects.

More importantly, CO2 is plant food, necessary for life on Planet Earth. Think back to high school biology and photosynthesis, where water, sunlight, and CO2 combine to produce oxygen and plant grown, as in fruits, vegetables, grasses, and all form of plant life that members of the animal kingdom, including humans, eat daily.

CO2 and warm temperatures are necessary for plant growth and life on Earth. Consider CO2 as plant food or fertilizer. A 100 percent increase in CO2 levels increases plant growth from 22-41 percent, depending on plant type. Apart from CO2, temperature also affects plant growth, warmer temperatures translate to higher growth rates, assuming the other photosynthesis ingredients are in place.

Plants have tiny holes on the underside of their leaves called stomata, through which plants ingest CO2. When the CO2 levels are higher, the stomata dont need to open as wide to get the CO2 they need. Plants also lose water through these stomata (think of a plant breathing). Smaller stomata openings mean less water loss, so that with higher CO2 levels in the air, plants lose less, and therefore need less water to thrive, and can grow in drier, previously unhospitable environments.

Putting science class aside, higher CO2 levels with slightly warmer temperatures, increases the productivity of most plants. This creates a greening of the planet, combating the effects of fires, deforestation, pest outbreaks and other attacks on Earths vegetation. As the planet greens, dry climates become fertile, supporting plant life which in turn feeds both humans and animals.

This CO2 fertilization correlated with an 11 percent increase in foliage cover from 1982-2010 across many arid regions of the world. Think of the resulting benefits, including the reduction of hunger, disease, and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Why is this not a good thing? Excessively limiting C02 starves the plant kingdom and ultimately the animal kingdom which is dependent on plants for food.

Carbon, the basis of life, originates with carbon dioxide, consumed by plants, eventually converted into carbon-based fossil fuels via the sun, making it a form of solar energy, and completely natural. This fact alone should be applauded by the environmental left.

There is a social cost to reducing or eliminating carbon and CO2, contrary to the supposed intention of Bidens executive order. Advocating for less atmospheric CO2 and cooler temperatures will cause a browning of the planet, less food, more starvation, disease, and misery around the world. Is that part of the fundamental transformation or great reset? Is CO2 reduction a backhanded means of population control?

One of President Trumps actions was to end funding for a United Nations population control agency. Is the Biden administration, through carbon restrictions, a sneaky way of pushing UN and globalist population control?

Unless this talk of reducing carbon is not actually about the environment but instead about social engineering and control. Much like how the myriad arbitrary COVID rules and restrictions are more about money and control than the virus.

The Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, a consultant organization to the UN, gave a press conference in Paris claiming that, If we are to address the climate crisis we need to challenge the structural causes of the crisis which lies on unequal distribution of wealth, of carbon, and of power.

Note two of the causes -- wealth and power. Those should be in the hands of the ruling class, not the hoi polloi. Is that what Biden and the lefts climate crusade is really all about?

The Green New Deal for example is not about the environment, but instead top-down government control. AOCs chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti admitted as much, "The interesting thing about the Green New Deal is it wasn't originally a climate thing at all. We really think of it as a how-do-you-change-the-entire-economy thing."

This is out of the Karl Marx handbook, the struggle against the unequal distribution of wealth.

If the global do-gooders were truly concerned about the poor, they would embrace concepts, such as CO2 fertilization, that raise the standard of living of poorer countries. Instead, their goal is to redistribute wealth and resources to the point that everyone is poor, except of course for those in charge. This explains the war on carbon, which is actually a war on prosperity. Welcome to Joe Bidens America.

Brian C Joondeph, MD, is a physician and writer. He is on sabbatical from social media.

Image: AIRS (Atmospheric Infraed Sounding)

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Tunis/Tunisia  The Ennahdha movement has argued for "a national dialogue without exclusion, which will determine the economic and social priorities, ease political and social tensions and reassure Tunisians about the future of their country.

In a statement released after its executive board meeting Thursday, Ennahdha welcomed the signing of an agreement between the Prime Ministry and the Tunisian General Labour Union of (UGTT) to launch the necessary economic reforms.

The agreement provides for the establishment of five joint committees of reflection, responsible for developing a practical framework for these reforms.

In the same context, the Ennahdha said it backed the national dialogue initiative launched by the UGTT.

"It is essential that national organisations and political actors represented in parliament, especially the coalition supporting the government, contribute to the development of government reforms and participate in its implementation, in order to establishing political stability in state institutions," said Ennahdha.

The movement has, in this sense, reaffirmed its support for the government team and the Prime Minister.
Somerset County prisons toured in wake of COVID

A media tour was held Wednesday at both Somerset County prisons to show how officials have adapted to COVID-19.
Washington, April 2 : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed the escalated conflict in the country's Donbas region, which Moscow and Kiev have blamed each other for.

The two diplomats spoke on the phone on Thursday during which they discussed the conflict which erupted in the volatile region on March 26 after four Ukrainian soldiers were killed, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a tweet following the phone call, Blinken said: Pleased to speak with Dmytro Kuleba today to discuss the US unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We continue to support Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration in the face of Russia's ongoing aggression in the Donbas and Crimea." Also taking to the micro-blogging site, Kuleba said: "I held a productive and focused call with

Secretary Blinken as Russia continues to systemically aggravate the security situation in the east of Ukraine and in Crimea. Discussed ways of strengthening security cooperation." Addressing a briefing on Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Washington is concerned by the "recent escalations of Russian aggressive and provocative actions in eastern Ukraine, including violations of the July 2020 ceasefire that led to the deaths of four Ukrainian soldiers on March 26 and injuries to two others.

He also noted that Washington was aware of Ukrainian military reports concerning Russian troop movements on Ukraine's borders.

"We are discussing our concerns about that increase in tensions and ceasefire violations and regional tensions with NATO allies," he added.

The escalated tension has prompted other intensive high-level exchanges between the US and relevant parties.

In a call with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Andriy Taran earlier in the day, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reiterated the US' commitment to building the capacity of Ukraine's forces to defend more effectively against Russian aggression, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.

But, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that recent movements of Russian troops within the country's territory were aimed at safeguarding Moscow's borders and posed no threat to others.

"Russia is taking necessary measures to ensure the security of its borders," Peskov said, adding that Moscow is aware of NATO's increased activities near its national borders.

The New York Times reported that the US European Command in the past week raised its watch level from possible crisis to potential imminent crisis, the highest level, in response to the build-up of Russian forces on the border.
Pastor Tim Keller on cancer, death and the hope of the resurrection (exclusive)

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For Pastor Tim Keller, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is more than an abstract belief that good will triumph over evil one day. Its a powerful, life-altering truth that gives him hope, peace and comfort as he faces his own mortality.

When you know you could die very, very soon, you realize that you basically live in denial of the fact of your death, Keller told The Christian Post. When it suddenly strikes you, you have to ask, Do I have the faith for this? Do I believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ really happened and that if I die in faith in Jesus, I will know that resurrection too?

Last May, the 70-year-old founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan and chairman of Redeemer City to City, was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, a particularly aggressive disease that typically claims its victims within a year  and its usually a very difficult year, he said.

But Keller is optimistic about beating those odds. Though acknowledging that his situation is very serious, the pastor said that thanks to his bodys positive response to chemotherapy, he likely has years and not months left.

My wife Kathy and I are pretty grateful; it looks like Ive got more time than we thought when we originally got the diagnosis, he said.

One of the most respected Christian thinkers of the 21st century, Keller last spoke to CP in April 2020, just weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged New York City and the world, and before he received his cancer diagnosis. Around that time, the pastor was about a fourth of the way through writing a book on the resurrection, titled,Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter.

Initially, Hope in Times of Fear was meant as a companion book to his 2016 book, Hidden Christmas, a series of meditations on the meaning of Christmas and the incarnation  but then suddenly were in lockdown, and then I found out I had cancer, and the book completely changed, Keller recalled.

Here I am, writing a book about the resurrection, and I realized I only half-believed I was going to die. I went back and realized that in some ways, I also only half-believed in the resurrection  not intellectually so much, but all the way down deep in my heart. I realized I needed to have a greater, a deeper faith in the resurrection, both intellectually and mentally, he continued.

While undergoing treatment for cancer over the next several months, Keller said he did both intellectual and emotional work, looking at the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ while also immersing himself in prayer and in Scripture, asking the Holy Spirit to make it real to his heart.

It took several months in which I had to take my abstract belief down into my heart to existentially and experientially know it and grow in assurance, and it worked, he said. If you are willing to embrace the truth of God's Word and immerse yourself in it day in and day out, and then ask the Holy Spirit to make it real to your heart, He will.

Most people, Keller contended, live in denial of death. But facing ones own mortality and spiritual reality, he said, both changes the way we view our time on Earth and magnifies the transformative power of the resurrection.

The things of Earth become less crucial. They're not so important to you; you realize you dont need them to be happy. Once I believe that I start to enjoy them more. I don't try to turn them into God; I don't try to turn them into Heaven, which is the only thing that can really satisfy my heart, he explained.

You find that you have to really have a real spiritual experience of God's reality so that the things of this Earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace, Keller said, quoting the century-old hymn.

The pastor acknowledged that his cancer diagnosis puts him in a position to speak to the power of living in light of the resurrection. But the process, he said, does not need to begin with something as shocking to the system as the verdict of imminent death.

Its possible to practice this in the smaller deaths that we all experience, such as the loss of a career, friend, or loved one, Keller said. In those painful situations, you have to do essentially the same thing that you have to do when you're told youre going die: You have to take something abstract that you believe about God and make it real to your heart so He becomes your consolation. You're no longer looking to the things of this world to be your salvation.

In Hope in Times of Fear, Keller also addresses how the Bible connects the resurrection and New Creation to race, social relationships, systemic injustice, and sexuality  all issues he believes Christians have a responsibility to care about.

The resurrection means that God has not at all given up on the world, he writes. But beyond that, it gives meaning to suffering and gives hope that through the suffering will come healing. The resurrection guarantees that this renewal is certain, and is also a call for Christians to work now against what is wrong and unjust.

Out of the dozens of books hes written over the years, Keller said he felt the most divine guidance and help while penning his latest.

I really did find a great deal of help and comfort and spiritual enrichment during those months, Keller said. Usually, books are written after you've been through something. In this case, the book was the way in which I got through it.

Books, Keller said, are funny; books are like people.

A lot of people will praise a book, and I'll read it and I'll say, It was good, but didn't grab me, and then I'll pick up some other books that nobody's ever talked to me about and its just life-changing, he said.

But if anyone is going to "read a Tim Keller book," he said, he suggests his 2008 book Prodigal God, along with Hope in Times of Fear.

I'm not saying they're the two best books I've ever written, but they include the message I'd like to get across about what Christianity is all about. To me, Im giving you what I believe the essence of the Christian Gospel is in these two books.

As he faces what he acknowledges might be the final season of his life, Keller said hes ready for anything, adding: What the future holds, I dont know. Pray that I would have years and not months left, and that the chemotherapy would continue to be effective. But we are ready for whatever God decides for me. Were spiritually ready.

I do know, he added, that the resurrection of Jesus Christ really happened. And when I die, I will know that resurrection too.
Uddhav Thackeray addressed the people of Maharashtra on the state's Coronavirus situation. He did not announce a lockdown but shared the number of tests being carried out each day. He also stressed that he was being made to look like a villain in the entire situation.

India has reported the highest single-day spike of coronavirus cases on Friday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray addressed the people of the state on the states Coronavirus situation. He did not announce a lockdown but shared that 50,000 coronavirus tests are being carried out every day in Mumbai.

Maharashtra CM further said that his administration was setting a target to conduct 2.5 lac Covid-19 tests per day. He said that he wont compare Maharashtra with other states and he was being made to look like a villain.

Giving a background of how the whole situation of Coronavirus had been in Maharashtra, Uddhav said that 300 cases of Covid-19 were reported in Mumbai in February. He said that now, over 8,500 cases are being reported and 54,900 people in Mumbai have lost their lives.

Addressing the issues being faced due to this surge in cases, he said that 25% of ventilators were being used and at the current rate, they might run out of beds within the next 20 days. He said that they can increase the number of beds but not the number of doctors.

He added that 3 lakh people were vaccinated the previous day and a total of 65 lakh people have been administered with vaccines till now. On expanding the vaccination drive, he said that they are now aiming at vaccinating 7 lakh people a day.

He urged the people to maintain protocols after getting vaccinated and he also made an appeal to the political parties to not politicize the battle against Covid-19. While giving global examples as to how they are stuck between the economy and Coronavirus, he went on to say that the BJP initially opposed the lockdown.

He said that increasing the number of doctors was the real challenge that the Maharashtra government was facing at the moment. He warned people of strict action against them for not following the Covid norms.

On imposing a lockdown, he said that he would have to impose a lockdown if no other option remains. He said that he would be seeking advice from experts on the same and will take a call on lockdown after two days.

I cannot rule out imposing a lockdown if the current COVID19 situation prevails. People have become complacent: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray pic.twitter.com/1pPr9ahDwm  ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

As per the latest bulletin shared by the Union Health Ministry, there has been a spike of 81,466 new cases and 469 deaths in the last 24 hours. This takes the total number of coronavirus cases to 1, 23,03,131, total recoveries to 1,15,25,039, active cases to 6,14, 696 and the death toll to 1,63,396. Meanwhile, the total number of people that have been vaccinated till now are 6,87,89,138.

The spread of Covid-19 is particularly alarming due to increase in the mutations of Covid-19, which raise a concern over the efficacy of vaccines and whether 2 million vaccines a day are enough to curb the spread of the virus. If they are not, then this is high time that we think of a solution.

Ruling out the possibility of re-imposition of lockdown, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today that Delhi is now witnessing a fourth wave of Covid-19. He further reassured everyone that there is no need to worry as the state government is taking all possible measures to curb the transmission.

There is no plan for lockdown says, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/yM5MG5WtDP  ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will be addressing the people of the state today at 8:30 pm. Hinting at a potential lockdown, Maharashra CM had asked officials last week to prepare a plan to impose the lockdown as people were not following the Covid-19 appropriate safety rules. Although the announcement has not been made yet, the state government is likely to impose stricter curbs, including shutting down of hotspot areas.
Inc. magazine today revealed that VPLS is No. 239 on its second annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: California list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing California-based private companies. Born of 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.

Were honored to receive this recognition, states John Minnix, President and COO of VPLS. Our organization is global, but we have strong roots in California. VPLS is proud of the partnerships and community that weve built, and we are dedicated to bringing our best-in-class customer service, robust portfolio of solutions, and extensive bench of technical experts to other businesses nationwide.

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 revenue overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: California, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, 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 VPLS

VPLS is your trusted global provider for cloud-to-edge computing and technology services. For more information, please visit http://www.vpls.com.

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 multiplatform 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.
For the past three weeks, Joachin Varela and his partner Maria Elena Betto have been working 12-hour days, every day, to make more than 2,500 empanadas to sell at the Byron Bay Bluesfest.

Joaquin Varela and Maria Elena Betto from Holy Moly Artisan Empanadas sell some to local Raphaelle Clayton at a reduced price. Credit:Danielle Smith .

Using the traditional Argentinian recipe handed down from his grandmother, including her exacting technique of folding sealing and crimping the pastry - known as repulgue in Spanish - their company Holy Moly Artisan Empanadas was expecting to feed the hungry hordes at the five-day music fest.

So when the festival was cancelled at the 11th hour before the anticipated opening on Thursday, they were left with a problem: too many empanadas.

But the local Byron community has rallied to support the new business, which began home delivering the South American specialties during the pandemic last year.
Vietnams no-frills airline Vietjet has decided to re-operate regular international flights to Bangkok (Thailand), Tokyo (Narita, Japan), Seoul (Incheon, South Korea), and Taipei (Taiwan), the carrier said in a statement on Friday.

Flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok are scheduled to depart every Friday.

A service from Hanoi to Seoul is to take off on April 15.

Flights from Hanoi to Tokyo are slated to depart on April 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 23, 26, 29, and 30.

Those from Hanoi to Taipei will depart on April 11.

Flights from Vietnam will only serve passengers who meet immigration rules, who are Vietnamese people flying to study, work, and visit relatives, and who are foreigners returning home from the Southeast Asian country, according to current regulations.

Passengers should actively seek information at the embassies and diplomatic agencies of related countries to complete paperwork in accordance with their regulations, Vietjet said.

Those planes carrying passengers into Vietnam from other countries will continue to comply with the current regulations of the Vietnamese government and will have to fit plans drawn up by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

Vietnam Airlines has also announced the resumption of regular flights from Hanoi to Narita, Incheon, and Sydney as well as from Ho Chi Minh City to the Australian city between April 1 and June 30.

The carrier expects to offer flight packages which include airfares and quarantine fees for passengers from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, subject to approval from relevant authorities.

Vietnam is working on plans to open its sky again to international flights after having kept COVID-19 at bay.

The nation has closed its borders to inbound commercial flights since March last year to stem COVID-19.

Since then, only Vietnamese repatriates, diplomats, foreign experts, and skilled workers have been allowed entry into the country under stringent requirements, while outbound commercial flights are maintained only in limited frequency.

The Southeast Asian country has recorded 2,617 COVID-19 patients so far, with 2,359 recoveries and 35 deaths.

It has basically put local transmission under control in recent times.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi



on Friday slammed the as 'high-handed' without an understanding of local sensibilities and asserted that his government does not see people's caste or faith before serving them.

In Tamil Nadu, the situation was such that senior DMK leaders who worked shoulder to shoulder with late party patriarch 'Kalaignar' (M Karunanidhi) were feeling suffocated due to 'the newly minted crown prince' of the party (DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin), he said, addressing a poll meeting here, adding 'politics does not work this way.'



"Today the mood of the nation is clearly against the politics of nepotism and entitlement."The opposition loved calling people anti-democratic, but they should see the 'nearest mirror,' he said.

invoked Article 356 several times and both DMK and AIADMK governments in Tamil Nadu have been dismissed by that party in the past, he said.

Having Congress, hence, in any coaltion meant having a high handed ally who does not understand local sensibilities, he alleged.

"Our ideology is sab ka saath, sab ka vikaas and sab ka viswaas," and at the root of this mantra lay the spirit of compassion towards everyone, he said.

"Our government does not see people's caste, creed or faith before serving them. Ours is a government for everyone," he asserted and recalled his government's efforts to buttress his point.

When nurses from Kerala were abducted while working in Iraq, the government did everything possible to bring them back home safely.

Similarly, Father Alexis Premkumar who belonged to Tamil Nadu and Father Tom were safely rescued from Afghanistan and Yemen respectively, he said, adding "let those who believe in conflict further it. We believe in compassion and we will always serve the people with that spirit."



Bypoll will be held on April 6 for the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency alongside the Assembly polls.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fire in Kharkiv kills one person, another one hospitalized  Emergency Service

One person died, another one was hospitalized as a result of a fire in a hangar in which sunflower oil was produced in Kharkiv, the press service of the State Emergency Service said.

"As a result of the fire, one person died and another person was injured, who was hospitalized in a hospital in a state of moderate severity," the agency's website said on Friday morning.

According to the State Emergency Service, a fire in Kharkiv on Novomoskovska Street on the territory of LLC Novobavarsky beton (concrete) in a one-story hangar-type building took place at 4:18 on April 2.

At 5:39, rescuers extinguished the fire on an area of 600 square meters.

Fifty-five people and 12 units of the service's equipment were involved in extinguishing.
The small plane arced over a blue lagoon near the Caribbean Sea, flying low above a family in a boat on Tuesday afternoon. As they clapped, it released a pink cloud into the sky.

"Girl! Girl!" a man aboard the boat yelled in Spanish, celebrating the dramatic results of the elaborate gender-reveal stunt for a new baby in the family. "It's a girl!"

READ MORE: Houston cyclist speaks out after arrest

Seconds later, the family's video shows, the small aircraft plummeted into the Nichupte Lagoon, a body of water off the east coast of Cancun, as the family and their guests watched in disbelief.

"No way!" a man cried in Spanish with an obscenity. "It went into the water."

Both the pilot and the co-pilot were killed in the crash, authorities later confirmed to local media. An investigation into the cause of the fatal crash is underway, and authorities have yet to release the names of the victims.

The crash is the latest incident of a gender-reveal celebration that turned fatal. In recent years, a practice that became popular following a 2008 parenting blog post, has sparked multiple wildfires, led several deaths in explosions, and caused at least one other plane crash.

Cancun's fatal crash is the second gender-reveal celebration that has resulted in a fatality. In February, a 28-year-old father-to-be died after the homemade device he was preparing for his gender-reveal celebration in New York malfunctioned inside his garage.

It's not clear who hired the plane in Cancun this week for the latest tragic announcement.

The 30-second cellphone video captured by someone on the boat shows the small white plane soaring near Isla Dorada, a waterfront community in the heart of Cancun's tourist zone. Near the beginning of the clip, one man unknowingly predicted the disaster that would take place moments later.

"As long as it does not fall on us," the man jokes, referencing the aircraft.

"Is it a boy?" another man can be heard saying.

The camera follows the plane through the clear sky as the pilot eventually releases the pink cloud.

"It's a girl!" a woman shouts.

IKE DIKE: President Biden sure seems to be thinking about the Ike Dike in his $2 trillion infrastructure plan

Then, the videographer loses sight of the plane for a few seconds as the group on the boat cheers.

By the time the plane is back on camera seconds later, it swiftly nose-dives straight into the lagoon as the crowd shouts in horror.

Local authorities including the National Guard and the Municipal Police arrived at the scene around 4 p.m. on Tuesday to lead the rescue mission to the downed aircraft, which was about 300 meters from the shore, Quequi reported.

Francisco Fernandez Millan, the president of the Nautical Association of Quintana Roo, told local media the association coordinated Tuesday's rescue efforts.

The Municipal Police later confirmed two men, the pilot and co-pilot died in the crash. According to authorities, the pilot of the white Cessna appears to be the owner of the aircraft, Quequi reported.

Milenio and El Universal reported the aircraft, which departed from Holbox Island at 3:31 p.m., belonged to Xomex, an aviation company that offers commercial, recreational and cargo flights in the Riviera Maya and the country's southeast area, according to their website.

A representative with Xomex did not immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post late on Wednesday.

The Federal Civil Aviation Agency has begun an investigation to determine the cause of the crash, according to Milenio.

Pictures shared on social media show workers dressed in white hazmat suits accompanied by local authorities rolling at least one body wrapped in a blanket from the dock.
Dominic McGlinchey is steeped in militant republicanism. As a teenager, he would visit Bellaghy Cemetery on Easter Sunday morning - lily proudly pinned on his lapel - to lay wreaths on the graves with the rest of the village after Mass.

A few years later, he was "deeply honoured" to read out the Easter statement on behalf of the Provisional IRA in Swatragh 10 miles down the road.

In 2006, McGlinchey split from Sinn Fein and became prominent in dissident republican circles.

Today, he is among those arguing that 'armed struggle' should end.

"I believe 100% that all republican groups should call a ceasefire," he says. "Of course, it's up to them, but you can't continue doing the same old thing over and over again.

"You can't keep doing it just because you've always done it, and that's the way it is. Why should we keep putting generation after generation through this?

"People are fed up with armies dressed up in uniforms marching down roads. They know it doesn't work. As republicans, we have to stop living in our bubble and look to the outside world."

The son of INLA leaders Dominic and Mary McGlinchey, he was nine years old in 1987 when his mother was shot dead in Dundalk as she bathed his brother Declan.

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Aged 16, he was with his father when he was shot dead in a Drogheda phone box in 1994.

McGlinchey was questioned by the PSNI about the 2009 murder of two British soldiers at Massareene. He strongly denies any involvement.

He says if republicans are to justify using violence, then "it has to take you somewhere" which the New IRA and Continuity IRA campaigns don't.

"There is nothing about them that would make the British apprehensive," he says.

He dismisses the traditional argument that "an armed campaign is needed to keep the flame lit" for the next generation. "That can be done through education or producing Irish history podcasts," he says.

McGlinchey stresses the consequences of violence: "Once you pull that trigger, someone is dead, and it's more than one individual. It's the life of their family, and your family.

"It's the shopkeeper who witnessed what happened. It's the child on the passing bus, forever traumatised. It's the ambulanceman who picked up the body."

Republicans "must be prepared to go to politically uncomfortable places", he says. "There's a danger that we become conditioned to our doors being kicked in, to standing in white-line pickets, and to going to jail. We need to look at new ways to climb the mountain."

McGlinchey wants young republicans to prepare for a border poll: "Brexit is the biggest opportunity for us since partition. Yet anti-Agreement republicans are becoming more and more marginalised every day because of armed actions.

"I'd like to see energy focused on discussing what type of united Ireland we want. How will we establish a link between a young loyalist in Carrickfergus and a young nationalist in Cork?

"What will we offer women, gay people and ethnic minorities? How will we avoid a society of the haves and have-nots?

"Look at the advances the far-Right have made in Ireland in a short space of time with negative politics. It's a bad impact, but it's still an impact.

"Anti-agreement republicanism has existed for over two decades and has made no impact at all - they must take stock.

"I want to see our youth out there knocking doors, focused on community activism and, most importantly, staying safe."

Anthony McIntyre served 18 years in jail for the murder of a UVF man in 1976. He is a critic of Sinn Fein's political direction but has long opposed continuing violence.

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He brands the New IRA "the most ineffective IRA ever" and says it poses a threat predominantly to its own community as it has "inflicted no casualties on the state" in five years.

"I see it as a political cult that is self-reverential and has no idea of what is going on in the wider world," he says.

"They may claim to be the same as the 1916 leaders, but they're not. The men and women of Easter week marched down O'Connell Street and fought, and they also knew when to quit.

"Dissidents are not 'engaging with the enemy' - they spend more time marching around in sunglasses posturing - and they don't know when to end their phoney war. Continuing it only allows MI5 to keep fine-tuning their surveillance, intelligence and security techniques."

Like McGlinchey, he believes dissident groups are "heavily infiltrated". McIntyre went to jail when he was 16: "I've a son that age, and if he was out doing now what I did then, I'd be distraught.

"I've an obligation to point out that I didn't make the right choice.

"If I was to do it again, I'd join St Vincent de Paul rather than the IRA because I'd be making a more useful contribution to society - and I say that as an atheist."

McIntyre wants to see focus on a border poll: "It doesn't offer revolutionary change, but incremental change is better than none. It's about trying to lessen British influence in Ireland.

"There are republicans who object, on strict ideological grounds, but it's Latin Mass stuff. They say 'We need to fight', but fight for what? Republicanism doesn't produce victories, it produces political careers."

Former Republican Sinn Fein president Des Dalton resigned from the party last month after he was suspended for saying that dissident republican violence was "counter-productive and copper-fastened partition". He had been a party member for three decades.

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"I've no regrets," he says. "You have to be true to yourself. I didn't do anything wrong or anything that compromised republican principles. It would have been easy for me to sit back and say nothing."

From Kildare, Dalton was an Ogra Fianna Fail member who joined Republican Sinn Fein at 17: "I grew up in a staunch Fianna Fail home, but became disillusioned with the party.

"In opposition, it had rejected the Anglo-Irish Agreement for recognising the unionist veto, then took a different stance when it secured power.

"It extradited republicans. I remember Dessie Ellis being flown to Britain on a stretcher when on hunger-strike. It was a very emotional image for me."

While Dalton doesn't believe there will be a united Ireland in the short-term, he sees a "far more open political atmosphere" post-Brexit than ever before.

"An armed campaign can't be currently justified from a moral or practical point of view. Community support just isn't there - the water for the fish to swim in is too shallow.

"The bravery of Bobby Sands and 1916 leaders is inspirational, but it's time for a different type of bravery now.

"I'd rather see young people channelling their energy into productive political activism than heading like lemmings over the cliff edge and filling Maghaberry and Portlaoise jails for a campaign that just isn't happening anyway.

"Perpetual armed struggle and repeating the same mantra is not working. It's not advancing republican ideals. It's keeping the groups on the periphery of politics."

Cait Trainor, an independent Co Armagh republican, was charged with encouraging terrorism under the Terrorism Act after a TV interview in 2010.

She had told Channel Four: "I support the right of every Irish man and woman to participate in armed struggle."

She sees the current situation as unchanging for republicans. "I fundamentally disagree with those who say today is different, and there are opportunities for us now that previously weren't there," she says.

"British rule has never been so strong. Sinn Fein might say that the Orange state has been smashed and there are equal rights for Catholics. But, for republicans, nothing short of an all-Ireland republic is a victory."

Trainor won't "felon-set fellow republicans" who are "doing what they've always done".

She says there is a "growing trend of post-republicanism" by those "who present themselves as republican elders, and patronise and demoralise the younger generation".

She opposes a border poll and believes, if one is called, nationalists should boycott it as they did in 1973: "Irish freedom should not be dependent on the whim of a popularity contest called by a British Secretary of State.

"Ireland is not Scotland or Catalonia. An Irish republic was declared in 1916 and voted for in 1918."

Trainor believes that a border poll is "fraught with danger" for republicans: "There is a mistaken belief that victory is guaranteed. While more Catholics have been born in the North, the nationalist vote has remained almost static in the last decade.

"A 'no' vote would set republicans back decades. London would dangle it in front of the world and say, 'The people of Ireland have endorsed British rule.'

"Republicans seeking a border poll are like turkeys voting for Christmas."

Des Long from Limerick is a founding member of the Provisional IRA and sat on its executive for 17 years. He says he would be lying if he told dissident groups to "abandon an armed campaign".

He believes they are "very fragmented with a lot of big egos and many people wanting to be boss", but he doesn't support a ceasefire.

"As long as the British occupy Ireland there will be people who resist," he says. "British soldiers may not be on the streets, but there are still thousands of them garrisoned in this country."

Long has "no faith" in a border poll: "It's 100 years since the signing of the Treaty, and we're no further on in getting rid of the British than we ever were.

"I would love to see them leaving without a shot fired or anybody killed or sent to jail but the British will never leave until they're driven out."
[April 02, 2021] tapNpay Adds Industry Leader Travis Fustes as Executive VP of Sales

AUSTIN, Texas, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- tapNpay, Inc., the toll industry's most innovative alternate payment solution, has named Travis Fustes to head up the organization's sales efforts for tapNpay, its patented toll payment solution. Fustes has more than 19 years of tolling experience, most recently as the Chief Operating Officer at Cintra Toll Services for the last 10 years. Travis has also been involved with tapNpay, through its subsidiary AETolls, where he was a co-founder and board member for the past five years. Prior to his role at Cintra, Fustes spent nearly eight years as a senior consultant with Latte, also focused on the tolling industry. In addition, Fustes has experience as a program manager. "We are excited to add Travis to our team to lead the tapNpay sales effort," said Kenneth Plunk, Chief Executive Officer of tapNpay, Inc. "We have been working with Travis for several years on AETolls' board of directors. As AETolls is now part of tapNpay, his knowledge of our product set and customer base, as well as his intimate familiarity with the tolling industry, is a critical piece of the puzzle. Weknow his contribution will help us expand and grow the customer base for our unique solution."



"I am happy to be joining tapNpay, the only direct carrier billing (DCB) solution for toll collection. tapNpay is one of the most innovative FinTech companies in the tolling industry," said Fustes. "Because I have been involved in the inception of the technology, I understand what tapNpay has to offer tolling agencies. I also know that as the tolling industry pivots away from cash collection, we need to make the consumer experience as simple as possible. tapNpay is the best solution to make that happen." Fustes received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Houston.

About tapNpay, Inc.

Austin, Texas-based tapNpay, Inc. (www.tapnpay.com) is a payment facilitator creating solutions that allow users to pay for products and services through their mobile phone. tapNpay is the first patented direct carrier billing software as a service (SaaS) solution focused on toll road collections. Available globally to toll operators, tapNpay interconnects to the majority of mobile carriers who provide the billing mechanism. Alternatively, tapNpay allows consumers to pay via credit/debit card or either Apple or Google Pay. Media Contact: Steve Glagow

306601@email4pr.com

+1 512 415-0760 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tapnpay-adds-industry-leader-travis-fustes-as-executive-vp-of-sales-301261061.html SOURCE tapNpay, Inc.

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Criticism: Those who adhered to rules are now at end of tether, claims George Duddy

A Coleraine DUP councillor is predicting a flood of visitors to the Causeway coast over Easter in the aftermath of the Bobby Storey funeral controversy.

George Duddy spoke out after a PSNI Facebook post urging people to stay away from the area was met with a raft of dismissive replies from the public.

The police message said: "As we approach Easter we are asking everyone to celebrate the holiday period at home and in your bubble. By following the regulations and working together we can get back to normal faster".

But many ridiculed the plea in the wake of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) decision not to prosecute any Sinn Fein politicians for attending the huge funeral of former IRA man Storey. One of the reasons given by the PPS was that organisers had consulted with the PSNI beforehand.

One Facebook user wrote: "You surely don't think people will listen to this when your own boss arranged the Storey funeral with Sinn Fein members."

Another posted: "You're having laugh after yesterday. I'll just forward my fine to SF head office, thanks."

Mr Duddy said: "Considering the protracted Bobby Storey inquiry and the PPS outcome highlighting there would be no prosecutions, it is now very clear, when you read the most recent post on the police Causeway Coast & Glens Facebook page, that the public, after having been locked down for some considerable time and having had adhered to the regulations, are at the end of their tether.

"The comments attributed to this post are quite clear. The regulations finished after the ludicrous PPS decision."

Mr Duddy said the Chief Constable must now be held accountable by the Policing Board.

"He must also be held accountable for what is most likely to happen this weekend in and around the Causeway Coast & Glens - people travelling to the Causeway coast to exercise and to make use of caravans or holiday homes," he added.

However, he also advised travellers "to take the necessary precautions in regards to social distancing and continue to assist the NHS in whatever way possible by staying as safe as possible when in the Causeway Coast Borough Council area".

The PSNI has been asked for a response.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Former Albuquerque Police Department officer Keith Sandy  who was involved in one of the citys most high-profile police shootings  is still eligible to work in law enforcement in New Mexico.

At a Thursday hearing, the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board  made up of state and local law enforcement officials, a district attorney and citizen representatives  dismissed the complaint against him, saying there was not enough evidence to revoke his certification. Abstaining from the vote were Tim Johnson, interim secretary for the state Department of Public Safety; APD Sgt. Hollie Anderson; and Bobbie Greene, president of the Dona Ana County NAACP. The other members present voted to dismiss.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

The complaint was submitted to the board a year ago.

Attorney General Hector Balderas chairs the board, but does not vote on discipline because his office prosecutes the cases.

While I respect the LEAB decision-making process, I strongly disagree with the outcome in this case and believe that discipline is appropriate, Balderas said in a statement.

Sandys attorney did not respond to requests for comment and Sandy could not be reached.

Sandy and officer Dominique Perez shot and killed James Boyd in 2014 during a SWAT standoff that started after someone reported Boyd was camping in the Sandia foothills. Video from the incident sparked anger and protests in the city.

Sandy retired from APD several months later and, in 2015, then-District Attorney Kari Brandenburg charged both men with murder. It was the first time APD officers had been charged for an on-duty fatal shooting in at least 50 years and no officers have been charged since.

The trial ended with a hung jury in October 2016 and DA Raul Torrez decided not to re-try the case.

Perez, who had been fired from APD after he was indicted, re-joined the department in May 2017. He is still with APD.

Gilbert Gallegos, an APD spokesman, said he could not find any evidence that the department had sent misconduct reports to the Law Enforcement Academy Board for either Sandy or Perez. In response to questions about whether Sandy could be re-hired, Gallegos said, His retention card does not show anything that would keep him from being hired, although he has not reapplied.

The director of the state Law Enforcement Academy submitted a misconduct report against Sandy in April 2020. It is sparsely written.

Occurred in 2014. Article only item in file. Respondent shot and killed a subject, the report states. No charges filed. Officer resigned in November 2014.

Its unclear what article the complaint is referencing.
Kocharian as well as two retired generals are prosecuted under Article 300.1 of the Armenian Criminal Code dealing with overthrow of the constitutional order. The accusation rejected by them as politically motivated stems from the 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan that left ten people dead.

The current Criminal Code was enacted in 2009. The previous code, which was in force during the dramatic events of March 2008, had no clauses on overthrow of the constitutional order and contained instead references to usurpation of state power.

The Constitutional Court last week backed defense lawyers arguments that that Article 300.1 cannot be used retroactively against Kocharian and the other defendants.

Citing the court ruling, the lawyers have demanded that the Anna Danibekian, a Yerevan judge presiding over their two-year trial, throw out the coup charges.

Trial prosecutors objected to the demand on Friday. One of them, Gevorg Baghdasarian, revealed that Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian has appealed to the Constitutional Court to also declare unconstitutional legal provisions that do not allow the prosecutors to alter the accusations leveled against the defendants.

Davtian insisted in his appeal that Kocharian and retired Generals Seyran Ohanian and Yuri Khachaturov must be prosecuted for what they did in March 2008 because their actions contained elements not allowed by the Criminal Code.

Baghdasarian said Danibekian should therefore suspend the trial pending a Constitutional Court ruling on Davtians appeal.

Kocharians lawyers rejected the prosecutors demand as illegal. They insisted that the presiding judge must end the coup trial altogether.

Danibekian responded by saying that she will announce her decision on Tuesday.

Kocharian, who ruled Armenia from 1998-2008, also stands accused of bribe-taking. He strongly denies that accusation as well.
Cognitive manufacturing completely utilizes data residing across equipment, systems, and processes to extract actionable insight across the entire value chain through various processes ranging from design to manufacturing to support activities.

Fremont, CA: Industry 4.0 has finally arrived as factories and machinery become smarter and more equipped with emerging technology such as IoT, AI, and Cognitive Automation. Industry 4.0, a term invented in Germany to describe the computerization of production, has now become a worldwide phenomenon. China and Japan have also coined their own campaigns, appropriately dubbed Made in China 2025 and the Industrial Value Chain Initiative, stressing the use of data and automation for business benefits. As business data volumes increase, conventional computing will give way to emerging technology to tackle the massive influx of data and the complexities of analytics, paving the way for Cognitive manufacturing, also known as the Industrial Internet of Things, Factory Digitization, or Industry 4.0 revolution.

Making way for Cognitive Manufacturing

Cognitive manufacturing completely utilizes data residing across equipment, systems, and processes to extract actionable insight across the entire value chain through various processes ranging from design to manufacturing to support activities. Built on the foundations of IoT and using analytics combined with cognitive technology, Industry 4.0 or cognitive manufacturing drives key productivity changes in the manufacturing environment's reliability, quality, and performance. So, how does cognitive manufacturing impact the manufacturing industry? It accomplishes this in three distinct ways, as detailed below:

1. By deploying smart analytics, connected sensors, and cognitive skills, intelligent assets and equipment can interact, sense, and self-diagnose problems, reducing excessive downtime and optimizing performance levels.

2. Cognitive processes and operational performance are improved by evaluating a wide range of knowledge from processes, workflows, context, and the environment to drive quality, thus improving operations and decision-making.

3. Smarter resources and resource management by integrating data from multiple sources such as use, people, and location parameters and deploying cognitive insights to maximize and leverage resources.

See Also :- Top Manufacturing Technology Solution Companies
DENVER, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 20 years after the publication of the original version of Love and Valor  Intimate Civil War Letters Between Captain Jacob and Emeline Ritner, Sigourney Press has just released a revised and updated edition Sigourney Press of the book including many more stories and actual pictures of the men, women, and children mentioned in Jacob and Emeline's letters.

ISBN (Print): 978-1-09833-959-3 $41.99

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-09833-960-9 - $9.99

Full Cover Front and Binding

Honors of the Original Edition. The original edition of Love and Valor, first published in 2000, received many honors, including:

Smithsonian  Love and Valor was the featured Civil War book by the Smithsonian in the month after 9/11

 Love and Valor was the featured Civil War book by the Smithsonian in the month after 9/11 Newsmax - calls Love & Valor the "most moving Civil War love story ever told"

- calls Love & Valor the Georgia Public TV  Jacob Ritner's letters served as a main voice of the North in their 4-part series " Georgia and the Civil War"

 letters served as a main voice of the North in their 4-part series " and the Civil War" Chicago Tribune  feature article in the Tempo Section August 31, 2000

 feature article in the Tempo Section Pulitzer Prize Winner Studs Terkel  included two letters from Jacob in his 2001 Memorial Day broadcast on War Letters

 included two letters from Jacob in his 2001 Memorial Day broadcast on War Letters Harvard University Press  Daughters of the Union by Nina Silber  Emeline and the women in her family mentioned on 16 pages

 by  Emeline and the women in her family mentioned on 16 pages Knopf Publishing Group published Nothing but Victory: The Army of the Tennessee , 1861-1865 by Steven E. Woodworth  Jacob mentioned on 10 pages, plus the book title comes from a quote by Jacob Ritner

, 1861-1865 by  Jacob mentioned on 10 pages, plus the Savannah  A Historical Portrait by Margaret Wayt DeBolt , includes Jacob Ritner's description of Bonaventure Cemetery that he wrote in January 1865 at the end of Sherman's March to the Sea.

by , includes that he wrote in at the end of March to the Sea. In 2001, Studs Terkel included sections of two of Jacob's letters in a national radio broadcast "War Letters," which included letters from American soldiers in all wars.

Why the updated version? Over the last 20 years, Larimer found many new stories and pictures of people mentioned in the letters, including two other photo albums, one of which contained pictures of Jacob and Emeline's children.

In addition, he continued to find fascinating stories about the people Jacob and Emeline knew, or met, that they mentioned in their letters.

In this updated version, Larimer describes many of the strange stories about how he found the letters and pictures, and how he has met several descendants of people mentioned in the letters. Most of the modern day people live in the Mt. Pleasant, Iowa area, but he has met descendants of people mentioned in the letters as far away as Savannah, Georgia.

Sigourney Press

Larimer refers to the strangest of the strange stories he describes as "ghost stories."

With this updated version, Larimer also included sections from:

The diary of Reverend Thomas E. Corkhill , the Chaplain of the 25th Iowa Infantry

, the Chaplain of the 25th Iowa Infantry The diary of Samuel Oliver "Ol" Bereman of the 4th Iowa Cavalry and one of Emeline's brothers, and

and one of Emeline's brothers, and Sections of the book My Eighty Three Years of Reminiscence, written by William Browning , a corporal under Jacob's command in Company B of the 25th Iowa Infantry

New Stories. Some of the new stories include:

The most important ghost story  how Emeline's letters found Larimer (not the other way around.)

 how Emeline's letters found Larimer (not the other way around.) The ghost story of Pomp, the young escaped slave who wandered into Jacob's Union camp in December 1862 near Helena, Arkansas and how two years after the publication of the original edition, Larimer learned Pomp's name from the Civil War Diary of Reverend Corkhill

who wandered into Jacob's Union camp in near and how two years after the publication of the original edition, Larimer learned Pomp's name from the Civil War Diary of Reverend Corkhill The ghost story of the Ice Merchant of Savannah, Georgia who hosted Jacob Ritner for Christmas Dinner in 1864 at the end of Sherman's March to the Sea , and how Larimer met his great grandson

who hosted for Christmas Dinner in 1864 at the end of , and how Larimer met his great grandson The story of Jacob Ritner's aunt Mary Ritner , who ran the boarding house in Chambersburg, PA where the famous abolitionist John Brown lived while planning his raid on Harpers Ferry

aunt , who ran the boarding house in where the lived while planning his raid on The story of Frances "Franc" Roads, one of the founders of the national/international women's organization P.E.O. , who is mentioned in one of Emeline's letters as a twelve-year old girl who came over one afternoon with her cousin to play with Jacob and Emeline's daughters.

, who is mentioned in one of Emeline's letters as a twelve-year old girl who came over one afternoon with her cousin to play with Jacob and Emeline's daughters. The story of Henry Clay Dean , a lawyer from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa who opposed Emeline's brother Alvah Bereman in a court case, and then 20 years later had a whole chapter written about him in Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi

, a lawyer from who opposed Emeline's brother in a court case, and then 20 years later had a whole chapter written about him in The story of Captain Romulus Hanks from Knoxville, Iowa who (non-fiction) shared a hospital room with Jacob in Rome, Georgia , and then in the 1940s had a starring role in the book The History of Rome Hanks and Kindred Matters (historical fiction) that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize

who (non-fiction) shared a hospital room with Jacob in , and then in the 1940s had a starring role in the book (historical fiction) that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize The strange stories of finding three different Civil War era photo albums that contained pictures of Jacob, Emeline, and their families, including their children and parents

Book Description. A tremendously moving American love story told through actual Civil War letters between Captain Jacob and Emeline Ritner. Their letters tell the story of a Union captain from Iowa and his wife, who maintained a family and farm during the war. Their letters tell of their devotion to each other, patriotism, loneliness, their anguish at the death of loved ones, and slavery, as well as their great great grandson's strange stories of finding their letters and meeting descendants of people mentioned in the letters.

Jacob, an idealist teacher, farmer and abolitionist from Iowa travels across the South, taking with him a brother, brother-in-law, friends, and the sons of neighbors as a Captain in the Union Army. Jacob witnessed the death of family and friends, participated in a great adventure, saw new lands, and experienced changing views on the South. Emeline stayed in Iowa, raised four small children, managed the family farm, and dealt with other women in their hometown, also dealing with more serious and tragic stories of how family, friends, and neighbors cope with deaths from the war.

Originally published in 2000, this update after 20 years includes additional stories and many pictures that Jacob and Emeline's great great grandson, Charles Larimer, has collected since the initial publication. This update also includes new and expanded descriptions of the "Ghost Stories" including the story of Pomp, the escaped slave from December 1862 at the start of the Vicksburg Campaign; the story of Alfred Haywood, the Ice Merchant of Savannah, Georgia from Christmas 1864 at the end of Sherman's March to the Sea; finding three Ritner family photo albums, all under strange situations; and many more Ghost Stories about finding descendants of people mentioned in the letters.

This update version also includes diary sections from Reverend Thomas Corkhill of the 25th Iowa Infantry and Emeline's brother Ol Bereman of the 4th Iowa Cavalry, where these diary sections dove-tail with Jacob's stories and provide additional fascinating information.

A narrative documentary of the story, narrated by Brian Dennehy, appeared in many film festivals in the early 2010s.

CONTACT:

Charles F. Larimer

Sigourney Press

3051 S. Birch Street

Denver, CO 80222

(708) 567-5491-Cell

[email protected]

www.loveandvalor.com

SOURCE Sigourney Press
The general public will be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations from state-run hubs and clinics in a major departure from the federal governments planned rollout.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday announced Prime Minister Scott Morrison had accepted NSWs offer to help the Commonwealth vaccinate the states 6 million residents.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard are at odds with Prime Minister Scott Morrison over vaccine delays. Credit:Kate Geraghty/Alex Ellinghausen

The news comes as NSW Health announced almost 30,000 people in NSW are fully inoculated against COVID-19 and more than 94,500 have had one dose of the vaccines.

I am pleased the Prime Minister in a letter received last night has welcomed our offer to use NSW public health services to administer vaccinations as part of Phase 1 and in time Phase 2 of the vaccination rollout, Ms Berejiklian said.
Radical Democrats, not content to control all three electoral elements of the federal government, are urging that two new states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., be added to the Union. Legislation to make Washington, D.C. a state has already been drawn up. Given that Democrats control both D.C. and Puerto Rico overwhelmingly, this would ensure at least four more permanently Democrat-controlled seats in the U.S. Senate, thus potentially ensuring Democrat control of that body for generations. Democrats correctly view the nineteen months between now and the 2022 congressional elections as their window of opportunity to consolidate their electoral stranglehold on American politics.

While it is crucial to defeat their proposals to do away with the filibuster and to defeat their companion effort to make permanent and nationalize the measures they took in swing states to stack the deck against Republicans, it is also time for Republicans to prepare for the battle ahead and respond to the arguments Democrats make in favor of the proposal to make D.C. a state with concrete proposals of our own. We must get ahead of this onrushing train.

To this, end we must acknowledge that with respect to Washington, D.C., the district is not what it was when Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson agreed that the site on the Potomac should be set aside as the seat of the national government, or when Pierre L'Enfant laid out the original plan of the city. Jefferson regarded the region as little more than a swamp where nobody would ever want to live. To him, that was one of its greatest features. Geography itself would ensure that the federal government would remain small and ineffective. Accordingly, there was no reason to provide for congressional representation of those who lived there. But today, over 700,000 people live in the city, and over five million live in the metropolitan area. They have a legitimate claim that they deserve representation just like American citizens who live in any other American city.

As it is, Democrats claim that the citizens of D.C. suffer from "taxation without representation." Since approximately 47% of the residential population of the city is black, Democrats also make the claim that the failure to grant representation to the city is yet another example of the racism said to pervade American society and politics. Both of these claims have powerful emotive force and can persuade a great many people that this is an injustice that needs to be made right. Republican claims that neither of these outcomes was intentional, though historically accurate, will persuade few that reform unnecessary or inadvisable. The demand for political and racial justice that will carry the day.

Republicans and conservatives generally should acknowledge the inequity of the situation and propose a solution of their own, one that grants representation to most of the 700,000 people, predominantly black, who live there yet doesn't transform the district into a state entitled to two senators. What follows is such a proposal.

Given that 100 percent of the territory that now constitutes the federal district was ceded to the national government by the state of Maryland, why should the federal government not retrocede to Maryland all of the district that is not currently occupied by the actual seat of the government, retaining only the facilities on or immediately adjacent to the Mall, such as the Capitol Building; the Supreme Court; the White House; the Library of Congress; and the monuments, parks, museums, administrative offices, and buildings currently owned or operated by the federal government?

In this way, all of the residential neighborhoods and private businesses, parks, and municipal facilities that are not part of the federal government would revert to the state of Maryland and to a new city of Washington shorn of federal facilities. Those who reside within the newly drawn boundaries of the city would become residents of the state of Maryland. They would vote for representatives to a newly formed city council, newly established statewide electoral districts, and brand new congressional districts. They would be eligible to vote for senators from the state of Maryland. Meanwhile, the state's congressional delegation would be expanded to accommodate the additional 700,000 new residents. Washington would become the largest city in Maryland.

In this manner, all those who now live in Washington, D.C. and are disenfranchised will be able to vote for their own representatives in Congress, the state house, and their own city council, just as all other Americans do. No longer will Democrats be able to claim that black Americans in the district are being disenfranchised or that they are the victims of either racism or taxation without representation. Justice will have been done, the racial issue will have been transcended  and Democrat ambitions to gain another two senators will have been thwarted.

Meanwhile, the federal government, through Congress, will still govern all remaining federal facilities and will become somewhat like the Vatican, a city within a city.

Image via Pxhere.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
Expansion will bolster credit unions ability to provide member services and make community impact in Georgia

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- VyStar Credit Union announced today it has signed a Definitive Purchase and Assumption Agreement to acquire Heritage Southeast Bank (HSB), a state-chartered bank headquartered in Jonesboro, Georgia.

VyStar has made an ongoing strategic commitment to search for partnerships that help us bring the benefits of credit union membership to more people while reinforcing our position as a strong and reliable financial institution with better rates and lower fees for all our members, said VyStar President/CEO Brian Wolfburg. HSB has exceeded our expectations as the optimal partner to help us expand our footprint and ensure financial services are accessible to more Georgia residents.

When finalized, the acquisition will be VyStars second in 24 months and bring its total assets to approximately $12.5 billion, full-service branches to 88 and membership to over 850,000, making VyStar the 13th-largest credit union in the country by asset size. The transaction is expected to close later this year and is subject to standard closing conditions as well as shareholder and regulatory agency approvals.

The acquisition of HSB will bring together two strong financial institutions that share a common goal of supporting our communities and members, said VyStar Executive Vice President/COO Chad Meadows. In 2020, VyStars community support resulted in more than $3 million in monetary donations and thousands of employee volunteer hours.

Heritage Southeast Bancorporation, Inc. (HSBI) serves as the holding company for Heritage Southeast Bank, which operates as Heritage Bank, Providence Bank and The Heritage Bank in its various markets. HSB has $1.5 billion in assets and 22 branch locations across Southeast Georgia, through Savannah and into the Greater Atlanta Metro area.

As with our last merger, we stand committed to our customers and employees, said Leonard Moreland, CEO of HSBI. We look forward to working with VyStar to continue our tradition of fostering relationships to best serve our customers and having a positive impact in our local communities.

In August 2019, VyStar successfully finalized a partnership with Citizens State Bank headquartered in Perry, Florida. We look forward to another seamless transition with HSB, said Chief Strategy Officer Ryan McIntyre, who leads VyStars efforts in identifying potential strategic partners. The emphasis VyStar places on employees, members and communities is proving to create successful results.

VyStar is being represented in the transaction by McGuireWoods LLP as legal counsel, and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. as financial advisor. HSBI is represented by Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP as legal counsel, and Hovde Group as financial advisor.

VyStar is the largest credit union headquartered in Northeast Florida and now serves over 750,000 members with assets totaling more than $10 billion. VyStar is the largest mortgage lender in Northeast Florida and one of the major employers in the region with over 2,000 employees. VyStar membership is open to everyone who lives or works in the 49 contiguous counties of Central to North Florida, 10 Southern Georgia counties and past and present military members and their families all over the world.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331005814/en/

Dana Karzan, Chief Marketing Officer

karzand@vystarcu.org or 904-908-2618

Source: VyStar Credit Union
Subscriber content preview

By ARITZ PARRA

Associated Press

MADRID  In Madrid, the real party starts at 11 p.m. after the bars close  and curfew kicks in.

That's when young, polyglot groups of revelers from Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and, most noticeably, France, join their Spanish contemporaries in Old Madrid's narrow streets to seek illicit fun. Most are in their early 20s, eager to party in the Spanish capital like they haven't been able to do for months at home under strict lockdowns.





. . .
(TNS) - Apr. 2Daniel Hebert is only four months into his job at EMT basic with Acadian Ambulance, but already he already knows what pressure his employer and industry are facing when it comes to staffing.There are overtime shifts. Some employees don't like it, but it's the reality in an industry that is having significant difficulty in finding employees.Also part of that reality? Off days that are wind up being off days are rare."If I have an off day and I don't get called, it's kind of weird," said Hebert, who graduated from Acadiana High School last May and began with Acadian in December. "It's pretty close to every day. I don't go in every day. Sometimes I do tell them no."Acadian isn't alone in its inability to find workers. EMTs and paramedics were in high demand prior to the pandemic, but since then the demands have only escalated along with the medical needs of the communities it serves.EMTs, nurses, paramedics and others are being pulled to places where they traditionally haven't been before, said Casey Touchette, recruiting coordinator for Acadian."You're taking a depleted field and you're spreading it out even more, which is just crippling the ambulance service," Touchette said. "And then people burn out. You see it with nurses and doctors now in hospitals. The medical industry has been hurt so bad by this pandemic. The last year has been insane, to put it lightly, from a medical standpoint."Acadian has long employed outreach programs to recruit new high school students through its Explorer program. Hebert participated in the program, which teaches students CPR and offers skills to work alongside EMTs at events. But recruitment efforts have ramped up in recent months, including the move last month to coordinate with the NAACP to offer full scholarships for EMT training in New Orleans and other cities in the state.The initial 14-week program will fund 40 full scholarships  estimated at $1,200 per student  along with testing fees and uniforms for students in New Orleans, Lake Charles, Houma, Baton Rouge and Alexandria. The move will also help Acadian diversify its staff, CEO and chairman Richard Zuschlag said."We believe this initiative is so much more than workforce development," Zuschlag said. "This is an opportunity for caring individuals to enter a fulfilling and rewarding career in emergency medicine and care for their fellow citizens. We take great pride in being an inclusive company with a diverse workforce. Since our founding in 1971, the contributions of our African American employees have been and continue to be an integral reason for our company's growth and success."National data on the number of openings available is unavailable, but pre-pandemic data did show the paramedic/EMT field was growing quickly. Data in 2019 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated the number of EMT and paramedic jobs was expected to grow by 17,000. That's a 6% growth rate, which is higher than the average growth rate of 4%.This spring Acadian will have 200 students graduating this spring and the company plans on hiring "every single one of them," Touchette said."Traditionally, it's been harder to get people into the profession and also retain them in the profession," said Harmony Rochon, assistant dean of allied health at South Louisiana Community College, which offers EMT and paramedic training programs in conjunction with the National EMS Academy."A lot of times people don't know much about it. Health care is a great field, but people see doctors and nurses and don't see the full picture of what is possible. Hopefully we are getting better, but at the same time we're in a health care crisis. As these things happen, we're relying on our front-line people. We need way more of them."Acadian plans to meet with church groups, ministries and youth organizations, including classes this summer at the local YMCA in Port Arthur, Texas, Touchette said. The military is another target to try and lure employees.Acadian has also begun hiring non-EMT personnel as ambulance drivers, he said."The recruiting industry has changed, too," he said. "It used to be they would come to us. Now we're actually having to go out and find them and build our own from the ground up. We are hitting the streets hard. There's nothing we're not trying at this point."Caylie Guidry, an EMT who was also hired in December who also came through the Explorer program, considered a career in the military when she was at Acadiana High School before graduating in 2019. She worked out of New Orleans for a month and then spent two weeks in Tennessee with Acadian's operations there.Much of her work has involved non-emergency transport, but she has responded to emergency situations."Once I joined the Explorer program, it changed my mind right then and there," Guidry said. "I do enjoy helping people a lot, and everybody that works for Acadian that I was around was like family. I like the family-like environment. It (the job) definitely takes someone who is 100% sure they want to do this."Hebert noted how the job has unconventional hours and how other jobs might pay more and be less stressful. He works seven out of 14 days as Acadian's Hub City North station on North University Avenue, and many of those days he's there in 12-hours shifts."Those are pretty manageable," he said. "It's when you get to the 10-10 or noon-midnight shifts  those are the ones that are pretty hard to work through. I know people (here) who are married and have a couple of kids. They kind of work through it."At SLCC, Rochon said they are trying to usher more students into the program as a entry point into the health care field. The college could have only 40 slots for students in the nursing program with 300 applicants, and the staff is trying to direct some of those students into the EMT/paramedic program where there are more openings."If you want to remain a paramedic, then that's wonderful," she said. "Even if I get 10% that flow through the funnel, that's amazing. I've at least got more people to help out that workforce on their way to whatever else."___(c)2021 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.Visit The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. at www.theadvocate.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Another 4,479 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,350,266, according to official figures released Thursday.

The country also reported another 51 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 126,764. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

More than 31.1 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to official figures.

Earlier Thursday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged the public to be cautious about coronavirus as they enjoy the good weather.

"Enjoy the sunshine, by all means, but nobody's safe from this virus until we can make everybody safe," he told Sky News.

Hancock also said he is "very worried" about the impact of long COVID after official figures showed that about 1.1 million people in Britain have reported having the condition over a four-week period ending March 6.

"It's one of the many damaging problems of this virus, we're putting more research money into tackling and understanding long COVID because it appears to be several different syndromes," he said.

"This is a very strange, very dangerous virus, and it's yet another reason for everybody to be cautious," he added.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.
Rosanne Cash (left) and Ken Burns speak during the PBS segment of the Summer 2019 Television Critics Association Press Tour 2019 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 29, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.
Steven Senne /Associated Press

Over 600 new houses and 340 multi-family residences will be built on the southeast side of San Antonio if proposed plans by a local developer come to fruition.

Bitterblue, the firm behind projects like the Alamo Quarry and Shavano Park redevelopments, presented plans to overhaul the land at 11625 Old Corpus Christi Highway Monday, while keeping room for Amazon's nearly 50 acre planned data center near I-37, Old Corpus Christi Road and Donop Road.
Belgian police clashed with a large crowd Thursday in one of Brussels biggest parks after thousands of revellers gathered for an unauthorized event despite coronavirus restrictions.

Brussels police told The Associated Press that four people were arrested and three police officers were injured. Clashes started after police ordered the crowd to disperse toward the end of the afternoon. An AP reporter saw people throwing bottles and other projectiles at police, who used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The festival, dubbed La Boum" ("the party"), had been advertised on social media and police had warned it was a fake event on April Fools Day. According to Brussels police, up to 2,000 people still showed up in the Bois de la Cambre to attend.

Large crowds have been gathering in Brussels parks this week to enjoy the unusually sunny, warm weather, despite coronavirus restrictions limiting outside gatherings to four people. Brussels prosecutors office had said police would be deployed at the festival and that anyone breaching restrictions could be prosecuted.

Another event has been advertised for Friday in another Brussels park, promoted by a group called the Abyss. The group said it does not question the governments strategy but fights for citizens rights to gather outdoors.

Belgium has reported over 882,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 23,000 virus-related deaths. Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have risen in recent weeks and health authorities have warned that intensive care units could reach a critical level by April 10 if the pace of new infections and hospitalizations does not slow down.

Belgium's current virus restrictions include a night-time curfew and a ban on nonessential international travel.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Our architect is still trying to get everything approved, Degante said. Theres one wall we want to knock down. Our intention is to have servers serve at the tables. Theres a few things we have to put to code. It would be great to open in May, but I understand the circumstances [and it] can be held back a little. Our intention would be [to open] as soon as possible.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 23:50:20|Editor: huaxia

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Rescue machines and vessels work at the site of the stuck container ship Ever Given on the Suez Canal, Egypt, March 28, 2021. (Suez Canal Authority/Handout via Xinhua)

"This is the right of the state and we will not give it up," says chief of Suez Canal Authority, adding all 422 ships kept waiting will have crossed the waterway by Saturday at most.



CAIRO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) will seek over 1 billion U.S. dollars in compensation for the losses caused by the container ship Ever Given that was stuck in the waterway and blocking navigation for six days, SCA chairman Osama Rabie has said.

The compensation for the losses and damages "will reach over 1 billion dollars," Rabie told a local TV channel on Wednesday. "This is the right of the state and we will not give it up."

The 224,000-ton Panama-flagged ship was grounded in the vital Suez waterway on March 23 and was refloated six days later through the efforts of the SCA in cooperation with the Dutch firm Boskalis and its emergency response team SMIT Salvage hired by Ever Given's owner.

The SCA chairman explained that the compensation demanded by the authority is not only for the financial losses caused by six-day navigation suspension, but includes the expenses of using dredgers and tugboats and the physical damage caused during the salvage process.

Egypt resumed navigation in the canal several hours after the stranded container ship was rescued early Monday, after which many of the 422 ships that have been kept waiting started to cross the waterway.

By Saturday at most, all 422 delayed ships will have crossed the Suez Canal, according to Rabie.

Linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, the Suez Canal is a major lifeline for global seaborne trade since it allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa, thereby reducing the sea voyage distance between Europe and India by about 7,000 km.

Some 12 percent of the world trade volume passes through the man-made canal. 
WEST HARTFORD  Come Juneteenth, a new mural is expected to be unveiled in town as part of a larger effort to promote diversity across Connecticut.

The overall effort  called the MLK39: Racial Equity Mural Tour  aims to have at least 39 murals across participating municipalities done by next years Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a number reflecting the years King lived. The art is aimed to represent the diversity of our communities and highlight local and national Civil Rights leaders, according to a blog post.

The town of Manchester had the first mural. Matt Conway  who founded the RiseUP Group, an organization that has a project known as CT Murals  said there hadnt initially been plans for it to spread further, but community support propelled them forward. CT Murals is also undergoing a rebrand to be called RiseUp for Arts.

Connecticut is one of the most segregated states in the country, even though we vote Democrat most of the time, he said.  ... We thought this mural project is a great way to give a platform and give voice to individuals of color in mostly white-dominated communities, and continue that conversation of racial equality.

And the effort grew. More than 30 communities are in some form of planning, according to Conway, and the idea has taken off like wildfire.

Other mural unveilings are also expected on June 19, including Torrington, Bloomfield, New Haven, and theyd be pretty much tripling the size of the Manchester one, Conway said. The reveals will be livestreamed.

After getting a mural-related email from Conway, Mayor Shari Cantor wanted to see the initiative pursued in her community.

I thought, Wow, what a great idea. Great project, she said. And I sent it right to (Town Manager) Matt Hart and I said, I want to do this. Where can we do this?

Discussions continued from there and, ultimately, the mural  which will be painted onto part of the Noah Webster Librarys exterior  is expected to be unveiled during a Juneteenth celebration in town, according to a news release.

The library is a place Cantor said she will sometimes refer to as the kitchen of our community.

It is a place where everyone is welcome, everyone gathers, she said. Theres all different kinds of discussions that happen in the kitchen and in the library. ... I would say its nourishing, and every age, theres something for every single person.

In a sketch, artist Corey Pane made a blue backdrop with King staring forward, his arms linked with two hands of different skin tones at his sides. It also included symbolisms such as a peace sign colored red, a nod to Bloody Sunday.

Pane said hed try to maintain the same basic idea, and add to it further. According to a CT Murals blog post, Margaret E. Morton, Harriet Tubman and state Rep. Tammy Exum could also be recognized in the work. Morton was the states first Black female legislator.

There are multiple entities involved in the murals development process in West Hartford, one of which is Concerned Parents of Color of West Hartford. Adrienne Billings-Smith, a founder of the group, said she loved the idea.

Its a bold and beautiful move by the town to want to do something like this and recognizing people that have helped build this community and honoring Dr. King, while also honoring some of our local heroes and firsts, she said.

And the mural is just one part of the initiative. Conway said there would also be racial equality and Kingian nonviolence training in participating communities with The Connecticut Center for Nonviolence.

Another aim of the project is to develop more mural artists in the state, Conway said. Theres an option to apply to be a lead artist or part of an artist team, or as an emerging artist, on an organization website. Its a process that the website says would prioritize artists of color who are from Connecticut.

If you go to New York City, Philly, out to the West Coast  San Francisco, Oakland  theres just a ton of opportunity for artists of color to do this type of large-scale mural work, and theres a lot of arts organizations that are doing this work. But its been lacking in Connecticut, the land of steady habits, Conway said.

Conway said theres some nationally known mural artists working on the project, and the aim would be to leverage their experience to train up emerging artists of color.

Hopefully, our goal is, by mural 30 or 35, some of these initial emerging artists of color have some more experience to maybe lead one of the murals later this year, he said. So its really about giving artists of color that training and exposure to be able to feel confident in doing professional mural work beyond, or as they go on in their art career.

Members of the community are also encouraged to try their hand at painting during a Paint-by-Numbers volunteer day, according to the news release.

The West Hartford mural endeavor recently surpassed a $12,500 fundraising goal. Sustainable CT will also contribute $7,500, Conway said.

Coming out of this effort, Conway hopes conversations about racial segregation really becomes forefront, and that history gets told the right way. He also wants to see communities learn more about the civil rights movement, including civil rights leaders in Connecticut.

Theres just a tremendous amount of history in each of our communities in Connecticut that needs to be told, he said. Really hoping that individuals in each of these towns really learn about that and really take steps forward to reintegrate our communities, or integrate our communities to begin with, and to give voice to people of color to feel welcome in our state.
Just ten years ago, Ethiopia has laid the cornerstone of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a project what many described as a gear changer and hallmark of Ethiopian reawakening. The project though widely used as propaganda and political machine by the then administration has indeed been a unifying figure for a country that has been going through unimaginable pain. However as much as the progress, the country has been suffering at the hands of few kleptocrats that put their interests before the nation.

The Ethiopian people were under the yoke of oppression for nearly three decades on the TPLF officials' watch. The group's crackdown on dissidents, journalists and politicians as well as the atrocities being committed in ethnic lines and others had already pushed the country into unchartered territory. As the heart of the public resentment was also GERD, the very project that many hoped would connect them to the grid.

The construction of the colossal dam had been facing delays that further upped the ante of the public's grievances. In fact, the people of Ethiopia had stark reasons to be mad at. From farmers to Diasporas, the people have long been throwing what they have into the construction of the flagship project. To make the matter worse, the people were fed wrong data by the then government officials who had been providing cooked reports. It was until the coming of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that spilled the beans on the dam.

Speaking to the local press three years ago, Abiy who is now in his three year anniversary of his inauguration, said that the problem with GERD is how we contracted out the work. It was a project that was supposed to be completed within five years, but not a single turbine had operational yet. Most of the work has been undertaken by MetEC. This company was established by people who have the interest to develop and transform the country based on developing with our capacity. But there is a problem with the approach, according to Ethiopian Insight.

"I have visited GERD before a month to assess its progress. It is a project which bears the fingerprint of all Ethiopians and it is a ground for us to show the world that we can dream and execute our plan. So, if we fail to finish GERD, it is a disgrace for us, he added.

"After I took office, I established a team who could conduct a study on the progress of GERD, and provide feedback on the way forward. Based on the results of the finding, we canceled the contract with MetEC and outsourced it to other experienced companies. Salini has demanded compensation because of the delays." he wrapped up.

Shortly after he came to office, Abiy embarked on undertaking reforms in the length and breadth of the country and winning the hearts and minds of all and sundry in a little while despite some challenges. The premier has set in motion pulling to pieces the country's distracted past and smoothing the progress of Ethiopia's future. Among the novel turnarounds that have been brought to the spotlight by the reformist leadership of Abiy has been the construction of the GERD.

With its construction now reached 79 percent, GERD is well placed to be finalized. Successfully carried out the first dam filling, the country is now preparing for the second phase of the dam filling. These and the other corrective measures taken by Abiy have rekindled optimism among the people and the project is serving as a rally behind symbol among Ethiopians regardless of their ethnicity, economic status, gender and other denominations.

Abiy, who turned the Diasporas from protestors to ardent reform supports, was able to boost the morale of the entire community that saw the contribution to the dam soaring. The progress made in the GERD has only been the tip of the iceberg.

The Premier established a good rapport with Ethiopian Diasporas and convinced them to partake in the development endeavor of the country. Against this background they have been partaking in the development endeavor of their country including GERD. In fact, Ethiopian Diasporas have turned to be the leading guardian of the project countering misinformation and bankrolling finance to the construction.

As learned from the Ethiopian News Agency, over the past ten years, Ethiopian Diasporas were able to donate close to 50 million dollars to the construction of GERD. According to Selamawit Dawit, Director-General of the Ethiopian Diaspora Agency, the first phase of filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has boosted the moral and contribution of Ethiopian diasporas.

In the present climate, as the GERD is in good hands, it is making progress in the right direction. Furthermore, it has been playing a major role in bringing about national consensus amid the various Nations, Nationalities, and People's of Ethiopia.

Dr. Eng. Tilahun Erduno, a member of the Committee for Planning and Construction of GERD model Addis Ababa Park at the office of National Council for the Coordination of Public Participation on the Construction of the GERD and a lecturer at Adam university said, "Strictly speaking, at first the whole thing regarding the construction of the GERD was moving in the right direction. However, as time went by the situation of the dam embarked on getting off track time after time."

After Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office, he got underway scaling the GERD to new heights of success within a very short time. He has been working by the sweat of his brow to make the project sees the day of light according to the plan.

As there were quite a lot of predicaments concerning contractors and subcontractors, the premier managed to get to the bottom of the problem almost immediately and made the dam move forward in the right direction. He did an amazing job. To cut a long story short, the premier has saved the GERD through hard work and determination.

He elucidated that as the TPLF leaders were in a strong relationship with Egypt and Sudan, they were doing the whole lot possible to win the hearts and minds of the latter. While on the subject, as there was division in the midst of the various Nations, Nationalities, and People's of Ethiopia, the country was moving into uncharted territory now and then.

At a loss about what to do, the TPLF leaders came up with the idea of constructing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. To the best of my knowledge, I would venture to say, they came up with the idea of building the dam to resolve a wide variety of predicaments that were taking place nationwide and bringing about national consensus.

"However, with time, the construction of the GERD ended up bringing about national consensus at the earliest possible time. Sad as it may sound, after three years, the TPLF officials began stashing away money overseas, "he continued.

Frankly speaking, the GERD has played a major role in bringing about national consensus amid the various Nations, Nationalities, and People's of Ethiopia. In the olden days, GERD was the only project that was carrying the name Ethiopia and brought all Ethiopians together. At that specific juncture, the name Ethiopia had no room for the ruling party. But when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power, the name Ethiopia began outshining more than ever before.

"By the way, Egypt makes use of the Nile River as a first aid to placate its internal problems. Since ancient times the issue of the Nile has been means of solution to Egypt's internal problems. As the governments of Egypt and Sudan experienced no democratic elections, their government officials come from a military coup." Dr. Eng. Tilahun underscored.

Egypt did everything possible and continues to do the same today aiming at weakening, destabilizing, and crumbling Ethiopia into so many small pieces of states to keep its dominance on the Nile. Egypt has never endeavored to resolve difficulties related to the Nile River in an orderly fashion.

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Even worse, Egypt leaves no stone unturned to destabilize Ethiopia and distract the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Egypt's action in Ethiopia is unfledged, discreditable, discourteous, unethical, unauthorized, and undemocratic.

Of late, Prime Minister Abiy while addressing the House of People's Representatives said regarding the GERD, "We are facing opposition from filling the GERD with rainwater. The water flowing out of the Abay River never stopped flowing. Our plan is to develop ourselves and benefit neighbors," Despite the various challenges GERD is faced with, it will be completed as we promised. If we wait until negotiations are finalized to fill the dam, the rainy season will pass and our country will lose 1 billion dollars a year. We are certain to fill the dam without causing harm to our neighbors. We would like our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters to see that our intentions are not to harm them.

In an interview with The Ethiopian Herald Asst. Prof. Ahmed Zekari said: "Nobody denies the fact that the GERD plays a major role in bringing about national consensus. As the people of Ethiopia have been actively partaking in buying bonds and donating money for the realization of the GERD, it is directly or indirectly bringing together the various nations and nationalities. This as well shows in black and white the existence of consensus.

When the dam sees the day of light and enjoys the labor of its fruits, it creates unity in the midst of the people more than ever. Nowadays, it is moving in the right direction and the country is achieving the desired goal to some extent. GERD is not the only thing that brings together. It can be achieved through ideology, politics, peace, and security.

"The political stability of the country is very important more than anything else. Otherwise, achieving the intended target would be very difficult," he wrapped up.
Democrats are coming up with all sorts of schemes to transfer money from the private sector to the government. Their aim is to have more power and money. They truly do not care how many jobs and businesses they destroy in the process.

The newest suggestion is to lower the amount of wealth that can be transferred from one generation to another, from around $11 million currently to one million. It's a horrible idea. This will cause people who inherit small businesses or farms, that have been built up over generations, to liquidate or leverage up to pay the government their huge estate tax bill. Way to go, Democrats, but not surprising.

Why do Democrats think they are entitled to so much of what other people have built?

A much better way to capture wealth from billionaires, which is something they have been talking about since the 1990s, would be to hit up the likes of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, George Soros, Mark Zuckerberg, and others who set up charitable foundations. They set these up, and then take huge amounts of stock that they paid little for and deduct shares at market value, to offset ordinary income rates fpr themselves, when they never paid capital gains on the increase in value of the stock.

Just change the code to make them pay capital gains rates on the appreciation of the stock. Also, such a tax change could be used when rich people give away art at appreciated value instead of cost. That would have the additional benefit of blocking inflated appraisals.

Gates, Buffett, and others always say it is unfair that they pay such low rates, so they should support this break since it essentially helps only the rich.

Hedge fund managers, like George Soros, also get a huge tax break, one that long preceded Trump's tax cuts, by paying taxes at capital gains rates instead of ordinary income rates. Billionaires like Soros should be taxed at operating rates. The investors can still get capital gains rates.

Another way to properly get more taxes would be to use the current tax code to get corporations like Berkshire Hathaway, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google from accumulating so much wealth and cash. The law says they must pay an accumulated earnings tax if they don't have a use for the cash.

What Is an Accumulated Earnings Tax? An accumulated earnings tax is a tax imposed by the federal government on companies with retained earnings deemed to be unreasonable and in excess of what is considered ordinary. Essentially, this tax encourages companies to issue dividends, rather than retain their earnings. The IRS allows for certain exemptions to the tax rule.

Buffett always lectures that he doesn't pay high enough rates, but Berkshire Hathaway doesn't pay dividends so that the corporation isn't taxed twice, first at the corporate level and again at the individual level. Even Democrats in Congress can fix that.

Bill Gates always tells others to pay higher taxes but billionaires like him use every method they can to avoid paying higher taxes at the companies they own. It is pathetic that a company the size of Microsoft and a billionaire of the net worth of Gates are so greedy that they pretend a substantial part of their income comes from Puerto Rico so they can pay a zero tax rate. Another word for falsely moving income would be fraud. It is a shame that members of both parties along with special interest groups and CPA firms support this avoidance of taxes. It is pure greed.

The IRS Decided to Get Tough Against Microsoft. Microsoft Got Tougher. Microsoft had shifted at least $39 billion in U.S. profits to Puerto Rico, where the companys tax consultants, KPMG, had persuaded the territorys government to give Microsoft a tax rate of nearly 0%. Microsoft had justified this transfer with a ludicrous-sounding deal: It had sold its most valuable possession  its intellectual property  to an 85-person factory it owned in a small Puerto Rican city. Microsoft fought back with every tool it could muster. Business organizations, ranging from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to tech trade groups, rallied, hiring attorneys to jump into the fray on Microsofts side in court and making their case to IRS leadership and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Soon, members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, were decrying the IRS tactics and introducing legislation to stop the IRS from ever taking similar steps again.

Gates would not be nearly as rich if Microsoft paid its fair share.

Income and expenses should be properly allocated among counties and states.

Google, Facebook, and others also manipulate their books in order to hide their income from the U.S. to pay far lower taxes as they support higher taxes for us through radical leftist policies. That is especially dishonest and greedy.

They clearly don't care about paying their "fair" share as their wealth multiplies.

The higher the Democrats raise the corporate tax rates, the more that companies will move operations and headquarters abroad, and manipulate their earnings. These CEOs and special interest groups are clearly lying when they say they want to pay higher taxes and the higher tax rates won't harm the economy.

Why do Democrats insist on punishing small companies and individuals trying to build wealth?

We know why these virtue-spouting leftist billionaires do -- can you say 'upstart potential competitors'?

If Democrats truly want to pay for more infrastructure projects, they would get rid of the prevailing wage laws which have oppressed minorities and taxpayers for over ninety years. These laws are known as the Davis-Bacon Act and Related Acts, and were passed in 1931 at the end of the Jim Crow era, and explicitly for racist reasons. The Foundation for Economic Education, in a 1994 piece, calls it "Jim Crow's Last Stand." It's still a racist law that targets poor minorities.

New Study Finds NYs Prevailing Wage Increases Cost of Public Construction by Up to 25% A new report released by the Empire Center for Public Policy on April 24 found that prevailing wage requirements inflate the cost of publicly funded construction projects in New York by between 13 percent and 25 percent. The varying percentages are based on the area or region of the state. Taxpayers can expect to pay billions in extra costs, given the tens of billions the state plans to spend on public projects over the next five to 10 years.

Democrats are taking references and statues of Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson down across the country as racist relics, while keeping racist laws like Davis-Bacon on the books to appease their special interest groups. Their own racism is obvious.

If we had an honest media, they would report that the ordinary rich and upper middle classes, who don't have these billionaire dodges, pay a much higher federal share of taxes than their share of income instead of repeating the talking point that the rich dont pay their fair share. Here is the reality, from of all places, the leftist Brookings Institution:

The rich generally pay more of their incomes in taxes than the rest of us. The top fifth of households got 54% of all income and paid 69% of federal taxes; the top 1% got 16% of the income and paid 25% of all federal taxes, according to the CBO.

There is never enough for Democrats.

The media should also report that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats are wanting to restore the full state and local tax deduction where most benefits go to the rich. The biggest benefactors of this cut would be millionaires and billionaires from New York and California, especially those at Apple, Google, Facebook and Twitter. There is a reason most billionaires supported Biden.

Billionaires like Gates, who do everything they can to reduce their personal and corporate taxes, can be adored by the media and other Democrats if they donate to the right causes and politicians, repeat the same talking points and reside in the same swamp. Otherwise, they will be disparaged and destroyed by unpaid Democrat campaign workers posing as journalists just like women and minorities who refuse to go along with the radical leftist agenda will also be destroyed. The hypocrisy is amazing.

Jack Hellner is a certified public accountant.

Image: World Economic Forum. swiss-image.ch/Photo by Sebastian Derungs, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) // CC BY-SA 2.0. Image filtered with with Graphite by BeCasso program.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
Vietnam to prioritise key projects of the Mekong Delta

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued Resolution No.973/2020/UBTVQH14 dated July 8, 2020, regulating the principles, criteria, and norms of allocating public investment using the state budget for 2021-2025, which stipulates the scoring criteria for the high Mekong Delta region than other regions in the country.

According to Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment, the total allocated state budget for investment is about VND388 trillion ($16.87 billion) for the local projects in the period of 2021-2025.

The capital will be allocated for completing a number of key projects like the entire highway from Trung Luong-Can Tho, Can Tho-Ca Mau, linking-region routes, and lots of national highways in the Mekong Delta.

Besides, the mid-term plan for the period 2021-2025 also prioritises resources to invest in longitudinal highways connecting the Mekong Delta with Ho Chi Minh City and the southeastern provinces as well as regional connection roads such as Can Tho-Ca Mau, My An-Cao Lanh, and An Huu-Cao Lanh, among others.

For the 2021-2025 public investment plan for the transport sector in the Mekong Delta, we agreed with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to invest about VND57 trillion($2.5 billion), an increase of 96 per cent compared to the 2016-2020 term, Nguyen Van The, Minister of Transport, said.

As for official development assistance (ODA), the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the World Bank have proposed a budget of VND2.422 trillion ($105.3 million) for sustainable development in the Mekong Delta in 2021-2025, according to the directions of the prime minister outlined in Directive No.23/CT-TTg dated May 2020.

The ODA fund is used for completing works such as coastal roads going from Tien Giang to Kien Giang, freshwater reservoir in combination with irrigation infrastructure to serve production in the Long Xuyen quadrilateral, and a number of pervasive inter-provincial traffic works to create a driving force for the development of the region.

However, Dung added that the above capital has fulfilled about 50 per cent of the local needs. Thus, with the exception of a World Bank loan, the Ministry of Planning and Investment also received many proposals for concessional loans and grants from development partners.
1. Roads. The citys roads are a mess. Significant resources are needed to fix them.

2. Public safety. The crime rate is too high. Police pay and resources come first.

3. More city programs. The city must invest more in city programs and services.

4. Comprehensive plan. The city needs to focus on rebuilding and rebranding.

5. Cut city spending. City officials must get serious about trimming the budget.

Vote

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New Delhi: Ravi Azad, who calls himself a youth leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), has been arrested by police for issuing threats on social media against Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Chandra. Azad has been accused of posting inflammatory speeches on social media platforms, inciting violence and disturbing peace.

He was arrested by the police on Wednesday (March 31). Earlier, an FIR was registered against him on March 29, on the day of Holi. On Thursday (April 1), he was produced in a court amid tight security by the police force, after which he was sent to jail.

In a video, Azad can be seen 'appealing' to his fellow farmers and 'young people' to go in groups and stop Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Chandra's program that was scheduled to take place on Sunday (March 28, 2021).

The 1:49 minute video also shows Ravi Azad talking about the incident that took place in Punjab's Muktsar district where BJP MLA Arun Narang was manhandled.

He asked people to prepare their 'laths' (sticks) so that the Rajya Sabha MP is not able to hold his program.

"... Vahi haal Subhash Chandra ka karna hai, kisi bhi keemat pe karyakram ye nahi karne dena hai..," Azad threatened in the video message.

A day later he even made threats against Dushyant Chautala. He also appealed to people to thrash BJP leader Kanwar Pal Gujjar, who is a former speaker of the Haryana Legislative Assembly.

Live TV
NORTHWOOD, Iowa  A man has been arrested for a trio of burglaries in Worth County.

Riley Joe Morris Brekke, 21, of Clear Lake, is charged with ongoing criminal conduct, three counts of third-degree burglary, second-degree theft, and third-degree theft. Brekke was booked into the Worth County Jail around 5:30 pm Thursday and is being held on $26,100 bond.



Curtis Anderson (left) and Nicholas McLeland Curtis Anderson (left) and Nicholas McLeland

Law enforcement says Brekke was one of three men involved in stealing from three homes near Grafton sometime between the night of March 1 and the morning of March 2. The homes that were robbed were in the 2000 block of 380th Street and the 4000 block of Yarrow Avenue. Court documents state multiple items were stolen including boots, tools, keys, and firearms.

The other two men alleged to be involved in these Worth County crimes, Curtis Anderson Jr. and Nicholas McLeland, were arrested March 5 and charged with committing a string of burglaries and thefts in Floyd County. According to court documents, Floyd County law enforcement recovered items stolen from Worth County and Anderson identified Brekke as being part of the crime spree.

Anderson and McLeland are facing 24 total criminal charges in Floyd County but online court records do not show any charges filed against them in Worth County. Online court records do not show any criminal charges filed against Brekke in Floyd County.
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.
Agartala, April 2 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will come to power in West Bengal defeating the ruling Trinamool Congress, and retain power in Assam, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said on Friday.

Referring to the party's assessment, he said that his party would secure 175 seats or more in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly.

"In Assam, there is no existence of Congress or any other opposition party. The BJP would retain power in Assam with absolute majority. Assam will be opposition member free assembly after the elections," he told the media.

Claiming that there is also no existence of the CPI-M and the Congress in Tripura, Deb said that with the influence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development mission, everyone is joining the BJP.
Photo: (Photo : Photo by @ScallywagNYC from Twitter)

According to a GoFundMe account set up by loved ones, Jessica Woodruff, 45, and Jake Woodruff, 36, were killed when a giant redwood tree dropped on their car as they were driving down southbound Route 199 for their annual trip to celebrate Jessica's birthday last week.

According to GoFundMe, they have five children: Megan, Evan, Casey, Allie, and Chelsea.

There is no escaping the tragedy and trauma that Jessica and Jake's deaths have caused, and as we all know, there is a long and challenging road, especially for the children who have been left behind, as the page reads.

In an interview with family member Emma Miravalle Hood, Jessica's two oldest children from a previous relationship stood up to take on the burden of raising their three younger siblings. She also added that this family and these parents were such a modest, fun-loving couple that people could tell they were soulmates when you met them.

READ: Family of 4 Died Tragically in a Car Crash



According to the California Highway Patrol, police officers responded to the incident shortly before noon on Thursday, March 25, in Del Norte County, California.

According to investigators, the car was driving southbound on the highway near Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park when the 175-foot-tall redwood tree dropped from the east side of the road onto their vehicle.

Jessica's cousin, Amanda Maffei, told a local news affiliate that the pair had been married for almost 13 years. According to the page, their children range in age from 8 to 24 years old. According to Maffei, the family started a GoFundMe because the older children are now responsible for, the younger ones.

"I believe they will find strength in each other," says their Aunt. She added that "They'll look out for one another, thanks to the generosity of so many different people and the support they've got. I'm hoping they will gain power from it as well."

As of Wednesday morning, March 28, the GoFundMe page had raised more than $240,000.

ALSO READ: Selfless mom died of a car crash after helping in another car accident

Reason for the accident that killed parents of five

The cause of the accident that totally crushed the passenger compartment of their 2016 Honda Civic is still under investigation, according to police and California Highway Patrol. The parents of five children suffered fatal injuries and died.

According to Brandy Gonzalez, the area is a heavily forested region, a spokesperson for the CHP office in Crescent City. We have trees all over the place. It's nestled in the redwoods. We have no clue why the tree fell; it's all old age. Mother Nature was to blame.

Gonzalez said that while trees fall from time to time, the fatal event was exceptionally unusual. Further, the weather reports were calm on that fateful day. There was even no significant pressure on the wind.

She described the timing of all as "extremely unusual." It's bizarre because I've been in the department for 19 years and in this field for 12 to 13 years. We've seen trees fall and cars crash, but this is an infrequent event.

READ MORE: Seven Children Killed in a Car Crash in California During New Year's Day
The head of the Japanese government's advisory panel on the coronavirus response has said its top priority is preventing a rebound in new infections until around June, when local governments will likely have received enough vaccine doses for their elderly citizens.

Omi Shigeru spoke at a news conference on Thursday. The government decided earlier in the day to allow the prefectures of Osaka, Hyogo, and Miyagi to take stronger anti-virus measures without an emergency declaration.

Omi said other areas may need similar arrangements in the future. He said the panel will guide local officials to flexibly make decisions based on objective assessments.

Omi said cluster infections have recently occurred not only at dining establishments but also at students' parties and other gatherings, as well as in factories, schools, international communities, and karaoke cafes.

He said people are less willing to lower infection risks by changing their behavior, and more contagious virus variants could hasten the spread of infections.

He underscored the need for central and local government officials to implement a set of anti-virus measures.

The set should include asking dining establishments to shorten their business hours, inspecting such facilities, urging people not to travel across prefectural borders, and calling on people to refrain from using karaoke cafes.

Omi stressed group dining should take place at establishments where anti-infection measures are in place, and the number of participants should be limited to four.

He also called on people to avoid closed, crowded, and close-contact settings.

Omi urged people to wear masks while having conversations, even in restaurants, and to refrain from attending large drinking parties.
2021-04-01

Maeci

Extended Mediterranean (MENA) Cooperation to facilitate economic recovery post-COVID was the central subject of the OECD-MENA Ministerial video conference, which the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, opened today, in his capacity as the main speaker.

The Foreign Minister underlined the importance Italy places on strengthening good administration, the rule of law, and competitiveness of the Countries in the area, where working together is essential in order to ensure stability and prosperity in the region. As is the case for most of the initiatives backed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the OECD-MENA Programme was launched - as Minister Di Maio pointed out - to apply this prospect in concrete terms, facilitating exchanging of experiences, sharing good practices, and heading towards the highest administrative and economic standards. Italy has provided its full support from the outset, and this will continue for the next five years, during which Presidency of the Governance component will be shared with Tunisia, valorising the capacity-building activities at the OECD-MENA Training Centre in Caserta.

The Minister went on to reiterate the goals of Italys Presidency of the G20 and the COP26 in relation to safeguarding the environment and sustainable growth. He once again stressed the importance and centrality of these for drawing up a positive agenda for the Mediterranean that, supported by dialogue and cooperation, can facilitate overcoming the crisis caused by the pandemic quickly. Italy - went on Minister Di Maio as he announced the seventh edition of the Rome MED Dialogues this coming December - will remain committed in this regard, and will make new ideas, capacities, and resources available.

All those taking part in the Ministerial meeting agreed on the importance of reforming and modernising the public sector, as a pre-requisite for sustainable, inclusive growth, and confirmed, in line with Italys position, unanimous appreciation of the OECD-MENA Programme, and their full political support for its renewal.
Grammys To Be Held Jan. 31, 2022 at Staples Center

The 64th annual Grammy Awards will be held on Jan. 31, 2022, at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, the Recording Academy announced today. The ceremony will be televised live on CBS beginning at 5 p.m. Further details about Grammy nominations will be released in the coming months.

This years 63rd annual Grammy Awards were held March 14 in a socially distanced format, with the broadcast originating from an ornate tented area adjacent to Staples Center. That ceremony was originally scheduled for Jan. 31 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 15:35:46|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang

UNITED NATIONS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Africa could learn from China's poverty-eradication experience so as to lift more Africans out of poverty and usher in a brighter future, a United Nations official has said.

"Africa must evolve its own models" due to its "very specific situation," Ahunna Eziakonwa, assistant secretary-general and director of the Regional Bureau for Africa of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The agency signed Monday a Memorandum of Understanding for its partnership with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to promote trade as a stimulus for Africa's socioeconomic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, and as a driver of sustainable development particularly for women and youths in the Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals.

"Africa must learn from its own experience and develop models based on its particular context," said Eziakonwa.

She stressed the importance of trade in the growth of the continent and called for a revamp of its existing infrastructure system so as to facilitate trade within the continent and with the rest of the world.

Prosperous trade won't happen in Africa "unless we take industry and industrialization seriously," said Eziakonwa, stressing that China can support in this regard to help "Africa's production levels to rise."

Talking about what role China could play in the AfCFTA, Eziakonwa said that Africa can benefit a lot from what China had done in reducing poverty.

Applauding the fact that China has pulled 700 million people out of poverty, she said Africa needs to lift many people out of poverty today as well.

She underscored the importance to learn from China as "one of the biggest urgent needs for the continent is to eradicate poverty."

"Our goal is to end poverty and to promote prosperity for the African people," she said. Enditem
Railroad begins process to abandon corridor for Ecusta Trail

Blue Ridge Southern Railroad plans to file a notice with federal authorities that will lead to the abandonment of the 19.1-mile stretch of tracks that would become the Ecusta Trail, according to a legal notice.

The notification by the current owner of the rail line, which was published in the Hendersonville Lightning last week, said that the company plans to file a "notice of exemption" with the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C., on or about Monday, April 5. The tracks covered are from Milepost 0.7 (about a tenth of a mile northeast of the South Main Street grade crossing to Milepost 19.8 (at the end of the track approximately two-tenths of a mile west of Lamb Creek in Pisgah Forest. Official abandonment of the tracks is a crucial step that must be approved by the Surface Transportation Board before the line can be "railbanked" for a use other than trains.

The legal notice said the Office of Environmental Analysis of the Surface Transportation Board "will generally prepare an Environmental Assessment, which will become available 25 days after the filing of the notice of exemption. Comments on environmental and energy matters should be filed no later than 15 days after the EA becomes available to the public and will be addressed in a Board decision. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA or make inquiries regarding environmental matters by writing to OEA, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 20423 or by calling OEA at 202-245-0295."

Conserving Carolina and Blue Ridge Southern Railroad reached an agreement on Oct. 27 for the purchase of the 19-mile segment of tracks for the bicycle and pedestrian greenway. In August 2019 the North Carolina Board of Transportation awarded a $6.4 million grant toward the purchase of the rail corridor and a year later the French Broad MPO awarded $5 million to fund construction of the first 5 miles of the greenway. The Henderson County Tourism Development Authority has earmarked $500,000 from the county lodging tax to support the trail and the Transylvania County Tourism Board of Directors voted in March to pitch in $100,000 for the project. The Henderson County Board of Commissioners provided the last financial contribution when it agreed to a $7 million bridge loan to close the purchase. Conserving Carolina officials said they expected to repay the $7 million before the county's fiscal year ends on June 30.

Established in 1983, railbbanking is a voluntary agreement between a railroad company and a trail organization to use an out-of-service rail corridor as a greenway until a railroad might need the corridor again for rail service. The rail corridor abandonment process begins with the initial notification to the Surface Transportation Board, which is what Blue Ridge Southern Railroad said it would file next week.

Although there have been challenges to the constitutionality of the railbanking provisions of the National Trails System Act, the process was upheld in a 1990 Supreme Court case, the Rails to Trails Conservancy said on its website. In Preseault v. United States, the court ruled that "preserving a corridor for future rail use through railbanking is a legitimate exercise of governmental power," the conservancy said.




Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 6:35PM

by Eric Blume

We have our strongest list of contenders for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar that weve had in yearsId argue one of the strongest ever. These five films represent vastly different stories and emphasize different screenwriting strengths, and involve an array of intelligent decisions from the writers in delivering the best cinematic experience possible based on their source material...

There are many writers involved in the screenplay for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (eight for screenplay; four for story). The film is nominated in this category because Oscars rule dictates that any movie featuring the same characters from an existing movie are considered adaptations. Looking at the original source material (the first film), the writers made some smart choices in bringing back their titular (anti?)hero.

Borat as a character, property, and film is incredibly divisive. I know folks who cant even watch it because it makes them too uncomfortable, and there are others who arent able to see through the improv element to see the masterful artistry of what this creative team is doing. For this sequel, they needed to bring back a very unlikable character who was originally rooted in a very specific cultural and political time, in a way that felt fresh, relevant, and funny in a new way.

Their adaptation focused on the introduction of Borats daughter, which gave us a breathtaking, highwire performance from Maria Bakalova, and gave Sasha Baron Cohen a new arc to playthe relationship allowed Borat to become more human and have some dimension, while putting the two of them in a series of awkward comedy set pieces that remain true to the original tone and energy of the film. The writers retooled the piece to comment brutally upon Trump-era grossness, doubling down on exposing American stupidity and false patriotism. This Borat film is as much expose as comedy, and its more finely structured and beautifully shaped than the first iteration.

Finally, its easy to assume that improv is never written, when in fact its often pre-organized to capture certain moments, push certain jokes, etc. Ive written many improv beats for comedy actors, so they arent flailing when they put themselves out there. In this film, the writers are not unafraid to place Cohen and Bakalova in insane and dangerous situations, but they give the actors enough support in the improv points and beats to steer themtheyre armed with direction on how to keep the focus of the scene, but also armed with different ways to pivot. Its an very ambitious effort from everyone involved.





I wrote the review here for The Father, so I wont belabor my initial praise too much. But I will say that Florian Zeller further proves his worth as an artist on this picture purely by having the good sense, tact, and lack of ego to have brought in Christopher Hampton to co-adapt the screenplay of Florians own play. Think about it: youre a world-famous playwright who gets to make your first movie, an adaptation of your own acclaimed play. Many artists wouldnt say, who should I bring in to help me write the screenplay?theyd just adapt it themselves, as they know it best. But Zeller must have spent some time carefully watching Dangerous Liaisons and Atonement, both stunning adaptations from Hampton, and realized the value of bringing another creative partner onboard.

Zeller and Hampton pull off a minor miracle in the film version of The Father, because they are somehow able to maintain the heightened theatrical language of the playalong with its purposefully confusing structure and wicked sleights-of-handin a way that feels right for cinema. This team, too, doubles down, here on the intimacy of the piece. They trust to never take us out of their hermetically-sealed universe, but also know that in order to do that, they need to be compelling enough for us to climb into their little coffin so they can keep tightening the screws.





Our presumptive Best Director winner, Chloe Zhao, has received so much rightful attention for her helming of Nomadland that its easy to overlook her contribution as a writer to this contemporary masterpiece. The film is based on a non-fiction book by journalist Jessica Bruder. From this text, Zhao created all original characters, all original arcs, all original scenes. She took the essence of the source material and fleshed out a very concrete world based on other peoples real experiences.

Its a work of tender absorption, storytelling skill, and wondrous imagination. Zhao was able to distill a journalistic undertaking into a narrative journey that reflected and honored the flesh-and-blood human travails of the book. Frances McDormands Fern and David Strathairns Dave are original creations, and Zhao avoids the biggest trap of a project like this: the characters never feel like representationstheyre fully thought-through and complicated. The script shows us several angles of the nomad existence, and nothing feels oversimplified or politicized, even though it is a film about politics on some level. Basically, Zhao as a writer set up Zhao the director for success. Her screenplay laid the groundwork for Zhao the director to come in and tell the story poetically, and to burrow straight into the humanity of the characters she created.

Kemp Powers adapted One Night in Miami from his own play. Its the rare play-to-movie adaptation that doesnt come from Broadway or off-Broadway, or from a famous production where we have preconceived notions. Powers script is slightly more opened-up than The Father, especially in the first third when were introduced to each of the four icons.

But as is true of most good stage-to-film adaptations, the film is strongest when the characters are just in a room talking, especially when your piece has such big ideas in it, and you have the quartet of actors to put it across so powerfully. Powers breaks up his scenes smartly, though, giving the opportunity for the four actors to interchange with each other, and knowing when to bring them together for a bigger punch. Its a well-judged, canny adaptation that allows the actors to scale some notes and keep the audience focused on the characters and the themes. Extra points for its funny, light touch whenever possible.

It was satisfying to see Ramin Bahrani snare a nod for his adaptation of The White Tiger. Aravind Adigas novel was a stone cold masterpiece of broiling rage, particularly strong because of Adigas specific prose style, giving his murderer protagonist a voice of vicious bile. Bahrani was smart to temper the intensity of the main characterhe has allowed for a more complete arc for the main character, allowing lead Adash Gourav a chance to ease the audience into his plight with a persuasive and moving journey. Bahrani saves the original earned malignity for the films second half, once were fully aligned with the various injustices.

Globalization is a primary theme in the novel, whereas Bahrani turns it into a secondary theme, another smart decision, as Bahranis concern is the human drama and an examination of slave mentality and oppressive power structures. He doesnt dwell on the novels framing device, which are letters from the protagonist to the Chinese Premier. Bahrani is more concerned with contrasting visual environments that display economic disparities and the multiple sides of the beautiful, intense country of India. Bahrani focuses his screenplay so it deep-dives us into a world that feels both foreign and familiar.

This category is quite frankly an embarrassment of riches. We were really lucky to get these five films this year. My vote would go to The Father, but any of these films make a worthy winner. Who gets your vote?

OTHER CATEGORY REVIEWS

plus
Patna, April 2 : There is a chickenpox breakout reported in Bihar's Gaya district. Hundreds of patients from all age groups have been affected, according to village officials.

Banshraj Bigha and Boknari villages under the Paraiya Khurd block have reported many cases. Villagers from Paraiya Khurd are blaming the district administration for not visiting the affected areas even once.

The chickenpox infection is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It causes itchy rash with small, fluid-filled blisters. It is highly contagious to people who haven't had the disease or been vaccinated against it.

Villages like Vanshraj Bigha and Boknari are said to be the hotspots with more than 100 patients in the age group of two to 80 being affected.

Mathura Prasad Vidyarthi, resident of Boknari village and father of Uri-attack 'martyr' Sunil Kumar Vidyarthi, told the media that the state government has completely failed in rising to the occasion.

"Health officials of Gaya have never visited our village since the chicken pox break out began," Vidyarthi said.

"When my son died in the Uri attack, the state government had announced to open a primary health center in our village. It has not happened yet," Vidyarthi said.

Rahul Kumar, a resident of Boknari village said: "My 5-year-old son got chicken pox. For a week he was sick. We did not have any medicines for the disease. We just prayed to the goddess (Mata Rani) and kept the patient indoors." Sunaina, another villager, told the media that over 100 people are affected with the chicken pox breakout. "Our village head (Mukhiya) and Sarpanch informed health officials about the contagious viral breakout but no one has come here for inspection." K.K. Rai, the civil surgeon of Gaya said: "We have learnt about the disease in villages falling under Pairaiya block and a team of medical officers were sent there for inspection on Friday.

"We will take action after the reports from the medical team." "We have asked villagers to keep the patients indoor and sanitise the area. It is equally important apart from medical assistance to the patients," Rai said.
When India's government last month asked refiners to speed up diversification and reduce dependence on the Middle East - days after OPEC+ said it would maintain production cuts - it sent a message about its clout and foreshadowed changes to the world's energy maps.

It was a move that had been in the works for years, fuelled by repeated comments from Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who in 2015 called oil purchases a "weapon" for his country.

When the Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries and Major Producers (OPEC+) extended the production cuts into April, India unsheathed that weapon. Indian refiners plan to cut imports from the Kingdom by about a quarter in May, sources told Reuters, dropping them to 10.8 million barrels from monthly average of 14.7-14.8 million barrels.

Oil secretary Tarun Kapoor, the top bureaucrat in the ministry, told Reuters that India is asking state refiners to jointly negotiate with oil producers to get better deals, but declined to comment on plans to cut Saudi imports. "India is a big market so sellers have to be mindful of our country's demand as well to keep the long-term relationship intact," he said.

The Saudi state oil company Saudi Aramco and the Saudi energy ministry declined to comment. Pradhan, who sees high oil prices as a threat to India's recovering economy, said he was saddened by the OPEC+ decision. India's fuel import bill has rocketed, and fuel prices - inflated by government taxes imposed last year - have hit records.

The International Energy Agency forecasts India's consumption to double and its oil import bill to nearly triple from 2019 levels to more than $250 billion by 2040. An oil ministry official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the OPEC+ cuts have created uncertainty and made it difficult for refiners to plan for procurement and price risk.

It also creates opportunities for companies in the Americas, Africa, Russia and elsewhere to fill the gap. If India is successful, it will set an example for other countries. As buyers see more affordable choices and renewable energy becomes increasingly common, the influence of big producers like Saudi Arabia could wane, altering geopolitics and trade routes.

DIVERSIFICATION DRIVE

India's oil demand has risen by 25% in the last seven years - more than any other major buyer - and the country has surpassed Japan as the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer. The country has already curbed its reliance on the Middle East from more than 64% of imports in 2016 to below 60% in 2019.

That trend reversed in 2020, however, when the pandemic pummelled fuel demand and forced Indian refiners to make committed oil purchases from the Middle East under term contracts, shunning spot purchases. As India shifts gears again after Pradhan's call for faster diversification, refineries are looking for new suppliers, the oil ministry official said.

Costly refinery upgrades that allow for the processing of cheaper, heavier oil grades have encouraged importers to seek out far-flung sources. HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd bought the country's first cargo from Guyana this month, and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd just imported Brazilian Tupi crude for the first time.

In past years, refiners have jointly negotiated deals with sanctions-hit Iran, which offered free shipping and price discounts, and now plan to do the same with other producers.

Since the break with Saudi Arabia began, Pradhan has had meetings with United Arab Emirates' minister of state and chief executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC), Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, and U.S. energy secretary Jennifer Granholm to strengthen energy partnerships.

Pradhan recently said African nations could play a central role in India's oil diversification. The country is looking at signing long-term oil supply deal with Guyana and exploring options to raise imports from Russia, the oil ministry source said. A separate Indian government source said the government expects Iranian sanctions to ease in three to four months, potentially offering India a cheaper alternative to Saudi oil.

Two traders agreed that Iran stood a good chance to benefit from India's shift, as did Venezuela, Kuwait and the United States. An Indian refinery source said the US, Africa, Kazakhstan's CPC Blend and Russian oil would probably get a look too. Although Indian importers will scoop up increasing volumes of attractively priced global grades, most analysts expect the Middle East to remain India's primary oil supplier, mainly because of lower shipping costs.

India's oil ministry is working with refiners on a framework to jointly negotiate terms with suppliers. "Buyers have alternatives in today's market and these alternatives are going to multiply going forward," Kapoor said.

"There are so many companies in India that do buying at their own level, so these companies coming together also becomes quite a big bloc." On Thursday, Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ agreed after discussions with US officials to ease oil curbs beginning in May.

Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman conceded that the production cuts had put state oil company Aramco "in some difficulty with some of its partners."

THE RELATIONSHIP

Analysts say the oil spat does not need to spill over into broader strategic ties in other sectors, including defence.

"Until recently, the balance of power was skewed towards Saudi Arabia, but increasingly, India is using access to its market and the diversity of options to put pressure on Saudi Arabia," consultancy Eurasia said in a note. "For Saudi Arabia, losing market share in a global environment in which most developed economies are already seeing their oil demand decline due to green policy implementation, would be a blow."

Abdulaziz confirmed that Aramco had maintained normal April oil supplies to Indian refiners while cutting volumes for other buyers - a sign Saudi Arabia is concerned about India's search for new sources.

Saudi Arabia is India's fourth-biggest trade partner, importing a slew of items, including food. Saudi Armaco is looking at buying a 20% stake in Reliance Industries' oil and chemicals business. It is also a part of a joint venture to build a 1.2 million barrels per day refinery in India.

But Amitendu Palit, senior research fellow at National University of Singapore, said it would be difficult for Saudi to find a stable alternative buyer if India continues with reduced purchases for too long.

"This bilateral relationship should not be impacted due to any decisions on one commodity. However in a global surplus, market buyers have a lot of negotiating power and sources," Palit said.

Also read: OPEC+ agrees to ease oil output cuts from May after Washington dials Riyadh
rHEALTH LLC, a Diagnose Yourself, AnywhereTM company, today announced that it has received funding support to advance its diagnostic technology from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADxSM) Tech program. The award is managed by Consortia of Improving Medicine with Innovation & Technology (CIMIT) and the NIH Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network (POCTRN), will be leveraged to oversee and help guide development, validation, and further advancement of rHEALTHs app-guided, user-friendly, high-sensitivity layperson antigen test. rHEALTH received the support after being vetted through a Shark Tank-like selection process.

The antigen test runs on a high-performance, user-friendly point-of-care analyzer called the rHEALTH, a patented, award-winning device funded by the NIH and NASA. A consumer-tested app guides the user through the testing sequence, which features minimal user touch points, and provides a result within 15 minutes for the user. The solution is differentiated in its ease-of-use, pandemic-mode throughput, and a high-sensitivity, cocktail-based antibody assay. The cocktail approach is designed to future-proof the technology against emerging variants.

We are committed to working with the NIH to enhance efforts to diagnose COVID-19 in all settings. We aim to allow teachers, business owners, nursing home staff, and others to have more tools against the virus. The availability of a rapid, point-of-care antigen test for anyone to use is a particularly important means to attain widespread testing. Success of this approach means that these places with children, employees, seniors, and travelers will have greater safety, immediately, said Eugene Chan M.D., CEO of rHEALTH.

Launched in April 2020, the NIH RADx initiative received an initial $1.5 billion federal investment and has been an urgent call for science and engineerings most inventive and visionary minds to develop rapid, easy-to-use technology technologies for SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. In a September 2020 NIH news announcement regarding projects funded through the RADx initiative, NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. said, Diagnostic testing is a critical component of the nations strategy to meet the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CIMIT and POCTRN are supported by the RADx Tech program and have been funded in part with federal funds from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Grant No. U54EB015408.

About rHEALTH

rHEALTH is a company focused on the development and commercialization of its Diagnose Yourself, AnywhereTM technology. The rHEALTH technology is the subject of multiple XPRIZE awards, a NASA effort for astronaut health monitoring, and over a dozen issued patents. It enables diverse laboratory tests from a single tiny sample. rHEALTH has received support from CIMIT through the POCTRN program. For more information, visit http://www.rhealth.com.
A man with a history of involvement in the reptile trade in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina has been arrested and charged with illegally trafficking in turtles and venomous snakes, as well as unlawfully possessing firearms, authorities said Thursday.

Ashtyn Michael Rance, identified as a resident of Dalzell, SC, faces time in prison if convicted of the charges brought last month, authorities said. The maximum sentence for the wildlife and guns charges is 15 years and a $250,000 fine for each charge.

A federal grand jury in Georgia indicted Rance on March 9, alleging that in 2018 he shipped 15 venomous Gaboon vipers to Florida.

The indictment, unsealed this week, also said he sold 16 spotted turtles and three eastern box turtles to a buyer in Florida. Rance is accused of shipping the reptiles from Valdosta, Ga., where he once lived, in falsely labeled packages. That is a common tactic in the black market wildlife trade.

The indictment includes federal firearms charges following the discovery by authorities of a Bushmaster carbine .223 rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun at his Valdosta home three years ago.

The 34-year-old Rance, a convicted felon who is barred by federal law from possessing guns, has run into trouble with authorities before over his alleged involvement in the illicit wildlife trade.

In 2018, an investigation of the black market wildlife trade by The State newspaper found that Rance had imported 220 snakes from Africa to Atlanta with plans to sell them in South Carolina at a wildlife show.

Snakes bound for South Carolina included 20 spitting cobras, 15 bush vipers, 100 Gaboon vipers and a pair of black forest cobras, according to an import permit obtained by The State at the time. All of those snakes have venom deadly enough to kill or permanently injure a person.

Georgia officials had required Rance, who had run-ins with Florida wildlife authorities for years, to take the venomous snakes to an address in rural Saluda County within 24 hours of the serpents landing in Atlanta, The State reported. But Georgia state investigators said he didnt get rid of all the snakes in South Carolina, a point Rance disputed.

Story continues

When they searched Rances property in Valdosta in the spring of 2018, they found dozens of venomous serpents, Georgia authorities said at the time.

In The States investigation of the black market wildlife trade, Rance was identified by authorities in South Carolina as a major southeastern wildlife trader. At the time, Rance said he had tried to follow the law. He also told the newspaper he was giving up the wildlife trading business.

There is no way to do this business legally doing what I do, he told The State. There is always a stupid gray line that (you are) going to cross and they have an option to charge you or not.

An attempt to reach Rance was unsuccessful Friday.

Rance served time in a Florida prison from July 2007 to February 2009 on a charge of battering a child. He also has been arrested on wildlife charges multiple times in Florida.

His latest run in with the law drew sharp words from federal authorities, who said illegal wildlife trafficking is a serious crime.

Rances reckless shipment of venomous snakes and illegal possession of firearms demonstrate the dangers of wildlife trafficking, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams of the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division. I applaud our federal and state law enforcement partners for keeping the public and delivery couriers safe.

Federal authorities said law enforcement departments in Georgia and South Carolina assisted in the investigation that led to Rances arrest.

Together, we have stopped highly venomous snakes, and our nations own wildlife, from being smuggled, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent in charge Stephen Clark said in a news release.

The spotted turtle is native to the eastern United States and Great Lakes area. The eastern box turtle is found across the South and East, including in South Carolina. The Gaboon viper is an African snake whose venom can cause shock, loss of consciousness or death in humans, authorities said in Thursdays news release.

The black market wildlife trade is a multi-billion dollar business worldwide. The trade in reptiles has been a particular concern for authorities in the Southeast, a region with an abundance of turtles sought as pets and food in Asia. American traders also will bring in exotic reptiles from other countries for resale in the United States. Some of the trade is legal, but much of it is not.
The International Criminal Court on Friday welcomed US President Joe Bidens lifting of sanctions imposed by Donald Trump on the tribunals prosecutor, saying it signalled a new era of cooperation with Washington.

I trust this decision signals the start of a new phase of our common undertaking to fight against impunity for war crimes, Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi, the head of the Association of States Parties to the ICC, said in a statement.
BAE Systems has clinched contracts worth more than 1billion to maintain battleships and docks at Portsmouth Naval Base.

Britains biggest defence company will repair and upgrade state-of-the-art Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft carriers, Type 45 Destroyers and Type 23 under a 900million deal with the Ministry of Defence.

And, in another agreement, it will work with American group KBR to look after buildings and the docks at the base.

900m deal: BAE will repair and upgrade state-of-the-art Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft carriers (pictured), Type 45 Destroyers and Type 23

BAE has worked at the Portsmouth site for more than two decades and employs 2,400 people there.

The contracts could create jobs in the area. The company has 3,700 workers in the wider Solent area and around 85,000 employees worldwide.

Portsmouth, on the south coast of Hampshire, has been a naval hub for more than 900 years. The five-year contracts will be worth up to 1.3billion and will start in October.

As well as repairing ships stationed at the base, BAE also intends to use technology developed by a company it bought last year, called Techmodal, that can help it predict where there could be problems or breakdowns.

David Mitchard, managing director of BAE Systems maritime services business, said: We can use data science and analytics to drive improvements now.

This will give us a much richer view of the conditions the assets are in and means we can predict failures rather than react to failures.

Manufacturers like BAE have fared better during Covid than companies in many other industries.

Around 90 per cent of BAEs business is government defence orders, with the rest consisting of work for companies such as airlines and aerospace equipment makers.

It is these contracts  which include building parts like joysticks and flying systems and count GE and Boeing as customers  that have been hammered by the pandemic.

In February, it said full-year sales rose 4 per cent to 21billion and pledged to pay a 2020 total dividend of 23.7p per share  as well as handing back the delayed 2019 divi.

Last year it announced a series of contracts wins and secured more work on existing programmes  including a German order for 38 Eurofighter Typhoon jets.

The British group looks set to rake in 900million from the 4.8billion order for the planes, which are among the worlds premier fighter jets and can reach speeds of up to twice the speed of sound.

But the company is also angling its work increasingly to cyber security and electronic warfare.

It completed the takeover of two US cyber businesses last year  the Collins Aerospace Military Global Positioning business and Raytheons Airborne Tactical Radios  for 1.8billion.

As well as navigating the pandemic, BAE has been making the case for the Government to give the green light to a UK-built fighter jet, called Tempest.

BAE is among the companies designing the futuristic planes, which would be able to fly unmanned and have radar that can capture a citys worth of data in a second.

The group believes the project could support 20,000 jobs between 2026 and 2050, and add 25billion to the UK economy by 2050.
One Huntsville restaurant is serving notice to customers that giving its employees a hard time about Alabamas mask mandate is not allowed.

Fire & Spice Tex-Mex co-owner Leandra Poux said a recent post on the restaurants Facebook page came after an escalation in incidents with customers arguing about compliance with the states mask mandate.

We would love for the verbal assault on our employees to stop. There is a mandate in place until April 9th and we are... Posted by Fire & Spice Tex-Mex Smokehouse on Friday, March 26, 2021

Fire & Spice co-owner Leandra Poux said the post came after a steady build up.

All were trying to do is abide by the mandate, she said. And its been getting crazy. It was happening four to five times a day in one week. All were asking is that people be kind to our employees. We want to have a good dining experience. Were not here to fight you or have a political experience.

Fire & Spice began as a food truck and has been at its present location since 2018. Several commenters responding to the Facebook post said they plan to eat at the restaurant after its owners took a stand in favor of employees.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has announced that the states mask mandate will expire April 9. That date will apparently hold firm even after President Joe Biden called this week for states to reinstate or keep mask orders.

The response from Fire & Spices original post prompted a response thanking customers.

We want to thank everyone for the huge amount of support for our post yesterday. We didnt expect anything like that, we... Posted by Fire & Spice Tex-Mex Smokehouse on Saturday, March 27, 2021

Poux said she heard from customers and others in the restaurant business.

Anybody in any service industry understands it, she said. Everybody understands. Were all going through it.

One restaurant owner who agrees is Denise Tyriver, owner of Ole Hickory BBQ in New Market for the past 16 years. She said every day a customer walks in without a mask.

Some have been very ugly to our staff, she said. One last night stomped out saying he would not put a mask on. We had another guest that screamed at our staff. Weve gone through boxes and boxes of masks that we give to our guests who dont have one. Its been a struggle for a good, long time.

Tyriver said her restaurant has remained at less-than-full capacity over the last year, with salt and pepper shakers or sauces off the tables. And she expects problems once the state mask order ends.

Its going to be challenging to expect guests to wear masks without the state or the countys backing, she said. Were probably have to tell people we prefer them, but we know a good chunk of people will not wear them.

Poux said shows of support have outpaced negative comments by about 8 to 1.

We really appreciated that, Poux said. All we ask is just for people to be nice to our employees.
In reaction to escalating protests, Myanmar's acting military leadership has shut down broadband internet access indefinitely. The step comes just two months after a military junta deposed Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's democratically elected leader.

Myanmar government shuts down internet access

According to Reuters, the closure affects wireless internet connectivity, although a separate order prohibiting mobile internet use at night remains in place. State telecoms issued the orders, but no official explanation has been given.

Myanmar is currently involved in demonstrations against the military government, which has reacted with increasingly totalitarian surveillance and censorship initiatives and brutality, which has resulted in over 500 deaths and thousands of arrests since February. Multiple telecoms have been forced to shut down various internet networks such as mobile data, roaming, and public Wi-Fi for different periods.

The act brought the internet shutdowns to a new degree of intensity. The actions seem to be intended to suppress protest organizations and make it more difficult for Myanmar citizens, journalists, and human rights advocates to broadcast what is happening on the ground to the rest of the world.

Myanmar's military is allegedly using surveillance drones, phone-hacking devices, including European-made iPhone hacking tools, and apps for breaching personal computer encryption. Those are part of the widespread digital offensive against the opposition, The New York Times reported.

Australia Reveals Plan to Build Missile Guide to Boost Defense, Collaborates with the US

Myanmar shutdown of internet heightens fears of news blackout

Myanmar's military government has instructed internet service providers to close down cellular broadband networks only days after industry organizations urged end-to-service disruptions. The junta-appointed Ministry of Transport and Communications released an order today, according to telco provider Ooredoo, instructing "all cellular internet data networks to be temporarily halted from today until further notice."

Nikkei Asia reported that cutting all Wi-Fi reliant on fixed wireless access would exacerbate Myanmar's telecommunications and internet space restrictions. After the coup, the junta has instituted a complete data blackout twice, censored social media outlets and blogs, implemented a regular internet freeze, and prohibited mobile internet use.

Further restricting internet connectivity would certainly heighten concerns of escalating security force activity. As of March 31, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners had counted 536 people killed and 2,729 arrested by the junta.

Death of Detained Myanmar Official Raises Fear

Before the internet was shut down, social media was filled with posts and tweets expressing outrage about the imminent news blackout. Others suggested independent FM radio stations as the best way to keep the protest going. Since fiber networks are mainly in big cities like Yangon, the transition will significantly negatively affect rural communications.

According to Ye Salween, a Myanmar analyst, the order is an effort by the military authorities to restrict news flow and communications since most Myanmar households use wireless Wi-Fi networks rather than FTTH. Despite Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his appointees' repeated insistence on being pro-business, the junta seems to be dismissing business issues.

On Tuesday, four major international chambers of commerce serving Australian, British, French, and New Zealand companies openly protested the atrocities and expressed outrage about internet access restrictions. In a joint statement, most international chambers of commerce in Yangon have requested unrestricted information access and free flow of information.

Myanmar's Military Grabs Power, Imprisons Aung San Suu Kyi Accused of Election Fraud

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New Delhi, April 2 : As the world moves on after expressing outrage, what happens to the rape victims who are left to fend for themselves in an apathetic society and a nonchalant judicial system? In "After I Was Raped" (Pan MacMillan), we meet five individuals: a four-year-old girl, two Dalit women, an eight-month-old infant and a young professional. Through extensive interviews with them and their families and communities at large, author Urmi Bhattacheryya reveals the stories of these victims of sexual violence, as they recount how their lives and relationships have changed in the aftermath of assault. Shamed, ostracized and weighed down by guilt and depression, they continue to brave the most challenging realities.

This book picks up where most news reports about survivors leave off - it enters bedrooms and courtrooms, and picks up the threads of their lives today, years after their rape, and in the midst of their continuing wait for justice.

At a time when only high-profile, sensationalised cases of sexual violence provoke a public reaction and many stories go unheard, Bhattacheryya's sensitive portrayal of the lives of these little-known victims raises difficult but important questions about our convenient collective amnesia - and their struggles for justice and dignity.

Bhattacheryya is an independent journalist based in New Delhi. She worked as Gender Editor at The Quint, reporting - almost exclusively - on women and children who have been victims of sexual violence. She currently writes for national and international media, including Boston Globe, Globe and Mail, Caravan and Women's Media Center, on issues of sexual assault, women's health and culture.

In 2020, Bhattacheryya won the UNFPA Laadli Award for Gender Sensitivity for her reporting on child sexual abuse.
Apr. 2Sara Gauthier spent nearly every Easter weekend of her life at St. George's Episcopal Church in Sanford. The sanctuary was filled for services, with members hugging and singing and celebrating before heading home for Easter egg hunts and family dinners.

"There was major celebration and the church was packed," said Gauthier, who is now in her mid-60s.

But last year, in the early weeks of the pandemic in Maine when even small gatherings were not allowed, Christians across Maine marked the resurrection of Jesus Christ in ways they had never imagined. Instead of gathering for sunrise services and prayers and hymns, they logged on to their computers to attend services on platforms like Zoom, YouTube and Facebook that church clergy and lay leaders were scrambling to learn to use. At St. George's in Sanford, the Rev. Lauren Kay led Easter morning service on Zoom. There was no music and church members without internet access were missing.

This year feels different and more hopeful, said Bishop Thomas Brown of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine.

"There's not a level of tremendous grief over not being able to gather for Holy Week and Easter," he said. "Those sentiments have largely given way to the feeling that we actually know how to do this. And we also feel, along with the rest of the country, the possibility that if we hold on a little while longer, we may emerge from the pandemic with some sense of what it was like beforehand. We are feeling the truth of raising new life. Last year at this time it felt like a huge blanket of grief."

The majority of churches that belong to the Maine Council of Churches are planning to meet virtually for services, but others are planning outdoor gatherings, said Rev. Jane Field, the council's executive director and the pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Windham. Most churches, even if they are holding indoor services, also continue to livestream services.

Story continues

Some churches in Maine, including Baptist and Catholic congregations, have been meeting for in-person services since last June, when restrictions on gatherings were changed to allow indoor services for limited numbers of people. Last week, the capacity for all indoor venues, including churches, went up to 50 percent and will increase again to 75 percent capacity in May.

But other churches have held off on in-person services, opting to continue virtual services until cases of COVID-19 are low and more people have the opportunity to be vaccinated.

The 58 year-round churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine will celebrate Easter in a variety of ways, from an indoor service at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Portland to a drive-in Easter worship Trinity Episcopal Church is holding in the parking lot of Aquaboggan in Saco. Online services will also be held to include those who aren't vaccinated, are homebound or have joined the churches from other states and as far away as Japan during the pandemic.

During Holy Week, Episcopal churches adapted activities to reduce the spread of the virus and limit contact while staying connected. St. Mary's in Falmouth held a virtual Agape Supper for Maundy Thursday, with parishioners picking up food that had been prepared at the church then sharing a meal "together" on Zoom.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland worked with 141 churches over the past few weeks to address plans for Holy Week and the Easter Triduum while expanding capacity for in-person attendance. More than 100 Catholic churches across the state will continue livestreaming and the diocese has continued the dispensation from attending Mass in person for those who are not comfortable doing so.

Bishop Robert Deeley said expanded capacity for Holy Week brought "great joy" to many parishioners had been been unable to attend Mass due to attendance restrictions.

While many Catholics will be able to attend Easter services in person, some celebrations were adapted to prevent transmission of the coronavirus.

There were no processions on Palm Sunday and palms were blessed and laid out on tables for parishioners to pick up as they left the church instead of during Mass. There was no washing of the feet or processions during the Holy Thursday Masses. On Good Friday, there was no veneration of the cross, where parishioners line up and come to the front of the church to kiss or kneel in front of the cross.

For the Easter vigil, crowds will not gather around the Easter fire, and hymnals and hand candles will not be distributed to the faithful, according to the diocese. But the diocese has been able to add Masses, services and opportunities for people to receive Holy Communion.

"We want to make the sacraments available as we know that those sacraments, gifts of grace from God's love for us, form us into a people who seek to bring God's love into the world. The world starts for us with the people who attend Mass, including those participating via livestream," Deeley said in a statement. "The Spirit of Jesus brings us beyond our own attachment to self and gathers us into a community which is the Church and asks us to care for each other and those we encounter in our world. Being together at Mass is a reminder of the importance of bringing Jesus to others by living his way, which is the way of love."

Woodfords Congregational Church in Portland will not begin holding indoor services until everyone has the opportunity to be vaccinated. But Rev. Alyssa Lodwick said church members were thrilled this week to be in the sanctuary for the first time in a year for open hours on Maundy Thursday and to visit the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.

The church will hold a sunrise Easter service at the bunker at Southern Maine Community College, a longstanding tradition that was canceled last year. In the past, 15 or 20 people attended that service, but Lodewick expects to see more people this year.

"I think we'll get a larger crowd this year because people are hankering to worship together in person," she said. "People are very enthusiastic about that opportunity."

The church will also hold a digital worship on Zoom at 9 a.m. on Easter, then host an open house at the church until noon that is open to the community. There will be an Easter egg hunt and people can light prayer candles and socialize. COVID-19 protocols, including masks and social distancing, will be in place.

During Holy Week, Lodewick has been reflecting on the time between when Jesus was placed in the tomb and liberated. That resurrection would not have been as powerful without that "in-between" time in the tomb, she said.

"It feels like we're in one of those 'in-between' times right now as a church, community and nation," she said. "We've been entombed by COVID-19, and we're waiting to emerge. But we've got to be careful that we don't emerge before all of the processes that are preparing us for re-emergence have taken place, or else the re-emergence process might prove overwhelming and dangerous."

Since February, members of Faith Lutheran Church in Windham have been holding onto hope they would be together in the outdoor chapel on Easter instead of worshipping together exclusively online as they did through the winter. From June to November, they were able to gather together in the outdoor chapel, where wood benches and an altar are surrounded by soaring pines. The last time Field led a service there, orange leaves drifted down to the altar as she spoke.

With spring coming, church members have been preparing the outdoor chapel and are excited to be there on Easter, Field said.

"For those who practice Christianity, the Holy Week and Easter message is particularly profound this year in terms of new life coming from death and signs of new life," she said. "It really feels potent and powerful this year."

In Sanford, Kay is keeping a close eye on the forecast for Saturday. If the weather cooperates, church members will gather in the parking lot of St. George's for an Easter vigil service, traditionally held at sundown on Saturday to recognize Jesus leaving the tomb. The service will be a little shorter than normal because of the outdoor setting and masks.

"We're trying to blend current circumstances with what is a really holy tradition. We will make joyful noise with noisemakers, not shouting or singing. It's really hard, but it's what we need to still be doing to be safe," Kay said.

For a second year, Kay will lead an Easter morning service on Zoom, but there is an extra feeling of hope this year.

"This year there's hope with the vaccination and a light at the end of the tunnel when we might emerge from our own COVID tomb," Kay said. "As Christians, we are Easter people, which means that no matter what our hope is a risen Christ. With Easter coming and us still being in this situation, there's a reminder we're a people of hope. We look forward the joyful and unexpected things that come with life, whatever it may be."

Gauthier, who has attended St. George's her entire life, is looking forward to the first in-person gathering since an outdoor service last summer, when church members brought their lawn chairs and placed them 6 feet apart in the parking lot. Even with the physical distance, the congregation has stayed connected and give each other encouragement throughout the year, Gauthier said, but she's looking forward to the joy that will come with seeing the faces of her church family in person this weekend.

"There will be lots of air high-fives and (air) hugs," she said. "I think it's going to be a good feeling. It's a step toward healing."
Nigerian leaders drawn from the northern and southern parts of the country have bared their minds on the kind of presidential candidate they want in 2023 and the process that should produce him..

While members of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) said they will not interfere in the internal affairs of any political party in the selection of its president candidate, they promised to support the flagbearer of the party that fully understands the problems facing the North.

Their southern counterparts under the umbrellas of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and Ohanaeze Ndigbo insisted on power shift to the region and showed encomiums on Governor Bello Masari of Katsina State and his Borno State counterpart Babagana Zulum for supporting power shift to the South in 2023.

But the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) said it would not be carried away by the zoning arrangement being canvassed in some quarters because it does not promote equity and justice in the polity.

The leaders spoke in separate interviews with LEADERSHIP Friday in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

Through its national publicity secretary, Mr Emmanuel Yawe, ACF said it will neither impose a zone or a candidate on any political party because the Nigerian constitution specifies that only political parties can present candidates at elections.

Yawe said: "The ACF will also not interfere with the process of how the political parties arrive at their candidates. We only hope that given the declining quality of leadership, what should be uppermost in the minds of kingmakers in the various political parties should be competence and not sentiments.

"The ACF draws membership from northerners of every political persuasion and affiliation. For us to interfere in the internal affairs of political parties, will amount to biting more than what we can chew. The political parties are many and so are their problems.

"But if the various political parties resolve their internal contradictions, the ACF will subject each of them to scrutiny. We will then throw our weight behind the candidate that understands the problems facing the North and the Nigeria of today."

To PANDEF's national publicity secretary, Ken Robinson, Masari and Zulum are true nationalists.

Robinson said, "The position of the two northern governors on power shift to the South is commendable. They have by this shown themselves as true nationalists. Governor Zulum of Borno State, in particular, has repeatedly canvassed that position.

"PANDEF's position remains that the presidency must rotate to the South in 2023. A northern president is to complete eight years by 2023, and therefore, in the interest of equity, fairness and justice, there has to be a power shift to the South.

"Let us reiterate that whether the person emerges from the South-South, Southeast or Southwest is a different matter entirely. It would be in the best interest of the country's major political parties not to take this position for granted," he said.

In the same vein, the chairman of Elders' Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Rivers State, Dr. Omenazu Jackson, described the statements of Masari and Zulum as "statements of equity in the polity."

Jackson said, "Honestly, the statements of both governors are statements of equity in the polity. Although zoning is not a part of our constitution, it has been literally accepted for the equitable distribution of power. The South must produce the next president for peace to reign in the county.

"If we must live in a just society there must be equity. No nation survives in an atmosphere of inequality. Nigeria must as a matter of national rebirth change her approach to issues of unity and love for one another and the political class must take the lead.

At the recent launch of a book written by Dakuku Peterside in Abuja, Governor Zulum called for power shift to the South in 2023 while Masari who featured on Channels Television's "Politics Today", monitored also advocated same.

However, the publicity secretary of MBF, Dr Isuwa Dogo, said, "For me, zoning doesn't produce anything like equal rights, so there is nothing like equal right; zoning the presidency to the South what I will ask is that is there a particular part of the South that they are zoning it to?

"Because if you look at the South, the South-South has held it for six years, the Southwest has held it for eight years, but the Southeast has not. So are they proposing power shift to the Southeast or just the South? And if they are taking about the South in the zoning of the presidency and it is the Southwest that takes it for another eight years, can that be equity? If it is the South-South that takes it for another four or eight years, will that be equity? It doesn't.

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"So, if you want to zone, simply zone it to the Southeast and if you are not zoning, then don't zone, Let it be whoever is the best candidate emerge. For example, if the People's Democratic party (PDP) said the presidency should be zoned to the Southeast and the Northeast because if you are talking about equity, the Northwest has held it, the Southwest has held it, the South-South has held it, but it is not only the Northeast and Southeast that have not held it, the North Central has not as well, so why do you leave out the North Central?

"If you want to zone it to a particular side like the Southeast, the Northeast or the North Central, we will understand, but not to zone it to the Northeast, Southeast and leave out the North Central that has not held it before, so there is no equity in the zoning arrangement they are talking about" he said.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel hosted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana on Thursday.

Borisov was in Cuba to attend the XVIII Session of the Cuban-Russian Intergovernmental Commission that discusses economic-commercial and scientific-technical collaboration between the countries.

The commission meetings began on Wednesday and were scheduled to last two days.

Cuban state-run media has had little coverage of the summit and no specific details of the encounter between Diaz-Canel and Borisov other than to run silent images on Thursday night's local television newscast of the men meeting.

Borisov arrived in Cuba after visiting Venezuela earlier in the week, where he met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

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New Delhi, April 2 : Easter which falls on the first Sunday of April every year is generally celebrated with midnight mass, family get-togethers, large lunches accompanied with an indulgence in timely sweets, including marzipan and easter egg chocolates.

With new lockdowns being announced on a daily basis across India, it may be difficult to celebrate Easter the traditional way this year, but to keep the celebrations alive, Booking.com has curated a list of some of India's ancient churches and cathedrals that are perfect for an Easter-inspired getaway as and when it's safe to do so.

Thiruvithamcode Arappally, Kanyakumari Currently known as St. Mary's Orthodox Church, Thiruvithamcode Arappally is known to be India's oldest church. It is claimed to have been built in 57 A.D. by Thomas, one of Jesus' 12 apostles. It was called Thomaiyar Kovil by the then Chera king Udayancheral. Located in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, this church is surrounded by beautiful coconut groves and a lotus pond. Despite its age, the church built from quarry stone is very well kept and captivates the viewer with its granite pillars that make up the door frame and lamps, tiled roof and latticed wooden foyer. An orthodox church with a rustic vibe is perfect for your next #wanderlust post.

Vallarpadam Church, Kochi Vallarpadam Church was built by the Portuguese missionaries who came to India to spread the word of God. It is believed to be one of the earliest European churches built in India. The church was hit by a major flood in 1676, but was rebuilt on the land provided by the government. Pope John Paul II designated the church as a Basilica in 2004. The locals are a big patron of Mother Mary, or Vallarpadathamma as they call her; and the Basilica is considered to be the National Shrine of Our Lady. The Basilica holds an annual feast every 24th of September. So make a mental note of this and consider capturing the festivities for your next blog.

St. Paul's Church, Diu Diu's one and only church, St. Paul is a large structure compared to most churches, with rich wood carvings, unique spiral scrolls dating back to the Corinthians and shell-like motifs that adorn the walls. The Church follows a Baroque-style architecture and the main altar has 101 burning candles offered to Our Lady. The Church is a major tribute to the Jesuits who came to India and have established churches and schools across the country. When it is safe to do so, one must go to this church to experience its grandeur and aesthetics.

San Thome Church, Chennai Another renowned Basilica, San Thome Church is among one of the three across the globe that hosts the tombs of one of Christ's original disciples. The interiors are rustic and stepping in is almost like taking a step back in time and entering a different century. What is even more interesting is that the church is also partly a museum that showcases some of the souvenirs that have been preserved over time. Remember to carry a camera along with you to capture moments from the past.

All Saints Cathedral, Prayagraj Patthar Girja also known as All Saints Cathedral, an Anglican Christian Church constructed in 1871, and it is a must see if you have been on the lookout for Gothic-inspired churches. Walking through the main entrance, the carved glass panels allow natural light in that reflects across the room. The main altar is made of marble from the colonial era. If you look around the church, you will find plaques of British nationals who were martyred at the time. Vlogging a walkthrough of this church should be added to your to do list! Medak Cathedral, Medak, Telangana

While its name may be simple, Medak Cathedral is one of the largest Diocese churches in Asia and amazingly, the second largest Cathedral in the world following the Vatican, being 200 ft long and 100 ft wide. The interiors are very vibrant and decorated with six different colours of imported mosaic tiles. The stained-glass windows are another highlight of the church. They depict the ways of the cross from the Ascension till the Crucifixion. If you have been looking for scenic light-through-the glass photographs, Medak Cathedral is one of the best locations to capture this.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)
Burma Myanmar Villagers Take Up Homemade Weapons Against Regimes Security Forces

The protesters plan to conduct a defensive action after their peaceful anti-regime protest was cracked down by the junta's forces at Kale, Sagaing Region on March 29. / CJ

At least six civilians, including some who had been wounded, were arrested by the military regimes forces during the clashes with villagers in Yinmabin Township, Sagaing Region on Friday.

The clashes started about 4 a.m. Friday near the Thapyayaye village in the township after villagers had conducted a defensive action against nearly 100 military troops approaching the village for a raid.

Local residents claimed that the military regimes forces attempted to attack the village because some of villagers and villages monk have been leading anti-regime protests in the township.

In the morning, the militarys forces in the battle were reinforced with about 100 more troops. Meanwhile, hundreds of villagers from more than three dozen other villages from Yinmabin Township and Kani Township arrived to help the civilian forces fighting against the juntas gunmen.

In the defensive action, villagers used homemade percussion lock firearms and homemade gas pressure guns firing glass or steel balls. They faced military troops using live rounds of ammunition.

We must fight back against them, if not, our generation will face a worse situation than us. They have no laws, a neighborhood villager who battled the regimes forces for Thapyayaye village, told The Irrawaddy.

Local villagers said that in the afternoon, the military troops retreated into the forests after facing the combined offensive by several villages.

We dont know exactly how to decide to go forward. We have never seen such kinds of clashes between the militarys troops and villagers before, a resident of Thapyayaye village told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

According to that resident, many older people and children have fled their homes in the village in fear of the military troops.

We have no proper weapons, but despite that we want to resist the military regime. I would like to request ethnic armed forces to help us, a resident of Yinmabin Township, who is one of those organizing anti-regime demonstrations in the township, told The Irrawaddy.

After the military regime used live rounds, hand grenades and explosives while conducting weeks of deadly crackdowns on peaceful anti-regime demonstrations, protesters across Myanmar are responding with defensive actions by using traditional homemade firearms, homemade gas pressure guns, handmade bows and arrows and Molotov cocktails.

Villagers have also conducted an offensive against the military juntas forces going to Kale town in Sagaing Region for four days beginning Monday. Reinforcement troops sent to help regime forces attacking the town were met by the villagers using traditional homemade percussion lock firearms at a site 15 miles away from the town.

During clashes between March 30 and April 1, about five villagers were killed by the juntas forces. Another villager was killed by security forces while he was at his home, local residents told The Irrawaddy.

Also, 11 other protesters were killed by military regime gunfire during the crackdown against the anti-regime protests in the town.

During the recent clashes in the township, military forces used lives rounds, machine guns, hand grenades and bomb launchers to attack civilians resisting them, according to the residents of Kale.

On Friday, Myanmar also saw two more deaths at the hands of military regime forces. A 26-year-old policeman, who had been participating the nationwide civil disobedience movement, was shot dead by the juntas forces during an attack on residents in Tamu Town, Sagaing Region about 2 a.m.

In addition, Ma Su Su Kyi, an employee of the Yangon branch of South Koreas Shinhan Bank, died in hospital Friday morning. She had been shot in the head by the regimes forces while traveling home in an office car on March 31.

As of Thursday, 543 people have been killed by the military regimes forces during the crackdowns and raids against the anti-regime protesters, bystanders, pedestrians and civilians, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Tens of thousands of people across Myanmar continue to take to the streets daily to show their defiance of the military regime.

Thousands of government staffs are taking part in the nationwide civil disobedience movement defying the military rule.

You may also like these stories:

The Junta Is Dragging Myanmar Into Full-Blown Civil War

Myanmar Junta Killed At Least 43 Children Since Coup: Charity

China Get Out of Myanmar Say Pro-Democracy Supporters
Police officers investigate near a car that crashed into a barrier at the US Capitol in Washington (J Scott Applewhite/AP)

A police officer was killed after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the US Capitol in Washington DC and then emerged wielding a knife.

Video showed the driver of the crashed car emerging with a knife in his hand and starting to run at the pair of officers, Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters.

Authorities shot the suspect, who died at a hospital.

I just ask that the public continue to keep US Capitol Police and their families in your prayers, Ms Pittman said.

This has been an extremely difficult time for US Capitol Police after the events of January 6 and now the events that have occurred here today.

Police identified the slain officer as William Billy Evans, an 18-year veteran who was a member of the departments first responders unit.

Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that investigators initially believed the suspect stabbed one of the officers, but it was later unclear whether the knife actually made contact, in part because the vehicle struck the officers with such force.

The officials were not authorised to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Authorities said that there was not an ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism.

Expand Close US Capitol Police officer William Billy Evans (US Capitol Police via AP) / Facebook

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Law enforcement officials later identified the dead suspect as 25-year-old Noah Green.

Investigators were digging into the suspects background and examining whether he had any mental health history as they tried to discern a motive.

They were working to obtain warrants to access his online accounts.

There was also no immediate connection apparent between Fridays crash and the January 6 riot.

Green described himself as a follower of the Nation of Islam and its founder, Louis Farrakhan, and spoke of going through a difficult time where he leaned on his faith, according to recent messages posted online that have since been taken down.

The messages were captured by the group SITE, which tracks online activity.

To be honest these past few years have been tough, and these past few months have been tougher, he wrote.

I have been tried with some of the biggest, unimaginable tests in my life. I am currently now unemployed after I left my job partly due to afflictions, but ultimately, in search of a spiritual journey.

The crash and shooting happened at a security checkpoint near the Capitol as Congress is on recess.

It comes as the Washington region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists loyal to former president Donald Trump stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Bidens presidential win.

Expand Close Acting chief of the US Capitol Police Yogananda Pittman (Alex Brandon/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Acting chief of the US Capitol Police Yogananda Pittman (Alex Brandon/AP)

Five people died in the January 6 riot, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who was among a badly outnumbered force trying to fight off insurrectionists seeking to overturn the election.

Authorities installed a tall perimeter fence around the Capitol and for months restricted traffic along the roads closest to the building, but they had begun pulling back some of the emergency measures in recent weeks.

Ms Pittman said the suspect did not appear to have been on the polices radar. But the attack underscores that the building and campus  and the officers charged with protecting them  remain potential targets for violence.

The security checkpoint is typically used by senators and staff on weekdays, but lawmakers are away on break. The attack occurred about 100 yards from the entrance of the building on the Senate side of the Capitol.

The USCP has cleared the external security threat incident located at all of the U.S. Capitol Campus buildings, however the area around the crime scene will continue to be restricted and individuals should follow police direction. pic.twitter.com/6SXr5WJmcE  U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) April 2, 2021

Fencing that prevented vehicular traffic near that area was recently removed, but there was additional interior fencing between the checkpoint and the building.

The suspect had been taken to the hospital in critical condition. One of the officers who was injured was taken by police car to the hospital; the other was transported by emergency medical crews.

The US Capitol complex was placed on lockdown after the shooting, and staffers were told they could not enter or exit buildings. Video showed National Guard troops mobilising near the area of the crash.

Video posted online showed a dark coloured car crashed against a vehicle barrier and a police K-9 inspecting the vehicle. Law enforcement and paramedics could be seen caring for at least one unidentified individual.

President Biden had just departed the White House for Camp David when the attack occurred. As customary, he was travelling with a member of the National Security Council Staff who was expected to brief him on the incident.
U.S. secretary of defense assures Kyiv of U.S. support in event of escalation in Donbas - Ukrainian Defense Ministry

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran discussed the situation in Donbas, and Austin reaffirmed his country's readiness to support Kyiv in the event of an "escalation of Russian aggression," according to a statement published on the website of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Thursday.

"Lloyd Austin expressed concern over the recent actions of the Russian Federation and assured the minister of defense of Ukraine of a readiness to support Ukraine in the context of Russia's ongoing aggression in Donbas and Crimea. The U.S. secretary of defense stressed that in the event of an escalation of Russian aggression, the United States will not leave Ukraine alone and will not allow the realization of aggressive aspirations of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine," according to the statement.

Taran, in turn, briefed Austin on the military-political situation on the contact line with fighters-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in Crimea and along the state border of Ukraine.

Taran also focused on the March 26 developments in the proximity of Shumy, where four Ukrainian servicemen were killed.

"Besides, the head of the Ukrainian defense ministry stressed the systematic escalation of the security situation in the area of the Joint Forces Operation and the unwillingness of the Russian Federation to confirm its commitment to the ceasefire," it said.
SALEM, Ore.  At a press conference on Friday, Governor Kate Brown announced some amendments to the groups that will become eligible on Monday  extending eligibility to the families of frontline workers and a larger group of people with underlying conditions.

All frontline workers and people 16 and older with underlying health conditions become eligible under Oregon's existing timeline on April 5. Brown said that this will now include the household family members of frontline workers. The definition of "underlying conditions" will also be changed to align with the CDC's extended list.

The CDC's list includes current and former smokers, people with substance use disorders, and people who are overweight and obese.

"If you are a frontline worker as defined by the CDC, when you make a vaccine appointment for yourself, make them for your whole family, too," Brown said. "If youre attending a community vaccine event, bring your family with you. We know it is not easy for everyone to find the time and transportation to get a vaccine. If youre a frontline worker making the effort, bring your family, and do it all together."

Those expansions come in spite of recent news that shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may be delayed after some 15 million doses were ruined in production. Oregon Health Authority director Patrick Allen said Friday that Oregon would not amend its eligibility timeline in spite of the anticipated impacts  though it will likely affect Oregon's ability to meet the current goals for getting people vaccinated.

Allen said that demand for the vaccine has plateaued among Oregon seniors after the initial rush. In some counties, there are still more unvaccinated seniors than those who have received a dose. Regardless, Allen said, 70 percent of all Oregon seniors have been vaccinated as of this week.

Oregon has seen an uptick in new coronavirus cases over the past week, accompanied by increases in hospitalizations related to COVID-19, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger. At the same time, hospitalizations remain much lower than during previous peaks, and deaths have reached a low not seen since last June.

Governor Brown referred to the rise in cases as a "fourth surge," one that is cause for concern.

"While Oregons case numbers fortunately havent matched those of other states seeing large spikes, our numbers are rising and we are back on alert," Brown said. "The good news is, now when we face a surge, we know how to protect ourselves and others with powerful safety measures like mask wearing and avoiding large social gatherings. And we have three safe and effective vaccines rapidly rolling out. But make no mistake, this is a race between the vaccines and the variants. It is a critical moment for us all to double down so we can outrun this next wave."
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Add the complications of ultra-cold storage, an adult vaccination program on a scale the country has not attempted before and two different vaccines so far, and using those state-run systems makes even more sense. Loading I think it would have probably run more smoothly if we had harnessed the usual systems we have for the annual influenza vaccination program, Professor Leask says. Now is not the time to be changing systems that work. Instead, the federal government chose to take on the bulk of the rollout. Its kept responsibility for distributing vaccines to GPs and aged care facilities, as well as handing out supplies to states and territories. Later in the rollout, the government will send vaccines to pharmacies as more people become eligible. In an Adelaide press conference on Friday morning, federal opposition health spokesman Mark Butler said the states were willing to help.

The states at the moment have focused on vaccinating their frontline health workers, quarantine workers, the emergency services workers, he said. But obviously, theyve got some large vaccination centres that may be needed to start to accelerate this rollout beyond the current rate. And I encourage the Prime Minister and Greg Hunt to swallow their pride and to start those discussions with states about ways in which the states can assist with this rollout thats so far off track. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said he fully supported the work of the state and territory governments. We have confidence in all of the states and territories. And theyre all managing their programs as they best see fit, and they are working towards making sure that all of those vaccines are used, he said on Wednesday. The government has also tightly controlled communications and vaccination data.

Under a national cabinet agreement, that data was released once a week, containing top-line information about how many doses had been administered overall as well as state and territory totals. Those updates had no detail about the number of doses distributed across the country. Loading That was until News Corp got hold of more figures and reported how many doses had been given to states and how many of those had been administered. The states were furious. Im extremely angry and I know there are other health ministers in the country who share similar views  state and territory health ministers, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said on Wednesday. Professor Leask, who advises federal and state governments on vaccine hesitancy, says the governments need to work on a way forward.

We will continue to see problems if were keeping on this track, she says. Theres too much federal control, not enough information, not enough co-ordination and not enough relinquishment of information. Sharing more data is also a decision that has to come from national cabinet, the Health Department says. Professor Leask says its a tricky option for any government to take. It is hard to be quite open, particularly when theres politics, concern about public confidence, and particularly when theres votes involved, she says. What needs to happen for transparency to occur is for the government to be able to put aside the politics so it can trust the public with information it might not normally feel comfortable sharing. But progress is being made. On Friday afternoon, Australias Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said vaccinations had trebled in the past two weeks, and in coming months the government expected Novavax to be added to the countrys arsenal of COVID-19 vaccines.
Kate Ryder says that when she was first raising money for Maven Clinic, an on-demand digital care clinic for women and families, the friends-and-family round came together "pretty easily." But that was 2014, and Ryder was in London.

By 2016, Ryder and her company were both based in the U.S. She thought the pitch that helped her raise money in London would be persuasive in the U.S., too.: Health care is one of the largest industries in the country. Women control 80 percent of a family's health care spend. Ryder says Millennial women spend 70 percent more on health than Millennial men.

The response: Women are a niche market.

"It was this weird phenomenon," says Ryder, Maven's CEO. "I was just banging my head against the wall." The lead investor for her Series A was a woman, pregnant at the time, who took on the task of explaining, and championing, the opportunity to her partnership. Maven's Series B was led by two women venture capitalists. But in 2020, when Ryder raised her Series C, things were different. "Finally, there is a genuine interest in our category across the board," she says. "It's not just women investors who understand the problem."

In a year that set records for health care-related investments, women entrepreneurs did especially well. A new report from Female Founders Fund, an early-stage venture fund that invests exclusively in women entrepreneurs, sums up the good news: The year 2020 saw big investments into later-stage women-led health care companies, a spate of newly public biotech companies run by women, and promising signs of increased investments into earlier-stage companies.

The big wins are all the more impressive coming in a year in which overall funding to women entrepreneurs dropped by about 27 percent. Anu Duggal, founding partner of Female Founders Fund, calls the overall drop "definitely not surprising," noting that with schools closed and child care unreliable, the burden of managing a family still fell on women--even those running venture-backed companies with hundreds of employees.

"Venture capitalists right now are really excited about the consumerization of digital health," says Duggal. "Digital health is the new direct-to-consumer." And while there's certainly promise in broad-based telehealth companies, there are also specific types of health care that have been underserved by the current system: cancer patients, women's health, addiction, fertility, and mental health among them.

Among the big money going to women-led companies: Cityblock Health, a health-tech platform for marginalized communities, raised $160 million in December 2020, then followed up with another $192 million in March 2021. Home-testing company Everlywell raised $175 million in December. 23andMe raised $83 million in December and is planning to go public via a SPAC run by Virgin Group's Richard Branson. Four biotech companies with women CEOs went public in 2020. Early-stage funding looks good too: Female Founders Fund counts 32 New York City-area women-led companies that raised Series A rounds in 2020, and of those companies, 10 were in health care. Some 54 women raised A rounds in the San Francisco Bay Area, and eight of those are in health care.

Emily Melton, managing partner at investment firm Threshold, suggests that an earlier wave of New York-based health care companies is playing a role in the current boom. In the same way that PayPal and others created groups of strong employees who went on to build successful businesses, people with experience at companies such as Capsule, Oscar, and Flatiron Health are now becoming founders, "and it happened that those companies hired some really great women," says Melton.

Even after the threat of the pandemic has passed, Nancy Brown, general partner with investment firm Oak HC/FT, expects to see interest in telehealth stay high, guessing that maybe 30 percent of appointments will remain virtual. More important, "the learning has been amazing," she says, noting that care delivered virtually in fields such as mental health has shown strong results. "We have forever advanced virtual health care."

The realization that women are an underserved market within health care--and that women are often exactly the ones who can fix that situation--has been surprisingly recent. Women control 80 percent of the health care spending in a household, taking charge of their own care, that of their children, and, in heterosexual couples, that of their partner. That's not news, but it seems to have gained more power recently. "The tailwind, and the thing that is new, is the realization that we shouldn't have one-size-fits-all medicine," says Carolyn Witte, co-founder and CEO of Tia, a women's health care platform. Last May, Tia raised $24 million, which Witte says is the largest A round raised by a woman CEO in 2020. "If you want to make a bet on personalized care, women are the smartest bet to make," says Witte.
(Photo : Pexels/ Lisa Fotios) Android Google play new rules

Google has introduce its latest rule, and it is set to prevent most apps from seeing all the other apps on an Android phone or tablet.

The tech giant has updated its Developer Program Policy to limit the types of apps that can request the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission, which returns the list of installed apps on a device that supports Android 11 or later.

Google's rule on apps

According to the update policy reported by XDA Developers, Google regards the device inventory of installed apps queried from a user's device as personal and sensitive information.

As such, Google will now only grant QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission requests if the app's core user-facing functionality needs to be able to discover any and all of the installed apps.

Also Read: Google Fixes Android Apps Issue: Here's What You Need to Do

This update would include antivirus programs, browsers, file managers, and applications for device search.

The new policy could make it difficult for hackers to spy on your device for illegal purposes or for advertisers to serve you targeted ads.

It remains to be seen whether it will be just as effective as the policy change Google implemented in 2018, which was also meant to deal with apps that abuse permissions.

That policy update placed a restriction on what can access the SMS data and the call logs of an Android user. Google stated in 2020 that it was so effective that it saw a 98% drop in the number of Play Store applications that access those types of information.

Google's policy change will take effect on May 5, 2021.

Apps asking for text and call data

According to Engadget, Google had clamped down on Android apps that abuse permissions, and it had a very tangible effect on the Play Store.

As part of a larger piece explaining how the tech giant continues to fight abusive apps, Google revealed that there was a 98% drop in the number of Play Store apps that access call log and SMS data.

The policy, which was introduced in October 2018 against unnecessary access, showed great effect in the tech giant's 2019 data. The remaining 2% are apps that really do require call and text data in order to perform their tasks.

The internet pioneer also pointed to improved vetting mechanism that stopped around 790,000 policy breaking apps from reaching the Play Store.

Furthermore, a May 2019 policy asked developers to say whether or not the apps they were developing were targeted at minors.

Malware appeared to have been kept at bay too, with Google blocking more than 1.9 billion instances of non-Play Store malware.

In the past, Google is known to be strict when it comes to privacy.

However, Malware remained an issue on Android devices in 2019, including rogue code delivered through compromised Play Store apps. It may also be difficult to stop permissions abuse completely even with Android 10 having more control.

Even so, this suggests that developers are getting better at respecting your privacy and reducing the amount of data that they collect from users.

Related Article: Google Apps Android Server Down: Early Reports of YouTube, Gmail, and MORE Are Unresponsive-How to Fix?

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Written by Sieeka Khan

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Massachusetts is one of 15 states to legalize cannabis for recreational use.

While 67% of U.S. adults support marijuana legalization, public knowledge about cannabis is low. A third of Americans think hemp and marijuana are the same thing, according to the National Institutes of Health, and many people still search Google to find out whether cannabidiol  a cannabis derivative known as CBD  will get them high, as marijuana does.

Hemp, cannabis and CBD are all related, but they differ in significant ways. Heres what you need to know about their legality, effects and potential health benefits.

Both hemp and cannabis belong to the same species, Cannabis sativa, and the two plants look somewhat similar. However, substantial variation can exist within a species. After all, great Danes and chihuahuas are both dogs, but they have obvious differences.

The defining difference between hemp and marijuana is their psychoactive component: tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Hemp has 0.3% or less THC, meaning hemp-derived products dont contain enough THC to create the high traditionally associated with cannabis.

CBD is a compound found in cannabis. There are hundreds of such compounds, which are termed cannabinoids, because they interact with receptors involved in a variety of functions like appetite, anxiety, depression and pain sensation. THC is also a cannabinoid.

Clinical research indicates that CBD is effective at treating epilepsy. Anecdotal evidence suggests it can help with pain and even anxiety  though scientifically the jury is still out on that.

Marijuana, containing both CBD and more THC than hemp, has demonstrated therapeutic benefits for people with epilepsy, nausea, glaucoma and potentially even multiple sclerosis and opioid-dependency disorder.

However, medical research on cannabis is severely restricted by federal law.

The Drug Enforcement Agency categorizes cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance, meaning it handles cannabis as if there is no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Scientists dont know exactly how CBD works, nor how it interacts with other cannabinoids like THC to give marijuana its added therapeutic effects.

Retail CBD

CBD comes in food, tinctures and oils, just to name a few. Here are some commonly used terms used to describe CBD products in the store.

While the terms CBD tincture and CBD oil are often used interchangeably, the two are actually different. Tinctures are made by soaking cannabis in alcohol, while oils are made by suspending CBD in a carrier oil, like olive or coconut oil.

Pure CBD, also called CBD isolate, is called that because all other cannabinoids have been removed. So have terpenes and flavonoids, which give marijuana its strong aroma and earthy flavor.

Broad spectrum CBD typically contains at least three other cannabinoids, as well as some terpenes and flavonoids  but still no THC. Full spectrum CBD, also called whole flower CBD, is similar to broad spectrum but can contain up to 0.3% THC.

In states where recreational marijuana is legal, the list of cannabis-derived products greatly expands to include CBD with much higher THC content than 0.3%.

There is no standardized dosage of CBD. Some retailers may have enough knowledge to make a recommendation for first-timers. There are also online resources  like this dosage calculator.

Consumers concerned about content and the accuracy of CBD products, which are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, can look for certification from independent lab testing or by scanning a QR code on product packaging.

Note that CBD oil is different from hemp oil  which comes from pressing cannabis seeds, and may not contain CBD  and hempseed oil, which is a source of essential fatty acids and contains no CBD. Its a nutritional supplement, more like fish oil than CBD oil.

Legal status

Another big difference among hemp, cannabis and CBD is how the law treats them.

Though 15 states have now legalized recreational cannabis, it remains illegal federally in the United States. Technically, those in possession of cannabis in a legal weed state can still be punished under federal law, and traveling across state borders with cannabis is prohibited.

Hemp, on the other hand, was made legal to grow and sell in the United States in the 2018 Farm Bill.

One would assume, then, that hemp-derived CBD should be federally legal in every state because the THC levels dont surpass 0.3%. But CBD occupies a legal gray area. Several states, such as Nebraska and Idaho, still essentially regulate CBD oil as a Schedule 1 substance akin to marijuana.

Our recent study found that Americans perceive hemp and CBD to be more like over-the-counter medication and THC to be more like a prescription drug. Still, the average person in the U.S. does not view hemp, CBD, THC or even marijuana in the same light as illicit substances like meth and cocaine  even though both are classified by the DEA as having a lower potential for abuse than marijuana.

The current federal prohibition of marijuana, in other words, does not align with the publics view  though state-based legalization shows that society is moving on without the blessing of politicians on Capitol Hill. U.S. recreational marijuana retail sales may reach US$8.7 billion in 2021, up from $6.7 billion in 2016.

As interest in other cannabinoids, like cannabigerol, or CBG  which some are touting as the new CBD  continues to grow, so too grows the need for further medical research into cannabis.
Phuket school douses fears of student gang fight brewing

PHUKET: The principal of a large school in Phuket Town has moved to assure the public that a fight between two junior high school students from different schools had not ballooned out of control into conflict between two student gangs.

violence

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 2 April 2021, 12:32PM

The two junior high school students have apparently resolved their differences, the Plukpanya School principal said. Screenshot: Eakkapop Thongtub

Concerns were raised among local residents after a video of the fight was posted on social media.

Wisa Jaranchawanapet, Principal of Plukpanya Municipal School, located on Satun Rd in Phuket Town, yesterday (April 1) explained that the fight occurred at about 3:30pm on Mar 30, some 150 metres from Plukpanya School.

A junior high school student from Plukpanya had arrived at the scene with friends and was confronted by a student of similar age out of uniform from another school, Ms Wisa said.

The student from another school had also arrived with his own friends, she noted.

The video shows the boy out of uniform punching the boy from Plukpanya repeatedly in the face, Ms Wisa noted.

Satisfied he had accomplished delivering his message, the boy out of uniform and his friends left in the direction of Mae Luan Rd, she added.

The two boys had an ongoing conflict for some time, and had arranged to meet to resolve their differences, Ms Wisa said, noting that it did not end well.

The parents of both boys did not file a complaint to the police. They have already talked and come to an understanding, she added.

The two students have since texted apologies to each other and have signed agreements to no longer continue their conflict, she added.

For the two students, the schools [involved] will continue to monitor their behaviour, Ms Wisa said.
New Delhi, April 2 : The Supreme Court has directed the government to use technology, online payment mode and email communication to develop a consumer-friendly mechanism with regard to motor accident claims.

The top court said this mechanism can be deployed between the police, insurance companies and the tribunals, which deal with such cases.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) J.K. Sud sought time to work out the time period within which the directions of the court can be implemented, and also the necessary infrastructure can be created.

The top court gave its consent to a slew of directions for the adoption of a uniform practice across the country.

According to one of the directions mentioned by the ASG, "The jurisdictional police station shall report the accident under Section 158(6) of the Act (Section 159 post 2019 amendment) to the tribunal and the insurer within first 48 hours either over email or a dedicated website." A bench compromising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and R. Subhash Reddy said: "We must notice at the inception that considerable work has occurred on account of the inter se discussion between the stakeholders, coordinated by Jayant K. Sudwe to appreciate the positive attitude of all the stakeholders to streamline the process." For a detailed accident report, the ASG said the tribunal shall issue summons along with the report or the application for compensation, as the case may be, to the insurer by email.

Sud proposed an online platform accessible to the tribunals, police authorities and insurers across India.

The top court noted that Tamil Nadu and Delhi have already progressed from having email accounts for submission of accident reports by the police to the tribunal and the insurer, to operating an online platform/website for submission of accident report under Section 159.

The top court observed that each state government having an independent online platform for submission of accident reports, claims and responses to claims, will hamper efficient adjudication of the claims.

"Therefore, the Central government shall develop an online platform accessible to the tribunals, police authorities and insurers throughout India," the top court said.

The Supreme Court also said that after the accident, the police should collect and verify the relevant documents for computation of compensation.

"These documents shall form part of the report. It shall email the report to the tribunal and the insurer within three months. Similarly, the claimants may also be permitted to email the application for compensation with supporting documents, under Section 166, to the tribunal and the insurer within the same time," the top court noted.

After passing the award, the insurer should get an authenticated copy by email, which should satisfy the award by depositing the amount into a bank account maintained by the tribunal by the RTGS or NEFT.

The top court will conduct further hearing on the matter on May 4.
A Texas man accused of exchanging thousands of texts with an 11-year-old to lure the child into sex acts is going to prison for life, authorities say.

A watchful babysitter helped uncover the case.

John David Martinez, a 34-year-old Shallowater man, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after he was convicted of enticement of a minor in December, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Authorities described Martinez as a dangerous predator.

His admissions provide alarming insight into the methods he used to entice a young child for his own criminal gratification, Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah said in a news release.

Martinez began texting the child in July 2018, and they exchanged more than 7,700 messages during a one-month period, authorities say.

You wanna have sex with me? Martinez asked in a message, according to authorities, and later texted, This stays between us.

The babysitter alerted the childs parents after spotting text messages on the phone, authorities say.

Authorities say Martinez has previously sexually abused children.

Shallowater is a small city northwest of Lubbock.

Mom killed 6-year-old with cocaine, other drugs for insurance money, Texas police say
VANCOUVER - An inspection of a long-term care home that was the site of British Columbia's deadliest COVID-19 outbreak found staffing levels were low and cleaning was inadequate as the virus spread throughout the facility.

Bernadette Cheung poses for a photograph outside Little Mountain Place, where her grandmother, who passed away, was a resident, in Vancouver, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. An inspection of the long-term care home found staffing levels were low and cleaning was inadequate as the virus spread throughout the facility. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER - An inspection of a long-term care home that was the site of British Columbia's deadliest COVID-19 outbreak found staffing levels were low and cleaning was inadequate as the virus spread throughout the facility.

The Vancouver Coastal Health inspection report obtained by The Canadian Press through a freedom of information request says these two issues were rectified while the outbreak was underway in Little Mountain Place.

Bernadette Cheung, whose grandmother died of COVID-19 at the facility along with 40 other residents, wants more answers, including details on how the staffing shortage and poor infection control potentially worsened the outbreak.

She filed a complaint that prompted the inspection on behalf of several family members who lost loved ones at the Vancouver care home. Cheung said she feels equally in the dark after receiving the report as she did before.

"I feel like the investigation was very much done just to check off a box, as opposed to properly finding out where the failures were and really digging into finding solutions and ensuring that families have some sort of peace that this is taken seriously," she said.

Little Mountain Place referred questions to Vancouver Coastal Health. B.C.'s Health Ministry provided a statement on behalf of the health authority, which said there is an ongoing need to learn from the pandemic response, including in long-term care.

Right now, the ministry said it's focused on addressing issues in care homes, including easing visitation restrictions after most staff and residents have been vaccinated.

"We're learning every day, but there will certainly be a time for public reflection after this is all over."

In a statement in January, the health authority said it worked closely with the care home to bring the outbreak under control, including by screening and testing staff and residents, promptly isolating cases and employing infection prevention and control practices.

The inspection report says a complaint was received on Jan. 6 and a site visit was conducted Jan. 11.

The inspector found when the COVID-19 outbreak was declared on Nov. 22, staffing coverage was sufficient. However, as more employees contracted COVID-19, staffing levels "fell below facility baseline," which temporarily affected daily operations and staff ability to respond to families' questions.

In response, Vancouver Coastal Health redeployed a significant number of staff to exceed the baseline requirements by 20 per cent, the report says, adding that most of the original staff returned to work and one-third of the redeployed health authority staff remained on site as of the inspection date.

The report does not say how many staff members the facility was missing, how long the understaffing persisted and how it affected the home's ability to limit the spread of the virus. B.C. Centre for Disease Control figures show that 72 staff members contracted the virus over the course of the months-long outbreak. None died.

Cheung questioned what the point was of the "vague summary" of understaffing.

"I would imagine that these processes are in place to learn and understand where problems can occur and find maybe where the breakage point is in terms of understaffing," she said.

The report also says that when the outbreak was declared, Vancouver Coastal Health monitored the facility closely for the rate of transmission and any areas of concern.

"Following this audit period, it was identified that the facility household team did not fully comprehend or implement the intended infection control/enhanced cleaning measures appropriately," it says.

On Dec. 13, three weeks after the start of the outbreak, Vancouver Coastal Health deployed a specialized infection control cleaning team to the facility. Education was provided to the staff and regular audits of enhanced cleaning measures continue to be conducted on a regular basis, the report says.

Cheung said she's frustrated that the focus appears to be on the cleaning team not knowing what to do, as opposed to management's responsibility to train them.

She also took issue with the inspector's finding about the care home's communication. The inspector said families were sent letters regularly with updates on the status of the outbreak and weekly Zoom calls were held to answer their questions.

However, Cheung said two weeks passed before the first Zoom call, when families were shocked to hear there were already dozens of positive cases. During the calls, Cheung felt managers were evading questions.

"We felt like we were being kept in the dark," she said.

In its previous statement, Vancouver Coastal Health said it takes all concerns raised by residents and families seriously and any allegations of insufficient care are fully investigated. It also said it shared written communications regularly, in addition to the Zoom calls, and doctors and staff followed up with families directly.

Cheung is still calling for a broader investigation of what went wrong at the care home, where ultimately 99 out of 114 residents tested positive. Cheung also wants to see an oversight board for care homes that exists outside of health authorities.

"I don't feel like anyone has truly taken accountability for what has happened," she said. "I get it. It's a really challenging situation. But at the same time, as family members we would have appreciated forthcoming responses."

B.C.'s seniors advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, is working on a larger review of COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes, which she hopes to publish in July. She said of about 500 sites in B.C., 212 had outbreaks.

Of the sites that had outbreaks, most were contained to staff or a couple of residents. Therefore, her office plans to look at 25 or so of the worst outbreaks, including Little Mountain Place, to understand what went wrong.

The age and size of the buildings, whether residents had shared rooms or shared baths, staffing levels, sick-leave policies, infection control practices and the age and conditions of residents could all be factors, Mackenzie said.

Her office will also undertake a survey of care home staff in B.C. that will hopefully give insight into the training they received, she said.

Mackenzie said she expects the provincial government will face pressure from the public to implement her upcoming recommendations.

"One of the things that's been very heartening has been that the public is very much getting behind the issue of improvements to long-term care," she said.

"They now see what can happen, what does happen and they've said, 'We need to do better. We need to make improvements.' So, I think people will be listening and they will expect their governments to act."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.
ILION, N.Y.  The union that represents former Remington workers and the new facility owners have signed a letter of agreement  making a significant step toward bringing more employees back to work at the Ilion plant.

The new owner, RemArms, and the United Mine Workers of America union have been negotiating terms since the company acquired the plant in the fall of 2020.

According to UMWA, the agreement recognizes the agency as the union representing hourly employees when they return to work, establishes a process for calling more former Remington workers back to the plant and requires negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement to begin within 60 days, which will be in effect when ratified.

This letter of agreement was a long time in the making, said UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts. It is the first step toward reestablishing a normal relationship between the union and the operators of that plant, one that will allow the professional craftspeople who have built firearms in Ilion to return to doing what they do better than anyone.

In September, more than 600 employees were furloughed from the plant.

RemArms plans to bring at least 200 of the former employees back to work at the facility once it is fully reopened. Richmond Italia, principal at RemArms, says 45 hourly workers will return next week. There are currently 20 workers performing maintenance at the Ilion location already.

The company is in the process of moving equipment from its Alabama location to Ilion, so they can get back to production. Italia says they could be back to manufacturing guns in two weeks.
Commentary The Junta Is Dragging Myanmar Into Full-Blown Civil War

An anti-regime protester wields a gas-pressurized air gun during a confrontation with the regime's troops. / The Irrawaddy

The military regimes brutal killings and extreme violence against peaceful anti-regime protests since its coup on Feb. 1 have led Myanmar to the verge of a full-blown civil war and urban combat.

We can only expect more bloodshed, raising the prospect that the country will become a failed statea scenario that would have a direct impact on Myanmars neighbors and their regional bloc, ASEAN, with implications for the entire world. Nothing seems likely to prevent this outcome.

Peaceful protests marked by shouted demands and placards bearing slogans have hardened into outright resistance over the past two weeks. Many young protesters have adjusted their tactics; armed with makeshift weapons, they now see themselves as warriors. They have equipped themselves with slingshots and catapults, air guns made from plastic pipes and bamboo arrows. They are also using makeshift shields, smoke screens and firecrackers to provide cover and hide form regime soldiers and police, who are firing at them with live ammunition.

In late March, more than two dozen police stations and administrative offices in different cities and towns were attacked by incendiary devices and hand grenades. At least eight ward administrative offices came under arson attack, while more than a dozen police stations were attacked with explosive devices and grenades in states and regions across the country. A state-run newspaper said that about 21 members of the security forces were killed or injured during the attacks.

Such resistance is a natural response to the regimes extreme repression of peaceful anti-regime protests across the country. The crackdowns in cities and towns have been so violent they have prompted some ethnic armed groups to join the resistance, attacking police stations and regime outposts near their territories.

The regime led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has turned a peaceful country into a killing field. Since the coup, the regimes soldiers and police have killed more than 540 peaceful protesters in execution style, with fatal shots to their heads and chests. The daily job of the military regime over the past two months has consisted mainly of killing citizens in order to quell the nationwide protests against it. The death toll shows that the regimes soldiers and police have killed about nine people every day over the past two months.

In their killing, the regimes forces have been indiscriminate, even shooting and killing childrenat least 43 of them so far. At least three members of the National League for Democracy led by ousted State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi have been tortured to death in detention. Nearly 3,000 protesters, students and political activists have been arrested over the past two months. Looting and destruction of private property by regime forces is rampant everywhere. It has become commonplace in cities and town for soldiers and police to simply open fire on houses at random.

Beyond outrage

Everyone is, of course, suitably outraged. US President Joe Biden said recently of the bloodshed in Myanmar: Its absolutely outrageous and based on the reporting Ive gotten, an awful lot of people have been killed totally unnecessarily.

But for the people of Myanmar, who are daily losing beloved family members, friends and comrades, the situation is beyond an outrage. Having endured two months of systematic killing and intentional destruction against the entire population, they no longer feel that peaceful protests are enough. Their natural response is to try to fight back against the powerful military.

In the middle of March, after hundreds of regime troops armed with various types of weapons cracked down on protesters in Yangons Hlaing Tharyar Township, killing dozens of protesters and residents, many protesters across the country decided to take up arms. They started using homemade catapults to fire Molotov cocktails, as well as air guns made from plastic pipes, and even bows and arrows.

In response, the regimes troops have started using more powerful and lethal explosives fired from M-79 grenade launchers, among other weapons, to crush the crowds and kill more people. On March 27 alone, the regimes troops killed more than 150 people in cities and towns across the country.

Some remote towns are really at war. The fighting in Kale, Sagaing Region, has been going on since Monday. Regime troops planning to crack down on an anti-regime protest in the town were met on the way by villagers wielding traditional homemade percussion lock firearms. But the villagers crude weapons were no match for the troops machine guns, grenades and rocket launchers, said witnesses. But the fight lasted for hours.

Brothers in arms

Such ruthless killing and repression by the regime has caused some ethnic armed organizations to launch offensives and attacks on military outposts and police stations, having simply decided the killings of civilians is unacceptable.

Several police stations in Kachin State were attacked by the Kachin Independence Army, an ethnic armed group based in northern Myanmar.

For weeks following the coup, the approximately 20 ethnic armed groups that have fought for autonomy for decades10 of which signed ceasefire agreements with previous governments in recent yearsdid nothing in regard to the nationwide anti-regime protests. But more recently, some of them, including the KIA and the Karen National Union (KNU), based in the eastern part of the country, have started announcing that they stand with the people against the military dictatorship.

On March 27, Brigade 5 of the KNUs military wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), seized a hilltop outpost held by the military regime in Karen State. The KNLA killed 10 soldiers including an officer and arrested eight soldiers as prisoners of war.

In retaliation, within a few hours the regime launched airstrikes against the KNLA using two fighter jets in Papun District, Karen State. More than a dozen Karen people were killed and thousands of people fled their villages in the wake of subsequent airstrikes.

In northern Kachin State, the KIA launched offensives against a military outpost in the jade-mining hub of Hpakant and another military outpost in Injangyang Township on March 15, days after the regimes troops killed at least three young protesters in Myitkyina, the state capital. In the following days, the KIA launched more offensives and clashes continued between the KIA and the regimes troops.

The KNU is among 10 ethnic armed groups that signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the previous government, as well as the military itself. But the regimes brutal killings have forced it officially to break the agreement. More clashes between the KIA and the KNU and the military are highly likely in Karen and Kachin states. And police stations and military outposts in the towns and cities in those areas are likely to continue to be targeted in the coming days, weeks and months.

And thats not all.

In late March, the Brotherhood Alliance of three armed groups warned the military that it would collaborate with other ethnic armed organizations and pro-democracy supporters to defend the people from the regimes brutal crackdowns if the violence continued. The Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) issued their condemnation of the regime amid daily increases in the civilian death toll.

These armed groups are active in their territories in western Rakhine State and in northern Shan State. Unlike the KNU, they have not signed the NCA.

All five of the above armed organizations have urged the coup leaders to stop their violent crackdowns, release all civilian leaders and detainees, restore democracy and accept the results of the 2020 general election, which the NLD won in a landslide.

More of the 20 armed organizations are likely to join the fight that erupted in response to the anti-coup movement in the cities if the military regime keeps killing innocent people and terrorizing the entire population. If that is their plan, however, they should act soon, as the military regime pays no heed not only to its own people but also to the international community. Over the past two months, the world has repeatedly made the same demands as those listed above. But the coup leaders have just ignored them, which shows they will not stop killing and violently oppressing their own people.

Universal anti-regime sentiment

Dont forget, dont forgive. This has become a common refrain, not only among protesters but also the entire public, to remind themselves never to forget all that the military regime has inflicted on them. It refers not only to the brutal crackdowns orchestrated by the coup leaders and other high-ranking officials, but also their family members, who are enjoying privileges and unusual wealth at the expense of the people.

Since the coup, many people, including young students, have said, We are more afraid of living under the military dictatorship than being killed now. This sentiment is now shared by the majority of the countrys 54 million people. The world has seen it expressed in Myanmar peoples brave resistance against the cruel regime and its murderous troops. The protesters know there is a chance they will be killed when they take to the streets every day, but they are undeterred; death is preferable to life under the military dictatorship.

Thus, their fight against the military dictatorship will go on, despite the regimes killings. New forms of resistance will be found.

In mid-March, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), comprising mainly elected lawmakers of the NLD, asked people to donate money through crowdfunding to support the resistance. Within days, the CRPH raised US$9.2 million. Many people both inside and outside the country have donated money in the belief that their donations will help the CRPH form a federal army to fight the regimes military.

The majority of Myanmar people, from all walks of life, are determined that this Spring Revolution (a rhetorical name; the anti-regime movement broke out in early summer in Myanmar) is their last chance to save their country from entrenched military dictatorship. Anyone who has closely observed their protests every day over the past two months cannot fail to see that they are deadly seriouseven if they are armed with slingshots.

Nothing seems to deter them from fighting the regimes powerful military; just as nothing seems to deter the coup leaders from killing their own people.

It appears that nobodynot the United Nations, the international community led by the United States, neighboring countries and blocs like ASEAN and China, or other Asian countries like Japan and Koreacan stop the regimes massacres.

This time, the anti-military dictatorship movement sees no room for compromise at all. Civil war and urban conflict, therefore, seem unavoidable. Myanmar has already suffered a more than 70-year-long civil war since independence in 1948, though the fighting has mostly been confined to remote or border areas. But the war this time will be different. Not only will the civil war spread inland from the borders, but urban warfare will erupt from within our cities.

The war is coming!

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Western journalism in the 19th century was a blood sport  often literally. Editors made a habit of launching vicious personal attacks against their enemies, who sometimes responded violently.

In an earlier Portals we told the story of Edward Gilbert, an editor killed in a duel after an inflammatory editorial. Another San Francisco editor, the peculiarly named James King of William, was gunned down on the street by a corrupt supervisor he had been savaging in print. According to a possibly apocryphal story, one editor hung a sign over his door reading, Subscriptions received from 9 to 4; challenges from 12 to 1 only.

But perhaps the most lurid murder involved the editor of The Chronicle and a flamboyant preacher who was about to be elected the citys mayor.

Charles de Young and his two brothers, Michael and Gustavus, had started The Chronicle in 1865. Originally a theater guide called the Daily Dramatic Chronicle, it soon became a popular general-interest paper. The Chronicles growing circulation was driven by its penchant for outspoken editorial positions, salacious stories and sensational personal attacks: Famed journalist and economist Henry George called it a live paper of the most vigorous and unscrupulous kind.

All three brothers were involved in running the paper, but its moving force was Charles, a small, dark man who aspired to be the kingmaker in San Francisco, and didnt care who he offended, smeared or, according to some reports, blackmailed in the process. According to the New York Times, he was proud of the notoriety he had obtained, and proud of the personal danger, as a legitimate element of that notoriety.

De Young carried a revolver but was a notoriously bad shot. This was evidenced when he feuded with a rival editor named Benjamin Napthaly. In 1874, The Chronicle called Napthaly a professional blackmailer, a hanger-on of the lowest gambling-houses and dens of prostitution, and, generally, one of the most degraded specimens of hoodlumism.

For his part, Napthaly dredged up an old story that de Youngs mother had once been a prostitute. The two men shot it out at point-blank range, but succeeded only in wounding a passing boy in the leg.

Two years later, Isaac Kalloch, a charismatic, 240-pound preacher with red hair, pink whiskers and a long history of drinking, gambling and seducing his female parishioners, arrived in San Francisco. The so-called Sorrel Stallion soon became pastor of the Metropolitan Temple, an enormous church on Seventh Street that could hold 5,000 people. In 1879, the ambitious Kalloch was chosen by the new Workingmens Party to run for mayor.

Although The Chronicle had been the only city newspaper to back the populist, anti-Chinese party and its demagogic founder, Denis Kearney, de Young had supported a different candidate, and set out to destroy Kalloch with a barrage of stories about his scandalous past. A typical front-page headline read: Kalloch: The Record of a Misspent Life  Driven Forth From Boston Like an Unclean Leper  His Trial for Adultery  His Escapade With One of the Tremont Temple Choristers.

Trivia time The previous trivia question: What immigrant nobleman is known as the father of California wine? Answer: Baron Agoston Haraszthy This week's trivia question: What are a cable car's track brakes made of and how do they work? Editor's note Every corner in San Francisco has an astonishing story to tell. Gary Kamiya's Portals of the Past tells those lost stories, using a specific location to illuminate San Francisco's extraordinary history - from the days when giant mammoths wandered through what is now North Beach to the Gold Rush delirium, the dot-com madness and beyond. His column appears every other Saturday. Dig deep into Chronicle Vault Like what you're reading? Subscribe to the Chronicle Vault newsletter and get classic archive stories in your inbox twice a week. Read hundreds of historical stories, see thousands of archive photos and sort through 153 years of classic Chronicle front pages at SFChronicle.com/vault. See More Collapse

Failing to heed the biblical injunction to turn the other cheek, Kalloch thundered back from his pulpit that the de Youngs were hyenas of society and hybrid whelps of sin and depravity. When de Young threatened to reveal more sordid details, Kalloch told de Young what he really thought of him and his brothers: The de Youngs are the bastard progeny of a whore, conceived in infamy and nursed in the lap of prostitution.

In August 1879, Charles de Young hired a buggy and drove to Kallochs church. Kalloch was getting into his own carriage when a messenger told him a woman wanted to speak to him. As the preacher approached de Youngs buggy, the editor whipped open the curtains and opened fire.

Even he could not miss at that range. Kalloch was badly wounded in the chest and thigh and fell to the ground. De Young tried to drive away, but a crowd of Workingmens Party members who happened to be there seized the carriage and overturned it. De Young was almost lynched on the spot, but police rescued him and hustled him away to jail.

Kalloch recovered and went on to be elected mayor. De Young posted bail and went to Mexico. He came back five months later, thinking passions had cooled and he would be safe. He was wrong.

Kallochs son, Isaac Milton Kalloch, was a brooding young man who had vowed to take revenge on the man who shot his father. On April 23, 1880, after spending the afternoon drinking in Market Street bars, he walked into The Chronicles offices, then at Kearny and Bush.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

De Young was talking to an employee named Read when Kalloch opened fire with a five-shot revolver. He missed. De Young hid behind Read but Kalloch leaned over Reads shoulder and fired again, the powder singing Reads face. Again he missed.

As de Young ran toward a gate at the rear of the office, Kalloch fired twice more, missing again. De Young crouched down behind the gate, desperately trying to grab his own revolver, but his overcoat got in the way. He had just managed to pull out his gun when Kalloch leaned over the gate and fired his fifth and last bullet at de Youngs face from two feet away. The bullet entered de Youngs mouth, tore through his throat on a downward trajectory and severed his jugular vein. De Young died three minutes later.

At Milton Kallochs murder trial, the defense produced a witness who claimed that de Young had fired first, despite three witnesses who testified that de Young never fired and incontrovertible evidence that his gun had not been fired. It turned out that the witness was a paid hack. He was sentenced to 14 years for perjury.

Late in the trial, Mayor Kalloch was called to the stand. In Murder by the Bay: Historic Homicide In and About the City of San Francisco, Charles F. Adams writes that as Kalloch testified, he kept jiggling two small objects in his hand. Finally the prosecutor asked, Tell us, Mayor Kalloch, what is it you have in your hand?

Kalloch had been waiting for that moment. He sprang from the witness box and proclaimed, These are the two bullets from de Youngs murderous weapon which were extracted from my body. He then strode to the jury box and handed the bullets to the jurors. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty because of extenuating circumstances.

Milton Kalloch left town after the verdict, but returned to San Francisco and became a successful attorney. Mayor Kalloch served two undistinguished years in office, saw the Workingmens Party collapse and died in 1887. Michael de Young ran the Chronicle for the next 45 years.

Gary Kamiya is the author of the bestselling book Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco, awarded the Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. His new book, with drawings by Paul Madonna, is Spirits of San Francisco: Voyages Through the Unknown City. All the material in Portals of the Past is original for The San Francisco Chronicle. To read earlier Portals of the Past, go to sfchronicle.com/portals. For more features from 150 years of The Chronicles archives, go to sfchronicle.com/vault. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com
Home Minister held a meeting with senior police officers of the state to discuss issues related to crime prevention and detection and maintaining law and order.

ACS Home Rajiv Arora, DGP Haryana, Manoj Yadava, DGP Crime Mohd Akil, ADGP Modernisation & Welfare Alok Kumar Roy, ADGP Admin AS Chawla, ADGP Law and Order N.S. Virk, ADGP CAW Kala Ramchandran, IGP Law and Order, Rakesh Arya were present in the meeting which was attended through video-conferencing by All Range ADGPs/IGPs, Commissioners of Police and district SPs.

While taking stock of the prevailing crime situation, the Minister directed the police officers to launch special campaigns for the arrest of proclaimed offenders and bail jumpers and recovery of illegal arms and ammunition across the state so that crime rate could be further reduced.

He also directed to hold "Janta Darbar" everyday between 12 noon and 1 pm in offices of district SPs and also to maintain its record for further reference. He also directed the district SPs to personally visit and inspect the working of one police station in a week. In addition, the grievances marked by Home Minister's Office should be dealt with and investigated by the officer of the level of DSP, other than of the same subdivision, he said.

After reviewing the crime statistics of the districts, the Minister expressed satisfaction over the performance of police and added that there is a need to further improve on all aspects of policing in the coming months. He asked the police officers to work harder to have a deterrent effect on crime and greater public satisfaction. Apart from this he also issued several directions including increasing patrolling, conducting raids and making police presence more visible in the field so that a sense of fear could be instilled among the criminals.

Reviewing the situation of Crime Against Women, the Minister directed to maintain a special vigil on the security of women and take stern action against the people involved in such heinous crime.

While reviewing the administrative issues, Vij underlined the importance of providing vehicles, modern equipment and capacity building of police to deal with emerging challenges. He assured that state government would provide all required infrastructure facilities in police stations.

The Minister specially appreciated the role played by police in nabbing several wanted gangsters and thereby tackling organized crime, busting gangs involved in running a racket of issuing fraudulent GST invoices to numerous firms and curbing immigration fraud (Kabootarbazi) in the state.

While summing up the meeting, Vij directed the DGP that incidents of crime must be kept under control and follow up of the directions given should be periodically carried out. He also specifically mentioned that performance of the officers would be monitored and reviewed from time to time.

Earlier, the DGP Haryana, Manoj Yadava welcomed the Minister and briefed them about the activities and achievements of Police. He apprised the Minister that all the police stations in the state would have the facility of toilets for women in the coming three months.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(@FahadShabbir)

Washington, April 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2021 ) :A US couple was charged Thursday with support for a terror group after trying to board a Yemen-bound ship to join the Islamic State group, the Justice Department said.

James Bradley, 20, of New York and Arwa Muthana, 29, from Alabama were stopped Wednesday as they stepped onto the gangplank of a cargo ship in Newark, New Jersey.

The Justice Department said that Bradley had expressed violent extremist views since at least 2019, and in contacts with an undercover law enforcement agency last year repeatedly said he believed in the Islamic State group.

He also told the undercover agent he was willing to carry out an attack against a US target, including possibly the US Military academy at West Point.

Bradley had already drawn the FBI's attention after a friend of his was arrested in 2019 planning to travel to Afghanistan to join the Taliban, according to a court filing.

Since then, Bradley "has continued to express his desire to carry out violence in support of radical Islamic ideology, directed his support and allegiance to ISIS, and attempted to travel overseas to join and fight for ISIS," the FBI said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

Bradley also shared Islamic State propaganda with the undercover agent, and they discussed his various options for joining extremist groups or launching an attack in the United States.

Ultimately Bradley decided to head to Yemen to link up with the Islamic State with Muthana, a woman he married in January 2021.

"If I don't find them I just keep going to Somalia," he told the agent, referring to the East African country where the violent, Al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab Islamic extremist group menaces the government.

The case demonstrated that jihadist groups still exert a pull on some people in the United States, even after the Islamic State was defeated by US and allied troops in its home base in Iraq and Syria.

"The threat of terrorism at home and abroad remains," said Assistant Attorney General John Demers.

The department "is committed to holding accountable those who would provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations," he said in a statement.

Both Bradley and Muthana face up to 20 years in prison on the charge of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.


The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has welcomed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contest from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 elections and said she would never be labelled as an 'outsider'. This came after a tweet by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra which fuelled speculation that the TMC Chief might be challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi. Addressing an election rally in West Bengal on Thursday, Modi said several rumours are doing the rounds that Mamata Banerjee might contest from another constituency in West Bengal where polling would be held in the last and phase of elections. The TMC Chief is contesting from only one seat - Nandigram against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari where polling was held on Thursday. Quoting TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra's tweet, BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh said, " Mamata Banerjee is welcome in Varanasi. Your leader (Mamata Banerjee) and party will be countered with established democratic practices. You will never be termed as an "outsider". None of your workers will be killed and hanged like you did in Bengal to more than 140 of the BJP workers." Responding to Modi's jibe at Mamata Banerjee, Mahua Moitra had tweeted, "Contesting from second seat? PM Modi jabs Mamata Banerjee. Yes Prime Minister, she will. And it will be Varanasi! So go, get your armour on." The TMC official account tweeted, "Didi (Mamata Banerjee) is winning Nandigram. The question of her fighting from another seat doesn't arise. Narendra Modi ji, retract from your efforts to mislead people before they see your lies with the end of nomination in West Bengal. Look for a safer seat in 2024, as you will be challenged in Varanasi." West Bengal BJP co-incharge, Amit Malviya, challenged the TMC to announce that Mamata Banerjee would not contest from another Assembly constituency in West Bengal. "If the TMC is so confident of Mamata Banerjee winning Nandigram, let them announce that she won't contest from another seat in the later phases. The truth of the matter is that a nervous Pishi (Mamata Didi) held up polling at some booths, created ruckus simply to build an excuse for her defeat," Malviya tweeted.




When the violations are clearly visible, how counsels for the government choose to defend errant officers, asked Chief Justice Hima Kohli.  By arrangement

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday sharply criticised the attitude of counsels representing Telangana state in defending officers who were found guilty in contempt cases and had been punished for their disobedience of court orders.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy questioned additional advocate general J. Ramachandra Rao as to how he certified the conduct of an officer as very good, even when he (the officer) had not implemented court orders for several months.

The bench was dealing with a contempt appeal filed by Syyed Yasin Qureshi, excise deputy commissioner, urging it to set aside the punishment imposed on him by the single judge bench of the Telangana High Court, in a contempt case for willful disobedience of court orders.

The single judge had ordered the deputy commissioner to release a seized vehicle that was carrying jaggery. As the packs in the vehicle were perishable and there was no ban on transportation of jaggery, the judge had directed authorities to release the vehicle on condition that the official take an undertaking from the vehicle owner.

Even three months after the direction was issued by the court, the officer did not release the vehicle. Rather, he put forward more conditions to the petitioner to release the vehicle. After the contempt case was filed, the officer released the vehicle, but without taking a proper undertaking.

When a fine of Rs 1,000 was imposed on the official for contempt of court, the officer filed an appeal to set this aside.

On Thursday, the additional advocate general argued that the officer was honest and he was law-abiding. Then, the bench asked him, When the violations are clearly visible, how counsels for the government choose to defend errant officers?
Autistic adults can be wrongly perceived as deceptive and lacking credibility, Flinders University researchers say, with this working against many caught in the legal system.

Ahead of World Autism Awareness Day (2 April 2021), a new paper in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders asked 1,410 civilians to respond to video recordings with 30 adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 29 non-ASD individuals to examine whether stereotypical behaviors associated with autism influenced people's perceptions of the individual.

Common behaviors include gaze aversion, repetitive body movements, literal interpretations of figurative language and poor reciprocity.

Co-author Flinders Professor Robyn Young, author of Crime and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Myths and Mechanisms (2015) with Emeritus Professor Neil Brewer, says "it's unfortunate that many of the behaviors that are believed to be portrayed by people who are being deceptive, often erroneously, are also commonly seen among people on the autism spectrum".

These behaviors can therefore disadvantage a person who has autism when they interact with the criminal judicial system, the Flinders University professors argue.

Professor Young regularly consults with the legal system to educate judges and juries about ASD so that an autistic person's presentation will not be misinterpreted by people who do not understand their condition. "We have now extracted recent statistics suggesting that sentences of autistic people are on average higher than their non-autistic peers who have committed similar offences," she says.

If you ask most people how they determine if someone is not telling the truth, they will often refer to lack of eye contact or fidgety behavior. Even though our study actually showed that none of these behaviors individually were directly linked to a person being considered as less credible and more deceptive, overall autistic people are considered less reliable than their non-ASD peers." Dr Alliyza Lim, Lead Author

Autistic individuals may be erroneously perceived as deceptive and lacking credibility (2021) by A Lim, RL Young and N Brewer has been published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Springer Nature) DOI 10.1007/s10803-021-04963-4.

Autism, or ASD, refers to a broad range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and non-verbal communication. Autism affects an estimated 1 in 160 children and the WHO is calling for more intervention services and broader actions for making physical, social and attitudinal environments more accessible, inclusive and supportive for people with ASD.

An Autism Awareness Australia report (2020) revealed 60.5% of adults with ASD surveyed had communication issues and 48% behaviour issues which led them to seek help.
April 2, 2021

Two new communities - the city of Madison Heights and Orion Charter Township - recently have been designated with the Tree City USA honor for promoting and caring for trees within the community.



They are among 124 Michigan communities, nine campuses, one healthcare institution and one utility recognized with a Tree City, Tree Campus, Tree Campus Healthcare or Tree Line USA designation for 2020.

"Michigan ranks eighth nationally in the number of communities with Tree City designations," said Kevin Sayers, urban and community forestry specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "Trees are a very important part of the landscape in our cities, towns and villages. They add beauty to college campus and hospital settings, making them more inviting, while also helping to cool sidewalks and clean the air. Properly maintained trees in the spaces around power lines helps improve safety and service, too."

The certifications are for work accomplished during 2020, and all recipients will receive their awards in April.

The Tree City USA programs promote proper care and management of community trees and calls attention to the multiple benefits they provide.

"Tree City USA is about recognizing cities and towns that celebrate and care for their community trees and forests. It's also about improving the quality of life for people who live in a Tree City community," Sayers said.

The program's four standards were created so that communities of any size can achieve success. The standards that must be met each year are: a city department or tree board, a public tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita and a proclamation about and celebration of Arbor Day, which takes place April 30 this year.

One Michigan utility (ITC Michigan) was recertified through the Tree Line USA program and nine campuses through the Tree Campus Higher Education program. The newest campus certified is North Central Michigan College in Petoskey. Spectrum Healthcare-Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids recertified for the second year as a nationally recognized Tree Campus Healthcare facility.

"Michigan is still looking forward to seeing its first K-12 school become certified through the newest program, Tree Campus K-12," Sayers said.

Each of these programs requires organizations to commit to proper management of trees, offer tree care education programs and sponsor tree planting events. To find out more about the Arbor Day Foundation's various Tree USA programs, visit ArborDay.org/Programs.

For questions on the DNR's Urban and Community Forestry program, contact Kevin Sayers at 517-582-3209 or SayersK@Michigan.gov or visit Michigan.gov/UCF.
Luanda  The Angolan President, Joao Lourenco and the ambassador of the United State of America, Nina Maria Fite, analyzed this Thursday, in Luanda, the efforts made by the Angolan government to fight corruption and money laundering.

The diplomat said to the press in the end of the roughly one hour and a half meeting that the audience focused on the bilateral co-operation, with emphasis on the measures that the Angolan government has been taking against money laundering and the fight against corruption.

Nina Fite reaffirmed the commitment of the US Treasury Department to the training of Angolan staff from different ministerial departments, in order to face the challenges in the fight against corruption.

The US Administration, led by President Joe Biden, stressed the diplomat, looks to Angola with great interest, in the context of the reinforcement of the cooperation.

Angola and the United States of America established diplomatic relations in 1993.

The energy sector is at the centre of the economic relations between both nations. The American Ex-ImBank has a credit line to support exports from the USA to Angola.

The United States-Angola Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to promoting trade and investment between the two countries.

The diplomat said to the press in the end of the roughly one hour and a half meeting that the audience focused on the bilateral co-operation, with emphasis on the measures that the Angolan government has been taking against money laundering and the fight against corruption.

Nina Fite reaffirmed the commitment of the US Treasury Department to the training of Angolan staff from different ministerial departments, in order to face the challenges in the fight against corruption.

The US Administration, led by President Joe Biden, stressed the diplomat, looks to Angola with great interest, in the context of the reinforcement of the cooperation.

Angola and the United States of America established diplomatic relations in 1993.

The energy sector is at the centre of the economic relations between both nations. The American Ex-ImBank has a credit line to support exports from the USA to Angola.

The United States-Angola Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to promoting trade and investment between the two countries.
A US$20-billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project led by Frances Total in Mozambique is beyond the reach of Islamic state-aligned insurgents who started last week a coordinated attack near the area of the project, a spokesman for the Mozambique army said on Thursday.

It is protected... at no time was its integrity at stake, Mozambique army spokesman Chongo Vidigal told Radio Mozambique, as carried by Reuters.

The Total-led Mozambique LNG Project, for which the US$20-billion Final Investment Decision (FDI) was taken in 2019, is on track to deliver LNG in 2024, Total says.

The project site is close to the town of Palma in the Cabo Delgado province, where Islamic State-affiliated militants have been active for a few years now.

Total signed a pact in August last year with the government of Mozambique to bolster security for its LNG project.

Last week, Total said the Mozambique LNG Project would progressively resume construction activities at the site, following the implementation of additional site security measures.

The Government of Mozambique has declared the area within a 25 km perimeter surrounding the Mozambique LNG Project as a special security area, Total said on March 24.

That statement came hours before militants raided the town of Palma, which has left dozens of people killed since March 24.

Following the renewed attacks, Total said on Saturday that it had postponed the restart of the construction activities at the LNG project site. None of the staff of the project were among the victims, Total said on March 27.

This is not the first time that the militants have attacked towns close to the project site.

At the beginning of 2021, following another attack in December 2020, Mozambiques President Filipe Nyusi held talks with his counterpart in neighboring Tanzania to prepare a wider regional response to violence from Islamic State-aligned insurgents that threaten the progress of major LNG projects in Mozambique. In January 2021, Total said it had temporarily reduced its workforce on site in response to the prevailing environment, referring to the attacks from the terrorists.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna believes that Ukraine should be granted EU candidate country status.

"Currently, we are just starting a substantive dialogue with the European Commission. My vision is that Ukraine should be granted the EU candidate country status, as well as other countries that are already negotiating accession or have not yet started talks but have clear membership prospects. For example, these are North Macedonia, Serbia, those countries that only intend to become the EU members," Stefanishyna said in an interview with Glavcom media outlet.

The Vice Prime Minister noted that Ukraine had held successful negotiations and agreed to start the assessment of achievement of the Association Agreement objectives and the renewal of the Agreement in the next two or three years.

According to her, this will concern the bilateral agreement but will have an impact on the entire Eastern Partnership region because "our ambitions set the agenda for the entire region."

As Stefanishyna stressed, the Ukrainian authorities have worked systematically to ensure that Ukraine is perceived not only as a separate country undergoing certain stages of transformation but as a country that provides the agenda for the entire region, beyond the EU and NATO.

As reported, Ukraine and the EU agreed to renew the Association Agreement at the summit in Brussels in October 2020.

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Migratory Birds Bring Opportunity, Environmental Concerns to Washington State

SKAGIT VALLEY, Wash.In Washington state, one of the greatest natural wonders is the annual return and departure of migratory birds.

However, the birds yearly departure in spring not only brings bird watchers (also known as birders) but also creates issues for local farmers and the natural environment.

Skagit Valley, in northwestern Washington, sits a little over an hour north of Seattle. Each spring, huge flocks comprised of tens of thousands of migratory birds depart against the backdrop of snowy mountains and hundreds of acres of blooming farmland.

Geese, swans, and other waterfowl travel 3,000 miles from this scenic valley to Wrangel Island, the most northeastern island in Russia.

Many visitors from near and far come to see the birds in their natural habitat. Locals have found ways to profit from that.

Andrew Miller is the founder and CEO of Spinach Bus Ventures. With an MBA and background in law, Miller is confident these migratory birds can have a positive economic impact.

Bird watching is the fastest growing nature-based activity in the United States. So theres economic opportunity in that, and bringing people in, Miller told The Epoch Times.

Andrew Miller at Tulip Town on March 16, 2021. (Echo Liu/The Epoch Times)

Crop Destruction

However, as a partner and farmer of Tulip Town, Miller also expressed concern. At Tulip Town, he grows 30 acres of tulips along with other crops.

He said that if 20,000 birds land on farmland and feed on the crops, thats [a] considerable economic loss for that farmer.

Thats exactly what happened to Miller. However, hes able to laugh about it and see a positive outcome, saying it saved him the labor for a harvest.

But not all farmers share Millers outlook.

As a result, many farmers dont grow winter crops because of the destruction from the migratory birds appetites. Some farmers take other measures, such as putting eagle decoys in their fields to scare away the birds.

Dairy farms have the greatest concern, as large amounts of bird droppings can cause hygiene problems for the cows.

Miller and his business partners are all native Skagitonians who share a deep love for their home. They have been working to figure out a win-win solution for the local farmers and businesses that rely on visitors.

We ought to be able to compensate the farmers for any crop loss thats due to the birds, he said.

Jed Holmes, supervisor, Skagit Conservation District. (Photo courtesy of Jed Holmes)

Fragile Habitat

Farmers arent the only ones who have concerns about the bird population.

Jed Holmes, the supervisor of the Skagit Conservation District, works with landowners and farmers, helping them to preserve resources and farms sustainably. Hes also noticed issues with the birds.

When the numbers get above a certain level, its no longer sustainable, he told The Epoch Times.

He said natural habitat or farmland is fragile, and the ecosystem can be severely disturbed by the birds feeding and nesting habits. With any kind of disruption, the land may not return to its original state for roughly 15 years, Holmes said.

I am concerned that at some point, there will be habitat degradation, and so [we] just have to keep an eye on that, he said.

The estimated number of birds could be over 150,000 within 50 miles around Skagit Valley, Holmes said. So far, there has only been minor damage to the farmers fields.

We havent seen the numbers get so high that were seeing habitat being degraded, he said.

One solution the locals adopted to control the bird population was to invite licensed hunters from across North America to the area.

Swans and ducks in Skagit Valley, Wash. (Echo Liu/The Epoch Times)

Natural Beauty

Holmes hopes to find a balanced outcome for locals, the land, and birds alike. He works with a group of people to embrace economic opportunity, protect the land as well as the farmers, and educate visitors. He is also the co-founder of Birds of Winter.

Stephanie Fernandez, a tour operator in Skagit Valley and the founder of Skagit Guided Adventures, is also a member of that group. She spends much of her time outside, encouraging others to recognize and enjoy the areas natural beauty.

Nature rewires the spirit, so I love seeing people out in nature, she told The Epoch Times.

Stephanie Fernandez, tour operator of Skagit Guided Adventures, on March 13, 2021. (Echo Liu/The Epoch Times)

Fernandez is also a bird enthusiast. Even after seeing the flocks come and go year after year, her eyes still go wide and light up when she catches a glimpse of them taking off in huge numbers.

They speak Russian, she said wryly while the birds honked around her.

Fernandez says that while people enjoy the beauty of nature, they also are obligated to protect the wildlife.

Migratory birds have a very short period of time to feed and gain enough reserves for their enormous migrations north, Fernandez said.

It makes me sad to watch people be disrespectful of the birds by getting too close to them and scaring them away, she said. It is also frustrating to watch people walk out on the farm fields, which are private property and very important areas for the birds, especially the geese and the swans.

The issue of access also bothers farmers, such as Miller.

Fernandez, who says educational campaigns could help improve the situation, has been educating people about nature during her 30-plus years of eco-tour guiding.

One of the things I like to teach during my birding tours is how to be a responsible birder, she said.

Snow geese with Mt. Baker in the background. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Fernandez, Skagit Guided Adventures)

Fernandez listed some basic guidelines on how to respect the birds.

Keep your distance. Also, you need to respect their habitat theyre in, because habitats can be very fragile, or habitat can be a private land like these farmlands, their private property. Its not a park, she said.

At times, she goes out of her way to stop birders from walking on natural habitat or private property. Some birders have said they didnt see any signs that indicated private property or natural habitat.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for keeping signs up in the area.

Fenner Yarborough, DFWs wildlife regional program manager, told The Epoch Times that signs in the majority of their fields show where the public versus private property boundaries are. Yarborough also said the Department owns multiple properties where wildlife viewers can explore and walk.

The Skagit Valley will likely continue to see flocks arriving and departing for many years to come. Holmes says that if we take a step further to do a little more, our children also are likely to enjoy that natural beauty.
NEW DELHI: Actress Sameera Reddy is known to be quite vocal about subjects like body image, motherhood and women empowerment on social media, and she often expresses her views on it. On Thursday (April 1), the 42-year-old took to Instagram and shared a video that defined how her 'real' side was so different from her 'reel' side.

The video shared by Sameera Reddy comprised her throwback pictures from her acting and modelling days and now. In the old pictures, Sameera looked extremely glamorous sporting a heavy make-up look and picture-perfect hair. However, her new pictures show her donning a natural look, flashing a beautiful smile along with her natural grey hair and acne-prone skin. In one of the pictures, she is seen featuring with her children - Hans and Nyra.

"From Padded bras, coloured contact lenses, airbrushed, enhanced perfect pictures To todays pure freedom to be myself. No judgement . No pressure . Just me," the actress wrote in the caption.

Sameera's fans were quite elated to see the inspirational post from the actress. Notably, her mother-in-law Manjri Varde too reacted to her post and wrote, "The then of the then is superlative but the now of the now has two cherries on the cake. So maybe I'm loving the cherries."

Sameera Reddy and Manjri Varde share a close bond. In fact, her mother-in-law frequently features in her Instagram posts. Take a look at few of them below:





The actress made her debut in Bollywood with 'Maine Dil Tujhko Diya' opposite Sohail Khan in 2002. She then went to appear in films like 'Darna Mana Hai', 'Musafir', 'Taxi No 9211', 'De Dana Dan', 'Race' and 'Tezz'.

Sameera Reddy married Akshai Varde in 2014 and the two are parents to Sans and Nyra.


A man who needs treatment at the Central Mental Hospital while he awaits trial for an alleged murder will remain in prison until a bed becomes available, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

Lawyers for the 26-year-old, who can't be named by order of the High Court, had argued that his detention in prison was unlawful given that consultant psychiatrist Dr Conor O'Neill has said that the only appropriate place to treat him is at the Central Mental Hospital (CMH). Due to a shortage of beds he is being held in Cloverhill Prison, the court heard.

Ms Justice Niamh Hyland at the High Court had previously rejected an application for release and President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham on Thursday affirmed her decision on behalf of the three-judge appeal court.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the man's lawyers had sought their client's release under Article 40 of the Constitution, but it was clear that, "the desired outcome would be transfer to the Central Mental Hospital." He described the application as a "resources case" requiring a consideration of whether his detention is made unlawful by the failure to provide adequate medical treatment.

The judge said that release would require an "egregious breach of his fundamental rights" and that this case "could not conceivably result in the conclusion that his detention is unlawful."

He pointed out that while the CMH is the appropriate place for the man to be treated, his immediate needs are being met at Cloverhill. He is under the care of a psychiatrist from the CMH and psychiatric nurses. He is also being offered the same medication he would be given if he were at the CMH. Mr Justice Birmingham added that the evidence provided "goes nowhere near what is required to make an order under Article 40." He pointed out that the man's condition would be worsened if released and he would find it more difficult to get a bed in the CMH.

He added that the depiction of the man as "languishing in prison" is not justified as "everything that can be done is being done." He also pointed out that the State is preparing to open a new facility at Portrane in north Dublin which will provide more beds for people in the applicant's position.

Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said they agree with the president.
(@fidahassanain)

The Lollywood star says she has never met her fiance Azeem Khan as they were in contact with each other on phone, adding that she has the bitter realities.

LAHORE: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-April 2nd, 2021) Saba Qamar is trending top after she called off her plan to tie knot with with Azeem Khan.

Taking to Instagram, the actress has made this important announcement.

Azeem Khan is a blogger and entrepreneur but a woman accused him of sexual harassment a days after he announced his engagement with Saba.

The actress wrote: Hi everyone! I have a very important announcement to make, due to a lot of personal reasons I have decided to call it off with Azeem Khan. WE ARE NOT GETTING MARRIED NOW. Hope you guys will support my decision just like you all have been supporting me always, and I guess it's never too late to realise the bitter realities.

I also wanted to clear ONE IMPORTANT thing that is: I have never met Azeem Khan in my life we were only connected over the phone. It's a very hard time for me right now but as we all know 'this too shall pass' Insha Allah. Much love to you all (sic),.

Azeem Khan has also responded to the actresss announcement.

He says:  "Saba you have the most amazing soul and you deserve all the happiness in the universe. May God bless you with all the success and love. Difficult roads often led to beautiful destinations. And yes, I would like to take full responsibility of this breakdown,.
Dancing and singing are an inherently high-risk activity during the COVID pandemic, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said this week, meaning prom might be out of the question.

State education officials didnt ban proms this year, however, they strongly recommends that schools not host them.

After consultation with our medical advisors, DESE strongly recommends that schools do not have proms and instead substitute alternative celebrations for seniors, guidance from the state education department reads.

Still, multiple schools previously confirmed to MassLive that they have plans to host a prom at an outdoor venue this spring.

If schools do choose to hold proms, it is strongly recommended that they delay the prom until after the end of the school year, ideally delaying until such time when most students attending prom will have been vaccinated, according to the guidance.

Some students havent returned to classrooms in more than a year, and losing prom last year was devastating to some students.

Holyoke is a city of really proud tradition. Most homes in Holyoke have one to three generations of Holyoke High graduates, Holyoke High School principal Stephen Mahoney told MassLive last year. [Prom is] a big, big deal. And it should be. Its a huge rite of passage for for young people.

Some schools held out hope last year that delaying proms would allow them to still host them at some point. But when Gov. Charlie Baker released Phase 3 regulations during the summer, many of these hopes were dashed.

The guidelines last year didnt specifically mention prom but other guidelines prohibited much of what prom was about.

The requirements for social distancing and the states limits on gatherings would make it hard to hold a prom right now, DESE said in a statement to MassLive in 2020.

Indoor gatherings were limited to eight people per thousand square feet, but should not include more than 25 people in a single enclosed indoor space.

Even hosting the prom outdoors, like many were planning, would have been difficult.

It wouldve meant one last opportunity to have a good time with friends and classmates, former Smith Academy student Karlie Guimond previously told MassLive. It was not how I pictured my time ending there, but they made it as special as it possibly could be.

Now as the state begins reopening, some schools were hoping to be back to a slightly normal event.

On Thursday, DESE reported 910 new cases of the virus, split between 682 students and 228 staff members.

Additionally next week 90% of districts will have their elementary schools back fully in-person, DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said previously. Middle and high schools are also expected to soon begin returning in-person, if they havent done so already.

Related Content:
Goa: 800+ fish samples checked, no formalin found: Mantri

April 02,2021 | Source: The Times of India

As of March 12, a total of 842 samples of fish have been analysed by the FDAs food safety officers in random checks in the state and so far, no adverse findings have been reported, said fisheries minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues while responding to a question tabled by Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate at the assembly session. He further said the government has appointed a third party agency, the Quality Council of India (QCI) to carry out checks at the two border checkposts  Patradevi and Pollem  to check the quality of fish with respect to added formaldehyde. The QCI also tests fish in transport vehicles from Goa as well as those from outside the state that enter the wholesale fish market at Margao. Till date (March 12, 2021), 42,522 vehicles have been checked at these points and no adverse findings have been reported, the fisheries minister said. Further, the FDA, through its food safety officers, is carrying out random sampling of fish sold in the markets that are then sent to private NABL FSSAI-approved laboratories for detection of formalin, the fisheries minister added. TOI had reported in July 2018 that the state government had banned the transportation of fish from neighbouring states to Goa in view of the formalin scare after traces of the chemical were found to be used to maintain freshness and extend shelf life of the fish.

 2021 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart for the first time since taking office more than two months ago amid worrying reports of a Russian military buildup on the border with eastern Ukraine.

Biden sought to reassure President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the April 2 call of unwavering U.S. support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression, according to a White House statement.

The U.S. president also called on Zelenskiy to continue to combat the endemic corruption that has crippled the nations development.

The call between the two leaders comes as the United States accuses Russia of seeking to intimidate Ukraine with a large buildup of troops at their shared border.

Russia said earlier on April 2 that its armed forces would hold military exercises close to Ukraine's border to practice defense against attack drones.

More than 50 Russian battalion combat teams comprising 15,000 people were expected to take part in the exercises and practice "interaction with electronic warfare and air defense units," the nations Defense Ministry said.

The Russian exercises follow a spike in violence in Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine where government forces have been engaged in a simmering conflict with Kremlin-backed separatists. The seven-year war has claimed more than 13,000 lives.

Kyiv in July reached a cease-fire agreement with the separatists but said recently that they have been systemically violating the deal.

A mission under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has reported hundreds of cease-fire violations in the two provinces in recent days.

The spike in violence prompted U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call their Ukrainian counterparts to express support.

Russia warned Ukraines Western allies against sending troops to Ukraine to buttress its ally.

"Ukraine appreciates US support on different levels.... The American partnership is crucial for Ukrainians," Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter following his call with Biden.

Zelenskiy has taken bold steps in recent months to curtail Russian influence in the country and combat corruption, winning cautious praise from the United States.

The Ukrainian president in February sanctioned lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk, a powerful tycoon and friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, after the National Security and Defense Council said it suspects him of financially supporting the separatists.

The sanctions freeze Medvedchuks assets.

Weeks earlier, Zelenskiy had sanctioned three television stations that critics say spread Russian disinformation inside the country. The sanctions knocked the stations off the air.

Russia reacted negatively to the moves against Medvedchuk and the stations.

Last week, Zelenskiy dismissed two judges from the Constitutional Court who had been appointed by Kremlin-friendly former President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in 2014 following the Euromaidan protests. The judges had been accused of blocking key anti-corruption reforms that are critical for continued Western financial support to Kyiv.

Biden emphasized his administrations commitment to revitalize the U.S. relationship with Ukraine following a turbulent period under former President Donald Trump.

He said the U.S. backs Zelenskiys plan to tackle corruption and implement a reform agenda based on our shared democratic values that delivers justice, security, and prosperity to the people of Ukraine, according to the White House statement.

With reporting by AFP and AP
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Today, the Russian Federation has launched yet another conscription campaign in the illegally-annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to draft residents of the peninsula in the Russian Federation Armed Forces.

This is another violation of international humanitarian law. The Russian Federation is bound by international law, and obliged to ensure the protection of human rights on the peninsula.
A Texas middle school educator has been detained for allegedly having an improper relationship with a student.

Mercedes Genevieve Coloso, 32, was detained Monday on arrest warrants for indecency with a child, sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between educator and student.

The arrest came after the Coppell Police Department was tipped off on March 27 about the relationship between a teacher and a juvenile student, police shared in a statement.

Mercedes Genevieve Coloso, 32, was detained Monday was having an improper relationship with a student. Coloso - who worked at Coppell Middle School North in Coppell, Texas - was taken into custody without incident at around 7am

Coloso - who worked at Coppell Middle School North - was taken into custody without incident at around 7am. The investigation continues.

The investigation is ongoing.

State records show that Coloso is certified as an educational aide, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Coppell ISD said that Coloso was fired and no longer allowed at any facility in the school district.

'Coppell ISD holds its employees to the highest standards and is deeply saddened and outraged about this situation,' the district added in a statement.
Kumbh Mela is one of the biggest Hindu festivals which is celebrated every four years. It's a pilgrimage that devotees take in the hope of washing away their past sins. The Mela has the largest gathering as lakhs of devotees come from all over the country, however this year covid has casted its shadow over the fair limiting it for a period of 30 days starting 1st april21.

News18 UttarPradesh / Uttarakhand as a responsible news channel of state has announced its special programming for Kumbh 2021, thus helping viewers to get regular updates from the fair, screening of special days aartis and also apprising people of protocols that needs to be followed during their visit to fair.

Continuing the legacy of differentiated and engaging content, special shows have been designed on the days of Shahi Snans highlighting the importance of date and various rituals that are followed on this day.

Daily fast news segment Mahakumbh Top 10 has been launched which will give top 10 updates from the fair in a crisp format.

Daily kumbh special capsules shall detail out whats happening in the fair along with showcasing stories from various Akhadas.

This line up will ensure that viewers stay up-to-date with latest news and happenings of Kumbh 2021 and are well educated about the procedures and precautions while visiting Mahakumbh 2021
On Tuesday, the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former cop from Minneapolis who has been charged with murdering George Floyd, entered its second day. Three teenagers and a nine-year-old witness testified about the toll that seeing Floyd die took on them. Wednesday brought more emotional testimony. On Thursday, it was the turn of Courteney Ross, Floyds girlfriend, who recalled how she met Floyd and described him as a mamas boy, dabbing her face with a tissue. Throughout the first week of the trial, prosecutors have played devastating footage of Floyds arrest and death; at one point, a witness named Charles McMillian sobbed on the stand. Millions of people have seen the same footage on TV, since the court agreed to let cameras in. As Amudalat Ajasa wrote for The Guardian this morning, watching has acutely re-traumatized many Minnesotans and Black people across the country, in particular. CNN has displayed numbers that viewers can call for support, with the advice: Its always important to speak to someone and not feel that youre facing this alone.

Journalists are among those who are struggling. Yesterday, Yamiche Alcindor, of PBS, tweeted, I cant watch this video anymore. And its not just the Chauvin trial. We are livingand, in the case of journalists, workingthrough a news cycle that is traumatizing almost anywhere you turn. Its only been two and a half weeks since a white gunman killed eight people, six of them Asian women, at spas in the Atlanta area. (More than anything, my heart hurtmy role as a reporter asideas a person from the same immigrant society, Sang Yeon Lee, the president of Atlanta K, a Korean-language outlet, told my colleague Shinhee Kang.) Last week, a gunman killed ten people at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. This week, a gunman killed four people, including a nine-year-old, at an office complex in Orange County, California. Were all still living in the grip of the pandemicvaccination is accelerating in many places, but confirmed infections are climbing again, too. On Monday, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, went off script at a press briefing and talked about her sense of impending doom: America has so much reason for hope, she said, but right now Im scared. Her warning was covered widely.

ICYMI: An insider-trading indictment shows ties to Bloomberg News scoops

In addition to the bleakness of the news, many journalistsand women and reporters of color, in particularare under direct attack. Trump may be gone from the White House, but the anti-press hostility he stoked lives on, and online abuse seems only to have gotten worse in recent months. In February, Seung Min Kim, a politics reporter at the Washington Post, was attacked online in retaliation for her reporting on the (ultimately doomed) nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Last month, Taylor Lorenz, a tech reporter at the New York Times, spoke out, on International Womens Day, about a harassment and smear campaign that has destroyed the past year of her life; in response, Tucker Carlson attacked Lorenz on his Fox News show, accusing her of pretending to be oppressed. Soon after, the pro-Trump One America News Network aired the email and phone number of Rachel Abrams, a Times reporter working on a story about OAN, and urged viewers to contact her in the name of fighting intimidation by the left.

In response to these attacks, editors put out statements defending Kim, Lorenz, and Abrams; the Times accused Carlson of using a calculated and cruel tactic, which he regularly deploys to unleash a wave of harassment and vitriol at his intended target. Many reporters, however, feel that newsroom managers do not have their backs. Last week, an unnamed Times reporter told Vanity Fairs Charlotte Klein that often, editors tell reporters to simply ignore trolls, which demonstrates a failure to understand the emotional toll of online abuse. Where I used to be afraid to open my email and see a torrent of things, the reporter said, now Im afraid to open Twitter. Kleins story quoted Steven Ginsberg, the editor at the Post who defended Kim. After it was published, Felicia Sonmez, another Post reporter, tweeted that Ginsberg and his colleagues had not come to her aid her last yearwhen Kobe Bryant died, and she drew attention to a rape allegation against him, then was mobbed with abuse and death threats. Instead of receiving support, Sonmez was suspended; she said that Post editors barred her from covering sexual assault because she had spoken publicly about her own experience with it. This week, the paper lifted the prohibition. This is good news, Sonmez tweeted, but its unfortunate that it had to come at such a high emotional toll, and after my distress was dismissed for years. On the same day the Vanity Fair story came out, Hemal Jhaveri announced in a Medium post that she had just been fired as a race and inclusion editor at USA Today after she erroneously identified the Boulder shooter as white, and was targeted by right-wing trolls. Jhaveri wrote that she has been harassed online many times before and that her bosses never offered public, institutional support.

The brutality of the news cycle, abuse, and the general bad state of the media industry are putting journalists under intense strain. As a result, many talented people, and especially those from oppressed groups, have been prevented from doing their best workor have decided to quit their jobs altogether. This week, Stacy-Marie Ishmael and Millie Tran, the editorial director and chief product officer, respectively, of the Texas Tribune, announced that they would leave their posts fourteen months after starting, because they had become burned out. Both cited the news cycle. It has been impossible for me to separate whats been happening in the world, which weve been covering rigorously and intensely for these twelve months, from whats happening in my own life and in the lives of my friends, family and communities, Ishmael said. The simultaneity of each tragedy means theres no time to process, so everything deepens, compounds, repeats, Tran wrote on Twitter. She added, crises also clarify. I realized its essential to give as much care to the entirety of my life as I do my work.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

For many journalists, the past year has piled on pressure to work that has been difficult for a long time. Three years ago, my CJR colleague Alexandria Neason wrote of the toll that repeat awful news cycles had taken on her. When she entered the industry, in 2014, it was amidst a news cycle oversaturated with an endless loop of unarmed shootings of black men, boys, women, and girls, Neason wrote. I found myself relying on those old norms and suffering in silence, leaving my fatigueand the guilt I felt for feeling it at allunaddressed; over time, as the nations focus shifted toward Trump, that lethargy began to snowball even more quickly, as a volatile administration transformed the news cycle yet again. That lethargy has now gone mainstream. Trump may be gone, but for many of us, the pain has only gotten worse.

Below, more on a traumatic news cycle:

Reporting from court: Due to coronavirus restrictions, only two reporters are physically allowed to attend the Chauvin trial at a time. Yesterday, it was the turn of CNNs Sara Sidner to be in the room; during a recess, she went outside, walked through a high-security area, and spoke about the experience in a video that she posted online. After concentrating, and seeing people cry, and seeing those horrifying pictures of George Floyd as theyre trying to resuscitate him, she said, then you come out to what looks like some sort of a Green Zone, war-zone situation. It really is surreal.

Due to coronavirus restrictions, only two reporters are physically allowed to attend the Chauvin trial at a time. Yesterday, it was the turn of CNNs Sara Sidner to be in the room; during a recess, she went outside, walked through a high-security area, and spoke about the experience in a video that she posted online. After concentrating, and seeing people cry, and seeing those horrifying pictures of George Floyd as theyre trying to resuscitate him, she said, then you come out to what looks like some sort of a Green Zone, war-zone situation. It really is surreal. When the mob comes: For her newsletter, Men Yell at Me, Lyz Lenz shared her experience of online harassment, and spoke with Talia Lavin, another journalist who has faced abuse. After Lenz profiled Tucker Carlson for CJR in 2018, her phone exploded, she wrote. My Google number, which I used almost exclusively then, was doxed and I got message after message of alt-right memes. Facebook messages. Twitter messages. Instagram messages and comments. Emails. So many emails. For an entire year, it didnt end.

For her newsletter, Men Yell at Me, Lyz Lenz shared her experience of online harassment, and spoke with Talia Lavin, another journalist who has faced abuse. After Lenz profiled Tucker Carlson for CJR in 2018, her phone exploded, she wrote. My Google number, which I used almost exclusively then, was doxed and I got message after message of alt-right memes. Facebook messages. Twitter messages. Instagram messages and comments. Emails. So many emails. For an entire year, it didnt end. The local level: Last month, Gary Harki, an investigative reporter at the Virginian-Pilot newspaper, wrote for Poynter that the harassment and hate directed at national news outlets in the fake news hasnt trickled down to smaller markets. Its always been there. Harkis story, which describes the vitriol his colleagues have faced, particularly when covering race, was originally set to appear in the Virginian-Pilot, but editors decided to submit it to Poynter instead: To run it in our paper, with its descriptions of the effects the harassment has on reporters, would be giving the trolls ammunition.

Last month, Gary Harki, an investigative reporter at the Virginian-Pilot newspaper, wrote for Poynter that the harassment and hate directed at national news outlets in the fake news hasnt trickled down to smaller markets. Its always been there. Harkis story, which describes the vitriol his colleagues have faced, particularly when covering race, was originally set to appear in the Virginian-Pilot, but editors decided to submit it to Poynter instead: To run it in our paper, with its descriptions of the effects the harassment has on reporters, would be giving the trolls ammunition. Self-care: In a post for NBCU Academy, Bruce Shapiro, who leads the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia, offered self-care tips for reporters who feel emotional distress covering the violence and abuse their communities face; they include putting your phone away, getting help if you need it, and pacing your trauma load. (ICYMI, on April 6, Dart will partner with CJR to host a virtual summit dedicated to improving coverage of guns and mass shootings. You can find out more here.)



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Substack raises more money, but is that a good thing?

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
Canada's three biggest provinces this week announced new coronavirus restrictions amid a surge in cases largely driven by COVID-19 variants, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Details: Ontario will enter a four-week limited lockdown  its third lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic  starting Saturday, which will ban all indoor activities. Earlier this week, Quebec closed schools and non-essential businesses, and British Columbia banned indoor activities, including places of worship.

"Those three provinces account for three-quarters of Canadas population," the Journal writes.

What they're saying: "We cannot vaccinate quickly enough to break this third wave. This is the challenge of the new variants," said Adalsteinn Brown, a senior science advisor to the Ontario government, per the Journal.

By the numbers: Canada has confirmed more than 982,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 23,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to government data.

The country recorded more than 5,500 new cases on Thursday.

The big picture: Canada is lagging behind the U.S. in terms of vaccinations, with the latter having administered four times as many doses per capita, the Washington Post reports. Unlike the U.S., Canada cannot mass produce vaccines, so it depends on doses produced elsewhere.
General view of the French parliament during a debate on the new COVID-19 measures at the National Assembly in Paris, Thursday, April 1, 2021. (Michel Euler/AP Photo)

French Government Defends Fresh Measures Against Virus Surge

PARISFrances prime minister on April 1 defended new nationwide measures to combat a resurgent coronavirus in France that include closing schools for at least three weeks and putting in place a month-long domestic travel ban, saying the government has acted consistently and pragmatically.

The National Assembly, Frances lower house, voted to approve the new measures on April 1 by 3489, after opposition parties boycotted the vote en masse.

Jean-Luc Melenchon of the leftist La France Insoumise party denounced the vote as a bad April fools. Dismissing the measures as half-baked, he urged President Emmanuel Macron to increase vaccine supplies and adopt a more effective vaccine strategy.

On April 1, the World Health Organization issued criticism of Europes vaccine rollout as being unacceptably slow.

Prime Minister Jean Castex said the vaccination campaign is progressing and is being simplified every day. We have no reason to believe that we are advancing along the path of the possible exit to the crisis.

He said more than 8 million people in France have received at least one dose of vaccine.

In the southern Paris suburb of Antony, faced with a surge in COVID cases, parents and teachers mostly welcomed announcements that schools were to close on April 2 for three weeks, earlier than the scheduled Easter break.

Some headteachers welcomed the plans, saying the virus had put too many strains on staffing.

Wed reached a point where everything was falling apart.  We were all close to exhaustion, said Aline Becker, an elementary and preschool headteacher.

The French government has announced there will be help for the poorest families to cope financially, amid high or impossible childcare costs. Castex confirmed aid for modest families whose children will no longer go to the canteen or will no longer be able to enjoy free breakfasts.
Chennai, April 2 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the DMK and Congress have failed to understand the ethos of the people of Madurai and charged that the Congress manifesto of 2016 promised to ban "Jallikattu".

He was addressing a public rally for the NDA in Madurai.

Modi said, "The DMK and Congress should be ashamed of themselves. People wanted a solution and wanted Jallikattu to continue. Our government then cleared the ordinance by the AIADMK which allowed it to take place." Prime Minister said that food processing was a major area of focus for the BJP and NDA, and added that new startups were also being promoted by the Government of India.

He stressed on the idea of water conservation and said, "We are working on the idea of "per drop more crop", and are working with farmers to ensure that more water is saved and agriculture production is up". He said the Government of India implemented the "Jal Jeevan Mission" to ensure tap water to every home in the country by 2024.

Modi said, "In Tamil Nadu, 16 lakh tap water connections have been provided since the launch of the mission".

The Prime minister also said the people of Madurai are very hospitable and reminiscenced on how people of Saurashtra, who had come here a few years ago to Madurai, had benefited from the largesse of people. He said this shows "Ek Bharath, Shreshtha Bharath".

He said that funds allocated for railway infrastructure for Tamil Nadu have increased by 238 per cent compared to 2019. Prime minister also said that Madurai has a special association with former Chief Minister late MGR and recalled the association of MGR with great musician late T.M. Soundarajan.

Modi also said the Congress dismissed democratically elected MGR government in the 1980's, and MGR won repeatedly from Madurai in 1977, 1980 and 1984. His party also won from the constituencies around this place. Modi said the place is closely associated with the world's oldest language, Tamil.

Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam were present in the programme.
PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has given the new Finance Minister, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba a tax revenue collection target of 2tri/- per month and to stop killing the goose that lays golden eggs.

President Samia said the Finance Ministry's approach in tax collection was counterproductive and it was killing off businesses and scaring away investors.

She made the remarks at the swearing-in ceremony of new Chief Secretary, Ambassador Hussein Kattanga and newly-appointed and reshuffled ministers and deputy ministers in Dodoma on Thursday.

"We want 2tri/- per month. You should widen the tax base but you should also create more taxpayers," she directed the new Finance and Planning Minister, Dr Nchemba.

"The trend you go with is killing off the taxpayers. You're killing off the business people. You're using force instead of intelligence and knowledge in tax collection," President Samia added at the ceremony held at Chamwino State House.

The president told the minister to adopt a more efficient tax collection approach that would encourage compliance instead of the current trend of using force which has raised concerns among the business community of being counterproductive.

"The ones you milk them dry and seize their property...take away money from their accounts and freeze their accounts just because the law allows that ...they will close their businesses and shift to another country," said the president.

The president was cementing Vice-President Dr Philip Mpango's call to his successor, Dr Nchemba to ensure the government's monthly revenue collection reaches 2tri/- by end of this year.

Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) planned to collect 20.3tri/- in the fiscal year 2020/21 and in the first six months of the financial year it collected 9.983tri/- which is almost 50 per cent of the target.

TRA Commissioner General, Dr Edwin Mhede, told a press conference in January that the average monthly revenue collections reached 1.664tri/- during the first six months of the 2020/21 financial year up from 1.5tri/- recorded during a similar period the year before.

He said they were optimistic of meeting 2020/21 fiscal year revenue collection target through widening the tax base through the registration of tax identification numbers (TINs) by employees countrywide and improvements in the use of Electronic Fiscal Device (EFD) tax receipts.

The government has formed a special task force in tax collection that is widely credited for surging in collection but it has raised complaints of harsh treatment of taxpayers leading to business closures and scaring away of investors.

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But the government defended the decision to use the special task force in tax collection, saying legal procedures were followed in constituting the team.

The government issued its position when responding to concerns raised by Members of Parliament in relation to its decision to deploy a special task force in tax revenue collection.

Former Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Dr Nchemba who spoke on behalf of former Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Phillip Mpango, in Parliament last February said the task forces were used where there was enough evidence on the presence of businessmen who are cheating to pay tax and that Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has been leading the teams in all the operations.

Nchemba issued the clarification while winding up the government motion on the third Five-Year National Development Plan slated for 2021/22 to 2025/26 and priorities set in the proposals for the roadmap plans for the year 2021/2022.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a vaccination site at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City on March 8, 2021. (Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)

New York Gov. Cuomo Signs Law Limiting Solitary Confinement

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that he has signed into law legislation that will limit how long an inmate can be held in solitary confinement in state prisons and jails.

Under the HALT Solitary Confinement Act, which is set to take effect in one year, solitary confinement in the states correctional facilities will be limited to 15 consecutive days, while the practice will be completely banned for certain vulnerable inmates, including minors, people over 55, pregnant inmates, and those with disabilities.

Generations of incarcerated men and women have been subjected to inhumane punishment in segregated confinement with little to no human interaction for extended periods of time and many experience emotional and physical trauma that can last for years, Cuomo said in a statement, a day after signing the bill.

It will also establish new Residential Rehabilitation Units to provide prisoners with therapeutic and trauma-informed programming in a congregate setting that will better address an individuals underlying criminogenic needs, a release from Cuomos office states.

The Democratic governor said by signing the act into law, the states criminal justice system is being reformed by helping ensure the effective implementation of proven, humane corrections policies.

He added, I applaud the bill sponsors and look forward to continuing our work to reform the era of mass incarceration and usher in a safer, more just Empire State.

New York Sen. Julia Salazar, a Brooklyn Democrat who sponsored the bill, said the new law will put an end to the use of long-term solitary confinement in our state, a practice that has perpetuated violence and caused irreparable harm.

Democratic Socialist candidate Julia Salazar delivers her victory speech after defeating incumbent Democrat State Senator Marty Dilan on Sept. 13, 2018, in New York City. (Scott Heins/Getty Images)

Hours before Cuomos announcement, Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, called on the governor to sign the bill and to end this torture as a matter of racial justice & basic human rights.

A bill to halt solitary confinement in New York failed to pass in 2019 in part because of opposition from the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, which argued that ending the practice would make prisons less safe.

The move has been criticized by corrections union officials in the state, who say it will endanger their officers and fellow inmates, Fox News reported.

Theyre putting out this image that New York State still has solitary confinement like its The Shawshank Redemption or Alcatraz, where they throw people in a holetheres no light. You dont know what time of day it is, Brian Sullivan, president of the Nassau County Correction Officers Benevolent Association, told the news outlet.

He added, Its a complete falsehood. It doesnt exist in New York State. That hasnt existed in decades, if not longer.

Sullivan added that detention facilities in the state follow a practice called administrative segregation, which is defined by the Justice Departments National Institute of Justice used to separate those deemed to pose a significant threat to institutional security from the general population.

The sponsors for this legislation propose that this bill will reduce violence, when in actuality, it emboldens these inmates because they know theres no real true consequence for their actions, Michael Powers, president of the New York State Correctional Officer Police Benevolent Association told Fox News. And were seeing it consistently.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mainland spokesperson slams DPP authority's comments on amended HKSAR Basic Law annexes

Xinhua) 16:22, April 01, 2021

Photo taken on March 12, 2021 shows the exterior of the headquarters of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson Wednesday told Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority to immediately cease its political manipulation of Hong Kong affairs.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks when responding to the irresponsible comments made by the DPP authority regarding the newly amended annexes to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law.

The DPP authority's attacks on the amendment have once again exposed its malicious intentions of slandering the "one country, two systems," destabilizing Hong Kong and seeking "Taiwan independence," Zhu said.

The adoption of the amended annexes has provided fortified institutional guarantees to ensure the full and faithful implementation of the principle of "one country, two systems" and "patriots administering Hong Kong," and enduring peace, stability and prosperity in Hong Kong, she said.

The DPP authority must immediately cease its political manipulation of Hong Kong affairs and withdraw its hands, otherwise it will face severe punishment, Zhu warned.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
The U.K. reported 25 new cases of rare blood clots possibly linked to AstraZeneca Plcs Covid-19 vaccine, but the countrys drugs regulator said the benefits of the shot continue to outweigh the risks.

The fresh reports lift the total number of cases to 30 as of March 24, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said in a statement Thursday. With the number of incidents growing, some European countries have adopted precautionary measures, limiting use of a shot many were counting on to curb the pandemic.

The U.K. agency said that the 30 incidents were out of 18.1 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine given by March 24. Prior to that, the agency disclosed five cases on March 18, out of 11 million shots.

Although more research is needed to examine possible links, the key thing to remember is how rare these brain clots are, and how powerful the proven benefit of vaccination is against Covid, said David Werring, professor of clinical neurology at University College Londons Institute of Neurology.

With the new reports, the rate of incidents following the AstraZeneca shot in the U.K. is about 1 in 600,000. There were no reports of the same reactions to the vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, which is also being used in Britain.

On the basis of this ongoing review, the benefits of the vaccines against Covid-19 continue to outweigh any risks and you should continue to get your vaccine when invited to do so, the MHRA said. The AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines have shown very high levels of protection against Covid-19, the agency said, adding that all vaccines and medicines have some side effects.

U.K. Program

The U.K. has one of the worlds fastest-moving vaccine programs, administering shots to more than half of all adults by late March. New daily Covid cases and deaths have fallen to the lowest levels since September, even as infections surge again across much of the European Union, where immunizations have lagged.

Earlier this week, the EU drugs regulator said a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare type of blood clot is possible, identifying at least 62 cases of the condition. The European Medicines Agency said its safety committee will probably issue an updated recommendation next week.

Germany has restricted younger people from taking the AstraZeneca vaccine amid growing concerns about side effects. That followed reports of 31 cases of the rare clots, mostly in women.

Norway and Denmark extended suspensions on the use of the shot, which has also been the subject of a tussle over supplies between the EU, the U.K., and others.

On Friday, Australia reported one case of clotting disorders following inoculation with the AstraZeneca vaccine and is investigating, according to a joint statement by government agencies.
(Natural News) The Biden administrations vaccine passport scheme is just the teeny-tiny tip of a massive privacy invasion iceberg. A year ago this week, I began chronicling the worldwide weaponization of COVID-19 by big government and big business to trace and track the health data of untold hundreds of millions of human beings. Lets review.

(Article by Michelle Malkin republished from WND.com)

In March 2020, Singapore unleashed a Bluetooth app called TraceTogether on Google Play and the Apple Store to track people who tested positive for coronavirus and notify others through their cellphones. For those who argue that participation is completely voluntary, bear in mind that Singapore functions as a high-tech dictatorship where refusal to comply with stay-at-home orders and refusal to share GPS location data with health bureaucrats are criminal offenses subject to six months imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine.

The Singapore system was quickly expanded to require users to submit their national ID numbers and passport numbers; a few months later, the government issued wearable tracing tokens with QR codes to all 5.7 million residents in Singapore. Plans are in the works to formally mandate TraceTogether enrollment for anyone in cinemas, restaurants, workplaces, schools and shopping malls.

Dozens of states, plus countries including Germany, the U.K. and a large swath of Canada, now use COVID-19 exposure notification apps akin to Singapores that are built on Google and Apples Exposure Notification application programming interface.

On March 9, 2020, the Trump administrations U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled new data rules requiring doctors and hospitals to send a core set of medical data directly to third-party apps after a patient has authorized the information exchange. Google, Apple and Microsoft  all at the forefront of health data mining  sat in on the rule-making process meetings.

The tech oligarchs are in the drivers seat, not the back of the bus.

As Ive reported in investigative documentaries and this column for years, Google/YouTube is already knee-deep in mental-health data mining of adults and children despite repeated privacy violations. Theyve mined students emails in violation of the federal Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Theyve violated the federal Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act. Google secretly harvested tens of millions of medical records with identifying names, lab results, diagnoses, immunization records and prescriptions from thousands of hospitals across 21 states through Project Nightingale  a partnership with Ascension health system to build a search tool and data analytics using machine-learning algorithms.

A year ago this month, Google launched Verily, a COVID-19 screening and testing website. California Gov. Gavin Newsom forked over $55 million to subsidize Verily contracts with 28 counties. The contracts allow Google/Verily to mine and share home addresses and medical information with unnamed contractors and state and federal health authorities, according to Kaiser Health News.

In April 2020, COVID control freak Anthony Fauci mentioned that the feds had begun investigating certificates of immunity for American citizens. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio launched a snitch line urging people to upload photos of businesses not in compliance with social distancing rules. Georgia officials dispatched law enforcement officers to random private homes in Fulton and Dekalb counties to ask residents questions about their health and to collect blood samples for an antibody test.

Police agencies in Florida, Connecticut and New Jersey deployed drones to enforce social distancing and experiment with fever and facial mask detection. In May 2020, China rolled out temperature armbands to college students. In August 2020, the Butler, New Jersey, public schools mandated temperature armbands manufactured by Accwell for students and staff to be worn at all times as a condition of access to public education.

Volan Technology successfully marketed and distributed tracking Bluetooth-enabled badges and beacons to school districts that can track campus movements of COVID-positive wearers for up to 30 days and identify others with whom theyve had close contact. Princeton Identity rolled out new touchless biometric and iris scanning products to be installed on college campuses. Online proctoring services that proliferated in the age of COVID, including Proctorio, Factorial and Respondus Monitor, collect college students facial recognition data  which can be sold to third parties.

This week, the Washington Free Beacon obtained a Biden COVID team document outlining a trace-and-track program developed by the University of Illinois using Bluetooth technology that mimics the Singapore model I flagged a year ago.

This week, snoozing Americans finally woke up to the Biden vaccine passport plan and the New York vaccine verification program known as the Excelsior Pass. But these credentialing systems have been in the works for years among U.S. and global health agencies, long before corona meant nothing more than a beer or bright light to most people. The Vaccination Credential Initiative is a joint endeavor of the feds, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, the Mayo Clinic, electronic medical records giant Epic, Big Pharma CEOs and globalist nonprofit entities all coordinated by the military-industrial powerhouse MITRE corporation.

These public-private partnerships between tech companies and Surveillance States obliterate any meaningful distinction between free market initiatives and government directives. Big tech, big health and big government all work seamlessly to ensure the success of the global trace-and-track regime. There is no freedom to choose in a climate of collusion and a culture of conformity. The conspiracy is real.

Read more at: WND.com and Surveillance.news
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Sofia Vergara stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday for some much-needed retail therapy, just days after news that her ex Nick Loeb had lost his final appeal in Los Angeles to gain custody of two embryos that were frozen seven years ago when the couple was still engaged.

Sofia, 48, appears to have brushed off the controversy as she looked relaxed while cutting a casually glam figure in a pair of ripped jeans, tie-dye top and platform wedges as she made her way through a parking structure in Beverly Hills.

On Tuesday, a judge granted Vergara a Permanent Injunction preventing the 45-year-old businessman from using the embryos to create 'a child without the explicit written permission,' per court documents obtained by People.

Stepping out: Sofia Vergara was pictured in LA on Thursday, after ex Nick Loeb lost his FINAL appeal in battle over frozen embryos in LA

For years, Loeb has continued to file multiple lawsuits in California and Louisiana to be able to take control of their embryos and implant them in a surrogate.

'The judge was clearly influenced by Hollywood, which is a pattern I expose in my upcoming film Roe v. Wade on April 2nd,' Loeb said in a statement, obtained by the outlet. 'It's sad that Sofia, a devout Catholic, would intentionally create babies just to kill them.'

Last month, Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted a permanent injunction stating that Loeb could not use the embryos without her consent.

In a ruling dated January 27, the appeals court ruled that Loeb's lawsuit, which it declared as 'abhorrent', should be thrown out because it made a 'mockery' of Louisiana's legal system.

Winning her case: Last month, Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted a permanent injunction stating that Loeb could not use the embryos without her consent; pictured this week

The appeals court also ruled that all documents related to the case should be unsealed.

The legal saga dates back to 2015 when Loeb first filed a lawsuit against Vergara in a bid to bring to term two female embryos that they had created and planned to use with a surrogate.

The pair had signed a contract at the ART Reproductive Center in Beverly Hills when they created the embryos in 2013 that stated neither could use them without each other's consent.

Legal proceedings initially began in California, but were later dismissed.

Loeb later moved the case to Louisiana because officials there consider embryos to be human beings. In California, which is where the embryos were frozen, they are referred to as products.

As part of the Louisiana lawsuit, Vergara was sued by her two frozen embryos. In the unusual lawsuit, the embryos were given the names Emma and Isabella and listed as plaintiffs.

'Emma and Isabella seek that they be entrusted to their natural father Loeb, who is willing and desirous that they be born,' the lawsuit said.

In throwing out the case last week, the appeals court ruled that Loeb did not in fact live in Louisiana and accused him and his legal team of making a 'mockery' of the state's legal system.

The court found that Loeb 'is not domiciled in, does not maintain a residence in, and does not have the intent to be domiciled or a resident of any parish in the State of Louisiana.'

The ruling also accused Loeb's legal team of 'blatantly engaging in forum shopping' to find a court they hoped would be sympathetic to their case.

Years-long court battle: Sofia Vergara's ex Nick Loeb lost his final appeal in Los Angeles to gain custody of two embryos that were frozen seven years ago when the couple was still engaged; seen in 2014

Happier: Vergara, who has an adult son, Manolo, from a previous relationship, has been married to Joe Manganiello since in November 2015

'Their behavior brings disrepute to and makes a mockery of the Louisiana legal system and the bar and is abhorrent,' the ruling stated.

The former couple called off their engagement in 2014, after dating for four years.

Vergara, who has an adult son, Manolo, from a previous relationship, has been happily married to Joe Manganiello for the past six years.
Attorney General Nessel Joins Coalition in Fight for Renewable Fuel Industry in the U.S. Supreme Court

Attorney General Nessel Joins Coalition in Fight for Renewable Fuel Industry in the U.S. Supreme Court

Kelly Rossman-McKinney 517-512-9342 Attorney General

April 2, 2021

LANSING  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court supporting several renewable fuels and agricultural associations in their challenge to the EPAs award of the small-refinery exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The RFS requires refineries to either produce more renewable fuels or buy credits from refineries who do. Renewable fuels produce less pollution than fossil fuels.

Freely granting exemptions to the oil industry directly undermines the promise of renewable fuels and has the potential to harm rural and urban Michigan communities, Nessel said. The judgment of the court of appeals should be affirmed.

The coalition filed the brief in HollyFrontier Cheyenne Refining, LLC v. Renewable Fuels Association. The case asks the Supreme Court to decide the EPAs authority to grant small-refinery exemptions to the RFS, which requires increasing use of ethanol, biodiesel, and other renewable fuels.

The RFS exempted certain small refineries from complying with its requirements to blend renewable fuels into their gasoline or diesel fuel and gave EPA authority to extend the exemptions based on disproportionate economic hardship. Beginning in 2017, the EPA began granting a surge of small-refinery exemptions that harmed national demand for renewable fuels, causing ethanol and biodiesel plants to slow, idle, or close.

A coalition of biofuels associations challenged the award of new exemptions to three small refineries that had not previously and continuously received the exemptions, as required by law. In January 2020, the Tenth Circuit agreed, concluding that the EPA had authority only to grant extensions to a refinery that continuously maintained the exemption.

In the brief, the coalition argues that the Tenth Circuit got it right. The plain language of the statute limits EPAs authority to grant the exemption. And the more expansive interpretation pushed by the small refineries would gut the RFS, the brief says. The brief also explains how an ineffective RFS would cause substantial economic harm to the rural economies of Iowa and other states, hurt the environment, and hamper efforts to move toward energy independence.

In February, the EPA and the Biden administration announced it supported the Tenth Circuits decision, and the Justice Department submitted a brief in support.

The case will be argued before the Supreme Court by telephone conference at 10 AM Eastern time on April 27. A decision is expected by the end of June.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in filing this brief are the Attorneys General of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, and Virginia.
Prime Minister on Friday slammed the as 'high-handed' without an understanding of local sensibilities and asserted that his government does not see people's caste or faith before serving them.

He also vowed to to protect fishermen's interests, saying no Tamil fishermen is now in Sri Lankan custody.

He appealed to people to vote for Pon Radhakrishnan, BJP leader and former union minister, who is contesting the April 6 bypoll to the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat.

"A separate ministry is looking after fishermen's issues. The DMK supported UPA, left the fishermen to their own fate. I assure the fishermen that their safety is NDA's priority."



A few days ago, "we ensured the release of fishermen from Sri Lanka. This includes 40 fishermen and four boats from Tamil Nadu. Currently no Indian fishermen is in Sri Lankan custody," he said.

While his party and government focused on development,the opposition has reduced itself to a 'dynastic club.' "All they want is secure positions of their own children, grandchildren and they are not bothered about your sons and daughters."



In Tamil Nadu, senior DMK leaders who worked closely with late party patriarch 'Kalaignar' M Karunanidhi were feeling suffocated due to 'the newly minted crown prince,' he said, addressing a poll meeting here.

He was obviously hinting at DMK chief M K Stalin's son and youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi, who is debuting from Chepauk-Triplicane Assembly constituency in Chennai.

In central Delhi, 'very valuable real estate' was given for the memorial of one 'dynasty' (Nehru memorial), but his government created a memorial for former President A P J Abdul Kalam in Tamil Nadu.

"We believe the sweat of every Indian makes the nation, not four generations of one or two dynasties.

Today the mood of the nation is clearly against the of nepotism and entitlement."



The opposition loved calling people anti-democratic, but they should see the 'nearest mirror,' said.

Modi reminded the rally that invoked Article 356 several times and both DMK and AIADMK governments in Tamil Nadu had been dismissed by that party in the past.

Having Congress, hence, in any coalition meant having a high handed ally that does not understand local sensibilities, he alleged.

"Our ideology is sab ka saath, sab ka vikaas and sab ka viswaas," and at the root of this mantra lay the spirit of compassion towards everyone, he said.

"Our government does not see people's caste, creed or faith before serving them. Ours is a government for everyone," he asserted and recalled his government's efforts to buttress his point.

When nurses from Kerala were abducted while working in Iraq, the government did everything possible to bring them back home safely.

Similarly, Father Alexis Premkumar, who belonged to Tamil Nadu and Father Tom from Kerala, were safely rescued from Afghanistan and Yemen, he said, adding "let those who believe in conflict further it. We believe in compassion and we will always serve the people with that spirit."



Last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, about five lakh people from Tamil Nadu stranded abroad were brought back safely through the 'Vande Bharat Mission.'



"While bringing them back, we never saw what is their caste, what holy book they read, what do they do,..they are the people of India and we stand ready to help them."



Kanyakumari, abutting Kerala, is home to a sizable chunk of Christians of various denominations.

On the farm sector, the PM said government helped ryots manage soil, better their irrigation practices and make value addition, adding, "we are well on track to double the income of farmers."



His government is sensitive to farmers' demands and that was why the farm sector was being modernised to ensure more credit and better markets. The Minimum Support Price for copra during the NDA tenure was higher than what was fixed in the UPA's term.

"The government's development vision is committed to prosperous farms, buzzing factories, vibrant fisheries and coastal development," he said.

Increasing opportunities through port-led development and modern infrastructure, capacities in current ports were being scaled up and 'new ports are being planned,' he said.

"We are making operations more investor friendly. This would generate more jobs for locals."



Chief Minister K Palaniswami had days ago asserted that there would be no transshipment port in Kanyakumari district in view of opposition. Fishermen communities are opposed to a new container port in Kanyakumari.

Pointing to the government's major push for 'blue economy to better incomes, the PM outlined encouragement for seaweed cultivation, better boats and navigation material, in addition to credit for fishermen.

New fishing harbours and fish landing centres -including a fishing harbour in Chennai- are coming up, he said.

He also referred to initiatives on connecting ports to the hinterland and expanding waterway networks that would boost ease of living.

Fishermen and fisheries sector would gain from the recent Cabinet approval for Production Linked Incentive Scheme in food processing, he said.

Bypoll will be held on April 6 for the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency alongside the Assembly polls.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Natural News) The German capital of Berlin is now limiting the use of AstraZenecas Wuhan coronavirus vaccine to patients over the age of 60. The decision from the Berlin government followed findings by German researchers that the vaccine played a role in the blood clots reported in some patients. AstraZenecas vaccine was initially approved for use in the entire country on people under 65  before Berlin put the new regulation in place.

Berlin State Minister for Health, Care and Equality Dilek Kalayci said the Standing Committee on Vaccination at the Robert Koch Institute (STIKO) and the Paul Ehrlich Institute would make new recommendations regarding the AstraZeneca jab. Robert Koch Institute spokeswoman Susanne Glasmacher confirmed that it is looking at the latest research regarding health risks from the jab.

For now, STIKO has restricted the use of the vaccine only for men and women older than 60.

Kalayci said during a news conference: We have to wait for the recommendations, but we wanted to take this step as a precaution. The state minister acknowledged that the vaccine does prevent symptoms, but stressed the need to be careful with it nonetheless. She continued that any pending vaccination appointments using the jab will be canceled.

Furthermore, health ministers from the different regions of Germany tackled issues related to the vaccine in a special Mar. 30 meeting with federal health officials.

On March 19, German scientists at the Greifswald University Hospital led by professor Andreas Greinacher said they discovered the link between blood clots and the AstraZeneca vaccine. The team found that the jab causes blood platelets responsible for clotting to become- over-active and cause blockages in different blood vessels.

Greinachers team zoomed in on nine cases of blood clots that occurred from four to 16 days after vaccination. All nine patients were aged 22 to 49 years old, with eight of them being female. Seven patients had clots in blood vessels in the brain, and one had their blood vessels in the lungs blocked. One other patient experienced blood clots in vessels connected to the digestive system and the brain. Based on these observations, they found that the AstraZeneca vaccine is associated with development of a pro-thrombotic disorder. (Related: AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine triggers immune response that can cause fatal blood clots in the brain.)

Other European nations have followed suit in limiting use of the AstraZeneca jab

The German researchers findings echoed that of scientists at the Oslo University Hospital in Norway. Speaking to Norwegian newspaper VG, the hospitals chief physician Dr. Pal Andre Holme expressed confidence that he and his team had identified antibodies responsible for the blood clots  which the vaccine triggered. The Norwegian scientists looked at three cases of blood clots in the country, all involving health workers below 50 years old.

Holme said: Our theory [is] that this is a strong immune response that most likely comes after the vaccine. There is no other thing  that can explain this. The physician elaborated after the newspaper continued pushing: [No] other history in these patients  can give such as strong immune response. Im pretty sure its these antibodies thats the cause, and I see no other reason than its the vaccine that triggers it.

Given the findings, a number of European nations have restricted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to older cohorts  if not halting its use entirely. Denmark announced it would extend its earlier suspension of the jab for an additional three weeks. Danish authorities added they would give an update on their decision in the middle of April. The Nordic country first reported a number of blood clots in some citizens who got immunized using the jab. Meanwhile, France has also moved to impose age restrictions on people who wish to get vaccinated using the British companys vaccine. (Related: Two Danes suffer from brain hemorrhage after getting AstraZeneca coronavirus jab.)

Sweden is mulling restrictions on the AstraZeneca jab, making it available only for those above 55 years old. Swedish State Epidemiologist Dr. Anders Tegnell elaborated on the move in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. He explained that young people must weigh the risks of side effects following vaccination and the risks of contracting COVID-19.

If you are under 50 [to] 55 years old, the risks are very small when it comes to the disease, so then maybe you should think about the risk-benefit balance, Tegnell remarked.

Visit Pandemic.news to read more news about AstraZenecas Wuhan coronavirus vaccine.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

NPR.org

Euronews.com
Thousands of transgender women proudly exempted themselves from military service in Thailand today, after being forced to attend conscription events for the nation's army despite not identifying as men.

Thailand requires every man aged 21 or over to attend a 'lottery' day where they must enlist in the military for a two-year stint, before being recruited at random.

Transgender women - who still have male birth certificates - are legally required to attend the events to show medical certificates proving their new gender, which excuses them from service as trans women are not allowed in the Thai army.

Glamorous beauty queen Narisara Aonwang, 23, arrived at the facility in Phitsanulok province with documents proving that she had undergone a sex change.

But she insisted: 'I am not afraid of doing national service but the Thai army still discriminates against women like me. Straight women are allowed to enrol in military service.

Thousands of transgender women (pictured) proudly exempted themselves from military service in Thailand today, after being forced to attend conscription events for the nation's army despite not identifying as men

Thailand requires every man aged 21 or over to attend a 'lottery' day where they must enlist in the military for a two-year stint, before being recruited at random

Transgender women - who still have male birth certificates - are legally required to attend the events to show medical certificates proving their new gender

'I think we should have the same rights as other straight women. If they finally allow us to draft I will be the first one who applies for it.'

Aside from her beauty titles and awards, she also brought her certificate indicating that she was still studying a degree in Education at the Sukhothai College.

Narisara had been showing up at the annual event for three years now to prove her gender as she is expected to do this until she turns 26-years-old.

This excuses them from service as transgender women (above) are not allowed in the Thai military service

Glamorous beauty queen Narisara Aonwang, 23, arrived at the facility in Phitsanulok province with documents proving that she had undergone a sex change. Pictured, two women posing with their exemption forms

The events, which see men and transgender women line up for hours to find out their fate, will be held around the country until April 9

The events, which see men and transgender women line up for hours to find out their fate, will be held around the country until April 9.

In Phitsanulok province on the first day, 284 youngsters came forward but only 67 were successfully drafted into the army. Parents whose children were exempted cheered outside the centre.

Around eight per cent of the country's population are believed to be in the LGBTQ demographic but Thai laws still impose restrictions on their rights.

In Phitsanulok province on the first day, 284 youngsters came forward but only 67 were successfully drafted into the army. Parents whose children were exempted cheered outside the centre

Around eight per cent of the country's population are believed to be in the LGBTQ demographic but Thai laws still impose restrictions on their rights

Aside from not being able to join the army, the community also doesn't receive the same marriage benefits as straight couples although they are allowed to wed

Thai males have the option to study the military for three years in secondary school or attend the national service recruitment, where draws are made to choose who is selected

Aside from not being able to join the army, the community also doesn't receive the same marriage benefits as straight couples although they are allowed to wed.

Thailand's military includes the Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and has around 300,000 state employees.

Thai males have the option to study the military for three years in secondary school or attend the national service recruitment, where draws are made to choose who is selected.

College and university graduates can also have shorter one-year stints in the military if they volunteer. Some young men also volunteer for the national service because they want to join the army.
Aldi has released a recipe for the ultimate fish tacos just in time for Good Friday - and they only take 15 minutes to cook.

The German-owned retailer's recipe calls for hoki fillets, salad and a hard and soft taco kit for the main meal and lime juice, sour cream and mayonnaise for the dressing.

The easy-to-follow recipe serves four and takes 15 minutes to prepare and another 15 minutes to cook.

The dressing should be made first, according to the recipe, with all the ingredients for the tangy sauce to be added to a blender and then refrigerated.

Aldi has released a recipe for the ultimate fish tacos just in time for Good Friday - and they only take 15 minutes to cook

Once the dressing is out of the way the tacos should be placed in a warm oven to bake until golden and crunchy.

The fish should be cooked last, as it only takes two minutes, according to the recipe.

The recipe was well-received by the supermarket giant's customers.

'Fish tacos, yum,' one woman responded while others shared the recipe online.

Others pleaded with the company to 'bring back' their tartare sauce to be paired with the tacos.

This isn't the first easy recipe to go viral before Easter this year - people have also been excited to make their own hot cross buns.

Nutritionist Ellie Bullen, 26, said everyone should try their hand at making her simple 'sweet morsels of goodness' this weekend, especially now plenty have so much time on their hands due to the coronavirus restrictions which mean thousands are staying at home.

How can I make crispy fish tacos? INGREDIENTS TACOS 4 Ocean Royale skinless hoki fillets  cup White Mill plain flour  cup Pure Vita vegetable oil, for shallow frying Salt and pepper, to season 1 El Toro hard and soft taco kit 50g The Fresh Salad Co dry slaw mix 50g The Fresh Salad Co salad mix 1 avocado, diced 30g New Season canned corn, rinsed and drained 10 red grape tomatoes, quartered 1 mango, diced DRESSING 1 cup Farmdale sour cream 3 tbsp Colway mayonnaise 2 tbsp lime juice  tsp Stonemill cumin  tsp Stonemill chilli flakes  tsp Stonemill ground paprika 1 tbsp Stonemill minced garlic OPTIONAL  red chilli, sliced thinly to garnish (optional) Lime wedges, as garnish Salt and pepper to taste METHOD 1. Defrost fish fillets in fridge overnight. Make the dressing first by combining sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, cumin in blender (If using chilli flakes, add now). Blend until smooth. Place the dressing in a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use. 2. Preheat oven to 150C (or 130C fan forced). Place hard taco shells on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes until golden and crunchy. Wrap the soft tortillas in foil and, during the last 5 minutes of baking, place them in the oven with the hard shells (just to warm through). Turn oven off and leave door ajar. Leave tacos in oven until fish is ready. 3. Pat fish dry. Lightly coat fish in flour and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 4. Heat oil in a heavy based fry pan on medium-high heat. 5. Cook fish in oil for 2 minutes or until golden. Flip and cook for a further 2 minutes. Once fish is cooked, remove from pan and set aside to drain on paper towels. 6. Assemble tacos. Layer each taco with the slaw, salad leaves, corn, tomatoes, mango and avocado. Gently tear the fish into large chunks and lay on top of the taco fillings. Add dressing, season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime juice. Garnish with fresh chilli slices if desired. Advertisement

Nutritionist Ellie Bullen (pictured) has taken the internet by storm with her recipe for the 'perfect' hot cross buns

'This recipe is fairly rough as it's based off what Alex and I baked on a whim and what we could pull from the pantry, but they turned out delicious,' Ellie wrote on Instagram.

So what do you need for Ellie's hot cross buns?

Firstly, the nutritionist and Bali-based food blogger said you need to dig out as many things from the back of your pantry as possible.

Ellie used two cups of plain, all-purposed flour, two and a half cups of spelt flour, one teaspoon of cinnamon, two teaspoons of all spice, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and one sachet of dried yeast.

You'll also need to find or buy half a cup of caster sugar, one and a half cups of soy milk, one and a half cups of dried fruit and four tablespoons of vegan butter.

Finally, you'll need the zest of one orange to give your buns a kick, as well as some honey, water and flour for your 'crosses' and your glaze.

How do you make Ellie Bullen's hot cross buns? Ellie shared the recipe for her hot cross buns (pictured) on Instagram INGREDIENTS * Two cups of plain all-purpose flour * Two and a half cups of spelt flour (plus extra for kneading) * One teaspoon of cinnamon powder * Two teaspoons of all spice powder * 1/2 teaspoon of salt * One dried yeast sachet * 1/2 cup of caster sugar * One and 1/2 cups of soy milk * One and 1/2 cups of dried fruit * Four tablespoons of vegan butter * Zest of one orange FOR THE CROSSES * 1/2 cup of plain flour * Five tablespoons of water FOR THE GLAZE * Two tablespoons of honey * One tablespoon of water METHOD 1. Sieve the flour, spices, salt, yeast and sugar into a large mixing bowl. 2. Using dough hooks on an electric mixer, mix together the dry ingredients. 3. Add the milk, dried fruit, vegan butter and orange rind and knead with the electric mixer (speed two, with dough hooks) for about five minutes (or ten minutes if mixing by hand). Then continue to mix with your hands. If it's too sticky, sieve in one tablespoon of flour at a time, kneading, until dough forms an elastic smooth ball. 4. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or cling wrap and place aside to rise. Dough should double in size in approximately 45 minutes to one hour 30, depending on how warm your climate is. 5. Once doubled in size, turn dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead out all the air. Roll into a long log and cut into 12 even slices. 6. Roll each slice into balls, ensuring one side is smooth. Place the balls on a lined baking tray, smooth side up, 3 x 4, with small gaps between each one. Set aside to rise again for a further 40 minutes, lightly covered with cling wrap. 7. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, fan forced, while dough is rising again. Make the cross mixture by stirring the flour and water together, transfer to a piping bag. 8. Once the dough has risen again, draw on the crosses and place it in the oven to bake for 20-24 minutes, or until very golden on top. 9. Remove from oven, transfer baking sheet of buns to a wire cooling rack. 10. Stir together the honey and water, and brush over buns to glaze. They are best served fresh and warm, cut open and spread with vegan butter. Source: Elsa's Wholesome Life Advertisement

After she shared her simple ten-step recipe on Instagram, foodies were quick to say they couldn't wait to try the 26-year-old's recipe.

'Oh my God, these look like heaven. Wow,' one commenter wrote.

'Yum. I'm definitely making these tomorrow,' another added.

Speaking previously to Good Food, some of Australia's top chefs shared their top tricks for making the perfect hot cross buns - including spraying the buns with water before they go in the oven.

'We give our buns a good spray of water before loading them into the oven,' Laura Gonzalez and Anu Haran of Flour Shop in Sydney told the publication.

'This moistens the skin of the buns and allows them to rise more in the oven, leading to a fluffier bun.'

After she shared her simple ten-step recipe on Instagram, foodies were quick to say they couldn't wait to try the 26-year-old's (pictured) recipe

Kate Reid of Lune in Melbourne also said you should place the buns close together on the baking tray in the oven.

'This way they "grow" into each other, and to eat them, you have to tear them apart,' she said.

'That soft bit where they were touching each other develops a beautiful light crust when you toast the buns; it's the textural equivalent of heaven.'
(Photo : Screenshot From Anakin May YouTube) Funko NFT? Company Acquires NFT Making Developer TokenWave Planning to Sell NFTs in June Starting at $9.99

Funko has been able to survive the whole digital hardships that most toymakers face and is now deciding to finally embrace digitalization with NFTs. The popular Everett, Wash-based toymaker recently announced its acquisition of a major stake in TokenWave, the known developer of TokenHead, a certain mobile app popular for showing NFT holdings. The financial details have not yet been disclosed.

Funko NFT

NFTs are now extremely popular with games, other forms of art, and even the first Tweet ever have all become NFT offerings online. TokenHead is now available on Android and iOS and also currently displays well over 10 million NFTs gaining 100,000 visits a day.

According to the story by GeekWire on Thursday, April 1, Funko plans to launch its very first NFTs this June selling a unique one every week with a starting price of $9.99. According to Funko CEO Brian Mariotti decided to merge both the physical and digital in a powerful offering. Mariotti recently said that their ability to combine both Funko Pop and digital NFTs with the vinyl figures could become a game changer.

Rare Funko NFT offerings

The company plans to back the extremely rare Funko NFTs with physical redeemable Funko Pop!s to make them even more unique. The general Funko NFTs will reportedly be more accessible to fans through a really attainable entry price. The products are expected to be sold on the WAX platform or Worldwide Asset Exchange which is a leading decentralized wallet that exists on the blockchain.

Mariotti explained the clear strategy of capitalizing on NFTs as well as the company's licensing partners which include generating revenue every time that a token is being sold on the secondary market. For their promotions, Mariotti noted that they might be giving away free NFTs and that every card will be a truly interactive experience.

Read Also: NFT: How to Create and Sell Designs

TokenWave Funko

The TokenWave co-founder known as Nate Denning recently noted that the small company is very excited to apply its own expertise and technology towards Funko's entry into the whole NFT space. Denning said that the huge catalog that Funko already has will allow them to create some pretty amazing NFTs for the millions of different Funko fans around the world.

It was also noted that the TokenHead app will then be showcasing NFTs and directly engage with Funko fans in what they noted as a "brand new way." The whole move towards digital content offerings comes only a few weeks after the company announced really strong Q4 earnings. The net sales have reportedly jumped by 6% year over year to a whopping $226.5 million. In the US, sales went up 18% to $171 million!

The company reportedly employs 500 people worldwide but had to cut around 250 employees last summer due to the major shift directly into direct-to-consumer sales in order to meet online demands of shoppers during the whole pandemic. It currently operates different physical retail locations in its headquarters in Hollywood, Calif.

Related Article: NFT Crypto Art: Elon Musk Baby Mommy Grimes Sells Digital Masterpieces for $6 Million

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian Buenconsejo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Minister of Power, Mr. Sale Mamman, has lamented the increasing attacks on the country's electricity infrastructure, especially by insurgents in the north-eastern region of the country.

The Boko Haram sect had since this year bombed facilities belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), cutting off supply to the state capital and injuring at least five in one of the attacks recently.

A statement by Mr Aaron Artimas, the minister's spokesman, quoted him as calling on Nigerians to assume ownership of the various electricity installations in their respective communities, to guard against sabotage, vandalism and natural disasters like erosion and bush burning.

The minister who spoke while receiving the paramount ruler of Ipetu-Ijesa kingdom, Osun State, Samson Oke, who visited him in Abuja, urged Nigerians to take responsibility for protecting the public utilities as the best guarantee of ensuring steady and uninterrupted electricity supply to their areas.

"The people should raise the alarm and report to security officials whenever they see people tampering with power equipment," Mamman noted.

Mamman stated that it was the desire of the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari to supply electricity to every community in Nigeria, stressing that the efforts were being constrained by the sabotage and wilful damage to electricity installations across the country.

The minister said he was greatly pained by the recent destruction of the power tower supplying electricity to Maiduguri, Borno State, which was recently restored by the TCN.

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"This act of desperate and wicked damage of public utilities should not be a justifiable means for any agitation," he added.

Mamman advised the Ipetu-ijesha kingdom to provide adequate security protection for the newly installed power equipment in the area to guard against future destruction.

Describing power as critical to national development, Mamman said the ministry of power would continue to work harder to improve and sustain the current success recorded in the power sector under the present government.

Earlier, the traditional ruler explained that his people had endured many years of hardship following the damage to the electrical equipment.

However, following a letter of complaint to the minister of power, he said that the ministry moved to install seven new transformers and transmission lines to restore power to the entire kingdom.

The traditional ruler who described his kingdom as the largest in Osun State expressed appreciation to the ministry of power and the federal government for the intervention, stressing that it will make life better for citizens.
(Newser)  After years of protests, counter-protests, and legal battles, statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson in Charlottesville might be coming down very soon. Virginia's top court ruled Thursday that a law against the removal of war monuments does not apply to the statues, the Daily Progress reports. The Virginia Supreme Court, ruling on an appeal of a lower court's decision, said the 1997 law that banned local governments from removing monuments did not apply retroactively to the Confederate statues, which were erected in the 1920s. The law "did not provide the authority for the City to erect the Statues, and it does not prohibit the City from disturbing or interfering with them," justices wrote.

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In 2017, thousands of white supremacists and other far-right activists rallied in Charlottesville to protest the city council's decision to remove the Lee statue, CNN notes. A counter-protester was killed when a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd. City officials praised the ruling, the Guardian reports. In a statement, they said they plan to redesign the parks where the statues currently stand "in a way that promotes healing and that tells a more complete history of Charlottesville." (Read more Charlottesville, Va. stories.)
Natural Fiber Welding Through their collaboration with Richemont, NFW continues to demonstrate the attractiveness of their materials to even the most discerning clients, as well as their dedication to scaling the technology.

Natural Fiber Welding, Inc. (NFW) today announced a collaboration with Richemont to further Richemonts commitment to incorporate innovative and natural materials in their products.

NFW develops technologies based on the sustainable use of plants and natural fibers to create durable soft-goods and textiles that are as high-performance as they are beautiful. By collaborating with Richemont, NFW will contribute their technologies to a leading luxury group, whose Maisons are renowned for their excellence in craftsmanship and creativity. Together, the two companies will continue to advance material science and sustainability.

At NFW, we have worked for years to build material science platforms that can speak the language of the fashion industry, platforms which are tools for creative expression but come without compromising the environment, said Luke Haverhals, CEO and founder of Natural Fiber Welding. Our collaboration with Richemont is a testament to the power of plant-based, plastic-free material innovation. It is a real privilege to bring NFWs scientific and engineering rigor to this partnership to ensure Richemonts Maisons are successful at making exceptional creations using new natural materials.

Through their collaboration with Richemont, NFW continues to demonstrate the attractiveness of their materials to even the most discerning clients, as well as their dedication to scaling the technology. This new collaboration follows the recent announcement of NFWs new manufacturing space for their high-performance plant-based material, MIRUM. MIRUM made its first commercial debut earlier this year on the new plant-based pouch line by Bellroy.

With its new 110,000 sq. ft. facility, NFW will be able to effectively scale production of MIRUM to accommodate the growing demand from their partners for a plastic-free, plant-based durable soft good that does not compromise in aesthetic beauty, functionality, or environmental performance. In addition to their work with Richemont and Bellroy, NFW has announced strategic partnerships with Ralph Lauren, launched a patch and trim collection through Medike-Landes, and announced that MIRUM will be the basis for sustainable shoe brand Allbirds new Plant Leather. NFWs first market-wide SKUs for accessories will be available later this year.

To learn more about the next era of sustainable goods and materials, please visit: http://www.naturalfiberwelding.com.

About NFW

Natural Fiber Welding, Inc. (NFW) is a company dedicated to revolutionizing the materials industry. We develop technologies based on the sustainable use of plants and natural fibers to create beautiful durable goods and textiles. Our technologies broaden the spectrum of what is possible from Natures strength and diversity.

Leaning into our core competency of reformatting natural polymers, our first product in the marketplace, MIRUM, was born to free product designers of the constraints inherent in using synthetic materials. MIRUM is made with natural polymers. Our finished materials are never coated in polyurethane and use no synthetic binders. From textures to complex constructions, the possibilities for customization are limitless.

We believe the best way to serve people is through mutual respect, including respect for our shared environment. NFW was founded in 2015 and is based in Peoria, Illinois. To learn more, please visit: http://www.naturalfiberwelding.com.
Residents line up outside a community center to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in Beijing on Jan. 12, 2021. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Imposes Vaccination Quotas on Companies, Schools: Leaked Document

The Chinese regime has recently implemented orders that require organizations, schools, and companies to ensure that most of its members and employees receive COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible, according to a government document obtained by The Epoch Times from a trusted source.

The document, titled, Zhangjiagang Vaccination Plan, was issued on March 27 by the Epidemic Prevention and Control Command Center of Zhangjiagang city in Jiangsu Province. It stated that the goal is to carry out the COVID-19 mass vaccination plan that was implemented by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

According to the document, at least 572,000 local residents [around 45 percent of the citys population] should be inoculated with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of April. It focuses on high-risk groups and people between the ages of 18 and 59, and requires at least 85 percent of that population to be vaccinated. The high-risk groups include front-line workers, citizens going abroad, and public workers such as educators, firefighters, and police.

The plan requires all workplaces and schools to strengthen the vaccination propaganda. State-run media has encouraged people to get inoculated by promoting homegrown vaccines.

Zhangjiagang Vaccination Plan issued by Zhangjiagang Municipal Epidemic Prevention and Control on March 27, 2021. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

The mass vaccination campaign launched by the CCP has become a political task. The regime uses various tactics to make vaccination mandatory such as through coercion and surveillance. Beijing has implemented a color-based digital health code system last year to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, the digital QR health code is connected with Chinese public security departments as part of the regimes big data surveillance and control.

The Epoch Times obtained the government document from a resident of Zhangjiagang, surnamed Shen. He said, My workplace also requires all employees to be vaccinated. For those employees who refuse it, they are required to document the reason(s) on a vaccination form, such as chronic diseases, allergies, cancer, pregnancy or wanting to become pregnant.

Most people dont want to be inoculated. My friends who are policemen told me that they dont want to be vaccinated and would try their best to avoid it. However, the school teachers as a group have already been vaccinated and the statistics are being collected, Shen said.

An employee at a Chinese state-owned enterprise in Beijing shared his experience with the publication. He requested anonymity due to security concerns.

The company requires us to report the vaccination status [of employees] on a weekly basis. If you do not get vaccinated [now], you may be questioned by the companys management in the future or placed under investigation by relevant departments, the employee said.

Chinese citizen are reluctant to get inoculated with homegrown vaccines due to quality concerns, side effects, and lack of data transparency.

Last month, Pakinstans president and prime minister tested positive for COVID-19 after taking Chinese-made vaccines.

As of March 25, 10 people have died in Hong Kong after receiving Chinese-made vaccines in the three-week period after vaccinations began. Its unclear whether the vaccines contributed to the deaths.

A phase three clinical trial of the Sinovac vaccine conducted in Brazil in January reported that it was 50.4 percent effective, which is far below the initial claims of the Chinese company, which touted a 78 percent efficacy rate.

In March, the COVID-19 vaccine made by Sinopharm, another Chinese company, reported 11.5 percent and 33.3 percent efficacy rates against two virus strains in its phase three clinical trials in Peru.

In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on March 20, Gao Fu, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested that an additional third dose of the vaccine may be needed to boost its effectiveness, after a fully vaccinated Chinese doctor tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, the distributor of Chinas Sinopharm vaccine in the United Arab Emirates has started offering a third dose to some people with low immune response to it.

Hu Yuanzhen contributed to this report.
One of the most popular and widely used features that Google brought for its users was Google Maps. Launched in February of 2005, Google Maps has helped a lot of us lost souls out there (literally).Google has recently announced a whole bunch of features that its is planning to roll out soon. One such feature is that the Google Maps will now include indoor Live View AR directions. The one thing which is making this feature different from all the other ones Google has come up till now its users is that this indoor AR navigation can favor eco-friendly navigation as well! When recommending routes to the users the Google Maps will be adding weather and air quality destinations too. The Live View is an AR feature that allows its consumers to see where the destination is by pointing the camera out to the surroundings and covering all the directions on the screen. To include this Live View AR feature for indoor navigation, it is reported that Google had to develop an entire new technology that is called global localization, the director of Google Maps in a press meeting said that this new technology has become the backbone of the Live View feature that is out available to the world today.According to 9to5google this feature wont be available everywhere but only on selected locations such as airports, malls and train/bus stops to help the users find out exactly where they are heading towards to. Google in a blog post said that if a user is trying to catch a plane or train, the Live View feature can help the user to find the nearest elevator, escalator, gate, platform, baggage claim, check-in counter, ticket office, restroom, ATMs and what not. The arrows along with the directions will make the user go the right way saving a lot of precious time as well. This feature is available to some users in a number of malls in Chicago, LA, Newark, Long Island, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle. Google has said that in the upcoming months it will be launching this feature to more shopping locations in different cities and countries.Along with this, when a route will be recommended by Google, local weather and air quality data as mentioned above will be shown as well, Maps will also be showing more fuel-efficient routes when travelling by car. Many areas globally include low-emission zone to reduce emissions and CO2 levels. Google Maps will also soon inform if a specific route leads to a low emission zone and then will also provide with an alternative route if the vehicle is not suitable for that. This is launching soon, in June of this year in many countries including Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain and the UK.Read next: Google Chrome Is Working Towards Providing Users A Better Video Calling Accessibility Through Picture in Picture Mode
Photo: mail.google.com

A data-driven plan and securing our future

It has been more than a year since the start of the pandemic, and with many businesses still struggling and friends and family apart, it can sometimes be difficult to remain optimistic.

But as winter melts away, and Kelowna-Lake Country residents look ahead, I hear every day that people are looking for hope and a practical path to recovery.

Its that time of the year when we all sit down and begin the process of filing our taxes.

To protect yourself against fraud, its important to be vigilant when receiving phone calls, mail, texts, or emails from someone claiming to be with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

If you search, "Slam the scam  protect yourself against fraud, youll find an informative section on the CRAs website on tips to recognize and protect yourself from a scam.

I was able to ask questions in the House of Commons last week about two topics  Buy American restrictions and vaccine export controls.

First, government representatives state they are only negotiating sector specific exceptions from Buy American policies, meaning the federal government will be handpicking which sectors (and potentially which businesses) fail or succeed.

Conservatives were able to negotiate a full exemption in 2009. Without an exemption, Canadian manufacturing jobs are at risk of moving south of the border.

Second, we have a right to be concerned and need assurances about the export measures being put on vaccine exports from the European Union and India, and how this may affect shipments to Canada.

I also had the opportunity to make another statement in the House of Commons about the affects of lockdowns on businesses. This time, I focused on local fitness and martial arts owners who have been hit especially hard.

As Conservatives, we called on the federal government to present a clear, data-driven plan to support the gradual, safe, and permanent lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

Many businesses are on the brink and family and friends remain separated. Ive heard from many constituents about the pandemics severe impact on their mental health.

Our communities have sacrificed so much and we need a plan for hope.

Conservatives led Canada through the last recession. As we look forward, we are once again putting forth a recovery plan that champions workers, families, and communities.



Here are our five priorities for Canada to secure the future.

Secure Jobs:

Take immediate action to help the hardest hit sectors (including women and young Canadians who have been impacted the most)

Assist small business and provide incentives to invest in, rebuild, and start new businesses

Secure accountability:

Toughen the Conflict of Interest Act and impose higher penalties

Toughen the Lobbying Act to end abuse by insiders

Secure mental health:

Boost funding to the provinces for mental health care

Provide incentives to employers to provide mental health coverage to employees

Secure our country:

Partner with pharmaceutical companies to increase production of critical medicines

Strengthen domestic production of PPE

Overhaul and rebuild Canadas National Emergency Stockpile System

Secure Canadas economy

Responsibly wind down emergency COVID support programs as Canadians are vaccinated and the economy re-opens

Ensure that stimulus measures are targeted and time limited

The approach we are taking is rooted in security, certainty, and accountability, not untested economic models. Time and time again this government has demonstrated an Ottawa-knows-best-approach.

You can see my continued small business spotlight features that I post on social media.

Its also been wonderful to be out in the community again (safely) such as volunteering in Joe Rich at a community-led initiative and at a Rutland community spring clean up.

During the next few weeks, many Kelowna-Lake Country residents will be celebrating significant religious holidays including Passover, Holi, and Easter. While these holidays will be different than in years past, I wish you and your family meaningful celebrations in what way you can.

If you need any assistance with programs or have any thoughts to share, feel free to reach out. 250-470-5075 or [email protected]
In January, former S.F. mayoral candidate Richie Greenberg began a Change.org petition to recall San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin.

Our beloved city has seen an astronomical increase in crime, even under COVID-19 restrictions, Greenbergs petition states. In 2020, violent crime, home invasions, rampant and unchecked drug dealing and business property theft have turned our city upside down.

The petition has garnered nearly 15,000 signatures, suggesting that others may also believe that San Franciscos crime rates spiked dramatically in 2020.

But a look at the data shows that while San Franciscos crime rates did deviate from previous trends in 2020, most types of violent crime actually plummeted  and all violent crime rates remain near their lowest levels since 1975. Further examination of crime trends across the U.S. suggests that the pandemic has had a much larger impact on crime in San Francisco than the election of Boudin.

The Chronicle gathered data from the San Francisco Police Departments crime dashboard, which reports crimes per month according to the FBIs Uniform Crime Reporting Standard. The data isnt perfect  for instance, an incident with multiple charges will have only its most serious charge counted, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics counts crimes differently  but it provides a solid look at year-over-year trends.

According to our analysis, crime rates in San Francisco steadily declined from 2017 to 2019. In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Boudins first year as district attorney, some of these rates declined more sharply while others reversed course. Burglaries went up by more than 46%, and motor vehicle thefts increased by 22%.

But rapes, assaults and robberies  all designated violent crimes according to the FBI  went down, as did larceny thefts, which are considered property crimes. The FBI defines larceny theft as taking someones property. The crime becomes a burglary if it involves the unlawful entry of a structure, and a robbery if it involves the use of force or the threat of force.

And while homicides increased compared with 2019, they remained below 2017 levels. We chose 2017 as the benchmark for our data because its the earliest year available on the SFPDs website.

2020s increase in homicides also doesnt seem extraordinary considering that in 2019, the city had just 41  fewer than any year since 1963, when San Francisco had around 140,000 fewer residents.

In many parts of the country, and weve seen it in some California cities as well, including Sacramento and L.A., weve seen an increase in homicides, Magnus Lofstrom, a policy director and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, told The Chronicle. Thats something we havent seen a notable increase of in San Francisco.

Nationwide, for cities with populations between 500,000 and 1 million (San Franciscos is about 880,000), murder rates spiked 26.5% in the last quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019; aggravated assaults also surged.

Jeff Asher, a crime analyst based in New Orleans, found that murders in metropolitan areas nationwide had increased by 35% in 2020 compared with 2019. In contrast, San Francisco went from 41 to 48 homicides from 2019 to 2020, a 17% increase. And the citys 2020 murder rate was still 15% lower than in 2017.

The recent decline in murder rates is just one part of a decades-long steady decrease in all forms of violent crime in San Francisco. From 1975 to 2015, homicides in the city decreased by 70%, rapes decreased by 50%, robberies decreased by 51% and aggravated assaults decreased by 24%, according to FBI data collected by the Marshall Project.

Its also not unique to San Francisco: The decline of violent crime since the 1970s has been well documented nationwide. Researchers are still trying to pinpoint why this decline has occurred.

Theres a whole bunch of ideas, from (an increasing number of) police officers all the way to reducing (levels of) lead, Asher told The Chronicle. Lofstrom added that some studies have shown that each additional police officer prevents about 1.3 violent crimes per year.

But one thing is clear, according to Asher: Its not increased incarceration that drove lower rates. For instance, Californias prison and jail populations have decreased substantially since 1996; its violent crime rates have also decreased during that period.

Lenore Anderson, chief executive and president of the criminal justice reform organization Californians for Safety and Justice, said crime rates are largely determined by environmental factors like mental health, substance abuse and economic declines  like last years pandemic-driven recession.

Criminologists and researchers will point to a variety of factors when we think about crime trends, Anderson said. Aside from policing initiatives, none of the factors they typically point to have anything to do with criminal justice policy.

That includes the District Attorneys Office, in San Francisco and elsewhere. I think that theres a way in which the debate on crime policy gets so politicized so quick around individual elected officials or individual cases, when the truth is, theres a much bigger gap that exists, which is the lack of attention paid to real crime prevention in the first place, Anderson said.

Take Sacramento, a city about 90 miles from San Francisco with a similar-size population. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Schubert takes a more traditional approach to prosecutions and has been endorsed by numerous law enforcement associations in the region. According to FBI crime data, the city saw assaults and homicides increase in 2020, while robberies and most property crimes decreased.

Lofstrom said its difficult to tell why changing crime patterns looked so different in San Francisco and Sacramento last year. The one thing hes sure of is that both the pandemic and, to a lesser extent, widespread protests after the death of George Floyd have altered normal patterns across the country.

What is clear is were talking about highly unusual events that wreaked havoc on our lives in many ways, he said. Its not surprising that our crime rates reflect those things as well.

One possible factor behind San Franciscos stark decline in most violent crimes last year, he said, was that the citys large commuter population declined considerably as many knowledge workers performed their jobs at home  a factor that probably also affected crime in Sacramento.

There were simply fewer people in the city of San Francisco compared to before the pandemic, Lofstrom said. Such a decrease could naturally lead to declines in crimes that require both parties to be physically present, like assaults and rapes; meanwhile, higher unemployment rates could motivate people to commit more property crimes like burglaries and car thefts.

Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susan.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susieneilson
The Prince William Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
The graceful, winding arms of the majestic spiral galaxy M51 appear like a grand spiral staircase flowing through space. They are actually long lanes of stars and gas studded with dust. Such striking arms are a hallmark of grand-design spiral galaxies. In a recent development, the Whirlpool galaxy was captured by an amateur photographer Yuvnish Bhardwaj from Squamish, Canada.

Yuvnish has shared this photograph from his Facebook account.

WHIRLPOOL GALAXY ! Shot with astromodified Canon T2i and 8 inch Meade SC telescope with focal length 2032mm. Total 2.5... Posted by Yuvnish Bhardwaj on Thursday, April 1, 2021

The image is shot with Astro modified Canon T2i and 8 inch Meade SC telescope with focal length 2032mm.

Total 2.5 hours of integration in cold Windy Bortle 3 Dark site in Squamish BC.

The amateur photographer has said that "it took him three hours to balance this 10 kg set up on Eqr pro mount in order to guide perfectly at that focal length on windy dark night."

He added by saying that "Collimation fell apart due to a drop in temperature to -10. But when 1st sub popped up camera screen, I was stunned to have photographed from 31 million light-years away from earth!"

The Whirlpool Galaxy is also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194

The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195, smaller galaxy, NGC 5195, has been circling around M51 in a gravitational collision for the last half billion years or so. It's now slightly behind M51.

The star bridge connecting them and the dust clouds are covering part of NGC 5195 are both a result of the ongoing gravitational interaction, which will eventually cause the two galaxies to merge in the upcoming time.

Live TV
SPRINGFIELD  Businesses of all sizes have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has been especially difficult for smaller businesses.

Using data from the Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker, a project of Harvard University, an analysis from the nonpartisan Illinois Policy Institute found that 35% of small businesses in Illinois are closed now compared to before the pandemic.

Bryce Hill, a senior research analyst with the think-tank, said there are two main reasons for the closures.

Population-dense areas have been more drastically affected by COVID-19, and there are also going to be economic realities of mitigation measures that were put into place in Illinois that may have been tighter than in some other areas, Hill said.

The analysis also showed 50% of small businesses in the food services and accommodations industry and 51% in the leisure and hospitality industry have closed. These were the most affected sectors in Illinois.

Over 38% of small businesses in the educational and health services industry are still closed, the sixth most in the nation.

A recent Alignable Small Business Confidence Poll found that 45% of all small business owners remain highly concerned about keeping their businesses afloat through the rest of the COVID era.

And that number is even higher for minorities (59%) and women (50%), as well as small businesses in key sectors, such as beauty salons (63%), caterers (63%), and retailers (49%).

Hill notes that small businesses are the main job providers in the state, and talk of tax hikes for businesses in Springfield would be a mistake.

Which would be coming at the absolute worse time, Hill said. So as businesses are trying to get back on their feet and recover, the last thing the state can afford to do if they want to see those businesses come back would be is to raise taxes.
Dr. Bonnie Henry talks about the next steps in B.C.'s COVID-19 Immunization Plan during a press conference at Legislature in Victoria on Jan. 22, 2021. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

Appeal of Ban on In-Person Church Gatherings Filed in BC Supreme Court

A lawyer representing three Fraser Valley churches has filed a notice of appeal in B.C.s top court over the provinces ban on in-person religious gatherings.

B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ruled on March 18 that the order issued by B.C. Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry banning in-person religious gatherings infringed on Canadians religious rights protected by the Charter, but that the infringement was reasonable.

Meanwhile, Hinkson struck down public health orders banning outdoor protests.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which had filed the legal challenge on behalf of three churches and four individuals, said it was pleased with the ruling on outdoor protests but disappointed in the courts dismissal of the challenge to the prohibition on in-person religious gatherings.

The B.C. churches challenging the Provincial Health Orders assert that they have gone to extraordinary lengths to comply with onerous health guidelines, including limiting attendance to no more than 50 persons, pre-registering attendees, rearranging seating to ensure physical distancing, providing hand sanitizer and masks, and enhancing cleaning and sanitizing procedures, the statement said.

JCCF lawyer Paul Jaffe, who represents the group of petitionersincluding three Fraser Valley churches that had continued to hold services in defiance of the public health orderfiled a notice of appeal on March 31 with the B.C. Court of Appeal.

Jaffe told Global News that his clients are not questioning whether Henrys public health order was reasonable in responding to a surge in new infections.

What was at issue, though, is that the orders distinguish between religious and secular gatherings, a distinction which was an issue, and unfortunately, the judgment didnt really address that, he said.

Jaffe said that there no scientific proof showing different levels of virus transmissions between religious and secular environments, and the fact that the B.C. government allows people to gather in places such as schools and grocery stores while banning in-person services in churches amounts to religious discrimination.

In an interview with Rebel News, Jaffe said that when governments limit constitutional freedoms, it has to be shown at a reasonable limit, prescribed by law, and demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. He said Hinkson applied a lower test to the Crown, saying that as long as he cant find that Dr. Henrys decision-making was exercised unreasonably, whether he agrees with it or not, he cant set it aside.

One of the most troubling things about that is that it allows for governments to infringe constitutional rights through subordinate legislation, through unelected people, in a process that has no transparency, he said.

Jaffe said if Hinksons judgement stands, it will give governments incentive to infringe upon civil rights.

The JCCF says that since Nov. 19, 2020, in-person religious serviceswhich are protected under Section 2(a) of the Charterhave been prohibited entirely, regardless of the extra safety measures implemented by faith communities.
Flowers and other tributes have been placed at Wang Wei's grave at a cemetery in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Thursday, the 20th anniversary of his death. [Photo/CHINA DAILY]

The South Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy said its naval and air forces are able, determined and ready to safeguard the nation's sovereignty, security and interests as it and people across the nation remembered a hero on Thursday.

The fleet published an article on its WeChat social media account to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Wang Wei, a Chinese fighter jet pilot who was killed on April 1, 2001, in a collision with a United States spy plane near Hainan, China's southernmost island province.

"The best message we can send to the hero is that we will never allow such a tragedy to happen again," the article said."The Chinese Navy will never let history repeat itself."

The world will not be one in which the bigger fist has the bigger say, and the PLA Navy is always prepared to confront intruders and defend the country, it said.

The article compared China's military's hardware 20 years ago with that of today and displayed photos of the PLA Navy's current hardware, including an aircraft carrier, large destroyer, nuclear submarine and long-range bomber. It said that the date of Wang Wei's death will never be forgotten.

Every year on April 1, many Chinese people commemorate that sad day by posting words of remembrance and respect on internet forums and their social media accounts.

On Thursday, many Chinese media organizations published articles honoring Wang, saying that the PLA has become as strong as the Navy pilot had dreamed of. Some also posted a painting of Wang that depicted his wish of one day flying a fighter jet from an aircraft carrier.

In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, flowers, paintings about Wang and scale models of China's latest combat planes and an aircraft carrier were placed in front of Wang's commemorative statue by local residents to show their respect.

Many netizens also posted on social media Wang's letter applying for membership in the Communist Party of China. In the letter, Wang said he was "willing to sacrifice everything, even his life, for the interests of the Party and the people".

Wang, who was born in April 1968 in Huzhou, Zhejiang, had wanted to become a PLA pilot since he was a young boy, family members said.

After spending five years at a flight college under the PLA Air Force, he was assigned to a fighter jet unit of the PLA Navy in July 1991 and given the rank of lieutenant junior grade.

On the morning of April 1, 2001, Wang, by then a lieutenant commander, and his wingman Zhao Yu were mobilized to monitor a US Navy EP-3E Aries II intelligence-gathering aircraft that had taken off from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, and later flew into Chinese airspace over the South China Sea.

A PLA investigation found that the US plane had ignored warnings from the Chinese jets and made dangerous maneuvers, leading to a collision with Wang's fighter jet.

Wang was forced to eject from his seriously damaged jet.

The Chinese military conducted a large-scale 14-day search for the pilot in the South China Sea but failed to find him. Wang's body was never recovered, and he was presumed dead. He was only nine days away from his 33rd birthday.

Wang was proclaimed a revolutionary martyr and given the honorary title of "Guardian of Air and Sea".
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 19:22:54|Editor: huaxia

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STOCKHOLM, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Sweden will open more clinics to cope with the increasing number of long-COVID patients, Swedish Television (SVT) reported on Friday.

The Karolinska University Hospital will soon open a second clinic in Huddinge, south of Stockholm, which specializes in treating long-COVID patients and conducts research on the pandemic.

The first such clinic in central Stockholm has already run out of beds, SVT reported.

"We need to establish clinics as soon as possible," Heidi Stensmyren, the managing director of women's health at Karolinska University Hospital was quoted by the SVT as saying.

Specialists and doctors from several areas will also be picked to form teams at the new clinics.

More than 10,500 individuals in Sweden's capital Stockholm have been diagnosed with having symptoms of long COVID-19, including breathing difficulties, severe fatigue, headaches, nausea, difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, and recurrent infections, the report said. Enditem
(Natural News) Health officials in Canada are struggling to figure out the cause of a new, mysterious brain disease that has affected more than 40 people in the countrys southeast.

In early March, Canadian officials began alerting doctors and provincial health officials in New Brunswick to tell them that federal health authorities were monitoring a cluster of 43 cases of neurological disease with an unknown cause. The first case was identified in 2015, but the number of people with the condition has risen sharply since, with 24 cases reported in 2020 and six so far in 2021. Five people have died due to complications as a result of the disease.

The province of New Brunswick is to the northeast of the U.S. state of Maine. The cases seem to be concentrated around the Acadian Peninsula region in the provinces northeast and the Moncton metropolitan area in the southeast. Health officials have refused to disclose the precise locations of the cases.

Cause of the mysterious brain illness currently unknown

Doctors first thought the disease was Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a rare and fatal brain disease caused by abnormally folded proteins called prions. But tests conducted showed no evidence of CJD, nor any other related condition.

A leaked memo from New Brunswicks public health agency told the provinces doctors to look out for patients bearing symptoms similar to CJD.

Some of the symptoms physicians in the province were told to look out for include memory loss, visual hallucinations, changes in behavior, sleep disturbances, coordination problems and severe muscle and brain atrophy. (Related: Got memory loss, brain fog and chronic fatigue? Here are the top 5 causes.)

We are collaborating with different national groups and experts; however, no clear cause has been identified at this time, read the memo.

Dr. Alier Marrero, a neurologist working at Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Center in Moncton, has been researching the new disease and believes it is not genetic. His leading theory is that it could be contracted from water, food or air since it has not been reported anywhere else in Canada.

For now, it has only been found here, said Marrero.

Marreros team currently believes it is some kind of prion disease, despite the inconclusive tests, due to its symptoms. But he has also cautioned doctors against rushing to assume the current cases are caused by prion disease.

Before coming out with a definition of a new condition, you need to have a lot of information to be sure that you are not diagnosing something else.

According to Marrero, patients initially come to the hospital complaining about unexplained pains, spasms and behavioral changes. Doctors in the area should watch out for these, as they can easily be misdiagnosed as anxiety or depression.

The symptoms of this new brain disease then progress over a period of 18 to 36 months. Patients start to experience cognitive decline, muscle wasting, drooling and teeth chattering. Several patients also experience very frightening hallucinations, including the feeling that there are insects crawling on their skin.

People who come in with similar symptoms have to go through a lot of diagnostic exams before their case can be included in the New Brunswick cluster.

Marreros team begins by conducting an extensive study of the patients history. They then proceed with a battery of tests including spinal taps, metabolic and toxicology tests and brain imaging to rule out other potential diseases like possible infections, dementia, neurodegenerative disorders and autoimmune conditions.

We have not seen over the last 20-plus years a cluster of diagnosis-resistant neurological diseases like this one, said Michael Coulthart, head of the Canadian Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System.

Health officials are monitoring the situation very closely, and further research is required to understand the common links that could help them pinpoint the exact cause of the disease.

At this point, we have more questions than answers, said Dr. Jennifry Russell, New Brunswicks Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Marrero and other doctors have consulted experts in neurology, toxicology, environmental health, field epidemiology and zoonotics to better understand the cause of the illness, but so far have been unable to figure out much.

I dont really know if we even have a defined syndrome. There just isnt enough information yet, said Valerie Sim, a researcher of neurological diseases working at the University of Alberta. We see odd neurological syndromes from time to time. Sometimes we figure them out. Sometimes we dont.

Learn more about other conditions that can affect the brain by reading the latest articles at Brain.news.

Sources include:

LiveScience.com

CBC.ca

TheGuardian.com
The Twitter and Facebook logo along with binary cyber codes are seen in this illustration taken on Nov. 26, 2019. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File/Reuters)

Big Tech Employees and PACs Gave 12 Times More Money to Democrats Than to GOP: Report

According to an original analysis by the Internet Accountability Project (IAP) released on Thursday, Facebook and Twitter employees and PACs donated more money to Democrats, at a ratio of 12 to 1, compared to the amount donated to Republicans in 2020.

The PACs and employee donations to the Democrats from the companies in question were more than $5.5 million. Less than $435,000 went to Republicans.

As Twitter and Facebook became more brazen in their politically biased censorship, Americans turned to Parler. By November 2020, Parler had the most downloaded app on Apples U.S. App Store and on Googles U.S. Play Store, becoming more popular than TikTok, Zoom, and YouTube, said Mike Davis, the founder and president of IAP in a statement.

IAP, a nonprofit, states that its mission is to lend a conservative voice to the calls for federal and state governments to rein in Big Tech before it is too late.

On January 8, 2021, the day after Facebook and Twitter banned President Trump from their platforms, Parler had 20 million users and was again the top-downloaded app and the obvious choice for President Trump and his 90 million followers. Parlers rising popularity made Parler a viable threat to Facebook and Twitters dominance over social media. So together, they colluded with Amazon to destroy Parler and used the horrific attacks on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 as a shameful excuse. Why are Congressional Democrats on the House Oversight Committee investigating Parler? Just follow the money, Davis wrote.

In one example, the IAP says that in 2020, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez received $36,346 while all Republicans on the House Oversight Committee combined only got less than $1,950, and that Twitter employees didnt donate a single dollar to Republicans on the Oversight Committee.

According to data from OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks money in politics and campaign finance records, big tech companies have been major financial backers of the Biden campaign the election cycle.

The top five contributors to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens candidate committee include Alphabet, which was the largest contributor; Microsoft Corp, the fourth-largest contributor; and Amazon, the fifth-largest contributor.

Alphabet contributed just under $1.9 million to the committee, Microsoft contributed $997,226, and Amazon gave $931,821.

Other major technology companies that made it to the top donors list for the 2020 cycle included Apple and Facebook. Microsoft in particular has played an extensive role in supporting Bidens campaign, compared to other companies.

Microsofts senior executives have donated more to the Biden campaign during the primaries than any other large tech company, according to data from the Revolving Door Project, part of the Center for Economic & Policy Research (CERP).

Bowen Xiao contributed to this report.
People walk next to a train which derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan, on April 2, 2021. (Taiwan's National Fire Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Train Crash Kills 50 in Taiwans Deadliest Rail Tragedy in Decades

HUALIEN, TaiwanA Taiwan express train with almost 500 aboard derailed in a tunnel on Friday after hitting a truck that had slid down a bank onto the track, killing at least 50 passengers and injuring 146 in the islands worst rail disaster in seven decades.

Images from the scene showed some carriages ripped apart by the impact, with others crumpled, hindering rescuers in their efforts to reach passengers.

By mid-afternoon no one was still trapped, though the fire department said it had found body parts, meaning the number of those killed, who included the driver, was likely to rise.

People just fell all over each other, on top of one another, a woman who survived the crash told domestic television. It was terrifying. There were whole families there.

People walk next to a damaged train which derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan, on April 2, 2021. (Screenshot/FTV via Reuters)

Taiwans government said there were 496 people on the train, including 120 without seats. Many were tourists and people heading home at the start of a traditional long weekend holiday to tend to family graves. One French citizen was amongst the dead, officials said.

The train was traveling from Taipei, the capital, to the southeastern city of Taitung.

It came off the rails north of the eastern city of Hualien after hitting a truck that had slid off a road from a nearby construction site, Feng Hui-sheng, the Taiwan Railways Administrations deputy director, told reporters.

Feng said the manager of the site, which was stabilizing the mountainside to prevent landslides, visited around 9 a.m. and stopped his truck in front of the site office.

At present it is suspected because the vehicle wasnt braked properly, it slid for around 20 meters along the site access road and entered the eastern trunk line, he added.

The official Central News Agency said police had taken in the manager for questioning.

The fire department showed a picture of what appeared to be wreckage of the truck beside the derailed train, with an aerial image of one end of the train still on the track next to the construction site.

The site of a partial train derailment in Toroko Gorge in Taiwans eastern Hualian region, on April 2, 2021. (Taiwan National Fire Agency via AP)

Everything Shook

Survivors described their terror as the train slammed into the truck and ground to a halt.

It suddenly came to a stop and then everything shook, one told local television. It was all so chaotic.

Rescue team help one of the stranded passengers down from the roof of a train which derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan, on April 2, 2021. (Screenshot/Facebook/Hualienfastnews via Reuters)

Passengers in some carriages still in the tunnel had to be led to safety, the railway administration said.

Images showed an injured passenger carried away on a stretcher, with her head and neck in a brace, while others gathered suitcases and bags in a tilted, derailed carriage as some walked on the trains roof to exit the tunnel.

The accident occurred at the beginning of a long weekend for the traditional Tomb Sweeping Day holiday.

Taiwans mountainous east coast is a tourist destination. The railway that snakes down from Taipei hugs the coast and is known for its tunnels, in one of which the crash took place. The link to Taipei opened in 1979.

Taiwans state-owned railways are generally reliable and efficient, but have had a patchy safety record over the years.

The last major crash was in 2018, when 18 people died and 175 were injured when a train derailed in the islands northeast.

In 1948, 64 people are estimated to have died when a train burst into flames in northern Taiwan.

By Ann Wang
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 2)  As new COVID-19 cases continue to surge, hospitals in Metro Manila, the pandemic epicenter that remains under enhanced community quarantine, are quickly running out of beds for patients who require intensive care.

Data from the Department of Health as of March 31 showed 602 beds or 76% of the combined 792 in intensive care units for COVID-19 patients in the National Capital Region are occupied, putting hospitals in the region at high risk level. Medical facilities which have reached 70% to 80% occupancy rate fall under this risk category.

With several hospitals approaching breaking point, a major concern is  where do people go for help?

Here are the healthcare facilities in the NCR that still reported vacant ICU beds for COVID-19 patients as of March 31, subject to change:

Adventist Medical Center Manila - 2 vacant ICU beds (8525-9191)

Allied Care Experts (Ace) Medical Center - Quezon City, Inc. - 1 vacant ICU bed (8283-3993)

Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center - 1 vacant ICU bed (8948-0595 / 8941-0342)

Capitol Medical Center, Inc. - 2 vacant ICU beds (8372-3825 to 44)

De Los Santos Medical Center - 3 vacant ICU beds (8893-5762)

Diliman Doctors Hospital, Inc. - 1 vacant ICU bed (8883-6900 local 803)

Dr. Fe Del Mundo Medical Center - 2 vacant ICU beds (8712 0845)

East Avenue Medical Center - 1 vacant ICU bed (8928-0611 to 24)

Fatima University Medical Center, Corporation - 3 vacant ICU beds (+639661340144)

Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center - 3 vacant ICU beds (8711-9491)

Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital - 7 vacant ICU beds (5310-1984 or 8254-2453)

Marikina St. Vincent General Hospital, Inc. - 2 vacant ICU beds (8941-7320)

National Childrens Hospital - 3 vacant ICU beds (8724-0656)

Olivarez General Hospital, Inc. - 1 vacant ICU bed (8826-5750)

Ospital ng Makati - 2 vacant ICU beds (8882-6316 to 36)

Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center - 3 vacant ICU beds (8524-6063 to 69)

Our Lady of Grace Hospital Inc. - 9 vacant ICU bed (8361-1138 / 09435448737)

Pasig City General Hospital - 8 vacant ICU beds (0910 627 1333)

Pasig Doctors Medical Center, Inc. - 1 vacant ICU bed - (8878-7362)

Philippine Children's Medical Center - 3 vacant ICU beds (8588-9900)

Philippine Heart Center - 3 vacant ICU beds (8925-2401)

Quezon City General Hospital - 5 vacant ICU beds (8863-0800)

St. Camillus Medical Center - 1 vacant ICU bed (8645-3741 to 42)

St. Claires Medical Center Inc. - 1 vacant ICU bed (8832-0055 local 0)

St. Jude General Hospital and Medical Center - 2 vacant ICU beds (8731-2765 / 8740-4149)

St. Luke's Medical Center - 1 vacant ICU bed (8723-0101)

St. Luke's Medical Center-Global City - 3 vacant ICU beds (8789-7700)

Sta. Ana Hospital - 1 vacant ICU bed (8516-6153)

Tondo Medical Center - 6 vacant ICU beds (8865-9000 / 8865-9035)

U.E.R.M. Memorial Hospital - 5 vacant ICU beds (8715-0861 to 71)

UHBI-Paranaque Doctors Hospital, Inc. - 5 vacant ICU beds (8776-0644 - loc.7000 / 8776-0644 - 51, 53 & 54)

University of Perpetual Help Dalta Medical Center, Inc. - 1 vacant ICU bed (8874-8515)

UP-Philippine General Hospital - 1 vacant ICU bed (8554-8400)

Valenzuela Medical Center - 3 vacant ICU beds (8294-6711)

Veterans Memorial Medical Center - 6 vacant ICU beds (8927-6426 to 45)

VRP Medical Center - 7 vacant ICU beds (8464-9999)

DOH updates its tracker daily or every other day. By the time this report is posted, many of these beds could also be occupied, based on the rate of increase in COVID-19 cases. We are including the contact details of hospitals to check bed availability.

People who need assistance in finding hospitals for those infected with COVID-19 may also try to reach the One Hospital Command Center through the following numbers:

-0919 977 3333

-0915 777 7777

-(02) 886 505 00

Reports on social media in the past two days also indicate that patients from Metro Manila have reached certain outlying provinces in search of medical attention but it was not clear how they eluded checkpoints that are supposed to prevent travel outside the restricted ECQ zone.

READ: Desperate calls for help as hospitals fill up due to COVID-19 surge

Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan, also known as the Greater Manila area or NCR Plus, are under the strictest enhanced community quarantine to tackle the fresh surge in infections. The lockdown started on March 29 and is set to end on April 4, although an extension is under consideration of authorities.

Active COVID-19 cases in the country hit an all-time high of 138,948 on Thursday, after the Department of Health confirmed 8,920 more infections. The newly confirmed cases pushed the overall tally to 756,199. Meanwhile, recoveries stood at 603,948, while the death toll climbed to 13,306.
YouTube Twins Plead Guilty to Felony Mayhem, Receive Plea Bargain

Twins whose shenanigans gained them YouTube fame have pleaded guilty to a number of charges related to a pair of fake robberies in Irvine.

Alan and Alex Stokes pleaded guilty to the chargeswhich included misdemeanor false imprisonment and reporting false emergenciesin exchange for a plea bargain, the Orange County District Attorneys office said March 31.

The 23-year-old twins came to notoriety after posting videos on YouTube of pranks they played on unsuspecting people.

The charges were in connection with a pair of fake bank robberies in Irvine that resulted in an Uber driver being held at gunpoint by police. The Uber driver was not involved in the prank.

The Stokes brothers were accused of having their videographer film them dressed in black, wearing ski masks and carrying duffle bags full of cash, telling the driver that they had just robbed an Irvine bank.

The driver refused to drive them, and a bystander witness called police believing the two men had just robbed a bank and were attempting to carjack the Uber driver.

When Irvine police arrived, they ordered the Uber driver out of his car at gunpoint and arrested him.

He was released after police determined he was not involved in the prank. Police let the Stokes brothers go after issuing a warning about the dangerousness of their conduct.

Four hours later, the brothers conducted the same style of prank on the UCIrvine campus, and Irvine police responded to calls of a possible bank robbery.

An active bank robbery is not a casual police response. These police officers were literally risking their lives to help people they believed were in danger, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.

It is irresponsible and reckless that these two individuals cared more about increasing their number of Internet followers than the safety of those officers and the innocent Uber driver who was ordered out of his car at gunpoint.

These crimes could have easily resulted in someone being seriously hurt or killed, Spitzer said in the statement.

Though they each faced a maximum sentence of five years in jail if convicted on all counts, their guilty pleas were exchanged by the judge who reduced the felony false imprisonment charge to a misdemeanor.

Each of the brothers were charged with one felony count of false imprisonment effected by violence, menace, fraud or deceit and two misdemeanor counts of falsely reporting an emergency in connection with the October 2019 prank.

The duo received a reduced sentence of 160 hours of community service, one year of formal probation, and were ordered to pay restitution. The judge also ordered the brothers to stay away from UCI, and to stop making videos that mimic criminal behavior.
Advertisement

The knife-wielding suspect who mowed down two Capitol police officers, killing one and leaving the other critically injured, before being shot dead has now been identified as a 25-year-old Nation of Islam follower.

Noah Green, 25, who described himself as a 'Follower of Farrakhan' and said the federal government was targeting him with mind control on his now-removed Facebook page, was identified by NBC and the New York Post as the perpetrator behind the deadly attack at the US Capitol Friday.

Green allegedly killed Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force, after mowing him and another unidentified officer down with his blue Nissan Altima.

Green, who was from Indiana but has ties to Virginia, then exited the vehicle wielding a knife and was shot dead by other cops.

Capitol Police confirmed Friday evening that the other officer who was struck by the car is in stable and non-threatening condition.

The motive for Friday's attack is not yet clear. Posts on Green's now-removed social media accounts spoke of conspiracies that the FBI and CIA were poisoning him, subjecting him to unauthorized operations and targeting him with 'mind control'.

In one post - just two hours before the attack - Green called the federal government the '#1 enemy of Black people'.

Green also wrote several posts heaping praise on Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan for saving him and describing him as 'Jesus, the Messiah' and his 'spiritual father.'

The tragic incident comes less than three months after the January 6 riot on the US Capitol and one week after wire fencing was removed from the area.

Capitol police officer Billy Evans (left) was killed by a knife-wielding driver on Friday at the US Capitol. The suspect has been identified by NBC and the New York Post as Noah Green (right)

The suspect - who NBC is reporting is dead - is shown being stretchered away from the scene after being shot by a Capitol cop. Two Capitol cops are now in the hospital in a critical condition. He has been named by NBC as 25-year-old Noah Green

Two Capitol cops were injured on Friday after a car smashed into a barrier on Independence Avenue

A tow truck removes the car used in the deadly attack from the scene as law enforcement collect evidence

The attack unfolded at the north side of the Capitol along Constitution Avenue when the car rammed through barricades

Facebook confirms it pulled the social media accounts of suspect Noah Green, 25 Facebook has confirmed it pulled the social media accounts of Noah Green, the 25-year-old suspect who mowed down two Capitol cops, killing one, before being shot dead at the US Capitol. The social media giant said in a statement to CNN it had suspended Green's accounts from Facebook and Instagram under its policy around dangerous individuals and organization, in the wake of Friday afternoon's deadly attack. 'After this horrific event, our thoughts are with the Capitol Police and their loved ones,' a spokesperson said. 'We have designated the incident under our Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy, which means we have removed the suspect's accounts from Facebook and Instagram, and are removing any content that praises, supports, or represents the attack or the suspect. 'We are in contact with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation.' Facebook often removes the accounts of suspects in high-profile killings or terrorist incidents. DailyMail.com has reached out to Facebook for comment. Authorities are yet to officially confirm Green as the suspect, after NBC and the New York Post first identified him, citing law enforcement sources. Green's Facebook page, which was viewed by DailyMail.com before its removal, described the 25-year-old former Christopher Newport University student as a 'Follower of Farrakhan' and included several posts heaping praise on Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan for saving him. Posts on Green's Instagram page, seen by CNN, spoke of conspiracies that the FBI and CIA were poisoning him, subjecting him to unauthorized operations and targeting him with 'mind control'. In one post - just two hours before the attack - Green called the federal government the '#1 enemy of Black people'. Advertisement

Green was not known to police in Washington DC but he did have a record in another state, according to law enforcement sources.

A Facebook page belonging to Green has now been taken down. Law enforcement sources confirmed to CNN it belonged to the suspect.

The page showed he was a fan of the leader of Nation of Islam Louis Farrakhan and contained posts where the user said he was on a 'spiritual journey' after having a 'tough' past 'few years' and recently losing his job.

'To be honest these past few years have been tough, and these past few months have been tougher. I have been tried with some of the biggest, unimaginable tests in my life,' read a Facebook post dated March 17.

'I am currently now unemployed after I left my job partly due to afflictions, but ultimately, in search of a spiritual journey.'

Green went on to describe Farrakhan as 'Jesus, the Messiah' and the 'raiser of the dead to life, making the blind see, and the deaf hear.'

'I consider him my spiritual father. Without his guidance, his word, and his teachings that I've picked up on along the way, I would've been unable to continue,' he wrote.

'Preaching to the multitudes, calling a million black men to Washington, and standing up to the most powerful government of modern times. He has done miraculous work not just with me, but with the lives of millions.'

In the post, Green also wrote that he had been 'unknowingly' taking a drug which he said had caused him to suffer 'concerning symptoms'.

'I was on the right track and everything I had planned was coming into existence. It required long hours, lots of studying, and exercise to keep me balanced while experiencing an array of concerning symptoms along the path (I believe to be side effects of drugs I was intaking unknowingly),' read the post.

'However, the path has been thwarted, as Allah (God) has chosen me for other things.'

Green signed off the message Brother Noah X. The same day, he uploaded an image of a certificate made out to a Noah X that recognized a gift of $1,085 to the Nation of Islam.

The Facebook page also included links to videos of Farrakhan and posts about the Nation of Islam.

Less than two hours before Green drove a vehicle through the barriers at the Capitol, he also posted a series of Instagram stories in which he called the US government the '#1 enemy of Black people', CNN reported.

'The U.S. Government is the #1 enemy of Black people!' a caption on a video read.

In another Instagram post around a week ago, Green claimed the CIA, FBI and other government agencies had caused him 'terrible afflictions' including subjecting him to 'multiple home break ins, food poisonings, assaults, unauthorized operations in the hospital, mind control'.

A Facebook page belonging to a man matching the suspect's name has now been taken down. It showed he was a fan of the leader of Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan

Green (right) played football at Christopher Newport University and in college, where he also ran track, according to an athletics bio

The motive for Friday's attack is not yet clear. Social media posts on now-removed accounts under Green's name speak of fears the federal government was targeting him with 'mind control' and heap praise on Farrakhan for saving him

Green's Facebook page included this picture of a Nation of Islam certificate made out to 'Noah X' in Norfolk, Virginia

A March 17 Facebook post said he was on a 'spiritual journey' after having a 'tough' past 'few years' and recently losing his job

The Facebook page also included links to videos of Farrakhan and posts about the Nation of Islam

Green attended Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in finance

What is the Nation of Islam? The Nation of Islam, founded in Chicago in 1930, combines the religious aspects of Islam with the ideas of both black power and black nationalism. It teaches that black people are the rulers of earth, who were created first, and who every other race descends from. Malcolm X was perhaps the most famous Nation of Islam follower, and he convinced Muhammad Ali to join. Malcolm grew disillusioned with the group, however, and left in 1964: members of the Nation murdered him a year later. Martin Luther King was among those who criticized the Nation, describing it as racist. Followers supported the idea of a separate state for African Americans in which they could rely on themselves to provide solutions to their own problems. Unlike King, who promoted peaceful protest, the leaders of the Nation of Islam thought that violence was justified in self-defence. Farrakhan, 87, is a known anti-Semite whose remarks on race and religion have sparked controversy in the past. He was outspoken against Barack Obama, and embraced Donald Trump - to the embarrassment of some of the Trump team. Most recently, Farrakhan told followers not to get the COVID vaccine. His supporters are seen by critics as black supremacists, and the Southern Poverty Law Center categorizes the organization as a hate group. The founder of Nation, Wallace Fard, taught that Christianity was the white man's religion, and said that Islam was more akin to traditional African beliefs. Fard said there would be an apocalyptic overthrow of white domination, insisting that the dominion of evil was to end with God's appearance on earth in the person of Fard. His followers carried out military-style drills, in readiness for the coming battle. Fard was succeeded by Elijah Muhammad, who died in 1975 and was succeeded three years later by Farrakhan. Advertisement

He credited Farrakhan with saving him 'after the terrible afflictions I have suffered presumably by the CIA and FBI, government agencies of the United States of America,' reported CNN.

'I have suffered multiple home break ins, food poisonings, assaults, unauthorized operations in the hospital, mind control,' he added.

Facebook confirmed in a statement to CNN that it had pulled the suspect's accounts from Facebook and Instagram.

'After this horrific event, our thoughts are with the Capitol Police and their loved ones,' a Facebook company spokesperson said.

'We have designated the incident under our Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy, which means we have removed the suspect's accounts from Facebook and Instagram, and are removing any content that praises, supports, or represents the attack or the suspect.

'We are in contact with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation.'

Green graduated from Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in finance.

He played football at the college as well as in high school, where he also ran track.

An athletics bio for the university reveals he was born in Fairlea, West Virginia, and has seven sisters and two brothers.

He wrote that the 'person in history he'd most like to meet is Malcolm X.'

It is not clear when he first became interested in the Nation of Islam.

The Nation of Islam, founded in Chicago in 1930, teaches that black people are the rulers of earth, who were created first, and who every other race descends from.

Malcolm X was perhaps the most famous Nation of Islam follower, and he convinced Muhammad Ali to join.

Malcolm X grew disillusioned with the group, however, and left: members of the Nation are believed to have murdered him in 1965.

Farrakhan, 87, is a known anti-Semite whose remarks on race and religion have sparked controversy in the past. Most recently, he told followers not to get the vaccine.

His followers are seen by critics as black supremacists, and the Southern Poverty Law Center categorizes the organization as a hate group.

'Its theology of innate black superiority over whites and the deeply racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric of its leaders have earned the NOI a prominent position in the ranks of organized hate,' they say.

The founder of NOI, Wallace Fard, taught that there would be an apocalyptic overthrow of white domination, insisting that the dominion of evil was to end with God's appearance on earth in the person of Fard.

Fard was succeeded by Elijah Muhammad, who was succeeded by Farrakhan.

In a statement on Friday afternoon, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said: 'It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of Officer William 'Billy' Evans this afternoon from injuries he sustained following an attack at the North Barricade by a lone assailant.

'Officer Evans had been a member of the United States Capitol Police for 18 years.

The vehicle is towed from the scene of the attack that left a Capitol police officer and the suspect dead

Law enforcement officers pick up evidence at the scene of the incident where a car plowed into two cops

Investigators pick up a Capitol Police officer jacket from the scene. It is not clear if it belongs to Evans who was killed Friday

The car is seen smashed into a barrier. Here the suspect had gotten out of the vehicle wielding a knife before being shot dead

The American flag at the US Capitol is lowered to half-staff in honor of Capitol Police officer William Evans

'He began his USCP service on March 7, 2003, and was a member of the Capitol Division's First Responder's Unit.

'Please keep Officer Evans and his family in your thoughts and prayers.'

Fencing that had been in place around the Capitol since the January 6 riot was taken down just last week.

Armed National Guardsmen were deployed immediately and have been seen patrolling the halls of government buildings but police say there is no outstanding threat.

President Biden ordered the flags at the White House to be lowered to half staff and said in a statement: 'Jill and I were heartbroken to learn of the violent attack at a security checkpoint on the U.S. Capitol grounds, which killed Officer William Evans of the U.S. Capitol Police, and left a fellow officer fighting for his life.

'We send our heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans' family, and everyone grieving his loss.

'We know what a difficult time this has been for the Capitol, everyone who works there, and those who protect it. I have been receiving ongoing briefings from my Homeland Security Advisor, and will be getting further updates as the investigation proceeds.

'I want to express the nation's gratitude to the Capitol Police, the National Guard Immediate Response Force, and others who quickly responded to this attack.

'As we mourn the loss of yet another courageous Capitol Police officer, I have ordered that the White House flags be lowered to half-mast.'

Police officers surround the scene after a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021

Police officers gather near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021

The DC National Guard deployed a rapid response team

JOE BIDEN STATEMENT ON THE ATTACK Jill and I were heartbroken to learn of the violent attack at a security checkpoint on the U.S. Capitol grounds, which killed Officer William Evans of the U.S. Capitol Police, and left a fellow officer fighting for his life. We send our heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans' family, and everyone grieving his loss. We know what a difficult time this has been for the Capitol, everyone who works there, and those who protect it. I have been receiving ongoing briefings from my Homeland Security Advisor, and will be getting further updates as the investigation proceeds. I want to express the nation's gratitude to the Capitol Police, the National Guard Immediate Response Force, and others who quickly responded to this attack. As we mourn the loss of yet another courageous Capitol Police officer, I have ordered that the White House flags be lowered to half-mast. Advertisement

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement that Evans had 'made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the Capitol and those who work there on behalf of the American people.'

'Doug and I are grateful for the Capitol Police, the National Guard Immediate Response Force, and everyone else who responded swiftly to today's attack,' Harris said.

'And we continue to be proud of the courageous men and women who defend the Capitol, especially during a challenging period when they have faced two violent and deadly attacks.'

Speaker Nancy Pelosi also ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in the Capitol in honor of the cop who was killed.

Pittman confirmed Evans' death in a press conference soon after the attack.

'It is with a heavy heart that I come here to shed some light on the incident that occurred at the US Capitol.

'At approximately 1.02 this afternoon, a suspect entered what we refer to as the north barricade of the Capitol.

'The suspect rammed his car into two of our officers then hit the north barricade barrier.

'The suspect exited the vehicle with a knife in hand. Our officers then engaged that suspect.

'He did not respond to verbal commands, he started lunging towards officers, at which time USC officers fired upon the suspect.

'Two US Capitol Police Officers were transported to different hospitals.

'It is with a very very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumb to his injuries,' she said.

She did not reveal whether or not the suspect said anything while carrying out the attack, but said he was not known to the police.

U.S. Capitol Police officers near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021

U.S. law enforcement officers guard streets surrounding the U.S. Capitol and congressional office buildings

Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said at a press conference on Friday that it had been a 'tough' year for the force

Police block a street near the US Capitol on April 2, 2021, after a vehicle drove into US Capitol police officers in Washington, DC

Police block a street near the US Capitol on April 2, 2021, after a vehicle drove into US Capitol police officers in Washington, DC

Neither the House or Senate is in session this week so lawmakers are back in their home states instead of being in the Capitol building.

An emergency alert was sent to congressional offices telling people to 'seek over' due to 'an external security threat'.

'No entry or exit is permitted at this time,' it read. 'You may move throughout the building(s) but stay away from exterior windows and doors. If you are outside, seek cover.'

The White House did not appear to have an immediate change in security posture in response to the situation at the Capitol. President Joe Biden had left to spend Easter at Camp David shortly before the incident occurred.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there is a member of the national security team, an acting chief of staff and a member of the press team traveling with him, as is standard operating procedure.

Traveling with Biden this weekend are Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff Yohannes Abraham, Chief of Staff & Executive Secretary for the National Security Council; Anthony Bernal, Assistant to the President & Advisor to the First Lady; and Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President.

The deadly attack comes less than three months since the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6.

That day, a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in a riot that sent lawmakers fleeing for their lives and left five - including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick - dead.

Two other Capitol cops died by suicide in the weeks following the riot.

Driver broke through the only remaining security fence outside US Capitol building after other 7-ft razor wire steel fences and road blocks were removed a week ago

The incident at the US Capitol unfolded just one week after 7-ft razor wire steel fences and road blocks around the complex were removed more than two months after the deadly January 6 riots.

Steel fences and roads blocks were put in place to fortify the complex in the wake of the Capitol riots.

The security measures, which at one point included wide scale fences and 25,000 National Guardsmen, have slowly been scaled back over the past two months.

The incident at the US Capitol unfolded just one week after 7-ft razor wire steel fences and road blocks (pictured above in orange) around the complex were removed just last week. An inner layer of barricades and fences (pictured above in blue) around the Capitol building itself still remains

An outer security perimeter that was in place around the wider Capitol complex was finally removed last week.

It included a 7-ft steel fence that had cost roughly $1.2 million a week.

An inner layer of barricades and fences around the Capitol building itself still remains.

It was this inner security perimeter that the knife-wielding suspect drove his car through on Friday.

Authorities decided to keep the inner perimeter of fencing as law enforcement and lawmakers continue to try and hash out a long-term plan for security.

Capitol Police had said last week when it announced it was taking down the outer security perimeter that they were ready to 'quickly ramp up security at a moment's notice' if it was needed.

The political pressure to remove the security fencing had been building for several weeks.

Members of the DC National Guard were deployed in the wake of Friday's incident.

There are currently still 2,300 National Guard personnel based in DC from the support mission that was initiated in the wake of the riot.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III last month approved a request by the Capitol Police for continued National Guard support through May 23.

Armed National Guardsmen were deployed immediately after Friday's incident but was not immediately clear if they were among the 2,300 on duty for the support mission.

They were been seen patrolling the halls of government buildings.

 Slide me  Constitution Avenue (pictured above), which is the major thoroughfare that flanks the Capitol, has now reopened. Road blocks and razor wire fence that had lined the perimeter have now been taken down

 Slide me  Constitution Avenue (pictured above), which is the major thoroughfare that flanks the Capitol, has now reopened. Road blocks and razor wire fence that had lined the perimeter have now been taken down
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya and the Philippines will be added to England's 'red list' from next Friday, the Government has announced.

Travellers from these countries, where cases are rising, will be banned from 4am on April 9 unless they are returning home to the UK.

The tougher border measures will likely spark a scramble from these returning residents eager to avoid 10 days in mandatory hotel quarantine.

The fresh crackdown is aimed at reducing the risk of variants such as the South Africa strain, the Department for Transport said.

Previous changes to travel arrangements have come in much quicker, but a Whitehall source said the seven-day wait was for 'operational reasons'.

Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya and the Philippines will be added to England's 'red list' from next Friday, the Government has announced

The British Pakistani population numbers more than one million and people travelling for weddings have been blamed for spreading infection in the south Asian country.

More than 5,200 cases were recorded in Pakistan yesterday, and the third spike is being driven by the highly-transmissible variant first detected in Kent.

After the Government announced its red list status today, many pointed the finger at people travelling to and from Pakistan using dual passports for ceremonies.

Sohail Anjum tweeted: 'Should have put this ban in ages [ago]. A friend travelled to Pakistan last year to attend a family wedding and came back infected with Covid-19.'

Rukhsar Ahmed said: 'Too many UK people including my own relatives travelled for weddings but it has caused a third wave of coronavirus in Pakistan.'

This week Pakistani ministers announced a ban on large gatherings, including weddings, will enter into force on April 5 in provinces with an infection rate above 8 per cent of the population.

In a televised message, Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the public to follow Covid rules because the third wave was 'more intense' than the first two.

Bangladesh is also in the jaws of a deadly third wave, with yesterday's seven-day rolling average of daily cases at 4,767.

The Philippines is grappling with its second - and most severe - wave and yesterday's seven-day average was 9,075 daily cases.

Kenya by comparison has relatively few daily cases - a seven-day average of 1,335 - but it is likely the decision was to insulate Britain from the South African variant.

The data showed the majority of cases of the South Africa variant detected in England so far were linked to international travel and that very few are thought to have come from Europe, the department added.

The Government is not imposing a ban on flights arriving from those four countries, and British and Irish nationals and UK residents should use commercial routes if they wish to return.

Christians celebrate Good Friday in Pakistan, where large gatherings are still permitted

Police on patrol as Roman Catholic devotees gather in front of Quiapo church during Good Friday in Manila in the Philippines after the Government imposed strict lockdown curbs

Arrivals will not be allowed to shorten their quarantine period regardless of their test results, and will also not be able to end it early through the Test to Release scheme.

Countries not on the red list have to quarantine for 10 days at home, and have the option to be released.

The DfT said: 'The Government has made it consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus and has added these destinations to the red list to protect public health.'

The latest restrictions takes the total number of countries on England's red list to 38.

It also means people are now scrambling to secure flights back to the UK, some taking to social media hoping for answers.

One person messaged British Airways asking: 'Will you be laying on any more flights from Pakistan to London prior to the 9th April?'

Another tweet British Airways: 'Response would be much appreciated. Are flights from to and from Pakistan to the UK closing? If I am in Pakistan right now and have a booking to London, Heathrow would that flight be cancelled due to recent changes in government guidelines?'

Trips to Bahrain, the US, the Maldives, Israel and Malta could be the first available for Britons desperate to get abroad due to their high vaccination rates

People are now scrambling to secure flights back to the UK, some taking to social media hoping for answers

On Facebook independent travel agents have been offering help to those trying to get flights back to the UK from locations such as Lahore and Islamabad.

Travellers leaving the UK without a valid excuse face a 5,000 under draconian laws to protect against new variants.

Under Boris Johnson's roadmap, international travel could resume by May 17 at the earliest - although a review of this will be revealed next week.

US guidelines allow vaccinated Americans to meet indoors without a mask or social distancing Fully-vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed on Monday. The long-awaited guidelines gives the U.S. a sneak-peek of what the new normal will look like in the next few months. The recommendations also say that vaccinated people can visit unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe illness such as vaccinated grandparents visiting healthy young children and grandchildren. The guidance is designed to address a growing demand, as more adults have been getting vaccinated and wondering if it gives them greater freedom to visit family members, travel, or do other things like they did before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world last year. However, the agency still recommends that Americans avoid travel, even if they are fully vaccinated. About 30.7 million Americans - or only about 9.2 percent of the U.S. population - have been fully vaccinated with a federally authorized COVID-19 vaccine so far, according to the CDC. Officials say a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine, either two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shot or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson jab. Advertisement

It is hoped that a traffic light system could be put in place to allow trips abroad to resume.

Trips to Bahrain, the US, the Maldives, Israel and Malta could be the first available for Britons desperate to get abroad due to their high vaccination rates.

The scheme to enable quarantine-free travel to 'green' destinations is likely to be unveiled within days, Whitehall sources said earlier this week.

The scheme is likely to have at least three tiers, with only those travelling from 'green' countries exempt from quarantine, perhaps with a 15-minute lateral-flow test on return.

Those from 'amber' nations would need a negative result from a more stringent PCR test before boarding a UK-bound flight, in addition to some quarantine and post-arrival tests.

Travel to 'red' countries would effectively still be banned, with ten-day hotel quarantine at a cost of 1,750 continuing for arrivals.

Vaccination rates in other countries will be a key factor for whether destinations are designated 'green', as will the prevalence of mutant variants and a nation's ability to detect them.

Only a few countries are expected to be safe enough to allow quarantine-free holidays by early summer.

However, Heathrow Airport chief John Holland-Kaye said he believed holidays would be possible to many countries within four months as vaccination rates catch up with the UK's.

He told Times Radio: 'I would expect that by the time we get to July, when people are thinking about their summer holidays, a lot of countries to have opened up.'

He said the US 'should be at the front of the queue' for relaxed border restrictions, and cited Israel as another contender due to its low infection and high vaccination rates.

More than 100 UK and US business chiefs have pleaded with Mr Johnson to prioritise a transatlantic holiday corridor by harnessing both countries' successful vaccination schemes.

In a letter, they said thousands of UK tourism, hospitality and retail firms relied on the 4billion spent here annually by US visitors.

They warned that the economy would continue to take a 32million hit for every day of delay in lifting travel restrictions between the nations.

They said: 'Each year, 4.5million US citizens visit the UK. Similarly, 4.8million UK residents visit the US, including a million visits to see friends and family.

Are you trying to fly to the UK before the new rules come into force? Email lydia.catling@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

'We know there remains significant demand in the USA for a return to travel to the UK.

'The reopening travel between the US and the UK needs to be a priority to support the recovery of our economies.'

Tory MP Henry Smith, chairman of the all-party Future of Aviation Group, said: 'Across the UK, we have strong ties with the US, from businesses who trade with the US to those travelling for leisure and those looking to visit family and friends.

'These cultural, economic and social bonds will be vital to our economic and social recovery from the pandemic and there is little reason to continue keeping transatlantic travel grounded.

'These vital routes have been shut for too long.'

America aims to have all adults vaccinated at least once by mid-May. Its infection rates are lower than in most of Europe.

But British nationals are still banned from entering for holidays.

Green light for holidays abroad? Traffic light system could allow trips to restart to 'safer' destinations  but Brits may have to pick beaches in Bahrain rather than Benidorm

By David Churchill Transport Correspondent for The Daily Mail

There was hope for summer holidays last night after it emerged that a traffic-light system could allow flights abroad to resume.

Trips to Bahrain, the US, the Maldives, Israel and Malta could be the first available for Britons desperate to get abroad due to their high vaccination rates.

The scheme to enable quarantine-free travel to 'green' destinations is likely to be unveiled within days, Whitehall sources said.

Boris Johnson is expected to reveal plans on Monday for a staged lifting of the ban on foreign holidays.

A second announcement setting out more detail of how the system would work could come within a week.

Trips to Bahrain, the US, the Maldives, Israel and Malta could be the first available for Britons desperate to get abroad due to their high vaccination rates

Preparing for take-off: Transatlantic businesses and airport chiefs want flights to resume. The scheme to enable quarantine-free travel to 'green' destinations is likely to be unveiled within days, Whitehall sources said (file photo)

May 17 has been pencilled in as the earliest date when foreign travel might resume.

But a source suggested it was 'too early' to release a list of destinations given how quickly Covid data can change.

The scheme is likely to have at least three tiers, with only those travelling from 'green' countries exempt from quarantine, perhaps with a 15-minute lateral-flow test on return.

Those from 'amber' nations would need a negative result from a more stringent PCR test before boarding a UK-bound flight, in addition to some quarantine and post-arrival tests.

Travel to 'red' countries would effectively still be banned, with ten-day hotel quarantine at a cost of 1,750 continuing for arrivals.

A passenger exits a Covid-19 testing centre at Terminal 5 of London's Heathrow Airport on February 9. Only a few countries are expected to be safe enough to allow quarantine-free holidays by early summer

Vaccination rates in other countries will be a key factor for whether destinations are designated 'green', as will the prevalence of mutant variants and a nation's ability to detect them.

Only a few countries are expected to be safe enough to allow quarantine-free holidays by early summer.

However, Heathrow Airport chief John Holland-Kaye said he believed holidays would be possible to many countries within four months as vaccination rates catch up with the UK's.

He told Times Radio: 'I would expect that by the time we get to July, when people are thinking about their summer holidays, a lot of countries to have opened up.'

He said the US 'should be at the front of the queue' for relaxed border restrictions, and cited Israel as another contender due to its low infection and high vaccination rates.

Vaccination rates in other countries will be a key factor for whether destinations are designated 'green', as will the prevalence of mutant variants and a nation's ability to detect them (file photo)

More than 100 UK and US business chiefs have pleaded with Mr Johnson to prioritise a transatlantic holiday corridor by harnessing both countries' successful vaccination schemes.

In a letter, they said thousands of UK tourism, hospitality and retail firms relied on the 4billion spent here annually by US visitors.

They warned that the economy would continue to take a 32million hit for every day of delay in lifting travel restrictions between the nations.

They said: 'Each year, 4.5million US citizens visit the UK. Similarly, 4.8million UK residents visit the US, including a million visits to see friends and family.

'We know there remains significant demand in the USA for a return to travel to the UK.

'The reopening travel between the US and the UK needs to be a priority to support the recovery of our economies.'

Boris Johnson, pictured giving an update on the Covid pandemic on March 29, is expected to reveal plans on Monday for a staged lifting of the ban on foreign holidays

Tory MP Henry Smith, chairman of the all-party Future of Aviation Group, said: 'Across the UK, we have strong ties with the US, from businesses who trade with the US to those travelling for leisure and those looking to visit family and friends.

'These cultural, economic and social bonds will be vital to our economic and social recovery from the pandemic and there is little reason to continue keeping transatlantic travel grounded.

'These vital routes have been shut for too long.'

America aims to have all adults vaccinated at least once by mid-May. Its infection rates are lower than in most of Europe.

But British nationals are still banned from entering for holidays.
New Delhi: The Delhi government has closed all schools in the national capital and said that no physical classes will be held for the academic session 2021-22 till further orders due to a continuous surge in the COVID-19 cases.

However, the students of classes 9 to 12 can be called to schools only for providing academic guidance following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and with the consent of the parents.

According to a notification issued by the Directorate of Education on Thursday, students of any class should not be called physically in schools for the Academic session 2021-22 till further orders.

"However, teaching-learning activities may be commenced from April 1 for the students through digital modes for the Academic Session 2021-22," the notification read.

The notification further said that the students of classes 9 and 12 (Session 2020-21) may be called to school only for providing academic guidance and support to the students for Mid Term Examination/Pre-Board Examination/ Annual Examination/Board Examinations, Practical Examinations, Project work, Internal Assessment following the Standard Operating Procedure(SoP) for COVID safety and with the consent of the parents.

The Delhi government had shut schools in March 2020 due to COVID-19-induced lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. However, the schools were reopened in Delhi for students of Class 10 and 12 on January 18 and for Class 9 and 11 on February 5.

The national capital had on Thursday reported 2,790 new COVID-19 cases, taking the cumulative count to 6,43,686.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called an emergency meeting at his residence on Friday to discuss the `action plan` to curb the increase in the COVID-19 infection in the national capital.

Live TV
MARSEILLE, France  The performance at the La Criee theater here, for a small number of invited guests and dance professionals, started just a few hours before President Emmanuel Macron announced the start of a third national lockdown. Although theaters have been closed since November, performers have been able to go on working and rehearsing; the filming of ballets, operas and plays is allowed, often with small invited audiences. Because going to work is allowed if a job cant be done from home, these events dont break any rules.

So we were all happily at work on Wednesday afternoon, when the Ballet National de Marseille performed a mixed bill featuring mostly new work by four female choreographers: Lucinda Childs, Tania Carvalho, Lasseindra Ninja and Oona Doherty. It was the first time since the performance collective La Horde took over the artistic direction of the company in 2019 that the dancers had performed works by outside dance-makers, and much of the program had to be taught and rehearsed on Zoom. (Pandemic permitting, the Theater de la Ville will present the program, July 16-19, at the Chatelet Theater in Paris, and it will eventually be available online.)
New Delhi:

The 19-year-old son of an Income Tax officer who was kidnapped on September 12 has been murdered. Police found the body of the victim near Rachenahalli lake. The police has arrested four people in connection with the crime.

Sharath, a 19-year-old second-year student of automobile engineering, had left his house at Ullal on his new motorbike at 6.30 pm on September 12, telling his parents that he was going to meet his friends.

However, when he did not return home till 8.30 pm, his parents got worried. They informed the police and a case was registered. "The boy's mother called him many times but the calls went unanswered. Today, his parents and sister received a WhatsApp video from his mobile phone, in which the boy is seen asking them to arrange Rs 50 lakh towards his ransom," said a police officer associated with the investigation.

According to reports, the teenager was kidnapped by one of his relatives named Vishal and his accomplices.

The abductors killed him after realising that his father has filed a police complaint. They dumped his body at Rachenahalli lake near Kengeri suburb. However, a couple of days after the murder they found the body floating in the lake. The men then fished out the body and buried it near the lake.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
(Natural News) The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) on Wednesday, March 31, called off a landmark first test of a technology that globalists claim will slow global warming by dimming sunlight reaching Earth. The test was canceled following resistance from indigenous people and environmental groups.

Scientists participating in the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) had planned to launch a high altitude balloon in June from the northernmost Swedish town of Kiruna, located in Lapland province.

The test flight would have assessed if the balloon could carry equipment for a the experiment. If the balloon proved capable, the next step would have been spreading radiation-reflecting particles 12 miles into the Earths atmosphere.

As the media reports, such technology mimics the cooling effect of volcanic eruptions and can supposedly reduce global temperatures  though its potential risks are unclear. This means it might also have catastrophic, unknown consequences for Earth.

The SCoPEx project took inspiration from the powerful 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. The volcano, located in the northern Philippine province of Zambales, launched sulfur dioxide particles into the atmosphere. Those particles lingered in the stratosphere and helped lower the Earths temperature by 0.6 degrees Celsius for about 15 months.

Globalists believe the Earth should be cold, not warm, even though greening a planet requires warmth and liquid water, not frozen water.

Environmental groups oppose SCoPEx project

Leaders of Swedish environmental groups have written to the government and the SSC to oppose the project. The groups noted in their letter that the balloon flight could be the first step toward the adoption of a potentially dangerous, unpredictable and unmanageable technology.

We appeal to the Swedish government to oppose the SSCs involvement with SCoPExs proposed tests, as they are fundamentally incompatible with the precautionary principle, in breach of international norms and inconsistent with Swedens own climate policy framework, the groups said in the letter.

They stressed that the technology SCoPEx is using has the potential for extreme consequences and that there is no justification for testing and experimenting with technology that seems to be too dangerous to ever be used.

Critics of terraforming planet Earth  dishonestly called solar geoengineering by the fake news media  have argued that the world had yet to understand the repercussions of its use. They pointed out that large-scale stratospheric aerosol injections could do more harm than good. Among the potential risks cited by the critics were damage to the ozone layer, heating in the stratosphere and disruption of ecosystems. (Related: Geoengineering could cause real global warming.)

Leaders of Swedens indigenous Saami reindeer herders also wrote to the SSC to oppose the test.

Asa Larsson Blind, vice president of the Saami Council, said in a statement that such technological fixes were completely against what we need to do now  transform to zero-carbon societies in harmony with nature.

Critics call SSCs decision really significant and a relief

Critics called the SSCs decision not to conduct the technical test really significant. They fear that the project could set back efforts to cut emissions and threaten food security and nature.

It shows there is simply no appetite for that technology. We dont think it needs further research. We know enough about its dangers, said Lili Fuhr, an environmental policy expert at the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Germany.

Johanna Sandahl, president of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, the countrys largest environmental group, called SSCs decision to halt the planned test a relief.

Its a rejection of a technology with the potential for extreme consequences that could alter hydrological cycles, disrupt monsoon patterns and increase drought, she said, terming the techniques too dangerous to ever be used.

But those involved in the project had not lost hope. They said that they would use the coming months to try and win over opinion in Sweden and build support for an eventual test.

Harvard University professor Frank Keutsch, who leads the research group of the project, said he shared many of the environmentalists concerns. He said the research could help scientists better understand the potential risks of solar geoengineering if the experiments are allowed to go ahead. The risk of not doing research on this outweighs the risk of doing this research, Keutsch said.

David Keith, part of the SCoPEx project and a professor of applied physics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said Swedens move was a setback.

Keith said the test could move to the U.S. if it would be totally blocked in Sweden, though likely not until next year.

Scientists want U.S. to look into sun-dimming technologies

Some scientists and experts believe such technology might be needed if runaway climate change brings unmanageable threats, and that continuing research keeps options open.

In a study recently published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, scientists suggested the U.S. should spend $100-$200 million over five years to look into sun-dimming technologies.

With carbon emissions still rising despite calls for swift and steep reductions, there is a need for understanding the full range of options for dealing with the climate crisis, said Chris Field, a Stanford University earth sciences professor and lead author of the study. (Related: Cloud brightening geoengineering suggested by scientists to combat global warming.)

The study was seen by some as opening a door to testing solar geoengineering outside the lab. However, the study also emphasized that geoengineering techniques were not a substitute for emissions cuts to stem climate change.

Follow Terraforming.news for more news and information about efforts to manipulate the weather.

Sources include:

News.Trust.org

EarthObservatory.NASA.gov

Sg.News.Yahoo.com
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Rohingya refugees are seen at a housing complex on Bhashan Char Island in Noakhali, Bangladesh, Dec. 30, 2020.

Envoys from several countries contributing to the Rohingya response will for the first time visit a remote island this weekend where Bangladesh has moved thousands of refugees, they said Thursday, amid widespread international concern about its safety and on-site facilities.

Their government-hosted visit scheduled for Saturday comes after trips last month to Bhashan Char Island by a United Nations delegation, and by the Red Cross, which said more global relief was needed for the refugees health and food security there and elsewhere.

During this first visit to Bhashan Char by some of the heads of mission whose countries are contributing to the Rohingya response, participants will have an opportunity to see some of the facilities and services on the island and may have a chance to meet with relocated Rohingya refugees, authorities, and others living and working there, the ambassadors of at least seven Western countries said in a joint statement.

The ambassadors and in-country representatives of Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America said they were among foreign envoys invited by Bangladeshs government to visit the low-lying Bay of Bengal island.

Envoys look forward to continuing the dialogue with the Government of Bangladesh on its Bhashan Char project, as well as with the U.N. and other relevant partners following the visit. Further conversations are needed, especially between the Government of Bangladesh and U.N. to discuss the policy and technical issues in detail.

The U.N. had been requesting a visit to evaluate the livability of the flood-prone island for more than two years, and humanitarian groups had criticized Bangladesh for moving refugees there without a thorough assessment of the site by international experts.

While the U.N.s visit on March 17 to 20 did not include a technical assessment of the island, experts from the world body did look at the facilities and talk to the relocated refugees.

Most of the 1 million Rohingya who fled from neighboring Myanmar live in 34 refugee camps in and around Coxs Bazar, a southeastern district that borders Myanmars Rakhine state. The refugees include more than 740,000 who escaped a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine in 2017.

Bangladesh began relocating the Rohingya from crowded camps in Coxs Bazar on the mainland to Bhashan Char last December. The government has continued to assert that no one is being be forced to move to the island.

Once they visit Bhashan Char, international representatives will be convinced that it is a safe island, said Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University.

They are being taken to a better place than the camps in Coxs Bazar. International representatives and foreign ambassadors will see that, Ahmed told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

A view of the tin-shed concrete houses built for Rohingya refugees at Bhashan Char Island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh, Dec. 29, 2020. [Reuters]

More international relief needed

Meanwhile on Thursday, Bangladesh moved an additional 2,125 Rohingya to Bhashan Char from Coxs Bazar, with another batch of 2,185 expected Friday, Commodore Rashed Sattar, director of the Bhashan Char project, confirmed to BenarNews.

Bangladesh has relocated close to 16,000 refugees from the mainland camps, Sattar said.

Last week, a devastating fire at a camp in Coxs Bazar left at least 11 people dead and 45,000 homeless.

Earlier this week, some Rohingya told BenarNews they had decided to move to Bhashan Char after the fire because compatriots told them that living conditions were better on the island.

Bangladesh had said that transferring thousands of refugees to the offshore location would relieve pressure on the densely crowded camps in Coxs Bazar. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has, time and again, raised the issue of the refugees and the strain that sheltering them has taken on Bangladesh.

The government had said it spent about U.S. $280 million to construct housing, a large embankment and other infrastructure on the island, where the facilities were better than at the camps.

After its independent visit to the island March 13 to 15, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) urged Bangladesh, humanitarian agencies, and international donors to do everything possible to keep the refugees safe wherever they lived.

The IFRC team said it found that the Bangladesh government had made progress on Bhashan Char in terms of the development of infrastructure.

However, it also found urgent investment is needed to ensure that women and children are adequately protected, and that food security, health care, and schooling is assured both in the short and longer-term, the IFRC said in a statement.

The government had put in place evacuation centers on the island to keep the Rohingya safe during natural disasters and cyclones, but the facilities need to be strengthened, especially because of the upcoming cyclone season and the periodic storms.

With the cyclone season fast approaching, people on Bhashan Char could become stranded with a shortage of food when major storms strike, leaving the sea passage impassable, in turn denying the delivery of relief, medicines, and other vital supplies, said Sanjeev Kafley, the ICRC delegation head in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent also said it was working with the authorities to deliver food packages, hygiene items, and sanitation and health services to the thousands of people on the island for the coming months.

Dhaka Universitys Ahmed said the infrastructure on Bhashan Char is sound because the Bangladeshi navy built it.

Shelters have been made in Bhashan Char keeping in mind the possibilities of disaster. There are also arrangements to keep food and other items in case of emergency, he said.

Moreover, natural disasters like cyclones can even damage modern cities. Different parts of America are also often badly affected.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Last fall, Ediciones Urano announced it would add English-language titles to its North American publishing program. The line started on November 17 with the release of The Actor: How to Live an Authentic Life by Don Miguel Ruiz. The book was published simultaneously in Spanish and English in the U.S., Spain, and Latin America, with distribution in the U.S. through Spanish Publishers. The Actor is the first in a four-book series titled School of Mysteries, each with simultaneous publication in translation.

Ruiz is best known as the author of The Four Agreements, which has sold more than six million copies in the U. S. and seven million worldwide, according to the publisher. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages and he has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide.

Born into a family of Toltec healers and raised in rural Mexico by a curandera (healer) mother and a nagual grandfather, Ruiz seemed destined to go into the family business. However, he studied conventional medicine first, becoming a surgeon, before a near-death experience led him back to exploring the ancient ancestral healing his family practiced.

PW spoke with Ruiz about The Actor and its exploration of the idea of authenticity.

How do we begin to live an authentic life?

Planet Earth is a university designed for the human mind. We are all rather the same: we tend to be reactionaries instead of listening to the teachings of life. Life begins to reveals its mysteries to us when were young. The first reveal is the ability to speak. Those that surround us will teach us to speak.

In The Actor, you discuss how we are all actors playing different roles instead of being our authentic selves. Is life just an act?

Life is a stage that was waiting for our birth. Learning a language was the first mystery life revealed to us, and we modeled the behavior of those around us. By modeling the behavior of others, we begin to create the master script of our life.

The stage and the actor need to adapt to each scenario: we become actors and behave differently depending on where we are. We are constantly worried about what our critics will say, and we adapt in our effort to please others. We learn about love and how to fill it with conditions in our effort to control the one we love. And if everyone is our critic and we learn to love with conditions, we then love ourselves with conditions and we pretend to be someone we are not. Of course we are our worst critics, and a war for control is formed.

Are you referring to internal wars?

Yes, but we also create wars in order to control others. This also leads to injustices and some of the worst calamities created by human beings. When we realize this, we have opportunities to recover our authenticity. We must first find unconditional love for ourselves and then for others.

What are the upcoming titles in the series, and when will they be published?

Eros will be the next title, and it will focus on love. Other books in the series that will be published in 2021 are The Myth and The Duel.

Don Miguel Ruiz discusses The Actor, the first book in his new School of Mysteries series.
The country's exports jumped by 58.23 per cent to $34 billion, the highest ever reached in a month, in March as key sectors such as engineering, gems and jewellery and pharmaceuticals recorded healthy growth rate during the month, according to the Commerce Ministry's provisional data.

Exports during April-March 2020-21, however, dipped by 7.4 per cent to $290.18 billion compared to $313.36 billion in 2019-20, the data showed.

Imports during 2020-21 contracted by 18 per cent to $388.92 billion compared to $474.71 billion during 2019-20. In March 2020, the exports stood at $21.49 billion, showing a decline of about 34 per cent over March 2019 due to global slowdown induced by the Covid-19 crisis.

"India's merchandise exports in March 2021 were $34.0 billion as compared to $21.49 billion in March 2020, an increase of 58.23 per cent," the ministry said in a statement. It said that "first time ever in a month", exports have crossed $34 billion mark. Imports too rose by 52.89 per cent to $48.12 billion as against $31.47 billion in March 2020. The trade deficit during the month widened to $14.12 billion as against $9.98 billion in March 2020.

Oil imports grew by 1.22 per cent to $10.17 billion in March. During 2020-21, oil imports dipped by 37 per cent to $82.25 billion. Non-oil imports in March were up by 777.12 per cent to $$37.95 billion. During the full fiscal, the imports contracted by 10.89 per cent to $306.67 billion. Gold imports jumped to $7.17 billion during the month under review.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in a tweet said: "Make in India, Make for the World: Merchandise exports in March 2021 grew by 58 per cent year-on-year to $34 billion, the highest ever in Indian history. PM @NarendraModi ji's policies have propelled Indian economy to historic new heights, despite the pandemic".

Federation of Indian Exports Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai said that despite issues related with container shortage and movement of ships Suez Canal, the exports have crossed $290 billion. "It is extremely good growth looking into COVID-19 challenges," he said.

FIEO President Sharad Kumar Saraf said that the monthly exports showed a whopping double digit growth, showing not only impressive signs of further revival for the sector but for overall economy as well. "Such a whopping growth in exports during the month also helped in taking the merchandise exports to over $290 billion during such difficult and torrid times," he added.

Also read: Good Friday 2021: Is share market closed on Friday? All you need to know about NSE, BSE trading holiday tomorrow

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BISMARCK, N.D.  Two Detroit men accused of murder were arrested during a traffic stop in a small Arizona town near the Mexican border.

Devante Evans, 26, and Kevin Hartson, 29, were wanted on warrants out of Burleigh County where Bismarck is located. They were traveling to Douglas, Arizona, according to police.

Evans has been charged with murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of a firearm, and wearing a mask during the commission of a criminal offense. Hartson is charged with murder.

I am proud of the work Bismarck Police have done, and the hard work they continue to put into this case. I am additionally thankful for the Douglas police officer that turned a traffic stop into an arrest of two violent criminals in order to bring closure to a grieving family, Bismarck Police Chief Dave Draovitch said in a statement.

Evans and Hartson are accused of entering an apartment in the 1600 block of Mapleton Avenue in Bismarck around 11 p.m. on March 28 where they allegedly shot and killed Reonardo Alexis, a 26-year-old man from Bismarck. Another 29-year-old man from Bismarck was also injured in the incident, according to police.

Bismarck Police Detectives were notified of their arrest just after midnight on Friday. Both men are being held in Cochise County Jail in Arizona pending extradition to North Dakota.
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.
United States President and Japanese Prime Minister will meet in April to discuss shared concerns about China's expansionist moves.

This will be the first in-person meeting of Biden with a foreign leader since taking office in January this year. This will also mark Suga's first visit to the United States as prime minister.

The meeting between Suga and Biden is scheduled for April 16. On Friday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Kastsunobu Kato said the meeting, which was planned for April 9, has been shifted a week later to "ensure success", Nikkei Asia reported.

In March, Japan and the US held two-plus-two meeting. US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and US Defence Chief Lloyd Austin visited Japan.

A senior Japanese government official said: "As COVID-19 continues to spreads in the U.S., it takes time to prepare for the arrival of Suga and the team."

The two sides aim to firm up cooperation ahead of an summit on climate change, to be held in the US on April 22.

Japan and the US are also likely to discuss shared concerns about China's expansionist moves. They also plan to affirm the importance of stability in the Taiwan Strait, Nikkei has reported.

in February enacted a new law that authorizes its coast guard to seize foreign ships entering waters claimed by Beijing, putting more pressure on Taiwan.

Japan is also affected since it controls the Senkaku Islands, which claims and calls Diaoyu.

Japan is troubled by Chinese coast guard ships' entry into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East Sea.

The Japanese Defense Ministry think tank, The National Institute for Defense Studies in March published a report titled "East Asian Strategic Review 2021" in which it asserted that China's coast guard could step up armament and provocations around the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea following the enforcement of a controversial Chinese law.

Japan has reported several cases of illegal intrusion by Chinese government vessels since the enactment of the law.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China has been increasing its maritime activities in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea over the past few months, partly in response to Beijing's concerns over the increasing US military presence in the region because of escalating Sino-US tensions.

Beijing's rising assertiveness against counter claimants in the East and South Sea has resulted in unprecedented agreement across the Indo-Pacific.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on Thursday announced that it will provide USD 120 million to for its Green Stimulus initiative launched last year to create green jobs for those youth who became jobless due to the pandemic.

country director Najy Benhassine met Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Amin Aslam, according to an official statement.

He said that the bank would help in achieving enhanced disaster resilience, particularly the Green Stimulus initiative, which provided employment to youth who became jobless due to COVID-19.

The Green Stimulus initiative was launched last year by Prime Minister Imran Khan in April after COVID-19 hit the country for creation of green jobs for those youth, who were rendered jobless from various sectors due to closure of business and assorted economic activities.

Benhassine informed the PM's aide that funding of USD 120 million pledged for Prime Minister Khan's Green Stimulus initiative has already been approved, according to the statement.

The country director appreciated Prime Minister Khan's vision for Clean Green programme and various green projects, particularly 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (TBTTP).

Benhassine said the is mulling over replication of Pakistan's green initiatives in other countries in different parts of the world.

The Green Stimulus initiative has led to generation of 87,000 green jobs for the youth rendered unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aslam said.

The two sides also vowed to collaborate towards combating deleterious aftermaths of the global health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic and global warming on various socioeconomic sectors.

(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.)
Threats: Graffiti in Larne sparked by the Irish sea border and the NI Protocol

A council which has seen graffiti threats to staff working at border control inspections in Larne has spent its budget on cleaning the walls up.

Ninety incidents of graffiti have been reported to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council over the past two months.

Graffiti opposing the Northern Ireland Protocol first appeared on a gable wall at Redlands Road saying 'All border post staff are targets' and was reported to police on January 21.

To date, graffiti has been removed from two thirds of sites in the council area with 30 still outstanding after funds dried up.

Mid and East Antrim's Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) chairman, DUP councillor John McDermott, said that he was "disappointed but not surprised" by a refusal by the Department for Justice (DoJ)to fund further graffiti removal.

Mr McDermott indicated that the request was made after the remaining 15,000 of the local PCSP budget had been used to help with removal costs.

He indicated that at the start of last month, he had been advised that the council had funds only to pay for the removal of graffiti which was "deemed to contain threats to life".

Expand Close A council which has seen graffiti threats to staff working at border control inspections in Larne has spent its budget on cleaning the walls up. (PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A council which has seen graffiti threats to staff working at border control inspections in Larne has spent its budget on cleaning the walls up. (PA)

Mr McDermott said: "On March 9, I wrote to the Justice Minister Naomi Long, MLA and asked if the Justice Department would supply extra funding to allow us to remove as much of the graffiti as possible.

"On March 25, I got a three-page letter saying that while she appreciated the work done thus far by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and the Police and Community Safety panel in supplying extra finance but the Justice Department would not be supplying any extra funding for graffiti removal and recommends that MEA council and the PCSP revisit their 2021/22 action plan to make adjustments to deal with graffiti."

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council took the decision to withdraw 12 environmental health officers from duties at the Port of Larne on February 1 due to concerns over threats to their safety. It followed an upsurge what the council called "an upsurge in sinister and menacing behaviour in recent weeks including the appearance of graffiti in the local area referencing increasing tensions around the Northern Ireland protocol and describing port staff as targets and it being 'time for war'."

A spokesperson for the council said: "Over the last couple of weeks council has been prioritising the removal of graffiti which threatens Port staff and we will continue to remove any such graffiti."

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said: "The Department of Justice has no statutory obligation to remove graffiti or to fund its removal.

"However, the Department and Northern Ireland Policing Board provides 326,000 of annual funding to the Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) to help improve community safety, tackle ASB (anti-social behaviour) and increase confidence in policing across the borough.

"The Department and Board were content to approve a request from the PCSP to increase its 5k allocation towards the costs of removing offensive graffiti in the area up to 24k in 2020/21.

"As such, through its support for the activities of the PCSP, the Department has made a significant contribution towards addressing this issue in Mid and East Antrim."


Ajay Devgn turns a year older today and the actor has been showered with love and wishes on the internet from his die-hard fans. The talented actor keeps entertaining and surprising us with his performances over the decades and the man always lets his performances do the talking.



Today on his birthday, Bombay Times got a chance to speak to Om Raut and talk to him about the bond he shares with his actor. Om Raut and Ajay Devgn worked together in Tanhaji  The Unsung Warrior in 2020 and the film proved to be the biggest blockbuster of the year. Om Raut is all praise for Mr Devgn and on his birthday he shared some great shooting memories with the superstar. Om Raut said, I remember the first time I met Ajay Devgn sir for the narration of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior. The way he made me feel extremely comfortable on our very first meeting speaks volumes about him, and the eventual relationship that blossomed from that point.





The director further states that the actor became an elder brother to him and he stood besides him like a rock, He became the elder brother I never had. He stood by me like a rock - he supported my dream not just as an actor but also as a producer who trusted my ability and the story that I was keen to narrate. Theres a reason he is called Boss.




MAYFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI -- A 37-year-old North Branch man was killed and a 40-year-old Lapeer man was injured Thursday after a pickup truck crashed into a tree in Lapeer Countys Mayfield Township.

Lapeer County Sheriffs Department deputies responded to to a crash off of Haines Road east of Roods Lake at 2:25 p.m. Thursday, April 1, according to a sheriffs department news release.

A 2003 Dodge pickup truck driven by the 40-year-old male was traveling east on Haines Road when it left the roadway and struck a tree, according to the release. Two occupants were non-responsive in the vehicle when officers arrived.

The vehicle rotated as it traveled across both the east and west lanes of Haines Road. It was sideways when it hit the tree, which entered into several feet of the truck.

The passenger, 37-year-old Rick Trott from North Branch, was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to police.

Lapeer City Fire and Rescue were able to extricate the driver who was transported to McLaren in Lapeer. The driver remains hospitalized and is listed in stable condition.

The roadway was closed for three hours for rescue and investigative purposes, the release states. Reconstruction and toxicology are pending to determine if either speed or alcohol are contributing factors.

Lapeer County Sheriffs deputies were assisted at the scene by Lapeer City Fire and Rescue, Lapeer County EMS Ambulance Service, Medstar Ambulance Service, Lapeer County Sheriffs Traffic Crash Reconstruction Division, Michigan State Police-Lapeer Post, the Department of Natural Resource and Byers Wrecker Service in Lapeer.

The crash remains under investigation by the Lapeer County Sheriffs Office.

Anyone with information is requested to contact Detective Sgt. Jason Parks at jparks@lapeercounty.org or 810-656-1015.

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Microsoft and IOM will help young workers in Vietnam acquire new, crucial skills

The partnership is an extension of Microsofts on-going Global Skills Initiative (GSI) that was launched in 2020 to address growing employment challenges resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the pilot phase of the project, the online digital learning platform will be designed to provide 3,000 internal migrant workers in the industrial and export-processing zones and vocational students in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai provinces opportunities to develop basic and necessary digital skills for employability and access to digital society.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the development of digital skills is essential to build resilience to economic and social shocks, especially as the countries face the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In this context, young Vietnamese workers including potential, current, and return migrants must be equipped with the necessary skills to become resilient and competitive to survive the post-COVID world.

The Vietnamese governments strong emphasis on skilling, re-skilling, and upskilling the Vietnamese labour force is demonstrated by many relevant policies with attention given to digital skills development. The Politburo Resolution No.52-NQ/TW in 2019 on directions to proactively participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Decision No.749/QD-TTg in 2020 by the Vietnamese prime minister on the National Strategy for Digital Transformation in which delivery of digital skills training for labour force and the whole population is an integral part. The government calls on the parties, stakeholders, and agencies to work together to create synergies to implement digital transformation nation-wide.

Speaking to the gathering of government representatives, colleges, and industry, and partners, Mihyung Park, chief of mission, IOM Vietnam stressed that, Digital literacy and digital skills are fundamental in todays society. The labour market is changing fast with automation and it will have significant impacts on young workers, including migrant workers. Unless they have easy access to upskilling opportunities, it is highly likely that they will be left behind. Also, digital skills are essential to the well-being of migrants as it supports and facilitates integration in their new communities.

She added, IOM is very happy to see this partnership create a platform that can potentially assist millions of workers both in country and overseas to have not only better employment opportunities but improve their migration experience.

Phan Tu Quyen, Marketing and Operation lead, Microsoft Vietnam, said: In one year, COVID-19 has provoked a massive demand shock, setting off job losses that far exceed the scale of the Great Recession a decade ago. The world will need a broad economic recovery that will require in part the development of new skills among a substantial part of the global workforce.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

After being safely administered to millions of adults around the world, new data shows that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is effective in teenagers as well. A US trial of more than 2,000 12-15 year olds found that the vaccine had an efficacy rate of 100% and produced a strong antibody response, according to a press release from Pfizer. That's good news, as children will eventually need to be vaccinated to prevent infection, says pediatrician James B Wood.

These results follow earlier positive results relating to the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines during and after pregnancy. A small study of pregnant and breastfeeding women who had been given the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines found they too produced a robust immune response, and that vaccinated mothers were also able to pass on immunity to their newborns. Immunologists Catherine Thornton and April Rees explain here how it works.

The Moderna and Novavax vaccines are due to arrive in the UK in the coming months, with the latter to be entirely produced and packaged domestically. This will provide hope for those who are still waiting for their first doses, say supply chain experts Liz Breen and Sarah Schiffling, and it will hopefully bolster the country's slow emergence from lockdown.

In the US, 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been contaminated at a manufacturing site after ingredients were conflated with those destined for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The boost for UK production of COVID-19 vaccines will take some of the heat out of disputes with the EU over the export of doses manufactured within the bloc. The World Health Organization has described the EU rollout as "unacceptably slow", and the UK has claimed it has preferential access to AstraZeneca vaccines because it negotiated a better contract with the drugmaker. But that's not strictly true, writes EU law professor Gareth Davies.

The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, reportedly hailed the lightning-fast development of COVID-19 vaccines as a victory for "greed" and "capitalism," but the free market has not proven effective in bringing the world new vaccines in the past, writes David Whyte. The real unsung hero of the pandemic, he says, is the publicly funded research sector.

And Australia has every reason to celebrate its success in effectively eliminating COVID-19, with only occasional flare-ups. But its vaccine rollout has been slow, with the country falling 3.4 million doses short of its target to vaccinate 4 million people by the end of March. Australian health policy expert Stephen Duckett explains what went wrong.

Explore further Pfizer to move up COVID vaccine deliveries to Canada: PM

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Three years ago, Pete Gallego and Roland Gutierrez fought it out in a bruising special election for Texas Senate District 19.

The two Democrats previously had served together in the Texas House, before Gallego won a one-term ride to Congress in 2012. In the race for Texas Senate, they ultimately negated each other, opening the door for a Republican, Pete Flores, to pull off an upset win.

Three years later, Gutierrez holds the Texas Senate seat he wanted. Gallego is out of politics, serving as the president of his alma mater, Sul Ross State University. Everyones happy, right?

Well, not exactly.

The old conflict between Gallego and Gutierrez has simply found a new venue, with Gutierrez filing legislation (Senate Bill 522) that would move Sul Ross State out of the Texas State University System and into the Texas A&M System. Gallego, to put it mildly, is unhappy about the bill.

Gutierrez, a former South Side councilman and state representative, says his legislation has nothing to do with any lingering resentments between him and Gallego.

He describes Sul Ross as a floundering institution with diminishing enrollment and lackluster graduation rates. He sees Texas A&M, with its robust endowment and complementary academic programs (agriculture and animal health) as a better fit than Texas State.

The school is failing in a bunch of ways, Gutierrez said. Theres a whole lot of people in the community that want it to change.

Gallego did not respond to an interview request for this column.

In early February, shortly after Gutierrez filed the bill, Gallego said he and other university reps were equally blindsided by Gutierrezs move, adding that nobody had an opportunity to review his legislation or comment on it.

Gallego disputed any suggestion that an affiliation with the Texas A&M System would bolster Sul Rosss finances.

When you change systems, Gallego said, it doesnt mean more resources.

On March 24, Gallego stunned members of the Sul Ross State University Foundation with two brusque letters to Pete Peterson, the foundations board president.

One letter informed Peterson that Gallego was terminating the universitys affiliation with the foundation.

The other letter demanded that the foundation turn over the remaining balance of a $5 million donation made in 2020 by the family of the late businessman Emmett McCoy, for the construction of a new complex at the universitys Museum of the Big Bend.

The foundation has enlisted attorney Craig Enoch, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, for legal guidance.

Its a bit sad, Enoch said. We got the letter after it had already been distributed to the local news media out there in the West Texas area.

You would hope if somebody has a concern with you that theyd reach out to you and youd sit down and meet across the table and work it out.

While Gallego did not reference Gutierrezs bill in his letters, his rush to shut down the foundation and collect its funds could be tied to concerns that foundation money might soon end up under the auspices of a new university system.

Gutierrez sees Gallegos attack on the foundation as a way to raid their funds and prop up his failing school.

Enoch pointed out that philanthropic donations made to the foundation are dedicated, donor-directed funds.

The foundation is not in the business of helping the university cover its administrative expenses, Enoch said.

His letter seemed to indicate that he wants the foundation to turn over all its money. Well, the non-profit statutes would prohibit that from happening.

Sul Ross has been crucial to the economy of Alpine, a small, charming West Texas town along the foothills of the Davis Mountains. (Fans of Richard Linklaters Boyhood will remember that the film ended with its protagonist, Mason Evans Jr., arriving for his freshman year at Sul Ross State.)

At its peak, in the early 1970s, it approached an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students.

From 2016 to 2019, however, its combined undergraduate and graduate-student enrollment dropped more than 20 percent, from 2,071 to 1,644. Its graduation rate generally has languished below 25 percent, well short of the state average for public universities.

This is not the first time that concerns about Sul Ross States future have prompted suggestions that the university move out of the Texas State System.

In the fall of 2012, a group of Alpine residents met to discuss the possibility of moving Sul Ross State into another system. Some members of the community saw the 2007 move by Angelo State University from Texas State into the Texas Tech University System as a positive example to follow.

Texas State University System Chancellor Brian McCall heard about the meeting and flew from Austin to Alpine to pour water on the fire.

Look for McCall and Gallego to try to do the same thing with Gutierrezs bill.

ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
A collaborative team centered in the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and including Children's Hospital Orange County (CHOC) and Chapman University (CU) has been awarded a three-year grant totaling in excess of $2.3 million, to address the health impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) using precision medicine. Announced by the California Governor's Office of Planning & Research, in partnership with the Office of the California Surgeon General, the award is part of the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM). The research project will begin May 2021.

Led by Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD, Bren Distinguished Professor and director of the Conte Center at UCI, the UCI, CHOC and CU team has established two goals. The first is to identify the degree to which unpredictability of early life experiences interacts with established ACEs to influence children's neurodevelopment. The second is to employ a novel epigenetic approach, with a goal of discovering, for each child, a marker that can predict their level of resilience, so targeted interventions can be delivered to children who need them most.

The burden of ACEs is not equally distributed. There exists a greater risk of exposure among low socioeconomic and racial/ethnic minority communities. Through this project we seek to determine how both established ACEs and a new, preventable ACE influence children's emotional and cognitive behaviors, and identify a way to predict early-on if a child is impacted by ACEs or is resilient. Our goal is to enable caregivers to provide special attention and intervention to those most at need, ameliorating health disparities." Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD, Bren Distinguished Professor and director of the Conte Center at UCI

ACEs affect two-thirds of Californians directly and can complicate physical and mental health across the lifespan. The UCI team intends to screen 100,000 children across Orange County, California for the study.

In addition to Baram, principal investigators on the UCI team include Michael Weiss, DO, FAAP, vice president of population health for Children's Hospital Orange County (CHOC); Dan Cooper, MD, associate vice chancellor for clinical and translational science, professor of pediatrics and biomedical engineering, and director of UCI's Institute for Clinical and Translational Research; Laura Glynn, PhD, professor of psychology, and associate dean for research at Chapman University; and, Candice Taylor-Lucas, MD, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics and co-director for UCI's Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC) program.

UCI was among four awardees announced by the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research, in partnership with the Office of the California Surgeon General. The other three awards were given to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Loma Linda University and the University of California, San Francisco.

A total of $9 million in state funds were awarded to support the proof-of principle demonstration projects for families and communities with ACEs with an aim to improve access, care and outcomes through collaboration between academic, community, nonprofit and private partners.

"This State of California initiative recognizes that ACEs have profound cumulative negative impacts on mental and physical health of children, impacts that remain for a lifetime," said Baram. "Along with the state, we believe precision medicine holds promise to more fully apply data to improve health and healthcare, and we intend to deliver on that promise."
Road map towards the ratification of ILO Convention No. 188 to protect Indonesian fishers

April 02,2021 | Source: ILO

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supported by the ILO, conducted a webinar on 5 March to examine challenges and opportunities for Indonesia when ratifying the ILO Convention No. 188 on Working in Fishing . As the biggest sending country for migrant fishers, the webinar was part of the Indonesias efforts to protect its fishers.



Fishing is recognized as a hazardous occupation with the highest incidence of occupational injuries and fatalities. Fishers across the range of commercial fishing operations commonly face long working hours, remote work, exposure to dangerous weather conditions and the generally hazardous nature of working in the marine environment.



Representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Febrian A. Ruddyat, Director General for Multilateral Cooperation, highlighted the commitment of Indonesian government to provide better protection for its workers in the fishing sector, including its migrant fishers. The protection of Indonesian fishers is the priority of Indonesian government. The ratification is the initial step for actions to protect our migrant fishers, he stated.



Similarly, Andy Rahcmianto, Director General for Protocol and Counsellor, underscored the development of road map that would provide guidance for Indonesia towards the ratification. We can take benefits from international standards provided by the ILO Convention in Fishing Work that can be adapted to Indonesian contexts.



From the perspective of the international standards, Brandt Wagner, Head of MARITIME Sector Unit, ILO Geneva, explained that the Convention sets out binding requirements relating to work on board fishing vessels, including occupational safety and health, medical care at sea and ashore, rest periods, written working agreements, social protection and decent living conditions.



The ratification will provide better protection for fishers in fishing sector. This will also make the sector more attractive to youth and young workers that, in turn, promote employment and sustainability, he said.



Meanwhile, Mi Zhou, Chief Technical Advisor of the ILOs Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia , highlighted the supports given by the ILO. Through its developmental project, the ILO continue to support its member States, including Indonesia, to make improvements needed.



The ILOs Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is a four-year programme, funded by the European Union (EU). It aims to strengthening legal frameworks, protecting labour rights, and empowering workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors in seven South East Asia countries, including Indonesia, Zhou said.



Thailand is one of the 18 countries that already ratified the ILO Convention No. 188 in 2019 and has become the first country in Asia. Jon Hartough, ITF/Fisher Rights Network Thailand Project Lead, shared the experience of Thailand in taking steps to improve its fishing sector. Some recommendations for fisher protection include the involvement on trade unions in policy formation and implementation, development of detailed legislation, improvement of interagency cooperation and capacity building for labour inspectors.



Another country to share its experience as a ratified country is South Africa. Solwyn Bailey, Fishing Safety Specialist of the South African Maritime Safety, explained that the country ratified the ILO Convention in 2013, which came to force in 2017. The first detention under the Convention took place in 2018, following complaints by the crew about working conditions.



The webinar concluded with the initial step to develop a road map highlighting preparation steps towards the ratification of the ILO Convention No. 188. The road map includes mechanisms to build a coordination mechanism among relevant stakeholders, examine and harmonize existing regulations and strengthen enforcement efforts.



More information on Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia can be found at www.shiptoshorerights.org

 1996-2021 International Labour Organization (ILO)

Theme(s): Others.
A Black family has filed a legal claim against a California school district alleging that racist remarks were caught on camera when a teacher was seemingly unaware that she was still on a Zoom call. The school district confirmed Thursday that the teacher has resigned.

Katura Stokes' son, a sixth grade student at Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Magnet Academy in Palmdale, about 50 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, was having difficulty accessing the school's online platform for remote learning, according to the claim, a precursor to a lawsuit in California.

Stokes set up a meeting with her son's science teacher, Kimberly Newman, to address his struggles with online learning, the claim says.

On Jan. 20, after the parent-teacher meeting on Zoom, Newman  who is white  did not end the meeting for all attendees and instead left her microphone and her camera turned on, according to the claim.

Newman then seemed to make made racist remarks, unaware that she could still be heard on Zoom, and Stokes began recording the call on video.

Excerpts of the video were released by Stokes' attorneys and have been viewed by NBC News. It is unclear what happened before the video was recorded.

"Your son has learned to lie to everybody and make excuses," Newman apparently says on the recording. "Because you've taught him to make excuses that nothing is his fault. This is what Black people do. This is what Black people do. White people do it, too, but Black people do it way more."

Newman seems to claim in the recording that she and several other teachers had made failed attempts to reach Stokes throughout the school year to discuss her son's progress, saying it was "the first time I reached that woman the whole year."

"These parents, that's what kinds of pieces of s--- they are," Newman says. "Black. He's Black. They're a Black family."

The claim says that during the rant, Stokes called the school principal, who immediately called Newman and told her that her video was still on. Newman denied the remarks she made, still on video, while Stokes continued the recording.

Story continues

Dave Garcia, a spokesperson for the Palmdale School District, said Thursday that the district adamantly opposes any kind of racial bias and that Newman was no longer employed by the district.

"Within hours, the teacher was on administrative leave, and within days she resigned. We will not stomach that kind of behavior," Garcia said. "This is not the vocabulary that Palmdale proposes teachers use."

Newman could not be reached for comment.

John C. Taylor, Stokes' attorney, said the comments on the video were "horrible" and "truly heartbreaking for a mother to hear and for her young son to hear."

"All children are entitled to receive an educational experience free of discrimination, and this video has demonstrated what minority students often face behind the scenes today," Taylor said.

Stokes' claim for personal injuries accuses the Palmdale School District of inflicting emotional distress, defamation and violations of the Civil Rights Act. Garcia did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the legal claim.

Last month, another Zoom recording captured two Georgetown University law professors' making racist remarks. One professor can be heard saying: "I hate to say this. I end up having this angst every semester that a lot of my lower ones are Blacks, happens almost every semester." Both professors are no longer with the school.
The siren of a Santa Ana Police Department vehicle in Santa Ana, Calif., on March 11, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Santa Ana Gears Up for Easter Street Racing Enforcement

Santa Ana police are revving up their annual enforcement efforts against street racers on Easter Sunday.

For decades, car clubs would kick off a summer of driving their low-rider cruisers with hydraulics on the Christian holiday, which this year falls on April 4.

However, some participants in previous years engaged in illegal activitiesharming the quality of life of Santa Ana residents, police said.

To mitigate this, the Santa Ana Police Department is conducting its annual, large-scale anti-cruiser enforcement operation.

Groups of people would get in the parking lots, and then often it leads to other criminal activity like drinking, fighting,  shootings, and things like that, Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told The Epoch Times.

We do strict enforcement.

In past years, Santa Ana police said they have contended with large crowds of cruisers, congested roadways, and criminal activity.

Last summer, an Orange County Register employee was hit and killed by two cars engaged in an illegal street racing incident in Santa Ana.

Bertagna said the annual street racing enforcement goes back for generations.

The traditional car clubs still show up. Theyre more about showing off their cars  In recent history its shifted to the street racers, where they take over intersections and do donuts, Bertagna said.

Obviously, when people are racing at an excessive speed, there are bad things that can happen.

Road closures, lane restrictions and extra uniformed officers are among the efforts the Santa Ana Police Department is making to crack down on street racers.

Residents can expect to see an increased police presence April 4 in the following areas: Bristol Street from 17th Street to Warner Avenue, Main Street from 17th Street to Warner Avenue, and Edinger Avenue from Main Street to Bristol Street.

The temporary closures and restrictions are expected to delay traffic in some areas of the city.
You didnt see this on Spongebob: Cannibal sea star babies

Fine young cannibal: A sea star, just days from metamorphosis, consumes a sibling. A faculty-undergraduate research team documented the previously unknown behavior. Their discovery was published in the journal Ecology. Courtesy photo Photo - of - Hide Caption

Karina Brocco French explains that sea stars are like butterflies: They go through metamorphosis.

They start out as adults on the sea floor, and they look like what you expect a starfish to look like, she said. And they spawn, and then those little embryos end up flying through the water, if you will, during a larval stage where they look like weird little spaceships.

The weird little spaceship stage lasts around a month, Brocco French said, before they metamorphose into juveniles, settling onto the sea floor. Jon Allen said the juveniles are essentially pinhead-sized, star-shaped versions of their parents.

To grow, the juveniles must eat, and Brocco French and Allen discovered that what the young sea stars eat often turns out to be each other. Cannibalism is widespread in nature, but their discovery marks a heretofore unknown example of cannibalism in marine invertebrates fresh out of metamorphosis.

Their findings are described in Cannibalism of newly-metamorphosed juvenile sea stars, recently published in the journal Ecology. Allen is an associate professor in William & Marys Department of Biology. Brocco French is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Irvine. She is a 2016 William & Mary graduate, and the research was conducted while she was an undergraduate member of Allens marine invertebrate lab. Their study animal is Asterias forbesi.

This is our good old Virginia starfish. It goes from New England to the Gulf of Mexico, Allen said. So if you found this starfish on the Eastern Shore, it would likely be the one Karina and I were working on.

And if you pick up one of these starfish, theres a good chance that your beach souvenir ate one or more of its siblings at a very early age. Allen and Brocco French recorded cannibalism among the sea stars as early as four days post-metamorphosis.

Im convinced that if they could, they would eat each other during the little spaceship phase, Brocco French said. But unfortunately, I dont think they have the ability to do that until they turn into little bitty sea stars.

Allen said the larval sea-star spaceships eat unicellular algae, but when the spaceship lands, the juveniles on the bottom eat the larvae. The star-eats-spaceship behavior was documented earlier by other researchers, he added.

The juveniles are so much bigger than the larvae that this form of cannibalism was not surprising. But when juvenile-eats-juvenile action occurs, a sea star is taking on a meal roughly the same size as itself. Brocco French explains that sea stars feed in a manner that is totally different from how its depicted on Spongebob Squarepants.

They extrude their stomachs, kind of like turning it inside out like a plastic bag, she said. And then they sort of engulf whatever it is they're trying to eat, and start to break it down, and then absorb the broken-down stuff. So they don't need teeth or anything. They've got it covered.

Allen adds that a sea star has multiple stomachs; the one Brocco French describes is known as the cardiac stomach. Instead of putting their food in their mouth, they slide their stomach out of their mouth into their food, he said.

Their observations show that even minute differences in size can delineate the difference between the dinner and the diner. The bigger ones always seem to eat the smaller ones.

The duos interest in the teeny young cannibals began with a fortuitous disaster in the invertebrate lab.

This started out as a totally different project, as Karina probably remembers painfully, Allen said. We were going to be culturing these juveniles to look at their reaction to predatory crabs, and whether the sea stars change their behavior in response to predator cues from the crabs. But they all started eating each other before we even introduced the crabs. So we had to scrap that experiment.

They turned their attention to the more interesting phenomenon of sea star cannibalism, behavior that for the most part had escaped notice among the scientific community.

Allen said that in evolutionary context, sibling cannibalism provides an adaptive advantage to the individual sea star, especially when you consider the inevitable competition that results when a female Asterias produces five to ten million eggs each year. They began their paper by noting that cannibalism is common in the animal kingdom, the practice documented in more than 1,300 species, vertebrates and invertebrates alike.

Brocco French and Allen suspect that cannibalism is even more widespread. It would make sense that future research would reveal that previously unsuspected cannibalistic behavior is common among small animals and animals in early growth stages, like their sea stars. Allen says he hopes the Ecology paper will represent an aha! moment for researchers to look closely at the wide range of microscopic life for additional examples.

We think  anthropomorphizing  that cannibalism is terrible. No one should be cannibalistic, he said. But in nature, red in tooth and claw, this is something that can be favored. So it seems to be a strategy that's likely to be common.
ROME, APR 2 - Walter Biot, an Italian navy captain charged with spying for Russia, will ask to be quizzed by prosecutors in the coming days, his lawyer said Friday. "Our goal is to show that the role played by Walter Biot did not give access to documents of a strategic level, documents that in any way concerned State security," said the lawyer, Roberto De Vita. The judge who remanded Biot in custody Thursday said the alleged spy took pictures of at least 181 pages of classified documents including top secret ones. Italy has expelled two Russian officials in the case. (ANSA).
An 82-year-old woman was killed in a house fire Thursday night in Jackson, but another woman jumped from a second-floor window and suffered only minor injuries, authorities said.

The fire broke out around 8:50 p.m. on Lehigh Boulevard was was contained within 30 minutes, police Chief Matthew Kunz and the Ocean County Prosecutors Office said.

The deceased woman was found on the first floor of the house. A pet dog has not been found, the prosecutors office said.

One police officer was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation while a second cop was treated and released from an area hospital after suffering minor injuries, authorities said.

Video shows firefighters shooting water on the charred home as smoke swirled through the air with small pockets of fire still visible.

#njmornings What remains after an elderly woman loses her life in this deadly house fire on Lehigh Boulevard in #Jackson, Ocean County. Live updates this morning @News12NJ pic.twitter.com/ywbpf7PhXT  Tony Caputo (@TonyCaputo) April 2, 2021

The injured woman was treated by emergency workers at the scene and declined to brought to a hospital, officials said.

The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation, the chief said.

The identity of the victim hasnt been released pending family notification.Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Like other courts, the U.S. District Court has a backlog of cases due to the pandemic, and priority is being given to criminal defendants who have been in custody the longest as well as trials that had been previously set to go but were canceled because of COVID-19, according to Thomas Bruton, the court clerk.
With the approaching of the Qingming Festival, a traditional Chinese festival to worship the ancestors and remember the dead, the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia issued an article commemorating the martyrs who had lost their lives in China's peacekeeping efforts and aid operations to Cambodia. The contents are as follows:

Whenever it comes to the Qingming Festival, a day mourning for the dead, there are always many familiar faces occurring to us, including those of the martyrs who had died in China's peacekeeping efforts and aid operations to Cambodia.

In 1959, Luo Jinchun, aged 31, came to Cambodia for a geological survey as a geological expert dispatched by the Chinese government. He won high acclaim from local residents for discovering iron and quartz ores rich in Cambodia for the first time, and helping them resolve the water shortage problem by finding underground water sources . On March 10, 1960, a detonator explosion killed Luo in geological exploration, and his body was buried in Khmer , Cambodia, ever since.

In 1992, about 800 Chinese PLA officers and soldiers headed for Cambodia to perform peacekeeping mission. This is the first time the Chinese military has performed a UN peacekeeping mission. At that time, Cambodia was still at war and in a state of devastation, with many things waiting to be done. These Chinese peacekeepers who had built bridges, roads and barracks there, were witnesses of the friendship between China and Cambodia. On the evening of May 21, 1993, the camp of the Chinese peacekeeping force suddenly suffered fire attacks from unidentified militants, during which two soldiers, namely Chen Zhiguo and Yu Shili, lost their lives.

Although the heroes have passed away, their spirits will live forever. The principle of showing gratitude to peace advocated by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen means giving thanks to both the creators and the guardians of peace, which includes the deceased Chinese who had devoted their efforts and even their lives to the peaceful development of Cambodia. Their noble, peace-loving and responsible souls are still shining to this day.

Luo Jinchun, the geological expert buried in Cambodia, has not been and will not be alone. China has never forgotten him and the Cambodian people will always remember him. Marshal Chen Yi, the then Chinese Foreign Minister, and General Nhiek Tioulong , the then Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Planning Minister, wrote the inscription for him. Tens of thousands of Cambodian people attended the funeral with eyes full of tears. The No. 6 Highway at the foot of the Chinese Peacekeeping Martyrs Monument , which was built by them, is now busy at work and heavy with traffic.

The Martyrs Cemetery for Luo Jinchun, as well as the Chinese Peacekeeping Martyrs Monument, has become symbols of the China-Cambodia friendship, standing tall and upright in the hearts of the two peoples forever. Every year, many Cambodian military and political leaders, local residents, overseas Chinese will spontaneously come to mourn and pay homage to the heroes.

In recent years, under the joint guidance of leaders of the two countries, China and Cambodia have been in brotherly friendship of sharing weal and woe, having achieved remarkable results in the building of a community with a shared destiny. In addition, during the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic, the friendship between the two countries and the two militaries has been further refined and upgraded with fruitful results in politics, economy, and military. China has become Cambodias largest trading partner, investor and source of tourists. It has assisted Cambodia in building roads and bridges of more than 3,000 km. Starting from Cambodia, Chinese peacekeeping force has so far become a key force in safeguarding world peace and development.
Mumbai: After a massive search for nearly 10 days, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) finally caught and detained a mystery woman who was seen in the CCTV footage behind the accused Mumbai police official Sachin Vaze in the SUV and Thane businessman Mansukh Hirens death case.

The woman in question was accosted and detained by the NIA at the Mumbai Airport on Thursday. Later a team searched her home in the suburbs in the western Thane district and was questioned her.

As per preliminary information, the woman was allegedly engaged in converting black money into white using a currency note counting machine, one of which was found in one of the two Mercedes Benz cars used by arrested-suspended Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze which were seized by the NIA last month.

The mystery woman angle had emerged in the case from March 25 when CCTV grabs of a five-star hotel showed her closely trailing Vaze out of the hotel, where he had stayed for at least five days in mid-February, baffling the NIA sleuths.

The developments came close on the heels of a posh restaurant in Girgaum that was raided by the NIA on Thursday morning as part of the probe into the two cases.

The NIA has reportedly found some incriminating documents pertaining to more than half a dozen mobile SIM cards used by Vaze.

The central probe agency is investigating two connected matters - the SUV Scorpio which was found abandoned with 20 gelatin sticks and a threat note near Antilia, the home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani on February 25, followed by the death of its owner, Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren whose body was found in the Thane Creek wetlands on March 5.

In the probe, the NIA has seized seven high-end cars -- the first one was a Scorpio, an Innova, two Mercedes Benz, a Land Cruiser Prado, a Mitsubishi Outlander and a Volvo -- and is now on the trail of another car in which Vaze and some co-accused, have been caught on CCTV footage while travelling to an undisclosed location.

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Like moths to a flame, spotted lanternflies are visually drawn toward and seemingly captivated by vertical objects such as utility poles, a behavior that could be valuable in predicting where the pests might be heading, according to entomologists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Research from the laboratory of Tom Baker, recently published in the Journal of Insect Behavior, is laying the foundation for future strategies to monitor and possibly trap the invasive insect from Asia, which first was found in North America in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. The planthopper now is confirmed in 34 Pennsylvania counties and several surrounding states.

These findings show that telephone poles attract flight-dispersing spotted lanternflies, which are visually drawn to turn and land on the poles when they are less than about 10 feet away. They remain on the pole for many minutes, even hours, while crawling up toward the top to try to take flight again.

However, a large proportion of those launching themselves from the pole are drawn back to the pole, which serves as a sort of "visual magnet" from which the insects cannot escape for a while. The pole thus attracts and retains a large proportion of the lanternflies that are drawn to it.

"The spotted lanternfly feeds on more than 70 plant species, making it a great concern to U.S. tree-fruit and grape growers, as well as to the forest products industry," said Baker, distinguished professor of entomology and chemical ecology.

"Understanding the how and why of its flight capabilities and its attraction to stimuli from the environment can help us better exploit these behaviors to assess, and possibly thwart, future threats from this pest."

This latest study is an offshoot of experiments on the insect's flight behaviors and dispersal patterns led by Baker and his colleagues Andrew Myrick, assistant research professor of entomology, and Michael Wolfin, postdoctoral research associate.

Their flight-dispersal research efforts began during late summer and early fall in September and October of 2017 and 2018 at a fruit farm near Oley and at Dorney Park in Allentown. Both locations had been severely affected by spotted lanternfly infestations.

Baker's team had found that, in the lanternflies' apparent quest to find new sources of food to complete their development and then mate, they will fly onto and crawl to the top of the nearest vertical surfaces -- including inanimate objects such as buildings and telephone poles and host and nonhost plants -- and launch themselves into the wind.

Because lanternflies cannot generate much lift, only thrust, their normal flight paths conform to gradually descending, straight-line trajectories in which they are able to traverse usually only 30 to 150 feet over the ground before landing.

Baker reported that their landing sites are indiscriminate with respect to species of trees, bushes and inanimate objects. "The lanternflies' forced landings on the ground due to insufficient lift are indiscriminate, too," he said.

An exception to the typical low-to-the-ground flights occurs on days with high temperatures and rising air currents, allowing the low-flying lanternflies to be lifted to higher altitudes, with the now high-flying adults being transported downwind for perhaps thousands of yards.

It is on such occasional late-summer days during the past few years when huge swarms have been deposited by the tens of thousands -- much to the alarm of the human population -- in shopping center parking lots, gas stations, and industrial and residential areas within heavily infested regions, Baker pointed out.

However, he said that the pest's typical, low-to-ground flight coupled with its visual attraction to tall vertical objects may provide an effective and inexpensive way to monitor and even trap the insect.

"Telephone poles, which are plentiful and visible from the roadway, could be used by field scouts to document the presence or absence of spotted lanternfly by driving along and examining the poles at designated intervals," said Baker, who also suggested the possible use of poles as "attract-and-kill stations" to protect designated areas.

Despite the importance of these natural flight-dispersal abilities, a method of travel for the lanternflies that citizens should be very concerned about is human transport of adults and egg masses via trains, trucks and recreational vehicles, noted Baker.

"People who are traveling through, or residing in, an area affected by spotted lanternfly should check their vehicles and items they are transporting before leaving to ensure they are not carrying these unwanted hitchhikers to new locations," he said.

###

Yanchen Wang, former visiting doctoral student from Northeast Forestry University in Harbin, China, also contributed to the study, which received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Employee Background Fairness Act into law March 23, prohibiting employers in the state from disqualifying job applicants with conviction records, with some exceptions. The law took effect immediately.

"The law amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to make it a state civil rights violation for employers to use an individual's criminal conviction record in any employment decision, unless there is a substantial relationship between the offense and the individual's employment, or hiring or continuing to employ the individual would pose an unreasonable risk to property or the safety of others," said Schuyler Ferguson, an attorney in Miller Canfield's Detroit office.

The state had already enacted a "ban-the-box" law that bars employers from rejecting job applicants based on arrest records or inquiring about an applicant's criminal history until later stages of the application process.

If an employer determines that there is a relationship between the criminal offense and the job or that there is a safety risk, it must perform an individualized assessment and consider the following mitigating factors before taking any adverse action:

The length of time since the conviction.

The number of convictions on the record.

The nature and severity of the conviction.

The facts or circumstances surrounding the conviction.

The age of the person at the time of the conviction.

Evidence of rehabilitation efforts.

"These mitigating factors mirror those outlined in the EEOC's 2012 Enforcement Guidancewhich courts have rejected the EEOC's ability to enforcethat have been adopted in a number of ban-the-box laws around the country," said Kwabena Appenteng, an attorney in the Chicago office of Littler. "If, after considering these mitigating factors, the employer chooses to move forward with the adverse action, the employer must comply with the law's new notice requirements."

The employer must notify the affected individual that the criminal conviction is the basis for disqualification, provide the applicant or employee with a copy of the criminal history report, and give the applicant five days to submit information to convince the employer not to take the adverse action.

"If the individual is unable to challenge the accuracy of the conviction or provide sufficient evidence of mitigation, the employer can then send the individual a notification informing them of the adverse action being taken and proceed with the disqualification," Appenteng said. "Employers that perform criminal history checks using a third-party consumer reporting agency will be very familiar with this process,  [as] the new Illinois requirements incorporate steps that employers are already required to take to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act."

He added that while the new state requirements for the pre-adverse action and adverse action notices do not deviate from the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the law adds two new measures that may require employers to amend their adverse action notices. The law requires employers to include "the reasoning for the disqualification" within both pre-adverse action and adverse action notices and notify the affected applicant or employee of their right to file a charge with the Illinois Department of Human Rights.



Any person who has experienced adverse employment consequences because of their conviction record can now file a charge of discrimination with the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

"Penalties under the Illinois Human Rights Act are significant, including uncapped compensatory damages, back pay, front pay, reinstatement, attorneys' fees and costs, and punitive damages," Ferguson said.


Seeing some culinary-related artifacts at Yad Vashem launched Alon Shaya on a project a decade later that he calls "one of the most moving things I have ever done."

By Margaret Littman

(JTA) - Visiting Yad Vashem a decade ago, Alon Shaya got to see some of the Jerusalem Holocaust museum's culinary-related artifacts that aren't always on display to the public.

It was the James Beard Award-winning chef's introduction to the fact that concentration camp inmates distracted themselves by recalling and secretly writing recipes - on scraps of hidden paper and cloth - from their prewar lives.

"Food is such a big part of everything I do. It really moved me that people who were trapped, who were facing almost certain death, were helped by these memories of food. It reminded me of the power of food," Shaya said. "They would not have spent their last moments documenting this if they did not think this was important."

The Israel-born Shaya was raised in Philadelphia and now lives in New Orleans, where he and his wife, Emily, own Pomegranate Hospitality. The company runs several restaurants, including Safta in Denver and Saba in New Orleans. One will open soon at the Four Seasons Hotel, also in New Orleans.

Over the years Shaya kept thinking about those recipes at Yad Vashem.

"Is anyone cooking these recipes? Do the families know they exist?" he wondered.

Seven years later, on a November 2018 visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., Shaya would explore its food-related artifacts. He learned about Steven Fenves, a Holocaust survivor and museum volunteer, and saw its collection of more than 140 Fenves family recipes.

Fenves recalled that when he, his mother and older sister were forced from their home on the Yugoslavia-Hungary border in 1944 - his father had already been taken away - there was a line of people on the staircase jeering while waiting to loot the place. Hidden in that crowd, unbeknownst to the Fenveses, was Maris, their former longtime cook. Maris wasn't there to steal but to surreptitiously rescue items of sentimental value.

After the war, she surprised the family by returning the recipe book, schoolwork, and lithographs and artwork by Fenves' mother, who had perished in the Holocaust. Fenves was liberated in 1945, as was his sister and father, although his father died about four months later.

Fenves, now 89, had memories of the family going to the market together, choosing seasonal vegetables, and coming home and pickling them together. He remembered potato circles, with yeasted bread and mashed potatoes, which he and his sister were not allowed to eat; those were the special occasion foods for guests.

He and his sister loved a roast turkey dish that involved pulling the turkey off the bone, grinding the meat and then packing it back on before baking. The two would work their way through the ground meat to reach their favorite part, the bone.

But Fenves never prepared those foods of his youth. And that's where Shaya stepped in.

The chef wanted to help Fenves experience again the tastes of the food made by his mother and grandmothers - food he hadn't savored in 75 years.

Fenves translated 13 recipes from Hungarian and the book's table of contents working off a high-resolution copy, as the original is quite fragile, said Edna Friedberg, a historian with the U.S. museum.

While Fenves has an affinity for languages - even as a child he was trilingual - translating the "rescued recipes" was beyond entering them in Google translate. The recipes are handwritten, so he had to decipher 100-year-old script that may have regional differences of language. Some survivors' recipes may be written in a combination of languages, such as Yiddish and Polish. And it's an emotional process for survivors remembering their losses. (The museum is accepting donations to fund the translation and rescue of more recipes so that prewar food traditions can continue.)

Shaya searched the translations for dishes he had never made and recipes to which Fenves had a connection. He chose the potato circles, the turkey, a walnut cake and semolina sticks, which Fenves identified as a delicacy he missed.

Fenves told Shaya the snack - crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside - needed to look like fish sticks. So Shaya made a Cream of Wheat-type substance cooked down with milk, then lightly breaded and fried. The dish was perfection, according to Fenves. It's also now in regular rotation at the Shaya home.

"The semolina sticks and ground turkey exactly replicated what I remember," Fenves told an audience in a live video presented by the museum.

The recipes are largely lists of ingredients, without techniques and oven temperatures, so Shaya worked with Fenves to re-create them. Due to the pandemic, Shaya worked in New Orleans and shipped Fenves food packed in dry ice. Fenves would heat and eat at home and provide Shaya with critiques. The process took the better part of a year.

Videoconferencing made it possible for Shaya to see Fenves and his family, even if Shaya could not serve him in person, as he wished.

"To send him food and have him be able to taste those things for the first time in 75 years, that was one of the most moving things I have ever done," Shaya said.

Friedberg, the museum historian, said Shaya brought an "incalculable" amount of joy to Fenves.

"The importance of the recipes books is the way it makes vivid and real and visceral what was lost during the Holocaust," Friedberg said. "We have to make sure that Jews are not flattened into victims. The partnership of Alon and Steve is one of the most powerful examples of how to appreciate prewar Jewish life."
STUDENTS HONORED FOR FIRE PREVENTION POSTERS

TORRINGTON: Two students from St. John Paul the Great Academy and one student from the Forbes School are local winners of the 2021 fire prevention poster contest, sponsored each year by Connecticut FAIR Plan and the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association.

Torrington Deputy Fire Marshal Jarred Howe awarded certificates and gift cards to fifth-grade students Isabella OBrien and Alexandra Mazzarelli on March 30 at the St. John Paul the Great Academy. Proudly looking on as classmates applauded were intermediate teacher Jennifer Nypert and academy principal Edward Goad.

Howe made a separate presentation at the Forbes School to first-place winner Mia Diaz, a fourth-grade student in Michelle Horns class.

Howe said the winning posters will be judged later at the state level. They will then be on display at Torrington City Hall during Fire Prevention Month in October.

He said winning posters must adhere to guidelines laid out at the start of the school year. They must be grammatically correct and created by the students. It is open to all fourth- and fifth-grade students in Connecticut.

I think the contest gets kids thinking about fire safety more often, Howe said. When we talk to kids about fire safety when theyre young, they actually become the teachers at home. When they come home with this new information, theyre basically re-teaching their siblings and their parents. They look around their house and check their smoke detectors, and that keeps fire safety in the forefront of everybodys minds.

Joanne Creedon, principal of Forbes School, said in a statement, Fire safety is a community issue; fire prevention is our communal responsibility. Were delighted to partner with the Torrington Fire Department each year to give our students this opportunity to share their knowledge with others through the Poster Contest. Congratulations to our Forbes winner, Mia Diaz!

Edward Goad, principal of St. John Paul the Great Academy, congratulated his students and said, This is important because we have to be aware of the health and safety of the students, the town and the community. Its all very important to understand what the best practices are, how to be able to escape a fire and to be aware of the insides and outsides of the building in case of any emergency. Its great to have the students involved in such a wonderful program. We are so blessed that the Torrington Fire Department works hard to keep us safe at all times.

Cutline information:

File 000_ (3).jpg: From left: Jarred Howe, Torrington deputy fire marshal, stands with Mia Diaz, Forbes School fourth grader, winner of the 2021 fire prevention poster contest.

DSCN2665.jpg: Jarred Howe, Torrington deputy fire marshal, stands between Isabella OBrien (at left) and Alexandra Mazzarelli, fifth-grade students at St. John Paul the Great Academy, winners of the 2021 fire prevention poster contest.
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England's coronavirus R rate has not changed since last week, No10's scientific advisers claimed today.

SAGE estimated the figure  the average number of people each infected person passes the virus on to  was still between 0.8 and 1.0. But the panel of top experts warned the rate may now be as high as one in every region because cases are 'levelling off'.

Advisers also said the measure  which is based on three-week-old data, as opposed to the current scenario  didn't 'fully reflect' schools reopening on March 8 or the easing of restrictions this week.

But scientists tracking the outbreak through other measures say it is clear letting children back into classrooms has had very little impact on the outbreak. An array of official data yesterday revealed cases have yet to spiral out of control since No10 took the first step back to normality.

Britain's daily coronavirus cases have almost halved in a week to the lowest level in almost seven months, official figures also revealed today.

Department of Health bosses posted another 3,402 positive tests. It is the fewest infections reported in a 24-hour period since September 17 (3,395), before the second wave spiralled. Officials also saw 52 more deaths, down 26 per cent on last Friday's figure.

Data also showed the UK dished out 435,000 top-up vaccines yesterday, the most since the roll-out kicked off in December. Another 150,000 first doses were also administered, meaning 31.3million Brits have now been jabbed.

The figures come as Boris Johnson today urged Britons not to meet up indoors or stay overnight at each others homes over the Easter weekend, as millions flocked to parks, beaches and beauty spots around the country to soak up the sun and kick off the bank holiday weekend.

Coronavirus cases are surging again in France, Germany and Spain as the Kent variant triggers a 'new epidemic' there and vaccinations are not as widespread as in the UK

The R rate is no longer at the heart of the Government's Covid response, and will inevitably spike when restrictions are eased over the coming months.

Ministers will only feel the need to act and delay the relaxation of lockdown if hospital admissions spiral out of control, like they did in October.

Department of Health bosses, who release the R rate estimate every Friday, for the first time did not publish a UK-wide rate.

Officials said that as restrictions are lifted at different rates across the four nations, a UK-level estimate has become a less meaningful measure of the pandemic.

UK won't suffer a third wave like one tearing through Europe, expert says Professor Linda Bauld, public health researcher at the University of Edinburgh Britain probably won't suffer a third wave of Covid like the one tearing through Europe right now, a top public health expert said today. Edinburgh University's Professor Linda Bauld expects the UK's advanced vaccine programme and the incoming spring to help control the virus. The Kent variant of the coronavirus, which sunk England into crisis at Christmas and doubled the UK's death toll in two months, is now spreading fast on the continent. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that Brits should be prepared for Europe's outbreak to wash up on the shores of the UK and has refused to speed up the easing of lockdown out of fear a third wave could devastate the country. But Professor Bauld said Britain is 'in a very different position' and better placed to fend off any spikes in cases, with more than half of adults now inoculated with jabs that are proven to save lives and stop the majority of people getting infected. France is heading back into lockdown this weekend to try to cope with the surging cases in the face of spluttering vaccinations and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the arrival of the UK variant was like a 'new epidemic'. Scientists say the virus spreads more in the winter because people have to spend more time indoors because of cold weather, and it can survive for longer on surfaces or in the air so people are more likely to pick it up. Because the UK found the Kent variant in December and the country wasn't in lockdown at the time it was able to spread like wildfire across the south. Advertisement

R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect and today's estimate is based on data available up to March 29.

When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially, but when it is below 1, it means the epidemic is shrinking.

An R number between 0.8 and 1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between eight and 10 other people.

SAGE said: 'There remains significant variation in transmission locally within regions, with indications of potential levelling off or growth in some areas and communities.

'The overall data for England shows that cases and transmission are levelling off.

'The government expects cases will begin to increase as we move through the roadmap, but as we continue with our remarkable vaccination programme we are going to protect the most vulnerable and prevent people from contracting serious illness, while reducing pressure on the NHS.'

The update comes after a raft of official data yesterday showed England's outbreak was still shrinking, despite schools being allowed to reopen on March 8. Experts said it was proof reopening classrooms had a 'very small' impact on cases and England was in a 'good position' for the next bout of lockdown-easing on April 12.

Britain's daily coronavirus cases have dropped by a third in a week to 4,479, while deaths fell by 20 per cent to 51, according to the Department of Health.

The Office for National Statistics estimated 148,100 Britons were infected on any given day last week  the lowest figure since before the second wave spiralled out of control and down almost 10 per cent on the previous seven-day spell.

Figures from a symptom-tracking app monitoring the size of the country's outbreak also claimed the number of people falling ill with tell-tale signs of the disease every day has dropped by a similar amount to 2,800.

And Public Health England data revealed cases have fallen in every age group except secondary school children, offering more proof that reopening classrooms on March 8 has not triggered any resurgence.

Separate Test and Trace figures also added to the heartening estimates, showing the number of people diagnosed with Covid in England fell by two per cent last week with 36,606 cases - the fewest since September.

It comes after a top public health expert said today Britain probably won't suffer a third wave of Covid like the one tearing through Europe right now.

People enjoy drinks at Potters Fields next to Tower Bridge today as the warm weather continued at the start of the long weekend

Crowds flock to the seafront in Brighton and Hove to enjoy the sunshine at the start of the four-day Easter weekend

Edinburgh University's Professor Linda Bauld expects the UK's advanced vaccine programme and the incoming spring to help control the virus.

The Kent variant of the coronavirus, which sunk England into crisis at Christmas and doubled the UK's death toll in two months, is now spreading fast on the continent.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that Brits should be prepared for Europe's outbreak to wash up on the shores of the UK and has refused to speed up the easing of lockdown out of fear a third wave could devastate the country.

But Professor Bauld said Britain is 'in a very different position' and better placed to fend off any spikes in cases, with more than half of adults now inoculated with jabs that are proven to save lives and stop the majority of people getting infected.

France is heading back into lockdown this weekend to try to cope with the surging cases in the face of spluttering vaccinations and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the arrival of the UK variant was like a 'new epidemic'.

Scientists say the virus spreads more in the winter because people have to spend more time indoors because of cold weather, and it can survive for longer on surfaces or in the air so people are more likely to pick it up.
[April 02, 2021] Primerica Hits Single Month Investment & Savings Products Sales Record of Approximately $1.1 Billion in March

Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI), a leading provider of financial services to middle-income families throughout the United States and Canada, today announced that for the first time in its 44-year history, it achieved a single month Investment & Savings Products (ISP) sales record of more than $1 billion in March 2021. The Company noted that it expects first quarter 2021 ISP sales of approximately $2.8 billion. "Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic caused middle-income families to clearly understand their need for protection today and investments for tomorrow. As a result, more consumers are turning to Primerica's representatives for financial guidance as they work to prepare for the future," said Glenn Williams, Chief Executive Officer. "In March, we experienced record ISP production in both the U.S. and Canada, which is a clear indication that middle-income consumers are taking action in this important area of their financial game plans." The Company noted that momentum in its ISP business has been building since erly in the 4th quarter of 2020, and the production has been driven primarily by strong mutual funds sales and increased activity on the managed investments front. Primerica also saw increased client demand for products with guarantees, as evidenced by strong variable annuities sales during the first quarter, as well.



"In addition to health challenges, middle-income families throughout North America have faced unprecedented financial challenges brought on by the global pandemic," added Williams. "Our sales force and the entire Primerica team remain focused on putting our clients' needs first as we continue our work to guide them in reaching their financial goals." About Primerica, Inc.

Primerica, Inc., headquartered in Duluth, GA, is a leading provider of financial services to middle-income households in the United States and Canada. Independent licensed representatives educate Primerica clients about how to better prepare for a more secure financial future by assessing their needs and providing appropriate solutions through term life insurance, which we underwrite, and mutual funds, annuities and other financial products, which we distribute primarily on behalf of third parties. We insured over 5.5 million lives and had approximately 2.6 million client investment accounts at December 31, 2019. Primerica, through its insurance company subsidiaries, was the #2 issuer of Term Life insurance coverage in North America in 2019. Primerica stock is included in the S&P MidCap 400 and the Russell 1000 stock indices and is traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "PRI." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005017/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 21:12:06|Editor: huaxia

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Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attends a symposium held by the NPC Standing Committee on the implementation of the Biosecurity Law in Beijing, capital of China, April 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu on Thursday called for adopting a holistic approach to national security and ensuring both development and security when implementing the Biosecurity Law.

Li, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, made the remarks at a symposium held by the NPC Standing Committee in Beijing on the implementation of the law, which will come into force from April 15.

Li stressed strengthened efforts in the study and publication of the law to ensure its full and effective implementation.

He also urged efforts to establish a monitoring and early warning system, take prevention and control measures in accordance with the law, and speed up the construction of a national legal and institutional framework for biosecurity.

Calling the Biosecurity Law, adopted in October 2020, a fundamental, comprehensive, systematic and dominating legal measure, Li said its promulgation and implementation will promote law-based governance. Enditem
An Abuja-based lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe, has petitioned the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department over the arrest of some members of Idumuje-Ugboko, a community in Aniocha Local Government Area of Delta State.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how police recently rearrested two leaders who had been facing trial in Abuja over a crisis in the community.

Seven persons, including the president of the Idumuje-Ugboko Development Union (IUDU), Okey Ifejoku, had been charged with allegedly killing a man, Cyprian Kumaroun, in 2017.

The six other defendants in the terrorism charge are Godwin Aniemeke, Nonso Omefe, Dennis Nwoko, Light Nwochie, Aikhomu Omezi and Emeka Bidoku.

They were accused of conspiring with others now at large in May 2017 to unleash terror on the community by burning houses and killing Mr Kumaorun.

The case is still pending before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja but Messrs Ifejoku and Aniemeke were again arrested by cops on Thursday.

They are currently detained at the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) in Abuja.

Petition

Meanwhile, in a protest letter written to the head of the department, Mr Omorogbe condemned the arrest of the duo over a matter that is already in court. The letter is dated March 26.

We are counsel to Mr Okey Ifejoku and Mr Godwin Aniemeke (the President General and Deputy President General of Idumuje-Ugboko Development Union, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State), on whose authority we act and apply for their release.

Our Clients are law-abiding citizens of Idumuje-Ugboko, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, who were arrested on March 25, 2021, and detained by officers from the Homicide section, Force Criminal lavestition Department. Abuja, led by DPS Duda Yolde Gabudo (Investigative Police Offcer), for the alleged murder of a certain Cyprian Kumaroun, an allegation for which they are presently standing trial before the Honorable Justice E.O Abang, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and for which they were also discharged by the Magistrate Court of Delta State, Issele-uku, after the Director of Public Prosecution, Delta Stute Ministry of Justice, Asaba, find that no prima facie case was made out against them to warrant them standing trial! the letter read.

Mr Omorogbe narrated how his clients were first arrested and arraigned.

On March 19, 2020, Honourable Justice EO Abang admitted Mr Ifejoku to bail, having spent about six months in detention, both at the FCID Abuja, and at the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Kuje. On October 30, 2020, Mr. Okey Efejoku, Mr. Godwin Akaba Aniemeke and five other members of the Idumuje-Ugboko community were arraigned before the honorable Justice EO Abang, and further amended Charge No: FHC/ABICR/11/19, for alleged terrorism and the murder of the same Cyprain Kumaroun.

He said the officers disregarded information that the duo are already standing trial for the same allegation.

It is particularly noteworthy to state that some of the arresting officers were part of the team that investigated our Clients before CHARGE NO: FHC/ABJ/CR/11/19 was filed against them by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation. Upon our visit to the FCID, the investigating police officer, DSP Dauda Yolde Guido, confirmed that our Clients were arrested for the alleged murder of Cyprain Kumar.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that in the course of our Clients trial at the Federal High Court, the Court will, in one way or the other, determine whether our Clients are responsible for the death of Cyprian Kumaorun.

Having submitted the alleged murder of Cyprian Kumaorun to the Federal High Court for determination, all parties must await the outcome of the Courts decision, To do otherwise will amount to abuse of state institution, double jeopardy, malice and manifest bad faith.

He then urged the Deputy Inspector General of Police to use his good office to direct the immediate release of Messrs Ifejoku and Aniemeke.

ADVERTISEMENT

The spokesperson of the police, Frank Mba, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMESs enquiries on the issue.

Genesis

PREMIUM TIMES, in a two-part series published in December, reported how a former lawmaker, Ned Nwoko, dislodged poor farmers from their farmlands to build a private university in the village.

This newspaper reported how the billionaire, in 2015, grabbed 90 hectares of land in Idumuje-Ugboko and how he used security personnel to intimidate members of the community who challenged him.

Mr Nwokos land grab later led to violence, a kingship tussle and rights violations in his hometown when some members of the community, led by his kin from the royal family, kicked against his demands for 90 hectares of land.

While there are pending lawsuits surrounding the approval of the land by the late traditional ruler, Mr Nwoko has started building the proposed STARS University on the 90 hectares.

On May 23, 2017, about 30 hoodlums disrupted a meeting of the community leaders called to address the crisis over the land.

But the youth of the community repelled the thugs. The exchange left many injured and Mr Kumaroun, a motorcyclist from Benue State, reportedly dead after being declared missing since the incident.

The police later arrested some persons over the violence, including the traditional ruler, his uncles and supporters.

Some were illegally detained before being charged to court while nine were taken into custody in Abuja on charges of terrorism.
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Copperas Cove, TX (76522)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High around 75F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy with showers. Low 64F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
[April 02, 2021] Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. Schedules Earnings Release and Conference Call to Discuss its First Quarter Ended March 31, 2021 Financial Results

Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. (NYSE: TSLX) ("TSLX" or "the Company") announced today that it will release its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, after the market closes. TSLX invites all interested persons to its webcast / conference call on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its first quarter ended March 31, 2021 financial results. Conference Call Information: The conference call will be broadcast live at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on the Investor Resources section of TSLX's website at http://www.sixthstreetspecialtylending.com. Please visit the website to test your connection before the webcast. Participants are also invited to access the conference call by dialing one of the following numbers: Domestic: (877) 359-9508

International: +1 (253) 237-1122

Conference ID: 9277414 All callers will need to enter the Conference ID followed by the # sign and reference "Sixth Street Specialty Lending" once connected with the operator. All callers are asked to dial in 10-15 minutes prior to the call so that name and company information can be collected. Replay Information: An archived replay will be available from approximately 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 5 through May 12 via a webcast link located on the Investor Resources section of TSLX's website, and via the dial-in numbers listed below: Dmestic: (855) 859-2056







Conference ID: 9277414 About Sixth Street Specialty Lending

Sixth Street Specialty Lending is a specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. The Company seeks to generate current income primarily in U.S.-domiciled middle-market companies through direct originations of senior secured loans and, to a lesser extent, originations of mezzanine loans and investments in corporate bonds and equity securities. The Company has elected to be regulated as a business development company, or a BDC, under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. The Company is externally managed by Sixth Street Specialty Lending Advisers, LLC, an affiliate of Sixth Street and a Securities and Exchange Commission (" SEC (News - Alert) ") registered investment adviser. The Company leverages the deep investment, sector, and operating resources of Sixth Street, a global investment firm with over $50 billion in assets under management and committed capital. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.sixthstreetspecialtylending.com. About Sixth Street Sixth Street is a global investment firm with over $50 billion in assets under management and committed capital. Sixth Street operates nine diversified, collaborative investment platforms: TAO, Growth, Specialty Lending, Fundamental Strategies, Infrastructure, Opportunities, Insurance, Agriculture, and Credit Market Strategies. Our long-term oriented, highly flexible capital base and "One Team" cultural philosophy allow us to invest thematically across sectors, geographies and asset classes. Founded in 2009, Sixth Street has more than 320 team members including over 145 investment professionals operating from nine locations around the world. For more information, visit www.sixthstreet.com. Forward-Looking Statements Statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements," which relate to future events or the Company's future performance or financial condition. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005019/en/

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Burma Myanmar Security Forces Shoot Dead Striking Policeman in Sagaing Region

Anti-regime protesters in Tamu. / CJ

A police officer on strike who helped local people defend themselves against the juntas security forces was shot dead in Tamu Township, Sagaing Region early on Friday.

Security forces opened fire on local residents near the fire station in Nan Phar Lone Ward in Tamu around 2.30 am on Friday. Kin Kin, an ethnic Chin policeman on strike in protest at the military regime, was shot dead as he helped defend local people against the attack.

We have not yet been able to retrieve his body. Soldiers are deployed in the fire station and they have intentionally left his body outside the fire station so they can shoot anyone who comes to get it. We have heard that police and army were also injured in the incident. But we still cant confirm that, said a Tamu resident.

Two people are reported missing from the incident, said residents.

Kin Kin is the second person to be killed in Tamu by the junta. A Tamu resident died on March 26, the day after he was shot by security forces.

Three people who were injured in the same shooting received medical treatment in Imphal in India and are no longer in a critical condition.

A Gurkha man working as a security guard at a construction site in Tamu was arrested by security forces on Monday evening. His whereabouts are still unknown.

Despite the use of lethal force by the security forces and the threat of arrests, Tamu residents again took to the streets on Friday in protest at the military regime.

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Kachin Armed Group Attacks Factory Owned by Crony Close to Former Myanmar Junta

China Again Seeks Myanmar Regimes Assurances on Oil, Gas Pipelines Security

Three NLD Lawmakers Among Nine People Detained in Myanmars Ayeyarwady
The COVID-19 pandemic brought adverse impacts and strains to Vietnams economy, slowing the countrys growth and presenting uncertainties to the countrys recovery.

However, Vietnams economy has been resilient and gradually recovering from the pandemic, resulting in a sustained positive GDP growth rate, average FDI inflows, and effective pandemic containment measures.

Even though Vietnam is forecast to reach a GDP growth of 6.5 percent in 2021, further robust and decisive measures are needed to make the most out of the countrys growth potential, exceeding the forecasted growth if possible.

Vietnams economic landscape

Pre-COVID-19

Before COVID-19, Vietnam was in a prolonged period of high growth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and foreign direct investment (FDI). Vietnam implemented market-oriented reforms in the past three decades, transforming from one of the poorest countries in the world to a position among lower-middle-income countries.

Post-COVID-19

However, 2020 has been challenging for Vietnam due to the drastic impact of the pandemic. Nevertheless, Vietnam has been able to control the pandemic effectively and has kept the economy moving. According to CNBC, Vietnam surpassed other regional countries, including the powerful economy of China, to be one of the top-performing economies in Asia in 2020.

GDP rate remained positive despite pandemic

Due to the adverse impact of the pandemic, China, Taiwan, Myanmar, and Vietnam are some of the few countries in Asia with a positive real GDP growth rate in 2020 (China 2.3 percent, Vietnam 2.9 percent, and Taiwan 3.11 percent).

According to Vietnams General Statistics Office (GSO), Vietnam saw a GDP growth rate of 2.91 percent, having outperformed Chinas 2.3 percent growth in 2020. Although this is the lowest rate in the last 30 years of development, it is the highest growth rate among Asian countries and one of the highest growth rates in the world due to the pandemic.

As of economy scale and GDP value, in 2020 Vietnam reached over US$343 billion, surpassing Singapore (US$337.5 billion) and Malaysia (US$336.3 billion), becoming the fourth biggest economy in Southeast Asia, just behind Indonesia at US$1,090 billion, Thailand US$509.2 billion, and Philippines US$367.4 billion.

Vietnams trade surplus in 2020 was recorded at $19.06 billion, with average consumer prices increasing by 3.23 percent. The countrys processing and manufacturing sector experienced a growth of 3.98 percent, continuing to be the countrys major driving force and contributing largely to the economys performance in 2020.

FDI experiences decline but interest positive

Due to the pandemic, foreign direct investment inflows to Vietnam reported a decline of 25 percent compared to last year, having reached US$28.53 billion of total FDI registered in 2020. Regarding new licensed projects, 2,523 new projects with US$14.6 billion in registered capital were reported, demonstrating a 35 percent contraction compared to that of 2019.

Of the 19 sectors that foreign investors invested in, the largest invested sectors were processing and manufacturing, contributing US$13.6 billion, which is 47.7 percent of total FDI capital. Following those two sectors, power production and distribution accounted for more than US$5.1 billion (18 percent) of total FDI capital.

Even though the total registered FDI capital demonstrated a contraction compared to last year, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) of Vietnam stated that many foreign investors and corporations in Vietnam have gradually recovered and sustained their operations. The MPI also declared that apart from current investors, many other foreign investors have shown significant interest in investing in Vietnam.

COVID-19 pandemic containment

Being a developing country, Vietnam encountered several challenges in coping with the COVID-19 outbreak due to inadequate resources and substandard technological competency. However, as of April 2, 2021, the country only had a total of 2,617 cases of COVID-19, of which 2,359 cases have already recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

This achievement of controlling the outbreak can be attributed to the countrys effective and strict government systems and strategies.

Vietnam responded very early to the pandemic, and took severe action in early January 2020, even before the virus entered the country. The Vietnamese government implemented strict policies of wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, social distancing, health declaration, and even enforcing strict quarantine measures.

Due to the governments swift decision-making, effective communication, and extensive contact tracing, Vietnam has been successful in controlling the pandemic compared to other countries in the region.

Vietnams economic outlook in 2021

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Vietnams GDP growth is forecast to reach 6.5 percent in 2021, provided the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled and business activities recover.

Regarding the current account surplus, in 2020 this figure contracted considerably due to the declining amount of tourism receipts and remittances. However, Vietnams current account surplus is expected to improve modestly in 2021, and financial inflows are also expected to strengthen along with the recovery in business activities and investment.

In 2021, the IMF expects Vietnams fiscal deficit to narrow compared to that of 2020 as the government effectively prioritizes their expenditures to support the economic recovery, while government revenue enhances due to recovered business activities in the country.

Although Vietnam is subject to gradually recover from COVID-19, the countrys economic outlook in 2021 still holds some uncertainties regarding weaker labor market conditions, deteriorating corporate financial resources, banking system weaknesses, and tensions in trade policies.

On the other hand, the distribution of effective COVID-19 vaccines could benefit Vietnams economic confidence and growth prospects in the coming years.

More decisive policies needed to achieve potential

To fully achieve its growth potential, the IMF in its country report stated that Vietnam needs to review its policies and enforce more decisive reforms.

Firstly, to aid economic recovery the government should focus on business challenges and unemployment. Further, focus should also be on fiscal policies and enforcing more supportive monetary policies. However, due to strains in the banking system because of the pandemic, the government should be cautious when expanding loan restructurings, or when offering opportunities for further monetary policy extension.

Therefore as per the IMF, to make the most of the countrys growth potential, the Vietnamese government should use fiscal policy to focus on supporting vulnerable households, provide liquidity flows to existing corporations, and protect financial stability.

Further, policies in 2021 should focus on supporting high-quality public investment projects, protecting labor, improving government revenue, and enhancing effective resource reallocation.

To be more specific, Vietnams fiscal stance should stay neutral or expand moderately in 2021 due to the gradual economic recovery and available fiscal space. Fiscal policies should therefore focus on improving government budget execution, providing further fiscal support to encourage stronger economic recovery.

Tax reforms needed across all sectors

Regarding tax policy, a more decisive reform is needed to promote production, investment, and export. Also, tax reforms can enhance changes in the economic structure, and improve government revenue since tax as a major income of the country.

Specifically, tax reforms should emphasize more on rationalizing tax expenditures, widening the value-added-tax (VAT) base, raising excise duties, and enforcing a unified property tax. The government should also consider improving the tax agencys organizational structure, focusing on adopting e-tax services, and easing tax registration, filing, payment, and refund procedures.

Further digital investment needed

Public investment should also be improved by utilizing savings, improving efficiency, and adopting adaptive and digital infrastructure. Social protection systems should be strengthened, advancing the citizen identification number to apply cross-linking databases, using more e-payment methods, and enrolling workers in programs that can provide unemployment support.

The government should consider simplifying and reducing regulatory and procedure complications to ease business operations, improving access to land and other financial resources. Corruption should be addressed to ensure a fair and transparent business market, particularly for SMEs. Entry and exit costs should also be reduced to encourage new firms to enter and do business in the country.

Emphasis on labor availability and optimization

To tackle the issue of unemployment and other underlying obstacles in the labor market, the IMF recommends the government to address issues on labor skill-mismatches and human capital. The significant gap in educational and vocational training have created skill-mismatches in the labor market, resulting in increasing unemployment.

While the new labor code will cover all workers, including those informally employed by registered firms, the labor market can be strengthened and improved to ensure a more stable and equal labor environment.

For example, enhanced collaboration and data sharing between agencies to improve labor-market governance would facilitate a reduction in skill mismatches for the workforce. Further, agencies should focus on strengthening the connection between education, training, and skill demand of the labor market to improve unemployment.

Economic development on track but domestic reforms necessary

Through the reported GDP and FDI of Vietnam in 2020, it is possible to say that Vietnam has been gradually recovering from the pandemic and has been improving its policies for a more free and open business market.

However, there still remain several areas for improvement, and if the above-mentioned aspects are effectively addressed, Vietnams economic stance would be improved considerably, as its continues on its economic growth.
Amidst reports of LG Electronics making efforts to sell off its loss-making smartphone division, a new report from The Korea Times indicates that the company has now decided to entirely shut down its smartphone business.

According to The Korean Times report who cited industry sources claims that LG has decided to pull out of the smartphone business and relocate its employees to other units of LGs business.

LG has considered various options such as a sale, split sales or pulling out of the smartphone business, but decided recently to pull out of the business, the news outlet quoted a source as saying, adding that the company will make an official announcement at its board meeting on Monday, April 5th.

An LG Electronics official on being asked to comment on such scenarios said, Theres nothing to comment on.

All we can say is that every possibility is open. Although we cannot confirm that right now, we will announce the specific direction of our mobile communications business, the official said.

The news of LG considering bowing out of the smartphone market this year started doing the rounds in January 2021. Back then, a company official had confirmed the news, saying how LG needed to make a cold judgement and the best choice, adding: The company is considering all possible measures including sale, withdrawal and downsizing of the smartphone business.

Ever since its launch in 2015, LG mobile division has suffered heavy losses of $4.5 billion over the past five years despite its strong presence in the phone industry.

Also, the companys reported negotiation talks with Vietnams Vingroup and other various interested buyers about purchasing LGs smartphone business did not materialize into an agreement.

LG has not yet commented on the report of shutting down its smartphone division. We will have to wait until the companys board meeting on April 5th to understand the fate of its smartphone brand.
"Friends" fans have been eagerly awaiting the show's HBO Max reunion special since it was first announced in February 2020  but until now we haven't known if the show's stars will revive their characters.

Now, David Schwimmer is hinting there's a chance we'll get to see Ross and Rachel  and Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe  as they are today.

Appearing Friday on "The Graham Norton Show," the 54-year-old actor said he was flying to Los Angeles to shoot the reunion special with former co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow.

"I'm going to see everyone next week for the first time in many years," he gushed.

When Graham Norton asked Schwimmer if he'd be reviving his role of paleontologist Ross Geller on the reunion, the actor said he and his old castmates would all appear as themselves  except possibly during one part.

"There's nothing scripted. We're not in character. We're all ourselves, the real people. Although there is one section of it that I dont want to give away, but we all read something," he shared.

During the reunion, the show's six stars will share favorite memories of working together on the beloved sitcom, which aired from 1994 to 2004 on NBC.

Norton asked Schwimmer, who's currently starring in Peacock's "Intelligence," if he'd boned up on old episodes of "Friends" to refresh his memory.

"You know, it's really funny. I should have been doing that," he responded, laughing.

He added, "I haven't been able to bring myself to catch up on the 236 episodes. I guess I need to watch a lot over the next five days."

This much-anticipated reunion was originally supposed to air in May 2020, but production has been repeatedly postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When he appeared last month on Andy Cohen's Radio Andy show on SiriusXM, Schwimmer shared a few more details about the reunion, namely who's not hosting it.

"I can tell you it's not Ellen (DeGeneres). It's not Billy Crystal," the actor said before jokingly asking Cohen: "Andy, is it you?"

"Oh, my God, I wish it was!" Cohen cried.
China to see first travel peak of 2021 during Qingming Festival

People's Daily Online) 15:24, April 02, 2021

The Qingming Festival, or Tomb-sweeping Day holiday, which falls on April 4 this year, may lead to the first domestic travel peak of 2021, due to the progress that has been made in China's prevention and control efforts against the COVID-19 epidemic.

Visitors enjoy the view at a cole flower field in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, March 28, 2021. (Xinhua/He Wuchang)

The number of Chinese tourists during the holiday will hit 100 million, reaching the level of the same period in 2019, according to a report from Chinas top online travel agency Ctrip.com.

The tourism industry is currently seeing a peak of orders for tourism products. Data from Alibabas tourism platform Fliggy.com showed that bookings for air tickets during the holiday soared more than 150 percent last week, while reservations made by inter-provincial travelers rose over 170 percent. The number of bookings for hotels and rural homestays surged by more than 140 percent and 165 percent, respectively, while car rental bookings increased over 140 percent.

Lan Xiang, a data specialist with online travel service provider qunar.com, said that flight ticket bookings for the Qingming Festival on the platform grew by 1.3 times from the same period in 2019. In addition, airfare also bounced back to pre-epidemic levels, with the average price standing at 689 yuan (about $105), Lan added.

Tibet, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Hainan are the most popular travel destinations, according to qunar.com. Data from the platform indicated a notable change  tourists travel choices have become more diverse. For example, Qionghai city recorded the largest percentage of gains in hotel bookings in Hainan, outpacing the coastal cities of Sanya and Haikou.

Online searches for travel to Xinjiang have also soared recently. The keyword search volume for travel to Xinjiang in April, tips for travel in Xinjiang, recreational vehicle tours in Xinjiang, and independent travel in Ili grew by 275 percent, 74 percent, 91 percent, and 200 percent, respectively, according to statistics from Chinese travel service and social-networking platform Mafengwo.

Meanwhile, online searches for red tourism products recorded a 150-percent year-on-year spike last week, data from another online travel agency Tongcheng-eLong showed.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (RAK Airport) has opened up a new service to Russia through a partnership with Rossiya Airlines, with the inaugural flight from the carrier arriving from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg - Russias fourth-largest city and the second-largest in Siberia - today (April 2).

With the new operations, the airline directly connects the UAEs northernmost emirate to nine destinations in the worlds largest country.

Touching down at 08:35 at RAK Airport - currently the UAEs fastest growing aviation hub - Rossiya Airlines flight FV 5633 marked the start of a service that offers passengers weekly flights to and from major cities (in Russia, including its capital, Moscow and its second largest city and cultural centre, St. Petersburg. Other cities being serviced include Kazan, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Ufa and Rostov-on-Dov.

Ras Al Khaimah International Airport forms a major plank in Ras Al Khaimahs growth plans by increasing its numbers of destinations and schedules through forging partnerships with new carriers and extending services with existing ones. Its new partnership with Rossiya Airlines represents a significant step forward in the airports phased expansion strategy, opening up as it does nine direct flights into and out of Russia, said salem Bin Sultan Al-Qasimi, Chairman of Department of Civil Aviation and Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, and Board member of General Civil Aviation Authority and Ras Al Khaimah Executive Council.

This new service will be instrumental in bringing in a greater number of Russian visitors to experience the unique attractions of Ras Al Khaimah, with an increase in guests - an important part of the emirates diversification strategy. Russia is one of the UAEs top source countries for tourism, where business between the two countries is also important for bi-lateral growth and development. The new direct connections between Ras Al Khaimah and nine industrial and cultural conurbations in Russia will help meet current tourist and business requirements in both the countries, as well as fuel up the new demand for capacity building, His Excellency added.

With the start of Rossiya Airlines' commercial operations from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, we are connecting Ras Al Khaimah to nine cities in Russia. This expands our reach to new destinations, offering our customers a broader selection to choose from when planning their travel through RAK Airport. The new routes development comes as an added attraction for travellers, since its completion of two years of opening visa-free travel policy between Russia and the UAE in February 2019," said Sanjay Khanna, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.

"With the coronavirus situation tightly being controlled in the UAE with stringent measures, active vaccination drive, and the easing of travel lockdown, we are expecting strong demand for this new service," he added. RAK Airport continues to play a vital role in building trust in both business travel and tourism at this critical time. The steady and solid growth decisions being taken in the pandemic era are both extending operations and building passenger confidence. Our recent expansion phase has seen us increase flights throughout India and Kazakhstan - this new service to Russia further strengthens our position as one of the most significant UAE airports, flying passengers to numerous destinations globally and connecting people to the world's most notable places," he added.

On April 6, Rossiya Airlines first flight from Moscow to Ras Al Khaimah touches down at 7:05 at RAK Airport. On the same date, a flight from Ufa - the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bashkortostan - lands at 9:30, followed by flight Perm, a population centre that is located on the banks of the Kama River near the Ural Mountains, which lands at 19:20.

Rossiya Airlines flight to RAK Airport from Kazan, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia, lands on 8th April at 12:05, followed on the same date by the first in the new schedule from St. Petersburg - known as the Cultural Capital of Russia  which arrives at 10:30. Also on 8th April a flight from Samara, Russias eighth-largest city, lands at 14:05 at RAK Airport followed by a flight from the port city of Rostov-on-Don, which arrives at 21:10.

Finally, as the last component in Rossiya Airlines new schedule to Ras Al Khaimah, 10th April sees a weekly flight arriving at RAK Airport at 12:45 from Nizhny Novgorod, the sixth-largest city in Russia and second-most populous on the Volga - the longest river in Europe. - - TradeArabia News Service
FILE PHOTO: The logo of AMP Ltd, Australia's biggest retail wealth manager, adorns their head office located in central Sydney, Australia

(Reuters) - Embattled Australian wealth manager AMP Ltd on Thursday named Australia and New Zealand Banking Group deputy chief Alexis George as its new chief executive officer, saying Francesco De Ferrari would retire from the role.

The move comes just days after AMP firmly rejected a media report that De Ferrari had resigned. It was welcomed by analysts and investors as a signal of a new willingness by AMP to distance itself from a three-year period marked by corporate culture questions and scathing regulatory criticism that saw it lose three-quarters of its market value.

AMP shares were 4% higher after the announcement on Thursday, with George described by Morningstar analyst Shaun Ler as "a change agent in reinvigorating firm culture  an issue that has been consistently plaguing AMP".

Former Credit Suisse banker De Ferrari took over in 2018 with a remit to stabilise AMP following scathing criticism in a government inquiry into the financial sector found widespread misconduct within the company that led to an exodus of clients and the share slide.

George will take over in the third quarter, the company said in a statement. "She ... is committed to continue the transformation of AMP's business, and importantly, our organisation's culture," AMP Chair Debra Hazelton said in a statement.

The move, a year after the company's previous chairman quit amid reports a male staffer was promoted after being disciplined for inappropriate behaviour, will make AMP one of Australia's largest listed companies with a female chair and CEO.

A company-wide review of AMP's assets ended in February with a proposed deal to sell a majority stake of its private markets business to Ares Management, after the American fund walked away from a whole-of-company A$6.36 billion ($4.8 billion) buyout offer. []

While a 30-day exclusivity period to finalise a deal ended on Friday, De Ferrari would continue to lead discussions with Ares about the potential transaction, AMP said.

(Reporting by Paulina Duran in Sydney and Rashmi Ashok in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Kenneth Maxwell)
A millionaire Michigan businessman killed in a plane crash led a double life financing an international drug ring, according to federal prosecutors

Marty Tibbitts was even building a submarine called The Torpedo to haul cocaine across the Atlantic, states a newly unsealed federal indictment.

Mr Tibbitts was CEO of telecommunications company Clementine Live Answering Service but was known as Dale Johnson in the drug trafficking world.

The 50-year-old aviation enthusiast died in a 2018 plane crash when the vintage fighter jet he was piloting crashed into a Wisconsin dairy barn, killing 50 cows.

Details of his drug trafficking activities was included as part of the federal indictment against Ylli Didani, the leader of the global drug smuggling ring that sold cocaine in 15 countries.

Read more:

Authorities have charged the 43-year-old with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on a boat in US jurisdiction, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and money laundering.

Mr Didani was arrested by authorities last week in North Carolina.

The two men were allegedly developing the remote-controlled submarine that would attach itself to the hulls of cargo ships using strong magnets.

They planned to fill the submarine with cocaine, track it with GPS and then detach it from the ships 100 miles of European coastlines, where a fishing boat would collect it and take the drugs ashore.

The men had allegedly paid an unidentified company $12,000 in cryptocurrency and an Albanian bank account to develop the submarine.

Investigators say that the company was unaware of the real intended use of the underwater hull scrubber device was.

Federal prosecutors say that Mr Tibbitts, who lived in a$6.4 million mansion in Grosse Point, Michigan, was the money behind the smuggling operation since becoming involved in 2015.

And they allege that in 2016 he wrote them a check for $864,000 that was eventually cashed at a pawn shop or gold exchange business.

They also say he flew to Washington DC on a private jet to give Mr Didani $350,000 and in total provided the smuggling operation with more than $1.8 million in funding.

The death of Tibbitts scuppered the planned submarine and caused a financial crunch for the cartel, which was forced to allegedly find new funding in the UAE.

The cartel also saw authorities make huge seizures, with Dutch officials in August 2019 finding 753 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas in Rotterdam.

And in February 2020 Dutch officials seized 644 kilograms in duffle bags after a tip from the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

Former neighbors of Mr Tibbitts were stunned to hear of his involvement with the cartel.

I think anybody who would hear something like this would be shocked, Ari Buchanan told the Detroit News.
(Natural News) Bill Gates is an anti-human depopulation zealot who wants to exterminate humankind by blocking the sun and collapsing the global food supply. His mad science experiment to launch this global death initiative is called the SCoPEx project, which I first reported back in 2019. At that time, the fake news media claimed all reports about the project were a conspiracy theory.

Through further research, I was able to establish that this geoengineering / terraforming experiment was also funded by the Nazi-linked Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which is linked to eugenics and depopulation agendas. I since launched Terraforming.news to provide focused coverage of this critical topic.

Now, Reuters admits the project is real, and they have just reported that Swedens space agency has cancelled the experiment due to pushback from, Swedens indigenous Saami reindeer herders.

The Reuters deception about the project continues, of course, as they dishonestly call the experiment solar geoengineering. Thats a deliberate misnomer. Its actually terraforming of planet Earth as part of an effort to exterminate humankind and prepare Earth for a post-human era (which Ive also been reporting since at least 2019).

The global extermination experiment is funded in part by Bill Gates and run by Harvard University researchers, all of whom pursue anti-human agendas that are deliberately designed to sharply decrease human populations across the planet. (This is their stated goal.)

Obviously, blocking the sun would shut down photosynthesis across the entire planet, resulting in a catastrophic collapse of every ecosystem on the planet (and in the oceans). Human civilization would cease to exist, and the global biosphere would plunge into a mass extinction that would, in effect, sterilize the planet of nearly all current life.

This is the goal of Bill Gates, who has also been spearheading infertility technologies and covid vaccines that are right now killing people all over the planet (with many millions more to die in the coming months from vaccine side effects).

For a full, detailed, scientific explanation of how this Bill Gates terraforming experiment would utterly destroy all live on Earth as we know it, watch my detailed Oblivion Agenda video here:

Even Reuters admits, potential risks are unclear, but fails to mention the risk of a global biosphere collapse resulting from a loss of photosynthesis. Only incredibly insane or stupid scientists would even be involved in such a dangerous project, and they are engaging in crimes against Earth and crimes against humanity, placing all life on our planet at risk of a catastrophic collapse. Any scientist pushing terraforming of Earth should be arrested, prosecuted and jailed.

Finally, a few environmentalists have decided that the total destruction of planet Earth might not be so green after all

Many environmentalists are waking up to this reality and pushing back against the Bill Gates terraforming experiment. Even though most so-called environmentalists are mentally ill carbon haters who think carbon is evil and that carbon dioxide is a pollutant, some of these groups are coming around to the realization that photosynthesis might actually be important for life on Earth after all. (Its amazing, perhaps they have a few brain cells still functioning)

Todays Situation Update covers this topic in more detail, along with suggestions that the correct way to run this experiment would be to launch a mask-wearing Fauci into high orbit to see if he can block the sun. And maybe catapult all the vaccinated people into the stratosphere too, since they obviously have a death wish and dont understand anything about real science.

Also covered:

Sen. Rand Paul demands that Fauci drop the mask charade .

. Shocking new evidence that masks contain toxic chemicals that cause nose and throat irritation.

More people getting insanely painful post-vaccine rashes that cover their entire bodies.

Post-vaccine Brazilian variant of covid now appearing in Michigan, despite all the mask mandates and vaccine indoctrination.

J&J vaccine manufacturer screws up 15 million doses because theyre hiring workers in Baltimore, a collapsed libtard city.

Catch all these stories and more in todays Situation Update podcast:

Brighteon.com/4f89484c-6f33-43f2-9ac0-7f82dc7824a0

Ill be posting a short podcast this weekend about the criminal histories of vaccine manufacturers. Each week day, you can catch a new, full podcast at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
Minneapolis was a city of protest and remembrance during the first days of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former police officer who is on trial in the death of George Floyd, the Black man whose neck he knelt on for more than nine minutes during an arrest last May.

Only a handful of people have been allowed into the courtroom of the Hennepin County Government Center. But outside, others chained themselves to fences, carried banners and knelt in memoriam  echoes of the protests that erupted last summer after a cellphone video of Mr. Floyds death was published online.

Others watched from afar in barber shops, in convenience stores and on cellphones. A woman took a moment to reflect at a bonfire Monday near where Mr. Floyd was killed, an area that has become both a memorial and a complicated symbol of race and policing in America.

Here are the scenes from across the city of Minneapolis during the first week of the trial.

 Aidan Gardiner
Ex-judge from Russias Penza gets 8 years in prison for bribetaking

 flickr.com/ Marco Verch

15:20 02/04/2021

MOSCOW, April 2 (RAPSI)  The Penza Regional Court has sentenced a former magistrate judge to 8 years in high-security prison for receiving 200,000 rubles ($2,600) in bribes, the press service of the Investigative Committees regional directorate reports.

Additionally, the court imposed a 4 million-ruble fine ($52,500) on the convict.

An attorney and another mediator in the bribery have received 3 years in jail each.

According to the court and investigators, in late January 2019, a local driver asked his acquaintance to help release him from administrative liability for refusal to undergo alcohol testing. The man in turn applied to his familiar attorney who agreed for monetary reward to be a mediator in the bribery.

The case papers read that in early April 2019, a magistrate judge issued a decision to discontinue the administrative offence case involving the Penza resident. On the same day, the lawyer received 400,000 rubles, 200,000 of which he kept to himself. Another half of the bribe he gave the judge, who was later arrested by the Federal Security Services officers.




YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan has issued a statement over the 5th anniversary of the April War.

Armenpress presents the Ombudsmans statement:

On this very day, 5 years ago, on 2 April, Azerbaijani armed forces committed unprecedented war crimes.

In the early morning of April 02, 2016, i.e. at the very beginning of the hostility in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), Vagharshak Grigoryan, a 12-year-old student of the Martuni region Nerkin Tshartar secondary school was killed as a result of targeted shelling of the school. Four other 11, 12 and 13-years old children were heavily wounded.

Within very few hours, Azerbaijani soldiers committed terrific brutalities. One of the vivid examples is the killing of an elderly couple, Valerik Khalapyan and Razmela Vardanyan and the complete destruction of their house in Tallish. They were shot in their home and were tortured, with their ears cut off.

Azerbaijani soldiers also murdered Valerik Khalapyans 92-year-old mother, Marousya Khalapyan. Azerbaijani soldiers, acting with motivation of hatred, destroyed everything in the Khalapyan family house.

Azerbaijani soldiers killed and beheaded a member of Artsakh Defense Army Kyaram Sloyan. After beheading the head was taken by the retreated Azerbaijani troops. Later, pictures of Azerbaijani soldiers holding Sloyans decapitated head surfaced in social networks (in particular: VKontakte). Soon thereafter, a video emerged in the internet, showing an Azerbaijani holding the severed head of Sloyan to the public. In the relevant screenshot, a serviceman in a uniform holding the head of Kyaram Sloyan is seen, taking photos with Sloyans head, holding by the ears, as well as a hand of a person, most probably without uniform, holding the head.

No matter by what name you refer to it, at the highest level in Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Armenian people, and the citizens of Armenia are considered enemies; and, a whole generation has grown up feeling hatred and enmity with state patronage. This is what the President of Azerbaijan is proud of.

These are just a few of cases among many cases of torture and cruelties committed by Azerbaijani soldiers.

The real situation (state of affairs) is that a genocidal policy is being pursued.

That is based on objective and concrete evidence.

Impunity breeds new and more serious crimes which we witnessed during the September-November 2020 war.
At a time of COVID, migrant surges, and kids-in-cages overpacked to 1,600% capacity, Joe Biden's working on his hypocrisy.

According to TMZ:

President Joe Biden just blasted the Texas Rangers for not limiting capacity at their stadium this year ... saying the decision could lead to a big spread of the coronavirus. "I think it's a mistake," Biden told ESPN on Wednesday night. "They should listen to Dr. Fauci, the scientists and the experts. But, I think it's not responsible." While Texas will require its fans to wear face coverings when in the stands at Rangers games this season ... the team says there won't be attempts to put a cap on the number of people that can attend. And, with Globe Life Field having a capacity of more than 40,000 ... Biden clearly has concerns it could become a COVID-19 breeding ground.

Don Trump, Jr., on Twitter, noted the amazing irony:

Now he should do the Capacity limits in his Kid Cages at the border.

Im sorry its a dem admin... child migrant detention facility. https://t.co/n44oKUvIRh  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 1, 2021

Migrant facilities, in Texas, no less, have been packed to 1,600% capacity.

According to this report in National Review:

An overcrowded detention center for unaccompanied migrant children in Donna, Texas, is occupied at over 1,600 percent capacity, according to multiple reports. Journalists were permitted into the facility for the first time on Tuesday, with pictures showing overcrowded "pods" where migrant children were held. The entire facility was designed to hold 250 migrants but currently holds over 4,100, of whom 3,400 are unaccompanied minors.

This is a lot of huffing, coughing, breathing, and getting close among illegal migrants who are overrepresented in the COVID population, according to hospitals. Packing anyone in a room to 1,600% capacity, even without a pandemic, is ordinarily reason to call the fire marshal. But under Joe Biden, who invited the migrants in, and incentivized them with instant benefits, somehow it's all OK as he points the finger at Texas.

COVID, in fact, is an issue among illegal border-crossers: nearly a hundred COVID cases among the migrant "girls" bused or flown from Texas to San Diego, for example, have turned up so far, with many more set to come in. Being a COVID patient, with all the expenses associated, let alone the potential for contagion to the native population is now no barrier to illegal entry.

In fact, the overpacked conditions at the overcrowded cages, or, as Biden says, migrant detention facilities, is in fact spreading COVID on his watch.

According to ABC News:

A startling number of unaccompanied migrant children have tested positive for COVID-19 after being transferred out of border stations, sparking concern over cramped and overcrowded facilities that may allow the virus to spread. Customs and Border Patrol facilities at the border are severely overloaded and do not conduct their own COVID-19 testing, officials said.

Biden himself is running incentive policies for unaccompanied child migrants that are inflicting a pestilence upon the U.S. population. It's not only triggering inhumane experiences for the migrants  the recent instance of migrant-smugglers flinging two children, ages 2 and 5, over a border wall in a remote desert part of New Mexico, leaving them there in the wilderness and sun for the Border Patrol to retrieve, is the latest instance  but also triggering a new wave of COVID into the U.S. population, rendering all the wearing of masks and social distancing and staying home from school a waste of time.

Yet here we are, with Joe Biden incentivizing illegal border crossings by handing out work papers and Social Security cards to ensure eligibility for benefits to, as this Paul Bedard report says here, yet wagging his finger at Texas over a crowding at a stadium game.

It's outrageous, not just because of the hypocrisy of the migrants, though that's the doozy.

It's also outrageous because Texans, unlike the migrants, have millions among them who have been vaccinated. That lowers the COVID spread risk, hugely, right there. They also have, after a year of exposure even during lockdowns, almost certainly developed some kind of herd immunity. You don't see that in illegal migrants, because COVID arrived very late to Central America.

And just the facts speak for themselves. According to this report from Chuck Woolery at TruePundit:

Just over two weeks after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lifted coronavirus mandates allowing businesses to operate at 100 percent capacity and made masks optional, the red state is still reporting decreases in cases and hospitalizations. The governor championed his state's success in a Friday night tweet saying, "Today Texas recorded the lowest 7-day COVID positivity rate since that data began being calculated: 5.43%."

Biden should be congratulating that state on its record of success in beating COVID. Instead, he's bullyragging the state in the interest of extending COVID lockdowns on everyone  while seeding the U.S. population with new spreading of COVID from migrants who refuse to obey U.S. immigration law.

It's almost as if he's Dr. Evil. He's doing all he can to spread COVID while yelling at Texas for its demonstrated right to re-open after beating COVID.

Anyone going to ask him about this at his next press conference? Don't bet money on it. This guy's an amazing specimen of hypocrisy.

Image: Photo illustration by Monica Showalter, with use of photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, PxFuel public domain image, and Pixabay (Pixabay License) image.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
ALLENDALE, MI  Grand Valley State University is seeing another rise in COVID-19 cases as Michigan continues to experience a surge in new cases among young adults.

There were 158 active COVID-19 cases in the GVSU community as of Friday, April 2, according to the universitys dashboard. Students made up 142 of those cases, while 16 cases were among faculty and staff.

GVSU has experienced a slow climb in new cases per day over the last month. The seven-day average of new cases per day was 16 on Friday afternoon, up from around three cases per day reported in early March.

The universitys seven-day average of daily cases is the highest its been since the fall surge Michigan experienced in November, which led to an executive order halting in-person classes for colleges and high schools. GVSU hit the peak of that surge on Nov. 11, with an average of 45 new cases per day.

Amid Michigans ongoing COVID-19 spike, young adults in their 20s have had the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the past three weeks. As of last week, adults in their 20s accounted for 10,842 new cases since March 5.

People under the age of 20 also had a significant rise in COVID-19 cases, accounting for 21% of new cases in the past three weeks compared to 13% during the first year of the pandemic.

RELATED: Who and where Michigans coronavirus surge is hitting hardest

As COVID-19 vaccine eligibility is set to open to Michiganders 16 and up next week, GVSU is among several colleges across the state seeking its own allocation of COVID-19 vaccines for students, faculty and staff.

Alma College, Albion College and Ferris State University are already approved to receive vaccines and are gearing up to administer them.

But GVSU has yet to learn if it will receive vaccines, university spokesperson Dottie Barnes said Friday. The university plans to open up a GVSU-based COVID-19 vaccine clinic if it does receive a vaccine allocation.

Until then, the university is encouraging students to get their COVID-19 vaccine at the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic, a large-scale COVID-19 vaccine center inside DeVos Place. The clinic recently opened up eligibility to adults over the age of 16, and on Thursday administered its 100,000th dose.

DeVos Place is on the Laker Line route, and students can self schedule an appointment online.

As of April 1, over 3,000 people in the GVSU community have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 930 people have received the first dose, according to the universitys dashboard.

GVSU has reported a total of 2,819 cases among students, faculty and staff since Aug. 1. There have been two cases of the new, more contagious COVID-19 variant that originated in the United Kingdom.

The university has maintained an extensive testing program all year, which consists of randomized tests and exposure tests administered to students and staff on campus by Spectrum Health. GVSU has administered over 72,000 tests on campus since the start of the school year.

In the last seven days, GVSU has administered 4,284 COVID-19 tests, with a positive test rate of 1.75%.

More on MLive:

Ferris State University getting nearly 2,500 COVID-19 vaccine doses for students, staff

Michigan colleges seek vaccine allocations as vaccine eligibility opens up

Michigan expands food assistance benefits to college students
Its a Monday evening in Minneapolis. Police respond to a call about a man who allegedly used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. Seventeen minutes later, the man they are there to investigate lies motionless on the ground, and is pronounced dead shortly after. The man was 46-year-old George Floyd, a bouncer originally from Houston who had lost his job at a restaurant when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Crowd: No justice, no peace. Floyds death triggered major protests in Minneapolis, and sparked rage across the country. One of the officers involved, Derek Chauvin, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The other three officers have been charged with aiding and abetting murder. The Times analyzed bystander videos, security camera footage and police scanner audio, spoke to witnesses and experts, and reviewed documents released by the authorities to build as comprehensive a picture as possible and better understand how George Floyd died in police custody. The events of May 25 begin here. Floyd is sitting in the drivers seat of this blue S.U.V. Across the street is a convenience store called Cup Foods. Footage from this restaurant security camera helps us understand what happens next. Note that the timestamp on the camera is 24 minutes fast. At 7:57 p.m., two employees from Cup Foods confront Floyd and his companions about an alleged counterfeit bill he just used in their store to buy cigarettes. They demand the cigarettes back but walk away empty-handed. Four minutes later, they call the police. According to the 911 transcript, an employee says that Floyd used fake bills to buy cigarettes, and that he is awfully drunk and not in control of himself. Soon, the first police vehicle arrives on the scene. Officers Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng step out of the car and approach the blue S.U.V. Seconds later, Lane pulls his gun. We dont know exactly why. He orders Floyd to put his hands on the wheel. Lane reholsters the gun, and after about 90 seconds of back and forth, yanks Floyd out of the S.U.V. A man is filming the confrontation from a car parked behind them. The officers cuff Floyds hands behind his back. And Kueng walks him to the restaurant wall. All right, whats your name? From the 911 transcript and the footage, we now know three important facts: First, that the police believed they were responding to a man who was drunk and out of control. But second, even though the police were expecting this situation, we can see that Floyd has not acted violently. And third, that he seems to already be in distress. Six minutes into the arrest, the two officers move Floyd back to their vehicle. As the officers approach their car, we can see Floyd fall to the ground. According to the criminal complaints filed against the officers, Floyd says he is claustrophobic and refuses to enter the police car. During the struggle, Floyd appears to turn his head to address the officers multiple times. According to the complaints, he tells them he cant breathe. Nine minutes into the arrest, the third and final police car arrives on the scene. Its carrying officers Tou Thao and Derek Chauvin. Both have previous records of complaints brought against them. Thao was once sued for throwing a man to the ground and hitting him. Chauvin has been involved in three police shootings, one of them fatal. Chauvin becomes involved in the struggle to get Floyd into the car. Security camera footage from Cup Foods shows Kueng struggling with Floyd in the backseat while Thao watches. Chauvin pulls him through the back seat and onto the street. We dont know why. Floyd is now lying on the pavement, face down. Thats when two witnesses begin filming, almost simultaneously. The footage from the first witness shows us that all four officers are now gathered around Floyd. Its the first moment when we can clearly see that Floyd is face down on the ground, with three officers applying pressure to his neck, torso and legs. At 8:20 p.m., we hear Floyds voice for the first time. The video stops when Lane appears to tell the person filming to walk away. Get off to the sidewalk, please. One side or the other, please. The officers radio a Code 2, a call for non-emergency medical assistance, reporting an injury to Floyds mouth. In the background, we can hear Floyd struggling. The call is quickly upgraded to a Code 3, a call for emergency medical assistance. By now another bystander, 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, is filming from a different angle. Her footage shows that despite calls for medical help, Chauvin keeps Floyd pinned down for another seven minutes. We cant see whether Kueng and Lane are still applying pressure. Floyd: [gasping] Officer: What do you want? Bystander: Ive been  Floyd: [gasping] In the two videos, Floyd can be heard telling officers that he cant breathe at least 16 times in less than five minutes. Bystander: You having fun? But Chauvin never takes his knee off of Floyd, even as his eyes close and he appears to go unconscious. Bystander: Bro. According to medical and policing experts, these four police officers are committing a series of actions that violate policies, and in this case, turn fatal. Theyve kept Floyd lying face down, applying pressure for at least five minutes. This combined action is likely compressing his chest and making it impossible to breathe. Chauvin is pushing his knee into Floyds neck, a move banned by most police departments. Minneapolis Police Department policy states an officer can only do this if someone is, quote, actively resisting. And even though the officers call for medical assistance, they take no action to treat Floyd on their own while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Officer: Get back on the sidewalk. According to the complaints against the officers, Lane asks him twice if they should roll Floyd onto his side. Chauvin says no. Twenty minutes into the arrest, an ambulance arrives on the scene. Bystander: Get off of his neck! Bystander: Hes still on him? The E.M.T.s check Floyds pulse. Bystander: Are you serious? Chauvin keeps his knee on Floyds neck for almost another whole minute, even though Floyd appears completely unresponsive. He only gets off once the E.M.T.s tell him to. Chauvin kept his knee on Floyds neck for over eight minutes, according to our review of the video evidence. Floyd is loaded into the ambulance. The ambulance leaves the scene, possibly because a crowd is forming. But the E.M.T.s call for additional medical help from the fire department. But when the engine arrives, the officers give them, quote, no clear info on Floyd or his whereabouts, according to a fire department incident report. This delays their ability to help the paramedics. Meanwhile, Floyd is going into cardiac arrest. It takes the engine five minutes to reach Floyd in the ambulance. Hes pronounced dead at a nearby hospital around 9:25 p.m. Preliminary autopsies conducted by the state and Floyds family both ruled his death a homicide. The widely circulated arrest videos dont paint the entire picture of what happened to George Floyd. Crowd: Floyd! Floyd! Additional video and audio from the body cameras of the key officers would reveal more about why the struggle began and how it escalated. The city quickly fired all four officers. And Chauvin has been charged with second degree murder. Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were charged with aiding and abetting murder. But outrage over George Floyds death has only spread further and further across the United States.
NEW YORK (AP)  Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward.

Vaccine politics? 40% of Louisiana Republicans don't want COVID shot, LSU poll finds More than 40% of Republicans in Louisiana said they don't plan on getting vaccinated against COVID-19, revealing a starkly partisan divide whe

Previously, the agency had cautioned against unnecessary travel even for vaccinated people, but noted that it would update its guidance as more people got vaccinated and evidence mounted about the protection the shots provide.

"Every day you get more data, and you change your guidance based on the existing data," said Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska's College of Public Health.

Khan said the update reinforces the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines, and is another incentive for people to get vaccinated.

According to the CDC, nearly 100 million people in the U.S.  or about 30% of the population  have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine.

Unvaccinated people are still advised to avoid unnecessary travel.

+15 'I'm ready for life': Thousands get inoculated as COVID vaccines open to anyone 16+ in Louisiana As she sat in her car in a parking lot off of Airline Drive Monday, 58-year-old Robin Lee posed for a picture with a COVID-19 vaccine confirma

The new guidance says:

 Fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S., without getting tested for the coronavirus or quarantining. People should still wear a mask, socially distance and avoid crowds, the agency says.

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

 For international travel, the agency says vaccinated people do not need to get a COVID-19 test before leaving, though some destinations may require it.

 Vaccinated people should still get a negative COVID-19 test before boarding a flight to the U.S., and be tested three to five days after returning. They do not need to quarantine. The agency noted the potential introduction of virus variants and differences in vaccine coverage around the world for the cautious guidance on overseas travel.

The CDC cited recent research on the real-world effects of the vaccines for its updated guidance. Already, the agency had said fully vaccinated people could visit with each other indoors without wearing masks or social distancing. It also said vaccinated people could visit with unvaccinated people from a single household under similar conditions, as long as the unvaccinated individuals were at low risk for severe illness if infected.

In rural Louisiana, officials look for answers to improve lagging vaccination rates Franklin, a city of roughly 7,000 on the banks of Bayou Teche, employs about nine firefighters, and Chief Chuck Bourgeois said the nature of t

The U.S. began its vaccine rollout in mid-December. The first vaccines  from Pfizer and Moderna  require two doses taken a few weeks apart. A one-shot vaccine by Johnson & Johnson was given the green light by regulators at the end of February.

___

 By CANDICE CHOI Associated Press

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

LaToya Cantrell tells hospitality industry to encourage workers to be vaccinated Mayor LaToya Cantrell and other city officials urged residents to get vaccinated Thursday while pressing the hospitality industry to better tr
Sophia Landry doesnt consider herself a STEM kid, but during the pandemic, the Isidore Newman School senior developed a curiosity in plants that blossomed into a science experiment, and ultimately led to her first science fair  the 65th Annual Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair (GNOSEF).

The fair, which normally takes place at Tulane University, materialized via zoom this year, from Feb. 22 through March 1. More than 250 local middle and high school students participated.

Landry presented a project that examines which pesticide is the most effective at deterring pests, but the least harmful to the environment.

And as a result of brainpower rather than beginners luck, she emerged as one of four Grand Award Winners from within the Senior Division. (The Junior Division comprises middle school students.) All winners were announced in mid-March.

I decided to take a class called Scientific Research and Design, which encourages you to go through the process of taking a topic that you're interested in, and creating a science experiment off it, Landry said, recalling how the experience began. During quarantine, I feel like everybody had a little thing that they got weirdly into, and mine was plants. I got really into horticulture and growing peppers, and I was interested to see how different generations of plants change, based off what had existed in the soil.

Since 1956, GNOSEF has promoted student research in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The fair is open to students within Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes, nominated by their middle school or high school. More than $65,000 in cash and noncash awards, prizes, grants and scholarships were given to this years winners, teachers and schools.

We're trying to inspire the next generation of students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math fields, said Michelle Sanchez, a co-director of the fair for GNOSEF. With these being local students, we hope that making this impression on them at an early age will increase our workforce in the upcoming years. Given what I saw from the students projects, the state is in good hands.

This year, students seemed especially intrigued by COVID-19, Sanchez said, but they also focused on environmental and biomedical engineering topics.

It just shows that the students are interested in humans as well as our planet, Sanchez said. I was really proud of them, that even during a pandemic, they were able to do research and present their projects.

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Students were given ten minutes each to present their project to a panel of judges. Sanchez said she was concerned about the virtual format, but received mostly positive feedback from participants.

We're hoping that we can be back in-person at Tulane in 2022, but given the situation, I think it was a really good outcome, she added.

The pros to the in-person fair are that you can really connect with the judges and talk about your projects, said Dylan Bracey, a junior at Jesuit High School.

Bracey and Brett Steele, a Jesuit senior, were grand award winners with their Hot Car Life Alarm project, which uses different sensors to monitor conditions inside a car. If a pet or person is within a hot car, the alarm will alert someone.

This is pretty much the culmination of two years of foundational and design engineering work, said Steele, noting that they entered a theoretical version of their project into the science fair two years ago.

We received a lot of encouragement from the judges, Bracey said. They really liked the idea that we had, but we thought we could improve it. We entered again this year with a much more defined product.

All senior division grand award winners qualify for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held virtually in mid-May.

Landry, who will attend The University of Colorado Boulder this fall, thanked her teachers for helping her get this far.

They were instrumental to the success of this project, and taking what is an 18-year-old playing with peppers in her backyard, to someone who got to win a grand prize and gets to go to the international science fair, she said.
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Cloudy with showers. High around 80F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 76F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Country music fans in Longford can enjoy a feast of music this Easter Sunday night when musicians including Daniel ODonnell, Nathan Carter, Margo, Una Healy, Declan Nerney and others join the biggest ever gathering of Irish country music stars and reach out to help raise vital funds for the ISPCCs Childline Listening Service.

Excitement is mounting ahead of the Reach Out concert, which is set to bring the magic of the Irish country music scene into the homes of fans in Longford and across Ireland. The production will be the showpiece event of the uplifting Reach Out movement founded by country music star Trudi Lalor and Billy Morrissey to connect the stars of Irish country music with their fans following a year of missing out on in-person concerts through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The stars are calling on fans in Longford to help them support Childline and ensure that every child and young person in Ireland can always reach out to the service. Children and young peoples lives have been turned upside down by the pandemic, with Childline receiving up to 800 online contacts, calls and texts every day from those who seek a listening ear. Contacting Childline can make a lasting difference in the life of a child or young person.

The livestream concert will begin at 8pm on Easter Sunday night, April 4, and be accessed online at: www.reachout2021.com. Audience members will have the chance throughout the night to support Childline and make a vital difference in the lives of children and young people in Longford and across Ireland. All donations raised will go directly towards making sure the listening service is always available 24 hours a day, every day.
Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy agree that Rep. Matt Gaetz should be kicked off his House committees if the allegations against him, including sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl, are true.

The top Democrat and top Republican in the House said in separate interviews that Gaetz could be removed from panels as more lurid claims against him surfaced.

The Trump ally has been accused of paying women for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotels after being introduced to them by indicted tax collector Joel Greenberg and showing photos of naked women to colleagues on the House floor.

Engaged Gaetz, 38, has denied the allegations, has not been charged with a crime and insists he is the victim of an extortion plot by former Department of Justice official David McGee.

Pelosi said Gaetz, at a minimum, should be removed from the House Judiciary Committee if the claims are true. The Florida Republican congressman made a name for himself from his Judiciary panel perch where he offered a fiery defense of Donald Trump during the first round of impeachment hearings.

Pelosi, the speaker of the House, also said the House Ethics Committee should consider investigating the congressman.

'If in fact these allegations are true, of course being removed from the Judiciary Committee is the least that could be done,' Pelosi said at her weekly press conference. She added: 'From what we've heard so far, this would be a matter for the Ethics Committee.'

Several House Democrats have called on Gaetz to step down from the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Justice Department. The DoJ is investigating Gaetz.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy agree that Rep. Matt Gaetz should be kicked off his House committees should the allegations against him prove to be true. Without committee assignments, a member of Congress is virtually powerless.

McCarthy, the House Republican leader, said Wednesday that the accusations were 'serious' and if proved true, Gaetz would be removed from his committees. Gaetz also serves on the Armed Services Committee.

'DOJ has not told me anything. If a member at my conference gets indicted, they will get removed from a committee. He says this is not true. And we have a newspaper report that says something else. We'll find out the basis,' McCarthy told Fox News.

The move by leadership comes about two months after the House, on a mostly party-line vote, took the unprecedented step of removing Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committees because of her history of spreading false conspiracy theories on social media. Gaetz' removal from his panels would be a fait accompli if the leaders of both parties support it.

The damning allegations were revealed in a New York Times report Thursday night, which cited several unnamed sources close to the DOJ investigation as well as text messages and payment receipts reviewed by the outlet.

Multiple women reportedly told DOJ investigators Gaetz, 38, would tell them a time and place to meet and how much he was willing to pay them for sex.

They would then meet in hotels in Florida where the lawmaker and staunch Trump ally would sometimes take ecstasy before they had sex, the women said.

The DOJ investigation is also reportedly looking into whether one of the women involved with Gaetz was 17 at the time and whether he paid her or gave her gifts to have sex with him.

Gaetz was reportedly first introduced to the women through close ally Greenberg, the former tax collector of Seminole County who investigators believe met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites.

Greenberg is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges related to a minor aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017.

Sources said the minor is the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe and the DOJ is investigating whether other men connected to the two men also had sex with the child.

The two men were pictured together on social media with Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress, in 2017. President Trump pardoned Stone shortly before he left office.

Gaetz denies ever having paid anyone for sex and has not been charged with any crime.

'Matt Gaetz has never paid for sex. Matt Gaetz refutes all the disgusting allegations completely,' his office told the Times in a statement.

'Matt Gaetz has never ever been on any such websites whatsoever. Matt Gaetz cherishes the relationships in his past and looks forward to marrying the love of his life.'

Rep. Matt Gaetz allegedly paid women via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotels after being introduced to them by former tax collector Joel Greenberg, according to a bombshell report about the Justice Department sex trafficking probe

Gaetz was reportedly first introduced to the women through Greenberg, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Greenberg, Gaetz and Roger Stone pictured together in 2017

The shocking report marks the latest twist in the saga involving the Republican lawmaker which came to light this week.

It emerged Tuesday that Gaetz was under investigation by the DOJ for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and for violating federal sex trafficking laws by paying for her to travel across state lines with him.

Gaetz denied the allegations and instead claimed he was the victim of an extortion plot involving former Justice Department official David McGee.

He claims McGee was trying to extort him and his family for $25 million using the sex trafficking probe as leverage.

Gaetz said he and his father - former Florida State Senator Don Gaetz - contacted authorities and were working with the FBI on a simultaneous investigation, with Don backing up his son's claims Wednesday that he wore a wire to try to expose McGee's apparent plot.

McGee denied he was extorting Gaetz and said he had no involvement in the DOJ sex trafficking probe into Gaetz other than being one of 'a thousand people who have heard the rumors' about the congressman's alleged actions with underage girls.

On Wednesday, Gaetz released bombshell text message screenshots, an email and a printout purporting to show the alleged extortion plot.

The documents, which were shared with the Washington Examiner, claim to show the congressman was being extorted by McGee and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent in a ploy to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran.

Greenberg met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites such as SeekingArrangement, investigators believe

What is SeekingArrangement? Dating site SeekingArrangement - adored by the rich and powerful including disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, Virginia lawyer Matthew Erausquin and Tiger Woods' former mistress Rachel Uchitel - has found itself back in the spotlight after Rep. Matt Gaetz became tied to the website. The 'sugar daddy' website is used by rich men who pay women in gifts, travel, fine dining and allowances in exchange for going on dates with them, investigators said. The site, which caters for so-called 'sugar babies' and 'sugar daddies', was at the center of another political scandal when disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner used it to meet Sydney Leathers, one of the women he had extramarital sex with. With subscriptions starting at $19.95 a month and launched in 2006, the site differs from standard dating sites by connecting people looking for 'arrangements' with members being able to 'define their terms' on what they're looking for. Traditionally, sugar babies are looking to be taken care of financially with their sugar daddies willing to foot the bills. The site was also used by Tiger Woods' mistress Rachel Uchitel to meet her married boyfriend and San Diego lawyer Ed Batts, 47. Uchitel, 45, has a profile on SeekingArrangement where she touts herself under the strapline 'high class discretion'. Since joining in November, she has made at least two 'arrangements' with men she has met on the site  one of whom is Batts who dumped his wife and her three kids from a previous marriage five days before Christmas to move to Palm Beach, where Uchitel is living. Batts has denied he had left his wife for Uchitel and claimed they were not dating - despite a video showing the pair kissing. The site defines a sugar baby as 'attractive people looking for the finer things in life' who 'appreciate exotic trips and gifts'. It says sugar daddies are men who 'know what they want. Money isn't an issue, thus they are generous when it comes to supporting a Sugar Baby'. The site is free to sugar babies and it offers a free trial to sugar daddies. Men who then wish to continue with the service have several tiers of subscriptions to choose from that run from $19.95 a month for a premium subscription up to $249.95 a month for a Diamond membership, which buys sugar daddies greater visibility on the site. The site was also the stomping ground for Virginia lawyer Matthew Erausquin who allegedly used it to meet half a dozen high school girls. Erausquin, 45, a founding partner of top law firm Consumer Litigation Associates, was taken into custody last in December last year, accused of sex trafficking six minors after targeting them on the sugar daddy website. Cops say he leveraged his wealth and power to lure the students aged 16 and 17 into sordid group sex sessions and paid them with off with drugs, cash and $20,000 handbags. Founder Brandon Wade said on the site: 'Every successful relationship is an arrangement between two parties. In business, partners sign business agreements that outline their objectives and expectations. 'Likewise, romantic relationships can only work if two people agree on what they expect, and what they can give and receive from each other.' Advertisement

According to the documents, Gaetz had been seen in compromising photos having sex with underage prostitutes, a grand jury had heard testimony from at least one underage girl who says she was paid to have sex with him and Gaetz was about to be indicted on charges.

The alleged extorters claimed they could stop the probe if the Gaetz family put up $25million which would help secure Levinson's release.

Levinson worked for the FBI for 22 years then vanished in 2007 while in Iran. Nothing was known as to whether he was alive or dead until 2011 when Levinson's family shared images and a video of him being held captive and pleading for help.

Levinson's family said in March 2020 that they had been informed by US officials that he had died in Iranian custody, while being held in Iran as the longest-held hostage in American history.

But Kent claimed he was very much alive and that if Gaetz provided the money to release him, he would be given public credit for the operation and the 'team' would tell President Biden to give him a pardon in the sex trafficking case, according to the documents shared by Gaetz.

McGee used to work for the Department of Justice but now works in private practice and is the Levinson family's lawyer. Kent has claimed in the past that he has worked on plans to secure Levinson's release.

Kent denied the claims Thursday telling the Times he had heard about the DOJ probe into Gaetz but was not trying to extort him over it.

'I told him I'm not trying to extort, but if this were true, he might be interested in doing something good,' he said.

Kent said Gaetz 'threw Levinson and the entire Levinson family under the bus' by trying to tie the DOJ probe to the Levinson case.

'I can't imagine what these poor people have been through. This guy, to divert attention from himself, has raked up the attention to the family,' he said.

McGee also denied any involvement in an extortion plot and Gaetz was trying to detract from the sex trafficking allegations.

'He's trying to distract attention from a pending tidal wave that is about to sink his ship,' he said.

On Thursday, fresh allegations surfaced claiming Gaetz had shown other lawmakers naked photos and videos of women he said he had slept with and boasted about his sexual conquests to his colleagues.

Multiple sources, including two people who said they had been shown the compromising photos first hand, told CNN, the 38-year-old congressman displayed the images of the women on his phone including while he was on the House floor at the US Capitol.

The report sparked further calls for the lawmaker to resign from his role.

The investigation into Gaetz first spiraled from a probe into Greenberg, who was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17.

Three sources told the Times that DOJ investigators have since interviewed multiple women about their alleged encounters with Gaetz.

Investigators believe Greenberg first met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites including SeekingArrangement, where rich men pay women in gifts, travel, fine dining and allowances in exchange for going on dates with them, they said.

Greenberg then introduced the women to Gaetz who allegedly also had sex with them.

One of the women told investigators she had sex with an unidentified person in Florida Republican politics as well as Gaetz and Greenberg, the Times reported.

Sometimes, Gaetz and the other men and the women allegedly took ecstasy before they slept together.

Gaetz would sometimes ask the women to introduce him to other women who would have sex with him and his friends, two sources told the Times.

Receipts from the mobile payments app Cash App and Apple Pay show both Gaetz and Greenberg sent payments to one woman and Greenberg sent a payment to a second woman, the Times reported.

Sources said the women said the payments had been for sex with Gaetz and Greenberg. Another person said the men also sometimes paid in cash.

The trysts took place in 2019 and 2020, according to the Times.

Gaetz got engaged to food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, in December at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., which is about an hour from his House congressional district.

He met Luckey in early 2020. It is not clear exactly when the couple met nor when in 2020 some of the alleged encounters with the other women took place.

The women told investigators Gaetz told them that, if their relationship ever came to light, they should tell people the congressman only paid for their hotel rooms and dinners as part of their dates, the Times reported.

When news of the DOJ probe surfaced Tuesday, Gaetz gave an interview to Axios where he claimed he often 'provided for' women he was dating when he was single, such as paying for flights and hotel rooms.

A lawyer for Greenberg declined to comment to the Times Thursday.

Greenberg was indicted last summer on 14 felony charges including child sex trafficking, fraud, identity theft and stalking a former political rival.

Ginger Luckey and Matt Gaetz. Gaetz got engaged to food analyst Luckey, 26, in December at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago

Sources said the minor Greenberg has been charged over is the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe and the DOJ is investigating whether other men connected to the two men also had sex with the child

Gaetz with his fiancee food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26. Multiple women reportedly told investigators the Florida lawmaker and staunch Trump ally, 38, would message them arranging a place to meet and telling them how much he was wiling to pay them

The sex trafficking charge involves alleged encounters with a girl aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017.

He was also accused of violating the Driver's Privacy Protection Act by using his access as an elected official to illegally look up information about the minor in The Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID).

Greenberg (pictured) was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking of a minor between the age of 14 and 17

He reportedly looked up the girl's photo, driver identification number, in addition to other information.

Prosecutors say he also used the database to look up other people, with whom he was embroiled in 'sugar daddy relationships' with.

Greenberg had first been indicted by a federal grand jury in June on charges that he stalked political opponent Brian Beute in the Republican primary for the Tax Collector's race and for identity theft.

Greenberg resigned the following day and the additional charges were added in August.

He was arrested earlier this month for violating the terms of his bond after he allegedly traveled to Jupiter and was involved in some type of police incident there.

Gaetz and Greenberg have known each other for several years. The ex-tax collector shared a photo on Twitter of the two men together at the White House in 2019.

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe (above) said there must be a 'significant degree of information' for federal officials to have launched a sex trafficking probe into a sitting member of Congress

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators'

The year before, Gaetz backed Greenberg's successful bid for local office.

The new details about the sex trafficking probe surfaced after former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe said there must be a 'significant degree of information' for federal officials to have launched a sex trafficking probe into a sitting member of Congress.

McCabe described the allegations as 'very serious' after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that Gaetz is under investigation by the Department of Justice over claims he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him across state lines.

'It's substantial and very serious. You know [after] 21 years of opening and overseeing, conducting investigations, I can tell you that nobody opens a sex trafficking investigation in which the subject is a sitting member of Congress without having a significant degree of information,' McCabe, who was fired by Trump in 2018, told CNN Wednesday.

Gaetz's main support since news of the DOJ probe broke has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene

'In any case, I can assure you the FBI doesn't open these cases lightly, and don't get briefed to the attorney general without some significant momentum behind them.'

Long before this week's saga unfolded, Gaetz had gained a reputation on Capitol Hill for bragging about his sexual exploits to other lawmakers and staff and parading photos of nude women he said he had sex with, sources told CNN Thursday.

One source described one video showing a naked woman with a hula hoop, as another said 'it was a point of pride' for Gaetz to show the images off.

There is no evidence that the nude photos are in any way connected to the DOJ's probe into allegations of sex trafficking.

It is also unclear when these alleged encounters took place.

But this isn't the first time Gaetz has been accused of acting inappropriately in Congress.

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators.'

Latvala leveled the accusations against Gaetz amid a Twitter spat in January 2020.

'And you created a game where members of the FL House got 'points' for sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators. Hope DC is treating you well, Congressman,' he wrote.

Gaetz denied the allegations.

Rumors of a game with a point system involving 'young male FL Reps' first surfaced in a Politico report in 2013 but did not name the alleged culprits.

Bombshell texts, an email and a printout with the heading 'Project Homecoming' detail the alleged scheme involving former DOJ official David McGee (left) and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent to free US hostage Robert Levinson (right)

Florida congressman Gaetz served in the House from 2010 to 2016.

While these alleged instances have no known connection to the DOJ sex-trafficking probe, Gaetz has received little in the way of support from members of his own party since the bombshell claims surfaced.

This is the text Matt Gaetz's father Don says he received from Bob Kent, an Air Force intelligence officer, on March 16, detailing an extortion plot that would involve the Gaetz family giving up $25million

Trump also remained uncharacteristically quiet.

This is perhaps surprising given the two men's closeness. Gaetz backed the former president during both impeachment trials and is a regular fixture at his Mar-a-Lago estate - even proposing to his fiancee there in December.

Several sources told NBC Gaetz is not well-liked on Capitol Hill because of his criticism of fellow Republicans.

Gaetz railed against GOP Rep. Liz Cheney at the Wyoming capitol back in January after she voted to impeach Trump.

Meanwhile, his constant self-promotion and near-daily appearances on right-wing news outlets, especially Fox, are also another source of contention among other Republicans, sources said.

His main support has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon-supporting freshman Georgia lawmaker who was stripped of her committee assignments in February as it emerged she had pushed unfounded conspiracy theories and showed support for executing top Democrats before being elected to Congress.

'Remember all the conspiracy theories and lies like Trump/Russia collusion and propaganda that the media has spread around. Take it from me rumors and headlines don't equal truth. I stand with @mattgaetz,' she tweeted.

In another tweet she called for the release of FBI tapes Gaetz has claimed prove the extortion plot.

This document was given to Gaetz's father Don on March 17, allegedly by Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent. The plan involved the Gaetz family putting up $25million to secure Levinson's release but it doesn't say how the money would secure that

Another document that Gaetz has produced is an email from the Assistant US Attorney for the Northern District of Florida which confirms that the family was working with the FBI

TIMELINE OF THE GAETZ SAGA MARCH 30: The New York Times reports that Gaetz is under investigation for a sexual relationship with an underage girl. Details are sparse but the relationship reportedly happened two years ago. Gaetz went on Tucker Carlson's FOX News show that night to deny the allegations and claim he was the victim of an extortion plot. He names David McGee as a DoJ official who is extorting him. McGee denies it. MARCH 31: Gaetz's father Don tells Politico that the extortion plot is real and that he was working with his son and the FBI to expose it Texts emerge to support Gaetz's claim that he was being extorted and they introduce a new element to the saga - that the extortion plot was part of a ruse to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran. APRIL 1: The New York Times reports new details of the DOJ probe including allegations Gaetz paid women for sex in hotel rooms in Florida, sometimes while on ecstasy. WHO'S WHO Rep Matt Gaetz Gaetz, 38, is the representative for Florida's 1st congressional district. He is a Trump ally who has ties to Roger Stone and he's been known to fan the flames of controversy in the past. He has DUI convictions, has been accused of inciting violence on Twitter and claimed that facial recognition technology proved some of the January 6 Capitol rioters were not Trump fans, but 'antifa' masquerading as them. Don Gaetz Gaetz's father who was a well-liked Senator. He sold his company with his partners for $406million in 2004. They had founded VITAS Healthcare in the 1980s. He was a senator for ten years from 2006 until 2016. David McGee McGee was a prosecutor with the Department of Justice but he is now a private practice attorney. According to his bio on his law firm's website, he spent six years as the First Assistant at the United States Attorney's Office and for seven years as the Lead Attorney for a United States Department of Justice Organized Crime Task Force. Bob Kent Kent is an Air Force intelligence officer whose involvement in the alleged plot was only revealed on Wednesday night through the texts. Robert Levinson Levinson spent 22 years working for the FBI before he vanished in Iran in 2007. The government claimed they knew nothing about it but later admitted he had been working there for the CIA. The last time he was seen alive was in 2011, when he appeared in proof of life photos. His family say that this month, they were given reason to believe he was dead. Joel Greenberg Greenberg is the former tax collector in Seminole County, Florida. He is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges related to a minor aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017. The minor is said to be the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe. Greenberg also allegedly introduced Gaetz to the women the congressman is accused of paying for sex with. Advertisement

'The DOJ needs to release the tapes instead of allowing another witch hunt to take place,' she wrote.

Gaetz regularly appears on Fox, reportedly racking up on average 90 minutes of screen time a month in the last year.

Hours before the allegations of both sex trafficking and extortion surfaced Tuesday, a report from Axios had revealed Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and taking a media job at Newsmax.

Gaetz then claimed Wednesday he's had 'many conversations' with right-wing TV networks about a career after Congress including Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business and Real America's Voice.

But Fox News instantly denied the claims saying it had 'no interest in hiring him' and denying the congressman had spoken with anyone with authority on the matter.

The network sought to distance itself from Gaetz after he appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night in a bizarre interview where he appeared to try to rope Carlson into the saga.

Carlson later said the segment was 'one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.'

The complex saga took another unexpected turn Wednesday as new texts and documents released by Gaetz Wednesday appeared to support his claim that he was being extorted and suggested that the 'plot' was part of a ploy to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson.

The texts are purportedly from Kent to Gaetz's father, former Senator Don Gaetz. They were sent on March 16 and 17.

'Mr Gaetz, I would like to talk with you immediately about the current federal investigation and the indictment that is about to be filed against your son. I have a plan that can make his future legal and political problems go away,' the first text, sent on March 16 purportedly from Kent, says.

Kent goes on: 'Last summer, we located Robert Levinson in Iran and took two proof of life videos but the US government foiled our rescue attempt. We have one more opportunity to rescue Levinson. If you and Matt are willing to help us privately and clandestinely obtain the release of Robert Levinson, I will ensure...'

There is no screenshot of the next part of the text.

On March 17, the day after the text was sent purportedly by Kent to Gaetz's father, Don claims he met with Kent and Stephen M. Alford, a real estate agent convicted of fraud who McGee has represented in the past, and was given the three-page 'Project Homecoming' document.

It detailed plans for the Gaetz family to give them $25million. They said they would use the money to free Levinson and that in exchange, 'the team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.

The document begins with details of the alleged probe into Rep. Gaetz over 'various public corruption and public integrity issues.'

It outlines some of the most damning allegations to surface against Gaetz to date, claiming the FBI has 'compromising pictures' depicting Gaetz and an unidentified election official in a 'sexual orgy with underage prostitutes' in Maitland, Florida.

The photos came to light during an unrelated probe into political corruption and public integrity in another criminal case, it reads.

Sources previously told the New York Times the probe was part of a wider investigation into Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, who was charged with sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17 last year.

The document says the discovery of the photos and 'subsequent information' has led to Gaetz being the 'target' of a 'widening investigation into serious underage sex trafficking, political corruption, public integrity, and other criminal allegations.'

On Tuesday, Gaetz insisted he had been told he was the 'subject' and not the 'target' of a probe.

The document claims that a Grand Jury has been impaneled to determine if charges should be brought against Gaetz and others.

It says that a number of people have testified to the Grand Jury about Gaetz including one underage girl who claims she was paid by Gaetz for sex and 'other individuals, whom are facing serious criminal allegations themselves'.

'At least one underage female has testified to the Grand Jury that Congressman Gaetz has paid her to engage in sexual activities,' it reads.

The probe is being handled by the Public Integrity Division of the DOJ and is being managed out of the DC field office, with the US Attorney from the Middle District of Florida overseeing the case.

The document goes on to describe a 'strategy' to 'mitigate Gaetz's 'legal and political troubles' by arranging for $25 million in funds needed to apparently release Levinson from Iranian captivity.

The money would be deposited into the trust account of Beggs & Land law firm, where McGee works, no later than March 19, the Examiner reported.

It describes a setup wherein Gaetz could take the credit for Levinson's release and present the captive's return to the US, and would be put forward for a presidential pardon and for all investigations to be dropped.

'In exchange for funds being arranged, and upon the release of Robert Levinson, Congressman Gaetz shall be given credit for facilitating the release of Mr. Levinson.

'Congressman Gaetz shall also be on the plane that returns Mr. Levinson to freedom, and shall be the person to 'reunited' Mr. Levinson with his family and bring Mr. Levinson back to the United States,' the document reads.

'The team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President of The United States shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.'

The three-page document also suggested at least some White House knowledge of the plan claiming: 'The team has been assured by the President that he will strongly consider such matters because he considers the release of Robert Levinson a matter of National Urgency.'

The White House did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Gaetz and his father Don Gaetz. Don served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016

BILL BARR CANCELED AN APPEARANCE TO APPEAR WITH GAETZ BECAUSE OF PROBE Bill Barr was aware of the ongoing sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz and took no objection to it when he was the Attorney General. Instead, he made sure he was never seen with him in public. According to Politico, Barr canceled an event where he was due to appear with Gaetz in the summer of 2020. He had been scheduled to appear at a meet-and-greet with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee but when he saw that Gaetz was also attending, he pulled out of it. Barr has not commented on the investigation into sex trafficking that Gaetz is said to be a target of. Advertisement

The Examiner also obtained an email chain allegedly between Don's attorney Jeffrey Neiman and federal prosecutors that appears to confirm the FBI is looking into an alleged extortion.

Assistant US Attorney David Goldberg wrote to Neiman that he could 'confirm that your client is working with my office as well as the FBI at the government's request in order to determine if a federal crime has been committed'.

The FBI declined to comment and directed to DailyMail.com to the DOJ. The DOJ did not return a request for comment.

The release of the documents came after Gaetz's father backed up his extortion claims and said he wore a wire to try help his son expose it.

'The FBI asked me to try and get that information for Matt and an indication we would transfer money to Mr. David McGee,' he told Politico Wednesday.

McGee did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The attorney denied any involvement Tuesday telling The Washington Post Tuesday he was not part of a plan to extort Gaetz nor was he connected to the DOJ's sex trafficking probe.

'It is completely false. It's a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that he's under investigation for sex trafficking of minors,' he said.

'I have no connection with that case at all, other than, one of a thousand people who have heard the rumors.'

The attorney said Gaetz's father had 'called me and asked to talk to me' and said he would welcome a tape of their conversation being made public. He did not detail what the conversation was about but insisted it was nothing 'untoward' but simply 'a pleasant conversation of a dad concerned about his son and the trouble his son was in'.

He added: 'If there is a tape, play the tape. There is nothing on that tape that is untoward.'

Gaetz accused McGee live on Tucker Carlson of trying to extort millions of dollars out of him and his family in exchange for 'making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away' in a bizarre interview just hours after the reports of the DOJ probe surfaced.

Gaetz accused David McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, of trying to extort millions from him and his family in exchange for making sex trafficking allegations 'go away' on Fox News Tuesday

Tucker Carlson says Gaetz interview was his 'weirdest ever' Fox News' Tucker Carlson was stunned by Rep Matt Gaetz's appearance on his show Tuesday night, calling it one of the 'weirdest interviews' ever. Gaetz claimed he is the victim of a $25million extortion plot after the New York Times revealed he is under investigation for sex trafficking. During the interview Gaetz denied all of the allegations against him. 'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson. 'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.' When asked about the alleged sexual relationship with the teen, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'. However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme'. 'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said. 'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.' In response to that claim, Carlson says: 'I don't remember the women you're speaking of or the context at all honestly.' Following the segment, Carlson told his viewers: 'You just saw our Matt Gaetz interview. That was one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.' 'That story just appeared in the news a couple of hours ago, and on the certainty that there's always more than you read in the newspaper, we immediately called Matt Gaetz and asked him to come on and tell us more. Which, as you saw, he did. I don't think that clarified much, but it certainly showed this is a deeply interesting story and we'll be following it,' Carlson added. Advertisement

Gaetz claimed the sex trafficking allegations against him were 'verifiably false' but said he and his family were victims of an extortion effort by McGee to make the allegations and the DOJ investigation 'go away.'

A separate probe was launched by the FBI into the extortion plot, he said. Gaetz claimed the Times report had then foiled a plan to transfer a bribe of $4.5 million to McGee Wednesday which would have then exposed the alleged plot.

However Times' reporter Katie Benner told MSNBC it is the congressman who has in fact 'blown up' the alleged extortion investigation in an effort to divert attention away from the fact the sex trafficking concerns were serious enough for the Trump administration to launch an investigation - even though Gaetz is a close ally of the president.

Reports of the two investigations came just hours after it was revealed Gaetz is considering retiring from Congress and taking a job at right-wing news outlet Newsmax.

Gaetz's alleged encounters with the 17-year-old girl took place around two years ago with the DOJ investigation focusing on whether the lawmaker paid for her to cross state lines, the Times reported.

Under federal law, it is a crime to transport someone under the age of 18 across state lines, or coerce them to travel across state lines, to engage in sex in exchange for money.

Gaetz, who was the only member of Congress to vote against a largely bipartisan human trafficking bill back in 2017, insisted the allegations are false.

'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson.

'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.'

When asked about his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'.

'The person doesn't exist. I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false,' he said.

However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme.'

'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said.

'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.'

Instead, Gaetz claimed he and his family have fallen foul to a plot to extort money.

The congressman told Carlson the alleged scheme came to light on March 16 when he claims his father got a text message 'demanding a meeting wherein a person demanded $25 million in exchange for making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away'.

Gaetz's father is Don Gaetz, former member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 and Senate President from 2012 to 2014. Don has not publicly commented on the apparent extortion plot.

Gaetz claimed his family were told about 'pictures of me with child prostitutes' which he insisted are 'obviously false'.

Gaetz named McGee on air on the Fox News show, accusing the lawyer of being behind the extortion plot.

'His name is David Mcgee. He was a top official in the leadership in the northern district of Florida as a prosecutor,' he said. 'He currently works at the Beggs & Lane law firm.'

He claimed: 'There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators.'

Gaetz said he contacted the FBI and the DOJ and has been working with them to expose the plot.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump fired out a series of tweets Tuesday claiming a former Justice Department employee had been trying to extort $25 million from him and his family while 'threatening to smear my name'

Rep. Matt Gaetz's father Don sold his hospice company for $406million and used the money to fund his political career Rep. Matt Gaetz's father made millions by selling his hospice company in 2004 and used the money to launch his own political career, years before they were 'extorted' over allegations the younger Gaetz slept with an underage girl. Don, a former Florida Senator from 2006 until 2016, has backed up his son's claims of an extortion plot and says he even wore a wire to a meeting with one of the extortionists to try to help expose the plot. Gaetz claimed the people involved were claiming to extort him to free American hostage Robert Levinson, who was captured in Iran in 2007. He said the extortionists told his family they needed $25million to free Levinson - whose family say is dead - and that in exchange, they would ask Joe Biden to pardon Gaetz from any sex trafficking charges. The amount is the same amount that Don Gaetz's net worth was reported as when he launched his first Senatorial campaign in 2006. He and his partners had sold Vitas, a hospice company, two years earlier for $406million. It's unclear how many partners there were, but when Don was campaigning, his net worth was well reported. The family comes from Niceville, Florida, a conservative, Christian town on the panhandle. Don Gaetz is shown, left, on the Florida Senate floor. He is shown right, with his wife Vicki Don's own father, Jerry, was the mayor of a small town in North Dakota. Don was referred to as 'baby Gaetz' early on in his career. He and his partners founded Vitas in the 1970s and turned it into the largest hospice care provider in the country, after lobbying Congress to have their care paid for under Medicaid and Medicare. They sold the company in 2004 but were later sued for Medicaid fraud. The lawsuit did not name Don specifically, and he denied wrongdoing. Don was well-liked in the Senate because he was considered 'old fashioned' and 'decent'. His views, while Republican, are less extreme than his son's. 'Don Gaetz was very much more of an old-school Republican. He would tell you that Matt is much more tea party Republican than he is,' Ben Wilcox told Mother Jones for a profile on the pair in 2019. Matt launched his political career in Florida in 2010 and has since made a name for himself supporting Trump. He has spoken in the past about how his mother became partially paralyzed due to complications she suffered while pregnant with his sister, and how her devotion to the pregnancy and baby has enforced his anti-abortion views. Advertisement

'Our family was so troubled by that, we went to the local FBI and the FBI and the Department of Justice were so concerned about this attempted extortion of a member of Congress that they asked my dad to wear a wire, which he did with the former department of justice official,' he claimed.

Gaetz claimed that, prior to the Times' report of the sex trafficking inquiry, his family and federal authorities had made a plan to send $4.5 million as a down payment to McGee.

He claimed this plan 'would have shown even more evidence of David McGee's work in this extortion scheme' but that it was 'foiled' by the Times' report.

'What was supposed to happen was the transfer of this money that would have implicated the former colleague of these current DOJ officials.

'But that's obviously not going to happen tomorrow because the New York Times story was leaked in order to quell that investigative effort,' he claimed.

Gaetz called on the FBI to release the tapes of his family's alleged encounters with the extorter in order to prove his 'innocence.'

'If the FBI and department of justice will release the tapes that they are in possession of, the American people will see what is really going on,' he said.

New York Times' Justice Department Reporter Katie Benner hit back at Gaetz's claims telling MSNBC that McGee is not involved in the DOJ's sex trafficking probe as he works in private practice.

'No that person is not involved in the investigations. That person is currently in private practice and does not work at the Justice Department,' she said.

Benner questioned Gaetz's motive for speaking out about the alleged extortion plot in a move that she said has 'destroyed and blown up' the FBI investigation into it.

Gaetz was first to publicly expose the FBI probe into the alleged extortion plot, with no mention made in the Times' initial report.

Benner said she believes Gaetz was speaking out to deflect from the fact that the sex trafficking probe was 'serious enough' to be launched by Trump's DOJ.

'Keep in mind this is an investigation that if you look at the timeline was very serious and was taken seriously by Trump administration officials in the Justice Department,' she said.

'I think that one of the reasons why he has talked publicly about this extortion plot, one of the reasons why he has publicly said that the FBI has asked his own father to wear a wire is in order to try to get people to not pay attention to the fact that it was in fact the Trump admin that felt it was worthy to investigation him.'

She hit back at his claim that the Times' report had 'foiled' the FBI plot.

'In publicly talking about the extortion plot that he has described and publicly saying that his father wore a wire he has basically destroyed and blown up an FBI investigation which is in itself something you would think would be against his own interests,' she said.

'You would think he wold be wanting to work with the FBI and would think he would be wanting to keep this quiet... in doing this and basically blowing up an FBI investigation into people trying to extort his family he has both complicated that investigation and also cast aspersions on something that was serious enough that Attorney General Bill Barr proved it.'

Gaetz went on the defense as soon as the Times story broke Tuesday evening, going on a tweet storm describing the alleged extortion plot and slamming the allegations as 'lies'.

'Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name,' he tweeted.

The congressman said he and his family had been working with the FBI on the plot to extort money from his family.

'We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI's direction to catch these criminals.

'The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation.'

Gaetz called on the Justice Department to release tapes he said shows the alleged scheme by an ex-DOJ employee.

'I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations,' he tweeted.

Gaetz went into damage control mode after news of the inquiry surfaced.

He told the Times his attorneys had been told by the DOJ that he was the subject and not the target of the probe.

'I only know that it has to do with women,' he said. 'I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.'

The congressman confirmed the DOJ probe in an interview with Axios and doubled down that the allegations are 'false' and 'unclear' as he blamed the apparent extortion plot.

'The allegations of sexual misconduct against me are false,' he said. 'They are rooted in an extortion effort against my family for $25 million in exchange for making this case go away.'

Axios reported that it had seen screenshots of text messages, emails and documents from Gaetz purporting to show the alleged scheme.

Gaetz denied the accusations against him after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that the DOJ had launched a probe to investigate whether he had violated federal sex trafficking laws. Pictured Trump and Gaetz

'I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy,' he said.

The 38-year-old said while he often 'provided for' women he was dating when he was single, such as paying for flights and hotel rooms, he was 'absolutely' confident none of the women were underage.

'I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I've dated. You know, I've paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I've been, you know, generous as a partner,' he said.

'I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.'

Sources told the Times that senior Justice Department officials, including some Trump appointees, were aware of the investigation due to its nature and the congressman's profile.

They said it is part of a larger probe into Greenberg.

News of the sex-trafficking inquiry came the same day reports surfaced that Gaetz is mulling quitting politics altogether for a career as a media personality.

Gaetz has told friends he is considering not seeking re-election in 2022 and may even leave Congress before the end of his term for a job at conservative outlet Newsmax, according to Axios.

The congressman lost much of his personal power in DC when Trump, a close ally, lost the White House and Republicans failed to take back control of the House of Representatives.

Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December. Pictured the couple when they got engaged

Newsmax, meanwhile, has become a favored outlet for conservatives after Trump started criticizing Fox News, leaving an opening for it and competitor One American News.

Gaetz is already a frequent guest on the network, which recently hired former White House staffer Andrew Guiliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani, and former Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators

Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and defended the former president during both impeachment trials.

He also pushed the false claims that the MAGA mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a riot that left five dead were from Antifa. Investigations have proven they were not.

Gaetz also made a name for himself when he became the only House lawmaker to vote against a bill to provide greater funds to fight human trafficking.

The legislation - the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act - gave the federal government more money to tackle human trafficking.

It was backed by both Republicans and Democrats and sailed through the House and Senate.

'Unless there is an overwhelming, compelling reason that our existing agencies in the federal government can't handle that problem, I vote no because voters in Northwest Florida did not send me to Washington to go and create more federal government,' he said at the time.

He also hit headlines for wearing a gas mask on the House floor during the COVID pandemic and criticizing Democrats for banning guns in Congress.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators.

Outside of DC, Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December.

The couple met at an event at the club sometime earlier in 2020.

Luckey works for a company called Apeel, that says it 'works with nature to reduce food waste and create abundance for all.'
Vasyl Dolmatov/Getty Images/iStockphoto

As Hawaii residents consider the return of tourism, one major concern is the welfare of their families, and especially kupuna (elders).

The state has the highest proportion of multigenerational households in the US. If one person is infected with COVID-19, the entire family  including the more vulnerable elderly members  may be exposed.
LANSING, Mich., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Jay Rosen, founder and president of Health Management Associates (HMA), and Governor Mike Leavitt, founder and Chair of Leavitt Partners, announced the two firms have come together as one entity. Leavitt Partners will continue operating as Leavitt Partners, an HMA Company.

"Leavitt Partners is widely respected for its health policy guidance, strategic advisory services, and role as a convener," Rosen said. "We believe their experience paired with the work we do at all levels of government  especially with states and counties  will further enhance our client services and be a powerful force for positive change."

Governor Leavitt said, "Our discussions started with an aligned mission to improve healthcare and our nation's capacity to care for its most vulnerable people. While both Leavitt Partners and HMA operate at the intersection of healthcare and government, our areas of emphasis are highly complementary and strengthen the offerings and footprint of both firms."

Upon conclusion of his service as secretary of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) in 2009, Governor Leavitt formed Leavitt Partners to help clients navigate their transition to new and better models of care. The firm has become a leader in the value-based care movement and is a respected convener, leading collaborative alliances in pursuit of solutions to complex health policy problems. The firm is also seen as a trusted advisor, helping clients navigate market change and identify strategic growth opportunities. Leavitt Partners has more than 90 employees and has served clients in all 50 states.

Rosen and Governor Leavitt will serve as co-chairs of HMA, and Leavitt will continue in his role at Leavitt Partners. Rosen will continue to serve as president of HMA. Terms of the agreement do not include Leavitt Equity Partners, a private equity firm.

Founded in 1985, HMA is an independent, national research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation. Clients include government, public and private providers, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, institutional investors, foundations, and associations. With 22 offices and over 225 multidisciplinary consultants coast to coast, HMA's expertise, services, and team are always within client reach.

HMA: https://www.healthmanagement.com/

Leavitt Partners: https://leavittpartners.com/

SOURCE Health Management Associates

Related Links

http://www.healthmanagement.com




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One of Australia's leading doctors has revealed the warning signs people need to look out for after a man was hospitalised with a rare blood clotting condition after he received the AstraZeneca vaccination.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd addressed concerns surrounding the vaccine on Friday.

'People should be particularly alert to severe persistent headaches occurring four to 20 days after vaccination and which are different to the usual pattern of headaches and do not settle with over-the-counter painkillers,' he said.

'If you received the AstraZeneca vaccine and experience symptoms of persistent headaches or other worrying symptoms four to 20 days after the vaccine, you should seek medical advice.'

Australia's leading doctor has revealed the warning signs people need to look out for after getting the AstraZeneca covid vaccine

Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd addressed concerns surrounding the vaccine on Friday

An infected nurse from Brisbane travelled to Byron Bay for a hen's night last weekend causing the idyllic beach town to undergo tight restrictions

Earlier this week an Australian man was put in hospital suffering from a rare blood clotting condition after receiving the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

The 44-year-old got the jab on March 22 and later presented to Box Hill Hospital in Melbourne suffering fever and abdominal pain.

He was also found to have blood clots in his abdomen and a very low platelet count, prompting concerns from doctors.

Professor Kidd said while the vaccine can cause blood clotting in people with low platelet counts he stressed that the chances of it happening are 'very small'.

'The serious risk disease and death from COVID-19, if we experience another severe outbreak,  is far greater than the very small potential risk of a very rare clotting disorder associated with the vaccine,' he said.

'Cerebral venous thrombosis is a very rare disorder that has previously not been known to be associated with vaccination, however it has been noted as a complication of people who have contracted COVID-19,' Prof Kidd said.

'No cases of central venous sinus thrombosis have been reported in Australia to date, in the time period of concern following vaccination, which is within four to 20 days.

'The TGA has received only one report of a case of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia but the causal link has not yet been established.'

Professor Kid says they are taking the matter 'very seriously' and analysing any links between the vaccine and blood clotting.

'This condition has presented as either a clot appearing in the brain or as thrombosis in other sites, including in the intra-abdominal venous systems,' he said.

'If cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or another severe thrombotic case is suspected in a patient who has received a COVID-19 vaccine, please refer them to an emergency department for further urgent assessment and haematology consultation.'

Pictured: The Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine is administered in Sydney on March 23

Chief health officers around Australia are urgently reviewing the man's case, with an update to be given on Friday afternoon, The Australian reported.

The Victorian Health Department warned medical professionals to be on the lookout for signs of cerebral thrombosis in patients after they had the jab.

'As a precaution, all clinicians are being advised to refer patients who report headaches 72 hours or more after receiving an AZ Covid-19 vaccine to their nearest emergency department with a referral letter,' the department said.

'Hospitals will further assess the patients and may perform tests to rule out thrombosis as a precaution.'

The man's symptoms are similar to those of prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia in some patients who also had the vaccine.

Some countries restricted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 while others have resumed inoculations, as investigations into reports of rare, and sometimes severe, blood clots continue.

Most Australians will receive the AstraZeneca jab rather than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Paramedic Rhiannon Gallatly (right) receives a AstraZeneca covid vaccination at the Royal Exhibition Centre in Melbourne on Monday March 22

Earlier in the week, Germany said only people aged 60 and over should be administered the AstraZeneca vaccine due to the rare but severe occurrence of thromboembolic side effects.

The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization have said the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks, but are monitoring the developing situation as more cases are reported.

AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish company, said earlier in March its vaccine was 76 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic coronavirus infections in a US trial, and that studies did not indicate higher risks of clotting.

The news of the Melbourne man's symptoms comes amid critcisim over the delays of Australia's vaccine rollout.

A generic image of AstraZeneca covid19 vaccinations inside of the Royal Exhibition Centre in Melbourne

Four million Australians were due to have their jabs by the end of March, a target missed by more than 3.3 million.

Federal opposition health spokesman Mark Butler took aim, saying the government had promised Australia would be at the front of the queue for the vaccine, but instead it had found itself in 108th place.

'We are so far behind the rest of the world,' he said.

'The UK has vaccinated 60 per cent of its adult population. We've managed about two per cent.'

Barely a quarter of the 2.4 million vaccine doses available in the country had been administered and only a third of aged care facilities had received their first doses, he said.

'Every promise they've made hasn't been met.'

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Thursday defended the Commonwealth's vaccine rollout, saying all states and territories will receive doses in accordance with their 12-week plans.

Mr Hunt blamed a global supply issue, with the European Union blocking some vaccine shipments to Australia due to the country's low infection rate and rising cases across Europe.
Michigan's Middle Eastern and North African population face barriers to optimal health

Within southeast Michigan's Middle Eastern and North African community, those who worry about deportation or believe they've been treated unfairly are likely to face more adverse conditions associated with poor health, including food insecurity and financial distress.

The MENA people who face several of these barriers are also more likely to report chronic illness and mental health issues as well as worse overall health.

That's according to a new study by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.

"There are numerous health disparities for the MENA community that are not that different from other racial and ethnic groups where we're trying to close the gap," says Minal R. Patel, Ph.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of health behavior and health education at the U-M School of Public Health and a member of the Rogel Cancer Center. "The data show us that this is an important population where we should be focusing our efforts to address health needs."

This is the latest in a series of papers based on data from an extensive survey designed to better understand the population within one of the geographic areas the Rogel Cancer Center aims to serve. The researchers paid special attention to MENA people because metro Detroit is home to one of the United States' largest MENA communities, with about 210,000 residents hailing from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and other Arab countries.

Previous state surveys had revealed significant health disparities for the MENA population, similar to what Michigan's African-American and Hispanic groups experience. However, Patel and her research team knew more specific data was needed to determine MENA people's unmet health needs as well as the impact that discrimination has on their health.

Through questionnaires distributed in community venues -- including grocery stores, mosques, and health care clinics -- to about 400 people who identified as MENA, researchers found that almost 60% of respondents felt they had experienced discrimination. Close to half did not believe the government was trying to improve life for Arab-Americans. Although fewer people worried about deportation or thought they had been treated unfairly, those who did often faced more adverse conditions associated with poor health, such as food insecurity.

More unmet health needs were also found among people who were not born in the United States (58% of the study's sample); who had lived in America for fewer years; who spoke Arabic at home; and who were from Egypt, Syria, or Yemen -- countries with unstable political environments and high poverty rates.

Public health researchers and media outlets alike have previously called attention to the physical and mental toll of immigration-related concerns on Latino immigrants. Patel says this data illustrates how the MENA people fit into that discussion.

"We were able to highlight that even though we don't share a border with a Middle Eastern country, we still have a sizeable population right next door to us that have concerns about immigration," Patel says. "This is another community where we can bring in that national conversation and think about how it is specifically impacting health."

Among risk factors that limit optimal health in the MENA population, transportation issues for health care visits, food insecurity, and financial strain were the most common, followed by unemployment and unstable housing.

Patel said she was surprised at the prevalence of food insecurity in particular given the number of grocery stores and restaurants in areas with large concentrations of the MENA population.

"When you drive through Dearborn, where much of the survey took place, it doesn't look like the makeup of your typical food desert," Patel says. "So we need to unpack that. Food insecurity is multidimensional, and the availability of food is only one component."

Overall, experiencing more risk factors for poor health, e.g., food insecurity and unemployment and unstable housing, was linked with more chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and heart conditions. In addition, mental health and general health were poorer for the people who faced multiple societal conditions that limit optimal health.

This survey was conducted in 2019, and Patel says all the issues discussed have likely worsened for the MENA community since then due to the increased stressors of the pandemic.

###

This story has been published on: 2021-04-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
OTTAWA, ON, April 2, 2021 /CNW/ -

Summary

Products: Face masks labelled to contain graphene or biomass graphene.

Face masks labelled to contain graphene or biomass graphene. Issue: There is a potential that wearers could inhale graphene particles from some masks, which may pose health risks.

There is a potential that wearers could inhale graphene particles from some masks, which may pose health risks. What to do: Do not use these face masks. Report any health product adverse events or complaints to Health Canada.

Issue

Health Canada is advising Canadians not to use face masks that contain graphene because there is a potential that they could inhale graphene particles, which may pose health risks.

Graphene is a novel nanomaterial (materials made of tiny particles) reported to have antiviral and antibacterial properties. Health Canada conducted a preliminary scientific assessment after being made aware that masks containing graphene have been sold with COVID-19 claims and used by adults and children in schools and daycares. Health Canada believes they may also have been distributed for use in health care settings.

Health Canada's preliminary assessment of available research identified that inhaled graphene particles had some potential to cause early lung toxicity in animals. However, the potential for people to inhale graphene particles from face masks and the related health risks are not yet known, and may vary based on mask design. The health risk to people of any age is not clear. Variables, such as the amount and duration of exposure, and the type and characteristics of the graphene material used, all affect the potential to inhale particles and the associated health risks. Health Canada has requested data from mask manufacturers to assess the potential health risks related to their masks that contain graphene.

Until the Department completes a thorough scientific assessment and has established the safety and effectiveness of graphene-containing face masks, it is taking the precautionary approach of removing them from the market while continuing to gather and assess information. Health Canada has directed all known distributors, importers and manufacturers to stop selling and to recall the affected products. Additionally, Health Canada has written to provinces and territories advising them to stop distribution and use of masks containing graphene. The Department will continue to take appropriate action to stop the import and sale of graphene face masks.

Affected products

Face masks labelled as containing graphene or biomass graphene.

What you should do

Do not use face masks labelled to contain graphene or biomass graphene.

Consult your health care provider if you have used graphene face masks and have health concerns, such as new or unexplained shortness of breath, discomfort or difficulty breathing.

Report any health product adverse events or complaints regarding graphene face masks to Health Canada.

Related links

Egalement disponible en francais

SOURCE Health Canada

For further information: Media Enquiries: Health Canada, (613) 957-2983, [email protected]; Public Enquiries: (613) 957-2991, 1-866 225-0709, [email protected]
RICHLAND COUNTY, Ill. (WTHI) - Vaccinations began at Olney city park at 11 am sharp. While in line at the community shelter you were likely to see a Chicago White Sox hat instead of the typical Cubs or Cardinals. A Chicago fire department shirt also would give away that something was different Thursday.

Chicago resident Jessica Cobb says, "They recommended this location as the place to get the Johnson and Johnson shot but also the soonest it was available. There was a lot of places but I thought it was great just to drive down. It was a really nice drive so I thought it was worth it."

Cobb drove four hours with her mom from northern Chicago to Olney. She wasn't alone. Many other folks from cook county came to Richland County to get vaccinated.

Richland County health nurse Micah Drummond says, "I feel like we're in a better place in offering vaccines to the residents of not only Richland County but now we can open up to anyone who lives or works in Illinois."

Seventeen percent of residents in Richland County have been vaccinated. The demand for the vaccine from local residents has slowed. That means helping those in the windy city is just a matter of getting them in town.

Drummond says, "We are going to continue to do weekly vaccination clinics. We will be able to offer all three vaccines at various times."

Thursday health officials planned to give out 300 shots. About half of those went to residents of Richland County.

Olney resident Ken Hake says, "I'll be glad when we can get back and go to sporting events and see people in the community and get together rather than just stay at home."

The rest went to those making the long haul to get the quick shot.

Cobb says, "I'll tell you they were the nicest people inside. It just felt like a celebration. So I'm really happy."
Holidaymakers have rushed to snap up the federal governments half-price domestic airfares, with the tourism hotspots in Queensland attracting the heaviest traffic.

Close to 800,000 discounted flights were made available for 15 tourism hotspots around the country, as part of the federal governments $1.2 billion federal scheme to support the $60 billion tourism and travel industry. With more than a quarter of the available tickets scooped up within the first 24 hours, bookings so far have been heavily geared towards Queensland.

The federal governments choice of which destinations would be eligible for the cheap tickets had riled some states and even some Nationals MPs who said that NSW, Victoria and Western Australia had not received their fair share.

More than a quarter of the half-price tickets are already gone. Credit:James Davies

Australian Tourism Industry Council executive director Simon Westaway said given the public response the subsidy should be expanded to capital cities, where the bulk of tourism businesses are based.
[April 02, 2021] Paycom Appoints Holly Faurot to Chief Sales Officer and Names Jeff York Leadership Strategist

Paycom Software, Inc. ("Paycom" or the "Company") (NYSE: PAYC), a leading provider of comprehensive, cloud-based human capital management software, today announced the appointment of Holly Faurot to chief sales officer ("CSO"), effective April 2, 2021. She succeeds Jeff York, who has been named the Company's leadership strategist and will continue reporting to chief executive officer Chad Richison. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005259/en/ Paycom's Chief Sales Officer, Holly Faurot (Photo: Business Wire) As CSO, Faurot, Paycom's former senior executive vice president of sales andclient relations, will oversee all of Paycom's sales efforts, while York will continue to assist the business as the Company's leadership strategist.



"I am excited to see Holly take on the CSO role as she's displayed a strong history of leadership and has been instrumental in driving growth," said Richison, Paycom's founder and CEO. "Holly and Jeff have been integral to our organization's success and I am confident in Holly's ability to continue to drive sales." During her 14-year career with Paycom, Faurot has served as a top sales representative, top sales manager and top regional sales manager, earning many of the Company's highest ranking sales awards along the way. In 2016, she was asked to further expand Paycom's client relations department, which presents additional products to clients and focuses on increasing employee usage.

"I am incredibly grateful to have been with Paycom for over 14 years and am eager to continue our sales momentum," Faurot said. "We are changing the way businesses utilize their human capital management technology by getting HR out of the middle of the data transfer process and providing a real-time estimated ROI from employee usage of our software." York has been with Paycom for nearly 20 years. With more than three decades of sales and leadership experience, he has hired and developed many accomplished executives. Under his leadership, York's sales force was named one of the 50 Best Companies to Sell For in the U.S. "Being able to serve this organization from the CSO role has been a tremendous honor and I am even more excited about taking on this strategic role for the Company," York said. "My passion in life is developing others and this affords me the opportunity to share over 30 years of experience to help shape future leaders across our organization." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005259/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
The COVID-19 pandemic led health officials in 2020 to recommend that people keep their distance, wear a face mask, sanitize and wash their hands  properly  in a bid to slow the novel coronavirus.

Those recommendations also did their part to all but stomp out flu season in west-central Illinois.

As the COVID-19 infection rate peaked in the fall in the region, Scott Boston, Passavant Area Hospital president, recommended that everyone get a flu shot to try to prevent the region being hard hit by a COVID-19 and flu one-two punch.

Several months later, Boston has evidence that the effort paid off.

We have tested over 2,000 people for the flu and have had no positives, Boston said. Not one. Masks and social distancing really works.

Morgan County Health Department director Dale Bainter also noted the impact that wearing masks has had on flu cases.

Anyone that says masks dont work, thats the data right there, Bainter said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the 2019-2020 flu season, which ran from Oct. 1, 2019, through April 4  saw upward of 56,000,000 flu cases nationwide.

The CDC reported that, for a second straight week this flu season, just 0.9% of patient visits to health care providers in Illinois between March 14 and 20 were flu-related, well below the national average of 2.6%. No one was admitted to an intensive care unit in Illinois because of the flu and no flu-related pediatric deaths during that time, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Maybe masks become a seasonal thing, Boston said. Maybe in the future during these seasonal viral illnesses, everyone wears a mask when coming into the hospital.
To receive Steve Gutterman's Week In Russia via e-mail every Friday, subscribe by clicking here. If you have thoughts or feedback, you can reach us directly at newsletters@rferl.org.

Aleksei Navalny started a hunger strike in prison, while the father of a top ally of the Kremlin opponent was arrested in a move that one political analyst said echoed the Stalin era. The war in Syria passed the 10-year mark, the Kremlin tried damage control following a full-throated expression of support for Burmas junta as it massacred protesters, and tensions rose amid fresh questions about Russias intentions in the Donbas.

Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward.

'Getting Worrisome'

So far in 2021, the biggest Russia news has come from inside the country -- certainly since January 17, when Kremlin foe Aleksei Navalny was arrested at the airport upon his return from Germany, where he spent five months in treatment after a nerve-agent poisoning he blames on President Vladimir Putin and the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Since then, events have rushed along at a rapid pace -- but at the same time may seem almost like they are occurring in slow motion, a nightmare sequence that one might like to stop with the push of a button but is powerless to affect. Almost every day brings a new development that seems worse than the last, or at least equally bad.

There have been large protests, a harsh crackdown, and a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for Navalny, who charges that he is being denied adequate medical treatment in what he called a deliberate strategy of harm -- and is essentially being tortured in his cell through sleep deprivation.

On March 31, Navalny announced a hunger strike to protest his treatment, demanding that his jailers adhere to the law and that a doctor of his choice be allowed to visit him.

I have the right to invite a doctor and to receive medicine. They are not allowing me either one, Navalny said in an Instagram post. The pain in my back has spread to my leg. Parts of my right and now also my left leg have lost sensation. All joking aside, this is getting worrisome.

Another Kremlin opponent, Vladimir Kara-Murza, expressed concern in more concrete terms, writing in The Washington Post that after the nerve-agent poisoning in August, which Navalny and many others say was an assassination attempt, the Kremlin is trying to kill him again -- this time slowly, painfully and in the confinement of the prison where he is being held.

The situation contains echoes of the fatal plight of Sergei Magnitsky, a whistle-blower whose death in jail in 2009 has played a substantial part in defining Putins rule and souring Russias relations with the West.

Navalny himself is not the only one under pressure: Many of his associates and allies across Russia have been prosecuted, mainly on administrative charges linked to the protests held in January, and jailed, fined, or placed under house arrest in what Kremlin critics say is a concerted campaign to curtail Navalnys reach from behind bars, blunt the challenge he poses, and reduce the chances of fresh protests ahead of parliamentary elections expected in September.

'Fathers And Sons'

Associates, allies -- and also their relatives, in at least one case. On March 27, the father of Ivan Zhdanov, director of Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), was detained and jailed on an abuse-of-office charge stemming from a matter related to his preretirement job as a small-town official.

Zhdanov said he had no doubt that the arrest of his father was Kremlin-orchestrated punishment for his own work at FBK, which has produced several investigative reports revealing evidence of high-level corruption -- including an expose, published two days before Navalny returned to Russia, on a sprawling Black Sea estate that it called a palace for Putin.

Yury Zhdanov, 66, faces up to four years in prison if tried and convicted. Pretrial detention puts what remains of his health in jeopardy, said Ivan Zhdanov, who blamed the Kremlin and said Putins administration had reached a new level of villainy and turpitude.

The elder Zhdanovs arrest was in keeping with Soviet-style justice,' in which not only were parents made to pay for the sins of their children and vice versa, but also siblings and other relatives were punished for each others misdeeds, wrote Andrei Kolesnikov, head of the Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center.

By arresting family members of persecuted individuals, todays authorities openly declare themselves to be the direct successors of Stalins repressive system, Kolesnikov wrote in an opinion article in The Moscow Times under the headline: Fathers and Sons: A Kremlin-KGB Remake.

The Kremlins main focus seems likely to remain on domestic events through the end of summer, given the test that United Russia -- the party that serves as one of Putins main levers of power nationwide but is deeply unpopular -- faces in the State Duma elections, which must be held by September 19.

The timing of the vote means there is little chance of a letup in the pressure on Navalny, his allies, and anyone inside Russia who is seen as threat to the Kremlin.

But theres plenty happening beyond Russias borders.

For one thing, the month of March marked a decade since the start of the war in Syria -- and a decade of Russian support for President Bashar al-Assads government in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.

Moscows involvement in the war is often described as having begun in September 2015, when Russia launched a campaign of air strikes targeting Assads foes and also stepped up its military presence on the ground, helping turn the tide in his favor when his back was against the wall.

A fresh reminder of Moscows role since 2015 came on March 30, when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a humanitarian aid package for Syrians in their own country and abroad.

In a statement, Blinken said that the Syrian people "have faced atrocities, including Assad regime and Russian air strikes, forced disappearances, [Islamic State] brutality, and chemical-weapons attacks."

Aiding Assad

Concerns about Russias actions in Syria are mainly focused on the last half-decade as well. Among many other reports, they were underscored by an October 2019 report in The New York Times about an investigation that found that Russian pilots had bombed hospitals four times in the space of 24 hours that May.

But Moscow has been behind Assad since the war started in 2011 with a government crackdown on protests, lending him military support -- albeit on a smaller scale before 2015 -- and crucial diplomatic backing in the UN Security Council and other forums.

Moscows backing for Assad -- not to mention Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus, Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro, and others -- might make a recent incident in Burma seem unsurprising. But the timing was such that the Kremlin, which rarely if ever admits to much of anything, let alone apologizes, appears to have felt the need to distance itself in this case.

Visiting Burma to mark the Southeast Asian countrys Armed Forces Day, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin met on March 26 with General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the junta that took over after a military coup on February 1.

Fomin called Burma a reliable ally and strategic partner and said that Russia is committed to a strategy aimed at bolstering relations between the two countries."

The following day, the junta chief called Russia a true friend -- and, amidst lavish cerebrations of Armed Forces Day, security forces killed 114 people, according to local media, in the deadliest violence since mainly peaceful protests erupted after the military coup.

Even given Russias other relationships, the Kremlins tendency to shrug off accusations of violating human rights at home or condoning such actions abroad, the military officials visit left observers wondering what the Russian state thought it had to gain with an expression of strong support for the junta amid the bloodshed.

'Really Worried'

In any case, the Kremlin climbed down -- or sought to soften the damage to its image amid outrage over the deadly violence -- two days later.

"We are really worried by the growing number of civilian casualties," Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters in a regular phone briefing with Russian and foreign media outlets. It is a source of deep concern and we are following the unfolding situation in [Burma] really closely.

Peskov, Putin, and other Russian officials have also voiced concern about the prospect of a new flare-up in the seven-year-old war in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow has given military, political, and financial backing to anti-Kyiv forces who have held parts of two provinces in the region known as the Donbas.

The sincerity of such remarks has been questioned in Kyiv and the West, where an escalation of fighting in the Donbas and Russian troop maneuvers near the Ukrainian border -- as well as in Russian-controlled Crimea -- have sparked concern about Moscows intentions at a time when its ties with the United States and the European Union are severely strained.

Kyiv has accused the Russia-backed forces in the Donbas of stepping up cease-fire violations, and four Ukrainian servicemen were killed on March 26 in what the Ukrainian military said was a mortar attack -- the highest single-day toll since 2019.

The war in the Donbas has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014, when it erupted after Russia fomented separatism across eastern and southern Ukraine and seized the Crimean Peninsula after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was pushed from power by a pro-Western, anti-corruption protest movement known as the Maidan.

Observers are wondering whether Russia may be gearing up for a new offensive in Ukraine or sending signals to the West, making a show of force to warn Washington and the EU against imposing new sanctions or other forms of pressure on Russia over its treatment of Navalny and other issues.

That seems to be just what Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was doing -- sending a signal, a warning, a threat -- when he said on April 1, quoting what he described as remarks by Putin, that anyone who tried to start a new war in the Donbas will destroy Ukraine."

Putin spokesman Peskov, commenting on the reported movements of Russian military forces near the Ukrainian border and in Crimea, said that Russia "moves its troops within its own territory as it sees fit and that these movements pose no threat to anyone.

Thats not exactly going to assure anyone, Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, wrote on Twitter.

It probably wasnt meant to.
Jon Klassen won two Caldecott Honors for books he created with Mac Barnett, and hes also the author of the hat trilogy, a series that includes This Is Not My Hat, the only book to win both a Caldecott and a Kate Greenaway Medal. In five brief stories, his new solo book The Rock from the Sky follows a sulky turtle and a personable mole whose exchanges are punctuated by random moments of vintage sci-fi movie-level doom. PW spoke with Klassen about deadpan humor, making the audience work, and picture books as theater.

Where did the stories come from?

The first and third story in The Rock from the Skythe one about the falling rock, and then the one about the sunsetare actually from before the third hat book. I submitted them, along with a third story at the end that was a very condensed version of We Found a Hat, so three stories altogether, thinking that the collection could make up a third hat book. And [editor] Liz [Bicknell] and Ann [Stott, the art director] said, No, this third story is your book. Find a way to get a whole book out of that. And they were rightit made for a much better ending to that series than what I had, and in a lot of ways I think its my favorite of the three.

But I still had those other dumb stories that I liked that wed cut, and its hard to get stories you really like, even dumb ones, so I went back and tried to see how they would suggest a book that felt satisfying but also consistent with that tone they were setting up, and it turns out it took three more stories and an alien to do it.

The five stories in that second submission, The Rock from the Sky as it is now, are largely unchanged, I think. There was some trimming, which Liz is always great at, so much so that I always forget what I had before, but structurally I think it was there.

Deadpan is a word that frequently shows up in reviews of your work. What is it about deadpan humor thats so funny?

This one is really deadpan. I turned it up on this one. Its what you do with an impossible, insurmountable situationI dont even know how to start. I cant even.

Its also really attractive because its easy to draw. If I had to draw a devastated face I dont think Id have a job, because I cant draw that. A deadpan face is basically the only thing I can draw.

But the character is feeling something, and the audience has to figure out what hes feeling, what he might be feeling. The audience has to do work there, because the character is probably going through something, but doesnt want to show it. Now youre peeking behind the screen. Now youre working.

Youve talked in previous interviews about Hitchcocks ideas about making the audience work. Is that what you mean?

That phrase is key to childrens books. Kids want to work for you. Theyre excited to be entrusted with that task. Yeah, you want me to figure it out. Youre not going to spoon-feed me. Theyre so excited, and you can feel it, almost, when they realize what youre asking them to do.

So in the book, Im going through the motions, but theres this silent conversation going on also. What do you think is this going to happen? Is he telling the truth? Kids can hear it. Its like that part in The Shining when the little boy and the caretaker are in the kitchen and the caretaker is talking about all the food they have, but then at the same time, in the shining way, silently, hes asking the boy, Do you want some ice cream?... Hes saying to the boy, Im reading you.

Thats my whole job. Otherwise its just whats on the page, and I cant do that. Its too much pressure, because then its about, how well did I write? How beautifully did I draw? It has to be the shining talking. Then weve got a book.

Its the mechanics of setup and payoff, setting up a thing and either rewarding it or not rewarding it, and seeing what happens. I start with the characters as actors. Thats the pull cord on the back of the little boat that makes it go. I dont know how to write a character that has a list of qualities. Im nervous as a writer. So the idea of scripting actors to act out the partStand just over there, yeah, thats close enoughnot having total control, that was really it for me and it got me off the hook.

The first part of the book is extremely stagey. But then the rock lands, and then the feeling of the second storyjust the implication of what time has been like between those two spreadsI was super interested in that. What are you supposed to do when this giant rock falls and you have no explanation for it anytime soon but its in our yard now? Its a quiet, boring afternoon after this catastrophic thing has happened. The relationship between the turtle and the mole is still weird. The mole is still trying to help him out. This little clock between them continues to tick.

You say you dont paint beautifully, but the sky is like a Japanese woodblock printwas that new?

Oh, thanks. I used tons of wash. I didnt even know what I wanted. Id try something and it would be like, Oops, thats not what I wanted, either! I finally found two or three washes that I liked that didnt offend me, that were softer and specklier. I got help from Chris Appelhans, who worked on Coraline; hes an amazing painter, technically proficient about everything to do with water. And Sydney Smith: master of soft washes! Hes an alchemist. Hed say something like, In three seconds youre going to spray it with water. Id never had to deal with time or water or drying or anything!

My first art job was an internship working on sets for a big theater in Ontario. The sky was a huge piece of canvas they tacked to the floor and we pushed brooms, pushing color around on the floor, and it didnt look like anything. Dont go over there with that, theyd say, not in that corner, but I still didnt really get it. Then we went over to the playhouse and hung it and lit it, and it was unbelievable. It was a sky, this beautiful, softyou could almost feel the fabric of the canvas.

Its like a deal you have with the audience. It doesnt look real, but the audience is with you. They know its not a real wall. The book is supposed to look like a stage play. Theyre not real clouds, they dont move like cloudsbut its not not real.

That experience changed my mind about so many things. I asked them why the door in the stage set was bent. They said, The door is bent so someone in the balcony can see it. Its for the audience! Every decision is for them. Why would the turtle say, Come stand with me? Why would the mole yell, This is where I like to stand? Its for the audience. Its for you! The book doesnt exist without that.

The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen. Candlewick, $18.99 Apr. 13 ISBN 978-1-5362-1562-5
(Natural News) A truck carrying radioactive uranium crashed on a North Carolina highway on Wednesday, March 31, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The highway patrol said the truck collided with a passenger van along the I-95 in Cumberland County late in the morning.

No injuries were reported but two of the trucks four 1,000-gallon containers of uranium hexafluoride fell on the ground as the southbound semi-trailer overturned. None of the material leaked and the cleanup was not hazardous, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) said.

We are proceeding to get equipment in place to right-side the tractor-trailer, then haul it away, off the interstate and reopen it, the department added.

Uranium hexafluoride is commonly used to make fuel for nuclear power plants and is said to present minimal risk during traffic accidents. However, it can react with water and moisture to form highly corrosive chemicals.

The Highway Patrol shut down the I-95 in both directions and rerouted drivers as a precaution. Gene Booth, Cumberland Countys emergency management director, said that hazmat teams were sent to the crash site to assist the state highway patrol and the NCDOT.

Theyre formulating a plan for cleanup and removal of those containers safely out of the highway, Booth said.

Crews were able to put the fallen containers back onto the truck after more than three hours. The northbound lanes were accessible again an hour after the accident while southbound lanes reopened shortly after 4 p.m.

Construction barriers blamed for road accidents

Some residents who live nearby blame the concrete construction barriers along the road for a spate of similar road accidents in recent weeks.

Weve had at least an accident a week since they started this construction, and they all look exactly like this, Larry Shaul told Raleigh-based television station WRAL. They get into that merge area, and they get a collision, and then the traffic goes from one side to the other, and then it shuts down both ways.

Hittman Transport Services, a trucking company in Tennessee that specializes in the transport of low-level radioactive materials, operates the overturned truck. Orano USA, a Maryland-based company that decommissions and cleans up nuclear facilities, hired Hittman to deliver uranium hexafluoride to a customer for nuclear fuel conversion, according to Orano spokesperson Curtis Roberts.

Transport of this type is conducted all the time, he said. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), around three million shipments containing radioactive material are transported in the United States every year.

In the fifty-plus years of moving around uranium and other radioactive materials, theres never been an incident that caused harm to either people or the environment, Roberts went on. (Related: Nuclear site workers found to accidentally bring radioactive contamination home.)

How radioactive transport is handled and regulated

The EPA has very tight regulations for the shipment of radioactive material. While low-level nuclear materials, such as the uranium hexafluoride that Hittmans truck carried, can be shipped with limited to no controls at all, highly radioactive shipments require controlled routes, extra security and notifications to state and local officials. Additionally, shipping companies have to use special packaging, labeling and handling to prevent leaks.

Hittman, which averages 300 radioactive transports a month, appears to have a good safety record, according to documents from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The documents showed that the firm had only one accident in the past two years, which resulted in one injury. Meanwhile, Hittman received five citations for hazardous materials issues since March 2019. Two of those were for improper placards while another two were for a lack of paperwork and an improper label. The other one involved failure to comply with safety regulations.

The documents also indicated Hittman had no vehicles or drivers pulled off the road out of 173 hazmat and 311 driver inspections over the last two years. However, eight of its vehicles had been sidelined out of 280 vehicle inspections over the same same time. But the companys 2.9 percent out-of-service (OOS) rate, which represents the percentage of all inspections that result in OOS orders, was far below the national average of 27 percent.

Read more stories about nuclear accidents and what authorities are doing to keep the public safe at Nuclear.news.

Sources include:

TheSun.co.uk

ABC11.com

EnergyEducation.ca

WRAL.com

EPA.gov
Brussels, April 2 : Five European Union (EU) member states will share nearly three million additional "solidarity vaccine" doses following an agreement with the majority of other members.

After days of negotiations, EU ambassadors on Thursday agreed to change a system that usually distributes vaccines between the bloc's 27 countries based on population size, reports Xinhua news agency.

The tweak was aimed at helping the member states that need more vaccines in their fight against the coronavirus.

The discussion came after EU leaders adopted a statement at their summit last week tasking the Committee of Permanent Representatives "to address the issue of the speed of delivery of vaccines when allocating the 10 million BioNTech-Pfizer accelerated doses in the second quarter of 2021 in a spirit of solidarity".

Following the talks, it was agreed that 2.85 million so-called "solidarity vaccine" doses will be shared between Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia.

Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia will receive their full pro-rata share after they refused to be part of the solidarity mechanism, while the other 19 member states will be sharing the remaining 6.66 million doses on a pro-rata basis.

Earlier in March, leaders from five states, Bulgaria, Austria, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Slovenia, called for an EU debate on the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

In a letter to European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the five leaders underscored the significance of European solidarity, which guarantees that all EU members, big and small, will have equal access to limited resources such as the Covid-19 vaccines.
Courtesy / SAPD

Authorities are searching for an 84-year-old man last seen in downtown San Antonio.

Ambrosio Ruiz Saenz, a 6-foot-5-inch man, went missing Thursday and was last seen in the 100 block of Dallas Street.




Iran is likely to release a seized South Korean oil tanker and its captain as early as next week, a diplomatic source said Friday, noting "considerable progress" in the negotiations to end nearly three months of the seizure.







In early January, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps seized the vessel, MT Hankuk Chemi, and its 20-member crew over alleged oil pollution. In February, the Iranian authorities agreed to set free all sailors except for the captain for the ship's management.







"I understand that there has been considerable progress in negotiations with Iran over the seizure issue," the source told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity. "MT Hankuk Kemi and its captain are likely to be released in the near future."







At the time of the seizure, the vessel was carrying 20 crewmembers  11 Myanmarese, five Koreans, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese.







Of them, only the South Korean captain remains in custody while the others are still in Iran for the maintenance of the vessel or have left the country.







It remains unknown why Iran agreed to release the ship and its captain, but speculation has emerged that Seoul and Tehran might have made headway in addressing the Middle Eastern country's call to unlock its funds  worth US$7 billion  frozen in Korea under U.S. sanctions.







The two countries have been consulting over how to release part of Iran's funds through a Swiss humanitarian trade arrangement designed to facilitate the flow of humanitarian goods to the Iranians.







Speculation has persisted that the seizure is linked to Iran's anger over the frozen funds. Tehran denies the speculation, stressing that it was purely a technical issue. (Yonhap)


CHICAGO, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Technomic just released one of the most highly anticipated reports, the 2021 Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, which includes expert findings and insights into the sales performance of U.S. chain restaurants from 2020. The report is built using decades of historical data with detailed analysis into the foodservice industry and overarching trends, including the impact of COVID-19 and performance rankings, as well as annual sales and unit counts by chain and segment.

"Disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Top 500 chain restaurants saw sales fall by $27 billion in 2020, decreasing by more than 8% compared to 2019," explains Kevin Schimpf, senior research manager at Technomic. "As many small chains and independent restaurants struggled to simply stay in business over the last year, market share for the industry's largest chains expanded significantly."

Key findings:

Drive-thru and delivery-centric chains dominated 2020, as industry giants like McDonald's, Chick-fil-A and Domino's all achieved positive sales results.

Location closures stayed relatively minimal as the Top 500's overall location footprint shrank by just 2%.

Sales growth for chicken chains hit double digits, driven by the strong momentum of players like Wingstop, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Raising Cane's Chicken Tenders.

Wendy's rode the success of its breakfast launch to become the fifth-largest chain overall.

No full-service concepts made it into this year's top 20 group, as rankings slid for most full-service chains.

Technomic has been producing a ranking of top U.S. chain restaurants since 1978. The latest ranking is available for purchase now: https://www.technomic.com/reports/industry-reports/top-500

Contact: Patrick Noone, (312) 506-3852, [email protected]

About Technomic

Technomic Inc., a Winsight company, was founded as a management consulting firm in 1966. Since then, Technomic's services have grown to encompass cloud-based B2B research tools, consumer and menu trend tracking and other leading strategic research and analytic capabilities, to prioritize and size business opportunities. Our clients include food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants, retailers and multiple other business verticals aligned with the food industry that are looking to make informed decisions to support their business growth. Visit Technomic at www.technomic.com.

Winsight LLC is a portfolio company of Pamlico Capital.

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Errors in learning a foreign language, 2 years in

April 2021

Mandarin Chinese is the first foreign language Im learning by myself, and Im surprised there are so few universal best practices. Resources with hacks and tricks(like http://hackingchinese.com for Chinese) are a great starting point, but they still leave room for delusions.

Here are some of mine.

You have to master the language before using it

When travelling in China in 2019, I didnt talk to people as much as I wanted, because I was afraid to fail a dialogue, making people uncomfortable. But in my experience, nobody cares if you dont speak perfectly. More than that, if youre positive and respectful, then even a dialogue where both sides fail to understand each other is often mutually amusing. Still, I have to suppress the fear of fucking up when talking to strangers in Chinese. Those who can suppress that fear, have a crawling, mumbling baby advantage of failing fast and learning faster.

You better finish your textbooks

School taught me that to learn a foreign language you pick a textbook and stick with it. Using one textbook series for years is convenient for mass education, but rarely the best approach. Why? Pareto principle says that only a small fraction of a textbook will give you the most value, and the rest - very little. So you better identify and understand the important parts, then move on.

I think if Im trying to finish a textbook, Im afraid to miss a crucial concept. But if something is really important, youre gonna see it again and again. Also, as completing textbook chapters gives a feeling of progress, its easy to forget that learning a language is the goal. If a textbook doesnt move you closer to that goal, drop it and search for a better one.

The harder the text, the more you learn

From the start, I was anxious to stop reading adapted his apple is green stories and dive into real media. Early on I tried reading teen comics multiple times, expecting to read slowly and have fun doing it. Turns out the experience of looking up every character and still not understanding the sentence is miserable. More than that, its not efficient for learning, as youre gonna read little this way. To learn a lot from reading, you need to read a lot, and for that you have to understand at least the gist of what you are looking at.

People(including you) are happy to sacrifice convenience for your study

While living with a Chinese girl, I expected to effortlessly learn new phrases every day. To my surprise, while practicing existing knowledge is easy, learning new stuff through dialogue is not.

My expectations were based on dialogues with natives who speak only their native language. Talking with them, you constantly hit the limits of your knowledge, which forces you to make something up on the spot and see if people understand you. You get immediate feedback that improves your knowledge.

But when a native speaker also knows a language you both speak easily(like English), it doesnt work that well. At the same limits of your knowledge, now there is always a temptation for the speaker and the listener to switch to the easy language. You can agree to not use other languages, but that never becomes the automatic process I imagined.

Thanks to Simone for reading drafts of this.
TOPEKA, Kan.  Kansass statewide mask mandate, already an exemption-filled patchwork, came to an end Thursday, canceled by top Republican lawmakers under a new law that makes it more difficult for health officials to keep COVID-19 precautions in place.

A group of leading legislators, known as the Legislative Coordinating Council, voted 5-2 along party lines to overturn Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys mask mandate hours after she reissued it to fulfill the requirements of the new law. One member of the eight person panel, embattled Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop, was absent for the vote conducted over video conference.

The revocation of a one-size-fits-all statewide mandate does not in any way impact any local orders that are in place, said Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch, an Ottawa Republican. The numbers dont support a statewide mandate at this time.

The new system comes as Kansas grapples with a pandemic that continues to infect hundreds each day, including cases involving variants that spread more aggressively. Epidemiologists have warned that a fourth wave of the virus could be around the corner despite rising vaccination rates.

The new law  like the old law  allows individual counties to opt out of the mask requirement. The new law goes further, however, and allows the LCC to repeal the governors executive orders.

In a statement after the vote, Kelly criticized the decision as a departure from a COVID-19 mitigation strategy that was working.

Im disappointed that Republican leaders are more motivated by political publicity stunts than working together to protect Kansans and our economy, Kelly said. I know that all of us are ready to get back to normal, but wearing a face-covering will help protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors from the new COVID-19 strains that are wreaking havoc in other states.

Kansas joins 17 other states without a mask mandate, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, after having one on and off since July. Several states, like Texas and Mississippi, lifted their mandates in recent weeks while others, like Missouri, never issued one.

The elimination of the mandate is the most striking example of the fallout from Senate Bill 40, the sprawling rewrite of the states emergency powers law. But the measures biggest effects are likely to play out in the weeks ahead as residents and businesses are empowered to more easily challenge a host of local pandemic rules. This is despite GOP claims that rejecting the statewide mandate gave local governments control.

The Republican-controlled Legislature passed the measure and Kelly signed it last month. It allows residents and businesses who object to city, county or school district restrictions to trigger a lightning-fast 72-hour review by a judge. The burden of proof falls on officials to demonstrate their rules protect public health in the least restrictive way possible.

It means that across much of the state, the era of mandatory social distancing, business capacity limits and required mask use will likely come to an end, if it hasnt already. Some local officials are reluctant to order precautions knowing that a single upset resident or business can quickly send them to court.

Anticipating a deluge of appeals, the Sedgwick County Commission preemptively removed its mask mandate last week. Masks remained required in the county through Thursday in accordance with the statewide mandate.

In Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, officials voted last week to extend the local orders requiring masks and social distancing.

Vaccination rates are still low, and we are far from reaching herd immunity. COVID-19 is still a threat to our community, especially as new COVID-19 variants have started to circulate in the metro area, Janell Friesen, a spokeswoman for the Wyandotte County health department, said in an email.

Although Johnson County health officials insisted that masks are the least restrictive way to combat the pandemic, commissioners were concerned that adhering to public health guidelines would set the county up for a nightmare of appeals and lawsuits flooding an already backlogged court system.

I am put in the (position) of supporting lawsuits that will clog up our court system or supporting public health. I just think its unconscionable, County Commissioner Becky Fast said last week.

Some school districts already are fielding complaints over their mask requirements. The De Soto district on Monday received five requests from parents who asked for hearings to contest the schools mask policy, which was enacted last summer.

The district quickly scheduled a hearing for Wednesday morning, but prior to that, three of the five parents withdrew their requests. And the other parents did not show up, said Alvie Cater, assistant superintendent.

As of Thursday, 302,372 people in Kansas had contracted COVID-19, and 4,913 of them had died. At the end of last week the state was averaging 275 new cases each day and two new deaths. The rate is a steep decline from the November peak of more than 2,700 daily cases but mirrors infections seen in June.

Everyone 16 and older is now eligible to get vaccinated but it could take weeks before enough people are vaccinated that the virus struggles to spread because it cant find non-immune people to infect  the phenomenon known as herd immunity.

The KDHE reported that as of Thursday, 27.5% of Kansans, or 80,925 people, had received at least one dose of the vaccine.

I think the Legislature should stay involved and have conversations but not do what it can do to derail longstanding, very successful public health interventions, Lee Norman, director of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said Tuesday.

Norman said it hadnt been easy sledding since last spring, saying Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is running for governor, and legislators have tried to curtail successful public health practices and take away authority from public health officials.

Republicans view the new law and Thursdays vote on the mask mandate as pushing back against overreach. They portrayed repealing the order as stopping a one-size-fits-all approach in a large state  repeating critiques some lawmakers have leveled against Kellys response throughout the pandemic.

The House and Senate both passed resolutions this week urging the LCC to strike down the mask order  making the outcome of Thursdays vote clear well in advance.

If it makes you more comfortable to wear a mask please continue to do so, said Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican, during debate Wednesday night on a resolution urging the LCC vote against the mandate. Otherwise Id invite you to step forward Kansas strong and move ahead without a mask mandate.

Democrats, however, argued masks would help prevent spread of the virus and get the state through the end of the pandemic.

It would be a big mistake to go backward right now, said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat.

In less than 30 minutes of discussion, Thursday, Democrat leaders expressed concern that repealing the order would prematurely signal to Kansans that the pandemic had ended, thereby causing more cases and deaths.

We could be causing more harm and causing cases to increase and potentially cause more devastation as we are getting out of this, said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat.

Although local orders could fall to lawsuits, GOP leaders argued that the recent drop in COVID-19 cases made a statewide mandate unnecessary.

People in each locality understand their situation more than anyone else in the state, said House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican.

---

Katie Bernard and Jonathan Shorman of The Kansas City Star wrote this story. The Stars Sarah Ritter contributed to this story.

(c)2021 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)

Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
New Delhi: No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth. The great philosopher Plato said this centuries ago. The statement has not lost its relevance even thousands of years later, an example of which was witnessed in West Bengal during polling for phase 2 of the assembly elections.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Friday (April 2) narrated the ordeal the channels reporters had to endure while covering the elections in Bengal and how bravely they stood their ground to bring the truth out.

We have all heard of the four pillars of democracy - Judiciary, Executive, Legislature and Media. Out of these, media is the most important pillar as it keeps the other three in check by informing people about anything that goes wrong in the society.

But when the media itself is intimidated and thretened, the other three pillars are bound to be weakened.

This is what happened in Bengal on Thursday, when voting was being conducted for 30 assembly seats. While covering the polling, the Zee Media team was attacked with iron rods, sickles, sticks and stones.

The team stood inside the car as violent mob surrounded the vehicle and attacked it with deadly weapons. It was like death was literally knocking at the door.

The incident occurred about 100 km from Nandigram where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present. It has been 24 hours since the incident but Banerjee, who time and again shares her concern for media freedom, has not spoken a word of it.

Mamata, who calls an alleged attack on her an attack on democracy and shares tweets about the freedom of the press, has nothing to say about the attack on us. This shows the real face of politics in our country.

How Zee Media team braved the odds

It is not easy to speak the truth. True journalism brings with it the risk to life. But the Zee Media team does not back down.

Yesterday, when our team was attacked, we stayed there and brought the truth in front of you at any cost. The dreadful pictures tell the story of the attack and the attempt to suppress true journalism.

When a team of our Bangla channel Zee 24 Ghanta was in Keshpur, we got information of booth capturing. At that instant, Zee Media reporter Maitri Bhattacharya along with other colleagues left for the polling booth.

On our way, we saw BJP candidate Pritish Ranjan's car and tried to talk to them. But at the same time, a violent mob came out and attacked Ranjan's car. He narrowly managed to escape.

The mob even chased us after seeing Zee Media logo on our car. But the Zee reporters, known for their fearless journalism, did not back down. They did their job and now we have pictures and footages to show for it.

Gautama Buddha had said: Three things cannot remain hidden for long - the sun, the moon and the truth. Zee Media just proved it.

Live TV
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday ordered a repoll at a polling booth in Ratabari seat of Assam after a controversy broke out over the presiding officer carrying the EVM after polling in a vehicle which belonged to the wife of a BJP candidate contesting from a neighbouring seat.

To prevent the polling team from being assaulted in Karimganj by a mob which alleged that the electronic voting machine was being taken for tampering, police had to use force.

In a statement, the EC said the presiding officer and three other officials have been placed under suspension.

"Although the seals of the EVM were found intact, it has nevertheless been decided to do a re-poll at No. 149- Indira M V School of LAC 1 Ratabari (SC) as an added precaution," the poll panel said.

A report has also been sought from the special observer, the statement said.

According to details made public by the EC, the polling party of polling booth number 149 of Ratabari constituency comprised of a presiding officer and three polling personnel. They were accompanied by a police constable and a home guard. After completion of polling at 6 pm on Thursday, the polling party left in a vehicle provided by election authorities and was escorted by an armed escort.

It was raining heavily and their vehicle developed a snag. "Due to the traffic congestion and the prevailing weather condition, the party became detached from its convoy," the statement said.

The polling party got down from the vehicle and asked the sector officer over phone to arrange for a new vehicle.

While the sector officer was arranging for the new vehicle, the polling party decided to arrange a vehicle of its own so as to reach the Material Receipt Centre faster since they were in custody of polled EVMs.

The polling party hailed a passing vehicle and boarded it along with the EVM-- ballot unit (BU), control unit (CU) and paper trail machine (VVPAT)-- and other things without checking the ownership of the vehicle.

As reported by the polling party, they moved towards Karimganj and had to slow down in the traffic. As they slowed down, they were surrounded by a mob of about 50 people which started pelting stones at them.

The mob also started abusing them and did not allow the vehicle to pass. When they asked the leader of the mob, he replied that it was the vehicle of Krishnendu Paul who is a contesting candidate of a neighbouring constituency (Patharkandi LAC-2) and alleged that "the EVM was being taken to be tampered with."

"It was only then that they realised that something was amiss and alerted the sector officer. However, a larger crowd had gathered by then and they were attacked and held hostage by a mob along with the EVM in the vehicle at 2145 hrs alleging that the EVM was being taken to be tampered with," the statement said.

"In the meanwhile, the antecedents of the vehicle were ascertained and it was found to be was registered in the name of Madhumita Paul, wife of contesting candidate, Patharkandi LAC No 2, Krishnendu Paul," the statement said.

Police reached the spot along with district election officer and used force to pull out the polling party.

Later, on examination, the polled EVM comprising BU, CU and VVPAT was found to be with its seal intact without any damage whatsoever.

"All the items have been deposited in the strong room," the statement said.

Live TV
ROME, APR 2 - Italy will continue to give second COVID-19 jabs with the same vaccine as the first one given that stocks are high and the UK is still to come out with conclusive evidence on the efficacy of giving a different one, Health Minister Prevention Director Gianni Rezza said Friday. "On a follow-up with a different vaccine," he told a press conference, "the British are assessing this possibility with various field studies but for now we do not have data from clinical studies; however we should have them in a few months time. "We do not have this problem in Italy for now because we have enough vaccines to do the follow-ups with the same vaccine, as per the protocols". (ANSA).
A person waiting at a traffic light recorded the latest chapter of the neverending violence in Mexico as a lawyer was beaten and kidnapped by a group of armed men.

The daylight incident unfolded Wednesday morning after the assailants intercepted the victim's BMW and left it riddled with bullets on a road in Tonala, a city in the western state of Jalisco.

In the video, several cars can be seen driving by as the suspects attacked the man while he was lying on ground.

'Dude, they are going to take him,' the passenger said.

A group of armed men were caught on video tussling with a lawyer who they beat and kidnapped Wednesday in Tonala, Mexico. The Jalisco State Attorney General confirmed the incident, but would not comment any further as the investigation was ongoing

The lawyer's vehicle was shot at several times before was forced out of car and kidnapped

At least three men then lift the lawyer by his legs and feet, and shoved him into the back seat of a vehicle before they fled the scene in two cars.

Jalisco State Attorney General Gerardo Octavio Solis confirmed the incident, but would not offer any additional comment pertaining to the motive except that investigators are looking into his previous cases.

The lawyer remained missing as of Friday. No arrests have been reported.

Jalisco State Attorney General Gerardo Octavio Solis confirmed the man seen on video being kidnapped Wednesday morning is a lawyer, but would not offer any additional comment

'Alto Al Secuestro,' a non-governmental organization that keeps track of abduction data in Mexico, reported that 223 people were part of 171 kidnappings during the first two months of 2021. Stats for March have not been released yet.

At least five of the victims have been kidnapped in the state of Jalisco.

The central State of Mexico being the worst in the nation with 30 victims accounted for.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday he was unware if the Defense Ministry reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Azerbaijani forces had allegedly found fragments of Iskander missiles in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"No, as far as I understand, this is new information," the Russian presidential spokesman said. "I am unaware if there was a report by the Defense Ministry and if our top brass has any detailed information about that. This, of course, is their prerogative, to a larger extent," TASS cited him as saying.

The Kremlin spokesman recalled that Russian-made Iskander tactical missile systems had not been used during the conflict escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh in the autumn of 2020.

"This [the missiles non-use] was confirmed," he said. The Russian presidential spokesman added that the Kremlin "has no information" about where the fragments allegedly discovered by the Azerbaijani side had come from.
The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald send a weekly newsletter from our foreign correspondents. This week, south-east Asia correspondent Chris Barrett reported from our new bureau in Singapore. You can sign up to receive our weekly newsletter, sent every Thursday, for The Age here and the Herald here.

Hello from Singapore, where theres a chance you may be joining me before too long if the much-talked-about travel bubble with Australia gets up and running in coming months. James Massola, my colleague and predecessor as south-east Asia correspondent, broke the story last month about plans for quarantine-free travel to and from Singapore.

While theres no start date for the bubble, its a major point of discussion here on the little red dot. Theres great enthusiasm for it among business, government officials and the 30,000-or-so Australians who live in the city state.
This one deserves a second look and more conversation . . . Council seems to agree that we're falling behind on maintaining KCMO.

Meanwhile, a faction at City Hall continues to champion "social justice" equity and diversity over more practical concerns.

Read more . . .
Richard Neal says there's a way to go on Biden's tax plans

US Representative Richard Neal, the top Democrat for tax policy in the House, offered only partial support yesterday for President Joe Bidens plan to finance his $2trn (1.7trn) infrastructure plan by raising taxes on corporations.

Mr Neal, who chairs the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said he is insisting that other funding measures such as bonds and expanded tax credits be included in the legislation that he expects his panel to begin writing within four to six weeks.

Congress will offer some suggestions. We will accept some of what he is proposing, Mr Neal told reporters at a news conference in Springfield, Massachusetts, when asked if he supports Mr Bidens plan to improve roads, bridges and other infrastructure announced on Wednesday.

If we can improve upon the presidents proposal, we want to do that, he added.

Mr Bidens plan would raise the US corporate income tax rate to 28pc from 21pc and make it harder for companies to use offshore tax shelters and other means to reduce their tax burdens.

It already faces stiff opposition from Republicans and some resistance among Bidens fellow Democrats, who narrowly control both the House and Senate.

Mr Neal said his committees first move will be to hold hearings to gather expert testimony.

He pledged to try pretty hard to secure Republican support.

Were going to hear what people have to say on the pay-fors, Mr Neal said.

Presidents always give instructions knowing that when it gets to Congress, if you can improve on the proposals, they want to hear it.

Mr Neal said he had spoken to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about his own approach, which includes new market tax credits, a low-income tax credit and an expansion of others.

I intend to guard them in the committee, he said.

Democrats aim to pass the bill by July 4.

Read More






Shamli : , April 2 (IANS) Azeem Mansuri, 26, who is two-ft-tall, has finally received two marriage proposals and this young man is now hopeful of getting married in the coming weeks.

Last month, Mansuri had made headlines when he approached the police with a request to find him a bride.

The police were expectedly surprised at this unusual request but promised to help nevertheless.

Mansuri is a Class 5 dropout who currently runs a cosmetic store.

He blames his height -- rather, a lack of it -- on his inability to find a partner.

After his story went viral, Mansuri started receiving marriage proposals. There is one from Ghaziabad and Mansuri is rather keen on it.

Another woman has proposed to Mansuri on WhatsApp. "You are alone, I am alone. I live in Delhi and I want to marry you," the woman, who does not reveal her name in the video, said.

Interestingly, Azeem Mansuri had even approached former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in 2019 to help him find a bride.

He had also met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and then approached the police to help him solve his 'problem'.

The youngest of six siblings from a Kairana-based family, Mansuri has faced taunts and insults in school.
Pfizer Inc.'s coronavirus vaccine remained highly effective after six months, according to new long-term results that the company said could be used to seek an expansion of its regulatory status.

Follow-up data from a final-stage trial of 46,307 people showed the vaccine was 91.3% effective in preventing symptomatic cases starting one week after the second dose through as long as six months. In the U.S. alone, the efficacy rate was 92.6%, according to a report Thursday by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE.

At the same time, the companies provided some of the first data on how their vaccine might handle the immune-evading B.1.351 variant that arose in South Africa. Nine of 800 trial participants in that country got sick with covid, including six infected with B.1.351. However, all were in the placebo group, suggesting the shot retains efficacy against the variant.

Albert Bourla, Pfizer's Chief Executive Officer, said in the statement that the results "position us to submit a Biologics License Application to the U.S. FDA."

The vaccine has already secured an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, which means it's only in effect until the emergency ends and it can be revoked or changed at any time. Formal approval is for the long term.

Pfizer shares rose 0.5% in premarket trading while BioNTech gained as much as 1.4%. Pfizer will soon share the data with regulators around the world and submit it for publication in a scientific journal, Pfizer spokeswoman Amy Rose said in an email.

The six-month result is only slightly lower than the 95% efficacy rate that was originally found for the vaccine, based on much shorter term results. The two-shot vaccine also prevented all or nearly all severe cases of the disease over six months, depending on the exact definition used.

The companies said that no new serious safety concerns were identified.

The data was released in a joint company statement and hasn't been independently reviewed and published in a scientific journal. Nonetheless, it provides an early reassuring sign that the vaccine's strong efficacy seen in the short-term results will hold up and not fade away quickly.
New Delhi :

In a stern message to his Pakistani counterpart Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Indian Army Lt Gen AK Bhatt said that Indian Army reserves the right to retaliate appropriately to any incident leading to loss of lives of Indian troops along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

The DGMO through a telephonic conversation said that there has been an increase in the cross-border infiltration with "active support" of Pakistani forward posts.

The way Indian soldiers are ambushed and targeted on a regular basis by elements supported by Pakistani troops is also hampering the internal security of Jammu and Kashmir said the DGMO to Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, his Pakistani counterpart.

The conversation was initiated by Major Gen Mirza who held the Indian forces responsible for targeting Pakistani civilians in the Jammu sector.

"The Indian DGMO in his response highlighted that all ceasefire violations in the Jammu sector were initiated by Pakistani Rangers and the BSF troops deployed only responded appropriately to them.

"It was also emphasised that no targeted firing on civilians was carried out by the Indian troops. Apart from this, firing by BSF troops was initiated against armed intruders attempting to infiltrate from the close proximity of Pakistani posts along Amritsar border," the Army said.

The LoC in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a spurt in ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops and the Indian Army has been retaliating effectively to Pakistani actions.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Chennai, April 2 : The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP has lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Electoral officer to disqualify DMK youth wing secretary and candidate from Chepauk constituency, Udhayanidhi Stalin from contesting the polls after his reported derogatory statement against late BJP leaders Sushama Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.

Udhayanidhi Stalin had, in a public programme, said that both Sushama Swaraj and Arun Jaitley died owing to the mental torture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP Tamil Nadu state general secretary and party spokesman Advocate K.T. Raghavan while speaking to IANS said, "A BJP delegation has already met Chief Electoral officer Tamil Nadu and lodged a formal complaint to disqualify Udhayanidhi Stalin from contesting elections owing to his highly derogatory remarks against respected BJP leaders, late Sushama Swarajji and late Arun Jaitleyji. This is highly condemnable and we have lodged a criminal complaint against him with the Chennai police commissioner." Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of Sushama Swaraj, has disapproved of the statement of Udhayanidhi and in a tweet said the 'statement of Udhayanidhi Stalin was totally false and that the Prime minister had bestowed upon the family utmost care and respect at a time when it was needed most'. She also said that 'the Prime minister and BJP had stood by the family like a rock'.

The daughter of Arun Jaitley, Sonali Jaitley Bakshi also came out against the DMK scion and in a tweet said 'her late dad and Prime minister Narendra Modi shared a personal bond beyond politics and that to make false allegations under election pressure was not right'.

Udhayanidhi Stalin had made the comment at a public programme in Dharapuram on Wednesday. He was responding to a comment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Dharapuram on Tuesday that the young leader of the DMK had reached the top post in the party sidelining many leaders.

The DMK scion had retorted stating that it was Narendra Modi who had become Prime minister sidelining senior leader L.K. Advani. He had also mentioned that both Sushama Swaraj and Arun Jaitley died owing to mental "pressure and torture" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A mysterious brain disease has sickened dozens of people in New Brunswick, Canada , and doctors arent sure why.

Since 2015, at least 43 people have developed the illness, and five have died, according to Canadian public health officials. The symptoms include hallucinations, muscle atrophy, spasms, and teeth chattering.

We dont know what is causing it, Dr Alier Marrero, a neurologist leading a study of the disorder, told The Guardian . At this time we only have more patients appearing to have this syndrome.

Health authorities have been tracking the cluster of 43 cases for over a year, but the public only learned of it earlier this month, when Radio Canada and CBC published a leaked memo from New Brunswicks public health department.

That memo warned local doctors to keep an eye out for patients with symptoms similar to those of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare and deadly brain disorder, but who did not actually have that disease.

Read more:

We are collaborating with different national groups and experts; however, no clear cause has been identified at this time, the memo said .

So far, the disease has only been reported in New Brunswick , Canada  specifically in the Acadian Peninsula and Moncton regions.

But researchers have found that it affects people of all ages, and features a disturbing set of symptoms. Afflicted patients have experienced behavioral changes, mysterious pains, cognitive decline, drooling, and visual hallucinations, such as insects crawling up their skin.

According to Dr Marrero, the disease does not appear to be genetic, and could be caused by something environmental, such as water, food, or air.

But beyond that, information on the disorder is sparse, and Canadian health officials have refused to name the specific areas where the disease has been reported.

Some local officials are outraged by the lack of transparency.

We are very, very worried about it, Mayor Yvon Godin of Bertrand, New Brunswick, told CBC . Residents are anxious. Theyre asking, Is it moose meat? Is it deer? Is it contagious? We need to know as fast as possible what is causing this disease.

Researchers have countered that they dont want to cause a panic.

That is very sensitive information, especially in a very small jurisdiction, population-wise, such as New Brunswick, Dr Michael Coulthart, director of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System, told CBC. I can tell you that is available to us but we cannot share it further.

But after a year of living amid the Covid-19 pandemic, hearing about a cluster of cases of a mysterious disease, with government officials tight-lipped about the data, is making some Canadians nervous.

Its extraordinary to me that Public Health has been so quiet on this, David Coon, leader of New Brunswicks Green Party, told CBC. When theres a lack of information, you get fear.

Dr Coulthart said the scientific community is still coming to grips with the syndrome, which he described as unprecedented.
Throughout her life as the worlds bestselling novelist, Agatha Christie always had one man by her side. He had a ludicrously luxuriant moustache, a brilliant brain, a fastidious eye for detail and a Belgian accent.

Its 100 years since Agatha Christies first novel The Mysterious Affair At Styles was published in Britain. It introduced us to Hercule Poirot, the character who would become her most famous creation, and for the next 50 years he was Agathas steadfast companion, appearing in 33 novels, three plays and 69 short stories.

To celebrate Poirots centenary, a new documentary for ITV called Agatha & Poirot: Partners In Crime  hosted by Richard E Grant with a stellar cast of contributors including Stephen Fry, Zoe Wanamaker and Caroline Quentin  looks at some of the stories behind the brilliant novelist and her best-loved creation...

It has been 100 years since Agatha Christie's first novel The Mysterious Affair At Styles was published in Britain and introduced us to Hercule Poirot. To celebrate a new documentary for ITV called Agatha & Poirot: Partners In Crime looks at some of the stories behind the brilliant novelist and her best-loved creation

ALL ABOARD FOR SOME GLAMOUR After she divorced her first husband Archie in 1928, Agatha started to travel alone, with her adventures seeping into her books. She took her first trip on the Orient Express that year, and referred to it as a familiar old friend. What a woman to go on these travels on her own, says Caroline Quentin. There is something so glamorous about that period and the idea of sitting down for dinner with linen tablecloths, silver service and people in long slinky gowns with cigarette holders. Its captivating. Stephen Fry adds, You have to remember how rare it was for the British reading public to go outside of Britain. During one trip the train was halted in heavy rain for 24 hours and Agatha heard tales about how it could be stuck for six days in snow, which gave her the idea of a group of people stranded with a killer on the loose. Murder On The Orient Express, which was also inspired by the kidnapping of aviator Charles Lindberghs baby son, was one of her biggest hits and has been turned into films with Poirot played by Albert Finney, Alfred Molina and Kenneth Branagh. Murder On The Orient Express was one of Agatha's biggest hits and was inspired by the kidnapping of aviator Charles Lindbergh's baby son. It has been turned into films with Poirot played by actors such as Kenneth Branagh (pictured, 2017) Advertisement

HES THE ETERNAL ECCENTRIC OUTSIDER

Theres nothing more British than Agatha Christie, says Richard E Grant. Since the publication of her first book shes been delighting us with fiendishly clever murder mysteries set in the charming villages and grand homes of our nation.

Agatha grew up in Torquay and Richard says she drew upon her life in the Devon resort for many of her stories. Creaky country houses, vicars on their bicycles, chocolate-box villages with a secret behind every door... Its not the obvious home for a Belgian detective but it was in Devon that Agatha found Poirot.

Like many English towns, Torquay became overrun with Belgian refugees during the First World War. Agatha saw them at close quarters in her work as a volunteer nurse with the Red Cross while her husband Archie was away fighting.

Belgian refugees had a very special meaning for the British, explains Agatha obsessive Stephen Fry. Middle-class families were knitting socks for them. The Belgians were seen to have a victimhood, a dignity, there was a lot of talk about poor little Belgians. So perhaps it made sense that her detective should be a Belgian.

Most of us know Poirot through television, of course, and its David Suchet's portrayal from 1989 to 2013 that defines him

A DASH OF AGATHA Agatha actually introduced a version of herself, a detective novelist called Ariadne Oliver who stars in six of the Poirot stories. Ariadne has also created a foreign detective, a vegetarian Finn called Sven Hjerson, who appears to madden her. Like Agatha, Ariadne has a fondness for apples and leaves their cores all over the place  much to the frustration of the obsessively tidy Poirot. Agatha once said of the character, I never take my stories from real life but Ariadne Oliver does have a strong dash of myself. Agatha Christie in 1950 Zoe Wanamaker, who played Ariadne in six episodes of ITVs Poirot, says, The character of Ariadne is Agatha sending herself up, and shes a wonderful antithesis to Poirot. The to-ing and fro-ing between them is great fun to play  shes really rude to him. Its like shes talking to her main character right in front of us. Zoe Wanamaker (pictured) played Ariadne in six episodes of ITV's Poirot Advertisement

Agatha started writing The Mysterious Affair At Styles in 1916, featuring Hercule Poirot who had magnificent moustaches and a head exactly the shape of an egg, but the manuscript was rejected by several publishers.

She finally found a publisher in 1920 and the book was released first in America and then in the UK, where it became an instant hit.

Hes the eternal, eccentric outsider, observing everything with scientific meticulousness and humane curiosity, says Richard. Since Agatha launched him into the world a century ago theyve been partners in crime. I adore them both but they are mysterious cases too  which is why I wanted to turn the investigation back onto them.

Poirot was the antithesis of his creator. While he was methodical and ordered, Agatha was emotional and messy. In his first story he found a vital clue when he reordered the mantelpiece. We are quite unlike. He should be very neat and orderly because I am such an untidy person myself, Agatha once wrote.

Theres an element of him being her opposite, says Agathas great-grandson James Prichard. But they also shared a great intelligence, a real perception about people and what makes them tick. Like Poirot, Agatha was a listener.

THERE WAS NO PERFECT POIROT FOR AGATHA

Agatha had a deep love for the written word and when her Poirot stories were taken from the page and made into movies she wasnt too impressed, says her great-grandson James Prichard. But her fans thought differently; Poirot, with his dashing moustache and crisp suits, worked like a dream on the silver screen.

One of the first truly great Poirots came in 1974, with Albert Finney playing him in Murder On The Orient Express alongside the likes of Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Sir John Gielgud and Ingrid Bergman. Its a masterpiece, says Stephen Fry. It has a huge cast of massive stars and Albert Finney is magnificent to behold.

Most of us know Poirot through television, of course, and its David Suchets portrayal from 1989 to 2013 that defines him. David is the only actor to have played Poirot in every single one of his stories.

As for which Poirot Agatha would have liked, James says she always preferred the one in her head. There isnt a right Poirot because Agatha never even wanted him drawn on the cover of her books, he explains.

She wanted the reader to use their imagination. When she was confronted with a new version of Poirot it often jarred, but some of them have been brilliant. Its fantastic to see what each actor will do with the character.

Peter Ustinov is pictured starring in Death On The Nile in 1978, a book which was released by Agatha Christie in 1937

THE FINAL CURTAIN  30 YEARS TOO EARLY

The book introduced us to the character who would become her most famous creation, and for the next 50 years he was Agathas steadfast companion

Agatha wrote the final Poirot novel, Curtain: Poirots Last Case, several decades before she finished writing about him. It was the Second World War and, eager that his life should end before hers, she wrote the story in 1945 and stashed it in a vault.

She realised that killing him off wasnt in her best interests, but from 1945 she always had it up her sleeve, says James. Because she was living in London she had the constant fear there would be a bomb with her name on it, so she wanted to finish the job in case she got finished.

When she finally released the book in 1975, aged 84, Poirots death was global news  he even received an obituary in the New York Times, the first for a fictional character. Agatha passed away from natural causes a year later at her home, Winterbrook House in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.

Agatha Christie achieved a success that possibly no other writer has ever known, and she couldnt have done it without Hercule Poirot, says Richard E Grant. For 100 years theyve been thrilling audiences and readers across the globe.

Agatha & Poirot: Partners In Crime, Monday, 9pm, ITV.
As schools reopen, the impact of the Covid-19 school closures on teenage girls and its adverse negative effects on their education are becoming clear. Worrying reports from different countries across Africa indicate that hundreds and in some cases thousands of girls are either pregnant or married, or both.

Now that most schools have reopened, teenage pregnancy may stop many girls from returning to school. Falling pregnant at this tender age is very unfortunate but that does not mean that their lives should end there. They can still rise beyond this if they choose to and if society supports them. While we condemn the vice in the strongest terms possible, we should not condemn the girls to doom. Allowing girls to return to school may help to secure a brighter future by providing them with a foundation that will help them to improve their lives and the lives of their children.

One of the pillars of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is the pledge to leave no one behind. SDG 4 seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. This includes all girls - even those who have fallen pregnant. All girls have a right to education regardless of their pregnancy or motherhood status. Education is a human right. Unfortunately, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion globally.Over one-third of youth between the ages of about 12 and 14 are out of school. Sub-Saharan Africa also has the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the world.

As a continent that is already lagging in education, blocking girls from enrolling back in school only makes things worse. To address this, there is urgent need to provide tailored and comprehensive solutions to pregnant teens and young mothers that will enable them to access learning opportunities. These solutions should be in line with the girls' needs and available resources. For example, while some girls may choose to go back to high school, others may opt for vocational training. Or while one may choose to go back to their former school, another may want to join a new school to avoid stigmatization. Girls should be given the option to choose the schools where they would like to continue their education.

Community engagement is key to enabling girls to return to school. By adopting a community-based approach that works with communities, parents, teachers, governments, policy makers and the affected girls, we can reach more families to make sure the girls are protected and that families are encouraged and supported to let them return to school. Such community-based child protection systems can also be very effective in ending stigmatization of pregnant teens and young mothers by their peers, parents and wider communities.

Financial barriers to education must also be addressed. Vulnerable girls are often unable to stay in school even when school fees are covered because of other expenses. Financial aid programs such as unconditional cash transfers can help families to cover indirect schooling costs. If at all a young mother is to be supported to go back to school, then we should try to relieve her from worrying about buying school uniform on top of worrying about providing for her child. Cash transfers can effectively address the financial barrier in enabling girls to return school. At ChildFund, we are implementing an unconditional cash transfer program in 9 countries in Africa that is enabling families to meet their basic needs including access to education. So far, 84,235 families have received 2,690,972 USD.

Governments should also adopt laws and policies that fully support reentry of young mothers to schools without stringent conditions and lift any existing regressive policies that discriminate against pregnant girls. Such policies should not only manage the reintegration of adolescent mothers into schools, but should also advance the prevention of adolescent pregnancy. In addition, schools should be monitored to ensure total compliance. They should welcome young mothers back to school without imposing stringent conditions and ensure that they study in environments that are supportive, free of discrimination and conducive for learning.

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If truly we must leave no child behind in the quest for universal education as envisioned in SDG 4, then the right to education of pregnant girls and young mothers should be guaranteed. All stakeholders in the education sector, including governments, policy makers, schools, parents and communities must work together to give this vulnerable group the opportunity to continue their education. Protect pregnant girls' and young mothers' right to education, do not discriminate against them.
By XU WEI

As a professor who has studied poverty alleviation during his whole career, Li Xiaoyun said he was still shocked to see Hebian village on his first visit in 2015.

The village, about 40 kilometers from the border town of Mohan in Yunnan province, has 57 households and 206 people, the majority of whom are from the Yao ethnic group.

"Generally, there will be some kind of divide between the rich and the poor inside a village. But I did not see that in Hebian. Everyone in the village was poor.

"I saw lives that were extremely difficult; dark wooden homes, old and worn-out bedding, rickety furniture and people living with their livestock under the same roof," recalled Li, who is a professor of rural development and global poverty alleviation at China Agricultural University.

The fact that the villagers could only rely on revenue from growing rice, corn and sugar cane, crops that are susceptible to extreme weather and damage from wild elephants, also meant their incomes were highly unstable. Many families went into debt to make ends meet, but their expenditures on education for their children, healthcare and daily necessities remained fixed.

This made it impossible for them to cut spending in order to repay their debts, he said.

What surprised Li even more was the level of diligence among the villagers. Some in their 80s would still harvest wood from the mountains, while most villagers would get up in the middle of the night to tap rubber on their plantations until the morning.

"From Hebian's case, we can tell that poverty does not result from laziness or a lack of intelligence," he said.

Together with teachers and students from CAU, Li initiated a project that empowered the villagers to improve their living environment, a precondition for the development of a tourism industry.

Between 2015 and 2017, Li's team raised about 3 million yuan ($456,000) to help the villagers build new homes based on the traditional buildings of the Yao, each with a guest room, toilet and kitchen. A conference room with a capacity of 50 people was also constructed.

A cooperative was established to manage the tourism industry, and the students instructed cooperative members on how to use computers for registering guests and issuing invoices.

The beauty of the location attracted a stream of tourists and conference goers. Some villagers gave up farming completely, while others were introduced to the cultivation of plants that could be used for traditional Chinese medicine. Others became chicken, pig and fish farmers.

The two approaches have helped villagers shake off poverty and significantly raise their incomes. Most households had a yearly income between 60,000 to 70,000 yuan in 2019, with the per capita income of the village increasing to over 30,000 yuan.

Last year, the COVID-19 outbreak dealt a heavy blow to the village's tourism sector, as it forced travel restrictions. Most households relied on their livestock and crop cultivation to survive during the height of epidemic.

An important lesson from last year, Li said, is that shaking off poverty is only the first step, and there is still a long way to go to achieve long-term prosperity.

"The process of reorienting the village away from agrarian patterns brought about a sharp increase in the income of villagers. In the meantime, the overreliance on new business models simplified the income structure of the farmers. It led to increased vulnerability in their livelihoods," he said.

The fact that many households held on to their farmland during the development of new business models meant they could fall back on farming and also take jobs at nearby villages to make a living, Li said.

Hebian showed the importance of diversified industries in rural areas, which could bring considerable income to rural households and make them more resilient against risk.

Li called the project at Hebian village an experiment in both poverty alleviation and rural vitalization.

"It tells us that the continuous impetus from urbanization and industrialization is indispensable in consolidating the outcomes of poverty alleviation and attaining rural vitalization. Only in this way can we enable the free flow of production elements between urban and rural areas, develop the rural industries and vitalize the rural areas," he said.

CHINA DAILY APP Updated April 1, 2021



 
This Jan. 28, 2016 file photo shows a solitary confinement cell called "the bing," at New York's Rikers Island jail. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File

After a years-long fight, prison reform activists won a significant victory Wednesday.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the HALT Act, which ends long-term solitary confinement in the state.

The bill will also bar the use of isolation for multiple vulnerable populations.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

New York joined a growing list of states Wednesday when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that will end long-term solitary confinement in prisons and jails, after a years-long battle for reform in the state.

The HALT Solitary Confinement Act most notably puts a 15-day consecutive limit on how long someone can be kept in solitary confinement or nearly all day isolation. The legislation also reduces the number of infractions that can lead to a person being placed in solitary confinement and bars the use of solitary confinement for multiple vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, people with disabilities, individuals with serious mental illness, and people under 22 or over 54.

Prison reform activists have long been working toward abolishing solitary confinement, also known as punitive segregation. Multiple studies suggest a link between long-term isolation and an increased risk of self-harm and suicide. Research also shows solitary confinement often leads to mental illness and higher rates of death after release, according to The New York Times.

"It didn't take me long to start seeing things that weren't in my cell, to start having a conversation with nobody there," Victor Pate, a former prisoner who spent more than two years in isolation during his 15 years in the system, told The Times. "You never get over that. I'm not well by a long shot."

Advocates of the law have also been critical of the seeming racial inequalities rampant in the use of solitary confinement. According to The Times, Black and Latino people make up nearly 70% of New York's prison population, but represent more than 80% of those in solitary confinement.

Story continues

A statewide campaign to end long-term use of the practice began more than eight years ago. Incremental measures, including improved isolation conditions have been passed in the meantime, but a similar measure to the HALT Act failed in 2019 after union pushback and threat of a veto from Cuomo.

A Democratic super majority in the legislature following last year's elections helped the bill find success this time around.

Cuomo wrote that "amendments are necessary" in his approval of the law, according to The Times. Such changes are needed to protect people who live and work in facilities, Cuomo said, and would include addressing "all possible circumstances" in which violent people incarcerated may need to be separated from the larger population.

Corrections officers and unions maintain that solitary confinement is a necessary tool to punish troublesome prisoners and say the new legislation puts officers at risk.

"There is nothing humane about subjecting our brave men and women to brutal assaults that send them to the hospital every week," Benny Boscio Jr., president of New York City's Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, told The Times.

But some research suggests that the use of isolation is not an effective way to curb violence in prison settings.

In recent years, the state has been home to some alarming examples of the negative effects of solitary confinement, including the death of Layleen Polanco, a transgender woman who died of a seizure while in isolation, and the suicide of Kalief Browder, a teenager accused of stealing a backpack who committed suicide after awaiting trial for three years on Rikers Island.

The legislation kicks into effect next March.

Read the original article on Insider
A Fairview Township woman has avoided additional jail time and possible conviction on a felony child-endangerment charge for wrapping a jump rope around the neck of her 4-year-old son, which police said caused ligature marks and bruising.

Brittany Rose Simpson is deeply remorseful about what happened and accepted responsibility for her actions from the start, according to York County public defender Matt Sembach, who represented her.

She has learned from the incident and she intends on doing everything in her power to not only be a better parent but to be a better person, he said.

Simpson, 26, appeared in York County Court on Tuesday, where she pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor of simple assault, according to court records. In exchange, her third-degree felony charge of child endangerment was dropped, records state.

It was an open plea, meaning it was up to presiding Common Pleas Judge Amber A. Kraft to determine the proper punishment, Sembach said.

Kraft sentenced Simpson to 68 days to 23 months in York County Prison, which was a time-served sentence because Simpson had spent 68 days in York County Prison after her arrest, records state.

The judge ordered Simpson to pay for her sons medical bills; to submit to a mental-health evaluation and comply with recommended treatment; and to have no abusive contact with the boy, who lives with his father, records state.

The background: A caseworker with the York County Office of Children, Youth and Families told Fairview Township Police Sgt. Michael Bennage that Simpsons 4-year-old son was treated at York Hospital for ligature marks and bruising around his neck.

Simpson and her youngest child, who is now about 15 months old, lived with the babys father on Highland Drive at the time, documents state.

Due to past incidents and concerns Brittany is only allowed to have supervised visitation with her three older children, who have a different father, according to court documents. Her live-in partner is supposed to supervise that visitation, police said.

During the three older childrens visit to their mothers home on Oct. 31, her then-4-year-old son put a jump rope around the neck of his 10-month-old half-sibling, documents state.

In response, Simpson wrapped the jump rope around the 4-year-olds neck and tightened it to the point she caused ligature marks and bruising, and also slapped the boys face, according to court documents.

Simpson then called the father of her older three children and told him to pick them up, according to police.

Photos provided: The child-services employee gave police photos that showed the bruising and ligature marks on the childs neck, documents state.

Police and the child-services worker spoke with Simpson, who admitted to slapping the boy, placing the jump rope around his neck and slightly squeezing it, court documents state.

Simpson pleaded guilty in June 2019 to misdemeanor animal cruelty, according to York County court records.

She was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to submit to a mental-health evaluation and perform 15 hours of community service, records state.



Liz Evans Scolforo of The York Dispatch, Pa, wrote this story. Reach senior crime reporter Liz Evans Scolforo at levans@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @LizScolforoYD.

(c)2021 The York Dispatch (York, Pa.)

Visit The York Dispatch (York, Pa.) at www.yorkdispatch.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(JNS)  Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, was a senior foreign-policy adviser in the Trump administration. Now an op-ed by Kushner published in The Wall Street Journal has caused jaws to drop.

Kushner was a key mover behind the Abraham Accords between Israel and the Gulf States. This agreement, brokered by Trump, was the most significant move towards peace in the Middle East for the best part of a century.

In parallel, Trumps U.S. withdrawal in May 2018 from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, coupled with the re-imposition of sanctions and more severe ones later ad...
In February, analysing the British governments refusal to impose a lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19, the BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal) wrote that the governments response to the pandemic might be classified as social murder. It pointedly asked: When politicians wilfully neglect scientific advice, international and historical experience, and their own alarming statistics and modelling because to act goes against their political strategy, is that lawful?

This policy was on full display on Wednesday evening, as 31 million people tuned in for French President Emmanuel Macrons primetime speech on the upsurge of COVID-19 now devastating France and Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron visits a call centre of the French Social security insurance dedicated to Covid-19 vaccinations, Monday, March 29, 2021 in Creteil, outside Paris.

Macron was widely expected to announce new social distancing measures. Even before the surge, caused by the British and South African variants of the virus, COVID-19 death tolls were nearing one million in Europe and 100,000 in France. But with only 5 percent of Frances population fully vaccinated, cases have tripled since March 7, from 21,825 to 59,038 yesterday, according to Public Health France. This is equivalent to 300,000 in a country the size of the United States.

Before Macrons speech, leading medical authorities demanded, one after the other, a strict lockdown. Epidemiologist Dominique Costagliola denounced Macrons refusal to impose a lockdown in January, when two-thirds of the French public was polled as supporting a lockdown, adding: It is naive to claim Macron is an epidemiologist. Paris Public Hospitals, 90 percent of whose intensive care beds are already taken by 1,484 patients, warned that they are only days away from denying lifesaving care to thousands of critically ill patients.

The head of Frances Association of Doctors, Patrick Bouet, wrote to Macron an open letter. Life can tolerate today no arbitrage, no hesitation, no betting, he said. Insisting one can still prevent the virus engulfing everyone, he added, a true lock-down everywhere is needed.

The response of Frances president of the rich must be taken as a warning to workers not only in France, but internationally: the ruling class acts with utter contempt for human life. Macrons speech, no doubt coordinated with the European Union (EU) and Washington, was an unambiguous refusal to take any meaningful action to halt mass deaths.

Macron acknowledged there is an acceleration due to the variant that threatens to make us lose control if we do nothing. However, he proposed only a one-week closure of schools before the spring holidays, followed by a week of distance learning for high school students after that. He also closed nonessential retail stores, while pledging that cultural venues and restaurants, which spread COVID-19, would reopen in May.

Macrons attempt to pass this off as a lockdown is a fraud.

In March 2020, as COVID-19 spread across Europe and America, wildcat strikes broke out in factories in Italy and the United States and spread internationally. As Frances Medef business federation warned of an extremely brutal shift in workers attitudes and that management can no longer continue production due to pressure from the workers, Macron agreed to a strict, eight-week lockdown, closing schools and all nonessential production. Such lockdowns dramatically slashed the spread of the coronavirus not only in France, but across much of Europe.

Now, however, as thousands face a denial of lifesaving care in a wealthy European country, Macron is refusing to stop nonessential production and has closed schools for less than two weeks.

Macron also shamelessly applauded his own disastrous policy, claiming that he was taking into account the consequences of restrictions on our children, on their education, on the economy, on society, on mental health. Had he spoken honestly, Macron would have said he was taking into account the consequences of social distancing restrictions on our companies, their profits, and our fortunes. Schools and nonessential production are being kept opennot based on scientific evidencebut to ensure that corporate profits keep flowing into the financial markets.

Macrons open contempt for medical experts and public opinion, however, is only an especially tactless version of the policy pursued by the bourgeoisie across Europe. The same day Macron spoke, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was interviewed on television and refused to say how or when a lockdown could be implemented in Germany. Then yesterday, the director of Germanys intensive care registry, Christian Karagiannidis, warned Tagesschau that in four weeks all intensive care beds would be full in Germany.

Tens of millions of workers in France and across Europe are being brought face to face with the fact that the EU is implementing a policy of social murder.

The outcome, and how many lives can be saved, will depend on how quickly the working class can intervene independently, mobilizing in struggle against the capitalist governments of Europe for a scientifically-guided policy on the pandemic.

This requires independent organizations of struggle and an internationalist and socialist perspective for struggle against capitalism. In the wake of the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, pseudo-left academics and anti-Marxists declared that humanity had arrived at the end of history and the class struggle; capitalist democracy would reign. What followed were decades of imperialist wars, economic crisis, and rising social inequality and austerity that have devastated basic health infrastructure. The pandemic has now torn the mask off of European capitalism.

In March 2020, the World Socialist Web Site analyzed the catastrophic failure of the pandemic response in America in a column titled Capitalism is at war with society, writing:

These four decades have revealed all the socially reactionary characteristics of a system based on private ownership of the means of production, in which all considerations of social need are subordinated to the drive for profit and vast personal wealth. The motto of the capitalist oligarchy is: If the accumulation of our billions requires the death of millions, so be it.

The last year has vindicated this assessment. European capitalisms pretensions as the kinder, gentler version of its American cousin have been exposed as a fraud. The European Central Bank, the Bank of England, and European governments poured trillions of euros and pounds into bank and corporate bailouts. While individual financial aristocrats made fortunes, with Frances Bernard Arnault raking in 30 billion last year, countless thousands were left to die, based on false claims that society cannot afford lockdowns.

Workers struggles against the policy of social murder can only be waged independently of its accomplices in the union bureaucracies, and their supporters in their pseudo-left political allies like Frances New Anti-capitalist Party or Germanys Left Party. Frances Stalinist General Confederation of Labor and the German Trade Union Federation isolated the wildcat strikes in March. They then signed EU bailouts and helped implement the back-to-school policies that played a critical role in the resurgence of the pandemic after the spring 2020 lockdown.

In March 2020, wildcat strikes compelled a lockdown last year in much of Europe, but this last year has shown the fatal limits of spontaneous struggle. Without a socialist perspective and their own organizations of struggle, workers were subordinated to reactionary manoeuvres of the governments, banks and trade unions who implemented a herd immunity policy.

It is critical for workers to build their own rank-and-file safety committees in workplaces in France and across Europe, fighting for a lockdown to halt the contagion until the population can be vaccinated. The entire population must be provided with a comfortable living wage so that they can shelter at home, with nonessential production closed and a massive investment in resources for online learning. This requires a struggle by the French and European working class for state power, expropriating the financial aristocracy and replacing the EU with the United Socialist States of Europe.
Traffic on sections of the Bruce Highway was at a crawl by early Friday afternoon, with Easter holidaymakers heading north from Brisbane set to be stuck in congestion.

Motorists heading to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane had been hit with about 12 kilometres of congestion around Caboolture.

Travel had been slow for much of Good Friday, with RACQ tweeting about 10am that congestion was starting to build for people driving north.

However, about 2pm traffic was looking better for motorists heading to the Gold Coast from the city.
Prince Shotoku was an influential leader in seventh-century Japan, popularly credited with achievements from establishing courtly ranks and a constitution to encouraging the spread of Buddhism and sending envoys to China. Ancient history specialist Tono Haruyuki delves into the past to consider how to gain a true picture of this semilegendary figure.

An Opportunity for Reconsideration

Prince Shotoku (574622), one of the best-known imperial family politicians in Japanese history, is renowned for his cultural contributions. While there are many famous people who lived even more than a millennium ago in Japan, there are very few for whom we can clearly identify their years of birth and death, as well as their achievements.

The reason we know these details for Prince Shotoku is the reverence shown to him from shortly after his death, which means that many materials and biographical records remain. Next year marks 1,400 years since his death, and during the 12 months leading up to this milestone, Buddhist memorial services will be held at related temples. There are also plans to exhibit cultural properties connected to his life in Nara, Osaka, and Tokyo. It is an opportunity to reconsider the man.

Despite the large number of extant documents and cultural items, it is extremely difficult to gain a true picture of Prince Shotoku. There is evidence that he was venerated greatly even during his later years, and the process continued after his death. Numerous legendary anecdotes appear in biographical texts, and he was ultimately worshiped as an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Kannon.

Historically, he was known as Umayado, and the name Shotoku, meaning sagely virtue, by which he has come to be known, was applied posthumously. The fact that this happened less than a century after he died shows the speed with which he came to be regarded as exceptional.

An Idealized Figure

The common image Japanese people have of Shotoku is as follows. In 593, after his aunt Empress Suiko came to the throne, he became crown prince and was appointed as regent. In 601, he had a palace built at Ikaruga, to the northwest of Asuka (now Nara Prefecture), which was then the capital. When he moved there four years later, on the western side of the palace he founded the temple Ikarugadera, now part of Horyuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

He established 12 courtly ranks indicated by colored caps, supported merit-based promotion, drew up a 17-article constitution, and advocated politics based on harmony and centered on the imperial ruler to those who served in the imperial court. As a devout Buddhist, he gave lectures and wrote commentaries on the Lotus Sutra and other such texts. He also dispatched envoys to China and encouraged the adoption of culture from the Asian continent.

Toward the end of his life, he collaborated with the senior statesman Soga no Umako in compiling histories of Japan. He initiated the movement that would lead to a centralized state in the second half of the seventh century, yet died before he could achieve all he wished to.

This is what one might call a standard picture of Prince Shotoku, based on the Nihon shoki, which was completed a century or so after his death, and the comparatively early biographies. Yet, this was already a considerably idealized picture, and it is dangerous to believe without reservations. Over the years, many researchers have pointed out these dangers and scrutinized his purported achievements.

It is certainly the case that ancient materials make no mention of Shotoku in relation to policies like the 12 courtly ranks and the sending of ambassadors to China. The 17-article constitution he is said to have written includes points and expressions that appear out of place for the time he was active, and which thereby raise doubts. He is said to have been crown prince (kotaishi), but this was not a formally designated position until the end of the seventh century. The job of regent (sessho) appeared even later.

An Important Inscription

Such considerations invariably result in the doubts, given the lack of solid historical evidence. Indisputable facts are needed to avoid endless discussion. It might seem impossible to provide reliable accuracy on events of more than 1,400 years ago, but I realized that such a source can be found among the voluminous writings concerning Shotoku. This is the inscription on the aureole framing the gilt bronze statue of the Buddha, flanked by two Bodhisattva in Horyujis Main Hall.

The inscription on the back of the frame consists of 196 characters arranged in a grid of 14 rows and 14 columns. This states that the statues were created after Shotokus mother, his wife, and Shotoku himself died in succession from 621 to 622. The date of Shotokus death is given as the twenty-second day of the second month in the year corresponding to 622 (now accepted as April 8 by the modern calendar). Naturally, the statues and inscription have long been famous, and there was a well-established debate between those who saw it as reliable and others who said it was engraved later.

In this sense, it is not a new discovery, but focusing on the engraving leads to fresh evidence. The inscription, a 14x14 square of characters, fits into a larger square that has been flattened out on the frame. This indicates that the inscription was planned when the aureola was made. There are also spots visible on the same side, where gilt has stuck. These points demonstrate that the inscription and statues are from the same time. It is difficult to completely resolve any doubts that the inscription is a later addition just by debating the text, but a look at the physical aspects seems conclusive.

The most important fact one can take from the inscription on the back of the frame is that Shotoku was already an exalted enough personage to be called hoo at the time of his death. Written as  here, in other texts it is often , but is a term of respect frequently applied to Shotoku. In the seventh century, the kanji  and , now meaning emperor and king, were used in much the same way. The character  is a reference to Buddhism, recognizing his erudition in this area.

There has been a tendency toward skepticism as to the various lectures and commentaries on Buddhist texts attributed to him, as well as to the many temples he was said to have founded. While the hoo description does not mean that we should simply accept the legends about him, he undoubtedly possessed extraordinary knowledge and understanding of Buddhism. Putting together the content of his commentary on the Lotus Sutra and its characteristics as a cultural property gives a view of the real Shotoku. The 17-article constitution, about which doubts have also been raised, places a clause encouraging Buddhist faith ahead of one exhorting respect of imperial orders, and in other ways broadly seems to be his work. I write more about this in my book Shotoku Taishi: Honto no sugata o motomete (Seeking the Real Prince Shotoku).

Establishing a Place for Buddhism

However, I want to point out the great influence Shotoku had on Japans transformational adoption of foreign culture in the Asuka period (593710). During his era, Buddhism had a considerable impact. While he was a devout Buddhist, he did not enter the priesthood, instead acting as a politician to establish a place for the religion in society.

Apart from the Lotus Sutra, a central text in Buddhism, the writings he chose to talk about and annotate were the Vimalakirti Sutra and the Srimaladevi Simhanada Sutra, which are respectively about a lay priest and a queen. By choosing to promote Buddhism in particular, Shotoku likely thought to use continental culture to bring together a country of unceasing disputes between powerful clans, creating a more civilized society. Looking at the extant sources, it is difficult to say that Shotoku was prominently active in politics, but he appears as an indefatigable and learned figure working behind the scenes supporting Empress Suiko and Soga no Umako to bring policies into force.

What of Shotokus appearance? The image of him familiar to older Japanese people from having formerly appeared on the 1,000 banknote is now believed to actually show an aristocrat of the Nara period (71094). The central figure in the triad of statues at Horyuji is said to be a likeness of Shotoku. As it also represents the Buddha, it is stylized, but perhaps here we can glimpse Shotokus face. Incidentally, from this statue it is also possible to calculate a height of just under 165 centimeters, which was quite tall for the period.

(Originally published in Japanese on March 8, 2021. Banner image: A picture once thought to have been of Prince Shotoku, used as the basis for the 1,000 banknote in the twentieth century, is now generally considered to show an aristocrat from the Nara period.  Jiji.)
Shipments of the from the Serum Institute to Canada have been put on hold for an indefinite period as India has temporarily stopped vaccine exports so as to cater to domestic needs.

According to Sputnik, New Delhi is concentrating on immunization at home due to a spike in domestic cases.

"We are working with the company on determining when the doses will arrive. We are expecting a delay in the shipment," Joelle Paquette, Director General, of Procurement Support Services Sector, told reporters on Thursday. "We do not have the information [about] when we're going to get the doses," she further added.

Paquette, however, noted Canada received assurances from the Serum Institute that they are committed to meeting their contractual obligations. As per the terms of a contract signed in February, Canada is set to receive an additional 1.5 million vaccine doses from the company by mid-May, in addition to the 500,000 doses received last month as reported by Sputnik.

Canadian officials are expecting a shipment of vaccines from the COVAX facility next week, Paquette said, although, adding that the World Health Organization co-led initiative does not provide a delivery schedule. Ottawa has been roundly criticized for being the only G7 country to draw from the facility that is intended to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines to developing nations.

The previously delayed shipment of 600,000 Moderna vaccine doses will arrive on Friday, with deliveries beginning on Saturday, the government's vaccine distribution czar, Canadian Army Major General Dany Fortin said.

Despite inking deals with numerous vaccine manufacturers, the Trudeau government has faced sharp criticism for a muted vaccine rollout program that has been labelled a failure by opposition parties and many Canadians.

According to Johns Hopkins, 993,717 COVID cases are registered in Canada with an overall 22,993 COVID-related death cases reported.

(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

China has handed over to Kyrgyzstan the fourth batch of humanitarian aid to fight COVID-19, the Chinese embassy said Friday.

The handover ceremony took place on Thursday with the participation of Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen, and Kyrgyz Minister of Health and Social Development Alymkadyr Beishenaliev.

Artificial lung ventilation devices, masks and medical protective suits were donated as humanitarian aid, said the embassy.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Du noted that since the start of the pandemic, China and Kyrgyzstan have been helping each other and fighting the epidemic side by side, fully demonstrating the fraternal friendship between the two peoples and traditional friendly relations.

"China is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to deepen cooperation in various fields, such as fight against epidemics, economy and trade for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries," said the ambassador.

From his part, Beishenaliev, on behalf of the government and people of Kyrgyzstan, thanked the friendly Chinese government and people for the regular help.

He stressed that China's huge support and large-scale aid to Kyrgyzstan played an important role in the fight against the epidemic.

The minister recalled that not so long ago, the Chinese government provided Kyrgyzstan with COVID-19 vaccines and helped the Kyrgyz government carry out work on vaccination.

"Kyrgyzstan is ready to further strengthen anti-epidemic cooperation with China and strive together to overcome the epidemic as soon as possible," said the Kyrgyz minister.
Orange: The gunman who killed four people and critically wounded a fifth at a Southern California office building knew all the victims and authorities said that before opening fire he chained shut the gates to two entrances, delaying police from getting inside.

Among the victims of the horrific massacre on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday AEDT) was a 9-year-old boy who was found cradled in the arms of a woman believed to be his mother, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. The woman was the only survivor among those shot. The others killed were a man and two women.

Our hearts today go out to the victims, and Im here to tell you that were going to do everything in our power in the Orange County District Attorneys office to get justice for these families, Spitzer said. He said he will consider seeking the death penalty.

Investigators survey the scene at an office building after a shooting in Orange, California on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Credit:AP

The violence in the city of Orange was the third mass shooting in just over two weeks. Last week a gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, and killed 10. A week before that, six Asian women were among eight people killed at three Atlanta-area spas.
More to the point, there is also substantial waste in the private sector, much of it caused by individual purchase decisions that impose costs on others.

Suppose, for example, that everyone owned a car weighing less than 2,500 pounds and someone then bought one that weighed 5,000 pounds. That person would face less risk of injury and death than before, while all others would face more. Their best response may be to buy 5,000-pound cars themselves, in which case everyones risk would be higher than when all were driving smaller cars.

Similarly, at crowded gatherings in enclosed spaces (remember them, before the pandemic?), when all speak more loudly to hear better, they dont hear as well as they would have if all had spoken more softly.

In these cases, individually rational behavior is collectively irrational. Buying 5,000-pound cars when 2,500-pound cars would be better for almost everyone is waste, pure and simple.

Taxing vehicles by weight would be a relatively unintrusive remedy. But opponents of government might object, saying such measures are social engineering. Yes, but so are speed limits and traffic lights. Policies that try to bring individual and collective interests into closer alignment exist in all countries, for good reason. And as long as we have to tax something, why not tax activities that cause harm to others? Every dollar raised from such levies can be a dollar less from the many taxes currently imposed on beneficial activities.

Former President George W. Bush once said, We dont believe in planners and deciders making decisions on behalf of Americans. Yet thats exactly what all societies entrust government bureaucrats to do, again for good reason: Even if people are just as rational and markets just as competitive as Mr. Friedman believed, individually rational actions often yield demonstrably bad outcomes. That simple, incontestable fact has always been the central rationale for government involvement in economic life.

The government requires catalytic converters on cars, for instance, because each individuals decision to install one would be costly and yield no measurable impact on air quality. Yet when everyone installs a catalytic converter, the benefit of the improvement in air quality far outweighs the corresponding cost.
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Persistence pays off  just ask Anthony Riazzi.

The New Mexico-based filmmaker began the project Biomass in 2012.

Nearly a decade later, the film premiered at the Cinequest Film Festival last week. The online festival wrapped up on March 30.

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Its been a really long process getting to this stage, he says. We shot this in 2012, and the big issue for this film is that it was very visual effects, heavy. There are 400 visual effects in the film.

Riazzi also had to take a break from postproduction of the film to earn a living.

The last two years, its been a sprint to finish, he says. The pandemic gave me some more time to get the film completed.

Biomass tells the story of a whistleblower who leaks a disturbing video of human experimentation from a secret biological research lab and then disappears. His friends, a local news reporter and a pair of amateur bloggers decide to find the lab and their friend while recording all the events.

Their journey takes them to a remote site in the New Mexico desert where they access a bizarre labyrinth of underground tunnels. When they realize a biological contaminant has afflicted all the workers with a mysterious disease, what started as a rescue mission turns into a fight for survival and escape.

The film stars Juliet Lopez, Brenden Wedner, Matt Page, and Alejandro Montoya Marin, as well as Steve Cormier, Katalina Parrish, Zach Dulin, Matt Berlin and Nomar Rizo.

I tried to keep all of the cast aware of the status of the film, Riazzi says. Many of the cast members have gone on to make their own lane in the film industry. Its been amazing to look back nearly a decade and see how far everyone has come.

Biomass is Riazzis first feature film. He has decades in the film industry, mostly working in digital and visual effects on projects such as X-Men: The Last Stand and Resident Evil: Extinction. He was the technical director of The Matrix Revolutions.

Riazzi also wrote the screenplay for Biomass and produced alongside former Disney executive Alicia J. Keyes, who is now New Mexico economic development secretary.

Riazzi says the production filmed over 14 days in three weeks.

We did two five-day weeks and then one four-day week, he says. We kept our actors on a strict eight-hour day. It was a small production with big end results.

Riazzi hopes to submit it to other film festivals and is hopeful it will become available on streaming platforms.

Online

To learn more about Anthony Riazzis project, visit To learn more about Anthony Riazzis project, visit biomassmovie.com
HOUSTON, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shoshin Works , global leaders in ecosystem operations, and HeroX , the social network for innovation and the world's leading platform for crowdsourced solutions, today launched the crowdsourcing competition " Future-Scaping our Skies " on behalf of NASA's Convergent Aeronautics Solutions . With this crowdsourced think tank effort, NASA seeks to better anticipate the many forces of change that will shape our society and aviation in the 20-30 years.

Shoshin Works and HeroX

"We seek to build a bridge of understanding to the possibilities and needs of tomorrow, so that we may take better action today," said Keith D. Wichman, Leader of NASA Convergent Aeronautics Solutions. "We are excited to see the innovative ideas the crowd conjures up to help inform our decisions over the next two to three decades."

The Future-Scaping our Skies Challenge aims to understand how aviation might be transformed in the next 20 to 30 years by detailing future scenarios that could evolve from present-day societal, technological, economic, and environmental trends.

"Our world is increasingly defined by change and connectivity - the need to align our actions today to better support the future needs of society is stronger than ever. We want to know how societal needs, trends, and technologies will inform the future of aviation," said Dyan Finkhousen, Chief Executive Officer, Shoshin Works. "We are engaging innovators, technologists, economists and futurists to help us envision what future state scenarios might unfold that could inform what society will need of aviation in thirty years. Together, we can build a better understanding of the change that lies ahead and make better decisions today."

"As this program explores the future of aviation, our global crowd can help envision scenarios that might be possible in 30 years. The ability to access such a diverse pool of multi-disciplinary perspectives in one community is so powerful for a scenario planning effort. We expect to see great insights emerge from this effort." said Christian Cotichini, CEO, HeroX.

Please note this is a US-based competition only.

To accept the challenge, visit www.herox.com/FutureScaping

ABOUT SHOSHIN WORKS

Shoshin Works advisors are specialists in platform-enabled ecosystem operations. Known for collaborating with intent to expand the known boundaries of organizational performance - CEO Dyan Finkhousen is a global authority on enterprise application of expert ecosystem and platform operational models, designing highly contextualized business model innovation to optimize results at scale.

www.shoshinworks.com

ABOUT HEROX

HeroX is a social network for crowdsourcing innovation and human ingenuity, co-founded in 2013 by serial entrepreneur, Christian Cotichini and XPRIZE Founder and Futurist, Peter Diamandis. HeroX offers a turnkey, easy-to-use platform that supports anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd. Uniquely positioned as the Social Network for Innovation, HeroX is the only place you can build, grow and curate your very own crowd.

Explore the latest challenges at www.herox.com

Media Contacts:

Alexandra Pony

[email protected]

250.858.0656

Dyan Finkhousen

[email protected]

952.769.7760

SOURCE Shoshin Works and HeroX

Related Links

http://www.herox.com


Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 00:03:33|Editor: huaxia

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A volunteer paints red hearts representing the victims who died of COVID-19 on the National COVID Memorial Wall outside St Thomas' Hospital in London, Britain, on March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

"Let me be clear: we must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now," said Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

According to WHO Europe, to date, only 10 percent of the region's total population has received one vaccine dose, and four percent has completed a full vaccine series.

COPENHAGEN, April 1 (Xinhua) -- As the European region currently fights a resurgence of COVID-19 transmissions, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on Thursday called upon the governments in the region to "scale-up of both vaccine production and vaccination."

According to WHO Europe, to date, only 10 percent of the region's total population has received one vaccine dose, and four percent has completed a full vaccine series.

"Let me be clear: we must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now," Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe said in a press release.

There were 1.6 million new COVID-19 cases and 24,000 deaths last week, which made Europe the second most affected region in the world, said the WHO regional office, highlighting the urgency of a speedier vaccine roll-out.

"Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic...However, the roll-out of these vaccines is unacceptably slow," said Kluge.

Staff members set up a sign of a new COVID-19 vaccination center in Saint-Denis, France, on March 31, 2021. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)

Of particular concern to WHO Europe is the ongoing disparity in the vaccine roll-out across the European region which has seen every high-income country in the region vaccinating, while "only 80 percent of upper-middle-income countries and 60 percent of lower- and lower-middle-income countries" vaccinating.

"While acknowledging the intent of governments to protect their own populations, before the vaccines are extended to other age groups I strongly urge governments to share excess doses of WHO-approved vaccines with COVAX or with countries in need, once health-care workers and the most vulnerable have been vaccinated," said Kluge.

COVAX is a World Health Organization-led initiative aimed at ensuring equal access to COVID-19 vaccines by various countries.

According to WHO Europe statistics, the total number of deaths in the European region is now fast approaching one million and the total number of cases of transmission of the coronavirus will soon exceed 45 million.

"Only five weeks ago, the weekly number of new cases in Europe had dipped to under one million, but now the region's situation is more worrying than we have seen in several months," said Dorit Nitzan, Regional Emergency Director for the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the press release.

According to WHO Europe, it was more preferable for a vaccine to work alongside timely and targeted public health interventions.

"And as long as the coverage remains low, we need to apply the same public health and social measures as we have in the past, to compensate for delayed schedules," said Kluge.

In reference to the increased mobility around the Easter holidays over the next few days, as variants of concern continue to spread across the region, Kluge reminded citizens and their governments in the region of their responsibility in the face of the pandemic.

People walk on Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy, March 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
China supports holding ASEAN leaders special meeting to mediate Myanmar's situation: Chinese FM

Xinhua) 09:36, April 02, 2021

FUZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday said it firmly supports promoting peace talks in Myanmar in the ASEAN way, and supports holding a special meeting of ASEAN leaders to mediate Myanmar's situation at an early date.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks when co-meeting press with his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein in Nanping City, Fujian Province.

Wang said it is hoped that relevant parties of Myanmar should proceed from the long-term interests of the country and the nation, initiate dialogue and consultation as soon as possible, heal the rift under the constitution and legal framework, and constantly advance the hard-won democratic transformation process.

Calling on all relevant parties to exercise restraint, China and Malaysia agreed that the international community should uphold the basic norm of non-interference in internal affairs, and create a good environment for the domestic political reconciliation in Myanmar.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Thursday was quite a day for Erling Haaland. The Norwegian forward who only a year ago, in January 2020, made his move to Borussia Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg, now looks set to be on the move again this coming summer, with agent Mino Raiola putting him up for auction across Europe.

Raiola and the player's father, Alf-Inge Haaland, touched down in Barcelona on Thursday morning and caused a stir as they met with Joan Laporta.

The newly elected Barcelona president did his utmost to convince the pair that, despite the club's financial troubles, they would be in a position to meet the youngster's demands, and that they are keen to have him lead their attack going forward.

Laporta ended the meeting with positivity, and he was happy with how things had gone. Then, though, Raiola and Alf-Inge Haaland departed Barcelona on a private jet to meet Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in the Spanish capital.

Raiola and Alf-Inge Haaland arrive to talk with Real Madrid

And the meetings won't stop there, either. On Friday, they'll fly to London to meet four Premier League clubs, namely Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Alf-Inge Haaland's former club Manchester City.

Dortmund position clear

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund have been staying firm. Their stance has always been that they do not want to sell the forward, and any interested party are likely to have to cough up 180 million euros.

As such, Raiola's auctioning of Haaland could play into their favour, and despite Dortmund's wishes it looks likely that the player will leave over the summer. With at least six of Europe's biggest clubs interested - not to mention Juventus - a bidding war could see his price rise, even in during the pandemic.

With reports also suggesting that Kylian Mbappe's price tag could be lowered by Paris Saint-Germain, and interesting summer of transfer speculation awaits, and two of the next generation's very best players could be on the move.
Jaipur, April 2 : Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait's convoy was allegedly attacked in Alwar on Friday. He alleged that the BJP men were behind the attack.

Tikait, on his Twitter handle, shared the video of his car whose window glass was smashed and accused the BJP of the attack.

He said, "Attacked by BJP's goons in Rajasthan's Alwar district's Tataarpur square at Bansur Road. Pics of murder of democracy." His supporters called for a jam to protest against the incident and hence a huge police force was deputed in the area.

As per the officials, Tikait was on his way to Banasur road when his convoy was attacked by a few people who pelted stones on his car. The men used rods too. However, Tikait was safe and did not get any injury.

Eventually Tikait was shifted in another car and the police arrested two people as suspects.

Further investigations are on, police officials said.
The police said the search for the suspect who killed the Nigerian beauty queen was still on about three weeks after the incident happened.

A former Nigerian beauty queen and doctorate student in the United States, Najeebat Sule, was shot multiple times by a yet-to-be-identified gunman in Philadelphia, United States, local media quote local police as saying.

Fox29 Philadelphia reported that the unknown assailant opened fire on the 24-year-old model while she was sitting in her car on March 12 at about 6 p.m. in the city's Holmesburg neighbourhood.

She was, thereafter, taken to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital where she died. The parents of the deceased are now in hiding over concerns for their safety, reports said.

Ms Sule's father, Adewale Sule, told reporters that he heard the gunfire and hurried to the scene, but the suspect had just fired the last rounds of the shots at his daughter when he emerged from the house.

"I saw the guy shooting my daughter. He shot the last round, and I pursued him," DailyMail quoted him saying. 'He ran back to his car.'

The police said the search for the suspect was still on about three weeks after the incident happened.

Ms Sule, who had only recently earned a Master's degree in public health from West Chester University and was pursuing a doctorate, migrated with her family to Philadelphia from Nigeria in the early 2000s.

According to her bio on Instagram, in 2019, she was crowned second runner-up at the Miss Nigeria International pageant, where she represented Ondo State. She was also a 2019 Miss Nigeria USA finalist.

Her over 3,000 followers Instagram page features the fashionista modelling in a variety of glamorous outfits and accessories, including videos of her pageant victories.

"Queen Najibat was an amazing young lady whose presence at the Miss Nigerian beauty pageant left a great ripple that continues to resonate," organisers of the Miss Nigeria International pageant wrote on Facebook. "She was a breath of fresh air and her presence added a distinct touch that made the event memorable. She carried herself with great dignity and grace and her strength of character and approachability made her such a joy to work with."

Ms Sule's death adds to the tolling casualties from gun violence in Philadelphia, which has seen a 29 per cent homicide rate increase over the last year. Fox29 said in the first three months of 2021, there have been 120 killings in Philadelphia, 15 of whom are children.
Tourism spending in regional Victoria has eclipsed Melbournes for the first time but struggling operators say already wary travellers are being spooked by this weeks lockdown in Brisbane.

The latest state government figures show that overall tourism spending was down 60 per cent across Victoria in the year to December, with holidaymakers spending $6.8 billion in the regions, compared with $6.2 billion in Melbourne.

After months in lockdown, Victorians craved the open air.

More than twice as many visitors flocked to regional Victoria than to Melbourne during this time.

Its the first time in my living memory that this has happened, Victorian Tourism Industry Council chief executive Felicia Mariani said.
McConnell Urges Fellow Republicans to Get Vaccines

By The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged his fellow Republicans to be vaccinated against COVID-19 during a visit to a hospital in western Kentucky.The Kentucky Republican said Thursday that he wasn't reluctant to be vaccinated when he became eligible and said he would encourage everybody to do so.A March poll by The Associated Press found that 42% of Republicans say they probably or definitely will not get the shot, compared to 17% of Democrats.McConnell was at odds with former President Donald Trump last year over the wearing of masks, which McConnell consistently encouraged.Kentucky will open up vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older starting next Monday.
The long awaited trial date for a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvanias school funding system has been tentatively set for Sept. 9 in Commonwealth Court.

Attorneys for the school districts, parents and organizations filed the lawsuit in 2014 in an effort to prove the General Assembly failed in its constitutional duty to provide a thorough and efficient system of public education.

This trial will finally hold our General Assembly accountable to the schoolchildren of Pennsylvania for their failure to provide every child in every zip code with a quality education, said Education Law Center legal director Maura McInerney during a virtual news conference on Friday.

The Education Law Center law along with the Public Interest Law Center is joined by the international law firm OMelveny in representing the litigants.

At the trial which is expected to last several weeks, McInerney said they intend to show the harm caused to students in low wealth districts by the states funding system, which school officials on the call said was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On average, McInerney said the 20% poorest school districts in Pennsylvania receive $4,800 less per student than those attending 20% wealthiest school districts. She said the funding inequity disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx students who are segregated in the states most underfunded districts.

We will show money matters in school resources, that money has a direct impact on student outcomes, she said. Obviously, the General Assembly can do something to try to fix this at any moment from the time that we filed this lawsuit onward and prior to that.

An analysis commissioned by the litigants finds that $4.6 billion more is needed for all students to be educated to the states academic standards. This year, the state budget provides $6.8 billion in basic education funding and nearly $1.2 billion for special education.

The lawsuit is filed against legislative leaders, state education officials, and the governor but Michael Churchill, a lawyer with the Public Interest Law Center, said it is primarily being defended by the leaders of the GOP-controlled House and Senate  Republicans House Speaker Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County and Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman of Centre County.

He said Gov. Tom Wolf agrees with the litigants that more money is necessary but has yet to tell the courts to order it and how much is necessary to bring the state funding to an adequate level. In his 2021-22 budget proposal, Wolf asked for a historic $1.35 billion, or 21.6%, increase in basic education funding, bringing the total $8.1 billion.

As for Attorney General Josh Shapiro, he was reported during his first campaign for that office that he would side with school districts and parents in the case.

Attempts to get responses from Cutler and Cormans spokespeople on Friday afternoon were not successful.

The litigants have been waiting for years for the case to go to trial.

The lawsuit initially was tossed by the Commonwealth Court in 2015, stating the courts cannot get involved in school funding issues. The Supreme Court said in a 2017 divided opinion, the claims were subject to judicial review and ordered the Commonwealth Court to hear the case. Over the course of the ensuing years, state officials have unsuccessfully attempted to have the case dismissed.

It has been a long road to get here, Churchill said, but we are ready for the first trial in Pennsylvanias history to challenge the Legislatures failure to meet their constitutional duty to adequately prepare our states children.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
When Bob Marley and The Wailers found international fame in the 1970s, the band had already been making records for a decade. The journey began with a lot of scrapping on the Jamaican scene. Given the sort of artists competing for airplay at the time (e.g., Desmond Dekker, Toots Hibbert), it was a rough ride.

But Marley had some exceptional company in the original Wailers. Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer formed the core of the group with Marley in the beginning, and they first found success with the ska track Simmer Down (1963). Yet there was still a long way to go.

In the rocksteady era (66-67), the group cranked out tracks like Bend Down Low, Hypocrite, and Stir It Up. And they were winning new fans with every single. However, it wasnt until 71 that The Wailers truly took Jamaica by storm. It was no accident.

Bob Marley and The Wailers held No. 1 for 5 months with Trench Town Rock

CIRCA 1971: The Wailers | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

RELATED: The Toots & the Maytals Songs That Will Convert Any Remaining Holdouts

One good thing about music / When it hits you feel no pain, Marley sings in the first line of Trench Town Rock. Its one of his signature lyrics, and it opened a track that featured the band at its tightest (rhythmically and melodically). The song broke The Wailers for good in Jamaica.

After its summer 71 release, it held the top spot on the Jamaican charts for a full five months. In Bob Marley (1985), Stephen Davis tried to communicate the songs impact and decided to go with hyperbole. [Trench Town Rock] turned Bob Marley into a national hero, Davis wrote.

In confirming the positive side of the Trench Town experience, the Wailers emerged as spokesmen of the ghetto and the Jamaican poor, Davis continued. It was an honor the Wailers would never lose. If youve seen film of Marley making his way through Jamaica in the 70s, you know Davis wasnt exaggerating.

I say give the slum a try, Marley sings in a later verse of the song. Never let the children cry. With those lyrics matched to the bands groove, Marley got the heart of daily life for so many people into the song. Fifty years later, you still feel the power of a track that dominated the Jamaican charts in 71.

Marley cranked out records with the proceeds from Trench Town Rock

Bob Marley and The Wailers perform on stage in the U.K., July 1975. | Ian Dickson/Redferns

Marley and The Wailers worked incredibly hard in the years leading up to the success of Trench Town Rock, and they didnt sit relax while the track burned up the charts. With the proceeds rolling in, Marley financed new recordings on his Tuff Gong record label.

That summer, The Wailers got right back into the studio and recorded Craven Choke Puppy, Satisfy My Soul, and Toshs Stop That Train, among others.

But the bands level of fame wasnt the only thing that had changed after Trench Town Rock. In Bob Marley, Davis includes a quote Bunny Wailer delivered in later years.

Trench Town Rock is the tune that made us really start to search, Bunny said. Indeed, the music took a harder edge from that point. And Tosh would set the tone with tracks like 400 Years and Get Up, Stand Up.
Delhi reported 3,594 fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday, which is the highest number of cases reported this year. The last time the national capital had reported a higher number of cases than this was on December 4 last year, when 4,067 new cases were recorded.

Earlier today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ruled out the possibility of imposition of lockdown for now. He told media that if there is a need for a lockdown in the future, a decision will be taken after due public consultation.

With today's COVID-19 cases, the total caseload in the national capital jumped to 6,68,814. The city's cumulative positivity rate also surged to 4.54 per cent. In the last 24 hours, Delhi reported 14 deaths, while the number of recoveries were at 2,084.

Overall, the city has reported 11,050 deaths from coronavirus, while 6,45,770 people have recovered. The active cases currently stand at 11,994.

A total of 87,505 tests were conducted on Friday, which included 54,898 RT-PCR tests and 32,607 rapid antigen tests, as per the state's health bulletin. The number of people under home isolation rose to 6,106 from 5,698 a day ago. The number of containment zones climbed to 2,338 from 2,183 on Thursday.

India is seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the last few weeks. The Centre today said the situation in 11 states and union territories is a matter of "grave concern".

Also read: COVID-19 surge: Cannot rule out possibility of lockdown, says Uddhav Thackeray

Also read: COVID-19: Situation in 11 states matter of concern, says Centre
Diverse congregations in white neighborhoods have higher attendance: study

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Bucking findings from previous research showing multiracial congregations to be less stable, a new study has found that racially diverse Methodist churches, particularly those in white neighborhoods, attract higher attendance compared to homogenous congregations in those same neighborhoods.

While Methodist churches have decreasing attendance, we find that racial diversity inside a church is associated with higher average attendance by year and across years. Outside a church, percent white in the neighborhood positively predicts attendance, at least in the short term, researchers Kevin D Dougherty, Gerardo Marti and Todd W Ferguson explained in an abstract for their recently released study, Racial Dynamics of Congregations and Communities: A Longitudinal Analysis of United Methodist Congregations, 19902010, published in the journal, Social Forces.

The study tracked data from more than 20,000 UMC congregations over 20 years  from 1990 to 2010  then paired that information with census tract data for the period to examine the effect of demographic change on congregations.

And according to Dougherty, the findings were startling.

"This is a startling contrast to previous research that reported multiracial congregations are less stable," Kevin D. Dougherty, associate professor of sociology at Baylor University and lead author of the study, told phys.org.

The researchers also found that both white and non-white Methodist churches reflect higher attendance when located in white neighborhoods. White churches in non-white neighborhoods fared the worst and had the lowest attendance levels.

"Overall, our understanding of racial diversity and congregational participation remains ambiguous," Marti, the L. Richardson King professor of sociology at Davidson College, told phys.org. "In this study, we consider: What does the history of demographic change in local churches and their neighborhoods tell us about the potential for congregational survival over time?"

Marti further asserted that their findings challenge the popular assumption of the Church Growth Movement that churches grow by focusing on a single racial or ethnic group. For Methodist churches, reaching across racial lines proves a better strategy for growth."

Pew Research Center noted last October that the United States is now more racially and ethnically diverse than it ever has been, and it's projected to be even more diverse in the coming decades. More Americans, it was noted, now view this shift more positively, particularly minorities and younger people. White Americans were the least likely to see this growing diversity as a good thing.

More than 40% of black, Hispanic and Asian Americans view Americas growing diversity as a good thing, compared to just 14% of white adults.

Within generational groups, Gen Zers and millennials are more likely than older generations to view a black, Latino and Asian majority as a good thing, and millennials have become even more likely to hold this view compared with four years ago, Pew noted.

Researchers in the new study could not definitively explain why white neighborhoods preferred to have diverse churches, but the authors speculate that non-white or racially diverse Methodist churches may attract more participants because they offer an attractive alternative to typical white Methodist churches found in white neighborhoods.

In The Costs of Diversity in Religious Organizations: An In-Depth Case Study, researchers Brad Christerson and Michael Emerson concluded in their 2003 study that the same social dynamics that tend to produce internal homogeneity in volunteer organizations like churches, also produce high personal costs of belonging to multiethnic religious organizations. These personal costs generally weigh heaviest on the minority participants in the group.

It was noted that diverse volunteer groups like congregations are inherently unstable due to two processes known as the niche effect and the niche overlap effect. The niche effect means that members who are atypical of the group, leave faster than other members. Atypical members are also more likely to leave due to the niche overlap effect where different species are competing for similar resources in the same space.
The Armenian parliament has adopted changes to the countrys Electoral Code that the opposition says are aimed at helping Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian win snap elections expected in June.



The amendments, announced on March 24 by Pashinian, whose My Step faction dominates the National Assembly, will switch the Caucasus country's electoral system to a fully proportional one.



Armenians have until now voted for parties and alliances as well as individual candidates. In the last two general elections, parliament seats were equally distributed among candidates picked through national party lists and individual races, RFE/RL reported.



The amendments adopted on April 1 mean that the next election will be held only on a proportional, party-list basis. Only by pro-government lawmakers voted for the changes.



No one from the opposition faction Bright Armenia participated in the vote, while lawmakers from the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction boycotted the parliamentary meeting.

Following talks with the opposition, Pashinian on March 18 agreed to hold early general elections on June 20.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/01/2021



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

alum Larissa Dos Santos Lima has sparked engagement rumors with on-again, off-again boyfriend Eric Nichols after posting photos of herself in a wedding dress.Larissa recently posted a slideshow of photos on Instagram of herself trying on a wedding dress in a boutique. RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS) "'Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending,'" Larissa, 34, captioned her post on March 26.In her post, Larissa shared three photos of herself in a low-cut, satin trumpet gown with lace long sleeves and a small train.The Brazil native also tagged Eric, 28, in the post although he did not appear in the pictures.Tagging Eric on Instagram suggests Larissa is looking forward to a new chapter of her life with her boyfriend, with whom she recently celebrated two years of dating.Larissa also posted an image of herself in a beautiful off-the-shoulder lace ballgown on her Instagram Story, In Touch Weekly reported Many fans assume Larissa and Eric are now engaged since she appears to be planning for a wedding already!Comments from excited fans poured in after Larissa uploaded her photos, including a message from her ex-husband Colt Johnson 's rumored fiancee Vanessa Guerra, who commented with two hear-eyes emoticons and wrote, "Beautiful bride. Congratulations!"Eric and Larissa reportedly reconciled in February just before Valentine's Day after announcing their split in November 2020."I'm no longer in a relationship," Larissa wrote on Instagram at the time. "We decided to follow separate paths for now. We are different people who have grown apart seeking development and happiness. I hope you guys understand."She added, "This is a new chapter in my life and I'm excited to see what happens next."News of Larissa and Eric's late 2020 breakup didn't come as a surprise to fans because Larissa had noticeably unfollowed Eric on Instagram and deleted all of their photos together earlier that month, Us Weekly reported.Eric also fueled split rumors in early November when he posted a shirtless photo of himself on Instagram in attempt to promote his OnlyFans page."Single N red-e 2 mingle," he reportedly captioned the picture.Larissa and Eric met on Tinder and began dating in January 2019 after Colt -- who currently stars on 90 Day: The Single Life on Discovery's new discovery+ streaming service with Vanessa -- filed for divorce from Larissa.Larissa and Eric went Instagram official in February 2019, but Larissa announced the couple had decided to call it quits on their relationship in September 2019 after eight months of dating.Larissa said there were no hard feelings at the time, but Eric claimed he was shocked and blindsided by Larissa's announcement of their breakup on social media. Larissa had also filed a police report against Eric citing harassment, according to The Blast."Larissa doesn't want to speak about it anymore because she wants Eric to go away and doesn't want to give him the fame he's thirsty for," a source previously told Us about the case."Eric gave out her number to other women, and they were calling and texting and harassing her nonstop, so she changed her number."Larissa also told the magazine of her breakup, "I'm done with men and men trying to exploit me."However, Larissa and Eric were shown reuniting and giving their romance another shot on Season 5 of : Happily Ever After?, which aired in Summer 2020."My feeling for Eric is above all my relationships and bigger than I have felt with Colt. I always was in love with Eric when we are dating, but I decide to break up with him because of all the kind of relationship problems, and I thought that he [didn't] admire me anymore," Larissa said in a confessional on the show."But I miss being in a relationship with him because Eric isn't perfect but he always tried to help me out when we were together and he doesn't judge me for anything that [I've done] in my life."After two months of not speaking to Eric at all, Larissa and Eric met at a restaurant to talk things out, and Larissa apologized for the police report and wrongly accusing him of dishing out her phone number to random women.Larissa and Eric agreed they had lost their spark before, with Larissa saying they essentially became friends and roommates living with each other towards the end."When we were good, we were good... I just feel we should take things a lot more slowly... We need to communicate a lot better and not get so frustrated with each other," Eric told Larissa. "I just don't want to fight like we used to."Eric claimed he just wanted to make Larissa happy, and so Larissa gushed to the cameras, "The heart wants what [it wants], so I am very hopeful that we can work. I hope we can leave all the problems in the past and everything will be happy."Larissa's best friend Carmen didn't approve of Larissa's decision to take Eric back, so Carmen kicked her out of her house. As a result, Larissa decided to move into Eric's Las Vegas house.Larissa then discovered Eric had trash-talked her to his family, friends and even strangers when they were broken up, but Eric apologized and said he acted out of pain and a broken heart.Eric also agreed to "invest" in Larissa's plastic surgery transformation by providing the money upfront to pay for her breast augmentation and nose job. Eric told Larissa that she needed to pay him back with interest.Eric helped Larissa through her recovery and was at her every beck and call. He told the cameras he didn't realize how much he loved and cared for Larissa until he saw her hurting and in pain.Two months after Larissa's surgery, Larissa confirmed she and Eric were having more sex, but Eric pointed out, "Not enough."Eric added however, "Things are good -- better than they've been."Larissa disclosed on the series her Green Card was still processing, and Eric said they had a lot to figure out before thinking about getting married.Larissa then appeared on Part 1 of : Happily Ever After?'s Season 5 Tell-All on September 27 with Eric by her side.Larissa gushed about Eric on Instagram in July 2020, telling her followers, "There were many people, many whom I used to be close to, that tried to turn Eric against me. They even went as far to stage that he was against me and vengeful. Eric has always accepted me for who I am. For the good and the bad. For my victories and challenges. I am happy."In August, Larissa posted cute videos of Eric and herself dancing and singing together in a kitchen, and Larissa captioned them, "By your side smiling, is where I always want to be."And Eric said he had met his "match" in Larissa in early September, when everything was still fine between the couple.Larissa and Eric then left Las Vegas and moved to Colorado together. On September 17, Eric announced on Instagram he had sold his home in Las Vegas.Larissa announced in late September she was released from her contract by TLC after uploading racy content on a live-streaming webcam platform.After reportedly spending $72,000 on multiple plastic-surgery procedures, Larissa unveiled her dramatic new look and busty figure on CamSoda by starring in a one-hour oil show in sexy lingerie and a g-string bathing suit.Eric, however, appeared to support the Brazil native through it all, including a September arrest by ICE that resulted in Larissa being placed in removal proceedings in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, TMZ reported.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Ethiopian Airlines has disclosed that it was recently was honoured with the Best International Award at the just concluded Abuja Jabamah Wonders of Nigeria Expo.

Receiving the award from the Ambassadors of Trinidad and Tobago Wendell Lago and the Ambassador of Jamaica Esmond Reid, the Traffic and Sales Manager of the airline, Mrs. Senait Ataklet thanked the organisers.

She said last year was a difficult year for everyone but Ethiopian Airlines focused on cargo to shore up its fortune.

According to Ataklet, the focus on cargo by Ethiopian Airlines saw the airline converting some passenger airplanes into freighters.

She said the award came as Ethiopian celebrated one year anniversary of conversion of B737 into a Freighter.

Ataklet said since the start of its first cargo flight on passenger seat last year, Ethiopian has been increasing its capacity to become an ideal shipment partner of many humanitarian organizations including the WFP.

Besides, Ethiopian has been hailed for its efficient delivery of essential medical supplies donated by Alibaba Foundation, WHO and donor governments to all African countries. The airline is currently working in collaboration with UNICEF and Cainiao for the global vaccine distribution.

Commenting on the milestone, Ethiopian Group CEO Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam said: "Today marks one year since the beginning of our first Preighter flight service as a way to manage the unprecedented global crisis. The single Preighter flight that started on this day last year has helped our airline navigate the storm so far.

"We are extremely honored to have served our customers during the most difficult times. Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services has been a critical player in the global fight against the pandemic by distributing medical supplies and PPE to places with limited access to transportation."
Three wrongfully convicted former U.S. Army soldiers will be compensated for spending 25 years in Georgia prisons for a murder they didn't commit.

The state Senate last week approved a trio of bills to pay Mark Jones, Kenny Gardiner and Dominic Lucci $1 million each, which is one-third of what they would've earned if they'd retired from the service, as they'd intended.

The money, paid out in monthly installments over 20 years, will help with the struggles the three men face after so much time lost -- and endured -- in prison before the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously tossed out their convictions in late 2017. The men, who were barely 20 when they were sent away, worked constantly, often doing grueling labor.

It took three years for the veterans to get enough support for the compensation bills to pass through the General Assembly.

Jones said the success of this year's effort, led by state Rep. Derek Mallow, D-Savannah, brings "the satisfaction of knowing that Georgia recognizes its responsibility to compensate for its error." It'll also mean "a small amount of financial independence and getting out of debt," Jones said.

In 1992, the soldiers, stationed at Fort Stewart, were caught up in a murder case while visiting Savannah for a bachelor party.

Jones was to marry the next morning. The friends became lost on the way to a strip club. Around the same time, a Black man named Stanley Jackson, 35, was gunned down in the street by multiple shooters described by a witness as possibly white men in a dark car. The soldiers, white men in a dark car, happened to ask a police officer for directions as she walked the witness into the police station.

Soon the witness falsely would identify them as the killers. The witness, a Black minister, would later say police, prosecutors and even fellow clergy encouraged him to identify the soldiers as the killers because of fears of a riot if no one was convicted. Black residents in Savannah at the time were outraged by the Police Department's failure to solve crimes against Black people. They alleged that detectives seemed to have a far easier time when the victims were white.

In truth, a resident told police that a group of white men had been riding around Savannah that night, threatening to shoot random Black people. The resident reported this several hours after the soldiers were arrested, but police and prosecutors never turned the report over to the defense.

Gardiner, who works seven days a week alongside his friend Jones cleaning rental homes in Texas, hopes the money will bring some peace of mind.

"To me it means being debt-free and not having to live paycheck to paycheck," he said. "It's not really enough to stop working but enough where I can start thinking about the possibility of an actual home for myself."

This article is written by Joshua Sharpe from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
A North Carolina woman has been sentenced to the maximum 40 years in prison for murdering her younger sister's boyfriend so that the sibling could marry their father as part of a twisted torture and incest plot.

Anna Marie Choudhary, 33, of Boone, was sentenced on Wednesday in McDowell County Circuit Court for her January guilty plea to second-degree murder in the 2019 death of John Thomas McGuire.

The body of McGuire, 38, of Owatonna, Minnesota, was found months later in a grave at the now-former residence of Choudharys father, Larry Paul McClure Sr, in the McDowell County community of Skygusty, West Virginia.

Anna Marie Choudhary, 33, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for her January guilty plea to second-degree murder in the 2019 death of John Thomas McGuire

Choudharys sister, McGuire's girlfriend Amanda Naylor McClure (left), 31, in October 2020 was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The sisters' father, Larry McClure, 55 (right), was sentenced last year to life in prison

McGuire was tied up, injected with homemade methamphetamine, beaten, tortured and ultimately strangled

McClure, 55, of Kentucky, was sentenced last year to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder.

Choudharys sister, McGuire's girlfriend Amanda Naylor McClure, 31, from Minnesota, in October was sentenced to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder.

McGuire's mother, Karen Smith, attended Choudhury's sentencing hearing remotely and wished her son's three killers 'a very miserable life,' reported Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

According to earlier testimony, Amanda and McGuire, who were in a relationship, were living in Indiana and were having problems with a vehicle.

Her father and sister drove there to bring them to West Virginia. All four were using drugs.

Choudhary said at her sentencing that Larry enticed McGuire to play a 'trust game' in which McGuires feet were tied up.

'This game of trust was one of the most evil things Ive hard of,' Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Dennie Morgan said.

Amanda and her biological father had sex and got married in Virginia three weeks after her boyfriend's murder

When he tried to get out of the bindings, Amanda hit him in the head with a wine bottle, Choudhary said.

Larry testified that McGuire was tortured for three days, beginning on Valentine's Day 2019.

During that time, the victim was hog-tied and injected with a 'bad batch' of homemade methamphetamine.

At one point he had a black garbage bag placed over his head and, eventually, he was strangled by Choudhury, McClure said.

McGuire was buried in a shallow grave behind McClure's house, but days later his body was dug up, dismembered and reburied in two different places.

Two weeks after that, Amanda married her biological father, Larry, with her sister Anna acting as the witness at their nuptials in Virginia.

During a hearing in January, Choudhury recounted the harrowing chain of events that led to McGuire's murder.

She said her sister, their dad and McGuire had been having fun until Amanda suggested the 'trust game' game where she said she would prove she could untie herself from 'anything'.

But Amanda tied up John instead. That is when, Choudhury told the judge, 'things started to get strange'.

They'd taken homemade meth, which Choudhury says did not crystallize properly.

After his arrest in 2019, Larry McClure penned this confession note. He will stay in jail without parole for the rest of his life

Once McGuire was tied up, she said their father's demeanor changed.

'He sat down and I dont know, it was a grin that Ill never be able to describe.

'But as John sat up and bent over to untie his feet, and it all happened so quick, but Amanda stood up and grabbed that bottle and bashed him over the back of the head with it.

'And the next thing I know John had reared up and was leaning back against the wall holding his head.

'And thats when Larry looked at me and told me if I knew what was best for my children and wanted them to live, I would follow all instructions that were given to me from that moment on,' she told the judge.

Amanda and her father then proceeded to torture McGuire by beating him and standing on him.

McGuire's mother wished her son's three killers 'a very miserable life'

They were high on the home-cooked liquid meth and were convinced he was a federal informant and kept demanding to know 'who he was'.

McGuire pleaded with them that he was who he said he was. Anna Marie says he even recited his social security number to them repeatedly.

At 6am on February 15, Choudhury said her sister told her to inject McGuire with a syringe of what she thought was truth serum but was in fact the meth.

She did but rather than kill him, the drugs 'made him stronger'.

'They stood over me and told me I needed to finish it and needed to strangle him, so thats what I did,' Choudhury said.

Larry then stood on his back while Choudhury strangled him with a rope.

Once he was dead, she said the pair told her to wrap his body in a trash bag for burial. After McGuire was interred, Choudhury said her sister and her father started their romantic relationship.

But Amanda later became paranoid that McGuire was not actually dead and ordered her sister to dig up his body.

To prove McGuire was really deceased, McClure drove 'bed nails' through his corpse with a sledgehammer.

At her sentencing last fall, Amanda apologized to McGuire's mother and begged the court for mercy.

'I have to look at myself every day,' she said. 'My family didnt raise me to be this way. Ive not only hurt Johns family, Ive hurt my own family.'

Amanda attempted to offer an explanation for what happened, blaming her father for having a bad influence on her.

'My dad didnt want anyone else near me,' she said. 'John told Larry that he loved me and we were going to get married. I wish I could bring John back. He was a good man.'

Some of the details of the harrowing murder and of the incestuous relationship between McClure and his daughter Amanda were revealed during a preliminary hearing for the murder case in November.

'On or about February 14, Mr. John McGuire was struck in the head with a bottle of wine, then tied up, and then injected with two vials of methamphetamine. After the injection, he was strangled,' West Virginia State Police Trooper K.M. Saddler, the lead investigator in the case, testified in the preliminary hearing.

Larry McClure, was originally arrested for failing to register as a sex offender, and later disclosed to West Virginia State Police the location of the body, which was found on September 24, 2019.

A breakthrough in the case came on November 4 when McClure wrote a letter to police confessing to the crime and detailing the grisly murder.

McClure painted his daughter Amanda as the ringleader of the plot who ordered her sister to kill McGuire.

He said he does not know her motive for the killing, but alleged she was spending McGuire's monthly Social Security checks.

'I cannot tell you why Amanda wanted John McGuire dead,' he said.

'I am asking for this to be over and not waisting [sic} the taxpayers money and hurting the family members on both sides of this. John McGuires family and my family.'

The criminal complaint revealed Larry and his daughter, who was raised by adoptive parents, had an incestuous relationship and got married just three weeks after the murder.
Dodoma  Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan has today told the taxman through the ministry of finance to stop frustrating businesses and instead look for new ways how to expand the tax base.

"You have been given a threshold of Sh 2 trillion per month, go and expand the tax base and come up with new tax payers," said the president.

The President was speaking at the swearing in of the newly appointed Chief Secretary, ministers and their deputies at State House Dodoma.

According to the president the prevailing trend is killing tax payers instead of making the environment conducive for doing business.

"You use a lot of force in collection of taxes, now those whom you impose heavy taxes upon, you take away their tools of work, close their bank accounts, forcefully take money from accounts, just because the law allows you to do so, once this happens most business people opt to close shop and go to other countries," said President.

She added: This reduces the number of tax payers, I therefore urge you to go out there and expand the tax base plus supervising all the issues that frustrate people from paying taxes.
Social media influencers are increasingly changing the media landscape by virtue of their popularity, with many having the power to affect purchasing among their many followers. Among the Jewish social media influencers with substantial audiences are five St. Louisans, three of whom still call the city home. Today, meet one of the five, Esther Santer, a fashion and lifestyle blogger (esthersanter.com), who has 85,000 followers on Instagram.

Esther Santer

Fashion and lifestyle blogger (esthersanter.com)

85,000 followers on Instagram

New York Fashion Week is one of the hottest tickets in Manhattan. VIPs who regularly attend include Kate Hudson, Rihanna and Issa Rae. Youll also find Esther Santer among the glitterati.

Santer, an alum of H.F. Epstein Hebrew Academy and Agudas Israel and U. City Shul, is a popular fashion and lifestyle blogger. It all started eight years ago when she was in her last semester at Touro College, sitting in class when she texted a friend.

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I was living across from Lincoln Center where Fashion Week used to take place, and I wanted to be a part of it so badly, but I had no connections, said Santer, 30. It was extremely exclusive, basically just celebrities. I was trying to wrap my brain around how I could go. It was the last day, the last show, and I said to my friends, Lets just crash it. Lets do whatever we have to do.

There was security, and you really needed tickets but we somehow got in, and it was so magical that that night I went home and I said, Im starting a blog and next season, Im getting invited. So thats exactly what happened!

Santer had no formal training, but she quickly developed contacts, covered fashion shows and used online resources to develop her voice and her blog. One year later, she received an invitation to a show from designer Nanette Lepore.

I thought, OK, if I can do that, what else can I do?  she said. So over the next couple of years, I continued doing what I was doing until I was getting probably over 50 invitations a season. Thats when I figured, if I can go from literally nothing with no connections, just a St. Louis girl moving to New York, I can turn this into a business. So that is what I did.

In the process, Santer discovered that you can earn a good living from being a social media influencer. Blog posts that collaborate with top brands, from H&M to Starbucks, earn her real income.

Standing out in the blogging world requires creative content, and Santer has achieved that in both her blog and Instagram feed. Her personality and point of view are reflected in the first-person account of a fashion-loving New Yorker. Those posts are also accompanied by photos of Santer wearing fabulous clothes, posing around Manhattan. Now that Santer is married, her husband (who is Jewish and works in the restaurant industry) is also featured regularly.

Her posts also frequently address Judaism. That was a deliberate editorial decision based on both Santers upbringing and her audience.

I actually didnt bring any religion into my posts for a bunch of years, she said. But then I started to become really popular in the Jewish world. As I started to realize that my Jewish base was growing so large, I realized I needed to relate to them. Being Jewish is my strong identity, so it just made sense.

Santer said being a social media influencer with tens of thousands of followers requires her to constantly come up with new photo ops and stories. Its a full-time job and real work, but she wouldnt have it any other way.

Whats really cool about it is that you get out what you put in, and I love that, she said. The access and opportunities that bloggers have is just insane. Things have definitely changed but, prepandemic, I was attending events probably two to three times a night. I would have a private car service sent to get me. I would be given third-row concert tickets. Id be sent to the Hamptons for the weekend. Life was a bit luxurious.

Theres obviously a lot of work that goes into it, but just from the opportunities and the things that are made accessible to bloggers, it makes you feel like youre living the dream.
Little Petey Buttigieg is now playing in the big leagues, having made the tremendous leap from ineffectual mayor of a crime-ridden city to transportation secretary of the United States of America. To make a point about alternative transportation, he rode a bicycle to his first White House Cabinet meeting  after first having several burly men drive him near the White House and then escort him and his bike. This kind of theater is typical for leftists, who often seem incapable of distinguishing fantasy from reality.

Last week, Little Petey (who always reminds me of a cross between Alfred "What, Me Worry?" Newman and Beaver Cleaver) let Americans know that being transportation secretary is more than focusing on roads and cars. Therefore, he tweeted out, "You should not have to own a car to prosper in this country, no matter what kind of community you're living in."

On Thursday, he decided to use his first White House Cabinet meeting to make that point. He wasn't going to drive to the White House. He was going to bike there. Except that was ridiculous because D.C. is a big, busy city, and biking is a slow and vulnerable process.

What Little Petey actually did was to take a large SUV to some point near the White House. He then strapped on his cute helmet, had his three burly companions get his bike out of the car and engaged in the theater of riding a bike to the White House, with a security guard biking at his side and the same SUV traveling behind him to keep him safe from errant vehicles:

Pete Buttigieg's dog and pony show.



Use an armored Suburban to bring a bike within a short distance of the destination. Unload it and ride in with a security detail in tow, pretending to save energy.  pic.twitter.com/Pxynakrl59  Tim Xeriland (@Xeriland) April 1, 2021

Those burly men are, frankly, a bit mystifying. Usually, Cabinet secretaries don't get security details. Perhaps Democrats, despite the presence of thousands of troops in D.C., are still scared. Kind of pathetic, really...

It occurred to me watching the video that Democrats are always given to theater. Part of it is because they understand well the power of visual images. Humans are programmed to pick up on, respond to, and try to interpret images. Truly, for most people, a picture really is worth a thousand words. Lefties are good at that, which helps explain their dominance in the world of movies, television, and videos.

That same reliance on visuals, however, also speaks to the fact that leftists often cannot distinguish fantasy from reality. I'm willing to bet that Little Petey really is proud of himself for having biked to work on Thursday.

Here's another example: leftists think that a man who slices and dices himself, along with taking unhealthy dollops of hormones, and ends up looking like a weird simulacrum of a woman is in fact a woman. Ditto a woman who does the slice and dice and hormones, and claims to be a man. He's still a he, and she's still a she, but damn it! They look like the opposite sex, so it must still be real.

The list of visuals goes on: kids in cages! Rachel Dolezal! Pink pussy hats! Hands up, don't shoot! Greta Thunberg's perpetually scowling visage. Meghan Markle's martyred Madonna face as she sits in her multi-million-dollar mansion next to a prince and opposite a billionaire. Waterboarding theater on the streets during the Bush era. Biden's and Harris's omnipresent masks even though both have been vaccinated, as is true for everyone around them.

Democrats live in a make-believe world, a permanent Potemkin village in which they create their own reality. The problem is that they're working hard to impose their fantasies on the rest of the world. That's like trying to cram matter and anti-matter into the same space, and we all know what happens when you do that.

Image: Mayor Pete on a bike. Twitter screen grab.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
ANN ARBOR, MI  All veterans can now receive vaccine from the VA Ann Arbor healthcare system regardless of their enrollment status or character of discharge, officials announced Friday.

The move is the result of the SAVE LIVES Act President Joe Biden signed into law March 24, granting legal authority to provide vaccine to all veterans, spouses and caregivers. The legislation removes some of the legal limits on the medical care the VA can provide to veterans, based on health care eligibility, officials said.

The SAVE LIVES Act increases the number of individuals who are eligible to get lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines from VA from 9.5 million to more than 33 million, said VA Secretary Denis McDonough.

Meeting the task of vaccinating this expanded population will be a tremendous undertaking for the VA and will require a significant increase in our allocation of vaccine supply, but I am confident that VAs workforce is up to the task.

At this time, the hospital still has a limited amount of vaccines, officials said. The healthcare system is working to determine how quickly it can begin to offer vaccines to these other groups and is encouraging the eligible residents to check back often for updates.

To receive vaccine at the LTC Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor, go to https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/sign-up/introduction. People who cannot use the internet can call 734-222-7100.

Appointments will be available Monday through Friday, with limited hours on Saturday.

In accordance with the new law, VA Ann Arbor Hospital must continue to prioritize vaccinations and healthcare delivery for Veterans already enrolled in VA care, officials said.

Interested veterans, their caregivers and veteran spouses who qualify under the legislation can click here to learn more about COVID-19 vaccines at VA.

The VA is also encouraging patients who have not yet been vaccinated to check retail pharmacies, such as CVS, Meijer, Walmart, Kroger and Rite Aid, who may have greater supply.

There is also an ongoing mass vaccination site at Ford Field in Detroit. To register at this site, Michigan residents can sign up online at https://clinic.meijer.com/register/CL2021, call 888-535-6136, or text EndCOVID to 75049.

READ MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Washtenaw County residents can now self schedule for COVID vaccine appointments

Tens of millions of dollars in stimulus money expected to pour into Washtenaw County

Pop-up COVID vaccine clinics coming to Washtenaw Countys most at-risk communities
President Joe Biden led a series of tributes to slain U.S. Capitol Police officer William 'Billy' Evans on Friday after Evans was killed in line of duty.

He and Jill Biden offered their condolences and the president ordered the flag at the White House to be lowered to half staff.

'Jill and I were heartbroken to learn of the violent attack at a security checkpoint on the U.S. Capitol grounds, which killed Officer William Evans of the U.S. Capitol Police, and left a fellow officer fighting for his life.'

'We send our heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans family, and everyone grieving his loss. We know what a difficult time this has been for the Capitol, everyone who works there, and those who protect it,' Biden said in a statement.

'I want to express the nations gratitude to the Capitol Police, the National Guard Immediate Response Force, and others who quickly responded to this attack. As we mourn the loss of yet another courageous Capitol Police officer, I have ordered that the White House flags be lowered to half-mast,' he said.

President Joe Biden led a series of tributes to slain U.S. Capitol Police officer William 'Billy' Evans on Friday after Evans was killed in line of duty. He is pictured with First Lady Jill on his way to Camp David for the Easter Weekend on Friday

Capitol police officer Billy Evans (left) was killed by a knife-wielding driver on Friday at the US Capitol. The suspect has been identified by NBC and the New York Post as Noah Green (right)

The suspect - who NBC is reporting is now dead - is shown being stretchered away from the scene after being shot by a Capitol cop. Two Capitol cops are now in the hospital in a critical condition. He has been named by NBC as 25-year-old Noah Green

Biden ordered flags lowered at all public buildings and grounds until sunset, April 6, 2021.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi also ordered the flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at half-staff in Evans' honor.

Evans died after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the Capitol building, officials said. Evans was an 18-year veteran of the force.

'It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of Officer William 'Billy' Evans this afternoon from injuries he sustained following an attack at the North Barricade by a lone assailant. Officer Evans had been a member of the United States Capitol Police for 18 years. He began his USCP service on March 7, 2003, and was a member of the Capitol Division's First Responder's Unit. Please keep Officer Evans and his family in your thoughts and prayers,' acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said in a statement.

Pelosi called Evans 'a martyr for our democracy.'

'May we always remember the heroism of those who have given their lives to defend our Democracy. May it be a comfort to the family of Officer Evans that so many mourn with them and pray for them at this sad time,' she said in a statement.

At 1:02 pm, the driver plowed his blue Nissan Altima through the barrier near the Senate office buildings on Capitol Hill, smashing the two cops, before emerging from with a knife. He then lunged at other cops nearby, ignoring commands, and was shot. The suspect died at a hospital.

Members of Congress took to Twitter to express condolences and thank police for their service.

Friday's incident comes less than three months after the January 6th MAGA riot on Capitol Hill, where officer Brian Sicknick died of injuries sustained in the attack and two officers committed suicide in the aftermath. Sicknick also had flags lowered in his honor and his remains lay in state in the Capitol rotunda.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at half-staff on Friday in tribute to U.S. Capitol Police officer William 'Billy' Evans who died in the line of duty

Congress was not in session on Friday so lawmakers were back in their home states instead of in the Capitol building.

'I'm heartbroken for the officer killed today defending our Capitol and for his family. I'm praying for the officer injured and his family. We're in their debt We thank the Capitol Police, National Guard, & first responders for all they do to protect the Capitol and those inside,' wrote Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

'I am heartbroken that Officer William F. Evans was killed in the line of duty defending the Capitol. His name will go down in history for his selfless sacrifice,' said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in a statement. 'The Senate is praying hard for the second injured officer and for Officer Evans's family and friends. We could not be more grateful for the professionalism and heroism of the officers who neutralized this threat at the checkpoint and for the entire USCP force, who have had to endure so much in just a few short months. And we thank all the other first responders who quickly arrived on the scene.'

The suspect rammed a car into a security barrier on Capitol Hill on Friday, hitting two officers

U.S. Capitol Police officers near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021

'Please join me in prayer for the two Capitol Police officers and their families. They reacted quickly and bravely, as did all the other first responders at the scene. The whole country is pulling for them right now,' wrote House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.

'My thoughts are with these brave officers and their families. They've sacrificed a tremendous amount over the last few months and we are forever indebted to them,' said California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California.

'We are praying for the two USCP officers involved and the safety of all of our great men and women in blue that keep us all safe everyday. #BackTheBlue,' wrote Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

'Profound gratitude for those who protect our nation's Capitol and who keep us safe, and profound sadness for Officer Billy Evans who has lost his life doing so,' tweeted Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah.

'Heidi and I extend our deepest condolences on the loss of one of the U.S. Capitol Police's finest. We will continue to pray for the second officer in the hospital. Thank you to all of the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police,' wrote Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

'Thank you to the Capitol Police for your dedication in protecting our Capitol. My wife and I are heartbroken over the death of this officer and praying for a speedy recovery for the injured. Please keep those who protect and serve in your thoughts and prayers,' tweeted Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 20:35:43|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Travel bans are to be introduced for visitors from the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh, the British Department of Transport (DfT) said Friday.

The four countries have been added to England's so-called "red list" amid concerns about new COVID-19 variants, such as those first identified in South Africa and Brazil.

From 4:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) on April 9, international visitors who have departed from or transited through the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England.

The DfT said only British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights in Britain, including long-term visa holders, will be allowed to enter and they must stay in a government-approved quarantine facility for 10 days.

No direct flight bans from the countries will be put in place but passengers are being advised to check their travel plans before departing for England.

During their stay, passengers will be required to take a coronavirus test on or before day two and on or after day eight, and they will not be allowed to shorten their quarantine period on receipt of a negative test result.

They will also not be able to end their managed quarantine early through the Test to Release scheme.

The latest restrictions take the total number of countries on England's "red list" to 39.

Earlier this month, Mauritius and Portugal were removed from the "red list" while Oman, Ethiopia, Qatar and Somalia were added.

Overseas holidays are currently banned due to Britain's coronavirus lockdown measures, but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to make an announcement on Easter Monday about lifting restrictions in England.

It comes as foreign getaway destinations are expected to be ranked under a traffic light system, with fewer restrictions for countries with low rates of infections and high vaccination take-up.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem
James Bradley, 20, is one of two people arrested and charged with attempting and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization

A newlywed husband and wife allegedly intent on fighting for the Islamic State group were arrested Thursday at a port as they attempted to board a cargo ship that an undercover law enforcement officer said would take them to Yemen, prosecutors said.

James Bradley, 20, and Arwa Muthana, 29, were taken into custody on the gangplank at Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal in New Jersey, prosecutors said.

They were charged in federal court in Manhattan with both attempting and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Each count comes with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, meaning both individuals are facing up to 40 years in jail.

Muthana is the older sister of Hoda Muthana, who left her family so she could join ISIS back in 2014.

Bradley and Muthana made an initial court appearance Thursday and were ordered jailed without bail. Messages seeking comment were left with their lawyers.

Muthana and Bradley were married in January in an Islamic ceremony.

'As alleged, the defendants planned to travel overseas to join and support ISIS,' Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers said in a release.

Bradley and his wife, Arwa Muthana, were arrested at Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal in New Jersey, according to prosecutors

'The threat of terrorism at home and abroad remains, and the National Security Division is committed to holding accountable those who would provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.'

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement that the couple's 'plans to wage attacks against the United States have been thwarted.'

Bradley, of the Bronx, spent more than a year expressing support for IS and speaking of his desire to join the group overseas or commit a terrorist attack in the U.S., prosecutors said.

He also went by the name 'Abdullah' and sought transit to the Middle East by cargo ship because he feared he might have been on a terrorist watch list, prosecutors said.

Bradley had previously spoken to an undercover officer in May 2020 about potentially attacking the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, prosecutors said.

He also had what appeared to be a hand-drawn image of what prosecutors said was a jihadi flag in his bedroom.

In June 2020, Bradley allegedly told an undercover officer that he wanted to attack a military base.

Bradley's Instagram appeared to have a post of someone in a desert with what appears to be an ISIS flag

Pictured: More social media posts prosecutors allege came from Bradley's pages

Then, in January 2021, he allegedly told an undercover officer that he could use his truck to attack Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets in training at a university in New York.

Arwa Muthana, of Alabama, has also expressed support for IS and discussed with Bradley plans to travel together to the Middle East to fight on behalf of the group, prosecutors said.

After traveling to Alabama to visit Muthana around early March 2021 (and then back to New York), prosecutors said Bradley approached the undercover officer with the idea of traveling on a cargo ship to join IS.

The officer connected Bradley with a 'facilitator' - another undercover officer - and Bradley paid that person $1,000 in cash for travel costs, prosecutors said.

Bradley told that officer that he and Muthana planned to be 'fighting' upon arrival in Yemen and that he'd had a dream that he had given an oath of allegiance to IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi prosecutors said.

He also said that he planned to throw his identification and passport 'in the water' during the trip so that if he were to get arrested the authorities wouldn't know who he was, prosecutors said.

An undercover officer told Bradley about a departing cargo ship on March 25, which was set to sail on March 31.

On their way to the seaport, Bradley and Muthana allegedly met again with an undercover officer and Muthana confirmed the purpose of their travel plans, leading to the dual arrests.

After her arrest, Muthana waived her right to remain silent and said that she was willing to fight and kill Americans if it was for Allah, prosecutors said.

Arwa Muthana's younger sister Hoda, now 26 years old, left her family in November 2014 to join ISIS.

Hoda Muthana (pictured) is the younger sister of Arwa Muthana, who was arrested this week. Hoda ran away from her family to join ISIS in 2014, but has since expressed regret

According to AL.com, Hoda tricked her family into allowing her to go on a school trip to Atlanta in November 2014, only to hop on a plane to Turkey with Syria as her end destination.

Hoda then married Suhan Abdul Rahman before the jihadist died fighting, leading Hoda to two more marriages and the birth of a son, Adam.

She later expressed regret about joining ISIS, however, and stated a desire to return to the United States.

'Anyone that believes in God believes that everyone deserves a second chance, no matter how harmful their sins were,' she said to NBC News from a refugee camp in 2019.

A federal judge ruled later in 2019 that Hoda was no longer a U.S. citizen and could not return to the country.

At the time, President Donald Trump also tweeted that he did not want Hoda allowed back into the country.

Hoda and Arwa are daughters of a Yemeni diplomat who became a naturalized citizen while on assignment in the United States.

A U.S.-led coalition captured the last of the territory held by the Islamic State group about two years ago, ending its self-declared caliphate that covered large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Since then, remaining IS militants have gone underground in the Syrian-Iraqi border region, continuing an insurgency.
The first group of Foreign Expert's Book Houses in northwest China's Shaanxi province was inaugurated on Xi'an Jiaotong University's new campus on April 1, 2021. The main purpose is to further promote people-to-people exchange amid China's expanding opening-up efforts.

The first batch of Foreign Expert's Book Houses in northwest China's Shaanxi province was officially inaugurated on April 1, 2021, on Xi'an Jiaotong University's new campus. [Photo by Zhu Bochen/China.org.cn]

With multilingual literature in the fields of politics, economics, social studies, and science and technologies, the institutes are designed to communicate Chinese culture to foreign R&D professionals so that they can better understand the country.

Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, has been offered tremendous developing opportunities over the years due to its vital role along the Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) route. In recent year, in order to achieve comprehensive innovation, great efforts have been made in the city in building pilot free trade zones and pilot reform zones.

The ancient imperial capital has introduced an open and effective policy to attract professionals. With optimized management and service mechanisms for foreign expatriates, the eastern departure point of the Silk Road seeks greater complementary action between innovation and industrial chains.

Xi Guang, vice president of Xi'an Jiaotong University, addresses the crowd during the inauguration ceremony on April 1, 2021. [Photo by Zhu Bochen/China.org.cn]

With more such book houses scheduled to be established in the city, they are expected to becoming a hub for regular book readings and other communicative events for foreign professionals so as to promote mutual understanding, build the city's cultural capacities, and create a diverse and vibrant atmosphere.
Bangladesh: IPRS technology brings new hope in fish farming

by Shykh Seraj

April 02,2021 | Source: The Daily Star

In the first week of February this year, I went to Akbar Hossain's fish farm in Chapainawabganj's Bulonpur where no one had to go down to the pond to catch fish and get wet. Everyone was fishing from the concrete platform on the banks of the ponds. Workers standing beside the makeshift channels beside the ponds were bringing the fish up using different nets, used for different varieties of fish from different channels and you would have been really surprised to see that. We are now at the age of the fourth industrial revolution. With the advancement of technology, revolutionary changes are constantly taking place in the field of production. Agriculture is becoming an important chapter in this century. With the advent of the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence technology (AI), farmers are looking forward in producing more by spending less from a small space or land. Landmark changes are taking place, especially in the farming sector. The practical application of technology that could not have been imagined even five years back is surprisingly becoming effective today through flourishing applications. The information about advanced technology in developed countries is spreading in every corner of the world. The educated young entrepreneurs of our country are also getting the latest news on the internet. It can be said that agricultural technology is constantly knocking on the farmers' door. From fruits to poultry, dairy and fisheries, all sectors of farming are changing with the touch of technology. In recent times, the youth's interest in fish farming is showing the dream of a new silver revolution. Fish farming technologies like Biofloc technology (BFT), Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) for indoor fish farming have become very popular. The bottom clean raceway system also became popular in time's course. The main obstacle in fish farming is excess ammonia and lack of oxygen in the pond water or reservoirs. Somehow, if the amount of oxygen can be increased by removing ammonia waste from the water, it is possible to produce more. Akbar Hossain of Chapainawabganj has brought a new technology in fish farming, which is entirely a different one indeed, known as, in-pond raceway system (IPRS). Akbar is counting more profit by cultivating more fish in a small space.



Dear readers, you may remember, in November 2016, I visited Akbar's fish farm and wrote about it. I was surprised to see the changing agricultural initiatives in the Barind region. Akbar was highly inspired by watching my programme Hridoye Mati O Manush (Soil & People in Heart) and built a huge fish farm with 36 ponds on 20 hectares of land. He has many other trees and fruit plants on his agricultural farm. He planted 400 malta plants right beside the ponds while 500 Vietnamese coconut plants are also there. There are 600 dragon fruit trees, papaya trees as well as lots of banana trees on the farm. He gets Tk 2 lakh (USD 2360) every year by selling the bananas. Akbar also has his rice mill in his agricultural compound. A beautiful pigeon house is there. In 2016, I was surprised to see his farm. Because, he started many new practices, especially in fish farming. An aerator was used to provide adequate oxygen to the fish in all the ponds. When feeding fish, there was an auto-feeder and it was not a manual method of feeding the fishes. As a result, food wastage was prevented and a certain amount of food was given to the fishes at specific times. This time, when I went to Akbar's fish farm, known as Nawab Hi-Tech Fish Farm, I was amazed to see his new technology and great progress in fish farming. Akbar has revolutionized fish farming using in-pond raceway system technology. As far as I know, this is the first-ever fish farm in the country that is using IPRS. There are two farms in India and three in Pakistan that are using this technology, alongside the big game-changers like China. Akbar's farm is the largest in South Asia in terms of size. IPRS is an American fish farming technology. China has made great strides in fish farming over the past few years using technology and became quite successful. The speciality of this fish farming method is more quality fish can be produced in less water.



In these few years, the farm has become even bigger. Earlier, there were 36 ponds. Now they increased up to 43. Thirteen concrete channels have been already made in a 60 bigha (8 hectares) pond which follows the IPRS system. Rest of the ponds in the increased area are doing the regular fish farming. Artificial currents are being produced in the channels through raceway technology connected to the pipeline. Oxygen is always being created in the flowing water. The fish of the channel is getting the current and environment of the river. As a result, six times more fish can live there than that the usual one. There are different types of fish in each channel. Akbar said due to the provision of food and proper care with the help of technology, the fish grows fast and there is no outbreak of disease. Organic manure is made by filtering fish waste and leftover food from the water with the help of a machine, which is being used in the cultivation of vegetables on the banks of the pond. Each stage of fish farming is so transparent that the quality of the fish is always at the top. The fish bears a river-grown look and tastes the same as the river. I was talking to Akbar while walking along the paved edge of the channel. He said he went to China to check out the IPRS technology. Then he returned to the country and built a fish farm with this technology, imported from China last year. Chinese technicians and engineers came to Bangladesh and installed the equipment and tools, necessary for the IPRS. The investment for technology in the farm is more than Tk 5 crore (USD 560,000). Akbar wanted to start fish farming using IPRS technology from the beginning of 2020. But the impact of the coronavirus outbreak has delayed the process. He was saying that the amount of fish that can be produced in 600 bighas of water will be produced now in 60 bighas by using IPRS technology. It is possible to produce fish three times a year from each channel. In other words, fish can be farmed three seasons in a single year. Akbar's calculations say, for two seasons a year he will get 2,000 tonnes of fish from 60 bighas. Its market value will be about Tk 10 crore (USD 1120000). It means, he is expecting a profit of Tk 5 crore (USD 560000) in the first year.



In addition to food security, we now have to think about safe food. There is no alternative of using technology in the farming sector. In the last few decades, we have seen a trend of fish farming in different regions of the country and farmers are digging ponds on their cultivable lands. Although, we are moving onward to fish farming, we're losing croplands for agricultural production. If the farm is built with IPRS technology, more fish can be found in less space. It will not be necessary to dig thousands of ponds by destroying croplands. To make the fisheries sector more profitable, the government should take necessary steps for facilitating these technologies first and it would certainly open the door for fish export. Like Vietnam and Myanmar, we can earn foreign exchange by exporting fish. During 1990 to 1995, we had to import Rui-Katla fish, worth crores of taka from India and Vietnam. Now there is no need for that. We have succeeded in meeting the country's demand. Fish farmers like Akbar are completely prepared to capture the quality fish market abroad. Now the first step is most required and that is to secure the international fish market through both public and private initiatives showcasing such brilliant efforts from Bangladeshi entrepreneurs working in this sector with the latest technologies the world has offered.

 2021 / thedailystar.net
A Gold Coast man has been charged with arson after a house was significantly damaged by fire at Ashmore on Thursday.

A 30-year-old Surfers Paradise man was charged by police after they were called to a disturbance at a property on Walabah Drive about 11am.

Shortly after, the house was fully engulfed in fire, causing significant damage.

Firefighters were able to quickly put out the blaze and no one was injured during the incident.

The man was charged with one count of arson, and one count of fraud in an unrelated matter.

He is due to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on April 3.
Tunis, April 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2021 ) :Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday urged Morocco to free a Sahrawi journalist who has been jailed for a decade, saying he risked death following a hunger strike.

According to the media watchdog, authorities have been force-feeding Mohamed Lamine Haddi, who is from the disputed territory of Western Sahara, since last week.

Haddi's "physical condition is extremely worrying, after 78 days on hunger strike", RSF said in a statement.

"He is now in danger of dying and must be released without delay," RSF secretary general Christophe Deloire said.

"We issue an urgent appeal to the Moroccan authorities to end his ordeal." Haddi was arrested in 2010 after "covering the use of force by the Moroccan authorities to dismantle the Gdeim Izik protest camp" in Western Sahara, RSF said.

Three years later he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for "violence with intent to kill officials carrying out their duties" at the camp during clashes with protesters.

Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony, mostly under Morocco's control, where tensions with the pro-independence Polisario Front have simmered since the 1970s.

Morocco has offered autonomy but maintains the territory is a sovereign part of the kingdom.

Haddi was working for a Polisario-run Sahrawi television channel at the time of his arrest, RSF said, adding that he began a hunger strike on January 13 to denounce poor treatment in prison.

Moroccan authorities consider Haddi a pro-independence activist and say he was jailed for taking part in the alleged "murder" of 11 security forces during clashes at Gdeim Izik.

After the violence, a Moroccan military court sentenced 23 Sahrawi activists to jail terms ranging from 20 years to life.

Moroccan authorities have denied Haddi's family visitation rights, RSF said.

But Moroccan prison authorities have rejected the claim. A Moroccan state-run human rights group said on March 3 that Haddi's health was "normal" and denied he was observing a hunger strike.

Haddi's "mistreatment... has continued for too long," Deloire said.

"It is time to end the torture and rescue this journalist from the hunger strike he has been following for more than two months and from the oblivion to which he has been consigned by a (protracted) conflict."
A 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a Georgia high school senior, authorities said Friday.

The arrest comes after Candace Chrzan, 17, was fatally shot Tuesday night in the backyard of a home in Mount Zion, about 55 miles from Atlanta.

A Carroll County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Ashley Hulsey said that four people were at the home shooting bottles. Chrzan was in possession of a .22-caliber pistol when it jammed and she handed the weapon to the 17-year-old boy.

17-year-old Candace Chrzan (Carroll County Sheriff's Office)

Hulsey said the teen was attempting to unjam it when the gun fired, striking Chrzan in the head. She died at the scene, police said.

The gun belonged to the family of the 17-year-old, the police spokesperson said.

A second teenager was also arrested after deputies were alerted to him allegedly making threats via Snapchat to harm and shoot the 17-year-old suspect.

The sheriff's office said the teen, who is 18 and was holding a gun in the Snapchat video, was charged with felony terroristic threats.

According to friends and family, Chrzan was preparing to graduate from Mount Zion High School in a few weeks and had already picked up her cap and gown.

"No family should ever have to bury a child at this age," family friend Tiffany Cantrell told NBC affiliate WXIA-TV. "As you can imagine, this is one of the hardest things all of us have ever went through."

Chrzan was raised by her grandparents, the outlet reported. Cantrell said Chrzan's grandfather "will not rest easy until justice is served for Candace."

"We don't believe that guns kill people. We believe people kill people and whether there was foul play involved or not in this situation, that gun ended up in the hands of a minor who should not have had possession of that weapon," Cantrell continued. "Somebody out there has to take responsibility and accountability for that."

Autum Parker, who worked with Chrzan at Dairy Queen, remembered her as the "sweetest person."

"She would make you just feel amazing about anything," she said. "Her giggle! It's the giggle. Anytime you'd hear the giggle you'd be like Candace is clocked in now!"
The family of a mayor who mysteriously fell into a coma this week have begged people not to speculate on what led to his condition.

Dubbo mayor Ben Shields, 40, was rushed to hospital on Wednesday, where he remains on life support.

Just before paramedics were called to an address in central western NSW, Cr Shields posted on Facebook, stating, 'I have only ever done what is right for Dubbo'.

With his condition said to be 'very serious', Greg Mohr - a family friend of the Shields' - called for instances of malicious gossip on social media to end.

'Please don't speculate on what has happened  Please don't share or fuel any hurtful and unhelpful rumours  instead, please share a thought for Ben today and join us in wishing him a full recovery,' he said.

Dubbo mayor Ben Shields, 40, was rushed to hospital on Wednesday, where he remains on life support

Dubbo mayor Ben Shields was rushed to hospital on Wednesday, where he remains on life support

Shields stands accused of alleged mismanagement of a multimillion dollar development at the city's former air force base.

A number of councillors recently called for Shields to resign, stating they have 'no confidence' in the embattled mayor.

The development comes as Tony Abbott's sister Christine Forster defended Shields after he was publicly accused of bullying.

Forster, the sister of the former prime minister Tony Abbott, threw her support behind Mayor Shields on Friday and slammed 'purely politically motivated attacks'.

'My friend Ben Shields is a better Liberal and a better servant of his community than just about anyone I could name,' she wrote on Facebook.

'His tireless commitment to the people of Dubbo and surrounding region has been his life's work for 22 years and the current success of the city and its people is testament to that.

'The purely politically motivated attacks on him are a disgrace.'

Forster said she hoped Mayor Shields would soon be back doing his best for the community as soon as possible.

Her wife Virginia Flitcroft also shared a Facebook post praising the mayor in the wake of the medical emergency.

'Ben Shields is an honourable man, who has always put his beloved Dubbo first, to hear that he is in a critical condition in hospital is beyond devastating,' she wrote.

'This is political bullying at its most shocking.'

The 40-year-old's family earlier revealed his prognosis is uncertain.

With his condition said to be 'very serious', Greg Mohr - a family friend of the Shields' - called for malicious gossip to end

Moments before paramedics arrived, Cr Shields shared on Facebook: 'I have only ever done what is right for Dubbo'

Mayor Shields was also accused of mishandling of a multimillion-dollar proposed Bunnings development, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Deputy Mayor Stephen Lawrence and councillor John Ryan claimed Mayor Shields didn't adhere to consultation protocols.

A letter written on Wednesday - signed by councillors - said Mayor Shields' colleagues no longer had confidence in him and his abilities.

'The council condemns and will not tolerate abuse of power, bullying, harassment, threats and intimidation,' the letter read.

'The council has no confidence in the mayor and calls upon him to resign immediately as mayor and from council and enable council to move forward in the best interests of the community.'

The councillors called for a confidential report to be prepared 'advising on any and all complaints, allegations and suggestions of misconduct on behalf of the mayor that have any stage of the term of council been brought to the attention of any council staff and not been the subject of a code of conduct process'.

Mayor Shields' colleagues were also pushing for him to hand back his mayoral robes, phone, car and office within the next seven days.

His hospitalisation came just hours after six councillors accused him of bullying and 'intolerant behaviour,' and signed a letter calling for him to resign immediately
Consider it a vaccine flash mob. Minus the dancing.

Hundreds of people descended on the Lake Oswego Fire Department Wednesday night seeking soon-to-spoil COVID-19 vaccine, creating a line stretching several city blocks.

The unusual scene, prompted by at least one social media post, underscores the steady demand for vaccine access in the Portland area  particularly among those who wont otherwise be eligible until April 5 or May 1 based on state criteria.

It also illustrates the sometimes-messy process for getting leftover shots into arms, and the importance of social connections in determining who gets notified and who is left in the dark.

We were not prepared to just have people show up, said Gert Zoutendijk, the fire marshal and department spokesperson.

The Lake Oswego Fire Department found itself in that predicament following a vaccination clinic earlier in the day in Molalla, where crews planned to administer 1,100 doses at an event organized by the Clackamas County health department. But by days end, about 130 of those doses remained and needed to be injected into arms before spoiling.

Zoutendijk said as crews drove back to Lake Oswego with the vaccine, the department planned to work through an existing list of names on a wait list, plus call other fire departments and the local chamber of commerce to drum up interest.

But in the meantime, at least one person unrelated to the fire department posted information to Facebook, setting off widespread interest.

This note got posted on Facebook, prompting hundreds to visit the Lake Oswego Fire Department.

PSA from my nurse friend, the post read, going on to quote the source as saying: We have 130 doses of Covid vaccine that need to be given out this afternoon/tonight or we will have to throw them away. Tell ANYONE who wants to come to the downtown Lake Oswego fire station if they want to get their Covid vaccine.

By the time crews drove from Molalla to their station in downtown Lake Oswego, Zoutendijk said, a line had already formed. And it kept growing.

It was huge, he said.

Zoutendijk said staff administered all 130 or so doses Wednesday night, finishing the final shot sometime around 10:30 p.m.

We definitely didnt waste any, he said. Which was a good thing.

In truth, the volume of soon-to-expire doses all but caught the fire department flat-footed.

Officials maintained a formal wait list of people looking for shots, the volume of which Zoutendijk said he didnt know. But Zoutendijk said 130 doses probably would have easily exceeded the names on the list.

Asked if the fire department could have ensured each dose got administered without the social media exposure, Zoutendijk said, I dont know, to be honest with you.

Zoutendijk said the fire department has no written policy on how to administer surplus doses, including whether or how the availability of extra vaccine should be publicized.

He said the issue hasnt come up in any major way before. The fire department has helped vaccinate seniors and participated in other smaller clinics, typically involving only 100 doses. Wednesdays event was its largest, and some of the doses had been stockpiled in freezers for weeks in anticipation of a big turnout that didnt fully materialize.

Leftovers in those previous situations would usually be only about a half-dozen shots, he said. In those instances, crews could work the wait list and call other fire departments or reach out to the chamber of commerce.

Zoutendijk acknowledged such a system could be perceived as providing favoritism to certain groups but said the formal wait list is open to people who want to sign up.

Were always open to finding out a best way when we have leftovers, he said.

Zoutendijk said he did not know how many people from the wait list received notice about Wednesdays surplus or received a shot because of the overwhelming turnout from the broader public.

He said crews ended up working well over 12 hours Wednesday administering shots in Molalla and in Lake Oswego, staying so busy they didnt have time for dinner.

Some people waiting for shots at the fire station had to be turned away, he said. The department also received 300 voicemails, all related to the extra vaccine.

It completely overwhelmed the system, he said, and the resources we had.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
As the corporate regulator trumpeted its long awaited restrictions on highly risky financial products the week before Easter, two insolvency practitioners were hard at work in their Sydney office.

Peter Krejci and Andrew Cummins from insolvency firm BRI Ferrier spent this week and the many weeks before that picking through the wreckage of one of the biggest local sellers of those high risk products, Union Standard International Group (USG).

Sheffield United players celebrate the winning goal against Newcastle United in January this year. Their sponsor is now in liquidation. Credit:Getty

With up to $158 million of investor money missing, BRI Ferrier is now actively considering holding public examinations of Australian and overseas individuals involved in USGs operations to try and figure out what happened to the investor money.

The group, trading as USGFX, held itself out to be a legitimate business that sold risky financial derivatives known as contracts for difference; it even signed a $100 million sponsorship deal with Premier League upstarts Sheffield United. But now Krejci and Cummins have also told creditors that it was far from a legitimate business.
US-headquartered asset manager has said it has no plan to exit its India operations.

In a letter to investors by Sanjay Sapre, President, Mutual Fund said I wish to clarify and re-iterate that Franklin Templetons commitment to India remains steadfast. We were early entrants in the Indian mutual fund industry and have remained a part of the industry even while many other global asset managers decided to leave. Please let me assure you, we have no plans to exit our India business. Any speculation suggesting otherwise, or any rumours around sale of our business in India are incorrect and simply that - rumours.

The statement follows news reports that the Franklins global head Jennifer Johnson had written a note to the Indian ambassador in Washington stating that the asset manager would be forced to cut jobs and pull back its India operations in case the market regulator levies a large fine or issues disgorgement order in the case pertaining to winding up of its six debt schemes.

Our engagement with government authorities, in India and globally, is also something we, and many companies do, as a matter of course. We have endeavored to keep all stakeholders, including the relevant government and diplomatic authorities, appropriately informed of developments, and will continue to do so. Our intention in reaching out remains bringing the current matters to an appropriate and satisfactory conclusion, Sapre added.

has issued show cause notices to the fund house and its officials for redeeming their investments weeks before the closure announcement. Franklin has submitted detailed responses to Sebis notices.

We have great respect and full confidence in and all regulatory authorities. Please be assured that we have been fully transparent with the regulator and have extended our fullest cooperation to them, to help them examine the circumstances surrounding the winding up of the six schemes by last year, Sapre said.

The asset manager on Friday also said that all the six schemes under winding up are now cash positive and they have received total cash flows of Rs 15,776 crore till March 31, 2021. The flows have been from maturities, coupons, sale and prepayments since winding up.

Cash available for distribution in all schemes now stands at Rs 1,874 crore post distribution of Rs 9,122 crore in February 2021. Over the latest fortnight, the six schemes received cash flows of Rs 505 crore. The net asset value (NAV) of all the six schemes were higher than their respective NAVs on April 23, 2020, when the fund house announced the decision to wind up.

Franklin manages assets worth over Rs 60,000 crore of 2 million investors in the country. India accounts for about a quarter of its global workforce.

India is not just an attractive investment destination, but a country that has contributed greatly to our success, Sapre said.

Over the past decade, several foreign fund houses have exited India even as assets have growth at healthy pace. Morgan Stanley, ING, PineBridge and Daiwa are some players to have exited domestic operations since 2013.




Sharon Stone has revealed that she no longer has an agent - and may be giving up acting for good.

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, the Hollywood superstar, 63, claimed her age and 'difficult' reputation have left her struggling to find work.

'I've been let go,' she told the paper on Friday.

Struggles: Sharon Stone has revealed that she no longer has an agent - and may be giving up acting for good. In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, the Hollywood superstar, 63, claimed her age and 'difficult' reputation have left her struggling to find work. Pictured in 2020

The Basic Instinct star believed the reason for the severance was, 'That I'm really hard to cast and there aren't roles for people my age. And, of course, I'm somewhat difficult.'

The Academy Award nominee said she may not find a new agent at this stage in her career.

'Maybe I won't. Maybe this is it,' she told the paper, adding that she may quit acting for good.

Out: 'I've been let go,' she told the paper on Friday. The Basic Instinct star believed the reason for the severance was, 'That I'm really hard to cast and there aren't roles for people my age. And, of course, I'm somewhat difficult'

'I really very much enjoyed being Sharon Stone. It was a great front. But I am enjoying being myself more.

'You don't like her? She's difficult? You're sick of her? Great. Throw her in the trash. I don't care. I'm done with her too,' she said.

In her recently released memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, Sharon admits she was opinionated and stood up to the men who ran Hollywood throughout her career, only to be labelled as difficult.

Over? 'I really very much enjoyed being Sharon Stone. It was a great front. But I am enjoying being myself more. You don't like her? She's difficult? You're sick of her? Great. Throw her in the trash. I don't care. I'm done with her too,' she said

'Oh, I used to cause some trouble... It was so easy to wind people up,' she conceded.

'I think I liked to have control of people's minds, and it was so easy to get them off their rockers.'

Also in her memoir, Sharon described how she slapped her director Paul Verhoeven in fury after seeing the infamous leg-crossing and uncrossing moment in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct.

Tough: In her recently released memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, Sharon admits she was opinionated and stood up to the men who ran Hollywood throughout her career, only to be labelled as difficult. Pictured in 1992

She walked out of a preview of the lurid drama after discovering his assurances that her bare crotch wouldn't show up on screen had been a lie and that the audience could  as she put it  'see all the way to Nebraska'.

In her Radio 4 Women's Hour and BBC Sounds interview this week, Sharon also chatted about the film industry giving her a label of a 'difficult woman', saying that it comes from her inability to lie.

She said: 'What it really is, is that I don't have the capacity to lie. And I think that people find that quite off putting.

Anger: Also in her memoir, Sharon described how she slapped her director Paul Verhoeven in fury after seeing the infamous leg-crossing and uncrossing moment in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct (pictured)

'I don't know if that's really grit, or just a compulsion. And I think people find that kind of shocking and unsettling.

'And when I tell the truth, that can seem quite offensive, or the favourite Hollywood word - difficult.'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to representatives for Sharon Stone for comment.
The coronavirus pandemic has been uniquely hard on Americas working class, causing higher unemployment among people without college degrees and eliminating low-wage jobs by the millions. Now, the education system created to help those very workers also is in jeopardy.

Colleges of all types are struggling under the shadow of the coronavirus, but the nations community college system has been disproportionately hurt, with tens of thousands of students being forced to delay school or drop out because of the pandemic and the economic crisis it has created.

Enrollment is down by 9.5 percent at the more than 1,000 two-year colleges in the United States compared with numbers from last spring, according to preliminary figures from the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization that found a similar drop last fall. That is more than double the loss experienced by four-year schools.
I dare say there are a pile of people whod rather be anywhere but here. I cant hardly blame them. Do you have any idea why millions are glued to the live streams of the nauseating George Floyd trial? Its because The Legion of the Miserable loves to wallow in misery. Think about it. George is dead. A Minneapolis jury will decide the fate of a dumb police officer who allegedly made a grievous mistake. At best thats the only pound of flesh youre gonna get, yet you spend hour upon hour watching a tragedy when you already know the ending? We all fear the evil in big cities run by Democrats will respond no matter the verdict.

Then weve got the rioters from the Jan.

6 Capitol invasion; we are spellbound by about 300 thugs who all thought they were tough yet now, three months out, each wants to meekly say they sure are sorry. Some hide behind patriotism when, if the truth be known, every genuine patriot is so disgusted with this charm school class we wish the louts would be sentenced to a year of hard Civics, the Constitution, and the Ten Commandments at Parris Island. No one has ever needed a tutor after those Drill Instructors have become world legends at getting a knot out of any punks backbone.

Nope, there are a bunch of us who sneer at Californias politically oppressed, a New York Governor who is using the smoke screen that hes a weirdo groper to hide behind about 15,000 horrendous COVID deaths. President Biden shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline is politics at its worst  our oil reserves are immense -- and Arab oil fears it. Then weve got the devastating after-effects of the pandemic, the threat of Hurricane Kamala in the Oval office, the Illegal Alien pandemic, and on and on it goes.

What if I were to tell you the end solution is just 18 inches away. What if I were to tell you it is absolutely free, no fine print. No disease, no underfunded police, no more shootings in East Chattanooga, no horrid roads, no need for record numbers of firearms every month, no restaurant reports, no condominium contracts where you get 3/4ths of a parking space  what!  and, yes, where every child can read at grade level.

Im talking about 18 inches. Today is Good Friday. We call it that because on this day a jillion years ago Jesus Christ gave his life for the sins of all mankind. He died so that you and I would have our sins and transgressions completely wiped away. Those who believe in Him will spend an eternity in heaven. Those who do not, will not.

I have found in my life nothing is as paralyzing as a sinner asking Jesus into their heart, Ask Gods forgiveness, and the slate is clean. And there is the measure; It is 18 inches from the center of your brain to the center of your heart. Its your brain that balks, yet its your heart that must beg you to your knees and admit in private prayer  this just between you and God  that Im a helpless wreck and that I plead you to enter this same heart. Man, if I can get in, youre a snap!

I am no preacher but because I make no pretense of my beliefs, I have more than my share of people who ask me about it. If it didnt mean anything, why would anyone ask? The cynic says, What if, when you die, your spirit, or whatever finds this Christian thing aint true. The classic answer: What if, when you die, your spirit, or whatever, finds out it is true. To live a Christian life, with a Christian heart, is incomparable. So, whats with this disconnect many millions have, in those 18 inches inside us? Face it, each of us will die and the survivors policy doesnt cost a penny.

During the fall, I came across a Russian legend that I have saved for this Good Friday:

* * *

AN ANCIENT LESSON IN HOW DEATH  BECAME LIFE

(author unknown)

There is an old Russian legend. Perhaps, the legend might help us understand the Christian perspective of death. The legend is called, How death became life. Bear with me as I present it.

Death was born on a flaming day. At least that is how she remembered it. She came alive on a day lit up by a blazing fire, a fire that came from an immense sword held by an angel. The angel was guarding the door to a place she, Death, never saw. At first, Death felt like a stranger, roaming around, feeling lost. Then she saw a beautiful white bird. She stroked the feathers on the birds back, but as soon as she touched the bird, it fell at her feet, cold and still. Thats when Death discovered her terrible power.

As the years flowed into eternity, Death travelled with them, touching this animal, that bird, this fish or that flower. Death also noticed that there was a different sort of creature, a creature that held in their faces a strange reflection of God. This creature was called human. The creature was made in the image of God, still, the creature called human would also become cold and lifeless when Death touched it.

As the centuries turned into thousands and thousands of years, Death claimed all living things for her own. She also learned that of all the creatures, human beings feared her most. They shrank from her. They tried to pretend she didnt exist. Sometimes Death smiled at the human fear of her, and she enjoyed her power over them. At other times she wept bitterly because she was lonely and because she sensed that there was something about these human creatures she could not understand.

One day, as the story goes, tired and weary, Death sat on a hill beneath three crosses on which three men were being executed. She did not feel like touching any of these men. She was tired; she was lonely.

Suddenly she heard a voice say, I thirst. She looked up and her gaze met two fathomless eyes. From their depths flowed a brilliant, warm, blue light, the likes of which she had never experienced before. Instantly she stood up and walked just a few paces away from the man who hung between the other two. She wanted more than ever to touch him with love and respect, but she dared not do so. Then his eyes called to her in a wordless message. She did not know how it happened, but gently, ever so gently, she touched his cheek.. He seemed for an instant to smile for her alone. Then, like all those before him, he closed his eyes and became lifeless and cold.

She could not believe it. Somehow she knew that he was different from all the others. So, she lingered awhile. She saw him taken down from the cross. She saw his mother hold his lifeless body and cradle him. She saw him being carried off into a grave hollowed out in a cave. Then, just as soldiers were about to roll a stone to the entrance of the cave, Death entered the cave.

What passed then, no human being will ever know. But one thing is certain. On the following Sunday, two days after he had been taken down from the cross, some women came to the tomb and found that it was empty. Death was not there. And ever since that Sunday morning, all who look upon Death with the eyes of faith see her differently. They know that Love is Life, and that Death is now the gate to eternal life.

* * *

HERE IS HOW TO ASK & ACCEPT CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE

Admit your need. (I am a sinner)

Be willing to turn from your sins. (Repent)

Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave.

Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive him as your Lord and Savior)

The Billy Graham Ministries suggest praying the following prayer to accept Christ as your Savior:

_ _ _

Dear God,

I know Im a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness.

I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died

for my sin and that you raised Him to life.

I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord,

from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will.

I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

* * *

Yes, it is that simple, and it is that hard to do for those who never have.

royexum@aol.com
[April 02, 2021] Options Technology Announces Acquisition of Fixnetix from DXC Technology

Options Technology, a leading provider of IT infrastructure to global Capital Markets firms backed by Abry Partners, today announced it had closed on its acquisition of Fixnetix, a DXC Technology Company (NYSE: DXC). Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Fixnetix provides outsourced front-office trading services to investment banks, hedge funds, proprietary trading firms and exchanges worldwide and was part of DXC's global banking and capital markets business. This deal supports Options' growth strategy and combines two industry leading teams committed to optimising the service offered to their customers across the financial sector. As a result of the acquisition, clients can avail of the extensive market data footprint covering the US, European and Asian Markets alongside ground-breaking R&D capabilities, including industry leading automation, monitoring and testing competences. "We are excited to reach this important milestone with Fixnetix and view this acquisition as an opportunity to expand our service capabilities whilst providing further value for our customers and the overall market," said Danny Moore, Options' President and Chief Executive Officer. "Fixnetix and Options are highly complementary, and the deal combines Options' comprehensive coverage in the US and Asia with Fixnetix's European offering, allowing us to provide existing customers with the agility they need to respond to rapid changes in market dynamics." Tomer Yosef-Or, a Partner at Abry, said, "We are delighted to be able to support Options in this exciting transaction. We continue to be impressed by the Fixnetix's team's capabilities and believe the combination, supported with our capital, will provide enhanced quality and breadth of services to existing and new customers. The collaboration we have already seen between the two companies gives us great optimism in the ultimate potential for the organization. We are excited to bring this transaction to a close and move forward together with the united strategy of building a leading and differentiated global IT Managed Service Provider highly focused on the financial services vertical."



About Options (www.options-it.com): Options Technology is the No. 1 provider of IT infrastructure to global Capital Markets firms, supporting their operations and ecosystems.

Founded in 1993, the firm began life as a hedge fund technology services provider. Today, the company provides high-performance managed trading infrastructure and cloud-enabled managed services to over 200 firms globally, providing an agile, scalable platform in an Investment Bank grade Cybersecurity wrapper. Options clients include the leading global investment banks, hedge funds, funds of funds, proprietary trading firms, market makers, broker/dealers, private equity houses and exchanges. With offices in 8 key cities; New York, Toronto, Chicago, London, Belfast, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand, Options are well placed to service their customers both on-site and remotely. In 2019, Options secured a significant growth investment from Abry Partners, a Boston-based sector-focused private equity firm. This investment has enabled Options to considerably accelerate its growth strategy to invest further in its technology platform and expand its reach in key financial centres globally. Options has been named among the UK's leading growth companies in the 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table. For more on Options, please visit www.options-it.com, follow us on Twitter at @Options_IT and visit our LinkedIn page. About Abry Partners (www.abry.com) Abry is one of the most experienced and successful sector-focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since its founding in 1989, the firm has completed over $82 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity or preferred equity placements. Currently, the firm manages over $5.0 billion of capital across their active funds. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005038/en/

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Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Physicians Make a Positive Impact on National Doctors Day

Every National Doctors Day, we honor and commemorate physicians for the incredible work they do for patients. Given the socioeconomic challenges faced by the community, this year, Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles physicians are recognizing National Doctors Day differently by giving back to an organization that has helped promote health and wellness within its local communities.

On March 30, 2021, during their weekly physician meeting, Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles physicians presented a $20,000 check to St. Margarets Center, a community center serving Inglewood and Lennox residents. Many tuned in virtually to watch the celebration.

Supporting those in need is not only part of our career as physicians but part of who we are at Kaiser Permanente, said Dr. Kirk Tamaddon, area medical director and chief of staff, Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles. This National Doctors Day my colleagues were inspired to donate to St. Margarets Center because of the powerful work they do for communities in need. We strongly believe that health does not exist without food and shelter.

ADVERTISEMENT

St. Margarets Center provides a comprehensive range of emergency and supportive services to about 10,000 unduplicated individuals annually. Over the years, many have relied on St. Margarets Center for services and referrals for food, shelter, legal, medical, employment, housing, education and social services. Currently, about 700 people, many of whom live below the federal poverty level, visit the Center each week for one or more of its programs.

We are immensely grateful for the physicians support! said Mary Agnes Erlandson, director for the St. Margarets Center. Knowing that health care workers have been on the frontline for the past year, and given so much of themselves, were awed by their extending themselves even further to support families in need in our community.

When asked how this donation will impact the work being done at the Center, Erlandson added, Well be able to help many more people with the vital services needed by low-income residents to keep a roof over their heads, and food on the table during these difficult times. Some of our emergency services funding has dried up, so this gift comes at a perfect time!

On National Doctors Day, take the time to thank your physician for all that they do to keep their patients and communities healthy and thriving.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagens Berman urges Ubiquiti Inc. (NYSE: UI) investors with significant losses to submit your losses now. The firm is investigating possible securities law violations and certain investors may have valuable claims.

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/UI

Contact an Attorney Now: [email protected]

844-916-0895

Ubiquiti Inc. (NYSE: UI) Investigation:

The investigation focuses on whether Ubiquiti accurately reported the nature and scope of a recent security breach incident.

On Jan. 11, 2021, Ubiquiti urged customers to change their passwords and enable multi-factor authentication after it became aware of unauthorized access to certain of its information technology systems hosted by a third-party cloud provider. The company, however, downplayed the seriousness of the incident, advising its customers that it was not currently aware of evidence of access to databases that host user data.

But on March 30, 2021, KrebsonSecurity published an article entitled, "Whistleblower: Ubiquiti Breach 'Catastrophic,'" reporting that a Ubiquiti security professional who helped the company respond to the two-month breach beginning in December 2020 informed Krebs that the breach was catastrophically worse than reported. Krebs quoted the source as saying "[t]he breach was massive, customer data was at risk, access to customers' devices deployed in corporations and homes around the world was at risk." The source also reportedly said the Jan. 11, 2021 breach disclosure was "downplayed and purposefully written to imply that a 3rd party cloud vendor was at risk and that Ubiquiti was merely a casualty of that, instead of the target of the attack." In reality, according to Krebs' reporting, the attackers gained administrative access to Ubiquiti's servers.

In response, the price of Ubiquiti shares fell over 16% during intraday trading on March 31, 2021.

"We're focused on investors' losses and whether Ubiquiti intentionally misrepresented the security of a core business," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you are an Ubiquiti investor and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Ubiquiti 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 [email protected].

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 .

Contact:

Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895



SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP

Related Links

https://www.hbsslaw.com


Senators from California, New Mexico and Nebraska have joined Colorado in putting pressure on the Pentagons decision to locate the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command in Alabama, according to a report this week.

The senators are asking why and how the Pentagon sidelined a 2019 competition and relied on a new process to evaluate the finalists in 2020, according to a report in The Hill.

The signees were Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.)

Colorado was the startup command location and has fought the move since it was announced. It has argued that Colorado is a superior location surrounded by other Air Force space assets, the headquarters is already there, and it would have won if former President Trump hadnt put his finger on the scales after losing Colorado to current President Joe Biden in the election.

At stake are 1,400 military personnel and employees of supporting companies that would likely increase their presence near the headquarters.

The Air Force says it ranked the finalists for the permanent base home according to a grading system specifically designed to take politics out of the choice. Huntsvilles Redstone Arsenal beat Colorado in 11 of 21 comparisons, according to a report on the rankings in AL.com.

According to the rankings, Alabama was in the top third in the categories of available and qualified workforce, nearness to mutually supporting space organizations at Redstone, room for the massive headquarters building and parking lot and security. A third area of the competition believed to be critical was the cost of construction and living in Alabama.

Redstone is also a large military base and federal center of excellence that is home to multiple missile- and space-related military and civilian operations. Most of the companies involved in commercial, government and military space efforts already have a presence there.

The arsenals space history goes back to the first American satellite and the missile that launched it in a space race with the Soviet Union. NASAs rocket propulsion center is there - the Marshall Space Flight Center - and commercial space companies like Dynetics and Blue Origin are competing there to win the NASA contract to land the next humans on the Moon. United Launch Alliance builds rockets to carry American military satellites into space in nearby Decatur on the Tennessee River.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is moving more than 4,000 jobs to Redstone over the next decade and building a sprawling campus on the base to accommodate them.
Judges have refused the Lockerbie bombers family permission to take an appeal against his conviction to the UKs highest court.

The bombing of Pan Am flight 103, travelling from London to New York on December 21 1988, killed 270 people in Britains largest terrorist atrocity.

Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty in 2001 of mass murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years  the only person convicted of the attack.

In January, judges at the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh rejected a third appeal against his conviction, which was made by his son.

Megrahi was the only person convicted of the atrocity (Danny Lawson/PA)

Lawyers acting for the Megrahi family then sought permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court, but this was refused by five Scottish judges.

Aamer Anwar, the familys lawyer, said they will now seek leave to appeal directly to the UK Supreme Court, the final court of appeal for the case.

A written judgment issued on Thursday by Lord Carloway, the Lord Justice General, said the court has had some difficulty in understanding the exact nature of the challenge.

It said: Although the case is clearly one of public importance, the proposed grounds of appeal do not raise points of law of general public importance.

The principles of law which the court applied were all well known, settled and largely uncontroversial in the appeal.

For these reasons, the court refuses permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

Pan Am flight 103 was travelling from London to New York (John Giles/PA)

Megrahi was released from prison in 2009 on compassionate grounds while terminally ill with cancer, and died in Libya in 2012.

The third appeal was lodged after the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) referred the case to the High Court in March 2020, ruling a possible miscarriage of justice may have occurred.

Judges then granted his son, Ali al-Megrahi, permission to proceed with the appeal in relation to the argument no reasonable jury could have returned the verdict the court did, and on the grounds of non-disclosure of documents by the Crown.

Appeal court judges in January rejected both grounds of appeal, meaning his conviction stands.

Ali Al-Megrahi said: I have now instructed our legal team to seek leave to appeal directly to the UK Supreme Court which is the final court of appeal for my fathers case.

It is time for a new Libya, but that will never happen until there is justice for those who died in Lockerbie. I regard my father Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi as the 271st victim of Lockerbie.

We now have a new democratic Government and we look to them to support our legal team in their pursuit of justice.

Mr Anwar said: I have no doubt that the new democratic Libyan Government headed by Abdul Hamid Aldabaibai will support this final appeal for justice on behalf of the Al-Megrahi family and help in our efforts to prove the innocence of Libya and its people.
To listen to the podcast, click on the play button below:

Its been a busy week at the International Criminal Court where appeals judges ruled on two cases. They confirmed both the conviction and 30-year-setence for Congolese militia leader Bosco Ntaganda and the acquittal of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo and his ally Charles Ble Goude.

With both the longest sentence in the ICC confirmed and its highest ranking accused so far definitively set free, Janet and Stephanie caught up with each other at the ICC media centre to talk through the rulings.

To help us clear up some of the finer points of the Ntaganda ruling and the impact his definitive conviction has on the jurisprudence of sexual crimes at the court, Janet spoke with Rosemary Grey , lecturer at Sydney Law School.

We also called on Elies van Sliedregt , professor at Leeds Law School  who keen listeners will know from Episode 15, our deep dive into modes of liability  to talk about the vexed subject of indirect co-perpetration which has come up in many cases, including Ntaganda.

After a short detour to Mali where the Trust Fund for Victims held a ceremony for symbolic reparations for victims in Timbuktu, Janet and Stephanie turn finally to the Gbagbo case which ended with extremely critical remarks against the prosecution.
Classes suspended, home quarantine urged in China's Ruili

Xinhua) 09:35, April 02, 2021

A woman measures blood pressure at a COVID-19 vaccination site of Jingcheng Hospital in Ruili City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, April 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

KUNMING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Schools in Ruili, southwest China's Yunnan Province, have been suspended since Wednesday and residents have been urged to stay home following reports of new COVID-19 cases.

According to the city government at a press briefing on Thursday, students and teachers are required to undergo home quarantine and classes will continue on online platforms.

The city's stock of medical materials is sufficient, the government said, adding that a further 30 days' worth of personal protective equipment including masks, protective suits and gloves will arrive before April 3.

The supply of daily necessities is also stable, said Gong Yunzun, the city's Party chief. Seven large supermarkets in Ruili can meet the demand for the next two weeks and their stocks can be replenished within three days.

Gong said that home delivery services have been arranged for those under home quarantine in high-risk neighborhoods. Other residents have been urged to stay at home.

Sample taking for the first round of city-wide nucleic acid testing was completed Thursday morning. A total of 309,448 samples were collected, and the results for 105,530 samples have been available.

Sun Jiyuan, a local villager, told Xinhua that now COVID-19 vaccines and medical materials such as masks and alcohol are all available in Ruili. People just need to stay put and avoid cross infections.

A total of 1,320 close contacts of the confirmed or asymptomatic cases were traced by Thursday morning and are under medical observation at eight quarantine hotels.

The city reported six new COVID-19 cases and 23 asymptomatic cases on Wednesday, following the six confirmed cases reported the day before.

The city bordering Myanmar on Thursday ordered all jewelry trading markets including online live-streaming platforms to suspend business for epidemic prevention and control.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
New Delhi, April 2 : Malnutrition and HIV/AIDs are known to complement each other. Malnutrition compromises the immune system and reduces the capacity of the body to fight HIV infection. Specially formulated nutrition could go a long way in improving quality of life and better survival in HIV-infected patients, says an association of food manufacturers.

As has been noted by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) in its nutrition guidelines, nutritional care needs to be integrated in the care of all people and children living with HIV, especially the most vulnerable groups which include infants, young children under 5 years as well as pregnant and lactating women.

Therapeutic food manufacturers have proposed Ready-to-Use Supplementary Foods (RUSF) as a potent way to equip HIV infected people in managing infection and its ill effects.

In a communication to NACO, CMAM Association of India has offered to work closely with the AIDS control agency and launch therapeutic products that could delay the progression of HIV to AIDS and help HIV infected people fight the illness better.

CMAM Association of India is an association of manufacturers of nutrition supplements including Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) and Ready-to-Use Supplementary Foods (RUSF) supporting India's fight against malnutrition by manufacturing in India.

"We see a definite role for ourselves in supporting the AIDS programme of the Government of India. Various studies suggest that low energy intake as a response to increased energy demands due to HIV and related infections is the major driving force behind HIV-related weight loss and wasting among adults," said Akshat Khandelwal, President CMAM Association.

Micronutrient and macronutrient supplementation is a crucial part of HIV related treatment. Gain in weight, body mass and grip strength are important for treatment of HIV patients. The use of RUSF, which is an energy dense nutritional supplement has resulted in reduced mortality rates among HIV patients as demonstrated through clinical trials in African countries, he adds.

"The members of the Association can tailor the RUSF product to suit the requirement of different categories of people, including infants, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women suffering from AIDS. The most significant benefit of RUSF is that it is easy to transport and administer to patients in a non-facility setting as they come in a sachet form which can be consumed directly. They can also be stored without refrigeration for up to two years," added Khandelwal.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)
After 36 years in power, Republic of Congo's President Denis Sassou NGuesso appears poised to extend his tenure as one of Africa s longest-serving leaders in the elections to be held Sunday amid opposition complaints of interference with their campaigns.

The front-runner among the six remaining challengers is Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, who finished second during the last election in 2016 but lacks significant support outside the country's two largest cities.

Kolelas already has complained about being blocked from boarding a plane to make a campaign stop in the north.

Congo has become a police state," Kolelas said on the campaign trail. "I want to give back some fundamental freedoms to the Congolese people. I want to give hope to the Congolese people.

Some civil society groups also have voiced concerns in the lead-up to the vote in this Central African country often overshadowed by its vast neighbor, Congo, which has a similar name.

We have serious reservations that a peaceful, participatory, transparent, free and credible presidential election can be organized in the current conditions, the Catholic bishops conference said in a statement ahead of the election.

The country's military was allowed to vote early on Wednesday, prompting a few opposition figures to accuse Sassou N'Guesso's party of stuffing ballot boxes.

The vote of the military is an aberration, said Anguios Nganguia Engambe, a magistrate candidate. I know that the same soldiers who are currently voting in uniform will do so on (Sunday) in civilian clothes, since their military status is not mentioned on the electoral list."

The government, though, denied the allegations and said preparations had been made for a free and credible election.

We have done everything possible to ensure that the distribution of the cards takes place without hindrance throughout the country so that each Congolese can fulfill his civic duty, Henri Bouka, head of the national independent electoral commission, told The Associated Press.

The 77-year-old Sassou N'Guesso first came to power in Republic of Congo in 1979 and served until the 1992 election when he finished third. He then took hold of the country again as a militia leader after a four-month civil war in 1997 and has been at the helm ever since, winning three elections.

Only the presidents of Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon have served more years on the African continent.

Five months before the 2016 vote, a constitutional referendum removed term and age limits that would have barred Sassou N'Guesso from running again. Deadly violence broke out after that election, prompting thousands to flee their homes.

The political climate appears much calmer than in 2016. It is as if the opposition has already resigned itself to Sassou N'Guesso winning re-election, said Maja Bovcon, Senior Africa Analyst at Verisk Maplecroft.

Still, some opposition candidates have cried foul publicly, accusing the ruling party of interference.

The mayor of Ouesso made the holding of my campaign activities conditional on the payment of a tax. I had to pay it in spite of myself, opposition candidate Mathias Dzon said on his Facebook page.

Human rights groups have stepped up their criticism of the government since the 2016 vote, which Sassou N'Guesso won with 60% of ballots cast.

Two opposition candidates were later convicted of undermining the internal security of the state." A third candidate served a jail sentence for inciting public disorder and insurrection.

And in 2018, an army general was jailed on accusations of plotting a coup against the president, with authorities saying he planned "to destroy the presidential plane while in flight.

Sassou N'Guesso has campaigned on a pledge to launch a vast agricultural development program in this nation of 5.4 million people in order to put an end to the food dependence of our country.

We will create conditions for the rebound of our economy and young people will find employment, Sassou NGuesso said during his campaign.

___

Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has discharged former chairman of Daar Communications Plc, Raymond Dokpesi, over alleged corruption charges valued at N2.1 billion.

A three-member panel of justices on Thursday agreed with the two appeals by Dokpesi and Daar Investment and proceeded to set aside an earlier ruling of a Federal High Court, Abuja, which rejected the no-case submissions made by the appellants.

In the lead judgement, which was read by Justice Elfreda Wiialims-Daudu, the appellate court held that the prosecution did not make out a prima facie case against the appellants and did not also establish the elements of the offences charged to warrant the appellants to be called upon to enter a defence.

Dokpesi had challenged the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja presided by Justice John Tsoho which dismissed his no-case submission on the allegations of receiving the sum of N2.1bn from a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, knowing same to be a proceed of corruption.

But Dokpesi maintains that the funds were paid to the company for the publicity and AIT's live coverage of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s presidential campaign tours in 2015.
The WHO on Thursday slammed Europe's "unacceptably slow" vaccine rollout, warning of a worrying surge in cases as France became the latest country to impose new restrictions to combat mounting infections.

As European nations scrambled to contain third waves across the continent, Brazil marked a grim milestone with more than 66,000 deaths in March -- by far the highest since the beginning of the pandemic.

On the vaccine front there was a glimmer of hope as Pfizer/BioNTech said their jab was highly effective against the South African variant, and Israel vowed to inoculate children after promising trial data among youngsters.

Governments are hoping vaccines will be the route to a return to normal more than a year into the pandemic that has now killed more than 2.8 million people and subjected much of humanity to punishing restrictions.

But Europe has struggled with its vaccine drive, and the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday the sluggish pace is prolonging the pandemic.

"Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic... however, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow," said WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge.

"We must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock."

Vaccine hesitancy

The EU has blamed supply problems on its sluggish rollout, but several nations are also facing high rates of vaccine hesitancy, even in the face of rising infections.

Italy has fallen dramatically short of its vaccine targets after receiving almost 30 percent fewer doses than expected, data showed Thursday.

Only 10 percent of Europe's total population have received one vaccine dose, and four percent have received two, WHO said.

By comparison, world leader Israel has already given two shots to more than half of its population, while in the US close to 16 percent of the population has received both.

Israel said Thursday it plans to expand its vaccine campaign to children aged 12 to 15 from May, after a study showed its efficacy for the age group.

It is using jabs from Pfizer/BioNTech, which on Thursday released promising new data showing it was highly effective against the South African variant of the virus that has ravaged that country.

No cases of the disease were observed in South Africa during a phase-three trial study among participants who had received a second dose, the companies said.

'Precious weeks of liberty'

But as some nations looked to a post-pandemic reality, others were mired in fresh anti-virus measures.

A surge of infections in France forced President Emmanuel Macron to reimpose nationwide restrictions he rejected in January.

"We gained precious weeks of liberty," he said in a national address late Wednesday, but the current measures "were too limited at a time when the epidemic is accelerating".

The limited lockdown already in place in regions, including Paris, would be extended to the whole country from Saturday night for the next four weeks, he said.

Schools will close for three or four weeks depending on age level, and alcoholic drinks will be prohibited in parks and other outdoor public spaces.

For some parents, the new rules were unwelcome -- but deemed essential.

"It was absolutely necessary to close the schools, even if it will be complicated for parents, and especially young children, to manage this situation," said Laure, a 44-year-old researcher with two young boys in Paris.

'A lot of them die'

In hard-hit Brazil, where President Jair Bolsonaro has been rocked by a political crisis over his handling of the pandemic, death rates last month hit an alarming high.

Officials said a staggering 66,500 people died of Covid-19 in the country in March -- more than twice as many fatalities as the country's second-deadliest month of the pandemic, July 2020.

At a field hospital in the suburbs of Sao Paulo, one doctor said she is alarmed at how the virus has swept the country -- no longer just targeting the elderly and vulnerable.

"It's caught us by surprise. Our patients now tend to be young, with no pre-existing conditions. The disease hits them hard and a lot of them die," said 53-year-old surgeon Marise Gomes.

She said she has been frustrated to see many of her compatriots ignore face masks and social distancing guidelines and even flood to underground parties.

"I see no difference in people's behaviour. People don't seem to understand the magnitude of this," she said.

Elsewhere, there was evidence of a return to normal as Taiwan and Palau launched a holiday travel bubble to kickstart their battered tourist industries.

Around 100 excited Taiwanese tourists arrived at Taoyuan international airport near Taipei on Thursday, checking in five hours before their afternoon flight to get tested for the coronavirus.

"I am really excited but also feeling a bit sentimental because it's been a long, long time since I last went abroad," tourist Andy Yang told AFP.
The U.S. Department of State, following the Pentagon, announced its concern over reports of an escalation of tensions on the contact line in Donbas, the U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said at a briefing on Thursday.

"And we're absolutely concerned by recent escalations of Russian aggressive and provocative actions in eastern Ukraine, including violations of the July 2020 ceasefire that led to the deaths of four Ukrainian soldiers on March 26th and injuries to others," Price said.

He added that Washington is aware of Ukrainian military reports concerning Russian troop movements in  on Ukraine's borders. Price noted that Russia needs to refrain from aggressive actions and should not intimidate Ukraine.

One of the journalists asked if the U.S. Department of State considers the movement of Russian troops on the territory of their own country to be aggressive actions. In response, Price repeated several times that Washington is concerned over the escalation of tensions in Donbas.

A day earlier, the Pentagon also expressed concern over the escalation of tensions in Donbas.

As reported, four servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed and two were injured as a result of shelling attacks in the area of the village of Shumy of Toretsky Town Council of Donetsk region on March 26. After that, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba appealed to the international community to condemn the escalation of the conflict in Donbas by Russia.
A lockdown to contain fresh wave of infections that have been rising exponentially in Maharashtra for the past few days cannot be ruled out, but will not be imposed all of a sudden, Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday.

In a televised address to the people of the state, the Maharashtra chief minister, however, said strict curbs will be announced tomorrow or day after to control the crowds, especially in cities.

"We have become a little complacent. With everything becoming normal, people have to be more careful. The whole country is fighting an unknown enemy, Thackeray said.

"In the coming days, we aim to conduct 250,000 RT-PCR tests on daily basis," he said.

On the vaccination front, Thackeray said the state has potential to vaccinate 600,000 to 700,000 people daily, but it completely depends on the supply from the Centre.

"People are getting affected even after vaccination. so, wearing mask is a must," he said.

Expressing concern over the health infrastructure, Thackeray said if the cases continue to rise, there will be severe constraints on the system. "62 per cent beds have been occupied, 25 per cent ventilators are in use."

Thackeray had earlier said that he does not want a lockdown, but might be forced to take such decision. However, with daily infections touching over 40,000, the highest ever since the pandemic began last year, tougher restrictions might become inevitable.

On Friday, Mumbai reported 8,832 fresh infections, taking the active case tally to 58,455, according to BMC.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Thursday reported 43,183 new infections, its biggest single-day rise since the pandemic began, which pushed the caseload to 2,856,163, according to the state health department.

Earlier during the day, Pune imposed a 12-hour night curfew from 6 pm to 6 am from tomorrow. Except weddings and last rite rituals, all other public gatherings have been banned in the district. For weddings, only 50 people will be allowed and only 20 people can remain present forlast rites. Essential services have been exempted from the curfew.

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar claimed that people are not listening to safety precautions and hinted that hotels could be asked to operate at 50 per cent seating capacity and religious places might be shut completely.
Two members of an unidentified armed group pose for a photo after a clash with Lao government soldiers in Xaysomboun province, March 9, 2021.

Lao government troops have launched a new campaign of attacks against groups of ethnic Hmong living in forests near Phou Bia Mountain in an effort to remove them from areas targeted for development and foreign investment schemes, rights group and Hmong sources say.

The new push against the Hmongwho fought under U.S. advisors against communist forces during the Vietnam Warfollows the March 14 publication of an order by authorities in Xaysomboun province barring access by civilians to the forests near Phou Bia, the highest mountain in Laos, an international NGO said at the weekend.

Hmong civilians living in the area are now reporting an increase in violence at the hands of government troops, an official of the Brussels-based Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) told RFA in an email on March 28.

As you know, this escalation of violence coincides with a push towards the development of Phou Bia Mountain as both a tourist site and an area of interest to foreign investment, the UNPO official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The government continues to deny any wrongdoing and refuses access by international observers, even on humanitarian or medical grounds, RFAs source said, adding, Were deeply concerned that a recent escalation may result in a serious humanitarian and human rights crisis endangering the life of civilians, including women and children.

Estimates of development funding planned for Phou Bia Mountain run as high as hundreds of millions of dollars, with foreign investment also now growing tied to industrial expansion in the area, UNPO sources say.

The Lao military has long pushed a campaign targeting Hmong in the region in a program of military attacks and forced relocations into government-controlled camps and villages, with repression and the use of force entering a new phase of severity in 2016, the UNPO said in a March 25 statement urging an international response to the crisis.

UNPO further urges the government of the Lao PDR [Peoples Democratic Republic] to immediately cease any acts of violence against the Hmong people in the area, to grant immediate and unfettered access to the area to impartial international observers, to make measures to protect civilians living in the region and work towards a peaceful resolution of historical disputes, the group said.

Authorities in multi-ethnic Laos have long been wary of opposition among the countrys Hmong ethnic minority, many of whom say they face persecution from the government because of their U.S. ties during the Vietnam War, when thousands of Hmong fought under CIA advisors during the so-called Secret War against communists in Laos.

Call for UN help

Speaking to RFA on March 26, a leader of ChaoFaa Hmong group living in a remote area of Xaysomboun and deemed an anti-government force by Lao authoritiesappealed for United Nations help in protecting his people from attack.

We have been attacked by the Red Lao government since 1975, and on Aug. 21, 2020 a group of about 100 Lao government soldiers launched an assault against us in the Phou Bia area, aiming to kill us all by the end of the year.

I would like to ask the U.N. to help us as soon as they possibly can, he said.

The Lao government claims that the Hmong in the Phou Bia area of Xaysomboun province are members of an anti-Lao government group so that the government military can crack down on them, added a prominent Hmong living in exile in the United States, asking that his name not be used.

Actually they are just ordinary people, he said.

One killed in recent clash

A member of an unidentified group of gunmen was killed last month in a clash with Lao government troops in the latest of a series of sporadic attacks in Xaysomboun by what authorities described as anti-government forces, sources close to the Lao military and police told RFA in an earlier report.

The March 9 clash was only the latest in a series of shootings and other attacks in the province, most recently on June 20, 2020 when a government soldier was shot and killed while on patrol inspecting for illegal poppy cultivation.

In January 2016, a car carrying Chinese miners was ambushed in the province, leaving two dead and one injured, and in November 2015 an exchange of gunfire between an armed group and local troops left three soldiers and four civilians dead, source said in earlier reports.

In most cases, Laos secretive government stops short of identifying individuals or groups who might have perpetrated the attacks, and no political statements or claims of responsibility are usually issued in connection with the incidents.

Reported by Ounkeo Souksavanh for RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, Apr 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2021 ) :Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said that poverty alleviation and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were important parts of the present government's priorities.

The Foreign Minister expressed these views while talking to Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Pakistan Knut Oestby who called on him here.

He congratulated Knut Oestby on his appointment as UNDP Resident Representative and appreciated the positive and construction role of UNDP in Pakistan.

Pakistan and UNDP were working together for common objective for the last many years, he added.

The Foreign Minister said that Pakistan, the current chair of the United Nations' Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), has always been playing its active role in the development-related debates at international fora.

He also appreciated the UNDP's assistance to Pakistan in tackling the challenges of development and climate as well as in achieving the SDGs.

UNDP Resident Representative Knot Oestby thanked the Foreign Minister and assured all out support of UNDP in achieving the common objectives.

\932
Queensland Health has released new contact-tracing venues across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, after the missing link in the first of the two latest clusters was identified as a nurse from the Princess Alexandra Hospital on Friday.

A contact-tracing alert was issued for parts of south-east Queensland as both close contact and casual contact venues were released after the historical case was confirmed on Friday morning.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announce the discovery of the missing link. Credit:Jono Searle/Getty

Close contact venues included KCF Training in Birtinya, and Plus Fitness at Minyama on the Sunshine Coast on March 22 and March 23.

Casual contact venues included Chemist Warehouse at Windsor in Brisbanes north, Giant Chemist at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast, and Nutrition Warehouse at Maroochydore.
OPINION: Republicans may not be prepared to cover for Rep. Matt Gaetz, but condemning racists in their ranks is an entirely different story

The Justice Department investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.) for alleged child sex trafficking may be a bridge too far, even for the scandal-plagued Republican Party, whose standard-bearer, Donald Trump, has had numerous sexual assault allegations against him.

While the GOP may not be prepared to cover for their colleague from Floridas 1st district amid allegations that he, a grown man, had sexual relations with at least one 17-year-old, condemning racists in their ranks is an entirely different story.

Read More: Gaetz, under sex trafficking probe, reportedly showed nude photos to lawmakers

After all, in a political party that breaks bread with racists, promotes white supremacist policies and participates in insurrections, racism is an important part of their brand.

Within 24 hours after news of Gaetz and the federal sex trafficking investigation, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) told Fox News that while it is too early to judge, he will remove Gaetz from his committee assignments if the allegations are proven true.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The GOPs double standard was on full display in February, when McCarthy and all but 11 Republican lawmakers voted against a resolution to remove QAnon conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignments for her racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic and other incendiary statements.

And as a purveyor of white nationalism and antisemitism, Gaetz provided ample reason for his Republican leadership to discipline him for his own racism. On Fox News, Gaetz has promoted the great replacement theory, the white supremacist conspiracy theory that people of color and immigrants are an existential threat to white people, and want to replace white people in America.

Gaetz also told Foxs Judge Jeanine Pirro that Black Lives Matter protests were part of an attempted cultural genocide going on in America right now, and claimed, the left wants us to be ashamed of America so that they can replace America.

Story continues

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) addresses the virtual RNC convention on August 24, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)

And yet, according to a report from the Acre Action Center on race and the economy, Wall Street lobbying groups fill the coffers of Gaetz and other racist politicians and enable his white supremacy. Gaetz has received thousands in financial contributions from the American Bankers Association, the American Financial Services Association and the Credit Union National Association.

The finance industry is aiding and abetting the rise of violent white supremacy and nationalism by donating to the congressional campaigns of candidates who have expressed viciously racist, xenophobic, sexist, and homophobic views, said the report. The report also noted that Gaetz called Haiti a land of sheet metal and garbage, invited Chuck C. Johnson, a Holocaust denier, to the State of the Union, and promoted the antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jewish billionaire and philanthropist George Soros funded migrants to storm the U.S.-Mexico border.

Further, in 2015, as a Florida state representative, Gaetz singled out two Black state senators for ridicule, suggesting they were illiterate.

And Gaetz has thrived in an environment where Republicans trip over themselves and each other to appear more Trumpian and extremist than the next, all in an effort to appeal to their base  which includes QAnon tin foil hat folks, tiki torch carriers, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Confederate cosplayers, would-be lynch mobs, neo-Nazis and other domestic terrorists. Meanwhile, as they act racist and support racist policies, they gaslight the public and tell us racism does not exist.

Read More: Republicans will Jim Crow their way back to power if Democrats allow them

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell claimed the Senate filibuster, used by white nationalists to uphold slavery, block civil rights for Black folks and kill anti-lynching bills, is not racist. He also said he opposes reparations because none of us currently living are responsible for slavery, which he said is something that happened 150 years ago for whom none of us currently living are responsible.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), gives election remarks next to his wife, Elaine Chao, at the Omni Louisville Hotel on November 4, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who has posed for photos with white nationalists, once said Black people can go anywhere in South Carolina if they are conservative. Graham threatened to filibuster the Democrats voting rights legislation, the For The People Act, and accused President Joe Biden of playing the race card by attacking nationwide GOP voter suppression efforts as sick and Jim Crow in the 21st century.

Every time a Republican does anything, were a racist. If youre a white conservative, youre a racist. If youre a Black Republican, youre either a prop or Uncle Tom, Graham said.

Read More: Graham suggests House GOP could impeach Harris if they take majority in 2022

Speaking of which, Grahams fellow South Carolinian Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.)  who would disappoint Black people in a world where Black people had any expectations of Black Republican senators  attacked critics who claim the GOP is using him as a Back prop. Outraged over cancel culture, Scott was caping for racists in his party when he said woke supremacy is as bad as white supremacy. We need to take that seriously.

Meanwhile, except for fellow travelers Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan, Republicans have not jumped to the defense of Gaetz, who apparently has few friends in Washington. Republicans were silent when he spewed his racism, but the child sex trafficking allegations could be his undoing.

After all, Matt Gaetz is a member of a party that has decided to lean in and double down on white identity politics. While the GOP cannot ignore sex trafficking, they care little about racists in their ranks, let alone the laws and measures designed to combat racial injustice and discrimination in America. Republicans could expel all their racists, but if they did, few would remain.

Follow David A. Love on Twitter at @davidalove

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The post GOP condones racism, but draws the line with alleged sex trafficker Gaetz appeared first on TheGrio.
(Photo : NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NASA made another discovery after the Mars lander InSight detected two strong, clear quakes on the Red Planet.

On Apr. 1, Digital Trends reported that the "marsquakes" have a magnitude of 3.3 and 3.1, and were detected at the same spot where InSight detected two other significant quakes in the past.

Marsquakes: What Does Its Discovery Mean?

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Caltech's research and development laboratory funded by NASA, first reported the InSight Lander's discovery.

According to the report they published on Apr. 1, InSight had recorded over 500 marsquakes since its deployment to Mars in November 2018.

However, the four strong quakes recorded in a location on Mars called Cerberus Fossae proved that the site is the center of the Red Planet's seismic activity.

The discovery gives the InSight science team a way to move forward in their mission to understand Mars' mantle and core better.

Unlike Earth, Mars does not have tectonic plates but was proven to have volcanic activities, which causes tremors.

"Over the course of the mission, we've seen two different types of marsquakes: one that is more 'Moon-like' and the other, more 'Earth-like,'" said France's Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris scholar Taichi Kawamura.

"Interestingly, all four of these larger quakes, which come from Cerberus Fossae, are 'Earth-like.': he added.

Also Read: Is There Life in Mars? Scientists Say It's Possible Due to Over 170 Marsquakes and 10,0000 Tornadoes Reported!

Another discovery worth noting is that the new marsquakes occurred almost a full Martian year (two Earth years) after the first two, which had a magnitude of 3.6 and 3.5, respectively.

Researchers added that the marsquakes happened during the Martian northern summer when winds are calmer, allowing the equipment to listen for the tremors better.

NASA Shuts Down InSight's Mission After Losing Its Mole

In October 2020, one of InSight's instruments went out of sight after it tried to dig its way into the surface of Mars and found itself stuck.

The Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, or HP3, is a 16-inch-long (40-centimeter-long) pile driver and heat probe designed to provide the first look at Mars' deep interior.

Nicknamed the "mole," the German-made instrument was self-hammering its way down the Red Planet's surface when it encountered difficulties getting into the Martian soil.

According to NASA's blog posted on Oct. 2020, InSight lost sight of the mole after digging itself at an unknown distance, leaving only its science tether protruding from the ground.

The mole was designed to dig and let loose soil flow around it so that the friction between the soil and its outer hull would give it footing to dig deeper.

However, InSight landed on a location with a different soil type, which had stuck together while the mole dug its way down the Martian surface.

JPL at first attempted to salvage the mission by using InSight's arm to scoop the soil away from the mole as it dug but ultimately decided to abandon the mission in January 2021.

Related Article: InSight Lander Now Dead! NASA Fails to Take Mars Temperature

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Lee Mercado

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken calls for changes to Bosnia's constitution

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the release of the "2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" (Photo : Mandel Ngan/Pool via REUTERS)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Bosnia on Thursday to pursue limited changes to its constitution needed to reform the electoral system and protect the rights of all its citizens.



In a letter to the country's three-member interethnic presidency, Blinken made clear that the United States would not push for radical overhaul of the peace deal it helped broker to end Bosnia's war in the 1990s.



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"We have seen earlier reform efforts fail in Bosnia and Herzegovina ... by trying to do too much at once," Blinken said in the letter published by the Sarajevo news portal Klix.



The United States was the key force bringing warring Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks to the same table at a U.S. Air Force base near Dayton, Ohio, to negotiate the end of the 1992-1995 war, in which about 100,000 people died and about 2 million left their homes.



Bosnia's constitution is part of the Dayton peace accords which ended the war but has proven to be insufficient to move the country forward to membership in the European Union and NATO.



Under the deal, only Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks, regarded as so-called constituent people of Bosnia, may run for high office in elections. Minorities, such as Roma or Jews, are not eligible to run to be presidency members.



"Limited constitutional change will be necessary to reform the electoral system consistent with the requirement of the European Union membership and the rulings of the European courts," Blinken said in the letter.



He was referring to the 2009 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights ordering Bosnia to amend the constitution to allow members of minority groups to run for high government offices, a decision which has never been implemented.



The letter is the first message to Bosnia from the administration of U.S. President Joseph Biden, who during the Bosnian war had called for lifting the arms embargo imposed on Bosniaks and warned about a risk of genocide in Srebrenica.



Many Bosniaks have hoped that Biden's administration will become more engaged in Bosnia, where ethnic rifts have been blocking the country's progress for years.


New Delhi, April 2 : Assam Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sharma has been barred from campaigning for 48 hours from Friday for threatening opposition leader Hagrama Mohilary of the Bodoland People's Front, the Election Commission announced.

The poll panel said that it has barred Sarma from addressing any public meetings, road shows, media interviews, public processions, and public rallies, for 48 hours from immediate effect on April 2.

Sarma has been barred from making any statements, the poll panel said, adding the decision was taken under its powers from Article 324 of the Constitution.

The EC also condemned the impugned statements of Sarma, as it said his reply, submitted on Friday, denying all the allegations was not found satisfactory.

The poll panel's action comes in the wake of the complaint filed by the Congress on March 30, alleging that Sarma had openly threatened to send Mohilary to jail by misusing the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Noting "prima facie violation" of provisions of the Model Code of conduct by Sarma, the EC directed the BJP leader to submit his explanations on the allegations by 5 p.m. on Friday.

The Congress and the Bodoland People's Front are alliance partners in Assam.

Sarma is contesting from Jalukbari Assembly constituency, which will go to polls in the third phase on April 6.
(Newser)  Texas is no stranger to hurricanes and tornadoes, but the winter storm and cold snap that hit the state in February now counts as one of the deadliest natural disasters in its history. According to a Houston Chronicle analysis, the cold snap and blackouts caused by the storm killed at least 194 people, including at least 100 who died from hypothermia. The state raised its official death toll to from 57 to 111 last week but many deaths are still being investigated by medical examiners and justices of the peace, including 80 in the Austin area alone. The Chronicle reports that many of the deaths were in the Houston area, though storm and cold-related deaths were reported in 57 counties. Around half the victims were over 65 and nearly three-quarters of them were people of color.

story continues below

The death toll is hard to confirm because the Texas death certification system is decentralized, the Chronicle notes, but the toll already far exceeds that of Hurricane Harvey, which became the state's deadliest hurricane in more than a century when it killed 68 people in 2017. The death toll from the cold snap includes deaths from medical equipment failure during the blackouts and at least 16 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning as people used dangerous methods to heat their homes. Texas A&M University researcher Garett Sansom tells Houston Public Media that better communication from state officials could have saved lives. "You really cant blame people for not knowing what to do in a winter storm when theyve never experienced anything really like that," he says. (Read more Texas stories.)
ROME, APR 2 - Italy's nationwide COVID-19 Rt reproduction number has dropped to 0.98, below the alarm level of 1 and down from 1.08 last week, according to a draft of the weekly coronavirus monitoring report of the health ministry and the Higher Heath Institute (ISS). The incidence has fallen to 232 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants, down from 240 last week. Italy's regions are anxiously waiting the full data from the report, which will determine whether they are high-risk red zones or medium-high orange zones in Italy's tiered system of COVID-19 restrictions. Veneto and Campania are hoping to go from being red, meaning movements are limited and shops selling non-essential items are closed, to orange. The restrictions in orange zones are far looser and all shops are allowed to open. The whole nation will be a red zone from Saturday until Easter Monday. (ANSA).
Pursuit Leads to Marshall Man's Arrest

By West Kentucky Star Staff





MARSHALL COUNTY - A Marshall County man was arrested on multiple charges following a pursuit on Thursday.The Marshall County Sheriff's Office said deputies were requested by Probation & Parole to assist them with a home visit for Roy Marchand. As officers were approaching, Marchand got into a vehicle and drove away.Marchand, who was known to have a suspended driver's license, led police on a slow speed pursuit. The pursuit ended a few miles outside of Benton on Dogtown Road.Marchand was arrested and lodged in the Marshall County Jail. He's charged with fleeing or evading police, tampering with physical evidence, reckless driving, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of an open alcohol container and operating on a suspended or revoked license.
New Delhi:

If you have been touched in a wrong way sexually during your childhood or early youth the chances are that your brain could be severely altered, warns a new study.



Researchers in Germany found that young girls hit puberty earlier if they were touched sexually than those who were not, according to a report by the Daily Mail.



The study is aimed to identify if hormones or sexual experience trigger the beginning of puberty.



Researchers were surprised to find that sexual touch may have a bigger role to play on puberty whereas they had expected sexual hormones to accelerate puberty and for the 'genital cortex' to grow.



Researchers say it is also a warning of inappropriate sexual contact's drastic impact on the brain.



The researchers carried out experiments on female mice which were touched on their genitals. The touch not only caused changes in their brains but also accelerated puberty.



"Sexual touch is strictly regulated in most human cultures and this is particularly true during development," Professor Michael Brecht, of Humboldt University told the Daily Mail.



"It has also become painfully clear that sexual abuse and inappropriate sexual contact during development have long-lasting detrimental consequences," he goes on to explain. Adding, Remarkably, structural brain imaging in humans with a history of sexual abuse identified a thinning of putative human genital cortex, as a cortical consequence of childhood sexual abuse."



Prof Brecht explained the study's findings help to understand why the perception of our body changes so much during puberty.



The study was originally published in the journal PLOS Biology.
A similarly liberating shift happened for Tygra Slarii, a 29-year-old Black performer at a Minneapolis bar, The Saloon. Before the pandemic, Mx. Slarii came out as a woman and had gender-affirming breast augmentation. Thats what it seemed like everyone was pushing for me to do, Mx. Slarii said, because people kept asking: So when are you going to have the surgery? When are you going to get your boobs?

When Minnesota issued shelter-in-place orders, the extended pause gave Mx. Slarii time to question, and explore the complexity of, gender  and come out again, this time as nonbinary. My body isnt a tool for marketing my transition anymore, Mx. Slarii told me. I dont think cis people understand how much their input weighs down on trans people, especially when it comes to transitioning.

When, during the pandemic, Mx. Slarii pursued a second gender-affirming surgery, a Brazilian butt lift, it was an entirely different emotional experience. This time, the surgery was no longer a means of selling a narrative to be believed and seen; now Mx. Slariis body was simply their own.

That said, in recent months, trans youth have been under terrifying legislative attack. And as a group, trans people have been hit hard by the pandemic. In January, researchers at Columbia found that many lost access to gender-affirming health care. The pandemic has exacerbated social inequality and injustice across the board; 16.8 percent of trans respondents reported job loss. It is a population already economically and socially marginalized.

Each time another devastating statistic about trans pain emerges, I remember that trans pain is not the birthright of trans people, but it is foisted on us by a world that perennially refuses to let us define ourselves for ourselves and that too often cares about our visibility only as spectacle, not as recognition. Even we ourselves are not immune from this influence. We all internalize the narratives we grow up with.

So lets also talk about joy. When the world reopens, I suspect that I will be perceived differently  my voice, now lower, will send different signals than it once did; my face now changed by hormones will be seen anew. I have been transformed by this time alone, in which I have had to shore up who I am without the gaze of others defining it for me.

We have all had to find our own paths over this year; we all learned more about ourselves. And have had to ask: Who are we, when no one is looking? Who are we, without what once both held us back and held us up? Whom do we wish to be?
Some of Texas most influential companies are criticizing a package of proposed changes to state election laws that civil rights groups liken to Jim Crow, saying they are aimed at suppressing voting, particularly among minorities.

The bill approved by the Texas Senate on Thursday would limit early voting hours, prohibit drive-thru voting and ban local election officials from sending vote-by-mail applications to voters unless specifically requested. A bill that combines the Senate and House versions is expected to reach Gov. Greg Abbotts desk within weeks.

Among the Texas companies opposing the bill are American Airlines and computer-maker Dell.

RELATED: Here's how Texas Republicans want to further restrict voting

Houston waste disposal firm Waste Management said in a statement that it supports elections that are open to all voters.

Integrity and equal access for all are critical to a healthy voting system and our democracy, spokeswoman Janette Micelli said.

The Houston oil and gas company Occidental Petroleum said that as part of the companys values, it supports transparent, non-discriminatory access to voting.

Participating in our democracy is an important part of community and civic engagement, and we not only encourage our employees to vote but ensure they are given the time they need to vote, the company said.

Voting rights have become the latest partisan flashpoint as Republican state legislatures advance bills that would restrict access to the polls as Democrats who control Congress seek to pass federal laws to expand voting rights.

The Texas proposal mirrors others offered by Republican state legislatures that aim to change voting rules in the name of election integrity, following the 2020 presidential election in which then-President Donald Trump pushed a false narrative that the voting was marred by fraud. No evidence of any widespread voter fraud in the presidential election has been revealed, and U.S. election officials at the Department of Homeland Security called the vote the most secure in the nations history.

In Texas, the attorney generals office last year logged 22,000 hours investigating claims of voter fraud, twice as much time as it did during the 2018 midterm elections, and resolving 16 prosecutions  half as many as two years ago, the Houston Chronicle reported in December.

A coalition of groups including Black Voters Matter, the League of Women Voters, the Barbara Jordan Leadership Institute, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce took out a full-page ad Wednesday in the Houston Chronicle urging businesses to stand against current attempts to pass voter suppression legislation that amounts to Jim Crow 2.0.

Many of the organizations were unavailable for comment on Friday. But Rodolfo Rosales Jr., LULAC state director, called the Texas bills voter suppression.

MLB: In response to Georgia election laws, MLB pulls All-Star Game out of Atlanta

You had record numbers of Hispanics and African Americans voting like never before in Harris County and around the state, and all of a sudden, now, we have an issue with voter fraud, Rosales said. Its blatant.

The Greater Houston Partnership, the Houston regions chamber of commerce, said in an email that it believes that the states voting process should instill confidence in the process and be open and readily accessible by all.

We encourage our elected leaders, on both sides of the political aisle, to balance these two ideals, strengthening all Texans right to vote in free and fair elections, the Greater Houston Partnership said.

Hard to cheat

The bills author, Sen. Bryan Hughes, a North Texas Republican, said in a video Thursday that the measure would make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.

We had a long debate. Scores of amendments were offered, and at the end of the day, Texas passed a strong election integrity bill that we can be proud of, Hughes said.

Critics say its part of a wider GOP campaign to suppress voting, particularly among Blacks and Latinos, those with disabilities and young voters.

Fort Worth-based American Airlines on Thursday was one of the first major Texas corporations to openly oppose the proposed voting changes. To make Americans stance clear: We are strongly opposed to this bill and others like it, the carrier said in a statement.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks response was equally sharp: Texans are fed up with corporations that dont share our values trying to dictate public policy.



In Georgias footsteps

The Texas voter law proposal comes as Georgias largest companies are criticizing that states voting changes signed into law March 25 by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Georgias new election law includes an identification requirement for all mail-in voters. It also decreases the number of ballot drop boxes and bans volunteers from providing food and water to voters standing in lines to cast ballots.

The law first brought muted responses from two of Atlantas largest companies, Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola, before the two corporations reversed course and lambasted the voting changes. Then on Friday, Major League Baseball said it would move this years All-Star Game and draft from Atlanta to a location outside of Georgia yet to be determined.

Houston is scheduled to host the NCAA mens basketball Final Four in April 2023, though officials have not said the tournament location is in danger of being moved.

Hours after the Texas Senate bill was passed, a House committee began consideration of a similar proposal, House Bill 6, that would increase penalties for election fraud violations and impeding a poll watcher.

Michael Dell, founder of Austin-based Dell Computers, on Thursday tweeted his opposition to the House bill.

Free, fair, equitable access to voting is the foundation of American democracy, Dell tweeted. Those rights  especially for women, communities of color  have been hard-earned. Governments should ensure citizens have their voices heard. HB6 does the opposite, and we are opposed to it.
Daniel Hale, who blew the whistle on the United States governments targeted assassination program that includes drones, pled guilty to transmitting and retaining national defense information in violation of the Espionage Act. The guilty plea by Hale makes him the first whistleblower to be convicted under the Espionage Act during President Joe Bidens administration. A change of plea hearing was held on March 31 in the Eastern District of Virginia, around a week before Hale was scheduled to go to trial. Judge Liam OGrady permitted Hale to remain under supervision by a probation officer until sentencing on July 13. Though Hale pled guilty, prosecutors from the Justice Department opposed canceling the trial altogether and refused to dismiss the four remaining charges. Hales attorney questioned why this would be allowed. OGrady seemed to recognize the four remaining charges criminalize much of the conduct already covered in Hales plea. Often this is referred to as charge stacking. Yet the judge permitted the governments extraordinary and unusual request, leaving open the possibility of a trial if prosecutors are unhappy with sentencing. Under President Barack Obama, CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou was targeted in the Eastern District of Virginia with an Espionage Act prosecution. He wound up pleading guilty to violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act in order to ensure he only went to prison for 30 months. Im disappointed that Daniel Hales case was continued in the Biden Justice Department, Kiriakou shared after learning Hale changed his plea. I had hopes that Bidens Justice Department appointee would recognize the public service that Daniel Hale provided when he revealed illegality and abuse in the drone program. Since Hale is not permitted to offer a public interest defense, Kiriakou added,Thats an injustice. So I hope Judge OGrady recognizes the good in what Daniel Hale has done and gives him the lightest possible sentence. Hale was part of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in 2012 and identified targets for kill and capture. From December 2013 to August 2014, he was a contractor at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The U.S. government targeted Hale for prosecution after he disclosed documents in 2014 to Intercept founding editor Jeremy Scahill for his Dirty Wars project, which included a book and a film. The information he revealed also helped the Intercept publish the Drone Papers. Hale appeared in the 2016 documentary National Bird. He wore a pin supporting U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning and followed CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterlings prosecution. The FBI raided his home on August 8, 2014, while the film was in production. He was charged in March 2019 with violating the Espionage Act and other related offenses, and in May, he was arrested. It is unclear why the Justice Department took several years to charge Hale. At the change of plea hearing, OGrady did not believe Hale posed a flight risk, since he was present at the proceedings. But he was particularly concerned with Hales mental health and urged him to notify his probation officer if he felt like hurting himself. Hale, who apparently survived a motorcycle accident recently, told the court he was living with supportive people, who for some time allowed him to share space and without paying rent. He is doing chores and cooking meals for his roommates while quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A list of documents in the superseding indictment against him points to what Hale allegedly exposed.



Prior to the Drone Papers, a report, Watch Commander: Barack Obamas Secret Terrorist System, by the Numbers was published by Scahill and Ryan Devereaux. It exposed how nearly half of the people on the U.S. governments widely shared database of terrorist suspects are not connected to any known terrorist group.

More than 40 percent are described by the government as having no recognized terrorist group affiliation, the journalists reported.



The report brought critical attention to an out-of-control watchlisting system.

In October 2015, The Drone Papers were published and revealed criteria for how the White House approved individuals for targeted assassinations and revealed small footprint counterterrorism operations that were launched in Somalia and Yemen.

TF 48-4, a special operations task force, was deployed to escalate wars in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. They were commanded from a center at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. They utilized a maritime drone platform and were supposed to hunt down members of al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and al Shabaab.



New details about British citizen Bilal el-Berjawi, who was stripped of his citizenship before being killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2012, were also made public.



As Kiriakou recalled, he felt an odd sense of relief after he pled guilty because the worst partthe unknownwas over.



The worst part is laying in bed at night and thinking about spending the rest of your life in prison while knowing that you did the right thing, Kiriakou said. And so as odd as it might sound, changing a plea to guilty and finally knowing what your sentence is going to be can be oddly liberating.



Yet Kiriakou knew he would receive 30 months when he pled guilty. Hale does not know how long he will be sentenced to prison, and he will face the additional fear and anxiety of knowing prosecutors may demand a trial for the remaining counts if the court does not approve a harsh enough sentence.



Hale blew the whistle on the powers that the Obama administration arrogated to itself to act as judge, jury, and executioner and transform the world into a battlefield without regard for human rights or international law. He has suffered through a cruel prosecution that was destined to end in a plea agreement because there is no whistleblower defense under the Espionage Act.



Unfortunately, this is a clear indication that the war on whistleblowers escalated under Obama and continued by Trump remains in full effect.



Hale is likely to receive a four or five-year prison sentence in July that will come with the added risk of potential exposure to COVID-19 if the Bureau of Prisons has not distributed enough vaccines to prisoners.

The post Drone Whistleblower Charged With Violating Espionage Act Pleads Guilty appeared first on Shadowproof.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea called Martinez a 'career criminal' and said he has 'arrest record as long as my arm'

A career criminal has been arrested for allegedly shoving a teenage boy onto the subway tracks and slashing another straphanger during what a top NYPD official has described as a 'one-man Queens crime spree.'

Jose Martinez, 35, was apprehended on Thursday in connection with two separate attacks that took place several hours apart at two different subway stations in Queens.

According to the NYPD, at around 11am on Thursday, police responded to a 911 call about an assault at the 46th Street station in Astoria.

Jose Martinez, 35, was arrested by police officers in Queens, New York, on Thursday after allegedly shoving a teen onto the subway tracks and slashing a man in the hands

The shoving attack took place on Thursday morning at the 46th Street station in Astoria

The incident with the knife took place six hours later inside of the 65th Street '7' train station in Woodside

Officers interviewed the 17-year-old victim, who told them that he was standing on the northbound R train platform when he saw a stranger staring at him.

Moments later, the man, later identified by the police as Martinez, approached the teen and punched him in the face with a closed fist, telling him: 'Don't you ever do it again,' reported New York Post.

Martinez then allegedly pushed the boy unto the tracks and ran away.

The 17-year-old was able to cross the tracks and climb onto the southbound platform before a train pulled into the station. He was later taken to Mount Sinai Queens hospital in stable condition to be treated for injuries to his face and knee.

At around 5.30pm that same day, police received a 911 call from a 20-year-old man who reported that he was attacked inside of the 65th Street '7' train station in Woodside.

The victim said he was sitting on a bench on the northbound platform when a man said to be Martinez walked up to him and pushed him against the wall.

The suspect then pulled out a knife and slashed the 20-year-old man in his hands during a scuffle.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea (right) called Martinez a 'career criminal' and said he has 'arrest record as long as my arm'

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea tells @jimsciutto that the increase of hate crimes in the city is a crisis.



You really have to drill down on this mental illness piece.  This is a crisis. And we need people to really acknowledge that. https://t.co/fZk2opigHf pic.twitter.com/aRPLsmK2Tt  CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) April 2, 2021

Martinez tried to flee but the victim chased after him and managed to flag down police officers who arrested him. The knife used in the attack was recovered at the scene.

Martinez was booked on two counts of assault, two counts of reckless endangerment, and single counts of resisting arrest, criminal possession of a weapon and menacing.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a tweet on Friday: 'Your @NYPDTransit TD20 &@NYPD108Pct cops worked together to apprehend the career criminal responsible  hes now charged w/ both attacks.'

Martinez's past criminal record is said to include at least 13 prior arrests on charges including robbery, forcible touching, attempted rape and assault, reported ABC 7 NY.

Shea addressed Martinez's arrest during his latest appearance on CNN Newsroom on Friday morning, when he discussed the need to tackle New York City's mental health crisis and tighten up parole laws.

'Yesterday, we had an individual push somebody onto the train tracks with an arrest record as long as my arm,' he said, 'and until we start addressing these issues, the police alone arent going to solve this problem.'

New York City has seen a sharp uptick in violent assaults in the subway system, including hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans and other minorities, since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, an Asian man was brutally beaten and put in a chokehold on a subway train in Brooklyn.

A week prior, a man was arrested for allegedly punching a 68-year-old Sri Lankan man in the face while calling him names on the '1' train in Manhattan.

In February, two people were stabbed to death on the opposite ends of the A subway line and two others were injured in Manhattan.

According to the latest NYPD crime statistics, felony assaults in New York City were up more than 23 per cent compared with the same time last year.
Now that Joe Biden has incentivized illegal migration into a full-blown border crisis, now's the time for some 'hispandering' coming from the Biden administration. Despite those kids flung by smugglers over the U.S.-Mexico border wall for profit, Joe Biden wants you to know he really likes Latinos.

Which brings us to this, in a speech to members of the United Farm Workers labor union in Delano, California, as reported by the New York Post:

Later, while closing her speech, Biden said enthusiastically, So say it with me, Si se pwaud-way, the future is ours. Thank you. She then waved as she walked away from the microphone, being met with light applause as she and [California's Gov. Gavin] Newsom began to depart the stage. Si se puede, which roughly translates to Yes we can, was popularized by Chavez and his United Farm Workers, which used the phrase as a motto in the 1970s.

Jill Biden, of course, has been billed the smartest woman in America. Back when an old professor at Northwestern University criticized her insistence on calling herself 'doctor' despite the fact that her degree is in education, leftists stepped up with that very point to her defense:

Michelle Obama came to Bidens defense, calling Jill Biden brilliant and a terrific role model. Hillary Clinton tweeted out, Her name is Dr. Jill Biden. Get used to it. Jill Biden in response said: One of the things I am most proud about is my doctorate. I mean, I really worked so hard for it.

An educational doctorate, as it happens, is one of the biggest "gut" degrees. According to Texadmissions:

Some majors will always be less competitive: Liberal Arts, Undergraduate Studies, Social Work, and Education. The latter two because they have the least amount of applicants. All admits to these colleges and schools have lower test scores than the typical admit.

And with all her 'education' and 'credentials,' she can't master three words of Spanish? She couldn't rehearse it? She couldn't fake it? Does she have anyone who's a Spanish-speaking Hispanic around her to go over it with her? It's as if she encountered the words for the first time. Not too in tune with Latino audiences or the Spanish language, is she?

One other thing: It's a bit of a cliche to tick off that 'Hispanic' box by always presenting Latinos as lettuce pickers rather than the broader middle class that many have become. The event was to honor Cesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers (a man who strongly opposed illegal immigration) so the Hispanic stereotype of farm workers as Mexicans should have been left out.

But this was 'Hispandering.' And apparently, to her, Spanish speakers are an exotic thing, kind of like Joe's Indian-American convenience store owners.

Which doesn't speak well for her or her claimed ties to Hispanic America, or the Biden administration's claims that it knows what's best for them.

Didn't she go on a campaign with Joe in 2020? Might she have met some Hispanic voters there? Didn't they chant 'Si, se puede' back then? Did she hear the words and how they are pronounced? Did she pay attention?

Here's another thing -- besides not knowing a thing about the Spanish language in a common phrase that most English-speaking Americans know, she's someone who's taught at two community colleges, supposedly her real-world experience.

How many Hispanic students at Delaware Technical Community College, home of her first community college teaching gig? As of 2019, 14.8% according to college diversity statistics. Apparently not a one made contact with Jill Biden or got across to her a scintilla of Spanish. She must have been ensconced in a white-privilege bubble.

She also taught community college at Northern Virginia Community College. How many Hispanic kids there who could have familiarized her with a drib or drab of the Spanish language? As of 2017, according to the college, 21.5% of the students were Hispanic. She must have not known (or learned a tad of Spanish) from any of them. Perhaps she was remarkably incurious.

Because nowadays, most teachers actually do try to learn at least some Spanish, it's a job requirement in most places, it's something anyone would do to response to the students as they are, being taught and serviced. That's because the Hispanic population has grown a lot. It includes significant numbers of youthful adults and very large numbers of children. In California, they are the majority. In Catholic churches, they are pretty much the future.

And here we have old Jill, Mrs. Brilliant, fumbling around like she was first encountering Spanish. It says a lot about how much the Bidens actually know about the people they purport to represent. And for many conservatives, it makes us nostalgic for the days of first lady Melania Trump, who was fluent in five languages, and would not have been caught dead in trying to pull a stunt like Jill did. Either you know a language or you don't, and if you don't, you either get help with pronunciation and meaning, or you don't attempt, and politely make your remarks in the language you do know.

Conservative (and Cuban-American, if you didn't know) producer and director, Robby Starbuck, had a splendid and hilarious response:

Jill Biden tried to pander to a Latino crowd and she failed miserably. Heres a video with my advice for @DrBiden.  pic.twitter.com/dkeiPxVBCm  Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) April 1, 2021

Image: Screen shot from video by 23 ABC News / KERO, via shareable YouTube.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
The meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS member countries has started in Moscow. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said that there is no alternative to CIS.

"The Commonwealth of Independent States is the broadest regional platform, which has proven its viability and relevance. There is no actual alternative to the Commonwealth in variety of forms and areas of joint activity now," RIA Novosti cited him as saying.

Pankin stressed that other integration associations does not diminish the role of the CIS.

Today's meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers is the first high-level meeting in the year of the 30th anniversary of the Commonwealth.

"The agenda of the event is very busy. <...> It is planned to consider the implementation of the action program adopted in Ashgabat in 2019 to enhance partnership between the foreign affairs agencies of the Commonwealth member states. It is planned to make a number of decisions on specific issues of cooperation in law enforcement, military and humanitarian spheres, in areas of youth cooperation, tourism, physical education and sports," Pankin added.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Federal authorities have submitted a 16-page list of guns, ammunition and explosives they want to seize from at least some of the men involved in a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The proposed forfeiture list was filed in March 30 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

Six men are charged federally in the plot, along with eight facing state charges.

Among the items on the list: a .223-caliber machine gun, silencers, smokeless powder and smokeless propellant and an array of more than 60 handguns, shotguns and rifles.

Related: The ties that bind the men behind the plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer

The items were seized from locations in the Grand Rapids area, Hudsonville, Hartland, Luther, Ypsilanti, Waterford, Lake Orion, Canton, Plymouth, a semi-truck in New Jersey and Delaware.

Barry Croft, Jr., 44, of Delaware, and co-defendant Adam Fox, 37, of Wyoming, were ringleaders, prosecutors say.

They have been indicted on a federal kidnapping-conspiracy charge with Brandon Caserta, 33, of Canton, Kaleb Franks, 26, of Waterford, Ty Garbin, 24, of Livingston County, and Daniel Harris, 23, of Lake Orion.

Federal prosecutors allege the men were upset over Whitmers coronavirus restrictions at the time.

At some point, federal agents infiltrated the group and had informants providing real-time information.

More from MLive

3 men accused in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot head to trial

FBI informant sheds light on details of Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot
Pakistan, India peace move silences deadly Kashmir frontier View Photo

SRINAGAR, India (AP)  The machine guns peeking over parapets of small, sandbagged concrete bunkers and the heavy artillery cannons dug deep into Himalayan Kashmirs rugged terrain have fallen silent.

At least for now.

The Line of Control, a highly militarized de facto border that divides the disputed region between the two nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, and a site of hundreds of deaths, is unusually quiet after the two South Asian neighbors last month agreed to reaffirm their 2003 cease-fire accord.

The somewhat surprising decision prompted a thaw in the otherwise turbulent relations between the countries but also raised questions about the longevity of the fragile peace, in part due to earlier failures. The crackdown by Indian forces and attacks by rebels have continued inside Indian-held Kashmir.

The cease-fire, experts say, could stabilize the lingering conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Kashmiris say the rare move should lead to resolution of the dispute.

It was unclear what prompted the two militaries to adhere to the accord they had largely ignored for years. But experts point to a climbdown by both from their earlier stance following a decision by India to strip Kashmir of its semi-autonomy and take direct control over the region in 2019, and its monthslong bitter border standoff with China.

Paul Staniland, associate professor of political science at the University of Chicago, said the ongoing costs of clashes along the Line of Control, the economic effects of the pandemic, and other foreign policy challenges facing both countries might have combined to create incentives to pursue a cease-fire.

Since 2003, the cease-fire has largely held despite regular skirmishes. Both India and Pakistan claim the region in its entirety and have fought two wars over it, and in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, militants have fought against Indian rule since 1989.

Each country has accused the other of heightening tensions by significantly ratcheting up border attacks in the last four years, leading to the deaths of soldiers and villagers.

The cease-fire announcement came shortly after China and India agreed to a military disengagement from a portion of their disputed border after a monthslong deadly military standoff. It had led to fears of a two-front war between India and China, with the latter assisted by its closest ally, Pakistan.

Some sort of pressure, possibly from Washington and Beijing for different reasons, is pushing India and Pakistan for wider peace moves in the region, said Siddiq Wahid, historian and former vice chancellor of the Islamic University of Science and Technology.

Beijing wants Pakistan to focus on securing its investments as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive, cross-continental infrastructure development project aimed at expanding Chinas commercial connections globally. Islamabad is a key partner and some Chinese-built highways snake through Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. The U.S., on the other hand, is courting India to focus its energies on countering China.

If Pakistan is indeed looking to move toward a new regional role, embracing geopolitics, reducing tensions with India is a must, and if India is going to pivot to deal with a rising China, it has reasons to want to calm relations with Pakistan, said Staniland, a South Asia expert. The real question is whether these reasons remain powerful enough over time.

The thaw in relations became apparent when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an avowed Hindu nationalist, ceased playing up rhetoric against Pakistan and referencing Kashmir in campaigning for elections in four key states.

In Pakistan, too, political leadership and the powerful military have shifted from their earlier position of not engaging with India until it reversed its decision to annul Kashmirs semi-autonomy.

Last week, Pakistans army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa said it was time for the two countries to bury the past and resolve the dispute over Kashmir peacefully. His remarks followed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans repeated calls for good relations with India with a caveat that the Kashmir dispute remains at the center of any future talks. Since the announcement of the cease-fire, Khan, too, has abandoned his past rhetoric against Modi.

Modi appeared to reciprocate, sending last week a letter to Khan seeking cordial relations. Khan replied Tuesday but reiterated that lasting peace was mainly contingent on resolving the future of Kashmir.

The rapprochement has sparked skepticism among Kashmiris who fear the dispute could be pushed to the backburner given the fast administrative and political changes in the region by India that they have likened to settler colonialism.

We are not against talks and want an end to violence. But there has to be an end to repression too, said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, an influential Kashmiri separatist leader who has been under house arrest since August 2019. The whole idea behind the negotiations has to be a resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the wishes of its people.

In the past, Pakistan and India made multiple attempts to broker a deal over Kashmir. They also initiated confidence-building measures like exclusive barter trade between two parts of Kashmir, sporting games and bus services for divided families.

The cease-fire can lead to relative peace but one should not expect lasting peace, said Vinod Bhatia, who was Indias director-general for military operations from 2012 to 2014.

Meanwhile, villagers living along the frontier are paying the price.

The lives of Nader Hussain and Munshi Muhammad Arshad are divided by a barbed concertina wire. Hussain lives in Indian-controlled Kashmir and Arshad in the part controlled by Pakistan.

In late November, Hussain saw an artillery shell fired by Pakistani soldiers fly towards him in his mountainous village. The 50-year-old couldnt outrun the projectile and lost both legs in the blast. Two other men were killed on the spot.

The two countries do politics on our bodies, but this must end, he said.

On the other side, the 45-year-old Arshad, who lost his father to an artillery shell fired by Indian soldiers, hoped for peace.

But a durable peace, he said, will only come when the Kashmir issue is resolved.

___

Saaliq reported from New Delhi. Associated Press writer Roshan Mughal in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN and SHEIKH SAALIQ

Associated Press
Quadruple Amputee Mom Becomes Model After Losing Limbs, Defying 1 Percent Odds of Survival

A quadruple amputee mom has become a model after defying her one percent odds of survival.

After almost losing her life to sepsis, Kia Brazil, from Wisconsin, has beaten the odds and gone on to achieved greater things after the life-threatening illness caused her to become a quadruple amputee.

The 29-year-old suffered a stomach infection which turned septic and eventually cost her her legs and fingers which had turned black and could not be saved.

Kia during a photoshoot after her amputation (Caters News)

However, since enduring these hardships and becoming stronger in the process, Kia is now determined to use her experiences as a positive, and has started a modelling career.

She says she hopes to demonstrate that everyone is beautiful regardless of how they look.

Kia has been signed with a modelling agency for models with disabilities for over a year.

When I was first approached by the agency I was in shock and couldnt believe it was real. I was so excited, Kia said.

Due to coronavirus the work has been slower recently, but things are picking up again now, which is amazing.

I want to use my modelling career to help shine a brighter light over people who are afraid to show themselves or be themselves because of an illness or disability.

I want people to know that everyone is different, and everyone is beautiful no matter what.

We dont have to look a particular way to be perfect. Everyone is perfect in their own unique way.

Kia in the hospital (Caters News)

After experiencing extreme stomach pains out of the blue, Kia was rushed to the hospital where it was discovered that a stomach infection had become septic and was causing her complete organ failure.

My sister who was at the hospital with me was told to call all of my family as it wasnt looking good, the model shared.

After the emergency surgery on my stomach, this is when it was they found the sepsis and told my family that all of my organs were quickly failing.

They thought I was in my last moments and my family prepared to say goodbye.

Doctors said there was nothing else they could do to help Kia. My family begged for a second opinion and werent ready to just give up, she said.

Kia was transferred to a different hospital for another surgery, by which time she had already suffered two heart attacks.

Doctors had said that I had less than a 1 percent chance of making it through this, she said.

(L) Kia in the hospital with visitors; (R) Kia later became a model despite losing her limbs. (Caters News)

During her second surgery, doctors were racing to get as much blood as possible to her vital organs such as her heart and her brain. As a result, less blood was going to her limbs, causing them to die.

Kias right leg was her first limb to be amputated in a bid to save her life, and she was then placed in an induced coma for 14 days.

They told me that I was the sickest person in ICU at that time, she said.

The coma allowed me to gain the strength to pull through, however when I woke up, I didnt know that my leg had been amputated.

I just felt thankful to still be alive.

My other limbs were still there at this point, but they were black, dead, lifeless and flat.

They looked awful, she said, and she didnt want her kids, Madyson, 10, and King, 5, to see them like that.

Kia in a wheelchair with her kids, Madyson and King (Caters News)

Kia would always wear socks to cover her lifeless limbs when her kids came to visit her. So she told the doctors she wanted them amputated as well.

I needed them to be gone so that I could focus on healing, Kia added. So I had my left leg and fingers all amputated.

I underwent a total of 28 surgeries and I was in the hospital for a combined time of six months.

Kia also underwent a full hysterectomy and lost most of her stomach.

After losing both legs and her fingers, as well as losing the use of her right arm, Kia was tasked with figuring out a new way of living for herself and her children.

She says that when they saw her after her amputations they were scared, but happy that she was alive.

It has been tough on my kids too. I have always been a hands-on and active mom, so this was going to be very different for us, Kia said.

It has been an incredibly hard journey but we made it.

Kia posing with her prosthetics, now a model (Caters News)

Kia posing wearing her prosthetics (Caters News)

She said that after having her amputations, she actually felt replenished because of the awful condition her body was in beforehand.

I wanted to just be as normal as possible, she adds. I have a whole new respect for my amazing body after watching it heal from everything it has been through.

I got prosthetics around a year after my amputations, but I do love my stumps. I mostly get around on a wheelchair or scoot about on my bum.

I have had to learn a whole new set of survival skills, I am so much stronger than I have ever been.

Kia believes that surviving sepsis has forced her to grow as a person and has completely changed her perspective on life.

Adds Kia, I am so much more appreciative and grateful for the most simple things.

I am so glad I had the strength to pull through.

Kia has written a book, Surviving Sepsis, about her experience which is due to come out in May this year.

It will be available on her website.

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
The War Room within the state Capitol features murals depicting some of the great fights in New York state history. Colonists kill native people. Infantry hold the line at Gettysburg. Doughboys storm the Ardennes. Gov. Andrew Cuomo used the room to broadcast his four-part State of the State address in January where he highlighted his vision for rebuilding New York as the war against COVID-19 seemingly draws to a close.

No wonder political rivals saw fit to occupy the same room last night as they fought for final victory in a state budget process that has already run two days past its April 1 deadline. We have all just slept out here in the War Room to symbolize the way in which our governor's policies are going to force New Yorkers to sleep out on the streets and be evicted from their homes, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani of Queens said at a press conference held this morning. We have to tax the rich to house the poor.

Six Democratic legislators slept over in the War Room outside the governors Capitol office as part of wider efforts by the political left to pressure Cuomo on the budget, which include an ongoing hunger strike by colleagues and a Friday morning demonstration outside the Executive Mansion in Albany. Budget talks remain ongoing between Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Cuomo. The legislative crashers on the Second Floor described their overnight direct action as a way to reassert their own role in a process where the big decisions largely happen behind doors closed to them.

Theres something about this budget process that makes me feel idle, Assembly Member Amanda Septimo of the Bronx, who came up with the idea for a sleepover with fellow legislative freshman Mamdani, said in an interview last night. Were just waiting for information (and) I was thinking, how can I have an impact? They were joined by their Assembly colleagues, Anna Kelles of Ithaca, Khaleel Anderson of Queens, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas of Queens and state Sen. Jabari Brisport of Brooklyn. Their night together highlighted just how different the budget process is in 2021 compared to years past.

zach-capitol.png Alt Text: Assemblymembers with a tent set up at the Capitol. Title Text: Assemblymembers with a tent set up at the Capitol. Caption: Assemblymembers with a tent set up at the Capitol. Description: Assemblymembers with a tent set up at the Capitol. Image Credit: Zach Williams

The six lawmakers, five of whom are first-term legislators, are part of a growing group of leftwing lawmakers challenging the dominance of older, more politically moderate wing of the Democratic Party. Their demands this budget season include higher taxes on the wealthy and a housing relief program that would require less documentation for enrollment compared to the governors proposed budget. Cuomo has also proposed tax increases that are much lower than the $7 billion proposal backed by the Democratic supermajorities in both chambers. The ongoing hunger strike is part of efforts to secure $3.5 billion for a relief fund for excluded workers like undocumented immigrants over the objections of Cuomo.

Such issues were matters of much discussion around the proverbial campfire within the Capitol last night. Income inequality and social justice were two common themes. Kelles scored some props from her fellow lawmakers by acknowledging how she, as the only white lawmaker present, has to listen as well as speak at a time when representation and privilege matter more than ever to the political left. Niou, the only person present who served in the Assembly before this year, had unnerving stories to tell of a gubernatorial boogeyman run amok in past budget cycles. Last year was devastating, she said. And the year before that wasnt better  and the year before that.

One year ago, Cuomo got his way on a budget that gave him unprecedented control over state spending. This time around, legislators are leaning on their newly won legislative supermajorities, billions in federal aid and the ongoing scandals afflicting the governor to push the state further to the political left than ever before. Whether that means total victory over Cuomo or last-minute compromise remains to be seen as budget negotiations continue, but the political left appears to have the initiative, as evidenced by the recent passage of legislation legalizing recreational marijuana in a way that favored Democratic lawmakers over his own proposal. A spokesperson for the governor downplayed the War Room sleep-out and the policy grievances it highlighted. Quite a few people have slept in this building during this time of year, spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in an email.

Lawmakers like Niou have had an antagonistic relationship with the governor for years. She and two other lawmakers incurred his wrath two years ago when they held an impromptu press conference highlighting a $25,000 per person fundraiser held by the governor during the budget process. Azzopardi responded with a profane rant to reporters. Now, Niou and others are making a last-minute push for their progressive priorities that might highlight more than ever just how far the governor has fallen from the national fame he enjoyed last year. That all depends on what Heastie and Stewart-Cousins do, but last night in the Capitol, the halls of power featured a very different type of political voice as Niou and Gonzalez-Rojas spoke to the progressive faithful via the social media app Clubhouse. Make sure you keep fighting, Niou told a digital crowd of two dozen after midnight. Without help, what are we? Especially after a pandemic, Jesus.

With reporting by Rebecca C. Lewis
This graffiti - "BLM" over "White is Right BLDM" - was spray painted on Route 100 just over the Wardsboro line last year.
Courtesy, La Gloria

We're still months away from the dog days of summer, but San Antonio pups are ready to pawty at La Gloria.

The restaurant by Chef Johnny Hernandez revealed a new "Puppyrita" drink on Thursday. Considering the release coincides with April Fool's Day, we had to ask if it was legitimate.
Evangelical billionaire benefactor Bill Hwang's wealth wiped out in Wall Street disaster

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The evangelical community could lose one of their biggest benefactors after Bill Hwang, a devout Christian and founder of the more than $10 billion Archegos Capital Management investment firm, triggered the liquidation of positions approaching $30 billion in value, and tanked the shares of two major investment banks.

When the facts come out, my sense is the Bill Hwang blow up will be the most spectacular personal loss of wealth in history, former hedge fund manager and current CEO of Galaxy Investment Partners, Michael Novogratz, noted in a tweet Monday.

Through mainly complex financial instruments known as market derivatives, Hwangs firm made "bets with Wall Street trading desks about where stock prices will go, without having to buy the actual shares," The New York Times reported.

Using derivatives is a risky business, however, as it allows investors total exposure to a stock to greatly exceed the amount of cash they can put up. One light buffer to that risk is a requirement that investors post margin  cash or cashlike securities  to cover a share of the trade with banks, which are adjusted daily depending on how trading goes.

Hwang used derivatives known as swaps, to bet that the prices of specific stocks, including ViacomCBS, would rise. Four people familiar with the situation told The New York Times that in addition to ViacomCBS, Hwang had also recently built large holdings in Discovery, which operates the cable channels TLC and the Food Network, and the Chinese companies RLX Technology and GSX Techedu.

Trading did not go in Hwangs favor, resulting last week in some of the stock prices, including ViacomCBS, to start falling, sparking massive selloffs of those stocks. Banks including Japans Nomura, Credit Suisse of Switzerland, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group, which held shares to offset the risk of Hwangs trading, began selling off the stocks as well when Hwang couldnt put up sufficient collateral to meet the margin required to offset his losses.

On Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a member of the Senate banking and finance committees, raised concern about how the hedge-fund industry is regulated as markets continued to reel from the fallout of Hwangs failed bet.

Archegos meltdown had all the makings of a dangerous situation  largely unregulated hedge fund, opaque derivatives, trading in private dark pools, high leverage, and a trader who wriggled out of the SECs enforcement, Warren tweeted.

Karen Kessler, a spokeswoman for Hwang, who sees investing as his calling, and believes God "loves" when he backs companies that contribute to humanity's progress, told The New York Times Monday evening that they were now trying to figure out the best path forward.

This is a challenging time for the family office of Archegos Capital Management, our partners and employees, Kessler said. All plans are being discussed as Mr. Hwang and the team determine the best path forward.

This isnt the first time that Hwang, 57, whose, father was a pastor and mother served as a missionary in Mexico, has faced a job-related challenge.

He previously ran a successful fund called Tiger Asia Management until he was forced to shutter it in 2012 after pleading guilty to insider trading in federal court. He paid $60 million to settle civil and criminal charges of manipulating Chinese stocks. His fund also forfeited about $16 million in related profits.

In recent years, Hwang, who co-founded the Grace and Mercy Foundation, has been a contributor to Focus on the Family and a trustee of the Fuller Theology Seminary, and was one of the evangelical worlds biggest benefactors.

I cannot think of another foundation or individual that has given significant donations to as many Christian organizations as he has, Warren Cole Smith, who leads an organization called MinistryWatch, which monitors the finances of Christian ministries, told The Washington Post.

Through his Grace & Mercy Foundation started in 2006, which he leads with his wife, Becky, and funds almost entirely, Hwang has given some $79.1 million in grants to dozens of primarily Christian organizations, IRS Form 990s filed through the end of 2018 show. In total he has given some $591 million to the foundation, Forbes reported.

The Fuller Foundation and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where Hwang serves on the board of trustees, received a total of $14 million, making it one of the biggest beneficiaries of the foundation. Since 2016, the Museum of the Bible, in Washington, D.C., has been awarded $2.4 million while millions went to Christian humanitarian charities, such as Hope for New York and the Bowery Mission.

Tim Kellers Redeemer Presbyterian Church, the Brooklyn Tabernacle megachurch, Christian liberal arts school The Kings College, along with other churches and missionary organizations nationwide have also been blessed by Hwangs philanthropy.

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, whose disgraced late founder Ravi Zacharias has been accused of multiples cases of sexual assault, also received $3.3 million.
New Delhi: A family court in Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur has directed the estranged husband of Atiya Sabri, one of the six petitioners in the Supreme Court against instant triple talaq, to provide her monthly maintenance of Rs 21,000 in alimony.

In a big victory for Atiya, the court also ordered her husband, Wajid Ali, to pay her an arrear of Rs 13.4 lakh as the case had been filed five years ago. The duo has two daughters.

Atiya had alleged that her husband and in-laws forced her out of the house after she gave birth to her second daughter in 2015. She had also accused them of demanding Rs 20 lakh in dowry.

Atiya had lodged a complaint in Saharanpur court on November 24, 2015, after Ali gave her triple talaq by writing the word talaq thrice in a letter on November 2, 2015.

Expressing elation at the verdict, Atiya told a leading publication that she wants more and more women who have been facing harassment to come forward. She added she feels blessed that God chose her be it for "the fight for the triple talaq law or winning this alimony case".

Meanwhile, Atiya had also petitioned the Supreme Court which outlawed instant triple talaq and described it as unconstitutional in August 2017.

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The firehouse was built in 1906 and served the Chicago Fire Department until the early 1980s, said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago. For a time, it was used as a storage facility for city equipment but it has been vacant since around 2012, and has fallen into disrepair, he said.
Patna, April 2 : Gaya Police arrested an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in drunken stage, an official said on Friday.

The alleged ASI Lalan Rajak was found drunk during surprise raid conducted by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aditya Kumar on Thursday.

Rajak is deployed at Mufassil police station in Gaya district. SSP Aditya Kumar initiated surprise check in various police stations of Gaya after 12 persons after consuming poisonous hooch in neighbouring Nawada and Begusarai district in the last three days.

When the SSP reached Mufassil police station, he found that Rajak was drunk. He immediately asked Raj Kumar Prasad, SHO of Mufassil police station, to arrest the ASI.

"We conducted the medical examination of officer and found alcoholic substances in his blood. Subsequently, we arrested him," Prasad said.

In another incident, one more person died in Nawada after consuming poisonous hooch on Friday, taking the toll to 10. The deceased was identified as Aakash Yadav (16).

Yashpal Meena, the district magistrate of Nawada said: "We have conducted postmortem of Aakash Yadav which did not confirmed alcoholic substance in his blood. We have also conducted postmortem of some other deceased and if liquor would emerged as cause of deaths, we will take strict action against responsible officers." Nawada SP DS Shawalaram said that 10 persons have lost their lives since Holi but caused of death is not emerged due to liquor.

Both the officers in a joint press conference said that family members of five deceased claimed that they died due to illness.

"Two of the deceased's family members claimed that they had consumed liquor on Holi but we have not found any proofs as their bodies were cremated. We have sent the two bodies for postmortem and waiting for their reports," Meena said.

SP DS Shawlaram claimed that district administration has seized 5,819 litre country made liquor and IMFL in the last one year. 63 persons including a woman have been arrested.

"We have also received complaints about distribution of liquor and cloths during Holi. The matter is under investigation," Shawlaram said.
A Louisiana woman accused of setting fires told investigators she and her boyfriend were trying to get rid of snakes, the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry says.

Robert Lee Ramirez, 34, of Leesville, faces two counts of arson and remained at large Tuesday, department spokesman Veronica Mosgrove said in an email.

Laura Ashley Lee, 34, also of Leesville, was released on $3,500 bond after being arrested March 18 on one count of arson, a news release said Monday.

According to the statement, investigators say Ramirez set multiple fires along the road and in woods owned by others around their home.

Two numbers listed for a Laura A. Lee in Leesville are no longer in service. Mosgrove said she doesnt know whether Lee has an attorney who could speak for her.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Authorities allege that a parole officer discovered a stockpile of guns, ammunition, drugs and cash inside a home in Graniteville.

Patrick Sims, 41, was arrested after a parole officer allegedly found $28,000 in currency and a cache of illegal items in the suspects bedroom inside his home on Fieldstone Road on the night of March 8, according to the criminal complaint.

Authorities recovered an AK-47 assault weapon with three high-capacity magazines, including one clip loaded with 27 bullets. A Ruger P-90 semi-automatic pistol with a defaced serial number also allegedly was seized, according to the criminal complaint.

Additional ammunition confiscated included 25 12-gauge shotgun shells, a .40-caliber high-capacity magazine loaded with seven bullets and .45-caliber high-capacity clip containing seven rounds, according to the criminal complaint.

The criminal complaint alleges that authorities uncovered an eighth of an ounce of crack-cocaine, two jars filled with marijuana and a scale containing crack-cocaine residue.

Sims was convicted of assault in the first degree in Supreme Court in Manhattan in June 2005, according to the criminal complaint.

The suspect has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of an assault weapon, criminal possession of a narcotic drug, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of marijuana, criminal use of drug paraphernalia, criminal use of drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of a pistol or revolver ammunition, unlawful possession of ammunition feeding device, unlawful possession of rifle or shotgun ammunition, according to the criminal complaint.

Bond has been set at $100,000 for Sims who is due back in Criminal Court on May 17, according to public records.

An attorney for the suspect did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Editors note: Ready for a steady dose of good news? Today, the Journal kicks off The Good News File, a series of stories in partnership with KOAT-TV and KKOB Radio that will highlight those who are making our community a better place. The Journal will publish a Good News File feature the first Friday of the month, KOAT-TV will present its feature every second Friday of the month and KKOB will feature one every third Friday.

Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

It was St. Patricks Day and Danuta Allen could see nothing but a curtain of snow as she glanced out of the passenger window of the van she and her family had rented to move across the country to New Mexico.

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Her husband, Hassie Allen, was driving and in the back were their four children ranging in age from 4 to 19. The family was caught off-guard by the spring snowstorm that walloped the panhandle of Texas last month as they traveled from North Carolina to Albuquerque to start a new life.

We almost died two times trying to get here, she said. It was like a blizzard. We were unable to see anything.

At one point during their journey, Allen said they were almost run off the road by a semi-truck. Not too far from Amarillo, they slid and nearly plunged off a bridge.

It was yet another harrowing moment in the traumatic few months the family had endured.

Hassie Allen lost his job last year due to the pandemic and the familys car was repossessed. The family had been wanting to move to Albuquerque for some time and figured it was a good time to make a break. Danuta Allen said the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship was the big draw.

Tragically, Danuta Allens mother passed away from COVID-19 on Jan. 17, and her father, upset by it all, had a mild stroke shortly before Allen and her family left North Carolina. Allen said it was hard to leave him, but he has since recovered and plans to move to Missouri to be with her brother.

The Allens knew if they could just make it through the Texas storm, warm beds, their church family and possibly a brighter future awaited them.

They arrived in Albuquerque on March 18 and things were off to a good start. Hassie Allen secured a well-paid job right away. There was one major problem, though. He had no car to get to work.

Thats when Jerri Baker came into their lives.

A few months before the Allens arrived in Albuquerque, the young adult son of a family Baker and his wife know needed a vehicle. The young man had completed a program at Central New Mexico Community College and secured a job in his field, but had no reliable transportation.

Baker, a mechanic for 20 years, bought a Hyundai Elantra for $500, fixed it up, registered it under the young mans name, paid for the first months insurance and handed him the keys.

He had tears in his eyes, he said. He had never had a car in his name.

Baker, who relies on his faith, said he felt God was calling him to continue helping others. He posted on Nextdoor, an app that lets people communicate with their neighbors, looking for cars to buy and people to help.

I wanted to show you dont have to have a $1 million company to help people, he said. A little bit of money can help change peoples lives.

Local Healing Water Ministries pastor Gionne Ralph saw Bakers post and reached out to him. Ralph was friends with the Allens and had supported their move to Albuquerque.

He said he could not help at that moment because he only had a Honda Accord and thats not big enough, Ralph said. During our conversation, someone called him and said they had a van for sale. He said he knew God had intervened for us.

Baker purchased the van for $1,000 and, before giving it to the Allens, gave the car a tune-up, fixed the automatic doors, repaired the air-conditioner, and installed a new battery, tires and belts, which cost an additional $1,000.

The Allens were in complete awe and disbelief at Bakers kindness.

You dont believe any more that people do nice things for you without wanting something in return, Danuta Allen said. My husband cried  and he doesnt cry like that. Im usually the crybaby.

Ralph collected $500 from the church to help pay for the van, but Baker refused the money. Baker said he knows what its like to be without a car and struggling for money because its something he experienced as a young man. His wife has a good job as a nurse that allows them to do this. Hes given away five cars so far and does not plan to stop.

There is something calling me to do this, he said. Its brought me so much joy to see their faces.

If you have a story you would like to suggest for this series, please send your tip to ebriseno@abqjournal.com.
Since the introduction of the hybrid era in Formula 1, Red Bull Racing have been unable to pose a serious threat to Mercedes' dominance. This season seems different: Red Bull seem to be in better shape than ever, and their power unit looks reliable and fast.

Although Max Verstappen was the favourite for the victory in Bahrain, in the end he had to leave Lewis Hamilton in front. He finished just seven-tenths of a second behind Hamilton, something Red Bull wouldn't have dared dreaming of a year ago.

Honda engine weaknesses seem to be a thing of the past

Helmut Marko says the car's weaknesses have been eliminated. "We knew where we were weak. Our goal was to be ready at the first minute of the first practice session and drive away with a competitive car. We achieved that," Marko said in a conversation with Motorsport-Magazin.com.

Big steps have been taken at Honda as well. The engine that was actually meant for 2022 is now in use. Besides being faster and more reliable, it is also more compact. "The new engine has not only advanced in horsepower and handling, but we now have the narrowest rear end. All this is possible thanks to the Honda engine," says Marko.
PHILADELPHIA, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Netrality Data Centers announced today that Biomeme, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of portable, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing solutions, has selected Netralitys 401 North Broad Street for its new corporate headquarters. Situated in Philadelphias growing North Broad Street corridor, the 44,000 square foot space will house Biomemes laboratory, testing, manufacturing, fulfillment and office operations.

Netralitys 401 North Broad is the ideal home for our new headquarters. Were excited to expand our research and development, manufacturing and operations within Center City,  said Max Perelman, Co-Founder and Business Lead of Biomeme. Perelman also explained that Biomeme's expansion of device and assay manufacturing capacity at 401 North Broad will be enabled by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant of Three Million Dollars. This RACP grant will be administered by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget and the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development.

401 North Broad meets or exceeds all of the key requirements for our lab and manufacturing use, including heavy floor loading, wide column spacing, high ceilings, redundant electric utility feeds, ample available backup power, excellent mechanical systems including supply and exhaust air ventilation, secure loading docks and robust network connectivity," added Karen Griffith Gryga, Operations Lead of Biomeme.

The new facility will expand Biomemes production capacity for mobile RT-PCR devices, lyophilized and shelf-stable real-time PCR tests including their FDA emergency use authorized SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) test, and sample preparation products  which extract and purify DNA/RNA from a variety of different sample types.

Netrality is proud to bring Biomeme into our robust ecosystem of life science, digital health and tech-enabled companies that are uncovering cutting edge solutions, said Gerald M. Marshall, CEO of Netrality Data Centers. As the epicenter of connectivity in Philadelphia, Netrality provides the foundational elements for life sciences and biotech companies like Biomeme to access mission critical infrastructure and continuous uptime as they continue advancing healthcare technology, including the fight against COVID-19.

401 North Broad spans 11 stories and 1.3 million square feet. Amenities include an event space and conference rooms, large and modernized freight elevators, secure on-site parking, and a bike room with direct access to the bike lanes on 13th street.

CBREs Christian Dyer represented Netrality during the negotiations. Biomeme was represented by Gary Lozoff of Tactix Real Estate Advisors. To learn more about leasing opportunities at 401 North Broad, visit netrality.com.

About BiomemeBiomeme was conceived and created to make the world a better place through the democratization of healthcare diagnostics. To that end, the company has created technology that empowers anyone, anywhere (including low-resource settings with minimal space, electricity, and equipment) with the capabilities of a molecular lab in the palm of their hands. Over the last nine years, Biomeme has grown a vertically integrated organization spanning specimen collection, sample prep, assay, and instrumentation R&D, PCR reagent lyophilization, hardware, and consumable manufacturing, as well as molecular diagnostic testing services. With the low cost, ease-of-use, and unparalleled field portability of the company's proprietary platform, Biomeme is uniquely poised to rapidly advance initiatives in emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19, as well as emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. For more information, including updates about the company's growing local workforce requirements, visit biomeme.com.

About Netrality Data Centers Netrality owns and operates strategic interconnected data centers and meet me rooms, providing a mix of colocation, powered shell and wholesale data center solutions driven by fiber-dense, network-rich interconnection environments. Netrality today has six strategic data centers in five markets: 210 North Tucker and 900 Walnut in St. Louis, 1102 Grand in Kansas City, 1301 Fannin in Houston, 401 North Broad in Philadelphia, and 717 South Wells in Chicago. For more information: www.netrality.com, LinkedIn, Twitter.

Media contact:Kelsey DielmanScratch M+M484-883-8207kelsey@scratchmm.com

Source: Netrality Data Centers
THE chief executive officer of African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology (AiBST) Professor Collen Masimirembwa yesterday told the court that the DNA results from the tests done on toilet paper allegedly used by a rape accused on his daughter were positive.

Prof Masimirembwa said although the results came out positive, he could not link the businessman to the offence he is being charged with.

The businessman is appearing before regional magistrate Mrs Gloria Takundwa answering to allegations of raping his daughter on several separate times since 2017.

Prof Masimirembwa told the court that he could not tell whether it was the businessman's semen which was on the tissue paper or not, saying they conducted tests on a "dry white substance".

He was called to testify after the businessman, through his lawyer Mr Gwinyai Shumba, disputed the DNA results.

On his last appearance, the businessman objected to the investigating officer who handled the matter, testifying in court, saying the State should have made that indication before the trial opened.

The businessman told Mrs Takundwa that allowing the investigating officer, Tendai Muchero, to testify would subject him to an unfair hearing. The magistrate concurred.

This was after the State led by Miss Audrey Chogumaira applied for Muchero to testify on how the tissues, which were taken as exhibits, were handled during investigations.

Through Mr Shumba, the businessman indicated that he would file an application for discharge at the close of State's case after the Easter holidays.

The State is expected to reply on Wednesday, with the court making its ruling on April 13.
Maharashtra chief minister will on Friday meet senior civil servants to discuss the states spurt in Covid-19 cases, said news agency ANI.

The state on Thursday reported 43,183 new Covid-19 cases and 249 deaths, making the numbers the highest one-day rise since the pandemic began. It was the states highest number of deaths since October.

Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Thursday said that Mumbai may announce restrictions from April 2, claiming "people do not listen" to safety precautions. Hotels could be asked to operate at 50 per cent seating capacity and religious places might be shut completely.

Mumbai reported 8,646 cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, making it the highest one-day spike since the pandemic hit the city early last year. The city reported 18 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Thackeray on Sunday asked districts to chalk out strategies for a possible second "Plan for .. If there is no adherence to restrictions by the people, we may have to go in for it (lockdown) if people fail to follow the new normal," a grim Thackeray said at a meeting of the Covid-19 Task Force.
Florida representative and MAGA firebrand Matt Gaetz found himself in the middle of a reputational, and possibly criminal, firestorm this week after the New York Times broke the news on Tuesday that the Justice Department is looking into whether he broke federal sex trafficking laws and had sexual encounters with a minor. The Times sources say that investigators are examining Gaetzs relationship two years ago with someone who may have been 17 at the time. They are also determining whether he financially supported her, including paying for her to travel with him over state lines, in exchange for sex, which could amount to sex trafficking of a minor. Gaetz has categorically denied engaging in sexual relationships with minors or paying anyone for sex, and is instead claiming that the investigation is part of a ploy to extort $25 million from his family. Subsequent news reports have unearthed increasingly bizarre details about the scandal; Times reporters, for instance, reviewed records of suspicious transactions that Gaetz made through payment apps.

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The Gaetz probe is reportedly part of a larger investigation into one of his political allies, former Seminole County, Florida, tax collector Joel Greenberg. Greenberg resigned last June after he was indicted on 14 federal charges, including sex trafficking of a 14-year-old. Greenberg was allegedly frequenting websites where users can meet people who are willing to have sex for gifts and other forms of ostensibly indirect financial support. According to the Times, Justice Department officials believe that Greenberg was having sex with these people and then introducing them to Gaetz for further sexual favors. Gaetz reportedly took ecstasy during some of these encounters, which occurred while he was in office in 2019 and 2020; the congressman notably criticized President Joe Bidens son Hunter for drug use in 2019. Reporters also retrieved receipts of payments that Gaetz and Greenberg made via Cash App and Apple Cash to one of the women involved. This particular detail raised eyebrows on social media, mostly because it seems foolhardy for a high-profile politician to commit a crime using something as traceable as these two extremely popular payment apps.

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Apple Pay for hookers? Seems like Bitcoin would be a better choice. https://t.co/zSUyfXcO9c  Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) April 2, 2021

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For certain people engaging in criminal activities, payment apps can be useful for covering their tracks. Fraudsters trying to cheat people out of their COVID-19 relief funds have recently taken to using these apps to quickly move money between multiple accounts in order to confuse law enforcement. If you dont do enough to obscure the sender and recipient of the illicit payments, though, the records that these apps keep can serve as indelible evidence. (Theres no way, for instance, to delete transaction histories on Cash App.) There have been a number of less visible cases in which payment app records came in handy for investigators. In June 2020, authorities arrested a Baltimore businessman after sex workers told them that he had made payments on such an app. In October, an employee in the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office was charged with soliciting prostitution based partly on a $250 payment he allegedly made through Cash App. The employee fatally shot the sex worker and claimed he was acting in self-defense. And in January, a New York man was accused of contacting minors on Snapchat and pressuring them to send explicit selfies in exchange for $500 Cash App payments.

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Sex workers who have reached the age of consent have been fighting to retain access to services like Venmo and PayPal, which they rely on to make a living. In 2018, Wired reported that incels and other mens rights activists harnessed the societal stigma against sex workers in a campaign to get them kicked off of payment platforms. Laws like FOSTA-SESTA, which are intended to prevent people from being forced into prostitution, can also have the effect of motivating payment apps to ban willing sex workers who are offering consensual services. This has led some sex workers to seek out cryptocurrency payments instead, given the lack of gatekeepers and focus on anonymity.

Of course, some cases involving evidence found on payment apps dont have anything to do with solicitation or sex trafficking. Investigators with the Montgomery County, Ohio, sheriffs office found in 2019 that a corrections officer was selling inmates cigarettes for $100 a pack using Cash App on his phone. Inmates at a jail in Stafford County, Virginia, were also arrested in July 2020 for getting people on the outside to smuggle in drugs and paying them with Cash App. Youd think lawbreakers wouldve caught on by now: Dont use appsjust cash.
We have to make sure that all we can do for working men and women to close that gap or that division is to make sure that workers are included, and that theyre given an opportunity to be able to thrive in our existing economy and new economies that were building, Mrvan said.
Minari is a semi-autobiographical fiction film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It is an honest and moving work, which treats the experience of an Asian-American immigrant family in the 1980s.

Minari

Chung was born in Denver in 1978 to a family from South Korea, who later moved to a small farm in the Ozark region of northwest Arkansas. His previous films include Munyurangabo (set in Rwanda, 2007), Lucky Life (2010) and Abigail Harm (2012).

Deservedly in this case, Chungs new film recently collected six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor for Steven Yeun, Best Supporting Actress for Youn Yuh-jung and Best Original Score.

It is 1983 or so. The Yi familyJacob (Yeun) and Monica (Han Ye-ri), with their children, Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and David (Alan Kim)arrive by station wagon in rural Arkansas. The family has been living in California since their emigration a decade or so earlier.

Monica is appalled by their new dwellinga single-wide trailer home in the middle of a large meadow, miles from anywhere. Jacob shows her a handful of earth, This is why I picked this place.  This is the best dirt in America.  We wanted a new start, right? Monica is not happy at all. Disagreements between the parents over this and other big life-decisions figure largely in the films drama.

While Jacob makes plans to grow Korean vegetables and fruit, the couple go to work at a hatchery, sexing chicks, that is, distinguishing their sex. Female chicks, valued for egg-laying, are kept, while most male chicks are discarded. Jacob, during one of his fights with Monica, bursts out that he has already spent 10 years staring at chicken butts all day, coming home to a tiny apartment without a penny.

YuhJung Youn and Alan S. Kim in Minari

One of Monicas concerns is her sons medical condition. David has a heart problem and the nearest hospital is an hour away. He is not allowed to run or make any physically demanding effort.

Arkansas represents other problems for the Yi family. Snakes, tornados and more. Jacob hires Paul (Will Patton), well-meaning, eccentric and fervently Christian, as well as a Korean War veteran (I was there. A hard time. Im sure you know), to help with the farming. Paul speaks in tongues and lugs a large, wooden cross along a dirt road on Sundays, in honor of Christs suffering and in penance for his own past sins. Jacob pours scorn on much of this, including water divining. Stupid Americans, believing that nonsense, he tells his son, Koreans use our minds. Monica refers to the area as a hillbilly place.

Monicas mother, Soon-ja (Youn), whose husband died during the Korean War, comes from South Korea to live with the family. David shares a room with her, which does not please him. The lively older woman does not conform to his limited idea of a grandmother. She smells like Korea, he complains. He tells Soon-ja to her face, You are not like a grandma! ... They make cookies! They say nice things! Instead, his grandmother watches professional wrestling on television with great interest, plays cards and swears freely. Justifying why she is teaching her 7-year-old grandson card games, Soon-ja tells Monica, If he learns now, hell beat all the other bastards!

Jacob is determined to succeed at farming, even if it brings his marriage to the breaking point. He tells Monica, If this farm fails, take the kids and leave me for good. Their faces are strained. Farming life is unstable, precarious. The father of one of Davids friends tells the boy that the previous owner of the Yis land went flat broke. He shot himself. I guess thats what a man does. Paul suggests an exorcism to rid the place of the dead mans presence. Out! In the name of Jesus, out!

Soon-ja plants minari (water celery) by a stream. She tells David that minari is the best food. It grows like weeds, so anyone can have it. Rich person. Poor person. Anyone can pick it and be healthy.

Soon-ja suffers a stroke, throwing the family into a new crisis. She is left on her own at home while the rest of the family travels to Oklahoma City, to see Davids doctor and, incidentally, to see about selling their farm produce. Things come to a head between Monica and Jacob. Life was so difficult in Korea, he says. When we married, remember what we said? That wed go to America and save each other. Remember?

A further tragedy strikes.

Minari is a psychologically realistic and compelling film. The film truthfully, artistically confronts the economic struggles, the challenges of emigration, the move to a remote, rural area and the frightening health issues. Each character is given his or her due, including the small-town Arkansas residents, who are treated in a generally sympathetic manner.

Steven Yeun and Yeri Han in Minari

Chungs new work has the texture of and a feeling for life. He has explained to interviewers that his first few films were more self-conscious works, influenced by directors such as Ozu, Tarkovsky, Kiarostami and others. He told Hypebeast that when I started working on Minari, I thought I should take a slightly different approach ... I thought more about the audience. Mostly, I wanted to make a movie that I can share with my daughter. My daughter wont care what the film critics say. So, rather than taking too serious and intelligent approaches, I just wanted to make a movie about people.

Chungs decision to think more about the audience was a proper choice. His Lucky Life is an intelligent, thoughtful and slow-moving film, which examines how the death of a friend influences and works on a young middle class New York couple. Minari, however, takes in more of life.

Is there a wider, more general significance in Chungs trajectory, his new-found or rediscovered interest in mundane, plebeian matters? It is hard to say, but one would like to think so.

In any event, he continues to bring to bear his artistic training and rigor. The direction of the actors is impeccable. Youn, a performer with a fifty-year history in South Korean films and television, is especially memorable. The humor comes organically from genuinely human situations. The films imagery is concise, exacting, and doesnt shy away from complex matters.

Neither Jacob nor Monica wants to do the otheror anyone elseharm, but the pressures on them are intense. She wants to take David, for his health, back to California. Cant you come with us? We cant do this without you. The farm work is back-breaking, but he wants to finish what I started, otherwise they will be chicken sexing till we die in the dismal, low-paying hatchery. How can people stay together under the accumulated weight and pull of such things?

In an essay, the director once wrote that his grandmother didnt finish elementary school and lived a daily resignation to poverty and struggle for most of her life. Her illiteracy caused both shame and sympathy for my father, notably because he is a gifted writer. Yet, he remembers the way others revered her in the village because she told stories.

The art of memory, Chung continued in the same piece, collects disparate details from the past and reshapes them into a harmonic whole. It is a dying art in much of the world where society has less of a demand for remembrance and a greater emphasis on daily production and consumption. So great is the divide between everyday existence and active reflection that modern storytellingthe cinemais no longer interested in life. There is a common saying, I go to the movies because I wish to escape. Meanwhile, the culture of escape spreads from the West to the rest of the world like industrial haze.

This is a serious artist and filmmaker.
I broke up with my boyfriend of five years during quarantine, but not because we had fallen out of love.

I sent him an email with the subject line, My Terms, and proceeded to outline why I wanted to be single. In an effort to impose order on my decision, I included subheadings like Why I Need This, What This Change Means For You and What Well Say To the Outside World, followed by a trail of bullet points.

Under the subheading, What This Doesnt Mean, I wrote: That I dont love you anymore.

We were three months into the pandemic, and most of us couldnt fathom the devastation to come. By then, though, we could begin to see our loneliness stretching into the future with no end point. Singles stared absently into the eyes of strangers on Zoom, longing to be touched.

And here I was, alone and equally desperate for connection, breaking up with my boyfriend of five years, even though nothing between us had broken.
Sennar  Vice President of the Sovereignty Council, Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemeti' Dagalo, enacted a new law concerning recruitment by armed movements. The law will affect "all those who carry out false recruitment". Hemeti called for the people "not to fall victim to deception".

In his speech at the inauguration of Sheikh Hajou Tajeldin at the Khalawi (religious schools) in Sennar yesterday, Hemeti rejected the widespread recruitment operations from "some parties that impersonate armed movements".

He further lauded the role of Sufi groups in fostering unity and cohesion for the people of Sudan during the difficult stage the country experiences.

Earlier this month, journalist, writer, and editor El Haj Warrag warned that "the existence of multiple armies is a time bomb that could explode at any moment" and that the lives of people in Darfur are being lost due to the chaos brought by weapons and militias.

"Part of the problem is uncontrolled recruitment among the armed movements that signed the Juba Peace Agreement," he said.
By David Shepardson and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely travel at "low risk" but still did not recommend Americans doing so because of high coronavirus cases nationwide.

The CDC's shift in guidance should be a shot in the arm for the travel industry, which is still struggling from the dip in passengers since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

But CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters that, despite the new guidance for vaccinated people, now was still not a good time to take a trip.

"We know that right now we have a surging number of cases. I would advocate against general travel overall," she said. "We are not recommending travel at this time, especially for unvaccinated individuals."

The CDC had held off changing its travel guidance even as vaccinations increased, irking the travel industry.

Its new guidance on Friday seemed to be an attempt to thread a needle of acknowledging that vaccines made travel significantly safer while seeking to thwart a big increase until more people have had their shots.

The new guidance greenlights vaccinated grandparents getting on airplanes to see grandchildren, for example, and says COVID-19 testing and quarantining are not necessary before or after travel as long as take precautions such as wearing masks and maintaining social distance.

Airlines for America, a group representing major U.S. airlines including American Airlines, Delta Air lines, United Airlines Southwest Airlines, and other trade groups had urged the CDC on March 22 to immediately update its guidance to say "vaccinated individuals can travel safely."

Air travel still remains down 43% from pre-COVID levels and business and international travel remain even harder hit.

The airline group praised the CDC's "updated travel guidance" that eases "travel restrictions for fully vaccinated individuals."

Story continues

Roger Dow, chief executive of the U.S. Travel Association, said the "new travel guidance is a major step in the right direction that is supported by the science and will take the brakes off the industry that has been hardest hit by the fallout of COVID by far."

The administration is not lifting restrictions that bar most-non U.S. citizens from the United States who have recently been in China, Brazil, South Africa and most of Europe. It is also keeping requirements that nearly all international U.S. air visitors getting a negative COVID-19 test before traveling to the United States.

A U.S. official briefed on the matter said the Biden administration is beginning to have conversations about how and when it might eventually lift those travel restrictions but no change is imminent. The United States also still maintains restrictions at the Canadian and Mexican borders that bar non-essential visitors.

The CDC's new guidance says fully vaccinated people do not need COVID-19 tests before international travel unless it is required by the international destination and vaccinated people returning from foreign travel do not need to self-quarantine after returning to the United States, unless required by state or local authorities.

The CDC had repeatedly declined in recent weeks to change the guidance and repeated it was still discouraging all non-essential travel because of a concern about new variants.

Many Americans have not been heeding the CDC's advice.

The Transportation Security Administration screened 1.56 million people at U.S. airports on Thursday, just below Sunday's 1.57 million, which was the highest daily total since March 2020. The last time the number of airport passengers screened was below 1 million was March 10.

The Biden administration has taken steps to reduce international travel and mandated masks in nearly all forms of public transit. The administration is not eliminating any mask rules.

The administration is sticking by its goal that all adults will be eligible for vaccines in the coming weeks. Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters that studies showed children would be able to be vaccinated, too.

"There are studies under way in children that go from six months to 11 years. And by the end of this year we should have enough information to be able to safely vaccinate children of virtually any age," he said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Marguerita Choy)
Rajinikanth's friend and actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan tweeted: "I am extremely pleased to know that the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest award, has been announced to my dear friend superstar Rajinikanth who has proved that just through screen appearance fans can be won. He deserves this honour 100%."

) Actors and filmmakers associated with Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films took to social media on Thursday to congratulate superstar Rajinikanth, who will be honoured with the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Telugu actor Chiranjeevi Konidela wrote: "Elated at the announcement of the prestigious #DadaSahebPhalke Award to my dear friend @rajinikanth Truly deserving. Your contributions to the film industry are immense my friend! Hearty congratulations! May the force be with you!!"

Telugu actor Mahesh Babu posted: "Congratulations @rajinikanth sir on being awarded the #DadasahebPhalkeAward!! Your contribution to cinema is unparalleled! Truly an inspiration."

Malayalam actor Mohanlal shared: "Well deserved recognition, Congratulations Dear @rajinikanth sir on The Dadasaheb Phalke Award. #DadasahebPhalkeAward."

Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran expressed: "Congratulations #Rajini Sir! Well deserved accolade! #DadaSahebPhalke Award!"

Telugu actor Ravi Teja tweeted: "Congratulations on being conferred with the #DadaSahebPhalke award @rajinikanth sir!! A much deserved recognition!"

Actress Nivetha Thomas shared: "My heart is so full! @rajinikanth sir. #DadasahebPhalkeAward."

Telugu actor Varun Tej Konidela tweeted: "Congratulations @rajinikanth sir on being awarded the #DadaSahebPhalke Award. Your versatility has helped shape the growth of Indian cinema Globally. An inspiration for all of us."

Telugu actor Nithiin posted: "Heartfelt congratulations to @rajinikanth sir on being honoured with the prestigious #DadasahebPhalkeAward! Wishing you many more accolades!"

Tamil actor Sivakarthikeyan wrote: "To the man who inspired millions...To the man who inspired me to come up in life against all odds..To the man who deserves this honour #DadasahebPhalkeAward Love you and salute you for everything you have done Thalaiva #DadasahebPhalkeRajinikanth @rajinikanth."

Filmmaker Raghava Lawrence tweeted: "I'm extremely happy to hear that Thalaivar superstar is receiving the prestigious #DadaSahebPhalke award. I don't have the age to praise him. May his greatness live on forever! Guruve saranam @rajinikanth."

Tamil film actor Karthik Subbaraj posted: " CongratulationsThalaivaaaa.... #DadasahebPhalkeAward #Thalaivar."

For more stories click here: Kollywood l Malayalam l Bollywood l Telugu
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney have taken a high-risk political gamble in preventing any more EU countries being added to the States mandatory hotel quarantining list.

Despite skyrocketing levels of transmission across Europe, Varadkar and Coveney moved to block attempts by Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to add countries including France, Italy and Germany to the list.

On Tuesday, when Independent.ie revealed the Health Ministers plans to add the United States and several EU countries to the list, Varadkar and Coveney got spooked and thought they were being bounced into a decision which they had not been consulted on.

Other Cabinet ministers were also worried that the list was dropped just before they met to discuss easing Covid-19 restrictions and landed around the same time it was decided to make controversial changes to the National Vaccine Programme. A lot was going on at once.

Read More

Coveney, Varadkar and their handlers went into a spin overdrive against Donnelly. Donnelly was privately accused of not doing his homework and failing to understand EU law and the process for adding countries to the list. Publicly and privately, Coveney and Varadkar expressed concerns about the States capacity to handle an influx of travellers from the EU and the US. Why they only started considering this now is unclear.

Coveney went on Highland Radio to criticise the move. Varadkar backed him up during an appearance on the RTEs Six One News. However, some of Coveneys colleagues are describing this as his Claire Byrne moment in reference to Varadkar going on the RTE show to attack Nphet for recommending a Level 5 lockdown last October. Two weeks later, the Government introduced a Level 5 lockdown.

Department of Foreign Affairs officials were highly critical of the Department of Healths Expert Travel Group who recommended the additional countries. The letter had no regard to EU or Irish Law and our obligations as a member state, a source said. Given that they didnt check any of this it makes you wonder who exactly the experts on this expert panel are, the source added.

A day after the list emerged, Attorney General Paul Gallagher sent a letter to Donnelly which outlined legal concerns around charging EU citizens for quarantining in hotels. Government sources said there Attorney General even raised issues about the legality of charging Irish citizens being forced to quarantine.

Despite queries to the Department of Health, Department of Foreign Affairs, the Taoiseach and Tanaistes Office, no one could provide clarity as to why the Attorney General only raised these issues this week. Why had it not been discussed before the legislation was enacted and a hotel company contracted to provide the service?

Over in the Department of Health they insist there was no attempt to bounce anyone into action and say the list prepared by the expert group was a consultation document which was sent to various departments for discussion. The list was never supposed to go to Cabinet this week, they say, but it was hoped the Government would move quickly to add countries due to the rising levels of transmission across Europe. This was the public health advice after all.

The Expert Travel Groups list was fully endorsed by the Acting Chief Medical Officer and Donnelly was determined to have it implemented. Government sources played down suggestions of any big war between Donnelly and Coveney, but it is clear they have two very opposing views on a hugely significant element of the Governments strategy to contain Covid-19.

A Government source said there are ministers who are against hotel quarantining but went a long with it because it was populist and then there are others who believe it is a necessary tool to stop transmission. There are people in Government who were happy to go along with this when it was places like Tonga but now the reality is biting, the source said.

Coveney and Donnelly debated the issue yesterday afternoon and the Foreign Affairs Minister was successful in his attempt to stop the United States and the EU being added to the quarantine list for now. Meanwhile, Israel, home of the worlds most successful vaccine programme, was added to the list, along with Aruba, Ethiopia and Somalia among others.

Coveney and Varadkars efforts have, at the very least, slowed down plans to add high-risk EU countries and the US to the quarantining list, so presumably they will take full responsibility for any new variants or spikes in cases caused by international travel from these regions for the coming weeks.
Lao cement-plant workers demand back pay in a protest outside the home of their former Chinese employer, Feb. 22, 2021.

Lao authorities in Luang Prabang province have detained the Chinese owner of a cement plant, accusing him of failing to pay a months wages to his Lao workers last year, Lao sources say.

Prosecutors are now filing charges against the man, the owner of the Guestown-Lao company, whose plant in the provinces Nam Bak district was closed in late November, a labor official in Luang Prabang told RFA on Thursday.

The owner of the plant is a Chinese, who has now been detained, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The authorities are filing charges against him, and he will be brought to court soon, he said.

The workers will now have to wait for a court decision to see if they will be paid, he added.

The shuttered Guestown-Lao company plant, which has now reopened under new owners, owes about 400 million kip (U.S. $42,500) in back pay to more than 200 employees, only some of whom have been rehired by the plants new managers.

The same plant with a new Chinese owner and a new company called Jiang Qe Co. called me and several others back to work, and we have been working here again since late February, one worker said.

The new owner told us that this is a different company that has nothing to do with the previous one, so we are still going to have to wait for our unpaid wages, he said.

Not the first time

Another worker said he remains unemployed, but cant travel far from his home to find a new job.

My family is poor, and I cant go to another town or province to work because Im still waiting for my back pay, he said, adding, We havent heard anything from the authorities up till now.

This was not the first time that the company didnt pay us, a third worker said, also speaking to RFA. The plant paid us late several times before, and they only paid then because we protested.

Around 100 of the cement plants more than 200 unpaid workers gathered on Feb. 22 outside the home of the plants Chinese owner to demand their wages, sources told RFA in an earlier report, with one worker saying the owner had fled his home before they arrived.

We came here several times in December and January to ask for our back pay, but nothing happened. Then, in early February, we filed a written complaint with the district and provincial labor departments and with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the worker said.

We waited for almost a month, and nothing happened, so we came here to protest on Feb. 22, he said.

Abuse, resentment

Reports have increased in recent years of the high-handed treatment of Lao workers by their Chinese bosses, and of increasing resentment over a rapidly growing Chinese business presence in the country.

A Lao teenager working at a motorcycle shop in Bokeo province killed his Chinese employer in early March following a heated argument over working hours and the mans abuse of his local employees, while in June 2020 a young Lao worker was beaten, shocked, and tied up by his supervisors at a Chinese banana plantation in Vientiane province.

Concern has also been growing in Laos over Chinas growing influence as a result of its massive investment in hydropower dams, a major railway, and other infrastructure projects under Beijings $1.3 trillion Belt and Road Initiative.

China is Laos largest foreign investor and aid provider, and its second-largest trade partner after Thailand.

Lao authorities announced on Thursday that China had donated 800,000 doses of the Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine to its communist neighbor.

Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Rep. Paul Gosar

The siblings of a Republican lawmaker are again coming out against him  this time in a blistering new attack ad airing on Fox News claiming that Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar helped instigate the deadly Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol.

"There is no one member of Congress more responsible for the attack on the Capitol than Congressman Paul Gosar," Jennifer Gosar says in the ad, which shows the lawmaker's siblings along with scenes from the pro-Donald Trump riot in Washington, D.C.

Jennifer is one of three of Paul's siblings who feature in the ad, which also includes his brothers David and Tim Gosar.

"Paul's one of the first people to tell the 'big lie' about Dominion voting machines," David says in reference to the election equipment provider that found itself at the center of baseless right-wing claims supporting Trump's repeated argument that he somehow won the 2020 election, which he  in fact  lost to President Joe Biden.

The siblings' attack ad also shows an earlier clip of the representative in which he falsely claims that "Dominion seems to be set to changing Republican votes to Democrat."

Dominion has sued several Trump allies  though not Paul  seeking billions in damages over similar false statements made about the company.

The siblings say in the ad that Paul "tried to sell that lie every chance he could" before helping to promote and organize so-called "Stop the Steal" rallies, including one in D.C. right before the riots.

"Everyone that was a part of that insurrection needs to be held accountable and absolutely the organizers even more so," Jennifer says in the ad.

David continues: "How would it be just if the rabble pays the consequence and the ringleaders pay no consequence?"

"He should have criminal consequences, and if he's found guilty he should go to jail," Tim adds.

Story continues

Their ad  which was created by conservative group Republican Accountability Project  is set to air in districts including Paul's own next week in Arizona, according to HuffPost.

The anti-Trump group has released other spots that call out Republican lawmakers who have promoted the former president's conspiracy theories, including Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley.

RELATED: Why Were Police Unprepared for Riot Incited by Trump  and Why Were So Few People Arrested?

It isn't the first time Paul's siblings have banded together against him. In a blistering 2018 campaign ad for his then-opponent, six of Paul's brothers and sisters lambasted him for his work as a politician, saying he was "absolutely not working for his district."

One of his sisters, Grace Gosar, said in another ad released around that time for his opponent that "it would be difficult to see my brother as anything but a racist." As recently as February, the Arizona lawmaker spoke at an event in which organizers espoused white supremacist views.

Paul has served as a member of the House of Representatives since 2011 and won re-election in November, with nearly 70 percent of the vote, according to The New York Times.

At the time of his six siblings' ad in 2018, he said in a statement: "Those of my siblings who chose to film ads against me are all liberal Democrats who hate President Trump. These disgruntled Hillary suppporters [sic] are related by blood to me but like leftists everywhere, they put political ideology before family."

"You can't pick your family. We all have crazy aunts and relatives etc and my family is no different. I hope they find peace in their hearts and let go all the hate," Paul said then, adding, "To the six angry Democrat Gosars  see you at Mom and Dad's house!"

The Gosars' mother, for her part, told The New York Times in 2018 that she and Paul shared similar politics and that the siblings' attacks "crushed" her, but that they were a "wonderful family."

Paul, who is the oldest of 10, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.
State-owned companies in Havana have unveiled Cuban-made medical equipment used in treating COVID-19.

The companies are producing high-end respirators, reagents and plastic supplies that alongside Cuba's COVID-19 vaccines are allowing the island nation to address health care issues created by the worldwide pandemic.

"The development of medical equipment and technologies allows us to achieve sovereignty in many aspects... and also in the diagnosis of COVID-19," stated Jose Luis Fernandez Yero, founder of Cuba's Immunoassay Center and Advisor to Biocubafarma, on Wednesday.

There are currently 23,168 patients of COVID-19 in Cuba's hospitals.

The first dose of the Phase III study of the Soberana 02 vaccine, have been administered.

The Soberana 02 study was tested by injecting 44,000 people who were joined by 150,000 Cubans in the capital who were included in "intervention studies" to obtain more data on the behavior of the antigen.

The other advanced vaccine under study is Abdala, which is being tested in its Phase III in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba with 40,000 patients and with another 120,000 volunteers in an "intervention study."

Mambisa, Soberana 01, and Soberana Plus (02), are the other antigens in development but that are in still earlier stages.

Authorities expect Phase III of Soberana 02 and Abdala to be completed in June, which will pave the way for mass immunization on the island of 11-million people.

Cuba has registered some 75,263 cases of COVID-19 and 424 deaths from the virus since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
"The challenge we are having is that people are not going online to register. Only 57 per cent have done their KYC and some are even saying they don't want meters."

Ikeja Electric (IE) Plc said that it had metered only some 24,000 customers under the National Mass Metering Programme (NNMP) of the Federal Government flagged off in October 2020.

Felix Ofulue, head corporate communications, IE, gave the figure at a news conference on Wednesday in Ikeja.

He said that 106,701 customers of the electricity distribution company had been scheduled to be installed with free prepaid meters under the phase zero of the NMMP.

Mr Ofulue blamed the present situation on the slow pace of registration by its unmetered customers for the NMMP.

According to him, only 57 per cent of customers have so far completed the mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) online application.

"The challenge we are having is that people are not going online to register. Only 57 per cent have done their KYC and some are even saying they don't want meters.

"There is also the issue of separation of accounts by customers, which involves installation of their electrical connection to the required standard before they can be issued meters.

"Some of them have refused to do that and we cannot issue one meter for instance for five flats because it can easily get damaged.

"All those who are yet to register are enjoined to visit map.Ikejaelectric.com to complete their registration as soon as possible," he said.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Energy By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Mr Ofulue said without their registration, the DisCo would not be able to get more allocation under the next phase of the programme.

He said the plan to bridge the metering gap in the country had been given a boost with the $500 million funds from the World Bank.

The official advised customers to desist from attacking employees of the DisCo carrying out their official duties, warning that those involved would be prosecuted.

He urged the customers to help the DisCo to protect its electrical installations from vandals and energy thieves through its recently inaugurated whistleblower programme.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the government had on Oct. 30, 2020 flagged off the NMMP.

The programme is aimed at closing the metering gap in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry to a set target by December 2021.

It will assist in reducing collection losses, while at the same time increasing financial flows to achieve 100 per cent market remittance obligation of the DisCos.

Objectives of the scheme also include the elimination of arbitrary estimated billing, improving network monitoring capability and provision of data for market administration and investment decision-making.(NAN)
President Bidens ambitious plan to increase corporate taxes does more than just reverse much of the overhaul pushed through by his predecessor. It also offers a profoundly different vision of how to make the United States more competitive and how to foot the bill.

When President Donald J. Trump and a Republican Congress rewrote the tax code in 2017, most of the benefits went to the wealthiest Americans, with lower rates on businesses and on profits from investments. The guiding principle, proponents argued, was that cutting taxes on corporations and investors would encourage businesses to expand, creating more jobs and generating more wealth for everyone.

By contrast, the animating idea behind the tax plan put forward by the Biden administration on Wednesday is that the best way to increase Americas competitiveness and foster economic growth is to raise corporate taxes to finance huge investments in transportation, broadband, utilities and more.

The Business Roundtable, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers all welcomed the idea of pumping money into repairing and building the nations infrastructure, but recoiled at raising corporate taxes to do so.
Cambodia Industry Survives Within the Oppressive Ban, Waiting for Better Days to Come

Published April 2, 2021 by Lee R

Online gambling has kept Cambodia's gaming industry alive in the time of the bans and pandemic.

Cambodia banned iGaming a year ago: today, the industry is flourishing in the gaming resort of Sihanoukville as the life preserver for the entire industry.

Pressing On

Within the confines of the ban first announced in 2019 reportedly under pressure from China, the gaming industry quietly lived on through Sihanoukville casinos beaming live dealer services globally, with authorities tolerating or looking the other way.

The Shift

This represented a stark change from the time of the ban, when is Cambodia's southern coast gambling mecca was rif with operators seeking to cash in on online gambling at all costs by attracting Chinese players. The wild west atmosphere resulted in rising crime and rising rental prices.

China's Shadow

Traditionally tough on gambling China has since hardened its stance further since last year by enacting a new law this year illegalising the luring of Chinese players to gamble.

However, China cannot keep operators from operating in Cambodia, nor keep Chinese from investing in Sihanoukville's casinos.

China's Private Investors

According to the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh, well-known China ally and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was the beneficiary of Chinese direct investment in Cambodia of some $860 million in the first 11 months of last year, representing a year-on-year jump of 70 percent from the same period in 2019with China planning to open a Consulate in Sihanoukville.

Ground for Tolerance

Insiders say that casinos in Sihanoukville have been allowed to operate because they are backed by powerful figures close to the Cambodian government, with online casino operations being tolerated to support Sihanoukville's land-based local casinos at a time when borders are closed and tourism minimised.

Restoring Sihanoukville

After Cambodia's online ban took effect in January 2020, Sihanoukville already began receiving an urban facelift--with roads, sewage and other basic infrastructure upgraded to make Sihanoukville appear much family-friendly and mass market friendly. In kind, the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone stepped up efforts to attract more foreign companies, with entrants by October of last year visible from France, Switzerland and Laos.

Outlook

With the number of casinos reduced by 50% since the pandemic started, online operations are keeping the Sihanoukville industry afloat and viable, as the industry treads water until expansion hitshopefully.
About 30 percent of Connecticuts population may be immune from the coronavirus, according to one researcher.

But that's not enough, Pedro Mendes said.

Mendes, a researcher and professor in computational biology at UConn, has been modeling the spread of the coronavirus in Connecticut since the start of the pandemic.

As a baseline, he said 75 percent immunity is necessary to stop transmission of the virus, but that number will shift as more infectious variants take hold.

That number depends on how infectious is the virus, Mendes said. With the new variant, the B.1.1.7, that number goes up, and it's probably more towards 80, 85 percent.

Mendes estimates of immunity include natural immunity, obtained from having contracted and survived the virus, and through vaccinations. Hes using something called a SIR model, estimating susceptible, infected and recovered people.

It has the group of infected people, those who have active infection, he said. Therefore, by contact with susceptibles, they can also infect them, and then there's a group of recovered. So those are people that have recovered from the infection, and they're no longer infectious, and we assume they have some immunity.

To do that, Mendes said his model uses clues. Starting with the number of confirmed infections at any given time, there is also an estimated infection rate and a known number of hospitalizations and deaths.

That's like a puzzle, he said. All those pieces have to adjust together to make it work.

That model also helps him estimate what may be the current true spread of the virus in the state.

According to Mendes, there are 14,000 people in Connecticut actively fighting the coronavirus, asymptomatic and severe infections, and everything in between.

Using state data and a complex computational model, Mendes estimates the number of known active infections to be 8,810 across Connecticut. But the real number is probably 5,000 more, a total of 13,607, Mendes said.

Let's put it this way, we know of a little bit more than half of the people who are infected, he said.

Mendes model does have some limitations. For example, that estimation of 30 percent immunity ignores the relatively small number of reinfections, people who have been infected twice, and breakthrough infections, people who have become infected after being vaccinated.

It also ignores age breakdowns. So, while close to 100 percent of the states nursing home residents have been vaccinated, and are therefore immune, zero percent of the states children have been vaccinated.

The model also assumes the same strength and duration of immunity for all vaccines and for immunity for recovered patients.

But the model improves the more people get tested, and Mendes praised the state for its focus on diagnostic testing.

The key factor is the testing, the number of people tested, which is one of the best things that has happened in Connecticut. We are testing a large number of people, he said. And even though now it's smaller, and I wish they were still testing 40,000 people a day, we are still testing more than other states are. And that's one of the biggest defenses because you know, once you identify someone as positive, they take more precautions. They stay home.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque police released the names of the two 23-year-old women  and the charges they will face  in a deadly crash on Tuesday morning that left two children dead and a third child critically injured.

Rebecca Atkins, an Albuquerque police spokeswoman, said Alexis Martinez was driving at the time of the crash and Danielle Ortiz was a passenger.

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Police have said Martinez was speeding. Ortiz told officers the women had been drinking and that at least one child was sitting on the floor when the crash occurred.

Atkins said the women will be charged with two counts each of abandonment or abuse of a child resulting in death. Both are also charged with abandonment or abuse of a child resulting in great bodily injury.

Atkins said the women each lost one child in the crash, but police are not identifying the children involved until families are notified.

On Wednesday a man identified his and Martinezs daughter, 7-year-old Amariah Moya, as one of the victims in the crash.

A boy under the age of 1 also died in the crash and Martinez and a third child under the age of 5 were hospitalized in critical condition. Ortiz and a fourth child were hospitalized with injuries that are not life threatening.

Officers responded around 3:20 a.m. to the crash on northbound Interstate 25 north of the Big I.

Police say Martinez was speeding on the ramp from westbound Interstate 40 to northbound I-25 when the car left the roadway and became airborne and crashed into a concrete barrier.

Court records show Martinez was cited in February 2020 for speeding and not having a drivers license, insurance or vehicle registration. Police said she was driving 65 mph on a 40 mph stretch of Lomas.

A bench warrant was issued in January after Martinez failed to show up for court.
Ventures, the retail arm of Reliance Industries, has extended the timeline for six months to complete its Rs 24,713 crore deal with Kishore Biyani-led to buy its retail and wholesale business.

Ventures Ltd (RRVL) has extended the timeline for the "Long Stop Date" from March 31, 2021 to September 30, 2021, said a regulatory filing by Future Retail.

"Pursuant to the provisions of scheme and other transaction documents executed in relation thereto, RRVL has in exercise of the right provided thereunder, extended the timeline for 'Long Stop Date' from March 31, 2021 to September 30, 2021 which has been duly acknowledged by and Fashion Lifestyle Limited, wholly-owned subsidiary of RRVL," it said.

Long Stop, an established practice in mergers and acquisition transaction, is a timeframe in which parties agree on which all the conditions precedent for a transaction need to be fulfilled and the transaction completed.

The deal, which is contested by Amazon, is facing legal hurdles and a decision from the Supreme Court is pending over the petition filed by the e-commerce major.

The Future-Reliance deal, which was announced on August 29, 2020, has already received clearance from regulators such as CCI, SEBI and bourses, and the scheme of arrangement is now awaiting the nod from the NCLT and shareholders.

Though the Supreme Court has granted a go-ahead to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for its proceedings but has asked it not to pass any final order sanctioning the scheme.

The NCLT has reserved its order over the scheme of arrangement in which all the Future Group's retail assets would be consolidated under Future Enterprises Ltd and then would be transferred to RRVL through sale.

Last month, a Single Member Bench of the Delhi High Court had directed the to stay the deal. However, this was challenged by the before the Division Bench of the Delhi High Court, which stayed the order of the Single Member bench.

Amazon and Future have been locked in a bitter legal tussle after the US e-commerce giant dragged Future Group to arbitration at Singapore International Arbitration Centre (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.)
CHENNAI: Superstar Rajinikanth, the recipient of prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for the year 2019, has expressed his gratitude to fans, film fraternity colleagues and political leaders for their heartfelt wishes. The Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday announced that the award, which is Indian cinema's highest honour for an artiste, will be presented to Rajinikanth on May 3.

"For all the love, greetings & wishes I've received from eminent political leaders, my film fraternity friends & colleagues, well-wishers, media, every person who took the time to wish me & my beloved fans from across India & all over the world... My deepest gratitude and thanks," the veteran actor said in a Twitter post on Friday. On Thursday, in a statement posted on the microblogging site, the 70-year-old cinema icon had dedicated the award to his friend, bus driver Raj Bahadur, elder brother Sathyanarayana Rao Gaekwad and all those who made him the superstar that he is now.

"I dedicate this award to my friend and bus driver Raj Bahadur, who discovered my acting talent and encouraged me, my elder brother Sathyanarayana Rao Gaekwad, who sacrificed a lot to make me an actor while struggling with poverty, my guru K Balachander, who created this Rajinikanth," he had said. He also remembered his producers, directors, technicians, distributors, theatre owners, media, the Tamil people, "who have given me my life, and my fans across the world."

Rajinikanth, whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, tried his hand at several odd jobs before landing as a bus conductor. He soon quit the job to pursue his acting dreams. It was noted director K Balachander who spotted Rajinikanth at a film institute and roped him to star in his 1975 film 'Apoorva Ragangal'. The director also gave the actor his screen name Rajinikanth. The cinema icon has delivered several superhit films such as 'Billa', 'Muthu', 'Sivaji' and 'Enthiran', among others.

He has also starred in Bollywood movies such as 'Hum', 'Andha Kanoon', 'Bhagwaan Dada', 'Aatank hi Aatank' and 'Chaalbaaz'.
By Tetsushi Kajimoto

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is looking into the financial losses incurred by MUFG and Nomura through deals related to an unnamed U.S. client, and will gather and share information on the matter with the Bank of Japan and overseas authorities, the finance minister said.

Taro Aso's comments come after Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) estimated a loss of around $270 million and Nomura Holdings Inc, Japan's largest investment bank, warned of a possible $2 billion loss - both linked to the U.S. client.

While the companies did not name the client, the revelation comes as global banks, including Credit Suisse, have warned of a fall-out from the downfall of hedge fund Archegos Capital.

"I don't expect that the loss at Nomura and Mitsubishi will cause bigger problems such as that it would greatly undermine their financial health or it will make it difficult to perform their duties," Aso told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

"We are looking into the matter now. The Financial Services Agency will share information with the Bank of Japan and overseas authorities from now on as well," he said on Friday.

"We must closely watch the situation."

Aso declined to comment further, saying the incident was a matter regarding individual private financial institutions.

While government officials have brushed aside the risk the matter could trigger a financial crisis, some remain wary.

"When incidents of this kind happened in the past, we treated them as 'individual cases' and neglected to fully take precaution," a government official said on condition of anonymity. "Some of them later morphed into financial crisis."

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Vehicle Attack at U.S. Capitol kills 1 officer and injures another. Suspect is killed by police. Congress is on recess, and President Biden left Washington for Camp David earlier on Friday. The suspects motive isnt known, but he posted on social media about his struggles during the pandemic.

A Capitol Police officer is killed and another is injured in a vehicle attack; suspect is shot and killed. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:56 - 0:00 transcript Capitol Officer Killed and Another Injured in Vehicle Attack The U.S. Capitol went into lockdown on Friday after a suspect killed one Capitol Police officer and injured the other with a vehicle, according to the Capitol Police. Officials said the suspect was shot and killed. At approximately 1:02 this afternoon, a suspect entered what we refer to as the north barricade of the Capitol. The suspect rammed his car into two of our officers, and then hit the north barricade barrier. At such time, the suspect exited the vehicle with a knife in hand. Our officers then engaged that suspect. He did not respond to verbal commands. The suspect did start lunging toward U.S. Capitol Police officers, at which time U.S. Capitol Police officers fired upon the suspect. At this time, the suspect has been pronounced deceased. Two U.S. Capitol Police officers were transported to two different hospitals. And it is with a very, very heavy heart, that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries. Reporter: Is their a specific member of Congress, the suspect may have been trying to go after, any indication who that may have been if that was the case? We do not have the suspect on file with U.S. Capitol Police. So theres no indication at this time that theres any nexus to any member of Congress. The U.S. Capitol went into lockdown on Friday after a suspect killed one Capitol Police officer and injured the other with a vehicle, according to the Capitol Police. Officials said the suspect was shot and killed. Credit Credit... Oliver Contreras for The New York Times Capitol Police Officer William F. Evans was killed and a second officer was injured after being rammed by a vehicle at the heavily guarded northern entrance to the U.S. Capitol on Friday, the acting chief of the Capitol Police said. The suspect was shot and killed. Officer Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force who served with the departments first responder unit and was known to friends as Billy, was injured in the violent confrontation and died shortly after, the chief, Yogananda D. Pittman, said in a statement. It is with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries, Ms. Pittman said at a news conference near the scene of the attack, her voice choked with emotion. I just ask that the public continue to keep U.S. Capitol Police and their families in your prayers. Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Officer Evans a martyr for our democracy. The other officer was in stable and nonthreatening condition, the Capitol Police said on Friday evening. After ramming the officers, the attacker exited the vehicle with a knife in hand and began lunging at the officers, Ms. Pittman said at the news conference. The suspect was subsequently identified by a senior law enforcement official as Noah Green, 25, of Indiana. Investigators do not yet know the motive for the attack, but do not believe it was terrorism-related at this time, Chief Robert J. Contee III of Washingtons Metropolitan Police Department told reporters. Ms. Pittman did not identify Mr. Green, but said that the driver had not been previously known to her agency. On his Facebook page, which has since been taken down, Mr. Green described himself as a supporter of the Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and said he had been struggling through the last few months of the pandemic. The attack was the most serious security threat at the Capitol since the deadly Jan. 6 riot that injured dozens and killed five people. A National Guard quick-response team, which was deployed after the riot, and the local police were on hand at the already heavily fortified Capitol complex. President Biden ordered flags at the White House to be flown at half-staff in honor of Officer Evans, and Ms. Pelosi ordered the same at the Capitol. Mr. Biden, who had left Washington to go to Camp David before the attack, said in a statement that he was receiving ongoing briefings from his homeland security adviser. Jill and I were heartbroken to learn of the violent attack at a security checkpoint on the U.S. Capitol grounds, which killed Officer William Evans of the U.S. Capitol Police and left a fellow officer fighting for his life, Mr. Biden said. We send our heartfelt condolences to Officer Evanss family and everyone grieving his loss. We know what a difficult time this has been for the Capitol, everyone who works there and those who protect it. In recent days, some Republicans, citing the diminished threat of violence at the Capitol, had called for scaling back some security measures. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, complained last month that the cordon of fencing and armed soldiers were overdone, and said the militarized atmosphere reminded him of his last visit to Kabul in 2015. On Friday, he praised the Capitol Police. Once again, brave officers of the United States Capitol Police have been violently attacked while simply doing their job, Mr. McConnell said in a statement, adding, We could not be more grateful for the professionalism and heroism of the officers who neutralized this threat at the checkpoint and for the entire U.S.C.P. force, who have had to endure so much in just a few short months. The Capitol went into lockdown around 1 p.m. on what had been a quiet, sunny Friday, with the police instructing staff to remain inside, away from doors and windows, and to seek cover if they were outside, citing an unspecified external security threat. Images posted on social media appeared to show emergency workers treating someone on the driveway of the Capitol. A blue car could be seen rammed into a security barricade, with the drivers side door and trunk open. Large police presence and two stretchers being brought out pic.twitter.com/EmidoLP0PT  Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) April 2, 2021 One member of the news media, Jake Sherman, posted a video showing a helicopter landing near the building, hovering a few feet off the ground and then careening through trees as police vehicles drove across the plaza. A helicopter just landed on the east front of the Capitol. Ive never seen anything like this before. ever. pic.twitter.com/LxV0mywRSe  Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 2, 2021 Around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, the Capitol Police said that the threat to the building had been neutralized. With Congress in recess, most lawmakers were not on Capitol Hill. But many aides were in and around the Capitol working or receiving coronavirus vaccinations. Amr Alfiky/The New York Times Amr Alfiky/The New York Times Peter Eisler/Reuters J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press Patrick Semansky/Associated Press slide 1 slide 2 slide 3 slide 4 slide 5 The attack came more than a week after officials removed a perimeter fence topped with razor wire that had been placed around the complex after the Jan. 6 riot, and reopened the streets surrounding the Capitol to vehicle traffic. They also announced that they would reduce the number of National Guard troops on Capitol Hill to 2,200 while extending their deployment until May 23. An inner-perimeter fence around the actual Capitol building remains in place while the police and lawmakers continue to hash out a long-term security plan. Ben Decker contributed reporting. Emily Cochrane, Nicholas Fandos, Adam Goldman, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Glenn Thrush and

Heres what we know and dont know about the attack outside the Capitol. Members of the National Guard outside the Capitol on Friday. Credit... Amr Alfiky/The New York Times Early Friday afternoon, the United States Capitol was locked down after a suspect rammed a vehicle into two Capitol Police officers. Here is what we know as of 7:30 p.m. What we know One Capitol Police officer was killed, and another officer was injured. The suspect was also killed.

The officer who died has been identified as William F. Evans, an 18-year veteran of the Capitol Police.

The suspect has been identified as Noah Green, 25, of Indiana. On his Facebook page, he said he was struggling during the pandemic and described himself as a follower of Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam.

Mr. Green rammed a vehicle into the two officers, then got out of the vehicle and lunged at the officers with a knife, according to the acting chief of the Capitol Police.

The Capitol was locked down around 1 p.m., and the police declared the threat neutralized about an hour and a half later.

Congress is on recess, so most lawmakers were not at the Capitol, but many staff members were. President Biden also was not in Washington, having left earlier in the day for Camp David. What we dont know The identity of the second police officer, which will not be released until his or her family is notified.

Mr. Greens motive for the attack.

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Billy Evans, the officer who died in the Capitol attack, is an 18-year veteran of the force. The Capitol Police identified the officer killed in the line of duty on Friday as William F. Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force. Officer Evans was one of two officers who were injured when they were rammed by a vehicle at the U.S. Capitol. He was later pronounced dead. It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of Officer William Billy Evans this afternoon from injuries he sustained following an attack at the north barricade by a lone assailant, Yogananda D. Pittman, the acting chief of the Capitol Police, said in a statement. The driver, who emerged from the car with a knife, was shot and killed, according to the police. Officer Evans began working for the Capitol Police on March 7, 2003, and was a member of the first responder unit. Officer Evanss death comes after a horrific few months for the Capitol Police force. Nearly 140 officers were injured during a deadly assault on the building on Jan. 6 by a pro-Trump mob. Officer Brian Sicknick died of injuries he sustained during the siege. This has been an extremely difficult time for U.S. Capitol Police, Chief Pittman said.



Officer Evans was born in North Adams, Mass., The Boston Globe reported. He loved being a U.S. Capitol Police officer more than anyone could really say, City Councilor Jason M. LaForest told The Globe in an interview on Friday. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called Officer Evans a martyr for our democracy, said in a letter to congressional colleagues that she had been in touch with Officer Evanss family.



I have conveyed our prayers and condolences to his mother, Janice, with our offer of assistance to her and Officer Evans children, Logan and Abigail, Ms. Pelosi said in the letter. I have also conveyed the prayers of the Congress with our ongoing promise of help in any way to the family of the other Officer harmed, who exhibited great valor in defending the Capitol. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, said he was heartbroken at Officer Evanss death. Once again, brave officers of the United States Capitol Police have been violently attacked while simply doing their job, he said. The Senate is praying hard for the second injured officer and for Officer Evanss family and friends. We could not be more grateful for the professionalism and heroism of the officers who neutralized this threat at the checkpoint and for the entire U.S.C.P. force, who have had to endure so much in just a few short months. The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, said he had also spoken with Officer Evanss family on Friday night, telling them that the Senate mourned his loss and appreciated his bravery, a spokesman for the senators office said. President Biden has ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff at all federal buildings, including the White House, Ms. Pelosi said. Members of Congress, staff and Capitol workers, and indeed all Americans, are united in appreciation for the courage of the U.S. Capitol Police, she said. Today, once again, these heroes risked their lives to protect our Capitol and our country, with the same extraordinary selflessness and spirit of service seen on Jan. 6.

Suspect in Capitol attack appears to have been a follower of Louis Farrakhan. Evidence markers near the scene of the attack at the Capitol on Friday. Credit... Amr Alfiky/The New York Times The suspect in the death of a Capitol Police officer described himself on Facebook as a follower of Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, who has repeatedly promoted anti-Semitism. The suspect, Noah R. Green, 25, was identified by two law enforcement officials and a congressional official. He was from Indiana and died after being shot by the Capitol Police. On Facebook, Mr. Green had posted speeches and articles written by Mr. Farrakhan and Elijah Muhammad, who led the Nation of Islam from 1934 to 1975, that discussed the decline of America. Two law enforcement officials confirmed that the Facebook page, which was taken down on Friday, had belonged to Mr. Green. Mr. Green posted on Facebook about his personal struggles, especially during the pandemic. To be honest, these past few years have been tough, and these past few months have been tougher, he wrote. I have been tried with some of the biggest, unimaginable tests in my life. I am currently now unemployed, after I left my job, partly due to afflictions. He also spoke on Facebook about the end times and the anti-Christ. On March 17, he posted a photo of a donation he had made to the Norfolk, Va., chapter of the Nation of Islam, along with a video of a Farrakhan speech titled The Divine Destruction of America. Later that day, he encouraged his friends to join him in studying the teachings of Mr. Farrakhan and Mr. Muhammad. Mr. Green was born in West Virginia, attended high school in Virginia, then enrolled in Glenville State College where he played football before transferring to Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va. He played defensive back on the Christopher Newport football team and graduated in 2019 with a degree in finance. In December 2020, he petitioned to change his name to Noah Zaeem Muhammad but failed to appear at his hearing in Indianapolis last Tuesday. The Nation of Islam is a Black nationalist movement that has advocated African-American self-sufficiency. Ben Decker, Adam Goldman and

National Guard deploys immediate reaction force in response to Capitol attack. Members of the National Guard outside of the Capitol on Friday shortly after the attack. Credit... Amr Alfiky/The New York Times The National Guard, which has maintained a presence on Capitol Hill since the Jan. 6 attack, deployed what it called an immediate reaction force of soldiers and airmen on Friday afternoon following a security incident that killed one Capitol Police officer and wounded a second. The suspect, who rammed his vehicle into the officers and exited the vehicle holding a knife, was shot and killed. No National Guard troops were injured in the attack. Guard troops were seen running near the Capitol complex with riot gear following the attack. It is unclear exactly how many soldiers and airmen were assigned to the reaction force and it is not known how long they will remain at the site. Guard troops heading out with their riot gear pic.twitter.com/tslMFps6jR  Steve Beynon (@StevenBeynon) April 2, 2021 According to a statement from the Washington D.C. National Guard, the reaction force was deployed at the request of the U.S. Capitol Police. The statement declined to offer additional details, citing operational security concerns. In an interview, Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell, a Pentagon spokesman, said that slightly less than 2,300 Guard troops are currently assigned to protect the Capitol, down from the nearly 26,000 who came to Washington, D.C., to help provide security for President Bidens inauguration on Jan. 20. Many of those soldiers and airmen were quickly released from their duties and sent back home following the inauguration, but in early March a request from the Capitol Police to retain a force of more than 2,200 Guard troops through May 23 was approved by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.

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read on: other key stories in washington and politics Biden touts the big March jobs report, and says inaction is not an option on his infrastructure bill. President Biden at the White House on Friday. Credit... Amr Alfiky/The New York Times President Biden touted Fridays strong jobs report as proof that his focus on the pandemic and passage of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package is working, and he called on Congress to quickly pass a new infrastructure bill he says will create 19 million new jobs. The first two months of our administration has seen more new jobs created than the first two months of any administration in history. But we still have a long way to go, said Mr. Biden in a brief statement at the White House before a planned trip to Camp David for the Easter holiday. Mr. Biden said he was willing to compromise with Republicans on the details of his $2.3 trillion proposal, but warned that inaction is not an option. Employers added 916,000 jobs in March, up from 416,000 in February and the most since August, the Labor Department said Friday, led by a robust rebound in the hard-hit restaurant, resort and construction sectors. The heartening numbers, while not unexpected, come at a critical political moment for Mr. Biden and his allies as they make their case for the infrastructure proposal titled The American Jobs Plan  one which Republicans deride as a job killer because it hikes taxes on corporations and high earners. Mr. Bidens team is packed with veterans from the Obama White House intent on leveraging the good news for maximum gain. They are also determined to learn from the messaging missteps during President Barack Obamas first term, when they were wary of trumpeting economic news for fear of prompting a political backlash, according to administration officials. Mr. Obamas advisers struggled to take credit for a sluggish, stop-and-start recovery that began much later in his presidency. While Mr. Biden went out of his way to credit the American people for the gains, Ron Klain, his chief of staff, wrote on Twitter earlier Friday that Help is here, employing the cavalry-has-arrived slogan that Mr. Biden has often used. It puts the wind in their sails, the spring in their step  now theyve got the momentum, said Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obamas first chief of staff. With the pandemic, Mr. Emanuel argued, the president has a different permission slip than Mr. Obama. The virus has been around for a year, and the meltdown associated with the virus seems to be coming to an end. Today people have empathy for 500,000 lost lives and their families. Back then people wanted to kill 500,000 bankers, said Mr. Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago. But the Biden administration is also trying to strike the right balance between sobriety and self-congratulation, mindful of not appearing insensitive to the millions of Americans still suffering hardship from the devastation and dislocation caused by the pandemic. Cecilia E. Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, speaking on MSNBC after the numbers were announced, cautioned that while the report suggests confidence is building in the recovery, were still 8.4 million jobs fewer than we were at this time last year. When a reporter asked Mr. Biden how he planned to woo Republicans for his infrastructure plan, the president questioned how his congressional opponents could oppose some of the proposals provisions, especially funding to eliminate lead pipes. It would be quickly passed, he said, if lead was found in water fountains on Capitol Hill. Mr. Biden also mocked his predecessor, former President Donald J. Trump, for promising but not delivering on pledges to pass his own infrastructure bill. Every second week was infrastructure week, but no infrastructure was ever built, he said.

Arrivals at the southern border surpassed a 15-year high in March, and included many unaccompanied minors. Two unaccompanied child immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande river from Mexico were detained by border patrol agents in Roma, Texas. Credit... Ed Jones/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images The Biden administration apprehended more than 170,000 migrants at the southwest border in March, the most in any month for at least 15 years and up nearly 70 percent from February, government documents obtained by The New York Times show. Thousands of children remained backed up in detention facilities and border agents released an increasing number of migrant families into the United States. More than 18,700 unaccompanied children and teenagers were taken into custody last month after crossing the border, including at port entries, nearly double the roughly 9,450 minors detained in February and more than four times the 4,635 unaccompanied minors who crossed in March of last year, the documents show. The sharp increases underscored the political and logistical challenges to the administration of managing the flow of people coming from Central America, including the need to more quickly move unaccompanied children and teenagers into emergency shelters at military sites and conventions centers throughout the United States. Many of the children are seeking to join parents, relatives or other people they know who are already in the country

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A spokesman for Matt Gaetz quits, as the Justice Dept. investigates whether his boss violated sex trafficking laws. Representative Matt Gaetz leaves a rally at the Capitol building in Cheyenne, Wyo. Credit... Daniel Brenner for The New York Times The spokesman for Representative Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican under federal investigation into whether he violated laws against sex trafficking, has abruptly resigned amid mounting scrutiny of his boss, the congressmans office confirmed on Friday. Luke Ball, a longtime aide to Mr. Gaetz who was serving as his communications director, had as recently as this week been helping Mr. Gaetz mount a defense against the newly disclosed Justice Department investigation. Mr. Ball had weighed the impact leaving would have on Mr. Gaetz but ultimately decided it was best to do so under the circumstances, according to a person familiar with his decision, who asked for anonymity to describe it. The Office of Congressman Matt Gaetz and Luke Ball have agreed that it would be best to part ways, the office said in a brief statement relayed by Mr. Gaetzs chief of staff. We thank him for his time in our office, and we wish him the best moving forward. Mr. Ball had worked with Mr. Gaetz, a third-term congressman representing the Florida Panhandle, since he first began serving in the House in 2017, earning a reputation as one of Mr. Gaetzs closest aides. Starting as a part-time staff member in the congressmans Pensacola office, Mr. Ball later became Mr. Gaetzs deputy campaign manager in 2018 and then his press secretary and communications director in Washington. [Read more on what we know about the investigation of Matt Gaetz.] The New York Times first reported this week that the Justice Department has been investigating whether Mr. Gaetz, 38, had sex with a 17-year-old girl and whether she received anything of value. Then on Thursday, The Times reported that the inquiry was broader and investigators were examining involvement by the congressman and an indicted Florida associate with women who were recruited online for sex and received cash payments. Mr. Gaetz has denied paying for sex or having sex with a minor. He has undertaken a media blitz in recent days to shift attention to what he claims was a plot to extort his family of $25 million to make his legal liability go away.

To build support for his infrastructure plan, Biden is offering his own take on bipartisan. President Biden introducing his infrastructure plan on Wednesday. He is counting on voters bipartisan support to overcome Republican objections in Congress. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times President Bidens attempt to muscle through a $2 trillion plan to rebuild the countrys infrastructure  along with tax increases to pay for it  will be a defining test of his belief that bipartisan support for his proposals can overwhelm traditional Republican objections in Congress. Instead of paring back his ambitions in an effort to limit opposition from Republicans in the Senate or appease moderate Democrats in the House, Mr. Biden and his allies on Capitol Hill are barreling ahead with unapologetically bold, expensive measures, betting that they can build bipartisanship from voters nationwide rather than from elected officials in Washington. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, and other members of his party are working to brand the bill as a liberal wish list of wasteful spending and a money grab from a Democratic administration that will drag down the economy with tax hikes. But Mr. Biden is predicting that the broad appeal of wider roads, faster internet, high-speed trains, ubiquitous charging stations for electric cars, shiny new airport terminals and upgraded water pipes will undercut the expected barrage of ideological attacks that are already coming from Republican lawmakers, business groups, anti-tax activists and former President Donald J. Trump. In his first cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday, Mr. Biden directed several of his top officials to travel the country during the next several weeks to sell the benefits of the infrastructure plan. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, also told reporters that the president would host Democrats and Republicans in the Oval Office to discuss the measure and their ideas. I hope and believe the American people will join this effort  Democrats, Republicans and independents, Mr. Biden said in Pittsburgh on Wednesday as he formally announced his plan. He compared it to the popularity of the nearly $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill that passed last month, saying, If you live in a town with a Republican mayor, a Republican county executive or a Republican governor, ask them how many would rather get rid of the plan. But generating sustained support for the proposal is shaping up to be a major challenge for the White House. The business lobby is preparing to wage a full-scale campaign against the tax increases in the presidents plan, with influential groups like the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce warning lawmakers against raising taxes as the United States emerges from a deep economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. At an event in his home state on Thursday, Mr. McConnell called Mr. Biden a first-rate person whom he liked personally. But he argued that the president was running a bold, left-wing administration and warned that package that theyre putting together now, as much as we would like to address infrastructure, is not going to get support from our side. Michael D. Shear, Emily Cochrane and

Iran and the U.S. will start indirect talks next week in Vienna on reviving the nuclear deal. President Biden wants to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, negotiated while he was vice president. His successor withdrew from the deal in 2018. Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times Negotiations on how to bring both the United States and Iran back into compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will take place among all parties in Vienna next week, but there will be no direct talks between Iran and the United States. How to sequence the return of both countries to the terms of the deal has been a complicated political and technical question, with both sides insisting the other move first. The Vienna talks, which will begin on Tuesday, will be the first serious effort since President Biden took office to figure out how that can happen. Mr. Biden wants to return to the deal, negotiated while he was vice president, and which placed tough but temporary limits on Irans nuclear activities in exchange for lifting American and international sanctions on Tehran. Indirect talks in Vienna between Iran and the United States, which the participants agreed in on Friday will be carried out in person through intermediaries, will seek to agree on a road map on how to synchronize steps to return to their commitments, including the lifting of economic sanctions, a U.S. official said. The United States would not seek to retain some sanctions for leverage, the official said, arguing that the previous maximum pressure campaign waged against Iran by the Trump administration had failed. Once Iran and other signatories, including Germany, France, Britain and the European Union, as chair, work out the road map, the official said, then Iran and the United States would ideally meet to finalize the details to get to where both say they want to be. President Donald J. Trump had pulled the United States out in May 2018  calling it the worst deal ever negotiated  and restored and then enhanced harsh economic sanctions against Iran, trying to force it to renegotiate. Iran responded in part by enriching uranium significantly beyond the limits in the agreement and building more advanced centrifuges. Mr. Bidens team has said that once there is mutual compliance with the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Washington wants to negotiate further with Iran. Other goals include extending the time limitations in the deal and trying to limit Irans missile programs and military support in the Middle East for groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and Shia militias, let alone for the Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad. Both sides have been trying through the Europeans to find a way back to the agreement without causing political problems at home. Iran has a key presidential election in June and the government clearly wants to show some progress toward the lifting of punishing sanctions before then. Mr. Biden will likely be aiming not to give Republicans in the Senate, most of whom opposed the deal in the first place, any sense that he is giving in to Iranian demands. But time is a factor for Washington, too: Iran is now thought to be only a few months away from having enough highly enriched uranium to create at least one nuclear weapon.

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A Democratic super PAC begins a $100 million ad campaign to back the Biden stimulus. President Biden signing the coronavirus relief bill last month as Vice President Kamala Harris looked on. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Looking to correct what Democrats largely view as a failure of the Obama administration to sell its health care and economic stimulus laws to the public, American Bridge, the Democratic super PAC, this week began the first major advertising campaign backing President Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief legislation. The first advertisements, which are part of a planned $100 million campaign leading into the 2022 midterm elections, are airing on television in Phoenix and Macon, Ga., and feature testimonials from small-business owners and military veterans promoting the federal stimulus package, vouching for Mr. Biden by name with the same refrain: Help is here. These bills are popular, but not enough people have heard about them, said Jessica Floyd, the president of American Bridge. We cant afford as Democrats to not be communicating and telling that story to voters. Selling the economic relief plan and tying it to Mr. Biden is critical for a Democratic Party still grappling with the consequences of the 2010 election, when Republicans rode a wave of anger with President Barack Obama to seize power in Congress and take control of many state governments, which allowed them to draw gerrymandered district lines to cement their majorities for a decade. The American Bridge ad campaign is beginning in Arizona and Georgia, states where there are key Senate Democratic incumbents on the ballot next year, and will continue in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Republican-held seats are expected to be competitive. If you just look at history, midterms are not good for the party in power, said Bradley Beychok, a senior adviser to the organization. If were able to put some Teflon on Biden and tout his success and hopefully lay the groundwork, well put better political terrain on the ground for people in 22. American Bridge has become a landing spot for in-between-jobs Democratic officials. The groups co-chairs now include Tom Perez, the former Democratic National Committee chairman who is weighing a run for Maryland governor; Steve Bullock, the former Montana governor who lost a 2020 Senate race in the state; Deval Patrick, the former Massachusetts governor who was briefly a 2020 candidate for president; and Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood. Danny Kazin, a longtime Democratic official who in 2020 worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has joined American Bridge to oversee its political advertising for the 2022 campaign cycle.
York County Prison Warden Clair Doll has been chosen to be the executive director of York County Human Services department, according to a press release.

Doll will oversee six Human Services agencies  Area Agency on Aging; Children, Youth and Families; Health Choices; York/Adams Mental Health- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (MH-IDD); York/Adams Drug and Alcohol Commission and the Youth Development Center.

He will start in his new role with the county on May 3. Deputy Warden Adam Ogle will assume leadership in an interim capacity after Mr. Dolls departure, the release said.

I believe the fields of corrections and human services are intertwined, Doll said in the release. My hopes are that I can serve even more people in this new position.

Doll was named the warden of York County Prison in May 2017, the release said.

He had worked at the prison as a treatment supervisor for nearly two years before taking a job with the state Department of Corrections. He returned to the county as the prisons deputy warden of treatment in August 2008.

ALSO READ: Pa. Lottery ticket worth more than $223,000 sold in York County

ALSO READ: York County district attorney discloses COVID-19 diagnosis
(Natural News) Researchers generally agree that obesity, a complex disease characterized by an excessive amount of body fat, and asthma, a chronic respiratory condition characterized by breathing difficulties, are closely linked.

Unfortunately, the link between the two is poorly understood. Some scientists believe that obesity places direct pressure on the lungs, while others suggest that obesity-related inflammation exacerbates asthma.

Now, new research suggests another possible driver of asthma: fat accumulation in the lungs. Published in the European Respiratory Journal, it showed that overweight or obese people with asthma have a greater amount of fat accumulation in their airways.

This buildup of fat could have slowly changed the structure of the patients airways, effectively raising their risk of asthma. In addition, patients with a higher body mass index (BMI) accumulated more fat in their lungs. This supports further the idea of fat accumulation as a possible driver of asthma.

Fatty deposits in the lungs

Lead author John Elliot, a senior research officer at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Australia, said that he and his colleagues noticed that lung samples they were studying had fatty tissues built along the walls of the airways.

To determine whether or not the fatty tissues were linked to body weight, they studied postmortem samples of airway tissue from 52 people. This includes 16 who died of asthma-related causes, 21 who had asthma but died of other causes and 15 who had no history of asthma prior to their deaths.

The researchers studied the tissue samples under a microscope and used dyes to visualize the structures of the airways. They found that fatty tissues accumulated along the airways among samples in all three groups. They then compared this data with each persons BMI.

Their analysis revealed that fat accumulation was directly proportional to BMI, meaning that those who had a higher BMI also had a higher amount of fatty tissues in the walls of their airways. Similarly, people with a low BMI had a low amount of fatty tissues along their airways.

Elliot and his colleagues suggested that the fatty tissues could have altered the normal structure of the airways, creating inflammation in the lungs and significantly increasing the risk of asthma.

Additionally, the fatty tissues might have limited airflow as well. This might explain the prevalence of asthma-related symptoms in people with obesity, said co-author Peter Noble, an associate professor at the University of Western Australia.

While inconclusive, these findings suggest that weight loss therapies might just help lower asthma risk, as well as ease asthma-related symptoms in overweight or obese people. The next step now is to conduct more studies to confirm these findings.

In the meantime, healthcare professionals should encourage their patients with asthma to maintain a healthy weight, said Thierry Troosters, president of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) who was not involved in the study.

Two intertwined diseases

Over the last few decades, scientists have become more accepting of the idea that obesity and asthma are tied to each other, thanks in large part to numerous studies on the subject.

In fact, obesity rates are now higher among people with asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Asthma is also becoming more prevalent among overweight or obese individuals.

While scientists are moving at a snails pace when it comes to understanding the cellular mechanisms driving the two together, existing studies and emerging research offer invaluable insight as to why these two diseases are somehow connected to each other.

For instance, a 2018 study published in Pediatrics found that obesity is a major but preventable risk factor for pediatric asthma. The study, which included a little more than 500,000 children, showed that those who were overweight had an eight to 17 percent greater risk of asthma compared to children with a healthy weight.

Furthermore, an estimated 2327 percent of new asthma cases in children with obesity can be directly traced to obesity. Children with obesity also faced a 2638 percent greater risk of asthma.

Meanwhile, another 2018 report showed that both children and adults with obesity are more likely to develop severe asthma than peers with a healthy weight.

While the link between obesity and asthma still warrants closer examination, existing studies thus far bring researchers a step closer to understanding how obesity and asthma affect each others development, as well as how either disease can be prevented. (Related: Natural and effective remedies for asthma.)

Learn more about obesity and other risk factors for asthma at Health.news.

Sources include:

LiveScience.com

EverydayHealth.com
Franklin Graham Preaches Gospel in UK at 3-Day 'Festival of Hope' Amid LGBT Protests

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LGBT activists and protesters displayed rainbow flags in the city of Blackpool to protest American evangelist Franklin Graham and the three-day "Festival of Hope."

"I'm glad to be in Blackpool, England, to preach the Gospel at the invitation of 200 area churches. This morning I went down to the historic Blackpool Tower where my father Billy Graham stood back in 1982 when he came here to preach," Graham wrote on Facebook Thursday, ahead of the first day of the evangelistic event.

"Will you pray this weekend, that many will turn to Jesus Christ and find the hope and peace that only He can give?" he asked.

Some LGBT and Muslims groups, along with a few Christian churches and local politicians in Blackpool, have spoken out against Graham this past year, arguing that he has preached messages on same-sex marriage and Islam that they find offensive.

The Guardian reported that the Blackpool Tower, mentioned by Graham, will be lit up in rainbow colors and will fly an LGBT flag in opposition to the conservative Christian evangelist.

"The council is a strong supporter of all equalities issues and we use the rainbow flag and its derivatives on a regular basis to demonstrate that support across the whole year," a council spokesperson said.

Some politicians, such as Gordon Marsden, the Labor MP for Blackpool South, had even asked the U.K. home secretary to revoke any visa granted to Graham due to what he said is the latter's "inflammatory views" toward Muslims and LGBT people.

In July, LGBT activists pressured Blackpool Transport to pull bus ads promoting the "Festival of Hope."

Jane Cole, managing director at Blackpool Transport, apologized for ever allowing the ads in the first place.

"Blackpool Transport is a proud ongoing supporter of the Pride and LGBT+ communities and in no way did we intend to cause any distress or upset," Cole said at the time.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, of which Franklin Graham is president, acknowledged the controversy in an article about the "Festival of Hope" on Friday.

It said that no matter the "hostility" that Graham is facing, hope remains that "God will move greatly during the evangelistic event."

"My message will be the simple Gospel message: a timeless message of God's hope, love and redemption for all people," Graham said. "Regardless of the hostility, I plan to preach the Word of God in Blackpool."

The BGEA urged people to pray that there is "no more opposition to the Gospel message and the festival's success," and asked that the negative media attention does not prevent people from coming to the Sept. 2123 events.
Baylor study shows benefits of Bible-based trauma healing programs in prisons Faith-based program leads to reduced PTSD, improved forgiveness

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Inmates who participated in a Bible-based trauma healing ministry program showed enhanced emotional well-being and a significant decrease in the negative consequences of trauma, a recent study by the American Bible Society and Baylor University revealed.

Through participating in Healing the Wounded Heart, ABS Bible-based Correctional Trauma Healing Program, participants experienced a decline in PTSD and vengefulness. Also, they experienced increases in forgiveness, resilience and meaning in life.

ABS and the Good News Jail & Prison Ministry partnered to train chaplains and volunteers at the Riverside Regional Jail in North Prince George, Virginia, to facilitate the program used for a study conducted by Baylor University.

Of the 349 inmates in the study, 86% had experienced at least one type of traumatic event.

The 210 individuals in the treatment group completed surveys throughout the Correctional Trauma Healing Program to see if they had better outcomes than those in the control group who did not complete the program.

The longitudinal study of the program that consisted of five two-hour sessions revealed significant healing outcomes, which provided evidence on how Bible-based intervention should inform holistic approaches to offender reform.

Whats amazing and not surprising to me is just how effective this program has been, not only through reduced trauma symptoms and increased a persons sense of connection to God and to their neighbor and to the Bible but that it continues , Christian psychologist Dr. Phil Monroe, who works with the ABS Trauma Healing Program, told The Christian Post. We have proven effects that last.

Even after one to three months of completing the program, inmates showed improvement in areas of forgiveness, compassion, resilience and support from family and friends, among other positive effects.

Monroe said the program yields these results due to the ministrys faith aspect.

When we are able to bring together a persons faith that they are interested in talking about, along with best mental health practices, we know from other research as well that they tend to recover much faster, Monroe said.

The program is volunteer-led, which allows for more impact at a low cost, Monroe said. The program is derived from the book Healing the Wounds of Trauma: How the Church Can Help and is contextualized for a correctional facility setting.

Robert L. Briggs, ABS president and CEO, said that as America struggles with a mental health crisis, this study shows the potential benefits of faith-sensitive care for traumatized people.

The Bible has been shown to be a vital source for emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental healing, Briggs said in a statement. The volunteer-driven Trauma Healing Ministry at American Bible Society is an important resource for the church, helping her respond to the deep wounds of trauma in communities.



There arent many programs like this that reduce post-traumatic stress, improve positive virtues like forgiveness and compassion, increase confidence in God and the Bible, and reduce negative behaviors at this low of a cost, Briggs added. Its highly efficient, effective, and scalable across the country.

Byron R. Johnson, Sung Joon Jang and Matt Bradshaw from Baylor Universitys Institute for Studies of Religion were the report's researchers and co-authors.

No other known intervention accomplishes so much good for highly traumatized jail inmates in such a short period of time, Johnson said.

Around 20% of prison inmates have a serious mental illness, and around 30% to 60% struggle with substance use, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Inmates are also more likely to suffer from infectious diseases and mental health crises, such as withdrawal, psychological distress and the pains of imprisonment, according to the study.

Over half of men and women in jails and state prisons experience mental health problems requiring treatment each year, which sometimes results in behavioral problems.

Bible-based trauma healing was developed in the late 1990s by SIL Bible translators and church leaders in East African war zones. ABS began to develop the Trauma Healing Program in 2010 to help victims of trauma process pain and gain hope through Scripture.

Monroe said this could be the solution for better rehabilitation programs in correctional facilities, which would lead to a decreased number of released inmates returning to the correctional system.

It does seem to be the missing link that could be beneficial for solving the revolving door problem that we have in our correctional setting where people are not being rehabilitated and are not having their traumas addressed, and so are coming back to the revolving door, Monroe shared.

Thursday marked the first day of Second Chance Month. President Joe Biden made a proclamation about it, as did former President Donald Trump in 2018, 2019 and 2020 during his administration.
ABC/Image Group LAThe website Consequence of Sound is hosting a streaming festival in support of independent music venues affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virtual event, dubbed Protect Live Music, will be held April 9-10. It will raise money for the National Independent Venue Association, or NIVA.

Artists on the Protect Live Music lineup include Portugal. the Man, Killswitch Engage's Jesse Leach, White Reaper, Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez's Prize Fighter Inferno project, grandson, Glass Animals, Spoon, Manchester Orchestra, Halestorm drummer Arejay Hale, The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon, and The Melvins.

For more info, visit ConsequenceofSound.net.

By Josh Johnson

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Brian Dixon, a psychiatrist and leader in Fort Worths Historic Southside, says he keeps making the mistake of thinking elected officials are working in his best interest, but as he reviewed two bills that opponents fear will suppress votes, he knew that wasnt the case.

Im already tired. Im exhausted, Dixon said, who is Black. And for me to have to again take time out of my day to stop what Im doing, to then, you know basically try to watch my back to make sure that my voting rights arent going to be usurped, its exhausting. They need to stop.

The Texas Senate early Thursday morning passed Senate Bill 7, a wide-ranging bill related to voting procedures in the state.

The bill would limit extended early voting hours and prohibit drive-through voting. It also would prohibit local election officials from giving vote by mail applications to people who didnt request one. Poll watchers, typically affiliated with a political party or a candidate, would be allowed to video record activity.

Hours later, a House committee began consideration of a similar proposal, House Bill 6.

What does it say when we just get through an electric grid, an absolute disaster, and were not talking about that, were talking about absentee ballots from an election that was safe and secure? Dixon said. What does that say to Black people who want change, who want to be heard? It says, to most Black people that Im talking to, heres racism, again, rearing its head.

Supporters say the measures are meant to bolster election integrity, a priority of Gov. Greg Abbott, but opponents argue the bills would suppress the votes of people of color, those with disabilities and young voters who have long faced barriers to the polls.

Voting rights advocates said the bills are Texas latest attempt to make voting harder in a state where casting ballots is already difficult. Texas has regularly found itself in court for issues related to voter identification and re-districting. These measures are also likely to result in litigation, opponents say.





Story continues

Its being served on a platter that our vote is not welcomed, our vote is not wanted, said LULAC Fort Worth spokesperson Daniel Sanchez.

The legislation comes amid amplified claims of fraud during the 2020 election, but experts have said the election was the most secure in history and that there was no evidence of widespread fraud. The Texas Attorney Generals Office spent more than 22,000 staff hours on voter fraud cases in 2020, but resolved just 16 cases, according to an investigation by the Houston Chronicle in December.

I wish we could agree that any voter fraud is too much, said Senate bill author Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, while presenting the bill on the upper chambers floor.

Hughes argued that the legislation would help boost trust in the ballot box.

We want to make sure that people know that when they vote, their vote will be counted and counted accurately, and that the system is fair and the system is transparent, he said. If folks do not have that confidence theyll cease participating, and everybody loses when that happens.

Making voting easier, not harder

Dixon, president of the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association, described a system with little support for voters. Many have obligations like work that make it difficult for them to allocate the time needed to vote.

And then thats used against them by saying Oh, we have low voter turnout. Well, if we want to make early voting harder, if were adding additional hurdles, thats just going to make it worse, he said.

There were some efforts to make voting easier during the November 2020 general election, as Texans headed to the polls amid the coronavirus pandemic. Statewide, the in-person early voting period was extended six days to space out voters.

But some policies, particularly in Houstons Harris County, were met with sharp backlash and legal battles. This included drive-thru voting, 24-hour voting and the countys effort to send vote-by-mail applications to all registered voters, which was blocked in court. All of the measures would be barred under proposed legislation.

Voting by mail hasnt been easy for Natalie Renfro in the past. Shes 23 and tech savvy, but still struggled to ensure her ballot made it from Missouri to Texas while voting as a student at Missouri State University in Springfield.

Voting is hard enough as it is, said Renfro, who grew up in Keller. The bills winding through the Texas Legislature related to election procedures are a cause of concern for the absentee voter.

Voting needs to be accessible, she said. Its a right. You cannot be putting up barriers to our right to vote.

House Bill 6 would make it a state jail felony for public officials to send an unsolicited vote by mail application. The crime could result in up to two years in jail and a fine of $10,000. The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization that regularly distributes applications to vote by mail, said it is worried volunteers could be barred from handing out the material.

Pamela Young, a community organizer who works with United Fort Worth, fears the bills would discourage people from becoming poll workers.

Voting rights advocates have expressed concern that measures limiting an election workers ability to remove poll watchers and empowering poll watchers to record video could lead to voter intimidation.

Theres already intimidation, extreme intimidation, at the polls in the South, in Texas and in Fort Worth, in Tarrant County for voters of color, and so to have partisan poll watcher power being elevated above election official authority would only increase that intimidation factor, Young said.

After hearing from opponents, some changes were made to Senate Bill 7 on the chambers floor as lawmakers debated the bill late into the night. Notably, a provision that would require a doctors note to vote by mail for those with disabilities was removed. Disability rights activists questioned why someone should have to go to a doctors office and foot the bill just to vote.

Dixon questioned why the policy was even up for debate in the first place.

Were literally burning tax dollars to debate something thats fragrantly illegal, he said. Its like a medical poll tax. You cannot do that.

David Goodin, a Navy veteran from Azle who is a double amputee, said he has been able to get his mail in ballot through Veteran Affairs. He used to vote in person but is currently without a vehicle. Goodin says he tries to stay up to date on issues related to voting and would like to see voting by phone which, as he imagines it, would let people vote while on a video phone call.

Reviewing news articles about the legislative proposals, Goodin said he understands the need for some type of security for voting by mail.

To me, theyre just trying to ensure the right vote gets counted, he said.

Where do North Texas lawmakers, officials stand?

For North Texas Congressman Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, its clear the legislation isnt designed to foster voting.

Theyre all meant to specifically target the communities that are actually helping Tarrant County grow, Veasey said, pointing out that much of the growth in the county comes from Black, Hispanic and Asian voters.

So instead of looking for ways to empower these voters, instead of looking for ways to make it easier to vote like what Texas did after Jim Crow ended, instead theyre being scaled back, Veasey said.

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said he usually waits until bills get further along in the legislative process before deciding where he stands on an issue. During the November general election, Tarrant County had one site where voters could drop off mail-in ballots, something he said is needed in the county.

But the integrity of each persons vote is his top priority, he said.

I think we should be doing things that would encourage voting ... and you can do it and still maintain the integrity, he said.

Several Republican Tarrant County lawmakers support the election-related measures. Sen. Jane Nelson and Sen. Brian Birdwell have signed on as co-authors for Senate Bill 7. Fort Worth-area representatives co-authoring House Bill 6 include Rep. Jeff Cason, Rep. Craig Goldman, Rep. Stephanie Klick, Rep. Matt Krause and Rep. Tony Tinderholt.

No level of fraud in our elections is acceptable, and I continue to hear from constituents urging the Legislature to make sure that the ballot process is secure, Nelson said in a statement. Senate Bill 7 puts much-needed safeguards in place to improve election integrity. Fair and transparent elections are fundamental to our rights as Americans.

Krause pushed back against the idea that the bill would suppress votes, pointing to the November general election, when he said record turnout was seen despite some of the same arguments being levied against the state government.

If we had 100% participation in the next election, I think that would be phenomenal, Krause said. But we also want to make sure, as we do have that growing population of voters, that weve got the structural restraints in place to make sure that people are counted accurately and those votes are meaningful and theres no illegal activity to dilute the peoples voice.

In an interview with the Star-Telegram, Sen. Beverly Powell, D-Burleson, advocated for making voting easier to ensure Texans votes are heard.

Ensuring voices werent missing from the conversation was part of the reason why State Rep. Nicole Collier, who does not sit on the House Elections committee but chairs the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, wanted to participate in a hearing that was cut short last week due to a procedural error. She was barred from doing so before the hearings premature end.

It was the second time a hearing on election-related bills was delayed in a week, after Senate Democrats used a legislative maneuver to push back a hearing on the Senate proposals.

The legislative proposals single out Harris County, but what the county did to try and make voting more accessible is admirable, said Collier, a Fort Worth Democrat.

The greater effort that we need to do is increase voter participation, Collier said. And you dont do that by making more restrictions.

Staff Writer Brian Lopez contributed to this report.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Youve got to turn around and head back to Tassie. Everythings been called off, a frustrated Joe Pirrello told the crew of the Saxon Progress fishing trawler on March 14, 2016, as it was powering towards international waters. Pirrello made the phone call after learning that the 610 kilograms of cocaine they were planning to collect from South American smugglers on a yacht had been intercepted near Tahiti by the French Navy. Joe Pirrello, pictured returning to Sydney on the bow of the Eclipse after after a failed import attempt, was a mainstay of the syndicate. Credit:Police This failed drug importation was the third of five smuggling attempts by the ambitious NSW-based syndicate over two years. Only on the fifth attempt did they succeed in bringing drugs to Australia. But the victory was short-lived, as a massive police operation culminated with mass arrests and a 500-kilogram cocaine haul seized when it was brought into the Hawkesbury River on Christmas Day 2016. The end result was 18 related convictions, with combined prison sentences of 250 years. After the final sentence was handed down last week, the full story, starting with the beginnings of the syndicate back in mid-2014, can be told at last. The dramatic saga involved mutiny at sea, a mysterious submarine, the French Navy and a cast of colourful characters. The Herald has obtained a range of surveillance photos and telephone intercepts gathered by police during their 2-year investigation. The tale begins where it ended: with Joe DAgostino, a busy crook who was sentenced last week to 30 years in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years for his role in the syndicate. In 2014, financially troubled and looking for money-making schemes, he assembled a crew.

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The four men leading the first conspiracy were monitored as they met at the skiff club in Double Bay to begin plotting. Credit:Police A key figure would be Pirrello, DAgostinos cousin and a successful fishing entrepreneur who hit the headlines not long before when a super trawler he brought to Australia was sensationally banned by the federal government. Pirrello, who would end up as the mainstay of the syndicate leadership, entered the scene as the man with resources and access to boats. DAgostinos brother, Frank, was brought in. And the fourth senior member in the original syndicate was Jose Pepe Garcia, well-known to police as a highly competent and well-connected criminal. Attempt 1: the Fiji conspiracy The men were first recorded together at a meeting at the 18 Footers League skiff club in Double Bay in August 2014. On the agenda was a proposed importation that would bring in 32 kilograms of heroin from Fiji in the coming months. Through international contacts, a supplier from Laos had been secured. But from the get go, authorities were watching the nascent syndicate. A joint effort by the Australian Federal Police and NSW Police had been launched following a tip-off to the NSW drug squad. By the time they were ready to execute the importation from Fiji in January 2015, police had infiltrated the syndicate with an undercover operative. This man, known as Aaron, was the underling sent to pick up the cargo and bring it back on a charter boat.

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Fijian police were used to disrupt the attempted import, making two arrests and seizing the heroin. Following this failure, Garcia, the sharpest criminal mind in the crew, was wary. He was justifiably suspicious of Aaron, questioning why he had not been arrested. Detective Sergeant Brett Smith, the first team leader on Operation Okesi, says the operatives involvement was crucial in disrupting the syndicates first attempted import. Attempt 2: the Eclipse conspiracy Disappointed with the outcome, the syndicate went quiet. But not for long, soon regrouping for another scheme. Surveillance photo of Joe Pirrello (left) and Joe DAgostino, disappointed after a failed import attempt in 2015. Credit:Police It happened at the end of every conspiracy that didnt go to plan: when they got back and looked like they might have been caught, everyone just sort of scattered, recalls federal police Senior Constable Joel Rivers, a case officer in the investigation.

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And then after a couple of weeks, theyd start coming together and making contact again. The next conspiracy involved an elaborate scheme to collect cocaine from what they believed to be a submarine sent by a Colombian cartel. In late May 2015, the crew would send the small and ill-suited Eclipse fishing vessel out to a rendezvous point in international waters and, according to the plan, bring the cargo aboard with barrels on a rope line. John Tobin, a friend of the DAgostino brothers and former Sydney Roosters player, was monitored aboard the Dalrymple. Credit:Police As the conspiracy was in motion, Garcia got himself arrested over a separate scheme in which he picked up two kilograms of methylamphetamine from an international contact. The arrest, carried out in a way that would avoid exposing the larger surveillance operation, didnt discourage Garcias fellow conspirators. Unfortunately, the submarine never showed up. Exactly what happened isnt known. Pirrellos nephews  who were on board the Eclipse and were acquitted for their role in the conspiracy  claimed they entered the wrong co-ordinates in the GPS to foil the plot. But the syndicate may also have been deceived by their Colombian sources, who were difficult to contact. Investigators laugh at the idea that a cartel would have a submersible vessel advanced enough to cross the Pacific Ocean. I dont think a great deal of thought went into it, says Rivers. Attempt 3: the Saxon Progress conspiracy

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The third conspiracy, to bring in 610 kilograms of cocaine from South America, was planned between September 2015 and March 2016. The well-organised attempt may have succeeded if it werent for an unlucky intervention from the French Navy. The vessel to be used for the Australian pick-up was the Saxon Progress, a trawler based in Hobart. As the plot gathered pace, DAgostino was on the run  fleeing police over separate drug supply charges  and his brother Frank took on a more active role to represent their interests. Another man, former Sydney Roosters player John Tobin, a DAgostino associate, was also getting involved. A foreign contact known as the inspector came to discuss the syndicates operations at Sydney Fish Market. Credit:Police However, days into the voyage, the syndicate learnt the shipment had been intercepted in French Polynesia. The Panama-flagged yacht Vague a Lame had been boarded and the cocaine seized. The third conspiracy also introduced a major new player: Jonathan Cooper. A security guard who hadnt had any major run-ins with the law, Cooper was viewed as a highly competent criminal who had reliable international connections. At this point, a mysterious foreign contact, known to the syndicate as the inspector, came to meet the men and discuss their operations. He was pictured at a meeting at the Sydney Fish Market before leaving the country and disappearing in south-east Asia.

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New Delhi :

Finally the CBI has today undertaken the murder investigation of Seven year old Pradyuman Thakur, a student of Ryan International school of Gurugram.

The action came after the father of the deceased child threatened to move the Supreme Court (SC) if the agency did not take over the investigation by tomorrow.

According to CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal, a notification was received from the central government today which compelled the CBI to take over. According to the procedure, it has re-registered the FIR of the Gurgaon Police which had been probing the matter.

"The CBI took over the investigation into the said case which was registered at Bhondsi police station in Gurgaon under sections 302 (murder) of the IPC, 25 of the Arms Act, 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act read with section 34 of IPC," he said.

Pradhuman Thakur, a Class 2 student, was found dead with his throat slit in a toilet of the school on September 8. Ashok Kumar one of the bus conductor was arrested the same day for allegedly killing the child.

Earlier in the day, Pradhuman's father Barun Thakur had told a press conference here that he had appealed to the top leaders of the country to expedite the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the "sensitive matter".

Thakur's lawyer alleged that the CBI inquiry had not yet started despite the Haryana government recommending it. "If the formal inquiry by the CBI is not started by tomorrow, then Barun Thakur will move the Supreme Courton Monday," he added.

(With PTI inputs)

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Kerry Will Visit Delhi To Demand That India Declare a Net-Zero Emissions Target Date

April 1 , 2021 (EIRNS)U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry will visit India in early April, as a run-up to the April 22-23 virtual Leaders Summit on Climate hosted by President Joe Biden. Kerrys April 1-9 itinerary will also include the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh.

The Kerry visit is likely to focus on pressuring India to declare a target year, preferably 2050, for achieving net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas. But there is strong opposition within India, including prominent advisers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, such as Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, a Member of Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change and former ambassador to China and the EU. In a March 30 interview with Hindustan Times, Dasgupta answered a question on what he believes would be the economic impact for India to pursue net-zero emissions target: First, it would require us to immediately scrap all existing coal-based power plants and factories, or alternatively, retrofit them with carbon-capture and storage technology. This would entail astronomical costs at a time when the economy is already reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said it would also quickly derail Modis Aatmanirbhar Bharat self-reliance policy: It would necessitate an immediate switch-over to imported, existing clean energy technologies at a huge cost, denying our own industry the time required for indigenization or development of affordable indigenous technologies. Let us not forget that the U.S. lodged a complaint against us at the WTO when we took some modest measures to promote domestic manufacture of solar cells and modules.

Third, we need to examine the trade-related implications of surrendering our principled position on common and differentiated responsibilities. The European Union is set to impose levies on carbon-intensive imports, even from developing countries. It would be naive to think that the countries calling on India to adopt a 2050 net-zero target are motivated purely by altruistic concerns unrelated to commercial interests.

The common and differentiated responsibilities refers to the argument that any global targets have to be applied in a differentiated way to developing countries, that are also trying to overcome underdevelopment.

The pressure on India is intense. Last February, The Energy and Resources Institute hosted an annual event, the World Sustainable Development Summit, in New Delhi with a focus on the climate crisis, with the presence of high-level representatives from the U.S., the U.K., and other countries, as well as the EU and the United Nations. At this virtual summit, John Kerry did not mince his words: We all have to adopt the notion of zero emissions. And his finger pointed towards India when he declared that 90% of the worlds emissions come from somewhere other than our country and 70% come from somewhere other than China.

The pressure has been building, especially over the last six months as the Biden administration took over the White House. Some analysts claim that Chinas 2060 carbon-neutrality pledge has also contributed to the pressure, as has the U.K.s diplomatic push to ramp up climate matters ahead of COP26. COP26 is the next UN climate change conference that was rescheduled from last year, now to be held in Glasgow, from Nov. 1-12. COP26 president Alok Sharma visited India in February and issued a statement before his departure stating, I firmly believe that powerful action from India will be a catalyst for change, encouraging others to be more ambitious in their approaches to protecting both people and planet.

With globalists warming turning up, discussions have begun in India on what it can do to withstand the pressure.
Matt Gaetz's communication director Luke Ball has quit out of 'principle' with the congressman facing a flood of allegations including claims he trafficked a 17-year-old girl.

'The Office of Congressman Matt Gaetz and Luke Ball have agreed that it would be best to part ways. We thank him for his time in our office, and we wish him the best moving forward,' Gaetz's congressional office said in a statement.

Ball's departure follows more claims overnight that Gaetz allegedly paid women via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotels after being introduced to them by former tax collector Joel Greenberg, according to a bombshell report about the Justice Department sex trafficking probe.

The damning allegations were revealed in a New York Times report Thursday night which cited several unnamed sources close to the DOJ investigation as well as text messages and payment receipts reviewed by the outlet.

Multiple women reportedly told DOJ investigators Gaetz, 38, would tell them a time and place to meet and how much he was willing to pay them for sex.

Recently-engaged Gaetz has denied the allegations, has not been charged with a crime and insists he is the victim of an extortion plot by former Department of Justice official David McGee.

Ball worked in Gaetz's Florida district office before moving to DC. He also worked on Gaetz's congressional campaign and on Ron DeSantis' gubernatorial campaign.

His resignation followed Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy's announcements that Gaetz should be kicked off his House committees if the claims against him are true.

Matt Gaetz's communication director Luke Ball has quit out of 'principle' with the congressman facing a flood of allegations including claims he trafficked a 17-year-old girl

Ginger Luckey and Matt Gaetz. Gaetz got engaged to food analyst Luckey, 26, in December at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago

The top Democrat and top Republican in the House said in separate interviews that Gaetz could be removed from panels as more lurid claims against him surfaced.

Pelosi said Gaetz, at a minimum, should be removed from the House Judiciary Committee if the claims are true. The Florida Republican congressman made a name for himself from his Judiciary panel perch where he offered a fiery defense of Donald Trump during the first round of impeachment hearings.

Pelosi, the speaker of the House, also said the House Ethics Committee should consider investigating the congressman.

'If in fact these allegations are true, of course being removed from the Judiciary Committee is the least that could be done,' Pelosi said at her weekly press conference. She added: 'From what we've heard so far, this would be a matter for the Ethics Committee.'

Several House Democrats have called on Gaetz to step down from the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Justice Department. The DoJ is investigating Gaetz.

McCarthy, the House Republican leader, said Wednesday that the accusations were 'serious' and if proved true, Gaetz would be removed from his committees. Gaetz also serves on the Armed Services Committee.

'DOJ has not told me anything. If a member at my conference gets indicted, they will get removed from a committee. He says this is not true. And we have a newspaper report that says something else. We'll find out the basis,' McCarthy told Fox News.

The move by leadership comes about two months after the House, on a mostly party-line vote, took the unprecedented step of removing Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committees because of her history of spreading false conspiracy theories on social media. Gaetz' removal from his panels would be a fait accompli if the leaders of both parties support it.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy agree that Rep. Matt Gaetz should be kicked off his House committees should the allegations against him prove to be true. Without committee assignments, a member of Congress is virtually powerless.

The damning allegations were revealed in a New York Times report Thursday night, which cited several unnamed sources close to the DOJ investigation as well as text messages and payment receipts reviewed by the outlet.

Multiple women reportedly told DOJ investigators Gaetz, 38, would tell them a time and place to meet and how much he was willing to pay them for sex.

They would then meet in hotels in Florida where the lawmaker and staunch Trump ally would sometimes take ecstasy before they had sex, the women said.

The DOJ investigation is also reportedly looking into whether one of the women involved with Gaetz was 17 at the time and whether he paid her or gave her gifts to have sex with him.

Gaetz was reportedly first introduced to the women through close ally Greenberg, the former tax collector of Seminole County who investigators believe met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites.

Greenberg is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges related to a minor aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017.

Sources said the minor is the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe and the DOJ is investigating whether other men connected to the two men also had sex with the child.

The two men were pictured together on social media with Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress, in 2017. President Trump pardoned Stone shortly before he left office.

Gaetz denies ever having paid anyone for sex and has not been charged with any crime.

'Matt Gaetz has never paid for sex. Matt Gaetz refutes all the disgusting allegations completely,' his office told the Times in a statement.

'Matt Gaetz has never ever been on any such websites whatsoever. Matt Gaetz cherishes the relationships in his past and looks forward to marrying the love of his life.'

Rep. Matt Gaetz allegedly paid women via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotels after being introduced to them by former tax collector Joel Greenberg, according to a bombshell report about the Justice Department sex trafficking probe

Gaetz was reportedly first introduced to the women through Greenberg, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Greenberg, Gaetz and Roger Stone pictured together in 2017

The shocking report marks the latest twist in the saga involving the Republican lawmaker which came to light this week.

It emerged Tuesday that Gaetz was under investigation by the DOJ for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and for violating federal sex trafficking laws by paying for her to travel across state lines with him.

Gaetz denied the allegations and instead claimed he was the victim of an extortion plot involving former Justice Department official David McGee.

He claims McGee was trying to extort him and his family for $25 million using the sex trafficking probe as leverage.

Gaetz said he and his father - former Florida State Senator Don Gaetz - contacted authorities and were working with the FBI on a simultaneous investigation, with Don backing up his son's claims Wednesday that he wore a wire to try to expose McGee's apparent plot.

McGee denied he was extorting Gaetz and said he had no involvement in the DOJ sex trafficking probe into Gaetz other than being one of 'a thousand people who have heard the rumors' about the congressman's alleged actions with underage girls.

On Wednesday, Gaetz released bombshell text message screenshots, an email and a printout purporting to show the alleged extortion plot.

The documents, which were shared with the Washington Examiner, claim to show the congressman was being extorted by McGee and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent in a ploy to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran.

Greenberg met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites such as SeekingArrangement, investigators believe

What is SeekingArrangement? Dating site SeekingArrangement - adored by the rich and powerful including disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, Virginia lawyer Matthew Erausquin and Tiger Woods' former mistress Rachel Uchitel - has found itself back in the spotlight after Rep. Matt Gaetz became tied to the website. The 'sugar daddy' website is used by rich men who pay women in gifts, travel, fine dining and allowances in exchange for going on dates with them, investigators said. The site, which caters for so-called 'sugar babies' and 'sugar daddies', was at the center of another political scandal when disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner used it to meet Sydney Leathers, one of the women he had extramarital sex with. With subscriptions starting at $19.95 a month and launched in 2006, the site differs from standard dating sites by connecting people looking for 'arrangements' with members being able to 'define their terms' on what they're looking for. Traditionally, sugar babies are looking to be taken care of financially with their sugar daddies willing to foot the bills. The site was also used by Tiger Woods' mistress Rachel Uchitel to meet her married boyfriend and San Diego lawyer Ed Batts, 47. Uchitel, 45, has a profile on SeekingArrangement where she touts herself under the strapline 'high class discretion'. Since joining in November, she has made at least two 'arrangements' with men she has met on the site  one of whom is Batts who dumped his wife and her three kids from a previous marriage five days before Christmas to move to Palm Beach, where Uchitel is living. Batts has denied he had left his wife for Uchitel and claimed they were not dating - despite a video showing the pair kissing. The site defines a sugar baby as 'attractive people looking for the finer things in life' who 'appreciate exotic trips and gifts'. It says sugar daddies are men who 'know what they want. Money isn't an issue, thus they are generous when it comes to supporting a Sugar Baby'. The site is free to sugar babies and it offers a free trial to sugar daddies. Men who then wish to continue with the service have several tiers of subscriptions to choose from that run from $19.95 a month for a premium subscription up to $249.95 a month for a Diamond membership, which buys sugar daddies greater visibility on the site. The site was also the stomping ground for Virginia lawyer Matthew Erausquin who allegedly used it to meet half a dozen high school girls. Erausquin, 45, a founding partner of top law firm Consumer Litigation Associates, was taken into custody last in December last year, accused of sex trafficking six minors after targeting them on the sugar daddy website. Cops say he leveraged his wealth and power to lure the students aged 16 and 17 into sordid group sex sessions and paid them with off with drugs, cash and $20,000 handbags. Founder Brandon Wade said on the site: 'Every successful relationship is an arrangement between two parties. In business, partners sign business agreements that outline their objectives and expectations. 'Likewise, romantic relationships can only work if two people agree on what they expect, and what they can give and receive from each other.' Advertisement

According to the documents, Gaetz had been seen in compromising photos having sex with underage prostitutes, a grand jury had heard testimony from at least one underage girl who says she was paid to have sex with him and Gaetz was about to be indicted on charges.

The alleged extorters claimed they could stop the probe if the Gaetz family put up $25million which would help secure Levinson's release.

Levinson worked for the FBI for 22 years then vanished in 2007 while in Iran. Nothing was known as to whether he was alive or dead until 2011 when Levinson's family shared images and a video of him being held captive and pleading for help.

Levinson's family said in March 2020 that they had been informed by US officials that he had died in Iranian custody, while being held in Iran as the longest-held hostage in American history.

But Kent claimed he was very much alive and that if Gaetz provided the money to release him, he would be given public credit for the operation and the 'team' would tell President Biden to give him a pardon in the sex trafficking case, according to the documents shared by Gaetz.

McGee used to work for the Department of Justice but now works in private practice and is the Levinson family's lawyer. Kent has claimed in the past that he has worked on plans to secure Levinson's release.

Kent denied the claims Thursday telling the Times he had heard about the DOJ probe into Gaetz but was not trying to extort him over it.

'I told him I'm not trying to extort, but if this were true, he might be interested in doing something good,' he said.

Kent said Gaetz 'threw Levinson and the entire Levinson family under the bus' by trying to tie the DOJ probe to the Levinson case.

'I can't imagine what these poor people have been through. This guy, to divert attention from himself, has raked up the attention to the family,' he said.

McGee also denied any involvement in an extortion plot and Gaetz was trying to detract from the sex trafficking allegations.

'He's trying to distract attention from a pending tidal wave that is about to sink his ship,' he said.

On Thursday, fresh allegations surfaced claiming Gaetz had shown other lawmakers naked photos and videos of women he said he had slept with and boasted about his sexual conquests to his colleagues.

Multiple sources, including two people who said they had been shown the compromising photos first hand, told CNN, the 38-year-old congressman displayed the images of the women on his phone including while he was on the House floor at the US Capitol.

The report sparked further calls for the lawmaker to resign from his role.

The investigation into Gaetz first spiraled from a probe into Greenberg, who was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17.

Three sources told the Times that DOJ investigators have since interviewed multiple women about their alleged encounters with Gaetz.

Investigators believe Greenberg first met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites including SeekingArrangement, where rich men pay women in gifts, travel, fine dining and allowances in exchange for going on dates with them, they said.

Greenberg then introduced the women to Gaetz who allegedly also had sex with them.

One of the women told investigators she had sex with an unidentified person in Florida Republican politics as well as Gaetz and Greenberg, the Times reported.

Sometimes, Gaetz and the other men and the women allegedly took ecstasy before they slept together.

Gaetz would sometimes ask the women to introduce him to other women who would have sex with him and his friends, two sources told the Times.

Receipts from the mobile payments app Cash App and Apple Pay show both Gaetz and Greenberg sent payments to one woman and Greenberg sent a payment to a second woman, the Times reported.

Sources said the women said the payments had been for sex with Gaetz and Greenberg. Another person said the men also sometimes paid in cash.

The trysts took place in 2019 and 2020, according to the Times.

Gaetz got engaged to food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, in December at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., which is about an hour from his House congressional district.

He met Luckey in early 2020. It is not clear exactly when the couple met nor when in 2020 some of the alleged encounters with the other women took place.

The women told investigators Gaetz told them that, if their relationship ever came to light, they should tell people the congressman only paid for their hotel rooms and dinners as part of their dates, the Times reported.

When news of the DOJ probe surfaced Tuesday, Gaetz gave an interview to Axios where he claimed he often 'provided for' women he was dating when he was single, such as paying for flights and hotel rooms.

A lawyer for Greenberg declined to comment to the Times Thursday.

Greenberg was indicted last summer on 14 felony charges including child sex trafficking, fraud, identity theft and stalking a former political rival.

Sources said the minor Greenberg has been charged over is the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe and the DOJ is investigating whether other men connected to the two men also had sex with the child

Gaetz with his fiancee food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26. Multiple women reportedly told investigators the Florida lawmaker and staunch Trump ally, 38, would message them arranging a place to meet and telling them how much he was wiling to pay them

The sex trafficking charge involves alleged encounters with a girl aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017.

He was also accused of violating the Driver's Privacy Protection Act by using his access as an elected official to illegally look up information about the minor in The Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID).

Greenberg (pictured) was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking of a minor between the age of 14 and 17

He reportedly looked up the girl's photo, driver identification number, in addition to other information.

Prosecutors say he also used the database to look up other people, with whom he was embroiled in 'sugar daddy relationships' with.

Greenberg had first been indicted by a federal grand jury in June on charges that he stalked political opponent Brian Beute in the Republican primary for the Tax Collector's race and for identity theft.

Greenberg resigned the following day and the additional charges were added in August.

He was arrested earlier this month for violating the terms of his bond after he allegedly traveled to Jupiter and was involved in some type of police incident there.

Gaetz and Greenberg have known each other for several years. The ex-tax collector shared a photo on Twitter of the two men together at the White House in 2019.

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe (above) said there must be a 'significant degree of information' for federal officials to have launched a sex trafficking probe into a sitting member of Congress

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators'

The year before, Gaetz backed Greenberg's successful bid for local office.

The new details about the sex trafficking probe surfaced after former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe said there must be a 'significant degree of information' for federal officials to have launched a sex trafficking probe into a sitting member of Congress.

McCabe described the allegations as 'very serious' after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that Gaetz is under investigation by the Department of Justice over claims he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him across state lines.

'It's substantial and very serious. You know [after] 21 years of opening and overseeing, conducting investigations, I can tell you that nobody opens a sex trafficking investigation in which the subject is a sitting member of Congress without having a significant degree of information,' McCabe, who was fired by Trump in 2018, told CNN Wednesday.

Gaetz's main support since news of the DOJ probe broke has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene

'In any case, I can assure you the FBI doesn't open these cases lightly, and don't get briefed to the attorney general without some significant momentum behind them.'

Long before this week's saga unfolded, Gaetz had gained a reputation on Capitol Hill for bragging about his sexual exploits to other lawmakers and staff and parading photos of nude women he said he had sex with, sources told CNN Thursday.

One source described one video showing a naked woman with a hula hoop, as another said 'it was a point of pride' for Gaetz to show the images off.

There is no evidence that the nude photos are in any way connected to the DOJ's probe into allegations of sex trafficking.

It is also unclear when these alleged encounters took place.

But this isn't the first time Gaetz has been accused of acting inappropriately in Congress.

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators.'

Latvala leveled the accusations against Gaetz amid a Twitter spat in January 2020.

'And you created a game where members of the FL House got 'points' for sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators. Hope DC is treating you well, Congressman,' he wrote.

Gaetz denied the allegations.

Rumors of a game with a point system involving 'young male FL Reps' first surfaced in a Politico report in 2013 but did not name the alleged culprits.

Bombshell texts, an email and a printout with the heading 'Project Homecoming' detail the alleged scheme involving former DOJ official David McGee (left) and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent to free US hostage Robert Levinson (right)

Florida congressman Gaetz served in the House from 2010 to 2016.

While these alleged instances have no known connection to the DOJ sex-trafficking probe, Gaetz has received little in the way of support from members of his own party since the bombshell claims surfaced.

This is the text Matt Gaetz's father Don says he received from Bob Kent, an Air Force intelligence officer, on March 16, detailing an extortion plot that would involve the Gaetz family giving up $25million

Trump also remained uncharacteristically quiet.

This is perhaps surprising given the two men's closeness. Gaetz backed the former president during both impeachment trials and is a regular fixture at his Mar-a-Lago estate - even proposing to his fiancee there in December.

Several sources told NBC Gaetz is not well-liked on Capitol Hill because of his criticism of fellow Republicans.

Gaetz railed against GOP Rep. Liz Cheney at the Wyoming capitol back in January after she voted to impeach Trump.

Meanwhile, his constant self-promotion and near-daily appearances on right-wing news outlets, especially Fox, are also another source of contention among other Republicans, sources said.

His main support has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon-supporting freshman Georgia lawmaker who was stripped of her committee assignments in February as it emerged she had pushed unfounded conspiracy theories and showed support for executing top Democrats before being elected to Congress.

'Remember all the conspiracy theories and lies like Trump/Russia collusion and propaganda that the media has spread around. Take it from me rumors and headlines don't equal truth. I stand with @mattgaetz,' she tweeted.

In another tweet she called for the release of FBI tapes Gaetz has claimed prove the extortion plot.

This document was given to Gaetz's father Don on March 17, allegedly by Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent. The plan involved the Gaetz family putting up $25million to secure Levinson's release but it doesn't say how the money would secure that

Another document that Gaetz has produced is an email from the Assistant US Attorney for the Northern District of Florida which confirms that the family was working with the FBI

TIMELINE OF THE GAETZ SAGA MARCH 30: The New York Times reports that Gaetz is under investigation for a sexual relationship with an underage girl. Details are sparse but the relationship reportedly happened two years ago. Gaetz went on Tucker Carlson's FOX News show that night to deny the allegations and claim he was the victim of an extortion plot. He names David McGee as a DoJ official who is extorting him. McGee denies it. MARCH 31: Gaetz's father Don tells Politico that the extortion plot is real and that he was working with his son and the FBI to expose it Texts emerge to support Gaetz's claim that he was being extorted and they introduce a new element to the saga - that the extortion plot was part of a ruse to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran. APRIL 1: The New York Times reports new details of the DOJ probe including allegations Gaetz paid women for sex in hotel rooms in Florida, sometimes while on ecstasy. WHO'S WHO Rep Matt Gaetz Gaetz, 38, is the representative for Florida's 1st congressional district. He is a Trump ally who has ties to Roger Stone and he's been known to fan the flames of controversy in the past. He has DUI convictions, has been accused of inciting violence on Twitter and claimed that facial recognition technology proved some of the January 6 Capitol rioters were not Trump fans, but 'antifa' masquerading as them. Don Gaetz Gaetz's father who was a well-liked Senator. He sold his company with his partners for $406million in 2004. They had founded VITAS Healthcare in the 1980s. He was a senator for ten years from 2006 until 2016. David McGee McGee was a prosecutor with the Department of Justice but he is now a private practice attorney. According to his bio on his law firm's website, he spent six years as the First Assistant at the United States Attorney's Office and for seven years as the Lead Attorney for a United States Department of Justice Organized Crime Task Force. Bob Kent Kent is an Air Force intelligence officer whose involvement in the alleged plot was only revealed on Wednesday night through the texts. Robert Levinson Levinson spent 22 years working for the FBI before he vanished in Iran in 2007. The government claimed they knew nothing about it but later admitted he had been working there for the CIA. The last time he was seen alive was in 2011, when he appeared in proof of life photos. His family say that this month, they were given reason to believe he was dead. Joel Greenberg Greenberg is the former tax collector in Seminole County, Florida. He is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges related to a minor aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017. The minor is said to be the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe. Greenberg also allegedly introduced Gaetz to the women the congressman is accused of paying for sex with. Advertisement

'The DOJ needs to release the tapes instead of allowing another witch hunt to take place,' she wrote.

Gaetz regularly appears on Fox, reportedly racking up on average 90 minutes of screen time a month in the last year.

Hours before the allegations of both sex trafficking and extortion surfaced Tuesday, a report from Axios had revealed Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and taking a media job at Newsmax.

Gaetz then claimed Wednesday he's had 'many conversations' with right-wing TV networks about a career after Congress including Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business and Real America's Voice.

But Fox News instantly denied the claims saying it had 'no interest in hiring him' and denying the congressman had spoken with anyone with authority on the matter.

The network sought to distance itself from Gaetz after he appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night in a bizarre interview where he appeared to try to rope Carlson into the saga.

Carlson later said the segment was 'one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.'

The complex saga took another unexpected turn Wednesday as new texts and documents released by Gaetz Wednesday appeared to support his claim that he was being extorted and suggested that the 'plot' was part of a ploy to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson.

The texts are purportedly from Kent to Gaetz's father, former Senator Don Gaetz. They were sent on March 16 and 17.

'Mr Gaetz, I would like to talk with you immediately about the current federal investigation and the indictment that is about to be filed against your son. I have a plan that can make his future legal and political problems go away,' the first text, sent on March 16 purportedly from Kent, says.

Kent goes on: 'Last summer, we located Robert Levinson in Iran and took two proof of life videos but the US government foiled our rescue attempt. We have one more opportunity to rescue Levinson. If you and Matt are willing to help us privately and clandestinely obtain the release of Robert Levinson, I will ensure...'

There is no screenshot of the next part of the text.

On March 17, the day after the text was sent purportedly by Kent to Gaetz's father, Don claims he met with Kent and Stephen M. Alford, a real estate agent convicted of fraud who McGee has represented in the past, and was given the three-page 'Project Homecoming' document.

It detailed plans for the Gaetz family to give them $25million. They said they would use the money to free Levinson and that in exchange, 'the team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.

The document begins with details of the alleged probe into Rep. Gaetz over 'various public corruption and public integrity issues.'

It outlines some of the most damning allegations to surface against Gaetz to date, claiming the FBI has 'compromising pictures' depicting Gaetz and an unidentified election official in a 'sexual orgy with underage prostitutes' in Maitland, Florida.

The photos came to light during an unrelated probe into political corruption and public integrity in another criminal case, it reads.

Sources previously told the New York Times the probe was part of a wider investigation into Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, who was charged with sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17 last year.

The document says the discovery of the photos and 'subsequent information' has led to Gaetz being the 'target' of a 'widening investigation into serious underage sex trafficking, political corruption, public integrity, and other criminal allegations.'

On Tuesday, Gaetz insisted he had been told he was the 'subject' and not the 'target' of a probe.

The document claims that a Grand Jury has been impaneled to determine if charges should be brought against Gaetz and others.

It says that a number of people have testified to the Grand Jury about Gaetz including one underage girl who claims she was paid by Gaetz for sex and 'other individuals, whom are facing serious criminal allegations themselves'.

'At least one underage female has testified to the Grand Jury that Congressman Gaetz has paid her to engage in sexual activities,' it reads.

The probe is being handled by the Public Integrity Division of the DOJ and is being managed out of the DC field office, with the US Attorney from the Middle District of Florida overseeing the case.

The document goes on to describe a 'strategy' to 'mitigate Gaetz's 'legal and political troubles' by arranging for $25 million in funds needed to apparently release Levinson from Iranian captivity.

The money would be deposited into the trust account of Beggs & Land law firm, where McGee works, no later than March 19, the Examiner reported.

It describes a setup wherein Gaetz could take the credit for Levinson's release and present the captive's return to the US, and would be put forward for a presidential pardon and for all investigations to be dropped.

'In exchange for funds being arranged, and upon the release of Robert Levinson, Congressman Gaetz shall be given credit for facilitating the release of Mr. Levinson.

'Congressman Gaetz shall also be on the plane that returns Mr. Levinson to freedom, and shall be the person to 'reunited' Mr. Levinson with his family and bring Mr. Levinson back to the United States,' the document reads.

'The team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President of The United States shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.'

The three-page document also suggested at least some White House knowledge of the plan claiming: 'The team has been assured by the President that he will strongly consider such matters because he considers the release of Robert Levinson a matter of National Urgency.'

The White House did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Gaetz and his father Don Gaetz. Don served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016

BILL BARR CANCELED AN APPEARANCE TO APPEAR WITH GAETZ BECAUSE OF PROBE Bill Barr was aware of the ongoing sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz and took no objection to it when he was the Attorney General. Instead, he made sure he was never seen with him in public. According to Politico, Barr canceled an event where he was due to appear with Gaetz in the summer of 2020. He had been scheduled to appear at a meet-and-greet with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee but when he saw that Gaetz was also attending, he pulled out of it. Barr has not commented on the investigation into sex trafficking that Gaetz is said to be a target of. Advertisement

The Examiner also obtained an email chain allegedly between Don's attorney Jeffrey Neiman and federal prosecutors that appears to confirm the FBI is looking into an alleged extortion.

Assistant US Attorney David Goldberg wrote to Neiman that he could 'confirm that your client is working with my office as well as the FBI at the government's request in order to determine if a federal crime has been committed'.

The FBI declined to comment and directed to DailyMail.com to the DOJ. The DOJ did not return a request for comment.

The release of the documents came after Gaetz's father backed up his extortion claims and said he wore a wire to try help his son expose it.

'The FBI asked me to try and get that information for Matt and an indication we would transfer money to Mr. David McGee,' he told Politico Wednesday.

McGee did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The attorney denied any involvement Tuesday telling The Washington Post Tuesday he was not part of a plan to extort Gaetz nor was he connected to the DOJ's sex trafficking probe.

'It is completely false. It's a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that he's under investigation for sex trafficking of minors,' he said.

'I have no connection with that case at all, other than, one of a thousand people who have heard the rumors.'

The attorney said Gaetz's father had 'called me and asked to talk to me' and said he would welcome a tape of their conversation being made public. He did not detail what the conversation was about but insisted it was nothing 'untoward' but simply 'a pleasant conversation of a dad concerned about his son and the trouble his son was in'.

He added: 'If there is a tape, play the tape. There is nothing on that tape that is untoward.'

Gaetz accused McGee live on Tucker Carlson of trying to extort millions of dollars out of him and his family in exchange for 'making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away' in a bizarre interview just hours after the reports of the DOJ probe surfaced.

Gaetz accused David McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, of trying to extort millions from him and his family in exchange for making sex trafficking allegations 'go away' on Fox News Tuesday

Tucker Carlson says Gaetz interview was his 'weirdest ever' Fox News' Tucker Carlson was stunned by Rep Matt Gaetz's appearance on his show Tuesday night, calling it one of the 'weirdest interviews' ever. Gaetz claimed he is the victim of a $25million extortion plot after the New York Times revealed he is under investigation for sex trafficking. During the interview Gaetz denied all of the allegations against him. 'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson. 'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.' When asked about the alleged sexual relationship with the teen, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'. However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme'. 'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said. 'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.' In response to that claim, Carlson says: 'I don't remember the women you're speaking of or the context at all honestly.' Following the segment, Carlson told his viewers: 'You just saw our Matt Gaetz interview. That was one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.' 'That story just appeared in the news a couple of hours ago, and on the certainty that there's always more than you read in the newspaper, we immediately called Matt Gaetz and asked him to come on and tell us more. Which, as you saw, he did. I don't think that clarified much, but it certainly showed this is a deeply interesting story and we'll be following it,' Carlson added. Advertisement

Gaetz claimed the sex trafficking allegations against him were 'verifiably false' but said he and his family were victims of an extortion effort by McGee to make the allegations and the DOJ investigation 'go away.'

A separate probe was launched by the FBI into the extortion plot, he said. Gaetz claimed the Times report had then foiled a plan to transfer a bribe of $4.5 million to McGee Wednesday which would have then exposed the alleged plot.

However Times' reporter Katie Benner told MSNBC it is the congressman who has in fact 'blown up' the alleged extortion investigation in an effort to divert attention away from the fact the sex trafficking concerns were serious enough for the Trump administration to launch an investigation - even though Gaetz is a close ally of the president.

Reports of the two investigations came just hours after it was revealed Gaetz is considering retiring from Congress and taking a job at right-wing news outlet Newsmax.

Gaetz's alleged encounters with the 17-year-old girl took place around two years ago with the DOJ investigation focusing on whether the lawmaker paid for her to cross state lines, the Times reported.

Under federal law, it is a crime to transport someone under the age of 18 across state lines, or coerce them to travel across state lines, to engage in sex in exchange for money.

Gaetz, who was the only member of Congress to vote against a largely bipartisan human trafficking bill back in 2017, insisted the allegations are false.

'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson.

'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.'

When asked about his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'.

'The person doesn't exist. I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false,' he said.

However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme.'

'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said.

'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.'

Instead, Gaetz claimed he and his family have fallen foul to a plot to extort money.

The congressman told Carlson the alleged scheme came to light on March 16 when he claims his father got a text message 'demanding a meeting wherein a person demanded $25 million in exchange for making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away'.

Gaetz's father is Don Gaetz, former member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 and Senate President from 2012 to 2014. Don has not publicly commented on the apparent extortion plot.

Gaetz claimed his family were told about 'pictures of me with child prostitutes' which he insisted are 'obviously false'.

Gaetz named McGee on air on the Fox News show, accusing the lawyer of being behind the extortion plot.

'His name is David Mcgee. He was a top official in the leadership in the northern district of Florida as a prosecutor,' he said. 'He currently works at the Beggs & Lane law firm.'

He claimed: 'There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators.'

Gaetz said he contacted the FBI and the DOJ and has been working with them to expose the plot.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump fired out a series of tweets Tuesday claiming a former Justice Department employee had been trying to extort $25 million from him and his family while 'threatening to smear my name'

Rep. Matt Gaetz's father Don sold his hospice company for $406million and used the money to fund his political career Rep. Matt Gaetz's father made millions by selling his hospice company in 2004 and used the money to launch his own political career, years before they were 'extorted' over allegations the younger Gaetz slept with an underage girl. Don, a former Florida Senator from 2006 until 2016, has backed up his son's claims of an extortion plot and says he even wore a wire to a meeting with one of the extortionists to try to help expose the plot. Gaetz claimed the people involved were claiming to extort him to free American hostage Robert Levinson, who was captured in Iran in 2007. He said the extortionists told his family they needed $25million to free Levinson - whose family say is dead - and that in exchange, they would ask Joe Biden to pardon Gaetz from any sex trafficking charges. The amount is the same amount that Don Gaetz's net worth was reported as when he launched his first Senatorial campaign in 2006. He and his partners had sold Vitas, a hospice company, two years earlier for $406million. It's unclear how many partners there were, but when Don was campaigning, his net worth was well reported. The family comes from Niceville, Florida, a conservative, Christian town on the panhandle. Don Gaetz is shown, left, on the Florida Senate floor. He is shown right, with his wife Vicki Don's own father, Jerry, was the mayor of a small town in North Dakota. Don was referred to as 'baby Gaetz' early on in his career. He and his partners founded Vitas in the 1970s and turned it into the largest hospice care provider in the country, after lobbying Congress to have their care paid for under Medicaid and Medicare. They sold the company in 2004 but were later sued for Medicaid fraud. The lawsuit did not name Don specifically, and he denied wrongdoing. Don was well-liked in the Senate because he was considered 'old fashioned' and 'decent'. His views, while Republican, are less extreme than his son's. 'Don Gaetz was very much more of an old-school Republican. He would tell you that Matt is much more tea party Republican than he is,' Ben Wilcox told Mother Jones for a profile on the pair in 2019. Matt launched his political career in Florida in 2010 and has since made a name for himself supporting Trump. He has spoken in the past about how his mother became partially paralyzed due to complications she suffered while pregnant with his sister, and how her devotion to the pregnancy and baby has enforced his anti-abortion views. Advertisement

'Our family was so troubled by that, we went to the local FBI and the FBI and the Department of Justice were so concerned about this attempted extortion of a member of Congress that they asked my dad to wear a wire, which he did with the former department of justice official,' he claimed.

Gaetz claimed that, prior to the Times' report of the sex trafficking inquiry, his family and federal authorities had made a plan to send $4.5 million as a down payment to McGee.

He claimed this plan 'would have shown even more evidence of David McGee's work in this extortion scheme' but that it was 'foiled' by the Times' report.

'What was supposed to happen was the transfer of this money that would have implicated the former colleague of these current DOJ officials.

'But that's obviously not going to happen tomorrow because the New York Times story was leaked in order to quell that investigative effort,' he claimed.

Gaetz called on the FBI to release the tapes of his family's alleged encounters with the extorter in order to prove his 'innocence.'

'If the FBI and department of justice will release the tapes that they are in possession of, the American people will see what is really going on,' he said.

New York Times' Justice Department Reporter Katie Benner hit back at Gaetz's claims telling MSNBC that McGee is not involved in the DOJ's sex trafficking probe as he works in private practice.

'No that person is not involved in the investigations. That person is currently in private practice and does not work at the Justice Department,' she said.

Benner questioned Gaetz's motive for speaking out about the alleged extortion plot in a move that she said has 'destroyed and blown up' the FBI investigation into it.

Gaetz was first to publicly expose the FBI probe into the alleged extortion plot, with no mention made in the Times' initial report.

Benner said she believes Gaetz was speaking out to deflect from the fact that the sex trafficking probe was 'serious enough' to be launched by Trump's DOJ.

'Keep in mind this is an investigation that if you look at the timeline was very serious and was taken seriously by Trump administration officials in the Justice Department,' she said.

'I think that one of the reasons why he has talked publicly about this extortion plot, one of the reasons why he has publicly said that the FBI has asked his own father to wear a wire is in order to try to get people to not pay attention to the fact that it was in fact the Trump admin that felt it was worthy to investigation him.'

She hit back at his claim that the Times' report had 'foiled' the FBI plot.

'In publicly talking about the extortion plot that he has described and publicly saying that his father wore a wire he has basically destroyed and blown up an FBI investigation which is in itself something you would think would be against his own interests,' she said.

'You would think he wold be wanting to work with the FBI and would think he would be wanting to keep this quiet... in doing this and basically blowing up an FBI investigation into people trying to extort his family he has both complicated that investigation and also cast aspersions on something that was serious enough that Attorney General Bill Barr proved it.'

Gaetz went on the defense as soon as the Times story broke Tuesday evening, going on a tweet storm describing the alleged extortion plot and slamming the allegations as 'lies'.

'Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name,' he tweeted.

The congressman said he and his family had been working with the FBI on the plot to extort money from his family.

'We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI's direction to catch these criminals.

'The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation.'

Gaetz called on the Justice Department to release tapes he said shows the alleged scheme by an ex-DOJ employee.

'I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations,' he tweeted.

Gaetz went into damage control mode after news of the inquiry surfaced.

He told the Times his attorneys had been told by the DOJ that he was the subject and not the target of the probe.

'I only know that it has to do with women,' he said. 'I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.'

The congressman confirmed the DOJ probe in an interview with Axios and doubled down that the allegations are 'false' and 'unclear' as he blamed the apparent extortion plot.

'The allegations of sexual misconduct against me are false,' he said. 'They are rooted in an extortion effort against my family for $25 million in exchange for making this case go away.'

Axios reported that it had seen screenshots of text messages, emails and documents from Gaetz purporting to show the alleged scheme.

Gaetz denied the accusations against him after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that the DOJ had launched a probe to investigate whether he had violated federal sex trafficking laws. Pictured Trump and Gaetz

'I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy,' he said.

The 38-year-old said while he often 'provided for' women he was dating when he was single, such as paying for flights and hotel rooms, he was 'absolutely' confident none of the women were underage.

'I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I've dated. You know, I've paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I've been, you know, generous as a partner,' he said.

'I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.'

Sources told the Times that senior Justice Department officials, including some Trump appointees, were aware of the investigation due to its nature and the congressman's profile.

They said it is part of a larger probe into Greenberg.

News of the sex-trafficking inquiry came the same day reports surfaced that Gaetz is mulling quitting politics altogether for a career as a media personality.

Gaetz has told friends he is considering not seeking re-election in 2022 and may even leave Congress before the end of his term for a job at conservative outlet Newsmax, according to Axios.

The congressman lost much of his personal power in DC when Trump, a close ally, lost the White House and Republicans failed to take back control of the House of Representatives.

Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December. Pictured the couple when they got engaged

Newsmax, meanwhile, has become a favored outlet for conservatives after Trump started criticizing Fox News, leaving an opening for it and competitor One American News.

Gaetz is already a frequent guest on the network, which recently hired former White House staffer Andrew Guiliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani, and former Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators

Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and defended the former president during both impeachment trials.

He also pushed the false claims that the MAGA mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a riot that left five dead were from Antifa. Investigations have proven they were not.

Gaetz also made a name for himself when he became the only House lawmaker to vote against a bill to provide greater funds to fight human trafficking.

The legislation - the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act - gave the federal government more money to tackle human trafficking.

It was backed by both Republicans and Democrats and sailed through the House and Senate.

'Unless there is an overwhelming, compelling reason that our existing agencies in the federal government can't handle that problem, I vote no because voters in Northwest Florida did not send me to Washington to go and create more federal government,' he said at the time.

He also hit headlines for wearing a gas mask on the House floor during the COVID pandemic and criticizing Democrats for banning guns in Congress.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators.

Outside of DC, Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December.

The couple met at an event at the club sometime earlier in 2020.

Luckey works for a company called Apeel, that says it 'works with nature to reduce food waste and create abundance for all.'

'Gaetz bringing up McGee's name on Fox was a big mistake.' Former DOJ official David McGee 'plans to SUE Matt Gaetz for defamation' over extortion claims

Despite his attempts to portray himself as a victim of a multimillion-dollar extortion plot, both criminal and civil court actions are forthcoming against embattled Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a source familiar with the matter has revealed.

Gaetz, 38, is expected to be indicted in a federal court over the next few weeks in connection to sexual activity with at least one minor, a 17-year-old girl, after the alleged victim testified before a Florida grand jury that she had sex with the conservative Republican before she turned 18, DailyMail.com has learned.

The staunch Trump supporter was revealed to be under investigation by the Justice Department over claims he had a sexual relationship with a minor two years ago and trafficked her across state lines.

The bombshell report spurred a bizarre chain of events in its wake after Gaetz furiously refuted the allegations in a series of interviews by sensationally claiming they are part of a former DOJ official's plot to extort $25million from his family.

Rep Matt Gaetz (left) is set to be sued for defamation by former Justice Department official David McGee (right) DailyMail.com has learned

A source familiar with the congressman's mounting troubles says Gaetz is now about to be the target of a defamation lawsuit over his statements.

During his appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight Tuesday, Gaetz insisted the sex allegations were 'totally false' and an extortion attempt led by David McGee, a former federal prosecutor and now one of Pensacola's best-known attorneys.

McGee was not available to comment when DailyMail.com called his office.

'The congressman impugned and damaged the reputation of someone who had nothing to do with this,' the source told DailyMail.com.

'That's going to cost him. Gaetz is a sleaze-bag who used a professional with a sterling reputation to divert the attention on a sex investigation focused on him.'

McGee has denied he tried to extort Gaetz and said he had no involvement in the DOJ sex trafficking probe other than being one of 'a thousand people who have heard the rumors' about the congressman's alleged actions with underage girls.

The federal investigation, which reportedly involves photos of Gaetz taking part in an orgy, is focusing on his friendship with Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who was elected Seminole County Tax Collector in 2016.

In August, federal authorities charged Greenberg with misusing his government position to commit identify theft and sex trafficking children.

The feds claim Greenberg reportedly used state government databases to access personal information of women with whom he had 'a sugar daddy' relationship, including an underage girl.

A New York Times report Thursday revealed further details of the investigation including claims that Gaetz had paid women via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotels.

Gaetz, however, has been adamant that he is a victim of a sinister scheme, saying he and his father - former Florida State Senator Don Gaetz - had contacted authorities and were working with the FBI to investigate the matter.

Don, 73, backed up his son's claims Wednesday confirming he had worn a wire to try to expose McGee's apparent plot during a visit to the lawyer's office.

They accused McGee of demanding the large sum of cash in exchange for making the allegations against Gaetz 'go away.'

According to the source, the purpose of Don and McGee's meeting was to discuss attempts to raise $25million to secure privately the liberation of U.S. hostage Robert Levinson, a former DEA and FBI agent who disappeared on an Iranian island in 2007 while on a mission for the CIA.
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Mastercard has sealed a pact with wireless operator Airtel Africa that will see it procure a minority interest in the telcos mobile money division, Airtel Mobile Commerce BV (AMC BV).

An estimate reached for the deal purpose, using cash and debt-free valuation parameter, puts the mobile money business alone at $2.65 billion in the African market, where Airtel itself has footprints in 14 countries.

Mastercard will take a stake equivalent to $100million of that sum once the transaction is over, Airtel said in a note to the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Thursday.

It is the second of such deal to be announced in less than two weeks, considering that a private equity firm, The Rise Fund, acquired shares worth $200 million in AMC BV in March.

The Group and Mastercard have extended commercial agreements and signed a new commercial framework which will deepen their partnerships across numerous geographies and areas including card issuance, payment gateway, payment processing, merchant acceptance and remittance solutions, amongst others, the statement said.

Shares in Airtel Africa has returned 9.18 per cent in Nigeria so far this year and was trading at N930 per unit at 11:35 WAT in Lagos on Friday.

Airtel, headquartered in New Delhi, hopes to list its mobile money subsidiary as an independent entity in four years, and is stepping up plans to raise minority investments in the company to one-fourth of its issued share capital.

The idea is to raise cash sufficient for the dual purpose of network and sales expansion, and offsetting the groups debt.

AMC BV services span merchant and commercial payments, international money transfers, mobile wallet deposit and withdrawals, virtual credit card as well as loans and savings.
Share

As a means of containing the spread of the Covid-19 Virus, Liberia's Ambassador-at-Large to Italy, Riccardo Milici, has donated 2,000 face masks to the Executive Protective Service (EPS) worth US$7,000.

Making the donation Thursday, April 1, 2021, at the Headquarters of the EPS, Ambassador Milici said the gesture is part of his personal contribution towards the fight against the virus.

Ambassador Milici said "I look forward to improving my activities with the government and the EPS Director and staff."

He said the fight against the pandemic should be everybody's business; and as such, he is concerned about those who provide security for the presidency, something that prompted the donation.

Receiving the mask, EPS Director Trokon Roberts thanked the Ambassador for his kind gesture in such a critical health times, saying "I first of all say a heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Ambassador Riccardo Milici for this humanitarian assistance, especially in times like these."

He said since the covid-19 crisis, EPS has gotten lot of assistance from other institutions including pharmacies, humanitarian and the Ministry of Health which has provided more support.

Director Roberts praised the Minister of Health Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah for her continues support to the EPS especially during the height of the coronavirus crisis.

At the same time, Director Roberts assured Ambassador Milici that the masks will be used purposefully.

He said members of the EPS, like other Liberian citizens, will adhere to the wearing of nose masks for their own safety.
Commentary: Why Xinjiang cotton?

Xinhua) 16:43, April 01, 2021

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Over recent weeks, some Western groups are clamoring about "forced labor" claims in the cotton industry in China's Xinjiang region. But their hype sounds like a conspiracy all too familiar.

Chinese netizens found of late that H&M and other members of the so-called "Better Cotton Initiative" (BCI) had cited "forced labor" allegations to slap a ban on the use of Xinjiang cotton and even the employment of Uygurs, which followed a similar decision by the United States last year.

The Chinese public is incensed, and rightly so. For starters, that ban was built on fabrications, not on facts. And one of the basic facts is that Xinjiang's cotton industry is already highly mechanized. Now about 70 percent of the crop in the northwestern Chinese region is harvested by machines.

Even the BCI's own Shanghai branch has said it found no single incident related to "forced labor" in Xinjiang in the past eight years. But the conclusion was overruled by the BCI's headquarters in Geneva.

Beneath the outright denial of facts lies a plot not so hard to decipher.

By banning Xinjiang cotton, some Western forces are trying to strangle cotton businesses and damage people's livelihoods in the Uygur autonomous region. In word, they claim they are concerned about the Uygurs; in deed, they are just making life difficult for them.

Then those anti-China elements would take advantage of the resultant social unrest in Xinjiang to make trouble for China and hold back China's development.

Now the true agenda behind the Xinjiang Cotton plot has become as clear as the double-dealing of those Western groups. Actually, Lawrence Wilkerson, the chief of staff to former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, once publicly confessed that the best way for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to destabilize China would be "to form unrest" in Xinjiang.

And as a matter of fact, that ploy comes directly from Washington's old playbook. The world has seen similar tactics being used on Iran, Iraq and Libya.

But China is China. The Xinjiang plot is doomed to failure. Just like what has happened over Hong Kong and South China Sea issues, China and the Chinese people, including the Uygurs, have the capacity and resilience to foil all sinister foreign plots.

Ironically, if there is anything helpful coming from all the rumor-mongering about Xinjiang, it is that it has once again reminded the world of America's dark history of slavery and racial prejudice, as well as the human rights abuses happening in the United States all along.

Given all the pandemic deaths, hate crimes, mass shootings and violent protests, isn't it high time that Washington retracted its meddling hands and started focusing on protecting and improving the human rights of the American people?

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
MGM Northfield Park has announced the addition of a $35,000 Pick-5 total pool guarantee for Saturday (April 3).

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Coinbases plan to go public in April highlights a troubling trend among tech companies: Its founding team will maintain voting control, making it mostly immune to the wishes of outside investors.

The best-known U.S. cryptocurrency exchange is doing this by creating two classes of shares. One class will be available to the public. The other is reserved for the founders, insiders and early investors, and will wield 20 times the voting power of regular shares. That will ensure that after all is said and done, the insiders will control 53.5% of the votes.

Coinbase will join dozens of other publicly traded tech companies  many with household names such as Google, Facebook, Doordash, Airbnb and Slack  that have issued two types of shares in an effort to retain control for founders and insiders. The reason this is becoming increasingly popular has a lot to do with Ayn Rand, one of Silicon Valleys favorite authors, and the myth of the founder her writings have helped inspire.

Engaged investors and governance experts like me generally loathe dual-class shares because they undermine executive accountability by making it harder to rein in a wayward CEO. I first stumbled upon this method executives use to limit the influence of pesky outsiders while working on my doctoral dissertation on hostile takeovers in the late 1980s.

But the risks of this trend are greater than simply entrenching bad management. Today, given the role tech companies play in virtually every corner of American life, it poses a threat to democracy as well.

All in the family

Dual-class voting structures have been around for decades.

When Ford Motor Co. went public in 1956, its founding family used the arrangement to maintain 40% of the voting rights. Newspaper companies like The New York Times and The Washington Post often use the arrangement to protect their journalistic independence from Wall Streets insatiable demands for profitability.

In a typical dual-class structure, the company will sell one class of shares to the public, usually called class A shares, while founders, executives and others retain class B shares with enough voting power to maintain majority voting control. This allows the class B shareholders to determine the outcome of matters that come up for a shareholder vote, such as who is on the companys board.

Advocates see a dual-class structure as a way to fend off short-term thinking. In principle, this insulation from investor pressure can allow the company to take a long-term perspective and make tough strategic changes even at the expense of short-term share price declines. Family-controlled businesses often view it as a way to preserve their legacy, which is why Ford remains a family company after more than a century.

It also makes a company effectively immune from hostile takeovers and the whims of activist investors.

Checks and balances

But this insulation comes at a cost for investors, who lose a crucial check on management.

Indeed, dual-class shares essentially short-circuit almost all the other means that limit executive power. The board of directors, elected by shareholder vote, is the ultimate authority within the corporation that oversees management. Voting for directors and proposals on the annual ballot are the main methods shareholders have to ensure management accountability, other than simply selling their shares.

Recent research shows that the value and stock returns of dual-class companies are lower than other businesses, and theyre more likely to overpay their CEO and waste money on expensive acquisitions.

Companies with dual-class shares rarely made up more than 10% of public listings in a given year until the 2000s, when tech startups began using them more frequently, according to data collected by University of Florida business professor Jay Ritter. The dam began to break after Facebook went public in 2012 with a dual-class stock structure that kept founder Mark Zuckerberg firmly in control  he alone controls almost 60% of the company.

In 2020, over 40% of tech companies that went public did so with two or more classes of shares with unequal voting rights.

This has alarmed governance experts, some investors and legal scholars.

Ayn Rand and the myth of the superhuman founder

If the dual-class structure is bad for investors, then why are so many tech companies able to convince them to buy their shares when they go public?

I attribute it to Silicon Valleys mythology of the founder - what I would dub an Ayn Rand theory of corporate governance that credits founders with superhuman vision and competence that merit deference from lesser mortals. Rands novels, most notably Atlas Shrugged, portray an America in which titans of business hold up the world by creating innovation and value but are beset by moochers and looters who want to take or regulate what they have created.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Rand has a strong following among tech founders, whose creative genius may be threatened by any form of outside regulation. Elon Musk, Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong and even the late Steve Jobs all have recommended Atlas Shrugged.

Her work is also celebrated by the venture capitalists who typically finance tech startups  many of whom were founders themselves.

The basic idea is simple: Only the founder has the vision, charisma and smarts to steer the company forward.

It begins with a powerful founding story. Michael Dell and Zuckerberg created their multibillion-dollar companies in their dorm rooms. Founding partner pairs Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and Bill Hewlett and David Packard built their first computer companies in the garage  Apple and Hewlett-Packard, respectively. Often the stories are true, but sometimes, as in Apples case, less so.

And from there, founders face a gantlet of rigorous testing: recruiting collaborators, gathering customers and, perhaps most importantly, attracting multiple rounds of funding from venture capitalists. Each round serves to further validate the founders leadership competence.

The Founders Fund, a venture capital firm that has backed dozens of tech companies, including Airbnb, Palantir and Lyft, is one of the biggest proselytizers for this myth, as it makes clear in its manifesto.

The entrepreneurs who make it have a near-messianic attitude and believe their company is essential to making the world a better place, it asserts. True to its stated belief, the fund says it has never removed a single founder, which is why it has been a big supporter of dual-class share structures.

Another venture capitalist who seems to favor giving founders extra power is Netscape founder Marc Andreessen. His venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is Coinbases biggest investor. And most of the companies in its portfolio that have gone public also used a dual-class share structure, according to my own review of their securities filings.

Bad for companies, bad for democracy

Giving founders voting control disrupts the checks and balances needed to keep business accountable and can lead to big problems.

WeWork founder Adam Neumann, for example, demanded unambiguous authority to fire or overrule any director or employee. As his behavior became increasingly erratic, the company hemorrhaged cash in the lead-up to its ultimately canceled initial public offering.

Investors forced out Ubers Travis Kalanick in 2017, but not before hes said to have created a workplace culture that allegedly allowed sexual harassment and discrimination to fester. When Uber finally went public in 2019, it shed its dual-class structure.

There is some evidence that founder-CEOs are less gifted at management than other kinds of leaders, and their companies performance can suffer as a consequence.

But investors who buy shares in these companies know the risks going in. Theres much more at stake than their money.

What happens when powerful, unconstrained founders control the most powerful companies in the world?

The tech sector is increasingly laying claim to central command posts of the U.S. economy. Americans access to news and information, financial services, social networks and even groceries is mediated by a handful of companies controlled by a handful of people.

Recall that in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, the CEOs of Facebook and Twitter were able to eject former President Donald Trump from his favorite means of communication  virtually silencing him overnight. And Apple, Google and Amazon cut off Parler, the right-wing social media platform used by some of the insurrectionists to plan their actions. Not all of these companies have dual-class shares, but this illustrates just how much power tech companies have over Americas political discourse.

One does not have to disagree with their decision to see that a form of political power is becoming increasingly concentrated in the hands of companies with limited outside oversight.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter.]

Jerry Davis, Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford and Professor of Management and Sociology, University of Michigan

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Jammu and Kashmir: Trout farming opens new doors to businesses and tourism in Jammu and Kashmir; emerges as important source of income

by Sneha Mahale

April 02,2021 | Source: First Post

Kashmirs trout is in demand, with states in India seeking its eggs to rear the Union Territorys (UT) famed fish breed. Just this year, in January, 500,000 trout ova were dispatched from its famous Kokernag farm in the Anantnag district to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Uttarakhand. Then, in February, another 2,00,000 trout eggs were sent to Sikkim through the Directorate of Research Centre, Bhimtal (ICAR) in Uttarakhand. The 700,00 trout ova sent to these states were airlifted so the progeny reach the respective destinations safe and unharmed. The Kashmir trout is believed to be healthier and genetically improved than its counterparts in other states. It also grows fast and accepts pellets (fish feed) easily, which is why it is so popular, both within the state and outside, says Mohd. Muzaffar Bazaz, Joint Director, Fisheries (Kashmir division). Incidentally, both varieties of trout found in Jammu & Kashmir  brown and rainbow  are successful immigrants to its cold waters. Their origin story dates back to over 100 years ago, according to the website of the J&K fisheries department. Although an indigenous variety, the snow trout, existed, the noted angler and owner of a carpet factory, Frank J Mitchel convinced the then states ruler, Maharaja Pratap Singh, to ask the British for more varieties. The first shipment of 10,000 trout eggs arrived from the UK in 1899, courtesy of the Duke of Bedford but the batch perished en-route to Srinagar.



The second shipment of trout eggs arrived from Scotland in 1900 and also included 1800 fry (fingerlings). Of these, 1000 were released in Panzagam Dachigam (Harwan), about 24 km from Srinagar, and the rest were reared by Mitchel at Baghi Dilawar Khan on his private premises. Later, they were released into streams around the Valley. The brown and rainbow trout adapted well to their surroundings and have since flourished in Kashmir. Mitchel also established the first trout hatchery at Harwan in 1901 and trained locals. The successful introduction and subsequent establishment of trout in the Valley led to the establishment of the Department of Fisheries in 1903. It was known as the Department of Game Preservation at the time and its activities remained confined to sport fishing and conservation of natural water resources. In 1978, the department was re-organised and over time, the focus slowly shifted to acquiring requisite infrastructure, training manpower and adopting modern fish farming technology. Since then, it has gone on to develop carp and trout farms, hatcheries, rearing units, sale centres, laboratories, angler lodges, and aquarium and awareness centres in Jammu, Kashmir and Leh.



Go with the flow



The trout found in Kashmir is less spongy than its western counterparts. It is easy to clean, has fewer scales and tender bones. The freshwater from the streams adds to its taste. It is also easy to rear and resistant to diseases. So much so that 583 private and state-assisted units in J&K produced 500 tonnes of trout in 2020, says Bazaz. Kashmir has two types of fisheries, warm and cold water. To survive, trout needs temperatures between 0 to 20 degrees Celsius. It cannot flourish in standing water and must have access to perennially flowing waters. It also migrates annually to the upper reaches to breed. In the wild, brown trout can be found in Lidder River, Brengi River and streams such as Madhumati and Ferozepur, among others, says Shah Malik, a wildlife researcher. Brown trout attracts anglers, particularly foreigners, to J&Ks high-altitude lakes and numerous snow-fed freshwater streams, making it an important part of the tourism industry. Unfortunately, a blend of pollution, human intervention and climate change has resulted in a decline in the brown trouts population. So, it is now also reared in state-run farms and introduced into streams and rivers to keep them populated.



Stock management



Rainbow trout is predominantly blue, green, yellow and silver in colour, and glistens in various shades of the rainbow. It is rich in protein and is said to boost immunity, another reason for its popularity. But it faces threats when raised in open water sources. The breeding of the rainbow trout is disturbed due to mineral extraction and other activities. That is why it is now reared in ponds, with a defined entry and exit of running water, says Malik. In June 2018, Anantnag district was declared as Trout district of India. Several fish farms have been established here with government support. Kokernag is home to Asias largest trout farm. It has fast emerged as one of the leading producers of rainbow trout in the world. The farm was set up in 1995 with support from the European Economic Committee and started with a single hatchery. Today, it supplies millions of eyed ova and rainbow and brown trout seeds to beneficiaries, including private fish farmers. Eggs are obtained from trout fish between November and February every year. It has a breeding period of 51 days, says Malik. The fingerlings are given feed first in tanks and then taken to water reservoirs. It takes 12-15 months for the trout to grow over 250 grams. These are then ready for sale to trout farms, where they grow up to three kg before being sold in the market, he adds. Today, trout rearing units/hatcheries have been established in almost all the districts of the UT. Trout culture is undertaken under modern technology of breeding and rearing to ensure better survival at different stages of the fish and to produce sufficient quality of table-size trout. The fisheries department also undertakes broodstock management to achieve better fertilisation during spawning. Even the pandemic had no effect on production. We generated Rs 183 lakh in revenue in 2019-20 and 2020-21 has already seen revenue cross Rs 175 lakh, says Bazaz.



Local support



Trout farming has also emerged as an important source of income for farmers in the Kashmir region. It received a major thrust in 2020 with the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSSY). Farming of commercial trout can be done on a piece of land close to a water body. Locals can establish their units with the help of this scheme, under which 60 percent money is provided by the Union government and 40 percent by the UT administration. Around 200 units have so far been set up under the PMSSY. It is open to anyone interested. We conduct a feasibility survey to see if trout can successfully be reared at the location. If for any reason it cant, we provide assistance to the locals to farm carp instead, says Bazaz. Better revenue from trout farming has led some locals to move from agriculture to aquaculture. Abid Amin from Kulgam is one such individual. Rearing trout started off as a hobby, but it offered better returns than any farming that could be done on this land. So, I decided to venture into it full-time. I started off with two fish farms and after learning the ropes, sought assistance under the PMSSY to establish two more. Rearing trout is easy, profitable and the government provides all possible support to us, he says.

 2021. Firstpost
Prices of Irish whiskey will be cut in two Canadian provinces as a result of the Ceta trade deal

Canadians will be able to buy cheaper Irish booze from this month.

Two Canadian provinces have pledged to slash local alcohol levies on European imports after an audit under the EU-Canada trade deal.

The deal has been in place provisionally since 2017 but has yet to be formally ratified by Ireland and 11 other EU countries.

According to the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA), Ontario will reduce levies by 42pc from this week, while Quebec is to cut its cost-of-service-differential by 16.4pc at the end of May.

These reductions have been very welcome in that they have allowed Irish whiskey, particularly premium Irish whiskey products, to be priced more competitively, said William Lavelle, head of the Irish Whiskey Association.

The EU-Canada trade deal, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta), is currently being examined by the Oireachtas EU affairs committee.

It has split the Green Party, with TD Patrick Costello asking the High Court last month whether the deal requires a referendum because of a controversial chapter introducing an investor court system.

Critics fear it would lead to companies being able to sue the government for loss of earnings caused by new climate or tax laws.

Sinn Fein also opposes the deal, with Louth TD Ruairi O Murchu saying this week that there is an element of madness in Ireland signing up to the investor court system, when Canada and the US have rejected a similar scheme in their Nafta deal with Mexico.

The Oireachtas began its scrutiny of Ceta this week, with the EUs former director-general for trade, David OSullivan, telling the EU affairs committee it would be dangerous to delay it any further. There is a kind of general credibility issue here, he said. This is not something that we would want to see become a habit.

Mr Lavelle also urged TDs to ratify Ceta in order to eliminate remaining provincial taxes on alcohol in Canada.

Irelands trade in goods with Canada has gone up by 27pc since the deal was signed, Mr OSullivan said, particularly for pharmaceutical and food and drink exports.

Sales of Irish whiskey have increased by 44pc since 2017, the IWA said.

The Oireachtas EU affairs committee will hear from lawyers and academics on CETA next week.
Juventus haven't had things all their own way this season, and what should be a straightforward Derby della Mole against Torino on Saturday evening could prove to be anything but that.

Andrea Pirlo's side have suffered from more than just teething problems in what has already been of the 2020/21 campaign, and the Bianconeri look guaranteed to miss out on a 10th consecutive Scudetto, with ex-boss Antonio Conte and his Inter side 10 points clear of them at the top of the table.

On-pitch issues

Italy's Old Lady were eliminated from the Champions League at the hands of Porto after a disastrous two-legged tie in the round of 16, and just before the international break they even lost to Serie A minnows Benevento, who themselves are led by a former Juventus player in Pippo Inzaghi.

Matters away from the pitch

But their latest concerns have come from off-field matters. Leonardo Bonucci has tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of his international commitments, while other players were involved in controversy.

Paulo Dybala, Weston McKennie and Arthur Melo have been at the eye of a storm of criticism following an alleged party hosted by the American, breaching Italy's COVID restrictions. While it might be a leap to point fingers at Pirlo for players' ill-discipline, it's hard to imagine events like this unfolding under Conte or Massimiliano Allegri, when Juventus really were Juventus.

Now, they're a shadow of their former selves. They're vulnerable, they can be got at and exploited and, Cristiano Ronaldo aside, there's not a lot in their XI for opposing sides to genuinely fear.

Cristiano Ronaldo looking visibly frustrated during Juventus' loss against Benevento.

This weekend, Torino will have to put their inferiority complex to one side. They're just one point outside of the bottom three and they need to take points from wherever they can get them in their last 11 games.

Benevento have shown that Juventus aren't invincible, and Il Toro should come into the latest instalment of Italy's oldest derby baying for Zebrette blood.
Patients who trooped to public hospitals to keep their appointments were turned back yesterday by the management because there were no doctors to attend to them. The medical doctors had complied with the strike declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).

Some of the patients said they were asked to come back next week in the event of the doctors calling of the strike.

However, skeletal services were maintained in the hospitals by consultants and nurses, who attended to emergency cases.

The worst victims of the strike were out-patients doctors who were denied services and directed to come back at undisclosed dates.

The strike came as last minutes' efforts by the federal government to avert the strike were unsuccessful.

The leadership of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the government's delegation led by the minister of labour and employment, Dr Chris Ngige, had a closed door meeting which lasted for several hours on Wednesaday. However, the two parties failed to reach an agreement.

NARD president, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, told LEADERSHIP Friday that as usual, the government promised to look into their demands and asked them to sign an MoU but "we were tired of promises and so we have to embark on the strike."

He said even though the association was planning to meet with its members, it is most likely that the strike will continue.

The association had on Sunday threatened to embark on an indefinite strike from yesterday if the demands of its members were not met. This followed the expiration of a 60-day ultimatum given to the federal government during the January 2021 NEC meeting of the Association.

The doctors decried the agony of their members who they said have not been paid salaries for several months despite uninterrupted service delivery to the country.

They also lament the situation of their members in some state tertiary institutions like ABSUTH being owed 20 months' salaries, IMSUTH five months' salaries and UNIMEDTH three months.

Locum Doctors Take Charge Of Activities At Federal Hospitals In Kaduna

Doctors in federal health establishments in Kaduna State joined the strike which affected activities at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, National Eye Centre and National Eye Care Centre.

But locum doctors attended to patients in some of the hospitals visited in Kaduna.

However, resident doctors in Kaduna State health institutions did not join the strike.

The chairman of Kaduna State Resident Doctors' Association, Dr. Umar Ikara, said for obvious reasons, his members declined joining the strike because "we have peculiar challenges different from those of the national body".

According to him, "We held a meeting with our congress members and they were skeptical about joining national strike. They said, usually when they join the strike and the demands of the national body are met, they call off the strike even when our peculiar challenges are not even addressed. So, we have reported the thought of our congress to the national body. So, our members are not on strike."

At the National Ear Care Centre, Kaduna, locum doctors provided skeletal services to patients.

The chairman of NARD in the Ear Care Centre, Dr. Magaji Auwal and his members were out of the facility, but he confirmed that they were on an indefinite strike as directed by their national body, when contacted on phone.

At the National Ear Care Centre, some patients waited patiently to be attended to with the only locum doctor on ground.

Healthcare services were also provided at the Federal Medical Centre and Specialist Hospital, Yola,.

Sources said the strike was not observed in the hospitals because of the insurgency affecting the state.

Patients were attended to at the emergency units of the two hospitals while out-patients departments were full of activities.

However, doctors at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri in Imo State joined their counterparts in other states to down tools. Nurses said they could only attend to out-patients with minimal cases while consultants and medical officers took care of others including inpatients in their wards.

In Lagos State, the most affected were patients who had appointments with doctors, as their appointments, were cancelled due to the ongoing strike.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Friday, Mrs Philomena Kalu, who wanted to see her doctor at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), said on getting to the hospital yesterday morning she was told that her appointment was cancelled by the doctor. "I was told to come back next week, that my doctor is not on ground to attend to me."

Another patient, Mr Joseph Olamide, "I wanted to see the doctor at LASUTH for a follow-up, but I was told they are on strike, that my appointment has been cancelled, till hopefully, next week. I was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I just pray they call off the strike, so we can go back to normal."

It was the same story at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) as a nurse said all appointments were cancelled until further notice. "The only section working at the hospital is the emergency department. Consultants are only attending to emergency and in-house cases. We are not seeing new patients or those who have appointments with consultants, due to the strike," she added

The national president of NARD, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said all resident doctors had embarked on the nationwide strike since 8:00am, while exco members analyse the offers presented by the government.

In the same vein, the past president, Association of Resident Doctors, LASUTH-ARD, Dr Itohan Oaku told LEADERSHIP Friday that it is unfair that the salaries of house officers have not been paid for four months. "We are fighting for them because they are the ones who do the majority of the jobs in the hospitals."

Resident doctors in federal hospitals in Taraba State joined the strike.

The decision to join the strike by the resident doctors in the state was disclosed by the state chairman of the association, Dr. Gabriel Ahmed.

"Yes sir. We have joined the strike today (yesterday)," he said.

The chairman, NARD at FMC, Jalingo, Dr. Divine Yakong, stated that the state had ran into a sympathetic situation having it that the nurses had embarked on strike two days ago.

The president of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia branch, Dr. Kelechi Chikezie, said the members joined the action by 8am on Thursday and planned to sustain it because the notice was given over 60 days ago.

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Chikezie said the cause of the action had remained about the welfare of the members and backlog of several months of salary arrears over which he accused the federal government of paying lip service to.

In Plateau State, the president of ARD, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Dr. Nalda Nanfal, said his branch had joined the strike.

According to him, NARD JUTH chapter has complied hundred per cent with the directive of the national secretariat and has joined the strike immediately.

Also reacting to the development, Mrs. Bridget Omini, the public relations officer of JUTH, said the strike is nationwide which commenced on March 31.

The strike has partly paralysed healthcare services at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

When LEADERSHIP Friday visited the health institution, the resident doctors were conspicuously absent, except for a few consultants who were attending to patients.

Many patients that came for treatment oblivious of the strike action were seen waiting for attention.

A female patient who gave her name as Uduak Okon heaved a sigh of relief when she was told by a fellow patient that some medical consultants had arrived to offer skeletal services to them.

At exactly 8am at the Alex-Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, all the resident doctors, and those on housemanship were absent at the hospital.

Only the nurses were attending to patients at both the FETHA 1 and that of FETHA 2.

A patient, Mrs. Ifeoma Okenwa, who had a major operation a few days ago, said because of her condition, she was promptly attended to by a consultant and some nurses.
Busted retailers and booming buy now, pay later payment methods has served to all but kill off the shop-branded credit card, new data suggests.

Where once all major UK retailers had them and pushed them onto shoppers at the tills with high APRs, there are now just five branded store credit cards open to new customers at the moment, according to figures by comparison website Fairer Finance for This is Money.

This has largely been spurred by the collapse in high street retailers over the last few years, Fairer Finance's managing director, James Daley, said.

There are now just 5 retailer-branded credit cards available on the market. Some were previously offered by the likes of Arcadia and Debenhams, which have since gone bust

Debenhams' store credit card business disappeared when the retailer went into administration, while credit cards operated by the likes of Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge and Topshop also closed their doors to newcomers when parent company Arcadia went bust last year.

It means that, excluding credit cards operated by supermarkets with their own in-house banks, only Argos, IHG, John Lewis, Maximiles and Very currently offer credit cards to new applicants, with APRs ranging from 18.9 per cent to just under 40 per cent.

Store-branded credit cards became more popular in the aftermath of 2011 regulations which 'pretty much killed off' retailers' own cards which could only be spent in the same shop, James Daley said.

Just one of these now remains, from New Look, according to Fairer Finance's research. As opposed to in-store credit, store-branded credit cards are run by a third-party like Capital One or Creation in partnership with a retailer like Very and simply allow shoppers to collect shop points or other rewards on their spending.

Andrew Hagger, the founder of personal finance site Moneycomms, added: 'I think the store card was a fairly attractive add-on for clothes retailers 10 years ago when more shopping was done on the high street rather than online.

'It was common to be offered 10 per cent to 20 per cent discount on your in-store purchases if you signed up for a store card at the till, at one time there would have been financial incentives for shop staff to sign customers up.

'With online shopping taking an increasingly larger share of retail spend, the store card model undoubtedly became less profitable.

What are the last remaining in-store cards available to newcomers? Brand Product Representative APR Argos Classic Credit Card 34.9% IHG Rewards Club credit card 22.9% John Lewis Partnership credit card 18.9% Maximiles Credit Card credit card 17.9% Very.co.uk Credit Card credit card 34.9% Source: Fairer Finance

'The cost of administering a volume of cards with quite small credit limits of 250 to 500 was probably resource hungry and offering diminishing returns.

'The majority of store cards have disappeared as the retailers have gone out of business.'

The costs of complying with stricter regulatory requirements around affordability checking and treating indebted borrowers fairly was likely another reason for the dwindling availability of these credit cards, according to Clive Black, head of research at Shore Capital.

Online spending accounted for 36.1 per cent of all retail sales in February 2021, the highest proportion on record, up from 20 per cent in the same month last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Some 57.6 per cent of clothing shopping was done online.

A record 36.1% of shopping was done online in February. For clothes shopping, it was 57.6%

And as such spending has increasingly migrated online, point of sale credit has been increasingly cannibalised by buy now, pay later firms like ClearPay, Klarna, Laybuy and PayPal, which offer hassle-free checkout experiences and no interest on borrowing.

The result has been a booming market, with retailers - which have seen reduced in-store footfall - keen to cash in themselves.

Many have seen the adverts from the likes of Klarna which say their propositions lead to shoppers spending more, more often, and sought to build their own in-house versions as a result.

While experts warn this can be a dangerous way for people to shop, especially the younger generation, retailers are of course keen to see overall basket spend increase.

John Lewis and M&S look set to launch their own 'buy now, pay later' services

Two UK high street fixtures, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, look set to be developing their own internet pay later services as more purchases are made online, while a third, Next, already has one, although it insists it is not a Klarna-esque proposition.

And New Look's store credit, provided by the Swedish bank Ikano, is marketed as a buy now, pay later service, albeit one charging 28.9 per cent APR.

Gary Rohloff, the co-founder of New Zealand-based pay later service Laybuy, previously told This is Money it was 'no surprise' that individual retailers were beginning to offer their own versions of BNPL.

New Look has branded its store credit to make it more like a buy now, pay later service even though it is interest-bearing credit provided by a bank

'What's clear to me is that shops see the popularity of interest-free BNPL, largely because customers don't like traditional products such as credit cards or catalogue finance.'

Consumer borrowing fell another 1.2billion in February according to the Bank of England, meaning Britain's household debt pile has fallen by nearly a tenth since February 2020, the steepest annual fall since records began in 1994.

But the popularity of buy now, pay later services has soared, with the value of spending made through them nearly quadrupling between January and December 2020, according to the Financial Conduct Authority.

Dr Black previously told This is Money the likes of Klarna were 'becoming more prevalent, particularly among younger shoppers'.

James Daley added that while failing retailers were the primary reason behind the demise in store credit cards, the popularity of the pay later sector was also responsible.

'It looks like these markets are quickly evaporating in favour of BNPL. It obviously makes sense for these firms to launch their own BNPL solutions - as the Klarna-type model is paid for by retailers.

'If they can offer this service themselves, then they save the money they are paying to the BNPL providers. Smaller retailers won't have the ability to do that. But I imagine larger ones will quite likely follow the same path.'

He added: 'The coronavirus recession has now either killed those retailers like Arcadia which offered store credit cards, or Klarna has made their credit products redundant.'
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Male Fragrances - all "mass" and "prestige" fragrances marketed exclusively at men which are neither antiperspirants nor deodorants nor products marketed specifically as "Eau de Cologne" or as "aftershaves". This therefore equates to male "Eau de Toilettes" and male "Eau de Parfums". Mass fragrances are widely available, whereas "prestige" versions carry the name of either a perfume or fashion house. Includes fragrance gift packs.

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Highlights HMD is launching at least four new phones on April 8

There may be Nokia X20, X10, G20, and G10 smartphones to arrive.

And Nokia has to hit the bull's eye if it wants to sustain in the market.

HMD is holding an event on April 8 to launch new Nokia phones. This is by far the company's biggest event this year, wherein at least four new smartphones will debut. And while there is nothing surprising in that, there is one thing that you may find interesting. HMD is very likely to change how Nokia phones will be called. So, instead of the regular convention where there is a dot between two numbers, the new Nokia smartphones will sound like any other smartphone. For instance, S21, G10, X50. At the upcoming launch event, you may see the Nokia G10, G20, X10, and X20 among other phones.

At least these four smartphones are coming later this month, so let us talk about them. Let us talk about what they will bring. Let us talk about why HMD thinks the Nokia G20 or X20 will sell better than the Nokia 5.4 or Nokia 7.2. Let us talk about why specifications will still not be in focus. And let us talk about Nokia's overall market presence in India amid the competition.

I have several points to talk about, just like I had when I wrote a piece on why HMD needs more ammunition than just the promise of pure Android. Let us get on.

So, what will new Nokia phones bring to the table? According to rumours, there will be at least four phones, although a fifth Nokia C20 may also debut alongside. There will be a Nokia G20 and Nokia G10 in the new G-series. And rumours suggest that the Nokia G-series phones will come with 6.38-inch Full-HD+ displays, MediaTek Helio processors, and 48-megapixel quad cameras on the back. Of course, there will be pure Android with guaranteed firmware upgrades for two years.

Then you have the X-series, which may include X20 and X10. Now, these two phones may be HMD's first attempt at pushing affordable 5G devices into the market. HMD has only one 5G phone in its kitty, the Nokia 8.3 5G, which is why the new X-series may be the need of the hour. These phones may use a Snapdragon 480 processor, Qualcomm's most affordable chipset. The rest of the specifications may also be better than what the G-series will bring. And all of these things sound good to me so far.

Now, why renaming? Why does HMD Global think the new naming convention will drive more sales and streamline the Nokia phone portfolio? HMD Global has kept its stance that they want to cater to consumers' demands in terms of how convenient smartphone usage should be, how it prioritises user experience over anything else. And this time for the company, that probably involves a new identity for the phones. So, instead of seeing a Nokia 5.5 or Nokia 3.5, you may have G10, G20, G30, X20, X30, and so on. I think there may be a little change. It is easier to say names such as Moto G9 Power or Galaxy F62 when compared to what you have to use to identify Nokia phones. Nokia 2.4, Nokia 5.4, and the rest of the phones may be a bit tricky to pronounce when you are in the shop. And while Nokia's old convention seems a bit streamlined, the new one will catch up soon.

And while HMD has a new naming strategy for Nokia phones, the specifications may still be out of focus. This does not mean that the specifications on upcoming phones will not be good enough for you. It just means they will not be as aggressive as what some rival phones would offer you for around the same price. And that is something HMD has been doing for quite a long time. And that needs to change. To be able to survive the competition, HMD would need to shift its focus while retaining the core value, pure Android.

All of that is crucial for HMD Global if it wants to catapult itself into the top charts. The market share of Nokia phones is lower than those of brands such as Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, and Motorola. And maybe the upcoming Nokia G-series and X-series by HMD could help.
SIU will celebrate diversity during International Festival 2021

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale will celebrate the diversity and inclusiveness that is intrinsic to the campus and represented throughout the region during International Festival 2021 next week.

Celebrating Diversity: Together and Stronger is the theme for the festival Monday through Friday, April 5-9, featuring a mixture of live and virtual events. All of the events are free and open to the public.

Though International Festival may look and feel different this year, the virtual events planned and organized by the International Student Council will allow the entire world to join our celebration, said Andrew D. Carver, executive director of international affairs. The students could not have chosen a better theme for International Festival 2021. If the pandemic has taught us anything, its that we are all citizens of diverse and interconnected world, and that only by working together will we become stronger and more resilient to the challenges ahead.

The flags will fly

The campus will be ablaze with color as the festival kicks off with the annual Parade of Flags at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 5. Students, faculty and staff wearing their native attire and carrying flags from their homelands will assemble outside the Center for International Education at Woody Hall and parade through campus in an impressive display of the spirit of Saluki inclusion and solidarity.

The parade will end at 10:30 a.m. at Faner Plaza, where a proclamation will be signed as Chancellor Austin Lane and Carbondale Mayor Mike Henry formally open the festival. The rain location is the Student Services Building pavilion.

Preparing for future study abroad programs

Cancellation of this years study abroad courses (due to the pandemic) came as a blow to students and faculty instructors alike, Carver said. But I have been amazed by the high level of interest in next year's study abroad programs expressed by students and even parents. Faculty are already developing plans to accommodate the larger number of students expected to enroll in study abroad courses during the 2021-22 school year.

The all-virtual Study Abroad Fair, taking place from 2 to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, will offer information about nearly 20 faculty-led programs and options for exchange programs with more than 200 universities around the world. Students will also learn about how they can earn academic credits, available scholarship opportunities and more. Join via Zoom.

Learn a language

Here is a chance to learn a little bit of a new language, courtesy of a student-led initiative. Participants can join in a Zoom language hour from 1 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7, and experience a unique cultural exchange as they learn common phrases of the widely spoken Mandarin language. Register online to join the conversation.

Join in online activities

A couple of virtual contests are planned, each featuring an interactive component.

The inaugural International Festival Virtual Talent Show is at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 9. The contest is open to all SIU students, who simply sign up online by April 7, then perform their talent live via Zoom or submit a video in advance as they compete for prizes. Everyone is welcome to sign up and watch the show.

Also new is the International Festival Cooking Show. International students will prepare cuisine from their countries and submit videos by Wednesday, April 7, for the special online cooking show. View the entries on the International Student Council Facebook page. Prizes will go to the judges favorite as well as to the winner of social media voting.

Snacks and chats

The final in-person event, the International Coffee Hour, will be a bit modified due to the pandemic. Participants can drop by the parking lot adjacent to the Center for International Education at Woody Hall between 3 and 4:30 p.m. on April 9 to meet students and staff from around the world. In lieu of traditional refreshments, visitors can pick up a snack bag and enjoy a bit of international interaction and socially distanced conversation.

Students very involved

The Center for International Education and the Office of Student Engagement are festival sponsors, and the International Student Council planned and organized the events.

Its inspiring to see SIUs international students working creatively to keep International Festival traditions alive and well amid COVID-19, Carver said.

Find the complete event schedule and additional information online at studentcenter.siu.edu. The Student Center social media pages will also feature video profiles of a few of SIUs international students.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A federal judge says medical care at Louisiana's state penitentiary is so poor that it violates federal law and the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick's ruling says there are overwhelming deficiencies" in the administration of medical care at the lockup in Angola that have led to undiagnosed illnesses and preventable prisoner deaths. The Baton Rouge-based judge's ruling came in a 2015 lawsuit. It cites inadequate equipment and staffing. And it lists multiple examples of inmates suffering or dying due to failure to address symptoms and provide proper diagnoses and treatment. Prison officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

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She's just started work on the hotly-anticipated House Of Gucci film.

And Salma Hayek made the most of her morning off from filming as she soaked up the sights of Rome on Friday.

The actress, 54, seemed in good spirits as she meandered through the cobbled streets flanked by two male companions.

Out and about: She's just started work on the House Of Gucci film. And Salma Hayek made the most of her morning off from filming as she soaked up the sights of Rome on Friday

Looking every inch the bohomian babe, Salma dazzled in a flowing floral gown that flared over her hourglass curves.

Featuring ruffled sleeves and a lace-up bodice, the smock dress fell to ankle length, exposing a pair of nude barely-there heels.

Salma completed the look by wearing her glossy chestnut locks in their natural curl, and donned a pair of sunglasses and face mask.

Three's company: The actress, 54, seemed in good spirits as she meandered through the cobbled streets flanked by two male companions

The Oscar-nominee was no doubt glad to have the morning off to see some sights ahead of more filming for House Of Gucci.

Later in the day, she was dressed in far more casual attire as she wandered around the set, teaming a black vest and trousers with a green plaid shirt.

She is set to play the role of Pina Auriemma, who was a clairvoyant friend of 'black widow' Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) and was sentenced to 25 years in prison after Maurizio Gucci's murder trial in 1998.

Flower power: Looking every inch the bohomian babe, Salma dazzled in a flowing floral gown that flared over her hourglass curves

Curly girly! Salma completed the look by wearing her glossy chestnut locks in their natural curl, and donned a pair of sunglasses and face mask

Pina was sentenced to 25 years for allegedly organising the killing for a fee of around 250,000. Her sentence was reduced to 19 years on appeal.

Pina had been struggling with debts herself and claimed that 'in a moment of weakness' she gave in to her friend's requests to find a hitman.

Patrizia, who showed up at the trial in 1998 dressed head-to-toe in Gucci clothing and accessories, claimed Pina hired the hitman without her authorisation and had then blackmailed her after the murder had taken place.

Role: The actress (left on set) is set to play the role of Pina Auriemma (right at the 1998 trial), who was a clairvoyant friend of 'black widow' Patrizia Reggiani and jailed for 25 years

Pina, who now has anything to do with her old friend, previously told The Sun: 'I have great remorse, even if I did not actively participate in the organisation of the murder.'

Italy24News reports that Pina was released from jail in 2010, after serving around 13 years of her sentence.

Movie House of Gucci documents Patrizia Reggiani Gucci's plot to murder her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), with Reggiani found guilty of paying a hit man 240,000 to murder him in 1995.

Casual: Later in the day, she was dressed in far more casual attire as she wandered around the set, teaming a black vest and trousers with a green plaid shirt

Guilty: Salma plays Pina, who was sentenced to 25 years for allegedly organising the killing for a fee of around 250,000. Her sentence was reduced to 19 years on appeal

Reggiani put a hit out on her estranged husband after Gucci left her for another woman 10 years previously, telling her he was going on a short business trip from which he never returned.

During the murder trial, which transfixed Italy, Reggiani arrived each day wearing head-to-toe Gucci clothes and accessories.

Reggiani was initially sentenced to 29 years in 1998, which was reduced to 26 on appeal. She served 18 before being released in October 2014.

The film is based on the bestselling novel The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by author Sara Gay Forden.

It is scheduled to go on general release from November 24th 2021.
Bryan Carroll, 44, was detained by police outside the Chandler Hospital in Lexington last Thursday following a tip-off that he was armed and dangerous

A man arrested while leaving a University of Kentucky hospital last week was armed with handguns, semiautomatic weapons and at least four explosives, a police official has revealed.

Bryan Carroll, 44, was detained by police outside the Chandler Hospital in Lexington last Thursday following a tip-off that he was armed and dangerous.

Carroll had reportedly been visiting his ailing mother at the medical facility before police pounced.

During a hearing on Thursday, University of Kentucky Police Detective John Harder said officers waited for Carroll to leave the hospital before blocking his parked vehicle.

Carroll had eight guns - six handguns, plus an AK-47 style weapon and an AR-15 - and at least four live explosives, either on him or in his car, when he was arrested.

Carroll was also reportedly wearing body armor with a pistol on his hip and admitted to having another handgun in his underwear.

He allegedly threatened to harm any officer who tried to arrest him. However, after he was detained, Carroll told University of Kentucky police that they 'weren't the ones he had a problem with.'

He was charged with four counts of using a weapon of mass destruction, five counts of possessing a handgun as a convicted felon, and four other counts, according to court records.

Harder said police plan to file three new gun charges against Carroll, and he could face more charges related to the explosives.

Carroll had reportedly been visiting his ailing mother at the medical facility before police pounced. He is pictured on surveillance video

Carroll's arrest last Thursday sparked a heavy police presence outside the University of Kentucky hospital amid fears he may detonate an explosive

Dozens of officers with the FBI , ATF and several local police departments responded to the scene

'While we were on the ground Carroll continued in resisting our efforts to put him in handcuffs,' Detective Harder stated, according to WKYT.

'After we were able to overpower him and got his hands behind his back in order to cuff him, he became significantly more compliant.'

Versailles Police Chief Mike Murray told The Associated Press that his department had been following Carroll prior to his arrest at the hospital because there was an outstanding warrant for a separate arrest over his failure to appear for a felony drug charge in Woodford County.

Murray said Carroll was considered dangerous because he had stated previously that he would never go back to jail

During the hearing on Thursday, Carroll's attorney, J. Parker Mincy, argued in court that his client's $150,000 bond was unfairly high because the charges Carroll faces are Class C felonies.

'We don't want to downplay the charge, but the legislature made a decision to make this a Class C felony,' Mincy argued.

'We see people routinely on Class B and A felonies that are classified as more severe offenses with lower bonds.'

Carroll had eight guns - six handguns, plus an AK-47 style weapon and an AR-15 - and at least four live explosives, either on him or in his car, when he was arrested. Carroll was also reportedly wearing body armor with a pistol on his hip and admitted to having another handgun in his underwear

Fayette District Judge John Tackett disagreed.

'I do find Mr. Carroll to be a significant danger to the community' Tackett stated.

Tacket has now sent the case to a grand jury, which will determine if it moves to circuit court for trial.

Carroll remains behind bars.

Carroll's arrest last Thursday sparked a heavy police presence outside the University of Kentucky hospital amid fears he may detonate an explosive.

Dozens of officers with the FBI, ATF and several local police departments responded to the scene.

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have spent days searching Carroll's home and conducting controlled explosions at the property.

Sara Anderson, a spokesperson for the FBI, said Thursday that federal agents are still investigating.
ANN ARBOR, MI  Ann Arbor Police Chief Michael Cox has a message for cannabis enthusiasts planning to visit town Saturday and attend the Hash Bash smoke-in protest.

Were in the middle of a pandemic still, he said, mentioning recent rises in COVID-19 numbers.

Openly smoking marijuana in public is not legal and its even less appropriate during a pandemic, Cox said.

So, I would just ask people to be respectful of each other, their fellow citizens, in this time that were in right now, he said.

While current organizers of the annual Hash Bash marijuana rally in Ann Arbor are planning to hold the event virtually for the second year in a row due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, past organizer Adam Brook is planning what he considers the official 50th annual Hash Bash: a smoke-in protest on the University of Michigan Diag at high noon April 3.

Even though UM is warning it wont condone marijuana use on campus, the smoke-in is still a go, Brook said.

Theres no reason not to be out there on Saturday, he said. The weather will be nice. Theres plenty of space for people to social distance.

Over 760 people have responded to Brooks 50th Annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash Facebook event page saying theyre going while another 1,500 responded interested.

Brook said he already smoked a couple joints on the Diag with about half a dozen other people Thursday to commemorate the anniversary of the first Hash Bash, which was April 1, 1972. They didnt have any run-ins with police, he said.

We were live on Facebook smoking weed. Nobody cares, he said. I did not see one university police officer.

While UM police have authority make arrests for public consumption of marijuana on campus under state law, city police have long been more tolerant.

Ann Arbor decriminalized marijuana in the 1970s, making it a civil infraction punishable by fines, similar to a parking ticket.

As for whether city police may issue civil-infraction tickets on Saturday for public consumption of marijuana in off-campus areas patrolled by the city, Cox said, We will certainly be out and about, but we expect people to do the right thing. And in a pandemic, we really expect you to do the right thing, so were depending on people doing that.

He added, Im not here to threaten anybody or anything else like that. We just want people to do the right thing for the right reasons. Were a community.

There wasnt an in-person Hash Bash in 2020 because the COVID-19 pandemic had just hit, people were being cautious and there was a stay-home order in place.

A year later, theres no stay-home order, many people have gotten vaccinated and many more have learned to navigate the pandemic with social distancing and masks.

Given those factors, and with local marijuana dispensaries advertising sales on cannabis products, some predict the city could see a return of Hash Bash-related marijuana tourism on Saturday, even if there isnt a full rally and crowd of several thousand people on the Diag like in years past.

Even though the pandemic is ongoing, people are feeling freer to be out and about, Cox acknowledged.

And the warmer weather doesnt help, he said. But still if you look at the COVID numbers, theyre going up here in Michigan daily. We are not out of the woods, but people are acting that way. And thats why Im encouraging folks to be mindful of were in a pandemic and the impact they can have on each other.

While recreational marijuana sales and consumption are now legal in Michigan, Cox offers this advice: You can buy it every day of the week, so go take it home and enjoy it there.

But if anyone does light up in public on Saturday, Cox said, I hope they smoke through their mask.

There actually are face masks made with a small hole in them for smoking, Brook said.

Brook said he isnt fazed by UMs warning it wont tolerate pot smoking on campus.

Theyve never tolerated pot smoking on campus, he said, though he acknowledged UM police looked the other way on marijuana consumption and sales on the Diag during the last in-person Hash Bash in April 2019.

But theres been other years where they havent arrested anybody, and theres been other years where theyve arrested 200 people, Brook said.

Saturdays smoke-in is a protest of marijuana laws, including the prohibition against smoking in public, and it would be a First Amendment violation for police to ask them to leave, he said.

You have a right to assemble, he said, adding he doesnt think police will try to move them along.

You really think the University of Michigan wants to look bad hauling people off, arresting them for weed, in this day and age? he said. I cant imagine their officers want anything to do with this.

UMs Division of Public Safety and Security issued a statement recently saying UM police will be on site to monitor the Diag to provide a safe environment for anyone gathering at the Hash Bash smoke-in, as it would in any similar situation.

COVID restrictions are still in place on campus, the statement reads. Its essential that everyone do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing face coverings, social distancing and limiting gathering sizes.

The state has COVID-19 orders in place through April 19 limiting non-residential outdoor gatherings to no more than 300 people, with face masks to be worn at all times unless eating or drinking while seated in a designated area in groups of no more than six people, spaced at least six feet apart, and no intermingling.

Brook said he hopes someday the city fully embraces Hash Bash as a festival that brings many visitors to town.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Free rapid COVID-19 testing available this weekend in Ann Arbor

Women who sued Ann Arbor police for breaking down their door get $50K in settlement

Ann Arbor planning group begins task of envisioning downtown central park

Ron Weiser says he will not be canceled after regents pass resolution for his resignation

Ann Arbor VA to vaccinate all veterans, spouses regardless of healthcare enrollment
Rege-Jean Page stars as Simon Basset and Phoebe Dynevor is Daphne Bridgerton in the series (Netflix/PA)

Rege-Jean Page became an international name starring as a wealthy duke in Netflixs raunchy period drama Bridgerton.

Now the announcement he will not be returning to the show for its second season has prompted him to be touted as the next James Bond.

Ladbrokes is offering odds of 7/2 that he will replace Daniel Craig as 007 following his final outing in No Time To Die.

Expand Close Rege-Jean Page as the Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton (Liam Daniel/Netflix/PA) LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX / Facebook

Twitter

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Whatsapp Rege-Jean Page as the Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton (Liam Daniel/Netflix/PA)

The British-Zimbabwean actor, 31, spent his childhood in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, and his adolescence in London.

He began his career on stage with roles in The History Boys and The Merchant Of Venice opposite Jonathan Pryce, before starring in the final series of Waterloo Road in 2015.

The next year he made his debut in the US playing Chicken George in the big budget remake of the 1977 miniseries Roots, which explored a familys experience of slavery across multiple generations.

Page was then cast in the Shonda Rhimes-produced legal drama series For the People and appeared in some 20 episodes in 2018 and 2019.

Expand Close Phoebe Dynevor and Rege-Jean Page in Bridgerton (Liam Daniel/Netflix) LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX / Facebook

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Rhimes, the showrunner behind hit medical drama Greys Anatomy, was also the driving force behind his breakout hit Bridgerton.

His appearance in the 2020 Netflix period drama, produced by her Shondaland company, saw him become a heartthrob and opened doors in Hollywood, leading to a slot hosting long-running US sketch show Saturday Night Live.

He is due to star in Netflix spy thriller The Gray Man, where he will appear alongside Hollywood stars Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, and has also earned a role in the upcoming Dungeons And Dragons film.

In April, it was announced he would not be returning to Bridgerton for its second season.
Local News, Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: April 02 2021

Nahriek Belford, 19, while fleeing from police, hit another vehicle and killed an elderly Middle Island couple and their passenger, DA Sini said.

Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini has announced the sentencing of a Bellport man to prison in connection with a fatal motor vehicle crash in Middle Island on Feb. 9, 2019.

Nahriek Belford, 19, pleaded guilty on Feb. 11 to Assault in the First Degree, a B violent felony; two counts of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a C felony; and Unlawful Fleeing of a Police Officer in the First Degree, a D felony. He was sentenced by Suffolk County Acting Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho to eight years in prison with five years of post-release supervision.

This defendants actions had devastating impacts on the victims families and the community at large, District Attorney Sini said. I thank Assistant District Attorney Jacob DeLauter and our Vehicle Crimes Bureau for continuing to hold dangerous drivers accountable.

At approximately 11:45 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2019, Belford, while driving a 2015 Nissan Rogue that had been reported stolen two days prior, was observed by a Suffolk County Police officer failing to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Yaphank Avenue and Main Street in Yaphank. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop.

Belford fled from the police officer at a high rate of speed, driving recklessly through several residential neighborhoods in an attempt to evade the officer.

At approximately 11:50 p.m., as Belford was traveling westbound on Middle Country Road/Route 25 in Middle Island, he struck a 2009 Honda CRV that was attempting to make a left turn onto Birchwood Park Drive. Belford was driving at a speed of 106 mph immediately prior to the crash. The force of the impact caused the Honda to be cut in half.

The passengers in the Honda, Jerome Weingarten, 74, and his wife, Randee Weingarten, 71, of Middle Island, were both pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. Belfords brother, Angelo Belford, 19, of Bellport, who was a passenger in the Nissan, was also pronounced dead at the scene.

Belford was represented by the Legal Aid Society.

This case was prosecuted by Jacob DeLauter, of the Vehicular Crime Bureau.
After funding challenges caused by consecutive natural disasters, such as floods, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Texas freeze, Humble ISD officials are more optimistic about the budget process this year.

The district held a school board review on March 30. This was the first of many steps before approving the Humble ISD budget on June 15.

Budget priorities will focus on student growth, employee compensation and benefits and future initiatives, officials said.

EDUCATION: Some 250,000 Houston-area students haven't returned to classrooms, will finish school year at home

Chief Financial Officer Billy Beattie said the issues connected to funding repairs after natural disasters is a big reason why the budget was conservative last year.

Winter Storm Uri caused $4 million in damages, while the district spent COVID-19 more than $17 million on pandemic-related expenses, such as COVID testing programs, employee pay and technology upgrades for virtual learning. However, Humble ISD is projected to receive about $6 million in funding from federal and state sources to help with coronavirus expenses.

Meanwhile, the district is still waiting for reimbursements for damages caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

At Kingwood High School, Harvey caused about $87 million in damages. The district is still waiting for $925,279 in federal funds to be reimbursed. FEMA committed to providing more than $28 million for KHS flood mitigation, about $1.8 million to help cover damages at the Instructional Support Center and $9.8 million to help move the Kingwood Ag Barn to a different location out of the floodplain.

I kind of review those items just to bring attention to were always having these unexpected events happen, and were trying to prepare for that as well in the budget process, Beattie said.

Employees in Humble ISD faced last years challenges without pay raises, Beattie said. So this year they are hoping to provide a 3 percent salary increase across the board and rolling the stipend teachers received in November and May of $700 into the base pay.

ECONOMY: It won't be easy for women to reenter the workforce after the pandemic. Here's why.

Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said she is following public school funding in the Texas Legislature for the ways it could impact the budget.

Last session, the legislators passed House Bill 3, a school finance bill that provided raises for teachers and property tax relief for home owners, but there are already some bills to change some things about House Bill 3 that could impact the district, she said. She added that the district feels much more optimistic this year than they did heading into last year for the budget process.

You probably remember a year ago things were highly uncertain, both with the state budget as well as the district, Fagen said. And so we were a bit cautious in our approach to budgeting because we wanted to make sure that our No. 1 priority of keeping the family whole was maintained as we went through uncertain COVID times.

Board President Robert Sitton said the budget meetings are one of the most important items the school board does.

Its been a long-standing history of Humble ISD to hold budget workshops throughout the process so that when we take our final vote  our official vote I should say  in June, that weve had multiple meetings, Sitton said. And these budget workshops are culminations of our finance committee.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
(Newser)  Beginning with an executive order while promising legislation soon, Gov. Ron Desantis moved Friday to block the use of "vaccine passports" in Florida. He said the order prohibits the use of such passports "or other standardized documentation for the purpose of certifying an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status to a third party," NBC reports. Businesses are not allowed to require that customers show documentation that they've been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19. And governments can't issue such documentation, the order says. "Vaccine passports reduce individual freedom and will harm patient privacy," says the governor's order, which went into effect immediately.

story continues below

DeSantis urged the Florida legislature on Monday to act against the passports, per the Hill. In a Friday tweet, he said state lawmakers are working to make "permanent these protections for Floridians and I look forward to signing them into law soon." New York has launched a program through which a QR code is scanned to vouch for vaccination. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said this week that although the government will issue guidance, the administration expects vaccine passports to be developed and used in the private sector. (Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has called such passports "corporate communism" and worse.)
Amid the spike in Covid-19 cases, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ruled out the possibility of re-imposition of lockdown. Meanwhile, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray will address the people of the state at 8:30 pm.

India has reported the highest single-day spike of coronavirus cases on Friday. As per the latest bulletin shared by the Union Health Ministry, there has been a spike of 81,466 new cases and 469 deaths in the last 24 hours. This takes the total number of coronavirus cases to 1, 23,03,131, total recoveries to 1,15,25,039, active cases to 6,14, 696 and the death toll to 1,63,396. Meanwhile, the total number of people that have been vaccinated till now are 6,87,89,138.

The spread of Covid-19 is particularly alarming due to increase in the mutations of Covid-19, which raise a concern over the efficacy of vaccines and whether 2 million vaccines a day are enough to curb the spread of the virus. If they are not, then this is high time that we think of a solution.

Ruling out the possibility of re-imposition of lockdown, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today that Delhi is now witnessing a fourth wave of Covid-19. He further reassured everyone that there is no need to worry as the state government is taking all possible measures to curb the transmission.

There is no plan for lockdown says, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/yM5MG5WtDP  ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will be addressing the people of the state today at 8:30 pm. Hinting at a potential lockdown, Maharashra CM had asked officials last week to prepare a plan to impose the lockdown as people were not following the Covid-19 appropriate safety rules. Although the announcement has not been made yet, the state government is likely to impose stricter curbs, including shutting down of hotspot areas.
SHELTON  Residents can expect a tax decrease if Mayor Mark Laurettis 2021-22 budget is approved as proposed.

Lauretti, in his annual address to the Board of Aldermen and Board of Apportionment and Taxation Thursday in the City Hall auditorium, said he is proposing a $128,225,767 city budget, a $43,728 increase from the present fiscal year.

If the mayors budget is approved as proposed, the mill rate would be 22.03, a 1.74 reduction from the present fiscal year. The proposed spending plan projects a 98.85 percent tax collection rate, according to Finance Director Paul Hiller.

Laurettis budget included a modest increase for the Board of Education budget, which has been $72,765,000 for the past two years. Lauretti's education proposal stands at $72,900,000  a $135,000 increase over the 2020-21 fiscal year budget but more than $2 million less than the school board requested.

This year, the Board of Education has approved a 2021-22 budget request of $74,944,205  a $2,179,205, or 2.99 percent  hike from the previous year.

Last year, the theme was uncertainty, Lauretti said, and, for the most part, were in the same situation this year.

Next years budget will look like this years budget, he said, with the only jumps because of contractual increases.

Lauretti said the citys budget depends on the economy rebounding and clarification on the use of federal stimulus monies coming to municipalities and the boards of education across the state  all of which remain unknown. Money coming to municipalities cannot be used to buy down the tax rate, but what it can be used for has not been finalized.

The mayor was speaking about funds coming to Shelton from

The recently passed $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan includes $16.8 million earmarked for Shelton, with $4,898,000 designated for education, according to data released from Congressman Jim Himes office.

The breakdown aims $4,060,000 in federal relief funds to the city as well as an additional $7.86 million, due in part because Connecticut has no county government and part of the state funding was allocated money for county governments to bestow.

Regarding the education budget, Lauretti said at some point before the final adoption, the Board of Aldermen can and will modify that number once there is clarification on those federal stimulus monies that have been made available.

Lauretti acknowledged that there are new and important educational programs  such as Eureka math, Wit and Wisdom for reading as well as social/emotional learning offerings  necessary to aid learning in the wake of the pandemic. He also noted a new social studies curriculum, mandated by the state, which comes at a cost.

"This is just the beginning of a process in which many conversations and discussions will take place, Board of Education Chair Kathy Yolish said after the budget presentation. Our Board of Education members will work with our superintendent and his central office leadership team to review each line-item request in preparation for joint meetings with the Board of Apportionment and Taxation and the Board of Aldermen. We will present our information and justify our needs. ... (and) we will be afforded a final budget that will be beneficial to our taxpayers but most importantly to our students.

Due to the effects of COVID-19, we have a long road ahead of us to get our kids caught up in their academics, their social/emotional learning and their overall growth and development, Yolish added. With the proper funding, this can be accomplished.

School Superintendent Ken Saranich said his budget proposal would maintain current staff and services while meeting necessary contractual obligations. The reductions, he said, will not impact on the districts offerings but will reduce capital requests that would have gone to the city.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
Hop Shoots cost roughly around Rs 85,000 per kg and are reportedly helpful in creating antibodies that prevent TB, cancer and leukaemia. The flowers of the plant are used as stabilising agent against beer making.

Innovation no longer remains a choice but has become an imperative, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid the nationwide coronavirus-induced lockdown last year.

Coupled with the push for privatisation and rolling back of the state, Indian farmers have found themselves trying every trick of the trade to keep themselves afloat in a competitive market. The repercussions of the contest between the Centre and the farmer community can particularly be seen in the protests that rocked the national capital earlier this year and are still continuing.

In light of the recent developments, Amresh Singh, a 38-year-old farmer hailing from Bihars Aurangabad district, has come up with a novel solution that holds the potential to double the income of farmers. Having invested a sum of Rs 2.5 lakh, Amresh is growing the worlds costliest vegetable, i.e Hop Shoots in his backyard.

Scientifically known as Humulus- Lupulus, Hop Shoots cost roughly around Rs 85,000 per kg and does not require any chemical fertilisers or pesticides to boost productivity. Reports say that the plant is helpful in creating antibodies that prevent TB, cancer and leukaemia. The flowers of the plant are used as stabilising agent against beer making while other parts of the plant are used for food and medicine.

Talking about the genesis of the plant, Amresh has told a news daily that Hop Shoots were once cultivated in Lahaul district of Himachal Pradesh but were later dis-continued due to lack of marketing for the produce. Social media users are all praises for Amresh Singhs innovation and are hailing it as a game changer for the Indian farming community at large.

Take a look:

A farmer from Bihar has started the cultivation of a unique vegetable that is sold at a very high price in the international market. Amresh Singh, a 38-year old farmer from Karamdih village under Navinagar block, had started the cultivation of a vegetable named hop shoots#bihar pic.twitter.com/bltB2BMG2q  Rohan Suthar (@rohan__suthar) March 31, 2021
A daredevil who free-climbed The Shard in London has been arrested again after scaling a Barcelona skyscraper without equipment.

George King took his life in his hands again when he scaled one of Europe's highest skyscrapers in Barcelona on Friday without any ropes or safety measures.

Crowds watched as the 21-year-old British free climber made his way to the top of the 116-metre (381 ft) Melia Barcelona Sky Hotel in the Spanish city.

In 2019, King was sentenced to serve six months in a young offenders' institution after scaling The Shard.

Teighmore Limited - the owners of The Shard - brought legal proceedings against him for breaching a High Court injunction designed to deter trespassers.

King, originally from Oxford, scaled the Barcelona skyscraper in just 45 minutes without safety equipment

Crowds watched as the 21-year-old British free climber made his way to the top of the 116-metre (381 ft) Melia Barcelona Sky Hotel in the Spanish city

He first climbed the 310-metre (1,017 ft) The Shard building in London in 2019, the highest tower in the United Kingdom, without any safety apparatus

As he was coming down, he was arrested by the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan regional police and faces a fine.

'When I was at the top I felt that I was in another dimension of bliss,' King said. 'When I met the police on the way down my head was still in the clouds.'

King, from Oxford in England but currently travelling around Europe in a van, has also climbed the 144-metre (474 ft) Agbar Tower skyscraper in Barcelona.

He scaled the Barcelona hotel in about 20 minutes.

He first climbed the 310-metre (1,017 ft) The Shard building in London in 2019, the highest tower in the United Kingdom, without any safety apparatus.

The feat earned him six months in a young offenders' institution for breaching a civil injunction taken out by the owners of the building.

After King scaled The Shard, he was given a 24-week sentence.

His parents appeared on Good Morning Britain to slam the verdict, claiming that the criminal justice system was 'making an example of an elite athlete'.

Hilary and Clive King-Thompson told the flagship programme that the prison term was 'outrageous' and 'a complete shock'.

The climber shared this shot on his Instagram after scaling the Shard on July 8, 2019 and closing London Bridge station

King-Thompson (pictured) scaled the structure in just 45 minutes and the building's owners took him to court for breaching an injunction

King had climbed the building from the ground floor to near the very top in just 45 minutes in July 2019.

He admitted being in contempt of court after disobeying injunctions about scaling the structure and was locked up in a young offenders institute for six months on October 21.

Somebody like George can be so useful in the community, give him community service, dont lock him away,' his mother said.

Mr King-Thompson pointed out that while his son received a custodial sentence, 17-year-old drug driver Max Coopey got 100 hours' community service after killing two pedestrians.

He's amazing I admire him for doing his own thing,' his mother added. 'Hes so passionate and thats his message that he wants to get out to the world. Nothing I say or do will stop him doing what he wants to do - I admire him for that. It's an incredible achievement, hes an elite athlete.'
Burma China Get Out of Myanmar Say Pro-Democracy Supporters

Feature: A group of protesters stand in front of the Chinese Embassy calling on China to reject the military coup in Myanmar. / The Irrawaddy

Pro-democracy supporters in Myanmar have called for the Chinese Embassy in Yangon to be closed, after China again blocked an attempt on Thursday by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to impose sanctions on the military regime in an attempt to stop the bloodshed in Myanmar.

Thousands of pro-democracy supporters, including prominent activists and celebrities, posted messages on their social media on Thursday and Friday saying, China Get Out of Myanmar!, Get Out Chinese Embassy! We dont need Chinese Embassy, Get out of Myanmar Right Now!!

At least 550 civilians have died in the juntas ongoing crackdowns against anti-regime protesters. Many people in Myanmar expected that the rising death toll would prompt the UNSC to apply serious pressure on the junta to stop its use of lethal force against protesters. But China again ruled out sanctions or other coercive measures against the regime at a UNSC closed door meeting.

Moreover, China insisted on eliminating strong language from the UNSC statement such as readiness to consider further steps, which could include sanctions against the Myanmar military. The UN also had to soften the language of the statement by removing words such as killing and deplore to describe the use of violence against peaceful protesters, because of Chinas resistance to such language.

Chinas stance prompted a fresh outpouring of resentment towards China among the people of Myanmar. Anti-China sentiment is nothing new in Myanmar. It hardened over fifty years of rule by the former junta that relied on Beijing as one of its few international allies and which turned to China for much of the hardware it used to suppress dissent, grab peoples land and exploit the countrys natural resources.

That deep-seated resentment of China swelled across Myanmar following the Feb.1 coup, thanks to Chinas failure to take action against the junta, unlike the many western countries who have imposed sanctions. China has also failed to demonstrate sympathy towards the innocent civilians killed by the regimes security forces during their deadly crackdowns, prompting many Myanmar people to believe that Beijing is supporting the junta.

Among the thousands of responses to Chinas latest stand at the UNSC, one Twitter user said, You have our blood on your hands Chinese Communist Party! Chinese Embassy Out Now!! Faker, Loser!

Another social media user said Shame on you China! They went on to say that civilians in Myanmar were being killed by the military every day, that China didnt care about Myanmars people and that they only support the junta.

China is killing our future. You again blocked the UNSC. We dont need a Chinese embassy in Myanmar, stated another social media user.

The Burmese actress Khin Win Wah called for a boycott of Chinese-made goods. It is time to boycott all Chinese-made products.

A Twitter user said, China is one of the few allies of the military regime and supports the killing of pro-democracy supporters. Please Chinese ambassador, it is time to leave Myanmar. We dont need you.

On Wednesday, the United States called for China to use its influence to hold to account those responsible for the coup, saying that Beijing can certainly do more as China has a great deal of leverage.

Washington said, We want the government in Beijing to use its leverage constructively to support the absolutely legitimate aspirations of the people of Burma to see their democracy restored.

Ko Bo Kyi, the joint secretary of Myanmars Assistance Association for Political Prisoners urged on Twitter that China needs to understand that the Burmese people have already suffered at the hands of illegal military regimes. Action by the UNSC will be helpful for the Burmese people, he said.

Another Twitter user wrote that Chinas stand at the UNSC showed that Beijing has no intention of helping Myanmar. They said that China should choose to side with the more than 50 million Myanmar people instead of with inhumane generals and that China should choose a long-term relationship with the Myanmar people, not one with the leaders of a coup.

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The Air Force fighter jet went missing while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops in the fight against insurgency in the North-east region of Nigeria.

About 24 hours after it was declared missing, the Nigerian Air Force Alpha Jet is yet to be found.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the fighter jet went missing on Wednesday in the insurgency-ravaged Borno State in North-east Nigeria.

The spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet, said the fighter jet lost contact with the radar in Borno State earlier that day.

Mr Gabkwet, an air commodore, said the plane disappeared while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops. He said the mission was part of the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in the North-east.

"The loss of radar contact occurred at about 5:08 pm on 31 March 2021," he said.

"Details of the whereabouts of the aircraft or likely cause of contact loss are still sketchy but will be relayed to the general public as soon as they become clear. Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts are ongoing."

No update

More than 24 hours after it was declared missing, the Nigerian Air Force is yet to give an update on the whereabouts of the aircraft.

Efforts by this newspaper to reach Mr Gabkwet for an update on the incident were unsuccessful as he neither responded to telephone calls nor text messages.

An intelligence source who told PR Nigeria, an online newspaper, which reports mainly security issues, that bad weather could be blamed for the missing jet.

"Though no trace of the wreckage has been found, bad and hazy weather has been a stumbling block lately in the military operation. The trained combat pilots have always responded to distress calls and emergency situations in the protection of troops and the citizens from activities of terrorists in the North-east.

"We are still investigating and trying to find out what actually happened to the missing Alpha jet. Search and rescue operations have been intensified. But unfortunately, we are yet to see any trace of the jet in the forest areas we have combed, across Borno State."

The newspaper also reported that the Chief of Air Staff, Oladayo Amao, arrived Maiduguri Thursday morning over the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

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He was quoted to have told the officers and men to remain undeterred and resolute in their commitment to ensuring that peace returns to the North-east.

The latest aircraft incident comes weeks after another Air Force aircraft, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i, crashed after reporting engine failure on its way to Minna, Niger State.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the plane was heading to that destination to conduct surveillance missions over Niger State and its environs in connection with the efforts to secure the release of the students/staff abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State.

That February 21 crash led to the death of Haruna Gadzama, a flight lieutenant, (Captain), Henry Piyo, a flight liutenant (Co-Pilot), Micheal Okpara, a flying officer (Airborne Tactical Observation System (ATOS) Specialist), Bassey Etim, a warrant officer (ATOS Specialist), Olasunkanmi Olawunmi, a flight sergeant (ATOS Specialist), Ugochukwu Oluka a sergeant (ATOS Specialist) and Adewale Johnson, an aircraftman (Onboard Technician).

The Nigerian Air Force is involved in the anti-insurgency operation in the North-east as well as in the onslaught against bandits in the North-west and North-central geopolitical zones, providing reconnaissance intelligence and aerial covers for ground troops.

The Force also engages in bombardment of terrorists enclaves from time to time.
Cinema, retail and shopping industries have just begun their recovery process and won't be able to bear another shutdown, according to industry associations who have urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to not impose a lockdown in Maharashtra where COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

The Multiplex Association of India (MAI), Retail Association of India (RAI), and Shopping Centres Association of India have said they are following all the safety protocols mandated by the government and should not be the first casualty of such restrictions.

Maharashtra, whose capital Mumbai is home to Hindi cinema, on Thursday reported 43,183 new COVID-19 cases, its highest one-day rise since the pandemic began, taking its cumulative caseload to 28,56,163 a health official said.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope recently said people should be ready for stringent measures in the coming days to curb the spread of COVID-19 and that imposing a lockdown is the last option for the state government.

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Thursday also hinted that some restrictions could be introduced in the city from Friday.

Kamal Gianchandani, CEO PVR Pictures and president of MAI, said the cinema industry is mentally reconciled with the fact that they will have to "co-exist with the virus for now".

"There's a sense of deja vu for sure because we all have painful memories of the lockdown," he told PTI in an interview, emphasising the need for stricter enforcement of safety protocols and faster vaccination of people.

Gianchandani said businesses should be permitted to function because that's the only way for them to sustain.

"If we can't function, the whole cycle comes to a stop and then we cannot sustain ourselves. So, if at all, they're thinking of a second lockdown, we would urge them to reconsider their decision and take a much more long-term and pragmatic approach.

"Businesses, the economy and the virus have to co-exist. You can't manage and contain one at the cost of the other. It's not an either-or situation anymore. It has to be an 'and' situation," he added.

Several films like "Haathi Mere Saathi" (Hindi version), "Bunty Aur Babli 2", and "Chehre" that were up for release in March and April have been pulled by the makers from the calendar due to uncertainty amid the pandemic.

Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, RAI, told PTI that a lockdown would be a non-analytical and knee-jerk reaction.

"Because it means we have given up hope that we can control the situation, that in the last one year, we have not learnt anything new. So, this is a really non-tenable situation."



A lockdown will create a domino effect on businesses, supply chain as well as jobs, he warned.

"When the businesses were at 30 or 40 per cent levels, a whole lot of MSME suppliers were impacted. More than the 20 per cent of the retail workforce got impacted. Thankfully, we were able to bring back some amount of economic activity and retailers went out of their way to ensure people got their jobs back.

"But we cannot afford this kind of lockdown. Forty-six million people work in the retail sector across the country in various forms. A lockdown is going to cripple all of them," Rajagopalan warned.

Mukesh Kumar, chairman and director on board, Shopping Centres Association of India, said the industry is already suffering because of the previous decisions such as mandatory testing for the malls and reducing the timings.

"We are just recovering. We have reached almost 60 per cent of the footfall and 90 per cent of sales in March but then it started going downhill once the notification came about checking people coming to the mall and that they must have a negative RT PCR report... Then the second news came about reducing the timings, so these were all bad news.

"Let's hope that this doesn't happen because we will not be able to take another lockdown. Another shut down will be discriminatory only for the malls, theatres and F&B," Kumar told PTI.

According to SCAI, they cater to just one per cent of the population and follow stringent safety protocols with malls ensuring that they don't have more than one person per square foot.

"If you look at the number of people in the mall, it is very limited. They are being monitored and you can't get a safer place than the mall where everything is controlled, monitored, reviewed and audited. You can't have this in markets, railway stations, airports or any other crowded place. In the event, any action is taken, the first casualty is the mall, theatres and the F&B," Kumar claimed.

Despite the rising COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, Gianchandani is cautiously optimistic about the future provided theatres are allowed to operate in Maharastra, a crucial state for business.

"I remain confident as at this point, there is no change of dates as we speak. 'Sooryavanshi' is coming on April 30 and 'Radhe' is scheduled for May 12 or 13, depending on the Eid. So as we speak, these films are releasing on the dates that they have announced, but at the same time, the cases continue to worsen, there would be concerns.

"I do think that government machinery and administration in districts are doing everything possible to contain the spike in cases. And my sense is they would be able to show results fairly quickly. So we remain quite optimistic that these films will release on time," Gianchandani noted.

Rajagopalan said instead of imposing restrictions, the government should be utilising resources like malls in the vaccination drive.

(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.)
As the number of new cases of COVID-19 continues to fall and the number of people vaccinated rises, local governments across Southeast Texas are winding down certain pandemic-response efforts.

This week, the regional coalition created to secure more coronavirus vaccine doses disbanded, and the city of Beaumont announced it would no longer put out a daily report of the number of new COVID-19 cases confirmed each day. Port Arthur Public Health Director Judith Smith said shed make a decision regarding the Mid- and South-County report next week.

These announcements come just one day after March became the first month since October to report fewer than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19.

Residents wont see much, if any, impact on the level of service they receive, leaders said.

Related: Business owners, customers adapt as mask mandate lifts

Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said the move to disband the coalition comes as a result of a steady decrease in demand for vaccine doses.

We brought the hub in place to access more vaccine doses, he said. That worked, and now its to the point where we have more doses than we have demand from indivdiuals to get the vaccine.

Under the new system, each individual public health agency will work with the state to order doses each week based on the number of vaccine appointments it has scheduled.

Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames confirmed the web address and phone number set up through the citys system that schedules vaccine appointments will continue to operate for all agencies in the region.

The consumer will not notice any difference whatsoever, she said.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

The county also will continue using its mobile medical unit to vaccinate harder-to-reach communities and homebound individuals.

The county is averaging about 30 such vaccinations each day, Branick said.

The judge noted that many pharmacies and private health-care providers are starting to offer the vaccine at no charge

If someone happens to be picking up a prescription, they usually ask if you want the vaccine, Branick said. If they dont and someone is interested in getting a vaccine, they should ask.

Branick said he received his second vaccine dose this week, and hes not experienced any symptoms.

Related: What the CDC says you can do now that youre vaccinated

He and other local leaders have said they plan to continue to watch the number of new cases each day to watch for signs another surge.

For now, though, the number of new cases continues to trend down.

Jefferson County recorded 894 new cases of COVID-19 in March. That is the fewest in a single month since June, when there were 769 new cases.

As of Wednesday, the most recent day for which complete data were available, the county was averaging just 17 new cases each day. That average has been in the teens since Sunday, which marks the longest period at such a low average since the county exceeded an average of 19 new cases in early September.

March also continued a downward trend in the number of virus-related deaths recorded. Twenty-four people died as a result of the virus in March, down from 29 in February, 36 in March and 58 in December.

Texas is doing very well, and we hope that continues to be the case, Branick said.

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/KaitlinBain
After going on a first date in August 2018 with Ondrej Antos, Nina Umont told a friend that she was going to marry him.

There are times when you dont know how to start a conversation with somebody, but this was not one of those times, said Ms. Umont, 30, a calligrapher and artist whose business, Sandelin Designs, is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hes European, so this was different, Ms. Umont said. I had a million questions, like What brought you to the United States? What brought you to the Bay Area? she said. We exchanged dozens of text messages at a time and had a full conversation before we ever met in person.

I thought he was so smart and I was interested in everything he talked about, said Ms. Umont, who graduated from Reed College and received a masters degree in linguistics from McGill University.
Apple has introduced an updated version of the Apple Support app with a bunch of useful features. The company has also introduced some new ways of checking an iPhones warranty status.

Apple today updated its Apple Support app to version 4.2. The app now has a more detailed coverage section. It now offers up more information about benefits and service options. With the new update, Apple has also introduced a new ability to get reminders about your upcoming Genius Bar or Apple Authorized Service Provider reservations sent by text message or phone.

Along with the update, Apple also released an App Clip that lets you check your iPhones warranty status, or for that matter every Apple device linked to your account. Now, if you head over to Apples Check Coverage website on an iPhone without the Apple Support app, a dialog box appears on the top of the website asking you to install the App Clip.

Tapping on Open brings up the App Clip dialog box where it shows more details about the Apple Support App Clip. Clicking on Continue will take you to a page where it will list all of your Apple devices. Now, you can select the device whose coverage you want to check.

Up until now, to check an Apple devices coverage details, you had to go to their coverage website and put in the serial number of your Apple device, along with a captcha. The App Clip introduced today eases up the process, all while making it faster. App Clips were first introduced with iOS 14.

We Want to Hear From You

Have you used the Apple Support app in the past? How has your experience been? Let us know in the comments section below!
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A slew of new lawsuits accuse South Carolina prisons officials of negligence and constitutional rights violations in a 2018 riot in which seven inmates were killed and more than a dozen others injured.

In the lawsuits, filed in federal court this week and provided to The Associated Press, attorneys for inmates affected by the violence at Lee Correctional Institution accuse top Department of Corrections officials of knowing about security flaws at the maximum-security men's prison, yet not repairing them, therefore putting inmates' lives at risk.

The lawsuits specifically target a locking system at Lee, which has been the center of much of the critique of security flaws that existed prior to the insurrection.

At the time of the riot, attorneys wrote, all of the cell doors" in one of Lee's units "were easily compromised," meaning inmates could rig them so they could be opened or closed at any time. According to the lawsuit's allegations, these issues  ongoing for as long as five years before the riot  were known to agency Director Bryan Stirling and other officials, who, the attorneys wrote, made absolutely no effort" to ensure the doors worked properly, creating a fundamentally unsafe condition for all inmates there.

Officials have said the violence  the worst U.S. prison riot in 25 years  began as a battle over contraband and territory. Dozens of inmates have been charged in connection to the revolt, which raged for more than seven hours in Bishopville, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Columbia.

Most of the slain were stabbed or slashed; others appeared to have been beaten. One inmate described bodies literally stacked on top of each other, like some macabre woodpile.

The suits specifically name top officials, including Stirling, saying his response to knowledge that subordinates were engaged in activity potentially harmful to inmates was so inadequate as to show deliberate indifference."

Story continues

The allegations about the door locks match up with complaints directly from Lee inmates. For several months ahead of the melee, the AP communicated with a Lee prisoner who used a contraband cellphone to offer insight into life behind bars. Describing frequent gang fights with homemade weapons, he said prisoners roamed freely, had easy access to cellphones and drugs, and were often left to police themselves.

ALL of the doors to the cells are broken, wrote the inmate, who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because his cellphone was illegal and he feared retribution from other prisoners. At any time, I can let myself out of my cell.

Video obtained from the same inmate backed up claims about plentiful homemade weapons and broken locks.

The lawsuits mention the lack of a system that would have allowed security officers to disperse chemical agents to help quell an uprising and also accuses several officers of knowing that inmates were seen and heard sharpening shanks/knives before the riot, but failing to confiscate the weapons.

Stirling and other officials, attorneys wrote, knew or should have known that their conscious failure to provide adequate security measures would result in unsafe conditions for the inmate population. After the riot, the lawsuits noted, a national assessment team brought in by Corrections officials concluded that the major contributing factors leading to the insurrection included staff shortages, facility defects and an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

The Corrections Department didnt immediately comment on the new allegations, which join dozens of other state and federal lawsuits already pending against prisons officials related to the riots.

Improvements have since been implemented. A year after the violence, officials invited reporters to tour Lee, where they demonstrated a $1 million cell door locking system. Other measures included perimeter netting, scanning devices and drone monitoring to shut cellphones down. Officials still arent able to fully use cell signal-jamming technology Stirling wants, however.

State Rep. Justin Bamberg, attorney for some of the inmates, said so much information about the violence, and what led to it, remains unknown.

Its a damn shame that people are still left fighting for justice, and the public is still in the dark as to the true events of that day," Bamberg told AP. "These men accepted responsibility for the actions that originally sent them to prison, so why is it our prison system cannot accept responsibility for creating the horrendous conditions that caused this to occur in the first place?

Carter Elliott, who also represents inmates suing the agency, said systemic issues at Lee, including security problems, should have made it clear to officials that a violent outburst was imminent.

The operations and administrative staff were legally required to take some action to protect these human beings, properly serving their time, from extreme danger," Elliott said. "Instead, nothing was done, which allowed a powder keg to develop and explode on April 15, 2018.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
She might be making her TOWIE debut, but Demi Sims' girlfriend Francesca Farago appears to have settled in very quickly.

In snaps from Sunday's show the loved-up couple are seen sharing a passionate kiss as they explore Essex as a duo and chat about their future together.

Demi, 22, is also returning to the hit serious after being temporarily suspended for flouting lockdown with her elder sister Frankie and pal Harry Derbidge last month.

Settling right in! Demi Sims and girlfriend Francesca Farago share a passionate kiss as they made their debut as a couple on TOWIE, in scenes set to air on Sunday

On Sunday, Demi will have to convince her sisters that Francesca, 27, is 'the one' and things aren't going too fast.

Recently big sister Frankie and the siblings' pal Amy Childs warned her against rushing things with her new love, who she has been publicly dating since January.

While elsewhere in the show, Frankie and Ella Rae Wise see each other for the first time since revelations of Ella and Pete WIcks' secret snog.

Loved-up: The couple looked besotted with each other as Demi introduced Francesca to the cast and showed her around Essex for the first time

Frankie will have to work out how she's going to keep her friendship with Ella despite the liaisons between her and her sister's ex.

And Amy Childs will also sit down with her cousin Harry as they attempt to get their relationship back on track.

However, there's drama to sort out between them with Harry needing to ask himself if he's ready to accept Amy and Bobbys friendship, or will he insist she takes his side.

Last week, Chloe M and Courtneys attempt to bring Clelia and Amber together didnt go as planned, and now unsurprisingly Clelias comments about Amber have made their way back to her.

Winning over the sisters: Demi will have to convince her sisters, Frankie and Chloe, that her new love is 'the one' and things aren't going too fast

Tough talks: Frankie will have to work out how she's going to keep her friendship with Ella Rae Wise (pictured) despite the liaisons between her and her sister's ex, Pete Wicks

The duo are set to come face-to-face in an awkward encounter but its still uncertain if they'll come out pals or continuing their ongoing feud.

Another romance hotting up is Gatsby and Dani's, with the latest duo going strong after a string of successful dates.

And Gatsby is ready to step things up a notch by introducing her to best mates Dan and Diags.

Francesca's cameo will no doubt cause tension after her and Demi's relationship was scrutinised in an earlier show.

Family ties: While Amy Childs will also sit down with her cousin Harry Derbidge as they attempt to get their relationship back on track

In the middle: Amy (pictured) doesn't want to upset her pal Bobby or cousin Harry

Demi was asked if she thought she was going 'a bit quick' with Francesca, but she said she likes 'taking things quick' in her relationships.

Speaking with her sister Chloe and friends Harry, and Amy Childs at a bar, Harry claimed: 'The only thing I'm worried about is Demi getting married before me, she's on a roller-coaster.'

Demi simply quipped: 'Listen Harry, you snooze you lose, if I get married before you.'

Harry claimed he was 'so happy' for Demi, and suggested: 'I think you've actually met The One.'

Amy stepped in and asked: 'Dem, do you think it's a bit quick? I'm not judging!'

Drama: Amber Turner (pictured) is also set to have some stern words for Clelia after hearing she's been talking about her

Unimpressed: The duo are set to come face-to-face in an awkward encounter but its still uncertain if they'll come out pals or continuing their ongoing fued (Clelia pictured)

On theme: The girls are also set to enjoy some Easter themed activities during Sunday's show

Demi was honest with her thoughts on the matter, admitting: 'I like taking things quick, I like finding out about someone and their heart, and I'm just all about the fairy tale to be honest'.

Chloe then chimed in to ask if Francesca, who hails from Canada, knew anything about Essex, and Demi said: 'Not at all, she doesn't have a clue.'

Her sister then said: 'I think she's going to have a bit of a culture shock.'

Demi went public with Francesca back in January during a trip to Dubai and they moved into a new home together in London last month.

Bit of romance: Gatsby and Dani also seem to be going from strength to strength after a string of successful dates

Time to meet the boys: Gatsby is ready to step things up a notch by introducing Dani to his best mates Dan and Diags

Demi's return to TOWIE comes after they were suspended from the show for flouting lockdown rules.

A video uploaded by Harry's fiance Dean Rowland in March showed him cuddling up to Francesca while Demi, Harry and Frankie mingled in the background in a party setting.

A spokesperson for TOWIE confirmed the suspension and told MailOnline: 'Several cast members have been temporarily suspended from filming TOWIE.

'The safety of our cast and crew is of paramount importance and we expect them to abide by the protocols put in place in line with government guidelines to ensure they keep themselves and those around them safe.'

All together: Demi have been suspended from the show when she was caught flouting lockdown rules in a video uploaded by Harry's fiance Dean Rowland

After the suspension was lifted, the cast were allowed to resume filming after producing negative Covid tests.

The show has created its own little world to film in, so that viewers can still see the casts real lives and stories, but while everyone is kept safe.

So, although the cast might be seen in pubs and restaurants, these businesses have opened just for the show and have put in lots of extra measures, so Lime Pictures and ITV can still bring viewers the TOWIE they love safely.

The Only Way Is Essex airs Sunday at 9pm on ITVBe.
For more than six years, the Better Government Association has been fighting in court to pry open those records. Last November, the Illinois Appellate Court agreed with the BGA, ruling that the nonprofit, Navy Pier Inc., performs a governmental function on behalf of the MPEA, and the records BGA requested directly relate to (Navy Piers) performance of that governmental function. McPier  its governing body includes four mayoral and four gubernatorial appointees and an executive director  appealed the ruling to the Illinois Supreme Court, which recently sent the case back to the trial court.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

According to a new report published by Polaris Market Research the organic personal care market is anticipated to reach over USD 27,276.5 million by 2026. In 2017, the skin care segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period.

A significant increase in disposable income, changing lifestyles, and initiatives by market players to promote natural and organic personal care products drive the growth of this market. Other driving factors include growing inclination towards use of natural and organic products, and increasing awareness regarding use of chemical free personal care products. Increasing demand from developing nations is expected provide numerous growth opportunities to the market players during the forecast period.

Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/organic-personal-care-market/request-for-sample

There has been a shift towards e-commerce and consumers are increasingly purchasing organic personal care through online platforms. The variety of choices available coupled with ease of purchase offered by online platforms encourages consumers to buy organic personal care products online, supplementing the growth of the market. Improvement in lifestyle due to rise in income level, especially in the developing countries of Asia-Pacific fuels the demand for organic personal care market. Factors such as increase in per capita income and changes in consumer behavior are expected to accelerate the adoption of organic personal care in the coming years.

North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The increasing geriatric population in the region coupled with high disposable income drives the market growth. The increasing demand of organic personal care in the region is owing to high consumer awareness regarding the benefits of natural and organic personal care products and rising environmental concerns. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing disposable incomes in developing countries of this region, and rising awareness.

The different types of organic personal care products available in the market include skin care, hair care, oral care, cosmetics, and others. In 2017, the skin care segment accounted for the highest market share. Use of organic skin care products offers benefits and reduces the risk of skin irritations and allergies. Growing awareness regarding use of natural ingredients in skin care products is expected to support market growth during the forecast period.

Get discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/organic-personal-care-market/request-for-discount-pricing

The well-known companies profiled in the report include The Body Shop International PLC, Amway Corporation, Aubrey Organics, Oriflame Cosmetics S.A., Estee Lauder Companies Inc., Arbonne International, LLC, Aveda Corporation, Aveda Corporation, Burts Bee, The Hain Celestial Group, Yves Rocher, Bare Escentuals, Inc., and LOccitane en Provence among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The big wet was just setting in over NSW last month when Colonel Warwick Young received the call. It was Marg Prendergast, executive director of disaster recovery at Resilience NSW. The one in 50-year flood event had only just begun its wrath. Floodwaters in the Hawkesbury River pass under Hawkesbury River Bridge at Mooney Mooney. Credit:Wolter Peeters The army reservist of 30 years recalls: Marg rang me and said, Were having a meeting. Can you be at it? Just so you are aware of whats going on. It was Sunday, March 21, one day before two powerful weather systems would collide over the east coast of NSW, causing widespread chaos, evacuations and the loss of a human life. Sustained rainfall had already begun wreaking havoc on the Mid North Coast, where the Hastings River had peaked at 8.54 metres at Wauchope a day earlier. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video

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Thousands of people were being evacuated from homes along the coast, Warragamba Dam was spilling billions of litres of water and communities in the Hawkesbury-Nepean region were inundated, many trapped. To the state agencies tackling the crisis - Resilience NSW, the State Emergency Service, the NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW Health and police - it was only natural the army would join them. Four days later Deputy Premier and the Minister responsible for disaster recovery John Barilaro would announce the mobilisation of a recovery strike force, made up of 800 Australian Defence Force personnel, the NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW. Colonel Young, deputy commander of the Joint Task Group for NSW assigned to the recovery effort, said the relationship between the Defence Force and state agencies galvanised through the fires and were bedded down by COVID-19. Supplies of flour and sugar destined for Lord Howe Island wait to be loaded at Port Macquarie Airport. Credit:Wolter Peeters By the time the flood came along, we had morphed into the whole of government response, he said. The group has since rolled out along the Mid North Coast; from Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Clarence Valley, to Kempsey, Nambucca and Port Macquarie.

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For locals, the 350 recently arrived troops are welcome figures overseeing the clearing of roads, 30 tonnes of waste and the repair of critical infrastructure. One of the more urgent jobs this weekend will be delivering LPG gas and flour to holiday destination Lord Howe Island, after the destruction of a Port Macquarie facility used to barge food and supplies. Loading These are battlefield tasks were well suited to... and its great for our soldiers, sailors, airmen and women to get in and help the community they love, said Commander of the Joint Task Group Brigadier Mick Garraway. They should be well practised, with many having managed the clean-up from the Black Summer bushfires, an unexpected dress rehearsal to the floods. Weve got a really strong commitment that we will do no less for people affected by the floods, than we did for bushfires. And rightfully so, said Ms Prendergast. Among her biggest tasks is managing nine recovery centres dotted across flood-affected areas, which act as a one-stop-shop for victims seeking services like insurance, legal aid, council clean-up and mental health care.

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One of the big lessons from bushfires was tell us once. Instead of people having to tell their story over and over again. Now you register once, she said. We have even got approval to share that data with people like the Red Cross to get grants out the door more quickly. We have faced droughts, fires, COVID, and now flood From the sky, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Stimson can see the hundreds of mattresses lining Laurieton Oval. They are just some of the remains pulled from nearby homes over the past few days. A pile of flood damaged mattresses at North Haven. Credit:Wolter Peeters On a sunny Thursday, its hard to imagine it was only one week earlier that floodwaters of at least two metres coursed through homes streets away in North Haven.

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Lieutenant Colonel Stimson lands on the rugby field in an MRH90 Taipan helicopter. He is on his way to check on troops clearing out flooded homes in Dunbogan, Laurieton and North Haven. Toys, rugs and lounges are piled up along the kerb. When a strong wind blows the smell is pungent. ADF personnel help clear flood damaged household items in North Haven. Credit:Wolter Peeters Seventy kilometres north, in Kempsey, Mayor Liz Campbell says her community is still counting its losses, but slowly getting back on its feet. For the farmers downriver it will take a long time. Their pastures are still under mud and it will take six to 12 months to get that back, she said. From dairy farmers, to beef, coffee and bee producers, there are few in her community that havent felt the burn of a recent catastrophe. Colonel Warwick Young with ADF personnel prepare to depart Port Macquarie Airport. Credit:Wolter Peeters

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Metrorex warns that the evacuation procedures for the existing commercial spaces in the metro stations will start next week, as the term granted for their clearing out expires at midnight.

"The joint venture agreement between Metrorex and the Unitatea - Sindicatul Liber din Metrou (USLM) trade union company has expired in 2018, the public domain currently being occupied without right. Also, no commercial building permits were identified as having been issued for the commercial spaces," informs a press release of underground carrier, submitted on Friday to AGERPRES, agerpres.ro confirms.

According to the cited source, these shops located in the stations represent an imminent danger for the safety of passengers and subway infrastructure, as they constitute obstacles to emergency evacuation, hinder access to indoor hydrants and no construction after 2010 has an ISU approval.

"For the correct information of the public, we reiterate that the metro stations represent public property of the state, given in concession to Metrorex. The illegal occupation of the public domain of the state is a flagrant violation of the law. The lack of building permit and non-compliance with safety regulations a real emergency of security and public order," Metrorex representatives claim.

In a statement issued to AGERPRES on March 25, Metrorex representatives said that this measure was taken because, following field analyses, it was found that commercial spaces operating in the subway network endanger the safety of underground transport, directly affecting the fire safety requirements and evacuation of people in case of emergency.

In reply, the representatives of the Unitatea - Sindicatul Liber din Metrou (USLM) stated last week that all subway stores were built according to current legislation, with the approval of Metrorex, and 80% of them are owned by subway unions.

Minister of Transport Catalin Drula underlined, at the beginning of this week, that, in the conditions in which those kiosks will not be cleared out by the deadline, "the law will be restored".

On March 26, the subway trains were blocked by a spontaneous protest of some representatives of the USLM union in the Unirii Square station, as they descended into the tunnel, on the taxiway.

Minister of Transport Catalin Drula blamed the protest on the announcement regarding the release of the commercial spaces and advised the employees of the subway not to be deceived.
A court in the U.S. state of Minnesota proceeded Thursday with the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer charged in the death of George Floyd last year that sparked widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism last year.

Jurors on Wednesday saw about 20 minutes of police body camera video that spanned the time from when police approached Floyds vehicle and when he was loaded into an ambulance.

One video played Wednesday showed Chauvin saying Floyd was a sizable guy and probably on something.

Chauvin kneeled on the back of Floyds neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as Floyd cried repeatedly that he could not breathe.

Chauvin, who is white, was fired by the city's police department the day after Floyd, an African American, died in custody.

Jurors also heard testimony from several witnesses, including the convenience store cashier who sold cigarettes to Floyd moments before his deadly encounter with Chauvin.

Christopher Martin testified that he knowingly accepted a fake $20 bill from Floyd for the cigarettes even though the money would be subtracted from his paycheck in accordance with store policy.

The 19-year-old said after second-guessing his decision, he informed the store manager who told him to go outside and ask Floyd to return to the store.

If I would've just not taken the bill, this could've been avoided, Martin said.

Echoing sentiments from other onlookers, Martin said he felt disbelief and guilt, as he stood on the curb watching Floyds arrest.

Martin was among several people who have testified about their frustration and anger as they witnessed Chauvin kneeling on Floyds neck outside a convenience store last May.

The officer is facing charges of murder and manslaughter and has pleaded not guilty.

Chauvins defense lawyers have argued he was following his training and that other factors such as heart disease and drug use caused Floyd to die.

The city of Minneapolis recently agreed to pay Floyds relatives $27 million in damages to settle their claims of abuse in the case.

Courteney Ross, the late Floyd's girlfriend testified in court noting that the two struggled with opiod addiction. She said that was not the cause of his death,
Delayed News of 45 Deaths at Tanzania Leader's Memorial Slammed

Authorities in Tanzania took more than a week to confirm that 45 people died in a stampede on March 21, 2021 at a memorial for late president John Magufuli. On March 29, Dar es Salaam police commander Lazaro Mambosasa said 37 people were injured in the incident at Uhuru Stadium, but all had been discharged from hospital. "They went to the stadium in order to express their love for their departed leader but because the number of people was huge, some became impatient and opted to using unofficial entry points and that was how the problem occurred," Mambosasa said. Voice of America reports that human rights activists are demanding those behind the tragedy and the delay of information be held accountable.

Magufuli died at the Mzena Memorial Hospital in Dar es Salaam on March 17, and was laid to rest at his home town on March 26. The burial took place after Tanzanians had paid their last respects in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Zanzibar and Mwanza.
The Indian state-owned OFB (Ordnance Factory Board) recently worked out a partnership deal with the Russian JSC Kalashnikov Concern and the Russian government to jointly build a factory in India to produce at least 700,000 Russian designed AK-203 7.62/39mm rifles under license. The new IRRPL (Indo-Russia Rifles Private) firm would be 50.5 percent owned by the OFB, 42 percent by Kalashnikov and the rest by the Russian government. The first 100,000 AK-203s imported from Russia and the new IRRPL plant will assemble Indian-made and Russian-made components until Indian suppliers for all the components can be found. IRRPL currently has orders from the Indian Army and other Indian security agencies to keep the factory operational into the early 2030s. If IRRPL can maintain quality standards, their AK-203 will find more customers inside India and elsewhere.

The AK-203, along with a smaller number of imported German SIG716 sniper rifles, will replace the locally designed and built INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifles that proved to be a disaster when actually used in combat. There are also still a lot of elderly AK-47s in user by Indian police and other security agencies that need to be replaced by something at least as good as the AK-47 and preferably similar. The INSAS was also similar to the AK-47 but less reliable. The AK-203 is similar to the AK-47 but with additional capabilities users have already reported as satisfactory.

The delays in working out the AK-203 deal forced Indian military leaders to improvise. In 2019 India ordered 72,400 German designed, American built SIG716 7.62/61mm rifles for snipers, or designated marksmen in infantry units. These have been delivered and the Indian Army is trying to get money to buy more.

SIG716 rifles cost $1, 270 each, weigh 3.85 kg (8.5 pounds), are 940mm (37 inches) long and have a 406mm (16 inch) barrel. There is a ten-round magazine as well as an accessory rail for mounting scopes. The first 10,000 of these arrived in late 2019 and the rest are arriving in 10,000 rifle lots. The SIG716 is effective without a scope but extremely accurate with one. The SIG716 is based on the AR-10 design, a 7.62mm version of the AR-15 5.56mm weapon that became the M-16/M-4. The AR-10 served as the basis for a growing number of similar sniper rifles. The SIG716 proved very popular with Indian troops and that encouraged the government to expedite the manufacturing of something in India that was similar in effectiveness and troop acceptance.

The AK-203 was a late candidate to replace the INSAS. This was because of flaws in the Indian procurement system. A decade ago, India conducted a competition to select a foreign replacement for INSAS. The competitors included the Israeli ACE, the latest version of a weapon selected in the early 1970s to become the standard Israeli infantry rifle. Another competitor was CCR (Colt Combat Rifle), an upgraded version of the American M-16/M-4 design offered by the M4 manufacturer. These two rifles performed best in the competition but neither could meet the Indian QR (Qualitative Requirements). In fact, no rifle could meet the absurd QR and eventually the QR was quietly abandoned and India ignored the ACE and CCR for the Russian AM-203 which never competed and almost lost the contract because the accountants pointed out that unless Kalashnikov reduced the license fee of $200 per rifle, it would cost more to produce the rifle in Indian than to import them from Russia. Kalashnikov cut the license fee in half and the deal went though, with each Indian made AK-203 costing about $1,100.

The Israeli ACE and the American M4 have an interesting common history. The earliest version of ACE had been selected in the early 1970s to replace an assortment of other, mostly older, weapons to become the standard Israeli infantry rifle. The planned 1973 introduction of ACE was disrupted by the unexpected outbreak of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. During that war the U.S. rushed over emergency supplies, including lots of M-16s. These cost Israel nothing because they could be paid for with the military aid the Americans provide to Israel. Israeli troops liked the M-16, especially the version sent, which had been tweaked to fix flaws discovered during nearly a decade of heavy use in Vietnam. ACE was still competitive, but the Israelis would have to pay for that out of their own budget. The one catch with American military aid was that it had to be used for any American weapons the Israelis wanted. In 1994 the M4, a smaller and improved version of the M-16, appeared and Israeli troops liked this one even more. The Israeli ACE was still around as it could compete with the M-16 for export contracts and often won.

Then there was the Indian developed INSAS. This rifle was an embarrassment from the start and got worse. By 2015, responding to the growing combat losses because of INSAS 5.56mm assault rifle flaws, the Indian government capitulated and allowed the military to get rifles that worked. Unfortunately for nationalist politicians, this usually means a foreign supplier. Israel provided its Tavor assault rifle to replace most of the INSAS 5.56mm assault rifles used by commandos but the government insisted on a locally made rifle to supply the much larger needs of the army infantry and police forces. Foreign designs were still allowed for replacing special needs. That included items like a modern sniper rifle and a new LMG (Light Machinegun). SIG got the sniper sale and another Israeli firm provided the new LMG (Light Machine-Gun). Meanwhile it was hoped that Indian procurement officials learned something from the INSAS disaster.

The INSAS saga began in the 1980s when there was growing clamor for India to design and build its own weapons. This included something as basic as the standard infantry rifle. At that time soldiers and paramilitary-police units were equipped with a mixture of old (but still quite effective) British Lee-Enfield bolt-action 7.62mm rifles and newer Belgian FALs (sort of a semi-automatic Lee-Enfield) plus a growing number of Russian AK-47s. The rugged and reliable Russian assault rifle was most popular with its users and by far the cheapest to buy.

In the late 1980s India began developing a family of 5.56mm infantry weapons that included a rifle, light machine-gun and carbine. Called the INSAS, the state-owned factories were unable to produce the quantities required and agreed to. Worse, the rifles proved fragile and unreliable. The design was poorly thought out and it is believed corruption played a part because the INSAS had more parts than it needed and cost over twice as much to produce as the AK-47.

The original plan was to equip all troops with INSAS weapons by 1998. That never happened, although troops began to receive the rifle in 1998. By 2000 half the required weapons ordered were still not available because of inadequate production facilities. Then the situation for worse. In 1999 the INSAS rifles got their first real combat workout in the Kargil campaign against Pakistan. While not a complete failure, the nasty weather that characterized that battle zone high in the frigid mountains saw many failures as metal parts sometimes cracked from the extreme cold. Troops complained that they were at a disadvantage because their Pakistani foes could fire on full-automatic with their AK-47s while the INSAS rifles had only three bullet burst mode which, fortunately, sometimes failed and fired more than three bullets for each trigger pull. What was most irksome about this was that the INSAS rifles were the same weight, size and shape as the AK-47 but cost about $300 each, while AK-47s could be had for less than half that. The INSAS looked like the AK-47 because its design was based on that weapon.

The Indians persevered, tweaking the design and improving the manufacturing process. Because of that, after nearly two decades the INSAS weapons were gaining some acceptance. By 2015 nearly 400,000 had been delivered. Compared to most 5.56mm rifles on the market, INSAS had a price advantage and India was looking for export customers. No one was really interested. Only three small nations showed interest, and that was more for political reasons than for military ones. The major export customer (Nepal) got them at a huge discount and quickly found Nepalese troops demanding a replacement rifle because the INSAS was fatally unreliable.

In the decade following the Kargil debacle, INSAS rifles also malfunctioned in several highly publicized incidents involving the leftist (Maoist) rebels increasingly active in eastern India. Responding to the continuing performance and reliability problems, some changes were made but most Indian users wanted a better rifle, not an improved failure like INSAS. The military had been conducting a competition since 2013 and the winners were the Israeli Tavor and ACE assault rifles.

The Tavor and ACE were similar to INSAS models but lighter and easier to use and maintain. The Israelis had an edge in combat experience with their weapons and have been selling more weapons to India than just about anyone else and was a major reason the Tavor prevailed when it came to obtaining relatively small orders from Indian special operations forces. Politics intervened again and superior American and Israeli rifles were ignored in favor of the AK-203. Fortunately, the AK-203 was a decent design which, if manufactured competently in India, would satisfy Indian users still armed with the INSAS.

The Indian AK-203 will use the older, but still effective, AK-47 7.62/39 round, instead of the smaller 5.56mm. The AK-203 was designed to quickly adapt to a different size round and the Indians decided that if the AK-203 was to be accepted by the many existing AK-47 users, the 7.62/39 round was acceptable. The AK-203 weighs 3.8 kg (8.4 pounds) empty (no magazine or special sights), uses the standard 30 round magazine, as well as special magazines holding up to 75 rounds. It is more accurate than the original AK-47 and is effective out to 800 meters. It has an adjustable stock and is as easy to maintain as the AK-47. The AK-203 is designed to easily install and use modern rifle sights. Getting the first 100,000 rifles from Russian factories will keep the Indian manufacturer honest because the troops will notice, and openly complain, about any performance differences between the Russian and Indian made rifles.
New Delhi, April 2 : Hours after the Election Commission suspended four officials and ordered repolling at a polling station in southern Assam after an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was found in a BJP candidate's wife's vehicle on Thursday evening, the poll panel on Friday suspended an armed escort official on the basis of the report submitted by the Special General Observer.

The EC said in a statement that following the receipt of the report from the Special General Observer, armed escort officer Luhit Gohain, a sub-inspector (armed branch) in the Third Assam Police Battalion, Titabor, has been suspended.

The Commission has directed repolling at Polling Station 149 in Indira M.V. School of Ratabari (SC) LAC, it said.

Earlier in the day, the EC in a statement had said that the presiding officer, Sahab Uddin Talukdar, first polling officer Sourav Acharjee, second polling officer Abdul Mumit Choudhary, and third polling officer Sahab Uddin Tapadar have been placed under suspension and repolling has been ordered at the Indira M.V. School polling station under the Ratabari Assembly constituency in the state.

"Although the seals of the EVM were found intact, it has nevertheless been decided to do a repoll at the Indira M.V. School polling station as an added precautionary measure," the statement said.

The statement said that after the official car carrying the polled EVM machine to Karimganj broke down, the officials boarded a passing private car which was subsequently surrounded by a mob of about 50 people who started pelting stones at them.

The mob at Kanaishil (under Karimganj district) alleged that the EVM was being taken to be tampered with. The private car was owned by the wife of BJP candidate of the neighbouring Patharkandi constituency, Krishnendu Paul.

The statement added that due to heavy rains on Thursday night, the roads were muddy due to which the official car of the polling personnel broke down, following which they boarded a private vehicle along with the EVM and other materials without checking the ownership of the car.

Immediately after receiving information about the incident, the District Election Officer of Karimganj along with the district Superintendent of Police (SP) reached the spot at 10.20 p.m. on Thursday night.

During the course of stone pelting, Karimganj SP Mayank Kumar sustained minor injuries on his collarbone and had to resort to firing in the air to disperse the mob.

The first polling officer, who was found missing in the commotion, was rescued early on Friday morning from a nearby area.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said in a tweet: "Every time there is an election video of private vehicles caught transporting EVMs show up... Unsurprisingly they have the following things in common: 1. The vehicles usually belong to BJP candidates or their associates..." Over 77 per cent of the 73,44,631 voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of polling in Assam on Thursday in 39 constituencies.

Of the three-phase elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly, the third and final phase of polling will be held in 40 seats on April 6.

Nearly 80 per cent of 81,09,815 voters cast their votes on March 27 in the first phase of polling in 47 constituencies. The results will be declared on May 2.
Chennai, April 2 : Students of Velammal Vidyalaya (Annexure), Sr. Secondary School here through their sand art have urged voters to exercise their democratic right on April 6.

Elections for Tamil Nadu Assembly are slated for April 6.

The students of Velammal Vidyalaya created a huge sand sculpture at the Marina Beach here on Friday that aimed to woo voters to exercise their democratic right to vote.

The sand art was unveiled by G. Prakash, IAS, Commissioner, Chennai Corporation, (District Election Officer), who applauded the spirit of the students' mammoth sand art.

The sand art expressed the notion 'Your vote! Your Voice!' with a spectacular image depicting a voter's finger that symbolised the action needed by every voter.
Investigators complete probe into official of Rosrezerv Agency over $45M embezzlement

 AGN Moskva

13:45 02/04/2021

MOSCOW, April 2 (RAPSI)  The Russian Investigative Committee has completed the investigation of a criminal case against deputy head of the Federal Agency for State Reserves (Rosrezerv) Alexander Kiryukhin and other persons accused of embezzling more than 3.4 billion rubles (about $45 million) in the framework of state procurement, the press service of the body informs on Friday.

The criminal case with an approved indictment has been transferred to the Moscow City Court for consideration on the merits, the Investigative Committee said in the statement.

Investigators established that Kiryukhin, as well as ex-head of the Rosrezerv department of petroleum products Vadim Gavrilov, his former deputy Oleg Lazarev, director of the Research Institute of Storage Problems of Rosrezerv Sergey Ulanin, and commercial director of NaftaPremium LLC Alexander Pavlov, had embezzled more than 3.4 billion rubles under the guise of providing of services for the restoration of the quality of diesel fuel for the needs of Rosrezerv for a controlled commercial organization in the framework of the execution of government contracts.

It is to be noted, investigators observe, that the defendants executed the scheme being well aware that the said diesel fuel was of good enough quality, and the works performed were not needed.

The property of the defendants, their relatives, and persons affiliated with them, in the amount of 500 million rubles ($6.6 million at the current exchange rate) was arrested in the framework of a civil claim, the Investigative Committee said.
RoadVantage is excited to welcome Bob Corbin as the new President of Sales Bob Corbin is the next logical addition to our efforts. Bob will be an outstanding leader for our Sales Team."  Garret Lacour, RoadVantage CEO

RoadVantage, the #1-rated F&I provider as voted by automotive Dealers, is extremely pleased to announce the addition of industry veteran Bob Corbin as the new President of Sales while Randy Ross will be promoted to company President.

The Next Level of Company Evolution

To achieve the flexibility required for the next level of expansion, RoadVantage will be restructuring. These changes will help the company drive sales to even higher levels than the already impressive record. The dual goals will be to help our Agent Partners expand their businesses while seeking fresh, new growth opportunities. As of April 2nd, 2021, industry veteran Bob Corbin will join the team as the new President of Sales and make a positive difference for all involved.

Im honored to join the RoadVantage team as the company continues to post repeated record sales, said Bob Corbin. I appreciate the trust placed in me by CEO Garret Lacour, and Im excited to help this company grow even faster than ever before.

Changing Roles for a Fast-Growing Company

Randy Ross has done an outstanding job for the company as President of Sales considering the terrific success RoadVantage has enjoyed over the last couple of years. Randy will now be taking on the title of RoadVantage President. While in the Sales Department, Steve Chandler and Michael Picolo will continue to create sales growth with leadership roles guiding the Sales team's RVPs and ADMs.

We appreciate the daily efforts of everyone on our team to be the best in the business. We are impressed with our entire staff's professionalism and proud of the company we've built, said Randy Ross, President. Im energized by the changes were making, and I look forward to my new role as President. Our company will be able to offer even greater service to our Agent Partners.

Bob Corbin is the next logical addition to our efforts, said Garret Lacour, RoadVantage CEO. Bob will be an outstanding leader for our Sales Team. He has done this repeatedly with incredible success, and we are very excited about what he can do for our company! Our 4.8 rating with over 240 Google Reviews and top honors for four years running with Diamond wins in the Dealers' Choice Awards are proof positive that we are the best, and Bob will help us deliver even more value. We will continue to prove our value as a premier provider to our Agents, Dealers, and customers.

The David and Goliath Story of RoadVantage

RoadVantage has developed a phenomenal record  from a start-up in 2011 to becoming a key player in the F&I marketplace in just ten years. A David and Goliath story, RoadVantage has proven that the biggest is not always the best! With visionary leadership and a fresh approach, the multi-year award-winning company has pioneered many industry innovations. Progressive products offering True Coverage eliminate headaches and provide the coverage todays customers expect. Technology solutions streamline processes for Agents and Dealers, and a focus on exceptional customer service has resulted in the highest levels of claims service.

RoadVantage delivers on promises and disrupts business as usual, and the industry is taking notice. Through partnerships with General Agents nationwide, RoadVantage has built a solid reputation as a company that delivers. Agents have rewarded RoadVantage with unmatched year-over-year growth and fierce loyalty to the value the company provides to them and their Dealers.

About RoadVantage

Fueled by innovation, led by industry veterans, and powered by passion for creating an exceptional customer experience, RoadVantage is the #1-rated F&I provider in the industry. With a team that leverages technology and a streamlined approach, RoadVantage is setting new standards for performance, with exclusionary programs providing the most comprehensive coverages available anywhere in the industry today. RoadVantages industry-leading service levels result in 98% of claims approved in seven minutes or less and 99% of claims paid within one hour of receipt of a signed invoice. RoadVantage offers a full portfolio of mechanical VSC and ancillary products through certified agents and is headquartered in Austin, TX with regional offices in Boston, MA; Dallas, TX; Phoenix, AZ; St. Augustine, FL; and Richmond, VA. For more information, visit http://www.roadvantage.com.
Hudson Countys vaccine allocation will more than triple next week, with a record 20,850 dose shipment, county officials announced Thursday.

The USS Juneau Center vaccination site, open to all county residents, will be open for an extra day next week because of the news, officials said.

The 20,000-plus doses will be distributed at sites operated by cities and the county itself.

It is the first indication that the state may be course correcting and reworking its distribution formula, which has consistently resulted in Hudson County ranking last in New Jersey for the number of doses administered per 100,000 residents every week.

Last week, Sen. Rob Menendez wrote to Gov. Phil Murphy, urging him to make an effort to send a greater portion of the states available doses to Hudson County. The Jersey Journal has also published two editorials pushing for an increase and county officials have said they regularly ask the state for more.

Im incredibly grateful for our local leaders in Hudson County and our Sen. Bob Menendez who have tirelessly advocated for us to receive an increase in doses, and I thank Gov. Murphy for hearing our concerns and coming through with this much-needed lifeline for Hudson County, County Executive Tom DeGise said in a press release.

In recent weeks, the county has been receiving fewer than 7,000 doses, a county spokeswoman said.

The state sent 6,400 doses the week of March 22 and 6,700 the week prior.

The most Hudson had ever received was 7,900 on the week that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was rolled out.

The drive-through vaccination site at the USS Juneau Center in South Kearny will be open Thursday of next week, in addition to the usual Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

A portion of the incoming doses are from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which opened a mass vaccination site in Newark this week. FEMA will direct 4,680 doses directly to Hudson County to support the population here as well.
Hunter Biden arrives to the inauguration of Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Hunter Biden: Ukraine Laptop Could Be His but Says It Was Possibly Hacked by Russians

President Joe Bidens son Hunter has acknowledged a laptop computer with a slew of previously secret messages could be his but also suggested he was hacked by Russians.

There could be a laptop out there that was stolen from me. It could be that I was hacked. It could be that it was thethat it was Russian intelligence, Hunter Biden told CBS in an interview clip released Friday.

The laptop was dropped off in 2019 at a computer store in Delaware owned by John Paul Mac Isaac, who says Hunter Biden asked him to recover contents from the damaged machine. An authorization allegedly signed by the younger Biden was submitted in a recent lawsuit filed by Mac Isaac against Twitter.

The computer contained explosive messages and emails between Hunter Biden regarding his various business dealings, which have taken place in countries such as Ukraine and China. A cybersecurity expert authenticated one email that indicated Vadym Pozharskyi, a top executive from Ukrainian gas firm Burisma, met with Joe Biden while in Washington in 2015. Joe Biden was vice president at the time, and Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma.

Hunter Bidens dealings are under investigation by lawmakers in Congress and his tax returns are being probed by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Delaware.

President Biden has called the release of information from the laptop allegedly belonging to his son part of a smear campaign. The contents were first published in October, as Biden challenged then-President Donald Trump.

Hunter Biden, left and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden cheer on stage during a rally in Wilmington, Del., on Nov. 7, 2020. (Jim Bourg/Reuters)

In the new interview, Hunter Biden, who is promoting his new book, also spoke about a moment during the 2020 campaign that he said saved him from doing drugs. The younger Biden has long struggled with addiction.

Hunter Biden said his father chased him down the driveway at his fathers home in Wilmington, Delaware. He said his daughters blocked the door to his car and his father grabbed megave a bear hug, and he saidand just cried, and saidI dont know what to do. I dont know what to do. Please.'

I thought: I need to figure out a way to tell him that Im gonna do something, so that I can go take another hit. Its the only thing I could think. Literally, Hunter Biden added. Thats how powerful. I dont know of a force more powerful than my familys love. Except addiction.

The interview came after National Public Radio (NPR) issued a correction to a review of Hunter Bidens book that claimed the idea that the laptop belonged to him was discredited by U.S. intelligence and independent investigations by news organizations.

That line now says, Numerous news organizations cast doubt on the credibility of the laptop story.

The correction states: A previous version of this story said U.S. intelligence had discredited the laptop story. U.S. intelligence officials have not made a statement to that effect.

The author of the article didnt respond to a request for comment.

NPRs news editor said last year that the outlet wasnt covering the laptop because we dont want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories.
STAMFORD  A Bridgeport man was charged with murder Thursday morning for allegedly killing a 35-year-old Stamford mother in September.

Police said an investigation revealed that Ian Easy Evans, 28, is the one who pulled the trigger in the shooting death of Shernetta Dunmore at a block party on the citys East Side.

Evans, who was already facing charges tied to the shooting, was hit with the new felony charge as he attended Stamford Superior Court on Thursday.

The warrant for his arrest, however, has been sealed for a minimum of 14 days.

Evans attended his arraignment remotely from Stamford Courts holding cell Thursday afternoon. He listened on as Judge Bruce Hudock set a $2 million bond  in addition to the $1 million bond on which he was already being held  for his release.

Attorney Phillip Russell, who represents Evans, did not argue against the bond. He only asked that Hudock set the bond without prejudice, so that the topic could be revisited at Evans next court date on April 19.

During the hearing, Russell claimed he still has not seen the warrant for his clients arrest, nor any other documents or discovery related to the case.

But, based off what he does know about the incident, Russell said he isnt convinced about the case against his client.

My understanding is that there was a crowd of people firing at another crowd of people who were firing back. So how there can be a single arrest and 100 percent of the culpability attached to a single individual, who is by sheer coincidence the only human being on the scene that is not from the neighborhood, is something that will be a central theme to this trial, Russell said after the arraignment.

On Sept. 20, Dunmore, who lived on Henry Street, joined a group of city residents celebrating the end of summer at Cummings Park. When the park closed, people moved to a parking lot for the Ursula Place Housing Complex just off Cove Road.

Just after midnight, gunfire erupted at the party. Police said about 30 shots were fired in the incident.

Dunmore was shot numerous times. She was rushed to Stamford Hospital, but died from her injuries.

Two other men, both from Bridgeport, were also injured in the shooting.

Five days after the incident, Evans was arrested on charges of first-degree assault, criminal attempt at first-degree assault, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment.

Police said at the time the arrest was related to the wounding of a man at the party.

In February, Evans pleaded not guilty to those initial charges.

Since her death, Dunmore has been widely mourned by friends and family in Stamford.

Dunmore was born and raised in Stamford. She graduated from Bassick High School in Bridgeport and then went to Maine where she became a Jobs Corps graduate and learned about the culinary arts, her brother Jamal, said.

Before she died, Dunmore was working a security job to make ends meet and create a good life for her son, her brother said, adding his sister will be greatly missed in the Stamford community where she had a ton of friends.
Detectives, however, did obtain a search warrant for the data recorder of the 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV, known as a black box. Villanueva would not say Wednesday what data had been found in the black box. "A cause has been determined, the investigation has concluded," Villanueva said during a live social media event Wednesday in response to a question posed by The Associated Press.

Investigators did not seek a search warrant for Woods' blood samples, which could be screened for drugs and alcohol. In 2017, Woods checked himself into a clinic for help in dealing with prescription drug medication after a DUI charge in his home state of Florida.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva has been criticized for his comments about the crash, calling it "purely an accident" and saying there was no evidence of impairment. Woods told deputies he did not know how the crash occurred and didn't remember driving. He was unconscious when a witness first approached the mangled SUV. But a sheriff's deputy said the athlete later appeared to be in shock but was conscious and able to answer basic questions.

Woods suffered serious injuries in the Feb. 23 crash when he struck a raised median around 7 a.m. in Rolling Hills Estates, just outside Los Angeles. The Genesis SUV he was driving crossed two oncoming lanes and uprooted a tree on a downhill stretch that police said is known for wrecks. Woods is in Florida recovering from multiple surgeries.

The Los Angeles County sheriff says detectives have determined what caused Tiger Woods to crash his SUV last month in Southern California but would not release details Wednesday, citing unspecified privacy concerns for the golf star.

But Villanueva claimed investigators need permission from Woods -- who previously named his yacht "Privacy" -- to release information about the crash. "We have reached out to Tiger Woods and his personnel," Villanueva said. "There's some privacy issues on releasing information on the investigation, so we're going to ask them if they waive the privacy, and then we will be able to do a full release on all the information regarding the accident."

Woods's agent at Excel Sports, Mark Steinberg, did not immediately respond to an email.

"We have all the contents of the black box. We've got everything," Villanueva said. "It's completed, signed, sealed and delivered. However, we can't release it without the permission of the people involved in the collision."

Greg Risling, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County district attorney, said in an email Wednesday that no felony or misdemeanor complaints against Woods had been filed through their office regarding the crash.

Villanueva's statement about privacy issues did not make sense to Joseph Giacalone, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a retired New York City Police Department sergeant, who has criticized the sheriff's response to the Woods incident from the start. "I don't think I've ever seen a department ever ask for permission like that," he said. "What happens if his lawyers say, 'No, you can't send it out now.' And then where does that leave us?"

Giacalone said it's unlikely deputies would have sought the permission of non-celebrity victims in similar crashes to release information. If the sheriff's hesitancy stemmed from a potential medical episode behind the wheel, Giacalone said authorities could simply say it was a medical emergency without giving additional details. "I don't think they would have asked any family member of us if they can come out with it," he said.

Woods is from the Los Angeles area and was back home to host his PGA tournament, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, which ended two days before the crash. He was driving an SUV lent to him by the tournament. Woods has never gone an entire year without playing, dating back to his first PGA Tour event as a 16-year-old in high school.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Myanmar has descended into chaos since a junta seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. Armed forces and police have fired on demonstrators, who appear undeterred by curfews and a nationwide state of emergency, but the military have also entered shops and houses to attack people. The country is on the brink of collapse and civil war. More than 500 have been killed, with children among the victims. Thousands of people have been detained, including leaders of the former civilian government. Air strikes have been launched against ethnic minorities and the UNs special envoy to Myanmar has warned of a possible multi-dimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia. The most famous person arrested is Suu Kyi, the 75-year-old civilian leader whose party won the November 2020 elections in a landslide. Key allies of the Nobel peace laureate have also been locked up, including Sydney academic Sean Turnell who has long served as an economic adviser. He faces up to 14 years in prison under colonial-era laws. This latest coup happened after she came into conflict with armed forces commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing, who questioned the legitimacy of the November 2020 elections that returned Suu Kyi with a massive majority. The target of US sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for his alleged involvement in human rights abuses against the Rohingya minority and others, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has for 10 years maintained significant power even as the country has moved towards democracy. Did Suu Kyi ever really have power? What has triggered this latest turn of events? And wasnt Myanmar a democracy? Anti-coup protesters run to avoid military forces during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, on Wednesday. Credit:AP

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What do I need to know about Myanmar? The south-east Asian republic, once a British colony called Burma, lies to the west of Thailand and also shares borders with China, Bangladesh, India and Laos. Officially a federation of states and regions known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, it is the worlds 25th most populous nation with 57 million people, nearly 90 per cent of them Buddhist. Myanmar became independent from Britain in 1948 but endured military rule almost uninterrupted between 1962 and 2011. The generals flirted with democracy in 1990 when they held a general election but rejected it when Suu Kyi, then under house arrest, won. Then, a decade ago, a group of generals traded khaki for suits and set up a new, quasi-civilian government. They promised elections, and largely delivered in 2015 when Suu Kyis party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), scored a resounding victory. The next election, when the NLDs five-year term was up, was in November  and the partys win was even more emphatic. Loading The military has never handed over power unconditionally, though, and under the junta-drafted constitution of 2008 it holds key positions in the cabinet, picks one of the three vice-presidents and is guaranteed a quarter of the seats in Parliament (which are therefore never up for election). Myanmar has seven large ethnic groups of which the largest is Burman with about 68 per cent, and the government recognises nearly 200 ethnic minorities and clans. The government does not recognise the Rohingya, a Muslim minority; Myanmars military has been accused of waging an attempted genocide against the Rohingya, leading to more than a million displaced people, including about 700,000 in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

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Myanmars military, called the Tatmadaw, has also been involved in civil wars with state-level armed forces that opposed central rule or rebelled against the oppression of a one-party state. The national governments recent efforts to broker a truce among the states have yielded mixed results. Demographically, the country is young: more than a quarter of the population is aged under 14, yet it has one of the lowest rates of spending on education as a percentage of gross domestic product in the world. The CIA World Factbook ranks Myanmar at 175 out of 228 countries for real GDP per capita. Women working in a paddy field in the Irrawaddy region of Myanmar in August. Credit:Getty Images Who is Aung San Suu Kyi, and why is she controversial? Born in British Burma in 1945, Suu Kyi is the daughter of a general who played an important role in the fight to establish an independent Myanmar after World War II. General Aung San was assassinated in 1947, and he remains a hero to the Burmese majority, including to the military leaders who detained Suu Kyi. A diplomat and scholar, Suu Kyi married Oxford historian Michael Aris and had two children. She was outspoken on human rights issues and confronted the military as its hold on power grew more repressive in the late 20th century. Aris died in 1999. Suu Kyi under house arrest in her dilapidated mansion in Yangon (formerly Rangoon) in 1996. Credit:Getty Images

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The pro-democracy movement of 1988 was a turning point for Suu Kyi, who had returned to Myanmar from Britain. The 8888 Uprising grew during the year, building up to August 8, 1988, a date people considered auspicious. However, the army killed 350 people (activists claim the true toll is thousands) and detained many more. Suu Kyis speech urging non-violent resistance at Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon on September 26, to more than half a million people in the aftermath of the massacre, became an iconic moment. Adored as The Lady, Suu Kyi led the NLD to a landslide victory in 1990 while under house arrest in Yangon. The generals refused to hand over power. Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace while detained; she spent about 15 years in total under house arrest before being released in December 2010 during a thaw in relations with the military. Aung San Suu Kyi defends her country against accusations of the Rohingya genocide at the top UN court in the Hague in the Netherlands on December 11, 2019. Credit:Getty Images Her election victory in 2015 was hailed as a watershed moment for Myanmar democracy  she was allowed to campaign openly and to actually take power  but there were already questions about whether she had compromised too much of her credibility by engaging with the generals. She was criticised during the campaign for failing to rebuke the military for their longstanding abuses of the Rohingya minority, who had been denied citizenship and the right to vote. The condemnation grew after she was in office, as the military launched a crackdown that United Nations agencies have likened to genocide, in October 2016. Two years later, at the World Economic Forum, she equivocated by saying we have to be fair to all sides. Amnesty International stripped her of the Prisoner of Conscience Award shortly after while other honours have been revoked. Despite agitation from activists, there is no possibility of rescinding the Peace Prize under the Nobel statutes. Police charged Suu Kyi for illegally possessing communications equipment, allegedly found during a raid on her house in the capital, Naypyidaw, and when she first faced court in secret on February 16, The New York Times reported she was also charged with contravening a natural disaster management law by interacting with a crowd during the coronavirus pandemic.

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The military are both unearthing obscure colonial-era laws and drafting new cybersecurity bills to counter online activism. International Commission of Jurists accountability director Kingsley Abbott told the BBC one law, threatening public tranquility, was so vague and so broad is can pretty much be used to arrest anyone on any pretext. The bottom line is the military is completely above the law, and these developments are really a full-frontal assault on human rights and the rule of law in Myanmar. A protester holds a placard with a defaced image of Myanmar military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Credit:AP What does the military want and why has it struck now? The military has been involved in politics since independence. Military dictator Ne Win had already served as prime minister when he staged a coup in 1962 that led to the establishment of a one-party, socialist state. Ne Win stood down during the protests of 1988 but he was replaced by the notorious State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), which detained thousands of political prisoners. It renamed itself the State Peace and Development Council in 1997; armed forces chief Than Shwe led the council from 1992 to 2011 and served as prime minister for part of that time; now 88, he remains an influential behind-the-scenes figure. His successor is Min Aung Hlaing. These decades of military rule left Myanmar a pariah state. Australia was among the countries that imposed sanctions on the nation after generals rejected Suu Kyis win in 1990 elections. Subject to sanctions and reliant on China, the former rice bowl of south-east Asia became an economic ruin, reaching crisis point in 2008 after Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy delta, killing 138,000 people. The military was criticised for blocking relief efforts and international aid.

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(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs via JNS)  When Palestinian elections were first discussed, the spotlight immediately turned to the struggle between Fatah and Hamas and the fear that under cover of the elections, Hamas would infiltrate the West Bank. But it soon became clear that the story was not Fatah against Hamas, but Fatah against Fatah.

What is at the root of the Fatah problem? Actually, there are two competing Fatahs.

The first consists of the PLO leadership of the exile, with its old roots in todays Israel, for whom the formative event was the 1948 nakba. What matt...
EUGENE, Ore. -- April 2, 2021 -- Across California's Central Valley, under stress from large-scale agriculture and climate change, native bee species that are flexible in their pollination behavior when around other wild bee populations appear best suited for survival in shrinking habitats.

That's the primary finding of a study published online April 1 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

A research team led by University of Oregon biologist Lauren C. Ponisio identified 1,150 network interactions involving 157 wild bee species and 152 plant species at 63 sites spread across three counties. The findings emerged from observations of adult bees from 31 species whose pollination activities with at least five plants overlapped during multiple crop-growing seasons.

"We looked at the ability of these bees to change their roles in these plant-pollinator interaction networks," Ponisio said. "This ability proved to be important for which species persisted in the landscape as well as for the higher number of habitat patches being occupied."

An important behavior tied to that vitality was the ability of some wild bee species that chose plants being less targeted for pollination by competing species, said the study's lead author, Marilia P. Gaiarsa, who was a postdoctoral researcher in Ponisio's former lab at the University of California, Riverside.

Ponisio joined the UO's Data Science Initiative in July 2020 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and member of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution. Gaiarsa now is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Zurich, where she is studying the response of species interactions to climate change.

"In the Central Valley, there are areas of intensive industrial agriculture, monocultural farming, that are experiencing a 90 percent habitat loss for native bees," Ponisio said.

Understanding what factors promote ecosystem health and ecosystem services, such as pollination, Gaiarsa said, is vital for helping species that are facing extinction from various extinction drivers such as intensive agriculture, deforestation and climate change.

"One way to turn around these negative effects is through the process of ecosystem restoration," she said. "By going into a degraded area and planting native plants known to be important resources for bees, we can restore some of the lost interactions and potentially restore the populations of these species."

The valley is a product of large land grants purchased for farming years ago. Large single-crop enterprises dominate the fertile land. Over time, hedgerows were added between some farms to restore patches of native plants that support native species, especially bees crucial to crop pollination. Bees, in turn, need nectar from the plants for nutrition.

Hedgerows observed in the study were created by planting flowers along the margins of fields more than a decade ago in a project led by study co-author Claire Kremen, Ponisio's doctoral adviser at the University of California, Berkeley.

"At these hedgerows there are tiny patches of bee populations in these seas of monoculture agriculture," Ponisio said. "Some colonize these patches; others go live in them for a while but eventually go extinct."

By looking into the population dynamics of different species, the research team sought to understand if different species visited different habitat patches and, in turn, how well they were able to persist on the landscape. Occupation of different patches, Gaiarsa said, should increase the number of interactions at each site and potentially increase plant diversity and overall ecosystem health.

"If a particular bumblebee species pollinates several plants that are only pollinated by a couple of other bee species, maybe that bumblebee species will be able to colonize more habitat patches because there may be very little competition with other bees for its plant resources," she said.

###

The Army Research Office, National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture supported the project. Gaiarsa was supported by a University of California, Riverside Chancellor's Fellowship.

Links:

Paper in Nature Ecology & Evolution:

https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41559-021-01434-y

About Lauren Ponisio:

http://www. ponisiolab. com/ members. html

Ponisio Lab:

http://www. ponisiolab. com/

Institute of Ecology and Evolution:

https:/ / ie2. uoregon. edu/

Department of Biology:

https:/ / biology. uoregon. edu/

Data Science Initiative:

https:/ / datascience. uoregon. edu/
For the second year in a row, evangelist Nick Hall and his young-adult ministry Pulse will host a global Good Friday broadcast, teaming up with influential leaders including Francis Chan and Ebony Small to reach millions with the hope of the Gospel.

On Good Friday  the day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross  Hall will host the Good Friday Worldwide broadcast, a free livestream event, translated inover40 languages andavailable in 200 countries, including Japan, China, Nepal, Thailand, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Ukraine and Russia.

Good Friday Worldwide is set to be thelargest Easter outreach in the world, with 400 host sites, radio stations, and TV stations airing the program, which will feature messages from Chan and Small with worship led by Grammy Award winners for King and Country, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Michael W. Smith, and Dove Award winners Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes.

Last year, the world was shaken by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, radical injustice and overwhelming loneliness. We were inundated with grim news and the nations were desperate for hope, for peace, for stability, for joy," Hall said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

Source:The Christian Post
BUSINESSMAN Badru Amrani appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in Dar es Salaam on Thursday charged with five counts relating to dealing in minerals valued some 157m/-.

The charges include forgery, obtaining money by false pretence, unauthorised possession of minerals and money laundering. Before Senior Resident Magistrate Rashid Chaungu, the accused was not allowed to enter plea to the charges because the case falls under the Economic and Organised Crimes Control Act.

Under such circumstances, the magistrate informed the businessman that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain anything, including the question of bail.

The magistrate adjourned the matter to April 15 for mention and ordered the accused to remain in custody. Senior State Attorney Wankyo Simon, for the prosecution, informed the court that investigations into the trial have not been completed. Prosecuting, the trial attorney alleged that the businessman forged two documents between December 6, 2019 and December 16, 2020 in Dar es Salaam.

With intent to defraud, the accused person allegedly made false Chemical Laboratory Report and Purchase and Sale of Copper Concentrate between Barmati International Group of Companies Limited and BTC General Trading FZE Company Limited, a company registered in United Arab Emirates.

The prosecution alleged that Amrani purported to show that African Minerals and Geosciences Centre (AMGC) issued the report to Barmati International Group of Companies Limited, certifying that the Manganese ores has been tested and contained 47.78 per cent of the mineral concentrates.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Tanzania Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

As regard to the purchase and sale document, it is alleged that the accused person purported to show that Barmati International Group of Companies Limited, a company registered in the country contracted to supply 1,000 tonnes of copper metals to BTC Ltd for a price of 245 US dollars per tonne, while it was false.

The court heard that on diverse dates between last November 23 and December 21 in the city, being the owner of Barmati International Group of Companies Limited, the accused obtained 155,605 US dollars from Kerim Mankeyev, the Commercial Director of BTC General Trading.

It is alleged that the accused persons pretended that he would supply 1,000 tonnes of copper minerals, something which it was not true. The prosecution told the court that this March 23 at Bunju area within Kinondoni District, the businessman was found in possession of several types of minerals.

It is alleged that the accused person was found possessing the minerals while he is not mineral right holder or licensed dealer.

The prosecution also charged Amrani with an offence of money laundering. The court heard that on diverse dates between last November 23 and December 21 in Dar es Salaam, the businessman acquired 155,605 US dollars while he knew that at the time of receipt such sum was proceeds of a predicate offence of forgery.
An inner-Melbourne charity will be gifted an estimated $2.8 million in a real-life tale of practising what you preach.

Academic Christopher Baker lectured in philanthropy and even wrote his PhD on structured giving in wills.

Inner North Community Foundation chair Carolyn Phiddian inside 11 Rose Street, Brunswick. Money from the sale of the property will fund community grants. Credit:Chris Hopkins

He and partner Kerri Hall arranged for part of their estate  including their superannuation and proceeds of the sale of their 1920s Californian bungalow  to support the Inner North Community Foundation.

Dr Baker, who died last year, was a lecturer at Swinburne University. Ms Hall, who died in 2017, was a librarian at the State Library of Victoria.
It doesnt take much to panic us at the moment. US Strategic Command  the body responsible for the nuclear weapons  sparked fear and confusion by posting gibberish on Twitter. A meltdown? A major hack? No. The social media manager left his child at the computer and the tiny imposter temporarily took over the account. David Cameron may be starting to seriously panic, as the Westminster lobbying scandal threatens to turn nuclear. Labour has shared his financier friends old business card  showing that the (alleged) imposter claimed to have worked at No 10. Meanwhile, panicking EU leaders have turned to Putin for help  desperately hoping the Russian vaccine doesnt turn out to be an imposter.

Inside the bubble

Political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:
Diversity and inclusion is fast becoming a board-level imperative across corporate America. But for all the strides theyve made, D&I initiatives have left some organizations struggling to address the many definitions of what diversity and inclusion mean when put into practice. While gender, race, ethnicity, and orientation are top of mind when talking about inclusivity, only recently has neurodiversity (ND) become part of the conversation. The past 5 years have seen the term popping up on company blogs, becoming a hashtag, and finding a meaningful place in some companies D&I strategies.

Commonly defined as a variation in neurocognitive functioning, ND is a broad umbrella term encompassing varied neurocognitive differences such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, Tourettes syndrome, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, intellectual disability, schizophrenia, and PTSD, among other disabilities.

Statistics show that more than 1 billion people in the world have some form of disability and that, regardless of their education, expertise, or willingness to work, 80% are either unemployed or vastly underemployed due to work environments, processes, and programs not designed to support them. Yet with the disabled making up nearly 20% of the worlds population, its a talent pool too large to ignore.

Some pioneering companies are tapping into this pool, adjusting their recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes  and their workplace practices and environments  to ensure ND candidates and employees have opportunities to thrive, while enabling their teams to benefit from their ND colleagues unique and varied talents.

Here is a look at how companies are approaching recruiting and retaining neurodiverse talent  and the unexpected benefits theyve received from embracing ND inclusivity.

Breaking myths and making an impact

Among the first companies to expertly mine missed opportunities in the ND community was Microsoft, which launched its groundbreaking Autism Hiring Program in 2015. Neil Barnett, director of inclusive hiring and accessibility at Microsoft, has become a beacon of best practices for those wanting to emulate the tech giants person-first inclusivity framework.

Microsoft Neil Barnett, director of inclusive hiring and accessibility, Microsoft

Barnett based Microsofts neurodiversity hiring program on the belief that traditional interview processes dont allow ND candidates to demonstrate their true strengths. Finding that well-qualified individuals are often overlooked because of their aversion to making eye contact or their anxiety about participating in multi person, all-day discussions, Barnett helped develop a candidate screening process that focused on demonstrated ability, task completion, and problem-solving rather than one reliant on soft skills such as social interaction.

The program has also had a positive impact on Microsofts culture, its employees and its partner organizations. Weaving talent with disabilities into the fabric of the company creates better processes, products and services for everyone, Barnett says. Many of our engineers are writing code thats used daily by millions of consumers. Diversity not only enriches Microsofts performance, its also essential to our long-term success and continued innovation.

Often incorrectly associated with Dustin Hoffmans autistic character Raymond from the movie Rainman, many ND individuals are typecast at work due to their natural technical aptitude, holding them back from growth and opportunities. Though many ND people have outsized and often hyper-specific intellectual abilities, its a myth that theyre unable to communicate or meaningfully contribute to areas other than IT, engineering or in Raymonds case, card counting.

Potentia Workforce Shawn Fry, CIO, Potentia Workforce

Its stereotypes like these that Shawn Fry, CIO of Potentia Workforce, fights every day. Potentia is a Texas-based organization that trains companies how best to interview, onboard and support ND employees. Prior to his role at Potentia, Fry built (and sold) several multimillion-dollar data analytics companies. He has also served as CIO of multiple regional hospital networks throughout Texas. His depth of expertise continues to make him a sought-after strategist, but his impressive background and corporate ascension obscure an early life as a social outcast who turned to computers as a form of escape. In a plot twist familiar throughout the ND community, Fry did not discover that he was autistic until he was in his forties and had an autistic daughter of his own.

Neurodiverse individuals represent at least 20% of the adult population cutting across race, gender, and orientation, Fry explains. This means that we cannot really talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion without neurodiversity taking its rightful place at the table.

Potentia Jeff Miller, founder and CEO, Potentia

Its no accident that Fry landed at Potentia. Founder and CEO Jeff Miller was inspired to create Potentia to provide meaningful employment opportunities to ND individuals because his son is on the spectrum. Miller believes that ND matters for businesses because, as he says, leveraging it fully benefits the bottom line. He also points out that companies already have ND employees in their midst but dont know about it because many dont self-disclose for fear of discrimination.

Chevron is among the neurodiverse hiring pioneers that have seen the positive impact ND employees can have through its participation in Potentias STARS (Spectrum Training Recruitment and Support) program. Shawn Morgan, HR data science manager at Chevron, says he learned unexpected lessons through STARS about strengthening his own communication skills to better suit his teams.

Chevron Shawn Morgan, HR data acience manager, Chevron

I admit that I didnt understand or recognize how incredibly talented these individuals are. Having them on our teams has allowed myself and others to reflect on our own unique traits and attributes and become better communicators, citizens, and empathy-driven individuals, he says. It has made all of us reflect on and modify how we communicate, not just with our ND colleagues, but with each other.

Sharing best practices to benefit a community

Businesses that arent able to recruit and support ND workers miss out on a large and exceptionally competent swath of the population, Potentias Miller says. It stands to reason that companies that are not ND-competent will have unnecessarily high turnover and less engagement among those workers. Thats just bad for business.

So how does an organization build a program that attracts and helps retain qualified ND candidates? By following in the footsteps of those who have done the same. Though there is no one-size-fits-all approach to ND processes or programs, there is a wealth of information being freely shared by organizations who have paved the way. Companies are continually building on the best practices of proven, successful initiatives, adapting them to their evolving requirements.

Dell Lou Candiello, senior manager of diversity and talent acquisition, Dell

Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, Lou Candiello, senior manager of diversity and talent acquisition at Dell, recognized he could leverage the successes of D&I initiatives across various industries to craft an expansive inclusivity program tailored to Dells specific needs. He began the process by reaching out to Microsoft.

When we started the conversation around ND folks about four, maybe five years ago, Neil [Barnett] shared with me what he was doing at Microsoft and from there I was connected to JPMorgan Chase, SAP, and Ernst & Young, says Candiello. Its a community open to sharing what weve learned with whomever wants to know. You dont have to be a partner of ours or close to us in any way to learn how to build a program of your own. Its not something we want to keep secret.

Candiello says he took pieces from various successful programs that exemplified the companys ethos and developed one that embodied Dells distinctive culture. In a further show of commitment to the ND community, Dell also joined the Autism @ Work employer roundtable  a forum for organizations to share their experiences, lessons learned and successes  in hopes of inspiring similar programs across industries.

According to Microsoft, viewing accessibility as a business has been key to its success. In 2016 the company rebuilt its programs to include more systematic ways of measuring progress and to set targets, leading to the development of its lauded Accessibility Evolution Model (AEM), which the company has been using and improving for more than four years. Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Microsofts chief accessibility officer, speaks to the companys ongoing efforts to share its best practices for hiring and retaining ND candidates while breaking down the AEM and providing links to additional research and strategies in her July 2020 blog post titled Accessibility Evolution Model: Creating Clarity in Your Accessibility Journey.

Its important to understand, though, that merely emulating successful programs isnt enough. Many organizations partner with outside consultants to help design, implement and fine tune their efforts. But how do you know which approach is right for your team? You can start with the Autism @ Work Playbook, an analysis of the successful approach taken by trailblazing companies that has become a seminal guide for anyone looking to draft their own unique ND outreach and support initiatives.

Dr. Hala Annabi, an associate professor at the University of Washington Information School, led the collaborative research project Autism-Ready Workplace: Creating and Sustaining Autism Hiring Initiatives in an effort to provide companies with a roadmap to successful ND hiring.

Studying the Autism @ Work programs in place at Microsoft, SAP, JPMorgan Chase, and Ernst & Young, the ACCESS-IT Research Group at the Information School systematically examined how the firms established their programs and how they sustain them. The researchers analyzed key organizational strategies, employment and resourcing models, and hiring and onboarding practices to develop the guide.

Additionally, you may want to add a section to your corporate website specifically for ND talent. In looking at organizations with dedicated D&I programs, one constant is that they have specific sections of their websites devoted to attracting ND candidates. Prominently featuring their outside consultant partners in ND hiring, companies such as Dell provide an overview of their unique hiring process, showcase videos of candidate success stories, and have created a simple, intuitive user experience. By making their ND hiring process easy to find on their websites, they provide a ready example for other organizations to do the same.

Dont call them accommodations

Creating opportunities for ND employees should be a priority for organizations of all sizes, believes Liz Feld, CEO of the RADical Hope Foundation. She knows that companies are hesitant to adopt their own programs because of misconceptions around the sorts of accommodations ND candidates may require but says we shouldnt even be thinking of them as accommodations in the first place.

RADical Hope Foundation Liz Feld, CEO, RADical Hope Foundation

First of all, I dont see the things we are doing for and with our ND employees as accommodations, she says. I see them as best practices that, frankly, all organizations should be following, but arent. In order for ND employees to be as effective as they can be, they require structure, process, and specificity  and they ask for these things.

Feld says that her ND hires dont like to operate under assumptions and will work to clarify things that feel ambiguous, whereas many neurotypical employees are hesitant to ask questions as they dont want to seem uniformed.

Why shouldnt we expect specificity from people were working with? she asks. Its a regular reminder to me to slow down, be more organized in how I communicate, and be much more specific. Why should that be unique to the ND community? I feel like its the way we should all be operating. Its a much more candid, explicit dynamic.

On top of adopting a more direct and transparent communication style, managers should understand that the physical environment is critical to ND employees. The common pre-pandemic tech environment  open plan with cavernous echoes and ambient chaos  is considered kryptonite to someone with sensory processing disorders, which many ND people have. Sold as a means of agile collaboration and positive team building, rooms devoid of cubicles, walls, or any sense of separation are torturous for ND staff who are sensitive to noise, disruption, and visual stimulus.

Morgan says that when Chevron started the program in early 2020, before the pandemic forced a WFH mandate, he worked to identify physical environments and offices that provided a sense of safety  read: more quiet, less disruptive  for his ND team members. When the company went virtual, he ensured that all his team members received the tools they needed to be productive at home, scheduling regular check-in calls with his ND staff to offer support and guidance.

The more direct and carefully worded conversation style he adopted as a best practice for his ND hires created a positive climate of transparency and understanding across all of his teams, Morgan says. Working alongside ND people has helped us reconsider how we communicate with each other and how we form relationships. Their presence and contributions made all of us more open and less scared to share our thoughts. It has helped us embrace how important it is to have individuals that can challenge the status quo and, in some ways, draw attention to our own unintentional biases so that we can work to be better. 
Lauderdale County Schools just became the latest school system to announce they will not require students or staff to wear masks after April 9th.

Other North Alabama schools where masks will be optional are Colbert County schools and Tuscumbia city schools.

Many school systems were out for good friday so we didn't hear back from them but a handful said they're waiting to make a decision next week and others told me the masks will stay.

Florence, Muscle Shoals, Madison, and Sheffield city schools will require masks. Morgan and Madison County Schools will keep their mask mandate in place too. Many of those school districts told me students have already been wearing masks all year and with only a few weeks left in school why not be safe than sorry.

"The reason we are continuing is because we have somewhere between 50 to 100 of our staff and teachers that have requested to get the vaccine but haven't been scheduled yet or haven't had their second shot if they've had their first one. I just feel were in this routine everyone understands it. Once we get all of our staff that want to have the vaccine covered we will re-evaluate with direction of our county health officer and guidelines from adph," said Madison city schools superintendent, dr. Ed nichols.

For the school districts that have already made a decision not to require masks many of them said they just wanted to give students the option but they still recommend masks.

Next week Russellville city schools, Marshall county schools, and Franklin county schools will make a decision on masking.

WAAY31 is waiting to hear back from these districts on their plans for masking. Lawrence County Schools, Limestone County Schools, Athens City Schools, Decatur City Schools, Hartselle City Schools, DeKalb Co Schools, Jackson County Schools, Arab City Schools, Scottsboro City Schools, Guntersville City Schools, Boaz City Schools, and Albertville City Schools.
The number of commercial flights looks to have hit a post-pandemic high in the past days, outstripping the previous high from Christmas travel and potentially boding well for jet fuel demand going forward.

According to global flight tracking service Flightradar24, as reported by Bloomberg News Chief Energy Correspondent Javier Blas, the 7-day rolling average of the number of flights tracked by Flightradar24 hit the highest on Wednesday since the start of the pandemic. Flightradar24 tracked a total of 77,708 flightsboth passenger and freighta number which exceeded the previous peak during the Christmas holidays since COVID started spreading. Higher numbers of flights in the major marketsthe United States and Chinawere behind the increase, according to Bloomberg.

Rising numbers of air travelers could help global aviation fuel demand, which has been hit the hardest by the pandemic with international flight restrictions and quarantines.

In the United States, the number of air travelers in a day exceeded 1.5 million at the end of March, for the first time since the middle of March 2020, in a good sign for oil demand as U.S. citizens start to travel more, including by plane.

Travel and consumption patterns in the worlds top oil consumer, the United States, and in the worlds top oil importer, China, point to recovering demand for petroleum products. Those two countriesmajor consumers of crudecould lead global oil demand out of the woods and lead the global consumption rebound later this year.

While air travel could rebound from the record lows of last year, renewed lockdowns in Europe continue to be a concern for forecasters, including the OPEC+ group, whose Joint Technical Committee (JTC) revised down this week its oil demand growth forecast for 2021 by 300,000 barrels per day (bpd). The JTCs base-case scenario, according to a report Reuters has seen, now forecasts demand growth of 5.6 million bpd, down by 300,000 bpd compared to the previous forecast.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Theres an old joke that goes, What do you call a person who is happy on a Monday? Retired. This Monday, Staten Island native Steve Carr will be that happy fella, retiring 50 years to the day, from his position at Doodys Home Center.

Steve Carr began his half-century career at the Doodys Staten Island location on Victory Blvd, which closed in 2017, after which he began working at the original Doodys location in Brooklyn, according to his wife, Jacqueline Carr. The couple were long-time residents of West Brighton before relocating to Manalapan, N.J.

Well-loved by everyone, Steve began his career at Doodys as a sales floor associate, quickly moving up to assistant manager, and then manager, and ultimately to Vice President, his current position in the Brooklyn branch.

My children and I are so proud of my husbands 50-year career with Doody Home Center, said Jacqueline. He began working as a part-time employee on March 26, 1971 and is retiring on that exact date, March 26, 2021. Doodys is still family owned and operated, and Steve always treated his employees and employers like part of his family.

According to Jacqueline, Doodys has played a part in their personal lives, too, having met there, 34 years ago. Doodys is actually where we met and we are celebrating our anniversary in May. The store has always been a part of our story, said Jackie.

So many people on Staten Island knew Doodys, and the big guy with the white hair. My husband Steve and the store were icons of the neighborhood, known for their courtesy and customer service.

Doody Home Center is honoring Steves 50 year retirement with a dinner at Garguilos in Coney Island, Brooklyn next week, and the Carr family will be hosting a celebration for him at Bueno Sera, in Red Bank, N.J., in April.

Im looking forward to spending more time with my family, and hopefully traveling, said Steve, whose bucket list includes vacationing in Ireland and Greece. But most of all, I am happy about no longer commuting from Manalapan NJ to Brooklyn!

Steve Carrs nephew, Alex Carr, who is married to Elvis Duran of Z-100s Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, has fond memories of his uncle working at Doodys.

When I was a little boy, my father would drive me to Doodys to visit my uncle, he said. I enjoyed walking up and down the aisles, especially the aisle with the doorbells.

With at least 15 different doorbells to sample by pressing the buttons, you can imagine how much fun that was for a kid. Mesmerized by the sounds of the chimes, Im sure everyone in the store enjoyed the concert. It was always a memorable time visiting my uncle at the store.

DOODYS HISTORY

The business started in Brooklyn as John J. Doody & Son Inc. in 1925, said Peter Doody. According to Doody Home Centers website, the family-owned business opened on Jerome Avenue in Brooklyn and later moved to the current location at Avenue Y and East 17th St.

Doodys originally began as a center for building material supply, primarily selling brick, block, sand, cement, and a host of other building materials. During the Great Depression, Doodys secured the contract to supply all of the building materials for the now famous Lundy Bros. Restaurant on Emmons Ave. This contract helped the business survive throughout those very difficult times, according to its website.

Steve Carr, second from right, is pictured with his son, Steven, at left, Jacqueline, and his daughter, Samantha. (Courtesy Jackie Carr)

Steve Carr and his grandson, Grayson Bright Luka, 2. (Courtesy Jackie Carr)
Adapt2 Solutions, a leading provider of AI enabled multi-market operations and trading software, today announced the successful go-live of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association in the CAISO Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) market. Tri-State is leveraging Adapt2s Flagship Cloud-Native Platform, Adapt2 Bid-to-Bill (B2B), for both Southwest Power Pool Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) and WEIM.

Adapt2 Solutions has been working with Tri-State over the past year to achieve milestones and ensure a successful market go-live. Through the use of Adapt2s B2B solution, Tri-State is able to automate scheduling and settlement operations, quickly capture intra-hour market data, and access real-time reporting for strategic decision making.

"This is an exciting time for Tri-State as we begin operations in WEIM. WEIM has played a big role in lowering costs, integrating renewables and enhancing reliability in the west, and we're excited to begin to see similar benefits, said Tri-State Senior Manager of Energy Application Services Mike Mason. We are hopeful that our operations in WEIM will help us better serve our customers and help them meet their financial, reliability and renewable-energy goals."

A tremendous amount of planning and work from Adapt2 went into this milestone event, said Kevin Dunlap, Vice President of Product Strategy. The market has been live since midnight Pacific Time, and the essential processes from an Adapt2 software standpoint are working as expected. Base Schedules and Bids are being submitted into the market, and the ADS dispatch instructions are flowing through Adapt2 to their EMS in real-time. We look forward to moving this project to the next milestone, which includes outage management and member billing.

With the integration of more renewables into their system, Tri-State is participating in organized markets and needed a partner to connect to the markets with a standardized platform, open access to data, and powerful technology. By implementing Adapt2s Bid-to-Bill (B2B) Software for all front and back-office functions, Adapt2 fully supports Tri-States market operation needs in WEIS and WEIM including the automation of base schedules, bidding, settlements, outage management, and member billing functionality.

Tri-State successful entry into the WEIM market is a fantastic achievement by all. Being a partner with Tri-State as they enter a new market is an honor and we are looking forward to continued innovation together, said Executive Vice President, Jason Kram.

Enabled by AI and big data, Adapt2 B2B is market-tested to provide market participants across all North American ISO energy markets a strategic advantage with significant efficiencies.

To learn more about how Adapt2 is accelerating power and gas market operations, visit http://adapt2solutions.com or follow Adapt2 on LinkedIn (@Adapt2 Solutions).

About Adapt2 Solutions:

Adapt2 Solutions (Adapt2) is the leading provider of AI enabled multi-market operations software designed to help market participants streamline all of their front and back office operations. Founded in 2008, Adapt2 delivers market-based solutions on the latest and most current technologies providing customers with fast, intuitive and stable user experience and performance. With over 160 market implementations, Adapt2 is a leading solution provider in the energy industry. Adapt2 Solutions is a privately held company based in Houston, Texas. To learn more about Adapt2, please visit http://www.adapt2solutions.com.

About Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association:

Tri-State is a wholesale power supply cooperative, operating on a not-for-profit basis, with 45 members, including 42 utility electric distribution cooperative and public power district members in four states that together deliver reliable, affordable and responsible power to more than a million electricity consumers across nearly 200,000 square miles of the West. For more information about Tri-State, visit http://www.tristate.coop.
No fewer six soldiers and one policeman were feared killed yesterday when over 200 bandits stormed some villages in the Shiroro Local Government of Niger State.

The bandits also reportedly set the military base in Allawa town on fire and burnt down their operational vehicles.

A successful businessman in Bassa village in the area, Alhaji Sule was also said to have been killed in his farm by the attackers, who also stole several motorcycles belonging to the villagers.

The incidents, according to eyewitnesses, started at about 2am yesterday when the bandits stormed Allawa village riding on motorcycles and brandishing AK-47 rifles.

THISDAY gathered that the bandits caught the security operatives in the town unawares.

It was learnt before they could repel the attack, six of the soldiers and one mobile policeman have been felled by the bandits' bullets and their camp set ablaze.

The Co-convener of Concerned Shiroro Youth, Mr. Abubakar Yussuf Koki, told THISDAY on telephone that the area had become a war zone with bandits ransacking homes killing and maiming innocent villagers.

"Their intention is to rid the area of security presence so that they will always have a field day," Koki said.

"We have been left on our own; nobody is coming to our assistance, "Koki lamented.

When contacted, the Secretary to the Niger State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane confirmed the incident.

"Yes, there was an attack at our army base at Allawa; usually it is a deployment point. We deploy soldiers and security agencies to black spots in that area from that base

"Allawa you know is a huge forest; it has become a sanctuary for bandits. What we have done is to deploy security agencies to be able to address and respond to attacks in that area. Unfortunately, this is what happened," Matane said

He said security agencies, including the Commissioner of Police, the Brigade Commander had visited the area "to verify and validate what has happened."

Meanwhile, the remains of the soldiers killed have been evacuated.

The remains were evacuated in several pick-up vans with military colours under heavy armed escort at about 3pm yesterday.
Oregon will expand its ever-growing line for the COVID-19 vaccine to include family members of grocery store workers, transit operators and other frontline workers.

Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority officials on Friday also said the state would open the floodgates for vaccine appointments to those aged 16 and older who have an expanded list of underlying health conditions as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- including current and former smokers, people who are merely overweight and not obese, Type 1 diabetics, people with hypertension and many other conditions.

The state acknowledged it doesnt know how many unvaccinated people are included in this expanded pool, nor does it have estimates for how many identify as frontline workers or are in those households. Some people may already have been vaccinated due to other qualifying factors.

As of Friday, 28% of all Oregonians have received at least one dose of a vaccine, slightly below the national average. Oregon has fully vaccinated 17% of its more than 4 million people, slightly above the national average.

Expanding the qualifying health conditions protects communities that face the highest risk, the states top health official said, noting people of color are more likely to have certain health conditions that increase the likelihood of adverse health outcomes if they contract the virus.

Brown said its important to expand the vaccine line to bring in families of frontline workers, in part, because transportation is often a barrier for accessing vaccines. If youre a frontline worker making the effort, bring your family members and do it all together, she said.

Patrick Allen, Oregon Health Authority director, said frontline workers are disproportionately people of color and their families are also at greater risk due to proximity to their loved ones.

Short-circuiting family transmission protects loved ones of vulnerable frontline workers and in turn helps keep the virus from being passed into the workplace from frontline workers exposed at home, Allen said in a Friday news conference.

The expanded eligibility comes as the state is approaching what Brown cautioned could be the fourth surge of the virus at our doorstep.

Heres what else you need to know.

Whats the expanded list of health conditions that qualifies?

Heres what the state posted Friday:

- Cancer

- Chronic kidney disease

- Chronic lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma (moderate-to-severe), interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension

- Dementia or other neurological conditions

- Diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2)

- Down syndrome

- Heart conditions (such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies or hypertension

- HIV infection

- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system)

- Liver Disease

- Overweight and obesity (defined as body mass index, or BMI, greater than 25 kg/m2)

- Pregnancy

- Sickle cell disease or thalassemia

- Smoking, current or former

- Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant

- Stroke or cerebrovascular disease

- Substance use disorder

Who is a frontline worker?

The states qualifications use the CDCs guidelines, which includes grocery store and retail workers, community college and university staffers, the U.S. Postal Service, transit employees, news media, legal officials, elected officials and government workers, food service employees and much more. Heres the full list.

I know people who work in retail who are getting a shot in Oregon already. Are some counties already vaccinating those workers?

Yes. Twenty-three of Oregons 36 counties are already vaccinating frontline workers and those peopled aged 16 to 44 with some certain health conditions (Baker, Benton, Coos, Clatsop, Crook, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union and Wheeler as of Friday). Starting April 5, the remaining 13 counties, including the tri-county area, will start scheduling frontline workers who are eligible for their shots. People 45 and older with qualifying conditions are already eligible.

I have type 1 diabetes and I am 42 years old, and I live in Lane County. Whats my situation?

You would be eligible to get a vaccine appointment immediately, since you are a member of group 7 in the states vaccination plan, which includes the frontline workers and those aged 16 to 44 with underlying conditions who have already been made eligible in the counties listed above. The newly expanded underlying conditions outlined Friday includes type 1 diabetics, so schedule away.

What about me? I am in the same boat as the person above, but I live in Washington County.

You will be eligible April 5, when your county is scheduled to move forward to younger people with underlying conditions and frontline workers.

Wait, if its important to stop transmission, why cant I get my vaccine too? I am healthy but live with a person with those underlying health conditions? Can I get my shot now?

No, you cant. The state didnt explain why those family members wouldnt be eligible while acknowledging family transmission is the main source of spread. During the news conference, Brown was asked why not open eligibility to all residents, which she said was a good question. She said the focus remains on those with high risk, which is a good way at targeting those who are frontline workers. She also noted Oregon is not getting enough vaccine per capita, a factor highlighted by The Oregonian/OregonLive Friday. We will move heaven and earth to make sure were getting our fair share, Brown said, adding that the state has a good relationship with the Biden administration.

What does this mean for all Oregonians? Im healthy, I have none of those conditions, but I still want my vaccine.

Patrick Allen said despite some uncertainty about upcoming vaccine distribution due to disruption with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pipeline, the state still intends to give counties the option of moving forward with vaccinating all adults 16 and older by April 26. Oregon remains committed to its timeline where all Oregonians statewide would be eligible for a vaccine appointment by May 1.

Does this mean that we are doing super well at vaccinating everyone so far?

Not necessarily. Oregon is increasingly concerned, in particular, about vaccination rates in some rural counties. While the state rate for vaccinating those 65 and older is just under 70%, its significantly lower in several counties. Allen said that seven counties -- Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Lake, Malheur, Morrow and Umatilla  have vaccinated less than half of their senior population.

Im 17 and my mom works for TriMet. How do I schedule my appointment?

State leaders were a bit vague on specifics, just noting that multiple appointments can be scheduled through the states Get Vaccinated Oregon portal. Allen said those family members should submit their information to the states database, where residents are contacted when they are eligible.

Oregon Health Authority officials said updates to the getvaccinatedoregon.gov website are taking place for the transition, although it wasnt immediately clear when the changes would happen.

Oregonians can also schedule appointments through pharmacies and local health agencies in many counties. Heres the website with more information.

-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen
Welcome to MicroClimates, The Chronicles local climate change newsletter. If someone forwarded you this email, you can sign up here.

On the edge of the Bay Area, a local company is proposing to drill for natural gas at the site of an abandoned well  for as long as 20 years, if theres anything commercially viable there.

Theres mounting pushback: A dozen environmental groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity oppose Sunset Explorations plans to drill in the Suisun Marsh. Theyve asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deny a necessary permit to prepare for drilling.

Its the kind of proposal that, in a prior era, might have encountered little organized resistance, reporter J.D. Morris writes in a recent story.

But its a very different era: drilling for new oil and gas reserves seems nonsensical, given the states goals for zero-carbon energy, one of the advocates tells Morris. Meanwhile, Sunset Explorations owner argued the regions current natural gas demand would be only be served by another state with looser environmental oversight.

You can read more about the proposed well and the efforts to stop it here.

While its a telling story in the Bay Area, the site in Suisun is only one of many flashpoints over the the states climate policy versus its drilling policy: Activists have called out Californias increase of new drilling permits in 2020, a bill to ban fracking entirely in the state is making its way through the state Legislature, and Kern County is going ahead with new permitting systems for oil and gas.

Most previous oil and gas wells in the Bay Area  more than 2,000 of them  are now plugged, but how many active or idle ones remain? Across the nine-county area, 126 wells are active, and 224 are idle (California defines anything that hasnt produced oil or gas for two years as idle, but some have been idle for much longer.) Two additional wells have been permitted in the region but are not active.

Most of the active wells are located in Contra Costa and Solano counties. Weve mapped the data from CalGEM below.

PG&E and ... me

In the last newsletters effort to explain what to PG&E customers should expect from moving customers over to time-of-use rate plans, I asked readers if they had already switched over and if so, what they noticed.

A good number of the responses came from people who had already switched over before the state mandate. Heres some of their stories:

My home has been on a time-of-use plan since the early 1980s, says Linda Robertson. Back then it was noon till 6 PM. I even have a magnet of a little bear with a clock in its belly showing me when to turn things off.

Robertson says she thinks it will take a while for people to get used to the peak pricing. Its the doing things after 9 PM that are most annoying, she says. You start to feel like a hamster on a wheel being run by PG&E.

Bob Sanderson in Kentfield is on a time-of-use rate that allows him to sell back excess power from his rooftop solar system to PG&E.

Nearly all of the excess that is fed back into the grid happens during the peak period of 1:00 pm  7:00 pm, so I get the peak price for my excess rooftop solar electricity.

But hes gotten a notice from PG&E that over the course of two years his particular rate plan will be ended in favor of the main time-of-use plan, meaning his excess electricity will be sold during the cheaper, non-peak time  and he expects his energy bill to go up accordingly.

Matt Deter in Rocklin says he moved to a time-of-use plan years ago on the advice of PG&Es website analysis tool. Without ToU there is a massive penalty for using electricity once you get past a certain usage level. I was always in this penalty tier because I have a large house and work at home, so it is always occupied and 100F+ in summer.

After switching to time-of-use he moved the pool filter timer outside the peak time, but the real savings for Deter was capping the per kilowatt hour cost.

Climate Chronicles

Brian Feulner / Special to The Chronicle

 Underwater meadows of California seagrass found to reverse symptom of climate change.

 California energy regulators OK plan to prevent rolling electricity blackouts  including emergency backups powered by fossil fuels.

 Why is gas so expensive in the Bay Area? Depends who you ask, but the pandemic is only part of the answer.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

 Drought is real and California is now facing water restrictions.

 PG&Es October 2019 shut-offs may have stopped 3 million acres from burning, analysis says.

 President Biden's infrastructure spending plan could benefit big Bay Area transportation projects already in the pipeline. Here's how.

Changing California

 The climate-friendly nudge now standard in Google Maps. (Fast Company)

 New study: Californias trailblazing diesel rules save lives (CalMatters).

 As 24th Street ficus trees come down, merchants remain divided (Mission Local).

 What California is trying to do on the electric grid is so hard  move very, very fast, without breaking a single damn thing (L.A. Times).

 San Jose lawmaker looks to turn complaints about gas leaf blowers into policy.

MicroClimates is The Chronicles climate change newsletter, written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent every other week. Email newsletters@sfchronicle.com or taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com.
Shes the North Bays most iconic celebrity, alongside Guy Fieri and that church from The Birds. Take a trip up 101 through Sonoma County and you cant miss her big, shining smile, close-cropped hair, bright eyes and enormous nostrils.

Clo the Cow, the mascot for Clover Sonoma, a North Bay-based dairy, celebrated her 50th birthday in 2019, but her billboards, typically depicting Clo alongside milk-based puns, are as fresh as ever. The puns range from cultural jokes, like The Real Bovines of Sonoma Cownty, which shows Clo and friends in dresses; to values-based messages, like 2020s Pour It Forward: Shop Clocal, with Clo wearing a mask and serving coffee at a drive-through; to seasonal or product-based billboards, like The Moo the Merrier, depicting Clo with Clover Sonoma egg nog. But through it all, over more than 50 years, Clos iconic smile has been consistent.

That was the first thing, is the smile, really. The smiling cow really grabs you, says local John Muller, when asked what he first noticed about Clo. Muller grew up in the area and remembers seeing Clo on billboards on road trips. He was about seven years old when Clos grin first caught his eye, and then, of course, he noticed the jokes.

At first they were not so punny, as it were, they were just more funny pictures of the cow, he added. As the years went on, they started getting a little more clever with the references.

Courtesy of Clover Sonoma

For the past two decades, the art and clever references have been the work of freelancer Anne Vernon, says Kristel Corson, Clover Sonoma chief revenue officer.

We try to think of different themes or we have different messages were trying to get across, Corson said, and well give that to her and shell come back with a slew of different visuals.

Most of Vernons work never makes it up onto a billboard, however. Corson says of the 10 to 15 ideas Vernon presents, typically only one will be selected. How do they know when theyve got a winning pun?

Truthfully, when everybody gets it, Corson said. There are some puns that take a little bit to catch them. When we show it to a broad spectrum of people [and] they all get it, the visual and pun work together, those are the ones that are usually the most successful.

In the past Clover has used focus groups, but most often, the ideas are tested on Clovers employees and consultants. The result is billboards with slogans like, Sip, sip, hooray! for lactose-free milk and Clover the hill to celebrate Clos 50th anniversary.

Fret not for the discarded puns, however. Clover keeps a library of all the billboard ideas. If one joke is perhaps ahead of its time, Clover might save it for a better season. And the company typically runs four billboards a year, so a better season might be only a few months away.

Something may sound great, but its winter and it would do better in the spring, Corson said.

---

Clo began in the 1960s as a marketing idea for what was then Petaluma Cooperative Creamery, now Clover Sonoma. Gene Benedetti, who would go on to buy the co-op in 1977 and turn it into Clover Stornetta, told North Bay journalist Gaye LeBaron in 1999 that his friend, ad man Lee Levinger, came up with the idea for Clo, and that he was originally opposed.

Goddamn you! I says, You cant do that! I said, Benedetti told LeBaron in the interview, recorded at Sonoma County Museum. We cant, billboards were being outlawed. Marin County had already passed an ordinance not to have them and a lot of the people in Sonoma County were fighting for the same thing, at the time.

This isnt gonna be just a regular billboard with hard sell, Benedetti said Levinger told him.

He said, This is gonna be a fun billboard. Were gonna use nothing but play-on-words. Were going to have a comical cow. He says, Its not going to be a real cow and its going to be something that people are going to really enjoy and look forward to seeing.

Courtesy of Clover Sonoma

It was a hard sell to the board, though. Benedetti said several board members in the cooperative wanted a real cow, but Benedetti eventually triumphed, and Clo was given a billboard. Benedetti told the co-op board they would track the publics reaction during this three-month test run, noting every negative and positive call the co-op received about Clo.

We got nothing but great reactions. They got, we got no, not one bad one, Benedetti said.

The past 52 years havent been without controversy for Clo, however. In 1993, Clover was sued by the Cousteau Society (of Jacques Cousteau fame) over a billboard showing Clo scuba diving with several aquatic friends with the caption Jacques Cowsteau. The Cousteau Society argued the billboard opened the famous conservationist up to ridicule. The lawsuit backfired, however, as the news picked up on the controversy and the community came to the Northern California dairys defense.

Last wk., [then-President Dan] Benedetti was rocked when the Cousteau Foundation filed a $1.2 million suit in Fed'l Court here, charging the dairy with copyright damage, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, a big fan of Clos billboards, wrote. Ain't it enough to curdle your milk?

Local radio shows and newspapers were flooded with calls and letters defending Clo as a beloved member of the community.

If Mr. Cousteau is serious about this, then Mr. Cousteau has no sense of humor and he is making a mistake, one Guerneville resident told the Chronicle. The [dairy] family are very public-spirited people, and I love their cow.

By January of 1994, the Cousteau Society had settled.

That one was very interesting because it helped put Clo and her billboards on the map, Corson said. Because Herb Caen had done a piece on it, it created such a backlash to the Jacques Cousteau foundation it really put Clo in the press.

The Cousteau lawsuit also taught Clover to keep legal considerations in mind when crafting a new billboard. Weve all gotten very well trained to try to use things that are in public domain at this point and/or things that have been done quite a lot so that we dont get caught in that, Corson said.

The use of public domain themes can give the billboards a classic, timeless quality, such as 2016s Greek Moothology or 2000s I Moo, Therefore I Am, with Clo posed as The Thinker, which Corson says is third-generation owner and CEO Marcus Benedettis favorite. Thats always one we definitely put out there a lot, she added. This springs new billboard will be Little Clo Peep, Corson said, with Clo dressed as a shepherdess.

Courtesy of Clover Sonoma

From time to time, Clover has also reached out to the public for new billboard ideas. Tip Clo Through Your Two Lips was a 1989 billboard contest winner, though the reference there might be a little too dated for some of todays drivers. For Clos 50th, the company brought back the contest, awarding the win to a 1980s-inspired idea: Cows Just Wanna Have Puns. The art features a line of cows dancing like in the music video for Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, with Clo wearing Cyndi Laupers iconic hairstyle and red dress. Corson said the winning idea hit the jackpot of punning off two words in the same phrase.

Corsons favorite billboard, though, is one of the originals: Clover: The Only Milk With Love In It. According to the dairys website archive of billboards, the design premiered in 1969, the year the first Clo billboard went up. In 2010, the company brought it back with a fresh, more detailed design that played on the original.

Its more of a visual pun, Corson said. Still, it typifies the feel-good messaging on Clovers billboards.

Courtesy of Clover Sonoma

---

Whatever the phrase, its clear that upon her debut, Clo made her way into the hearts of Bay Area residents, and shes there to stay. Shes a part of the community and the beloved face of a local brand.

Her consistent style and big smile, on both billboards and Clover dairy products, are eye-catching, Muller said. The cartoon cow has definitely inspired him to pick up Clover products in the supermarket, he said.

Theres so many other brands of milk out there that are on the shelf and my eye will naturally catch Clover.  Clover always stands out.
: reported 3,290 new



COVID-19 cases and 12 fatalities on Friday, pushing the caseload to 8,92,780 and the death toll to 12,750, the Health Department said.

The state saw the cases cross the 2,000-mark on March 27, the 1,000-mark on March 19 and then touched 1,087, a bulletin said.

According to the bulletin, recoveries mounted to 8,61,424 today with 1,715 patients being discharged, leaving 18,606 active cases, including those in isolation.

Chennai accounted for most of the new infections with 1,188 cases, taking the aggregate to 2,51,141.

The metropolis leads in the number of fatalities too with 4,256.

A total of 86,066 samples were tested today, pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined so far to 1,97,67,310.

Seven districts have clocked new infections in triple digits -- Chengalpet 280, Coimbatore 277, Thiruvallur 183, Tiruchirappalli 122, Thanjavur 120, Kancheepuram 119 and Madurai 105.

All the 12, who succumbed to the virus, had pre-existing illness.

As many as eight individuals who returned from various destinations - Qatar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand and Telangana - were among those who tested positive today, the bulletin 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.)
Almere, the Netherlands

March 31, 2021, 6 p.m. CET

ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today announces that the information regarding the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) scheduled for May 17, 2021, is now available on the Company's website: www.asm.com. This information includes the convocation, the agenda and annexes thereto. The U.S. market proxy materials for holders of New York Registry Shares are also posted on our website.

The AGM will commence at 2:00 p.m. CET. Given COVID-19 the AGM will be a virtual meeting that cannot be attended in person by shareholders. As in previous years, our shareholders will be offered the possibility to exercise their voting rights by way of proxy and to follow the meeting through our live webcast. In addition, shareholders can remotely attend, raise questions and vote at the virtual AGM. Detailed instructions can be found in the convocation and the other AGM documents. Because of COVID-19, some members of the Supervisory Board and Management Board will also attend the AGM remotely.

The agenda for the AGM includes, amongst others, the proposals to appoint Mr. Paul Verhagen as member of the Management Board as the successor of Mr. Peter van Bommel, re-appoint Mrs. Stefanie Kahle-Galonske as member of the Supervisory Board for another term of four years, and approve the proposal to declare a regular dividend of 2.00 per common share. The agenda also includes a proposal to withdraw 500,000 treasury shares.

At the end of the AGM, Mr. Lobbezoo will retire from the Supervisory Board after three consecutive four-year terms; the last eight years as chairman. The Supervisory Board has appointed the current vice chairman Mr. van Pernis to become the chairman of the Supervisory Board following the AGM.

In accordance with applicable legal requirements in the Netherlands the record date for the AGM is April 19, 2021.

The total number of issued shares in ASM International N.V. as per today amounts to 49,797,394 common shares. Considering the number of shares held in treasury as per today, amounting to 1,242,802 shares, the number of voting shares amounts to 48,554,592.



About ASM International

ASM International NV, headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, its subsidiaries and participations design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International, its subsidiaries and participations provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as for assembly & packaging and surface mount technology (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at www.asm.com .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, changes in import/export regulations, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's reports and financial statements. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances.

This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

CONTACT



Investor and Media contact:

Victor Bareno

T: +31 88 100 8500

E: victor.bareno@asm.com





Attachment
Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam said he "felt normal and only had slight side effects" after getting his second shot of made-in-Vietnam Nanocovax vaccine.

"When I got the first shot in late February, I felt slightly groggy and had no fever," he said while speaking to correspondents on Thursday.

"When I received my second shot late last month, I had a mild fever. The dizziness was more evident than last time, but it was gone two days later."

Dam was one of 560 volunteers in the second phase of human trials.

"My blood test results after getting the second shot showed that the antibody concentration was very high." But he warned that all indigenous Covid-19 vaccines are in the trial phase and one could not say for sure when the first would roll out.

None of the volunteers so far have experienced serious side effects.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam gets his second shot of Vietnamese vaccine Nanocovax as part of its human trials in Hanoi, March 26, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Nam.

Dam said since early 2020, when the pandemic first broke, the government wanted to quickly produce vaccines domestically since the country Vietnam is populous and not wealthy.

Even at that time he was determined to volunteer for human trials for the first made Vietnamese vaccine, he revealed.

In December Nanocovax, produced by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, began the first phase of human trials, but only accepted volunteers aged below 50, meaning the 58-year-old Dam was not eligible.

So he decided to sign up for the second phase, which called for volunteers aged 18 to 75.

"As the head of the coronavirus task force, I need to do everything I can so that we have the vaccine at the earliest."

Nguyen Ngo Quang, deputy head of the Administration of Science, Technology and Training, said the vaccine has created large amounts of antibodies in volunteers and proven effective against mutant strains too.

The second phase would allow researchers to see how exactly immunogenic Nanocovax is.

The vaccine is expected to enter its third phase of human trials in May and complete it by the end of the third quarter, three months earlier than scheduled.

The government has approved AstraZeneca's ChAdOx1 vaccine and Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use.

While speeding up indigenous vaccines, the country is looking to procure around 150 million doses to cover 70 percent of its population by 2022.
New York, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Oil & Gas Security & Services Market Research Report by Security Type, by Operation, by Component - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05968833/?utm_source=GNW



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR GBP, JPY, and AUD. This helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available.



1. The Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market is expected to grow from USD 25,664.59 Million in 2020 to USD 37,891.67 Million by the end of 2025.

2. The Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market is expected to grow from EUR 22,503.20 Million in 2020 to EUR 33,224.13 Million by the end of 2025.

3. The Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market is expected to grow from GBP 20,005.39 Million in 2020 to GBP 29,536.32 Million by the end of 2025.

4. The Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market is expected to grow from JPY 2,739,062.49 Million in 2020 to JPY 4,044,001.36 Million by the end of 2025.

5. The Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market is expected to grow from AUD 37,268.40 Million in 2020 to AUD 55,023.74 Million by the end of 2025.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Oil & Gas Security & Services to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Security Type, the Oil & Gas Security & Services Market studied across Network Security and Physical Security. The Network Security further studied across Firewalls, Identity and Access Management, Incident Response and Disaster Recovery, Security Information and Event Management, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, Unified Threat Management, and Update and Patch Management. The Physical Security further studied across Biometrics and Access Controls, Building Management System, Cbrne/Hazmat, Fire Detection and Security System, Ground, Coastal, and Air Surveillance, Long Range Radar, Over and Underwater Surveillance, Perimeter Fencing, Personnel Tracking and Radio Frequency Identification, Screening and Scanning, Secure Communication, and Video Surveillance.



Based on Operation, the Oil & Gas Security & Services Market studied across Downstream, Midstream, and Upstream.



Based on Component, the Oil & Gas Security & Services Market studied across Services and Solution. The Services further studied across Managed Services, Risk Management Services, and System Design, Integration, and Consulting.



Based on Geography, the Oil & Gas Security & Services Market studied 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.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market including ABB Ltd, Athos Group, BAE Systems PLC, Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., CNL Software Limited, Forescout Technologies Inc., Fortinet, Inc., General Electric Company, GPS Security Group Inc., HCL Technologies Limited, Honeywell International Inc., Intel Corporation, International Business Machines Corporation, J&G Security, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Moxa Inc., Nozomi Networks Inc., Parsons Corporation, Siemens AG, Sophos Group PLC, Speedcast International Limited, Synectics PLC, Tactical Systems Network, Thales S.A., Trend Micro Inc., Waterfall Security Solutions Ltd., and Xage Security, 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. Our ongoing research amplifies our 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 Oil & Gas Security & Services 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 Oil & Gas Security & Services Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Oil & Gas Security & Services Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05968833/?utm_source=GNW



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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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The EU, including Ireland, is lagging behind Britain and the US in vaccinating citizens

Europes roll-out of vaccinations against Covid-19 is unacceptably slow, the World Health Organisations European head said yesterday.

Hans Kluge also raised concern that delays in giving shots could prolong the pandemic as cases of variants spread.

Only 10pc of the regions population have received one vaccine dose, and 4pc have completed a full course, Mr Kluge said.

The roll-out of these vaccines is unacceptably slow, he said.

We must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now.

Read More

Europe was slower than Britain and the US, not only to order vaccines last year from companies but also in approving these.

Even once these were approved by the bloc, rates of vaccinations in the EU, including Ireland, have largely trailed behind British and US efforts.

Mr Kluge said new infections in Europe were rising in every age group except those aged over 80, a sign that the vaccinations that have gone to older groups are working but that the stuttering roll-out was leaving younger people vulnerable.

As variants of concern continue to spread and strain on hospitals grows, religious holidays are leading to increased mobility, the WHO said.

Speeding up vaccination roll-out is crucial.

In addition to tight supplies, squabbles over exports and delays by some vaccine makers, and concerns over the safety of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine after rare clotting events emerged have also curbed vaccination momentum.

Some countries are still not giving the British-Swedish firms shots while others, including Germany, are restricting them to the over-60s.

Regulators and the WHO have declared the shots benefits outweigh risks and continue to study the clotting incidents.

The EU has asked India to allow it to buy 10 million doses of AstraZenecas Covid vaccine from Serum Institute of India.

The EU wants the doses from Serum, the worlds largest vaccine maker, to offset supply shortfalls from AstraZenecas European plants and speed up the blocs vaccine roll-out.

Any quick approval of the EU request is unlikely, however, with India scrambling to expand its own domestic vaccination drive, said an Indian government official.
Since 2008, Brad Polega has been at the helm of Sebewaing Ace Hardware, identifying community needs and adjusting his stores selection to best serve the community.

Polegas journey into the hardware business began from a passing comment when the previous owner was talking about retirement. The actions that stemmed from that comment have now led to a further expansion of his hardware empire with the purchase of Ace Hardware-Bad Axe in early March.

Polega said in 2005 he was in the Sebewaing Ace Hardware and then-owner Ron Bolzman was talking about retirement.

I said, 'When you are serious about retirement give me a call,'" Polega said.

Bolzman did just that and about three years later Polega took over the business, which was located at a different place than it is today.

Polega said in 2013 he purchased the building that was the former location of Family Dollar, renovated it and added on.

We have continued to grow since then, Polega said.

In 2016, the Sebewaing location added lumber and building materials, and in 2020 it expanded offerings by bringing on Stihl and Cub Cadet power equipment lines.

What we have tried to do is never duplicate a business that was in town, Polega said.

He said the local lumber yard in Sebewaing went out of business in 2016, and he had already communicated to the owners that when they left the business, he would expand to serve their customers. He said he continued this approach with the power equipment as well.

We have been able to pick up lines and products where a standalone business might not be able to, Polega said.

The Stihl expansion prompted Polega to serve another void in the community as well. He said the community lacked a small engine repair shop, which was something Stihl wanted, so he opened a full-time small engine repair shop to serve that need.

Polega said for several years he worked together with Brad and Ann Buss at the Ace Hardware-Bad Axe, often sharing inventory when one or the other store had a need. Polega said they built a good relationship over the years and he asked Buss to keep him in mind should they ever look to sell the store and retire.

We were never business partners, but we worked together inventory-wise and we built that relationship over time, Polega said.

Buss said he has known Polega since he purchased the Sebewaing store.

We have been friends since he bought the store, Buss I have watched him grow that business.

Buss said he admired the way Polega would expand only after identifying a need in the community. The admiration went both ways, because Polega said he liked the way Buss handled his Bad Axe business.

He has a very good customer service reputation there, Polega said. Great products, great customer service and great employees.

Buss said the reason he sold the store was because it was perfect timing.

The timing was right, he said. Brad was interested at the right time. 2020 was a great year for us, but it was also very challenging.

Unlike some businesses, local hardware businesses werent shut down during the coronavirus pandemic because they were deemed essential. Remaining open was both a blessing and a curse, according to Polega and Buss.

Buss said the pandemic increased the amount of business at the store, while the store faced staffing challenges because of the coronavirus and concerns surrounding it.

Despite the challenges the pandemic posed, Buss shortened the store hours to fill the staffing gaps and adapted to meet the customer demands amid the restrictions.

We adjusted the best we could to accommodate the situation, Buss said. We did curbside, we adjusted our hours, we are doing everything we can to make the customers and staff comfortable.

That kind of customer service was something that Polega also embraced at the Sebewaing Ace Hardware. While his Sebewaing store didnt face the staffing issues that Busss location had, the store was quick to purchase items the community needed, which he said the community responded to.

We had the product and they supported us, Polega said. We were blessed that people shopped locally and it continues to this day.

Polega said his approach has always been to bring in the customers, because he believed his staffs service would win them over as a customer for life.

I have always said if we get a chance at a customer, they will be pleasantly surprised at the service and the quality and quantity of the inventory we have, he said. That is all we can ask for is a chance and its up to us to make that chance successful.

That service is one of the reasons Polega has provided his personal cell phone number at the store for customers with emergency needs outside business hours.

Things dont break from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Polega said. Our after-hours service doesnt get used a lot but it does get used. People use it but dont abuse it, but they are appreciative in an emergency. I dont think you can find that in a big box store. That is a small town.

Polega said despite the inventory challenges retailers faced across the country, Ace Hardware Corporation handled the situation.

Last year was a challenge for any supplier but Ace did a good job, he said.

According to Polega, Ace Hardware has approximately 5,000 independently owned stores and a network of warehouses throughout the United States.

They have a big buying power, Polega said. We get trucks twice a week from our warehouse in Ohio and we have online ordering that people can have sent to their house or to the store. Aces size has allowed us to tap into the warehouses and pull products as needed.

Polega said Ace Hardware also stepped up to the plate when the pandemic hit, fighting for the local Ace Hardwares and establishing them as essential businesses. While large retailers had state-imposed limitations on the products they could sell, local hardwares did not.

There was a week or two that we were nervous if we could be open or maintain our business, Polega said. Ace Hardware did a nice job fighting for us. We didnt have any restrictions once we were deemed essential.

According to Polega, because his business was fortunate to maintain operations during the pandemic, he made sure to do his part as well.

Businesses like restaurants that were closed, we supported them heavily, he said. We didnt have time for lunches, so we were buying lunches for our staff. We did our best to do our part. It didnt solve their problem but it helps in a small way.

Polega said they have learned from the pandemic.

You cant take it for granted, Polega said. We could have been on that side just as easy.

Polega said the pandemic furthered the strength and importance of small towns, which is something he hopes the community learns from as he has as well.

I hope the public realizes the local businesses are here for the local people and because of the local people, Polega said. When things got tough we saw very few businesses close. That is because of the support of the businesses and the determination of the business.

Sometimes we take for granted the businesses that are here, and without them you would have drive an hour to get a gallon of milk.

Buss had a similar sentiment.

My hope is the community would continue to support small businesses, Buss said. Not just ours, but others that are locally owned. I hope the local support continues for the small businesses, and vise versa with the businesses supporting the community.

Community is an important aspect of Busss business, which has been a constant presence in Bad Axe since 1903, when it was then known as Slack Brothers Hardware Store. In the mid-1950s, the store was purchased by Ancel and Meryl Baker, relocated from near the elevator to its existing location on Van Dyke, started its affiliation with Ace Hardware and was known as Bakers Ace Hardware. The business was later purchased by Busss parents in 1972 before he started the transition of purchasing it in 1983, which was finalized in 1993.

For more than 38 years Brad Buss has had an active role in his hardware, so the decision to sell wouldnt have been easy without his confidence in Polega.

I knew he was the kind of person we would want to take over our store, Buss said. He kept everybody and is treating them well.

Polega said the acquisition of the Ace Hardware-Bad Axe wouldnt have been possible without the support from the local community and the dedication of the staff at both locations.

None of this is possible without great customer support and great staff, he said.

The Busses have stayed on to support Polega through the transition. According to Polega the transition should be seamless.

You shouldnt see anything different, he said. From the publics perspective they shouldnt see a whole lot of change. It is pretty well staffed and stocked. They have a good business there and we want to keep it that way.

Buss said he isnt sure what his future holds, but he is ready to change the speed of life and relax a little bit more.

Buss said he will miss his customers, many of whom were or have become his friends.

A lot of people I know, I see them the most at the store, he said. I will miss that.

We appreciate all of our customers, Buss continued. What we have been able to do and what they have done for us.

Polegas acquisition of the Ace Hardware-Bad Axe became official in March. According to Polega and Buss, all employees in Bad Axe will continue under the new ownership. Polega said he is looking forward to carrying on the Ace Hardware-Bad Axes excellent reputation.

The Sebewaing Ace Hardware is located at 8840 Unionville Road in Sebewaing and can be reached at 989-883-2740. Ace Hardware-Bad Axe is located at 735 N. Van Dyke Road in Bad Axe and can be reached at 989-269-9131.
Caroline Kepnes must be some kind of storytelling sorcerer. How else can Joe Goldberg  stalker, creep, multiple murderer, blamer of everyone else but himself, a long overdue book, the one you never thought was coming  be such an entertaining narrator? Even Tom Ripley, Patricia Highsmiths famously amoral character (a clear inspiration for Kepnes), could be enjoyed at a third-person remove, unlike the in-your-face immediacy of Joes blinkered perspective.

After wreaking harm and havoc in You and Hidden Bodies, Joe returns in YOU LOVE ME (Random House, 385 pp., $24.99), having relocated to Bainbridge Island. His latest obsession, Mary Kay, is his boss at the local library. The Joe Goldberg she gets to know is a projection of the self he wants to portray. The Joe readers have gotten to know falls headfirst into Instagram account tracking, not-so-subtle manipulation and, when it suits him, violence. (Listening to Mary Kay bite into a candy cane, he thinks: Crunch. Like the rock hitting Melandas head in the woods.)

This high-wire narrative act continues to work because Kepnes is brilliant at depicting the cognitive dissonance of someone like Joe. His stalkerish behavior steps over the line again and again, but in a way that is all too familiar to any woman menaced or made uncomfortable by the so-called good guy. No doubt hell return in future installments, demonstrating the shattered barrier between id and superego.

Nikki Griffin, who returns in S. A. Lelchuks second novel, ONE GOT AWAY (Flatiron, 294 pp., $27.99), might be the reverse-funhouse mirror version of Joe Goldberg. The bookstore she owns on the ground floor of a Bay Area building is acceptable cover for the investigation business she conducts in her upstairs office, focusing on the misbegotten deeds of bad men who prey on women. Stalking and punishing the most abusive of the bunch is a personal mission for Nikki.
Small firms are increasingly seeking to measure their sustainability performance and are feeding their findings into the climate action reports of the large corporations to whom they supply goods and services.

As part of Ireland's drive to meet the 2030 environmental targets in the Paris Agreement on climate action, the State is urging SMEs to avail of the new GreenStart and GreenPlus vouchers, hosted by Enterprise Ireland, IDA, SEAI, LEO and Udaras na Gaeltachta.

There is a significant Government spend going into promoting sustainability among SMEs, all looking towards the 2030 climate action goals, said Paul Murphy, who has recently joined Leading Edge Group to create Climeaction, a new sustainability consultancy.

Climeaction will help companies take action with measurable results. With headquarters in Cobh, Co Cork, Leading Edge Group offers consultancy, training and business performance improvement programmes to organisations in Ireland, UK, Canada and Australia.

One big challenge facing small companies in the coming years will be the way the carbon budgets of large organisations will spill down into the SME sector, said Paul Murphy. I have worked with some of the biggest companies in Ireland, who are all measuring their carbon footprint.

They are also looking to complete their reporting by looking at their supply chains. The big dairy companies are looking at emissions at farm level and hauliers. The big companies are pushing new requirements down to their suppliers.

This is across sectors, from pharma to food. A lot of big companies have signed up to the UN's science-based carbon emission reduction targets. They're seeking to report on the full life cycle of their emissions.

Actress Saoirse Ronan, featuring as an ambassador in a promotion for Bord Bia's Origin Green programme.

One of the most widely familiar models for this full life cycle emissions reporting is Bord Bia's Origin Green sustainability charter. Origin Green member companies have set carbon efficiency requirements to meet by May 2022. These are defined per size of company: Tier one (revenues over 250m); tier two (50m to 250m); Tier three (10m to 50m), tier four (1m to 10) and tier five (100,000 to 1m).

The Origin Green 'Pathway to Net Zero' maps out exactly what is required by all member companies. All other sectors of industry will have to do likewise, said Paul.

With Climeaction, we're building a unique consultancy that is offering companies access to experts across a wide range of fields. For instance, we're working with a distillery, offering them experts in process engineering, people on the agronomy side, an expert in packaging etc.

We bring experts in on an associate basis, depending on what is needed for the job. This is the way that Leading Edge Group and its member companies like ReganStein work. We offer the highest level of expertise required for each job.

Climate action is an area that requires a very mixed skillset. To deliver a complete solution, you need a broad range of experts. It's an area where companies are becoming increasingly keen to engage with the challenges.

Companies are aware that climate action is very important to their corporate image. Surveys show that 63% of all consumers consider sustainability when making their purchasing decisions. One area where we offer companies expertise is in marketing and communications, experts who help companies to develop their story as a socially responsible brand, telling their story in a way that will drive more sales.

Paul has previously worked in lead roles with EM3, Ireland's largest industrial energy services company, where he led their global energy management and consultancy teams, reducing the energy usage, costs and carbon emissions of some of the world's largest manufacturing companies.

Paul has worked on four continents and in over 24 countries delivering climate action services. He has worked on a vast range of large factories, improving their environmental performance.

The learnings and knowledge around sustainability and energy efficiency design in the industrial sector in Ireland are far beyond what you will see in the USA and Asia, he said. Many other sectors here, however, are far behind the industry sector in Ireland.

One key gap for Ireland is in renewables. Ireland has a huge focus on alternative energy and wind turbines. Even if Ireland was to reach its goal of 70% of electricity coming from renewables by 2030, we would still have 83% of our overall energy needs coming from fossil fuels. Ireland does not yet have a viable alternative to industrial gas use.

A national commitment to supporting biomethane would, Paul says, go a long way to plugging this gap. Germany, UK, Italy, France and Spain all have supports to promote the production of biogas from farm waste. Ireland has no clear policy for anaerobic digestion.

With the right national policy, a biomethane industry could develop relatively quickly, Paul said. It's a tried and tested solution. With the right financial and legal supports, this could be developed within two to three years.

The most successful approach would be for each industry to have its own anaerobic digestion plant. The farmer would be both a plant owner and a supplier in a co-op arrangement.

There's clearly a lack of understanding of this at Government level, both among ministers and their advisers. They're just not up to speed on this.
Four new ambassadors presented credentials to President Mnangagwa at State House yesterday and commended the excellent relations that exist between Zimbabwe and their countries.

The four are Mrs Sheilla Muthoni Munyi from Kenya, Ms Fionnuala Gilsenan from Ireland, Mr Tobias Elling Rehfeld from the Kingdom of Denmark and Mr Pascal Rubymvyomworo who will be the first diplomat from the Republic of Burundi accredited to Zimbabwe.

The four envoys pledged to improve bilateral ties with Zimbabwe.

Ambassador Munyi described Zimbabwe-Kenya relations as excellent.

"It is excellent and actually very soon you will see it at a very high level, very soon," she said.

Commenting on the granting of Kenyan citizenship to 1 700 people of Shona origin who settled in that country in the 1930s, Ambassador Munyi acknowledged the gratitude expressed by President Mnangagwa on the development.

Burundi's Ambassador Rubymvyomworo said the two countries shared a lot in common.

"The relations are excellent as we share the same history and a common destiny. The relations as we have discussed with the President have to be developed within the economic field and we have to develop South to South relations within Africa to tackle global challenges," he said.

Denmark's Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Rehfeld said his country had supported Zimbabwe since its fight against colonialism.

"We discussed the relations that exist between us that have existed for more than 40 years. Denmark was a strong supporter of a free and independent Zimbabwe and we have been here ever since doing what we can with partners and friends to assist in the areas of health, education, human rights and democracy and the many areas that we worked together and the President and I were looking into those fields," he said.

Ambassador Gilsenan said the two countries had sound bilateral ties.

"The foundations are very strong, the people-to-people links between Ireland and Zimbabwe, and many will know the missionaries who worked here for decades especially in education and made huge contributions."
The Kremlin today launched a propaganda offensive against Alexei Navalny as it broadcast footage of him in jail and it emerged a former spy turned RT reporter and been sent to see him in prison to expose his 'lies.'

The CCTV footage shows Navalny, his head shaven, walking around with a cup of tea and 'arguing' with a guard at Pokrov penitentiary on March 26.

It comes after the 44-year-old went on hunger strike this week, claiming that guards were depriving him of sleep by waking him during the night and that he had been refused a doctor's visit for acute back and leg pain.

Navalny's allies said their chosen doctor had not been able to visit him on Thursday.

Instead, they said, Maria Butina, a Russian state TV talk show host who earlier spent time in jail in the United States as a foreign agent, turned up with a camera crew.

His team's Twitter account said: 'Instead of a doctor, Butina, a wretched propagandist from RT channel, arrived today accompanied by video cameras.'

It said that she was berating Navalny and telling him that 'this is the best and most comfortable prison' in Russia.

Pro-Kremlin media footage shows Alexei Navalny, 44, 'arguing' with a prison guard as other inmates stand around them. Comes after claims by Navalny that he has gone on hunger strike after being refused medical treatment for acute pain

Former spy Marina Butina who is now working for the state-backed RT news channel, a propaganda outlet for the Kremlin

In the footage Navalny walks around with a cup in his hand while in discussion with a prison guard wearing a blue camouflage uniform

In response, Navalny 'told her off in front of a line of prisoners for 15 minutes, calling her a parasite and servant of the thieves in power,' his allies said on Twitter.

Maria Butina, the gun-loving Russian spy jailed in the US after trying to infiltrate the Republican Party and the NRA Gun-toting Russian spy Maria Butina, 32, was deported from the U.S. in October 2019 after pleading guilty to one count of conspiring to act as an agent for Russia. Butina began attending NRA meetings and other conservative events in the U.S. in 2014, often posting Facebook pictures of herself with prominent Republicans like Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal and Rick Santorum. All the while, she remained in contact with a Russian official, Aleksandr Torshin, and prosecutors say that she was acting on Kremlin orders to insert herself into U.S. politics. But Butina denied the government's claim that Torshin was close to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. She said her involvement with the NRA was a natural extension of a gun rights movement she started in Russia. After serving most of an 18-month sentence she returned to Moscow with fanfare where officials branded the charges against her ludicrous and claimed she had been forced to confess. She was soon hired as a host for the state-funded RT news channel, formerly known as Russia Today. Advertisement

Alexei Barinov, a doctor, told Reuters early on Thursday that Navalny's lawyers had asked him to treat Navalny and that they had asked the prison service either to allow him into the prison or to let Navalny out to a clinic.

'We're waiting for a decision from the FSIN (prison service),' he said

The CCTV footage of him walking around inside was broadcast by pro-Kremlin Life media, and could only have been released with top-level clearance.

The report claimed that Navalny has projected an image of himself as a 'martyr' but the footage shows his condition is 'very different from what he complains about'.

The propaganda outlet said: 'Views of the video from the penal colony - and conversations with informed interlocutors - convince us that Alexei Navalny is not a sick sufferer for the democratic faith, but an impudent simulator who also managed to pick up the habits of thieves.'

The video, it claims, shows the convict walking around the Pokrov penitentiary 'with a sedate, confident gait and a cup of tea in his hands.'

On the same day he had posted on social media that it was 'hard and painful to get out of bed' and that could not feel his right leg, said Life.

Judging by the video, 'he feels neither remorse nor fear that his lies may be exposed.'

His pose 'with his hand in his pocket' shows him not as a 'persecuted opposition leader' as portrayed in the West but his feeling of 'superiority to the uniformed guard' and other inmates.

Navalny is seen in a vast cell which Life says currently houses 16 inmates, and has many empty bunk beds.

Leaked details from his prison show he had received six reprimands by 29 March, said Life.

The leak appeared to be a hit back against Western leaders' pressure on Vladimir Putin to release him.

Footage which purportedly shows Navalny walking around his prison wing unaided

Life alleges that cell mates are receiving money assumed to be from Navalny supporters - or the West - as a way of making them act as his 'servants' in the colony in Vladimir region.

'He underwent an MRI examination, which did not reveal anything serious for his age,' claimed Life.

'However, he still continues to complain on social networks about his poor health and, on this basis, demands new concessions from the colony's administration.

'For example, as a special medical dispensation he wanted - and received - a gymnastics or yoga mat.'

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny looks at photographers standing behind a glass of the cage in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow in February 2021

Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia, the couple have two children together

He was given a special bed and ear plugs, it was reported.

'Navalny is visited by lawyers every day,' said the report.

'And such meetings can last up to four hours, with each of his four lawyers.'

A day earlier, Navalny complained about a prison visit by state sponsored RT channel present Maria Butina, who earlier spent time in jail in the United States as a foreign agent.

Navalny branded her 'a parasite and servant of the thieves in power' in the Kremlin.

The opposition leader claims his jailing is a political vendetta by Putin.
AMSTERDAM -- Twenty years ago, Dutch couple Gert Kasteel and Dolf Pasker made history when they tied the knot in the worlds first legally-recognised same-sex wedding in the Netherlands.

They were among four gay couples - three male and one female - to be married shortly after midnight by the mayor of Amsterdam on April 1, 2001.

On Thursday, they celebrated their 20th anniversaries in small groups or at home due to COVID-19 social distancing rules that prevented large gatherings.

Its nicer to say to other people hes my husband, hes my man, said Dolf, sitting next to Gert as they flipped through an album of photos and newspaper clippings of the wedding, which made headlines worldwide. It has helped me to accept myself.

All four gay marriages have passed the test of time. One of the men, Frank Wittebrood, died of a heart attack in 2011 at 55.

Dutch couple Gert Kasteel and Dolf Pasker look at newspaper articles that featured them on their wedding 20 years ago in the world's first legally-recognised same-sex wedding and on the state of LGBT rights two decades on, in Weesp, Netherlands March 31, 2021. Picture taken March 31, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Those who participated looked back with pride at having made legal history.

People told me that the Netherlands would be the first and the last country (to pass same-sex marriages), the rest of the world wont follow you, said Henk Krol, a lawmaker who supported the bill when it passed the Dutch parliament in 2000.

Almost 30 countries in the world followed the Dutch example, he said.

Most European Union countries, Britain, the United States, Australia, Mexico and South Africa are among 29 nations to have legalised same-sex marriage since 2001.

Im very proud that its possible, said Gert, who before he could complete his sentence had Dolf jump in and finish it: that we could play a little part of it. We made history.
Police in Ho Chi Minh City have raided a dog slaughterhouse after following two suspected dog thieves.

Officers were patrolling along a street in District 12 on Thursday morning when they noticed two men with suspicious signs.

The officers believed the men to be dog thieves and decided to follow them.

They later arrived at a house with no address in Trung My Tay Ward, District 12, where they were about to sell some dogs.

The police examined the facility and found 51 dogs weighing 490 kilograms, which were being slaughtered.

Multiple tools suspected to be used for stealing dogs were also discovered at the location.

The two suspicious men were escorted to the police station to verify whether they had stolen the dogs.

The Peoples Committee in Trung My Tay Ward imposed a VND2.5 million (US$108) fine upon L.V.P., 43, the house owner, for failure to meet veterinary hygiene standards.

P. was also required to pay an additional VND8 million ($348) to authorities to cull the dogs found at his facility in accordance with regulations.

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Cheryl Fergison has revealed her Twitter and email accounts have been hacked.

Sharing a lengthy Instagram post on Thursday, the EastEnders star, 55, told fans: 'The last couple of days have been frustrating and upsetting.'

The actress explained she was concerned about who may now have access to her personal contacts, adding that she can no longer access her Twitter page, which boasts nearly 91,000 followers.

Shocking: Cheryl Fergison, 55, has revealed her Twitter and email accounts have been hacked in a new Instagram post

Looking disheartened in a selfie that accompanied the news, Cheryl - who is best known for portraying Heather Trott on the BBC soap - began: 'Hi everyone.. so here's what has been happening.

'Now as a positive person generally the last couple of days has been totally frustrating and upsetting due to having been hacked!'

She then warned of the dangers of social media, adding that 'nothing is out of bounds' for online hackers.

'Because I don't go around all doom and gloom it doesn't enter my head that people can try to ruin nice people's lives,' Cheryl continued.

'As you know I love my social media ... but it's just made me think how we all need to go back to a timeless dependant on having our whole lives based around some sort of digital life.'

'Upsetting': Sharing a lengthy Instagram post on Thursday, the EastEnders star told fans: 'The last couple of days have been frustrating and upsetting' (pictured on the soap's set in 2011)

She went on: 'Nothing it seems is out of bounds for these people who are set on trying to (and achieving) to make peoples lives a misery. It's not fair and it's not good for the soul.

'So my Twitter account (verified and with some wonderful supporters ... over 91 thousand of you ) seems to have been hacked.

'I can no longer access the account .... and a important email account has been compromised also meaning I can't get my emails etc so frustrating.'

Speaking of the worry the situation has caused, the soap star shared: 'It's also worrying as they could use my email address to get to my contacts and probably have already.'

In-depth: Looking disheartened in a selfie that accompanied the news, Cheryl - who is best known for portraying Heather Trott on the BBC soap - penned a long caption

Cheryl also hinted that the shock hacking of her accounts has made her think twice about having an online presence at all.

She said: 'All I've ever wanted to do on my social media is support you the loyal supporters of my work and share with you all my new and exciting projects .... so not sure now how I feel about all of this now.'

The star also told how the news had put a damper on an 'exciting project' that she'd recently learned of.

'And on the day I learn about a new and exciting filming project too.'

Concluding her post, Cheryl urged her fans to 'try and find the simplicity in life' and told them: 'Don't let the b**tards get you down.'

'Take it easy and let's all try to find the simplicity of life again,' she said.

'As a creative person I don't understand the tech stuff too well and if I'm honest it's not really my cup of tea.

'I understand it's great to those who thrive on a keyboard and computer but me personally I like to meet real people in real situations and call me old fashioned but much prefer a good old face to face , audience to audience, person to person social mixing.

'One of the real problems with what we have all been through this last year and it's challenges ... anyway my lovely peeps keep chilled , keep the hope and what's it they say ' don't let the b******* grind you down.'

Death hoax: In December, Cheryl faced more turmoil on social media after she was forced to deny she is dead after a vile hoax surfaced online

In December, Cheryl faced more turmoil on social media after she was forced to deny she is dead after a vile hoax surfaced online.

The star took to Instagram at the time to post a selfie confirming she was alive and well - and would be back on television in the New Year.

She wrote: 'Thank you for your concerns but I am alive and well despite confusion on some social media that I had passed away.

'Sadly we did lose George Michael the legend & wonderful man 4 years ago .. Heather Trott well yes she is dead but as for me Cheryl Fergison I'm looking forward to a wonderful new year where I wish our industry to get back into full flow.

'So with confidence I say look out for me back on your screens in the new year and here's to exciting and wonderful new projects ( like the secret says open your mind and be positive in the knowledge you will receive.

'Wishing you all a prosperous and wonderful new year, be patient, stay safe and remember life is for living it to the best we can.'

Cheryl lives in the North West with her husband Yassine Al-Jermoni, 34, who she tied the knot with in 2011 after he moved to the UK to be with her.
Lucknow, April 2 : The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday extended the closure of Classes 1 to 8 in all schools till April 11, in view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.

On March 30, the state government had ordered the closure of schools for students up to Class 8 till April 4.

The Yogi Adityanath government has laid strict instructions to follow the Covid protocols in schools for Classes 9 to 12.

The sudden surge in Covid-19 cases in the state has caused a panic situation among the people.

During the meeting on Friday, Adityanath said the RT-PCR testing should be compulsorily done in suspected cases of Covid-19.

He also ordered officials concerned to increase the number of tests in the state.
Councillors have voted to prepare legal action against the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and the operators of a landfill over a foul smell in west Belfast.

People living near the Mullaghglass Landfill  and even as far away as Lisburn  have for years companied that the odour is making their lives a misery, with residents unable to open their windows at times.

There have been more than 500 complaints about the problem, with locals taking the matter to the courts.

On Thursday, councillors unanimously agreed to prepare their own legal action against the NIEA and Alpha Resource Management, which operates the landfill.

Sinn Fein councillor Daniel Baker, who lives in an area hit by the odour, said the stench was unbearable at times.

"A potent and dangerous odour has been impacting citizens of Belfast in the Collin, Lisburn North and White Mountain (wards)," he added.

"Its been coming from the landfill. Its sulphur and its a knock-you-out stench.

"Throughout Covid its been even more difficult as weve been working from home. You cant do it (open a window) because the smell is simply that strong.

"Its no exaggeration to say it actually comes up through your drains and toilets.

"Some people are spending money on power-hosing their drains to try and mitigate it.

"It is impacting peoples lives, their physical health and their mental health.

"I dont want to scaremonger, but the other day we had the driest day since Christmas. My kids spent the day playing outside. It was the first time I got anxious because they were picking it up and asking Whats that smell?"

SDLP councillor Brian Heading said residents should not have to put with the odour.

The Green Partys Mal OHara said the issue pointed to wider environmental problems.

"If we had an independent environmental protection agency, residents could go there and seek redress and get things moved forward," he added.

"Residents can smell this, so they know its a problem, but across this city our air is toxic.

"The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) brought forward a discussion document on a clean air strategy, but its evidence said 5.2% of deaths in Belfast were attributable to air pollution."

People Before Profit councillor Michael Collins said Daera had to use the enforcement powers at its disposal, such as issuing fines.

Councillor Bakers motion read: "This council must immediately prepare legal action against the NIEA and site operators for their dereliction of duty in protecting the rights of citizens around the Mullaghglass Landfill site.

"Dangerous odours are having a negative impact on the quality of life of citizens who live within a large circumference of the Mullaghglass Landfill site.

"The NIEA have refused to take action against the landfill operators and, as a result, citizens of both Belfast and Lisburn are having to endure the daily effluvium of raw waste.

"Clean air should be afforded to everyone. We must act now."

A similar motion is to be debated by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council at the end of the month.

Alpha Resource Management said: "We work to the highest environmental and industry standards and we are absolutely committed to being good neighbours.

"We are in regular contact with the local community and its representatives to thoroughly investigate any complaints and we comply in full with the required permit of the site, continually reviewing all aspects of its management and regulation with the statutory authority and industry regulators."

The NIEA have been approached for comment.
Doodnath Maharaj was the general secretary of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union for nearly two decades. This is out of a total of 40 years service.

He was a dedicated and loyal comrade who did his best work away from the limelight. Indeed, he shunned it, embodying a self-effacing personality that was deeply mystifying to many who came to know him.
Rutgers national champion Anthony Ashnaults Olympics bid was upended with a loss in Fridays U.S. Team Trials quarterfinal round.

Ashnault got in a good shot on top-seeded Zain Retherford and had a criteria lead in the final period, but the three-time Penn State national champion was able to rally late for a 5-1 win in the 65-kilogram bracket in Fort Worth, Texas.

Retherford, who took bronze at the 2019 World Wrestling Cup, will wrestle Joey McKenna, a Towaco native who starred at Blair and Ohio State, in the semifinal. The winner at 65 kilos (roughly 143 pounds) will then need to qualify the weight for Team USA at the Olympic qualifying tournament later this year ahead of this summers Games in Tokyo.

Buy Rutgers gear: Fanatics, Lids

Ashnaults tournament is done after a 12-2 technical fall loss to former North Carolina star Evan Henderson in his first wrestleback bout. Ashnault had beaten Henderson on a FloWrestling card last year.

Ashnault, who was the states first four-time undefeated state champion at South Plainfield High, realized a lifelong dream by competing at the trials.

It means a lot. Its really surreal, Ashnault said after his first-round win over Cornell national champion Nahshon Garrett. Ive come here with my dad since I was a kid. To have the dream of being here and carrying the American flag around my shoulders since I was a little boy in the wrestling room at the [South Plainfield] PAL building, and now its finally here. Its emotional.  Its amazing to be at this stage at the highest level of the sport.

Ashnault downed Garrett, 8-2, in his first bout after trailing by criteria in the final period, riding a flurry of late points to the win.

Hes really dangerous, Ashnault said, so I just had to pull the trigger and get to my attack.

Were starting a free Rutgers sports newsletter! Interested? Enter your email here.



Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com.
A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Professor of Econometrics, Charles Soludo, Thursday narrated how gunmen, at a political gathering in his home state in Anambra State, attacked him and killed three policemen attached to him on Thursday.

Soludo, a governorship aspirant in the November 6 race under the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance, was at a meeting with youths at Isuofia community when the gunmen struck.

Featuring last night on Channels Television's Programme, Politics Today, Soludo described the incident as barbaric, horrible and senseless.

He narrated: "We were having an interactive town-hall meeting. We finished the diocesan crescent mass at about 2 pm, and by 4:00 pm, they scheduled an interactive town-hall meeting with the Isuofia youths.

"And by the way, Isuofia happens to be my hometown... I'm a village boy; this is where I feel safest anywhere in the world. I walk the streets, I jog on the streets, I take long walks, I mean I'm everywhere as a village boy as it were.

"With this interactive session with over a thousand youths seated, and I was just making preliminary remarks to open up the interactive session with other dignitaries from the community, commissioners and members of the House of Assembly, former commissioners, former members of the house, and several other dignitaries were in attendance.

"And just as I was about to wrap up, and for them now to open up comments, questions and answers, I heard gunshots. At first, I thought maybe the policemen were shooting in the air and concurring with the kind of exuberance in the hall itself...

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"And until I began to hear people screaming, and all of that, and everyone scampered for safety, but then when it was all over, it took several minutes about 10 to 15 minutes of continuous gun battle, going back and forth... stopping and starting again.

"By the time we all came back, we saw three dead bodies lying in the pool of their blood - they were the three policemen... and like I said earlier, may God grant their soul eternal rest... we'll continue to pray and support the families.

"And then, the commissioner was abducted. I understand that when they ran and jumped the fence, some people grabbed and took him away... our prayers are with him. We pray for his safe return.

"The DSS, police, army and civil defense were all in my house... I was totally unhurt in any way."

Asked if the attack was politically motivated, Soludo said: "I think there are all kinds of theories as it were, I do not want to prejudge or preempt the investigation that is ongoing because I understand some persons have been apprehended and also providing useful information."
" Clientele Luxury Global Magazine Captivates the Luxury Real Estate Industry showcasing Top Real Estate Agents"

During the second half of 2020, the luxury real estate market experienced an upswing through a shift in consumer demand for more space, greater views, and locations outside of major metropolitan areas. That trend is predicted to continue into 2021, and an influx of buyers and increasing home prices during the early months of the year embody what the next few months could hold. Providing guidance to affluent individuals, Clientele Luxury magazine released its Hot 20 Luxury Real Estate Agents list with its Spring 2021 issue, delivering a whos-who assemblage spanning key markets.

The Hot 20 Luxury Real Estate Agents list includes such top producers as Josh and Matthew Altman, both highly visible in the Los Angeles area, particularly the Platinum Triangle, Hollywood Hills, and Sunset Strip neighborhoods, and known for their appearance on Bravos Million Dollar Listing; Craig Morris, co-owner of Aspen Snowmass Sotheby's International Realty, for the Aspen, CO area; Paul Benson of Engel & Volkers in Park City, Utah; Moira Holley, a Co-Founder of Realogics Sotheby's International Realty, representing the Seattle area; Shelly Tretter Lynch, one of the leading agents in Greenwich, Connecticut with COMPASS ; Mark P. Riley from Lux International Properties in Naples, Florida; and Olivia Hsu Decker from Golden Gate Sothebys International Realty, among several others leading their respective regions.

To see the Spring 2021 issue and the Hot 20 Luxury Real Estate Agents list, please visit:

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About Clientele Luxury

Clientele Luxury magazine made its debut in Fall 2013 highlighting travel destinations, style, and ultra-luxury properties and real estate agents from across the United States. For the past eight years, Editor-in-Chief Erin Green and Senior Editor Irene Test have captured their audience with noteworthy content geared toward the affluent, and many of the original featured agents continue to partner with the now-established magazine to access and gain visibility among a high net-worth target audience. At the same time, the magazines spreads present the homes through detailed imagery and pair them with engaging content geared toward buyers considering ultra-luxury properties.

Along with the Global magazine, Clientele Luxury publishes its Top 10 Homes in the USA edition seasonally, geared toward $200,000,000 or higher net worth individuals, and the biannual BESPOKE, focusing on luxury properties and travel destinations.

Considering the full luxury experience of travel and exploration, the magazine continues to carve out a niche by showcasing interior designers, creative individuals, and some of the worlds most sought-after travel destinations. Enhancing this aspect further, Clientele Luxury this Spring announced Kate Benson as Clientele's new Travel Editor who is already an established travel blogger. Benson will share her personal experiences as she visits destinations across the globe.

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Boris Johnsons Cabinet was rocked last night by an explosive political memoir revealing vicious Tory infighting.

The Prime Minister is one of the targets for a series of astonishing personal attacks from Alan Duncan, his deputy when he was foreign secretary.

Sir Alan describes Mr Johnson as a buffoon and says they had a blazing row over a Press report about diplomats treating him as an international joke.

When Mr Johnson asked: Why dont they take me seriously? Sir Alan replied: Look in the ****ing mirror!

Serialised in the Daily Mail, In The Thick Of It is as candid, caustic and colourful as the sensational Alan Clark Diaries of the 1990s.

Sir Alan, who quit politics just 16 months ago, saw at first hand how the government of Theresa May, a friend since university, collapsed in chaos.

It is unprecedented for a politician to lift the lid on feuding in the corridors of power so soon after leaving office.

Sir Alan calls:

Mr Johnson  disloyal. He is an international stain on our reputation, a selfish, ill-disciplined, shambolic, shameless clot;

Priti Patel  a nothing person, a complete and utter nightmare, the Wicked Witch of Witham;

Theresa May  a frightened rabbit, a cardboard cut-out, her social skills are sub-zero;

Michael Gove  an unctuous freak, a whacky weirdo;

David Cameron  too glib and (made) too many appointments from close associates;

Philip Hammond  Spock-like trampler over anyone elses sensitivities, no feeling for the poor;

Ex-Tory chairman Eric Pickles  FLP (Fat Lump Pickles) might get into an (airline) economy seat  hed never get out;

Labours Emily Thornberry  graceless frump;

Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood  childish twit;

Dowager Duchess of Rutland  haughty old boot.

Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson, pictured left during his time as Mayor of London at the Spectator Magazine's summer party in 2015, along with MP Alan Duncan, who has lifted the lid on Tory infighting in an unprecedented memoir

Many biographies gloss over the personal and political tensions in the corridors of power and have little impact as a result. But Sir Alans memoirs are in the style of great political diaries like those by Clark or Chips Channon that capture the spirit of the age.

The look in the ****ing mirror! row occurred when Mr Johnson accused Sir Alan of being behind the Press report that he was seen as an international joke.

Sir Alan says Mr Johnson flew into a rage after summoning him to his office for a dressing-down.

We had a stand-up confrontation  he had completely popped, says Sir Alan, who denied being the source of the story.

He went on the attack and told Mr Johnson to admit the article was true  that he was a joke.

Sir Alan claims Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng agreed with him: He (Kwarteng) says Boris doesnt appreciate that diplomacy is not about nice conversations with your friends: its about engaging with those who are awkward.

Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2016, at the time as Foreign Secretary, along-side the then-Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Alan Duncan. Boris Johnsons Cabinet was rocked last night by an explosive political memoir revealing vicious Tory infighting in Duncan's memoir

He castigates Mr Johnson for his blatant self-serving ambition and says he knew none of the details on Brexit.

The Prime Minister had a self-deluding mock-romantic passion. He is a clown  an embarrassing buffoon  an international stain on our reputation  ill-disciplined, shambolic, shameless clot (an) egotistical showman.

Sir Alan, who was MP for Rutland and Melton from 1992 until the last election and served on the Conservative front bench over a period of 18 years, criticises Home Secretary Miss Patels dolled-up appearance on TV and says she is a nothing person.

He refers to a claim that a political analyst, the late Sir Anthony King of Essex University, had called an unnamed politician who studied there as having been abysmal beyond measure as a student.

The Press named (ex Speaker) John Bercow, but it was in fact Priti Patel, claims Sir Alan, who adds: The Wicked Witch of Witham scores again.

Mr Bercow and Miss Patel, MP for Witham in Essex, both studied politics at the university.

The Spectator Party, hosted by Boris Johnson (L) with MP Alan Duncan (R) who got into the party spirit by wearing a look-a-like blond wig. The party was held at the Conservative journal's Doughty Street Offices, Holborn

Sir Alan says she was not popular among officials when she was international development secretary: They hate Priti, mainly because she seems to hate all of them. She is a complete and utter nightmare.

While publicly supporting Theresa May, Mr Johnson privately despised her and was only right behind her so as to push her off a cliff, writes Sir Alan.

Mrs May does not escape criticism. She was wooden  a frightened rabbit  cardboard cut-out. You never know whats churning away beneath her undemonstrative demeanour. Her social skills are sub-zero.

From the moment she lost her majority in the botched 2017 election, Mrs May led a government of the walking dead with a Cabinet of zombies.

Sir Alan says Cabinet Office minister Mr Gove is a combination of shameless and synthetic  an unctuous freak, a whacky weirdo both unappealing and untrustworthy.

Accusing ex-chancellor Mr Hammond of breaking the Tories 2015 election pledge not to increase tax, he says: He has no feeling whatsoever for people on low incomes, and is a Spock-like trampler over anyone elses sensitivities.

He claims Mr Hammond snubbed him as he left a Downing Street reception: Philip Hammond swanks in through the back gate, and walks straight past me with his nose in the air. He doesnt even say hello. He has no idea how to extend elementary courtesies.

Sir Alan says childish twit Mr Ellwood refused to speak to him over a perceived personal slight.

He castigates Miss Thornberry for failing to thank him after he helped her attend the funeral of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Not a word of gratitude. It was as if she owned the place, she is a graceless frump.

He says he fell out with the virulently pro Leave Dowager Duchess of Rutland, aged 83, after he backed Remain in the 2016 EU referendum.

After the duchess called him disgusting, Sir Alan observed: She is a haughty old boot.

Oh, no, minister! ALAN DUNCAN's gloriously wicked diary spills the vitriol on Boris 'the buffoon', 'frightened rabbit' Theresa May, her 'walking dead' Cabinet... via random episodes of Hawaii Five-0. Alan Clark, eat your heart out!

By Alan Duncan, Former Foreign Office Minister

Today, we begin a blockbuster serialisation of one of the most explosive political diaries ever to be published. Alan Duncan, a well-respected Tory MP for nearly three decades, used them to let off steam in private about the monstrous egos that surrounded him.

The diaries cover his final four turbulent years in Parliament, when Brexit split the Conservatives apart. Once a Eurosceptic, Duncan made many enemies himself by deciding to support Remain.

By turns outrageously bitchy, funny and despairing, the diaries eviscerate many of his colleagues  not least Boris Johnson and Theresa May. The ultimate political insider, Duncan had known Mrs May since Oxford University and in 2016 lent her his house for her leadership campaign. Later, as a minister at the Foreign Office, he became Boriss deputy.

Now aged 64, Duncan has also served eight times as a shadow minister, and four years as a minister in the Department for International Development. In 2002, he came out as the first openly gay Conservative MP. Today he lives with his civil partner James Dunseath and their cockapoodle in a village in his old constituency of Rutland and Melton.

The Prime Minister is one of the targets for a series of astonishing personal attacks from Alan Duncan (pictured posing for a photograph in Westminster), his deputy when he was foreign secretary

Friday, January 8, 2016

To Rutland [constituency home]. As I walk in, [my partner] James greets me with a glass of wine. Yippee! He has recorded the first two episodes of the new series of Hawaii Five-0!

Thursday, February 11

Went to Number 10 for my 10.45 meeting with the PM [David Cameron]. We walked through to his study, alone except for Larry the Number 10 cat. At which point DC said, Sofas all yours  next to the pussy. First time for everything!

He was very good at pointing out the dangers of a Leave vote. He said we would just have three years of total Euro-w**k and it risks being a catastrophe.

Saturday, February 20

[Michael] Gove, [Iain] Duncan Smith, [John] Whittingdale, [Theresa] Villiers, [Chris] Grayling and [Priti] Patel are all to campaign for Leave.

Sunday, February 21

Dolled-up Priti Patel on Sky. She really is a nothing person.

Boris will [also] campaign to leave. George [Osborne] and I agree there will be an initial sensation, and then a backwash against Boris, whose leadership intentions are brazen.

Its typical of [Boris]  creating a media circus around himself, fuelling speculation while keeping others in the dark and then coming out on the populist side, despite it being perfectly clear he doesnt believe any of this guff. The long-term Eurosceptics dont trust him, and his self-serving ambition is blatant. But it will play well with the Tory base, which is all he cares about.

Sunday, March 6

Rupert Murdoch wedding to Jerry Hall. So  tell me, Miss Hall, what first attracted you to the 84-year-old billionaire Rupert Murdoch?

Wednesday, March 9

Sun headline Queen Backs Brexit causes a massive row. Whoever was the source of this in the first place is a complete and utter s**t. But that could be quite a long list.

Saturday, March 12

[Tory donor] Michael Ashcrofts 70th birthday party. [Justice Secretary] Michael Gove is there, having briefed earlier in the day that the leak about the Queens view on the EU did not all come from him. Utter sophistry. It was clearly him.

Sunday, March 13

Ive thought about it so much and now Ive decided [to support Remain]. Quite how we extricate ourselves [from the EU] and still expect to trade freely is beyond me.

Wednesday, April 6

Do full round of Yemen meetings. I have never so much as had a meeting with Philip Hammond about this poor dilapidated country, because quite frankly hes not bothered. As Foreign Secretary, hes only interested in the rich ones.

Friday, June 24

Woke up at 6am to hear the result [of the Brexit referendum]. S***! And then  bang! At 8.15am David Cameron announces his intention to resign. What the hell happens now?

Sunday, June 26

Speak to [Tory MP] Ben Gummer, George Osborne, Theresa [May], then the PM. All aghast at the thought of Boris succeeding as Prime Minister.

Monday, June 27

At 6pm I went to see Theresa in her office. I told her, Ive only got one thing to say  you must stand. Im right behind you, go for it!

She was pretty wooden, as she always is. You never quite know whats churning away beneath her undemonstrative demeanour. Theres a tiny bit of me that thinks I might yet stand myself! But Ive zero intention of actually doing so.

Thursday, June 30

News broke that Gove was ditching Boris and standing himself. What an utter s***! Boris then abruptly announced he wasnt going to stand. Extraordinary. One whiff of grapeshot from Gove and he has completely buckled.

Friday, July 1

The Gove campaign launch. Theres something so socially unaware about him: it lies somewhere between shameless and synthetic.

Friday, July 8

[In] an interview [Energy Minister Andrea] Leadsom says she is better equipped to be PM because she has children! I text [Theresas husband] Philip May, Leadsom is despicable  Sarah Palin [former U.S. Vice-Presidential candidate] on crack. [Leadsom pulled out of the race three days later, and May became PM.]

Thursday, July 14

Snakes and ladders during the day. Gavin Williamson as [the new] Chief Whip feels ill-judged. You want someone loyal there, and you wont get that from GW, who is an inexperienced schemer, only in it for himself.

Pictured: Some of the personal attacks Alan Duncan makes on various politicians in his new, explosive memoir, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel

Friday, July 15

I went over to my [constituency] Association President Frances, Duchess of Rutland, who has been virulently pro-Leave, and said, Well, I guess we are both happy: you have the EU result you want, and I have the PM I want. To which she erupted and shouted, Oh you are so disgusting! and walked off in a huff. The trouble is, she thinks shes in charge of everything, and that anyone who doesnt share her opinion is beyond the pale. She really is such a haughty old boot.

The PM offered me Minister of State at the new Department for International Trade. I had to think quickly as I had no wish to be number two to Liam Fox. I suggested that with all my Middle East experience and knowledge, would she consider the Foreign Office instead?

She came back to me, half an hour later, and said yes to the FCO, implicitly as Minister for the Middle East.

Saturday, July 16

At 5.30pm I go to the Foreign Office. All seems clear and agreed that I will be Minister for the Middle East. [But] when I see Boris [now Foreign Secretary] at 6pm it seems a massive problem has arisen, which is nothing short of contemptible. Boris says the Conservative Friends of Israel [CFI] are going ballistic.

If Id ever so much as sided with anti-Semitic people, or said anything near it, theyd be fully entitled to have a go at me, but I never have.

It is for no other reason than that I believe in the rights of Palestinians and its quite clear that they dont. They just want to belittle and subjugate the Palestinians.

Now Number 10 are telling Boris I cannot have the Middle East. This it seems has come from [Mays special adviser, or spad] Nick Timothy, who has also been got at. Appalling.

Sunday, July 17

Sue Gray, in charge of ethics and propriety at the Cabinet Office, puts it to me that I cant have the Middle East because I used to be in the oil business. This is not an issue of propriety. Clearly [CFI members Eric and Lord] Pickles and Polak have been lobbying against me. This is the most disgusting interference in our public life.

Monday, July 18

Serious argy-bargy all day. I am then offered what they insist is the most serious portfolio beneath the Foreign Secretary: EU, Americas, Central Asia, NATO and European security including Iran. Everyone is very concerned that I might immediately resign and cause a massive stink about this outside interference.

Wednesday, August 31

[FCO minister] Tobias Ellwood is being a childish twit, sending texts of complaint to Boris that I had seen the Bahrain ambassador when he is the person in charge of the Middle East. He has cancelled three meetings with me now and is basically refusing to talk to me.

Monday, September 12

David Cameron quits Parliament. Parliament is so in decline and is made weaker by senior personalities preferring to leave. Part of this is the sheer drudge of the parliamentary timetable, but it is more the vacuous cry about being a part-time MP and having to declare in a register whenever you blow your nose.

[Cameron] has remarkable qualities of confidence and clear communication, but was prone to being glib [and] drew his appointments from too narrow a bunch of close associates.

For all his faults he was decent. I divide politicians into those who do or dont pass the holiday test: would you want to go on holiday with them? Blair  yes. Brown  no. Boris  yes. May  no. Cameron passes with flying colours.

Wednesday, September 14

Tobias [Ellwood] turned up at the U.S. embassy last week. Odd he should be so shirty about me just seeing the Bahrain ambassador when there he is demanding accommodation in our Washington embassy and seeing people in the US without telling me, even though it is my brief.

Saturday, September 17

[Mays spads] Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy are throwing their weight around as if they have complete licence to tell anybody what to do in the name of the Prime Minister. Fiona is the worse of the two, abrasive and hectoring.

Monday, October 24

The PM is stopping BoJo from going to the Gibraltar Day annual lunch. She thinks he will goof and overdo it. But he is the Foreign Secretary, and over-controlling him will only sour their relations.

Tuesday, November 1

Meeting with BoJo  the chemistry between us is working very well at the moment. Im studiously keeping out of Brexit and getting on with the diplomacy I enjoy. I will tell him directly if hes ever doing anything which I think does him or our diplomacy harm, but I will say it to his face. My mantra is simple: loyal to Theresa, loyal to Boris, stay out of the news.

Monday, November 28

I attend a reception at Number 10. As I leave, Philip Hammond swanks in through the back gate, and walks straight past me with his nose in the air. He doesnt even say hello. He has no idea how to extend elementary courtesies.

BIG BEAST BOJO IS NOT AMUSED Tuesday, February 21, 2017 Oral Questions [in the Commons]. There have been reports about the discovery of the fossilised remains of an enormous woolly mammoth. During one answer, I quip that the Foreign Secretary is living proof that the woolly mammoth can return from extinction. Boris was not amused. Ridiculous. It was light-hearted and affectionate, so whats the problem? Chill! To Vienna. When I land, [theres] a series of texts saying I had better contact Boris about the woolly mammoth. What on earth is all the fuss about? It was fun and harmless. Its all because he is in a frightful stew about [FCO minister Tobias] Ellwood who failed to answer a topical question on which he had been extensively briefed, leaving Boris to reply with no understanding of either the question or the answer. I have just been caught up in the slipstream. Wednesday, June 21 The Telegraph has run a piece which takes a quote by me [in a documentary] rather out of context suggesting I have publicly told Boris Johnson to stop playing games in respect of any future leadership race. It is of course semantic exaggeration, but [Boris] phones at 8am to suggest I pen a letter to the paper to correct the record. It is an absurd suggestion, as it will only give the issue more legs. It is only on page 7, at the bottom. He loves double-page spreads puffing him up, but is over-sensitive and loses all perspective when he faces an inch of adverse comment. I was due to be announced by him in the FCO as the Senior Minister of State, but he has binned the idea following the Telegraph story. So petty. He is an egotistical showman who just doesnt understand Parliament, or how to run and motivate a team around him. Tuesday, August 29 There is an article tagging Boris as an international joke and [reporting] that civil servants in the Foreign Office are horrified by their bosss lack of discipline and have taken to slipping in to see his deputy Sir Alan Duncan when they need a decision. Boris calls. He wants to see me. For the first time ever, we have something of a stand-up confrontation. He has completely popped and accuses me of briefing [the journalist], which I hadnt. He says, Why do you say they dont take me seriously? I shake my head and say, Just look in the f***ing mirror! Pictured: Boris Johnson Opening of The Emirates Aviation Experience.London Mayor Boris Johnson during the official opening of The Emirates Aviation Experience Advertisement

Tuesday, November 29

KLM to Havana [for Fidel Castros funeral]. Labours Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, arrived a couple of hours earlier. Opposition frontbenchers are not entitled to any assistance from the FCO, but I offered a modest degree of help, such as being met at the airport, the use of the residence, and transport to and from the funeral rally.

Extraordinary  not a word of appreciation or gratitude. It was as if she owned the place, and I was lucky to be allowed to join her. She is a graceless frump.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

[My partner] James [and I] watched Hawaii Five-O, both giggling. It was just so ridiculous it was great.

Monday, January 16

Gove has secured an interview with Donald Trump. It just feels creepy and a***-licking, keeping him on the map as an ex-minister, and no doubt all set up by Rupert Murdoch.

Sunday, January 22

Hawaii Five-O is going downhill.

Monday, January 23

Bump into a DfID [Department for International Development] acquaintance, on their way to a fatuous training course. They hate Priti Patel in DfID, mainly because she seems to hate all of them. She is clearly a complete and utter nightmare.

When Professor Anthony King, the renowned political analyst, died a couple of weeks ago, it was reported there is a current senior MP whose thesis at Essex University he considered abysmal beyond measure. The press named John Bercow, but it was in fact Priti Patel. The Wicked Witch of Witham scores again.

Monday, January 30

FCO all-staff meeting, addressed by Boris. As soon as he begins to touch on anything difficult, or is asked a searching question, he bats it away with short sentences and disarming quips. They like him, but dont really respect him. They just dont take him seriously.

An example is that whenever quizzed about the complexity of securing a deal with the EU, he just lapses into Come on. Come on . . . (clenched fist, punchy arm wave). Be positive! We have to do this. Come on. Lets all just go for it! Come on, guys. Dont be negative. We can do this!

But they know its b*****s: after all, they are the ones who understand the complexity of the details.

Wednesday, February 1

[Tobias] Ellwood has a nutty proposal that the UK should buy Svalbard, the archipelago between Norway and the North Pole  he wants it to become a UK spaceport. Hes bonkers.

Thursday, February 2

Ellwood is still on his Svalbard kick. Apparently he tried it before with Hammond, who just bawled him out and never spoke to him again. The Norwegians think weve gone totally nuts.

Monday, February 6

[Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu is being feted in Number 10, meeting the PM, followed by lunch, and then we let him use the FCO media suite to peddle his pro-settlement propaganda. We are supine, lickspittle, insignificant cowards. I am ashamed of my own Government.

Dinner with [UK ambassador to the USA] Sir Kim Darroch. I said, How do you find Tobias Ellwood? Kim replied, Its funny  whenever he wants to stay we are always full, and Im somehow not in Washington.

Thursday, February 16

Meeting with Police Gold Commander about Assange. [WikiLeaks] Julian Assange has been self-imprisoned in the Ecuador embassy [where he claimed asylum] for years, and we need to get him out but also ensure that he doesnt escape unnoticed. I am gradually taking control of the situation to be 100 per cent sure that the police surveillance is adequate and that we are not caught napping.

Tuesday, March 7

The PM has sacked Michael Heseltine from his advisory positions to the Government (investment in the North; inner-city infrastructure, etc) which is stupidly petty and wont bother him in the least. After all, he is over 80, worth 300 million, and probably regards most of the Government as a load of children. Hes not wholly wrong.

Wednesday, March 8

Flight to Warsaw. Fat Lump [Tory MP Eric] Pickles is in biz class, along with Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former Foreign Secretary, all paid for by our embassy in Poland, while I fly in economy. I suppose that whereas FLP might just fit into an economy seat, he would probably never get out of it again.

Back home the Budget has been broadly cautious and uneventful, and Hammond even made a few gags. But he has no feeling whatsoever for people on low incomes, and is a Spock-like trampler over anyone elses sensitivities.

In our manifesto for the 2015 general election, it explicitly stated that for the full duration of the Parliament we would not increase the rates of income tax, VAT, or national insurance contributions. But he has increased NICs for the self-employed from 8 per cent to 10. This is an undeniable breach of faith, and clearly a broken promise.

Thursday, March 16

[Mays spad] Fiona Hill [has] had a blazing row with Philip Hammond, who just told her to get knotted. She thinks she can just tell any Cabinet minister what to do  shes mental.

Friday, March 24

Reception [in Antalya, Turkey]. Dinner. Unfortunately BoJos speech was just embarrassing. He made incomprehensible public school quips which cannot be translated, and banged on about being a supportive buttress, assisting the EU from outside it, which came over to the Turks in translation as a supportive bucket.

Sunday, March 26

President Trump is turning out to be a complete lunatic.

Ruling class: Theresa Mays Cabinet at Chequers in 2018

Wednesday, March 29

Bumped into Kwasi Kwarteng [Tory] MP in New Palace Yard. He says Boris doesnt appreciate that diplomacy is not about having nice conversations with your friends: its about how you engage with those who are awkward.

Tuesday, April 11

Boris has made a complete Horlicks of the G7. Meanwhile, [I hear] Fi Hill has been shouting and screaming at Boris. I dont know why he just sits there and takes it.

Tuesday, April 18

[At 11am, May announced there would be a general election.] A good result would allow her to see off the extreme Brexiteer nutters, even to the point where she sacks or demotes Boris. It is all to play for, but entirely ours to screw up.

Monday, April 24

Photo with the PM. I said that if she wanted a safe pair of hands to do back-up interviews during the [election] campaign, Id be more than willing. All I got in return was a dead stare. Her social skills are sub-zero. It is odd that, after I did so much to galvanise her leadership campaign, she has never once even said thank you.

Friday, June 2

For Fi Hill to be putting it about that there is a Chancellor shortlist of Amber Rudd and Michael Fallon is inexcusable.

Saturday, June 3

Houston, we have a problem. We started this election with a supposed lead of nearly 20 per cent but it has been the most disastrous campaign imaginable. [May] has looked wooden and defensive, like a frightened rabbit, declining interviews and TV debates. We have engaged in the politics of personality  without any personality.

David Cameron texts me. I share with him my frustrations about the contemptible briefings from the PMs team about a post-election reshuffle. He says he bets Boris wont be moved, as shes scared of him.

Sunday, June 4

Ariana Grande and others give a most emotional benefit concert in Manchester. Chris Martin of Coldplay is quite a hunk. Why have I never noticed him before?

Tuesday, June 6

I remonstrate with [a journalist] who has promoted the need for Gove as a stabilising influence following the election. Gove is an unctuous freak who generates his own publicity, a wacky weirdo who is both unappealing and untrustworthy. God help us if he is thought to be the answer to our woes.

Friday, June 9

[Day after the general election.] We have gone seriously backwards, losing 33 seats. PMs statement outside Number 10 was awful  utterly tone deaf.

Saturday, June 10

Oh dear. There are rumours that Gove might come back in. Rather better news is that Hill and Timothy are under massive pressure to go, and . . . yippee! Finally they do. Their high-handed tyrannical self-importance has destroyed the Governments majority and may well destroy [May] too. Apparently TM had to be persuaded not to resign.

Sunday, June 11

Have a long chat with [Philip] Hammond. [His] account of dealing with the PM through the ghastly Fiona Hill is damning. The PM was told nothing beyond what she and Nick Timothy let her see. We have to stick with her, but she is a cardboard cut-out.

It is also clear that such is the level of distrust between Boris and Number 10 that he is being excluded from things he has a right to know. He is seen to be in it for himself and has no real understanding of the details of Brexit.

Reshuffle frenzy . . . Andrea Leadsom is to be Leader of the House. Mad. So surely not Gove as Chairman??? Please, please, please no. Phew! Gove is Environment Secretary. It is quite the most unimpressive Cabinet imaginable. Its like a crowd of zombies, aimlessly circling.

Monday, June 12

Day one of the Government of the Walking Dead.

Tuesday, June 13

All-staff [FCO] meeting. Its a critical moment, and BoJo offers little more than a rambling stream of consciousness, devoid of any foreign policy. Its rather embarrassing.

Wednesday, September 6

I visit the Crisis Centre in the basement of the FCO, which is whirring away at full tilt in response to Hurricane Irma, which has belted into the Caribbean, and in particular the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

Pictured: The cover of 'In the thick of it - the private diaries of a minister' by Alan Duncan, in which he makes a series of personal attacks against Tory politicians after quitting politics himself just 16 months ago

Thursday, September 7

A pretty full hurricane day. I make a statement in the Commons on it, then attend a COBRA meeting. Im spending all my time helping to coordinate DfID, the MoD and the FCO.

Friday, September 8

The Governor of BVI is very worried about the collapse of law and order on the islands, and fears looting and unrest. RFA [Royal Fleet Auxiliary] Mounts Bay, with supplies and Marines on board, is due there now, and the Governor has asked for some soldiers to reinforce his small police force.

Im in the Crisis Centre at about 10pm when a call comes in from the BVI Governor to say that there has been a prison breakout and 100 fugitives are now roaming about. He is asking for help.

I just go for it: Governor, this is Alan Duncan, the Minister. I authorise you to take 12 Marines off Mounts Bay, and use them as you see fit. It was quite literally a Send in the Marines moment.

The response, both in BVI and in the Crisis Centre, was extraordinary. They almost whooped and cheered. Slightly concerning for me, though, is that the Marines are not really my assets to deploy.

I call Mark Lancaster, Minister for the Armed Forces, to say what I have done. He is just such a superstar cool good guy. He immediately confirms that the instructions are valid, authorised, and should be followed.

Tuesday, September 12

In a meeting about the hurricane and the use of RAF aircraft to help rescue people, I quite seriously suggested using the Royal/PMs Voyager plane. It would be a bit like using the QEII during the Falklands War. It also draws the sting from anyone criticising the PM/Queen having a plane. It would go into folklore. Wheres our imagination? Nowhere . . . so they wont.

Wednesday, September 13

The stupid OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] rules, which define how Overseas Development Assistance can be used, do not permit us to use it for hurricane response in the [Caribbean] because [the islands] are not poor enough. Well, they bloody well are now!

The PM says she is frustrated by ODA. OK, but then tell your stupid ministers (in particular Priti Patel) not to brag about deploying it after the hurricane when they cant.

Saturday, September 16

The DT [Telegraph] headline today is Boris  Im still behind Theresa for a glorious Brexit. I think hes only right behind her so as to push her off a cliff.

Breakfast with Tony Blair. We cover Brexit, Hamas and the Gulf. He loves having his fingers in Middle Eastern things, but I always feel its more to make money than to make peace.

Friday, September 21

Call with Ecuador FM [foreign minister] to discuss Assange. We both want Assange out of the embassy, after six years, but the Ecuador government wont quite yet take the necessary final step for fear of the domestic reaction.

Saturday, September 24

[Boris] despises May, and thinks he is the next Churchill. He has a self-deluding mock-romantic passion which is not rooted in realism. He is disloyal. His comedy routine has gone stale; his lack of seriousness in a serious job rankles; and he has little following among MPs. He seems to have embarked on a reckless journey into oblivion.

I try to be the dutiful number two, but have lost any respect for him. He is a clown, a self-centred ego, an embarrassing buffoon, with an untidy mind and sub-zero diplomatic judgement. He is an international stain on our reputation. He is a lonely, selfish, ill-disciplined, shambolic, shameless clot.

Grrr. Got that out of my system. I feel better now. Smile and press on!

Extracted from In The Thick Of It: The Explosive Private Political Diaries Of A Former Tory Minister, by Alan Duncan, to be published by William Collins on April 15, 25.  Alan Duncan 2021. To order a copy for 22 go to www.mailshop. co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Delivery charges may apply. Free UK delivery on orders over 20. Promotional price valid until 17/04/2021.
A New York woman claims an NYPD officer illegally taped their one night stand then blackmailed her with the videos, according to a lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court in the Queens borough of New York City.

Valentina Veleva, 35, claims that Miguel Delacruz recorded her without her knowledge and consent while she was naked and performing oral sex on him in his apartment on March 14, 2017.

Veleva claims Delacruz later sent her 12 seconds of the video and threatened to share it with their mutual friends if she told anyone about it because he's married and has a child.

Veleva and her lawyer Joe Murray, a retired NYPD officer and former District Attorney candidate, slammed investigators for allegedly neglecting her accusations for years and told DailyMail.com that Queens DA Melinda Katz should recuse herself from the case.

Murray said probes into Veleva's claims about Delacruz have been compromised by a conflict of interest because they were investigated by NYPD Sergeant Cliff Nieves - who himself has been charged with running a prostitution and gambling ring.

Valentina Veleva, 35, claims that Miguel Delacruz, pictured, recorded her without her knowledge and consent while she was naked and performing oral sex on him

Veleva claims Delacruz later sent her 12 seconds of the video and threatened to share it with their mutual friends if she told anyone about it

Veleva said that Delacruz was popular with her friends and was scared he would send them the videos

The two had allegedly met at a now closed hookah lounge named Teal in Queens, New York

Veleva and Delacruz had been friendly for a year before the one night stand, having met at a now-closed hookah bar called Teal where they both were regulars, she said.

'Valentina was enamored by Delacruz who showed little interest in Valentina romantically until the late evening of March 13, 2017, when they met up at Teal,' the lawsuit reads.

Delacruz invited Valentina back to his apartment in Jackson Heights where they could be alone together and allegedly drunkenly drove them there, according to the lawsuit.

The two then 'had consensual sexual intercourse' that included Valentina performing oral sex upon Delacruz.

The lawsuit alleges that Delacruz then committed the crime of unlawful surveillance in the second degree by recording her without her knowledge or consent.

'With a shocking level of impunity... he created multiple video recordings of Valentina while she was naked, of the '[s]exual or other intimate parts' of her body, including her buttocks,' the lawsuit reads.

Veleva left around 3am when Delacruz allegedly told her he had to work very early in the morning.

She texted him when she arrived home at 3.12am, writing: 'Home. Text me when you get to work but I don't think you should take a cab because it's snowing very bad.'

'Did you make it to work?' she texted him again at 6.39am.

Veleva said she has been diagnosed with PTSD since the incident with Delacruz

Delacruz did not respond and blocked her on his social media accounts.

'Somewhat confused, but still acting out of genuine concern that Delacruz may have overslept and was going to be late for work, Valentina decided to call Delacruz, but a female voice answered saying 'hello hello' and then hung up,' the lawsuit reads.

Veleva called him back again and Delacruz told her that he had cameras in his apartment that he recorded her with and 'specifically threatened Valentina that he would disseminate the recordings if she did not keep her mouth shut.'

Delacruz allegedly hung up the phone and sent her the first 12-second video file to Veleva by text message at 7.30am.

'As if that wasn't shocking and cruel enough, Delacruz made a thinly veiled threat to disseminate this recording and others by texting Valentina, 'Got more',' the lawsuit reads.

A furious Veleva called him back and Delacruz allegedly responded by saying that he didn't understand why she was complaining because she was 'probably the 50th girl he had recorded.'

'I started crying, I was really scared that he would send the videos around. I was worried someone would follow or do something to me,' she told DailyMail.com.

A photo allegedly shows that Delacruz sent the video to Veleva with the text 'got more'

Veleva said that Delacruz was popular with her friends and was scared he would send them the videos

Veleva claimed she even tried to petition legal bigwigs like Katz and New York Attorney General Letitia James to help her but that her requests went ignored

Veleva said that Delacruz was popular with her friends and was scared he would send them the videos.

'Valentina immediately suffered severe emotional distress, including humiliation, anxiety, terror and paranoia that Delacruz either already disseminated this and other videos he may have made,' the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit claims that Veleva immediately reported this criminal conduct to the Civilian Complaint Review Board - which is tasked with investigating police misconduct.

The next day, she reported Delacrus to the NYPD's 114th Precinct where she was interviewed by an Internal Affairs Bureau investigator and identified Delacruz in a photo array.

She emailed the videos to the internal affairs investigators as well as screenshots of messages between her and Delacruz, Veleva told DailyMail.com.

'Instead of filing a criminal complaint, they had me file a family court incident report,' she said.

She initiated two Family Offense Petitions in Queens County Family Court and when called to the stand, Delacruz invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, the lawsuit claims.

'The investigation of Valentina's criminal complaint was being supervised by the Queens County District Attorney's Office, Public Integrity Unit, who were moving incredibly slow with Valentina's relatively simple complaint,' the lawsuit reads.

'NYPD Sergeant, Cliff Nieves, the NYPD officer who was assigned to investigate Delacruz in Valentina's complaint, was himself under investigation by the Queens District Attorney Public Integrity Unit.'

Veleva claimed Delacruz posted pictures when he got the firearm back making fun of the NYPD

Veleva told DailyMail.com that Nieves told her that he could not do anything about her complaint because 'the police, DA and NYPD did not want to do anything.'

She said that she requested new investigators as she petitioned the DA's office to make a decision about her case.

'They said they would review the testimony and in October 2019 they said they were not moving forward,' she said.

She added: 'They claimed that because my face is not in the footage, I cannot be recognized. They deflected that I'm not credible and that I'm not stable.'

Veleva claimed she even tried to petition legal bigwigs like Katz and New York Attorney General Letitia James to help her.

'They said they're handling big cases like Trump and Cuomo and Trump and I'm not big enough for them,' she said.

'I am extremely disappointed in the AG office, they could have reviewed my case. I know it was not committed under Cuomo or Donald Trump but that fact that it was committed by a police officer does not mean it was a small case.'

Veleva told DailyMail.com that one of the most disheartening comments she allegedly got from a prosecutor was when they told her that Delacruz allegedly recording their sex act 'is not a crime because New York State is a one party consent state and you do not need someones permission to record them.'

She also said that a court had taken away Delacruz's firearm and that she was shocked when it was given back to him.

In 2019, Patch reported that a referee for the Queens County Family Court granted her an order of protection against Delacruz and ordered him to temporarily turn in any firearms in his possession, according to court records obtained by the outlet.

Veleva said that Delecruz had been reassigned to the 24th precinct, which she found out when a trove of CCRB complaints was recently made public.

'This is extremely disrespectful. This is like a promotion. He commits a crime, is not charged, and was placed on a modified duty,' she said.

'I can't believe the NYPD would be so arrogant to give him the firearm back.'

Veleva claimed Delacruz had previously had his weapon taken away after a DUI arrest and posted pictures when he got the firearm back making fun of the NYPD, she said,

'Even though women are speaking they're not taken seriously. If this person was a civilian, they would be prosecuted a long time ago,' she said.

She added: 'I don't know if I'm ever going to see him convicted for the crime he committed.'

She cried as she told DailyMail.com that she is 'extremely grateful' that Murray has filed the lawsuit for her.

'I started going to therapy and I've been diagnosed with PTSD. ... Even tomorrow, I have a session with my therapist because every time I speak about this it is like it's happening right now and it's extremely hurtful,' she said.

Murray told DailyMail.com that he believes Delacruz had disseminated the videos.

'You tell me why would he block her the night they have this intimate moment and he records her giving him a blowjob,' Murray said.

Murray alleged that the NYPD 'mishandled' her case from the first day by sending her case through family court.

'They had someone, Yvonne Francis, a very experienced prosecutor, investigating this and they were stringing her along because they were investigating Cliff Nieves,' he said.

He slammed the DA's office for 'creating the conflict of interest' by allegedly 'allowing' Nieves to investigate Delacruz while it was prosecuting Nieves.

'They had to make a decision: 'Do we investigate Delacruz or do we prosecute Nieves. They made that decision right away 'we're not going to prosecute her',' Murray said.

He added: 'They're liars, they used her, they led her on to make her believe an actual investigation was being done. There doesn't need to be an investigation when there a recording proving it.'

Murray said that after investigators questioned Veleva's credibility, he sent her to get a polygraph taken to ensure she was telling the truth that she was unaware she was being recorded and did not give consent.

'There were two additional questions: was it her and was it him. And there was no mistake,' Murray said.

Murray also questioned why her case has allegedly been treated with neglect, noting that she is 'an immigrant green card holder from Bulgaria.'

'I am horrified at what they did to this woman, they dismissed her as a little girl complaining about nonsense,' he said.

'They're treating her like a stupid immigrant girl who can't figure out heads or tails.'

Murray claimed that he has 'never seen police officers and DAs treat a crime victim of a sex offense the way they are treating her.'

'How dare these people! Where do they get their arrogance?' Murray said.

'This is a poor immigrant who comes her from Bulgaria, she's a courageous woman she does not have anyone to stand up for her.'

Murray said that he is filing a letter to Katz asking her to recuse herself from prosecuting his client's case because of her alleged conflict of interest while requesting a special prosecutor.

'They cannot investigate this after having Cliff Nieves investigating her case for a year and a half. They're totally conflicted out,' he said.

When asked about Delacruz, Murray said: 'This guy does not deserve to be one of New York's Finest.'

Veleva recorded many of her conversations with prosecutors she had sought help from, which have been provided to DailyMail.com.

Murray said one of the recordings, a conversation with Gerry Brave, particularly angered him. Brave is a veteran prosecutor who has served in the Queens District Attorney's Office for decades.

'On the recording Valentina is attempting to explain that Delacruz has more videos because after Delacruz sent the video to her,' Murray said.

Brave allegedly said in the call: 'He threatened you that there were more videos to try and get you to stop contacting him, which apparently, after these many weeks now, I can see is a personality trait that you possess.'

'Gerry was essentially saying that since Valentina called Gerry several times about her case over the last couple of weeks, he could see why Delacruz did what he did,' Murray said.

In a statement obtained by the New York Post, a spokesperson for the Queen's DA office said it handles 'every complaint of this nature very seriously.

'Ms. Veleva's was no exception. This matter was thoroughly and carefully reviewed before investigators determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a criminal case,' the spokesperson said.

A spokesman with the city Law Department told the outlet: 'we'll review this case.'
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 19:36:15|Editor: huaxia

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LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Five civilians were killed as a roadside bomb struck their car in southern Helmand province on Friday, spokesman for provincial government Omar Zawak said.

A mine planted by militants on a road linking the restive Helmand to Kandahar province struck a car at around noon killing five on the spot, all civilians, Zawak said.

Without providing more details, the official said that investigation had been initiated into the deadly attack.

This is the second roadside bomb blast inflicting casualties on civilians in a single day on Friday.

In the first roadside bombing, which happened in Kushk-e-Kohan district of the western Herat province Friday at 08:00 a.m. local time, injured seven civilians, officials have confirmed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the deadly blasts yet. Enditem
Former Roseburg City Councilor Ashley Hicks has taken a novel approach in her dispute with city officials as they seek to take away her pet chickens. Hicks got a note from her doctor stating that she suffers from emotional/mental health issues and by law is entitled to an emotional service animal  in this case, her chickens.

On March 18, Hicks filed a formal appeal with City Manager Nikki Messenger, appealing the decision of Police Chief Gary Klopfenstein to revoke Hicks livestock permit and force her to get rid of the four chickens.

I have suffered a considerable amount of mental stress, severe anxiety and depression as a result of the ongoing fighting, untruths and misinformation with the revocation of my livestock permit and anguish caused by threats to revoke, Hicks wrote in the appeal.

She attached a letter from Dr. John Davis Edmiston II, who supported Hicks claims of emotional stress and anxiety.

Edmiston wrote in his letter, dated March 15:

I recently evaluated Ashley Ann Hickss mental health condition. I am familiar with her history and with the functional limitations imposed by her emotional/mental health issue

Due to this emotional disability, Ms. Hicks has certain limitations related to social interactions, coping with stress, and anxiety. In order to help alleviate these difficulties, and to enhance her ability to function independently, I am recommending an emotional support animal that will assist Ms. Hicks in coping with her disability. Ms. Hicks assumes all responsibility for the training, safety, cleanliness, health and conduct of her animal at all times.

That emotional support animal Edmiston refers to are the chickens.

Hicks said she has also enlisted the services of attorney Geordie Duckler, who heads The Animal Law Practice in Portland. According to its web site, the firms clients are companion, domestic, commercial, farm, and exotic animal owners, and its main focus is on the resolution, litigation, and trial of animal-related disputes and harms in cases at both the state and federal levels.

The site goes on to explain that Geordie is involved in several hundred cases a year on issues ranging from resolving minor animal control violations to significant product defect, human injury, and veterinary malpractice suits and injury cases.

His practice is the only one of its kind on the West Coast and one of a small handful in the entire nation, the site says.

Hicks lives in the 700 block of Southeast Flint Street, a few blocks west of downtown Roseburg. Her home backs up to the South Umpqua River.

Last June, Hicks got a permit for her chickens and ducks. She said she went door-to-door to get the 23 signatures of neighbors that was needed, and paid the $50 permit fee.

I did it right. I played by the rules, Hicks said.

However, Hicks said that in September a dog owned by her neighbor, Susie Osborn, attacked one of her hens. Later another dog owned by Osborn attacked and killed one of Hicks ducks.

All told, Hicks said Osborns dogs have killed two of her ducks and injured two of her laying chickens. Following one such attack in January, one of the dogs was impounded and Osborn was ticketed by animal control, Hicks said. Osborn reportedly appeared in court on the incident and paid a fine.

Hicks said it is those incidents that prompted Osborn to take action to have Hicks chickens removed. Hicks ticks off the reasons she believes the removal of her animals is unwarranted:

Osborn is the only neighbor to actually petition for the removal; another neighbor who signed a letter was an elderly woman who doesnt live in the property and didnt understand what she was signing. The womans tenants, who are also her relatives, were told to sign the letter, Hicks said. No one else has complained, she said.

Her chicken coop and pen are over 200 feet from Osborns shared property line and nearly 300 feet from her house. Hicks said she keeps the chicken coop clean and the animals dont make much noise.

In addition to helping with her emotional well-being, the chickens provide free, healthy food. I havent bought eggs in nearly a year, Hicks said.

Osborn declined to discuss the matter in any detail. She did say that Hicks posted horrible lies about her on Facebook, and that she had refrained from responding to Hicks or her posts.

The only thing I have to say is I asked her to keep her chickens in the coop and she refused, she said.

Osborn herself served a total of 10 years on the city council, from January 1991 to December 1998, then again from January 2007 to December 2008.

Messenger said that under city code Klopfenstein is required to revoke the permit if he receives written objections from more than 50% percent of the abutting property owners, which Messenger said he did in this case.

Messenger said she is scheduled to hear Hicks appeal on April 6; she has 20 days from that hearing date to issue her final decision.

Messenger declined to comment on Hicks claim that she needs a chicken for an emotional support animal. Klopfenstein could not be reached for comment.

Hicks has been something of a lightning rod at city hall for years. She took her seat on the Roseburg City Council in January 2017 and served one four-year term. She was defeated in her bid for re-election by Patrice Spiros in November.

Hicks term on the city council was riddled with controversy, mostly in connection with her views and actions towards the areas homeless population. Hicks would often lead cleanups of homeless camps, which some applauded but others saw as simply a way to displace homeless people.

Within months of taking her seat, a petition drive to have her removed from office was launched; it fizzled out.

In February 2020, Hicks was sanctioned by the City Council for comments she made on social media in support of a homeless camp near the airport. Later in the year Hicks filed a formal complaint against Messenger, accusing her of not living within city limits and therefore violating her contract and the city charter. The city council dismissed Hicks complaint, calling it unfounded.

Hicks said this latest action to remove her chickens is more political harassment from Messenger, the chief and the city council.

The whole thing is embarrassing for our city. All this over some stupid chickens, Hicks said. Its just more political harassment from my former colleagues. I just asked them to leave me alone and thats it. These chickens are the only thing I get a little joy out of nowadays.

Hicks also said part of the reason she hired Duckler, from The Animal Law Practice, is because she is considering filing a complaint in small claims court against Osborn for the harm to her ducks and chickens.

But first she is focusing on her fight to keep the four chickens she currently has. Hicks acknowledged that could be a tough hill to climb.

I appealed to the city manager and then she decides, so my chances dont look so good. It doesnt seem like Im going to get a fair chicken hearing, Hicks said. Its so stupid when I say it out loud that it makes me mad. People are living in crisis, living on the streets, food banks are tapped, and the city is after me for my chickens. The whole thing is absurd.

I just want the city to leave me alone.
YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. The session of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers was held today in Moscow. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Aivazian also participated in the session, the MFA told Armenpress.

The discussion focused on issues relating to strengthening the cooperation between the CIS participating states, raising the efficiency of the organization, etc.

During the session the foreigner ministers of the CIS states touched upon the current regional affairs, as well as approved the draft decision on the statement of the leaders of the CIS participating states addressed to the nations of the participating states and the global community on the 80th anniversary of the launch of the Great Patriotic War.

In his remarks, the Armenian FM stated that the victory in the Great Patriotic War is also a clear call to build peace without wars, conflicts and violence.

In the context of regional security and stability-related issues, the FM drew the attention of the session participants to the current humanitarian situation in Artsakh caused by the recent Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression with the involvement of foreign terrorists. He presented in details the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during the military operations, such as the deliberate targeting of the peaceful civilians and civilian infrastructure, the inhuman treatment against the prisoners of war and other detained citizens, stating that all these actions were aimed at eliminating the indigenous people of Artsakh in their historic homeland.

Minister Aivazian also touched upon the implementation process of the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement, stressing the necessity of the immediate return of Armenian prisoners of war and detained civilians from the Azerbaijani captivity.

In addition, the minister also raised the issue of alarming facts on vandalism against the Armenian religious and cultural heritage. He emphasized the impermissibility of another cultural genocide by Azerbaijan, noting that the establishment of peace on the ruins of the Armenian churches is impossible.

Summing up his remarks the minister said lasting and stable peace in the region is possible to achieve only through the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict based on the principles of the international law, the peoples right to self-determination and equality, within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Napa County has averaged 10 new COVID-19 cases over the past three days, following a rough weekend with 48 cases, half of them at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville.

The county reported 21 cases for the Wednesday-Thursday period, following 10 cases on Tuesday.

The state and the county are investigating the 24 cases at the Veterans Home to confirm that they were true positive cases, Dr. Karen Relucio, the countys public health officer, said earlier this week.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help We're offering our best deal ever with this Editor's Special. Support local news coverage by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

Most of those who tested positive at the Veterans Home had been vaccinated and only one case was symptomatic, Relucio said.

Investigators will examine whether there were problems with the vaccines which were allocated by the federal government to a pharmacy that did the Vets Home vaccinations, she said.

The county is hopeful that Napa may qualify next week to bump up from the red tier to the orange tier in the states program to gradually reopen the economy and community life.

The county has now recorded 9,415 cases and 78 deaths since the outbreak a year ago.

Since Tuesdays report, 4,209 additional doses of vaccine have been administered to people who live and work in the county, for a total of 93,218 doses since mid-December, the county said.

People wanting to sign up for vaccination through county channels should go to MyTurn at https://myturn.ca.gov/ Those without access to email can call the California COVID-19 Hotline at 1-833-422-4255 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.

Residents who want to be tested for COVID at the free county-sponsored site should go to countyofnapa.org/test for more information. For more information on COVID-19 and actions you can take to #stopthesurge, visit countyofnapa.org/coronavirus.

Editors note: Because of the health implications of the COVID-19 virus, this article is being made available free to subscribers and non-subscribers alike. If youd like to join us in supporting the mission of local journalism, please visit napavalleyregister.com/members/join.

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WASHINGTON  Former House Speaker John Boehner has some choice words for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in his new book, according to an excerpt published by Politico on Friday.

The former Republican leader calls Cruz a reckless a - - - - - - who thinks he is smarter than everyone else and says the crazy caucus of the GOP was taking its cues from the Texas senator during the Obama years.

Its just the latest in long-running hostilities between the two high-profile Republicans. Boehner, a former Ohio congressman who was Speaker from 2011 to 2015, once called Cruz Lucifer in the flesh. Cruz spent the early part of his Senate career railing against Boehner and other congressional leaders, who Cruz deemed the Washington cartel.

An Axios reporter posted a clip from the audio version of the book on Friday, as well, which included an expletive-laden aside about Cruz. The ex-Speaker was reportedly enjoyed some wine during the audio recordings.

Cruz responded via Twitter with a why are you so obsessed with me gif from the movie Mean Girls.

FACT CHECK: Did Sen. Ted Cruz really say owning a gun should be hassle free?

The excerpt from Boehners new book On The House talks about the rising influence of conservative media and the GOPs right wing, which revolted against the former speaker before his 2015 retirement. Boehner writes that many of the 87 new Republican members elected in the 2010 midterms, when the GOP took control of the House, were not interested in governing.

They were just thinking of how to fundraise off of outrage or how they could get on Hannity that night, Boehner said, referring to Fox News host Sean Hannitys nightly show.

Incrementalism? Compromise? That wasnt their thing, he writes. These guys wanted 100 percent every time. In fact, I dont think that would satisfy them, because they didnt really want legislative victories. They wanted wedge issues and conspiracies and crusades.

By 2013, many of them were taking cues from Cruz, Boehner writes.

Now they had a new head lunatic leading the way, who wasnt even a House member, he writes. There is nothing more dangerous than a reckless (expletive) who thinks he is smarter than everyone else. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Senator Ted Cruz. He enlisted the crazy caucus of the GOP in what was a truly dumba - - idea.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Cruzs office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

After reports surfaced last month that Boehner had taken aim at Cruz in his new memoir, Cruz quipped before a conservative audience, Whos John Boehner?

Cruz has a history of rankling his GOP colleagues. In 2016, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina joked: If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you.

But Cruzs reputation in Washington has done little to hurt his standing in Texas, where Republicans regularly rank him above nearly every other member of the party. He was second only to Donald Trump in a University of Houston poll released earlier this year.

ben.wermund@chron.com
A New Hartford companys chief financial officer admitted Thursday to stealing $776,000 from his firm to invest it partly in African diamonds, federal prosecutors said.

Michael Bartusek, 58, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and filing a false tax return, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York. The plea comes just more than a year after Bartusek was originally charged.

From the summer of 2015 through 2016, Bartusek defrauded a company out of about $776,000 and invested it in a scheme to buy and sell diamonds, federal prosecutors said. Bartusek worked for New Hartford-based PAR Technology Corporation during that time.

Bartusek planned to return the money once he profited, according to prosecutors. But Bartuseks investment did not work out and he lost the money, prosecutors said.

In an effort to recoup his losses, Bartusek then solicited investments for Integra Diamonds with false representations, according to prosecutors.

Bartusek also filed a failed tax return in 2015 and underreported his total income by about $123,000, prosecutors said. He then underreported his salary in 2016 by $46,000, according to prosecutors.

He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the fraud conviction, 10 years fro the money laundering conviction and three years for the tax conviction. Bartusek could be fined up to $250,000 and is subject to a forfeiture money judgment of $946,000.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
President Hage Geingob has summoned defence minister Peter Vilho to explain allegations of illicit proceeds in an undeclared foreign bank account in his name.

Geingob's spokesperson, Alfredo Hengari, announced this in a media statement on Thursday.

"In light of current revelations about the minister of defence and veteran affairs, Hafeni Vilho, holding an undeclared bank account in Hong Kong with HSBC, allegedly linked to illicit proceeds, president Geingob summoned honourable Hafeni Vilho to a meeting on Tuesday 6 April," Hengari stated.

The president made this decision after consultations with vice president Nangolo Mbumba, prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

The Namibian reported on Thursday that revelations linking Vilho to an offshore bank account in Hong Kong have brought to the fore a decade-old corruption case which has haunted the former navy commander for years.

The case involves bank accounts in Hong Kong that were investigated in connection with alleged kickbacks linked to a N$1,8 billion arms tender for the Namibian government around 13 years ago.

Hengari said Geingob has demonstrated a "solid determination to fight corruption" over the years, "first by setting up the national anti-corruption mechanisms as prime minister in the 1990s, and second, by acting decisively as president since 2015 following acts of alleged corruption in government".

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In 2015, Geingob cancelled an inflated airport upgrading tender of which the cost escalated to N$6 billion after it was initially calculated at N$3 billion.

In 2018, Geingob directed the then minister of mines and energy, Obeth Kandjoze, works and transport minister Alpheus !Naruseb, health and social services minister Bernard Haufiku, attorney general Sacky Shanghala and fisheries minister Bernhard Esau to provide their versions regarding allegations of corruption.

"The ministers and the attorney general at the time provided dossiers containing their versions, which president Geingob submitted to the Anti- Corruption Commission for investigation and further action," Hengari said.

As a preventive measure, Geingob redeployed the ministers from their respective ministries and offices to allow investigations to be carried out without hindrance, he also said.

Esau, however, was not redeployed from the fisheries ministry.

"In 2019, following reports of corrupt practices by the minister of justice [Shanghala] and the minister of fisheries and marine resources [Esau], the president removed the two ministers implicated in acts of corruption from office.

"The rest is history," Hengari stated.
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates used the terms endemic and epidemic to distinguish between diseases that were always present in a population and diseases that only occurred during certain parts of a year or at yearly or even greater intervals.

In epidemiological terms, endemic means the constant presence and prevalence of a disease within a population in a certain geographic area. It refers to a state when a disease reaches a level that most of the population has developed immunity. They can develop secondary infections though these are often mild. Children usually become the primary cases because they are naive (not previously exposed) to the virus.

A Tropical Medicine University virology lab researcher works to develop a test that will detect the P.1 variant of the new coronavirus, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, March 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Certain influenzas and viruses that cause the common cold are thought to be endemic. Some endemic viruses have been eradicated by vaccines and public health measures. Two historical examples are smallpox and rinderpest.

However, the recent use of the term endemicity by the ruling class and bourgeois scientists has little to do with its epidemiological understanding and everything to do with a fatalistic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In much the same way that repeated lockdowns and reopenings have inured some people to accept the permanence of the virus, the talk of the virus becoming endemic is employed against any further mitigation efforts which impinge on profit accumulation.

Regardless of such defeatist conceptions, the pandemic remains in its early and acute phase, with significant potential to infect a vast portion of the globes population that has not yet been exposed to the coronavirus. A cohesive international strategy employing the public health tools that are within our grasp could bring the contagion under control before it becomes endemic, at the cost of millions of lives.

These nihilistic conceptions being promoted by the bourgeois press and some scientists to justify dispensing with all mitigation efforts and allowing the pandemic free rein are dangerous to the working class. They would use the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines to anaesthetize the public against the impending catastrophe, although this is only possible in a handful of wealthy countries where vaccine supplies are ample.

At the World Health Organizations March 22 COVID-19 press briefing, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned, The inequitable distribution of vaccines is not just a moral outrage, its also economically and epidemiologically self-defeating. Some countries are racing to vaccinate their entire populations while other countries have nothing. This may buy short-term security, but it is a false sense of security.

Executive Director of WHOs Health Emergencies Programme Dr. Mike Ryan reaffirmed the director-generals warnings, stating, The formula for this may be boring, it may not be attractive; there are no silver bullets, but we have got to get back to strong, comprehensive, strategic approaches to the control of COVID that include vaccination as one of those strategies. Im afraid were all trying to grasp at straws. Were trying to find the golden solutions and we just get enough vaccine, and we push enough vaccine into people and thats going to take care of it. Im sorry: its not! There arent enough vaccines in the world, and theyre distributed terribly iniquitously. In fact, we have missed a huge opportunity to bring vaccines on board as a comprehensive measure. Its not being implemented in a systematic way. Its a failed opportunity and, as the D-G says, is not only a catastrophic moral failure, but its an epidemiologic failure and its a failure in public health practice.

It is possible to eradicate the virus

The lack of any significant measures to eradicate the virus, combined with the economic devastation for much of the working class, encourages a pessimistic outlook to which even principled scientists are not immune. As the virus ravages the world population, with its seven-day infection rates increasing by 400 percent from February 28 through March 5, the ruling class utilizes the fatigue felt by the population through repeated shutdowns and reopenings to establish a rationale for living with the virus. This has been willful.

Still, the response of some cities and nations in the course of the pandemic has proven that the SARS-CoV-2 can be eradicated. When the contagion first struck Italy in February of 2020, causing a massive health care crisis and inundating their health systems, the town of Vo, a commune in the Province of Padua in the Italian Veneto region, an hour west of Venice, was placed in a strict 14-day lockdown, with all 3,270 people being tested for the virus multiple times. Positive cases were quarantined and treated. In a matter of a few weeks the virus was eradicated from the town.

Testing, contact tracing and quarantiningprecisely the methods used in Vowere employed in all nations that have managed to rein in the virus. As of March 22, 2021, Taiwan, a country of 24 million people, has had 1,006 reported infections and 10 deaths. In Singapore, home to five million people, new cases have remained in the single or low double digits since October 2020.

The science of public health and the tools for eradicating the virus have always been available, but the decision to allow the virus to spread unchecked with nothing more than vaccines made available to a tiny percentage of the developed world is part of a conscious decision which, without the revolutionary intervention by the international working class, can lead to the virus becoming endemic.

However, this is not merely rhetorical. There is a sea of death between the two terms, eradication and endemicity. Reaching endemicity means that the majority of the worlds population will contract the virus, which at its present lethality means tens of millions more lives lost. The arithmetic is inexorable: If billions contract COVID-19, with a death rate approximating two percent, then 20 million people will die for every billion people infected.

This does not even begin to take into consideration the numerous and more deadly variants. The present horrors in Brazil are demonstrating that prior infections with previous strains of SARS-COV-2 do not necessarily protect the population from the new and more virulent variants.

Inevitable and endemic

The drive to label the pandemic as inevitable has been a bipartisan effort. The media is flooded with articles to misguide readers that public health and science itself are helpless to prevent the disease. A few examples include a February 17 piece in USA Today, which utilized model data from Emory University and Penn State University scientists to suggest that if the novel coronavirus continues to circulate in the general population and most people are exposed to it from childhood, it could be added to the list of common colds.

The researchers who completed the Emory/Penn State study lament: One year after its emergence, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become so widespread that there is little hope of elimination.

On February 16, Nature printed a survey it conducted, where 89 percent of scientists polled expressed their concerns that COVID-19 is likely to be endemic in pockets of the global population. Disregarding the persistent efforts of Dr. Michael Osterholm to inform the Biden administration on a correct policy to eradicate COVID-19, the magazine highlighted one of Osterholms quotes: Eradicating this virus right now from the world is a lot like trying to plan the construction of a stepping-stone pathway to the Moon. Its unrealistic.

It should be of no surprise to anyone that a significant section of scientists has become resigned to accepting COVID-19 as an ineradicable disease. It points to nothing more than their disillusion with the inaction of world governments, as schools and businesses throughout the world have essentially opened their doors.

Fundamentally, it expresses the inevitability of the virus reaching a state of endemicity under capitalism and rules out the possibility of a working class movement that could halt the virus in a matter of weeks with coordinated global action, as part of a larger struggle in the fight for socialism, where the lives and interests of the working masses around the globe are prioritized.

What is invariably left out of these press releases is the criminal policy of the ruling class across the globe, that has ignored the warnings of epidemiologists and scientists as it interfered with their priority for profit accumulation.

With remarkable foresight, in late spring of last year, as countries were prematurely reopening commerce, Dr. Mike Ryan lambasted the world governments for lifting restrictions under conditions of persistent and rampant transmission of the virus, without systems in place to even detect it, let alone trace and quarantine the infected, warning this would produce a vicious cycle of public health disaster followed by economic disaster followed by public health disaster.

The alternative of Zero COVID

There is, however, a growing chorus of scientists who are putting forward a call to eradicate the coronavirus. The Zero COVID policy, first articulated by Independent SAGE, a group that rivals the British governments official Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE), argues for the proven public health measures that can halt the spread of COVID-19. They call for lockdowns, with compensation for those economically affected, improved testing and contact tracing, and argue that the pandemic can be suppressed with public health measures.

A leading advocate is Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, an epidemiologist who is a senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. She has spoken out scathingly on the UK plans to come out of lockdown so quickly. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after implementing the strictest lockdown measures on January 4 to stem the disastrous tide of infections and deaths during the winter surge, was in no time demanding again for school reopenings by early March. Dr. Gurdasani called it a shockingly negligent strategy and very clearly a policy of tolerable deaths, while speaking to Channel 5 News on February 22.

Gurdasani cited predictions forecasted by the Imperial College that even under the best conditions of three to four million doses of the vaccine rolled out a week, opening schools on March 4 would increase the Effective Reproduction Rate (Rt) to above 1, resulting in 30,000 to 60,000 more deaths. She warned of the dangers of the virus mutating to threaten vaccine effectiveness, under a high rate of transmission, as has already happened with the South African variant.

Aoife McLysaght, of the Molecular Evolution Lab in Dublin, Ireland, spoke on a pinned Tweet, of the need to fight for Zero COVID, which would allow us to go about our lives in a normal way. Commenting on the danger of relying solely on vaccines as new variants emerge, McLysaght warned of a whole new pandemic arriving at our shores.

The science put forward is an indictment of world governments inaction, including the Johnson administration in Britain, which allowed the unchecked spread of the emergence in southeast England of a more virulent form of the virus, lineage B.1.1.7 which spreads 30-80 percent faster than the wild strain. In Brazil, the policies of the fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro have allowed the dominance of the P.1 strain of the coronavirus, which is up to 2.5 times more transmissible and has a potential to reinfect up to 63 percent. The health care systems in Brazil are buckling under the gravity of so much severe disease and death. Already, spillovers into neighboring countries like Peru, Chile and Uruguay are causing new surges in these regions.

While the growing group of principled scientists who call for the Zero COVID strategy have laid out the salient policies and make a case for mitigation efforts, what is lacking entirely is a socialist perspective. Fundamentally, Zero COVID accepts the current mode of production. It argues for a more humane capitalism, for improved public health measures under the current framework of a system which itself has produced the pandemic. The profit motive has reigned supreme and the indifference to human lives is the logical outcome of a class policy in the interests of the worlds elite. The Zero COVID policy is correct on a scientific basis but lacks a political strategy to achieve these necessary aims. Inevitably, these scientists have become auxiliary consultants to capitalist agencies.

The only social force that is capable of preventing SARS-CoV-2 from becoming endemic is the international working class, which must organize itself and build its leadership in order to carry out a fight for socialism and against the homicidal policies carried out by the ruling elites around the globe. Armed with a socialist perspective and program, the global working class can not only eradicate SARS-CoV-2 but many more viruses and horrors which have been allowed by the ruling class to persistfrom measles to hepatitis, to hunger and homelessness.
Although homegrown festivals continue to proliferate in the city and territories beyond, the San Francisco International Film Festival remains the big dog on the block.

The 2021 edition rolls out with a dependably generous sampling of world cinema, shorts, and animation, like Dash Shaw's hallucinatory Cryptozoo about a haven for mythical creatures and a nefarious military that hatches a plot to weaponize them.

Also this year, a strong contingent of documentaries, including several from local filmmakers. Coming when many have spent months in veritable home confinement, Bay Area director Tasha Van Zandt offers viewers an astonishing vicarious journey to the other side of the planet. Featuring never-before-seen-archival footage, After Antarctica hitches a ride with intrepid polar explorer, Will Steger, who has spent his career witnessing dramatic changes in the nethermost regions. Thirty years after his historic, unimaginably frigid, coast-to-coast trek across the coldest and most mysterious of Earth's continents, he's recognized as the first to have achieved such a feat. And he may well be the last due to the disintegration of ice shelves he once traversed. Foreign and remote, "Antarctica's interior is an extremely hostile place," Steger recalls in the film. "It rejected us like a germ."

A scene from Dash Shaw's "Cryptozoo," playing at the 2021 San Francisco International Film Festival, April 9 - 18. Image courtesy of SFFILM.

Closer to home, award-winning, Oakland-based filmmaker, Peter Nicks, adds another investigation to his extraordinary saga. Like The Waiting Room, a head long plunge into the critically underfunded Highland Hospital, and The Force, where he went inside an embattled Oakland Police Department, Homeroom, is shot in a verite style. In this last chapter of his Oakland Trilogy, Nicks trains his powers of observation on a fraught school system hard hit by devastating budget cuts and socio-economic inequities, viewed through the lens of the initially boisterous class of 2020 at Oakland High School, not yet aware of what they'd be facing. Dispensing with voice-overs and commentators, Nicks displays his characteristic aptitude for establishing rapport and trust, honing in on a small group of classmates oblivious to the presence of cameras. No stranger to adversity, Nicks lost his daughter to a drug overdose shortly after filming commenced.



We Are as Gods, from local team, David Alvarado & Jason Sussberg, is a voyage into the psyche of Bay Area icon, Stewart Brand, who has quite a resume and friends like Brian Eno, who contributed the film's score. Brand, a natural born showman often at the forefront of cultural and technological change, was the creator of the Whole Earth Catalog, a do-it-yourself late 1960s bible that has been described as a precursor of Google in magazine format. He dropped acid with Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, is credited with influencing Steve Jobs and is acknowledged as the founder of the modern environmental movement. Now 81 and living on a tugboat in Sausalito, he's still a lightning rod as he crusades to save the planet with a controversial wildlife venture called de-extinction, which is using biotechnology to revive the long dead wooly mammoth. Some former admirers openly question whether he's gone too far this time.

A scene from Peter Nicks's "Homeroom," playing at the 2021 San Francisco International Film Festival, April 9 - 18. Image courtesy of SFFILM.

Turkish-German lawyer Seyran Ates, a Muslim feminist and one of the few female imams in Europe, has championed a sexual revolution within Islam to bring it into the 21st century and defied entrenched forces who don't respond kindly to being challenged, especially by a woman. For her efforts, she has been the target of two fatwas, three bullets in the neck, numerous death threats and is consigned to what may be a lifetime of round-the-clock police protection. The struggles of this courageous woman as well as her rise from a childhood in the Turkish slums to inspirational leader are chronicled in the globetrotting documentary, Sex, Revolution and Islam.



How can you go wrong with a cast of adorable Muppets and their origin story? You can't. Just contemplating Marilyn Agrelo's Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street elicits nostalgic chuckles, which are in short supply these daysremember the bumbling Swedish chef, anyone? The film focuses on the first twenty years of the beloved children's show, from its inception in 1969, a period when using television not only to entertain kids but enlighten them was a novel idea. Agrelo incorporates humorous outtakes, vintage backstage clips of Jim Henson and Frank Oz, among others; and anecdotes recounted both by the show's creative collaborators and players like the late puppeteer, Caroll Spinney. Spinney was the genius behind the towering Big Bird, a character that started as a dumb cluck, a bird brain, if you will, and evolved into a huggable star, and that king of kvetchers, Oscar the Grouch, a crabbyappleton who lives in a trash can and was originally orange before he turned green. No wonder he's always in a bad mood.

Seyran Ates in Nefise Ozkal's "Sex, Revolution and Islam." Courtesy SFFILM.

And as an extra special treat, Oakland black roots and blues musician Fantastic Negrito, aka Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, will rock audiences out of the doldrumsor bring them to their feet, dependingperforming a live score for Lost Landscapes of Oakland, a compilation of clips and rare images of his hometown and the greater East Bay culled from archivist Rick Prelinger's vault of gems.



// SFFILM 2021 runs April 9-18; for the complete schedule and tickets, go to sffilm.org.





This article was written for SF/Arts Monthly by Sura Wood, a Bay Area arts journalist who covers film, visual art, and architecture. In addition to work for radio and television, her reviews, profiles and features have appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, the San Jose Mercury News, BAR, and Dance Magazine among other publications.
London: This week, German officials decided to limit the use of Oxford/AstraZenecas coronavirus vaccine in people under 60 after more unusual blood clots were reported in a few people who received the shots.

In response, Europes drug regulator reiterated there was no evidence that would support restricting the use of this vaccine in any population, though an expert said more brain clots were being reported than would be expected, and the regulator says it continues to investigate.

Trays holding needles and swabs in preparation for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations at Tharawal Corporation Medical Centre in Airds, in Sydney. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Earlier in March, more than a dozen countries, including Germany, suspended their use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine over the blood clot issue. Most restarted  some with the kinds of restrictions Germany imposed on Tuesday  after the European Medicines Agency said the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks of not inoculating people against the disease.

But the back and forth in some countries over who can take the vaccine has raised concerns that its credibility could be permanently damaged. Heres a look at what we know  and what we dont.
Plan to evacuate Thais if Myanmar strife escalates

THAILAND: A plan has been formulated to evacuate Thais stranded in Myanmar if the violence there worsens.

MyanmarviolenceSafety

By Bangkok Post

Friday 2 April 2021, 10:48AM

A fleet of C-130 transport aircraft are on standby at Don Mueang airport. Photo: Bangkok Post.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Tanee Sangrat said the Thai embassy in Yangon reported that protests against Myanmars military rulers were continuing, though deliveries of food supplies had not been disrupted.

Thai authorities have been monitoring the situation closely and agreed the situation has yet to reach a point where Thais will have to be told to leave Myanmar, he said. But if the violence escalates, necessitating an evacuation, the embassy has a plan in place to bring Thais back home, he said.

Air force chief ACM Airbull Suttiwan has instructed Wing 6 based at Don Mueang airport to get a fleet of C-130 transport aircraft ready if the government assigns a mission to bring Thais in Myanmar back home if the violence there intensifies, said air force spokesman AM Thanat Chanamphai.

The air force chief gave the instruction once the protests against the military coup began in Myanmar. The aircraft will fly off immediately at the behest of the government, AM Thanat said.

However, the Foreign Affairs Ministry will assess the situation in Myanmar and decide when Thais should be brought back home, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Tanee addressed the governments stance on the situation in Myanmar, saying the government was concerned about reports of rising casualties in the country. The government has asked Myanmar authorities to exercise more restraint in dealing with protesters, try to stop using violence and release more detainees.

All involved are attempting to find a solution through peaceful means and constructive dialogue, said Mr Tanee, who serves as the director-general of the ministrys Department of Information.

Thailand is working closely with other member countries of Asean to ensure a lasting peace for Myanmar citizens and restore normalcy to Myanmar as quickly as possible, Mr Tanee said. As for refugees fleeing the violence in Myanmar across the border to Thailand, he said Thailand has experience in handling influxes of refugees in line with humanitarian principles.

Injured refugees were allowed entry into Thailand to receive medical treatment at hospitals, Mr Tanee said. As of March 31, a total of 2,788 refugees fled across the border from Myanmar. Of them, 2,572 had already returned home, with 216 remaining on Thai soil, he said. Those who remained were mostly children, women and the elderly. COVID-19 testing was conducted on them and the results came back negative.

Mr Tanee said the government has no policy to push back refugees and they will be taken care of in line with humanitarian principles. Those who returned home did so voluntarily, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he will visit refugees today in Mae Sariang district of Mae Hong Son to make sure they are given proper humanitarian help. State hospitals have been arranged to admit refugees and if there are more injured people than the hospitals can handle, field hospitals will be set up to take them in, Mr Anutin said. The influx started last week after the Myanmar army bombed territory controlled by the Karen National Union, forcing thousands to flee their homes.
Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) has been awarded the international Athena SWAN Bronze Award by AdvanceHE in recognition of its commitment to advancing gender equality in academia, and in promoting diversity and inclusion for staff and students in higher education.

Welcoming the announcement, Mr Michael Mulvey, PhD, President of DkIT said: We are delighted to receive confirmation of the Athena Swan Bronze Award and I applaud the immense contribution of our staff in helping us achieve this recognition.

Equality, diversity and inclusivity are central to our strategic objectives and these values lie at the very heart of the DkIT vision to drive the educational, economic, social and cultural development in North Leinster-South Ulster.

This accreditation represents the very best of what academic organisations can achieve when it comes to providing a more equitable environment for its whole community. This award has come at an important time in our development as we progress our plans towards the establishment of a Technological University for the region.

Our commitment towards gender equality will remain very much part of our culture and identity as we continue to evolve.

DkITs submission was developed by the Athena SWAN project co-ordinator, Ciara OShea and overseen by Head of Research & Graduate Studies, Dr Tim McCormac in conjunction with the Anthea SWAN Self-Assessment Team (SAT).

Dr McCormac added: Im delighted that the Athena SWAN review panel has unanimously agreed to award DkIT the institutional bronze award status until November 2024. It is a great testimony to the hard work of the institutes Athena SWAN SAT who have been instrumental in driving the equality agenda within DkIT.

We now look forward to focusing on, and implementing, our ambitious Athena SWAN action plan which sets out our commitment to the principles and promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of institutional activity.

I would like to pay particular thanks to Ciara OShea for her dedication to compiling our successful submission and to the Athena SWAN SAT who worked tirelessly to engage colleagues in their areas to ensure that their voices were heard.

The Athena SWAN Bronze Award application process includes in-depth analyses of qualitative and quantitative information to identify key issues with gender equality, and a four-year action plan to help address these areas.

Ciara OShea added: We are delighted to receive confirmation of this award which is an important validation for our efforts to eliminate gender bias in higher education and develop an inclusive culture that values all staff.

We have developed a comprehensive action plan focusing on equality, diversity and inclusion which we have started to implement.

I look forward to progressing the action plan and seeing positive changes in the institute community.

Athena SWAN is Advance HEs Gender Charter, and acknowledges the actions undertaken by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with relation to gender equality issues. The Athena SWAN Charter was first launched in Ireland in 2015 in a major national initiative supported by the Higher Education Authority
But there is one version of the 737NG you might not know all that much about. Its called P-8A Poseidon, and it is a militarized version of the civilian Boeing , one that specializes in tracking down and, if need be, taking on enemy submarines The Poseidon first flew for the U.S. Navy back in 2013, and since then the American fleet has been expanded to 103 such pieces of hardware that flew for a combined 300,000 hours. An additional 14 of them are serving the needs of the Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ).The worldwide fleet of Poseidon planes is about to expand after the Navy awarded Boeing a contract this week for the creation of 11 other such aircraft, nine for its own needs and two for the RAAF. The contract is estimated at $1.6 billion.We continue to hear feedback from deployed Navy squadrons who tell us the P-8A is exceeding expectations, said in a statement Stu Voboril, vice president and program manager for Boeings P-8A program. Our focus is on delivering the worlds best maritime patrol aircraft. That only happens when teams truly collaborate, listen and focus on customer priorities.The Poseidon is largely identical with the 737NG, according to Boeing. The things that are different, though, are those that make it a formidable adversary.The aircraft is packed with systems that allow it to perform surveillance and, if need be, search and rescue. If things heat up, the airplane can rely on an arsenal of maritime weapons and bombs. The Poseidon holds two weapons stations on each wing and can deploy 129 sonobuoys on a single outing. Unlike its civilian counterpart, it is also capable of aerial refueling.
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Ten days after armed groups carried out a deadly attack on three villages near the western Niger town of Tillia, UN humanitarians have repeated their call for greater protection of civilians and all those displaced by violence in the Sahel
The Wyoming statehouse is seen in Cheyenne, Wyo., on Jan. 28, 2021. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Wyoming Legislature Approves Voter ID Bill

Both chambers in Wyoming on Thursday approved a bill that requires voters to present identification before voting.

The state House passed the bill 518 after the Senate approved it 282.

The legislation requires people to present proof of ID before voting. Proof can be a drivers license, a tribal identification card, a Wyoming identification card, a U.S. passport, a U.S. military card, an ID from a university or public school within the state, or a Medicare or Medicaid insurance card.

A person may vote only if the person presents acceptable identification immediately before voting at the polling place or absentee polling place, the bill states.

If the person is unable to present an acceptable ID, then the voter may vote by provisional ballot.

State Rep. Chuck Gray, a Republican who sponsored the legislation, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the passage is a victory for the citizens of Wyoming.

It is a necessary function of our Republic to provide our citizens with confidence that our elections are secure, fair, and valid. Even though it took over 20 years for us to pass this necessary legislation, I am proud that we were able to meet this important milestone for Wyoming, added Gray, who is challenging Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) for the states only U.S. House seat.

The American Civil Liberties Union said the bill claims to address voter fraud yet voter fraud doesnt exist, adding in an alert, It is clear that certain lawmakers just want to make it harder for Wyomingites to access the ballot box.

State Sen. Case Cale, one of two votes against the bill, questioned why it was needed.

Who is out there trying to cheat our elections in Wyoming? the Republican said, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. Who is waking up real early in the morning, and thinking theyre going to get to the polls before the actual person that is there to vote to misrepresent themselves as that person and to cast a vote? Im having a little trouble understanding how this fraud comes about.

State Sen. Charles Scott, a Republican and a proponent of the bill, said it contained a common sense and preventative measure.

We have been blessed in this state with very honest elections, he said.  We want to keep it that way.

The passage came after an amendment added a valid Medicaid insurance card as an option for voters to use as identification. That option is in effect until Dec. 21, 2029.

The bill is headed to the desk of GOP Gov. Mark Gordon. A spokesman didnt respond on Friday when asked if the governor supports the legislation.
Pennsylvanians would be among the principal beneficiaries of H.R. 1  the House-passed bill to implement a host of badly needed election reforms.

Those reforms include illuminating the sources of hundreds of millions of dollars in dark money, creating basic voting rights standards that cant be overridden by self-interested state legislators, and  of particular interest to heavily gerrymandered Pennsylvania  mandating the use of independent commissions to craft new legislative and congressional districts after each census.

Whether the Senate passes the crucial civil rights legislation depends mostly upon the narrow Democratic majoritys willingness to eliminate the filibuster.

Meanwhile, there is at least some progress at the state level toward a more transparent process.

Instead of using an independent commission, Pennsylvania forms a committee comprising the four Republican and Democratic caucus leaders in the House and Senate, who then choose a fifth person as the chairperson. If they are unable to agree on the fifth member, which has been the case for the past 30 years, the state Supreme Court appoints the fifth member. Typically, the court appoints a retired state appellate judge, a law school dean or, in one case, a former federal prosecutor.

On March 23, the Senate State Government Committee, chaired by Sen. David G. Argall, R-29, Rush Township, unanimously approved a bill that would set standards for the fifth member. It would require that person had voted in at least two of the three most recent general elections, had never been a registered lobbyist or candidate for elective office and had never worked for a political party or officeholder. The requirements also would apply to spouses.

Noting its bipartisan passage, Argall said in announcing committee passage, we took one small step to begin to roll back the sins of the past.

The bill was also supported by Fair Districts PA and the Committee of 70, two of the largest organizations that advocate for legislative reapportionment reform.

Pennsylvania desperately needs a fully independent commission. But until then, a truly independent commission chairman can make a difference.
Pupils of Kowa Secondary School listening to anti-corruption meaasges from ACC Regional Manager, South , Musa J.B. Jawara

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Southern Region Office has conducted a series of outreach meetings with teachers and pupils of various secondary schools in Moyamba District to instill in them the values of integrity, accountability and transparency.

The engagements, which took place between 24th and 26th March, 2021, targeted the Taiama Secondary, Dasse Secondary and Kowa Secondary Schools, among several other schools in Kori, Dasse and Kowa Chiefdoms in Moyamba District.

The engagements are part of the Commission's activities to tackle issues of extortion, bribery and malpractices in schools.

In his statement, ACC's Southern Region Manager Musa J.B. Jawara described the engagements as a systematic approach to enhance the understanding of teachers and pupils on how these bad practices are inimical to the advancement of quality education.

Mr. Jawara reminded the teachers of their responsibilities, referencing the appropriate legal instruments that guide the conduct of the teaching profession. He said despite the huge resources allocated to improve the standards of education, yet some unpatriotic individuals are bent on derailing these efforts.

He affirmed the Commission's commitment to working with various partners to continue to strengthen school structures, noting "the growth of a nation depends on the delivery of quality education."

Mr. Jawara informed teachers and pupils of the offence of academic malpractice as enshrined in the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 as amended in 2019, which penalty is a fine of not less than Fifty Million Leones or prison term of not less than five years or both such fine and imprisonment. He therefore admonished the pupils to be studious and turn away from anti-social acts that do not add value to their academic work.

In his statement, ACC's Public Education Officer Mohamed A. Kabba described corruption as the failure of an individual to engage in what is not expected of them. He recognised the challenges schools are faced with, but warned that they should not be used as an excuse to perpetrate acts of corruption in schools. "The cost of corruption in education is huge because it has wide-ranging consequences on other facets of the society," he said.

Mr. Kabba highlighted some of the thorny practices which pupils should not engage in such as; bribes for grades, truancy, disrespect for school regulations, academic malpractices, payment to collect school report cards, etc. He encouraged the pupils to imbibe integrity values, describing them as the virtues that will guide them to success.

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Senior Public Education Officer Abdulai Saccoh spoke on the number of interventions the Commission has undertaken to restore pride and integrity in schools, especially in the conduct of public examinations. He said the action of some unscrupulous teachers to demand bribes from pupils for grades will leave an indelible imprint in the minds of the pupils that bribery is another route to attain success.

He advised the school authorities to use the school fees subsidy judiciously and not divert them for personal benefit.

Concluding, Mr. Saccoh admonished the school authorities not to misconstrue the engagement as a way to intimidate them but rather to educate them on issues of integrity and practices that have bedeviled the education sector.

The teachers and pupils asked questions; while the presentation of information, education and communication materials to the Principals of the various schools climaxed the engagements.
CALIFORNIA  The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians will hold a free vaccine clinic on Saturday, April 10 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rolling Hills Casino and Resort parking lot.

The vaccination clinic is open to Tehama, Butte, and Glenn county residents over the age of 18, according to the tribe.

More than 1,000 Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccines will be administered at the clinic.

Click here to reserve a spot at the clinic and be sure to bring an ID. Those interested in attending will need to complete the online form to reserve a spot by Friday, April 9.
When U.S. Sen. Cory Booker introduced his Environmental Justice Act to address the pollution that rains down disproportionately on minority communities, he did so at a Newark elementary school bordering Interstate 280, where diesel fumes and automobile emissions waft over to the playground there.

You talk about the diesel emissions and you could hear the trucks roaring right behind us, so when our children are out here playing on these playgrounds, they are breathing in these toxic fumes, environmental activist Kim Gaddy said at the October 2017 press conference.

Thats one of the issues President Joe Bidens $2 trillion infrastructure proposal is designed to address. It sets aside $20 billion to reconnect neighborhoods severed by expressways and ensure that the new projects address environmental justice.

It is also one of the provisions that could benefit New Jersey. Another is the funding for repairing or rehabilitating 10 large bridges that carry large amounts of traffic and are key economic links. Those funds will be awarded on a competitive basis to states that can make the best cases for the money.

This is definitely a jobs program, an infrastructure program, a climate program, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on a conference call with reporters from local news outlets, including NJ Advance Media. We have make sure we are investing.

Then theres funds to repair 20,000 miles of highways and 10,000 smaller bridges. In New Jersey, 502 spans are rated as deficient, according to the Federal Highway Administration, meaning at least one major element is in poor condition.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., on Thusday stood beneath a bridge on Route 4 connecting Hackensack and Teaneck that was built in 1931.

We were in this very spot four years ago, calling for investment in this bridge and since then there was no action, he said at a press conference. Noting that other countries spend more on public works projects than the U.S., Gottheimer said: When it comes to infrastructure, they are eating our lunch.

And Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., said some of the road improvements could help alleviate congestion, allowing companies to recruit from a wider area since employees wouldnt face long commutes.

Just imagine that daily grind of not being able to count on when you get home, Sherrill said. Youre amazed at the high-tech companies and how hard it is to recruit from further out. That grows into hours-long commutes just because the roads are so jammed up. Not only is the quality of life better but the economy grows. This bill could really spur on that kind of development.

Dont miss the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic. Add your email here:



If employees would rather take mass transit to work, the bill includes $85 billion to improve public transportation systems, buy new trains and buses, and expand service to places that currently dont have buses or trains. NJ Transit has introduced proposed a five-year $16.9 billion capital plan but has about $5.8 billion in projects without a way to pay for them.

And the $80 billion for Amtrak, including construction of the Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River and other improvements along the Northeast Corridor, has the passenger railroad thinking about connecting places currently without train service. Two proposed routes would run from New York through New Jersey to Allentown and Bidens native Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Besides Gateway, other tunnels and bridges along the Northeast Corridor tracks are more than 100 years old and also must be replaced or improved, Amtrak chief executive Bill Flynn said,

Amtrak has a bold vision to bring energy-efficient, world-class intercity rail service to up to 160 new communities across the nation, as we also invest in our fleet and stations across the U.S. Flynn said in a statement.

With this federal investment, Amtrak will create jobs and improve equity across cities, regions, and the entire country  and we are ready to deliver. America needs a rail network that offers frequent, reliable, sustainable and equitable train service. Now is our time, lets make rail the solution.

A map of a proposed expansion of Amtrak service. The light blue lines represented new services and the orange lines represent enhanced services. The dark lines represent the current network.

As Biden tries to get the infrastructure bill through Congress, an NPR/Marist College poll released earlier this week said 52% of Americans approved of his performance with 40% disapproving, 51% approved of the way he was handling the economy while 41% disapproved, and 65% supported his handling of the coronavirus pandemic while 28% opposed his actions.

The poll of 1,309 U.S. adults was conducted March 22-25 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JDSalant.

Sign up here to get the latest stories on COVID in New Jersey, straight to your inbox.
UPDATE: Pennsylvania investigators set up tip line in 44-year-old homicide probe

The last time he heard from his then-pregnant 15-year-old sister, Evelyn, was 44 years ago, asking their mother to bring homemade Spanish soup to her Jersey City home off Tonnelle Avenue, Luis Colon said.

Luis, 61, spent years wondering what happened to Evelyn after neighbors told him she and her then-19-year-old boyfriend, Luis Sierra, had moved when the family tried to bring them that soup a week later. Luis hasnt seen her since they lived together on Second Street in Jersey City all those years ago.

I went inside, and I saw the baby carriage, it was like one of those 1940s baby carriages, black with big wheels, in the kitchen but there was nobody there, said Luis, who now lives in Stroudsburg, PA.

(Sierra) wrote a letter to my mother on Second Street stating that Dont worry about them. They moved. They already had a baby boy. He was nine pounds.

Pennsylvania State Police announced Wednesday that female remains found on Dec 20, 1976, near the Lehigh River in the Pocono Mountains, have been identified as Evelyn Colon from Jersey City.

Evelyn was finally identified after police submitted a piece of her femur to a business in Texas to create a new DNA file last year, which was then submitted to public DNA databases. Luis said his son, Luis Colon Jr., was flagged as a relative of Beth Doe after submitting his own DNA to genetic genealogy company, 23 and Me.

Evelyn, known as Beth Doe for the last 44 years, was found near the riverbank, along with a nearly full-term fetus, in three suitcases beneath an Interstate 80 overpass, police said.

Police said Thursday they have charged Sierra, now 63, with homicide in Evelyns death. Sierra, who lives in Queens, New York, is currently in custody awaiting extradition to Carbon County, Pennsylvania.

Luis said the whole family thought Evelyn just didnt want to be involved with them. They thought she was safe since she was with her boyfriend, Luis said, which is why they never filed a missing person report. Since then, a lot of the family has moved back to Puerto Rico, he said.

My mother was suffering from depression looking for my sister, Evelyn, because everywhere she used to go she used to tell me Whoa I think I saw Evelyn, Luis said.

A GoFundMe was created Wednesday by Miriam Colon-Veltman, Luis daughter who lives in New Albany, IN, with a goal of $15,000 to cover all costs for memorial services, arrangements, travel, and anything else the family will need to honor Evelyn and her baby. The page has raised $780 as of Thursday.

Elaine Caruso, 58, said she had chills Thursday morning reading what happened to Evelyn, her former classmate at School 5 in Jersey City. Caruso currently lives in Kresgeville, PA, not too far from where Evelyn was found decades ago.

Caruso said she was friendly with Evelyn but never hung out outside of school. She said Evelyns boyfriend was often outside the school watching her throughout the day waiting until she got out.

Everybody knew it was her boyfriend, Caruso said, noting it was common to see girls with older boyfriends back then. He would just stand there by his car and watch her.

She said she always wondered why Evelyn didnt join them at the new Ferris High School. Caruso and Luis said Evelyn had started taking some remedial classes at the old Ferris High School.

I just wondered, wondered and wondered for years where she was, Caruso said. I first thought when we didnt see her in high school that she ran off got married, but then we knew her family was looking for her back then. We knew something was wrong.

Evelyn and Luis are second cousins to former five-term Hudson County Freeholder Nidia Davila-Colon, who served until resigning in 2003. Davila-Colon, who said she lost touch with the family a long time ago, remembers she was just out of college when Evelyn went missing.

She said she read the story Thursday morning but didnt realize it was her relative. Caruso, Luis and Davila-Colon all agree that the composite sketches dont really look like Evelyn.

They looked for her all the time, Davila-Colon said. I was close to her father (Virgilio Colon).

Oh, my goodness. I cannot believe this.

Note: LehighValleyLive.com reporter Kurt Bresswein contributed to this story.
Nandigram witnessed a high-voltage "Khela" on Thursday and during the second phase of polling Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora regarding the current situation of the constituency. The stakes are running high as the most high-profile contest in West Bengal took place in Nandigram where TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari are facing the most bitter and direct battle to win.

The second phase of the West Bengal concluded yesterday amid much high-voltage drama and the stakes are running high as the most high-profile contest in West Bengal took place in Nandigram where TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and loyalist turn foe Suvendu Adhikari are facing the most bitter and direct battle to win the constituency. Nandigram has been the hotbed of Bengal politics when Trinamool Congress snatched power from the ruling CPM and over the years has become the bastion of Adhikari family.

Nandigram witnessed a high-voltage Khela on Thursday and during the second phase of polling Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora regarding the current situation of the constituency. TMCs Dibyendu Adhikari, the younger brother of Suvendu Adhikari expressed similar concern and wrote to East Midnapore DM over Nandigram. His letter read that he personally apprehend that existing communal harmony may be blatantly disrupted and requested the authority to take precautionary measures in advance.

The constiuent is seen as a prestige battle for Mamata and her visit to polling booths of Nandigram took a minor ruckus. Didi further alleged that locals are being intimidated by central forces and called the Governor of Bengal for the same. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar responded to Mamata Banerjees call who alleged that the Center were stopping voters from casting their votes. Didi was further heard telling media persons that she is not worried about Nandigram, but rather am worried about democracy. Mamata asserted that she will win Nandigram with the blessings of maa, maati manush.

BJP delegation meets ECI

TMC violated the model code of conduct, West Bengal CM has violated ECI rules, we've demanded action against her. We've also demanded action against Udhayanidhi Stalin for this remarks against late leaders Sushma Swaraj&Arun Jaitley: Prakash Javadekar,BJP pic.twitter.com/XJL8tFPmT2  ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

Do you know why I went to a booth in Nandigram yesterday and sat there? All goons who had come from outside gathered there with guns. They were all speaking in some other language. BJP's people are goons: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Falakata#WestBengalPolls pic.twitter.com/QhBMKU3kUH  ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

#WATCH Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah holds roadshow in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal pic.twitter.com/DXvk12KQSF  ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

WB: TMC delegation met EC in Kolkata today We've requested EC to address EVM issue,& violence by BJP workers. It's EC's responsibility to ensure fair polls. Despite their tactics, Mamata Banerjee will win in Nandigram, & TMC will get win in previous 2 phases: Yashwant Sinha, TMC pic.twitter.com/XpE9W5iSWk  ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

Issues flagged @MamataOfficial a while ago on phone have been imparted to the concerned. There is full assurance of the concerned to adherence to rule of law. Am confident all will act in right spirit and earnestness so that democracy flourishes.  Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) April 1, 2021

West Bengal: Actor & BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty holds a roadshow in Pursurah of Hooghly district for party's candidate Biman Ghosh. He says, "There was no 'parivartan' earlier, it was a lie. There will be a change now, there will be no riots or violence. This is BJP's motto." pic.twitter.com/raR8dWhY7b  ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

Also Read: Alabama bans Yoga fearing promotion of Hinduism; Whos peddling the sham of yoga being a Hindu ritual?

Suvendu Adhikari, the Bharatiya Janata Partys face for Nandigram, hit out directly and warned TMC supremo not to indulge in hooliganism as the voting for the second phase of Assembly elections started. Some of the major electoral issues faced in West Bengal are unemployment, lack of industrial growth and economic backwardness and migrants facing hardships since the imposition of the Covid-19 lockdown.
Vijayapura : , April 2 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa's bitterest critic within the ruling BJP, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Friday caustically remarked that it would be better that his son B.Y. Vijayendra is made cabinet minister after sacking all ministers.

Interacting with reporters, Yatnal said that he had been claiming that the whole government is in clutches of Yediyurappa's son, Vijayendra.

"(Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister K.S.) Eshwarappa's letter is only the tip of an iceberg. If Vijayendra is not reined in, then there can be no future for the party. If Vijayendra continues to behave in the same fashion, then it would only spell doom to the party," he claimed.

Yatnal added that the BJP in Karnataka was not getting votes because of Vijayendra but because of party workers' hard work and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image of a tough and honest leader.

Endorsing Eshwarappa's charges, Yatnal said that there is nothing wrong if he has made such comments.

"At best, Yediyurappa and myself can be put in one bracket while leaders like Eshwarappa can be brought into another bracket. Among three of us, he has never been disloyal to the party. Eshwarappa had remained in BJP but in our case, we left the party in search of better opportunities. Compared to him, we cannot be termed as party loyalists," he said.

He said that Eshwarappa has realised now after he could not withstand the humiliation meted out to him by Vijayendra.

"He could not realise it until he faced it. When I raised this, every BJP leader tried to run me down, but I stood firm to my allegations and most of them have come true. Be it CD or allocation of grants to opposition leaders or allocation of funds to his coterie by Yediyurappa have come true and mark my words, his days to remain as CM are numbered," Yatnal claimed.
(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 19 additional COVID-19 cases, of which seven are locally transmitted including one with an unknown source of infection.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong to 11,499.

The unlinked case involves a 33-year-old man.

The Government announced that 365 Tseung Kwan O Village where the patient lives and MCP Central of Metro City Phase II where he visited are now covered by compulsory testing notices.

Ting Tak House of On Ting Estate in Tuen Mun is now covered by a compulsory testing notice as one or more new confirmed cases were reported there.

Mobile specimen collection stations will be set up at the G/F garden next to Ting Tak House and the G/F open area of MCP Central tomorrow for residents, workers and visitors subject to compulsory testing.

Twelve imported cases arrived from Indonesia, the Philippines, Botswana, Canada, Ireland and Pakistan.

A total of 130 cases have been recorded in the past 14 days, including 48 local ones, of which 15 have unknown sources of infection.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.
Tunis/Tunisia  President Kais Saied received on Monday at Carthage Palace a group of law professors.

The meeting focused on legal issues including the organic law amending the law dated December 3, 2015, on the Constitutional Court, a statement of the Presidency of the Republic reads.

The meeting was attended by Chairman of the committee that drafted the organic law establishing the Constitutional Court and professor of constitutional law at the Faculty of Sousse, Amine Mahfoudh, Head of the department of public law at the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Tunis Sghaier Zakraoui and Professor Brahim Refai.

During the meeting, emphasis was placed on the central role of the Constitutional Court in the establishment of the rule of law, far from any political consideration.

"This court must meet all the required criteria, including neutrality and competence, to properly exercise its role," the presidency said in the same statement.

The House of People's Representatives had adopted last Thursday at dawn, the proposals presented by the government in 2018 amending and supplementing the organic law No. 2015-50 on the Constitutional Court by 111 votes in favour, 8 abstentions and without any objection.

Between 113 and 130 deputies voted in favour of the amendments proposed by the government in 5 articles.

The amendments proposed by the Executive mainly concern articles 10, 11 and 12 of the organic law adopted by the former parliament in 2015.
Houston, April 2 : Texas Governor Greg Abbott has urged the federal government to take action to end the humanitarian crisis at the country's southern border.

During a press conference in Weslaco near the US-Mexico border, the Governor on Thursday urged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to take immediate action, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Operation Lone Star is delivering results to keep our communities safe, but it is also exposing the continued failures of the Biden administration to secure the border," said Abbott.

"It is past time for the federal government to step up and secure the border, and I am urging the Biden administration to take action now to save lives and get this crisis under control." Abbott also provided an update on the state's response to the border crisis through Operation Lone Star.

Abbott said that since the launch of Operation Lone Star on March 4, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has made 598 arrests and over 16,000 referrals of illegal immigrants to the US Customs and Border Protection.

The operation has also led to the seizure of 14 pounds of cocaine, 23 fire arms, and millions of dollars in currency, and the arrests of nine gang members involved in the movement of this contraband, according to the Governor.

Abbott also highlighted the rise in violence at the border, detailing stories of abuse, assault, rape, and attempted murder of migrants at the hands of smugglers and cartel members.

'Operation Lone Star' was launched to help secure the border and combat the smuggling of people and drugs in Texas.

There are currently 1,000 DPS troopers, agents, and rangers who are engaged in the mission.

In a report, The Texas Tribune said that more than 100,000 people were either apprehended by or surrendered to federal immigration officials on the US-Mexico border in February.

Around one of every 10 undocumented migrants that immigration officials encountered in February was an unaccompanied minor, a 62 per cent increase from January.
Tunisia and Algeria reaffirm their 'brotherly' relations Algerian foreign minister Boukadoum visiting Tunis

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, 02 APR - The visit to Tunis by Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum was Tunisian President Kais Saied's chance to reiterate the strong ties between Tunisia, a young democracy with economic and political problems, and neighbouring Algeria, which is also experiencing a serious political crisis.



The two leaders reviewed the "brotherly" relations between the two countries, as well as "coordination on regional and international questions", according to a statement by the Algerian foreign ministry released by the official news agency APS.



The Tunisian president's office also announced, in a press release, the "development of cooperation" and "consultation on bilateral, regional and international issues".



The first among these issues is Libya, which Saied visited last week to meet the new executive tasked with bringing the country to elections on 24 December 2021, after 10 years of conflict.



A sign of the strong ties between Tunisia and Algeria is the fact that Tunisian president Saied made his first official foreign visit to Algeria, in February 2020, only three months after his election.



The Algerian foreign minister, Boukadoum, has visited Tunis regularly since being named to his post in 2019. (ANSAmed).




The Fairbanks Police Department is looking for artists to compete for a chance to have their work displayed on several new patrol cars. From left is Deputy Chief Richard Sweet, Chief Ron Dupee, and traffic unit officer Andrew Wixon.
Calgary, AB -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/02/2021 -- Allstar Enviro Safety announces new programs to better serve clients at https://www.safetyclasses.ca/ and https://safetymom.ca/ .These courses have been launched to update the standards for training and to meet legal requirements in the petroleum, and construction industry.



Allstar Enviro Safety is a full service training and safety consulting school, They offer training seminars in classroom and respiratory fit testing and safety consulting and manuals in Western Canada.



As an Authorized Training Provider (ATP) for Energy Safety Canada, Training Partner for the Canadian Red Cross, Global Training Centre and ABC Safety, they are now launching updated products to clients. As the merger between OSSA (Oil Sands Safety Association) and ENFORM, many companies are requesting the newer training seminars. Allstar Enviro Safety now offers the CSO (Common Safety Orientation), ESC H2S Alive, ESC Fall Protection, ESC Confined Space , H2S Blended Renewal, Ground Disturbance, Blended First Aid , Basic Life Support and Wildlife Awareness Level 2 to name a few.



In addition, Allstar Enviro Safety conducts Respiratory Fit Testing for Air Purifying Masks. This can be done at one of our 2 training facilities or at the clients workplace



About Allstar Enviro Safety

Allstar Enviro Safety launched in 2000 as a full service safety agency to meet the needs for training consulting and fit testing. Their lead Safety Advisor is Arliss T.E. Levine- CRSP, CHSC, BA, NEBOSH IOGC.



Allstar Enviro Safety business address is Suite 239- 4999 43 St SE,Calgary, Ab T2B3N4. They can be contacted at 403:214-1558 or e-mailed at info@safetyclasses.ca



Media Contact



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Combo photo shows Su Weimin as a TV presenter (L) and a military recruit (R). [WeChat account: rmwj001]

After working as a news anchor in Hengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Su Weimin eventually realized her lifelong wish when she cut off her long hair and became a soldier of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force.

Combo photo shows Su Weimin. [WeChat account: rmwj001]

"Cutting my hair short to embrace a new life, I will dedicate my youth to safeguarding the prosperity of the motherland," Su wrote on social media the day she joined the military.

The woman was more determined to join the military than ever after she was turned down last year when she failed the physical exam.

But instead of giving up, she physically and mentally prepared herself until she was eventually enlisted in the recruitment drive for the first half of 2021.

Photo shows Su Weimin hosting a news program. [Courtesy of the Media Convergence Center of Hengxian County]

Photo shows a screenshot of a post on Su Weimin's social media on the day she was formally enlisted in the army. [WeChat account: rmwj001]

The 22-year-old entered the media industry in June 2020 after she graduated from the Communication College of Guangxi University for Nationalities. She has hosted several programs over the past year. "She is highly professional, and has always worked hard without complaint, so we all speak very favorably of her," said one of her colleagues at the Media Convergence Center of Hengxian County.

(Source: People's Daily Online)
The government of war-torn Syria said Wednesday it will send emergency oxygen supplies to neighboring Lebanon which has experienced shortages amid a surge of coronavirus infections in both countries.

The gesture comes as the health care sectors of the neighboring countries face serious challenges compounded by the pandemic and unprecedented economic woes.

Lebanon Health Minister Hamad Hassan told Lebanons al-Manar TV the oxygen was a direct gift from Syrian President Bashar Assad who responded to Lebanon's humanitarian request for the oxygen.

Syria's health care infrastructure has been battered by a 10-year war and dependency on foreign aid as Assad's government faces growing Western sanctions.

For Lebanon, Syria's gesture comes at a time of political deadlock among rival groups who are deeply divided over Syria. Hassan is allied with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which has been a main backer of Assad.

Syrian Health Minister Hassan Ghabbash said his visiting Lebanese counterpart would depart Damascus with the first batch of oxygen from Syrian plants. The amount going to Lebanon, reported to be 75 tons by Syrian media, won't impact needs in Syria, he said.

Lebanon's health minister Hassan said oxygen supplies would last only through Wednesday. The supplies from Syria would avert the loss of thousands of lives, he said.

There are currently a thousand patients in Lebanon on ventilators. The amount of oxygen we have is sufficient for today, Hassan said.

The situation in Syria is also critical. World Health Organization officials said hospital beds are at full capacity in the capital Damascus, and infection cases are at their highest amid a dearth of testing capabilities.

Syria has recorded more than 17,000 infections and 1,175 deaths. The country is in a deep economic crisis, with more than 80% of the population living in poverty.

Both countries are witnessing an unprecedented crash of their local currencies.

Lebanon has been struggling with a surge of infections since the start of 2021 and a weeks-long lockdown has only brought the numbers down slightly. WHO said intensive care-unit beds are more than 85% full in the small country of 6 million people, including over 1 million Syrian refugees.

Since last year, Lebanon has recorded nearly 445,000 infections and 5,850 deaths.

A vaccination campaign began in Lebanon last month, with over 970,000 people registered to be vaccinated and some 156,000 doses already administered.

Syria said it has received some vaccines but it has yet to launch a national vaccination campaign. WHO announced Tuesday it will oversee a vaccination campaign in Syria expected to start in April with the aim of inoculating 20% of the population by the end of 2021.
South Korean boy band Day6 is gearing up to release its new EP.

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The K-pop group shared a track list Thursday for the mini album The Book of Us: Negentropy - Chaos swallowed up in love.

The Book of Us: Negentropy will feature the title track "You Make Me," and six other songs: "Every Day We Fight," "Healer," "Not Two but One," "Above the Clouds," "One" and "Let's Love More."

Day6 shared a comeback film for the EP on Monday that confirmed all five members, Jae, Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon, will be part of the new mini album.

The rock band released an "Epilogue Film" for the EP on Wednesday that features a narrator reflecting on memory.

Day6 will release The Book of Us: Negentropy on April 19. The album will be the group's first release since the EP The Book of Us: The Demon in May 2020.
The latest US Department of Labor report for 2020 filed by the United Auto Workers shows that it increased both its income and assets even as its membership declined amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

In its annual LM-2 filed for the calendar year 2020, the UAW showed net assets of $1,026,568,450, that is, more than $1 billionup more than $31 million from 2019. The income of the 14 top executives at UAW national headquarters totaled more than $3 million. Meanwhile, UAW membership declined slightly to 397,073, from 399,839 in 2019.

United Auto Workers President Gary Jones and Ford Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board William Clay Ford Jr. shake hands across the negotiating table Monday (Source: Ford Motor Co.)

As executives celebrate with their lavish incomes, the UAW is currently isolating a strike by 3,000 graduate students at Columbia University in New York City who are members of the union. They are forced to subsist on $275 a week in strike pay in one of the most expensive cities in America.

Remarking on the report, UAW President Rory Gamble said, The UAW managed a very difficult pandemic year reporting steady membership numbers and weathering pandemic shutdowns.

Indeed, the UAW bureaucracy has not only weathered the pandemic but is doing better than ever. Among the expenses listed on the report are $978,857 for the UAW 2020 national Community Action Program conference at the Marriot in Washington D.C. Also listed is $35,531 for rooms and catering at Motor City Casino in Detroit and $27,997 for a conference at Sinatra Beach Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida, located hundreds of miles away from the nearest assembly plant.

A central focus of the years-long corruption probe by federal investigators was the use of millions of dollars by union officials to finance lavish getaways to Palm Springs, California. The previous two UAW presidents, Dennis Williams and Gary Jones, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the scheme and went to prison, and Gamble, their successor, claimed that his top priority was to "clean up" the UAW.

But the UAWs own public finances show that, during a year in which dozens of autoworkers died from the virus, even as the UAW and the federal government were negotiating a wrist-slap deal to avoid a federal takeover, the gravy train was continuing unabated for UAW officials.

As has been repeatedly noted by the World Socialist Web Site, the UAW has completely divorced its income and finances from any struggle to improve or even maintain the working conditions and living standards of the workers it claims to represent. While collecting $288 million in 2020 in revenues, including $72 million in interest payments on its investments, the UAW disbursed just $6 million in strike payments, out of a strike fund that stands at $790 million.

The strike fund is now $30 million greater than before a 40-day strike against General Motors in 2019. GM workers were starved on the picket line by the union, which began paying out a meager $250 per week 15 days into the strike.

Meanwhile, UAW international officers are enjoying the benefits of the 30 percent pay increases they awarded themselves at the Constitutional Convention in 2018.

UAW President Rory Gamble topped the list at $244,772 in salary and expenses. Number two on the list is Ray Curry, international secretary-treasurer, at $236,608. Altogether 17 top UAW officers grossed more than $200,000 last year. Others of note include Terry Dittes, vice president for GM ($231,614); Cindy Estrada, vice president for Stellantis/Fiat Chrysler ($220,506); and Gerald Kariem, vice president for Ford ($221,893).

Over 110 other international officers took in salaries and expenses in excess of $150,000 each.

Justin and Derek Jewell, the sons of convicted former UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell, earned $140,000 each in annual salary in 2020 as servicing reps.

But the income and assets listed on the official Labor Department filing are only a fraction of the assets and income of the UAW. In addition to direct corporate bribes, UAW officials receive millions in personal compensation that they do not have to publicly disclose through their participation in joint labor-management initiatives and the UAWs control of the multi-billion-dollar retiree healthcare fund.

As a result of the federal corruption investigation, the UAW and the auto companies agreed to close the various joint program centers, such as the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, and lay off staff members. Despite this, the 2020 LM-2 indicates the UAW got $2.3 million from the GM training center, $3.6 million from Fiat Chrysler (now Stellantis) and $5.9 million from Ford, excluding salaries and expenses of UAW employees.

UAW-GM Center for Human Resources

Beginning in the 1980s, when the UAW officially adopted the program of corporatism, the union has embraced unlimited union-management collaboration against the interests of workers in the name of global competitiveness. Past gains won through decades of struggle have been shredded and hundreds of thousands of jobs eliminated. The UAW has become an appendage of corporate management, which has funneled billions into the coffers of its union partners.

This same process has occurred in unions throughout the world, from IG Metall in Germany to the Trade Union Congress in Britain and the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM). This demonstrates that the degeneration of the unions results from their common feature, their nationalist and pro-capitalist program and orientation.

Thomas Adams, a retired GM Buick City autoworker who has studied UAW finances in depth, told the Word Socialist World Site Autoworker Newsletter, I know the money is still flowing; there is more to it. They have sold their $30 million [UAW-GM] training center and eliminated 60-100 jobs. Three former UAW officials who sat on the CHR board of directors, including former Vice President Joe Ashton, have been convicted on corruption charges.

He continued, But thats not the whole thing. They have this bureaucratic apparatus they have put together in the union. According to the contract, GM is supposed to provide them office space. The foothold the companies have in the union bureaucracy isnt any less than it was two years ago.

The UAW is not a workers organization. It is an investment vehicle for the executives who control it. According to the 2020 LM-2, the UAW held investments of $725,929,116, including marketable securities and other financial investments.

The increase in the UAWs assets and income has taken place during a year in which autoworkers have been subject to unprecedented threats to the lives of themselves, family and friends through exposure to the coronavirus in the auto plants. Untold thousands of workers have contracted the virus in crowded and under-ventilated workplaces, and scores have died.

But a real accounting of the toll is impossible because management and the UAW have concealed the actual numbers from autoworkers out of fear of sparking a rebellion.

A temporary suspension of plant operations began last March only after autoworkers stopped production in defiance of the UAW and management. Since the return to work in May, the UAW has not sanctioned a single job action in the auto industry despite the flagrant disregard by management of even the inadequate screening, cleaning and social distancing protocols it agreed to implement.

Adams explained, They eliminated 1 million jobs, and the UAW leadership was complicit. What does this mean for someone on the shop floor? Ill tell you. It means you have people out there in those plants right now working seven days a week, 12 hours a day. They dont have any relief whatsoever. There are seven different layers of employment status from full time to I dont know what. These are all things the UAW agreed to.

The financial filings add urgency to the building of the network of rank-and-file committees, formed last year shortly after the reopening of the auto industry, in plants and workplaces throughout the country. These committees, composed of and controlled by workers themselves, are the antipode to the corporatist arm of management that goes by the name of a union. To join the rank-and-file safety committee in your plant, or for help building one, contact the World Socialist Web Site using the form at wsws.org/workers.
U.S. President Joseph Biden held his first telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday April 2, an informed source from the President's Office of Ukraine told Interfax-Ukraine.

"We confirm the fact of the call, yes," the source said.

According to the U.S. publication Politico, the leaders of Ukraine and the United States spoke for 30 to 40 minutes. Biden reiterated his commitment to Ukraine and said "in his heart and mind he is a great believer in the country."

"Ukrainian officials had been pushing for a call between Zelensky and Biden for weeks, including in a recent call between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and top Zelensky aid Andriy Yermak, according to one person familiar with their conversation," according to the Politico's statement on Friday.

It is noted that the conversation follows at least three high-level calls between the United States and Ukraine this week between Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Ukrainian counterparts.

The information was also confirmed by Politico correspondent Natasha Bertrand on Twitter.

"Biden and Zelensky just finished their conversation, which lasted 30-40 minutes. I am told. Biden reasserted the U.S.' commitments to Ukraine and they spoke about the reported Russian troops buildup in the east and Zelensky's anti-corruption efforts," Bertrand said on Twitter.
PAUL LEVESQUE TALKS NXT TAKEOVER STAND AND DELIVER, THE MOVE TO TUESDAY, CROSS PROMOTION WITH NXT UK, HIS FUTURE IN THE RING AND MORE

Paul Levesque met with reporters on a conference call today in advance of next weeks NXT Takeover Stand And Deliver events.

He opened by saying he was excited for the show and it was the first time ever that they have done two nights of Takeover. Night 1 will be simulcast in the US on Peacock and The USA Network. Night two will be on Peacock here. Its the biggest event in their history since there will be ten matches over two nights. Its exciting to have an event like this. He then ran down the card.

There will be hour pre-show specials heading into each night. Sam Roberts and Mickie James will be joined by former MMA fghter Jimmy Smith, and MMA/Sports Illustrated writer Arash Markazi for the shows.

The first call came from Jason Powell. He said with the move to Tuesday there will be pro wrestling on five nights a week. Is that good for the industry or overkill. H said its about availability. Its there if you want to watch it. No one is forcing anyone to do it. Its there for those who want to watch it. He said people devour content on their terms now. There are comedies on all the time, news, etc.

Next caller was from Spain. Guess who he asked about? Heritage Cup champ A-Kid! Will it be defended on a Takeover? H says its about logistics right now with the pandemic. They were able to plan ahead for WALTER and Jordan Devlin to get here. He said its on the table down the road. Inter-branding is an exciting opportunity for NXT. Its just a matter of being able to do it when the pandemic eases up.

The next caller asked what he thought of Undertaker saying that the product is too soft. H said everyone has opinions of the business. The business always morphs and changes. He said Taker has always been blunt with his opinions and his intentions are always meant to improve things. H says Taker has a lot to offer and when he speaks you listen. Its all about what you like. It comes down to what the masses like so that they can be tapped into. H absolutely respects Takers opinion and he looks forward to working with him on every level.

The next caller asked about Chris Jericho appearing on the Network with Austin. Does that mean WWE is willing to work with more companies in the future? H said he isnt sure how that correlates but as Vince says they are always open to business. He said sometimes people create situations in their own head but the Jericho thing is not shocking. He said the perception of what people believe with no knowledge of what is really going on is amazing to him.

Mike Johnson asked with two nights of Takeover, how did you strategize putting it together, with what on each night. H said there is a lot more to break down. Its like having two Takeovers. One with commercial breaks, on Peacock without breaks. You have to approach it differently. From their standpoint from their standpoint there is a nuance and art to it, when you do it right. They are still working the commercial split out. Its a work in progress and probably will still be so at 7:59 on Wednesday. The intent is to give the best event possible with as minimal disruption as possible.

Power Wrestling asked what it will be like to have change to having fans back. H said that the fans are everything to WWE. All that they do is for the fans. The people at the show are the ones who guide the show. He mentioned Edge saying its weird having no idea what to expect from the fans going into Mania. He said bringing fans back is everything. He is cautiously excited about it. He hopes we can begin to get back fans to everything, safely, as soon as possible. He said you have to do everything to keep people safe.

Miami Herald asked about NCAA brother wrestlers Bobby and Gable Steveson and what Hs opinion on them. The new Steiners? H said we already have Bronson Rechsteiner in the PC now. He put over the Steiners and said Bronson is a stud just like them. He said that the brothers are great and he looks forward to working with them if they come in. He said they are talented and great people.

MetroUK asked about Omos. What can fans expect from him. He is a sponge. You have to be careful how use use him. Hes a quality person who loves what he is doing. They dont want to give him too much too fast. He is a guy you just want to see succeed. He is an incredible athlete but it takes some time to learn to do what they do. He thinks people will be shocked at what he can do.

Lucha Libre Online asked about Bad Bunny. H put him over. He said Bunny wants to do this. He has moved to Orlando and is working hard every day at the PC and has been for many months. H said Bunny has earned his respect because he is doing the work. Pat McAfee is another guy who is a next level athlete who they will work with whenever they can. His work was good because he was willing to put in the work and that mattered to him. He said they will gladly have crossover people when they want to do the work.

TalkSport asked about AJ Styles asking H to have a match with him at Mania. H said its true, he did ask. He said getting ready Mania is a difficult thing, especially as you get older. He said you stay in shape but there is a difference between that an Mania shape. He said that the performer in him would love nothing more but the manager in him just doesnt have the time. He is flattered but he just doesnt have the bandwidth to do it at this time. He is at a point where the in-ring stuff to him is bonus. He said Ric Flair calls him and tells him he needs to get back in the ring. There is a part of him that wants to do it but there is a bigger part that is just too busy. He said he just doesnt have the time to put in the ring work to get back up to where he would need to be to do it.

The last question came from ComicBook.com He was asked about how he would rate the time that NXT spent on Wednesdays. He said he would say its successful. They went from an hour taped to two hours live. Then they had injuries, pandemics, etc. He is proud and happy with what they did with the brand. He said at first it was about staying on the same day and time (cough, cough). Now they have established an audience so they feel they can change nights. They got a multi-year deal and USA is happy. Its all for the right reason. There will be promotion from Monday to Tuesday. He said if you asked before it started, that is how he would have seen it going, establish a fan base first then you can make changes. The idea is to give people the best possible show, building long term. Theres ebb and flow, ever week cant be the best show ever. He likes the path we are on.

Paul said he appreciates everyone being here. There will be more press next week and he looks forward to the shows next week and the post show conference call.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
The Victorian Liberal Party declined to comment on Ms Fredericos complaint. Loading Ms Watson-Lynn, who attempted to replace Julie Bishop when the former foreign minister retired, said the treatment allegedly faced by Ms Frederico was the reason many bright young women were reluctant to give politics a go. Women are less likely to tolerate that kind of invasive intrusion into our personal lives, said Ms Watson-Lynn, an international relations expert. We want to fight about substance, we dont want to fight about personality ... We want to argue and debate policy and legislation and how we make Australia a better place.

Seven of the Liberal Partys 31 current Victorian MPs are women  about 23 per cent of the total  the same proportion as before the 2018 election, when nine of 40 MPs were female. Only one of its lower house MPs in metropolitan Melbourne is female and women occupy few safe seats, meaning their position in Parliament is more precarious. Opposition Leader Michael OBrien has opened the door to gender quotas and prominent party figures, spurred by the national reckoning about the treatment of women, have backed the mechanism to boost female representation. Opposition Leader Michael OBrien and shadow treasurer Louise Staley (left) have backed the introduction of quotas to increase female representation in the Liberal Party. Credit:Justin McManus Ms Frederico said many younger women spent more time working in non-political jobs or doing volunteer work than many of the men who won preselection, who instead dedicated years to recruiting members in local branches who would then vote for them when they put their hand up to run for Parliament. The traditional pathway, where they work for MPs and are active in branches, has nothing to do with community engagement  or merit, she said.

Loading The males, who have usually been chairs of local branches, have that support structure around them. Its the others that dont. Neither woman claimed they would have won had they been a man  and Ms Watson-Lynn was beaten by a woman  but they believe internal party structures reward political tactics that, more often than not, men thrive in at the expense of women. The women say the media was used against them. Ms Watson-Lynns opponents dug up years-old tweets in which she said she was not a Liberal voter and a photograph of her walking down the street was placed on the front page of The Australian. Ms Frederico said minutes of a meeting were leaked to the same newspaper in order to paint her in a negative light. It was the co-ordinated attack ... that put my life on front page of the paper. I hated it  it was the worst thing to wake up to in the morning, Ms Watson-Lynn said.

Loading It makes you feel out of control and confronted. You worry about your safety and it makes you not want to be involved. It impacts everyone around you. I couldnt put my family and friends through that again. Ms Frederico was opposed by the two retiring MPs in Brighton and Sandringham, who both backed males  James Newbury in Brighton and Brad Rowswell in Sandringham  to succeed them. She said the former member for Sandringham, Murray Thompson, rang the people who Ms Frederico said were endorsing her, asking them to prove their endorsements. Ms Frederico proposed several measures to even the playing field for women who were not entrenched factional operatives. Retiring MPs should not influence preselections, she said, and neither should branch chairs, who have access to membership lists and can wield influence over the process. She also said mentoring programs for women needed to be more thorough.

There is a really big argument about merit, but whats your definition of merit? Its an aspiration, but its entirely subjective and its not getting the outcomes, she said. Both women say quotas could work as a temporary measure. But there is confusion within the party about how they would be implemented because, unlike Labor, the Liberals tend to host open preselections where anyone can put their hand up. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video This means quotas may need to be enforced by banning men from running, which could be viewed as draconian in a centre-right party that champions individual liberty and fewer heavy-handed rules that curtail rights. Ms Watson-Lynn said those opposed to quotas in the party of free enterprise needed to adjust their interpretation of the concept. She said a company wouldnt hire a team full of people with the same qualifications. Rather, they would want a diverse group of people with a range of different life experiences.
The murder and suspected suicide of a woman and man whose bodies were found in nearby Dorset towns are believed to be linked, police said today.

Detectives believe that the woman was deliberately killed at her house in Weymouth by a man who then fled the scene.

Investigations led officers to another house in Portland, some 20 minutes away by car, where they found the body of a man, who liked the woman was in his 50s.

Neighbours today described seeing armed police smashing down the door of the Portland property yesterday evening before finding the body inside.

Police say both victims were known to each other but it is not yet clear if they were a couple. It is understood the man's death is being treated as suicide.

Detectives believe that the woman was deliberately killed at her house in Weymouth by a man who then fled the scene (pictured taken today)

Investigations led officers to a house in Portland, some 20 minutes away by car, where they found the body of a man, aged in his 50s (pictured is the scene yesterday)

Shocked neighbours in Portland today described the dramatic moment armed police smashed down the door to find the man inside at around 6.30pm.

Residents on the sleepy seaside street say the man inside moved in less than a year ago and that the house has seen multiple occupants come and go in recent times.

Nobody has been able to confirm his name, but he has been described as 'keeping himself to himself'.

One neighbour, aged in his 80s, said: 'The police shooters turned up with big black guns at around 6:30.

'They were joined by who I presume were inspectors in suits and they stood around outside talking for quite some time.

'Then they smashed the door and window and we heard them shouting ''armed police''.'

The Isle of Portland is a tied island in the English Channel, some five miles south of Weymouth.

Neighbours today described seeing armed police smashing down the door of the Portland property before finding the body inside. Police are seen searching the house today

Dorset Police said: 'We were called at 5.40pm on Thursday April 1 by the ambulance service to a report that a woman had been found injured at an address in Ranelagh Road in Weymouth.

'Very sadly, the woman - aged in her 50s and from the local area - was pronounced dead at the scene. Her next of kin has been informed.

'The woman's death is being treated as suspicious and an investigation is under way to establish the full circumstances surrounding her death.

'As part of our enquiries, at around 6.40pm on the same day officers attended an address in Grove Road on Portland and located the body of a man aged in his 50s.

'The death is being treated as unexplained and an investigation is under way. His family has also been informed.'

Shocked neighbours in Portland today described the dramatic moment armed police smashed down the door to find the man inside at around 6.30pm last night. Pictured is an armed policeman at the scene yesterday

The Isle of Portland is a tied island in the English Channel, some five miles south of Weymouth.

A cordon has been erected at both addresses while police carry out enquiries.

Detective Inspector Wayne Seymour, of the major crime investigation team, said: 'A detailed investigation is under way looking into the circumstances of both deaths, which are currently being treated as linked.

'The families of both the woman and the man are being supported by specially-trained officers.

'I would urge anyone who witnessed or heard anything suspicious in the area of either Ranelagh Road or Grove Road during the afternoon of Thursday April 1 2021 to please contact us.'
Lewis Smith Lake wont be the place to fish for the next week or so, but you still may want to visit the spillway area to see something that rarely occursif the water rises as expected, it may pour out the overflow canyon on the west side of the dam for the first time in many years. Overflow starts at 522.0 feet elevation, and the forecast was for 521.7 feet Thursday night. If this happens, the water from the lake takes a long, circular route to the west before dumping back into the river well downstream of the dam.

While this would be an interesting phenomenon, it wont do much for the fishing, to say the least. The lake is very muddy, something rarely seen in this rock-bound impoundment, and that combined with the extremely high lake levels will make both bass and stripers hard to find. There may be some spawning largemouth up the tributary rivers where shoreline brush flats have flooded, and also possibly some crappie in these areas, but otherwise fishing likely will be tough. Ditto for catching trout below the dam. This week, its best to look elsewhere for angling action.

Guide Brad Whitehead says one of those spots might be the Bear Creek Lakes in northwestern Alabama. These small public waters are not impacted nearly as much as the states larger lakes this week, and Whitehead says his clients are typically catching 50 to 60 crappies a day side-pulling  ounce jigs in about 20 feet of water around bait schools. He said some fish are also in the brush on the banks spawning, but his big catches are coming from offshore; https://www.facebook.com/BradWhiteheadCrappie

From Guntersville, Captain Mike Gerry said bass action was good until the last monsoon, and should pick up quickly again as soon as the water returns to normal levels and clears a bit. The next month will see the major bass spawn, so water anywhere from 1 to 4 feet deep with hard bottom, stumps, docks or other cover will likely draw the fish. He said soft plastics will likely be the major attractor during the spawn, while spinnerbaits, swimbaits, buzzbaits and squarebills will be winners just after the spawn; www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com.

From Weiss Lake, guide Mark Collins says high, muddy water wiped out the bite but it should be wide open as soon as things return to normal in a few days, with both bass and crappie on the beds. He specializes in crappie limits, with most caught trolling Jiffy Jigs on light tackle. So far, most have come from the creek channels, but he says the fish will move into the bays and flats with the warm-up forecast for after the weekend; www.markcollinsguideservice.com.

Anglers who know Lake Martin well were catching 20 or more spotted bass per day on small jigs, crankbaits and soft plastics prior to the last big rain, and that action is likely to still be available as soon as the water clears late this week, especially with the forecast warmup. Spotted bass in this usually-clear lake spawn at depths from 5 to 15 feet on bars and points with gravel bottom. After the spawn, the fish go on a shad feed, and will blast topwaters put anywhere near themthe One-Knocker Spook is among the favorites.

From the coast, most of the action has moved into lower Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound and along the beaches. Spanish mackerel are everywhere, easily caught on a small Clark Spoon or other chrome lure cranked or trolled fast. Kings are also showing uptheyre best caught slow-trolling live cigar minnows, menhaden or other live baitfish. In the surf, this month is prime time for pompanofind them in the runouts and catch them on live sandfleas or fresh cut shrimp on a pompano rig. Reds and trout are feeding in the open bays around bait schoolsa live shrimp under a slip cork is the best bet. Captain Bobby Abruscato said good days produce over 50 trout per trip right now; www.ateamfishing.com.
She's best known for her roles on TV"s Glee.

And on Thursday night, Dianna Agron walked a socially-distanced red carpet at the LA premiere for her film Shiva Baby.

The independent film was screened on the rooftop of the JW Marriott at LA Live Thursday night.

Star power: Glee alum Dianna Agron,34, was the main attraction at a premiere in LA Thursday night for the independent movie Shiva Baby

Agron, 34, put her best foot forward in a black dress slit to the thigh on one side.

The frock had a plunging neckline, too, and the actress wore it slightly off the shoulder as she posed for photos.

The Glee alum added black sandal heels and carried a small black evening purse.

Stylish: Agron put her best foot forward in a black dress slit to the thigh on one side. The frock had a plunging neckline, too, and she wore it slightly off the shoulder as she posed for photos

Famous face: Thirtysomething star Polly Draper, 65, who has a role in the comedy, looked stylish in a buttoned up black leather blazer paired with black skinny pants

Also at the premiere was Thirtysomething star Polly Draper, 65, who has a role in the film that debuted at last year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Draper looked stylish in a buttoned up black leather blazer paired with black skinny pants.

She wore black rhinestone-studded sandal heels and accessorized with small hoop earrings.

The movie's director Emma Seligman opted for a metallic sleeveless full-length dress for her big night and wore her long hair in a messy updo.

Helmer: Shiva Baby director Emma Seligman, who makes her directorial debut with the film, opted for a full-length sleeveless metallic dress for her big night

Looking good: Molly Gordon, 25, showed up in an off-white lacey top with short puffy sleeves and floral print pleated pants

Group shot: Rachel Sennott, second from left in white, stars as a directionless bisexual Jewish college student who runs into her sugar daddy while attending a shiva with her family

Rachel Sennott stars in the film as Danielle, a directionless bisexual Jewish college student who attends a shiva with her family.

While at the Jewish funeral, she inadvertently runs into her sugar daddy.

The comedy is being released on Friday by HBO.

Funny: Danny Deferrari, who is also in the cast, was so excited to be at the LA screening that he jumped for joy

Dapper: Veteran actor Fred Melamed, 64, was also on hand to help promote the movie
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Western Marine Command (WMC), has intercepted Cannabis sativa with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N694, 575, 000.

The NCS has also handed the banned substance to the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Comptroller Olugboyega Peters of the WMC said at a news conference on Friday in Lagos that the command also intercepted other items such as rice and bales of clothing with a DPV of N687, 446 000, in the first quarter of 2021.

According to him, in 2020, the command seized over 10 tonnes of Cannabis sativa (marijuana) valued at over a billion naira.

Here we are today showcasing another feat of arrest of marijuana by officers and men of the command.

On March 27, our operatives of Coastal and Harbour Patrol (Bar-Beach), on credible intelligence along Ibeche Beach on the high sea, accosted, intercepted and arrested two wooden boats laden with sacks suspected to contain marijuana (HS Code 0602.90 of Common External Tariff (CET).

This is together with six suspects, as empowered by Customs and Excise Management Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as amended.

The goods together with the suspects were brought to WMC.

Upon physical counting, it was found to be 147 sacks of marijuana with an average of 45kg per sack, giving an estimated total of 6,615kg with a DPV of N694, 575, 000.

Mr Peters said WMC had a collaboration with the NDLEA, adding that NCS handed over the marijuana and the suspects to NDLEA in the interest of national security.

He said the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) headed by Siji Song had on March 16, in fulfilment of its promise of installing Teleconferencing CISCO WEBEX equipment, handed over the equipment to the command.

He said the equipment would aid operations of the command and assist security agencies in fighting piracy in the maritime industry.

The equipment will be fully installed when all the enabling tools are put in place by the service, he said.

Mr Peters said making society free of drugs abuse was a collective one, urging that all hands should be on deck to achieve the aim.

You can imagine the havoc the marijuana of this magnitude could have caused in our society if this seizure has not been made.

Let me warn unscrupulous elements to desist from smuggling and look for a legitimate means of livelihood.

Operatives of WMC are always combat-ready to bring smuggling to its barest minimum.

No amount of distraction will deter us from enforcing Federal Governments fiscal policies; we will remain resolute no matter whose ox is gored.

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I urge the NDLEA to invite us during the destruction of this marijuana and a copy of certificate of destruction issued to the NCS for record-keeping, he said.

Samuel Gazama, Commander, NDLEA, Apapa Special Command, Lagos, said the cannabis intercepted was the type being cultivated in Ghana which, he said, was more potent than the one grown in Nigeria.

He said the seizure saved Nigeria and its image.

We want the media to help to sensitize the public on the dangers of what we are trying to stop in our society.

On behalf of the Chairman of the NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, we thank the WMC and the controller-general of customs for the new leaf of synergy and cooperation that is really coming up between customs and NDLEA.

Even if we do not have the suspects, the fact that NCS was able to stop this from going into the society, is a big achievement, and I say thumbs up to you and your men. (NAN)
The Illinois comptrollers office counts 8,529 different units of government. The U.S. Census Bureau came up with a different result, saying Illinois has 6,963 units, according to the Center for Government Studies at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Either way, we have far more public taxing bodies than any other state.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Petion-ville : 2 bandits killed by the PNH

Wednesday around 10:30 p.m .. a patrol of the Haitian National Police (PNH) shot dead 2 armed individuals during an exchange of fire on rue Faubert in Petion ville



Women's March

On Saturday April 3, women will mobilize for a march in several cities at the initiative of 3 feminist organizations (TOYA, "Solidarite Fanm Ayisyen" (SOFA), "Neges Mawon"), to demand respect for the Constitution and the rights of women.



Inspector General Carl Henry Boucher released

Thursday, after 3 weeks of isolation at the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPNH), Inspector General Carl Henry Boucher was released, but remains at the disposal of the IGPNH for the follow-up to the investigation.



PoliTour : Training on the use and management of drones

The International Organization for Migration (IOM - Haiti) thanks to the support of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Intl Narcotics & Law Enforcement (INL) through the United States Embassy in Haiti, organized training on the use and management of drones for the benefit of police officers of the Borders (PoliFront). Participants expressed that : "The use of drones will allow us to better ensure our operations on the border line."



Cartography workshops

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP - Haiti), together with the National Center for Geo-Spatial Information (CNIGS), is organizing multi-hazard mapping workshops in the Northwest. Funded by the Delegation of the European Union in Haiti, these workshops will provide managers in this region with the necessary tools for the use of GPS in disaster management.



Tennis: Naomi Osaka eliminated in the quarter-finals

Wednesday at the Miami Tennis Tournament the Japanese world # 2 Naomi Osaka, proud of her Haitian origin and favorite of the tournament was eliminated in the quarterfinals to everyone's surprise by the Greek Maria Sakkari (25th in the world) swept 6- 0, 6-4. Naomis first loss on the tennis court in 418 days, ending a 23-game winning streak







IH/ iciHaiti


















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The police in Lagos have ordered officers to intensify patrol and other anti-crime strategies in order to protect lives and property during the Easter celebration.

Hakeem Odumosu, the state Commissioner of Police, said this in a statement by the State Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Friday in Lagos.

Mr Odumosu charged the officers to implement the operation order prepared for the celebration by ensuring adequate deployment of men to strategic places.

These places include worship centres, parks for picnics and recreational arenas as many fun-seekers will be out to celebrate the Easter, the commissioner said.

He, however, appealed to residents, especially fun-seekers to be moderate in their celebration and respect the laws of the land with no exception to the COVID-19 protocols.

Mr Odumosu also warned them to desist from reckless driving and gross violation of traffic rules and regulations, particularly driving against the traffic (one way) and plying the BRT corridors.

The police and other security operatives have been deployed across the state to enforce law and order, he said.

Mr Odumosu said police detectives attached to Maroko Division on Thursday with officials from the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) had broken a One-Chance syndicate operating around Lekki axis.

He said that one Nurah Muazu, 31, of Aboki Estate, Marwa Lekki alongside his gang members, Roland Onoge, 38, and Daniel Abah, 28 were arrested by LASTMA officials.

The gang members were intercepted by officials of LASTMA along Marwa Bus Stop Lekki, having robbed one Amarachi Isaac, f, in their unregistered red Toyota Camry car.

I have ordered an investigation to apprehend other members of the One-Chance robbery syndicate and other similar syndicates, who have been placed under surveillance for a while by the police, he said.

The commissioner commended the efforts of the LASTMA officials for intercepting the suspects and the police detectives for the follow-up.

I admonish other security and safety agencies to emulate their acts of professionalism and commitment to duty as every individual is expected to play a vital role in securing Lagos State.

I have ordered that the suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba for discreet Investigation, Odumosu said.

(NAN)
Deputy Head of the President's Office Roman Mashovets has said that Ukraine-NATO military exercises could be one of the ways to improve the security situation due to Russia's aggressive actions, the presidential press service has reported.

During a meeting with Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Larisa Galadza, Mashovets thanked Canada for its assistance in countering Russian aggression.

He stressed that recent events in eastern Ukraine demonstrated Russia's reluctance to comply with international agreements. The Russian side continues to provoke and systematically violate the ceasefire, which began on July 27, 2020. Ukraine loses its best defenders every week from the shelling in Donbas.

Mashovets informed Galadza about the deployment of Russian troops near the Ukrainian borders. According to him, large-scale exercises between the armed forces of Russia and Belarus, scheduled for September this year, pose a threat to Euro-Atlantic security.

"Such actions by the Russian Federation challenge the security of Ukraine and NATO, which must be balanced by joint efforts," Mashovets said.

He said that joint measures, including military exercises between Ukraine and NATO, could be one of the ways to improve the security situation. Such measures should cover land, naval and air components.

Mashovets also briefed Galadza on the implementation of important documents in the field of national security and defense of Ukraine.

He stressed that as part of the implementation of the National Security Strategy, the president last week approved the Military Security Strategy.

"This is a very important document. We are switching to the formation of the Strategic Defense Bulletin, the State Program for the Development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine until 2025 and the Defense Plan. We continue to develop the national security and defense sector and achieve NATO standards," Mashovets said.

He also spoke about the transformation of the state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom and the results of the establishment of the Ministry for Strategic Industries of Ukraine. He stressed that Ukraine continued to reform the defense sector continues so as to increase its efficiency.

Galadza drew attention to the importance of establishing proper democratic civilian control over the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to her, the adoption of the necessary bills will be an important signal for NATO.

She said that Canada supports Ukraine's efforts to reform the defense and security sector and to counter Russian aggression.

According to the latest data, Russia is moving troops and military hardware to its border with Ukraine. At the same time, Russian-backed forces in certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions continue to violate the ceasefire.

Photo credit: president.gov.ua
Gunman in Southern California Mass Shooting Knew His Victims

ORANGE, Calif.The gunman who killed four people and critically wounded a fifth at a Southern California office building knew all the victims and apparently before opening fire chained shut the gates to two entrances, delaying police from getting inside, authorities said Thursday.

Among the victims of the horrific massacre Wednesday afternoon was a 9-year-old boy who was found cradled in the arms of a woman believed to be his mother, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. The woman was the only survivor among those shot. The others killed were a man and two women.

Our hearts today go out to the victims, and Im here to tell you that were going to do everything in our power in the Orange County District Attorneys office to get justice for these families, Spitzer said. He said he will consider seeking the death penalty.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer talks during a news conference at the Orange Police Department headquarters in Orange, Calif., on April 1, 2021. (Stefanie Dazio/AP Photo)

The violence in the city of Orange was the nations third major mass shooting in just over two weeks. Last week a gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, and killed 10. A week before that, six Asian women were among eight people killed at three Atlanta-area spas.

The suspect in the California shooting was identified as Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 44. He was critically wounded. It was unclear whether he suffered a self-inflicted wound or was shot by police.

Gonzalez knew all the victims either personally or through business, police said. They said the precise relationships were still being determined. No names of the victims were officially released.

However, a family member identified one victim as Luis Tovar, 50, who owned Unified Homes, a mobile home brokerage company.

Our world is shattered, 28-year-old Vania Tovar, one of Tovars five children, told the Orange County Register.

Gonzalez was from nearby Fullerton but was driving a rental car and staying at a motel in Anaheim, which borders Orange and is southeast of Los Angeles. Police say he placed bicycle locks on two entrances to a two-story building that houses a variety of businesses.

The shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, and police said Gonzalez targeted people at Unified Homes. Police released a still image from security video showing the gunman inside the business wearing a bandana, brandishing a semiautomatic handgun and with a backpack that police said contained ammunition, pepper spray and handcuffs.

Police officers and agents stand outside an office building where multiple people were killed in a shooting in Orange, Calif., on March 31, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Police received multiple reports of gunshots, and officers were on the scene within 2 minutes, Orange police Lt. Jennifer Amat said. Gunfire could be heard as officers arrived and the suspect fired at them, Amat said. Officers fired back from behind the fence until the locks securing the gates from the inside could be cut.

Once inside, they found the victims and wounded gunman. The incident was over within several minutes, Amat said.

Tim Smiths home is separated from the offices parking lot by a backyard wooden fence. He was in the back of his house when he heard a volley of three gunshots, then a volley of three and a final volley of four.

The first words I heard after the shots were fired were Dont move or I will shoot you,  Smith, 64, recounted Thursday morning.

Smith said he heard that repeated twice more by a mans voice and believes it was a police officer speaking. He did not hear other voices or more shots. He later peeked over the fence and saw SWAT officers marching in a line in the buildings courtyard.

It saddens me so much, he said. A senseless loss of life.

Scott Clark, who is owner of Calco Financial that is two doors down from Unified Homes, described Luis Tovar as hard-working.

Hes there day and night, Clark said.

Clark left his office on Wednesday, around 4:45 p.m., earlier than usual.

I must have had an angel from God watching out for me to make me leave an hour before I usually do, he said.

Clark said he has worked out of the building for about 21 years, and Unified Homes has been in that location for seven or eight years. He said they expanded to a second suite about a year ago, and both offices were on the second level.

Clark said he has seen about 10 people working inside Unified Homes but doesnt know them well. He said he has chatted with Tovar, sometimes inviting him inside his own office to take a break.

Since the pandemic began, Clark said parents would often bring their children to work. He did not know anything about the 9-year-old victim and did not recognize the shooters name.

Gonzalez was charged in 2015 in Orange County with cruelty to a child and other counts. Its not clear if the child was his. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and served one day in jail. All other counts were dismissed, and the conviction was expunged in 2017, said Lauren Gold, spokeswoman for the city of Anaheim.

Orange is about 30 miles from Los Angeles and home to about 140,000 people. The shooting was the worst in the city since December 1997, when a gunman armed with an assault rifle attacked a California Department of Transportation maintenance yard.

Arturo Reyes Torres, 41, an equipment operator who had been fired six weeks earlier, killed four people and wounded others, including a police officer, before police killed him.

By Stefanie Dazio and Amy Taxin
91-year-old villager's porcelain palaces attract tourists in Jiangxi

Xinhua) 16:55, April 01, 2021

Tourists visit a porcelain palace in Xinping Village of Fuliang County in Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi Province, March 19, 2021. Yu Ermei, a 91-year-old villager who once worked in porcelain factory, started to build her porcelain palaces in Xinping Village from 2011. With her efforts, four buildings decorated with porcelain ware and porcelain pieces now stand in the village, attracting many tourists to visit. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Bianji)
Even as pandemic response is focused on understanding, controlling and preventing COVID-19 among humans, a ghost haunts epidemiological concerns about the disease: reverse-zoonotic sylvatic Covid. Or, the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to spill-back from humans to domestic or farmed animals, and from there to wild-life, where the virus can establish ineradicable disease reservoirs. This scenario is not far-fetched: the case of sylvatic plague in early-twentieth century California offers an example of how such processes can remain undetected until disease reservoirs are so firmly established that the disease itself can no longer be eradicated. The mirror of sylvatic plague reflects a potentially disturbing future should SARS-CoV-2 become firmly established in wildlife populations.

As early as April 2020, coverage of the fact that humans have been infecting farmed mink (Neovison vison) with SARS-CoV-2 emerged, but it was only after it was discovered that the virus had mutated in mink farms in Denmark and spilled-over back into 214 humans, 12 of which were infected a new variant of the virus, that epidemiologists began to be seriously concerned with this new zoonotic cycle of COVID-19.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), as of January 2021, the virus has been detected at 400 mink farms in eight countries in the EU/EEA. Given that SARS-CoV-2 is assumed to be a zoonotic disease, with bats being a potential natural reservoir and contact with a still-unknown intermediary host leading to its emergence in humans, it is no surprise that this virus is able to infect non-human animals. We have known mink in particular to be susceptible to coronaviruses since the early 1990s. Yet no medical or government body drew on this knowledge to recommend or mandate the closing of mink farms in the early stages of the pandemic. In fact, mass culling of farmed mink only began in Denmark as recently as November 2020, and the Netherlands is the first country to announce the closing of all mink farms, by March 2021.

While the infection of humans from mink has drawn the most media attention, there is another, potentially more disconcerting spill-over process, with long-term, disease-ecological impact of the pandemic: the transmission of the virus from non-human animals to wild fauna. On December 11, 2020, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) announced publicly they had confirmed, for the first time, evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in wild mink sampled in Utah.

Thus far, we have been relatively lucky: the joint investigation of the USDA, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) on whether the virus has spilled over into other domestic, feral, and wild animals found both on and in proximity to infected [mink] farms has found no evidence for SARS-CoV-2 establishment in wildlife. However, the report warns,

the discovery of escaped mink with the opportunity to disperse and interact with susceptible wildlife, such as wild mink or deer mice, is concerning. In Utah, mink farms often overlap with designated critical mink habitats. Interactions or shared resources between escaped mink and wild mink or other wildlife species represent potential transmission pathways for spillover of SARS-CoV-2 into wildlife and could lead to health consequences or establishment of new reservoirs in susceptible wildlife.

As summed-up in a recent Nature article, years from now, when community spread has been suppressed, a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 in free-roaming animals could become a recalcitrant source of new flare-ups.

Early-twentieth century Californian history warns us of what can happen if such risks of disease spreading through non-human animals are neglected. In 1903, California newspapers began reporting on the appearance of a mysterious disease that was decimating ground squirrels  small burrowing rodents considered abhorrent crop pests  across Contra Costa County. The squirrel scourge was swift and deadly, and transformed entire burrow systems that honeycombed the hills into mass graves. Farmers felt their salvation had arrived: finally, they would be rid of these grain and fruit-devourers. Encouraged by county supervisors and advice in the press, some farmers appear to have actively attempted to spread the disease by collecting squirrel corpses and depositing them into burrows.

While squirrels were dying in droves in the Californian countryside, bubonic plague was killing humans and rats alike just 40 miles away in San Francisco. In 1900, plague was first detected in the city, and Chinatown swiftly became the target of a controversial and racially charged sanitary campaign (Risse 2012). However, by 1903, partially thanks to the efforts of Dr Rupert Blue of the US Marine Hospital Service, focus shifted towards the movement of rats rather than people (Risse 2012: 255). Medical authorities knew that plague could infect squirrels, and Blue suspected that the squirrel disease might have been plague. Yet comparatively little attention was devoted to it: and in fact, without even knowing its identity, many agriculturalists welcomed the disease as a liberator from the ravenous rodents.

When Public Health Officials finally began to devote serious attention to the squirrel disease, it was already too late. By 1908, efforts to eradicate plague in San Francisco through measures targeting rats had been successful, and no further cases were reported. Despite this urban victory, a new chapter in the history of plague was simultaneously opening in the countryside. Rupert Blue and George McCoy of the US Public Health and Marine Hospital Service procured evidence that Yersinia pestis had infected ground squirrels in Contra Costa County. Subsequent investigations revealed that it had become endemic in squirrel populations across much of the state. This was deeply troubling  the disease had established itself within a complex ecology of plague-susceptible animals in California and would soon spread eastward to do the same in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and other states. Ground squirrel burrows were known to sustain large communities of mobile animals: from black and brown rats who allegedly migrated between cities and farms, to burrowing owls who could fly between burrows, picking up the fleas they hosted. Plague, once localised in port cities, now threatened to spread across the entire US.

A collaborative endeavour between government officials and agricultural communities was swiftly inaugurated to drive Californian ground squirrels to near extinction. By December 1911, the San Jose Daily Mercury revealed that a sum of $1M (worth roughly $27.5M in 2021) had been expended on squirrel control, and 10,000 plague-infected animals had been found. Yet despite such efforts, infection had spread too far, and the rodents proved too resilient. With their prolific breeding, complicated burrows, and vast range, extermination of the sylvatic reservoir of plague was completely impossible.

Figure 2. Man seated next to dead squirrels (between 1907 and 1909), Centers for Disease Control.

How had this happened? The squirrel epizootic likely drew little initial attention from public health authorities due to a prevailing conception of plague as a disease of crowded cities and social underclasses (Engelmann, Henderson & Lynteris 2019), and to the delight of farmers thrilled to have found such a powerful tool of pest control. These histories seem important in our present times. By subordinating the health of the countryside to the needs of the city and placing the demands of large-scale agriculture ahead of public health, California earned the unenviable reputation of becoming a permanent habitat of Yersinia pestis which occasionally menaces rural communities and visitors to the region to this day. Similar processes of the disease establishing reservoirs in wild rodents since its introduction in the early 1900s have taken place across South America and in Africa, with Madagascar manifesting devastating annual epidemics of plague among humans as a result.

Of course, SARS-CoV-2 is not Yersinia pestis, and COVID-19 is not plague, a disease with hundreds of thousands of years of evolution and well adapted to infecting over 200 animals, most importantly rodents  these great in-betweens of the mammalian kingdom and closest involuntary associates of humans. And yet, raising the alarm among zoonosis watchers such as David Quammen, recent papers pending peer-review seem to suggest rodent susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, and that deer mice in particular have the potential to serve as secondary reservoir hosts that could lead to periodic outbreaks of COVID-19 in North America.

The long-term epidemiological, environmental and socio-economic consequences of SARS-CoV-2 establishing itself in wild and peridomestic animals, including rodents, are presently unknowable but they are not unimaginable. In a recent letter to the BMJ, Stephen Green and Lorenzo Cladi argued that, in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the numerous mutations in the virus, scientific imaginations need to be exercised like never before to anticipate the next steps in this unfolding human tragedy, especially as these relate to processes of reverse zoonosis. It is high time that we mobilise not only our scientific but also our historical imagination so as to anticipate and prepare for sylvatic reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 resulting from mink farming in Europe and North America.

Jules Skotnes-Brown is a historian of science based at the University of St Andrews, and currently working on the Wellcome Trust funded project The Global War Against the Rat and the Epistemic Emergence of Zoonosis. His research focuses on animals, disease, knowledge production, and colonialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He has previously published articles on African elephants and national parks, British imperial expositions, and present-day videogames. Twitter: @J_SkotnesBrown

Christos Lynteris is a Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. His work examines epistemological and biopolitical aspects of epidemics with a particular focus on zoonotic diseases. His recent publications include the books Ethnographic Plague (Palgrave 2016), Human Extinction and the Pandemic Imaginary (Routlege 2019), and, co-authored with Lukas Engelmann, Sulphuric Utopias: A History of Maritime Sanitation (MIT Press, 2020). He was the PI of the ERC-funded project Visual Representations of the Third Plague Pandemic and is currently the PI of the Wellcome Investigator Award funded project The Global War Against the Rat and the Epistemic Emergence of Zoonosis. Twitter: @visualplague

Acknowledgement: Research leading to this article was funded by the Wellcome Investigator Award project The Global War Against the Rat and the Epistemic Emergence of Zoonosis [grant ID 217988/Z/19/Z]

Works Cited

Engelmann, Lukas, John Henderson & Christos Lynteris 2018. Plague and the City. Routledge.

Risse, Guenter B. 2012. Plague, Fear, and Politics in San Franciscos Chinatown. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

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An anti-coup protester throws a smoke bomb against police forces in Thaketa township in Yangon, Myanmar, in this March 27 photo. AP-Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



Escalating violence in Myanmar amid anti-coup protests and the military's deadly suppression is triggering an exodus of Koreans from the Southeast Asian country, with the Korean government joining other countries telling their citizens to leave the region due to safety concerns.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs here has urged Korean nationals staying in Myanmar to return home as the country has become a global flashpoint amid mass protests against the Feb. 1 military coup that ousted the democratically elected government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi who heads the National League for Democracy party.



"We asked Koreans in Myanmar to return home through available flights, as long as they are not on any important assignments, and refrain from entering that country until the situation improves," a foreign ministry official said, Friday.



The ministry said it has taken measures to increase the availability of temporary flights on the Yangon-Incheon route to up to three times a week this month from the current one to two times a week.



The ministry noted the decision was made after discussing developments in the situations with the Korean ambassador to Myanmar via teleconferencing, adding that about 370 Koreans have already returned home from Myanmar since Feb. 1.









The decision came at a time when an increasing number of countries around the world are telling their citizens to leave the Southeast Asian country amid a recent escalation in violence.



Norway's foreign ministry advised against all travel to Myanmar and encouraged its citizens there to leave the country in a statement issued on March 30.



The United States also ordered the departure of non-essential diplomats and family members due to concerns over what U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the "increasingly disturbing and even horrifying violence."



Concerns among Koreans have deepened after a local employee of Shinhan Bank, one of Korea's leading banks, was shot in the head by the military in Yangon on Wednesday while traveling home from work in a company car. The employee received treatment in a local hospital but died on Friday.





A general view of the office building of Korea's Shinhan Bank in Yangon, Myanmar, Thursday. A local employee was shot by military, Wednesday, and died the next day. Reuters-Yonhap
Two leaders from the Asian Students Alliance (ASA), Adriana Nazarko 21 and Kevin Chi 21, led the planning initiative for this year's heritage month.

In consultation with staff and faculty, they put together a program that is "uplifting and joyful" while also addressing the hardships facing the Asian community, said Kyra Green, the assistant dean of admissions who is serving as interim director of the Center for Multicultural Life.

"We tried to strike a balance," Green said. "We want to be relevant in addressing the challenges facing the community right now, while also taking the time to step back and just enjoy celebrating this identity."

All of the events listed below will be held on Zoom, and people can register for them using the links in the descriptions.

Tan France is most famous for being on the Netflix series Queer Eye, in which five lifestyle experts offer instant transformations to people in need of rescues. France, the son of Muslim Pakistani parents, grew up in England. April 10, 8:00 p.m.9:00 p.m.

Enze Han, from the University of Hong Kong, is a political scientist who works on geopolitics. His recent book, Asymmetrical Neighbors, compares and examines the different state-building processes in the borderlands of China, Myanmar, and Thailand. In his Bowdoin talk, he'll address the Myanmar coup and how this could affect China's push for regional integration with Southeast Asia, and whether China's noninterference policy will shift as a result of Myanmar's militarization. April 15, 7:00 p.m.8:00 p.m.

The English department is hosting the author Cathy Park Hong, a Korean American poet and essayist, as part of both Heritage Month and the department's Visiting Writers Series. Hong is the author of the widely acclaimed Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, an autobiography of growing up in the US. Eduardo Pazos Palma, Bowdoin's director of the Rachel Lord Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, said Hong's book is a helpful resource for thinking about racial discrimination, especially as the country contends with widespread acts of violence against people of Asian descent. April 28, 7:00 p.m.8:00 p.m.

The final event will feature Susan Thornton 85, P22, who will give a talk titled "A Better US Approach to China." After a twenty-eight-year career in diplomacy, Thornton retired from the Department of State in 2018. Fluent in Russian, Mandarin Chinese, and French, Thornton focused her diplomatic careeer primarily on East and Central Asia. In her work on China and Korea policy, she helped stabilize relations with Taiwan, develop the US-China Cyber Agreement, and negotiate denuclearization monitoring in Pyongyang. April 29, 12:00 p.m.1:00 p.m.
BY DAMALI MUKHAYE

165 Accounting Officer from the Central Governments and District Local Governments have been declared ineligible by the Ministry of Finance after they failed to respond to some of the audit queries.

The names are contained in the list that was submitted to Parliament on Thursday by the Minister of Finance Matia Kasaija.

Among the affected include the Executive Director of Uganda National Roads Authority, Allen Kagina, The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Alex Kakooza, The Permanent Secretary/Secretary to Judiciary, and Pius Bigirimana among others.

As a practise, Ministry of Finance gives any illegible Accounting Officer a second chance to respond to audit queries and when they (Ministry of Finance) are satisfied, the Accounting Officer is reinstated.

If the Accounting Officer fails to respond to queries appropriately, they are dropped as section 11 (2) (g) of the Public, Finance and Management Act stipulates.

This means that the 165 affected officers will be given a chance to respond to those audit queries.

The letter containing names of affected 165 officers signed by Patrick Ocailap on behalf of the permanent secretary at Ministry of finance has since been handed over to clerk to parliament.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The work of four Grand Rapids-area high school students might help astronauts walk on Mars someday.

A team of four Kent Career Tech Center (KCTC) students participated in the NASA HUNCH culinary program, a national competition that challenges high school students to develop food for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

The high schoolers partnered with culinary program leaders from Grand Rapids Community College to compete in the challenge against 30 other schools nationwide, according to a GRCC news release.

The team has worked on crafting a chili verde with rice and beans recipe since August.

While the team didnt finish in the top ten this year, the students played a considerable role in developing food for microgravity to feed astronauts and ensure successful long-term NASA missions, said Werner Absenger, Secchia Institute for Culinary Education director.

NASA is figuring out how to feed astronauts heading to Mars, feeding humans on a six-month space trip, Absenger wrote in a prepared statement.

When you think about that, thats an unbelievable opportunity for high school students who think they want to make a rewarding career in the culinary arts.

The four KCTC students who participated in the competition are Elizabeth Afton of East Grand Rapids, Grace Haaksma of Grand Rapids, Olivia Sandoval of Wyoming, and Chris Quezada of Kentwood, the release said.

The competition is about more than just creating the best-tasting take out. NASA scientists are studying how to prepare for potential long-term missions, and how to keep astronauts healthy, college officials said.

The group of students had to create a recipe that adhered to NASAs tight nutrition guidelines for microgravity. They had to work together to come up with creative solutions for the many problems in the food preparation process.

The team had to research and write a paper on food safety, stability, palatability, resource minimization, variety, reliability, and usability, Absenger said.

A team from GRCCs Secchia Institute for Culinary Education participated in the competition last year, finishing second in a field of 56 teams.

The recipe that wins the competition will be prepared by NASA and flown to the International Space Station for the astronauts to enjoy.

More on MLive:

First Grand Rapids Promise Zone graduate says everything just switched after the college scholarship

Kent ISD suspends superintendent search, seeking more applicants and more diverse candidates

School closures could follow spring break if travel leads to COVID-19 surge, officials warn
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.
Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Thursday that on April 5, 15 new COVID-19 vaccination sites will open in Romania.

"On April 5, 15 new vaccination sites will open, inside which one office will be devoted to the military and three to civilians," Ciuca told TVR 1 national broadcaster.

Asked if he felt a conflict between the Health Ministry and the Defence Ministry, namely between Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu and top COVID-19 vaccination official Valeriu Gheorghita, amidst a public campaign against the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Ciuca answered: "No, not by far."

"In all this set of activities we did not follow the part of personal conflict. Nor do I think there has been some personal conflict. I think they are both young enough and intelligent enough to be able to have a professional dialogue," added Ciuca.

He said that "probably in the beginning the world saw the involvement of the Army as a matter that would require a certain conduct, which is not true at all."

"The conduct we have taken in this whole set of measures has been this part of rigor and seriousness, and what's more the Ministry of National Defence has the necessary tools for medical logistics so that we can act wherever necessary," said Ciuca.

AGERPRES .
Stock Market Support Near $14,358 On Transportation Index Suggests Rally Will Continue

An interesting Fibonacci Measured Move pattern has set up in the Transportation Index (TRAN) recently. The Transportation Index is an important component of the future US economic expectations. As the Transportation Index rises, one could assume greater economic activity is expected in the near-term 3 to 6+ future months. As the Transportation Index declines, one could assume weaker economic activity is expected in the near-term 3 to 6+ future months. My research team and I watch the TRAN as a type of confirming indicator for US major index and sector trends. When we see the TRAN rising sharply, we can often assume various US sector trends will also move higher.

The Transportation Index Daily chart below shows two key elements we find interesting. The first RED price range on this chart represents a 100% Fibonacci Measured Price move from the early November 2020 bottom to the mid-January 2021 peak. If we extend that same range to the early February lows, we see a major support level exists near $14,358 (a full 100% Fibonacci Measured Price move). The TRAN price has recently broken above this level and we believe this support level will likely hold and prompt another moderate rally attempt above $14,750.

Another Fibonacci 100% Measured Price move can be seen in the second RED box, originating at the start of February 2021 lows and peaking at near the late February highs. We have drawn this Fibonacci Extension range on this chart showing the $14,669 level as the 100% Measured Move target. The high price for today, at $14,669.02, reached this 100% Fibonacci Measured Price level and has begun to pull back a bit. This is an expected type of price reaction to a 100% Measured Move event before a new price trend starts up again.

We believe the support near $14,358 will hold up well throughout this brief pullback in price after reaching the $14,669 level. The recent rally in the Transportation Index, after the FOMC chatter, suggests the markets are still expecting a stronger global economic recovery attempt and that suggests the Transportation Index will likely attempt to move upward.

Watch for an upward breakout on the TRAN Daily chart above $14,700 and watch for new target levels near $15,000 & $15,625. We need to let the markets work through a moderate price rotation after reaching this fully 100% Measured Move advancement and to initiate a new price trend. It is very likely that once the TRAN breaks above $14,700, a new upside price trend in the US major indexes and strongest sectors will propel the US stock market higher by another 3.5% to 7.5% before reaching the next 100% Fibonacci Measured Price move levels.

If you are having trouble understanding how to find opportunities in various sectors and major market trends, then sign up now for my FREE webinar that teaches you how to find, enter, and profit from only those sectors that have the most strength and momentum. Dont miss the opportunities in broad sector rotations over the next 6+ months. Staying ahead of these sector trends is going to be key to developing continued success in these markets. As some sectors fail, others will begin to trend higher. Learn how BAN Trader Pro can help you spot the best trade setups.

For those who believe in the power of trading on relative strength, market cycles, and momentum but dont have the time to do the research every day then my BAN Trader Pro newsletter service does all the work for you with daily market reports, research, and trade alerts. More frequent or experienced traders have been killing it trading options, ETFs, and stocks using my BAN Hotlist ranking the hottest ETFs, which is updated daily for my premium subscribers

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




MEDFORD, Ore.  The Medford School District announced Friday that it will have all students back in the classroom full-time beginning April 12, the culmination of weeks of planning after Oregon rolled out reduced classroom spacing requirements on March 22.

"This decision was not made in isolation. In addition to logistical concerns, we heard feedback on the need for planning time from teachers and staff to reconfigure schedules and rework lessons for in-person learning," said superintendent Dr. Bret Champion in a message to MSD families.

As a result of the need for adjustments, students will learn on Canvas from home on two Wednesday, April 7 and 14, so that staff can prepare. Because of this, it won't be as simple as immediately returning to full five-day each week schedules for most students right on April 12.

MSD provided the following breakdown of how the schedule will work:

Elementary Schools

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday: 7:50 - 2:35 (Possibility of some variation by school)

Wednesdays (Starting April 21 - April 7 & 14 in Canvas): 7:50 - 1:00

Ruch K-8

Tuesday - Friday: 7:50 - 3:30

Middle Schools

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday: 9:00 - 3:45

Wednesdays (Starting April 21 - April 7 & 14 in Canvas): 10:00 - 3:45

High Schools

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday: 8:45 - 3:30

Wednesdays (Starting April 21 - April 7 & 14 in Canvas): 9:05 - 3:30

Central Medford HS

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday: 9:30 - 3:20

Wednesdays (Starting April 21 - April 7 & 14 in Canvas): 9:05 - 3:30

Medford Online Academy Continues Virtually as Planned.

Note: April 7 and April 14 will be asynchronous, home learning days for all schools except Ruch & MOA.

Food Service/Meals

ODE guidance still requires students to maintain six feet of physical distancing during meal time. This means meals will likely be served in shifts and some students will be served in classrooms, while others may eat in common areas such as cafeterias. Breakfast may switch to grab-and-go at the end of the day for students to eat the next day prior to arrival. More details on meals will come from schools next week.

Transportation and Busing

If you are currently transporting your student to school, please continue to do so! Our ability to transport students by bus on a full-time schedule is based on the number of students using bus transportation currently. There are limited spaces on some routes, and there may be some changes made to bus routes. If your student rides, please keep an eye on our bus routes webpage.

Safety Standards

The Medford School District will continue to implement safety standards such as cohorting, routine cleaning and disinfection, screening, quarantining, and more. To view or full safety standards, click here. To do your part to keep our communities safe, please do not send your student to school while sick. Click here for our exclusion guidelines. If you have not yet signed your schools community agreement, please visit this site to do so.

Medford Online Academy (MOA)

The Medford School District is proud to continue to offer an innovative, flexible, online learning environment for students and families who may be uncomfortable with in-person learning or for whom virtual learning is a good fit. Click here for more information on MOA.
Hagan Walker and Anna Barker were budding entrepreneurs in Mississippi State University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach when they hit on an innovative technology that generated light when mixed with liquid. They leveraged the discovery to create colorful cubes that, when dropped in liquid, light up in bright festive colors.

The pair received customer feedback from an appreciative mom, who used the cubes to create a soothing and happy environment for bath time for her autistic child. Since then, the innovators have repurposed the cube technology into Glo Pals that inspire imaginative learning and sensory play.

This April, in celebration of National Autism Acceptance Month, Glo Pals is introducing two new characters to its assortment  Julia, a Sesame Street Muppet with autism, and Elmo, everyone's favorite furry red monster. Sesame Workshop's "See Amazing in All Children" autism initiative offers families free tools and tips to manage common challenges, simplify activities and build a community of support. Click here to learn more.

"The idea that we could base our business on helping brighten the lives of young families, including those affected by autism, is inspirational to us," said Barker, Glo's vice president of business development. "We want to do more than just build a successful company  we want to help make our community and our world a better place."

Glo Pals already account for 90% of Glo's rocketing sales. As part of the company's business imperative to improve their communities, Glo contributes a portion of profits to the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, a part of Children's of Mississippi in Jackson, Miss.

"Sesame Workshop is committed to supporting autistic children and their families," said Gabriela Arenas, Sesame Workshop's vice president of licensing, North America. "Each year, we add more research-based content and resources to the See Amazing initiative. This year, we're proud to work with Glo, an inspiring young company whose mission to make a difference aligns with our long history of helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder through engaging activities and so much more."

Based in Starkville, Miss., Glo designs and manufactures products that spark imagination by intersecting light, liquid and learning. Since inception in 2015, the company has sold more than 3 million products to customers in nearly 40 countries. Learn more about Glo Pals here; reach out to Glo here and follow the fun on social media @glopals.

SOURCE Glo

Related Links

https://www.glopals.com


Chief of Staff Ron Klain said on Thursday that Pres. Joe Biden asked the Education Department to prepare a memo to cancel student debt.

Pressure Grows on Student Debt

The young Biden administration is now facing a challenge to address the student loan crisis in the country. The Federal Reserves estimated during the third quarter of 2020 that around 40 million people have student loans, according to a published article in NBC News.

The federal agency also added that the student debts that Americans owed are around $1.7 trillion. Moreover, studies also show that students of color are more likely to have student loans and struggle to pay them back.

Yahoo News reports that Pres. Joe Biden is now looking into this matter. He already asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to prepare the memo that cancels student debt. The memo will be crafted alongside the Justice Department.

Also Read: Joe Biden Urges $100 Billion Infrastructure Investment to Provide Affordable Internet by 202

Joe Biden's Authority To Cancel Student Debt

In a recently published article in Business Insider, Pres. Joe Biden is looking into his legal authority to cancel student debt up to $50,000. Chief of Staff Ron Klain also said on Thursday that the President has asked Cardona to prepare the memo and review it.

Ron Klain said that Pres. Biden will decide over this matter based on his legal authority and the policy issues around it. The Chief of Staff also admitted that POTUS has not yet decided as he has not yet received the memos he needs.

Biden backed up and support to cancel student loans up to $10,000. However, he admitted that he thinks he does not have the legal authority to release an executive order that cancels student debt up to $50,000 without congressional action.

Pres. Biden said in February he understands the impact of student debts that crippled millions of Americans. At that time, he also said he could write an executive order that will wipe out student debt up to $10,000 but not $50,000 without a legal basis.

Also Read: Stimulus Bill To Exempt All Student Loan Forgiveness From Taxation

Proponents Claim Biden Has the Authority To Cancel Student Debt

The Higher Education Act of 1965 gives the Education Secretary the power to back student loans; proponents of student debt cancellation say that the President can revoke student loans.

Proponents of debt cancellation contend that Biden has already used the authority by pausing student loan payments during the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, as his executive authority review was ongoing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in February that Biden would be "eager" to sign a bill providing $10,000 in debt relief.

Furthermore, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and other Democrats on Capitol Hill are placing pressure on Biden to use executive action to forgive up to $50,000 in student loans. Lawmakers have acknowledged that they do not have the Republican votes to pass a bill that will do the same thing.

The $50,000 figure is important because it is what Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren ran for, and it is what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has backed since then.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NJ City Councilman Accused of Mail-In Voting Fraud Pleads Not Guilty

A City Council member in Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty on election fraud charges stemming from last years municipal election.

Alex Mendez entered his not guilty plea from a Passaic County judge on Thursday. Mendez was previously indicted on seven voter fraud and election fraud charges relating to the May 2020 election.

He was indicted on fraud in casting a mail-in ballot, election fraud, unauthorized possession of ballots, tampering with public records or information, false registration or transfer, attempted false registration or transfer, and falsifying or tampering with records.

Another Paterson City Council member, Michael Jackson, faces similar charges. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on March 11.

Both Mendez and Jackson have continued to serve on the Paterson City Council amid the pending charges.

Jackson and Mendez previously objected to what they said is a lack of evidence provided by the Attorney Generals Office after the original charges were filed in June 2020.

Deputy Attorney General Eric Cohen said New Jersey state has offered Mendez a plea agreement and would offer Jackson a plea deal, as reported by Northjersey.com.

Mendez and Jackson won their races by more than 200 votes each. The two councilmembers have asserted they were charged because of their opposition to Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh and have denied the charges.

Both Jackson and Mendez have previously argued that they were charged with the crimes for political reasons, claiming that the criticism of Sayegh prompted the New Jersey attorney generals office to convene a grand jury.

You would like to think that local politics wouldnt reach that far, but I guess it does, Jackson said, according to NorthJersey.com.

My client has maintained his innocence throughout this process and will enter a plea of not guilty to the charges and will continue to serve the citizens of Paterson, Mendezs lawyer, Paul Brickfield, told NJ.com in an email on March 3.

But, according to Thomas Eicher, director of the New Jersey attorney generals Office of Public Integrity, the case is about using election fraud laws for their intended purpose: defending free and fair elections by prosecuting those accused of seeking to undermine them.

The state Attorney Generals Office of Public Integrity and Accountability started a probe after the U.S. Postal Inspection Service alerted law enforcement about hundreds of mail-in ballots that were discovered inside a mailbox in the nearby borough of Haledon. Hundreds of more mail-in ballots were discovered in a mailbox in Paterson. The election last May in the city was entirely via vote-by-mail.

Former President Donald Trumps campaign cited the charges against Jackson and Mendez while singling out the danger of using expanded mail-in balloting for the general election in November 2020. A federal judge dismissed the campaigns suit, arguing that there were anti-fraud measures in place to secure elections.
New Delhi, April 2 : Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday accused the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of having "vested interests" in opposing the Arvind Kejriwal government's new excise policy as it would clamp down on the illegal liquor business.

The AAP and BJP units have been at loggerheads since the new excise policy, which brings down the legal drinking age from 25 to 21, also withdraws the government from the business, amid other provisions, was announced on March 23.

Addressing a press meet, senior AAP leader Atishi said: "BJP is opposing the new policy because its leaders have been supporting for illegal liquor business in many areas and now their revenue resources from illegal liquor business will come to an end as the new policy is implemented".

She also said that the BJP cannot blame the AAP government for lowering drinking age to 21 years, as many BJP-ruled states like Goa, Himachal and Karnataka have fixed the minimum drinking age at 18.

"Apart from it, BJP ruled states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, etc have 21 years as the minimum drinking age. So, the BJP's opposition is a clear indication of frustration of its leaders." On Thursday, Delhi BJP staged a protest at Jantar Mantar against the new Delhi excise policy.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who holds the charge of Finance, had earlier announced that the prices of liquor would not be increased under the new policy. He had also stated that no new liquor shops will be opened in the capital.
Britain has come roaring back after last year's pandemic slump as growth in manufacturing hit a ten-year high in March.

Factories ramped up output at the quickest rate since late 2020, while orders piled in and employment picked up.

The optimism in Britain, as the country begins easing lockdown restrictions, came in stark contrast to the mood across the Channel.

Manufacturing in Britain hit a ten-year high in March as factories ramped up output. (Stock image)

Analysts at investment bank Berenberg warned that France's economy faces a further 12.8billion hit after the nation was plunged into a third lockdown.

The UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index hit a reading of 58.9 in March  the highest since February 2011. Any reading over 50 indicates growth.

Business optimism hit a seven-year high, while employment in manufacturing rose at its fastest rate for almost seven years.

Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to forecasting group the EY Item Club, said the sector's expansion 'reflects the fact that lessons have been learned and experience gained in maintaining operations over the course of the pandemic'.

He added that there were some issues holding back activity in the UK - supply chains were still disrupted after lockdowns around the world wreaked havoc last year, causing shortages of certain goods and leaving ships and containers in the wrong place for the time of year.

But the production of consumer goods began to pick up after two months of contraction, suggesting that factories were getting ready for a buying spree post-lockdown.

IHS explained: 'Higher output was linked to improved new order intakes, the vaccine rollout and preparations for the planned loosening of lockdown restrictions.'

The sector's expansion 'reflects the fact that lessons have been learned and experience gained in maintaining operations over the course of the pandemic'. (Stock image)

Households have squirreled away more than 150 billion since the pandemic began, as they have been unable to spend on travel, eating out and holidays, and are expected to splash at least some of this cash over the summer when they can finally leave their homes again.

Bank of England economist Andy Haldane told the Mail earlier this year that the economy is like a 'coiled spring' ready to bounce back, as household spending will fuel the recovery.

Data earlier this week showed that the UK's economy fared better than first thought last year, as output fell by 9.8 per cent rather than the initial estimate of 9.9 per cent.

It was still the worst recession since the Great Frost of 1709, but the slight revision means the UK is starting its recovery from a better base than originally thought.
SPRINGFIELD  Businessman Gary Rabine on Tuesday announced he will seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2022, becoming the third candidate to officially enter the field.

The suburban entrepreneur held a pair of kickoff events in Schaumburg and Woodstock on Tuesday, lobbing criticisms at incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker over the states property taxes and pandemic-related business closures.

The 57-year-old businessman is the owner and founder of Rabine Group, a national exterior services company specializing in commercial paving projects.

Rabine is also an advisory board member and donor for Turning Point USA, a conservative non-profit aimed at promoting conservative principles on college campuses across the country, as well as an active member of the Young Presidents Organization and the Republican Governors Association.

The announcement touted his entrepreneurial experience, saying that he would bring a business-centric approach to create jobs and let the private sector thrive.

We will lift up businesses and help develop the safest practices, Rabine said. We will treat our small businesses and the millions of jobs they create as the valued customers they all are to us.

Rabine said that he would assemble a team of the best economic minds to establish an Illinois recovery plan with the goal of creating 50,000 jobs or more per year by 2024. A reversal of what he says is an exodus of businesses and residents.

Although property taxes are set by local units of government, Rabine said he would aim to cut property taxes by at least 50 percent by 2024 as part of his campaign platform.

We dont need to be the lowest taxes in the country, we just need to be competitive, Rabine said.

Rabine said that Pritzker, who he called a California trust fund billionaire, bought the governorship and closed thousands of businesses with his COVID-19 executive orders.

When asked by the Chicago Tribune Tuesday whether he accepted the results of the 2020 presidential election, Rabine told the paper, Im not smart enough to understand what was the end result, whether it was stolen or not, and I would never say that.

His comment drew backlash from the national Democratic Governors Association and the Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association Tuesday, with both organizations releasing statements condemning the remarks.

DGA Deputy Executive Director Wendi Wallace called the remarks dangerous and said the comment should disqualify him from running for governor.

Rabines entrance into the race ensures the GOP primary will be an all-out brawl to fight for the most conservative voters, Wallace said in the statement. Illinois voters are not looking for a return to the Trump administration, and theyll reject Rabine and anyone who shares his values at the ballot box.

IDCCA President Kristina Zahorik echoed the concerns.

Gary Rabine is either clueless or part of the conspiracy theory crew who dont believe Joe Biden was legally elected President, Zahorik said in a statement. Either one is disqualifying to serve as an elected officeholder.

Rabine joins former state Sen. Paul Schimpf, of Waterloo, and surrent state Sen. Darren Bailey, of Xenia, as the currently declared candidates in the Republican primary. The primary election is scheduled to take place on March 15, 2022.

Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect that Rabines comment on the results of the 2020 election was obtained in a one-on-one interview between Rabine and the Chicago Tribune.
The Woodbury City Police expressed appreciation to 4 Heroes Charity and the nonprofits president Les Whinna for a recent donation to the department.

The 4 Heroes donation of nearly $5,000 was used to purchase gym equipment to furnish a fitness center inside police headquarters for officers to use while off duty. The funds were used to purchase treadmills, free weights, leg press and extension machines, and other accessories.

Officer health and wellness is extremely important to Woodbury City Police Chief Thomas Ryan, who didnt hesitate to partner with 4 Heroes Charity.

Ryan said, This past years events have made it more evident than ever, that as a profession, we must make officer wellness and mental health a priority. Through Whinna and 4 Heroes amazing generosity, this fitness area and equipment will give our officers another option to better themselves both physically and mentally to better serve our community with pride. Without the assistance of the 4 Heroes Charity this fitness center would not be possible, officers can now come in prior to their shift or stay after to work out which contributes to their overall health.

Whinna said when he learned that the department was in need of gym equipment, 4 Heroes was happy to step up.

The 4 Heroes Charity was the brainchild of Whinna, a retired Camden K-9 officer, and his daughter, Daneen Kressley, a nurse practitioner. The nonprofit, which works to provide essential equipment used by police, fire, military and first responders, has a history of helping anyone in the community who needs help. For more information, go to https://www.4heroescharity.org/index.html.
Its truly painful to have an itch you cant scratch, but its not good to scratch an open sore. Additionally, the facts surrounding our births, even for those of us not adopted, constitute only one kind of truth about us, and perhaps not, in all cases, the most important for helping us live our best lives.

Deborah Tatar

Blacksburg, Va.

To the Editor:

I am surprised that Steve Inskeep did not mention genetic testing as another route for adoptees to find out about their biological parents. Like him, I was adopted at birth, but was never told about the details of the process by my adoptive parents. Some halfhearted searching on my part in the 1980s and 1990s found no useful records pertaining to my birth.

Last September, one of my grown daughters encouraged me to submit a sample to one of the companies offering DNA testing and analysis. Within two weeks of receiving my results, I was in contact with two siblings also born to my mother, my biological father and three of his children. All have been enormously welcoming, with my father being particularly pleased that he now has two more grandchildren.

Unfortunately my mother passed away about 15 years ago, but I did find out that she had an avid interest and long history of volunteer work in archaeology, which was the focus of my professional career.

At the age of 64, for me this experience has been overwhelming, wonderful and a source of great peace. As with Mr. Inskeep, I have nothing but gratitude for the love and support from my now departed adoptive parents, but to find out about my birth parents has filled a huge hole in my life.

Larry McKee

Nashville

To the Editor:

Steve Inskeep writes that adoptees and biological families should not contact each other without mutual consent. That sounds good but is unnecessary and cumbersome, and places the state in the business of go-between. Once an adoptee has the information on his original birth records, he should be able to search and contact the people directly. Researchers have found that the laws sealing an adoptees original birth certificate were not written to provide anonymity to the natural mother or her family, but to encourage bonding with the new adoptive family by cutting off possibility of contact with the biological family.

What the adoptee does with his accurate birth information should be his business, and no one elses. In some instances, family members will be hard to find or mothers will have died. Giving the adoptee the right to control her own destiny once she has the information does not guarantee she is always going to receive a welcome, but she should be allowed, as an adult, to search and make contact herself on something so intensely personal.
Congregation Beth Am has been in existence since 1975 and we are still here! said Co-President Joanie Mayer.

The synagogue has gone through some major changes this year. The most significant one is that they sold their building in Longwood and are in the process of finding a new home. They are also searching for a new rabbi who will bring a fresh vibrancy to the synagogue. If all goes well, they expect to have both by the summer of 2021.

Weekly services have been ongoing during the pandemic. Using Zoom, Friday night and Saturday morning services have been conducted by knowledgea...
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By BRIAN MELLEY

Associated Press

Image courtesy of iStockPhoto [enlarge] Half of the state's nearly 40 million people are now in the state's second-least restrictive orange tier amid low coronavirus case rates and increased vaccinations. Health officials in California and across the country are urging caution because of a troubling rise in new cases of COVID-19.





SANTA MONICA, Calif.  Cheering fans instead of cardboard cutouts at Dodger Stadium. Screaming thrill-seekers riding the Giant Dipper roller coaster at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Beer lovers bellying up to, well, a table outside a brewery.





. . .
Boston, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gordon Brothers announced it is providing a secured credit facility to Nicole Miller, the eponymous fashion and lifestyle brand founded and led by Nicole Miller. The facility is secured by the companys intellectual property and will be used to fund strategic growth initiatives.

Being able to work with an iconic brand and designer like Nicole Miller is at the core of what we do at Gordon Brothers, said Tobias Nanda, President, Brands. Throughout our decades-long history of financing consumer brands, we have become the expert in identifying those with significant value and helping to unlock that value for our partners.

Over the past thirty years we have successfully developed Nicole Miller into a leading lifestyle brand by bringing our unique design aesthetic to the ever-changing world of fashion, accessories and home decor, said Nicole Miller. Gordon Brothers understands the value of our business, and we are excited to partner with them as we continue to expand and grow.

Gordon Brothers most recent global brand transactions include bridge financing for American retailer Brooks Brothers, a secured term loan facility for global brand Mothercare, the acquisition of Laura Ashley and launch of their new collection and the sale of British brand Bench to Wraith, an affiliate of Apparel Brands Limited. The firm has been actively investing in brands since 2003, partnering with leading companies such as Sharper Image, Linens N Things, Wet Seal and Ben Sherman, among others.

About Gordon Brothers

Since 1903, Gordon Brothers (www.gordonbrothers.com) has helped lenders, operating executives, advisors and investors move forward through change. The firm brings a powerful combination of expertise and capital to clients, developing customized solutions on an integrated or standalone basis across four service areas: valuations, dispositions, operations and investments. Whether to fuel growth or facilitate strategic consolidation, Gordon Brothers partners with companies in the retail, commercial and industrial sectors to put assets to their highest and best use. Gordon Brothers conducts more than $70 billion worth of dispositions and appraisals annually. Gordon Brothers is headquartered in Boston, with over 30 offices across five continents.

About Nicole Miller

Nicole Miller is a global fashion and lifestyle brand headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1982, the iconic brand has grown to be one of the premier names in American fashion. In addition to its celebrated womenswear collections, the company has partnered with leading licensees in numerous fashion and lifestyle categories, including handbags, shoes, jewelry, eyewear, denim, activewear, sleepwear, childrenswear, fragrance and beauty, and home, and the brand can be found online and in over 1,500 specialty and department stores worldwide. Among Nicoles newest ventures; her signature Rose. Please visit www.nicolemiller.com for more information.

Nicole Trice Gordon Brothers 617-422-6569 ntrice@gordonbrothers.com

Source: Gordon Brothers
Gov. Ned Lamont and leaders of five other states  all Democrats  are calling for President Joe Biden to undo a cap on state and local tax deductions enacted by the previous administration, citing the economic burden of the pandemic.

In a letter Friday, the six governors urged the president to eliminate the cap, calling it simply untenable given the dire economic conditions caused by the pandemic.

The cap applies to payments on state and local taxes, or SALT, which residents could previously deduct from their federal taxes. That changed in 2017 with the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, President Donald Trumps tax law and signature legislative achievement while in office, which capped deductions at $10,000

The Democratic governors argued, as they have in the past, that that change unfairly targets blue states where residents pay more in taxes to state and local governments.

Like so many of President Trumps efforts, capping SALT deductions was based on politics, not logic or good government, the letter reads. This assault disproportionately targeted Democratic-run states, increasing taxes on hardworking families.

The letter was signed by Lamont along with Gov. Phil Murphy, of New Jersey; Gov. Gavin Newsom, of California; Gov. David Ige, of Hawaii; Gov. J.B. Pritzker, of Illinois; Gov. Andrew Cuomo, of New York, and Gov. Kate Brown, of Oregon.

In Connecticut, which pays more to the federal government and receives back less per capita than any other state in the nation, taxpayers paid $1.3 billion more in additional federal income taxes because of the SALT cap, the letter reads.

Meanwhile, the law allows corporations to fully deduct SALT as business expenses, the letter notes.

Fridays letter is not the first effort by Democrats to do away with the cap, but it does stand out for Democrats attempt to leverage the coronavirus pandemic to achieve it. It comes after financial industry and business leaders in New York have been pushing Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to undo the cap, CNBC reported.

Previous fizzled attempts to repeal it have been pushed through Congress and the courts.

In late 2019, the Democratically-controlled U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill that would have undone the cap with support from three Republican members of Congress. But that effort was doomed to failure in the Republican-controlled Senate and with Trump waiting to veto it.

Democrat-led states have pursued a repeal of the cap through the courts  the letter notes some of those efforts are still pending. In 2019, a lawsuit filed by Connecticut and several other states was dismissed by a federal judge.

But Democratic leaders in recent days have signaled a repeal of the cap could make it in to Bidens infrastructure plan. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered support for including the measure in the plan during her Thursday news conference, Bloomberg reported, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said she will work with Congress on easing the cap, the outlet reported.

The governors letter called Yellens commitment heartening.

On behalf of our residents, we urge your administration and Congress to continue these efforts to relieve this immense financial burden on our residents and eliminate the SALT cap entirely, they wrote.
Photo: (Photo : Photo by RF._.studio from Pexels)

According to Albert Bourla, Pfizer's chief executive, the findings of a clinical trial, which puts the pair ahead of other Western vaccine developers in the race to protect children, the vaccine will likely be used in that community before the next school year.

Some are skeptical, but Pfizer says their COVID-19 vaccine for kids is reliable and produces robust antibody responses in 12 to 15-year-olds, paving the way for them to seek US and European approval in the coming weeks to use the shot in this age group.

One of the crucial questions drug makers are trying to address is whether COVID-19 vaccines function and are safe to use on infants. Inoculating children and teenagers is seen as a critical move toward achieving "herd immunity" and containing the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 2.9 million people and contaminated 128.3 million.

According to Dr. Peter English, a former specialist in infectious disease management, young people are less likely to have severe disease and are more likely to have asymptomatic infection, spreading the disease to others.

READ: COVID-19 Vaccine: What To Do If You Are Vaccinated, and Your Kids Are Not



Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine is now approved for use in people as young as 16 years old. The latest research is the first to demonstrate how the vaccine functions in school-aged adolescents.

The vaccine was well tolerated, with side effects close to those seen in the adult trial for those aged 16 to 25. The companies did not report the younger group's side effects, but the adult trial's side effects ranged from mild to severe. They included injection-site discomfort, headaches, fever, and fatigue.

The companies also looked at a group of teenagers to see how many virus-neutralizing antibodies they had a month after the second dose and discovered that it was similar to the research participants aged 16 to 25 in the pivotal trial in adults.

In the coming weeks, Bourla said, the company will seek emergency approval from the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulators.

Israel, which is leading the world in vaccine rollout, announced shortly after the news that it would begin delivering the shot to teenagers if the FDA gave it the green light.

Israel, which is leading the world in vaccine rollout, announced shortly after the news that it would begin delivering the shot to teenagers if the FDA gave it the green light.

ALSO READ: Kids Infected With COVID-19 Experience Long Term Symptoms

More details on the COVID-19 vaccine for kids

Scientists applauded the news, which was not published in a medical journal or subjected to peer review, but said more information was required.

"It will be important to do this (vaccinate younger people to gain herd immunity)," English, a former chair of the British Medical Association's Public Health Medicine Committee, said.

The first vaccine doses were given last week in a series of trials testing the vaccine in younger children, with the immunization ultimately being given to children as young as six months of age.

Rivals are now putting their shots to the test on children.

Moderna Inc launched a trial this month to test its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged six months to less than 12 years. However, Johnson & Johnson has yet to start a planned trial on children despite recently receiving approval for its vaccine in adults.

Children were excluded from a mid-to-late stage trial of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in the United Kingdom in December.

READ MORE: Sinovac's COVID-19 Vaccine Is Safe for Kids, According To Initial Data
When the Galaxy S21 launch event happened Samsung also revealed the SmartTag and SmartTag+ devices. Now Samsungs SmartTag+ is on its way after being relegated to a later this year release according to Droid-Life.

The base SmartTag features Bluetooth which it uses to track the location of objects like luggage and keys. This device is a good purchase for anyone who constantly loses things. Purchasing the SmartTag wont break the bank either since it only costs $30.

Now the Samsungs SmartTag+ will cost $40, but what does offer over the base SmartTag? Well firstly, the plus version will have UWB in addition to Bluetooth to help locate lost items. UWB gives the SmartTag+ the ability to locate items with more precision.

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That is a nice improvement, but it gets better. For users who are more visual, the SmartTag+ has a nifty feature to help you find your lost items. The upgraded model can also connect to the SmartThings app to activate an AR mode. The AR mode will point you in the proper direction of what you are searching for.

Samsungs SmartTag+ model is now available for pre-order

The new model was spotted cruising through the FCC. Also, B&H is listing it for $39.99 for pre-order. The device will begin shipping on April 12 which is right around the corner. The version up for pre-order is the black version currently, but it looks like a blue version will be up for pre-order soon too.

Both the SmartTag and SmartTag+ will be programmable to perform smart home tasks as well thanks to their built-in buttons. The journey of the SmartTag+ release has been going on for about as long as the first Galaxy S21 release date rumors.

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Back near the end of 2020, the SmartTag family was rumored to launch alongside the Galaxy S21 lineup at Samsungs January Unpacked event. That is exactly what did happen. But, buyers with interest in the SmartTag+ model have to be patient.

Now that wait is almost over. Soon users will be able to get their hands on the more advanced version to help them find their misplaced possessions. Although, the way the world is now most misplaced items are probably lost in users couches, or under the bed.

However, once the world opens up and travel becomes a part of normal life again these tags will be very useful. Until then it will be easier to try and remember where we lost our car keys.
Islamabad, Apr 2 (UNI) Pakistan has been added to Britain's travel 'red list', as Pakistani nationals would not be allowed to enter the country from April 9 onwards.

Pakistan, along with the Philippines, Kenya and Bangladesh, will be put on the list as part of UK's efforts to stop potential Coronavirus carriers from entering the country. These four nations would join about three dozen other nations mainly from Africa, the Middle East and South America in the 'red list'.

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner made the announcement on Twitter.

"Important travel update Pakistan will be added to the UK's red list of travel ban countries from 9 April",

Turner said, adding that from April 9 onwards, only UK and Ireland nationals and those with residency rights will be allowed to travel from Pakistan to the United Kingdom. He wrote: "Anyone arriving into England after that will have to book a managed quarantine hotel in advance."

UNI XC RKM GK 1721
Fake news has always been a concern in India and on International Fact-Checking Day, technology giant Google has come up with a list of instructions and tips that will help an individual to check the authenticity of the content.

The search-engine giant has launched new features to discover fake information online. In a blog post, Alexios Mantzarlis, News and Information Credibility Lead at Google News Lab, revealed that more than 50,000 new fact checks came up on Google Search with all fact-checks receiving more than 2.4 billion impressions in search during that time frame.

Google has revealed the steps to determine fact checks in a support page where it said that publishers of the content must meet certain requirements to be a trusted source of information, which is determined by an algorithm.

The content around fact checks must tell you the claims that are being checked, conclusions about these claims, and how they were reached and explains citations and primary sources of information, Google said on its support page on fake information.

Here are the steps to check the authenticity of content:

Multiple sources: Google asks users to check the entire coverage of a news piece if they switch to news mode or search for a topic in Google News.

Dig more about the source: Google urges users to dig out more information about the source of an article or website by clicking on three dots on the right of an article.. However, this is only available in the US.

Confirmation about the event taking place at the said location: Google also asks users to confirm the veracity of the location of an event through Google Earth or the Street View of a location on Google Maps.

Googles fact-checker: Google has come up with a fact-checker tool, which helps users to type a keyword and look for claims made by news publication and fact checks listed by Google.

Check if an image is true or fake: Fake and misleading photos have always been a headache and to help users, Google points out that users can check if an image is authentic by right-clicking on a photo and selecting Search Google for Image.

Mobile users can perform the same activity by touching and holding the image for some time. Google will then check if the image has appeared online before and the context in which it appeared.

Live TV

#mute
Northern State alum Hannah Kastigar set to swim in U.S. Olympic Trials

Kastigar will compete in the 400 Individual Medley scheduled for Saturday, June 5th.
Border Patrol agents rescued two young Ecuadorian sisters after alleged human smugglers dropped them over a 14-foot-tall border fence in the New Mexico desert, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in a news release.

Video from a Border Patrol camera, shows the children, aged 3 and 5, being dropped on the US side of the barrier on Tuesday evening, according to the agency.

US officials are scrambling to deal with an influx of migrants into the country and a CBP spokeswoman said that more than 300 agents are being deployed along the border with Mexico. This includes some agents that were moved earlier this year.

The night-vision footage shows a person the CBP describes as a human smuggler climbing atop a section of the border fence and lowering a child down the side of the barrier before dropping her the rest of the way to the ground.

As the first child stood up, the person repeated the process and dropped another child onto the US side of the fence. They appeared to be several feet off the ground when they were dropped.

"Immediately after both children landed on the ground, two smugglers immediately fled the area and abandoned the helpless little girls on the north side of the international boundary line," the CBP said in the statement.

A Border Patrol agent operating the camera in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, saw the children being dropped and alerted other agents in the area to their location.

The children were both alert when responding agents made contact and rendered aid, before taking them to a hospital "for precautionary reasons and further evaluation," according to the statement.

The incident took place in a remote area west of Mt. Cristo Rey -- a 29-foot tall limestone statue of Jesus near El Paso, Texas, according to the release.

The girls were cleared and released by the hospital and are now in Border Patrol temporary holding until they can be placed elsewhere by the US Department of Health and Human Services, the release said.

CBP El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said she was "appalled" by what she saw.

"If not for the vigilance of our agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours," Chavez said in a statement.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also condemned the smuggling in a statement issued on Wednesday.

"The inhumane way smugglers abuse children while profiting off parents' desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible. Just this month, a young girl died by drowning, a six-month-old was thrown into the river, and two young children were dropped from a wall and left in the desert alone. There can be no doubt that children are exceptionally vulnerable when placed in the hands of smugglers. There is grave risk they will be exploited and harmed. I applaud our heroic Border Patrol agents who have saved lives this week and every week, while putting their own lives at risk for the greater good of the country," he said.

There were about 17,650 unaccompanied migrant children in US government custody on Sunday, according to government data, including 5,767 in CBP custody.
Two little girls have been pictured in the care of US authorities after they were dropped over a 14-foot-high border wall in New Mexico and abandoned by smugglers.

The sisters from Ecuador, who are aged three and five, were dumped over the border wall just west of Mt. Cristo Rey, near El Paso, on Tuesday night.

The girls were rescued by agents soon after and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation.

In a photo obtained by Fox News on Friday, the girls could be seen interacting with El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez as they were given snacks at the processing center.

It was not immediately clear when the photo was taken.

The sisters from Ecuador, who are aged three and five, were pictured interacting with El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez after being rescued

The image of them inside the processing center came just days after disturbing footage released by US Customs Border and Protection showed the moment the girls were dropped, one after another, over the barrier in the middle of the night.

Immediately after the girls landed on the ground, two smugglers could be seen fleeing on the Mexican side of the border.

The footage was captured by an agent's utilizing camera technology.

The camera operator immediately alerted Santa Teresa agents and directed them to the remote location.

Agents were able to find the little girls and said they were both alert when they made contact with them.

They treated them at the scene but then transported them to a local hospital for precautionary measures and further evaluation.

The two girls are currently in the Border Patrol temporary holding facility.

'I'm appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier,' Chavez said.

Disturbing footage released by US Customs Border and Protection showed the moment the girls were dropped, one after another, over the barrier in the middle of the night

The girls, pictured above immediately after being dropped, were rescued by agents soon after and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation

Immediately after the girls landed on the ground, two smugglers could be seen fleeing on the Mexican side of the border

'If not for the vigilance of our agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours.

'We are currently working with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and attempting to identify these ruthless human smugglers so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.'

It comes as new government statistics revealed that 171,000 migrants were caught by US authorities at the border in March - the highest monthly total in two decades and the latest sign of the mounting humanitarian challenge confronting President Joe Biden.

The total includes about 19,000 unaccompanied migrant children and 53,000 family members traveling together, the preliminary figures show.

The preliminary March arrest totals at the US-Mexico border represent the highest monthly level since April 2000 when border patrol agents caught more than 180,000 migrants.

The Biden administration is struggling to find housing for unaccompanied children who have been backed up in crowded border stations and processing centers for days.

The shelter system that houses the children has been overwhelmed and the US Department of Health and Human Services has scrambled in recent weeks to open emergency shelters, including sites in conventions centers in Dallas and San Diego.

New government statistics revealed that 171,000 migrants were caught by US authorities at the border in March - the highest monthly total in two decades. Pictured is a border patrol facility in Donna, Texas this week

Young children lie inside a pod at the Department of Homeland Security holding facility run by border patrol this week
Work continues on the Interstate 25 Gap project between Colorado Springs and Castle Rock in Larkspur on Tuesday. The 18-mile corridor is Colorados longest construction zone.
HAMILTON, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama man will serve two years on probation after pleading guilty to shooting a neighbor's dog and dragging the body behind his pickup truck.

A statement by prosecutors says 59-year-old Donald Gene Nix of Haleyville pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge.

A judge sentenced him to a one year in jail but suspended the punishment as long as he completes probation successfully.

A hearing will be held later to determine whether Nix has to pay restitution, which court records say could be about $1,400.

Nix was arrested in 2019 after a neighbor's pet husky was killed.

He was accused of tying the animal to his truck with a rope and dragging it down a highway.
The gut punch of the pandemics latest wave

Experts warn that despite hope from Covid-19 vaccinations and a clearer path forward, it is much too soon to let down our guard.

Around the world, some political leaders are choosing not to impose restrictions, even in the face of climbing death rates. In Hungary, which reported 302 deaths on Wednesday, the highest there since the start of the pandemic, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that his government will not tighten restrictions and is determined to continue moving to reopen society.

The U.S., where some states are in crisis mode, is a study in contrasts. In Michigan, a major hot spot, more than 2,200 Covid-19 patients statewide are hospitalized, a figure that has more than doubled since the beginning of March. Yet officials are relaxing mask rules and other measures designed to get the virus under control.

Looking at numbers yesterday felt like a gut punch, said one Michigan epidemiologist. Were going to have to go through this surge, and all this hard work again to get the numbers down.
WARRENTON, VA / ACCESSWIRE / April 2, 2021 / Premium Home Services is excited to announce its new brand identity online. After 20 years of serving the Greater Warrenton Virginia, area with the absolute best in heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical repairs and installations, the company felt it was the right time to update its look to represent its top-of-the-line service offerings and products.

The new logo, colors, and font emphasize the company's strengths as a locally owned and operated business. The following elements serve as true reflections of the company:

- Five-pronged crown represents its five-star service

- Three-pronged crown outlines its three service focuses: HVAC, plumbing, and electrical

- Happy technician depicts its customer-centric and professional HVAC technicians, plumbers, and electricians

- Shiny wrench portrays the use of the finest tools, systems, and equipment available

- Classic fonts show a commitment to hard work and second-to-none service

- Bright, fun colors illustrate a positive outlook on the future of the company, its employees, and the neighbors/neighborhoods it services in Virginia

Although Premium Home Services may have a new look, it is still the same great company with the same exceptional team of customer service representatives, in-home service technicians, and local business owner Tom Noland. To see the new brand identity, please visit the website at https://www.premiumacservice.com/.

About Premium Home Services

For those looking to learn more about Premium Home Services: The company has been providing the Greater Warrenton, Virginia area with premium plumbing, HVAC, and electrical services for 20+ years. Premium Home Services is much more than a run-of-the-mill HVAC, electrical, and plumbing business. It provides a comprehensive range of services that few other local home services companies can match, providing customers with a one-stop-shop for all their home service needs.

To learn more about Premium Home Services, you can also connect with them on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/PremiumHomeServicesVA/ or check out some of the services they offer on their HomeAdvisor listing here: https://www.homeadvisor.com/rated.PremiumHomeServices.66626466.html

For more information about Premium Home Services, contact the company here:

Premium Home Services

Tom Noland

(540) 642-0696

info@premiumacservice.com

5 Broadview Ave

Warrenton, VA 20186

SOURCE: Virginia Home Services

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/638799/Virginia-Home-Services-Company-Announces-New-Brand-Identity-Online
For over a century, animal experts have known that a certain variety of rabbits move exclusively on their front legs when trying to move fast, but theyve only recently learned why that is.

The Sauteur dAlfort, also known as the Alfort jumping rabbit have baffled scientists for more than a decade. Unlike other rabbit varieties, the sauteur d-Alfort have a uniquely acrobatic way of moving. Over short distances, when moving slowly, they walk on all four limbs, but their hind legs hit the floor one after another, rather than at the same time. But the truly remarkable thing happens when it needs to move faster. Rather than hopping, it quickly lifts its hind legs above its head and starts moving on its front legs alone. Experiments done decades ago showed that the sauteur was incapable of hopping, but thanks to modern technology, scientists know exactly why that is.

Photo: video screengrab

Experiments conducted as far back as 1943 showed that the inability to hop displayed by the sauteur dAlfort rabbit was not a learned behavior, but the result of a recessive gene. However, until recently, no one knew exactly what gene that was, or how it prevented the animal from doing what all other rabbits find perfectly natural.

With modern technology, its straightforward to go from a simple recessive disorder to finding the genes, Leif Andersson, a geneticist at Uppsala University in Sweden, told Gizmodo. The expectation was there was something wrong with the spinal cord, because they dont coordinate their forelegs and the hind legs.

That expectation proved correct, as a study conducted by scientists at Uppsala University shows that a warped gene called RORB (RAR-related orphan receptor beta) rendered them incapable of jumping. RORB helps pass information and links the left and right side of the body  which is essential for coordinating limb movements  but the warped gene caused the rabbits to over-flex their hindlegs, making jumping impossible.

Whats happening when youre moving is that you have these neurons firing all the time, and they coordinate muscle contractions and receive feedback on the balance of the different limbs, Andersson said. This coordination of muscle contraction is not correct in these rabbits.

Basically, the handstand movement of certain sauteur dAlfort rabbits is not itself the mutation, but rather a workaround to a debilitating genetic condition that prevents them from doing the iconic hop. Andersson added that the front-legged means of locomotion causes the rabbits no pain of which he was aware.

While the solving of the puzzle that was the sauteur dAlfort movement may not seem like a scientific breakthrough, experts say that it is a testament to how far genetic science has come in recent years, and could advance our understanding of how vertebrates can walk.
Over the past day, April 1, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine 13 times.

In the area of responsibility of the operational and tactical group East, the occupiers fired 82mm and 120mm mortars banned under the Minsk Agreements near Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); different grenade launchers and small arms  outside Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk), Starohnativka (51km south of Donetsk) and Vodiane in the Sea of Azov area, the press center of the JFO Headquarters informs.

In the area of responsibility of the operational and tactical group North, the invaders used anti-tank missile system towards Ukrainian positions outside Vodiane in Donetsk region; grenade machine guns, hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms were used to shell Ukrainian defenders in the area of Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), Zolote-4 (59km west of Luhansk) and Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk).

Ukrainian troops in the suburbs of Shumy (41km north of Donetsk) and Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk) came under grenade machine fire. Two Ukrainian servicemen were wounded. They were promptly taken to a medical facility. Their health status is satisfactory.

Ukrainian defenders opened fire in response to the enemy's shelling.

The occupiers intensified work on hardening old and arranging new defensive positions. On April 1, engineering works were recorded in a forest plantation near the village of Shumy, where representatives of the armed formations of the Russian Federation built new 90-meter-long defensive structures towards the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the JFO Headquarters reports.

The Ukrainian side of the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) informed the OSCE SMM about the violations.

As of 7 a.m., April 2, no shelling was recorded.

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Pakistan said on Friday (April 2) that it never shied away from "meaningful" talks with India but the normalisation of ties was linked with India revisiting its 2019 decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri was asked about the Cabinet's decision to not allow the import of cotton and sugar after it was approved by a high-level body.

He said, the Federal Cabinet deferred the Economic Coordination Committees (ECC) decision to import sugar, cotton and cotton yarn from India because normalisation" of relations with India would not be possible without India revisiting its decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday rejected the proposal of the high-powered committee to import cotton from India, with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asserting that there can be no normalisation of ties until New Delhi reverses its decision in 2019 to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan's U-turn on Thursday came a day after ECC, under newly-appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar, recommended importing cotton and sugar from India, lifting a nearly two-year-long ban on its import from the neighbouring country amidst tensions over the Kashmir issue.

India has said that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.

India has also told Pakistan that talks and terror cannot go together and has asked Islamabad to take demonstrable steps against terror groups responsible for launching various attacks on India.

The Foreign Office spokesman said there is no change in Pakistans "principled position" on the Jammu and Kashmir issue, however, Islamabad was not against "meaningful" talks to resolve the outstanding issues.

Pakistan has never shied away from talks and has always underscored the need for a meaningful dialogue and peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues with India, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

Our desire for regional peace has been clearly spelt out by Prime Minister Imran Khan on a number of occasions stating that, If India takes one step towards peace, Pakistan will take two, he said.

He said the recent statements by Pakistani leadership showed Pakistans desire for peace and security in the region but the onus is on India to create a conducive environment for a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue.

Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in Pakistan. Subsequent attacks, including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relationship.

The ties strained further after India''s warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019, in response to the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

India's move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 angered Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties with India and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pakistan also snapped all air and land links with India and suspended trade and railway services.

Live TV
Patna, April 3 : Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi has requested Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar to deposit the electricity bill of his official banglow from the government treasury.

"CM Nitish Kumar has given me a state government banglow and Z-category security, but there is no provision to deposit electricity bill from the funds of the state government," said former Bihar Chief Minister Manjhi.

"I have recently paid Rs 1.04 lakh in electricity bill for my official banglow. It is extremely difficult for an MLA like me to deposit such a big amount every time. Our Chief Minister has been very kind to me. So I appeal to him to either make a provision for depositing the bill from the state exchequer, or provide 5000 units of free power to the former CMs of the state," Manjhi said.
Two women are due to appear in court tomorrow morning after they were arrested at Dublin Airport(Niall Carson/PA)

Two women are due to appear in court tomorrow morning after they were arrested at Dublin Airport on Friday when they refused to go to a quarantine hotel.

The women -aged in their 30s and understood to be Dubliners - had disembarked from a flight from Dubai where it is understood they had travelled for cosmetic surgery.

Defence Forces personnel at the airport had informed these ladies that they were legally obliged to go to a quarantine hotel but they simply refused and the gardai were called, a senior source said.

The women stuck to their convictions when gardai arrived and they ended up getting arrested.

They are due to be brought before court in the morning and what is very possible is that they may have to go to the quarantine hotel after that appearance as well as possibly getting a significant fine, the source added.

Gardai confirmed details of the arrests in a statement.

An Garda Siochana were called to an incident in Dublin Airport this afternoon 02/04/2021, by the State Liaison officer, a garda spokesman told Independent.ie.

Gardai implemented the 4Es approach  engaging, explaining, and encouraging with enforcement a last resort.

After failing to comply with Gardai two women, aged in their 30s, were arrested for breaches of the Health Act and taken to Ballymun Garda Station.

Both women have since been charged. They are due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice, Court 2, tomorrow at 10.30am, the spokesman added.

Travellers currently arriving from 33 countries deemed high risk by the Government must quarantine for 12 nights at a designated hotel.

The Government is adding 26 states to its mandatory hotel quarantine list but no further European Union countries are included.

From 4am next Tuesday, 6 April, people arriving in Ireland from these countries and territories must pre-book accommodation for 12 nights mandatory hotel quarantine on arrival and pay for the stay.

The announcement brings to 59 the number of countries and territories deemed high risk by the Government.
T put me in charge of credit for Pakistan as well.

This meant that any credit proposal from Pakistan would reach me first, and I would have to evaluate it and recommend to T whether the proposal should be approved or not.

On the second day after becoming responsible for Pakistans credit, I received a proposal from Karachi for a loan to a cement company.

I considered the proposal very carefully and decided that we should not be lending to this company. Hence, I wrote Declined on it and sent the proposal to T with a sticker saying Declined  FYI (for your information).

Fifteen minutes later T charged into my cabin.

This loan for the cement company, he screamed, you have declined it?

All 63 and 140kgs of T was in my cabin, screaming at me, with all my staff listening.

Yes, I have declined it, I said.

Why ??? T howled.

For a split second two thoughts ran through my mind:

- Does T want to approve this loan?

- Should I say Sorry, maybe it should be approved. Let me look at it again?

I rejected these thoughts.

My heart said: To hell with what T may think or want. This is not good credit. I am not going to sign it. My heart said: To hell with what T may think or want. This is not good credit. I am not going to sign it.

So, I said I have declined it because (enumerating the reasons).

T shouted Exactly!! This is a crappy proposal. Tell Karachi not to send such rubbish again.

Had I not stood my ground, on the basis of my belief, T would have devoured me.

Tattlers and T

T summoned me to his office one morning and said:

Have you heard? It seems Seema had been sleeping with Kevin.

To explain, Seema was an Indian divorcee lady working in the credit card department, and Kevin had been the head of the credit card department until he was, very recently, terminated by T.

Really? I asked. Where did you get to hear of this?

Akhtar (Pakistani), Bassam (Lebanese) and Chandra (Indian) have told me this, T said.

These three people (A, B and C) were colleagues of Seema in the credit card department.

I remarked that all this was a lot of nonsense, and that we should not be paying any attention to these kinds of allegations.

No, No, my lad, T said, just see what I do.

He summoned Seema to his office.

In my presence T told her I hear that you had been sleeping with Kevin.

Seema was shocked.

How can you say this to me? she asked.

A, B and C have told me that you were sleeping with Kevin.

How can they say this?

T summoned A, B and C to his office.

He lined them up next to the chair in which Seema was sitting.

He asked them Didnt you tell me that Seema had been sleeping with Kevin?

A, B and C didnt know what to say and, indeed, where to look.

T continued to hound them until all three admitted that:

- they had made the allegation

- they had no evidence

Finally, possibly tired of yelling, T sent A, B and C, plus Seema back to their cubicles in the credit card department where they sat next to one another.

After they had left, I asked T why he had carried out this exercise.

T replied I have taught them a lesson, my boy. I dont like idle gossip and weak allegations.

The lesson bit was all very fine, I thought.

BUT, what about Seema? How would she be feeling working alongside A, B and C?

As it turned out, Seema carried on perfectly well. In fact, in due course she managed to arrange for the termination of A and C, thereby getting her revenge. Only B, with his Lebanese survival skills, retained his job.

Maybe what A, B and C had alleged was true! Who will ever know?

Postscript: After all four had left, T mused What did Kevin see in her? Her legs are so thin.
In the backdrop of early summers and pent-up demand, Panasonic is expecting a robust demand for cooling appliances. During the last 3-4 months, the company has witnessed a 25 per cent growth in sales of air conditioners.

"We expect the trend to continue and are aiming to close Q4 registering more than 100 per cent growth (QoQ). In the case of refrigerators, we are expecting to record a growth of 30 per cent in refrigerators this summer. For the year ending March 31, 2021 we are expecting a growth of more than 40 per cent across consumer durables compared to 2019 (year ending March 31, 2020). We are hoping for this trend to continue," says Manish Sharma, President & CEO, Panasonic India and SA.

Sharma explains that the pandemic has made consumers conscious of their purchases. The value proposition in the form of safety, comfort, convenience and a connected experience is what consumers are looking for while purchasing their appliance. "With the emergence of the second wave, the demand for overall home appliances category will continue to rise coupled with the pent-up demand from last year. Enablers such as no-cost EMI, cashback, easy accessibility will further fuel this demand for value proposition purchases."

However, given the market trends, Panasonic India plans to raise prices of ACs in the range of 6-8 per cent, while refrigerators will see an increase in the range of 3-4 per cent. This is due to the rise in production cost because of increasing cost of commodities in the last few months. "However, with the kind of growth we have witnessed in the last few months, we are positive that the trajectory will remain steady and consistent. At an organizational level, we try and absorb maximum costs at our end and not pass it to our consumers," explains Sharma.

With improving supply chain efficiencies, lifting of import restrictions and progressive steps towards component manufacturing, 'shortage of components' will not be a long-term issue for the industry. To address the growing demand for cooling products across rural and urban consumers, Panasonic has stocked inventory and is taking marketing initiatives across offline and online channels. To further facilitate purchase experience for partners and customers, it has opened up WhatsApp Chatbot platform.

Due to the pandemic, lockdown and other factors, the consumer durable industry witnessed an overall loss of around 25 per cent. Panasonic registered 10 per cent growth in July-September 2020, with August contributing significantly owing to the Onam festival campaign. Besides, consumer durable sales have resumed normalcy since Q3. "Led by pent-up demand, 'Home-as-hub' trend and optimal weather conditions - we are now seeing an uptick in sales. However, we are yet to close our financials for this quarter and will get a better view on 'sales recovery' post that," says Sharma.

The Japanese consumer durable brand manufactures almost all of its appliances in India at its Technopark plant in Jhajjar, Haryana. Currently, the company is well-equipped to meet the demand of its consumers, as per Sharma.

Also Read: How Panasonic India is trying to democratise home automation
For the first time, astronomers have discovered X-rays emitted from the planet Uranus which was observed by NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory. The giant ice planet mysteriously radiated vibrant flares of X-rays in pink and purple seen emerging from its set of two rings and the equator. Approximately four times the diameter of Earth, the seventh planet of the solar system has revealed unforeseen details that will help the astronomers to unveil more answers about the aloof frosty galactic body.

Taking to its official Instagram handle, NASA shared the awe-inspiring image of Uranus radiating X-rays, as it wrote: Astronomers have detected X-rays coming from Uranus for the very first time with help from our NASA Chandra X-ray. It continued, The 7th planet from the Sun and its rings appear to scatter the suns X-rays to produce these X-rays. Furthermore, the space agency explained that the phenomenon newly discovered might help scientists better understand how growing black holes and neutron stars emit X-rays.

Uranus is different from the rest of the planets as it rotates on its sides, has freezing temperatures, and is made up almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. In the image shared by NASA, one can see the Chandra X-ray image of Uranus from 2002 (in pink) superimposed on an optical image from the Keck-I Telescope obtained in a separate study in 2004. The flares were only recently analyzed by the astronomers, and have left the scientific community stunned as it remains unclear what may have been causing the X Rays on the planet with unusual orientations of its spin axis and its magnetic field. On Earth, we can see colorful light shows in the sky called auroras, which happen when high-energy particles interact with the atmosphere.

X-rays are emitted in Earths auroras, produced by energetic electrons after they travel down the planets magnetic field lines to its poles and are slowed down by the atmosphere, NASA explained. It added that similarly on Jupiter, auroras are observed. On Jupiter, X-rays from auroras come from two sources: electrons traveling down magnetic field lines, as on Earth, and positively charged atoms and molecules raining down at Jupiters polar regions, NASA explained. Although, the space agency stressed that the astronomers are less certain about what causes auroras on Uranus.

Possibilities of X-Ray emission

The X-ray radiations on Uranus could have been mainly caused due to the sun, astronomers have speculated citing that both Jupiter and Saturn scatter X-ray light given off by the Sun. They also believe that there may be at least one other source of X-rays present that is causing these tremendous rays to scatter off the planet. If further observations confirm this, it could have intriguing implications for understanding Uranus, NASA said. Another possibility as per the astronomers is that the rings of Uranus are producing X-rays themselves, as is the case with Saturns rings. Or the X rays may be coming from the auroras, a phenomenon that has been observed on other planets with similar wavelengths as Uranus.

(Image Credit: NASA)
The Medical Superindent of the Kingharman Road hospital Dr. Sarah Conteh said the Kingharman Road hospital gives more vaccine than any other station in the country.

She said people are complying as they are vaccinating Sierra Leoneans, Lebanese, Indians and Chinese, which she says is good for the safety of all in the country.

The Minister of Health Dr Austin Demby praised the enthusiasm of the heath workers and admonish them to continue to save lives, because the more vaccines they administer the more lives they save.

At the King Harman Road hospital where the ongoing vaccination is taking place, Nurse Bintu Kallon administering the vaccine says on a daily basis they administer about 120 vaccinations a day, which she said put them as one of the highest vaccination centres in the country.

She said the vaccination goes on every day and said it is on Sunday they will have the lowest number of people going for the vaccine.

Explaining how they process works, she said everybody is free to visit the centre for the vaccine but on arrival the person registers and he or she checked to know their health status.

"After their health status has been checked we will then determine the vaccine to administer to the individual. If you have underlying illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes and the likes then we will have to give you the AstraZaneca shot. Also if you are above 60 years of age, you will get the same AstraZaneca vaccine. But if you are below 40 years of age and you do not have any underlying illness we will give you SinoPharm."

Nurse Bintu said she is very happy that Sierra Leoneans are embracing the vaccine process and hope that those spreading fake news will stop. They too can come have their shot or talk to all those that have taken the shot to know how they feel.

Community Health Officer on Expanded Program on Immunization (CH/EPI) Andrew K. Kemoh said the immunization is going on well as they are happy that many people especially those above 60 years are volunteering to take it.

"We do not force anyone to take the vaccine and we have done the entire test and have all the records to prove that the vaccine is safe for us all to take. I am taking mine and why, it is safe for me to take it. You too should take it and explain to your colleagues that they can have their shot free of charge and they will stay safe."

Mr Kemoh said that there has been no major adverse event since they started administering the vaccine, but said some people fear needles but after they take the vaccine they are ok.

He said many of the elderly they have spoken with one week after they took the vaccine still say they are normal only that they had slight headache or they felt dizzy few minutes after taking the vaccine.

He encouraged all to take the vaccine and said they are taking it is for their own good.

"I want to explain to the public that if you take the Astra Zaneca the second shot will be administered after six weeks. If it is the SinoPharm the second shot is three weeks.

Some of the older individuals that took the vaccines said they are ok and some of them said they came to take it because they saw President Bio taking it, whilst others said they got the enthusiasm from their friends that took the vaccine in the first week.

They were all normal and happy as they say they are now very sure that they will not have corona.

Madam Fatu Kamara when asked about the vaccine, she said she took it and she is ok. She is hoping that more people especially the older people take it.

"When I watch CNN and listen to the news of how old people are dying of COVID, I knew that I should take it and save my life. That is why I have taken it and even after one hour, I am still normal with no side effect."

Imran Sillah of the Strategic Communications Unit too was there to take the shot and said that he must take it because it is safe and ok for everyone to take it.

"If President Bio and his cabinet ministers can take it and they are all fine, I believe I too should take it and will be fine.

One of the first journalists to take the shot was Mohamed Kabba of Awoko Newspaper. He said he took it on the 15th of March and until today he is ok with no side effect or any funny feeling.

This was the same opinion given by BBC's Umaru Fofanah, Patrick Lansana of EOC that they are all doing fine and they are ok.

The health workers and most of those that have taken the vaccine said they want to thank the President for his leadership as well as the VP and all leaders of government and political parties for leading the way in developing confidence in the vaccines they have and the vaccination process.

According to data from EPI, they have expanded the eligibility of individuals to vaccinate and now the age requirement has now been reduced from 70 to 60, and all individuals with major comorbidities are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. So they expect the number of vaccinations to increase.

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In the first week of the rollout, they successfully vaccinated 17, 621 individuals. In Karene, the healthcare workers are taking the services to locations where the people live, as the vaccination is going on effectively as they are doing it under a Mango Tree in one location.

Prof. Mallam O, Statistician General and Vice Chancellor of USL took the jab and he felt good with no side effect. He said, At the University hospital under the leadership of Senior Medical Officer Dr. Mohamed Koker, you can be assured of the best hygienic circumstances for vaccine delivery. I observed the nurse carefully." He called on all to follow suit so that they can keep Sierra Leone safe.

Dr. Nehlema Barrie and her Dad also went for the vaccine last week and checking them this week, they are doing fine and Pa Barrie said he is happy to have taken the jab and hope all those that are yet to take it venture and see that it is safe for all.

The healthcare workers should be thanked for their service in ending this pandemic in Sierra Leone and allowing Sierra Leone to get back to normal. The public is encouraged to redouble their efforts in participation in the vaccine rollout. We are all reminded to continue with the mitigation efforts by wearing a mask, keeping social distance, and practicing hand Hygiene.
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The Nigerian government has announced that over 51 million Nigerians have been registered for the National Identification Number (NIN), which is now required for major activities including getting an international passport and a drivers license.

The figure was announced in a joint press statement by the spokespersons of the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Identity Management Commission.

The officials also said the government has extended the deadline for residents to link their SIM cards to their NIN. The deadline was extended to May 6.

The request for the extension was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari and he endorsed it, the officials said.

Read the full statement below.

PRESS STATEMENT

NIN Database Exceeds 51 Million Records as FG Extends NIN-SIM Linkage by One Month

The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, chaired the meeting of the Ministerial Task Force on the NIN-SIM data linkage.

The meeting was attended by key stakeholders, including the EVC/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), DG/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), DG/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Representative of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON). Others included the NCC Executive Commissioners Technical Services and Stakeholder Management, MD/CEOs of MTN, Airtel, EMTS (9Mobile), NTEL, Spectranet and SMILE, as well as the COO of Glo.

The meeting took place on Thursday, April 1, 2021 and an approval was given to extend the period of the NIN-SIM linkage to the 6th of May, 2021. The request for the extension was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari and he endorsed it.

Based on the updates of the NIN-registration process, over 51 million people have been assigned NINs. There are many people who have enrolled and are in the process of being assigned NINs. With each individual having an average of 3 to 4 SIMs, the total number of SIMs tied to NINs would close to the total number of registered SIMs in the country. The current number of monthly enrollments has increased significantly to about 2.6 million registrations. There has also been a remarkable increase in the number of enrolment centres across the country with about 3,800 centres available for enrollments . There are also many more new centres in the pipeline.

The Chairman of the EFCC addressed the meeting and stated that the NIN-SIM linkage would support the Federal Government in checkmating the activities of fraudsters and cybercriminals. The Honourable Minister noted the importance of obtaining feedback from all stakeholders in order to ensure that the NIN-SIM linkage process is one that cannot easily be compromised.

Dr Pantami wishes to thank Nigerians for their patience and compliance with the Federal Governments directive on the NIN-SIM registration exercise. He reiterated governments commitment to continually taking decisions aimed at easing the pains of the citizens with regard to issues related to NIN and SIM registration.

Signed:

Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde Mr Kayode Adegoke Director, Public Affairs Head, Corporate Communications,

Nigerian Communications Commission National Identity Management Commission

April 2, 2021
The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the use of violence against peaceful protesters in Myanmar and the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

But the council has dropped the threat of possible future action against the military following the February 1 coup.

The British-drafted press statement approved by all 15 council members on Thursday after intense negotiations that began on Wednesday expressed deep concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation in Myanmar and reiterated the councils call on the military to exercise utmost restraint.

The original draft was far stronger and would have expressed the councils readiness to consider further steps which could include sanctions.

It would also have deplored the use of violence against peaceful protesters and condemned in the strongest terms the killing of hundreds of civilians by the security forces.

Expand Close Anti-coup demonstrators raise the three finger of resistance and a portrait of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they prepare to confront police in Yangon on Thursday (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Anti-coup demonstrators raise the three finger of resistance and a portrait of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they prepare to confront police in Yangon on Thursday (AP)

But at the insistence of China, Myanmars neighbour and friend, the reference to further steps was eliminated and the stronger language, including the words killing and deplore was softened in the final statement, council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The reference to further steps was replaced in the final statement with a sentence saying council members stressed that they continued to monitor the situation closely and would remain actively seized of the matter.

The final council statement also called on all sides to refrain from violence  which diplomats said Russia demanded  and reiterated the need to fully respect human rights and to pursue dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar.

It noted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterress March 27 statement calling for a firm, unified and resolute response from the international community. That was Armed Forces Day, when soldiers and police reportedly killed 114 people while suppressing protests in the deadliest bloodletting since the coup.

Expand Close Anti-coup demonstrators gather tires to burn as they prepare to confront police in Yangon (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Anti-coup demonstrators gather tires to burn as they prepare to confront police in Yangon (AP)

British Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the councils aim was to sustain pressure on the military to reverse the coup and support the people in their courageous determination to restore peace and democracy.

She expressed hope the council statement would have that effect alongside the forthcoming visit of UN special envoy Christine Schraner Burgener to the region and efforts by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Myanmar.

The press statement followed Wednesdays closed council meeting at which Ms Schraner Burgener warned Myanmar faced the possibility of civil war at an unprecedented scale and urged the Security Council to consider potentially significant action to reverse the coup and restore democracy.

She did not specify what action she considered significant, but painted a dire picture of the military crackdown and told the council in a closed briefing that Myanmar is on the verge of spiralling into a failed state.

Expand Close Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars civilian leader, whose re-elected government was deposed in the coup as it was about to be sworn in (Paul Faith/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars civilian leader, whose re-elected government was deposed in the coup as it was about to be sworn in (Paul Faith/PA)

Ms Schraner Burgener also urged the council to consider all available tools to take collective action and do what the people of Myanmar deserve  prevent a multidimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia.

Chins UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, warned the council on Wednesday in remarks distributed by Chinas UN Mission that one-sided pressure and calling for sanctions or other coercive measures will only aggravate tension and confrontation and further complicate the situation, which is by no means constructive.

He urged all parties to find a solution through dialogue that de-escalates the situation and continues to advance the democratic transition in Myanmar.

The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions.

As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Aung San Suu Kyis rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country.

At Wednesdays virtual meeting, Ms Schraner Burgener denounced the killing and arrest of unarmed protesters seeking to restore democracy. She cited figures from Myanmars Assistance Association for Political Prisoners that as of Wednesday, some 2,729 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced since the coup and an estimated 536 have been killed.
San Antonio reported 249 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, a decline of 68 since Sunday but more than health officials had hoped for as vaccinations have increased.

Bexar County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said during the daily coronavirus briefing that the Metropolitan Health District would administer 20,000 vaccinations next week, an increase of 7,000 over previous weeks.

He urged residents to be cautious over the long holiday weekend. Rodriguez pointed out that after previous holidays, including Memorial Day, July Fourth, Thanksgiving and Christmas, daily case counts and hospital admissions shot up after a two-week lag.

We have to keep our guard up, said Rodriguez.

Two new deaths were reported Thursday  those of a white male age 70 to 79 and a white female over the age of 80, who died at Windcrest Senior Care. The deaths occurred within the past two weeks.

They brought Bexar Countys COVID-19 fatality toll to 3,152.

The 249 new cases brought the countys total since the start of the pandemic to 205,777.

Health officials reported Thursday that 185 patients were being treated for COVID-19 in area hospitals, including 74 in intensive care units and 32 who required ventilators to breathe.

In mid-January, hospitals were crowded with more than 1,500 COVID-19 patients.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases, a closely watched metric, stood at 190 per day as of Thursday.

That is a slight increase over the level of recent weeks, but well below the worst days of the winter surge, when the average exceeded 2,000 new cases per day. A month ago, it was 376 new cases per day.

Metro District Health officials estimate that 195,697 Bexar County residents have recovered from the coronavirus, and that nearly 2,000 are still ill.

More than 780,000 residents have received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine as the state has expanded eligibility and vaccine supplies have increased. Nearly 300,000 county residents have been fully vaccinated, according to the Department of State Health Services.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg took to Twitter to announce that he had booked an appointment for his first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, one of three authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Heard that there were still some vaccine appointments available through 311, so I decided to book my first Pfizer shot, Nirenberg wrote.

The mayor said he got through after 20 minutes on hold. An attached video showed him waiting patiently, a black mask on his face and a phone in his hand.

Few weeks from now, Nirenberg tweeted. Cant wait!

The age group with the largest percentage of COVID-19 cases during the pandemic is the 20-29 group, followed closely by those ages 30 to 39, according to Metro Health data. Together, those groups accounted for 38 percent of all cases in Bexar County over the last year.

But deaths have hit the elderly hardest. Nearly 68 percent of all deaths have been among those ages 60 to 89.

bselcraig@

express-news.net
Anti-coup demonstrators prepare to confront police during a protest in Tarmwe township, Yangon, Myanmar, April 1. AP



Myanmar's junta faced fresh international criticism Friday over the deaths of more than 40 children and the "forced disappearance" of hundreds of people in its crackdown on pro-democracy protests.



The military's ruthless suppression of demonstrations against its February 1 power grab has left 543 civilians dead, including 44 children, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a local monitoring organisation.



As well as breaking up protests with tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds, security forces have detained some 2,700 people.



Violence has ramped up in recent weeks, with Save the Children saying the death toll of youngsters had more than doubled in the past 12 days.



"We are shocked that children continue to be among the targets of these fatal attacks, despite repeated calls to protect children from harm," the charity said in a statement.



"It is especially horrifying that several of these children were reportedly killed at home, where they should have been safe from harm."



The authorities have made numerous arrests during night raids on the homes of people suspected of supporting the rallies or the civil disobedience movement that has sprung up aimed at stopping the military from running the country.



Human Rights Watch said the junta had "forcibly disappeared" hundreds of people, refusing to confirm their location or allow access to lawyers.



"The military junta's widespread use of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances appears designed to strike fear in the hearts of anti-coup protesters," said HRW's Asia director Brad Adams.



"Concerned governments should demand the release of everyone disappeared and impose targeted economic sanctions against junta leaders to finally hold this abusive military to account."





A handout photo made available by Karen Information Center shows ethnic Karen people stage an anti-military coup protest at Hlaingbwe township in Karen state, Myanmar, March 31. EPA




When Hurricane Katrina and ensuing floods ravaged New Orleans in 2005, Devyn Tyler had just completed her first week of high school at Ben Franklin. Her world was about to be dumped upside down.

We lived in the Gentilly neighborhood, and we lost absolutely everything, Tyler said. We evacuated to Houston, and while trying to get settled amidst chaos, I was enrolled at The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

That decision was an academic reinforcement of what Tyler already knew she wanted to do with the rest of her life: act.

Tyler has acting in her blood. Her mother, Deneen Tyler, has more than 70 film credits to her name, and Devyn grew up in her moms trailers on movie sets and in voice-over booths while her mom was recording. Devyn began acting in commercials at age 8, and went on to parts in such films as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" with director David Fincher and "12 Years a Slave," directed by Steve McQueen. Both films were shot in New Orleans.

Now, the world can see Devyn Tyler in "Clarice," based on the blockbuster "Silence of the Lambs," as Ardelia Mapp, roommate and fellow FBI agent of sleuth Clarice Starling. The series has been shooting in Toronto since last September, when Tyler hopped into an RV and drove straight north from New Orleans.

After graduating from the performing arts school in Houston, Tyler went on to Columbia University in New York, where she received a degree in French. She moved back to New Orleans after college to rejoin her family, which had returned from Texas, and she continued to find acting parts while compiling an impressive demo reel.

"Clarice" co-creator Jenny Lumet was a successful screenwriter with "Rachel Getting Married and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." She noticed that male characters from Silence of the Lambs, such as FBI profiler Will Graham and cannibalistic killer Hannibal Lecter, were getting their own spin-off movies and series. I wondered why the unsung hero, Clarice Starling, hadnt been trumpeted, and I thought it was her time to shine, Lumet said.

So when Lumet and Alex Kurtzman created "Clarice," Lumet knew that she wanted both Clarice and Ardelia Mapp to be women who would break down barriers. And she had especially strong feelings about Ardelia.

In the world of Thomas Harris, the author of the horror novel "Silence of the Lambs," Ardelia is an African American character. "In some quarters, she could have been the best friend, who was completely supportive, ... and I would have gone nuts," Lumet said. "So, no sidekicks here. No more Tonto, or any other racist trope BS.

Lumet is the biracial daughter of famed director Sidney Lumet and author Gail Buckley, who is the daughter of African American chanteuse and activist Lena Horne. Jenny Lumet says shes always known that people of color understand more about the dominant caste than the other way around, because its a matter of survival. Her sentiments about portraying women of color as strong individuals is evident everywhere in her writing.

And who doesnt want to play a bold, decisive, smart character, said Tyler? When she was cast in the role of Ardelia, she says it was a dream come true: playing a central character who has important things to say that contribute to the thrust of the story.

The female camaraderie between her character and Clarices is important, and the pair also hit it off in the real world.

When I was testing for the pilot, Rebecca Breeds, who plays Clarice, was incredibly kind, and we just liked each other immediately, Tyler said. It was only for 20 minutes, but when we finally found out wed actually be working together, suddenly COVID happened, and we had no idea about the future. So, we kept our bond up virtually on Zoom.

In "Clarice," the agents are fighting not just crime, but discrimination.

These two women have been brought together in a hub of sexism and male bravado that was the essence of the FBI in the early '90s, Lumet said. Only 10% of agents back then were female, let alone female and Black. ... These two women have been thrust into the darkest parts of humanity, and thats what they have in common.

"Clarice" airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays on CBS. New episodes of Season 1 resumed April 1.

Leslie Carde can be reached at lesliecardejournalist@gmail.com

+2 'Blood Relative' genetic mystery pilot is filmed at old Des Allemands bridge in St. Charles In 2002, Joseph Newton Chandler III shot himself in his apartment in Cleveland, Ohio. The body was not found for days, and it was so decompose
Nyxoah to Delay Full Year 2020 Earnings Release Until April 9, 2021

Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium - 2 April 2021 - Nyxoah SA (Euronext Brussels: NYXH) ("Nyxoah" or the "Company"), a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative solutions and services to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), today announced that it will delay its full year 2020 earnings release and subsequent conference call, previously scheduled for April 6, 2021. The Company now intends to report full year financial results for the year ended December 31, 2020 on Friday, April 9, 2021, before the market opens. The Company will host a conference call to discuss full year 2020 financial results on the same day at 3:00 p.m. CET / 9:00 a.m. ET. The details for the conference call can be found below. The delay is required for the Company and its auditors to complete final audit procedures in accordance with PCAOB auditing standards.

Full Year 2020 Financial Results Conference Call:

Date: Friday, April 9, 2021 Time: 3:00 p.m. CET / 9:00 a.m. ET Webcast: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/nyxoah/20210409_1/ (https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/nyxoah/20210409_1/)

For further information, please contact:

Nyxoah

Fabian Suarez, Chief Financial Officer

fabian.suarez@nyxoah.com

+32 10 22 24 55

Gilmartin Group

Vivian Cervantes

vivian.cervantes@gilmartinir.com

About Nyxoah

Nyxoah is a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative solutions and services to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Nyxoah's lead solution is the Genio system, a CE-validated, patient-centered, next generation hypoglossal neurostimulation therapy for OSA, the world's most common sleep disordered breathing condition that is associated with increased mortality risk2 and comorbidities including cardiovascular diseases, depression and stroke.

Following the successful completion of the BLAST OSA study in patients with moderate to severe OSA, the Genio system received its European CE Mark in 2019. The Company is currently conducting the BETTER SLEEP study in Australia and New Zealand for therapy indication expansion, the DREAM IDE pivotal study for FDA approval and a post-marketing EliSA study in Europe to confirm the long-term safety and efficacy of the Genio system.

For more information, please visit www.nyxoah .com.

Attachment
One in every four West Australian quarantine workers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as Premier Mark McGowan continues to explore the legalities of making the jab mandatory for frontline staff.

Figures released by the Department of Health on Thursday showed of the 1752 hotel quarantine workers, including security guards, cleaners and medical staff, 53.8 per cent had received their first dose of the vaccine, and 25.7 per cent had received two jabs  the number required to be fully immunised.

WAs vaccination rate among COVID-19 frontline workers such as cleaners and security guards, remains low more than a month into the roll-out. Credit:Getty Images

Mr McGowan said most, if not all, medical staff responsible for treating COVID-19 patients inside their hotel rooms and police at the venues had been vaccinated  meaning the shortfall was mostly in relation to security and cleaning staff at Perths nine quarantine hotels.

The hotel worker cohort was among 16,078 people in WA in the priority Phase 1A of the vaccine roll-out, which commenced on February 22.
A number of 432,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine will arrive on Friday at the "Cantacuzino" National Medical-Military Institute for Research-Development.

According to a press release of the National Committee for the coordination of the activities regarding the anti-COVID vaccination, the transport is provided by the manufacturing company, and the vaccine doses will be brought to Bucharest by land.

The doses will be stored at the National Storage Centre, and in the next period they will be distributed to the existing regional centres at the national level.

So far, according to the CNCAV, 888,400 doses produced by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca have been received in Romania, and 359,680 people have been immunized with this type of vaccine since February 15.

The quantity delivered to Romania is the largest so far, and the allocation of future vaccine doses will be made according to the schedule provided by the manufacturing company, CNCAV mentioned.

AGERPRES .
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A handful of 'Kill the Bill' activists have marched on London and Manchester with police keeping a watchful eye after demonstrators scheduled protests in a 'National Weekend of Action' over what could be a chaotic Easter.

Large numbers of people waved placards as they also gathered at Guildhall Square in Southampton, alongside convening at Finsbury Park in the capital city and St Peter's Square in Manchester city centre from 1pm.

The protests are being held to show opposition to the Government's proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021, which would give police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance.

Protesting is now legal in England following a change in Covid-19 lockdown rules which came into force on Monday, but organisers are required to submit risk assessments and ensure social distancing.

Despite this, the Metropolitan Police warned yesterday the safety of the wider community is paramount and said enforcement action would be taken 'if needed, in the interests of public health'.

It comes amid calls for protesters in all cities to gather tomorrow to oppose the controversial anti-protest legislation being shared widely online.

Protests are expected to take place in London, Plymouth and Bournemouth on what is forecast to be a sunny weekend and the first to benefit from the easing of 'stay at home' lockdown restrictions.

Demonstrators gold up placards reading 'Boris reigns freedom wanes', 'we need more power' and 'this is how change happens' during a 'Kill the Bill' protest in Finsbury Park, North London, today

Demonstrators during a 'Kill the Bill' protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in St Peter's Square, Manchester, today. It comes amid calls for protesters in all cities to gather tomorrow to oppose the anti-protest legislation

Demonstrators holding banners during a 'Kill the Bill' protest at Finsbury Park today. The bill would give police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance

A police officer talks to a man before the start of a 'Kill the Bill' protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in Finsbury Park, North London, today

In Southampton, protesters set up a makeshift PA system and chanted 'kill the bill' while others banged drums.

A crowd of around 200 gathered outside the gates of Finsbury Park, in north London mostly wearing masks, holding banners with phrases defending the right to protest.

The group stayed for around an hour and a half before dispersing peacefully.

In Manchester, demonstrators remained socially distanced in St Peter's Square with a 48-hour police dispersal order remaining in place for the entire city centre.

The order gives the city's police force the power to tell people engaged or likely to engage in anti-social behaviour to leave a specified area.

It is in place until 3pm on Saturday and comes after a number of unrelated gatherings were held this week, including at Castlefield Bowl.

Greater Manchester Police said earlier today: 'GMP are aware of plans to demonstrate in the city centre today and have been closely monitoring the situation.

'We have worked closely with partners to ensure appropriate plans have been put in place.'

A demonstrator is seen wearing a face mask with 'Kill the Bill' written across the front during a protest in Finsbury Park today

Protestors hold banners during a 'Kill the Bill' rally in Finsbury Park on Good Friday. The demonstration is against the new policing law, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

A demonstrator holds a banner reading 'protest is not a crime' during the rally in Finsbury Park, North London, earlier today

A woman takes a photo of her son holding a protest sign over his face at a Kill the Bill protest in Finsbury Park, London, today

A demonstrators holds a sign reading 'if protest changed anything, they'd make it illegal', during a Kill the Bill rally in London

A woman wearing a face mask holds up a cardboard placard during today's protest in Finsbury Park, North London

Protestors chant their opposition to the proposed new bill as activists gather for a 'Kill the Bill' protest at Finsbury Park

Protestors chant their opposition to the proposed new bill as activists gather for a 'Kill the Bill' protest at Finsbury Park today

A speaker addresses the crowd as protestors gather for a 'Kill the Bill' rally in Finsbury Park, North London, this afternoon

Protestors chant their opposition to the proposed new bill as activists gather for a 'Kill the Bill' protest at Finsbury Park

A police officer speaks to a person they perceive to be an organiser of the protest during the rally in Finsbury Park, London

A similar rally was held in St Peter's Square last Saturday, with some demonstrators who sat on the tram tracks being forcibly removed by officers and 18 people arrested.

It follows police officers appealing for help earlier this week to identify 14 protesters they believe were involved in the first Kill the Bill riot in Bristol on March 21. A further demonstration on March 30 passed off peacefully.

Violent scenes had erupted last Sunday when around 3,000 demonstrators took to the streets to protest the bill.

Can protests take place in England under Covid rules? Britons are permitted to gather in groups larger than six for the purpose of 'Covid-secure protests' under updated lockdown rules. The guidance had previously outlawed any large gatherings, meaning the previous three Bristol rallies weren't permitted under Covid restrictions. However, an update which came into force on Monday allows people to gather in larger groups for protest if the organiser has 'taken the required precautions'. This includes completing a risk assessment for the gathering. The updated guidance reads: 'You may gather in larger groups... for the purpose of Covid-secure protests or picketing where the organiser has taken the required precautions, including the completion of a risk assessment.' Advertisement

Senior Investigating Officer DCI James Riccio said: 'Our investigation is continuing at pace and we continue to make significant progress in what is a really challenging inquiry.

'We've had fantastic support from the public so far and for that we're incredibly grateful.

'I'd like to once again ask for their help to look at our gallery and see if they recognise any of the people in the images.'

There have been 25 arrests in connection with the unrest, including nine men aged between 19 and 44 who were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder on the night.

Four women, aged between 18 and 20, were then arrested between Thursday and Friday last week, also on suspicion of violent disorder.

Later, police arrested another three people, two men and a woman aged between 21 and 30, on suspicion of violent disorder during a third protest on March 26.

The rally, which followed a second night of violence on March 23, saw some 300 people join a march through Bristol against the controversial bill before the crowd swelled to more than 1,000.

And last Saturday, officers detained three men and two women - aged between 19 and 30 - on suspicion of violent disorder.

On the same day, Boris Johnson condemned a 'mob intent on violence'. The Prime Minister slammed the 'disgraceful' demonstration and hit out at those 'intent on violence and causing damage to property'.

He was backed by Priti Patel who blasted the 'thugs' who were 'only intent on causing trouble' at the Kill the Bill march in Bristol last Friday night.

The Home Secretary said she was 'disgusted' by the attacks on police, which saw protesters launch fireworks at officers on horseback outside Bridewell Police Station.

She said the force 'have my full support' and added she believed the 'silent, law-abiding majority will be appalled by the actions of this criminal minority'.

Demonstrators hold up placards during a 'Kill the Bill' protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill as darkness falls in Guildhall Square, Southampton, today

Protestors during a 'Kill the Bill' rally in Southampton. Protests are also expected to take place in London, Plymouth and Bournemouth on what is forecast to be a sunny weekend

Police officers look on during a 'Kill the Bill' protest in Southampton. An update which came into force on Monday allows people to gather in larger groups for protest if the organiser has 'taken the required precautions'

Demonstrators wave placards during a 'Kill the Bill' rally at Guildhall Square in Southampton this afternoon

A demonstrator is seen wearing a face mask with 'Kill the Bill' written across the front at Guildhall Square in Southampton

Demonstrators hold up placards during a 'Kill the Bill' protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in Guildhall Square, Southampton, today

Demonstrators gather while holding up placards reading 'Kill the Bill' at a protest in Guildhall Square, Southampton, today

Protestors wearing face masks pictured during a 'Kill the Bill' protest in Southampton on Good Friday. Britons are permitted to gather in groups larger than six for the purpose of 'Covid-secure protests' under updated lockdown rules

A demonstrator holds up a placard reading 'free the land' during a protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in Guildhall Square, Southampton, today

Protestors gather during a socially-distanced rally against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in St Peter's Square, Manchester, on Good Friday

Covid marshals pictured in St Peter's Square, Manchester, as demonstrators take part in a 'Kill the Bill' protest today

A demonstrator wearing a face mask holds up two placards during a 'Kill the Bill' protest in St Peter's Square, Manchester, on Good Friday

Detective Chief Superintendent Carolyn Belafonte previously said the investigation into scenes on March 21 will 'undoubtedly be one of the largest in Avon and Somerset Police's history.'

She said: 'More than 100 officers and staff continue to work on the inquiry which is being led by our Major Crime Investigation Team.

'Hundreds of hours of digital material has already been reviewed and images of the first 10 people detectives want to talk to about Sunday's events have been identified and published on a gallery on our website.

'Officers and staff are working their way through images and footage as quickly as they can but with more than two terabytes worth of CCTV footage as well as nearly 100 officers' body worn video cameras and more than 100 videos already sent in by members of the public to review, this will take a considerable amount of time.

'We expect to release images of many more people in the coming days and ask anyone who recognises anyone to contact us.

'We'd also ask anyone who recognises themselves in the images to pick up the phone and dial 101 or visit their nearest police station so we can arrange for officers to talk to you to get your account of events.'
Season six of Line Of Duty has left fans with more questions than answers, with viewers flocking to Twitter to question what exactly is DCI Jo Davidson is up to, whether Kate Fleming has really left AC-12 and who is H?

Here, MailOnline examines some of the most prominent fan theories

Kate Fleming HASN'T left AC-12 and is working undercover

One of the most shocking discoveries was AC-12's Kate is now working with a new team- with some fans suggesting she could even be the infamous H.

While chatting to her new gaffer DCI Davidson, Kate said: '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.

Even after she tipped off Davidson and incurred the wrath of Ted Hastings, fans have continued to speculate that she is so deep undercover that even Hastings is having to keep her true agenda secret.

Kate Fleming HASN'T left AC-12 and is working undercover: Is it true? The jury is still out on this one

DCI Jo Davidson is being blackmailed by an Organised Crime Group

Jo has already survived a grilling from AC-12's top team and appeared to clear her name when it was ex-girlfriend PS Farida Jatri who seemed to have taken part in corruption.

However, Jo was seen hitching a ride with known bent copper Ryan Pilkington and taken to collect a burner phone, making her look suspicious once more.

Fans, however, are convinced the DCI is being blackmailed by an OCG, following her emotional outburst when she was summoned to pick up a new burner.

DCI Jo Davidson is being blackmailed by an Organised Crime Group: Is it true? After her car park outburst it seems increasingly likely

DCI Jo Davidson's mother is Anne-Marie McGillis

Fans speculated over who Jo's mother could be after she was seen in a photograph in the first episode.

Many theorised her mother has something to do with season five character John Corbett's [Stephen Graham] mother Anne-Marie McGillis, who was killed by an Irish Republican paramilitary group sometime after 1989.

DCI Jo Davidson's mother is Anne-Marie McGillis: Is it true? There simply isn't enough evidence yet to determine on way or the other

Gail Vella is still alive

Although season six has centered around the murder of journalist Gail Vella, one obscure theory is that she is in fact still alive.

Craig Parkinson, who played Matthew 'Dot' Cottan in the show, said on BBC Sounds podcast Obsessed with Line of Duty: 'Somebody is in that flat and theres some connection with Gail Vella, the investigative journalist.

'You dont cast someone like Andi Osho and then just have her as little magazine prints and stick them up on a kitchen wall.'

Sarah Millican - who also appeared on the podcast - went on to suggest Vella may have been a former lover of DCI Davidson's.

Gail Vella is still alive: Is it true? It seems unlikely that the scale of police corruption is so huge that they could fake a murder victim

DC Chloe Bishop is Tony Gates' daughter

Bishop is one of AC-12's newest recruits, and as Gates and his wife Jools had two daughters, Natalie and Chloe, viewers have suggested their shared first name 'can't be a coincidence'.

Gates' daughter was last seen in season one in 2012, which means she'd be roughly the same age as Bishop is now.

Fans have suggested that Bishop either took her mother's maiden name or the name of a step-father, so that her true identity remains a secret - for now.

Gates died at the end of the first season when he walked into a busy road after getting a confession from gang leader Tommy Hunter, who had been blackmailing the police officer into covering up their criminal activity.

DC Chloe Bishop is Tony Gates' daughter: Is it true? The dates and facts line up, but there still isn't enough to write it off as a coincidence just yet

DCI Jo Davidson's mystery blood relative is...?

After it was revealed that Jo's DNA matched someone on the Police National Computer, fans theorized who that could be.

The overriding theories suggested that Davidson's relative was either Tommy Hunter, of series one and two, Mike Dryden of series two, John Corbett of series five, or Derek Hilton, killed off in series four.

Tommy Hunter was the leader of the OCG in earlier series of the show, and a paedophile. His character is dead.

Mike Dryden, the former Deputy Chief Constable, was last seen resigning from his post for perverting the course of justice in series two. His Scottish links also suggest he could be related to Davidson.

John Corbett was an undercover cop in series five who had his throat slit, leaving behind a wife, two daughters, and a mysterious link to a woman, Anne-Marie, whom fans claim could also be Davidson's mother.

Derek Hilton was a Chief Superintendent and later the Assistant Chief Constable of Central Police. He was also secretly affiliated with organised crime. He was shot in the mouth in a staged suicide in season four.

Other suggestions were Gill Biggeloe, Jackie Laverty, Lindsay Denton or Terry Boyle.
Phoenixcontact.nl scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 7 Mar 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

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PAGE TITLE PHOENIX CONTACT | Homepage Nederlands DESCRIPTION Phoenix Contact - de innovatieve marktleider in de industrie le aansluittechniek, automatiseringstechniek, elektronische Interfacesystemen en overspanningsbeveiliging. KEYWORDS Klemmen, veldbus, automatisering, aansluittechniek, overspanningsbeveiliging, Interface, verbindingstechniek, connectoren, elektronica, printplaataansluittechniek, phoenix, contact, phoenix contact OTHER KEYWORDS contact, phoenix contact, phoenix, handboek voor mobiele communicatie, in your browser, klik dan verder, handboek voor mobiele



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It is learnt that Yoga as a practice has been banned in Alabama public schools. The reason behind the ban was raised by conservative representatives in the southeastern U.S. state who were worried yoga could lead to the promotion of 'Hinduism'.

Over the years Yoga, an ancient Indian origin practice and discipline has become a global rage but in recent shocking developments it is learnt that the practice has been banned in Alabama public schools. The reason behind the ban was raised by conservative representatives in the southeastern U.S. state who were worried yoga could lead to the promotion of Hinduism or guided meditation practices. Back in 1993 the Alabama Board of Education voted to prohibit school personnel from using any techniques that involve the induction of hypnotic states, guided imagery, meditation or yoga.

The proposed legislation further cited that any forms of chanting, mantras and namaste greetings would be prohibited. It would also mandate that all the yoga poses have English names. The committee felt yoga is a very big part of the Hindu religion and mainly the opposition and ban lies for its close ties with Hinduism. If passed, the Alabama Bill would reinstate teaching yoga in public schools after a 30 year old ban. The 1993 ban garnered attention in 2018 when a document circulate deeming yoga, dodgeball and kickball as inappropriate gym activities. The bill further states if allowed the poses, exercises and stretching techniques will be limited exclusively to sitting, standing, reclining, twisting, and balancing. This speaks volume about American secularism and yet no American media maven will be writing tons of op-ed in Indian newspapers on the state of religious tolerance in US.

Such insecurity prompts severe fears and conservative views against what is a very universal, inclusive practice rather. The state of Alabama also stated that all poses and stretching are required to use English descriptive names as opposed to chanting, mantras, mudras, use of mandalas and namaste greetings will not be allowed. Yoga as a practice in many previous instances had faced the wrath when many conservatives across the world tried to discredit this form of exercise for promoting Hinduism and Hindu culture. Democratic representative Jeremy Gray of Opelika said some of his colleagues report receiving a lot of emails about it being part of Hinduism.

ALABAMA BANNED YOGA BECAUSE OF ITS TIES TO HINDUISM LMAOOOOOOOO  abby govindan (@abbygov) April 1, 2021

Grays legislation, which would allow K-12 schools to offer yoga as an elective, would prohibit chanting, mantras, mudras, use of mandalas(&)namaste greetings. But Gerritson said it would still open the door to Hindu influenceMeditation is not prohibited, Gerritson said.  David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) April 1, 2021

What insecurity prompts such fears against what is a very universal, inclusive practice! Alabama to keep ban on yoga as conservatives say they fear rise in Hinduism | The Independent https://t.co/NqWmjz3fh1  Krittivas Mukherjee (@Krittivasm) April 1, 2021

Also Read: #ModiParanoiaPolitics: BJP calls upon CM-PM 1 party; Didi says Back me or Modis Bharat
House Financial Services Committee members Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., have introduced NAFCU-sought legislation that would improve existing language in the Federal Credit Union (FCU) Act related to expulsion in order to protect credit unions, members, and employees.

NAFCU applauds Representatives Tom Emmer and Ed Perlmutter for introducing legislation that will help protect credit unions and their members from abusive, fraudulent, and criminal activity, said NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger. Ensuring credit unions have the ability to address illegal activity or threatening behavior at their institutions is paramount so they can continue to safely and soundly serve their members and local communities. NAFCU strongly supports this bipartisan bill, and we will continue to advocate for Congress to pass these important reforms.

Emmer and Perlmutter introduced similar legislation last year, and similar legislation was also introduced in the Senate.

As proposed, the legislation would allow credit unions to adopt an expulsion policy to expel members who engage in abusive or illegal behavior, while allowing for an appeal process that would provide due process for the accused member. Currently, federal credit unions are required to hold a special vote and obtain two-thirds approval from all members in order to expel a member.
Burma Three NLD Lawmakers Among Nine People Detained in Myanmars Ayeyarwady

Three NLD lawmakers detained by the military regime.

PATHEINNine individuals including deposed parliamentarians of the National League for Democracy (NLD) who had been on the run from the military regime were captured by junta forces at gunpoint on Wednesday.

They were found while hiding in Shwe Myin Tin Village-tract in Pathein, the capital of Ayeyarwady Region. Among them are three deposed NLD MPs, five NLD members and a striking police officer.

Police have reportedly charged the nine under the sedition law.

Soldiers and police came in six vehicles. They fired around 10 shots and arrested three lawmakers and others who were hiding in a farmyard in Ywar Thar Yar Village, said a Shwe Myin Tin resident.

The detained lawmakers are Lower House member U Thein Tun of Thabaung Township, and two Ayeyarwady regional parliament members: U Aung Aung Oo and U Than Htut, representing Thabaung and Pathein respectively.

A source close to U Than Htut said: All nine are being held at [the Myanmar militarys] South-Western Command. All three lawmakers were reportedly beaten in interrogation. Lawyers and relatives have not yet been allowed to meet them.

Ayeyarwady Region Chief Minister U Hla Moe Aung and ministers of the elected regional government have been in detention since the Feb. 1 coup.

Since Feb. 11, the military regime has detained and filed lawsuits under various charges against at least 35 individuals in Pathein including political activists, human rights activists, lawmakers, a reporter and anti-regime protesters.

You may also like these stories:

US Sanctions Pose Huge Risks for Myanmar Businesses

Myanmar Post-Coup Death Toll Tops 540 Thursday

Myanmars Shadow Government Vows a New Constitution and End to Dictatorship
Taipei, April 2 : At least 41 people were killed in a deadly train derailment in Taiwan's in Hualien county on Friday, officials said, adding 72 passengers were still trapped.

At 9.28 a.m. (local time), the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) No. 408 Taroko train en route from Shulin, New Taipei, to Taitung, suddenly derailed as it entered the Daqingshui tunnel, reports Taiwan News.

The train comprised eight carriages and had more than 350 passengers on board.

The accident took place on the first day of a four-day break for Taiwan's annual tomb-sweeping tradition.

According to the National Fire Agency, 41 people were killed and at least 66 were injured and are being treated in hospital.

According to a preliminary investigation, workers at a nearby tunnel project parked the vehicle at the top of a slope without fastening the handbrake.

As the train passed, the vehicle rolled down the slope and hit the eighth and last carriage, Taiwan News reported.

Prosecutors have reportedly questioned the person in charge of the tunnel project to find out why the vehicle had not been parked properly.

Premier Su Tseng-chang expressed his apologies to the passengers and sent his condolences to the victims' families, dpa news agency reported.

"I want to express my deep sympathies to the victims' families and to the passengers who were injured," Su told a news conference in Taipei, adding that he regretted the incident.

He said he would immediately leave Taipei for Hualien.

President Tsai Ing-wen has instructed the authorities to continue their rescue activities and to comprehensively investigate the cause of the accident.

The last major train crash in Taiwan was in October 2018, when 18 people died.
Kolkata, April 2 : A Trinamool Congress delegation led by former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha met Election Commission officials here on Friday and requested them to address the electronic voting machine (EVM) glitches issue and alleged violence by BJP workers during polling in Nandigram.

The delegation of the Trinamool Congress leader, which included MP Derek O'Brien, met the CEO of the Election Commission in West Bengal and also submitted a two-page memorandum.

Speaking to mediapersons, Sinha said, "We have requested the Election Commission to address the EVM issue and violence by BJP workers." He said that it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair polls.

Sinha said that despite their tactics, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee will win from Nandigram and the party will secure victory in the first two phases.

The Trinamool Congress in its memorandum said: "We are constrained to write to the poll panel expressing our disapproval of the manner in which elections were conducted during phase one and phase two of the 60 assembly constituencies." The memorandum said that democracy is an essential feature of the Constitution and as such unassailable. "The EC was formed and is under a duty to ensure that the democratic setup is upheld by ensuring that the right to vote and the right to participate in the democratic process is duly preserved," it said.

The Trinamool COngress in its memorandum raised the issue of the alleged rampant violence by members of the BJP and also the dereliction of duties by the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and acting on the instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

On Thursday during voting for the second phase, Banerjee camped at a polling station in Nandigram for several hours and alleged that voters were being stopped from exercising their franchise.

The Trinamool Congress in its memorandum said, "CAPF, under instructions of Home Minister, has acted in a complete departure from its duty to act impartially, by being a mute spectator to continual violence perpetrated by the BJP and intimidation of electors voting for the Trinamool Congress." The party also asked the election watchdog to pass appropriate directions to the CAPF to "maintain the sanctity of elections" and "act in a non-partisan manner".

It said: "Ensure that CAPF personnel against whom complaints have been filed during Phases 1 and 2 are not deployed for any election-related activity in the upcoming phases."
Page Content

On March 31, President Joe Biden released his blueprint for a $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, the American Jobs Plan, which includes a call for strengthening unions; job-training measures; and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

We've gathered articles on the American Jobs Plan from SHRM Online and other trusted sources.

PRO Act Included in Proposal



The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act is included in the American Jobs Plan. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the PRO Act on March 9. The legislation would, among other provisions:



Weaken right-to-work laws in 28 states by permitting unions to require workers at unionized companies to pay dues. Currently, employees in right-to-work states may choose not to pay union dues.

Greatly expand the definition of "employee" and almost expunge the concept of independent contractor.

Make it easier to establish that two or more employers are joint employers.

Prohibit class-action waivers in arbitration.

Expand damages under the National Labor Relations Act.

(SHRM Online)

Sector-Based Training

The American Jobs Plan calls for a $40 billion investment in a new Dislocated Workers Program and sector-based training. This funding would ensure that workers who have lost their jobs get services to gain new skills for in-demand jobs. Training programs would focus on growing, high-demand sectors such as clean energy, manufacturing and caregiving, according to the Biden administration.

(The White House)

Inequities in STEM Fields Targeted

The plan also seeks to eliminate racial and gender inequities in research and development, and in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Biden is calling on Congress to make a $10 billion research and development investment at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). He also is calling on Congress to invest $15 billion in creating up to 200 centers of excellence that serve as research incubators at HBCUs to provide graduate fellowships for underserved populations.

(The White House)

Infrastructure



The spending in the American Jobs Plan would cover a wide range of physical infrastructure projects, including transportation, broadband, the electric grid and housing, as well as efforts to jump-start advanced manufacturing. The plan also would include money for initiatives to support labor unions and providers of in-home care for older Americans and people with disabilities, while also increasing the pay of the workers who provide that care.



(The New York Times)

Other Work-Related Topics

The American Jobs Plan asks Congress to invest in job training for formerly incarcerated individuals. In addition, the plan recommends eliminating subminimum wage provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act and expanding access to competitive, integrated employment opportunities and fair wages for workers with disabilities. Another $48 billion would go toward the American workforce development infrastructure and worker protections. This would help fund registered apprenticeships, creating 1 million to 2 million new registered apprenticeship slots and strengthening the pipeline for more women and people of color to access these opportunities through pre-apprenticeship programs.

(The White House)


The Home Office confirmed 30 migrants were detained on Thursday after making the dangerous Channel crossing through 30mph winds on a single boat.

The group, which arrived at Dover Marina, Kent, shortly after 12pm yesterday, included young children as well as a disabled man who required a wheelchair.

It takes the total number of arrivals in the UK for the year so far to 1,392.

French authorities also prevented 148 people from attempting the treacherous 21-mile journey in seven boats overnight and into Thursday morning, according to the Home Office.

The Home Office confirmed 30 migrants were detained on Thursday after making the dangerous Channel crossing through 30mph winds

Border Force vessel Vigilant was seen unloading migrants including young children shortly after 12pm at Dover Marina, Kent, yesterday

One migrant detained yesterday was a disabled man who needed a wheelchair to make his way up the gangway for processing

It was a busy day for the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea after several migrant boats got into difficulty due to the turbulent weather conditions.

The Jean Bart II rescued 26 people - including two women, four children and many suffering from hypothermia - from the Dunkirk West dune canal and returned them to the nearby port shortly after 9am for quayside medical attention.

The Cote des Dunes ferry spotted another four migrants on a boat who were rescued by coastal maritime surveillance boat Escaut and returned to Calais around 11am.

The Jean Bart II was back out to rescue 23 migrants - including a pregnant woman and another woman - and return them to Calais just before noon.

A Calais Seaways ferry raised the alarm after spotting 32 migrants - including two women and two children - in difficulty. They were all returned to Calais by the Notre Dame du Risban at 12.41pm.

Fishing vessel FV Surcouf also called for help after finding 18 migrants including a woman and child in the Pas-de-Calais Strait.

Yesterday's group, which included young children, took the total number of arrivals in the UK for the year so far to 1,392

No crossings had been expected yesterday after battering winds of up to 30mph replaced the mini-heatwave of the previous few days

Many were hypothermic and needed medical help when returned to Boulogne-sur-Mer port by the President Jacques Huret rescue boat shortly after 1.30pm.

French Navy rescue tug Abeille Languedoc also intercepted three migrants in the same stretch of water and rescued a further 41 - including two women and three children - on its way back to Boulogne around 3pm.

Weather had become so bad in the Channel that merchant vessel Orient Angel, which had picked up 12 migrants and their boat, was advised to wait until a favourable window to return them to land safely.

Minister for Immigration Compliance and Justice Chris Philp said: 'People should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach and not make these dangerous journeys.

'Close work with law enforcement colleagues in France is stopping migrants from leaving French beaches, but there is more work to be done.

'Our New Plan for Immigration will break the business model of people smugglers, and overhaul our broken asylum system.'
KYODO NEWS - Apr 3, 2021 - 00:10 | All, World, Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga offered his condolences following a deadly train accident on Friday in Taiwan that resulted in dozens of casualties.

"I am extremely heartbroken," Suga wrote on Twitter, which also appeared in Chinese. "I express my heartfelt sympathies to those who have died and offer my sincere condolences for the people who suffered in the accident."

"If there is a request from the Taiwan side regarding support, we want to consider possible assistance," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, Japan's top government spokesman, told a press conference.

The express train that derailed in a tunnel in eastern Taiwan was manufactured by Hitachi Ltd. and started operations in May 2007 as Taiwan's first tilting rail car, the major Japanese conglomerate said.

Under its push for infrastructure exports, Hitachi has delivered 260 rail cars, including those for express and bullet services, to Taiwan since 1960, including 64 tilting cars since 2006.

Fire authorities in Taiwan said the accident that occurred in Hualien County left around 50 people dead and more than 100 others injured.

Related coverage:

48 dead after train derails in Taiwan
Bentley's undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021 will take place on the morning of May 1, followed in the afternoon by a ceremony to honor Class of 2020 undergraduate and graduate alumni.

"We look forward to making this a memorable day for both the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021, as we celebrate the great accomplishments they've achieved under extraordinary circumstances," said Interim President and Board Chair Paul Condrin. "It will be special for our graduates to hear from Gloria Cordes Larson, who as our university's president welcomed both of these classes to our Falcon Family as they began their Bentley journey."

Larson was Bentley's president from 2007 until 2018 and under her leadership, Bentley transitioned from a regional business college to one of the top business universities in the country.

As Bentley's seventh president, Larson deftly managed the university through the Great Recession with a return-on-investment approach that focused on preparing students to lead rewarding careers and lives. She expanded Bentley's dual focus on business and the arts and sciences, while strengthening the university's emphasis on hands-on learning and access to technology in the classroom. She supported career planning as a crucial aspect of the college experience for every student beginning in their first year.

As Bentley's first female president, Larson established the Center for Women and Business, extending Bentley's influence into the business community, supporting young women entering the workforce, and helping companies to remove barriers to gender equality. In recognition of her support for the center and her efforts to empower women, the center was named in her honor in 2018.

For more details about Bentley's Commencement at Fenway: https://www.bentley.edu/commencement

About Gloria Cordes Larson

Larson is a respected lawyer, public policy expert, Boston business leader, and former university president. She serves as a director for two public companies, Unum Group and Boston Private, and for tech start-up Christie Campus Health. Larson also serves as the president of the Massachusetts Conference for Women, on the board of reacHIRE, and on the board of several other national and regional nonprofit organizations. In 2011, Larson launched the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University, which was later named in her honor. While at Bentley, Larson authored the book "PreparedU: How Innovative Colleges Prepare Students for Success." Larson served as president in residence at the Harvard Graduate School of Education from 2018 to 2019. She was named to the Power 50 by the Boston Business Journal and Boston Magazine; featured in the Boston Globe Magazine's Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts; and awarded the 2018 Ellen M. Zane award for Visionary Leadership from Tufts Medical Center. She also received a Woman of the Year award from the Wentworth Institute of Technology and was named one of the University of Virginia School of Law's 100 Change Agents.

About Bentley University

Bentley University is more than just one of the nation's top business schools. It is a lifelong-learning community that creates successful leaders who make business a force for positive change. With a combination of business and the arts and sciences and a flexible, personalized approach to education, Bentley provides students with critical thinking and practical skills that prepare them to lead successful, rewarding careers. Founded in 1917, the university enrolls 4,200 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate and PhD students and is set on 163 acres in Waltham, Massachusetts, 10 miles west of Boston. For more information, visit www.bentley.edu.

SOURCE Bentley University

Related Links

https://www.bentley.edu


Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 15:40:35|Editor: huaxia

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BISHKEK, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan confirmed on Friday a total of 162 COVID-19 cases, raising the national tally of infections to 88,700, the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19 reported.

A total of 112 new cases were registered in the capital city of Bishkek.

Meanwhile, 82 recoveries were reported over the past day, taking the national count to 84,979.

The virus-related deaths remained at 1,500, as no new deaths were reported over the past day, the headquarters said.

Currently, 564 patients with COVID-19 were being treated in hospitals, including 24 in intensive care units, while another 704 patients were receiving treatment at home.

A total of 4,334 lab tests were conducted in the country over the past day.

The report also said that 113 people were vaccinated during the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number of those who were vaccinated to 417, using the Chinese-donated vaccines. Enditem
Gabriela Aparicio, Advisor with Engel & Volkers Orlando With Engel & Volkers I saw the opportunity to become part of a global brand with a network that lives and breathes exceptional client service.

Engel & Volkers Florida today announced Gabriela Aparicio has joined Engel & Volkers Orlando, the newest of several franchised-brokerages in Central Florida, as a real estate advisor.

With Engel & Volkers I saw the opportunity to become part of a global brand with a network that lives and breathes exceptional client service, said Aparicio. Being part of such a collaborative team on a local and international level, in addition to its fresh approach to marketing, helps me enhance my offerings to best support my clients.

Aparicio comes to Engel & Volkers from the Golden Blaque Team at eXp Realty, where she consistently ranked among top performers in the company. Her real estate experience spans five years, in which time she has conducted over 100 transactions worldwide, totaling more than $45,000,000. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Aparicio regularly serves international clientele. She is a Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) and specializes in relocation and vacation homes. Previously, she was the top sales broker for Christopher Harbour, a luxury Caribbean beachfront property in the southeast peninsula of St. Kitts, and served as the Consulate General of Guatemala in Miami for four years. Currently, she is the president of "Boss Babes in Real Estate," a professional networking group for women in real estate. Aparicio sits on the Board of Directors for Florida Realtors representing Orlando Regional Realtors Association, and is also part of the Florida Realtors Global Business Committee.

Gabriela has a proven track record for her market expertise and will further strengthen our growing shops team, said Ahmed Elbatrawy, License Partner of Engel & Volkers Orlando.

Engel & Volkers has maintained a presence in Central Florida since 2011. Since then, the company has expanded with locations in Clermont, Orlando Downtown, Windermere, Winter Park, and most recently, Orlando. The franchise rights to Engel & Volkers Orlando, the fifth location in the region and 36th in the state, were acquired by Elbatrawy earlier this year. Prior to starting his own brokerage with Engel & Volkers, Elbatrawy was a top producer with Coldwell Banker, where he led the Orlando Future Team. Elbatrawy and his Managing Broker, Eric Bolves are actively recruiting talented local professionals to join their team of advisors. The shop will be located at 2049 W Central Blvd. A grand opening is slated for later this year.

This situation mirrors a trend we have been experiencing across the state of Florida over the past 12 months, said Peter Giese, Chief Growth Officer at Engel & Volkers Florida. A new Engel & Volkers franchise is secured by a local market expert, and before we open our highly-anticipated shop, top agents are coming on board. In a competitive market, agents are seeking to stand out from the pack; joining forces with Engel & Volkers gives them a unique value proposition to win premium listings and better service affluent clientele.

###

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, Sarasota, South Tampa, St. Augustine, St. Pete, St. Pete Beach, Stuart, Venice, 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
New Delhi:

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi who is on a two-week visit to the US on Friday said that Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Ambedkar lived outside India, and returned with ideas to transform the country.

Mahatma Gandhi was an NRI, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru came back from England, Dr Ambedkar, Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel- these were all NRIs. Every single one of them went to the outside India, saw the world, returned to India and used some of the ideas they got and transformed India, he said.

He said that he views India not as a piece of land but as a set of ideas and anybody who has the ideas that make up India is an Indian.

On Wednesday, speaking at an event in New York organised by the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC), Rahul said India is not just a piece of land but a set of ideas.

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi in US: Divisive politics threatening peace, tolerance in India

Some people view India as a geographical construct. They view India as a piece of land. I dont view India as a piece of land. I view India as a set of ideas. So for me, anybody who has the ideas that make up India is an Indian, Gandhi said.

Ideas take time to travel into India. But, when an idea is good, India understands it very quickly, and uses it and shows the world how it can be used, he added.

Rahul also stressed on the need to establish a network between Universities and businesses to make them compete with rest of the world.

"Our IITs are tremendous institutions but they are not networks. If we connect our IITs to our industries and businesses across the world, they will start to compete with the best businesses in the world. These are things that can be done."

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.




President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has fallen for the third consecutive week, reaching an all-time low of 32 percent, due mainly to his government's unpopular housing policy, a poll showed Friday.







In Gallup Korea's survey of 1,000 adults nationwide conducted from Tuesday through Thursday, only 32 percent gave a positive assessment of Moon's presidency, down 2 percentage points from the previous week and the lowest since his inauguration in 2017.







But 58 percent negatively assessed Moon's presidency, marking a fall of 1 percentage point from a week earlier, the poll said.







Two weeks earlier, Moon's approval and disapproval ratings stood at 37 percent and 55 percent, respectively.







Negative ratings were higher than positive ratings in all age groups, including among those in their 40s, the core support group for the liberal president. Positive ratings from those in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s and older were 25 percent, 36 percent, 43 percent, 36 percent and 26 percent, respectively.







Moon's approval ratings from liberal, moderate and conservative voters were 55 percent, 32 percent and 14 percent, respectively. In Seoul, the president garnered an approval rate of 35 percent.







Forty percent of those who negatively assessed Moon's performance complained about his government's real estate policy, the poll said.







Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl were tied for the top spot at 23 percent in Gallup Korea's popularity poll for prospective presidential candidates. Lee Nak-yon, former chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, was a distant third with 7 percent in the poll.







It also found 35 percent of the respondents want a ruling party candidate as winner of the nation's next presidential election slated for March next year, compared with 52 percent supporting a win by an opposition candidate.







The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, with a confidence level of 95 percent. (Yonhap)


A Pittsfield police chief, a Boston chaplain and a retired judge are some of the nine inaugural members of the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey announced the new members Thursday afternoon, the deadline for making these appointments. The POST Commission was created out of the police reform law Baker signed into law in December after months of negotiations.

By establishing a Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, the Commonwealth is taking an important step to improve public safety and increase trust between members of law enforcement and the communities they serve, said Baker, a Republican.

The POST Commission will have to create a certification process for officers, a decertification process for problem officers and other penalties for misconduct. The police reform bill requires the governor and attorney general appoint nine commissioners with backgrounds in social work, law enforcement, courts and psychology, among other areas of expertise. Two appointees must be civilians.

Retired Judge Margaret Hinkle will lead the nine-member commission. Baker appointed her along with Pittsfield Police Chief Michael Wynn and social worker Charlene Luma, who heads the Victim Witness Assistance Program for the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office. Hinkle will chair the commission.

Attorney General Maura Healey appointed Massachusetts Law Enforcement Policy Group President Lawrence Calderone, Boston Police Department Det. Larry Ellison and trial attorney Marsha Kazarosian.

They jointly appointed Dr. Hanya Bluestone, a psychologist who specializes in trauma and behavioral medicine; Clementina Chery, a senior chaplain and co-founder of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute in Boston; and Kimberly West, a partner of Ashcroft Law Firm in Boston who has represented clients in investigations involving federal and state agencies.

Each of these appointees brings unique expertise and experience to this Commission as we institute meaningful reform in our state and local law enforcement departments, Healey said.

Lawmakers for months debated the terms of the massive police reform bill, which the Legislature took up after George Floyd was killed at the hands of Minneapolis police in May. One of the few areas where Democrats and Republicans agreed was the provisions creating a POST Commission that would review certification standards and the process of stripping officers of their credentials after misconduct cases.

After the appointment, each member can serve five years or until a replacement is appointed. No commissioner can serve more than 10 years.

Hinkle, the commission chair, served as a Superior Court Justice from 1993 until she retired in 2011. Since then, she has worked as a case manager for JAMS, a private alternative dispute resolution provider.

Of Lumas appointment, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said the social worker will be able to share her experience of trauma-informed work with victims and survivors, perpetrators of crime and law enforcement.

Interactions with law enforcement often occur in times of crisis  during a mental health emergency, in the aftermath of a serious crime or in the darkest times of an individuals life, Rollins said in a statement. Charlene brings a deep understanding of these dynamics and a clinical, trauma-informed lens to this work that will benefit everyone in Massachusetts.

Calderone, who is also president of the Boston Police Patrolmens Association, said he was humbled to be appointed as a representative of law enforcement across Massachusetts.

I take great pride in the faith and responsibility that has been bestowed upon me, he said, and I pledge to be a voice of reason, empathy and understanding while representing police officers across the state to the best of my ability.

Related Content:
Five of Sharon McCarthys six children have autism. Ranging in age from five to 24, the oldest has just qualified as a speech and language therapist.

Hes phenomenal  its because of his own experience with different autism supports across the years, says Carrigaline-based McCarthy, who lectures on autism-specific courses in Cork College of Commerce and trains companies in autism-centric workplace practices.

McCarthy believes the future best practice will see responsibility for autism-support handed over to practitioners who themselves have autism. This belief chimes with a virtual event planned by two UN departments for April 8  to mark World Autism Awareness Day, which takes place today  that looks at inclusion in the workplace through the lens of challenges and opportunities in a post-pandemic world.

Sharon McCarthy: a lecturer in autism-specific courses

But for many young people with autism, the goal of workplace-readiness has suffered a serious setback due to Covid-19 and its myriad restrictions. McCarthy, who hosts Autism Journeys radio show, believes the pandemic will have a huge effect on children with autism reaching their potential. These children thrive in predictability, structure, certainty and routine. The pandemic has removed that layer of predictability and certainty.

She describes many children  who thrived in the school setting  struggling to navigate home-based education.

For many of these children school is school and home is home. They can be very literal  schoolworks only associated with the school building and the teacher, and not with home.

Social etiquette around online learning is different to the social rules of face-to-face, in-person education that the childs used to. At school, they can wriggle around at their desk. They can engage with sensory tools. The teacher isnt sitting right in front of them looking right at them. Online, the childs expected to sit in front of their screen and to engage one-to-one  look at, acknowledge the teacher on-screen through the whole session. For any child with social anxiety or learning difficulties or who struggles to concentrate, its tough.

But theres a flip side. McCarthy says pandemic-style learning has split children with autism into two groups. Some, who struggled with school, have thrived with online learning because learning feels so much safer at home. There isnt the same social demand to engage with teachers and peers.

Worries of the world

Research shows up to 84% of children with autism present with functionally-impacting levels of anxiety. McCarthy says the pandemic has exacerbated this  and anxiety goes hand-in-hand with sensory processing dis-regulation and feelings of overwhelm. Many children with autism tend to worry anyway about big global events. McCarthys had to ban the news in her house.

Its a common theme in families. These kids take on the worries of the world. With Covid, my daughter worries about the wellbeing of everybody. Theres this constant pervasive anxiety.

Autism assessments halted through each successive lockdown, so theres been little movement since early 2020 in existing long waitlists.

Assessments had to stop because its essential the clinician meets the child in person. It doesnt work on Zoom, says McCarthy. And while crisis interventions available (prioritised based on crisis level), its now done online, which can present huge barriers depending on someones ability to engage in online meetings. Some find it hugely difficult to talk about sensitive stuff on Zoom.

Parents are increasingly fearful, watching their children take steps back since the pandemic-onset. Theyre noticing that children  who worked exceptionally hard to manage their sensory regulation, engaging with different sensory tools at school  are now not as able to self-regulate.

Transition back to school

Tommy and Margaret Lowndes with their sons Noah, 7, and Elliot, 3 who both have autism. Photograph Moya Nolan

Autism can make it difficult to form and maintain friendships. McCarthy says many neuro-typical children will have maintained a degree of relationship with peers during school closures, albeit often online. Whereas many children with autism have withdrawn back into the safety of family and home for the pandemic duration.

All of which can make transitioning back to school more fraught  transitions are hard anyway for children on the spectrum. The longer theyve been out, the more difficult its been. Theres an expectation these children will be able to fall back in and manage their anxiety and sensory regulation. Whereas another level of work is needed to get them back to the level of regulation they had.

While some children act out anxieties physically and emotionally, others internalise distress.

Internalisation of feelings will impact mental wellbeing, predicts McCarthy, adding that girls can tend to mask even autism traits more often than boys  a recent study showed girls, on average, are typically diagnosed with autism about 18 months later than boys.

A child psychiatrist at Cleveland Clinic Children's said this is likely because of autism traits often being more subtle in girls.

But when it comes to the pandemic impact, McCarthy says children with autism will need a long time to trust that things are going to be predictable, that education is education, that school can be a safe place.

'He stopped reading'

For 10 days before the Easter holidays, Margaret Lowndess seven-year-old son didnt want to go to school. Its exactly what the Dublin-based mum and her husband, Tommy, feared would happen during the weeks Margaret struggled to home-school Noah, while at the same time looking after Elliot, three, who also has autism.

He just refused to do the work. He stopped reading. He doesnt like writing. We just wanted to keep him with the basics of reading and writing, but when I took out a book he walked away. We tried to make it fun.

When Noah returned to his school routine last September after the first round of school closures, he thrived. This time around its taking longer. In a mainstream school, where he has an SNA, he returned on March 1 but his initial excitement was short-lived. Margaret has seen her good-natured son reluctant to get up in the mornings, to eat breakfast, to put on his uniform, to get going with the day.

Hes so small to be doing this. When you see your smiley little boy weighed down, you worry for their mental wellbeing, says Margaret.

Sharon McCarthys Supporting Autonomy, Visual strategies to set the autistic child up for success  programme that aims to equip children with autism with strategies/skills needed to access any environment. Available at thinkingtoys.ie, through Amazon, local book-stores (Cork); cost 47.50 (paperback), 34.50 (Kindle).

Psychological Society of Irelands new podcast series explores Autism Awareness and Autism Acceptance today, April 2. See psychologicalsociety.ie

Study aims to challenge unique challenges faced by children with autism

The pandemics unpredictable and has created massive uncertainty. And people with autism have lower tolerance for uncertainty than neuro-typical people. So says Dr Sinead Smyth, associate professor at DCUs School of Psychology and lead investigator with the T-Res (Transition Resources) project, which aims to highlight and understand the unique challenges faced by children/young people with autism spectrum disorder and their families, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Smyth says uncertainty links with anxiety and there are high levels of anxiety in people with autism regardless of Covid. Adding to these stress levels impacts on families, as well as children. Living in that ongoing stressful situation is difficult physiologically and psychologically.

The project has surveyed parents of children with autism in a bid to measure lockdown impacts and resulting challenges, so as to enable the development of helpful resources. Parents have seen children struggle to manage and regulate emotion effectively. Theyve also noticed a decline in social skills.

But there have been positives  28% saw improvements in daily-living skills among their children and 20% saw communication skills improve. Other research Ive done has shown  for some students  the school environment can be quite stressful. Remote learning removes some of the strain, whether social or sensory, says Smyth. This, she adds, gives children space and safety for skills-enhancement.
At his trial, Jackson testified that he had never met Dayviontay Jackson before the night of their fatal encounter on Nov. 11, 2016. Jackson said he and a group were passing around the rifle and a pistol, and that Dayviontay had pointed the AR-15 at him. Willie Jackson testified that he was frightened, and that he jumped up and tried to wrestle the gun away from Dayviontay Jackson. That altercation over the weapon ended with the shooting, he told jurors.
LOS ANGELES, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired CytoDyn, Inc. ("CytoDyn" or the "Company") (OTC: CYDY) common stock between March 27, 2020 and March 9, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). CytoDyn investors have until May 17, 2021 to file a lead plaintiff motion.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

On August 26, 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported that, despite earlier representations, CytoDyn was not being considered for Operation Warp Speed, the federal government's program aimed at fast-tracking virus treatments. According to a senior administration official, "CytoDyn had only completed a preliminary qualification for being included in the initiative."

On this news, the price of CytoDyn share price fell $0.66 per share, or 17%, over two consecutive trading sessions to close at $3.15, thereby injuring investors.

On September 3, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filed a lawsuit against Iliad Research and Trading L.P. ("Iliad"), CytoDyn's lender, Iliad's principal John Fife ("Fife"), and certain Fife-related entities. Specifically, the SEC alleged that Iliad and its related entities operated as unregistered securities dealers in violation of the federal securities laws by buying convertible promissory notes, converting the notes into newly issued shares of stock, then rapidly selling those shares into the public at a profit.

On November 10, 2020, CytoDyn entered into an amended $28.5 million Secured Convertible Promissory Note with Fife's company, Streeterville Capital LLC, a related entity that was not specifically named in the SEC action against Iliad and Fife.

On this news, the price of CytoDyn's share price closed at $2.02, representing an 80% decline from the Class Period high.

On March 5, 2020, after the market closed, CytoDyn began issuing press releases that described the results of Phase IIb/III testing data for Leronlimab for the treatment of COVID-19. Masked by positive titles, these releases disclosed that the primary endpoint for the study (lowering all-cause mortality at Day 28) was not statistically significant.

On this news, the Company's share price fell $1.14 per share, or 28%, to close at $2.91 on March 8, 2021. On March 9, 2021, CytoDyn shares dropped an additional 19% to close at $2.35, thereby injuring investors further.

The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements touting Leronlimab as a potential treatment for COVID-19 to pump up the CytoDyn's stock price while executives aggressively sold their shares. The complaint also alleges that CytoDyn engaged in a wrongful scheme whereby Iliad and other Fife entities operated as an unregistered securities dealer for CytoDyn.

Follow us for updates on Twitter: twitter.com/FRC_LAW.

If you purchased CytoDyn securities during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than May 17, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff. To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you purchased CytoDyn securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

SOURCE The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, Los Angeles

Related Links

frankcruzlaw.com


Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston has revealed he decided to reprise his role as the titular Time Lord as he's 'always had a great love' for the character.

The actor, 57, who played the Doctor for a single series in 2005, has returned to the part for a series of Big Finish audio dramas, and explained it 'wasn't the right time' when he was approached previously to replay the character.

Despite his short-lived stint in the TARDIS, Christopher is still hailed for bringing Who back to prominence when the show was revived 16 years ago, and also saw the introduction of his much-loved companion Rose Tyler.

He's back! Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston has revealed he decided to reprise his role as the titular Time Lord as he's 'always had a great love' for the character

Speaking to Doctor Who Magazine, Christopher admitted he decided to return to the part as he felt now is the 'right time' to revisit the character.

He explained he was impressed by the scripts that had been written for the audio dramas, but also accepted the job as he was an actor who needed 'paid work.'

Christopher said: 'I'd been asked on a few occasions, but it wasn't the right time because of various things about where I was in my personal life and professional life. And then it became the right time.

'First of all, I mean, it's not a fashionable thing to say  and because we're all English, we don't talk about these things  but I'm an actor, and the way I pay my mortgage and support my children in by acting. So it's paid work.

Exciting: The actor has returned to the part for the first time in 16 years, for a series of Big Finish audio dramas (pictured in 2019)

'Secondly, as I've always said, I have a great love for the character. I've always said that.'

Christopher left the role of Doctor Who after appearing for just one series, despite being praised by fans for her performance as the Time Lord haunted by the destruction of his home planey.

The series gripped viewers with the return of the infamous Daleks, the debut of Captain Jack (played by John Barrowman) and the Doctor's blossoming romance with Rose Tyler.

Legendary: Despite only playing The Doctor for a single series in 2005, Christopher is still hailed for bringing Who back to prominence (pictured with Billie Piper as Rose Tyler)

But the end of series one saw Christopher's Doctor regenerate, with David Tennant taking over the role for the second series in 2006.

Since his departure the actor has candidly revealed that he was battling anorexia during filming for the sci-fi drama, and was praised for fans for bravely revealing his mental health struggles.

Writing in his book I Love The Bones Of You, he said: 'Many times I've wanted to reveal that I'm a lifelong anorexic and dysmorphic.

'I never have. I always thought of it as a filthy secret, because I'm Northern, because I'm male and because I'm working-class.'

The father-of-two revealed his anorexia was prevalent during his spell on the BBC drama, adding: 'The illness is still there raging within me as the Doctor.

'People love the way I look in that series, but I was very ill. The reward for that illness was the part. And therein lies the perpetuation of the whole sorry situation.'

Tough: Since his departure the actor has candidly revealed that he was battling anorexia during filming for the sci-fi drama

Hard: He revealed his anorexia was prevalent during his spell on the BBC drama, adding: 'The illness is still there raging within me as the Doctor'

Christopher will reprise his role for a series of Big Finish audio dramas, with the first released in May 2021.

In a dream clash for die-hard fans, The Ninth Doctor will come face-to-face with the Cybermen for the first time in a story set before he meets Rose in the TV timeline.

The audio series will also see the Time Lord will join forces with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who was a fixture of the classic series from the 60s to the 80s.

Fans got a brief glimpse of Nine during Who's 50th Anniversary back in 2013, but the short cameo was an archive clip from Christopher's series on the show.
Highlights A driver claims Uber has de-platformed him because of AI failure.

Uber denies allegations and says the driver violated guidelines.

The driver's plight on social media showing his old and new photo has gone viral.

Srikanth, an Uber driver who no longer has access to the platform, is viral on social media. Reason: his claim that he has been removed by Uber from the company's platform for drivers because the Uber app AI failed to recognise him after he got his hair and beard cropped short. The company denies claims made by Srikanth.

Srikanth, like Uber drivers, are supposed to do before starting their trip, had submitted some of his selfies to Uber systems through their app. These selfies were used by the Uber AI to recognise him and then subsequently were used to identify him each day before he started work. However, and so claims Srikanth, he went to offer his hair at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam some time ago. With his hair now cropped short and beard turned into a stubble, when he tried to log in to the Uber app for work, the app allegedly failed to recognise him.

After he made multiple attempts to log in, the Uber AI kicked him out. Srikanth claims that he clicked multiple selfies from different angles in a bid to make the AI recognise him. But all his attempts failed. Soon after, he was banned by the app due to failed login attempts.

Uber, however, in a statement to India Today Tech said that the driver's claims were false. The company said that he was banned from the Uber network because he repeatedly violated community guidelines.

Srikanth's plight has been shared on Twitter by Shaik Salauddin, the national general secretary of Telangana State Taxi Association. He wrote, "Srikanth, who has been driving with @Uber_India for over 1.5 years now and holds a 4.67 star rating for the 1428 trips he completed, has been blocked by Uber. Srikanth shaved his head during a recent trip to Tirupati, and when he returned he found that he could not log in to his Uber partner app, which is his source of daily income. The algorithm did not identify Srikanth with his shaved head after he uploaded a routine selfie. This happened 33 days ago."

Salaudinn also said that Srikanth went to the local Uber office several times, but Uber support staff did not address his concerns.

However, Uber has a different story to tell. The company has denied the allegations. "The driver in question did not lose access to the Uber app due to a change in physical appearance. In fact, he had visited an Uber Partner Seva Kendra when he was unable to log in, and it was communicated to him that his access to the app had been removed due to repeated violations of our community guidelines," a company spokesperson told India Today Tech.
Apr. 2Tupelo High School will host an in-person graduation ceremony for its Class of 2021 seniors in May, marking a return to pre-pandemic graduation procedures.

THS Principal Art Dobbs shared the news with seniors and parents in a video posted to the school's social media. A letter with additional details was also shared with parents.

"We are heading back to the Bancorpsouth Center for graduation," Dobbs told students. "We look forward to seeing each and every one of the seniors walk across that stage on May 21."

The ceremony will be held at BancorpSouth Arena on Friday, May 21, at 7 p.m. with doors opening to the public at 6 p.m.

THS will follow evolving Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and advise attendees closer to the graduation date whether face masks will be required, according to the letter.

Admission to the ceremony requires a ticket, and this year's graduating seniors will be allocated eight tickets each.

Plans have been made using BancorpSouth Arena's current COVID-19 protocol as of March 30, which allows for 50% capacity, or about 4,000 people.

All tickets are general admission and will be distributed at the BancorpSouth Arena ticket office from May 10 through May 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parents or legal guardians on file with THS can present a photo I.D. to pick up their tickets.

Graduation practice will be held Thursday, May 20, at 6 p.m. Seniors will enter from Lot C, the fenced lot off of Franklin St., for practice and graduation.

Parents and guests will use the public parking lots and entrances on the east and west sides of the arena.

"I would like to congratulate you and your senior on this accomplishment, especially given the unusual circumstances under which we have all had to operate for the past year," Dobbs wrote to parents. "Your guidance combined with their hard work has led to this moment of celebration."

The Class of 2021's graduation ceremony will differ significantly from that of THS' Class of 2020.

Last year, instead of crossing the stage at BancorpSouth Arena, the school's 475 seniors walked across a stage at one of five locations throughout the district during 10-minute individual graduation ceremonies with no more than four guests in attendance.

blake.alsup@djournal.com
At the most recent Atlantic Provinces Harness Racing Commission meeting, several rule changes were officially adopted and will be implemented by the APHRC for the upcoming 2021 season, effective immediately.

The APHRC held a number of small focus groups with industry participants this past winter and would like to thank everyone who took the time to review the rule change proposals along with offering their feedback.

All participants should familiarize themselves with these rule changes along with the policy changes. Participants can review these changes here in PDF format or as published below.

1. R 367. 1.D Ban on Race Day Medication. No administration of medications, drugs and substances to any horse entered to race starting 24 hours prior to the post time of the first race of the day they are scheduled to race. This includes Qualifying Races. The only permissible substance shall be

furosemide when properly enrolled in the (E.I.P.H.) Program.

2. R 195.B Electronic entries must be taken by race offices starting April 1st 2022 or the race office must record entries taken.

3. R 387. Search and Seizure. Reference must also be made to Rule 386

a) First violation shall be $500 and a 15 day full suspension

b) Second violation within a 2 year period the penalty shall be $1,000 and a 30 day full suspension

c) On the day of the search and seizure is conducted, horses trained by the individual shall be scratched.

d) No stays shall be granted on search and seizure violations

e) All other horses under the care and control of the person responsible for the horse, shall not be eligible for declaration or entry purposes for a period of seven (7) calendar days and an approved trainer change is required.

4. R 436. 7. D All other horses under the care and control of the person responsible for the horse, shall not be eligible for declaration or entry purposes for a period of seven (7) calendar days and an approved trainer change is required.

5. R 413. 8 For purses of $5,000 or greater urging violations shall be double the monetary amount of the current penalty matrix and one additional day shall be added.

6. R 369 2. C. For positive tests and a track is closing, a minimum of 75% of the penalty must be served when a racetracks meet is operating.

7. R 413.2 . A hearing with the Judges must be requested within 48 hours of the race in question, otherwise, Judges decision is final.

8. R 438.19. Once a horse has reported for Lasix, the horse shall remain on the grounds of the licensed facility. If horse leaves the grounds after receiving Lasix and returns, the horse shall be scratched, and the trainer shall receive a fine of $100.

9. R 413.3. A licensee who fails to show for a Judges hearing, may be subject to a $50 fine, unless cancelled prior to 24 hours of the hearing.

10. R 87.6. For all new trainer applications, the APHRC will be requiring each to go a rated mile as part of the application process. This must be completed prior to entering horses.

11. R 154. Any horse that is qualified to race with or without hopples will be permitted to be declared to a race with or without hopples as an equipment change without having to qualify with the equipment change.

12. R 312.4 (f) The urging tool must be visible at all times and must be above the shaft of the

sulky.

13. R 156. Any race where a horse that makes a break in stride on anything but a fast track will be considered a clean line. Any horse charted with 3 consecutive breaks must qualify regardless of

track condition. ****One year trial

Policy Changes

1. A horse losing a shoe before or during a race shall be charted with broken equipment. Must be verified by video evidence, starter or paddock judge immediately after a race.

2. Policy of granting variances to penalties to allow for 2 year olds only to be trained at a licensed facility during the off season will no longer be granted. No further variances will be approved. Effective immediately.

(APHRC)
Thursday, March 11 was out-of-this world for Jewish Academy of Orlando students as when astronaut John Daniel Danny Olivas visited the school. The live visit was conducted remotely using the schools Google Meet platform so that all students whether in person or at home could participate.

Astronaut Olivas shared his story of becoming an astronaut beginning with his inspiration when visiting Johnson Space Center as a child and leading on to his first space mission. He shared his story of continuously improving himself to achieve his goal, the countless times he applied to NASA and the years he devoted to training (that led to his first mission). His was a story of resilience, hard work, love of learning, self-improvement, bravery, and much more.

Some fun highlights of the event included Olivas slam dunk from outer space and seeing a photo of the Buzz Lightyear doll that he took on a mission.

We offer our immense thanks to Astronaut Olivas and the Pierce family who made this visit possible, said Amy Polacek, director of Academics.

The event was a true gift to our curious students. In addition to sharing his story, he inspired our students to literally reach for the stars.

Jewish Academy of Orlando serves central Florida students of all faiths from transitional kindergarten through fifth grade. The school delivers a whole-child education fostering academic excellence and character education rooted in Jewish values. Jewish Academy of Orlando is accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools.

To learn more about Jewish Academy of Orlando, please visit: jewishacademyorlando.org or follow the school on Facebook facebook.com/JewishAcademyOrlando.
There is anger within the local community after Glengormley war memorial was attacked for the second time in as many months.

The memorial, located in the Lilian Bland Park on the Ballycare Road, has been repeatedly targeted. A railing was installed around it in 2014 to help prevent further attacks.

It is understood the vandalism occurred on Thursday night, with poppy wreaths burned and scorch damage caused to the memorial itself.

Police attended the scene on Friday morning and are treating the vandalism as a hate crime. A PSNI spokesperson said enquiries were continuing.

Local DUP councillor Phillip Brett said he believed a petrol bomb may have been used in the attack.

He described the incident as "absolutely disgraceful" and described the continued attacks as a "sustained campaign of hate".

Mr Brett said the memorial was located in a shared space and he could not understand the motivation for the attacks.

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"This needs to end," he said.

DUP South Antrim MLA Pam Cameron said it was "disgusting to see yet another hate crime attack has occurred on this memorial".

Sinn Fein MLA Declan Kearney said the "disgraceful attack" was "shameful and wrong".

"It should be treated as a sectarian hate crime. The British identity, unionist tradition and orange culture must be respected now and in the future," the South Antrim MLA said.

Deputy Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Noreen McClelland said the incident was not reflective of the community.

She said that anti-social behaviour in the park may have contributed to the ongoing issues around the memorial.

"I'm really saddened and annoyed by this incident," the SDLP councillor said.

"We're trying constantly to build community relations and a memorial like that should not be touched at any stage. It should be respected by everybody."

Mrs McClelland called for attacks on the memorial to stop

These hateful attacks have greatly angered and upset the local community in Glengormley. Those committing them have no support and should desist," she said.

Glengormley war memorial is a place where people who wish to can reflect and pay respect to those who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars. It is an important area in our shared community.

I urge those with any information as to who is committing these attacks to contact the PSNI.

UUP councillor Mark Cosgrove said he "simply cannot fathom the mindset of hate and ignorance that could lead anyone to sneak around in the dead of night with a petrol bomb and seek to desecrate a memorial".

"The fact that some deluded idiots use that hard won freedom to attack a war memorial is profoundly depressing," he said.

Glengormley has a richly diverse community that is made up of people from many backgrounds, and who will all rightly utterly reject this disgusting attack on the very ethos of this nation. I urge anyone who has any information on this hate crime to pass that information to the police immediately.

The perpetrators are trying to create divisions and tensions in the community, which they can then exploit further, because that is all they have to offer. They must never be allowed to win, and I will work with every fibre of my being alongside the wider Glengormley community, to ensure that they do not succeed in spreading their poison.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to ring 101 and quote reference 497 of April 2nd. A report can also be made using the online reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport

Alternatively, information can be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Five years ago, on the night of 1 to 2 April, 2016, the Azerbaijani authorities, in flagrant violation of the commitment on ceasefire, launched a large-scale military offensive against Artsakh, attempting to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the use of force. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia noted this in a statement it issued Friday upon the fifth anniversary of the Azerbaijani aggression unleashed against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

During the offensive, the armed forces of Azerbaijan deliberately targeted the civilian population and infrastructure. The four-day war against Artsakh was accompanied by cruel murders and torture of the servicemen and civilians of Artsakh, as well as mutilation of the bodies of the victims. Those who committed these crimes on the grounds of national hatred were later awarded by the Azerbaijani authorities at the highest level.

In the aftermath of the April war, inspired by the impunity of the committed war crimes and violations of human rights, the Azerbaijani authorities intensified their bellicose rhetoric and propaganda of hatred against Armenians.

This policy resulted in unleashing new military aggression by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in 2020 with the direct involvement of Turkey and the latters affiliated foreign terrorist fighters causing numerous irreversible human and material losses. Considerable part of Artsakhs territory fell under the Azerbaijani military occupation, tens of thousands of citizens became refugees.

The large-scale wars unleashed against Artsakh in April, 2016 and September, 2020, as well as the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during those hostilities, demonstrated that Artsakh cannot be under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan with any status.

Only addressing the consequences of the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh and the determination of the status of Artsakh will serve as a basis for lasting peace and stability in the region. Armenia and the Armenian people will make every effort to fully restore all the rights of our compatriots in Artsakh for a free and dignified life in their historical homeland, also reads the Armenian MFA statement.
The firm, which employs 22,000 UK-wide, said it wanted to allow greater flexibility to workers post-pandemic

Accountancy firm PwC, which has around 2,000 staff in Northern Ireland, has said employees will be encouraged to take a half day on Fridays after a condensed week as part of future flexible working.

The firm, which employs 22,000 UK-wide, said it wanted to allow greater flexibility to workers post-pandemic.

There are three aspects to its plan - allowing people to decide their own working pattern every day, allowing people to continuing working from home but with at least 40% of their time in the office, and taking a half day on a Friday in July and August after condensing their work into the rest of the week.

Its workers here are to move into new offices at Merchant Square in Belfast city centre in the summertime - a building which was sold for 87m this week in Northern Ireland's biggest-ever office deal.

PwC said its "empowered day" concept gave staff the freedom to set their own working pattern. They can also keeping working from home but must combine that with an average of 40-60% of their time with colleagues in PwC offices or at client sites.

PwC said that in July and August, a reduced working day on a Friday will mean staff should finish at lunchtime after condensing their working week.

The policies will be phased in as lockdown restrictions ease.

Kevin MacAllister, regional market leader for PwC in Northern Ireland, said: "Over the past year our people have shown just how committed they are to our clients, even in the most trying circumstances.

"We've long promoted everyday flexibility and the new deal is about further empowering our people to hold on to the ways of working that have been successful over the past year.

"We know from surveys that our people value having an office space and our new Belfast HQ Merchant Square will not only provide a state-of-the-art base with a dedicated wellbeing space, but will also be open 24/7 to provide even greater flexibility."

Kevin Ellis, chairman and senior partner at PwC, added: "These changes are in direct response to soundings from our people, who've said they value a mix of working from home and in the office. We want to help enshrine new working patterns so they outlast the pandemic.

PwC is the latest big organisation to commit to hybrid working in the post-pandemic future.

The Belfast Telegraph revealed this week that the NICS is in talks with trade unions about future remote working for its 23,000 workforce. That could include home working or the use of 10 regional hubs. The hubs are to be established over the next two years.

Business advisory firm Deloitte, which has more than 1,000 staff in Belfast, has said it's moving ahead with a move to new offices at Bedford Square after vacating its old premises at Bedford Street.

"Deloitte has long been a proponent of agile working and across the UK we have had up to 20,000 people working from home safely and securely since March 2020, ensuring business continuity throughout this time."

And IT firms like CANCOM and Liberty IT have said they expect to continue with some form of hybrid working, though e-commerce company IRP Commerce has said it looks forward to getting staff back into the office to foster camaraderie and common purpose.

Our biggest IT firm, Allstate, has not yet confirmed its plans.
New Delhi :

Union minister Harsh Vardhan today while addressing the inaugural session of the seminar on 'Role of security forces in combating wildlife crimes' organised by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) emphasised on sensitising and spreading awareness about crimes against wildlife, as an increasing number of animal species are endangered and on the verge of extinction.

Harsh Vardhan also cautioned that the coming generation would learn about wild animals only in books if proper care is not taken. He also lauded the SSB that works under the Ministry of Home Affairs for doing a "difficult job", while guarding the borders with friendly nations like Nepal and Bhutan.

The Minister of Environment and Forest said that the process of development activities that resulted as a consequence of deforestation destroyed the natural habitat of the wild animals.

Harshvardhan said that tremendous loss has already been caused to environment and wild animals due to human mistakes."Certain plants and wild animals either have either become extinct, or are on the verge of extinction, if whatever is now left with us is not taken care of, then in the coming days, we will see forests and wild animals only in books," he said.

India is home to the largest count of Royal Bengal Tigers in the world which is already a critically endangered.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Women get a raw deal on mortgages in nearly every corner of the country, a new analysis of federal data has found. Compared with single male borrowers, single female borrowers pay higher rates that add up to thousands of dollars in additional costs.

Thats according to research by mortgage startup Own Up, which used Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data to compare mortgage rates paid by single women to those paid by single men applying for loans. Women paid more in every state except Alaska, Own Up found.

The research points to another area where a gender gap places women at an economic disadvantage. The wage gap has been widely reported, along with the reality that women pay more for cars than men.

Despite decades of regulatory efforts to erase discrimination from the housing industry, the pink tax extends to mortgages, too, says Patrick Boyaggi, chief executive and founder of Own Up. Unless its totally equitable, where men are getting the same rates as women, its not right, and its got to change.

Many mortgages are made to married couples, but Own Up examined rates paid by single borrowers only.

Based on a mortgage amount of $345,000, heres where women would pay the most:

1. Mississippi. The typical female borrower in the state pays an average of 3.47 percent compared with 3.37 percent for men, a gap of 10 basis points that amounts to $7,077 over 30 years.

2. Alabama. Women pay an average of 3.44 percent versus 3.36 percent for men, totaling $6,006 over 30 years.

3. Ohio. Female borrowers typically pay 3.42 percent compared with 3.34 percent for men, totaling $5,856 over 30 years.

4. Florida. Women pay an average of 3.46 percent versus 3.38 percent for men, totaling $5,591 over 30 years.

5. New Jersey. Women pay an average of 3.26 percent compared with 3.18 percent for men, totaling $5,515 over 30 years.

And heres where women pay the least in additional interest costs:

1. Alaska. The typical female borrower in the state pays an average of 3.21 percent compared to 3.23 percent for men, a gap of 2 basis points that amounts to $1,656 over 30 years.

2. Maine. Women pay an average of 3.37 percent compared with 3.36 percent for men, totaling $564 over 30 years.

3. Wyoming. Female borrowers typically pay 3.29 percent versus 3.28 percent for men, totaling $701 over 30 years.

4. Montana. Women pay an average of 3.31 percent compared with 3.3 percent for men, totaling $702 over 30 years.

5. Oregon. Women pay an average of 3.33 percent compared with 3.31 percent for men, totaling $1,124 over 30 years.

The importance of shopping around

Own Ups research focused on purchase mortgages, so its unclear if women also pay more than men for refinances. However, the fresh findings underscore the importance of comparison shopping, whether the mortgage is for a purchase or a refi.

An earlier study by the Urban Institute likewise concluded that women pay more than men for mortgages to the tune of 7 basis points. That study found a more modest premium for women  only about $150.

Female-only borrowers pay more for their mortgages, both because they have generally weaker credit characteristics and because a higher percentage of these mortgages have been subprime, the Urban Institute reported.

Boyaggi came away with a different conclusion. While credit scores are an important factor in determining your mortgage rate, Boyaggi found no evidence that female borrowers faced a disadvantage on that front.

You just dont see that female borrowers have significantly different credit scores from male borrowers, Boyaggi says.

Many female borrowers neglect to shop around for the best deal, Boyaggi says, an oversight that can translate into thousands of dollars of extra costs over the life of a loan.

In addition to getting at least three bids  and, ideally, five mortgage offers  borrowers should actively bargain for a lower rate or reduced closing costs, Boyaggi says.

Consumers should not only shop for a mortgage, but they should negotiate for better terms, Boyaggi says.

What you can do to score the best deal on a mortgage:

 Shop around. Closing costs and rates vary by lender, so get three bids  and more if you can.

 Negotiate. Even after youve found the best deal, push for more  a better rate, or concessions on closing costs.

 Understand the breakeven point. Thats the moment at which the savings in monthly payments offset the amount of the closing costs. This refinance calculator can help you decide.

 Dont chase the lowest rate. Yes, a low rate and paltry payment are good, but make sure those benefits arent overwhelmed by closing costs.

____

(Visit Bankrate online at bankrate.com.)

2021 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the governors statewide mask mandate in a 4-3 ruling on Wednesday, liberating citizens of the state from mandatory mask-wearing.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court took objection to Democrat Governor Tony Evers legal standing to demand that every man and woman in the state wear a mask.

The question in this case is not whether the governor acted wisely; it is whether he acted lawfully. We conclude he did not, wrote Justice Brian Hagedorn in his ruling. Evers had issued an entirely new statewide mask mandate after Republican state legislators repealed it in February, claiming he has the authority to issue as many mandatory mask mandates as he wants.

The state Supreme Court also struck down a statewide stay-at-home order last May, showing itself willing to challenge draconian and arbitrary coronavirus restrictions.

Localities and counties still have the power to institute mask mandates after the ruling, although the decision opens up a path for conservative-leaning counties to allow citizens to make their own health and safety decisions. Wisconsins vaccine eligibility will be expanded to anyone 16 or older on Monday, providing a scientifically sound means to avert transmission of the virus.

As Democrat governors and mayors refuse to relent on the highly questionable practice of wearing masks, they may stand to face more robust legal challenges from court systems unwilling to accept a facade of total emergency powers in the name of the coronavirus pandemic.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down Statewide Mask Mandate - Big League Politics
For unknown reasons, a Volkswagen sedan was unable to come to a stop and slammed into the rear end of one of the IDOT trucks, with the impact of the crash causing the sedan driven by a 27-year-old Chicago man, with William as his passenger, to become fully engulfed in flames, police said.
(Natural News) An obituary posted online last week stated that a Kansas woman died from a reaction to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

Jeanie M. Evans, 68, of Effingham, Kansas died unexpectedly on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Stormont-Vail Hospital from a reaction to the COVID vaccine, the online obituary stated.

Evans died one day after getting her first dose of the vaccine at the Keystone Early Learning Center, news station KSNT reported. When Evans started experiencing an adverse reaction to the vaccine, she was taken by ambulance to Topekas Stormont-Vail Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

It was not clear which of the approved COVID-19 vaccines Evans received. She was survived by five children, 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, according to her family.

The Stormont-Vail Hospital said in a statement that no cause of death has been determined.

The individual was transported to our hospital after receiving the vaccine in the region, a spokesman for the hospital said. A cause of death has yet to be determined. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family.

Health officials have repeatedly stressed that they believe the benefits of getting the jab outweigh the risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to identify any deaths that have resulted from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Thousands reported dead following inoculation

On March 22, or two days before Evans death, the CDC reported that the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has received 2,216 reports of death among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine.

But only a few of the families left behind by the vaccine victims were willing to share their stories.

Among them was the family of a physical therapist from Indiana, who passed away two days after getting vaccinated against the coronavirus. Haley Link Brinkmeyer, 28, died Jan. 21 at her home in Evansville following her Jan. 19 vaccination. It is not known whether the physical therapist received the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, the two mRNA jabs authorized for emergency use at that time. The Janssen coronavirus jab received authorization for emergency use in late February.

Brinkmeyers mother, Shauna ONeill Link, posted on Facebook: My 28-year-old daughter took the vaccine on a Tuesday and she was dead by Thursday. The victims mother added that the vaccine was meant for depopulation.

First in line, first to go

Health workers like Brinkmeyer were among the top priorities in the countrys vaccination drive. Some of them shared Brinkmeyers fate. (Related: Half of French health workers refuse the Wuhan coronavirus vaccine.)

Kassidi Kurill, a 39-year-old surgical technologist from Ogden, Utah, died four days after getting jabbed with the Moderna vaccine. She received her second dose of the vaccine on Feb. 1. Kurill only experienced a sore arm after she got her first dose of the mRNA jab. She experienced discomfort on Feb. 4 and was admitted to the hospital. Tests found that her liver was not functioning, which necessitated a liver transplant. Kurill died of multiple organ failure on Feb. 5.

Tom Zook, a 60-year-old radiologic technician from Orange County, California, also died four days after his second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine. He got his second shot of the vaccine on Jan. 5 at the South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, California. Zook posted about being fully vaccinated on social media right after getting the shot. Two hours later, he started complaining of abdominal pain and breathing difficulty. He was initially admitted in the same hospital where he worked but was later transferred to a different hospital where he passed away on Jan. 9.

Janet Moore, a 39-year-old nurse aide from Ohio, died within 48 hours after she got immunized using the mRNA vaccine. The nurse aide received the jab after her employer, Admirals Pointe Nursing Home in Huron, reportedly required it. Her neighbors said she had not been feeling well after vaccination, adding that Moore complained of nausea and migraines. She was later found unresponsive in her car outside her apartment complex on the night of Dec. 31 last year.

Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician from Miami, Florida, died 16 days after getting the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. He did not experience an immediate reaction after getting inoculated on Dec. 18 last year. But three days later, he noticed red spots on his feet and hands, prompting him to seek medical treatment. Doctors at Miami Beachs Mount Sinai Medical Center where he worked said Michael developed a rare auto-immune disorder. The condition caused his immune system to attack blood platelets responsible for clotting. Platelet infusions did not work. Michael died of a hemorrhagic stroke on Jan. 3.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to the coronavirus vaccines.

Sources include:

NYPost.com

KUTV.com

DailyMail.co.uk 1

LosAngeles.cbslocal.com

TheJewishVoice.com

DailyMail.co.uk 2
The President of the National Coordinating Committee for Vaccination Activities against COVID-19 (CNCAV), Valeriu Gheorghita, on Friday stated in Giurgiu that he noticed a decrease in the addressability of the population for the AstraZeneca vaccine and underscored that all vaccines used in Romania are authorized by the European Medicines Agency and have proven to be safe.

He and the vice-president of the CNCAV, state secretary with the Ministry of Health Andrei Baciu, on Friday morning went to Hotarele, Giurgiu county, where they talked with the citizens scheduled for this day for vaccination and with the medical staff. The visit continued at two other active centres in Giurgiu.

CNCAV representatives reiterated that vaccination is the way to overcome the pandemic.

AGERPRES.
52 Vietnamese fishermen arrested, 8 trawlers seized for anchoring illegally in Malaysian waters

by REMAR NORDIN

April 02,2021 | Source: The Star

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has arrested 52 Vietnam nationals and seized eight trawlers for anchoring illegally near Sungai Endau here.



Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said that the suspects, age between 22 and 55 years old, were reported anchoring at an illegal jetty 3.2 nautical miles (6km) from the riverbanks at about 8.45pm on Wednesday (March 31).



Three of the trawlers had entered Sungai Endau in a suspicious manner prompting investigations by MMEA.



At the same time, we also received reports from the public on the remaining trawlers that were closely anchored together at an illegal jetty near the river,  he said in a statement Thursday (April 1).



He added that investigations revealed that all of the trawlers are type C fishing vessels with a crew of 52.



The suspects are believed to have just arrived based on their GPS history data and records.



The group also had suspicious personal documents with an expired boat licence.



All of the suspects have been brought to the Mersing MMEA office for further investigations,  he said adding that the case is being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Fisheries Act 1985.

 1995- 2021 Star Media Group Berhad

Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods.
Matt Gaetz allegedly shared a nude photo on the House floor of a woman he said he had slept with, a report says.

The Florida Republican congressman is accused of showing photos and videos of women to other lawmakers, according to CNN.

Mr Gaetz, 38, had a reputation on Capitol Hill of bragging about his sexual relationships, multiple sources told the news network.

CNN says its sources include two people actually shown the material, who said that Mr Gaetz showed them pictures of women and talked about having sex with them.

One of the videos reportedly showed a naked woman with a hula hoop.

Read more:

It was a point of pride, one of the sources said of Mr Gaetzs behaviour.

There is no suggestion that any of the pictures or videos are linked to the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into Mr Gaetz.

The DOJ opened a probe into the pro-Trump congressman under former attorney general Bill Barr before the end of the ex-presidents time in office.

Investigators are said to be looking at the nature of Mr Gaetzs relationship with a 17-year-old woman and if it broke federal sex-trafficking and prostitution laws.

Mr Gaetz has confirmed the investigation is ongoing but strongly denied any wrongdoing on his part.

He has claimed that he is also the victim of a $25 million extortion plot relating to the investigation.

Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name, Mr Gaetz said in a statement.

We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBIs direction to catch these criminals.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Gaetzs office for comment.
BROOKVILLE, N.Y., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Long Island University, a nationally ranked University, took another step forward to expand its innovative research portfolio with the announcement of a $378,000 award from the New York State Higher Education Capital (HECap) Matching Grant Program. LIU will use the grant towards the construction of an open-access Drug Discovery Platform to be housed in the College of Pharmacy, the first pharmacy school in New York.

The Drug Discovery Platform will inspire student innovation in drug design and development, spin-off companies, as well as provide a local resource for critical research and development for companies to move products from design to market. Construction is scheduled to begin spring 2021.

"Long Island University continues to invest in cutting-edge initiatives to expand our degree offerings and training for careers in the 4th industrial revolution-inspired job market, and contribute to our region's growing life sciences corridor," said Long Island University President Kimberly R. Cline.

With HECap support, the Digital Drug Design Platform academic programs will provide opportunities for new BSE and MS degrees in Digital Health and Engineering at LIU for up to 500 new students, with additional students attracted to LIU for the Artificial Intelligence Digital Engineering-enhanced health curricula.

Dr. Randy Burd, senior vice president for academic affairs, added "We are honored to receive the HECap grant and appreciate New York State's support for our new Drug Discovery Platform."

The platform will include a FabLab for tech transfer, prototyping, and serve as a driver for economic development. FabLabs are digital fabrication laboratories equipped with an array of cutting-edge tools to convert ideas into 3D digital prototypes. This will provide a high-tech, digital platform at LIU's Digital Health Institute to respond to demand from pharma and nutraceutical companies for R&D that can enable product success. The Drug Discovery Platform will offer end-to-end solutions to empower organizations to discover, design, develop, and manufacture biologics from concept to commercial manufacturing. Initial estimates indicate up to 20 outside contracts will be implemented, with 30 LIU R&D projects benefitting from the FabLab.

"The Digital Discovery Platform will continue to keep LIU at the leading edge of research and innovation," said Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy (LIU Pharmacy) Dean Dr. Arash Dabestani. "We are grateful for the HECap grant which supports LIU's continued efforts to meet the demand for high technology readiness for our students and our region's growing pharma and nutraceutical sectors."



The HECap Matching Grant Program is a competitive grant program that stimulates economic growth in communities across New York by providing matching funds to help independent institutions perform important upgrades to their campuses.

LIU Drug Discovery Platform

Long Island University's drug discovery platform will include two laboratory components: The 3DEXPERIENCE platform (3DS) for learning, certification and professional training; and the FabLab digital fabrication laboratory equipped with an array of cutting-edge tools to convert ideas into 3D digital prototypes.

The 3DS platform will be the Drug Discovery Platform's discovery education and training arm and will rely on new, collaborative teaching/learning paradigms that seize new digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) environments -- equipping students and professionals with skills and knowledge required to be successful global leaders in the 21st century digital-driven environments.

Activities in the FabLab will focus on generating innovative biological products for use in preclinical studies and Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, including generic drugs manufacturing, therapeutic antibodies, Diagnostic Kits, Immunotherapies, veterinary vaccines, and Neuromicrobiology, and thereby covering a diverse infectious disease, cancer treatment, and prevention portfolio. The goal of LIU's state-of-the-art FabLab manufacturing facility is to meet all FDA Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards when it reaches steady state. The FabLab will also offer testing in molecular genetics  specifically Covid-19 and other infectious diseases.

This interactive cyber learning platform will support various digital drug discovery courses, thus allowing students to explore technical problems from a systems-level perspective, including the opportunity to acquire aptitude in inter-connected algorithmic intelligence, science and engineering principles  required skills for understanding intelligent behavior, learning, and adaptation with machines, robots and body-less computer programs. Teaching pedagogy will emphasize virtual and real project-based learning that simulates contextual environments -- making learning exciting and relevant for digital and AI solutions.

HECap Grants

Since the program's inception, HECap Grants have created well over $1 billion in infrastructure spending across New York and more than 14,000 jobs, including 7,000 construction jobs that paid prevailing wage. For every $1 of state funds awarded, colleges and universities in New York match at least $3 in support of their projects. Prior HECap awards for LIU include a $618,250 grant in 2019 to for construction of a Confocal Microscopy Core Laboratory and a $500,000 grant in 2018 to build a Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory.



About Long Island University

Long Island University, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, providing high quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized by Forbes for its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its "value added" to student outcomes, LIU offers over 250 degree programs, with a network of 270,000 alumni that includes industry leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information.

SOURCE Long Island University

Related Links

www.liu.edu


President George Manneh Weah left the country early Friday, April 2, 2021 for Niamey, Niger to attend the inauguration of president-elect Mohamed Bazoum.

President Weah is joining other world leaders gathering in the Nigerien capital to witness that country's first ever transition of power between two democratically elected presidents since its independence in 1960.

The Liberian Chief Executive is expected back in the country later Friday, April 2, 2021 via the Roberts International Airport (RIA).

While away, the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Hon. Nathaniel F. McGill, will act as chair of the cabinet in consultation with the Vice President of Liberia, Madam Jewel Howard-Taylor, and the President of Liberia via telephone.
Kim Kardashian admitted last week that her latest binge worthy watch was Netflix's Bridgerton, sharing emotional musings while watching the show and saying she was 'obsessed.'

And on Friday the 40-year-old megastar reacted to news that star Rege-Jean Page, 31, would not be returning as the Duke of Hastings for season two, by commenting under an announcement that appeared on the show's Instagram page.

A shocked Kim commented on the photo 'Wait!!! WHAT????' as she preemptively mourned the loss of the show's handsome breakout star.

Parting ways: Bridgerton announced actor Rege-Jean Page would not be returning as the Duke of Hastings for a second season which prompted a comment from the show's latest superfan Kim Kardashian

The news of Page's leaving was stylized as a Lady Whistledown society paper announcement in true show fashion.

An excerpt from the letter read: 'We bid adieu to Rege-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings. We'll miss Simon's presence on screen but he will always be part of the Bridgerton family.'

Kim was quick to comment on the announcement, 'Wait!!! WHAT????' after binge-watching the whole season last week with her eyes on a second season.

And later reposted the announcement to her Instagram page writing 'I'm NOT ok!!!!! What is happening!!??? How can this be?'

Stylized announcement: The news of Page's parting came on the Netflix show's Instagram page in the form of a Lady Whistledown society papers announcement

Obsessed: After admitting that she had binge-watched the entire season last week amid her divorce she commented on the news of the handsome breakout star's departure with 'Wait!!! WHAT????'

'NOT ok!!!' Kim was quick to emote over the news as she reposted the announcement to her page

Shocking news: The announcement came in the form of an Instagram post on the show's page

Moving on: Page commented on the announcement 'It's been an absolute pleasure and a privilege!'

Page touched on his departure and thanked fans of the show with a comment on the page as well.

'It's been an absolute pleasure and a privilege! Joining this family - the connection on and off screen, with our cast, our crew, all the incredible fans, has been like nothing I could have ever imagined - the love is real and will just keep growing.'

Last week Kim shared snippets of a night in with wine while watching as she provided commentary. 'What is happening?!?! I'm not crying!' she wrote about a waltz scene between Page and Phoebe Dynevor who plays Daphne Bridgerton.

Perhaps crushing on the British born actor who has stolen hearts everywhere, Kim was not ready to see him go after getting so invested in the show.

Night in: While watching she took to Instagram to share her musings writing 'What is happening?!?! I'm not crying!' about a waltz scene between Page and Phoebe Dynevor who plays Daphne Bridgerton

'Obsessed': The British fantasy drama has been her latest binge-worthy obsession

At home moments: Despite being a very busy lady juggling four kids and multiple businesses she found time to unwind with wine and friends while watching the series

The series has become a saving grace for many amid the pandemic, but for Kim the British drama's fantasy aspect has provided a much needed distraction amid her divorce from Kanye West.

The pair are currently in the process of dividing up their assets after she officially filed in February following bombshell reports in January that divorce was 'imminent' for the couple of seven years.

They had reportedly stopped speaking and he was hunkered down in Wyoming while she remained in Los Angeles with their four kids  things coming to a head over the summer when he shared intimate details of their personal life during his bizarre presidential bid and a defamatory twitter outburst.

It has been said that she is set to get their $60M Hidden Hills estate in the divorce, and she was seen adding an entire mini town to the property last week that included her very own tiny KKW Beauty store.

She had first met with her high power divorce attorney Laura Wasser in July, and the events of the split are currently unfolding on the family's final season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Congress leader on Thursday said the ideology of the and the is poisonous and people should not allow it to enter and

" and are like poison. If you taste them, you will die. Somehow they have reached up to Karnataka. Don't allow that poisonous ideology to enter and Puducherry," Kharge said.

Polling for 30 Assembly seats in will be held on April 6.

Of the 30 assembly seats, five are reserved for the Scheduled Caste candidates. As many as 10,02,589 electors will choose the candidates for the Legislative Assembly of

While the Congress is fighting the polls in an alliance with DMK, the opposition tie-up consists of All India NR Congress, BJP, and AIADMK.

(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.)
Travel and tourism officials in the Capital Region welcomed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest advisory Friday. In a midday announcement, the CDC said fully vaccinated people could travel safely, although they should still wear face masks, practice social distancing, and avoid crowds and poorly ventilated places.

"It's another step forward for the recovery of the airline industry," said Doug Myers, spokesman for the Albany International Airport. "While we have yet to encourage folks to fly, this is an encouraging sign from the CDC for air travel and the airline industry."

"People have already been traveling," said Jim McKenna, CEO of the Lake Placid-based Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, or ROOST. "But that's a really good indication" of a recovery in tourism as more people are vaccinated.

By 11 a.m. Friday, 19.2 percent of New Yorkers, or nearly one in five, had received full dosages of COVID-19 vaccines, according to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, although it wasn't clear how many had also completed the two-week wait following vaccinations that provides full protection from the coronavirus.

Lake Placid and the Adirondacks have seen a surge in tourists, given the ease of social distancing in a sparsely populated section of the state. McKenna said many of those weren't skiers, but instead were working remotely.

Many hotels and inns have been promoting themselves as remote workplaces, touting their scenic surroundings and comfortable accommodations.

January and February set new records for tourism, McKenna said, topping even the records established for those months just a year ago, before the pandemic.

In Lake George, tourism officials also welcomed the latest CDC advisory.

"We're really geared up for a big Spring Break season," said Gina Mintzer, who heads the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Myers also said spring breaks were apparently adding to traffic at the Albany airport. On Thursday, more than 3,000 travelers boarded planes at Albany, including many youngsters, said Myers. That's a relatively large number. Just under a year ago, as the pandemic's impact was growing, the airport saw the fewest passengers ever. Just 47 boarded planes on April 20, 2020.

Tara Ricard of AAA Hudson Valley said an islands tourism event just before St. Patrick's Day drew a crowd and more than $30,000 in bookings that stretched into 2022.

Popular destinations have included Mexico, the Caribbean and places in the United States, she added, crediting the lifting of quarantine requirements post-travel as a major factor in encouraging more tourism.

Still, barriers remain. Europe and Asia are largely off limits, as is Canada, as borders remain closed. And with a recent surge in cases in several European countries, and a vaccination drive in Canada that has reached barely 2 percent of the population, those borders may remain closed for some time.
New Delhi, April 2 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has expressed displeasure over a resolution passed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee(SGPC) against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The party's national spokesperson R.P. Singh told IANS: "The SGPC has been unable to stop the conversion of Sikhs in Punjab. There are thousands of instances of Sikh families converting to Christianity in the state. But there isn't even one example of a Sikh being converted to a Hindu. The SGPC has passed the resolution against the RSS for its own political compulsions," said Singh.

Singh further said: "The SGPC said the RSS is turning India into a Hindu rashtra (Hindu nation). I want to ask SGPC office-bearers to tell me how many churches and temples have been built in Punjab in the last 10 years? In fact, not even one temple was built in this period while hundreds and thousands of churches were built. This proves that the SGPC's claims are absolutely false." In its General House Meeting recently, the SGPC had compared the RSS's activities with those of the Mughals. In its resolution, the SGPC had accused the RSS of interfering in other religions and intimidating minorities to pursue its objective of turning India into a Hindu nation. It said that such attempts were made by the Mughals in the 17th century and the ninth Sikh guru, Shri Teg Bahadur Ji, had sacrificed his life to thwart such attempts.

BJP national spokesperson RP Singh told IANS: "As many as 7.98 per cent Sikhs in Gurdaspur have converted to Christianity. The number in Jalandhar is 2 per cent. The SGPC has never tried to stop these conversions to Christianity. Because of the rising number of Christians, the state government has also been forced to pursue the policy of appeasement. Officials associated with the SGPC also attend events of Christians. The SGPC elections are due this year. I think, by venting out its frustration against the RSS, they are trying to achieve their own political objectives."
Mumbai: Actor Alia Bhatt on Friday said she has tested positive for Covid-19 and is under home quarantine.

The 28-year-old actor took to Instagram and posted a note, informing her fans that she is currently following all the safety protocols listed by her doctors.

Alia Bhatt Instagram post

"I have tested positive for Covid-19. I have immediately isolated myself and will be under home quarantine.

"I am following all safety protocols under the advice of my doctors. Grateful for all your love and support. Please stay safe and take care," the "Kalank" actor wrote.

Bhatt had on March 11 tested negative for Covid-19 and resumed work after her actor-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who had been shooting for "Gangubai Kathiawadi" with her, tested positive.
The United Kingdom, which has its own independent sources of information, is very concerned about the escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine, which will be the subject of talks between the defense and foreign ministers of both countries on April 2, according to Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko.

He said this during a panel discussion entitled "New Partnership in Times of Pandemic" organized by the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The United Kingdom is very concerned about what is happening [in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine]. Right now Defense Minister [of Ukraine Andrii Taran] will be talking to his colleague, Britain's Secretary of State for Defense [Ben Wallace]. By the way, it is an initiative of the United Kingdom. The commanders of the Armed Forces had a talk yesterday, and the minister of foreign affairs will talk today. Yesterday I had a number of negotiations and consultations," Prystaiko said.

The diplomat also noted that the Ukrainian side understands how much the United Kingdom, which has its own independent sources of information, including the legendary secret service MI6, is aware of the situation in eastern Ukraine.

"If they are so worried, then, believe me, we also need to be worried, even more worried than what I see now in the media in Ukraine," Prystaiko said.

On April 1, Ukrainian Defense Minister Andrii Taran had a phone call with U.S Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The two countries' defense ministers discussed specific areas of strengthening cooperation in the field of security and defense.

On March 26, four Ukrainian servicemen were killed and two others were injured in shelling by Russian-backed forces near Shumy in Donetsk region.

op
- Rapid shift to e-commerce amid COVID-19 helps company achieves remarkable growth, while a collaboration with China Railway Express enhances logistics efficiency

BERLIN, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Changhong, a key player of the global consumer electronics market, saw its sales in Europe triple in 2020. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the company quickly switched over to developing its e-commerce arm, expanding channels and setting online shop on many of Europe's key e-commerce platforms, with the result that, online sales achieved a four times increase from a year earlier. The recent departure of the first Changhong freight train over China Railway Express (CRE) is a further indicator that the company's ability to response to trends in the market will be further enhanced.

Europe is a key market for Changhong's development outside of its home base. "The shortened transit time for 'made in Sichuan' household electrical appliances destined for countries across Europe served by the railway will go a long way in helping us accelerate expansion in the market." said Changhong Europe Electric general manager Tiger Wu. In the past, it took more than 45 days for Changhong's products to travel from Guangdong province to Prague in the Czech Republic when sent as ocean freight. Now, with CRE, transit from Chengdu to Prague is shortened to 13 days. Market and production needs can be better met while response efficiency is greatly improved.

CRE's "Changhong Express", with 41 full containers of household electrical appliances 'made in Sichuan', left Chengdu on January 6 and reached Duisburg in Germany on January 24. This is the first such movement of goods following the signing of the agreement with CRE in Chengdu and Chongqing.

"At this time, Changhong is sending refrigerator and other fully-assembled equipment, as well as circuit boards, Internet of things modules, among other such devices, to Europe through CRE, meeting growing demand in the European market as well as the needs of manufacturers located there, and providing reliable support for further rapid expansion in that market. At the same time, Changhong is integrating European resources, building a logistics service platform, and bringing back European-made auto parts to Chengdu through CRE to service automobile and other manufacturers in China." noted Wu.

Changhong Europe Electric, located in Nimburk, Czech Republic, is the largest Chinese-built manufacturing facility in the country. The flat-panel TVs manufactured there have entered many European markets and are already garnering considerable local market share. Due to the adverse effects on traditional routes since the arrival of COVID-19, CRE has become an important supply line.

Innovation in logistics and storage made possible by CRE extends to innovation in business models. Yang Jin, deputy general manager at Sichuan Changhong Electric and head of overseas business said, "China Railway Express (Chengdu-Chongqing) will help ensure the stability of the regional industrial chain and supply chain, giving full play to the size effect of international hubs and the stimulating effect on industry and trade, while exercising a key role in the rapid transformation of Chengdu and Chongqing from a back seat role across China's overall economy to one of a "portal hub" and a central player in the country's economic future. The logistics channel created by China Railway Express (Chengdu-Chongqing) is expected to further consolidate Changhong's global supply chain system. Looking forward, Changhong plans to take advantage of the Chengdu-Chongqing supply chain to continuously expand its presence in the European market and serve the European manufacturing sector. "

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Massachusetts confirmed another 24,984 COVID-19 cases over the last 14 days, up from the 20,975 reported over the prior two weeks, according to the latest community-level data released by the Department of Public Health.

That data shows that COVID infections are continuing to climb across the state after weeks of declines. Last week, cases were up 20% from the week before, and 44% since hitting a post-surge low the week of Feb. 28, data shows.

The percent positivity statewide over the last two weeks is also up from the previous two week period, from 2.01% to 2.36%.

The latest weekly COVID totals are based on community data analyzed between March 7 and March 20, according to the Department of Public Health.

If you are having trouble viewing this chart, click here.

State health officials confirmed another 2,455 new COVID-19 cases and 32 deaths on Thursday. State school districts have reported another 1,045 cases this week, according to data from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Of those cases, detected from March 25 to 31, 801 were among students and 244 among staff, the data shows. Last week, DESE reported 910 new cases of the virus, split between 682 students and 228 staff members. The week prior, there were 669 total new cases.

The number of Massachusetts cities and towns at high risk for COVID-19 spread also increased again this week  from 32 last week to 55 as of Thursday.

Those communities include: Abington, Adams, Athol, Ayer, Barnstable, Blackstone, Brewster, Brockton, Canton, Carver, Chicopee, Dennis, Dracut, Everett, Fall River, Framingham, Freetown, Granby, Halifax, Hampden, Hanson, Harwich, Lakeville, Lawrence, Lowell, Ludlow, Lynn, Mansfield, Mashpee, Methuen, Milford, Monson, Nantucket, New Bedford, North Attleborough, Orange, Palmer, Peabody, Pembroke, Plainville, Plymouth, Raynham, Sandwich, Saugus, Seekonk, Southborough, Springfield, Sutton, Templeton, Tyngsborough, Ware, West Boylston, West Bridgewater, Williamstown and Yarmouth.

Thursdays data comes four days before Easter. Gov. Charlie Baker earlier in the day issued a warning to residents, urging people to wear a mask, socially distance and celebrate the holiday outside, if possible.

The virus, as we know from previous holidays, has a particular opportunity to spread in those environments, he said about indoor gatherings. We saw it happen at Thanksgiving; we saw it happen at Christmas.

Related Content:
Youngsville Police are investigating alleged physical abuse of special education students at Southside High School, following a written complaint by a former substitute teacher.

The allegations involve one Southside teacher, who is accused of grabbing, poking and slapping students. At least two students have been identified as alleged victims, including one who has been identified as a frequent target of abuse.

Youngsville Police Sgt. Gabe Thompson said the department is investigating an allegation of possible misconduct at a school within Lafayette Parish, and declined to identify the school or the nature of the allegation. Thompson said the investigation began on March 31, which is the same day a former substitute teacher, Laurie Gresham, submitted a voluntary statement detailing abuse she claims to have witnessed.

The Lafayette Parish School System cut Gresham after she discussed the abuse with administrators in a meeting that she recorded. In the recording, which the Advocate obtained, Lafayette Schools administrator Kathy Aloisio said she was mortified after seeing one of the incidents on surveillance video.

Lafayette Schools spokesperson Allison Dickerson did not respond to repeated queries via email, phone and text concerning the abuse allegations, Aloisios involvement and other questions related to the districts handling of the matter. The Advocates first query was sent just before 2 p.m. Thursday. Good Friday was a district holiday.

The teacher did not return a voicemail left on a publicly listed cell phone number.

The mother of one of the alleged victims told the Advocate that she wrote a statement in support of the teacher at the request of Southside administrators. But she said she later learned the administrators misled her into thinking there had been only one incident, and that they lied to her about the existence of video evidence.

The mother, who did not want to be identified, said she has withdrawn her son from the school and is now considering legal action against the district.

In the incident allegedly captured on video, the teacher grabbed the student by the neck and yelled at him. Aloisio, who is the middle and secondary schools director, is heard repeatedly referring to the video in the recording of the meeting with Gresham.

I was mortified when I saw it. Just to see how he towered over him, Aloisio said in the meeting.

Aloisio, who is heard introducing herself in the recording, said in the meeting that the incident on video occurred March 10, which corroborates what Gresham told the Advocate in an interview and her statement to police.

Reached by telephone, Aloisio declined comment.

Aloisio told Gresham she learned of the alleged abuse on the day of their meeting, which was March 19, according to Greshams statements to police and to the Advocate. It is not clear why police did not begin investigating until March 31, the day Gresham filed her police statement.

State law requires immediate reporting  to law enforcement, state child welfare authorities, or both  of physical abuse of children that results in serious bodily or neurological injuries. It is unclear if any of the alleged abuse at Southside caused any injuries.

A separate law forbids corporal punishment of special education students. Corporal punishment includes hitting, paddling, striking, spanking, slapping, or any other physical force that causes pain or physical discomfort, according to the law.

The mother of the student who initially supported the teacher said she previously told the teacher that it is sometimes necessary to speak to her son with a raised voice, and to physically restrain him from hurting himself.

She said she assumed the teacher was responding to such a situation when Southside administrators initially called her about the incident. Gresham, who said she personally witnessed the incident on video, told the Advocate that the teacher was enraged, and the physical contact was not needed for restraint.

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He grabbed (the student) by the back of the neck, the shoulder area, and was screaming at him, Gresham said in an interview. It was very threatening. It was a scary tone.

+6 The coronavirus pandemic put educators and parents through a new kind of learning experience Third-grade teacher Toynette LeDay and her husband Murphy LeDay were signing insurance paperwork at the Lafayette Parish School Systems centr

State law and district policy permit certain types of physical restraint when students are at imminent risk of harm to themselves or others. Such restraint can be applied only as a last resort, and must be directly proportionate to the circumstances and to the students size, age, and severity of behavior, according to district policy.

Physical restraints are prohibited for discipline or punishment, for behavioral compliance or for convenience of staff, the policy states.

Additionally, parents must be notified in writing within 24 hours of the use of physical restraints. The mother of the student in the video told the Advocate that Southside administrators called her on March 22, three days after Aloisio met with Gresham. She said she has never received any written notification of restraints being used on her son. The call with administrators was brief, she said.

The conversation only lasted about three to four minutes. They were like, OK, if youre OK we are OK, have a good day, she said.

Gresham said she had seen the teacher aggressively poking the same student on a different occasion, apart from the incident allegedly captured on video. The students mother, who said she had heard the recording of Greshams meeting with Aloisio, said she was stunned to learn from the recording that there had been more than one incident.

Was it done in a purposely harmful manner? I still really dont know, the mother said, referring to the incident on video, which she has not seen. I am more appalled by the fact that other incidents are happening in the classroom that was not reported to me.

She said she was also terrified to hear Gresham tell Aloisio in the recording that the teacher had taken her son into a separate room alone, without other adults. Learning of the existence of a video after being told there was none made her suspicious of the administration, she added.

It just makes me think they are hiding something, she said.

In the recording of the meeting between Aloisio and Gresham, Aloisio said she learned of the alleged abuse from another staff member, prior to the meeting. Other staff members who potentially witnessed the abuse were also being interviewed.

Aloisio tried to allay Greshams anxiety about disclosing what she had seen.

Im going to protect you. I take my job seriously. You are going to be protected, OK?, Aloisio said.

Ten days after the meeting, on March 29, Gresham received an email notification from the personnel department that she had been deactivated as a substitute. The personnel director, John Mouton, requested a meeting to discuss the situation, according to the email from a staffer.

The email said Mouton had tried to call Gresham. Gresham declined the meeting.

In their March 19 meeting, Aloisio directed Gresham to provide a written statement, which Gresham said she assumed would be turned over to law enforcement. After learning it had not and after being terminated, she said she decided to separately submit a voluntary statement on March 31, the same day the police investigation began.

I just gave my statement and I was positive they were going to turn it into the police, Gresham said of the written statement she gave to Aloisio. Its an investigation. I just trusted thats how it goes.
THE Official Cork City Curfew Report last night: 1. No arrests. 2. The city was quiet. Signed: B.L. Montgomery, Brigade Major, 17th Infantry Brigade.

(Monty would go on to be the famous desert nemesis of General Rommel in World War II).

Meanwhile, the Echo on Saturday, April 1, reported that an attack on the police barracks in Rosscarberry had a tragic sequel, when an unexploded bomb in the ruins of the building detonated, causing the deaths of two farmers, John Collins and George Wilson. Several other people were wounded.

Bales of English newspapers arriving in Dungarvan this morning were seized outside the railway station before the news boys could bring them into town, and taken off to some country district by disguised men.

Lord Edmund Talbot, a member of a leading English Catholic family, has been appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. It is over 230 years since a Catholic last held the position.

Shot in the Foot

A somewhat startling occurrence took place in the Bridewell at about 10am today. It appears that whatever way Constable Smith was handling his revolver in one of the bedrooms, it went off and shot Constable Carroll in the ankle. The bullet went right through and became embedded in the other foot.

Constable Carroll, it will be remembered, was recently wounded in the arm when he and a man named Sheehan, an attendant at the asylum who has since been killed, were fired at on Blarney Street.

Hold-up at Hilsers

Two armed men entered Hilsers Jewellers on the North Main Street after 6pm yesterday and ordered staff into the workshop at the rear. Telephone wires were cut and when an employee was ordered to secure the front door, it was noticed there were now eight raiders.

Mr Burkley, owner of the shop, had been out with his son and now returned and rang the bell. The caretaker of the premises was upstairs all this time and came down to open the door, oblivious to the presence of the uninvited guests. Instead, one of the raiders let Mr Burkley in and he and the caretaker joined the others in the workshop.

Ransacking of the shop now began in earnest and after about 45 minutes, the robbers left with jewellery worth 8,000 and 50 in cash.

Future Negotiations

The air is full again of peace rumours and at the last meeting of Dail Eireann (the Sinn Fein parliament) it was decided to appoint a committee for negotiations with enemy countries. Certain republicans had been assuming the right to speak for the people of Ireland when such right has been entrusted solely to Dail Eireann. Negotiations will now only take place through this committee and all negotiations are to be discontinued until the negotiators and their proposals are scrutinised carefully. Mr de Valera made a statement to the press that Dominion Home Rule is an undefinable thing which has not been offered, and all that is certain is that Irish feeling has been embittered almost beyond description since the last feeble attempt at peacemaking.

No negotiations will be entered into from Sinn Feins side unless they are preceded by an honest truce and a general amnesty.

City Centre Chase

A case of illegal possession of firearms against Thomas Flavin, of 4, Laurelhurst Terrace, College Road, was heard before a military court at Victoria Barracks today but identification proved difficult.

A police constable in evidence told how he and two other constables were proceeding to Union Quay barracks on March 8 when they noticed three suspicious civilians at the corner of Pembroke Street and South Mall. A chase ensued up Pembroke Street and shots were fired.

Christus at Blackpool

A large audience was present at Blackpool cinema last night and immensely pleased with the splendid scriptural production entitled Christus.

The film is a masterpiece of cinematographic art on which the producers have lavished time, money and an infinity of care to ensure it should be a great work of art. It will be screened again on Saturday and Sunday.

Hospital Contracts

At a meeting of the Cork Joint Hospital Board, the following tenders were accepted: Denis OLeary, 23, Washington Street, for the supply of mild-cured butter at 290 per cwt for the month of April, Kate OBrien, Doneralie, supply of eggs at 2s 1d per dozen. George Scott & Co. for the supply of 50 tons of Welsh coal at Buttevant Station at 78s. per ton.
President Moon Jae-in, left, and U.S. President Joe Biden / Yonhap



By Kwon Mee-yoo



President Moon Jae-in may hold a summit with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden ahead of the G7 summit in June.



Officials of Korea and the U.S. have been discussing the summit issue, Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday, citing multiple government sources. Moon and Biden were speculated to meet face-to-face for the first time at the G7 summit scheduled for June 11-13 in the United Kingdom, but the discussion is showing the possibility of an earlier bilateral summit, as early as later this month.



If agreed, Moon is likely to travel to the U.S. to meet Biden.






Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) removes his mask to speak as bipartisan members of the Senate and House gather to announce a framework for new COVID-19 relief legislation at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 1, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Manchin Floats Idea of 90-Day Immigration Moratorium to Send Message and Ease Border Surge

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Thursday called for urgent action to resolve the humanitarian crisis along the border, and floated the idea of a 90-day moratorium on immigration as a way of sending a message that would discourage people from flooding the region trying to enter the United States illegally.

Manchin, who was one of the first major Democrat lawmakers to break ranks with his party and start referring to the border surge as a crisis, toured the U.S.-Mexico border with Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) on Thursday.

The pair took a helicopter and boat tour of the border with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, visited the port of entry in Laredo, Texas, and ended the day at the Holding Institute, a nonprofit housing families that have made their way illegally into the United States as part of the surge.

Do we have a war zone, like some people call it? No, we dont. Do we have a humanitarian crisis? Yes, we do, Cuellar said of the situation in his home town of Laredo.

Manchin reinforced that characterization, telling reporters at the presser that, weve got a human crisis that Im seeing here.

Something has to be done and it has to be expedited, Manchin said. This problem is not going away. This problem will not cure itself, I can assure you, and theyre coming in droves, he added.

CBP figures show that illegal crossings rose to over 100,000 in February, while the number of family units caught trying to enter illegally rose to over 19,000, nearly three times the January figure.

I think, this month, well probably hit around 130,000, Cuellar said of his predictions for March. So were heavy right nowI think were probably going to surpass what happened in May 2019 the way were going right now.

The spike two years ago that Cuellar was referring to saw 144,116 enforcement encounters along the southwest border.

Separately, a Border Patrol official estimated that more than 1 million illegal immigrants are expected to arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021 as the White House grapples with how to find facilities and process them.

Were already starting to see some higher days of 6,000-plus apprehensions, Raul Ortiz, deputy chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, told reporters. So I fully expect our border patrol agents to encounter over a million people this year.

Republicans and others have blamed President Joe Bidens immigration policies and messaging for fueling the border surge, particularly his reversal of key border security measures enacted by the Trump administration. While the Biden administration has sought to portray the spike in illegal crossings as a seasonal phenomenon, officials have, at the same time, rolled out more aggressive messaging in a bid to discourage would-be illegal immigrants.

Dont come over, Biden said in a March 16 interview with ABC News when asked to articulate his message to would-be border crossers. Dont leave your town or city or community.

Biden has also said that his administration is continuing to quickly expel most adults and families under a public health order imposed at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. But the administration is allowing teens and children, at least temporarily, to stay in the country.

Cuellar reinforced that message on Thursday, saying that, out of 100 people applying for asylum in the United States, 88 percent are going to be rejected.

Those are the numbers, only 12 percent, he said.

Still, many would-be illegal immigrants believe that they are welcome to enter and stay in the United States, according to Reuters interviews with nearly two dozen migrants and more than a dozen people identifying themselves as smugglers.

Theres 100 days of free passage across the border, a Guatemalan smuggler told Reuters, referring to one prevailing perception. Supposedly the president is letting children in, another told the outlet.

Cuellar suggested the message that the border is not open is not getting through.

In many ways, were giving false hope to people coming here, he said.

Manchin tapped into that theme, saying that we need to look at everything humanly possible to stem the border surge, and raised the possibility of a temporary immigration moratorium, though he said he was just throwing out different ideas.

Weve got a human crisis that Im seeing here  so if that means shutting everything down for 90 days of how we have people come into our country, sending that message that were not going to be taking people into this country until we get our ability to make sure were able to do it and do it right, he said.

Other measures Manchin suggested include beefing up border security and a more robust U.S. immigration presence in Central American countries so as to process asylum claims there.

They should be able to go through the asylum processthe vetting processand do all the things that are necessary before they come here, Manchin said. It would be safer. It would be much more humane. It would be much more cost-effective for each one of them, and the sacrifices they make.

Manchin also called for immigration reform, which he said he and Cuellar would discuss with members of the Biden administration upon returning to Washington.
Bengaluru, April 2 : Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood on Friday said that the police knows when to arrest an accused and that it was not right on the part of anyone to launch a campaign demanding any person be arrested.

Responding to media queries on the 'Sleaze CD' case, Sood said: "The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is probing into this (Sleaze CD) case is investigating yet. Once the police lay hands on conclusive evidence, no accused can run away." Arrest in any case always comes after investigation is completed, he added.

The state police chief also rebutted claims that there was contempt of judiciary in this case. "Where was the contempt? The SIT is doing its job. Investigation is a step by step process and it certainly takes its time. Till then, one must have patience," he said.

According to him, there was no pressure from any quarter in this case. "The SIT is doing its duty diligently. Simply raising fingers at them won't do good to anyone," he said.

Meanwhile, former minister and accused Ramesh Jarkiholi's lawyer Shyam Sundar told reporters that his client would not be appearing before the SIT now as he was not keeping well.

"We have informed this to the SIT and the SIT has confirmed that they would issue another notice to appear before them again in a day or two and my client, along with us (legal team), will be present on the next date," he said.

In response to a question if Jarkiholi was scared of arrest, the lawyer asked what is there to be scared of? "The SIT is not laying traps here, when a party is co-operating, the question of arrest does not arise. The police is authorised to arrest anyone from anyplace. It need not be from their office alone," he said.
A man flashes the three-finger salute as he passes burning tyres during a protest against the military coup, in Mandalay, Myanmar yesterday. Photo: Reuters

Myanmar's deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been charged with breaking a colonial-era official secrets law, her lawyer said yesterday , the most serious charge against the veteran opponent of military rule.

Myanmar has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew Suu Kyis elected government on February 1 citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud in a November election that her party swept.

In a new measure to stifle communication about the turmoil, the junta ordered internet service providers to shut down wireless broadband services until further notice, several telecoms sources said.

Suu Kyi and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) have been detained since the coup and the junta had earlier accused her of several minor offences including illegally importing six handheld radios and breaching coronavirus protocols. Her chief lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, told Reuters by telephone that Suu Kyi, three of her deposed cabinet ministers and a detained Australian economic adviser, Sean Turnell, were charged a week ago in a Yangon court under the official secrets law, adding he learned of the new charge two days ago.

A conviction under the law can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years. A spokesman for the junta did not answer telephone calls seeking comment. Suu Kyi, who is 75 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her efforts to bring democracy to Myanmar, appeared via video link for a hearing in connection with the earlier charges yesterday. Another of her lawyers, Min Min Soe, said she appeared to be in good health.

Amay Su and President U Win Myint are in good health, the lawyer said, referring to Suu Kyi by an affectionate term for mother. The president, a Suu Kyi ally, was also deposed and detained in the coup. He too faces various charges. Their lawyers have said the charges against both of them were trumped up.

At least 538 civilians have been killed in protests against the coup, 141 of them on Saturday, the bloodiest day of the unrest, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group. Protesters were back out in several places yesterday and two more people were killed, as activists burned copies of a military-framed constitution and called for unity among all those opposed to army rule.
The suspect in the death of a Capitol Police officer described himself on Facebook as a follower of Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, who has repeatedly promoted anti-Semitism.

The suspect, Noah R. Green, 25, was identified by two law enforcement officials and a congressional official. He was from Indiana and died after being shot by the Capitol Police.

On Facebook, Mr. Green had posted speeches and articles written by Mr. Farrakhan and Elijah Muhammad, who led the Nation of Islam from 1934 to 1975, that discussed the decline of America. Two law enforcement officials confirmed that the Facebook page, which was taken down on Friday, had belonged to Mr. Green.

Mr. Green posted on Facebook about his personal struggles, especially during the pandemic.

To be honest, these past few years have been tough, and these past few months have been tougher, he wrote. I have been tried with some of the biggest, unimaginable tests in my life. I am currently now unemployed, after I left my job, partly due to afflictions.
Michigan elected officials are at odds in a time-consuming and costly legal battle for which taxpayers are picking up the tab.

At least 14 publicly funded attorneys, assistants or paralegals, including a dozen from the attorney generals Office who are at odds with each other and two more representing the state House and Senate, are involved in Round 2 of a case involving ballot initiatives that was previously dismissed and revived in February.

The Republican-majority Legislature, with remarkable speed, according to the opposition, rushed through new laws for collecting ballot initiative petition signatures as a lame-duck Gov. Rick Snyder prepared to leave office in December 2018.

Under the resulting law, a petition collector must now declare whether they are paid or a volunteer, and petition collection efforts are restricted to no more than 15% of the required signatures coming from a single congressional district.

Public Act 608 was quickly challenged after Democrats took over the offices of governor, attorney general and secretary of state.

Attorney General Dana Nessel in May of 2019 issued an opinion stating the new law clearly violates the Constitution on several  but not all  fronts. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, whose office oversees elections and ballot initiatives, first questioned the constitutionality of the petition collection laws in January 2019 and requested a review by Nessels office.

Soon afterward, the League of Women Voters of Michigan and Michiganders for Fair and Transparent Elections filed a lawsuit in the Court of Claims, naming Benson as defendant. Both organizations that filed the lawsuit planned to collect petition signatures and place ballot questions before voters in 2020.

Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens struck down the law as unconstitutional, but her ruling was appealed to the state Supreme Court, where justices never heard the case. They deemed it a moot issue, since the initiatives that prompted the lawsuit in the first place fizzled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, theyre back.

The League of Women Voters of Michigan, Progress Michigan, the Coalition to Close Lansing Loopholes and Michiganders for Fair and Transparent Elections filed a lawsuit against Benson making some of the same arguments before the same Court of Claims judge in February.

Progress Michigan is seeking ballot initiatives to restrict certain lobbying activity and require the Legislature and governors office to comply with the Freedom of Information Act, from which theyre currently shielded. Michiganders for Fair and Transparent Elections intends to circulate petitions for a constitutional amendment to strengthen Michigans campaign finance reporting and disclosure requirements.

Because the attorney general is mandated to both defend state agencies and the state Constitution, Nessels office is split. She created what is called a conflict wall team to defend the law and appointed other assistant attorneys general to represent the constitutional challenges.

The cumulative annual salary of the state lawyers, assistants and paralegals involved is nearly $1.4 million.

According to an exhibit contained in a court filing explaining the creation of the conflict wall, the two legal teams include five and seven attorneys, respectively. The wall forbids opposing attorneys from discussing strategy and sharing case file documents or information.

The number of taxpayer-funded attorneys again grew on March 16 when two contracted attorneys for the state House and Senate filed a motion to also join the lawsuit as defendants. They dont trust that the attorney generals conflict wall is high enough avoid the influence of bias.

Because the Secretary of State will not be defending all of the challenged statutes, the (AGs Office) erected a conflict wall to permit a different team of attorneys from the (attorney generals office) to defend the challenged statutes, the motion said. Nonetheless, the Senate and House contend that their interests will not be adequately represented by the existing parties.

The Legislature claims a similar split arose in a recent lawsuit challenging the public funding of private schools to compensate for costs they incurred complying with state health and safety rules.

There, the (AGs Office) created a conflict wall and established two teams: one representing the (AGs Office), which sought to invalidate the allocation, and another representing the governor, ostensibly to defend the allocation, the motion said.

After attorneys representing the governors office prevailed, they switched sides during the appeal to the state Supreme Court, according to attorneys for the Legislature.

In sum, the (AGs Office) has not consistently demonstrated a willingness to defend the states interest at the most critical moments, even when a team has purportedly been assigned to do so, the Legislatures motion to intervene said.

The Court of Claims has not yet ruled whether it will accept the state House and Senate as another defendant in the lawsuit.

Citing pending litigation, the AGs Office declined comment on the case. MLive left a message requesting comment with attorneys representing the Legislature.

When Republicans passed the 2018 petition signature collection law, they argued it would ensure a better representation of voter interests, since collectors would be forced to gather signatures from a larger geographic area, and claimed greater transparency, since signers would know if the petitioner was paid or not.

Opponents, including Nessel, argue the new rules limit the ability of the people to amend the Constitution by petition and popular vote without any justification to do so.

More on MLive:

Supreme Court vacates ruling

Judge overturns ballot petition collection law

Private schools may receive public funding

Group seeks FOIA reform
Real Housewives of New York vet Luann de Lesseps has split with boyfriend Garth Wakeford, as they have both denied cheating claims and that he has moved on with someone who is close to castmate Sonja Morgan.

Many had questioned the 49-year-old personal trainer's fidelity due to an online rumor but 55-year-old Luann clarified that they had broken up months ago.

She told Page Six on Friday: 'Garth and I stopped dating before the holidays and I only wish him well.'

Due to an anonymous tip to Instagram account DeuxMoi, Wakeford was romantically linked to a 19-year-old Hamptons-based socialite by the name of Jacqueline Leahy but he has since denied a romantic relationship.

Calling it quits: Real Housewives of New York vet Luann de Lesseps has split with boyfriend Garth Wakeford, as they have both denied cheating claims and that he has moved on with someone who is close to castmate Sonja Morgan

'We have no relationship': Due to an anonymous tip to Instagram account DeuxMoi, Wakeford was romantically linked to a 19-year-old Hamptons-based socialite by the name of Jacqueline Leahy but he has since denied a romantic relationship

He explained to Page Six: 'Regarding this girl, we have no relationship. She came to my exercise class once.'

The trailer for the upcoming season of RHONY sees Luann seemingly obsessed with talking about Garth and it seems he is set to make an appearance.

After the teaser was released someone sent a tip into the Instagram Deuxmoi which read: 'Luann de Lessep's personal trainer/boyfriend Garth (as seen in the new RHONY trailer) is allegedly dating college bombshell and Sag Harbor socialite Jacqueline Leahy.'

The anonymous source added: 'Jacqueline is rumored to be close family friends with Sonja Morgan, so this is something that could really blow up this season.'

Younger taste: He went from dating up to dating down as Leahy is 30 years his junior

Anonymous tip: The pair were first revealed as an item when an anonymous tip was sent to celebrity tea-spilling account DeuxMoi

It is unclear how or when Wakeford first met Leahy who is 30 years his junior, but Wakeford's personal training business is in The Hamptons and the socialite is based in Sag Harbor.

Though little is known about the blonde college student, she seems to split time between the affluent town and Boca Raton, and is set to graduate from Hobart and William Smith college in the spring.

Jacqueline's social media is full of picturesque vacations to Europe and bikini selfies, and her family seems to be avid Trump supporters, one post reading: 'Enjoy long walks on the beach and Donald Trump.'

Confirming rumors: Luann confirmed to RadarOnline that they had gone their separate ways. 'We stopped dating since before the holidays and I only wish him well'

Privileged life: The blonde's instagram is full of bikini selfies and trips to Europe

Wakeford and Luann first met on the dating app Hinge, the housewife spilling details on the Ex Appeal podcast.

She revealed when she saw him online she thought to herself, 'Oh, he is too good to be true!,' and when they went on a masked up coffee date she realized 'He's exactly what he looks like on the app. He's tall, he's handsome, he looks like a Viking,' she shared.

Leahy on the other hand seems to be an influencer/ambassador for popular dating app Bumble that puts the power in women's hands to message first. It is unknown if Garth has a profile on the site.

This was Luann's first public relationship since splitting from second husband Tom D'Agostino Jr. in 2017.
Offenders involved in illegal fishing and sand mining along the Yangtze River will find little chance to escape from the arm of the law, as police forces along the river and customs authorities inked a cooperation agreement on Thursday.

The effort will see the Yangtze River Shipping Public Security Bureau, which is in charge of law and order along the river's primary stream, joining hands with anti-smuggling forces in customs departments. They will also join police from 11 provincial-level areas along the river, the Ministry of Public Security announced.

Three cooperation zones will be set up. Linked by the Yangtze River Shipping Public Security Bureau, they will enhance information exchanges and optimize resource allocations between the cooperation zones.

China has continued to ratchet up crackdowns on illegal fishing, illegal sand mining, and illegal pollutant emissions along the Yangtze River.

A total of 8,024 suspects were apprehended, and 427 criminal rings were dismantled amid a three-year campaign against illegal fishing on the river, which launched last June.
Chennai, April 2 : The 60th anniversary of Russian astronaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin's spaceflight will be celebrated at the Global Space Exploration Conference - GLEX 2021 - to be held at St. Petersburg in Russia this June, said officials.

The GLEX 2021 a conference on space exploration is organised by International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and its member Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos.

The Russian astronaut was the first human to fly into the outer space in 1961.

Heads of various space agencies and industries are expected to participate in the conference. There will also be a small exhibition.

The GLEX 2021 will be the first in-person conference since the beginning of the global pandemic, IAF President, Pascale Ehrenfreund told the global media on Friday.

Recalling the Soviet spacecraft Vostok with Gagarin, Sergey Krikalev, Executive Director, Piloted Spaceflights, Roscosmos said that mission marked the beginning of a new space era in the history of mankind.

Krikalev said the GLEX conference will allow to build mutual understandings to implement ambitious projects on the Moon, Mars and beyond.

According to Ehrenfreund, the conference will also have the Next Generation Day co-organised by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) and the IAF Workforce Development/Young Professionals Programme Committee, where high-level speakers, seniors and young people will assemble to discuss in-depth the subject of space exploration.

In conjunction with the conference, GLEX 2021 will also see the participation of 20 international astronauts from the Association of Space Explorers (ASE).
Associated Press

Former Vice President Mike Pence says that he isnt sure that he and former President Donald Trump will ever see eye to eye over what happened on Jan. 6 but that he would always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years. Pence, speaking at a Republican dinner Thursday in the early-voting state of New Hampshire, gave his most extensive comments to date on the events of Jan. 6, when angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanting Hang Mike Pence! after the vice president said he did not have the power to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens election victory. And that same day, we reconvened the Congress and did our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States," Pence continued.
The Vice President and Second Gentleman will move into the Vice Presidents residence at the Naval Observatory residence next week

Vice President Kamala Harris will finally move into her official residence soon after months of delays.

Read More: Vice President Kamala Harris portfolio becomes focus of Biden agenda

Senior advisor and spokesperson Symone Sanders revealed on Twitter the house at Number One Observatory Circle designated for Harris and her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff is near ready for the family to move in.

The Vice President and Second Gentleman will move into the Vice Presidents residence at the Naval Observatory residence next week, Sanders shared on the social media platform. The move was initially delayed to allow for repairs to the home that are more easily conducted with the home unoccupied.

WASHINGTON, DC  MARCH 08: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris addresses the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference via video link from the Eisenhower Executive Office Buildings East Court Auditorium on March 08, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

She continued to update followers on the cause of delays and listed the repairs completed on the home.

The repairs included maintenance on the HVAC system, replacing the liners in the chimneys and refurbishing of some of the hardwood floors, Sanders tweeted.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Read More: Thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris, the power of women will never be the same

theGrio reported after more than two months in office, Harris had still not moved into the residence established for vice presidents and their families.

Harris and Emhoff, a Georgetown Law professor, temporarily reside at Blair House, the Presidents official guest quarters, located just across the street from the White House on Pennsylvania Ave. Blair House also housed President Joe Biden before his inauguration, per CNN.

Despite the luxurious accommodations for which Blair House is well-known, practically being a showroom of historical American artifacts and museum-grade antiques, Harris and Emhoff look forward to enjoying the pleasures of an off-campus home, farther away from the office.

For the vice president and his or her family, the Vice Presidents Residence  or VPR  is calm in the midst of a stormy Washington, both politically and logistically. At the end of the day, the vice president can travel a short distance northwest and find respite in a country-like setting, said Elizabeth Haenle, former vice president residence manager and social secretary for former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Story continues

WASHINGTON, DC  JANUARY 20: Newly sworn in U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff wave at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During todays inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Vice President will travel to Chicago to focus on COVID-19 vaccine equity. It will be her first time in the Windy City since she and Biden won the election.

A spokesman for Mayor Lori Lightfoot informed the outlet the mayor personally invited Harris last month to see the citys COVID equity initiatives.

Lightfoot tweeted about the upcoming visit, saying, Im excited to welcome @VP Kamala Harris to Chicago. Our team prioritized equity in the rollout of our COVID vaccines. Im looking forward to sharing details with her.

This article contains additional reporting from theGrios Jamal A. Hansberry.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!

The post Kamala Harris to move into VP residence after months-long delay appeared first on TheGrio.
New Delhi, April 2 : An astonishing 99.99 per cent votes were cast by shareholders in favour of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) for the scheme of arrangement of RIL O2C demerger .

NCLT vide its order dated February 11 had directed Reliance Industries Limited as the Transferor Company to hold a meeting of its equity shareholders to consider and, if thought fit, to approve, with or without modification, the proposed scheme of arrangement between the Transferor Company and its shareholders and creditors and Reliance O2C Limited as the transferee company and its shareholders and creditors.

The Scheme provides for transfer of the O2C Undertaking from the Transferor Company to the Transferee Company on a slump-sale basis for a lumpsum consideration and reduction of capital of the Transferor Company consequent to adjustment of capital reserve and securities premium against the debit to the statement of profit and loss arising on transfer of the O2C Undertaking.

In terms of the notice dated February 25, a meeting of the Equity Shareholders of the Transferor Company was convened and held on Wednesday, March 31 through VC.

The Transferor Company had provided to its equity shareholders facility to exercise their right to vote on the resolution contained in the notice calling the meeting using an electronic voting system.

Justice (Retd.) Shri B.N. Srikrishna, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India, chaired the Meeting. The Chairperson thereafter stated that the Meeting was held through VC in compliance with the directions of the Order of NCLT Mumbai dated February 11, 2021, the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, and Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.

The Chairperson thereafter addressed the Equity Shareholders. He informed that the remote evoting commenced at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 26 and concluded at 5 p.m. (IST) on Tuesday, March 30.

Scheme of Arrangement between Reliance Industries Limited and its shareholders and creditors and Reliance O2C Limited was placed before the Equity Shareholders for consideration and approval.

The Chairperson informed the equity shareholders that Mehul Modi, a Practising Chartered Accountant, Partner, Deloitte Haskins and Sells LLP, Chartered Accountants, was appointed as the Scrutinizer to scrutinize the voting through electronic means (i.e. remote e-voting and voting at the Meeting by using electronic system) ("e-voting").

The Chairperson informed the Equity Shareholders that the results of e-voting shall be disseminated to the stock exchanges and also uploaded on the website of the Company and KFin Technologies Private Limited.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 23:06:23|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes a U.S. report over Hong Kong, urging the United States to create favorable conditions for bringing China-U.S. ties back on the track of healthy and stable development. So said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday.

It came after the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday sent a report to Congress reaffirming a determination made last year that Hong Kong remains undeserving of special treatment by the United States.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said the report, disregarding basic facts, made irresponsible remarks over Hong Kong affairs. It leveled groundless accusations against the Chinese central government and the HKSAR government and severely interfered in China's internal affairs.

As seen by all, since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the "one country, two systems" policy, under which "the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong" with a high degree of autonomy, has been fully implemented, Hua said at a daily press briefing.

"The rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents under the law are fully protected, and the development of Hong Kong has scored achievements recognized by the international community," she added.

The spokesperson said Hong Kong's development achievements nowadays depend on the hard work of several generations of Hong Kong citizens and the great advantage of the motherland, rather than charities from foreign countries.

The cancellation of or threat to cancel the so-called "special treatment" by the United States will not stop Hong Kong's development and prosperity. It will also not stop Hong Kong from continued integration into the motherland and contributing to the country with greater space for development, Hua said.

"Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong, and Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs, which abide no interference from any foreign country," Hua said.

She urged the United States to respect the facts, stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs in any form, and create favorable conditions rather than create obstructions. These steps would bring China-U.S. ties back on the track of sound and stable development. 
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Mr. Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

Mr. Morris Tidball-Binz was appointed the UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial summary or arbitrary executions, on 1 April 2021.

Mr. Morris Tidball-Binz (Vina del Mar, Chile, 1957) is a medical doctor specialized in forensic science, human rights and humanitarian action. He contributed to the development and worldwide use of forensic science to investigate and document extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, enforced disappearances, torture and detention conditions, as well as to humanitarian action in armed conflicts and natural catastrophes. Over the past 35 years, he has conducted fact-finding, technical assessments and capacity building missions to over 70 counties in all regions.

He is currently an Adjunct Clinical Professor in Forensic Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Australia and a Visiting Professor of the Department of Forensic Medicine, Ethics and Medical Law, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal and of the Department of Biomedical Health Sciences, University of Milano, Italy.

As a medical student working for the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina, he participated in the creation of the first-ever genetic database to locate victims of enforced disappearances and their relatives. In 1984, he co-founded the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, an organization that pioneered the application of scientific methods to investigate serious violations of human rights and crimes against humanity, which he directed until 1990.

From 1990 until 2003, he directed regional and global human rights programs for Amnesty International (UK); the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights (Costa Rica); Penal Reform International (UK) and the International Service for Human Rights (Switzerland). From 2004 to 2020, he worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where he helped to establish and served as the first director of the Forensic Services and Unit.

He participated in international standard setting, including the Istanbul Protocol and the revision of the Minnesota Protocol, for the documentation of torture and of potentially unlawful deaths, respectively, as well the ICRC Guide on the Investigation of Deaths in Custody. He has published extensively, organized courses and lectured in areas of expertise, including in universities and scientific associations worldwide. He is a member of a number of scientific entities and publications, serving on boards of directors and editorial boards.

Throughout his career, he has worked closely with victims of human rights violations and their relatives. He has also advised governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental entities, including human rights mechanisms of the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the African Union, and served as expert witness and technical advisor for international, regional and domestic courts and commissions of enquiry.

Mr. Tidball-Binz is the recipient of two Honoris Causa Doctorates, including from the National University of La Plata, Argentina, his alma mater, for his contribution to forensic science applied to human rights and the development of humanitarian forensic action.

A citizen of Chile and of Argentina, Mr. Tidball-Binz, a father of four, currently resides in France with his wife and their two children. He is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and understands French.

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Aung San Suu Kyi, the deposed leader of Myanmar, has been charged with breaking an official secrets law  the most serious accusation yet to be filed against her.

Having been detained since the military coup in February, Ms Suu Kyi could face up to 14 years in prison if convicted of the latest charges.

Myanmar has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew the elected government amid unsubstantiated claims of fraud in Novembers election, which her party won with a majority.

Ms Suu Kyis lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, told Reuters that she and three deposed cabinet ministers, as well as detained Australian economic adviser Sean Turnell, were charged a week ago under the colonial-era official secrets law.

The army had earlier charged her with several lesser offences, including illegally importing six handheld radios and breaching Covid rules.

Read more:

Ms Suu Kyi, 75, is said to be in good health and has contested the charges.

Myanmars junta this week ordered internet service providers to shut down wireless broadband services until further notice in a move aimed at stifling dissent.

Anti-coup groups have instead turned to radio frequencies, offline internet resources and providers of text message news alerts to try to circumvent the internet curbs, which limit access to fixed-line services only.

Protesters have called for a flower strike at bus stops where demonstrators killed by security forces had departed on their last journeys.

We will leave flowers at bus stops tomorrow ... That's what I want to tell you guys before the internet is down, Khin Sadar, a protest leader, posted on Facebook.

In the following days, there are street protests. Do as many guerrilla strikes as you can. Please join.

Let's listen to the radio again. Let's make phone calls to each other too.

At least 538 civilians have been killed in protests against the coup, 141 of them on Saturday, the bloodiest day of the unrest, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.

Protesters were out on the streets again on Thursday and two more people were reportedly killed.

Activists burned copies of a military-framed constitution and called for unity among all those opposed to army rule.

On Thursday, the UK sanctioned one of the military's biggest companies following a similar move by several western countries.

Clothing brand Next became the latest high-street brand to suspend orders from Myanmar's factories.

The Myanmar military has sunk to a new low with the wanton killing of innocent people, including children, said the British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab.

Additional reporting by Reuters
At this time last spring, trainer Blake MacIntosh had high hopes for then two-year-old male pacer Perfectboy Hanover.

I thought he was probably the fastest horse I ever trained down, MacIntosh said, adding with a laugh, Hes the whole reason this year that I wont say anything about any of the two-year-olds training down. I was so high on him last year and then so disappointed with the year we had with him.

Last year, Perfectboy Hanover won one of eight starts in a season when, MacIntosh said, nothing went right.

MacIntosh, though, remains hopeful Perfectboy Hanover can fulfill the potential he saw last year. Perfectboy Hanover makes his seasonal debut in Saturdays (April 3) opening round of the Bobby Weiss Series at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, where he faces a field of eight in the fifth of five $17,500 divisions for three-year-old male pacers.

Hes been training really good, MacIntosh said. Hell need a start or two to get tight, but hes got a lot of talent. Ive been high on that horse all the way. Ive kept the stakes payments up on him because I think hes the real deal. We wont know for sure until push comes to shove, but hes got the right attitude, hes got the right gait, and hopefully everything goes right this year for him.

Last year, things began to go wrong for Perfectboy Hanover when a water truck and tractor came on the track in front of him during his first visit to Woodbine Mohawk Park.

From that point on, he just lost his mind and started doing stupid things, MacIntosh said. He was really immature. We ended up having to geld him at the end of the year just to try to get his head straight.

Perfectboy Hanovers victory last year came in the Pennsylvania Stallion Series. He made two Grand Circuit starts, finishing fifth in divisions of the Nassagaweya and Champlain stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

He is 6-1 on the morning line in Saturdays Weiss division.

Hopefully, hell be able to sit in on Saturday for a little bit and then pace home and show his talent, MacIntosh said.

MacIntosh trains the son of Somebeachsomewhere and Perfect Cents for Fred Brayford, Mac And Heim Stables, Ridgeway Racing and Knot Xzachallie Stable.

Perfectboy Hanover is among four MacIntosh trainees in Weiss Series action Saturday. He is joined by pacers Major Makover and Victory Move plus Black Tie Bash, who is in the third of three divisions for three-year-old male trotters.

It will be easier to tell what you have after the first couple starts, MacIntosh said.

The Weiss Series is for three-year-olds that did not win two extended pari-mutuel races or $30,000 lifetime through Feb. 1. The first round for female pacers is Monday and the first round for female trotters is Tuesday. Each series will consist of three preliminary legs followed by consolations and finals.

Racing begins at 12:30 p.m. (EDT) Saturday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

(USTA)
[April 02, 2021] Selling Simplified appoints Daniel Juanillo as CFO amidst Unprecedented Company Growth

Juanillo, an experienced executive, hopes to streamline operations, automate functions, and improve efficiencies DENVER, April 2, 2021 /CNW/ -- Selling Simplified Group, Inc. (SSG), a global leader in data-driven B2B demand generation, announced today the appointment of Daniel Juanillo as Chief Financial Officer. Juanillo brings more than 30 years of experiencemany in senior financial rolesincluding Regional Accounting Director at Marconi Communications, Vice President and Controller at Horizon Banks, and CFO at Navajo Incorporated. Juanillo also served as a Financial Management Consultant, working his way through a variety of financial certifications, including a Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) and as a Certified Financil Services Auditor (CFSA).



Most recently, Juanillo was instrumental in generating 35% revenue growth as CFO for a leading CPG manufacturer, where he executed a series of financial automation efforts, including the implementation of new reporting systems that saved two weeks in each reporting cycle. "Dan's technical experience and business savvy make him perfect for the role at this time of company growth," said CEO and President Michael Whife. "We are thrilled to have someone of his caliber on the executive team, with his exceptional leadership skills and contagious optimistic attitude."

Over the course of his extensive career, Juanillo has served in various industries, including banking, telecommunications, government, and financial services. At Selling Simplified, he is focused on three long-term goals: streamlining operations, automating functions where possible, and improving efficiencies. "It's a great time in SSG history because we're growing very quickly, and it's an exciting market," said Juanillo. He was drawn to the culture at SSG, stating that the company's global reach contributes to the depth of its people and the knowledge they share. "There is an emphasis on what's best for the people," he said. Juanillo is most looking forward to improving efficiencies related to the 2021 year-end audit and to implementing a more robust financial system. "It's a breath of fresh air to be on the Selling Simplified team, where ideas are encouraged and welcomed," stated Juanillo. "I can't stop smiling every day I'm here." Juanillo holds an MBA in Corporate Finance & Strategy from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. He joins Selling Simplified after the company was named one of Inc. 5000's Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America for the fifth year in a row. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/selling-simplified-appoints-daniel-juanillo-as-cfo-amidst-unprecedented-company-growth-301261127.html SOURCE Selling Simplified Group, Inc

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ROME, APR 2 - Uffizi Director Eike Schmidt said Friday that the Florence museum was seventh-top in the world last year for visitor numbers despite the COVID-19 pandemic. "The pandemic hit extremely hard but the Uffizi Gallery hung in there," Schmidt told the Foreign Press Association of Italy. "In 2020 we had a total of 1,206,175 visitors, 27.5% of the number of the previous year, despite COVID and all that it entailed in terms of closures and restrictions. "That puts us in seventh place among the art museums of the whole world. "In 2019 we were ninth in the table. "We lost 72% of our visitors, the same percentage as the Paris Louvre and Madrid's Reina Sofia". He said he expects the gallery to bounce back in a major way next year. (ANSA).
Apple has begun rejecting apps that ignore its new App Tracking Transparency policy as it moves ahead toward the launch of iOS 14.5.

So, whats happening?

Reports indicate Apple has started rejecting apps that ignore this new policy, which extends to iPhones, iPads, and tvOS. The policy requires that apps seek express permission to access the advertising identifier (IDFA) of a persons iPhone in order to track them for ad targeting purposes. The policy also forbids developers from using other methods to track users.

This is set to come into full effect with the introduction of iOS 14.5, which we now expect to arrive next week  with a potential Apple event to follow.

The idea is that app users have the chance to deny permission to track them across other apps and websites. Instead, they are shown a message that asks for permission to do so, states that permitting it may enable a better experience, but still allows them to ask the app not to track them.

Apple is also warning developers that any sneaky attempts to sidestep this policy by hiding or obfuscating such identifiers within apps can lead to the termination of a developers account.

A dreadful attack on openness (not really)

Apple critics say the company is breaking the internet by making it harder for advertisers who make online experiences weird and spooky with surveillance advertising. Strangely enough, the biggest critics seem to be the same entities that build their businesses around privacy erosion.

Apple has responded: What some companies call personalized experiences are often veiled attempts to gather as much data as possible about individuals, build extensive profiles on them, and then monetize those profiles.

French competition regulators are investigating Apple for the move, but have placed no interim measures to prevent it from introducing its App Tracking Transparency framework at this time. They seem to want to ensure the measure is not applied in a preferential (think, "anti-competitive") way, but this doesnt seem to be Apples intention.

Apple recently confirmed the measures will be applied globally, and says it will apply the same rules to its own apps.

Most Apple apps dont make use of such information; any that do will make the same request  and honor the users decision.

So, why does it matter?

We know smartphones carry a lot of information. The specific kind of information used to fingerprint devices may include which apps are installed, the amount of RAM, the device model, software versions, location, time zone, and even available disk space. Its data that may seem trivial, but it really isnt, as it lets app developers track users across sites, apps, and more.

[Also read: Apple wants Safari in iOS to be your private browser]

Indeed, I seem to recall one security breach in which a users habits were monitored until a successful, socially engineered spear phishing attack led them to a malware-infested site that seemed identical to one they frequently visited. We know Apple users are targets for such attempts.

After all, once data is known, it can be sold, acquired and misused. This information can also be abused in other negative ways. Putting up defenses against such practice is part of Apples plan. The company is building a user-centric approach to data privacy. Those Privacy Nutrition Labels at its app stores are designed to put you in control.

What Apple CEO Tim Cook says

Cook has warned that the industry and civil society must take a stand against tools such as app tracking.

At a high-profile speech in 2018, he said: Rogue actors and even governments have taken advantage of user trust to deepen divisions, incite violence, and even undermine our shared sense of what is true and what is false. This crisis is real. It is not imagined, or exaggerated or crazy.

Cook has made frequent interventions since that time. During another recent EU speech he described ATT as being about returning control to users." He also discussed a recent Apple white paper called, "A Day In the Life of Your Data." This illustrates the extent to which app-tracking data can be abused with a story concerning a man spending the day at the park with his daughter.

By the end of that day, Apples report claims, companies the man knows nothing about may have learned where the family lives, which park they visited, which news websites they read, what products they browsed, purchasing habits and much more. You can read about it here.

Technology does not need vast troves of personal data, stitched together across dozens of websites and apps, in order to succeed. Advertising existed and thrived for decades without it. Were here today because the path of least resistance is rarely the path of wisdom, argued the Apple CEO.

How to use App Tracking Transparency

As well as the message you experience when you install an app, youll be able to find which apps have requested permission to track you in Settings on your iPhone. (You will also be able to change the settings for each app there.)

And you can toggle the "Allow apps to request to track" setting to off, so apps cant even request permission to track you.

More privacy tips

Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.
Washington, April 2 : The ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of the Pfizer/BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine showed that it remains highly effective for up to six months after the second dose, the two companies announced.

Results from the analysis of 927 confirmed symptomatic coronavirus cases observed in their pivotal Phase 3 study showed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, BNT162b2, was 91.3 per cent effective against the disease, measured seven days through up to six months after the second dose, Xinhua news agency reported citing a joint statement issued by the companies on Thursday.

The vaccine was 100 per cent effective against severe disease as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 95.3 per cent effective against severe Covid-19 as defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the statement.

Safety data from the Phase 3 study have been collected from more than 12,000 vaccinated participants who have a follow-up time of at least six months after the second dose, demonstrating a favourable safety and tolerability profile, it added.

"These data confirm the favorable efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine and position us to submit a Biologics License Application to the US FDA," said Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer.

"These data also provide the first clinical results that a vaccine can effectively protect against currently circulating variants, a critical factor to reach herd immunity and end this pandemic for the global population," Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, was quoted as saying in the statement.

The new results came a day after the two companies announced that the vaccine has demonstrated 100 per cent efficacy and robust antibody responses in a trial in adolescents 12 to 15 years of age.

The trial enrolled 2,260 adolescents in the age group in the US.

In the trial, 18 cases of Covid-19 were observed in the placebo group versus none in the vaccinated group.

The vaccine elicited SARS-CoV-2-neutralising antibody geometric mean titers (GMTs) of 1,239.5, demonstrating strong immunogenicity in a subset of adolescents one month after the second dose, according to the companies.

The results exceeded those recorded earlier in vaccinated participants aged 16 to 25 years old, according to the trial data.

The two companies plan to submit these data to the FDA and the European Medicines Agency as soon as possible to request expansion of the Emergency Use Authorization and EU Conditional Marketing Authorization for BNT162b2.

The FDA authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech Cvaccine for emergency use in the US in December last year.

The vaccine, the first one to receive an FDA approval in the country, was authorised for use in individuals 16 years of age and older.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Charleston, WV (25301)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.
The Mozambican army has been battling insurgents since 2017.

South Africa has expressed concern at the recent attacks against foreign nationals in Palma, northern Mozambique.

The conflict, which intensified on Friday, has left dozens dead while about 60 people are believed to be still missing after a group of terrorists stormed into the town.

"It is with grave concern to note that South Africans were also affected by these attacks," said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

According to media reports, many South Africans, some contractors working on the construction of the French Total energy company's Afungi liquid natural gas processing plant, were caught in the deadly insurgent attack.

A South African man, Adrian Nel, is among the dead, News24 said.

According to media reports, hundreds of locals and foreigners were reportedly rescued from Palma, a logistics hub for international gas projects in Cabo Delgado province.

In a statement released over the weekend, the department said South Africa is now working with the local authorities on verifications through its mission in Maputo, as well as providing the necessary consular services.

"The mission in Mozambique is being re-enforced with additional staff to handle the work at hand of locating, identifying and responding to the respective needs of the affected," the DIRCO statement read.

"South Africa stands ready to work with the government of Mozambique in pursuit of lasting peace and stability," it said.
Jaipur, April 2 : BJP in Rajasthan benefited on Friday as it managed to convince prominent rebel leader Ladulal Pitliya to withdraw his nomination as an Independent candidate from Sahada constituency where bypolls are scheduled on April 17.

Pitliya, in the 2018 elections, had snapped ties with the BJP after being denied a party ticket and contested as an Independent garnering over 30,000 votes, cutting into the party's vote bank.

The saffron party had lost the last elections with a huge margin. The party had terminated him for his anti-disciplinary move.

This year, he returned to the party on February 10 but left within 46 days as the poll ticket was once again given to another candidate, Ramlal Jat.

BJP workers heaved a sigh of relief as Pitliya withdrew his nomination.

BJP state unit president Satish Poonia said: "The name of Ladulal Pitliya was seriously considered by the party, however, Ramlal Jat was selected unanimously as a party candidate for bypolls. The party respects Pitliya and shall give him a deserving role." Party workers said that the 30,000 votes managed by Pitliya in the last poll was a decider and hence Ladulal Pitliya was a major concern for the party.

Pitliya is a big businessman with his trade spreading far and wide even in Karnataka -- his clout cannot be ignored, the sources added.

Pitliya said he trusts the public welfare policies launched by PM Narendra Modi and hence he withdrew his nomination. He also appealed to voters to vote for the BJP candidate.

Poonia said, "The BJP will win all three seats in Sujangarh in Churu, Sahada in Bhilwara, and Rajsamand -- with the help of the hard work of the workers and the blessings of the public."
The "Regina Maria" frigate docked in the Constanta military port, thus concluding its participation in the Permanent Naval Group of North-Atlantic Alliance SNMG-2 (Standing NATO Maritime Group 2), in the international waters of the Black Sea, according to a press release sent by the Naval Joint Chiefs of Staff (SMFN).

The frigate, with a Puma Naval helicopter and a detachment of combat divers aboard, executed, during the period of March 11 - April 1, naval, air and anti-submarine surveillance missions, exercises for maritime interdiction and medical evacuation, along with four other NATO combat ships from Bulgaria, Greece, Spain and Turkey, agerpres.ro confirms.

"The presence of the NATO permanent naval forces in the Black Sea contributes to strengthening the collective defence measures of the allies in the region, and through the participation of Romanian military vessel in the Alliances' missions from the Pontic basin the Romanian Naval Forces develop their ability of quickly and efficiently responding to an entire spectrum of threats, including hybrid," according to the SMFN press release.

According to the quoted source, during the dislodgement in the Black Sea, the SNMG-2 ships have had stops for the fighting capacities' revovery in the ports of Poti - Georgia, Constanta - Romania nad Samsun - Turkey.
About 125 fully vaccinated people in Louisiana have tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after their last dose.

That there is a small number of "breakthrough cases" is no surprise. I think its in line with what you would expect from the trials, said Dr. Joe Kanter, the state health officer.

Fully vaccinated people can travel again without getting tested or quarantining, CDC says NEW YORK (AP)  Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday.

A recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 90% effective against infection once two weeks have passed since the second of two doses. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is about 72% effective against moderate to severe disease, according to U.S. trials.

State officials are tracking breakthrough cases to understand coronavirus transmission among vaccinated people and whether the vaccines might not work as well against certain strains of the virus. And though breakthrough cases are rare  126 cases among 568,968 fully vaccinated people in Louisiana works out to about 0.02%, or about 1 case for every 4,500 vaccinated people to date  they are a reminder that people who have had their shots should still take precautions such as like masking and distancing in public.

The vaccine is not a blank check to do whatever you want, said Dr. Julio Figueroa, head of infectious diseases at LSU Health New Orleans.

Breakthrough cases are sometimes identified through mandatory testing before surgery or returning to work, not because vaccinated people are showing symptoms.

+2 As John Bel Edwards eases COVID restrictions, New Orleans staying put with capacity limits New Orleans officials aren't planning to loosen coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday despite the move by Gov. John Bel Edwards to ease rules fo

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

As more people get vaccinated, the rate of new breakthrough cases should decrease, Figueroa said. Thats in part because research is showing that vaccinated people who still contract COVID, regardless whether they develop symptoms, carry a lower viral load and are less likely to transmit the disease.

What we want to do is drop the entire populations viral shedding so that we have less and less transmission, Figueroa said.

Other states and researchers are also tracking breakthrough cases, with results that also suggest its rare. One study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found that only four out of 8,121 employees who were at least two weeks beyond their final dose were infected  about 0.04%. Another found that just seven of 14,990 employees at two California hospitals later were infected, a similar rate.

+4 New Orleans EMTs deliver vaccines to homebound residents: 'They just thank us so much' Just after 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning, emergency medical technician Shakera Brown pulled up to a brown house with green trim in the Gentilly ne

In Washington state, only about 100 of 1.2 million fully vaccinated people have tested positive for the coronavirus. Most experienced mild symptoms, in line with results from clinical trials suggesting the vaccines lessen the severity of the disease. But eight of those breakthrough cases resulted in hospitalization, and two people who died were being investigated as breakthrough cases, according to the Washington State Department of Health; both were older than 80 with other health issues.

Louisiana officials did not share data on disease severity in breakthrough cases or say which vaccine the individuals received.

The CDC recommends that vaccinated people continue to wear masks in public and around unvaccinated people. Experts said this guidance might loosen as more people get the shots, but widespread vaccination is necessary to provide a blanket of protection for vulnerable people.

You want to vaccinate the population as much as possible so you get that herd immunity, Figueroa said. Those susceptible people, even if theyve gotten vaccinated, will be protected.
No injuries were reported after a train collided with a semi-trailer south of Houston Heights, according to Houston police command center.

The crash occurred at 3:15 p.m. on the track near the intersection of Allen and Roy streets, police said.
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An urban explorer was left horrified after stumbling across an abandoned funeral home - that still had human remains inside.

Wayne Masefield said he was saddened to make the shock discovery while exploring the disused funeral directors near Newport, South Wales on Wednesday.

The 47-year-old security guard found bags of human ashes that had not been returned to the families of those who had been cremated.

Wayne Masefield, 48, was taking photographs of an abandoned funeral home in Newport, South Wales on Wednesday

Mr Masefield opened up a fridge where he found what he suspects are human remains left behind after the funeral director closed

Inside the abandoned building, the table used for embalming bodies was left behind when the building was locked up

Mr Masefield said some of the urns he saw in the funeral directors related to people who had been cremated in May 1995

Each bag had a label with each deceased person's name attached on them.

Mr Masefield also found a brown plastic container that had the name of the woman who was cremated in May of 1995.

Images show bags of grey ash discarded onto one of the racks which would have been used to store bodies.

Disused urns and a white stone washing table which would have been used to embalm the deceased were also left at the abandoned building.

The former funeral home was owned and operated by Lyndon Bassett, who sadly passed away in 2011.

Before he died, his business was taken over by fellow funeral directors Arthur Peake.

Speaking today, company spokesperson Kerrie Peake, said: 'We weren't aware of that - we didn't know anything about this.

'The problem is that families don't come back and collect them sadly. Most directors probably have remains going back years. It is unfortunate.'

The former funeral home was owned and operated by Lyndon Bassett, who sadly passed away in 2011

Before he died, his funeral service was taken over by fellow funeral directors Arthur Peake

Wayne Masefield, pictured, said he was shocked and saddened when he came across the human remains

He said: 'It was quite eerie looking at all the stuff around, knowing what they're used for'

Mr Masefield said: 'I was taking my photographs and footage and came across the old freezer.

'I opened the door and pulled out one of the shelves to get a better photo and saw bags of remains on both the top shelf and bottom shelf.

'I was quite shocked when I saw a plastic tub with a label from 1995 with the deceased person's name, date and funeral director who carried out the cremation.'

He continued: 'It was quite eerie looking at all the stuff around, knowing what they're used for.

'I got a little upset if I'm honest, because of personal circumstances, I felt sad that these remains have just been forgotten about.

'The local authorities are being made aware of the remains and hopefully they can either trace family members or remove and scatter or bury them, so either way they will be laid to rest.'

He said: 'I got a little upset if I'm honest, because of personal circumstances, I felt sad that these remains have just been forgotten about'

One of the containers dates from May 1995 from a cremation conducted by Lyndon Bassett

Mr Masefield said: 'I opened the door and pulled out one of the shelves to get a better photo and saw bags of remains on both the top shelf and bottom shelf'

Several items from the funeral director business were left behind when the firm moved out of the building
Calling all Texas nature lovers who also want some master-planned community amenities.

Launched in late March, there's a newly planned section of the Bridgeland master-planned experience poetically dubbed "Prairieland Village" under construction near West Houston, opening up to the wide open spaces of the Katy prairie land.

For first-time homebuyers, the allure of Prairieland Village is the abundant natural space. This community will feature canoe and kayak launches, hiking and biking trails, birdwatching locations, catch-and-release fishing and a series of lakes.

Bridgeland Corporation

BEST CITY TO LIVE: This booming Houston suburb was crowned the best city to live in America

Prairieland Village was created as a development "painted by nature," blending the prairie-like feel into the design of the homes. The development will ultimately feature 7,000 residences which will be the future homes of approximately 26,000 residents, according to Howard Hughes Corporation who launched Prairieland Village. Offering a walkable community is one of the draws to this newly launched development.

Prairieland Village is our next step forward, combining innovative, sustainable and resilient features with inspiration drawn from the beauty and native ecosystem of the surrounding natural setting," Howard Hughes Corporation Executive Vice President Heath Melton explained in a press release.

Bridgeland Corporation

Further luring new homeowners might be the price point for these master-planned homesites. Homes in Prairieland Village start with a pricetag of $220,000 and go up to $1 million.

Beyond the vast park appeal of the community, a future 900-acre town center called Bridgeland Center will be designed to service Bridgeland and the other areas east Prairieland Village.

Bridgeland Corporation

So, what are the schools like in this master-planned nature enclave (the key question on every parent's mind)?

According to Bridgeland, residents will be zoned to Waller Independent School District, Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District and Katy Independent Schools. A state-of-the-art-elementary school is slated to be constructed as the first campus in Prairieland Village near Bridgeland.

"Prairieland will continue in Bridgelands tradition as a walkable, interconnected village that encourages a healthy and active lifestyle, providing sought-after amenities and a variety of Houstons top builders and model homes," Melton added.

Prairieland Village ushers in the third of Bridgeland's four villages, adjacent to Parkland and Lakeland.
MCL, a subsidiary of Coal



India Ltd, on Friday said it has posted a record production of 148.01 million tonne and achieved the highest-ever dispatch of 146 million tonne in the 2020-21 fiscal.

These achievements by the Odisha-based miner will help Coal India, a Maharatna PSU, strengthen its foundation to meet the one billion production target by 2024, an official said.

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd also registered a record of 174.5 MCuM of overburden removal in the last fiscal, its chairman-cum-managing Director P K Sinha told reporters.

Overburden removal is a process of removing topsoil and rock to expose coal seams in open cast mines.

He said Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd spent Rs 2,300 crore as capital expenditure, which was the highest among all Coal India subsidiaries in FY21.

" is committed to supply clean coal with minimum impact on the environment. The company is implementing nine projects to provide a pollution-free rake loading system with a total expenditure of Rs 3,600 crore," Sinha said.

He said had signed an agreement with the Odisha government and SUM Hospital for setting up medical facilities in Bhubaneswar and Talcher for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The company also established a dedicated COVID Health Centre in Jharsuguda, he said.

The miner had spent Rs 193 crore for its corporate social responsibility programme in the last fiscal, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China's Five-Year Plan mirrors socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics

09:16, April 02, 2021 By He Yin ( People's Daily

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) deliberate on the report of the work of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the opening of the fourth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, March 4, 2021. (People's Daily/Zhang Wujun)

China's five-year plan is a window from which the international society can seek opportunities for cooperation with China, and learn the achievements of the country's socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics.

The making of 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 vividly mirrors the country's practice of the Chinese democracy. It turned from proposals to a draft version, and was delivered this year to the "two sessions," the annual meetings of China's top legislature and political advisory body for deliberation.

General secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping remarked that under China's socialist system, deliberations help when a problem crops up, and matters involving many people are discussed by all those involved; to reach consensus on the wishes and needs of the whole of society is the essence of people's democracy.

The essence is fully demonstrated by how China made the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035. The process also mirrored a fact that the CPC has always considered people as its top priority, regard as its goal the people's aspirations to live a better life, and rely on the people to move history forward.

Pooling wisdom and forming synergy, China's socialist democracy integrates people's advice into top level design.

During the drafting stage of the Outline, Xi went for multiple inspection tours to different parts of China to listen to the wills of the people, and convened seven seminars to hear advices from different areas and social strata. When the two sessions were held in Beijing, he also deliberated on the draft version of the Outline with deputies and representatives for multiple times.

Last August, China started soliciting online public opinion on compiling the 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, and a total of over one million comments were received, 1,000 of which were sorted out. The drafting group analyzed these 1,000 advices piece by piece, and absorbed all that could be adopted. The group made 366 amendments and took 546 advices and proposals from the Chinese society. During the two sessions, the draft version was deliberated on by deputies and representatives and 55 amendments were made.

These figures and facts well explain China's "whole-process democracy," which indicates that the Outline, containing 19 parts, 65 chapters and 192 sections, is a combination of the wisdom and aspiration of the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups in China.

Why does Chinese democracy work? That is a frequently asked question from the international society. Practices, both Chinese and foreign, modern and ancient, prove that it's important to ensure that the people determine their own future and to have people's representatives join the management of the country and society. It's also important to have the people join the management of the country and society through mechanisms other than election.

In some western countries that exercise democracy, people only have the right to vote, but are not allowed to broadly participate in national governance. They are activated during elections, and put into rest mode after voting. Such democracy is formalism, and leads to obvious and even unavoidable restrictions in national governance.

To make democracy work, countries must be committed to the principles of serving the people and relying on the people.

Facts prove that Chinese democracy has not only ensured that the people determine their own future, but also practically turned the wisdom of the people into effective governance. It offered a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security, and guarantees people's rights in a more sustained manner.

International observers said that Chinese democracy has overcome the flaws of western democracy, and is the most authentic and effective democracy that safeguards the widest fundamental interests of the people.

Democracy is one of the values jointly cherished by all mankind. There are various forms to practice it. No universal standard shall be adopted to judge whether democracy is implemented.

At present, global challenges, such as COVID-19, are posing a series of tests for governance, which is prompting the world to think deeper the essence of democracy and the ways to achieve it. The vitality shown by Chinese democracy is attracting increasingly more attention from the international society.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
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Pope Francis led prayers to celebrate Easter today as thousands of pilgrims packed Jerusalem to mark Good Friday after Covid restrictions were eased following the success of Israel's vaccine roll-out.

The Pope laid down in prayer at the Good Friday Mass for the Passion of the Lord at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican today as Christians across the world celebrated.

Jerusalem's holy sites, which tens of thousands of Christians were barred from attending last Easter, were reopened, although remaining travel restrictions meant numbers were limited.

The masses - many wearing face masks - flooded down the Via Dolorosa towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as they carried crosses to commemorate the route that Jesus walked to his crucifixion.

In the Vatican, which is subject to strict social distancing rules, Pope Francis had earlier visited a vaccination centre where volunteers have spent the past week administering some 1,200 doses of the Pfizer jab to the poor and homeless.

In Australia, which has had very few coronavirus cases, worshippers took to the streets of Sydney for processions of the cross and were able to gather inside churches without wearing masks.

Catholic devotees in the Philippines flouted restrictions to whip themselves bloody during self-flagellation rituals to remember how Christ was beaten by the Romans before his execution.

The virus is still raging throughout much of Europe where services were constrained by lockdown rules.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez relaxed the rules today so that people would be allowed to sing In Spain, while in the Czech Republic a newly-imposed lockdown meant congregations were limited to ten per cent.

The fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris remained closed after Emmanuel Macron imposed a third national lockdown, while a lone crucifix standing in London's Trafalgar Square was the only sign of the holy day in Britain's heavily-restricted capital.

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis lies down in prayer prior to celebrate Good Friday Mass for the Passion of the Lord at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, April 2

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis presides over the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) ceremony in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Friday

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis celebrates Good Friday Mass for the Passion of the Lord on April 2, 2021 at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis lies down in prayer prior to celebrate Good Friday Mass for the Passion of the Lord today

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis leans his forehead against the cross during the Veneration of the Cross as he celebrates Good Friday Mass

VATICAN CITY: Children and young people of Rome observe the Stations of the Cross during the celebration of the Way of the Cross (Via Crucis) led by Pope Francis as part of Good Friday

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis prays as he celebrates the Mass for the Passion of Christ, at St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Friday, April 2

ISRAEL: The masses - wearing face masks - flooded down the Via Dolorosa towards the the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as they carried crosses to commemorate the route that Jesus walked to his crucifixion

IRELAND: People take part in a Solemn Procession on Good Friday at the Papal Cross in Dublin's Phoenix Park, as churches remain closed due to coronavirus restrictions

ISRAEL: Christians walk down the Via Dolorosa (Way of Suffering) in Jerusalem after restrictions were eased following the tremendous success of the country's vaccine roll-out

ISRAEL: Christian worshippers take part in a Good Friday procession along the Via Dolorosa amid eased coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, during Easter Holy Week in Jerusalem's Old City

VATICAN CITY: The Pope visits a vaccination centre in the Paul VI Hall where the poor and homeless are being inoculated

ISRAEL: Christians carry a large wooden cross down the Via Dolorosa amid loosened covid restrictions following the success of the country's vaccine programme

PHILIPPINES: A man whips himself bloody to mark Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion, on the streets of Manila

FRANCE: Archbishop Monseigneur Aupetit (C-L) performs during the Stations of the Cross ceremony as part the Good Friday procession at the Sacre-Coeur (sacred heart) basilica atop Montmartre overlooking Paris

INDONESIA: A Catholic plays the role of Jesus during a Good Friday celebration outside a church in Pekanbaru

SRI LANKA: Soldiers patrol outside the St. Lucia's Cathedral during the Good Friday mass in Colombo. The city was rocked by Islamist attacks on churches on Easter Sunday in 2019

BRITAIN: The choir performs whilst observing social distancing during the Good Friday morning choral service, which took place without members of the public present due to Covid-19 regulations, at Truro Cathedral

PHILIPPINES: Catholics whip themselves across their bloodied backs on the streets of Manila as they flout Covid rules to mark Good Friday

INDIA: Catholics re-enact the crucifixion, with men dressed as Romans surrounding Jesus at Saint Mary's Bethany Convent in Hyderabad

ISRAEL: Women are seen wearing masks as they carry a wooden cross through the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is built on the site where Jesus was crucified

CZECH REPUBLIC: eople wearing masks and respirators and pushing wooden rattles walk through the streets during an Easter procession on Good Friday in the city of Ceske Budejovice

AUSTRALIA: A man portraying Jesus carrying a cross during a Good Friday Crucifixion Walk, in Martin Place, Sydney

SPAIN: People play drums outside their home as part of Good Friday's 'Rompida de la Hora' (Breaking of the hour), after annual Holy Week processions were cancelled due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Calanda

Last year, Jerusalem was under a strict lockdown, with sacred rites observed by small groups of priests, often behind closed doors.

This year, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, died and rose from the dead, is open to visitors and expecting a few dozen.

After the morning prayer service they will retrace Jesus' final steps along the Via Dolorosa.

'Things are open, but cautiously and gradually,' said Wadie Abunassar, an adviser to church leaders in the Holy Land.

'In regular years we urge people to come out. Last year we told people to stay at home... This year we are somehow silent.'

Israel has launched one of the world's most successful vaccination campaigns, allowing it to reopen restaurants, hotels and religious sites.

But air travel is still limited by quarantine and other restrictions, keeping away the foreign pilgrims who usually throng Jerusalem during Holy Week.

The main holy sites are in the Old City in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured along with the West Bank in the 1967 war.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem and considers the entire city its unified capital, while the Palestinians want both territories for their future state.

Israel included Palestinian residents of Jerusalem in its vaccination campaign, but has only provided a small number of vaccines to those in the occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority has imported tens of thousands of doses for a population of more than 2.5 million.

INDONESIA: In the wake of a church attack in South Sulawesi on March 28, soldiers and personnel carriers sit parked outside the St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral during Mass on Good Friday

NIGERIA: Parishioners wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus take part in a Stations of the Cross service during the Good Friday service, at the Holy Cross Cathedral in Lagos

IRELAND: Fr Declan Kelly, Curate of Church Ss. Peter & Paul in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, carries a crucifix in preparation for the Celebration of the Lord's Passion service on Good Friday

INDIA: Catholics offer prayers as they take part in a procession to re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday in Chennai

JERUSALEM: Christians take part in a procession of the cross along the Via Dolorosa on Good Friday

PHILIPPINES: A man lies across the ground in Manila to be whipped during Catholic Good Friday celebrations

BRITAIN: A crucifix placed in Trafalgar Square, in locked-down London, on Good Friday, for the Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary

PHILIPPINES: A Catholic lies across the road, his back bloodied from self-flagellation, a Good Friday ritual in the Philippines

AUSTRALIA: A Catholic man acting the part of Jesus takes part in celebrations on Martin Place on Friday

SPAIN: Devotees attend the Church of 'La O' to visit the Jesus Nazareno and the Virgin of La O during the celebrations for the Good Friday in Seville. The PM relaxed rules today so that congregants would be allowed to sing

CZECH REPUBLIC: People wearing masks and respirators and pushing wooden rattles walk through the streets during an Easter procession on Good Friday

PHILIPPINES: A man whips himself across the back as children watch on during Good Friday celebrations in Manila

INDIA: A Christian takes part in a re-enactment of the crucifixion in Hyderabad on Good Friday

INDONESIA: An armed policeman stands guard as nuns walk to church in the Muslim-majority country on the resort island of Bali

INDONESIA: A man playing a role of Jesus Christ is tied to a cross during a performance outside a church on Good Friday, amid the pandemic in Pekanbaru, Riau Province

Israeli authorities said up to 5,000 Christian Palestinians from the West Bank would be permitted to enter for Easter celebrations.

Abunassar said he was not aware of any large tour groups from the West Bank planning to enter, as in years past, likely reflecting concerns about the virus.

Abunassar said most Christians in the region celebrate Holy Week in their local parishes. The Good Friday services in the Old City are only expected to draw a small number of people, mainly priests and foreigners who reside in the Holy Land.

At the Vatican, Holy Week events are being celebrated before limited numbers of masked faithful to respect COVID-19 health and social distancing norms.

ISRAEL: Men carry the cross along the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus walked towards his crucifixion, towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many to be the site where Jesus was crucified

ISRAEL: A pilgrim carries a cross along the Via Dolorosa towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as a man wearing an Arab headdress walks in the foreground

GERMANY: A minister leads a socially-distanced service at the Protestant Berlin Cathedral on Good Friday

ISRAEL: Christian worshippers take part in a Good Friday procession along the Via Dolorosa amid eased coronavirus restrictions

AUSTRALIA: Nuns take part in a service at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney on Friday

INDIA: A congregation marks Good Friday at All Saints' Cathedral in Allahabad

CZECH REPUBLIC: People wearing white masks during a Catholic procession through the city of Ceske Budejovice on Good Friday

SOUTH AFRICA: Members of The Golden Apostolic Faith Healing Mission Church pray during a religious ceremony to celebrate Good Friday in Soweto

PHILIPPINES: Barefoot men flagellate themselves across their blooded backs on the streets of Manila on Good Friday

ISRAEL: Christian worshippers take part in a Good Friday procession along the Via Dolorosa amid eased coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, during Easter Holy Week in Jerusalem's Old City

AUSTRALIA: Worshippers at the St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney where there are no restrictions on church services

INDONESIA: Soldiers stand guard while people have their temperatures scanned outside St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Jakarta

INDIA: A woman reaches out to touch a figure of Christ on the cross during a service in Chennai on Good Friday

In France, a nationwide 7pm curfew is forcing parishes to move Good Friday ceremonies forward in the day, as the traditional Catholic night processions are being drastically scaled back or cancelled.

Nineteen departments in France are on localized lockdowns, where parishioners can attend daytime Mass if they sign the governments 'travel certificate.'

Although a third lockdown 'light' is being imposed Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron has wavered on a travel ban for Easter weekend, allowing the French to drive between regions to meet up with family on Friday.

Fire-ravaged Notre Dame will not hold a Good Friday mass this year, but the cathedrals 'Crown of Thorns' will be venerated by the cathedrals clergy at its new temporary liturgical hub in the nearby church of Saint-Germain-lAuxerrois.

INDONESIA: Men playing Roman soldiers and a man acting the role of Jesus outside a church in Pekanbaru during a Catholic celebration of Good Friday

INDIA: A woman reads an order of service at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Prayagraj on Good Friday

GERMANY: Worshippers wearing masks bow their heads during a service at the Protestant Berlin Cathedral

INDIA: A woman kneels and prays at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Prayagraj on Friday

PHILIPPINES: Barefoot flagellants whip their bloodied backs as penance outside a closed church, defying government orders to avoid religious gatherings and stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus

PHILIPPINES: The replica of the Black Nazarene is taken on a pickup truck around a village to mark Good Friday in Quezon City, Metro Manila

In the Philippines, streets were eerily quiet and religious gatherings were prohibited in the capital, Manila, and four outlying provinces.

The government placed the bustling region of more than 25 million people back under lockdown this week as it scrambled to contain an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Philippines had started to reopen in hopes of stemming a severe economic crisis, but infections surged last month, apparently because of more contagious strains, increased public mobility and complacency.

In Australia, masked churchgoers sat in rows of socially distanced chairs at a street in Sydney as actor Timothy Watkins carried a cross in his portrayal of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ during a Good Friday observance.
April 2, 1926

Massive still found in Kressler Court

An early morning raid conducted by the Scranton police on 515 Kressler Court uncovered a massive still, 56 barrels of mash and 19 five-gallon cans of alcohol. The police also arrested three men  James LaCocca, George Skangos and Jerry Morris, for operating the still.

Police Superintendent Chris Rose said that he would seek a court order to destroy the still. The still was reported to be so large that it could not be transferred from Kressler Court to Scranton City Hall.

Scranton police became suspicious of 515 Kressler Court after Patrolman Leo Ruddy noticed that the location would be lit up at night.

Good Friday marked

Good Friday was marked in Scranton by services in houses of worship or theaters. The morning of April 2, a solemn high Mass of the presanctified was held at St. Peters Cathedral.

Saying the Mass was the Rev. Paul A. Kelly. There was no singing or organ playing at the services; all of the responses were chanted by the cathedrals choir.

Following communion, all those involved in the Mass chanted and processed around the cathedral to the repository holding the Eucharist from the Holy Thursday service. Kelly gathered the Eucharist and the procession started again, but this time the female students of St. Cecilias Academy, dressed in white, led the procession by casting flowers on the floor for the Eucharist. At the end Kelly placed the Eucharist back on the tabernacle at the main altar.

At noon, the three-hour Agony of Christ service started. The Rev. J.B. Leonard, the Rev. Edmund Langan and Kelly participated by delivering sermons reflecting on the seven last words of Christ on the cross.

The Rev. Dr. George W. Wellburn, pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Scranton, delivered the sermon at the union Good Friday services held at the Strand Theater that afternoon. The service was conducted by the Rev. Dr. William Sawtelle, of First Presbyterian Church of Scranton.

Wellburn spoke on how Jesus was the great savior. Marjorie Schadt Scragg sang a solo of the song There Is A Green Hill Far Away, and David Jenkins led the rest of congregations in the singing of the hymns.

Whats on sale at The Globe Store?

Lilies were 30 cents, potted ferns were 75 cents and $1.25, cut daffodils were 10 cents, English broadcloth mens shirts were $2.00, womens patent leather pumps, stepins, one- or two-strap shoes were priced between $5.75 and $10 a pair and a large variety of Easter baskets, novelties and cards.
A research group, the Objective Media Forum, has taken a swipe at persons they have described as faceless for attacking the integrity of the Director-General, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, following the release of the 2019 Auditor-Generals report.



The group in a statement said, there is an attempt by some persons with interest in the position of SSNIT boss- fueling unnecessary attacks and unfounded allegations against him.



The group said the report although was completed in 2019 predates the present administration with some going as far back as 2009.



The 2019 report has among other things stated that nine out of 21 agent banks of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) failed to remit a total of about GH26.3 million cedis of pension contribution collections to the designated account at the Bank of Ghana as of the end of the 2017 and 2018 financial years respectively.



The report has also indicated that the Trust has failed to collect a loan of GH2.37 million loans given to eight related companies in contravention of Section 91(1) of Act 921.



After the report was released, the current DG has become a subject of public ridicule with some persons blaming him for the issues.



But the research group says it would be senseless for anyone to blame him when they know he was not the one in charge when these issues came up.



All these achievements and others make the allegations against him facetious, senseless and whimsical.



No attempt to denigrate him will wash because he is a man of credibility, integrity, substance, and competence.



As a group, we wish to advise persons who have made it their business in attacking men of credibility to stop.



We should encourage politics of truth and sanity. The act where people for their selfish interests attack people without any just cause should not be encouraged in our democracy, the statement said.



Read the full statement below



The Objective Media Forum has followed keenly an attempt by some individuals to smear the Director-General of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, with unsubstantiated claims and accusations.



These individuals are executing a political agenda to smear the SSNIT Director-General with the report of the Auditor-General that some 9 banks out of 21 agent banks of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) failed to remit a total of about GH26.3 million cedis of pension contribution collections to the designated account at the Bank of Ghana as of the end of the 2017 and 2018 financial years respectively.



We wish to state categorically that the current DG cannot and should not be blamed for this report.



There is also a part of the report which states that the Trust has failed to collect a loan of GH2.37 million loans given to eight related companies in contravention of Section 91(1) of Act 921.



This was due to ineffective due diligence on the investment.



Also, the Current DG should not and cannot be blamed for an action that did not occur under his administration.



For the avoidance of doubt, although the Audit report was completed in 2019, the major issues raised predates the present administration with some going as far back as 2009.



It. is, therefore, unfortunate for anyone to drag the current DG into the mess created by another administration.



These attempts orchestrated by individuals interested in his post will yield no fruit.



As a research group that is objective and deals with facts, we can boldly state that the current DG has managed to receive a total payment of GH665.48 million of the amount from the GH773m debt.



This is made up of the payment of GH430 million and a tradable bond of GH235 million as of June 2019.



Subsequently, CAGD has transferred GHS 2.33 billion to cover part of the debt owed SSNIT.



A payment plan has been put in place, and Management will keep engaging CAGD and the Ministry of Finance to ensure compliance.



SSNIT has also issued a detailed response to all the issues raised by the Auditor-Generals Report, and we will encourage the general public to reference that response in the face of the attempt to attack the credibility of Dr Ofori-Tenkorang.



Under the leadership of the current DG, SSNIT has saved an amount of GH130 million in the last three years through the cleaning of the pensioners payroll.



He has since, his appointment, spearheaded the team to transform the operator of the national basic pension scheme into a transparent and client-focused public institution comparable to any well managed private institution with largely positive media coverage.



He has over the past 4 years ensured the efficient implementation of policies from the Board of Trustees and the effective deployment and utilisation of resources to achieve the strategic objectives and goals of the Trust.



He has among other achievements, increased the number of employers paying contributions from 54,000 in December 2016 to over 65,000 in November 2020 representing, a performance of 21.04%, helped increasing active contributions by 28.35% from 1.27 million as of December 2016 to 1.63 million as of November 2020.



He also exceeded the contributions collection target by 9.7%; Collected a total of GH13.2 billion compared to a target of GH12.0 billion for the period.



All these achievements and others make the allegations against him facetious, senseless and whimsical.



No attempt to denigrate him will wash because he is a man of credibility, integrity, substance, and competence.



As a group, we wish to advise persons who have made it their business in attacking men of credibility to stop.



We should encourage politics of truth and sanity. The act where people for their selfish interests attack people without any just cause should not be encouraged in our democracy.



We conclude by reiterating that Dr Ofori-Tenkorang is incorruptible, credible and a patriot who is transforming SSNIT and must be allowed to focus on his work.

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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Laura Whitmore posted the first image of her newborn baby girl to Instagram on Friday.

The Love Island star, 35, who welcomed her child with husband Iain Stirling, gushed about being 'in love' with her daughter as she cradled her little one in a sling.

New mum Laura wrote: 'thanks for all the kind messages at this time. We are in love x.' (sic)

'We are in love': Laura Whitmore posted the first image of her newborn baby girl to Instagram on Friday

The presenter - who is yet to reveal her tot's name - appeared in great spirits as she cooed over her.

TV host Laura looked typically radiant as she styled an animal print denim jacket with square-framed shades.

While it is not known exactly when she gave birth, Stacey Dooley stepped in to host the presenter's BBC Radio 5 show on Sunday.

The broadcaster and comedian Iain, 33, confirmed they were expecting in December, sharing their happy news on Instagram, a day after it was revealed they had secretly married during a Humanist ceremony at Dublin's City Hall in November.

New parents: The Love Island star, 35, recently welcomed her first child with comedian husband Iain Stirling, 33 (pictured last year)

Over the moon: 'thanks for all the kind messages at this time. We are in love x', the broadcaster wrote alongside her post

Congratulations: The first-time parents were seen for the first time since welcoming their child on Thursday

Conversational: The pair chatted to one another after getting out of the car as they made the most of the heatwave

The TV star revealed she was having a daughter in her self-help book, No One Can Change Your Life Except for You.

She said: 'As I finish this book, it doesn't end at chapter nine, there's a new chapter coming into my life - in the form of a baby girl currently growing inside me and that scares the s**t out of me.

'I once swallowed a bug and freaked out there was a live bug inside me. A live human is a whole new level of freaking out but I am excited because there's a lot of good in the world, there's a lot of potential.'

Reflecting on impending motherhood, Laura said: 'I want to bring up my child knowing that she has her own story to write.'

'She will be supported and loved. But she is the heroine of her own life, no-one else.'

Lorraine Kelly had originally let slip that Laura was set to welcome a daughter, noting that the mother-to-be will likely want to pass advice on to her 'baby girl'.

To which Laura, slightly taken aback, replied: 'Well, my baby... yes.'

The Celebrity Juice star is hoping to be back at work this summer for the next series of Love Island which was pulled off air last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Laura admitted she struggled to keep her pregnancy secret during 'times when I've had to run out of live radio to get sick in a bin or my penchant for a bowl of mashed potato in the morning'.

Taking to social media, the TV star shared a photo of a Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine baby onesie and wrote: 'So I've always tried to be protective over the personal side of my life.

'A lot of things are just for me and my loved ones and we've chosen not to share publicly.

Pregnancy: The blonde beauty shared a picture of her blossoming baby bump last week as she filmed Celebrity Juice

'However I want to now share good news as it's our news to share - and I'm gonna be honest it's starting to look like my lock down beer belly is out of control.

'Iain and I are expecting a baby early 2021. It's been hard to keep such happy news quiet.

'Especially the times when I've had to run out of live radio to get sick in a bin or my penchant for a bowl of mashed potato in the morning.

She continued: 'I wasn't hungover like everyone thought. In fact I was completely sober filming the entire series of Celeb Juice, which is quite the accolade!

'We'd appreciate our privacy respected but just wanted to spread some love and a reminder of the beauty of life.'

Iain added his own tongue-in-cheek announcement on Instagram, sharing a photo of his games consoles adorned with a post-it note reading 'I will miss you xxx'.

He wrote alongside the snap: 'Sorry to my old babies but there is a new baby coming early 2021.'

Laura recently discussed her road to motherhood and her pregnancy journey in an interview with Hunger magazine.

Speaking in December 2020, she said: 'As a timing thing, it probably wasn't something that we thought about, it was a nice surprise. So I'm due at the beginning of next year and I think things just fall into place.'

The star also revealed the couple had found out the sex of their baby very early on via a Harmony blood test, with Laura saying the check had given her peace of mind that her baby was healthy after suffering a tragic miscarriage in 2018.

Happy news: The couple confirmed they were expecting in mid-December, sharing their news on Instagram

Baby on the way: The Irish host admitted she struggled to keep her pregnancy secret during 'times when I've had to run out of live radio to get sick in a bin

She said: 'For me it wasn't about the sex, it was just about whether the baby was OK. You constantly have that fear. I think there are a lot of things that are important to keep to yourself.'

Laura admitted in an interview last August that it took her a year to be able to speak about her miscarriage.

Explaining she hadn't initially planned for her first pregnancy, the Irish star confessed she didn't know whether she was meant to 'cry or be emotional' following the heartbreaking news, which came in September 2018.

Laura told The Times: 'It took me a year to talk about my miscarriage. I'd heard about people having miscarriages when they were trying for babies, but my situation was very different.

'What happens if you weren't trying for a baby? I had that guilt of, 'I wasn't expecting this,' so then you change your life. But then suddenly you have to change your head again after the miscarriage.'

Laura previously spoke about her miscarriage in an article she wrote herself for Hot Press last year.

She penned: 'In the room I could see the outline of what looked like a jelly baby  just like in the movies. Then silence,' she stated, before admitting the doctor told her: 'I'm sorry there's no heart-beat.'

New baby in the house: Funnyman Iain added his own tongue-in-cheek announcement on social media

Late last year, it was revealed Laura and Iain had secretly tied the knot in a Humanist ceremony at Dublin's City Hall on November 11.

Taking to Instagram to celebrate the start of 2021, Laura finally confirmed the nuptials while sharing a beautiful snap from the pair's big day.

The location of Dublin was no doubt sentimental to Laura who was grew up in the city, while Iain was raised in Scotland.

The couple opted to keep the news private after returning to the UK, but eagle-eyed fans spotted Iain wearing a wedding ring when he appeared on the special Loose Men episode of ITV's Loose Women to mark International Men's Day in November.

Ring: Eagle-eyed fans spotted Iain wearing a wedding ring when he appeared on the special Loose Men episode of ITV's Loose Women in November

Laura showed off her flashy diamond engagement last April, but Iain is thought to have proposed earlier in the year.

According to The Sun, Iain got down on one knee in South Africa after they filmed the 2020 series of Love Island.

Pictured: Laura showed off her flashy diamond engagement back in April 2020, but Iain is thought to have proposed earlier in the year

A family friend said: 'They couldn't be happier. We're thrilled for them. He'd obviously thought about it for a while, as he designed the ring and yellow's her favourite colour.'

The insider added that the pair's wedding plans were on hold for the time being due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.

They said: 'Their wedding plans are on hold due to the lockdown but it's lovely to have a wedding to come.'

However, it appears the pair had a change of heart and decided to tie the knot on November 11.

Laura and Iain met in 2016 but it wasn't until the following summer that things turned romantic between them.
The on Thursday said a Jaipur court has awarded to 12 members of Rajasthan module of the terror outfit who were arrested by the special cell of the force.

According to a statement issued by the Delhi Police, in March 2014, the special cell arrested Zia-Ur-Rehman, a Pakistani national, commonly known to anti-terrorist agencies in India as Waqas.

Waqas was wanted in a series of bombings carried out across the country along with his absconding associates, the statement said.

After the arrest of Waqas, three more terrorists, members of Rajasthan module of IM, Mohammad Mahruf, Mohammad Waqar Azhar and Shaquib Ansari were also arrested, it said.

Huge recoveries of suspected explosive materials, detonators, electronic circuits or timers etc. were made from the possession of the terrorists arrested from Jaipur and Jodhpur, the statement said.

The special ell got cases registered under the Explosive Substances Act at Jaipur and Jodhpur regarding the recoveries made, it said, adding that the initial arrests of founding members of Rajasthan module of the IM led to the arrest of 10 more terrorists by the Rajasthan ATS.

On Wednesday, ASJ Uma Shankar Vyas, Jaipur, concluded the trial of the case involving the Rajasthan Module of IM involving 13 accused and sentenced all of them, except one, to life imprisonment, it added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ROME, N.Y.  Napolis Italian Bakery in Utica donated about 50 tomato pies to provide lunch for the workers at the vaccination site at Griffiss International Airport Friday, to thank them for their hard work.

"We spoke with our friend Jerry Zenzillo, and he was more than happy to donate tomato pies and sausage rolls free of charge, said Philip Corelli, a friend of the Zenzillo family, who own Napolis.

Corelli and Anthony Faccioli were enlisted by the bakery to deliver the pies Friday morning around 10 a.m.

We are very dear friends with them, Philip Corelli and myself. And they asked us if we would just donate our time and drive it up there for them and we were more than happy to do it, said Faccioli.

The delivery was a surprise to the everyone at the site, who spend their days ensuring operations run smoothly every day.
Florence police are conducting a death investigation after an infants body was found at a home Thursday afternoon, police said Thursday night.

Around 12:45 p.m. Thursday, Florence police officers responded to the 400 block of South Orleans Street to assist medics, said Florence police spokesman Lt. Jason Ford.

When officers arrived, they found a dead infant in the home, Ford said.

An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted; no further information was released by police.
During a meeting with Defense Minister of Ukraine Andriy Taran and the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the defense attaches of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom assured Ukraine of the support in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

US, Canadas, and UK Defense Attaches met with Minister of Defense [of Ukraine] Taran, Deputy Minister Petrenko, Deputy Minister Polishchuk, Joint Forces Commander Lieutenant General Naiev, and Colonel Budanov, the U.S. Embassy posted on Twitter.

The Embassy assured Ukraine of support in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity: We stand with Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity and are watching the situation in Ukraine closely.

As reported, President of Ukraine Zelensky said on April 1 that the "muscle-flexing" in the format of military exercises and possible provocations along the border was a traditional activity of the Russian Federation, trying to create an atmosphere of threat and pressure during the talks.

ol
What the fuck!

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Jesus fucking christ!

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What the crap, America!





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Stuff like this is going to become more and more common unfortunately. When Trump faced like no consequences for his part on January 6th and many of the rioters most likely not going to face jail time, white supremacists are just going to get more and more emboldened.

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unfortunately I think you're right

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The gun is more sacred than anything else.

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You're absolutely right. I'm sad and angry that this happened but I'm not surprised in the slightest.

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Same. I don't know if it sounds too pessimistic or not, but I honestly do think that January 6th and Trump not getting convicted/barred from running for office again was the start of the end of this country as a democracy. It's not going to happen right away, but it will happen, especially if the filibuster doesn't get abolished.

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I think it goes beyond white supremacists and to angry men in general.

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Very sad and true

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Exactly. They're asking for this when people aren't going to see consequences. Of course it's' going to embolden people.

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there's also such a sense of PANIC all the time on right wing media making their viewers/listeners think that they have something to fear and need to fight back. someone i know just today shared a post on instagram that was nonsense, but somehow arguing that any time spent working on diversity & inclusion is time that our enemies spend training for war and they're all gonna kill us. it's jarring.

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I'm not the most familar with the Irish Troubles, but I've mentioned to a friend I can see something like that occuring, like "smaller" intenital acts of violence due to various ideological grounds in America... it's scary

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Yup. What people seem to not understand is that for white supremacists, it's not enough for people like Trump/Republicans in general to say "I'm not a white supremacist" and then continue about their racist business. They know public, explicit endorsement of their ideals is taboo and political suicide. Anything short of a full-throated rebuke and rejection of their ideas is tacit approval to them.

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Im assuming this was written before people knew who the guy was....

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This is so fucked up, stay safe guys.

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I saw that post headline and thought I'd slipped they a temporal rift. fucking hell.

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When I saw it I was like, "Wait... WHAT... Wait... Again?" It took time to sink in as something new. 

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Honestly same

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same. i got so confused and thought i'd clicked an old post.

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That post from Wolf Blitzer is so weird.



Either way, I hate that Trump and Jan 6 have emboldened people to keep doing this shit.

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Same here wtf

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Every single time I run across Wolf Blitzer on CNN, hes mentioning how he was recently driving alone in his car around DC to check things out. I thought I was just weirdly catching the couple times he mentioned it... guess not.

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Seriously, I don't get it. He just drives around DC and takes regular selfies of the Capitol's security? Why?

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I caught it....wtf was he gonna do

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It's very "Here's me posing in front of the Freedom Tower!" on 9/11 anniversaries.

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Was the perpetrator Black? (due the BLM comment in the post)

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i believe they mentioned BLM because of another attack. i don't believe the race of the dude has been revealed yet

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They're referring to a previous incident as a "gotcha," not this one.

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EDIT: Yes, but there is no confirmed connection to BLM.



Edited at 2021-04-02 08:36 pm (UTC)

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I assumed when they said the suspect was dead they weren't white, so seeing the BLM thing made me assume they were black.

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I never thought I'd say I feel bad for reps/senators, but I can't imagine getting the notification that they have to stay locked down in the capitol so soon after the January attack.

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It's Good Friday so idk how many people were actually in the Capitol at the time of the incident.

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They've been on recess this week so everyone is in their home districts/states.

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with the idiot being dead, i hope other idiots don't turn him into a martyr

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what confirmed info do we have about the attacker? I was seeing stuff on twitter, but I'm not sure what is confirmed to be true and what is just rumor

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EDIT: Several sources confirm he is a 25-year-old male from Indiana named Noah Green. The picture of him that is floating around is of a Black man, but I haven't seen any news sources confirm whether this is the correct Noah Green. No confirmed link to either white supremacy or BLM.



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There's a white Trump supporting Noah Greene from Indiana on Facebook. Wonder if it's him

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I hope this isn't deliberate misinformation or a case of reddit detectives.

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I saw claims he was connected to Nation of Islam and a US vet but I don't know if that's been confirmed.

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what a wicked mess this country is.

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I did a double take reading that headline, like is my browser stuck in January? I don't want to be right about this, but these terrorists will not let us know peace. I've been saying this since November.

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I read it out loud to a co-worker and he made a noncommittal mhmm noise which I thought was strage until an hour later when he shouted "wait, the story you told me was from today?!?'



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Like damn

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No fucking chill

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Reportage Properties, a leading real estate development company in the UAE, is organising a special sales day on Saturday offering the visitors a special 15% discount on its key residential project, Alexis Tower in Dubai.

Distinguished by its unique location on Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite the Emirates Exchange Metro Station, the project will boast a total of 378 luxury housing units.

According to the developer, it is just 10 minutes away from the Expo2020 site, near Al Maktoum Airport and Ibn Battuta Mall, with a direct exit to Sheikh Zayed Road and the metro station.

The one-day event is being held at the Address Marina Hotel in Dubai on April 3 mainly to enable buyers to purchase residential units in in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, at a 10% discount.

Under this special offer, one can purchase the unit with a 10% down payment followed by 1% monthly payments.

CEO Islam Ahmed Suleiman said the company is keen to provide more offers that suit various segments of customers, especially in light of the company's sufficient liquidity and the stability of its financial conditions.

Reportage Properties is currently developing 10 projects that will provide about 4,000 housing units within the most important investment sites in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

On the Alexis Tower's progress, Suleiman said around 20% of the project work had been completed and it was due for handover by the last quarter of 2022.

The company had also recently unveiled the new "Diva" project on Yas Island, he added.TradeArabia News Service
CLEVELAND, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Evergreen Podcasts is pleased to announce its partnership with IndustryPods, a California-based B2B podcast production company. This new partnership will allow Evergreen to showcase all of the IndustryPods podcast shows on its network. Initial shows listed on Evergreen include LA Blockchain Summit, USA CBD Expo and Blockchain & Booze.

IndustryPods works with the premier virtual and live conferences around the globe and records the keynote speakers, industry experts and insider information at these conferences in a podcast format. The company works with B2B conferences to record, edit, host, distribute and market various podcasts.

"Our mission is to deliver educational, informative and inspiring new business content to a new and explosive market as companies and individuals look to connect virtually," said Marc Honorof, CEO of IndustryPods.

Through Evergreen's global podcast network, Industry Pods is now able to distribute to a wider audience and cross-promote relevant interest. Industry Pods is powering the Evergreen B2B channel as the leading publisher of conference content segmented by industry.

"We have long believed that conferences can improve the influence and strength of their content by partnering with IndustryPods," offered Michael DeAloia - CEO of Evergreen Podcasts, "And producing podcasts with content and information that has long been behind the paywall of the conference."

About Evergreen Podcasts

Evergreen features a growing catalog of entertaining and informative podcasts, rooted in high creative values and production quality. We are a community where people think big, capturing the color and diversity of modern thinkers. From entrepreneurs and musicians to philosophers and artists, Evergreen is in the business of uniting audiences with boots-on-the-ground storytellers. Evergreen's talented creative team works with top brands and thought leaders to publish inspiring stories through branded content, original shows, and partner podcasts.

Podcasts published by Evergreen include From First Lady to Jackie O ., This American President , The Medal of Honor Podcast , Burn the Boats , The Chad & Cheese Podcast , Recruiting Future , Professional Book Nerds , Banking Transformed , Roots of American Music , Your Teen , Up2 , and Novel Conversations . All podcasts produced and distributed by Evergreen Podcasts can be streamed globally on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, and other major podcast platforms.

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Name: David Allen Moss

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Evergreen Podcasts
Stacey Solomon has announced she's launching her own clothing range with online clothing brand, In The Style.

The Loose Women star, 31, looked sensational as she excitedly posed for some snaps in two dresses from the upcoming collection.

Set for release on April 27, Stacey's collection will feature sizes ranging from 4-28 and also including petite and tall options.

'I'm so excited!': Stacey Solomon has announced she's launching her own clothing range with online clothing brand, In The Style

Stacey beamed with excitement as she posed up a storm in a series of promo snaps ahead of the launch, which is thought to have been part of a six-figure deal.

The brunette beauty showcased her toned figure in a yellow mini dress which boasted a square-neckline and thick straps.

She also slipped into a white midi-dress which was covered with a stylish lemon-print pattern and featured buttons up the middle.

This number was completed by as a matching tie-belt to accentuate her trim waist as well as chic slightly puffed long sleeves.

Not long to go! The star, 31, looked sensational as she modelled a short yellow dress from the range, which is set to be released on April 27 (pictured with In The Style CEO Adam Frisby)

Speaking about her inclusive range, which she's been working on for months amid a house move and raising three sons in lockdown, Stacey said she's so 'excited'.

She gushed: 'I'm so excited to be working with In The Style on my new collection. I've loved the brand for a long time and everything they stand for. I've enjoyed the design process and creating all the prints and shapes.

'I am really excited for everyone to see what we've created, an inclusive range was really important to me so we've made sure there really is something for everyone!

'With sprint finally here and better times ahead, I'm looking forward to brightening up my wardrobe and I can't wait for it to launch later this month.

That's the summer wardrobe sorted! Stacey also slipped into a white midi-dress which was covered with a stylish lemon-print pattern and featured buttons up the middle

Beaming: The busy mother-of-three gushed about her latest project, saying she loved the entire process of creating and designing the range

While In The Style's CEO Adam Frisby said: 'I am beyond excited to introduce Stacey as our latest ambassador.

'I've always called In The Style a people's brand as we truly listen to what our audience want. Stacey has been a number one request for years and I'm delighted to have her on board.

'One of the things I'm most proud of about In The Style is that we live and breathe by our brand values, this includes inclusivity, female empowerment and being true to who you are. Stacey encompasses all of these values and we're delighted to have her as part of the ITS family'.

Stacey will follow in the footsteps of a number of big names who already work with the brand including Jacqueline Jossa, Billie Faiers and Dani Dyer.

The star has also ventured into the fashion world previously, working with Primark on a womenswear collection in 2019 as well as her hit childrenswear range in 2020.

Happy couple: Over in her personal life, Stacey recently became engaged to beau Joe Swash following a romantic Christmas Eve proposal, with the couple set to tie the knot this July

Stacey soared to fame on the sixth season of The X Factor in 2009 and since then, her career has gone from strength-to-strength, seeing her become a household name.

And Stacey has enjoyed a stint career-wise recently, having landed a book deal to publish her very own Tap To Tidy book.

While she's also set to front her very own home improvement show, Sort Your Life Out, on BBC.

And in her personal life, she's recently became engaged to beau Joe Swash following a romantic Christmas Eve proposal, with the couple set to tie the knot this July.

Meanwhile, the pair moved into their 'dream' countryside home in Essex last month, alongside their boys Zachary, 12, Leighton, eight and 21-month-old Rex.

Stacey has been keeping her fans up-to-date with her home improvements in the Tudor-style house, using her famous Tap To Tidy transformations.

Book deal: Stacey has enjoyed a stint career-wise recently, having landed a book deal to publish her very own Tap To Tidy book

Last week, Stacey fought back tears as she discussed moving into her 'forever home' on Loose Women.

Reflecting on the decision to move house, Stacey admitted even she can't believe how far she's come from being a teen mum, after giving birth to her son Zachary when she was just 17.

In her first appearance on the panel since moving she admitted it was a last-minute decision by herself and Joe to buy the house and move in with her children.

She said: 'We always thought we'd love to move away from London and find somewhere we could afford that had more greenery.

'A house came up and it cost as much as it would cost the same as our house to sell and we thought should we go for it, and things happened really quickly and fell into place and actually we rushed in there because we exchanged and completed super quick.

'We all feel like we're in an Airbnb and someone is going to come in and say you have to check out tomorrow.'

Stacey's In The Style range will launch on April 27 and be available in sizes 2-28 as well as petite and tall.
CLEVELAND, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- S4 Medical moves a step closer in developing the most comprehensive solution to protect the esophagus from thermal injury during catheter ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation (AF) with the closing of their Series A financing. Three new shareholders  Jobs Ohio, Angel Physician Fund, and an unnamed strategic investor -- have come on board, along with existing investors, to help accelerate efforts towards commercialization.

The Series A funding will be used primarily to conduct the company's Investigational Device Exemption study, which is estimated to begin in July 2021. The company has already achieved several important milestones including first-in-human testing, securing intellectual property, and demonstration of compatibility with electrophysiology systems.

S4 Medical was cofounded by Dr. Emile Daoud of The Ohio State University, and William Fuller. The company's primary product is the esolution catheter  a patented device intended to safely deviate and protect the esophagus during catheter ablation for AF.

Cofounder, Chief Medical Officer, coinventor of the device, and Electrophysiology Section Chief at The Ohio State University, Emile Daoud, MD, says: "We are thrilled at the closing of this investment and excited to begin our pivotal trials. If successful, the esolution device will be well received by electrophysiologists as an added benefit for managing patients undergoing AF ablation."

Since its founding in late 2017, S4 has moved quickly and achieved significant milestones towards bringing the esolution device to market. "S4 offers a world-class solution to a big problem and a large market opportunity," says cofounder and CEO William Fuller. "Our existing and new investors see the promise of S4's solution and the possibility to provide additional safety to catheter ablation procedures."

"We immediately recognized the value of S4's technology and are pleased to not only participate in this financing but also to support S4 as it goes into its clinical studies," says Manish Bhandari, MD, managing partner of the Angel Physician Fund of Cincinnati, which comes into the round with a wealth of clinical and entrepreneurial experience.

S4 board member and managing director of the Columbus-based Ohio Innovation Fund (OIF), Bill Baumel, adds: "OIF confidently reinvests in S4 Medical and its mission of bringing cutting edge research to market  with the aim of making a huge positive impact on people's lives."

"AF ablation is a large and fast-growing market," says Hardik Desai, senior partner at Jumpstart Inc, of Cleveland, Ohio, "and we're happy to support S4 as they enter the clinical phase towards commercialization to address this critical unmet need." Jumpstart, which focuses on early stage investing and has been involved with S4 from the start, also reinvested in the Series A round.

About S4:

S4 Medical Corp. is a medical device company focused on innovative solutions for cardiac procedures. The company's main focus is a simple, yet comprehensive solution for reducing complications to the esophagus during catheter ablation treatment for atrial fibrillation. S4's team is motivated by providing advanced solutions for superior healthcare. For more information, visit S4 at www.S4medical.com on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact:

William Fuller

440.279.8091

[email protected]

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Although its the darkest day of the Christian calendar, attending a Good Friday service in person during a global pandemic buoys one River Heights resident in unexpected ways.

Although its the darkest day of the Christian calendar, attending a Good Friday service in person during a global pandemic buoys one River Heights resident in unexpected ways.

"This year, it feels like a huge celebration," Sarah-Jane Beaudry said of attending the 2 p.m. Good Friday family service at St. Aidans Anglican Church in Winnipeg.

RUTH BONNEVILLE Rev. David Labdon, with St. Aiden's Anglican Church, prepping for in-person Good Friday services. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

Falling on the Friday before Easter, Good Friday is the day when Christians mark the death of Jesus Christ with sombre services and quiet reflection.

Last year, Beaudrys family spent Good Friday and Easter Sunday at home, when public health restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19 shut down religious services across the province.

"Easter is the greatest day of the year. To not be able to celebrate with other Christians cut us off at our knees," the mother of three young children said.

"This year, it feels like a huge celebration"  SarahJane Beaudry

St. Aidans reopened in mid-February after a nearly four-month shutdown under code red restrictions, one of the few Anglican churches to reopen in the last year. Currently, the capacity for religious services is set at 25 per cent or 100 people, whichever is less.

Many churches across the denominational spectrum have remained closed, prepared to wait until summer or even fall, when more people are immunized and the threat of transmitting the novel coronavirus is lessened.

St. Aidans regularly fills its 50 or so spots every Sunday, and is fully subscribed for its in-person services on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, said Rev. David Labdon.

"Its been fabulous," he said of the reaction to the services livestreamed on the internet from the Campbell Street church.

"The desire is great for people to be together and supporting each other."

Across the city at St. Boniface Roman Catholic Cathedral, Rev. Marcel Carriere expects to be at capacity for all five services hes presiding over during the Easter weekend.

"We are gathered, but we are not as gathered as we would like to be."  Rev. Marcel Carriere

But with only 100 people physically distanced inside the 800-seat sanctuary, constructed inside the limestone walls of the former cathedral destroyed by fire in 1968, he said the space still feels empty.

"We are gathered, but we are not as gathered as we would like to be," he said of the limited capacity of the Easter services, which are also livestreamed.

Parishioners can sign up to attend one or two of the weekend services, which includes two Good Friday services, an Easter Vigil on Saturday, and two Sunday masses. This year, the message of Jesus Christs death and resurrection will resonate in new ways, said Carriere, who led services alone from the cathedral a year ago.

"There is suffering, but we believe the resurrection of the world will happen at the end of the pandemic," he said.

"Because of that, I think people will appreciate their friends, family and relationships and celebrate the small and big things in life."

Members of more than a dozen Pentecostal churches in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario can tune in to a recorded Good Friday service, set to broadcast at 10 a.m. Friday.

"We have a lot more understanding of how to touch people when were not in the building."  Rev. Bruce Martin

The hour-long service was a co-operative effort between churches resulting from pandemic restrictions, said Rev. Bruce Martin of Calvary Temple in Winnipeg.

Do you appreciate the extensive faith coverage by the Free Press? Become a supporter of the Religion in the News project! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more can help us keep offering trusted coverage of faith in Manitoba. Become a supporter Click here to learn more about the project.

"Weve never done anything like this, because all of us would be in our own churches doing their own thing," said Martin, pastor of the large downtown church for the past 23 years.

He doesnt expect in-person services to resume at Calvary Temple until provincial restrictions ease to allow at least 25 per cent capacity.

Calvary Temple has a long history of broadcasting its Sunday services, and Martin said the pandemic has opened up further possibilities with livestreaming, while allowing people without computers or access to the internet to participate.

"We have a lot more understanding of how to touch people when were not in the building," said the minister, experienced at recording short television and radio commercials.

"If you are sitting on the phone and thats all you got, just dial up 204-808-3080."

faith@freepress.mb.ca
ROME, APR 2 - Defence Undersecretary Giorgio Mule said Friday that a much-needed batch of 1.3 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine had arrived at the Pratica di Mare military airport near Rome. Italy's vaccination rollout has speeded up significantly in the last two weeks. But a lack of vaccine doses had threatened to hold back the progress. Lazio, the region Rome belongs to, said Thursday that it would have to suspend vaccinations within 24 hours if it did not get new supplies. The new AstraZeneca jabs will be distributed throughout the nation in the afternoon, with around 200,000 doses going to Lazio. "We are working with our guts on the ground, the defence ministry, the civil protection department and the regional health authorities, to get up to vaccinating 500,000 people a day," Mule told Radio24.. (ANSA).
The Formula 1 calendar of 2021 might be changed. The Canadian Grand Prix is scheduled for June 13, but due to the corona measures, it is highly uncertain whether the premier class of motorsports will be able to travel to Montreal. If the event is cancelled there is a small chance that we will be able to go to Canada later on this year.

That's what the relatively new Twitter account F1 Twitter Employee reports. According to this source, the organisers of Formula 1 are starting to doubt whether the Canadian Grand Prix can take place this season because of all the Covid-19 restrictions. Moreover, the current calendar does not allow for a GP in Montreal later on in 2021.

F1 opens talks

Formula 1 would therefore be in contact with the representatives of the Istanbul Park Circuit, as well as several other FIA Grade 1 Circuits. For example Mugello, Hockenheim or the Nurburgring. Turkey would be Liberty Media's preferred choice (partly due to logistical reasons).

The weekend before Canada, Azerbaijan hosts the Formula 1 and two weeks later the circus travels to France. Turkey would fit in perfectly between these two venues. More information is expected soon about whether or not the Canadian GP will take place.

Consequently, @F1 is in communication with various FIA Grade 1 Circuits regarding their availability.



At this time however, Turkey seems the most probable destination due to its geographical location as well as it being the favoured option for F1 itself. (3/3) #F1  F1 Paddock Employee (@InsideF1Paddock) April 2, 2021
New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session on Friday raised the issue of terrorism and H-1B.

During the meeting EAM Swaraj and Tillerson also discussed strengthening of the US-India political and economic partnership, officials said.



The Secretary thanked the Minister for Indias contributions to stability and development in Afghanistan and the region, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said after the meeting.



They discussed further strengthening the US-India political and economic partnership, she said.

Swaraj and Tillerson also discussed regional issues such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, terrorism and Indias role in maintaining peace in the region.

The two ministers discussed regional issues, with a focus on Pakistan, Afghanistan and terrorism, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

The two sides reviewed all aspects of the bilateral relationship, including expanding trade and investment relations, he added.

Swaraj also strongly raised with Mr Tillerson the issue of H1-B visa, the most sought after by Indian IT professionals.

The Trump administration is currently reviewing the H-1B visa policy as it thinks that the visa is being misused by companies to replace American workers.

They also discussed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.



US President Donald Trump this month scrapped an amnesty programme that granted work permits to immigrants who arrived in the country illegally as children. The move can impact 800,000 undocumented workers including thousands of Indian- Americans.



According to Mr Nauert, Ms Swaraj and Mr Tillerson also discussed the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which the US and India will co-host in Hyderabad from November 28 to 30.



The American delegation would be led by Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the US President Trump.

(With PTI Inputs)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
San Francisco, April 2 : A federal judge in the US has ruled that Apple knowingly sold Macbooks with defective displays to consumers, the media reported.

The judgment came in a class-action lawsuit over the MacBook Pro "stage light" fault, in which the backlight takes on the appearance of stage lighting at the bottom of the screen before failing completely, 9to5Mac reported on Thursday.

Apple introduced its controversial MacBook Pro redesign in 2016.

"The court finds that the allegations of pre-release testing in combination with the allegations of substantial customer complaints are sufficient to show that Apple had exclusive knowledge of the alleged defect," said US District Judge Edward Davila.

It was called "stage light" issue because of how the cable damage would produce dark spots on the screen.

Apple had created a 'Display Backlight Service Programme' to address the issue in the 13-inch model but the plaintiffs in the lawsuit alleged that the company "continued to sell 15-inch models that it knew were prone to this fault, without warning consumers".

The lawsuit also accused Apple of deleting official Apple support community posts complaining about the issue.

This is the second case pertaining to MacBooks.

Another judge in the US state of California has also certified the class-action suit against Apple for its fragile butterfly keyboard design.

A group of MacBook users in 2018 filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple for the controversial butterfly keyboards, alleging that the new design failed when even tiny particles of dust accumulated around the switches.

Apple has now launched new MacBook Pro series with Magic Keyboard, which is now available across Apple's laptop lineup, touted as the "the best typing experience ever on a Mac notebook."
The state allowed itself to exhale slightly. However, there was another sharp intake of breath following news a nurse from the PA Hospital had tested positive to the virus. The two clusters from PA Hospital Ward 5D Cluster One: the PA Doctor Cluster Eight cases linked to a patient from Europe Returned traveller (detected during hotel quarantine)

Second guest at hotel quarantine

PA Doctor

26 yo Stafford landscaper

Strathpine man (friend)

Brother of Stafford landscaper

Two workmates of Strathpine man The PA Nurse Cluster Twelve cases linked to a patient returned from India Returned traveller from India

PA nurse

Nurses sister (travelled to Byron hens night)

Six other guests of the hens night

Male tradie and entertainer at hens night

A second PA Hospital nurse

Nurse 2s housemate She had gone to Byron Bay to a hens night with a group of girlfriends, some of whom then went home not just to Brisbane but to Toowoomba and Bundaberg. To say nothing of the tradesman who moonlights as an entertainer  as he was euphemistically referred to in official reports  who was also at the party before returning home to the Gold Coast. After previously stating that there didnt appear to be a need to send the state into lockdown just before the Easter holidays, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young now believed there was no choice but to hit the pause button, to give contact tracers time to do their work.

We now have significant community transmission  through Brisbane, and we know that people have moved from Brisbane out into the broader community, which is why I have advised that we need to [lock down] for the next three days, until we can work out how much community transmission there has been, Dr Young said on Monday. Former chief health officer and emergency medicine expert Gerard FitzGerald said the decision to implement a short, three-day lockdown was made at the right time, after the nurse and her related cases emerged. The amount of testing gave Dr Young the confidence to lift the lockdown on Thursday. Credit:Jono Searle/Getty My reading is I think [health officials] got surprised by the nurse and that second cluster emerging, and it got to the stage where people were in Bundaberg and other places, and it was starting to feel like it could get out of control, Professor FitzGerald said. Serology testing had found that the Stafford mans brother had unknowingly been infected with COVID-19 and had since recovered. He appeared to be linked  confirmed by genomic testing  to the outbreak involving the doctor at Brisbanes Princess Alexandra Hospital earlier in the month.

Authorities had thought they had been on top of the cluster of cases, and had declared it contained, but the virus was able to elude contact tracers until it appeared in the Stafford man. Loading However, the nurse and her related cases were not linked to the PA Hospital doctor, but appeared to be a second cluster, linked through genomic testing to a patient who recently returned from India. As the contact-tracing efforts ramped up, all eyes were now turning to the PA Hospital and its infectious diseases ward, 5D, where both clusters are believed to have emerged. The hospital went into lockdown over the incidents and Queensland Health pledged to only staff COVID wards with health professionals who had received at least one vaccine dose.

Professor FitzGerald said that was a good policy, but there needed to be urgent inquiries into the fact two clusters had stemmed from the same ward in one hospital. Somebody needs to look at this very quickly and make sure their systems and processes are all OK, and then we can put it down to bad luck, he said. University of Queensland Associate Professor Linda Selvey, a public health physician and epidemiologist, agreed, saying the situation at the hospital needed to be investigated. But Professor Selvey noted the virus, especially the more infectious UK strain, B.1.1.7, which was the variant in both of these clusters, was getting harder to contain. I would be focusing my attention on PPE and is that all right; the P2 masks used by staff, have they been fit-tested so they know the masks theyre wearing are sealed on their face. Thats where I would be putting my energy, she said.

We cant say this is definitely the end, says Associate Professor Linda Selvey. Credit:Justin McManus After putting the lockdown in place on Monday, health authorities lifted it ahead of schedule on Thursday, with Dr Young saying she believed it had served its purpose and contained second- and third-tier contacts. The reason I can be reasonably confident that were managing these two outbreaks is the amount of testing, Dr Young said. The amount of testing over the last 48 hours has been astronomical. Thank you to every single person whos come forward. Professor Selvey said she did not believe Queensland had seen its last short lockdown, and said the measure had proved very effective once again in containing the virus, meaning authorities were likely to use it again.
Chennai, April 2 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address rallies in poll-bound Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Friday.

He will address a public rally at the Amma Thidal grounds in Tamil Nadu's Madurai at 11.30 a.m. Chief Minister K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief minister O.Panneerselvam and senior BJP leaders will be present in the programme.

Prime Minister Modi arrived at Madurai on Thursday night and visited the famous Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple clad in traditional Tamil attire of "Veshti", white shirt and "Angavastram".

Heavy police security has been deployed at Madurai with more than 4,000 policemen pressed into duty for the programme.

Narendra Modi will travel from Madurai to reach Pathanamthitta in Kerala where he will address the public programme at the Rajiv Gandhi indoor stadium at 1.15 p.m.

He will reach Kanyakumari from Pathanathitta in Kerala where he will address a public meeting at Konni for the election campaign of Kerala state president of BJP, K. Surendran and other leaders at 1.15 p.m. at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor stadium.

Prime minister will travel from Pathanathitta to Kanyakumari by helicopter.

At Kanyakumari, he will address the public at Vivekananda college ground at Agastheeswaram.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan is contesting from Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat where a bypoll was necessitated following the passing away of the sitting MP, H. Vasanthakumar of the Congress owing to Covid related ailments.

Pon Radhakrishnan had won from Kanyakumari in 2014 but in 2019 he lost to Vasanthakumar by a margin of 2,99,000 votes. The BJP is contesting elections in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the AIADMK and this has given much hope for Pon Radhakrishnan.

Other than the Lok Sabha candidate, the NDA candidates contesting the Assembly polls from Kanyakumari district and adjoining constituencies will participate in the Prime minister's programme.

Security has been beefed up in Kanyakumari district and 3,500 policemen are deployed for the programme.

Modi will return to Thiruvananthapuram where he will address a public meeting at Greenfield stadium, Kazhakootam in which all the NDA candidates of Thiruvananthapuram district will participate.
Social media pic of Jamie Berry (25) from Leo Fitzgerald House, Dublin 2, charged with attempted murder at Eugene Street in Dublin 8 last February 24. Jamie Berry and Stephen Mulvey (29) also from Leo Fitzgerald House both appeared in Dublin District Court today charged following a gun attack on a 17-year-old boy in February.

TWO men have been charged with the attempted murder of a teenager who was seriously injured in a shooting on an inner city street.

Jamie Berry (25) and Stephen Mulvey (29) both appeared in Dublin District Court today charged following a gun attack on the 17-year-old boy in February.

The alleged victim was treated in hospital for multiple gunshot wounds and has since been released and is recovering.

Judge Bernadette Owens remanded the two accused in custody for a week.

Mr Berry and Mr Mulvey, both from Leo Fitzgerald House, Dublin 2, are charged with attempted murder at Eugene Street in Dublin 8 last February 24.

Detective Garda Mark Dennehy told the court he arrested Mr Mulvey at Kevin Street station yesterday and he made no reply to the charge after caution at 8.52pm. He was handed a copy of the charge sheet.

Det Gda Richard Pender gave evidence of Mr Berrys arrest, charge and caution at Kevin Street station at 8.55pm yesterday. He too made no reply to the charge.

Det Gda Pender said the alleged injured party in both cases was the same person - a juvenile.

Garda Dennehy said there might be reporting restrictions in the case.

The judge asked if there was a connection between the parties that would identify the alleged victim and the gardai replied that there was not.

There was no family relationship and they were not living in the same area, the court heard.

Judge Owens said as a result, although the alleged victim could not be identified, there was no prohibition on naming the two accused.

Defence solicitor Niall OConnor said no bail application was being made at this stage due to the nature of the charge. Bail can only be granted at High Court level on an attempted murder charge.

Mr OConnor said applications for bail will be made in due course.

Legal aid was granted after Mr OConnor said the accused were both unemployed.

The judge directed that Mr Berry is to receive medical attention while in custody, at his solicitors request.

The accused were both remanded in custody to appear in Cloverhill District Court by video link on April 9.

Gardai have said two other men in their 20s and a boy were also arrested in the investigation and they have been released without charge pending the preparation of a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The alleged victim, from the south inner city, was shot at around 11pm on February 24, suffering injuries to his neck and leg.

He was rushed to hospital by ambulance and has since been released and is said to be making a good recovery.
St. Petersburg court quashes two sentences over breach of openness principle during trials

 Mikhail Telekhov, RAPSI

18:02 02/04/2021

ST. PETERSBURG, April 2 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov)  The Board of Appeals for Criminal Cases of the St. Petersburg City Court overturned two sentences due to the fact that the principles of publicity had been breached during the consideration of the cases, and it was established that these breaches were irreparable, the United press service of St. Petersburg courts informs RAPSI on Friday.

The decisions concern two criminal cases that were examined in district courts. In one case, the defendant was sentenced to 6 years in prison for possession of marijuana and hashish, in the second case, a St. Petersburg resident was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for possession and transfer of explosives and a fire-conducting cord.

These two sentences were overturned on the grounds of violation of the principles of publicity, what created a precedent in the legal practice in the city. In the drug possession case, there were no other grounds for canceling the sentence, except for violation of the principles of publicity, head of the press service Darya Lebedeva told RAPSI.
House Democrats investigating the COVID-19 response say Trump adviser Peter Navarro pressured agencies to award deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

A top adviser to former President Donald Trump pressured agency officials to reward politically connected or otherwise untested companies with hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts as part of a chaotic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the early findings of an inquiry led by House Democrats.

Peter Navarro, who served as Trumps deputy assistant and trade adviser, essentially verbally awarded a $96 million deal for respirators to a company with White House connections. Later, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were pressured to sign the contract after the fact, according to correspondence obtained by congressional investigators.

Documents obtained by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis after a year of resistance from the Trump administration offer new details about Navarros role in a largely secretive buying spree of personal protective equipment and medical supplies.

But they also show he was among the first Trump officials to sense the urgency of the building crisis, urging the president to push agencies and other officials to  combat the virus swiftly in Trump Time  and cut through the red tape of the federal purchasing system.

In another communication, Navarro was so adamant that a potential $354 million contract be awarded to an untested pharmaceutical company that he told the top official at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, my head is going to explode if this contract does not get immediately approved.

Navarro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The committees work backs up investigations by ProPublica and other news outlets into the more than $36 billion the federal government has awarded, much of it without traditional bidding and with little scrutiny, to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least five of the committees lines of inquiry are exploring issues reported by ProPublica, including the $96 million no-bid deal for respirators that was ordered by Navarro, a $34.5 million deal signed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that fell apart and ended with a contractor pleading guilty to fraud, a contract for masks awarded to a former Trump administration official , and the revelation that FEMA had paid millions to a contractor with a history of fraud allegations for unusable and unsanitary fake test tubes

In a letter describing the subcommittees findings, Democrat James Clyburn of South Carolina and members of the committee told President Joe Bidens emergency response team that Trumps lack of action worsened the health crisis.
Azerbaijan has supported the decision taken at the 15th meeting of the OPEC+ ministers to gradually increase daily production to 1.1 million barrels over the next three months (from May through July 2021), according to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy.

According to the new Declaration of Cooperation, daily crude oil production in Azerbaijan will increase by 8,000 barrels in May, 7,000 barrels in June, and 10,000 barrels in July.

Thus, Azerbaijan's new production commitments will amount to 115,000 barrels in May, 108,000 barrels in June, and 98,000 barrels in July. Daily oil production in the country will remain at 603,000 barrels in May, 610,000 barrels in June and 620,000 barrels in July, the ministry said.

Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, speaking at the meeting, considered the confident acceptance of adequate and quick decisions by OPEC+ by the global oil market, as well as solidarity among the participants in the Declaration of Cooperation as important moments in an unstable period.

The minister stressed the importance of thoughtful, careful behavior in regulatory measures and taking into account all development scenarios.

"Our main goal is to achieve a balance in the oil market that serves the common good. I believe that the current OPEC+ decision will also contribute to efforts to balance market dynamics," Shahbazov said.
Published on 2021/04/01 | Source

"At first, I fell in love with the title. It had power I could never forget once I heard it. The more I read the script, the more I wondered how this story would go. It was a role I've never played before, and I was interested in the character who had everything she wanted.

Actor Lee Joo-bin (32) played the role of Lee Hyo-joo, the granddaughter of the founder of the cosmetics brand Claire in JTBC's Wednesday-Thursday drama "She Would Never Know".

She is a gold spoon with everything, but she is obsessed with her first love Lee Jae-shin (Lee Hyun-wook-I). She is also a character of a chaebol family, but a person with loneliness in her strong pride.

Lee Joo-bin said, "I felt sorry for Hyo-joo, who doesn't know how to give love and can't be loved".

"After three years in the drama, Hyo-joo has already broken her frame and became a person who can understand and think about others", she said. "I think Hyo-joo's passion and determination have widened her view of the world, so she will live happily and confidently".

About the synchronization between her and Lee Hyo-joo, she said, "The initial setting of Lee Hyo-joo has changed several times since then, but the big frame was that she is a character who has everything she wants".

"So rather than preparing for something, I was curious about woman who has everything she wanted but still lacked something, and I've seen a lot of movies like that. Hyo-joo and I have little synchro rate, but our pride in work, determination, drive, etc. are similar".

When asked about the most memorable scene, she pointed out, "The scene in the third episode, where I scold my friends who talk badly about Jae-shin". The reason is that "It was a scene where she told them not to hate-talk about the person she loves, and I liked Hyo-joo's mindset that put more importance on the life that she currently lives in than the environment or background she grew up in".

In the drama, Lee Hyo-joo stood out for her colorful fashion. Lee Joo-bin laughed, saying, "It is a splendid sight that can be recognized from 100 meters away".

"It's not too feminine, it's a good mix of glamour and chic. The bold accessories, bold and colorful patterns and designs were the main points. But I actually like sweatpants, jeans, knitted clothes and hoodies".

The atmosphere at the site was warm. In particular, she already knew Rowoon and Lee Hyun-wook-I. Lee Joo-bin said, "When we acted together, I realized I had a lot to learn from them".

In particular, with Lee Hyun-wook-I, who plays Lee Jae-shin, who showed melodramatic breathing in the play, she said, "I felt that the offbeat was natural because we were in a relationship from the beginning to the end. It was a little difficult, but I thought we worked well".

As for Won Jin-ah, "I met her for the first time through this work, and she is a good actress who makes the other actors feel comfortable, so I enjoyed being with her. So when the four of us met, the atmosphere was so good that it was hard to act emotionally because we joked around a lot".

Lee Joo-bin began her career as an actress with SBS's "Whisper" in 2017, starting with her appearance in the music video of SS501 in 2008. Since then, she has made her face known clearly by playing the role of Gye-hyang in tvN's "Mr. Sunshine" in 2018 and Lee So-min in JTBC's "Be Melodramatic" in 2019.

She looked back on the difficult times, saying, "I couldn't do any work or acting for several years. I'm so happy these days when I'm working with good people, playing various works and characters.

Lee Joo-bin, who is preparing for a completely new transformation with her next film, is greedy and has many dreams. "I want to challenge genres like thriller, horror, and fantasy that I haven't tried yet. I also want to experience professional jobs such as criminal and medical materials, she said.

"I really like the works of Park Yeon-seon and Kim Eun-hee-I, so I really want to work with them one day", she added.
The expert panel of India's drug regulator, DCGI, has permitted to give a third dose of Covaxin to a few volunteers in its clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine, sources said.

presented amendments to the subject expert committee of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in the approved Phase 2 clinical trial protocol for administration of booster dose six months after second dose.

"The firm presented amendments in the approved Phase 2 clinical trial protocol for administration of booster dose after six months after second dose. After detailed deliberation, the committee recommended that the firm should conduct the booster dose study only in 6 mcg cohort and also should follow up the subjects at least for six months after the third dose," the SEC said.

Further, was asked to present the details of the primary and secondary objectives and various assessments to be carried out in the subjects.

"Accordingly, firm(Bharat Biotech) should submit the revised clinical trial protocol for evaluation," the SEC said in the meeting that took place on March 23.

In the meeting, Bharat Biotech presented amendments in the approved Phase 3 clinical trial protocol for unblinding of subjects on placebo and addition of another cohort in Brazil which the SEC recommended.

"After detailed deliberation, the committee recommended that the firm may unblind the participants of age group of more than 45 years and offer to administer the vaccine free of cost as and when they become eligible for the vaccine in the national program," the SEC said.

Further, the SEC recommended that the firm should submit a detailed revised clinical trial protocol for inclusion of cohorts from Brazil along with the revised statistical calculation for assessing the efficacy of the 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.)
The Fruteria Southtown has been closed since late December for extensive renovations as they update their concept. Over the past eight years, The Fruteria Southtown has impacted the community and is happy to receive the award for Best Fruteria in San Antonio in this years Readers Choice Awards.

Chef Johnny Hernandez created the concept for The Fruteria based on his travels throughout Mexico. He wanted to bring various flavors to San Antonio and chose his spot in Southtown because there was a need for a breakfast and lunch spot in the area.
A lot of people these days happen to misinterpret opinionated and propagandistic posts as news or facts and a study done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that on Twitter, false news travels faster than true stories. As such, it should be the duty of these platforms to place measures that not only identify and ban bots but also block the flow of propaganda by both official and bogus accounts.

Be it border clashes with India, crackdown on Uighur Muslims or Coronavirus, China has been crafting and propagating uncredible posts through social media in order to occupy the mind space of people with narratives favouring them. Multiple reports suggest that China is rapidly increasing the number of posts made by both bogus and official social media accounts to set and propagate narratives that seem to promote the agenda of the Chinese government.

A lot of people these days happen to misinterpret opinionated and propagandistic posts as news or facts and a study done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that on Twitter, false news travels faster than true stories. In fact, the report stated, it is not the bot accounts that spread the fake news but the real accounts retweeting the tweets made of fake news.

Another similar report suggests that in 2019, nearly 280 posts were made on Twitter every month by diplomats and media agencies funded by the Chinese government. Most of these tweets were intended at making people consume and believe the narrative that minorities in Xinjiang were treated well by the Chinese government. There was a surge in such fake posts in 2020 and the number rose to about 500 posts a month.

In a recent incident where foreign fashion brands refused the usage of Xinjiang cotton due to allegations of forced labour by the Xinjiang province, Chinese government-funded social media accounts and mouthpieces were set on an evident agenda-driven campaign trying to refute forced labour allegations on China. Videos of mechanized harvesting of cotton being carried out in Xinjiang went viral as countless entities funded by China were putting out these narrative-driven posts.

These social media sites play host to a significant number of Internet users, some of whom even rely on them for authentic news. As such, it should be the duty of these platforms to place measures that not only identify and ban bots but also block the flow of propaganda by both official and bogus accounts.

Although, not just Facebook and Twitter but China has been trying to manipulate facts almost everywhere. The instances such as the WHO team not being allowed to carry out an uninterrupted probe, journalists being given limited access to facts and dominance over open-sources platforms and social media clearly indicate Chinas intentions.

Also read: Twitter erupts with Chinese cotton harvesting videos; China using big tech firms to spread lies?
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 21:36:10|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

JAKARTA -- The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 5,325 within one day to 1,523,179, with the death toll adding by 97 to 41,151, the Health Ministry said Friday.

According to the ministry, 5,439 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 1,361,017.

- - - -

DHAKA -- Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services on Friday reported 6,830 new COVID-19 infections, the highest increase in a single day since the pandemic started in the country.

The official data showed the national tally for COVID-19 infections has increased to 624,594 with 9,155 deaths, including 50 fatalities reported on Friday.

- - - -

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia on Friday reported 1,294 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing its total tally to 347,972.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that 26 of the newly reported infections are imported and 1,268 are local transmissions.

- - - -

MOSCOW -- Russia has confirmed 8,792 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 4,563,056, the official monitoring and response center said Friday.

The COVID-19 death toll rose by 400 to 99,633 in the past day, while recoveries grew by 9,832 to 4,186,251.

- - - -

LONDON -- Travel bans are to be introduced for visitors from the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh, the British Department of Transport said Friday.

The four countries have been added to England's so-called "red list" amid concerns about new COVID-19 variants, such as those first identified in South Africa and Brazil.

- - - -

BISHKEK -- China has handed over to Kyrgyzstan the fourth batch of humanitarian aid to fight COVID-19, the Chinese embassy said Friday.

The handover ceremony took place on Thursday with the participation of Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen, and Kyrgyz Minister of Health and Social Development Alymkadyr Beishenaliev. Enditem
Left to right: Figure 1 depicts the percentage of COVID-19 vaccine doses delivered to jurisdictions by channel. Figure 2 (middle) depicts the percentage of doses administered by jurisdictional partners and federal programs (retail pharmacy, HRSA FHQC, and FEMA CVC pilots) combined and by federal entities (Bureau of Prisons, Department of Defense, Indian Health Service, and Veteran Health Administration). Furthest to the right, administration ratios (i.e., percentage of delivered doses that have been administered) are measured and presented in four ways: an unadjusted measure and a lagged adjusted measure for all channels (overall) and for jurisdiction + federal programs (excludes federal entities). Data for three city-based jurisdictions, New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago are included in their respective states. Includes data reported as of May 30, 2021. HRSA: Health Resources and Services Administration; FQHC: Federally Qualified Health Center; FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency; CVC: Community Vaccination Center; HHS: US Department of Health and Human Services; NIH: National Institutes of Health.

Definitions and Methods

Vaccines Delivered: Includes all doses shipped and recorded through the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) vaccine ordering system, Vaccine Tracking System (VTrckS). Doses delivered totals include all data reported through May 30, 2021. Vaccines delivered are grouped into three categories:

Jurisdiction: Doses delivered to jurisdictions (state, territory, freely associated state, tribe, or local entity) based on the allotment provided by the federal government. Excludes additional doses transferred to jurisdictions by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for use within Community Vaccination Center (CVC) pilot sites or in mobile clinics.

Doses delivered to jurisdictions (state, territory, freely associated state, tribe, or local entity) based on the allotment provided by the federal government. Excludes additional doses transferred to jurisdictions by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for use within Community Vaccination Center (CVC) pilot sites or in mobile clinics. Federal Programs: Programs through which participants receive their own vaccine allocation from the federal government and report vaccine doses administered through the local jurisdictions immunization information system (IIS). These include: Federal Retail Pharmacy Program: The federal government provides vaccine allotments to 21 retail pharmacy chains that represent approximately 48,000 potential vaccination sites across the country. Totals include deliveries provided as part of the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program to vaccinate staff and residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Participating pharmacies may also receive inventory from jurisdictions via federal pharmacy state transfer program (i.e., the jurisdiction transfers doses directly to a pharmacy partner), which are included in these totals. States that have onboarded pharmacies to be vaccine providers allowing pharmacies to order directly from the state are excluded here and included in the jurisdiction totals. Health Resources and Services Administrations (HRSA) Federally Qualified Community Health Center Program external icon : HRSA leverages its own federal vaccine allotment and sends inventory to select health centers for administration. FEMA CVC Pilot Site and Mobile Vaccination Program external icon : FEMA transfers its vaccine allocation to the state for ordering and administration and provides logistical, financial, and other support for vaccination clinics. US Dept. Of Heath and Human Services (HHS)/National Institutes of Health Program: Small program managing doses allocated to multiple HHS agencies for administration to critical federal infrastructure personnel. Federal Dialysis Center Program: Launched on March 29, 2021; allocations are made directly to participating dialysis center participants to vaccinate patients on dialysis.

Programs through which participants receive their own vaccine allocation from the federal government and report vaccine doses administered through the local jurisdictions immunization information system (IIS). These include: Federal Entities: Includes the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Defense, Indian Health Service, and Veterans Health Administration, each receiving its own vaccine allocation.

Vaccines Administered: Includes doses administered within the jurisdiction within a category described above and reported to CDC as of 6am ET on May 30, 2021. COVID-19 Vaccination Reporting Overview provides an overarching view of the IT systems and how they integrate to track COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration. Vaccine administration data for the federal programs are reported to jurisdictions IISs and cannot be fully accounted for due to instances where provider type identifiers are missing and/or the use of mixed inventory from both state and federal allocations. Therefore, their administration totals are presented in aggregate with jurisdictional totals. Federal entity administration totals include doses administered by one of the four listed groups within the jurisdiction and are reported directly to CDC.

Unadjusted Administration Ratio: Calculated as the percentage of doses delivered to a jurisdiction that have been administered as of the date reported.

Adjusted Administration Ratio: Calculated as the percentage of doses delivered to a jurisdiction that have been administered, using a cumulative 7-day rolling average for both administrations and deliveries, and a 3-day lag for doses delivered. This accounts for:

Technical issues delaying timely reporting

Vaccines needing to be redistributed within a jurisdiction, which could mean a longer time between initial distribution and administration

Jurisdictions having multiple data systems at the local and state levels

Providers not reporting vaccine doses administered within the required 72-hour period

The adjusted metric is the standard being used to assess administration ratios for the US COVID-19 Vaccination Program. Interpretation of these metrics for remote jurisdictions (e.g., territories, Hawaii, Alaska) should be done with caution, as they have different delivery schedules than jurisdictions located in the continental United States.

Overall Administration Ratio: Percentage of doses (unadjusted and adjusted) delivered to a jurisdiction that have been administered as of the date reported. This includes all doses delivered and administered in the jurisdiction through any channel.

Jurisdiction + Federal Programs Administration Ratio: Percentage of doses (unadjusted and adjusted) delivered to a jurisdiction that have been administered as of the date reported. This includes doses delivered and administered by jurisdictions and through federal programs but excludes those delivered to and administered by federal entities.
Monrovia  The National Commission Elections on Thursday announced that none of the eight propositions of the December 8, 2020 Referendum met the constitutional two-thirds requirement.

According to the NEC chairman Madam Davidetta Browne Lansanah, Section 4A.4 of the Elections Law, under referendum Result, states:

"The fraction of two-thirds (2/3) required for approval of a question in a referendum is calculated by dividing the number of valid votes cast in approval of the question by the total number of the valid votes cast on the question."

She also referenced the Supreme Court September 20, 2011 ruling which states that invalid votes shall not be included in the sum of the total votes and in keeping with the ruling, the total valid votes cast by adding all of the "Yes votes to all of the "No votes". Of this sum, you have to ascertain whether the yes votes on each proposition reach the two-thirds requirement for approval. If they do, the proposition is approved. If not, the proposition is rejected.

"Because the referendum is a national election -- the "Yes and No votes from the 15 Counties (on each proposition) must be added together to determine whether the yes votes reach the two-thirds requirement for approval. This process will be done for each of the proposition."
Though this weekends Easter events may not look like this 2017 file photo, there are still chances for area children to get some Easter treats and to see the Easter Bunny in the area.
Days after a Colorado gunman opened fire in a grocery store, social media users accused Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, of saying gun ownership should be "hassle free."

"Ted Cruz says owning a gun should be as hassle free as owning a car which as I recall requires a license and registration," said one Facebook post shared thousands of times.

The post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

We did not find any evidence that the Texas senator said "owning a gun should be as hassle free as owning a car," as the Facebook post claimed he did. A spokesperson for Cruzs office said the senator never made such a statement.

TEXAS TAKE: Sign up for Texas politics and policy news, curated by the Chronicle's Austin bureau

PolitiFact searched Google, the Nexis news database and TVEyes, a media monitoring service. We also queried Cruzs official Twitter accounts and Politwoops, a project from ProPublica that tracks deleted tweets from Cruz and other politicians.

The unsubstantiated quote appears to have taken off after a Twitter user shared it to their more than 11,000 followers, according to Hoaxy, a social media analysis tool. We reached out to that Twitter user, as well as the person who posted the claim to Facebook, but we did not hear back.

One Twitter user who shared the same claim pointed PolitiFact to a 2013 Senate hearing. But Cruz did not make the claim about cars and guns during that hearing, either.

Cruz did make news during a March 23, 2021, Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, when he accused Democrats pushing for gun control of "ridiculous theater." One tweet from that day referenced Cruzs comments and called for regulating gun ownership more like car ownership.

Cruz did not draw an analogy between owning a gun and owning a car when he spoke at the hearing. But other lawmakers did. After the Texas senator finished his statement, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., brought up drunk drivers in a comment that also generated headlines.

"Im not trying to perfectly equate these two, but we have a lot of drunk drivers in America that kill a lot of people," Kennedy said. "We ought to try to combat that too. But I think what many folks on my side of the aisle are saying is that the answer is not to get rid of all sober drivers."

The Facebook post purporting to quote Cruz is unsubstantiated. So we rate it False.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 22:32:16|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member unloads the newly-arrived vaccines, manufactured by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, at the airport in Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1, 2021. Azerbaijan on Thursday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines it has purchased from China as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Tofik Babayev/Xinhua)

BAKU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan on Thursday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines it has purchased from China as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The newly-arrived vaccines, manufactured by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, have been introduced by the Azerbaijani authorities for mass vaccination against COVID-19.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Guo Min said China and Azerbaijan have been supporting each other in the COVID-19 pandemic, expressing hope that the Chinese vaccines would help Azerbaijan beat the virus at an early date, and restore economic and social development.

The Chinese ambassador added that China will donate another batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Azerbaijan soon, reaffirming Beijing's readiness to strengthen cooperation with Baku in the fight against the pandemic.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Ramiz Hasanov and Deputy Health Minister Viktor Gasimov thanked China for its help to Azerbaijan amid the pandemic, speaking highly of China's adherence to multilateralism.

The Azerbaijani government and its people trust Chinese vaccines, they said, adding that the country is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the global fight against the pandemic, raising bilateral relations to a new level.

In the past 24 hours, Azerbaijan has registered 2,237 new cases, bringing its total to 261,713, according to the country's Operational Headquarters for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Enditem
Hilaria Baldwin shared a stunning Insta Stories snap this Thursday of herself expertly performing a handstand at home.

The 37-year-old wife of Alec Baldwin has become a yoga influencer and showed off her enviably svelte pins in a maroon pair of leggings.

She added some text to the photo saying that the picture was in fact taken by her seven-year-old firstborn daughter Carmen.

'Apparently Carmen took some photos this am too': Hilaria Baldwin shared a stunning Insta Stories snap this Thursday of herself expertly performing a handstand at home

'Apparently Carmen took some photos this am too...just found this on my phone...along with like 75 others she took,' Hilaria wrote with a laughing emoji.

Hilaria shares six children including infants Eduardo Pau Lucas Baldwin, whom she gave birth to on September 8 last year, and Maria Lucia Victoria Baldwin, whom she welcomed via a surrogate this February, with her 62-year-old husband.

Prior to welcoming Eduardo and MariLu she and Alec already shared Carmen, seven, Rafael, five, Leonardo, four, and Romeo, two.

Over the course of her Insta Stories on Friday Hilaria documented her fun-filled day out with her husband and children.

Off he goes: Hilaria shares six children including infants Eduardo Pau Lucas Baldwin (pictured) and Maria Lucia Victoria Baldwin

Family matters: Prior to welcoming Eduardo and MariLu she and Alec already shared Carmen, seven, Rafael, five, Leonardo, four, and Romeo, two

So sweet: Over the course of her Insta Stories on Friday Hilaria documented her fun-filled day out with her husband and children

Her Holy Thursday morning began as she and Alec cuddled up with little MariLu in bed and then snapped a picture of the baby in her own crib.

MariLu was then seen with her two older brothers who showed her a picture book about what Hilaria called 'the passions of the Baldwinitos + Statue Of Liberty.'

Carmen and two of her younger brothers also pulled funny poses while standing over their two littlest siblings in a heartwarming picture.

Hilaria and Alec put their own jackets on their children in a sweet photograph where she labeled who was wearing whose outerwear.

Rise and shine: Her morning began as she and Alec cuddled up with little MariLu in bed

Baby mine: The proud parents then snapped a picture of the baby in her own crib

Once they got going with their outdoor adventures Hilaria revealed on her Insta Stories that they were joined by a horse called Stallone.

A few posts showed her children playing and Hilaria gushed that they were 'My cowboys,' adding: 'I should've been a cowboy, I should've learned to rope and ride.'

Hilaria's latest posts come over a month after she apologized for faking her Spanish heritage in a controversy that came to light at the end of 2020.

Although she goes by 'Hilaria' and her CAA bio claimed she was born in Majorca, she is in fact from Boston and had the given name Hillary Hayward-Thomas.

Holy Thursday: MariLu was then seen with her two older brothers who showed her a picture book about what Hilaria called 'the passions of the Baldwinitos + Statue Of Liberty'

So sweet: Carmen and two of her younger brothers also pulled funny poses while standing over their two littlest siblings in a heartwarming picture

Hand in hand: Hilaria and Alec put their own jackets on their children in a sweet photograph where she labeled who was wearing whose outerwear

Various interviews show her slipping into a Spanish accent and she once forgot the English word 'cucumber' during a televised cooking segment.

As the story gained steam she insisted to the New York Times that the 'cucumber' moment was a 'brain fart' because she was nervous and unused to TV.

While appearing on the Cat & Nat podcast in New York in April 2020 she said: 'I moved here when I was 19 to go to NYU,' and when she was asked: 'From?' she replied: 'From - my family lives in Spain. They live in Majorca.'

When the scandal took off she told the New York Times: 'I was born in Boston. I spent time in Boston and in Spain. My family now lives in Spain. I moved to New York when I was 19 years old and I have lived here ever since.'

Equine company: Once they got going with their outdoor adventures Hilaria revealed on her Insta Stories that they were joined by a horse called Stallone

Last month she said on Instagram that she was 'sorry' about the whole affair and allowed that she 'should have been more clear.'

However she insisted that she was brought up 'with two cultures, American and Spanish' and feels 'a true sense of belonging to both.'

Alec and Hilaria shocked the public and sent the internet aflutter when they announced MariLu's birth but an insider has since told People: 'It's no one's business about a woman's right to choose how and when she expands her family.'

Recently the mother of six revealed on her Insta Stories that she is breastfeeding both of her infants and joked: 'This cow is tired and thirsty.'
Armenia's prime minister has gone into self-isolation as a preventative measure against coronavirus ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, officials said on Friday.

It is common for anybody meeting in person with 68-year-old Putin to isolate beforehand to protect him from the contagion.

Nikol Pashinyan, who faces backlash at home after the country's humiliating defeat in last year's war with Azerbaijan over control of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, is expected to meet with Putin next Wednesday.

Also Read | Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says will resign in April

"Due to the planned meeting with Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Pashinyan is working in self-isolation since April 2," his spokeswoman Mane Gevorgyan told journalists.

A report published by the BBC's Russian Service this week estimated that Russia had spent billions of rubles on efforts to protect the president from the virus.

A large portion of that money was spent on hotel rooms for medical observation for those who come into contact with the president, including journalists, drivers, and pilots.

World War II veterans who took part in Russia's annual Victory Day parade on May 9 alongside Putin had to self-isolate as well.

When asked about the BBC report, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov this week described the measures as an "absolutely normal situation".

Read | Russia registers world's first Covid-19 vaccine for animals

Russia introduced one of the strictest lockdowns in the world as the first wave of the pandemic swept across the country, sealing off borders, shuttering businesses, and even requiring digital passes for movement around the capital Moscow.

During the lockdown, Putin worked from his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, taking part in government meetings via video link

In June, the Kremlin revealed that the residence was equipped with a disinfection tunnel for all outside visitors that sprays people with disinfectant solutions.

Also Read | Putin felt minor side effects from Covid-19 vaccine: Ifax

Putin received his first dose of a Russian coronavirus vaccine last week, months after the start of a vaccination campaign in the country.
Labour councillors and candidates have provoked outrage after appearing to describe the flying of the Union flag as 'chilling' and a 'move from the Fascist playbook'.

The comments, made by Labour Party members in Warrington, Cheshire, contradict leader Sir Keir Starmer's new strategy to use the flag to push patriotism and win back 'red wall' voters.

The leaked messages were posted in response to a debate about flying the Union flag in a Labour Party WhatsApp group.

Labour councillors and candidates have provoked outrage after appearing to describe the flying of the Union flag as 'chilling' and a 'move from the Fascist playbook' (file photo)

Former MP Faisal Rashid, who lost his Warrington South seat to the Tories in 2019, and is standing as a Labour candidate in the local elections in May, kicked off the conversation by posting a screenshot from ITV's Good Morning Britain, who were asking: 'Should Union flags fly every day? Are flags a sign of unity and patriotism or do they divide us?'

He asked those in the group: 'What is your view?'

One election candidate Amy Brooks replied: 'Personally I don't agree with it, many use the flag to push non-inclusive agendas.'

While Robin Frith, another election candidate and secretary of Warrington North Constituency Labour Party, commented that it was 'another move from the Fascist playbook'.

Councillor Paul Warburton then said: 'Next step: teaching the national anthem in schools and the singing of it each morning at the raising of the flag..'

To which councillor Rebecca Knowles, cabinet member for adult social care, replied: 'It's chilling. There's nothing at all wrong about being proud of your nationality but this all feels pretty creepy and I must say as the mum of a biracial family it makes me feel very nervous indeed.'

Another Labour party member Kenny Watson replied: 'The problem is we're going along with this narrative. Have you noticed Kieran (sic) Starmer's announcements now have the union flag in the background?'

An insider told the Mail: 'Some of these comments are pretty despicable and many Labour voters in Warrington will be appalled that said that prospective candidates and councillors have been talking about the union flag and national anthem in such a derogatory, un-British manner.

The comments, made by Labour Party members in Warrington, Cheshire, contradict leader Sir Keir Starmer's new strategy to use the flag to push patriotism and win back 'red wall' voters

'They definitely fly in the face of all attempts by Starmer to use patriotism to win over voters in northern towns.'

The insider said the Labour Party in Warrington was 'at war' following the infiltration of hard-left members after the arrival of MP Charlotte Nichols, a Corbynite parachuted into the Warrington North seat at the last general election.

Tory Andy Carter took the Warrington South seat off Mr Rashid in 2019 and although Ms Nichols held onto the seat for Labour it was by a much-reduced majority.

Labour was forced to defend its plans to focus on patriotism and the union jack to win back disillusioned voters following a backlash from some sections of the Party in February.

A leaked strategy document advised Sir Keir to make 'use of the [union] flag, veterans [and] dressing smartly' at war memorials as part of a rebranding to help it win back trust in previous Labour heartlands.

In more recent speeches and broadcasts Sir Keir, who later insisted he was 'patriotic,' has been seen against the backdrop of the union flag.

Mr Watson declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail. All other councillors and candidates were approached for comment.
Broward County Public Schools, the sixth largest school district in the United States, said Thursday it had been the target of a massive ransomware attack, according to AP.

Why it matters: In March, hackers encrypted some of the Fort Lauderdale-based district's data and demanded a $40 million cryptocurrency payment or they would erase the files and publish the personal information of students and employees online.

What they're saying: Broward said Thursday it made no extortion payment and that no personal information had been published online, according to AP.

The district added that it is working with cybersecurity experts to shore up its computer systems and restore affected systems.

The big pictures: Screenshots of negotiations between Broward County Public Schools and the hackers show that at one point the school district offered $500,000 to restore the data, according to WPTV, an NBC-affiliated television station.
(Natural News) The Center for Global Policy released a shocking new report about the slavery of Uighurs and other Turkic minority groups in Xinjiang, China. The report provides evidence that human slavery is being used on a massive scale to advance the Chinese cotton market. More than half a million people, imprisoned in camps, are now being forced to pick cotton as slaves. One fifth of the worlds cotton production comes out of the Xinjiang region of China.

US companies finally take a stand and stop sourcing cotton from China

This startling revelation has prompted US companies, Nike, Adidas and H&M to stop sourcing cotton from Xinjiang. The Chinese state media is already trying to quash these American companies for daring to take a stand. Famous Chinese athletes and celebrities are calling on Chinese citizens to boycott these American brands. Wang Yibo and Eason Chan have already announced a boycott on all American companies that do not buy Chinese cotton. Chinas popular e-commerce platform, Alibaba has already blacklisted H&M products, removing the popular American brand from online Chinese stores.

Meanwhile, the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities continue to suffer in Chinese concentrations camps where they are sexually abused, physically tortured, indoctrinated, stripped of their beliefs, and forced into sterilization, abortion, and organ harvesting. (Related: Pompeo says Chinas treatment of Muslims and ethnic minorities is genocide.)

China has enslaved over half a million people, coercing them to pick cotton

A third of Xinjiangs cotton production is controlled by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a paramilitary group that oversees slave labor to maximize cotton production in the region. Due to rising concerns of slavery and genocide, the US has placed import restrictions and imposed sanctions on all suppliers associated with the XPCC.

According to a report by independent researcher Adrian Zenz, XPCC and a growing network of Chinese authorities have been using labour transfer programs to ship in and rotate hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other minority workers to pick the cotton. According to the investigation, all cotton produced in Xinjiang is now produced using slave labor. Zenz has analyzed government intel and state media communications to document a coercive trail of human rights abuses. The international criminal court refuses to take up jurisdiction in Xinjiang, even as evidence of human rights abuses and genocide mount.

Chinese authorities use the labour transfer scheme to supposedly lift people out of poverty. However, there is growing evidence the program is shipping in Uighur and other Muslim minorities from detainment camps. In Tibet, authorities used the labour transfer program to move hundreds of thousands of prisoners into military-style work training facilities.

The southern region of Xinjiang does not use mechanical harvesting procedures. The area relies on manual labor. These laborers are not coming voluntarily. In fact, a large proportion of them are ethnic minorities who have no choice but to participate. The prefectures of Aksu, Hotan, and Kashgar have used up at least 570,000 individuals  mostly ethnic minorities who come from the detainment camps. These workers are transferred far from their home and forced to live on the job site in factory buildings. The workers are subject to job training, ideological brainwashing and a set of behavioral controls that they must abide by. The Chinese authorities force these workers to abandon illegal religious activities and abide by the communist state. These details are included in state media reports that praise the Chinese governments compassionate programs that lift the Uighurs out of poverty.

These cotton-picking programs are advertised as helping the minorities in gradually overcoming the disadvantages of the lack of land, deep-rooted thoughts of being lazy, insufficient inner motivation, and low awareness of going out to work. One report praised the program for getting rid of the old-fashioned, blocked, and lazy thoughts of peasants and herdsmen.

Read Genocide.News for more on this tragedy.

Sources include:

TheGuardian.com

ThePostMillenial.com

Genocide.News

WSJ.com
A Maryland state bill that would ensure public libraries the right to license and lend e-books that are available to consumers is headed to Governor Larry Hogan's desk.

After passing the Maryland General Assembly unanimously on March 10, the bill sailed through the final steps of reconciliation this week, and is now ready to be signed into law. Hogan is known in Maryland to be a strong supporter of libraries, and library advocates say they are hopeful he will sign the bill.

The bill appears to have taken on just two substantive changes during reconciliation: one expanding the bill's initial language to cover "electronic literary products" rather than just e-books (presumably to sweep in digital audiobooks) and another change that pushed the law's effective date to January, 2022, from July of this year (presumably to give publishers not yet working with libraries more time to work out their terms).

First introduced in January, the bill (HB518 in the House of Delegates and SB432 in the Senate) specifically requires that a publisher who offers to license an electronic literary product to the public to also offer to license the product to public libraries in the State on reasonable terms that would enable public libraries to provide library users with access to the electronic literary product.

The bill's swift passage comes despite opposition from the Association of American Publishers, which issued testimony last week arguing that the law runs afoul of federal copyright law and may be unconstitutional.

Two more states (New York and Rhode Island) introduced similar legislation last year but it is unclear when or if those measures will be reintroduced.
The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has officially lifted ban on all school activities including sport and other co-curricular activities.

"The MBSSE is pleased to announce that following the lifting of the curfew and relaxation of other related emergency measures, the ban on School celebrations is hereby partly suspended with immediate effect," the notice reads.

In a press statement issued yesterday, the ministry advised all school heads and stakeholders to inform the Deputy Director of Education for their programs and activities.

The statement notes that during any such celebration, all Covid 19 protocols and public regulation, including the use of face mask should be strictly adhered to by all.

"This ban on schools' activities was instituted following the approval by Parliament of a State of Emergency on the 24th March 2020, as a measure to fight against the Covid 19 Pandemic; hence, several non-pharmacological interventions were rolled out by the National Corona Virus Response Center (NaCOVERC)," the release notes.

Following the approval of the State of Emergency by parliament, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School (MBSSE) on its part closed schools and subsequently imposed a ban on all co-curricular activities including sport and school celebrations in October 2020.

The notice further states that the MBSSE will continue to work with NaCOVERC regarding the status of other restrictions especially sporting activities and promised to communicate with the stakeholders appropriately.

"The MBSSE is also aware of numerous deliberate misinformation about education activities on social media and wishes to encourage members of the public to always contact any of our District Education Office or Headquarters to seek clarification on any matter of doubt."
A Russian court has fined Twitter nearly $117,000 for failing to delete what officials describe as banned content amid growing Kremlin pressure on U.S. social-media companies.

The April 2 decision against Twitter is the first in a series of rulings expected in the coming days against U.S. social-media companies in Russia. Cases are currently ongoing against Facebook and YouTube.

The cases all pertain to content published on their platforms in January that called on Russians to protest the arrest of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny.

Russias communications regulator Roskomnadzor described the postings as "inciting teenagers" to take part in "illegal activities" or "unauthorized mass events."

Navalny was detained by Russian police in mid-January upon his return from Germany on charges of violating his parole.

Navalny had been recuperating in Berlin after being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent during a trip to Siberia in August to investigate local corruption. Navalny has accused officers of Russias Federal Security Service, or FSB, of trying to assassinate him with the nerve agent.

Tens of thousands of Russians around the country heeded the calls to protest on January 23 and January 31, making them among the largest anti-government demonstrations in years.

Russia later sentenced Navalny to jail for more than two years in a case he says is aimed at punishing him for surviving the poisoning.

The fines against U.S. social-media companies are part of a larger Kremlin strategy to weaken their influence in Russia, analysts say.

The strategy also includes slowing traffic speed and developing domestic equivalents to YouTube.

The Kremlin controls major media assets, including television, but social-media platforms, which are growing as a source of information for Russians, remain outside its control.

Navalny and his supporters have deftly used YouTube and Twitter to spread his anti-government message to millions of citizens.

Russia last month slowed the speed of Twitter and threatened to ban the social-media service outright.

Twitter at the time said it was "deeply concerned by increased attempts to block and throttle online public conversation."

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Some US$1.77bn shares have been sold to new and existing shareholders, and, documents have been filed for a placeholder US$100mln NYSE float.

Already an inventor, entrepreneur, rocketeer and worth an estimated US$173bn  hand-to-hand hand combat was perhaps the glaring omission on Elon Musks Avengers application form, that was until his entry into cage fighting.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss was on Wednesday named as a director nominee of UFC owner Endeavor Group Holdings, pending a purchase of shares by the rocketman.

Media outlets have been quick to speculate that Musks involvement precedes a fresh attempt to take Endeavor public following a failed float in 2019.

Endeavour also owns the WME mega talent agency which counts Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), Oprah Winfrey, Lebron James, Serena Williams, Adele, and Ricky Gervais among its litany of star clients.

The talent agency is backed by Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel who in 2016 led a US$4bn takeover of the mixed martial arts company, along with a consortium of investors that included Hollywood and music A-listers such as Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Bay, LL Cool J, Calvin Harris, Adam Levine, and Anthony Kiedis.

That saw Las Vegas casino operators and brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta cash out of the UFC, which they bought for just US$2mln back in 2000.

Adding Elon Musk, and the army of millennial investors that follow is every move  including buying up cryptos, NFTs, and EV shares  is expected to resuscitate the UFCs stock market ambitions.

In 2019, the planned US400mln share sale to public investors was choked out only a day before it was due amidst weak demand.

Musks anticipated investment may, meanwhile, further support for the company.

Reuters, in a report, noted a regulatory filing by Endeavour which disclosed that it had agreed to take full ownership of the UFC and that its long-term debt stands at some US$5.9bn.

A share sale to several existing and new shareholders would raise US$1.77bn, according to Reuters, meanwhile, documents for a placeholder US$100mln IPO had also been filed.

The Reuters report also noted that Wall Street banks , , J.P. Morgan and would act as underwriters for the offering.

If it proceeds its intended that the shares would trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EDR.
WARE  Legislators urged state regulators during a hearing on Thursday to closely scrutinize data submitted by Baystate Health to justify closing its Mary Lane Outpatient Center.

The state Department of Public Health, which convened the essential services hearing, said it would render a decision on the proposed closing in 15 days. The agency says on its website, however, that it cannot legally require a hospital to remain open, though it does work to ensure community impacts from the closing are minimized.

A New Braintree man in his 30s would have bled to death had he not been rushed to the Mary Lane emergency department, his mother said during the hearing while choking back tears.

I had a son, Dec. 8, 2020, found at bottom of stairs in hypovolemic shock, said Natalie Imbier. She said the Mary Lane emergency department stabilized him prior to him being taken by helicopter to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he was treated for two months.

If Mary Lane wasnt there, he wouldnt have made it, she said. He is now home recovering.

Now with 80 employees, Mary Lane employed 400 prior to its acute care unit closing five years ago, as approved by the Department of Public Health. Baystate Health now plans to end emergency department services in June and phase out the rest of its functions over two years.

We need to consolidate, Molly Gray, president and chief administrative officer for Baystate Healths eastern region, said at the hearing.

She said $10 million to $14 million in planned investments at Baystate Wing Hospital in neighboring Palmer are a sign of the organizations commitment to the region, despite plans to close the Ware facility.

Wing is nine miles away (and) has more than enough capacity, she said.

Capitalizing on economies of scale allows Baystate to maintain comprehensive and robust service in the eastern region, Gray said.

State Sen. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer, and state Reps. Donald Berthiaume, R-Spencer, and Todd Smola, R-Warren, all told regulators they were blind-sided by Baystates decision to close Mary Lane, and said information from Baystate has been lacking or nonexistent. They implored the Department of Public Health to examine the data presented by the health provider, saying they wanted to know who collected it as well.

Smola said there has not been a serious effort to maintain Mary Lane as a functioning health care facility. Gobi said it is unconscionable that Baystate would close the emergency room during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ware fire chief Chris Gagnon said closing the emergency department in June will not allow adequate time to transition. Town Manager Stuart Beckley asked the state to delay closing the emergency department for at least a year.

Ware resident Cathy Cascio said, Baystate has shown they dont want to be here. She said time would be better spent trying to find a health care organization that wants to be in Ware, and asked the state to assist in that effort.

Related content:
https://flv1.gmw.cn/soby/sobey/20210402/1617335190373_High.mp4

1. Central authorities hold 66 symposiums to solicit opinion from HK society

China central authorities held 66 symposiums this March in Hong Kong inviting more than 1,000 representatives from political, commercial, financial, professional and labor sectors, as well as the HKSAR government and social organizations, to solicit opinions from Hong Kong society about implementing the NPC's decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR.

2. Hong Kong residents' voice widely heard

The electoral system should conform to the policy of "one country, two systems", meet the realities in the HKSAR and serve to ensure that Hong Kong is administered by people who love the country and love Hong Kong. An Election Committee which is broadly representative, suited to the HKSAR's realities, and representative of the overall interests of its society will be established in the HKSAR.

3. Over 2.38 mln signatures collected in Hong Kong for improving electoral system

More than 2.38 million signatures were collected in Hong Kong in support of improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) during an 11-day campaign in March, demonstrating genuine support from the general public in the HKSAR for the central authorities to right the wrongs in Hong Kong.

[ Editor: WXY]
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BOULDER, Colo.  A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2018 by a coalition of environmental advocacy groups challenging a permit for the expansion of Gross Reservoir in western Boulder County.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Denver claims the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to fully consider the environmental impacts before authorizing the project, The Daily Camera reported. The corps issued a permit in 2017, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also approved of the project in 2020.

The Gross Reservoir Expansion Project, which is being pursued by Denver Water, would be the largest construction project in the history of Boulder County if it gets final approval.

The federal judge this week determined the court doesnt have jurisdiction in the case because the Federal Power Act gives a federal court of appeals exclusive jurisdiction over challenges to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensing decision.

Gary Wockner, director of Save the Colorado and the lead plaintiff in the suit, and Beverly Kurtz, a resident of the area and president of The Environmental Group, said they will meet with their lawyers to decide whether to appeal.

Denver Water spokesman Todd Hartman called the courts decision to dismiss the lawsuit an important step.

The utility still needs Boulder County to review and rule on the proposal, which would raise the existing 340-foot (104-meter) Gross Dam by an additional 131 feet (40 meters), increasing reservoir capacity by 77,000 acre-feet.

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Veteran newsreader Alastair Stewart has joined new channel GB News - over a year after he was forced out of ITV for quoting Shakespeare at a black Twitter user.

The television star had previously presented the news for some 45 years before the row exploded at the start of 2020.

Stewart, 68, was hauled over the coals by bosses after viewer Martin Shapland, 34, complained about his tweet quoting a Shakespeare passage that contained the phrase 'angry ape'.

At the time Andrew Neil, who is now chairman of GB News, publicly backed him and said 'ITN suits had forced him out'. Any racial element was always denied.

Stewart appeared to make a veiled reference to the trouble in the statement welcoming him to the new channel.

He said: 'GB News is a unique opportunity to broaden the spectrum, challenge the groupthink and move away a predictable agenda in news and debate.

Alastair Stewart, 68, offered to make a private apology but was told it would not be enough

However his accuser Martin Shapland, 34, a lobbyist from east London, has tweeted that a private apology would have been 'more than sufficient'

The message that sparked the end of Mr Stewart's ITV and ITN career was retweeted by many

'I can't wait to get stuck in and tackle issues that really matter to people across the United Kingdom.'

Stewart had been the longest-serving male newsreader after joining Southern Television in 1976 then ITN in 1980.

He married Sally Ann Jung in 1978 and they have four children together, Freddie Stewart, Clemmie Stewart, Oscar Stewart and Alexander Stewart.

But the multiple-award winning presenter and journalist became embroiled in a debate on Twitter with Mr Shapland in January last year.

The duo appeared to be discussing the relationship between the Crown and taxpayer funds.

Mr Stewart said: 'This is you (sic) last chance.

'As a student of history you should know the basis of the financial relationship between the Crown and the tax-payer.

A picture of the journalist was tweeted out by the channel, which showed him looking well

'It was sealed with the Civil List which was subsequently replaced by the Sovereign Grant & finessed by the John Major tax deal'.

Mr Stewart then quoted a speech from Shakespeare play Measure for Measure, which includes the words 'angry ape' to an account that is not Mr Shapland's.

Mr Shapland shared the tweet, adding: 'Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape with the cover of Shakespeare. Measure for Measure, Alistair is a disgrace.'

In later tweets he described Mr Stewart's behaviour as 'ignorant bullying' and suggests he should receive some 'lessons in etiquette'.

Mr Stewart used the quote in reference to a different person who was not black just months earlier.

He was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to broadcasting - is one of the more popular broadcaster's in the country and their has been an outpouring of support for him on social media.

At the time of the tweet Mr Stewart said: 'It was a misjudgement which I regret, but it's been a privilege to bring the news to households throughout the UK for the past 40 years.'

There was also backlash among viewers and fellow broadcasters who accused ITN bosses of 'forcing out' the long-standing newsreader.

More than 16,000 people signed a petition demanding Mr Stewart got his job of more than 40 years back and that his accuser made a public apology.

The Change.org petition describes the race row as 'ridiculous' and comes after veteran BBC broadcaster Andrew Neil declared that 'the only explanation can be the ITN suits wanted him out - and seized their chance.'

Mr Neil, 71, said his ITN peer is 'the only person to be fired for quoting Shakespeare accurately' after Mr Stewart posted a tweet that his bosses claim was a 'breach of social media policy and editorial guidelines'.
Tigray refugees who fled a conflict in the Ethiopia's Tigray region wait to receive treatment at a clinic run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) near the Lugdi border crossing, eastern Sudan, on Dec. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Canada Joins G7 in Condemning Ethiopia Violence, Calling for Humanitarian Aid

OTTAWACanada and other G7 nations are denouncing what they describe as human rights violations and calling for immediate access for humanitarian aid groups in Ethiopias conflictridden Tigray region.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau and his counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States say in a joint statement they are extremely concerned people are starving as conditions in Ethiopias northernmost region worsen.

They denounce reports of mass civilian killings, sexual and genderbased violence, and the forced displacement of thousands of local residents and Eritrean refugees living there.

They say it is essential that there is an independent, transparent and impartial investigation into the crimes reported, including holding those responsible for human rights abuses to account.

Ethiopia declared war on the region in November in battle between Prime Minister Ahmed Abiys national ruling party and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, which had ruled the semiautonomous region.

The conflict escalated quickly with accusations of war crimes, massacres, and rape, many of which have been difficult to confirm because of restricted access to the region by aid workers and journalists.

We condemn the killing of civilians, sexual and gender based violence, indiscriminate shelling and the forced displacement of residents of Tigray and Eritrean refugees, the G7 foreign ministers said in the joint statement.

All parties must exercise utmost restraint, ensure the protection of civilians and respect human rights and international law. 
OPEC+ producers agree to gradually add more than two million barrels a day in coming months as downturns of Covid-19 cases are projected worldwide in coming months.

OPEC and a coalition of other global oil producers decided to raise their combined capacity by more than two million barrels a day during the next six months, banking on resurgent demand while they and the rest of the world determine the economic implications of the pandemic's course.

An extra 350,000 barrels a day will be introduced to production starting in May, with another 350,000 entering the market in June. The supply would be boosted by 450,000 barrels per day in July.

The OPEC+ alliance is currently reducing output by slightly more than 7 million barrels per day in an effort to support costs and minimize oversupply. Saudi Arabia, OPEC's de facto leader, has voluntarily contributed 1 million barrels a day to those cuts.

The deal reflects a consensus following earlier this week's intense differences among a community of producers who have operated in relative peace for months, resolving to significantly curb supply in order to balance oil markets. Early this year, the coronavirus pandemic sapped global appetite, causing stocks to plummet and straining the budgets of major producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The agreement reached Thursday by the two parties, known together as OPEC+, was a compromise between Saudi Arabia, OPEC's de facto chief, and Russia. Saudi Arabia had tried to retain cuts because it was wary of a fast recovery in oil demand after the pandemic. Meanwhile, Russia has claimed that the planet still requires more oil to fuel resurgent economies in several areas.

The decision is just another fast swerve in OPEC's zigzag oil policy over the last year, reflecting the difficulties of forecasters in the groupand elsewherein forecasting the beginning of a sustainable global rebound from the pandemic.

According to delegates, Saudi Arabia initially supported efforts to maintain current output levels prior to the meeting between the two parties. One of them described the decision to increase production as a "full U-turn." Throughout the pandemic, the party seems to have shifted dramatically from hope to pessimism about the outlook for post-pandemic economic recoveryand a strong turnaround in oil demand. Saudi Arabia has pushed for restraint.

In March, the group shocked oil markets by expanding much of the current cuts through April, including Saudi Arabia's earlier decision to slash its own production by 1 million barrels per day.

"The agreement is supportive of oil prices, yet should also help avoid a sharp spike upward as oil demand picks up," Wood Mackenzie analyst Ann-Louise Hittle wrote in a statement, adding that US oil demand could rebound strongly in Q3.

Despite the move to expand supply, oil prices were trading higher, indicating that traders believe there would be more than enough room for the additional oil. Crude oil traded 3.6 percent higher at $61.28 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude added 3.1 percent to $64.66 per barrel.

Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman, who has encouraged caution in the face of an unpredictable recovery, said that the cautiousness is always there in the group's response. He had cautioned ahead of the meeting that until the proof of regeneration is undeniable, we should preserve this prudent approach... the waves are still tall and the seas remain rough. One cause is a recent surge of diseases in Europe, which is weighing on the economy in the face of a sluggish vaccine implementation.

He found out that the cuts did not go into force until May, which implied that the Saudi voluntary reduction would still remain in effect for another month. He also stated that the arrangement allows the company to tweak or adjust output if required in the coming months.

Higher crude oil rates inevitably show in the price of fuel for US vehicles, since the expense of oil accounts for half of the price at the pump. Another aspect that might quickly force up costs is increasing fuel demand, which is nearing pre-pandemic peaks. The national average of $2.86 announced by motoring club federation AAA this week is 15 cents higher than a month ago and 84 cents higher year on year.
Tracing COVID-19's origins: politics should not outweigh science

17:14, April 02, 2021 By Wu Chaolan ( People's Daily Online

Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO released a report on Tuesday following a joint study with China on the global tracing of COVID-19 origins. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia)

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report Tuesday on the global tracing of COVID-19 origins, dismissing the "lab leak" conspiracy theory, which had been deliberately promoted by Western media and politicians. Will Western media and politicians ever stop slandering China on the origins of the novel coronavirus?

For Western media and politicians, tracing the origins of COVID-19 has always been a political issue, not a scientific one. To divert the mounting pressure over coronavirus mishandling within their own nation, U.S. politicians deliberately called coronavirus "Chinese virus" or "Wuhan virus". They publicly endorsed the malicious hypothesis that claimed the virus had been leaked from a Wuhan lab, without any evidence to back it up.

Being accustomed to politicizing the pandemic for their interests, how will Western media and politicians acknowledge and respect the result of the scientific research and clear China's name?

Cherry picking to shape the narrative

The official report, which didn't tally with Western "concerns", ruled out the lab-leak hypothesis and suggested the "possibility of missed circulation in other countries." This report did not satisfy Western media's and politicians' need to demonize China's role in the pandemic. However, as a veteran of manipulating narratives, the West is always capable of distorting reports.

Western media uniformly ignored the scientific conclusion and barely mentioned the details of the report. Instead, they made a fuss over a few sentences, pulling them out of context to mislead their audience. Not surprisingly, Western media played up the WHO's calls for further investigation, implying that China had manipulated the result.

Such reports are just the result of cherry-picking that covered up the crucial message - that experts suggested conducting further research worldwide. At the same time, the Western media deliberately deleted the word "worldwide" from their articles, arbitrarily limiting the additional research scale to China alone.

According to the report, the possibility of a "lab leak" was considered to be extremely unlikely. To increase their knowledge of the matter, "regular administrative and internal reviews of high-level biosafety laboratories were carried out worldwide." However, this sentence was then used as evidence of the possibility of a "lab-leak" as all reports twisted it to mean more research is needed in Chinese labs.

"The expert team offered a long list of recommendations for additional researchBut it is unclear whether China, which repeatedly hindered the W.H.O inquiry, will cooperate," said an article in New York Times, without mentioning that the recommendations should be carried out on a global level. It is easy to use such a bewildering sentence to hook the audience to their already-set narratives, implying that the joint research is not extensive enough, and China refused to cooperate to carry out more research.

In the report, WHO experts did mention that further research is needed, but across the globe. They called for "conducting further retrospective and systematic research around earlier cases and possible hosts for SARS-CoV-2 around the world." Contradictory to the Western media's narrative, China was the first country to cooperate with the WHO and conduct a joint study on the origins of COVID-19.

Medical workers get together in a huddle before conducting COVID-19 tests at a community in Yuhua District of Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao)

Smearing report's transparency

Ever since China and WHO started their origin tracing mission, Western media and politicians have never stopped firing torrents of unfair criticism to undermine the credibility of the report. Most of these untenable accusations are centered around the issue of transparency, slandering China for not handing over crucial data.

On February 12, the New York Times published an article titled "On W.H.O. Trip, China refused to hand over Important Data," which cites some experts in interviews as implying that China hindered the research. The lie was ruthlessly smashed by the interviewed experts, who criticized the article for twisting their conversations.

"This was NOT my experience on @WHO mission. As lead of animal/environment working group, I found trust &openness w/ my China counterparts. We DID get access to critical new data throughout. We DID increase our understanding of likely spillover pathways," wrote Peter Daszak, one of the interviewed experts on Twitter. Another interviewed expert, Thea K Fischer, also forwarded Peter's tweet to express her discontent over the article.

Peter said the Western media had "selectively misquoted to fit the narrative prescribed before the work began". But it is not just media that use such tactics. Western politicians do too.

On March 30, the US conspired with other Western countries to issue a joint statement expressing "concerns" about the report, repeating the claim that critical data could not be accessed. The statement blatantly ignored the facts and scientific arguments, and only exposed Western countries' eagerness to defame the report, after it failed to reach the conclusion they were looking for.

Facts will brush aside the West's false allegations over transparency, according to Liang Wannian, a team leader of the Chinese side of the WHO-China joint expert team on March 31, WHO experts were granted the same data access as their Chinese counterparts in generating this report. Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist in the research team that came to China, told NPR that she believed her access was sufficient.

"We've seen a lot of information. We've been given a lot of information. We've had access to the people working on the data, aggregating the data, looking at what exact questionnaires that they used, what does the data file look like. To me, that is quite extensive data access," she said.

Based on Western logic, any argument, even a scientific one, that doesn't fit preset narratives is manipulated by China. It is pathetic for the West to put politics over science in a way that exploits every possible approach, even one that abandons their scientific principles, to politicize the pandemic. The study of origins is a global mission that should be conducted in multiple countries and localities. It should never be used as a political tool.

If the West really cared about the origins of the virus as it claims, then it should cooperate closely with WHO experts in a scientific, open, transparent, and responsible manner as China has done, not immerse itself in the blame game.

Highlights from WHO-China joint report on coronavirus origins: A lab leak was "extremely unlikely"; Huanan seafood market was NOT the original source of the outbreak; It's important to investigate "potential early events" of COVID-19 cases in different countries. Graphic: Feng Qingyin/GT

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
Historically, there have been very few hate crimes directed against Asiansjust 4.4 percent of hate crimes based on race or ethnicity in the FBIs most recent report. Lately, though, there has been an uptick, reflected in several highly-publicized and vicious attacks.

Democratic Party news sources have absurdly tried to blame anti-Asian crimes on President Trump. NBC News, for example:

Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and director of demographic data and policy research nonprofit AAPI Data, told NBC Asian America that while the uptick cannot be entirely attributed to the Trump administrations incendiary, racist rhetoric about the coronavirus

Reported as a fact.

he believes former President Donald Trumps wielding of the fact that the virus originated in China and repeated elevation of the China virus rhetoric did play a part in fostering hate.

What is the over/under on when the press stops blaming every damn thing that goes wrong on Trump? The coronavirus did, in fact, originate in China, likely in a Chinese laboratory. Regardless, that makes it a Chinese virus by normal standards of nomenclature. If we are looking for a scapegoat, a better candidate is Harvard University, which takes the position that Asian-Americansnot the Chinese Communist Partyare inferior to all others in personal qualities like leadership.

But how about those high-profile and in some cases horrifying instances of wanton violence against Asian-Americans? Bari Weiss, whose career has taken a sharp upswing since leaving the moribund New York Times, has a must-read piece at Substack, which is, unlike the Times, a free speech platform. I will excerpt, but you should read the whole thing:

Please watch this 25-second video. It took place yesterday in the middle of the day in midtown Manhattan:

NYPD says 65-year-old Asian American woman was walking to church this morning when suspect assaulted her and said f*** you, you dont belong here. Happened in front of 360 W. 43rd St. 11:40am. Sources say building security guard not only failed to render her aid 1/2 pic.twitter.com/ZLtQEHHJci  CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) March 30, 2021



Here, as in most or all of the vicious attacks on Asians that we have seen in recent weeks, the criminal was African-American. Weiss writes eloquently about the fact that security guards stood by and did nothing, except to close their door as the victim struggled to get up. Next:

What is so enraging and heartbreaking of late is that each day there seems to be a new attack and a new video. Here is another, reportedly from a few hours earlier on Monday, which took place on Manhattan-bound J-train in Bushwick. According to this tweet and video, which has nearly four million views, a young-looking Asian man is beaten and reportedly choked unconscious:

 WARNING: VIOLENCE/BLOOD 

A person violently beats up and punches an Asian male in the head repeatedly in a Manhattan Bound (J) train at Kosciuszko Street Station, chokes him afterwards until he is unconscious. Be on the lookout for this person! pic.twitter.com/FCrqiPcxFc  Asian Dawn (@AsianDawn4) March 29, 2021

Maybe you saw pictures from another subway attack earlier this month, in which a Sri Lankan immigrant named Narayange Bodhi was viciously beaten on the 1 train in Tribeca in the middle of a Friday afternoon. You motherfing Asian, the attacker yelled, according to witness George Okrepkie. Or perhaps you read the story, the very next day, of a man urinating on an Asian woman in her 20s on a Queens-bound F train.

***

Asian-Americans are being attacked and the media and the political class are contorting themselves to find a way to blame white supremacy or the legacy of Trumpism. Why? Because when the perpetrator is a neo-Nazi it is a moral gimme. When the person carrying out the hate crime comes from a group thats also a target of hate crimes condemnation becomes much more difficult.

Actually, it isnt more difficult for me. I take my perpetrators as I find them. But Weiss correctly diagnoses not just a sickness in our society, but a sickness in our media culture, which doggedly blinds its eyes to reality.
Sarah Hogle. Putnam, $16 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-0-593-08553-0

Hogles excellent sophomore novel (after You Deserve Each Other) is an endearing take on the enemies-to-lovers trope. For Maybell Parrish, inheriting a house from the beloved great-aunt she hasnt seen in 20 years is the perfect excuse to leave her crowded apartment and toxic workplace behind. But when she arrives, shes shocked to learn that she must share the Falling Stars estate with Wesley Koehler, her aunts groundskeeper who also happens to be the man she thought she was in a long-distance relationship with before discovering that her co-worker was catfishing her. Both refusing to be bought out, they must work together to rehabilitate Falling Stars to its former glory. But grumpy, stubborn Wesley is nothing like the man whos starred in Maybells wildest daydreams ever since she met him online. They immediately butt heads, disagreeing on every decisionbut while working and living in close proximity, Maybell begins to see beyond Wesleys gruff facade. Particularly moving are both characters struggles with mental health issues, as in the standout scene in which Wesley, who suffers from anxiety, helps Maybell through a panic attack. Readers are sure to be enchanted by this couple and their deeply felt struggle to open their hearts.
(Alliance News) - Ireland has added 26 more countries and territories deemed high risk to its mandatory hotel quarantine list.

As of 4am on Tuesday, anyone arriving in Ireland from the new list must quarantine for 12 nights at a designated hotel.

Israel, Albania, Palestine, Bahrain, Nigeria, the Philippines, Monaco, Oman and Qatar are among the new additions.

But no further European member state has been included. The US has not been included either.

Plans to include the US, France, Italy and Germany have been abandoned for now amid division among ministers.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the government was adding to the list after holding talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney.

The government's quarantining rules came into effect last Friday with 33 countries originally on the list.

The Republic of Mauritius has now been removed from the list.

Travellers are required to pre-book accommodation in a designated quarantine facility and to pre-pay for their stay.

The cost per adult traveller for a 12-night stay inclusive of all services is 1,875 euro.

The stay at the hotel could be reduced if a person receives a negative test for the virus taken on day 10 of quarantine.

The Tifco Hotel Group is the service provider for hotel quarantining in Ireland.

By Michelle Devane, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden won't be hosting a 'big Irish clan' for Easter even though he's having family join him at Camp David despite the CDC warnings about holiday gatherings.

Biden told community and faith leaders on a call this week that he and first lady Jill Biden were looking forward to Easter with the family because the Biden clan has been vaccinated.

'Jill and I, were looking forward to our Easter celebration, where we get to get together with our family. And because we've had the great honor of being vaccinated, we may be able to get together with some of them this Easter,' he said.

The Bidens departed for Camp David on Friday at lunchtime. Jill Biden carried a bouquet of pink and yellow flowers.

Psaki wouldn't give details on who will be at Camp David with the first couple, how many Biden family members have been vaccinated, and on whether the president is sending a conflicting message by hosting a family gathering when he has urged Americans to hold off on such events until at least July 4th.

'I don't have a specific number of family members,' she said in response to questions from DailyMail.com at her briefing on Friday.

'But I can assure you that the president strives to be a role model in every aspect of how he's living in this difficult time we're all going through. He obviously has a wife, he's been married to for some time, he has a couple of grandkids who he sees when he goes to Delaware,' she noted. 'But it's a limited group and certainly not the big Irish Biden clan that many of you have seen throughout the course of his time in public office.'

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden departed the White House Friday afternoon to spend the Easter holiday weekend at Camp David with family

Naomi Biden frequently joins her grandparents at the White House and Camp David. In February she posted a video on social media of President Biden playing Mario Kart at Camp David.

The Bidens will spend the holiday weekend at the presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains. On Monday, President Biden will give a speech on Easter traditions at the White House. The traditional White House Easter Egg Roll was canceled because of the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely gather for Easter this Sunday, indoors and without wearing masks.

The agency also said those those who aren't fully vaccinated should enjoy Easter celebrations with the people they live with, or outdoors while six feet apart, in order to protect against spreading the coronavirus.

The United States has seen a spike in coronavirus cases, including in variants like the kind found in the United Kingdom.

Health experts have warned the United States could be on the brink of a fourth surge of the virus. Past experience has shown cases tend to spike after holidays.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden won't be hosting a 'big Irish clan' for Easter even though he's having family join him at Camp David

The Bidens boarding Marine One for their trip to Camp David, Jill Biden carried flowers

Biden, meanwhile, pleaded with Americans to 'keep their guard' in the homestretch as the vaccinations continue.

He reminded the public of his goal for all Americans to have a more normal July 4th but cautioned mask wearing and social distancing must continue for that to happen.

'If the American people continue to do their part, wearing masks, a practice of distancing, we could have a more normal July 4,' he said on Friday before he left for his Easter holiday. 'Cases are going up again. The virus is spreading more rapidly in many places. That's are going up in some states, so I ask, I plead with you: Don't give back the progress. We've also fought so hard to achieve need to finish this job. We ask every American to buckle down and keep their guard up in this home stretch. Wear your mask,' he said.
Debra Maimone pulled down her American flag mask for a moment on Jan. 6 and gazed at the unruly mob of supporters of President Donald Trump overrunning the U.S. Capitol.

"Put your mask on," warned her fiance, as the couple stood beneath an unblinking array of surveillance cameras. "I don't want them to see you."

It was too late.

That scene, recorded in a cellphone video Maimone posted to the social media site Parler, helped FBI agents identify the Pittsburgh-area couple and pinpoint their location inside the Capitol, FBI agents said in a federal criminal complaint filed before Maimone's arrest last month.

Video cameras mounted throughout the complex also captured the pair from 10 different angles, the complaint says, as they allegedly stormed the halls of Congress, rummaged through a police bag and made off with protective equipment that Senate officials kept on hand in case of a chemical attack.

Their case is among the more than 1,000 pages of arrest records, FBI affidavits and search warrants reviewed by The Washington Post detailing one of the biggest criminal investigations in American history. More than 300 suspects have been charged in the melee that shook the nation's capital and left five people dead.

The federal documents provide a rare view of the ways investigators exploit the digital fingerprints nearly everyone leaves behind in an era of pervasive surveillance and constant online connection. They illustrate the power law enforcement now has to hunt down suspects by studying the contours of faces, the movements of vehicles and even conversations with friends and spouses.

But civil liberties groups warn that some of these technologies threaten Americans' privacy rights. More than a dozen U.S. cities have banned local police or government officials from using facial recognition technology, and license plate readers have sparked lawsuits arguing that it is unconstitutional to constantly log people's locations for government review, with scant public oversight.

"Whenever you see this technology used on someone you don't like, remember it's also being used on a social movement you support," said Evan Greer, director of the digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future. "Once in a while, this technology gets used on really bad people doing really bad stuff. But the rest of the time it's being used on all of us, in ways that are profoundly chilling for freedom of expression."

The cache of federal documents lays out a sprawling mix of FBI techniques: license plate readers that captured suspects' cars on the way to Washington; cell-tower location records that chronicled their movements through the Capitol complex; facial recognition searches that matched images to suspects' driver's licenses or social media profiles; and a remarkably deep catalogue of video from surveillance systems, live streams, news reports and cameras worn by the police who swarmed the Capitol that day.

Agents in nearly all of the FBI's 56 field offices have executed at least 900 search warrants in all 50 states and D.C., many of them for data held by the telecommunications and technology giants whose services underpin most people's digital lives. The responses supplied potentially incriminating details about the locations, online statements and identities of hundreds of suspects in an investigation the Justice Department called in a court motion last month "one of the largest in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of the evidence."

"If the event happened 20 years ago, it would have been 100 times harder to identify these people," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a D.C.-based think tank. "But today it's almost impossible not to leave your footprints somewhere."

The federal documents cite evidence gleaned from virtually every major social media service: Parler is mentioned in more than 20 cases, Twitter in more than 60 and Facebook in more than 125. On Snapchat, a woman posted videos "bragging about the attack," according to one criminal complaint. In another, a man was said to have posted video to TikTok of himself fighting with National Guard members and getting pepper-sprayed.

In at least 17 cases, the federal documents cite records from telecommunications giants AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile, typically after serving search warrants for a range of subscriber data, including cellphone locations.

Investigators also sent "geofence" search warrants to Google, asking for the account information of any smartphone Google had detected on Jan. 6 inside the Capitol via GPS satellites, Bluetooth beacons and WiFi access points. Investigators then compiled an "exclusion list" of phones owned by people who were authorized to be in the Capitol on Jan. 6, including members of Congress and first responders. Everyone else was fair game.

Federal officials filed similarly broad search warrants to Facebook, demanding the account information associated with every live stream that day from inside the vast complex.

One warrant targeting Brandon Miller, an Ohio man who wrote on Facebook that he had traveled to Washington to "witness history," yielded his Facebook posts, credit card information, phone number and home Zip code, giving FBI agents the clues necessary to later match his photo to Capitol surveillance camera footage and his Ohio driver's license.

When Miller was asked on Facebook the day after the riots whether he and his wife, Stephanie, had gotten into trouble, he had written back, "No not yet anyway lol," a criminal complaint shows.

But data from a Google search warrant allowed FBI agents to map the exact locations of their phones that day - from the point where rioters smashed into the Senate chamber, to the speaker's office in the heart of the Capitol, according to the complaint. Another search warrant to their cellular carrier, AT&T, added additional information about their whereabouts, plus their names and home address. Stephanie Miller's attorney declined to comment, and Brandon Miller's attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

License plate readers and facial recognition software together played a documented role in helping identify suspects in nearly a dozen cases, the federal records show. In many cases, agents used existing government contracts to access privately maintained databases that required no court approval. In several cases, including for facial recognition searches, it's unclear what software the government used to build the cases for arrests.

The FBI declined to comment for this story. The incidents described remain allegations, with none of the cited cases having been adjudicated yet. In most cases, suspects' attorneys have not yet filed defenses against charges that in many instances are only a few weeks old, court records show.

Many cases also hinge on imperfect technology and fallible digital evidence that could undermine prosecutors' claims. Blurry license plate reader images, imprecise location tracking systems, misunderstood social media posts and misidentified facial recognition matches all could muddy an investigation or falsely implicate an innocent person.

- - -

Many of the Trump supporters who marauded through the Capitol that day showed little interest in concealing their presence, posting selfies, gloating on Twitter and sharing video of chaotic violence and ransacked hallways. James Bonet, of Upstate New York, uploaded a Facebook video of himself inside the Capitol's halls, allegedly smoking a joint,a criminal complaint states. And Dona Bissey, an Indiana follower of the extremist ideology QAnon, posted a location-tagged photo of herself and her friends to a publicly available Facebook page: "Picking glass out of my purse," she wrote,according to a charging document. "Best f---ing day ever!!"

Others, however, attempted to hide their identities and throw off investigators afterward, according to FBI agents' claims. Suspects covered their faces, switched hats during the day and threatened family members and witnesses to keep quiet afterward, the criminal complaints allege. They deleted social media accounts, hid out in hotels or ditched potentially incriminating phones, according to the documents. One suspect stopped using a car he feared might be on authorities' radar, the federal documents show, while another said he "fried" his electronics in a microwave. The FBI's surveillance efforts found them anyway.

One man from New York's Hudson Valley, William Vogel, had his round-trip voyage to D.C. photographed by license plate readers at least nine times on Jan. 6, from the Henry Hudson Bridge in the Bronx at 6:06:08 that morning to Baltimore's Harbor Tunnel Thruway at 9:15:27 a.m. and back to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J., at 11:59:22 that night, a criminal complaint claims.

Vogel generated more evidence of his presence inside the Capitol with a set of videos he posted to Snapchat,the complaint said. And though no license plate scanners captured his car in D.C., they offered other clues to his movement: A photo that morning from a stretch of Interstate 95 northeast of Baltimore showed a comically oversized "Make America Great Again" hat on Vogel's dashboard. Agents said in the complaint that they later matched it to a Facebook selfie in which he appeared to be wearing "the same large red hat."

Installed on thousands of streetlights, speed cameras, toll booths, police cars and tow trucks across the United States, the scanners record every passing vehicle into databases run by contractors such as Vigilant Systems, which reports that it has recorded 5 billion license plate locations nationwide. In Maryland alone, government and police scanners captured more than 500 million plates last year, state data shows.

Dominick Madden, a New York City sanitation worker who was on sick leave when he allegedly stormed the Capitol, had his car's license plate scanned half a dozen times in his round-trip journey to Washington, a criminal complaint states. Madden was also allegedly caught on video walking through the Capitol's Senate wing in a blue QAnon sweatshirt. He has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

In many cases, the documents quote suspects expressing confidence that they had slipped beyond the FBI's grasp. When an unnamed Parler user warned Maimone - the Pittsburgh-area woman with the American flag mask - that authorities would be arresting anyone who entered the Capitol building illegally on Jan. 6, she dismissed the idea through her account, "TrumpIsYourPresident1776."

"Lmao yaaaaaaaaaa sure thing buddy!" she wrote in an exchange cited in the criminal complaint charging Maimone with theft, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. A D.C. judge signed a warrant for her arrest last month.

FBI agents got help identifying Maimone and her fiance, Philip Vogel (no known relation to William Vogel), by manually comparing his voice and hand tattoos to a Pittsburgh TV news report from last year, during which he talked of being rescued one night after his fishing boat hit a log and capsized, the federal complaint said.

Investigators also matched Vogel's gray beanie to a photo he and Maimone had posted to the Yelp profile of their contracting business, according to the complaint. And they matched his scarf to one he'd worn in a selfie posted to his Facebook account in which he celebrated catching a "monster" fish in the Potomac River one day after the riot.

Attorneys for Maimone and Vogel declined to comment. The couple have been released from custody after they each paid $10,000 in bond and agreed to "stay away from D.C.," court records show.

Other alleged insurrectionists ended up helping investigators even as they attempted to cover their tracks, FBI agents wrote in charging documents. One man entered the Capitol wearing a dark cowboy hat and a large respirator that covered all but his eyes and forehead. But he also took a selfie beneath a marble statue of the nation's seventh vice president, John C. Calhoun, a fixture of the large "crypt" room beneath the Capitol Rotunda. A tipster who received the photo forwarded it to the FBI, a criminal complaint said, along with a suggested name: Andrew Hatley.

Hatley denied participating in the attack, writing on Facebook: "It has come to my attention that there was someone who looks like me at the Capitol. I'd like to set the record straight. I don't have that kind of motivation for lost causes. I just don't care enough anymore, certainly not enough for all that."

But he allegedly left evidence to the contrary in the logs of a social media app, Life360, often used by family members to keep track of each other. When a tipster told FBI agents that Hatley had the app on his smartphone, they sent a search warrant to Life360 days after the attack. Investigators said in the complaint that they then plotted Hatley's travels on "an electronic map of Washington, D.C." based on the company's logs.

In the just-the-facts style of FBI documents, investigators allegedthe evidence erased any doubts: "The data confirms that HATLEY's cellular telephone was at the U.S. Capitol Building during the events described above on January 6, 2021." Hatley's attorney and Life360 declined to comment.

In another case, an FBI agent wrote in a criminal affidavit that a "self-professed white supremacist" from Maryland, Bryan Betancur, had asked his probation officer for permission to leave the state on Jan. 6 to hand out Bibles in D.C. with an evangelical group. But Betancur's court-ordered ankle monitor gave him away, the affidavit claimed, by posting his minute-by-minute location - from Trump's rally at the White House Ellipse to the Capitol's steps - to a website investigators could track in real time. He was arrested on Jan. 17, nine days after he told his probation officer he believed the FBI was watching him.

Attorneys for Bissey and William Vogel declined to comment. Attorneys for Betancur and Bonet did not respond to requests for comment.

- - -

The documents highlight just how much digital evidence an ordinary person sheds in everyday life: In one case, prosecutors said they gathered more than 12,000 pages of data from a suspect's phone using Cellebrite, a tool popular with law enforcement for its ability to penetrate locked phones and copy their contents. The search also recovered 2,600 pages of Facebook records and 800 cellphone photos and videos.

The FBI said it tracked down suspected rioters who had tried unsuccessfully to evade prosecution. In an affidavit supporting a search warrant application, an FBI agent said that a relative of Zachary Alam had told investigators he could be seen in video bashing some glass inside the Capitol with his helmet and that he was on the run with no intention of turning himself in. Agents got a D.C. judge to issue a "ping order" for his cellphone, which had been registered with T-Mobile under the name of Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, the affidavit said.That ping order allegedly pinpointed Alam's location to Room 17 of the Penn Amish Motel in rural Pennsylvania. FBI agents arrested him there the next day.

Apple also gave investigators details of Alam's iCloud account, including his home address, log-in information and the registration dates for his iPhone 7 and MacBook Air, the affidavit said. The tech giant was cited in several cases where agents seized suspects' iPhones, but no document reviewed by The Post showed Apple providing detailed location data, as had Google and Facebook.

Others moved to cover their tracks far too late. After days of tweeting death threats to lawmakers and sharing Capitol selfies, saying he had "just wanted to incriminate myself a little lol," Garret Miller (no known relation to Brandon Miller) had voiced a hint of caution by writing a Facebook post saying that "it might be time for me to . . . be hard to locate," a criminal complaint states.

That same day, agents obtained a search warrant for his cellphone's location data, which showed that his phone was inside his Dallas home. When agents arrested him there on Inauguration Day, Miller was wearing a shirt with Trump's face on it that read, "I Was There, Washington D.C., January 6, 2021," according to a filing by prosecutors last month opposing Miller's release. Miller's attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.

Another suspected rioter, Damon Beckley, told Louisville TV station WDRB that he deleted his Facebook account and removed his phone's SIM card in hopes of evading the FBI. But agents said in a search warrant application that they were still able to match his face in cellphone videos and Capitol photos to his Kentucky driver's license. (Federal investigators in Kentucky and other states are legally authorized to view state Department of Motor Vehicles records, no subpoena required.)

Investigators also filed a 33-page search warrant with Facebook demanding virtually everything Beckley had done on the site dating back to Nov. 1: all messages, draft messages, posts, comments, photos, videos, audio recordings, video calls, "pokes," "likes," "tags," searches, location check-ins, privacy settings, session times and durations, calendar items, event postings (past and future), friend requests (approved and rejected), address books, friend lists and relationship status updates, as well as all dates, times, IP addresses, location information and other metadata linked to each item, plus any information he'd shared with the company, including his passwords, security questions, home address, phone number and any linked credit cards or bank accounts.

Beckley's attorney declined to comment. In a Facebook post cited in the warrant, Beckley defended his presence inside the Capitol by writing that he had been "shoved in by Antifa."

- - -

In a Facebook video captioned "Peacefully storming the Capital," a man could be seen shouting, "In the Capitol baby, yeah!" as he joined a mob pushing past broken glass and into the building's threshold, according to a criminal complaint. The FBI's Operational Technology Division in Quantico, Va., ran that image through the bureau's facial recognition search tool, which matched it to the California driver's license photo of Mark Simon, whom agents called a "known activist" from Huntington Beach. He was arrested in California in January. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

Investigators went beyond official databases as well, the documents say. An amateur "sedition hunter" tweeted that the same man seemed to appear in two videos blasting a chemical spray at officers outside the Capitol and later talking about the clash while wearing camouflage pants and a "Guns Save Lives" sticker inside the lobby of an Arlington hotel, according to a criminal complaint.

Agents said they pulled the hotel's booking reservations, then compared driver's license photos to the alleged rioter on the video, whom they identified as a Texas man named Daniel Ray Caldwell. In a detention hearing after Caldwell's arrest, the FBI agent testified that he also "used facial recognition technology to determine whether a picture of Defendant's face matched with any video on the Internet," and that the unidentified "software independently found a match" between Caldwell's photo and the hotel video, according to a magistrate judge's order last month.

The FBI declined to comment on its facial recognition techniques. Caldwell's attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

Some cases hinged on facial recognition tips submitted to the FBI by outside agencies. After the FBI published "be on the lookout" bulletins with suspects' photos, officials at the Harford County state's attorney's office in Maryland ran one of the images, of a man inside the Capitol with his mask sunk beneath his chin, through an unnamed piece of facial recognition software, according to a criminal complaint. The tool returned the face of Robert Reeder, smiling for a Maryland driver's license photo in a gray hoodie like the one the suspect had worn on Jan. 6.

An FBI agent said in the complaint that Reeder cooperated several days later by handing over a mix of photos and videos from his phone showing himself and others surging through the Capitol. Reeder's attorney declined to comment.

Increasingly pervasive use of facial recognition by local police forces also helped fuel the FBI's nationwide manhunt. After the FBI began asking for help by circulating bulletins with suspects' images, 12 detectives and crime analysts with the Miami Police Department began running the photos through Clearview AI, a facial recognition tool built on billions of social media and public images from around the Web.

Officers signed a contract with the tool's creators last year, hoping for a potential breakthrough: Their other facial recognition search only looks through official photos, such as jail mug shots. But Clearview has faced lawsuits from advocacy groups arguing its technology violates privacy rights, and Google and Facebook have demanded the company stop copying their photos into its searchable database.

The Miami police team has run 129 facial recognition searches through Clearview and sent 13 possible matches to FBI agents for further investigation, said Armando R. Aguilar, assistant chief of the department's Criminal Investigations Division, adding, "We were happy to help however we could."

Clearview AI's chief executive, Hoan Ton-That, declined to provide specifics but said in a statement to The Post that "it is gratifying that Clearview AI has been used to identify the Capitol rioters who attacked our great symbol of democracy."

- - -

Unlike many of the Capitol insurrectionists, Philip Grillo had not immediately given himself away: He wore a mask, did not live-stream himself committing crimes, and stormed the Capitol shouting, "Fight for Trump" while holding a cellphone registered in his mother's name.

But that did not stop the FBI, as agents alleged in a criminal complaint: After two tipsters called the bureau, saying they recognized Grillo on TV, agents trawling through Capitol surveillance camera footage spotted him leaping through a broken window and taking a selfie inside the Rotunda, his mask around his neck.

They compared his face on the video to a photo from Grillo's application for a passport in 2017, the complaint shows, and they matched his embroidered Knights of Columbus jacket with one spotted in a YouTube clip of a violent brawl.

The agents said in the complaint that they also used a Verizon search warrant to determine that Grillo's phone had been inside the Capitol, and they scanned license plate reader data from D.C. to New York, where he had been a Republican Party official in Queens: His Chevrolet Traverse had been spotted leaving New York City the night before and recorded near the Capitol at 2 a.m. the morning of the riot.

Later, photographers spotted Grillo leaving a federal court building in Brooklyn, using a hoodie to cover his face. His attorney declined to comment.

The FBI also has been aided by the online army of self-proclaimed "sedition hunters," like the one who helped identify Caldwell. They scoured the Web for clues to track down rioters and often tweeted their findings publicly in what amounted to a crowdsourced investigation of the Capitol attack. The citizen sleuths organized their pursuits with hashtags: One man, Clayton Mullins, a Kentucky car dealer whose alleged assault of a police officer was captured on YouTube video, was given the viral hashtag "#slickback" for the way he wore his hair.

From that video, a tipster pointed the FBI to Mullins's Kentucky driver's license photo, which allowed FBI investigators to figure out where he had a bank account, according to a criminal complaint. In February, an agent talked to a bank employee, who not only told them Mullins had been there a day before but queued up surveillance video of him talking to a teller, wearing no mask and with his dark hair pushed back in that signature slick.

Mullins, whose attorney declined to comment, was released from federal custody last month on the condition that he not leave his home in western Kentucky, court filings show. His detention will be enforced by a location-tracking GPS monitor.

- - -

The Washington Post's Spencer Hsu, Matt Kiefer and Julie Tate contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 21:42:03|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has started winding down some COVID-19 isolation facilities following a continued reduction in cases, a senior government official said on Friday.

Minister of Health Jonas Chanda said the country has seen a marked reduction in daily cases with the number of cases requiring admission reducing.

He said the number of admissions has been under 100 in the last six days, with no admissions in three of the country's 10 provinces.

He however said in a COVID-19 update statement that the ministry has continued to take stock of the equipment and human resource the country has invested in to fight the pandemic for preparation for a possible third wave in the cold season which may require scaling up capacity.

The Zambian minister further said the ministry has developed a communication strategy to properly inform people before rolling out the vaccine.

"The Ministry of Health continues to make headway in preparation for the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination program, with our communication strategy playing a key role in ensuring that our people are well informed on the science and the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine," he said.

Meanwhile, the country recorded 181 new cases in the last 24 hours out of 4,814 tests done. This brings the cumulative cases to 88,730, and 127 patients were discharged during the same period bringing the total recoveries to 84,825, while three people died bringing the total deaths to 1,215. Enditem
Reporter

Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
ORLANDO, Fla., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning The Grove Resort & Water Park near Walt Disney World is happy to announce it has partnered with Portugal-based Ideal Homes International , Europe's largest privately owned real estate agency. The Grove, one of Florida's newest vacation home destinations, is attracting international buyers looking to own US real estate that can generate income. The Grove, with a waterpark, state-of-the-art amenities and proximity to theme parks, has become a favorite for buyers who want to use their condos for short-term rentals. This partnership will help bring the 106-acre resort to buyers in the UK and all Europe.

The Grove Resort & Water Park Dominic Pickering, Director of Sales at The Grove Resort & Water Park

On April 5th, Ideal Homes International will be at The Grove to facilitate Zoom viewings to allow potential buyers to inspect the luxury residences virtually. Each home comes fully furnished and equipped, including kitchen appliances, dinnerware, linens, towels, flat screen TVs and a washer/dryer. Each condo also comes with a balcony  ideal for soaking up Florida's famous year-round sunshine.

"We are thrilled to partner with such a successful organization that, despite the pandemic-related disruption to the travel industry, has continued to meet UK buyers' demand for overseas properties," said Dominic Pickering, Director of Sales at The Grove Resort & Water Park. "As the US economy recovers and the real estate market surpasses all expectations, European buyers have turned their attention to thriving US markets. In Orlando, properties positioned for short-term rentals are selling to investors from all over the world looking to protect and grow their capital."

The Grove offers a professionally managed turnkey hotel rental program designed to help buyers offset purchase costs.

Over the years, the Orlando real estate market has experienced a healthy growth and that has attracted buyers from Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Case in point, Orlando home values have gone up 7.7 percent over the past year, and Zillow predicts they will rise 7.1 percent in the next year.

Ideal Homes International has been busy throughout the pandemic. The firm has sold 150 properties already in 2021 across Spain and Portugal and expects to be equally busy selling the fully-furnished apartments at The Grove, where sale prices start in the low $200s.

"The pandemic has certainly pushed us to be more imaginative in the way that we connect with potential buyers, but it has done nothing to lessen the depth of the desire that many of those in the UK have to own property overseas, whether as second homes, rental properties or main residences," said Chris White, Chairman & Founder of Ideal Homes International.

Before the onset of the pandemic, Ideal Homes International was running 20 holiday home exhibitions per year. The company has shifted everything online, from virtual events to hosting its own digital TV show on YouTube .

International travel is now permissible from the UK for people who are buying, maintaining or selling second homes. Aer Lingus, an airline with flights to Ireland, Britain, Europe and the United States, recently began operating a route to Florida, making the state more accessible than ever.

The Grove's unique amenities include Surfari Water Park, offering multiple slides, a lazy river, and a FlowRider Double surf simulator. The Grove also has a 6,300-square-foot game room, three swimming pools, an onsite spa, fitness center, high-end restaurants, a large-scale grab-and-go market, lakefront pier for watersports, and three bars and lounges.

For more information, please visit www.idealhomesinternational.com , email [email protected] or call 0800 133 7644.

For media inquiries, please contact Top of Mind PR at [email protected] or call 305.726.5848.

SOURCE The Grove Resort & Water Park

Related Links

https://groveresidences.com/


Surveys of thousands of households show willingness to take a vaccine has increased in recent weeks, including in South Carolina. But the percentage of people saying they will "definitely not get a vaccine" in South Carolina remains almost unchanged.

The most recent week's survey, which the Census Bureau conducted between March 3 and March 15 in partnership with other federal agencies, included about 78,000 respondents nationwide and 1,100 in South Carolina.

Since January, the percentage of South Carolinians telling surveyors they don't plan to get vaccinated improved from 32 percent to 29 percent.

But those who said they are staunchly opposed to getting vaccinated remained about the same, at 14 percent in the most recent week.

Dr. Brannon Traxler, interim director for public health at the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, said she would stress to those who remain hesitant that vaccines are the state's path back to normalcy.

"I would emphasize to them that reaching herd immunity by vaccinating a significant portion of the community is the answer to slow the spread of COVID-19 and be able to safely return to activities and more normal life," she said. "We all want that."

Possible side effects were the top reason people cited for their hesitancy. Those side effects include nausea, fever, headaches, pain and chills. Severe allergic reactions have happened in a small number of cases. After millions of shots have been delivered, no death has been attributed to the COVID-19 vaccines.

Other common reasons for not wanting a shot were a lack of trust in the vaccines or in the government, and a desire to "wait and see if it is safe."

In a bright spot, the percentage of Black people in South Carolina responding to the census survey that they would not get a vaccine has declined dramatically, from 38 percent saying they would probably or definitely not get one in January to 23 percent in late March.

As of March 31, about a third of South Carolina residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to DHEC. Eighteen percent are fully vaccinated.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 683 confirmed, 409 probable.

Total cases in S.C.: 466,318 confirmed, 87,713 probable.

Percent positive: 3.9 percent.

New deaths reported: 7 confirmed, 3 probable.

Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email

Sign Up!

Total deaths in S.C.: 8,092 confirmed, 1,087 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled: 71 percent.

How does S.C. rank in vaccines administered per 100,000 people?

42nd as of April 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hardest-hit areas

In the total number of newly confirmed cases, Greenville County (123), York County (51) and Spartanburg County (49) saw the highest totals.

What about the tri-county?

Charleston County had 48 new cases on April 2, while Berkeley had 23 and Dorchester had 20.

Deaths

Two of the new confirmed deaths reported were people age 35 to 64, and five were patients age 65 and older.

Hospitalizations

Of the 470 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of April 2, 116 were in the ICU and 48 were using ventilators.

What do experts say?

The CDC issued new travel recommendations for fully vaccinated people on April 2. The federal health authority said people who have had both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can safely travel internationally.

The CDC still recommends travelers get tested for COVID-19 three to five days after the travel. The agency said "you do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States."
Highlights SpaceX does not have the permissions to offer satellite internet services in India.

BIF has directed TRAI and ISRO to block SpaceX Technologies from pre-selling the beta version of its Starlink satellite internet services in India.

Starlink was made available for pre-orders in India in late February for a fully refundable deposit of $99 which is roughly Rs 7200.

Elon-Musk backed space broadband company Starlink opened its services for pre-booking in India in late February. The company is now facing hurdles from India's regulatory bodies which have noted that the company has not complied with its guidelines. This could result in the closing of pre-bookings for Starlink broadband at least until it gets a green signal from the authorities. Starlink broadband was slated to roll out in India in 2022.

The Broadband India Forum (BIF) has reportedly asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to block Elon Musk-backed SpaceX Technologies from pre-selling the beta version of its Starlink satellite internet services in India.

TV Ramachandran, president of the industry body that represents Amazon, Facebook, Hughes, Google, and Microsoft has noted that SpaceX does not have the permissions to offer such services in India. He has directed bodies to intervene to protect fair competition and adherence to existing policy and regulatory norms, ET reported.

The report cited the forum which noted that Starlink does not have its ground or earth stations in India nor satellite frequency authorisation from ISRO and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) required to offer beta services in the country. It further noted that Starlink appeared to be non-compliant with existing guidelines, which indicates that commercial launch cannot be executed during the testing phase of communication services.

Starlink was made available for pre-orders in India for a fully refundable deposit of $99 which is roughly Rs 7200. However, the company noted that the service would be made available for users on a first come first serve basis. Internet connectivity is expected to be made available to Indian users in 2022 through satellites that SpaceX will launch in orbit. It is currently in the beta-testing phase. As of writing this article, pre-bookings for Starlink's broadband connection were active on its website. It is already available in the US, the UK, and Canada.



SpaceX notes that Starlink satellites are over 60 times closer to Earth than traditional satellites, resulting in lower latency and the ability to support services "typically not possible with traditional satellite internet," It has touted the convenience the lower latency will give in making video calls and for online gaming. Starlink is reportedly looking to eventually deliver high-speed internet of up to 1 Gbps downloading or uploading speed to its users. As of now, it gives up to 150 Mbps speeds which are reported to double up to 300 Mbps through testing. Coming to latency, the company notes that Starlink's latency will range from 20ms to 40ms in most locations.




Eyepix/NurPhoto/Shutterstock / Eyepix/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

When coronavirus vaccines first came available to the public on January 25, there was a mad scramble.

Weigh In: Should the COVID-19 Vaccine Be Required? Take Our Poll

Eligible people and their tech-adept relatives scrambled to find vaccines and make appointments. A new volunteer role  vaccine whisperer  emerged to help people line up shots within reasonable distance to their home.

Two months later, most vulnerable populations have been able to access the vaccine, and states are gradually opening appointments to people age 16 and over, regardless of underlying health conditions or occupation. Nebraska is now open to everyone over age 18 thanks to the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.

Your Opinion Matters: Proof of Vaccination Is a Major Debate  What Do You Think?

And, as vaccines become more widespread, more people will need to prove that they have them. Digital vaccine passports have the potential to become a multi-million dollar business. Employers have the right to require vaccinations, and service providers ranging from restaurants to airlines are looking into whether and how to ask for proof of vaccination. The Washington Post reports that the federal government and the European Union are looking into vaccine passport that people can use to prove their status.

Many vaccination sites are handing out cards from the Centers for Disease Control to record shots. Not all sites use these, and counterfeits abound. Dont throw your masks away yet.

More from GOBankingRates

Last updated: March 30, 2021

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Should the COVID-19 Vaccine Be Required? Take Our Poll
NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Technavio has been monitoring the kitchen sinks market and it is poised to grow by $ 615.84 mn during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of almost 4% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.



Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Kitchen Sinks Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

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Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries, however, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. COVID-19 will have a low impact on the kitchen sinks market.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the major trends in the market?

Growth in the use of dual sinks in the kitchen is a major trend driving the growth of the market.

At what rate is the market projected to grow?

The market will accelerate at a CAGR of almost 4% and the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be $ 615.84 mn.

Who are the top players in the market?

American Bath Group, Dornbracht AG & Co. KG, FRANKE Holding AG, Kohler Co., Kraus USA Inc., Moen Inc., Roca Sanitario SA, Ruvati, Teka Group, and VIGO Industries, are some of the major market participants.

What is the key market driver?

The expanding global restaurant industry is one of the major factors driving the market.

How big is the North America market?

The North America region will contribute to 33% of the market share.

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The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. American Bath Group, Dornbracht AG & Co. KG, FRANKE Holding AG, Kohler Co., Kraus USA Inc., Moen Inc., Roca Sanitario SA, Ruvati, Teka Group, and VIGO Industries. are some of the major market participants. The expanding global restaurant industry will offer immense growth opportunities. The adoption of the omnichannel sales strategy by restaurant players has increased their overall sales. The growth in sales is expected to increase the demand for these sinks, which, in turn, will drive the growth of the global kitchen sinks market size. However, high operational cost is likely to pose a challenge for the market vendors.

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In a bid to help players strengthen their market foothold, this kitchen sinks market forecast report provides a detailed analysis of the leading market vendors. The report also empowers industry honchos with information on the competitive landscape and insights into the different product offerings offered by various companies.

Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct & indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations.

Kitchen Sinks Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

Kitchen Sinks Market is segmented as below:

End-user

Geography

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR70324

Kitchen Sinks Market 2021-2025: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The kitchen sinks market report covers the following areas:

Kitchen Sinks Market Size

Kitchen Sinks Market Trends

Kitchen Sinks Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies growth in the use of dual sinks in the kitchen as one of the prime reasons driving the Kitchen sinks Market growth during the next few years. Also, an increase in the adoption of stainless-steel kitchen sinks and growth in the use of dual sinks in kitchens will lead to a sizable demand of the market. Get Free sample report in MINUTES

Kitchen Sinks Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist kitchen sinks market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the kitchen sinks market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the kitchen sinks market across North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of kitchen sinks market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by End-user

Market segments

Comparison by End-user

Residential - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Commercial - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by End-user

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

American Bath Group

Dornbracht AG & Co. KG

FRANKE Holding AG

Kohler Co.

Kraus USA Inc.

Moen Inc.

Roca Sanitario SA

Ruvati

Teka Group

VIGO Industries.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Technavio Research

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The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, on Thursday in Abuja presented cheques amounting to N125 million to four entrepreneurs and innovators who were adjudged winners of Jaiz Banks Covid-19 challenge competition.

The challenge is part of the banks Corporate Social Responsibility aimed at spurring ideas and innovation on how to curb the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Presenting the cheques to the winners, Mr Pantami urged them to prudently utilise the funds to grow their businesses and challenge themselves to more innovations and superior ideas.

He said: I congratulate all those that participated in the competition. This is not the end of it. You are just beginning. I urge you to be consistent, persevere and steadfast and I am sure that with consistency, we will get another Dangote from the winners of today.

I commend Jaiz Bank for making this sacrifice by providing this huge money to support the growth of the winners concepts. The Federal Government is proud of you. I hope these innovators would use the money judiciously.

In his remarks, the Managing Director/CEO of Jaiz Bank, Hassan Usman, urged the winners to judiciously utilise the funds and ensure that it translates into the fulfilment of their aspirations as social enterprises with optimum impact to the society.

He said the idea was part of the banks contribution to equip the nation and encourage innovation.

He said: We want to assure all that the social entrepreneurship innovation challenge shall be a continuous program by the Bank (In shaa Allah). Our arms are open to entrepreneurs that genuinely want to grow their ideas as long as they have something that can add value to the society.

The prize is a package of facility that would ensure we work with them based on our banking model of partnership.

Jaiz Banks open innovation challenge was aimed to spur scientists, engineers, developers, inventors and social entrepreneurs to ideate, experiment and build products/solutions to help address the Covid-19 crisis in the country.

At the end of the exercise, NDA Ventilators won N50M; ShapShap won N40M; Reeddi Technologies Nigeria Ltd won N20M; and Data.tac Nigeria LimitedN15M. The prizes were awarded in the form of equity, non-interest financing.
Ethnic minorities dont think theyll get a warm welcome visiting the countryside, the Governments environment watchdog chief said yesterday.

Marian Spain, chief executive of Natural England, urged country people to be more friendly to people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds following an update to the 70-year-old countryside code.

The visitors handbook, re-launched this week, encourages country folk and visitors to say hello and be nice to make non-white people feel more welcome.

Ethnic minorities dont think theyll get a warm welcome visiting the countryside, the Governments environment watchdog chief said yesterday

Mrs Spain told the Mail: It isnt just about hikers and ramblers any more. We were conscious the code needed to reflect different sorts of people.

A colleague of mine says that when she goes to the countryside there arent many people who look like her, and she always worries about what if she isnt welcome.

Other code updates include advice on sticking to footpaths to avoid destroying crops, keeping dogs on a lead when they are around livestock and a warning that barbecues can be a fire risk.

Mrs Spain added: We want to get that balance of welcoming people and helping make sure they enjoy their visit whether to a town park or to the countryside, but also that they dont inadvertently cause any problems.

The visitors handbook, re-launched this week, encourages country folk and visitors to say hello and be nice to make non-white people feel more welcome

That nice message is about respecting other people and welcoming people, she said.

Its accepting that there may be people there who arent like you.

She added: Ten years ago, you didnt bag your dog poo, it was left on pavements and on paths.

And what weve seen now is people dont realise if they dont take it home, somebody else has got to clear it up.

It is about keeping the countryside tidy, its a version of not leaving a trace, but its one that society doesnt always do.

You often see bags left on hedges or left on the ground and somebody else has to then come and clear them up.
The IMD said the conditions would continue till Sunday, when thunderstorms were expected to lash the coast under the influence of a trough over north coastal Andhra Pradesh. (Representational Photo: PTI)

Visakhapatnam: Heatwave conditions continued in the coastal Andhra Pradesh with the temperature 6 Celsius above normal in some places on Thursday. The IMD said the conditions would continue till Sunday, when thunderstorms were expected to lash the coast under the influence of a trough over north coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The report said the heatwave persisted in isolated pockets of Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam district and in some places in East and West Godavari district.

On Friday, Chittoor district might experience heatwave conditions in some isolated places.

Thunderstorms and gusty winds and lightning are expected in north coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam from Saturday to Monday due to the trough.

State Disaster Relief Fund commissioner K. Kannababu in a release from Amaravati said that 207 mandals will experience heatwave and severe heatwave conditions in 148 mandals on Friday. Of these, 33 mandals would be in Guntur, 24 in Krishna, 18 each in West Godavari and Vizianagaram, 16 in East Godavari, 15 in Visakhapatnam and 10 in Srikakulam.

He alerted the district administrations, which are likely to experience the severe weather conditions, to prepare relief measures.

The highest temperature was recorded in Tirupati with 43C, 4.6 degrees above the normal for this time of the year, Amaravati and Nellore 42.6C, Vijayawada 42.8C, 5.8C above normal, Kavali 6.1C above normal at 41.4C, Ongole 42.3C at 6.7C above normal, Visakhapatnam was comfortable at 32C.

Meanwhile, the low-pressure area over the south Andaman Sea persisted along with an associated cyclonic circulation. It is likely to become more marked over the central Andaman Sea during the next 12 hours and is likely to concentrate into a depression during the subsequent 24 hours. It is likely to move north-eastwards towards the Myanmar coast.

The north-south trough from Jharkhand to north Coastal Andhra Pradesh has become less marked.
One of the more unsettling moments in Hemingway, the latest documentary from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, finds Ernest Hemingway, big-game hunter, chronicler of violence and seeker of danger, doing one thing that terrified him: speaking on television.

It is 1954, and the author, who survived airplane crashes (plural) earlier that year in Africa, had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He agreed to an interview with NBC on the condition that he receive the questions in advance and read his answers from cue cards.

The rare video clip comes after weve spent nearly six hours seeing the author create an image of virile swagger and invent a style of clean, lucid prose. But here Hemingway, an always-anxious public speaker still recuperating from a cerebral injury, is halting and stiff. Asked what he is currently writing about  Africa  his answer includes the punctuation on the card: the animals comma and the changes in Africa since I was there last period.

Its hard to watch. But it is one of many angles from which the expansive, thoughtful Hemingway shows us the man in full, contrasting the person and the persona, the triumphs and vulnerabilities, to help us see an old story with new eyes.
Taipei, April 3 : At least 51 people were killed when a train collided with a truck and derailed in eastern Taiwan on Friday, officials said, noting that the death toll may rise as recovery efforts continue.

The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said late on Friday that the derailment in Hualien County involved a maintenance truck sliding from a slope near a construction site above the railway, the DPA news agency reported.

The head of an eight-carriage train with 492 passengers and four crew members travelling from Taipei to eastern Taitung County hit the vehicle shortly before entering a tunnel, officials said.

TRA officials told a news conference that it was suspected that the parking brake was not holding the vehicle and that they were working to gather more concrete details of the crash.

The derailment occurred on the first day of a four-day break for Taiwan's annual tomb-sweeping tradition. In early April, many Taiwanese people return to their hometowns to pay tribute to their ancestors and clean up family tombs.

The train driver and his assistant were both killed. The 51 victims included one French national, officials said.

The National Fire Agency said that the death toll might rise as some incomplete bodies on the scene were spotted and had not been removed.

The accident also left at least 146 people injured, including two Japanese nationals and one from Macau.

Several carriages were severely damaged in the crash, according to footage aired on local TV. TRA said that it would take a week to remove carriages stuck in the tunnel.

Taiwan's Premier Su Tseng-chang sent his condolences to the families of victims. "I want to express my deep sympathies to the victims' families and to the passengers who were injured," Su told a news conference in Taipei.

The accident terrified passengers onboard. "I got out of trouble. I dared not look at the scene, where many people were lying down," a passenger, surnamed Wu, told state-run Central News Agency. "It's completely dark there. People had no idea what to do." Another passenger called Hsueh told Eastern Broadcasting Company that he and others had had to work together to break a window in order to escape.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has instructed the authorities to comprehensively investigate the cause of the accident, which is the worst of its kind in Taiwan's history.

The last major train crash in Taiwan was in October 2018, when 18 people died.

Japan said it will be ready to help Taiwan if there is a request from the country.

"We offer our deep condolences to the victims of the accident and express our sympathies to all those involved," Japanese government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told a news conference in Tokyo.

The express train that derailed in eastern Taiwan was manufactured by Japanese manufacturer Hitachi and started operations in May 2007, Japan's Kyodo News reported, citing the Japanese conglomerate.

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which acts as the de facto US embassy, also sent its deepest condolences to the victims, families, and communities impacted by the tragic derailment.
Read more about it: Help us continue to fund not just one, but two reporting positions through Report for America.
STAY SAFE, STATEN ISLAND: This story is part of a series examining crime trends in communities across our borough.



STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A man accused of scrawling racist graffiti on political posters of Black candidates on the North Shore was hit with hate-crime charges.

A man who allegedly shouted anti-LGBTQ slurs at a gay couple who lives next door in Westerleigh was charged with trespass and harassment.

Alleged crimes of bias seem straight forward to the general public  but when it comes to the court of law, meeting a hate-crime statute in New York can get more complicated.

In order for a person who commits a crime to be charged with a hate crime, we would have to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the person committed that crime against an individual in whole or in substantial part because of the criminals belief of that persons race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious background, said Mark Palladino, chief trial counsel and assistant district attorney in charge of hate crimes. Thats what makes the hate-crime statute so difficult.

WHAT ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA?

If a person doesnt say anything discriminatory while committing a crime but did post what could be considered hateful content on social media, it would be difficult for officials to use that social media activity as a base for a hate-crime case, as prosecutors might not even have enough evidence to have a warrant for their social media pages, Palladino explained.

Social media helps more during cases of harassment to prove a motivation or a mindset.

That gets more difficult for hate crimes, especially when you have no reason to go look at that path, Palladino said.

If someone makes a statement during a criminal act, then social media would help strengthen that case, but it would still [remain] very difficult to prove that the only reason a crime was committed was because of what was posted online.

WHEN HATE CRIMES BECAME HATE CRIMES

Forty-three years ago, the city of Boston created the first ever hate-crimes unit in the country.

A total of 18 states and territories have hate-crimes laws, but do not require a collection of data of such crimes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Seven states or territories neither have laws nor requirements to collect data on hate crimes, the DOJ indicates.

However, a total of 31 states, including New York, have both hates-crime laws and require data collection.

Hate-crime laws were introduced in New York State in 2000, but the New York City Police Department started operating a hate crime task force in 1980 and started sending its data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to ProPublica.

In 2019 Mayor Bill de Blasio launched the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC) in the summer of 2019.

In New York City, we cherish our differences and reject all attempts to divide  everyone is respected and supported, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation or any other quality that makes them who they are, de Blasio said then.

Most recently, after a spike of hate crimes targeting Asians in New York City during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the NYPD also created an Asian Hate Crime Task Force staffed with 25 officers of Asian descent.

Staten Island has seen its share of notorious hate crimes over the years.

The day after the state Legislature passed a bill to increase penalties for hate crimes in the summer of 2000, two Jewish teenagers were assaulted on a Willowbrook street in what police called a bias incident, Advance/SILive.com records show.

In 2016, a Tompkinsville man faced hate-crime charges after he allegedly threatened an imam with a pipe at the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center following the evening prayers.

Most recently, a West Brighton man has been accused of scrawling racist graffiti on political posters and a bus stop on the North Shore on four different occasions.

Just this week, a swastika was found spray painted on a Jewish campground on Staten Island. There have been no arrests in that case.

Overall in 2020, Staten Island saw 18 hate-crime incidents, an increase of eight compared to 2019, according to an analysis of data from the New York City Police Department conducted by the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com.

Of those 18 incidents, 14 were reported within the North Shores 120th Precinct, the data shows. Prosecutors believe one suspect was responsible for several of those reports.

The Anti-Defamation Leagues (ADL) said in its annual report that white supremacist groups nearly doubled their propaganda activity nationwide in 2020 and just one group with a Staten Island presence was responsible for 10% of the recorded incidents.

The ADLs Center on Extremism tracked 5,125 reported instances of racist, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ fliers, stickers, banners and posters being placed in locations from college campuses to highway overpasses, according to the report, compared to 2,724 postings in 2019.



STAY SAFE, STATEN ISLAND: Related coverage
Nay Pyi Taw, April 2 : Myanmar's military regime has shut down broadband Internet service as protests over the coup continue in the country, according to a report from The Washington Post.

NetBlocks, an advocacy group that tracks internet disruptions and shutdowns, has also confirmed the restrictions, The Verge reported.

"Confirmed: Internet has been cut in #Myanmar from 1 am Thursday local time, the 46th consecutive night of military-imposed shutdowns," NetBlocks said in a tweet.

The move comes two months after the military seized control of the South Asian nation following escalated tensions between the government and the army that erupted after civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won a clear majority in the November 2020 elections.

"Fixed wireless will not be turned on in morning. Confirmed. No Ananda/MMNet/Ooreddoo/etc. With mobile data already off, only fixed-line will remain. Order is temporary but open-ended. Everyone should be making whatever plans are possible," Free Expression Myanmar, a campaign by a group of human rights defenders said in a tweet on Thursday.

Suu Kyi was arrested following the coup and has since then been imprisoned.

The military has violently cracked down on the ensuing protests.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a non-profit, at least 543 people have been killed by military forces since the coup.

The victims include more than 40 children, according to the NGO Save the Children.

Peaceful protests continue in cities throughout the country including in the regions of Mandalay, Magway, Bago and Sagaing and Kayah state.
More large companies have voiced their opposition to Republican-led efforts to restrict voting, this time in Texas.

On Thursday, American Airlines and Dell Technologies declared their objections to proposals in the state that would restrict local measures intended to make voting easier, such as by extending early voting hours.

The pushback in Texas came just a day after Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola spoke out against similar efforts in Georgia, though both companies waited until after Georgias governor had already signed the law to criticize it.

I need to make it crystal clear that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Deltas values, Ed Bastian, Deltas chief executive, wrote in an internal memo to employees on Wednesday that the company has posted on its website. Delta is Georgias largest employer.
Baton Rouge travel agent Amy Lytle believes the CDC's newly eased travel guidelines for people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will make the biggest difference in domestic travel.

People who have been fully vaccinated can travel inside the United States and no longer need to be tested or go into quarantine after traveling, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

"Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread SARS-CoV-2 and can now travel at low risk to themselves within the United States," the new guidance says.

Fully vaccinated people can travel again without getting tested or quarantining, CDC says NEW YORK (AP)  Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday.

The CDC says it is issuing the new guidelines in recognition of the high effectiveness of the three vaccines now in use in the United States. The agency adds that "a growing body of evidence" also shows vaccines may also mean people are "less likely to have asymptomatic infection and potentially less likely to transmit" the virus to others.

The new guidelines come, however, as some states outside Louisiana and much of the South are seeing rising case numbers as new variants spread in the country.

Lytle, who owns House of Travel, said the effect of the latest guidance will depend on how states react to them, especially some destinations like Hawaii and New York state, which have their own testing and quarantine requirements.

Assuming the states do adhere to the CDC's latest guidance, "that does open up some options," Lytle said.

Flights 'are going up incrementally' to pre-pandemic levels at Baton Rouge airport; see figures As the number of coronavirus cases continues to drop and more people get vaccinated against the disease, business is returning to normal at Ba

The CDC guidance says its recommendations on the testing requirements before or after domestic travel depends on whether "testing is required by local, state, or territorial health authorities."

The CDC also hasn't completely eased all recommendations, keeping testing requirements for international travel. The agency also still says vaccinated people should practice social distancing and other measures in an effort to reduce spread, including wearing mask while traveling.

The new guidance comes as Lytle and at least one other local agent said they have seen an uptick interest in travel in recent weeks.

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Cynthia Swain, a travel advisor for Pearson's Travel World, said bookings and phone calls have picked up in the past two weeks, most for the fall and 2022.

"Bookings are looking up. We're excited about that and hopefully that trend will continue," Swain said.

Daily flights from Lafayette to Charlotte begin Friday Just as the Centers for Disease Control loosened travel guidance for people who have received COVID vaccines, the Lafayette Regional Airport h

On Friday, Baton Rouge Metro Airport said that flights are on a rise after last year's virus-related reductions.

Airport flights are back to 80% of the April 2019 schedule, with 17.3 round-trip flights per day on average, a statement says.

American, Delta and United airlines have been gradually increasing the number of flights and plan more additions in May.

Lytle said she has seen a huge difference in people's willingness to make reservations since March 1, especially among those who are older and have been vaccinated or among younger adults without children.

"Those two sectors are the most likely to travel right now, not so much the families with little kids," Lytle said.

While the CDC did lift the requirement in the U.S. for international travelers who are fully vaccinated to get tested before they leave, other countries can still require it. International travelers still have to get tested before they return and are recommended to get tested three to five days after they return.

Fully vaccinated travelers, however, no longer need to self-quarantine in the United States following international travel.

Lytle said she expects further easing of the foreign travel requirements to spur demand even more.

"We feel very hopeful right now. If you had interviewed me back in September or October, you know, you would gotten a different story," Lytle said. "We're excited that people want to get out and travel and start living their life again."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the DMK and Congress have failed to understand the ethos of the people of Madurai and charged that the Congress manifesto of 2016 promised to ban "Jallikattu".

He was addressing a public rally for the NDA in Madurai.

Modi said, "The DMK and Congress should be ashamed of themselves. People wanted a solution and wanted Jallikattu to continue. Our government then cleared the ordinance by the AIADMK which allowed it to take place."

Prime Minister said that food processing was a major area of focus for the BJP and NDA, and added that new startups were also being promoted by the Government of India.

He stressed on the idea of water conservation and said, "We are working on the idea of "per drop more crop", and are working with farmers to ensure that more water is saved and agriculture production is up". He said the Government of India implemented the "Jal Jeevan Mission" to ensure tap water to every home in the country by 2024.

Modi said, "In Tamil Nadu, 16 lakh tap water connections have been provided since the launch of the mission".

The Prime minister also said the people of Madurai are very hospitable and reminiscenced on how people of Saurashtra, who had come here a few years ago to Madurai, had benefited from the largesse of people. He said this shows "Ek Bharath, Shreshtha Bharath".

He said that funds allocated for railway infrastructure for Tamil Nadu have increased by 238 per cent compared to 2019. Prime minister also said that Madurai has a special association with former Chief Minister late MGR and recalled the association of MGR with great musician late T.M. Soundarajan.

Modi also said the Congress dismissed democratically elected MGR government in the 1980's, and MGR won repeatedly from Madurai in 1977, 1980 and 1984. His party also won from the constituencies around this place. Modi said the place is closely associated with the world's oldest language, Tamil.

Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam were present in the programme.
FREMONT, Calif., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is an open letter from Sahith Kudaravalli, a high school senior at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California.

The toll that gun violence has taken on American society is staggering by any standard. According to statistics compiled by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 100 U.S. citizens die as a result of gunfire each and every day. In addition to the 36,000 Americans that are killed by guns each year, an additional 100,000 suffer gunshot injuries that may plague them for the rest of their lives.

America's gun violence problem is perhaps most starkly evidenced in its ongoing scourge of mass shootings that have grown increasingly deadly over the past decade. Although they comprise a relatively small percentage of total gun violence nationwide, mass shootings occur with shocking frequency in the U.S. On average, a mass shooting (an event during which four or more people are shot with a firearm) occurs in America on a daily basis.

To make matters even worse, far too many mass shootings take place on school grounds. In the wake of this ceaseless series of school shootings, 3 out of 5 American teenagers live in constant fear of being shot in their own classrooms.

These fears are, unfortunately, well grounded in reality. As just two examples, 31 people were killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting and 26 people were killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. In the wake of these unspeakable calamities, there is simply no excuse for a lack of action. But of course, in recent years, the death tolls from mass shootings have gotten even higher. 50 died in a 2016 shooting at a gay Orlando nightclub, and 58 died in a 2017 shooting at a concert just outside of a Las Vegas casino. The Vegas shooting also left more than 850 people wounded.

In light of terrifying statistics like these, many voices are demanding strong action and immediate change. Unfortunately, U.S. politicians and elected officials remain steadfastly divided when it comes to both assessing the gun violence problem and presenting viable solutions. When discussing school shootings, for example, officials often contend that mental health issues are primarily to blame. This is just one of many myths that the Giffords Law Center dispels in its 2019 report The Truth about School Shootings.

Of course, the single issue that defines America's gun debate more than any other is Second Amendment protection. The Britannica Group's nonpartisan political controversy website ProCon gets to the heart of the Second Amendment issue by presenting its two extremes.

On the far right side of the debate is the belief that the Second Amendment protects individual gun ownership of all types and in all cases. On the far left side of the debate is the belief that individual gun ownership should be dramatically limited if not practically outlawed based on an interpretation of the Second Amendment that allows for what Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia calls "longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms" by certain individuals.

In essence, America seems to be irrevocably divided between two conflicting positions. Will stricter gun control laws reduce gun violence? Or do gun control laws simply take firearms away from law-abiding gun owners who might actually deter crime?

When it comes to developing solutions to gun violence, major gun manufacturers are united in their firm opposition to any policies that might significantly restrict firearm sales. According to the independent financial news website Finances Online, dozens of large firearm companies, many of whom make assault weapons, give millions to the National Rifle Association (NRA). 2019 corporate sponsors of the NRA include O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Henry Repeating Arms, and Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.

The gun control position of the NRA and its corporate sponsors is absolutely clear. In the first half of 2019 alone, the NRA spent $1.6 million to lobby Congress against laws that would strengthen background checks for any individual who want to purchase a firearm.

Regardless of how U.S. politicians and lobbyists approach the gun violence problem, the U.S. population is overwhelmingly in favor of stricter gun laws. According to 2019 statistics from the Pew Research Center, 60% of Americans want stricter gun laws and only 11% feel that current gun laws are already too strict. Among U.S. citizens with college degrees, the consensus is even more overwhelming with nearly 1 out of 4 people favoring stronger gun control laws and just 1 out of 15 people favoring weaker gun control laws.

In lieu of meaningful gun ownership restrictions like effective bans on assault weapons and stricter background check/waiting period policies, advocacy organizations like the Prevention Institute have recommended a number of practical measures to reduce gun violence in the U.S. Some of these measures, such as reducing access to firearms for kids and violent/mentally ill adults, have widespread support among gun companies and lobbyists. Others, such as holding the gun industry accountable for problematic marketing and sales practices, have encountered fervent opposition in the political sphere.

As part of the Prevention Institute's comprehensive efforts to support new frontiers in the fight against gun violence, it promotes advancements in the fields of gun safety and self-defense technology. In addition to touting the development of non-lethal self-defense alternatives to guns, the Prevention Institute values fingerprint scanners and other high-tech firearm features that use biometrics to identify users.

Through biometric technology, gun manufacturers can design weapons that will fire for their respective owners but remain locked for everyone else. According to Time Magazine, these types of smart weapons won't prevent mass shootings with legally purchased firearms, but they may be effective at restricting illegal firearms and stopping crimes committed with guns that are owned by others.

Although they come with multiple benefits, smart guns face opposition by some gun owners and policymakers. As Time puts it, "Some gun owners worry that the technology will fail when they need it most, like during a home invasion. Others fear government overreach."

Hindered by these concerns, smart gun mandates have failed to take hold in the U.S. and gun manufacturers have been slow to embrace smart gun technology. Shortly after the Columbine school shooting made international headlines in 2000, Smith & Wesson agreed to develop comprehensive smart gun technology. After facing a consumer boycott and strong condemnation from the NRA, however, the company quickly abandoned its plans. Smith & Wesson was the first and last major gun manufacturer to announce any significant investment in smart gun technology.

Although they remain underutilized, technological solutions to the gun violence problem show great promise. Technology not only offers concrete tools that can affect change unilaterally and immediately, but it holds far greater sociopolitical promise than gun control measures that impact overall firearm availability and, therefore, the bottom line of firearm manufacturers.

In part, biometric smart gun technology has failed to take hold in America because its applications have been relatively limited. In terms of both manufacturing overhead and potential limits on freedom, the costs of the smart gun seemed to outweigh the benefits in the eyes of many.

By employing additional technology, however, we can go beyond mere owner recognition and trigger locking to enter a world in which illegal firearm use can be tracked and prohibited without hindering the daily activities of lawful registered gun owners. For example, by outfitting firearms with RFID tags and employing GPS technology, manufacturers could aid in the tracing of unlawful gun use and even shut guns down in and around schools, hospitals, and other gun-free public spaces. If they have a legitimate need to use their guns in a prohibited area, individual gun owners can seek special authorization.

Furthermore, by adding facial recognition to existing touch ID tech, digital gun safety systems can significantly strengthen user restrictions. These systems can also enable communication via wireless data networks that can instantaneously notify law enforcement officers about specific gun use and dynamically scan for both the criminal and mental health records of gun owners in the Cloud.

As the U.S. continues to experience gun tragedy after gun tragedy, a comprehensive digital gun safety system such as this is absolutely essential. Among all other viable gun violence solutions, it alone has the potential to secure widespread support in the sociopolitical sphere.

Political parties would be inclined to agree with this solution because it respects the rights of lawful gun owners while addressing the problem of gun violence head-on in an extremely concrete and efficient way. Gun manufacturers will appreciate the fact that this system shouldn't negatively affect their sales. In fact, the release of safer guns will actually open new consumer markets. Not only do enhanced safety measures make a powerful selling point, but the firearm industry will profit from retrofitting existing guns with new technology.

For all of these reasons, a comprehensive gun safety system that employs state-of-the-art biometrics in conjunction with wireless technology, RFID tags, and GPS technology is America's best chance of beating the scourge of gun violence that has all but devastated us. By supporting this movement, U.S. politicians, businesses, and citizens can save lives and protect children without sacrificing the Second Amendment rights that we hold dear.

Sahith Kudaravalli

[email protected]

SOURCE Sahith Kudaravalli
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SALINAS, Calif., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Scheid Vineyards Inc. (dba Scheid Family Wines) (OTC Markets: SVIN) announced today that it sold three of its vineyard parcels for $33,000,000 in consideration, which includes the buyer assuming $20,000,000 of the Company's debt that was secured by the properties. The disposition of these parcels, which comprise 1,193 acres of leased and owned vineyards, is part of Scheid Family Wines' overall strategy to better align its asset holdings and debt with its growing premium bottled wine business.

Mr. Scott Scheid, President and CEO of the Company, stated, "We are pleased to complete this transaction and continue to focus our attention and resources on the growth of our branded goods portfolio, which includes our recently launched entrant in the trending 'better for you' category, Sunny with a Chance of Flowers, as well as other national and global brands."

About Scheid Family Wines

Scheid Family Wines is a family-owned and operated, estate-driven wine company founded in 1972. Based in Monterey County, California, Scheid is uniquely integrated to bring high quality estate grown wines to the marketplace from its sustainably certified vineyards and innovative luxury level winery. Scheid's winery and bottling operations are powered by 100% renewable wind energy generated by a 400-foot tall wind turbine, which also supplies energy to many homes in the local community. The Scheid Family Wines globally distributed portfolio includes Scheid Vineyards, Sunny with a Chance of Flowers, District 7, Ryder Estate, Metz Road, VDR, and Stokes' Ghost. Scheid Family Wines also produces many regionally distributed brands for specific clients and distributors.

Please visit www.scheidfamilywines.com and www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SVIN/quote for more information.

CONTACT: Scott Scheid, President and CEO

Mike Thomsen, Chief Financial Officer

(831) 455-9990

SOURCE Scheid Family Wines

Related Links

https://www.scheidfamilywines.com


Nathan Baggaley of Australia competes during the men's K-1 class 1,000 metre final on August 27, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre in Athens, Greece. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Olympic Medallist Found Guilty in $200 Million Cocaine Smuggling Plot

Australian Olympic silver medalist Nathan Jon Baggaley, and his younger brother, were found guilty of trying to smuggle $200 million worth of cocaine into Australia.

Nathan, 45, a world champion kayaker, and brother Dru Anthony Baggaley, 39, were found guilty by the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday for plotting to smuggle 650 kg (1,433 lbs) of cocaine into Australia.

The two have been on trial since March 18. Both plead not guilty to trying to import a commercial amount of the border-controlled drug cocaine into Queensland at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast between December 2017 and August 2018.

Dru and boat driver Anthony Draper were arrested in July 2018, after a chase as dramatic as a script from a James Bond filma game of cat and mouse on the high seas, the Olympians defence lawyer Anthony Kimmins said, as reported by Brisbane Times.

On July 31, 2018, Dru and Draper left the NSW coast on a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), which was later loaded up with black bundles of cocaine, valued at around $100-200 million, from a larger foreign vessel.

About two hours later, a navy patrol boat ordered them to stop and chased them as they made their way back to shore. Footage viewed in court revealed that Draper tried to outrun the navy boat while Dru threw the incredibly valuable cargo into the ocean, according to Ben Power, the crown prosecutor.

The two were arrested at last before reaching the shore, with the navy ship finding a total of 587 kg of cocaine on board the RHIB and bundles were found along the Queensland coast as far as Yeppoon months after.

The Olympian was arrested about a year later in June 2019 after police searched his home in Byron Bay. He was charged with aiding and abetting the smuggling by buying and equipping the boat, as well as covering the boats registration number with tape and planning to meet the boat with cocaine on its return.

Draper, the boat driver, pleaded guilty of involvement earlier and was sentenced for 13 years in February last year, but the sentence was reduced to a non-parole period of four years and three months after he agreed to testify against the Baggaleys.

The sentencing date for the Baggaley brothers has yet to be decided.
Scoil Mhuire in Abbeyleix is literally patched together according to the principal of the building which is now ten years past its intended lifespan.

Mr Aidan McEvoy led the delegation of staff, parents, pupils and management representatives who were grateful for the opportunity to outline the conditions faced in the building which was built in 1983 to Minister for Education Norma Foley.

Speaking with the Leinster Express afterwards Mr McEvoy said the delegation outlined the challenges faced to the Minister in a presentation that focused on five different points in the school which has 316 on the roll book. He said they went into the meeting with the support of the 202 families who have children in the school, including 124 letters of support from families.

The five key areas focused on were the roof, sewerage, insulation, electrics, and dampness.

I made the point that they are all interrelated. There has to be a whole-school approach to this. You can't sort out the damp unless you fix the roof; you cant sort out the sewerage unless you resolve the damp.

Picture taken in 2019 of one of the classrooms where the roof had been leaking.

We told her that we have been proactive. We have acquired 2.5 acres of school grounds that are available. I said it is not as if we are coming with the begging hand and have not done anything about it. We have a site ready to go on the existing site so there would not be a hold up.

We made the point strongly that we have a state of the art ASD unit and a hall built by the parents on voluntary contributions without any cost to the State. So all we are looking for is mainstream classrooms and ancillary rooms, he said.

The school was built in 1983 with a three-decade lifespan. The problem the community now faces is that areas with strong population growth are prioritised for new building. Mr McEvoy said the situation at Scoil Mhuire requires an exception to be made.

We made the case that Abbeyleix is a secondary town and is not going to have a huge demographic change. If we were going on the basis of building a school-based on demographic growth we are going to fail but we have extraordinary circumstances.

I made the point that our school was the rapid school build in 1983. It had a defined lifespan of 30 years so we are well gone past that, he said.

Picture taken of leaking pipes in the building.

The principal outlined what has been done to keep the school open and the problems caused.

We are very grateful for the emergency works but that was only a patchwork job in the interest of saving money. We first notified the Department of Education of the problems in October 2018, he said.

All the classrooms are available at the moment. We had four classrooms out of commission. The school is built in blocks of four classrooms. The senior section was out of commission until last August. We had been out of the building for six months.

"The children were distributed around the school. We used the general-purpose area, part of the hall, some of the resource rooms. It wasnt ideal by any manner of means.

We secured emergency funding to patch the roof of the senior building which allowed us to stop the water coming in for now. That only has a life span of two to three years. We were told that. We still have water coming in other parts of the school.

In excess of 85,000 was spent on the patch job. It is money gone but allowed us to reopen last August. The job was so basic that we could not replace the ceilings inside. We had to cut parts out of the ceilings to make them presentable.

While we have it back in use now it is only a matter of time before it will be gone again. What we are concerned about is the middle block because the water is starting to come in there.

Part of the money was used to repair the ceiling in the staff toilet but that is leaking again now. The man who did the work told us that there is no point in doing patches because water could come from 10 metres away and find its way in. So we do either all the roof or we are wasting our time.

It is literally patched together. We have been constantly trying to make the classrooms and school presentable and as comfortable as possible but by doing that we are only masking the serious problems.

We are constantly painting the schools internally. It is not for decoration. We are painting to cut down the smell, to kill the damp, to mask what is there. We get a minor works grant every year but that minor works grant goes on basic repairs. We are putting money on top of this to make it presentable.

We can't do it anymore. Some of the ceilings did collapse after we had vacated. Whatever the long term solution is going to be we are going to need support in the meantime to make it habitable and presentable. We can't let it deteriorate again.

It is going to be constant work but we made the point that the more money we spend on temporary patch jobs the greater the waste of money that is. This cannot go on for another five years. We dont want to lose enrolments it is a good school, he said.

Picture of hole in classroom ceiling that has been temporarily patched up.

Scoil Mhuire's principal praised the Minister for meeting and acknowledging the problems and committing to act.

The Minister gave generously of her time and listened to everybody. We were realistic to know that she could not give us a commitment on the day but we feel that something is going to be done and this will not be left hanging, said Mr McEvoy.

She was going back to the Department who are going to carry out an audit of the building. She said there were two options, the retrofit of the existing building or a new build. She said everything is on the table.

Depending on the audit a decision would be made. We impressed on her the fact that we need something in the short term and we need something to be done in the near future.

She said that the Department would be in contact with the board of management regarding the audit in the next number of weeks.

The only timeframe that she committed to was that we would be contacted by her officials in the next couple of weeks regarding the audit. But she said she appreciated the urgency of the case.

Overall we were very pleased with the meeting and thought it was very constructive, he said.

She was very receptive and gave generously of her time. She said she had got representations from all sides and was aware.

Damp is a big problem as picture shows.

Mr McEvoy also paid tribute to the Laois and Offaly politicians from across the political divide have put aside their differences in the campaign to overhaul conditions.

Ministers of State Sean Fleming and Pippa Hackett were joined by Brian Stanley, Charlie Flanagan and Carol Nolan at last week's meeting with school representatives and Minister for Education Norma Foley. Cllr John Joe Fennelly also attended.

Mr McEvoy thanked all of them for the work they have done and continue to do.

We are very grateful to Sean Fleming for organising. But we are also very grateful to all the politicians.

In fairness, they all put their political allegiances aside and they all supported what we were saying. They all have been to the school and have seen it first hand. Every one of them spoke in support of our proposal and situation individually from the experience of having been to the school.

They made a plea with her to take action. They had all done a lot of background work as they promised they would do, said Mr McEvoy.

Speaking afterwards, Minister Fleming outlined what made the biggest impact during the meeting.

The Minister was very taken by the voice of the children. The children said they were freezing, had to wear their coats, are afraid the ceiling is going to fall, and are afraid to go to the toilet because of the smell, he said.

Minister Fleming said Minister Foley, who was accompanied by two officials, outlined her next steps.

The Minister has given a guarantee that the Department will contact the school in the coming weeks to arrange a full audit of the building. There are two options: a complete retrofit or a new building, he said.

He said a decision on what to do next would be based on the assessment. Minister Fleming said he was absolutely satisfied with what was put on the table by the Minister.

It is real progress, she has put two options on the table. She used the phrase: 'I can't contradict anything that has been said.

She has got the seriousness of it so it is a positive good sign, said the Fianna Fail TD.

Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley said the Laois school left her in no doubt about their needs.

A rock solid case was made for a new school in Abbeyleix. The Minister was left in no doubt of the terrible condition that Scoil Mhuire is in.

The school staff, pupils and school management outlined in great detail the terrible condition of the building, he said.

Minister Hackett said she will be keeping the matter on her agenda pledged to follow up with Minister Foley.

This is a health, safety, environmental and humanity issue. The teachers and board members put forward an impressive case to have a green school to match their green ethos.

"They want to promote active travel with safe walking and bicycle access for students and teachers. The least the deserve is a proper school building, she said.
Tiger King star Carole Baskin has revealed she was inundated with abusive messages and death threats in the months after Netflix's Tiger King aired last year.

In the series, which she has since spoken out against, Carole, 58, was seen locking horns with larger-than-life Joe Exotic, 58  who has since been jailed for animal abuse and an attempted murder-for-hire plot on Carole.

And during an appearance on ITV's This Morning alongside her husband Howard Baskin on Friday, big cat lover Carole admitted that members of the public directly expressed wishes to do her harm after watching the hit series.

Death threats: Tiger King's Carole Baskin has revealed she was inundated with death threats in the months after Netflix's Tiger King aired last year. Pictured with husband Howard

She said: 'My husband and I binge watched it just like everybody else did, because the teasers for it didn't sound like anything we thought we were working on.

'We thought we were working on the Blackfish for big cats and the teasers looked like some kind of freak show. So we sat through the entire thing and thought, "At some point they'll get to the important stuff," and they just never did.'

She added: 'We just looked at each other gobsmacked and said, "That was a missed opportunity. And then my phone started ringing and it rang every two minutes for three months with people screaming obscenities at me, saying they want to kill me.

'They wanted to kill my family, they wanted to kill the cats, they wanted to burn the place to the ground. I was asking them,"Why do you want to kill the cats?"

Loggerheads: In the series, Carole, 58, was seen locking horns with larger-than-life Joe Exotic, 58  who is jailed for animal abuse and an attempted murder-for-hire plot on Carole

'And they said, "Because they don't belong in cages," and we'd tell them, "That's our entire mission - that we save them in the wild."

Howard added: 'A tidal wave comes in really quickly and recedes really slowly, so that's what happened.

'For three months, we had a nightmare, a constant barrage and then it subsided and now what we're seeing is the pendulum swing the other way.'

However, Carole shockingly went on to reveal that the vile threats to her life were all but business as usual for her, as her campaigning against keeping big cats caged has earned her enemies.

She said: 'Actually, my life has been threatened for the past 20 years since we have been working on the bills to end the captivity of big cats and what you guys saw in Tiger King was just one person and a couple of threats.

Shocking: During an appearance on ITV's This Morning on Friday, big cat lover Carole admitted that members of the public directly expressed wishes to do her harm

Big interview: The couple were interviewed by co-hosts Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond

'Over the past 20 years, I've had to hire bodyguards to go with me when I'd speak in public I've been physically attacked by people, so I'm very happy this one person [Joe Exotic] is in prison.

'I think it had a chilling effect on these people that have been threatening me so much, but it's not any different to how it was before Tiger King because I've always had to be on high alert because of people who abuse big cats. They have no respect of life of any kind.'

Talking about starring in an upcoming Louis Theroux documentary, Carole told This Morning co-hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary that her aim has always been to save big cats.

She said: 'The aim for us is always the end game, which is ending the captivity of big cats and saving them in the wild. That's where we want to focus our attention. It's not such a personal thing as it is to get people talking about saving big cats.'

Enemies: Carole went on to reveal that the vile threats to her life were all but business as usual for her, as her campaigning against keeping big cats caged has earned her enemies

Dermot asked Carole about meeting Joe Exotic and Carole said: 'I've never spoken to him. I've seen him four or five times, but all of those have been in a court room setting.'

Howard added: 'I've spoken with him and I had a 12-hour mediation. My approach has always been to be professional, shake his hand. And even Joe said, "Howard always treats me with courtesy."

'There was one somewhat humorous incident - our attorney was showing him page after page of these horribly sexually orientated posts he made about Carole and Joe was sheepishly saying, "Yes, I posted that."

'We took a break and we ended up going to get a bottle of water at the same time and Joe says, "Nothing personal." Wow.'

Episode: Carole and Howard appear with Louis Theroux in Louis Theroux: Shooting Joe Exotic

Alison then asked Carole what the one question people ask her when they see her and she replied: 'Can I get a selfie?'

She added: 'I ask everybody to keep a distance, because if someone were out to kill me, that would be the easiest way to get to close me.

'There's been cases where they've scared me half to death. I ride my bike to work and just a couple of weeks ago, a big dark SUV ran me off the road.

'Everybody jumps out and starts running towards me. I thought I was being kidnapped, but it was just people with their phones, running towards me, asking me for a selfie.'

Fear: Carole has previously admitted she remains fearful that 58-year-old Joe Exotic  who is jailed for an attempted murder-for-hire plot on Carole  will 'finish what he set out to do'
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Reigning Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale has revealed a scan on his back during the week returned not a great result but will not use it as an excuse for any drop in form.

Speaking after his Brisbane Lions opened their 2021 account with a one-point win over Collingwood at Marvel Stadium courtesy of a goal after the siren from Zac Bailey, Neale said he was battling a fair bit with his body early in the season.

Lachie Neale in action on Thursday night Credit:Getty

The midfielder was solid if not quite at his best against the Pies, finishing with 21 disposals and a long-range goal.

Asked about the matter on Thursday, the clubs official position was that Neale did not have a fracture in his back. Neale would not confirm the specifics of his injury, but nor did he suggest that it wasnt significant.
The Ulster Unionist Party leader has questioned the independence of a police inspectorate review of the Police Service of Northern Irelands handling of a large republican funeral during the pandemic.

Steve Aiken likened the probe by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to marking the police services own homework.

Mr Aikens comments came after he became the latest unionist political leader to call for the resignation of PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne over how it dealt with the Bobby Storey funeral.

Explaining why he was calling for Mr Byrne to go before the HMIC report was published, Mr Aiken said the exercise would not make any difference.

The funeral procession for Bobby Storey (Liam McBurney/PA)

Unionist demands for the resignation of the chief constable have come after prosecutors cited police engagement with funeral organisers as one reason why they opted not to prosecute 24 Sinn Fein politicians who attended the large scale event in west Belfast last June.

The funeral saw about 2,000 mourners line the streets at a time when strict Covid-19 regulations were in place, prompting claims that Sinn Fein had flouted rules it was involved in creating.

Explaining why any prosecution of Sinn Fein deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill and her 23 party colleagues would likely fail, Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Herron also cited the repeatedly changing and incoherent nature of Stormonts coronavirus regulations.

On Thursday, amid intensifying pressure on Mr Byrne, it was announced that the HMIC would be reviewing the PSNIs handling of the events around the funeral.

Mr Aiken called for Mr Byrne to quit on Thursday night, two days after the PPS non-prosecution rationale was outlined.

His move came after the DUP, the Traditional Unionist Voice party and the Progressive Unionist Party had also called for the chief constable to resign.

Asked in an interview with BBC Radio Ulster on Friday why he was not reserving his opinion until the HMIC concluded its investigations, Mr Aiken said:

The confidence in the community has been lost now. Its not going to be restored by her Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary report.

The concern will have to be that HMIC will come in and do a report and in many cases it will be marking the police services own homework.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne has vowed not to quit (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr Aiken conceded he did not know if the police engagement with the organisers ahead of the funeral involved warnings that Covid-19 regulations needed to be observed.

Mr Byrne has vowed not to quit. He has insisted that police engagement with the organisers of events that have the potential to attract significant crowds is common practice.

On Wednesday, the PPS announced a review of its non-prosecution decisions for the 24 Sinn Fein politicians.

The PPS said the move was in line with procedures and came in response to a number of requests.

The review will be carried out by a senior PPS lawyer with the assistance of an independent senior counsel, neither of whom were involved in the original decision-making process.
The cabinet meeting of March 31, 20The cabinet meeting of March 31, 2021 focused on strategies of developing applied scientific research in Cameroon as well as mechanisms of strengthening vocational training. applied scientific research in Cameroon as w

The outbreak of the currently ravaging Covid-19 pandemic has spurred the government of Cameroon to pay greater attention to the development of applied scientific research in the country that will bring in new dynamics in the local laboratories making them capable of producing medication to tackle the pandemic and other emerging pandemics and epidemics.

This was one of the key presentations the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Madeleine Tchuinte made during the cabinet meeting of March 31, 2021 chaired by Prime Minister, Head of Government, Joseph Dion Ngute. The Prime Minister in his opening remarks said the outbreak of Covid-19 has rang a wick up bell on government in relation to the prevention, detection and fight against emerging diseases. It is also an occasion for government to consider the pressing necessity to reduce dependence on foreign countries by developing applied scientific research that will lead to the local production of the required medication.

The Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Issa Tchiroma Bakary talked on the mechanisms of reinforcing vocational training in Cameroon in view of promoting self-employment. Speaking to the press after the in-camera cabinet meeting, Minister Issa Tchiroma said the Prime Minister told them that fighting unemployment was a national course that required the participation of everyone though his Ministry takes the pilot's position. He disclosed that thousands of young Cameroonians graduate from schools every year but remain jobless because they lack the required vocational skills needed in the job market. In order to tackle the problem of youth unemployment, Issa Tchiroma said, the Prime Minister instructed the Secretary General of the Prime Minister's Office to summon a meeting of all Ministries that deal with employment and vocational training in order to harmonise and have a holistic vision towards vocational training, with the perspective of putting in place a unique employment counter. Prime Minister Dion Ngute, however in his opening statement said government has taken measures to offer quality vocational training to youths in order to facilitate their integration into the socio-professional world.
"Guided by the future-focused vision of our nation's leadership to develop a resilient and sustainable economy, Masdar continues to innovate and build on its strong history of driving commercially viable, renewable energy solutions for the UAE and around the world," said His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman of Masdar.

"Importantly, Masdar's 15 year track record of contributing to the growth of the renewable energy sector reflects the UAE's commitment, as a responsible global citizen, to progressive climate action," H.E. Dr. Al Jaber added. " We, in the UAE, have always viewed the climate challenge as an opportunity to diversify our economy, building knowledge, skills and jobs. As we prepare to celebrate Masdar's 15th anniversary, 'For A Sustainable Future' will celebrate our many achievements, which have positioned Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a global renewable energy leader."

Despite the global economic challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, Masdar has maintained its growth trajectory. The capacity of the renewable energy projects that the company is a partner in has more than doubled over the past two years, from 4 gigawatts (GW) to 11 GW  enough electricity to power more than 4 million homes  with a combined value of US$19.9 billion.

"Our success in exceeding our own capacity growth targets both reflects the commitment of our shareholder, Mubadala Investment Company, and our dedicated employees around the world. It also demonstrates that the pace of the energy transition is accelerating, as visionary nations like the UAE continue to drive sustainable development and as clean energy technologies become more economically compelling," said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar. "Masdar today is supporting communities in more than 30 countries across the world, and we look forward to extending our global footprint and delivering a more sustainable future for all."

Global impact

Key projects in which Masdar is currently involved include the largest wind farm in the Middle East, Dumat Al-Jandal, Saudi Arabia's first utility-scale wind-power source. It is being developed by a consortium led by France's EDF Renewables and once operational will displace 885,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year and generate enough electricity to power 70,000 homes.

Expanding its global influence and impact, Masdar also made its first investment in Australia last year, acquiring a 40 percent stake in the country's second utility-scale waste-to-energy facility. When completed, it will process 300,000 tonnes per year of non-recyclable municipal, commercial and industrial waste and up to 30,000 tonnes of biosolids each year.

Building on its renewables capacity in the United States, Masdar acquired a 50 percent stake in a 1.6 GW clean-energy portfolio in a deal with EDF Renewables North America. In total, the eight projects in the portfolio have already created more than 2,000 jobs, and will displace more than 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Masdar also entered Southeast Asia in 2020, with an agreement to develop Indonesia's first floating solar PV plant. The 145 MW (ac) plant, the largest of its kind in the region, will be located in the West Java region of Indonesia.

Masdar has continued its expansion into new markets this year. In January, the company announced its first project in Poland, with the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in two wind farms in the country. Masdar also announced in January that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EDF Renewables to explore renewable energy opportunities in Israel and support the country's clean-energy objectives.

In March, Masdar signed an MoU with the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to explore the development of solar power projects with a total capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) and related grid infrastructure across the country.

Innovating for sustainable urban development

Masdar City, Masdar's sustainable urban development project, has reinforced its position as a hub for innovation and technology, as it welcomed the first students to the Mohammed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in January 2021. The Masdar City Free Zone has continued to attract new businesses, with more than 900 companies now located at the City.

Additionally, Abu Dhabi Holdings (ADQ) launched last year an AED 1.1 billion venture fund to support early stage businesses to set up their global or regional headquarters in Masdar City, enabling them to benefit from the City's exceptional digital infrastructure, as well as an advanced regulatory framework and other R&D initiatives.

Further evidence of Masdar City's growing business ecosystem is the success of The Catalyst, the anchor tenant of Masdar City's Tech Park. A joint venture between Masdar and BP, the Catalyst is the first start-up accelerator in the MENA region dedicated to sustainability.

Empowering the future

Masdar also champions sustainability through a range of strategic CSR initiatives. These include the Women in Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy (WiSER) platform, which has a mandate to promote female inclusion in sustainability through partnerships, thought leadership, and sharing the achievements and experiences of inspirational women around the world.

Masdar also leads the Youth 4 Sustainability (Y4S) platform, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Y4S supports students and young professionals hoping to pursue a career in the sustainability sector with training, work experience and career advice. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UAE's National Strategy and the UAE Centennial Plan, Y4S conducts a series of programs throughout the year, including the Sustainability Ambassadors and Future Sustainability Leaders, aimed at inspiring students and young entrepreneurs.

Promoting community engagement on sustainability issues is a focus of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), hosted annually by Masdar. Attracting heads of state, world-renowned speakers, tens of thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibiting companies, ADSW is today the world's leading platform for accelerating sustainable development. ADSW achieved another landmark in January 2021 when it hosted one of the world's largest virtual sustainability gatherings.

ADSW is also synonymous with the Zayed Sustainability Prize, the UAE's pioneering global sustainability award, whose recipients have positively impacted over 352 million people through their projects and solutions since the Prize's first presentation ceremony in 2009.

Inspired by the legacy of the UAE's founding founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has launched this year Beyond2020, a continuation and expansion of the pioneering UAE-led humanitarian initiative 20by2020, which was launched in partnership with several leading local and international organisations in December 2019. Beyond2020 represents Phase 2 of the initiative, having reached 8 countries, and impacted approximately 110,000 people during its first phase and debut year.

About For A Sustainable Future:

Masdar's For A Sustainable Future campaign showcases Masdar's pioneering innovation in sustainability across renewable energy, sustainable urban development and clean technologies, ahead of the company's 15th anniversary in 2021. The campaign will highlight Masdar's leadership initiatives in gender equality with WiSER and youth empowerment via Y4S, both key to Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. For more information on For A Sustainable Future visit Masdar.ae/ForASustainableFuture

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479521/Masdar_Infographic.jpg

PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479549/Masdar_For_A_Sustainable_Future.pdf

SOURCE Masdar
Banjul - A study conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the impact of indebtedness on returnees in The Gambia reveals that 55 per cent are in debt, with over half characterizing either the shame or burden of their indebtedness as a hindrance to their reintegration in their home communities.

Launched by IOM, the Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS) and the British High Commission on 18 March, the study highlights that many migrants take out loans and incur debt from relatives and friends to finance their journey, as migration becomes increasingly hazardous and costly.

The study shows an average of GMD 54,971 of indebtedness per migrant, ten times the average monthly income in The Gambia. On a personal level - social and psychological - many of those surveyed cited feelings of anxiety, failure, social isolation and fear of not being able to repay their obligations.

Moreover, borrowing money to migrate and then being unable to repay these loans can represent a palpable, physical danger for migrants and their families. The study uncovers that one out of five returning migrants in debt reported having been threatened, abused or subjected to acts of violence to force them to repay their debts.

"IOM defines reintegration to be sustainable when returnees have reached levels of economic self-sufficiency, social stability within communities and psychosocial wellbeing," explained Mr. Nyakassi M.B. Sayang, GBoS' Statistician General at the launch. "This study will help find better ways to support the reintegration of returnees in a conducive environment."

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"Good data collection and research on migration are essential to shape successful interventions. We hope this serves as a springboard for further high-quality interventions in The Gambia," echoed H.E. Mr. David Belgrove OBE, British High Commissioner to The Gambia. "The UK government has recognized that, to influence global migration, it needs to invest in shaping the wider international response - which is why the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is proud to have funded the work leading to this important research that will hopefully help address the root causes of irregular migration."

IOM encourages the implementation of programmes to raise awareness among potential migrants, returnees, their families and communities on the economic and psychosocial impacts of migration-related debt on reintegration. IOM also recommends the development of protection programmes targeting returnees in debt.

"We know for a fact that data and evidence are still lacking in The Gambia, especially on migration issues," emphasized Ms. Fumiko Nagano, IOM's Chief of Mission in The Gambia. "We hope the findings will give the government a sound basis to better understand the vulnerabilities of migrants to design and implement policies and interventions that are targeted and effective."
Small business owners with certain forgiven federal loans during the COVID-19 pandemic can now exclude those funds from their gross taxable income in Massachusetts.

Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law Thursday afternoon legislation that makes enables pass-through entities with forgiven Paycheck Protection Program loans to get the same tax benefits that corporations do.

The congressional stimulus package in December allowed businesses with forgiven PPP loans to exclude the funds from gross taxable income while still claiming the deductions for expenses they paid using the PPP money, which tax experts and critics have described as a double benefit.

In Massachusetts, corporations got the same benefits because the states corporate tax code conforms to the federal corporate tax code automatically. But the state has a fixed individual tax code, meaning lawmakers had to pass legislation to ensure small businesses could get the same relief.

Residents who received unemployment benefits wont be taxed on the first $10,200 if they live below 200% of the federal poverty level.

The new law also freezes the unemployment insurance rate for the calendar years 2021 and 2022, slowing the annual employer UI contribution rate. The rate was expected to increase hundreds of dollars per employee.

This legislation takes a thoughtful and comprehensive approach in delivering critical relief to facilitate economic recovery for the people of Massachusetts, Baker said in a letter to lawmakers.

While employers get a reprieve from UI rate hikes, the new law authorizes the state to issue special obligation bonds to repay federal advances and get the trust fund out of the red.

The bill also creates a $75 million COVID-19 emergency paid sick time program similar to the federal COVID leave benefits, requiring employers to give workers a weeks paid leave if they are infected with, isolated or quarantined due to COVID-19.

The paid leave also extends to those getting vaccinated or caring for family members who fit those same criteria.

The mandate aptly addresses needs  immunization, isolation, and quarantine  that were not contemplated when the states Paid Family and Medical Leave program was designed, Baker said.

Baker sent back two amendments that would tweak the states paid sick time program.

The first would require that employees on sick leave related to COVID-19 get no less than their regular rate of pay. The amendment would cap the sick pay at $850 or two-thirds of the regular rate of pay for family leave.

The program would offer benefits to part-time employees with a regular schedule with consistent hours per week as long as the paid sick leave is equal to the number of hours an employee works per week, on average over a two-week schedule.

The second amendment would extend a $40-per-employee tax credit to employers who lack access to the tax credit under the federal leave program. Extending the tax credit for all employees who arent covered, Baker said, would make it easier for employers to request the credit to the Executive Office of Administration and Finance without the risk of potentially having to rely on paperwork that could violate health private laws.

An employer would have to file the credit application and any amendment related to the application by Dec. 31.

This amendment would also set an end date of Sept. 30 for the COVID-19 emergency paid sick time program. Baker said setting an official deadline would address any uncertainty between employers and workers because the sick leave programs end date would otherwise be whenever the $75 million fund dries up.

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Amaravati, April 2 : Andhra Pradesh's opposition Telugu Desam Party on Friday announced its decision to boycott the upcoming Zilla and Mandal Parishad polls, with party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu expressing doubts over them being held in a free and fair manner.

Interacting with the media at Mangalagiri following the party's politbureau meet, Naidu, who is also the former Chief Minister, objected to the election notification being issued in haste by the newly-appointed State Election Commissioner Neelam Sahni, who took over charge on Thursday and issued the election notification the same evening.

"The SEC has been reduced to a mere rubber stamp in the Parishad polls," Naidu alleged.

The TDP has been asking for a fresh notification of local body elections on account of the Tirupati Lok Sabha bypoll.

Noting that the SEC was to announce the polls after taking the opinion of all political parties, he said it had announced the dates on its own. "I don't think these polls will be held freely and fairly. Therefore the party has decided not to participate in these polls," Naidu said.

On Thursday, the SEC announced that the ZPTC and MPTC polls would be held on April 8, and results declared on April 10. The polls, originally scheduled to be held in 2020, were put on hold by then SEC Ramesh Kumar, citing the Covid pandemic.

The BJP and Jana Sena parties also boycotted Friday's all-party meet convened by the SEC.
I RECENTLY asked the undergrads in my class on virtue and vice to send me a brief note about a time when they either forgave someone in a meaningful way or found that they couldnt. Their notes spoke of love, sorrow, finding a way  or not  to maintain relationships in the wake of wrongs. Nobody mentioned cancelling anybody.

Opinion

I RECENTLY asked the undergrads in my class on virtue and vice to send me a brief note about a time when they either forgave someone in a meaningful way or found that they couldnt. Their notes spoke of love, sorrow, finding a way  or not  to maintain relationships in the wake of wrongs. Nobody mentioned cancelling anybody.

Our class, combining philosophy and literature, begins with Confucius and ends with Spike Lee. We meet in person  though all of us are masked and separated by at least six feet. We begin with the ancient worlds emphasis on moderation and practice, and end with our own emphasis on survival itself as a marker of virtue.

Early on, we explore how notions of love, charity and forgiveness fundamentally changed the Western ideas of morality. What does Augustine mean when he says, "Love God and do what you will"? What do grace and forgiveness have to do with each other in Thomas Aquinas? Later, well ask similar questions about such thinkers as Mary Wollstonecraft and Judith Butler.

Grace and forgiveness attract the students attention. Many use utilitarian arguments to explain why its beneficial to forgive. They say its psychologically healthier to not dwell on the past, or that its a waste of time to hold on to a grudge.

They have a harder time with the idea of forgiveness as a moral good in itself. "What about justice?" some quickly ask. I remind them of our discussion of the parable of Jesus and the tax collectors: "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" ask the Pharisees. And Jesus answers: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Then the question becomes, is repentance necessary before forgiveness is granted, or is mercy unconditional?

After collecting students responses to the forgiveness question, I asked them what kinds of issues they expected to come up most often.

A woman quickly raised her hand and said it had to be about cheating in a relationship. This proved spot-on. Some talked about deceitful romantic partners or old friends who wound up dating their exes. A few complained of best friends knowing about illicit behavior but not sharing it, while others remembered feeling aghast at what seemed like unprovoked cruelties. Almost all, though, said they found a way to forgive the offending party. Most of the time, this wasnt out of love or grace, but because it was, they said, better for their own psychological health not to carry around such bitterness.

Not all of the personal issues had to do with dating. There were disputes between siblings that had been set aside in order to preserve relationships, and a few commented on how odd it felt to realize that they hadnt really forgiven a brother or a sister for a silly offence committed years ago.

The issue of repentance did resonate with a couple of students who thought about forgiveness in a political context. One said that he couldnt forgive those "who willfully upheld systems of oppression," while another singled out Donald Trump as being beyond the pale of forgiveness. For both students, the absence of an attempt to seek forgiveness meant it should be withheld  and not only here on Earth!

We talked in class about the conflicts that occur sometimes between justice and forgiveness. One student noted that he had forgiven a friend who had gone on to hurt others and speculated that his kindness might have enabled the persistence of hurtful behaviour. It was generally agreed that justice demanded an accounting, or a rebalancing, while forgiveness was more like a gift, more like an expression of love.

I was particularly struck by their reflections on how hard it was to find a way to acknowledge hurt while not being subsumed by it. I was concerned for those who felt at fault for allowing others to wrong them, even as they struggled with lingering questions of betrayal.

And I was deeply moved by the student who wrote that he understood why his parents "had to get divorced," but that it left him with "a constant process of forgiveness." Another student wrote about becoming homeless because of a parents incarceration, and how he had to learn to see that they had both become better people for having gone through this ordeal. Talk about grace!

Among my students responses, I didnt see any hasty cancelling of others  no calls to isolate someone who they perceived as having acted wrongly, no move to shun someone with whom they disagreed. Nobody sounded coddled; nobody, it seemed, had had their minds closed by the prejudices often ascribed to their generation.

Of course, they may have set aside their inclinations to censoriousness and wrathful judgment because they were in a directed classroom discussion. But I would note that they didnt need much encouragement. They just needed, as we all do, safe enough spaces to work through the complexities of reconciliation  and of forgiveness.

 Los Angeles Times
Striking mine workers began picketing Warrior Met Coal last night after weeks of negotiations.

According to the United Mine Workers of America, the strike began at 10 p.m.

UMWA members at Warrior Met Coal began an Unfair Labor Practice strike in Alabama tonight at 10:00 p.m. #UnitedWeStand #MinersSavedWarriorMet pic.twitter.com/uVunzdTqQB  United Mine Workers (@MineWorkers) April 2, 2021

The UMWA issued a strike notice Wednesday, covering more than 1,100 workers at all of the companys operations, including the No. 4 mine, the No. 5 preparation plant, the No. 7 mine and its central shop.

The UMWA also said it filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board relating to Warrior Mets conduct during negotiations. The current agreement with the union was negotiated as Warrior Met emerged from the bankruptcy proceedings of the former Walter Energy, which declared bankruptcy in 2016.

Warrior Met produces coal used in steel production in Asia, Europe and South America.

A statement on the UMWA website reads, We made the sacrifices that brought this company out of bankruptcy. While upper management was getting bonuses, UMWA miners took pay and benefit cuts. The productive, professional miners at Warrior Met mined the coal that meant the company could become successful again.

The people who manage the Wall Street hedge funds that own Warrior Met dont know us, they dont know our families, they dont know our communities. And they dont care. All they care about is sucking as much money as they can, every day that they can, from central Alabama. We want Warrior Met to be successful. But they can be successful and fair to its workers and communities at the same time.

The company said it will continue to work toward a resolution.

While we are disappointed that the UMWA has taken this extreme step to declare a strike while we continue to negotiate in good faith, we have continuity plans in place to continue meeting the demands of our key customers, the company said in a statement.
The first showstopper to greet customers at 5150 Chocolate Co. in Delray Beach might as well be the factorys Easter ambassador: a 300-pound chocolate egg sculpture named Edmund, a sack of cacao beans wedged inside its gap-toothed mouth.

Next to Edmund is a four-foot-tall chocolate snowman, a white-and-dark chocolate Faberge egg, and a sculpture of spike-covered balls that looks suspiciously like a coronavirus.

It really does, chocolate-maker Tyler Levitetz, whose Instagram handle is @therealwillywonka, says with a laugh. But its abstract art. I swear I made that before the pandemic.

Confection-lovers arent just here for Levitetzs eye-popping artisanal sculptures. Its Easter crunch time at his multimillion-dollar chocolate factory and the shelves are adorned with dark-chocolate egg cartons and white-chocolate bunnies, chocolate bark and hollow pastel eggs adorned in spring flowers. Hundreds of Easter gifts have flown off his shelves as one of 5150 1/4 u2032s most profitable holidays.

Its one of the busiest times of year apart from Christmas and Valentines, says Levitetz, whose factory is named after the police code for a mentally disturbed person. People buy dozens of bunnies. We cant keep the pastel eggs stocked long enough since we put them on Instagram.

He does it all from scratch: At his 5,000-square-foot factory Levitetz, 31, turns sacks of raw cacao beans imported from small farms in Uganda, Peru, Guatemala and Ghana into bars of artisanal chocolate. At least a dozen chocolate-making machines, each thousands of dollars, are responsible for shelling, roasting, grinding and smoothing cacao beans before they are melted into liquid and molded into solid chocolate.

The chocolatey transformation from bean to bar can take days, sometimes a full week, he says.

Theres a crazy amount of science to chocolate, Levitetz says during a tour of his factory. You can shape it as a liquid, or when its soft and clay-like, or as a solid. Right now were making chocolate with date fruit sugar.

Story continues

Levitetz is the scion of Purity Wholesale Grocers, a wholesaler in Boca Raton founded by his father, Jeffrey, that distributes specialty goods to 48 states. He cut his teeth at Chicagos French Pastry School, one of few places in the country teaching the art of molded chocolate, followed by an apprenticeship under chocolate-maker Norman Love in Fort Myers.

With seed money from family, he spent five years building his chocolate factory at 1010 N. Federal Highway, a half-mile north of Atlantic Avenue near the FEC tracks. He bought a house a few blocks away and, though he owns a car, Levitetz skateboards to work every morning.

For me, when I first opened, it was all about shock value. I was literally a kid set loose in a candy store. But what I learned is that fancy gimmicks and what people really like are two different things, says Levitetz, whose factory is staffed with chocolatiers and pastry chefs. And the classics are what people want.

When Levitetz opened his chocolate factory in late 2019, he proudly experimented with confectionery gimmickry: Chocolate-shaped smartphones, Rice Krispy Treat nugz spray-painted green to resemble marijuana, and $1,000 chocolate bars studded with edible gold leaf. Once, a $100 Valentines Day Survival Kit contained a chocolate vibrator.

Our Instagram once got shut down for selling drugs. People thought I was running a silk road out of my chocolate factory, Levitetz says. But Ive been a little more reserved since the pandemic. I like to say we went from a chocolate party into a real business.

Thats because Levitetz, in 2020, struck a massive partnership with Whole Foods Market to stock his single-origin chocolate bars at all 31 Florida locations. He also supplies bon bons and truffles to the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale and the Mondrian South Beach. And this month, Levitetzs chocolate sculptures are on display at Delray Beachs Old School Square.

The 1,200-square-foot gift shop inside Levitetzs factory is a chocolate steampunk wonderland with bronze gears on the ceiling, exposed duct work and cocoa-brown brick walls. There are chocolate sculptures of the Incredible Hulk and Captain Americas shield underneath glass.

Pastry chef Carlos Coronados bonbons are particularly glossy, delicate half-orbs of chocolate airbrushed with color swirls and filled, often, with multiple flavors, like blood orange and pistachio, lychee and chai tea.

Chocolate is such a noble product, Coronado says. And it always has a cool story, from the farm workers doing manual labor to harvestIing beans to the process of turning it into chocolate.

5150 Chocolate Co., at 1010 N. Federal Highway, in Delray Beach, is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Call 561- 562-5731 or go to 5150Chocolate.com.
MASON CITY, Iowa - One person is dead and another is wanted for murder following a shooting late Wednesday night.

According to a press release, officers responded to a call of a shooting at 10:26 p.m. in the area of 3rd Street NW and North Jefferson Avenue.

There, authorities confirmed one person was shot and was taken to MercyOne North Iowa where they later died from their injuries.

The name of the victim hasn't been released, pending the notification of family members.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting with the investigation.

As of right now, an arrest warrant for first-degree murder has been issued for Benjamin Gonzalez, 38, of Mason City. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Mason City Police at 641-421-3636.

This is Mason City's first homicide of 2021.
The fundamental cornerstone of our democracy is voter confidence in the integrity of elections. It must be taken seriously by all citizens and the elected officials who serve the people of the State of Connecticut.

It is very concerning that the Democratic nominee for the 145th house seat, Corey Paris, has allegedly voted in Stamford despite being a resident of Bridgeport. If determined to be true by the State Elections Enforcement Commission, this is a serious violation of the law and strikes at the heart of our democracy.

State law is clear and unambiguous. Connecticut General Statute (CGS) Section 9-12 clearly states a person shall be deemed to be a bona fide resident of the town to which the citizen applies for admission as an elector if such persons dwelling unit is located within the geographic boundaries of such town.

Mr. Paris has acknowledged that he does not dwell in the City of Stamford but intends to do so by April 27 (Advocate Article dated March 28).

Voting records indicate he voted in Stamford in August of 2020, November of 2020 and March of 2021. There is no excuse for this that Mr. Paris can plausibly put forth. He is an educated man who holds a bachelors degree in political science. When he presented himself at the polls in Stamford, the official checker would have asked for identification demonstrating his dwelling unit was in Stamford.

He obviously was on the Stamford voter registration rolls; otherwise, he could not have voted. If at the time he was living in Bridgeport, he should have registered to vote in Bridgeport and the registrar in Bridgeport, pursuant to CGS Section 9-21, would have notified the Stamford registrars and his name would have been removed from the Stamford voter rolls. If these allegations prove true, Mr. Paris violated CGS Section 9-360 in committing voter fraud, a class D Felony, and, if convicted, he would be disenfranchised.

Mr. Paris should withdraw from the race for the 145th House seat immediately. Until the State Elections Enforcement Commission and the States Attorneys office complete an investigation, it is not fair to the voters of Stamford. The Democratic City Committee should publicly state voter fraud is never condoned and until the state investigation is completed, Mr. Paris should not receive their endorsement.

Fritz Blau is chairman of the Stamford Republican Town Committee.
Suddenly the Greens  long caricatured as the party of bikes, bogs and bunnies  are a family at war. The deeply personalised conflicts are being played out in full public glare and efforts to broker peace appear doomed.

On one side, there is party leader Eamon Ryan, who over the past decade led his party from the brink of oblivion, with just three local councillors in 2011, to a record strength of 12 TDs and four senators and an influential presence in government once again.

On the other side, there is party national chairwoman and Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu, uncomfortable with the compromises of coalition and arguing for a more radical social agenda. In the background there is the enigmatic presence of the Martin Greens, who include deputy leader and minister Catherine Martin, her husband Francis Noel Duffy, also a TD, and her brother, Senator Vincent Martin.

It is a rerun of conflicts that surfaced this time 12 months ago. These struggles were parallel to the ultimately successful efforts to put together a three-party coalition of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party.

In those struggles, Ryan got where he wanted to go. The Dublin Bay South TD handsomely cleared the two-thirds party membership support threshold for coalition participation. And he held on to the party leadership, albeit rather narrowly, in a contest with Catherine Martin.

It did not follow, however, that a significant bloc in the party were going to reconcile themselves with coalition. It definitely did not mean that a bigger group of internal critics were suddenly supporters of his leadership.

Public spats

So, this latest internal barney is a continuation of other public spats. But a row over something as banal as a Seanad by-election is still something of a surprise.

It is hard to find Green Party members who will remain dispassionate about this struggle. But some stalwarts are trying hard to see both sides and have shared their views with this writer on assurance of not being named at this sensitive juncture.

At the base of the Greens divisions are two sincerely held views. Ryan argues that agreeing to Fine Gael and Fianna Fail sharing the two Seanad seats is beneficial for pragmatic reasons. It shows goodwill and extends the partys political leverage for future favours. This by-election is, in all events, practically unwinnable, while there is the promise of a Seanad seat if there is another vacancy during this partliamentary cycle.

Expand Close Deputy Leader of the Green Party Catherine Martin / Facebook

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Martin, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, argues instead that this is an opportunity to promote a woman, and one from a minority background. The Dublin Rathdown TD argues that Chu, born to immigrants from Hong Kong, is entitled to run as an independent for the Seanad as an example of the Green Party as a broad church that promotes equality and inclusivity.

Read More

For others, that view at least harks back to the early days of the Greens when practices such as not having a central leadership and trying to get unanimity for all decisions held back the organisations political progress. Others, more protective of Ryan, see it as another way to undermine him.

Such clashes of personality and ambition are common to most human endeavours and are the stuff of politics.

It is arguable that such a big bust-up in the Greens is another sign of their coming of age. In November they mark 40 years in existence, a small-party record in a country that has seen many minority parties, from Clann na Poblachta to the Progressive Democrats, burn brightly but briefly.

There is a strong personal rivalry at play here. Ryan had been a TD for five-seat Dublin South, a Green Party natural habitat that elected the partys first deputy, Roger Garland, back in June 1989. But after Ryan lost his seat in the Greens post-coalition meltdown of 2011, he successfully moved in 2016 to the more promising Dublin Bay South constituency. But Martin pulled off a major surprise win in 2016 in his old bailiwick, which had been reduced from five seats to three and renamed Dublin Rathdown.

Expand Close Leader of the Greens, Eamon Ryan TD / Facebook

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Meanwhile, Patrick Costello, who is now Chus partner, won a council seat in 2014 in Ryans new political home. Costello was disappointed he did not get the party nod for the 2016 Dail election due to Ryans relocation, but he managed to move himself to Dublin South Central and win a Dail seat in February last year.

When Chu handsomely won a council seat in the Pembroke ward in Dublin Bay South in 2019, she unsuccessfully argued that she be added as a second candidate in the constituency alongside Ryan in the 2020 Dail election. Her supporters argue that too much has been done to accommodate the party leaders needs. The counter-argument is that Chu has become Lord Mayor of Dublin and is in only her second year on the city council.

There is visceral opposition to Chu running in this Seanad by-election  and even more opposition to her remaining on as party national chairwoman while she does so. Total war beckoned two weeks ago when three Green Party senators  Pauline OReilly, Roisin Garvey and Pippa Hackett  tabled a motion of no-confidence in Chu as chairwoman, in effect seeking her sacking.

The situation was defused somewhat at a parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday evening with a compromise motion calling for her to step aside temporarily from the chair during the election campaign. That motion was carried by 11 votes to five.

But Chu had already rebuffed the temporary move, insisting the parliamentary party had no role here, because the role is entirely a matter for the partys steering executive committee. The issue has been sent back to the executive committee and nobody expects any change to come from that.

Chu will stand for the upper house of parliament as an independent, in an election she publicly concedes she has no chance of winning. The bar is set higher for the party in the court of public opinion and this very row is extremely damaging.

Seanad showdown: The root of the row

The Green Partys latest dispute centres on one of the two by-elections to the 60-seat Seanad caused by two senators resignations last year. For such by-elections, voting is restricted to the 160 TDs and the remaining 58 senators.

The leadership of the three coalition parties had agreed that, on this occasion, Fine Gael would regain the seat they previously held, while Fianna Fail would gain a seat at the expense of Sinn Fein. The Green Party would support both candidates on the promise of gaining a future Seanad seat should a vacancy occur during this parliamentary term.

With a combined total of 125 TDs and senators across the three government parties, the outcome should not be in doubt. The new senators were expected to be Gerry Horkan of Fianna Fail and Maria Byrne of Fine Gael.

But enter Chu, chairwoman of the Green Party and Lord Mayor of Dublin, who got a nomination as an independent candidate with support from nine TDs and senators. Her nominators include one senator and four Green TDs, notably the partys deputy leader, Catherine Martin.

The bitter internal row turns on key questions. Those against Chus candidacy ask: how can the national party chairwoman stand in a parliamentary election flying colours other than the Greens? Why risk party unity and degrade political leverage inside government in a contest most unlikely to yield a win?

Those in favour of Chus candidature ask: why pass an opportunity to promote the candidacy of a woman candidate from an ethnic minority, which are aims central to the party? Why yield party identity so easily to the bigger two coalition partners?

These and other questions are corroding political and personal relationships inside the Green Party.

John Downing, a political correspondent with the Irish Independent, was press adviser to the Green Party in government 2007-2011
A passenger in a vehicle which crashed following a high-speed pursuit in Dublin had to undergo extensive surgery following the incident while the driver escaped with a number of broken bones.

The Ford Focus was completely written off after the driver smashed into a tree outside Lidl on St Margarets Road in Finglas following a high speed pursuit on Thursday morning.

The passenger in the car was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he underwent surgery for a number of hours to repair extensive damage to internal organs.

He is currently in serious but stable condition in intensive care and is likely to face a lengthy stay in hospital.

The driver of the car escaped with significantly less injuries understood to include a few broken bones.

Expand Close Firefighters from Finglas and Phibsborough used hydraulic cutting equipment to extricate two people from the crash. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Firefighters from Finglas and Phibsborough used hydraulic cutting equipment to extricate two people from the crash.

The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission has been informed of the incident as is standard protocol when there is a serious crash during a garda pursuit.

Gardai are also investigating an incident of dangerous driving arising out of the incident.

A garda spokesman said: "At approximately 3:10am, Gardai observed the vehicle engaged in dangerous driving and attempted to stop the vehicle. A managed containment operation was undertaken by Gardai.

"The suspect vehicle was involved in a collision on St Margarets Road a short time later."

He said the driver, aged in his late teens, and passenger, aged in his early 20s, were treated at the scene and taken to hospital.

Read More

"Forensic collision investigators attended the scene and conducted an examination."

"As the suspect vehicle had interacted with Gardai earlier in the night this matter has been referred to GSOC."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the so-called "muscle-flexing" in the format of military exercises and possible provocations along the border is a traditional affair of the Russian Federation, which is trying to create an atmosphere of threat and pressure during the peace talks.

The head of state said in a post on his Facebook page that Ukraine was ready for such actions.

"Russian military build-up on the border with Ukraine and muscle-flexing in the form of military exercises and possible provocations along the border is a traditional Russian affair. In this way, it seeks to create an atmosphere of threat and, at the same time, of pressure during the negotiations on the ceasefire and on peace as our value. Our army is not just strength and power; it is also wisdom and balance. Our state is unity. We are always ready for any provocations," Zelensky said.

He stressed that the escalation in eastern Ukraine had been noticeable since the beginning of this year. According to him, in the first months alone, 20 Ukrainian servicepersons have been killed and 57 have been wounded.

He also noted that sanctions against Viktor Medvedchuk, a "loud and firm" stance on Ukraine's independence and progress towards peace, as well as unquestioning support from Western partners, irritate the enemy that invaded the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and occupied Crimea.

Zelensky said that Ukraine would like to return to the conditions when the ceasefire was more effective - as of July 27, 2020, when there were ten times fewer wounded and dead for months.

"The peace negotiation process is not easy. But no one hoped it would be easy. It always hurts to lose our people. Every news of death is taken with pain by families, relatives, all Ukrainians and me as president. That is why we do not stop and are agreeing on a truce as the fastest tactical step. Our strategy is definitely peace and the return of our people and territories," Zelensky said.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry warned earlier that the Russian Federation was ready for large-scale provocations against Ukraine.

op
press release

London  Foreign ministers today (30 March 2021) stressed that a collective effort is necessary to defeat Daesh.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken were among foreign ministers today stressing that a "comprehensive and collective effort remains necessary to achieve a full and enduring defeat of Daesh/ISIS worldwide".

Following a virtual meeting, Global Coalition against Daesh ministers agreed a joint statement warning of the urgent Daesh threat, including its growing insurgency in parts of Africa.

The number of attacks Daesh claimed in Africa grew by more than a third between 2019 and 2020. Recent violence perpetrated by its affiliates has included attacks on aid workers in the Lake Chad Basin region, and the horrific beheading of civilians in Mozambique over recent months.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is also looking closely at the terrible events ongoing in Mozambique, and is in close contact with the authorities on this.

Through strengthened cooperation across the Global Coalition, foreign ministers committed to ensuring that Daesh remains "unable to reconstitute any territorial enclave or continue to threaten our homelands, people, and interests".

Reaffirming that allied governments "remain firmly united in our outrage at Daesh/ISIS's atrocities and in our determination to eliminate this global threat," ministers expressed specific concern at:

- increased terrorist activity in Iraq, including a recent double suicide attack in Baghdad

- a rise in Daesh activity in regime-held areas of Syria, where Daesh has been able to "rebuild its networks and capabilities to target security forces and civilians"

- a "serious and growing threat" from Daesh affiliates in West Africa and the Sahel, and an emerging threat in East Africa

Noting that these challenges have intensified during a period where COVID-19 has impacted Coalition operations, ministers welcomed the continued work of partner forces to mitigate the fallout of the pandemic, while providing continued support to dismantle Daesh.

One of the first multilateral meetings led by Secretary Blinken, the meeting was co-hosted with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmes. Others attending included NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Addressing his international counterparts, the Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of ensuring that Daesh fighters face appropriate justice, and affirmed the UK's continuing commitment to stabilising liberated areas of Iraq and Syria.

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Following the meeting, the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said: "Two years on from the territorial defeat of Daesh and liberation of nearly eight million people from its cruel grip, we remain committed to preventing its resurgence.

"The UK is supporting partner forces confronting Daesh in Iraq and Syria, stabilising liberated communities, building institutions so that terrorists face justice, and leading efforts against its twisted propaganda"."

The Global Coalition meeting comes shortly after the Foreign Secretary's keynote speech to the Aspen Security Forum, at which he outlined the UK's mission to be a "force for good in the world". The importance of multilateralism in addressing shared security challenges was also described in the Government's Integrated Review, which confirmed that Britain's armed forces "will continue to contribute to the Global Coalition against Daesh in Iraq and Syria".

The ministers acknowledged that while Daesh no longer controls territory and nearly 8 million people have been freed from its control in Iraq and Syria, the threat remains.

SOURCE UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office
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 Friday, the Advance/SILive.com visited Sagara Food City at 98 Victory Blvd., which is open for pickup, delivery and catering from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

YES, THEYRE OPEN: Sagara Food City offers pickup, delivery and catering options at 98 Victory Blvd. The shop is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; the kitchen is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. To order, call 7182854556. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Friday, April 2, 2021

The shop opened in Tompkinsville this summer and was once a full restaurant. To order, call 718-285-4556 or visit sagarafoodcity.com.

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?

Check out the listings below or check out all of our previous coverage here.

Twisted Vineyard, 500 Bay St.

Rocket Fizz, 2955 Veterans Road W.

Zio Toto, 86 Page Ave.

La Iguana Azul, 8 Giffords Lane

Bayou, 1072 Bay St.

Belli Baci Bakery, 7358 Amboy Road

ONeills Irish Pub, 1614 Forest Ave.
SPRINGFIELD  The newest crop of police recruits will graduate today, becoming sworn in as the newest members of the citys Police Department.

Because of a confluence of local, national and worldwide events, this latest class at the Springfield Police Academy underwent 26-weeks of training that were unique, and are entering the profession at a time like no other.

The 33 graduates make up the first Springfield academy class to begin and end with COVID-19 restrictions in place. They are the first class trained in the use of body camera technology. They are the first class since the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, since the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and amid a nationwide discussion on police brutality, proper use of force and even what the role of police should be.

And all of it went into the curriculum used to shape and mold the recruits for their career on the streets.

Academy Director Capt. David E. Kane and long-time instructor Sgt. Edward Van Zandt said this class, unlike previous academies, carries the expectation that they will hit the ground running.

Were telling them that no longer in policing will you be given any slack, any leeway based on the fact that you dont have much time on the job, Van Zandt said.

Kane said much of the training has to do with decision making and accountability, both in their personal and professional lives.

Weve had very frank conversations with them, saying Hey listen. Youre about to become something larger than yourself with duties and responsibilities not just to yourself but to your community, to your co-workers, to the people you serve, he said.

This is the second academy class in the age of COVID-19 but its the first one where precautions were built into the curriculum from day one.

The previous class, which graduated a year ago in April, was midway through when the statewide emergency was declared in mid-March, which forced changes on the fly. For this class, there was more time to shape the academic and hands-on training in such a way to keep people safe.

It certainly was challenging. A number of recruits did come down with COVID-19, but we were still able to get them to graduate on time, Van Zandt said.

We had to educate ourselves on utilizing Zoom, like everyone else, he said. But we didnt miss a beat.

There were originally 36 recruits, but three dropped out along the way.

Academy lessons are a mixture of academics on the law and police procedure, and hands-on drills in firearms, defensive tactics, and use of force.

For academics, lessons were conducted either remotely, or by setting up a classroom in a large training bay. Everyone wore masks and kept their distance.

For hand-on drills, everyone wore masks and gloves.

We had to modify the way they move around the building, we marked on the floor where they would stand, he said.

And the recruits were continually wiping down desks and equipment. There were 33 people cleaning the building constantly. Its got to be the cleanest building there is, he said.

Members of the Springfield police academy during a recent class. COVID-19 protocols required social distancing and masks. (Springfield Police Department photo)

COVID-19 precautions resulted in the closing off of the academy to outsiders.

Its for that reason a photographer was not allowed inside to take photos of recruits, a request that had been granted in previous years.

Its for that reason that Kane and Van Zandt were interviewed in an empty classroom by a reporter seated more than six feet away.

COVID-19 precautions necessitated changing some academy traditions, particularly interactions with the community.

Previous classes have all taken part in community service activities, such as distributing food to homeless shelters or groundskeeping at city parks. And then there were the group runs through city neighborhoods.

All of that had to be shelved.

Kane said the neighborhood runs were hugely popular with residents. People used to call up and ask when the recruits were going to run through their neighborhood.

As with everyone else on the planet we have to make adjustments, and we had to do things we didnt want to do, Kane said.

They could not risk having recruits going out into neighborhoods and mingling with the community and all of a sudden it becomes a super spreader.

Of the 33 graduates, 31 are joining the Springfield police. The two others are joining the Springfield College campus police department.

Their graduation is planned today for 11:15 a.m. at Symphony Hall.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the event is by invitation-only, but will be broadcast live by Focus Springfield community access TV.

Although their formal academy training concludes with the graduation, their training on the job will continue.

In previous years, rookies would be assigned to the uniformed patrol, generally the midnight to 8 a.m. shift.

Police Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood implemented a change were rookies will each begin their careers on a three-week rotation between one of the neighborhood based C3 units, the downtown Metro Unit, and the Traffic and Ordinance units.

Kane said it is seen as a way to better fine tune their skills.

The C3 units work closely with neighborhood issues, Metro work with the Behavioral Health Network on mental health issues, Ordinance focuses on quality of life issues, and traffic respond to accidents, speeding complaints and other traffic problems.

At the end of the rotation cycle, we dont expect them to be experts, but they should be confident enough to get through a basic arrest report, a basic incident or accident report, how to write a citation (or) how to deal with a neighbor dispute, Kane said. Working with those smaller teams will help their communication skills as well.

Another new change is that the graduates will be required to meet individually with Kane every three weeks for a status check.

Were not nurse-maiding them, were not holding their hands, but we want to make sure that we provide the absolute best (training) that we possibly can before they are dumped into the uniform division, he said. So, bringing them back every three weeks is vital, I think.

For the next academy class, Kane hopes the department will adopt a field training officer program, where rookies would be matched with partners who are trained to teach and reinforce aspects of the job. Other departments across the county have a field training officer program, but Springfield has never used one.

The academy is graduating against a backdrop of the national media focusing on the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with murder and other charges in the death of Floyd on May 25.

By now, nearly everyone has seen the video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyds neck for more than nine minutes until he died. The video touched off widespread protests and demonstrations in cities across the county  including Springfield.

Van Zandt said that of course the case fit right into the academys curriculum on use of force.

For years, Springfield police have been trained in de-escalation techniques, which is a fancy way of saying using alternatives such as communication to gain compliance, rather than physical force.

We have always emphasized de-escalation skills, of not using force if we dont have to, and looking at other options before we use force, Van Zandt said.

Kane said that is basically what any grizzled old veteran officer will tell you to do.

If you can talk your way out of it, thats what you want to do, Kane said. You want the outcome with the least amount of physical force.

Kane said most interactions officers have with the public involve the use of communication skills, rather than physical force. He calls it the soft approach.

You have to know how to talk to people, he said. You have to have a commanding presence but you also have to show empathy and compassion when it is warranted..

They are going to use that soft approach on more calls, he said. Its not as often that they are going to be putting their hands on someone as they are talking to someone.

Van Zandt said it is those skills that todays recruits need the most help developing. Todays 20-somethings have all sorts of technical and internet savvy, and can text like nobodys business. But when it comes to using their voices, they all seem to need a little work. I always said that if they could, theyd text sir, put your hands on your head and turn around, they would.

Van Zandt said he is proud that Springfield police have been trained in de-escalation for the last several years before it became a trending topic during the states police reform debate.

That same debate called for the banning of the use of chokeholds by police.

Van Zandt and Kane said Springfield police are trained specifically not to use choke holds to restrain anyone, and that has been the case since they each went through the academy.

We do hundreds and hundreds of repetitions of things like takedowns. We emphasize, if you have to take a subject down to the ground, not putting your body weight on the subject, he said. We dont teach choke holds and never have.

Kane said he remembers being a recruit in the academy, and the instructor using him to demonstrate the dangers of chokeholds. He remembers getting woozy as the instructor wrapped his arm around Kanes neck and demonstrated how the slightest of movements can cut off the persons air.

Thats not something we employ ever, he said.

One of the defenses of Chauvin has been that he was only following his training. That wouldnt stand up around here, Kane said.

Thats not what anyone in this state is trained to do.

The department has also incorporated into the academy curriculum a type of early-intervention accountability training called EPIC.

EPIC stands for Ethical Policing is Courageous, and it essentially says if an officer sees something is wrong, they should do something about it.

And it can include standing up to your own partner if their actions are not proper.

Van Zandt said EPIC stresses that officers look for early warning signs that their partner is under stress, and then to intervene at their earliest possible convenience.

It can mean pulling the partner aside and saying go cool off in the cruiser. It can mean reporting the partner to a superior if the problems continue.

This can be a difficult position for a rookie cop to stand up to a more experienced partner, he said. But modern policing and the public demand accountability.

Kane and Van Zandt point out that two of the four officers facing charges in the Floyd death were rookies just days into their career. They stood by while Chauvin kneeled on Floyds neck for 9 minutes.

Theres not a judge or a jury thats going to say this is terrible and a man lost his life, but its OK because you only have 3 days on the job, Van Zandt said.

Were teaching our officers that you are accountable, he said. Youre not a bystander just because you dont have much time on the job. Youre an active participant.

While the Floyd video provided a teaching moment for the academy class, Van Zandt and Kane were asked if they also including a video from much closer to home, specifically the video of then-Narcotics Detective Greg Bigda threatening to plant drug evidence on a teenage car-theft suspect.

Disclosure of the video in 2016 caused no shortage of scandal and bad publicity for the department. Bigda is facing federal charges, and it led to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation of the Narcotics Bureau that found widespread civil rights violations.

They declined to comment, seeing as Bigda is still awaiting trial.

The goal of the academy is not just to prepare people to be police officers, Kane said. Its also about decision making, about making the right decision even under stress.

The department answers 260,000 calls for service a year, and the vast majority are by the book. Those ones that arent make the news.

This is what were teaching them. This is what were reinforcing, he said. The cop who makes a poor decision is going to look bad, and is going to make the department look bad. The goal of the training, both at the academy level and in periodic refresher training throughout their careers, is to prevent poor decisions.

But you can never remove the one thing that causes the most problems for policing or any profession, he said. Thats human error and human judgement.

The department is preparing its next academy class for later this year.

People have until April 20 to apply for the state exam through the Massachusetts Department of Civil Service.

Kane said that if anyone has questions about the academy or how to become a police officer, they may reach out to him by email at DKane@springfieldpolice.net
The UK reported 25 new cases of rare blood clots possibly linked to Plcs Covid-19 vaccine, adding to the numbers that have caused some European countries to adopt precautionary measures. The fresh reports lift the total number of cases to 30 as of March 24, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said in a statement Thursday. The benefits of the shot continue to outweigh the risks, the regulator said. AstraZenecas vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, is under mounting scrutiny and has faced dwindling support in Europe. Still, countries are counting on the shot to help them exit the pandemic, and millions of doses have been administered across the region. The UK agency said that the 30 incidents were out of 18.1 million doses of vaccine given by March 24. Prior to that, the agency disclosed five cases on March 18, out of 11 million shots. With the new reports, the rate of incidents with the shot in the UK is about 1 in 600,000. There were no reports of the same reactions to the vaccine from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE, which is also being used in Britain. On the basis of this ongoing review, the benefits of the vaccines against Covid-19 continue to outweigh any risks and you should continue to get your vaccine when invited to do so, the MHRA said.

The AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines have shown very high levels of protection against Covid-19, the agency said, adding that all vaccines and medicines have some side effects. The UK has one of the worlds fastest-moving vaccine programs, administering shots to more than half of all adults by late March. New daily Covid cases and deaths have fallen to the lowest levels since September, even as infections surge anew across much of the European Union, where immunisations have lagged. Earlier this week, the EU drugs regulator said a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare type of blood clot is possible, identifying at least 62 cases of the condition.
Pediatricians have a unique authority that allows them to help parents and children understand the health benefits of kindness. (YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV/Shutterstock)

New Program Helps Pediatricians Prescribe Kindness

Innovative program shows that pediatricians can contribute to healthy child development by encouraging kindness

When parents take their children to a pediatrician for a wellness check, they expect to get reports on their childrens healthy developmentif theyre growing properly, eating and sleeping well, or in need of vaccines.

They probably dont expect to get a prescription for kindness.

But at Senders Pediatrics, a private practice in Cleveland and one of the Greater Good Science Centers 16 Parenting Initiative grantees, this is exactly what parents are getting. The clinics parent education coordinator, Joan Morgenstern, has developed a program to produce events, lessons, and tools promoting kindness. Based on evidence that practicing kindness and purpose benefits children, the program helps kids care for others and flourish themselves.

While the program is in its infancy, its a model that is popular with parents and kids, and has helped the staff at Senders Pediatricsparticularly during this difficult time of COVID. Shelly Senders, the clinics founding pediatrician, hopes their focus on kindness and developing the whole child is a model that can be replicated more widely.

My goal in all of this is to get the American Academy of Pediatrics to endorse the concept of teaching kindness in every pediatric practice, he says.

How and Why to Encourage Kids to Help Others

There are many reasons to encourage kids to be kind. For one, it helps build positive relationships, which are important for developmental growth and success in life. More broadly, kindness is a moral virtue that can lead to more trusting, cooperative societies. And embracing kindness as a value from a young age can have positive effects later in life.

When kids are kind, they are happier and less likely to have social or behavioral problems. Kids who do nice things for others may have a greater sense of agency and purpose, toomeaning, they see that their actions can have a positive impact in the world and feel more capable of changing things for the better.

Given the benefits to mental health, its not too surprising that kids who practice kindness could be physically healthier, too. At least one study found that adolescents randomly assigned to volunteer had significantly better cardiovascular function than those waiting to volunteer.

To kick off Senders Pediatricss kindness program, Morgenstern organized a Community Kindness Day in 2019 that gathered hundreds of families at a local community center. Researcher Stephen Post presented data showing that kindness improves physical and mental health, and booths were set up where kids could showcase their philanthropic work in the community and inspire other kids to get involved and find purpose by doing good.

We really focused on our Cleveland community that had already taken the initiative to get involved in community activism, social service, and serving others, she said. The fact that we were having kids lead was probably one of the most impactful parts of the program.

According to Maurice Elias, a Rutgers University researcher who has been an adviser to Morgenstern and her program, the event was a success on multiple levels. It gave parents a reason to want to instill kindness in kids, legitimized the importance of social-emotional skills, and allowed kids to take charge.

When kids engage in these kinds of public acts, it builds their skills, self-esteem, and confidence; it gives them an incentive to learn how to communicate better, he says.

The Ways Senders Pediatrics Encourages Kindness

Morgenstern comes from an education background, where the virtues of encouraging childrens social and emotional growth have been understood for years. But to see this idea promoted in a pediatric clinic was novel for her.

I thought, Wouldnt it be remarkable if doctors were spouting this message about social and emotional learning? Because doctors exude a sense of authority (for some people, at least), that means people will pay more attention to the message, she says.

Her overall concept was to create opportunities for kids to acquire a habit of kindness that could be integrated into their lives, while also stressing the importance of health. After Kindness Day, she developed worksheets, activity cards, kits, monthly newsletters, and moreall aimed at promoting these important values while not stressing the busy pediatric staff.

Senders was particularly enthused about Morgensterns kindness cards, which had ideas for practicing kindness at nearly any age and could be handed out at well checks.

You can start at age three, four, or five, and integrate kindness into your regular well-child care visit, he says.

Unfortunately, some of Morgensterns ideas had to be jettisoned when COVID hit, including the second annual Kindness Day. But she got creative and sent out card-making materials around Valentines Day, encouraging kids to send valentines to people in the community who could use a boostlike first responders or elderly folks in nursing homes. In December, she asked kids to perform a good deed for someone else, providing kids with a kindness kit with more ideas of how to be kind.

According to Elias, these types of activities are successful because they expand a childs idea of how kindness matters more broadly in the world and reveals the intrinsic rewards of being kind.

Kids begin to understand that many people need kindness, he says. Once they start to think about these folks, and they do something kind and get a reply, that is incredibly reinforcing.

Why Senders May Be On to Something

While its unclear how much Senderss program can change the culture of a whole community, it has been well-received by parents whose kids have participated.

After attending Kindness Day, a 7-year-old patient at Senders Pediatrics, Garett, was encouraged to apply for a B.E.E. Kind grant the clinic designed, which paid for the creation of a Kindness Corner at his school. He and his mom, Shelly Hyland, purchased books on kindness, put Post-it notes in the school library where kids could leave kindness messages for each other, and created a snack cart for those who couldnt afford school snacks.

I was able to teach my son about writing grants to get money and materials needed to support ideas and causes that he is passionate about, says Hyland. He learned that he could make a difference with a simple idea, even though he was only 7 years old!

Has it made a difference in her sons life? Hyland thinks so.

I believe focusing on kindness has allowed my child to read others emotions and have empathy, she says. His idea and execution of the Kindness Corner drew support from the school and community, all of which had a positive impact on others.

Another parent, Chrishawndra Matthews, found that her son Derricks interest in building literacy among boys in his community was encouraged by participating in Kindness Day, where he staffed a booth. Not only was his work honored, but he was also able to get his message across to others.

He was talking about the importance of reading and sharing with children how they can become stronger readers, says Matthews.

I loved that, with the Kindness Day, it wasnt just about suburban folks; other communities were invited, and there was diversity, says Matthews, founder of Literacy in the Hood, which provides books for underserved communities.

Matthews was particularly happy that Senders Pediatrics drew participants from the low-income neighborhood where she and her son live, recognizing that they are the experts in how to best help their community. And, she adds, its important for kindness initiatives to empower people who may feel disenfranchised.

These individual stories are not only heartening, but reflect how kindness can be contagious and good for all. Senders hopes that the program will be studied by researchers to validate what they are seeing anecdotally.

Matthew Lee, a Harvard researcher who co-authored a study on the physical health benefits of being a volunteer (in adults) and directs research at the Human Flourishing Program, is interested in doing just that. He appreciates the Senders Pediatrics approach to whole-child wellness.

When a child goes to see the doctor, it shouldnt just be about taking your vital signs in a narrow, biophysical sense, he says. Doctors should talk about how kindness relates to overall health, which includes physical well-being, sure, but also your mental well-being and your full flourishing.

Senders believes that the kindness initiative not only helps children develop moral character, it also makes them less afraid to go to the doctorsomething that makes the staffs job easier. Before COVID hit, the clinic had a jungle gym set up in their waiting room available for kids to play on, which created a happy, welcoming environment for children. Now, they have a kindness program, which does much the same thing.

It started out as something small, but it has become an integral part of how we operate in our office, says Senders. It really has changed how we practice medicine.

Jill Suttie, Psy.D., is Greater Goods former book review editor and now serves as a staff writer and contributing editor for the magazine. She received her doctorate of psychology from the University of San Francisco in 1998 and was a psychologist in private practice before coming to Greater Good.
Public health officials in Solano County are concerned about increasing COVID-19 cases and are warning that the county could move back from the red tier to the most restrictive purple tier, forcing many businesses to close indoor operations.

Too early to call it a surge now but that doesnt mean its not the beginning of a surge only time will tell, Bela Matyas, the county's health officer told KRON. "We are now starting to get uncomfortably close to the level of the disease reported each day that would put us back in purple."

More than half of the Bay Area counties  including Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo  have already moved out of the red tier into the orange tier. Solano County has been in the red for three weeks.

No, were not moving into orange this week, Solano County Public Health Administrator Jayleen Richards told the Vallejo Times Herald. Last week we started to see some data not trending upwards. We could actually go from the red tier back to purple if we dont start following all the guidelines. Were not there yet, but Im worried about the slight increase of positive cases.

If Solano were to fall back into the purple tier, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, and places of worship would no longer be able to host people indoors. Personal services and retail would be allowed to continue operating indoors.

With the Easter holiday weekend ahead, Maytas encouraged residents to wear their masks and socially distance.

Matyas told KCBS Radio that the bulk of new cases in the county are appearing in younger people who aren't eligible for the vaccine.

Solano County opened up eligibility to individuals 50 and over last month ahead of the state guidelines. California broadened eligibility to those 50 and over on April 1 and will expand to 16 and over on April 15.

The state's COVID dashboard showed Friday morning that Solano's adjusted case rate was 5.4 new cases per 100,000 people, the 7-day positivity rate was 1.9% and the health equity quartile was 2.3%.

The county's dashboard showed different numbers with the 7-day positivity rate at 6.6%.

Were doing really well in the equity rate measure, but were not quite there in other categories, Richards told the Times Herald. I want to have businesses reopen and be operating just as much as anyone, but we must keep doing things like masking and keeping a safe distance apart to to keep the elderly and vulnerable healthy.

The state's color-coded reopening framework assigns a tier to each county, dictating which business sectors and activities can operate. The state announces new tier assignments on Tuesday, and on Wednesday counties can move forward with reopenings.

The state's system sorts counties into four tiers  "purple" (widespread), "red" (substantial), "orange" (moderate) or "yellow" (minimal)  that measure the spread of COVID-19 and dictate what types of businesses and activities are allowed to open.

A county's tier assignment is based on three metrics: the adjusted case rate (number of new cases per 100,000 residents, adjusted based on testing volume); the positivity rate (percentage of people who test positive for the virus of all individuals who are tested); a health equity metric; and the number of vaccines administered.

Counties in the purple category are reporting more than 10 new daily cases per 100,000 residents and have positivity rates above 8%. For a county to move into the red tier, it must report an average of four to 10 daily cases per 100,000 residents and a test positivity of 5% to 8% for 14 consecutive days. The orange tier requires one to 3.9 cases per 100,000 and a test positivity of 2% to 4.9%, and the yellow less than one case per 100,000 and lower than 2% positivity.

Solano County didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.
Mumbai, April 2 : As the Covid-19 pandemic hits Maharashtra again, a massive shortage of blood, like in the middle of 2020, looms ahead, sending panic signals afresh among the health authorities.

The State Blood Transfusion Council (STBC) has alerted the state government after which the situation is being monitored on a daily basis, it was announced on Friday.

Food and Drugs Administration Minister Dr Rajendra Shingane revealed that the average availability of blood stocks is barely sufficient to last a week in the state, putting a question mark on routine or emergency surgeries and other blood requirements by hospitals.

"There is a huge shortage of blood in major cities like Mumbai, Thane, Pune... the availability is for 6-7 days, in some other districts it may be around 10-11 days Collections need to be ramped up drastically," he urged.

Housing Minister Dr Jitendra Awhad urged the youth to organise blood donation camps or come forward voluntarily and donate blood while adhering to all Covid protocols.

Mumbai social worker Rakesh Upadhyay said that though there is not much requirement for blood among Covid-19 patients, the blood collection cycle has virtually stopped since the past 12 months owing to the pandemic and lockdown.

"We used to organize blood donation camps in collaboration with various agencies every month, and more during the vacations, with very good response. However, in the past one year, this activity has come down to virtually a trickle owing to the Work From Home adopted by many companies, restrictions on public movements and other impediments," Upadhyay told IANS.

"The blood banks in Maharashtra face an acute shortage of blood... It is the dire need of the hour and people should step forward to donate blood, voluntarily and selflessly, as it's a noble and humanitarian case," Awhad appealed.

The state government has also called upon political parties, NGOs, social organisations and the corporates to undertake blood donation camps and encourage the youngsters to donate blood.
Roberto Finizio/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesTool frontman Maynard James Keenan has released a short film celebrating Easter.

The seven-minute video, titled An Easter Story, begins with Keenan telling a story of searching for one of the ducks he had raised on his property in Arizona. The duck had gone missing, and when Keenan found her, she was sitting on a batch of newly laid eggs.

That experience reminded Keenan of searching for Easter eggs as a kid. He proceeds to explain how eggs are connected to Easter and the spring season, which then leads to some philosophical pondering of the meaning of life itself, all while a mix of Puscifer's song "The Humbling River" plays in the background.

You can watch An Easter Story streaming now on YouTube.

In addition to narrating short Easter films, Keenan is preparing for Puscifer's upcoming streaming concert, during which the band will play their 2015 album, Money $hot, in its entirety. The virtual show premieres April 17.

Puscifer previously played a streaming concert last fall to celebrate the release of their latest album, Existential Reckoning.

By Josh Johnson

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
MEDFORD, Ore.  Oregon OSHA said on Friday that it has fined Forage Coffee Company in Medford $9,250 for three violations of COVID-19 safety measures. The agency said that the coffee shop "willfully" allowed indoor dining in spite of restrictions.

Most employers in Oregon continue to move forward with efforts to protect workers against the very real hazard of COVID-19. They understand the measures needed to help defeat this disease, said Michael Wood, administrator of Oregon OSHA. Unfortunately, there are those employers who are making a different choice. As a result, we will continue to carry out our enforcement work in the interest of accountability.

OSHA said that it received multiple complaints about the business before beginning an inspection. The inspection allegedly found that Forage allowed indoor dining beginning around November 18 and continuing through November 27, during the statewide two-week "freeze" that predated Oregon's current risk level restrictions.

"During the inspection, Jacob Terando, an owner of Forage Coffee, said customers entering the establishment knew of the restriction against indoor dining, but that he was leaving it up to them to decide," OSHA said.

RELATED: OSHA fines Bend coffee shop more than $27K for 'willful' COVID-19 violations

The indoor dining violation brought with it a fine of $8,900. A separate violation for failure to make employees and customers wear masks added $175, followed by another $175 fine related to social distancing requirements.

"Ongoing refusals to correct violations and come into compliance with workplace health and safety standards can lead to additional higher penalties," OSHA said. "Meanwhile, if an Oregon OSHA inspection documents violations during a time when certain restrictions are in place, but those restrictions are eased before the citation is issued, the citation will still be issued. The change may affect how the violation needs to be corrected, but not whether it is cited."

Employers have 30 days to appeal citations from OSHA.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 13:54:42|Editor: huaxia

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Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban, secretary-general of the Egyptian Socialist Party (ESP), receives an interview with Xinhua in Cairo, Egypt, March 19, 2021. (Photo by Ahmed Gomaa/Xinhua)

by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) is a model for the true embodiment of people's aspirations, a renowned Egyptian politician told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"The CPC is a vigorous mass popular party that has managed to embody all the aspirations of its people and nation for prosperity and progress," said Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban, secretary-general of the Egyptian Socialist Party (ESP).

Shaaban commended the achievements of the Chinese ruling party over the past 100 years that led to the rise of China from a poor country to the world's second-largest economy, describing the accomplishment as a "miracle."

"For the CPC to achieve this miracle in less than four decades, it is an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of humanity," he said.

China will celebrate the centenary of the CPC (1921-2021) later this year.

"In this century, the party has been exposed to problems, attacks, and tough situations, yet it managed to overcome them all and be connected to the people, achieving what no other party has ever achieved in history," said the ESP chief.

Shaaban pointed out that he visited China three times and met Chinese President Xi Jinping twice, once during Xi's visit to Egypt in 2016, and the other time during his visit to China in 2018.

He praised Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, as "a true leader and a high-class statesman" as well as "a model for a leader who believes in his mission, in his cause, and in his people."

The Egyptian party chief is currently writing a book on China's development experience, and has recently written several articles on China, covering its success in eliminating extreme poverty and its successful battle against the COVID-19 crisis.

Under the CPC leadership, China has managed to overcome the ordeal, restore its economic activities and then extend a helping hand to the world with medical aid and expertise to fight the pandemic, according to the Egyptian politician.

"China's CPC-led battle against COVID-19 is the greatest evidence of the party's competence and preparedness to lead humanity to a desirable and positive shared destiny," he said.

Shaaban also described the Egypt-China relations as "historical" and "strategic" that involve "great gains for both sides."

Egypt can benefit from the Chinese experience in fighting poverty, achieving scientific and technological progress and carrying out infrastructure projects, and it can play a major role in building the Belt and Road as a pivotal country in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East, according to the ESP chief.

The Egyptian politician emphasized that among the factors behind the CPC's success are its closeness to the people and ability to gain their confidence through sincerity and fulfillment of promises, as well as its ability to cleanse itself via continuous anti-corruption campaigns.

"The CPC is a party with humanitarian values, which extends its hands to the whole world for common prosperity and seeks relations that achieve the common good of all humankind," Shaaban said. Enditem
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has ordered an interim stay on a specific section of the Kolkata National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) order, which prevented the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from taking any coercive action against SREI Equipment Finance Ltd. The interim stay (partial relief to the RBI), as per the order, will remain effective till pendency of the RBI's application.

The order by a two-member bench of the NCLAT observed that any opinion on NCLTs power to pass an order against RBI can affect the merits of the appeal and so the Tribunal deemed it fit to pass an ad-interim order.

Last week, the central bank had moved the tribunal challenging the 30 December 2020 order of NCLT, which allowed the Kolkata-based non-bank financial company (NBFC) to skip repayments between 1st January and 30 June 2021 and cited that it was not made a party to the case at the Kolkata NCLT.

The RBIs counsel also says the directions passed by the Kolkata bench were contrary to the law as it exceeded its jurisdiction while passing the order. The counsel for the central bank further pointed that the NCLT is not empowered under the NCLT rules to pass an order that runs contrary to the RBIs July 2015 master circular on prudential norms and asset classification.

The RBI says though it received a copy of the NCLTs order from SREI on 1 January 2021, it was unable to file an appeal against the NCLT order within the statutory limitation period of 45 days due to covid.

Counsel for SREI contended that the RBI was indulging in forum shopping and its master circular did not apply to an application filed under section 230 of the Companies Act, which deals with schemes of compromise or arrangements and also that the class of creditors covered under the scheme are not regulated by the RBI.

In paragraph 34 of the impugned order following direction is stayed till pendency of this appeal," the NCLAT said in an order on 31 March 2021.

Paragraph 34 of the Kolkata NCLT order states, We direct that in the meantime till further orders, the creditors of the applicant company covered under the scheme shall maintain status quo with respect to their contractual terms dues claims and rights and the creditors and all regulatory authorities shall be estopped from taking any coercive steps including reporting in any form and/or changing the account status of the company from being a standard asset which will prejudicially affect the company and/or sanctioning and/or implementation of the scheme.

On 31st March, SREI Equipment Finance Ltd (SEFL) claimed it received expressions of interest (EOIs) from overseas investor s for a proposed round of capital infusion. The company had not made any comment about the NCLAT order which came out earlier the same day.

Rating agencies and debenture trusteeships too had earlier last month appealed against a part of the order that restricted them from considering non-payment of dues by the company as a default. Debenture trustees Axis Trustee Services Ltd and Catalyst Trusteeship Ltd, which represent bondholders, have jointly filed an appeal in the NCLAT against the 30th December 2020 NCLT order, which has impacted retail and institutional investors alike. Ratings agencies had appealed against a section of the order that restricted them from considering non-payment of dues by the company as a default.

The Kolkata bench of NCLT had passed an order on 30 December 2020 that any non-payment of dues by SREI Infrastructure Finance and SREI Equipment Finance will not be recognised as an event of default, till a scheme of arrangement is signed by all creditors, which included its lenders as well as bond holders. The NCLT order also restrained all regulatory authorities and rating agencies from taking any action against SREI group or changing its account status while granting a blanket moratorium on repayments from 1st January to 30th June. Under the scheme of arrangement, the company has proposed to make repayments to various categories of debenture holders over an extended period.

The SREI group has been facing liquidity issues for the last two years and covid has impacted it further.
The famous pink cherry blossoms of Kyoto reached full bloom this year on March 26, the earliest date in the 12 centuries since records began, according to a Japanese university.

The earlier flowering indicates climate change, said Yasuyuki Aono, a professor of environmental science at Osaka Prefectural University, who has compiled a database of records of the full blooms over the centuries.

Global temperatures in 2020 were among the highest on record and rivaled 2016 as the hottest year ever, according to international data compiled by the World Meteorological Organization and released in January this year. "As the temperatures rise, the onset of flowering is earlier," Aono told Reuters in a Zoom interview.

Osaka University records include court documents from Imperial Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, as well as medieval diaries.


The New York attorney general has gathered personal financial records of the Trump Organization's longtime chief financial officer and his family, according to a witness who provided some documents - another sign of legal pressure on one of former president Donald Trump's closest aides.

Allen Weisselberg has handled Trump's finances for decades, rising to become the most powerful person in the company not named "Trump."

Now, as the Trump Organization faces two separate investigations - led by state Attorney General Letitia James, D, and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., D - it appears that both sets of investigators have begun scrutinizing Weisselberg's personal finances as well.

In complex investigations, prosecutors often seek evidence of wrongdoing by subordinates as a way to pressure them to "flip" and reveal damaging information about their bosses. The pressure by both offices being brought to bear on Weisselberg appears designed to pursue that strategy against Trump, although neither James nor Vance has alleged wrongdoing by Trump, Weisselberg or anyone else.

James's interest in Weisselberg's personal finances was described by Jennifer Weisselberg, the CFO's former daughter-in-law. Jennifer Weisselberg, who was married to Weisselberg's son Barry from 2004 to 2018, told The Washington Post on Thursday that James's investigators had taken seven boxes of financial data from her in November, including records of accounts held jointly by Barry and his father.

Jennifer Weisselberg said James's office also wanted records about two Trump Organization-controlled apartments where she said she and her husband had lived rent-free. Barry Weisselberg was also a Trump employee: He helped manage one of the company's ice rinks. In situations like this, tax experts say that a free apartment might be considered as income for tax purposes.

"The attorney general is really focused on compensation," Jennifer Weisselberg said. She said the investigators' goal seemed to be determining if "Trump Payroll Corp. is avoiding paying employee taxes, state taxes" on free benefits.

Jennifer Weisselberg's attorney, Duncan Levin, confirmed the inquiry by James's office.

Attorneys for Allen and Barry Weisselberg both declined to comment for this story.The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment Thursday, but has previously cast James's investigation as politically motivated.

Jennifer Weisselberg and her attorney said their contact at the attorney general's office has been an official named Gary Fishman, whose title is "special adviser to the criminal justice division."

Fishman has been involved in criminal prosecutions of alleged fraudsters and embezzlers in the past, according to the attorney general's website. However, so far, James's office has said the office is pursuing a civil investigation into the Trump Organization.

James's office declined to comment on Thursday.

Vance, the Manhattan district attorney, has also asked witnesses about benefits given to Barry and Allen Weisselberg, according to Jennifer Weisselberg and other people familiar with Vance's inquiry. On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that Vance had subpoenaed Allen Weisselberg's banking records.

But James's interest in the Weisselbergs' personal finances has also grown in recent months. In the past, James's inquiry seemed focused on a set of the company's businesses dealings - and questions about whether Trump's company had exaggerated their values to deceive lenders, or to avoid paying proper taxes on them.

Jennifer Weisselberg said she had first been contacted by the attorney general's office in September. At that point, she said, investigators had asked her about properties that James had already named as the focus of her investigation, including Trump's Seven Springs estate in suburban New York and his high-rise hotel in Chicago.

In November, Bloomberg News reported on Jennifer Weisselberg's divorce, including her allegation that Barry Weisselberg had received free apartments from the Trump Organization.

After that, Jennifer Weisselberg said, the attorney general's office began asking for records about the finances of her ex-husband and his father. Jennifer Weisselberg has said her divorce from Barry Weisselberg was bitter but that said she had not initiated contact with either set of investigators: "The D.A. called me. The A.G. called me."
A RAPE victim has said she is "upset and appalled" after local businessmen gave "glowing" character references in support of her attacker after he was convicted.

Last month Conor Quaid (26) was jailed for six-and-a-half years for the rape of the woman in Kerry three years ago.

He had denied the allegations but was found guilty following a jury trial.

During the sentencing hearing his defence counsel submitted testimonials to the court in favour of his client.

In a statement to RTE Radio 1's Liveline programme today the woman said she was "upset and appalled" that local businessmen had supported her rapist.

The woman said Quaid had expressed no remorse and she said it has been difficult for her to come forward in such a small town.

She added it has been a "very tough few years" since the rape was first reported.

Her family said they expected a victim impact statement to be read out in court for the sentencing hearing, and references from the prison service.

The complainant said she was "very upset and appalled" to hear that two prominent businessmen from the town had lodged "glowing references to reduce the sentence of a convicted rapist that shows no remorse".

This included a local publican who described Quaid as "the best employee ever."

The woman said she gets panic attacks knowing that people who live so close to her had publicly supported a rapist.

"I believe in this day and age the local big boys club should not be allowed lodge testimonials in court," she added.

Last month Quaid was given a prison sentence of eight years with 18 months suspended for raping a young woman as she slept in her own bedroom.

The Central Criminal Court heard Quaid was in the victim's home on the night as he was a trusted family friend.

Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty said he abused this trust and noted he has not shown any remorse since.

Quaid, of Monaree, Dingle, Co Kerry had pleaded not guilty to rape at a place in the county on June 10, 2018.

After a seven-day trial a jury at the Central Criminal Court found him guilty by a majority verdict of ten to one.

The court heard Quaid had travelled to the home of the victim after a night out drinking in a nearby town. The woman had stayed in that night, wasn't drinking and had gone to bed early.

Quaid went to her bedroom and raped her while she was curled up asleep, Ms Justice Gearty said.

Michael Bowman SC, defending, said his client has a medical history of alcohol dependency and that since this offence he has made efforts to address this.

He said his client's father was a retired garda and his family would be well regarded and well thought of.

He handed in a number of testimonials, which he said were evidence that his client is a hard-working, honest man for whom this offence was out of character.

Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty said the victim had a right to security in her own home and that Quaid violated the sanctity of the woman's home.

The judge said the reason he was there and knew where the victim slept was down to his position as a family friend and she said he had abused this trust.

She imposed a sentence of eight years and said the court had little scope to reduce this because of the absence of a guilty plea or of remorse.

The judge did suspend 18 months on condition he be of good behaviour for three years after his release and stay away from the victim in perpetuity.

Ms Justice Gearty said she was taking into consideration Quaid's relative youth, his lack of previous offending, and the fact that he has struggled and overcome an alcohol addiction.
Hundreds of people have taken part in Kill the Bill protests across the UK on Friday, despite warnings issued by police.

Large numbers of people gathered in Guildhall Square in Southampton and demonstrators also convened in London and Manchester.

Following an easing of restrictions in England, the protests are now lawful  providing organisers submit a risk assessment and take steps to ensure the gatherings are safe.

Demonstrators during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in Finsbury Park, North London (Aaron Chown/PA)

Despite this, the Metropolitan Police warned on Thursday the safety of the wider community is paramount and said enforcement action would be taken if needed, in the interests of public health.

In Southampton, protesters set up a makeshift PA system and chanted Kill the Bill, while others banged drums.

Kimberley Daphne, who attended the Leeds protest, said: There were around 1,500 people there and the atmosphere was quite peaceful and without intimidation.

The police guarded the protest and stood around looking for any conflicts or anti-social behaviour.

It felt really empowering, it felt right to fight for our own voice in a country where only the privileged have a say.

A crowd of around 200 gathered outside the gates of Finsbury Park, in north London, mostly wearing masks, holding banners with phrases defending the right to protest.

The group stayed for around an hour and a half before dispersing peacefully.

In Manchester, demonstrators remained socially distanced in St Peters Square.

It came after Greater Manchester Police sought to avoid a repeat of scenes played out across the country this week by introducing a 48-hour dispersal order for the city centre, to last until 3pm on Saturday.

It means officers can direct anyone acting anti-socially to leave the area.

In Manchester, demonstrators remained socially distanced in St Peters Square (Peter Byrne/PA)

The first Kill the Bill protest in Bristol on March 21 descended into a riot, with subsequent rallies on March 23 and 26 also ending in clashes between the police and protesters. A further demonstration on March 30 passed off peacefully.

The proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance, with those convicted liable to fines or jail terms.
(JNS) - The World Council of Churches has gone full theological incitement against the State of Israel.

In a recent Zoom webinar with more than 300 Christian activists to promote a film about the former Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and pro-Palestinian activism of Michel Sabbah, Rev. Frank Chikane, the moderator of the WCC's Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, went much further than the usual falsehoods about Israel's "brutality" toward the Palestinians. "We need to begin to say to those who support Israel to brutalize Palestinians that the blood of the people of Palestine...
Special agents with Army Criminal Investigation Command, or CID, are investigating an incident in which the National Guard lost a rifle during a training event.

An M4 went missing during a training event at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia "between mid-February and mid-March," according to Christopher Grey, a CID spokesman.

It's unclear why CID officials will not disclose the specific date the rifle went missing. They also did not respond when asked about the unit responsible, or whether the rifle was equipped with optics or additional attachments.

Politico first reported the news Thursday.

Read Next: Marines Under Investigation After Ammo, Explosives Reportedly Go Missing at Pendleton

It's common for M4s to be equipped with an advanced combat optical gunsight, or ACOG, which greatly enhances the shooter's ability to hit targets from a long distance. M4s also can be equipped with an M68 close combat optic, a red dot sight with no magnification.

The Army regularly equips M4s with infrared lasers, which can be seen only with night vision goggles. The laser allows the shooter to easily engage targets at night. Units also arm some of their rifles with an M320 grenade launcher.

When a soldier is assigned a weapon, their leadership is typically tasked with conducting regular checks to make sure they are still in possession of it.

A lost weapon is a serious incident in the military that could potentially end the career of the soldier the weapon was assigned to and have a ripple effect through the chain of command. In 2019, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, lost two rifles at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; the battalion commander and sergeant major were fired.

Roughly 27,000 National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., following the Jan. 6 pro-Trump mob assault on the U.S. Capitol. About 2,300 Guardsmen are set to protect the Capitol through at least May.

Troops from Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, Delaware and New Jersey continue to stay on the mission, according to the National Guard Bureau.

Law enforcement has not specified any ongoing threats, and the mission has grown deeply unpopular on Capitol Hill, with bipartisan calls from lawmakers for the Guard to end its mission.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: A Year Later, NCIS Still Investigating the Case of the Missing Marine Corps Rifles
New Delhi, April 2 : The Central government on Friday said that the coronavirus situation in 11 states/Union Territories is a matter of "serious concern" and urged the Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police concerned to take appropriate action in this regard.

The directions were given during a review meeting Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba held with Chief Secretaries, DGP and Health Secretaries of Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana.

These states and Union Territories have been reporting a very high rise in daily Covid cases and mortalities in the last two weeks. India recorded 81,466 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest since October 2020.

Taking note of the present situation due to the continuous deterioration of the Covid scenario over the fortnight, the Cabinet Secretary pointed out that the current Covid case growth rate of 6.8 per cent in March 2021 has surpassed the previous record of 5.5 per cent (June 2020).

The country also reported 5.5 per cent growth rate in daily Covid deaths in this period. While India was reporting about 97,000 daily new Covid cases at the peak of the pandemic in September 2020, it has now reached the critical figure of 81,000 daily new cases.

In a detailed presentation, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan highlighted the current trajectory of Covid in the states and UTs while Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare showcased ways of effective behavioural change communication to instil Covid appropriate behaviour among the populace.

Niti Aayog's Member Health, Dr V.K. Paul emphasised on need for states to follow a protocol for sharing clinical and epidemiological data for more detailed study of mutant strain of virus for genome sequencing.

Union Home Secretary A.K. Bhalla pointed out that the 11 states and UTs that are showing a surge in daily Covid cases have not shown commensurate increase in enforcement of containment activities, and urged the Chief Secretaries and DGPs of the states and UTs for taking appropriate strict action in this regard.

These states and UTs were categorised as "states of grave concern" on account of their high and rising daily case and higher daily deaths. These have contributed 90 per cent of Covid cases (as on March 31) and 90.5 per cent of deaths (as on March 31) in last 14 days, and have crossed or close to crossing their early reported peaks during last year.

It was pointed out the situation was particularly worrying in Maharashtra, and the state administration was advised to take up immediate and high-effective measures to ensure containment of active cases and daily deaths through adherence of the standard clinical management protocol shared earlier with all states and UTs.

Another worrisome aspect pointed out was that Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, along with peri-urban areas have recorded the recent high rises in Covid cases, and how the spread of infection from these areas to the rural areas with weak health infrastructure would overwhelm the local administration was also highlighted.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
From the minds that brought the community the Wandering Jews Scavenger Hunt, Temple Israel presents: TIs Amazing Race: Family & Friends Edition from 3 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. The St. Louis community is invited to enjoy a Shabbat afternoon with family and friends and get to know them in a new way as their team  based on their social pod  races around town for crazy challenges.

There will be roadblocks and detours along the journey, but you will cross the finish line together as champs. You can spend four hours having the time of your life  or hosting others along their journey  and end your adventure with a Havdalah service led by the Temple Israel rabbis and a special Amazing Race treat for each team.

Cars will meet at Temple Israels parking lot at 3 p.m.and return to the synagogue for the Havdalah service. The cost is $18 per team. One vehicle per team  you can fit as few or as many players as safely possible in your vehicle.

All ages are welcome to participate in as many challenges or activities as necessary to help their team finish strong. All guests are required to wear a mask and socially distance with those not on your team while outside of your vehicle. The challenges include mental, creative and culinary challenges. Participants should wear running shoes and clothes that can get dirty. RSVP open now through April 9 at: www.ti-stl.org/AmazingRace.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 11:12:12|Editor: huaxia

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KIEV, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine will continue negotiating a ceasefire and hopes to achieve peace in Donbas, a region in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his official Telegram channel on Thursday.

Ukraine would like to return to a more effective ceasefire regime in Donbas and is working in this direction, Zelensky said, adding that the country will continue advocating a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas although this process "is not easy."

"That is why we will not stop and would continue negotiating the ceasefire as the fastest tactical step. Our strategy is seeking peace and the return of our people and territories," Zelensky said.

The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has claimed some 14,000 lives and left as many as 40,000 wounded, began in April 2014. Enditem
As more countries reopen and people plan for summer holidays, the demand for flights will soar, Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Etihad Aviation Group said in an exclusive interview with CNNs John Defterios.



Vaccines or a negative PCR test would be a prerequisite for travel going forward, he said, adding We believe that vaccine and/or an appropriate test will definitely be part of the future.



He also expressed support for various vaccine passport measures, saying that, It will probably take upwards of a year to roll out, but I do believe it will become part of the new norm. However, he stressed that governments must work to make sure inequality among vaccinations doesnt become a handicap in part in getting the world back to normal.



He added it will take a while for travel to return to pre-pandemic levels, noting Our current take is we're probably talking mid-2023.



Full transcript



Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation: We're assuming that [Covid-19] will be around for the foreseeable future. And we're assuming that the travelling public will need that level of confidence to the standards of how the cabins are presented, the air filtration, the elimination of touch points, the way in which Etihad was the only airline and still is in the world since last August, whereby you need to be 100% PCR tested at both point of origin and point of arrival.



John Defterios, CNN: This is a country that has very high vaccination rates, some of the highest in the world as a matter of fact. What do you do of striking the balance for those who don't have access to vaccines, even into 2022, you want them to travel, to avoid inequality?



Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation: You know, a year ago, let's face it, most of us weren't talking about PCR tests. A year ago, we certainly weren't talking much about vaccines, and now it's pretty much the norm as these things roll out. There will always be countries that will be able to adapt and adopt more quickly, and the challenge will be, as you rightly say, to make sure that inequality doesn't become a handicap in part in getting the world back to normal.



John Defterios, CNN: Would one have to have a vaccine or be vaccinated to travel, though? Is that the bottom line? Or is it the negative PCR that can still work?



Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation: For us, we believe that vaccine and or an appropriate test will definitely be part of the future. And there's lots of ways now where people are looking at how that becomes certified with vaccine certificates, wellness passports.



John Defterios, CNN: It's interesting because IATA has this travel pass its developing with the European Union, a green certificate, how long will it take to have a common global standard? Six months? Perhaps longer? Because people are eager to get back in the skies.



Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation: It's our belief that the solution isn't perhaps quite as complicated as one would imagine. But how it gets globally adopted and adapted to, is where the time-consuming challenge will be. For sure, it will start in the coming months. It will probably take upwards of a year to roll out, but I do believe it will become part of the new norm. The trick to this now is for global leaders and the political community to align on how this can be rolled out from a solution point of view, particularly vaccines, all around the world.



John Defterios, CNN: Is there pent up demand right now? What are you seeing in terms of bookings for the summer months? Are people itching to go? Or does it tie into the fact they need more security, and that's where your wellness program comes into play for Etihad.



Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation: It's going to go off like a fire hydrant. Hold that thought in your mind. There is so much pent up demand. Every time a country comes on a green list, even if it's only for a relatively limited period of time, our booking curve goes through the roof.



John Defterios, CNN: In that context then, when do we get back to pre-pandemic levels where we were at the end of 2019? Realistically, it's a four-year journey to get there.



Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation: So, a year ago many of the analysts, the big airlines and the general observers had a range between mid-2022 to mid-2023 when you'd expect to get back to 2019 numbers. I think it's fair to say, over the course of the last year, that's moved almost in a linear way to the right. So, our current take is we're probably talking mid-2023.



John Defterios, CNN: You have the Abraham Accords with Israel. And if I looked at Istanbul-Tel Aviv, the frequency is six or seven flights a day. For the UAE in general, could you get to that scale because of the trade and political ambitions that are here within the UAE?



Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation: I have absolutely no doubt, back to pent up demand, both from Israel coming to the UAE, and the UAE going to Israel, that we'll see those routes becoming very popular indeed.  TradeArabia News Service
The Justice Department is investigating whether Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump, broke federal sex trafficking laws, focusing on his relationships with women recruited online for sex and whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, The New York Times reported this week.

Investigators appear to be focused on at least two key questions, according to people briefed on their work. The first is whether Mr. Gaetz, 38, had sex with the 17-year-old and whether she received anything of material value. More broadly, federal authorities are scrutinizing involvement by the congressman and an indicted Florida associate with the women, who also received cash payments.

Mr. Gaetz, a third-term congressman who represents the Florida Panhandle, has denied that he paid for sex or had a sexual relationship with a minor. So far, he has not been charged and the extent of his criminal exposure remains unclear. The investigation is continuing.

Here is what we know so far.

The investigation includes an examination of payments to women.

Federal scrutiny of Mr. Gaetz grew out of an open investigation into a close Republican associate of the congressmans: Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector in Seminole County, Fla., who was indicted last year on a charge of sex trafficking and other counts.
New Delhi, April 2 : The fourth edition of a pan-India sleep study by Wakefit.co ranks Delhi-NCR as the top among those fearing insomnia across India. In Gurugram, a whopping 42 per cent of people complained about work keeping them up late at night -- as compared to 17 per cent last year.

The 2021 study -- Great Indian Sleep Scorecard (GISS) 2021 -- sheds light on the interconnectedness between sleep and work-life balance during the pandemic and discovers an increased awareness towards sleep health in Delhi-NCR. According to the report, the fear of insomnia increased from 19 per cent last year to 24 per cent this year, with Delhi-NCR topping the list of cities where residents are most worried about sleeplessness. Over 50 per cent of Delhiites reported being anxious about suffering from insomnia.

The 2021 report reveals that 42 per cent of Gurugram residents complained about work keeping them up late at night. Last year, the corresponding number was 17 per cent. With remote working becoming the norm, almost 1 in 2 respondents from Delhi-NCR said that they worked night shifts this year, as opposed to almost 1 in 10 last year.

There was also a significant jump in Delhiites staying up to work on their beds, up from 18 per cent last year to 47 per cent this year. It comes as no surprise then that people who used their phones just before sleeping was as high as 94 per cent in Delhi-NCR despite greater awareness about the perils of using electronic devices before bedtime.

The blurring boundaries between work and home has resulted in 81 per cent of Delhiites feeling sleepy during work hours 1-3 times a week.

According to Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Co-founder and Director, Wakefit.co: "This year, while all of India has been working from home and adapting to a very different lifestyle altogether, we noticed a rather sizeable increase in the number of Delhiites working night shifts, recording increases in screen time, sleeping late at night due to work, and also having the fear of insomnia. Our sleep study was curated to help India pay more attention to sleep and we are constantly working towards educating our country about the same. The need of the hour is for Delhi-NCR, as a community, to pioneer cultural shifts that can help the city prioritise sleep health as part of their daily routine." Incidentally, the GISS 2021 study reveals that an increasing number of people are now paying attention to the quality of sleep and the importance of investing in a good mattress. Nearly 59 per cent of respondents from Delhi- NCR, across age groups, believed that a better mattress is the key to better sleep. Last year, the corresponding number was 38 per cent.

The Great Indian Sleep Scorecard is an ongoing survey and the 2021 edition received 16,000+ responses, recorded from March 2020 to February 2021. It covers respondents in all Indian cities, across age groups, starting from 18 years.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)
Meghan McCain is leading calls for Rep. Matt Gaetz to resign after it emerged he is under investigation by the Justice Department for potentially sex trafficking a minor and new claims emerged that he showed lawmakers naked photos of women he said he had slept with.

The daughter of late US senator John McCain took to social media Thursday to demand the Florida lawmaker and staunch Trump ally stand down as she insisted this is not about 'the cancel culture bulls**t' but that 'any man in any place would be fired' for his alleged behavior.

Rep. Ted Lieu, from California's 33rd Congressional District, also demanded Gaetz 'resign and be prosecuted' if the allegations are found to be true and urged House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to oust the congressman from his committee appointments while the probe is underway.

Calls are mounting for Gaetz to be removed from office in the wake of the escalating scandal that surfaced this week.

It emerged Tuesday that the 38-year-old congressman was under investigation by the DOJ for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and trafficking the girl across state lines.

Meghan McCain is leading calls for Rep. Matt Gaetz to resign after it emerged he is under investigation by the Justice Department for potentially sex trafficking a minor and new claims have emerged that he showed lawmakers naked photos of women he said he had slept with

The daughter of late US senator John McCain took to social media Thursday to demand the Florida lawmaker and staunch Trump ally stand down as she insisted this is not about 'the cancel culture bulls**t' but that 'any man in any place would be fired' for his alleged behavior

Gaetz instantly denied the allegations and instead claimed he is the victim of an extortion plot involving a former Justice Department official named David McGee. McGee denied the allegations.

On Wednesday, Gaetz released bombshell text message screenshots, an email and a printout claiming to show he was being extorted by McGee and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent in a ploy to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran.

According to the documents, shared with the Washington Examiner, Gaetz had been seen in compromising photos having sex with underage prostitutes, a grand jury had heard testimony from at least one underage girl who says she was paid to have sex with him and Gaetz was about to be indicted on charges.

The alleged extorters claimed they could stop the probe and arrange for Gaetz to receive a presidential pardon if they put up $25million to help secure the release of Levinson - whose family said last year was dead.

In yet another twist Thursday, Gaetz was accused of showing other lawmakers naked photos and videos of women he said he had slept with and boasting about his sexual conquests to his colleagues.

A bombshell CNN report cited multiple sources, including two people who said they had been shown the compromising photos first hand, who said the 38-year-old congressman displayed the images of the women on his phone including while he was on the House floor at the US Capitol.

There is no known link between these alleged images and the sex trafficking probe into Gaetz but the mounting allegations have fueled calls for him to resign.

Just hours before the news of the DOJ probe surfaced, Axios reported that Gaetz was telling friends he planned to retire from politics for a new career on a right-wing news outlet.

It is not clear when Gaetz first learned of the DOJ probe but it was at least March 16 when he claims his family were first contacted by the alleged extorters, raising questions over the timing of his sudden career change plans.

Calls are mounting among public figures, lawmakers and members of the public for Gaetz to stand down from his position as US representative for Florida's 1st congressional district.

Rep. Ted Lieu, from California's 33rd Congressional District, also demanded Gaetz 'resign and be prosecuted' if the allegations are true and urged House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to oust the congressman from his committee appointments while the probe is underway

Kim Mangone, the former Democratic Nominee for Congress in California who lost to McCarthy, also hit out at Gaetz on Twitter

'This is vile, abhorrent and beneath the office he holds. No woman in congress should feel comfortable working with him. Resign,' wrote McCain, alongside a link to the damning CNN report of his alleged behavior on Capitol Hill.

'(also don't start with the cancel culture bulls**t, any man in any place would be fired for this garbage.'

Lieu demanded Gaetz 'resign and be prosecuted' if found guilty of sex trafficking but said he must be removed from the House Judiciary Committee while the investigation is underway.

The Democrat took aim at McCarthy saying he doesn't 'seem to get' why Gaetz must be stripped of the position due to a conflict of interest.

'Dear @GOPLeader: You don't seem to get it. If it's true Rep Matt Gaetz engaged in sex trafficking, he needs to resign and be prosecuted,' he tweeted.

'In the meantime, you can't have Gaetz sitting on the Congressional Committee that has oversight over the Department that is investigating him.'

Gaetz serves on the House Judiciary Committee - alongside Lieu - which oversees the administration of justice including within federal law enforcement agencies.

But McCarthy said Wednesday Gaetz would only be removed from his committee assignments if he's found to be guilty of sex trafficking.

'Those are serious implications. If it comes out to be true, yes, we would remove him if that's the case,' McCarthy told Fox News.

Several members of the public also voiced outrage over the allegations about Gaetz and demanded he resign

'But right now Matt Gaetz says that it's not true and we don't have any information. So let's get all the information.'

Kim Mangone, the former Democratic Nominee for Congress in California who lost to McCarthy, tweeted: 'Good evening America, retweet if you want Matt Gaetz to resign immediately.'

'Retweet if you're ready to support whoever the Democrat is who runs against Matt Gaetz,' she wrote in another post.

Scott Dworkin of the Democratic Coalition tweeted: 'Congress must open an investigation in to Matt Garetz immediately. Enough.'

Several members of the public also voiced outrage over the allegations about Gaetz and demanded he resign.

'In the real world, @mattgaetz would be fired for showing nude pics at work. He needs to resign now. He needs to be told by @GOPLeader to resign,' one person tweeted.

'Im calling on @mattgaetz to resign immediately. Extortion is what my ex did to me. Sexual misconduct is what you did to...lots of people,' wrote another person.

Another wrote: 'We all have the right to remain silent Matt Gaetz does not have the ability to remain silent and will be the author of his own destruction.'

Others accused the Republican party of hypocrisy after many GOP lawmakers called for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign after multiple women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment

'Let's face it, in any rational society, a Matt Gaetz would resign immediately. But fo course he won't. So he should be ejected from Congress, as Speaker Pelosi is I'm sure well aware,' wrote one person.

Others accused the Republican party of hypocrisy after many GOP lawmakers called for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign after multiple women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment.

'Republicans went on a soapbox demanding Gov. Cuomo resign. I have yet to see or hear one Republican call for Matt Gaetz resignation! Not one!' one person wrote.

'Dude allegedly shared pics/videos of women he slept with on the House floor. I mean...'

Another social media user echoed this opinion: 'And yet, this morning not a single Republican calling on Matt Gaetz to resign over sex trafficking - or calling on Fox News to fire Tucker Carlson, who according to Gaetz was a firsthand witness of the two.'

Gaetz appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night in a bizarre interview where he first spoke of the alleged extortion plot, naming McGee and appearing to try to rope Carlson into the saga.

The congressman brought up a previous allegation of sexual misconduct against the host then suggested Carlson and his wife had met a woman involved in the allegations.

Carlson said: 'I don't remember the women you're speaking of or the context at all honestly.'

Carlson later said the segment was 'one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.'

Another person shared a meme of a man holding his hand to his ear with the comment: 'Me listening for all the GOP that called on Cuomo to resign, to do the same for Gaetz.'

Long before this week's saga unfolded, Gaetz had allegedly gained a reputation on Capitol Hill for bragging about his sexual exploits to other lawmakers, according to a CNN report Thursday.

Multiple sources told the outlet Gaetz had showed off photos of nude women he said he had sex with, saying it 'was a point of pride' for the congressman.

One source described one video showing a naked woman with a hula hoop.

There is no evidence that the nude photos are in any way connected to the DOJ's probe into allegations of sex trafficking.

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators'

Gaetz's main support since news of the DOJ probe broke has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene

It is also unclear when these alleged encounters took place. Gaetz is currently engaged to food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, who he met in early 2020.

But this isn't the first time Gaetz has been accused of acting inappropriately in Congress.

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators.'

Latvala leveled the accusations against Gaetz amid a Twitter spat in January 2020.

'And you created a game where members of the FL House got 'points' for sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators. Hope DC is treating you well, Congressman,' he wrote.

Gaetz denied the allegations.

Rumors of a game with a point system involving 'young male FL Reps' first surfaced in a Politico report in 2013 but did not name the alleged culprits.

Florida congressman Gaetz served in the House from 2010 to 2016.

Gaetz with his fiancee food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, who he met in early 2020 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club

While these alleged instances have no known connection to the DOJ sex trafficking probe, Gaetz has received little in the way of support from members of his own party since the bombshell claims surfaced.

While McCarthy has not stripped him of his committee position, the House Minority Leader called the allegations 'serious' and vowed to 'find out' the truth over the allegations.

'If a member at my conference gets indicted, they will get removed from a committee,' McCarthy told NBC News.

'He says this is not true. And we have a newspaper report that says something else. We'll find out.'

Meanwhile other top Republicans have stayed silent and Trump has also remained uncharacteristically quiet.

This is perhaps surprising given the two men's closeness. Gaetz backed the former president during both impeachment trials and is a regular fixture at his Mar-a-Lago estate - even proposing to his fiancee there in December.

Several sources told NBC Gaetz is not well-liked on Capitol Hill because of his criticism of fellow Republicans.

Gaetz denied the sex trafficking allegations and instead claimed he is the victim of an extortion plot on Fox News Tuesday night (above)

On Wednesday, Gaetz released text messages, an email and a printout purporting to show he was being extorted by former DOJ official David McGee (left) and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent in a ploy to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson (right) from Iran

Gaetz railed against GOP Rep. Liz Cheney at the Wyoming capitol back in January after she voted to impeach Trump.

Meanwhile, his constant self-promotion and near-daily appearances on right-wing news outlets, especially Fox, are also another source of contention among other Republicans, sources said.

His main support has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon-supporting freshman Georgia lawmaker who was stripped of her committee assignments in February as it emerged she had pushed unfounded conspiracy theories and showed support for executing top Democrats before being elected to Congress.

'Remember all the conspiracy theories and lies like Trump/Russia collusion and propaganda that the media has spread around. Take it from me rumors and headlines dont equal truth. I stand with @mattgaetz,' she tweeted.

In another tweet she called for the release of FBI tapes Gaetz has claimed prove the extortion plot.

'The DOJ needs to release the tapes instead of allowing another witch hunt to take place,' she wrote.

But, while few have leaped to his defense, GOP lawmakers have also not spoken out condemning the allegations either.

Gaetz has denied the allegations he had sex with a 17-year-old or paid for her to travel across state lines. He has not been charged.
A wave of African swine fever outbreaks this year has wiped out at least 20pc of the breeding herd in northern China, industry sources and analysts said, exceeding expected losses and raising fears about the potential for further impact in the south.

The estimates point to the extent of the disease's resurgence in the first quarter of 2021 after more than a year of declining outbreaks, heralding a significant setback to China's efforts to replenish its hog herds after African swine fever reached the country in August 2018 and wiped out 50% of the country's pigs within a year.

The virus' impact slowed by late 2019 as pig numbers fell and large producers learned to minimise its spread by removing infected pigs from herds early, a process the industry calls "tooth extraction".

But an exceptionally cold winter, a higher density of pigs following a year of restocking, and new strains of swine fever triggered a fresh wave of outbreaks across the northeast, northern China and Henan province, the country's third-biggest hog producing province.

"At least 20pc of the herd was affected, maybe even 25%" in the northern and northeastern Chinese provinces because of outbreaks during the first quarter, said Jan Cortenbach, chief technical officer at feed maker Wellhope-De Heus Animal Nutrition.

Henan lost between 20pc and 30pc of its breeding sows, a report by Founder Cifco Futures said on Monday, adding the damage could be "irreversible".

Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant Ltd said in a report last month that sow stocks in northern China in March fell by between 25pc and 30pc compared to February.

"This feels like 2018, 2019 all over again," said a China-based manager with a company that supplies large hog producers.

Several customers in northern China have lost thousands of sows in recent months, he added, with some losing more than half of their breeding stock.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not respond to a fax seeking comment on a resurgence of the disease and significant losses over the winter.

Food security is a sensitive issue in China and the government has confirmed few African swine fever outbreaks since the virus began spreading. Numerous industry insiders have described the impact as worse than official data show. The disease is not harmful to humans.

The agriculture ministry reported eight African swine fever outbreaks in the first quarter, mostly on small farms or in pigs in transit in southern China. It said the sow herd grew by 1.1pc in January versus December and a further 1pc in February.

NORTHERN WAVE

Shandong and Hebei provinces in northern China are both among the country's top six pig producing provinces and the first quarter outbreak was especially severe in Shandong, Beijing Orient said.

New Hope Liuhe, China's fourth-largest hog producer, told investors in March that African swine fever had a large impact in Hebei and northern Shandong, where it has many farms.

Though losses varied between companies, "in general it may be more serious than in early 2019 when most companies did not master prevention and control methods such as precise tooth extraction," said Yan Zhichun, the company's chief science officer, according to a transcript of a call with investors on March 4.

A considerable portion of New Hope's farms in Hebei and Shandong were impacted by "atypical" swine fever strains, said Yan. The firm had previously reported finding a less deadly, but chronic form of swine fever on its farms.

It said its sow herd shrank 7.5pc from December to February, or by 90,000 pigs, because of African swine fever as well as the elimination of inefficient sows.

The agriculture departments for Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces did not reply to questions sent by fax about the resurgence of swine fever.

PIGLET PRICES RISE

While live hog prices fell sharply from January to March, piglet prices are rising because of the hit to the breeding herd, Changjiang Securities said in a note this week.

Piglets cost on average more than 1,800 yuan ($273.94) per head, it said, not far off the record 2,356 yuan in February 2020, and significantly up from 995 yuan in November.

That will eventually translate to higher pork prices.

Producers in the south are on high alert, said industry sources, after rain and floods were blamed for swine fever outbreaks last year.

"With the arrival of the rainy season in the second quarter, it is still unknown how swine fever will impact the south," said the Changjiang analysts.
press release

Pemba  Unaccompanied children have started to arrive in the coastal town of Pemba in northern Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique, following last week's brutal attacks by insurgents on Palma and surrounding areas, Save the Children said today. In the past few days, an estimated 3,100 people have fled Palma to the sea or to the bush[i], with an unknown number now in Pemba.

The agency has deployed a team of child protection and water and sanitation experts to Pemba port and airport, to support arrivals fleeing the recent violence. The organisation is especially looking out for unaccompanied children, who are travelling without family or the company of an adult.

At 9 am on 28 March, the team saw a small boat with four people on board, including a 12-year-old boy, Amimo*, who was visibly scared and barefoot. Amimo told the team that he became separated from his family when his village was attacked on Wednesday, 24 March.

After providing him with food and safety, Amimo told the team: "I was playing with my friends near my house. When the attacks started, I ran to my house and found my mother and brothers. I told my family to run away, but they said to wait. I didn't want to wait, so I ran to the beach because that is near my house. When I arrived at the beach, I found a boat carrying people. [It] was far from the shore, so I had to swim to the boat. When I got there, I was rescued and we left towards Pemba."

The exact number of casualties after the recent violence in Palma, a town of about 75,000 people in Cabo Delgado province, is unclear. Many are still unaccounted for. Earlier this month, Save the Children heard from displaced families that children as young as 11 were being brutally murdered by insurgent groups.

Chance Briggs, Save the Children's Country Director in Mozambique, said: "Children have witnessed scenes of unimaginable and unspeakable horror. We cannot begin to imagine how they must be feeling, or the fear in their parent's hearts. Separated children are particularly vulnerable and our teams are doing all they can to identify them and reunify them with their families as quickly as possible. I am incredibly proud of their commitment to ensuring no child is overlooked in this nightmare scenario. This is a terrible and horrific situation for children, for parents, for the community and for all the people in Cabo Delgado."

"We are calling on the international community to release funds to support these children. They need urgent support, both to meet their basic needs - food, shelter, medical care - and to help them recover mentally from these attacks. This means psychosocial support by trained counsellors, and child protection case management for children who don't know where their parents are."

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Mozambique Conflict Children By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"Critically, all parties to this conflict must ensure that children are never targets. They must respect international humanitarian and human rights laws and take all necessary actions to minimise civilian harm, including ending indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks against children."

Over 670,000 people are now displaced inside Mozambique due to the conflict in Cabo Delgado - almost seven times the number reported a year ago[ii]. At least 2,658 people have died in the conflict, including 1,341 civilians[iii], although this number is likely to be higher after last week's violence. The situation has seriously deteriorated over the past 12 months, with the escalation of attacks on villages and district capital towns. Cabo Delgado is also still reeling from consecutive climatic shocks, including 2019's Cyclone Kenneth, the strongest cyclone to hit the northern part of Mozambique, and massive floods in early 2020.

Save the Children and its partners is responding to the needs of conflict- and cyclone-displaced children and their families in Cabo Delgado. The organisation's response has directly reached over 118,000 people, including over 72,000 children, with child protection, education, health (including COVID-19), food security and livelihoods improvement, and water and sanitation programming.

*Name changed to protect identity
As Sierra Leone joins the world to celebrate World Autism Day, tomorrow, Friday, 2nd April, Orange Telecom, has announced their intention to partner with the Sierra Leone Autism Society to raise awareness on the disease condition.

World Autism Awareness Day is observed on April 2nd every year across the world. The day recognizes and spreads awareness for the rights of people with autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by behavioral and communicational affections that impact a person's ability to navigate social interactions and also causes repetitive and restricted behaviour.

Speaking during a meeting with the Founder of Sierra Leone Autism Society, Director of Foundation at Orange, Jesnna Betts, said that was the first time Orange Telecom was partnering with health institution of such nature, to help children with autism spectrum disorder.

She said it is difficult to care for children with autism in Sierra Leone, which is why they deemed it fit that they should partner with the autism foundation to raise awareness about children and how the society should treat them.

She further stated that, Orange Telecom is going to include the Sierra Leone Autism Society in their system.

Also speaking, Mary Penn-Timity said they have lot of challenges for caring for those children with the limited space they have for school and transportation constraint.

She said the way society sees and treats autism children in the country is also a huge challenge, stating that people don't allow their children to play with a child with autism and that they called them names.

She said they are currently operating in Freetown Makeni Bo and Kabala and that over 180 autism children go to their youth clubs centres in those three districts.
A former policy adviser to the Australian government says funding for academic research is becoming increasingly politicised and projects that are critical of the government are less likely to be funded.

Yun Jiang, director of independent research organisation the China Policy Centre, said ministerial discretion on Australian Research Council grant funding decisions was opaque and could lead to the political interest being dressed up as the national interest.

Australias leading research universities say they are working closely with ASIO and other intelligence agencies to counter foreign interference threats. Credit:Simon Schluter

Five applicants for Australian Research Council grants were last year denied funding of up to $500,000 a year after then-education minister Dan Tehan ruled they would be against Australias national interest.

The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee is currently holding an inquiry into the contribution of government funding for public research into current and emerging foreign policy issues.
Morrison envisages its role will be to assess policies for their impact on women as theyre being developed and bring forward new policies and champion them across other portfolios, such as for childcare. Its anticipated Payne and the taskforce will take a little time to settle on the most effective ways to work but hopes are high it can actually drive action and not descend into yet another talkfest. Government MPs acknowledge real change is needed. They say the anger of the women who marched on Canberra, spurred on by Higgins call for justice, has seeped into suburbia and the consciousness of Morrisons quiet Australians. Newspoll showed the governments primary vote fell in early March, with the Coalition dipping behind Labor on the two-party preferred measure. The polling published this week had Morrisons personal net-approval rating down by half to 15 per cent over the past fortnight. At the same time, Essential Research found his personal standing plummeted with female voters, with just under half the women surveyed approving of his performance and two in five disapproving. Both measures shifted by 10 points in a fortnight. The women who have to save Morrison and his government have come under fire themselves for their mixed history in advocating for womens rights.

Sexual assault survivor, activist and Australian of the Year Grace Tame warned people hopeful of change not to be naively misled by superficial distractions posed as solutions. Loading She took particular issue with the promotion of Stoker, accusing the senator of endorsing columnist Bettina Arndts fake rape crisis tour aimed at falsifying instances of sexual abuse on school and university campuses across Australia and failing to support victims of sexual assault. Either the Prime Minister is ignorant of the cultural issues at hand, or he understands them completely, and is making calculated moves to perpetuate them, Tame wrote on Instagram. Stoker responded that Tame must be unaware of her career as a barrister and prosecutor working for justice for women and children, and her arguing out of the media spotlight for more resources and better systems to deal with sexual assault and harassment. Morrison said he didnt share Tames views.

Others have highlighted Stokers strong anti-abortion stance and comments she made last year that women shouldnt need to frame the challenges they face in politics through the lens of gender. South Australian MP Nicolle Flint, who is retiring at the next federal election because of sustained sexist attacks and harassment, defended her friend this week, saying Stoker had been one of the few to always support her. Only when we all work together will we achieve desperately needed change for all women, Flint said. Hume was promoting a policy that domestic violence victims should be able to draw on their superannuation to flee abusive relationships, until Payne dumped it in the same estimates hearing where she said she didnt have an impossible job. Cash has also drawn accusations of sexism in the past after she threatened to name every young woman in [Bill] Shortens office about which rumours in this place abound in Parliament. She later withdrew the remarks.

Macquarie University associate professor Michelle Arrow, who specialises in feminist history, would have preferred to see a standalone Minister for Women who had that as their sole portfolio. Putting a bunch of women who have not shown very much sympathy for womens plight or  the kind of record that they have in those portfolios around supporting women who are the most vulnerable, its not particularly great, she says. It reinforces the idea that these are womens problems that women have to solve as well. These are not minority issues, these affect more than 50 per cent of the population. Loading Hayley Foster, chief executive of Womens Safety NSW, the peak body for specialist domestic and family violence services in the state, says it was problematic that again responsibility for addressing womens issues seemed to have been thrust upon only women. But conversely, she was hopeful they would be able to bring their own life experiences and understanding of the problems to the table.

We cant have people who dont truly understand those issues heading up and leading in addressing those issues, she says. For Foster, the elevation of womens issues to cabinet level is positive but what happens in Mays budget will be the true test. For far too long, the issues affecting Australians, female Australians have been sidelined and put in the subsidiary or the ancillary bucket - and often the bucket of this is too hard and too expensive and we dont want to deal with it, she says. Once we see what is prioritised in the budget, and if we do start seeing a genuine commitment of action following up the words, then we will at that point be able to say that the government has heard us loud and clear and is starting to prioritise the issues that are facing Australian women. Foster has already met with Payne, Stoker and departmental representatives about ways to increase conviction rates for sexual assault and drive down the levels of harassment, and found them receptive.

The taskforce also has a couple of blueprints to guide its work. Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins landmark report on workplace sexual harassment, Respect@Work, was given to the government more than a year ago. The formal response to its 55 recommendations is imminent, Morrison has promised. Its expected this response will be the key focus for the taskforces first meeting on Tuesday. Just this week, a Coalition-dominated parliamentary committee handed down a 470-page report on its inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence. It urges the government to act on 88 areas, including setting up an independent commissioner to oversee the next national action plan to reduce violence against women and children, universal age-appropriate education on respectful relationships and sexual consent, and tougher penalties for domestic violence. Labors spokeswoman on the prevention of family violence, Jenny McAllister, says the Liberal backbenchers putting this report together had been more ambitious than Morrison, Ruston and Payne.

The Coalition-controlled committee has issued a report that criticises the approach taken by the very ministers who now comprise the new womens safety taskforce, she says. The challenge for the government is to explain how this taskforce will change anything. Loading Ruston and her state and territory counterparts are now developing the next national action plan to reduce violence against women. This process is expected to include a national summit of women, peak bodies and domestic violence service organisations, similar to that called for by Liberal backbenchers Bridget Archer and Russell Broadbent. Ministers responsible for workplace health and safety - including Cash as the new Attorney-General - are set to decide next month on new work, health and safety laws designed in part to prevent sexual harassment. Much of this work plan was established well before Morrisons reshuffle. The formation of the dedicated womens taskforce adds another spotlight under which to scrutinise what is being done.
Two women are due to appear in court tomorrow morning after they were arrested at Dublin Airport today when they refused to go to a quarantine hotel.

The women  aged in their 30s and understood to be Dubliners - had disembarked from a flight from Dubai where it is understood they had travelled for cosmetic surgery.

Defence Forces personnel at the airport had informed these ladies that they were legally obliged to go to a quarantine hotel but they simply refused and the gardai were called, a senior source said.

The women stuck to their convictions when gardai arrived and they ended up getting arrested.

They are due to be brought before court in the morning and what is very possible is that they may have to go to the quarantine hotel after that appearance as well as possibly getting a significant fine, the source added.

Gardai confirmed details of the arrests in a statement.

An Garda Siochana were called to an incident in Dublin Airport this afternoon 02/04/2021, by the State Liaison officer, a garda spokesman told Independent.ie.

Gardai implemented the 4Es approach  engaging, explaining, and encouraging with enforcement a last resort.

After failing to comply with Gardai two women, aged in their 30s, were arrested for breaches of the Health Act and taken to Ballymun Garda Station.

Both women have since been charged. They are due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice, Court 2, tomorrow at 10.30am, the spokesman added.

Travellers currently arriving from 33 countries deemed high risk by the Government must quarantine for 12 nights at a designated hotel.

The Government is adding 26 states to its mandatory hotel quarantine list but no further European Union countries are included.

From 4am next Tuesday, 6 April, people arriving in Ireland from these countries and territories must pre-book accommodation for 12 nights mandatory hotel quarantine on arrival and pay for the stay.

The announcement brings to 59 the number of countries and territories deemed high risk by the Government.

The new quarantine rules also apply to any passenger who arrives from any other country without a negative PCR test for Covid-19 carried out no more than 72 hours before they arrive in Ireland.

The Department of Health is in charge of the mandatory quarantine system and the Defence Forces provide a security oversight at airports and hotels with private security guards then operating at the hotels.

However neither army personnel or the security guards have the legal power to stop people leaving the hotels which is a criminal offence that can attract a fine of up to 2,000 or a month in jail.

A 12-night stay in hotel quarantine costs 1,875 per adult, 625 for a second person over the age of 12 who shares the room, and 36 for children aged four to 12.

The countries that have been deemed "high-risk" because of the spread of variants of Covid-19 includes most South America countries, a number of African nations as well as the United Arab Emirates and Austria.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has designated the Crowne Plaza in Santry, the Holiday Inn Express in Santry, Clontarf Castle and the Hard Rock Hotel on Exchange Street Upper for use in the system.

Earlier this week we revealed that senior sources described the role assigned to gardai in policing breaches of Covid-19 quarantining rules at designated hotels as absolutely farcical.

Disquiet among officers is growing after it emerged that gardai had to engage in a manhunt for three people who left mandatory quarantine on Saturday at a Dublin hotel without authorisation armed with only the name given by each person and a phone number provided by them.
The suspected gunman who killed four people  including a 9-year-old boy  at a business complex in Orange, California, on Wednesday was charged with four felony counts of murder, prosecutors announced Friday.

Driving the news: Prosecutors said the suspect, Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, who was also wounded during the shooting, knew all of the adult victims through personal or business relationships.

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They also said that Gaxiola locked the gates to the business complex from the inside prior to the shooting, preventing victims from fleeing the building and forcing responding officers to engage him from outside the building.

What they're saying: The taking of the life of another human being is the most serious of crimes and the slaughter of multiple people while they were essentially locked in a shooting gallery is nothing short of terrifying, District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.

The big picture: Gaxiola has also been charged with attempted murder of two police officers and attempted murder of a woman, among other charges, prosecutors said.

The incident in Orange was the third major mass shooting in the United States in just over two weeks. A gunman killed 10 people in Boulder, Colorado, and eight people were killed in shootings in Atlanta, Georgia.

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A word of caution around Netflixs newest 8 part drama, The Serpent.

The timelines and flashbacks can sometimes get in the way of the drama, but the cavalier deception of gem dealer Charles Sobhraj and the pursuit by Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg is nonetheless engrossing.

The series is centred around Bangkok in the 1970s, when Charles Sobhraj and girlfriend Marie-Andree Leclerc drugged young travellers after captivating them with his personality -and tactfully stealing their passports.

French actor Tahar Rahim (The Looming Tower, Mary Magdalene) looms large in the title role, slyly joined by Jenna Coleman (Victoria, Doctor Who). In the clash of gaudy 70s fashions and vintage Thai wood they host a swinging apartment lifestyle, with booze, drugs, pool parties and sex. It acts like a magnet for hippy travellers from Europe and North America, but not all will emerge alive.

The death of two Dutch backpackers comes to the attention of Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle). But both his ambassador and Thai police offer little assistance prompting him to his own detective work, advised by Dutch expat Paul Siemons (Tim McInnerny).

Charles Sobhraj, known here as Alain allows few into his inner circle, but one is Indian Ajay (Amesh Edireweera), who acts as a driver while surreptitiously luring potential victims to Alains apartment block. Theres also French traveller Dominique (Fabien Frankel), returning from working on yachts in Australia.

Much of the action takes place in period Bangkok, in bars, embassies, temples, airports and on the street and The Serpent has gone to great lengths to capture the era with convincing locations. There are also scenes in Chiang Mai, India, Nepal, France, Hong Kong (filming took place in Thailand and the UK). There is some subtitling but a small proportion.

Aussie Damon Herriman also makes an appearance, as a knockabout expat dishing out some friendly advice.

But it is Tahar Rahim enigmatic in the title role, brimming in malevolence, with a sexy, insidious performance and casting a spell like a shrewd cult leader. Part of the intrigue of the show is grasping his motive and end game: there are scars from his childhood, and torment around imperialists. Yet the same can be asked of Marie -is she simply drawn to his charm? Perhaps hers is the more curious dramatic arc

The Serpent may be inspired by real events but while the TV version is luridly romantic, the reality and dedly consequences were anything but.

The Serpent is now screening on Netflix.

Related
Ukraines exports to the UK grew by 38 percent in the first quarter of 2021, while IT services exceed traditional export groups.

For the first quarter of this year, our exports [to the UK] grew by 38 percent. I do not know whether it is the result of signing the [Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership] Agreement or the efforts of our business, or even the work of the embassy. If we keep this pace by the end of the year, Britain will become one of the main partners [of Ukraine], Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko said during the panel discussion entitled "New Partnership in Times of Pandemic" organized by the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to the diplomat, the United Kingdom is already among the five largest consumers of Ukraines services and is the third largest investor in Ukraines economy.

The most important thing is that we do not follow traditional paths but study the possibility of developing cooperation in modern sectors, such as FinTec, IT, etc. Our export cooperation, for example, in IT is greater than in four traditional groups, such as metal, agricultural products, oil ... I believe that this is the trend that Ukraine needs to constantly foster and maintain, the Ambassador said.

On December 16, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

ol
[April 01, 2021] The Democratic Republic of Congo Signs a Public Private Partnership with Insolation Solaire Inc.

Jonathan Kalombo Tshimpaka, the Founder & CEO of Insolation Solaire Inc., a Canadian solar energy startup, signed a Public Private Partnership [PPP] with the Democratic Republic of Congo to deploy its novel solar optical module technology called "Oriens Duo" to test its innovative technology in rural areas of the DRC. ANSER's, the government's agency assigned to promote the electrification of Congo's rural sectors, goal is to supply electricity to approximately 15 million inhabitants living in rural areas by 2024. ANSER is the state entity that signed the Protocol of Agreement with Insolation Solaire Inc. This partnership will commence with a Pilot Project in an area named Kabeya Kamuanga, in the province of Kasai in May 2021. Oriens Duo was invented by the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Insolation Solaire Inc., Gilles Leduc. It uses 40% efficient Quantum (News - Alert) Dot Triple Junction solar cells coupled with a Winston Cone to concentrate solar radiations towards the substrate. Furthermore, Oriens Duo includes a echanism of heat transfer to produce thermal energy as a byproduct for the end user, which makes it a hybrid system. The technology enables air conditioner as well, which will be immensely appreciated in Congo where temperatures are very hot and humid.



Insolation Solaire Inc. has captured the essence of evolution and is setting a new standard in the solar industry. As the African market is growing at a staggering rate, the development of novel technologies using a methodology resembling that of Oriens Duo is practically non-existent. Consequently, it is an unprecedented opportunity for Insolation Solaire Inc. to capitalize and forge an enduring empire fueled by the sun. The political climate of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been stabilizing since the peaceful and mindful strategist, President Felix Antoine Tshilombo Tshisekedi, has been in power and recently been elevated to the status of President of the African Union.

"I believe that President Tshisekedi can unite Africa. Congo being the heart and the trigger of Africa, our work could send shockwaves of a modernization across the continent. Hence, I am wholeheartedly welcoming North American investors to help lay the foundation of this magnificent project," said the 32 years old CEO, Jonathan Kalombo Tshimpaka. www.insolationinc.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005981/en/

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REDMOND  A pair of old office buildings at 2115-2133 152nd Ave. N.E. in Redmond sold for almost $5.9 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Qualstar Credit Union, which acquired the property under a different name. One building last traded in 2002 for $1.3 million.





. . .
Los Angeles, April 2 : A nine-year-old boy was among the four victims killed during a mass shooting in California's Orange County, authorities said.

The boy was one of the two victims found by police officers in the courtyard area of a business complex in the city of Orange where the mass shooting took place on Wednesday evening, Xinhua news agency quoted the Orange Police Department as saying on Thursday.

The Department said in a release posted on its Facebook page that an adult female who had also been shot was found with the boy.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters on Thursday that the boy died in the arms of his wounded mother who was trying to save him during the bloodshed.

The Orange Police Department said it received multiple reports of shots in the city at approximately 5.30 p.m.

Officers were unable to enter the courtyard of the business complex initially because the gates were locked from the inside by the suspect with a bicycle-type cable lock.

Authorities said that two officers engaged the suspect from the outside of the gates and an officer-involved shooting occurred.

Upon entry, officers located the suspect who was injured and taken into custody.

The female victim and the suspect were transported to a local hospital where they both remain in critical but stable condition.

Officers quickly began a systematic search of the complex and located three deceased victims, including two adult women and one adult man.

Police said that the suspect has been identified as 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez with a last known address in Fullerton, a city located in northern Orange County.

Investigators recovered several items at the scene including a semi-automatic handgun and a backpack containing pepper spray, handcuffs and ammunition which are believed to belong to the suspect, according to the police.

Wednesday incident were the latest mass shooting in the last two weeks.

On March 22, 10 people, including one police officer, were killed in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.

On March 16, a series of mass shootings occurred at three spas or massage parlours in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, which killed eight people including six Asian women.
President Joe Biden poses with Champ and Major in the Oval Office. Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz

The Bidens have two German shepherds, 13-year-old Champ and 3-year-old Major, who is a rescue.

Major bit a Secret Service member and a National Park Service employee in two separate incidents.

Both Joe and Jill Biden have spoken about the dogs' adjustment to life in the White House.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

November 2020: Even before Joe Biden took office, his dogs were making headlines. The then-president-elect fractured his foot while playing with his dog Major.

Joe Biden wearing a boot in December 2020. CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

In a December interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Biden revealed that he fractured his foot after tripping on a rug that Major displaced while chasing a ball.

"I got a dog. And anybody who's been around my house knows, dropped  the little pup dropped the ball in front of me, and for me to grab the ball," he said.

He continued: "And I'm walking through this little alleyway to get to the bedroom, and I grabbed the ball like this and he ran. And I'm joking, running after him and grab his tail. And what happened was that he slid on a throw rug, and I tripped on the rug he slid on."

Biden wore a boot for several weeks in December as the fracture healed.

January 17, 2021: The Delaware Humane Association held an "indoguration" for Major as the first shelter dog in the White House.

Joe Biden and his shelter dog Major. Delaware Humane Association

The Bidens adopted Major from the Delaware Humane Association in 2018.

The Zoom "indoguration" event featured NBC "Today" show contributor Jill Martin and other rescue dogs with their owners to raise money for the shelter.

"We are elated," Cory Topel, the shelter's marketing manager, told Insider in an email at the time. "With Major heading to the White House, we hope it will shine light on the importance of animal adoption, as well as supporting your own local animal shelter."

January 24, 2021: Champ and Major moved into the White House.

Champ and Major moving into the White House in January 2020. Official White House photos by Adam Schultz

The dogs joined the first couple at their new residence days after the inauguration, Michael LaRosa, Jill Biden's press secretary, confirmed to Insider in January.

Story continues

"The first family wanted to get settled before bringing the dogs down to Washington from Delaware," LaRosa told Insider. "Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace and Major loved running around on the South Lawn."

February 7, 2021: Champ and Major filmed a coronavirus PSA with first lady Dr. Jill Biden for the Puppy Bowl.

First lady Jill Biden filmed a PSA at the White House with dogs Champ and Major. Discovery Press/YouTube

Champ and Major made their White House television debut to remind people to mask up.

Dr. Jill Biden filmed a coronavirus public service announcement with the German shepherds that aired during Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl XVII on Super Bowl Sunday.

"For a lot of us during this pandemic, our pets have been such a source of joy and comfort  and maybe a bark or two on a video conference," she said, sitting in front of a fireplace at the White House with Champ and Major at her feet. "The unconditional love from a dog is one of the most beautiful things on Earth, and we owe it to them to keep ourselves healthy."

Biden then reminded people to keep wearing masks, even when out walking their dogs.

February 25, 2021: Jill Biden said in an interview with Kelly Clarkson that she was "obsessed" with helping the dogs get settled in their new home.

Jill Biden and Champ. Official White House photos by Adam Schultz

"They have to take the elevator. They're not used to that," she told Clarkson. "They have to go out on the South Lawn with lots of people watching them. So, you know, that's what I've been obsessed with, just getting everybody settled and calm."

March 8, 2021: Major bit a member of the Secret Service, causing a "minor injury." Both dogs were sent to Delaware.

Champ and Major on the South Lawn of the White House in March 2021. MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Major and Champ returned to the Bidens' estate in Wilmington, Delaware, after Major displayed aggressive behavior and bit a member of the Secret Service, CNN reported.

The CNN report indicated that Major had previously been known to display agitated behavior, which included "charging" at staff and security officers, jumping, and barking. Sources told CNN that Champ, in comparison, was "slowed down" due to his old age.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a press conference in March that Champ and Major were "still getting acclimated and accustomed to their surroundings and new people," and that Major "was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual."

The dogs were previously scheduled to return to Delaware while Jill Biden traveled, but they were sent home after the "biting incident," where Major received special training.

March 17, 2021: In an ABC interview, Biden said Major is "sweet" and that 85% of the White House staff "love" him.

President Biden plays with Champ and Major on February 24, 2021, in the Rose Garden of the White House. Courtesy Photo by Ana Isabel Martinez Chamorro

"Major was a rescue pup," Biden told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. "Major did not bite someone and penetrate the skin. The dog's being trained now with our trainer at home in Delaware."

Biden said that living in a new, different environment at the White House has been difficult for his dog.

"You turn a corner, and there's two people you don't know at all," Biden said. "And he moves to protect. But he's a sweet dog. 85% of the people there love him ... All he does is lick them and wag his tail."

March 21, 2021: The dogs returned to the White House.

President Joe Biden walks with Champ and Major on the South Lawn of the White House. White House/Adam Schultz

Psaki told reporters at a March 24 briefing that Champ and Major joined the first family at Camp David in Maryland over the weekend before returning to the White House on March 21.

"The dogs will come and go, and it will not be uncommon for them to head back to Delaware on occasion, as the president and first lady often do as well," Psaki said.

March 29, 2021: Days after his return, Major was involved in another biting incident while on a walk.

Major on the South Lawn of the White House. MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

On Monday afternoon, Major bit a National Park Service employee while out on a walk, LaRosa confirmed to CNN.

"Yes, Major nipped someone on a walk," the first lady's spokesman told the outlet. "Out of an abundance of caution, the individual was seen by WHMU [the White House Medical Unit] and then returned to work."

It has not yet been announced whether Major will remain in the White House or receive additional training.

Read the original article on Insider
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 23:26:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council Friday sent condolences over a train derailment in Taiwan that has killed dozens of people.

The mainland is deeply concerned about the rescue progress, spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang said in an earlier statement.

According to local authorities, the train derailed inside a tunnel in east Taiwan on Friday morning, resulting in at least 50 deaths and 146 others hospitalized.

The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits has also sent its condolences to the families of the deceased and expressed sympathies to the injured.

Meanwhile, the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots issued a letter of sympathy, saying Taiwan compatriots, who live on the mainland, were saddened to learn about the accident.

"People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of the same family. May the deceased persons rest in peace and those who are injured quickly recover," the federation said.

The Central Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League has also released a letter of sympathy, sending condolences to the affected families and well-wishes to the injured.

"People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a natural affinity. The compatriots on the mainland feel for the pain of loss of Taiwan compatriots," the letter read. Enditem
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will allow care home residents in England two visitors later this month, giving some grandparents the chance to meet their grandchildren for the first time, the government said on Saturday.

To stop COVID-19 being spread in care homes which were badly hit during the initial outbreak of the disease last year, the government imposed tight restrictions on access during the latest strict lockdown which began in January.

Last month, measures were eased to allow each care home resident one indoor visitor, and from April 12, this will be doubled. Parents will be allowed to bring babies and very young children, allowing some people the chance to meet the newest members of their family for the first time.

"Im particularly pleased to allow residents to have more visitors, including grandchildren, given the isolation and concern felt by so many this past year," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

Visitors will have to wear personal protective equipment and provide a negative COVID test result.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
The city has apologized for sending bills to Winnipeggers who sought medical attention after getting a COVID-19 shot at Manitoba's largest vaccine clinic.

The city has apologized for sending bills to Winnipeggers who sought medical attention after getting a COVID-19 shot at Manitoba's largest vaccine clinic.

Two people who received checkups from paramedics during their appointments at the RBC Convention Centre supersite were later billed, a Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.

An 86-year-old member of the Order of Canada was one of them. Two weeks after he was vaccinated against COVID-19, Tom Denton received his surprise $228 bill in the mail.

Denton, a longtime refugee advocate and founding publisher of the Winnipeg Sun, was immunized on March 18. After waiting the required 15 minutes post-jab, he had his blood pressure checked by a uniformed paramedic and went home shortly afterward, not expecting to be asked to pay for the checkup.

It had taken only 18 minutes for both him and his wife to receive their first-doses, and Denton said he had no complaints about their experience at the supersite  until he checked the mailbox this week.

Two weeks after he was vaccinated, Tom Denton received a surprise $228 bill in the mail. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

"We came home, we were so impressed, and we've been telling others how well it went and so forth, and then the day before yesterday, I get this bill. I was totally shocked," Denton told the Free Press on Thursday.

"There was no indication whatsoever that it was going to cost any money."

After being contacted by the Free Press, municipal and provincial spokespeople said the bill was a mistake.

One other person was also mistakenly billed for paramedic treatment at their vaccine appointment. After that person contacted the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, the service reviewed all paramedic treatment incidents at the supersite to make sure no one else was incorrectly billed. Patients should only expect a bill if they needed paramedics to take them to the hospital from the supersite, a WFPS spokeswoman said.

As part of the vaccine rollout, the province made arrangements with the WFPS to station one advanced care paramedic at the vaccine clinic per day to help monitor clients, but they were not supposed to bill individuals.

"While we cannot speak to a specific medical incident involving an individual, no bills should be generated or sent to clients who require on-site care during the post-vaccine monitoring period at this site. If a client received a bill for this type of care, it was in error. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused," a WFPS spokeswoman wrote in an emailed statement.

Denton assumed he was following the proper procedure when he agreed to see a paramedic on site, not expecting he would be charged for it. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

"The WFPS will work directly with clients to resolve this issue, and we will continue to enhance our system to prevent further incidents like this from happening in the future. At this time, in the event a patient requires transportation to hospital from the site, a bill will be generated, as per regular billing practices."

Denton said he assumed he was following the proper procedure when he agreed to see a paramedic on site. Upon being informed by a reporter the bill was sent in error, Denton said the situation is "bizarre."

At their vaccination appointment, after getting their shots and waiting for 15 minutes, he and his wife grabbed their walkers and stood up to leave the supersite. That's when an attentive staff member asked him how he was feeling, Denton said.

"I said, 'I feel a little woozy,' and that was probably the wrong thing to say." In retrospect, he said, it's not unusual for him to feel a bit light-headed when he gets up quickly. But the paramedics' cubicle was right in front of them, and he agreed to get his blood-pressure checked. He spent about 10 minutes with the paramedic, who asked if he wanted to go to the hospital. Denton said he didn't, that he felt fine, and he went home.

"When they offered to check me out, I said, 'well, sure.' I just thought I was being accommodating to the process," Denton said. He said he has not experienced any side-effects from the vaccine.

He said "it's not reasonable at all," to be billed for this kind of service.

"Nobody would volunteer to go and be checked, I should think. I mean, it would discourage anyone from reporting anything wrong," he said.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Another raft of international workers have bypassed coronavirus restrictions to travel to Australia and pick fruit on farms and get it to supermarkets before it spoils.

Victoria's farming industry will welcome more than 100 international workers over the next week to help manage this season's harvest.

The workers, from the Pacific Islands, arrived in the state on Friday after completing 14 days in hotel quarantine in Tasmania.

The new workers will join a raft of East Timorese people who boarded an airplane (pictured) as in Dili in December 2020 to pick fruit in Australia

Pacific Island nations can bypass Australia's travel bans to work on farms (pictured) under a agreement between the countries

More workers will arrive in Victoria in the coming days as part of a planned, rolling schedule of arrivals which will get up to 1,500 Pacific Islanders working in the state's farm sector.

'This is a great example of what can be achieved when governments, industry and employers work together for the greater good of agriculture,' Victorian Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said in a statement on Friday.

'Our Pacific neighbours will be warmly welcomed on our farms from next week and will join local workers across the state as the harvest continues.'

The Victorian government thanked the workers for their 'commitment and valuable contribution' to the state.

A seasonal worker harvest oranges (pictured) on a NSW farm during the Covid travel bans in 2020

The agreement was reached due to the low Covid case number in most Pacific Island nations (pictured)

Tasmania said it had worked side-by-side with its agricultural industry and other jurisdictions to minimise the impacts of the pandemic.

'We're working with industry to ensure our fruit is picked, our vegetables harvested, our meat is processed and our grapes are crushed this season, and in future seasons,' Tasmanian Primary Industries Minister Guy Barnett said.

The deal was needed after Victoria forbid international flights from landing nearly two months ago.

That was in response to a hotel quarantine worker contracting the UK strain of coronavirus from travellers in a Holiday Inn near Melbourne Airport.

Overseas flights are due to resume landing in Melbourne on Thursday.
Mexico & Banderas Bay Area News



Vallarta Lifeguards Get New Life Saving Equipment

Slide Description 002 Slide Description 002 Slide Description 002 Slide Description 002 Slide Description 002 Slide Description 002 The new equipment allows for greater response time by the Puerto Vallarta Lifeguard, Civil Protection and Fire Department, and is part of the preventative actions implemented during the holiday period. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - On March 28, interim mayor Jorge Antonio Quintero Alvarado delivered new equipment and vehicles to the Puerto Vallarta Lifeguard, Civil Protection and Fire Department for the protection, pre-hospital attention, and rescue of citizens - just in time for the Semana Santa holidays.



The new equipment was acquired from the Technical Committee of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone Fund (Zofemat) to strengthen the response capacity that the municipal rescue departments provide, as part of the Comprehensive Safe Beach Program 2020.



The interim mayor thanked the members of the Technical Committee for having prioritized the purchase of this equipment, at a cost of $5,878,138 pesos, with which the day-to-day activities that are carried out by the Lifeguards, Civil Protection and Firefighters to safeguard the lives and well-being of Puerto Vallarta families, and those who visit this tourist destination, are reinforced.



The new equipment, he indicated, is added to the actions that will be implemented during this holiday period, as it will allow the agency to have a greater response time for maritime and land transfers, to reinforce safety on the beaches and to carry out preventive surveillance tours of these spaces, in addition to having adequate and available vehicles to provide search and rescue support, all in favor of our citizens.



In this way, the Civil Protection and Fire Department received 2 jet skis and trailers, four 700 CC ATVs with 4x4 traction, a 4x4 double cab pick-up truck, 6 diving equipment rigs and 50 new uniforms for the lifeguards. They also received 3 automatic defibrillators, 3 pediatric defibrillator patches and 3 adult defibrillator patches; in addition to a 30-foot boat with trailer and fire equipment, which will allow, among other tasks, the efficient transfer of injured boaters to land, the evacuation of boats and the extinguishing of boat fires.



Quintero Alvarado specified that "our commitment as a municipal government is to help our colleagues who day by day risk their lives to save the lives of Vallartans, and we will continue to support our security and protection bodies, because we acknowledge that you do a very important job."



Accompanying the interim mayor in this delivery were the director of Civil Protection and Firefighters, Adrian Bobadilla Garcia, and the Municipal Treasurer, Ricardo Rene Rodriguez Ramirez, who gave timely follow-up to this program that today provides Puerto Vallarta with a valuable team.



Puerto Vallarta Municipal Government press release translated and edited by Ricardo Acerco for BanderasNews.com. - On March 28, interim mayor Jorge Antonio Quintero Alvarado delivered new equipment and vehicles to the Puerto Vallarta Lifeguard, Civil Protection and Fire Department for the protection, pre-hospital attention, and rescue of citizens - just in time for the Semana Santa holidays.The new equipment was acquired from the Technical Committee of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone Fund (Zofemat) to strengthen the response capacity that the municipal rescue departments provide, as part of the Comprehensive Safe Beach Program 2020.The interim mayor thanked the members of the Technical Committee for having prioritized the purchase of this equipment, at a cost of $5,878,138 pesos, with which the day-to-day activities that are carried out by the Lifeguards, Civil Protection and Firefighters to safeguard the lives and well-being of Puerto Vallarta families, and those who visit this tourist destination, are reinforced.The new equipment, he indicated, is added to the actions that will be implemented during this holiday period, as it will allow the agency to have a greater response time for maritime and land transfers, to reinforce safety on the beaches and to carry out preventive surveillance tours of these spaces, in addition to having adequate and available vehicles to provide search and rescue support, all in favor of our citizens.In this way, the Civil Protection and Fire Department received 2 jet skis and trailers, four 700 CC ATVs with 4x4 traction, a 4x4 double cab pick-up truck, 6 diving equipment rigs and 50 new uniforms for the lifeguards. They also received 3 automatic defibrillators, 3 pediatric defibrillator patches and 3 adult defibrillator patches; in addition to a 30-foot boat with trailer and fire equipment, which will allow, among other tasks, the efficient transfer of injured boaters to land, the evacuation of boats and the extinguishing of boat fires.Quintero Alvarado specified that "our commitment as a municipal government is to help our colleagues who day by day risk their lives to save the lives of Vallartans, and we will continue to support our security and protection bodies, because we acknowledge that you do a very important job."Accompanying the interim mayor in this delivery were the director of Civil Protection and Firefighters, Adrian Bobadilla Garcia, and the Municipal Treasurer, Ricardo Rene Rodriguez Ramirez, who gave timely follow-up to this program that today provides Puerto Vallarta with a valuable team.



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NORWALK  A joint investigation by Norwalk and Bridgeport police led to what city law enforcement officials called the largest fentanyl bust in the Norwalk Police Departments history this week.

Sylvester Edward, 32, of Norwalk, was taken into custody in Bridgeport on Tuesday, nearly a year after he successfully fled Norwalk officers during a vehicle pursuit, according to police.

At the time of his arrest, Edward, who is also known as Gumzy, was found to be in possession of a host of narcotics, including large amounts of fentanyl and crack cocaine, police said.

After obtaining a search warrant, investigators seized numerous fake IDs, equipment to make fraudulent credit cards and checks, dozens of marijuana edibles, loose prescription pills and 235 folds of pure fentanyl from a Bridgeport apartment rented by Edward. Police said the apartment was used solely for Edwards criminal enterprise.

This is likely the largest amount of pure fentanyl that we have ever seized, Lt. Marc Lepore, the commanding officer of Norwalk Police Departments Special Services Division, said in a statement.

Edward had eluded police since April 1, 2020, when he engaged Norwalk officers in a vehicle pursuit that passed through a city school zone, police said. A joint operation by Norwalk and Bridgeport police eventually led investigators to a Hancock Avenue apartment where police said Edward manufactured narcotics.

In addition to the drugs recovered from the apartment, police said they found three different fentanyl cutting agents, packaging material to package fentanyl for street sale, a blender and computers.

Police said Edward was also wanted by State Police in connection with a separate vehicle pursuit in which he fled the vehicle, resisted arrest, was Tasered and fled again. Norwalk police were assisted in the investigation and arrest by the Bridgeport Police Departments Tactical Narcotics Team.

We have a strong partnership that has lasted for years, Lepore said.

According to police, Edward currently has 12 pending cases in various courts across Connecticut and is out on $930,000 bond.

Police said their investigation is ongoing and more charges are expected in the case. Edward is scheduled to be arraigned next week, court records show.
Customers who have made a Section 75 claim with their bank or credit card provider could be waiting until next year for a refund, This is Money can reveal.

One HSBC customer - who simply wants to be named as Ray - made a claim in August 2020 after a New York holiday scheduled for April 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic. However, he is facing a lengthy delay for a payout.

He is just one of thousands who have made claims with banks reporting an increase in Section 75 claims over the past year as it enables travellers to get a refund on their cancelled trips.

This appears to have created a backlog - and especially so at HSBC.

HSBC told one customer he could have to wait until the end of 2022 for a refund to be given

In Ray's case, his holiday operator, Jetline, said it wouldn't pay out so he and his wife claimed on their respective credit cards, with 2,058 on his HSBC card and 1,165 on his wife's Tesco card.

Initially, Tesco wrongly told Ray it would refund them the whole amount, despite only paying 1,165 on it, but as is correct, just that amount was returned, in August 2020.

This is when he opened a Section 75 refund claim via his HSBC credit card for the rest of the holiday covered by that card.

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 gives credit card users protection in the event they suffer from a breach of contract or misrepresentation when buying goods.

It removes the risk that people could be put into debt for goods or services that weren't received at all, were faulty, or were otherwise not as described.

Section 75 offers protection for items or services valued from 100 to 30,000, of which at least part of the purchase, such as a deposit, was made with a credit card - such as Ray's holiday.

However, he had not heard any update by Christmas, so contacted HSBC.

He claims he was told by the bank there were 'no applicable timescales for Section 75 claims' and it was currently taking between 6 and 12 months for cases to be reviewed.

It added this time frame relates to the amount of time taken to complete an initial review of a case, not resolve the case.

One holidaymakers trip to New York was cancelled and they waited nearly a year for a refund

This means, he could potentially be waiting until the end of 2022 for a holiday that was due to go ahead in April 2020 - nearly a two year wait.

This is Money contacted HSBC to find out why it was taking so long for a refund to be processed.

A HSBC spokesperson said: 'Like most financial services providers, we have faced an unprecedented increase in volumes of Chargeback and Section 75 claims due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

'We are sorry for any delays customers have experienced as a result of this and are currently making improvements to streamline the claims process.'

Fortunately, he has now received his refund in full as well as 100 compensation for his troubles which he has donated to charity.

This is Money contacted several major banks to find out how long it is taking them to process claims.

HSBC admitted there is a backlog of Chargeback and Section 75 claims it needs to process

Santander said it is reviewing all Section 75 claims within an eight week period from the claim being received and is currently able to review the majority of claims within one to two weeks.

Barclays added it can be done in two weeks but in some cases but there are circumstances where it takes longer.

Lloyds said that, whilst every claim is different and are managed on a case by case basis, it is processing claims within its usual timescales.

Both Santander and Barclays added the length of time taken to process a claim varies depending on the nature of the claim and its complexity as they continue to receive higher volumes of claims than normal.

Whilst there is no timeline laid out in the Consumer Credit Act that stipulates a deadline for Section 75 claims to be dealt with, firms should be mindful of their overarching regulatory requirements to treat customers fairly whilst processing such claims, according to UK Finance.

It said it is essential for customers to provide all relevant information to their issuer - this will always be easier to assess if it is recent, so claiming sooner rather than later is sensible if the retailer has rejected the claim or ceased trading.

The Limitation Act will also be a matter for customers to consider when thinking about claiming as this sets out a timeline within which claims must be made.

If customers are unhappy with how a firm has handled a claim they can complain to the firm and then to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Firms need to respond to complaints within eight weeks and issue a final letter after which customers are able to take their complaint to the Ombudsman.

Holidaymakers who took out travel insurance could also try and make a claim on their policy if their Section 75 one is unsuccessful.

Looking forward to this summer, when foreign travel may be allowed, consumers are encouraged to take out insurance as soon as they make their booking.

Travellers who book a package holiday will also have more protection and should be given a full refund in 14 days if a trip is cancelled.

While this is taking a bit longer due to the current circumstances, you will be entitled to claim back the whole amount.
BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday joined Beijing citizens to plant trees and urged efforts to build a beautiful homeland with harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a tree-planting activity in Beijing's Chaoyang District.

The activity was also attended by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan.

Xi planted six saplings of different species. While planting the trees, he told young students around him to foster a sense of hard work from childhood, study hard, and be prepared to contribute to the country's development with a strong body and mind.

Noting that 2021 marks the 40th year since China started the nationwide tree-planting campaign, Xi hailed the contributions of the Chinese people from all ethnic groups in making the country greener and helping expand its forest resources.

The president, however, drew attention to prominent problems such as insufficiency in the total forest and grassland resources in the country as well as the relatively low quality of these resources.

Reiterating that the Chinese nation has always laid emphasis on the harmonious development between humans and nature, Xi said as the new stage of development has put forward higher requirements for ecological conservation, greater efforts must be made to advance green development and lead the trend of global development in this regard.

China should remain firm in its commitment to putting the environment first and pursuing green development, Xi added, calling for realizing the goal of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality and safeguarding global ecological security.

Stressing that building a beautiful China requires the efforts of everyone, Xi said that to build a beautiful China is to ensure the health of great rivers and mountains of the motherland, as well as the health of generations of Chinese people.

He urged Party members and cadres to take the lead in fulfilling their responsibilities in afforestation, living a green and low-carbon life, protecting the planet Earth as home of human beings and safeguarding the lucid waters and lush mountains of the motherland, thus enabling the people to lead a high-quality life.
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Nigers newly-elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, hit out at terrorist groups whose barbarity has exceeded every limit after taking the helm Friday of a country struggling with two jihadist insurgencies.

These groups carry out large-scale massacres of innocent civilians, and in doing so, commit real war crimes, Bazoum declared.

The leaders of these groups are from other countries, he said, adding that Niger was being attacked without any cause.

No terrorist leader has ever formulated any grievance against our state, he said.

Bazoum, 61, was elected in a two-round vote in December and February.

He was previously right-hand man to Mahamadou Issoufou, 68, who has voluntarily stepped down after two five-year terms.

His inauguration marks the first handover between elected leaders in Nigers 60-year post-independence history, but jihadist attacks and an alleged attempted coup have overshadowed ceremonies.

Niger is being hit by insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda or the so-called Islamic State (IS), crossing from Mali and Burkina Faso in the west, and by Boko Haram, crossing from Nigeria in the southeast.

More than 300 people have been killed in three attacks in the west since the start of the year.

In the most recent of these, 141 members of the Tuareg community were massacred on March 21 in Tahoua, a vast desert region abutting Mali.

Bazoum said Nigers diplomatic efforts under his presidency will be centered on Mali.

The current situation in Mali has a direct impact on domestic security in our country, he said.

IS-linked insurgents are based in Menaka and Gao, in eastern and central Mali respectively, said Bazoum.

Combatting them will be very difficult so long as the Malian state does not exercise full sovereignty over these regions, he said.

In the early hours of Wednesday, after gunfire broke out near the presidency in the capital Niamey, the government announced an attempted coup had been thwarted.

It described this as a cowardly and regressive act which sought to threaten democracy and the state of law.

The West African nation has suffered four coups in its history, most recently a February 2010 putsch which toppled then president Mamadou Tandja.
One of America's worst serial killers, who dressed as a clown to entertain local children but murdered at least 33 boys and young men, recorded a secret jailhouse interview, it has emerged, in which he suggested he may have had accomplices.

John Wayne Gacy confessed in 1978 to the murders, and was executed in 1994, aged 52.

Now a new docuseries, released on Peacock on March 25, asks whether Gacy may have murdered more than he said.

'The dead won't bother you,' he says in the trailer.

'It's the living you have to worry about.'

John Wayne Gacy is seen in a previously unknown interview, from jail. He was executed in 1994

Gacy is seen grinning in a mugshot taken at the time of his arrest, in December 1978

Gacy's jailhouse interview was hidden for years: even his death row attorney Karen Conti said she was unaware of it until the series was made.

Gacy, asked why he never spoke before, says: 'I had no need to talk to the media.

'They were looking for sensationalism.

'They were looking for a monster.'

Conti said the show, John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, detailing the serial killer's crimes - which took place in suburban Chicago during the 1970s - was fascinating a whole new generation with his grim story.

'There are some new interviews - there is that interview with Gacy, something I have never seen in all the years,' she told The National Desk.

'These crimes were committed in the late 1970s, he's been dead since 27 years ago, so there's a whole new generation of people who didn't live through these crimes.'

Gacy - who became known as the 'serial killer clown' due to his penchant for dressing up as a circus entertainer - lured his young male victims to his home, before raping, torturing and strangling them.

The remains of 29 victims were found buried in the crawl space under Gacy's property. Four others were dumped in a nearby river.

The depravity of Gacy's crimes shocked the nation, and he was executed at Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois in 1994 after spending more than a decade on death row.

'He was the worst of the worst,' said Conti.

'He was the world-record serial killer at the time.

'He was, on one hand, such an evil person, a monster. On the other hand, he was good at what he did, he had a good business, he was politically-minded, community-minded, and he was charming, in some ways. So you have this juxtaposition of good and evil.'

Conti said what is particularly fascinating about Gacy and other true crime subjects covered in recent documentaries and podcasts, such as Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Cosby, are that they are 'likable people.'

She said he was one of her more pleasant clients.

'We don't think of them as being people who are capable of this kind of thing,' she said.

'I think people are fascinated by what made Gacy do what he did. He was raised in a fairly normal home, it wasn't horrific. What caused him to be so twisted and so evil? Some days he would go out and kill three boys in one night.'

One detective who worked on the case tells producers of the new miniseries that there could be a dozen additional men who Gacy killed.

'I firmly believe there's more,' said retired Detective Rafael Tovar.

A chilling new docuseries probes whether John Wayne Gacy may have murdered more than the 33 victims he was convicted of killing. The six-part series, titled John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, is streaming now on Peacock

10 of Gacy's 33 confirmed victims are pictured.

Investigators carry the remains of a body found beneath the garage floor of the home of John Wayne Gacy on December 22, 1978. All up, 29 bodies were discovered on Gacy's property

Tovar claims that he was transporting Gacy to prison in 1980 when he asked the serial killer about his victims.

'Are there more?' Tovar says he asked Gacy, who responded: '45 sounds like a good number'.

When Tovar quizzed the killer on the whereabouts of the bodies of the additional victims, Gacy is alleged to have replied: 'That's your job. You're the detectives. You got to find out.'

Tovar said in the documentary: 'We had 33 victims, so that would mean, obviously, there's 12 more somewhere'.

The detective told producers that he spent enough time with Gacy to believe that he was telling the truth.

Meanwhile, Tovar, who retired from policing in 2009, spoke with Fox News about what he believes motivated Gacy to kill.

'I think he liked the power to kill people, the power of death,' he said.

'It made him feel like a god. And I think that just got to him. And he was smart. He got away for a long time... It made him feel powerful.'

Retired Detective Rafael Tovar believes there could be 12 more victims - taking the total number of people Gacy killed to 45

Cook County Sheriff's Police evidence technicians are seen removing of one of the 29 bodies that were found decomposed beneath the house and in the garage area of the home

The documentary additionally features never-before-seen footage of a jailhouse interview Gacy conducted in 1992, in which he denies he is a killer (pictured)

Tovar told Fox News that Gacy never showed remorse for his crimes and was 'obviously a person who had no moral compass'.

'I mean, killing someone for him was like how you would shoo a fly off of your food,' Tovar stated.

'It wasn't something that affected him. When it came time to dig up the basement, I think he was more concerned about us messing up his carpet'.

Tovar also told LRM Online that Gacy was 'an egomaniac'.

Devil In Disguise also includes audio of Gacy admitting to killing another victim.

However, the documentary additionally features never-before-seen footage of a jailhouse interview Gacy conducted in 1992, in which he denies he is a killer.

But Gacy's words in the interview ring hollow, as he had already admitted to killing the 33 people a decade earlier.

The grave of an unidentified victim of John Wayne Gacy is seen at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Forest Park, Illinois. Six of the 33 victims have not been identified

Of those 33 victims, six have still not been identified.

Tovar told Fox News that some of them are likely to have been 'street guys and runaways' whose families never knew they went missing.

Working as a remodeling contractor in suburban Norwood, Gacy began building a reputation as an organizer of parties and parades as 'Pogo the clown.'

According to prosecutors, Gacy would lure young men to his home by impersonating a police officer or promising them construction work.

Once his victims were inside, he would usually put them in handcuffs, claiming he wanted to demonstrate a 'trick' he has learned as a clown.

When the young men were restrained, Gacy tortured and raped them, before strangling them with a knotted rope.

The identified victims were aged between 14 and 22.

The six-part series, titled John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise , details the serial killer's shocking crimes, which took place in suburban Chicago during the 1970s

Investigators were alerted to Gacy after a boy went missing who he had been talking to about construction work.

On searching his home in December of 1978, they found a series of odd items - such as clothes too small for Gacy - and the smell of decay.

Investigators began to find bodies buried in his crawlspace hours after Gacy's arrest.

The ranch was torn down as investigators searched for more bodies in 1979.

Gacy was executed by lethal injection in 1994. His last words were 'Kiss my a*s.'
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FILE - In this Aug. 22, 2020 file photo, tribesmen loyal to Houthi rebels raise their weapons during a protest against the agreement to establish diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, in Sanaa, Yemen. Saudi Arabia announced a plan Monday, March 22, 2021, 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. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A fuel tank at an oil facility in Saudi Arabia caught fire after being struck in an attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels, officials said Friday, an attack that came on the sixth anniversary of the kingdom's entry into Yemen's yearslong civil war.

The assault at Jizan in southwest Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen came came during what Saudi defense officials described as a barrage of eight bomb-carrying drones launched by the Houthi rebels.

A Houthi military spokesman later claimed a series of attacks on several Saudi military sites and oil facilities, some acknowledged by the kingdom and others not.

The kingdom has faced an increasing number of such assaults and the tempo hasn't slowed since it offered a cease-fire deal to the Houthis on Monday.

The attack in Jizan, some 970 kilometers (600 miles) southwest of Riyadh on the Red Sea, struck a distribution facility just after 9 p.m. Thursday, the Saudi Energy Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

The attack resulted in a fire in one of the terminals tanks, the statement said, without elaborating. The attack left no casualties.

Saudi Arabia did not specifically identify the area struck. However, Jizan is home to a new refinery and port facilities for the energy giant Saudi Arabian Oil Co. The refinery, with a capacity of 400,000 barrels a day, sent its first shipment abroad last year. Jizan also is transliterated from Arabic as Jazan by Aramco.

Jizan and its new refinery long have been targeted by Yemen's Houthi rebels in their campaign against the kingdom. However, satellite pictures from Planet Labs Inc. taken Friday morning and analyzed by The Associated Press did not immediately appear to show any damage at that facility.

In a televised speech, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yehia Sarie claimed that the rebels targeted several Aramco sites in the cities of Jizan, Ras Tanura, Yanbu and Rabigh with 18 drones and eight ballistic missiles. Sarie also claimed the rebels launched another salvo of 12 drones and eight ballistic missiles at King Abdulaziz Air base in Dammam, as six drones also struck military sites in Asir and Najran provinces.

Story continues

The operation has successfully fulfilled its objectives, Sarie said. We affirm that we are ready to carry out a more severe and more cruel military operation in the coming period.

The kingdom did not acknowledge a wave of attacks at the scale. Claims and counterclaims between the kingdom and the rebels have been common throughout the war.

Benchmark Brent crude rose to over $63 a barrel in early trading Friday after the attack. Energy prices have risen recently off growing demand as coronavirus vaccinations increase and Egypt's Suez Canal remains closed due to a massive container ship wedged across the vital waterway.

The Saudi-led coalition entered Yemens war on March 25, 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 war also has turned into a regional conflict, with the Saudis using U.S.-made weaponry in internationally criticized airstrikes killing civilians, and Iran being linked to weapons used by the Houthis to target the kingdom.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia offered a new cease-fire proposal to the Houthis. It 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.

The Houthis did not outright reject the offer, though its officials said they wanted both the airport and Hodeida port reopened without restrictions. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday praised the arrival of four fuel ships to Hodeida on a call with the Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed as a way to mitigate the fuel shortage facing the country and get much needed help to the people of Yemen.

___

Associated Press writer Noha ElHennawy in Cairo contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
A section of another market at Funtua, the commercial nerve of Katsina State is reported to have been consumed by fire about the early hou...

A section of another market at Funtua, the commercial nerve of Katsina State is reported to have been consumed by fire about the early hours of Friday, destroying properties worth millions of Naira.

This is happening barely two weeks after the Katsina Central Market was gutted to the ground by a yet to be investigated fire incident, destroying shops and properties also worth millions.

As at the time of filing this report, the exact cause of the fire outbreak was yet to be ascertained.

However, there are speculations that the fire may have originated from the second-hand clothing section of the market or the area where other fairly used items are sold in the market.

Funtua LGA is the headquarters of Katsina South senatorial district popularly referred to as Karaduwa Zone and it is the second most populated local government in Katsina State.
President Joe Biden talks to reporters during the first news conference of his presidency in the East Room of the White House in Washington on March 25, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

White House Wedges Pro-Union Provisions Into Infrastructure Plan

President Joe Biden tacked on measures to his infrastructure plan that make it easier for workers to organize and more difficult for them to avoid unionization.

[The plan will] create good-quality jobs  while ensuring workers have a free and fair choice to organize, join a union, and bargain collectively with their employers, the White House said in a press release.

Biden also urged Congress to pass the pro-union Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act as part of the infrastructure plan.

President Joe Biden tacked on measures to his infrastructure plan that make it easier for workers to organize and more difficult for them to avoid unionization.

The $2 trillion infrastructure plan, which Biden laid out in a speech Wednesday evening, ensures that workers are able to bargain collectively with their employers, according to a White House press release. The plan introduces new labor protections that enable workers to more easily organize.

[The plan will] create good-quality jobs that pay prevailing wages in safe and healthy workplaces while ensuring workers have a free and fair choice to organize, join a union, and bargain collectively with their employers, the White House said in the release.

Biden also urged Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act as part of the infrastructure plan. The PRO Act is a compilation of various policy changes that labor unions support, which would make it easier for unions to organize private-sector employees and minimize employees choice in unionization.

The bill would remove workers ability to vote against unionization via secret ballot elections, threatens the ability for a workforce to kick a union out, redefines legal definition of independent contractors and forces non-union workers to pay union dues.

The House passed the legislation largely along party lines in March, which is expected to face roadblocks in the Senate. Republicans criticized the bill as a wish list for union leaders.

Heres who else is a union guy: Joe Biden, said International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 29 member Michael Fiore who introduced Biden on Wednesday. He said again and again, unions built the middle class. Thats why his plan supports collective bargaining rights.

Fiores remarks were prepared by the White House, IBEW Local 29 said in a blog post following Bidens speech, which took place at a union training facility.

President Joe Biden speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on March 30, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Bidens pledge to unify the country takes another hit by adding a radical and overreaching poison pill like the PRO Act to his infrastructure plan that would deteriorate the relationship between employers and employees, Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) Chair Kristen Swearingen said in a statement.

The PRO Act would be devastating to small businesses and employees in the infrastructure industry, especially small, women- and minority-owned contractors who would have otherwise benefited from investment in our nations infrastructure, Swearingen said.

The CDW represents hundreds of thousands of employers nationwide and hundreds of trade groups like the Associated Builders and Contractors and the National Restaurant Association.

Conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) vowed to leverage its nationwide grassroots activist network to urge lawmakers to reject harmful elements of the proposal.

[The infrastructure plan provides] favors to labor unions that undermine workers rights and their ability to find work, AFP President Tim Phillips said in a statement.

But Labor Secretary Marty Walsh called the plan historic and said he would work to ensure workers from across the country received access to the opportunities provided in the proposal.

President Bidens American Jobs Plan is a historic investment in the working people of America, Walsh said in a statement Thursday. It will create millions of good paying, family sustaining jobs that rebuild the middle class by empowering our workers to build Americas future.

As Labor Secretary, I stand ready to make sure these opportunities reach workers from all walks of life and in every corner of our country, Walsh said.

The White House didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

By Thomas Catenacci

From The Daily Caller News Foundation

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
A health worker collects a nasal swab sample from a woman to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a government hospital in Hyderabad on March 31, 2021. (NOAH SEELAM / AFP)

Hyderabad: Telangana recorded 965 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single day spike so far this year, pushing the tally to over 3.08 lakh, while the death toll rose to 1,706 with five more fatalities, the state government said on Friday.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 254, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri 110 and Rangareddy 97, it said in a bulletin, providing details as of 8 PM on April 1.

The total number of cases stood at 3,09,741 while with 312 patients being cured, the total recoveries were at 3,01,876.

The state has 6,159 active cases and 59,343 samples were tested on Wednesday.

Cumulatively, over 1.02 crore samples have been tested.

The samples tested per million population was over 2.75 lakh, the bulletin said.

The case fatality rate in the state was 0.55 per cent, while it was 1.3 per cent at the national level.

The recovery rate in Telangana was 97.46 per cent, while it was 93.7 per cent in the country.

According to a separate release, as many as 10,84,429 people in the state have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine while 2,42,178 got their second shot also as of April 1.
The charges follow a distraction burglary in Newtownabbey on Wednesday.

Two men, arrested in connection with a distraction burglary in the Jordanstown Road area of Newtownabbey on Wednesday, have been charged.

A 28-year-old man faces charges of burglary and taking conveyance without authority.

He is due to appear in Belfast Magistrates Court on Saturday..

The second man, aged 35, was also charged with burglary and will appear in Belfast Magistrates Court on April 28.

As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.
Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) in Chengdu, China has lost another preacher to an unwarranted arrest. Preacher Wu Wuqing was taken by Chinese police at 9 a.m. on April 1 without presenting a warrant of arrest or providing any reason for his capture. His most recent arrest is the third time he was detained by the Chinese police just this week.

According to International Christian Concern, the ERCC is a heavily persecuted house church in Chengdu. Wu and his wife were first taken by the Chinese police on March 26. The following day, Wu was detained for the entire night and was released the following day. On March 1, the pastor from the severely persecuted church was once again taken by the police without presenting a warrant of arrest.

Wu is no stranger to the Chinese authorities, as he had been repeatedly detained by police in the recent months. Chinese authorities have also cut off his utilities at home. The pastor from the church in Chengdu had also been threatened by Chinese officials, warning him that if he continued to serve at ERCC, they would pursue a more intensified crackdown on his actions.

The crackdown on several ERCC pastors and preachers began when the organization founder, Pastor Wang Yi was imprisoned in January for "subversion of state power." According to The New York Times, Wang was detained in December with over 100 members of the church when Chinese police cracked down on church organizations that were not registered or approved by the communist state.

His wife, who was also captured, was later released but Pastor Wang remained in detention and was later sentenced. Chinese authorities ordered the seizure of about $7,200 worth of his assets and the removal of his political rights for three years.

Pastor Wang is a former lawyer and blogger who converted to Christianity in 2005 and later began criticizing communist China's leader, Xi Jinping. Under Pastor Wang's leadership, the ERCC that began in 2001 had reached up to 500 members in 2018. This concerned the Chinese government because such unregistered churches across the communist nation were "no longer just small, underground gatherings of believers in people's homes, but are large, sophisticated organizations," NYT reported.

In 2018 right before his arrest, Pastor Wang wrote a letter condemning the Communist Party of China and its campaign to persecute Christians across the country, Asia News reported. The pastor from the heavily persecuted church in Chengdu wrote that he was "filled with anger and disgust at the persecution of the church by this Communist regime, at the wickedness of their depriving people of the freedoms of religion and of conscience."

A statement posted to a Facebook page run by ERCC read, "Pastor Wang Yi was just sentenced to 9 years in prison for proclaiming the gospel. May the Lord use Pastor Wang Yi's imprisonment to draw many to himself and to bring glory to his name."

Steady growth

ERCC is not the only Christian church in China to have grown in recent years. Reports indicate that there has been a steady increase in the number of Chinese people turning to Christ - to the point that the CCP has considered Christianity in the country a "threat."

Open Doors' Director for Strategic Research Dr. Ron Boyd-MacMillan indicated that the CCP and its leader Xi is "threatened" by the growth of Christianity in China, such that it has launched a steady crackdown on Christians in the country.

"We think the evidence as to why the Chinese Church is so targeted, is that the leaders are scared of the size of the Church, and the growth of the Church," Boyd-Macmillan said. "And if it grows, at the rate that it has done, since 1980 and that's about between seven and 8 percent a year, then you're looking at a group of people that will be 300 million strong, nearly by 2030."

"And, you know, the Chinese leadership, they really do long term planning, I mean, their economic plan goes to 2049, so this bothers them," Dr. Boyd-Macmillan continued, adding "Because I think if the Church continues to grow like that, then they'll have to share power."
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.




As for women who are interested in wildlife law enforcement careers, I would encourage them to be confident and fearless. They must know that within themselves they are capable of anything they set their mind to, Wildlife Inspector Camille Sims.

What is your primary work focus?

As a wildlife inspector, I facilitate the legal wildlife trade and combat international wildlife trafficking.

Why do you believe your job makes a positive difference?

Biodiversity has a major impact on the overall health of our planet and my job is important because wildlife inspectors diligently control the legal trade and fight wildlife trafficking that could have dangerous impacts on the planets biodiversity. I also do not want commercial entities to take advantage of wildlife and overexploit them for financial gain because greed will never override the integrity of our natural resources on my watch. I also feel like my job is important in making sure there are checks and balances in our monitoring system; that way it will help other scientists to make decisions if something is becoming endangered due to overconsumption.



What was your career path that brought you to the Service?

In 2011, I started my career in the Service as an intern in the Career Discovery Internship Program and later merged into the Pathways Program. My background includes working as a biological technician at many refuges on the east coast; supporting the sea turtle program at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge; and monitoring bats and piping plovers, invasive management, forest inventory, and salt marsh maintenance at Long Island NWR Complex. Refuges always has a special place in my heart, but I later made the transition to being a wildlife inspector.

How did you first become interested in wildlife/conservation/the outdoors?

Growing up, my mother always took my brother and me to the library. I would check out countless books on all things animal related. She even enrolled us in these after-school programs at the library, and there was an event that had a show-and-tell with a reptile theme. That was my first time seeing and holding large exotics such a yellow boa constrictor and a soft-shelled turtle. I was in awe! I loved learning about wildlife and what I could do to help them thrive.

I grew up in the suburbs of Virginia. Now it is highly commercialized and city-like, but during my childhood and right behind my family home, was a forested meadow. I loved to explore and play in it, during which I saw majestic deer, sly foxes, grumpy groundhogs, and busy birds taking care of their young. It was truly a magical and safe haven for me and it made me very sad and angry when it was developed. Looking back, it is a childhood story I hold dear to myself because, really, that is where my flame for wildlife conservation was ignited!



What are you most proud of?

I am proud of my ability to persevere in adverse circumstances. My parents taught me that you do not have to be the smartest, fastest, or the wisest, but if you put in the hard work you can accomplish anything you put your mind to!

It is important to be honest with yourself about your shortcomings and limitations because if you are too prideful to ask for help, or to even be willing to learn from others, you will never excel or grow.

I love being part of a team, and I love learning new things from everyone.



What advice would you give to a young woman who is thinking about pursuing a career in wildlife law enforcement?

Workplaces are making efforts to be more diverse and inclusive. This is always a positive change. As for women who are interested in wildlife law enforcement careers, I would encourage them to be confident and fearless. They must know that within themselves they are capable of anything they set their mind to. Be patient with yourself. Youre not going to learn everything in the first few years on the job, and you are not going to solve a wildlife smuggling ring on your first day! Enjoy the highs and lows of learning as much as you can. Always wake up with I can do attitude and show up on time; someone who is reliable in the work place is truly valuable to any team. Never be afraid of the gross and scary inspections, that is where you find the good stuff!

You mentioned not shying away from gross/scary inspections; that's where you find the good stuff. Can you share an example of an inspection like this?

I like to think wildlife criminals hide things in odd places where you would not look because you may be too scared or uncomfortable to - I try not to let that stop me from doing a full and thorough inspection.

Intense inspections with charismatic species always get my adrenaline pumping; it keeps me on my toes. I've accomplished many live inspections at my time working in Valley Stream. My favorite inspections were of tiger sharks and a Siberian tiger. The sharks were going to an aquarium, and the tiger was going to the zoo. Making sure these animals are transported humanely and ethically is very important to me. I always make sure the customer is doing their part to ensure a safe and comfortable transport of the animals.





How does the danger of your job affect your loved ones?

My family isnt really worried about me while I do my job. They trust me and they trust that I will use my on-the-job training effectively. Safety is obviously important, so I take it very seriously when inspecting. I want to help everyone in any way I can, but I also want to go home to my family at the end of the day.

What challenges did you overcome to get where you are today?

Myself. I am my own worst enemy. I used to struggle a lot with my self-confidence. I have had a lot of help and mentoring to get past this roadblock. If I ever start to self-doubt, I like to meditate on things that I have already accomplished. If I got over one hurdle, I know I can get over the next!

 Back to Women of the OLE
The Minister of Health, Vlad Voiculescu, was fined by the Bucharest Police with the sum of 1,500 RON for not wearing a protective mask, according to the current legislation.

"The General Police of Bucharest Municipality informs you that, for not respecting the provisions of Law nr. 55/2020 regarding some measures for preventing and combating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a member of Government was sanctioned, with the sum of 1,500 RON, for not wearing a protective mask," the Bucharest Police informs, agerpres.ro confirms.

Vlad Voiculescu was photographed on Monday without a protective mask, in the halls of Parliament.

Later, the Minister of Health specified that he was in a video conference and took off his mask in order to communicate and to drink water.

He declared on Wednesday that he "asked to be fined" and apologized again for not wearing a mask in public space.
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..

Vaccinated people should not meet indoors because jabs "are not giving 100 per cent protection", the Prime Minister has warned.

In a Twitter video answering questions from the public, Boris Johnson said the country is "not yet" at the stage where families and friends can meet inside, even if they are immunised.

"We're still very much in a world where you can meet friends and family outdoors under the rule of six or two households," he said. "And even though your friends and family members may be vaccinated, the vaccines are not giving 100 per cent protection, and that's why we just need to be cautious.

"We don't think that they entirely reduce or remove the risk of transmission," the Prime Minister warned.

His comments come after the UK started to ease restrictions, with groups of six or two households able to meet outdoors since Monday.

But the advice contrasts to that in other parts of the world. Last month the United States Centre for Disease Control suggested Americans who have been fully vaccinated can meet each other inside without wearing masks.

Mr Johnson's comments come as more than 70 British lawmakers signalled their opposition to the introduction of vaccination certificates, which the government is considering in an effort to help reopen the economy.

Follow the latest updates below.

04:29 PM

Today in brief

Here's a quick look back at the key developments so far today:

Vaccinated people should not meet indoors because jabs "are not giving 100 per cent protection", the Prime Minister has warned.

Introducing vaccine passports for everyday life in England would be "dangerous, discriminatory and counter-productive" , according to Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti. More than 70 MPs have signalled opposition to coronavirus certifications.

Kenya, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines have been added to England's "red list" , meaning travellers from those countries will be banned from entering the country from 9 April.

According to the latest estimates from the government's Sage scientific advisors, the R number is currently between 0.8 and 1.0 in England . A further 52 deaths have been reported in the UK and 3,402 cases - the lowest daily figure since mid-September, though Wales is not reporting statistics on Good Friday.

British regulators said they have identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine but stressed the benefits of the jab in preventing coronavirus outweigh any risks.

Australia is also investigating whether a blood clotting case recorded today is related to the AstraZeneca jab, while the Netherlands has halted use of the vaccine for people under 60 following the death of a woman who had received a shot.

Scotland is taking its next gradual steps out of lockdown today, while Wales has set out fresh dates for its own easing of restrictions.

Meanwhile th e US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that fully vaccinated people can safely travel at "low risk" , after the agency had held off for weeks on revising guidance that discouraged all non-essential trips.

The Philippines has reported a daily record 15,310 new infections , one of the highest reported in the region since the pandemic started, bringing the country's total to 771,497 cases.

In Brazil, Sao Paulo has sped up efforts to empty old graves and make room for a soaring number of Covid-19 deaths as the city hall registered record daily burials this week.

And finally, cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar has been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, six days after announcing that he had coronavirus.

Scroll down for more of today's coronavirus news.

Story continues

04:23 PM

Analysis: A schools Covid spike predicted by scientists simply hasn't materialised

On Feb 21, the British epidemiologist John Edmunds appeared on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show and warned that reopening schools would cause a worrying rise in Covid cases.

Prof Edmunds, a vocal member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), argued that allowing pupils to return en masse could send the reproduction 'R' number of the virus above one, to between 1.1 and 1.5.

Such dire predictions fuelled already hostile teaching unions, which angrily denounced reopening plans, accusing the Government of a "reckless course of action" that could "trigger another spike in Covid infections".

Yet it has now been nearly four weeks since schools reopened  and there has been no such apocalyptic rise.

The current 'R' number is hovering somewhere between 0.8 and one, according to the Government office for Science, with the estimated growth rate of infections currently flat or shrinking by up to four per cent every day.

Read the full analysis here from our Science Editor, Sarah Knapton.

04:17 PM

US CDC: Travel 'low risk' but not encouraged

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has insisted it is not encouraging people to travel at this time, despite new guidance saying people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 can travel at low risk (see 4:21pm)

CDC director Rochelle Walensky told reporters that despite the new guidance, the CDC was not recommending travel because of the high number of coronavirus cases across the country.

04:15 PM

Pandemic in pictures

Northumberland, Britain:

Members of the Bamburgh Croquet club play a game following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions - REUTERS/Lee Smith

Los Angeles, United States:

Residents and staff dance during an Easter concert for vaccinated residents at a nursing home in LA. he concert was the first social event held at the facility since the beginning of the pandemic amid newly eased restriction - Mario Tama/Getty Images

Manila, Philippines:

Dogs atop a pedicab are seen wearing facemasks and face shields. The Philippine government has once again put some 24 million people in Manila and nearby provinces under a strict quarantine as cases of the coronavirus hit daily records. - Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Sao Paulo, Brazil:

An aerial view shows gravediggers wearing protective suits burying a coffin as spotlights illuminate the graves during night burials at Vila Formosa cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is in the midst of a coronavirus crisis - REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

04:06 PM

AstraZeneca says it will work with Dutch over vaccine queries

AstraZeneca has said on Friday it is working with Dutch authorities to address any questions they have, after the Netherlands temporarily suspended use of its Covid-19 vaccine for people under 60 following the death of a woman who had received a shot (see 4:14pm).

"Regulatory authorities in the UK, European Union, the World Health Organization have concluded that the benefits of using our vaccine to protect people from this deadly virus significantly outweigh the risks across all adult age groups," a spokesman for AstraZeneca said in a statement.

"Tens of millions of people have now received our vaccine across the globe. The extensive body of data from two large clinical datasets and real-world evidence demonstrate its effectiveness, reaffirming the role the vaccine can play during this public health crisis."

Related: UK regulator identifies 30 cases of blood clot events after AstraZeneca Covid vaccine

03:55 PM

'Comfort blooms' like hydrangeas and roses boomed last year, says RHS

Instead of planting on-trend flowers, gardeners have stopped to smell the roses according to the Royal Horticultural Society's annual gardening predictions, Helena Horton reports.

"Comfort blooms" are the latest fashion, as people plant colourful, old-fashioned flowers such as roses and hydrangeas.

During the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns which ensued, many found solace in their gardens, and wanted to plant things which reminded them of their youth.

There has been a big demand for roses and similar flowers, with shortages predicted because of this. Horticulturalists have predicted that elphiniums, lupins, foxgloves and poppies will be selected to give a "cottage garden" feel to plots.

Read more here.

Queen Elizabeth II looking at a display of roses the Chelsea Flower Show, which was broadcast online in 2020 - Richard Pohle/The Times/PA Wire

03:47 PM

Ecuador announces 30 day state of emergency in eight provinces

The Ecuadorean President has declared a 30-day state of emergency in eight of the country's 24 provinces, which includes a curfew, due to a spike in coronavirus infections and associated deaths.

In recent weeks, the capital Quito and the largest city Guayaquil have reported an acceleration of infections, saturation of public and private hospitals and a sizable increase in the number of daily deaths from Covid-19.

"I have signed Decree 1282 declaring a State of Exception for 30 days," President Lenin Moreno said on Twitter. "The pandemic is not over, we must take care of ourselves!"

The government said the curfew seeks to avoid meetings and crowds that can accelerate contagion. The measure also puts restrictions on transit in the provinces in question, but airports will not be affected.

In Guayaquil, which last year suffered one of the worst outbreaks in the region, authorities have said the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant first discovered in Kent is already being transmitted locally.

Ecuador has more than 330,000 infections and 16,877 deaths confirmed and probable by Covid-19, according to official data posted on Thursday.

People tie an empty cardboard box on the roof of a car outside a cemetery last April, when a surge in Covid cases sparked a shortage of coffins, in Guayaquil - REUTERS/Vicente Gaibor del Pino

03:38 PM

Over 31.3 million people have had their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine

A total of 36,249,902 vaccine doses have been administered in the UK of April 1, the latest data shows. Of this number:

31,301,267 were first doses - a rise of 153,823 on the previous day

Some 4,948,635 were second doses, an increase of 435,177

Here's a look at the UK's vaccine rollout in more detail:

How many people have been vaccinated in the UK?

03:31 PM

UK: 52 deaths and 3,402 infections - lowest daily case count since mid-September

An additional 52 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19,, according to the latest Government figures, compared to 70 fatalities reported last Friday.

The UK's official death toll has now hit 126,816. However, separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have been 150,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The UK has also reported an additional 3,402 lab-confirmed cases - the lowest daily figure since mid-September. Last Friday, just over 6,000 new infections were detected. It brings the total to 4,353,668.

However, figures for cases and deaths today do not include numbers from Wales, which is not reporting its data on Good Friday or Easter Monday.

Coronavirus UK Spotlight Chart - Cases default

03:21 PM

Fully vaccinated people can travel, says US CDC

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that fully vaccinated people can safely travel at "low risk", after the agency had held off for weeks on revising guidance that discouraged all non-essential trips.

The announcement lifting the agency's guidance that all Americans should avoid non-essential travel should be a shot in the arm for a US travel industry still significantly struggling since the Covid-19 crisis began in early 2020.

The new CDC guidance specifically greenlights vaccinated grandparents getting on airplanes to see grandchildren. And it says that fully vaccinated people do not need to get a Covid-19 test before or after travel and do not need to self-quarantine after travel.

But the administration is not lifting restrictions that bar most-non US citizens who have recently been in China, Brazil, South Africa and most of Europe from entering America. It is also keeping requirements that nearly all international air visitors to have a negative Covid-19 test before arriving in the US.

The CDC did not revise guidance for non-vaccinated people.

03:14 PM

Netherlands halts use of AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 60

The Netherlands has halted use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for people under 60 following the death of a woman who had received a shot, national news agency ANP has reported, citing the Health Ministry.

Around 10,000 scheduled appointments for vaccinations will be scrapped as a result of the decision, the report said.

This is the latest development in a story that has been brewing all week. The the UK medicines regulator has also confirmed that dangerous blood clotting conditions have been found in 30 people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, though Professor Chris Whitty said people should keep an "open mind" about the cause.

The Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had received 22 reports of Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and eight reports of other thrombosis events with low platelets, out of 18.1 million doses of the Oxford jab.

Even if the vaccine is found to be causing the blood clots, the risk is still far lower than for other regularly-used medication, such as the contraceptive pill, and a causal link would be unlikely to stop the roll-out, our Science Editor Sarah Knapton explains here.

03:02 PM

In pictures: Another pandemic Easter

Izalco, El Salvador:

Members of the Brotherhood of El Jesus Nazareno take part at Los Cristos procession during the Holy Week celebration, as the coronavirus outbreak continues - REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

Florida Keys:

Spencer Slate, costumed as an underwater Easter bunny, placing hard-boiled eggs on the sand in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Slate coordinates an underwater Easter egg hunt for his customers, which he uses it to raise funds for a local children's charity - FRAZIER NIVENS/Florida Keys News Bureau/AFP

Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic:

Participants wearing masks take part in an Easter procession marching through the streets of Ceske Budejovice. The traditional event went ahead despite Covid-19 restrictions, although participants also wore medical face masks and observed social distancing as a precaution - AP Photo/Petr David Josek

Jerusalem:

Christians carry a cross along the Via Dolorosa towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many to be the site of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, during the Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City - AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean

02:49 PM

Kazakhstan reports record high in daily cases amid a slow vaccine rollout

Kazakhstan posted its highest daily number of coronavirus cases, as a slow vaccine rollout stokes fears of another nightmare summer in former Soviet Central Asia.

According to official statistics the country posted 2,077 new cases on Friday, a record since the beginning of the pandemic.

The largest city Almaty, an overall leader in terms of cases, last month broke its coronavirus cases record several times, as health officials warned that fast-spreading British and South African strains of the disease were now in the country.

Coronavirus Kazakhstan Spotlight Chart - cases default

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev strongly criticised his government's slow vaccine rollout of a locally produced version of Russia's Sputnik V jab yesterday, noting that only 47,000 people in the country of 19 million people had been fully vaccinated.

"The reason is simple. Not enough vaccines," he said, complaining that the situation meant Kazakhstan was "forced to agree to unfavourable commercial and financial conditions to accelerate deliveries".

Officially just 3,078 people have died with the coronavirus in Kazakhstan. But mortality data indicates that in the three months of last summer when the disease ravaged the country, deaths were up by 28,000 compared to the same period the year before - an 85 percent increase.

02:36 PM

Interview: How UK sought Taiwan's help to control Covid

Taiwan warned the UK last year to strictly enforce face mask and social distancing policies and not to bow to public pressure to lift pandemic prevention measures too quickly, according to its health minister, Chen Shih-chung.

He also said the West, in particular, had become over-confident in its health infrastructure and should have been more humble in the face of the pandemic rather than neglecting the outbreak in its early stages.

Taiwans recommendations, if closely followed, could have saved lives. As the UK comes to terms with 126,000 deaths, Taiwan, which sits just 80 miles from the coast of China, acted fast and decisively and has lost only ten people to date. Cases have barely risen above 1,000, mainly arrivals from abroad.

In an exclusive interview with the Telegraph, Mr Chen revealed that after Covid-19 emerged from Wuhan, China, and spread globally, British officials in London sought the opinion of Taiwans Centres for Disease Control (CDC) about how to tackle the virus.

Nicola Smith and John Liu have the full story here.

Chen Shih-chung. - Taiwan Centres for Disease Control

02:24 PM

Growing evidence reopening schools did not led to a surge in cases

Daily new symptomatic cases by age group

02:13 PM

US CDC: Fully vaccinated people can mingle indoors this Easter

While the Prime Minister has urged people not to mingle indoors over Easter even if they have been vaccinated, as jabs "are not giving 100 per cent protection", advice in the United States is the opposite.

In a series of tweets the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed previous guidance that those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can safely gather for Easter this Sunday, indoors and without wearing masks.

The public health agency also recommended that those who aren't fully vaccinated enjoy Easter dinner and egg hunts with the people they live with, or outdoors while six feet apart:

A major different to point out that could have influenced the differing guidance lies in second jab rates. While the UK has delayed the second vaccine dose in order to protect more people, the US has not - meaning far more people are fully vaccinated.

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02:03 PM

Stillbirth rates up by a third in poorer countries during the pandemic

Stillbirth and maternal death rates increased by around one-third during Covid, particularly in lower and middle-income countries, according to a new study published in The Lancet Global Health.

The review of 40 studies from 17 countries, which also found a rise in postnatal depression, is the first to systematically assess the devastating collateral impact of the pandemic on pregnancy outcomes.

Professor Asma Khalil, lead author of the study, of St Georges University of London, said: It is clear from our study and others that the disruption caused by the pandemic has led to the avoidable deaths of both mothers and babies, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

The review was not intended to explore the impact of a Covid-19 infection during a pregnancy, so only included studies on mothers who were not infected with the virus.

Instead, it aimed to measure how Covid and lockdowns limited access to life-saving medical care during the pandemic, and what that has meant for pregnant women and their babies.

Jennifer Rigby has all the details here.

01:51 PM

Sachin Tendulkar in hospital with coronavirus

Sachin Tendulkar was taken to hospital on Friday as a precautionary measure six days after announcing that he had coronavirus.

The 47-year-old is one of the most high-profile victims of a new surge of the virus in the country of 1.3 billion people.

"As a matter of abundant precaution under medical advice, I have been hospitalised," Tendulkar tweeted. "I hope to be back home in a few days. Take care and stay safe everyone."

Tendulkar is adored across India, and fans took to social media to wish their cricket "God" a speedy recovery.

So too has the head of the World Health Organization, who urged the cricket legend to "stay strong":

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More details here.

01:39 PM

What it's like to be on the forgotten frontline of the Covid crisis

The Great British Easter weekend traditionally brings us out of our homes, not only to gardens and the countryside, but also to the shops, writes Rosa Silverman.

This year will be no different, as the country rushes gratefully towards something more like normality than anything weve experienced in a while. And as we head to the supermarket to stock up, well probably pay little heed to those manning the checkouts and shop floors. Theyll just be there as always, quietly doing their job.

Many shop workers, however, have had the roughest of rides this past year, receiving torrents of abuse for attempting to enforce the various pandemic rules.

Claire Saunders, manager of a small supermarket in Romford, Essex, is among those regularly exposed to shoppers wrath and frustration. I got called a f------ c--- just for asking someone to wait outside until someone else had left, says the 40-year-old.

Saunders experiences are far from uncommon among shop staff. Earlier this year, retail trade union Usdaw released statistics showing nearly nine in 10 shop workers were abused in 2020.

Read more here.

Claire Saunders, store manager of a supermarket in Essex, received verbal abuse just for trying to enforce the rules during the pandemic - Daniel Jones

01:27 PM

Afternoon summary

Just joining us? Here's a quick look at today's main headlines:

Vaccinated people should not meet indoors because jabs "are not giving 100 per cent protection", the Prime Minister has warned.

Introducing vaccine passports for everyday life in England would be "dangerous, discriminatory and counter-productive" , according to Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti.

Her comments come as more than 70 British lawmakers signalled their opposition to the introduction of Covid certificates , which the government is considering in an effort to help reopen the economy.

According to the latest estimates from the government's Sage scientific advisors, the R number is currently between 0.8 and 1.0 in England .

British regulators said they have identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine but stressed the benefits of the jab in preventing coronavirus outweigh any risks.

Australia is also investigating whether a blood clotting case recorded today is related to the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, raising concern in a nation where most people are expected to receive the drugmaker's shot.

Scotland is taking its next gradual steps out of Covid lockdown today , while Wales has set out fresh dates for its own easing of restrictions.

Foreign getaway destinations will be ranked under a traffic light system , with fewer restrictions tied to the places boasting the lowest coronavirus rates and high vaccination take-up, it has been reported.

Meanwhile in Brazil, Sao Paulo has sped up efforts to empty old graves and make room for a soaring number of Covid-19 deaths as the city hall registered record daily burials this week.

Chile has also closed its borders and tightened an already strict lockdown further to stop the influx of new variants as cases climbed past 1 million despite one of the world's fastest vaccination rates.

And the United States may not need AstraZeneca's vaccine, even if it wins US regulatory approval, according to the nation's top infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci.

01:15 PM

Alok Sharma: 'I have resisted the temptation to tweet a photo with my shirt off'

A fun tweet from Alok Sharma, President of COP26, referencing a trend from many politicians to tweet photos of themselves being vaccinated without their tops on (see below for examples..)

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy receives a dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab:

Ukraine's President Zelenskiy receives a dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease in eastern Ukraine - HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/UKRAINE-PRESIDENT

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis receives a shot of the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech:

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis receives a shot of the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech - Yannis Kolesidis/Pool via AP

01:03 PM

US employers add 916,000 jobs in March as hiring accelerates

Some good news from across the pond. America's employers unleashed a burst of hiring in March, adding 916,000 jobs in a sign that a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession is taking hold as vaccinations accelerate, stimulus checks flow through the economy and businesses increasingly reopen.

The March increase - the most since August - was nearly double February's gain of 468,000, the Labour Department said today. The unemployment rate declined from 6.2 to 6 per cent.

However, even with last month's robust increase, the economy remains more than 8 million jobs short of the number it had before the pandemic erupted a little over a year ago, AP reports.

But with the recovery widely expected to strengthen, many forecasters predict enough hiring in the coming months to recover nearly all those lost jobs by year's end.

The increasingly bright outlook for the labour market follows a year of epic job losses, waves of coronavirus infections and small business closures. Numerous signs suggest that the economy is improving. Consumer confidence in March reached its highest level since the pandemic intensified.

Here's a look at the trajectory of America's pandemic:

Copy of Coronavirus USA Spotlight Chart - Deaths default

12:51 PM

England's latest R number range estimated at between 0.8 to 1.0

According to the latest estimates from the government's Sage scientific advisors, the R number is currently between 0.8 and 1.0 in England, meaning that on average every 10 infected people will pass the virus onto between eight and 10 others.

The scientists also estimate that the daily growth rate is between -4 per cent and 0 per cent, meaning "the number of new infections is broadly flat or shrinking".

Normally, Sage also provides an estimate range for the UK but has not been able to agree on one this week. Last week, that range was put at between 0.7 and 0.9.

"As restrictions are lifted independently across the four nations, UK level estimates become less meaningful and do not accurately reflect the current picture of the pandemic," the Government said in a statement. "The R and growth rates for the devolved administrations and NHS England regions are more robust and useful metrics than those for the whole UK."

The statement added that rates may vary across the country, and warns that rates may increase as restrictions are eased.

"The government expects cases will begin to increase as we move through the roadmap, but as we continue with our remarkable vaccination programme we are going to protect the most vulnerable and prevent people from contracting serious illness, while reducing pressure on the NHS."

12:45 PM

Pandemic in pictures

Kolkata, India:

A worshipper wearing a protective face mask prays at a church during Good Friday, amidst the spread of the coronavirus - REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

Manila, Philippines:

Dogs atop a pedicab are seen wearing facemasks and face shield in Manilla. The Philippine government has once again put some 24 million people in Manila and nearby provinces under a strict quarantine as cases of the coronavirus hit daily records. - Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Brussels, Belgium:

olice use water cannons to disperse people as they take part in fake festival called 'La Boum' organized by an anonymous group of people on Facebook for an April Fool's joke - STEPHANIE LECOCQ/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Bangkok, Thailand:

Buddhist monks wearing face masks wait to receive a dose of China's Sinovac coronavirus disease vaccine at a temple - REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

12:36 PM

Austria to give Czech Republic 30,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine

Austria will provide the Czech Republic with 30,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's office said today, in what it called a display of solidarity after it felt the European Union did not properly address a shortage there.

"We will...support the Czech Republic bilaterally with 30,000 doses of vaccine and believe it is very positive that we have also heard that other European countries are prepared to do the same," it said.

Kurz previously said an EU deal on Thursday on dose distribution should have given the Czech Republic more.

12:30 PM

Legal action launched to challenge ban on trips for older care home residents

A ban on care home residents taking trips is facing a legal challenge amid claims they are being treated like a different species and denied simple freedoms.

Government guidance, updated on March 9, says trips to see family or friends "should only be considered" for under-65s while national Covid restrictions apply.

Visits out for residents, whatever their age, "should be supported in exceptional circumstances such as a visit to a friend or relative at the end of their life", it adds - but on returning to the home, the resident must self-isolate for two weeks.

The Government said its current guidance provides a "range of opportunities" for visitors to spend time with loved ones, however, John's Campaign, which represents those lobbying for extended visiting rights of family carers in hospitals and care homes, argue that the ban is unlawful.

Gabriella Swerling has more details here.

12:17 PM

The Frenchman behind Britain's vaccine miracle feels the pressure on AstraZeneca

Pascal Soriot was feeling burnt out, writes Hannah Boland. The 61-year-old Frenchman at the helm of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine effort had for weeks been fielding calls from the early hours of the morning until late at night from his family home in Sydney, Australia.

Yet, for weeks, attacks had been coming from all sides for the Anglo-Swedish company. By the middle of last month, trust in Soriots Covid-19 jab was plummeting in Europe, as nation states swerved from halting the rollout of his vaccine to embarking on major immunisation drives.

Elsewhere, a wave of vaccine nationalism swept the globe. Countries including India, a crucial manufacturing hub, moved to shore up their supply of AstraZeneca by imposing vaccine export blocks.

The last few weeks have been really hard for Pascal, says Sir John Bell, a longtime friend and Oxford Universitys regius professor of medicine. Hes been caught in the middle of everything, and hes just trying to do the right thing. At the moment, theres just not enough vaccine to go around.

AstraZeneca's morale is taking a battering but Soirot remains determined, says Sir John.

Read the full article here.

Pascal Soriot - REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

12:11 PM

Don't meet indoors even if vaccinated, warns Boris Johnson

Vaccinated people should not meet indoors because jabs "are not giving 100 per cent protection", the Prime Minister has warned.

In a Twitter video answering questions from the public, Boris Johnson said the country is "not yet" at the stage where families and friends can meet inside, even if they are immunised.

Watch the video here:

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11:56 AM

Recap: Vaccine passports 'dangerous and discriminatory', MPs warn

Vaccine passports could be used as a "tool of discrimination, oppression and bullying", according to Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, a member of a cross-party group of politicians warning against their use.

"It's dangerous, it's discriminatory, it's counter-productive," the former shadow attorney general told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "It seems to me, and many others, that on the one hand, if this level of intrusion into our lives were to be proportionate, then probably it's not safe to open up the economy.

"On the other hand, if it is safe to open up the economy, to come out of this lockdown and this crisis that we have been living under, if it is safe to do that, why create this tool of discrimination, oppression and bullying?" Baroness Chakrabarti added.

The comments come as more than 70 British lawmakers signalled their opposition to the introduction of vaccination certificates, which the government is considering in an effort to help reopen the economy.

11:50 AM

Comment: Get ready for Britain's post-pandemic boom

Economists once said only Argentina would be slower to recover from Covid - but the UK will leave the rest of Europe trailing in its wake, writes Jeremy Warner:

Less than two months ago, in its last Monetary Policy Committee report, the Bank of England forecast that the UK economy would shrink a further 4 per cent in the first quarter of this year. It looked a reasonable enough prediction, given renewed lockdown of at that stage indeterminate length.

At the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, they were more pessimistic still. In early December, the OECD warned that recovery from the pandemic would be slower in the UK than any other major economy bar Argentina, with GDP still 6 per cent smaller by the end of this year than its pre-pandemic level.

Fortunately, it is not turning out that way, so much so that it is now entirely plausible that the first quarter of this year could be in positive territory, or only a little down on the preceding three months. In view of where we were, that would be a remarkable outcome. For it wasnt just another national lockdown the economy has had to contend with; there were also the disruptions of Brexit, which have hammered exports to the Continent.

Even so, the OECD could scarcely have been more wrong. They wanted to believe the UK was doomed. Instead, the supposed tortoise has turned into a hare, such that it seems entirely possible the economy will be back to pre-pandemic levels of activity by the late summer, leaving European neighbours trailing in its wake.Read the full article here.

11:25 AM

Russia says 20 manufacturers worldwide have Sputnik V vaccine production agreements

A quick vaccine related update for you here: Russia has agreements with 20 manufacturers in 10 countries worldwide to produce its Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund that markets the shot internationally, said today.

During a televised meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Dmitriev said India and South Korea were already producing Sputnik V and that many of the 20 manufacturers would reach full capacity in April.

Our Global Health Security deputy editor, Anne Gulland, explains what we know about the vaccine here:

11:12 AM

Analysis: 'Good news' on case positivity rates

Prof Kit Yates, a mathematician and member of the Independent Sage group, has put together a handy Twitter thread detailing "good news" for positivity rates in the UK, which are "low and falling or flat across all nations and most of local authorities".

Here's a look:

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11:01 AM

Greek PM criticises EU vaccine rollout as he pledges to step up campaign

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has criticised the European Union's stumbling rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, but insisted Greece would double its vaccinations in the coming weeks and inoculate everyone over 60 years of age by the end of May.

Greece, which coped relatively well during the first wave of the pandemic last year, has been forced to tighten restrictions to combat a surge in cases over recent months, with hospitals in the worst affected areas around Athens struggling to cope.

Mitsotakis expressed appreciation for the joint purchasing of vaccines by the European Commission, which has helped smaller states such as Greece.

"But at the same time it failed in getting the necessary quantities and supplying member states promptly," he said in a speech to parliament.

With the summer tourist season fast approaching, vital for Greece's economy, the government is counting on a beefed-up testing campaign, including home test kits, to curb the virus but Mitsotakis said vaccinations would also be increased in the next few weeks.

Greece, with a population of around 10 million, has administered nearly 1.7 million coronavirus shots so far and will complete another 1.5 million by the end of April. Everyone over 60 should have had at least one shot by the end of May, he said.

How many people have been vaccinated in Greece?

10:49 AM

Watch: Police use water cannon to disperse crowd at April Fool's festival

10:38 AM

Fauci: US has so many vaccines it might not need AstraZenenca jab

America has bought so many Covid-19 jabs it may not need to use its Oxford-AstraZeneca stocks even if the shot gains US government approval, said Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor.

The US has stockpiled large quantities of the jab, but it has yet to be given federal authorisation and in the meantime has become dogged by questions over its safety, Ben Farmer reports.

Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the White House, said the US had enough contracts with other vaccine makers to vaccinate its entire population, and possibly enough for booster shots in the fall.

Asked whether the United States will use the AstraZeneca vaccine doses, he told Reuters: "That's still up in the air. My general feeling is that given the contractual relationships that we have with a number of companies, that we have enough vaccine to fulfill all of our needs without invoking AstraZeneca."

Meanwhile attorneys general from many US states have warned tech giants including Twitter and eBay to take action against people offering fake vaccination certificates on their sites .

It has come to our attention that your platforms are being used to market and sell blank or fraudulently completed Covid vaccine cards bearing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logo, said a letter from the National Association of Attorneys General.

The use of your platforms to disseminate the deceptive marketing and sales of fake vaccine cards is a threat to residents of our states.

10:29 AM

Asbo-style bans imposed across UK in police effort to control Easter crowds

Police chiefs have imposed Asbo-style bans in city and town centres across the UK giving officers extra powers to break up groups of Easter revellers.

The dispersal orders allow officers to require anyone aged over 10 engaged in or likely to participate in anti-social behaviour to be banned from an area for up to 48 hours.

They also get powers to confiscate items such as alcohol and anyone in breach of the order by refusing to leave or returning within 48 hours can be jailed for up to three months and/or fined up to 2,500.

The move follows large groups of people gathering in city centres this week to celebrate the easing of lockdown and enjoy the warm Spring weather, leaving police struggling to break them up and huge mounds of litter that council officers have had to clear up.

Charles Hymas has more details here.

10:18 AM

Vaccine passports a way to get people back 'doing things they love', says Culture Secretary

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that coronavirus certificates could be a way of getting people back to "doing the things they love".

"Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is conducting a review, which I am of course participating in, as to whether we could make Covid status certification work," he told BBC News.

"This is not about a vaccine passport, this is about looking at ways of proving that you are Covid secure, whether you have had a test or had the vaccine.

"Clearly, no decisions have been made on that, because we have to weigh up different factors, the ethical considerations and so on, but it may be a way of ensuring we can get more people back doing the things they love."

10:17 AM

Today in brief - global headlines

Just joining us? Here's a look at the global developments so far this morning:

More than 70 MPs have signalled their opposition to the introduction of so-called vaccine passports that the government is considering bringing in to help reopen the economy.

Australia is investigating whether a blood clotting case recorded today is related to the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, raising concern in a nation where most people are expected to receive the drugmaker's shot.

British regulators yesterday said they have identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events after the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 25 more than previously reported.

New restrictions in France will impact economic growth in 2021 but it is too early to say by how much, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said, as the country heads into its third lockdown.

Brazil's Sao Paulo sped up efforts to empty old graves and make room for a soaring number of Covid-19 deaths as the city hall registered record daily burials this week.

Chile has closed its borders and tightened an already strict lockdown further to stop the influx of new variants as cases climbed past 1 million despite one of the world's fastest vaccination rates.

The United States may not need AstraZeneca's vaccine , even if it wins US regulatory approval, according to the nation's top infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci.

And finally, authorities in the Japanese city of Osaka will discuss plans with the 2020 Tokyo Games organisers to cancel the western region's leg of the Olympic torch relay, its governor said, to avert a clash with measures to curb a spate of infections.

10:07 AM

Migrant workers rush to leave Mumbai over rumours of second lockdown

Anxiety among Mumbais three million migrant workers has skyrocketed since the city was placed under a night-time curfew on Sunday, after it reported a 400 per cent increase in new infections from February, with further restrictions expected on Friday across the state of Maharashtra.

Typically employed informally, India's 100 million migrant workers live hand-to-mouth and are dependent on daily cash payments.

They do not receive any compensation if they are off work due to sickness - even in the event of a global pandemic.

During Indias sudden nationwide two-month lockdown last year, which ended on June 1, approximately 400 million Indians were pushed further into poverty as they were unable to work - street stalls were shut, factories closed their doors and work paused on construction sites.

And, in the scorching heat outside Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, it looks like there might be a repeat of last years crisis. A drop in consumer spending has meant Mumbais tailors have closed their shops, fishermen have defaulted on rent payments on their flats and hospitality staff have been laid off due to a lack of tourists.

Read Joe Wallen's full dispatch here.

Stores are shut at Crawford Market in Mumbai during the city's night-time curfew - Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

09:58 AM

WHO report into pandemic origins offers new details, but no firm conclusions

Earlier this week, a highly anticipated World Health Organization-led report into the origins of Sars-Cov-2 was finally released. It concluded that a leak from a laboratory, while possible, is extremely unlikely.

Instead, the virus was most likely to have been passed from bats via an intermediate animal host to humans before sparking an explosive outbreak in Wuhan in December 2019.

The report has attracted some critcism, particularly from governments concerned that China withheld data, and the findings do little to change the existing understanding of how Covid-19 emerged. But the study does provide hundreds of pages of new detail about the early days of the pandemic.

This is a brilliant thread from an American immunologist, with an overview of the key details you should be aware of:

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Related: Covid lab leak theory needs further investigation, WHO head says

09:49 AM

Watch: Why the French Covid-19 crisis could make or break Emmanuel Macron

09:36 AM

Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh added to UK red list

Travel bans are to be introduced for visitors from the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh, the Department of Transport has said.

The countries have been added to England's so-called red list amid concerns about new Covid-19 variants, such as those first identified in South Africa and Brazil.

From 4am on Friday April 9, international visitors who have departed from or transited through the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England.

The DfT said only British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights in the UK (including long-term visa holders), will be allowed to enter and they must stay in a Government-approved quarantine facility for 10 days. They will also be required to arrive into a designated port.

No direct flight bans from the countries will be put in place but passengers are being advised to check their travel plans before departing for England.

During their stay, passengers will be required to take a coronavirus test on or before day two and on or after day eight, and they will not be allowed to shorten their quarantine period on receipt of a negative test result.

They will also not be able to end their managed quarantine early through the Test to Release scheme.

09:35 AM

Austria sparks anger as it pulls out of EU vaccine sharing scheme

Austria has infuriated its EU allies by pulling out of agreement to donate vaccines to other member states struggling to get their jab campaigns going, James Crisp reports.

After a week of talks in Brussels, a deal was reached between 19 EU countries on how to distribute an early batch of 10 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses with Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia receiving a proportionally large number of doses.

The talks between ambassadors were held after Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz criticised the allocation of shots in the 27-nation bloc, saying that some countries were receiving more than their fair share at the cost of others.

Austria, Slovenia and the Czech Republic refused to join the 19-strong alliance because it would mean Vienna getting fewer shots than under the system of distribution on a pro rata basis that is used in the EUs joint procurement system for vaccines.

Vienna lost the argument, lost goodwill and lost friends with its antics, one EU diplomat told the Politco website, This episode will not be forgotten.

09:25 AM

Philippines: Record high in new cases as country enters lockdown

The Philippines has reported a daily record 15,310 new coronavirus infections, one of the highest reported in the region since the pandemic started, bringing the country's total to 771,497 cases.

It also announced 17 new deaths, taking fatalities to 13,320 deaths. The Department of Health said the new cases reported on Friday included a backlog of 3,709 cases. The previous record was just over 10,000 new cases.

It comes as Filipinos marked Good Friday, one of the most solemn holidays in Asia's largest Roman Catholic nation, with deserted streets and churches following a strict lockdown to slow down the spread of the coronavirus.

Major highways and roads were eerily quiet after religious gatherings were prohibited in metropolitan Manila and four outlying provinces. The government placed the bustling region of more than 25 million people back under lockdown this week as it scrambled to contain an alarming surge in Covid-19 cases.

Coronavirus Philippines Spotlight Chart - Cases default

09:16 AM

Belgium: Fake April Fool's concert ends in injuries

Belgian mounted police charged about 2,000 people and used water cannon against the crowds in a Brussels park gathered for a fake concert announced as an April Fools Day yesterday, James Crisp reports.

34 people were injured and there were 22 arrests. Projectiles were thrown at police in riot gear in the Bois de la Cambre park on the southern side of the Belgian capital after they moved in to enforce strict Covid-19 social-distancing rules that prohibit gatherings of more than four people outdoors. At least three officers were hurt.

Belgium on Saturday imposed tighter restrictions aimed at curbing surging Covid infection numbers.

They include closing schools, keeping borders closed, limiting access to non-essential shops and lowering the number of people able to meet outdoors to four.

One participant, Selim Jebira, told AFP that "we were tear-gassed for no reason at all".

Bystanders and demonstrators are soaked by a Belgian police water canon as police officers surround them at the Bois de la Cambre parc, in Brussels, during a unauthorised rally, for a fake concert announced on social media as an April Fool's Day prank. - FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS/AFP

09:04 AM

Pandemic in pictures

Brasilia, Brazil:

Healthcare workers of the public Mobile Emergency Service bring a patient suspected of suffering from COVID-19 to the Base Public Hospital - AP Photo/Eraldo Peres

Seoul, South Korea:

Quarantine workers disinfect ballot boxes amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic at a polling station installed inside Seoul Station, one day ahead of two-day early voting for the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election - YONHAP/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Amiens, France:

A medical worker moves a patient affected with the COVID-19 in the Amiens Picardie hospital. France is now facing a deadly new surge of the virus that is overwhelming many hospitals. - AP Photo/Francois Mori

Kansas City, United States:

Students eats lunch separated from classmates by plastic dividers on the first day of in-person learning Wednesday - AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

08:53 AM

Covid vaccine hesitancy among black British adults halves in a month

Vaccine hesitancy among black British adults has halved in around a month, according to official figures.

Just over a fifth  22 per cent  reported concerns over having the jab in the four weeks to mid-March, down from 44 per cent in the previous month, the Office for National Statistics found.

It follows an escalating campaign to encourage black people to take up the vaccine and to counter disinformation about its safety and effectiveness.

The progress in black African and Caribbean communities comes amid a broader public positivity towards vaccines. Overall positive vaccine sentiment among the British population has risen to 94 per cent in March from 78 per cent in December, the ONS figures showed.

Henry Bodkin has the full story here.

08:40 AM

Vietnam asks for foreign support in procuring Covid-19 vaccines

Vietnam has asked diplomats of several countries for help to access alternative sources for Covid-19 inoculations, as it seeks to secure the 150 million doses of vaccine needed to cover its adult population.

The country has received about 930,000 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine so far and wants to diversify its procurement from more sources, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson , Moderna, China's Sinovac and Russia's vaccine, Sputnik V.

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long met ambassadors on Friday and asked Japan's embassy for help with technology transfer for vaccine production and testing in Vietnam, the ministry said in a statement.

A doctor looks at the vial before receiving a vaccine, as Vietnam starts its official rollout of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, in Hai Duong - REUTERS/Thanh Hue/File Photo

Long also asked the US ambassador for help with accelerating domestic inoculations and getting access to vaccines from US drugmakers. He told EU representatives he hoped European pharmaceutical firms would consider more investment in Vietnam.

And on Wednesday he met with Chinese, Indian and Russian diplomats to discuss vaccines.

Vietnam has been praised for its record in containing its coronavirus outbreaks through mass testing and tracing and strict quarantining, which has kept its cases to just 2,617, with 35 deaths.

It aims to immunise 70 per cent of its population and has so far inoculated 51,200 people. The request for help come as some countries express concern about vaccine shortages.

08:29 AM

Vaccine passports could 'scupper things' for hospitality, industry warns

Introducing vaccine passports could potentially "scupper things" for hospitality venues who are trying to reopen, according to Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association.

On whether life could be made easier for businesses by vaccine passports as it could mean there is no need for them to track and trace, she told BBC Breakfast: "This would be an additional burden put on to the pubs. We are desperate to get back open again. We are desperate to do that.

"We will play our part in test and trace but the additional burden of the vaccine passport could really, really scupper things.

"It could make it feel that we are discriminating against sections of the population that have not been offered a vaccination or are unable to have one like pregnant women or a grandad who is probably going to forget his actual vaccine passport because he does not have it on his smartphone.

"It is a difficult process for us to implement in venue and yet today we have not had a consultation with the Government about how we would do this in pubs."

Exclusive: Covid passport trials to begin at UK events within weeks

08:21 AM

UK unlikely to experience third wave like Europe, health experts say

The UK is unlikely to experience a third wave of Covid-19 on the scale of that which is currently sweeping through Europe, a leading expert in public health has said.

Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, told Times Radio: "I think we are in a very different position for two main reasons - the first one is that they are dealing with the B117 (variant) which unfortunately we exported to them and caused us huge challenges - still does - but much more in the winter."

She continued: "More importantly, 11.6% of citizens in the EU on average have been given their first dose of the vaccine - that's all people, not just all adults - compared to over 40 per cent of people in the UK, so you can see they are in a different place than we are."

08:16 AM

Seals 'need space', new Government campaign urges, after 'Freddie' was killed by dog on Thames

Seals need space from humans and drones, a new Government campaign has urged, after a pup named in honour of Freddie Mercury was killed by a dog on the Thames

Britons are being told to keep their distance from the mammals as lockdown eases, with Defra highlighting the risk of seal fatalities from human interactions.

Seals are one of our most iconic marine mammals, said George Eustice, the Environment Secretary. They can be found along our coastline around the UK, and we must do all that we can to protect them.

"I hope that this campaign will raise awareness and act as a timely reminder ahead of further easing of lockdown restrictions and the expected increase of people looking to enjoy outdoor spaces."

During lockdowns, seals have gradually ventured onto beaches they would normally stay away from because there have been less people there.

Dominic Penna and Helena Horton have the full report here.

seal - Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images

08:05 AM

South America tightens restrictions and closes borders as cases surge

South America moved to put the brakes on surging coronavirus cases Thursday, as Chile closed all its borders for the month of April, Bolivia shuttered its frontier with Brazil and Peru went into Easter lockdown.

Ecuador also announced a 30-day "state of exception" affecting over a third of its population, with a curfew in force for the next week.

Chile's government said it would batten down the hatches starting next Monday while it seeks to speed up its vaccination campaign. The measure came as the country recorded its highest daily infection rate since the pandemic began.

Intensive care units are close to capacity, and government spokesman Jaime Bellolio said on Thursday: "We urgently need to make an additional effort, because we are in a very critical moment of the pandemic."

Meanwhile neighboring Peru entered a four-day national lockdown for the Easter weekend, as it too recorded its highest number of daily confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic with almost 13,000 new infections.

South America has been hard hit by the new pandemic wave, with Brazil at its epicenter, registering more than 66,000 deaths in March alone.

Related: Brazils countdown to Covid catastrophe

07:55 AM

Just 40 per cent of venues have outside space to reopen, warns industry chief

Only 40 per cent of venues will have the outdoor space to reopen as some restrictions in England are set to ease in April and they will be "loss making", a hospitality industry chief has said.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, told BBC Breakfast that being outdoors will be "a huge restriction on capacity" and the guidance which does not allow payments to be made indoors is a factor which will "complicate how we will serve people in venues".

Noting that venues have also been asked to do extra collections of test and trace data, she added: "It is an additional burden on businesses at a very sensitive time of their recovery. "

07:45 AM

UK regulator identifies 30 cases of blood clot events after AstraZeneca jab

British regulators on Thursday said they have identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events after the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 25 more than the agency previously reported.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it had received no such reports of clotting events following use of the vaccine made by BioNTech and Pfizer.

The health officials said they still believe the benefits of the vaccine in the prevention of Covid-19 far outweigh any possible risk of blood clots.

Some countries are restricting use of the AstraZeneca vaccine while others have resumed inoculations, as investigations into reports of rare, and sometimes severe, blood clots continue.

On March 18, the UK medicines regulator said that there had been five cases of a rare brain blood clot among 11 million administered shots.

On Thursday, it put the count at 22 reports of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, an extremely rare brain clotting ailment, and 8 reports of other clotting events associated with low blood platelets out of a total of 18.1 million doses given.

07:16 AM

Exclusive: Covid passport trials to begin at UK events within weeks

Covid passports are set to be trialled at events in Britain within weeks, The Telegraph can reveal, as the Government pushes ahead with the idea despite a growing rebellion by MPs.

New details of around a dozen pilot schemes for safely opening large events will be announced in the coming days, with plans to trial Covid certification checks. The FA Cup final, an FA Cup semi-final, the League Cup final and the World Snooker Championship are taking part, with the Brit Awards also in discussions.

Read more on this here.

07:06 AM

British taxpayers funded EU factory at heart of vaccine row

British taxpayers have invested millions of pounds into a Dutch vaccine factory at the centre of a threatened blockade by the European Commission, The Telegraph can disclose.

The Halix factory in Leiden was equipped to produce doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, approved a major investment last April.

The money  reported to be in the region of 21 million  was meant to secure vital shipments to the UK. But Brussels has threatened to ban exports and on Thursday vowed there would be "no negotiation" with Downing Street, insisting that the doses should be diverted to European nations.

Read the full article by Bill Gardner, James Crisp and Ben Riley-Smith here.

06:48 AM

Australia investigates possible link of blood clot case to AstraZeneca vaccine

Australia is investigating whether a blood clotting disorder case recorded on Friday is related to the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said.

Australian media reported that a 44-year-old man was admitted to a Melbourne hospital with possible clotting days after receiving the vaccineCovid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine, but investigations are ongoing," Kidd told a briefing.

He said more details are expected to be known on Saturday.

Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration, the medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency, has said previously the AstraZeneca vaccine was not associated with an increase in the overall risk of blood clots.

It comes after Germany stopped the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in under-60s.

06:42 AM

Indian cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar hospitalised with Covid-19

Tendulkar said on Friday he has been admitted to hospital as a precautionary measure after contracting coronavirus last week.

Tendulkar, who will turn 48 later this month, was previously quarantining at home after testing positive following mild symptoms.

"As a matter of abundant precaution under medical advice, I have been hospitalised," he said on Twitter. "I hope to be back home in a few days. Take care and stay safe everyone."

He lives in Mumbai, the capital of the Western Indian state of Maharashtra which has been the hardest hit by a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.

05:57 AM

Brazils countdown to Covid catastrophe

The calamity currently unfolding in Brazil is off the charts. In March alone, 66,570 people died of Covid-19 and daily fatalities in the vast country currently account for about a quarter of the global total.

A highly contagious variant, P1, is now rampant and there are few measures in place to contain its spread, pushing health systems to the brink of collapse.

Not surprisingly a political crisis is also brewing. The heads of all three branches of the military resigned this week leaving president Jair Bolsonaro - dubbed the Trump of the Tropics - exposed.

There are growing calls for his impeachment and a Bidenesque overhaul of the countrys coronavirus response.

Read the full story

03:30 AM

Moderna gets nod to speed up vaccine output with bigger vials

The US drug regulator gave Moderna clearance to speed up output of its vaccine by letting it fill a single vial with up to 15 doses, with the United States banking on rapid immunisation to stem the spread of the deadly virus.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also authorised vaccinators to extract a maximum of 11 doses from the current vials, instead of the ten previously permitted.

In a statement, Moderna said its vaccine can now can be supplied in vials containing 11 or 15 doses, and it expected to begin shipping 15-dose vials in coming weeks.

"Both of these revisions positively impact the supply of Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine, which will help provide more vaccine doses to communities and allow shots to get into arms more quickly," Peter Marks, director of FDA's Centre for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said.

However, the regulator also warned that without proper syringes and needles it may not be possible to extract more that 13 doses from Moderna's 15 dose vials, and more than 10 doses from the current vials.

02:42 AM

China vaccine maker Sinovac says doubles production capacity

Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac said on Friday a third production line for its Covid-19 vaccine has been put into use, doubling its annual capacity of the jabs to two billion doses.

Its CoronaVac is one of four domestic vaccines given conditional approval by Chinese authorities, which helps rush emergency drugs to market.

On Wednesday, experts from the World Health Organisation said an interim analysis of clinical trial data from two Chinese vaccines, including Sinovac's product, showed they demonstrated "safety and good efficacy", although more data is still needed.

02:24 AM

Police issues warning ahead of more Kill the Bill protests

Police have issued warnings against people gathering over the Easter weekend as multiple Kill the Bill protests are expected to take place across England on Friday.

A rally against the Government's proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill has been organised for 2pm at Finsbury Park in London, with similar events planned in Leeds, Manchester and Southampton.

Although the protests are lawful providing organisers submit a risk assessment and take steps to ensure the gatherings are safe, the Metropolitan Police warned on Thursday the safety of the wider community is paramount.

The force said: "Enforcement action will be taken, if needed, in the interests of public health."

Read more: Planning an Easter holiday by the beach? Locals will report you, warns police chief

12:59 AM

Police charge Brussels April Fool's Day 'party' crowd

Police on horseback and using water cannon charged a crowd of up to 2,000 people gathered in a Brussels park on Thursday for a fake concert announced on social media as an April Fool's Day prank.

AFP journalists at the scene saw projectiles thrown at police in riot gear in the Bois de la Cambre park on the southern side of the Belgian capital.

Police said that three officers were wounded, one of whom was taken to hospital, and four people were arrested.

The police, wearing protective helmets and advancing in a line, moved in to enforce strict Covid-19 social-distancing rules that prohibit gatherings of more than four people outdoors.

Teenagers clash with the police during an unauthorised festival called 'La Boum' - Getty

12:44 AM

US may not need AstraZeneca vaccine, says Fauci

The United States may not need AstraZeneca's vaccine, even if it wins US regulatory approval, Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor told Reuters.

The vaccine, once hailed as another milestone in the fight against the COovid-19 pandemic, has been dogged by questions since late last year, even as it has been authorised for use by dozens of countries, not including the US.

Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the White House, said the US has enough contracts with other vaccine makers to vaccinate its entire population, and possibly enough for booster shots in the fall.

Dr Fauci said: "If you look at the numbers (of doses) that we're going to be getting, the amount that you can get from J&J, from Novavax from Moderna if we contract for more, it is likely that we can handle any boost that we need, but I can't say definitely for sure."

11:53 PM

Sao Paulo exhumes old graves to make space for surging burials

Brazil's biggest city on Thursday sped up efforts to empty old graves, making room for a soaring number of Covid-19 deaths as Sao Paulo city hall registered record daily burials this week.

Gravediggers in the Vila Nova Cachoeirinha cemetery in the city's northern reaches worked in white hazmat suits to open the tombs of people buried years ago, bagging decomposed remains for removal to another location.

Relocating remains is standard in cemetery operations, said the municipal secretary responsible for funeral services, in a statement. But it has taken on new urgency as Brazil suffers its worse coronavirus wave since the pandemic began over a year ago.

Brazil's Health Ministry reported 3,769 new deaths on Thursday, narrowly missing a daily record for a third straight day.

Gravediggers perform exhumations to open space on cement graves in Sao Paulo - Reuters

11:27 PM

Today's top stories


US should get tougher on the racism against Asian Americans



Amid rising attacks on people of Asian descent in the United States, the entire Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, including Korean Americans, has been increasingly vulnerable to safety threats. U.S. President Joe Biden Tuesday denounced the hate crimes by saying, "We can't be silent in the face of rising violence against Asian Americans.'' Stressing that the violence must be stopped immediately, Biden announced a stimulus relief package to deal with racist violence against Asian Americans.



On March 16, a white man went on a shooting rampage, claiming the lives of six Asian American women  including four Korean Americans  in Atlanta, Georgia. Late Monday morning, a man attacked a 65-year-old woman, kicking her in the stomach and stomping on her face. A surveillance video showed the assailant shouting at the woman, "You don't belong here." Surprisingly enough, there were two workers nearby who were presumed to be security guards. But they never bothered to intervene or stop the attack, letting the assailant flee the site of the crime while they just watched.



Another case of a Black man assaulting and strangling a person of Asian descent  later discovered to be an Indonesian student  in the New York subway on March 29, triggered public anger. The series of shootings and brutal attacks on AAPI Americans is connected to hate against China as the country where the COVID-19 virus allegedly first originated, fanned by former President Trump's dubbing of the coronavirus as the "China virus." Yet Americans descending from many nations in Asia and the Pacific have been the targets of racist acts.



Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of hate crimes against the AAPI community is reported to have increased by 13 times since the start of the pandemic. Racial discrimination itself is a serious crime and such violent attacks are grave crimes that must not be tolerated under any circumstances.



Superstar K-pop group BTS posted a statement on Twitter, calling for an end to growing anti-Asian hate. "Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away at our self-esteem." BTS condemned the violence and called for an end to racial discrimination. BTS members deserve praise for their brave act of squarely dealing with racial discrimination and in issuing a statement condemning such racist acts.



It is appropriate for the Biden administration to have pledged that it will take strong measures against hate crimes on Asian Americans. A taskforce dealing with anti-Asian American xenophobia has been formed and nearly $50 million in grants were set up for AAPI survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Biden and other U.S. political leaders should come up with tougher steps against anti-Asian American racism and hate crimes to effectively cope with them. The Korean government, for its part, should continue to consult closely with the U.S. administration so that it can more rigorously tackle hate crime cases, as well as protect Korean Americans from violence and discrimination.






PORTLAND, Ore.  On the front lines of Oregons battle against the coronavirus, public health leaders worry that problems with Johnson & Johnson manufacturing on the East Coast could impact their efforts.

Well that was certainly a bit of a disappointment as were counting on the J&J vaccine for many of our outlying clinics, said Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, Douglas County health officer and administrator.

He said his county is the size of Connecticut with people living in hard to reach areas. It saves an enormous amount of time if public health workers only need to vaccinate those people once, a huge benefit offered by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Shellie Campbell is also concerned. She is the interim director of the North Central Public Health District, which covers Wasco, Sherman and Gilliam counties, and is helping prepare for an influx of as many as 7,000 migrant workers for the cherry harvest in May and June.

Our initial response was, 'Oh, no.' Because we anticipate getting a lot of Johnson & Johnson, she said.

Current supplies, including the 122,000 Johnson & Johnson doses arriving in Oregon next week, are safe and not connected to the East Coast manufacturing issues. But Campbell worries the issue will make some more skeptical and shy away from the vaccine.

My concern really around that was more around people hearing that and then being much more hesitant to even take the Johnson & Johnson, she said. Campbell plans to have an education campaign to let residents know it is safe.

Statewide, Oregon has been a bit disappointed in the overall supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Oregon Health Authority leaders originally expected 160,000 doses for the last two weeks of March. Instead, just 29,000 doses arrived.

I think that was based on our projections, based on what vaccine manufacturers had testified to Congress about doses available by the end of March, said Dave Baden, chief financial officer for the Oregon Health Authority. Hes coordinating the vaccine rollout in Oregon.

For the moment, the Johnson & Johnson supply is about to pour into Oregon. Baden said next week vaccination efforts supported by the state will get 62,000 doses and pharmacies around the state will get another 60,000 doses.

It will really will be a big week for Oregon with vaccine coming in next week," Baden said. "But obviously the troubling news out of the East Coast of some concerns at one of the Johnson & Johnson partners does make the outlook for Johnson & Johnson a little bit less clear.
VATICAN CITY, APR 2 - Pope Francis on Friday visited poor and homeless people getting their COVID-19 jab inside the Vatican. Marking Good Friday, the pope visited the Paul VI Room in the Vatican where a vaccination station has been set up for homeless people and others in economic difficulties, welcomed and accompanied by various Roman associations. The pope greeted the doctors and nurses, watched the preparation f the vaccine doses, and waited with people while they queued for their shots, the Vatican press office said. Some 800 of the around 1,200 needy people who will get the vaccine in the Vatican this week have now been vaccinated, the office said. (ANSA).
The leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Wednesday held a meeting with the Council of Elders of the party and the entire Parliamentary Caucus to reconcile growing differences following the disquiet and misgivings that characterised the approval of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's ministerial nominees by Parliament.



The meeting, which was held in Parliament, was also to address the concerns of the teeming members and supporters of the party.



The last few weeks have witnessed growing differences among some party members at the national level and within the membership, especially with the vetting of ministerial nominees.



Just Wednesday, before a solution would be found to developments in the party, the MP for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, resigned from the Appointments Committee of Parliament, citing personal and principled reasons.



Speaker accepts



Mr Ablakwa confirmed to the Daily Graphic in an interview the acceptance of his resignation by the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin.



I concluded a fruitful and frank meeting with Rt Hon. Speaker Alban S.K. Bagbin a while ago. I am enormously grateful to him for accepting my resignation from the Appointments Committee of Parliament.



May the Good Lord show us mercy and guide our steps in the journey ahead, the MP told this paper.



Adongo/Mubarak



In another development, the MP for Bolgatanga Central, Mr Isaac Adongo, in various media interviews, expressed his frustration and disappointment, particularly with regard to the approval of the Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, by Parliament.



He said while he disagreed with the overarching position of the Minority on the approval of Mr Ofori-Atta, he had no choice but to accept.



Similar sentiments are being shared by a former MP for Kunbungu, Mr Ras Mubarak, who is also calling for a shift in the leadership of the Minority caucus in Parliament.



Party Unity



Throwing more light on the meeting in an interview, the National Chairman of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, called for calm and unity among the rank and file of the party and for them to support the party to reposition itself ahead of the 2024 elections.



He urged them to forge ahead in unity to strengthen the party.



Members present



Key among the members of the Council of Elders who attended the meeting were Mrs Margaret Clarke-Kweisie, Ms Sherry Ayittey, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor and Mr Kofi Attoh.



In attendance were Mr Ofosu Ampofo and the party's General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.



Road map



The national chairman said the party itself would engage in nationwide activities after the Easter holidays, including meeting with major stakeholders, thank you' tours and reorganisation of party structures from the grass root to position the party for the 2024 elections.



The meeting was a positive one, he added.



NDC statement



Meanwhile, later yesterday, the party issued a statement, signed by Mr Ampofo, which assured its members that the issues that provoked public commentary had been dealt with in a manner that will promote and strengthen the cohesion of the party and all its organs.



It called on the members to put party unity over and above all interests, so that, together, we can hold the Akufo-Addo government to account, even as we take measures to develop strategies towards the next general election.



Approvals



The discontent among the grassroot of the party started after the House approved the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah; the Minister of Communications and Digitisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, and the Minister of Aquaculture, Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson.



Some party members felt that their MPs let them down when some of them voted for the approval of the three ministers.



Similarly, after the two-day vetting of Mr Ofori Atta, members of the Appointments Committee unanimously approved his nomination, although the Minority had indicated that it was awaiting further documentation and information before approving him.



Ablakwa's resignation



Earlier, credible sources within the party and Parliament had told the Daily Graphic that Mr Ablakwa had not been happy with some of the decisions taken by the Appointments Committee.



One of the sources cited the stifling of divergent opinions by the Minority leadership in Parliament for Mr Ablakwa's resignation.



According to the sources, Mr Ablakwa felt that the high expectation of Ghanaians was not being met by the Minority caucus.



He feels that the quality of the vetting was excellent but the final decision of the House was not as expected, one source stated.



The Appointments Committee recommends to Parliament for approval or otherwise persons nominated by the President for appointment as ministers of state and deputy ministers of state, members of the Council of State and such other persons specified under the Constitution or any other enactment.



The committee currently has 13 members each from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the NDC.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Pupils in Kildare schools are to receive subsidised musical instruments as part of a national music education programme being piloted in Kildare.

Music Generation is a collaboration between Kildare Co Council and Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB)

Tipperary-born pianist, lecturer and traditional musician Alan Costello, was appointed Music Generation Development Officer for Kildare in January last year.

Kildare was among five new areas of Ireland selected for participation in Music Generation in May 2019, along with Kerry, Longford, Meath and Tipperary.

The initiative is part of Creative Youth  a Creative Ireland Programme plan to enable the creative potential of every child and young person.

Under the plan, the areas will be co-funded through the Department of Education and Skills to establish the programme within their county. This funding will be matched on a 50/50 basis by money raised locally, ensuring long-term sustainability into the future.

Mr Costello's role is to develop and oversee an affordable, accessible programme of performance music education for children and young people ages 0 to 18 across the county.

This will include building partnerships with music and arts tuition services in the area, coordinating with schools, youth and community groups to create ensembles, choirs and other initiatives, embracing all musical genres and styles.

Initiated by Music Network in 2010, Music Generation is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Skills and Local Music Education Partnerships.

A Maynooth University graduate, Mr Costello returned to Ireland after 12 years in the UK.

Whilst at NUIM Alan served as conductor of the renowned Maynooth University Chamber Choir.

A keen traditional Irish musician, Alan is a regular fixture on the Fleadh and festival circuits both in Ireland and abroad. He has won numerous All-Ireland titles, including, in 1997, the senior Button Accordion, duet and trio titles, an incredibly rare feat.
Around 100 people marched throughout the University of South Carolinas campus Friday to call for the firing of all university employees accused of sexual harassment.

Protesters, who carried signs with slogans such as fire all abusers, and protect students, not abusers, said the current approach of removing faculty accused of sexual harassment from classrooms is not enough.

They rewarded (accused sexual harassers) with a paid vacation, Sophie Luna said.

Cece Taylor, a freshman majoring in criminal justice and English, agreed with Luna.

Even the people theyre removing from campus, theyre still enabling them to be paid, to take a vacation and not waiting until after trial to make a full decision, Taylor told The State.

USC student Ian Grenier, who spoke at the protest, also described USCs removal of professors accused of sexual harassment from campus as a paid vacation.

Following allegations documented in lawsuits and an investigative report from The State newspaper, USC has removed several employees from campus who were accused of sexually harassing students, staff or colleagues. The employees remain on USC payroll, but are not in direct contact with students and are not allowed to come on campus without permission from a superior, USc said previously..

In response to the protest, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland issued a statement highlighting moves the university has announced in the last several weeks that aim to boost resources for those who report sexual harassment and he urged anyone who experienced sexual harassment to come forward.

The University of South Carolina takes accusations of sexual harassment seriously and respects the right of students to make their voices heard on this important issue. President Bob Caslen has taken strong action to ensure faculty accused of wrongdoing were removed from the classroom and their access to campus revoked, Stensland said. Additional personnel action may be pursued in the near future in accordance with the law and with respect to due process.

Story continues

Charlotte Morrison, a sophomore journalism major, called on protesters to email Provost William Tate to pressure him to fire faculty accused of sexual harassment.

The Carolina community will not tolerate the behavior of abusers, Morrison said.

Lauryn Workman, the head of USCs College Democrats who has been a campus activist since at least 2019, said many of her experiences with faculty were positive, but a recent allegation hit home. A lawsuit filed against History Professor David Snyder  a professor in a class Workman took  has contributed to her feeling unsafe on campus, she said.

I love my community and I want to support it, but how can I right now? Workman said.

The protest started at Longstreet Theatre and stopped at Gambrell Hall, the Pickens Street bridge, the presidents house on the Horseshoe and Osborne Administration Building. Protesters also passed by several campus tours attended by potential students.

The term fire all abusers was a tagline for the protest in the planning period, according to protesters and social media posts . Demonstrators also called for additional systemic change in how USC responds to sexual harassment complaints.

I think we need to establish a system where faculty who have past cases of sexual abuse against them should not be allowed to be hired, said Sophia Riley, a computer science major. I also believe our current system for reporting sexual harassment and abuse should be overhauled and rewritten because it obviously doesnt work now. All the students have reported harassment by these faculty members, they have just been completely ignored.
Despite a number of delays and stalled projects, India has achieved significant improvement as far as laying new roads are concerned. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said Indias highway building has achieved a new feat, constructing a record 37 kms every day.

"Tremendous progress has been achieved in building of national highways across the country... We have achieved a road building pace of 37 km of highways a day," Gadkari was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

Gadkari termed the achievements as 'unprecedented and have no parallel in any other country in the world'. He reminded that despite key challenges like the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, the National Highways Authority of India has managed to increase length of highways in India by around 50 per cent.

The speed at which India is adding highways can be highlighted by a recent feat achieved by the National Highways Authority of India. The NHAI created a world record by building a four-lane highway of 2,580 metres length within 24 hours. NHAI contractor Patel Infrastructure achieved the record by laying the highest quantity of concrete on a part of the greenfield Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai 8-lane Expressway project. The feat was recognised by the India Book of Records and the Golden Book of World Records.

Under Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, India has added more than 50 per cent length of national highways in the past seven years. As on March 20, 2021, India has built 1,37,625 kms of highways compared to only 91,287 kms in April 2014. During this period, India has also spent five times more money to construct highways, up from a mere 33,414 crore in the financial year 2015.

Gadkari said that under his watch the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways has been able to unlock several stalled projects. According to the minister, the ministry has been able to take initiatives to resolve the deadlocks and accelerate the pace of highway building, including termination of projects worth 40,000 crore, resulted in fast-tracking of the road building. He said that there were 406 stalled projects involving investment of 3.85 lakh crore when he took charge in 2014.

The government plans to build around 34,800 km of highways at a cost of about 5.35 lakh crore under the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojna. "In five years, I can give guarantee that India's infrastructure will change... It will be no less than the US or European countries... A new India is emerging," Gadkari was quoted as saying.

India is currently building a network of green expressway corridors, including the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. There is also significant progress in construction of the Zojilla tunnel which aims to provide all-weather connectivity to people in Ladakh. Gadkari also said that the 30-km Dwarka Expressway will be an engineering marvel that will resemble a Singapore-like place on Delhi's borders.

(With inputs from agencies)
The ministry of external affairs on Friday clarified that India has not imposed any export ban on vaccines and the government has supplied jabs to more than 80 countries across the world.

"No country has shared with the world the number of vaccines that India has while vaccinating its own population. Till now, we have supplied vaccines to more than 80 countries across in the world and we have already stated that our external supplies would be done keeping in mind our domestic requirements," Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for MEA said.

"A total of 64.4 million doses of vaccine supplied to various countries and 18.2 million through covax so far," the MEA spokesperson said.

Reuters reported that India has put a temporary hold on all major exports of the AstraZeneca shot made by the Serum to meet domestic demand as infections continue to rise.

There have been concerns that other developing nations depending upon Serum Institute's contract with the vaccine alliances for their doses will struggle to continue their roll-outs.

The Serum Insitute was due to deliver 90 million vaccine doses to Covax over March and April and, while it was not immediately clear how many would be diverted for domestic use.

Global vaccine alliance Gavi, which runs the Covax programme, said that Indian vaccine supplies to lower income countries are being delayed.

"Deliveries will be delayed in March and April as the government of India battles a new wave of Covid-19 infections," it said in a statement.

Regarding the concerns of other countries, India's position has been suitably conveyed through its official channels, the MEA spokesperson said.
UPDATE, 2:47 p.m.: Chief says Capitol Police officer killed after car rams into law enforcement at security barricade, 2nd officer injured.

WASHINGTON  A Capitol Police officer was killed Friday after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife, law enforcement officials said.

The suspect died at a hospital, officials said. Both officers were hospitalized, and one of them succumbed to his injuries, Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters.

Police and fire officials stand near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) APAP

Police identified the slain officer as William Billy Evans, an 18-year veteran who was a member of the departments first responders unit.

Authorities said that there was no longer an ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism. There was also no immediate connection apparent between Fridays crash and the Jan. 6 riot.

The crash and shooting happened at a security checkpoint near the Capitol as Congress is on recess. It comes as the Washington region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Bidens presidential win.

Troops stand guard near the scene of a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) APAP

Five people died in the Jan. 6 riot, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who was among a badly outnumbered force trying to fight off insurrectionists who supported former President Donald Trumps bid to overturn the election. Authorities installed a tall perimeter fence around the Capitol and for months restricted traffic along the roads closest to the building, but they have begun pulling back some of the emergency measures in recent weeks.

There was no immediate connection apparent between Jan. 6 and Fridays crash. Pittman said the suspect did not appear to have been on police radar. But the incident underscores that the building and campus remain potential targets for violence. It occurred about 100 yards (91 meters) from the entrance of the building on the Senate side of the Capitol.

U.S. Capitol Police officers near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) APAP

The security checkpoint is typically used by senators and staff on weekdays, but lawmakers are away for recess. Fencing that prevented vehicular traffic near that area was recently removed.

The officials initially said the suspect was being taken to the hospital in critical condition. One of the officers who was injured was taken by police car to the hospital; the other was being transported by emergency medical crews, the officials said.

Police officers surround the scene after a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) APAP

The U.S. Capitol complex was placed on lockdown after the shooting and staff were told they could not enter or exit buildings. Video showed National Guard troops mobilizing near the area of the crash.

U.S. Capitol Police officers stand guard after a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) APAP

Video posted online showed a dark colored sedan crashed against a vehicle barrier and a police K-9 inspecting the vehicle. Law enforcement and paramedics could be seen caring for at least one unidentified individual.

U.S. Capitol Police officers stand near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill near the Senate side of the U.S> Capitol in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) APAP

President Biden had just departed the White House for Camp David when the incident occurred. As customary, he was traveling with a member of the National Security Council Staff who was expected to brief him on the incident.
Individuals on Medicare have the right to appeal the amount they pay for Medicare Part B Coverage shares the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI).

"Covid has impacted many Americans on Medicare who are not aware of this right," states Jesse Slome, AAMSI's director. "As a Medicare beneficiary, you can appeal if you believe you meet one of the qualifying reasons."

The Association has added a webpage providing an overview of the Medicare appeals rules and process. The first step is to request a reconsideration of the Social Security Administration's initial determination (the amount being charged or deducted).

According to the organization, individuals can appeal for two reasons. "First, you believe that the income information used by Social Security to calculate your premium was incorrect or outdated," Slome explains. "For example, you filed an amended (corrected) tax return."

In addition, the organization's webpage lists a number of life-changing events that have resulted in an income decrease. "Many people chose to stop working rather than be exposed to Covid while others had hours reduced," Slome notes. "That would constitute a valid reason to appeal."

The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance advocates fore the importance of awareness and understanding regarding Medicare insurance related matters. The organization operates the largest free national directory enabling consumers to find local Medicare insurance agents nationwide. For access, visit the organization's website at www.medicaresupp.org.
Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media file

WEST HAVEN  Residents will be able to safely discard unused prescription drugs later this month at a Prescription Drug Takeback Day, the city said in a release.

The event, to be held by the Police Department and West Haven Youth and Family Services, will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 24 at police headquarters, 200 Sawmill Road, the release said.
The real-estate market for apartments in Manhattan is rebounding a year after thousands of New Yorkers fled the city during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Almost 1,500 condominiums and co-ops were under contract for sale in March, according to real estate market insight firm UrbanDigs.

That figure is a 36.5 percent jump from February and a 137.2 percent increase from the year before.

What's more, UrbanDigs co-founder Noah Rosenblatt told The Wall Street Journal it's the biggest number of deals for a single month in Manhattan in the past 14 years.

They includes apartments located on the Lower East Side, downtown Manhattan and even prestigious Park Avenue.

It comes as another report from real estate company Douglas Elliman reported a 690 percent increase in new co-op and condo contracts signed in March 2021 compared to March 2020.

The increase is due to growing confidence that the city is safe and buyers taking advantage of low mortgage rates and overall prices.

Nearly 1,500 condominiums and co-ops were under contract for sale in March, a 137.2% jump from the year before and the highest level in 14 years

Brokerage Douglas Elliman reported 788 new co-op contracts signed with the firm in March 2021, a 696% spike from the 99 signed in March 2020

Additionally, 553 new condo contracts were signed last month, a 690% boost from the same time last year

Among the apartments that sold include this one-bedroom on East 28th Street with a fireplace and a terrace with a view of the Empire State Building

Residences in New York City have sold for $2 million (left) and $1.5 million (right)

'We have a rubber-band effect going on in Manhattan,' Rosenblatt told The Journal.

'We pulled the rubber band one way, in a bad direction, during 2020, and now it's kind of shooting back the other way.'

Rosenblatt said that as fears of the pandemic grew, residential prices in Manhattan began to fall with values down 11 percent in May 2020 from the beginning of the year, but are now beginning to increase again.

The number of pending sales - which are residences in contract awaiting a closing date - that began to decline in late March and early April are also now up, another analysis from UrbanDigs found.

Sales in Manhattan fell to their lowest point in mid-July with just 1,319 pending.

In late winter, this figure began to rise again and currently there are 4,163 sales pending in the city, a 36.4 percent increase from the same time last year and the highest in the last decade.

Another report, from brokerage Douglas Elliman, found there were 788 new co-op contracts signed with the firm in March 2021, a 696 percent spike from the 99 signed in March 2020.

This apartment on prestigious Park Avenue was recently sold by realtor Brown Harris Stevens for $1.3 million

There are currently 4,163 residence sales pending in the Manhattan, which is a 36.4% increase from the last year

The number of pending sales in March 2021 is also the highest figure seen in at least a decade ( (above)

Similarly, 553 new condo contracts were signed last month, a 690 percent boost from the same time last year.

A year after Covid-19 cratered the Manhattan sales market, the borough is poised for a recovery, thanks to price cuts, renewed confidence in the city and a surge of first-time home buyers.

In addition, more residences that cost between $1 million and $10 million had contracts signed.

Last year, Douglas Elliman did not broker a single condo or co-op above $10 million.

'Yes, the market is recovering,' Jonathan Miller, the president of the appraisal firm Miller Samuel, that prepared the report, told The New York Times.

'But we can't oversell and say it's some sort of boom - it's just dramatically better than it was a quarter or two ago.'

He noted that despite the large contacts signed, the median sales price for a Manhattan co-op was $780,000 and the median price of a Manhattan condo was $1.55 million, each down about five percent from typical prices.

According to The Times, a one-bedroom condo at 392 Central Park West - with a galley kitchen, four closets, and a doorman - sold for $850,000.

Prices have been low due to an increase in supply, with about 1,800 available in March 2021 (above), which is higher than the March seasonal average, but lower than the number available in July 2020

A one-bedroom condo at 392 Central Park West - with a galley kitchen, four closets, and a doorman - that recently sold for $850,000 (above)

One reason prices have been low is because supply is up with 1,835 residences newly available to buy in Manhattan in March 2021, according to UrbanDigs.

However, this is only a slight increase from the 1,524 residences usually available in March, according to a nine-year-season average.

It also represents a big drop from the more than 2,300 residences available in July 2020, meaning demand is slowly on its way to outstripping supply in the city.

Rosenblatt told The Journal that the real-estate market's recovery will continue to increase over the next couple of years.

'You're going to have the ground-floor retail come back, you're going to have the office workers come back, you're going to have the students come back,' he said.
(Newser)  Ever get behind the wheel and feel the creepy sensation that someone or something unwelcome is in the car with you? That's what happened to a man in Las Cruces, NM, over the weekend after a short trip to the grocery store, but to his horror, there wasn't just one intruder in his vehiclethere were 15,000 of them. Fifteen thousand honeybees, that is, which had slipped in through a window the unnamed man had left cracked open in his Buick as he shopped at Albertsons on Sunday. The man spent just 10 minutes inside the store that afternoon, according to the Las Cruces Fire Department, and it was only when he climbed back into his car and started to pull out of the parking lot "that he noticed something was amiss," per the New York Times. "Then he turned back and looked and [was like], 'Holy cow,'" says Jesse Johnson, a local firefighter, paramedic, and amateur beekeeper who got the call to help.

story continues below

The fire department has posted pictures from the scene showing Johnson in his bee-gathering get-up, carrying the hive box he lured most of the bees into. Johnson tells the Times he thinks the bees may have come from a gutter or parapet in the area. The Washington Post notes that this time of year is "swarm season," which is when queen bees defect from hives that have too many bees in them, taking about half the worker bees with her. A University of Florida entomology expert tells the paper that the in-transit bees will hang out in a temporary spot, like a tree branch (or yes, a car) while some of the bees seek a more permanent home. The fire department notes it took about two hours to clear out the bees from the car. Although the man was likely freaked outand worried, as it was a friend's car he'd borrowed"at least they weren't murder hornets," notes CBS News. (Read more bees stories.)
Thiruvananthapuram, April 2 : The Congress-led-UDF on Friday got a boost after the Archdiocese of Thrissur in its publication cautioned the faithful to sensibly exercise their franchise in the April 6 Kerala Assembly polls, as promises made last time were not fulfilled.

The Catholic Church has used the hashtag of the 2016 assembly polls of the CPI-M, which said -- Left will set right everything in Kerala -- bringing a major sense of relief to the Congress camp.

In its publication released on Friday, the church said though it was promised that everything would be set right, but nothing was set right, "instead it became true only for some leaders and those dependent on them".

The article also took on the BJP stating that those who were trying to create a 'religious' country, also should be kept out and all should be wary of those who have been trying to solicit votes on communal grounds.

Incidentally for the Congress-led-UDF, this has come as a real morale booster.

In the 2016 polls, the UDF had managed to win just one seat out of the 13 in Thrissur district, which is home to a huge Catholic population.

The opinion from the church comes at a time when the Latin Church had made their displeasure public by condemning Pinarayi Vijayan's deep sea fishing agreement with a US-based company and termed it as 'cheating the fishing community'.

Following the huge outcry against this agreement, the Vijayan government was forced to cancel it.

This article by the Thrissur Archdiocese is expected to have a rippling effect in districts like Palakkad, Ernakulam and Idukki and is certainly going to bring a smile on the Congress-led UDF candidates, as all know during the 2016 assembly polls, it was the Left which had benefitted.
Caracas, Apr 2 (UNI) Two Venezuelan soldiers died after stepping on a landmine during an operation against Colombian militancy near the national border, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said.

"With a deep pain we report the death of senior sergeant Andriel Isturiz Sojo and junior sergeant Jesus Alexander Vasquez Perez," the minister said in a statement.

Nine other soldiers were wounded in what the defense ministry called an act of terrorism. The personnel were taken to a military hospital.

The Venezuelan government launched Operation Bolivarian Shield 2021 in the western state of Apure on March 21 in an effort to root out militants from the border area. Venezuela says they are trying to control the border with a tacit approval from Bogota.

UNI XC GNK 0721
Austen Adesoro, Media Aide to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Ojo Olatunde Amos raises hope for an enduring healthy working relationship between the management of the National Assembly and the workers

Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Ojo Olatunde Amos, recently constituted a nine-man implementation committee to resolve workers' demands in order to stop a proposed strike.

The setting up of the committee was sequel to a 21-day ultimatum by the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), who threatened to embark on strike if their demands were not met.

While inaugurating the Committee Olatunde said that the management would continue to make staff's condition of service and welfare a matter of priority.

The Special Adviser to the CNA on Media and Labour Matters, Austen Adesoro, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, said that the nine-man panel, chaired by the Secretary, Human Resources and Staff Development, Elder Felix Orunwese,

was set up by management in order to attend to issues of welfare raised by staff.

The statement quoted the CNA to have said that the National Assembly's management would do all within its powers to ensure that staff get what is due to them on a proactive basis.

He stressed the need for dialogue as a pragmatic panacea to the situation on ground instead of unnecessary agitations.

He noted that the management under his leadership, upon assumption of duty, had on its own volition and without threats, paid three separate allowances to staff, namely: leave bonus, legislative duty allowance (LDA) and end of the year bonus.

He said that the management also ensured the prompt release of its promotion list.

Olatunde added that the National Assembly management has concluded plans to provide staff buses to ease staff transportation, especially in the face of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CNA said: "You will agree with me that this historic meeting is actually called to demonstrate our commitment and passionate desire to make your Condition of Service (CoS) a continuous priority.

"I want to say it loud and clear that we shall never rest on our desire to make all staff of the National Assembly very important always, because of the high value management places on you.

"This proactive dimension we have tailored out informed the inauguration of the Committee on the Implementation of the Condition of Service which shall continuously be used within the National Assembly under our watch."

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The CNA however tasked the committee to be committed to the terms of reference which include: "To work out modalities towards further sustainable implementation of the condition of service and other related welfare matters.

"To cost each of the allowances and present a feasible timetable for a staggered implementation."

Olatunde also advised the staff not to allow themselves to be used to foment unnecessary trouble as this would not augur well for the stability and image of the National Assembly.

Chairman of PASAN, National Assembly Chapter, Mr. Sunday Sabiyi, in his remarks, said that the pending staff welfare issues that needed to be urgently addressed include non-payment of 22 months minimum wage arrears.

Sabiyi noted that other staff demands that need urgent implementation are rent subsidy at 40 per cent of consolidated annual salary, hazard allowance at five per cent of consolidated monthly salary, gratuity for every retiring staff and pending promotion arrears."
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has jolted the political class with a warning against early campaigns for the Presidency in 2025.

President Samia who succeeded the late President John Magufuli two weeks ago as the country's chief executive told politicians eyeing the seat of President to hold back their horses.

She said it was premature for anyone to show ambition to become president in 2025, warning that she would be watching out for them. The President did not point to anyone specifically but suggested she was aware of the campaigns.

"Please stop it," she said during the swearing of new ministers she appointed on Wednesday as she settles in office as Tanzania's first female president. Samia was Magufuli's vice president from November 2015 and assumed the office of the President after her boss died on March 17, 2021.

According to the Constitution, President Samia would finish the reminder of the slightly more than four years of the term and would be eligible to run for another five-year term in 2025 when Tanzania goes to elections again. It was not immediately clear why President Samia gave out the warning prominently and on live television.

"I know that during the second term of a presidency in Tanzania and perhaps elsewhere, politicians jostle for succession but I should warn you against early campaigns for 2025,' said President Samia during her brief address at the Chamwino State House in Dodoma.

She said the time for campaigns would come and told those aspiring to occupy the seat of president to go slow for now.

"Please stop it... .I will be watching you," she said, pointing out that some politicians usually lose out the prize due to their bad history.

Since her ascendancy to the highest political office in the land, political analysts have pointed out that President Samia would need to stump out her authority and work hard to move away from the shadow of the late president who had a strong personality.

Analysts and social media discussion has also been rife as to whether President Samia will offer herself for re-election in 2025.
English French

Nyxoah to Delay Full Year 2020 Earnings Release Until April 9, 2021

Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium  2 April 2021  Nyxoah SA (Euronext Brussels: NYXH) (Nyxoah or the Company), a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative solutions and services to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), today announced that it will delay its full year 2020 earnings release and subsequent conference call, previously scheduled for April 6, 2021. The Company now intends to report full year financial results for the year ended December 31, 2020 on Friday, April 9, 2021, before the market opens. The Company will host a conference call to discuss full year 2020 financial results on the same day at 3:00 p.m. CET / 9:00 a.m. ET. The details for the conference call can be found below. The delay is required for the Company and its auditors to complete final audit procedures in accordance with PCAOB auditing standards.

Full Year 2020 Financial Results Conference Call:

Date: Friday, April 9, 2021 Time: 3:00 p.m. CET / 9:00 a.m. ET Webcast: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/nyxoah/20210409_1/

For further information, please contact:

Nyxoah

Fabian Suarez, Chief Financial Officer

fabian.suarez@nyxoah.com

+32 10 22 24 55

Gilmartin Group

Vivian Cervantes

vivian.cervantes@gilmartinir.com

About Nyxoah

Nyxoah is a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative solutions and services to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Nyxoahs lead solution is the Genio system, a CE-validated, patient-centered, next generation hypoglossal neurostimulation therapy for OSA, the worlds most common sleep disordered breathing condition that is associated with increased mortality risk2 and comorbidities including cardiovascular diseases, depression and stroke.

Following the successful completion of the BLAST OSA study in patients with moderate to severe OSA, the Genio system received its European CE Mark in 2019. The Company is currently conducting the BETTER SLEEP study in Australia and New Zealand for therapy indication expansion, the DREAM IDE pivotal study for FDA approval and a post-marketing EliSA study in Europe to confirm the long-term safety and efficacy of the Genio system.

For more information, please visit www.nyxoah .com.

Attachment
Burma Myanmar Junta Killed At Least 43 Children Since Coup: Charity

A funeral for 15-year-old Aung Kaung Htet, who was fatally shot in the face by Myanmar's security forces during a crackdown on anti-regime protesters who were already dispersing in Yangons Thaketa Township on March 20. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars military regime has killed at least 43 children since the Feb. 1 coup, according to Save the Children.

Several children were shot while playing near or inside their homes as soldiers and police raided residential areas, shooting at random. Among the fatalities were a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl.

The international childrens humanitarian organization said 15 under-16s have been killed by the regime. It said the death toll of children has more than doubled in the last 12 days, demonstrating the utter disrespect of armed forces for the lives of children.

This is a nightmare scenario unfolding, the group said. We are shocked that children continue to be among the targets of these fatal attacks, despite repeated calls to protect children from harm.

The group said the number of injured children has not been recorded but is likely to be significant.

The youngest child recorded to have suffered an injury is a one-year-old who was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet. She survived after surgery but lost sight in one eye.

Innocent children have had their futures brutally and needlessly snatched away from them. Grieving families  among them young children who have seen siblings die  are suffering unimaginable loss and pain. Children have witnessed violence and horror, Save the Children said. It added that the fear, stress and grief caused by the violence is having a deep impact on the mental health of millions of children.

Last Saturday at least 11 children were shot dead, including an 11-year-old girl who was shot in the head while playing in front of her home, a 13-year-old who was shot in the back of the head while trying to run away from the armed forces and a 14-year-old girl who was hit after a bullet pierced a bamboo wall at her home.

We once again call on the armed forces to end these deadly attacks against protesters immediately, Save the Children said.

By April 1, the regime had killed 543 people, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Half of the victims were under 31.

You may also like these stories:

China Get Out of Myanmar Say Pro-Democracy Supporters

Two Women Detained for Joining Protest During CNN Reporters Market Visit

Myanmar Security Forces Shoot Dead Striking Policeman in Sagaing Region
- By GF Value





The stock of Argo Group International Holdings (NYSE:ARGO, 30-year Financials) is believed to be modestly undervalued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $51.29 per share and the market cap of $1.8 billion, Argo Group International Holdings stock shows every sign of being modestly undervalued. GF Value for Argo Group International Holdings is shown in the chart below.





Argo Group International Holdings Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Modestly Undervalued

Because Argo Group International Holdings is relatively undervalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be higher than its business growth, which averaged 2.8% over the past three years and is estimated to grow 2.57% annually over the next three to five years.

Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk.

It is always important to check the financial strength of a company before buying its stock. Investing in companies with poor financial strength have a higher risk of permanent loss. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage is a great way to understand the financial strength of a company. Argo Group International Holdings has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.27, which is worse than 87% of the companies in Insurance industry. The overall financial strength of Argo Group International Holdings is 3 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Argo Group International Holdings is poor. This is the debt and cash of Argo Group International Holdings over the past years:

Story continues

Argo Group International Holdings Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Modestly Undervalued

It poses less risk to invest in profitable companies, especially those that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. A company with high profit margins is also typically a safer investment than one with low profit margins. Argo Group International Holdings has been profitable 7 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $1.9 billion and loss of $2.21 a share. Its operating margin is 0.00%, which ranks in the bottom 10% of the companies in Insurance industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks the profitability of Argo Group International Holdings at 5 out of 10, which indicates fair profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Argo Group International Holdings over the past years:

Argo Group International Holdings Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Modestly Undervalued

Growth is probably one of the most important factors in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus' research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long-term performance of a company's stock. If a company's business is growing, the company usually creates value for its shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. Likewise, if a company's revenue and earnings are declining, the value of the company will decrease. Argo Group International Holdings's 3-year average revenue growth rate is in the middle range of the companies in Insurance industry. Argo Group International Holdings's 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is -48.3%, which ranks in the bottom 10% of the companies in Insurance industry.

One can also evaluate a company's profitability by comparing its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the return on invested capital exceeds the weighted average cost of capital, the company is likely creating value for its shareholders. During the past 12 months, Argo Group International Holdings's ROIC is -0.35 while its WACC came in at 6.79. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Argo Group International Holdings is shown below:

Argo Group International Holdings Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Modestly Undervalued

In closing, the stock of Argo Group International Holdings (NYSE:ARGO, 30-year Financials) is believed to be modestly undervalued. The company's financial condition is poor and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks in the bottom 10% of the companies in Insurance industry. To learn more about Argo Group International Holdings stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.

To find out the high quality companies that may deliever above average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The latest surge in coronavirus cases in Kent County and Michigan is concerning health leaders for a variety of reasons, including a worsening death toll.

Kent County Health Director Adam London on Thursday, April 1 said the death rate is now at an average of two deaths per day, up from a previous rate of one death every two days.

In a video statement Thursday, London urged everyone to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible.

He said the evidence is strong the vaccine works well.

The only group that hasnt been impacted by the latest wave of cases has been the age group that has received the most vaccine, he said.

He said 75 percent of people 65 and older have received the vaccine.

For the first time, they are a shrinking portion of our caseload, he said.

Related: Latest COVID-19 wave putting younger people in hospital, Kent County health leader says

Kent County recorded 320 new coronavirus cases for Thursday, April 1 and two new deaths. Since the pandemic began more than a year ago, the county has had 53,539 cases and 674 deaths.

The seven-day average of new cases is now at 274 per day, up from 79 cases per day on March 1. On Wednesday and Thursday, the new cases were at 398 and 320, respectively.

The rate of positive cases, as a percentage of all tests, is now at 12 percent in Kent County as a seven-day average. The county has been receiving about 2,400 test results each day.

London said the rate was at 6 percent about a month ago.

State health leaders say a rate of 3 percent or less is a good indicator that coronavirus spread is under control.

London said getting the vaccine to at least 70 percent of the population will be critical to stopping the pandemic.

He estimates that 25 percent of the population is undecided about getting the vaccine. He urged those people to study what reputable organizations say about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

So far in Kent County, more than 22 percent of the Kent County population is fully vaccinated, he said.

More from MLive

I want to do my part, says recipient of 100,000th COVID-19 vaccine dose at DeVos Place clinic

Michigan reports 6,036 new coronavirus cases, 49 deaths Thursday, April 1
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New Delhi :

Former RBI governor C Rangrajan, today said that the policy of demonetisation lacked adequate preparation. If the authorities had taken proper measures then the problems faced by the people could have been avoided.

The former Chairman to Economic Advisory Council of ex Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh directly blamed the decline in economic growth to demonetisation and GST.

Speaking on the sidelines of a gathering of Assocham the former RBI governor said that the result of demonetisation would have been different if currencies were made available in proper quantity.

India should grow at the rate of 7 per cent for the remaining three quarter in order to maintain the overall growth at 6.5 per cent for the current fiscal.

On the government's decision of stimulus package to boost the economy, Rangrajan said that it should be used to focus on recapitalisation of the public sector banks (PSBs).

The PSBs in turn would help and finance the private sector investment which will ultimately help to revive the economy. Any incomplete projects should be completed and the government should focus on increasing capital investment, said the former RBI governor.

It should be noted that on November 8, 2016 in a televised address to the nation the Prime Minister (PM) announced that Rs 500 and Rs 1000 curency notes will seize to be legal tender from midnight.

Following this, there was a massive cash crunch in the economy. Long queus followed in banks and ATM counters. Many small enterprises were wiped out due to lack of money supply.

The step was envisaged as a measure to wipe out the concentration of counterfeit notes that has been flowing in the monetary system of the economy and also to bring that part of money that was still unaccounted for.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi, April 3 : The Delhi government has sanctioned a sum of Rs 236 crore for the development of the Ghazipur wholesale market, Development Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday.

According to the minister, out of this, Rs 4 crore will be for the development of the fruit and vegetable market, Rs 132.12 crore for the poultry market, and Rs 100 crore for the flower market.

Rai said that the AAP government has been giving special attention to the development and expansion of mandis of Delhi and creating better infrastructure in them.

"In a bid to expand Delhi's mandis, the budget of all APMCs (Agricultural Produce Market Committees) and DAMB (Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board) was passed," Rai said after chairing a meeting of the boards of all mandis.

He said that the meeting also discussed outcomes of last year's budgets as well as plans for the development, expansion and infrastructure of Delhi's wholesale markets.

The government also sanctioned Rs 70 crore for expanding Tikri Khampur wholesale market.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Donald J. Legler was arrested Wednesday by Illinois State Police agents after they executed a search warrant in the 1100 block of South East Avenue in Kankakee, police said.
Namyangju Mayor Cho Kwang-han, left, picture book artist Baek Hee-na, second from left, and Swedish ambassador to Korea Jakob Hallgren, right, participate in the SwedenTalk program during the opening ceremony of the "Congrats, Pippi! & Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA)" exhibition at the Jeong Yak-yong Library in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, March 26. Courtesy of Namyangju City



By Kwon Mee-yoo



This year marks the 75th anniversary of Astrid Lindgren's red-haired character Pippi Longstocking. To celebrate the occasion, an exhibition titled "Congrats, Pippi! & Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award" (ALMA) is being held at the Jeong Yak-yong Library in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.



The exhibit, co-organized by the Embassy of Sweden in Korea and Namyangju City through Sept. 30, brings the story behind the creation of Pippi Longstocking and Lindgren's message in her stories.



Lindgren (1907-2002) is one of the most beloved Swedish authors, known for her children's novels "Emil of Lonneberga" and "Karlsson-on-the-Roof" as well as the most famous "Pippi Longstocking."



The iconic Pippi, the self-proclaimed "strongest girl in the world," first appeared in the eponymous book published in 1945 amid World War II. The free-spirited and extraordinarily strong character was named by Lindgren's daughter Karin, who asked her mother to tell her a story while she was sick in bed.



Pippi is adored by children, and people of all ages consider her a role model and a symbol of independence and anti-authoritarianism to this day. The influence of her liberal and strong-willed extends far beyond the world of children's literature, according to the Swedish embassy.



Her stories have been translated into over 80 languages, including Korean. The book series as well as a television adaptation from the 1970s are well-known and popular in Korea.





"Congrats, Pippi! & Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award" exhibition at the Jeong Yak-yong Library in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Namyangju City
Sen. Rubio Urges Delta to Condemn Chinese Regimes Ongoing Genocide of Uyghurs

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on April 1 called on Delta to condemn the Chinese Communist Partys ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims after the companys CEO Ed Bastian said in a note to employees that Georgias new voting law does not match Deltas values.

In an open letter published on his website, Rubio urged the CEO to use his platform to unequivocally condemn the Chinese Communist Partys ongoing genocide of Uyghurs Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and immediately unravel your business relationship with the genocidal regime.

The U.S. State Department this week highlighted the deteriorating human rights record in China, accusing the regime of committing genocide and crimes against humanity in a newly released report.

The Chinese regimes persecution of the Uyghurs includes political reeducation, forced labor, torture, and forced sterilization on the basis of their religion and ethnicity.

Rubio noted that in 2015, Delta Airlines purchased a 3.55 percent stake in China Eastern Airlines for $450 million. At the time, Delta described the relationship with China Eastern as long-standing and an already effective partnership.

To be clear, that partnership, which continues to this day is with the Chinese Government itself, which owns a majority (62 percent) of China Eastern stock, the Senator wrote.

While you are certainly free to opine on domestic political issues, it is the height of hypocrisy to claim Georgias revised election law is unacceptable and does not match Deltas values while you continue to partner with a government that is actively engaged in genocide.

Far too many multinational corporations are too eager to make their voices heard on the woke issues of the day in the United States, but remain stunningly silent, or in Deltas case, complicit, in real, ongoing atrocities in countries like China.

One can only conclude that you believe standing up to the Chinese Communist Party would be bad for Deltas business in China.

Several dozen mothballed Delta Air Lines jets are parked on a closed runway at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo., on May 14, 2020. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)

Rubios letter comes after Bastian wrote to employees to say the airline and other companies had some success in eliminating the new Georgia voting laws most suppressive tactics, but that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Deltas values.

The Election Integrity Act of 2021 passed by the legislature in a party-line vote makes a number of changes to how elections are run in the state aimed at bolstering election integrity, including reforms requiring photo or state-approved identification to vote absentee by mail.

They also mandate that secure drop boxes be placed inside early voting locations, with constant surveillance, and the law expands early voting across the state to address a key Democrat concern. The bill also shortens the election cycle for runoffs from nine weeks to four and requires a minimum of one week of early voting before Election Day.

However, Bastian claimed that the entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections, and that this is simply not true.

Following his condemnation of the voting integrity law, the Georgia state House voted to strip Delta Air Lines of a significant tax break worth tens of millions of dollars per year.

The Epoch Times has contacted Delta for comment.
Thousands of people who have been encroaching on land belonging to the Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) have been given a six-month ultimatum to vacate.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, URC said the land would be used to revamp railway transport in the country.

"The government of Uganda in line with national regional objectives has prioritised interventions towards revamping of the railway transport sector. In support of this initiative, URC must urgently put a stop to all illegal occupation, grabbing and encroachment on its land countrywide to operate safely and efficiently in line with its statutory mandate," the statement read in part.

"Accordingly, URC hereby informs the general public that whoever is illegally occupying, has encroached upon or has grabbed railway land in any location within Uganda, must vacate the same within a period of not more than 180 days (six months) effective from April 1," URC adds.

The URC urged the encroachers to comply to avoid unnecessary inconvenience.

In December last year, the Works minister, Gen Katumba Wamala, appointed a land investigations committee to, among others, establish boundaries of all the Uganda Railways land, establish the status of ownership of URC land and assist the company to take possession of all established encroached land.

The committee was also tasked to collect documentation for any purported ownership by encroachers, provide monthly investigation interim reports and provide URC land status report to the minister within 60 days.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Uganda Land and Rural Issues By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The committee would also sensitise residents who have encroached on the land.

However, during a meeting with residents in Kireka, Bweyogerere, and surrounding areas on Tuesday, the affected people protested the move.

"My father bore me on this railway land 56 years ago and put boundaries to our land, so where do you want me to go after staying long on this land?" Mr Said Kalule, a Kireka resident, asked.

Another resident said: "They (government) have failed to build the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line and they are here seeking to revamp the old line."

Short period

Other residents said the six-month period is a short time to enable them relocate their families and businesses.

Ms Angela Nabulya, the secretary of the land investigations committee, said those to be affected are those staying within a range of 150 metres from the railway line in the substations areas such as Bujuuko, Namanve and Nalukolongo.

Call to revamp railway transport

Amid the Covid-19 induced lockdown last year, President Museveni called for the revamping of the railway transport to move cargo instead of using trucks. This was at a time when the country was registering several coronavirus cases from truck drivers from Kenya and Tanzania. "Stopping cargo is suicidal, but I think cargo by plane and train is much easier, but until we sort this out, I appeal to Ugandans to 'swallow' your anger and use more wisdom because if we stop the cargo, how will our exports move to other countries?" Mr Museveni said.
Demonstrators during the Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in St Peters Square, Manchester on March 27 (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Police have issued warnings against people gathering over the Easter weekend as multiple Kill the Bill protests are expected to take place across England on Friday.

A rally against the Governments proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill has been organised for 2pm at Finsbury Park in London, with similar events planned in Leeds, Manchester and Southampton.

Although the protests are lawful providing organisers submit a risk assessment and take steps to ensure the gatherings are safe, the Metropolitan Police warned on Thursday the safety of the wider community is paramount.

Expand Close Several previous Kill the Bill protests ended in clashes between police and demonstrators (Peter Byrne/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Several previous Kill the Bill protests ended in clashes between police and demonstrators (Peter Byrne/PA)

The force said: Enforcement action will be taken, if needed, in the interests of public health.

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police sought to avoid a repeat of scenes played out across the country this week by introducing a 48-hour dispersal order for the city centre, to last until 3pm on Saturday.

It means officers can direct anyone acting anti-socially to leave the area.

The first Kill the Bill protest in Bristol on March 21 descended into a riot, with subsequent rallies on March 23 and 26 also ending in clashes between the police and protesters. A further demonstration on March 30 passed off peacefully.

The proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance, with those convicted liable to fines or jail terms.
Corey Eschweiler selected for elite membership by America's Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys Corey Eschweiler selected for membership among Americas Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys in 2021 for the state of Nevada.

ER Injury Attorneys is proud to announce the selection of Corey Eschweiler among Americas Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys in 2021 for the state of Nevada. Selection to Americas Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys is by invitation only and is reserved to identify and highlight the accomplishments of the nations most esteemed and skilled litigators in high-value personal injury, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, product liability, and medical malpractice matters.

To be considered for selection, an attorney must focus more than 50% of their active legal practice on personal injury, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, product liability, and/or medical malpractice matters. The selected attorney must also pass through a multi-phase screening process and be found among the Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys in their community based on advanced screening criteria.

Furthermore, attorneys cannot buy or peer nominate their way into membership. If an attorney does not meet the standards established criteria to be selected among the Top 100 in their community, then there is no amount of money (or peer nominations) that will change that.

Once the multi-phase selection process is completed, only the top 100 qualifying attorneys in each state will receive the honor of being selected for membership among Americas Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys. Taking these extra steps ensures that all attorneys selected for this great honor reflect the highest ideals and ethical standards of the legal profession.

With these extremely high standards for selection, only the top 100 qualifying personal injury attorneys in each state will receive this honor and be selected for membership among an exclusive and elite level of attorneys in the United States.

It is an honor to be selected as a Top 100 personal injury attorney in Nevada by Americas Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys for 2021, stated attorney Corey Esschweiler.

Find more information about Americas Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys and the selection process at top100personalinjuryattorneys.com.

More About ER Injury Attorneys

Helping Southern Nevada injury victims put their lives back on track after an accident is a top priority of the legal team at ER Injury Attorneys. In fact, their award-winning lawyers have built a reputation for providing the highest level of service by taking the time to listen, learn, and evaluate the needs of those who contact their law firm. This attention to detail not only promotes a positive and open collaboration, but also a higher success rate in terms of negotiating the best possible results. For more information about ER Injury Attorneys and their dedication to serve and assist local community members, please visit erinjuryattorneys.com or call 702-968-7500.
Community members take part in a program held Sept. 11, 2019, at Glide Church in San Francisco. Some people may worry about religious organizations fading away because they do a lot of good. (Los Angeles Times)

The secularization of U.S. society  the waning of religious faith, practice and affiliation  is continuing at a dramatic and historically unprecedented pace. While many may consider such a development as cause for concern, such a worry is not warranted. This increasing godlessness in America is actually a good thing, to be welcomed and embraced.

Democratic societies that have experienced the greatest degrees of secularization are among the healthiest, wealthiest and safest in the world, enjoying relatively low rates of violent crime and high degrees of well-being and happiness. Clearly, a rapid loss of religion does not result in societal ruin.

For the first time since Gallup began tracking the numbers in 1937, Americans who are members of a church, synagogue or mosque are not in the majority, according to a Gallup report released this week. Compare todays 47% to 1945, when more than 75% of Americans belonged to a religious congregation.

This decline in religious affiliation aligns closely with many similar secularizing trends. For example, in the early 1970s, only one in 20 Americans claimed none as their religion, but today it is closer to one in three. Over this same time period, weekly church attendance has decreased, and the percentage of Americans who never attend religious services has increased from 9% to 30%.

In 1976, nearly 40% of Americans said they believed that the Bible was the actual word of God, to be taken literally. Today only about a quarter of Americans believe that, with slightly more decreeing the Bible is simply a collection of fables, history and morality tales written by men. And the percentage of Americans who confidently believe in Gods existence, without a doubt, has declined from 63% in 1990 to 53% today.

Fears that this rise of irreligion might result in the deterioration of our nations moral fiber  and threaten our liberties and freedoms  are understandable. Such concerns are not without historical merit: The former Soviet Union was a communist country deeply rooted in atheism and was one of the most corrupt, bloody regimes of the 20th century. Other atheistic authoritarian regimes, such as the former Albania and Cambodia, were equally crooked and vicious.

Story continues

But heres the thing  they were all godless dictatorships that tried to forcibly destroy religion by persecuting the faithful, actively oppressing religious institutions, and making a demagogic cult out of their thuggish rulers. Such coercive secularization is, indeed, something to dread.

However, there is another, alternative kind of secularization, one that emerges organically, amid free and open societies where human rights, including religious freedom, are upheld and respected. Many societies qualify for this label  including those in Japan, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Australia, Canada and Uruguay, among many others. In these places, religion is not actively repressed, nor do governments promote secularization. And yet, it occurs simply because the people living in these societies lose interest in the whole religious enterprise.

Organic secularization can occur for many reasons. It happens when members of a society become better educated, more prosperous, and live safer, more secure and more peaceful lives; when societies experience increases in social isolation; when people have better healthcare; when more women hold paying jobs; when more people wait longer to get married and have kids. All of these, especially in combination, can decrease religiosity.

Another major factor is the ubiquity of the internet, which provides open windows to alternative worldviews and different cultures that can corrode religious conviction  and allows budding skeptics and nascent freethinkers to find, support and encourage one another.

In the United States, these factors are further compounded by strong backlashes against the religious right, the evangelical-Republican alliance, conservative religions anti-gay agenda and the Catholic Churchs sexual-abuse scandals. This has resulted in the winds of secularization  swirling like never before, Ryan P. Burge, a political scientist, recently said.

Fears of atheistic authoritarianism aside, some may worry about religious organizations fading away because they do so much good. They do engage in a tremendous amount of charitable work that includes holding food drives and setting up soup kitchens and homeless shelters. However, such welcomed charity is ultimately an altruistic response to symptoms, not a structural cure for root causes.

This is why highly secular democracies do a much better job of ameliorating homelessness and poverty by employing decidedly secular solutions, such as responding with rational social policies and wise economic strategies, and setting up more responsive institutions. Affordable housing and subsidized healthcare do a far better job of alleviating the suffering of the poor and the sick than faith-based charities.

Secularity is highly correlated with a host of moral orientations that will markedly improve our nation. For instance, secular people  when compared to their religious peers  are far more likely to understand and respect the scientific method, which results in their increased willingness to get vaccinated, for instance, and adhere to empirically grounded health recommendations, a rational orientation that saves lives. Secular people are also more supportive of sex education, which reduces unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Research shows that secular people are more likely to support womens reproductive rights, universal healthcare, gay rights, environmental protections, death with dignity, gun safety legislation and treating drug abuse as a medical rather than criminal problem  all of which will serve to increase dignity, liberty and well-being in America.

The organic secularization we are experiencing in the United States is a progressive force for good, one that is associated with improved human rights, more protections for planet Earth and an increased sociocultural propensity to make this life as fair and just as we can  in the here and now  rather than in a heavenly reward that fewer and fewer of us believe in.

Phil Zuckerman is associate dean of Pitzer College and author of Society Without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Southern Heights Church Lead Pastor Todd Eckstein remembers freezing as he and others filmed the Easter service live stream last year.

We were doing everything we could to cut expenses because nobody was in the building, Eckstein said. So, there were a couple of space heaters next to me while we were filming worship and it was cold in here, like we were freezing until you were standing in front of the camera.

Once the pandemic began, Eckstein and Executive Pastor Jeff Baas committed to live streaming every Sunday for the Kalamazoo congregation. They didnt have fancy equipment, but Eckstein said their smart phone video and tripod were enough to provide consistent spiritual support.

RELATED: When congregations cant congregate: Pandemic forces Michiganders to rethink church

Last years Easter excitement was dampened by the pandemic, but Eckstein said even if he cant see more than the congregations eyes, the ability to get together in person this year will be exciting.

Were to the point where the older folks who most need to be around and feel the presence of family in the room with them, most of them have been immunized at this point, Eckstein said. (They) are starting to feel a little different level of comfort and being able to come back and be with us.

Church services take place in a sanctuary with tables spaced six feet apart, Eckstein said. Worship is done completely masked.

As a pastor and a citizen, Eckstein said everyone has the mindset of making the most of it. In the most difficult times, people are driven into churches but the pandemic has prevented that.

This time around, Southern Heights will offer a live stream as well as in-person worship.

Many skipped Easter celebrations last year and dont want to disrupt the holiday again, said Emily Toth Martin, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the University of Michigan.

Last year everybody thought that this would be the only one event that theyll have to miss, and so theres a feeling, people dont want to miss it again, Toth Martin said.

There is a sense that the pandemic is winding down despite the current surge, Toth Martin said. However, there is some middle ground.

We have learned a lot about how to do things safely. And we dont want to take that desire to get together and then start throwing caution to the wind, Toth Martin said. We still need to be distancing, we still need to be using masks, trying to hold things outdoors when we can, rather than just totally giving up.

RELATED: Michigans active coronavirus outbreaks are up 14% in March 29 report

Much like Southern Heights, Central United Methodist Church held Easter service completely online last year, but this year, theyve added a few options for their members, said Kim Burch, communications coordinator.

At limited capacity, the church located in Traverse City is offering two sunrise outdoor services and two indoor services, Burch said. They will also run a live-stream.

Were hoping that people will take the opportunity to gather in person outdoors, Burch said. ... Normally in a non-pandemic year we might get 20 people at that sunrise service because you know oftentimes its cold, its early, but were hoping that more people will take advantage of that outdoor opportunity.

Pastors, musicians and the generosity of their congregation allowed Central United Methodist Church to record services with new cameras and equipment throughout the pandemic, Burch said. The church has also built plexiglass barriers around the pulpit for in person safety and musicians sing through their masks.

Members who come to worship in the sanctuary are given pool noodles to ensure their group is six feet away from others, Burch said.

So, things look different inside, Burch said. ...But as far as the actual service itself, the flow of the service, we hope to be able to provide what we had done pre-pandemic.

Other Easter festivities like seeing the Easter bunny have also changed. Stephanie Boyd, youth services librarian at Willard Library, dressed up as the Easter Bunny for a free drive through event on March 31.

16 Willard Library finds alternative ways to reinvent annual Easter event for local children during COVID-19 Pandemic

Willard Library, located in Battle Creek, typically hosts crafts and stories for the holiday. Boyd said she and her coworkers didnt want to go two years without celebrating.

If a student cant be the Easter Bunny, Boyd gladly takes on the role.

I love how it makes the kids smile, she said.

Children are able to wave at the Easter bunny and receive a goodie bag, Boyd said.

For Easter celebrations at home, people should host dinner outside or open their windows if indoors, said Ryan Malosh, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan. People should also opt for outdoor church services.

Even though CDC guidance says gathering with other vaccinated people is OK, Malosh suspects a lot of people will interpret its not as risky to gather regardless of their vaccination status.

Weve seen these spikes around every holiday so far, so its my guess youll see an additional spike around Easter, Malosh said.

Read more on MLive:

Vaccinated people can gather without masks, CDC says in new guidance

Michigans COVID-19 surge is the worst in the nation. Whitmer is focused on vaccines, not restrictions.

COVID-19-related reasons no longer acceptable to get Michigan unemployment

15 things the pandemic changed for now -- and maybe forever
Hong Kong to rename secondary subject Liberal Studies

Xinhua) 16:41, April 01, 2021

HONG KONG, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Thursday announced the optimizing measures of four senior secondary core subjects, in which Liberal Studies will be renamed as Citizenship and Social Development.

Hong Kong's Curriculum Development Council and the Public Examinations Board of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority endorsed on Wednesday the proposals to optimize the four senior secondary core subjects, namely Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies, and made recommendations to the bureau.

According to the proposals, Liberal Studies will be renamed and the core content of the curriculum will cover three themes: Hong Kong, the nation and the contemporary world. While the subject would remain compulsory for public assessment, the school-based assessment component would be removed. Students would be provided with mainland study opportunities.

The bureau accepted the proposals on Thursday and issued a circular memorandum to schools to provide details about the implementation of the optimizing measures of the respective subjects at Secondary Four in the 2021/22 school year.

The bureau announced last November that the HKSAR government has decided to streamline the curriculum content of Liberal Studies and optimize the subject's teaching materials and examination arrangements. The optimized curriculum will focus on nurturing students' positive values and attitudes, and national identity.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
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HELENA, Mont.  Jermain Charlo vanished in June 2018. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal member hasnt been seen since.

Valenda Morigeau, Charlos aunt, reported her missing to the Missoula Police Department in the days after her disappearance. But Morigeau said the detective initially assigned to the case failed to take the report seriously and was slow to act, a pattern she said is common when Native Americans report missing loved ones.

You would think that there would be more urgency to go find the person that is missing, Morigeau said. Here we are, three years later, because they assumed she was avoiding responsibilities.

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Charlos case brought the problem of missing and murdered Indigenous women to the fore in the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. Now, almost three years after her disappearance, the tribes on Thursday became the first in the nation to complete a community response plan  a Justice Department initiative aimed at creating collaboration between law enforcement agencies, including tribal police, county police and federal authorities, when Native Americans go missing on tribal land.

Still, there are major holes. Among the most glaring: There is no plan for when a tribal citizen goes missing off a reservation or outside tribal lands, as Charlo did.

In 2018, an Associated Press investigation found that 633 Indigenous women made up 0.7% of open missing persons cases despite being 0.4% of the U.S. population.

The situation is especially alarming in states such as Montana, which have large Native American populations. Native Americans make up less than 7% of Montanas population but account for 25% of reported missing person cases.

It is not a federal crime for an adult to go missing, and the FBI generally would only step in if there was clear evidence that a crime has been committed that led to a disappearance. The federal government could lend its resources to local law enforcement officials to help in the search.

The things that we will learn and implement from the work that the good people here have done can be utilized nationwide, said Terry Wade, an FBI executive assistant director, at a news conference Thursday on the Flathead reservation.

The Justice Department sees its work with local law enforcement and tribal communities as a major initiative. President Donald Trump initiated a federal task force and his then-Attorney General William Barr, who visited the Flathead Reservation in Montana, committed to hiring 11 coordinators at U.S. attorneys offices across the country.

The new plan aims to increase communication among local law enforcement officials, especially in places where there is overlapping jurisdiction. For example, in the immediate area around the Flathead Reservation, there are eight police and sheriffs departments in addition to the Montana Highway Patrol, the tribal police and federal investigators.

As part of the initiative, the police departments are now sharing dispatch information, meaning that when one sheriffs office receives a missing persons report, it can be shared quickly and widely. Also, the U.S. attorneys office and the FBI would offer resources and make a sheriffs office aware of how the federal government could help.

Craige Couture, police chief for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, said the plan will eventually extend to address cases that occur beyond tribal land and even in other states.

Over the past two years, the federal government has tried to put in place the tribal plans, holding listening sessions and working with tribes to establish model protocols, said Ernie Weyand, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person coordinator for the Justice Department in Montana.

Weyand, a former FBI official and the first coordinator to be hired, has helped to develop the protocols with other coordinators and tribes across the country.

They are a community deeply affected by its members who have gone missing or been murdered, Weyand said in an interview.

Officials around the Flathead Reservation are also working to create a common missing person policy, shared by all the agencies working on the reservation, and have discussed storing information on a secure information server, he said.

It seems to be working.

In early 2020, when 16-year-old Selena Not Afraid disappeared from a New Years party in Big Horn County, Montana, the reaction was swift and the response from law enforcement was robust. The FBI dispatched its elite child abduction team and offered its vast resources to the local sheriffs office.

It was too late. But unlike so many others who have never been found, her body was discovered 20 days after she went missing. An autopsy found she died of hypothermia. Her family still questions how she died.

Rae Peppers, a former Montana state House member who has worked to address the crisis through legislation and nonprofit work, said several of the federal initiatives have come across as disingenuous and unproductive.

It looks like were at a standstill, she said, calling Trumps efforts a political move and not a compassionate move for the Native people.

But President Joe Bidens administration has brought the prospect of revitalized efforts. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Thursday the formation of a new unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs to address the missing and murdered Indigenous persons crisis, with a goal of coordinating different federal resources to investigate cases.

The move on the part of Haaland marks the fulfillment of a hope by Native activists, including Peppers, that the first American Indian to lead the Department of Interior would bring greater attention to the crisis.

Violence against Indigenous peoples is a crisis that has been underfunded for decades. Far too often, murders and missing persons cases in Indian country go unsolved and unaddressed, leaving families and communities devastated, Haaland said in a statement.

In tribal communities in Montana, hardly anyone can remain untouched by the crisis. Peppers recounts that no charges were pressed in the killing of her neighbor, who was her husbands cousin.

Peppers said the Tribal Community Response Plan could prove effective, but it remains to be seen whether such an initiative can translate to all tribal communities and whether it brings real change.

Native Americans who have seen their neighbors and loved ones disappear agree that while the political attention may be new, the problem is not.

Its a crisis that has happened clear back to Columbus time, Peppers said. Its always been, Oh, another dead Indian. That was always the discussion, and its still like that.

___

Balsamo reported from New York. Samuels 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.
Nadia and Gene Delicatis golden retriever, 8-month-old Brandy, had already been missing for almost a day when the couple took another trip into the woods near their Mill City home.

They hoped for a miracle.

Theyd hung posters, knocked on neighbors doors and searched the area after Brandy disappeared from their 100-acre farm on March 22. When they returned to the woods next to their property again the next day, the couple brought their other golden retriever  Brandys mother, Bailey  with them.

We were about halfway through our search and Bailey started acting really weird, Nadia Delicati said. She started rolling around and scratching and smelling the ground.

Then, Nadia Delicati noticed a cave. When she looked inside, she heard the younger dog, who was stuck underneath a pile of rocks.

I ran down to the house to get a shovel to try and remove the rocks so I can get to Brandy, Delicati said. I realized that I could not do it on my own, so I called 911.

Members of the Lake Winola Fire Company went into the woods and reached the cave. When removing the rocks proved to be a bigger task than they thought, they called in more firefighters to help.

It was a very tiring rescue, Lake Winola Fire Company firefighter Nate Evans said. Those rocks were really in there. ... It took a lot of manpower to get the dog out, but Im glad everything turned out OK with no one getting hurt.

It took an hour to free Brandy and reunite her with the Delicatis more than 20 hours after she disappeared.

It was so scary watching them try to break her out with all of those tools, Delicati said. When they got her out, I lost it. It was the most overjoyed that I had been in a long time. The only living thing that might have been happier was Bailey.

Uninjured except for a sore paw, Brandy seemed unaffected by the close call.

The first couple of days, I kept her with me, Delicati said. Weve taken her for some treatments and she is becoming her perky self again. Shes doing amazingly well. A lot of these stories dont have happy endings, but ours did.
Pakistan's textile sector is "disappointed" by the government's decision to not allow the import of Indian cotton and has said that buying cotton from the neighbouring country is the need of the hour to avert big loss to textile exports.

Apparel Forum chairman Jawed Bilwani on Thursday said the rejection by the country's cabinet of the Economic Coordination Committee's (ECC) proposal would convey a negative message to foreign buyers as the cotton yarn was not available in the country, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported.

The textile export sector has been continuously demanding duty-free import of cotton yarn from all over the world, including India, to avert any big loss to textile exports.

Pakistan's federal cabinet on Thursday back-tracked on the Economic Coordination Committee's (ECC) decision to allow the import of sugar, cotton and cotton yarn from India through land and sea routes.

On Wednesday, Pakistan's newly-appointed finance minister Hammad Azhar announced that the government had decided to allow the import of sugar, cotton and yarn from India.

On allowing the import of cotton from India, Azhar had said there was high demand for it because Pakistan's textiles exports had increased but last year's cotton crop was not good. "The price of the commodity in India is lower than what it is in The import of cotton and yarn through the Wagah border will help meet domestic requirements at reasonable rates," Azhar said, adding that import of cotton from India for small industries would take place until June.

According to Geo News, the decision to turn down the proposal was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister in Islamabad, hours after Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said the cabinet will review the ECC's decisions related to trade with India.

Bilwani claimed that prices of cotton yarn had increased after the federal cabinet's decision. The government must ensure the availability of cotton yarn in the country if it did not want to allow its import from India, he added.

He feared massive textile exports decline if the import of cotton yarn from the neighbouring country was not allowed.

In the current year, the country faced a 40 per cent plunge in cotton production and if it was compared with 15 million bales in 2014-2015, then the drop was 50 per cent this year, he said.

Bilwani said if the government did not want to permit the import of cotton yarn from India then it must impose a ban on the export of cotton and cotton yarn for at least the next six months.

(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 G7 nations have said they are strongly concerned about recent reports of human rights abuses and violations of international law in Ethiopias Tigray region.

Following a brutal civil war, rife with reports of massacres and weaponised sexual violence that some allege amount to genocide, the group of leading economic powers reminded Ethiopias prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, that he is obliged to hold to account those found to have committed human rights abuses.

The groups foreign ministers said it was essential that a pending joint investigation into the wars crimes by the United Nations and Ethiopian commissioner for human rights would be truly independent, transparent and impartial.

We condemn the killing of civilians, sexual and gender-based violence, indiscriminate shelling and the forced displacement of residents of Tigray and Eritrean refugees, they said in a statement. All parties must exercise utmost restraint, ensure the protection of civilians and respect human rights and international law.

The civil war between central forces and the once-powerful Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF)  which ruled the nation for 30 years  erupted in November, after years of intensifying political tensions in the wake of Mr Abiys elevation to power in 2018 and his Nobel Peace Prize-winning peace deal with Eritrea, which isolated the TPLF.

Read more:

Mr Abiy declared victory in late November, after his forces seized the regional capital, Mekelle, with little resistance. But four months later, the devastated region is still militarised and its residents continue to face fresh traumas, with one leaked US government report accusing national and Eritrean forces of deliberately and efficiently rendering western Tigray ethnically homogeneous through the organised use of force and intimidation.

Some 2 million people were reported by the BBC in February to have been displaced in the war, which opposition parties estimated had so far killed 52,000 people, including women, children and religious leaders  although patchy communications have obscured much of the conflicts human cost.

With food already scarce in some parts before the fighting, warnings of the need for international help to stave off humanitarian disaster quickly emerged.

The G7 said on Friday that it was concerned about worsening food insecurity, with emergency conditions prevailing across extensive areas of central and eastern Tigray, urging all parties involved to provide immediate, unhindered humanitarian access.

As TPLF insurgents continue to battle central forces, Reuters reports that, in recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have also been displaced as a result of reignited land disputes with newly emboldened troops and militiamen from neighbouring Amhara, who say Tigrayans stole vast swathes of their land during the TPLFs three decades in power.

It comes as a series of investigations this week have served to shine more light on the atrocities committed in Tigray, and already appear to be increasing international pressure on Mr Abiy, who told his countrys parliament on 30 November, after claiming victory, that not a single civilian was killed.

Compiling one of the most complete records of the mass killings of civilians in the region, a team from the University of Ghent identified 1,942 victims and more than 150 massacres (defined as incidents in which five or more unarmed civilians died)  20 of which they believe occurred in the last month.

Scraping information from a network of informants, witnesses and mourning family members, they discovered that just three per cent of the civilian casualties they identified  ranging from infants to nonagenarians  had been killed by airstrikes or artillery, with most having died in summary executions or organised massacres, of which both sides have been accused.

Aside from the nearly 2,000 fully documented civilian casualties, their investigation of social media and local press and NGO reports counted more than 7,000 reported civilian deaths.

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AFP via Getty Images World news in pictures 31 May 2021 In this handout image courtesy of the US Coast Guard the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute small boat crew rescues 8 people from the water approximately 18 miles southwest of Key West, Florida AFP/Getty World news in pictures 30 May 2021 A fishing boat sails in the sea-snot covered Marmara sea near Istanbul, Turkey EPA World news in pictures 29 May 2021 Smoke billowing from the Singapore-registered container ship MV X-Press Pearl, which has been burning for the tenth consecutive day in the sea off Sri Lanka's Colombo Harbour, in Colombo Sri Lanka Air Force/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 May 2021 Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accompanied by his dog Peanut welcomes European Council President Charles Michel at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece Reuters World news in pictures 27 May 2021 A man waits to receive a dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, in the rooms of the Claudia Comte exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Castello di Rivoli near Turin AFP/Getty World news in pictures 26 May 2021 A girl, with her face painted with the colours of the opposition flag, looks on during a demonstration against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and presidential elections, in the opposition-held Idlib, Syria Reuters World news in pictures 25 May 2021 A Buddhist monk climbs atop a giant statue of Buddha, to wash and decorate on the eve of Buddha Purnima, a holiday traditionally celebrated for Buddha's birthday also known as Vesak celebrations, in Bhopal AFP/Getty World news in pictures 24 May 2021 Lava from the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo cuts through Buhene north of Goma, Congo AP World news in pictures 23 May 2021 Cyclists at the start of the 15th stage of the Giro dItalia, a 147km race between Grado and Gorizia AFP/Getty World news in pictures 22 May 2021 Swiss Guards take their position prior to the arrival of the European Commission President at San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican for a private audience with the Pope AFP/Getty World news in pictures 21 May 2021 A dog that has been trained to sniff out the coronavirus disease, screens a sweat sample at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters World news in pictures 20 May 2021 Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr in action during a F1 practice session at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo Reuters World news in pictures 18 May 2021 Horse-drawn carriages drive through the mudflats near Cuxhaven, northern Germany dpa via AP World news in pictures 17 May 2021 Kanoya Onishi in action during the Cycling BMX Free Style of Tokyo 2020 Olympics test event at Ariake Urban Sports Park in Japan EPA World news in pictures 16 May 2021 Rescuers carry Suzy Eshkuntana, 6, as they pull her from the rubble of a building at the site of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City Reuters World news in pictures 15 May 2021 A ball of fire erupts from the Jala Tower as it is destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza city AFP/Getty World news in pictures 14 May 2021 Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers inside the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh AP World news in pictures 13 May 2021 Muslim girls ride on a mini train after attending the Eid Al-Fitr prayer that marks the end of the Holy month of Ramadan at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kenya AFP/Getty World news in pictures 12 May 2021 Israeli artillery fire as the escalation continues between Israeli army and Hamas at the Gaza Border EPA World news in pictures 11 May 2021 Maya Nakanishi competes in the womens long jump - T64 category during a para-athletics test event for the 2020 Olympics at the National Stadium in Tokyo AFP/Getty World news in pictures 10 May 2021 A Palestinian man helps a wounded fellow protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalems Al-Aqsa mosque compound, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israels takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War AFP/Getty World news in pictures 9 May 2021 Falconer Giovanna Piccolo performs with her Eurasian eagle-owl at 'Roma World' theme park, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Rome Reuters World news in pictures 8 May 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) is introduced as a starter against the St. Louis Blues at T-Mobile Arena. USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 6 May 2021 Buddhist monks and believers attend a lantern parade in celebration of the upcoming birthday of Buddha at a temple in Seoul, South Korea Reuters World news in pictures 5 May 2021 Russian MiG-29 jet fighters of the Strizhi (Swifts) and Su-30SM jet fighters of the Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) aerobatic teams fly in formation over the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin in Moscow during a flypast rehearsal for the WWII Victory Parade AFP/Getty World news in pictures 4 May 2021 An elevated metro line collapsed in the Mexican capital on Monday, leaving at least 23 people dead and dozens injured as a train came plunging down, authorities said AFP/Getty World news in pictures 3 May 2021 Lightning bolts strike buildings during a thunderstorm in Bangkok AFP/Getty World news in pictures 2 May 2021 Samaritan worshippers arrive to take part in a Passover ceremony on top of Mount Gerizim, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus AFP/Getty World news in pictures 1 May 2021 A Gilet Jaune, or yellow vest, protestor stands in front of a burning barricade holding his hand up with an inscription calling for President Macron to resign as May Day Protest turn violent near Place de la Republique in Paris, France Getty World news in pictures 30 April 2021 A demonstrator from the Rio de Paz human rights activist group digs a symbolic grave in front of rows of bags symbolising bodybags on Copacabana beach, during a protest against the Brazilian governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic, in Rio de Janeiro AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 April 2021 An aerial picture shows dead carp fish flushed to the shores of al-Qaraoun reservoir in Lebanons Western Beqaa District in the countrys east. Tonnes of fish have washed up dead on the shoreline of the highly polluted artificial reservoir in eastern Lebanon in recent days AFP/Getty World news in pictures 28 April 2021 Health workers wearing PPE attends to coronavirus patients inside a banquet hall temporarily converted into a covid care centre in New Delhi AFP/Getty World news in pictures 27 April 2021 The full moon, known as the Super Pink Moon rises behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Reuters World news in pictures 26 April 2021 Balinese people lay wreaths with names of the crew on board the sunk Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala during a prayer at the sea near Labuhan Lalang, Bali, Indonesia EPA World news in pictures 25 April 2021 An Ethiopian Orthodox Christian worshipper walks around the Edicule, the place believed to be where Jesus Christ was buried, during Palm Sunday celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem AFP/Getty World news in pictures 24 April 2021 Fans of Wuhan Three Towns FC cheer for their team during the 1st round match Wuhan Three Towns FC and Beijing Institute of Technology FC during Chinese Football League One in Wuhan, China Getty World news in pictures 23 April 2021 A girl prays in front of the Dome of the Rock, in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalems Old City, on the second Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, as coronavirus restrictions ease around the country, in Jerusalem Reuters World news in pictures 22 April 2021 People walk through the art work 'THE SPIRITS OF THE PUMPKINS DESCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS' by Yayoi Kusama, during the press preview of a retrospective exhibition of the Japanese artist at the Martin Gropius Bau museum in Berlin, Germany AP World news in pictures 21 April 2021 Hungary's Sara Peter competes in the Women's floor qualifications during European Artistic Gymnastics Championships at the St Jakobshalle, in Basel AFP/Getty World news in pictures 20 April 2021 South Korea university students gets their heads shaved during a protest against Japan's decision to release contaminated water from its Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, in front of the Japanese embassy, in Seoul Reuters World news in pictures 19 April 2021 A spectator wearing a football jersey of Argentina's forward Lionel Messi attends the ATP Barcelona Open tennis tournament singles match between Japan's Kei Nishikori and Argentina's Guido Pella at the Real Club de Tenis in Barcelona AFP/Getty World news in pictures 18 April 2021 People raise their fist during a demonstration near the George Floyd Memorial in Minneapolis, Minnesota AFP/Getty World news in pictures 17 April 2021 Security personnel stand guard outside a polling station during the 5th phase of West Bengal's state legislative assembly elections in Kolkata AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 April 2021 Palestinians take part in the first Friday prayers of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City AFP/Getty World news in pictures 15 April 2021 A firefighter inspects the site of a car bomb attack in Sadr City district of Baghdad, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 14 April 2021 This picture shows the 100 days countdown till the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games displayed on the illuminated Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo on April 14, 2021 AFP/Getty World news in pictures 13 April 2021 This photo taken and received courtesy of an anonymous source shows Buddhist monks gesturing while taking part in a demonstration with protesters against the military coup in Mandalay during the Myanmar New Year festival of Thingyan AFP/Getty World news in pictures 12 April 2021 An Indian holi man during the Kumbh Mela royal bath (Sacred Hindu Pilgrimage) in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. Thousands of pilgrims are gathering and taking holy dip in Kumbh Mela that is a mass Hindu pilgrimage which occurs after every twelve years and rotates among four locations EPA World news in pictures 11 April 2021 Nasa released images of of sand dunes on Mars captured using infrared reflections NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

In instances where blame was apportioned for the deaths of those they identified, Eritrean forces shouldered 43 per cent of the blame and Ethiopian soldiers 18 per cent  with an additional 18 per cent mentioning either Ethiopian or Eritrean soldiers, they jointly carried out the killings.

Having long denied the involvement of Eritrean troops, who are embroiled in US allegations of ethnic cleansing, Mr Abiy recently announced their withdrawal from the region. In its statement on Friday, the G7 insisted this must be swift, unconditional and verifiable.

Meanwhile, another joint investigation by the BBC, Bellingcat and Newsy put an alleged massacre in January near the town of Mahbere Dego into sharper focus, claiming to reveal the precise location of an atrocity in which at least 15 men were reportedly executed by people wearing Ethiopian military uniforms.

One resident said 73 men were taken by soldiers and were still missing, including three of his relatives.

The BBC reported that one voice in a clip of the killings could be heard saying in Ethiopias main language of Amharic: I wish we could pour gas over them and burn them, to which another responds: It would have been great if there was gas to burn these people ... Burn their bodies like the Indians do.

Another clip reportedly appears to suggest the perpetrators believe their victims to belong to the TPLF, with one armed man using a slang term for the movement as he says: This is the end of woyane ... We dont show mercy.

Displaced people inside a building under construction at the Shire campus of Aksum University, in Tigray (Reuters/Baz Ratne)

Despite the Ghent teams work suggesting that more than 90 per cent of civilian deaths were men, reports of rape being systematically used as a tool of genocide and a weapon with which to oppress women prompted the UN to call last week for an immediate end to indiscriminate and targeted attacks against civilians, including rape and other horrific forms of sexual violence.

In a report carrying allegations of gang-rape and murder at the hands of soldiers, The Telegraph said hundreds of women were seeking emergency contraception and HIV prevention drugs after suffering sexual violence in Tigray, where according to the UN just 13 per cent of medical facilities remain operational. Thousands more are reportedly thought to be affected but remain unknown to medics.

A doctor at the Sudanese refugee town of Hamdayet told CNN: The women that have been raped say that the things that they say to them when they were raping them is that they need to change their identity  to either Amharise them or at least leave their Tigrinya status ... and that theyve come there to cleanse them ... to cleanse the blood line.

Practically, this has been a genocide, Dr Tedros Tefera added.

While Eritreas information minister denied outright their troops involvement in abuses  the claims of which he said were fabricated  Mr Abiy acknowledged the allegations earlier this week, saying: Any member of the national defence who committed rape and looting against our Tigrayan sisters will be held accountable.

In their statement, the G7 leaders reiterated their calls for an end to violence and the establishment of a clear inclusive political process that is acceptable to all Ethiopians, including those in Tigray and which leads to credible elections and a wider national reconciliation process.
People, wearing protective face masks, shop at a local market in Nantes amid the COVID-19 outbreak in France, on April 1, 2021. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

France Reports 50,659 New COVID-19 Cases Over 24 Hours

PARISFrance reported 50,659 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, against 59,038 on Wednesday and 45,641 reported on Thursday a week ago, Health Ministry data showed.

A total of 5,109 people were in intensive care units in France with COVID-19, up by 56 from a day earlier.

France could hit the peak of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in seven to 10 days with the new restrictive measures announced on Wednesday by French President Emmanuel Macron, Health Minister Olivier Veran told France Inter radio.

Macron ordered France into its third national lockdown and said schools would close for three weeks as he sought to push back the third wave of COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals.

France also reported 308 new deaths in hospitals from COVID-19, bringing the total tally of deaths in hospitals to 69,904.

By Dominique Vidalon and Nicolas Delame
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I truly believe that actress and activist Sophia Bush is genuinely concerned about children. I truly believe that, in her heart, she is convinced that the best thing to do for a child who identifies as transgender is to affirm that childs perceived identity. But is she right? Do kids know what is best for them?

Posting to her 3.7 million Instagram followers, Bush wrote, #transkids are under attack across the country. AR just banned them from accessing healthcare. This is tantamount to murder. Kids will tell us who they are. Its our job to support them, not demonize or harm them.

She was responding to news that, Arkansas became the first state to pass a bill prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth following a vote in the state Senate on Monday.

HB 1570, the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act, prohibits trans youth from accessing health care and insurance coverage for gender-affirming care. The bill passed 28-7 in the state Senate. The state House passed the bill earlier this month.

For Bush and other transgender activists and allies, this bill will give these children only one choice, namely, suicide. Hence, the bill is tantamount to murder.

To repeat, Kids will tell us who they are. Its our job to support them, not demonize or harm them.

But do kids really know who they are? Is that the reality of human life?

All good parents want to support their children rather than demonize or harm them. Obviously.

All good parents want to be sensitive to their children, taking their pains or complaints seriously (as in, Mommy, I dont feel well.). And good parents will be quick to recognize their childrens unique personalities, giftings, and weaknesses. Thats what good parents do.

And certainly, no caring parent would dream of being cruel to a child suffering inner torment and confusion. Perish the thought. Thats why so many parents have anguished over what to do with one of their children who persistently identified as transgender, beginning at a young age.

Over 10 years ago, when I appeared on a Tyra Banks episode that focused on little children who identified as transgender, I heard powerful, gut-wrenching stories from parents and children.

In fact, the show was groundbreaking in that, for the first time, these little children, as young as 7 or 8, came on stage to tell their stories, introduced with their new names and genders. (This is Joey, who used to be a girl named Jane, and is now a boy.)

Ive read the stories and watched the documentaries about the shame these children felt about their sexual organs, even wanting to mutilate themselves. Ive seen the parents shedding tears of relief when they learned there was such a thing as gender dysphoria, realizing that that was the condition with which their child was suffering. Ive heard the testimonies of those who say, It was either sex-change or suicide.

And thats why I dont question Sophia Bushs sincerity. She and others really do care about the wellbeing of these kids.

Unfortunately, theyve got this all wrong.

First, this is now how life works. The children do not inform the parents about what is real and what is not. (And again, Im not talking about a child experiencing physical pain or sickness.)

Thats why, when a three-year old girls tells her mother that she is a princess or a horse or a butterfly or a flower, the mother plays along, telling her that she is a very pretty princess (or horse or butterfly or flower). Thats why, when a four-year old boy believes he is a mighty soldier, he really believes that he is. Thats part of childhood, especially younger childhood.

Thats also why the vast majority of children who identify as transgender when they are young no longer do so after puberty. Even Wikipedia, which is hardly known as a bastion of conservative ideas, summarized the evidence by stating, According to prospective studies, the majority of children diagnosed with gender dysphoria cease to desire to be the other sex by puberty, with most growing up to identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, with or without therapeutic intervention.

And what might happen if they received positive, therapeutic intervention, meaning, professional counseling to help them affirm their biological sex? Might the outcomes be even more successful?

The reality is that the kids do not, in fact, get to tell us who they are so we can support them. If that were the case, they would be the parents and we would be under their supervision. They would be the ones driving the cars and we would be in car seats in the back. They would be the ones teaching and we would be doing the homework. They would be the doctors and we would be their patients.

Sadly, when children are allowed to tell their parents who they are, as in, Im really a boy, not a girl, and when the parents support these sentiments, this only reinforces the childs gender confusion. As a leading psychologist explained at a lecture I attended, if you start dressing a boy in girls clothes at a young age, affirming him as female, it will be much harder to free him from those misconceptions when he is older.

So, by trying to help, the parents only make things worse. And shall we ignore the high suicide rates among those who have had sex-change surgery? Do their problems suddenly disappear?

And thats why doctors in the UK are urging a new approach to trans-identified children, namely, give things time rather than rush into hormone therapy and the like. (See here for some of the worldwide debate.)

Second, as voices from all across the spectrum have been saying  really, shouting  children do not have the ability to make such massive, life-impacting decisions. They are incapable of thinking through the implications of puberty-blocking hormones at the age of 10 (nor can medical science tell us with certainty what the long-term effects of those drugs will be). They are unable to understand the ramifications of a full mastectomy at the age of 18. They cannot comprehend the implications of full sex-change surgery at 19.

Thats why Dr. Paul McHugh of John Hopkins fame emailed me on November 18, 2009, shortly before I appeared on Tyra, stating, I hold that interfering medically or surgically with the natural development of young people claiming to be transgendered is a form of child abuse.

My suggestion, then, to Sophia Bush and her likeminded colleagues is this: rather than demonize those who oppose medical intervention for trans-identified children, dig a little deeper. Listen to those who can speak from personal experience. Dont dismiss those who say there is a better way. Instead, stop, listen and learn.

If you really care about these children, which I believe you do, love compels you to learn. There really is a better way.
(Newser)  The cause of the deadliest rail tragedy in decades in Taiwan appears to be distressingly simple. Somebody parked a construction vehicle but neglected to engage the parking brake, say government officials, per the AP. The truck rolled downhill and came to rest at the mouth of a railroad tunnel, where it was struck by one of the nation's fastest trains packed with nearly 500 people, reports the BBC. While the investigation is still underway, the train is capable of traveling up to 80 miles an hour. Authorities said Friday that they had freed all trapped passengers, but the current death toll of 51 could grow. The train had been traveling from Taipei to the southeastern city of Tatitung, jammed with people returning home for a traditional long weekend that honors dead family members, per Reuters.

story continues below

People just fell all over each other, on top of one another, a woman who survived the crash told local TV. It was terrifying. There were whole families there. Around 150 people were injured in the crash. Authorities say the unmanned truck that slid onto the tracks belonged to a crew that was stabilizing the hillside. The manager of that operation has been taken in for questioning. Taiwan has an extensive and popular rail system, and while accidents are relatively rare, another derailment in 2018 killed 18 people. The nation's worst rail accident, in 1948, killed 64 people, per Reuters. (Read more train crash stories.)
Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation

Regulatory News:

Veolia Environnement(Paris:VIE):

Corporate name of the issuer: Veolia Environnement 21 rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS FRANCE (ISIN code: FR0000124141-VIE)

Information closing date Total number of shares

forming the share capital Total number of voting rights March 31, 2021 578,611,362 Total number of theoretical voting rights (1): 614,987,885 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (2): 602,443,212

Inclusion in the Veolia Environnement Articles of Association of a clause requiring a reporting obligation of the declaration of crossing a shareholding threshold, complementary to the one relating to the thresholds provided by the French law and the regulations in force (article 8).

(1) Number of theoretical voting rights after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of March 31, 2021 (36,376,523 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of March 31, 2021 (12,544,673 shares).

(2) Number of voting rights that may be exercised number of theoretical voting rights (or total number of voting rights attached to shares) shares without voting rights (number of treasury shares held as of March 31, 2021).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005228/en/

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A 73-year-old man is due for court this morning over the seizure of of 110,000 in cash in North Dublin yesterday.

The man was arrested yesterday following a search of an address in Finglas, Dublin conducted by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) supported by the Garda Dog Unit.

During the search, over 110,000 in cash was seized, along with an encrypted phone, a cash counting machine, jewellery, watches, and a vacuum packing machine.

The man was arrested on suspicion of involvement in organised crime, contrary to Section 72 Criminal Justice Act 2006 as amended to enhance and facilitate money laundering, said gardai.

He was detained at Finglas Garda Station and has since been charged.

He is due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin this morning, 2nd April 2021, at 10.30am.
A RAPE victim has said she is "upset and appalled" after local businessmen gave "glowing" character references in support of her attacker after he was convicted.

Last month Conor Quaid (26) was jailed for six-and-a-half years for the rape of the woman in Kerry three years ago.

He had denied the allegations but was found guilty following a jury trial.

During the sentencing hearing his defence counsel submitted testimonials to the court in favour of his client.

In a statement to RTE Radio 1's Liveline programme today the woman said she was "upset and appalled" that local businessmen had supported her rapist.

The woman said Quaid had expressed no remorse and she said it has been difficult for her to come forward in such a small town.

She added it has been a "very tough few years" since the rape was first reported.

Her family said they expected a victim impact statement to be read out in court for the sentencing hearing, and references from the prison service.

The complainant said she was "very upset and appalled" to hear that two prominent businessmen from the town had lodged "glowing references to reduce the sentence of a convicted rapist that shows no remorse".

This included a local publican who described McQuaid as "the best employee ever."

The woman said she gets panic attacks knowing that people who live so close to her had publicly supported a rapist.

"I believe in this day and age the local big boys club should not be allowed lodge testimonials in court," she added.

Last month Quaid was given a prison sentence of eight years with 18 months suspended for raping a young woman as she slept in her own bedroom.

Read More

The Central Criminal Court heard Quaid was in the victim's home on the night as he was a trusted family friend.

Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty said he abused this trust and noted he has not shown any remorse since.

Quaid, of Monaree, Dingle, Co Kerry had pleaded not guilty to rape at a place in the county on June 10, 2018.

After a seven-day trial a jury at the Central Criminal Court found him guilty by a majority verdict of ten to one.

The court heard Quaid had travelled to the home of the victim after a night out drinking in a nearby town. The woman had stayed in that night, wasn't drinking and had gone to bed early.

Quaid went to her bedroom and raped her while she was curled up asleep, Ms Justice Gearty said.

Michael Bowman SC, defending, said his client has a medical history of alcohol dependency and that since this offence he has made efforts to address this.

He said his client's father was a retired garda and his family would be well regarded and well thought of.

He handed in a number of testimonials, which he said were evidence that his client is a hard-working, honest man for whom this offence was out of character.

Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty said the victim had a right to security in her own home and that Quaid violated the sanctity of the woman's home.

The judge said the reason he was there and knew where the victim slept was down to his position as a family friend and she said he had abused this trust.

She imposed a sentence of eight years and said the court had little scope to reduce this because of the absence of a guilty plea or of remorse.

The judge did suspend 18 months on condition he be of good behaviour for three years after his release and stay away from the victim in perpetuity.

Ms Justice Gearty said she was taking into consideration Quaid's relative youth, his lack of previous offending, and the fact that he has struggled and overcome an alcohol addiction.
In western Iraq (Anbar province), the Syrian border has turned into another contested area where high-tech sensors are very useful in detecting hostile border crossers. American and Iraqi forces cooperate to monitor the border and in late 2020 the Americans suggested using hidden night-vision digital cameras that covertly detect anyone crossing at night, and can either store images on an SD card or transmit the data to a UAV high overhead which can then use its more powerful sensors to track the border crossers to their destination. The success of this technique led the Iraqis asking to expand the use of this tech as well as help in replacing cameras discovered and removed or destroyed by smugglers, Islamic terrorists or even civilians looking to make some money.

These devices have long been available as commercial products for people living in rural areas curious about what kind of wildlife is near them. Researchers also use the cameras to detect or simply count specific species in the wild. The more expensive commercial wildlife cameras have wireless communications, but most simply save any photos or video the camera took to a memory chip after the motion detector was triggered.

Such wildlife cameras are a stealthy monitoring concept first developed by the United States during the Vietnam War to monitor audio in jungle areas. These devices were disguised as bamboo plants and delivered and monitored by aircraft. A version of this tech is currently used most frequently by Israel to monitor its borders, especially the other side of its borders. Israel has adapted the appearance of these sensors to match the terrain where they are placed.

Since 2015 more of these intelligence collecting sensors were being found in Lebanon, often disguised as rocks or rubble. This was because, since 2013 as Hezbollah gunmen were sent into Syria, the Syrian rebels responded by operating aggressively on the Lebanese border. This led to a lot more activity on Lebanese borders with Syria and Israel. More spy gadgets were then used to monitor all this potentially hostile, to Israel, activity. The Lebanese, Syrians and Iranians often publicized these devices as examples of sneaky Israeli behavior. There was a touch of envy in these protests, as admissions that the Israelis had developed some very impressive surveillance devices. Scarier still is the unpublicized fact that some of them were obviously over a decade old and only worked for a few months until their batteries ran out. Such devices are easy to identify as Israeli because they often have Hebrew text on internal components and are obviously designed for covert surveillance.

The devices are often used elsewhere. In 2012 Iran reported that security troops outside a new underground nuclear enrichment plant went to investigate a suspicious looking rock and the rock exploded. Later investigation revealed that the rock was indeed an electronic device that was monitoring activity around a nuclear weapons facility that enriched uranium sufficiently for use in a bomb. The devise transmitted data, via satellite, back to somewhere. The rock was also rigged to self-destruct if anyone got too close.

Initially Iran thought the fake rock was American because the U.S. has been using the fake rock thing for decades. But another potential culprit was Israel which was also known to use this sort of thing quite a lot in Lebanon. As for the exploding rocks, details on stuff like that are rarely released and then usually after the item in question is retired. Some equipment of this sort does receive some publicity. Such was the case in 2005 with WolfPack. This is a 2.73 kg (six pound) sensor/jammer that is dropped into enemy territory to get information and, if needed, jam enemy communications, including cell phones. These were painted camouflage colors but it would be no problem to enclose the device in a container that looked like a rock or whatever object that would provide concealment.

Israel eventually realized how important it was to destroy these devices if they were found. This was realized in late 2009 when some Lebanese found a new and valuable Israeli electronic sensor on their side of the border. The Israelis soon became aware of this, and destroyed the device from the air with a missile, or internal explosives. There were conflicting reports. But Hezbollah fighters showed up shortly after the explosion, and searched the area for other devices. They found at least one and blew it up. That indicated the new devices were equipped with a self-destruct device that may also send a have been discovered signal to the Israelis before they explode. This enabled the Israelis to send aircraft to confirm whatever happened. It's believed these devices were for tapping into telephone conversations. The Lebanese believes that some, or all, of these devices were equipped with explosives to self-destruct, or be detonated remotely from Israel, if discovered or tampered with.

The more aggressive use of these devices was caused by earlier counterespionage activity in Lebanon, where dozens of Israeli agents were arrested with the help of Iranian intelligence operatives. Israel responded with increased use of electronic sensors. These detect movement, sound or electronic transmissions. Many are buried or otherwise disguised to make detection difficult. Hezbollah has become aware of these devices and offered rewards for those who found them. Hunting for Israeli sensors became a popular activity along the border because of the rewards, and warnings not to tamper with or get too close to the devices lest they detonate before Iranian experts can arrive to try and capture the device intact.

Hollywood isn't the only place where old hits are recycled. Such miniature gadgets were first developed and used in the 1960s. These early devices were just a microphone and transmitter. An aircraft overhead could pick up the transmissions, record them, and get them back to a base where the activity (trucks, troops marching, or whatever), where it occurred and the time, could be recorded. In this way operations along the carefully hidden (under the tall jungle canopy) "Ho Chi Minh" trail could be studied, plotted, and bombed. The trail, run by the North Vietnam through Laos (just west of Vietnam), was vital to keeping their troops in South Vietnam supplied.

WolfPack faced the same problem airdropped sensors in Vietnam did; the enemy will go looking for them once they realize the sensors were a danger to them. During the Vietnam War a partial solution to this problem was to build some of the airdropped sensors so they looked like a bamboo plant. This deception would not stand up to close scrutiny but the enemy troops did not closely examine every bamboo plant when they were sweeping an area for sensors. While the bamboo disguise worked in Vietnam, after the war, surplus sensors of this type were shipped to Europe for use there in a future war in Europe where there isn't any bamboo. Eventually this error was admitted and new designs for concealed sensors was developed.

Russia was known to have adopted this "intelligent rock" technology after the 1960s, and is still using it. China probably has it as well and someone is using it in Iran. There has been some interest in planting bugs on animals but further research found that the animals movement were too unpredictable to be useful. Efforts to miniaturize sensors and transmitters for use on mechanical insects is still stalled by technology that is not quite ready to go yet. Arab paranoia regarding monitoring devices hidden in animals (real or artificial) is not totally unfounded, but only somewhat premature.

In Anbar province paranoia is justified because news of the effectives of these new sensors soon spread. While many locals went hunting for them, if only to make some money, Islamic terrorists and smugglers crossing the border had a real problem. This was more serious for Islamic terrorists because the Iraqi and American forces wanted to know who was sneaking across the border, especially where, when and with clear digital photos of who the illegal border crossers were. This made local tribesmen more cooperative as they were willing to identify smugglers as long as that prevented their fellow tribesmen from getting tagged as Islamic terrorists and killed. Cooperating is meant to have the opposite effect because, if the smugglers can be found and are willing to discuss the snuggling situation on the border, there is no retaliation. Most of the smugglers stick to civilian goods for that reason. The Islamic terrorists handle their own smuggling of weapons, explosives as well as people.

The Iraqi Army has found it possible to regain the trust and cooperation of the local tribes if they hassled the tribesmen less and offer protection from Islamic terrorists who often threaten tribesmen who refuse to get involved with terrorist operations. The Americans follow the same rules, often putting local tribal militia on their payroll to help with border security. The Americans will pay on time and the amount agreed to. The Iraqi government, and Islamic terrorists, are not as reliable in that department.

The U.S. interest in border security intensified after 2018 when the Americans built a third base in Anbar Province, near the Syrian border. This was to support counter-terror operations in western Anbar as well as across the border in the Euphrates River Valley of Syria. The other two American Anbar bases are at the Al Asad airbase and near the city of Ramadi.
Smoke rises from a fire at Ruby Mart in Yangon. with the Shwedagon Pagoda seen illuminated in the background, April 1, 2021.

Deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was hit with a new legal charge Thursday, her first on-line arraignment in cases brought by the military regime that overthrew her elected government on Feb. 1, said her lawyers, one of whom quoted her as saying she had prayed for the health of the people.

Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw, now faces a charge under the Government Secrets Act in the largest city Yangon, Khin Maung Zaw, the leader of her defense team told RFA, adding the reason is still unknown.

She was arraigned Thursday on four other charges for alleged incitement and sedition, violation of telecommunication laws, possession of unlicensed walkie-talkie radios, and violation of the Natural Disaster Management Law for breaching COVID-19 pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign.

Min Min Soe, one of her junior lawyers, said that she met online with Aung San Suu Kyi and two other detained senior leaders, president Win Myint and Naypyidaw Mayor Dr. Myo Aung, and all appeared to be in good health.

Aung San Suu Kyi was not allowed to speak about the current political situation, but she said that she prayed for the health of the people, said lawyer Min Min Soe. The three leaders next hearing will be on April 12.

The trials of civilian leaders deposed and detained two months earlier inched forward as a pair of warehouse fires many in Myanmar viewed as suspicions destroyed two military-owned malls n Yangon, the former capital and commercial center.

Gandamar Whole Sale Mall on Gandamar Road, Yangon, and Ruby Mart Mall on Pansodan Road in the city center both caught fire at about one oclock in the morning, burning everything inside both malls, leaving only the outer structure, witnesses said.

We heard very loud fire engine sirens in the middle of the night on Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, and we didn't realize what was going on. I got up early in the morning and only then I saw the military-owned mall totally razed, said a resident who lives near the Gandamar shopping mall.

You could see the huge flames raging inside the building though the flames outside were being doused with water, said another resident in a video shared online.

Protesters carry a live-size cardboard figure of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a protest against the military coup. Credit: AP

Suspicious timing

The fires at the two military-owned malls occurred during the night curfew hours, when civilians are not allowed on the street, prompting widespread suspicion that they were deliberately set.

In Mandalay, Myanmars second-largest city and a scene of many deaths in protests, a fire destroyed over 100 houses early in the morning today, making more than 500 people homeless in Pyaygyi Tagun township.

This fire is near the Taungthaman Inn Road. We can say its a huge fire looking at the flames. Oh, they have cut the power lines. Dont know why, said a citizen journalist who posted his account on social media.

Fires of unknown cause destroyed 60 houses in the same township on March 28.

Earlier Thursday night police and soldiers fired at a vehicle of the South Korean Shinhan Bank in Yangon, hitting an employee of the bank in the head and sending her to hospital in critical condition.

At least two people were shot dead in Mandalays Maha Aung Myae township today. While at least 10 people were seriously injured in gunfire by the army and police, local residents said.

Meanwhile in Monywa, the Sagaing regions biggest city, where protests have gone on despite the shooting deaths of more than 20 people, troops and police fired on anti-coup protesters, killing two demonstrators and injuring at least two others

In the Kayin state town of Kawkareik, local residents said a motorcyclist threw a grenade at a military vehicle patrolling the area, killing one policeman and wounding two soldiers.

In a report from Kayin state, the Free Burma Rangers, a multiethnic humanitarian service movement, said Myanmar military jets continued to kill civilians Thursday and the attacks raised to more than 20,000 the number of displaced civilians in the state, which borders Thailand.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a Thailand-based NGO, said 543 people had died in the two months since the coup, with 2741 in custody.

A resident salvages items after an overnight fire that engulfed over 100 houses in Mandalay on April 1, 2021, as the country continues to be in turmoil after the February military coup. Credit: AFP

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane and Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
Seals must be given space by the public in the wake of the death of popular Thames seal Freddie, campaigners say.

As people head to the coasts for the Easter weekend, a government-backed initiative will warn them to stay well away from the marine mammals.

Owners are urged to keep dogs on a lead when seals might be present, never to feed them, and to take litter home.

Freddie Mercury pictured with an injured flipper following the mauling. Seals must be given space by the public in the wake of his death

It comes after the Thames seal, named Freddie Mercury, had to be put down after being attacked by a dog.

The Seal Alliance has warned that disturbing seals can injure and kill mothers and pups up to several months later.

Both Britain's grey and common seal populations are showing signs of decline in breeding, experts warned.

Just 25 per cent of youngsters survive to 18 months in a bad year.

The 'give seals space' campaign gives guidance on how to watch seals safely.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: 'Disturbance by members of the public can be detrimental to seals but this is entirely preventable.

'I'd urge everyone to follow the guidance, give seals the space they need and respect this vulnerable species.'

The push to protect seals from human disturbance comes as people are expected to go for walks on coasts and estuaries, take part in water activities or fly drones over the Easter weekend as lockdown measures ease.

The UK is home to an estimated 38% of the world's grey seal population and around 30% of the European subspecies of common or harbour seals, but both species are showing signs of declines in breeding.

They face threats including climate change, toxic pollution, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with vessels, plastics and other marine debris and human disturbance, experts warn.

Female seals are heavily pregnant or pupping during the summer and getting too close can lead to the mammals stampeding on rocks which prove fatal to mothers and pups, while disturbed females may also not build up the fat reserves they need to feed their young properly.

The 'give seals space' campaign includes leaflets and signs for the public and wildlife tour operators with guidance on how to watch seals without disturbing them.

Andy Ottaway, of the Seal Protection Action Group, added: 'Our precious coastal wildlife is coming under increasing human pressure.

'We need to be aware of the harm we can cause by getting too close to our seals and the often tragic consequences when we do.'




(People's Daily Online) After working as a news anchor in Hengxian county, south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Su Weimin eventually realized her lifelong wish when she cut off her long hair and became a soldier of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force.

"Cutting my hair short to embrace a new life, I will dedicate my youth to safeguarding the prosperity of the motherland," Su wrote on social media the day she joined the military.

The woman was more determined to join the military than ever after she was turned down last year when she failed the physical exam.

But instead of giving up, she physically and mentally prepared herself until she was eventually enlisted in the recruitment drive for the first half of 2021.

The 22-year-old entered the media industry in June 2020 after she graduated from the Communication College of Guangxi University for Nationalities. She has hosted several programs over the past year. "She is highly professional, and has always worked hard without complaint, so we all speak very favorably of her," said one of her colleagues at the Media Convergence Center of Hengxian county.
Jill Biden pranked her staff, the Secret Service and reporters traveling with her on her plane, dressing as a flight attendant and serving ice cream bars in a disguise so good no one recognized her.

The 69-year-old first lady, famed for her love of pranks and practical jokes, was flying home from California to Washington DC on Thursday.

As food was being served to the press pool, a flight attendant with short black hair wearing a black pants suit, black face mask and a name badge reading Jasmine walked through the staff, Secret Service and press cabins passing out Dove ice cream bars.

A few minutes later her senior advisor, Anthony Bernal, and her press secretary, Michael LaRosa, came back to the press cabin laughing.

Jill Biden is seen landing back at Andrews Air Force Base on Thursday, after her prank

The 69-year-old was delighted at having pulled the wool over everyone's eyes

Biden then reappeared in the press section, without her wig, and announced: 'April Fools!'

Bernal and LaRosa reassured the pool they were just as surprised when 'Jasmine' revealed her true identity to them.

Biden was 'visibly pleased with her prank', the reporters noted.

And it is not the first time that the teacher has set out to raise a smile.

'I've always believed you've got to steal the joyful moments when you can,' she wrote in her memoir, explaining her love of practical jokes.

'Life is difficult, and if you sit around waiting for fun to show up, you'll find yourself going without it more often than not.'

Biden poses for photos with volunteers before departing from Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California, on Thursday

Biden waves as she boards the plane, about to pull off her prank

In her book 'Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself', published in May 2019, she tells how she once climbed into the overhead compartment on a plane, and jumped out to surprise people.

'The White House is a serious place, with serious people, doing serious work,' Biden wrote.

'If you're not careful, it can grind you down.'

She then tells how she pranked the team on her plane on a flight to California, during Barack Obama's first term.

'I had arrived at Joint Base Andrews early, coming straight from teaching my classes, and was the first one there,' she wrote.

'As I boarded Air Force Two, I looked around and had an idea.

'The overhead bins were small, but I knew if I scrunched up enough, I could cram myself into one.'

She then climbed up on a chair, before stepping onto a table and pulling herself into the bin.

She said she thought to herself: 'finally, my ballet barre classes were paying off.'

A naval aide helped give Biden a final boost and pulled the compartment's door down.

Biden climbed into the overhead bin on a plane to surprise everyone, during Obama's first term

'When the first person opened the bin to stow his roller bag, I popped halfway out and screamed, 'Boo!'  though it was hard to get it out through my laughter,' Biden recalled.

'Still, my surprise had the intended effect: this poor soul let out a high-pitched shriek and stumbled backward into his seat, a look of utter shock on his face.'

She also told of pulling a prank on her husband, on Valentine's Day in 2009.

She jogged two miles from the vice president's residence to the White House and, while he was in a meeting, she snuck into his office with the help of his assistant and painted 'big multicolored hearts all over his windows for Valentine's Day.'

She wrote: 'When he walked into the office  accompanied by a senator  later that morning, I wasn't there to see his reaction, but I know he was both delighted and embarrassed.'
Police in the UK are appealing for the public's help in Spain to find Edmund Rose from Headley, who they believe has travelled to the country.

Edmund, 32 was last seen on Thursday, 25 March. He is described as vulnerable and his family are growing extremely concerned for his welfare.

Edmund recently failed to return from France and its believed that travelled to Spain and could now be in Malaga or on the Costa del Sol.

He is described as being a medium build, having light brown hair, with blue eyes.

The distinctive Black Ford Ranger - registration number LE19 AFN / SURREY POLICE

Police believe that Edmund drove to Spain in a distinctive Black Ford Ranger - registration number LE19 AFN - with Harvey Landscapes on the back.

If you can help, please get in touch with Surrey Police straightaway quoting reference PR/ 45210031680 or the Live Chat at www.surrey.police.uk

Police urge that if he is with you or you believe his life is at immediate risk, call 999 in the UK or the 112 emergency services number in Spain.
When Australia, India, Japan and the US  countries strategically allied under the so-called Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue)  switched focus to fighting COVID-19, it was seen as one more of the several 'proxy wars' spawned by the pandemic.

The 'Quad Vaccine,' announced at a virtual summit of the leaders of the four countries on 12 March, is based on a vaccine developed by the US transnational, Johnson & Johnson, produced by India's Biological E Limited, and funded by the other two partners. The plan is to churn out a billion doses by the end of 2022.

Vishnu Prakash, commentator on security issues and former member of India's diplomatic corps, tells SciDev.Net that the Quad has a "focused agenda of raising the cost of misadventure in the region by any expansionist power".

While Prakash and other commentators carefully refrain from naming any country as the focus of Quad, there is little doubt that the expansionist power in question is China.

Says Pankaj Mohan, a leading academic who specialises in Chinese and East Asian studies: "Chinese media has been vocal against the 'Asian NATO' and, notably, the Global Times on 13 March talked about COVID-19 vaccines being used to weaken China's influence in the whole region."

Srikanth Kondapalli, professor in Chinese studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, says that while China is acknowledged as 'factory to the world', India has long had an advantage when it came to the manufacture of drugs and vaccines so that it has a reputation for being 'the world's pharmacy'.

India's advantage starts with the fact that it was already producing 60 per cent of the world's vaccines even before the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. Domestically, India administers 50 million vaccine doses a year for different diseases in this country of 1.3 billion." Srikanth Kondapalli, Professor in Chinese Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

India's privately owned Serum Institute of India (SII), among the world's leading manufacturers, easily entered into an early agreement to manufacture and stockpile Covishield, the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate, says Kondapalli. "For good measure, there was a backup candidate in Covaxin developed and manufactured by the local company Bharat Biotech."

Significantly, says Kondapalli, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a personal interest in the development and early launch of vaccines, even visiting manufacturing units. India pledged early to supply vaccines to the WHO-led COVAX  an initiative meant to assist poorer countries access vaccines  as well as bilaterally to individual countries, and this soon led to competition with China in neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar, says Kondapalli. "China has deep interests in these countries but could not supply enough doses to them.

"The exception is Pakistan where China enjoys a near monopoly allowing it to both supply and test its main vaccine CoronaVac made by Sinovac Biotech," says Kondapalli. China's other main vaccine Sinopharm also has deals to export their vaccine to some 50 countries around the world.

Kondapalli says friction between the two Asian countries began over the use of the term 'China virus' in India's media to describe COVID-19. "India's media is autonomous and then the term was coined by then US President Donald Trump  it took pressure from China before WHO began using the name COVID-19."

India-China war averted

Worse than niggling issues like naming a virus, India and China came close to war amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Clashes that broke out in June along their long common border led to more than 24 deaths and both countries amassed troops and armour in the high Ladakh region until a disengagement was negotiated in February.

Rajeswari Rajagopalan, China expert and distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a leading think tank based in New Delhi says that COVID-19 supply "quickly turned into power politics because of the security and strategic dynamics between China and India".

"China has been doing plenty of outreach in India's neighbourhood and has been trying to create a favourable narrative about its willingness to provide COVID-19-related assistance," says Rajagopalan.

"But the speed with which India was able to manufacture, stockpile and supply vaccine doses to a large number of countries has created much international goodwill for India  especially at a time when developed countries stand accused of hoarding vaccines," Rajagopalan says.

"Questions have been raised about the safety of Chinese vaccines by African countries and Brazil," says Rajagopal. "China's official media gave full play to its vaccine offers while denouncing vaccines manufactured by other countries, including India  but that was not enough to quell safety concerns."

In contrast, information on India's vaccines is readily available on company websites. India has also not allowed domestic obligations to hamper pledges to support the needs of other countries through its "Vaccine Maitri" (Vaccine Friendship) programme.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, junior minister for health, informed Indian parliament on 16 March that the government had supplied 58 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 70 nations.

Bangladesh, the biggest beneficiary, has received nine million doses and a state tour by Modi in March saw agreements for 30 million more doses and a free gift of 1.2 million doses. Other recipients in the neighbourhood include Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. Further afield, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, UAE, Caribbean and South American nations like Brazil and the African countries of Kenya, South Africa and Rwanda are recipients.

The Serum Institute of India plans to scale up production to a billion doses per year by the end of 2021 and other Indian companies are expected to add significantly to overall production. Bharat Biotech, for example, has contracted to sell 100 million doses of its COVAXIN in the US this year.

However, by mid-March, India is lagging on its domestic programme, having carried out just 54 million inoculations while exporting 60 million doses around the world. With the government facing local criticism as a new wave of COVID-19 infections flared up, exports were ordered to slow down.

Meanwhile, China has been pursuing aggressive vaccine deals. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has said that apart from Pakistan, his country is providing vaccine aid to Brunei, Nepal, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Palestine, Belarus, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea.

According to a note issued by the Chinese consulate in Mumbai, Wang told a press conference last month that Chinese companies have been conducting joint vaccine R&D with several foreign partners. "Vaccines made by Sinopharm and Sinovac have been exported to countries including the UAE, Morocco, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil and Chile where clinical studies have been conducted.

"China has been acting through concrete actions on President Xi Jinping's solemn commitment of making COVID-19 vaccines, developed and deployed in China, a global public good, thus contributing to greater accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries," Wang was quoted as saying.

Situation in Africa

At least 19 African countries have lined up to receive Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

Wang was quoted on state media on 22 February as saying that China had donated vaccines to Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea and that the country would use every resource at its disposal to help Africa fight the pandemic. The first shipment of 200,000 doses of the Chinese vaccine arrived in Zimbabwe on 15 February.

Apart from donations, China has signed bilateral deals with Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco to export COVID-19 vaccines with the first shipment of Sinopharm vaccine arriving in Morocco in late January.

The developments follow promises made to African countries by Chinese President Xi Jinping last June at the China-Africa summit that Africa would benefit from the massive distribution of Chinese vaccines.

But some warn that the rush for Chinese vaccines could be counterproductive for the continent due to safety and efficacy issues, stemming from the fact that China accords approvals for its vaccines without publishing data on human trials in peer-reviewed journals.

Joachim Osur, technical director at Amref Health Africa and dean, School of Medical Sciences at Amref International University, Nairobi, says that Africa is desperate to secure vaccines to protect its population, especially amidst sluggish supply from the west.

"Chinese vaccines may be a cheaper, more accessible alternative, but at what cost?" Osur asks.

China's leading COVID-19 vaccines, from Sinovac and Sinopharm, are still under assessment by WHO.

"These countries (Sub-Sahara Africa) rely on WHO to test and verify the vaccines for safety and efficacy in their behalf, so it would be dangerous for them to accept and use vaccines that have not gone through this process because they have no means to independently verify them," Osur explains.

Brazilian battleground

Brazil, which traditionally had good diplomatic ties with China, has become one of the main battlegrounds for vaccines for the two Asian giants.

While Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been a fierce opponent of containment measures for the pandemic and vaccination in the country, he has shown particular disapproval of China's CoronaVac, which is being pushed by his political rival and governor of Sao Paulo state Joao Doria.

On January 17, the first Brazilian - a nurse - was vaccinated against the new coronavirus in the country. She received a dose of CoronaVac, produced in Brazil in a partnership between the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech and the Butantan Institute, a leader in the development and production of vaccine antigens in Brazil, located in Sao Paulo. This was perceived as a political defeat for Bolsonaro.

In September 2020 the Butantan Institute signed a contract with Sinovac for the delivery of 46 million doses of the CoronaVac by December.

In that same month, Fiocruz and AstraZeneca signed an agreement granting the Brazilian institution access to 100.4 million doses of the active pharmaceutical ingredient for final processing and quality control in Brazil, as well as general terms for technology transfer.

Developed by Oxford University with production and distribution rights by AstraZeneca, the Covishield vaccine started being produced in large scale in Brazil on March 8. Fiocruz's aim was to produce 3.8 million doses in March. From March 29 to April 03, the Foundation plans to deliver 2.4 million doses of the vaccine.

While the federal government took part in the Fiocruz/AstraZeneca agreement, President Bolsonaro and the then minister of health Eduardo Pazuello shunned the Butantan-Sinovac agreement, struck by Sao Paulo governor Joao Doria, his former ally and now political foe.

Bolsonaro, who had openly criticised CoronaVac on several occasions, gave in by early January and signed a provisional measure to allow an agreement between Butantan Institute and the Ministry of Health granting 100 million doses of the vaccine to be incorporated in the National Immunisation Plan - which includes both Covishield and CoronaVac.

By February 2021, the Foundation had received two million ready-to-use doses from the Serum Institute of India. Fiocruz expects to receive the active ingredient to produce more than 100 million doses by July. In the second semester, the Foundation expects to produce another 110 million doses with technology for in-country production of the active ingredient. Some 2,000 volunteers took part in the tests for Covishield conducted by the Federal University of Sao Paulo in 2020.

Besides Covishield and Coronavac, Brazil has recently signed agreements with Precisa Medicamentos/Bharat Biotech (for the acquisition of 20 million doses of Covaxin) as well as Pfizer, Janssen, Sputnik V and adhered to WHO's Covax Facility. States, municipalities and the private sector are allowed to buy vaccines independently.

Gonzalo Vecina Neto, professor at the Faculty of Public Health at University of Sao Paulo and founder of Anvisa, hopes the negotiations for more vaccines will be successful. "The doses we have are enough only up to January 2022  if we have more vaccines, we can finish vaccinating the population faster. And it's also important to think of younger people and children, who are not included in the vaccination plan for now," he tells SciDev.Net.

Covishield clots

But the mother of all COVID-19 vaccine proxy wars has to be the one being fought over Covishield. Developed by the University of Oxford and the British-Swedish company, AstraZeneca, the vaccine's deployment appeared clouded by the UK's traumatic withdrawal from the EU, which became final on 1 January.

Right from launch Covisheld became the subject of claims and counterclaims between the UK and EU over efficacy and safety.

On 25 January, the German newspaper Handelsblatt claimed that the vaccine's efficacy was only eight per cent among the elderly, ignoring data to the contrary published in The Lancet.

That was followed by several European countries suspending the use of Covishield over fears that the vaccine was responsible for the development of blood clots in recipients.

Manu Raj, a leading epidemiologist based in Kerala, India, commented that the suspensions were ill-advised as "no strong biological explanation was provided as to why the vaccine would cause a blood clot. Serious blood clots are a common feature of severe COVID-19 infection which can be fully prevented by the same vaccine".

No sooner had the blood clot issue been resolved, with EU regulator, the European Medicines Agency, declaring Covishield safe, another row blew up  this time over the vaccine's supply to the EU.

Under the terms of a contract with AstraZeneca, the UK had priority claim to Covishield doses at units in Oxford and Staffordshire, though the EU saw that as restrictive and violative of pledges of vaccine supply.

On Wednesday (24 March), the UK government and the European Commission issued a joint statement saying they were working on a solution. "Given our interdependencies, we are working on specific steps we can take  in the short, medium and long term  to create a win-win situation and expand vaccine supply for all our citizens."

"In the end, openness and global cooperation of all countries will be key to finally overcome this pandemic and ensure better preparation for meeting future challenges," the joint statement said.

But, the lack of global cooperation was most palpable in the differences that surfaced at the WTO over intellectual property rights, including patents on COVID-19 vaccines. On 2 October, India and South Africa asked the WTO to allow waivers of intellectual property rights on vaccines and technologies related to the pandemic. At least 100 countries have since supported the proposal.

According to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), developed countries, especially the EU, UK and the US and bodies representing the pharmaceutical big business have opposed any waiver as potentially counterproductive.

Christos Christou, MSF International President said in a 9 March press release: "Countries must stop obstructing (the proposal to WTO) and show the leadership required to deliver on the 'global solidarity' they have so often declared during this pandemic."
(Natural News) One of fake president Joe Bidens donors is back in the news cycle for hounding her theory that industrial pollution is causing mens genitalia to shrivel.

Shanna Swan, a professor of Environmental Medicine & Public Health at Mount Sinais Icahn School of Medicine posits that penises are shrinking and genitals are becoming malformed because of pollution.

After repeatedly mocking the independent media for pointing out that toxic herbicide chemicals like atrazine are depleting male hormones and turning some amphibians into the opposite sex, it is apparently now politically expedient for the left to suddenly point out that pollution is harming mens manhood now that China Joe is pushing for trillions of dollars worth of new climate initiatives to stop global warming.

Left-wing rags like VICE and PinkNews were quick to start churning out headlines in promotion of Swans theory and Bidens agenda, both of which fail to pinpoint precisely which forms of pollution are harming men, and thus need to go.

Many of these outlets simply ran with crude headlines atop even cruder content, all with the intent of using shock value to push this latest left-wing narrative.

It is not that Swan is necessarily wrong, by the way. We know that synthetic chemicals are everywhere these days and many of them are, in fact, endocrine disruptors. The problem is that there is a clear climate agenda behind her theory, and the usual fake news suspects are perpetrating it in a suspicious way.

Even more suspicious is the fact that Swan is directly tied to Beijing Biden, who probably has no clue that he is even supporting these sweeping climate reforms that stand to completely bankrupt our country.

Pollution and pesticides are harmful, but what are Swan and Biden really up to?

A few things that Swan gets right include the link between phthalate chemicals and lowered sperm counts. She warns that phthalates, which are found in all sorts of plastic products, decrease sperm counts. With enough exposure to them, men could become infertile, she correctly says.

Swan has also, in the past, called out pesticides for interfering with human hormones, which is also accurate.

This is one area of toxic exposure that conservatives and conservative-leaning news outlets almost never address, the source for this article, Newsbusters, included. The piece contains a quote from JunkScience founder Steve Milloy lambasting Swan for suggesting that pesticides are harmful when people are exposed to far more natural EDCs (endocrine disrupting hormones) every single day.

The misnomer that natural chemicals are the same as synthetic ones is common, and this writer would not be doing our readers justice by pointing out that the right often gets this wrong. At the same time, Swan would seem to be pushing a different agenda  Bidens agenda  that has nothing to do with protecting human beings against toxic exposure.

Biden is planning to spend between $3 trillion and $4 trillion to juice the economy again, but [t]ackling climate change and shifting to clean energy will underpin virtually every part of the package,' writes Newsbusters Joseph Vasquez, quoting The New York Times.

In other words, the cover story of mens reproductive organs suffering size failures due to pollution is to distract from the Biden regimes efforts to stamp out fossil fuels and replace them with wind turbines and solar panels.

MRC Business reached out repeatedly to Swan for comment through phone, email and Twitter, but has received no response as of the publication of this piece, Vasquez further noted about the elusiveness of Swan.

More related news about the deadly effects associated with exposure to environmental toxins can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

Newsbusters.org

NaturalNews.com
Investors have splashed $140 million on an array of long-leased assets that provide higher yields, stable income and long-term tenants in the current low-interest rates environment.

The sales were mostly through the Burgess Rawson second Flagship Portfolio auction for 2021 in Sydney and Melbourne, which saw a clearance rate of 90 per cent. These included childcare centres, service stations and a sire leased to betting agency Tabcorp.

In a separate private sale an investor bought a BP service station at Willoughby on Sydneys north shore on a 3.85 per cent yield to a private investor who bought it before it went to auction.

Properties sold at Burgess Rawson auction included the Tabcorp shop at 128 Military Road, Neutral Bay.

The 803 sq m corner site at 498 Willoughby Road was sold for $5.018 million in the third week of the campaign managed and negotiated by Steven Kruyer, senior sales director of LJ Hooker Commercial Sydney.
The father of Canadian rapper Drake, Dennis Graham, is offering a $1 million JMD reward (approximately $6700USD) to anyone in Jamaica who can help him recover a chest that was stolen on the island.

In an Instagram post yesterday April 1, the 66-year-old was sure to let folks know that it was not an April Fools joke and that the chest, which apparently belongs to an Aunty Flo, had high sentimental value.

We are offering a $1 Million jmd reward for anyone in possession of a chest taken from 9 Dacosta Drive, Ocho Rios St. Ann Jamaica, he posted.

We will not prosecute whoever returns it unopened. It does not contain anything of monetary value, Just sentimental value. Please email auntyflochest@gmail.com for drop off location and arrange of payment.NOT AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!! he added.

Other than the reward he is willing to pay, theres no other information that can help his cause. He doesnt mention when he or the friend had visited Jamaica, or around what time he believed the theft might have occurred.

Even though the appeal seems legitimate many of his followers questioned the initial address given, as it does not exist. This fan highlighted that fact: People we dont have an 9 Decosta Drive  in St. Mary so thats inaccurate 9 decosta Drive in Ocho Rios St. ANN JAMAICA.

Several of them expressed the hope that the chest would be returned safely, while some were more concerned about Drakes upcoming sixth studio album Certified Lover Boy.

Hey man can you tell your son to drop the album, said one.

I will venture off in an attempt to retrieve this chest singe handedly if @champagnepapi drops CLB tonight, another quipped.

Drake and his dad have had a bit of a roller-coaster relationship over the years, and in 2019 Drake lashed out at him after he basically said that the rapper made up lyrics about their strained relationship.

Woke up today so hurt man. My father will say anything to anyone thats willing to listen to him, he wrote on an Instagram post. Its sad when family gets like this but what can we really do thats the people we are stuck with. Every bar I ever spit was the truth and the truth is hard for some people to accept, he continued.

At the time he was responding to Grahams comments during an interview with Nick Cannon on the HBO series The Shop. I have always been with Drake. I said, Drake why are you saying all of this different stuff about me man? This is not cool. And he goes, Dad, it sells records. He added: I exposed him to every aspect of life. I never hid anything from him. I showed him this side of life. I showed him that side of life.

Drakes dad, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee, is also an entertainer in his own right as a jazz, blues, and soul musician who used to play the drums for Jerry Lee Lewis. In 2017, the old-timer dropped a video for his R&B track Kinda Crazy where he serenaded a young vixen.
Ray Douglass Slatton, 70, of Loudon County, Tennessee, passed away unexpectedly in a Knoxville hospital on March 27, 2021.



Survivors include his wife, Joi, brother, Greg (Jeri) of Tellico Village; sister, Bonnie (Iowa City, Iowa); several nieces and nephews and his beloved mini schnauzers, Bowser and Pippa.



Ray was a bit of a maverick, following his own path and usually meeting with success. He was involved with several business ventures, among them: Riverbend Construction, Total Leasing and most recently with a product developed at ORNL. Ray was a kind and generous spirit and loved sailing, travel and the Parrothead approach to life. He made many peoples lives richer, and he will be sorely missed by all who were fortunate to have known him. Ray's Dad's pet name for Ray was always "Percy", short for perseverance--a quality Ray held in abundance whether he was tackling a business issue or an unruly computer problem.



In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local animal shelter.



A celebration of Rays life will be held at a later date.



Arrangements are by Click Funeral Home & Cremations - Tellico Village Chapel, www.clickfuneralhome.com
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

The global electric vehicles market is anticipated to reach USD 912 billion by 2026 according to a new study published by Polaris Market Research. Electric vehicles are one of the fastest growing mode of transport which have adopted smart technologies. It constitutes of electric buses, cars, trucks, and electric bikes. The market is maturing at a fast rate due to increasing demand, initiatives to expand electric vehicle charging stations, and diverse vehicle models. Large number of consumers have become more familiar with these technologies and the trend is spreading fast across the world economies.

Browse for full research summary: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/electric-vehicles-ev-market

Government initiatives to accelerate the shift of their nations vehicle fleet from combustion to electric drive has led to rapid growth in the sale of the electric vehicles. Some of the actions undertaken in 2018 by the federal and state regulators in this regard include Evolve NY (an electric vehicle expansion initiative in New York), funding opportunities for advanced electric vehicle projects by the U.S. Department of Energy, and rebate programs for EV charging stations in Ohio, U.S. Oil dependence benefits, climate change, and clean air are the most crucial factors for different governments across the world to promote the electric vehicles among consumers. Apart from these factors, one another significant parameter includes economic benefits from manufacturing of the future electric car industry. The automobile manufacturing hubs such as the United States, Germany, and Japan will have much to lose if they do not support the transition to electric vehicles.

Electric vehicle sales & production has witnessed a tremendously rapid growth due to numerous advanced technological developments. The manufacturing companies have undertaken R&D concerning the design, range, and maintenance of these vehicles. In 2017 ten big companies (Tesla, BAIC, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, and five others) had more than 50,000 in annual sales as compared to five such companies in 2016.

Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/electric-vehicles-ev-market/request-for-sample

Asia is the most popular region for the growth of electronic vehicles with China as the most significant global player. Other Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan along with China have been major battery providers. Increase demand from India for the electric vehicles has also contributed towards the growth of this regional market. However, the global industry is also subjected to some restraints such as high product price. Electric vehicles are highly priced and are not affordable by each consumer, especially in the countries with lower economic growth. Moreover, the maintenance of the electric bikes is costly and requires frequent charging and changing of batteries. Some battery related issues also include lead emissions from few batteries and the energy storage systems, are some of the factors restraining the market growth.

The global electric vehicle industry constitutes of many international and domestics players. Some of the key players include Volkswagen Group, Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, BAIC Corporation, General Motors, Ford, and Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi.

Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/electric-vehicles-ev-market/request-for-discount-pricing

About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world.

Contact us-

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Phone: 1-646-568-9980

Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com

Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
Ultimately, Mr. Trump outperformed his 2016 showing among Latino voters, earning the support of about one in three nationwide, even as Joseph R. Biden Jr. won those voters by a roughly two-to-one margin over all, according to exit polls.

All told, close to 17 million Latino voters turned out in the general election, according to a separate analysis published in January by the U.C.L.A. Latino Policy & Politics Initiative. That represented an uptick of more than 30 percent from 2016  and the highest level of Latino participation in history.

With the coronavirus pandemic and the related economic downturn taking center stage on the campaign trail, Equis Labs found that many Latino voters  particularly conservatives  had focused more heavily on economic issues than they had four years earlier. This helped Mr. Trump by putting the spotlight on an issue that was seen as one of his strong suits and by drawing some attention away from his anti-immigrant language.

In focus groups, Equis Labs interviewers noticed that Mr. Trumps history as a businessman was seen as a positive attribute by many Latino voters, who viewed him as well positioned to guide the economy through the pandemic-driven recession. Partly as a result, the analysis found, many conservative Latino voters who had been hanging back at the start of the campaign came around to supporting him.

Driving up turnout among low-propensity voters  something that Senator Bernie Sanders had sought to do during his campaign for the Democratic nomination  did not necessarily translate into gains for Democrats in the general election, the study found. People who were likely to vote generally grew more negative on Mr. Trumps job performance over the course of 2020, but among those who reported being less likely to participate in the election, his job approval rose.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a decision to establish the National Investment Fund to support large-scale and socially significant investment projects.

"At the instruction of the President of Ukraine, the Government established the State Enterprise National Investment Fund of Ukraine (National Investment Fund) and approved its charter. The decision was adopted at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on March 31," the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development of Ukraine informs.

It is noted that the purpose of the National Investment Fund is to create favorable conditions for implementing large-scale investment and socially significant projects, developing international economic cooperation, and increasing the competitiveness of Ukraine.

According to the Ministrys press service, in accordance with the approved Charter, the objects of activity of the enterprise are: attracting and concentrating financial resources for the implementation of investment projects; financing and implementing priority investment projects; attracting investment; preparing investment and other projects; managing property in accordance with the law; establishing investment funds, participating in investment funds; participating in joint activities; participating in socially significant projects.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to take measures to establish the National Investment Fund. This is stated in Decree No.103 / 2021 of March 9, published on the President's website.

On March 29, Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal chaired an online meeting on the establishment of the National Investment Fund, in pursuance of the decree of the President of Ukraine.

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Acquires two data centers in South Korea and forms a long-term strategic alliance with Sejong Telecom

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Digital Edge (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd. (Digital Edge or the Company), a leading data center platform, established to transform the digital infrastructure in Asia and backed by Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, today announced plans to expand its regional footprint to South Korea by entering into a definitive agreement to acquire Sejong Telecoms data center assets in an all-cash transaction. At closing, Digital Edge will acquire one data center in Gangnam, Seoul and a Cable Landing Station facility in Centum City, Busan. The addition of these strategic assets, including their associated operations and customers, marks the Companys initial entry into the Korean market and further strengthens its regional platform.

This transaction will allow Digital Edge to immediately offer interconnect and data center solutions in the fast-growing Korean market and establish a solid foundation for future expansion in two key metros  Seoul and Busan. Sejong Telecoms data centers are strategically located and bring a wealth of connectivity options from existing customers. Digital Edge plans to invest additional capital to expand the capacity and improve the energy efficiency of both facilities. Between the transaction and subsequent expansions, Digital Edge expects to invest over US$120 million.

Over the years, global cloud, content, and network service providers have expressed a strong desire for more flexible and cost-effective interconnect options in the Korean market. As part of the transaction, Sejong Telecom and Digital Edge have also entered into a long-term strategic partnership to bring innovative products and services to the marketplace to meet the expectations of both domestic and international customers.

With our US$1 billion capital commitment to build the Digital Edge Platform in Asia, we are excited to announce the plan to enter into the Korean market, following our initial investments in data centers in Japan. Korea is one of the fastest growing markets in Asia with the most advanced digital infrastructure, said Samuel Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Edge. This transaction provides a great opportunity for multinational companies, as well as Korean businesses, to leverage Digital Edges platform to increase their digital footprint in Korea by interconnecting to a rich ecosystem of customers and partners in all key facilities in Seoul and Busan.

Our partnership with Digital Edge will further accelerate digital transformation opportunities for Korean enterprise customers, said Yoo Ki-yoon, President of Sejong Telecom. We look forward to combining access to Digital Edges interconnect-rich data center platform with Sejong Telecoms advanced network connections to offer a wider range of cloud and network enabled solutions.

The acquisition of these strategic assets in South Korea will form a solid core for our maturing regional platform, said Yongsuk Choi, Chief Infrastructure and Data Centre Operations Officer of Digital Edge. It will position Digital Edge as a credible and reliable data center and interconnection service provider in South Korea, with high-quality assets from Seoul to Busan and a large, diversified ecosystem of Korean and multinational businesses. Additionally, it opens key gateways for the rest of Asia through the submarine cable systems in the Busan area.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

About Digital Edge

Headquartered in Singapore, Digital Edge is a trusted and forward-looking data center platform company, established to transform the digital infrastructure in Asia. Through building and operating state-of-the-art, energy-efficient data centers rich with connectivity options, Digital Edge aims to bring new colocation and interconnect options to the Asian market, making infrastructure deployment in Asia easy, efficient and economical.

Digital Edge was founded by a seasoned senior management team with decades of industry experience and an established track record of value creation in the data center, cloud and telecommunications industries in the Asia-Pacific region. Backed by Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, Digital Edge has in excess of US$1 billion in committed capital to establish and drive its data center platform in Asia.

About Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners

Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners (www.stonepeakpartners.com) is an infrastructure-focused private equity firm headquartered in New York that manages $31.3 billion of capital for its investors (as of February, 2021). Stonepeak invests in long-lived, hard-asset businesses and projects that provide essential services to customers, and seeks to actively partner with high-quality management teams, facilitate operational improvements, and provide capital for growth initiatives.

About Sejong Telecom

Sejong Telecom Incorporated, established in June 1992 in Seoul, Korea, is a leading provider of technology, communications, information products and services. Sejong Telecom offers voice, data and video services and solutions on its advanced networks and platforms, meeting customer demand for reliable network connectivity, security, and control. As a neutral carrier, Sejong Telecom provides connectivity services, including dedicated lines, IX and data services, while providing wired, wireless, and MVNO mobile services. Sejong Telecom has been expanding into new emerging markets, such as platform, contents, home, security, solutions, and blockchain, for sustainable growth. Sejong Telecoms mission is to connect, co-create, and share the added values to every participant, by inducing convergence synergies with the existing telecom and platform business across various industrial sectors.

To learn more about Sejong Telecom, visit https://sejongtelecom.net.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006062/en/

Media

Digital Edge and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners

Sard Verbinnen & Co

Ben Spicehandler / Julie Rudnick

Stonepeak-SVC@SARDVERB.com

Sejong Telecom

Yoo EunHee

+82-70-7997-6098

yeh@sejongtelecom.net

Source: Digital Edge and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners
Pennsylvanias rate of positive COVID-19 tests rose to 9.4% this week as the state shows continuing signs of a third wave of infections.

The rate has risen from 7.6% during the week ending March 25 and 6.5% the week before that.

The rate peaked at 16.2% during the December surge which at one point hospitalized about 6,300 people in Pennsylvania.

It had fallen as low as 5.7% earlier this month. A positive rate of 5% or more is considered a sign of significant spread.

Pennsylvania on Friday reported 4,656 new COVID-19 infections, an increase from Thursday, but a decline from the 4,927 new infections reported last Friday.

Hospitalizations rose again on Friday, with 2,173 people hospitalized, up from 1,772 a week earlier. Of those, 435 were in intensive care, up from 372 a week earlier.

State Acting Secretary of Health Alison Bean said this week variant strains which can spread faster and cause more severe illness are playing a role in the surge.

Pennsylvania experts have said people easing up on face mask-wearing and social distancing is also contributing to the surge, even as the state urges people to continue most preventive steps.

The surge comes despite Pennsylvania having vaccinated virtually all of its long-term care residents and a majority of its seniors, with those groups being the most vulnerable to severe COVID-19 illness and death.

Pennsylvania has given about 5.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of early Friday, according to the state health department.

The state said 32.4% of Pennsylvanians have received at least one dose, 12th highest in the U.S.

About 3.5 million people in Pennsylvania are partially vaccinated and about 1.9 million have received the two doses needed for full protection. Pennsylvania has 12.8 million residents.

As of Friday, Pennsylvania had administered about 80% of doses received, the 18th highest percentage in the U.S., according to Beckers Hospital Review.

Pennsylvania has recently been vaccinating about 83,000 people per day. Further, state officials said this week the vaccine supply has expanded greatly and many vaccine providers all over the state had open appointments. Thats a big change from a few weeks ago, when many who wanted vaccine couldnt find an available dose.

Pennsylvania this week announced plans to make everyone over 16 eligible for vaccine as of April 19.

Pennsylvania on Friday announced 28 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing its total to 25,148.
San Franciscos school district was already juggling a difficult classroom reopening, a departing superintendent, tattered finances and bitter leadership battles when one school board member sued the public agency and her fellow commissioners this week, magnifying the crisis.

The federal lawsuit filed by school board member Alison Collins is a rare legal challenge by an elected official against peers and a public agency, with taxpayers on the hook for attorney costs and most of any settlement or damages that could be awarded in the case that stems from a thread of tweets.

It came nearly two months after the city attorney  with backing from the mayor  sued the school district over the districts slow reopening, pitting local officials against each other.

Collins, who is asking for $87 million in damages, filed the lawsuit against the district and five fellow board members Wednesday, alleging they violated her free speech rights by stripping her of her position as vice president and removing her from a committee over tweets she posted in 2016 attacking Asian Americans.

The thread of tweets, which included racist statements, was resurfaced by people who oppose Collins leadership. Collins, who was elected in 2018, has said the posts were taken out of context but apologized for any hurt her words caused.

The lawsuit also alleges that the vote violated Collins due process rights and caused her to suffer losses in income, significant loss of reputation, severe mental and emotional distress, and humiliation.

The battle could further distract the school district, which already faces an ongoing pandemic, as well as controversies and lawsuits over the renaming of schools and the end of merit-based admissions at Lowell High School. Meanwhile, three members including Collins face a potential recall, which moved ahead Thursday with the approval to collect signatures.

Though some legal experts say the lawsuit was unlikely to succeed, its unclear how the board will function as a governing body with the civil action hanging over it.

Board members and the superintendent declined to comment on the suit. Experts said the situation appeared to be unprecedented and that families and students could suffer significant harm if board members cant work together productively. Many families are hoping the board will present a united front and promise a return to five full days a week of in-person instruction in the fall.

Longtime education advocate Ted Lempert, who has spent years working with the states 1,000 school districts, said the situation in San Francisco is extreme and out of hand.

In San Francisco and California, you need every dollar to go to kids, he said. You don't need it to go to lawyers.

Lempert, president of Children Now, an Oakland advocacy and research organization, said the districts dysfunction could discredit or overshadow the equity policies and goals that Collins and her fellow board members are pushing.

They have the right ideas, but the way theyre acting is making a mockery of what needs to be the path, he said.

State Superintendent of Public Education Tony Thurmond said hes aware of the matter and is calling local officials to see whether he can help. I know theres a lot of hurt, he said. Obviously the lawsuit takes things to a new level of complexity.

Several San Francisco public officials who had previously been critical of Collins tweets also decried the lawsuit.

Its just a mess, said Mayor London Breed, who had previously called on Collins to resign over the tweets. And its embarrassing and its disgraceful. And we know that this is a school district that doesnt have sufficient resources as it is.

State Sen. Scott Wiener said on Twitter, If Allison Collins even vaguely cares about educating San Franciscos kids, shell stop suing the school district & her colleagues for $100M & instead resign.

Collins and her supporters, though, said she had been harmed by the response to the resurfaced tweets, and that it was important that she fight what she deems misinformation about her anti-racism work. Supporters have said Collins consistently stood up for the Asian American community and that the campaign to get her to resign was orchestrated by those organizing the recall, who had unearthed the tweets.

So much of who I am and how I am in this world has gotten lost due to this targeted smear to label me as a racist, Collins said at a Wednesday rally. I am a Black woman. Im a mother. Im an educator. All of these (words) mean I have no choice but to fight.

She declined further comment.

Collinss tweets from 2016 were widely condemned by city officials, community organizations and district administrators, many of whom asked her to resign.

Collins said in her thread of tweets on Dec. 4, 2016, that many 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.

Later in the thread, Collins singled out Asian Americans in recounting an incident. 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.

Another tweet asked, Where are the vocal Asians speaking up against Trump? Dont Asian Americans know theyre on his list as well? Using asterisks in references to the racial epithet, Collins continued, Do they think they wont be deported? profiled? beaten? Being a house n****r is still being a n****r. Youre still considered the help.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

Collins lawyer, Charles Bonner, said the lawsuit aimed to end what he called lies about the tweets, noting similarities to words used by Malcolm X about bringing together all of those oppressed by racism.

She was saying, Listen, we all got to coalesce, weve got to unify, weve got to hold hands and recognize our commonality. So she called everyone to action, Bonner said.

Bonner said the lawsuit would be dropped if the board members rescind Collins demotion. We want them to issue a written apology that they misunderstood the words, that they were not racist, he said.

Its unclear whether board members would do that. Members Jenny Lam, Mark Sanchez, Faauuga Moliga, Kevine Boggess and Matt Alexander are defendants in the case, with each sued for $15 million in damages. The district is also named, with a $12 million request for damages. Board President Gabriela Lopez voted against Collins demotion and has staunchly supported her.

Boggess said in a statement Wednesday on social media that hes confident the boards vote on Collins was legal. Other board members did not respond to requests for comment.

There could be other repercussions from Collins lawsuit, including harming the reputation of the districts board among philanthropists. Phil Halperin of the Silver Giving Foundation, a longtime advocate and fundraiser for the district, said big donors might worry about supporting a school system where elected officials are suing each other.

The COVID year has not been kind to San Francisco Unifieds Board of Educations reputation, and the wounds are entirely self-inflicted, he said. Many of the people Ive talked to are hitting the pause button right now.

Many parents have also grown wary, applying to private schools or transferring to reopened districts nearby. The district saw more than 500 fewer applications for fall enrollment this year, which could have negative consequences on future state funding.

Some San Francisco parents posted on social media Thursday that they would leave at the end of this school year.

Lempert, the childrens advocate, said he worries that the districts dysfunction could be used to discredit public education in general.

Its easy for folks outside the district to laugh and say its crazy, but it gives momentum to those who dont support or believe in public education, and its really damaging to the vast majority who do and really want it to be better, Lempert said. What might be a joke to some people outside San Francisco has the potential to do really serious damage.

Chronicle staff writer Trisha Thadani contributed to this report.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JillTucker
The works of William Shakespeare should be built into the medical undergraduate curriculum to teach students how to connect more closely with their patients, a doctor suggests.

Dr David Jeffrey, a palliative care doctor at the University of Edinburgh, is calling for more emotional connections in clinical practice to improve doctor-patient relations interactions over the world.

Currently, doctors can distance themselves from patients, avoiding emotions by focusing on biomedical facts  a process described as 'detached concern'.

But doctors should arguably be breaking down this emotional barrier for the benefit of their patients, potentially when they're suffering from distressing illnesses, Dr Jeffrey suggests.

Shakespeare's obvious appreciation of empathy  the ability to understand and share the feelings of another  as demonstrated by characters in his plays could teach medical students to master this skill, he says.

The English playwright, poet, and actor William Shakespeare, portrayed here in an illustration taken from Meyers Lexicon, is widely believed to have been the greatest dramatist of all time. He was also a master of empathy and had a 'sensitivity to psychological and social concerns' - so much so, that medics in training should read his works, Dr David Jeffrey suggests

EMPATHY IN SHAKESPEARE PLAYS - 'Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel', King Lear Act III scene iii - 'Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er you are, That bide the pelting of this pitiless night', King Lear Act III scene iii - 'O, I have suffer'd with those that I saw suffer.' The Tempest Act I Scene ii - 'Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.' King Lear Act V Scene iii - 'I'll teach you differences' King Lear Act I scene iv Advertisement

Dr Jeffrey's argument is presented in a new scientific paper published on Friday in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Drawing on references from The Tempest, As You Like It and King Lear, he writes: 'It is remarkable that Shakespeare's work remains relevant today.

'It seems that he had an ability to anticipate our thoughts, particularly in times of crisis.

'Shakespeare's defining gift is his empathic approach  each of his characters speaks in their own voice, generating a narrative composed of multiple individual perspectives, while suppressing his own ego.

'A study of Shakespeare's plays may be a creative way of enhancing empathic approaches in medical students.'

Currently, there's a 'deeply ingrained' theory among medics that 'emotions are disruptive' and need to be kept under control.

This means doctors can sometimes appear to distance themselves from patients emotionally  perhaps as a tactic for dealing with the job.

Currently, doctors can distance themselves from patients, avoiding emotions by focusing on biomedical facts  a process described as 'detached concern'

But empathy from a doctor directed towards his or her patient 'can create a sense of security in situations of great uncertainty', such as in end-of-life care, Dr Jeffrey believes.

Dr David Jeffrey (poictured) is a palliative care doctor at the University of Edinburgh

'I do think that doctors want to empathise with patients but are sometimes constrained by lack of time and workload,' he told MailOnline.

Not only could Shakespeare see a situation from multiple points of view, but his understanding of empathic feeling was deepened by his grief for his son, who died in 1596.

Shakespeare's suffering increased the depth of his emotional expression as shown in his later plays like Macbeth and King Lear.

In his 1817 book 'Characters of Shakespear's Plays', English essayist and literary critic William Hazlitt says Shakespeare displayed the 'greatest knowledge of humanity with the greatest fellow-feeling for it'.

The playwright's sensitivity to psychological and social concerns relates to the fact that he was writing before the scientific revolution in times of plague and religious upheaval.

Dr Jeffrey also compares Shakespeare's time when plague was rife with the coronavirus pandemic over the past year.

King Lear was allegedly written while Shakespeare was quarantined during a plague outbreak and original Globe theatre in London was shut.

Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, associated with William Shakespeare, in the London Borough of Southwark. The original theatre was built in 1599

As the current pandemic looks to be drawing to a close, Dr Jeffrey envisages an era of more empathetic interactions between doctor and patient.

'The recent Covid-19 pandemic, with the need for personal protection, social distancing and video consultations, has created challenges to establishing empathic relationships between patients and doctors,' he says.

'Shakespeare speaks through times of crisis, underlining the centrality of empathic human relationships.'

Dr Jeffrey explores empathy between medics and patients further in his book, 'Empathy-Based Ethics: A Way to Practice Humane Medicine'.
A giant walrus who has been ruling roost on a slipway in Tenby finally met his match after being confronted by a lifeboat team returning home.

The walrus nicknamed Wally has been sunbathing on the lifeboat slipway as it attracted crowds of day-trippers.

It has already sunk a dinghy as it tried to hitch a ride in a Welsh seaside town, in its latest adventure after straying thousands of miles from its Arctic home.

Wally the walrus has been sunbathing on the lifeboat slipway in Tenby, Wales, and has attracted crowds of day-trippers

Wally the Walrus finally met his match after being confronted by a lifeboat team returning home, flopping into the water in Tenby, Wales

But facing the RNLI lifeboat at Tenby, Pembrokeshire, was a foe too far for Wally.

Excited onlookers watched as heavyweight Wally rolled off the slipway to make way for the lifeboat crew returning to their station.

Watcher Jenny Leyshon, 46, said: 'It looked like nothing would disturb Wally lying on the slipway.

'But then the lifeboat sailed in - and it was either them or the Walrus. So it slipped into the water to let the lifeboat back home.'

The Arctic walrus Wally earlier this week capsized the dinghy as it tried to flop aboard.

It was then spotted attempted to climb onto the fishing boat moored in the harbour of Tenby.

Wally the Walrus, pictured, was been spotted swimming while clinging on to a boat in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, earlier this week

The juvenile Arctic walrus, pictured, was first spotted off the Irish west coast before continuing on to Wales

Beachgoer Martyn Thomas, 36, said he was walking along the harbour when he noticed other people looking out to sea.

He said: 'I wondered what was going on and you could see the walrus by an overturned dinghy. Someone said that it flipped it over as it tried to get on.

'The next thing it was trying to get up to a fishing boat and had its flippers right up to the deck. It was like it wanted to get aboard.'

Mr Thomas, who is a father of one, said it was an impressive sight during the morning's high tide.

He said: 'It's a huge creature. It was just swimming around lazily and looked happy enough.'

Plumber Sean Roche, of Pembrokeshire-based SR Plumbing, spent more than 20 minutes watching it as it played with the boats.

The giant mammal sank this dinghy after trying to clamber aboard - possibly in the search for food

He said: 'I was slightly late for work this morning. This is the best excuse.'

Animal welfare groups are monitoring the giant sea creature believed to have previously visited Ireland after travelling from the Arctic on an ice floe.

The walrus is believed to have crossed the Irish Sea after being spotted in County Kerry earlier this month.

In the past few days it has taken refuge on the RNLI slipway where lifeboat chiefs are keeping the crowds away from it.

It was first seen in Wales on rocks near Broad Haven South beach before swimming further south to Tenby days later.

Wally the Walrus is believed to have travelled across the Atlantic from Greenland on a sheet of ice before arriving in Co Kerry in the Irish Republic. He later swam into the Irish Sea, arriving in Tenby, Pembrokeshire

Crowds gathered by the boathouse to take pictures as the walrus sunbathed on the slipway

In the past few days it has taken refuge on the RNLI slipway where lifeboat chiefs are keeping the crowds away from it.

Cleopatra Browne, of Welsh Marine Life Rescue, visited the walrus when it first arrived in Wales, saying: 'It was about the size of a cow.

'It was a whopper. I've seen them on telly and the news but it was huge.'

Walruses are more often seen in the Arctic, and are not usually seen this far south.

Ms Browne watched the walrus from about 40m away and believed it was a young animal as its tusks were 'about 3in long'.

'There is a tale going around that it fell asleep on an iceberg and ended up drifting across and woke up in Ireland,' said Ms Browne.

Wally the Walrus was first spotted in County Kerry in the Irish Republic before travelling to Pembrokeshire. He has been seen in the Tenby area over the course of several days

'And then ended up in Wales on the way home.'

It was first seen on the coast of County Kerry in west Ireland on March 15 before making the 450km journey to Pembrokeshire in Wales on March 21.

The RSPCA were called out to check on the creature  which is 'underweight'  at the bottom of a cliff near Broad Haven South beach last week.

Experts believe the walrus is a young adult, but it is not possible to determine the gender, as both males and females have tusks.

They said the animal may have dozed off on a block of ice and drifted across the ocean in its trip to Ireland.
An MP who sparked a fierce public backlash after allegedly travelling 700 miles with coronavirus, paid for her overnight stay with public expenses.

Margaret Ferrier, 60, travelled from Glasgow to Westminster and back again in September while suffering with Covid, it has been claimed.

The former SNP MP allegedly travelled from Scotland to the House of Commons while waiting for the results of a coronavirus test - and then made the return journey after being informed she had the virus.

It has now emerged that Ms Ferrier claimed 175 in expenses for the overnight stay, according to data released by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Margaret Ferrier, 60, travelled from Glasgow to Westminster and back again in September while suffering with Covid, it has been claimed

The 60-year-old had the SNP whip removed last year after it emerged she allegedly travelled from Glasgow to the House of Commons while waiting for the results of a Covid-19 test - and then made the return journey after being informed she had the virus

Her claim, which is within parliamentary rules, shows her paying 525 originally for the September 28 stay, but there is a refund of 350 the next day - for the cost of the two remaining nights.

Last year Nicola Sturgeon kicked her out of the Scottish National Party, and in January Ms Ferrier was arrested for allegedly putting lives at risk.

She remains the independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

Police Scotland charged her with culpable and reckless conduct - a charge which, if she is convicted, could see her face prison.

In October the Metropolitan Police said it would take 'no further action' against the MP following an investigation.

Ms Ferrier has been contacted for comment.
Americans whove been fully vaccinated can travel throughout the U.S. without getting tested for the COVID-19 virus or quarantining once they arrive at their destination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on travel Friday to include travel as a low risk activity for fully vaccinated individuals.

Every day you get more data, and you change your guidance based on the existing data, said Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraskas College of Public Health, according to the Associated Press.

The CDC had previously discouraged unnecessary travel even for those whove received the vaccine. However, as more people are becoming fully vaccinated, the agency will continue to update guidance.

Fully vaccinated travelers are still encouraged to follow safety measures that reduce the chance of spreading the virus. That includes wearing a mask in public, maintaining social distancing and avoiding large crowds, especially indoors.

Vaccinated international travelers are also encouraged to get a negative COVID test prior to flying and to take another test 3 to 5 days after returning. That suggestion is based in large part on the emergence of variants of the virus which vaccines may not cover as well as the more common version of the virus.

The updated guidance is welcomed news to those in the travel industry whove been hit hard by the closures and travel restrictions caused by the virus.

The CDCs new travel guidance is a major step in the right direction that is supported by the science and will take the brakes off the industry that has been hardest hit by the fallout of COVID by far. As travel comes back, U.S. jobs come back, said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow in a statement.

The CDCs data suggests that vaccinated individuals dont transmit the coronavirus, which opens the door much wider for resuming travel, albeit while continuing to carefully follow other health best practices. Acknowledging that vaccinations eliminate the need for testing and quarantines removes a key barrier to domestic travel. Rescinding the recommendation that international visitors must quarantine also is an important incremental step.

The CDC estimates 30% of Americans have received at least one dose of a vaccine, which is roughly 100 million people. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after theyve received the final dose of a vaccine. For the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, that means two weeks after your second dose and for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, that means two weeks after you received the shot.

Those who have not been vaccinated are still encouraged not to make any sort of unnecessary travel plans until theyve been fully vaccinated.

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No10 was today urged to consider asking for a refund of the 21million it invested into fitting out a Dutch factory to make AstraZeneca jabs, if the EU presses ahead with its threat to impose an export ban.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock approved the multi-million pound investment in the Halix factory in Leiden with the guarantee that doses would be sent to the UK.

Initially, it was hoped that Brussels and London could split the jabs produced.

But a senior EU official has threatened to block all AstraZeneca supplies from entering Britain until the drugmaker ups its deliveries to the bloc - putting the factory at the centre of the row.

Thierry Breton  the EU's internal market commissioner  said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe.

He said 'there is nothing to negotiate' between the EU and the UK.

Furious MPs urged the Government to demand their investment back if doses cannot be sent to the UK.

Deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group Steve Baker said: 'We invested in this plant. We have contractual entitlements to vaccines.

'If the EU disagrees with those entitlements, they have the option of going to court.

'Even in my worst Eurosceptic moments, I would never have dreamt the EU would behave like this.'

Deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group Steve Baker (pictured) urged No10 to ask for a refund of the 21million it invested into fitting out a Dutch factory to make AstraZeneca jabs, if the EU presses ahead with its threat to impose an export ban

Halix (the factory, pictured) provides drugs for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is put into vials in Italy before being distributed for use

Where Britain's vaccine doses are made: AstraZeneca doses (yellow) are mainly produced domestically

A senior EU official has threatened to block all AstraZeneca (pictured being tested in a factory) supplies from entering Britain until the drugmaker ups its deliveries to the bloc - putting the factory at the centre of the row

This chart shows how Britain is still racing ahead of the EU in vaccinating its population against Covid-19, more than three months after the continent started its jab programme

The UK has vaccinated more than 30 million people with their first dose of Covid vaccine

Health Secretary Matt Hancock approved the multi-million pound investment in the Halix factory in Leiden with the guarantee that doses would be sent to the UK

While the UK invested upwards of 20million in the plant, a bloc official said the EU had not spent any money on it at all.

A leaked letter - seen by The Daily Telegraph - revealed that Oxford scientists advised Dutch leaders to invest funds in the plant, but they never agreed to a deal.

It has since been suggested that should the country's government have acted more decisively in investing in the Halix factory, the bloc would have millions of jabs at their disposal.

Britain's AstraZeneca doses are currently all produced domestically, and Pfizer jabs are imported from the EU.

EU chiefs are furious that AstraZeneca has missed its delivery targets by tens of millions of doses - accusing the Anglo-Swedish firm of breaching its contract - while a third wave of coronavirus surges surge across Europe with a third lockdown beginning in France at the weekend and similar calls being made in Germany.

While the UK invested upwards of 20million in the plant, a bloc official said the EU had not spent any money on it at all. Pictured: Boris Johnson

Deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group Steve Baker (pictured) said: 'We invested in this plant. We have contractual entitlements to vaccines'

Mr Breton told the FT EU-made doses must be reserved for the bloc to make up for the shortfall, adding: 'If [AstraZeneca] does more, we don't have any issue, but as long as it doesn't deliver its commitment to us, the doses stay in Europe  except for Covax.'

UK Government sources described his comments as 'disappointing' and accused him of 'not respecting lawful contracts'.

They claimed the only way to get through the pandemic was to find a 'win-win'.

In an attempt to calm cross-Channel tensions, the EU's former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier urged his colleagues to end the vaccine war.

In his last speech representing the European Commission, Mr Barnier said the fight against Covid was 'more than speed of vaccination'.

Tory MP Craig Mackinlay told MailOnline it was 'bizarre' that major EU member states had banned the AstraZeneca vaccines over small blood clot risks, yet were 'up in arms that they haven't got enough of it'.

Meanwhile, Pfizer has slammed the extended powers allowing the EU to block exports of its vaccines and claims the move has 'caused a significant administrative burden' to the rollout of the vaccine.

The drug company's vice-president for global supply, Danny Hendrikse, described how export controls introduced in February had affected the production of its vaccine and created 'some uncertainty' on the free movement of its goods.

Initially, it was hoped that Brussels and London could split the jabs produced at Halix (pictured)

Thierry Breton (left), the EU's internal market commissioner, said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe. In a last ditch attempt to calm cross-Channel tensions, the EU's former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (right) last nigth urged his colleagues to end the vaccine war

Downing Street claims its deal with the drug giant for 100million doses means the UK gets first access to supplies from the Seneffe (left) and Halix (right) plants, but has suggested sharing them as part of a peace offering with the EU

Europe's vaccine roll-out is 'unacceptably slow and prolonging the pandemic', WHO warns Europe's vaccine roll-out has been condemned for being 'unacceptably slow' and blamed for 'prolonging the pandemic' by the World Health Organisation. 'Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic ... However, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow' and is 'prolonging the pandemic', WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge said yesterday. He added that Europe's outbreak was 'more worrying than we have seen in several months.' The EU is facing soaring infections - France imposed its third national lockdown this week and there are similar calls in Germany - as countries face a lack of vaccine doses which are being centrally allocated by Brussels. The Bloc failed to order enough doses or grant vaccines swift approval and is now facing a crisis of confidence in the AstraZeneca jab - which leaders like Emmanuel Macron helped fuel during the EU's bitter row with Britain over supplies. Europe's medicines regulator slapped down fresh doubts raised in Germany after hospitals in Berlin and Munich banned the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over sporadic cases of deadly blood clots. But as Germany joined other states like France in banning use of AstraZeneca, EU officials yesterday continued their rancorous threats to block exports of the vaccine to Britain until they get the doses they believe they are owed. Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the Continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe. He shot down hopes that Brussels and London could split doses made at the firm's two major factories in Belgium and the Netherlands, saying 'there is nothing to negotiate' between the two parties. Advertisement

The US firm, which supplies more than 70 countries with the injections including the UK, must now seek approval from the European Commission before exporting its jabs and must notify the Belgian government in advance about every parcel.

It comes as one of the UK Government's top vaccine advisers said the benefits of taking the AstraZeneca vaccine are 'massively greater than the risks', amid fears over a tiny number of vaccinated people who suffered brain blood clots. Professor Adam Finn, who sits on No10's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said all vaccines and medicines come with some risk, but added they were 'very, very small risks'.

On Tuesday night, Germany became the latest EU nation to suspend AstraZeneca's coronavirus jab for people under 60 after a small number of vaccinated people developed deadly brain clots.

France, Norway and Spain have also restricted its use in certain age groups.

The EU's medical watchdog once again threw its support behind the Oxford University-developed vaccine, saying there was still no proof it had caused the clots and that the patients might have suffered them regardless of the jab.

There were fears that the bans across Europe would fuel vaccine hesitancy in the UK, but it emerged yesterday that more than 99 per cent of Britons have turned up to their second jab appointments so far, with the majority getting the AZ jab.

The increasing uncertainty surrounding the movement of the vaccines comes after Boris Johnson last week warned Brussels that companies could pull investment in the EU if it follows through on threats of an 'arbitrary' blockade on vaccine exports to the UK.

The PM said businesses would 'draw conclusions' about the bloc's commitment to the law and free trade after Brussels unveiled draconian new rules seemingly targeting Britain's rollout.

Mr Hendrikse told The Times: 'It has caused a significant administrative burden and some uncertainty. Ultimately what we would like our colleagues to do is to focus on making and distributing the vaccine.'

Meanwhile, the Sun reported yesterday that 99.25 per cent of Brits have turned up for their second Covid jab, with Thursday marking the first time more top-ups were administered than first doses since the rollout began.

Latest official figures show 270,526 vulnerable Brits got their second injection on Tuesday  meaning the total number of fully vaccinated Brits stands at 4.1million.

April is expected to the be a month of second doses because millions are due their second jab as the 12 week deadline approaches.

It comes despite several major EU countries banning AstraZeneca's vaccine after a small number of people suffered blood clots. It was feared the bans would fuel jab hesitancy in the UK and lead to more people turning down their second appointments.

How badly would the UK's vaccine drive suffer if the EU blocked exports? If the European Union blocked all exports of coronavirus vaccines made on its turf, Britain could remain self-sufficient and still get jabs to the entire population. However, it could come under pressure on second dose supply because it relies on importing Pfizer's jab from Belgium. WHICH VACCINES ARE MADE IN THE EU? The Pfizer/BioNTech jab is currently the only vaccine used in the UK but manufactured in the EU, at the company's plant in Puurs, Belgium and BioNTech factories in Germany. AstraZeneca's jab is made at home in England and Wales. Moderna's  which will become available next week  is produced in Switzerland, which is not an EU member and so not under the EU's jurisdiction. CAN WE RELY ON ASTRAZENECA? The good news is that the UK has ordered so many doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab  100million  that in a worst-case scenario it could immunise the entire adult population (around 50million people) using that one alone. And the majority of these can be made in England and Wales, although ministers had hoped to boost it with imports from the Netherlands and India, which are now facing problems. WHAT ABOUT PFIZER SECOND DOSES? The bad news is that around 11million people have already had at least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and the majority of them are still waiting for a second jab, which are likely only to come from within the EU. The UK has already stopped giving out the Pfizer vaccine to first-time patients so it can prioritise all the supplies - which are now in danger of grinding to a halt - for existing patients' second doses. Pfizer and the UK Government have both refused to comment on the supply chain but deliveries were already expected to be smaller in April. Pfizer declined to comment on its supply chain but said: 'In the UK, we are continuing to liaise closely with the Government to deliver the 40million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that we have committed to supply before the end of the year and can confirm that overall projected supply remains the same for quarter one (January to March).' Advertisement

Europe's medical watchdog slapped down Germany for suspending AstraZeneca's coronavirus jab for people under 60.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said there was 'no evidence' to support Berlin halting the jab for people under 60, adding that the benefits of protecting against Covid outweigh the risk of extremely rare brain clots.

Analysis by the regulator found just 62 out of 9.1million people vaccinated with the jab worldwide had developed the brain clot, known as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis  a rate of about five per million. Forty-four of them were in Europe.

Emer Cooke, the EMA's executive director, told a press conference on Thursday afternoon there was no proof the vaccine had caused CSVT in any of the cases and admitted those people might have developed the condition regardless.

The EMA's ruling puts the watchdog at odds with many other major EU member states which have also restricted the jab's rollout in certain age groups, including France, Spain and Norway.

Asked about the potential risk for blood clots with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the JCVI's Professor Finn said yesterdaythi: 'I think one thing we can say at this moment is that the benefits (of the vaccine) outweigh the risk.

'As things stand, the risks of Covid, and of blood clots indeed caused by Covid, are massively greater than the risks that may conceivably exist as a result of receiving this vaccine.

'We are in a state of uncertainty at this point about all of this. We don't know for sure about the causal relationship. And we don't really know, critically, what the mechanism is and so what implication that might have even for other vaccines.'

Many vaccines currently in use 'do have very rare, unexpected serious side effects but we still use them because the balance of risk and benefit is greatly in favour of using them,' he added.

'It could turn out that that's the case for either one or even more than one of the vaccines we've developed against Covid. So, it is always in the end a matter of balancing risk and benefit.

'Just as we all get up in the morning and go to work and take a mortal risk  we find that acceptable because we might die in a car accident or be knocked down by a bus. We have to get used to the idea that using vaccines and drugs and medicines is not without risk, but they're very, very small risks, and the risks of not using them is obviously much greater.'

Reports of CSVT have been most common in Germany, where 31 out of 2.7million vaccinated people suffered the deadly brain clot  a rate of one in 90,000. The cases, which were almost entirely in younger women, led to the nation banning the vaccine in under-60s.

Ms Cooke said the rate of the blood clots could be one in 100,000 for people under 60 and that this did appear higher than the normal population risk, although there was still no solid link to the jab, only a 'possible' one.

While the reasons for the higher prevalence in Germany aren't at all clear, the EMA revealed twice as many women had received AstraZeneca's jab in Europe than men, before adding that the people normally most at risk of CSVT are females aged 35 to 45.

Until recently Germany had suspended the AZ jab for over-60s due to initial fears about blood clots. It raises the possibility that the rates of CSVT among vaccinated people Germany can be explained by more women who are susceptible to the condition being targeted by the rollout.

Ms Cooke said: 'At present, the experts have advised us that they have not been able to identify specific risk factors, including age, gender or previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events.

'And, as I mentioned previously, a causal link of the vaccine has not yet been proven but it is possible, and further analysis is still ongoing. According to the current scientific knowledge, there is no evidence to support restricting the use of this vaccine in any population.'

Germany has reported significantly more cases of cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) than other major European countries and the reasons for it are unclear. The UK has vaccinated five times as many people but seen just one sixth as many CSVT cases, while France, Italy and Spain used the AstraZeneca jab on similar age groups but also had much lower rates of CSVT. There is still no evidence the vaccine is causing the condition, experts say

Emer Cooke, the EMA's executive director, told a press conference there was no proof the vaccine had caused CSVT in any of the cases and admitted those people might have developed the condition anyway
Gold Terra Announces Filing of Technical Report for 64% Increase to Mineral Resource Estimate at Yellowknife City Gold Project

Posted by Publisher Internet

Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSX-V: YGT; Frankfurt: TX0; OTC QX: YGTFF) (?Gold Terra? or the ?Company?  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/gold-terra-resource-corp/) is pleased to announce that it has filed a technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 ? Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (?NI 43-101?) supporting the mineral resource estimate on its Yellowknife City Gold project (the ?YCG Project?) as reported in the Company?s news release dated March 16, 2021.

The technical report, titled ?Technical Report on the 2021 Updated Mineral Resource Estimates, Northbelt Property, Yellowknife City Gold Project, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada? with an effective date of March 8 2021, can be found on the Company?s website at https://www.goldterracorp.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. This updated mineral resource estimate includes the Sam Otto, Crestaurum, Barney and Mispickel gold deposits previously reported in the initial November 2019 mineral resource and includes assay results from the 2020 drill program on the Sam Otto and Crestaurum deposits.

The 2021 mineral resource estimate highlights:

Significant increases to the in situ mineral inventory from the 2019 mineral resource estimate was achieved by the 2020 drilling at Sam Otto (9,622 metres) and Crestaurum (7,648 metres), which increased the strike and dip of both these deposits.

The 1,207,000 ounce inferred mineral resource consists of an:

Open pit constrained inferred mineral resource of 21.8 million tonnes averaging 1.25 g/t for 876,000 ounces of contained gold.

Underground inferred mineral resource of 2.55 million tonnes averaging 4.04 g/t for 331,000 ounces of contained gold.

The potential to increase mineral resources on specific targets include:

The untested depth extension on both the Sam Otto Main and the Sam Otto South deposits.

Gold Terra believes that selective closer spaced drilling at the Crestaurum deposit can potentially increase mineral resources below the 300-metre depth.

The 2020 drilling on the Crestaurum deposit revealed an untested three-kilometre strike length of this gold bearing structure to the south of the current mineral resource.

A review of the structural controls on the Mispickel and Barney deposits during the 2021 mineral resource estimation revealed potential for increasing these higher grade zones both along the plunge of the known high-grade zones, and for discovery of new high-grade lodes over a potential three-kilometre mineralized structure at Mispickel.

Qualified Persons

The mineral resource estimate was prepared by Dr. Allan Armitage, P.Geo., from SGS Geological Services. The information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Joe Campbell, P. Geo., Chief Operating Officer for Gold Terra and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.

Option Agreement

The Company is pleased to announce it has entered into an option agreement (the ?Option Agreement?) with Walter J. Humphries and David Smith (together, the ?Optionors?), pursuant to which it has the right to acquire a 100% interest in certain mineral claims (the ?Claims?) located in the Northbelt area of the YCG Project (the ?Option?). The strategic addition of the Claims ties together a key section of Gold Terra?s property for future exploration. The terms of the Option Agreement require Gold Terra to pay the Optionors a total of $15,000 in cash and to issue a total of 40,000 common shares of Gold Terra to the Optionors. The Option is exerciseable over a period of three years. To exercise the Option, Gold Terra must pay the Optionors an additional $15,000 in cash and issue an additional 60,000 common shares of Gold Terra, over the next three years. The Claims will be subject to a 2% net smelter returns royalty.

The Option Agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange (?TSXV?) acceptance. All shares issued pursuant to the Option Agreement will be subject to resale restrictions under applicable securities legislation and the rules of the TSXV.

About Gold Terra?s Yellowknife City Gold Project

The YCG Project encompasses 800 sq. km of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, Gold Terra controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 kilometres of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople.

The YCG Project lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering nearly 70 kilometres of strike length along the main mineralized shear system that host the former-producing high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The Company\-\-s exploration programs have successfully identified significant zones of gold mineralization and multiple targets that remain to be tested which reinforces the Company\-\-s objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

Visit our website at www.goldterracorp.com.

For more information, please contact:

David Suda, President and CEO

Phone: 604-928-3101 | Toll-Free: 1-855-737-2684

dsuda@goldterracorp.com

Mara Strazdins, Manager of Investor Relations

Phone: 1-778-897-1590 | 604-689-1749 ext 102

Strazdins@goldterracorp.com

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

Jochen Staiger

info@resource-capital.ch

www.resource-capital.ch

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements made and information contained in this news release constitute \forward-looking information\ within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (\forward-looking information\). Generally, this forward-looking information can, but not always, be identified by use of forward-looking terminology such as \plans\, \expects\ or \does not expect\, \is expected\, \budget\, \scheduled\, \estimates\, \forecasts\, \intends\, \anticipates\ or \does not anticipate\, or \believes\, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events, conditions or results \will\, \may\, \could\, \would\, \might\ or \will be taken\, \occur\ or \be achieved\ or the negative connotations thereof.

All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information regarding the future plans for drilling and exploration at the YCG Project; current drilling at the YCG Project; the ability of the Company to expand the mineralized system at the YCG Project; future development at specific targets; statements with respect to mineral resource estimates (including proposals for the potential growth, extension, update and/or upgrade thereof, the anticipated timing thereof and any future economic benefits which may be derived therefrom; statements related to increasing the higher grade zones and discovering new high-grade lodes; statements related to exercising the Option and the related payments and share issuances, and the 2% net smelter returns royalty to which the Claims will be subject; and the Company\-\-s objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as the Company\-\-s actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of the factors discussed in the \Risk Factors\ section in the Company\-\-s most recent MD&A and annual information form available under the Company\-\-s profile at www.sedar.com.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Except as required under applicable securities legislation and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information.

CAUTIONARY NOTE TO?UNITED STATES?INVESTORS CONCERNING ESTIMATES OF MEASURED, INDICATED AND INFERRED RESOURCES [NTD: Cassels has not reviewed the US cautionary language.]

The Company prepares its disclosure in accordance with the requirements of securities laws in effect in?Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Terms relating to Mineral Resources in this news release are defined in accordance with NI 43-101 under the guidelines set out in CIM Standards.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the \SEC\) has adopted amendments effective?February 25, 2019?(the \SEC Modernization Rules\) to its disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for issuers whose securities are registered with the SEC under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The SEC Modernization Rules have replaced SEC Industry Guide 7, which will be rescinded following a transition period and after the required compliance date of the SEC Modernization Rules.

As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC will now recognize estimates of \Measured Mineral Resources\, \Indicated Mineral Resources\ and \Inferred Mineral Resources\, which are defined in substantially similar terms to the corresponding CIM Standards. In addition, the SEC has amended its definitions of \Proven Mineral Reserves\ and \Probable Mineral Reserves\ to be substantially similar to the corresponding CIM Standards.

United States?investors are cautioned that while the foregoing terms are \substantially similar\ to corresponding definitions under the CIM Standards, there are differences in the definitions under the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any Mineral Resources that the Company may report as \Measured Mineral Resources\, \Indicated Mineral Resources\ and \Inferred Mineral Resources\ under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules.

United States?investors are also cautioned that while the SEC will now recognize \Measured Mineral Resources\, \Indicated Mineral Resources\ and \Inferred Mineral Resources\, investors should not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories would ever be converted into a higher category of Mineral Resources or into Mineral Reserves. Mineralization described by these terms has a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to assume that any \Measured Mineral Resources\, \Indicated Mineral Resources\, or \Inferred Mineral Resources\ that the Company reports are or will be economically or legally mineable.

Further, \Inferred Resources\ have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined legally or economically. Therefore,?United States?investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of the Inferred Resources exist. In accordance with Canadian securities laws, estimates of \Inferred Mineral Resources\ cannot form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies, except in limited circumstances where permitted under NI 43-101.

In addition, disclosure of \contained ounces\ is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC has historically only permitted issuers to report mineralization as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

At first, the symptoms just seemed like hemorrhoids.

Stephanie Luke was a healthy 38-year-old, so she chalked up the blood in her stools to rectal inflammation. But after a month, at the end of November, she underwent a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with stage II colorectal cancera progression of the disease into nearby tissues.

The Valrico woman went into planning mode, asking her doctor what came next. Later, by herself, she would have moments where she asked, "Why me?" She underwent genetic testing that proved what she already knew: Her family had no history of the cancer.

"I was kind of in shock but stuff doesn't hit me until later, usually," she said.

Now, Luke urges anyone who notices potential symptoms to get screened right away.

"If you know something's not right with your body, you have to be your own advocate and make sure you go and get it checked out," she said.

It's a message cancer experts always emphasize, but one that carries new urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic. They've seen improvement as coronavirus cases and deaths decline, but they still fear people are reluctant to leave their homesignoring routine screenings and even possible symptoms.

This reluctance may delay detection and treatment until the cancer reaches a later, more dangerous stage.

According to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cancer was the second-leading cause of death nationwide in 2020. Heart disease was No. 1 at 690,000 deaths, followed by cancer at 598,000 deaths and COVID-19 at 345,000 coronavirus deaths.

In 2019, the latest full year that data was available, cancer was the second-highest cause of death in Florida, claiming the lives of 45,562 people.

The pandemic's impact on screenings and treatments could cause 10,000 "excess deaths" from colorectal and breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Another study from the United Kingdom predicted an increase in cancer deaths during the next five years compared to deaths before the pandemicup to 10 percent in breast cancer deaths, up to 17 percent in colorectal cancer deaths, and up to 5 percent in lung cancer deaths.

"We missed a very large number of screenings, more so than I think we can really hope to make up," said Dr. Ned Sharpless, director of the National Cancer Institute. Even if medical professionals boosted cancer screenings beyond historic levels, it would be difficult to make up the difference, Sharpless said.

"We've definitely seen an improvement in the rate of screening and diagnosis and treatment, but it's not obviously fully back to normal," he said.

Local cancer experts have also seen a return to screenings, and they're seeing signs of screening delays. Dr. Bhavtosh Dedania at the Gastroenterology Center of Tampa Bay said more patients are being diagnosed at a later stage of cancer. Likely reasons, Dedania said, include a decline in-office visits because of the pandemic and a greater reliance on telemedicine.

"No matter how good you do online, you might miss subtle physical signs," he said. "You don't have that much connection, as much as you do when you're in person."

At Moffitt Cancer Center, some patients are coming in now for screenings after the center paused elective procedures for a time last spring, said Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert Keenan. Others are finally feeling safe enough to make the trip.

Still, Keenan said, it's difficult to use local numbers to project trends in cancer screenings during the past year or the potential long-term impacts of screening delays.

"You need to accumulate a fair number of people to be able to understand whether we were seeing a spike in diagnosis at a later stage than we would have otherwise," he said. "So from a single-center perspective, I would say yes, we've seen some, but it's hard to say what the impact is specifically in our area."

The national trends raise enough concerns to reemphasize that patients shouldn't wait to get screened.

"At this point, we really, really want people to get those screening studies that they need," he said.

After her diagnosis late last year, Luke underwent radiation treatment and had surgery this month. She's had to make medical visits alone and, at times, to isolate from extended family who may have been exposed to COVID-19. Loved ones started a GoFundMe for Luke.

Through it all, she has relied on her loved ones and her faith. Prayer, both her own conversations with God and the prayers of family and friends, have given her a sense of peace throughout her treatment.

Luke said she wants to spend more time with her family, and between treatments, she's been able to eat what she wants. She also wants to travel more.

She advised others "just not to ignore anything that's abnormal. Go and get it checked out."

Explore further Colorectal cancer cases rising in younger adults, screenings are down

2021 Tampa Bay Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-03 00:29:35|Editor: huaxia

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CHONGWE, Zambia, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Six modern housing units whose construction had been undertaken by a Chinese contractor in Chongwe, a town in Lusaka Province of Zambia, have been handed over to the Zambian government.

Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo, who represented the Zambian government, provided Chongwe police station with the houses -- living quarters and an office space -- Thursday, commended the Chinese contractor, China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic & Technical Cooperation, for executing the project within schedule, and said he was impressed by their works, praising the Chinese company for its commitment to delivering the project according to design specifications.

The Zambian official said that the houses had also added beauty to the Zambian town.

Kampyongo disclosed that the six housing units were in phase one of the project which also includes a police station and more houses. He noted that this was a great achievement for the Zambian town which needed to increase the number of police officers due to the growing population.

He believed that the construction of the police station and houses would provide for accommodation for increased manpower in the district which has a below-minimum number of police officers to maintain law and order in the growing town.

Zhang Zuolei, the project manager with China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic & Technical Cooperation, reiterated the company's commitment to executing quality works at Thursday's handover ceremony.

Zhang hoped that the partnership between the government and contractor would continue to strengthen development ties, saying the company was ready to participate in the second phase of constructing more houses and a police station at the same site. Enditem
Hyundai has reported that it registered a total cumulative sales of 64,621 units in March 2021. Out of the total sales, Hyundai sold 52,600 units in the domestic market while 12,021 units were exported to the global markets.

The domestic sales escalated by 100 per cent this year as compared to 26,300 units in March 2020. The exports witnessed an upward trend by 101 per cent from last years 5,979 units. The overall sales doubled in the last month as against 32,279-units in the same period last year when the COVID-19 outbreak affected the sales of all OEMs.

Commenting on the March 2021 sales performance, Tarun Garg, Director (Sales, Marketing & Service), HMIL said, Hyundai Motor India has portrayed resilience and perseverance towards contributing to the revival of the Indian Auto Industry. With cumulative sales of 64 621 units in March 2021, HMIL has built further on the sales momentum achieved over the last few months. This performance has been backed by our super performer brands such as the Ultimate SUV  CRETA, VENUE, Spirited New VERNA, NIOS and the most awarded car of 2020, the all-new i20 .

The Korean carmaker is gearing up for the global unveiling of its three-row SUV, Alcazar. To be built and launched in India first, the Alcazar will essentially be based on the mid-size SUV, Creta, with bigger dimensions and third-row seating.

Hyundai i20  6.85 Lakh Onwards

Hyundai | i20 | Hyundai i20
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Four victims who were locked in a Southern California office building before a gunman opened fire were identified Friday, shortly after the suspect was charged with multiple counts of murder.

The Orange Police Department identified the victims as Genevieve Raygoza, 28, Luis Tovar, 50, Leticia Solis Guzman, 58, and 9-year-old Matthew Farias, who officials said was found dead in the arms of a woman believed to be his mother. The woman, who hasn't been identified, was in the hospital in critical but stable condition as of Friday morning.

The names of those killed were released after the man accused of targeting and killing them was charged with an array of crimes, including four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 44, was set to be arraigned Friday afternoon from his hospital bed. He was shot during the attack, though authorities were unsure whether his wounds were self-inflicted or from police during a shootout.

Police said Gonzalez knew his victims through business and personal relationships. Authorities said he locked gated entryways into an office suite that houses Unified Homes, a mobile-home broker, in Orange, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles, before opening fire.

'Why does this keep happening?' Mass shootings in Boulder and Atlanta expose loopholes, weaknesses in gun laws

It was the nation's third high-profile mass shooting in less than three weeks. The four victims were killed just a week after a gunman in Boulder, Colorado, killed 10 people at a supermarket. The week before that, a gunman in the Atlanta area killed eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at three spas.

Family of those killed in the attacks were reeling from the losses.

Luis Tovar, one of the victims in the attack, owned Unified Homes, the mobile home brokerage company police say the suspect targeted.

Our world is shattered, 28-year-old Vania Tovar, one of Tovars five children, told the Orange County Register.

Story continues

His daughter, Raygoza, was also killed.

Her husband, Armando Raygoza, wrote on a GoFundMe page she was "an amazing mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, and loving friend" and had "a smile that could light up any room and a caring nature of putting others needs before hers."

Family members posted a GoFundMe page hoping to raise money for Farias, the 9-year-old boy who was killed. A photo of the boy shows him in a collared shirt smiling in front of a tree decorated for Easter.

'Horrific massacre': Suspect locked entries, knew victims in deadly shooting at California office building, police say

The Orange Police Department started getting calls about a shooting around 5:30 p.m. local time Wednesday. Within two minutes, officers were on scene but discovered both entrances to a gated courtyard for the building had been locked with a bicycle cable lock, Lt. Jen Amat said.

This undated photo provided by the Orange Police Department shows Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, a 44-year-old Fullerton, Calif., man who is the suspect in a shooting that occurred inside a business in Orange, Calif., on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. A child was among four people killed Wednesday in the shooting at a Southern California office building that left a fifth victim wounded and the gunman critically injured, police said.

"It appears all of the adults were connected either by business or a personal relationships," Amat said Thursday. "This was not a random act of violence."

Gonzalez was charged in 2015 in Orange County with cruelty to a child and other counts. Its not clear if the child was his. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and served one day in jail. All other counts were dismissed, and the conviction was expunged in 2017, said Lauren Gold, spokeswoman for the city of Anaheim.

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Orange, California, shooting suspect charged with murder; victims ID'd
Councils can use devolution funds only to finance capital projects that have a bearing on social impact towards attainment of Vision 2030, and are forbidden to use them to meet their running costs or paying salaries or perks.

Speaking during the first quarter review meeting of all local authorities in her province aimed at assessing progress in devolution projects and service delivery, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland West Mary Mliswa-Chikoka said councils were supposed to positively change lives of societies through devolution and revenue funds.

"Devolution funds are not for payrolls and other perks for council workers," she said.

"Councils should come up with projects that positively impact people's lives from the devolution funds. It is not imperative for councils to award its workers with huge perks at the expense of the people living below expected living conditions.

"Devolution funds should help promote health, education, water service delivery and improve passable of roads."

Minister Mliswa-Chikoka called on councils to emulate what other Government departments were doing to help people across the nation.

"Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement is setting up boreholes in each village and as councils, you should emulate this move," she said.

Councils should purchase equipment that makes it easier to avail water to the people and engage District Development Fund and Zimbabwe National Water Authority for water service delivery and road maintenance.

Minister Mliswa-Chikoka bemoaned a glaring gap existing between councils and the district development coordinators, which she said was affecting progress towards success of the devolution agenda.

"There is a gap between councils and DDCs which should be eliminated to improve development," she said.

"Position of a DDC is not a decorative one, but that which drives and spearheads development and devolution in the districts."
KYODO NEWS - Apr 2, 2021 - 12:55 | All, Japan

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington will take place on April 16, Japan's top government spokesman said Friday, a week later than previously planned.

The delay is necessary "to allow more time for preparation to ensure the success" of Suga's trip, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a press conference. A Japanese government source said the United States asked to reschedule to focus on dealing with COVID-19.

The meeting, Biden's first with a foreign leader since taking office, will be a chance to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance and affirm cooperation on a range of issues including efforts to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region, pandemic response, climate change, China, and recent North Korean missile tests, Kato said.

Japan had initially said the summit would take place in the first half of April, with some government sources suggesting it was being arranged for April 9.

Suga has already had his first shot of Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine in preparation for the trip and is set to receive the second dose next week.

The meeting comes as Biden's administration reviews North Korea policy in consultation with its allies after his predecessor Donald Trump failed to secure a denuclearization deal in three summits with the reclusive country's leader Kim Jong Un.

The national security advisers of Japan, the United States and South Korea are meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, later Friday to discuss their approach to the North, which test-fired two ballistic missiles last week in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Suga and Biden are set to condemn the launches and call for North Korea's complete denuclearization in a joint statement after the meeting, government sources have said.

The United States has also been ramping up criticism of China's treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region and growing assertiveness in the East and South China seas.

According to the sources, Suga and Biden are also expected to affirm the Senkaku Islands fall under the scope of Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. security treaty, which states Washington will defend territories under Tokyo's administration from armed attack.

The uninhabited islands in the East China Sea are controlled by Japan but claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu, and frequently sends coast guard ships nearby to assert its ownership.

Related coverage:

Japan, U.S. arranging Suga-Biden Washington summit on April 9: source
As reports of atrocities by fighters emerge in Tigray, women are struggling to feed their families. The World Food Programme provided urgently needed supplies to more than 28,000 more people on March 29.

International media stations have traced video footage of uniformed soldiers, allegedly Ethiopian federal troops, executing civilians in cold blood, as having been recorded near the town of Mahbere Dego in the Tigray region.

Tigrai Media House, which describes itself as "a pro-Tigray subscription satellite TV and YouTube channel based in the United States" says it posted the footage in early March. It was reportedly circulated widely on social media, while mainstream media outlets investigated its authenticity.

The media house says one of its journalists, Stalin Gebreselassie, was sent the footage, filmed on a mobile phone by an "Ethiopian army soldier turned whistleblower", via a source in Tigray.

In reports published in the past two days, the BBC, CNN, the investigative journalism group, Bellingcat, and the U.S.-based Newsy site, have published the results of their investigations, which conclude that:

The soldiers seen shooting men dressed in civilian clothes wore uniforms and badges matching those of the Ethiopian federal army, the ENDF;

The soldiers were speaking Amharic and the victims the language of the Tigray region;

The soldiers claimed the victims were members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which has been fighting federal troops since last November;

One soldier invited the person filming the incident invited him to come closer, indicating no sense that the incident needed to be covered up;

The shootings occurred at the top of a slope, down which the bodies rolled;

If victims were thought still to be alive, they were shot again; and

Using Google Earth and geo-location techniques, the investigations matched the physical features seen in the footage to an area near Mahbere Dego.

The BBC reported that residents in the area had told them Ethiopian troops took away 73 men on January 15, and none had been heard from since. CNN reported counting 34 men in the footage it reviewed. One man from a village near Mahbere Dego told the BBC his brother had been one of those killed. The BBC also said satellite imagery dated January 20 showed "a heavy military presence" near the site of the killings.

The official Ethiopian Human Rights Commission based in Addis Ababa - which has already confirmed reports of a massacre in the holy city of Axum - announced on March 25 that it had agreed with the UN rights agency, UN Human Rights, to carry out a joint investigation into "the human rights violations and abuses allegedly committed by all parties" in the Tigray conflict,
Maybe it's the Texas in us that would assume everyone outside of statelines would be excited to have a Whataburger.

That wasn't entirely the case in Colorado Springs, where Whataburger announced it is planning on opening a location.

News broke Wednesday and to say not everyone was enthusiastic would be an undercooked statement.

RELATED: San Antonio staple Nicha's is planning another South Side restaurant with patio views

One person threatened to call the police, another called it "crap." We are equally confused and maybe just a little hurt.

Whataburger confirmed the news to Colorado Springs news outlets in a statement on Tuesday saying the company is "excited" to expand.

READ MORE FROM MADALYN: Texas' first Redlands Grill just opened in San Antonio near La Cantera

While some of the reception was met with negativity, there were some fans who reciprocated the energy, especially from transplants who can't wait to get a taste of home in Colorado.

Whataburger did not release an opening date for the Colorado Springs location. The Texas favorite also recently announced a four-restaurant expansion into Kansas City. Those locations are expected to open by this fall.

If you want to feel like you're in an alternate universe where Whataburger does not reign supreme, keep scrolling.
SAN MARINO  On the ground floor of the only hospital in San Marino, a tiny, independent republic perched high above the surrounding Italian countryside, nurses prepared Covid-19 vaccine doses from glass vials labeled in Cyrillic script, flicked needles and sought to put nervous residents at ease.

Have you started speaking Russian since you got your first shot? one nurse asked, coaxing a smile from Erica Stranieri, 32, as he injected Russias Sputnik vaccine into her arm.

San Marino, an ancient enclave within northern Italy, topped with crenelated medieval battlements on a mountain near the Adriatic coast, is best known  to the extent it is known at all  as one of the smallest countries on Earth.
An ancient crater lake in the southern highlands of Mars appears to have been created due to glacier runoff, claimed researchers on March 30 indicating that the Martian Planet could have a cold and icy past. The Researchers at Brown University said in a statement that they have discovered a never-known-before type of ancient crater lake on the Red planet that could give scientists insight into the mysterious past of the planet and its early climate. The latest study on Mars ancient crater has been published in Planetary Science Journal and is led by Brown Universitys Ph.D. student Ben Boatwright.

Boatwright, in the study, explains the unnamed crater on Mars with some puzzling characteristics such as the craters floor being unmistakable geologic evidence of ancient stream beds and ponds. However, there is still no evidence, according to the researchers, about inlet channels where water could have entered the old depression or even evidence of groundwater activity. So the searchers have concluded that the water in the crater is likely fed by runoff from a long-lost Martian glacier.

This ancient crater is different from others

The Brown University researchers also noted that the ancient crater discovered by them is different from other such craters - Gale and Jezero where NASA rovers are presently exploring. This is a previously unrecognized type of hydrological system on Mars, Boatwright said. In lake systems characterized so far, we see evidence of drainage coming from outside the crater, breaching the crater wall and in some cases flowing out the other side. But thats not what is happening here. Everything is happening inside the crater, and thats very different than whats been characterized before.

The cold and icy scenario has been largely theoretical  something that arises from climate models, Boatwright said. But the evidence for glaciation we see here helps to bridge the gap between theory and observation. I think thats really the big takeaway here.

Boatwright worked with Jim Head, his advisor and a research professor at Brown to figure out how the water reached there.

We have these models telling us that early Mars would have been cold and icy, and now we have some really compelling geological evidence to go with it, Head said. Not only that, but this crater provides the criteria we need to start looking for even more evidence to test this hypothesis, which is really exciting.

Image credits: NASA


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FRANKFURT, Germany  The OPEC oil cartel and allied countries said Thursday that they have decided to add gradually add back some 2 million barrels per barrel per day of oil production from May to July, moving cautiously in pace with the recovery of the global economy from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group is restoring production that was slashed last year to support prices as demand sagged during the worst of the pandemic recession, which sapped demand for fuel. The group will add back 350,000 barrels per day in May, 350,000 in June, and 400,000 in July.

Meanwhile Saudi Arabia will over the same period restore an additional 1 million barrels per day in cuts that it made on its own.

OPEC members, led by Saudi Arabia, and nonmembers, led by Russia, have been meeting monthly to determine production levels as they face a recovery in demand whose pace has been uncertain. They face conflicting pressures. Raising production before the demand is there risks sending prices lower. But lower production levels deprive national budgets of money at a difficult time.

Oil prices were trading higher despite the decision to increase production, suggesting markets see more than adequate demand for the added oil. Crude oil traded 3.6% higher at $61.28 per barrel in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange while Brent crude rose 3.1% per barrel to $64.66.

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Saudi Arabias Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman, who has urged careful approach with the recovery still uncertain, said that the cautiousness is still there in the groups approach. Ahead of the meeting, he had warned that until the evidence of recovery is undeniable, we should retain this cautious stance  the waves are still tall and the seas remain rough. One reason is the new wave of infections in Europe, which is holding back the economy amid a slow vaccine rollout.

He noted that the reductions would only take effect from May, meaning that the Saudi voluntary cut still had a month to run. He also said that under the agreement, the group could tweak, or adjust production as needed in coming months.

Higher crude oil prices are eventually reflected in the price of gasoline for U.S. motorists since the cost of oil makes up half the price at the pump. Another factor that could soon push prices higher is demand for gasoline, which is approaching pre-pandemic levels. The national average of $2.86 reported this week by motoring club federation AAA is 15 cents higher than a month ago and 84 cents higher on the year.
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The NYPD twice searched the Queens home of Emmy-winning production designer Evelyn Sakash before her body was found buried beneath garbage inside.

The mummified remains of 66-year-old Sakash were discovered by cleaning crews in the kitchen of her trash-strewn property on Tuesday - five months after cops conducted two fruitless searches of the residence.

Sakash went missing last September, prompting her cousin to file a missing person's report from Nevada.

On October 18, NYPD officers conducted a 45-minute search of Sakash's home, located in the Queens neighborhood of College Point.

They arrived to discover the residence stuffed full of garbage, before they found four dogs and six cat inside. The animals were taken to a local shelter, but cops saw no sign of Sakash - who was known to be a hoarder.

Officers returned with cadaver dogs the following day, and conducted another 45-minute search, digging beneath 'floor to ceiling' debris for the missing production designer. Again, they left without any clues as to her whereabouts.

Police told The New York Daily News Friday that they believe Sakash was already dead on the kitchen floor. However, stench from garbage inside the home likely stopped the sniffer dogs from picking up her scent.

Evelyn Sakash, 66, was found by a cleaning crew Tuesday in her Queens home on Tuesday - six months after she was last seen alive

Sakash's sister had recently come to New York to have a cleaning crew clean out the home, according to police. Sakash had been missing since last September

Last October, officers conducted two searches of the home, digging beneath 'floor to ceiling' debris for the missing production designer. The interior of her home is pictured

The backyard of Sakash's home is strewn with debris. The production designer was a noted hoarder

The backyard of Sakash's Queens residence is pictured. She had not been seen since last September

Cleaning crews are seen taking out more garbage from Sakash's home on Friday morning

Piles of garbage from Sakash's home are seen on the back of a dump truck on Friday morning as cleaning crews continue to clear out her residence

Sakash was an established production designer and art director with more than 30 years experience in the film and television industry.

Her IMDB page include credits for Orange is the New Black and Billions. She also worked for Disney and MTV.

In 2003, Sakash won a Daytime Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design for her work on the children's show, Between the Lions.

However, her friend and neighbor, Laraine Memola, told The Daily News that Sakash's work dried up amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which likely caused her to fall into a depression.

'Her job gave her a purpose,' Memola stated.

The pal says Sakash was already suffering due to the recent passing of her beloved mom, who resided in a nearby nursing home.

'Evelyn always took care of her mom  her mom was here in College Point, in a nursing home,' Memola stated. 'She'd always bring her food.'

Sakash was an established production designer and art director with more than 30 years experience in the film and television industry. Her IMDB page include credits for Orange is the New Black and Billions. She also worked for Disney and MTV

On October 18, NYPD officers conducted a 45-minute search of Sakash's home, located in the Queens neighborhood of College Point. The exterior is pictured

Bags of potting soil are seen stacked up outside Sakash's home. She reportedly fell into a depression following the death of her mom last year

Police told The Daily News that the inside of the home was stuffed full of 'floor to ceiling debris'

Floral tributes are left outside the home of the 66-year-old. She was not married and did not have children

Friends and neighbors have laid cards and flowers outside the College Point residence after Sakash was found inside Tuesday

Memola continued: 'Between the pandemic, her job, her mom  it hit her hard.

'Her mom's funeral was at the height of the pandemic and it was only her, a friend, and her nephew.'

With no work to distract herself, Memola believes Sakash slumped further into depression.

'It had to add to the depression, along with her mom passing,' the friend stated. 'She was suffering. She lost a lot of weight.'

Sakash's siste, Ellen Brown, launched a GoFundMe last December to help supplement the cost of the search into the production designer's whereabouts.

Late last month, Brown paid for cleaning crews to tidy out the home when they made the grim discovery.

Brown told The Daily News that she does not want her sister to be remembered for the sad way she died.

'She had a full life and she was so extraordinarily talented,' she stated. 'She was a brilliant mind.'

Junk is seen stacked up near the sidewalk of Sakash's Queens home on Friday

They arrived to discover the residence stuffed full of garbage, before they found four dogs and six cats inside
New Delhi, April 2 : Bharti Airtel has commissioned a 14 MWp captive solar power plant to meet the energy requirements of its data centres in Uttar Pradesh.

The facility in Tilhar (Shahjahanpur) is the first of the two solar plants being set up by Airtel in partnership with AMP Energy. The second plant at Begampur, is expected to become operational in the next quarter, said a company statement.

"This will provide a major boost to Airtel's initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint. Airtel had acquired a 26 per cent equity stake in AMP Solar Evolution as part of its commitment to green energy-based solutions," it said.

'Nxtra by Airtel' currently operates 10 large and 120 edge data centres across India. During FY 2022, it aims to meet over 50 per cent of its power input through renewable energy sources and contribute to Airtel's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

Rajesh Tapadia, CEO of Nxtra Data said: "As a responsible corporate, green energy is a top agenda for Airtel. We will continue to accelerate our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint through multiple interventions."
Suspects Arrested in Graves, Calloway Burglaries

By West Kentucky Star Staff

GRAVES COUNTY - The Graves County Sheriff's Office says suspects have been arrested and evidence has been seized in a storage unit burglary investigation.Sheriff Jon Hayden says the suspects broke into numerous storage units on KY Highway 80 East Tuesday night, just south of Mayfield. Deputies say the suspects caused substantial damage across 30 storage units between midnight and 7 a.m.The thefts involve a large number of victims and items exceeding $33,000 in value. Some of the stolen items include ammunition, firearms, tools, electronics, and liquor.Deputies also seized a vehicle believed to have been used in the thefts, and it was found to have been stolen from the St. Louis area in January.The suspects, who are St. Louis residents, are also believed to have been involved in another attempted burglary of a home early Thursday morning in Calloway County during which shots were fired by the homeowner.Names and charges of the suspects have not yet been released.
Villagers living near the Okavango Delta have warned their livelihoods are at risk after Canadian company EconAfrica bought licenses off the Namibian government to conduct exploratory oil drilling across the country, as well as Botswana, British broadcaster Sky News reported.

The company believes the area could contain one of the world's biggest oil fields and uncovering it could completely transform the country, and potentially make it one of the wealthiest in the world.

The oil is thought to be situated specifically in the Kavango Basin, a large area which covers most of Namibia and Botswana, but also Angola, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Parts of the basin are also home to some of the world's most beautiful unspoiled landscapes, a vast array of exotic wildlife - some at risk of extinction, and hundreds of species of birds.

Plans to drill for oil have not gone down well with environmentalists.

EconAfrica could expand the number of oil drilling sites in the area and build vast infrastructure to support their plans if their belief about the size of the oil field turns out to be true.

British broadcaster Sky News traveled to the Kavango Region and met villagers who live in the Kavango-Caprivi Strip.

"The wildlife will be diminished and the beauty, pure nature that's here, will be harmed in some way," said Jofie Lamprecht a safari lodge owner, speaking to Sky News.

There's also worry that the drilling sites will impede on the migration paths for the largest population of wild elephants remaining in the world.

The Okavango region is home to the largest herd of African elephants left on earth.

Andreas Mawano lives with his family near EconAfrica's drill site, near Rundu in the Namibian region of Kavango-East.

He is skeptical about any potential merits that oil drilling could bring, but feels villagers are powerless as they don't have the resources to make a case against ExonAfrica's plans.

"I can't afford a lawyer, who would help me stand up against this oil company,"

There is now a giant drill on the land where he used to grow maize and feed his livestock.

Sky News put Andreas Mawano's concerns to ExonAfrica, who said they were "cognizant throughout and respectful of Namibia's land laws," and "had been working closely with the Namibia government and traditional authorities to be very precise on land use."

Some villagers are excited by ExonAfrica's plans and believe foreign investment will bring the country much needed development.

"You educated people who already have comfortable lives. You want to restrict development here. That means we will stay poor and probably die poor," said Johannes Kangoro, a village headman.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
(Natural News) A top scientist has accused communist China of being the worlds dumping ground for Frankenstein-style experiments that threaten to unleash even more genetically modified (GMO) viruses into the wild.

Since we now know that the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) was more than likely cooked up by scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) (with help from the US), there is no telling what other kinds of experiments are taking place there in preparation for the next plandemic.

Much of the research that takes place at WIV is prohibited elsewhere, hence why it is carried out there under the approval of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Many U.S.-based companies outsource their research to WIV because they know China has almost no ethical or moral standards when it comes to controversial experiments.

Human-monkey hybrids, souped-up viruses, head transplants and gene editing are just some of the tests known to have been carried out by Chinese scientists, writes Patrick Knox for The Sun.

Franken-virus experiments were for a time banned in the U.S. because of fears of enhanced virus leaking from labs  which may cause devastating pandemics like the world is experiencing right now.

According to German scientist Dr. Roland Wiesendanger from the University of Hamburg, it is both inexcusable and irresponsible for the United States and other countries throughout the West to outsource their high-risk experiments to communist China.

Germany and other European countries are included in this condemnation as well since they continually outsource what Dr. Wiesendanger describes as risky biotechnological research to China.

In some cases, this is even done because ethical rules which exist in most parts of Europe would prohibit some classes of biotechnological research to be conducted in the home countries, he says.

Communist China wants to build seven more high-risk research labs like WIV

By the year 2025, China is hoping to become the worlds biotechnology superpower. In order to accomplish this goal, the communist country is planning to build up to seven more laboratories similar to WIV that will handle even more controversial projects.

An official from the U.S. embassy in Beijing told The Washington Post that one area of controversial research that China currently dominates has to do with studying the effects of SARS-CoV-2, also known as the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), in chimera mice that have been artificially implanted with human-like lung characteristics.

Using gene-editing technology, communist China is tampering with these creatures to presumably further modify the China virus, making it more infectious in humans than it already supposedly is.

This official told the Post that there is an entire galaxy of activity, including labs and military labs in Beijing and Wuhan playing around with coronaviruses in ACE2 mice in unsafe labs.

Communist China has long been known to tinker with viruses to try to make them more infectious. The Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) appears to have originated in bats, and would have been exclusive to them had China not modified it to allow for transmission to humans.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), where Anthony Fauci works, is also involved in this gain of function experimentation, which was originally banned in the U.S. back in 2014. It was reintroduced by the NIH in 2017.

Current biotechnological methods, as used in gain-of-function-experiments, could potentially be used to combine properties of viruses with a very high human-to-human transmission rate and a very high death rate, says Dr. Wiesendanger about how the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) could be further modified to produce a death rate in humans of up to 80 percent.

We urgently need international regulations and surveys for these types of experiments, he warns.

More related news about Chinese viruses can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheSun.co.uk

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
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The United States and Iran said Friday they will begin indirect negotiations with intermediaries next week to try to get both countries back into compliance with an accord limiting Irans nuclear program, nearly three years after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal.

The announcement marks one of the first bits of tangible progress in efforts to return both nations to terms of the 2015 accord, which bound Iran to restrictions in return for relief from U.S. and international sanctions.

President Joe Biden came into office saying that getting back into the accord and getting Irans nuclear program back under international restrictions was a priority. But Iran and the United States have disagreed over Irans demands that sanctions be lifted first, and that deadlock has threatened to become an early foreign policy setback for the new U.S. president.

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Administration officials played down expectations for next weeks talks. State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the resumption of negotiations, scheduled for Tuesday in Vienna, a healthy step forward. But Price added, These remain early days, and we dont anticipate an immediate breakthrough as there will be difficult discussions ahead.

This is a first step, Biden Iran envoy Rob Malley tweeted. He said diplomats were now on the right path.

Trump pulled the U.S. out of the accord in 2018, accusing Iran of continuous cheating and opting for what he called a maximum-pressure campaign of stepped-up U.S. sanctions and other tough actions. Iran responded by intensifying its enrichment of uranium and building of centrifuges in plain violation of the accord, while maintaining its insistence that its nuclear development was for civilian and not military purposes.

Israel, Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies and strategic partners are on perpetual alert against the possibility of their top rival, Iran, attaining nuclear arms, keeping tensions up in a region where the U.S. military is present and has often intervened.

Irans enrichment was seen as upping the pressure for a U.S. return to the nuclear deal and a lifting of Trumps sanctions, which included banking measures aimed at cutting off the country from the international financial system. Other Trump administration measures sanctioned Irans oil sales and blacklisted top government officials.

Agreement on the start of indirect talks came after the European Union helped broker a virtual meeting of officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and Iran, all of which have remained in the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Price said next weeks talks will be structured around working groups that the European Union was forming with the remaining participants in the accord, including Iran.

The primary issues that will be discussed are the nuclear steps that Iran would need to take in order to return to compliance with the terms of the JCPOA, and the sanctions relief steps that the United States would need to take in order to return to compliance as well, Price said.

The United States, like Iran, said it did not anticipate direct talks between the two nations now. Price said the United States remains open to that idea, however.

In a tweet, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the aim of the Vienna session would be to rapidly finalize sanction-lifting & nuclear measures for choreographed removal of all sanctions, followed by Iran ceasing remedial measures.

Iranian state television quoted Abbas Araghchi, Irans nuclear negotiator at the virtual meeting, as saying during Fridays discussions that any return by the U.S. to the nuclear deal does not require any negotiation and the path is quite clear.

The U.S. can return to the deal and stop breaching the law in the same way it withdrew from the deal and imposed illegal sanctions on Iran, Araghchi was quoted as as saying.

Russias ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said the impression is that we are on the right track, but the way ahead will not be easy and will require intensive efforts. The stakeholders seem to be ready for that.

Events since Trump pulled out of the deal complicate the United States return.

Iran since the U.S. withdrawal from the pact has been steadily violating its restrictions, like the amount of enriched uranium it can stockpile and the purity to which it can enrich it.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that over the past two years, Iran has accumulated extensive nuclear material and new capacities and used the time for honing their skills in these areas.

Iran in January increased uranium enrichment at its underground Fordo facility to 20% levels. That puts Tehran a comparatively easier technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran now has enough low-enriched uranium to convert to a higher level of enrichment and make a bomb.

Iran insists it is not seeking to make nuclear bombs.

Iran has said that before it resumes compliance with the deal, the U.S. needs to return to its own obligations by dropping the sanctions.

As part of its ongoing violations of the deal, Iran last month began restricting inspections of its nuclear facilities. Under a last-minute agreement worked out during a trip to Tehran, however, some access was preserved.

Under that temporary agreement, Iran will no longer share surveillance footage of its facilities with the International Atomic Energy Agency but has promised to preserve the tapes for three months. It will then hand them over to the Vienna-based U.N. atomic watchdog if it is granted sanctions relief. Otherwise, Iran has vowed to erase the tapes, narrowing the window for a diplomatic breakthrough.

In the U.S., conservatives have pushed the Biden administration to broaden talks to address other complaints against Iran, including its crucial support to armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Syria and its detention of American citizens, as a condition for lifting sanctions. The administration has pledged in principle to push Iran on those matters, but State Department spokespeople on Friday declined to say if or when those additional points of friction might be raised in resumed talks..

___

Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi from Tehran, Jon Gambrell from Dubai and Daria Litvinova from Moscow contributed to this report.
A man has been fined 9,000 yen ($80) for sending abusive messages to Japanese reality star and professional wrestler Hana Kimura before she committed suicide in May 2020. The man reportedly wrote comments attacking Kimura, telling her she had an awful personality and asking When will you die? on her social media account, according to BBC.

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Kimura, 22, was the daily target of social media trolls. Before her death, she openly discussed her distress with her Twitter followers and even posted images of self-harm. Kimuras death prompted Japanese citizens to urge the government to enforce stricter laws on online abuse. The verdict on Tuesday infuriated her fans, with many arguing that the fine was too lenient. The man was charged with an insult crime, which has a maximum penalty of 9,999 yen ($90.29). It is unclear why the man was not given a defamation charge, which has a maximum penalty of 500,000 yen ($4,515). Though the man's identity is unknown, he is reported to be in his 20s and living in Osaka. According to various Japanese media sources, he has apologized to Kimuras family.

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The popular Japanese reality television show "Terrace House" was canceled following Kimuras death. The show centered around six people who move in together and form various friendships and relationships. Kimura started receiving more hate comments after the show captured an argument with one of her roommates, according to The Washington Post. Her mother has since filed a claim against the shows network, Fuji Television, for human rights violations, arguing that it was responsible for fueling the drama between Kimura and her male co-star. The human rights committee of the Broadcasting Ethics & Program Improvement Organization found earlier this week that while Fuji Television did violate broadcasting ethics to some degree, no human rights violations had occurred. The committee claimed that it reached out to Kimura upon learning she had harmed herself. It cannot be said that her ability to make free decisions had been stripped, the report read, according to Variety. Fuji Television has declared that it will take these findings more seriously by addressing social media-related issues. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has announced that more resources will be allocated to helping victims of online abuse via a complaint hotline starting this month. Feature Image via Recreation705

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An Assam minister allegedly threatened to "vanish" two journalists of separate news channels for reporting a controversial poll speech of his wife, prompting the Congress to demand that his candidature for the assembly election be cancelled.

A complaint has been filed by one of the journalists at Jagiroad police station in Morigaon district against Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Pijush Hazarika, but an FIR is yet to be registered, police said.

In an audio clip telecast by Assamese news channel Pratidin Time, Hazarika was heard talking to journalist Nazrul Islam and, during the conversation, the minister threatened him and another scribe, Tulsi, to drag them out of their homes and "vanish" them.

The BJP candidate said in the phone conversation, which has now gone viral, that he was "sad" because they reported the controversial statement of his wife Aimee Baruah made at a poll meeting a few days ago in Jagiroad, the constituency of her husband.

In a viral video, Baruah was seen stating at the meeting that those not accepting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) would be thrown out of the country.

The objective of the CAA is to grant Indian citizenship to people of minority communities Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who had come to India till December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in these countries.

The state witnessed violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019 and five persons lost their lives. The protestors saw the law as a threat to their cultural identity and livelihood.

In a memorandum to the Assam's chief electoral officer, state Congress president Ripun Bora said, "Pijush Hazarika... has found to have threatened a reporter... with dire consequences for showing a video of his wife... recorded during her election campaign in Jagiroad." During the call, the BJP candidate stated that Islam should get ready to face the consequences for showing his wife's news and the channel cannot save him, Bora alleged in the memorandum.

"He also warned Nazrul Islam allegedly for doing 'Miya Politics' to support Congress and 'Aajmal Party' i.e. AIUDF and threatened him that he will spoil Nazrul Islam's life," it read.

The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) led by Badruddin Ajmal is a constituent of the Congress-led Grand Alliance.

The incident has put the democracy of the state under "serious threat" and the public are now under want of protection from such threats, the memorandum claimed.

"That apart, the words 'Miya Politics', 'Aajmal Party' etc uttered...in the said call has directly aggravated the existing differences between the communities of the state and has created mutual hatred between them," Bora said.

The contents of the conversation by Hazarika clearly violated the Model Code of Conduct, and laws such as the Representation of People Act, 1951 he added.

"Under such circumstances, I pray before your honour to take prompt and necessary action against Pijush Hazarika to disqualify his candidature from the present General Assembly Election and issue directions for filing FIR/Complaint against him," Bora said.

The Gauhati Press Club (GPC) also condemned the "act of intimidation in the strongest words" and said that it is very unbecoming of a public representative to threaten a journalist of dire consequences.

The GPC also demanded that the safety and security of the journalists concerned should be ensured by the Election Commission and the state government.

(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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CAVE JUNCTION, Ore.  Police have arrested a suspect in last weeks double-homicide near Lake Selmac in Josephine County.

Deputies from the Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested 26-year-old Harley Boitz during a traffic stop on Laurel Road in Cave Junction around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to Oregon State Police.

Boitz is being held in the Josephine County Jail on charges for Murder, Arson, Abuse of a Corpse, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle.

The charges stem from a homicide investigation that began on March 24. Law enforcement responded to a call about a vehicle fire about six miles up McMullen Creek Road. After the fire died down, detectives found two bodies in the burned vehicle.

OSP later identified the two victims as 24-year-old Daniel T. Hill and 26-year-old Paul M. Folk, both from Josephine County.

Folk was reported missing under "suspicious circumstances" to Grants Pass Police, and the agency put out a notice to the public last week. He was last seen the night of March 23.

Boitz made his first court appearance for an arraignment on Friday, and family members of the victims were in attendance. Catherine Folk, the mother of Paul Folk spoke briefly in the courtroom.

"This kid murdered my son," Catherine said in part. "It breaks my heart that I don't get to hold my son again."

OSP is leading the homicide investigation with assistance from the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, the Josephine County District Attorney's Office, and the Sheriff's Office.

A separate investigation is still ongoing for an officer-involved shooting that happened on March 25 at a staging area for the homicide scene.
[April 02, 2021] Peiffer Wolf: Possible Criminal Misconduct Seen in "Bombshell" Filing by Former UH Lab Director Paid to Lie Under Oath About Embryo Destruction

An explosive court filing today in the long-running University Hospitals (UH) 4,000-embryo destruction scandal is "deeply disturbing" and calls into question the integrity of the legal proceedings to date, according to Cleveland law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway (Peiffer Wolf), which represents more than 100 families victimized by UH. In the explosive filing, the former director of the UH laboratory where the freezer failed that led to the massive destruction of embryos says that (1) UH's lawyers instructed the deletion of incriminating evidence in order to hide UH's misconduct, (2) told him to lie in a deposition to hide UH's misconduct, and (3) secretly paid for the untruthful testimony. UH and its law firm, Tucker Ellis, are the parties named as being responsible for this pattern of deception. Joseph Peiffer, managing partner and attorney, Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway, said: "These are bombshell findings that show UH and its law firm Tucker Ellis intentionally re-victimizing the same families that had their fertilized embryos and eggs destroyed. To describe this new assault on these families as callous and ruthless is an understatement. UH needs to come clean here and disavow this unlawful conduct." Adam Wolf, who has represented hundreds of victims of fertility center misconduct and is a shareholder with Peiffer Wolf, said: "This iswithout a doubt the most deeply disturbing legal filing I have seen in my entire career. The web of deceit laid out in the latest filing is devastating to the victims who settled based on a bogus set of 'facts' outlined by UH and its law firm. These allegations look like criminal conduct."



Three years after the 4,000-embryo destruction at University Hospitals Fertility Clinic upended the lives of hundreds of Cleveland area and other Ohio families, UH is still fighting "tooth and nail" to avoid more than 500 families achieving justice, according to Cleveland law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway (Peiffer Wolf). In fact, UH recently doubled down on its hardball tactics by "fertility shaming" and attempting to out the identity of couples who wish to remain anonymous. University Hospitals Fertility Clinic has admitted publicly that it "failed" in its handling of the large-scale embryo losses in March 2018. It initially under-reported the estimated number of lost embryos and eggs at 2,000, and it followed up weeks later with a more accurate number of 4,000.

Since then, UH has disclosed additional information on what actually happened at the lab, including that the freezer tank needed preventative maintenance, that it was manually filling the malfunctioning tank from the top, that the embryology lab ran out of liquid nitrogen, and that the remote alarm on the affected tank, which was designed to alert UH staff to temperature fluctuations, was turned off. ABOUT PEIFFER WOLF The law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway maintains offices in Cleveland, Youngstown, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Austin, and New Orleans. Peiffer Wolf has handled multiple cases in which fertility clinics were accused of either destroying or losing eggs and embryos. This is a highly technical area of law and science and, individuals seeking legal representation in the UH matter would be well advised to look to a law firm that has successfully handled such cases in the past. EDITOR'S NOTE: To learn more about the fight for justice for UH embryo destruction victims, go to https://www.uhembryolawsuit.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005250/en/

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PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has reminded cabinet ministers to serve the public diligently, saying their presence in office won't be meaningful without discharging their duties efficiently.

The president recalled that all ministers and government executives are servants of the people and must strive to resolve challenges facing ordinary citizens by effectively implementing development programmes.

President Samia was speaking shortly after swearing-in new Chief Secretary, Ambassador Hussein Kattanga, newly-appointed ministers and deputy ministers at Chamwino State House in Dodoma.

The Head of State urged the ministers to move across the country and resolve people's problems, warning that whoever fails to comply with directives will be shown the exit door.

"I will be watching you closely, we are here to serve the citizens, I will not hesitate to drop those who will record poor performance," she strongly warned. She added: "You must make sure this ark reaches the intended destination, whether we come across strong winds or tides."

President Samia insisted that all ministers, deputy ministers and other public officials serve the government with the aim of attaining the country's development goals.

She said they must work together by coordinating their activities and supporting each other, instead of working in segments.

"You must work together and resolve problems when they occur, we are serving one government and for the same people," she noted.

The Head of State directed ministers to help each other in pushing government agendas in Parliament, especially at this time when the government is prepared to table the 2021/2022 general budget.

She said the ministers must do everything in their capacity to move the government businesses forward no matter the challenges they face in the process.

In another development, President Samia explained her decisions to appoint and re-allocate ministers in the mini-reshuffle she made on Wednesday.

She said, Prof Palamagamba Kabudi has been shifted to Constitutional and Legal Affairs since he is competent in the field while Ambassador Liberata Mulamula has been appointed the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation because of her long time experience in diplomacy and foreign affairs.

On the same note, the president said she appointed Dr Mwigulu Nchemba the Minister for Finance and Planning because he is a welltrained economist and that Mr Geofrey Mwambe has been positioned to Investment portfolio under Prime Minister's Office since he has a background of heading the Tanzania Investment Centre(TIC).

She also extended the trust on the new Minister of State-President's Office Public Service Management and Good Governance Mohamed Mchengerwa, Prof Kitila Mkumbo (Industry and Trade) as well as Pauline Gekul (Deputy Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports) that they will deliver to the maximum expectations.

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"I have also seen the importance of adding a deputy minister in the ministry of Works and Transport, and I believe Mwita Waitara will help the Minister, Eng Leonard Chamuriho to discharge various activities under their docket," noted the Head of State.

She expressed her optimism that the team will make a better combination and that ministers will work as a team to deliver. Moreover, President Samia jolted the political class with a warning against early campaign for the 2025 presidency.

She said the focus must be on serving wananchi and that their records will speak out by themselves.

According to the president, experience has shown that in every second term of the administration, politicians focus on next elections instead of serving the public.

"I want to tell you that you must stop it, put more focus on serving the country, your records will always define you, I will be putting my eyes on you... so closely," she said.
The Minster for Energy, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh has stressed the need to bridge the information gap between upstream Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and clusters of consumers in the country.



He said the provision of timely information on planned maintenance schedules by the IPPs would enable consumers plan ahead reduce any disruptions of their social and economic activities.



The request

The minster made the call when he summoned a meeting of the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) at his office and requested the maintenance schedules for their power plants.

He said there is no doubt IPPs play a critical role in ensuring that power consumers have a constant supply of power nationwide.



He said however that to ensure transparent operations for the people of Ghana, there is the need for the public to have some level of understanding of their operations.



He reminded the IPPs that the primary objective of a planned maintenance is to maximize equipment performance by keeping equipment running safely for as long as possible without that equipment deteriorating or having unplanned outages.



Government wants long-term partnership with Tullow - Energy Minister



Adequate and timely information

These schedules, he said, would help in providing adequate and timely information to the public, should these planned mandatory maintenances affect power supply.

Dr Prempeh assured the public they would in due course be updated on which plants would be in maintenance  how and when the plants are scheduled to be maintained and any effects as a result of these essential works and for how long.



The Chief Executive of Officer of the Chamber of Independent Power Producers, Mr Elikplim K. Apetorgbor told the Daily Graphic it is a welcoming call from the minister, which the IPPs would comply with.



Efficiency and reliability

He said in the industry, maintenance is central to operations to make the plants efficient and reliable for delivering on demand. We in the industry, we dont overlook what would undermine our efficiency and reliability  hence regular, planned maintenance.

When it is time to do our maintenance, we do it and do it completely to guarantee availability and with our schedule made known to the ministry, we can all plan and know when to communicate to the public, he said.



The move by the sector minister, he said, gave a clear signal for the industry that we need to form synergies, having all key stakeholders on the same page to make planning more effective.



The challenge

He said one of the challenges the system has is that some of the generators are obsolete and sometimes one has to shut down because continuous operation could cause a major problem.

He said altogether the IPPs account for installed capacity of 2,780MW of which 2,558MW is available to support the national generation capacity of more than 5,650MW.





Source: graphiconline.com









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Sesame Street debuted in 1969 when PBS the Public Broadcasting Service was still named the National Educational Television Network. For many, 53 years of being a positive platform to educate children around the world via satellite television and more recently the internet, has been a long wait before enlisting African sounds.



In a statement on the sesame street website, the producers affirmed that All children need to feel strong in their skin, which can be challenging in a racist society. They further stated that The aim of the song is to promote learning about diversity and help children develop a strong sense of self



The song titled Giant was made by YolanDa Brown who has won awards as a musician, toured with the Temptations, Asa, Billy Ocean and collaborated with 2Face Idibia, Kelly Jones and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.



YolanDa Brown has worked as a broadcaster on radio and Tv with remarkable marks that include her YolanDas Band Jam series on CBeebies receiving an award from the Royal Television Society as Best Childrens Programme. Yolanda sounded excited as she wrote, I can finally tell the world! A dream come true, while announcing the Sesame Street gig to her Instagram audience.



Sesame Street is a production of Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational organization. Sesame Street programs have been seen in over 150 countries.



The world-famous television show recently included Wes and his father Elijah  black puppets to broaden diversity. Sesame Street also features popular puppets like Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Kermit the frog and other family-friendly characters who have featured prominently on merchandise ranging from pencils and erasers to school bags.



Over the years the show has been used to educate children on issues like racism, death in family, poverty and much recently, COVID-19.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS9xOczDEZY

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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France logged 50,659 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the second day seeing over 50,000 infections after 59,038 cases were reported on Wednesday.

The country's around 67 million inhabitants are set to enter a third lockdown at the weekend to slow a third wave of COVID-19.

The country's total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases now stood at 4,695,082, data from health authorities showed. In the last 24 hours, 308 new deaths were reported in hospitals, bringing the total tally of human loss to 69,904.

Meanwhile, a total of 28,581 COVID-19 patients remain hospitalized, up by 118 in one day, and 5,109 of them are receiving intensive treatment, up from 5,053 recorded on Wednesday.

"The third wave is here, and it's hitting us hard. ... The epidemic spreads quickly and everywhere. This acceleration is due to the virus variant detected in Britain by the end of last year," Prime Minister Jean Castex told the National Assembly on Thursday.

In its one-year battle against the coronavirus, the French government "has acted swiftly by taking several strong measures" aiming "to act neither too early nor too late," he told lawmakers when presenting the new package of restrictions to curb the virus resurgence.

From Saturday, shops not selling basic goods will have to shut down, and people must stay at home, work remotely and sign a document if they plan to travel over 10 km from their homes. Inter-city travel is banned for at least one month.

The country's nurseries, primary schools, colleges and high schools will close for three weeks starting from April 5.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran said earlier Thursday that "it takes between seven and 10 days for measures to show effect."

He said that the new restrictions "will make it possible to stop this epidemic wave which is very strong and to move towards a more serene spring and to have more freedom by May."

As of Thursday, a total of 8,806,108 citizens have got the first dose of a vaccine in France, accounting for 16.8 percent of the adult population, and 2,956,205 people, or 5.6 percent of the adult population, have got both jabs.

Starting from mid-April, people aged over 60 in France will be able to get vaccinated, from May 15 the vaccination will be open to people aged between 50 and 60 and from mid-June the age limit will be lifted.

France has so far approved the use of four vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. Globally, 268 candidate vaccines are still being developed in countries including Germany, China, Russia and Britain, according to the latest data released by the World Health Organization.
India on Friday reported a net increase of 30,641 in active cases to take its count to 614,696. That is a little over 60 per cent of the September 18 peak of 1,017,754. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 2.74 per cent (one in 36). The country is 5th among the most affected countries by active cases. On Friday, it added 81,466 cases, the most in a day since October 6, to take its total caseload to 12,303,131. And, with 469 new fatalities, the most in a day since December 6, its Covid-19 reached 163,396, or 1.33 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 3,671,242 more people getting Covid-19 vaccine shots on Thursday, Indias total count of those inoculated reached 68,789,138. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 11,525,039  or 93.68 per cent of total caseload  with 50,356 new cured cases being reported on Friday.
Paris: Emmanuel Macron has come under heavy fire over his lockdown U-turn as his opposition boycotted a parliamentary vote on tougher coronavirus restrictions and said they would not rubber-stamp the whims of a monarch. But the French people appear to be giving their President the benefit of the doubt.

Criticism over Macrons belated decision to enact tougher measures came as the government confirmed these would include an alcohol ban in public places after scenes of crowds enjoying beers in parks and gardens in Paris and other big cities.

People enjoy warm weather along the Seine river banks in Paris this week before the introduction of tougher measures. Credit:Getty Images

The National Assembly, Frances lower house, voted to approve the new measures on Thursday (Friday AEDT) by 348-9.

Macron had long rebuffed increasingly strident calls from experts to enact a hard lockdown. Hospital heads had warned they were on the verge of triage of patients in hotspots such as Paris. Intensive care occupancy has passed 5000  higher than in Novembers second wave.
The worlds largest pizza company, Dominos Pizza has announced the opening of its 1st restaurant on Oxford Street in Osu on 5 April 2021. This will be the first-ever Dominos Pizza restaurant in Ghana and is expected to be followed by a restaurant in East Legon, scheduled to open later this month.

.

The new Osu Store located at the start of Oxford Street above the Koala Shopping Mall will be open to the public on Monday and will be serving customers with Dominos delicious classic pizzas, signature pizzas, special pizzas, garlic breadsticks, chicken wings and other tasty side dishes.



With a spacious dining area, customers will have the option to either dine-in, or takeaway their pizzas starting Monday.

Dominos Pizza will be offering exciting deals with two medium classic pizzas for only 29.50 cedis each, and 20% off your first order online, if you use the code PLENTY20.



We are all prepared for the launch of our Osu Store this Monday on April 5th. In our menu, we have pizzas for everyone. Pizza lovers should visit our restaurant to experience the fresh delicious pizzas we are bringing to the Ghanaian market - Kwabena Ntiri Addo, Marketing Manager, Fire Foods Africa, the Ghanaian Master Franchisee for Dominos Pizza.



For more information and updates on the menu, shop locations, hours of operations please visit Facebook (Dominos Pizza Ghana), Instagram(@dominosghana) and Twitter (@dominos_gh)









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Workforce

SSA under pressure to reopen Trump-era union contract

The Social Security Administration is under fire from unions and congressional Democrats unhappy with the agency's pace in implementing the Biden administration's changes to labor-management relations, and many are seeking the ouster of the Trump-appointed agency leaders.

The American Federation of Government Employees wants a return to the bargaining table to renegotiate a contract that is based in part on limitations on union activity included in Trump administration executive orders that have since been repealed.

In rolling back those orders, President Joe Biden ordered agencies to bargain over a broader set of "permissive" topics.

"SSA is looking for any reason not to reopen the current contract," said Ralph DeJuliis, president of AFGE Council 220, which represents 29,000 SSA employees in field offices and telephone service centers. "SSA is, in our opinion, not following the Biden executive orders."

The entire contract is "tainted," said Barri Sue Bryant, president of AFGE local 2809, which represents employees at an SSA operations center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

The union wants to reopen the entire 2019 contract, but it is still waiting for SSA to give further guidance on what it will agree to bargain over.

SSA is implementing Biden's executive order "responsively and responsibly," a SSA spokesperson told FCW. "Building collaborative working relationships with our union partners" is "critically important" to the agency.

SSA asked unions for input after receiving guidance sent out to agencies by the Office of Personnel Management. Agencies are required to review any collective bargaining agreement sections that implemented the rescinded Trump orders.

SSA's assessment should be done by April 23, the agency spokesperson said.

In the meantime, the union wants the agency to suspend the use of the agency's version of improvement performance plans, called Opportunity to Perform Successfully Plans, given to feds for a chance to improve before being fired for poor performance, but that hasn't happened yet, Bryant said.

Changes to performance plans and terminations were included in one of the now-defunct Trump workforce executive orders.

The agency and the union have made progress on official time -- the practice of permitting senior union officials to conduct union business on the job. Official time, which was nearly eliminated by the Trump executive order, has been temporarily reset to levels closer to those in the 2012 bargaining agreement, Bryant said. That temporary agreement changing that can last up to seven months.

The agency and union have also established a resolution team that can now start to work through a backlog of issues like information requests and unfair labor practice charges that have accumulated since around 2018.

Bargaining is set to start on several issues, including the agency's recently issued plan to support a safe return to the workplace as COVID-19 vaccinations become more widely available.

Another top priority for the union is creating a long-term teleworking plan, Bryant and DeJuliis said.

In 2019, the agency cut back on its teleworking program before restoring it to cope with the pandemic. Some employees are anxious about the lack of information from the agency about teleworking protocols for the future and when employees will be required to come back to the office, DeJuliis said. The union also wants to bargain over SSA's reposturing plan outlining how employees will be brought back and how in-person service of the public will function.

In a March 26 letter shared with FCW that was sent from Federal Labor Relations Authority's regional office to SSA on March 26, an FLRA official encouraged the agency to bargain over several issues related to the agency's plan, writing that "the amicable resolution of unfair labor practices disputes serves  the public interest."

The recent appointment of a general counsel at FLRA, which has been without one since 2017, means that the office will now be able to pursue charges for unfair labor practice charges that remain unresolved.

Despite some improvement, unions and some lawmakers are still pushing for the ouster of Trump-appointed agency leaders. But getting rid of Trump's SSA commissioner and deputy commissioner isn't so easy. Commissioner Andrew Saul, whose six-year term runs through 2025, can be fired by the president after a finding of "neglect of duty or malfeasance in office." The Senate-confirmed deputy David Black, a former senior White House advisor under Trump, also has a six-year term but can be removed by the president without an adverse finding.

In a March 5 letter, House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (D-Conn.) and several committee colleagues called for the removal of Saul and Black.

"What SSA needs is a change in the culture," DeJuliis said. "Until they change, we have very little hope of seeing any change."
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-03 00:15:34|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The long wait of Nepalis in the capital Kathmandu to get drinking water from the Melamchi river has become a reality after Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the distribution of water from the country's largest water supply project on Friday.

President Bhandari inaugurated the distribution of water by opening a tap in Kathmandu. After the Chinese contractor Sinohydro Corporation Limited completed digging the tunnel of the project, water was released into the tunnel to test if there is any leakage.

The Melamchi project aims to supply 170 million liters of fresh water per day, largely relieving the water shortage in the valley, Nepali officials said.

During the inauguration ceremony, Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli congratulated the residents of Kathmandu for receiving water after a prolonged wait. "It is one of recent success stories in our development efforts," he said.

According to KUKL, water received from the Melamchi project has been distributed to 80,000 taps in Kathmandu Valley, at a time when local residents face acute shortage of water in the dry season.

"People in Kathmandu Valley will feel huge relief in the dry season this year with supply of water from the Melamchi Project," Milan Kumar Shakya, CEO of KUKL, told Xinhua on Friday.

According to him, there has been supply of only 80 million liters per day from the existing sources of water in Kathmandu Valley. "We will also soon get supply of additional water from the Melamchi project and water will be supplied to all the households of the capital city gradually," said Shakya.

According to KUKL, the actual demand for water in Kathmandu Valley is 430 million litres per day if water is supplied 24 hours a day. "But water to be available from the Melamchi project along with existing sources will be enough for all households to meet their minimum water needs," said Shakya.

The Nepali government also plans to launch a second phase of the Melamchi project adding an additional 170 million liters of water per day. The prime minister has instructed government officials to complete the project in three years.

The drinking water project was launched in 2000, but was delayed due to a number of factors including the devastating earthquake in 2015.

In September 2019, Sinohydro was awarded the contracts for completing the remaining works of both tunnel digging and the headworks. After the Chinese contractor completed the tunnel digging work, the water was diverted to the tunnel by erecting a temporary dam on the Melamchi river which lies in the north of Kathmandu in the neighboring Sindhupalchowk district. Enditem
Seven sheriffs officers in Collin County, Texas, were fired on Thursday in connection with the death of Marvin D. Scott III, a 26-year-old Black man who died after being restrained at the county jail last month.

Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established Sheriffs Office policies and procedures, Jim Skinner, the sheriff, said in a statement, adding that an eighth officer had resigned.

The police in Allen, Texas, just north of Dallas, arrested Mr. Scott on a marijuana possession charge on March 14. He had less than two ounces of the drug, according to the authorities  a misdemeanor.

Image Marvin D. Scott

The police said they had taken Mr. Scott to a hospital because he was acting erratically. He was then taken to the county jail, where county officers restrained him and pepper-sprayed him. A spit hood was placed over his head. He died later that night.
(TNS)  The expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone age 50 and older will be the biggest test yet for California's vaccine effort, which has stabilized recently but still faces questions about whether supply and appointments can keep pace with demand.Millions more Californians qualify for a shot starting Thursday, and in two weeks, all residents 16 and older will be eligible. For most people, actually getting a dose will involve wading into California's vast array of appointment websites run by local health departments, private health providers and clinics, several major pharmacy chains and the state, through a portal called My Turn.Public health officials are urging newly eligible people to be patient while searching for an appointment because the supply of vaccine doses coming from the federal government is still constrained in some places. Officials in several major counties have said they could vaccinate far more people if they received more supplies. Officials in Los Angeles County estimate it has the capacity to administer 700,000 doses per week, but supplies have yet to reach that level."It's impossible for us not to be alerting people to the fact that they are going to perhaps need to wait for a couple of weeks before they're going to be able to get those appointments," L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer said Wednesday. An estimated 1.4 million L.A. County residents will become eligible April 1, and nearly 4 million people ages 16 and older will become eligible April 15, Ferrer said.Across the state, more than 30% of residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, totaling more than 18 million doses. State and local officials have continued to prioritize equity in the vaccine distribution  a key to the state's reopening plan  but ongoing constraints in supply could further hinder those efforts to reach the hardest-hit communities. In Los Angeles, Ferrer said capacity is not going to be a limiting factor."As soon as there's an increase in doses, we're going to be able to translate that immediately to more appointments for people who are eligible to get vaccinated," she said, noting that the county this week received fewer than 400,000 doses, which limited the number of appointments it could provide.Officials have been relying on an influx of doses in April to keep pace with the growing eligibility, with Ferrer on Wednesday projecting that if L.A. could continue to acquire 576,000 or more doses per week by the end of April, more than 80% of the county could be vaccinated by the end of June. Yet Johnson & Johnson said late Wednesday that a batch of vaccine failed quality standards and can't be used.Ferrer said L.A. County had been anticipating that about 20% of its doses over the next three months would be Johnson & Johnson. The drugmaker didn't say how many doses were lost, and it wasn't clear how the problem would affect future deliveries. Officials in Santa Clara have also warned that while demand increases, supply has remained limited."We've had scarcity of vaccine and that continues," Santa Clara County COVID-19 testing and vaccine officer Dr. Marty Fenstershieb said earlier this week. The tight supplies are also translating to difficulty securing appointments, many Californians said. My Turn, the state's online appointment hub, was prone to glitches at the start of the vaccine rollout. To date, 2 million of the state's 18 million administered doses have been booked through the site.The issues have mostly improved as vaccine supply and appointment availability have increased. But in addition to the state site, a patchwork of websites operated by local health departments, private health providers and several major pharmacies have sprung up to meet growing demand. Some counties  and residents  have abandoned the platform altogether. Billed as a one-stop shop for an appointment, My Turn does not include slots from many of the state's biggest providers, including health chains such as Kaiser Permanente, retail pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens, third-party providers such as Carbon Health in Los Angeles and Othena in Orange County, and smaller clinics that operate on a platform called CalVax."It is a genuine challenge to find an appointment," said Echo Park resident David A.L. Venable, 29, whose severe asthma puts him at high risk for COVID-19. "That My Turn is a pain and challenge to navigate to this extent does not bode well for the expansion." Carlos, a 26-year-old legal worker who asked that his last name not be used, said he will be skipping My Turn and going straight to CVS when he becomes eligible. "I find it way easier to navigate," he said, noting that he already used the pharmacy's site to make an appointment for his mother.To address problems with My Turn, the state allowed residents to sign up for an appointment at least one day before the expansion. That change was in order to prevent sign-up snags that occurred on March 15, when nearly 5 million more residents became eligible in the state and rushed to find an appointment.Despite the modification, appointments have still been difficult to obtain. Several residents on a popular vaccine appointment group on Facebook said the site locked them out of first-dose appointments because there were no available openings for second-dose appointments further down the line. Others said not every vaccine site comes up in a given ZIP Code, and recommended typing in a list of 10 different cities so as not to miss a location. After some difficulty, Orange County resident David Chang, 52, said he was able to use My Turn to secure an appointment at the East Valley Community Health Clinic, but noted that the site wasn't user-friendly."You have to answer all the eligibility questions each time before getting to the scheduling page, only to find out that no openings are available," he said. As with earlier stages of the vaccine rollout, Californians have also been confused about varying eligibility across the state, and about whether and when it's acceptable to cross county lines for a dose.A handful of counties have already expanded eligibility prior to the state guidance. In Contra Costa, for example, officials announced Tuesday that all residents 16 and older were eligible for the vaccine after roughly 44% of the county has received at least one dose. The newly eligible group was directed to a county-run website to schedule appointments, since the county clinics were not currently set up on My Turn.So far, the California Department of Public Health has reported that about 24% of the state's vaccine supply  or roughly 4.3 million doses  has gone to those ages 50 to 64, either because they were already included in various eligible categories or they live in counties that have already expanded eligibility beyond the state guidance.On Wednesday, Ferrer said that despite known issues, the county was "excited to expand eligibility" to more people. "We do ask both those currently eligible and those that will be newly eligible to be patient as supply increases," she said.
G8 fears for downgrade of country from repressed to closed in civic space

In a workshop with officials of other Togolese civil society organizations since yesterday Tuesday, the member structures of the G8 (Group of 8), through a final communique sanctioning the work of this seminar, expressed their deep concern about "the project of modification of the legal framework relating to freedom of association in Togo . The G8 and the participants would like to express their gratitude to the Government and its technical and financial partners who support the activities of associations and civil society organizations in Togo. However, the organizations present deplore the fact that there was no comprehensive inclusive consultation of Togolese associations on the draft law relating to freedom of association in Togo, "the document read. It is also stated, "This draft law on freedom of association in Togo, although innovative, contains articles that compromise the freedom of association. These articles do not conform to international and regional human rights texts ratified by Togo. It intervenes in a context where Togo, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Niger which were downgraded in terms of civic space from the category "obstructed" to "repressed" in 2020 in the CIVICUS report ". Finally, does he fear the effects of this modification given that "the modification of the 1901 law in other African countries such as Burundi, Mauritania, Ethiopia and the Congo is seen as reducing the civil liberties of African civil society ? ". Wouldnt this change in Togo risk downgrading the country in terms of civic space from "repressed" to "closed" ? That is the big question for the G8 and its partners. Reading !

PRESS RELEASE : SEMINAR OF EXCHANGE AND REFLECTION ON CIVIC SPACE : FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

At the end of the discussion and reflection seminar on civic space in Togo, this Wednesday, March 31, 2021 in Lome at the initiative of the group of eight organizations (ACAT-Togo, ATDPDH, CJPDH2D, FIT, GRAD, SADD, SYNDEMINES and SYNPHOT on the theme : "The right to freedom of association in Togo : challenges and perspectives", the participants would like through this declaration to express their concerns regarding the proposed modification of the legal framework relating to freedom of association in Togo.

The G8 and the participants would like to express their gratitude to the Government and its technical and financial partners who support the activities of associations and civil society organizations in Togo.

However, the organizations present deplore that there was no comprehensive inclusive consultation of Togolese associations on the draft law on freedom of association in Togo.

This draft law on freedom of association in Togo, although innovative, contains articles that compromise the freedom of association. These articles do not comply with international and regional human rights texts ratified by Togo. It intervenes in a context where Togo, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Niger which were downgraded in terms of civic space from the category "obstructed" to "repressed" in 2020 in the CIVICUS report.

The modification of the 1901 law in other African countries such as Burundi, Mauritania, Ethiopia and the Congo is seen as reducing the civil liberties of African civil society. Wouldnt this change in Togo risk downgrading the country in terms of civic space from "repressed" to "closed".

This requires that a deep and inclusive reflection be done with the participation of the main actors concerned, which are the associations.

This is why the Group of Eight Organizations and the two day seminar participants recommend :

 To the Government

To continue by guaranteeing the freedom of association enshrined in the Togolese constitution and international and regional legal instruments.

Establish a policy of improving civic space by moving Togo from the category of "repressed" to "open".

 To civil society organizations

To remain mobilized with a view to joining any advocacy process towards the competent authorities

To learn, train and raise awareness on the right to freedom of association.

 To technical and financial partners

To continue to support the Government and civil society organizations in the process

In addition, and following this seminar, we will set up a high-level advocacy campaign, in partnership with all Togolese civil society organizations and national institutions that wish and with the support of our

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 06:04:01|Editor: huaxia

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HOUSTON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday urged the federal government to take action to end the humanitarian crisis at the southern border.

During a press conference in Weslaco near the U.S.-Mexico border, the governor urged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to take immediate action to end the humanitarian crisis.

"Operation Lone Star is delivering results to keep our communities safe, but it is also exposing the continued failures of the Biden Administration to secure the border," said Abbott. "It is past time for the federal government to step up and secure the border, and I am urging the Biden Administration to take action now to save lives and get this crisis under control."

Abbott also provided an update on the state's response to the border crisis through Operation Lone Star.

Abbott said that since the launch of Operation Lone Star on March 4, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has made 598 criminal arrests and made over 16,000 referrals of illegal immigrants to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The operation has also led to the seizure of 14 pounds of cocaine, 23 fire arms, and millions of dollars in currency, and the arrests of nine gang members involved in the movement of this contraband, according to the governor.

Abbott also highlighted the rise in violence at the border, detailing stories of abuse, assault, rape, and attempted murder of migrants at the hands of smugglers and cartel members. Endtiem
"It was difficult for me to find female role models doing what I wanted to do. What I didnt know, until I started working at the Lab, was that there were pioneering women in the field of forensic ornithology. The field started in the 1960s with Roxie Laybourne, who worked at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. She helped investigators determine that a flock of European starlings was to blame for a fatal plane crash," Forensic Scientist Ariel Gaffney.





The National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory (Lab) is much like a typical police lab complete with forensic scientists who work with law enforcement on criminal investigations by analyzing evidence to support investigations. However, unlike most police labs, the Service's Lab goes much further. There is a wide array of forensic scientists that deal with morphology, genetics, and pathology who support the OLE in the field to facilitate the legal wildlife trade as well as examine, identify, and compare evidence and provide expert testimony during investigations and court proceedings.

Her Primary Focus of Work

One such forensic scientist is Ariel Gaffney  Morphology. However, Forensic Ornithology might be the better term to describe Ariels work at the Lab because her work is paramount in helping the Services wildlife inspectors and special agents identify bird bones, feathers, and crafted items made with bird parts and whole birds, both alive and dead. When one thinks of how many types of birds, ducks, grouse, emus, and peafowl (to name some of the birds of the world), its an impressive feat to be able to identify the birds not only by their full body, but by feathers as well.

What was your career path that brought you to the Service?

I have an undergraduate and masters degree in biology with an emphasis on birds, although I studied white-faced capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica and coral reef ecology in Belize. However, my passion is birds.





In 2013, I started working for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Hawaii at the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center researching avian pox, avian malaria, and knemidocoptic mange. I had the opportunity to helicopter into remote areas of the Big Island so we could catch, sample, and treat native birds infected with this type of mange. I also got to process the field samples at the USGS lab to examine the rate of avian malaria infections.

Toward the end of my masters degree at the University of New Mexico, I met Dr. Pepper Trail, the Labs senior forensic scientist, at the North American Ornithological Conference. I never knew this field existed. I was debating whether I would go on to pursue my PhD, but after hearing what a forensic ornithologist does, I wanted to do that.

I went from studying hummingbird physiology and behavior to morphological identification of feathers and bird parts - it was a bit of a shift. However, during my field research with USGS and through my education, I learned how to use morphological differences to determine the age and sex of live birds, which has proven very useful for my identifications work here at the Lab. This position has given me the opportunity to combine my knowledge of bird morphology and taxonomy with my desire to be a part of an applied science.

Why do you believe your job makes a positive difference?

There are biologists who work on the study of wildlife and their habitats, there are law enforcement officers that investigate crimes, and my position as a forensic ornithologist allows me to bridge the gap between both worlds. Our team at the OLE works to facilitate the legal trade and help stop the illegal trade, and I get to play a small, but important part in that. My identifications let our agents and inspectors know whether the feather they are looking at is a legal turkey feather or one from an endangered species. Assisting the Services law enforcement officers, and occasionally other investigators worldwide, is a role not everyone can play and I feel very privileged to be a part of the team that does.

What else do you enjoy about your job?

I enjoy teaching and helping the agents and wildlife inspectors expand their toolbox to include bird identifications, which allows them to make quick and confident judgement calls on wildlife and products they see.

I also really enjoy being in a capacity to still do research. There is a freedom to ask questions in this position, How can we improve this method? Can we compile a short and concise list of characters that our agents and inspectors could use in the field? Although Im not in academia, Im still involved in peer-reviewed research and it has practical and immediate uses. Wildlife forensics is still such a young field, so anything we can do to further the research in this area is exciting.

What advice would you give to a young woman who is thinking about pursuing a career like yours?

Ornithology has traditionally been a male dominated field, but I would say, over the last decade or so, there has been an increase in females. If you look at many of the senior scientists in ornithology though, its still a very male dominated and was difficult for me to find female role models doing what I wanted to do. I feel like I should mention that the professors I worked with in undergrad and grad school were extremely supportive and really valued having a diverse group of students to which they mentored.

What I didnt know, until I started working at the Lab, was that there were pioneering women in the field of forensic ornithology. The field started in the 1960s with Roxie Laybourne, who worked at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. She helped investigators determine that a flock of European starlings was to blame for a fatal plane crash. Roxie went on to train and mentor other brilliant women including Dr. Carla Dove, who became a program manager for the National Museum of Natural Historys Feather Identification Lab; Marcy Heacker, also at the Smithsonian Feather Lab; and Beth Ann Sabo, who joined and began building the reference collection at the Services Lab.

What I love about the job

I love that we, the scientists at the Lab, also get to work with our counterparts in other countries. Ive met with scientists from the Philippines, Mexico, and countries in South America and Africa. Our lab has become a resource for countries beginning their own wildlife forensic laboratories. For example, we walk them through how we perform casework, our protocol documents, and the handling and storage of evidence. In addition, I get the opportunity to learn about the wildlife trade and law enforcement in other countries.

The Labs Feather Atlas is also something else I love that I have had the chance to collaborate on. I love that it is used by not only law enforcement as a resource, but also by everyday people and kids to help them identify the feathers they find in their backyards. Yearly, we have over a million hits on the website and we keep increasing the number of birds - we currently have up to 426 species represented on the atlas.

Future Endeavors

Im looking forward to traveling again and having the opportunity to spend some time at the Smithsonian Feather Lab learning more from Dr. Dove about techniques such as microscopy. If you have a small white feather, how can you tell if it came from a duck, a raptor, or a turkey? If you examine the feather under a microscope, you can see there are microscopic structures that are unique to each of these groups Another tool for my toolbox!

 Back to Women of the OLE
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a local clinic of cardiac surgery in the city of Blagoveshchensk, Russia. Photo: Reuters.

Russian doctors stayed behind in a burning, tsarist-era hospital in the country's Far East on Friday to complete open-heart surgery after a fire broke out on the roof while they were operating.

Firefighters who took more than two hours to put out the blaze in the city of Blagoveshchensk said they used fans to keep smoke out of the operating room and ran in a power cable to keep it supplied with electricity.

A group of eight doctors and nurses completed the operation in two hours before removing the patient to another site, the emergencies ministry said.

Read More

"There's nothing else we could do. We had to save the person. We did everything at the highest level," surgeon Valentin Filatov was quoted as saying by REN TV. He said it had been a heart by-pass operation.

The ministry said 128 people were immediately evacuated from the hospital as the fire broke out on the roof.

"The clinic was built more than a century ago, in 1907, and the fire spread like lightning through the wooden ceilings of the roof," the ministry said.

A wiring malfunction is believed to be the cause of the fire at the cardiac surgery center, regional prosecutors told state media.

No one was reported as hurt.

The fire was contained with the help of 59 firefighters, the regional Emergency Situations Ministry told the state-run TASS news agency.

"A bow to the medics and firefighters," said Vasiliy Orlov, the local regional governor.
An Alabama man will serve two years on probation after pleading guilty to shooting a neighbors dog and dragging the body behind his pickup truck.

Donald Gene Nix, 59, of Haleyville pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge, according to a statement from District Attorney Scott Slatton on Wednesday. A judge sentenced Nix to a one year in jail but suspended the punishment as long as he completes probation successfully.

A hearing will be held later to determine whether Nix has to pay restitution, which court records say could be about $1,400.

WIAT-TV reported that Nix was arrested in 2019 after a neighbors pet husky was killed after digging out of the yard. Nix was accused of tying the animals body to his truck with a rope and dragging it down a highway in Marion County, located in northwest Alabama.
Massachusetts lawmakers are calling on Gov. Charlie Baker in a letter to let people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers get COVID-19 vaccines.

Rep. Christine Barber, a Somerville Democrat, and Sen. Joan Lovely, a Salem Democrat, circulated a letter urging Baker to add intellectual and developmental disabilities to the list of health conditions that make people eligible for a vaccine sooner. Eighty-four legislators signed onto a letter dated Wednesday.

Research shows that I/DD, autism, down syndrome, neurological conditions and acquired brain jury all increase an individuals risk of serious complications and death from COVID-19, the letter states. In addition, many people with disabilities have experienced difficulty engaging in preventative health measures and disruptions to health services they normally rely on as a result of the pandemic.

Under the states vaccination plan, people with at least two co-morbidities can get vaccinated now. The state will open eligibility to people with at least one co-morbidity on Monday. All adults ages 16 and up will be eligible to get vaccinated on April 19, or Patriots Day.

Having an intellectual or developmental disability is a top risk factor for COVID. 84 legislators joined our letter urging Gov. Baker to prioritize individuals with I/DD and their caregivers in the second phase of the states COVID-19 vaccine. #CovidVaccine #autismawareness pic.twitter.com/2SUyllcNJa  Christine Barber (@Barber4StateRep) April 1, 2021

The states list of eligible co-morbidities include asthma, cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), down syndrome, heart conditions such as heart failure or coronary artery disease, a weakened immune system from a solid organ transplant, obesity, severe obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, smoking and Type 2 diabetes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently added several health conditions to its vaccine eligibility list, including Type 1 diabetes and HIV.

The Republican governor was asked during a news conference in Chelsea Thursday whether Massachusetts will add Type 1 diabetes before Monday, when people with one co-morbidity can get vaccinated. Baker said he could talk to the states vaccine advisory board.

Baker was also asked on Thursday whether the state plans to accelerate eligibility for people ages 50 and under as the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise, particularly among residents under age 30. He held firm on the current timeline.

I cant continue to stress enough that our focus from the beginning of this has been on those most vulnerable, and I think in many respects thats where it should be, he said. By having everyone eligible by Patriots Day, April 19, we will have given the most vulnerable among us in Massachusetts the opportunity that they need to get vaccinated.

While other states have accelerated when younger people can get shots, Baker stressed those states havent inoculated as many people as Massachusetts has.

Every single one of those states that people have raised with me, it was a significantly sized state, has vaccinated fewer people as a percent of their population, fewer people in terms of their first dose and typically in most cases have not put as much of the vaccine thats been made available to them to work as we have, Baker added. Eligibility is one thing. Actually executing on the ground and getting big portions of the populations that are eligible vaccinated is another.

Related Content:
Discoveries at the legendary Sanxingdui ruins in southwest China show that the region's ancient Shu state civilization shared similarities with the Maya, according to the director of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, Marco Antonio Santos.

The Sanxingdui ruins, located in the city of Guanghan, about 60 kilometers from Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, belonged to the Shu Kingdom that existed at least 4,800 years ago and lasted more than 2,000 years.

China announced on March 20 that archaeologists uncovered gold, ivory and jade objects dating back about 3,000 years in six sacrificial pits.

The Maya civilization built its city-states around 200 A.D. The pre-Hispanic city of Chichen Itza, a key Maya ceremonial center featuring the famed Kukulcan pyramid as an important emblem for the Maya, existed from approximately 700 to 1200 A.D.

Santos told Xinhua that the bronze-made remnants of trees buried in sacrificial pits at the ruins of the Shu Kingdom recall the Maya's sacred ceiba tree, which symbolized the union of heaven, earth and the underworld for the civilization that flourished in Mesoamerica.

"They are very important similarities," said Santos, stressing that "the representations of trees in both cultures provide us with a symbolism that is very similar."

The findings at the ruins, considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, also show a new aspect of the bronze culture, indicating the ancient civilization already had knowledge of technologies that were thought to be from later cultures, said Santos.

While the time lag between the millennial Shu Kingdom and the Maya culture that flourished in the jungles of southeast Mexico was great, the findings highlight the closeness between the two civilizations, said Santos.

The two civilizations developed in regions with comparable climates and reflected their worldview in kindred symbols, he noted, adding that among the over 500 artifacts recently unearthed in Sanxingdui, were pieces of gold and jade, materials the Maya also used to represent characters and scenes related to royalty and the gods.

"At the end of the day, man is still man independent of time and space, and what we have is that, at this latitude, both that culture and the Maya looked at the same sky, they had the same stars on the horizon," the expert said.

One notable feature of the recent discoveries at Sanxingdui, with excavations of its No. 1 and No. 2 sacrificial pits in 1986, was the interdisciplinary work and technology applied by teams of Chinese archaeologists, Santos said.

The technology allowed the unearthing of artefacts as fragile as silk remnants, which other types of less careful excavation methods would not have been able to register, he said.

Collaboration between Chinese and Mexican archaeologists could benefit projects in the Maya world, where the rainy climate and humidity are problematic for the conservation of objects, said Santos.

"Every time our cultural knowledge increases, regardless of whether we speak one language or another, what it shows us is that we continue to be increasingly fraternal, we continue to be sister cultures and, therefore, the exchange of such knowledge is fundamental," said Santos.
(Natural News) Raw data on Covid-19 mortality, obtained from John Hopkins University, shows that Covid-19 death rates are similar in the vaccinated and unvaccinated regions. This data does not include deaths from vaccination. Since the beginning of 2021, South Africa has vaccinated 0.3 percent of their population. Israel, on the other hand, has instituted a medical police state that forces people to vaccinate as a precondition to participate in society.

By using tyrannical vaccine passports, Israel has coerced over 55 percent of their population to participate in experimental vaccine trials in a short amount of time. Israels Covid-19 death rate has improved since the beginning of the year, but so has South Africas Covid-19 death rate. Are the vaccine programs a complete waste of time, energy and money?

Heavily vaccinated Israel currently has same mortality rate as unvaccinated South Africa

Despite spending billions of dollars on vaccines, human tracking technology, and vaccine compliance propaganda, Israel continues to experience similar trends in Covid-19 mortality as South Africa. In fact, the death rate per million in Israel is higher now than it was at any time in the country between March and September of 2020.

Strangely enough, the death rate per million people from January 5, 2021 to March 29, 2021 is similar for both Israel and South Africa. While the death rate per million was higher in South Africa at the start of the year, the rolling seven-day average has fallen tremendously in just three months, at a faster rate than the heavily vaccinated country of Israel. The death rate for both countries is currently about the same, hovering at less than two people per million.

The fatal flaw of Covid-19 mortality and case data

Of course, any reference to Covid-19 death numbers are inherently inaccurate, unreliable and fraudulent because a Covid-19 diagnosis is based on non-specific symptom observation and is fraudulently confirmed using high cycle PCR tests that are prone to false positives. In some cases, false positives are as high as 97 percent, as confirmed by a Portuguese court. Most of the Covid tests that were approved by regulatory agencies in 2020 amplify non-infectious virus material, do not determine viral load, and are used as false evidence to illegally quarantine healthy people.

In fact, the late Tanzanian President John Magufuli ran the Covid test on a goat and a papaya. Both tested positive for Covid-19 because the cycle count for the PCR test is intentionally designed to drive up the number of positive cases.

The drop in case numbers and deaths attributed to Covid-19 in 2021 could simply be the result of stricter PCR testing standards that are being implemented in 2021. The World Health Organization issued new guidance on Covid-19 tests in January 2021, instructing laboratories to run fewer cycles to prevent false positives. The ideal number of cycles is 17, but only a few governments have been transparent about the number of cycles used in their Covid tests. Due to this medical fraud, many different types of viral infection have been falsely classified as Covid-19 since the start of the so-called pandemic. This is evidenced by the drop-off in flu cases over the past two flu seasons. In the 2019-2020 flu season, there were approximately 38 million flu cases. In the 2020-2021 flu season, there were only 1,822 recorded flu cases.

Death rate could increase because of the vaccines

The existence of widespread medical fraud does not mean there wont be people dying from respiratory infections in the upcoming months and years. The death rate for infectious disease could easily go up. Because health authorities are ignoring the issue of pathogenic priming with coronavirus vaccines, there could be new waves of death that make current statistics meaningless. While thousands of deaths post-vaccination are now classified as death by natural causes, medical authorities will not be able to ignore the wave of deaths that are the result of pathogenic priming from routine Covid vaccination and subsequent exposure to coronaviruses.

These deaths may not appear on Covid-19 mortality charts, but they are still significant as hospitals deal with populations that are perpetually immune-compromised from vaccines and drugs. Moreover, a vaccine campaign this aggressive will inevitably put pressure on coronaviruses to survive, causing mutations that put everyone at risk. As a result, Covid variants are already appearing in the wild.

Of course, medical authorities will blame the unvaccinated population for causing these ongoing death waves, when its really the vaccinated shedding the virus and spurring mutations. Medical authorities will demand that vaccine passports be installed to curtail vaccine resistance.

Healthy, free, unvaccinated people with functioning immune systems will continue to be segregated, discriminated and socially isolated. This medical tyranny and hysteria will never correct the underlying health issues that cause people to die from infections in the first place. Populations cannot vaccinate their way out of immune deficiency.

This medical police state will never correct the fraud and deceit that is suppressing lives, causing misery and leading people to their death, and it will never solve the current health crises taking place in medical systems around the world, no matter how far the truth is distorted.

Sources include:

Twitter.com

Reuters.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
WWII Veteran, 96, Knits Hats for the Salvation Army During Pandemic, Weaves Over 500

A 96-year-old World War II veteran from Minnesota has found a crafty antidote to the isolation owing to the pandemic: knitting hundreds of hats for The Salvation Army.

To date, Tom Cornish has knit more than 500 woolen hats of various color combinations with his hook and loom from his apartment at Champlin Shores, a senior living complex. Originally aiming to finish one hat every day, Cornish often supersedes his target.

Tom Cornish, 96-year-old World War II veteran. (Courtesy of Craig Dirkes/The Salvation Army)

Volunteering does something to a person. Youre working for others, he explained to KARE 11. Theres people here that want me to sell them, but I wont.

Cornish, who sometimes stitches messages from the Bible into the wool, knows why he does what he does. I feel Im working for the Lord, he explained, and thats a good feeling.

Taking almost four hours to knit one hat, Cornish managed to donate 400 hats to The Salvation Army in 2020 alone.

Tom Cornish as a U.S. Navy volunteer during WWII. (Courtesy of Jerry Cornish & Marilyn Cornish)

The veterans son, Jerry Cornish, says his father has always lent support to others.

This is how he got to be 96 years old, because hes helping everybody else, said Jerry. Everybodys more important than he is, in his mind.

Cornishs service to others began when he volunteered to join the Second World War effort fresh out of high school. After serving in the Pacific, the Navy man continued to volunteer back home in Minnesota while helping raise five children with his late first wife, Lorraine.

The volunteering tradition also continued with his second wife, Marvel.

Tom Cornish with his family including all five children. (Courtesy of Jerry Cornish & Marilyn Cornish)

According to The Salvation Army, Cornish has been knitting off and on for around 20 years, and took up the hobby more seriously when Marvel passed away. Each hat costs the veteran about $6 to make, but he jokes that each would cost $3 more if he didnt buy his yarn on sale.

Salvation Army warehouse manager Beth Koski praised Cornish for being a remarkable man, exclaiming that he is always so pleased to give his handiwork to people in need.

(Courtesy of Jerry Cornish & Marilyn Cornish)

The veteran has received both shots of the COVID-19 vaccine but doesnt plan to give up his helping hobby. He has also taught others at Champlin Shores how to weave hats.

Other people are getting something out of my labor, he told CNN. Its better than playing cards or looking out the window.

While the winter season has come to an end, for Cornish there is no stopping. He is already planning to knit baby hats that he also plans to donate to the Salvation Army.

He said he intends to continue his newfound hobby until I take my last breath.

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.
She spends each night alone, curled up in a four-and-a-half by eight-foot rooftop tent, balanced on stilts above her car. She often eats her meals in parking lots. She has seen her daughter and grandchildren only once in the past six months, and her husband not at all.

Su Min, a 56-year-old retiree from Henan Province in central China, has never been happier.

Ive been a wife, a mother and a grandmother, Ms. Su said. I came out this time to find myself.

After fulfilling her familys expectations of dutiful Chinese womanhood, Ms. Su is embracing a new identity: fearless road-tripper and internet sensation. For six months, she has been on a solo drive across China, documenting her journey for more than 1.35 million followers across several social media platforms.

Her main appeal is not the scenic vistas she captures, though those are plentiful. It is the intimate revelations she mixes in with them, about her abusive marriage, dissatisfaction with domestic life and newfound freedom. Her blunt but vulnerable demeanor has made Ms. Su  a former factory worker with a high school education  an accidental feminist icon of a sort rarely seen in China.
A former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas has alleged that President Joe Bidens newly released list of judicial nominees proves that he's letting liberal dark money groups control his administration.

Carrie Severino, president of the think-tank Judicial Crisis Network, which advocates for the appointment of originalist U.S. Supreme Court justices, expressed concern about Bidens first list of judicial nominees. The nominees on the list, released Tuesday, would fill 11 vacancies on the federal courts. Severino wrote about Judge Katenji Brown Jackson, Bidens pick to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in an op-ed for National Review.

Jackson has been on the Supreme Court shortlist of Demand Justice, to which prospects do not make the cut unless they are far to the left, she said. Others on the liberal groups shortlist include employees of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, as well as a visiting professor of social justice at Union Theological Seminary and a former Planned Parenthood attorney.

Severino noted that prior to becoming a federal judge, Jackson represented indigent criminal appellants before the D.C. Circuit and submitted amicus briefs on behalf of accused enemy combatants in military detention. In a Twitter thread Tuesday, Severino explained that the context in which the judicial nominations are occurring should concern conservatives: As Politico playbook noted this morning, President Biden has been working overtime to appease the far left, and we can expect his judges to rubber-stamp their extreme radical agenda.

Source:The Christian Post
COMPTON, Calif. (AP)  A huge fire in a Southern California commercial yard spread to neighboring homes, destroying three garages, authorities said.

The fire erupted in Compton around 5 p.m. Wednesday and units from multiple agencies responded, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Residents fled their homes but there were no injuries reported.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department initially said three homes were destroyed but the Compton Fire Department later said they were detached garages.

Fire officials said the yard contained a wide array of items including vehicles, cardboard, pallets and paints.

The fire burned into the night as firefighters poured streams of water onto the properties.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/01/2021



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alum Jade Roper is reflecting back on her big Playboy reveal on Chris Soules ' season and admits she wishes she had felt more empowered about her sexy photo shoot at the time.Jade competed on Chris' season in 2015, a whopping six years ago, when sex in the franchise was still a taboo subject and many of the bachelorettes felt compelled to be tight-lipped about their sexual encounters or desires.During a recent appearance on Us Weekly's "Here for the Right Reasons" podcast, Jade dished on the moment she told Chris she had modeled nude for Playboy magazine."I never felt pressure [from producers] to do anything, but I do know [the Playboy photo shoot] was something they wanted me to bring up," Jade, 34, told Us."I think I always kind of had that idea, like, that dread in the back of my mind of when that moment was going to happen. But if I would have told [producers], 'I'm not going to do it,' they obviously would have just pivoted, and I never would have felt forced to [talk about it on the show]."Looking back on her Playboy past, Jade shared, "I just wish that I would have felt more empowered about it.""I think at the time, I just felt a little slut-shamed about it. I just felt very shamed, which I don't at all anymore," she said.Chris appeared a little shocked when he looked at a few of Jade's risque modeling photos during her hometown date considering she was from the small town of Gering, NE.Chris, a farmer from Arlington, IA, assumed Jade was quiet and innocent and that they shared the same small-town values, but the bachelorette's family called her a "free spirit" and "wild mustang."Chris never said Jade's Playboy photo shoot was a dealbreaker, but he decided to send her home in fourth place after her hometown date.Chris wrote in his People blog at the time, "Talking to her family, I realized very quickly that I didn't really know the real Jade... I've said before that I want some edge in my future wife. I love to unleash and let go and have fun.""But that was basically the opposite of the Jade I'd seen up until that point. The Jade I knew was quiet, shy, almost meek. I was intrigued by what her family was saying, but almost disturbed by the fact that the Jade I knew was so different from what they were describing."Chris added that he had "reluctantly obliged" to look at Jade's nude photos and found the moment "extremely uncomfortable."Chris explained at the time, "Let's be honest, there are things in my past that I'm not proud of. If Jade was my soul mate and 'the one,' I would never let that come between us... Seeing those photos did not change how I felt about her. But how I felt about her after meeting all the girls' families was just not strong enough to move our relationship to the next level."But times have changed since then, and a woman having posed nude in a photo shoot would probably not be that shocking on franchise now."I think that's one good thing about the show now, is that they're having more real conversations about stereotypes... and letting women step into their own power, I guess," Jade shared on the podcast."I feel like [Season 11 ette star] Kaitlyn Bristowe was able to do that. She was just herself and when she did get the backlash, there was kind of this change where people were like, 'It's not okay to judge a woman on things that she's allowed to do!'"As fans probably recall, Kaitlyn made headlines for having sex with Nick Viall during a date in Ireland that took place long before the overnight Fantasy Suite dates.Kaitlyn was bullied, harassed and slut-shamed during her season, but many fans believe she paved the way for future ette stars to be more open about their sexuality and feel less shame in expressing themselves."And so I like that the show is showing more real talk and real life and real natural human desires -- or what's kind of our own rights. We're just allowed to live," Jade said.Although Jade didn't win Chris' heart, she went on to fall in love with Tanner Tolbert on Season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise.The pair got engaged during the finale of Bachelor in Paradise that aired in 2015 and they're happily married now with three children: Emerson, 3, Brooks, 19 months, and Reed, 4 months."There's a part of me that would love a fourth, but at the same time, I look at Reed and I think maybe his destiny is to be the baby of the family," Jade said."I think nobody really knows what to expect [after you have kids] until you're in it. And you're like, 'Oh, my gosh, nobody told me these things.'"As for Chris, he broke up with his winner Whitney Bischoff shortly after they got engaged on the March 2015 finale of his series."I was sad for Whitney when they broke up because I know how much she really loved him. And she was my friend and I know how stressful it was for her post-show with their relationship," Jade told Us."So, it was really sad for me because I was sad for her, but now she's happily married [to Ricky Angel] and has a sweet baby. It all worked out."Chris was most recently linked to Peter Weber 's bachelorette Victoria Fuller "I was really surprised about the Victoria thing," Jade admitted. "I was like, 'Oh!'"Now that Matt James season has wrapped, ABC is currently filming ette's seventeenth season starring Katie Thurston . The franchise will also air Season 18 of ette starring Michelle Young later this year.Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
High school and university students in Japan have started a weekly walkout from school to call for action to address climate change.

The weekly strike began nationwide on Friday. In central Tokyo, six participants gathered in front of the economy ministry. One of them skipped a university enrolment ceremony to join the protest.

The students are urging the government to sharply raise Japan's emission cut target in its ongoing review of the goal. The current target is a 26 percent reduction by fiscal 2030 from the fiscal 2013 level.

Second-year university student Yokoi Misaki says she decided to join the campaign even though it means that she has to give up some of the enjoyment of her student life.

She says she wants the government to implement policies for a better future for the Earth.

The weekly school walkout was started by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Young people around the world have followed suit.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 14:36:17|Editor: huaxia

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PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Taliban militants' attack on a police base in the northern Baghlan province claimed the life of a police officer and injured two others on Friday, provincial police spokesman Ahmad Jawed Basharat said.

A group of Taliban insurgents, according to the official, attacked a police base in Hussain Khil area outside provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri in the wee hours of Friday triggering heavy fighting which lasted for a while and as a result, a number of Taliban militants and a police officer were killed.

The killed police officer Sharifullah Khosti had served as commander of Special Unit of police in the restive province, Basharat added.

Two more policemen were injured in the gun battle, the official said.

Taliban militants who are active in parts of Baghlan province with Pul-e-Khumri as its capital 160 km north of Kabul have yet to make comment. Enditem
New York: Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can enjoy again, according to new US guidelines.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the US without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward.

The CDC says fully vaccinated people in the US can travel again. Credit:Rob Homer

Previously, the agency had cautioned against unnecessary travel even for vaccinated people, but noted that it would update its guidance as more people got vaccinated and evidence mounted about the protection the shots provide.

Every day you get more data, and you change your guidance based on the existing data, said Dr Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraskas College of Public Health.
Aerial view of the train which derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan April 2, 2021, is seen in this still image taken from a drone footage.

A rescue worker rests near the site of a derailed train near the Taroko Gorge area in Hualien, Taiwan on Friday, April 2, 2021.

Rescuers work at the site of a deadly train derailment, that happened in a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Ann Wang

A train collided with an unmanned vehicle that had rolled down a hill on Friday in eastern Taiwan, leaving at least 54 people dead and dozens injured.

With the train still partly in a tunnel, survivors climbed out of windows and walked along the trains roof to reach safety after the countrys deadliest railway disaster.

The crash occurred near the Toroko Gorge scenic area on the first day of a long holiday weekend when many people were using trains on Taiwans extensive rail system. The train had been carrying more than 400 people.

Read More

Many people were crushed under train seats in the collision. And there were other people on top of the seats. So those at the bottom were pressed and crushed and lost consciousness, a passenger with gauze taped to her elbow told Taiwanese broadcaster EBC, which did not show her face or give her name.

At the beginning, they still responded when we called them. But I guess they lost consciousness afterward.

The National Fire Service confirmed the death toll, which included the trains young, newly-married driver, and said all aboard had now been accounted for.

Expand Close A rescue worker rests near the site of a derailed train near the Taroko Gorge area in Hualien, Taiwan on Friday, April 2, 2021. / Facebook

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Whatsapp A rescue worker rests near the site of a derailed train near the Taroko Gorge area in Hualien, Taiwan on Friday, April 2, 2021.

More than 100 people were injured, it said. Railways news officer Weng Hui-ping called the crash Taiwans deadliest rail disaster.

Mr Weng said a construction truck operated by the railway administration slid onto the track from a work site on the hillside above. No-one was in the truck at the time. He said the speed of the train was not known.

The train had only partially emerged from a tunnel, and with much of it still inside, many escaping passengers were forced to scramble out of doors and windows and scale the sides of the train to walk along the roof to safety.

Television footage and photos posted from the scene on the website of the official Central News Agency showed people climbing out of the open door of a carriage just outside the entrance to the tunnel. The inner wall of one carriage was pushed all the way into the adjacent seat.

Expand Close Aerial view of the train which derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan April 2, 2021, is seen in this still image taken from a drone footage. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Aerial view of the train which derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan April 2, 2021, is seen in this still image taken from a drone footage.

Taiwan is a mountainous island, and most of its 24 million people live in the flatlands along the northern and western coasts that are home to most of the islands farmland, biggest cities and high-tech industries. The lightly populated east is popular with tourists, many of whom travel there by train to avoid mountain roads.

An investigation has been launched into the crash, and there was no immediate word about any arrests.

In a tweet, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said emergency services have been fully mobilised to rescue & assist the passengers & railway staff affected. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure their safety in the wake of this heartbreaking incident.

The crash came on the first day of the four-day Tomb Sweeping Festival, an annual religious holiday when people travel to their hometowns for family gatherings and to pay their respects at the graves of their ancestors.

Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang said the Railways Administration would be required to immediately conduct checks along other track lines to prevent this from happening again.
Williamstown Interim Town Manager Finalist 'Inclined' to Stay in Current Post

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  A half hour into his interview with the Select Board on Thursday night, interim town manager candidate Robert T. Markel told the town it may want to go with the other guy.

Markel told the board that the reason his interview needed to be rescheduled from Monday to Thursday was that he was in an extended meeting with his current employers, the select board in Hampden.

They decided to offer me a contract to run through June 30, 2022, Markel said. I dont have that contract. Ive been thinking in my own situation all day what makes sense for me and what may make the best sense for the town.

I understand you have another candidate who can probably provide full-time work. At best, I could do part-time work, 20 hours. It may be in your interest to take the other candidate if youre satisfied with that person. Because unless I resign in Hampden, Im not able to function full-time.  My inclination would be to sign a contract with Hampden. If the other candidate is satisfactory to the board, that may be your best decision.

If not, and you still need someone for 20 hours, let me know. I can probably be helpful.

On Monday, the board interviewed Charles Blanchard, who has served as the town manager in the Western Massachusetts town of Palmer and the town administrator in the Worcester County town of Paxton.

Toward the end of that interview, Blanchard offered praise for Markel and an offer to serve if the board offered Blanchard the position.

I know Bob Markel, hes a great manager, Blanchard said. I think whoever you choose is going to be able to do a good job to help you get through this. Believe me, as I mentioned before, you will get through this.

I think from what Ive seen, the community is a good community. Its strong. And I think that youre providing the kind of leadership you should to get through this. Good luck with the whole thing. If I can serve you, Id certainly be happy to do that.

The Select Board is looking for an interim town manager to take over when Jason Hoch departs town hall at the end of this month. On Thursday, Andrew Hogeland said the board is hoping to have a permanent town manager in place within four to six months.

But the interim is needed to handle the day-to-day management of town government, and whoever is appointed to the short-term position will be entering a town where many residents have deep distrust and fear about town government and, in particular, its police department.

The Select Board members asked both candidates to talk about how they would approach a community facing those kinds of challenges.

Ive watched your community listening sessions, and Ive watched some of the listening sessions for the [Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee], and I think thats a really good idea, Blanchard said. One of the problems always seems to be when people stake out positions on any controversial issue, its very difficult, Ive found, to get them to move away from what they thought of initially.

Blanchard cited an experience from his time in Palmer, where the town was faced with a highly contentious casino proposal. He said the town stood to gain upward of $20 million in revenue in a community that paid $15 million in property taxes, but one of the chief reasons the proposal was narrowly defeated was that some residents were misinformed about the threat of gridlock from increased traffic.

I guess my point is its hard once people make their decision on controversial things to get them to move away from it, Blanchard said. I really think that your listening sessions have the potential to do that.

Blanchard also was asked how he would manage town employees operating in an environment where members of the public are distrustful of local government.

I did sense in the interview we had with two of the [Williamstown employees], you could sense that one of the problem is it starts with a few people and, all of a sudden, it becomes an entire department that is under a cloud and then its the whole town government that is under a cloud, Blanchard said. It may not be fair, but it is understandable when people get that impression.

You just have to work with people, reinforce them, encourage them that they are doing the right thing. Get good news out there with what is happening positively and let people know that in the midst of all this, we recognize theyre still getting their jobs done, theyre still doing the things they should do, theyre still meeting the publics needs.

Blanchard described his management style as inclusive.

Generally, what Ive found is that department heads usually know about their jobs, whether its the police chief, the DPW head, the town accountant, he said. Theyre professionals. They know their job, particularly in a community like Williamstown thats so well run.

My style is to let them do the job, certainly provide any support I can provide and make sure the things were working on are in line with the goals and priorities set forward by the Board of Selectmen.

Markel stressed the importance of honesty in town government as a key to developing trust and changing minds.

If youre really trying to convince people, you cant just talk about the advantages of your position, he said. You have to be frank about the possible downside and argue that, on balance, it makes sense for the community.

Unfortunately, in most of the communities Ive worked  there is a portion of the community that is disengaged. They will engage when you take steps that they feel are threatening or where they dont have enough information. You have to go out of your way to get information to them.

Markel, the former mayor of Springfield (1992-96) who has served as an interim manager in six different communities, agreed with Blanchard that the elected Select Board sets the broad policy.

Ipswich had arguably the strongest town manager form of government in the state, he said, referring to the town he led from 2005-12. I had all the high cards. But Id go to the selectmen and say, Tell me what you want me to do. Lay out some goals for me. I know youre the policy makers and Im the manager, but it seemed to me to make a lot of sense to always work together.

If the Williamstown Select Board decides to go with Blanchard, it will be hiring a manager who has decades of experience on the other side of the table. He served on the select board in his hometown of Sturbridge from 1987-94 and again from 1996-2005.

One of the things Ive always said about being a town administrator or a town manager is its the easiest job in the world if you have good people youre working for and youre working with in your department heads and staff, Blanchard said. If they know their jobs and enjoy your jobs and you have a good, communicative relationship with the board of selectmen, it really doesnt get any better than that.
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Companies Mentioned

Bausch Health Companies Inc.

Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Gelesis Inc.

GlaxoSmithKline Plc

Novo Nordisk AS

RECORDATI S.p.A.

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

VIVUS Inc.

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Executive Summary

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Market characteristics

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Five Forces Summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Type

Market segments

Comparison by Type

Class III anti-obesity drugs - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Class II anti-obesity drugs - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Class I anti-obesity drugs - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Type

Market segmentation by Mechanism of Action

Market segments

Centrally acting anti-obesity drugs

Peripherally acting anti-obesity drugs

Other anti-obesity drugs

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Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Asia - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

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Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Bausch Health Companies Inc.

Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Gelesis Inc.

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Novo Nordisk AS

RECORDATI S.p.A.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

VIVUS Inc.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

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Ive had a theory for a while now, for which there is some suggestive empirical survey data, that the left began to go nuts a couple years before Trump rode down the escalator in 2015 and caused full-blown leftist insanity. The theory, first suggested to me by Charles Murray actually, is that the activist left was frustrated and angry by around 2014 that President Obama was such a huge disappointment. He was the lightworker, almost literally the second coming of Jesus. And from the point of view of the left, what did he actually deliver? A crappy health care plan is about it.

Gitmo, which was supposed to be closed within a year (it was his first executive order I believe) is still open todayand notice that the media and the left arent screaming about it as a human rights stain on America any more? Card check for labor unions didnt pass. Immigration reform didnt pass, though of course he tried to liberalize immigration through another executive order. Climate change action? That also went down in flames in Congress, and his attempt to nationalize the electric power sector through the so-called Clean Power Plan was blocked in the courts, and then dumped by Trump. Well see whether Biden tries to revive it in some new form.

So we shouldnt be surprised to see this delicious story:

Activists protest renaming Chicago school after oppressor Barack Obama Waukegans Board of Education met Tuesday evening to debate renaming Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Daniel Webster Middle School, after it was decided the historical figures either owned slaves or supported slavery. One of the top contenders for Thomas Jefferson Middle Schools new name is that of the first Black president, Barack Obama, and former First Lady Michelle. But that name is drawing the ire of immigration activists and some in the Latino community. Activists staged a protest outside the board meeting Tuesday. From the time Barack Obama became President until 2017 when he left, he today is still the highest-ranking president with deportations in our nation, said Julie Contreras, who runs shelters for immigrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border. She said Obama failed to deliver on his promises on immigration. We feel that Barack Obama did disservice to us. He denied us, and he didnt stop the deportations, the way he promised, Contreras continued. If youre removing the name of Thomas Jefferson, one oppressor, the name of Obama is another oppressor, and our families do not want to see that name, she added. . . Three million people were deported during Obamas eight years in office. A Washington Post report in 2019 found that Obama deported far more in the first three years in office than did President Trump. The Obama administration deported 1.18 million people in three years, and under Trump, about 800,000 were deported in the first three years.

They forgot to mention his promiscuous use of drone strikes on civilians in the Middle East. But in any case, pass the popcorn.
EDWARDSVILLE  The Madison County States Attorneys Office will help the Troy Police Department place license plate reader (LPR) cameras at three intersections.

Troy is the latest community to look at the cameras which can track license plates and alert police to stolen plates or vehicles owned by someone with an outstanding warrant.

On Thursday the Madison County Boards Judiciary Committee approved $5,000 out of the states attorneys drug asset forfeiture fund to help pay for the cameras.

The total cost is about $60,000. The specific locations were not discussed. The issue must go through other committees before a final approval by the full Madison County Board.

Similar projects are occurring in several communities, including Bethalto, Glen Carbon and Edwardsville. Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine said it is an attempt to create a digital circle around Madison County.

We have these license plate readers throughout the county, he said. Theyre pretty effective tools.

In 2018 Alton, Godfrey and the Madison County States Attorneys Office placed an LPR camera on the Clark Bridge. A second was later placed on Godfrey Road.

Since then, other cameras have been placed on Madison County highways and bridges with little fanfare.

Both Glen Carbon and Edwardsville have LPR cameras in the works. In February Glen Carbon approved two to be installed on Illinois 157 just south of Interstate 270. Another pair are planned for Illinois 159 north of the interstate.

Edwardsville wants to install a pair on Illinois 157 on Sunset Hill, just northeast of the split with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Edwardsville Police Chief Jay Keeven said theyll cost $10,000 to install and set up. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency has offered to store camera data and further and is willing to allow connections to its network from cameras placed in subdivisions by homeowners associations, as long as Edwardsville Police owns the camera.

Edwardsville officials also are exploring using Edwardsville Neighborhood Enhancement, Recognition, and Grant Initiative grants to pay for up to 50 percent of the cameras cost in each ward where they are desired.

Capt. Dave Vucich, chief investigator for the Madison County Sheriffs Department, recently discussed the cameras as well as the ongoing issue of auto thefts and break-ins. Law enforcement officials are reluctant to discuss specific LPR camera locations other than saying the cameras have been a success.

They do have limitations. Often if the vehicle has not been reported stolen quickly, officials can track where it has been but not where it is at that moment.

The committee on Thursdsay also was updated on the Madison County Jail population.

Chief Deputy Sheriff Major Jeff Connor said there are 301 inmates  55 are awaiting transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections which has effectively halted its intake process.

Its pretty well grinded to a halt again, Connor said. Were working with them to try to make some progress.

Reporter Charles Bolinger provided information for this story.
Too much certainty is almost as hazardous as too little, as the heated Dail exchanges will confirm. The slow vaccine roll-outs and spreading variants are making us tetchy. But it hasnt helped that the concept of equality in the vaccination roll-out has been tainted by cases of privilege and exceptionalism. The revelations from the Beacon Hospital, followed by the behaviour of Dublin GAA stars, have trampled on what were already exposed public nerves when it comes to restrictions compliance.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly found himself accused of incompetence over the drop in the expected vaccine delivery figures for April.

Last week Mr Donnelly was reassuring the Dail we would have 1.1m doses by the end of the month.

Yesterday he had to accept we were more likely to have 860,000. But Mr Donnelly hardly helped his cause by claiming that giving detailed figures provoked public anxiety because of inevitable changes.

At this point Labour Leader Alan Kelly had had enough: What the hell is going on here? he thundered. Youre responsible to Dail Eireann and the people of Ireland and youre refusing to give out the estimated figures for vaccines for the next three months which the whole country is dependent on.

Right now, the future of our country, Europe, and the rest of the world depends on inoculation. But doubts, blame and uncertainties mount as dependency escalates.

In Europe the City of Light is again under darkness as stringent new measures to fight the virus are enforced. Little wonder the World Health Organisation has slated the lazy roll-out of vaccines in the EU. It says the situation in the region is more worrying than it has been for several months.

Its director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said the roll-out of these vaccines is unacceptably slow and prolonging the pandemic.

Mr Kluge wants the bloc to ramp up manufacturing, reduce barriers to administering vaccines, and use every single vial it has.

No single government or even continent has the wherewithal to fight the virus and its mutations.

Earlier this week the UN appealed for an international treaty to improve preparedness.

The question is not if, but when. Together, we must be better prepared to predict, prevent, detect, assess and effectively respond to pandemics, it said in a statement.

The main goal of the treaty would be to foster a comprehensive approach to strengthen national, regional and global capacities.

Even in the US, despite being the site of one of the most successful vaccine roll-outs on the planet, cases are rising again. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has admitted she was scared of where things were heading. She referred to a recurring feeling I have of impending doom. In India, biostatistician Bhramar Mukherjee said: You can see that the tidal wave is coming.

Pandemics do not come with neat endings. They fade over time and the length of time may well depend on the degree of global co-operation.
[April 01, 2021] The Future is bright for small to mid-sized businesses pertaining to PPP 2.0 EIDL, and additional working capital

Raleigh, North Carolina, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Owner and Executive Principal Managing Partner of VIP Capital Funding :Joshua Triplett Joshua Triplett CEO of VIP Capital Funding who specializes in helping small-mid sized businesses procedure capital as a leading fin-tech industry in the nation sees a bright future for small-mid sized businesses With the new Biden Administration settling in, many businesses who applied for the Paycheck Protection Program, PPP 2.0 have been delayed, due to more people applying at once along with the additional verification. Curfews are being lifted along with masks not being required. Herd immunity to COVID-19 is developing along with vaccines. More people are no longer feeling the gloom and doom of COVID-19, opposed to all of 2020. This is excellent news for businesses nationwide. In addition to all of this, hundreds of thousands of businesses have been left on hold for PPP 2.0, with the extension in place to May 31, 2021; businesses can be rest assured that their loan will streamline and be approved. Along with this, starting April 6th businesses can apply for additional EIDL capital up to $500,000; opposed to the maximum of $150,000 in 2020. This spells great news across the board as this is an indication that the economy will soon recover, more jobs will be created, and hundreds of thousands of businesses will prosper and settle in by Q3 of 2021. Further VIP Capital Funding helps businesses with working capital that can be deployed within 24-48 hours. Businesses who make purchases in bulk at discounted rates between 20%-40%+ can benefit from the working capital VIP Capital Funding is able to provide. Joshua Triplett and his officers have continued to march through the resistance of these unfortunate times and have helped several hundred businesses who have shown great gratitude in the financial problems VIP Capital Funding has been able to solve. Joshua Triplett advises and encourages business owners to have confidence as the future is bright, and VIP Capital Funding and their officers are here to help with the Paycheck Protection Program, PPP 2.0, EIDL and any additional working capital. Despite the frustration many businesses have been facing which has been a combination of COVID-19, SBA delays, and commitments to their own vendors; Joshua Triplett remains optimistic that will soon change. In reminisce to 2020 when the Paycheck Protection Program and EIDL were easier to procure, 2021 has put a strain on businesses due to the SBA delays and peculiar declines. VP Capital Funding has aggressively been helping businesses throughout this time frame and have made it easier on businesses through their hands on dedicated approach in procuring businesses the capital that they need to keep their business running, and to protect the livelihoods of their employees. This has resulted with many grateful clientele and a highly reviewed reputation for VIP Capital Funding. The company is working ahead of the curve, and is wanting to gather as many businesses in need as possible.





As of March 29th 2021, a lot of great news has come out as the EIDL has been extended to $500,000 as additional capital which will be implemented on April 6th 2021. The PPP 2.0 has been extended to May 31st, and VIP Capital Fundings private investors and lenders are becoming more aggressive in the offers they are able to present.

If your business is in need, many banks have let a lot of business owners down as they have become understaffed and overwhelmed. As a renown Fin-tech company nationwide, VIP Capital Funding has been able to successfully get the job done faster and much more smoothly. Please get in contact with us if your business is in need of financial assistance, we will be sure to help. Contact Details You may get in touch with Joshua Triplett via his LinkedIn or Twitter handle. VIP Capital Funding contact information: Website: https://vipcapitalfunding.com/ Office Phone- 800-735-7754 Email- consultation@vipcapitalfunding.com Will Winston, Vice President Direct- 919-521-8954 Email- will.winston@vipcapitalfunding.com Cheynne Chong, Director of Risk Management Direct- 919-521-8451 Email- cheynne@vipcapitalfunding.com Carlos Hernandez, Senior Vice President Direct- 919-300-0203 Email- carlos@vipcapitalfunding.com Kenneth Lewis, Chief Financial Officer Direct- (661) 449-7305 Email- kenneth@vipcapitalfunding.com











Attachment Joshua Triplett



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YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. President Armen Sarkissian, Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan, Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Lt. General Artak Davtyan and other high ranking officials visited the Yerablur military cemetery on April 2 to pay tribute to the 2016 April War victims, as well as the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war victims.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent flowers and a wreath to the cemetery. He was unable to personally visit Yerablur because he is in self-isolation.

Today we mourn and are proud of our brave soldiers, who fell for our country on the line of duty during the 2016 Four Day war and the latest 44-day war. If we hadnt learnt lessons from the April War, the latest 44-day war wouldve had a different outcome. We couldve lost Artsakh entirely, said Lt. General Davtyan.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Photo: The Canadian Press Space available on storefronts is shown on Queen Street in Toronto on Thursday, April 16, 2020. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is asking provincial governments for lockdown alternatives and increased financial support for small businesses.

Owners of restaurants in Ontario reacted with anger Thursday at news that the province will ban all indoor and outdoor dining service for four weeks as part of an "emergency brake" to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

Restaurateurs said it's unfair that they are unable to serve their customers in person when other businesses are allowed to remain open with restrictions.

"I feel like nobody knows what they're doing. And it's really scary," said Pam Viinikka, co-owner of two restaurants, The Cornerstone and the Log Cabin Tavern, in Kenora in northern Ontario.

"There was no lockdown when we had 100 cases and now they're making us lock down with only 11 and that's just ridiculous to me," she said.

'It doesn't make sense that you can have 300 people in Walmart but you can't have two people in a small business."

She said her restaurants enjoy good community support in terms of takeout and delivery orders but the dining ban will hurt many of her 35 employees and will halt a recent hiring campaign.

The new restrictions are a "kick in the teeth," said Mark Kitching, owner of Waldo's on King in London, Ont., who says he will be laying off many of his 16 employees and throwing out unneeded food.

"My business is booming. Sales are up over 2019, all the staff are back on board, the customers are happy. And now ... although nobody has proven to anybody that restaurants are spreaders, we become the target again," he said.

"It just seems so unfair to the small business owners."

Court Desautels, CEO of the Neighbourhood Group of Companies, which owns four restaurants in Guelph and one in Kitchener, said three of his outlets were scheduled to open their patios on Thursday.

Instead, they are tearing down the big tents they had just erected for the spring season.

He said he had been bringing back laid-off staff and hiring and training new workers after Ontario changed the rules two weeks ago to bump up the maximum number of diners in Guelph from 10 people to 50 people per restaurant and from 50 to 100 in Kitchener eateries.

"It seems we opened the floodgates a little too quickly," he said ruefully.

"It's a big hit. We will be losing money, even with all subsidies in place just because of the high rents we pay in a couple of our locations."

The changes are going to be "devastating" for members of his organization, said Todd Barclay, CEO of Restaurants Canada, who said the province must offer compensation to restaurateurs for money spent over the past two weeks and to cover rent, utilities and other costs for the duration of the lockdown.

"Two weeks ago, medical officers of health were out discussing the fact that outdoor gathering is good for mental health and is a safe way for people to congregate," he said in an interview.

"The lockdown should be across all sectors, because effectively what I'm hearing they're going to do is what's been happening in Toronto for the last six months and it hasn't worked."

The recent easing of rules allowed outdoor dining with physical distancing in the grey zones like Toronto and nearby Peel Region, after months of only allowing takeout and deliveries.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said Thursday it wants all governments to look at alternatives to lockdowns and increased financial support for small businesses as several provinces move to tougher restrictions.

Small businesses are tired of being a scapegoat for the Ontario governments lack of planning or foresight," said Ryan Mallough, CFIB director of provincial affairs for Ontario, in a statement.

He said Toronto and Peel have been largely shut down since November while COVID-19 cases rise and fall with thousands of small businesses never seeing a single customer.

CFIB president Dan Kelly says the first two shutdowns were devastating, with one in six businesses considering permanent closure.

The group says a survey found that two thirds of small businesses would consider using COVID-19 rapid tests to remain open.
Advertisement

Belgrave Square is one of the grandest addresses in the world, featuring the lavish, white-stucco London residences of dukes, ambassadors and oligarchs.

Today, one of its 42 million, Grade I-listed palaces is undergoing intensive building work. Amid soaring ceilings painted in Baroque frescoes and walls shimmering with gold leaf, chandeliers are being fitted, a luxurious swimming pool is being dug into the basement, the terrace is having new decking and craftsmen are restoring the elegant balustrades of the staircases.

However, the owner is nowhere to be seen.

The house was bought last August by Nicola Gupta, 46. She was born in humble Canvey Island, Essex  but is now married to Sanjeev Gupta, 49

The couple wed in 2008, and lived in a 1 million penthouse in Marylebone, London, before relocating to the low-tax haven of Dubai (Pictured, The London home of the late Lord Ballyedmond)

They also own a 19 million Italianate mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour (Pictured, The grand Sydney mansion Bomera in Potts Point)

With unfortunate timing, he has been begging British taxpayers to bail out this business with a 170 million cash injection just as his wife sees fit to revamp the family's multi-million-pound Belgravia mansion. (Belgrave Square, London, England)

The house was bought last August by Nicola Gupta, 46. She was born in humble Canvey Island, Essex  but is now married to Sanjeev Gupta, 49. Sanjeev is the fifth-largest private landowner in Britain  much of Ben Nevis, the UK's tallest mountain, belongs to him  and until recently he was known as this country's 'Saviour of Steel'.

The couple and their three children are currently 4,400 miles from their plush London pad  basking in the desert heat at another of their family residences, a 2 million Dubai villa.

They are there to ride out a storm that threatens to implode not only Gupta's multi-billion-pound business empire, but also the entire British steel industry, risking thousands of jobs and with very expensive ramifications for taxpayers.

Gupta's business, the Gupta Family Group Alliance (GFG), is a network that includes Liberty Steel, Britain's third-largest steel producer and operator of 12 works across the UK.

With unfortunate timing, he has been begging British taxpayers to bail out this business with a 170 million cash injection just as his wife sees fit to revamp the family's multi-million-pound Belgravia mansion.

Why the begging bowl? Because GFG has become entangled in the murky affairs of Greensill Capital, the bank founded by Australian Lex Greenhill, 44, erstwhile friend and boss of former Prime Minister David Cameron.

In February, Greensill Capital collapsed  leaving a gaping hole in the finances of Gupta's British business, Liberty Steel. (Greensill had been Liberty's main lender.)

Gupta has asked UK taxpayers for 170 million to cover operating expenses. But the Government has refused, citing GFG's 'very opaque structure'. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng tartly warned: 'We feel there was no guarantee [the money] would stay in the UK.'

Parliament's business select committee is launching an investigation and the Government is considering 'all options', including nationalisation, to keep Liberty afloat  though unions have warned it is 'far from clear' how this would work.

Greensill's collapse not only threatens Liberty's survival, it has also dragged David Cameron into a very ugly situation.

The couple returned to Britain in 2015 and continued their acquisitive property spree by purchasing Wyelands, a 3 million Grade-II-listed mansion near Chepstow. (Wyelands Estate, Pwllmeyric Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales)

Cameron once declared that political lobbying was 'the next big scandal waiting to happen', bemoaning 'the far-too-cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money' that has 'tainted our politics'.

Yet, as the Mail has reported, Cameron has been exposed for personally lobbying on behalf of Greensill Capital, for which he was a highly paid adviser and enjoyed share options that  until the bank imploded  stood to enrich him by tens of millions of pounds.

It has been revealed that Cameron texted Chancellor Rishi Sunak begging for Greensill to be given a bigger role in providing Covid bailout loans. Moreover, it has also emerged that, during his time in No. 10, Cameron provided Greensill himself with extensive access to Government, including a bespoke Cabinet Office email address and business card.

Inevitably, this has raised serious questions about fair competition, given that Greensill's company signed contracts with public bodies, including the NHS.

Cameron has been cleared by a lobbying watchdog, but questions persist about his behaviour. He has steadfastly refused to comment.

But back to Gupta and his dealings with Greensill.

Born in Punjab, India, Sanjeev was the latest in a line of Gupta steel heirs. At 14, he was sent to St Edmund's private school in Canterbury, Kent, and reportedly 'fell in love' with England.

Portentously, he was thrown out of his rooms at Trinity College, Cambridge (where he was studying Economics and Business), after registering a commodities business there in a breach of the University's charitable status.

In 1992, he founded Liberty, which was soon generating revenue of 1 million per day  and from there his empire grew throughout Asia and Africa.

In 2000, he fell in love with his company treasurer, Nicola Crumpton. The couple wed in 2008, and lived in a 1 million penthouse in Marylebone, London, before relocating to the low-tax haven of Dubai, where Gupta's business interests were burgeoning.

Gupta has fondly said of Nicola: 'She used to look after my money; now she spends it.'

The couple returned to Britain in 2015 and continued their acquisitive property spree by purchasing Wyelands, a 3 million Grade-II-listed mansion near Chepstow in Monmouthshire. They also own a 19 million Italianate mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour, as well as a flat and offices in Mayfair next to 5 Hertford Street, the private members' club and watering hole of magnates and politicians.

In 2016, he paid 330 million for a package of acquisitions in the Scottish Highlands, including two power plants, a smelter and 100,000 acres of estate  which includes the foothills of Ben Nevis.

Sanjeev is the fifth-largest private landowner in Britain  much of Ben Nevis, the UK's tallest mountain, belongs to him. (Ben Nevis, Scotland's highest mountain)

The tycoon also has a fondness for private jets, one of which, a 2015 Bombardier Global 6000, was put up for sale two years ago for 31 million after Gupta allegedly defaulted on a loan he had used to purchase it.

He likes plastering the tail-fins of his other private jets in such slogans as 'M-ETAL' and 'M-INES'. Of course, metal and mines are where he made his money.

In recent years, Gupta has repeatedly 'rescued' troubled mills across Britain  in Rotherham, Stocksbridge, Newport and Hartlepool  promising to re-invigorate not only the plants, but the local communities, too.

Politicians adored Gupta because he promised to turn around towns in their constituencies.

In 2016, the magnate persuaded Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to give him a state-backed 7 million loan to buy the struggling Dalzell and Clydebridge steelworks, in exchange for creating 2,000 jobs and building a new factory. (It remains unbuilt and the loan is still outstanding.)

Also in 2016, Gupta made a bid for Port Talbot, the UK's largest and most iconic steelworks.

The tycoon also has a fondness for private jets, one of which, a 2015 Bombardier Global 6000, was put up for sale two years ago for 31 million. (Sanjeev Gupta's private plane, bearing the vanity tail sign M-ETAL)

The deal fell through, but it cemented Gupta's reputation as a steel heavyweight alongside the likes of Tata Steel and ArcelorMittal, both also owned by enterprising Indians with British connections.

Two years later Forbes Magazine branded Gupta 'the world's most ambitious industrialist'.

Until recently, GFG had a turnover of almost 15 billion per year, employing 35,000 staff worldwide. Liberty Steel alone employs 3,000 people in Britain. Now, of course, following the collapse of Greensill, these jobs are at risk.

As well as being one of the UK's richest men, Gupta was also one of the best-connected.

Three years ago, Prince Charles was guest of honour at Liberty's reopening of a mothballed electric furnace in Rotherham. Charles later appointed Gupta as his personal industrial ambassador.

The Guptas were regulars at the Conservatives' annual ball, and Gupta also won the support of French President Emmanuel Macron after a bid for French assets in 2018.

Which makes his fall from grace all the more spectacular.

Questions have long been asked about the profitability of the business. GFG is not a single legal entity or conglomerate, and is instead an assortment of companies with no common ownership.

It boasts of turnover, but never profit. Gupta's true net worth is unknown.

Seasoned steel veterans have long questioned how this upstart tycoon could buy so many mills others had dismissed as unprofitable, and still make money.

And that is where Greensill came in. His speciality was a field of banking known as supply-chain finance. Instead of a company waiting 30 or 90 days for an invoice to be paid, Greensill's bank would pay the money owed, for a commission. Greensill would be repaid when the invoice was paid.

Certainly, a hefty portion of Greensill's lending sloshed its way into the coffers of Gupta's business, which he then used to finance his struggling steelworks.

Greensill would also lend money based on the future price of a commodity  even if, in Gupta's case, that is iron ore which is dormant in the ground and won't exist as a commodity for many years. Greensill sold this debt on to others with the promise it was 'low risk'.

In one deal in 2019, Gupta reportedly bought seven European steelworks for 630 m, then extracted 1.9 bn from them by taking out a loan secured against what they could be worth one day.

Also in 2016, Gupta made a bid for Port Talbot, the UK's largest and most iconic steelworks. (An Artificial Jumeirah Palm Island On Sea, Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Greensill was effectively issuing new loans to pay the old ones. In the words of the New York Times, his 'was a company built on debt'.

Gupta admitted as much. When asked how he'd afforded seven steel mills, he said: 'From our own equity and a little bit of debt.'

This week, Richard Fuller, Tory MP for North East Bedfordshire, used Parliamentary privilege to accuse Greensill and Gupta's business model as having 'the characteristics of a potential Ponzi scheme'.

Now, Greensill has gone into administration, and GFG is verging on bankruptcy  owing 3 bn to Greensill Capital alone. Greensill declined to comment.

And what of the 'saviour of steel' himself? 'It's been the most difficult month of my life without any exception,' Gupta told the GFG Alliance podcast last week.

'I really care about my businesses, my family, my employees. I feel responsible to them [sic].'

But a few days later, he was more bullish on Radio 4's Today programme: 'We will be our own help. None of my steel plants will be shut down under my watch.'

Nevertheless, he admitted: 'The debt we owe is substantial: it is many billions.'

Boris Johnson has declined to make any guarantees as to the thousands of British jobs at risk, saying only that 'British steel is a very important national asset'.

GFG told the Mail it 'has invested significantly to rescue steel and aluminium plants, saving thousands of jobs in industrial communities across the [UK]'.

Lord (Paul) Myners, the crossbench life peer who has tabled questions on Greensill for years, told the Mail the risk to taxpayers is 'more than 1 billion' and that the reported 5,000 jobs at risk 'don't convey the [true] scale . . . you have all the related jobs'.

As the true scale of this scandal dawns, Gupta is emerging less a man of steel and more a tin-man.

Meanwhile, the refurbishment of the Guptas' London mansion continues apace, right down to the basement swimming pool. Whether its owner's businesses  and thousands of British jobs  sink or swim remains to be seen.
Whether you are headed to the Sunshine State, or staying home in Michigan this spring break, either way you can get a taste of delicious Florida beer. Thanks to a special partnership, Cigar City Brewing can be enjoyed in their hometown of Tampa, or on draft at Perrin Brewing in Comstock Park.

Were beyond excited that our Spruce Street Tap Room in Tampa is open for full-service food and beer service seven days a week with a reduced seating capacity to allow for responsible drinking and dining, said Neil Callaghan, Brand Manager for Cigar City Brewing.

The two breweries are part of the CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective, an organization of 7 different beer brands, with 16 different taprooms. CANarchy is considered the 8th largest brewery in the United States. Breweries who are affiliated with it include Oskar Blues Brewery, Cigar City Brewing, Squatters Craft Beers, Wasatch Brewery, Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Perrin Brewing Company, Three Weavers Brewing Company and Revitalyte. The group has been together since 2015.

The co-joining of CANarchy, with Oskar Blues and Cigar City was something that was pretty great for us, said Connor Klopcic, Director of Brewing Operations at Perrin Brewing. Its been awesome. The knowledge share has been great. They (Cigar City) have a rich history with really innovative, really exciting, fun beers. Being able to have them just a phone or Teams call away, has been great.

Our partnership with CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective has been incredible, said Callaghan. Through the partnership weve been able to scale up production of brands like Jai Alai IPA by shifting production capacity between seven different facilities, including Perrin Brewing in Comstock Park, MI. Thats allowed us to brew more beer and get it on to shelves in Michigan faster and get fresher beer into peoples hands. It also allows us to learn from our cooperative partners and find better ways to be part of the craft beer scene in Michigan.

Jai Alai is the flagship beer of Cigar City, and if you are headed to Florida for spring break, a beer that youll probably find everywhere, both on draft and at bottle shops across the state. Its a bright and bold IPA, with major citrus notes, and a warming 7.5% ABV. Its kind of the Florida version of Bells Two Hearted, in my own humble opinion.

Cigar City offers plenty of other beers, that you can try whether you head to the tap room or not. At the grocery store or at a local craft beer shop in Tampa youll find quite a few Cigar City Brewing brands that dont often make their way up to Michigan, said Callaghan. Tocobaga Red IPA, Invasion Tropical Pale Ale and our crisp Lager are Florida local favorites that you may not find on the shelf in Michigan. Youll also see mixed 12-Packs of our new Cigar City Seltzer in the market if you are looking for a flavorful craft beverage offering beyond our beer.

If you are headed to Florida for spring break, you can visit one of three locations of Cigar City, including one at the Tampa International Airport. The flagship location, known as the Spruce Street Tap Room, is located in the heart of Tampa. According to Callaghan the taproom offers guests over 24 fresh CCB beers, including many that arent available anywhere else, served in view of our original brewing equipment and a full-service kitchen offering Tampa-inspired cuisine. With a draft list that rotates daily, a full line-up of beer to-go and a wide selection of CCB branded merchandise, the Spruce Street Tap Room delivers a high-quality experience for craft beer lovers and newbies alike.

The exterior of the popular Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Fl.Cigar City Brewing Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

One of the coolest things about the CANarchy organization has been the beer collaborations that have come out of it. Cigar Citys head brewer Wayne Wambles has come up multiple times to help brew his signature beer, Jai Alai, which can typically be found on tap at Perrin Brewing. Collaborations go both ways, as well. In the past, weve featured Perrin brands in our tap room, like Black and No Rules Vietnamese Porter during special events, said Callaghan. Weve also poured Triangulation, our three way collaboration with Perrin and Oskar Blues Brewery.

If you are headed south, heres some of what you can expect from Cigar City.

Our rotating draft list includes limited release, small batch and one-off beers, many of which cannot be found anywhere except the Spruce Street Tap Room, said Callaghan. Current crowd favorites include Embossed Hazy IPA, Improvisacion Rye India Brown Ale and Bon Vivants Companion, a barrel-aged strong sour ale.

He continued with notes on the food. The kitchen menu blends Tampa-inspired dishes like the Cubano sandwich and chiccharones with elevated pub fare and flavorful vegetarian options. Everything on the menu, from the burgers to the croquetas to the salads, has been designed to pair perfectly with our lineup of craft beer.

The taproom is great, said Klopcic. Thats number one. They have a great taproom, with a lot of experimental, one off beers, kind of like ourselves here.

Whether you are in Florida drinking some Jai Alai on the beach or at the taproom, or here in Michigan enjoying a pint at Perrin Brewing, a little bit of Cigar City can be in your glass this spring break.

Cigar City in Tampa offers a full service kitchen and dozens of beers to enjoy.Cigar City Brewing Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

If you can't make it to Florida, you can try Cigar City's flagship beer Jai Alai at Perrin Brewing in Comstock Park.Perrin Brewing Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Cigar City and Perrin Brewing are both members of the CANarchy Craft Brewing Collective. Cigar City brewmaster Wayne Wambles came to Michigan to test the first batch of his beer Jai Alai when it was brewed at Perrin.Perrin Brewing Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

RELATED: Beer of the Week has us thinking of Spring Break.

If you go:

Cigar City Brewing

3924 W. Spruce St

Tampa, FL 33607

(813) 348-6363

Amalie Arena location, under the Pam Iorio parking garage

375 Channelside Dr

Tamp, FL 33602

Tampa International Airport location

Gate C 43

4100 George J. Bean Pkwy

Tampa, FL 33607

More info: https://www.cigarcitybrewing.com/ or Facebook

Perrin Brewing Company

5910 Comstock Park Drive NW

Comstock Park, Michigan 49321

(616) 551-1957

More info: https://www.perrinbrewing.com/ or Facebook

Beers at Perrin Brewing Company in Comstock Park pictured on Monday, June 8, 2020. The brewery reopened their dining area to patrons after being closed for months due to COVID-19.Neil Blake | MLive.com

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A former intern at New Hampshire's youth detention center says a supervisor suggested she destroy her notes and lie about a teens sexual assault allegation. And though she reported the boys claim to state investigators and police, it wasnt included in an annual report that state officials submitted to the federal government.

Mary Goddard spent two days a week at the Sununu Youth Services Center in 2017 and 2018 as part of a master's degree program at the University of New Hampshire.

The Manchester facility, formerly called the Youth Development Center, has been the target of a broad criminal investigation since July 2019, and more than 200 men and women have joined a lawsuit in the last year alleging they were physically or sexually abused as children by 150 staffers from 1963 to 2018.

Goddard said she was providing individual counseling to a 17-year-old boy in October 2017 when he told her he had been molested by a former counselor who was facing criminal charges related to another teen at the time. In that case, the counselor later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual assault and witness tampering in a plea deal in which prosecutors dropped 22 other charges, including 12 counts of rape.

Mary Goddard spent two days a week at the Sununu Youth Services Center in 2017 and 2018 as part of a master's degree program at the University of New Hampshire

The Manchester facility, formerly called the Youth Development Center, has been the target of a broad criminal investigation since July 2019, and more than 200 men and women have joined a lawsuit in the last year alleging they were physically or sexually abused as children by 150 staffers from 1963 to 2018

Goddard said a supervisor she approached responded, 'Well, shes not here anymore, so hes not in any danger.' A few hours later, he told her to call the central intake office at the state Division of Children, Youth and Families to report the allegation, which she did. But when she asked him what she should do with her notes from the counseling session, he told her to 'get rid of them,' she said.

'I said, "Theres an active criminal case going on. What if charges are brought against her, shouldnt I hold on to these? What happens if I get subpoenaed?"' said Goddard. 'He said, "Oh, you can just tell them that you don't remember what happened."'

Under state law, it is illegal to alter or destroy evidence knowing that an investigation is pending or about to begin with the intent of impairing its use in such an investigation.

Francis Williams, a professor of criminal justice at Plymouth State University, said he couldnt comment on whether destroying the notes would have been a crime because he is not a lawyer and doesnt have all the facts. But he said in general, the supervisor should have known that such notes could be subject to subpoena.

Goddard said she was providing individual counseling to a 17-year-old boy in October 2017 when he told her he had been molested by a former counselor who was facing criminal charges related to another teen at the time

'Im looking upon that very unfavorably, the idea that the supervisor would tell her to destroy the notes. And then, "Tell them you dont remember?" Excuse me?' he said. 'Hes telling her to basically lie, at least initially to investigators and perhaps if shes subpoenaed, to lie to the court, which could put her in jeopardy of being charged with perjury.'

Goddard, who ignored the suggestion to throw away her notes, first described the incident in journal entries she submitted to UNH as part of her internship and in her final paper. She provided a copy of that paper to The Associated Press for review, along with an email confirming that she met with a state investigator and state police in November 2017.

No additional charges were brought against the former counselor. Her attorney, Cathy Green, declined to comment on the new allegations last month other than to say, 'there was a complete investigation with many people interviewed.'

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services also declined to comment on Goddards account other than to point out the youth centers ombudsman program to receive complaints and policies that require staff to document interactions with residents. Questions about the abuse allegation were referred to annual reports the department files as part of the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Goddard said a supervisor she approached responded, 'Well, shes not here anymore, so hes not in any danger.' A few hours later, he told her to call the central intake office at the state Division of Children, Youth and Families to report the allegation, which she did. But when she asked him what she should do with her notes from the counseling session, he told her to 'get rid of them,' she said

But while those reports note the allegation that led to the former counselors conviction, the filings say there were no allegations of sexual assault reported in 2017. Separately, an audit completed by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2018 found the center met or exceeded its 43 standards related to complying with the federal law. It interviewed 12 randomly selected residents and two who had made sexual harassment allegations.

'All residents knew the multiple ways to report abuse and felt very confident that any report they made would be properly addressed by the facilitys administration,' auditors wrote. 'Residents stated that they felt very safe at SYSC and they believed that staff cared about their well-being and safety and would thoroughly investigate any and all alleged sexual abuses.'

That is at odds with Goddards recollection, however. Though she did not witness any physical or sexual abuse, she said a culture of defensiveness and dismissiveness permeated the facility. While she praised some staff as dedicated and caring, 'There definitely overall was a very prevalent culture and air of these kids are bad and they deserve what is happening to them, and they just need to learn,' she said.

An audit completed by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2018 found the center met or exceeded its 43 standards related to complying with the federal law. It interviewed 12 randomly selected residents and two who had made sexual harassment allegations

'So many times kids would say things to me like, "Its always going to be a kid versus an adult, and no one ever believes the kid,"' she said. 'The longer I stayed there, the more depressed I became about being there, because I could see the hopelessness and helplessness of these kiddos.'

Goddard decided to speak out after reading an Associated Press article about the civil lawsuit. Asked why she decided to go public, Goddard broke down in tears and offered an apology to the teens she met at the center.

'Im really sorry that I saw you and how you were hurting and I couldnt do anything. Its not that I didnt want to, and I want to do what I can now,' she said. 'I want you to know that I saw your pain, I saw how you were hurting, and Im so sorry.'
Turkish counterterrorism forces arrested Thursday 12 people suspected of links with the Islamic State group, ISIS, state-run Anadolu news agency reports.

The arrests took place during raids in 12 locations in eight districts of the metropolis Istanbul, the agency notes.

The arrestees are suspected for transferring revenues to terrorists in conflict zones. Security forces also seized during the operations digital and organizational documents.

Ankara has launched a major war at home and abroad on the terror group which has caused mayhem in the country. The group has been responsible for the death of over 300 people and injury of hundreds more in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.
(Natural News) Researchers at NOVA Southeastern University in Florida reviewed the potential use of Aristotelia chilensis, also known as Chilean maqui berry, as a nutritional supplement to combat hyperinsulinemia and related diseases. Their report was published in the journal Food Science and Human Wellness.

The scientific community has long considered nutritional supplementation to be a possible alternative medicine or adjunct treatment to conventional therapies for common ailments and diseases.

Recent studies show that A. chilensis can reduce postprandial insulin levels by as much as 50 percent and is just as effective as metformin at increasing insulin sensitivity and stabilizing blood glucose levels.

The berrys mechanism of action involves inhibiting sodium-dependent glucose transporters in the small intestine and slowing glucoses rate of entry in the bloodstream, which effectively reduces the likelihood of blood sugar spikes and the corresponding rise in insulin levels.

At the same time, the A. chilensis contributes to cancer prevention since chronically high blood glucose levels are linked to the development of cancers.

Studies have shown that diabetics and prediabetics have an elevated risk of developing cancerous growths.

Based on the findings of previous studies, the researchers believe that consistent supplementation with A. chilensis could indirectly reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases that are promoted by hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia.

Read the full study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Deters B, Saleem M. HYPERINSULINEMIA, CANCER AND MAQUI BERRY: THE PROMISE OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION. Food Science and Human Wellness. September 2019;8(3):264267. DOI: 10.1016/j.fshw.2019.07.001
BEIJING, Apr. 2 -- Several aviation and aerospace equipment expositions have recently announced their opening date, including the China International Helicopter Expo and the Aviation Expo China.

Besides, the Airshow China and the Guangdong International Marine Equipment Expo that were put on hold last year due to the pandemic are also rescheduled for this year.

According to its official website, the 6th China International Helicopter Expo will be held at the Industry Base of the AVIC Helicopter in the Free Trade Zone of Tianjin Port (Airport Economic Zone) of Tianjins Binhai New Area from September 9 to 12. It is learned that the biennial China Helicopter Expo is the only international helicopter expo in China thats approved by the State Council featuring aerobatic performance. At the 5th expo held two years ago, the China-made Z-20 helicopter cast a brilliant figure during the static exhibition, while the Z-10 armored helicopters presented an extraordinary aerobatic performance for the audience.

The Aviation Expo China is also held in odd-number years. It is previously reported that after being held 18 times through 36 years, the 19th expo will be relocated to Shanghai and renamed Shanghai Airshow, to be held at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport for the first time from September 15 to 19 this year. It is learned that the new show will focus on the commercial aviation and space industry chain with static outdoor exhibitions of commercial aircraft and spacecraft.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 13th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China), originally scheduled for November last year, had to be postponed. The mayor of Zhuhai City announced in his government work report in February that the city will host the 13th Airshow China this year.

Also postponed because of the pandemic was the Guangdong International Marine Equipment Expo. According to information on its official website, the first expo originally set to be held in Zhanjiang from November 26 to 29 last year has been postponed to April-September this year, a specific date to be announced later. The expo is expected to present a wide range of ships, marine equipment and coastal defense devices, including destroyers, frigates and landing ships.
Officials with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said they are "deeply concerned" after Chronic Wasting Disease was found in two Texas deer breeding facilities last week.

Chronic Wasting Disease  a fatal neurological disease in deer, elk and moose  was found at Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratories in their Uvalde and Hunt county facilities on March 23 and 24, respectively. The disease was discovered after the facilities tested tissue samples as part of the required disease surveillance program at the facilities.

TPWD said it is working with the Texas Animal Health Commission to determine the extent of the disease within the facilities and to evaluate the risk to Texas' free-ranging deer populations.

Officials are hoping that the quick detection will help mitigate the spread of the disease. It is unclear how long or to what extent the disease has been present in the facilities, though there had been no positives detected before the two found last month.

Carter Smith, the executive director of TPWD, said the disease is not widespread but warned against complacency, adding that hunters, wildlife managers, deer breeders and landowners also play a role in stopping the disease from spreading.

"Clearly, it is imperative that we work together to protect our native deer populations to ensure the health and vitality of one of our states greatest natural resources, he added.

The disease was first discovered in the state in 2012 in a free-ranging mule deer near the Texas-New Mexico border. Since then, 220 cases have been detected in white-tailed deer, mule deer, red deer and elk in 11 Texas counties, the TPWD said.

Also known as "zombie deer disease," it is slow and progressive with a long incubation period that may not present symptoms in animals for several years after infection. The disease is known to change an animal's behavior and appearance, including progressive weight loss, stumbling or tremors with a lack of coordination, excessive thirst, salivation or urination, loss of appetite, teeth grinding, abnormal head posture, or drooping ears.

Officials immediately secured all of the deer at the Uvalde County and Hunt County deer breeding facilities as they conduct additional tests.

Breeding facilities who have shipped or received deer in the last five years are not allowed to move or release deer at this time, TPWD said.

taylor.pettaway@express-new.net
(CNN)  National security adviser Jake Sullivan's meeting with top officials from Japan and South Korea on Friday will focus primarily on North Korea and maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, according to a senior administration official.

"Our intention is to discuss every aspect of North Korea policy," the official said.

Sullivan is hosting national security secretariat secretary general Shigeru Kitamura of Japan and national security adviser Suh Hoon of the Republic of Korea for a trilateral dialogue at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

It's the highest-level meeting between officials from the three countries since Biden took office; the US hopes to foster better relations between Japan and South Korea to better counterbalance China in Asia.

The officials are likely to discuss Pyongyang's recent missile provocations, nuclear non-proliferation, the country's domestic response to the Covid-19 pandemic and recent diplomacy between North Korea and China, the official said.

The official said: "Anything that we do with respect to North Korea we believe we need to do in partnership and in harmony with Japan and South Korea."

The Biden administration is in the "final stages" of completing its North Korea policy review, the official said. The review included extensive consultations with members of the Trump administration about diplomatic engagements with North Korea. Sullivan will now be able to give Japan and South Korea a sense of what the US is contemplating in terms of a North Korea strategy, the official said.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said "denuclearization will remain at the center of American diplomacy towards North Korea" on Thursday.

When asked if the Singapore declaration stands, a document signed by former President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their summit in 2018, the official said there would be more information about those details in the next couple of days.

The meeting will build on Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent trip to Japan and South Korea.

"We are very much open and prepared and engaged to take that feedback and so this is not going to be a one-way conversation, I anticipate this being more of a dialogue," the official said.

While it's unclear whether it will arise on Friday, Tokyo and Seoul have been at odds in recent years. Relations between the two countries have been at a historic low point amid ongoing disputes over the sensitive historical issues, namely Japan forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II. US officials have said improving relations is central to an Asia policy built around multilateralism.

The officials will also focus on next steps to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and the global climate crisis. President Joe Biden is hosting a virtual climate summit later this month to which both Japan and South Korea, along with dozens of other world leaders, are invited.

They will also discuss other regional issues, including "the very serious concerns collectively we all have on the tragic developments in Myanmar," the official said. The Biden administration suspended all diplomatic trade engagement with Myanmar on Monday following a weekend of violence against pro-democracy protesters. The military seized power in the country earlier this year in a coup.

The officials will also discuss "concerns about broader regional security issues in the South China Sea and elsewhere." China claims almost all of the South China Sea, and for years has been building artificial islands heavily fortified with missiles, runways and weapons systems. Beijing's actions have prompted outcry from other governments, several of which have overlapping territorial claims in the contested waterway.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "White House meeting with Japan and South Korea to focus on North Korea policy."
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The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has hailed the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the national level for re-affirming the date for the South-west Zonal Congress.

Mr Makinde in a statement on Friday said the decision of the National Working Committee of the party to go ahead with Saturday, April 10, as the congress date is commendable.

As the only serving PDP governor in the Southwest and an invested party in the PDPs growth and development, I commend the National Working Committee (NWC) for the decision to go ahead with the Southwest Congress.

I am glad that they bowed to superior reasoning regarding the congress. I am also happy that the congress will be held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in line with our partys constitution and as stipulated in paragraph 8 (1) (g) of the Guidelines for the Conduct of Ward, LGA, State, Zonal Congresses and National Convention for the purpose of electing Party Executive Committees at all levels which was issued and signed in January 2020. We look forward to hosting other members of the Southwest PDP come April 10.

The governor warned that any attempt to shift the South-west Congresss date is a signal that the hierarchy has been compromised.

Such an action would have dire consequences. For one thing, we will be forced to take all necessary measures to take back our party. Let me restate that the PDP is the best alternative for Nigerians. At this moment, we should be expanding our energies in positioning our party and gearing up for leadership at the national level. We must show Nigerians that we are the real deal, he said.

There has been a feud rocking PDP in South-west for months following the zone a leadership tussle between former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose and Mr Makinde.

The feud has been affecting the planned regional congress.

Some members of the party have argued that being the only governor of PDP in South-west, Mr Makinde should be regarded as the leader of the party in the zone, but Mr Fayose objected, saying being a governor does not qualify Mr Makinde as his leader.

The duo have repeatedly insulted themselves on the pages of newspapers.

Aside from the leadership crisis among them, Mr Fayose claimed that former Ondo State Information Commissioner, Eddy Olafeso, should be the next PDP National Vice Chairperson (West).

He claimed that the agreement was reached at Mr Makindes house at Ibadan, Oyo State. Although the Oyo State governor did not deny Mr Fayoses position, he is simply for an Oyo indigene as the next National Vice Chairperson (South-west) of PDP.

While some members are in support of Mr Fayoses candidate, others agreed with Mr Makinde that Oyo should produce National Vice Chairperson (South-west) of PDP.
STATEN ISLAND N.Y.  Recreational marijuana and what it means for Staten Island seniors.

New York State legalized the use of recreational marijuana after years of empty promises and failed attempts.

A few years ago SILive/Staten Island Advance a reporter and videographer to Oregon to see the impacts of the legalization of marijuana.

After speaking to residents in a retirement community they found that many people were using it for medicinal and personal reasons.

Once legal weed is readily available, Staten Island seniors may follow in their footsteps.

A bud-tender holds up a flower of cannabis at a dispensary in Portland, Oregon. The Advance visited last fall as part of an in-depth series called The United States of Weed. (Amanda Steen, Staten Island Advance)Staff-Shot

The discussion at King City Senior Village turned into a lively debate regarding their perceptions about marijuana and how it may have changed over the years.

Check out the video of their exchange above.

More about medicinal marijuana

Currently, there are more than 2,000 Staten Islanders prescribed medical cannabis. Qualifying conditions include -- but are not limited to -- PTSD, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and opioid addiction withdrawal.

Adults will be permitted to grow up to six marijuana plants per person in a residential household, however, half of the plants must remain immature.

There is a maximum of 12 plants per household, according to the bill.

A cannabis plant taking natural lighting inside a private residence. Medical marijuana advocates call for the state to allow patients to grow their own weed. The controversial measure has surfaced in the weeks since the coronavirus outbreak as patients have been stuck in hours-long lines to pick up their medicine.

Medicinal patients in the state can begin growing six months after the bills enactment and those looking to grow recreationally must wait until 18 months after the opening of the first dispensary.

If you or anyone you know are using marijuana for medical reasons we would like to hear how the legalization of recreational marijuana will affect your future usage.

Email asalmieri@siadvance.com to share your experience.

***

For more legal marijuana videos check our YouTube playlist:
The high-seas plot to smuggle 650 kilograms of cocaine into Australia, for which Olympic kayaker Nathan Baggaley and his brother Dru were found guilty, was not their first major drug conviction.

Nathan Baggaley pictured at the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece where he won a silver medal. Credit:David Guttenfelder - AP

On Thursday, silver medallist Nathan, 45, and Dru Baggaley, 39, were found guilty by a jury in Brisbanes Supreme Court over a 2018 plot to import the cocaine, worth up to $200 million.

Now their criminal histories can be revealed.

In 2007, Nathan was convicted after police found 800 ecstasy tablets, cannabis and cash in his car.
AMG

SUV

This pixel exercise sees the Mercedes-G 63 getting an Audi face swap . And, as unusual as such a mix might seem, it appears to be stable, at least from where we're standing. However, we have to admit that, even with the ever-growing need for customization, which has led to peculiar tuning kits related to the G-Class, seeing such a transformation taking place in the real world doesn't seem likely.While Audi and Mercedes compete in most crossover andsegments these days, the Gelandewagen has remained in a class of its own. And it doesn't look like anybody plans to challenge its status, simply because the image built by the once-a-military machine might be impossible to match after so many decades on the market.It's worth noting that the Merc's reputation isn't just owed to its off-roading abilities, which, by the way, have been maintained by the second-generation model seen here. To be more precise, the G-Class has also become a symbol of wealth and power worldwide, and we'll zoom on this below.Photographer Saleh Abdullah, who came up with the pixel shenanigan currently resting on our screens, portrays the contraption in Dubai, a city that probably has the highest G-Wagon population density in the world.That number plate? You can bet it's worth more than the car itself. In fact, the "1" plate is not just about the financial details. To be more precise, this belongs to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai. And yes, in real life, this is attached to a white G 63.
A week after Seychelles opened its borders to most countries, 3,800 visitors have arrived in the island nation, a figure that a top Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) officer describes as "more than satisfactory."

Seychelles reopened it borders on Thursday, March 25 to all visitors from any country except South Africa so as to relaunch its tourism industry amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The chief executive of STB, Sherin Francis, told SNA that "visitors' arrivals for the last week have been more than satisfactory taking into consideration all the challenges we are facing."

"So far the signs are promising and gradually, we will be able to reclaim our industry," said Francis.

A statistician from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Aubrey Fock-Tave, informed SNA on Thursday that for the week of March 25 to March 31, Seychelles saw the arrival of 3,800 visitors. This represents 55 percent of the 6,820 total visitor arrivals since the start of 2021.

Data collected between January 1 and March 28 by NBS, the year-to-date figure for 2021 shows that 5,579 visitors disembarked in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. Compared to 2020, when 92,646 visitors landed in the country for the same period, the year-to-date visitor arrivals have dropped by 94 percent.

The current leading market for tourist arrivals is the United Arab Emirates (UAE) followed by Israel and other European countries in second and third place respectively. European countries are traditionally the leading markets of Seychelles, and when the pandemic started affecting arrivals last year, the five leading markets were Germany, France, UK and North Ireland, UAE and India.

"We are very mindful that our traditional source markets would take a while to become stable in view of the evolution of the pandemic and the various restrictions that still exist in these markets. Our strategy is to tap into what we termed as the 'go-to markets' where through marketing intelligence data we saw there were pent-up demands," said Francis.

In a recent interview, Francis said that the board is currently focusing on promoting the island destination in Israel, India, Russia, UAE, and certain Eastern European as restrictions continue to impede travel between Seychelles and the core, traditional markets.

"It was important for the short term that we identify a list of what we call the 'go-to markets' where we know that investing in them will bring a faster return. This is provided that we have good air connectivity and that travel restriction eases in those markets, there are travel corridors established, visitors do not require quarantine upon arrival in Seychelles or going back to these countries," said Francis.

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The chairperson of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA), Sybille Cardon, outlined on Thursday that even if "we are all happy that the country has opened its borders to most tourists, it is not all establishments that are getting reservations and getting tourists."

She said that things are expected to change once lockdown is lifted in Europe, which is the main market for small establishments.

"It is true that at the moment it is mostly the large hotels that are getting reservations, however, we cannot complain about this because even if a client is staying at a large hotel, they go on excursions, to restaurants, or buy souvenirs, it is helping the country move forward," said Cardon.

She added that "May looks better than April, however, after that we are not too sure what will happen as for summer holidays, most European countries are doing everything to ensure that Europeans remain at home and spend their money in Europe."

"We are lucky that clients are coming back to Seychelles and that the government took the bold decision to reopen the country. We need to make the most of this occasion to welcome our clients in the best way possible. This will ensure that when they go back home, they will pass on the message that Seychelles is welcoming and that everything is okay," she said.
The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the use of violence against peaceful protesters in Myanmar and the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

But the council has dropped the threat of possible future action against the military following the February 1 coup.

The British-drafted press statement approved by all 15 council members on Thursday after intense negotiations that began on Wednesday expressed deep concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation in Myanmar and reiterated the councils call on the military to exercise utmost restraint.

The original draft was far stronger and would have expressed the councils readiness to consider further steps which could include sanctions.

It would also have deplored the use of violence against peaceful protesters and condemned in the strongest terms the killing of hundreds of civilians by the security forces.

Expand Close Anti-coup demonstrators raise the three finger of resistance and a portrait of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they prepare to confront police in Yangon on Thursday (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Anti-coup demonstrators raise the three finger of resistance and a portrait of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they prepare to confront police in Yangon on Thursday (AP)

But at the insistence of China, Myanmars neighbour and friend, the reference to further steps was eliminated and the stronger language, including the words killing and deplore was softened in the final statement, council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The reference to further steps was replaced in the final statement with a sentence saying council members stressed that they continued to monitor the situation closely and would remain actively seized of the matter.

The final council statement also called on all sides to refrain from violence  which diplomats said Russia demanded  and reiterated the need to fully respect human rights and to pursue dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar.

It noted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterress March 27 statement calling for a firm, unified and resolute response from the international community. That was Armed Forces Day, when soldiers and police reportedly killed 114 people while suppressing protests in the deadliest bloodletting since the coup.

Expand Close Anti-coup demonstrators gather tires to burn as they prepare to confront police in Yangon (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Anti-coup demonstrators gather tires to burn as they prepare to confront police in Yangon (AP)

British Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the councils aim was to sustain pressure on the military to reverse the coup and support the people in their courageous determination to restore peace and democracy.

She expressed hope the council statement would have that effect alongside the forthcoming visit of UN special envoy Christine Schraner Burgener to the region and efforts by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Myanmar.

The press statement followed Wednesdays closed council meeting at which Ms Schraner Burgener warned Myanmar faced the possibility of civil war at an unprecedented scale and urged the Security Council to consider potentially significant action to reverse the coup and restore democracy.

She did not specify what action she considered significant, but painted a dire picture of the military crackdown and told the council in a closed briefing that Myanmar is on the verge of spiralling into a failed state.

Expand Close Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars civilian leader, whose re-elected government was deposed in the coup as it was about to be sworn in (Paul Faith/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars civilian leader, whose re-elected government was deposed in the coup as it was about to be sworn in (Paul Faith/PA)

Ms Schraner Burgener also urged the council to consider all available tools to take collective action and do what the people of Myanmar deserve  prevent a multidimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia.

Chins UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, warned the council on Wednesday in remarks distributed by Chinas UN Mission that one-sided pressure and calling for sanctions or other coercive measures will only aggravate tension and confrontation and further complicate the situation, which is by no means constructive.

He urged all parties to find a solution through dialogue that de-escalates the situation and continues to advance the democratic transition in Myanmar.

The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions.

As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Aung San Suu Kyis rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country.

At Wednesdays virtual meeting, Ms Schraner Burgener denounced the killing and arrest of unarmed protesters seeking to restore democracy. She cited figures from Myanmars Assistance Association for Political Prisoners that as of Wednesday, some 2,729 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced since the coup and an estimated 536 have been killed.
Call it "treat" the press.

First lady Jill Biden played an April Fools' prank on members of the media on a flight back to Washington from California, dressing up as a flight attendant who passed out ice cream bars.

Biden, wearing a short black wig and a "Jasmine" name tag, went unnoticed during meal service.

"April Fools, she said when she returned without the wig, according to a pool report.

The report says members of the media were fooled  but so were members of the first lady's staff.

Biden, who met with farm workers and visited a vaccination site in California during this week's trip, enjoys pranks. In her memoir, she recounted that when her husband was vice president, she hid in an overhead bin on Air Force Two and surprised someone looking to stow luggage, according to The Associated Press.

Others in past administrations have played April Fools' Day jokes.

As first lady, Barbara Bush wore a strawberry blonde wig to a Gridiron dinner on April 1, 1989. It was a spoof to poke fun at all the attention paid to her looks and white hair, UPI reported. The dinner is attended by political leaders, journalists and media executives.

In 2013 when Barack Obama was president, the White House told the public to tune in for a special message from the president.

"Hail to the Chief" played, but 9-year-old Robby Novak  known as "Kid President"  rose behind the podium and told people they'd been fooled.
An experienced emergency room doctor says he was floored for days by side effects from his second jab of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

David Caldicott. who works at Canberra's Calvary Hospital, was among the first people in the country to get the vaccine under the government's phase 1a rollout.

Despite receiving his childhood immunisations, the flu vaccine every year, and numerous shots as part of international deployments, the experienced doctor said the reaction to the Pfizer jab was the most 'vigorous' he ever experienced.

Dr Caldicott had his first dose of Pfizer's vaccine in February, which he described as fairly normal with no adverse effects.

'I had a bit of a sore arm for a few days afterwards, which is common for a lot of jabs,' he told the ABC.

On March 19 - exactly three weeks after the first jab - he received the second dose of the vaccine and went about his work day.

He recalls by that night he already started to experience the effects, with a general uncomfortable feeling setting in.

By the next morning, a Saturday, he was so exhausted he cancelled his weekend plans and decide to stay home.

'Saturday was a blankey and Netflix day... I didn't have a temperature, some people get that, but I felt thirsty and tired and a little nauseous,' he said.

Dr Krispin Hajkowicz (pictured) being vaccinated during a rollout of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine at STARS Metro North Health facility, in Brisbane on Monday, March 1

After the weekend he managed to recover but was surprised at such a strong reaction - checking in with his colleagues to see if anyone else had the same effects.

'As an emergency doctor, you don't want to look weak. I was very relieved to find out many of my colleagues were feeling the same thing [some] had to take time off work,' Dr Caldicott said.

Flinders University professor of medicine Nikolai Pterovsky told the ABC the significant reaction to the second jab was actually noted in phase three trials by Pfizer.

'There were very high numbers of severe reactions after the second dose... we don't understand what causes it,' he said.

Vaccines generally work by injecting a weakened virus or signature protein into the body which trains the immune system to recognise and fight the infection without having the danger of an active virus.

Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine works differently by injecting messenger RNA into the muscles which instructs the body to make the signature protein.

The mRNA itself cannot be replicated so once the initial instruction is given the muscles create the virus protein for a few days and then return to normal.

The Pfizer vaccine is made using a new type of technology which contains mRNA that instructs the body to make Covid proteins for a few days which the immune system then fights

This process eliminates much of the lengthy manufacturing process - which is what allowed the vaccine to be developed and tested so speedily.

These types of vaccines are new compared to existing vaccines, having only been seriously studied since 2005 after researchers worked out how to stablise the process.

Pfizer's vaccine packages the mRNA in a lipid casing, which Professor Petrovsky said could be the cause of the reaction rather than the virus protein.

The reaction to the second jab has not been observed in either the Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines.

Dr Caldicott said despite his adverse reaction to the Pfizer jab he would not hesitate for a second to get it again, saying he personally knows people overseas who have died from Covid.

'The immunisation is not mandatory, but there was absolutely no doubt in my head that I was going to get immunised  it was an absolute no-brainer and all my family will get it as soon as they are eligible.'

He said after the initial day or two of feeling unwell he has recovered and has experienced no other adverse effects.

Though he said he would recommend perhaps putting in for a day off after the second jab.
Alvins Island wants to hang a menacing-looking shark outside its surf shop in Gulf Shores that would be two-feet larger than the fictional human-eating fish in the iconic movie, Jaws.

While considered cheesy by todays standards, that 25-foot Jaws shark horrified a generation of moviegoers when the movie was released in 1975. More than 46 years later, the fear of sharks from that movie looms over a debate for the display of a menacing 27-foot-long shark outside of Alvins Island near Beach Boulevard.

The proposal has city officials not worried so much about what lurks beneath the Gulfs surface, but about scaring kids walking with their parents to the nearby family-friendly Public Beach.

The shark display might also scare a few adults.

I dont think this is appropriate to put out there with children, said Pete Vakakes, vice-chairman of the Gulf Shores Planning Commission, during the groups March 23 meeting. We dont want to glorify sharks, he said. Sharks bite people. Its the wrong thing to put out there on the beach.

The Alvins Island proposal also runs afoul of the citys newest plans for future development near the beach. But at the same time, it has some planning commissioners wondering whether they should deny Alvin Islands request when across the street is Souvenir City, home to a famous shark mouth has long served as the entrance into one coastal Alabamas more popular retail shops.

The issue facing the planning commission is how to recommend to the city council a conditional use permit that would allow for the display of the novelty architecture outside Alvins Island. The novelty would be a large great white shark statue suspended by its tail on a supporting marine pole frame at the main entrance plaza of the store.

The idea is being pitched by Marco Destin Inc., owner of the Alvin Islands surf shops. As the company views it, the shark would be suitable for photographic shots with seasonal visitors to the site. It would also anchor a newly remodeled Alvins Island shop, which opened about three weeks ago following an approximately $3 million renovation.

These sharks have been found to be very popular, said Lee Goodson, who represented retail store with 60 locations along the East Coast, Florida and into Texas. The kids love them. They are not scared of them. They love to stick their head in the mouth of the shark and get pictures with them. The whole idea is for this to be fun.

Goodson said the store has two sharks hanging from the ceiling inside the store. He said the giant shark outside the store will align with the stores overall marine animal theme.

He added, The city fathers look at Gulf Shores as a tourist destination. The whole idea is for people to come here and have fun and to look upon this as a memorable event for families. We feel this shark, in addition to the surf shop on this key corner, will be a landmark.

Novelty architecture

Hundreds of photos are taken every day in the giant shark's mouth at Souvenir City in Gulf Shores. (Photo courtesy Victor Wukovits)

The proposal is placing the citys novelty architecture definition in the spotlight. The definition was added to the citys zoning ordinance codes in 2016. The regulation requires developers to seek a conditional use permit from the planning commission and city council before moving ahead with their plans to build a feature that is likely unlike anything else seen within the city. The process requires city control over the location and design of the proposed novelty architecture structures on a case-by-case basis.

Under the citys zoning ordinance, novelty architecture is defined as a building or other structure that is given unusual shapes in whole or in part for advertising to draw attention to a site, for notoriety as a landmark, or due to the eccentricity of the owner or architect including programmatic, mimetic, and/or roadside architecture.

According to the city ordinance, Many examples of novelty architecture take the form of buildings that resemble the products sold inside to attract drive-by customers. Others are attractions all by themselves, such as giant animals, fruits and vegetables, or replicas of famous buildings.

The two next door businesses are grandfathered into the ordinance. Souvenir City, which is across West 1st Avenue from Alvins Island, has had its iconic shark mouth serving as an entrance into the store since 1984. Souvenir City, which burned to the ground in 1996, was rebuilt in 1997, with the addition of the current 70-foot-long concrete-and-rebar shark structure serving as its entrance. It has become a popular stop for tourists to take pictures.

Next to Souvenir City is Gulf Shores Souvenir & Gifts. On top of that retail shop is a large cartoonish purple octopus, which would also be considered novelty architecture under the citys existing ordinance.

Andy Bauer, the citys planning director, said if either of those structures were more than 50% destroyed, they could not be rebuilt unless their owners got approval from the city for a conditional use permit. Souvenir City, which has been in Gulf Shores since 1956, was damaged during Hurricane Sally, though the shark did not suffer major damage.

We understand there are a couple of novelty architecture structures in that area, said Bauer, who said the ordinance change in 2016 gave the city more discretion and review authority over potential structures such as a shark.

Sense of place

7 Alvin's Island in Gulf Shores, Ala.

The Alvins Island shark display also does not conform to the latest plans for its beachfront area which is among the most popular tourist districts in Alabama.

The city of Gulf Shores, in recent years, adopted several plans aimed at transforming and promoting the beachfront area as a walkable, energetic district aimed attracting tourism and to stimulate local businesses. Those plans were cited in a report about the shark display from the citys Planning & Zoning Department.

They also triggered a rebuttal from Goodson about the design and look of the new retail store.

Our store here was very dilapidated, said Goodson. We spent $3 million renovating it. I thought everyone was happy with the store renovation, and that it was a brand new store with a lot of bright new stuff inside.

In its report on the shark, the city said the Alvins Island building was designed to suburban principles, with the entrance facing away from the sidewalks. The citys Envision Gulf Shores design regulations, contained within the zoning ordinance, encourages retail buildings to be at the back of a sidewalk and aligned lengthwise with entrances facing the sidewalk and pedestrian walkways.

Andy Bauer, the citys planning director, said the Alvins Island recommendation was based on where we see the future of the city going, as spelled out in the citys adopted plans for the tourist-rich beachfront that features popular destinations like The Hangout and Pink Pony, along with a host of seafood eateries and retail shops.

At least one commission believes some of the newer architecture lacks a fun factor.

A new building anchored by a Trading Co. store on West Beach Boulevard in Gulf Shores, Ala. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).

Jennifer Guthrie, a planning commissioner, pointed to the exterior of a new building housing Trading Co. and Island Market adjacent to the Public Beach and The Hangout. She said the building feels very corporate and provides no local feel or a sense of place.

Guthrie said she enjoys bringing her children to see the Octopus and the Souvenir City shark, calling both displays charming. She said a giant pirate ship built behind Souvenir City also offers a conversation piece with her children.

Its quirky, its different, she said. Its fun. Its not like every other town in America that is the exact same shopping center after shopping center after shopping center that is uniform (in design).

Guthrie said Alvin Islands plans feels like it has eccentricities and spirit, though she said the menacing shark display could be toned down.

Vakakes suggested that maybe a dolphin would be better option than a shark.

Guthrie noted that Gulf Shores high schools mascot is a dolphin and could be worth consideration.

Another planning commissioner suggested that if Goodsons team wanted to display a shark, it should not be in an attack mode.

Commissioner Matt Young said he did not believe the depiction of the shark aligns with the citys vision of conservation. He said he would prefer if the shark was displayed in more of its natural habitat.

When you look at this depiction  its hung up like this, I think it sends a message that doesnt fit our vision with a state park down the road and wetlands and conservation lands around us, said Young.

Goodson said the developers are open to an alternative display of the shark, rather than as a carcass hanging down from a marine pole.

The commission will reconsider the shark display during its April 27 meeting.

The shark has a little bit of a shock factor, Goodson said. Its an animal, Jaws and all of that kind of thing. It has a scary factor to it, but it could be displayed in another fashion where its not a carcass. We have other displays of them riding in wave  (where the shark is) very much alive in those kinds of environments. We can revisit how its displayed.
Mumbai: Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday (April 2) warned that if the number of COVID-19 cases kept increasing the way they have in the last few days and weeks, the state might run out of facilities to deal with the virus.

The CM emphasized how the state has ramped up the healthcare infrastructure and testing facilities and has stayed ahead in the fight against coronavirus so far. But despite all of the preparations, there may be a shortage of facilities in the coming days.

If the number of patients continue to grow this way, then there will be a shortage of facilities in the coming days, said Thackeray.

We will increase the facilities but where will we find sufficient number of doctors and nurses? he added.

Admitting that the situation in Maharashtra is worrying, he said that his government is not keeping anything from the public.

We are not hiding anything. Today the situation in Maharashtra may be looking worrying but we are not hiding anything, said the CM.

I would not talk about other states. I only say that I have the responsibility of the people of Maharashtra, he added.

Thackeray listed the several measures the state has taken to tackle the virus, including the vaccination drive.

When pandemic started, we had only two labs for testing. Now there are 500 facilities. We have a capacity of testing 1.82 lakh people and soon we will achieve 2.50 lakh testing capacity. 70% of our tests are done using RT-PCR. We have also increased the number of beds. At present we have 3.85 lakh beds, said Thackeray.

Maharashtra has become the number one state in vaccination. Three lakh vaccinations are happening every day. So far 65 lakh people have been vaccinated in the state, he added.

He said that the Centre should consider sending more vaccine doses to meet the demand in the state.

About whether the state will undergo a lockdown, the CM said that it has not been decided yet.

He did cite examples of other countries that have been forced to impose partial or complete lockdown.

Look what happened abroad. The situation in France is critical, there is a third lockdown. There is work from home in Hungary. The same thing happened in Denmark. There is lockdown in Ireland, tight restrictions in Kenya and so on, Thackeray said.

He said that the decision on lockdown may be taken tomorrow.

Live TV
The Gambia Professional Photographers Association on Tuesday impeached their president Matarr Jassey for corruption at an emergency meeting held at B.O. Semega Janneh Hall.

Jassey is reported to have illegally withdrawn D49,000 from the association's account together with one Amat Panneh.

Members of the association also elected former treasurer Abdoulie Fatty as president to replace Matarr Jassey.

Other executive positions were also filled following the resignation of position holders. Ebrima Jammeh was elected deputy vice president, Ousman Camara, former chief organiser as treasurer, Abdoulie Bah as chief organiser, Masaneh Jammeh as public relations officer and Dawda Camara as head of Taskforce.

Alpha Omar Kanagie and Alh Ansumana Ceesay maintained their positions as secretary general and vice president respectively.

Elected executive members will steer the affairs of the association until November 2024 when the association will go to congress again.

Elected executive members promised to work towards the processing of members' press cards as well as securing a secretariat for the association. They also assured members that they would be there for their interest.

Alpha Omar Kanagie, secretary general of The Gambia Professional Photographers Association, said they were elected into office on 27 November 2020, saying until that day, the previous executive had not handed over to them.

He added that that had made it difficult for them to carry out certain activities.

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He explained that monies were withdrawn from their account by the impeached President Matar Hasseh and Amat Panneh without the executive nor the general memberships' knowledge.

He described Jassey and Panneh's actions as very shocking to the executive when they knew about it.

He further said that after learning about their actions they investigated and Matar admitted to withdrawing the monies, as such he said they took the needed steps to ensure they pay back the money which they did.

Mr. Kanagie said their constitution has empowered them to impeach any executive member involved in corrupt activities.

He stated that because of corruption, the association cannot still develop.

Ansumana Ceesay, vice president of the association said honesty and sincerity were lacking within the association, thereby holding back its development strides. He added that as an executive they would execute their mandate to the fullest.

Abdoulie Fatty, then treasurer of the association said the withdrawals were made between November 2020 and January 2021. He added that leaders should be accountable and serve as examples as well as safeguarding association's integrity.

Ousman Camara, chief organiser for the association, said they would not compromise corruption in their association. He assured members of their commitment towards the development of the association.

Meanwhile, Matarr Jassey, when contacted for comments described his impeachment as "illegal", saying: "we did not do anything illegal because some executive members were contacted before we withdraw the monies." "In fact I resigned some months before this matter."
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the car crash and shooting at the U.S. Capitol complex (all times local):

2:10 p.m.

The suspect who rammed two U.S. Capitol Police officers at a barricade appeared to have a knife and was shot by police.

Thats according to two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday. The officials could not discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The officials say the suspect was critically wounded and was taken into custody.

The incident happened at a checkpoint near the Capitol. The Capitol complex was locked down after the shooting.

U.S. Capitol Police officers near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

___

HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CAR CRASH AT THE CAPITOL:

Friday's crash and shooting happened at a checkpoint near the U.S. Capitol as Congress is on recess. It comes as the Washington region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Bidens presidential win.

U.S. Capitol Police officers stand near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

U.S. Capitol Police officers stand near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
(Newser)  On March 14, a 26-year-old Black man with a history of mental illness was arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge in Allen, Texas. He died after he was taken to the county jail, where he was restrained, pepper-sprayed, and had a "spit hood" placed over his head. Seven detention officers at the Collin County Jail have now been fired and an eighth resigned during the investigation of the death of Marvin D. Scott III, the Dallas Morning News reports. "Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established Sheriffs Office policies and procedures," Sheriff Jim Skinner said in a statement. He said the Texas Rangers' "comprehensive criminal investigation" is ongoing. A forensic pathologist said Thursday that asphyxiation may have contributed to Scott's death.

story continues below

Police say Scott was taken to a hospital after his arrest because he had been behaving erratically. He was brought to the county jail hours later and restrained, the New York Times reports, and he died that night. Family memberswho say they were notified of Scott's death via a text from the medical examiner the next dayhave been protesting outside the jail every night for two weeks, demanding more transparency in the case. Lee Merritt, a lawyer for the family, says Scott was arrested after officers found him sitting next to a joint. He says Scott had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was probably having a mental health crisis at the time of his arrest, the Morning News reports. He says he believes that Scott was treated like a criminal instead of a person in crisis because he was a Black man. (Read more police custody stories.)
Symphony Environmental was one of this week's top risers while it was a great week for a bushel-load of companies that have the word "energy" in their names

Five years is an age to wait for the results of a study but ( ) probably thinks the wait was worth it.

A study into Symphonys d2w oxo-biodegradable plastic technology sponsored by the French Agence National de Recherche proved beyond doubt that d2w is biodegradable in the marine environment.

Symphony added that there was a direct correlation between lab results and real-world conditions, which it said was hugely positive as until now it had been alleged that lab results could not demonstrate performance in real-life marine conditions.

"No government can now be in any doubt that oxo-biodegradable plastic (as distinct from oxo-degradable plastic) does properly biodegrade in the open environment, and is not toxic. This is not, therefore, the type of material that the EU intended to prohibit and I trust that this and other scientific evidence will now dispel the confusion in the marketplace", Symphonys chief executive Michael Laurier said in a statement.

The shares rose 35% on the week.

( ) soared 68% on the back of news of business wins.

The creative audio-visual company said that more than 250,000 of confirmed additional written orders have been received and roughly the same amount of further orders on top of these are currently at the final stage of negotiation. Several additional other projects are at an advanced stage of discussion with both new and existing clients.

The power of energy

In 1984, the easiest way to secure a number one hit single in the UK was to release a song entitled The Power of Love; three songs with that title hit the top spot. This week, the easiest way to make it into the top risers list was to have the word energy in the company name,

Echo Energy, 88 Energy, Aura Energy, Kibo Energy and AFC Energy all racked up gains of more than 33%.

( ) and 88 Energy Limited ( ) both doubled in price, the former on debt restructuring news and the latter on the hotly-anticipated results of wireline logging operations for the Merlin-1 well in Alaska.

88 Energy told investors on Monday that logging-whilst-drilling data indicated multiple zones in the Merlin-1 well that were potentially hydrocarbon-bearing zones.

Wireline logging to confirm whether mobile hydrocarbons are present is underway and the results are expected this weekend.

Aura Energy Limited ( ) rocketed 58% after it revealed in its interim results it seeking compensation from Sweden for the alleged expropriation of its rights to mine and produce uranium concentrate from the tenements held by its subsidiary, Vanadis Battery Metals.

( ), up 34%, was wanted after it confirmed it would spin out its MAST Energy Developments subsidiary via a standard listing on the London Stock Exchange on April 14.

( ), the hydrogen power generation technology outfit, was on a charge on Thursday after announcing a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the Zahid Group to establish an exclusive dealership for the distribution of the company's fuel cell systems in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East & North Africa regions via a strategic partnership.

AFC was up 53% on the week.

Going the other way was ( ), which ran into serious profit-taking as its full-year results failed to justify the stratospheric rise in the share price in the run-up to the release of the figures.

Investors had chased the shares up from 120p at the tail-end of January to 380p last week but the shares now languish at 285p, despite the gas and electricity supplier reporting its loss before tax narrowed to 1.54mln from 5.98mln.
Pakistan's struggling textile industry has voiced its disappointment after the Imran Khan government rejected a proposal to import cotton from India, the world's biggest producer, saying it is the need of the hour to avoid a massive slump in the country's exports.

The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Khan on Thursday rejected the proposal of a high-powered committee to import cotton from India, with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asserting that there can be no normalisation of ties until New Delhi reverses its decision in 2019 to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Cabinet's decision has disappointed the textile export industry, the Dawn newspaper quoted Apparel Forum chairman Jawed Bilwani as saying.

The textile export sector, which was already under pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been continuously demanding duty-free import of from all over the world, including India, to avert any big loss to textile exports.

Describing Commerce Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood's recommendation to allow import of cotton and from India as realistic and the need of the hour, Bilwani said that the Cabinet must give serious consideration to the proposal.

The step would send a negative message to foreign buyers as was not available in the country, he said, adding that prices of cotton yarn have spiked after the Cabinet's decision.

The government must ensure availability of cotton yarn if it did not want to allow its import from India, Bilwani said as he feared massive textile export decline if import of cotton yarn from India was not allowed.

In the current year, faced a 40 per cent plunge in cotton production and if it was compared with 15 million bales in 2014-2015, then the drop was 50 per cent this year, he said.

If the government did not want to permit import of cotton yarn from India then it must impose a ban on export of cotton and cotton yarn for at least next six months, he added.

Pakistan's U-turn on Thursday came a day after the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), under newly-appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar, recommended importing cotton and sugar from India, lifting a nearly two-year long ban on its import from the neighbouring country amidst tensions over the Kashmir issue.

Soon after presiding over the first meeting of the ECC, Azhar told media that the decision has been taken to import of sugar and cotton from India to provide relief to the poor as there is a price differential of about 15-20 per cent.

Speaking to The Express Tribune newspaper, Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association Patron-in-Chief Ijaz Khokhar said the entire value-added sector was shocked by the way the government reversed its decision.

Reacting to the Pakistan Cabinet's refusal to allow import of cotton yarn from India, he said they are planning a protest in the coming days.

According to the World Trade Organisation laws, no one can object to trade with another country, the restrictions imposed by Pakistan on trade with India are based on political grounds, but if we allow imports of medicines from India, then why not cotton yarn, Khokhar said.

This step shows that mafias are still part of the government and this impression will reach our buyers, he said, adding, We now fear that this step will help a certain part of the textile sector whereas the rest will lose orders as buyers will prefer India and Bangladesh over Pakistan due to such steps.

Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association Zonal Chairman Faisal Mehboob said his organisation has urged the government to make bold decisions, which were vital for a smooth running of the industry.

Mehboob said that any decision to lift the ban on import of cotton and yarn from India would greatly support country's value-added knitwear sector, besides contributing to stabilising the national economy through an increase in exports.

But former All Pakistan Textile Mills Association chairman Shahzad Ali Khan said that restricting yarn imports from India was a good decision.

Yarn imports could have pitted Pakistan's spinning sector against the Indian counterparts and since the Indian industry is getting subsidised energy, the local industry would have been affected, he claimed.

India is the world's largest cotton producer and the second-largest exporter. India's cotton exports jumped over 40 per cent to 10 million bales (of 170 kg each) in the 2018-19 marketing year on strong overseas demand.

The ECC's decision had raised hopes of a partial revival of Pakistan-India bilateral trade relations, which were suspended after the August 5, 2019 decision of New Delhi to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

In May 2020, Pakistan lifted the ban on import of medicines and raw material of essential drugs from India amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bilateral ties nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in Pakistan. Subsequent attacks, including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relations.

The ties strained further after India's war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Pakistan in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama attack in 2019 in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

India's move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 angered Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pakistan also snapped all air and land links with India and suspended trade and railway services.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Biden has been repeatedly criticizing the new Georgia election law. He has called it the Jim Crow of the 21st Century. He, and media and press, has stated that people without an ID would not be able to vote. They have stated that water cannot be given to a voter while waiting hours in line to vote.

First, Jim Crow (segregation) has nothing to do with this voting law. Maybe he was reflecting on Columbia Universitys recent graduation proposals.

Second, Voter IDs can be obtained for free in Georgia. Georgia will provide a Voter ID to anyone for free. They are valid for eight years. A Voter ID card can be issued at any Georgia Department of Driver Services office free of charge.

Third, can be provided if given without party affiliation to entice a particular vote. We do not want to return to the days of handing out chickens and water to entice desired votes. This is pure fiction on the Presidents part and that of the White House personnel.

An additional voter advantage in Georgia from this law is that there are added days to be able to vote. Early voting will run for 17 days before election day and counties can expand their early voting hours if they desire. Regular voting hours on election day are mandated to run from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. These hours have not been changed. Expanding the period in which to vote to a total of 18-days allows for greater access to voting, not less.

White House personnel, including Jen Psaki, would like everyone to think that election day voting ceases at 5 p.m., and this is not correct. The time is at 7 p.m., which they have avoided at all costs.

One only need wonder what Democrats would gain from the absence of voting laws that maintain the integrity of elections.

To assure everyone has one vote, maintaining voter integrity is paramount to a totally free society. Until we develop a fingerprint voter ID system that distinguishes one fingerprint voter from another, without naming the voter, we will have to have a voter ID system of some sort. New York State initially has an identification of the voter when completing a voter signature identification card. The signature is compared each time people vote. Individuals who point to such states as being without voter ID are being disingenuous in their statements.

We have been provided false information about the Southern Mexico/US border. The wall, President Biden stated, would be halted to save money. This was blatantly false, and he knew it. The wall that was left to be completed has already been paid for by the Executive Branch and continues to cost millions of dollars every month without any further work. If Biden was representing the people, he was better off allowing the wall to be built until this allocated money was depleted.

Getting 4-Pinocchios from the Washington Post is a shock, since this newspaper has been friendly to Democrats for four years. Even the Post can no longer condone the Biden Russian Propaganda train. Things appear to be getting worse.

Don Gala, Ph.D.


The Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged Koreans living in Myanmar to return home as violent clashes between the putschist military and pro-democracy protesters threaten to escalate into civil war.

The UN's special envoy for Myanmar on Wednesday warned that a "bloodbath" is imminent, and foreigners are rushing out of the country.

One local employee of Shinhan Bank in the main city Yangon was shot on his way home from work on Wednesday and is being treated in hospital. Shinhan Bank temporarily closed the Yangon branch and is considering a gradual pullout.

An estimated 3,500 Koreans live in Myanmar.
Alex Salmonds bid to return to frontline politics was last night dealt a crushing blow by a devastating poll.

The former SNP leader claimed the Alba Party could help bring about a pro-independence super-majority of up to 90 MSPs.

But a Survation poll found that it is on track to win just 3 per cent of the votes on the regional list  which would leave the new party without a single seat.

It also showed that Mr Salmond is the most unpopular of Scotlands mainstream political leaders, with 71 per cent of Scots viewing him unfavourably.

It came as Nicola Sturgeon launched another attack on her predecessor, accusing him of misleading voters and of being a gambler who bets on horses on an almost daily basis.

Mr Salmond, in turn, appeared to criticise her strategy of setting out her intention to hold a second Scexit vote in the first half of a new parliamentary term.

Crushing blow: A new poll revealed Alex Salmond's Alba Party is on track to win just 3 per cent of the votes on the regional list  which would leave the new party without a single seat

In a further sign he will struggle to achieve his aim of encouraging SNP supporters to back his party in the list vote, the poll found that more than half of Scots held the view that Mr Salmond was hindering the cause for Scottish independence, compared with only 17 per cent who said his contribution was helping.

More than 1,000 Scottish residents were surveyed for the poll, carried out for DC Thomson on Monday and Tuesday this week, days after Albas high-profile launch.

On the constituency vote, the poll put the SNP on 49 per cent, followed by the Tories on 21 per cent, Labour on 20 per cent and the Lib Dems on 9 per cent.

On the regional list, the SNP is on 37 per cent, followed by the Tories on 18 per cent, Labour on 19 per cent, the Greens on 11 per cent, Lib Dems on 8 per cent, with Alba on 3 per cent.

It is estimated the result would mean the SNP would win a majority with 66 seats, followed by Labour on 24, the Tories on 21, the Greens on 11 and Lib Dems on seven.

A Tory spokesman said: Only the Scottish Conservatives have the strength to stop an SNP majority, stop their push for another independence referendum and get all of the focus back on rebuilding Scotland and recovering from this pandemic.

Alex Salmonds new party are trying to game the system.

The poor ratings are a blow to Mr Salmonds bid for a place on the next TV leaders debate.

Yesterday, he said it is unanswerable he should get a place as he wrote to the broadcasters and regulator Ofcom in a bid to ensure fairness.

He also unveiled 32 regional list candidates and said he is confident membership has exceeded the Lib Dems in Scotland.

The Survation poll also asked about the popularity of each of the main leaders. Some 50 per cent of respondents said they had a favourable view of Miss Sturgeon, followed by 22 per cent for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, 17 per cent for Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross and 10 per cent for Mr Salmond.

The proportion who said they had a negative view of Mr Salmond was 71 per cent, with 56 per cent for Boris Johnson.

Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice told The Courier newspaper: The headline is that it looks as though its all over for Salmond, though he might just get a seat in the North-East himself.

Deputy SNP leader Keith Brown said: To ensure Nicola Sturgeon is the First Minister to lead us out of the pandemic, people need to give both votes to the SNP on May 6.

An Alba spokesman said: These early indications put Alba within touching distance of representation across Scotland. With five weeks still to go Albas support can only grow as we approach polling day.
Two persons were injured after police fired rubber bullets at a mob that attempted to snatch an EVM at a polling booth in Assam's Udalguri district, alleging rigging by BJP and its ally UPPL, officials said on Friday.

The incident took place at number 215 Raja Pukhuri LP School in Kalaigaon on Thursday night.

After the poll ended, an argument broke out between polling agents and officials over the signing of documents.

Barring two polling agents, all others reached the venue late in the morning as a result of which, their signatures could not be collected. The presiding officer also did not take the signatures at the end of the polling, an official of the district administration said.

"Soon, a crowd of over 500 people gathered at the spot and attempted to snatch the EVM alleging rigging by BJP and UPPL members. A police team led by the district additional SP reached the spot. Failing to pacify the crowd, they fired rubber bullets to disperse the mob. Two persons sustained minor injuries," he said.

BPF candidate Durga Das Boro reached the spot and tried to pacify the crowd. Later, the police escorted the polling team to deposit the EVM at the strongroom.

Voting at Kalaigaon constituency took place in the second phase on Thursday.
Chennai, April 2 : At a time when the electioneering for the April 6 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls is at its peak, Income Tax officials on Friday carried out searches in the premises of DMK President M.K. Stalin's daughter Senthamarai here, sources said.

Senthamarai is married to Sabareesan, who is said to have a major say in the DMK affairs.

The tax officials are also carrying out search operations in a couple of more places belonging to persons connected with the DMK.

The tax officials are also searching the house of Karthik son of Mohan, DMK's Anna Nagar constituency candidate.

Reacting to the searches, Stalin tweeted: "With electoral loss confirmed and lacking people's support, the BJP is misusing its powers.

"We are not slaves like AIADMK to fall at the feet for such threats. Fearless. Daringly we will oppose," Stalin said.

Electoral allies of the DMK like the VCK have condemned the raids.

Last month Income Tax officials searched former minister and DMK leader E.V. Velu's residence and other premises connected with him.
Nay Pyi Taw, April 2 : Hundreds of people in Myanmar laid flowers in public places on Friday in memory of the victims of the violent protests against the February 1 military takeover.

Organisers called for a "flower strike" saying these should be laid in places such as parks and bus stops in remembrance of "heroes who can't come back home", reports dpa news agency Many people in Yangon went to parks and bus stops to lay flowers in tribute.

The words "Myanmar bleeds" were written in flowers on a large sign in Yangon.

"Fallen, but not forgotten. Rest in power to all our sisters and brothers," one protester wrote on social media, sharing images of flowers at a bus stop.

The flowers are being placed in honour of fallen souls across the country, protester Kyaw Zin told dpa.

He said further protests against the junta were planned.

After civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won a clear majority in the November 2020 elections, the military staged the coup, claiming that the polls were rigged.

Suu Kyi was arrested and has since then been imprisoned.

The military has violently cracked down on the ensuing protests.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a non-profit, at least 543 people have been killed by military forces since the coup.

The victims include more than 40 children, according to the NGO Save the Children.

Telecommunications companies reported that the military had further restricted the internet, with access having largely been blocked on a nightly basis for the past weeks.

There have also recently been restrictions during the day.

Activists have circulated apps allowing people to keep following developments offline.

Peaceful protests continue in cities throughout the country including in the regions of Mandalay, Magway, Bago and Sagaing and Kayah state.

Earlier, the UN Security Council (UNSC) condemned the use of violence against protesters amid ongoing violence in Myanmar.

"The Members of the Security Council expressed deep concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation, and strongly condemned the use of violence against peaceful protestors and the deaths of hundreds of civilians, including women and children," said the most powerful United Nations body on Thursday.

The Council reiterated a call for the Myanmar military to "exercise outmost restraint" and for the release of Suu Kyi and President u Win Myint.

The opinion of the 15-member committee is unlikely to affect the escalating situation in Myanmar.

The UNSC has met several times in light of the excessive use of force against protesters across Myanmar since the military overthrew the government in early February.

Violence at the hands of the military junta reached a peak last weekend with nationwide protests resulting in more than 100 people dead.
BRIEFS

Downtown Schenectady Easter Sunrise Service

If Easters Capital Region weather forecast comes true, a cold, dark predawn will become a beautiful spring day. First United Methodist Church in downtown Schenectady at 603 State Street welcomes everyone to celebrate at its outdoor Easter worship or join online via Zoom.

Easter Sundays sunrise service is 6:15 a.m. on the church front lawn. Bring flowers to adorn the floral cross or the church can provide visitors with blossoms so they can participate. The organ will be played. Masks and social distancing required. Chairs will be available or you may bring your own. The Chapel Street parking lot will be open. Just walk through the church hall to get to the front lawn. For more information, contact the church office at 518-374-4403 or via email to: fumcschenectady@yahoo.com.

Messiah Lutheran new congregation celebrates Easter

Rotterdam's Messiah Lutheran and Trinity Reformed Churches merged right before Lent. Now, the congregations are celebrating Easter together at a sunrise service at 705 Curry Road in Rotterdam at 6:15 a.m. Bring a lawn chair if you like.

Pastor Dustin and Pastor Jonathan compare the cold, dark dawn to what Easter must have felt like after Jesus died just days earlier. But it will also be a time of hope; a time for us to be together, if even but for a few moments, leaning into the hope that is to come. Easter Mass will then be on Facebook Live at 10 a.m.

The congregations are eager to enjoy all services together in-person.

Bishop Scharfenbergers Easter schedule

Saturday night, April 3 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany at 8 p.m. the Bishop will preside over the Solemn Vigil. The traditional fire will be kindled and he will welcome new Catholics into the church. Easter Sunday, April 4, the Bishop celebrates Mass at 11 a.m.

Metropolitan New Testament Mission Baptist Church offers Easter drive-in

At 8:30 a.m., Rev. Dr. Damone Paul Johnson presides over the online Easter service. At 11:30 a.m., there will be another Easter service at the McCarty State Employees Parking Lot. Communion will be offered at both services. Visit https://www.metrobaptistalbany.com/ for more information.



New Reform Rabbi for Bnai Sholom

Bnai Sholom Reform Congregation celebrates its 50th year anniversary as it welcomes a new rabbi: Danielle Weisbrot of Long Island.

She succeed Rabbi David Katz, who has guided the congregation for the past year as interim rabbi following the June 2020 retirement of Rabbi Donald Cashman, Bnai Sholoms spiritual leader for 35 years. Weisbrot is a senior rabbinic student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York. She will be ordained as a rabbi in May, ready to make her new home in Albany.

Words cannot do justice to the warmth and positive energy that we know Danielle will bring to her rabbinate, Bnai Sholom president Julie Novkov said in a statement. She loves to help guide a congregation in worship, she loves to teach, she loves to sing and she loves to bake.

As a student rabbi, Weisbrot held the pulpit for two years at North Fork Reform Synagogue in Southold, Suffolk County, where she led services, and taught and helped transition services online during the pandemic. At HUC-JIR, she volunteered in the student-run soup kitchen on the campus, rising to head chef. Weisbrot holds a Master of Arts degree in Hebrew literature from HUC-JIR and a Bachelor's from Pennsylvanias Dickinson College where she graduated summa cum laude in English with a minor in Judaic studies.
Trident Health says it will soon break ground on a new psychiatric hospital, the first of its kind to be built in the Lowcountry in 30 years, the private health system says.

The $30.4 million freestanding hospital will break ground in the fall on 17 acres in the Ingleside tract off U.S. Highway 78, near Trident Medical Center, its main campus in North Charleston.

The project will expand Trident Health's capacity to care for behavioral health patients from 25 beds within Trident Medical Center, a unit it opened in 2014, to 60 beds at the new site.

Todd Gallati, Trident Health's CEO, said in the April 2 announcement "since the unit opened, it's rare we've had a bed available."

Dr. Jeffrey Cluver, medical director of Trident Health's behavioral health program, said the new hospital will enable his team to treat adolescents, something they can't do right now.

On average, patients at the Trident Medical Center unit tend to stay for less than a week, Cluver said.

"We help them stabilize their crisis and then transition them to the most appropriate level of care from there," he said. The new hospital will offer both inpatient and outpatient treatment options, he said.

Cluver said he sees the new hospital as "ushering in a whole new era of mental health treatment for mental illness in the Lowcountry," particularly as patients become more open to addressing their mental health issues.

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"The tide is shifting, and people are seeking treatment more than they ever have," he said. "To open up a facility like this and be able to help so many people is exciting to say the least."

There is a statewide shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds, according to the State Health Plan developed by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Most of the psychiatric beds in the state are in facilities run by the S.C. Department of Mental Health. There are few other hospitals dedicated just to the care of people with mental health concerns.

In the Charleston area, psychiatric services are offered by just three organizations: the Medical University of South Carolina, Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health and Trident Health. MUSC has 82 beds at its Charleston campus, while Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health, on Speissegger Drive in North Charleston, has 92.

The behavioral health hospital will just be the latest in additions Trident Health has planned.

Its other medical center in Summerville broke ground on a renovation to its breast center in late March, with the project expected to be completed this summer. In that announcement, Trident Health said the breast center's update is "the latest in more than $150 million being invested" into Summerville Medical Center and its surrounding sites.

Trident Health is owned by Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's largest publicly traded hospital operators.
Several training cadre members at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, were suspended this week following allegations they sexually assaulted a trainee.

Maj. Gen. Ken Kamper, commanding general of the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, told reporters at a press conference Thursday that an investigation was immediately launched after the accusations were made, and the cadre members were swiftly suspended.

The incident was initially reported by the Lawton Constitution, an Oklahoma newspaper.

Read Next: Female Cadet Sets New Record for West Point's Punishing Obstacle Course

"A soldier assigned to Fort Sill reported she was a victim of sexual assault by Fort Sill cadre members," Kamper said. "This information was immediately reported to law enforcement and [Army Criminal Investigation Command]. They conducted their initial interviews that very day and continued every day since."

Kamper declined to specify how many cadre members had been suspended or when the alleged sexual assault took place. The alleged victim, who was not hospitalized, filed a report Saturday.

"This soldier that came forward is absolutely safe," he added. "She had a special victim's counsel and access to all services. We're proud of the courage she displayed coming forward with these allegations. We will stay connected with this soldier and her family."

Maj. Gen. Ken Kamper, Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill commanding general, closed out the Fires Conference on November 8, 2020. (U.S. Army/Marie Pihulic)

It is unclear whether this was an isolated incident or if there are more potential victims. Details on the alleged victim and those who were suspended, including names and ranks, are being withheld during the investigation.

"We want to know more; we will investigate anything else that emerges. We have the resources and the full support of Army senior leaders," Kamper said.

A press conference immediately following allegations of a sexual crime is rare. But the military is facing a reckoning with widespread sexual assault and harassment in the ranks and how transparent and effective the force has been with investigations.

After Spc. Vanessa Guillen's bludgeoning murder last year at Fort Hood, Texas, an Army investigation found both male and female soldiers described a culture of sexual harassment and bullying that was pervasive and ignored by leadership.

Guillen's death became a flash point for the military's poor handling of sexual crime investigations and leadership ignoring the concerns and allegations of women in the ranks. At least 14 Army officials were fired or suspended in the aftermath. Since then, Congress has held multiple hearings on the troubling issues at Fort Hood and sexual assault in the military as a whole.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Even Staying Silent Doesn't Always Spare Sexual Assault Victims from Retaliation, Study Finds
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 04:32:24|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Thursday urged the African Union (AU) to support completion of the peace process in Sudan by bringing in the non-signatory groups.

Al-Burhan issued the call while meeting at the presidential palace with the visiting delegation of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), the sovereign council said in a statement.

"Sudan is looking forward to further support from the AU and AUPSC to complete the peace process and urge the non-signatory groups to join the process," the statement noted.

Al-Burhan reiterated Sudan's keenness to find solutions to all African issues through the efforts of the Africans themselves, it added.

Head of the AUPSC delegation, Mohamed Idriss, voiced the AU's keenness to support Sudan during the coming phase in a bid to achieve peace and stability in the country, according to the statement.

He said the meeting reviewed the challenges facing Sudan as well as the accomplishments achieved, particularly with regard to the Declaration of Principles signed by Al-Burhan and the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Abdel-Aziz Al-Hilu.

On March 28, the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N signed a declaration of principles in South Sudan's capital Juba to pave the way for signing a final peace deal between the two sides.

On Oct. 3, 2020, the Sudanese government and armed groups, under the Revolutionary Front Alliance, signed a final peace deal in Juba to end armed conflicts.

However, Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), led by Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur, a major armed group in Darfur region, still refuses to sit at the negotiation table with the Sudanese government. Enditem
Vietnamese land-rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong (center) is shown with his mother, Can Thi Theu, and his brother, Trinh Ba Tu, in an undated photo.

Detained Vietnamese land-rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong was returned this week to his former detention camp from a mental hospital in Hanoi, where he was sent for evaluation after refusing to cooperate with police investigators, according to his wife.

Phuong had previously refused to speak to or look at police officers during questioning, leading to a 30-day assessment of his mental health, and was sent back to detention on Tuesday, his wife Do Thi Thu told RFA on April 1.

I called investigator Nguyen The Bac this morning, and he told me that my husband had been transferred from the National Psychiatric Hospital No. 1 back to Detention Center No. 1 on March 30, Thu said, adding that the officer didnt share the results of Phuongs examination or say if he would be moved to the hospital again.

Thu went to the detention center on Thursday to deposit money for her husband to buy food and other necessities at the camp canteen, and prison officers later showed her a receipt confirming Phuong had received the funds, she said.

A well-known land-rights activist in Hanoi, 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.

'Independent' candidates arrested

Rights group Amnesty International meanwhile called on Vietnam on Thursday to end its crackdown on independent candidates for election to the countrys National Assembly in a vote scheduled for May 23, saying two would-be Assembly members have already been arrested and charged under Article 117 of Vietnams Criminal Code for activities opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Le Trong Hung, a citizen journalist and member of Chan Hung TVwhich broadcasts Facebook livestreams on social and political issueswas arrested by police in Hanoi on March 27, while blogger Tran Quoc Khanh was taken into custody in Ninh Binh province on March 10, Amnesty said.

Emerlynne Gill, Deputy Regional Director for Amnesty International, noted that while Vietnam has recently put itself forward as a candidate for membership in the U.N. Human Rights Council, based in Geneva, [Vietnamese] authorities are engaging in blatant and widespread human rights violations at home.

Viet Nam is obliged to respect, protect, promote and fulfill human rights including the rights to freedom of expression and association, as well as media freedom, Gill said, adding, Authorities must ensure that election candidatesalong with everyone else in Viet Namare treated equally and without discrimination.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Tunis/Tunisia  Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed will visit Tunisia on Friday.

He will be carrying a message from President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Sheikh El Ghazouani to President Kais Saied, the Ministry of Foreign said in a statement Thursday.

The Mauritanian Minister will have a working session with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Tunisians Abroad Othman Jerandi that will focus on various aspects of bilateral cooperation and ways to advance them.
Some families in New Jersey and elsewhere havent gotten their full allotment of nutrition assistance this month, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would provide an extra $1 billion nationwide to help them.

For New Jersey, thats an extra $16.3 million a month in federal aid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, still often referred to as food stamps.

New Jersey Department of Human Services spokesman Tom Hester said the agency had been aware that some households did not receive the full benefit they expected, but the final payments were processed this morning.

Everyone from yesterday has their fully expected payments and everyone going forward will get their fully expected April payments, Hester said.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

The money was included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act signed into law March 18, 2020, but Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that the extra aid didnt make it to an estimated 25 million people in very low-income households.

Those were the families who had not received at least $95 per month in increased emergency benefits because they had been getting the current maximum. Those who had been getting the extra payments of at least $95 per month will see no increase.

The emergency SNAP increases authorized by Congress last year were not being distributed equitably, and the poorest households  who have the least ability to absorb the economic shocks brought about by COVID  received little to no emergency benefit increases, Vilsack said.

Vilsack said some households may not see the extra help immediately as states may need some time to update their systems.

Hester said that families can check NJSNAP.gov for updates and check their benefits balance at www.NJFamiliesFirst.com or by calling 1-800-997-3333.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

Sign up here to get the latest stories on COVID in New Jersey, straight to your inbox.
Pension Plans

The following proposals submitted to the House Government Operations Committee are available on the committee website in its pensions document folder. They were made in response to the initial proposal from Reps. Sarah Copeland Hanzas and John Gannon.

They include:

 Reps. Peter Anthony, Robert Hooper and Tanya Vyhovsky

 Vermont State Employees Association Rep. Samantha Lefebvre

 Working Vermonters Caucus

 Bills filed by Rep. Scott Beck: H. 119 and H. 442
SAD chief on Friday said all Congressmen who have allegedly indulged in scams and plundered the state exchequer would be taken to task once his party comes to power in

Addressing a rally here, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief accused Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of backstabbing the state's farming community by allegedly participating in the process to finalise the three new agricultural ordinances.

Badal blamed the Congress for plundering thousands of crores of rupees by allegedly giving patronage to illegal liquor and sand mafia and claimed that several legislators of the ruling party were running illegal liquor distilleries in the state.

Outsiders from Rajasthan and Jammu have teamed up with Congress legislators to form sand mafia in the state which is looting the state exchequer by mining sand illegally, he claimed.

The state suffered a loss of around Rs 6,500 crore in excise revenue and could not collect even Rs 100 crore of the Rs 1,400 crore revenue from sand mining as projected by the Congress-led government, the SAD chief claimed.

Why should people repose their faith in the chief minister again, asked Badal as he claimed that Singh had visited his office only 11 times during the last four years.

The chief minister backstabbed the farming community by promising and amending the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) in 2017 and also being part of the process to finalise the three agricultural ordinances, Badal claimed.

The chief minister also failed to stand up to the centre on all issues concerning the state including the recent Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) because he was afraid of being targeted by the Enforcement Directorate.

This is why Amarinder Singh dances to the tunes of the centre, said Badal.

Whereas the SAD had always honoured the promises made to Punjabis, said Badal.

Parkash Singh Badal had promised to extend free power facility to farmers for agricultural operations and fulfilled this commitment in the very first cabinet meeting after assuming power in the state, he said.

Similarly, the SAD was responsible for the start of assured foodgrain procurement on minimum support price in 1966 and a majority of agricultural markets for procurement of foodgrains were established during the tenure of governments led by the Akali Dal, he said.

The SAD president also took on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal and the party's chief Bhagwant Mann.

He said Kejriwal had promised eight lakh jobs in Delhi but according to an RTI, only 214 jobs were created in the national capital in three years.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Natural News) Working from home offers many benefits, such as cutting out horrible rush hour traffic from your daily routine altogether. But working from home may also have some cons, such as making it easier to skip your workout because its more comfortable to watch TV all day than exercise.

If youre concerned about gaining weight while staying at home all day, try some home workout routines to stay in shape.

Home workouts vs. gym workouts

Whether youre a stay-at-home parent or youve chosen to work from home, there are many ways to exercise even if you dont have any equipment.

Most fitness professionals will agree that you can get a good workout anywhere, and the one problem that people might have is committing to exercising regularly.

Lauren Kanski, a certified personal trainer, advised that even light exercise is better than not exercising at all.

When considering a home workout, people are often worried about two factors: space and equipment. How do you address this if you decide to exercise at home?

According to Kanski, you dont need to worry about space or gym equipment. You only need a workout area thats the same size as a yoga mat so you can move in all different planes of motion.

You dont even need to worry about having a personal trainer. You can check out workout guides online and choose one that suits your fitness level. (Related: Sitting for too long can change the shape of your heart and increase cardiovascular disease risk: Exercise is key to reversing the damage, say experts.)

Dr. Amy Shah also advocates home workouts, particularly since there are many resources online for those who wish to exercise from the comfort of their own homes. But she also warned that you should only take fitness advice from people with the proper credentials to ensure that you have effective workouts and to avoid any serious injuries.

Does exercising at home have any drawbacks?

Compared to going to the gym, exercising at home may be cheaper. However, it also has some downsides.

Going to the gym makes exercising a communal activity, which may be important for some people. Exercising with others, even if theyre complete strangers, can also help motivate you if youre struggling to work out.

And while exercising at home is convenient, theres no one to check on you if you skip one day. There are also many distractions at home such as the kids that need your attention, various chores, the TV, the computer and your smartphone.

Even though some workouts require equipment, you can work around this problem by choosing routines that dont need equipment or buy cheaper alternatives like weights or resistance bands.

Overall, one of the biggest drawbacks of exercising at home is not having a committed workout schedule.

This is another thing that you can address by being disciplined. You can also have a workout buddy that you check in with regularly, whether through calls or exercising at the same time via video calls.

Another option is to exercise at the same time, provided you choose the same routines or have the same equipment at home, and to chat with each other on a video call. This also helps make a home workout feel like something you can do with a friend as you check in with each other.

Having an online workout buddy means you can keep each other motivated. At the same time, you can hold each other accountable to keep exercising regularly.

The best workouts to do at home

If you chose to exercise at home, Kanski said theres no specific type of workout that you should be doing. You can choose a simple routine, like pushups, squats or yoga, as long as you move with intention.

If you have the money for equipment, Kanski suggested investing in items that can be used as a cushion for moving or suspension such as a yoga mat, resistance bands and five- to 15-pound dumbbells or kettlebells.

Those who want to improve their cardio or spend more time outdoors can walk and run instead.

You can even exercise without any complicated equipment. One exercise to try is planking, which is easy on your joints but can help build your core strength. You just need a yoga mat and some space on the floor.

First, lie on your front and clamp your fists as you keep your forearms flat on the floor.

Next, tuck your toes under and push your body weight up so youre resting on your forearms. Keep your elbows pushed into your sides, by your ribs. Your body needs to be in a straight line parallel to the floor. Make sure your bottom isnt rising up.

Tense the muscles in your body and hold that position for as long as you can.

The best thing about planking is you can time yourself to see how long you can hold it. As you keep exercising, youll notice that you can plank longer the stronger you get.

If you cant go to the gym, exercise at home regularly and stay active to maintain a healthy weight and boost your overall well-being.

Sources include:

MindBodyGreen.com

FastCompany.com

TeddyFeed.com
Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, has presented 1,950 dual desks to the Regional Directorate of Education for distribution to schools.



The desks, procured at the cost of GH 887,500.00 by the Coastal Development Authority (CODA), are to be distributed to 14 out of 18 Municipal and District Directorates of Education.



The Minister said the desks would help improve the challenge of inadequate furniture in schools in the beneficiary Municipal and Districts.



This would provide a conducive environment for the children and enhance teaching and learning, he said and commended CODA for the initiative.



He urged beneficiaries to ensure proper maintenance of the desks and also put them to good use to achieve the desired objective.



Dr Letsa assured the Regional Education Directorate that schools yet to benefit would soon receive similar support to enhance academic work.



Mr Godwin Amelor, North Tongu District Director of Education, who received the items on behalf of the Regional Director, said the desks would enable the children to have peace of mind to study.



He was grateful to the Minister and CODA for the gesture and said the desks would get to the beneficiary Schools.

Source: GNA









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Srinagar: At least three unidentified terrorists were killed in an ongoing encounter that broke out in Kakpora in South Kashmir`s Pulwama district on Friday morning.

"Three unidentified terrorists killed in the encounter at Pulwama. Incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, was recovered. Search going on," J&K Police said.

Earlier the gunfight took place after a joint team of the police and the Army cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about the presence of some 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 terrorists were eliminated after they refused to surrender and fired upon the searching party of joint security forces.

A top police officer had earlier confirmed that an encounter started between the security forces and the terrorists at Ghat Mohalla Kakpora area of Pulwama district

He said, A joint search team of J&K Police, Armys 50 RR and the CRPF launched a cordon and search operation on specific information about the presence of terrorists in the area. As the team cordoned off the suspected spot and asked terrorists to surrender repeatedly, they fired upon the search party and fire was retaliated resulting in an encounter

On Thursday, terrorists had attacked a local BJP leaders house and killed a policeman in the attack  the place is very near to the present encounter spot;

Security forces suspect that the trapped terrorists could be among those who carried out the attack yesterday in Ahrigam Nowgam at the Srinagar-Pulwama border.

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(Newser)  The last time Elizabeth Toledo saw her 13-year-old son, Adam, on Sunday, they attended a memorial service for a relative who had died. That night, she says, he snuck out, something he sometimes did while she slept. She reported him missing when he didn't returnand found out this week that he'd been fatally shot by Chicago police in the wee hours of Monday. Now she's seeking answers, ABC 7 reports. Police say they responded to an alley in the Little Village neighborhood after a ShotSpotter alert around 2:35am and found two males, one of whom was armed and ran from police. An officer shot Toledo in the chest in what police describe as an "armed confrontation," and he died at the scene, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

story continues below

A gun was found at the scene, which was less than a mile from Toledo's home, police say. The second person, 21-year-old Ruben Roman Jr., was arrested and charged with resisting arrest. Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the police superintendent, activists, and locals all want the bodycam video that captured the shooting released. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability says that while it is prohibited from releasing bodycam video if a police shooting victim is under 18 without a court order, it is exploring possible avenues to release the video, and that it will allow Toledo's family to review it. All other evidence will be released within 60 days. The officer involved is on desk duty for 30 days while COPA investigates the incident. (Read more Chicago stories.)
The urgent need for peat harvesting to resume  either by way of derogation or emergency legislation  was the key issue raised at the second meeting of a working group on horticulture peat.

With harvest season upon the sector, the working group  comprised of representatives from the Department of Housing, state agencies, industry stakeholders and environmental non-government organisations  was again warned of the repercussions for 17,000 rural-based jobs if a new law prohibiting the milling of peat on bogs over 30ha without planning permission and EPA licencing is not amended.

Speaking to the Farming Independent after the meeting John Neenan of Growing Media Ireland (GMI)  which represents most of the countrys horticultural peat producers  said: The Department officials appear to definitely rule out a derogation and are not over positive on emergency legislation.

"As far as I am aware, there is no legislative proposal available from the members to deal with this at present. However, GMI is working with their legal advisers and hopefully will have proposals available shortly.

The group  chaired by Dr Munoo Prasad an independent consultant who previoulsy worked for the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Bord na Mona  is examining issues identified during a review of the use of peat moss in the horticultural industry, with a specific focus on declining supplies due to the impact of the 2019 High Court ruling.

The ruling led to the suspension of peat harvesting activity on all bogs over 30ha  an outcome that accelerated Bord na Monas exit from the peat industry in January this year.

However, as many of the countrys horticulture peat producers and vegetable, mushroom and nursery growers are totally dependent on peat-based compost  much of which was sourced on Bord na Mona bogs  businesses nationwide are being forced to import boatloads of poorer quality peat from across the globe.

Mr Neenan continued: The main issue arising is the emergency facing the horticultural industry due to the non-availability of Irish peat moss and the absolute necessity of horticultural peat harvesting to resume in 2021.

Otherwise, supplies of peat moss will be imported from the Baltic States, Canada or Russia and growing media is already currently being imported from the UK.

The abrupt cessation of peat harvesting by Bord na Mona came as a bombshell to both growers and other growing media manufactures and has really exacerbated the situation.

Collectively, what the industry wants is a return to horticultural peat harvesting in 2021  whether this is by way of emergency legislation or a temporary derogation (short term) and an amendment in the current legislation to allow peat harvesting continue, subject to an EPA licence, and based on a phased reduction on peat use in line with the development of responsibly sourced peat alternatives.

Harvesting should be carried out in a responsible way and in line with good practice and under an EPA licence.

"If peat harvesting in Ireland is not allowed during the interim period of a Just Transition, the industry would like the Governments social, economic and environmental justification for the importation of peat and growing media, said Mr Neenan.

Department response

When asked if peat harvesting will be allowed to resume on bogs over 30ha in time for this months harvest, a spokesperson for the Department of Housing said: The Department understands that a recommendation as regards the legislative provisions in relation to horticultural peat extraction is to be prepared, with a view to submission to Minister Noonan after the next meeting of the working group, scheduled for mid-April 2021.

Currently, there is a total of 1,700ha of bogland developed for horticultural peat harvesting  which equates to just 0.12pc of total Irish peatlands. The annual CO2 emissions from this area is 186,000t  just 0.15pc of total Irish emissions.

However, now that Bord na Mona has ceased all peat harvesting it is understood that the area being harvested  the 1,700ha available for horticulture  has been reduced by more than 90pc.
Rege-Jean Page played Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings on season one of "Bridgerton." Liam Daniel/Netflix

"Bridgerton" star Rege-Jean Page will not return on the show's sophomore season.

Fans of Julia Quinn's book series, on which the show is based, weren't shocked by the news.

Simon rarely shows up in the subsequent novels, which focus on the other Bridgerton siblings.

Warning: There are spoilers for season one of "Bridgerton" ahead.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

For many fans of Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton" book series, the news that Rege-Jean Page will not return for season two of the hit Netflix Regency drama may have been upsetting, but it was foreseeable.

The first season of showrunner Chris Van Dusen's onscreen adaptation loosely follows Quinn's novel "The Duke and I," which puts eldest daughter Daphne Bridgerton and her husband Simon Basset at the forefront of the story. So naturally, actress Phoebe Dynevor and Page were the biggest stars of the show's massively popular debut.

In the book and the show's first season, we follow Daphne and Simon as they pretend to fall in love to make Daphne more appealing in London's highly-competitive marriage market. And as it so happens, they eventually do fall in love and overcome one of Simon's fears, becoming a father.

But Quinn's readers know better than to assume that future seasons will grant the same amount of airtime to Simon and Daphne, considering each subsequent novel in the series focuses on a different Bridgerton sibling.

Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset on "Bridgerton." LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX

In Quinn's second book, "The Viscount Who Loved Me," she zooms in on eldest son Anthony Bridgerton, who embarks on his own romantic journey. Because the bestselling author neatly wrapped up Simon and Daphne's relationship in the previous book, they fall to the wayside as the new protagonist's story dominates her pages.

The duke also rarely comes up in "An Offer From a Gentleman" (Benedit Bridgerton's story); "Romancing Mister Bridgerton" (Colin Bridgerton's story); "To Sir Phillip With Love" (Eloise Bridgerton's story); "When He Was Wicked" (Francesca Bridgerton's story); "It's In His Kiss" (Hyacinth Bridgerton); and "On the Way to the Wedding" (Gregory's story).

Story continues

Since it doesn't look like the duke will have a major role in future seasons, Page's departure made sense for many people that read the entire "Bridgerton" series.

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However, "Bridgerton" viewers that haven't read Quinn's novels and weren't familiar with the series were stunned by Page's exit from the show.

Because he was the lead along with Dynevor in season one, it seemed difficult to imagine what the show will look like without him.

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Even though Page told Variety that he signed a one-season contract, some fans held onto hope that he'd make a cameo in future seasons of the show.

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It seems like Van Dusen is closely following Quinn's lead, already confirming that season two will focus on Anthony.

The Shonda Rimes-picked showrunner also mentioned that he'd like to "explore stories and romances for every Bridgerton sibling" on the Netflix series during an interview with The Wrap.

Read the original article on Insider
Hewitt Emerson stuffed himself into a wetsuit, took a deep breath and plunged from a barge into the murky black waters of the Edisto River.

Emerson swam down to the muck of the river bottom more than a dozen feet below. On deck, his buddy Justin Herrington scanned the banks for alligators and monitored drooping live oak limbs for dangling water moccasins  his Ruger P35 pistol close at hand.

They were in search of treasure  hand-cut logs well over a century old, the forgotten legacy of milling operations that flourished along the river until after the Civil War. Emerson was trying to locate the butt end of a shapely longleaf pine hed spotted from the barge. The logs can command thousands of dollars for their intricately beautiful grains and long, straight cuts.

Across the coast of the Southeastern U.S., pine and cypress were harvested into the late 1800s. Most logs were lashed together with metal spike dogs and floated or towed downstream to mills.

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Inevitably, many of the timbers broke loose and tumbled to river bottoms or became embedded in riverbanks. They are now perfectly preserved specimens prized for milling into tables, mantles, bed frames, flooring and bar surfaces.

The special properties of the Edisto River turn old logs into sustained jewels. The Edisto is a black water river  the color of black tea because of tannins, or humic acid, released by rotting vegetation. The tannins preserve the wood, which spends generations in waters depleted of oxygen that would normally cause decay.

For the last three years, Emerson, 28, has steered his barge along rivers in South Carolina in pursuit of sinker wood, as the logs are known. With his unruly hair and shaggy beard, he looks like a laid-back nature child, but is actually a successful Charleston entrepreneur  with interests in Internet services, a restaurant and woodworking.

On this sunny day, he and Herrington were searching for logs to be sliced into slabs at Herringtons sawmill nearby. Herrington is 34, slender and cleanshaven, with curly black hair. Hes a self-described country boy woodworker who lives next door to the sawmill.

Young, active and physically fit, the men are drawn by the lure of the hunt for attractive artifacts they consider potential works of art.

Underwater, Emerson found the end of the pine and struggled to wrap the log with a steel cable. His find was a beauty  nearly 20 feet long, 15 inches in diameter.

Emerson fought the log for a long while, coming up for air several times. He finally got the cable around it and clamped a huge set of metal tongs on the wood.

Herrington cranked the electric winch. The log slowly emerged from the cloudy water like some sea beast, thick and massive, a mottled green and brown.

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Oh, yeah  got it! Emerson shouted from the water. You can see the ax-cut on the end.

Herringtons yellow lab, Sinker, padded across the barge to sniff the funky-smelling specimen.

After considerable effort, the men lashed the log to the side of the barge.

Oh, thats a fine log, Herrington said, inspecting the prize. It has a giant heart  I can see that from here.

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Known colloquially as a heart pine and commercially as hard pine, the logs core had matured and hardened in the water over the decades to a swirling, tightly packed grain.

Thats a beautiful piece, Emerson said. He shook his head briskly to expel river water from his hair and beard. The rings are tighter than I thought.

The log could be worth up to a couple of thousand dollars, Emerson figured, once it was cut and milled, then dried in a solar-powered kiln.

Herrington said he sold a cypress table for $7,500 and is asking $10,000 for a massive fish he carved from a cypress log. In his workshop, hes also using cypress to fashion an expensive 20-foot-long bar commissioned by a tavern owner.

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The two men cut most recovered logs into long slabs that expose the grain. Slabs are what people want, Emerson said. An old tree is great, but a giant slab out of that tree is even better.

Despite the commercial value of sinker wood, few people in South Carolina expend the cost and effort to recover it, said William B. Barr, who owns a marine and terrestrial archaeology company in Leesville.

Its exceedingly dangerous work  not the easy money it might look like on TV, Barr said. If youve got a log on a winch and it slips off on top of you, youre dead.

Barr said he knows of only seven people who hunt sinker wood in the state besides Emerson and Herrington. Only a couple turn a profit.

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Sinker wood is also gathered in North Carolina and Florida, said Jim Spirek, South Carolinas state underwater archaeologist.

I get calls from people interested in it  until they find out how much money you have to invest and how hard the work is, he said.

An annual South Carolina recovery permit costs $500 for in-state residents and $1,000 for others, Spirek said. But to legally recover sinker wood, one also must pay $8,000 to $10,000 for a submerged cultural resource survey to inspect and map a mile of river bottom for artifacts such as schooner wrecks, fossils, and man-made artifacts such as sinker wood.

Spirek said Emerson and Herrington were operating with expired annual permits and needed to renew them to avoid fines if they removed any logs from the water. Emerson said he discovered belatedly that the Edisto permit was three days out of date.

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Cypress trees were harvested for use in boat hulls and boat decking because of their length and density. Longleaf pines were in such demand for their long, straight trunks that they often were designated kings trees during the colonial era and reserved for making ship masts, Barr said.

The pines were also tapped for rosin and turpentine. Many pine sinker logs recovered today still bear cat face cuts, or chevrons, where the trees were slashed to drain resin.

The standard log was cut 14 1/2 feet long, Barr said, though some logs exceed 16 feet and can weigh hundreds of pounds. Emerson said the biggest specimen hed recovered was a 30-foot cypress. Some trees, especially cypress, were well over a century old when felled.

To locate logs, Emerson often relies on sonar or studies old railroad maps to determine where logs were unloaded from the river. But on this day on the Edisto, he and Herrington used a more basic method  the naked eye.

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They scanned the river for floaters  logs that had broken free from the river bottom or banks. They also looked for big naturals  trees that were never logged but tumbled into the water on their own. Those may be taken without a permit, Spirek said, as long as the root ball is left intact.

The men plunged into the water wearing wetsuits and flippers and swam down to search for logs.

Emerson and Herrington discovered several promising specimens and marked the locations on a hand-held GPS device for later retrieval.

Along the weedy riverbank, they stumbled across a massive, partially submerged cypress. Emerson went under and fought to get a cable around it but couldnt shoulder the log out of the muck. He marked the spot on the GPS.

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Toward dusk, Herrington turned the barge back toward home. They chugged along the glassy, deserted river past abandoned rice plantations, lurking alligators, white egrets and turtles that slid off logs and plopped into the dark water.

At the landing, sweating and cursing, they managed to get the longleaf pine log tied up along the bank. Then they slogged onto dry land, wet and sunburned, one more sinker log closer to payday.

david.zucchino@latimes.com
A federal judge has denied a Christian pastor's motions for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris so that he could hold a Good Friday vigil on the grounds of the Capitol.

U.S. District Judge Judge James E. Boasberg denied Patrick Mahoney's suit against them and the Capitol Police Board Thursday after the Presbyterian reverend voiced his frustration that the annual vigil held on Lower Western Terrace was denied this year by the Capitol Hill Police Department.

The Virginian pastor claimed in his initial suit that the denial prevents him from exercising his right to free speech, with the barricades essentially creating a 'no-speech zone.'

U.S. District Judge Judge James E. Boasberg denied Patrick Mahoney's suit against Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Kamala Harris and the Capitol Police Board

'A Washington, D.C. federal court DENIED our right to have a Good Friday Service on the lower western terrace of the U.S. Capitol Building,' Mahoney said on Twitter. 'However, we STILL press on to open the "People's House!"'

Boasberg is a President Obama appointed judge

Mahoney would later announce that the new service location would be at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Statue in Union Square 'outside of the Capitol perimeter fence.' The vigil begins at noon.

He would share a series of post to his Twitter account, including a photo Friday morning showing him driving the cross for the vigil to the new location.

Mahoney claimed that during the hearing, Boasberg reportedly asked his attorney what kind of religion the pastor practiced, leaving him 'stunned and angered.'

'Are we now going to have a "state sponsored litmus test" on religious freedom and speech,' he added in the Thursday night post.

The new location was originally suggested to Mahoney when he was in dialogue with Capitol Police about the vigil, but the reverend refused the location.

Mahoney would later announce that the new service location would be at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Statue in Union Square 'outside of the Capitol perimeter fence.' The vigil begins at noon

Mahoney claimed that during the hearing, Boasberg reportedly asked his attorney what kind of religion the pastor practiced, leaving him 'stunned and angered'

He would share a series of post to his Twitter account, including a photo Friday morning showing him driving the cross for the vigil to the new location

Mahoney said in his Tuesday complaint that his 30-plus-year-long tradition of holding the service on the Lower Western Terrace was denied this year by the Capitol Hill Police Department.

Following the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, sidewalks and grounds surrounding the Capitol were fenced off in a bid to maximize security.

The steel fences and road blocks around the complex have finally been removed as of last week - more than two months after the deadly riots. But an inner layer of barricades will still remain around the Capitol building for now.

Patrick Mahoney, a Presbyterian reverend from Virginia, said that his tradition of holding the service on the Lower Western Terrace was denied by Capitol Police. Pictured is him at the Capitol last year when the country was in the throes of the coronavirus epidemic

The first page from the complaint that was filed on Tuesday by the Virginian pastor

Mahoney filed on February 2 for the Good Friday service, which would have been held April 3, but was told that the fencing was part of the determining factor as to why he wasn't able to hold the vigil at the location. The official rejection date was March 24.

In the suit, the pastor claims that he has held the vigil at the same spot for years - including in 2020, when he worked with Capitol Police to ensure that he followed guidelines set in place for COVID-19.

The suit names Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. Capitol Police Board and Sergeant and Arms Karen H. Gibson as defendants in the matter.

'Defendants' blanket denial of the permitting processes on a traditional public forum is additionally impermissible because they act as a prior restraint on speech,' the suit reads.

The suit names Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. Capitol Police Board, Sergeant in Arms Karen H. Gibson as defendants in the matter

 Slide me  NOW AND THEN: Steel fences that had been put up around the US Capitol complex have been removed as of last week - more than two months after the deadly January 6 riots

A map of the Capitol area shows in green where previous fences were and in blue where existing fences remain

'In closing the sidewalks and public areas around the Capitol, including the Lower Western Terrace Plaintiff seeks to utilize, Defendants have effectively created a no-speech zone around the nations Capitol. Defendants prevent any First Amendment activities on/in these areas, even though no specific threat to the Capitol has been identified in justification.'

Mahoney, an anti-abortion activist, denounced the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6 while asserting his hopes of 'praying for a healing for the United States' following the tumultuous election season.

'The Plaintiff is a peaceful man of God and feels called upon to pray for the United States,' the complaint states. 'He wants to do so at the same place where the attempted and failed insurrection took place. The Plaintiff strongly denounces the criminal conduct by the rioters on January 6, 2021, and cries out against the violence and loss of life that took place that fateful day in this nation's history.

Capitol police last week confirmed that the fencing on the outer perimeter of the complex has been taken down and local streets in the vicinity have reopened. The fencing around the inner ring of the Capitol building still remains

Strings of razor wire atop the remaining fence has now also been removed. The inner perimeter of fencing, which is directly around the Capitol building, will stay up while authorities and lawmakers continue to try and has out a long-term plan for security

Mahoney, an anti-abortion activist, denounced the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 while asserting his hopes of 'praying for a healing for the United States' following the tumultuous election season

In the suit, the pastor claims that he has held the vigil at the same spot for years - including in 2020, when he worked with Capitol Police to ensure that he followed guidelines set in place for COVID-19

'The Plaintiff asserts that he does not pose a national security threat to the United States, nor to the House of Representatives, nor the Senate, nor the Capitol Police Department and their officers, nor the Capitol Building and/or surrounding grounds. The Plaintiff only wants to discharge his obligation to God Almighty by praying for a healing for the United States, all of our elected leaders, the people of this nation, and for the Defendants in this action.'

The suit indicates that during discussions with Capitol Police for the permit, Mahoney was offered 'an alternative site for the Good Friday vigil on the western side of the Capitol by a large statue of Ulysses S. Grant.

Mahoney 'declined because this location is further away from the Capitol and lawmakers,' according to the complaint.

Mahoney went to Twitter to announce the lawsuit and share a series of post related to it

The Center for American Liberty, Chavez-Ochoa Law Offices and the Dhillon Law Group are representing Mahoney on the matter

The Center for American Liberty, Chavez-Ochoa Law Offices and the Dhillon Law Group are representing Mahoney on the matter.

'Denying a minister and faithful parishioners the ability to pray outside the U.S. Capitol is unfathomable and violates First Amendment guarantees for traditional public forums,' Harmeet K. Dhillon, CEO of the Center for American Liberty, said in a release from the nonprofit.

Mahoney and the nonprofit are seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction from the court requiring the Lower Western Terrace and Lawn be opened for expression.
Union Home Minister Amit



Shah on Friday claimed that Chief Minister has clearly lost the poll battle in and said the Citizenship Amendment Act will be taken up in the first meeting of the new BJP government which will come to power in the state.

Shah held two roadshows in the state during the day



one at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas and another at Arambagh in Hoogly district.

The top BJP leader claimed that going by the feedback he has received the party has already won 50 out of the 60 seats, election to which was held in the first two phases and will bag more than 200 of the total 294 assembly.

"We will definitely win over 200 seats altogether," he told a TV news channel during his roadshow at Baruipur.

To a question he said The Citizenship Amendment Act will be taken up in the first meeting of the new BJP government which will come to power in The party will give top priority to the safety of women in the state.

Asked to comment on Banerjees claim that she will win from Nandigram with a comfortable margin, Shah said "It is clear that she has lost the battle. She is making such tall claims now as she has no option. She has to make such a statement."



Banerjee took on her former lieutenant turned BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in the hotly contested seat, election to which was held in the second phase on April 1.

BJP workers, carrying high the partys lotus symbol and balloons in its colors shouting Jai Shree Ram and Aar Noy Annay (no more injustice) were seen following the flower bedecked truck on which Shah stood waving as a large number of onlookers gathered on both sides of road braving the summer heat.

At Baruipur the roadshow covered 1 km and at Arambagh 1.5 km.

(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.)
Nico Drago, 55, who runs bar in Turin, handcuffed himself and pitched up a tent

A business owner has handcuffed himself to his bar and gone on hunger strike in protest of the lockdown in Italy's 'red zones'.

Nico Drago, 55, who runs Caffe Piazzi in Crocetta, Turin, has pitched up a tent in front of his premises to sleep in at night.

The bartender, who has not eaten since yesterday, objects against his bar's temporary closure after new coronavirus restrictions came into effect on March 15.

Schools, restaurants, shops and museums have closed in 13 of the country's 20 'red zone' regions, with people unable to leave their homes except for work, health or other essential reasons.

Italy reported 481 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday against 501 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections decreased to 21,932 from 23,649.

Nico Drago, 55, owner of Caffe Piazzi in Crocetta, Turin, chained himself in protest of his premise's temporary closure after new coronavirus restrictions came into effect on March 15

Business owner Mr Drago pictured outside his bar. Schools, restaurants, shops and museums have closed in 13 of the country's 20 'red zone' regions

Mr Drago pictured in handcuffs. Italy reported 481 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday against 501 the day before, the health ministry said

He told Italian newspaper La Stampa: 'After a year nothing has changed. I can't even pay for bread.'

Mr Drago then explained that his gesture is not only against the government but also to encourage others to 'protest to save their business', adding: 'Dying of Covid or hunger we have no options.

'The state is a wolf and we are unfortunately a people of sheep.'

Italy has registered 110,328 deaths linked to Covid since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world.

The country has reported 3.6million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with Covid - not including those in intensive care - stood at 28,704 on Friday, down from 28,949 a day earlier.

There were 232 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 244 on Thursday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 3,704 from a previous 3,681.

Regional Affairs Minister Mariastella Gelmini said today that Italy set a new record of over 300,000 coronavirus vaccinations on Thursday.

Meanwhile, despite the country being in a strict lockdown this Easter, guests aboard the MSC Grandiosa cruise ship a few miles offshore are shimmying to Latin music on deck and sipping cocktails by the pool.

In one of the anomalies of lockdowns that have shuttered hotels and resorts around the world, the Grandiosa has been plying the Mediterranean Sea this winter with seven-night cruises, a lonely flag-bearer of the global cruise industry.

After cruise ships were early sources of highly publicised coronavirus outbreaks, the Grandiosa has tried to chart a course through the pandemic with strict anti-virus protocols approved by Italian authorities that seek to create a 'health bubble' on board.

Passengers and crew are tested before and during cruises. Mask mandates, temperature checks, contact-tracing wristbands and frequent cleaning of the ship are all designed to prevent outbreaks.

Doses of AstraZeneca Covid vaccines are delivered in Rome, Italy. Regional Affairs Minister Mariastella Gelmini said on Friday that Italy set a new record of over 300,000 Covid vaccinations yesterday

A medical staff member prepares AstraZeneca Covid vaccine doses at the Roma 1 local health authority headquarters in Rome, Italy, on Friday

Vials of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine are seen being prepared in Rome, Italy, on Friday

A doctor administers a dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine to a patient at a medical office in Rome, Italy, on Friday

Passengers from outside Italy must arrive with negative Covid tests taken within 48 hours of their departures and only residents of Europe's Schengen countries plus Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria are permitted to book under Covid insurance policies.

On Wednesday, the Grandiosa left the Italian port of Civitavecchia for its weeklong Easter cruise, with 2,000 of its 6,000-passenger capacity and stops planned in Naples and Valletta, Malta, before returning to its home port in Genoa.

Passengers welcomed the semblance of normalcy brought on by the freedom to eat in a restaurant or sit poolside without a mask, even if the virus is still a present concern.

'After a year of restrictive measures, we thought we could take a break for a week and relax,' said Stefania Battistoni, a 39-year-old teacher and single mother who drove all night from Bolzano, in northern Italy, with her two sons and mother to board the cruise.
Traffic movement was briefly disrupted between Noida and Delhi through a key route on Friday evening after a group of farmers started protesting against Centre's three agri farm laws on the road stretch, according to Delhi Traffic Police

The protesters belonged to the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and were holding a demonstration against the attack on their leader Rakesh Tikait in Rajasthan earlier on Friday.

"The Chilla route between Noida and Delhi has been affected due to the demonstration. Commuters can use the DND (Delhi-Noida Direct) flyway or the Kalindi Kunj route for travelling," a Noida Traffic Police official told PTI.

Due to the sudden closure of the route, several vehicles piled up on the busy road stretch at the Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border around 8 pm.

The route was re-opened for normal traffic movement in about an hour, the traffic police said.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting on three borders of Delhi -- Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur -- since November last year demanding repeal of the three contentious farm laws enacted last year.

The three farm laws are: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

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Jeff Bezos last week announced he will be stepping down from his role of CEO Amazon. Bezos is following Microsoft's lead and putting his cloud executive Andy Jassy in charge of the company. Given that Microsoft was exceedingly successful with putting Satya Nadella in the same role, it would seem that this would be a slam-dunk success.

But the issue is that Amazon is not Microsoft; it is an online retail company with an unusual interest in cloud services. Amazon's success is that, up until now, its cloud business was run by a subject matter expert, and Bezos, while building Amazon, became an expert in online retail.

Blue Origin, which Elon Musk's SpaceX has significantly eclipsed, is also run by experts. Still, Bezos isn't a rocket scientist, and this game of musical chairs will end with their cloud expert running the retail business and Bezos attempting to run full time a rocket company.

This effort will almost certainly not end well because each executive's skills -- with the possible exception of who takes over Andy Jassy's cloud job -- are unqualified for the part of Bezo's empire they are running.

Let's explore this potential train wreck this week, and we'll close with my product of the week, the new robotic Echo Show 10.

Succession

One of the most significant omissions with companies that are just a few decades old, like Amazon, is the lack of a formal succession training program for the CEO job.

Often the CEO founder, who has grown up with their company, doesn't realize the unique skills they have and assumes almost any senior executive can do the job.

More mature companies like IBM have formal programs where employees are identified early and extensively trained as executive assistants by former CEOs, and in various company roles. Hence, they gain the breadth they need for the job that they can demonstrate to the board when it comes time to replace the CEO. Like I did when I was in the IBM program, they also learn whether they even want the job (I didn't).

Why Bezos Is Likely Leaving

This lack of formal succession often results in the selected CEO underperforming because they either lack the necessary breadth or the interest to do the job as it needs to be done. The typical reason that a CEO like Bezos voluntarily steps down is that they no longer enjoy the job, which becomes very political, bureaucratic, and increasingly regulated as the company grows.

Amazon is facing a vast number of things that I'm sure most of us wouldn't enjoy facing any more than Jeff Bezos does. The company is being unionized, is under antitrust review, its taxes are about to go up a lot, and it faces increasing competition from Walmart and China's online retail firms.

Because of Amazon's size, it's restricted from many aggressive ways to compete. Both the unionization effort and antitrust investigation could result in massive headaches for the CEO.

Wrong Choice

Now, the guy that likes running a cloud business that isn't facing antitrust and isn't being unionized mostly requires technical competence rather than political savvy. Both union fighting and litigation experience don't look like a fit to me.

When Microsoft pivoted to become a cloud business it was no longer under an antitrust cloud. As a result, competent technical leaders like Nadella and, a decade earlier, Steve Ballmer made more sense because Microsoft dealt with operational problems resulting from their antitrust effort. Even so, Balmer was still viewed as a failure because he lacked the technical competence needed to run a technology company.

Given the threats to, and the nature of, Amazon's business, the company needs someone who understands how to address the threats and grasps the online retail market. Where Amazon needs its top cloud expert isn't running the company; it's running AWS, a mostly separate entity that also has Amazon as a client.

To offer an analogy, Amazon is doing this as if Microsoft and Walmart merged, and Satya Nadella ran the combined company. There is a pretty good chance that both Microsoft and Walmart would suffer, since Satya does not have the retail comprehensiveness to run Walmart.

I expect this move at Amazon to demonstrate that a successful CEO must be an expert in the business of the company, and also be able to formulate a strategy to address the imminent threats the firm faces.

A better move would have been to anticipate an unfavorable antitrust action and spin off AWS as a separate company to help ensure that result wouldn't damage the company. As part of Amazon, selling cloud services to other retailers or into markets like China is problematic due to Amazon's retail power.

Separately, Amazon would be free to compete against Microsoft and Google more evenly because it wouldn't be seen as a competitor or threat to many companies. Businesses, as a general practice, avoid buying from competitors like the plague.

Repeating Bill Gates' Mistake

When he went through the antitrust trials, Bill Gates realized he no longer enjoyed the job of running Microsoft. Things had changed a lot and became similar to what Bezos is facing at Amazon: assorted government challenges, bureaucracy, and people stopping you from doing things you enjoy.

Bill wanted out, and he saw running his charity as something he'd enjoy more. But rather than looking for the best candidate to replace him, he picked the easiest in Steve Ballmer. That cost the company one of their best operational executives and caused Gates the loss of his closest friend.

Even though there was supposed to be an overlap where Bill trained Steve, Bill pretty much moved on and left Steve to screw up -- which Steve did with a vengeance. Most notable were the failed Yahoo acquisition, the Nokia acquisition, Windows Vista, Windows 8, and the Zune debacle.

It wasn't that Ballmer was a lousy manager; he did impressively well until he became CEO, whereupon he was out of his depth, which in turn made him overly defensive, which led to him not getting timely help.

About that help: Bill did provide Steve with a technical resource out of Lotus' Iris software group, but Ray Ozzie (who replaced Gates as chief architect) didn't get along with Balmer, likely because Steve saw him as more of a threat than a partner. Also, Ray wasn't known to work well in large companies and hadn't grown up at Microsoft, making him a poor choice. They should have selected someone that Steve liked from inside Microsoft to offset his lack of programming skills and knowledge.

Bezos appears to be making this same mistake, choosing someone not because they have the right skills but because they are comfortable and foolish enough to take the job without realizing they are likely to hate it.

Back to the Microsoft-Walmart analogy...Think about it: If Satya Nadella were offered the job to run Walmart, even though he is a successful CEO, I think he'd be smart enough to say "hell no." That situation would bring about all the stuff he hates about being CEO without any of the technical aspects he loves; and he'd have to learn large scale retail and how to manage unionized employees (Walmart has been fighting unions for years, mostly with surprising success).

Like Gates and Ballmer, Bezos and Jassy appear to be close friends, and just like with Gates and Ballmer, friendship is unlikely to survive this move if, as I expect, Jassy is now a square peg in a round hole.

Wrapping Up

Companies need succession planning. CEOs aren't immortal; they aren't infallible, they aren't always honest, and they often have issues with abusing power, given that every CEO will need to be replaced at some point.

It is the board's job to find the best person for the job. With good succession planning, the firm will have internally several viable candidates at any time that are trained and ready to step in. Without it, you get something like we saw at Microsoft with Steve Ballmer; and now see with what I view as a bad skills match that will likely damage Amazon and force out their top cloud executive, hence damaging AWS.

Unlike Bill Gates' charity, running a rocket company will be problematic for someone that isn't the right kind of engineer, much like running a software company was with Ballmer. There is always a chance this will work out, but the odds don't look good and, I expect, Amazon, AWS, and Blue Origin will all be badly harmed by this move.

The Amazon Echo Show 10

I'm a colossal Echo fan. I've had nearly every Amazon Echo made since the firm came out with the platform. This digital assistant is our home's music source, it helps manage our shopping and it even turns out our lights at night.

There's an Echo in every room of my house, except for closets and pet rooms (I'm a bit worried about what would happen if my pets figured out how to use it). We have the old Echo Show in the kitchen and my office. It works fine in my office mostly because I never really use the display and only ask it questions or to update shopping lists.

But, in the kitchen, the display isn't angled correctly to use it for cooking, or to watch videos while cooking. Touching the device when you are preparing food can mess it up and, during a pandemic, touching anything others may touch is problematic. It will show if someone is at the door because it connects to the door camera, but that does you little good if you can't see the display.

The new Echo Show 10 adds a motorized screen that will rotate to face you when you need to see something without touching it. Not only is that a ton more fun to show off when you have folks over, but it is also much more convenient when you have to see what is on the screen and your hands are dirty, or you are across the room at the wrong angle.

Echo Show 10

Ironically, it also looks like my favorite iMac -- which for me is an added plus. The new Echo Show 10 will release on Feb. 25 for $249 -- and it is my product of the week.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network.

Rob Enderle has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2003. His areas of interest include AI, autonomous driving, drones, personal technology, emerging technology, regulation, litigation, M&E, and technology in politics. He has an MBA in human resources, marketing and computer science. He is also a certified management accountant. Enderle currently is president and principal analyst of the Enderle Group, a consultancy that serves the technology industry. He formerly served as a senior research fellow at Giga Information Group and Forrester. Email Rob.


A Houston County man paroled in September is now being ordered to be taken back into custody after the state Board of Pardons and Paroles said Thursday it made a mistake when it paroled Jerry Lamar Lett.

But advocates said Lett, a military veteran who turns 53 on Friday, has been a model citizen and has been complying with the terms of his parole and called rescinding his parole a miscarriage of justice.

Lett, of Kinsey in Houston County, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of trafficking cocaine in 2018.

In a September parole hearing conducted via Zoom, the the pardons and paroles board made Lett a free man.

But a lawyer for the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles told the board at Thursdays hearing that a state law amended in 2019 meant that Lett should not have been eligible for parole until he served 10 years of his sentence.

Several witnesses, including parole officers, testified that Letts model behavior made him an ideal candidate for parole, while Letts lawyer, Allison Ganem, argued that Letts parole should stand because to reverse the decision would violate Letts rights to due process, according to the minutes entry of Thursdays hearing.

The board ultimately sided with the bureau, maintaining that it made an error in granting Lett parole.

Considering the testimony, evidence, and arguments offered by both parties, the board determines that it lacked jurisdiction to act to parole Mr. Lett, the board wrote. At this time, the board orders that Mr. Lett be taken into custody.

The Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights, which has been advocating on Letts behalf, said Wednesday that it would be a miscarriage of justice if the board went through with revoking Letts parole.

The organization said Lett has been in perfect compliance with the terms of his parole, meeting with his parole officer once a week and checking in with a case manager at the Veterans Administration. The nonprofit also noted that Lett suffers from numerous health issues, including advancing heart failure, hypertension and diabetes.

Both Sgt. Lett and his community have greatly benefited from his release, the group said. To reincarcerate a decorated veteran with serious health issues  who has been free and thriving in his community for over six months  would be a miscarriage of justice.
By Andrew Seidman, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman raised $3.9 million in the first three months of his campaign for the U.S. Senate, his campaign said Thursday, setting a high bar in whats likely to be a crowded and expensive Democratic primary.

Next years Pennsylvania Senate race is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey isnt seeking reelection, and the open seat offers Democrats perhaps their best chance to expand their razor-thin majority and help President Joe Biden pass his agenda.

The primary campaign is in its early stages, but Fettermans fund-raising haul represents an opening salvo to current and potential rivals that he will be tough to beat. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, of Philadelphia, is the only other major declared candidate. A spokesperson for Kenyatta said the campaign wouldnt be disclosing fund-raising totals yet.

State Sen. Sharif Street, of Philadelphia, filed paperwork Thursday with the Federal Election Commission and is expected to jump in soon, as is Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh. Pennsylvania Democrats anticipate members of Congress  including Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, Conor Lamb, and Madeleine Dean  might also run.

Fettermans campaign said the $3.9 million was the most raised ever by a Pennsylvania Senate candidate during the first three months of a campaign. By comparison, in 2016 it took Democrat Katie McGinty eight months to raise $3.8 million before winning the primary with the support of the party establishment. The top three candidates in that Democratic primary election  McGinty, former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, and Fetterman  spent a total of about $9.5 million on the race.

Elector Malcolm Kenyatta is shown in this Dec. 14, 2020 photo by Commonwealth Media Services.

McGintys general election against Toomey was the most expensive U.S. Senate race in the country that year, as the candidates and outside groups spent about $180 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Fettermans first-quarter haul is also among the biggest among Senate candidates across the country in recent years.

For example, Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly raised $4.1 million in early 2019 as the former astronaut laid the groundwork for his successful U.S. Senate campaign.

Fettermans campaign said that it had received contributions from more than 90,000 people, and that 99% of donations were less than $200. That means Fetterman can go back to those donors repeatedly to raise more money; thousands have already contributed more than once, the campaign said. Individuals can contribute up to $2,900 to federal campaigns.

It wasnt clear Thursday how much of his campaign cash came from donors who live in Pennsylvania. The campaign said it received contributions from people in all 67 counties.

Fetterman, the former longtime mayor of Braddock, in Allegheny County, was elected lieutenant governor in 2018. Hes used that platform to advocate for criminal justice reform and legalizing marijuana, and has built a considerable following among progressives.

It remains to be seen whether any other candidate in the field will be able to amass a similar network of small-dollar donors. Fettermans campaign, which has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Facebook, said it had built an email list of one million supporters.

Braddocks mayor picks Malcolm Kenyatta over her predecessor, John Fetterman, in Pa. Senate race

This election may be the most important race in the country in 2022, said Rebecca Katz, a senior adviser to the campaign. Thats why we are doing the work now to build up the broad coalition, infrastructure, and resources we will need to not only flip this U.S. Senate seat, but help Democrats across Pennsylvania win up and down the ballot in what could be a very tough year.

The Fetterman campaign is proving early that we will have the grassroots support we need to go the distance, she added.

Fettermans full fund-raising report wasnt available Thursday. Fund-raising reports for the quarter ending March 31 must be filed with the Federal Election Commission by April 15.

Inquirer staff writer Jonathan Tamari contributed to this article.
Rhone, a men's fitness clothing brand, closed its downtown New York City pop-up store because of 'bullying' from rival brand Lululemon, it is claimed.

A source familiar with the March 21 closure at Brookfield Place said that bad blood surrounding both stores and their lease renewals at the mall led to the decision for Rhone to pack their bags.

'Lululemon said "It's them or us,"' the source said, the New York Post reports. 'They were p***** off. Both brands were up for lease renewals but Lululemon wouldn't re-sign if Brookfield allowed Rhone to stay. They bullied them out of the mall.'

A Rhone representative said that the brand left the mall and opened its new 1,500-sq-ft flagship at 133 Fifth Ave. in the Flatiron District in Manhattan last month.

A source familiar with the March 21 closure at Brookfield Place said that bad blood surrounding both stores and their lease renewals at the mall led to the decision for Rhone to pack their bags

'Lululemon said 'It's them or us,' ' the source said. 'They were p***** off. Both brands were up for lease renewals but Lululemon wouldn't re-sign if Brookfield allowed Rhone to stay. They bullied them out of the mall'

The representative would not provide any further insight into the nature of the departure, or whether it was because of any alleged 'bullying.'

'Rhone reached out to Lululemon to try and make nice, but they wouldn't talk,' the source added. 'I think they feel threatened.'

Both brands are looking to expand their brick and mortar footprints, with Lululemon currently in talks with renegotiating its lease and expanding its Brookfield Place location, according to another source.

But retail experts are still unnerved by the cattiness between the two brands.

A Rhone representative said that the brand left the mall and opened its new 1,500-sq-ft flagship at 133 Fifth Ave. in the Flatiron District in Manhattan last month

'If a Chinese restaurant opens in a mall, they will want a non-compete so that they are the only Chinese restaurants,' James Famularo, president of retail leasing at Meridian Capital Group, said.

'But clothing is a pretty wide category and a lot of times businesses thrive on competition. Just look at the Diamond District on 47th Street.'

Famularo said that the behavior would have been more common back before malls were on the defensive as brands entered bankruptcy and more shoppers shift to online.

'In this environment, why bully anybody else?' he asked. 'If you've been able to survive all this, you'd think that you'd be a little more friendly.'
On the southern side of Canterbury Cathedrals Trinity Chapel, seven stained glass miracle windows depict the miraculous healings that were said to have taken place at St. Thomas of Canterburys tomb between 1170 and 1220. (David Iliff/CC BY-SA 3.0)

A Window Into Thomas Beckets Life, Death, and Miracles

The exhibition: 'Thomas Becket: Murder and the Making of a Saint' at The British Museum, London

It is Dec. 29, 1170, at Canterbury Cathedral in southeast England, one of the most important places of worship in the country. The archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket is settling down for dinner in the Archbishops Palace after a busy day.

It is a day like any other, yet an extraordinary event is about to happen, a heinous act of sacrilege that will affect the king, country, and much of Europe for centuries to come.

Five vivid eyewitness accounts, some of them graphic, help us re-create the scene. Outside Canterbury Cathedral, four of the knights of King Henry II have just arrived from Normandy, France, home of the royal court. They traveled to England with an express purpose: to avenge the king.

An illumination shows Beckets martyrdom on an English manuscript, mid-1180s, containing Alan of Tewkesburys Collection of St. Thomas Beckets Letters, and John of Salisburys Life of St. Thomas Becket. (The British Library)

Barging their way into the palace, the knights demand Beckets arrest. He refuses to cooperate. Beckets monks persuade him to take refuge in the cathedral. But the sanctity of the church will not protect him from the knights bloodthirsty rage.

Storming into the cathedral, the knights abruptly interrupt the glorious sound of monks singing and chanting Vespers, evening prayers. The knights shout: Where is Thomas Becket, traitor to the king and the kingdom?

Pandemonium ensues.

Becket grabs one of the cathedrals pillars in another attempt to resist arrest. Enraged, one of the knights raises his sword high over his head, and then strikes the archbishop. The other knights follow his lead, until Englands most powerful churchman lies lifeless in a pool of blood.

Thomas Beckets murder is depicted on an alabaster altarpiece panel, around 142550, in England. The sculpture would probably have been part of a sequence of similar sculptures showing scenes from Thomas Beckets life and death. (The Trustees of The British Museum).

His murder shook Europe. Three short years after his death, in 1173, Becket became St. Thomas of Canterbury.

Thomas Becket: Murder and the Making of a Saint

Beckets life and martyrdom has fascinated many for centuries. The British Museum in London hopes to open in May its new exhibition: Thomas Becket: Murder and the Making of a Saint.

Remarkably, the exhibition is the first large UK show dedicated to the saint and focuses on Beckets life and legacy, how he rose and fell, and how 350 years after he died, he was once seen as a traitor by King Henry VIII.

This 15th-century English reliquary pendant showing (R) Thomas Becket as archbishop may have contained Beckets relics. St. John the Baptist is on the pendants reverse. (The Trustees of The British Museum)

Stunning pieces of jewelry, sacred reliquaries, illuminated manuscripts, and an 800-year-old stained glass window from Canterbury Cathedral are some of the items that shed light on Beckets intriguing life and legacy.

From Clerk to Archbishop

Beckets parents came from Normandy and settled in England after the Norman Conquest. His father was a merchant of no notable wealth. He was educated in Merton Priory in southwest London, and then he studied in Paris for a few years. On his return to England, Becket began working as a clerk for Theobald of Bec, the archbishop of Canterbury.

Becket was charming, intelligent, and had an authoritative presence. These qualities impressed the archbishop to such an extent that he put his clerk forward for the role of royal chancellor. It was as chancellor that Becket and King Henry II became firm friends, enjoying the pleasures of the royal court, including hunting and traveling together.

As royal chancellor, Becket had a lavish lifestyle, living in opulent homes and traveling to France on his own ships.

When the archbishop died on April 18, 1161, Henry wanted Becket to become archbishop. The king had a political motive for appointing his friend: He wanted Becket to be both chancellor and archbishop so that he could have a close ally in the church. Ultimately, as king, Henry wanted to reduce papal dominance and restore sovereign power to the state, as it had been during the reign of his grandfather, Henry I.

At the time, Rome exerted dominance over much of England. For instance, most of England was educated by the church. In addition, any crime committed by an ordained churchman was tried in the church court and was not under the crowns jurisdiction, regardless of the crime committed.

Alabaster panel from an English altarpiece showing Beckets consecration as archbishop, first half of the 15th century. Private Collection. (Nicholas and Jane Ferguson)

Becket was appointed archbishop on May 23, 1162, and consecrated on June 3. But Henrys idea did not go as he planned. Becket resigned as royal chancellor later that year, and he fully embraced his responsibilities as archbishop.

From Friend to Firm Foe

In just a few years, a firm rift would form between the king and the archbishopBecket would stay loyal to the church and its interests while Henry still hoped to restore the crowns power. The fallout would lead to Beckets murder.

In the years prior to Beckets death, the problems between the two men worsened. In October 1164, Henry summoned Becket to the Kings Council where, among other accusations and demands, he was ordered to relinquish all non-landed property and to make his accounts from when he was chancellor available for scrutiny. He refused to accept the councils decisions.

In 1165, Becket fled to north-central France, where he spent six years exiled at Pontigny Abbey. During that time, Henrys son, Henry the Young King, was crowned (becoming joint sovereign) by the archbishop of York, Beckets rival. Becket was furious: Coronations were traditionally presided over by the archbishop of Canterbury.

Becket appealed to the pope, and after intense negotiations, Henry and Becket spoke for the first time in years. Henry promised to restore Becket as archbishop of Canterbury and assured him that it was safe for him to return home to England.

But before Becket left France, he wrote to the archbishop of York and two of the bishops present at the recent coronation, excommunicating all three. This action may have proved fatal for Becket.

The archbishop of York and the two bishops traveled to Henrys court in Normandy and told the king what had happened. Henry was incensed: What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born clerk! he said, according to one of Beckets biographers.

To this day, no one knows if Henry himself sent his knights to Canterbury. A commonly held belief is that the knights set off on their own accord, after hearing the kings angry outburst.

French reliquary casket showing the murder of Thomas Becket, about 11801190. (Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

A Window Into Beckets Miracles

After Beckets death, Canterbury Cathedral became an important pilgrimage site, with many seeking cures for their diseases. In medieval times, illness was believed to be divine retribution for sins, and so saints were often sought for a cure.

At the cathedral, monks filled ampullae, often pewter flasks, with Beckets diluted blood that they believed had miraculous properties. Pilgrims could purchase these ampullae filled with this concoction they called St. Thomass Water.

This 13th-century English ampulla shows Thomas Becket between two knights. (The Trustees of The British Museum)

Several artifacts in the exhibition demonstrate how the water was used. One astonishing ampulla depicting Becket flanked by two knights is on display. The knights have their swords drawn as if they have been caught the moment before they strike the archbishop.

Detailed scenes of pilgrims using St. Thomass Water are depicted on some of Canterbury Cathedrals stained glass windows, called miracle windows, made in the early 1200s. The series of 12 windows once surrounded Beckets shrine in Canterbury Cathedrals Trinity Chapel. Beckets shrine no longer exists, but seven of the windows do and show the miracles that occurred in the three years after he died.

On the southern side of Canterbury Cathedrals Trinity Chapel, seven stained glass miracle windows depict the miraculous healings that were said to have taken place at St. Thomas of Canterburys tomb between 1170 and 1220. (David Iliff/CC BY-SA 3.0)

The cathedrals miracle windows are the only known media to show Beckets miracles. The stories on the windows must have been reassuring and uplifting to the pilgrims who had journeyed to the cathedral, said Leonie Seliger, director of stained glass conservation at Canterbury Cathedral, in the exhibition press release.

For the first time, one of the 30-foot-tall stained windows will leave Canterbury Cathedral to be installed in The British Museum exhibition. The chosen window is the fifth in the series of 12 that shows several stories of healings.

In the early 1200s, 12 stained glass windows, about 30-feet tall, were made to depict the events of Thomas Beckets life and death, including miracles attributed to him. The series of windows, called the miracle windows, surround where Beckets now-lost shrine was once placed. This particular window shows how Becket helped ordinary people. (The Chapter, Canterbury Cathedral)

Last year, researchers working on the windows in preparation for the exhibition made a startling discovery. Looking at the window under a microscope, they realized that some of the stained glass panels were in the wrong order. They deduced that, when the window was restored in the 1660s, the craftsmen must have made the mistake when the window was reconstructed. For the first time in over 350 years, the window can be seen as it was intended.

The Stories of the Miracles

The window in the exhibition shows depictions of common folk being healed. At the top of the window, in the left-hand teardrop, Ralph de Longeville sits next to Beckets tomb, where an attendant bathes his legs in St. Thomass Water, after which he is cured of leprosy. Below the four teardrop panels showing Longeville, Goditha of Hayes enters on the left; her stomach appears swollen from dropsy. Moving along to the right of the window, shes seen leaving the tomb, looking slimmer and healed of her disease.

In this detail on the fifth miracle window at Canterbury Cathedral, Ralph de Longeville sits in front of Beckets tomb, while hes being bathed in St. Thomass Water in the hope to cure his leprosy. (The Chapter, Canterbury Cathedral)

A detail from the fifth miracle window (early 1200s) at Canterbury Cathedral shows Ralph de Longeville, hoping to be cured of his leprosy, and Godith of Hayes, hoping to be healed from her dropsy, in Canterbury Cathedral. (The Chapter, Canterbury Cathedral)

The second story (from the top) of the window shows a group of women traveling to Beckets tomb. Among them is Etheldreda who suffered from a high fever, and Saxeva who had painful arms and stomach. Both women are depicted as being healed.

A detail from the fifth miracle window (early 1200s) at Canterbury Cathedral shows women, including Etheldreda who has a high fever, and Saxeva from Dover who has painful arms and a stomachache, seeking healing in Canterbury Cathedral. (The Chapter, Canterbury Cathedral)

In the third panel from the top of the window, Eilward of Westoning is depicted. This is the only known medieval artwork to depict a castration. Eilward had been blinded and castrated as punishment for stealing. Remarkably, after he prayed at Beckets tomb, his eyesight returned, as did his testicles.

A detail from the fifth miracle window (early 1200s) at Canterbury Cathedral shows Eilward of Westoning being healed of both his blindness and his castration. (The Chapter, Canterbury Cathedral)

Interestingly, The ineffectiveness of surgeons and physicians is a theme in the miracles of St. Thomas, said expert of medieval visual culture M.A. Michael, on the Getty website. This is especially clear in the bottom story of the exhibitions miracle window. In the left-hand teardrop, Hugh, a monk from Jervaulx Abbey in Yorkshire, northeast England, is bedridden and being attended to by a lay physician. Hughs story progresses in the top teardrop, where hes at Beckets tomb, sipping St. Thomass Water. In the right teardrop, his illness can be seen being purged by a sudden and violent nosebleed.

A detail from the miracle window (early 1200s) at Canterbury Cathedral shows monk Hugh being purged of his illness. (The Chapter, Canterbury Cathedral)

The Legacy of St. Thomas of Canterbury

On July, 12, 1174, a remorseful Henry walked barefoot three miles to Canterbury Cathedral, confessing his sins in an act of penance. When he entered the cathedral, he ordered the bishops, who had been present when Becket was murdered, to each flog him five times with a rod. He then commanded each of the 80 monks to flog him with the rod three times. Henrys blood spilled on the spot where Becket died.

Before Henrys penance, his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and two elder sons were plotting against him with his archrivals William II of Scotland and Louis VII of France to take over his land. After Henry repented at Beckets tomb, miraculously nothing came of the rebellion, and his sons sought Henrys forgiveness.

From that day, Henry often prayed at Beckets shrine.

Beckets legacy traveled far and even prompted Englands first visit by a head of state: Louis VII. The French kings 14-year-old son, Prince Philip, was gravely ill, prompting the king to make the pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral in the hope that St. Thomas of Canterbury would heal his son. Philip recovered.

Even now, Beckets martyrdom is remembered by world dignitaries. Last year, on the 850th anniversary of Beckets murder, President Donald Trump said: Thomas Beckets death serves as a powerful and timeless reminder to every American that our freedom from religious persecution is not a mere luxury or accident of history, but rather an essential element of our liberty.

The British Museums exhibition Thomas Becket: Murder and the Making of a Saint is due to open in May, pending COVID-19 restrictions. To find out more, visit BritishMuseum.org

A Belgium reliquary statue of St. Thomas Becket, circa 1666. (The British Jesuit Province)
NASHVILLE  The Tennessee Beef Promotion Board will meet April 16, 2021 at 1 p.m. CDT at the Tennessee Beef Industry Council located at 530 Brandies Circle Suite A in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The meeting is open to the public to attend in person at the Tennessee Beef Industry Council office or online via an internet-based teleconferencing system. There is no cost to participants. Instructions and alternative methods of communication are included at the bottom of this notice.

The agenda includes approval of previous meetings minutes, review of board finances, and quarterly update on programs.

The Tennessee Beef Promotion Board was created in 2012 by state law to oversee the collection and use of assessments paid by producers for the purpose of promoting beef and beef products in-state. The Board comprises representatives from the Tennessee Livestock Market Association, Tennessee Cattlemens Association, Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, Tennessee Dairy Association, and Tennessee Beef Cattle Improvement Initiative.

Zoom meeting instructions:

Join Zoom meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85611143664?pwd=MTdrVkVidnc2clpmVVRVb25sYXlTdz09

or call 312-626-6799 US toll

Meeting ID: 856 1114 3664

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1:00 p.m. Welcome  Russ Uselton  Chairman

Approval of Minutes  January 15, 2021

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Alarmed by the huge spike in coronavirus cases, the Pune administration has announced stringent measures, including 6 p.m. - 6 a.m. curfew starting Friday night for a week, top officials said here on Friday.

All hotels, restaurants and malls will remain shut for the next seven days, though home delivery of household stuff shall be permitted.

The development came after a review meet chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday morning with top officials of the administration, police, health and other departments.

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.
Study indicates timing of chemotherapy may improve treatment for glioblastoma

Xinhua) 09:31, April 02, 2021

CHICAGO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A study from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that a minor adjustment to the current standard treatment for glioblastoma, giving chemotherapy in the morning rather than the evening, could add a few months to patients' survival.

In the study, the researchers analyzed data from 166 patients with glioblastoma who were treated at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine between January 2010 and December 2018. All patients received the standard of care for glioblastoma. They underwent surgery to remove as much of each tumor as possible and then received radiation therapy along with the chemotherapy drug temozolomide. After the radiation and temozolomide regimen was complete, patients continued taking a maintenance dose of temozolomide either in the morning or evening, depending on the preference of their oncologists.

The researchers observed that among a subset of patients with what are called MGMT methylated tumors, the improved survival with morning chemotherapy was more pronounced. Patients with this tumor type tend to respond better to temozolomide in general. For the 56 patients with MGMT methylated tumors, average overall survival was about 25 and half months for those taking the drug in the morning and about 19 and half months for those taking it in the evening, a difference of about six months, which was statistically significant.

"We were studying daily rhythms in astrocytes, a cell type found in the healthy brain," said Erik Herzog, a professor of biology in arts and sciences. "We discovered some cellular events in healthy cells varied with time of day. We will need clinical trials to verify this effect, but evidence so far suggests that the standard-of-care treatment for glioblastoma over the past 20 years could be improved simply by asking patients to take the approved drug in the morning."

Researchers also cautioned that this was a relatively small retrospective analysis.

"There have been no new drugs approved for glioblastoma in over a decade," said Jingqin (Rosy) Luo, an associate professor of surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences and co-director of Siteman Cancer Center Biostatistics Shared Resource. "That makes it necessary to think about other possible changes that make a drug more efficacious. Chronotherapy or the timed delivery of drugs based on circadian rhythms is becoming a popular topic. It's practical and realizable to implement chronotherapy to optimize existing drugs and treatments."

An aggressive type of brain cancer, glioblastoma has no cure. Patients survive an average of 15 months after diagnosis, with fewer than 10 percent of patients surviving longer than five years.

The study, posted on the university's website on Wednesday, has been published online in the journal Neuro-Oncology Advances.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 22:08:33|Editor: huaxia

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Gu Changxin pays respect to Li Bai in front of his tomb at Li Bai cultural park in Dangtu County of Maanshan City, east China's Anhui Province, March 31, 2021. The tomb of Li Bai, a famous poet of Tang Dynasty (618-907), is located at the foot of Qingshan Mountain in Dangtu County of Maanshan City. After Li Bai died in Dangtu, his good friend Gu Lanxin offered his land as Li Bai's burial place. Since then, the Gu's family has become the guardian of Li Bai's tomb, which continues to this day. In 1985, 18-year-old Gu Changxin became the 49th generation tomb keeper. For more than 30 years, Gu Changxin has been responsible for cleaning Li Bai's tomb every day, and at the same time, he has also undertaken the task of a guide. In order to better introduce Li Bai's culture to Chinese and foreign tourists, Gu Changxin studied Li Bai and his poems. By guarding Li Bai's tomb, Gu also gradually became a guardian of traditional culture. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)
Dr. Msandeni Chiume Kayuni found herself in the middle of a supply crisis as COVID-19 spread to Africa in April 2020. As head of pediatrics at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi, her team faced a critical shortage of N95 and regular surgical face masks. Nurses and doctors were striking.

We had members of hospital staff put their tools down because they did not feel it was safe to practice, she told us in an interview.

Ingenuity kicked in. The Malawi team purchased raincoats from the local market to use as personal protective equipment when they could not afford appropriate gowns that cost three times as much. Unlike disposable gowns, the rain gear could easily be sanitized in bleach and reused.

Worldwide, as the global supply chain for basic PPE, diagnostic tests and equipment to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients buckled under the strain, medical personnel improvised and engineers began developing solutions almost overnight. Engineering students used university-based makerspaces to invent and produce new technologies  face shields, automated handwashing stations, diagnostic testing equipment and respiratory support equipment  that allowed health care workers to safely deliver effective care.

As engineers working in the U.S. and Malawi to develop effective and affordable medical devices for low-resource communities, we routinely practice and teach this level of resourcefulness, dubbed frugal design.

Spreading the light

Medical personnel reused available N95 masks, intended to be used once, for weeks or months, which required innovative ways to disinfect them, including heaters, gas sterilizers and ultraviolet light.

UVC  short-wavelength ultraviolet light  kills or inactivates viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In the pandemic, scientists set up UVC systems in spare rooms at hospitals to sanitize masks.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center equipped a room with UVC light towers and coated the walls with reflective foil to maximize the dose of UVC light. Dirty masks are clipped to rows of clothesline strung across the UVC room. An operator outside the room started the lights, and a detector in the room ensured the masks had received a virus-killing dose of light. Masks can be disinfected and reused multiple times without damaging their integrity.

Engineers in Houston, Malawi and Tanzania worked together to reduce the cost of room-based UVC disinfection systems to less than $800, and several systems are now installed in hospitals in Malawi and Tanzania. Engineers at other locations built disinfecting stations by adapting UV lights in the hoods normally used to grow cells in culture or by repurposing the UV light in an aquarium sanitizer.

Local innovation for PPE

Across the world, engineering students used novel makerspaces at universities with 3D printers and laser cutters to rush new PPE designs into large-scale local production. Students and staff at Malawis two engineering schools, Malawi Polytechnic and the Malawi University of Science and Technology, and at Tanzanias Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, adapted open-source designs to produce face shields. They consulted with clinicians at partner hospitals to improve comfort and safety while using only locally available materials.

Development organizations, including UNICEF and the United Nations Development Program, ordered over 52,000 face shields that were locally produced and delivered to area hospitals.

Reinforcing ventilator supplies

In response to the global shortage of ventilators in the first months of the pandemic last year, engineers designed simple devices to provide temporary breathing support. Open-source plans for two systems, one designed by the MIT Emergency Ventilator Project and one designed by students and staff at Rice University, are available online.

A global shortage of oxygen in low-resource countries has led many health care providers in those countries to fall back on mechanical ventilation. Ventilators are also in short supply, in part because of problems with a U.S. ventilator donation program.

Students and faculty at the Malawi University of Science and Technology developed a system similar to the MIT and Rice ventilators that can be assembled using materials available in Malawi. Students at Malawi Polytechnic worked with local physicians to develop a ventilator with more features.

Hygiene innovation

Public health officials emphasize the role of handwashing, together with social distancing and face masks, to curb the continued spread of COVID-19. However, many schools and even some hospitals in low-resource settings do not have running water and sinks allowing students and patients to regularly wash their hands.

In response, Brenald Dzonzi, an engineering student at Malawi Polytechnic, designed a no-touch hand-washing station. Small amounts of soap and water are automatically dispensed from pre-filled containers when a user stands in front of the station. The system is made from local materials and is now installed at a local hospital. Up to 2,000 patients can safely wash their hands before the system needs to be refilled.

Dzonzi was awarded the UNICEF Youth Challenge award to fund continued development of the handwashing station.

When equipment is unsuitable for an environment, because it cant tolerate hot, dusty conditions, for example, it ends up discarded in equipment graveyards  serving no one. In contrast, successfully executed frugal designs offer sustainability and suitability for low-resource environments.

Universities across the world are changing how they teach engineering  focusing on frugal design and engaging students like Dzonzi to invent solutions that solve real problems. Though the pandemic sparked a global need for frugal design, the practice is important for narrowing the health care gap between high- and low-resource communities and bringing health care services to underserved areas.

Richards-Kortum is a professor of bioengineering at Rice University. Mkandawire is an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Malawi. This piece was published in The Conversation.
Hearst Connecticut Media file

NEW HAVEN  Gretchen Knauff has been appointed acting director of disability services for the city , bringing decades of experience to the job, according to an announcement from the Mayor Justin Elickers office.

Knauff, who holds a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law, previously worked with the states Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities for more than 20 years, rising to become the offices assistant director, city spokesman Gage Frank said in a release.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-03 01:16:35|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks with Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin in Nanping, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

FUZHOU, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Philippine counterpart Teodoro Locsin on Friday in Nanping City, Fujian Province.

Wang said China is willing to continue to promote vaccine cooperation with the Philippines, calling on both sides to solidly advance the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and endeavor to complete key projects on schedule.

"China is willing to work with the Philippines to further enhance the level of trade liberalization and facilitation, and explore cooperation in emerging areas such as cross-border e-commerce," Wang said.

He also expressed China's willingness to work with ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, to promote the early implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, to accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, so as to maintain stability in the region.

Locsin said his country is committed to further developing bilateral relations, and thanked China for its strong support to the Philippines in fighting the epidemic, particularly the aid and provision of vaccines.

China's provision of vaccines is not to carry out "vaccine diplomacy," but to demonstrate its responsibility, Locsin said, adding without China's support, it will be difficult for the region and the world to recover from the epidemic.

He congratulated China on being elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council from 2021 to 2023, and looked forward to strengthening coordination and cooperation with China within the framework of the Human Rights Council. Enditem
In the latest round of legislative proposals, some states are merely encouraging the teaching of financial skills while a few would make the subject a graduation requirement. Ohio, for instance, is considering a proposal that would require high school students to pass a half-credit class in personal finance in order to graduate. The class must be taught by a teacher trained in the subject matter.

The bill would also create a fund to help pay for training to teach the subject, said State Senator Steve Wilson, a Republican and former banking executive who co-sponsored the bill. He said he was hopeful that the bill would be voted out of committee this month.

Kids come out of school having no clue about financial literacy, Senator Wilson said. You go out into the world greatly disadvantaged.

Many financial literacy advocates consider a full-semester course the gold standard for personal finance instruction. Rebecca Maxcy, director of the Financial Education Initiative at the University of Chicago, said many courses focused mainly on skills, like writing a check or filing taxes. While those lessons can be helpful, she said, its important for courses to include discussions of how personal values and attitudes about money influence behavior, as well as an examination of the financial systems and potential barriers that students will encounter in the world of money.

Questions like Who benefits when you open a bank account? can prompt meaningful discussions, she said.

Some curriculum options, however, offer more condensed, basic instruction.

Everfi, a digital instructional company, offers a free seven-session program for high school financial literacy. Students take interactive, self-guided lessons in topics like banking, budgeting and college financing.

Sidney Strause, a freshman at Marshall University in West Virginia, said she had taken Everfis course as a junior in high school. The lessons were assigned as part of another course she was taking, and typically took 45 minutes to an hour to complete.
YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. The Travel Without COVID-19 program  which was initially a pilot program launched from February 1 to March 1, is extended and will work without timeframe limits, allowing passengers to cross the state border with a view to traveling from Armenia to Russia and in the opposite direction in case of a negative COVID-19 test result.

The decision to lift the timeframe limits was made by the Russian Government.

Armenias Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan, in comments for ARMENPRESS, praised the program as an effective and promising tool facilitating the movements of Armenian and Russian citizens between the two countries.

In addition, Kyrgyzstan has been added to the list of countries whose citizens can use the application to visit Russia.

The Travel without COVID-19 program features a mobile app which shows the travelers COVID-19 test result in the form of a QR code, which is used when crossing border.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
It was an unpleasant surprise for Jennifer Yick when the Bank of America debit card holding her unemployment benefits was declined by a store. The San Francisco resident knew she had more than $400 in the account.

She logged into the bank website and saw four hefty DoorDash charges  even though she has never used the food delivery service.

I felt sucker-punched, she said. They just drained it.

Then she embarked on a lengthy quest  the tale of unending phone calls, hours on hold, she said  to contact Bank of America about the theft.

Scores of jobless people tell similar stories about their unemployment benefits being hijacked from their Bank of America debit card accounts, and then struggling with the bank to get their money returned. A major class-action lawsuit against Bank of America, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, seeks immediate changes to help those who lose funds, such as making it easier to report theft and not freezing accounts.

This is a disaster for thousands of unemployed Californians who have lost their only lifeline in this pandemic, said Brian Danitz, an attorney with the Burlingame firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, who is co-lead counsel on the case, which consolidates nine previous lawsuits.

Bank of America was hired by the California Unemployment Development Department, which administers unemployment, to provide the debit cards. It has issued more than 9 million since the pandemic began.

The bank said in a statement that it works hard to prevent criminals from getting money and ensur(e) legitimate recipients receive their benefits.

We have added thousands of agents to answer phone calls and investigate claims for the areas of the program we are responsible for and, as a result, our average wait time for callers has dropped dramatically, bank spokesperson William Halldin said. When fraudulent transactions occur on benefit cards we review those claims and restore money to legitimate recipients.

Faiz Ahmad, Bank of America managing director and head of global transaction services, told lawmakers in January that the bank has lost hundreds of millions of dollars on the California EDD contract, both through fraud losses and the cost of serving the contract to the highest extent possible.

Bank officials are keen to emphasize that most unemployment fraud was committed by criminals who submitted bogus unemployment claims using stolen or fake identities. That fraud, which the state said amounts to at least $11 billion, is a separate issue and not tied to Bank of America.

But the incidents of legitimate claimants whose funds were stolen from their cards is specifically covered by the banks agreement with California EDD. Its contract calls for claimants to incur zero liability if their funds were stolen. The lawsuit says the bank violated this provision.

Lawmakers say theyve heard from thousands of constituents whose EDD funds have been stolen. The bank shed some light on the volume of the fraud in a February letter to Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo, D-Boyle Heights (Los Angeles County).

Since the pandemic began, we have reimbursed cardholders hundreds of millions of dollars for claims made where they may have been the victim of an unauthorized transaction or fraud on their card, wrote Brian Putler, the banks head of California government relations. Monthly (transaction-fraud) claims have ballooned from about one thousand claims in a month to tens of thousands late last year.

Compounding the issue, Danitz said, is that the bank often freezes accounts once fraud is reported, so even if the victims get a replacement card, they cannot access any remaining funds or future benefits.

Many EDD debit cardholders who are the victim of third-party fraud, and who turn to the bank for help, suddenly find themselves indefinitely deprived of access to all their EDD benefits and treated as if they are the criminals, the lawsuit said.

Both EDD and Bank of America said they are working to streamline verifying identities to unfreeze accounts as quickly as possible when fraud was suspected. People with debit card issues should contact the bank at 1-866-692-9374, the number on the back of the cards.

The lawsuit alleges that the bank left the door open for thieves by not outfitting the EDD debit cards with a security chip. That makes the cards vulnerable to devices called credit card skimmers that criminals install on top of legitimate card readers at places such as ATMs and gas pumps. The devices harvest card information from the magnetic stripes.

In Yicks case, for instance, she bought gas with her card the day before the DoorDash charges appeared on her account. When she filed a report, police thought that was probably how fraudsters gained access to her account.

We have many unanswered questions about what Bank of America has been doing to prevent, investigate and address the fraud, said Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco. Why, when anti-fraud chip technology became industry standard years ago, was that not part of these debit cards? EDD recipients were second-class consumer citizens when it came to anti-fraud technologies.

Bank of America blamed the lack of chip technology on EDD. In a January Assembly hearing, bank officials said the agency requested cards with magnetic stripes.

Neither the 2010 nor the 2016 contract required chip-enabled cards, but we are currently working with BofA to have chip cards in the near future, EDD said in an email.

Some cardholders whose money was stolen said they had never used the debit cards, raising the prospect that the bank itself was hacked, the lawsuit said.

This is a big bank and they ought to know how to do this without people being ripped off, and (criminals) figuring out how to access these cards, said Mary Alexander, a San Francisco attorney involved in the case. They have known since at least 2008 that you put chips in these cards.

San Francisco resident Frank Jaworski actually discovered his card being hijacked in real time, but still couldnt get Bank of America to act. The bartender had a high balance in his unemployment account because he had just received several weeks of benefits.

After the card was declined twice, he tried to access the website and found that his login and password had been changed. An hour of calling connected him to a bank representative who said that $3,480  pretty much all his money in the world  was being transferred to another bank.

I insisted that I did not make that transfer, and that they should mark it as fraudulent, and not let it go through, he said. The rep said they couldnt stop it. Neither that rep nor three others could help him change his login and password for the website, he said.

The next day Jaworski went in person to a Bank of America branch, but couldnt enter because it was at COVID capacity, then tried calling again and again. (The bank said that its branches cannot handle issues with the debit cards.)

After being locked out of his account for days, he got a replacement card in the mail, changed his login  and discovered that his balance was a whopping 61 cents.

Ive gone through all my groceries and have nothing left, he said in March while still trying to get his money back. My bills are due.

After two nerve-racking weeks, the bank restored his money.

It was a tremendous sense of relief, but also an expedient, almost frantic trip to the BofA EDD website to initiate a transfer of every remaining cent to my Patelco credit union account, he said.

Hes now set up his account to automatically transfer unemployment benefits to his credit union account and plans to make frequent manual checks.

As for Yick, she still hasnt gotten her money back. She has returned to her work as an Airbnb property manager, so she feels fortunate that shes not as desperate for funds as many others.

Still, shes angry.

Its as if I never existed, she said. I want accountability. I want the bank to step up.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Teacher unions are keeping up their campaign for teachers to get priority vaccination against Covid.

A meeting with Education Minister Norma Foley and public health and vaccination experts has done nothing to alloy their anger over changes to the inoculation schedule, which has pushed teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) down the list

Last nights briefing was attended by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn and representatives of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), who outlined the rationale for a change to an age-based system.

The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) said serious questions remained as to the Governments timeframe for vaccinating teachers in primary and special schools.

Read More

The union said it was insisting that the Government honours the commitment given to education staff to be in the first 30pc of the adult population to receive vaccination, after the most vulnerable have received theirs.

The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) described the meeting as unsatisfactory.

The union said the information presented was not sufficient to convince the ASTI of the rationale supporting the revision of the vaccination roll-out programme.

A spokesperson said teachers and other school staff were frontline workers and with high levels of contacts each day and often working in poorly ventilated classrooms of up to 30 students.

Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) general secretary Michael Gillespie said they sought and did not receive, a persuasive rationale for treating teachers, who work in busy, crowded classrooms, in the same manner as workers who are able to work from home.

Mr Gillespie said, in huge numbers, members had already contacted the union to state that they felt dismayed and demoralised by this development.

In yesterday evenings meeting, we strongly expressed the shock and disappointment of our members and the huge frustration over the manner of the announcement, which was made without warning or consultation.

He said the TUIs position had always been that the most vulnerable in society, including the elderly and those with underlying health issues, should be prioritised for vaccination in the first instance and that remained their position.

The TUI and other unions representing school staff were told clearly and repeatedly by Government that teachers, as essential workers, would be in the first third of the adult population next to be vaccinated. We trusted that assurance and that trust has now been betrayed, he said.

Calling for the delay to vaccination of teachers to be reversed, Mr Gillespie said any rational consideration of the revised policy would conclude that it makes no sense that a person working from home or working remotely will be vaccinated at the same time as an essential frontline worker of the same age  such, for example, as a teacher in a crowded classroom with unvaccinated students.

Forsa, the union representing SNAs, has written to Taoiseach Micheal Martin asking that the Government decision be reviewed.

The unions head of education, Andy Pike, said that SNAs worked in crowded settings where social distancing was not possible.

There are few other groups outside health and social care who work on a consistent basis providing intimate care without the ability to maintain social distancing, he wrote.
Tragic cowtown bill from beyond the grave reveals that the end of life only begins the economic risks.

Read more . . .

Vickie Hancock has buried everyone from her brother to her grandmother at Forest Hill Cemetery on Troost Avenue. That's why she was so surprised by what cemetery employees told her when she prepared to bury her mother-in-law in early March.
Indeed, it all felt oddly emotional and risky, which is why it was clear that the decision to launch such attacks could have been made only by someone who never suffers when mistakes are made: Mr. Bezos.

Why would he take such an approach?

I dont think his intention was to influence the union vote in Alabama. Instead, the goal was to goad progressives into proposing legislation around things like data privacy and a $15 federal minimum wage that Mr. Bezos knows cannot pass without being watered down and, thus, made less dangerous to giants like Amazon.

After gaining immense power in the pandemic and becoming one of the best-liked brands around, the company is now saying to Washington legislators, who have dragged their feet and held endless and largely useless hearings about how to deal with tech: I dare you to regulate us.

For Amazon, weak regulation would certainly be much better than having to talk about the very real human toll that free shipping might have on its workers. Its an attitude that we will see adopted by a lot more tech leaders who are going to try to use the momentum for regulation in their favor, rather than let it run over them.

In a recent congressional hearing, for example, Facebooks chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, sheepishly proposed changes to Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which gives platforms broad immunity for content posted on their sites. Many observers felt, though, that Mr. Zuckerbergs proposals were a smoke screen that would ultimately benefit Big Tech companies like Facebook.

Its high-risk, but possibly high reward, which has been Mr. Bezos brand for his entire career, even before he was armed with all this power and money.

Most of the rest of tech has opted to put on sackcloth and ashes and make a million meaningless apologies to the public and Congress for a wide variety of mishaps over the years. But Mr. Bezos is being deliberately provocative in an attempt to gain leverage by pointing the blame back at legislators. Hes accusing them of all talk and no action.
It was the worst of scenarios for the mother of three young children.

She was being evicted from her home and was on the verge of homelessness. She had lived in a shelter before with her children, and she didnt want to go back.

The woman was crying and upset as she was explaining her dire situation in January 2018 to Joseph Centanni, a powerful landlord in Elizabeth who owns hundreds of rental units. She later recounted the alleged story to police.
Lakes store huge amounts of methane. In a new study, environmental scientists at the University of Basel offer suggestions for how it can be extracted and used as an energy source in the form of methanol.

Discussion about the current climate crisis usually focuses on carbon dioxide (CO2). The greenhouse gas methane is less well known, but although it is much rarer in the atmosphere, its global warming potential is 80 to 100 times greater per unit.



More than half the methane caused by human activities comes from oil production and agricultural fertilizers. But the gas is also created by the natural decomposition of biomass by microbes, for example in lakes. In their most recent publication, researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland outline the potential and theoretical possibilities for using methane from lakes and other freshwater bodies for sustainable energy production.



Methane from lakes and water reservoirs makes up about 20% of global natural methane missions. That would theoretically be enough to meet the worlds energy needs, says Maciej Bartosiewicz, a postdoc in the Department of Environmental Sciences of the University of Basel. Lakes continuously absorb CO2 from the atmosphere through the growth of phytoplankton. Microbes convert the carbon, fixed by photosynthesis, into methane when they process biomass. That way, carbon bound in the methane remains within the natural cycle during combustion. Fossil fuels could be partially replaced by natural renewable methane. Methane gas is already burned in gas-fired power plants for electricity production and used as a fuel in the form of liquid methanol.



Lakes as huge energy stores



The idea described in the article isnt completely new: since 2016, methane in Lake Kivu between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has been extracted from a depth of 260 meters, cleaned and used for energy supply directly via generators. Methane occurs in high concentrations in large quantities on the lake bed there, explains Bartosiewicz. The methane concentration is about 100 times higher than in ordinary lakes. Low concentrations made extracting methane from conventional lakes seem too technically difficult until a few years ago. But new microporous membranes made of polymeric materials now allow the gas to be separated from the water much more efficiently.



The researchers have made the first concrete proposals in this regard: using a hydrophobic gas-liquid membrane contactor, a methane-containing gas mixture can be separated from water and the methane concentrated. Zeolite minerals are particularly suitable for enrichment, since hydrophobic crystalline substances can adsorb and release gases.



Potential positive effects on ecosystems



With our idea, we wanted to start a broad discussion about the potential, feasibility and risks of a technology like this, says Bartosiewicz. Until now, no studies have addressed the effects of methane removal on lake ecosystem functioning, but no immediate negative effects can be foreseen with our current understanding. However, removing excess carbon could even help curb excessive phytoplankton bloom formation and reduce natural greenhouse gas emissions from lakes. More work is needed before any practical implementation of this initial theoretical idea, says Bartosiewicz. But hes convinced: This concept could one day make an important contribution to reaching our climate goals.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Parliamentarians are to table a request for questioning the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education next week, said an AlAyam report quoting a source.

MPs are planning to table the request by next Sunday, the report said without naming the source. Parliamentarians are continuing to sign the request.

MPs reportedly are intending to questing the Health Minister on the medical services provided by the Health Ministry.

The source said that the MPs would question the Education Minister on violations related to the Financial and Administrative authority and other failures. Interrogations are to take place early next week, the report said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 11:01:55|Editor: huaxia

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Staff members unload Chinese COVID-19 vaccines at the Ezeiza International Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 1, 2021. The second batch of China's Sinopharm vaccines arrived in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires on Thursday to strengthen the country's mass inoculation campaign against COVID-19. (Photo by Martin Zabala/Xinhua)

BUENOS AIRES, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A second batch of China's Sinopharm vaccines arrived in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires on Thursday to strengthen the country's mass inoculation campaign against COVID-19.

Argentine Health Minister Carla Vizzotti received the shipment at the Ezeiza international airport, located south of the Argentine capital.

"We are happy, because with these ... doses of Sinopharm that we receive today, we will be able to continue moving forward with the vaccination of people with some condition of risk, including those over 60 years old," Vizzotti said.

On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Felipe Sola said the vaccines provided by China are a "great boost at a crucial moment in the vaccination campaign."

Argentina received the first batch of vaccines from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm on Feb. 25.

To date, the country has reported 2,363,251 COVID-19 cases with 55,941 deaths. Enditem
Michigan added 5,498 new coronavirus cases and 20 new deaths Friday, April 2.

The state is averaging 5,128 new COVID-19 cases and 22 new associated deaths per day over the last week. A week ago, the state health department was reporting 3,679 cases and 22 deaths per day.

Cases have been surging for at least five weeks, elevating Michigans rate of new cases per 100,000 residents to the status of worst in the nation.

(The above chart shows Michigans 7-day rolling average of new confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new cases reported by day.)

Since the pandemic began, Michigan has reported 683,793 confirmed cases and 16,161 deaths related to COVID-19. The state has also reported 75,807 probable cases and 1,033 probable deaths, in which a physician and/or antigen test ruled it COVID-19 but no confirmatory PCR test was done.

(The above chart shows Michigans 7-day rolling average of deaths involving confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new deaths reported by day.)

As of Friday, hospitals across the state were caring for 2,801 patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, including 539 patients in the ICU. Thats up from a week earlier when there were 1,843 such hospitalized patients with 379 in the ICU.

Of the 37,901 diagnostic tests processed Thursday, 5,504 -- or 14.52% -- came back positive for SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19. The average has stayed above 11% for three weeks going back to March 11.

Health officials recommend a positive test rate of less than 5% for keeping schools and communities open. (Note: The chart below rounds up to the nearest whole number)

As of Thursday, April 1, Michigan had administered 4,522,415 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. That includes 2,871,366 first doses, and 1,651,049 second doses. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, while the Johnson & Johnson shot needs just one dose for maximum efficacy.

Case reporting

First is a chart showing new cases reported to the state each day for the past 30 days. This is based on when a confirmed coronavirus test is reported to the state, which means the patient first became sick days before.

You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases.

(In a few instances, a county reported a negative number (decline) in daily new cases, following a retroactive reclassification by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In those instances, we subtracted cases from the prior date and put 0 in the reported date.)

The next chart below shows new cases for the past 30 days based on onset of symptoms. In this chart, numbers for the most recent days are incomplete because of the lag time between people getting sick and getting a confirmed coronavirus test result, which can take up to a week or more.

You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases.

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here.

To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Read more on MLive:

35% of Michigan adults have received first vaccine dose; see numbers in your county

Michigan coronavirus data for Friday, April 2: Sanilac, Huron, Oscoda lead 13 counties over 20% test positivity

Michigan expands food assistance benefits to college students

CDC says fully vaccinated people can travel safely in U.S.
City Editor

Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has cover statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids.
By Ben Cohen

(JNS)  There is a curious sentence that appears in the definition of anti-Semitism currently being tested by a group of progressive Jewish Americans. It reads as follows: Even contentious, strident, or harsh criticism of Israel for its policies and actions, including those that led to the creation of Israel, is not per se illegitimate or antisemitic.

The definition of anti-Semitism in which this sentence appears is intended an alternative to the one formally adopted in 2016 by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. That text now provides a recognized fram...
Statistics taken from climate surveys of universities' computer science departments are edited onto photos of community members, adding a face to the numbers. Its really important to have data and actually collect it so that we understand where the disparities are, said Percentage Project President and Co-Founder Stephanie Tang.

The nonprofit collects data through climate surveys sent out to universities computer science departments that ask students about their experiences. An example question asks if students have been told their gender identity has given them an unfair advantage in gaining job opportunities. This data is collected by the Percentage Projects Campus Directors, who act as liaisons between the organization and their respective schools.

Responses are then grouped by various demographic breakdowns, including gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, first-generation status, and socioeconomic status. An example statistic from this year is that 52% of women, 5% of men, and 22% of non-binary students have been told that their gender identity has given them an unfair advantage in gaining job opportunities.

Its really important to have data and actually collect it so that we understand where the disparities are, said Percentage Project President and Co-Founder Stephanie Tang.

Statistics are then edited onto photos of members of the community and posted on Facebook in unison, showing that challenges of underrepresented groups are not just numbers on a page.

Expanding from 1 school in 2018 and 2019, to 4 schools in 2020, and now to 11 schools in 2021, the Percentage Project continues to expand its reach and visibility. The organization works closely with the computer science department at each partner school, and this year received a total of 1,660 survey responses and 158 photos.

Were very grateful to have many amazing secondary institution partners who are willing to work with us to become more informed about the climate of their engineering schools, said Outreach Director and Co-Founder Lucia Huo.

About the Percentage Project:

The Percentage Project, founded at the University of Pennsylvania in 2018, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization currently collaborating with 11 universities across the United States. It aims to highlight experiences of post-secondary education students in computer science-related fields through data-driven advocacy, and to ultimately encourage reflection and conversation on the state of students from all backgrounds.
It's possible. Experts say the risk is low, but are still studying how well the shots blunt the spread of the virus. The current vaccines are highly effective at preventing people from getting seriously sick with Covid-19. But even if vaccinated people don't get sick, they might still get infected without showing any symptoms. Experts think the vaccine would also curb the chances of those people spreading the virus.

"A vaccinated person controls the virus better, so the chances of transmitting will be greatly reduced," said Dr Robert Gallo a virus expert at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Among the evidence so far: Studies suggesting if people do get infected despite vaccination, they harbor less coronavirus in the nose than the unvaccinated. That makes it harder to spread.

Trying to settle the question, the US is starting a study of college students willing to undergo daily nasal swab testing. Given the uncertainty and the arrival of more contagious variants, experts say fully vaccinated people should continue to wear masks and social distance in public and when visiting with unvaccinated people at high risk for severe illness if infected.

"We still have to be cautious," Gallo said. "The vaccine is essential. But it is not a cure-all that ends the epidemic tomorrow." Other factors can also affect the likelihood of a vaccinated person spreading the virus, including vaccination rates in the community and whether there's an ongoing surge in cases locally.

"We want to think it's all or none, but it's very situation-specific," said Dr Laraine Lynn Washer, an infectious disease expert at the University of Michigan.

Also read: EU's COVID-19 vaccination programme 'unacceptably slow': WHO

Also read: COVAX COVID-19 vaccine facility faces 'serious challenge' to meet demand: WHO
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 23:09:27|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The United States confirmed on Friday that it would attend a meeting in Austria next week on the Iran nuclear deal, saying it remains "open to" direct talks with Tehran.

"We have agreed to participate in talks with our European, Russian, and Chinese partners to identify the issues involved in a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) with Iran," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

"These remain early days, and we don't anticipate an immediate breakthrough as there will be difficult discussions ahead. But we believe this is a healthy step forward," he added.

He said that the primary issues to be discussed in the meeting scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Austria "are the nuclear steps that Iran would need to take in order to return to compliance with the terms of the JCPOA, and the sanctions relief steps that the United States would need to take in order to return to compliance as well."

"We do not anticipate presently that there will be direct talks between the United States and Iran through this process, though the United States remains open to them," he said.

The European Union said earlier in the day that parties to the Iran nuclear deal will convene in Vienna, Austria next week to discuss the possibility of lifting sanctions on Iran and the country's responsibility for further implementing the agreement.

Washington withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally named the JCPOA, in 2018 and tightened sanctions on Iran under former President Donald Trump. In response to the U.S. moves, Iran suspended the implementation of parts of its obligations under the deal. Enditem
Campbell confirmed that he received a letter from CMS on Dec. 28. He said he changed some language that he used to describe the results but saw the letter as confirmation of his compliance. The letter instructed labs to avoid using terms like negative, positive, inconclusive, presumptive positive, a result of clinical significance, or a result of potential clinical significance when using non-diagnostic tests, according to a copy reviewed by the Tribune.
The founder of a website that has exposed Britain's "rape culture" through thousands of anonymous testimonies told AFP Friday she was surprised by the reaction to her campaign and that the next step is stamping out such behaviour, both in the UK and globally.

Soma Sara, 22, set up the site Everyone's Invited last year after posting online about her own experiences of sexual harassment.

Now the site has gathered more than 13,000 testimonies of young women and girls being forced into unwanted sexual activity by boys and men, with many of the victims saying they had never before spoken out. Some of those assaulted were boys.

Education Minister Gavin Williamson has called the allegations "shocking and abhorrent" and the heads of several schools have passed police details of students they identified from the accounts, which do not name attackers.

The Department for Education has been in touch but Sara said she has not yet had a personal meeting with Williamson.

"Our original goal was to expose rape culture and I feel, you know, in some ways we have," Sara said, speaking to AFP near her home in London.

- 'Crazy' response -

"It's been crazy. It's extraordinary to see the response, to see the British media support this cause so much," she said.

"But I think, you know, the next step is eradicating rape culture."

The site's accounts of women and girls being assaulted when drunk or by trusted friends and often blaming themselves resonated with many. Sara's site argues that acceptance of such behaviour shows that the UK has a "rape culture".

"We've been living in a shame culture that stigmatises sexual violence," Sara said.

Most women say they never reported the assaults and were labelled "slags" or sluts by friends.

Many describe demands for specific sex acts and naked selfies that get passed round to other boys.

The site struck a particular chord in recent weeks due to the horrifying case of Sarah Everard, a London woman who disappeared in March while walking home and was found dead. A policeman has been charged with kidnap and murder in the case.

Story continues

It also comes as the British-directed US film "Promising Young Woman," a dark tale of a woman avenging a friend's rape, is up for an array of Oscars.

- 'This is a moment' -

"I do get the sense that this is a moment," said Sara, who completed an English literature degree at University College London last year.

"I think there has been a sense of frustration. This sort of underlying feeling that something is coming for a long time."

She says she is delighted by the attention to her cause, including interviews to The Times and The New York Times and even an interview with Chinese media (she is half-Chinese).

The success is "extraordinary," she said, particularly because when she was setting up the site in June last year, she found it hard to get people to "understand that it's a problem or even that it exists."

Initial reactions focused on the prestigious private schools named by many survivors of assaults, but Sara has stressed that this reflected her social circle, and the phenomenon is universal.

She attended a renowned all-girls boarding school, Wycombe Abbey, in central England.

She set up the site after posting on Instagram in June last year about experiencing constant sexual harassment.

- 'Not limited to the UK' -

"It started from my experiences as a teenager... I found it almost impossible to grow up and navigate that environment, where I believe rape culture was extremely prevalent," she said.

After receiving positive responses to her post, "I just felt I wasn't alone", she said.

The site set the ball rolling by prompting conversations about something previously unspoken, she believes.

She said she was "encouraged" by the reaction from many school heads, saying it was "a very important first step to acknowledge that rape culture exists in their institutions".

She called for older and younger generations to share experiences and listen to each other, as well as for teenagers to have "courage to call out your peers" on such behaviour.

The problem "is not limited to the UK", she stressed.

"I would really like to see this raised onto an international stage."

am/dl
Offaly jockey Pat Smullen will be honoured with a race in his name at Newmarket's Craven meeting later this month.

The Rhode jockey died last year after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Pat Smullen Memorial Handicap will take place over a mile on Tuesday, April 13, and is the brainchild of his longtime friend Ted Durcan.

Pat recorded his first ever British Classic victory at Newmarket aboard Refuse To Bend in the 2000 Guineas in 2003. He went on to have 47 winners in Britain, added to his 1,845 winners at home in Ireland.

Ted Durcan said a lot of people in Britain missed out on paying their respects at the time of Pat's funeral last September due to Covid-19 restrictions and that this race was a way to remember Pat on the track.

The Craven meeting is always a very exciting time and Pat had huge success over the years at the Rowley Mile. The team at Newmarket Racecourses were extremely helpful and only too happy to stage a race in Pat's name," he explained.
For most of Connecticut, spring and summer months are peak usage periods for the states water utilities.

As a result, customers maintaining a lush, green lawn, slaking the thirst of garden vegetables or washing a car may end up paying higher premiums from Aquarion Water in Bridgeport, Connecticut Water Co. in Clinton and the Regional Water Authority in New Haven.

Two factors are involved in determining what residential customers pay: how much water is used, and the rate that the utilities charge.

Connecticut Water Co. serves 105,000 customers, or about 350,000 people, in 60 towns statewide, including parts of the Shoreline and the Naugatuck Valley. The average Connecticut Water residential customer currently pays $157 per quarter for using 11,342 gallons per quarter through July.

The states Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), however, is currently considering a Connecticut Water Co. rate increase. If approved as proposed, that would increase customers bills by 35 cents a day to about $189 per quarter, according to company spokesman Dan Meaney.

The proposal also includes an inclining block rate structure that would add a second pricing tier for any amount used above 5,000 gallons per month, according to Meaney, for an additional cost of $1.00 per thousand gallons.

Any rate approved by PURA  regulators are expected to issue their ruling in late July  would take effect after that, Meaney said.

The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority serves almost 430,000 people in 15 cities and towns in the New Haven area. The typical family of four uses about 200 gallons of water a day, and will pay about $56 per month, according to Dan Doyle, a spokesman for the quasi-public utility. That is unchanged from last summer.

We often see an increase in water use during the summer months, which affects the amounts billed to our customers, Doyle said. Approximately 40 percent of the water used by the average homeowner during the warm weather months is used outdoors.

Doyle said the RWAs reservoirs were at 89 percent of capacity when measured at the end of February; at that time of year, the reservoirs are typically only at 82 percent of capacity.

Unlike Aquarion and Connecticut Water, the Authoritys rates are determined by a representative policy board, which is made up of individuals from each of the towns the utility serves.

Aquarion, which is a subsidiary of Eversource Energy, serves 625,000 people in 52 cities and towns throughout Connecticut.

Peter Fazekas, a spokesman for Aquarion, said from May to October last year, the median customer bill in the utilitys eastern division  more than three dozen towns in Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven counties  was $58.29 per month.

Much of last summer was spent with the three utilities urging careful usage, as drought-like conditions gripped much of Connecticut. But coming out of winter, Connecticut Waters reservoirs are full, according to Meaney.

We cant handle anymore, he said.

Fazekas said the utilitys reservoirs are divided into three groupings. The largest  the Bridgeport system  is at 99.9 percent of capacity.

The Greenwich system is at 89.1 percent capacity, he said, while the Stamford system is at 84.7 percent of capacity.

On Wednesday, Aquarion introduced its mandatory sprinkler irrigation schedule for nine towns in its service territory.

Last years schedule was implemented in Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, Newtown and Westport, according to Fazekas. This year, East Granby, Granby and Simsbury are being added.

The utilitys customers in those towns can only water their lawns twice a week, with the schedule determined by a homeowners street number.

Residents in all nine towns covered by the sprinkler irrigation schedule with even-numbered addresses can water their lawns on Sundays and Wednesdays from 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m., or 6 p.m. to midnight. Odd-numbered addresses can water on Saturdays and Tuesdays from either 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m., or 6 p.m. to midnight.

Anyone with no home address number can water their lawns on Sundays and Wednesdays from 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. to midnight.

The timetable is designed to ensure that local water supplies remain sufficient for critical needs, including human consumption and fire protection, according to Fazekas.

These conservation efforts have also helped towns in southwestern Connecticut avoid a complete ban on outdoor water use during dry summer months, he said. Through customer adoption of the irrigation schedule, Aquarion expects to save millions of gallons of water this year.

Homes and businesses with automatic sprinkler irrigation systems often use large volumes of water - about 40 percent more than properties without the systems.

The permanent, twice-weekly irrigation schedule, which started in 2017, launched on Thursday.

Aquarion officials have patrols in the communities they serve. If a customer is found to be using an irrigation system on a day that is not permitted, they will receive a written notice from the company.

Aquarion is allowed to disconnect service as a punishment for repeated violations, but Fazekas said that has never happened.

We try to work with the customer to resolve the issue, he said.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
This much can be said without fear of contradiction: There has been a spike in disgusting crimes against Asian Americans during the past year. One analysis of 16 of the country's largest cities found that acts of anti-Asian bias, not just crimes, increased by 145% between 2019 and 2020, even as other hate crimes declined. They range from vile insults hurled at subway riders in New York ("Get the f--- out of NYC"), to violent assaults.

Is the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes a symptom of white supremacy? Most left-of-center outlets interpret it that way. It's certainly possible that many of the crimes were expressions of white supremacy. But how do we categorize the anti-Asian attacks committed by African Americans and Hispanics? Voice of America looked at some of the data:

"In New York City, where anti-Asian hate crime soared nearly nine-fold in 2020 over the year before, only two of the 20 people arrested last year in connection with these attacks were white, according to New York Police Department data analyzed by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Eleven were African Americans, six were white Hispanics and one was a Black Hispanic."

This is not to let anyone off the hook -- the United States has a long history of anti-Asian bigotry that has included discrimination, segregation, exclusion, massacres and internment -- but just to pump the brakes a bit on the white supremacy talk in this particular case. (The Derek Chauvin trial is another matter.)

Also, let's not omit the other side of the story. There's a reason so many Asians and others are eager to immigrate here. They really can enjoy political freedom, practice their religions, speak their minds, improve their incomes and secure vast opportunities for their children.

The term "model minority" has become unfashionable, but as Manu Sarna writes in Quillette, it was coined for a reason. Asians are more law-abiding by a large margin than the general population. They claim fewer unemployment benefits, have higher incomes and have higher rates of business ownership than any other racial/ethnic category. They get and stay married at higher rates than others and 84% of their children grow up in two-parent families (compared with a national average of 68% in 2013-15).

Here are some other things we could all copy from Asians: They watch less TV, do 50% more homework and hoover up lots of awards.

You know what immigrant group is similar? Nigerians. Immigrants from Nigeria and their children are among the most highly educated groups in America, with 61.4% of those over age 25 and older holding a bachelor's degree or higher, more than double the rate of the general population. Their median income is above the national average, and their divorce rate is below it.

This is not to disparage native-born Blacks, whites or Hispanics, nor to suggest that the solution to deep inequalities and injustices in our society is to "pull yourselves up by the bootstraps." There's a world of difference between coming from an African nation and growing up in a society where your great-grandparents could have been born slaves and where racial discrimination has persisted (though radically reduced) to the present. We are a long way from healing those wounds. But it is also true that the cultural patterns among immigrants are in some respects superior to our own. And if we can learn from them, why wouldn't we? Culture is not immutable like skin color or blood type. Culture can change.

Both Asian Americans and Nigerian Americans thrive for many reasons, but certainly, an important factor is strong families. The kin who support each other, loan each other money, help out when someone is ill, tutor the nephew struggling with algebra, drive one another to job interviews and so on cannot exist without the foundation of marriage. Marriage is the essential first link in the chain of family formation, and strong families -- including extended families -- are more important than any other factor in human flourishing. One of the most vicious aspects of American slavery was the purposeful separation of husbands and wives, parents and children. It's perverse to suggest that high levels of births to unmarried mothers among African Americans (70%) have no effect on the life outcomes of Black children. Besides, the rates are destructively high among Hispanics (52%) and whites as well (28%) -- with the same results. Kids raised by single mothers (it's usually mothers) are at a disadvantage no matter their ethnic group.

So, by all means, let's protect Asian Americans from hate crimes and other offenses. And let's strive to transcend the primitive urge to divide the world into us and them. But we can do something more. We can recognize superior habits and emulate them.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
Reader Response:

Imagine you live in a neighborhood that has long been under-resourced  "redlined" back in the days when such overt discrimination was both legal and encouraged by the federal government, and which has never fully recovered. And suppose your local government provides funding to support neighborhoods with everything from transit upgrades to rehabilitating dilapidated homes. You might expect your troubled neighborhood to be first in line for funding.In more than two dozen U.S. cities, you could well be wrong. And it would be even more frustrating if you discovered that your neighborhood had been deprioritized not by a human official you could hold accountable but by an algorithm  an automated decision-making system that decided your community was a bad investment.Yes, that has really happened.Cities across the United States have begun using urban planning algorithms to classify neighborhoods by market strength and investment value, and then create tailored development plans for each  plans that determine which neighborhoods receive funding for services or infrastructure upgrades. But at least one widely used algorithm encourages users to prioritize investments and public subsidies in stronger, more prosperous markets before investing in weaker, distressed areas.That is seen as a way to maximize return on investment for public dollars, but it can channel vitally needed funding away from the communities that need it most, typically those that had been subjected to both overt and covert discrimination. In Detroit, for example, city officials used a planning algorithm known as Market Value Analysis (MVA) to justify the reduction and disconnection of water and sewage utilities , plus withholding of federal, state and local redevelopment dollars, in the city's "weak markets," which happened to be its Blackest and poorest neighborhoods. In Indianapolis, MVA recommendations made small-business support, home repair and rehabilitation, homebuyer assistance, and foreclosure-prevention programs unavailable to the city's most distressed neighborhoods.This illustrates a fundamental pitfall of algorithms, as well as the risks that they can be misused or produce unintended consequences. While the MVA was created to help revitalize distressed neighborhoods, it uses variables like average home prices, vacancy rates, foreclosures and homeownership to determine neighborhood "value," but those data points are neither ahistorical nor objective. Instead, they reflect a history of systemic bias. Redlining accounts for 30 percent of the gap in homeownership and 40 percent of the gap in home values for Black Americans between 1950 and 1980. Even today, maps of economically disadvantaged or under-resourced areas still bear a startling resemblance to the Federal Housing Administration's redlining maps from the 1930s. Algorithms can perpetuate or amplify long-standing human biases.One major source of algorithmic bias can be found in the "training data" used to teach such a system to recognize patterns in bits of information. For example, if a Black or Latino neighborhood is overpoliced, leading to skewed arrest rates, a predictive-policing algorithm could "learn" that Blacks and Latinos are more likely to be criminals, when in fact they're just more likely to be arrested.Often, the victims of algorithmic redlining don't know what happened to them, because information on algorithms and their use is generally not publicly available. California's Legislature is considering a step to begin to remedy this problem: If passed, AB 13 will bring transparency to the use of algorithms by state agencies and programs. For example, it would require a prospective contractor to submit an "automated decision system impact assessment" to evaluate the privacy and security risks to personal information as well as risks that could result in inaccurate, unfair, biased or discriminatory decisions impacting individuals.That's an essential start, but America can do better. We can go from algorithmic redlining to algorithmic using the powerful tools of artificial intelligence to promote equity and help close the nation's yawning racial wealth gap.In the words of Cathy O'Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction , "Big Data processes codify the past. They do not invent the future. Doing that requires moral imagination, and that's something only humans can provide. We have to explicitly embed better values into our algorithms, creating Big Data models that follow our ethical lead."California has modeled a first step with a tool known as CalEnviroScreen . A law that we at the Greenlining Institute helped pass, SB 535, prioritized funds from the state's cap-and-trade program for communities with the greatest economic and environmental challenges, and directed the state to create a scientific tool to decide which communities to prioritize. CalEnviroScreen, developed with extensive community consultation, examines multiple indicators such as unemployment rates and exposure to pollution. Based on this data, the algorithm outputs a CalEnviroScreen score that quantifies the environmental and socioeconomic burdens within a community and determines its eligibility for targeted investments.CalEnviroScreen is a simple example of what's possible if we consciously put equity metrics into algorithms used to make complex decisions. Imagine how much further human creativity could take this idea if we try. Algorithmic greenlining can happen  if we have the will to do it.GoverningGoverningVinhcent Le's characterization of the Reinvestment Fund's Market Value Analysis (MVA) offers an interesting perspective, but is inaccurate in some details.The MVA is a data-based, field-validated, stakeholder-informed, geographically granular examination of the conditions in a community. Creating an MVA is a public process. Every MVA has a community stakeholder group that meets throughout the project to discuss the data, analysis, results and implications. These groups are demographically diverse and typically include representatives from local government, community-based organizations, real estate professionals and others.The MVA is not an algorithmic black box that users have no sightline into; the variables that comprise the analysis are fully disclosed, as well as how those variables are statistically combined. Unlike credit scores or automated valuation models that the general public, impacted by those algorithms, cannot examine, the MVA centers transparency.The MVA was created in 2001 for Philadelphia as part of a $300 million investment effort known as the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI) led by then-Mayor John Street. Among NTI's accomplishments: thousands of vacant lots cleaned, greened and fenced with post-and-rail fencing; abandoned homes demolished or rehabbed; below-market home-improvement loans for people with troubled credit; and access to city contracts for Black demolition contractors who were formerly unequal participants. Hardly MVA-based redlining. Similarly, Detroit's MVA helped guide resources to the city's most challenged neighborhoods. In a city that was 83 percent Black at the time, this did not mean preferencing a white neighborhood over a Black neighborhood. The Indianapolis neighborhood investment strategy used the MVA to provide a "toolkit for every neighborhood," matching all communities with an appropriate set of programs.The MVA has also been instrumental in drawing attention to the "middle neighborhoods" in many cities  communities oftentimes neglected by local programs and investment. Yet, these are neighborhoods that are the living, breathing examples of racially integrated areas where people struggle to build a good life for themselves and their families, and could benefit from greater governmental attention.Lastly, in most cities where MVAs are done, we analyze mortgage capital flows to different markets. Through these analyses, we have been able to identify, for example, that in St Louis 8 percent of home sales in distressed markets had Home Mortgage Disclosure Act-recorded mortgages (compared to over 95 percent in St Louis' strongest markets). The MVA can surface credit inequities; it does not cause them.Communities across the country are using their MVAs to support land banking and equitable development strategies, fair housing assessments, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit preferences and a variety of other constructive purposes. We have had the pleasure and honor of working with government officials who are genuinely looking to make better use of the resources at their disposal to improve neighborhoods in their cities. The MVA is one valuable tool that they use in those efforts.
Paris  France is rejecting a U.N. report that said a French air strike in central Mali in January killed 19 civilians as part of anti-terrorist operations in the Sahel.

What happened in the village of Bounti in central Mali on January 3 remains a question that is at the heart of a dispute between France and the U.N. peacekeeping mission to Mali, MINUSMA.

Earlier this week, a U.N. investigation concluded that a wedding celebration was hit by the French airstrike that killed the civilians and three armed men, allegedly jihadist members of the Katiba Serma militant group.

For the past three months, French authorities have denied that anything they hit was a wedding party or that there was any collateral damage in such an operation.

In remarks this week, French Defense Minister Florence Parly stood by her forces.

Parly strongly denied any wrongdoing explaining that the military airstrike on January 3 near the village of Bounti was legit and targeted an armed terrorist group who was previously identified.

The French defense minister also cast doubt on the U.N. probe's methodology, claiming the investigation was based on unreliable sources.

General Dominique Trinquand, former head of the French military mission with the United Nations, echoes these doubts.

He says he is skeptical of the results of this investigation, claiming that most interviews were conducted on the telephone with villagers. According to Trinquand, Bounti is a known jihadist stronghold which would imply that testimonies would not be trustworthy.

Trinquand adds that people killed in the air strike were buried quickly, with no real verification at the site. The former general stresses his doubts about the report and he thinks that overall U.N. missions are against the use of force, which he says might explain the tone of the report.

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MINUSMA officials declined a request for an interview. However, the U.N. mission shared an internal video recording on January 25th showing that U.N. investigators traveled to Bounti and the location of the airstrike, visiting the alleged burial site of those killed.

In the video, Guillaume Ngefa, the head of the U.N. Human Rights and Protection Division in Mali, reassures that the methodology was sound.

Ngefa describes how he and his investigation team went on the ground, visited the village and met the residents. He explains that group and individual interviews were conducted on-site to follow up interviews that were conducted remotely ahead of their visit as part of the investigation.

Investigators met French officials twice in March to discuss the probe. France's embassy in Mali also submitted comments on the investigation's preliminary findings.

The accusations come as public distrust in France is growing over the presence of 5,000 of its troops in the French-led anti-insurgent force known as Operation Barkhane in Mali.

With these accusations, Trinquand says the support for the Barkhane force is at stake as France is presented as violating human rights. Therefore, he says, people in Mali could reject keeping the force on the ground and French public opinion could also go the same way.

France's defense minister arrived on Wednesday in the Malian capital, Bamako for meetings with the country's top leaders.
The "Transport & Logistics Sector to Fuel the Indonesian Connected Trucks Telematics Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The commercial vehicle telematics market in Indonesia is growing at a slow rate due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple telematics vendors populate this fragmented market, fighting to gain share. Although many customers are aware of the advances being made in telematics and fleet management systems, ambiguity persists among the user community in terms of adopting new solutions.

This study researches and surveys the connected trucks telematics market in Indonesia. The aim is to analyze the usage of and interest in telematics and fleet management solutions based on questions posted to respondents in the transport & logistics and postal & delivery services segments. Within these two segments, the survey focuses on commercial vehicles comprising light duty truck (LDT), medium-heavy duty truck (MHDT), and heavy duty truck (HDT) customers.

The survey has been conducted among key industry participants in Indonesia, with sampling data interpreted and represented by further analysis. The research concludes with a discussion of three growth opportunities geared toward companies looking to gain an edge in this space.

Key Topics Covered:

Strategic Imperatives

Why Is It Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative

The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on the Indonesian Connected Trucks Telematics Market

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

Research Objectives and Methodology

Research Objectives - Telematics & Fleet Management Survey

Survey Research Scope

Research Methodology

Vehicle Segmentation and Key Regulations in Indonesia

Definitions - Vehicle Segmentation and Solution Usage

Sample Profiling

Key Regulations Pertinent to Transport & Logistics and Postal & Delivery Services in Indonesia

Key Regulations Pertinent to Vehicle Testing & Safety in Indonesia

Driving License Requirement in Indonesia

Connected Trucks Telematics Market - Fleet Management and Telematics Solutions Implementation

Story continues

Pattern of Fleet Operation

Daily Driving Hours and Distance Average (per vehicle)

Telematics Usage

Purposes of Telematics

Percentage of Vehicles with Telematics Installed

Telematics Usage & Fleet Management - Vehicle-related Functions

Telematics Usage & Fleet Management - Operation-related Functions

Telematics Usage & Fleet Management - Driver-related Functions

Expected Functions from Telematics System

Telematics - Third-party Service Providers or Self-developed Solutions

Telematics Service Providers

3rd-party Telematics Service Providers: Standard or Customised Features?

Telematics Service Providers and Comparison Behaviour

Switching Telematics Vendors

Criteria for Selecting a Telematics System

Appealing Features of Telematics

Additional Comments about Features

Willingness to Pay Initial Costs for Telematics Devices & Services

Willingness to Pay Operational Costs for Telematics Devices & Services

Willingness to Pay Operational Costs without Outliers for Telematics Devices & Services

Interest Level towards Telematics Solutions

Summary & Conclusions: Survey of the Connected Trucks Telematics Market in Indonesia

Growth Opportunities

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

Growth Opportunity 1: New Business Models

Growth Opportunity 2: Geographic Expansion

Growth Opportunity 3: Strategic Partnerships and Mergers & Acquisitions

Next Steps

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vh19ik

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The phone call that shattered the Leeson family's happiness forever was cold, emotionless; abrupt in its awful finality.

When Donald McPherson rang his brother-in-law Neville Leeson from a remote holiday chalet in Denmark to tell him that his only sister Paula had drowned, there was no regret, no tears; not even the courtesy of condolence.

'It was as if he was talking about the weather,' recalls Neville. 'He said: 'Where are you?' and I told him: 'I'm with my parents.' He said: 'I have some bad news. Paula has been involved in an accident.'

McPherson  using the assumed name Donald Somers  was serving time for embezzlement when his Swedish wife Ira Kulppi and their four-year-old daughter Natalie died in a house fire

As soon as he was married, however, McPherson was orchestrating what the Leesons now believe was a cynical plan. (Ira Kulppi and daughter Natalie)

'I said: 'What do you mean? Is she all right?' and he said: 'She's passed. She's drowned.' There was no emotion at all.

'I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could Paula have drowned? It was surreal. Just the two of them in a small house. How could she have drowned in such a little pool, a plunge pool?' His incredulity still blazes.

'I was angry. I said: 'Where were you? Where were you?' I was very forceful with him. And first he said he was putting his bags in the car. Then he was on the balcony (there was no balcony at the chalet) and later he said he was asleep in bed.

'It set alarm bells ringing. Paula never went swimming, she never went near the sea; she never even bought a swimsuit. She never had anything to do with water, whatsoever.

'Yet here she was, drowned. We couldn't comprehend it.'

Four years after Paula Leeson's sudden, inexplicable death, her close-knit, loving family  parents Willy and Betty Leeson, her son Ben and Neville  are still broken by grief. But the abiding anguish the family endures is compounded by a burning sense of injustice.

For Paula's husband, a serial liar with a string of aliases and 27 convictions for dishonesty, who was jailed in 2000 for his part in stealing 12 million from a German bank, was last month cleared of murdering his wife.

Born Alexander Lang, he is believed to have changed his name to Alan Atkins in 1995. Later he became Donald Somers, then he appeared in Scotland in 2010 as Donald McPherson

The jury at Manchester Crown Court was not given the chance to consider the whole of the evidence on McPherson, as he then styled himself; a fraudster who took out 3.5 million in life assurance  no fewer than seven policies, apparently without his wife's knowledge  during his four-year marriage

The Leeson family's emotions as his trial was abruptly halted by the judge, were of shock and utter disbelief, for the outcome was as unexpected as it was dramatic.

Mr Justice Goose said there were two available possibilities as to what had happened to Paula. Firstly, McPherson restrained her under water or overcame her in a struggle or pushed her to cause her to drown. Or secondly, that she drowned by accident, by a trip, fall or a faint, causing her to fall into the water.

He added: 'While the first of those alternatives is clearly more likely, that does not mean that a jury, on the face of the pathological evidence alone, could be sure of it.'

He said that while the 'substantial body of circumstantial evidence' has caused 'strong suspicion' McPherson may have caused his wife's death, it was 'insufficient' to disprove it was an accident.

After McPherson walked free, the family resolved to uncover any new evidence that could overturn the not guilty verdict on him.

Today, Willy Leeson, 78, sits, quiet and dignified, in the immaculate reception room of the family's home in Sale, Greater Manchester, and tells us he makes a solemn promise at his daughter's grave every Sunday.

'I tell her: 'I will fight for you',' he says, and invested in that pledge is a weight of sorrow and anger that threatens to engulf him. 'Paula was taken from us and not a day goes by when we do not think of her,' he says.

Paula's body was barely cold when McPherson began transferring money  around 20,000  from a joint account his wife had administered, to pay off some of his 69,000 debts. (Pictured, Paula Leeson)

'I will keep fighting for justice for her until my last breath. I won't let up. I won't give up until I die,' he says in the family's first full interview this week. 'We're heartbroken at the judge's decision,' Neville adds. 'We believe from the amount of evidence at the trial it should have been given to the jury to make the decision. That's what we're struggling with.

'Manchester police did three-and-a-half years of absolutely incredible work uncovering the truth about this man and everything he had done. To our minds, it seemed to be completely undermined by this procedure in court. They might as well not have done any of it.

'You're destroyed a second time. You have faith in the justice system and even that lets you down in the end. It's a double whammy.'

The family gives high praise to Greater Manchester police for the rigour of its investigation into McPherson's murky past  as this newspaper revealed last week, a previous wife and their infant daughter died in a house fire initially thought to be linked to his crimes while he was in jail  but they are dismayed that their evidence was not heard by a jury.

'We feel that's wrong. It seems the justice system is too heavily weighted in favour of the defendants  and convicted criminals in this case  over my sister, a victim,' says Neville.

The Leesons have been told there is no legal pathway for them to appeal the judge's ruling, which they find 'incomprehensible', but they are hoping an inquest, which resumes in August, will conclude that Paula was unlawfully killed.

'I think the weight of evidence was overwhelming  we believe everybody knew and could see that he was guilty,' says Neville. 'Yet even though the judge said it was 'more likely he did it', he allowed McPherson to walk out of that courtroom.

'He didn't get a slap on the wrist, he just walked.'

Neville's quiet fury simmers. Like Willy he has braced himself to fight for Paula, the sibling he describes as 'kind and warm-hearted; the loveliest sister I could have asked for'.

Articulate and thoughtful, Neville, 46, has become the mouthpiece for his family's anguish and disquiet. He remembers the phone call from Denmark that pivoted their lives from contentment into the bleakest tragedy. 'Mum and Dad could hear the conversation I was having with Don,' he says, and Betty, 72, remembers: 'Willy was standing up and he fell back in his chair.' She cries.

Willy adds: 'I said: 'He's killed her. He's killed her.' '

Despite voicing their concerns about the nature of Paula's death to the British Embassy in Denmark, they say they were ignored. And the family reserves the full force of its condemnation for the Danish police.

'They really let us down,' says Neville. 'They never did forensic investigations, they just believed McPherson at his word that it was an accident.' From the outset they had suspicions about McPherson. When he first came into their daughter's life, Willy  a successful businessman who runs the family's civil engineering firm in Worsley, Greater Manchester  was unimpressed.

With no knowledge of his past, to both Willy and Betty it seemed he had appeared 'from nowhere'.

The couple, married for 52 years, emigrated from Ireland and Willy set up the family business in the 1960s, overseeing its expansion into a million-pound enterprise in which Neville, Paula and her only child Ben all worked.

Paula, her brother and parents were a mutually supportive unit and Ben was raised by his mum and grandparents in the home  a handsome, 1930s detached house.

Into this loving, familial closeness, McPherson arrived, short, stocky and scruffily-dressed, falsely purporting to be a successful property developer with a portfolio of houses; all, it later emerged, mortgaged for around 1.5 million.

Introduced to Paula through one of the Leesons' clients and newly arrived in Manchester, in 2013, he swiftly wheedled his way into her affections. 'He realised the way to her heart was through Ben and he pretended he'd written a will leaving everything to him,' says Neville.

'He also lied that he was raised in foster care, a doorstep baby [actually he was born in New Zealand, the son of two loving parents], and Paula was the type to feel sorry for him.

'She was kind-hearted. She always wanted to help people.'

Both Betty and Willy were suspicious of McPherson from the off. 'But Paula would become defensive if we said anything against him so we didn't criticise. We put up with him for her sake,' adds Betty.

She suffers from a heart condition, exacerbated by stress and grief; her voice, soft and breathless, falters. When, just three months into their relationship, Paula told her parents she and McPherson wanted to marry, they urged her to wait.

Much has emerged since about McPherson's financial affairs: profligate and sinking into debt, he 'wanted to get a plan in place' Willy believes, to secure his future. This, the family contends, involved marrying Paula and insuring her life to the hilt.

In June 2014, they duly married at Peckforton Castle, a luxury venue set in rolling Cheshire acres. It was a lavish affair, paid for by Willy and Betty; the first wedding for their 47-year-old daughter who seemed besotted.

'She took me to one side and reassured me: 'I'll be looked after Dad. I'll be all right,' ' recalls Willy. But even in the run-up to his wedding, McPherson, was, it seems, spinning extravagant tales, claiming at the 11th hour that his best man, due to fly from New Zealand, could not attend as his wife had just died in childbirth.

And it struck them as odd no one from Don's past came to the wedding. McPherson explained this by trotting out his habitual lie about being raised in foster care. Unsurprisingly today, every photo of the wedding bar one  a lovely shot of Paula beaming next to her mother  has been removed from the family's sitting room.

After the wedding, Paula moved into a 285,000 three-bedroom detached house she'd bought with McPherson, nearby.

As soon as he was married, however, McPherson was orchestrating what the Leesons now believe was a cynical plan. He paid 460-a-month in life insurance policies  despite being overdrawn.

'He wouldn't come to family events unless he had to,' recalls Neville. 'He'd sometimes come grudgingly then sit on his own and never speak. If he did, it was always about making money.'

'We talked about not liking him,' adds Willy, 'but we wouldn't do anything to upset Paula. She was totally fooled.' He also seemed incapable of showing his wife affection. 'We all noticed it. He didn't hug her properly,' adds Betty. And overshadowing the relationship was a permanent pall of secrecy. In fact, as our own inquiries revealed last week, McPherson  then using the assumed name Donald Somers  was serving time for embezzlement when his Swedish wife Ira Kulppi and their four-year-old daughter Natalie died in a house fire.

'Somers' insisted they had been murdered, reporting 'several death threats' and telling German police he believed his enemies had killed his family after he was imprisoned.

Throughout his life, it seems, he has reinvented himself under a series of aliases.

Born Alexander Lang, he is believed to have changed his name to Alan Atkins in 1995. Later he became Donald Somers, then he appeared in Scotland in 2010 as Donald McPherson.

A year later he had transformed into Donald Anderson, then back to McPherson in 2013.

Had Paula known about these multiple identities, Neville is adamant: 'She would have run a mile. She would still be alive now.'

He calls for a new law  Paula's Law  which prevents convicted criminals from expunging their past by assuming new names.

'As it is, he will do it again,' says Neville. 'His life history shows it's the same pattern.

'The judge has condemned someone else, another family like us. You wouldn't wish it on anyone.

'As soon as Paula died, he took control of her life insurance policies and her will.'

The will, changed in McPherson's favour, was later proved to have been forged in 2014 and the allegedly forged trust documents, through which he gained control of Paula's life insurance, were dated April 2017, a couple of months before her death.

And throughout he expressed no sadness, emotion or sympathy with the family.

'He didn't tell Ben he was sorry his mum had died,' says Neville. Ben, 'quiet and very private' according to his uncle, doesn't attend our interview. 'He's not doing very well,' adds Neville. 'He would hopefully have had his mother for another 40 years. That's been taken from him.'

For Betty the days passed in a blur of grief. 'I went to see Paula at the undertaker's,' she says. 'I wanted to be on my own with her. I had a little chat with her, told her how much I loved her.

'Willy said to me: 'You were the first one to see her. You should be the last one, too.' '

The family's suspicions were further aroused when they went to see Paula's body, repatriated from Denmark, at Tameside Hospital, Ashton-Under-Lyne.

'I'd asked [McPherson] if there were any marks on Paula and he said, 'nothing', but she had a bruise, a big black mark, on her head. It was a shock,' says Neville. 'I asked the mortuary assistant if it was part of the autopsy. She said: 'No, you don't bruise when you've died.' '

Then there was the heartbreak of the funeral. Neville took over the arrangements, read the eulogy, and by then Willy was too choked by rage and sorrow to even glance at McPherson. 'There were no condolences.' McPherson sat at the back of the church, detached from the many mourners who loved his wife.

'And when we came out he went off laughing, talking about his plans to drive up the coast of Spain,' adds Betty.

Indeed, Paula's body was barely cold when McPherson began transferring money  around 20,000  from a joint account his wife had administered, to pay off some of his 69,000 debts.

And even as he did so, says Neville, he was assuming a new alias  Rob Jones  and inquiring about buying a 675,000 boat in which to sail round the world.

But what hurts Betty most about his callous indifference to her daughter's death is the indecent haste with which he started seeing other women.

Even before he returned from Denmark to the UK, McPherson had allegedly set up an account with online support group Widowed And Young which he later referred to as 'like a Tinder for widows'.

Betty says: 'At the house there were champagne glasses on the side and he discarded his wedding ring and left it under the bathroom sink. All that pains me so much.'

McPherson also took it upon himself to sell the marital home. 'We'd asked him not to touch Paula's personal belongings but everything went,' says Neville.

'He didn't understand that possessions have a sentimental value. He even threw out a little toy dog, a border collie, Paula had bought my daughter Charlotte. Gone. 'It's a terrible thing to think that he's walking free now.'

'The thing that gets us most is the helplessness,' adds Willy. 'Something's wrong but we can't fix it.

The CPS, meanwhile, offers no comfort. Mark Callaghan, head of the CPS North West Complex Casework Unit, said: 'We understand the upset at the termination of this trial, but do not believe introducing an unrelated fraud conviction would have made any difference to the outcome.

'Plenty of evidence about the defendant's dishonesty was placed before the jury, however the judge ruled this was not enough to disprove the alternative argument that Paula Leeson had died accidentally.

'We had no grounds to appeal this ruling as it was neither wrong nor unreasonable in law. Our thoughts remain with Paula's family.'

The Leesons, meanwhile, remain angry and utterly bereft. Neville has the last word on the man who destroyed their lives. 'He has no feelings, no emotions. He's empty. In my view he's the devil incarnate,' he says. 'And now the justice system has taken what little hope we had.'

He reflects again about the burden of proof, the weight of evidence discarded, the decision not to bring up the convictions for fraud and the family's belief that Don McPherson is an unscrupulous man motivated entirely by money.

Neville has been told it is unlikely the insurers will pay out and his urgent plea to them is that they don't: 'He's a convicted criminal, fraudster, con-artist, and has clearly forged these policies and he doesn't deserve anything.'

But more urgent than anything is the Leesons' quest to prove that their beloved Paula's death was not accidental.

'Do you have to actually video someone murdering someone before you can be prosecuted for it?' Neville asks and then he adds, with emphasis: 'If McPherson thinks he's going to be rid of us he is much mistaken.'
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 08:01:40|Editor: huaxia

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A goshawk is released at the Shenyang Raptor Rescue Center in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, March 14, 2021. The Shenyang Raptor Rescue Center is home to injured raptors of all kinds. Wang Weiyan, 58, is the director of the center. Out of deep love for birds, Wang became a volunteer in bird protection. He works as a raptor rehabilitator and has devoted the most precious years of his life to bird care. Established in July 2009 by a group of bird lovers and bird protectors, the Shenyang Raptor Rescue Center has three rescue bases, a cooperative pet hospital, an online WeChat group, and more than 180 volunteers. The volunteers have various occupations such as zoologists, doctors, journalists, teachers, students, workers, farmers and many other professions. The center works on the treatment of injured raptors and birds that are unable to survive independently in the wild. It has so far rescued more than 3,000 wild birds, with the survival rate reaching 70 percent. More than 90 percent of the survivors have been successfully released into nature. Wang Weiyan, who has been engaged in the rescue of raptors for 25 years, is now a bird saving master. He can cure a variety of bird diseases, and he is also willing to pass on his experience to more young people. Now, more young volunteers have joined in the bird protection work. They publicize the knowledge of bird protection in an easy way on the popular Chinese short-video social media platform Douyin. On March 14, more than a dozen once injured goshawks, kestrels, vultures, and eagle owls were released at the Shenyang Raptor Rescue Center. To the bird protection volunteers, it was the happiest moment to see the birds returning to the sky. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)
All dogs are good dogs but 14 dogs from Massachusetts are competing to be the 2021 American Hero Dog.

The American Humane Hero Dog Awards is an annual competition that searches for Americas Hero Dogs. This year more than 400 dogs were nominated.

They are often ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things, whether its saving lives on the battlefield, lending sight or hearing to a human companion, or simply providing the tail-wagging welcome a pet owner relishes at the end of a hard day, the website states.

Our best friends do so much to improve and even save our lives, and every dog owner knows about the extraordinary, unbreakable bond they share with their dog, said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane president and CEO. The American Humane Hero Dog Awards are our way of celebrating the power of the human-animal bond, which has been a core part of our organizations mission for 144 years.

There are seven different categories for the Hero Dog Awards, including law enforcement dogs, service dogs, therapy dogs, military dogs, search and rescue dogs, guide dogs and shelter dogs.

Those interested can vote for their favorites in each category until May 6. After that 21 semifinalists, or the top three in each category, will move on to the second round of voting, which will begin May 27. The final round of voting is from July 29 to Sept. 7.

The winners will then be honored on Hallmark Channel through its broadcast of the American Humane Hero Dog Awards in October.

See below to learn more about the dogs from Massachusetts.

Jasper is a service dog from Raynham.

Jasper

Jasper is from Raynham. Hes a service dog but hes much more than that.

Hes my adventure buddy, therapist, lab partner, and most importantly my best friend, his owner wrote.

Jake is a 4-year-old yellow lab from Shelburne Falls.

Jake

Jake is a 4-year-old yellow lab from Shelburne Falls. Hes also a service dog and hes been my complete life saver, the owner wrote.

Felix is a service dog, bodyguard and wingman at the Hanscom Air Force Base.

Felix

Felix is a service dog, bodyguard and wingman at the Hanscom Air Force Base.

From the moment Felix was given to me, I felt a connection, his owner wrote. Maybe it was because I had kibble, but I couldnt believe how attentive he was. He was constantly fixated on me.

Aegon is a service dog from Brimfield.

Aegon

Aegon is a service dog from Brimfield. The dogs owner was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and said Aegon is helping with that.

My dog, Aegon, has become even more important to me and helps to maintain my sense of independence as I relearn that my tics and activities are in fact not harmful or disruptive, but key to how I experience the world, the owner wrote.

Buddy is a shelter dog from Brockton.

Buddy

Buddy is a shelter dog from Brockton.

Buddys first act of heroism occurred when he was about a year old, the owner wrote. My wife was very sick with bronchitis and asthma. While seated in the living room she passed out after a coughing fit, and was awakened by his tongue licking her eyes.

Rocco is a therapy dog from East Weymouth who was always destined for an amazing purpose.

Rocco

Rocco is a therapy dog from East Weymouth who was always destined for an amazing purpose.

From the moment I first viewed Roccos adoption video, I realized that he was destined for an amazing purpose that would bring unconditional love and joy to many throughout his lifetime, the owner wrote. Rocco has a significant desire to interact with humans, often attempting to speak to them softly and lean in for a hug.

Mia is a 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier service dog from Billerica.

Mia

Mia is a 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier service dog from Billerica. Although shes only 4 pounds, she has saved my life multiple times, the owner wrote.

Mias most used tasks are her medical alerts, the owner said. She alerts me to sounds, lights ,my heart rate, and if I am going to get dizzy.

Klee is a service dog from North Andover.

Klee

Klee is a service dog from North Andover.

Klee came into my life during a time when I needed a friend. I had been hospitalized for a medical condition and was feeling discouraged, the owner wrote. I was a nerdy, shy, twelve year old with lofty dreams of becoming a veterinarian.

Lucy is a service dog from Canton.

Lucy

Lucy is a service dog from Canton. But shes also a shelter dog.

She was taken to a shelter where she was terrified and sick, the owner wrote. I adopted her, and took her up to Massachusetts. She had never known people, never known a home, and I was just expecting her to be a regular pet dog.

Willow is a service dog that lives in Somerset.

Willow

Willow is a service dog that lives in Somerset.

My daughter suffers from POTS syndrome, connective tissue disease, IBS and a pain syndrome, the owner wrote. Willow never leaves her side. Willow is there comforting my daughter anytime she is having medical issues and demonstrates bravery when my daughter passes out and knows how to help wake her up and get her up off the floor.

Handsome is a service dog in Methuen.

Handsome

Handsome is a smooth collie and service dog in Methuen.

He has changed my life by providing tasks in order to make life livable, the owner wrote. Hes still in training but even with the fact that he is still learning he is doing so well and as he gets older he will be even better.

Rosie is a shelter dog from Melrose.

Rosie

Rosie is a shelter dog from Melrose who likes to get all dressed up for her birthday.

Rosie has had a hard life, the owner wrote. She was used for breeding in Kansas. She was not let out of her cage, had a mouth full of rotting teeth, was not socialized, and has never seen things that most dogs have seen.

OHara is from Canton.

OHara

OHara is the only dog in the guide/hearing dog section from Massachusetts. She is from Canton.

Once while crossing a street, I gave OHara her forward command, the owner wrote. While we were about halfway across the road, an oncoming car decided they no longer wanted to wait for us to fully cross ... Without hesitation, OHara pulled me safely to the curb with purpose. As I realized what had happened, I leaned down next to her crying. Hugging her, I thanked her for saving my life. If I had been using a white cane, this story may have ended differently.

Rookie is a service dog in Southbridge.

Rookie

Rookie is a service dog in Southbridge, and has saved his owner twice.

Once when I fell and broke my tailbone and was unable to feel below my waist for a period, he helped me get back to my home to call for help, the owner wrote. My family feels much better about the fact that I live alone, but not really with Rookie at my side. He truly is an Angel in golden fur.

Be sure to vote for your favorites.

Related Content:
Italian aircraft manufacturer Tecnam hosted a webinar with the leading general aviation (GA) experts on March 30 to explore the industrys role in COVID vaccine distribution.

The webinar, now available on YouTube, started with panelist introductions and a video presentation of Tecnams recently launched P2012 TRAVELCARE  a specialized aircraft solution for COVID vaccine transportation.

Panelists, moderated by Ian Seager, journalist at FLYER UK, then set the stage for discussion by outlining the main challenges COVID vaccine distribution systems face worldwide. These include the cold chain requirements, reaching remote areas, optimizing delivery times to fit the vaccines limited lifespan and selecting safe vaccination sites.

According to the Senior Vice President of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) Ryan Waguespack, small aircraft like these have been instrumental in delivering COVID vaccines to remote areas, including small islands in Michigan, rural veteran communities in Montana and isolated households in Alaska.

Describing the US distribution system, President of the Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) Stanley Bernstein said that it was almost business as usual thanks to the countrys very sophisticated supply chain.

According to Disaster Response and International Development Expert at Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Daniel Juzi, countries across Africa and South Asia have not been as reliant on small aircraft. Among the challenges these distribution systems have faced are the regulatory obstacles that inhibit private and NGO aircraft to participate. Juzi said that this is one of the reasons why most of these countries expect to receive vaccines only in the latter half of [20]22 and into [20]23.

The key insight that emerged from the webinar, however, was that general aviation is currently underutilized as a tool in crisis response and management worldwide.

General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Vice President of European Affairs Kyle Martin said that most European governments do not see general aviation as a useful logistical tool in their toolbox.

Editor In Chief at Future Aviation/Aerospace Workforce News Kathryn Creedy said:

[W]e need to formalize the participation of general aviation so that, in the future, if disasters happen or we have pandemics  which, in all probability we will []  we can get those people moving in a much more formal manner. Government authorities, health authorities, need to know that this is a resource that they have, and that the general aviation community will report before they are even asked. They are ready and willing to serve.

The panelists agreed that increasing the role of general aviation in crisis response and management, including COVID vaccine distribution as well as acting as an important resource in other natural disasters, will require joint action to educate governments, regional regulators and the public.

Martin concluded:

The benefits [of GA] are numerous and thats why GAMA is very proud to support the work that Tecnams doing here today and really showcasing the benefits that our industry can offer the world.

Tecnams General Manager Giovanni Pascale Langer closed the webinar stating that Tecnam is more than willing to invest even more in this subject.

Since the pandemic hit us, we have seen that everyone was playing [their] role. Today, we want to say out loud that general aviation is here to do the same. We have the power to bring advantages and help where nobody else can, said Pascale Langer.

Bernstein invited the panelists to continue to promote general aviation as a valuable tool in crisis response and to reflect on their progress at RACCAs next annual conference scheduled for October 26-28, 2021 in Arizona.

Tecnam Aircraft webinar panelists:



Giovanni Pascale Langer, Managing Director

Walter Da Costa, Chief Sales Officer

National Air Transportation Association (NATA) webinar panelist:

Ryan Waguespack, Senior Vice President

General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) webinar panelists:

Kyle Martin, Vice President  European Affairs

Cate Brancart, Manager, European Operations and Safety

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) webinar panelist:

Daniel Juzi, Disaster Response and International Development

Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) webinar panelists:

Stanley Bernstein, President

Kathryn Creedy, Editor In Chief at Future Aviation/Aerospace Workforce News

Webinar Moderator:

Ian Seager, author at Flyer Magazine UK

About Tecnam:

Tecnam is an Italian aircraft manufacturer with a global network of dealers and service centers. The company produces light general aviation next-generation piston aircraft with two to 11 seats for commercial operators, special mission, flight schools and private owners.
He's rapidly becoming one of the hottest new stars in Hollywood.

And on Thursday, it was reported that Anthony Ramos is in final talks to star in the revamped Transformers franchise at Paramount.

The New York-born actor, 29, will be the lead in the new movie being directed by Creed II helmer Steven Caple Jr., according to THR.com.

Lead role: The New York-born actor Anthony Ramos, 29, is set to star in the new Transformers movie being directed by Creed II helmer Steven Caple Jr., THR.com reports (pictured 2020)

Ramos first came to prominence as a member of the original cast of the musical Hamilton on Broadway.

He will next be seen in Hamilton star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut In The Heights, due out later this year.

In between, he had a supporting role in Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born with Lady Gaga, released in 2018, and in 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

THR.com reports that the search is currently underway for a female co-star for the new Transformers film.

Theatre background: Ramos first came to prominence as a member of the original Broadway cast of the musical Hamilton. He's pictured with Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda

Rising star: He will next be seen in Miranda's directorial debut In The Heights. The movie musical is due out later this year

In demand: Ramos had a supporting role in Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born with Lady Gaga, released in 2018 (pictured), and in 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters

The first Transformers movie bowed in 2007 and was directed by Michael Bay with Steven Spielberg serving as an executive producer.

Bay went on to direct four more films in the franchise, ending with Transformers: The Last Knight released in 2017.

After Bay departed the franchise, Paramount decided to revamp the Transformers brand and in 2018 the studio released Bumblebee.

Transformers has been one of the most successful products for Paramount, grossing more than $4 billion worldwide over the first five films, according to Deadline.com.

Hit: The first Transformers movie, directed by Michael Bay, bowed in 2007. Bay went on to direct four more films in the franchise, ending with 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight
Hyderabad, April 2 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday decided to constitute a nodal agency under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar for the integrated development of two districts surrounding Hyderabad.

The agency will try to find permanent solutions to the problems of Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri districts, which are developing fast and are integrated with Hyderabad.

At a high-level meeting on Friday, the Chief Minister said the agency will look after the problems of all the Assembly segments, municipalities and other important towns under these districts, take up construction of integrated veg and non-veg markets, town halls, laying of roads, developing the infrastructure like power, drinking water, cleanliness, repairing of the sewerages and drainages, and finding a permanent solution to the traffic and floods.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, asked the Chief Secretary to have meetings with the local ministers, MLAs, MLCs and officials of the departments concerned.

"A comprehensive plan should be prepared for the integrated development of these districts along with Hyderabad. People living in these districts, should get medical and educational facilities on par with Hyderabad. For this, local MLAs should prepare a plan based on the issues and needs in their constituencies," he said.

He said for the development of the infrastructure facilities, plans should be prepared in coordination with the officials concerned. "Have regular meetings under the chairmanship of the nodal officer and provide solutions to the problems. Public representatives should have at least one meeting per month with the CS. The nodal officer should review the program regularly. The government is ready to provide adequate funds for this," he said.
Strategic Japan is a CSIS Japan Chair initiative to introduce research from Japanese scholars highlighting potential areas for enhanced cooperation between the United States and Japan.

This year, the Japan Chair invited four scholars to examine various aspects of Japans relationship with China. What is the current state of Japan-China relations, and how might Japans approach affect U.S. strategy in Asia? Please join us for a discussion on their findings, moderated by Michael J. Green with comments by Matthew P. Goodman. - Center for Strategic & International Studies
As MoJ Issues another Lawsuit against Him

The electoral problems of embattle Lofa County Senator-elect has deepened as the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Justice has filed another writ of prohibition against him.

This is happening less than a week after citizens of Lofa County presented a check of ten thousands United States dollars (10,000.00) to the Clerk of Criminal Court "C" towards the restitution of US$1.3 million Armed Forces of Liberia Personal pension fund for which Mr. Brownie Samukai was accused of misusing.

The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Justice issued a writ of prohibition against Brownie Samukai to prevent him from certificated as senator elect of Lofa County was filed with the honorable court Tuesday, March 30, 2021.

The writ of prohibitions filed against him before the Supreme Court of Liberia is seeking to prevent Samukai's certification as well as taking seat as Senator-elect of Lofa County, one of Liberia's biggest vote rich counties.

A writ of prohibition has earlier been filed by the Movement for Progressive Change (MPC) at the nation's highest Court seeking to overturn the decision by the NEC to certificate Samukai who was found guilty on criminal charges in the tune of US$1.3 million.

Both petitioners are arguing that the law prevents a convicted person from ascending to any elected public position until after five years of serving his or her punishment and Samukai is no exception.

The Ministry of Justice said they as a Government entity cannot keep watching and that they must implement their objective to fight corruption by taking the lead.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Liberia Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The MOJ said that Senator-elect Brownie Samukai is a felon because he was convicted by the lower court before the Special Senatorial Elections and as such, he cannot take seat in the Senate.

The Court ruling in the former defense boss case gave him and others two options.

The option in the High Court's ruling says that," The appellants are all hereby sentenced to serve a term of two years each in a common jail. However, the sentences shall be suspended provided the appellants shall restitute the full amount of US$1,147.656.35 (One Million One Hundred Forty Seven Thousand Six Hundred Fifty Six 35/100 United States Dollars) or fifty percent thereof within six months and thereafter enter appropriate arrangements to pay the remaining portion in one calendar year. Shall the appellants fail or refuse to restitute as stated above, then and only then will the defendants be incarcerated in the common jail and remain therein until the full amount is paid or liquidated at the rate of US$25.00 per month as provided for by law."

With the new writ of prohibition against the former defense Minister, it means that his election headache has depeened as he remains a little far from taking his seat at the Liberian Senate.
Pipeline

1 April 2021

Hyatt announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered a franchise agreement with Metric Ventures LLC (which is owned by Mr. Murari Lal Jalan, Chairman at MJ Developers) for Hyatt Regency Bukhara. Slated to open in 2022, the 223-room hotel will be the second Hyatt Regency hotel in Uzbekistan and marks Hyatt's ambition to further strengthen its brand footprint in Central Asia.

Set to be located on a 6.78 acres (2.75 hectares) site just outside the historic city, Hyatt Regency Bukhara will connect guests seeking inspiring experiences with the mosques, madrasas and remains of old bazaars that the city is renowned for. The hotel is expected to attract international and domestic travelers alike, and with facilities including extensive food and beverage options and with a large event space, it will become a choice venue for weddings and other social events.

Located on the Silk Road, Bukhara has long served as a center of trade, scholarship, culture and religion. The architectural splendor of Bukhara has earned the Old Town its UNESCO World Heritage status, appealing to guests across the world who are interested in the vast Ark citadel or the elegant Bolo Haouz Mosque. Interesting local attractions include The Ismail Samani Mausoleum and the Kalyan Mosque, both of which will be easily accessible from the hotel.
The police bullets that took the life of an Asian American teen who suffered a mental health crisis in December have been ruled justified by the Monroe County District Attorney in Pennsylvania.State police fired seven shots that killed Christian Hall, 19, when he wound up on the bridge at the Route 33 southbound overpass over I-80 in Hamilton Township on Dec. 30.

Halls family said he was having a mental health crisis. Investigation revealed that the teen himself anonymously called 911.Police responded to find Hall standing on top of a concrete safety barrier, holding what appeared to be a semi-automatic firearm. As it turned out, the weapon was an airsoft pellet gun made to resemble a pistol.He doesnt jump, but he waits after he calls 911 for the troopers and at all times he acts like that gun he has is real and they certainly believe it, First Assistant District Attorney Mike Mancuso said, according to WBRE.The officers were able to convince Hall to put his weapon down, but he grabbed it back and walked 90 feet toward the police.

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One officer reportedly fired several rounds but did not hit Hall. The teen then raised his arms but did not drop his weapon. It was at that moment when the officers launched a second series of bullets that killed Hall -- which the DA says is justified. The use of against Christian Hall, deadly force by Pennsylvania State Police was justified under the circumstances due to Halls actions which created a threat of death or bodily injury, said Mancuso. The office also left a message for Halls parents. Were sorry for your loss, we cant imagine the impact that has had on you. We dont believe you should blame yourself for anything, along the lines of what happened, Mancuso said. CJ had a lot of mental health issues and in the end, they were too much for him.

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Lawyers of the Hall family held a press conference on Wednesday in response to the DAs investigation results. Attorney Devon Jacob called for more transparency. The ADA correctly stated that the use of force inquiry considers the totality of the circumstances without the benefit of hindsight. The totality of the circumstances, however, only includes information known to the troopers at the time when the force was used, Jacob said, according to the Pocono Record. Attorney Ben Crump, who is also representing George Floyds family, called Halls raising of hands as the universal sign of surrender. So why continue to shoot and kill a person whos put their hands up in surrender? he questioned. The Hall family is asking for the case to be referred to the office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro for an independent investigation. Feature Images via Ben Crump (left; screenshot), Gareth J. Hall (right)

Story continues

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Turkey: anti-ISIS raid, 12 arrests in Istanbul Jihadist suspects accused of sending money to conflict zones

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, 02 APR - New anti-ISIS raids took place on Friday morning in Turkey, where security forces arrested at least 12 suspected jihadists in Instabul, accused of having raised money to send it to conflict zones.



The raids were carried out simultaneously at 12 addresses in eight districts in the metropolis on the Bosphorus, according to Anadolu.



During the operations, authorities seized documents and digital material related to the self-styled Islamic State. (ANSAmed).




RIVERVIEW, MI  A man is facing 28 felony counts after he allegedly fired a semi-automatic rifle at police officers when they went to his home for a welfare check last week, authorities said.

Riverview Police officers responded around 3 p.m. on March 27 to a residence on Shenandoah Road for a welfare check of 31-year-old Daniel Ireland, according to a news release from the Wayne County Prosecutors Office. The officers found Irelands vehicle running outside the home. Ireland then allegedly emerged the from the house holding a semi-automatic rifle and wearing a tactical vest. He retreated inside then house and allegedly opened fire at the officers.

Ireland is charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, one count of discharge of a firearm at an occupied building, one count of felon in possession of a rifle, two counts of felon in possession of a pistol, one count of felon in possession of ammunition, two counts of felonious assault, one count of use of body armor during a violent felony, one count of malicious destruction of police property, one count of resisting and obstructing the police, and 14 counts of felony firearm, the release said.

Ireland was arraigned on March 30 in the 27th District Court in Riverview. He was granted a $1 million cash bond. His probable cause conference is set for 9 a.m. on Friday, April 9, in the 28th District Court in Southgate.

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U.S. welcomes EU-led meeting between Iran, world powers

Xinhua) 09:06, April 02, 2021

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain, and Iran will meet virtually on April 2 to discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA, the European Union said in a statement.

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Department of State said on Thursday that it welcomes the EU-led virtual meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) scheduled on Friday.

"We obviously welcome this as a positive step," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters during a press briefing.

"We have been clear for weeks now that we are ready to pursue a return to compliance with our JCPOA commitments, consistent with Iran also doing the same," said Price.

He noted that Washington talked with partners about the best way to achieve this objective, including through a series of initial mutual steps.

The European Union said in a statement earlier in the day that representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain, and Iran will meet virtually on April 2 to discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal.

The United States and Iran are in a standoff over reviving the nuclear deal. The Joe Biden administration said that if Iran returns to full compliance with the JCPOA, the United States would do the same. But Iran insisted its compliance would only take place once U.S. sanctions were removed.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the opening session of Iran's new parliament in Tehran, Iran, May 27, 2020. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday criticized Washington for the delay in re-embracing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, according to the state TV.

"This would mean a win-win bargain for the region and the entire world, which would benefit them. The Americans were not able to understand that, and they have failed to seize this golden opportunity," Rouhani said.

U.S. media earlier this week reported that the Biden administration planned to put forth a new proposal for Tehran as soon as this week to break the deadlock.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Politico said in a Monday piece that the proposal asks Iran to halt some of its nuclear activities in exchange for some relief from U.S. economic sanctions.

Washington withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and tightened sanctions on Iran under former President Donald Trump. In response to the U.S. moves, Iran suspended the implementation of parts of its obligations under the deal.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
People visit a Huawei booth during the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai on Feb. 23, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Huaweis Global Business Bruised by Trumps Sanctions

Chinese tech giant Huawei has conceded that U.S. sanctions have hurt its smartphone business after posting revenue declines in overseas markets on March 31.

Huawei was put on an export blacklist by then-U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019 and later barred from accessing critical technology of U.S. origin, affecting its ability to design its own chips and source components from outside vendors.

The ban put Huaweis handset business under immense pressure, with the company selling off its budget smartphone unit to a consortium of agents and dealers in November 2020 to keep it alive.

But growth in other parts of the business meant Huawei recorded a net profit of 64.6 billion yuan ($9.83 billion) for 2020, up 3.2 percentcompared to growth of 5.6 percent a year earlier.

On the impact of U.S. sanctions, Ken Hu, Huaweis rotating chairman, said, It has damaged us a lot.

In 2020, we saw a slowdown in the growth rate and life was not easy for us, Hu said at a news conference at Huawei headquarters in the southern city of Shenzhen on Wednesday.

Huaweis growth was driven by its home market, with revenue in China up by 15.4 percent to 584.9 billion yuan.

Its business declined everywhere else, with revenues down 12.2 percent to 180.8 billion yuan in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Revenues were down 8.7 percent to 64.4 billion yuan in the rest of Asia, and down 24.5 percent to 39.6 billion yuan from the Americas.

The Trump administration took a hardline on Huawei and other Chinese tech companies, saying their equipment could be used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to spy on Americans or disrupt communications networks. Chinese laws compel companies in the country to cooperate with CCP security agencies when asked.

Huawei has consistently denied having ties to the CCP, saying that it is a private company almost wholly-owned by employees. A trade union body owns 99.1 percent of the company, serving as a platform for more than 121,000 employees who own shares. A 2019 study, however, concluded that the shares, which are not like normal shares, do not give the employees real ownership rights.

Last year also saw a spate of countries bar Huawei, the worlds largest maker of telecom gear, from their 5G network rollouts amid a Trump administration effort warning countries of the security threats posed by China-based technology firms.

The Federal Communication Commission in December finalized rules requiring carriers using equipment from Huawei or ZTE, another Chinese telecom company, to rip and replace that equipment. It created a reimbursement program for that effort, and U.S. lawmakers in December approved $1.9 billion to fund the program.

Last month, the regulator designated five Chinese companies as posing a threat to national security: Huawei Technologies Co, ZTE Corp, Hytera Communications Corp, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co, and Dahua Technology Co.

Reuters contributed to this report.
During the covid-19 pandemic, food delivery app use has skyrocketed, as have weight gains. Advocacy groups say these two things are correlated: Third-party food delivery companies such as DoorDash and Uber Eats are not required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to display calories and nutrition information on online menus for foods from chain restaurants because of a legal loophole.

Any restaurant with more than 20 locations is required as part of the Affordable Care Act to display dishes' calories on print and digital menus, as well as to make other nutrition information available. These delivery apps were not prevalent when the menu labeling requirement was established.

Mary Story, a nutrition professor at Duke University's Global Health Institute, says recent research has shown that this amends people's ordering behaviors and frequently causes restaurant brands to reformulate foods in a healthier way.

Creating supermenus displaying all the restaurants and foods available, these third-party platforms use artificial intelligence and sophisticated algorithms to track consumers' lifetime purchases and make strategic "upsell" suggestions, additions that often increase calories consumed, according to Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. Sites and apps that do not offer calorie counts and nutrition information leaves consumers more vulnerable to persuasion, he says.

Consumer advocacy groups such as the American Heart Association, Consumer Reports and Center for Science in the Public Interest ask the FDA this week to close a loophole that has taken on greater significance during the pandemic as consumers' ordering habits have changed.

"Until the FDA issues interpretive guidance confirming that menus listed on third-party platforms are required to list nutrition information, many covered establishments will not do so, causing a gap in access to information," reads the group's letter, sent Thursday to Susan Mayne, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "This gap has become increasingly important as more Americans order meals through third-party platforms during the covid-19 pandemic."

About 80% of nonpizza digital orders early in the pandemic were done through an ordering platform such as DoorDash, Seamless, Grubhub and Uber Eats, according to market research firm NPD Group, which tracks restaurant spending.

Spicy fried chicken sandwiches, hefty beef burritos and other calorically dense foods have seen tremendous growth in popularity during the pandemic. An Axios-Ipsos survey in February asked about weight gain, finding that 32% of Americans say they recently added weight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says obesity worsens covid-19 outcomes and estimates that 30% of hospitalizations were attributed to obesity.

Brian Ronholm, the director of food policy at Consumer Reports, says the restaurant industry has always tried to find ways to hide this information and that before the menu labeling requirements went into effect in May 2018, many restaurants wanted to keep the information online somewhere but not put it on menus.

"The pushback from FDA is that there may be more important enforcement issues right now, but information like this is going to be more important than ever," he said.

In statement from the FDA, the agency says it recognizes that the dining landscape has changed considerably since the menu labeling requirements became law, especially with the rise of third-party websites and delivery apps to provide convenient options for ordering to dine at home.

"Third-party ordering websites were not covered in the ACA language, so they are not required to comply," said an FDA spokeswoman. "They could comply voluntarily if they choose to."

McDonald's has chosen to post calorie and nutrition information across its restaurants and digital platforms, as well as third-party delivery platforms. Ronholm noted as much as evidence that other restaurants could easily do this but elect not to.

Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats spokeswomen said their companies' platforms allow restaurants to post calorie counts and nutrition information in the description fields on menu items. Most do not. Seamless did not respond to requests for comment.

Asked about the consumer groups' request that the FDA close this loophole, Campbell Matthews, a DoorDash spokeswoman, said, "We welcome the opportunity to engage with policymakers and stakeholders on this and other important issues impacting our industry."

Eva Greenthal, senior science policy associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says that the responsibility is on both the restaurants and the third-party platforms, and that if dishes are not labeled as per the law, they are "misbranded."

"The law is explicit in saying that menus posted on the Internet are included, it's unambiguous," she said. "We have this great public-health legislation in place that should help consumers make healthy choices - the law was written with that intention. But now that most people are online ordering, the law will not have its intended effect."

According to an FDA regulatory impact analysis, healthier consumer behaviors arising from the ACA menu labeling policy change was expected to yield a net savings of $8 billion in health-care costs over 20 years.

Chester says these third-party ordering apps combine powerful profiling of consumers with effective predictions in how to sell them more.

"They are constantly gathering data and analyzing what you and your friends do, in order to increase basket size, increase sales, and make you order more than you otherwise would," he said. "What the FDA really should do is open up an investigation with the Federal Trade Commission, but at the very least there should be a real-time notice that what you're about to order totals 1,800 calories, that this bucket of chicken and fries is the equivalent to your daily calorie count."

Chester notes DoorDash's language about optimizing spending with machine learning: "The first building block our marketing optimization system needs is an understanding of how every new user came to DoorDash. Which ads did they interact with on their journey to becoming a DoorDash customer? . . . Our channel partners provide us data for which DoorDash customers converted through their channel. . . . Switching to an machine learning-based lifetime value model so that we can optimize our spend for users' total lifetime value rather than for one-time conversions."

Chester says that these are "highly addictive tools" and that the platforms use information about customers to manipulate their purchases.

"In fact, these apps are smarter than you," he said. "If these apps are the back door to even more obesity in the U.S., then at the very least the FDA should come in and say that nutrition information has to be in the foreground."
United Nations:

Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that US officials have failed to provide any evidence to prove that Moscow interfered in the American presidential race.

Instead, he suggested, the allegations had been invented by former president Barack Obamas small-hearted and vengeful administration to poison future US-Russian ties.

They put this time bomb in US-Russia relations. I did not expect that from a Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lavrov told reporters at the United Nations on Thursday.

Lavrov said that he had asked US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to provide proof that the Kremlin had covertly intervened to support Donald Trumps campaign.

Tillerson replied that the evidence was part of a confidential investigation, Lavrov claimed, scorning the idea and suggesting any real proofs would have been leaked.

And now the immense potential of our bilateral relationship stands there in vain, and our relations are contracting due to Russophobic hysteria, Lavrov complained.

US officials said that a bilateral meeting between Tillerson and Lavrov had focused on improving coordination between the US and Russian militaries in Syria to avoid inadvertent clashes.

A US special prosecutor, Robert Mueller, has launched a wide-ranging inquiry into allegations that Russian President Vladimir Putin intervened to back Trump.

The Kremlin allegedly favored the business mogul over his opponent Hillary Clinton, who had backed sanctions against Russia for rights abuses and interference in Ukraine.

US officials think Russian agents hacked email accounts associated with Clintons campaign and leaked damaging information, amplified online by an army of paid trolls.

Russia has fiercely denied this. But Muellers inquiry has destabilized US politics, angered Trump and contributed to a deep chill in ties between Washington and Moscow.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Namibia has condemned, the killing of dozens of innocent people in the town of Palma and neighbouring areas in Mozambique, the Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said in an issued statement on Wednesday.

According to reports, amongst those killed include South African and British nationals and the Ministry has not received any reports of Namibians killed in these attacks thus far.

"Our government extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this heinous attack," she added.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said the security situation in Mozambique has been a source of concern for the last few years, and SADC countries had resolved to deal with this matter, but the COVID pandemic had stalled any meaningful engagement.

"SADC is seized with the matter and is engaging the government of Mozambique to ascertain the best way to support the country, and work has been ongoing in this regard. It is hoped that in the near future, cooperation in this regard will be finalized in order to restore stability and security in the Mozambique, for the sake of peace in the Region," she added.

Meanwhile, Mozambique has not just faced security threats, but also natural disasters due to cyclones and floods.

Compounded with the COVID pandemic, there has been a huge toll on the government of Mozambique, which needs the support of SADC and the AU to address these dangers, she concluded.
BATON ROUGE, LA  Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich are leading a 22-state coalition defending the Second Amendment rights of American citizens.

Louisiana, Arizona, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming are filing a legal brief at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Duncan v. Rodriquez  a challenge of Californias unconstitutional ban on extremely common magazines for firearms.

California is trying to turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals simply for owning the magazines that come standard to many of the most popular firearms in our country, said Attorney General Jeff Landry. As radical leftist lawmakers in California and beyond persist in their attempts to legislatively overrule our constitutional rights, I will continue to stand strong in defense of our right to keep and bear arms.

In the amicus brief, Attorney General Landry and his colleagues note that California Penal Code 32310 violates the Second Amendment: This Court, therefore, should not apply a balancing approach  like strict scrutiny or intermediate scrutiny  to a ban on arms commonly used by law abiding citizens for lawful purposes. Such an approach would be inconsistent with the decisions of the Supreme Court in Heller, McDonald, and Caetano.

If California is successful in asking the federal courts to ignore the Constitution, the legal decision could affect Louisianans and all Americans right to protect themselves.

The enumerated right to bear arms reflected in the Second Amendment is fundamental and predates the Bill of Rights. The right is important to millions of Americans, including many of our most vulnerable citizens living in disadvantaged communities. The arms at issue in these proceedings are commonly used by millions of law-abiding citizens for a myriad of lawful purposes, added the attorneys general.
Hydro Plant celebrates 40 years service

Manx Utilities Sulby Hydro-electric station is celebrating a milestone of service to the Island.

The renewable energy power station located in the Tholt-y-Will quarry has been helping the Isle of Man play its role in addressing climate change for 40 years.

The station comprises two turbines that were commissioned in 1981 and 1983 and since that time have produced more than 120 Gigawatt hours (120 million kWh) of sustainable energy for the Island. The equivalent diesel generation would require 30 million litres of fuel or around 1,500 road tanker deliveries which would produce 80,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

In an average year, the station contributes over 3 Gigawatt hours of energy to the Manx grid which is enough to power 1,000 homes. The majority of this energy is consumed by commercial customers who have an operational model which requires the use of green energy.

The station is fed utilising the top four metres of water from Sulby reservoir during the winter period and in spring that is reduced to the first metre to help protect the Islands drinking water stock for the drier months of the year. The station runs two 600 kilowatt water turbines which are monitored and controlled remotely by engineers or from the central control room within Pulrose Power Station, to ensure full availability, when required.

Chairman of Manx Utilities, Tim Baker MHK said: Climate Change is a top priority for Government and Manx Utilities are playing a leading part in helping our Island to transition away from fossil fuels and embrace renewable generation, whilst ensuring we continue to maintain security of supplies for our customers. The UK-IOM power interconnector, the gas fired power station and the Sulby Hydro station have all contributed hugely to the reduction of the Islands carbon footprint. The hydro station will contribute to our sustainable smarter living future plans, and I would like to pay tribute to our water and electricity teams who provide both locally sourced green energy and high quality water supplies to our customers.

In addition to the Sulby Hydro station, a turbine at Sulby Water Treatment Works has been reducing energy consumption since commissioning in 2013. The water turbine on site generates approximately 40% of the electricity required to treat water at the plant.
The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has explained why the Ameri Power Plant is being relocated from Aboadze to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.



According to GRIDCo, the move is to help use the 250 megawatts plant to stabilise the power situation in the central part of Ghana.



Bui Power Authority (BPA) or the Bui Hydroelectric Power Plant happens to be the only power generation plant which is located in the central part of Ghana.



All the other generating power plants are located in the southern and coastal parts of Ghana.



Bui supplies the central part and the rest of the load is met by generation from down south.



At a press briefing on Thursday [April 1, 2021] to give an update on the electric power situation in the country in the wake of complaints of intermittent outages in some parts of Ghana especially in Kumasi and Accra, the Director of System Operations at GRIDCo, Mr Mark Baah said "currently, we have had to shut down the Bui plant because of the low level of water in the dam."



In view of this, every power that Ghana requires from the southern parts up to Bolgatanga, Wa, everything has to come from the coast, down south upwards towards the north.



Interruptions



He said since the beginning of the year, there has been some power interruptions in the network.



Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021

This, he said is primarily due to the fact that the transmission system in particular has some "weaknesses, which we are trying to address but have not finished yet."



"So we have had intermittent outages, sometimes transmission lines tripping off from the south western part of the country, affecting the entire system particularly Kumasi and this culminated in the entire system collapse on March 7, 2021".



"Beyond this, Ashanti Region and in particular Kumasi has been experiencing intermittent outages particularly in the evening during peak times and all this is basically because of the fact that our power system has grown in terms of demand."



Mr Baah said: "In fact, for the first time this year, we have crossed 3000 megawatts in terms of demand. At the moment, there is no generation plant in the central part of Ghana. All the power needed is generated from the coastal parts of Ghana.



Kumasi



"Kumasi happens to be the major central point within the system, heavy load. By the time the power gets to Kumasi, the voltage is so low, when voltages are low, you switch on your light and it is almost dim. Normally people call it low current, it is actually called low voltage, the voltage becomes so low and if we dont do anything about it to prop up the voltage, the entire system will collapse.



"So it happens that during the evenings, during peak hours when the voltages are so low, sometimes weve resorted to taking off some figures particularly in Kumasi in order to prop up the voltages, so you will have Kumasi continue to experience this outage situation.



"Weve noted that inherent problem and there was a partial solution whereby we moved one transformer from Accra to Kumasi, but this is not the entire solution.:



To address the Kumasi problem, he said the Kumasi-Kintampo project is being built and will be completed by July 2021.



Why Ameri is going to Kumasi



He said as they analyzed, they saw that it is best to get a generator around Kumasi, "so the Ministry [of Energy] has taken a decision that the Ameri Power Plant, should be moved to Kumasi. So efforts are being put in place to ensure that gas infrastructure is sent to Kumasi to feed the Ameri Power Plant once tht project is done. So when this is completed, our system will become even more resilient, Mr Baah said.





Source: graphiconline.com









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Dear Worried: If Alberts behavior is as extreme as you describe, you should take a very serious look at your own capacities and willingness to cope with such a noisy and intellectually unfulfilling partnership over the long term.
The first farm business has been successfully connected under the National Broadband Plan, it has been announced.

National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company delivering the new, high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home network on behalf of the Government said

Agricultural consultant Tom Canning, located in Crossdoney, Co Cavan, is the first farm business to be connected.

Under the National Broadband Plan, over 544,000 premises nationwide are included in the "intervention area", which was established by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to identify areas where commercial operators are not currently providing access to high-speed broadband or do not intend to.

The project sees NBI delivering minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to farms, homes, businesses and schools.

As the president of the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) and managing director of Canning Consultants, a farm consultancy business, Mr Canning says he expects to benefit hugely from a high-speed fibre connection.

"We are delighted to be the first farm business to be connected under the National Broadband Plan.

"The need for the farming community to be connected to a high-speed network is vital as administration and the day-to-day running of a farm has moved online.

"For the purpose of my farm consultancy business, I also need a reliable network connection so I can effectively operate business from a rural base and I am already seeing the benefits from this connection. From speaking with others in the farming community, the NBP will benefit them hugely.

National Broadband Ireland said a reliable, high-speed broadband connection "has never been so important" for Irelands farming community, as the agricultural sector has experienced an accelerated adoption of technological advances in recent years.

"Not only are essential business operations increasingly moving online, but farmers are utilising new technologies such as smart-farming devices to maximise production and realise significant efficiencies.

"The Covid-19 pandemic also gave rise to the growing trend of virtual mart auctions, allowing farmers to trade livestock effectively online.

"As an industry with a heritage of innovation, farmers have embraced the benefits of technology to achieve cost savings, reduce administration and access information in order to improve livestock management; all making reliable, high-speed broadband essential to their future success," a spokesperson stated.

Farmers, along with residents and businesses will be able to order their connections through a number of retail service providers (RSPs) who will offer services over the network.

As a wholesale provider, NBI has said it will make the new Fibre-to-the-Home network available to all RSPs operating in the intervention area.

Some 42 RSPs have already signed up to sell services on the NBI network and 17 are certified as ready to start providing connections as of today.

Environment, Climate and Communications Minister Eamon Ryan said: "Today marks another major milestone in the rollout of the National Broadband Plan as we see one of the first farms connected.

"Reliable access to high speed broadband will help farmers as they use agricultural technology to maximise efficiencies, diversify into more sustainable forms of farming, produce energy and run their day-to-day business operations."




RTHK: US, Iran eye indirect talks on nuclear programme

The United States and Iran said on Friday that they would begin indirect talks with other major world powers to try to get both countries back into an accord limiting Irans nuclear programme, nearly three years after President Trump pulled the US out of the deal.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the resumption of negotiations, scheduled for Tuesday in Austria, a healthy step forward. But Price added, These remain early days, and we dont anticipate an immediate breakthrough as there will be difficult discussions ahead.

Agreement on the start of multiparty talks  being held to get Iran and the United States over their differences on conditions for returning to the 2015 nuclear deal  came after talks on Thursday brokered by other countries in the accord.

Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, and President Joe Biden has said rejoining the agreement is a priority for his administration. The Biden administration and Iran have differed on any conditions for that to happen, including the timing of the lifting of US sanctions against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif immediately stressed that no meeting was planned between officials from Iran and the US.

In a tweet, Zarif said the aim of the Vienna session would be rapidly finalize sanction-lifting & nuclear measures for choreographed removal of all sanctions, followed by Iran ceasing remedial measures. (AP)

This story has been published on: 2021-04-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Tran Hai Dang, deputy director of the Vietnam Institute of Musicology, says that many students are familiar with the western guitar, violin and piano but lack knowledge about traditional Vietnamese instruments.

To address the problem, the Institute of Musicology under the Vietnam National Academy of Music for many years has been working with schools to organize excursions to the institute to learn about and hear performances with traditional music instruments.

In special extracurricular lessons, students can learn about traditional music instruments of every ethnic group, and see artists perform and practice playing the instruments.

Folk songs to familiar childrens songs sound new and interesting when played with traditional musical instruments such as tam thap luc (Vietnamese hammer dulcimer with 36 metal strings) or dan bau (mochord).

The students excitement at hearing these performances showed that the special lessons aroused their curiosity and willingness to discover more about these instruments.

Pham Van Khang, headmaster of Phu Do Secondary School in Hanoi, said each lesson lasts 1.5 or 2 hours. The excursions to the music institute take more time than a lesson at school which lasts 45 minutes, but they are more effective.

Bringing music into school helps students have practical experience that aids the preservation and promotion of Vietnams cultural heritage values.

Students know the organ and piano better than traditional musical instruments. I think it is necessary to help students learn how to use traditional instruments. This will remind students of their roots and development periods of the country, increasing Vietnamese pride and patriotism, he said.

Nguyen Lan Huong, a music teacher of Cat Linh Secondary School in Hanoi, said the success with exposing students to traditional performances was "beyond expectations".

At school, students have only one lesson of music each week. In textbooks, knowledge about both cultural heritage and traditional musical instruments remains modest.

As a result, many students make mistakes when talking about musical instruments or naming the instruments.

Huong noted young people will be the future audiences for traditional music.

The popularization of traditional music means protection of our national culture. This will help solve the problem of people not being able to give the correct name of Vietnamese traditional instruments, Huong said.

The Institute of Musicology organizes periodic meetings where the participants are general school students as well as university students, both Vietnamese and foreign, and postgraduates who want to learn about traditional musical instruments.

Dang said the institute uses different methods for different groups to help them approach music in the most effective way.

Many students are familiar with the western guitar, violin and piano but lack knowledge about traditional Vietnamese instruments.

He said that he discovered during a meeting with secondary school students in Hanoi that only 30 percent of students had basic knowledge about some musical instruments. He said this was understandable because they had had almost no contact with traditional music.

The excursions like the ones organized by the institute and general schools will give students opportunities to experience traditional musical instruments and view artists performances.

Vietnam had more than 100 traditional musical instruments used by 54 ethnic groups. With such a variety, leaders of the institute and teachers did not have high expectations that students would want to learn.

We thought that it would be difficult for students to listen to traditional musical instruments, especially when modern music is developing brilliantly, Dang explained.

However, they changed their minds after meeting the students.

We realized that many students wanted to learn more about these musical instruments. We were more surprised when schools organized more trips to conservatories and musical instrument showrooms, he said.

We hope that in the future many young people will follow the path of professional traditional music, he said.

Dang Thi Hoai Thu from the Institute of Musicology said the institute is trying to introduce traditional music to youth in a creative way. For example, musicians will play contemporary music with folk materials and instruments, as many artists from other countries do.

Giao Duc

The connection" between traditional and modern music In recent years, Vietnamese music lovers have witnessed the birth of many works combining traditional and modern music.
SAGINAW, MI  A Saginaw County jury deliberated for only about a half-hour before finding a man guilty of murdering his pregnant girlfriend and mother of his child.

Around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 1, jurors in the trial of Patrick A. Martin Jr. delivered their verdicts, finding the 29-year-old defendant guilty of all seven counts he faced: first-degree felony murder, assaulting a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth, felon in possession of a firearm, witness intimidation, and three counts of felony firearm.

The jury deliberated for about 35 minutes before sharing their results. Martin was seated by defense attorney William D. White and appeared to remain calm and stoic as the verdicts were read aloud, one by one.

A conviction of first-degree felony murder comes with a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The convictions stem from the March 1, 2019, shooting death of 26-year-old MoeNeisha M. Simmons-Ross, who suffered a lone gunshot wound to her head inside her second-story apartment at 2725 Weiss St. on Saginaws West Side.

MoeNeisha Ross was just a kind-hearted, truly innocent victim who didnt deserve this, Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Blair N. Stevenson told MLive after the trial ended. She had three young beautiful children and was robbed of the opportunity of seeing them grow up.

MoeNeisha M. Simmons-Ross

Stevenson tried the case on behalf of the people.

I completely agree with jurys results, he continued. Im thankful to the victims family for working with me through this process and being understanding during these times of COVID, with the system not operating as it usually does.

Martins trial was held in the Red Room of The Dow Event Center, to allow for more social distancing amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus spread and effect on the courts has delayed numerous trials over the past year, Martins among them.

During the trial, Martins younger sister, Ariana A. Feltson, testified Simmons-Ross had picked up Martin from an adult group home he resided on the afternoon of March 1, 2019. They, Feltson, and Simmons-Ross three kids drove around Saginaw running errands, during which Martin was acting paranoid, believing people were chasing him, Feltson testified.

Simmons-Ross had bought a 9mm pistol two days before her death. As the group ran their errands, Martin and Simmons-Ross argued over the gun and its ammunition, Feltson said.

That evening, they all arrived at Simmons-Ross apartment. Martin took the new pistol into the shower with him, Feltson said.

She was like, Give me the gun so you dont rust it out, Feltson said. He didnt really have a response.

Later, Martin went to leave the apartment and Simmons-Ross stood in front of him, blocking his exit so he would not leave with her gun.

I heard her ask for the gun again, Feltson said. She was like, Give me the gun back twice. And then it was, Youre not about to leave with my gun and he was like, Yeah, I am. Watch this.

Feltson then heard a boom and sat straight up on the living room couch she was on.

She was at the front door, laying there, she said. I seen him going out the door and he turned around and he was starting to cry.

In his opening statement, Assistant Prosecutor Stevenson said police arrested Martin the day after the shooting. They found Simmons-Ross handgun near him, he added.

Regarding the witness intimidation charge, that stems from Martin writing letters to Feltson from jail, encouraging her not to testify and offering to buy her things if she did not snitch on me.

Defense attorney White argued throughout the trial that the shooting had been accidental and that Martin had no intent to kill Simmons-Ross. Martin did not testify in his own behalf and White did not call any witnesses.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Kanu Virani, who performed the autopsy on Simmons-Ross remains, testified he did not find the shooting to have been accidental.

Martin is to remain in custody at the Saginaw County Jail until sentencing by Saginaw County Circuit Judge Manvel Trice III. The date of that sentencing is pending.

Martins father and namesake, 50-year-old Patrick A. Martin Sr., is currently imprisoned for the rest of his life for two unrelated murders. The first is the 2002 killing of Kevin Amos Jr., 19, in Saginaw County and the second is the 2009 killing of Debra K. Kukla in Bay City.

The elder Martin is incarcerated at the Kinross Correctional Facility in the Upper Peninsula. Chris Gautz, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections, said it is automatic for immediate family members not to be housed at the same facility.

Read more:

Pregnant Saginaw mother died from purposeful gunshot wound to head, says pathologist in murder trial

Woman testifies she was in the room when her brother allegedly shot, killed his pregnant girlfriend

Trial to begin for Saginaw man accused of killing woman pregnant with his child

Woman testifies her brother shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend in Saginaw

Saginaw man accused of killing pregnant girlfriend found fit for trial - again

Man charged in shooting death of pregnant woman
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

A recent market study published by the company Neurovascular Guidewires Market: Global Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028, consists of an inclusive assessment of the most important market dynamics on Cytomegalovirus with assessed medications. The company has done some direct research on the principle structure of the neurovascular guidewires market.

A direct market overview provides the growth scenarios and market potential with maximum precision, and adjudged with suitable assumptions. The report features unique and relevant factors that may have a huge impact on the development of the neurovascular guidewires market during the forecast period. This report includes a detailed and considerable amount of inclusion, which would help new manufacturers with the most comprehensive way for better understanding

Chapter 1  Executive Summary

The report commences with the executive summary of the neurovascular guidewires market report, which includes a summary of the key findings and key statistics of the market. It also includes the market value (US$ million) for leading segments in the neurovascular guidewires market.

Request a Sample of this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3121

Chapter 2  Market Introduction and Overview

Readers can find a detailed market structure and definition of neurovascular guidewires and product types, in this chapter, which helps in understanding the basic information such as market dynamics, key players, pricing analysis and regulation policies included in the report about the neurovascular guidewires market. The definition section considers the factors included and excluded for the purpose of this report.

Chapter 3  Neurovascular Guidewires Market: Key Trend

Key pointers and factor which Impacting the market and other innovation for diagnostic reagent are also included in this neurovascular guidewires market report.

Chapter 4  Neurovascular Guidewires Market: Key Success Factor

Key pointers such as reimbursement and regulatory scenario are also included in this neurovascular guidewires market report.

Chapter 5  Neurovascular Guidewires Market: Pricing Analysis

Manufacturer level pricing and distributor level pricing for guidewires are included in this neurovascular guidewires market report.

Chapter 6- Market Background

Readers can find the outlook of the global neurovascular guidewires market, considering various factors associated with the growth, which would help in tracking the markets current scenario, with key inferences drawn from historical data, current trends, and future prospects. Macro-economic factors influencing the market are also discussed in this segment. A brief understanding of the global healthcare sector is also provided in this section

Chapter 7  Global Neurovascular Guidewires Market Analysis 2013-2017 & Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028 by Product Type

Based on product class, the neurovascular guidewires market has been segmented into shapeable tip guidewiress, straight tip guidewiress, angled tip guidewiress, and round curve tip guidewiress. Readers can find detailed information regarding market key trends, developments and market attractive analysis in the neurovascular guidewires market based on product type.

Chapter 8  Global Neurovascular Guidewires Market Analysis 2013-2017 & Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028 by Application

This chapter summarizes the information regarding, market key trends, advancement in product innovations and developments for the neurovascular guidewires market based on application. The neurovascular guidewires market has been segmented on the basis of application into arteriovenous malformations, intracranial and extra-cranial angioplasty, aneurysms, minimally invasive spine surgery, and cerebral angiography.

Chapter 9  Global Neurovascular Guidewires Market Analysis 2013-2017 & Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028 by Coating Type

This chapter summarizes the information regarding, market key trends, advancement in product innovations and developments for the neurovascular guidewires market based on coating type. The neurovascular guidewires market has been segmented on the basis of coating into hydrophilic guidewires and hydrophobic guidewires.

Chapter 10  Global Neurovascular Guidewires Market Analysis 2013-2017 & Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028 by End User

The neurovascular guidewires market, on the basis of end user, has been segmented into hospitals, laboratories, research institutes, biopharmaceutical companies and others. Based on the distribution channel, readers can find thorough information regarding market key trends, market attractive analysis and developments in the neurovascular guidewires market.

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Chapter 11  Global Neurovascular Guidewires Market Analysis 2013-2017 & Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028 by Region

This chapter provides detailed information regarding the current growth scenario of the neurovascular guidewires market across many geographic regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, South Asia, East Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA).

Chapter 12- Market Dynamics

This chapter highlights the key market dynamics, including drivers, restraints, opportunities, and trends. In this chapter, readers can understand factors that are propelling the growth of the market, along with factors that may deter the growth of the market. Also, readers will understand the key trends followed by leading manufacturers in the neurovascular guidewires market.

Chapter 13 North America Neurovascular Guidewires Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028

This chapter includes detailed analysis of the growth being observed in the North Americas neurovascular guidewires market, along with country-wise assessment for the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find information on regional trends, regulations and market growth based on product type, application and end user and countries in North America.

Chapter 14  Latin America Neurovascular Guidewires Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028

This chapter includes detailed analysis of the growth of the Latin America neurovascular guidewires market, along with a country-wise assessment, including Brazil, Mexico and Rest of Latin America. Market attractiveness based on various segments is provided for the Latin American region.

Chapter 15  Europe Neurovascular Guidewires Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028

Important growth prospects of the neurovascular guidewires market can be found with market attractiveness based on product type, application and end user. European countries such as the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Russia and rest of Western Europe are included in this chapter for industry analysis.

Chapter 16  South Asia Neurovascular Guidewires Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028

India, Thailand & Indonesia, Malaysia and rest of South Asia are the leading countries/regions in the South Asia that are assessed to obtain the growth prospects of the South Asia neurovascular guidewires market in this chapter. Readers can find thorough information about the growth parameters. Market attractiveness based product type, application, and end user for neurovascular guidewires in the South Asia region is also provided in this section.

Chapter 17  East Asia Neurovascular Guidewires Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028

China, Japan and South Korea are the leading countries/regions in the East Asia that are assessed to obtain the growth prospects of the East Asia neurovascular guidewires market in this chapter. Readers can find thorough information about the growth parameters. Market attractiveness based product type, application, and end user for neurovascular guidewires in the East Asia region is also provided in this section

Chapter 18  Oceania Neurovascular Guidewires Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028

Australia and New Zealand are the leading countries/regions in the Oceania that are assessed to obtain the growth prospects of the Oceania neurovascular guidewires market in this chapter. Readers can find thorough information about the growth parameters. Market attractiveness based product type, application, coating type and end user for neurovascular guidewires in the Oceania region is also provided in this section.

Chapter 19  MEA Neurovascular Guidewires Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028

This chapter provides information on how the neurovascular guidewires market will grow in major countries of the MEA region, such as Saudi Africa, GCC Countries, and Rest of MEA, during the period 2018-2028.

Request for Report Ask A Question @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-3121

Chapter 20  Competitive Assessment

This chapter includes a comprehensive list of all the leading manufacturers in the neurovascular guidewires market, along with detailed information about each company, including company overview, revenue share, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Market players featured in the report include Boston Scientific Corporation, Medtronic, Penumbra Inc., Stryker, Asahi Intecc Co. Ltd, Integer Holding Corporation, Cordis Corporation, CONMED Corporation, phenox GmbH, and Integer Holding Corporation among others.

Chapter 21  Assumptions and Acronyms Used

This section consists of a glossary of the assumptions and acronyms used in the neurovascular guidewires market report.

Chapter 22  Research Methodology

This chapter helps readers understand the research methodology that is followed to obtain various conclusions, important qualitative information, and quantitative information about the neurovascular guidewires market.
There were growing cries Thursday night to release the body camera video of a 13-year-old boy being shot and killed by Chicago police early Monday morning, CBS Chicago reports. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) said Thursday it will be awhile before anyone in the public can see the video.

But Adam Toledo's family will get to watch it whether it is released or not.

The video will be crucial in clearing the air.

Early Monday morning, officers responded to a SpotShotter alert of multiple shots fired in an alley. Grainy surveillance video shows officers pulling up and getting out, but what played out next is only captured on police body cameras.

Police said Toledo and a 21-year-old man were in an alley. According to COPA, both ran and were chased by officers on foot.

Related: Four held hostage in Chicago suburb

The man, identified by police as Ruben Roman Jr., 21, of Chicago, was caught and later charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.

But the teen was shot. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said it was a single bullet to the chest.

In the early part of the investigation, a Chicago police spokesperson tweeted a picture of a gun officers said was found at the scene that night.

Officers observed two subjects in a nearby alley, one subject fled on foot which resulted in an armed confrontation. One subject shot and killed. 2nd subject in custody. Gun recovered on scene. COPA investigating. #ChicagoPolice pic.twitter.com/bn7o2deAGS

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

But police never mentioned that the person they shot was 13 years old. Instead, that information was released three days later by COPA and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

CBS Chicago says it was only then that tweets from police Superintendent David Brown speak about the young victim. In a statement, Brown said, "We fully support the investigation being conducted by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), and adamantly call for the release of any and all video, including body-worn camera footage, related to the incident, as permitted by laws pertaining to juveniles."

Story continues

Mayor Lori Lightfoot followed, saying, "Because his family and the public will undoubtedly have many questions, we must release any relevant videos as soon as possible. Recognizing that these are the most complex cases that COPA investigates, transparency and speed are crucial."

She also tweeted, "As a mother of a 13-year-old myself, I can only imagine the incredible pain this boy's parents are experiencing at this moment. My heart goes out to them.

"The facts and the circumstances around this case are under investigation, but we must ask ourselves how our social safety net failed this boy leading up to the tragic events in the early hours of Monday morning.

"While the investigation is ongoing it is critically important that COPA release relevant videos first to the family, and then to the public, as quickly as possible, with appropriate protections, given his age."

Neither COPA nor the CPD have said whether Toledo had the gun, pointed it at officers or fired a shot. But police insist the officer feared for his safety.

COPA said it's working all legal avenues to get the video released, but laws regarding juveniles prohibit it.

Toldeo's family set up a GoFundMe account to pay for his funeral expenses. As of Friday morning, they'd raised $9,000 of their $15,000 goal.

Hunter Biden: "For real, I dont know" if laptop at center of controversy is authentic

Hunter Biden opens up about emotional exchange with his dad during intervention

"60 Minutes+" investigates violence against AAPI community
The Irish economy will stage a gradual recovery this year but as many as 100,000 people already among the worst hit by the pandemic will not get their jobs back anytime soon, the Central Bank has warned.

Predicting a two-speed recovery, the Central Bank has, for the first time, put numbers on the long-term scar from the Covid crisis on unemployment.

It warns that the sectors worst affected by the health restrictions could take years to recover.

Mark Cassidy, director of economics at the Central Bank, said most of the 445,000 people who currently rely on pandemic unemployment payments will get back to work, but many face longer-term unemployment, even when the Covid restrictions end.

The Central Bank estimates that 100,000 people who were working before the onset of the pandemic will not get back to work this year, and 80,000 people who otherwise would be working will still be unemployed in 2022.

Unemployment, currently at 24%, will average 8% next year but it will be 2023 "at the earliest" before it returns to pre-crisis levels of 5%, the Central Bank predicts.

Mr Cassidy also outlined the two-speed nature of the Covid crisis in which some parts of the economy have continued to expand and accumulate savings, while younger workers, part-time workers, female workers, and non-Irish workers in the most exposed parts of the economy have been disproportionately affected.

The Central Bank said that with consumption levels already back at pre-crisis levels, some 5bn of overall excess savings could be unleashed to support consumption in the coming years.

It cautions, however, that the domestic economy may not likely tap the full bounty of the savings.

On paying for Covid, the Central Bank hasnt ruled out the Government needing to hike taxes in the coming years, if some debt-financed spending increases become permanent.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- If you walk with your spouse or partner on a regular basis, you might want to speed up. Or tell them to.

A new study by Purdue University nursing, health and kinesiology, and human development and family studies researchers shows that couples often decreased their speed when walking together. Speed further decreased if they were holding hands.

The study looked at walking times and gait speeds of 141 individuals from 72 couples. The participants ranged from age 25-79 and were in numerous settings, including clear or obstacle-filled pathways, walking together, walking together holding hands and walking individually.

"In our study, we focused on couples because partners in committed relationships often provide essential support to promote one another's healthy lifestyle behaviors, including exercise," says Melissa Franks, associate professor of human development and family studies.

Libby Richards, associate professor of nursing, says, "We were hoping that there would not be a reduction in speed where partners walked together. We hoped that slower partners would speed up to match the faster partner, but that was not the case. However, it's important to note that any physical activity or walking - regardless of speed - is better than none."

Richards says it is common for people to walk or exercise with a spouse, partner or friend, as it increases one's likelihood to be active, especially as Americans are encouraged to meet a goal of 150 minutes of moderate activity every week.

"If someone substantially slows down when they are walking with someone else, that could negate some of the health benefits recognized if they walked alone at a faster pace," Richards says.

Shirley Rietdyk, professor of health and kinesiology who specializes in biomechanics, says there are many reasons to measure gait speed.

"Gait speed is important to measure because it is related to overall health. Typical gait speed is predictive of fall risk, functional ability, disability recovery and mortality," Rietdyk says.

"Common exercise interventions, including strength, coordination and multimodal training, are all effective in increasing gait speed. These interventions can also delay the onset of slower gait speed and help slow the loss of gait speed. No one type of training is better than the other, so do the activity you are most likely to stick with."

While walking is one of the easiest activities, people tend to walk slower as they get older and may have to find other fitness routines to stay active.

"Older adults who are more active tend to maintain their gait speed," Rietdyk says. "In other words, slower gait speed is not an inevitable aspect of aging. Older adults who walk slower tend to have poorer health and lower functional status."

###

The article appeared in a recent edition of Gait & Posture.

HyeYoung Cho, a recent Ph.D. graduate of Purdue's Department of Health and Kinesiology; Anna Forster, a Ph.D. student in Purdue's School of Nursing; and Sharon Christ, associate professor of human development and family studies, were on the research team, all from Purdue's College of Health and Human Sciences. All research team members are members of Purdue's Center on Aging and the Life Course. The Purdue Center for Families and the American Nurses Foundation funded the study.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today's toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https:/ / purdue. edu/ .

Writer, Media contact: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates
Regulatory News:

The shareholders of Gecina (Paris:GFC) (the "Company") are invited to attend the Ordinary General Meeting (the "OGM") to be held on:

Thursday April 22, 2021 from 3pm

In the context of the Covid-19 epidemic, and in accordance with the Order no.2020-321 of March 25, 2020 (amended), as extended by Decree no.2021-255 of March 9, 2021, it has been decided that this OGM will be held at the Company's registered office, 14-16 rue des Capucines, 75002 Paris, without shareholders attending in person. The conditions for taking part in this OGM and its organization have been adapted accordingly.

Shareholders will be able to follow the General Meeting on the Company's website: www.gecina.fr.

Shareholders are invited to regularly consult the dedicated OGM section on www.gecina.fr.

The meeting notice, containing the agenda and the proposed resolutions, was published in the French official gazette (BALO) no.28 on March 5, 2021.

The invitation to attend, presenting the agenda and useful information concerning the conditions for the organization of the Ordinary OGM, was published in the BALO and the French legal announcements journal "Les Petites Affiches" on April 2, 2021.

Considering the current health context, we invite you to exercise your rights as shareholders by voting online or by post or appointing the Chairman to represent you.

The preparatory documents for this OGM are made available to the Company's shareholders in accordance with the legal and regulatory conditions and timeframes applicable.

In accordance with the terms of Order no.2020-321 of March 25, 2020 (amended), extended by Decree no.2021-255 of March 9, 2021, information or documents will be able to be provided under valid conditions by email when shareholders indicate the email address to be used in their requests.

We therefore encourage you to provide us with your email address when you submit any requests.

The documents relating to this OGM covered under Article R.22-10-23 of the French commercial code are available on the Company's website at www.gecina.fr.

The Board of Directors

French limited company (societe anonyme) with capital of 573,949,530

Registered office: 14-16, rue des Capucines 75002 Paris France

Paris trade and companies register: 592 014 476

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005048/en/

Contacts:

Contact: Laurent Le Goff Tel: +33 (0) 1 40 40 62 69
President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the White House on April 16, which will mark his first in-person meeting with a world leader due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

'This will be our first in-person visit from a foreign leader in the Biden-Harris administration reflecting the importance we place in our bilateral relationship with Japan and our friendship and partnership with the Japanese people,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.

The trip had previously been announced, but not the exact date.

President Joe Biden's (left) first in-person meeting with a world leader will be with Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (right) on April 16, the White House announced Friday

White House press secretary Jen Psaki made the scheduling announcement from the podium Friday saying the U.S.-Japan in-person meeting reflects 'the importance we place in our bilateral relationship with Japan'

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato also pointed out the significance of the meeting being Biden's first in-person visit.

'That by itself is proof that the United States places importance on Japan,' he said. 'It is also significant as we demonstrate the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance and the U.S. commitment to engage in the Indo-Pacific region.'

Japan is eager to develop close relations with the new U.S. administration and was hoping to schedule Suga's visit sooner. Japanese media, including the Nikkei business newspaper, said the trip was delayed because of a request from Washington.

'We had been arranging (a visit by Suga) in the earlier half of April, but the date is set on April 16, as we aim to take all possible measures to ensure the success of the prime minister's U.S. visit and preparations for it,' Kato said.

Tokyo hopes to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance, which it considers a cornerstone of its foreign and security policies, and to discuss ways to cooperate on policy toward China and North Korea and advance a joint vision of a 'free and open Indo-Pacific' to promote rules-based order in the region.

Climate change and the fight against the pandemic are also among key issues.

Japan, whose development of its own COVID-19 vaccine has lagged, also hopes to discuss cooperation in vaccine development for possible future pandemics as part of security cooperation.

'We will reconfirm coordination and cooperation between Japan and the United States,' Kato said.

Because of the pandemic, the size of a Japanese delegation will be kept to a maximum of about 80 to 90 people, and all participants will be vaccinated ahead of the trip.

Suga received his first shot on March 16 and is expected to have a second within days.
Dreams of such a future are now more anchored in reality than they ever were. But this doesnt mean there are not immense challenges ahead.One of the biggest such hurdles is gravity. Sure, humans can go about exploring the solar system or living on the space station without experiencing gravity, but its absence is not at all viable for long-term missions. Thats because the lack of gravity causes things like muscle atrophy, bone loss, and immunosuppression.Presently, humans have no practical way of generating gravity in space. The simplest solution would be to have space structures rotate, but given how small in size they presently are, a rotating module would cause motion sickness and other unwanted effects.To circumvent that and to bring down the number of rotations per minute needed to generate 1g, we would have to build really large structures. But that raises yet another set of barriers, as wed have to send countless missions up there until the structure is assembled.A team from the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, led by Zachary Manchester, has another idea, one that is so out of this world NASA chose to fund through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts ( NIAC ) program.The idea calls for the use of metamaterials to design lightweight deployable structures with unprecedented expansion ratios of 150x or more. For reference, metamaterials are engineered to have properties that are not present in naturally occurring materials.On Earth, the structure would be small enough to fit inside the fairing of a single Falcon Heavy rocket, Manchester says, but once up in orbit, it would expand to a final size of a kilometer or more [...] without requiring complex on-orbit assembly or fabrication. The structure would form the backbone of a huge rotating space station.So far, the idea is just in its study stage. As with all the ideas in the NIAC, NASA says it may never come to pass.
CNA sustained the cyberattack March 21, which it disclosed Thursday included ransomware, a form of malware that corrupts computer systems through encrypted files, with attackers demanding payment for a software fix. The company did not disclose information about the attacker, but said the ransomware used does not contain the ability to automatically spread to any internal or external systems.
Teen Wolf star Arden Cho says she was the victim of a threatening racist tirade while out walking her dog.

The 35-year-old actress revealed the disturbing story in a text post shared to her Instagram account on Thursday.

In it, she claims a man called her a racist slur and threatened to kill both her and her dog.

Scary encounter: Teen Wolf star Arden Cho, 35, said she was accosted by a man on Wednesday night who used a racial slur against Asians and threatened to kill her and her dog; seen in 2016

'"I'm going motherf***ing kill you c***k and your f***ing dog [sic],"' she quoted the unidentified man in her post.

'This along with other obscenities were screamed at me when I was outside walking with my dog last night,' she explained.

'I haven't been this scared in years, he was a couple feet away & started coming towards me. I grabbed Chewy and ran as fast as I could. I"m not crying anymore but I'm still scared, I'm still shaking,' she wrote.

Danger: '"I'm going motherf***ing kill you c***k and your f***ing dog [sic],"' she quoted the unidentified man in her post

Self-defense: Cho said she now carries a knife when she has to go out in public, especially to walk her dog at night; still from Teen Wolf

She said the altercation occurred the night before, and she added that she now carried a weapon in case she came face-to-face with an attacker.

'I used to run at night, I haven't ran in months. I still have to walk my dog, so I carry a knife when we go out at night,' she continued.

'I know how to fight but I still don't feel safe. I'm young & fit, I shouldn't be scared but I am. All my trauma as a kid has been coming back as I'm watching our elders get beaten & killed.

'I've been kicked in the face till I was unconscious and hospitalized, I was only a kid. I didn't realize how much that incident shaped my life. How much fear I've always lived with,' she added.

'Please, please #StopAsianHate I cant breathe,' Cho wrote in her caption.

'It feels like Im 10 again & Im being kicked to death. My mom called me & I couldnt help but start crying again. Shes so scared to walk outside, even in the day time. Im sorry mom. She wants me to be strong. So Ill try. Please help us.'

Violent: Cho also shared a Twitter thread about the time a teenage boy repeatedly kicked her in the face when she was 10, leaving her unconscious and knocking out two of her front teeth; still from Teen Wolf

Swept under the rug: She believed it to be a racist attack, but her family tried to move on and police said the teenager merely had 'anger issues' and was off his medication; pictured in January 2020

Later, Cho posted a lengthy thread to her Twitter account detailing an attack she suffered as child which she attributed to racism.

According to her, she was hanging out with friends in a cul-de-sac on the last day of school when she was 10 when a boy attacked her.

'Out of nowhere a teenage boy kicked my front wheel and I fell to the ground, he then proceeded to yell at me and kick me in the face. My two front teeth were knocked out, my bottom tooth chipped, my whole face was bloodied and scraped, my arms and legs were all cut,' she tweeted.

'I didnt know why it was happening but I thought I was being kicked to death, I thought I died. I was unconscious for a while, when I came to, my mom was crying and my head was in her lap. Our neighbor was driving us to the hospital,' she continued.

The actress said she spent most of the summer indoors recovering from her injuries, and that her parents didn't seek criminal action against the boy, while the police simply said he had 'anger issues' and had not been taking his psychiatric medication.

Though she admitted that she didn't remember 'exactly what he was yelling at me,' Cho said she believed it was a racist attack.

Starts in the classroom: On her Insta Stories she complained about irrelevant test questions about China for sixth graders that she believed were racist

Later on Thursday, she reposted a set of two questions about China's political leadership and people that she found to be racist.

One question asked about Chinese norms that seemed to be irrelevant to a 6th graders education, while another question focused on how Chinese President Xi Jinping was not democratically elected.

'I grew up in Texas and had SO many racist teachers, this makes me SICK. These questions are on a 6th grade test @cfbisd disgraceful. Children are being brainwashed to be Anti-Asian and racist,' she captioned the image.

In March, The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State, San Bernardino released a report that determined that anti-Asian hate crimes had risen by 150 percent in 2020, even as overall hate crimes had dropped slightly.

The shocking rise was attributed to the coronavirus pandemic, which is believed to have first spread from China, leading many Americans to falsely blame people of Asian descent for the pandemic.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  The New Mexico Tourism Department and New Mexico Small Business Development Center will host a webinar Tuesday that provides details on a new federal program aimed at struggling venues.

The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, which will offer $16.25 billion in grants to the operators of hard-hit venues, theaters, zoos and other live performing arts organizations, is slated to open Thursday, according to a news release from the Tourism Department.

Eligible applicants may qualify for a grant equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, up to $10 million, according to the release. Applicants can now receive a Paycheck Protection Program loan and still be eligible for the program.

The webinar, which will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, will begin with a general overview of the grant, including walking through the application. The presentation will include deep dives for venue operators or promoters, theatrical producers, motion picture theater operators and other topics.

Listeners are encouraged to bring questions for answers and discussion.

Anyone interested can sign up at www.nmsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/12876.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 21:27:41|Editor: huaxia

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by Martina Fuchs

GENEVA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- It's a bittersweet Easter holiday for Swiss chocolate makers this year, as the bunnies are not quite hopping off the shelves in the chocolate nation of Switzerland due to the impact of the pandemic on sales and consumer sentiment.

The meltdown effect is felt among big and small artisan chocolate producers, yet they remain hopeful that the Swiss have not lost their sweet tooth and appetite for festive treats because of COVID-19.

"There are no tourists at the moment," said Raphael Rubio, owner of Confiserie Teuscher. "We have the online business which is growing quite fast and we try to keep up with the online business. But in the store, you see that there are fewer people due to corona (virus)."

Teuscher, with its flagship store in Zurich's old city center, claims to be one of the world's best chocolatiers. Its kitchens produce more than 100 varieties of handmade chocolates using original recipes passed down from generation to generation.

"The best-selling product is our champagne truffle eggs, we are famous for our champagne truffles which were invented by my grandfather 75 years ago," Rubio said.

"Especially the champagne truffle eggs, they have much more filling of the buttercream inside with the champagne filling. This is what is really great and amazing. Even for us, we always wait for Easter time to get some champagne truffle eggs."

Laderach, Switzerland's biggest handmade chocolate brand, is another top destination for chocolate lovers in the famous Bahnhofstrasse shopping street.

The rabbits and eggs come in all shapes and forms, for the young and the young-at-heart to enjoy.

"I just want to find a little cute chocolate bunny for my daughter to enjoy, because it's going to be her first Easter to be able to enjoy some chocolate. She can't eat it all on her own, so hopefully, we can all share a beautiful Easter this year," said shopper Anna Giuliani, who has a two-year-old baby girl.

Among the chocolate bunnies, one front-runner clearly stands out with its ears decorated with edible glitter dust and a colorful bow around its neck.

"Our best-selling product is the pink Cleo," said Franziska Goessler, shop manager at Laderach. "It's made with raspberries and berries and ... we normally have it in our assortment in the fresh chocolates. So everybody loves this chocolate, knows this chocolate, and therefore for Easter time they want to have this pink rabbit."

DIPPING CHOCOLATE SALES

However, the state of affairs of the Swiss chocolate industry is challenging. With lockdowns around the world aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus, consumers have purchased more essential foods and beverages.

According to the Association of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers, Chocosuisse, annual sales across the industry fell sharply by 14.5 percent last year, while the volume of chocolate produced in Switzerland in 2020 dropped by around 20,000 tonnes to 180,000 tonnes.

Swiss per capita consumption of chocolate was also lower than at any time in the past 40 years, falling below 10 kilograms for the first time since 1982.

"First of all, I have to mention that the Easter season is one of the most important seasons for the Swiss chocolate industry," Urs Furrer, director of Chocosuisse, told Xinhua.

"It's even more important than the Christmas season. A lot of chocolate will be consumed again this year. We expect that an average Swiss citizen will eat about half a kilo of Easter chocolate also this year. We are quite positive."

He also said China could give a shot in the arm. According to data from the Swiss Federal Customs Office, China was Switzerland's 8th largest import market for chocolates in 2020, accounting for 2.7 percent of the total.

"We see the trends for premium chocolate. The Swiss chocolate manufacturers are the best positioned to also enchant Chinese consumers with high premium type quality chocolate," Furrer said. "We also see that there is a growing and very large middle class in China. ... These are good conditions for growing in this market." Enditem
WARWICK, R.I. (AP)  A handful of coins unearthed from a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in rural Rhode Island and other random corners of New England may help solve one of the planet's oldest cold cases.

The villain in this tale: a murderous English pirate who became the world's most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim pilgrims home to India from Mecca, then eluded capture by posing as a slave trader.

READ MORE: Megan Thee Stallion calls her grandma 'basically' Mexican

It's a new history of a nearly perfect crime, said Jim Bailey, an amateur historian and metal detectorist who found the first intact 17th-century Arabian coin in a meadow in Middletown.

That ancient pocket change  among the oldest ever found in North America  could explain how pirate Capt. Henry Every vanished into the wind.

On Sept. 7, 1695, the pirate ship Fancy, commanded by Every, ambushed and captured the Ganj-i-Sawai, a royal vessel owned by Indian emperor Aurangzeb, then one of the world's most powerful men. Aboard were not only the worshipers returning from their pilgrimage, but tens of millions of dollars' worth of gold and silver.

What followed was one of the most lucrative and heinous robberies of all time.

Historical accounts say his band tortured and killed the men aboard the Indian ship and raped the women before escaping to the Bahamas, a haven for pirates. But word quickly spread of their crimes, and English King William III  under enormous pressure from a scandalized India and the East India Company trading giant  put a large bounty on their heads.

If you Google first worldwide manhunt, it comes up as Every, Bailey said. Everybody was looking for these guys.

Until now, historians only knew that Every eventually sailed to Ireland in 1696, where the trail went cold. But Bailey says the coins he and others have found are evidence the notorious pirate first made his way to the American colonies, where he and his crew used the plunder for day-to-day expenses while on the run.

The first complete coin surfaced in 2014 at Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown, a spot that had piqued Bailey's curiosity two years earlier after he found old colonial coins, an 18th-century shoe buckle and some musket balls.

Waving a metal detector over the soil, he got a signal, dug down and hit literal paydirt: a darkened, dime-sized silver coin he initially assumed was either Spanish or money minted by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

BE CAREFUL: Snakes lurk in bluebonnets, Texas officials warn

Peering closer, the Arabic text on the coin got his pulse racing. I thought, Oh my God, he said.

Research confirmed the exotic coin was minted in 1693 in Yemen. That immediately raised questions, Bailey said, since theres no evidence that American colonists struggling to eke out a living in the New World traveled to anywhere in the Middle East to trade until decades later.

Since then, other detectorists have unearthed 15 additional Arabian coins from the same era  10 in Massachusetts, three in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut. Another was found in North Carolina, where records show some of Every's men first came ashore.

It seems like some of his crew were able to settle in New England and integrate, said Sarah Sportman, state archaeologist for Connecticut, where one of the coins was found in 2018 at the ongoing excavation of a 17th-century farm site.

It was almost like a money laundering scheme, she said.

Although it sounds unthinkable now, Every was able to hide in plain sight by posing as a slave trader  an emerging profession in 1690s New England. On his way to the Bahamas, he even stopped at the French island of Reunion to get some Black captives so hed look the part, Bailey said.

Obscure records show a ship called the Sea Flower, used by the pirates after they ditched the Fancy, sailed along the Eastern seaboard. It arrived with nearly four dozen slaves in 1696 in Newport, Rhode Island, which became a major hub of the North American slave trade in the 18th century.

Theres extensive primary source documentation to show the American colonies were bases of operation for pirates," said Bailey, 53, who holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Rhode Island and worked as an archaeological assistant on explorations of the Wydah Gally pirate ship wreck off Cape Cod in the late 1980s.

Bailey, whose day job is analyzing security at the state's prison complex, has published his findings in a research journal of the American Numismatic Society, an organization devoted to the study of coins and medals.

Archaeologists and historians familiar with but not involved in Bailey's work say they're intrigued, and believe it's shedding new light on one of the world's most enduring criminal mysteries.

Jim's research is impeccable," said Kevin McBride, a professor of archaeology at the University of Connecticut. It's cool stuff. It's really a pretty interesting story.

Mark Hanna, an associate professor of history at the University of California-San Diego and an expert in piracy in early America, said that when he first saw photos of Bailey's coin, I lost my mind.

Finding those coins, for me, was a huge thing, said Hanna, author of the 2015 book, Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire." The story of Capt. Every is one of global significance. This material object  this little thing  can help me explain that.

Everys exploits have inspired a 2020 book by Steven Johnson, Enemy of All Mankind; PlayStations popular Uncharted series of video games; and a Sony Pictures movie version of Uncharted starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas thats slated for release early in 2022.

Bailey, who keeps his most valuable finds not at his home but in a safe deposit box, says he'll keep digging.

For me, it's always been about the thrill of the hunt, not about the money, he said. The only thing better than finding these objects is the long-lost stories behind them."

___

This story has been corrected to show that the Arabian coins are among the oldest found in North America, not the oldest.
A Yale researcher who has been examining COVID variants says the strains are contributing to Connecticuts spike in cases, but they are not the main culprit.

It's human behaviors  opening indoor settings to full capacity, letting our guard down on distancing from non-household members, and trying to get back to normal too soon, said Nathan Grubaugh, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health.

More transmissible variants then make infectious contacts worse, leading to more transmission. We're in a difficult period seeing the end in sight with vaccination, but we could be in for a rough stretch if we start letting up too soon.

The latest surveillance data on COVID variants in Connecticut shows cases with the strain from the U.K. may be slowing down, while infections with a variant first found in New York are increasing.

As of Thursday, 469 cases of the B.1.1.7 strain from the U.K. have been detected in Connecticut, according to a weekly report released by the Nathan Grubaugh Lab at the Yale School of Public Health. The number of new cases of that variant, which researchers believe is also more likely to result in a patients death, shows about a 1 percent decline from the previous weeks report.

Overall, cases of B.1.1.7 comprised a little more than 37 percent of the variants sampled by researchers at Yale and The Jackson Laboratory in the past week.

Grubaugh said Thursday in a tweet accompanying the report that cases of B.1.1.7 may be leveling off.

While this is good news, I think that it points to something else, Grubaugh tweeted, referring to a bump in cases of a variant known as B.1.526.

Cases of B.1.526 comprised almost 32 percent of new samples researchers sequenced this week, up more than 9 percent from the previous week.

That strain first emerged in New York in November, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unlike B.1.1.7, which the agency considers a variant of concern, the New York strain is classified as a variant of interest, meaning scientists might want to study its possible impact, or track its prevalence through genetic sequencing as Connecticut researchers are doing.

Grubaugh said the proportion is higher in Fairfield County for the strain from New York.

The primary concerns with B.1.526 are that it could escape the treatment of patients with monoclonal antibodies, which are given to patients after testing positive for COVID-19 to help the bodys immune system ward off the virus, according to the CDC.

There is also concern it could blunt the impact of immunity from the virus  whether in someone who receives a vaccine or who is infected and recovers.

Last weekend, the state Department of Public Health warned residents of sharply rising cases in the state and pointed out the prevalence of the variant in the latest infections.

How quickly vaccines can be adjusted to meet rising variants was a question Gov. Ned Lamont asked a Pfizer executive during his COVID news briefing on Thursday.

The beauty of the mRNA technology is that once you have the genetic sequence of the virus, you can quickly make it and produce a new vaccine, said Angela Hwang, group president of Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group.

She said the company has estimated it could make a new vaccine within 116 days, or give recipients a booster shot of the current vaccine to give their bodies a bump in immunity.

Grubaugh said researchers also believe theres evidence the P.1 variant, first detected in Brazil, and B.1.351 variant first detected in South Africa could be spreading locally in Connecticut. But with other variants now circulating, its unclear if either will gain a foothold in the state, he said.

Both those variants contain the E484K mutation, which researchers believe could help them evade the bodys immune response to the virus. That could potentially blunt the impact of vaccinating people.

Hwang noted that Pfizer recently found its vaccine to be 100 percent effective against the South African variant.

A little more than 19 percent of all the variants detected in this weeks report from Yale contained the mutation. But the level of risk that poses remains uncertain.

In my opinion, this is probably the most important question that we are currently facing, and I don't know the answer yet, Grubaugh said in an email.

Much of his research is focused on figuring out whether there are variants that can break through the vaccine, he said, noting that because none of the vaccines provide perfect protection against the virus, they do expect some inoculated people to get infected.

We want to know if viruses with the E484K mutation are over-represented in this group compared to the unvaccinated population, he said.
opinion

It would take more than one more repair to cover the developing scandal that Nigeria's refineries have become.

... all of this is proceeding with a sickening and confusing haste. Tecnimont, the Italian consultant/contractor that estimated the cost of repair at $290 million nine years ago, revised the cost to $1.78 billion in its fresh bid. The government has neither publicly disclosed details of the first technical report in 2012 nor details of the current one.

Brazil has proved a disaster in the management of COVID-19, but there are other areas where we can use their examples.

Like what to do about failing refineries. This hot-button topic returned to the front burner after the Nigerian government recently announced plans to repair the Port Harcourt Refinery.

That refinery and the ones in Warri and Kaduna have a combined refining capacity of 410,000 bpd, an output far less than the local daily demand, but which all three refineries have only struggled to meet since they were installed.

According to a recent report in The Guardian, Nigeria has spent $26.5 billion in fake maintenance in the last three decades or so. Yet, the decision by the government of President Muhammadu to shell out another $1.5billion to flog the dying refinery horse indicates that Abuja is clearly not in the mood to curtail corruption or rein in its appetite for waste.

It's not money the government has. The government is cash-strapped and had, in fact, listed the Port Harcourt refinery among other assets for sale. In a dramatic U-turn, however, the government seems happy to compound its current debt misery of nearly $86 billion, by borrowing more to keep an asset it no longer needs.

Government's main argument is that if the refineries are sold in their current state, they'll be flung for less than their scrap value. Officials are also saying that with Dangote's refinery (650,000 bpd) coming on stream soon, exiting now would leave petrol supply completely in the hands of the private sector.

There's no need to wonder why this discovery is coming after the fact. Chaos is the gift of Buhari's government, except that sometimes, this gift is in oversupply. Or how else can anyone explain why these concerns did not come up during due diligence, supposed to precede the listing?

Let's leave that for a moment and examine how Brazil, famous for state-controlled refineries, is dealing with a similar problem. Petrobras, which manages the refineries for the state, recently decided to sell off Landulpho Alves refinery (RLAM), among other state-owned assets. Brazil could have made the lazy baby-and-bath-water argument, the trope for the Nigerian authorities.

But the writing on the wall is clear. Faced with a tightening global oil market and an increasing number of nimble producers in many parts of the world, Petrobras, Brazil's equivalent of Nigeria's NNPC, decided that the smart thing to do was to sell off the asset and cut its loss.

In a competitive global bid, Mubadala, Abu Dhabi's state-owned investment fund recently offered to buy the 333,000 bpd RLAM for $1.65 billion, a value higher than what the Nigerian government intends to invest in a repair guaranteed to produce a worse outcome.

Petrobras is planning to sell seven other refineries by the end of this year. According to some reports, the company could realise about $25 billion-$35 billion from the sale of its non-core assets in the next four years. Which means, by re-evaluating its assets, Brazil could get, in four years, what Nigeria used in 30 to fix its own rickety assets.

The lazy, worn-out arguments for the catastrophic reversal over a decade ago, have not changed: Why sell cheap when you can fix and manage cheaply to reduce petrol imports? Why divest from the refineries and leave such a vital national resource in the hands of the private sector?

We've been here before, and didn't need a lesson from Brazil at the time. The same argument that government is making for hugging the refineries could have been made to prevent the sale of the Eleme Petrochemical Company in 2006, for example.

Just like the refineries, the company was sinking in the mire of corruption and producing far less than its installed capacity of 1.2 million metric tons of polymer-based products. The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo sold 80 per cent of the government's stake, held by NNPC, to Indorama at $250 million - the sort of money that managers of today's NNPC would consider less than scrap value.

Within two years of the sale, Indorama was in profit and sending dividend to NNPC. It still does, not only to NNPC, but also to the Onne Community where it is located and the Rivers State government, who are also part owners.

The company has expanded its production capacity to 2 million metric tons of polymer, built a fertiliser plant for export and also expanded the Onne Port, which had almost collapsed into a narrow wedge on government's watch.

About 500 staff members were on payroll, most them leeching off the system, while Abuja fat cats were milking the company in the name of "preserving our collective patrimony." Today, there are 1,500 employees in Indorama Eleme, doing valuable work and earning wages they could only have dreamed off under government management.

It was a lesson which the Obasanjo government almost replicated with the refineries in 2007, before vested interests, who use the refineries as private "oil blocks", regardless of their pretentious nationalism, decided to subvert the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries to Blue Star, with labour goading them on.

The lazy, worn-out arguments for the catastrophic reversal over a decade ago, have not changed: Why sell cheap when you can fix and manage cheaply to reduce petrol imports? Why divest from the refineries and leave such a vital national resource in the hands of the private sector? Why, in short, throw away the baby with the bath water?

Well, this baby has been thrashed and abused by a derelict parent that seems determined to drown it in the bath water.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned last week that, "The plans to repair and relaunch the country's three existing refineries that have not been operating in recent years are unlikely to materialise."

The government is not listening. Or, to put it more correctly, it is listening to itself and instead of using best examples from elsewhere, and even from its own past, it is behaving like effigies from Chiluba's Zambia.

If the government is prepared to spend three times what it would have earned from the sale to repair it, your guess is as good as mine what the current market value of the refinery would be today. But it would be worse by the time government finishes the $1.5 billion window-dressing.

It's a story worth repeating - that of Zambia's copper mines. At their peak, Zambia's copper mines produced 12 per cent of the world's copper. They were the pride of Zambia and the glory of southern Africa.

And then it happened. A combination of steep crashes in commodity prices, coupled with corruption, global politics, internal incompetence and mismanagement - all present in today's Nigerian refineries - put the future of the mines in grave danger.

In response to the economic crisis facing Zambia at the time, President Frederick Chiluba listed 287 state companies for sale and managed to sell 251. The jewel in the crown, also listed, was Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), the country's largest.

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Zambia was offered $165 million but Chiluba, like his cousins in Nigeria's government today, said the offer was insultingly low. He haggled for nine years. When the price of copper finally collapsed in 2000, the best he could get for KCM was $90 million, the true and deserving scrap value.

It's 14 years since President Umaru Yar'Adua's government reversed the sale of the Port Harcourt Refinery for $500 million to Blue Star set up by Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola.

If the government is prepared to spend three times what it would have earned from the sale to repair it, your guess is as good as mine what the current market value of the refinery would be today. But it would be worse by the time government finishes the $1.5 billion window-dressing.

And all of this is proceeding with a sickening and confusing haste. Tecnimont, the Italian consultant/contractor that estimated the cost of repair at $290 million nine years ago, revised the cost to $1.78 billion in its fresh bid. The government has neither publicly disclosed details of the first technical report in 2012 nor details of the current one.

All we are hearing from a government that is supposed to be deregulating, is that after the repair, Port Harcourt Refinery would refine enough petrol to flood the Suez Canal. Caution.

The deeper issues of NNPC's importation monopoly, poor seaport infrastructure to admit and process larger vessels, the waste pipe that is the Petroleum Equalisation Fund, the changing refinery landscape in the world, and sheer corruption that overwhelms the system, are not even being mentioned.

It would take more than one more repair to cover the developing scandal that Nigeria's refineries have become. The writing, in grease, is all over the wall.

Azu Ishiekwene editor-in-chief of LEADERSHIP.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 2)  The Philippines is among the countries that have been recently included in Irelands mandatory hotel quarantine list amid the threat of coronavirus variants of concern.

All travelers who have been to the Philippines and 25 other states 14 days before they arrive in Ireland will be required starting April 6 to go on mandatory quarantine in a designated quarantine facility upon arrival in the European country, the Irish government announced on Thursday.

Added to Irelands designated states list are countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America. Including the additions, the number of states covered by Irelands designated states list stands at 58. The list can be found here.

[Travelers] from these states will have to book accommodation for mandatory hotel quarantine if they intend to arrive in Ireland after 4 a.m. on Tuesday, 6 April, it announced in a statement.

Current policy states that all those arriving in Ireland must go through quarantine for up to 14 days either at home or in a hotel. Stay in the hotel may be reduced if an individual receives a negative result following the swab test taken on the tenth day of quarantine.

Those coming from non-designated states must complete their quarantine at home. But if they take a swab test five days after arriving in Ireland and the result is negative, then they can end their period of quarantine.

The Irish government said among those exempted from mandatory quarantine are patients going to Ireland for urgent medical reasons, aviation and maritime crew, diplomats, or their representatives, as well as travel to the State pursuant to an arrest warrant, extradition proceedings or other mandatory legal obligation.

Aside from mandatory quarantine, those entering Ireland must fill out a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form, which can be accessed here. They must also show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result carried out at least 72 hours prior to travel.

The Irish government does not recommend non-essential international travel, the announcement said.
There is no doubt that they meant well, coming out in their thousands to sincerely express their grief over the deeply tragic kidnap-murder of 23-year-old Andrea Bharatt.

But the organisers of those candlelight vigils held all over Trinidad between February 4 and April 1 did not seem in the least bit concerned that what they were assembling could turn out to be Covid super spreaders.
Mark Wright has emotionally detailed how Covid 'tore apart his family' after six relatives all battled the deadly virus within days of each other.

Speaking in a new candid interview and video, the former TOWIE star, 34, said that his family will 'never be the same again' after losing his uncle Edward to coronavirus.

Edward, whose son is Mark's cousin Elliott Wright, tragically passed away aged 66 at the beginning of March following an eight-week battle with Covid.

Speaking to The Sun, Mark wiped away tears as he said: 'I am sat here one uncle less. He's the heart of our family. We're all heartbroken beyond belief. I'm trying to be there for many, many family members who are devastated.'

Heartbreaking: Mark Wright has emotionally detailed how Covid 'tore apart his family' after six relatives all battled the deadly virus within days of each other (pictured in 2019)

The radio presenter admitted that he was left 'struggling to cope' over the festive period after six family members battled coronavirus within days of each other.

Mark revealed that as well as his uncle, both his parents - Mark. Snr, 64, and Carol, 60, another uncle Georgie, 62, his grandmother Irene, 85, and his grandfather all tested positive within days of each other despite 'not mixing' together.

Reflecting on the difficult period, the TV star admitted that his 'worry level was one million', he emotionally added: 'I could have lost them all.'

Mark added that he has never been 'that religious' but prayed every day and night for his father who was admitted to hospital. His mother Carol and uncle Georgie were able to recover at home.

Tragic: Speaking in a new candid interview and video, the former TOWIE star, 34, insisted his family will 'never be the same again' after losing his uncle Edward in March following an eight-week battle with Covid (pictured together in 2016)

Recalling the worrying time, the former TOWIE star admitted he was left 'crying his eyes out' at the thought of losing his father, adding: 'I thought if I lose my dad, Im never going to get over this.'

Mark added that he was unable to visit his father in hospital due to the pandemic and he thought he would never see him again or be able to say 'goodbye'.

The family were left further devastated when they received the 'dreaded call' that his uncle Eddie had passed away in March.

Mark said that they had received a video of his uncle 'moving his head' for the first time and it was a 'massive step' but he tragically started to get more infections which left him 'deteriorating overnight'.

Sharing his anger and grief, the reality star sobbed as he said: 'He was getting better. Thats what f***ing upsets me so much.'

Scary: Mark revealed that both his parents - Mark. Snr, 64, and Carol, 60, pictured, another uncle Georgie, 62, his grandmother Irene, 85, and his grandfather all tested positive

Reflecting on the heartbreaking time for the family, Mark admitted that he has never seen his father 'shed a tear' and that he 'burst into tears' while his dad 'stayed strong'.

The TV star said that it was 'the worst day of my life' but he had to focus on his father who was 'best mates' with his older brother, Eddie, and 'bottles up' his emotions.

Mark said that it was wife Michelle Keegan who offered her support to him and told him to hug his father which left his dad 'crying'.

The reality star admitted that it was 'weird' as it was a 'moment' with his father he has been 'waiting for all of his life' but it would 'never heal the pain' of losing his uncle.

After a difficult few months, Mark admitted that the experience has made him 'change his outlook on life' and to not 'dwell on the little things' as life can be short.

Sad: Speaking to The Sun , Mark wiped away tears as he said: 'I am sat here one uncle less. He's the heart of our family. We're all heartbroken beyond belief. I'm trying to be there for many, many family members who are devastated.' (pictured in January)

Talking about his future plans, the TV star said that he wants to spend more time doing the 'things he loves with the people he loves at home' rather than being 'too driven' with his career.

Mark's uncle Edward tragically passed away in March at the age of 66, following an eight-week battle with Covid.

At the time, the TV star vowed to 'look after his auntie Debbie' and said he was 'broken to pieces' in a moving tribute.

Posting a collection of photos with his uncle, one snap saw Mark and his uncle playing golf together at his stag party in 2015.

Other snaps also showed the pair taking part in The Marsden March with the Wright family in 2016, beaming with delight as they crossed the finish line.

Upsetting: The radio presenter admitted that he was left 'struggling to cope' over the festive period after six family members battled coronavirus within days of each other (pictured in January)

Mark wrote: 'No where, never, ever will you find better. My uncle Eddie, you were 1 in a trillion. You taught me so much!! Nearly everything I know as a man.

'From how to love my family, to treat my woman with respect, to work hard, to smile, to be a gentleman and the one you enjoyed most.

'You taught me Golf (which I promise to keep practising to be as good as you wanted me to be) most of all, you were one of the most integral parts of our incredible family.

'You were the glue, the one that MADE us meet up and make memories (which again we promise to continue. We will NOT let you down) ultimately.... I am soooooo PROUD to call you my uncle and I will until the end of day.

'I/we are absolutely broken, but together because we are the family we are.... we will get through, somehow some day.

Support: Mark said that it was wife Michelle Keegan who offered her support to him and told him to hug his father which left his dad 'crying' (pictured in 2016)

'We will look after auntie Debbie, our cousins and your grandchildren forever and that is promise.

'I have often thought over the last 24 hours that part of me wishes we wasn't so close, so that we didn't love as much as a family as maybe it wouldn't hurt as much.

'I will no longer think this way and instead I be grateful for the memories we have and when the dust settles, look back and smile.

'Unc, rest in peace. I love you sooo much, more than I ever told you and that's saying something. I will see you 1 day again and until then I will continue to make you proud.'

In a lengthy post, Elliott revealed his father passed away 'peacefully' on 2 March after battling Covid for two months, just a week after telling followers he'd woken from a seven-week coma.

Emotional: Mark's uncle Edward tragically passed away in March at the age of 66, following an eight-week battle with Covid. At the time, the TV star vowed to 'look after his auntie Debbie' and said he was 'broken to pieces' in a moving tribute

Sad news: He ended his post: 'I love you sooo much, more than I ever told you and that's saying something. I will see you 1 day again and until then I will continue to make you proud'

Elliott wrote: 'It is with heart wrenching regret, that I have to post this post, my father Edward George Wright passed away peacefully with his family by his side on the 02.03.2021 after bravely fighting Covid for 8 weeks.

'For those who knew my father, you know what a great man he was, always smiling, always humble, always happy, despite the fact in his later years he bravely fought prostate cancer, he never moaned and done his best to put a brave smile on.

'His love for his family is what he will be remembered for to all of us, the ultimate family man, wanting to spend every woken minute with his 10 grandkids and children was his only daily thought pattern and request, was that to be with them, the ultimate family man.

'For those who don't know me well, the impact this has had on me, what can I say, I'm simply devastated!

'To Dad, what can I say that you don't already know in heaven, you are and will always be my rock, my best friend, the man who taught me to always be a gentleman, to put family first!

Sad: Elliott (pictured) announced his 'always smiling and always humble' father's passing in March in a heartbreaking tribute

'Everything I know and have whether it be in business or personal is down to you an your guidance, my whole life, from a young age, I watched in ore (sic) of you, a mountain amounts men... doing deals, the king negotiator, with you by my side I could take on the world and still will do, as I know your love, affection and soul will always be by my side.

'The legacy and mark you leave is colossal, put simply if I could be half the man you were, when my time finally comes.

'I would go a very happy soul. I love you dad, the hole you leave is monumental but the memories I will cherish for ever.

'I know you will be watching over me an the kids, I hope I continue to make you proud, Rest in peace dad. See you at the gates when the time comes. I Love you, with all my Heart.'

In January Mark revealed coronavirus had left his uncle in a 'critical condition' after detailing how his own father Mark Snr had been 'mentally changed' by his battle with Covid.

Moving: Mark also shared a tribute to his uncle Edward in a comment under Elliott's post

Devastating: In a lengthy post, Elliott revealed his father passed away 'peacefully' on 2 March after battling Covid for two months

Ex-TOWIE star Mark, whose parents Mark. Snr, 64, and Carol, 60, announced on New Year's Eve they had been struck down by the virus, said his father was 'not the same as four weeks ago' during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.

Mark said at the time: 'My dad is out of hospital now. One of my dad's brothers is in hospital on oxygen.

'His other brother, my uncle Eddie, Elliott's dad, is in a critical condition, we're praying each night that he gets better.

'We are hearing from doctors that he's not getting worse, but we're still praying he gets through this.'

Mark emotionally spoke about the after-effects of the virus on his father, saying it had affected him mentally.

He said: 'I mean, he's out of hospital and I hope he doesn't mind me saying this but, mentally something's not right there at the moment.

'He's okay but he's not my dad that he was four weeks ago. He's better and I'm hoping there's improvement more to come, but it can leave long lasting problems.'

Mark then made an impassioned plea to people to listen to the government and follow the rules pertaining social distancing, mask wearing and household mixing.

He said: 'The message is what it should have been and has been from the start, like Kate has tried to promote on Good Morning Britain until you see it first hand, that might be the day you realise I need to buck up my ideas, but then it might be too late.'

'I have good friends who are conspiracy theorists and they think it's all rubbish and you don't need to be locking down the country.

Scary: Mark's sister Jess Wright told earlier this year how Covid has ripped through her family like 'wildfire', with some family members being hospitalised

'My answer is, the Government, whether they are right or wrong, they know more than you, so, if they are telling you to do this, do it.

'Because until you get to a point where I am now, and I've had the hardest few weeks of my life and looking at basically potentially losing family members who are close to you or them being very sick.

'You will regret doing what you are doing. So listen to the rules, stay at home, there is a lockdown for a reason.

'Please just obey by these rules, it's so important. When you see it first hand, it's the most scariest virus you will ever see, the things it does to the body, what it's done to my dad.

Health: The star took to Instagram to share an update after her mother and father announced they had been struck down the virus earlier this year

Mark's sister Jess also revealed at the time that some of her family has been hospitalised by coronavirus.

The former TOWIE star detailed how Covid had ripped through her family like 'wildfire', with some having to seek treatment in hospital.

Jess wrote: 'Covid has ripped through my family in the past month and it has been absolutely horrendous. Please stay safe everyone, stay home, wear masks and also check on loved ones regularly.

'The fight isn't over for us yet, we are taking every day as it comes and praying a lot. This new strain seems to be spreading like wildfire.

'Thank you the well wishes for those who have known, for my family members that have been hospitalised by this awful, awful virus.'
New Delhi, April 2 : Franklin Templeton India's president Sanjay Sapre has said that the fund house has no plans to exit its India business.

The statement comes at a time when media reports suggested that Franklin Templeton had requested for talks with the Indian Ambassador to the US over the capital market regulator SEBI's probe into six shut debt schemes of the fund house in the country. The reports also said that Franklin Templeton had threatened to exit India operations if it was not given a fair hearing.

In a letter to investors, Sapre described the reports of a likely exit as speculations and rumours.

"At the outset, I wish to clarify and re-iterate that Franklin Templeton's commitment to India remains steadfast. We were early entrants in the Indian mutual fund industry and have remained a part of the industry even while many other global asset managers decided to leave," he said.

"Please let me assure you, we have no plans to exit our India business. Any speculation suggesting otherwise, or any rumours around sale of our business in India are incorrect and simply that - rumours," the President of Franklin Templeton India told the investors.

The company described itself as a "local" company with a "global" parent.

The letter further said that the company has endeavoured to keep all the stakeholders, including the relevant government and diplomatic authorities, appropriately informed of developments, and will continue to do so.

"Our intention in reaching out remains bringing the current matters to an appropriate and satisfactory conclusion," it said.

Saying that it has great respect and full confidence in SEBI and all regulatory and statutory authorities, Sapre in his letter added that Franklin Templeton has been fully transparent with the regulator and have extended its fullest cooperation to them, to help them examine the circumstances surrounding the winding up of the six schemes by Franklin Templeton last year Six debt schemes of Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund were shut in April last year after they faced unprecedented redemptions and liquidity issues amid the pandemic.
Outdoor wifi is free to all comers at four broadband blackspot villages in Laois.

The connection hubs are offering the open air service to comply with covid restrictions.

Users can connect to the free broadband outside centres at Vicarstown, at Oisin House in Rossmore, at Emo NS and at Donaghmore Workhouse.

Laois County Council Director of Services Joe Delaney explained how they work, speaking at the March council meeting.

It is very easy to use, its in the open air. You can go in your car, use your wifi on your phone to search for the network. The free wifi will come up and you register once, he said.

The council says that an indoor facility will be available once the premises can open again to the public.

Funding has been secured to develop these locations under the Town & Village Renewal Scheme for desks, chairs, screens, IT equipment, health and safety equipment, they said.

The hubs are a stopgap until National Broadband Ireland has completed its network bringing fibre broadband to every premises and home in Ireland.
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VANCOUVER - The extradition case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou has an "overwhelming" connection to the United States, a lawyer for Canada's attorney general has argued.

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, walks out of her home to go to B.C. Supreme Court for her extradition hearing, in Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, April 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rich Lam

VANCOUVER - The extradition case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou has an "overwhelming" connection to the United States, a lawyer for Canada's attorney general has argued.

Robert Frater responded in British Columbia Supreme Court on Thursday to arguments made by Meng's lawyers that the case violates international law and should be tossed.

"The flaws in their argument run so wide and so deep, I scarcely know where to begin," Frater told the judge.

The United States is seeking Meng on fraud charges over alleged lies she told HSBC about Huawei's relationship with another company, Skycom, that was doing business in Iran. She and Huawei deny the allegations.

Her lawyers have said Meng is a Chinese national, HSBC is an English-Chinese bank and the meeting between them happened in Hong Kong, so the United States has no jurisdiction to charge her.

However, Frater said the entire point of the meeting was to assuage HSBC's concerns about violating American sanctions against Iran through its business with Huawei.

The meeting in 2013 followed the publication of Reuters articles that alleged Skycom was selling American-made computer equipment to Iran's largest mobile-phone operator and that Skycom was controlled by Huawei.

"Why did that meeting take place? At the request of Ms. Meng  a senior executive to senior executive meeting of client and nervous banker," Frater said.

He said Meng showed a PowerPoint to the HSBC executives that said Huawei was conscious of the sanctions and was complying. The presentation was designed to falsely distance Huawei from Skycom, he said.

"There is no reason to have this meeting if it is not about reassuring HSBC that it can continue to provide banking services to Huawei  in particular, we would say, U.S. banking services," Frater said.

"The overriding message is: 'If you continue to provide U.S. banking services, you will not incur any legal risk.' It is a strong prima facie case, in our submission, that Ms. Meng knows what she is doing."

Meng's lawyers have argued that the only connection the United States can claim to the case is that $2 million in payments between a HSBC client and Skycom were cleared in American dollars through the country's financial system.

Her lawyers told the court the practice of "dollar clearing" is not sufficient for the United States to claim the "genuine or substantial" connection to the alleged crime necessary under international law.

Frater responded that the case is about much more than dollar clearing, and must be seen through the lens of the offence Meng has been charged with: fraud.

Fraud is not just about the lie, it is about the risk of deprivation or economic loss, he said.

"The lies in Hong Kong are not about risks in Hong Kong. They are about risks primarily in the United States," he said.

HSBC was on a deferred prosecution agreement in the United States for previously breaching sanctions against Iran. Violating that agreement put the bank at risk of civil and criminal penalties, Frater said.

Both HSBC's American subsidiary and the United Kingdom arm are listed on the deferred prosecution agreement, he added.

Meng's lawyers earlier drew a distinction between HSBC Bank USA and HSBC, which Frater described as "hairsplitting."

The bank is a multinational financial institution, he said, with a global risk committee that decided to continue its relationship with Huawei after the meeting with Meng.

No genuine connection to the United States? Those misrepresentations were all about matters that were of concern in the United States," Frater said.

Frater said the judge's responsibility is to determine whether or not to commit Meng for extradition. The final decision to surrender her to the United States rests with the federal justice minister, who should be the one to weigh issues of jurisdiction, he said.

He also criticized a claim by the defence that Meng is being detained illegally. If her lawyers genuinely believed that to be the case, they should have made that argument two years ago, he said.

Meng was arrested while passing through Vancouver's airport in December 2018 and is out on bail, living in one of her two multimillion dollar homes in the city.

Her lawyers argue that the extradition proceedings are an abuse of process and should be stayed.

Gib van Ert told the court Meng's legal team has worked very hard to move the case along as expeditiously as possible.

"Ms. Meng would like to go home," he said.

The judge does not need to wait for the minister to decide whether the United States has jurisdiction to prosecute, van Ert said.

"In this country, no unlawful detention is outside the power of a superior court," he said.

"The detained person need not depend on the political process rather than a legal process to liberate her from a wrongfully procured detention."

The court adjourned Thursday until April 26, when the final phase of the process, including an extradition hearing, will begin.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.
LET'S be real, lockdown is not getting any easier! For me, I've found the last few months the toughest yet. While I am very grateful for my job, I am busy and have different, exciting projects occupying my time, there is a still an unwavering feeling of weariness and disconnect.

The novelty of a virtual "anything' at this stage has worn off, so too have the soles of my runners from endless walks and the odd jog.

I never thought I would reach a point when a trip down the middle aisle in LIDL felt like an adventure!

However, I have found lots of joy in little things, nature, longer evenings, nice food, online shopping, long phone chats, window visits... and coffee. But even the eternal optimist needs more than that, a timeline? a date for the diary? A reassurance that I will hug and kiss my grandparents again.

This is a note to say, if you're reading this and feel the same. You are not alone. We are all fed up.

In the words of Blindboy... and it's been my lockdown mantra control the controllables kid!.

Be kind to yourself and if you are feeling alone, isolated, or just fed up please reach out and talk!

Supports

Go to yourmentalhealth.ie for advice on how to mind your mental health during Covid-19.The HSE have launched a new, free, online mental health and wellbeing programme called Minding Your Wellbeing. This evidenced based programme which consists of 5 video sessions, each 20 minutes, can be found on gov.ie.

The programme will focus on practicing self-care, understanding our thoughts, exploring emotions, building positive relationships, and improving our resilience.

50808 is a first of its kind for Ireland: a free 24/7 text service, providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support for people going through a mental health or emotional crisis - big or small. From breakups or bullying, to anxiety, depression and suicidal feelings, crisis volunteers are available 24/7 for anonymous text conversations.

Start a conversation by free texting the word HELLO to 50808 any time, day, or night.

Samaritans:

116123

Childline:

1800 666 666

Women's Aid:

1800 341 900

Aware:

1800 804 848

Age Action:

1890 369369

Bodywhys:

1890 200 444

Pieta House:

1800 247 247

Jigsaw:

1800 544729 or email help@jigsaw.ie

Sweat Sessions on SPIN South West

Sweat Sessions kick off this Saturday on Spin South West.

Across the next eight weeks at 12 midday on Saturday Spin will be live on Instagram offering a free workout session with guest personal trainers, sport people, fitness gurus and yogis!

This is an opportunity for you to active and take part in a variety of exercise sessions with some interesting teachers. Ahead of the live sessions each week trainers will join me live on air from 11:50am and talk about their disciplines, the physical benefits and wellbeing advantages.

Katie Sheehan will also have weekly tips on mindfulness and how we can take better self-care of ourselves and those around us.

This is a positive distraction from lockdown, and I would love for you to join me live on Instagram this Saturday at 12 noon. More details at spinsouthwest.com.
Coronavirus cases are increasing with each passing day across the country. With India going through a possible second wave of coronavirus, the general public to the Bollywood stars, all are constantly seen in the grip of the pandemic. Now, Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, has tested positive for COVID-19. Announcing the same, the Raazi actress took to her Instagram handle, in the early hours of Friday, and revealed that she had immediately isolated herself after being tested positive and is now under home quarantine.

Alia Bhatt in her statement shared on her Instagram wrote, "Hello all, I have been tested positive for COVID-19. I have immediately isolated myself and will be under home quarantine. I am following all safety protocols under the advice of my doctors. Grateful for all your love & support. Please state safe & take care."

It is to be noted that a few days back, Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor has also tested positive for COVID-19. However, he has recovered from COVID-19. A few days back, Ranbir and Alia Bhatt were also spotted in Juhu together. Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor have been dating each other for almost a year.

Alia Bhatt's upcoming movie Gangubai Kathiawadi

On the work front, Alia Bhatt's upcoming movie Gangubai Kathiawadi has attracted a lot of controversies. Ever since its teaser released in February, it has become a talking point, where Alia Bhatt was seen dressed in sarees, delivering strong dialogues and aggression, as she took on a prominent man of the region. Numerous film stars had then given a thumbs up to the makers.

An association of residents of Kamathipura area, which was known for the red light area that Gangubai Kathiawadi became popular in, alleging a misrepresentation' of the place. The matter had also reached the Maharashtra Assembly as Maharashtra MLA Amin Patel demanded that its title be changed. He alleged that the title maligned the image of Kathiawad city as well. Recently, Mumbai's Mazgaon Court also summoned film

Gangubai Kathiawadi's director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, actor Alia Bhatt, and writer of the film on May 21, on the plea of Babu Rawji Shah who claims to be the adopted son of Gangubai Kathiawadi and has stated in his plea that film tarnishes her image.

(Image Credits: Alia Bhatt/Facebook/Pixabay)

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
The Ministry of Health is in talks with the African Union (AU) with a view to acquiring the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine.

This comes after J&J on Monday announced its intention to supply up to 220 million doses of its single-shot vaccine to the 55 AU member states as from the third quarter of this year.

"We are pursuing J&J and are talking to AU but there are no specifics at this point," Kenya's Vaccine Advisory Task Force chairman Willis Akhwale disclosed.

The announcement by J&J this week was lauded by Dr John Nkengasong, the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We need to immunise at least 60 per cent of our population in order to get rid of the virus from our continent. The J&J agreement enables us to move towards achieving this target," he said.

Last year, J&J, via its unit Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, entered into a deal with the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (Avat) that would see the trust order an additional 180 million doses, hence a combined total of 400 million doses through 2022.

"The J&J option requires just a single dose, which makes it very good programmatically to roll out," Dr Nkengasong added.

Last year, however, GAVI vaccine alliance and J&J indicated they would enter into a deal to provide up to 500 million doses of the company's vaccine to Covax facility, the vaccine mechanism supported by World Health Organization (WHO), to aid developing countries.

Approval

In March this year, the J&J jab was approved in Europe, Bahrain, Canada and the US.

According to J&J, the vaccine was 66 per cent effective at preventing moderate to severe disease 28 days after vaccination, though the efficacy rate differed depending on geography.

The shot was 72 per cent effective among clinical-trial volunteers in the US but 66 per cent among those in Latin America, and just 57 per cent among those in South Africa.

Though markedly below the levels seen with the first two authorised Covid-19 vaccines, those rates are above the thresholds originally set by the US Food and Drug Administration for a vaccine to be considered useful.

The vaccine reduced severe disease by 85 per cent, and prevented Covid-related hospitalisation or death.

The big pharma has put in place a global manufacturing and supply network for the vaccine and is collaborating with nine partners across four continents.

A member of Kenya's vaccine advisory task force who sought anonymity confirmed to the Nation that negotiations to acquire J&J are underway.

"It is a matter of when but it will happen, the orders are still being put together but we are negotiating and will let you know how much they allocate us ," the member said.

The vaccine uses what is known as "viral vector" technology, which, according to experts, uses a harmless, inactivated cold virus to activate your body's immune response to Covid-19.

This means that, because it does not contain a live virus, you cannot get Covid-19 from the vaccine.

J&J does not require storage at freezing temperatures.

This may make the vaccine especially adaptable to reaching rural and vulnerable communities.

Free vaccines

Dr Akhwale also revealed the task force plans to release more free vaccines across the country.

"If things go well I think we are going to saturate this place with free vaccines by July. Covax told us to wait on the second batch of 2.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine but we are also exploring other sources," the chair said.

While commenting on the controversy and mysteries around Sputnik V, which has made its way to into the country, Dr Akhwale said all the tough conditions given to the private entities must be met.

"WHO can be overwhelmed and have, say, 100 applications, so will you let your people die before WHO approves Sputnik V? We have simply told them to administer under certain conditions, if they contravene, they will not get commercial approval, and we called them and gave them a warning," he said.

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On the pricing of Sputnik V, the Dr Akhwale told the Nation that loopholes in the law are to blame.

"For the private sector in Kenya, you cannot do price control. What is expected is that they just say we are offering Sputnik V here, when you go there it is between you and them but when more players come in the prices will go down," he explained.

The vaccine task force chairman however cautions that those who get inoculated with a vaccine that is not in the government's digital Chanjo immunisation platform will not be recognised.

"If Sputnik meets the requirements it will be added. At the moment, the medical council is going to check out their facilities, among other conditions we gave them that they must meet. Same goes for any other new Covid-19 vaccine that will come into the country," he said.

llidigu@ke.nationmedia.com
The 'eye-watering' salaries being paid to some academy chain leaders is 'verging on criminality', a union chief warns.

The new president of the NASUWT teaching union, Phil Kemp, also warns of a 'Wild West' school system in England.

He claims education is 'too often' in the hands of a small group of academy chain chief executives.

In a speech to the NASUWT's virtual annual conference, Mr Kemp is expected to hit out at the 'huge salaries' of academy chain leaders which he says have 'little if no impact on student progress'.

Mr Kemp, a North Tyneside teacher who works with pupils who have been, or are in danger of bein, excluded from mainstream schools, will call for 'significant and targeted funding' for schools.

Phil Kemp, the new president of the NASUWT teaching union, slammed the 'eye-watering' saleries of some academy chain leaders

He will say: 'The salaries being paid to individuals in some of these academy trusts is not just eye-watering, it's verging on criminality in my view.

'So many salaries, paid for from the public purse, rising over the 200,000 mark, and some well-publicised, almost reaching half a million pounds.'

Addressing the conference on Friday, Mr Kemp will call for the national pay scale for all teachers and heads to be reintroduced 'as soon as possible'.

Academies, which are state schools that sit outside local authority control, have more freedom over areas such as the curriculum and staff pay.

'The snouts have to come out of the trough and the public purse protected from those who will take advantage of the increasing deregulation of our education system. Those taking these huge salaries should hang their heads in shame,' he will say.

He also warned of a 'Wild West' school system in England where education is 'too often' in the hands of a small group of academy chain chief executives. Pictured: Pupils at academy school in Scotland, stock photo

Revealed: The 'eye-watering' salaries of some academy chiefs in the UK Phil Kemp slammed the 'eye-watering' salaries being paid to some academy chain leaders in his first annual conference speech as new president of the NASUWT teaching union. An analysis by the union suggests that the combined remuneration of chief executives in the 20 largest academy trusts in 2018-19 was 4.72 million, or an average of 23,000 per chief executive. An investigation carried out by the The Times Educational Supplement found that academy chain leaders' salaries can extend into hundreds of thousands of pounds per year. Their probe found the country's top earner was Sir Dan Moynihan, chief executive of the Harris Federation. The academy CEO earnt between 455,000 and 460,000 in 2019 to 2020. Accounts show that the former chief executive of Academies Enterprise Trust earned between 285,000 and 290,000. Two other multi-academy trust leaders had salaries just over the 250,000 mark. And Star Academies, which runs more than 30 schools in the North of England, has paid its highest earner between 250,001 and 260,000, according to the TES research. Advertisement

An analysis by the NASUWT union suggests that the combined remuneration of chief executives in the 20 largest academy trusts in 2018-19 was 4.72 million, or an average of 23,000 per chief executive.

The 57-year-old will tell delegates at the conference: 'Adequate funding for education is so essential - actually, no, not adequate, generous funding, the funding where it's not paper or glue-sticks, it's both.

'Value for money is, of course, vital. But education seems to have become yet another way private companies and individuals can line their pockets whilst head teachers have to penny-pinch and teachers feel compelled to put their hands in their own pockets.'

The union's president will accuse the Government of taking a 'piecemeal attitude' on educational recovery, adding that the catch-up funding announced 'is not good enough'.

In a report, which has been published as the NASUWT conference gets under way, the union warns that a lack of 'adequate' funding for schools in England during the pandemic is placing staff and pupils at risk.

They say they are now beginning to receive reports of planned redundancies, particularly among school support staff who often help with Covid control measures in schools outside lesson times.

Mr Kemp will add that statutory provision of schools-based counselling in every primary and secondary school in England is 'more than needed in a post-Covid world'.

A Department for Education spokesman said: 'The overwhelming majority of academy trusts set reasonable, justifiable levels of pay for their leaders, recognising that many will be responsible for several schools within a trust and that we must attract the best leaders to continue raising standards.

'We consistently challenge trusts where we deem executive pay to be too high, and will continue to do so when it is neither proportionate nor directly linked to improving pupil outcomes.'
Juba  Five people were killed and three others injured in South Sudan Thursday when gunmen ambushed a convoy of trucks returning to Uganda on the Juba-Nimule Road.

A military spokesman blamed National Salvation Front (NAS) rebels for the attack.

A military officer at a check point on the Juba-Nimule Road reported the three trucks were ambushed about 6 a.m. in the Kit 2 area.

The passengers and driver in the first truck survived the attack, said deputy army deputy spokesperson Colonel Santo Domic.

"The leading truck was shot but managed to escape the ambush with three wounded... but the other two trucks were burned, and within those trucks, five civilians were burned to death," Domic told South Sudan in Focus.

Domic said the identities of the victims could not be confirmed because their bodies were burned beyond recognition.

"There are measures being taken for specialized forces to go there and try to evacuate the burned bodies and try to understand exactly what happened," said Domic.

The South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) said it believes the National Salvation Front forces are responsible for the deadly attack because the rebel group allegedly carried out similar attacks on the same road in the past.

"According to SSPDF, they want to give a signal that they are there, and they wanted to confirm their presence in the area, but if there is any other reason, then they should talk for themselves," Domic told VOA.

The NAS has repeatedly violated the cessation of hostilities agreement the group signed with the government, added Domic.

Last week, the SSPDF accused the NAS of attacking people along the Juba-Kajokeji Road, a claim NAS spokesperson Suba Samuel denied.

In a statement released Thursday, Samuel accused the SSPDF and its allied militia of looting, burning houses, raping women and killing civilians. In the last two weeks SSPDF attacked NAS forces that were crossing into NAS-controlled areas, according to Samuel.
Lack of political will on urban governance has been identified as main cause of challenges facing town residents being perpetuated by urban migration.

Deputy Chief Executive Director of Tilitlonse Foundation, Chandiwire Chisi, said research has revealed that 76 per cent of all residents' in main cities are living in squatters while the 24 percent fairy live in located plots with negligible land problems.

This observation was made during a workshop that was conducted at Livingstonia Beach Hotel in Salima, under the theme, 'National Urban Implementation and Innovative Urban Government'.

"Its bad that 76 per cent in cities live in squatters, it is a great concern because that indicates that there is huge lack of resources like water, land, standards road, better markets and many other equally necessary resources worth for a better living.

"The unauthorized developers worrisomely growing in our four cities of Zomba, Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu is due to urban migration in search of greener pastures. When they get in town these people end up just finding a space to live and construct illegally, this works against the town development plans," Chisi said.

Director of Urban Development in the Ministry of Lands, Mercy Betty Dube downplayed the issues of multiple landlords contributing to illegal development in cities.

"The Physical Planning Act, is very, clear that the all land including customary land in the country shall be subjected to all planning principles.

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"So any uncontrolled use of land should be dealt with by enforcing the laws, the only challenge must be lack of capacity to carry out enforcement," she says.

She added that harmonization of legal framework and embrace inclusiveness to deal with urban land governance in order for the country to achieve sustainable land use.

"Urban land governance is very key to the nation's development and some of the areas to be looked at includes, good governing structures, citizen participation and accountability, good and updated policies, legal frameworks, best practices, and look into some areas of reforms," she added.

President of Malawi Institute of Physical Planners (MIPP) Dereck Mamiwa says political will is the only way to move out of this mess.

"Poverty is hidden original cause of shanty settlements in towns, and the drive to bail out the citizens is that the politicians should be will to give sound policies that can less poverty.

"All land stakeholder should joint stand up to address these challenges and some politicians should refrain from putting their political powers on these issues, and they should learn to listen from professionals, and by doing so the situation will b reversed," Mamiwa said.

With financial support from European Union, Tilitonse Foundation supported Oxfam-Malawi which organized the workshop to address urban land administration woes that have fueled poor urban settlements.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 74F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low around 65F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
PLA Navy ships conduct supply operations at an unspecified location in February 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

With the US presidential election ushering in a change of US administration, there was much speculation about possible changes to US foreign policy and, in particular, its China policy. But it has become clear the extent to which the Biden administration is content to continue the policy of its predecessor. As a result, many people who are concerned about China-US relations are lamenting that "it is impossible to return to the past". But in my view, China-US relationship should not look to the past. The two countries should set their eyes on the future, avoid confrontation, and move their relations forward in a steady manner.

Looking back, China-US relations have suffered many setbacks since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979  the Yinhe incident, the Taiwan Strait crisis, the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, the midair collision above the South China Sea, and the USS Impeccable incident, to name but a few. However, each time dialogue and communication saved the day.

From China's perspective, from the Clinton administration, to the Bush administration and the Obama administration, the United States has never relaxed its vigilance of China. The Obama administration was particularly anxious that China might challenge the US' regional hegemony in the South China Sea. In order to ease tensions and dispel suspicions, the two countries established a defense consultation mechanism and a hotline between the two defense departments and the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES). They put in place mechanisms to prevent, control and manage diplomatic and military crises, such as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the Diplomatic and Security Dialogue. Chinese and US leaders frequently met to provide direction for the healthy development of relations between the two countries.

Obviously, these mechanisms, which worked effectively after their establishment, as well as the guidance of the leaders, played important roles in helping the two sides explore the path of peaceful coexistence through dialogue, communication, and mutual adaptation.

On the morning of April 1, 2001, Wang Wei, by then a lieutenant commander, and his wingman Zhao Yu were mobilized to monitor a US Navy EP-3E Aries II intelligence-gathering aircraft that had taken off from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, and later flew into Chinese airspace over the South China Sea.Flowers and other tributes have been placed at Wang Wei's grave at a cemetery in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/CHINA DAILY]

I personally experienced and participated in the management of the midair collision incident over the South China Sea in 2001. After the incident happened, it took only 12 days for this incident to be initially settled. China-US relations did not suffer a sharp turn after the incident, although this was partly due to the adjustment of the US global strategy after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. However, a common understanding on de-escalation, a certain degree of mutual trust and timely dialogue and communication at the decision-making level between the two countries also played an irreplaceable role. Today, the inspiration we can draw from this is that as long as we respect the other's core interests, appreciate the other's red lines, take into account the aspirations of the two peoples, and manage differences and crises through dialogue in the spirit of cooperation, we can minimize a major disruption to our relationship between the two countries. It is for this reason that there seems to be no insurmountable obstacle between China and the US if they have the communication channels open for crisis management.

US-China relations hit hard by a confrontation mentality

Over the past four years, the Trump administration pursued a policy of unilateralism and extreme pressure in its relations with China, defining China as a "strategic rival". It proposed "economic decoupling", politicized the pandemic by calling it the "China virus", and portrayed China as increasingly assertive in its "militarization of the South China Sea" and pursuit of a "maritime empire". It launched a trade war, a technology war, and a public opinion war against China, resulting in the suspension or interruption of hundreds of dialogue and communication mechanisms between the two countries. As a result, China-US relations went into free fall and plunged to their lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979.

In the South China Sea, for example, the Trump administration completely abandoned Obama administrations' official position of "maintaining neutrality" and kept intensifying its air and naval military operations against China in the South China Sea. From 25 freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) against China to more than 3,000 air sorties and 60 surface ship activities in the first half of 2020, confrontation between China and the United States in the South China Sea has become the norm. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's statement on July 13, 2020 announcing the US position on the South China Sea disputes was an undisguised encouragement to other claimant countries, with the clear intention of forming a united front against China. An mishap between the two countries in, on or above the waters of South China Sea is becoming a more likely probability.

Some in the US strategic community and think tanks claim that China and the US are two rival superpowers. They have fallen under the sway of the Thucydides trap and this analytical paradigm is deeply ingrained in their thinking. It is true that 40 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, there is some change to the balance of power between China and the United States. However, anyone with a modicum of common sense and rational thinking is keenly aware that China lags considerably behind the US in economic, technological, and military terms. Moreover, the unprecedented convergence of the global economy, knowledge, and technology cannot be stopped by the anti-globalization clamored for by populists. The unprecedented level of science and technology and the labyrinth of international community are something Thucydides could not foresee more than 2,000 years ago.

At another crossroads, where next for China-US relations?

Much of the international community has placed high hopes on Biden leading the US back to multilateralism and cooperation to address the common challenges facing mankind. Countries also entertain the hope that, in its relations with China, the Biden administration will be less confrontational and more cooperative, less uncertain and more predictable, and pursue less strategic competition and more dialogue and communication.

The history of the world since the birth of the nation-state has shown time and again that relations between nations are not all about "either/or" or "life and death". China and the US cannot return to the 1970s, but full confrontation would only lead to a "lose-lose" or even an "all-lose" situation. In fact, China and the US have already been exploring a "third way" to get along over the past few decades. It is perhaps inevitable for them to compete for global influence, multilateral mechanisms, and dominance in regional security order; but cooperation is surely the right choice when it comes to issues such as trade, climate change and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, where the interests of all countries are at stake.

In short, China-US relations are once again at a crossroad in history, and the following efforts should be made to take the right path to the future.

First, in order to foster an enabling environment for the resumption of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, US policymakers should abandon their preference for demonizing China and reject the anti-China ideology deliberately stirred up by some politicians. At the same time, practical actions should be taken to encourage people-to-people exchanges such as academic exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and US think tanks, and remove the man-made restrictions on exchanges between universities as well as between Chinese provinces and US states.

Second, China and the United States need to restart their cooperation under the multilateral and institutional framework. The two countries can formulate joint action plans for global governance, pandemic response, economic recovery, climate change, and regional security challenges, in global or regional multilateral arrangements such as the G20, APEC and the East Asia Summit.

Third, the two countries need to make efforts to build a new type of bilateral relationship and new crisis management mechanism, and strive to establish "non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation" as the basic principle for China-US relations.

(The author is president of China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies and chairman of the advisory board of the Institute for China-America Studies.)
New Delhi: Amid the rapidly increasing cases of COVID-19 across India, AIIMS Chief Randeep Guleria on Friday (April 2) said that a mini lockdown may be required to get a grip on the deteriorating situation.

Guleria said that the situation in the country with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic is quite worrying as the cases continue to mount steadily, especially in the last few days.

He cautioned that maintaining social distancing that is, keeping six-feet away from each other, is required even for those who have been inoculated against the virus. He also strongly suggested people to wear masks at public places.

The AIIMS chief attributed the sharp spike in the number of cases to the negligence of people, mainly due to public gatherings.

Negligence leads to illness, said Guleria in a message to the people.

He said that the country needs about 200 crore doses to vaccinate the entire population.

Although recovery rate among children has been found high, said Guleria, it is a cause for concern that many children are contracting the infection.

He also emphasized on the need to create containment zones, so that the spread of the virus could be kept in check.

India recorded its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases in the last six months with 81,466 new infections being reported in a span of 24 hours.

The new cases recorded on Friday took the total tally of cases to 1,23,03,6131 and over 469 more deaths were reported, taking the total death toll to 163,396, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

Registering a steady increase for the 23rd day in a row, the active cases have increased to 6,14,696, while the total recovery stands at 1,15,25,039, the data stated.

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Interest in Chinas digital project could in part be driven by the surging price of bitcoin, Chinas central bank said Thursday, even as the cryptocurrency is effectively banned in the worlds second-largest economy, CNBC reported.

Chinas digital is an example of a central bank digital currency which aims to replace some of the cash in circulation. The the Peoples Bank of sees it as a way to advance cashless payments. It is effectively a digital version of fiat currency.

The central bank has been working on a digital currency since 2014. According to CNBC, speaking to reporters, Wang Xin, PBOC research bureau director, said market interest in the digital is very strong and everyone is paying close attention.




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N NOVEMBER 2013, Nora von Achenbach, curator at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg, Germany, examined the catalogue for an upcoming auction by the Paris-based dealer Boisgirard-Antonini. The glossy pages offered a bevy of antiquities for sale: bronze figurines, jewellery and a statue from ancient Egypt estimated at more than 300,000. But von Achenbach was interested in a pale marble tablet, carved with arabesques, vines and Persian

script. Lot 104, an important epigraphic panel with interlacings from the palace of Masud III, was date to the 12th century, from the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire, in what is today Afghanistan. Curators must be wary of buying fake or stolen art, particularly when it comes to ancient artefacts, which may have been illegally excavated in countries plagued by war and corruption. Boisgirard-Antoninis catalogue simply stated that the marbles provenance was a private French collection. But von Achenbach  who did not respond to requests for an interview  may have been reassured by the lengthy description of the archaeological site where the marble was originally found, the royal palace in Ghazni, where a legal, Italian-led excavation broke ground in the 1950s. Moreover, as the catalogue noted, three panels from the same site were held by the Brooklyn Museum, San Franciscos Asian Art Museum and the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Von Achenbach decided that the marble could form part of her museums collection in Hamburg. She sent in a bid, the equivalent of around $US50,000, and won. Boisgirard-Antonini shipped the panel to Germany. While it was still in storage at the museum, von Achenbach invited Stefan Heidemann, an expert on Islamic art at Hamburg University, to view the panel. Heidemann thought it was magnificent, but unease crept over him as he wondered how, exactly, it had come from Afghanistan to Europe. He had worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where, as chance would have it, a colleague of his, Martina Rugiadi, wrote her doctoral thesis on the Italian excavation in Ghazni, and the fate of the marbles during the war years that followed. When Heidemann got in touch, Rugiadi told him the Hamburg marble had indeed been stolen from the Afghan government. Numbered C3733 during

the excavation, the marble disappeared during Afghanistans civil war, when the countrys museums were robbed by guerrillas. Moreover, Rugiadi had already heard about the auction, and had emailed Pierre Antonini to warn him around the time of the sale. He replied asking for more information. But the auction house shipped the panel to Hamburg anyway, without informing the museum of the evidence that it was stolen. The question I ask of every object is, Are you stolen or not?  This I find quite a scandal, Heidemann told me. As it so happened, Claude Boisgirard was being investigated in connection with a series of thefts from

the venerable Parisian auction house Hotel Drouot, where he spent decades as an auctioneer; he would be given a 10-month suspended sentence for fraud and conspiracy in 2016. (Boisgirard-Antonini did not respond to requests for comment.) The Hamburg museum notified German authorities, but did not pursue legal action against Boisgirard-Antonini; it kept the marble in storage and out of sight.

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In August 2018, I received an email from Tobias Morike, a curator of Islamic art, introducing himself and the marble. Von Achenbach had retired in 2017; the museum was now planning to exhibit the marble as part of a series called Looted Art?  a mea culpa, of sorts  and wanted to return the artefact to the Afghan government. There were still many unanswered questions that surrounded the marble, he told me. How had it gone from the hands of looters to the showrooms of Paris? What did this say about the other Ghazni marbles held by prestigious institutions? Morike had read my stories on smugglers and corruption in Afghanistan. Would I be interested in visiting for the exhibitions opening? Two months later, I stood in central Hamburg in front of the three-storey

former vocational school that housed the Museum of Arts and Crafts (or MKG, as it is known by its German initials). Silke Reuther, the museums provenance researcher, led me on a tour of the collection. She explained that, like Londons Victoria & Albert Museum, the MKG was intended, in an era before Wikipedia and Google, as a reference for design and manufacturing, illustrated with a collection of masterworks spanning geography and time: Kashan tiles, Etruscan vases, Coptic funerary-cloth embroidery. The question I ask of every object, she said, is, Are you stolen or not?  Almost 100 pieces of Ghazni marble vanished from Afghan government hands during the civil war. Credit:Getty Images If we listen, objects have their own stories to tell. The question of provenance  the chain of ownership from creation to the present  was originally concerned with establishing authenticity, and therefore value. You

might know that a painting was really a Velazquez, say, if you could find its original bill of sale. But in recent decades, provenance research has come to be wielded against the perceived wrongs of the past. Like many professions pushed by a new generation of activists and scholars, the museum world is coming to grips with thorny issues of power and inequality. One of them is the concentration of valuable antiquities from around the world in the hands of Western museums. A fierce debate is underway about whether some of these objects should be returned to their former owners or places of origin, in what is known as restitution. Near the museum entrance, a pallet with a crate had been placed on the floor. Inside, nestled amid a raft of packing material was the carved marble panel, two feet long. Crouching down, I saw that the sandy-coloured stone was delicately veined and faintly translucent. The panel was carved in relief in three sections: at the bottom, there was a delicate band of interwoven vines; in the middle, arabesques formed a pattern of three-leaved curls; and the top held a fragment of Persian, in Kufic script: wa alam-e sufli, and the world of the dead. A thousand years earlier, the Ghaznavid emperors and their horsemen ruled an empire stretching from Iran to India. The Persian words carved in the stone were part of a verse extolling the dynasty that scrolled along the wall of the imperial court. It was there that the poet Ferdowsi, whose stature in Persian letters is comparable to Shakespeares in English, presented his epic work, the Shahnameh, to Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. The Hamburg marble was a fragment of that distant universe.

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Today, pieces of the palaces architecture are scattered around the world. Using old pictures taken by the archaeological mission, as well as auction records and catalogues, Rugiadi and her Italian colleagues had compiled a database of the Ghazni marbles, listing their original location and, if known, their current one. It was available online, and browsing it, I was surprised to see more of these panels at museums in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Some had been stolen from the Afghan government; others were taken from sites in the countryside and spirited abroad. Decades of conflict have devastated Afghanistan, one of the worlds poorest countries. Looters have stripped its archaeological sites bare. There are tens of thousands of objects from Afghanistan that entered the market in the mid-1990s, St John Simpson, a curator at the British Museum who studies antiquities trafficking, told me, and all of those were almost certainly illegally exported or stolen. The stolen marble panel, C3733, was returned to Afghan officials in Germany before being repatriated. Credit:Getty Images In the northern summer of 2019, I flew to Kabul to investigate the marbles journey. Fighting raged between the government and insurgents; even as

American troops withdrew, the violence was getting worse. People fled their homes and went hungry; looters scoured the countryside for artefacts. One day, I got a call from Ghulam Rajabi, a native of Ghazni who worked on the original Italian dig that excavated the Hamburg marble, saying that he had arrived in the capital. Amid the crowds of shoppers on Qala-e Fatullahs main street, I spotted an elderly, snow-bearded man leaning on a cane, wearing the

heavy white turban of a rural elder. It was Rajabi, who had just made the short but dangerous trip from Ghazni City. Loading Rajabi was a young man when they unearthed the marbles; he was 81 now. He grew up the son of a poor cobbler, and expected to follow his fathers trade until the Italians arrived, offering good wages to those who could work carefully with a pick and shovel. Legal archaeological excavations began in Afghanistan after the 1919 war of independence freed the country from the diplomatic isolation imposed by the British. At the time, little physical evidence existed to back up the fabulous legends of the countrys three millennia as a crossroads of empire. When the Italian archaeological mission arrived in Ghazni in 1956, it was a sleepy provincial capital several hours from Kabul, with mudwalled homes that lacked electricity and running water.

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But it was known, from historical sources, to have been the seat of Sultan Mahmud and his heirs; it was there that, after centuries of Arab dominance, the Persian language was revived in literature and government. The only visible traces that remained were two elaborate brick minarets that dominated the arid plain below the town. Three hundred metres to the east of the largest minaret, the archaeologists discovered the remains of a complex built around a courtyard, with pillars and vaulted passageways. When they unearthed its splendid marble decor, the Italians were convinced they had found the royal palace constructed by Masud III, Mahmuds great-grandson. Under the agreement between the Italian mission and the Afghan government, a portion of the excavated antiquities were shipped to the Museo Nazionale dArte Orientale in Rome. The remainder, including the Hamburg panel, numbered C3733, belonged to Afghanistan; some were displayed in the new Rawza Museum, housed in a 16th-century mausoleum, in Ghazni. Other marbles were shipped to Kabul, where they were exhibited in the Islamic gallery at the National Museum of Afghanistan. But Afghanistans archaeological treasures also stoked appetites in the West. In the spring of 1978, Johannes Kalter, head of the Oriental Department at the Linden Museum in Stuttgart, set off to visit Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan on what he called a collecting trip, which, he wrote in the museums journal, at comparatively low prices brings a wealth of otherwise

scarcely obtainable and well-documented material to the museum. At the time, a trade in illegally excavated antiquities was carried out openly in Kabuls bazaars, which were crowded with foreign buyers. Today, the Linden Museum owns a number of marbles from Ghazni, five of which were photographed in Afghan holy sites by the Italian mission. When the locals foraged for bricks in the mounds that dotted the plain, sometimes a piece of carved marble turned up, often bearing Koranic inscriptions. These were given places of pride in shrines and mosques, which the Italians documented but for the most part left in situ as they were integral to the sites, like the marble niche with a carved oil lamp that was placed as the mihrab, which indicates the direction of Mecca, at a mosque in Ghazni. Afghanistan had laws to protect its cultural heritage, but they were not well enforced. At the time, a trade in illegally excavated antiquities was carried out openly in Kabuls bazaars, which were crowded with foreign buyers, some of them backpackers off the Hippie Trail.

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You could walk through downtowns Chicken Street and, along with hand-woven rugs and lapis lazuli bracelets, browse artefacts thousands of years old  if you werent shown one of the many fakes on offer. In Kabul, I spoke to Sayed Jafar, a carpet seller and the son of an antiques dealer. When I showed

Jafar photographs of Ghazni marbles, he recognised them immediately. Both his father and their neighbour, Noor Shir, sold antiquities to foreigners during the 1970s, and Jafar recalled seeing such marbles in Shirs shop. Noor Shir would encourage people to bring them from Ghazni, to steal them from the shrines and graveyards, and to dig for them, he told me. Exporting antiquities required permission from the government, but border controls were lax, and bribery common. It was easy to smuggle artefacts out of the country, if you knew what you were doing. They would mix old and new items and ship them in metal trunks from the airport, or by land to Pakistan, said Jafar, who bears a scar on his jaw from the rocket strike that killed his father during the civil war. During his visit to Kabul, Kalter, who died in 2014, was helped by a young

German antiquities dealer named Joerg Drechsel. Jafar didnt recognise

Drechsels name, but a senior Afghan archaeologist told me that he remembered Drechsel dealing with the shopkeepers in town: He was working with Noor Shir. When I contacted Drechsel, he denied being involved in illegally exporting antiquities. In fact, I was not involved in the export of objects at all, he wrote, since I acquired objects from established dealers and the export

clearance and shipping was entirely their responsibility. He said that his last

visit to Afghanistan was in either 1978 or 1979. The Ghazni marbles were offered to me much later by an intermediary in Germany. Annette Kramer, who is preparing an exhibit on the history of the Lindens

Afghan collection, told me the museum has no record of how the marbles acquired from Drechsel were exported. Drechsel, who worked closely with a

number of prominent German institutions, also obtained a Ghazni marble

that is currently held by the Reiss Engelhorn Museums in Mannheim, according to the scholarly volume Islamic Art in Germany; the museum said its marble was donated by a local carpet dealer in 1988. After the Afghan civil war, it became too dangerous for staff to work in the National Museum in Kabul. Credit:Getty Images In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The countryside rose against it, and American-supplied arms fanned the flames of war higher. The Italian mission stopped coming to Ghazni; Rajabi traded his shovel for a Kalashnikov and joined the guerrillas. After 10 years of bloodshed, the Soviets withdrew, but the civil war continued.

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Kilkenny farmers are being warned by the Department of Agriculture that this year's Nematodirus disease warning is earlier than usual.

According to the Department, this year Nematodirus larval hatching is expected to peak between March 23rd and April 13th which is about one week earlier than would normally be expected. This is due to milder than normal soil temperatures.

The majority of the country will see maximum larval hatching in the week of the 5th to the 10th of April with the exception of the south-western coastal region where the peak is expected to occur between late March and the first days of April, and coastal fringes of the west and northwest where it is expected in the first few days of April.



When should lambs be treated?

At-risk lambs (i.e. typically 6  12 weeks of age and grazing on contaminated pasture) should be treated approximately two weeks after the peak of egg hatching.

Along the south west coast, as well as coastal fringes of the west and northwest, lambs should be dosed with a suitable wormer (anthelmintic) by the second week of April while lambs in the rest of the country should be dosed in the last two weeks of April.

However, consideration should be given to dosing lambs earlier on individual farms where clinical signs consistent with Nematodirus are observed as the above treatment guidelines are based on estimated peak hatch of eggs.

What wormer should be used?

Benzimidazoles (white drenches) are the treatment of choice for Nematodirus infections and are effective against both larval and adult stages. The use of this anthelmintic class as the first-choice treatment option will also help to reduce the exposure of other worms such as Trichostrongylus and Teladorsagia to other anthelmintic classes (e.g. macrocyclic lactones) at a point in the grazing season when treatment for these may not be necessary. This will help to sustain the effectiveness of these drugs and is particularly important on farms with pre existing issues of benzimidazole resistance in populations of the common stomach/intestinal roundworms.

Please note that currently there are no drenches with effective residual activity against Nematodirus. This means that as lambs continue to graze they can become re-infected with larvae, and as a result may require repeated treatments with the same or similar wormers at two to three-week intervals throughout the spring.

Prevention

This disease is best prevented by keeping the current years lambs off any pasture that was grazed by lambs or young calves (which can be carriers of infection) in the previous year. Enterprises with high stocking rates are particularly vulnerable. Please note that twin lambs, or single lambs born to ewes of poor milking ability may be at a greater risk of developing disease as they begin consuming greater amounts of grass earlier in life. If clean pasture is available, preference should be given to moving these lambs first.
The owner of Isom's Orchard in Athens, Wes Isom, said he's very concerned about the freezing temperatures.

If it starts getting too cold, Isom will spray the peach trees with water. The water creates a protective barrier around the bud, to hold in heat.

"What we have coming up here tonight, temperatures projected to be in the upper 20's and if that's a prolonged spell, four to five hours, serious damage could occur," said Isom.

Peach tree's bloom as early as February. The earlier they bloom, the more susceptible the peach trees are to damage from feezing temperatures.

Strawberries are easier to cover and protect from freezing temperatures.

"Strawberries, many people are using ground covers," said Isom. "It's very similar to the lining that is under your box spring."

This covering keeps frost off of strawberries.

Brown Farms is a strawberry farm in New Market, Alabama. They said before the cold temperatures start, they use a row cover and rock bags.

Isom said if you're growing any produce in your backyard, you can protect it with any type of sheet. This will keep the frost off.

In Janurary, Isom was concerned about the ice storm that affected North Alabama. Ice accumulated on the tree's for over four days. A few peach trees were damaged but most of the tree's on the 70-acre orchard were left unharmed. Isom hopes the freezing temperatures in April don't kill any of the buds. If the buds survive the cold temperatures, Isom's Orchard will be filled with fresh produce in May.
Chief Minister will on Friday evening hold a meeting with the state officials over the deteriorating COVID-19 situation in the state.

The meeting, scheduled to take place at 4:30 pm at CM's Varsha residence, is likely to be attended by some officials of the union health ministry as well.

reported 43,183 new COVID-19 cases and 249 deaths on Thursday. The state has been the biggest contributor of cases on a daily basis in the country in the past few weeks. The state currently has 367,897 active cases and has reported over 54,000 related deaths so far.

Thackeray on Sunday had instructed senior officials of the State Health Department and the COVID task force to prepare for lockdown. The remarks had come at a meeting of senior officials of the state's health department and the state government's COVID-19 task force.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister was informed that the way the number of cases is increasing on a daily basis, may soon face a scarcity of beds for COVID-19 patients.

The Chief Minister had observed that people are not taking the guidelines seriously and that is why serious steps, similar to a lockdown, need to be considered.

(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.)
ROME, APR 2 - Rome prosecutors said Friday that four people have been placed under investigation for allegedly threatening Health Minister Roberto Speranza via email. They said the homes of the suspects, all Italian nationals, had been searched by Carabinieri police in the provinces of Turin, Cagliari, Varese and Enna. They were allegedly behind "numerous emails with seriously threatening content with respect to Health Minister Roberto Speranza between October 2020 and January 2021". The suspects are accused of the felony of "aggravated threats". As health minister, Speranza has signed a series of orders for unpopular restrictions to prevent contagion during the COVID-19 pandemic. (ANSA).
For those who know the children's nursery song "Old MacDonald Had A Farm," well, he does in real life, and it's in Texas, y'all.

In 1991, Donald Wilkerson launched Old MacDonald's Farm in Humble after realizing there wasn't an official petting zoo or farm with that name, his son Mitchell told MySA.com.

READ ALSO: Texas' newest state park just a four-hour drive from San Antonio

Mitchell, who took over operations seven years ago, said his father decided to call the attraction Old MacDonald's Farm in tribute to the famous song and as a nod to Donald's first name. Mitchell said his father was always interested in safari drive-thru parks and petting zoos, so it was natural for him to start his own.

Old MacDonald's Farm is located at 3203 FM 1960 Rd. in Humble, which is about a three-and-half hour drive east of San Antonio (so plan ahead before heading out). The 15-acre property is pretty much a children's paradise with several petting zoos, playgrounds, picnic areas, and more.

Scroll below for more details about Old MacDonald's Farm.
YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued a statement on the 5th anniversary of the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh unleashed in April, 2016.

Five years ago, on the night of 1 to 2 April, 2016, the Azerbaijani authorities, in flagrant violation of the commitment on ceasefire, launched a large-scale military offensive against Artsakh, attempting to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the use of force.

During the offensive, the armed forces of Azerbaijan deliberately targeted the civilian population and infrastructure. The four-day war against Artsakh was accompanied by cruel murders and torture of the servicemen and civilians of Artsakh, as well as mutilation of the bodies of the victims. Those who committed these crimes on the grounds of national hatred were later awarded by the Azerbaijani authorities at the highest level.

In the aftermath of the April war, inspired by the impunity of the committed war crimes and violations of human rights, the Azerbaijani authorities intensified their bellicose rhetoric and propaganda of hatred against Armenians.

This policy resulted in unleashing new military aggression by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in 2020 with the direct involvement of Turkey and the latters affiliated foreign terrorist fighters causing numerous irreversible human and material losses. Considerable part of Artsakhs territory fell under the Azerbaijani military occupation, tens of thousands of citizens became refugees.

The large-scale wars unleashed against Artsakh in April, 2016 and September, 2020, as well as the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during those hostilities, demonstrated that Artsakh cannot be under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan with any status.

Only addressing the consequences of the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh and the determination of the status of Artsakh will serve as a basis for lasting peace and stability in the region. Armenia and the Armenian people will make every effort to fully restore all the rights of our compatriots in Artsakh for a free and dignified life in their historical homeland, the foreign ministry said in the statement.
Aizawl: Days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) asked four northeastern states including Mizoram to take appropriate action to prevent a possible influx of people from coup-hit Myanmar into India, Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Thursday said that he is sending a delegation to Delhi to request the Central government to change India`s foreign policy on Myanmar and not to send the refugees back.

Stating that the Indian Government should be more open to Myanmarese people, the Chief Minister said that once the refugees from the military-ruled country come to Mizoram, they should be provided with food and shelter on humanitarian grounds.

Speaking to ANI, Zoramthanga said, "I believe that the Indian Government should be more open to Myanmarese people. I have told this to PM Modi. I am sending my delegation to Delhi to discuss. We will request the government to change the foreign policy to accept the Myanmar refugees not to send them back. The exodus of refugees is increasing. I do not know the exact number. But they are our brother and we have to sympathise with them."

"I have expressed my views to (Union) Home Minister Amit Shah and told him that those people who came from Myanmar are our brothers and sisters. We have family ties with most of them. And once they came to Mizoram, we have to give them food and shelter from the humanitarian point of view. We want Myanmar to be a democratic government and not a military government," he further said.

Lalthlamuani, a refugee from Myanmar said, "We came here because we are under military rule. The Army used to come in the night before the 8:00 pm curfew and used to harass our family. We don`t want to fight with the army, we want to make peace with them. I would like to request the Indian government to support us."

The Ministry of Home Affairs had on March 13, 2021, written a letter to the states asking them to take appropriate action as per law to check illegal influx from Myanmar into India. The Ministry, in its letter, also asked security forces to stay alert and take proper action. It has been reported that illegal influx from Myanmar has started and agencies have been asked to identify migrants and initiate the deportation processes without delay, the ministry had said. The Home Ministry reiterated that state governments and Union Territory (UT) administrations have no power to grant "refugee" status to any foreigner as India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol.

Live TV
Answers on vaccine side effects

My colleague Tara Parker-Pope, the founding editor of Well, recently asked readers to send in their questions about vaccinations. Here are some answers, condensed.

Q: Ive heard the Covid vaccine side effects, especially after the second dose, can be really bad. Should I be worried?

Short-lived side effects like fatigue, headache, muscle aches and fever are more common after the second dose of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines. People interviewed by The Times reported a wide spectrum of responses, from no reaction at all to symptoms like uncontrolled shivering and brain fog. They are a sign that your own immune system is mounting a potent response to the vaccine.

Q: Is it true that women are more likely to get worse side effects from a vaccine than men?

Its true that women may be more likely to report side effects, which has a biological explanation. Estrogen can stimulate an immune response, whereas testosterone can blunt it. In addition, many immune-related genes are on the X chromosome, of which women have two copies and men have only one. These robust immune responses help to explain why 80 percent of autoimmune diseases afflict women.

Q: Are the side effects worse if youve already had Covid-19?

Research and anecdotal reports suggest that people with a previously diagnosed Covid-19 infection may have a stronger reaction and more side effects after their first dose of vaccine compared to those who were never infected with the virus. A strong reaction to your first dose also may be a sign that you were previously infected, even if you werent aware of it.

Q: What about taking a pain reliever after the shot?

While most experts agree its safe to take a pain reliever after you get vaccinated, they advise against taking it as a preventive or if your symptoms are manageable without it.

Read Taras full F.A.Q. about vaccine side effects.
Snap Inc, the owner of the popular app Snapchat, has previously voiced concerns over Apples App Tracking Transparency. A new report published today claims that the company has tested a workaround to the iOS 14s app tracking transparency which is said to have a 95% success rate on identifying individual users.

iOS 14s app tracking transparency has caused havoc in the advertising industry. The popular social media network, Facebook, is already behind Apple, accusing the company that it will have catastrophic effects, and would change the internet for the worse. Now, Snap says that it has tested a method that doesnt violate Apples term, and is successful in tracking individual iPhone users.

Up until now, apps like Facebook, Instagram, and for that matter every app with ads on the App Store, has relied on a technique called Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) to identify each iOS user. This unique ID is assigned to every iPhone and iOS device across apps and websites and tracks the usage of the user. According to the data it records, an ad is shown to the user.

With iOS 14, Apple no longer allows apps and websites to see the IDFA so the advertisers are not able to track the users. According to Financial Times, Snap has tested a workaround, called probabilistic matching, that uses the same approach as the banned SDK.

Snap wanted to gather data from companies that analyze whether people have responded to ad campaigns, including aggregated IP addresses, the labels that identify devices connected to the internet. It hoped it could take that data and cross-reference it against the information it holds on its own users to identify and track them, in a technique known as probabilistic matching, according to several people familiar with its plans.

Snap has now admitted that it ran such tests behind the scenes but says that the company wont implement the SDK when Apple rolls out app tracking transparency with iOS 14.5. It says,  We support and will follow Apples upcoming guidelines because we have always believed that advertising should respect consumers privacy.

We Want to Hear From You

What is your take on iOS 14s app tracking transparency? Let us know in the comments section below!

[Via Financial Times
Going back to my nanny being Pakistani, I grew up being a little confused, she said. My family saw God and my nanny saw Allah, but they were both worshiping Jesus.

Through reading scripture in Mr. Onuohas nondenominational group, she said, I surrendered my life to Him. I got so repentful looking at my past life.

She stopped wearing crop tops and cursing and broke her collection of rap CDs. For a while, she slept with a Bible, like she would a teddy bear.

If Mr. Onuoha was her guide to a fuller sense of God, though, he wasnt hers exclusively. I was evangelizing to a lot of people at the time, he said. A late 2014 outing to a McDonalds restaurant near campus would help him understand the intensity of their connection. I couldnt put my guard up around her, he said.

He was so comfortable in her company that, as the night wore on and she started falling asleep across the table from him  McDonalds was the local destination for studying after the school library closed at midnight  his playful side emerged. I started drawing on her chin with a marker, he said. Thats not something I would have done with anybody but her. It was like we were already best friends.

They would remain best friends until 2018, when Mr. Onuoha said he was visited by a voice. In the spring of that year, I was sleeping, and as soon as I woke up I heard it vividly, as if it were in the room with me, he said. It was a calm voice. It said, Go get your wife. I believe it was God, of course.
But that did not mean fans were not still mourning his loss on Twitter on Friday.

What?!?? Theres no #Bridgerton without Rene-Jean Page, one tweeted.

When the show left Pages character and his now-wife, Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), at the end of the first season, she had just given birth to the couples first child, a son. Daphne will return for the new season, Netflix said, which will focus on her oldest brother, Anthony, and his own quest for romance.

Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer  more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear, the letter from Lady Whistledown said.

The eight-episode saga, the first original series for Netflix by Shonda Rhimess production company, was a hit with both fans and critics, and Netflix reported that 82 million households watched the series in its first month following a Christmas Day release. The show follows the drama of a courting season in 1813 London, with social machinations, scheming and scandal galore as high-society families contrive to pair off their young eligibles.
New Delhi: Amid India-China standoff at Line of Actual Control (LAC), India had banned PUBG Mobile, one of the most popular games, on September 2, 2020, along with another 117 Chinese apps.

These apps were banned under section 69A of the Information Technology Act by the Centre citing these apps were engaged in activities that were prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity, defence and security of the country.

In June 2020, India had banned 47 Chinese apps which were clones of 59 Chinese apps. By November, the government had blocked 250 apps with Chinese links last year, including Alibaba Workbench, AliExpress, Alipay Cashier, PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik, PUBG MOBILE LITE and Cam Scanner among others.

Bedsides India, PUBG is also banned by counties like China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Korea, Jordan, Nepal, Israel and Iraq for different reasons.

Meanwhile, the battle royale game PUBG Lite will officially shut down globally on April 29. The developers Krafton confirmed the news on the official website. "We are deeply grateful for the passion and support from the astounding number of PUBG Lite fans that have been with us. During the strenuous times of the Covid-19 pandemic, we hope that PUBG Lite was able to provide our fans a fun way to stay safe, the statement said.

"Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to close service after much deliberation and the time has come for our journey to end. We regretfully inform you that the service of PUBG Lite is scheduled to end on April 29th, 2021 (UTC)," it added.

However, PUBG Lite Facebook will remain operational until further notice, the developers stated.

Live TV
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a congratulatory telegram to Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko on the occasion of the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia, according to the Kremlin press service.

"A quarter of a century ago, the Treaty on the Establishment of the Community of Russia and Belarus was signed, which became the first significant step on the path towards closer cooperation between our countries. Since then, much has been done to strengthen Russia-Belarus ties. The mechanisms of the Union State allow a high level of bilateral interaction in politics, trade, economy, humanitarian field and many other spheres. Moscow and Minsk are coordinating efforts in the international arena, making a significant contribution to stability and security in the Eurasian space," the message reads.



In addition, the Russian leader expressed confidence that Russia and Belarus will keep working together to promote constructive relations.

"Twenty-five years ago an agreement was signed to establish the Community of Belarus and Russia, which became the starting point for bilateral integration processes. During this time, our countries have achieved a lot: they have established a common customs, migration, humanitarian, social, cultural and educational space, which has made a considerable contribution to improving the quality of life of Belarusians and Russians," the message of congratulations reads.

According to Lukashenko, cooperation in the Union State based on the principles of sovereign equality will continue to serve the interests of citizens of Belarus and Russia.

Among joint achievements the Belarusian leader noted a launch of space crafts, development of supercomputers, implementation of numerous high technology projects in industry and agriculture. According to him, a launch of the first power unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant was the latest major achievement of this cooperation.

The Belarusian leader believes that it is obvious that Russians and Belarusians are sincerely interested in mutually beneficial cooperation and stronger integration in the Union State based on the principles of equality and independence of the two states.



"I am convinced that together we will overcome all difficulties, and prove that we made the right decision 25 years ago when we opted for consolidation and joint development of our countries within the framework of the Union State," Lukashenko said.
For years, the parents' association of the Indira Gandhi primary school battled to get rid of the prefabricated classrooms in which their children had to be taught and they finally succeeded. The only memory of those classrooms now is the road that the council has named after the parents' association, in recognition of their efforts.

This story had a happy ending, but that is rather unusual. The lack of educational infrastructure on the Costa del Sol has always been an unfortunate reality, and the idea of schools without prefabricated classrooms is hard to imagine. Although over time many have gone because the schools have been enlarged, the rapid growth in population in some of these towns means the situation is likely to become more difficult over the next few years, and at the moment the Junta de Andalucia does not seem to have a specific plan to deal with the problem.

When asked about this, the branch office in Malaga said that the Andalusian Education Agency (APAE) will be meeting "soon" to approve the 2021 infrastructure plan. Meanwhile, the population is growing exponentially each year, which is worrying in terms of school capacity. In the Mijas and Fuengirola area, the population has increased by around 5,000, but it is not alone. Marbella has increased by 4,000 inhabitants, Estepona 2,000 and, on the other side of the province, Rincon de la Victoria has seen similar growth.

In fact, Rincon is a graphic example of the problem facing the administrations. Barely a year after a fourth secondary school was inaugurated, in Torre de Benagalbon, following years of protests by local residents about overcrowded schools, the Junta de Andalucia has had to start planing for a fifth school in the municipality, where the population has doubled in the past 20 years and has now reached nearly 50,000.

The site for the future school in Rincon de la Victoria. / EUGENIO CABEZAS

The new secondary school will be in the Parque Victoria urbanisation, north of the motorway, in La Cala del Moral, on a 9,000 square metre plot ceded by the council. The Junta will spend 4.2 million euros on this school, which will have capacity for 360 pupils.

There is a similar problem in Mijas, which now has the third highest population after Malaga city and Marbella. The Junta de Andalucia has designed a specific plan for schools there, including the extension and remodelling of the Jardin Botanico school at a cost of 2.6 million euros.

There are also plans to extend the secondary school in La Cala de Mijas and build a new secondary school in Las Lagunas, and plans are being finalised or contracts are being put to tender for extending the Torre Almenara secondary school and adapting the Indira Ghandi school.

Prefabricated classrooms at the Xarblanca school in Marbella. / JOSELE

The Junta also announced last year that it is to build a new secondary school in Benalmadena Pueblo, and extend the Concha Mendez Cuesta secondary school in Torremolinos and primary schools including the Mariana Pineda in Arroyo de la Miel, Ramon Lago in Estepona and Jose Banus in Nueva Andalucia.

There are 44 projects to build, extend or improve schools in 19 municipalities in Malaga province at a cost of nearly 37.1 million euros, but many of these have not yet begun.

Elsewhere on the western Costa del Sol the situation is similar. In Marbella, parents of pupils at the Vargas Llosa have been calling for a new school for the past ten years, but with no success. The children started their schooldays in prefabricated classrooms on a site in Trapiche Norte, where the present school was eventually built. Years later, when moving up from primary school, they found themselves in the same situation and are being taught in prefabricated classrooms again. Work is due to begin on a new school this year, although the pupils will have to travel 11 kilometres from their homes to get there.

The first stone is laid for the new school in Manilva. / JOSE MARIA MARTIN

In Estepona, there are plans to extend the Isdabe del Mar infant school in Isdabe and the Ramon Lago primary school in Cancelada. In both cases, the town hall has ceded land to the Junta so this can be done.

Manilva is also a good example of the pressure of population growth on schools, and the council is working with the Education authorities on plans for extensions. In fact, the Junta's delegate in Malaga, Mercedes Garcia Paine, recently laid the first stone of an extension to the San Luis de Sabinillas primary school, and announced that sites are being considered for the construction of another secondary school, which will be the second in the municipality.

E. Cabezas, J. Duenas, J. M. Martin and A. Jimenez contributed to this article.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Cloudy this morning with thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 82F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early with isolated thunderstorms developing late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Coronavirus cases have seen a sharp rise in India in the past couple of days. In the past 24 hours, India reported 81,466 patients who were infected with the deadly virus. The number is close to what was being reported in September 2019 when cases hovered between 80,000+ and 90,000.

Officials are warning the second wave of coronavirus could be more dangerous than the previous one. Officials are also worried that the second wave has seen more daily active cases than the first one. The most-affected state Maharashtra is contemplating imposing a full state-wide lockdown. Pune has closed hotel, malls and religious places for the next seven days. The Maharashtra district has also put in place a curfew from 6 pm to 6 am during the period. Similarly, restrictions have been imposed in many parts of Punjab where Covid-19 cases are rising rapidly.

Also read: BREAKING: India races past US in daily COVID-19 cases

MP has announced a partial lockdown every Sunday in 12 districts, including the capital city of Bhopal. Gujarat has extended night curfew by two hours in four cities till March 31. Officials and ministers have warned that considering the spurt in cases, the country's health infrastructure could be crippled. Here are five instances when government officials or ministers flagged major concerns over the deteriorating Covid-19 situation in India.

Maharashtra CM recently said considering the seriousness of the situation, the state government is devising a plan to put in place curbs "similar to a lockdown". "There should not be any kind of confusion among the people once a lockdown is announced," he said. Senior NITI Aayog Member Vinod Kumar Paul said on March 30 that "if the cases are more, they will eventually overwhelm the system". Admitting the situation is becoming bad to worse, he termed it a "serious concern". "In some states in particular, there is a huge cause of worry. No part of the country should be complacent," he said. Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said there's a chance that lockdown will be imposed if cases keep on rising at the same pace. "Today, there is no shortage of beds, medicines, and doctors. If the number of cases keeps rising, then, we'll have to take a decision," Tope told ANI. As per the health ministry, eight States, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Punjab, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh continue to show a steep rise in the COVID daily new cases. The ministry recently said a "double mutant" variant of coronavirus has been detected in over 10,000 samples analysed across 10 national labs. Apart from the 'double mutant variant', three major variants, also known as 'variants of concern' or VoCs, that have spread across the UK, South Africa and Brazil, have also been detected in India. As per scientist Manindra Agrawal from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, Covid-19 cases could rise to the peak level in April. He said: "There is some uncertainty in predicting the peak value of daily new infections because of the sharp rise. Currently, it is coming to 1 lakh infections per day, but this can go up or down. But the timing remains the same between April 15-20."

Also read: India's COVID-19 count crosses 1.23 crore-mark; Maharashtra worst-affectedAlso read: COVID-19 in Mumbai: 8,646 cases in last 24 hours, highest one-day rise
GUANGZHOU, China, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading multinational retail e-commerce platform Banggood will release the Mi 11 Lite simultaneously in coordination with Xiaomi's official website. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi hosted a new product launch event on March 29, at which the company unveiled three new models - the Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Lite.

Banggood will launch the Mi 11 Lite in two configurations: 6GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB. The model, priced at EUR 299, will be available for pre-order starting April 6.

"Banggood's growth strategy calls for paying more attention to the expectations of younger buyers who want to be equipped with the latest and most popular consumer electronics. To meet these expectations, we will first focus on providing more products tailored to this audience. Xiaomi has always been one of the most popular brands among younger visitors to the Banggood website, and the Mi 11 Lite is a mobile phone specially designed for the segment. The debut of the new model on Banggood represents the first step of our effort to resonate with the youth market. Looking ahead, we plan to invest more resources to optimize the experience for the demographic, with the aim of making Banggood their go-to e-commerce platform," said Aaron Chen, CEO of Banggood.

In addition to releasing the Mi 11 Lite, Banggood is the only independent website invited to attend the 2021 Mi Fan Festival. From April 1st to April 20th, Banggood, in concert with Xiaomi's official platforms and partners, will join in the celebrations while exploring the possibilities of further collaborative efforts. In tandem with a line-up of exciting interactive activities, Banggood will offer a substantial discount of up to 50% off during the event. The latest and best-selling products such as Redmi Note 10 will be available at the lowest price points online for a limited time. Please get the latest information on Banggood's social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).

About Banggood

Founded in 2006, Banggood is a leading e-commerce company running its website www.banggood.com and pages on other platforms to offer tens of millions of registered users more than 500,000 types of products, covering from consumer electronics to clothing. Banggood is headquartered in Guangzhou, China, the city of the supply chain, with a global reach in North America, Europe, Asian Pacific, South America and the Middle East. The company recently unveiled its Top-Selling Products List For First Half of 2020. For more information, please visit: https://www.banggood.com/aboutBanggood.html
E. Edwin Spencer had no way of knowing he would be making history that day when he knocked on Henning Jacobson's door in Cambridge, Mass. All he knew was that smallpox was spreading in their city at the dawn of the 20th century, and as a doctor and the chairman of the board of health, it was his job to make sure all residents had been vaccinated against the deadly disease within the last five years.

Jacobson flatly refused to comply.

More than a century later, as millions of Americans get vaccinated voluntarily against the coronavirus and society starts to reopen, questions loom about how far businesses and government can go to ensure safety. Can airlines, concert venues and other businesses refuse service to anyone who chooses not to get vaccinated? The Biden administration has insisted there will be no national mandate, but it is still working with the private sector to create a vaccination passport or certification.

And thanks to that knock on the door in March 1902, there's a legal precedent to guide policymakers and the courts. It's a story recounted in detail by historian Michael Willrich in his book "Pox: An American History."

Henning Jacobson was a Swedish immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen who had come to America with his family as a teenager. After seminary in the Midwest, he was sent to Cambridge to preach in Swedish to a largely immigrant flock. He often stood at the Boston docks, looking for newly arrived Swedes to connect with jobs, housing and the local Swedish community. A mild-mannered man in a moderate denomination, he was not known for fiery sermons or outlandish opinions.

Decades before Jacobson's move to Massachusetts, the commonwealth had led the nation in passing vaccine laws. Since 1827, Boston schoolchildren had been required to show proof of smallpox vaccination to attend public school. And since 1855, a state law allowed local health boards, in the event of an outbreak, to order all adults to be vaccinated and revaccinated, since the smallpox vaccine lasted less than 10 years. By the turn of the century, 13 other states required proof of vaccination for schoolchildren, and 11 had compulsory vaccination laws for adults.

Though a pastor, Jacobson's objection to being vaccinated was not religious but personal; he had been vaccinated for smallpox back in Sweden when he was 6 and had had a bad reaction. He didn't want to go through that again, and he didn't want to subject his children to it in case the bad reaction was hereditary.

At first, Spencer, the board of health chairman, noted Jacobson's refusal but took no action. Vaccine hesitancy wasn't that uncommon; though largely effective, vaccines at the time were unregulated, and vaccine injury was an order of magnitude more common than it is today.

National Library of Medicine

Across the Charles River in Boston, where the smallpox outbreak had begun, the board of health chairman wasn't so mild. Samuel Durgin had offered free vaccination to hundreds of thousands of residents, but when that failed to stem the tide of infected patients, he enlisted "virus squads" - gangs of policemen and medical officials who held down and forced people, often homeless men, to be vaccinated, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. One man was beaten so badly by police that after he was vaccinated he had to get stitches for a wound to his head.

Durgin had also publicly challenged any anti-vaccinationists to come with him to the island where sick patients were isolated and treated. One, Immanuel Pfeiffer, accepted. He nearly died of smallpox. Many were angered that Durgin let Pfeiffer back into the community before he fell ill, where he could have ignited another outbreak, but Durgin thought the headlines - "Anti-vaccinationist May Not Live" "Chairman Durgin Comes Up Smiling" - were worth the risk, according to the New England journal.

Still, the outbreak continued to spread, and not just to Cambridge but to within two blocks of Jacobson's home. So when Spencer returned and the pastor still refused, he did what the law allowed him to do: He fined Jacobson five dollars (about $153 today).

Instead of paying the fine, Jacobson and a handful of other vaccine refusers appealed to a higher court, where they caught the attention and support of anti-vaccination societies. Those societies provided Jacobson with powerful attorneys, who argued the case all the way to the Supreme Court.

There had been a number of decisions in other state courts on compulsory vaccination laws, and they were all over the map. Some upheld the laws, some struck them down or placed limitations. Clearly, a national policy was needed.

The Supreme Court handed down its decision in February 1905; in a 7-2 opinion, Justice John Marshall Harlan - a former Kentucky enslaver who fought for the Union in the Civil War and wrote a blistering dissent against Plessy vs. Ferguson - said public health could supersede individual rights:

"[T]he liberty secured by the Constitution of the United States to every person within its jurisdiction does not import an absolute right in each person to be, at all times and in all circumstances, wholly free from restraint. There are manifold restraints to which every person is necessarily subject for the common good."

And while the high court in Massachusetts had ruled in favor of the board of health, it also made clear that "it is not in their power to vaccinate [Jacobson] by force." The Supreme Court didn't contradict this, and in fact, placed more safeguards, saying "common good" laws had to be reasonable. That's important, because "virus squads" weren't limited to Boston; immigrants in tenements were also forcibly vaccinated in New York City, as were African Americans in Kentucky.

By the time of the Supreme Court's decision, nearly three years after Jacobson had first refused to be vaccinated, the smallpox outbreak in Cambridge had died down and would never return. (Smallpox was declared eradicated from the planet in 1979.)

The government began regulating the quality of vaccines, and in 1922, another Supreme Court case, Zucht vs. King, specifically affirmed proof of vaccination laws for public schoolchildren.

Jacobson paid his fine and went back to his mild-mannered life of preaching to his flock. The anti-vaccination movement had only just begun.
Migrants are seen after crossing the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, on March 4, 2021. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

Over 16,000 Illegal Aliens Referred, 598 Criminals Arrested in March by Texas Troopers

Governor explains how 'Operation Lone Star' fills security gaps along southern border in latest update

More than 16,000 illegal immigrants have been referred to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and 598 criminals have been arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers as part of Operation Lone Star launched to combat the border crisis, Governor Greg Abbott said on Thursday.

The operation was launched at the start of March to combat the smuggling of people and drugs into Texas across the southern border by Mexican cartels and other smugglers. The latest figures work out to be an average of 21 criminal arrests per day, and more than 570 referrals per day to Border Patrol.

State troopers have seized 14 pounds of cocaine, 23 firearms, almost $1 million in currency, and arrested nine gang members involved in the smuggling of the contraband, Abbott told a press conference in Weslaco, Texas, which is near the Texas-Mexico border.

The latest figures come amid a surge in the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States. Abbott on Thursday repeatedly criticized President Joe Bidens border policies which he says have failed to secure the border and have instead invited illegal immigration and created an open season for human traffickers, for drug smugglers, for cartels and gangs.

Because Border Patrol officers are forced to detain large number of illegal immigrants, cartels and human smugglers see wide swaths of sectors of the border left open for them to exploit and move people and drugs across, Abbott explained.

These criminals are preying upon women and children, exposing them to abuse and to terror, the Republican governor told reporters. Because the federal government is failing to act to respond to these dangers, Texas is stepping up to secure the border and to keep our community safe.

One criminal arrest case involved a stash house in the Rio Grande Valley, where Texas DPS troopers and special agents found four illegal immigrants and a gang member, Abbott said. The gang member was wanted on two counts of rape of a child under the age of 13, he said.

Providing another example of a criminal arrest, Abbott recounted how Texas DPS troopers arrested a man on March 8 who was wanted for continuous sexual assault of a child.

In another case, a man was arrested on March 14 and was found to be smuggling illegal immigrants in his vehicle, in which there was a 14-year-old child who had been sexually assaulted, Abbot said. The driver also had child pornography on his phone, the governor noted.

Texas Gov Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference about migrant children detentions in Dallas, Texas, on March 17, 2021. (LM Otero/AP Photo)

Abbott also noted a case on March 16 that made news headlines across the country, when smugglers in Mexico assaulted a woman, broke her leg, and later threw her 6-month-old baby off a raft into the Rio Grande River. A specialized group of the Texas DPS and Border Patrol rescued the infant girl.

There is a reason why smugglers and cartel members do things like throw a young child into the river, Abbott commented. They know that when doing so, it will cause Border Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety officers to focus on that child and to save that child, like what they did do. When law enforcement is focused on saving a child, that opens the door to the opportunity for the drug smugglers and the cartels to engage in other crimes and thats part of what happened.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday condemned human smuggling attempts into the United States.

The inhumane way smugglers abuse children while profiting off parents desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible, he said in a statement.

There can be no doubt that children are exceptionally vulnerable when placed in the hands of smugglers, he added. There is grave risk they will be exploited and harmed. I applaud our heroic Border Patrol agents who have saved lives this week and every week, while putting their own lives at risk for the greater good of the country.

Since taking office, Biden has reversed a number of border policies from the Trump administration, including pausing border wall construction and announcing the removal of the Remain in Mexico policywhich required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while awaiting immigration proceedings.

The Biden administration has also stopped expelling from the country the unaccompanied minorschildren who crossed the border illegally without an adult to accompany them. Adults and family units are generally still being expelled from the United States.

Biden and other U.S. officials have repeatedly urged migrants to refrain from illegally crossing the border into the United States. Despite this, the number of illegal crossings at the southern border has been on the rise since October 2020.

The number of arrests from October 2020 to January 2021 was 296,259, representing a 79.5 percent increase from the same period last year, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data. In February, the CBP apprehended 100,441 aliens who crossed the southern border illegally.
A new study from a US industry group found that the global semiconductor supply chain has become increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters and geopolitical disruptions because suppliers have become more concentrated in distinct regions.

The report comes amid a global chip shortage that started with overbooked factories in Taiwan late last year but has since been exacerbated by a fire at a plant in Japan, a freeze that knocked out electricity in the US state of Texas and a worsening drought in Taiwan this year. The shortage has idled some production lines at automobile factories in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Also read: Arm unveils new technology that competes more with Intel chips

Modern chipmaking involves more than a thousand steps and requires complex intellectual property, tools and chemicals from around the world. But the Semiconductor Industry Association, representing most US chipmakers, on Thursday said it found more than 50 places in the supply chain where a single region has more than 65% market share.

Intellectual property and software to design cutting-edge chips, for example, is dominated by the United States, while special gases key to fabricating chips come from Europe. And the manufacturing of the most advanced chips is completely located in Asia - 92% of it in Taiwan.

If Taiwan were unable to make chips for a year, it would cost the global electronics industry almost half a trillion dollars in revenue, the report found: "The global electronics supply chain would come to a halt."

Still, the study warned, a go-it-alone approach in which governments try to replicate the supply chain domestically is infeasible because it would cost $1.2 trillion globally - with up to $450 billion of that cost in United States alone - causing the price of chips to skyrocket.

Read more: US says promoting chip cooperation with Taiwan is a priority

In some cases, though, it called for incentives to create "minimum viable capacity" in regions that lack any part of the supply chain.

In the case of the United States and Europe, that would mean new advanced chip factories to balance concentration in Taiwan and South Korea.

"We don't have enough semiconductor manufacturing in the United States ... And it's got to be fixed with the assistance of the U government," John Neuffer, chief executive officer of the association, told Reuters.
Burma Two Women Detained for Joining Protest During CNN Reporters Market Visit

Clarissa Ward and her team at the Salminegone bazaar in Insein Township on Friday.

Two female civilians who participated in an anti-regime protest during the visit of CNN reporter Clarissa Ward to a local bazaar in Sawbwagyi Gone in Yangons Insein Township were arrested on Friday morning.

A witness told The Irrawaddy that the networks chief international correspondent and her team arrived at Salminegone market with army escort in the morning.

Ward has now been in Myanmar for three days. On Myanmars most popular social media platform, Facebook, many initially welcomed her trip, hoping she would report what was really happening on the ground, including the scale of the popular uprising against the junta and the brutality its troops are using against the protesters.

Since her arrival, she and her team have been spotted in several Yangon neighborhoods, traveling in army convoys, apparently being given guided tours by the regime. Many people have grown concerned that restrictions on her access will give her a distorted view of what is actually happening on the ground.

Shortly after a fire at a military-owned wholesale center was put out on Thursday morning, Ward was seen there accompanied by authorities; many fear she has been fed the regimes official narrative.

At Salminegone bazaar on Friday morning, after becoming aware of Wards presence, many shopkeepers, vendors and marketgoers staged an improvised anti-regime protest by banging pots and pans and shouting anti-regime slogans.

The protest was joined by bystanders and pedestrians, and drivers participated by honking their car horns and flashing three-finger salutes to let the reporter know of their opposition to the military regime.

One marketgoer told The Irrawaddy that Ward talked to a woman and her team took some footage in the bazaar during their visit.

However, right after the CNN team departed from the market, a vehicle from her convoy turned back to the area and arrested two women who had joined the protest.

Questions have been raised over whether the CNN teams visit to the bazaar was arranged by the regime, rather than being requested by Ward, as the regime has been trying desperately hard to show the world that everything in Myanmar is under control and that the situation has returned to normal. On its state-run TV channels, it repeatedly shows footage of people selling and shopping at local markets and bazaars like Salminegone, while neglecting to show the many shopping malls and downtown business centers that remain deserted.

I think the reporter will not see the real situation here, as she has to visit those areas arranged by the authorities the witness in the bazaar said.

In Myanmar, local markets and bazaars are normally open every morning, humming with activity as people buy their food for the day, before falling silent in the late morning hours. Such local markets didnt even close on March 27, when the regimes troops killed more than 100 people across the country.

To shame the regime and counter its claims of normalcy, a nationwide Silent Strike was held on March 24, with virtually the entire population staying indoors.

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William Yang is a Sydney institution but a Queenslander born and bred. Last week he was reclaimed by his state of origin for a retrospective at the Queensland Art Gallery that allows us to read one artists career as a tale of social evolution.

Even allowing for the wrong turnings of the present day, over the course of Yangs life the old, narrow-minded Australia of the mid-20th century has become a place that tolerates and even celebrates a cultural diversity that was once considered a threat.

Childhood photo of William Yang, which he inscribed for his 1999 show Sadness. Credit:William Yang Collection: University of Queensland Art Museum

Yang was born in 1943 into a family of Chinese immigrants in Far North Queensland. His fathers mother tongue was Hakka, while his mother spoke Cantonese, which meant their common language was English. This ensured that Yang, his brother and sister would grow up as English speakers with barely a word of any Chinese dialect. The omission reflected his parents belief that the only way ahead for their children was to forget their cultural roots and be as Aussie as the rest.

In a story he has told somany times it has become a virtual incantation, Yang recalls that when he was six years old a boy at school called him a Ching Chong China Man. It was the first time he had been confronted with this charge and he raced home to ask: Mum, Im not Chinese am I? When informed this was indeed the case, he realised that being Chinese was like a terrible curse.
InterCure to expand its operations into Austria and Luxembourg



Medicann, InterCures JV Partner, has committed a 10 million investment into InterCure's Austrian subsidiary

Transaction approved by InterCure shareholders and expected to close by April 8, 2021

TORONTO, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SUBVERSIVE ACQUISITION LP (TSX: SVX.U, NEO: SVX.U, OTCQX: SBVRF) (SVX) announced today that InterCure Ltd. (dba Canndoc) (TASE: INCR) (InterCure), Israels leading cannabis company and SVXs intended target for its Qualifying Transaction (the Transaction), has entered into a partnership with Austrian MediCann to operate together in the developing cannabis markets in Austria and Luxembourg. InterCure will replicate the successful model of its subsidiary Canndoc in Israel and will establish and manage the distribution, marketing, and sales of Canndoc's products in selected countries in Europe.

Similar to InterCure's leading Israeli model, the operation will be vertically integrated and will include both online and retail distribution for Canndoc's branded products. MediCann has committed to invest 10 million into the InterCure Austrian subsidiary, which 51% will be owned by InterCure. The management team will consist of both InterCure and MediCann executives.

The partnership is part of InterCure's international expansion strategy to major markets around the world. Austria has one of the most developed CBD wellness markets in Europe, and according to the Brightfield Group, sales of CBD products in the country reached over $80 million USD in 2019. Furthermore, Austria is in the early stages of developing a local medical cannabis market. In addition, Luxembourg is expected to be among the first European countries to allow the marketing and sale of adult-use cannabis for recreational purposes.

Alexander Rabinovitch, InterCure CEO said: "We are happy to join forces with MediCann's team who have years of experience in retail and vast knowledge of the local markets. The expansion of the company's operations to a central European country is part of InterCure's international expansion strategy. This is an expression of trust, which is reflected in the investment of 10 million, in the company's vision, its business model, quality and competitive advantages of its brands.

Elijahu Chassidov, Founder of MediCann said: Partnering with InterCure is not only a significant milestone for MediCann, but for the European cannabis market as a whole. As partner of InterCure, a leader of the Israeli cannabis market, MediCann is poised to exploit the rapid pace of growth of the European market and the increasing demand for access to premium quality cannabis products. With wealth of local market experience, as well as our network of supply and distribution partnerships throughout Europe, we are now uniquely positioned to supply medical cannabis, wellness CBD, and other derivative products."

Furthermore, on April 1, 2021, the InterCure shareholder vote approving the Transaction passed. The Transaction is expected to close by April 8, 2021.

About SVX

Subversive Acquisition LP is a limited partnership established under the Limited Partnerships Act (Ontario) formed for the purpose of effecting, directly or indirectly, an acquisition of one or more businesses or assets, by way of a merger, amalgamation, arrangement, equity exchange, asset acquisition, equity purchase, reorganization, or any other similar business combination involving SVX that will qualify as its qualifying transaction for the purposes of the rules of the TSX and Neo Exchange Inc. SVX is a special purpose acquisition corporation for the purposes of the rules of the TSX and Neo Exchange Inc.

For more information, visit https://www.subversivecapital.com/svx .

About Subversive Capital

Subversive Capital is a leading investment firm dedicated to investing in radical companies whose core missions subvert the status quo. With almost a decade of experience in the global cannabis industry, Subversive Capital has lead investments in some of the most successful transactions in the industry including the recent launch and closing transaction of Subversive Capital Acquisition Corp. to form The Parent Company (TPCO Holding Corp.) currently traded on the Neo Exchange and OTCQX.

For more information, visit www.subversivecapital.com

About InterCure and Canndoc

InterCure (TASE: INCR) is the first public company on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange to hold a valid and permanent license for the medical cannabis value chain through its 100% ownership in Canndoc. Canndoc is a GMP medical cannabis producer. Licensed by the Israeli Ministry of Health since 2008, Canndoc is a leading pioneer in the research, cultivation, production, and distribution of pharma-grade cannabis-based products to patients, hospitals, pharmacies, research and governmental organizations.

Through its strategic exclusive collaboration with world leaders, distribution agreement with SLE (100% owned by Teva Pharmaceutical Industry) and long-term sales agreements, Canndoc is well-positioned as a leading and significant player in pharma-grade medical cannabis in Israel, Europe and the United Kingdom.

For more information: http://www.canndoc.com

ForwardLooking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation which reflects SVXs current expectations regarding future events. The words will, expects, intends and similar expressions are often intended to identify forward-looking information, although not all forward-looking information contains these identifying words. Specific forward-looking information contained in this press release includes, but is not limited to: statements concerning InterCures projected growth and operations during 2021 the completion and proposed terms of, and matters relating to, the Transaction and the satisfaction of the required closing conditions. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond SVXs control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: failure to complete the Transaction, inability to obtain requisite regulatory or shareholder approvals, changes in general economic, business and political conditions, changes in applicable laws, the U.S. and Canadian regulatory landscapes and enforcement related to cannabis, changes in public opinion and perception of the cannabis industry, reliance on the expertise and judgment of senior management, as well as the factors discussed under the heading Risk Factors in the non-offering prospectus pertaining to the Transaction which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. SVX undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.
Taipei, April 2 : At least 34 people were killed in a train derailment in Taiwan on Friday, authorities said, adding that 72 passengers were still trapped.

At 9.28 a.m. (local time), the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) No. 408 Taroko train en route from Shulin, New Taipei, to Taitung, suddenly derailed as it entered the Daqingshui tunnel, reports Taiwan News.

The train comprised eight carriages and had more than 350 passengers on board.

The accident took place on the first day of Taiwan's Tomb Sweeping Festival.

According to the railway police, first responders arriving at the scene found that at least 36 passengers had suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, while 61 had been sent to the hospital.

In a statement, the TRA said a construction vehicle of a highway project that was improperly parked is believed to have rolled down a slope and collided with the train, which caused the derailment.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has instructed the authorities to continue their rescue activities and to comprehensively investigate the cause of the accident, dpa news agency reported.

The last major train accident in Taiwan was in October 2018, when 18 people died.
NORWALK  The city of Norwalk honored April as Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month with an annual blue light ceremony at the gazebo on the green near City Hall on Thursday evening.

The event was part of the international Light It Up Blue campaign, in which iconic landmarks across the world are decorated or illuminated with blue lights, Norwalk Deputy Corporation Counsel Jeffry Spahr said.
This photo shows an at-home coronavirus testing kit developed by Lucira Health, which won the first approval for emergency use from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Nov. 17, 2020. Captured from Lucira Health website



By Lee Hyo-jin



The government is considering allowing people to use self-testing kits for COVID-19 as a measure to largely increase testing capacity amid rising sporadic infections.



The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) held a meeting with quarantine experts, Friday, to thoroughly discuss possible use of self-diagnostic kits.



"Discussions will be held on the necessity, legitimacy and accessibility of the kits as well as monitoring the situations of other countries where the devices are being used. We will find ways to strengthen our quarantine capacity by using all the tools and means available to this date," KDCA official Kwon Jun-wook said at a briefing, Thursday.



But he added that the meeting did not imply that the country would immediately introduce at-home testing kits allowing citizens to take samples by themselves and get the results in minutes.



The health authorities have been showing a prudent stance on the rapid COVID-19 diagnostics devices, out of concerns that their relatively low accuracy may increase confusion, and people may have difficulties in accurately collecting their own samples through a nasal swab.









The self-testing kits are less sensitive than PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and more prone to false negatives. While the PCR test can detect infection even with a small amount of virus in the body, the speedy test requires a bigger amount of virus to make a reliable diagnosis.



Some countries including Germany and the United Kingdom have already approved the use of home testing kits. The United States launched a four-week pilot program, Wednesday, to see whether widespread use of rapid tests is effective in slowing the spread of the virus. Residents in two states, North Carolina and Tennessee, can test themselves three times a week for a month with the free rapid antigen testing kits. The accuracy of the device is reported to be about 85 percent, and results are available within 15 minutes.





People stand in line at a makeshift COVID-19 testing center in front of Seoul Station, Friday. Yonhap
Michaela Mitchell

Frankfurt, Illinois | Electrical Engineering Major

The accomplishments of Michael and fellow recipient Sophia Dent are so closely linked that the first part of both pages are the same, followed by additional contributions of each recipient. Sophia and Michaela served as president and vice president of Miamis Engineers Without Borders (EWB) organization over the past year. Prior to COVID, EWB members were involved in planning and coordinating multiple simultaneous projects in different locations. Although members stopped meeting in person, these projects did not stop because of the pandemic. Through Sophias and Michaelas leadership, EWB continued to work with a Cincinnati park to survey and design a bridge for hikers, and even worked remotely with communities in Uganda and Rwanda to help supply water to five villages, almost 5,000 total people. Even more impressive, EWB members continued their work with enthusiasm and even recruited a large class of new members in the Fall. They kept the organization responsive to members needs, from changing meeting times to including more professional development and more opportunities to interact with the chapters mentors.

Michaela previously served as the grant writing chair of EWB, where she increased stewardship efforts to keep in touch with merchants and donors who gave to the organization. She traveled to Uganda with EWB in 2019, working on the trip project and interviewing community members. Outside of EWB, Michaela is a member of Miamis swim team, twice earning academic all-MAC honors. She has also conducted research in two different labs on campus.

One nominator put it well, saying that both Sophia Dent and Michaela Mitchell have provided outstanding leadership to Engineers Without Borders, first in separate roles and then working together to guide the chapter through the challenging pandemic year of 2020. They are receiving recognition for their distinguished efforts both separately and together.
MDC Alliance member and former Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) secretary-general Makomborero Haruzivishe was on Wednesday found guilty of inciting members of the public to join him in illegal demonstrations and stoning police officers on duty in Harare's city centre in February 2020.

Haruzivishe was being charged with incitement to commit public violence and resisting a peace officer.

He was convicted after a full trial before Harare magistrate Mrs Judith Taruvinga.

Haruzivishe will know his fate on Tuesday when the court sentences him.

The State led by Mr Moses Mapanga indicated that it wanted time to verify whether or not Haruzivishe had other previous convictions.

Haruzivishe had denied the charges, saying the police had provoked him by snatching his phone as he walked along First Street near his party's headquarters.

He said one policeman shouted: "Imi vanhu veMDC tinokuzivai munonetsa", meaning "we know you MDC members, you are troublesome."

After going through trial, the State proved that on February 5, 2020 at around 10:30am at corner First Street and Nelson Mandela Ave, Constable Rayson Davison was on patrol with other officers arresting vendors in the city centre.

Haruzivishe then started whistling and inciting members of the public to resist the police officers who were discharging their duties.

He then went on to hurl stones towards the police officers.

Cst Davison tried to arrest Haruzishe, but he became violent and started shouting at him saying they were only arresting him in a bid to fix them. He was later subdued and arrested.
The court holds that the EFCC fails to prove the ingredients of the seven charges against filed against Mr Dokpesi and his firm.

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on Thursday, quashed the N2.1billion money laundering charges filed against the founder of DAAR Communications Plc, the parent company of Ray Power Radio and African Independent Television (AIT), Raymond Dokpesi.

Mr Dokpesi, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, was said to have fraudulently received the N2 billion as part of arms funds allegedly diverted by then National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, ahead of the 2015 presidential election.

The Court of Appeal, in a unanimous judgment of its three-man panel, on Thursday, upheld the no-case submission filed by Mr Dokpesi and DAAR Communications against the seven counts of money laundering preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Delivering judgment on the separate appeals filed on behalf of the appellants by their lawyer, Kanu Agabi, the Court of Appeal held that the EFCC failed woefully to establish a prima facie case against them at the trial court.

The charges

EFCC had in the seven counts of money laundering and procurement fraud it instituted against Mr Dokpesi and his firm accused them of fraudulently receiving N2.1 billion from the Office of the NSA between January and March 2015.

After the anti-graft agency closed its case before the Federal High Court in Abuja with 14 prosecution witnesses, the defendants, through their lead counsel, Mr Agabi, filed a no-case submission, urging the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that the essential ingredients of the alleged offences were not proved.

But the trial judge, John Tsoho, who is the current Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, dismissed the no-case submission in his ruling delivered on November 21, 2018.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the defendants, through their lawyer, Mr Agabi, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), filed separate appeals on behalf of the two clients against the decision.

Judgment

Delivering the lead judgment of the Court of Appeal on Thursday, Elfreda Williams-Dawodu held that EFCC failed to prove the ingredients of the charges preferred against the defendants as expected under the law.

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The court agreed with Mr Agabi that the money laundering charges were not proved as the prosecution failed to establish the alleged breach of trust committed by the defendants in relation to the N2.1 billion deal.

Mrs William-Dowodu held that there was nothing in the evidence of the 14 witnesses called by the prosecution to persuade the court to compel the appellant to enter their defence when the ingredients of the offences were not provided.

She ruled, "No case was made against the appellant in counts 1, 2, 3 and 4 to warrant his being called upon to open his defence.

"There is no possibility that the appellant can be convicted because the evidence is manifestly unreliable.

"I am of the view that irrespective of the ingredients stated earlier, and those by the appellant and first respondent respectively, prior proof or establishment of the primary offences in count 1,2,3 and 4 of the amended charge is sine qua non to the proof of the offences of money laundering specified in the said counts.

"In totality, this appeal has merit, it is allowed and the ruling of the Federal High Court is hereby set aside and the appellant is discharged."

Mr Dokpesi is the second PDP's top figure, since December 2020, to be freed by the Court of Appeal in Abuja regarding the charges of alleged diversion of arm funds by then NSA, Sambo Dasuki.

Earlier in December 2016, the same court freed a former PDP's spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, who was earlier convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja for the N400 million he allegedly received fraudulently from the NSA office ahead of the 2015 presidential elections.

(NAN)
Erling Haaland is likely to be on the move again this summer. Whether Borussia Dortmund want to let him go or not, a bidding war around Europe is set to commence, as his agent Mino Raiola and father Alf-Inge Haaland are having meeting after meeting with Europe's elite.

The first stop on their European tour took them to Catalonia on Thursday, where they met newly elected Barcelona president Joan Laporta. After, they set off for the Spanish capital to converse with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. A trip to England is to follow, but much has been made of their stop-off in Spain.

Dortmund have maintained that they don't want Haaland to leave, and any sale is likely to see them earn around 180 million euros. While there are some doubts surrounding the viability of either side of the Clasico divide being able to meet those demands, the German club have a history of negotiating with both.

Just a couple of seasons back, Paco Alcacer enjoyed a loan spell at the Bundesliga club - which they later made permanent - that allowed him to recover his form and get back in the Spain setup, after a disastrous time at the Camp Nou. Additionally, Barcelona splashed big money to take Ousmane Dembele away from Dortmund after losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.

Real Madrid might have the advantage

But Dortmund's history of negotiating with Real Madrid might play into Los Blancos' favour when it comes to Haaland talks. Florentino Perez and Hans-Joachim Watzke have a good relationship, and they've done plenty of business together in recent years.

Brazilian youngster Reinier Jesus is currently on loan from the Spanish champions in Germany, following a successful temporary spell spent there by Achraf Hakimi, who impressed so much that Inter were willing to spend more than 40 million euros to sign him.

As far back as 2011, Real Madrid negotiated a deal to sign Nuri Sahin from Dortmund before he was later loaned back to his former club in 2013, having struggled in Madrid and during a loan spell at Liverpool as well.

The Haaland discussions are likely to be more complicated than any of the above, for both Los Blancos and the Catalans. His market value is higher than anyone's, and his value will only be driven up by the number of teams competing for his signature.
London:

London's transport regulator announced today that it will not renew Uber's licence, saying the US-based cab aggregator is not "fit and proper" to operate in the city, especially citing the company's approach to reporting serious criminal offences.The ride-hailing company's licence to operate in the British capital will expire on September 30.

Transport for London (TfL) said that it does not believe Uber to be a "fit and proper" operator as a taxi company for the streets of London. "TfL has concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence," TfL said.

"Uber's approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications," the regulator said in a statement.

It said that it was particularly concerned about Uber'sapproach to reporting serious criminal offences and its approach to how medical certificates are obtained, another thing sings. Meanwhile, the taxi-hailing company said it will challenge the decision, which shows the world that "far frombeing open, London is closed to innovative companies".

The 3.5 million Londoners who use our app, and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living, will be "astounded" by this decision, it said. Under the UK's Private Hire Vehicles Act of 1998, Ubernow has 21 days to appeal and can continue to operate untilthat process expires.

The California-based company, which was founded over eight years ago, has been faced with intense criticism in the UK over claims that it unfairly skews competition and that it has not done enough to crackdown on incidents of violence involving its drivers.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement: "I fully support TfL's decision? it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners' safety and security".

"I want London to be at the forefront of innovation and new technology and to be a natural home for exciting new companies that help Londoners by providing a better and more affordable service.

"However, all companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect? particularly when it comes to the safety of customers," he said. Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security, Khan said.

The UK's Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), which has been one of the most vocal critics of Uber in London, said that TfL had put public safety first. "Since it first came onto our streets, Uber has broken the law, exploited its drivers and refused to take responsibility for the safety of passengers," said SteveMcNamara, LTDA general secretary.

"We expect Uber will again embark on a spurious legal challenge against the Mayor and TfL, and we will urge the court to uphold this decision. This immoral company has noplace on London's streets," he said. The GMB workers' union also welcomed Uber's "defeat".

"No company can behave like it's above the law and thatincludes Uber. No doubt other major cities will be looking atthis decision and considering Uber's future on their ownstreets," a GMB statement said.

The decision will come as a blow to the thousands of drivers working for Uber. Uber said: "To defend the livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the courts".

The company has already been forced to quit several countries including Denmark and Hungary and has faced regulatory battles in multiple US states and countries around the world.

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n Africa, a continent where gender inequality is already a serious threat to development, Covid-19 is further impacting economic opportunities for women. At the March edition of Canons Africa Frontiers of Innovation series, four leading women shared how they choose to challenge barriers in business and the arts to succeed professionally.

Achieving the UNs goal of gender equity by 2030 may be harder to achieve than pre-Covid-19 as women have been shown to bear a greater negative impact economically. Studies have shown that women bear the economic brunt of the pandemic and are carrying the bulk load of unpaid care work. According to a McKinsey report, more than one in four women in the USA are considering downscaling their careers or leaving the workforce.

In Africa, where gender inequality is said to be one of the greatest threats to the future, 70% of women remain financially excluded. According to Forbes Africa, none of the continents 18 billionaires is female.

At the most recent edition of Canons Africa Frontiers of Innovation on March 24, 2021, three leading photographers  Aisha Augie, Gulshan Khan and Sarah Waiswa chatted with business leader Irene Ochem, CEO of the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), about how they choose to challenge gender inequality and how they overcome barriers to professional success.

The Africa Frontiers of Innovation series, presented by imaging leader Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com), brings together thought-leaders from across the continent to discuss solutions to contemporary issues, including the Covid-19 pandemic. The monthly sessions are broadcast on social media and hosted by award-winning Kenyan journalist Victoria Rubadiri.

The March episode, in keeping with International Womens Day, focused on women trailblazers. Canon is a long-standing champion of gender equality, with more than half of leadership positions filled by women. This is a figure far above the norm in corporate Africa. Supporting women to rise in the workplace is a natural part of Canons corporate philosophy of Kyosei  working together. We believe in empowering people and creating equal opportunities, said Mai Youssef, Corporate Communications and Marketing Services Director, Canon CNA.

According to Nigerian-based Ochem, African women face many hurdles as entrepreneurs and professionals. These include securing finance, getting into markets and few networking opportunities. Generally, the African corporate sector is run by African men and a few African women. Women do not have equal access. There is a gap and our job is to close it.

Whilst all the panellists talked of having to overcome major barriers, they also highlighted opportunities and insights that come from being a woman. When there is a crowd of photographers trying to catch that shot, I stand out because Im female. Sometimes I get pulled to the front. It comes with good and bad. For me, its mainly been good, said Augie. Four proven tools for empowering women were unpacked at the session  social media, mentorship, celebrating success and networking.

Social Media

South African photographer Gulshan Khan, the first African woman to be hired regularly by Agence France Presse (AFP) and first female South African Canon Ambassador, said social media has helped secure commissions that she wouldnt have had access to before. Social media opened up the field. I put my work on these platforms and it started getting traction. It helped me be seen by editors.

Sarah Waiswa, an award-winning documentary and portrait photographer based in Kenya, believes social media has been a game-changer. These days you dont need anyones permission, you can self-publish and get your work out there.

For public servant, communicator and mixed media artist Aisha Augie, social media has brought greater work prospects. In Nigeria, politicians use images as social proof, to bridge the gap between government and the people. Photography and videography have become an integral part of every communication plan because people want to see what has been done and hold those in power accountable.

Augies also seen her followers be inspired: Social media has been a space to share my story and this has shown other women thats its possible to pursue a career in photography.

Mentoring

Mentorship has been an important element in helping level the playing field and creating opportunities for young women. In the beginning, I didnt know how to navigate this industry. People reached out to me a lot and the exchange of information and knowledge was invaluable, said Khan, who believes in sharing expertise from a place of abundance rather than fearing competition.

Waiswa founded the African Women in Photography collective as a circle of support. Whether its an online webinar, one-on-one conversations or sharing job openings, mentorship is extremely important. Walking with others gets you further than walking alone.

Ochem believes winning women have a responsibility to pave the way for others to follow. Peer-to-peer learning is powerful. When we reach the top the door mustnt close behind us. We must leave that door open for more women to come in.

Celebrating Success

Ochem is the convenor of the AWIEF Conference and Awards. She is certain that celebrating success encourages women to rise to greater heights. Sometimes its a lack of confidence that holds women back. If you believe you are capable, it becomes a reality.

Recognising achievements is very powerful. The exposure can attract potential investors and make it possible to scale, to grow. Seeing sisters who have done it, women who are creating jobs and building the African economy is highly motivating.

Canon celebrates achievement with their Canon Ambassadors Programme. This includes a growing number of African women photographers and film-makers: Yasmin AlBatoul (Algeria), Laura El-Tantawy (Egypt/UK), Yagazie Emezie (Nigeria) Menna Hossam (Egypt), Georgina Goodwin (Kenya), Gulshan Khan (South Africa), Aida Muluneh (Ethiopia) and Sarah Waiswa (Kenya/Uganda). Says Khan,  I am reminded how very important it is to be visible, to take up space, to be proud of this work. 

Networking

Networks  like the Canon Ambassadors Programme and the African Women in Photography collective  can be instrumental in helping women navigate their way forward.

Women do not have access to networks that men do. In corporate Africa there is a typical mens club ethos, claims Ochem. We work around this by creating a network for women entrepreneurs; we become their connection.

Augie has found networking invaluable, particularly in areas where local resources are limited. Im from northern Nigeria and it can be difficult to rent or source specialised cameras. People in your network will loan their equipment to you. You make connections who have connections. You pass on work. When I cant take a commission I refer to those I know.

She says that funding often comes via networks: If you want to do a project or exhibition, sponsorship is almost always found through someone who knows you. Networking is key.

The pandemic created new relationships said Waiswa. Through the internet, its been possible to connect with people you would never have thought of; its opened up spaces which may not have happened previously.

Encouraging signs

Despite the many obstacles, all four women are excited about the future. They celebrated the recent election of Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzanias first female president and several other encouraging signs.

One of the few positives from the Covid-19 pandemic has been breaking into new work. International clients, unable to fly in their usual journalists and photographers, were forced to consider the local pool of talent, explained Waiswa. Its sad it took something so drastic, but we welcomed the work and exposure.

Whilst Covid has been quite a dark time, there has also been light. It has shown us the value of life, how fickle it can be and to consider our place in the world; what we can do to make a difference and an impact. Although the pandemic has limited our ability to travel, it has made us look inward, and perhaps thats where our focus needs to be.

For Khan, this is a time for transformation and healing. Now more than ever we are having conversations. We need to keep this momentum going. We can only shine when we are rubbed up against each other. It can be uncomfortable but its the only way we are going to progress.

Ochem is excited. We are more aware of our rights, especially young women. Many innovations are coming out of the continent. We are gradually getting buy-in from men, who are starting to understand that gender equality benefits everyone. Its not just a human right.  all the research and analysis shows that when men and women have equal opportunities, there is development.

The pandemic has complicated many peoples lives, which is why these conversations in the Africa Frontiers of Innovation series are so valuable at this time, commented Youssef. We hope that the practical strategies for success discussed with inspire and encourage women everywhere, said Youssef.

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As legislators call for modern technology, including drones, at border posts to help immigration officers identify wanted criminals and prohibited immigrants trying to enter Zimbabwe, police are stepping up their anti-smuggling patrols.

In a statement, police warned "members of the public against smuggling and using unauthorised ports of entry and exit".

Police in Kanyemba recently arrested five suspects for smuggling bales of clothes from Mozambique.

In a report on the state of service delivery at ports of entry presented in the National Assembly last week, legislators wanted the Government to prioritise and ensure urgent installation of modern state of the art ICT facilities at ports of entry to enable effective border patrols and surveillance.

The legislators said given the high volumes of movement at the ports, officials were not able to collectively identify criminals and prohibited immigrants without proper modern day technology leading to porosity and criminals functioning.

The lawmakers noted that porous borders and smuggling were bleeding the country millions of dollars in revenue as well posing a national security threat due to illegal and unchecked movements along border lines.

"Our security remains bleak," reads the report. "Some of our borders have no physical barrier and are highly porous with a number of illegal crossing points along the border line, thus creating operational challenges.

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"No wonder why at one time we had people from Ethiopia caught in Gwanda on foot because of the porousness of the border line.

"Government should prioritise and ensure installation of modern and state of the art ICT facilities before year end in order to enable effective border patrols and surveillance using drones to gather, on real-time basis, accurate data and intelligence about illicit activities occurring across border lines.

"This should also include availing resources for integrated capacitation programmes for immigrations, customs and security agents at border posts in the use of modern ICT and drones."

More so, they established that the border porosity gave way to illegal crossings of people whose Covid-19 status are unknown and is increasing the risk of further spreading of the virus in the country.

The legislators further noted that the country's borders were very porous as evidenced by the proliferation of illegal exit and entry points saying the rise in illegal border crossing cases impacted negatively on the reputation of the Immigration Department in as much as it affected the entire nation in terms of security and loss of revenue.

They said that securing the country's borders was critical and there was urgent need to adequately and properly equip border security personnel for effective operation and patrol along the border lines.

"The departments are lagging in using modern technology such as drones, surveillance cameras, biometric cameras at clearance points, helicopters for effective operations, patrols and security surveillance at border posts," reads the report.
A charging port is seen on a Mercedes Benz EQC 400 4Matic electric vehicle at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario, (Photo : REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo)

The White House has directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study how using renewable fuels to power electric vehicle charging could generate tradeable credits under the nation's biofuels program, two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters.



The move could give the fledgling U.S. electric vehicle industry a big boost by granting it fresh incentives and a new revenue stream. But the idea would introduce new actors like Tesla Inc into a program that has already bitterly divided the oil and corn industries.



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Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), oil refiners must blend biofuels such as corn-based ethanol into their fuel mix or buy tradable credits, known as RINs, from those that do. The program was launched more than a decade ago to support farmers and reduce petroleum imports.



If the program were expanded to include EVs the RINs would come from charging the vehicle using electricity produced by a renewable source of methane, like gas siphoned from landfills or dairy operations, according to the sources.



There's potentially a lot of that kind of fuel available: Agriculture accounts for 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with livestock making up more than a third of that, according to EPA data. Landfills, meanwhile, are a major source of methane.



Electricity from biogas is already technically eligible for generating RINs under the RFS, but the EPA has never approved applications to do so because the agency hasn't yet figured out the logistical issues.



The key questions are how to trace the credit-eligible biogas from its origin all the way through to a car's battery, and who along that supply chain should be allowed to claim the lucrative credits.



"There's going to be a big fight between biomass producers, charging station operators and EV carmakers like Tesla over who gets custody of the RIN," said one of the sources.



The White House and the EPA declined to comment.



The existing RFS program is already a lightning rod of contention between the oil and corn industries.



Refiners complain that complying with the regulation costs them a fortune, while farmers and biofuel producers say the program is essential for them to stay in business.



One source told Reuters that Tesla, which produces both cars and charging stations, has been lobbying the Biden administration to ensure it can generate and sell credits if the new plan gets off the ground.



Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.



"EPA seems to be hung up on who should generate the RINs - but that should be easy enough for them to address," said David McCullough, who counsels on energy regulation at Eversheds Sutherland.



CLIMATE AMBITION



Pumping up the electric vehicle market is a key priority for the Biden administration as it seeks to decarbonize the nation's economy by 2050 to fight climate change. Transportation is the leading source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, just ahead of the power sector, according to the EPA.



Groups such as the Biomass Power Association have pushed for the federal government to create a pathway for electricity producers that source from qualified renewable feedstocks to generate RINs.



That group, whose members include biomass companies and associations, wrote to the Biden transition team in December as part of the RFS Power Coalition, urging them to act quickly.



"When you're putting electricity online from an RFS-qualifying feedstock and that electricity goes toward powering an electric vehicle, then that electricity producer should be able to generate RINs just as an ethanol producer is able to do," said Carrie Annand, executive director of the Biomass Power Association.



RINs generated in this way would likely be classified as D3 biofuel credits, a category that the EPA has struggled to expand in recent years.



Some oil refiners like CVR Energy's Carl Icahn have been highly critical of the D3 market, with some calling them "unicorn" fuels because of their scarcity.


SISO to feature works by Gliere, Martinu and Strauss

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Chamber ensembles featuring the 20th century works of three celebrated composers will close out the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra season on Thursday, April 8, at Shryock Auditorium.

The three chamber ensembles will perform two octets and a nonet. The performance is at 7:30 p.m.

The ensembles will feature the works of Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu; Russian composer Reinhold Gliere, and German composer Richard Strauss. Ensemble members include SIU graduate and undergraduate music majors and local professionals.

The concert opens with a mid-20th century work by Martinu (1890-1959) written in the composers last year. The nonet for five winds and four strings is a charming three-movement composition utilizing the varied colors of solo strings and winds and was last performed in Southern Illinois in 1999, said Edward Benyas, professor of oboe in the SIU School of Music.

Next on the program are the final two movements of a string octet by Gliere (1874-1956), performed by the combined SISO and Hyink family string quartets. Gliere, who wrote in the Romantic style, composed his octet for strings in 1902. The concert concludes with Strauss (1864-1949) famous tone poem, Till Eulenspiegels Merry Pranks, in a terrific arrangement for eight players, Benyas said.

Jace Kim, a graduate conducting student in the School of Music, will conduct the Martinu and Strauss works; the Gliere octet will not be conducted, said Benyas, who is the symphonys music director and coordinator of its chamber ensembles.

Safety protocols in place

Benyas emphasized the performances will comply with the states Restore Illinois plan and SIU Carbondale health and safety guidelines.

Safety protocols include:

Concert attendance will be limited to 40 patrons each night, with advance reservations only.

All staff, artists and audience members must wear masks while in attendance.

Audience members who are not part of the same household will be seated at least 6 feet apart.

All artists will perform at least 6 feet apart.

Staggered entry times will be provided to patrons when reservations are confirmed, to ensure social distancing.

Tickets available now

Tickets for the April 8 performance are $20 for general admission and $10 for students of any age. Reservations must be made by email before Wednesday, April 7. For tickets, email Benyas at benyas@siu.edu, indicating the number of tickets needed and whether it is for general admission or student.
Idris Elba says his new film Concrete Cowboy tells a "beautiful story."

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The 48-year-old actor discussed the upcoming Netflix movie during Thursday's episode of Today.

Concrete Cowboy is based on the Greg Neri novel Ghetto Cowboy. The story is inspired by the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, a real-life community of Black horsemen in North Philadelphia.

The new film follows Cole (Caleb McLaughlin), a teenager who is sent to live with his estranged father, Harp (Elba), in Philadelphia, where he meets and learns about the Fletcher Street community.

On Today, Elba said he immediately signed on to the film after reading the script on a flight.

In actuality, the truth is that I was asked to be a producer on the film before being an actor. I read that script on a flight and as soon as I landed I said, 'We have to do this,'" the star said.

"It's such a beautiful story, there's so much common truth," he added.

"Even though it's a story about stables and people we might now have known exist, I really felt touched by the story and signed on immediately."

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Elba has two children, daughter Isan, 19, and son Winston, 6. He said he drew on stories from the real Fletcher Street community while making the film.

"If I'm really honest, the community itself gave me as much as experience in their storytelling, in their sharing who they are, giving me the history of the community," the actor said.

"Obviously as a father -- and my dad and I had a great relationship -- I have a good relationship with my kids, the aspect of my character and his estranged son, that wasn't me. So that wasn't something I could relate to in the same way, but speaking to so many members of the community, we really just pulled these stories together," he added.

Netflix shared a trailer for Concrete Cowboy in March.

"Torn between his growing respect for his father's community and his reemerging friendship with troubled cousin Smush (Jharrel Jerome), Cole begins to reprioritize his life as the stables themselves are threatened by encroaching gentrification," an official synopsis reads.

Concrete Cowboy co-stars Lorraine Toussaint, Byron Bowers and Clifford "Method Man" Smith. The film premieres Friday on Netflix.
Franklin Templeton India's president Sanjay Sapre has said that the fund house has no plans to exit its India business.

The statement comes at a time when media reports suggested that Franklin Templeton had requested for talks with the Indian Ambassador to the US over the capital market regulator SEBI's probe into six shut debt schemes of the fund house in the country. The reports also said that Franklin Templeton had threatened to exit India operations if it was not given a fair hearing.

In a letter to investors, Sapre described the reports of a likely exit as speculations and rumours.

"At the outset, I wish to clarify and re-iterate that Franklin Templeton's commitment to India remains steadfast. We were early entrants in the Indian mutual fund industry and have remained a part of the industry even while many other global asset managers decided to leave," he said.

"Please let me assure you, we have no plans to exit our India business. Any speculation suggesting otherwise, or any rumours around sale of our business in India are incorrect and simply that - rumours," the President of Franklin Templeton India told the investors.

The company described itself as a "local" company with a "global" parent.

The letter further said that the company has endeavoured to keep all the stakeholders, including the relevant government and diplomatic authorities, appropriately informed of developments, and will continue to do so.

"Our intention in reaching out remains bringing the current matters to an appropriate and satisfactory conclusion," it said.

Saying that it has great respect and full confidence in SEBI and all regulatory and statutory authorities, Sapre in his letter added that Franklin Templeton has been fully transparent with the regulator and have extended its fullest cooperation to them, to help them examine the circumstances surrounding the winding up of the six schemes by Franklin Templeton last year

Six debt schemes of Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund were shut in April last year after they faced unprecedented redemptions and liquidity issues amid the pandemic.
BEIJING, Apr. 2 -- Recently, the 24th batch of Chinese peacekeeping engineering contingent to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) worked for 21 consecutive days to complete the task of repairing culvert pipes of three damaged roads on N2 road in the DRC. The Civil Affairs Department of United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCOhighly praised the contingent's high standards.
TORONTO - An Ontario-wide "shutdown" will be put in place to combat an "alarming" surge in COVID-19 infections, Premier Doug Ford said Thursday as intensive care admissions related to the virus surpassed those of the second wave of the pandemic.

TORONTO - An Ontario-wide "shutdown" will be put in place to combat an "alarming" surge in COVID-19 infections, Premier Doug Ford said Thursday as intensive care admissions related to the virus surpassed those of the second wave of the pandemic.

Citing the need for drastic action, Ford said the change will take effect Saturday and continue for at least four weeks.

The government is asking Ontarians to limit trips outside the home to necessities such as food, medication and other essential services, but stopped short of imposing a stay-at-home order like it did in January.

Retail stores will see limits on capacity while restaurants will be restricted to takeout, delivery and drive-through service, the premier said.

The government has said schools will also remain open because they are crucial to students' mental health.

"The decision was not made lightly," Ford said in announcing the new measures. "I know the toll these restrictions continue to take on people's mental health and well-being."

The announcement came hours after the province's science advisers said stay-at-home orders are needed to control the third wave driven by more contagious and deadly COVID-19 variants.

The Ontario Science Advisory Table said that otherwise, the province could see up to 6,000 new infection cases by mid-April. With the restrictions in place, the modelling data shows there will still be about 800 people in ICUs by the end of April.

Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the group, said short-term case projections will depend entirely on the public health measures implemented by the government and vaccination rates.

Brown said the province's vaccine rollout is not reaching the highest risk communities, hampering its impact as an effective strategy to fight the pandemic.

He also said that 40 per cent of Ontario residents aged 75-79 and 72 per cent of those aged 70-74 still have not received their first dose of the vaccine.

"We are expanding first dose coverage, but it remains incomplete," Brown said.

The science advisory table also suggested Thursday that limiting inter-provincial movement - similar to what was imposed in January and expired starting in mid-February - would help bring the number of new cases down.

Ontario's decision came as British Columbia moved to enact a three-week "circuit breaker'' on some activities, set to take effect at midnight and continue until April 19.

During that time, indoor dining and activities at fitness centres will be halted and the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort will be closed. The province is also reinstating tougher restrictions on religious services that had been loosened just last week.

Also on Thursday, three Quebec cities, including the provincial capital, moved into a lockdown in an effort to rein in surging infections.

The lockdown in Quebec City, Levis and Gatineau will see schools and non-essential businesses close for at least 10 days, Premier Francois Legault announced Wednesday. There will also be an earlier curfew -- 8 p.m. instead of 9:30 p.m. -- to further discourage social gatherings.

Another four regions where cases counts are on the rise are switching Thursday to a more restrictive level of Quebec's colour-coded pandemic system.

Legault has said the increase in infections in the affected regions isn't due to inadequate health measures but rather to people violating those rules.

In Ontario, the official Opposition slammed the Ford government for ignoring experts' early warnings about the third wave.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the new restrictions fall short of whats needed, pointing to the lack of paid sick leave, workplace protections and smaller class sizes in schools.

"Its a too little, too late response by this government to what we knew was coming," she said. "Im worried that this failed approach is going to fail us again."

Experts have been saying for months that COVID-19 infections are happening mostly in workplaces, while warehouses and distribution centers in some hot spots have reported massive outbreaks.

Ashleigh Tuite, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, said she supports measures such as paid sick leave and giving essential workers paid time off to get vaccinated.

Both are "hugely important" to controlling the pandemic and could help avoid continued reliance on strict measures to control cases, she said.

"The way that we actually have an appreciable impact on the pandemic is by providing these additional supports," she said.

Earlier Thursday, more than 150 intensive care unit doctors signed an open letter to Ford, calling for stricter measures.

"The current measures and framework are not working to contain the spread of this virus," reads the letter. "Even if we had unlimited ICU capacity, allowing these (variants of concern) to spread exponentially is unethical."

The CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario called the new measures "disappointing".

"They're taking a calculated risk with the lives of people," Doris Grinspun said. "These are people in the ICU that are in their 40s or 50s ... and some will not make it."

The chair of the Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health said that while the changes announced Thursday were needed, the province could do more.

"We strongly believe that a stay-at-home order is also required to successfully prevent further cases and strain on Ontario's acute care system as we continue to vaccinate more Ontarians," Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said in a statement.

Nearly one in six Canadians have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 5.1 million people vaccinated as of Thursday morning, according to Health Canada, which noted about 690,000 of those have received both doses.

Close to three out of four Canadians over the age of 80 have obtained at least one dose, and one in three people between 70 and 79, it said.

Quebec is leading the country in terms of vaccinations, with 17.5 per cent of adults having at least one dose, Health Canada said. Saskatchewan is the runner up with 14.9 per cent, followed by Alberta with 14.6 and Ontario with 13.9.

Manitoba is next at 11 per cent, with Nova Scotia lagging behind at 5.6 per cent.

-with files from Holly McKenzie-Sutter.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 1, 2021.
FBN Holdings Plc yesterday released its audited results for the financial year ended December 31, 2020, which revealed that its profit after tax grew by 21.8 per cent to N89.7 billion.

This was higher than the N73.7 billion recorded by the holding company (holdco) the previous year.

The bank in a statement explained that in the year under review, its profit before tax grew by 11.2 per cent year-on-year to N83.7 billion, while non-interest income recorded a growth of 26.7 per cent year-on-year to N174.7 billion.

However, gross earnings were down by 1.9 per cent to N579.4 billion, as against the N590.4 billion realised the previous year. This, the bank explained was driven by a 10.9 per cent decline in interest income to N384.8 billion in 2020, lower than the N431.9 billion recorded last year.

Its customer deposit increased by 21.8 per cent year-on-year to N4.9 trillion, as against the N4 trillion recorded in 2019.

"The Group benefited from increased agent banking/customer penetration and adoption of services on the digital platform. These deepened our solid retail base and improved our current and savings account (CASA) to 91.3 per cent (Dec 2019: 85.6%)," it stated.

FBN Holdings' total assets were also up 23.9 per cent year-on-year to N7.7 trillion, compared with the N6.2 trillion recorded as of December 2019. This, the holdco explained was driven by a 59.1 per cent year-on-year increase in cash and balances with central banks, as well as, a 19.7 per cent year-on-year y increase in customer loans.

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Cash and balances with Central Banks, loans to banks and customers and investment securities constituted 83.4 per cent of its total assets in 2020, slightly higher than the 81.4 per cent it was the previous year.

Commenting on the results, the Group Managing Director, FBN Holdings, Mr. U.K Eke said: "FBNHoldings is pleased to close the year in a healthy financial position despite the difficult operating environment that has been characterized by unprecedented events as a result of the pandemic and challenging economic environment.

"As part of our strategic planning cycle, which is in the second year, we exited the insurance underwriting business through the sale of our interest in FBNInsurance to our long-term partner, the Sanlam Group. This decision is consistent with our portfolio optimisation strategy, underscored by the renewed focus on deepening our foothold in the banking sector through increased investment in digitalisation, innovation, and expansion in financial services for the benefit of our existing and new customers. The proceeds from the sale have been injected in First Bank of Nigeria to strengthen the core business of the Group and drive further market growth.

"Five years ago, we outlined our strategy to diversify our income stream by boosting non-interest income through a transaction-led banking model."
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The agreement was signed in the presence of H.E. Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade for the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Alisher Sultanov, Minister of Energy for the Republic of Uzbekistan, and H.E. Saeed Matar Al-Qemzi, UAE Ambassador to Uzbekistan, during an event in Tashkent to celebrate the groundbreaking on the project, with H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman of Masdar, and H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure for the UAE, attending virtually. H.E. Shukhrat Vafaev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, and H.E. Sherzod Khodjaev, Deputy Minister of Energy, signed the project capacity extension agreement with Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar.

H.E. Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade for the Republic of Uzbekistan, said, "Mobilization of renewable energy potential in Uzbekistan would provide significant contribution to sustainable economic growth and fighting climate change. Along with that, expansion of clean power generation capacities by Masdar will support our objective to double the volume of electricity generation by 2030. Masdar will become a strong bridge connecting our countries, through which new Emirati companies will also invest in Uzbekistan."

H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said, "For the UAE it is important that our actions on climate can help amplify the efforts of others around the world. This partnership is a clear example of how we are putting that tenet into practice. Together, we have an unprecedented opportunity to leverage our collective climate action to enhance sustainable growth in Uzbekistan, while making real progress on global climate goals."

H.E. Alisher Sultanov, Minister of Energy for the Republic of Uzbekistan, said, "We value our partnership with Masdar and welcome this expansion, which will be the largest facility of its kind in our region. This is a vitally important project for Uzbekistan, helping us build towards our target of 25 percent of electricity generated by renewables by 2030."

H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, the UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said, "Today's landmark agreement will enhance co-operation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates in the field of renewable energy. As signatories to the Paris Agreement, Uzbekistan and the UAE are committed to driving collective action on climate. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Uzbekistan further by developing more clean energy projects with them in future."

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said, "Today's event highlights the significant progress we have made, not only on this project but in helping the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan to achieve its clean-energy and climate change objectives. As a global leader in the development of utility-scale wind power, Masdar is proud to support Uzbekistan's low-carbon energy strategy, and to strengthen our partnership with the Government to drive sustainable development."

Masdar entered into bilateral agreements with the Government of Uzbekistan last year to develop, build and operate the 500-megawatt (MW) wind farm project, its second utility-scale clean energy project in the country, and the largest wind farm in Central Asia. The project will attract foreign direct investment of more than US$600 million.

Extending the capacity of the project, located in the Zarafshan district of the Navoi region, to as much as 1.5 GW will further help Uzbekistan achieve its objectives of adding up to 3 GW of wind energy and meeting 25 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources by the end of the decade.

The 500 MW Zarafshan wind farm is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of 2024. At a capacity of 500 MW, the project would provide enough electricity to power 500,000 homes, while displacing 1.1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Masdar signed the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and Investment Agreement for the Zarafshan wind farm with the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan and JSC National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan in June last year.

Last December, Masdar announced financial close on the 100 MW Nur Navoi Solar Project  Uzbekistan's first successfully-financed independent power producer (IPP) solar project. Masdar signed a PPA and Government Support Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in November 2019 to design, finance, build and operate the solar plant. Masdar was announced as the winning bidder for the solar project after tendering the lowest tariff of 2.679 US cents per kilowatt hour in a competitive auction.

In March 2019, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, attended an exchange of agreements, focused on the energy sector, between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Mubadala Investment Company.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1480254/Masdar.jpg

SOURCE Masdar
With a generous gift of $1.1 million, philanthropist Ann Bedell Hunt has established The Bedell Family Endowed Medical Scholarship at University of California San Diego School of Medicine in memory of her father, Omar Jaspering, and in honor of Simerjot K. Jassal, MD, a primary care physician at VA San Diego Healthcare System and director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

This scholarship is intended to help ensure that the cost of attendance does not prevent the most promising and deserving medical students from choosing UC San Diego School of Medicine.

"I am so pleased to have the opportunity to recognize Dr. Jassal, who provided excellent care to my father, Omar Jaspering, for many years before his death at age 102," Hunt said, "as well as open more doors for would-be doctors, no matter their backgrounds, who might not otherwise get the opportunity to attend medical school." Hunt is based in Tucson, Ariz.

It was a genuine privilege to be Mr. Jaspering's physician. As physicians, we have this amazing, unique opportunity to be a part of the lives of our patients in an important and meaningful way. I believe it's very important that our health care providers represent the diverse patient populations we serve, so we can provide the best care possible. It's my hope that this incredibly generous scholarship will help to remove financial barriers to pursuing medical education, improve the diversity of our future doctors, and ultimately help promote health equity for our patients." Simerjot K. Jassal, MD, Primary Care Physician at VA San Diego Healthcare System and Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at UC San Diego School of Medicine

Financial cost is a well-documented hurdle to becoming a doctor, particularly among racial/ethnic groups that are underrepresented in medicine. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, as of 2018, only approximately 6 percent of practicing physicians in the United States are Hispanic, 5 percent are Black and 0.3 percent are Alaska Native or American Indian.

"Because the best minds come from all kinds of backgrounds, many of our medical students rely on scholarship support to open the door to their UC San Diego education," said Steven R. Garfin, MD, interim dean of UC San Diego School of Medicine.

"These students should not have to choose a place they can afford in lieu of the place they belong. With scholarships, we preserve a proud tradition of need-blind admissions, ensuring that the world's best and brightest students can make UC San Diego their home -- and their springboard -- regardless of their financial circumstances. We are very grateful to Ms. Hunt for helping us lift financial barriers for our students."

UC San Diego School of Medicine faculty, staff and students are committed to enhancing and recognizing the importance of equity, diversity, inclusion and health disparities through scholarship, curricular changes and community engagement.

"Diversity in health care starts in medical school," said Kama Guluma, MD, associate dean for admissions and student affairs at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "Diversity of thought, ideas and lived experience significantly enriches the academic experience and improves the depth and breadth of the experience for all students. Diversity in health care is about understanding the mindset and needs of a patient within a larger context of culture, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and socioeconomic realities."

Over the past several years, school leaders and administrators have been working to diversify the student community and faculty, in part through holistic admissions and diversifying admissions and hiring committees, and reduce health disparities.

Since 1997, medical students have helped provide free care to underserved communities in San Diego through the Student-Run Free Clinic. The Program in Medical Education - Health Equity is a special track in which medical students receive training and opportunities to become health equity leaders. More recently, medical students helped launch community-based electives that provide training in tribal health care, blood pressure testing in barbershops and health screenings at Pacific Islander festivals.

"But there is clearly more work to do and additional resources make a significant impact," Garfin said. "This year, in addition to lowering financial barriers, our work includes re-examining our curricula to further improve how we present race and disparities, implementing new health equity and social justice course content, developing a Racism in Medicine course, recruiting new faculty with interests in health equity and creating new leadership positions dedicated to anti-racism."
The charges relate to an incident last December when an older person was the victim of fraud. (Niall Carson/PA)

Police have charged two women who were arrested in Co Fermanagh on Thursday on suspicion of fraud offences.

The pair, aged 17 and 69, were charged with Fraud by False Representation and Going equipped.

In a statement on Thursday, the PSNI said: "The investigation centres on individuals resident in Republic of Ireland using what are believed to be false identities to obtain benefits in Northern Ireland over a period of six years."

Both women will appear at Dungannon Magistrates Special court on Saturday.
San Marino, a tiny, independent republic within northern Italy, is perhaps best known  to the extent it is known at all  as one of the smallest countries on earth.

But the pandemic has given it a new, tragic distinction: a place with one of the worlds highest death rates from the coronavirus.

Just six weeks ago, San Marino risked becoming the last country in Europe to start inoculating its people. It had counted on an agreement with Italy to furnish it with vaccines, but they never materialized. With tensions rising and doctors threatening to stop working, the desperate government turned to Russia and found a warm embrace.

San Marino has long had close ties to Russia, and readily accepted more than 7,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, which has not been authorized by European or Italian drug regulators.
The Great Barrier Reef stretches for 1,429 miles along the coast of Australia and although massive, new data shows up to 99 percent of it could disappear due to climate change.

The Australian Academy of Science revealed that if 2.7F (1.5C) degrees of warming continues, the worlds largest coral reef system will eventually perish.

The natural wonder is expected to shrink, but if the Earth experiences warming of 3.6F (2C) only one percent of coral will remain.

Researchers say that immediate transformative action to reverse global warming is the only option for saving the Great Barrier Reef, but reaching the goal seems to be virtually impossible.

However, the team also notes that with Earth's current rates of emissions, it is likely we will surpass 2.7F (1.5C) by 2025.

Scroll down for videos

The Great Barrier Reef stretches for 1,429 miles along the coast of Australia and although massive, new data shows up to 99 percent of it could disappear due to climate change

The Great Barrier Reef sits in the Coral Sea, located off the coast of Queensland and is home for more than 2,900 individual reefs.

In March 2020, it was revealed the Great Barrier Reef is now facing its most extensive and potentially devastating coral bleaching event following unusually warm recent ocean temperatures  and a recent report suggests it is heading to extinction.

And in October 2020, it was revealed that more than half of the corals had been lost to bleaching over the last 25 years.

When ocean temperatures are too high, corals expel their colorful symbiotic algae that provide them with food  turning them a bleached white.

At 2.7F of warming, the natural wonder is expected to shrink by 70 to 90 percent, but if the Earth experiences warming of 3.6F (2C) only one percent of coral will remain

The Great Barrier Reef sits in the Coral Sea, located off the coast of Queensland and is home for more than 2,900 individual reefs

The report, titled The Risks to Australia of a 3C Warmer World, suggests Australia is headed for a climate disaster and that it will take the Great Barrier with it.

As the driest inhabited continent, Australia is highly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming, the report states.

The summer bushfires of 201920 in a tinder-dry country, or the three severe coral bleaching events within five years that caused a loss of over 50 percent of hard coral cover in the shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef, demonstrate some of the consequences of a warming planet for Australias people, economy and environment.

According to the researchers, the entire world has already seen a 2F (1.1C) warming increase since the Industrial Revolution, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

This transformative era began in 1760 and lasted until about 1840, and was the adoption of new manufacturing process in both Europe and the US.

According to the researchers, the entire world has already seen a 2F (1.1C) warming increase since the Industrial Revolution. This transformative era began in 1760 and lasted until about 1840, and was the adoption of new manufacturing process in both Europe and the US

Along with making a shift to more mechanical processes, the world saw an increase in pollution and a depletion of natural resources to power the machinery  and it had an immediate effect on the climate.

However, Professor Lesley Hughes of Macquarie University explained that warming does not impact Earth equally, as Australia is already facing an increase of 0.8F (1.4C).

Because Australia is warming more and faster than the rest of the planet, its natural wonders, specifically the Great Barrier Reef, are more at risk of being destroyed by climate change.

Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a biologist and climate scientist specializing in coral reefs, has some hopeful news.

He notes that if humans are able to stabilize warming, the surviving corals could recover and again, expand over the entire reef.

However, Hoegh-Guldberg also explained that if the opposite occurs, the once colorful reef will be replaced with seaweeds, bacteria and other organisms.

Along with being larger the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef is also home to around 1,625 species of fish, 3,000 mollusks and 30 different types of whale and dolphin.

'We used to think the Great Barrier Reef was protected by its sheer size,' commented Professor Hughes said in a 2020 statement.

'But our results show even the world's largest and relatively well-protected reef system is increasingly compromised and in decline.'
Enjoy the sunshine but stay safe this Easter

This article is old - Published: Friday, Apr 2nd, 2021

Wrexham Council are asking everyone to be sensible this Easter weekend, and not to mix with other households indoors.

In a departure from recent weeks Wrexham Council have not circulated the usual weekly briefing that contains localised figures and insight, however that could emerge later today.

They have issued their general pandemic update, saying Many of us will be looking forward to blowing off the cobwebs and getting out in the fresh air this Easter weekend. Anyone who lives in Wales can now travel anywhere within Wales, and after months of strict lockdown, its good to have something positive to focus on.

Getting out in the fresh air can be good for your mental and physical health, and you can meet with up to six people from two households outdoors to socialise.





But try to avoid crowded places. Take sensible precautions and dont mix with other households indoors. Enjoy the sunshine, blow off the cobwebsbut stay safe.

Wrexham as a whole is now seventeenth in Wales (and the lowest in North Wales), with 20.6 cases per 100k population on a seven-day rolling basis.

If you want to check the figures where you live, visit the Public Health Wales data dashboard and click on the MSOA tab.

They added, If you have coronavirus symptoms  or youre identified as a contact by the Track, Trace and Protect service  please make sure you self-isolate and get a test.

It could be the most important thing you ever do.
How badly has the COVID-19 pandemic affected kids mental health? Mental Health America of Greater Houston recently held listening sessions with students, parents, teachers and administrators in the 28 Houston-area school districts that work with its Center for School Behavioral Health  and what they heard was alarming.

According to Jamie Freeny, the centers director, K-12 students are now more frequently dealing with grief, family stress and isolation. Theres more clinginess, more self-harm, more cyber-bullying, more suicidal ideation, disrupted sleep and acting out. Kids are more frequently being diagnosed with anxiety, depression and stress-based diseases such as shingles.

Freeny, who has doctorate in public health, did her Ph.D research on childhood trauma. Here, she discusses specific ways that parents and other adults can help kids who are struggling.

I know that the Center for School Behavioral Help works to change systems in ways that help families. But could we talk about things that individuals can do to help the kids in their lives? For instance, what should a parent do if a 5-year-old clings to their leg and cries whenever the parent leaves the house?

Its really about assuring that little one that they are safe, that they are loved, and that you will be back. The clinging could be from a point of anxiety, not not knowing when they would see you next time, not knowing whats going to happen or whos going to keep them safe.

So you reassure them that you are there for them, that you love them, that you will be back and that they are safe. If youre leaving them at a day care or with a babysitter, make that connection. If the babysitters name is Mary, say, Mary is going to make sure you have food and make sure that youre safe. Then Ill come back after work.

Give them as much information as you can. With toddlers its difficult because they dont have the words to articulate feelings, nor can they understand time. But when youre dealing with kindergarten-age kids who are clingy, make a point of listening and validating them: I understand youre fearful. I understand youre upset. I understand youre scared.

Name the emotion. Tell them what it is so that they can start to articulate it: Mommy, Daddy, Im feeling scared. Or Im really worried.

MORE FROM LISA GRAY: In east Harris County, a push to vaccinate 'hardworking humble people'

Its really important when talking with kids that we are aware of our own tone and body language. Oftentimes children pick up on that first. So if youre leaving and youre angry or frustrated, or maybe youre rushing because youre running late, the child may understand the mood as as something theyre causing. They might take your anger at a situation to mean that youre angry at them.

If you give them a hug and your hearts racing and youre breathing fast, more than likely their heart is going to race and theyll breathe faster as well. When you hug them, you want to be calm and present. Its really important that you are present, that youre looking at them and talking to them. Over time, if you do that consistently, they will start to understand, OK, Mommy is going to be back.

Then maybe youll see less of a that clinginess. But its not going to happen overnight, and its certainly something that you dont want to ignore.

A lot of parents are under huge stress too. Many are depressed or anxious. If Im a parent whos dealing with these issues, how do I insulate my child?

That is so important. The first thing that we do at Mental health America of Greater Houston is encourage people to take care of themselves. We cannot stress self-care enough.

Give yourself permission to take care of yourself, because if you dont prioritize your own health, no one else is going to.

Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

What does that kind of self-care look like? Are we talking a me-time bubble bath or what?

Self-care is any activity to help yourself come back to a state of balance and calm, and to be in the present. Self-care is not a luxury. Self-care is not something that only people with money can participate in. It doesnt have to be a luxurious bath with candles, and scented fragrances and oils. It doesnt have to be a trip to the spa. Self-care can simply be taking time to walk out to your garage, sit in your car for five minutes, and take some deep breaths.

Just to be away from my screaming child?

Just to be away from your screaming child. Or to be away from your significant other. Or be away from any other distractions, even the TV. Maybe youve been watching stuff about the George Floyd trial or voting rights, and it upsets you.

Whatever it is, remove yourself from it so that you can then focus, take deep breaths, and engage in mindfulness or prayer or whatever works for you. Its very important for you to do that. Its not selfish.

Some people find self-care in daily walks. Some people find self-care in listening to music or watching birds. Its very personal.

Its important that you model that kind of behavior for your children. If they see you taking deep breaths when youre angry or upset or anxious, or holding your stomach, or closing your eyes, they will start to model those behaviors as well. So not only are you doing something good for yourself, youre setting a good model for your family.

What if my kid is sleeping for hours and hours on end? What should I do then?

We tend to see that with older youth. In the teenage years, more sleep is not uncommon. But if theyre sleeping for long periods, like, over a week or two, that is certainly a red flag. Thats time for conversation.

Ask the teen, How are you feeling? Whats motivating you? What are your goals? What drives you every day?

You might find that they dont have any motivators. They may be tired of this whole pandemic and want to sleep it away. When you are asleep, you dont have to worry about other people and socializing and bullying and what you look like and  you know, all this stuff. So we should definitely recognize changes in sleep patterns as a red flag for stress or mental health concerns.

Then talk to the teen and help them set up some structure, make a plan. It might be, Every day at 11:30, were going to take a walk together. Every day at noon, were going to eat lunch together.

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Its important to ask that teenager, What is something you can look forward to? and then try to to fit that into the daily or weekly schedule. Its really difficult to get out of bed if you dont have anything to look forward to, or if you think the day is just going to drag on and not going to be a good day.

You also want to get to the root of the problem. Are they sleeping more because theyre tired of school? Or is it because theyre physically tired? Maybe its boredom: Extreme boredom was a huge topic of conversation during our listening sessions, and that can also drive a person to just want to sleep.

Ask open-ended questions. Why do you think that youre sleeping more these days? Listen. Just listen to them. Dont try to fix the problem. Dont try to come up with solutions. Listen and validate their concerns. Validate their emotions. If they say, You know what, Im tired of all this, and I just want to sleep, validate that.

Say something like, You know what? I am too, and we are going to get through this together. I can understand why you feel fearful or tired or uncertain or unmotivated. We all struggle with that at times. What can we do to move forward? Because this isnt healthy.

Dont make it about you, the parent, and what your expectations are  not in that moment when theyre sharing with you. Be open and listen. You can come back later and set those expectations. But really work with them. Engage them in that conversation and engage them in planning a solution.

That general approach can work for a lot of problems with children and teens. It can pertain to teens who are not eating at all, or else overeating.

It can also pertain to children and teens who are complaining of headaches every day. Youd say something like, This is new. So tell me, what are you thinking about before this headache comes on? Or What are you doing before this headache hits? What are some things that we can do to that might alleviate that?

Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

The self-harm behaviors are especially alarming. If my kid is cutting themselves or chewing their fingernails until they bleed, what could I do?

Again, start with showing your concern, not bringing it up as a punishable behavior but showing empathy and listening, I cant stress how important listening is. Oftentimes, we listen to respond. Especially if its our loved one, we want to fix the problem, move forward and sweep it under the rug or dismiss it. But thats just not what works well.

For me, those behaviors are hard to fathom. Why do kids do that?

Well, its not too difficult to understand if we remember that a teens brain is still developing. Theyre trying to understand their emotions and how to respond to them. And sometimes, when it comes to painful emotions, the go-to coping mechanism is to do whatevers going to get rid of that pain. For some youth, and for some adults, its exerting pain elsewhere: I am transferring this pain that Im feeling from embarrassment, shame, fear or whatever it is, to something that I can control. I cant control x, y or z, but I can control how often I cut. I can control the feeling.

I wont say thats always the crux of self-harm, but its a component. Thats why a lot of kids engage in substance abuse  smoking, drinking, other forms of substance abuse. It helps release the pain.

Thats why its crucial for parents, mentors and educators to talk about healthy ways of coping and to help them understand that we can work through these temporary issues in other ways. Dont dismiss whats driving the behavior, and dont assume that you know whats driving the behavior.

At the beginning of this pandemic, we were like, Oh, children are so stressed out about wearing a mask and about social distancing. Well, not necessarily. Children were stressed out because they couldnt see their friends, they couldnt go to school, and they couldnt go outside and play.

So its really, really, really important that when we are observing these behaviors that we dont ignore them, we dont make assumptions, and we approach with empathy and concern. Its okay for parents to say that they may not know what to do themselves.

You may walk in on a child cutting themself, or see a childs burn marks on their legs or scratch marks on their arms. The approach then is to listen and to understand.

And know that there is help available. I wouldnt open up the conversation with, I see youre cutting. Im gonna send you to a psychiatrist. Thats not how that conversation should go.

Listen first. Then maybe, This has helped me understand why. I really feel bad for you. I hate that youre experiencing this. What can I do to help? I may not know the best next steps, but lets think about talking to a therapist. Or lets think about reaching out to your doctor. Because I want you to remain safe, and I want you to to be able to cope in more healthy ways.

Lots of kids have been stressed out by the same world events that are stressing out adults: By all the COVID deaths, or the election, or the deaths of George Floyd or Brianna Taylor. How can we talk about those things with kids?

Knowledge is power. Knowledge is key. The more facts that you have, the better prepared you can be to answer certain questions. That means doing some research, understanding whats happening  not just what youre seeing in social media or what your friends or co-workers are saying, but really getting to the facts and then talking to your children using those facts. The most important thing that we can do is teach children to listen and to learn and to be respectful, but always to go back to the facts.

Try to explain things in ways kids can understand. So when you talk about a protest with a small child, you could say, You know how I might tell you to stand up to a bully that you see at school? Or how, if you and your friends want to have pizza at school every Friday, you might get together and make some signs. You might go talk to your teacher. You might go talk to the principal and say, Hey, we want to have pizza every Friday. Thats what protests are: Protests are recognizing changes that need to happen.

And youll want to talk about whats driving the protests  that they recognize mistreatment of a group of people, that the protests are a way of speaking up about it.

When we talk about racism, oftentimes the question I get is, Whats the appropriate age to talk about that? Research tells us that between the ages of 4 and 5, children pick up and act on differences in skin color.

Its really important that those conversations start at home. You introduce skin color and race as something that is different about how a person looks, but thats the only thing it is: Its just a difference in skin color. You can say, Look at all the beautiful skin colors! and figure out ways to celebrate those differences.

That way, when children are up against other diversity issues, such as meeting a child in a wheelchair or somebody that is missing a limb, they meet them with a positive curiousness, rather than downplaying them or degrading them because they dont look the same.

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Remember to check your own biases. When we talk about race, or when we talk about the elections and the different Republican and Democrat parties, whatever side of the aisle that you are on, think about how you are talking about the people that are on the opposing side. When we talk about racism and discrimination, think about how you are describing people of other races and ethnicities.

If you were  I dont know  at the post office, and you dropped a piece of mail, and a Black man picked it up, be mindful of how you describe that. Is it necessary to say Oh, a Black man helped me instead of some nice man picked up a piece of mail for me?

Your body language and nonverbal cues are very telling there. Theyre as important as your words. Children pick up on that.

Those things are difficult to catch. Were not always conscious of them. Its just natural. Its happened in our families for so many years. But its crucial that we try because children pick up on those nuances. Be intentional about making those changes.

When children are asking questions about what theyre seeing on TV, asking, Why are adults so angry?, take the time to engage in those conversation. Applaud them for paying attention and asking. Often children are dismissed, so when things come up later on in life, they are scared to say something about it. Or they go to their social media, or they to their social group and try to figure out whats happening.

You really want them to come to you. As the parent, as the caregiver, as the educator, you want them to come to you. So you can start with being open and being honest, and and not being punitive.

Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

With some mental-health challenges  for instance, suicidal ideation  after Ive had that first hard conversation with my kid, I am clearly going to want outside help. How do I get that? Where do I find it?

Try your childs school, your primary-care doctor, and resources such as Mental Health America of Greater Houston. NAMI, the National Association on Mental Illness, and the Hogg Foundation in Houston both provide information on mental illness. Those are great resources to to have in your back pocket.

For a young child, Sesame Street has some really great lessons on how to talk about race and racism, and how to talk about the elections, and how to talk about depression or anxiety, how to talk to a child whose parent is struggling with a mental illness.

The more that we talk about depression or anxiety or schizophrenia, the more normal these things will be. We can start to dismantle some of the stigma thats related to them.

People that struggle with mental illness are not bad people. Theyre not more violent. Theyre not scary. Theyre no one to be feared. We need to make sure that when we talk about mental illness, that were talking about it just like were talking about somebody who breaks their leg, or somebody who has a heart attack. The brain is just a part of the body, like the arms and the feet and legs. Mental illness is just another part of physical health.

Children experience stress and fear when somebody leaves or dies. They may cry. Those times are opportunities to talk about how to cope with emotions, so that in the future, those things dont advance to mental illness. We can teach kids early and intervene early so that they dont become adults struggling with depression or anxiety.

Check your own biases, your own thoughts, your own feelings and your own experiences, especially when it comes to things related to mental illness, illness, and suicidal ideation. Some of those words and behaviors may be a emotional trigger for you, because of your own experience. Maybe this is something that happened to you when you were younger, or you had a loved one who had those experiences. Understanding and checking that first, before you respond, is crucial. You dont want to take any anger or fearfulness or uncertainty from your own past experiences and pass them on to that child. Thats not their responsibility to handle, and it could complicate things more.

You absolutely can share those stories, but be mindful of what youre saying and how youre talking about that. If you had a sister that used to engage in self-harming behaviors, be mindful of how you describe that. Talk about what made her do that, and why she thought that was the only outlet, and then talk about, But here is what we know.

Theres a lot to keep in mind. Its hard being an adult.

Adulting is hard! But its a challenge that many of us rise to every day. And those who engage in self-care tend to do it better.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

lisa.gray@chron.com, twitter.com/LisaGray_HouTX
She's a budding supermodel from a famous family.

And Lori Harvey showed off her eye for style as she stepped out for a little retail therapy in Beverly Hills on Thursday afternoon.

The 24-year-old fashionista rocked a vintage Prince concert T-shirt with tattered jeans while stopping by XIV Karats Ltd for some new jewelry.

Shop til you drop: Lori Harvey showed off her eye for style as she stepped out for a little retail therapy in Beverly Hills on Thursday afternoon

Lori wore an oversized Prince & The New Power Generation shirt with yellow lettering to match a Chanel purse.

She sported matching black skinny jeans with distressed elements along her knees and thick braided heels.

Harvey's dark brown hair was slicked back into a tight bun and she made sure to protect herself from COVID-19 by wearing a face mask while shopping.

Classic: The 24-year-old fashionista rocked a vintage Prince concert T-shirt with tattered jeans while stopping by XIV Karats Ltd for some new jewelry

Smart: Harvey's dark brown hair was slicked back into a tight bun and she made sure to protect herself from COVID-19 by wearing a face mask while shopping

In January, Lori enjoyed a holiday with her famous father Steve Harvey, mom Marjorie, and new boyfriend, Michael B. Jordan.

They stayed on Steve's yacht during their vacation to St. Barts.

During the trip, she shared a racy snap of her with Michael while on the yacht, with him holding placing his hand beneath her left breast.

The couple beamed in the image, with the model wearing a ruched green dress.

Lovebirds: In January, Michael and Lori enjoyed a holiday with her famous father Steve Harvey and mom Marjorie

Duo: During the trip, she shared a racy snap of her with Michael while on the yacht, with him holding placing his hand beneath her left breast

Steve and Marjorie married in June 2007 and soon after he legally adopted her children Lori, Morgan and Jason.

Lori and Michael went Instagram official on January 10 on each of their Instagrams with loved up snaps.

They were seen together since the end of November, and the couple were spotted heading to Salt Lake City, Utah ahead of New Years.
Sydney and Melbournes inner-city rental markets are starting to recover after months of falling rents and surging vacancies due to closed international borders and restrictions hitting CBDs.

In the year to March 31, capital city apartment rents fell 3.8 per cent while house rents rose 5.2 per cent, CoreLogic data released this week shows. But the property data companys head of research, Tim Lawless, said Melbourne and Sydneys apartment markets, which were among the hardest hit by COVID-19 border closures, had started to stabilise.

Major city CBDs were left empty during the height of the pandemic and apartment vacancies surged. Credit:Wayne Taylor

Sydney unit rents have posted a subtle rise over the past three months, while unit rents in Melbourne have held firm over the same period, Mr Lawless said. Rental deferrals for struggling tenants who lost work during the coronavirus pandemic started to end this year.

The improvement comes after a long-running decline, however, a material improvement in rental conditions is likely to be dependent on foreign students and visitors returning to shore up inner-city unit rental demand, he said.
Citing budget restraints amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the province has asked school boards to participate in an all-hands-on-deck approach across the public sector to minimize the deficit by negotiating a two-year wage freeze with non-teaching staff.

Citing budget restraints amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the province has asked school boards to participate in an "all-hands-on-deck" approach across the public sector to minimize the deficit by negotiating a two-year wage freeze with non-teaching staff.

On Thursday, the Manitoba PC caucus published a letter outlining a new bargaining mandate for boards who negotiate with approximately 80 unions which represent educational assistants, custodians, bus drivers and other school employees across the province.

The letter, signed by Education Minister Cliff Cullen and Finance Minister Scott Fielding, was sent to school board chairs and superintendents, with employee bargaining agents copied, earlier this week.

The province has proposed divisions negotiate new "four-year renewal cycle" agreements, consisting of a wage freeze for the first two years, followed by a 0.75 per cent bump, and a one per cent increase in the final year.

The terms mirror the contents of Bill 28, legislation that sought to freeze public-sector worker wages, which was struck down in a court last year. The Pallister government is currently appealing the ruling.

"The surrounding context is critical," states the letter, "On behalf of all Manitobans, government continues to address the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic."

The letter also states the mandate should assist with ongoing budgetary processes in school divisions and enable additional transition planning, as part of the newly-announced education reforms.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew questioned the timing of the letter  amidst a pandemic during which support staff have stepped up to both keep schools safe and struggling students learning  during a scrum Thursday.

"To me, it shows that what Bill 64 and this education reform is going to be all about is just cutting costs, not actually helping kids in the classroom," Kinew told reporters at the Manitoba legislature.

A spokeswoman for bus drivers in the Winnipeg School Division echoed those sentiments.

"Were not impressed," said Bea Bruske, secretary-treasurer of UFCW Local 832, which represents nearly 100 drivers.

Given the terms are the same as Bill 28  terms bus drivers fought during a strike earlier in the school year, Bruske said the province is using the pandemic as an excuse to "ram (them) through."

It remains unclear what exactly the bargaining process will look like for non-teaching employees when English boards are replaced with a centralized education authority in summer 2022. The Manitoba Teachers' Society will represent all teachers in collective bargaining with the province when that happens.

"There's more questions than answers and I think doing this during a pandemic is completely reckless and its not taking the needs of the students and parents and workers, quite frankly, into consideration at all," Bruske added.

MTS president James Bedford said in a statement Thursday the latest mandate letter amounts to further "government interference and intimidation."

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh

Reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Winnipeg Free Press. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Read full biography
Advocates for impact investments have long made the case that investments can do social good without sacrificing returns.

And then there are the wealthy philanthropists who give money to nonprofit organizations trying to bring about social change without expecting any financial return.

But there is a middle ground for investors  a little more impact for a little less return. It has been the third rail of socially responsible investing, though, mainly because impact investors fear that such an approach could embolden critics who have long warned that investors will get lower returns if they want to push for change.

Now, a new study by the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit philanthropic consultant, argues that this is the moment to put more money, time and energy into a middle ground, which it calls impact-first investing. The report, Back to the Frontier: Investing That Puts Impact First, focuses on investments that consider positive impact first and financial return second. It makes the case for how such investments can boost emerging technologies faster than grants or traditional impact investments. These investments, the report says, can help create new markets.
Complaints from residents of an upmarket suburb about the operation of a restaurants takeaway delivery service has sparked a row that has ended up in the High Court.

Dublin City Council issued an enforcement notice on the operators of the Bunsen gourmet burger restaurant in Ranelagh after concerns were raised by some locals about the back of the premises being used as a collection point for delivery riders.

However, Ducalla Ltd, the company running the restaurant, has issued proceedings challenging the notice and has secured a High Court order blocking the council from taking further steps, pending the outcome of the case.

It is being supported in the legal action by planning consultant Kevin Hughes, who previously helped former rugby star Brian ODriscoll and his actress wife Amy Huberman get permission for the renovation of their 1.8m home in the neighbouring suburb of Rathmines.

Like many restaurants, Bunsen has been operating a takeaway service during the pandemic as dining in is not an option.

However, some residents have been unhappy with the set up used for collections by delivery riders and made complaints to Ducalla, the council and gardai.

In an affidavit, Ducalla director Tom Gleeson said the complaints related to the use of the rear of the premises for collection of takeaway food, deliveries to the rear of the premises and the storage of bins.

He explained that due to the volume of take-away trade, it would present an unacceptable health risk for customers and staff if the public and delivery riders both collected food from the same point.

Mr Gleeson said the restaurant was using a long-established system whereby private customer collections were made at the front of the premises, while delivery riders picked up food at back.

There are six Bunsen restaurants in Dublin and Mr Gleeson said due to the unusual market conditions, the Ranelagh premises was the only one which had sustained its trade.

As a result, it was subsidising the other Dublin locations, allowing them to maintain staffing levels.

He claimed any further enforcement action by the council would put the financial viability of its Dublin restaurants in jeopardy.

The council initially sent a warning letter to the restaurant last September and eventually an enforcement notice in January.

Ducalla initiated judicial review proceedings challenging the notice in February.

The company secured an order last month from Mr Justice Charles Meenan granting leave for an application to have the notice quashed.

The judge also put a stay on the council taking any steps pursuant to the notice until the case is determined.

The council has yet to file papers in opposition. The case returns to the court on May 4.

Ducalla has argued the enforcement notice was impermissibly issued.

In an affidavit supporting the restaurants application, Mr Hughes, of HPDC Ltd, said the rear of the premises had been used for the dispatch of takeaway food deliveries since at least 2007.

He saidt that under statute, the council would have had to issue the notice within seven years of the practice complained off coming into operation.

Mr Hughes also claimed that in deciding to issue the enforcement notice, the council had not properly considered Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage guidelines issued to planning authorities following the onset of the pandemic.

Among other things, the guidelines state that given the exceptional challenges arising from Covid-19, it is critical that support is given to restaurants and cafes to allow them to maximise opportunities to maintain a revenue stream.
Community health centers in Worcester and Greenfield are receiving reinforcements for their vaccination programs thanks to the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

On Thursday, Congressman Jim McGovern announced $12.9 million from the plan would be injected into two centers in Worcester and another in Greenfield.

Worcesters Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center will receive $6.2 million - the most of the three. Family Health Center of Worcester will get $5 million. Greenfields Community Health Center of Franklin County will receive $1.6 million.

The health centers can use the funding to expand COVID-19 vaccinations, testing and treatment for vulnerable populations. Funding can also be used to deliver health care services to people at higher risk for COVID-19, which can include modifying or improving physical infrastructure or adding mobile units.

Community health centers play a vital role when it comes to expanding justice and equity in our healthcare system, and thats never been clearer than in the vital role they have played in responding to COVID-19, McGovern said in a statement. More help is on the way through the American Rescue Plan so they can redouble their efforts to get more shots in arms, support underserved and vulnerable populations that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and save more lives during this pandemic.

The American Rescue Plan will invest $6 billion nationwide to expand access to vaccines in underserved communities. In Massachusetts, 37 community health centers will receive a total of $144,350,625 to bolster vaccine distribution.

Related Content:
Following the phone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said he appreciates the support of the United States and intends to seriously transform the country.

"Ukraine appreciates the U.S. support on different levels. We stand shoulder to shoulder when it comes to preservation of our democracies. My commitment to transform Ukraine, improve transparency and achieve peace is strong. The American partnership is crucial for Ukrainians," Zelensky said in his Twitter following the conversation with the President of the United States.
MIDDLETOWN  Its open season for COVID-19 vaccines in Connecticut, and Middletown is at the forefront of distributing the shots with 30 percent of citizens getting at least their first dose, officials said Thursday.

The older population is boasting even better numbers  with 94 percent of those 65 and older, and 84 percent of the 75 and older crowd, already having taken the first dose, according to Acting Health Director Kevin Elak, who conducted a Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinic at the Shepherd Home for veterans on Bow Lane Thursday.

He was thrilled to share the great news.

The city inoculated 110 people as part of an event for businesses held Thursday morning at the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. The plan was for 50 vaccines, but Elak doubled the number once he realized there would be a mass of people signing up, he said.

He also was excited that Middletown was chosen as one of 17 targeted communities selected to get a visit from a Federal Emergency Management Agency mobile clinic based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social vulnerability index, according to the governors office. The program launched in Bridgeport.

FEMA has the capacity to administer as many as 350 vaccines per day, the acting health director said.

On May 10-11, even more city individuals will have a chance to get the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Connecticut is the first state in the nation to administer vaccines with a trailer on wheels, which will help in ongoing efforts to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to people who live within socially vulnerable neighborhoods, according to Gov. Ned Lamonts office.

The clinic will be stationed at the Staples plaza, in the area behind Athenian Diner II on Washington Street/Route 66. I cant wait to see this thing, Elak said. Its going to be amazing. There will be six vaccination stations inside this trailer.

He and volunteers will be going door to door throughout the area beforehand, including the apartment complexes on nearby Plaza Drive, to encourage people to sign up, as well as reassure those who may be hesitant about the vaccines safety, Elak said.

The Rev. Robyn Anderson, president of the Middletown Ministerial Health Alliance, and leaders of AME Zion Church will help facilitate the initiative, Elak said. The church conducts weekly clinics Tuesdays in an effort to advocate for people of color, Anderson has told The Press.

The health alliance sends trusted messengers into the public to provide parishioners and others with facts on the vaccine, answer questions and deal with any concerns, Elak said.

Its on the [Middletown Area Transit] bus line, so we want to canvass the other apartments  Traverse Square (near downtown) and Rose Circle (off Newfield Street). Both are federally subsidized. Were trying to focus on the underserved and the people who are maybe a little hesitant, Elak said.

The unit consists of two trailers and will be on loan to the state for the next 60 days. The hours in Middletown will be May 10 from noon to 7 p.m. and May 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Local health officials will be coordinating appointments about 10 days before they begin once a team of volunteers is put in place. Elak will be notifying the public once they can sign up.

The city also has an online application for those who want to be contacted by the health department when there are extra doses available. It can be found at middletownct.gov.

For information on the AME Zion clinics, call 860-817-3330, email csfaithbaseclinic@gmail.com or visit crossstreetamezion.org. Information on Connecticuts COVID-19 vaccination program is available at ct.gov/covidvaccine.
WASHINGTON, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking the Acela for travel on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) is now more convenient than ever and travelers can enjoy low fares now available between many cities from Washington, D.C. to Boston. To provide more schedule flexibility, Amtrak is also adding two additional weekday daily roundtrip Acela trains beginning Mon., April 5.

"This is a great opportunity for customers who might not have previously considered taking Acela because they assumed it was geared toward business travelers or perhaps thought it was out of their price range," said Roger Harris, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer of Amtrak. "As customers feel more confident traveling again, we will continue to ensure a premium travel experience onboard our Acela trains to take our passengers where they want to go safely and comfortably."

Planning ahead pays off for customers who book travel at least 14 days in advance to access our lowest available Acela fares. Sample city pairs in Business Class include:

Travel Between Fare Travel Between Fare Washington D.C. - New York $69 Boston  New York $59 New York  Providence $49 Philadelphia  New York $49 Washington, D.C - Philadelphia $49 Baltimore  New York $69 Boston  Philadelphia $69 Boston  Washington, D.C $69

For added convenience and a seamless boarding experience, reserved seating is also available on Acela in Business and First Class. Acela features large comfortable leather seats, with plenty of space and legroom, a faster trip with fewer stops and free, upgraded WiFi with power outlets at each seat and luggage storage for up to four bags. For an even more upgraded experience, customers may choose First Class, which offers comfortable two by one seating, complimentary hot meals and unlimited beverages, all with a dedicated attendant. The recently announced Bidup program allows already ticketed Acela customers to bid on an upgrade to First Class. In addition to enhanced cleaning protocols at stations and on trains, Amtrak continues to deliver a New Standard of Travel.

Amtrak is also investing in new high-speed trainsets to improve service on the NEC. Amtrak's new fleet of Acela trains will feature nearly 25% more seats, personal outlets, USB ports and adjustable reading lights at every seat, complimentary Wi-Fi, spacious restrooms with a 60-inch diameter turning radius, and the surpassed accessibility requirements for people with disabilities.

Acela is the fastest train in the Western Hemisphere, with a maximum speed of 150 mph (241 kph) on sections of its route between Boston and New Haven and 135 mph (217 kph) between New York City and Washington, D.C. Acela serves 16 stations in nine states  Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and DC. On average, Amtrak train travel produces 67% fewer emissions per passenger than flying and 79% fewer emissions than driving alone.

About Amtrak

For 50 years, Amtrak has connected America and transformed transportation by modernizing train travel and building for the future. Amtrak will continue to play an important role in the national transportation network for the next 50 years and beyond by operating a safe, environmentally efficient and fiscally responsible business by providing travelers with an experience that sets a new standard. Book travel, check train status, access your eTicket and more through the Amtrak app. Learn more at Amtrak.com and connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Amtrak

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http://www.amtrak.com


Dividend of EUR 0.40 per A-share approved

LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) today in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. The meeting was held on the basis of the rules set out in the law of 23 September 2020 as amended by the law of 25 November 2020. Shareholders participated remotely by appointing SES designated proxyholders to represent them at the meeting and to carry out their voting instructions given ahead of the meeting. Compliance with voting instructions was verified by the bureau of the Annual General Meeting.

The shareholders approved all proposed resolutions, notably the company's 2020 accounts and the proposed dividend of EUR 0.40 per A-share, which will be paid to shareholders on 22 April 2021.

Shareholders also approved a reduction in Board size to 11 Directors.

Shareholders elected Katrin Wehr-Seiter for another three-year mandate and Serge Allegrezza for another one-year mandate.

Shareholders also noted the resignation of Romain Bausch as Director of SES.

Following the shareholders meeting, the Board of Directors elected Mr Frank Esser as Chairperson for a period of one year and both Mrs Tsega Gebreyes and Mrs Anne-Catherine Ries as Vice-Chairperson also for a period of one year.

The complete composition of the new Board and short biographies on each of the Directors are available at: https://www.ses.com/about-us/board-directors

The 2020 Annual Report is available for download at: https://www.ses.com/investors/annual-reports

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About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the worlds only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the worlds leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SESs video network carries over 8,200 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 361 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.
Christine Pacaud Dominican Republic (the)

Inhabited by a desire to create on her own from a child, Christine has always kept herself busy by calling upon her imagination to design all sorts of objects. As an adult, she left to study fashion design in Paris and then following several lessons at the Beaux-Arts dAix-en-Provence before jetting off to the United States where she stayed for some time. Upon her return to France, she took the decision to assert herself professionally thanks to art, and in particular painting.

Today sharing her life between France and the Dominican Republic, Christine defines herself as a mixed media freestyle artist-painter. In other words, through the use of different techniques associated with the use of very varied media, the artists imagination freely expresses itself. This creation technique therefore allows her a vast range of possibilities in the exercise, which leaves her completely fulfilled, always wanting to learn more. Christine always works her canvases with successive layers of material that she adapts to the chosen support so that the inks and other fluids come into play and structure the work to come. [] Layer after layer, the rhythms take their place, the works breathing increases, the material comes into place and thus the signs, the traces and the writing disappear and reappear. The painting becomes gestural, physical, dancing.

Christine allows herself to be completely guided by her feelings and her emotions of the moment: as such, within the same canvas, the viewer is able to discover elements painted with rage and other sketched with gentleness. Her painting reflects the human nature of the artist, made up of contradictions mixed with great sensitivity.
Last months Atlanta shooting spree that killed eight people helped out the left-wing media. Six victims were Asian, which let news organizations stoke alarm about white racism. If you squint hard enough, set aside the two victims who werent Asian, and ignore the perpetrators psychosis about sexual addiction, you can resell the shopworn trope about simple Trumpian intolerance.
In early January 1992, the container ship Evergreen Ever Laurel departed Hong Kong for Washington. Among the millions of things that Ever Laurel was carrying was a consignment of plastic childrens bath toys manufactured in China for the Japanese toy company The First Years Inc. Four days later, on 10 January 1992, the freighter ran into a storm in the North Pacific. Hurricane-force winds and waves thirty-six feet tall rocked the 28,900-ton ship from side to side. Under the strain of the pitching and rolling, two tall columns of containers stacked six high above the deck snapped loose from their steel lashings and crashed into the sea. At least one of the containers burst open, spilling several dozen cardboard boxes containing approximately 29,000 bath toys into the ocean.

Photo: 88390133  Teen00000 / Dreamstime.com

The cardboard rapidly broke down in the saline waters and under the harsh sun, discharging thousands of little packages onto the sea. Each package contained four hollow plastic animalsa red beaver, a blue turtle, a green frog, and a yellow duckpacked in a plastic shell with a cardboard back. Within a day, the water dissolved the glue releasing the plastic animals and setting them free from their plastic prison. The spill happened at approximately 44.7N, 178.1E, about 500 miles south of Shemaya Island in the Western Aleutian Islands and 1,000 miles east of Hokkaido, the northern extreme of Japan.

The news of a container ship losing 29,000 rubber toys attracted the attention of Seattle oceanographers Curtis Ebbesmeyer and James Ingraham, who were working on an ocean surface current model at that time. The standard method of tracking ocean currents is to release drift bottle, five hundred to one thousand at a time, and chart their movement. Usually in such experiments, 98 percent of all floaters get lost, so researchers expect to recover only about 10 or 20 bottles from each drop. But here was 29,000 pieces of easily recognizable plastic, drifting about in the ocean and all released from a single spot. It was an opportunity that Ebbesmeyer and Ingraham could not afford to miss.

It wasnt the first time Ebbesmeyer and Ingraham had turned a mid-ocean spill into an oceanographic experiment. Three years earlier, an eastbound freighter got caught in a storm five hundred miles south of the Alaskan Peninsula, and several containers had gone overboard, including a shipment of eighty thousand Nike shoes. As the sneakers began washing up along Vancouver Island five months later, Ebbesmeyer and Ingraham used the information from beachcombers and reconstructed the drift routes of some two hundred shoes. When the two scientists learned about the rubber duck spill in the North Pacific, they alerted their global network of beachcombers to keep their eyes out for the shiny plastic toys.

Travel route of the friendly floatees. Image by NordNordWest/Wikimedia Commons

Ten months after the incident, the first rubber ducks began to wash up along the Alaskan Coast, 2,000 miles from where they fell. By August 1993, some 400 of them were found over a stretch of 850 km of coastline along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Alaska. Over the next several years, these friendly floaties were discovered at various locations all over the world, from Scottish islands to Newfoundland, Eastern Australia to Tacoma, and along the coast of Hawaii and Japan. By studying the route of these floaties, Ebbesmeyer and Ingraham developed a model of the ocean currents and from this model they correctly predicted where and when these yellow ducks and blue turtles are going to wash up.

Ebbesmeyer and Ingrahams model correctly predicted landfall of the toys in Washington state in 1996. They theorized that after their first appearance in Alaska, the floaties had travelled westward to Japan, back to Alaska, and then drifted northwards through the Bering Strait and become trapped in the Arctic pack ice. They moved slowly with the ice across the Pole taking five to six years until they reached the North Atlantic. When the ice thawed, the floaties were released and from there the ocean currents took them to the eastern coast of the United States and to coast of the UK.

Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer with flotsam he uses to monitor ocean currents. Photo: Rick Rickman/Wikimedia Commons

Nearly three decades later, the floaties are still making rounds of the ocean, occasionally washing up on distant beaches where they instantly become prized items, some reportedly fetching prices as high as $1,000. The ducks and beavers have been bleached white, but otherwise intact. The turtles and frogs still have their original colors. The slow rate of degradation proves that plastic pollution is effectively indestructible, and all the plastic garbage that we dump into the seas and oceans will be around for centuries to come.

Over the decades, Ebbesmeyer and Ingraham have tracked many similar spills, such as the Lego spill of 1997 where millions of Lego pieces fell overboard in the sea off Cornwall. Those Lego pieces have drifted some 62,000 miles since then. Ebbesmeyer and Ingraham is expected to have many such opportunities to study ocean currents in future. Containers routinely get lost at sea. A 2011 survey by the World Shipping Council estimated that an average of 675 containers were lost at sea each year between 2008-10. In 2014, the average annual loss between 2011-13 was approximately 2,683 containers.

Now funded by NASA, Ebbesmeyer and Ingrahams model, called Ocean Surface Currents Simulation (OSCURS), has many practical applications aside from predicting the movement of flotsam, such as helping fishing vessels navigate and locate shoals of fish.

References:

# Donovan Hohn, Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanograp hers, Environmentalists & Fools Including the Author Who Went in Search of Them

# The Friendly Floatees, British Sea Fishing

# Friendly Floatees, Rubber Ducks Revealing Ocean Secrets, Science Reporter

# Eric Heupel, How does a floating plastic duckie end up where it does?, Scientific American
PHILADELPHIA  The family of Walter Wallace Jr., the West Philadelphia man whose fatal shooting by Philadelphia police in October set off days of protests and unrest in the city, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against the two officers who killed him.

The suit, filed in Common Pleas Court, accuses Officers Sean Matarazzo and Thomas Munz Jr. of using unreasonable force when they shot Wallace more than a dozen times outside his familys home after he approached them with a knife amid what relatives said was a mental health crisis.

He was gunned down in front of his mother, in front of his siblings, his father, his wife. Everyone is seeing a psychiatrist right now, said the familys lawyer, Shaka Johnson. I cant even wrap my mind around the concept of watching your kid gunned down at the hands of police. ... They will never be the same again.

Johnson said a separate lawsuit would be filed against the city in federal court, alleging that inadequate police training and the failure to equip the officers with Tasers led to Wallaces death.

The officers fired a volley of bullets at Wallace as he walked toward them with a knife and refused to drop the weapon despite their repeated calls for him to do so.

Police were called to the home in the 6100 block of Locust Street after Wallaces sister, brother and a neighbor made frantic 911 calls, pleading for police to come to stop him from attacking his parents. Screams could be heard in the background of those calls.

Wallace, 27, was an aspiring rapper, a father of nine with a daughter due days after his death, and had a history of battles with mental health and a criminal record. His killing sparked protests in his neighborhood and across the city as people denounced the use of police force against him. His family and others questioned why nonlethal options like Tasers or shooting to wound werent used, why more attention wasnt paid to his history of mental illness and whether racial bias might have played a role in the shooting. Wallace was Black. The officers who shot him  Munz, 26, and Matarazzo, 25  are white.

Body camera footage and 911 calls released by the city depict a chaotic scene outside the family home on the night of Oct. 26. The footage shows Wallace coming to the door of the familys home holding a knife, then slowly walking into the street toward police as they shouted for him to drop the weapon. Family screamed no, and Wallaces pregnant wife shouted that her husband was mental.

Shoot him, one of the officers is heard telling the other, before firing 14 shots at Wallace as he collapsed to the ground in the street.

You killed my son! Wallaces mother, Kathy Brant, is heard screaming, as witnesses rushed to surround Wallace.

He was [expletive] chasing us, one of the officers told a colleague as police scrambled to put Wallace in a car to take him to the hospital.

Johnson has said the two officers who shot Wallace should be fired. Hes also called for sweeping reforms in city policing and its mental health services. He said the family decided to sue after negotiations with the city broke down on their demands that the city take responsibility for Wallaces death, issue Tasers to all officers and properly train them to use them.

ALSO READ: State College again defends how police handled incident that led to death of an autistic man

Im telling you, none of that has been done to this point  zero, Johnson said.

Officials at the City Law Department declined to comment Thursday because they had not seen the lawsuit. Police officials also declined to comment, citing a policy of not addressing ongoing litigation.

The shooting remains under investigation by police Internal Affairs and the District Attorneys Office.

Johnson said the lawsuit did not specify a monetary amount to compensate the family and would instead leave that decision to a jury.

What dollar amount could begin to atone for what those officers did and what the city of Philadelphia did by not providing them with the adequate equipment to deal with people with mental health challenges? he asked.

The lawsuit comes as testimony continues in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the killing of George Floyd, which sparked worldwide protest and unrest against police brutality and racism last year. In March, the Minneapolis City Council approved a $27 million settlement with Floyds family to settle a lawsuit over his death.

___

Mensah M. Dean and Oona Goodin-Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote this story.

(c)2021 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.inquirer.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Russian researchers have developed an inexpensive, safe, and reliable packed eggs surface disinfection technology. This technology helps to kill bacteria, including salmonella, on eggshells. Also, it allows growing broiler chickens with strong immunity to viral diseases. Packed eggs are disinfected with 50 nanoseconds (one billionth of a second) electron beam. Disinfection takes place in plastic containers. The description of the technology was published in Food and Bioproducts Processing.

"Disinfection of the packed eggs protects eggs from subsequent contamination during storage", said Sergey Sokovnin, a professor at Ural Federal University and Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Science. "We found out that 5 kGy is enough for disinfection. Such dose allows to disinfect container and eggshells but does not affect the physical properties of the protein, yolk, and shell, or their composition. The size of the eggs does not matter."

Disinfection does not affect the quality of meat and the volume of chicks. So, if 63% of chickens hatch from ordinary eggs, then from processed ones - 64%. But the difference is that healthy chickens emerge from the disinfected eggs.

"86% of chickens from untreated eggs show signs of chronic inflammation. In chickens from irradiated eggs, this figure reached only 4%", said Sergey Sokovnin. "At the same time, chickens from the second group had an increased immunity to Newcastle disease. This is a bird's viral disease. It means that chickens from sterilized eggs will be less sick. And it will be possible to significantly reduce the dose of antibiotics when they are growing."

The technology also saves time for industrial manufacturers. To hatch chickens from clean eggs, take about six hours less. Instead of the usual 22-24 hours, chickens appear in 16-18 hours. This is extremely important as it reduces production costs.

"The accelerator capacity is 108 million eggs per year, which is enough for a large poultry farm", said Sergey Sokovnin. "It permits irradiation up to 40 eggs per second. The cost of irradiation of plastic packaging for 10 eggs was 1.2 Eurocents. If one technological line will operate in one shift of 250 working days a year, then the investment will be returned in five years. The main costs are staff salaries, overhead costs, equipment costs".

There are no serious technical problems with the implementation of the technology. The small size of the accelerator makes it easy to integrate into existing lines for control and packaging of eggs in poultry farms. The technology, according to scientists, can also be used to disinfect the surface of eggs of other birds, as well as products with peels or another natural packaging (seeds, bananas, oranges).

###

Note that the work was supported by the Russian Scientific Foundation (project No. 16-16-04038). The research group includes researchers from the Ural Federal University, the Institute of Electrophysics of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ural State Agrarian University, and the Ural Research Veterinary Institute.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 21:47:04|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Friday warned citizens against engaging in irresponsible behavior during the long Easter holiday.

The Zambian leader said citizens should desist from reckless behavior such as alcohol abuse, violence, and immoral acts during the Easter holiday but should instead use the holiday to render a helping hand to people in need.

"The Easter triduum is a call to all of us to engage in acts of charity, mercy including preaching salvation, love, peace, and unity to everyone. As we observe this sacred period, reckless merry-making and other uncouth behaviors should not take center stage in our lives," he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.

He said families should use the period to create bonds, adding that united families will result in having a united nation.

The Zambian leader also urged citizens not to lower the guard against the COVID-19 pandemic but continue to observe preventive guidelines such as social distancing and wearing of face masks.

"Countrymen and women, I remain confident that during this period, everyone from different walks of their lives will exercise maximum restraint by living in harmony, love, peace, and unity and will continue to do so especially as general elections approach on 12th August 2021," he said.

This year's Easter holiday starts on Friday and ends next Monday. Enditem
TEENAGE twins from Binfield Heath ran 148km over a month for a charity.

Tom and Mima Bonser, 13, were raising money for Robbies Rehab, which is named after a 10-year-old boy who died from a brain tumour almost five years after his mother died from breast cancer.

The money will go towards a new neurological rehabilitation ward for children at University Hospital Southampton.

Tom amd Mima completed the distance between Henley and Southampton during March, running separately in the evenings for up to 40 minutes at a time.

The twins, who are in year 9 at Gillotts School in Henley, liked to run in a field off Heathfield Avenue, where they live with their parents Olly and Henrietta and brother Will, 15.

They would run 3km and 4km every day with Tom trying to run as quickly as he could while Mima focused on endurance.

Mima said she felt shattered by the end of it.

I have a few blisters but I knew I was doing it for a good reason  thats how I kept going, she said.

Our friends at school have been really supportive. They keep telling us thank you for doing this for these children and have also been donating to the cause.

Tom said: During a run I was focusing on running and I only really got tired towards the end. When I got home, I laid on the floor and our dog licked my face and I knew I could rest.

At the end of the challenge their parents were waiting at the finish line with Easter eggs and hot chocolate to celebrate raising almost 3,000.

The pair decided to raise money for Robbies Rehab after reading a leaflet about the charity.

This explained how founder Mark Keville lost his wife Kate to breast cancer in 2011 at the age of 48 and in 2016 his son Robbie.

The ward will be the first of its kind in the UK to be run by the NHS.

Mr Bonser, 50, who is head of development at a legal firm, said: I think what the twins have been doing shows that something beautiful can come out of sadness  and it all came out of that one leaflet that Tom found by chance. We are really proud of them  we didnt tell them to do it, its all down to them.

It was nice for them to go out and do something like this and sport had stopped during lockdown so this allowed them to keep active.

Mrs Bonser, who is matron at Shiplake College, said: Running for the charity is something that they came up with. Im so proud that they want to make a difference, I think its really important that they grow up helping others.

The twins have met Mr Keville multiple times since he has married again to Floss Keville, a friend of their mother, and has five chidlren.

Mr Keville said: Tom and Mima are such fun and loving kids  Im sure they would have gotten on with Robbie if he was around.

What they have done for the charity is fantastic and the money they have raised will be absolutely vital for the ward. We are not there yet but we are getting so close thanks to their help.

This was kids helping other kids and that is what the charity is really about  kids are the future.

Meanwhile, Freddie Piasecki, 14, from Peppard Common, who goes to Gillotts with the twins, was inspired to start his own fundraiser for Robbies Rehab.

He is also aiming to run 100km and has raised almost 1,000 so far.

Freddies mother, Jo Piasecki, said: Marks story is so tragic and Freddie wanted to do something to help. Im really proud of him.

I think its brilliant that Freddie, Tom and Mima want to help to raise money and it shows that the younger generation is so generous.

To donate, visit www.uk.virgin

moneygiving.com/Mima-and-Tom or www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/

freddiepiasecki
Undergraduates at the Ivy League school addressed the need to counter a history of racism

Students at Brown University overwhelmingly support reparations for descendants of enslaved people tied to the institution or the Brown family.

Read More: Catholic order agrees to $100 million in U.S. slavery reparations

According to NBC News, the undergraduate student body voted on two referendum questions last week during its annual election. One question asked should the Ivy League school make all possible efforts to identify the descendants of enslaved Africans who were entangled with and/or afflicted by the University and Brown family and their associates.

The second proposed the university issue reparations to those descendants. The first was approved with an 89% vote and the second with 85% in favor.

Image via Twitter @BrownUniverisy

Brian Clark, a university spokesperson, issued the following statement according to NBC:

Confronting questions of reparations and institutional reckoning with connections to the transatlantic slave trade has a deep history at Brown. The University interrogated this issue as a full community from 2003 to 2006, and Brown committed to a series of actions whose impact persists in our education, research, engagement with historically underrepresented groups, and ongoing work in diversity, equity, and inclusion. The current work of Browns Task Force on Anti-Black Racism will make recommendations on more Brown can do to address the legacy of slavery.

The outlet reported over 2,000 of Browns nearly 7,000 undergraduate voters cast ballots. Students supported reparations being issued in multiple methods. Some included were preferential admission for descendants of those enslaved, direct payments, and target investments in Black communities.

Reparations have been a controversial political subject for decades and have recently become a pressing issue as political leaders push to make amends.

As theGrio reported Evanston, Illinois became the first city in the United States to make reparations available to its Black residents for past discrimination and the lingering effects of slavery.

Story continues

The Chicago suburbs city council voted 8-1 to distribute $400K to eligible Black households. Each qualifying household would receive $25K for home repairs or down payments on property. The program is being funded through donations and revenue from a 3% tax on the sale of recreational marijuana. The city has pledged to distribute $10M over 10 years.

Alderman Rue Simmons, who proposed the program that was adopted in 2019, said pro-reparations groups have offered pro-bono legal assistance if the program is challenged in court.

Activists stage a protest to mark the National Reparations Day outside the residence of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) July 1, 2019. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Cedric Richmond, a top aide to President Joe Biden revealed in March that the White House plans to start acting now on reparations for African-American citizens. He shared the news with journalist Mike Allen during an evening broadcast of Axios on HBO.

The former Louisiana lawmaker explained to Allen that Biden remains consistent in his support of H.R. 40, the House of Representatives bill that received a Congressional hearing last month, that would look into the issue of reparations.

Read More: Obama reveals white resistance stopped him from pushing for reparations

We have to start breaking down systemic racism and barriers that have held people of color back, and especially African-Americans who were enslaved, Richmond explained. We have to do stuff now to improve the plights, status, and future empowerment of Black people all around the country.

This article contains additional reporting from the Associated Press and Blue Telusma.

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 Brown University students vote for reparations for slavery descendants appeared first on TheGrio.
CHICAGO, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Joy M. Feinberg is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Attorney for her outstanding achievements in the field of law and her professional excellence as the Managing Partner at Feinberg Sharma P. C.

Joy M. Feinberg

Proudly serving Chicago and its surrounding counties, Feinberg Sharma (FS) is a renowned divorce and family law firm dedicated to achieving your goals. The dynamic attorneys demonstrate the highest level of motivation and compassion while offering seasoned intuition and keen insight. Feinberg Sharma represents business owners; "C" suite and highly compensated senior management; physicians, lawyers, nurses, and other professionals; rising executives and administrators; teachers and their spouses or partners. Experienced in every area of divorce and divorce-related family matters, the highly dedicated attorneys can help with a wide array of issues from International Child Abduction (Hague) matters; Parenting/Custody issues to business valuation; maintenance/alimony and child support; income division to pensions and retirement plan and executive compensation plan division.

Having devoted 41 years of legal service, Attorney Joy M. Feinberg is a fierce and focused advocate for individuals of wealth who are contemplating or are in the midst of a divorce. She has built and maintained a commendable reputation for leading and consulting with highly reputable organizations and institutions. Committed to her clients' divorce goals, Ms. Feinberg is a partner at Feinberg Sharma P.C., in Chicago, Illinois, where she focuses her practice on family law, particularly complex issues faced by business owners and high-level executives. She utilizes her substantial experience with the financial aspects of divorce to understand and explain tax-driven financial solutions, executive compensation, perquisites, and will propose creative parenting plans.

Ms. Feinberg earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Illinois. Then she received her Juris Doctor Degree from DePaul University College of Law. She holds a license to practice law before all Illinois state and several Illinois federal courts.

An active member of the legal community, Ms. Feinberg is the founder of Women Empowering Women, a program to train female divorce lawyers on the vast array of financial knowledge required of sophisticated divorce practitioners. She has also served in several leadership positions for the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the International Academy of Family Lawyers, and the Mediation Council of Illinois. She continues to serve on the Advocate editorial board of the American Bar Association's Family Law Section. Moreover, Ms. Feinberg frequently writes and lectures on divorce and family law topics for legal publications and organizations.

As a testament to her professional excellence, Ms. Feinberg is the recipient of several awards, including the Michael Cohen Award and the Samuel S. Berger Award. She was also awarded Fellow of the Year twice by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, selected to Super Lawyers, 2006-2021, and Illinois Top 50 Women. She has recently been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2016 Family Law and ranked as 1 of the 100 best family law trial lawyers in the US by the American College of Family Trial Lawyers.

In her spare time, Ms. Feinberg and her husband, Greg, enjoy traveling the world and collecting art.

To learn more, please visit https://fsfamlaw.com/.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement on the anniversary of the 2016 April War, the ministry told Armenpress.

The statement reads:

In April 2016, in violation of the 1994 Agreement on the complete cessation of fire and hostilities, Azerbaijan, employing its entire offensive military arsenal, launched a large-scale aggression against the Republic of Artsakh, targeting the positions of the Defense Army, the civilian infrastructures and border settlements.

During the April War, Azerbaijan committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, in particular, brutal killings, tortures and inhuman treatment of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, which were recorded and documented.

The fact that the international community did not condemn Azerbaijan for its war crimes even more intensified the militant aspirations of that country in the consequent years, the peak of which became the large-scale war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh on September 27, 2020, with the support of Turkey and the participation of international terrorists.

The international community should give a strong assessment to the ongoing aggressive policy of Azerbaijan, its extreme disregard for international law, and its attempts to reject the negotiations on the settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict.

The unity of the Armenian people and the feats of our heroes during the April War will remain forever in our history and in the memory of generations.






















Distributing penicillin allowed the U.S. to use its technological endowments to demonstrate global goodwill. The drug was sold commercially where possible, but those who couldnt pay received it through the Lend-Lease aid program. It was later sent freely to Europe through the Marshall Plan. Early on, when shipments were small, recipient countries were relieved to get any penicillin they could, and almost all of them voluntarily agreed to the U.S. National Research Councils regulations on use and distribution of the drug.
COVID surge: Schools in UP to stay shut till April 11 for students up to class 8

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government on Friday, April 2, extended closure of all schools for students up to class 8 till April 11 amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state.

Earlier, the state government had closed schools for students up to class 8 till March 31. UP registered 2,600 fresh coronavirus cases and nine deaths on Thursday, April 1, taking the state's total case count to 6,19,783 and the fatality rate to 8,820, as per a health department bulletin.

Also Read: India's COVID-19 count crosses 1.23 crore-mark; Maharashtra worst-affected

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued new directions during a review meeting at his residence in Lucknow.

He instructed to keep schools shut for students up to class 8 till April 11, a source told PTI, adding that authorities have been ordered to ensure all COVID-19 protocols are followed for other classes.

During this period, teachers will continue to go to schools for administrative work, while education activities will not take place, the chief minister said.

Adityanath asked the officials to reactivate COVID-19 hospitals and give a report to him by evening in this regard.

Also Read: COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh: Section 144 extended till May 10 in Ghaziabad

He directed officials to show more alertness in Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ghaziabad, and Agra.

Of the fresh cases reported on Thursday, the highest 935 cases were reported from Lucknow, followed by 242 from Allahabad, 198 from Varanasi, and 103 from Kanpur Nagar, according to the bulletin.

Adityanath also asked officials to increase coverage of vaccination against COVID-19 in the state.

(With inputs from PTI.)
Donald Trump on Thursday night warned that the United States was becoming 'a Communist country' with strong censorship rules after his interview on Tuesday with daughter-in-law Lara was taken down by Facebook.

The former president spoke to cable channel Real America's Voice, and criticized Facebook's decision to take down his interview.

Lara Trump spoke to him on Tuesday, for her podcast. When she posted a video clip of their interview on Facebook, she received an email stating: 'We are reaching out to let you know that we removed content from Lara Trump's Facebook page that featured President Trump speaking.

'In line with the block we placed on Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts, further content posted in the voice of Donald Trump will be removed and result in additional limitations on the accounts.'

Trump, 74, said it was shocking.

'What is happening in this country, nobody ever thought it would happen,' he said. 'It's total censorship.

Donald Trump spoke to Dr Gina Loudon of Real America's Voice on Thursday night

Trump's interview with his daughter-in-law Lara was taken down by Facebook on Tuesday

'You make a statement and if they don't like it - about the election, or medical issues, or about Hunter Biden - they go crazy.'

Trump said that the lack of debate was disappointing.

'In the old days, you make a statement, they make a statement, you fight, you pick the winner,' he said.

And he said Facebook was acting to censor free speech.

'That's a Communist country,' he said.

'You'd fight - now there is no fight. They take it down.'

The former president spoke to Loudon, co-chair of Women for Trump 2020, on Thursday

Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump said that the political right needed to be tougher in combatting censorship, and in putting on a united front.

'The right, or the conservatives, they don't fight the same way,' he said.

'The radical left is meaner and tougher.

'They don't have Mitt Romney or little Ben Sasse or any of that crap. They stick together.'

Trump complained that Facebook was not acting fairly.

He said that material damaging to Joe Biden, concerning his businessman son Hunter, was removed, yet content beneficial to him such as the interview with his daughter-in-law was not permitted.

The former president has been banned from most social media networks since January, when they judged that his risk of inciting further violence after the January 6 Capitol insurrection was too great.

He said that Twitter was 'very boring' without him, and mused about a possible boycott of the site by his followers.

Trump has long toyed with the idea of launching his own social media channel.

He concluded, however, that issuing his own press statements - which he does on a regular basis - was a more 'elegant' way of communicating than Twitter, and said he was satisfied with it.
Oh, deer!

A Virginia school bus driver and his students were shocked to see a deer ram through the windshield on Thursday morning.

Surveillance footage showed the four-legged animal smash through the front window of the school bus traveling northward on Route 13 in Powhatan just after 6am on Thursday.

The deer landed in one of the front seats of the bus and onto a student. It then rolled over into the aisle and tried to regain its balance, WRIC-TV reported.

The image above shows a school bus traveling northward on Route 13 in Powhatan, Virginia just after 6am on Thursday

All of a sudden, a deer smashed through the windshield of the bus

The deer (right) came crashing down onto a student who was asleep in the front seat

The driver then stopped the bus and opened the door, allowing the frightened deer to escape unharmed.

Everyone on the bus - including the students and the driver - were in shock at what just took place.

Did it land on you? a student is heard asking his classmate who was in the front seat when the deer crashed into the bus.

The driver and the students on the bus were startled at the animal's sudden entry

Finally, the driver stopped the bus and allowed the scared deer to exit the vehicle

Yes, the student replied. I was trying to sleep.

The other students burst into laughter.
Adeline Delaune, an LSU senior from Thibodaux, gets a shot of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from La. Army National Guard Spc. Jazshynikea Hibbler, left, during a mass vaccination event held at LSU's Tiger Stadium, in a partnership with the La. Dept. of Health, the La. National Guard and LSU, Sunday, March 14, 2021. It was expected that 800 doses would be administered by appointment, said La. National Guard Lt. Col. Dorrie Staal, Deputy Commander of Task Force Vaccine.
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DANBURY  In his five years living in the city, Sedeaka Lawrence said he has seen the same politicians following the same routine.

They were incapable of moving the city forward, said Lawrence, an immigrant and business owner.

So the Democrat is running for mayor. He is the second Democrat to officially enter what is shaping up to be one of Danburys most competitive mayoral races in years after the departure of longtime Republican Mayor Mark Boughton late last year. A third Democrat is considering running.

Lawrence said he wants to provide a new perspective to Danbury politics to address problems like school funding, affordable housing and support for senior citizens.

Its not how you treat the rich, he said. Its how youre able to treat the poor and underserved. Danbury is a beautiful city and I want to do whats best for the city.

Republican Mayor Joe Cavo, who has been leading the city since December, said he expects to announce in early May whether he will run.

The Democratic Town Committee wont endorse a candidate until the summer, said Andrea Gartner, chairwoman of the committee. Lawrence is a registered Democrat but not a member of the committee, although she said she welcomes his candidacy.

Sedeaka is relatively new to the community, so its not a bad thing to have fresh eyes on issues that have  at least been in the Democratic party perspective  been ongoing in our community, she said.

Still, Democrat Roberto Alves is considered the front-runner, she said.

I welcome him to Danbury, Alves said. [Im] just really focused right now on providing our solutions to fix the challenges in Danbury.

Alves and Lawrence are running on supporting the schools, among other issues, and emphasized their immigrant backgrounds.

On the issues

If elected, Lawrence aims to work with legislators to bring more state funding to the local schools. Danbury ranks last in per-pupil spending in the state. Democrats have traditionally argued that the city needs to contribute more, while Republicans have said the problem lies with the state.

Once there is more funding in the schools, we can implement a lot of things, said Lawrence, adding more teachers could be hired to handle increasing enrollment.

He supports the annex to Ellsworth Avenue Elementary School and proposed career academy for middle and high school students, both projects to address school overcrowding.

The career academy is something to give the young minds a path and a vision to future successes, Lawrence said.

He wants to make Danbury more affordable, too. Recent data has shown that more than half of renters and roughly one-third of homeowners with mortgages spent at least 30 percent of their income on housing.

We have to create more affordable housing for the students of Danbury because the cost of living is outpacing the wages, Lawrence said.

Senior citizens are forgotten in the city, and he said he would better fund the senior center and support these residents with programs, he said.

To help the city recover from the coronavirus pandemic, he would push vaccinations and create a task force that could help small businesses apply for grants and loans.

Trust me, as a business owner sometimes the process can be pretty complicated, Lawrence said.

Work ethic in my DNA

He said he can connect with Danburys diverse population because he, too, is an immigrant.

Lawrence was born in Jamaica, and at a young age his mother moved to the United States, sending money to him, his younger sister and their aunt, with whom they lived.

He did not see his mother for seven to eight years, recalling how they used to wait weeks for her letters and walk a mile to the post office to pick them up. To talk on the phone, his mom had to buy expensive, pre-paid calling cards. It got easier when they finally got email and AOL instant messenger, he said.

Lawrence and his sister immigrated to New York when he was 14. His single mom worked three jobs to provide for them and send money to his aunt.

I saw her work ethic and I promised myself I have to do better or be the best I can be, so I can live a better life later on, he said. It was those worth ethics built into my DNA.

He has a masters degree in finance with a concentration in accounting.

I definitely know how to balance the books, he said.

He owns two businesses, Beyond Acquisitions, an accounting firm, and Sundaes Touch, a home health aide agency based in New York serving senior citizens and people with developmental disabilities. Hes trying to open locations in Connecticut.

He moved from New York to Danbury five years ago in part because of its diversity, he said. He lives with his 13-year-old daughter, fiance and her 13-year-old daughter.

I want to give hope and re-instill confidence in the American dream for this diverse population, Lawrence said.

Political outsider

This is Lawrences first foray into Danbury politics, although he said he tried to run in the 2006 primary for a New York General Assembly seat. But he failed to get enough signatures to petition on the ballot to run against Carl Heastie, a Democrat who represents the 83rd Assembly District and is speaker of the New York State Assembly, Lawrence said.

I learned so much from it, Lawrence said.

Part of the problem then was brand recognition, he said. This time, he plans to get his name out there by advertising on Facebook and sending flyers to every mailbox in the city.

Lawrence has not started fundraising yet and has used his own money to finance his campaign. He is up against at least Alves, who raised $55,000 in the first month of his candidacy. So far, Alves has the unofficial backing of some party leaders.

We just consider him to be the whole package if youre talking about moving forward and building a thriving city, Gartner said.

Until recently, Lawrence said he was not on Facebook or Twitter. He created accounts with the name, Different Thnkng, on both social media sites. He has yet to tweet as of Wednesday afternoon and has just one post announcing his candidacy on Facebook.

As an outsider, he said hell be able to connect with undecided voters and Democrats who dont usually vote.

Hard work  thats what it starts with, hard work, Lawrence said. Im no newcomer to hard work.
China urges U.S. to create favorable conditions for ties

Xinhua) 08:25, April 02, 2021

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying (Photo/fmprc.gov.cn)

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes a U.S. report over Hong Kong, urging the United States to create favorable conditions for bringing China-U.S. ties back on the track of healthy and stable development. So said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday.

It came after the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday sent a report to Congress reaffirming a determination made last year that Hong Kong remains undeserving of special treatment by the United States.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said the report, disregarding basic facts, made irresponsible remarks over Hong Kong affairs. It leveled groundless accusations against the Chinese central government and the HKSAR government and severely interfered in China's internal affairs.

As seen by all, since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the "one country, two systems" policy, under which "the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong" with a high degree of autonomy, has been fully implemented, Hua said at a daily press briefing.

"The rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents under the law are fully protected, and the development of Hong Kong has scored achievements recognized by the international community," she added.

The spokesperson said Hong Kong's development achievements nowadays depend on the hard work of several generations of Hong Kong citizens and the great advantage of the motherland, rather than charities from foreign countries.

The cancellation of or threat to cancel the so-called "special treatment" by the United States will not stop Hong Kong's development and prosperity. It will also not stop Hong Kong from continued integration into the motherland and contributing to the country with greater space for development, Hua said.

"Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong, and Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs, which abide no interference from any foreign country," Hua said.

She urged the United States to respect the facts, stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs in any form, and create favorable conditions rather than create obstructions. These steps would bring China-U.S. ties back on the track of sound and stable development.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
MINNEAPOLIS  Derek Chauvins supervisory sergeant detailed to jurors Thursday afternoon the immediate aftermath of George Floyds death as word of the incident spread through Police Department administration.

Retired Third Precinct Sgt. David Pleoger fielded concerns through 911 dispatch on May 25 about possible excessive use of force by officers while detaining Floyd, and his initial assessment was that it sounded more like a less serious takedown, according to dispatch audio from that night. He then headed to the scene while questioning Chauvin on what happened.

Not really, but had to hold the guy down, he was going crazy wouldnt go in the back of the squad, Chauvin is heard telling his sergeant over the phone on his body-worn camera.

Pleoger then testified that Chauvin did not immediately tell him that he placed his knee on Floyds neck. And when Chauvin made that disclosure later that night, he did not say for how long, the sergeant added.

The sergeant, who reviewed officers body-worn camera video, was asked when use of force against Floyd should have ended. He replied: When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint.

Was that when Floyd was handcuffed and on the ground, prosecutor Steve Schleicher asked? Yes, Pleoger replied.

Pleoger also testified that he was told by Chauvin that Floyd became combative after struggling with him. He suffered a medical emergency and an ambulance was called.

Asked whether Chauvin mentioned any use of force, Pleoger said he recalled, I dont believe so.

Body-camera footage from the scene captures Pleoger instructing Chauvin and officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng to speak with witnesses.

We can try, theyre all pretty hostile, Chauvin said.

Pleoger then headed to HCMC and instructed Chauvin and Thao to do the same. Once there, he eventually learned Floyd had died and the situation was now a critical incident.

Pleoger said he spoke with Chauvin at HCMC that night, and it was then that he learned the officer had his knee on Floyds neck, but Chauvin did not disclose how long that contact lasted. He notified the lieutenant on duty and separated Chauvin and Thao for interviews.

Pleoger said he asked Chauvin if other force was used.

He said he knelt on Floyd or knelt on his neck, Pleoger testified.

Is that the first time you became aware that force had been applied to George Floyds neck? Schleicher asked.

Yes, he said.

Did the defendant tell you how long he applied pressure to his neck?

No.

And at some point did you receive another update on Floyds medical condition?

Someone approached me and let me know that he passed away.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson established while questioning Pleoger that the sergeant has made thousands of arrests in his long career and sometimes used force.

New police bodycam footage of the arrest of GEORGE FLOYD is shown to the court on the third day of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin. (Pool Video Via Court Tv/Ny Times/ZUMA Wire/TNS)TNS

Would you agree with the general premise that the use of force is not necessarily attractive [and] sometimes officers have to do very violent things [and] its a dangerous job? Pleoger replied, Yes.

Nelson also again hinted at the argument that the officers were concerned about the angry bystanders when he asked whether it was more important to deal with the immediate threat than a medical emergency. Pleoger said he would try to deal with both simultaneously.

For example, if you were in a gun battle, and someone was shooting at you, and someone went into cardiac arrest, would you stop what you were doing to mitigate the threat or to immediately perform CPR? Nelson asked.

Id mitigate the threat, Pleoger said.

The what to do and when kept up as the two sides wrapped up their questioning of Pleoger at the end of the days proceedings.

The sergeant agreed with prosecutor Steve Schleicher that if a suspect is no longer resisting, then police restraint is not long needed. Pleogers answers were the same should a suspect no longer have a pulse or stopped breathing.

And also stop restraining a suspect who is no longer resisting in order to render medical attention? Schleicher asked. Again, the sergeant said, Yes.

Nelson followed and got Pleoger to agree that giving medical aid on the spot might not be wise if there was an especially agitated crowd nearby or if a suspect were in a busy street with buses and cars going by. Both those circumstances, Nelson has suggested during the trial, were present during Floyds arrest.

In general, the defense attorney said, officers need to assess the totality of the circumstances and not just one single factor. The sergeant again agreed with Nelson.

Earlier Thursday, one of the paramedics who responded to the scene where George Floyd lay unresponsive under Chauvins knee testified that he immediately suspected Floyd was dead.

Hennepin EMS paramedic Derek Smith said that he checked Floyds pulse while three officers were on the patient, and did not detect one. He also checked his pupils, which were dilated.

I looked to my partner, I told him I think hes dead, and I want to move this out of here and begin care in the back, Smith said, noting the agitated crowd of bystanders. In a living person, there should be a pulse there. I did not feel one. I suspected this patient to be dead.

However, they continued to work on Floyd in the rear of the ambulance, including directing Officer Thomas Lane to deliver chest compressions while they attempted various lifesaving attempts en route to HCMC, where Floyd was later officially pronounced dead.

Smith said Floyd never regained a pulse, but they continued attempting to save him.

Hes a human being, Smith said. I was trying to give him a second chance at life.

Under cross-examination, Nelson asked Smith why he had Lane do chest compressions when he is not an EMT. Smith said he did not know Lanes level of training, but that any layperson can do chest compressions.

I wanted as many people who were available at that time to help me with this cardiac arrest, Smith said.

Next to testify was Fire Capt. Jeremy Norton, who rode the firetruck from his station to Cup Foods only to find no patient there, but he encountered an agitated to distraught off-duty firefighter Genevieve Hansen and other bystanders. However, Norton said, he inquired more about her concerns as he kept searching for a patient.

While still looking, Norton soon learned over his radio that he and his rig were needed elsewhere immediately for someone injured in a scuffle with the police, or a situation with the police. The firefighters then met up with the ambulance with Floyd inside at E. 36th Street and S. Park Avenue, where he saw Floyd being treated by paramedics using all available medical tools.

He was an unresponsive body on a cot, Norton said of Floyd.

We did multiple pulse checks and never found a pulse all the way to HCMC, he said.

With the call complete, Norton said he turned his attention back to Hansen, the off-duty firefighter.

He said that once I understood the justification for her duress, I sent my crew back to her to make sure she was OK.

Norton said he also checked in with department administration that night and reported that Floyd had been killed in police custody.

Nelson followed the prosecution and went over the times of the various emergency calls in connection with fire and EMS personnel responses but otherwise raised no other points for Norton to address.

Earlier in the day, George Floyds girlfriend described through tears to jurors in Derek Chauvins murder trial her relationship of nearly three years with him leading up to his death, acknowledging that they both struggled with opioid addiction.

Courteney Ross, 45, began sobbing as she described how she met her boyfriend, whom she called Floyd, in August 2017 while he was working security at the Salvation Army Harbor Light shelter in downtown Minneapolis.

Ross said she was at the shelter to meet her sons father.

I started fussin in the corner of the lobby because the father wasnt coming to the lobby, she said. Thats when the two met, she said, dabbing tears.

You OK, sis? she recalled him saying in his great, deep Southern voice, raspy.

They met again soon and had their first kiss in that lobby, she said.

After describing her life with Floyd, prosecutor Matthew Frank shifted his questioning to their opioid addiction, which she said was triggered by chronic pain. Both had prescriptions and became addicted, then obtaining the drugs off the street. She said he typically used oxycodone. They obtained them through other peoples prescriptions to ensure that they were safe.

George Floyd's family member, Philonise Floyd, makes his way into the Hennepin County Government Center for the fourth day of the trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Minneapolis. (Elizabeth Flores/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)TNS

Both Floyd and I, our story is a classic story is of how we both get addicted to opioids, she testified. " ... We got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times.

She said that off and on they were able to kick the addiction, by May 2020 she believed he was using again, based on changes in his behavior.

Questioning by Nelson focused on Floyds drug use starting in March 2020 and closer to his death in May. The defense has contended that illicit drug use played a role in Floyd dying and not anything Chauvin did to him on May 25.

Ross said she and Floyd got pills in May that reminded her of the same feeling she had from similar pills she took in March, a stimulant that kept her up all night and left her jittery.

And by similar experience, do you recall telling the FBI that when you had them that you felt like you were going to die? Nelson asked.

Ross said she didnt recall saying that, but that it was in her FBI transcript.

Nelson asked whether those pills came from Morries Hall, who was with Floyd outside Cup Foods on the night he was arrested and died.

I believe so, Im not sure, said Ross, who did acknowledge having told the FBI that those pills left Floyd bouncing around and unintelligible.

Under questioning by Nelson, she also recounted that in March she took Floyd to the hospital after he was doubled over in pain because his stomach hurt. He was hospitalized for several days.

You later learned that was due to an overdose? Nelson asked.

Yes, Ross said.

Did you learn what caused the overdose?

No.

You did not know that he had taken heroin at that time? Nelson asked.

Ross responded that she did not.

Ross was followed by Hennepin EMS paramedic Seth Bravinder, who walked jurors through their attempts to resuscitate Floyd, who was in full cardiac arrest and never regenerated a pulse.

Upon arriving to the scene, Bravinder said there were multiple officers on top of the patient, we assumed  I assumed  there was potentially some struggle still because they were still on top of him.

Bystander footage showed Bravinder and his partner, and the officers lift Floyd onto a stretcher while Bravinder protected his head from hitting the pavement. Asked why, Bravinder said, He was, I guess, limp was the best description; he was unresponsive and not holding his head up or anything like that.

Bravinder and his partner loaded Floyd into the ambulance and began working on him. He said full cardiac arrest is not a good sign for successful resuscitation. Basically, just because your heart isnt doing anything at that moment, its not pumping blood. Its not a good sign for a good outcome.

Jeph Howard and his 2 1/2 year old son Frank visit the Hennepin County Courthouse, where posters of George Floyd, Philando Castile, and Breonna Taylor are zip tied to the courthouse's security fence as the fourth day of the trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd continued, Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Minneapolis. (Glen Stubbe/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)TNS

Nelsons questions addressed in part the gathering crowd at 38th and Chicago and noted that Floyd was moved quickly in the ambulance to a different location before continuing on to HCMC. The defense earlier in the trial has touched on how bystanders might have created an atmosphere that was potentially threatening to the officers at the scene.

Bravinder agreed with Nelson that Floyd needed to be moved in what is called a load and go to a spot a few blocks away, where Fire Department personnel joined in the resuscitation effort. From there, the trip resumed to HCMC.

Prosecutor Erin Eldridge countered and asked what other reasons are there for leaving an active police scene swiftly, and Bravinder said its prudent to get the patient in the ambulance with the [medical] equipment [and to be] in a good environment to concentrate.

Bravinder confirmed under questioning that medics carried ketamine to sedate agitated patients, but that it was not used on Floyd.



Paul Walsh of the Star Tribune wrote this story.

(Star Tribune staff writers Rochelle Olson and Chao Xiong contributed to this report.)

2021 StarTribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
According to NASA, over 4,000 exoplanets were discovered orbiting distant Suns so far, and the number is likely to increase as more and more observation hardware is thrown into the fight. A number of 20 such planets will soon become the focus of a mission called Pandora, meant to determine the composition of their respective atmospheres better.Pandora is one of three projects NASA gave the green light to as part of its low-cost astrophysics program called Pioneers. It is, in fact, a SmallSat satellite, weighing less than 180 kg (397 pounds) and the size of a large kitchen fridge.Pandora will be placed in Sun-synchronous low-Earth orbit so that our solar system's star is always behind it. It will be directed at target planets to observe both them and their stars in visible and infrared light for long observation periods.Unlike other similar systems currently in use, Pandora should separate stellar and exoplanetary signals by observing them simultaneously, thus eliminating problems caused by light variation in the target stars.Exoplanetary science is moving from an era of planet discovery to an era of atmospheric characterization, said in a statement Elisa Quintana, an astrophysicist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the principal investigator for Pandora.Pandora is focused on trying to understand how stellar activity affects our measurements of exoplanet atmospheres, which will lay the groundwork for future exoplanet missions aiming to find planets with Earth-like atmospheres.Pandora has been designed to work in conjunction with the soon-to-be-launched James Webb Space Telescope. It is run by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, California, and NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center.A launch date for the mission and the target planets have not yet been announced.
Longtime friends and collaborators Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham (Princess in Black; Friends) launched their latest work (their first picture book together), Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn, on March 23. The hour-long event that kicked off their virtual book tour was moderated by Maureen Palacios from Once Upon a Time Bookstore in Montrose, Calif., and included a reading from the book, a drawing demo with Pham, and a q&a session with attendees. Hale and Pham discussed the first story and drawings they created as a child, their award-winning titles (Hales Princess Academy received a Newbery Honor and Phams Bear Came Along won a Caldecott Honor), as well as major themes of Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn, such as celebrating the magic of friendship and believing in yourself. Weve gathered some highlights from the event.

Shannon Hale (bottom) and LeUyen Pham (top r.) joined Palacios (top l.) from Once Upon a Time for the virtual launch event for Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn on March 23.

During their presentation, Hale and Pham discussed their childhood and reimagined their younger selves as kitty-corns.

Hale and Pham didnt know each other as kids, but believe they would have been best friends growing up, as seen here through the power of Photoshop.

The author and illustrator discussed their inspiration for Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn, their longtime collaboration, and working together as a team.

Pham showed attendees how to draw a kitty-corn during the live illustration demo.

Once Upon a Time owner Maureen Palacios and manager Jessica Palacios dressed as kitty-corns. Photo: Isabel Lawler.

Pham in front of Once Upon a Times window display. She went to the store on March 24 to sign 300 books.
Juba, South Sudan (PANA) - Fifty-eight women and children have been freed from captivity after months of talks between rival South Sudanese tribes, a senior UN official in charge of peacekeeping operations there said on Friday
But there are differences, as well. Unlike in the last collapse, in 2008, lenders dont seem to be shutting down construction. Instead, they are taking a longer view, extending lifeline after lifeline to keep condos afloat, although it is the major builders who are mostly benefiting.

Price-wise, the Manhattan condo with the widest gulf between expectations and reality may be 111 Murray Street, a 157-unit project in TriBeCa that has spent six years trying to attract buyers. The average discount between first and final prices there is 38 percent, based on an analysis of winter closings by Garrett Derderian, a director at the brokerage Serhant.

The everything-must-go strategy may be working. As of last month, 150 of the 157 apartments were spoken for, said Winston C. Fisher, a partner at Fisher Brothers, which codeveloped the condo with the firms Witkoff and New Valley. In March, according to StreetEasy, a four-bedroom on the 22nd floor was the condos least-expensive unit, at $6.25 million. (The average Manhattan apartment last year cost around $1.9 million.)

Were proud of our sales to date, Mr. Fisher said in a statement, and our ability to shift in a changing marketplace.

Two projects from the Related Companies, one of New Yorks largest landlords, are also in deals mode.

At 35 Hudson Yards, a tower with hotel rooms, offices and 143 residential condos that has been around for two years, a 23 percent discount was in effect, based on Mr. Derderians data. Nearby, 15 Hudson Yards, a 284-unit condo marketed since 2016, shaved prices by 17 percent. Pricing is a reflection of market conditions, and as a result of current pricing there is really strong sales momentum, a Related spokeswoman said.

A singular challenge of the current market, brokers said, is how much older housing stock has been hanging around. The condo 157 West 57th Street, from Extell Development Company, for instance, still has not sold all of its sponsor units despite marketing them for a decade. This winter, units at the blue-tinted skyscraper, which helped usher in the name Billionaires Row, traded 24 percent down, Mr. Derderian said.
More than 1,000 air passengers arrived in Canada infected with COVID-19 over a recent four-week period despite obligatory pre-departure testing, according to federal data that cast doubt on any broad easing of restrictions before the summer travel season.

Canada began testing international arrivals in February, requiring air travelers to spend up to three days in hotel quarantine at their own expense until results come back, a measure criticized by airlines hit hard by the pandemic. People who test negative can finish a 14-day quarantine at home.

The federal policy was meant to deter people from going abroad during the traditional spring holiday season, and to screen for more contagious coronavirus variants, health officials said.

Canadas air arrival positivity rate of 1.5% over four weeks from Feb 22 to March 25 is higher than those recorded by some other countries doing similar testing at airports.

Germanys Frankfurt airport recorded a 0.4% positive test rate from 2,700 travelers over a four-week period this year, according to testing company Centogene NV.

Canadian government data showed many international flights this year had passengers carrying the virus. From Feb 22 to March 25, of 70,819 travelers tested upon arrival, 1,094 were positive.

The travel-related cases suggest the government will not ease its arrival quarantine policy any time soon, even as airlines hope increased testing and vaccinations will lead to improved business.

Canadas travel restrictions are among the worlds toughest, with non-essential foreigners typically denied entry and citizens returning from abroad mandated to quarantine.

This (testing data) indicates that maintaining strong border measures to protect Canadians is more important than ever, said Cole Davidson, a spokesman for Canadas health minister.

Air Canada has said it expects some easing in restrictions by summer, while WestJet Airlines has asked Canada to transition away from what was billed as a temporary hotel quarantine requirement by May 1.

The hotel quarantine rule for air travelers is encouraging Canadians to fly to U.S. border towns and drive across the border, a Westjet official said. Such travelers are also tested but can quarantine for 14 days anywhere they choose.

Air travel, which is at around 10% of pre-pandemic levels, is not responsible for the current situation were in, Andy Gibbons, WestJets director for government relations, said of surging COVID-19 cases in Canada.

Canada would not say how long the arrival testing and hotel quarantine policy will be in place.

Testing upon arrival can help to identify people with COVID-19 who may have been exposed to the virus after their pre-arrival test, as well as those who may not have been detectable at the time their pre-arrival sample was taken, Davidson said.

Canada has reported 982,116 total coronavirus cases and 22,959 COVID-19 deaths.

Health officials warn that the concerning new coronavirus variants are increasing rapidly in several parts of Canada. Ontario, the most populous province, said on Thursday it would enter a third lockdown on Saturday.

For the moment, we dont think that this is the time to soften the mandatory quarantine for travelers, said Marjaurie Cote-Boileau, a spokeswoman for Quebecs health minister.
More than five years after purchasing Scrantons grand Woolworth Mansion, New York City artist Hunt Slonem sold the building for about $1 million to a Hill Section family.

The new owner, 38-year-old Yoel Weiss, who moved from Brooklyn, New York, to the 800 block of Clay Avenue with his wife and three children in recent years, said they intend to take up residence in the mansion that once belonged to department store magnate Charles Sumner Woolworth.

According to the deeds, Weiss purchased the mansion at 520 Jefferson Ave. and two adjoining parcels for a total of $999,999. The deal closed March 26 and, within two hours, the family began the process of moving in, he said.

That work continued Thursday. A team of movers delivered furniture as Weiss gave a Times-Tribune reporter and photographer a tour of the property, pointing out homes elegant decor, fixtures and woodwork.

Your kids are going to love playing hide-and-seek, one of the workers said to Weiss.

In 2015, Slonem, an artist and collector famous for his neo-expressionist style, purchased the limestone home, three-story carriage house, yard and patio space for nearly $500,000.

Through a spokesperson, Slonem declined to comment Thursday.

Renovating old homes and properties to their former glory is part of Slonems art, said realtor Marion Gatto, of Lewith & Freeman Real Estate, Inc., who listed the property.

Hunt is a world-renowned artist and what he does is he buys properties that are run down and he restores them, she said.

Slonems website described the restoration of the 1910 property as his longest, toughest yet  and also the most rewarding.

He has put in the driveway, recreated a missing wrought-iron balcony, ordered specially crafted moldings and wood carvings, and handpicked the classical light fixtures, according to the website. Slonems meticulousness recalls the expert craftsmanship that went into creating this majestic beauty more than a century ago.

Weiss, an entrepreneur who invests in real estate and stock, said the amount of resources and effort put into the buildings restoration is evident. He pointed out an ornate mirror and a stately mahogany desk, which Weiss was told were both original pieces from the home, sourced and returned to Scranton by Slonem. Weiss said theyre keeping things the same but adding some new furniture to make their new home as comfortable as possible.

Weiss also said hed like to develop the adjacent yard and patio into a sort of playground and park for children in the Hill Sections Jewish community. Some playgroup equipment had already been set up by Thursday.

While the building parcels were purchased in his name, the homes yard at 536 and 538 Jefferson Ave. were purchased under Scranton Jewish Center Inc., a nonprofit he and two others from Brooklyn incorporated in November. He said he would soon change its name to avoid confusion with the Jewish Community Center of Scranton.

According to the nonprofits articles of incorporation, its mission is to maintain a community center that conducts all communal affairs necessary for a viable Jewish community and to make religious, educational and social opportunities available to Jewish youths.

The Scranton Jewish Center in January also purchased 545 Jefferson Ave. from the American National Red Cross for $275,000, according to Lackawanna County assessment records. Weiss said he intends to see the space used as a place for people to study Judaism.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, former leader Gerry Adams and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill attend the funeral of veteran republican and former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey in west Belfast. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is calling on PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne to resign following Bobby Storeys funeral last June.

Leader of the party, Steve Aiken, said there has been a definite failure in policing at the most senior level and that Mr Byrne has lost trust from Northern Ireland unionists.

The party has joined calls for his resignation after First Minister Arlene Foster demanded Mr Byrne step down.

Read More

The funeral of the former IRA leader was attended by around 2,000 people, which was in breach of public health guidelines on Covid-19.

The PSNI has come under fire this week following a decision by the Public Prosecution Service not to pursue prosecutions against 24 Sinn Fein members who attended the funeral despite coronavirus restrictions against gatherings.

The PPS pointed to police engagement with the funeral planners as one reason why any prosecution would likely fail as well as the repeatedly changing and inconsistent nature of Stormont's coronavirus regulations.

Mr Storeys funeral took place on June 30, 2020, and attendees included deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald.

The events that happened around Bobby Storys funeral need to be laid in one area and one area in particular and that was the complete failure of Sinn Fein, Mr Aiken said today on RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland.

"The fact that Sinn Fein decided to go to this funeral and to help manage this funeral despite the very rules they were making the day before and decided to breach them. That's where the real anger is.

"But, there has been a very definite failure in policing and policing at the most senior level and unfortunately, that means that the chief constable has now lost the confidence of the unionist community and many others across Northern Ireland, and it is indeed time for him to go.

The UUP leader said his party resolutely support the PSNI, but it no longer supports Mr Byrne as it cannot understand how this funeral was allowed.

How did the chief constable not see that a way which was against the rules and regulations of a funeral which was allowed, but for 30 people not 2000, a commemoration march, a cremation, how did he not see those breaches of health regulations that every other person in Northern Ireland saw and it's a singular failure in leadership, Mr Aiken said.

"Our support for the PSNI does not change, our concern has been on the senior leadership of the PSNI and in particular that role of the chief constable. He needs to reflect sadly on the fact that hes lost the confidence of at least 50pc of the population of Northern Ireland if not more.

The problem is at the top and we cant wait any longer, the chief constable must consider his position."

The PSNI Chief Constable said he wont resign but has apologised.

On Thursday, Northern Ireland Policing Board chairman Doug Garrett said a request is to be made for Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to look at the PSNI's role in the funeral.

He said members of the board agreed to request that Justice Minister Naomi Long commission a "bespoke thematic inspection into the PSNI's handling of the policing of the funeral, its operational decision making, application of the law in the context of the Covid-19 regulations, and review the PSNI policy and procedures around police engagement with organisers and consistency of approach given the findings of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS)."

Appearing remotely before a meeting of the board, Mr Byrne said he welcomed the prospect of a review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, "as an independent body to come in and help us get an objective understanding of what went on".

Mr Byrne said police understood and sympathised with the hurt, concern and anger felt by many who complied with the Covid regulations over the last year.

"I recognise that the events surrounding the policing of this funeral have caused outrage and have damaged confidence in policing," he told the board.

"I'm listening. But I'm confident that my officers have acted with good intent and integrity managing what was always going to be a sensitive policing operation."

Mr Byrne said recent days have seen the "most extreme manifestation of the difficulties that policing has faced in trying to balance the dilemmas that fall out of the Covid regulations".

"It's a huge regret about the public reaction to the PPS decision, we were surprised," he said.

Asked about claims of Loyalist anger at police, Mr Byrne said they are determined to build trust and relationships.

"I can't pretend the impact that this decision has had on community relations, in the Loyalist community predominantly, and we need to take the time now to make sense of that, to allow HMIC to get to the heart of just what happened, that might help begin the process of building a bridge," he said.

Reiterating that he has no plans to resign, Northern Ireland's chief constable referred to the Patten Report 20 years ago seeking to separate politics from policing, adding it is a "shame we are now in a situation where politics and policing have collided".

"My job is to try and deliver the operational service to people right across Northern Ireland, and I am determined to keep doing that ... and to rebuild relationships because I am not a quitter," he added.

Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill has apologised to families bereaved in the pandemic for her actions in relation to her attendance at the large funeral.

As the Northern Ireland Assembly was recalled from Easter recess to debate a motion of censure against her, Michelle O'Neill told MLAs she was "truly sorry" for the hurt caused to those who had lost loved ones.

However, her critics have claimed those apologies have fallen short and have not included an admission that she was wrong to attend the west Belfast funeral when strict limitations on public gatherings were in place.

In her contribution during the opening stages of Thursday's debate, Ms O'Neill did not say her attendance was wrong.

The deputy First Minister told MLAs it had never been her intention to upset grieving families.

"I am truly sorry that my actions have contributed to the grief or the heartache that has been felt and experienced by many people who've lost a loved one during this pandemic," she said.

"That was never, ever, my intention and for that I offer my heartfelt and unreserved apology to those families that have lost a loved one."

With reporting from PA
Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a phone call on Thursday, discussing regional security and bilateral defense cooperation.

Akar and Austin exchanged views and underlined the significance of strategic relations during the talk, according to Turkey's National Defense Ministry.

They emphasized the importance of developing a mutual understanding on the issue of regional and global security, as well as resolving issues based on their strategic partnership and the spirit of alliance.

The ministry added that Akar and Austin reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation and coordination, while strengthening military relations between the two countries.

Akar also congratulated Austin once again on his appointment to the post in January, Anadolu Agency reported.

The Pentagon separately said Austin thanked Akar "for the significant role Turkey is playing as part of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and in support of the ongoing peace process there."

"The two leaders also discussed the positive diplomatic developments and efforts to reduce all tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, where the Secretary welcomed ongoing exploratory talks between NATO Allies Turkey and Greece and the commitment of both governments to this process," it said in a statement.

"Secretary Austin noted the importance of working to strengthen U.S-Turkey military-to-military cooperation, and urged Turkey not to retain the Russian S-400 missile defense system," the Pentagon added.
New Delhi:

The CBI today took custody of three people arrested by the Haryana Police in connection with the killing of Pradyuman, a seven-year-old student of Ryan International School, on September 8, after the CBI took over the probe on Friday.

The CBI had sought custody of school bus conductor Ashok Kumar, regional head of the group Francis Thomas and HR head Jeyus Thomas from the court.

"On the request of the CBI in an ongoing investigation of a case related to the alleged murder of a student in a school at Gurugram, the competent court today remanded three accused in one-day police custody," a CBI spokesperson said.

The CBI yesterday took over the probe into the killing of the seven-year-old at the Gurugram school after receiving a notification from the Centre.

The case had been registered at the Bhondsi police station in Gurugram under the IPC sections related to murder, and relevant sections of the Arms Act, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Juvenile Justice Act.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Texas Rangers saved a 6-month-old baby girl from drowning in the Rio Grande River after illegal smugglers threw her out of a raft along the Texas-Mexico border.

The highly-trained special operations tactical team assisted U.S. Border Control agents with the rescue mission to save the baby on March 16 in Roma as part of Operation Lone Star, the Texas Department of Public Safety of the South Texas Region announced in a Facebook post Tuesday.

The Texas Rangers often conduct missions along the southern border region in remote areas where conventional law enforcement cannot operate. They are instrumental in disrupting criminal activity usually associated with drug cartels.

The smugglers who threw out the child assaulted the childs mother in Mexico, which resulted in a broken leg, the department reported.

Source:The Christian Post
About 66 million years ago (the end of the Cretaceous period), a 10-km-wide asteroid crashed into Earth near the site of the small town of Chicxulub in what is now Mexico. The impact unleashed an incredible amount of climate-changing gases into the atmosphere, triggering a chain of events that led to the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs and 75% of life on the planet. In an analysis of thousands of fossil pollen and leaves from before and after the Chicxulub impact, scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and elsewhere found that the cataclysmic impact also caused 45% of plants in what is now Colombia to go extinct, setting the stage for the evolution of the Neotropical rainforests.

In the study, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute paleontologist Dr. Carlos Jaramillo and colleagues examined fossil pollen (over 50,000 occurrences) and leaves (over 6,000 specimens) from before and after the Chicxulub impact from 39 localities in Colombia.

We wondered how tropical rainforests changed after a drastic ecological perturbation such as the Chicxulub impact, so we looked for tropical plant fossils, explained first author Dr. Monica Carvalho, a postdoctoral researcher at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Universidad del Rosario.

Pollen and spores obtained from rocks older than the impact show that rainforests were equally dominated by ferns and flowering plants. Conifers were common and cast their shadows over dinosaur trails.

After the impact, conifers disappeared almost completely from the New World tropics, and flowering plants took over. Plant diversity did not recover for over 6 million years after the impact.

The researchers found evidence that pre-impact tropical forest trees were spaced far apart, allowing light to reach the forest floor.

Within 6 million years post-impact, some tropical forests were dense, like those of today, where leaves of trees and vines cast deep shade on the smaller trees, bushes and herbaceous plants below.

The sparser canopies of the pre-impact forests, with fewer flowering plants, would have moved less soil water into the atmosphere than did those that grew up in the millions of years afterward.

It was just as rainy back in the Cretaceous, but the forests worked differently, Dr. Carvalho said.

The team found no evidence of legume trees before the extinction event, but afterward there was a great diversity and abundance of legume leaves and pods.

Today, legumes are a dominant family in tropical rainforests, and through associations with bacteria, take nitrogen from the air and turn it into fertilizer for the soil. The rise of legumes would have dramatically affected the nitrogen cycle.

How did the after effects of the impact transform sparse, conifer-rich tropical forests of the dinosaur age into the rainforests of today  towering trees dotted with yellow, purple and pink blossoms, dripping with orchids? Based on evidence from both pollen and leaves, Dr. Jaramillo, Dr. Carvalho and their colleagues propose three explanations for the change, all of which may be correct.

One idea is that dinosaurs kept pre-impact forests open by feeding and moving through the landscape.

A second explanation is that falling ash from the impact enriched soils throughout the tropics, giving an advantage to the faster-growing flowering plants.

The third explanation is that preferential extinction of conifer species created an opportunity for flowering plants to take over the tropics.

Our study follows a simple question: How do tropical rainforests evolve?, Dr. Carvalho said.

The lesson learned here is that under rapid disturbances  geologically speaking  tropical ecosystems do not just bounce back; they are replaced, and the process takes a really long time.

A paper on the findings was published in the journal Science.

_____

Monica R. Carvalho et al. 2021. Extinction at the end-Cretaceous and the origin of modern Neotropical rainforests. Science 372 (6537): 63-68; doi: 10.1126/science.abf1969
Protesters disturbed diners at a Manhattan restaurant on Thursday night and broke windows of the restaurant's outdoor dining setup before vandalizing a police vehicle.

Six plexiglass windows of Balthazar were smashed in their outdoor dining room around 9:40pm.

A photo posted by the NYPD also shows damage the protesters did to a cop car in the area.

A complaint was filed with the NYPD. There have been no arrests so far, but an investigation into the vandalism is ongoing.

'Tonight, in Lower Manhattan demonstrators purposely caused property damage to a local restaurant by breaking several windows while patrons were eating dinner. Small businesses need our support, vandalism is not the answer especially during these trying times,' the NYPD posted on Twitter.

'Protestors [sic] also purposely damaged a police vehicle during their vandalism.'

No injuries were reported from the vandalism.

NYPD posted a photo of the damage protesters wreaked on a police car near the protest

Video from the protest at Balthazar on Spring Street shows a group of protesters gathered around a speaker identified in a tweet as Qween Jean.

'After Qween Jean swiftly demands Spring Street diners' attention for an important message about NYC's black and brown communities, she concludes, "Have a good evening," and the group sweeps onward,' reads a tweet from NYC Protest Updates.

'Police trailing on parallel roads / mostly put [sic] of sight.'

After Qween Jean swiftly demands Spring Street diners' attention for an important message about NYC's Black and Brown communities, she concludes, "Have a good evening," and the group sweeps onward.



Police trailing on parallel roads / mostly put of sight. pic.twitter.com/Pk9Nz1IhVj  NYC Protest Updates (@protest_nyc) April 2, 2021

Balthazar in New York City was the site of a protest on Thursday night as diners were eating

A video after the protest showed the restaurant's outdoor structure with broken windows

In the video, Qween Jean speaks about the attention needed to be paid to New York City's under-served communities.

'...because so many back and brown indigenous community members are often left out,' Qween Jean says as the video begins.

'They are often neglected, left out, unhoused, without any food, without medication, without medical care, without mental health access.

'And so we're here with a message because we believe that Black Lives Matter, we believe in the liberation of our community, and the liberation of the people of this community.

The speaker in the protest is identified as Qween Jean (Instagram pictured)

'And so what we're here to say is that we need the community support - it takes communal effort to get communal power.'

Qween Jean repeats the phrase 'communal effort for communal power' several times, before saying that they need to be 'swift.'

'But before we leave, we want to let the patrons know - that's right - they can not ignore us any longer. You cannot ignore the community of New York, because this community... is powerful.

Qween Jean references the awkwardness and uncomfortable nature of the protest before diving into the struggles of New Yorkers, particularly during the pandemic.

'So when we leave from this place, please understand that you have a responsibility. It is your duty to fight for this community, not just when it's appropriate, not just when it's convenient, not just when it's respectable.'

Qween Jean then leads a 'Black Lives Matter' cheer with the other protesters.

On their Instagram page, Qween Jean's occupation is listed as costume designer in New York City.

Balthazar only recently reopened after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic

DailyMail.com has attempted to reach out to Qween Jean for comment on the origin of the protest, as well as the choice of venue for the protest.

Balthazar is a French brassiere in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, first opened in 1997.

The restaurant only reopened in the past two weeks after being closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Protests have gripped New York City since the murder of George Floyd last year

Pictured: Protests in March as the trial for Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin began

According to the New York Post, there was a line out the door for the restaurant's reopening night.

More than 5,000 restaurants in the city have closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering impact on the industry.

Protests in New York City have become a daily ritual in the months since George Floyd's murder.

Black Lives Matter protests took place in New York City in June (Juneteenth protest shown)

The protests did briefly force the city to have a curfew, which was lifted after a week

Most of the protests, which are part of the larger Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, have been peaceful, though there were sporadic cases of violence and looting in the early days of the protests.

That resulted in the city being placed under curfew for a week in June.

Other protests to recently rock New York City include protests of anti-Asian discrimination and violence, as well as protests about rent payments during the pandemic.
Eleventh night celebrations take place at Pitt Park in east Belfast - stock picture. (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Bonfire builders across Northern Ireland have vowed to go ahead with their Eleventh night celebrations following the Public Prosecution Services decision not to prosecute those in attendance at IRA man Bobby Storeys funeral.

On Tuesday, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Herron, announced that none of the 24 members of Sinn Fein, who attended Storeys funeral in west Belfast in June, will face prosecution for allegedly breaching Covid-19 regulations.

Around 2,000 mourners lined the streets - including deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill - at a time when there were regulations in place limiting large gatherings.

The PPS announced on Wednesday that the decision not to prosecute will be reviewed.

First Minister Arlene Foster called on Chief Constable Simon Byrne to resign after it emerged engagement between the PSNI and funeral organisers was a factor not to prosecute.

Responding on Thursday evening, the PSNI said they were "aware of the public statements" by a number of community bonfire groups indicating that they "will not engage with the PSNI community policing teams ahead of the summer".

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton PSNIs Head of Community Safety added: "We understand and are working to address the very serious public concerns around recent events. Its hugely disappointing to us that anyone would decide not to engage with their local neighbourhood officers especially around events which present public safety challenges.

"As a police service we remain committed to working with all communities to support their safety and wellbeing. Community police officers are invested in their neighbourhoods with many strong working relationships and will continue to be there for everyone in the days and weeks ahead.

Read More

Bonfire associations in Belfast, Co Tyrone, Co Londonderry and Co Down have now claimed they will not engage with the PSNI ahead of July 11 - as is usual practice - and will go ahead with their celebrations after the majority of Twelfth events were called off last year due to Covid.

In a social media post, Moygashel Bonfire Association said, attention PSNI - the deal is off.

Moygashel will be going ahead with their July 11 bonfire this year, the group wrote.

Each year the Moygashel Bonfire Association liaise with the local community policing team to keep them informed of the schedule of events ahead.

After careful consideration and the general feeling among the local community, the bonfire team has made the decision not to engage with the PSNI on any level until confidence within the PUL community towards policing and justice has been restored.

ATTENTION PSNI -THE DEAL IS OFF! Moygashel will be going ahead with their 11th july bonfire this year. Each year... Posted by Moygashel Bonfire Association on Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Those behind the bonfire in the Tigers Bay area of north Belfast added that they are making a stand against two tier policing and said they are angry Sinn Fein undermined government rules.

After hearing about how the PSNI disgracefully handled the funeral of IRA man Bobby Storey, the community of Tigers Bay feel it is only right not to engage with community police teams regarding our July 11 bonfire celebrations, the group wrote.

Avoniel and Sydenham bonfire groups in east Belfast also stated their intentions to press on with their celebrations and said they will not engage with the local community policing team.

Elsewhere, North Down Defenders said that a number of loyalist groups in north Down and Ards withdrew their support for the PSNI over a week ago.

This year there will be full traditional bonfires at Kilcooley estate, Bloomfield estate, Strand Avenue, Loughview estate, Holywood and Donaghadee, the group said.

We encourage the community to come together and commence building whenever they see fit.

It is very clear the PSNI are little more than a tool of republicanism which is consistently weaponised against our community.

Our bonfire group, like so many others within the loyalist community, have had enough.
GM again acted fast. The giant automaker almost immediately after the vote dropped its role in helping Trump try to deprive California of its key clean air authority. Fellow Trump-supporting automakers like Toyota and Fiat Chrysler followed months later.

GMs move was clearly taken because new President Joseph Biden made it plain throughout his campaign that he would reverse most if not all Trump measures to loosen environmental regulations.

GM chief executive Mary Barra did not at any point relate her companys move to any flaws in what Trump sought to do. Her statement left no doubt this was purely bandwagon jumping, GM getting aboard with a new president as soon as possible.

She said she pulled GM from its role as a Trump supporter because she agrees with Bidens plan to make electric car use far more widespread.

We believe the ambitious electrification goals of (Biden), California and General Motors are aligned to address climate change by drastically reducing automobile emissions, she said.

It would have been difficult to be more blatant. For GM was aligned the last three years against Californias longstanding aim to increase EV use, the very plan Barra now endorses.

So this is corporate opportunism at its peak.
Florida elementary school teacher Xavier Alexander, 27, has been charged with of solicitation of a minor and traveling to meet a minor

A Florida elementary school teacher moonlighting as a babysitter has been accused of soliciting a two-year-old child on a nanny website and then traveling to meet the toddler.

Xavier Alexander, 27, from Palm Beach, was arrested on Thursday on charges of solicitation of a minor and traveling to meet a minor, both felonies.

Alexander was booked into the Palm Beach County jail just before 9pm without bond. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday morning.

According to a statement from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Alexander is a fourth-grade teacher at Grove Park Elementary School.

The 27-year-old also has been working on the side as a babysitter on Care.com and other similar websites offering childcare services.

Investigators have not disclosed additional details pertaining to the case but said they believe there could be additional victims.

According to Alexander's LinkedIn profile, he has worked at Palm Beach County School District since 2012 in various capacities, including as an afterschool counselor, activity leader and director.

Alexander, who has worked as a fourth-grade teacher for six months, has been moonlighting as a babysitter on nanny sites, including Care.com

A graduate of Palm Beach State College, Alexander was hired as a full-time teacher at Grove Park Elementary School only six months ago.

District officials released a statement early Friday, saying they were cooperating with the investigation, reported Sun-Sentinel.

A graduate of Palm Beach State College, Alexander was hired as a full-time teacher at Grove Park Elementary School only six months ago

'The District is shocked and appalled by the nature of the crimes for which Alexander was arrested,' the statement read. 'He will not be returning to the School District as a teacher, or in any other capacity, pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.'

It went on to say that while the case did not involve any district students, officials have reached out to parents of children in Alexander's class.

The district has now launched its own professional standards investigation into Alexander.

Miami Herald reported that Alexander wrote in his Care.com profile that he has been working with children for over a decade in schools, youth ministries and kids' clubs. He was open to babysitting up to three children, including infants.
Editor's note: Frida Ghitis, (@fridaghitis) a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a frequent opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN.

(CNN)  President Joe Biden may look relaxed, but don't let that deceive you. He is a man in a hurry. Behind that seemingly laid-back smile, he's moving at a frenetic pace.

Two months into his presidency, Biden has already notched up major achievements in his far-reaching agenda. In addition to enacting a raft of executive actions, including rejoining the Paris climate agreement, he has signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law, launching a frontal assault on the pandemic, shoring up the finances of struggling Americans, supporting local governments and expanding access to health care. He has also reengaged our allies and moved uncommonly fast to nominate a diverse group of federal judges to the bench.

Whether or not you agree with his priorities, it's undeniable that the scope of his actions in the last 70-some days has been enormous. And Biden -- the man Trump frequently derided as "sleepy" -- is just getting started. His $2 trillion infrastructure proposal is his latest move in what is already one of the most ambitious presidencies in decades. And it's all happening at a dizzying speed.

Why is Biden in such a hurry?

Part of it is the political calendar. The president has a better shot at legislative success before the midterm elections. Both former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump were stymied after the opposition party made significant gains in the 2010 and 2018 midterm elections. Biden could face the same fate in 2022, especially since Democrats already have a tenuous hold on both chambers of Congress. But there's more.

At 78, Biden is the oldest president in US history. He may also be one of the most introspective.

One of the changes that comes with age is the growing realization that your time is limited. It's not just a political consideration -- it is a metaphysical and spiritual one. As he approaches 80, Biden has a perspective that may not come as quickly to younger politicians who are more focused on short-term victories.

That's visible in the way he speaks about his plans and his poignant references to their potential impact long into the future. He doesn't just talk about the practical day-to-day effect -- he looks decades ahead and offers the picture of a country that has turned the corner and reaped lasting benefits from having met the challenges of this moment.

During his first formal press conference last week, Biden talked about the urgency of succeeding in the global contest between democracy and autocracy, and how the US must show it can adjust to a changing world. "This is a battle between the utility of democracy in the 21st century and autocracies," he said, adding, "Your children or grandchildren are going to be doing their doctoral thesis on the issue of who succeeded: autocracy or democracy?"

The same future-focused appeal surfaced on Wednesday when he unveiled his infrastructure plan. "We have to move now," he said, "Because I'm convinced that if we act now, in 50 years, people are going to look back and say this was the moment that America won the future."

It is one of the paradoxes of Biden's presidency that he is trying to secure as many victories as soon as possible, with an eye toward shaping a distant future. Biden seems to have a particularly acute faith that what he does now may be more fully grasped by future generations.

In the final months of the 2020 campaign, much of Biden's messaging focused on defeating the pandemic. But he always had bigger goals. Some were concrete: creating jobs, upgrading infrastructure, fighting climate change and expanding access to health care. Others were more philosophical or moral. The words "decency" and "soul" kept coming up.

Biden said from the very start of his presidential bid that he decided to run after neo-Nazis descended on Charlottesville in 2017. Having seen America drift in a frightening direction, Biden said he intended to "restore the soul of America."

At any other time, this might have sounded like an empty campaign slogan. But Americans knew what he meant. His presidency is not just about infrastructure or public health, it's about restoring respect for the values the US has sought to advance, however imperfectly, from its founding days: equality, freedom, and an abiding faith in democracy -- all of which were eroded in the past four years.

Biden will inevitably make mistakes and fail to reach some, if not many, of his goals. But his aims are ambitious. He's rushing to bring about the changes that he believes will transform the country in the long term. He's also trying to steer the US away from the ugliness that reared its head in the last four years, and making sure the rest of the world sees a country worth emulating.

Every president worries about his legacy. But Biden is a man driven. He is not just seeking the approval of today's voters. He's trying to shape the country in a way that will change the course of history -- with lasting reverberations long after he's gone. To do that, he has no time to waste.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Why Joe Biden is a man in a hurry."
Leaders of six political parties have issued the following statement:

The Russian-Turkish tandem, taking advantage of the essence of the serving authorities of Armenia, is rushing to turn the unlawful trilateral statement of November 9, 2020 into an agreement. With this, we sound the alarm and declare the following:

Any option for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be acceptable only within the scope of the OSCE Minsk Group, and any other document beyond that scope will be unlawful, even if the authorities of Armenia are forced to sign it.

Any option for speculation of unblocking of links, in which case Armenia will not have full jurisdiction over any part of the territory of Armenia or any communication route that will pass through that part, will be unlawful, and the implementation will be prevented by all possible means.

Any Armenian-Turkish agreement denying or questioning the Armenian Genocide will be declared as unlawful, and the treacherous propaganda of the authorities in this direction  renounceable.

We consider unacceptable the anti-national propaganda of the authorities of Armenia according to which a change of image of Turks (the enemy) is being made, so long as Turkey and Azerbaijan havent changed their approaches to the image of Armenians through their propaganda machines and in their education systems, and so long as Armenia is considered an enemy in their military doctrines.

We call on the public and political forces to unite in order to overcome the challenges facing statehood and gain more reliable allies for security.

PARUYR HAYRIKYAN (National Self-Determination Union)

PETROS MAKEYAN (Democratic Homeland Party)

ANDRIAS GHUKASYAN (Armenian Constructive Party)

GARNIK MARGARYAN (Homeland and Honor Party)

ARTYOM KHACHIKYAN (Hayk (Haykazunner) Party)

MIKAYEL HAYRAPETYAN (Conservative Party)"
Explosive travel growth for Qingming Festival

By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-04-01 17:11

Since most Chinese people were encouraged to stay put where they work and not go back to their hometown during the 2021 Spring Festival, it is expected that travel during the upcoming Qingming Festival, the first holiday after the Spring Festival, will see explosive growth.

(Travelers in a railway station)



Big data collected by tourism institutions in Shanghai indicates that the number of travelers in Qingming may return to the 2019 level, reaching 100 million.

Home-stay booking from vocational rental platform Tujia has rocketed 35 times over the same period last year, among which countryside home-stay bookings account for more than 60%. Offering both nearby scenic spots and folklore experience programs, tickets for some countryside homestays were sold out in minutes, like some of those in the Mogan Mountain International Tourist Resort in Huzhou's Deqing county of Zhejiang Province.

As this year marks the 100 anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, air ticket data from Tongcheng Travel Group also shows that, recently, the proportion of flight segments to revolutionary tourist destinations has increased by 4% compared with 2019. Internet searches for revolutionary destinations in Shanghai, Zunyi and Jinggangshan and surrounding hotels have seen an increase.
Tanzania President Wants Tax Disparity With Zanzibar Resolved

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan who took office on March 19, 2021 has set a task for Vice President Philip Mpango, Finance and Planning Minister Mwigulu Nchemba and Minister of State in the Vice President's Office Selemani Jafo, to work on the dispute over the sharing of revenue between Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania. Currently, Zanzibar receives 4,5% of the total Union (Tanzania, Zanzibar) revenue, which was proposed by the International Monetary Fund and approved by the Tanzania government in 1994. The president said that a lot of work has been done to strengthen the Union but that the revenue sharing issue was still unresolved. At his swearing-in as Vice President, Mpango was told that this would be his first assignment and that it has to be resolved as soon as possible. Mpango concurred, saying " we are one country, there is no reason why we should not build a powerful government by considering the interests of the both sides of the Union."

Suluhu's reshuffle has also seen cabinet ministers and government executives reminded that they were "servants of the people and must strive to resolve challenges facing ordinary citizens". Suluhu took the reins after the death of then-president John Magufuli on March 17, 2021. Suluhu will serve the remaining period of Magufuli's five-year term that began on November 5, 2020, with a possibility of running for another term in 2025.
Houston is the latest Texas city to take in migrant children as the Biden administration scrambles to find space for thousands of unaccompanied minors who have crossed the southern border in recent weeks.

The Houston-based National Association of Christian Churches will shelter 500 girls who began arriving Friday. The group joins a growing network of sites where the federal government is sending children as it works to get them out of crammed U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities and find sponsors to care for them in the United States.

The situation at the border  especially the influx of unaccompanied children  has emerged as the first major political dilemma of President Joe Bidens term as Republicans say it is a crisis of his creation. They say Bidens move to end some of the stricter immigration policies of his predecessor sent a message that the border was open, even as the president and his administration have said repeatedly it is not.

Now Playing: Video: Olivia Tallet/Staff

The Biden administration has said it inherited the mess, accusing the outgoing Trump administration of stalling on setting up shelters to house children until just days before former President Donald Trump left office  despite a growing number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the border beginning late last year.

On HoustonChronicle.com: President Biden addresses migrant surge at border as officials head to Texas

Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security were at the shelter Friday morning as the National Association of Christian Churches prepared the undisclosed site. The association is a nonprofit that provides relief services and responds to local, national and international disasters.

Local leaders including U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, praised the organization and its leader, Pastor Jesus Ortega, for opening its doors. We are grateful that community leaders like Pastor Ortega have stepped forward to provide a safe place for children and youth, Jackson Lee said.

But advocates were voicing concern about the group, with one saying he was turned away as his organization offered volunteers Thursday.

Cesar Espinosa, director of FIEL Houston, a nonprofit that has worked on immigrant advocacy and civil rights in Houston since 2007, said he went to the NACC shelter site Thursday to offer help in the form of translators, volunteers or any advice FIEL could give.

We have never heard of this organization dealing and doing any of this type of work with immigrants, let alone children, he said. So we are worried that they dont have the experience to deal with this.

Espinosa also said he was worried about where and how the children would be housed given that the shelter is a warehouse. Espinosa, however, said he saw only the outside of the building.

They brought portable showers and portable restrooms, he said. But we really dont know if they are even properly equipped to deal with children.

Border bill: Cornyn to introduce bill to fix surge of unaccompanied minors at the border

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, visited the facility Friday afternoon and said it looks like a lot of others based on her experience visiting more than 15 shelters as a member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. This is the first time she said shes visited a shelter without the children there yet.

A bus arrived at the emergency shelter about 6:30 p.m. Friday. After entering the property, the bus disappeared into a loading dock.

A representative of the church resource group declined to provide any information to the Houston Chronicle.

Border Patrol reported 9,457 encounters with unaccompanied children in February alone, a record for that month. That figure 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.

More than 18,700 children were in federal custody Thursday, the most recent data reported by HHS shows. The Biden administration was sending children to sites in Dallas, San Antonio, El Paso, San Diego and elsewhere.

Photo gallery: Images from the Texas border as Congress members host dueling events there

The administration reported more than 5,300 children were still in Border Patrol facilities, including a tent facility in Donna, where pictures from inside have shown small children sleeping on mats on the floor and packed into holding rooms.

At least another 13,359 children had been transferred to sites like the NACC one and others run by Health and Human Services, where they will stay as the Office of Refugee Resettlement works to reconnect them with family members or find sponsors to take them in.

HHS said in a statement it has about 13,500 beds for children and additional capacity is urgently needed. Over the last 30 days, HHS was transferring an average of 443 children from Border Patrol to HHS facilities.

Republicans have sought to keep a focus on the cramped Border Patrol facilities, where the Biden administration until this week had refused to allow reporters access to document conditions.

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas led a group of 19 Republican senators to the border last week, and many of them tweeted out pictures from inside the intake sites.

These are the pictures the Biden administration doesnt want the American people to see, Cruz wrote in a tweet with four images showing small children sleeping on mats on the floor and with their hands pressed against windows in doors they were being kept behind.

Garcia said surges of children coming to the border, mainly from Central America, have become cyclical. The problem now, she said Friday, is that the Trump administration dismantled the network of immigration services and the capacity for the government to deal with the situation.

Cornyn, meanwhile, was in Houston on Tuesday to tour a shelter for unaccompanied immigrant girls operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, which he said was night and day from the conditions at the Border Patrol facilities the senators saw last week.

Im not here to criticize any of the people who are trying to help, Cornyn said. Its almost like everybody is working together in the neighborhood to put out a fire, but the fire is overwhelming the capacity of the neighborhood to put it out.

olivia.tallet@chron.com

ben.wermund@chron.com
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized two rapid COVID tests which can be administered at home. Abbot's BinaxNOW and Quidel's QuickVue are the rapid tests that will soon be available for purchase without a prescription. The BinaxNOW is said to deliver results within 15 minutes while the QuickVue will deliver the results within 10 minutes, according to a USA Today report.

The authorization of the two COVID tests follows a separate authorization of an AI device that can detect underlying symptoms of COVID-19 who are asymptomatic. The said device is deemed to be the first machine learning-based COVID-19 diagnostic screening device and is only allowed to be administered by trained personnel.

READ NEXT: Schools: COVID Testing of Students and Educators Vital for In-Person Classes

2 COVID Tests Approved by FDA

The rapid test provided by Abbott initially required a medical expert to be administered. Soon after, FDA authorized the said kit to be administered at home, but a proctor should virtually watch the process. However, the new authorization from the FDA will allow the individual to administer the tests with themselves, according to an ABC News report.

On the other hand, Quidel's test is designed for people 14 years old and above. It can also be used by adults to collect specimens for children 2 years of age and above.

Before the authorization of the COVID tests from Abbott and Quidel, the only coronavirus test that can be bought without a prescription and is authorized by FDA is the one from Ellume. However, is still not available in the stores, according to an NPR report.

BinaxNOW should be administered twice over three days with 36 hours between each test. Quidel's test has the same conditions, but it should have a window of 24-36 hours in each testing.

"If you catch someone at the right time in their infection, testing more than once will give you opportunities to find any positive results," said Mary Rodgers, a principal scientist from Abbott. Rodgers also pointed out that the benefit of testing more than once gives confidence about the results.

Abbott plans to sell their tests for about $20, with officials from the company emphasizing that should be comparable or cheaper than other health tests. Meanwhile, Quidel noted that they will be announcing their retail partnerships in the coming weeks.

Accuracy of the COVID tests

The FDA has discussed the limitations of the accuracy of some rapid antigen tests because they may be subjected to false-positive results. That is why confirmation testing is still encouraged.

Rodgers explained that their BinaxNOW testing kit is "95%" accurate. Meanwhile, Quidel pointed out that the results of their QuikVue test kit are in agreement with PCR 83.5 percent at a time when the result is positive and 99.2 percent when the result is negative.

"Having an inexpensive over-the-counter test can stop the virus from spreading," said Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiologist from Harvard. Mina also noted that detecting infectious people is granting them an opportunity to isolate accordingly.

Quidel noted that the company will open a factory that can accommodate the manufacture of 50 million of their FDA-approved COVID tests each month. Meanwhile, Abbott can make, and ship 50 million raps tests each month.

READ MORE: COVID-19 Tests Can Accurately Identify New Virus Variants, Some Lab Companies Claim

WATCH: This is how the new Abbott Labs COVID-19 rapid test works - from ABC 7 Chicago
CHICOPEE  Construction delays are causing students from one school to be shifted to two other buildings, as the state orders elementary-aged children to return to full-time classes next week.

Air quality testing in Chicopee schools this summer uncovered inadequate ventilation at Patrick E. Bowe School, forcing the city to replace the entire system before children returned to class during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Work on the about $600,000 project began in the fall and original projections estimated construction would be completed in early February. Now that has been pushed back until mid-May if everything goes well.

All the ductwork is in and we are just waiting for the air handler, said Scott Chapdelaine, director of maintenance for the city.

Because the school dates to 1925 the air handler had to be custom-built by a Texas company. COVID-related delays meant the original 10 week manufacturing time has now extended to 16 weeks at a minimum, he said.

Even if the air handler is completed soon, it still has to be driven to Massachusetts and it will take another about two weeks to install it, he said.

Since September Bowe School children have mostly been taught remotely by teachers working at home.

Chicopee schools opened in September with full-time, in-person classes for vulnerable learners  those with disabilities, who are learning English or are homeless or in foster care  and three weeks later for kindergarteners and first-graders. At that time a small number of children whose parents wanted in-person learning were bused to Gen. John J. Stefanik School, Principal David T. Drugan said.

All schools transitioned to remote learning in mid-November as infection rates started to climb. In January some children returned to class and officials switched to a hybrid plan where children in all grades would have a mix of in-person and remote learning in February. At that time Bowe School students were moved to the fourth-floor of Chicopee High School because there wasnt enough space at Stefanik.

Bowe School delayed implanting the hybrid system for children in grades two to five until April hoping the building would be ready.

But now with the state order, Chapdelaine said they had to find enough room for those children. Officials discussed using privately-owned space but decided they could fit the Bowe students with a little creative shifting.

The second and third graders with join first and kindergarteners at Chicopee High and the fourth and fifth grades will be learning at Fairview School.

While all other elementary students will return full-time on April 5, the city has delayed the return of Bowe students who are not already attending school to April 12 to prepare for the changes, Drugan said.

Currently, there are about 450 students at Bowe School and families of about 225 have opted to send their children to in-person classes. The remaining about half have decided to keep their children on remote-learning until the school reopens, which is permitted under state guidelines, Drugan said.

Drugan said he appreciates the help he has received, especially from Chicopee High Principal Carol Kruser and Fairview Principal Irene Lemieux and their staff with all the logistics of getting schools ready for extra children during a pandemic.

We took over 70 percent of the fourth floor at Chicopee High, he said. The high school has been very gracious to our little people.

There is some extra room at Chicopee High because those students remain in the hybrid model with most learning in-person two days a week and are remote three days a week. There is no date for high schools to return to full-time in-person learning.

Meanwhile, Lemieux has moved around and consolidated some things to make room for the Bowe fourth and fifth graders, Drugan said.

Fairview only had three vacant classrooms. In addition to the elementary school, the transition program for disabled students who are 18 to 21 is located there and offices for the school lunch program and the counselors are located in the school, Chapdelaine said.

The fifth-grade classes are expected to be located in the library, which is not being used at the moment. It is large enough so temporary dividers can be placed there, he said.

Some teachers have had to be shifted to different students so some educators can continue to teach remotely from home to save space, but they tried to switch as few students as possible. New bus routes also have had to be added since the majority of children are close enough to walk to school, Drugan said.

Despite all the moves, all the classes will meet safety requirements to have students at least three feet apart and a variety of logistics have been worked out to accommodate all children in the schools for recess and school lunch, Drugan said.

Drugan said he will divide his time between Fairview, Chicopee High and will be spending some time at Bowe School to deal with administrative duties there. Vice Principal Craig Murdock will mainly work out of Chicopee High and principals at the two schools said they can also lend a hand if there is an emergency.

Im excited to see my kids back in the classroom, Drugan said. It has been a lot of work but the payoff is worth it.

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China's government is facing a tough challenge in managing expectations of high economic growth rates as the country recovers from the COVID-19 crisis this year.

On March 11, Premier Li Keqiang defended the government's decision to set a relatively low bar for the economy after delivering his annual work report to the National People's Congress (NPC) with a growth goal of "over 6 percent."

At a press conference, Li pushed back at the notion that the government had deliberately low-balled the recovery from the pandemic following gross domestic product growth of 2.3 percent in 2020, the slowest rate in 44 years.

"A growth target of over 6 percent is not low considering the size of the Chinese economy, and the target is set to guide expectations to consolidate economic recovery foundation and pursue high-quality development," state media quoted Li as saying.

While the official rates reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) are open to question, China is thought to be the only major economy to show any growth at all in 2020, with expansion taking hold only in the second half.

The government's forecast for this year is unusual on several counts.

First, it is considerably lower than the International Monetary Fund's revised outlook in January, which called for GDP growth of 8.1 percent. China's official results for 2020 exceeded the IMF's growth forecast of 1.9 percent last October.

The IMF is expected to update its forecasts at its spring meeting in the coming week.

In prior years. the government targets and IMF forecasts have routinely served as a floor for the GDP growth figures reported by the NBS, giving the Communist Party the opportunity to sing the praises of its centrally-planned economic policies.

High expectations, low confidence

Expectations for China's economy this year have been flying high. In January, the World Bank pegged this year's growth rate at 7.9 percent. Last month, Fitch Ratings Inc. raised its forecast from 8 percent to 8.4 percent, citing strong export growth and global demand.

But the government has kept its target at the lower level, raising questions about whether it has full confidence in the recovery.

It has also broken with tradition by deciding not to set any growth goal for the 2021-2025 period of the 14th Five- Year Plan.

At last year's delayed NPC session in May, the government omitted a growth target for 2021, citing the uncertainty of the pandemic.

The absence of growth goals has left local governments without the customary guidance from central authorities on what the pace should be for 2022 and the rest of the five- year plan.

The IMF has forecast 5.6-percent growth for 2022, suggesting that expansion will slow after this year's rate is magnified by the base effect of the 2020 slump.

In their reports of recent economic data, the NBS and state media have gone out of their way to include comparisons not only to year-earlier performance but also to pre-pandemic results from 2019, helping to avoid the implication that the recovery would lead to runaway growth.

In reporting results for the January-February period, for example, the official Xinhua news agency said that retail sales of consumer goods jumped 33.8 percent from a year earlier to over 6.97 trillion yuan (U.S. $1.07 trillion).

But Xinhua added that the figure rose only 6.4 percent over the comparable 2019 period, producing an average annual growth rate of only 3.2 percent over two years.

Relic of central planning

Economists have been urging China to abandon the charade of announcing annual GDP growth goals for well over a decade.

But the gaps in this relic of central planning may now leave the direction of policy adrift.

The departures from traditional target-setting are a reflection of the continuing uncertainties of the economic damage caused by the COVID crisis, raising questions about how long the economy will need to recover from its recovery.

The official target for this year and the IMF forecast for 2022 may be taken as signs that China will return to its pre- pandemic course of gradually declining growth rates in time.

Li's explanations have tried to dispel the notion that the government has deliberately set the bar low so that it can jump over it more easily.

This year's goal is "not set in stone" and actual growth may be faster, said Li, according to Xinhua.

Li acknowledged that the economy is growing from an "incomparable base" of the 2020 plunge, while the pace of global recovery remains to be seen.

Li also voiced caution about preventing "wild swings in economic performance" and efforts to keep expectations "stable."

"A growth too fast will not be a steady one. You need a steady pace to sustain China's development for the long run," he said.

In a video address to the China Development Forum on March 22, Li repeated his insistence that the growth goal was "not low," suggesting that the target has been the subject of continuing controversy.

In apparent support for the government's position, a report by China Economist, published by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, forecast that first-quarter growth would reach 8 percent, but would settle back to "about 6 percent" for the year.

Industrial interests that habitually push for faster growth policies may be able to point to the IMF and other high growth forecasts to argue that Li's goals are too restrained.

'They don't care about the IMF'

Derek Scissors, an Asia economist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said the government is trying to head off another bout of binge borrowing to finance excessive growth, and is not concerned about coming up short of the IMF forecast.

"They're not anticipating anything seriously negative, and they don't care about the IMF," Scissors said by e-mail.

"They want to check risk in the financial system -- not necessarily reduce it, but limit it. Six percent instead of 8 percent is to discourage expansive provincial borrowing," he said.

The government is anxious to avoid the frenzy of previous growth spurts, when annual targets announced by the central government served as a go-signal for provincial and local officials to overshoot with double-digit production and infrastructure projects aimed at advancing their careers.

Signs of concern have already started to show in the banking sector as yuan-denominated loans in February jumped nearly 50 percent from a year earlier to 1.36 trillion yuan (U.S. $208.6 billion), Xinhua said.

The government is also likely to be wary of touching off another energy and environmental splurge at a time of limited domestic resources, rising concern about import dependence and pressure over climate change policy.

During the past winter months, much of the country struggled with electricity shortages, higher coal costs, fluctuating natural gas prices and air quality problems.

The government also faces pressure over President Xi Jinping's deadlines for reaching a peak in carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving "net-zero" carbon neutrality before 2060.

"It will be like walking a tightrope to balance emission reductions with ever-increasing demand for energy," said a report last month by Caixin Global.

"We need to seek a balance between, growth, income and employment, and we cannot pursue economic growth based on high energy consumption and heavy pollution," Li said in his remarks to the development forum on March 22.
MONROVIA, Calif., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trader Joe's, a national chain of neighborhood grocery stores, announced a collaboration with MagnusCards by Magnusmode, a free app dedicated to making the world a more accessible place for people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities. Trader Joe's is the first grocery store to partner with the app, and the launch comes just in time for today's World Autism Day, as well as the commencement of Autism Acceptance Month.

Using digitalized "Card Decks," the MagnusCards app guides users through tasks and activities that might otherwise feel challenging or overwhelming. As Magusmode's very first grocery partner, Trader Joe's is offering five TJ's-related Card Decks within the app. Using visual cues and step-by-step instructions (with optional audio enhancement), each Deck focuses on a different aspect of the Trader Joe's shopping experience. Examples include "Checking Out Your Items" and "Sensory Experiences in the Store."

"Grocery stores can be challenging places for individuals with autism, but the basic necessity of buying food and the simple pleasure of selecting what you plan to eat is vital for all people," says Magnusmode Founder & President, Nadia Hamilton. "Trader Joe's MagnusCards provide support for a critical skill set that everyone needs and a fun experience that everyone deserves."

Echoing Hamilton's sentiment, Trader Joe's spokesperson Kenya Friend-Daniel said, "Creating a positive and inclusive shopping experience is our utmost priority, so we're thrilled to be able to offer our customers this wonderful tool. It's a tremendous opportunity to further support our customers and their caregivers."

MagnusCards by Magnusmode is available for download in the Apple App store and Google Play. The Trader Joe's MagnusCards can be found in the app's "Shopping" section.

Trader Joe's is a chain of neighborhood grocery stores committed to providing customers outstanding value, the best-quality products at the best everyday prices, and a welcoming, rewarding shopping experience. From unique foods and beverages you won't find anywhere else, to daily staples such as eggs, milk, and 19 bananas, Trader Joe's stores carry a selection of domestic and imported products that have all been approved by a Trader Joe's tasting panel. Trader Joe's (www.traderjoes.com) began in 1967 in the Los Angeles area, and has since expanded to more than 515 stores in 42 states and Washington, D.C.

SOURCE Trader Joe's

Related Links

http://www.traderjoes.com


Humans, wild mammals, and birds are much less susceptible to the harms caused by modern pesticides, especially if they are used in small quantities. However, these pesticides are much more toxic to invertebrates. According to a study, higher toxicity outweighs lower volumes, resulting in a more lethal cumulative effect on pollinators and waterborne insects like dragonflies and mayflies.

The research published in the journal Science used data from the US government on pesticide usage and the extent of each compound's toxicity to calculate the "absolute applied toxicity." This provided for the measurement of improvements over time. The scientists argue that relying purely on pesticide amounts provides a misleading impression because certain pesticides are hundreds of times more harmful than others.

Related Article: Taal Wipes Out Bee Farm in Laguna



Debunking Pesticide Myth

According to the researchers, their findings refute arguments that lower pesticide consumption has a lower environmental impact. Despite arguments that genetically modified crops will eliminate the need for pesticides, the study indicates that pesticides used on GM crops have the same toxic effects as pesticides used on conventional crops.

The study is focused on the application and toxicity of 380 pesticides used in the United States between 1992 and 2016. According to scientists, many regions across the world are expected to follow the same pattern with lower volumes but greater toxic effects. Still, open-access data on pesticide usage is not available in the EU, Latin America, China, or Russia.

Killing Insect Species

Pesticides are one cause cited by scientists as contributing to the loss of certain insect species. Insects play an essential part in the habitats that serve humans, pollinating three-quarters of all crops.

They discovered that substituting carbamate insecticides for organophosphorus insecticides decreased overall toxicity to mammals and birds by a factor of nine. "In sharp comparison, overall applied toxicity to invertebrates has significantly increased since roughly 2005," they added, considering a 40 percent reduction in insecticide use.

"Compounds that are highly toxic to vertebrates have been substituted by compounds that are less toxic to vertebrates, and that is also a success," said Prof Ralf Schulz, who directed the study at the University of Koblenz and Landau in Germany. "At the same time, pesticides became more specific, making them more harmful to 'non-target species,' such as pollinators and marine invertebrates."

Biodiversity Loss

According to the researchers, the impact on insects may have knock-on effects on other species such as birds that depend on insects for food, as shown by a 2014 study in the Netherlands. They also noted that in many areas, the absence of public pesticide data "potentially hides a key cause of global biodiversity loss."

"GM crops were launched with the argument that they would limit agriculture's reliance on chemical pesticides," Schulz said. When you look at the toxicity thresholds, it's clear that this isn't the case."

Innovating Pesticides

"Our members continue to innovate ideas that have less impact on human health and the environment, but our technologies must address the demands of a diverse agricultural system," said Chris Novak, president of CropLife America, which serves pesticide firms. We're committed to partnering with the [US] Environmental Protection Agency to use the latest up-to-date research to balance the hazards and advantages of pesticide use."

Also Read: The Survival Secret of the Colorado Potato Beetle Against Pesticides

For more animal related news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
The Bergen County Prosecutors Office on Thursday said it would take control of the Englewood Police Department after the retirement of the city police chief.

The recent retirement of Chief Lawrence Suffern and a prior retirement of a deputy chief left the 79-member police department with a void in its two top positions and came after months of tensions within the ranks. Suffern, who served with the department for 33 years, left Thursday, a day after city officials announced his retirement. Officials have not named any possible candidates to fill the high-ranking police posts.

The present action under which the [county prosecutors office] will assume full direction and control of the police department is occasioned by the unanticipated retirement of Englewood Chief of Police Lawrence Suffern on April 1, 2021, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said in a statement.

The prosecutors chief of detectives would assign a senior member, of the county agency to serve as officer-in-charge responsible for daily operations of the Englewood police starting Friday, according to Musella. Superiors along with rank and file city police officers will report to that officer-in-charge in the change effective Friday.

I would like to thank Chief Suffern for his service to the residents of Englewood for more than 30 years, and I wish him good health and all the best in his retirement, Musella said.

I also commend the men and women of the Englewood Police Department for their dedicated service, and we look forward to working with them to ensure that public safety remains the priority of the Department as we transition to a new leadership team, Musella added.

The prosecutors office will be in charge of the police department while the city takes the necessary steps to provide a suitable management structure for the department, according to Musella.

The Englewood city council and city manager were cooperating with the effort, according to the prosecutor. In a joint statement, City Manager Sonia Alves-Viveiros said it was an honor and pleasure to work with Suffern and looked forward to working with the prosecutors office to ensure the community needs take precedence during this transition period.

The announcement marked the second time in recent memory that Musellas office has intervened in operations of the Englewood police. In December, prosecutors office officials took charge of the departments internal affairs function following an investigation. Officials have not revealed what the probe discovered or publicly detailed what prompted the countys move.

Suffern, who was Bergen Countys only Black local police chief, joined the city police as a dispatcher in 1987 before becoming a sworn officer. The Englewood native rose to become deputy police chief in 2009, helping to run operations, and was department spokesman. He was named chief in 2014.

Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes said Suffern served the city with integrity and professionalism, over his more than three decade law enforcement career.

His understanding of the importance of public safety, and commitment to policing has made [Englewood] a safe and better community for its residents, Wildes said in a statement.

His tenacity to serve his community and the officers of his department aligned with his allegiance to his professional responsibilities, the mayor added. The Chiefs capacity for empathy and understanding, along with his dedication to public safety, his interaction within the community, and the commitment to fairness in his department, will long be remembered and appreciated.

Sufferns retirement added a greater void in leadership with the department, but the city would move to address the top ranks, the mayor said.

Nevertheless, the residents should understand that public safety is our first priority. Secondly, working through the vacancies within the department to ensure staffing levels are met, Wildes said. Thirdly, working to restore the culture within the police department. The city is committed to address all of these in the short and long term and apprising the public when appropriate.

In the past several months, the department has become beset with infighting with a majority of local Police Benevolent Association members voting no confidence in the chief. The union also sued the chief, alleging violations of a collective bargaining agreement and retaliation.

Eight officers broke from the union to back Suffern and then-Deputy Chief Gregory Halstead. The PBA suspended those members, who resigned from the union to form their own chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Speaking at a farewell event for Suffern, Wallington Police Chief Carmello Imbruglia called the retiring chief irreplaceable and pointed to his work with the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association.

Bergen County NAACP President Jeff Carter, an Englewood resident, said while he did not always agree with Suffern, the chief cared about city residents and engaged in civil dialog.

I have to say...my hometown has disappointed me. The lack of diversity that has been happening with the officers here, the lack of support that Chief Suffern was given, Carter said. We are down officers and we need to do better.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.
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The United States recently joined the six other members of the Group of Seven countries, or G7, in condemning Russias aggression in Ukraine.
European nations' immunisation campaigns against COVID-19 are unacceptably slow and risk prolonging the pandemic, a senior World Health Organisation official said Thursday. Dr Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, said vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic, but noted that to date, only 10% of Europe's population has received one dose and that only 4% have been fully protected with two doses.

As long as coverage remains low, we need to apply the same public health and social measures as we have in the past, to compensate for delayed schedules, Kluge said. Even those numbers hide the true scope of the problems facing the European Union's 27 nations, where only about 5.6 per cent of its people have had a first vaccine shot, according to the bloc. In Britain, that figure is 46 per cent of its population.

Kluge warned European governments against having a false sense of security for having started their immunization campaigns. He noted that Europe remains the second-most affected region in the world in terms of new coronavirus infections and deaths.

WHO said new COVID-19 infections are increasing in every age group except those over 80, in a sign that vaccination efforts are having an impact in slowing outbreaks. But the UN health agency said early action to stop the virus' spread must be taken in the absence of high immunization rates.

Faced with rising hospitalizations that were overwhelming hospitals in Paris and elsewhere, French President Emmanuel Macron imposed new measures to combat a resurgence of the virus, including a three-week school closure and a domestic travel ban.

WHO says there were 1.6 million new cases and nearly 24,000 deaths in its European region last week. The 27-nation European Union has counted over 612,000 virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, and if other European nations like Britain, Russia, Switzerland and others are counted, Europe has seen over 928,000 virus deaths during the pandemic.

The region's situation is more worrying than we have seen in several months, said Dr Dorit Nitzan, WHO Europe's emergency manager, who warned people not to travel or gather in large groups over the coming religious holidays. "Many countries are introducing new measures that are necessary and everyone should follow as much as they can, Nitzan said. Kluge said his message to European countries was that now is not the time to relax measures.

Also read: J&J's COVID-19 vaccine batch fails to meet US FDA quality standards
STAMFORD  Food insecurity is a big problem across the nation, especially during the continuing COVID-19 crisis. But imagine how hard it is to rely on donated food when many things that you eat cause stomach issues?

To help local residents who are dealing with hunger along with food intolerances, Food Rescue US Fairfield County and Boston-based dietitian and author Kate Scarlata stepped in with a solution.

Scarlata arrived in Stamford on Tuesday with an AirStream trailer full of gluten-free, low-lactose and low-FODMAP food and made a food donation to Food Rescue US Fairfield County. (FODMAP foods contain short-chain carbohydrates that cause digestive distress for some people.)

For people living with food insecurity and food intolerance, access to suitable foods to treat their medical conditions can be an extra challenge, said Scarlata. Many food pantries stock foods, that can exacerbate abdominal pain for people living with celiac disease or IBS, such as wheat-based bread and pasta, canned legumes and soups. ... Gluten-free foods cost about twice that of their wheat-filled alternatives.

For her #EndHungerPain initiative, Scarlata is taking her AirStream trailer filled with food to Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina.

We are fortunate to have many wonderful food donors, but we dont always get to request or receive specific foods that can help alleviate stomach issues for those with food sensitivities, said Danielle Blaine, site director for Food Rescue US Fairfield County. The food that Kate is donating will help so many in our community.

In Fairfield County, Food Rescue US has provided more than 2 million meals since the start of the COVID pandemic. To learn more about Food Rescue US, visit foodrescue.us.

To learn more about Kate Scarlata and her mission to fight hunger with food that everyone can eat, visit katescarlata.com.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Everest team of Bahrain had started their acclimation climb around Lukla ahead of their Everest summit trek. The team wrote in their Instagram post that they reached Lukla, a small town near the base of Mt Everest, after a delay of four days, owing to bad weather.

The 16-members Bahraini mountaineering team, which includes 13 Bahrain Defence force members and 3 British nationals, will begin their final expedition in the second week of May.

The group will stay in Nepal for a total of 80 days. The same team, last year, had successfully scaled Lobuche and Manaslu peaks in Nepal. Local Samagaon authorities also renamed a peak in their honour of Bahraini Royals after the Royal Guards expedition climbed Manaslu.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 14:16:00|Editor: huaxia

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TASHKENT, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan and the Abu Dhabi-headquartered energy company Masdar have decided to triple the capacity of the country's largest wind power plant under construction, the Uzbek Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade said Friday.

The two sides signed an agreement on Thursday to increase the design capacity of the power plant located in the Zarafshon district of the central Navoi region from initial 500 MW to 1.5 GW, it said.

The initial project cost of 600 million U.S. dollars will also increase accordingly, and the partners will attract 1.8 billion dollars foreign direct investment.

The wind farm is expected to be put into commercial operation by the end of 2024 and generate enough electricity to supply 1.5 million homes.

Uzbekistan and Masdar will jointly build another 100-MW solar power plant in the Navoi region.

Last year, Uzbekistan announced a national Low-Carbon Energy Strategy, under which it plans to deploy up to 30 GW of electricity using solar, hydro, wind and nuclear energy. Enditem
Over the past day, two Ukrainian servicemen have been wounded in Donbas, 13 attacks from Russia-led forces have been recorded, the press center of the Joint Forces operation headquarters said.

"Over the past day, on April 1, in the area of the Joint Forces operation, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 13 times [...] As a result of hostile actions, two servicemen from the Joint Forces operation were injured. The defenders were promptly taken to a hospital, where they are provided with the necessary medical help. The condition of the wounded is satisfactory," reported in the morning summary on the headquarters Facebook page on Friday.

In particular, in the area of responsibility of the Skhid task force, near Pisky, Russian-occupation forces opened fire from the 82 and 120 caliber mortars prohibited by the Minsk agreements, and near the settlements of Starohnativka, Avdiyivka and Vodiane (Azov area), the enemy fired at JFO positions from grenade launchers of various systems and small arms.

In the area of responsibility of the Pivnich (North) task force, not far from Vodiane, Russian occupation forces used an anti-tank missile system in the direction of the Ukrainian positions. Near the settlements of Svitlodarsk, Luhanske and Zolote-4, the enemy used automatic heavy and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms.

In the suburbs of the villages of Shumy and Novotoshkivka, the enemy opened fire from automatic easel grenade launchers.

The headquarters said that Ukrainian servicemen returned fire to the enemy shelling.

"As of 0700 on April 2, no shelling was recorded," the report says.
Pope Francis is celebrating Good Friday in a severely restricted form because of the coronavirus pandemic.



In the early evening at 6 pm (1600 GMT), the Catholic Church leader will remember the suffering and death of



Jesus Christ in a service in St Peter's Basilica.



According to the Vatican, only a few faithful are to be admitted to the Pope's Masses around Easter because of health measures.



The large public Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum in the centre of Rome, which used to be a moving event for many pilgrims, will be cancelled as of 2020.



Instead - similar to the beginning of the pandemic - a small Stations of the Cross celebration is scheduled to take place in St Peter's Square in front of the basilica at 9 pm.



The event traditionally re-enacts Jesus' journey to death on the cross. For this meditation, children and young people have written texts and made pictures. According to church information, some of the children come from foster homes in Rome.



For the 84-year-old Francis, it is the second Holy Week and Easter under severe coronavirus restrictions.



In the spring of 2020, the pope from Argentina had warned against pessimism but appeared sad himself.



Easter, as the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, is the most important religious festival for Christians.

Source: BBC









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Homicide police have been called in after a young father was found dead inside a home following reports of a stabbing.

The body of the 20-year-old was discovered by police inside the house on Lorraine Street at Boronia, in Melbourne's south east, at 4.30am on Friday.

Neighbours said they were woken up to the sound of a woman crying and the flashing lights on the police cars outside.

A woman was later seen with her child getting into a police car before the pair were driven away.

The body was found by police inside the house on Lorraine Street at Boronia, in Melbourne's south-east, at 4.30am on Friday

Homicide detectives have cordoned off the area as they continue to investigate the cause of death.

'The exact circumstances surrounding his death are yet to be determined,' Victoria Police said.

One neighbour described the father as 'nice and quiet' who was happy to lend a helping hand.

'He helped me a few times fixing my fans,' one resident told Herald Sun.

Another neighbour said the father liked to work on the family's relocatable home.

The father has not been identified and detectives spent the day door knocking and taking down information from neighbours.

The father has not been identified and detectives spent the day door knocking and taking down information from neighbours
Pennsylvania hunters in the 2020-21 hunting seasons again killed the highest number of deer in the past 15 years, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The estimated 435,180 deer harvested in the most recent seasons, which ended in January, gave the commission the opportunity to make a similar announcement for a second consecutive year.

The 2020-21 estimated deer harvest topped the previous license years harvest of 389,431 by about 12 percent, the commission announced today.

Since 1993 Pennsylvania hunters have harvested more than 400,000 deer in a license year 10 times. Twice during that period, deer harvests exceeded 500,000, first in 2000 and then again in 2002, when the states record overall deer harvest of 517,529 was set.

The statewide buck harvest last year, estimated at 174,780, set a record for buck harvest in the antler restrictions era. The buck harvest also increased 7 percent over the previous license years buck harvest of 163,240. In the 2018-19 license year, 147,750 bucks were harvested.

About a quarter of the states deer hunters took a buck in the 2020-21 deer seasons, noted David Stainbrook, the supervisor of the commissions Deer and Elk Section. Its a trend that hunters have maintained over the past three license years. The fact that we can maintain such high success rates on bucks year after year demonstrates the sustainability of the deer population in Pennsylvania.

According to the commission, the antlerless deer harvest for the 2020-21 seasons was 260,400, besting the 2019-20 antlerless deer harvest of 226,191 by 15 percent. The 2018-19 harvest was 226,940.

The last time the antlerless deer harvest exceeded 2020-21s was in the 2004-05 license year, when 284,910 antlerless deer were taken.

For the 2020-21 deer seasons, the commission set the antlerless allocations at levels to reduce the deer population in wildlife management units where chronic wasting disease has been documented, as part of ongoing effort to limit the spread of the disease. The antlerless harvest increased in those WMUs as intended.

Obtaining an adequate deer harvest is essential in the WMUs in and surrounding the states disease management areas, said Andrea Korman, CWD biologist. Deer hunters remain the first line of defense in Pennsylvanias continuing efforts to manage CWD. The harvest illustrates the cooperation we hoped hunters would provide to help where CWD threats are at their greatest in Penns Woods.

Unlike in 2019-20, when antlerless harvests decreased in almost half of the states WMUS, in 2020-21, antlerless harvests either increased or were similar to the previous year in all WMUs except 3B, where a decrease was expected with a reduced allocation in 2020-21.

WMUs posting the largest antlerless deer harvest increases were the western Pennsylvania WMUs of 1A, 1B, and 2B. In WMUs 1A and 1B, the antlered harvest increased substantially as well.

Buck harvest estimates increased by more than 1,000 deer in 6 WMUs: 2A, 2F, 3A, 3B, 3C, and 4E. The largest increases in antlered deer harvest were in WMU 1A and WMU 1B, where the buck harvest increased by about 3,000 deer in each WMU.

The commission noted that the percentage of older bucks in the 2020-21 harvest remained high. About 64 percent of the bucks taken by hunters were at least 2.5 years old. The remainder were 1.5 years old.

Antler restrictions have succeeded in providing more older bucks for Pennsylvanias deer hunters, said commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. In place since 2002, they have transformed the smaller bucks that once dominated our deer harvests into a buck population that is the envy of deer hunters everywhere.

Anyone who hunted deer before antler restrictions can see the results. But its important to recognize that these bucks are a product of a well-managed deer herd and their existence hinged on the willingness of deer hunters to support antler restrictions.

About 68 percent of the antlerless deer harvest was adult females; button-bucks comprised 17 percent and doe fawns made up 15 percent. The previous license years breakdown was similar.

Bowhunters accounted for over a third of Pennsylvanias 2020-21 harvest, taking 160,480 deer (80,130 bucks and 80,350 antlerless deer) with either bows or crossbows. The 2019-20 archery harvest was 145,908 (74,190 bucks and 71,718 antlerless deer).

The estimated muzzleloader harvest  28,260  was down slightly from the previous years harvest of 29,604. The 2020-21 muzzleloader harvest included 1,140 antlered bucks compared to 1,260 bucks in 2019-20.

Total deer harvest estimates by WMU for 2020-21 (with 2019-20 figures in parentheses) are as follows:

WMU 1A: 9,000 (6,400) antlered, 18,000 (13,200) antlerless; WMU 1B: 11,700 (8,700) antlered, 17,800 (12,700) antlerless; WMU 2A: 8,100 (6,900) antlered, 11,800 (9,900) antlerless; WMU 2B: 6,200 (5,500) antlered, 15,000 (10,400) antlerless; WMU 2C: 8,400 (9,400) antlered, 15,700 (14,069) antlerless; WMU 2D: 12,000 (13,000) antlered, 18,700 (18,888) antlerless; WMU 2E: 6,500 (6,400) antlered, 11,300 (9,473) antlerless; WMU 2F: 10,700 (9,000) antlered, 10,000 (9,724) antlerless; WMU 2G: 7,500 (8,100) antlered, 6,800 (6,105) antlerless; WMU 2H: 2,900 (2,400) antlered, 1,600 (1,100) antlerless; WMU 3A: 7,000 (5,700) antlered, 6,700 (5,700) antlerless; WMU 3B: 9,100 (7,600) antlered, 8,500 (10,300) antlerless; WMU 3C: 10,800 (9,400) antlered, 14,500 (12,800) antlerless; WMU 3D: 6,200 (6,000) antlered, 6,400 (4,900) antlerless.

WMU 4A: 5,200 (6,000) antlered, 10,800 (7,924) antlerless; WMU 4B: 5,000 (5,700) antlered, 10,800 (8,285) antlerless; WMU 4C: 7,000 (7,000) antlered, 8,100 (8,300) antlerless; WMU 4D: 9,100 (8,700) antlered, 12,300 (10,955) antlerless; WMU 4E: 8,600 (7,300) antlered, 11,200 (9,500) antlerless; WMU 5A: 3,500 (3,400) antlered, 6,100 (5,000) antlerless; WMU 5B: 9,600 (10,200) antlered, 16,400 (15,345) antlerless; WMU 5C: 8,400 (7,600) antlered, 15,200 (14,427) antlerless; WMU 5D: 2,200 (2,500) antlered, 6,500 (6,700) antlerless; and unknown WMU: 80 (340) antlered, 200 (496) antlerless.

Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
Islamabad:

Pakistans PML-N party-led government on Friday managed to pass a key clause in the Elections Reforms Bill in the Senate, paving the way for ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif to become the chief of the ruling party again.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had disqualified Sharif as a member of the National Assembly following the Supreme Courts July 28 verdict on the Panama Papers scandal.

The 67-year-old leader was also rendered ineligible to act as the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party under the landmark verdict.

At todays session of the Senate, a vote was held on the proposed amendment with 38 lawmakers approving the bill as it is while 37 rejecting it. The government managed to get the bill passed by one vote, the Express Tribune reported.

With the passage of clause 203 of the Elections Reforms Bill, 2017 by the Senate, Sharif could become the chief of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz again, it said.

The National Assembly had approved the bill earlier.

Opposition Pakistan Peoples Partys Aitzaz Ahsan had

suggested an amendment in clause 203 stating that someone who was no longer a member of the National Assembly could not become the chief of a party either.

The amendment would have prevented Sharif from becoming president of the PML-N once again.

The bill gives every citizen the right to be part of a political party or create one, except those in government service.

The bill will now return to the National Assembly for approval. If the lower house of parliament passes the bill with amendments, it will become a law after formal assent by President Mamnoon Hussain, Dawn newspaper reported.

If the assembly refuses to accept the bill, it will go to a joint sitting of Parliament, it said.

After the passage of the bill, PML-N leader Mushahidullah said with the approval of clause 203, Sharif could become the party chief again.

In fact, it can be considered that he has already become the party chief, he added.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Gurugram, April 2 : A 21-year-old man, who was allegedly beaten up by his neighbours over a minor scuffle during Holi celebrations, died while undergoing treatment at the Safdarjung hospital in Delhi.

The police have registered a murder case against five neighbours, including two women in connection with the incident at the Bajghera police station here, said an officer on Friday.

The victim was identified as Vishal a native of Bulandshahr district in Uttar Pradesh. He died on March 31, two days after the incident.

Vishal was residing at a rented accommodation at Sai Kunj colony in Gurugram.

The victim's uncle, Harbir, in his police complaint said he along with his nephew and four-five others were celebrating Holi on March 29, when Poonam, Ravinder, Sheela, Rais Khan and Lalku -- all neighbours but from a different street of the same locality came at their spot.

"They were carrying sticks and started beating Vishal over a minor matter related to Holi celebrations and only after my intervention, they left the spot and threatened us with dire consequences," Harbir told the police.

Vishal was rushed to the civil hospital in Gurugram, Sector-10, by his family members. After receiving first aid, they came back at his Gurugram home and next day left for their native place.

"Vishal's condition deteriorated and we again came to Gurugram and rushed him to a private hospital from where he was referred to the civil hospital in Gurugram and finally admitted to the Safdarjung hospital in Delhi.

"On March 31, he died while undergoing treatment," the victim's uncle told the police.

"The victim was critical after the incident. He had received major injuries on his head due to the scuffle. We have identified the culprits and after a detailed probe, they will be nabbed soon," Surender Singh, Station House Officer of Bajghera police station, told IANS.
The first redistricting battle of the 2021 legislative session is here  but it's not about state or congressional districts.

Sen. Joan Huffman, a former Harris County district court judge, is proposing an overhaul of the Texas appellate court district boundaries in an effort, she says, to help balance the workload. Under the current setup, which hasnt been restructured in decades, the state frequently has to transfer cases from high-volume courts to lower-volume courts.

Texans routinely explain that these transfers lead to confusion, frustration and increased cost, said Huffman, a Houston Republican.

Senate Bill 11, which was voted out of committee on a 3-2 party line vote Thursday, would cut the number of appellate districts in half to seven.

But Democrats have described the proposal as a power grab after a blue wave helped them win majorities on half of the 14 appellate courts in 2018 and greatly increased diversity on the bench. The party, along with appellate court attorneys and judges, also worry that the new districts would reduce the voting power of minorities.

Under the proposed map, courthouses would be created in Midland and Lake Jackson. Dallas County would be folded into a district with Austins Travis County, combining the two liberal metro areas, while other blue-leaning cities such as El Paso would become parts of districts with more rural conservative counties.

SB 11 is a blatantly partisan attempt to draw maps unfairly for Black and brown Texans, said Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Texas Democratic Party. Texas is already one of the most gerrymandered states in the country.

The debate comes amid immense pressure on the courts. The pandemic and a temporary hiatus of the courts before Zoom calls became more commonplace have created a major backlog in trial courts that will eventually make its way to the appellate courts. Some also lost time after being hit with a ransomware attack in May 2020 that took down a portion of the statewide court network.

David Slayton, administrative director of the Office of Court Administration, testified Thursday that 400 to 600 cases on average are transferred per year. Even with transfers, imbalances in pending cases among the courts still exist  for example, the Texarkana court had 43 cases pending compared to 98 in El Paso as of Feburary.

It looks like the outcome of your proposed plan here would fairly closely equalize the filings per justice, Slayton said, adding that the office has not yet come up with an estimate of how much it would cost.

More than a dozen appellate court justices testified on the bill. Most were Democrats who didnt support it.

Second District Court of Appeals Chief Justice Bonnie Sudderth, a Republican who is chair of the Texas Council of Chiefs, said the bill would cause a disruption at every level of our operations.

Sen. Juan Chuy Hinojosa, a McAllen Democrat and an attorney, pointed out that when the Legislature redraws state and congressional boundaries, it holds multiple hearings. This bill had just one.

This is not redistricting; this is restructuring of the appellate courts, Huffman said.

The bill would immediately be ripe for legal challenge, said Hinojosa, a view echoed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and other civil rights groups that testified Thursday. They said the bill violates the Voting Rights Act by making it extremely difficult for minorities to elect their own.

All of the legal standards are met here to satisfy a Latino vote dilution claim, said Nina Perales, MALDEFs vice president of litigation.

Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, also an attorney, asked Huffman if she took partisanship into consideration when making the maps.

Some people think this is going to result in five Republican courts and two Democratic courts, Johnson said. Do you think that would accurately represent the partisan breakdown of this state?

Huffman said she did not consider political makeup in drawing the maps and didnt know how her plan might alter that.

Overlapping districts

The intermediary courts handle trial court appeals before they can be brought to the all-Republican high courts, the Texas Supreme Court for civil cases and the Court of Criminal Appeals for criminal cases.

The high courts have a much smaller bandwidth, however, and the appellate court is often the last stop for cases that either arent further challenged or are declined.

The appellate court boundaries have not been updated since 1981. The greater number of districts is not as necessary anymore, Huffman said, because travel is easier now and many cases are being handled remotely.

Huffman said she also sought to address a lack of clarity on what case law should apply when more than one appellate court serves the same area. She said her proposal combines existing district courts based on geography, eliminates overlapping jurisdictions and puts split-district courts back together.

No other state in the nation does this, said Lee Parsley, general counsel for Texans for Lawsuit Reform, of Texas overlapping and myriad appellate districts. Parsley leads a powerful tort reform group that contributes millions of dollars to Republicans. We favor change. This is as good a time as any.

But Justice Julie Countiss, a Democrat who was elected in 2018 to Houstons First Court of Appeals, which overlaps completely with the Fourteenth District, said shes heard of no confusion arising from the overlapping districts.

This has literally never been a problem in my experience, she said.

Justice Amparo Monique Guerra, a Democrat on the First Court of Appeals, said that when she was an attorney, she never felt disadvantaged because of the overlapping districts. She added that the district as currently drawn helped her get elected and brought more Latino representation to the court.

Prior to my election in 2020  we had no Hispanic justices out of 18 in the First and Fourteenth (districts) on the Houston Courts of Appeals, which cover the most diverse area in the country, Guerra said. I urge this committee to reflect on the possible outcomes and possible effect that the proposed map may have on opportunities of people of color to be represented on our courts of appeals.

Dallas Fifth Court of Appeals Justice Dennise Garcia said the boundaries proposed by Huffman would make it vastly more difficult to challenge judges that arent doing a good job and require incumbents to spend more time and money campaigning across larger areas.

Kristen LaFreniere, an appellate lawyer from Lubbock, said it was nonsensical to seek increased efficiency by reducing the number of courts. She said shed rather see a more surgical fix to the overlapping areas, as proposed in other bills.

Its kind of hard to look at this and say thats not partisan, LaFreniere said, a self-described conservative Republican from West Texas. It does seem to be more of a response to the shift left on some of the courts that weve seen. And that concerns me, Republican or otherwise, to see our courts being used in a political way.

Textbook intentional discrimination

Justice Erin Nowell, a Democrat who was elected to Dallas Fifth District Court of Appeals in 2018 and is the only Black justice on any of the appellate courts, said the bill would reduce opportunities for minority representation.

Texas has been making significant progress on diversity, Nowell said. Its happening. But this bill would not only decrease the opportunity for minority voters to vote their choice, it would also make it such that it would virtually guarantee that the number of justices of color that are on the bench right now would lose in the next election.

An analysis by Fair Maps Texas, a nonpartisan group advocating for equal political representation, found that the new map would reduce the percentage of districts with protected groups able to elect candidates of choice from 50 percent, or seven out of 14 districts, to 28.5 percent, or two out of 7 new districts.

Texas 2011 maps were deemed unconstitutional by federal judges who found that lawmakers combined Latino voters who were less likely to vote with white voters who were more likely to vote.

SB 11 would have this legislature do the same, said Emily Eby, staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project. This is textbook intentional discrimination.

Another bill introduced by Huffman would create a statewide Court of Appeals that would have exclusive jurisdiction over civil cases of statewide significance filed by or against state agencies or officials. The justices on the court, seated in Austin, would be elected on a statewide ballot. No Democrat has won statewide office since 1994.

That bill was met with similar opposition and accusations of partisan motivation. It, too, was referred to the full Senate on a 3-2 party line vote.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday extended the closure of Classes 1 to 8 in all schools till April 11, in view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.

On March 30, the state government had ordered the closure of schools for students up to Class 8 till April 4.

The Yogi Adityanath government has laid strict instructions to follow the Covid protocols in schools for Classes 9 to 12.

The sudden surge in Covid-19 cases in the state has caused a panic situation among the people.

During the meeting on Friday, Adityanath said the RT-PCR testing should be compulsorily done in suspected cases of Covid-19.

He also ordered officials concerned to increase the number of tests in the state.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a product recall for a batch of turkey crown over cooking safety fears due to the incorrect weight declaration on the package.

The alert was issued on Thursday by the FSAI and the product is sold in Dunnes Stores outlets across Ireland.

The recall applies specifically to 1.5kg packs of Dunnes Stores Irish Turkey Breast Crown with Prime Wings, with a best before date of April 5, 2021 and approval number IE 807 EC.

"Dunnes Stores is recalling the above batch of its Dunnes Stores Irish Turkey Breast Crown with Prime Wings as the product may be inadequately cooked due to the incorrect weight declaration on the package," reads a notice published on the FSAI website.

"Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the implicated batch."

Nature Of Danger:

If the cooking instructions are followed based on the weight declared on the label, the product may not be adequately cooked, therefore would be unsafe for customers to eat.

Consumers are advised not to eat the implicated batch.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
By JOSEPH KRAUSS, The Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP)  Christians in the Holy Land are marking Good Friday this year amid signs the coronavirus crisis is winding down, with religious sites open to limited numbers of faithful but none of the mass pilgrimages usually seen in the Holy Week leading up to Easter.

The virus is still raging in the Philippines, France, Brazil and other predominantly Christian countries, where worshippers are marking a second annual Holy Week under various movement restrictions amid outbreaks fanned by more contagious strains.

Last year, Jerusalem was under a strict lockdown, with sacred rites observed by small groups of priests, often behind closed doors. It was a stark departure from past years, when tens of thousands of pilgrims would descend on the citys holy sites.

This year, Franciscan friars in brown robes led hundreds of worshippers down the Via Dolorosa, retracing what tradition holds were Jesus final steps, while reciting prayers through loudspeakers at the Stations of the Cross. Another group carried a wooden cross along the route through the Old City, singing hymns and pausing to offer prayers.

Nuns pose for a selfie as they mark Palm Sunday on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 28, 2021. A year after coronavirus restrictions halted mass gatherings, Christians are celebrating Holy Week together. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)AP

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, died and rose from the dead, is open to visitors with masks and social distancing.

Things are open, but cautiously and gradually, said Wadie Abunassar, an adviser to church leaders in the Holy Land. In regular years we urge people to come out. Last year we told people to stay at home... This year we are somehow silent.

Israel has launched one of the worlds most successful vaccination campaigns, allowing it to reopen restaurants, hotels and religious sites. But air travel is still limited by quarantine and other restrictions, keeping away the foreign pilgrims who usually throng Jerusalem during Holy Week.

The main holy sites are in the Old City in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured along with the West Bank in the 1967 war. Israel annexed east Jerusalem and considers the entire city its unified capital, while the Palestinians want both territories for their future state.

Israel included Palestinian residents of Jerusalem in its vaccination campaign, but has only provided a small number of vaccines to those in the occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority has imported tens of thousands of doses for a population of more than 2.5 million.

Israeli authorities said up to 5,000 Christian Palestinians from the West Bank would be permitted to enter for Easter celebrations. Abunassar said he was not aware of any large tour groups from the West Bank planning to enter, as in years past, likely reflecting concerns about the virus.

Pope Francis began Good Friday with a visit to the Vaticans COVID-19 vaccination center, where volunteers have spent the past week administering some 1,200 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to poor and disadvantaged people in Rome.

The Vatican City State bought its own doses to vaccinate Holy See employees and their families, and has been giving away surplus supplies to homeless people. A masked Francis posed for photos with some of the volunteers and recipients in the Vatican audience hall.

Later Friday, Francis was to preside over the Way of the Cross procession in a nearly empty St. Peters Square, instead of the popular torchlit ritual he usually celebrates at the Colosseum.

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, center, kisses a child's forehead on Palm Sunday on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)AP

In France, a nationwide 7 p.m. curfew is forcing parishes to move Good Friday ceremonies forward in the day, as the traditional Catholic night processions are being drastically scaled back or cancelled. Nineteen departments in France are on localized lockdowns, where parishioners can attend daytime Mass if they sign the governments travel certificate.

Although a third lockdown light is being imposed Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron has wavered on a travel ban for Easter weekend, allowing the French to drive between regions to meet up with family on Friday.

Fire-ravaged Notre Dame will not hold a Good Friday mass this year, but the cathedrals Crown of Thorns will be venerated by the cathedrals clergy at its new temporary liturgical hub in the nearby church of Saint-Germain-lAuxerrois.

In the Philippines, streets were eerily quiet and religious gatherings were prohibited in the capital, Manila, and four outlying provinces. The government placed the bustling region of more than 25 million people back under lockdown this week as it scrambled to contain an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Philippines had started to reopen in hopes of stemming a severe economic crisis, but infections surged last month, apparently because of more contagious strains, increased public mobility and complacency.

More:

Long Good Friday of COVID-19 will be replaced by new life this Easter, Harrisburg pastor says

Egg hunts and other fun Easter activities to take your family on this spring
Actor on Friday said she has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under home quarantine.

The 28-year-old actor took to Instagram and posted a note, informing her fans that she is currently following all the safety protocols listed by her doctors.

"I have tested positive for COVID-19. I have immediately isolated myself and will be under home quarantine.

"I am following all safety protocols under the advice of my doctors. Grateful for all your love and support. Please stay safe and take care," the "Kalank" actor wrote.

Bhatt had on March 11 tested negative for COVID-19 and resumed work after her actor-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who had been shooting for "Gangubai Kathiawadi" with her, tested positive.

Kapoor last week tested negative for COVID-19 while reports suggest that Bhansali has also recovered from the virus.

On Thursday, Mumbai reported 8,646 new cases, its highest one-day rise since the outbreak of the pandemic. The city's overall caseload tally stands at 4,23,360.

(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.)
THOROLD, ON  On April 1, the Ontario government imposed a province-wide 28-day 'emergency brake' because of a rise in cases of COVID-19 throughout the province. This announcement caused Merrittville Speedway to cancel its events throughout the month of April and pause the start of the 70th season of racing at the Thorold, Ontario facility.

Unfortunately, due to the recent government shutdown across the province of Ontario, Merrittville Speedway will be unable to host any of our events throughout the month of April, said track owners Don & Lorraine Spiece. Those events included our test and tune session scheduled for April 10, the Spring Sizzler on April 17, and the 70th Season Opener on April 24.

The April 17th Spring Sizzler was set to be the debut event of the newly formed Pintys Knights of Thunder 360 Sprint Car Series. The Knights of Thunder are currently scheduled to return to Merrittville on Monday, May 24th as part of the Victoria Day event.

Merrittville Speedway will be providing an update regarding the schedule later in the month of April when more information will be available.
The GOP-led Texas state Senate approved an election integrity bill on April 1 that would prohibit mail-in ballot dropboxes and most drive-thru voting. It is a measure that Republicans said would "ensures election integrity." However, Democrats state that it is voter suppression that makes it more difficult for individuals with disabilities and ethnic minorities to vote.

Texas' Election Integrity Bill

The election bill, which was voted 18-13 along party lines, will now head to the state's House of Representatives. Committee hearings are expected to commence when the lawmakers convene on April 6.

In an overnight vote after over seven hours of deliberation, the Texas Senate signed off on Senate Bill 7. It would restrict extended early voting hours, ban drive-thru voting, and make it not legal for local election officials to proactively send applications to vote by mail to voters, even if they are eligible. The bill is at the forefront of the Texas GOP's campaign to limit voting in the state following the 2020 election.

The amendments set forth on the floor by Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes amid the debate cited changes to controversial measures. These included the voting hours, initial bill language on poll watchers, the number of county polling locations, and disability verification. The measure would also provide partisan poll watchers broader authority when observing at a polling location. It involves being permitted to record a voter who receives assistance as they fill out their ballot, reported CNN.

The bill also extends partisan poll watchers' powers. Critics remark this could intimidate Black voters. During former President Donald Trump's campaign, Republicans repeatedly complained in November that observers were not provided sufficient access to the voting and vote-counting process. It also imposes particular measures for how polling places could be disseminated in counties with at least one million voters. It largely applies to areas electing Democrats.

Georgia Law on Voting Rights Results in Partisan Battle

According to Hughes, the measure is designated to address areas through a process where bad actors could take advantage because they want the Texas public to be confident that their elections are honest, fair, and open. The legislation clarifies and standardizes voting measures, so all Texas citizens have a fair and equal opportunity to cast their ballot, regardless of where they live in the state, reported The Epoch Times.

Although the GOP remains in the full dominion of state government, Texas witnessed the highest turnout in decades in 2020. Democrats continue to drive up their vote counts in Texas' diversifying suburban communities and urban centers. Like other proposals under consideration at the Texas Capitol, several of the restrictions in SB 7 would focus on initiatives championed in those areas to make it more convenient for more voters to participate in elections.

Democrats and voting rights activists have voiced out concerns over the legislation. They touted it as suppressive and noted it appears to directly target Harris County's voting methods, which involves the heavily Democratic city of Houston. According to H. Drew Galloway, MOVE Texas Action Fund executive director, Senate Bill 7 will limit all qualified voters' right to vote.

'Kill the Bill' Bristol Protest Sees 20 Police Officers Injured

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Dhar : , April 2 (IANS) World famous Bagh print of Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh has appeared in the digital edition of Vogue Italia, giving it a new identity in the world of designing. The pictures of Sita, a tribal woman, wearing a sari in of the Bagh print are in the news in the fashion world these days.

This tradition of print on clothes started from a village called Bagh in Dhar district and now is known as the Bagh print. Bagh print saris, salwar-suits, bed sheets have become quite popular. Fully natural and botanical colours are used to engrave various designs on Bagh print. This print originally used floral and geometric patterns, keeping the original technique intact. Many of these prints are now being used on bed sheets, table covers, saris, and cushion covers.

Different self-help groups are associated with the livelihood mission in Dhar district. The central government has selected Bagh print of Dhar under the one-district one product scheme (ODOP). When the girls came out wearing the saris of Bagh print prepared by the self-help group of Dhar district, the group's photo of Sita Didi, a local tribal woman, appeared in the digital edition of Vogue Italia. Since then, it has acquired a new identity.

Vogue Italia is the Italian edition of Vogue magazine, which provides a platform for up-and-coming designers.

At the moment, 58 members of the eight self-help groups are associated with the livelihood mission in Bagh and Kukshi blocks of Dhar district with the work of Bagh print. This Print is being promoted by creating a company. The company is provided technical support by the Aparajita self-service organisation. The families of the group members are the shareholders of the company. A Bagh print hub is also proposed in the Bagh development block by connecting the artists together in the cluster activity.

According to local experts, Bagh print is also being recognised not only in India but across the world. For this, outlets are also being opened in many places. The participation of self-help groups is being increased in the Saras Mela, the Handicrafts Fair.

Plans are also afoot to connect the groups with the local market and other cities of the country for promotion.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Cornell University will require on-campus students to be vaccinated against Covid-19 this fall.

The university said the vaccines will be required for all students at the Ithaca, Geneva and Cornell Tech campus. Cornell has about 22,000 students.

Medical and religious exemptions will be accommodated, but the expectation will be that our campuses and classrooms will overwhelmingly consist of vaccinated individuals, greatly reducing the risk of infection for all, the university said on its website. Individuals who are not able to obtain vaccination prior to arrival for the fall semester, or whose vaccination is not recognized by New York state, will be expected to be vaccinated as soon after their arrival as possible.

Cornell appears to be the first major university in New York to announce the vaccine requirement for students. Rutgers University, in New Jersey, last week became the first college in the country to require vaccinations.

Cornell said that with the rapid rollout of vaccines and the requirement that students get them, we anticipate that our campuses will operate in the fall under conditions in which the degree of immunity is sufficient to prevent the spread of virus within the community (herd immunity). The college said it will return to regular in-person classes, and students will be required to wear masks and be tested for the coronavirus.

Research shows that classrooms full of vaccinated students would spread the virus no faster than rooms limited to half the occupancy, Cornell said.

On Tuesday, all New York residents 16 years and older will be eligible for the vaccines.

Syracuse University has not announced whether it will require vaccines for the fall. Neighboring SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry said Thursday it planned to return to in-person classes this fall, but did not say it would require vaccinations.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Rutgers University to require students get Covid vaccine before fall classes

Upstate one of first sites in world to test Pfizer Covid vaccine in kids under 5

Ryan McMahon plans to steer some Covid vaccine doses to college kids starting Tuesday
Posted Friday, April 2, 2021 3:58 am

- Washington State Journal

Universal health care for every state resident who wants it could come to Washington by 2026.

A bill under consideration now in the state Legislature establishes a healthcare commission to develop a comprehensive plan for a publicly funded health care.

For Mary Ann Riddis, guaranteed care and treatment would have helped her family. Riddis husband and two of her children all underwent cancer treatment, she told the House Health Care and Wellness Committee.

Because of obstacles with her works insurance provider, Riddis went into debt and filed for medical bankruptcy as a result of three cancer treatment plans. Riddis said the current system allows health insurance providers to deny certain services for any reason. Better services require more money.

Healthcare is being relegated to those who have resources instead of to those who need it, Riddis said.

Senate Bill 5399 establishes a voting board of both legislators and healthcare experts to determine how the state could transition to a universal system. It does not guarantee a single-payer system, but the commission would be tasked with finding a way to publicly fund and expand health services.

The commission, which would include two members from each party in each chamber of the Legislature, would research and then recommend ways to implement expanded healthcare in the state in a financially viable way. Others on the board would include the Department of Health secretary, the CEO of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange and the director at the Office of Equity.

By November 2024, the board would recommend a new universal healthcare system to the Legislature and governor with a detailed analysis of how much it would cost and how it would go into effect. To make their recommendation, members would have to consider disparities in access to health services and how to expand access in small communities.

Opponents to the bill said it does not address the full financial impact. Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, said the bill would target private insurance companies and likely result in a tax-funded court challenge.

We cant even begin to say that we can control the spending and keep the promises we are making in this bill, Wilson said.

According to the fiscal note, the current estimated cost would total $950,000 in the next two years, and then $723,000 between 2023-25, with costs falling on the Washington State Health Care Authority. A bulk of the costs would come from professional service contracts and salaries for state employees.

The Washington State Journal is a non-profit news website operated by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation. Learn more at wastatejournal.org.
Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba has decried the rampant defilement and incest committed by relatives and parents and called the perpetrators to repent.

Dr Kaziimba said there are fathers, uncles and cousins who have defiled their daughters and sisters, and impregnated them in violation of societal norms.

"To the families of those perpetrators, we know you are trying to protect yourselves from shame. Just know that the source of shame is always sin, not the one who exposes the sin. Shame does not go away by hiding it. The only way shame can go is by confessing it and allowing God's forgiveness to go deep into your family," Archbishop Kaziimba said yesterday while delivering Easter messages at a press conference in Kampala. He described the alarming cases of abuse of girls as 'the most discouraging piece of news and asked the victims to always reflect on the risen Jesus as their source of love and livelihood.

Statistics from the Ministry of Gender indicate that defilement cases have more than doubled in the last one year.

Cases

The ministry indicated that 200 fathers sexually abused their daughters in the 1,682 total defilement cases reported last year through a child helpline service.

Statistics also show that 175 complaints of defilement and sexual abuse were reported against immediate family members such as uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, grandparents, step-fathers and mothers.

However, many cases go unreported for fear of social stigma or embarrassment since many of the perpetrators are often family members or relatives.

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Archbishop Kaziimba appealed to the public to train boys so that they become respectful husbands and fathers who protect women and girls.

He also asked the government to lift restrictions on children coming to church, saying the houses of worship are ready to receive them for one hour per week in an organised way.

The Archbishop asked government to honour its pledge of locating the people abducted and return them to their families.

He also said the Church of Uganda will host this year's Good Friday way of the cross where he will be joined by his Catholic and Orthodox counterparts .

"If Jesus has conquered death, then he can also conquer whatever it is that is holding you back from experiencing life in its fullness. If you want the same kind of breakthrough that Jesus had when he broke through the grave, then this season is the best time to surrender to Jesus and attach your life to his," Archbishop Kaziimba said.
Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, the Presiding Archbishop and General Overseer of Action Chapel International, has urged Christians to be spirit-driven at all times, saying many have fallen short and become spiritually anaemic.



He said being spiritually anaemic implied that many Christians had moved away from the Holy Spirit and subjected their work with God to reasoning and emotions.



He asked them to repent and ask for forgiveness of their inability to acknowledge the place of the Holy Spirit in their lives.



Archbishop Duncan-Williams said this in his Good Friday sermon at the Church's Headquarters in Accra, on the topic: Keep Being Filled by the Holy Spirit.



It is difficult to serve God by reasoning and by the way we feel about situations. When I hear people say I am hurt, I am offended, all that are signs of spiritual immaturity and spiritual deficiency, he said.



The Archbishop said people were not being led by the Holy Spirit because they were not spirit-driven, adding: You cannot ignore the Holy Spirit and succeed.



He said the reasons Christians stumbled were because they were governed by emotions, insecurity, loneliness, and the desire to control and dominate others.



Something is wrong and its because we are trying to serve God with our senses, you cannot serve God with your reasoning because God is a spirit and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. The Bible says the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, he said.



Archbishop Duncan-Williams said the only way to be filled with the Holy Ghost was to keep praying in the Holy Ghost.

Source: GNA









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(Newser)  A handful of Arabic coins unearthed from a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in rural Rhode Island and other random corners of New England may help solve one of the planet's oldest cold cases. The villain in this tale: a murderous English pirate who became the world's most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim pilgrims home to India from Mecca in 1695, then eluded capture by posing as a slave trader. "It's a new history of a nearly perfect crime," Jim Bailey, an amateur historian and metal detectorist who found the first intact 17th-century Arabian coin at an orchard in Middletown in 2014, tells the AP. That ancient pocket changeminted in Yemen in 1693, making it among the oldest ever found in North Americacould explain how pirate Capt. Henry Every vanished into the wind after one of the most lucrative and heinous robberies of all time.

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His band had captured a royal vessel carrying tens of millions of dollars' worth of gold and silver, torturing, raping, and killing its occupants, before escaping to the Bahamas. English King William III then put a large bounty on their heads, launching what's known as the world's first manhunt. But until now, historians only knew that Every sailed to Ireland in 1696, where the trail went cold. Bailey says the 15 coins he and others have found in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and North Carolina, are evidence the notorious pirate first made his way to the American colonies. The pirates are thought to have sailed along the Eastern seaboard with Every posing as a slave trader. He even acquired Black captives at the French island of Reunion on his way to the Bahamas, says Bailey, whose findings are published in a research journal of the American Numismatic Society.

(Read more pirates stories.)
Biden's judicial nominees prove 'liberal dark money groups' control his administration: legal expert

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A former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas has alleged that President Joe Bidens newly released list of judicial nominees proves that he's letting liberal dark money groups control his administration.

Carrie Severino, president of the think-tank Judicial Crisis Network, which advocates for the appointment of originalist U.S. Supreme Court justices, expressed concern about Bidens first list of judicial nominees. The nominees on the list, released Tuesday, would fill 11 vacancies on the federal courts. Severino wrote about Judge Katenji Brown Jackson, Bidens pick to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in an op-ed for National Review.

Jackson has been on the Supreme Court shortlist of Demand Justice, to which prospects do not make the cut unless they are far to the left, she said. Others on the liberal groups shortlist include employees of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, as well as a visiting professor of social justice at Union Theological Seminary and a former Planned Parenthood attorney.

Severino noted that prior to becoming a federal judge, Jackson represented indigent criminal appellants before the D.C. Circuit and submitted amicus briefs on behalf of accused enemy combatants in military detention. In a Twitter thread Tuesday, Severino explained that the context in which the judicial nominations are occurring should concern conservatives: As Politico playbook noted this morning, President Biden has been working overtime to appease the far left, and we can expect his judges to rubber-stamp their extreme radical agenda.

One of these appeasement tactics is paying back the liberal dark-money groups that spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect him and Senate Democrats. This includes myriad dark money groups propped up by the vast Arabella Advisors Network, she continued. Severino mentioned in her op-ed that Demand Justice, which has included Jackson on their list of favored Supreme Court candidates, is part of the Arabella Advisors Network.

Severino elaborated on the implications of dark money groups support for Bidens nominees in an interview with The Christian Post: I think what  we can see are the groups that are very happy with these nominees, which again is the same laundry list of the  dark money organizations  we know that they are very satisfied by that list of nominees and I think thats  enough to raise my concern.

According to Severino, the list of judicial nominees is the latest example of how Bidens priorities and agenda are largely dictated at this point by the liberal dark money forces that helped put him in office, and were seeing that play out in the administration appointments, and now were seeing that play out in the judicial appointments as well. In addition to Demand Justice, Severino cited the Alliance for Justice, People for the American Way, and the American Constitution Society as examples of liberal dark money groups.

We have seen those groups on the left insisting on some of the most radical positions  on both abortion, on religious freedom, etc. And the fact that they are all very happy with these nominees tells you all you need to know about their positions on those cases. Because when  these groups talk about judges and the importance of nominating judges, they dont talk about  the importance of their judicial philosophy, for example, they talk about (judges) in terms of the policy goals that those judges are going to help them achieve, she added.

And so, if you wonder how  theyre going to be deciding cases, it is pretty clear  because of the support theyre getting from groups who do view judges just as a means to achieve policy ends, they obviously consider them completely reliable to deliver those policy goals.

As Severino told CP, a lot of Bidens judicial picks arent even judges yet, making it difficult to determine what their judicial philosophy would be.

Bidens nominees include attorneys working in the private sector: Tiffany Cunningham, the presidents nominee to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, his nominee to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Margaret Strickland, who he nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

One of Bidens picks to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Julien Neals, works as a county counsel in Bergen County. Biden also nominated Judges Deborah Boardman and Lydia Griggsby to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Judge Zahid Quraishi to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, as well as Judges Florence Pan and Rupa Ranga Puttagunta to serve on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

For his part, Biden seemed enthusiastic about his candidates, whom he described as trailblazing and the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession. He maintained that Each is deeply qualified and prepared to deliver justice faithfully under our Constitution and impartially to the American people  and together they represent the broad diversity of background, experience, and perspective that makes our nation strong.

The White House announcement about Bidens nominees touted the groundbreaking racial diversity of the picks, which include: three African American women chosen for Circuit Court vacancies, as well as candidates who, if confirmed, would be the first Muslim American federal judge in U.S. history, the first (Asian American Pacific Islander) woman to ever serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of D.C., and the first woman of color to ever serve as a federal judge for the District of Maryland.

While the list of judicial nominees provides information about the candidates experience and education, it doesn't include information about their philosophies and past rulings, if applicable.

Overall, liberal groups, including Demand Justice, have praised Bidens list of judicial nominees. In a statement, Demand Justice Executive Director Brian Fallon highlighted the public defenders and civil rights lawyers in this group as exactly the kind of judges we need to rebalance our courts. However, he also took a veiled swipe at the nomination of corporate attorney Regina Rodriguez, who the president has nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

Subtly referring to the recommendation by Colorados two Democratic senators that Rodriguez serve on the bench, which Demand Justice criticized, Fallon lamented that old habits die hard for some senators who are used to recommending corporate lawyers and prosecutors for federal judgeships. Fallon expressed a preference for public defenders and civil rights lawyers, whom he described as underrepresented professional backgrounds.

Current Senate rules allow judicial nominees to be confirmed with a simple majority, as opposed to the 60 votes required to pass most legislation. With a 50-50 split in the Senate and Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote for the Democrats, Biden should be able to get all of his candidates confirmed without Republican support if all Democrats vote in favor of them.

Severino acknowledged that opponents of Bidens judicial nominees will have a difficult time blocking their confirmations, but she contended that a Senate Democrat representing a very red state, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and another Senate Democrat representing a purple state, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, could be open to persuasion.

Are they going to stand with the citizens of their states, the  many Americans who dont want the courts turned into politics by other means, or are they going to go along with the demands of the Democratic Party and  just toe the line? she asked.
Have You Been the Victim of Sexual Harassment? File a Complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights

Have You Been the Victim of Sexual Harassment? File a Complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights

Vicki Levengood levengoodv@michigan.gov

April 2, 2021

Lansing, MI-The Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) reminds residents that sexual harassment may constitute illegal discrimination and victims of these acts have the right to file a complaint with the department.

"Recently Michigan has witnessed a number of sexual harassment and assault cases around the state, and yet many people are unaware that this behavior is a violation of their civil rights," said MDCR Director James E. White. "We urge anyone who has been the victim of sexual harassment to contact us and explore their options under law as soon as possible."

Under Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) and other state and federal laws, sexual harassment constitutes illegal discrimination. To file a complaint of discrimination under ELCRA, the harassment must have occurred within the last 180 days and be related to employment, education, housing, public accommodation/public service, or law enforcement. If the alleged sexual harassment meets these parameters, MDCR will take the complaint and conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.

What constitutes sexual harassment?

Under ELCRA, sexual harassment means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or other verbal or physical conduct or communication of a sexual nature when:

1) Submission to such conduct or communication is made a term or condition - either explicitly or implicitly - to obtain employment, public accommodations or public services, education, or housing;

2) Submission to or rejection of such conduct or communication is used as a factor in decisions affecting an individual's employment, public accommodations or public services, education, or housing; or

3) Such conduct or communication substantially interferes with an individual's employment, public accommodations or public service, education, or housing.

In most instances, victims of sexual harassment must make it clear to their harasser that the sexual conduct or communication is unwelcome. In an employment setting, report the harassment to your supervisor (unless the supervisor is the harasser), human resources director, or the person designated by your employer. Outside the employment setting, you should report sexual harassment to a landlord or property manager, or to the harasser's supervisor.

Examples of sexual harassment include:

Your supervisor fires or demotes you because you refuse sexual advances.

You must endure a hostile work environment due to inappropriate touching, exposure, or repeated sexual remarks, jokes, cartoons and/or photographs.

You are told that sexual comments or conduct are a part of the job you and should just accept it or quit.

Your landlord offers to reduce your rent for sex or threatens to evict you when you refuse.

Your university professor offers to raise your grade in exchange for sexual favors or reduces your grade when you refuse.

You apply for public services and are told your request will be processed more quickly in exchange for sex.

You are sexually assaulted. MDCR urges all victims of a physical assault to report it to law enforcement immediately.

Even if the harassment occurred more than 180 days ago, we urge victims to contact MDCR to find out if there are other remedies available to them. Under certain federal laws, an individual may have up to a year to file a complaint, and up to 3 years to file a lawsuit under Michigan law.

Although most victims of sexual harassment are women, a person of any gender may be harassed by someone of a different or the same gender.

"When in doubt, let MDCR help," said MDCR Director James E. White. "Never assume there is no option other than to silently endure sexual harassment."

To report sexual harassment and explore filing a complaint, contact the Michigan Department of Civil Rights at 1-800-482-3604, or go to Michigan.gov/MDCR and click on "File a Complaint" at the top of the page. If you are unsure of your options, you can talk with a member of the MDCR staff about whether there is a legal basis for filing a complaint.

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission was created by the Michigan Constitution to safeguard constitutional and legal guarantees against discrimination. The Commission is charged with investigating alleged discrimination against any person because of religion, race, color or national origin, genetic information, sex, age, marital status, height, weight, arrest record, and physical and mental disability. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights serves as the operational arm of the Commission.

###
The human body is an incredibly designed machine, and mechanical processes such as those in the lymphatic system play major roles in maintaining healthy tissue and organs.

Donny Hanjaya-Putra is an assistant professor whose work lies at the intersection of engineering and medicine. He studies the lymphatic system -; the part of the immune system that rids the body of toxins and other unwanted materials. He looks at how to restore dysfunctional lymphatic networks, which are associated with a wide range of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurological conditions and metabolic syndromes.

Now Hanjaya-Putra and his team -; bioengineering doctoral student Laura Alderfer, along with Elizabeth Russo, a 2019 graduate; Adriana Archilla, a student from Syracuse University; and Brian Coe, class of '19 -; have demonstrated how extracellular matrix stiffness affects lymphatic vessel function.

The team is combining this knowledge with polymer science and mechanical engineering to build new lymphatic cord-like structures, which help restore normal behavior to dysfunctional lymphatic systems and allow the body to fight the disease.

Cells can sense mechanical stimuli, such as matrix stiffness, and this activates certain genes to promote lymphatic formation. We used hydrogels made from hyaluronic acid (a natural sugar molecule) to enhance the cell-binding motif with appropriate mechanical stimuli (matrix stiffness) in a 2D model of lymphatic vessels and successfully stimulated new lymphatic vessel formations." Donny Hanjaya-Putra, Assistant Professor

The team has published its findings in The FASEB Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

This type of research is only possible, Hanjaya-Putra said, because of advances in imaging and stem cell biology.

"Traditionally, medical students spent hours studying the cardiovascular system, but not as much emphasis was placed on the lymphatic system," said Hanjaya-Putra. "The reason, in large part, was due to the difficulty in visualizing lymphatic vessels, which are transparent.

"Recent advances have allowed us to use specific cell markers to distinguish between blood endothelial cells and lymphatic endothelial cells, so we can now see and study these very important networks in vitro and in vivo."

Hanjaya-Putra and his team are now developing hydrogels that can be implanted under the skin to promote wound healing as well as gels that can be injected into the body at the site of injury.

Alderfer, the lead author on the FASEB article, was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Grant to study at the University of Helsinki. She will be studying lymphatic vessel formation in vivo in wound and cardiac injury models with Kari Alitalo, a global leader in the research of lymphatic vessels and translational cancer biology.
People have been urged not break the 5km travel limit to travel to holiday homes to celebrate the Easter break.

Superintendent David Kelly, of Milford Garda station in Donegal, said only necessary journeys should be undertaken this weekend.

Covid-19 is having a big impact on peoples lives. But we are asking people to stick with the public health advice, the vaccines are being rolled out now and we will see the benefit of it, he told Independent.ie.

In relation to people visiting coastal regions like Donegal where they have holiday homes, he said: This virus doesnt respect boundaries. We would be asking people to stay within 5km of their own home address.

He said he would ask people to take a common-sense approach if they have an issue in relation to their holiday home.

I know from policing Donegal over the years, a lot of people who have holiday homes have very good relationships with people in the locality who look out for their houses anyway. I would ask for that sort of system that has worked in the past to be used again, he said.

Dr Anthony Breslin, director of public health in the north-west said: "As cases of Covid decrease, its more important than ever that we all limit the number of contacts we have with others.

"We need to restrict our movements and we must remain vigilant to protect ourselves and our loved ones. We have seen some outbreaks following parties and this has to stop. The more risks people take and the more people they meet can have a really significant impact on the spread of Covid-19.

"This is particularly important if people socialise over the Easter break. If you take a risk today, tomorrow, or over the next few days, then you are taking that risk on behalf of anyone you see. Think about the impact that being diagnosed with Covid-19 would have on those close to you."

Meanwhile, Chief Executive of Donegal County Council Mr John McLaughlin, also asked people not to visit other households this long weekend.

"Easter is traditionally a time of celebration, for gathering together to enjoy the company of family and loved ones, but we must refrain from doing so this year to preserve the progress we have made over the past number of months, he said.

"This is such a difficult thing to do, we have all become weary of the impact of restrictions on our lives, but we must continue to protect our vulnerable, our front-line workers and one another.

"This bank holiday weekend, remember public health advice, together our actions will curb the spread of Covid 19.

Dr Emer Shelley, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health for the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland said: The last thing the country needs right now is for families to be mixing,.

Its really undesirable.

With around 600 new cases popping up no county can assume its safe.

And despite the best intentions to have just immediate family, like parents or siblings, over for a meal or a drink, the virus doesnt differentiate between those nearest and dearest to us and total strangers, she added.

Cases arose in very innocent circumstances, she said, citing a recent example of seeing a group of children all seated together on a blanket in the park with their mothers huddled next to one another drinking takeaway coffees who could well be spreading the virus amongst themselves.

There were a dozen three or four years on a rug with the mums standing around with coffees, she said.

Its just not wise.

And even if someone appears to be healthy, it still doesnt mean that dont have the virus and can pass it on to others, she added.

Because most cases are asymptomatic, you just dont know if someone has picked it up, she said.

Playdates, all of that extra contact all adds up to extra risk. Even though being outdoors is less risky, its still a risk.

And while two households can meet up outdoors for exercise under the current restrictions, it doesnt mean that they should be socialising, she said.

It doesnt mean standing around on the street chatting. That gives the impression to everyone that its okay.

When children are flying around on scooters theyre low risk. But for the adults standing around chatting to each other with no mask, anything other than just saying hello is not a good idea.

And while she acknowledged that everyone is fed up with the restrictions and are itching to get out and meet friends and family, she said now is not the time to let down our guard.

Its just not safe at this stage. We can still enjoy a few days off this Easter. But in the interests of the wellbeing for the entire country, it just makes sense to be patient. If we can just batten down the hatches for the next couple of weeks.
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By 1609, fancy new lenses allowed Galileo to observe sunspots, Jupiters moons, and other discoveries that made the case for heliocentrism much stronger. But a stronger case isnt a proven one, and some of Galileos arguments were hilariously bad. He said, for example, that the Earth zipping around the sun propels the tides, countering those dumb geocentrists who suspected that the tides had something to do with, get a load of this, the moon.

Galileos findings made him a celebrity, but people werent sold on heliocentrism yet. The Churchs stance was that it was fine as a theory, but greater proof was needed before you could argue about its impact on the Bible, as Galileo promptly did. He further hurt his own case by being a caustic jerk to foes and friends; when the sympathetic Jesuits suggested that his intriguing ideas needed more work, he called one of their leading astronomers a thieving moron. The big nerd fight ended in a stalemate because nothing could be proven and no compromises could be reached, and so in 1616, after years of debate, Pope Paul V formally declared heliocentrism false and told Galileo to cool it.

Cristiano Banti/Wikimedia Commons Apparently there needs to be some religious reasoning beyond just writing "Cram it, douchebag" in a papal bull.

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Then, in 1623, Urban VIII took charge. While a geocentrist, he liked Galileo and told him he could talk about his ideas again as long as kept them hypothetical. Galileo wrote a new book, but his enemies argued that it went too far in presenting heliocentrism as fact, therefore violating the 1616 ruling. They may have also convinced Urban that the huge dumbass who argues for geocentrism in the book was a caricature of him, although not even the undiplomatic Galileo was that stupid; he was probably mocking contemporary philosophers hed sparred with.

The end result was a brief trial that ended with an elderly Galileo convicted of a minor charge and sentenced to house arrest. None of this is to say that Galileo had it coming, or that the Church came out looking good. It was clearly an unjust ruling. But the affair was a human drama fuelled by egos and the tense politics of the Counter-Reformation, not one sane man getting railroaded by a bunch of overzealous morons. Nine years after Galileos death, Jesuit astronomer Giovanni Riccioli published a massive analysis of arguments for and against heliocentrism before settling on Tycho Brahes compromise between the two systems as the least absurd, so it wasnt exactly thought crime. Basically, decades of devout Catholics arguing over 17th century physics cant be reduced to a petty morality play that fuels comment section arguments.
A major national retailer is bringing one of its smaller-format stores to a high-profile vacant space in downtown Charleston.

Target Corp. is leasing 30,000 square feet in the Majestic Square building at 211 King St. that formerly housed Forever 21, the property owner announced March 31.

Forever 21 closed early last summer amid the pandemic after nine years in the downtown area.

An opening date for the new Target store has not been announced. It will be the retailer's first small-scale store in South Carolina.

"Were excited to bring an easy, safe and convenient shopping experience to new guests in the community with this new Target store," a company spokeswoman said.

The mass merchandise will be taking over a site that originally housed a Saks Fifth Avenue resort store.

Tom Stockdale, director of commercial asset management with The Beach Co., which developed and owns Majestic Square, said the Charleston-based firm was "determined to find a world-class retailer to serve a wide demographic for this premier space in the citys busiest commercial district."

"This ideal location in partnership with Target provides Majestic Square an opportunity to further support downtown Charlestons residents, area employees and visitors," Stockdale said.

A Target spokeswoman said the company is focusing on new store growth with its smaller-format stores.

"(They) are smaller than our general merchandise Target stores and are located in dense urban and suburban neighborhoods as well as near college campuses," the spokeswoman said.

The normally pedestrian-heavy site at King and Market streets is across from the upscale Belmond Charleston Place Hotel and near the College of Charleston.

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Target's big-box stores average about 130,000 square feet while its smaller outlets vary from 12,000 to 40,000 square feet.

The retailer's 1,900-store footprint across the U.S. includes more than 140 small-format shops, with about 30 of them near college campuses.

The compact stores generally offer groceries, including fresh produce, beer and wine, as well as home goods such as sheets and bath towels, tech accessories, clothing, toiletries and other items. Some shops also offer pharmacies and coffee shops.

The company said it will announce more details closer to the opening.

The store is generally being received warmly by locally owned and operated King Street merchants, who often don't think kindly of national retailers coming to the downtown area, partly because they drive up rental rates.

"I think it's fantastic," said Jordan Lash, owner of the Jordan Lash Charleston men's clothing store at 305 King St. "I don't think Target is looked down upon, and I think it will be phenomenal for foot traffic on King Street."

Lash said he's not always excited about national merchants coming downtown and driving out mom-and-pop operations.

"But I think this is a good addition to King Street," he said.

At M. Dumas & Sons, a men's clothing store for more than a century in downtown Charleston, business partner and CEO Gary Flynn said his first reaction was lukewarm but after giving it some thought, he believes Target will be a positive asset.

"As much as I don't like national brands on King, the space is a little large for the locals, so it makes sense," Flynn said.

He called Target "a little bit mainstream for King Street but I think it will be very successful there."
Need a good nights sleep?

Tempur-Pedic, a manufacturer and distributor of mattresses and pillows made from viscoelastic foam, is holding a huge sale through Monday (April 5, 2021) on select sleep mattresses.

Bargain hunters can expect to save 30% on any size TEMPUR-Cloud mattress up to $719.

Tempur-Pedic, which is now part of Tempur Sealy International, offers a free 90-night trial once you get your mattress. All of the companys mattresses come with a 10-year warranty. If your new mattress has a manufacturers defect within 10 years of purchase, well replace or repair it  FREE.

The TEMPUR-Cloud mattress adapts to your weight, shape and temperature for personalized comfort and support. It minimizes pressure points that keep you awake to prevent tossing and turning at night and reduces motion transfer in the bed so your sleep partners movements wont disturb you.

Its a mattress like no other, the Tempur-Pedic website raves.

The TEMPUR-Cloud twin mattress starts at $1,189.30 with the sale. The popular queen mattress is priced at $1,399.30 with the king selling for $1,679.30. There are other choices as well, and you can finance your mattress.

ORDER YOUR TEMPUR-CLOUD MATTRESS HERE

Here is what one product reviewer said: I purchased two twin clouds for our guest room because we bought a condominium in San Francisco and getting anything up to the 16th floor is quite a chore. The cloud comes in a box or bag and does not require the drama of movers. Its compact and you can move it yourself once it is delivered through the mail. This is a big deal when you live in a high rise in a city. Just open it up out of the wrap- it inflates! This mattress is awesome! My main mattress is a Pro-Adapt Hybrid and I LOVE it! The cloud is easier to get in a condo and .... Wow! Really super comfortable! Its much more firm but your body actually melts into it with great support and comfort. My sister and her friend came and stayed and both love soft beds. They slept like babies. They loved the mattress. Its a great value and a wonderful mattress. Also nice - its 10 inches in height. Fits a low profile frame. -- Kerin from San Francisco, Calif.
One person said that the men also paid in cash, sometimes withdrawn from a hotel ATM.

Some of the men and women took ecstasy, an illegal mood-altering drug, before having sex, including Mr. Gaetz, two people familiar with the encounters said.

In some cases, Mr. Gaetz asked women to help find others who might be interested in having sex with him and his friends, according to two people familiar with those conversations. Should anyone inquire about their relationships, one person said, Mr. Gaetz told the women to say that he had paid for hotel rooms and dinners as part of their dates.

The F.B.I. has questioned multiple women involved in the encounters, including as recently as January, to establish details of their relationships with Mr. Gaetz and his friends, according to text messages and two people familiar with the interviews.

No charges have been brought against Mr. Gaetz, and the extent of his criminal exposure is unclear. Mr. Gaetzs office issued a statement on Thursday night in a response to a request for comment.

Matt Gaetz has never paid for sex, the statement said. Matt Gaetz refutes all the disgusting allegations completely. Matt Gaetz has never ever been on any such websites whatsoever. Matt Gaetz cherishes the relationships in his past and looks forward to marrying the love of his life.

A lawyer for Mr. Greenberg, Fritz Scheller, declined to comment, as did a Justice Department spokesman.

It is not illegal to provide adults with free hotel stays, meals and other gifts, but if prosecutors think they can prove that the payments to the women were for sex, they could accuse Mr. Gaetz of trafficking the women under force, fraud or coercion. For example, prosecutors have filed trafficking charges against people suspected of providing drugs in exchange for sex because feeding another persons drug habit could be seen as a form of coercion.
I used to believe that the remedy for bad speech is more speech. Now that seems archaic. Just as the founders never envisioned how the right of a well-regulated militia to own slow-loading muskets could apply to mass murderers with bullet-spewing military-style semiautomatic rifles, they could not have foreseen speech so twisted to malevolent intent as it is now.

Cyber-libertarianism, the ethos of the internet with roots in 18th-century debate about the free market of ideas, has failed us miserably. Well after the pandemic is over, the infodemic will rage on  so long as it pays to lie, distort and misinform.

Just recently, we saw the malignancies of our premier freedoms on display in the mass shooting in Boulder, Colo. At the center of the horror was a deeply disturbed man with a gun created for war, with the capacity to kill large numbers of humans, quickly. Within hours of the slaughter at the supermarket, a Facebook account with about 60,000 followers wrote that the shooting was fake  a so-called false flag, meant to cast blame on the wrong person.

So it goes. Toxic misinformation, like AR-15-style weapons in the hands of men bent on murder, is just something were supposed to live with in a free society. But there are three things we could do now to clean up the river of falsities poisoning our democracy.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-03 00:33:23|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, plants a tree during a tree-planting activity in Chaoyang District in Beijing, April 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Shovel in hand, President Xi Jinping planted trees in Beijing on Friday. To many Chinese, this is not an unfamiliar scene.

Every year since 2013, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has joined the Chinese capital's annual voluntary tree-planting initiative.

It is one way in which he supports afforestation, which he has said plays a significant role in creating an environment where the sky is blue, the land green and the water clean and creates benefits for all the Chinese people.

Xi's hands-on involvement with the tree-planting project illustrates a genuine commitment to ensuring harmonious coexistence between humans and nature -- one he pursues in deeds as well as words. That is not to say this is an isolated event, indeed, throughout his career, he has championed numerous ecological conservation and green development campaigns.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, plants a tree during a tree-planting activity in Chaoyang District in Beijing, April 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

During his time in Fujian, for example, Changting county, a mountainous area in the west of the province, suffered from severe soil and water loss. The area's exposed red earth earned it the name "flaming mountain."

On five separate occasions, Xi traveled to Changting and led work to address soil and water damage. Today, it is one of the greenest counties in Fujian, with 79.8 percent forest coverage.

Not far away from Fujian, in the neighboring province of Zhejiang, cement mills and mines were once the backbone of Yucun village. While these industries provided jobs that were stable and lucrative, the thick dust and waste from the plants created an unbearable living environment for locals. So they decided to close the mines and cement plants.

This decision was made during Xi's tenure as secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, and in August 2005 he visited Yucun. It was during that visit that he first proposed a guiding theory that endures to this day.

"Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," Xi said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with the officials, people and school children on-site during a tree-planting activity in Chaoyang District in Beijing, April 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

The 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 was a real turning point, as this significant meeting was the catalyst behind the Beautiful China initiative and the battle for blue skies and clean water and soil.

Building on these successful ventures, the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Xiong'an New Area demonstrate how ecological conservation and green development are fundamental aspects of high-quality development in China.

"Put restoring the ecological environment of the Yangtze River at a dominant position," Xi once said.

During an inspection tour of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in 2019, Xi said a strategy that will have lasting importance for the millennium to come should start from afforestation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, waves to the officials and people on-site during a tree-planting activity in Chaoyang District in Beijing, April 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's voluntary tree-planting campaign.

Over the past 40 years, Chinese people's efforts to make their country greener have been ceaseless: China's forest coverage has grown from 12 percent to 23 percent, urban green space coverage from 10 percent to 41 percent, per capita area of park greenery from 3.45 square meters to 14.8 square meters.

Chinese people planted over 360,000 square kilometers of forests in the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020). This is equal to creating a forest the size of Germany in just five years.

In 2019, satellite images showed that China contributed one fourth of the world's gain in greenness between 2000 and 2017, the highest proportion among all countries.

In 2018, China incorporated ecological advancement into its Constitution for the first time. This year, the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 demands all-round green transformation of social and economic development and the building of a Beautiful China.

China has also promised to strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, waters a sapling during a tree-planting activity in Chaoyang District in Beijing, April 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Green development is already the backbone of efforts driving China toward its goal of becoming a modern socialist country.

"People should live in green shade, and this is what we should strive for. Let's roll up our sleeves and work harder, year after year, generation after generation," Xi once said. 
North Dakota has passed a law that largely prohibits the state government from treating houses of worship worse than non-religious establishments during times of emergency.

Gov. Doug Burgum signed Senate Bill 2181 into law on Monday, which amends subsection 12 of section 23-01-05 and section 37-17.1-05 of the North Dakota Century Code.

The new law prohibits state government health officials from, among other things, issuing emergency orders that treat religious bodies worse than secular entities unless a compelling state interest exists.

SB 2181 states that any orders relating to disease control measures cannot substantially burden a person's exercise of religion unless the order is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest." The states that officials can't treat religious conduct more restrictively than any secular conduct of reasonably comparable risk, unless the government demonstrates through clear and convincing scientific evidence that a particular religious activity poses an extraordinary health risk.

Source:The Christian Post
In California, the color of suffering is the juicy purple of seedless grapes. In Alabama and Alaska, its blood-colored. Blue signifies safety in many states, unless the blue is navy and youre in Utah, in which case it communicates total catastrophe  the worst conditions possible. In New Mexico, nothing is better than green except for a color the governors office used to call green-plus, before it was changed to turquoise.

The paradox of the many different colors of the nations many different coronavirus alert tiers is that they matter both so little and so much.

If you live in one of the roughly 20 states that signal coronavirus restrictions with hues (often in direct relation to infection rates), the colors have exerted greater influence over your life than almost any other authority, dictating whether your neighborhood bar is open and how many people in a nearby town are permitted to get haircuts simultaneously.
(Natural News) The Texas Senate has passed a bill requiring the winterization of all of the states electricity-generating infrastructure. The bill also promised to completely overhaul Texas electricity market. This bill was made to prevent the historic blackouts that swept through the state during the February cold snap from happening again.

Nearly half of Texas power-plant capacity went down when a winter storm froze equipment and cut off the supply of gas. The ensuing blackouts left more than four million homes and businesses without power for several days. More than 100 people died during the crisis, and in its aftermath state lawmakers scrambled to address some of the preventable issues that caused the catastrophe.

The measure passed by the Texas Senate will require the owners of transmission lines, natural gas facilities, pipelines and power generators in the state to protect their infrastructure against extreme weather conditions or face a penalty of up to $1 million a day. (Related: Texans have filed multiple lawsuits against ERCOT for failing to adequately respond to the cold snap.)

The bill also bans power companies from offering electricity plans that are tied to the states power market. This practice is what made energy providers infamous in the aftermath of the cold snap, as many consumers were suddenly presented with inordinate energy bills. Notably, some customers of power retailer Griddy received bills in the tens of thousands of dollars. The latter was forced to declare bankruptcy after the crisis.

The goal of the bill is to introduce some modest regulations in the states free electricity market. The bill will change the way that electricity is priced during emergency situations to protect consumers from the surging electric bills.

Finally, the bill will also force renewable energy sources to have backup plans in order to provide power during emergency situations by purchasing ancillary services  systems that will help keep renewable energy generators operating reliably.

Similar electricity market reform bills in Texas lower house

Two days after the Senate passed its reform bill, the Texas House of Representatives passed its own series of bills written in response to the aftermath of the February power crisis.

The bills that passed are House Bill (HB) 10, 11, 12, 13, 16 and 17.

HB 10 mandates that key members of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and its subsidiary, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), be residents of the state. HB 11 will require power providers in the state to prepare equipment to deal with inclement weather during both the summer and winter months.

HB 12 establishes a statewide alert system. HB 13 creates the Texas Energy Disaster Reliability Council, which will oversee the electric grid during crisis situations.

HB 16 bans the sale of wholesale indexed products to residential customers, which is similar to what the state senate proposed. Finally, HB 17 bans local governments from prohibiting specific energy sources.

I think this is a critical first step, said Republican Rep. Chris Paddie, who authored half of the six bills passed by the House. As chair of the House State Affairs Committee, Paddie led the examination into the disastrous handling of the cold snap and its aftermath.

The Texas House today took important first steps in passing critical, essential reforms in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, said Republican Speaker of the House Dade Phelan in a statement. The actions taken by the House will help restore confidence in our critical infrastructure after the catastrophic mismanagement of our electric grid last month.

The Houses legislative package will reform ERCOT, ensure the reliability of our grid in extreme weather conditions, defend ratepayers and improve coordination during times of crisis, added Phelan.

The bills in the Senate and in the House have been approved by their respective houses. Both chambers will now need to reconcile the various pieces of legislation before approving everything and sending it to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott for signing.

As far as fixing ERCOT going forward, winterizing the grid, making sure we have capacity, I believe the House and Senate will come together on that, said Republican State Sen. Bryan Hughes. Its moving fine. We have plenty of time  just enough time  to do that.

We will hash out the differences, said Phelan. Theres no pride in ownership between the two chambers. We just want to do whats right for all Texans.

Learn more about how Texas responded to the winter storm by reading the latest articles at GreaterTexan.com.

Sources include:

Rigzone.com

DFW.CBSLocal.com

KXAN.com
You are here: China

China will continue its efforts to free up state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from performing social functions to make them more competitive. So announced a teleconference held Thursday.

Historically, an SOE in China was a social unit, providing not only life-long employment to employees but also nearly all necessary social services to its workers and their families. These included housing, health care, child care, education, and grocery provision.

Transforming SOEs into market-oriented firms entails taking these burdens off their shoulders.

Premier Li Keqiang, in an instruction issued to the teleconference, said China made decisive achievements in freeing SOEs from performing social functions. He called for efforts to consolidate gains, make SOEs more competitive, and perfect social security systems and public services.

He said solving the issues left over by history while pressing ahead with SOE reforms requires adopting measures suiting local conditions and designs according to enterprises' needs.

State Councilor Wang Yong, while attending the teleconference, stressed the role of oversight and inspections to make sure that reform goals are met.
The Virginia state Supreme Court overturned a district court ruling Thursday that barred the city of Charlottesville from removing two Confederate statues in the city, including one memorializing Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The city can now proceed with the removal of the Lee statue, as well as another nearby memorial to Gen. Stonewall Jackson, both of which the City Council voted to remove in 2017. The prospect of the Lee statue being taken down prompted a group of local residents to sue, halting the removal as the case made its way through the state court system.

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The case against the statues removal was technical: a question of which level of state government had jurisdiction over the memorials and could therefore authorize their removal. The ideological push to keep Confederate iconography in place, however, came from far-right groups that used the prospect of removing the Lee statue as a white nationalist rallying cry to galvanize the deadly Unite the Right rally in August 2017. The rally was reminiscent of Klan rallies and served as a wake-up call for many on the lingering influence of white nationalist groups. It also sparked a national reckoning on the continued presence and meaning of Confederate monuments throughout the South.

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A court injunction in 2017 first halted Charlottesvilles planned removal of the statues. The group of residents that filed suit claimed the city didnt have the authority to remove the monuments because a 1997 state law barred localities from taking down Confederate war memorials. A district court agreed in 2019, but the Virginia Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the 1997 law only applied to memorials erected after that point, and did not apply retroactively, thereby granting the city authority to remove the Lee statue, which was erected in 1924, and the Jackson statue, which dates back to 1921.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief has awarded a $1.1 million grant to Church World Service to help asylum seekers on the southern border and elsewhere in the United States.

At its spring meeting held in March, the UMCOR leadership approved the grant to support CWS Leading with Welcome program, which aids asylum seekers with case management.

Erol Kekic, senior vice president for the Immigration and Refugee Program at Church World Service, told The Christian Post in an interview on Wednesday that the funding will help expand the program to meet a growing need.

The grant comes at a time when thousands of unaccompanied children are in U.S. custody amid an upswing in immigration in recent months.

Source:The Christian Post
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 09:34:07|Editor: huaxia

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LA PAZ, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia on Thursday announced tighter travel regulations, including a 10-day quarantine for anyone arriving from abroad, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Those entering the South American country by air, land or water must present a certificate of negative PCR test for COVID-19 carried out up to 72 hours before their departure.

Visitors must guarantee they have health insurance, except Bolivians, who are covered by the Unified Health System, and foreigners with permanent residency in Bolivia.

Bolivian President Luis Arce announced via Twitter that as of Friday, the country will close its border with Brazil for a week to prevent the entry of a virus variant reported in Brazil, which is considered to be more contagious.

Bolivia has so far reported 272,411 cases with 12,257 deaths from the disease. Enditem
(From the Tennessee Department of Agriculture)

NASHVILLE  Tennessees State Veterinarian wants to make citizens aware that an outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2 (RHDV2) has been detected near the Tennessee border in Arkansas. There have been no cases found in Tennessee, but rabbit owners should be mindful of the heightened risk.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease is highly contagious and fatal to domestic rabbits, wild hares, and pika. RHDV2 can be transmitted through direct contact with infected rabbits or carcasses, meat or fur, feces, bodily fluids, bedding material, feed and water bowls, and hay.

Onset of this rabbit virus is extremely quick and its persistent, State Veterinarian Dr. Samantha Beaty said. The virus can remain in the environment for an extended time, even in extreme temperatures. Pet owners and breeders should be alert for any signs their rabbits are infected.

Infected animals may experience lethargy, decreased appetite, labored breathing, swelling, and internal bleeding. Owners should also watch for bloodstained noses or mouths although often the only sign is sudden death of the animal. RHDV2 does not affect humans or other animals.

The best defense against RHDV2 infection is increased biosecurity measures. Rabbit owners are urged to follow these procedures:

 Separate domestic rabbits from other pets, livestock, and wild animals.

 Thoroughly clean and disinfect surfaces and equipment used for rabbit care.

 Thoroughly wash hands, clothes, and shoes before and after contact with domestic rabbits.

 Dedicate a pair of shoes to be worn in rabbit housing and dont wear them outside the housing area.

 Quarantine newly acquired domestic animals for at least 30 days from other pets and livestock.

 Do not handle dead wild rabbits.

Hunters should wear gloves and disinfect tools, equipment, and hands after field dressing animals. Meat from healthy animals is safe for human consumption if dressed and cooked properly.

RHDV2 is a reportable foreign animal disease in the United States. Breeders who experience a high number of sudden deaths should report the mortality event to the state veterinarians office. All rabbits entering Tennessee are required to have a certificate of veterinary inspection. Contact the state veterinarians office at 615-837-5120 or email animal.health@tn.gov for import requirements.

If you find dead wild rabbits, contact your nearest Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency regional office. Visit tnwildlife.org for office information.

For the most current map of RHDV2 outbreaks, visit the USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website at www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/maps/animal-health/rhd.
Hyderabad, April 2 : An unemployed youth, who attempted suicide last week over not getting a job in the Telangana government, succumbed at a hospital here on Friday.

Sunil Naik, 26, a resident of Mahabubabad district, had consumed pesticide on March 26 in Hanamkonda and was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad.

His amily members said he was depressed over the government not issuing a job notification.

Naik, a graduate, had been preparing for a job in the Police Department. In 2016, he achieved eligibility for the police job but could not clear the physical fitness test.

He had taken a room on rent in Hanamkonda and used to visit Kakatiya University library daily to prepare for competitive exams.

Naik was upset after the state government last week enhanced the retirement age for government employees from 58 to 61 years. According to his family members, he was depressed that the government may never issue a job notification.

Before consuming pesticides, he made a selfie video, saying that his death would at least give jobs to the unemployed.

He was shifted to the MGM Hospital in Warangal and was later brought to Nizami's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad where he succumbed on Friday.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed at the Gandhi Hospital where the body was shifted for autopsy.

Leaders and workers of opposition parties and the youth's relatives staged protests, demanding justice.

Meanwhile, state BJP President Bandi Sanjay blamed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for the youth's death. He said since Naik took the name of the Chief Minister in his last statement, Rao should be arrested.

Youth Congress staged protest, blaming the TRS government for Naik's suicide. It called upon unemployed to participate in his last rites.

Police made tight security arrangements to shift the body from Hyderabad to Naik's native village in Mahabubabad district.
Tunis/Tunisia  Spokesman for the educational channel at the Education Ministry Mokhtar Khalfaoui announced on Thursday, that the channel will be operational in the coming days for the benefit of baccalaureate students, after recording 200 lessons since February 2021.

khalfaoui said in a statement to TAP that the new channel called "Al-Watania Educational," will join the other Tunisian TV channels on Nilesat and Arabsat.

He added that the pedagogical support will be provided by a group of teachers under the supervision of inspectors and that the broadcasting will start with six sessions of lessons to reach, then, eight sessions over 24 hours of experimental broadcasting.

He explained that the educational lessons will be rebroadcast throughout the day, in addition to the lessons on YouTube and social networking sites.

A partnership agreement on this channel was signed on March 29 between the Ministry of Education, the National Broadcasting Office and the Tunisian Television Establishment.

This initiative will be further enhanced during the next school year to include all education levels, the official indicated.
In the latest development, 21 people have been arrested in relation to the attack on BJP MLA Arun Narang by a group of farmers in Punjab's Muktsar district earlier this week. As per sources, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Muktsar president Sukhdev Singh was arrested among others for assaulting and stripping the BJP MLA in full public view last Saturday. The BJP MLA was attacked and his clothes were torn by a group of farmers in Punjab's Muktsar district on Saturday even as police personnel attempted to move the legislator to a safe point.

BJP MLA thrashed and stripped

BJP MLA Arun Narang was attacked by the farmers at Malout when he arrived to address a press conference. The BJP MLA and other local leaders were initially surrounded by farmers following which black ink was hurled at them after which they were escorted to a shop nearby. The farmers once again targetted the MLA when he made his way out, attacking him physically and tearing his clothes to shreds while the police attempted to surround the MLA and move him to safety.

The video of the BJP MLA being hounded and attacked by the mob did rounds on social media following the attack on Saturday, inviting sharp criticism from the Opposition and the farmer unions. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Malout) Jaspal Singh informed that the protesters were adamant that they would not allow the BJP legislator to hold the press conference. The DGP said a criminal case will be registered against the suspects and statements of local BJP leaders were being recorded. Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Faridkot, was injured while trying to save and evacuate the MLA. He suffered a cane blow on his head, causing his turban to fall off. He was admitted in Civil Hospital, Malout, the CM said in a statement.

Punjab CM condemns attack

Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh condemned the attack on BJP MLA Arun Narang and warned of strict action against anyone who attempted to disturb peace in the state. The Punjab CM also urged PM Modi to intervene in the ongoing farmer's agitation in order to bring a quick resolution in order to prevent further escalation of the situation. Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana KP Singh also strongly condemned the attack on Narang at Malout and said that it was unacceptable for an elected representative to be thrashed in full public view. State Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said that such "unlawful behaviour" had no place in a democracy and the farmers' protest would be weakened by such incidents.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha condemns attack

Farmer union Amyukta Kisan Morcha condemned the attack on MLA Arun Narang at Malout and expressed 'regret' over the manhandling of an elected representative. Darshan Pal, the leader of Samyukta Kisan Morcha, said that the Samyukta Kisan Morcha appeals to all protesters to remain peaceful and disciplined. "It is a matter of regret that an elected representative was treated this way. We do not encourage such behaviour. We strongly condemn this act," he said in a statement.
Union Minister has said that the pace of highways construction in the country has touched a record 37 km per day in financial year 2020-21.

He said the achievement was remarkable as it was achieved despite constraints posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry of road transport and highways has constructed 13,394 km of highways in fiscal year 2020-21.

"Tremendous progress has been achieved in building highways across the country... We have achieved a road building pace of 37 km of highways a day," Gadkari said.

Gadkari said these "achievements are unprecedented and have no parallel in any other country in the world".

He said over the past seven years, length of highways has gone up by 50 per cent from 91,287 km (as of April 2014) to 1,37,625 km (as on March 20, 2021).

"Cumulative cost of ongoing project works has increased by 54 per cent at the end of the financial year 2020-21, compared to the financial year 2019-20 (as on March 31)," the minister said.

Total budgetary outlay increased by 5.5 times, from Rs 33,414 crore in the financial year2015 to Rs 1,83,101 crore for the financial year 2022.

Sanctioned amount has increased by 126 per cent in financial year 2020-21, over the financial year 2019-20 despite COVID-19-related impact, the minister said adding that the sanctioned length in kilometres has also increased 9 per cent in FY21 over FY20.

Average annual project award (annual average award length) during the financial year 2015 to the financial year 2021 increased 85 per cent, compared to FY10 to FY14, as per the Ministry.

Average annual construction (average annual construction length) during FY2015 to FY2021 has increased by 83 per cent compared to FY2010 to FY2014, the Ministry added.

The minister said that when he took over the charge of the ministry of highways, there were 406 stalled projects entailing an investment of Rs 3.85 lakh crore.

It was a slew of steps that saved Indian banks from Rs 3 lakh crore of non-performing assets (NPAs), he said.

Gadkari said massive initiatives to resolve the deadlocks and accelerate the pace of highway building, including termination of projects worth Rs 40,000 crore, resulted in fast-tracking of the road building.

The government envisages building 34,800 km of highways at a cost of about Rs 5.35 lakh crore under the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojna.

The Highways Authority of India (NHAI), he said, has also made a world record by laying down 12,500 cubic metres of concrete on a stretch of 2.54 km. NHAI contractor Patel Infrastructure had created a world record by laying the highest quantity of concrete on a four-lane highway in 24 hours recently.

The feat by contractor Patel Infrastructure Ltd was recognised by the India Book of Records and the Golden Book of World Records.

It had laid a four-lane highway of 2,580 metres length within 24 hours totalling about 10.32 lane km.

The highway is part of the greenfield Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai 8-lane Expressway project and was carried out by the world's largest fully automatic ultra-modern concrete paver machine.

The ministry has taken several initiatives to increase the pace of construction.

A new India is in the making with infrastructure which will be no less than that in the US and Europe in five years, Gadkari said. A solid foundation has already been laid with over Rs 17 lakh crore worth of projects in the last five-year period, he added.

"In five years, I can guarantee that India's infrastructure will change... It will be no less than the US or European countries... A new India is emerging," Gadkari said.

He said a network of green expressway corridors is being laid, including the Rs 1-lakh crore Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, and added that the 30-km Dwarka Expressway, being built at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore, is an engineering marvel and would result in a Singapore-like place on Delhi's borders.

He also said border roads are being augmented and about 90 per cent work has been completed on the Kailash Mansarovar route project via Pithoragarh.

Work is being done there on war-footing with Australian tunnelling method in minus 8 degree temperatures, he said.

With the completion of this project, the arduous trek through treacherous high-altitude terrain can be avoided by the pilgrims of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the period of journey will be reduced by many days.

Currently, travel to Kailash Mansarovar takes around two-three weeks through Sikkim or Nepal routes.

In addition, work is in full swing on the Char Dham project to provide all-weather connectivity to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath at a cost of about Rs 12,000 crore, the minister noted.

Besides, 17 such highways have been built in Rajasthan and other areas that can double up as airstrips, he said.

Work on the Zojila tunnel is underway to provide all-weather connectivity to people in Leh and Ladakh who remain cut off from the rest of the country for six months every year, he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A feud between Nigerian banks and MTN left millions of subscribers unable to recharge their phones using the USSD services on Friday. That was after banks shut off the telecoms firm over fees charged for the service.

MTN advised its subscribers to seek alternative means of recharging their phones without informing them what the problem was.

Dear Customer, our bank recharge channels are currently unavailable. Kindly recharge using physical cards. We apologise for the inconvenience. Thank you, one message read.

Another read: Please be informed that some of MyCustomers may not be able to purchase airtime and data recharges via banks including MOD and myMTN App.

Please pacify MyCustomers and educate them to use MTNTopit, MoMo channels, as well as the debit card options on MOD or myMTN App.

Why the block?

Phone users expressed their frustrations online as the outage lasted throughout Friday.

A top industry official who asked not to be named told PREMIUM TIMES that banks cut off the service to protect their profits. He described the move as tyrannical.

Banks have tried to remove the cost of using USSD, but are willing to cut off subscribers to protect their own fees earned through the channel, the source said.

This only has to do with the preservation of bank profits, which are already substantial and growing despite the wider economic conditions.

The government needs to step in and deal with this once and for all. Nigerian banks need to stop their tyrannical posture. USSD has not been cut by MTN as far as I know, the official said.

Note that with their action, the banks are denying customers from accessing their money to make legitimate purchases/transactions.

Banks are focused on bullying everyone to maximize their revenues. The banks did not send a formal communication to customers or to MTN before taking this action.

MTN gets first hit

PREMIUM TIMES understands that there is a row between the banks and telcos over what banks should earn from every recharge.

A source said the telcos sought to reduce the banks share by almost half, a decision the banks kicked against.

The banks argue that since they maintain the infrastructure through which the recharges are done, they deserve better.

In protest, the banks decided to remove MTN services from their infrastructure as a way of signalling to the telcos that they could bark and bite.

But another industry insider told PREMIUM TIMES, The 42 billion they are owing us (MTN and others), they dont want to pay.

Rather, they want to surreptitiously factor it into a new price regime so that customers will unknowingly help them pay what they had already billed them. Of course, we refused, which is why they are fighting us now.

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Meanwhile the overnight suspension of airtime sales by some of the banks is not restricted to USSD channels alone, but includes airtime purchases through all banking channels  bank apps, bank USSD codes, even debit cards.

USSD feud with MTN and others

The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission on March 15 settled a row between banks and telcos over fees by imposing a new charge for the banks short-code service.

Known as USSD, it allows millions of Nigerians to use their mobile phones to access financial services daily.

The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said banks owed its members N42 billion and threatened to suspend service.

From March 16, subscribers paid N6.98 each time they use the USSD for banking transactions. That arrangement has angered customers and alarmed advocates of financial inclusion.

The regulators claimed the billing would ensure a much cheaper average cost for customers to enhance financial inclusion.

A PREMIUM TIMES report showed the banks and telcos would realise about N564 million in a year from the new mobile banking fee.

MTN spokesperson, Funso Aina, did not reply to calls or messages sent to him through text and WhatsApp.

The spokespersons of Access Bank and United Bank of Africa, Amechi Okobi and Ramon Nasir, did not respond to calls and text messages.
Mumbai: Actor Dia Mirza on Thursday announced that she is expecting her first child with businessman husband Vaibhav Rekhi.

The news comes just over a month after the couple tied the knot on February 15 in a private ceremony, which was attended by family and close friends.

Dia Mirza and Vaibhav Rekhi

The 39-year-old actor took to Instagram and posted a picture with her baby bump.

"Blessed to be. One with Mother Earth. One with the life force that is the beginning of everything. Of all stories. Lullabies. Songs. Of new saplings. And the blossoming of hope. Blessed to cradle this purest of all dreams in my womb," the actor wrote.

Mirza recently returned from Maldives, where she was holidaying with Rekhi and Samaira, his daughter from first wife.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed humanitarian and economic issues, connected to Nagorno-Karabakh, during the meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ara Ayvazyan in Moscow Thursday.

"The sides discussed the implementation of the November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021, agreements of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia. Special attention was paid to pressing issues of humanitarian response in Nagorno-Karabakh, and unblocking of trade and transport ties in the region," Russian Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

The Ministers also exchanged their opinions on pressing issues of bilateral cooperation, including contacts on high and the highest levels, as well as preparation to the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two states.

"The sides reviewed individual issues of international agenda that pose mutual interest," TASS cited the ministry as saying.

Earlier on Thursday, Lavrov also met with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ceyhun Bayramov.
Andrew Morton claimed friends told him they saw the Duchess of Sussex, 39, and about with friends during her time in the Royal Family

Meghan Markle appeared to lead a 'normal life' during her time as a royal - despite the bombshell revelations she made during the tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview, Princess Diana's biographer claimed.

Andrew Morton, who famously penned Princess Diana's blockbuster biography in 1992, claimed friends told him they saw the Duchess of Sussex, 39, out and about with friends during her time in the Royal Family.

In the extraordinary interview watched by tens of millions of people around the world, Meghan claimed she only left the house twice in four months when she was living at the palace and alleged that officials took her 'passport, my driving licence, my keys.'

Speaking on Royally Obsessed podcast, the royal biographer was asked whether Meghan's situation was similar to that experienced by Princess Diana.

'When I was watching the interview, I was ticking off 'yes, sense of isolation', 'yes, sense of desperation' exactly what Diana was saying to me,' he explained.

'But then again, well, friends of mine said they've seen Meghan walking from Whole Foods supermarket on Kensington High Street with bags of foods back to Kensington Palace.

Princess Diana 's biographer claimed that Meghan Markle appeared to lead a 'normal life' during her time as a royal - despite the bombshell revelations she made during the tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview. Pictured, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their interview with Oprah Winfrey which was broadcast in the US on March 7

Dressed to shop: Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle was pictured on 9 November 2016 after a shopping expedition among the organic produce at the three-storey Whole Foods store on Kensington High Street - just down the road from Kensington Palace

Andrew Morton (pictured) also pointed out that Meghan flew to New York on a private jet when celebrating her baby shower when pregnant with Archie

He continued: 'It didn't seem too much like a prison. Other friends have seen her out and about with friends at restaurants, so she seems, to me, to have led a normal life.'

Following the interview last month, The Royal Family was left reeling after Meghan Markle tearfully revealed that the stress of royal life made her suicidal when she was five months pregnant, claimed Archie was denied the title of prince because he is mixed-race and said Kate Middleton made her cry before she married Harry in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

But several claims made in the interview have been questioned - one of which being the Duchess of Sussex's allegation that she had to give up her passport and driver's licence.

'You couldn't just go,' Meghan explained. 'You couldn't. I mean, you have to understand, as well, when I joined that family, that was the last time, until we came here, that I saw my passport, my driver's licence, my keys.'

Idris Elba, who was a guest at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in May 2018 (pictured), defended Meghan Markle and said she was right to 'speak truth' as her voice was 'taken away'

Oprah went on to question whether she felt 'trapped,' to which the Duchess of Sussex replied: 'That's the truth.'

She claimed that she was told by 'people within The Firm' that she was 'everywhere', and was advised she should consider laying low for a bit.

Meghan told the presenter: 'I said: 'I have left the house twice in four months, I am everywhere but I am nowhere.''

'I continued to say to people: 'I know there is an obsession with how things look, but has anyone talked about how it feels? Because right now I could not feel lonelier'.'

Bombshells from the Oprah interview - Meghan's mental health The Duchess of Sussex revealed she had suicidal thoughts and said: 'I just didn't want to be alive any more.' She said she begged for help, and asked to go somewhere to get help, and approached one of the most senior people in the institution, but was told it would not look good. The duchess said: 'I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said that I've never felt this way before and I need to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution.' - Baby Sussex is a girl Harry and Meghan revealed they are expecting a baby girl. The duke joined his wife in the second half of the interview, and told the chat show host: 'It's a girl.' He said his first thought was 'amazing' when he discovered they were having a girl, adding: 'Just grateful. To have any child, any one or any two, would have been amazing. 'But to have a boy and then a girl, I mean what more can you ask for? Now we've got our family, we got the four of us and our two dogs.' Asked if they were 'done' with two children, Harry said 'done' and Meghan said: 'Two is it.' She also confirmed the baby is due in the 'summertime'. - Royal family accused of racism Meghan said, when she was pregnant with Archie, an unnamed member of the royal family raised 'concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born'. Asked whether there were concerns that her child would be 'too brown' and that would be a problem, Meghan said: 'If that is the assumption you are making, that is a pretty safe one.' Pushed by Winfrey on who had those conversations, Meghan refused to say, adding: 'I think that would be very damaging to them.' She added: 'That was relayed to me from Harry, those were conversations the family had with him, and I think it was really hard to be able to see those as compartmentalised conversations.' - Archie's title Meghan suggested she and Harry wanted Archie to be a prince so he would have security and be protected. The duchess expressed her shock at 'the idea of our son not being safe', and the idea of the first member of colour in this family, not being titled in the same way as other grandchildren. Archie, who is seventh in line to the throne, is not entitled to be an HRH or a prince due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by King George V. He will be entitled to be an HRH or a prince when the Prince of Wales accedes to the throne. As the first born son of a duke, Archie could have become Earl of Dumbarton - one of Harry's subsidiary titles - or have been Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, instead at the time of his birth, a royal source said Harry and Meghan had decided he should a regular Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. - The Prince of Wales The Duke of Sussex said his father the Prince of Wales stopped taking his calls while Harry and Meghan were in Canada 'because I took matters into my own hands. I needed to do this for my family'. He said Charles wanted him to put his plans in writing. - The Queen Harry denied that he had 'blindsided' his grandmother Queen with the bombshell statement about stepping down as senior royal. The duke said he believed the report probably could have come from 'within the institution'. - The Duchess of Cambridge Meghan said Kate made her cry ahead of her wedding. Reports circulated ahead of the Sussexes' nuptials that Meghan left Kate in tears at Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress fitting. But Meghan told Winfrey the 'reverse happened'. Meghan said she was not sharing the information to be 'disparaging', but added it was 'really important for people to understand the truth'. 'She's a good person,' the duchess added. Advertisement

Andrew Morton also pointed out that Meghan flew to New York on a private jet when celebrating her baby shower when pregnant with Archie in February 2019.

He went on to add that the royal made many overseas trip 'without wearing handcuffs'.

The royal biographer continued: 'So there's some inconsistency but also there's similarity with Diana as well. It was a complex interview and it has left us with lots of questions.'

It comes as Idris Elba, who was a guest at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in May 2018, defended Meghan and said she was right to 'speak truth' as her voice was 'taken away.'

The two-hour Oprah Winfrey interview was the biggest royal tell-all since Harry's mother princess Diana detailed her crumbling marriage to Prince Charles in 1995.

Speaking to ET, Idris was asked: 'We have seen in real life your friend Meghan Markle telling her story of the black experience  what do you think about her courage, just stepping out and saying 'I need to speak my truth'?'

He responded: 'I will say that everyone has to have their opportunity to speak up about what they feel.'

'You cannot take someone's voice away, that's what we have to communicate.'

Meghan Markle used her bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview to accuse the Royal Family of having 'concerns' about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be before he was born because she is mixed-race and Harry is white.

The Duke of Cambridge was the first royal to personally respond to the racism allegations days after the interview aired when he spoke about mental health during a visit the School21 in east London.

At the time, he revealed that he had not spoken to his brother since it came out, but added that he 'will do'.

It was also the first engagement for Kate since she was accused by Meghan of making her cry in the bombshell tell-all chat.

Meghan said: 'She (Kate) was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised. And she brought me flowers'.

During the Oprah interview, Meghan also revealed details about their strained relationship, saying of pictures of them laughing at Wimbledon, 'Nothing is what it looks like.'

She added that Kate being called 'waity Katie' in the press couldn't compare to the alleged racism she faced.

Meghan also made allegations that she felt suicidal and turned to the palace for help.

The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah she 'couldn't be left alone' and told her husband she 'didn't want to be alive anymore' before claiming the Buckingham Palace HR department ignored her plea for help because she wasn't a 'paid employee'.

Describing how she considered ending her life believing it 'was better for everyone', Meghan said:

'I knew that if I didn't say it, that I would do it. I just didn't want to be alive anymore.

'And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. I remember how he just cradled me. I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help.

'I said that 'I've never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere'. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution'.

She said that after confiding in her husband, she was forced to go to the Royal Albert Hall for a charity event in January 2019, claiming photos from that night 'haunt me'.

She told Oprah she later reached out to one of the best friends of Diana, Princess of Wales, because she felt unsupported by the palace.

She said: 'When I joined that family, that was the last time I saw my passport, my driving licence, my keys - all of that gets turned over'.

Meghan said Harry had 'saved my life' by agreeing to move to Los Angeles.

During the broadcast, Prince Harry hinted at the extent of the alleged rift between the two brothers, claiming that their relationship was now 'space,' but added he hoped time would be a healer.

He went on to claim he was 'on different paths' to William and spoke about his brother was 'trapped' in the Royal Family.

Harry also said he felt 'very let down' by his father Prince Charles, accusing him of refusing to take his calls and and then 'cut him off' financially when they emigrated.

He said: 'My father and brother. They're both trapped' and added that his mother Diana would be 'angry and sad' that he felt he had to leave the royal family, but 'she saw it coming'.

Harry said: 'All she'd ever want for us is to be happy', adding that his wife had 'saved me', declaring:

'I myself was trapped, as well. I didn't see a way out'.

The Queen broke her silence on the interview, voicing her 'concern' over the issues raised, 'particularly that of race', although the statement added that 'some recollections may vary'.

There has been much speculation about which member of the royal family they were accusing of racism. But during the interview the couple would not be drawn on who had deeply offended them.

Harry said: 'That conversation, I am never going to share. At the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked.'
FREDERICKSBURG, Va., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Service King Collision recently repaired and donated a 2015 Ford Fusion to Keesha Wright, a local Fredericksburg resident, through the National Auto Body Council's (NABC) Recycled Rides program.

Service King Collision recently repaired and donated a 2015 Ford Fusion to Keesha Wright, a local Fredericksburg resident, through the National Auto Body Council's (NABC) Recycled Rides program.

Recycled Rides is a unique community action initiative through which members of the NABC and others in the auto body repair industry unite with local nonprofit organizations to provide deserving individuals and families with the gift of a fully restored vehicle. Service King has consistently donated vehicles through the Recycled Rides program for more than 10 years. For this donation, GEICO provided the car that Service King repaired.

Wright, a single grandmother, was nominated by Rappahannock United Way, a Fredericksburg nonprofit that strives to create a community where families and individuals achieve their full potential through financial stability, education and healthy living. Wright currently cares for her daughter, who was severely injured in an accident, and her six grandchildren. After her car caught on fire this past summer, Wright lacked transportation to accomplish necessary daily tasks or to take her grandchildren places. Service King's donation provided increased independence and financial stability for Wright and her family.

"Our team was very proud and excited to prepare this vehicle for the Wright family," said East Coast Director of Operations Christopher Hardin. "Our company is founded on acts of service, so participating in the Recycled Rides program is something we take deep pride in. We get to see firsthand how service can impact someone's life through auto collision repair. We are thrilled for Keesha and her family to gain dependable transportation through this donation."

This is the second vehicle that Service King has joined hands with the NABC to restore this year, with several additional donations planned for the remainder of 2021.

To learn more about Service King, visit serviceking.com.

About Service King Collision

Service King Collision, which is now celebrating 45 years of experience in the automotive repair industry, is a leading national operator of comprehensive, high-quality auto body collision repair facilities. The organization is consistently recognized for its commitment to customer satisfaction, quality workmanship and giving back to the industry through innovative training and recruiting initiatives. Service King traces its roots back to Dallas, Texas and founder Eddie Lennox who opened the very first Service King in 1976. Today, Service King operates locations in 24 states and the District of Columbia across the U.S.

For more information and to find a local Service King, visit serviceking.com and follow Service King on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Contact: Emily Ashmun, Service King Collision

469-426-7657

[email protected]

SOURCE Service King

Related Links

https://www.serviceking.com


1. Australia is the new Dubai

The latest lockdown, coming in the depths of winter, has been grim. Earlier this year, a raft of reality stars, including Georgia Harrison, James Lock and Josh Ritchie, came under fire for apparently avoiding the strict restrictions by travelling to Dubai.

It has now emerged that Australia is the destination of choice for A-list celebrities, with Zac Efron, Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon among the stars making Oz their home in recent months.

Australia has largely eliminated Covid-19, meaning few restrictions are still in place. At the same time, 40,000 Australians have been unable to return home since the start of the pandemic after the country put in place strict border controls and the price of flights rocketed.

Even worse, it has been reported that some celebrities have been allowed to quarantine in private mansions after arriving, while all other international arrivals have had to isolate in hotels at a cost of $3,000 per person.

2. Its a good Friday

Mainland Europe is slipping deeper into another deadly wave of Covid-19. In France, schools have been closed for three weeks and a curfew has been put in place. Schools have also been closed in Belgium, while Spain remains in a state of emergency.

Conversely, in Northern Ireland, restrictions are being lifted, with the Executive rubber-stamping plans for all schoolchildren to return to class after the Easter break.

Local politicians have refused to provide indicative dates for the reopening for most sectors, despite schedules being drawn up in other parts of the UK.

The Belfast Telegraph revealed last Friday that Northern Ireland was the only part of the UK following advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) by refusing to provide dates for relaxing restrictions.

It emerged on Thursday that local health officials were not expecting a further surge in cases, thanks largely to the success of the vaccine scheme.

A Belfast Trust official told the trust board they were expecting "some bumps or blips in the road" but believed that if people adhered to the public health guidance, there would not be a repeat of previous waves.

3. Vaccination and immunity

The vaccination programme is being rolled out at pace and was extended this week to people aged 45 and above.

More than three-quarters of a million of people in Northern Ireland have now received at least one dose. Of this number, 153,454 people have had two.

The majority of younger people will be offered shots at the SSE Arena vaccination centre.

Expand Close Robin Swann said the nation is making progress in fighting Covid-19 (Liam McBurney/PA) / Facebook

Twitter

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Whatsapp Robin Swann said the nation is making progress in fighting Covid-19 (Liam McBurney/PA)

Meanwhile, GPs are concentrating on ensuring that patients who have already had a first jab get the second on time.

According to Department of Health statistics, 59% of health and social care staff and almost half of people aged 80 and over have had two doses.

More than 3,700 people aged between 75 and 79 have had a second dose, and almost 3,000 second doses have been administered to the extremely vulnerable.

The Office for National Statistics has estimated that one in two people in Northern Ireland, or 49.3% of the population, would have tested positive for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the week ending March 14.

This suggests they have had the infection in the past or have been vaccinated.

4. Case rates

The comments at this weeks Belfast Trust meeting about the possibility of a further surge were something of a first. Until then, officials had been reticent to definitively state that vaccines would prevent another wave.

While there are no certainties when it comes to Covid-19, the case rates are promising.

According to the latest Department of Health statistics, the seven-day positive case rate in Northern Ireland is 846.

This is a drop of 20% compared to the same day last week and a 93% decrease from January 4, when Northern Ireland recorded 12,507 new cases over the previous seven days.

While case rates have been affected by the lockdown, the vaccination programme is also likely to have had an impact.

This can be illustrated by the seven-day case rate in people aged 60 and over  the cohort most likely to have been vaccinated.

The latest figures reveal there were only 26 positive cases in people aged 80 and over in the last seven days and 56 new cases in people aged between 60 and 79 over the past week. At the same time, there are only six active care home outbreaks.

5. Vaccine passports

Health Minister Robin Swann has said he is not in favour of vaccine certificates.

He has also said it is not a measure the Executive is in favour of introducing.

However, it emerged this week that Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be planning to bring in vaccine passports in England.

What this will mean for Northern Ireland is uncertain. But if they do become mandatory in England and further afield, people here will have to take this into consideration if they plan to visit countries that want proof of vaccination.

EU leaders agreed last month to work on certificates to try and kick-start the tourism industry.

At the moment, no decisions have been made on foreign holidays from Northern Ireland, but earlier this week, Spains foreign minister said EU digital vaccine certificates would be ready in June at the latest.

The certificates would not prevent people without the jab from travelling, Arancha Gonzalez Laya said, but people who had one would be able to pass through EU borders faster.




Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 00:12:14|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Around 2.5 million Ethiopians are out of reach of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) disclosed on Thursday.

"An estimated 2.5 million people in rural areas of Ethiopia's northern Tigray regional state have not had access to essential services over the past four months," the OCHA disclosed.

The UN agency also said insecurity in parts of southern and southeastern Tigray has hindered humanitarian response in the area.

It disclosed that alongside humanitarian partners, it is scaling up humanitarian response despite challenges, with already more than one million people assisted with food baskets.

The UN and partner agencies have also provided emergency shelter and vital relief items to more than 146,000 displaced people.

The OCHA however reported that the overall humanitarian situation in Tigray remains extremely dire.

It said that the UN continues to receive concerning reports of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including looting and vandalization of health centres and schools, as well as several cases of sexual and gender-based violence.

It said the conflict continues to drive massive displacement across the region, with tens of thousands of people arriving in Shire, Axum and Adwa over the past weeks.

Fighting that erupted in early November last year in Ethiopia's Tigray between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to rule the regional state, and the Ethiopian Defense Forces had left thousands of people killed and caused immense losses in the region.

According to the Ethiopian government figures, the conflict has displaced around 2.2 million people, while 4.5 million people are in need of emergency aid. Enditem
The Huron County Planning Commission will be holding a special meeting on April 14 to hold two public hearings for a special use permit and a zoning reclassification.

The zoning reclassification comes from Sherman Township, which is requesting that the parcels of land the township hall sits on in Ruth change from residential and agricultural use to general business use.

The township is planning on making a 40-by-68-foot addition next to the existing fire hall, with a covered entry and handicapped accessibility. Hessling Construction will carry out the work.

Kurt Geiger, the Sherman Township supervisor, said the new space would be used for township offices, meeting rooms, and a voting area. It will cost the township $249,555, with the money coming from the general fund instead of a tax increase.

Hopefully they should start by the first of May, Geiger said. If they move along good, they should finish up before winter.

The current township hall will be removed with everything there moved into the new area. The old halls space will be turned into an asphalt parking lot, with other underground electrical work to take place.

Geiger said that studies on the old building showed several different kinds of mold present and repairing it would not be worth investing the money into.

The special use permit is for Buchholz Properties which is requesting to relocate an existing 60-by-80-foot cold storage building from an industrial zoned parcel in Pigeon to an adjacent agriculturally zoned parcel in Winsor Township. That parcel also contains a gravel parking area and truck refueling station.

Buchholz Properties is requesting the temporary use of the cold storage building on the agriculturally zoned parcel of land for a period not to exceed one year.

Plans for both these proposals are available for viewing at the Building and Zoning office during regular office hours.

The meeting will take place at the district courtroom in the Huron County Building. Those interested in commenting on either one of these proposals can email them to Jeff Smith, the building and zoning director, at smithj@co.huron.mi.us or mail written comments to the Huron County Building and Zoning Department at 250 E. Huron Ave, Room 102 Bad Axe, Michigan 48413.
[April 02, 2021] Banc of California Announces Schedule of First Quarter 2021 Earnings Release and Conference Call

Banc of California, Inc. (NYSE: BANC) today announced it will release 2021 first quarter financial results on Thursday, April 22, 2021. The Company will host a conference call to discuss its first quarter earnings at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on the same day. Interested parties are welcome to attend the conference call by dialing (888) 317-6003 and referencing event code 3056351. A live audio webcast will also be available on the Webcasts page of the Company's investor relations website. The slide presentation for the call will also be available on the Company's investor relations website prior to the call. An audio archive of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website within 24 hours after the end of the call.



About Banc of California, Inc. Banc of California, Inc. (NYSE: BANC) is a bank holding company with approximately $7.9 billion in assets and one wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Banc of California, N.A. (the "Bank"). The Bank has 36 offices including 29 full-service branches located throughout Southern California. Through our dedicated professionals, we provide customized and innovative banking and lending solutions to businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals throughout California. We help to improve the communities where we live and work by supporting organizations that provide financial literacy and job training, small business support and affordable housing. With a commitment to service and to building enduring relationships, we provide a higher standard of banking. We look forward to helping you achieve your goals. For more information, please visit us at www.bancofcal.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005261/en/

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A little girl stops to look at a statue of John A. Macdonald in Victoria Park in Regina, Canada, on Aug. 22, 2018. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

Regina Council Votes to Remove Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald From Victoria Park

The Regina City Council has decided to remove the statue of Canadas first prime minister from a park and put it in storage until a new location is found.

In a 7-4 vote Wednesday, councilors voted in favour of removing the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald from the citys Victoria Park and put it in storage, coming after calls for its removal because of the former prime ministers role in establishing colonial systems which include Indian residential schools.

The council spent nearly four hours hearing from people for and against the removal before the vote.

In recent years, monuments of Macdonald throughout the country have been subjected to attacks and vandalism, which members of parliament have condemned.

John Hopkins, chairman of Reconciliation Regina, told the council that the statue is offensive to many people, both indigenous and non-indigenous.

Some people suggested placing the statue in a museum, moving it behind the provincial legislature or to the RCMP Heritage Centre.

Regina resident Trevor Lakness, who opposed the removal of Macdonalds statue, said he does not have faith the city will put the statue in another location, citing the example of Metis leader Louis Riel, whose statue has been kept in storage for many years.

Conservative Sen. Denise Batters, in a letter addressed to Mayor Sandra Masters and members of Regina City Council on March 29, urged them to ensure Macdonalds statue stays in place, arguing its an enduring symbol of the promise offered by Confederation.

Without Macdonalds pragmatism, skill, and determination, Canada would likely never have coalesced into one great and strong nation, Batters wrote.

Of course, our nations leaders and heroes are not without flaws, and Macdonald is no exception.

She added that leaders are the product of their time, and so this allows one to examine the legacy of Macdonald with hindsight by looking at the consequences of the decisions or policies he made.

But we cannot supplant his historical contexthis values, his judgmentswith those prevalent in our own modern time, she wrote. We cannotWe must noterase our history. But we should add to it, and we should give it full context.

In January, over 130 experts issued a joint statement defending Macdonalds legacy.

The statement, signed by historians, policy experts, and thought leaders urged governments, historians, teachers, media, and others to ensure Canadians have access to a balanced view of our common past and the people who made us.

The joint statement highlights Macdonalds many accomplishments. For example, he led the original Confederation effort and united the scattered colonies of British North America into Canada; dissuaded aggressive American expansionism; acquired territory that made Canada the second-largest country in the world; and persuaded Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island to join the Confederation.

Other achievements, according to the statement, include spearheading the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway; promoting freedom of expression and the press; and championing unity between French-Catholic-dominated Canada East (Quebec) and English-Protestant Canada West (Ontario).

One of Macdonalds failures was the establishment of the national policy on Indian Residential Schools, the signatories said. The policy mandated that every indigenous child be indoctrinated into the Euro-Canadian and Christian way of living and assimilated into mainstream Canadian society.

Even though widely supported at the time, the schools had a dark legacy that hangs over the country to this day, the statement says, adding that Macdonald made many other mistakes with respect to indigenous peoples and policies that Canadians today strongly disapprove.

But the signatories argued that Macdonalds failures must be weighed against his contributions to the nation, and documented concern for and friendship with the indigenous people of Canada.

A public consultation process is to take place to determine what the next steps will be.

With files from The Canadian Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in a telephone conversation on Thursday, April 1, raised the topic of OPEC+, among other things, Presidnetial spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

"The OPEC+ topic was discussed during this conversation, we appreciate the friendly and very effective nature of our interaction with Riyadh," the Kremlin spokesman said.

He also said that the results of the OPEC+ ministerial meeting held on Thursday were reported to the Russian leader.

The Kremlin press service reported on Thursday that the Russian President and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia held a telephone conversation and discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation, including environmental protection and green energy. The conversation was initiated by the Saudi side, TASS reported..

Following the results of an online OPEC+ meeting on Thursday, a decision was made to smoothly increase production: in May - by 350,000 barrels per day, in June - by 350,000 barrels per day, in July - by 450,000 barrels per day. Saudi Arabia will also ease its voluntary oil production cuts. Russia will increase oil production in May-July by a total of 114,000 barrels per day in equal parts.
Wes Nelson is 'growing close' to model Lucciana Beynon, who's the daughter of millionaire tobacco tycoon Travers Beynon, also known as The Candyman.

The Love Island star, 23, who's signed with record label Universal, and Lucciana, 19, met in Dubai last year but are now both in London where they've spent the last few months getting to know each other.

Lucciana, who moved to the UK shortly after turning 18, grew up in Australia, where her father Travers, 49, still lives at the 'Candyshop mansion' alongside his wife Taesha and multiple girlfriends.

New romance?: Wes Nelson is 'growing close' to model Lucciana Beynon, who's the daughter of millionaire tobacco tycoon Travers Beynon, also known as The Candyman

A source told MailOnline: 'Wes met Lucciana in Dubai last year and it wasn't long before they started spending more time together.

'Friends say Wes and Lucciana really get on and something may progress between them, especially as they continue to hang out together in London.

'Lucciana supports Wes' music career while she has ambitious plans with her modelling, they definitely inspire each other to do well.'

Lucciana promoted the release of Wes' new single Nice To Meet Ya on her Instagram page, telling her 105K followers the track is 'out now' with a picture taken at the reality star's house on Thursday night.

The pair follow each other on Instagram and Wes has liked several of Lucciana's sexy posts, including one of her wearing a red thong with the caption: 'Patient I'm not.'

Heating up: The Love Island star and Lucciana met in Dubai last year but are now both in London where they've spent the last few months getting to know each other

Caught his eye: The pair follow each other on Instagram and Wes has liked several of Lucciana's sexy posts, including one of her wearing a thong with the caption: 'Patient I'm not'

A spokeswoman for the former Love Islander told MailOnline Wes and Lucciana are 'friends' after meeting through Wes' housemate.

Who is Lucciana Beynon's famous father, Travers Beynon? Travers Beynon, 49, is an Australian business owner and director of FreeChoice, the number one leading retail tobacconist franchise

The businessman reportedly has a net worth of 39 million

He's nicknamed 'The Candyman' due to the extravagant parties he hosts at his mansion on Australia's Gold Coast, as well as for having a reputation as a playboy

Travers believes in having more than one sexual partner, and while he's married to wife Taesha, he also has multiple girlfriends

He shares children Valentino and Lucciana with first wife and Miss World winner Ninibeth Beatriz Jiminez Leal, and has two other kids with Taesha Advertisement

Lucciana's dad made his millions in the tobacco business but is also well-known for his playboy ways and hosting extravagant parties at his lavish 15-bedroom mansion on Australia's Gold Coast.

Travers, aka The Candyman and Australia's answer to Hugh Hefner, engages in a 'polyamorous lifestyle' and while being married, also has several lovers he resides with who Lucciana claims he 'spoils.'

In a recent interview, Lucciana said she will not be following in her father's footsteps by having multiple partners  but she doesn't find his relationship choices 'weird.'

Last month, she said: 'People ask me all the time '"isn't it weird that your dad has all these girlfriends" to me, it's not weird. I love my dad no matter what and if he's happy then I'm happy and I think it's cool.

'I wouldn't do it; I wouldn't do that s*** because I'm crazy but if he's found a group of girls that can do it and he's happy, they're happy and who wouldn't want to get spoilt like he spoils them.

'I would never, ever change him. I would never, ever want him to change.

'I'm grateful he is the way he is because I just learn so many things  with men and women and the way people work.

'I feel like it made me almost ready to be by myself out in the big world. Anything that happened, he would always give me a life lesson.'

'I love my dad no matter what': Lucciana grew up in Australia, where her father Travers, 49, still lives at the 'Candyshop mansion' alongside his wife Taesha and multiple girlfriends

Support: Lucciana promoted the release of Wes' new single Nice To Meet Ya on her Instagram page, telling her followers the track is 'out now' with a picture taken at the reality star's house

'I wouldn't do that': In a recent interview, Lucciana said she will not be following in her father's footsteps by having multiple partners  but she doesn't find his relationship choices 'weird'

Exes: Wes wasn't short of attention whilst starring on Love Island in 2018 after leapfrogging from Laura Anderson to Megan Barton-Hanson, who he dated for six months

Wes hasn't been in a serious relationship since him and Love Island's Arabella Chi split in January 2019 after nine months together.

He wasn't short of attention whilst starring on Love Island in 2018 after leapfrogging from Laura Anderson to Megan Barton-Hanson, who he dated for six months.

The pair split while Wes was competing on Dancing On Ice alongside pro partner Vanessa Bauer after Megan publicly claimed more was going on between them behind the scenes.

Wes, who most will recognise for having a chiselled six-pack, said female fans don't flatter him and he's more interested in them liking his music after he found chart success last year with debut single See Nobody.

He told MailOnline: 'There are new fans that come in all the time.

'Everyone is more interested in my music, which is much more wholesome than someone saying "you're fit"  but don't get me wrong, those are very nice compliments and that's not me being a big headed.'
(Natural News) A British spy plane that has been monitoring Russian war games being carried out in the Arctic recently confirmed that Russia has finished initial testing of Vladimir Putins new Zircon missile.

The hypersonic weapon can travel at 6,100 miles per hour and has now been fired four times from Russias Admiral Gorshkov frigate. It is expected to go into service in 2022.

Although the Gorshkov had been expected to fire the Zircon, Russian defense chiefs would only confirm that supersonic Oniks missiles were fired from the frigate. The fired missiles hit a target near Novaya Zemlya. All vessels were banned from navigating sizeable areas of the water on the Kara Sea and Barents Sea sides of the Arctic archipelago during the test.

A military source said that four launches were made, and all of the missiles involved hit the bullseye.

The Mach 8 Zircon is believed to be Putins missile of choice for targeting American cities in a nuclear conflict. One Russian news show host has shown a map on air of targets the Kremlin would hit in the U.S. in a nuclear war. The host, Dmitry Kiselyov, is considered a Putin propagandist. He claimed the Zircon could hit the American targets in less than five minutes.

The Zircons first test launch took place in early October in what many believed was a birthday present for Putin, who turned 68 on October 7. The Russian president has described the Zircon as truly unparalleled in the world.

A 2019 military accident that resulted in a radiation leak that killed two people and wounded six is believed to have occurred while the missile was being tested. At the time, radiation levels climbed to 20 times above normal in the area surrounding the weapons testing site at Nyonoksa.

Nuclear ballistic missile submarines smash through Arctic ice

Meanwhile, Putin has praised the Russian navy after three of their nuclear ballistic missile submarines managed to smash their way through Arctic ice within mere feet of one another in a show of strength while warplanes flew over the North Pole.

The submarines, which are a part of Russias nuclear deterrent force, forced their way up through several feet of ice. In wartime, these subs would be able to hide beneath the ice from NATO anti-submarine forces.

The submarines involved were two Delta IV subs and one Borei sub. The 548-foot Delta IV submarines involved were built during the Cold War. Each one is equipped with 16 Sineva ballistic missiles that carry four 100-kiloton warheads, providing up to 12.8 megatons of nuclear firepower. The Borei sub is a newer addition that measures 525 feet long and carries 16 Bulava ballistic missiles, which together pack a theoretical total of 16 megatons of firepower. Combined, the three subs are capable of 28.8 megatons of firepower, or 28,800 kilotons; the Hiroshima explosion, by comparison, was roughly 16 kilotons.

Moscow has been focused on enhancing its military presence in the Arctic area recently. As much as a quarter of the planets undiscovered oil and gas is believed to be located in the region. In the past, Putin has estimated that the Arctic mineral riches could be worth as much as 22 trillion. In addition to the untapped oil and natural gas, it is believed to have mineable minerals such as diamond, gold, copper, silver, graphite, titanium and uranium.

Russia has been rebuilding and expanding its facilities in the polar region in recent years, deploying air defense and surveillance assets and renovating runways.

Russia is not the only world power trying to expand its influence in the Arctic; Canada, the U.S., Denmark, Norway and even China are interested in asserting jurisdiction over parts of the area.

Sources for this article include:

DailyStar.co.uk

DailyMail.co.uk

PopularMechanics.com
Logos of Facebook and Twitter on a computer screen in Lille on Oct. 21, 2020. (Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images)

Facebook, Twitter Campaign Donations Overwhelmingly Go to Democrats on Oversight Panels, Group Finds

A conservative nonprofit advocacy group monitoring Big Tech claims that almost all Facebook and Twitter employee and committee campaign contributions went to Democrats serving on House oversight committees.

The Internet Accountability Project (IAP) said in an April 1 statement that, based on campaign finance data compiled by opensecrets.org, Facebook and Twitter (employees and PACs) combined contributed more than 12 times more money to Democrats (more than $5.5 million) than Republicans (less than $435,000) in 2020.

The group cited a leading self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist in the House of Representatives as an example of the extreme bias by Democrats in political giving by employees of the two social media giants.

As just one example, [Rep.] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez received a combined $36,346 in 2020, compared to less than $1,950 for all Republicans on the House Oversight Committee combined. Twitter employees didnt give a single dollar to Republicans on the Oversight Committee, IAP said in its statement.

The IAP describes itself as being dedicated to holding Big Tech accountable for engaging in egregious business practices like snooping, spying, political bias against conservatives, employee abuses, and anticompetitive conduct.

The nonprofit is headed by Mike Davis, a former chief counsel for nominations for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) during the latters tenure as chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Davis led at the staff level the Senate confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and a record number of circuit court judges.

The IAP revelation comes as Silicon Valley giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Google face growing criticism for censoring by their executives and employees of political expression on the internet, mostly by conservative and Republican supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Many Republicans and some Democrats are calling for legislation to reform Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996, which exempts internet firms from facing the same liability as traditional publishers.

A review by The Epoch Times of campaign finance data compiled by opensecrets.org concerning other Big Tech firms produced results nearly identical to those reported by IAP:

Amazons $10.42 million in contributions to Democrats far exceeded the $1.79 million the firms employees and committees gave to Republicans.

Data for Alphabet Inc., the corporate parent of Google, showed an even greater disparity, with $22.17 million going to Democrats, versus $1.4 million.

Apple Inc.s list of 10 biggest recipients of employee contributions was headed by the $1,885,635 given to President Joe Bidens 2020 presidential campaign. Only one of the top 10 recipients wasnt Democratic, the Republican National Committee, which received $220,536.

Broadcom, which acquired Symantec in 2019, saw its employees contribute $245,734 to Biden, compared to $83,079 to former President Donald Trumps reelection campaign.

Hewlett Packard contributions to Biden totaled $171,683, compared to $50,335 to Trump. Seven of the top 10 Hewlett Packard recipients were Democrats.

Republicans arent without some support among Silicon Valley giants. At Oracle, for example, the top three recipients were all Republican, including the Opportunity Matters Fund, the 1820 PAC, and the Better Future Michigan fund.

But even at Oracle, employee and committee contributions to Biden, at $674,751, far outpaced those to Trump, at $164,185.

The IAP report is likely to fuel critics of Big Tech censorship, which has intensified in recent months, most prominently with Trump being kicked off Twitter; and Parler, an upstart competitor being kicked out of the Google and Apple app stores, which are essential markets, and then its internet access being cut off by Amazon.

Citing the actions that removed Parler from the internet for more than a month, Davis told The Epoch Times on April 2 that two things are needed to deal with Big Techs censorship and monopolistic practices.

There are two fixes to Big Techs government-sponsored censorship: ending antitrust amnesty and reforming Section 230 immunity. They overlap, but they are two different issues, Davis said.

The antitrust laws are law enforcement; there is a civil component and there is a criminal component. It is not regulation, it is law enforcement. You are targeting the tumor, you are targeting the bad actors in the market.

What the anti-trust law enforcement would do is target Big Techs power. The reason Googles YouTube or Facebook or Twitter can censor conservatives is they have too much market power, because they are monopolists, he said. Such power enables the Big Tech giants to cripple or even bar potential competitors such as Parler.

Davis pointed out that Section 230 was approved as a means of protecting then-startup internet companies such as AOL and Compuserve against defamation litigation used by established news media conglomerates to cripple potential competition.

But over the years, as the internet has displaced the old media conglomerates, Davis said, the Big Tech monopolists have turned Section 230 from a liability shield into a censorship sword. The result is a situation in which firms such as Google and Facebook have unprecedented power to shape the internet.

Trillion-dollar Big Tech monopolists no longer need Uncle Sams coddling and protection, and these Big Tech monopolists like Googles YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter have proven that they are very capable of finding, censoring and even deplatforming users with whom they disagree or otherwise find objectionable, he said.

Congressional correspondent Mark Tapscott may be reached at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc
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Firefighters arrive to rescue victims after a construction vehicle collides with a train running from New Taipei City to Taitung, Taiwan, April 2, 2021.

At least 48 people lost their lives and dozens more were sent to hospital on Friday, after a construction vehicle slammed into a busy express train on the democratic island of Taiwan.

President Tsai Ing-wen ordered a full inquiry into the accident that befell the Taroko Express train on its way from the capital Taipei to the eastern coastal city of Taitung at the start of a four-day national holiday.

"The cause of the accident must be thoroughly investigated. This was a serious accident with many casualties, including the young driver for the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), who died doing his job," Tsai told journalists.

"We have asked the Transportation Safety Board to launch a rigorous inquiry into this accident to fully clarify the cause," she said.

TV news footage showed several of the train's carriages smashed in by the impact of a construction crane truck that collided with the express, derailing it partly inside the Daqingshui Tunnel, in the eastern county of Hualien.

Sixty-six of the train's 350-some passengers were sent to hospital following the accident with moderate to severe injuries.

According to the TRA, which operates the Taroko Express, the crane truck had been parked on a hill above the track.

The driver was being questioned by police after the accident, with the TRA saying it believed the emergency brake hadn't been engaged on the truck, allowing it to slide down a slope and onto the railway tracks.

Hualien police said the the crane truck had been parked on a steep hill near the tracks, and had started to roll down, probably because the driver hadn't engaged the emergency brake.

'People were just lying there'

A passenger surnamed Wu told Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA): "I got myself out of the train, but I didn't want to look at the scene. Many people were just lying there," he said.

"It was totally dark. Nobody knew what to do," he said.

Passengers said power to the carriages was cut after the accident, leaving passengers unable to open doors. Some texted friends and relatives to say they were trapped but safe, media reports said.

Some of the passengers were making the trip back to their family homes, to tend family graves, in a four-day festival dedicated to honoring the ancestors.

Premier Su Tseng-chang, transportation minister Lin Chia-lung and interior minister Hsu Kuo-yung headed for the crash site, promising the best medical care, with Lin apologizing to the nation for the accident.

We will cooperate with prosecutors and the Transportation Safety Board 's investigations, as well overseeing emergency repairs," Lin said.

"This will take about five days owing to the damage to the tracks and the electrical equipment. This section of the east coast line won't be fully operational until after the end of the ... holiday," he said.

The island's military sent more than 100 personnel with vehicles to aid the rescue effort, CNA reported.



Reported by RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Chung Kuang-cheng for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
China improving Hong Kong's electoral system guarantees "one country, two systems" -- observers

Xinhua) 08:45, April 02, 2021

Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong, July 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

"Chinese lawmakers have done the right thing," said Sheriff Ibrahim Ghali, director of the Institute of Legislative Studies at the University of Abuja, Nigeria. "This is because it is a matter of the sovereignty of China."

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China's recent improvement to Hong Kong's electoral system serves as a guardrail for the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, observers from various countries have said.

In a bid to ensure that Hong Kong is administered by the "patriots," China's top legislature on Tuesday unanimously passed two amended annexes to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) which concern the method for the selection of the HKSAR chief executive and the method for the formation of the HKSAR Legislative Council and its voting procedures, respectively.

"Every government has the obligation to defend the sovereignty, stability, and internal order of the state," said Eduardo Regalado, senior researcher at the International Policy Research Center of Cuba.

Guaranteeing that Hong Kong is administered by the patriots, the amended annexes develop the democratic exercise in the region and enhance the "one country, two systems" policy, noted the researcher.

Taxis hanging Chinese national flags participate in a peace rally in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 23, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

These legislative changes were made in accordance with the needs of the time, said Afrasiab Khattak, president of Pakistan's Roshan Democratic Institute, adding that these necessary amendments would fill up the loopholes in Hong Kong's electoral system and ensure the implementation of the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle.

Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said that the improvement to Hong Kong's electoral system shows "the firm will" of the Chinese government to preserve the stability of the region.

Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs, in which other countries should not interfere, said Azamat Seitov, a professor at the National University of Uzbekistan.

Head of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Tehran Hamed Vafaei believes that China's adoption of the amended annexes provides an institutional guarantee for Hong Kong's enduring peace and stability.

A pedestrian walks past a poster on improving electoral system and ensuring patriots administering Hong Kong in south China's Hong Kong, March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

The newly adopted annexes would inject new vitality into the "one country, two systems" policy, said Ivona Ladjevac, head of the center for the Belt and Road Initiative at the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Serbia.

Ladjevac added that the legislative changes also help create an environment that would benefit economic development of the region.

Wilson Lee Flores, a columnist for the English-language daily The Philippine Star, said China's amendments to the HKSAR Basic Law would ensure long-term stability of the region, guarantee that only patriots administer Hong Kong, and help cement Hong Kong's status as a global financial and trade center.

"Chinese lawmakers have done the right thing," said Sheriff Ibrahim Ghali, director of the Institute of Legislative Studies at the University of Abuja, Nigeria. "This is because it is a matter of the sovereignty of China."

These amendments would bring peace and harmony to Hong Kong and ensure that the interests of the Chinese people are well protected, noted the scholar.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
For Subscribers Mom shares story of son's suicide, shines light on teen mental health

After Aiden Alexander's suicide, his family wants to break the stigma associated with suicide so more youths can be helped.
The Great Barrier Reef is all but doomed, with between 70 and 99 per cent of corals set for destruction unless immediate transformative action is taken, a new report by the Australian Academy of Science has revealed. In their report, the team concluded that the earth has warmed 1.1 degrees since the start of the industrial era, however, if the present rate continued warming of 1.5 degrees likely to be reached by 2050. Australia, in particular, has warmed by 1.4 degrees. They further argued that if the same rate of warming sustained, then the reef would cease to exist in the near future.

Survival only if warming reduced

The Great Barrier Reef stretches for over 1,430-miles or 2,300 kilometres along the northeastern coast of Australia. As per the researchers, at 1.5 degrees of global warming, the reef is expected to shrink by 70 to 90 per cent. At 2 degrees, only 1 per cent of the reef is expected to survive. As per the lead researcher of the study, only if the warming was stabilised, surviving corals suited to warmer temperatures may eventually return to cover the reef.

Only a few weeks ago, an international conservation group said that the condition of the Great Barrier Reef was in a critical state and deteriorating as climate change warms up the waters in which it lies. According to the latest report by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the coral reef, which is considered one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world has lost more than half of its reef in the past three decades. In addendum, coral bleaching since 2016 has worsened its health adversely affecting marine life.

A third (33 per cent) of natural World Heritage sites are threatened by climate change, including the worlds largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef, assessed as having a critical outlook for the first time, IUCN warned in a statement.

Image Credits: hoelk/Unsplash
On March 27, 2021, one year after their engagement, Emmy award-winning TV host and activist Jeannie Mai and Grammy-nominated recording artist Jeezy married in an intimate ceremony at their home in Atlanta. It wasn't their original plan though.

Jeezy and Jeannie Wedding

The couple desired a wedding on Lake Como or in the South of France. Jeannie explains, they were looking forward to seeing more of our friends and families there to celebrate.However, thanks to COVID, they had to cancel all of their wedding arrangements. That doesn't stop them from pushing through their wedding though.

"After Jeezy's mother unexpectedly passed, we quickly learned that life is too short. And at the end of the day, Jeezy and I really just wanted to become husband and wife. So we decided to turn our original wedding into a mini-mony, where we exchanged our vows in front of our immediate family and a few close friends," she told Vogue.

Jeezy and Jeannie Wedding Photos

A look inside @Jeezy and @JeannieMai's beautiful wedding ceremony at their home in Atlanta https://t.co/14sMuLXMWz pic.twitter.com/UOQ92x3YnP  Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) April 1, 2021

READ ALSO: Wiz Khalifa, Young Jeezy Tour: 'Seen It All' Rapper Arrested For Assault Rifle On 'Under the Influence Of Music' Tour After Recording Song Together [VIDEO]

Jeezy was a guest on Jeannie's daytime talk show The Real, where they met. He then later asked her out on a date years later. Jeannie said they had a romantic sushi dinner in Los Angeleles.

In March 2020, the couple was forced to postpone a scheduled trip to Vietnam, where Jeezy had planned to propose to Jeannie without her knowledge. Instead, he planned a rare quarantine Vietnam-themed date night at his Los Angeles home in celebration of her homeland, which culminated in him proposing in front of the fireplace. "Yes!" she said.

Mai wore a handmade nude Galia Lahav gown with a sheer bodice and billowing chiffon skirt for the big day. The dress was hand-appliqued with matching nude appliques.

Jeannie Mai and Jeezy Net worth 2021

Young Jeezy (born Jay Wayne Jenkins) is a rapper, actor, and businessman from the United States. Jeezy rose to fame after his smash hit single "Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101," which reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart. Young Jeezy's net worth is expected to be $20 million in the year 2021.

Jenni hs  nt wrth stmtd to b $2 millin as of Arl 2021. It was received as a result of her becoming very interested in matters surrounding Fahion. Other interactions, such as a make-up tylt for various lbritis, have contributed to her net worth

. READ MORE: Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani Wedding Date Finally Revealed; Other Details Teased

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Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (left) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi greet each other according to COVID-19 protocols, in Fujian province in China, April 2, 2021.

China and Russia have backed calls for an ASEAN leaders meeting to discuss the turmoil in post-coup Myanmar, where military and security forces unleashed their guns and killed more than 500 pro-democracy protesters during the past two months.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with its share of former military leaders and one-party states, has been roundly criticized for not reaching a consensus on how to deal with member-state Myanmars junta after the military overthrew an elected government on Feb. 1.

China firmly supports the ASEAN in promoting peace talks with the ASEAN way, and supports holding a special meeting of ASEAN leaders to mediate Myanmar's situation at an early date, Wang said after meeting with Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Thursday, a statement on the Chinese foreign ministrys website said.

In meetings held over the past three days in China, Beijings top diplomat held separate talks with Malaysias foreign minister and the chief envoys of three other ASEAN states: Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Both Moscow and Beijing supported an ASEAN summit on Myanmar, said Retno Marsudi, Indonesias foreign minister, after meeting with Wang on Friday.

The PRC has supported ASEANs efforts and offers to help Myanmar, including providing support for President Jokowis initiative to hold an ASEAN summit, Retno told reporters via Zoom.

Two days ago, I also had a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Indonesias top diplomat said. We also discussed the issue of Myanmar, and Russia expressed their support for ASEAN and the initiative of the president of Indonesia for an ASEAN summit.

On March 19, President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin called for an emergency meeting of ASEAN leaders to discuss the Myanmar crisis.

But the situation there has become even more intense and fluid since last Saturday, when the junta killed at least 114 protesters  in the single deadliest day of violence since the coup  and launched air strikes on rebel positions in Karen state.

China supports ASEAN approach

China has extensive economic and strategic interests not just in Myanmar, but in many countries in the Southeast Asian bloc.

So far, Beijing has been muted in its response to the military coup in Myanmar and its violent aftermath. The Asian superpower has mostly called for stability, unlike Western nations which have condemned the toppling of an elected government and the violence.

On Thursday in New York, Beijing, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with veto power, thwarted it from taking potential future action against Myanmars military, although the world body issued a statement condemning the killings of civilians there, reports said.

A day earlier, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met with Wang.

After their meeting, Wang said that China was glad to support ASEANs non-interference principle in promoting stability in Myanmar. Wang referred to this as the ASEAN approach.

But critics have said that ASEANs foundational principle of non-interference in members domestic affairs was a major obstacle.

Besides, of the 10 members of the bloc, only Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines have issued strong statements against the Myanmar military coup and the killings following the takeover of the government by the junta.

And only foreign ministers of those four countries, after a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers held on March 2, had called for the release of Aung Sang Suu Kyi and other democratically elected Myanmar leaders detained by the military.

Balakrishnan said at the time that the inability to reach a common position on the coup could diminish ASEANs credibility and relevance.

It is critical that ASEAN continues to reiterate our guiding principles in light of the unfolding tragedy in Myanmar, Balakrishnan had said after that virtual meeting with his nine counterparts from across the bloc.

If not, we will have no choice but to state our views on the situation as individual ASEAN Member States. But quite frankly, this would starkly underscore our lack of unity, and undermine our credibility and relevance as an organization.

Among ASEAN members, Thai leader Prayuth Chan-o-cha became prime minister after a coup he engineered as the army chief in 2014. The former general retained the post in a 2019 election widely viewed by the opposition parties as rigged in favor of the military.

Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are all one-party states. And Brunei is a sultanate.

China has good-to-excellent relations with Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, in addition Myanmar, so whether its call for an ASEAN summit resonates with these nations remains to be seen.

ASEANs difficult position

Chinas latest diplomatic effort on Myanmar comes after a former United States congressman, in his role as U.N. Special Rapporteur, Thomas Andrews, said an urgent meeting of Southeast Asian nations was imperative to prevent things in Myanmar from deteriorating more.

Since the Myanmar coup, analysts have described ASEANs difficult position vis-a-vis Myanmar.

Teuku Rezasyah, a lecturer in international relations at Padjajaran University in Bandung, Indonesia, said last month that ASEAN had to play its hand carefully on the Myanmar issue.

After all, ASEAN is currently in a difficult position, torn between the West and China, Rezasyah told BenarNews then.

So what Im worried about is if ASEAN takes an overtly hard line and is not trying to be accommodative, Myanmar will choose to consult China.

Indonesia is worried that Myanmar, which is under pressure from the West, will decide to leave ASEAN or fall into Chinas embrace, because Southeast Asian countries dont seem to have a single voice regarding the situation there, Rezasyah said.

Azmi Hassan, a political analyst in Malaysia, had indicated that those nations that refrained from commenting on Myanmar were worried about potential fallout in their relations with Beijing.

The problem is that whats happening for the last few days is that a number of ASEAN members are with China by saying that this is an internal matter, Azmi told BenarNews last month.

So, I think it is very important for Malaysia and Indonesia, which have very influential standing in ASEAN itself to pursue, or I would say, force, Brunei as the chairman to call a special meeting regarding Myanmar.

Muzliza Mustafa in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.
Josie Gibson quickly cupped her hands over her cleavage during a segement on This Morning on Friday when she appeared wearing a VERY racy Easter costume.

After being tasked with dressing as an Easter bunny, host Alison Hammond, 46. told her: 'We wanted a family friendly bunny, not a Playboy rabbit'

Josie, 36, stepped out from behind a tree for the Easter edition of Dosh On Your Doorstep, in the tiny mini dress and ears but appeared to have got her choice of outfit wrong.

'We wanted a family friendly bunny, not a Playboy rabbit': Josie Gibson quickly covered her modesty after realising her Easter costume was a little too racy for This Morning on Friday

Unexpected: She showed off her assets in the plunging black apron dress featuring a bow tie detail which she paired with black rabbit ears

She showed off her assets in the plunging black apron dress featuring a bow tie detail which she paired with black rabbit ears,

The former X Factor star covered her pins in black tights and added a pair of black elbow-length gloves to her ensemble.

Stepping out wearing a pair of novelty ice-cream shaped sunglasses, the star left the presenters in the studio speechless.

Co-host Dermott O'Leary, 47, sat with his head in his hands as Josie declared it was about to get 'hot in here'.

She said: 'Well Alison I've had to wear my ice cream sunglasses to cool the situation down.'

Dermot said: 'Josie when I said the Cadbury's caramel bunny that is not what I meant...'

Alison added: 'We said something like family friendly... a bunny rabbit? Not like a Playboy bunny! What are you doing?!'

Hilarious: Host Alison Hammond, 46, told viewers that they'd convinced Josie to dress up as an Easter Bunny but they got more than they were expecting

Dressed up: The former X Factor star covered her pins in black tights and added a pair of black elbow-length gloves to her sexy ensemble as she came out from behind a tree

Earlier this week, This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were in hysterics as Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson prepared for a potentially tricky outside broadcast in Cambridge.

The hapless pair were sent to the historic university city, famous for its winding River Cam, to work on their boating skills amid claims of a shortage in female punters.

But their initial broadcast quickly descended into chaos as they attempted to pronounce a boating term while reporting back to ITV studios during what rapidly turned into an innuendo filled show.

'Theyve let us into sophisticated Cambridge and today is a very special day because Josie and I are going to learn how to become punting chauffeurs. Its going to be absolutely amazing,' Alison told the hosts.

Antics: Stepping out wearing a pair of novelty ice-cream shaped sunglasses, the star left the presenters in the studio speechless

Sensing potential disaster, Holly and Phil struggled to compose themselves after Josie made a game attempt at using some easily misinterpreted boating terminology.

'That is called a quant,' she said, referring to the long pole traditionally used to propel punt boats across water.

With the hosts busting into laughter an uncertain Alison quickly cut in, adding: 'So were going to learn how to quant  quant. Did you hear me correctly?

'This is called a quant. That is called a punt. She is called Josie, Im called Alison and were going to have a great day.'

Evidently amused, Holly, remarked: 'This is the greatest bit of television you will ever see.'

'This will take us off air forever!' Phillip promptly added, referring to Bristolian Josie's awkward pronunciation of the boating term.
It was gratifying to hear Tim Tszyu and his team making all the right noises after his fifth-round stoppage of Dennis Hogan on Wednesday night.

There was no grandiose call out of big names, no putting the super welterweight division on notice, no proclamation of greatness. Tszyu took care of his business in a vicious fashion, then made it clear he felt like he had barely scratched the surface of what he hopes to achieve.

Our plan now will be to look at some quality international opponents and based on what weve seen [against Hogan], going forward we will be doing our best to bring those opponents to Australia so that we can experience this, said his manager Glen Jennings, who had a long association with Tszyus father Kostya.

There is always the temptation to anoint an Australian fighter the real deal after an eye-catching victory and Tszyu genuinely does fit the bill. Hes talented, clinical, completely devoted to his trade, disciplined, athletic and hugely ambitious. Kostya won and defended belts for a decade and thats what Tim considers to be success, not a hit-and-run mission for a title that disappears as fast as it arrives.
Anti-coup protesters in Myanmar symbolically burned copies of the country's constitution Thursday as a group of deposed lawmakers announced a new civilian government to run counter to the ruling military junta.

The rebel government, dubbed the Committee for Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, is made up of members of deposed de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy who were elected in November but not allowed to take their seats after the military detained Suu Kyi and replaced the civilian government on Feb. 1.

The CRPH also announced a new federal constitution to replace the one drafted by the military in 2008, which brought democracy to Myanmar after five decades while still maintaining the army's power and influence in any civilian government. The CRPH-drafted constitution was written to meet the longstanding demands of Myanmar's regional ethnic groups, who have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy.

The junta's violent crackdown against pro-democracy opponents across Myanmar has expanded in recent days against ethnic rebels, who are siding with the protesters. The military launched airstrikes against ethnic Karen rebels in eastern Myanmar in response to rebel attacks on military and police stations. The airstrikes prompted thousands of people to flee through the jungle and over the border into neighboring Thailand.

The worsening situation prompted Christine Schraner Burgener, the United Nations special envoy for Myanmar, to warn the Security Council on Wednesday that "a bloodbath is imminent" and of an increasing "possibility of civil war" in the country if civilian rule is not restored.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a nongovernmental organization, estimates that 536 people have been killed by the junta since the peaceful protests began, including more than 100 protesters -- many of them women and children -- last Saturday during the annual Armed Forces Day celebration. More than 2,700 have been arrested, charged or sentenced.
Washington, D.C., April 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prison Fellowship, the nations largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, released the following statement after President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. proclaimed April 2021 as Second Chance Month:

We are thrilled that the Biden Administration acknowledges the importance of Second Chance Month, a movement Prison Fellowship has led since 2017 to raise awareness about the more than 44,000 legal barriers men and women with a criminal record face, said James Ackerman, President and CEO of Prison Fellowship. By issuing this proclamation, this Administration is affirming their support for removing the unnecessary barriers that prevent those with a criminal record from becoming productive members of society. Prison Fellowship and more than 550 organizations advocate for those who have paid their debt to society. We believe the approximately 70 million Americans with criminal recordsthats one in three peopleare more than their worst choices and affirm their God-given dignity and potential in life.

Any hope and new identity found while behind bars can be quickly lost upon release when faced with the second prisonthe social stigma and legal restrictions that keep people from establishing full, productive lives after they have paid their debt to society, said Heather Rice-Minus, Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Church Mobilization. The barriers placed on returning citizens wastes human potential and adds to recidivism, which ultimately jeopardizes public safety. This Presidential proclamation supports our coalitions collective work toward solutions that will unlock second chances and create flourishing and productive communities.

To View the 2021 Presidential Proclamation, click here.

Prison Fellowship

Prison Fellowship is the nation's largest nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading advocate for justice reform. We seek to share the real, living hope of the Gospel with people who long for its power to make them new. Real restoration begins by addressing the cycle of crime on all fronts, in prison and out, and engaging in a cycle of renewal.

Attachments
Los Angeles, CA (April 2nd, 2021) -- Oahu-based worship group New Hope Oahu is proud to announce the release of their ninth album, Brand New (DREAM Records), on Good Friday. The album is available on all digital and streaming outlets globally. The thirteen song album features incredible tracks like Speak and Brand New. The team talks about the new album:

Brand New is the latest album from New Hope Oahu, celebrating 25 years of Gods faithfulness and leading at New Hope. There is a journey that unfolds through each song, remembering Gods faithfulness in where we have been, and looking forward with hope to all He will do to make all things BRAND NEW. Our prayer is that these songs will become anthems that will unite the body of Christ, and bring comfort and joy through every season. - Christopher Sanders

Listen Now



Connect with New Hope Oahu

Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube







ABOUT NEW HOPE OAHU:



New Hope Oahu Music, blazed onto the Worship scene in 2013 with the release of their debut album Hope is Alive which premiered at #2 on the Billboard Praise and Worship Chart and featured the global hit song How We Worship. New Hope Oahu has since released 9 albums, each of which have reached #1 on the Billboard Charts for Christian Music. Their albums have also been recognized by The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, the Grammys of Hawaii, as Religious Album of the Year in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

As a ministry of New Hope Oahu, led by Senior Pastor Wayne Cordeiro, New Hope is listed as one of the Top 10 most innovative churches in America with Outreach Magazine listing them as one of the top five churches to learn from. New Hope is known for redeeming the arts and technology with thousands attending services each week between their 6 Campuses and via the Internet.

NHO Music has recently been a featured band in Worship Concerts with Lauren Daigle, MercyMe, Jeremy Camp, Third Day and Big Daddy Weave. They have also had the privilege of leading worship at various Conferences across Hawaii, Oregon, California and Canada.

ABOUT DREAM RECORDS:

DREAM provides artists with a genuine approach to how real artist development should be done. By allowing for a partnership as a business model, DREAM artists empower themselves to develop and carry out a real vision for their lives as they affect other peoples lives with their music and message. Incorporating social media, press, radio and touring, DREAM is helping its artists grow together as a family. DREAM was founded in 2008 and has grown to multiple labels and a publishing company.

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YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. The situation at the General Staff of the Armenian military is resolved, the Chief of the General Staff Lt. General Artak Davtyan said.

There is no problem. The General Staff is functioning normally. I am working very well with everybody and we are fulfilling the objectives set before us, he said.

He refused to comment on the courts verdict in his predecessor General Onik Gasparyans lawsuit who was disputing his dismissal.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the annual Lafarge Africa National Literacy Competition was launched as a flagship Corporate Social Responsibility intervention by Lafarge Africa in 2014 and has since grown to become a national initiative positively impacting 700,000 beneficiaries including children and teachers across the country with over N500million invested already.

For six years, the annual Lafarge Africa National Literacy Competition has kept faith with school children across the nation. This year was not different as winners recently emerged in the seventh edition.

Themed theme "Building the Nigeria of My Dreams", the competition was opened to pupils aged 9-13 in public primary and secondary schools in the junior and intermediate categories on December 4, 2020 through to January 15, 2021. A total of 1, 600 participants from all the 36 states in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja enrolled for the competition.

Launched as a flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) intervention by Lafarge Africa in 2014, the competition has since grown to become a national initiative positively impacting children and teachers across the country.

Winners

This year, Miss Ewaade Adebowale of Alapere Primary School, Alapere-Lagos, who emerged the overall winner in the Junior category was awarded a cash prize of N1.5 million in the Diamond category while Zainab Saliu of Ummul Khair Model School, Lagos and Emmanuel Somefun of Community Nursery & Primary School, Magodo Lagos won N1 million and N750,000 in the Gold and Silver categories respectively.

They also won many other exciting educational consolation prizes. In the Intermediate category, Miss Bilkisu Aliyu of U.B.E Junior Secondary School, Abaji, F.C.T emerged the overall winner to cart home a cash prize of N1.5 million in the Diamond category while Ekpono Obot of Uyo High School, Uyo, Akwa Ibom and Alexandra Pearl Egonu of Federal Government Girls College, Nkwelle, Anambra State won N1 million and N750,000 in the Gold and Silver categories respectively.

Strategic Investment

Speaking during the presentation of prizes to the winners, the Chairman, Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Adebode Adefioye said: "Lafarge Africa is making strategic investments across all levels of education in Nigeria. Some of these are the National Literacy Competition at the primary level; provision of educational infrastructure and equipment at the secondary level and the award of bursaries for students of higher institutions of learning (amongst others)".

While quoting statistics from the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF), that says an estimated 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria despite the fact that primary education is compulsory, Mr. Adefioye said Lafarge wants to leave a legacy of good education that will be qualitative and the annual literacy competition is part of the steps to prepare our youth for the future.

He said: "The implication of this reality is that we must have all hands on deck, working together to complement government's efforts.The legacy of good education that we all want to leave for future generations must be qualitative and prepare them for life. Literacy is the first step in this direction and we are committed to this cause as an organisation.

"Maya Angelou states and I quote 'We must create a climate where people agree that human beings are more alike than unalike'. This is one of the commitments of the Sustainable Development Goals. I am happy to announce to you that The National Literacy Competition is aligned with five of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 1 : (No poverty), Goal 4 (Quality Education), Goal 5 ( Gender equality), Goal 11 (Reduced inequalities) and Goal 17 (Partnership for the Goals).

"In seven years of implementing the Literacy Competition, Lafarge Africa has invested over N500m and impacted about 700,000 beneficiaries. There is still so much to be done to close the divide to make the Nigerian child more globally competitive. Our approach must be more inclusive, dynamic and sustainable.

"The abridged edition of the National Literacy Competition meets this criteria on different fronts. At Lafarge Africa, wearedeveloping stronger structures that assure shared value for our stakeholders, which includes strengthening theimpact monitoring and evaluation frameworks."

Commitment

Also speaking during the event, the Country Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Africa, Mr. Khaled El-Dokani, noted that the essay competition is a testament to the company's commitment to contributing to the development of the Nigerian child through literacy.

He said: "We recognise that the depth and quality of a country's human capital are as important as its physical infrastructure, hence, our investment over the last seven years in enhancing the Nigerian educational sector just as we are committed to empowering Nigerians through our world-class building solutions.

"One of our key sustainability priorities at Lafarge Africa is our commitment to our communities through education and we are actively collaborating with the government and the private sector to improve the country's literacy ratio towards making an impact in reducing the World Bank estimate which states that over 80 per cent of Nigerian primary school-leavers cannot read".

He went on to state that "this intervention was developed seven years ago in line with our commitment to complement government's efforts in education. This intervention sits under the Education Pillar for which Lafarge Africa is committed and has made strategic investments. Over the last couple of years, we have worked with partners and committed resources to a cause that is far reaching and impactful.

"In our bid to promote and embed digital literacy as a core element of the programme, we introduced the Computer Based Tests (CBT) in 2019. At that time, we did not realise that we were preparing for the future. By 2020, the pandemic was upon us and we could only rely on the solid foundations that we had laid in the previous years. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, we launched the initiative digitally

"The beautiful coincidence of Nigeria and Lafarge at 60 afforded us the opportunity to create something bigger and more impactful. It is to this end, that the National Essay Competition 'Building the Nigeria of my Dreams' was launched.

"For this competition, we expanded the scope and made improvement in three major areas:

We improved the cash prizes by 500 per cent; we extended the competition to students of junior secondary schools and it is wholly a 100 per cent virtual education intervention.

"We call on partners from the private, public and development sectors to join us in 'bridging the literacy gap together". Collaboration and partnership is essential to achieving the Nigeria of our dreams."

Charge

Zuriel Oduwole, the renowned Teen Filmmaker, Presidential Envoy & Advocate best known for her work focused on the advocacy for the education of the girl child in Africa in her keynote address encouraged the pupils to dream big at all times resulting in her meeting with President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique in 2017 to discuss the negative impact of child marriage on the development of girls and the society. Sixteen months later, in June 2019, Mozambique officially outlawed child marriage. 'I have learned that if your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.' she stated.

Also, the First Lady of State State, Her Excellency Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu applauded Lafarge Africa for consistently investing in initiatives that have a direct impact on the literacy ratio in the country.

According to Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, the Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development Director Lafarge Africa Plc, the company's educational intervention is recognised by national and international organisations for its consistency and far-reaching impact.

"We intend to continue our theme of Bridging the Literacy Gap Together in the coming years working with crucial partners in order to enhance literacy of our children in Nigeria," she stated.

Support

The national essay competition which was supported by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEBs), the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and the Federal Ministry of Education is aligned with five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 1 -No poverty, SDG 4 -Quality Education, SDG 5 - Gender Equality, SDG 11 - Reduced inequalities and SDG 17 - Partnership for the goals.

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Lafarge Africa over the years has worked in partnership with the Ovie Brume Foundation founded by Mrs Evelyn Oputu who is the foundation Chairperson with Ese Brume as the Executive Director.

Prize Presentation

The prize presentation ceremony was a hybrid event in Lagos in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols and had over three hundred pupils join virtually.

All submissions for the competition were received through the www.learnwithlafarge.com competition portal and thereafter reviewed and shortlisted by an independent jury made up of Ruth Osime, the THISDAY Style Editor; Otto Orondaam, Founder, Slum to School and Dr. Mo Adefeso Olateju, founder of TEP centre. The submissions were reviewed in three levels of assessments.

Lafarge Africa worked in partnership with the Ovie Brume Foundation and PriceWaterHouseCoopers to deliver this intervention.

Also present at the event were the First Lady of Gombe State, Her Excellency Hajiya Asma'u Inuwa; the Honourable Commissioner of Education in Ogun State, Gombe State Professor Arigbabu, the Commissioner of Education Gombe State, Mallam Ibrahim Batari; and the Commissioner of Education, Cross River State, Dr Amanke Ogar.

About Lafarge Africa Plc

Lafarge Africa Plc, a leading Sub-Saharan Africa building materials company is a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, a world leader in building materials. Listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Lafarge Africa is actively participating in the urbanisation and economic growth of Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa.

Lafarge Africa has the widest footprint in Nigeria with cement operations in the South West (Ewekoro and Sagamu in Ogun State), North East (Ashaka, in Gombe State), South East (Mfamosing, Cross Rivers State) with Ready-Mix operations in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. Lafarge Africa has a current installed cement production capacity of 10.5Mtpa.

Lafarge Africa leverages its innovative expertise to provide value-added products and services solutions in the building and construction industry in Nigeria.
ADDIS ABABA- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has donated 46 metric tons of food and medical supplies to Ethiopia with a view to supplementing government's humanitarian response in Tigray State.

Noting the thriving relations the two countries have enjoyed in various sectors, UAE's Ambassador to Ethiopia Mohamed Salem Al Rashedi reaffirmed his government's support to people affected by the current situation in Tigray.

UAE is also ready to back various development projects in the State, Ambassador Mohamed stated.

In related news ,the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Addis Ababa press release sent to The Ethiopian Herald stated that government of the Republic of Korea(ROK) has decided to provide a humanitarian assistance worth of 700,000 USD through the World Food Program (WFP) and International Red Cross Commission(ICRC) to improve the humanitarian situation by protecting the vulnerable population and providing food aid in the Tigray state of Ethiopia.

The statement added also the two countries ties are cementing, growing rising in various arena more than ever when hazard occur in the respective countries for many years.

The total amount of humanitarian aid given to residents of Tigray by the Korean government is 1 million USD, including the contribution worth of 300,000 USD through the UNHCR in December of 2020, to support the Ethiopian refugees in Sudan The Embassy of the ROK in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia continues to work closely with the Ethiopian government, the WFP, and the ICRC to ensure that the humanitarian aid is delivered quickly and effectively to the most needed of Tigray.

The Ethiopian Herald 2 April 2021
SOCIETY

Amnesia Road: Landscape, Violence and Memory

Luke Stegemann

NewSouth, $34.99

In Death by Water 2, poet David Musgrave describes how, Seven generations ago, having shot his load/ of rum and sperm in Sydney Cove,/ Stephen Tuckerman, Captain of the USS Carolina disappeared off the coast of Chile with all his crew. The poems narrative of oblivion and forgetting, traversing Latin America and Australia, concludes: the past spreads out beyond the present/carrying into life its drifting dead.

Luke Stegemann appreciates that amnesty is easier among small communities than at the level of the nation. Credit:

Luke Stegemann is known as a historian, Hispanist and editor and Amnesia Road is invested in concepts of remoteness and anonymity: of geographies, histories, peoples. It is informed by Stegemanns life on Bundjalung and Mununjali country, on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, where he referees boxing matches on the weekend.

Musgraves image of watery oblivion is recalled in the books opening, when Stegemann writes: True to its task of transmission and displacement, the river carries one part of the continent away to another; it adds and subtracts, gives and takes. The river feeds the young, just as it carries away the dead, downstream. The image prefigures or encompasses one of the texts larger questions, one that is both simple and bewilderingly complex: where did the present come from?
Andy Street was in a cheerful mood this week after launching his campaign to be re-elected Conservative mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority.

For the first time in months, he was able to report the number of people dying with Covid in the West Midlands is down to single figures, with one death reported on Thursday  a great relief in a region that has endured the third biggest Covid death toll in England.

It's a bitter tragedy for all affected but also for Street personally  his mother died of the disease recently after contracting Covid while in hospital.

On the campaign trail: Andy Street won last time by just 3,766 votes but it was a thrilling result for a Conservative in a Labour heartland

Improving health outcomes for the region's 2.9million population is a top priority, and a report spearheaded by the mayor, councils and public health officials is being put into action.

The new 'Health of a Region 2020' report has come up with a 50-point plan to reduce inequalities and therefore deprivation; health equals wealth.

Inevitably, the region also suffered one of the biggest shocks to GDP in the UK with 93,000 new claimants seeking benefits. Yet Street is confident the West Midlands can recover quickly.

Before the first lockdown, the local economy grew at 25 per cent over five years, the fastest anywhere outside London.

The brain drain was also being reversed, with net positive migration into the district. Over that time, Street brought in over 3.3billion of investment, persuading the Government, local authorities and the private sector to work on his four priorities: improving transport, housing, skills and rough sleeping. The number of rough sleepers on the streets is down from 377 two years ago to 44.

The role of mayor is to be a convenor, he says, someone who bashes heads together and acts like a chief executive.

This has relevance beyond the West Midlands. Elected mayors can be pivotal in boosting local economies. Ben Houchen, the Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, has shown similar drive, doing deals to bring the local airport into public ownership, restarting the steel industry and attracting green investment.

Conservative mayors have small majorities in four out of the seven metro mayor races, so the forthcoming elections are going to be tight. Street won last time by just 3,766 votes but it was a thrilling result for a Conservative in a Labour heartland.

Why should the locals give him a bigger majority? Street says he was 'levelling up' before it became fashionable.

Mayors like Street and Houchen can challenge traditional mistrust of Conservatives through their focus on improving their local area and giving people reasons to stay. Auguries are good: Steven Knight, the Peaky Blinders creator, is building his new Mercian film studios at Digbeth while the BBC is moving more staff to Birmingham. They join HSBC, Deutsche Bank and other big hitters.

That's why opening up old rail lines, improving metro and tram links and freezing bus fares to allow easier commutes and shopping trips have been so critical to the region's expansion. The number of homes being built has doubled. Diggers are at work on the old Longbridge plant site to create more homes and commercial activities.

Post-Covid, there will be greater emphasis on training and skills, especially for those in the life science, digital and green industries: Wolverhampton College is training mechanics for electric vehicles.

It's fair to say Street been a highly successful and popular mayor  I've been out on the streets of Walsall with him and he was greeted like a rock star.

Elected mayors are showing what energetic and committed local leaders can achieve. They will be pivotal in the economic fightback from Covid.
April 2, 2021 - For patients undergoing spinal surgery, the diagnosis of cannabis use disorder is associated with higher complication rates, including substantially increased risks of stroke and respiratory complications, reports a study in Spine. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

"Chronic cannabis use among patients undergoing spine surgery is associated with higher rates of inpatient neurovascular, thromboembolic, and pulmonary complications, and less favorable overall discharge disposition," according to the new research by Ankit Indravadan Mehta, MD, FAANS and colleagues of the University of Illinois at Chicago. "The treatment of these patients is also associated with increased length of stay and cost of hospitalization."

For chronic cannabis users, surgical care may be 'extremely complex and difficult'

Using a national hospital database (Nationwide Inpatient Sample), the researchers identified nearly 433,000 patients who underwent common elective spinal surgery procedures between 2012 and 2015. About 2,400 patients had a diagnosis of cannabis use disorder, defined as continued use of cannabis despite significant distress or impairment.

On initial analysis, there were some important differences between patients with and without cannabis use disorder. Patients diagnosed with problematic cannabis use were younger, more likely to be male, and had lower rates of accompanying medical disorders (comorbidity). They were also much more likely to use tobacco: about 71 versus 31 percent.

Using a technique called propensity score matching, Dr. Mehta and colleagues created matched groups of 2,184 chronic cannabis users versus non-users with similar characteristics and comorbidities. A wide range of complications and other hospital outcomes of spinal surgery were compared between groups.

Patients with cannabis use disorder were at increased risk for several types of complications after spinal surgery. The cannabis users were about twice as likely to develop respiratory and blood clot-related (thromboembolism) complications. They also had nearly a threefold increase in the risk of stroke and other neurologic complications. Risk of bloodstream infection (septicemia or sepsis) was increased by 50 percent.

There were also more myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) among patients with cannabis use disorder. However, on further analysis, this was related to their much higher rate of tobacco use.

Patients with cannabis use disorder also spent nearly two more days in the hospital (about seven versus five days) and had hospital costs nearly $15,000 higher. They were also more likely to be discharged to a nursing or rehabilitation facility and less likely to receive home health care.

The results are of special concern as cannabis use becomes increasingly legalized and accepted in the United States. Estimates suggest that more than 15 percent of Americans use cannabis. Rates of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder have "increased drastically" in recent years, according to the authors.

The findings have important implications for anesthesia and surgical management in patients with cannabis use disorder, Dr. Mehta and colleagues believe. For example, such patients may need higher doses of opioid medications to achieve adequate pain management after spinal surgery. That may lead to slower recovery, requiring longer hospital stays and more intensive rehabilitation that cannot be done at home. The researchers also note previous studies outlining the mechanisms by which cannabis use may lead to increased risk of respiratory, thromboembolic, and neurologic complications.

"This study reveals multiple aspects of perioperative care that are extremely complex and difficult in patients with cannabis use disorder," Dr. Mehta and coauthors write. "Their high-risk cardiorespiratory profiles combined with specialized anesthetic considerations [before, during, and after surgery] necessitate very unique perioperative management. We hope this research will lead to future prospective trials for specific interventions that could improve outcomes in this specific population."

###

Click here to read "Cannabis Abuse and Perioperative Complications Following Inpatient Spine Surgery in the United States."

DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000004035

About Spine

Recognized internationally as the leading journal in its field, Spine (http://www. spinejournal. com ) is an international, peer-reviewed, bi-weekly periodical that considers for publication original articles in the field of spine. It is the leading subspecialty journal for the treatment of spinal disorders. Only original papers are considered for publication with the understanding that they are contributed solely to Spine. According to the latest ISI Science Citation Impact Factor, Spine is the most frequently cited spinal deformity journal among general orthopaedic journals and subspecialty titles.

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the clinicians, nurses, accountants, lawyers, and tax, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with advanced technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2019 annual revenues of 4.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.

Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students with advanced clinical decision support, learning and research and clinical intelligence. For more information about our solutions, visit https:/ / www. wolterskluwer. com/ en/ health and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo begged his top aide not to resign after it was learned that she admitted his administration intentionally withheld data on COVID-19 nursing home deaths, it has been claimed.

Melissa DeRosa, who is secretary to the governor, offered to quit in February after she was recorded in secret audio telling Democrats that Cuomo aides withheld the actual nursing home death toll, according to New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim.

Its my understanding Melissa wanted to resign February 12 - the day after the scandal broke of her admitting there was an obstruction of justice in her administration, Kim, the Queens lawmaker and Cuomo critic, told WRGB-TV.

In a remarkable confession made during a conference call with state Democrats, obtained by The New York Post on February 11, DeRosa admitted that officials 'froze' in August when former President Donald Trump's Department of Justice asked for the data, before rebuffing the request.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo 'begged' his top aide, Melissa DeRosa, not to resign after the New York Post reported in February that she admitted to Democratic lawmakers that the Cuomo administration withheld data about the true number of deaths among COVID-19 patients in nursing homes, according to a state lawmaker

New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim (pictured in June 2020), a Democrat from Queens and a fierce critic of Cuomo, claimed that DeRosa wanted to resign but Cuomo talked her out of it. A spokesperson for the governor denied Kim's claim

DeRosa told lawmakers: 'We were in a position where we weren't sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren't sure if there was going to be an investigation.'

The data remained secret for months until January, when a shocking report from New York Attorney General Letitia James' office said the state had undercounted the number of nursing home deaths by as much as 50 percent.

It forced New York States Department of Health to reveal that the true death toll among nursing home residents was 12,743, rather than the previously acknowledged 8,711. New York had previously only counted residents who died in nursing homes, and left out 4,000 residents who were taken to hospital and died there.

When asked about Kims claim that the governor dissuaded DeRosa from resigning, Cuomo spokesperson Richard Azzopardi said: Ron Kim doesn't know what he is talking about and this is not the first time he's lied about Melissa.

Kim, who has accused Cuomo of threatening to destroy him in a late-night phone call after the scandal broke in February, has called on DeRosa to resign after The New York Times reported that she helped the governor write his book during the pandemic.

The Times reported that Cuomo was offered more than $4million by the publisher, Crown Publishing, to write American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Pandemic.

Kim has called on DeRosa to resign after it was reported that she helped edit the governor's memoir American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

The $4million sum is considered exorbitant in the publishing world, particularly for an author who has no track record of writing best-sellers.

Cuomos first book, a memoir entitled All Things Possible which was published in 2014, sold fewer than 4,000 hardcover copies.

Cuomo was widely criticized for writing the second memoir at a time when the pandemic was far from over.

The governor has also been cited for his failure to act in time to mitigate the spread of the virus after it was detected in the United States, a decision that some say led to New York becoming the nations first hot spot last year.

The Cuomo administration is under fire for allegedly covering up the exact number of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home patients who were sent back into care facilities after they were discharged from hospitals.

Cuomo is also the subject of an investigation into claims that he sexually harassed several current and former aides.

The Times report is the latest public embarrassment for Cuomo and his aides, chief among them DeRosa, who are now accused of investing precious time and energy into the governors book deal while covering up nursing home deaths.

My focus has been on Cuomo so far but in light of her latest involvement she must step down, Kim said.

According to the Times, DeRosa was meeting with publishers and helping her boss edit drafts of the book about his leadership during the peak of the crisis last summer.

At the same time, however, she and other aides intervened in covering up the actual COVID-19 death toll in statewide nursing homes by keeping the data hidden from a key State Health Department report, according to the Times.

Kim told WRGB-TV that enlisting DeRosa to help write and edit a book violated ethics laws prohibiting public officials from profiting from their positions.

DeRosa, who has been referred to as Cuomos right hand, became widely recognized for her role as she sat next to the governor during his daily briefings at the height of the pandemic last year.

Kim said he was outraged that the governor and his aides were pursuing a book at a time when thousands were dying of COVID-19.

It confirms all of our suspicions that there were clear motives for personal profits at the peak of the pandemic from the governor, Kim said.

DeRosa's name has now cropped up in relation to both the sexual harassment and nursing home scandals as she made a bombshell confession last month that they hid the damning data on the number of COVID-19 deaths in the facilities across the state

When asked about DeRosas involvement in the book project, a spokesperson for the governors office said: As permissible and consistent with ethical requirements, people who volunteered on this project did so on their own time.

Kim, however, rejected the claim, saying all of those things cant be washed away under the guise of volunteerism.

You cannot defraud the State of New York, and misuse public time and resources and say it was all under volunteerism, he said.

Azzopardi denied suggestions that there was any link between the governors book and attempts to scrub data about COVID-19 nursing home deaths from the state report.

There is no connection between the report and this outside project, period, Azzopardi told the Times.

And any suggestion otherwise is just wrong.

According to the Times, Cuomo aides were asked to help with typing and transferring notes for his book, some of whose contents were dictated by the governor himself via cell phone.

Azzopardi said that DeRosa and another top aide, Stephanie Benton, volunteered on this project during their free time and that their involvement was permissible and consistent with ethical requirements.

Every effort was made to ensure that no state resources were used in connection with this project, Azzopardi told the Times.

The Times also reported that DeRosa had major input into a July 6 report by the Health Department that essentially absolved the Cuomo administration of any responsibility for COVID-19 nursing home deaths.

The final version of the report included key changes that were made after concerns were raised about the data by Ms. DeRosa and another Cuomo aide, Linda Lacewell, according to the Times.

Emergency Medical Service workers unload a patient into their ambulance at the Cobble Hill Health Center in April. Cuomo's office is accused of hiding nursing home death data

The Times report indicates that earlier drafts of the report cite 9,844 deaths among nursing home residents with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 from March 2020 until June 2020.

But the final report reduced that figure to 6,432 deaths, according to the Times.

Azzopardi told the Times that the July 6 report was intended to determine whether the administrations actions contributed to increased deaths, and not be a full accounting.

When asked about Cuomos book deal, Azzopardi said that the exact terms of the deal would be revealed when the governor releases his tax returns and financial disclosures sometime by mid-May.

The state's attorney general office, federal prosecutors and the Assembly's judiciary committee are investigating various allegations, including whether Cuomo abused his power to sexually harass women - including current employees - and withhold data about the number of nursing home residents who have died of COVID-19.

The Assembly's judiciary committee has said its own investigation is broad and will include a review of the book deal and whether the governors family got access to quicker test results than other New Yorkers.

The legislative probe, led by a Manhattan firm with ties to the governor, is reviewing whether there are grounds to impeach the governor.

The role of the agency is unclear. Agency spokesperson Walt McClure said it doesnt comment on matters that could or are subject to investigation.

The office of Attorney General Letitia James last week urged the agency to 'immediately' look into reports that Cuomo and others connected to him received special access to coronavirus tests a year ago, when such testing was scarce. James, a Democrat, said her office lacked jurisdiction.

State ethics commissioners are set to meet on April 9, and could take a vote in closed executive session to launch an investigation.

But commissioners aren't required to disclose anything about their investigations, unless they decide to sanction someone.
REGINA - Students across the country will face different learning environments following Easter break as communities that are hot spots for COVID-19 variants make tough decisions about whether to keep kids home.

Saskatchewan's provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa on July 6, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

REGINA - Students across the country will face different learning environments following Easter break as communities that are hot spots for COVID-19 variants make tough decisions about whether to keep kids home.

Remote learning is being extended by two weeks in Regina at the direction of the city's health officials, who are concerned about a surge in variant cases in the Saskatchewan capital.

Students with Regina Public Schools, Regina Catholic School Division and Prairie Valley School Division will not return to class until April 26.

"This continuation of temporary remote learning is the most prudent and proactive step we can make to minimize the very real COVID-19 health risk to our students, staff, their families and to our Regina communities," Greg Enion, director of education for Regina Public Schools, said in a release Thursday.

Online learning began there last month as health officials warned that COVID-19 variants were gaining a foothold in the city.

Students cross the street at Tomken Road Middle School as Ontario prepares for its third provincewide lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mississauga, Ont., on Thursday, April 1, 2021. Students across the country will face different learning environments following Easter break as communities that are hot spots for COVID-19 variants make tough decisions about whether to keep kids home. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The province did not make the move mandatory. Minister of Health Paul Merriman said "what's always going to be best is keeping the children in the classroom," but added he supports the decision by the local school boards.

Saskatchewan reported 199 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday  115 of them in Regina.

Schools in three Quebec cities were also closed Thursday for at least 10 days. Children in Quebec City, Levis and Gatineau are staying home in an effort to curb rising infections that health officials have called critical.

There were 1,271 new cases of COVID-19 in Quebec on Thursday  the highest daily number since January.

However, students in Ontario are to continue in-person studies, even as a provincewide shutdown was announced to deal with faster-spreading and more deadly variants of concern.

Premier Doug Ford said the shutdown, taking effect Saturday and lasting four weeks, is needed to combat what he called an alarming surge in infections straining hospital resources.

The government, however, said schools will remain open because they are crucial to students' mental health.

"We're doing everything we can to keep our kids in class," Ford said. "This is the top priority."

Before the announcement, speculation about closures had prompted some school boards to urge students and teachers to take their things home before the long weekend.

Two boards west of Toronto closed numerous schools in recent weeks due to a handful of COVID-19 cases that left them without enough staff to keep classrooms open.

Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer, said schools should be last to close and first to reopen.

"Our schools have been safe and we want to keep them safe."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.

 By Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg. With files from Nicole Thompson in Toronto
More Details Emerge in Orange Massacre That Killed 4, Including Boy

Orange, Calif.Just days before a gunman stormed into an Orange office complexkilling four people and injuring anotheran employee at the targeted company posted a cheery message on Facebook.

Happy Sunday to you all, a Unified Homes real estate broker posted on Facebook, alongside a photo of her desk, accessorized with a pot of pink orchids. Doing what I love is just the best feeling in the world.

Days later, the scene was significantly grimmer.

On March 31 about 5:30 p.m., a man opened fire at the 202 W. Lincoln Avenue building. A nine-year-old boy was among the victims.

The Facebook poster was not among the victims, and declined April 1 to comment on the colleagues she lost in the shooting.

This is a very sensitive time for the family, she said. We are not going to say anything.

The adult victims were employees of Unified Homes, said a relative, who was waiting April 1 to learn the identity of the critically wounded woman.

The shootings were not an isolated incident, the Orange Police Department said April 1.

The preliminary motive is believed to be related to a business and personal relationship which existed between the suspect and all of the victims, Lt. Jennifer Amat told reporters during an April 1 press briefing.

It appears all of the adults were connected either by business or a personal relationship, and this was not a random act of violence. The child is believed to be the son of one of the victims who worked at the business.

Police released this photo of Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, their prime suspect in a fatal shooting in Orange, Calif. (Courtesy of the Orange County Sheriffs Department)

The suspected shooter, identified as 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital in critical but stable condition. Police said the suspect used bicycle-type cable locks to secure the gate leading to the building before opening fire.

Gonzalez had most recently been living out of an Anaheim hotel room, and drove a rental car to the shooting scene, police said.

Vania Tovar, whose father owns Unified Homes and who knew some of the victims, recognized the suspect.

He was the husband of an ex-employee who has not worked there for two years, she told The Epoch Times. There was no business relation there.

He was not mentally ill, she said.

Everything was premeditated, Tovar said. He is not crazy. There is no insanity there. Just pure evil.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said he would do everything in his power to bring justice to the victims families.

He called the shootings a horrific massacre.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer shares information about a shooting in Orange, Calif., on April 1, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Im here to make something very, very clear, Spitzer told reporters. Mr. Gonzalez is eligible for the death penalty. This is a special circumstances casethere were multiple victims. And we are now presently looking at whether his locking of the front and the back gates constituted a lying in wait, which would also be eligible for death.

Police previously told The Epoch Times the incident was the citys worst mass shooting in more than two decades.

Orange is a very safe city, so we dont have incidents like this that happen very often. We have not had anything like this happen since the 1997 Caltrans shooting, so this is very unusual, Amat said.

Five people were killed and two others wounded in that 1997 shooting after a former state employee, Arturo Reyes Torres, 41, of Huntington Beach, opened fire at the Caltrans facility near Batavia Street and Taft Avenue. Torres was shot and killed by police a short distance away from the maintenance yard.

Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to those victims, their families. Our community really is impacted, as well as our department, so itll be a long process to get through this for many people, Amat said.

The shooting took place on the buildings second floor. The incident drew a heavy law enforcement presence with more than a dozen police cars and a SWAT vehicle at the building, including fire engines from multiple fire departments.

Julio, who lives in the Georgian Apartments across the street from the office building, told The Epoch Times he returned home from work around 8 p.m. after receiving messages about the shooting.

I was at work the whole time it happened. I had a little time to check my phone at work, and I had a whole bunch of messages saying theres a shooting, Julio said. I thought it was crazy, cause you see it all over the news, and  it happened literally right here.
The Nigerian Communications Commission on Tuesday said appropriate sanctions had been slammed on the officials enmeshed in a N122 million fraud as set out in the NCC Staff Handbook.

The commissions statement was in response to a PREMIUM TIMES exclusive report on Monday detailing how two officials, Yakubu Gontor, head of the finance department, and Philip Eretan, former head of the internal audit department, in 2019 received N122 million fraudulently as allowances for trips they never made.

Mr Gontor, according to sources, received a total of N54 million as allowances for official trips he never made, while Mr Eretan collected N68 million.

In its response to the report, the NCC did not state the nature of the sanctions given to the officials who were indicted by an investigative committee set up by the board of the agency.

The NCC in reaction to the fraud report said the officials have been punished but refused to disclose the punishment meted on them.

Our attention has been drawn to a publication in an on-line newspaper, Premium Times, entitled Exclusive: Top NCC Officials Enmeshed in N122 Million Fraud, read the statement by Ikechukwu Adinde, the NCC spokesperson.

For the avoidance of doubt, we would like to state for the records that the internal control mechanisms of the Commission identified some suspicious transactions on the part of some members of staff and top officials of the Commission in late 2019.

The Commission investigated all the cases in accordance with the extant Public Service Rules and the NCC staff regulations as contained in the Staff Handbook.

Those who were found culpable have had appropriate sanctions meted out to them as set out in the NCC Staff Handbook. Other relevant government agencies are also looking into the matter.

Background

When the financial irregularities were noticed, the board of the NCC, led then by a former senator, Olabiyi Durojaiye, set up an investigative committee to probe the matter.

The committee was headed then by Millionaire Abowei, a professor and member of the board of the commission, and its recommended that apart from refunding the illegally received monies, the two officials should be made to face a disciplinary panel with appropriate sanctions meted out to them.

Following an abrupt removal of Mr Durojaiye from office which caused a delay in the activities of the committee, Adeolu Akande, a professor of political science, who took over from him also showed interest in the matter.

He set up another five-member investigative committee chaired by Mr Abowei. Other members of the committee included Ubale Maska, an engineer; Adeleke Adewolu, a lawyer; Salmon AbdulAzeez, an engineer, and the Commissions secretary, Felix Adeoye. Mr Adeoye served as the committees secretary.

The committee started its probe in May 2020 and submitted its report which indicted Messrs Gontor and Eretan on June 24, 2020.

Although the amount fraudulently claimed by these officials is being deducted in instalments from their emoluments, many workers at the agency, who are privy to the development are wondering why the management of NCC has continued to shield the accused officials from prosecution.

Messrs Gontor and Eretan frequented the Kaduna zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following a petition by a yet-to-be-identified group in early 2020. When contacted, the new head of the zone, Sanusi Abdullahi, said he was only transferred to the zone in July 2020, and that he could not trace the files of the matter.

Another group, Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiatives (LYLI) has, however, filed an ex-parte motion at the Federal High Court in Abuja, against both the NCC and the EFCC with suit number, FHC/ABJ/CS/395/2021/.

The group is seeking an order for leave of the court to apply for an order of mandamus directing and or compelling the first defendant/respondent to reopen the investigation albeit discontinued or conducting a fresh investigation concerning the allegation of fraud against the former head of the second defendants department of audit and its incumbent head of the finance department.

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The director of the legal and compliance unit of the group, Lekan Oladapo, said they proceeded to court following refusal by the NCC to accede to its request on the details of the corruption allegations against its staffers.

Vague sanctions

After it issued the statement on Tuesday, PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Adinde for details of the nature of the sanctions meted out to the indicted officials.

The NCC spokesperson simply responded that I have given you a response with that and I think that should suffice, he said before dropping the call.

Findings by our reporter have revealed that the Commission was being economical with the truth. Apart from recovering the fraudulently claimed sums, there is no evidence that the culprits were punished for the wrongdoing.

Though Mr Eretan was redeployed from the audit department to licensing and authorisation department, Mr Gontor has continued in office as the head of the agencys finance department.

Sources, including staffers of the two affected departments, expressed their disappointment that the officials were being shielded by the agency.

What public service rules, NCC staff handbook say

Although the NCC claimed that it sanctioned the officials according to the extant Public Service Rules and the NCC staff regulations as contained in the Staff Handbook, PREMIUM TIMES findings showed otherwise.

Chapter Three of the Public Service Rules deals with the discipline of erring public servants and section 3 of the chapter explicitly talks about misconduct.

The rule defined misconduct as a specific act of wrongdoing or an improper behaviour which is inimical to the image of the service and which can be investigated and proved. It can also lead to termination or retirement.

Also, Section Four of the chapter categorises falsification of records; suppression of records; bankruptcy/serious financial embarrassment; bribery; corruption; embezzlement; misappropriation; and advance fee fraud (Criminal Code 419) as serious acts of misconduct.

Explaining what should be done when an official is accused of any of the above, the rule says it is considered necessary in the public interest that he/she should forthwith be prohibited from carrying out his/her duties. Pending investigation into the misconduct, the Federal Civil Service Commission or the Permanent Secretary/Head of Extra-Ministerial Office (if within his/her delegated powers) shall forthwith suspend him/her from the exercise of the powers and functions of his/her office and from the enjoyment of his/her emolument.

This was, however, not the case with Messrs Gontor and Eretan as they were never suspended.

The rule further states that if found guilty, the ultimate penalty for serious misconduct is dismissal.

An officer who is dismissed forfeits all claims to retiring benefits, leave or transport grant etc subject to the provisions of the Pension Reform Act 2004. When an officer is dismissed, no notice or emolument in lieu shall be given to him/her and his/her dismissal shall take effect from the date on which he/she is notified thereof.

Also, Chapter 15 of the NCC staff handbook speaks on disciplinary procedures for acts of misconduct in the agency.

It explained that theft; forgery; fraud; receiving or giving bribes, cultism and drug-related offences are criminal in nature and should be handled by state agencies like the police, and other anti-graft agencies.

While the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) deals with corruption in the public sector, especially bribery, gratification, graft, and abuse or misuse of office, the EFCC investigates people in all sectors and its empowered to investigate and prosecute money laundering and other financial crimes.

PREMIUM TIMES is aware that beyond the deduction of the monies said to have been illegally taken by Mr Gontor and Mr Eretan from their emoluments, the agency has the responsibility of handling them over to police for proper prosecution but no such action has been taken.

Officials risk jail term

The misconduct by the NCC officials, described by lawyers as obtaining of money under false pretence is felony and the officials are liable to imprisonment to a term of three years.

Any person who by any false pretence or by means of any other fraud obtains credit for himself or any other person is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years, the law says.

Also, section 19 of the ICPC establishment act says Any public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or any relation or associate of the public officer or any other public officer shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for five (5) years without option of fine.

Strip NCC of integrity award

In 2020, the Umar Danbatta-led management of the NCC won the Ethics Compliance and Integrity Scorecards (ECIS) award of the ICPC.

LYLI in a statement by Mr Oladapo asked the ICPC to strip the NCC of its integrity award.

It is crystal clear that NCC is condoning, albeit aiding corruption of its heads of Finance and Audit departments, the statement said.

There are sufficient pieces of evidence based on its letter of February 2nd admitting that the corruption allegation against some staff in the Audit and Finance Department is under investigation by the EFCC and also confirmed the truth of the graft under its nose as reported by Premium Times on 29th March 2021.

Therefore, it is sad and ironic to hear that same NCC received the Integrity Honour, as a corruption-free agency from the ICPC while it cannot absolve itself from the travelling allowance fraud perpetrated by its staffers.

The group said the NCC treated corruption with kids glove by unapologetically remarking that it is an administrative matter that it has dealt with by deducting the stolen fund from the pockets of the officials.

To us, this is the art of treachery and hypocrisy of the NCC holding the award of integrity on one hand and aiding and abetting corruption on the other hand! It is a dagger blow assault on the collective intelligence of Nigerians and a complete negation of Buhari led administration fight against corruption.

Nevertheless, stemming from the moral and legal tripod, NCC cannot continue to be a model and standard of integrity. It is an entity that is housed in a block built with glass and hurling stones. It is, for this reason, we urge the ICPC to strip NCC of this award for it is absolutely undeserving at these critical times while the administration is making spirited efforts to nip corruption in the bud.

Furthermore, it is imperative for ICPC as a statutory organ clothed with power to investigate and prosecute corruption in public places to act statutorily as mandated by the law to investigate and prosecute the culprits as soon as possible. A stitch in time saves nine, the group said.
The officer, winning the highest gallantry award of the nation at the Battle of Jarpal, gets humble tributes in Raj Image Source: IANS News

The officer, winning the highest gallantry award of the nation at the Battle of Jarpal, gets humble tributes in Raj Image Source: IANS News

The officer, winning the highest gallantry award of the nation at the Battle of Jarpal, gets humble tributes in Raj Image Source: IANS News

Jaipur, April 3 : It was an emotional scene for the family of late Colonel Hoshiar Singh, who was conferred the country's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra, for his brave and resolute leadership in the 1971 India-Pakistan War, as a grateful nation added another honour by renaming the famous Queen's Road at Vaishali Nagar after him.

His bust was also unveiled there by then South-Western Army Command chief, Lt Gen Alok Kler in a ceremony earlier this week, organised as a part of nationwide 'Swarnim Vijay Varsh' celebrations on 50 years of the glorious victory of the Indian armed forces over Pakistan in 1971.

Talking to IANS, his son Col Sushil Dahiya said: "We feel great on the occasion. It is a tremendous feeling to see him getting this tribute. My father was the only serving PVC whose heroic stories will never die down. He came down to Jaipur in 1985 and made his home here. Hence, naming a complete road after him is a great tribute." "We are glad that war heroes are being awarded under the Swarnim Vijay Varsh programme," he added.

The late officer's widow, Dhanno Devi was also present and offered floral tributes.

Col Dahiya said: "It was a very emotional moment for my mother who was filled with pride after his bust was unveiled and a road was dedicated in his name. They had retired to Jaipur and he passed away in 1998." Several senior army Officers were also present to witness the solemn event, organised at the Vijay Dwar Military Complex in Vaishali Nagar.

Colonel Hoshiar Singh was commissioned in 3 Grenadiers in June 1963 and earned the highest gallantry award of the nation for capturing and defending the Pakistani border town of Jarpal, across the Basantar River, in the Shakargarh sector on December 16-17, 1971, when a Major.

Under his leadership, multiple enemy counter attacks were repelled by his rifle Company, and refused to be evacuated despite having sustained grievous injuries. "Throughout this operation, Major Hoshiar Singh displayed most conspicuous gallantry, indomitable fighting spirit and leadership in the highest traditions of the Army," his citation read.
Guest Column US Sanctions Pose Huge Risks for Myanmar Businesses

A container port in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy

Since the Myanmar militarys coup of Feb. 1, the United States, European Union and other western countries have imposed targeted sanctions on military generals. On March 25, in a coordinated move, both the US and UK imposed sanctions on the military- owned Myanmar Economic Cooperation (MEC) and Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL).

Recently, US authorities have become more aggressive enforcing sanction laws placing Myanmar and foreign businesses at increased risk of civil and criminal penalties including worldwide bank account seizures, heavy fines, and criminal prosecutions.

The US sanctions list, known as the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN), now includes the generals who are members of the State Administration Council, Senior General Min Aung Hlaings two children and their businesses, and military-owned entities MEC, and MEHL. US sanction laws also stipulate a 50% rule where businesses directly or indirectly owned 50 percent or more in the aggregate by one or more sanctioned persons are considered sanctioned. According to leaked company registration records, up to 133 companies are wholly or partly owned by MEC and MEHL, including well-known companies such as Mytel and Myawaddy bank. These companies will all certainly now be sanctioned.

Many Myanmar and foreign businesses would be surprised to learn that they could be at risk of severe civil and criminal penalties even if the businesses are not owned by US persons or have any relationship with the US. Although the sanctions announcements from the US Department of the Treasury would indicate that the sanctions laws typically prohibit US persons from dealings with the sanctioned individuals or entities, recently the US Treasury has been expanding enforcement to non-US persons and corporations.

The highest risk for businesses is engaging in US dollar transactions directly or indirectly involving a sanctioned person or entity. Any transaction involving US dollars, regardless of whether the transaction involves a US or non-US bank, will pass through the US financial system, and be subject to scrutiny by US authorities. For instance, if a Myanmar company attempts to transfer US dollars from its non-US bank account to a Singaporean firms Singapore bank account as payment for goods and services destined for a sanctioned entity, US authorities will likely flag this transaction as a violation, block the transaction, seize the funds, bank accounts and/or impose penalties on the involved parties.

The next most common risk is trading goods and services that include US parts with a sanctioned party. For instance, a Myanmar company selling equipment that contains US parts to a sanctioned individual or entity, and was purchased from a Chinese manufacturer, may result in penalties for both the buyer and seller.

The most serious violations may result in criminal charges and possible long prison sentences. Prosecutors are able to add the criminal charge of fraud in cases where there is an effort to conceal or misrepresent the transaction of the alleged violation, charges that may result in prison sentences of up to 20 years. Even persons who do not travel to the US or have any intention of setting foot in the United States remain at risk.

As illustrated by the high profile case of the Huawei Chief Financial Officer detained in Canada currently pending extradition to the US on charges of violating sanctions imposed on Iran, US authorities can deliver an unpleasant surprise to an unsuspecting person in a foreign country that has a extradition treaty with the US by issuing an arrest warrant, and cause the person to be detained in the country prior to extradition to the US. Of particular concern to Myanmar nationals is that the US has extradition treatises with over 100 countries, many of them Myanmars neighbors and popular destinations for Myanmar nationals including Thailand and Singapore.

The fines for violations can also be substantial. In many cases they can reach millions of dollars per violation, and even billions in some high-profile cases. Indeed, enforcement actions resulted in $1.5 billion in 2019 alone. US authorities can effectively seize or freeze bank accounts of suspected infringers even if the accounts are at non-US banks.

Even small dollar transactions are not immune. In one example, the payment in US dollars for a small shipment of Cuban cigars was discovered as a violation of US sanctions when the fund transfer was processed through the SWIFT wire transfer, resulting in seizure of the payment and penalties. Penalties will especially be significant for repeat offenders.

There is no statute of limitations, and suspected violators may be charged even long after sanctions have been lifted.

Although the criminal case against the Huawei executive and massive fines on BNP Paribas and ZTE have captured the medias attention, the list of enforcement actions on the US Treasury website show smaller trading companies are increasingly being targeted by the US authorities.

Sanctions enforcement has undoubtedly become a priority for the US government. With the situation in Myanmar grabbing global headlines, transactions involving sanctioned Myanmar individuals and entities will almost certainly now receive extra scrutiny. There may also be a desire to punish violators of sanctions imposed on Myanmar individuals and entities to set an example as such a move would prove politically popular. Businesses that are unsure of their exposure to the dangers of civil and criminal penalties imposed as a result of US sanctions should promptly consult with qualified legal counsel.

John Squire is a pseudonym. He is an American attorney who specializes in US sanctions and export laws. He advises businesses on mitigating the risks of civil and criminal penalties. His views are his own.

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(JNS)  The Biden administration reportedly intends to demand that Israel return to the nine-miles-wide pre-1967 armistice lines. Should we be surprised? How dangerous would that be? And what should American Jews do about it?

According to numerous media reports, an outline of the Biden plan has been prepared by Hady Amr, the deputy assistant secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs. Amr worked on the same issues during the Obama administration. So, its hardly surprising that the plan he has drafted reflects the same positions that were taken when Barack Obama was president and Jo...
President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time as president Friday, amid escalating tensions with Russia.

'President Biden affirmed the United States' unwavering support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russias ongoing aggression in the Donbas and Crimea,' the White House's readout said.

Politico first reported the leaders would talk Friday morning and said the conversation lasted between 30 and 40 minutes.

All week, key U.S. officials had been in touch with their Ukrainian counterparts, as video footage showed Russia sending trains filled with tanks and military vehicles into Crimea and toward Donbass, Ukraine's easternmost region that borders Russia.

'We've seen this movie before,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday, mentioning the Russian 'aggressions.'

Ukrainian officials had been asking Washington for weeks for there to be a call between Biden and Zelensky, but the U.S. president has been keeping his Ukrainian counterpart at arm's length as he pushes for more reforms in the country, Politico said.

The readout said that Biden committed to revitalizing the 'strategic partnership' between the U.S. and Ukraine 'in support of President [Zelensky's] plan to tackle corruption and implement a reform agenda based on our shared democratic values that delivers justice, security, and prosperity to the people of Ukraine.'

Former President Donald Trump's first impeachment was over a call he made to Zelensky in July 2019 - pressuring him to announce an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden, as the now-president looked to be a formidable political rival.

Russia has used trains to move massive military vehicles toward Crimea and in Ukraine's easternmost region, Donbas, which the Pentagon now believes was a military training exercise, but Ukraine's president viewed as a 'threat'

A column of tanks and trucks at the roadside as they make their way to the conflict zone

Tanks are transported by freight train at a station headed towards the separatist region on the border with Ukraine

The Kremlin said Thursday Ukraine and the West should not 'worry' about Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border (pictured, a tank of pro-Russian militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic)

WHITE HOUSE READOUT OF BIDEN'S CALL WITH ZELENSKY President Joseph R. Biden spoke today to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. President Biden affirmed the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russias ongoing aggression in the Donbas and Crimea. He emphasized his administrations commitment to revitalize our strategic partnership in support of President Zelenskyys plan to tackle corruption and implement a reform agenda based on our shared democratic values that delivers justice, security, and prosperity to the people of Ukraine. The leaders agreed these reforms are central to Ukraines Euro-Atlantic aspirations. They also discussed the importance of close United States-Ukraine cooperation to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen democracy in the region. Advertisement

'I know we've put out a readout on the call, I'm not aware of that coming up on the call right now,' Psaki said Friday when asked if Trump's pressure campaign was discussed on the Biden-Zelensky call.

Hunter Biden had served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company.

Trump was pushing that Hunter Biden was enriching himself on his family name.

The ex-president alleged that Vice President Biden withheld loan guarantees to pressure Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin to prevent an investigation into Burisma and protect Hunter and his business dealings.

Biden did pressure Ukraine to fire Shokin, but because he wasn't doing enough to root out corruption - the view of the United States government, the European Union, the World Bank and then International Monetary Fund.

Trump called Zelensky and demanded an investigation in exchange for the $400 million in military aid that Congress had earmarked for Ukraine.

Since taking office, Biden has had his national security team handling relations with Ukraine.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday reaffirming the United States' 'unwavering support' for Kiev in the face of 'Russia's ongoing aggression in the Donbass and Crimea,' reported CNN.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held a similar call with his Ukrainian counterpart on Monday.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley spoke to Ukraine's top general and also Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the head of Russia's general staff.

Details about Milley's call with Gerasimov haven't been made public.

The Kremlin said on Thursday the West should not 'worry' about Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border, but there are concerns the situation could develop into another conflict.

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he spoke with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Andrii Taran.

CNN reported that the Pentagon has become worried about an escalation as military intelligence reports said around 4,000 heavily armed Russian forces had been seen moving in Crimea.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the United States' 'unwavering support' for Ukraine during a call Wednesday

'It was not totally clear what they were up to,' an official told the network, adding that the US now believes it may have been part of a Russian military exercise.

Zelensky said Thursday that he believe the moves represented a threat.

'Playing with muscles in the form of military exercises and possible provocations along the border is a traditional Russian affair,' Zelensky said, according to Reuters. 'In this way, [Russia] seeks to create an atmosphere of threat and, at the same time, of pressure during the ceasefire negotiations and for peace as our value.'

The US agreed with Ukraine's assessment that two incidents involving mortar and machine gun fire that led to the death of four Ukrainian soldiers last Friday represented a violation of a ceasefire agreement.

Russia blamed the renewed fighting on Ukraine.

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not confirm the troop buildup on the border, saying Moscow was at liberty to move troops across its territory.

'The Russian Federation moves its armed forces within its territory at its discretion,' Peskov said. 'It should not worry anyone and does not pose a threat to anyone.'

'As for the participation of Russian troops in the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, Russian troops have never taken part in it,' he added. 'And [they] are not doing it now.'

President Joe Biden has taken a tougher approach to Russian than former President Donald Trump, labeling Russian President Vladimir Putin a 'killer' and slapping sanctions on Russian officials and entities over the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

More santions are expected over election interference and the SolarWinds cyberattack, CNN said.

Russia's large military exercise on Ukraine's border could be a message to Biden, showing the country's military dominance in the region, CNN's Pentagon source said.
Tara Reid was caught on camera taking a tumble on a red carpet in Los Angeles Monday after tottering in high spirits on six-inch heels with two dogs in her arms.

The spill was the latest in a long line of public mishaps that have befallen the American Pie actress and reality star, 45.

Reid laughed off the moment, gathering herself to keep smiling for cameras at the red carpet of ScotWeek at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica.

She told DailyMailTV she was a little unsteady on her high-heeled feet having not been to red carpet events for a year due to the pandemic, adding that she was thrown off balance by her dog Bella.

Scroll down for video

Tara Reid attended the ScotWeek red carpet launch party celebrating Scottish Culture And Excellence in Los Angeles where she posed with beloved Yorkies, Beso and Bella

Oops! The 45-year-old actress took a tumble on the red carpet after losing her footing while posing for the cameras

Tara appeared to be unsteady in her six-inch Louboutin platform pumps after spending several months off the red carpet due to the pandemic

In the video, Reid greeted the gathered cameras as she strutted on to the red carpet with Bella held in one arm.

Moments later, her left ankle buckled and she fell  luckily away from Bella  as the little dog tumbled out of her grasp, before she joked to the gathered cameras: 'that did not work!'

Soon she was blithely back on her feet and clutching both her pups, smiling and posing at the charity event.

Guests to ScotWeek, a celebration of Scottish culture and history, were treated to bottles of Glenfiddich and The Balvenie whisky, and watched as Reid reflected on her dramatic entrance in an interview with DailyMailTV.

'First of all, it's the first time I'm wearing heels in a year since we've been in lockdown,' she explained.

The American Pie star luckily managed to fall away from her adorable pooch and was quickly back on her feet

Tara laughed off the moment as she gathered herself to keep smiling for cameras

The actress had tottered in high spirits wearing sky-high platform heels, which were clearly

'I've been in my sweatpants every single day and my UGG. So I got fancy today, but I had two dogs who were trying to go at the same time and it didn't work out, but we made it work out anyway.

'I had heels and I had my two puppies and it was a lot to deal with.'

The Sharknado star had an infamous wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet at rapper Diddy's 35th birthday party in New York in 2004, when her dress slid off her shoulder revealing her breast.

The actress has struggled with alcohol addiction after getting a name as a 'party girl' following her American Pie success and reality show Taradise where she boozed around the globe.

In 2008 she checked into Malibu rehab center Promises for 60 days, saying in an interview afterwards that 'rehab saved my life'.

But in 2013 TMZ found her intoxicated outside a club and a year later she was snapped taking a tumble outside a party in Los Angeles.

In 2016 she was spotted drinking at an airport bar as her flight left without her.

The surprising success of B-movie Sharknado gave her a new lease on life however, and friends said by 2018 she was 'in a good place.'

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Tara explained it was her first time wearing heels 'in a year' due to the COVID-19 lockdown and she became unsteady while trying to pose and balance her dogs at the same time

Scottish pride: : ScotWeek is a non-profit cultural educational organization started in Los Angeles in 2020 to highlight creativity, education, culture and charity

Speaking to DailyMailTV at ScotWeek, Reid revealed she had recently even spent six weeks with a shaman in Arizona to help with her healing process, turning her into 'a true hippy'.

'We got into all these like shamans and walking the vortex and seeing the most amazing things ever, and I was with these psychics and these healers,' she said.

'It just felt right and I truly believe in the full moon and my crystals and all this stuff. I love that. So I feel like this was a big year of learning on every level spiritually.

'I started getting shown how these stones get along with each other and how they can impact your energy and I fell in love with it. I became a true hippy out there. It was great.'

The 45-year-old was keen to promote her new efforts to build a business as a producer as well as remaining on-screen  working on a new movie called Masha's Mushroom.

'This whole epidemic has been so hard on so many people on so many different levels of loneliness, of this, especially with artists, you just kind of want to create,' she said.

Promo mode: The previous day, the Sharknado star shared video clips of the ocean from her hotel room at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica

Need for speed: Reid also shared shared a photo of herself sitting on a car from the McLaren Racing team on Monday

'When you're an actor, that's your therapy to take out. You use your emotions to take it out. So when I didn't have that, I was like, 'You know what? I need to create stuff for myself.'

ScotWeek is a non-profit, and all proceeds of the event went towards educational scholarships and other charitable schemes.

The event, produced by Jane Owen PR in accordance with regulations and on site covid compliance team, is one of the first slew of in-person red carpet events after Los Angeles' year of lockdown due to COVID.

Reid gushed about Scotland, calling it 'one of the most beautiful countries in the world.'

'I have a lot of friends in Ireland too, but it's right next to there and I just think it's a great cause. Anything that helps Scotland and children, and everything,' she said.

For more details on Scotweek visit https://scotweek.org/.
Toyota Motor Company and Beijing SinoHytec have established a joint venture company to promote the commercial vehicle fuel cell system industry in China. The planned joint venture will be based in Beijing and named Toyota SinoHytec Fuel Cell (FCTS).





Last year, Toyota Motor and five Chinese OEMsChina FAW Corporation Limited (FAW); Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFM); Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Group); Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd. (BAIC Group); and Beijing SinoHytecformed a joint venture: United Fuel Cell System R&D (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (FCRD). FCRDs primary business is the development of fuel cell systems for commercial vehicles. (Earlier post.)

The new company FCTS will produce and sell the fuel cell system developed by FCRD. FCTS will be established this year, with a total investment of about 8 billion (US$72 million), with Beijing Sinotec and Toyota each contributing 50%.

The first product will be based on the fuel cell system used in the Toyota MIRAI, with output power boosted by FCRD to be suitable for commercial vehicles. Plans are to launch this system into the Chinese market this year.
*Port Loko District, 26 March, 2021* -The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Melrose Karminty, has commissioned the Participatory Budgeting Project facilities in Port Loko.

The project included rehabilitation of five schools, provision of an agricultural centre complete with a well, toilet facilities, a rice milling machine and the provision of tools and vehicle for solid waste management.

It could be recalled that in 2017, the Japanese Government through the World Bank provided funding to respond to the Post- Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) needs at local level in Sierra Leone by building Community resilience through EVD sensitization efforts and social mobilization activities in the districts most affected by the disease. As one of the districts that was hardly hit by the EVD, Port Loko District Council was given USD 250,000 to undertake developmental projects according to the needs of its communities.

In her keynote address, Madam Melrose Karminty, was quick to apologize on behalf of her boss (Minister Tamba J.T. Lamina)who she said was unavoidably absent because of other important state function. She stated that the bedrock of the project was decentralization and local governance. She added that the former provides greater voice, empowerment and opportunity to influence decision affecting communities, whilst the latter is an instrument for transforming conflicts and building peace.

"The project that we are here to commission is in line with President Bio's flagship program of Human Capital Development, especially the Free Quality Education. This project is aimed at involving citizens in the decision making process of the Local Councils thereby aligning service delivery to the priorities of communities," she explained. She maintained that as a Ministry, they provided technical inputs into the implementation of the project together with the required monitoring to ensure its success.

She entreated the community to take full ownership of the facilities and put mechanisms in place to protect them, adding that the Ministry would be paying unannounced monitoring visits to the facilities in order to ascertain that they are used in accordance with the purpose for which they were built.

She thanked the Japanese Government and the World Bank for funding the project and for rendering other supports to the Sierra Leone Government.

The Team Lead for the Project Fudiciary Management Unit (PFMU), Alpha I. Sesay, said the project, which aims to strengthen service delivery in the post Ebola context, was piloted in two Local Councils most affected by the EVD, including the Freetown City Council ( FCC) and Port Loko District Council.

"The intervention aimed to empower citizens at ward and community levels to identify and develop their preferred projects to be part of the budget of the two local councils for the year 2020. Projects selection were strictly based on vote from the community people. Projects with the highest number of votes were prioritized for implementation by Local Councils," he highlighted.

The Chairman of the Port Loko District Council, Ibrahim Santigie Bangura, admitted that since he was employed at the council in 2008, the Participatory Budgeting Project is the fastest and toughest project that the council has implemented, adding that the said project was completed in less than four months.

"I know that it's unbelievable to say the whole project was completed in less than four months, but that's the truth. The secret behind that is hard work and dedication. It's interesting to know that at the time of its implementation, the entire staff of my council were transformed into monitors, who were visiting the construction sites on everyday basis," he said.

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Chairman Bangura expressed appreciation on behalf of the people of Port Loko District to President Bio through the MLGRD for choosing his council amongst the 22 local councils across the country to implement such Human Capital Development projects.

Adama Turay, a class six pupil of the Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood in Gbane Bana village, said with delight that before now, their school was in deployable condition with inadequate classroom furniture, toilet facilities, and access to water.

"Our school has been transformed into a brand new school with all facilities that a school should have. Our friends who were going to other schools are now yearning to come here," she said in a jubilant mood.

The program was climaxed with site visitation and cutting of tape by the Deputy Minister Melrose Karminty.

Other dignitaries present were the Manager of Decentralization Secretariat, John Brima, councillors of Port Loko District Council, Regent Chiefs, amongst others.
MUMBAI: Abdul Quddus Khan, son of the late writer and Bollywood actor Kader Khan, passed away on Wednesday (March 31) in Canada due to kidney ailments, his family said. He was in his mid-fifties and was battling age-related ailments. According to reports, he was working as a security officer at a Canadian airport.

Quddus' brother Sarfaraz confirmed the news to PTI and said that he died at a hospital in Canada on Wednesday after battling kidney-related ailments for months. He revealed that Abdul was undergoing dialysis for months in Canada and was admitted to the hospital for the past few months because of health issues.

According to Sarfaraz, Quddus had been suffering from kidney ailments for quite some time. "My brother was on dialysis. He had kidney problems since sometime. He was in the hospital for the last five months, trying to fight it out. But yesterday in the morning he left all of us," Sarfaraz said.

For the unversed, Abdul was Kader Khan's eldest son with his first wife.

Speaking of Kader Khan, he was best known for penning some of the most powerful dialogues and his impeccable comic timing as an actor on the big screen. He got settled in Canada for the latter part of his life. On December 31, 2018, Kader Khan passed away at the age of 81 due to prolonged illness.

His son Sarfaraz said that his father and veteran actor died after battling illness for a long time. "My dad has left us. He passed away on December 31 at 6 pm as per Canadian time due to prolonged illness. He slipped into coma in the afternoon. He was in the hospital for 16-17 weeks," PTI quoted him saying.

The last rites of Kader Khan had taken place in Canada.
Artificial satellites and space debris, orbiting the Earth can increase the brightness of the night sky and ultimately hinder astronomers ability to make observations of our universe, experts have said. In their latest paper, researchers in Britain asserted that space junk not only poses a threat of collision and destruction but also jeopardises humankinds exposure to celestial objects. Writing in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, they described that the space debris often reflects and refracts sunlight, sometimes making them appear as streaks in observations made by ground-based telescopes.

Because the streaks are often comparable to or brighter than objects of astrophysical interest, their presence tends to compromise astronomical data and poses the threat of irretrievable loss of information, the team explained in the paper.

Space Debris or Space Junk is any piece of machinery or debris left by humans in space. It ranges from gigantic satellites to parts of rockets to junk discarded by the International Space Station (ISS). As per a report by the European Space Agency (ESA), there are over 9,200 tonnes of space debris/Satellites in Earths orbit at present.

Credits: RAS

Additionally, the experts also emphasised that the impact of space debris could be higher for some earthbound telescopes like those with low sensitivity detectors. When imaged with high angular resolution and high sensitivity detectors, many of these objects appear as individual streaks in science images. However, when observed with relatively low-sensitivity detectors like the unaided human eye, or with low-angular-resolution photometers, their combined effect is that of a diffuse night sky brightness component, much like the unresolved integrated starlight background of the Milky Way, experts wrote in the paper.

Space Cleanup

Last month, Astroscale, a Japanese startup, launched a satellite that will find and retrieve used satellites and other space debris, ushering in a new age of sustainable space travel. A commercial satellite operator's six-month demonstration project is the first of its kind. Additionally, the EU also comissioned Clearspace-1, which is scheduled to launch in 2025, making it the first space mission to eliminate debris from orbit. The mission will be financed by a service contract with a private consortium led by a startup to help develop a new market for in-orbit servicing and debris removal.

Image Credits: NASA
Manheim mother of six Julie Eberly was laid to rest yesterday, the same day her family got the news they were hoping for  an arrest in the road-rage shooting that caused Eberlys death.

I know this wont really change anything nor bring Julie back, but it gives us some peace to know he wont be able to do this to anyone else, Ryan Eberly said in a Friday morning statement. We are in the process of getting Justice for Julie.

Ryan and Julie Eberly were driving down a North Carolina highway March 25, on their way to the beach to celebrate their wedding anniversary with friends who married at the same time.

The Eberlys merged into an Interstate 95 lane around 11:40 a.m. and came a little close to Dejywan R. Floyds Chevrolet Malibu, according to the Robeson County Sheriffs Office.

Floyd pulled up to the passenger side of the Eberlys GMC Yukon and fired several shots through the window, striking Julie Eberly, authorities said.

READ: 29-year-old man charged with killing Pa. mother of 6 in North Carolina road-rage incident: police

Authorities said he continued down the road and got off at an upcoming exit. Floyd was arrested Thursday  a week after Julie Eberlys death  and charged with first-degree murder and discharging a weapon into an occupied territory.

The Eberly familys statement said Robeson County District Attorney Matt Scott told them his office has a very strong case against Floyd, and that it is unprecedented to have someone in custody in a week.

A GoFundMe page set up in Julie Eberlys honor has raised more than $67,000 as of Friday morning.

We are incredibly grateful for the long hours put in by the entire Sheriffs Office and the people of Lumberton who kept an eye out for [Floyds] vehicle, Ryan Eberly said. You are all forever in our hearts because of the prayers and care you gave to us.

We also want to thank our Manheim and Lancaster Communities for their many prayers, words of sympathy, and meal offerings. We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support. We feel the prayers being offered on our families behalf are holding us up during this horrible time.

A celebration of life will be held for Julie Eberly on April 9 at 7 p.m. at Manheim Brethren in Christ Church on Penryn Road in Manheim, her family said. The service is open to the public, and family and friends are invited to worship and share stories.

READ: Her distinctive laugh still echoes, husband of central Pa. woman killed in cowardly road rage shooting says
Rokel Commercial Bank has on Saturday 27th March 2021 commenced Saturday banking operations at its Wellington, Clock Tower, Wilberforce Street and Juba branches. The branches will be open to the public between 9.30 a.m to 2.30 p.m every Saturday.

It is normal for the Corporate world in developing countries like Sierra Leone to go to sleep on weekends.

Apart from automated banking which is a pretty common feature in today's banking industry, many banks in Sierra Leone would rather go into comatose at the end of every week.

Forgoing two good days at the detriment of the economy and customer's demand is insensitive, retrogressive and inconsistent with productivity.

Rokel Commercial Bank which had consistently remained the fastest growing bank in Sierra Leone had chosen to introduce Saturday Banking as a sure way to increase access to finance and and increase customer's satisfaction.

The Managing Director, Walton Gilpin has already reiterated his commitment to expand the Saturday Banking service to other parts of the country within the shortest possible time.

Several Rokel Commercial Bank customers interviewed including 38 year old Idrissa Kamara - a civil engineer said he was delighted that he was delighted over the news and that he can now go to the Bank on Saturdays to carry out his transactions. *"Because of work schedule and pressure, I would always find it hard to leave my work site to go to the bank on weekdays. I am now happy that Rokel Commercial has heeded to our calls for Saturday banking"* he said.

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The Saturday banking service will reduce work pressure on staff and management as the added day can ensure many customers, who would normally have to wait till weekdays are served. This will also essentially reduce overcrowding at banking halls on weekdays.

In another development, the Bank is scaling up its digitalization program with a plethora of digital products that will in the fullness of time be 'unleashed' into the market to maximize growth, reliability and quality services. This is in fulfilment with the Managing Director's earlier commitment to Sierra Leoneans that bank' has adopted a policy of full digitalization this year.

One of such products is the *"2U"* mobile software that will principally target customers in the diaspora. This product will come on the heels of the Orange Mobile Wallet service launched on the 18th of this month.
Turkey's daily COVID-19 cases hit new record; Yemen reports sudden spike in infections

Xinhua) 11:12, April 02, 2021

A staff member shows a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Ankara, Turkey, on March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)

--Turkey reports over 40,000 daily cases, new record

--Yemen sees sudden surge in COVID-19 infections

--Tally in Iran up 11,750 to 1,897,314

--Lebanon announces 3-day total lockdown for Easter

CAIRO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkey set a new record of daily spike in COVID-19 cases with 40,806 new infections confirmed on Thursday. Meanwhile, Yemen reported a sudden spike in its COVID-19 cases.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey surged to 3,357,988 on Thursday, while its death toll climbed by 176 to 31,713, according to Turkish Health Ministry.

The tally of recoveries from the infectious disease rose by 20,817 to 3,035,043 in Turkey, the ministry said.

Health authorities in Yemen on Thursday reported a sudden surge in the daily confirmed coronavirus cases in the war-torn country.

Around 174 new infections were reported during the last 24 hours in the provinces controlled by the government, raising the caseload to 4,531, Yemeni Health Ministry said.

The ministry also reported 18 new deaths from the coronavirus, raising the COVID-19 death toll in Yemen to 906, while the total recoveries remained at 1,682.

On Wednesday, Yemen received its first shipment of 360,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shipped through the COVAX. This is part of 1.9 million doses of vaccines that Yemen will receive in 2021.

Yemeni students are seen at a school in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)

Iran reported 11,750 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, raising its nationwide caseload to 1,897,314.

The pandemic has so far claimed 62,759 lives in Iran, up by 94 in the past 24 hours, while a total of 1,626,144 people have recovered from the disease and 3,989 remained in intensive care units.

The Iranian health authorities on Thursday warned against any mass gatherings outdoors on Iran's Nature Day, which falls on Friday.

Iraq's Ministry of Health reported 6,015 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total nationwide infections to 856,939. It also reported 37 new deaths, raising the COVID-19 death toll in Iraq to 14,360, while the total recoveries climbed by 4,536 to 764,096.

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 367 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed tally in the country to 833,407. The death toll from the virus rose by 15 to 6,218, while the total recoveries in Israel soared by 1,080 to 820,644.

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel has surpassed 5.25 million, or 56.5 percent of its total population, since the vaccination campaign began on Dec. 20, 2020.

A citizen receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a health center in Baghdad, Iraq, March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

Jordan announced 6,482 new COVID-19 cases and 82 more deaths from the disease, bringing its tally of infections to 618,059 and its death toll to 6,940. The total number of recoveries in Jordan surged by 7,354 to 520,498.

Morocco registered 579 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total cases in the North African country to 496,676, the health ministry said.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 483,711 after 348 new ones were added, while the death toll rose by seven to 8,825.

Lebanon recorded 3,562 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total number of infections to 471,962, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.

The number of deaths from the virus increased by 52 to 6,286 in Lebanon, which announced a 3-day total lockdown for the Easter holiday starting Saturday to prevent further increase in COVID-19 infections.

A nurse works in a hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

Algeria reported 112 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed number in the North African country to 117,304. The death toll from the virus rose by three to 3,096 in Algeria, while the tally of recoveries increased by 94 to 81,632.

Kuwaiti Health Ministry reported 1,418 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 233,521. It also confirmed six more fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,319, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,293 to 217,873.

The Qatari health ministry announced 840 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total confirmed number in the Gulf state to 180,804. It also reported four more deaths from the disease, taking its death toll to 295, while the total recoveries climbed by 423 to 164,544.

In Oman, the health ministry reported 800 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed cases in the sultanate to 160,018. It also registered three more deaths, taking its death toll to 1,681, while its total recoveries from the virus climbed by 673 to 144,639.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Liang Jun)
A general view of Liddell power station in Muswellbrook, in the NSW Hunter Valley region on April 22, 2018. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

EU to Slap Carbon Tax on Australian Exports

The United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) may soon hit Australian exports with carbon tax policies designed to compel European trading partners to reduce emissions.

On March 10, Members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution to support a carbon tax, otherwise called the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).

Details are to be presented to parliament in June at the earliest and is expected to cover the power sector and energy-intensive industrial sectors, like cement, steel, aluminium, and more.

The EU Parliament said the taxs objective is to help the region achieve net zero emissions by 2050 while preventing carbon leakage, where EU production would simply move overseas where carbon emission policies are less harsh.

We have to lead by example but we also have to make sure that if our companies work under these very tough standards, that these industries arent relocated to countries that are more polluting, Michael Pulch, EUs ambassador to Australia, told The Australian.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan called the carbon taxes protectionist but Pulch denied this.

Australian Federal Trade Minister Dan Tehan at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, on Dec. 9, 2020. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Jurgen Zattler, director general at Germanys federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, told The Guardian that the policy would be used as a tool to fight global warming and not to protect domestic industry.

However, Tehan maintained his stance, saying he did not want the region to approach the subject in unique ways which are protectionist and he advocated for greater trade liberalisation.

We know theyve already got heavily subsidised industries, he told reporters. What we dont want to see is additional protectionist measures put in place.

Queensland University of Technology Associate Professor Felicity Deane said that if the EU were to implement CBAM while it continued to give free emissions to some industries, the argument that the tax would be protecting domestic producers could be made.

The introduction of the tax will heavily impact current talks for the Australia-EU free trade agreement. The EU ambassador said Europe will force Australia to adopt a greater emissions target in negotiations.

This may cause tensions in the relationship between the two parliaments, a sentiment raised by U.S. presidential envoy on climate, John Kerry. He told The Financial Times that he was concerned about the tax plans, warning it should be only used as a last resort.

It does have serious implications for economies, and for relationships, and trade, Kerry said. I think its something thats more of a last resort, when youve exhausted the possibilities of getting emission reductions and joining in some kind of compact by which everyone is bearing the burden.

The Australian flag and the flag of the European Union are seen during an event at the German Ministry of Defence in Berlin, Sunday, April 22, 2018. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

However, the EU Parliament will face some difficulty with drafting and implementing a carbon tax that would comply with the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Under WTO rules, taxes or charges of any kind imposed on imported products must be the same as taxes imposed on domestic products. This means while importers can be charged additional taxes, the taxes cannot be imposed on producers.

If the EU continues with its CBAM plans as they currently stand, a country like Australia could lead a WTO dispute on the issue.

At this stage, the EU hasnt ruled out relying on exception provisions [to comply with WTO rules], which include the allowance to protect of human, animal and plant life or health or the conservation of an exhaustible natural resource, Felicity Deane said. However, the catch is that these exceptions only apply in narrow circumstances that may not fully excuse the CBAM.
Myanmar's wireless broadband internet services were shut down on Friday by order of the military, local providers said, as protesters continued to defy the threat of lethal violence to oppose the junta's takeover.

A directive from the Ministry of Transport and Communications on Thursday instructed that "all wireless broadband data services be temporarily suspended until further notice, according to a statement posted online by local provider Ooredoo.

After weeks of overnight cutoffs of internet access, the military on Friday shut all links apart from those using fiberoptic cable, which was working at drastically reduced speeds. Access to mobile networks and all wireless - the less costly options used by most people in the developing country - was blocked.

The Norwegian telecoms company Telenor, one of the biggest carriers in Myanmar, confirmed it could no longer offer wireless services. It was offering fiberoptic service of up to 40 megabits per second in its packages as of Friday, well below high-speed access, which is a minimum of 100 Mbps.

The government has shut down all but a handful of fully military-controlled media outlets. Some of those banned or whose operations have been suspended have continued to publish via social media or whatever methods they can find.

Facebook announced it was providing a safety feature to enable users in to beef up security settings locking their profiles to prevent access by non-friends. That includes preventing non-friends from enlarging, sharing or downloading full-size profile and cover photos and seeing any posts on a person's timeline.

Facebook and other major social media platforms have banned members of the military, also known as the Tatmadaw, and are blocking ads from most military-linked commercial entities.

Also Friday, a South Korean bank said it temporary closed its branch in Yangon and was considering bringing its South Korean employees back home after security forces fatally shot one of its employees.

Noh Ji-young, a spokesperson for Shinhan Bank, said the woman was shot in the head while commuting home from work on Wednesday and was pronounced dead on Friday.

The bank did not disclose further personal details about her. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the woman was shot while Myanmar security forces inspected the company car she was using.

The ministry said it has issued a warning to South Korean nationals in Myanmar to act with caution when they are inspected by security forces.

Meanwhile, German-based Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), which supplies raw materials, supplies and system components for making Myanmar's kyat banknotes, said it was suspending all deliveries to the state-owned security printer, Security Print Works.

This is a reaction to the ongoing violent clashes between the military and the civilian population, the company said in a statement. It said it had previously restricted business.

With its economy contracting under pressure from mass disruptions in reaction to the and from the pandemic, Myanmar's military leaders are expected to order an increase in the money supply by the central bank. It was unclear how much of an impact the German company's move would have.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch issued a report Friday saying that Myanmar's military has forcibly disappeared hundreds of people, including politicians, election officials, journalists, activists and protesters and refused to confirm their location or allow access to lawyers or family members in violation of law.

The military junta's widespread use of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances appears designed to strike fear in the hearts of anti- protesters, said Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch's Asia director. Concerned governments should demand the release of everyone disappeared and impose targeted economic sanctions against junta leaders to finally hold this abusive military to account.

The crisis in the Southeast Asian nation has escalated in the past week, both in the number of protesters killed and with military airstrikes against the guerrilla forces of the Karen ethnic minority in their homeland along the border with Thailand.

In areas controlled by the Karen, more than a dozen civilians have been killed since Saturday and more than 20,000 have been displaced, according to the Free Burma Rangers, a relief agency operating in the area.

About 3,000 Karen fled to Thailand, but many returned under unclear circumstances. Thai authorities said they went back voluntarily, but aid groups say they are not safe and many are hiding in the jungle and in caves on the Myanmar side of the border.

The U.N. Human Rights Office for Southeast Asia called on countries in the region to protect all people fleeing violence and persecution in the country and ensure that refugees and undocumented migrants are not forcibly returned, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

(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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Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
Australia-based AVZ Minerals Limited has secured a strategic, long-term offtake partner agreement with Yibin Tianyi Lithium Industry Co., Ltd. for the supply of spodumene concentrate (SC6) from the Manono Lithium and Tin Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Spodumenea lithium mineral derived from pegmatite rockis known for its high lithium content.

Yibin Tianyi is a leading global battery materials producer that is continuing to expand its lithium hydroxide production capacity as a key participant in the supply chain of Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the worlds largest lithium-ion battery maker.

Yibin Tianyi is set to become one of the largest lithium hydroxide producers in China, with initial production capacity of up to 20,000t of lithium hydroxide per annum and with future staged expansions expected to increase production to approximately 100,000t per annum. Yibin Tianyi will require approximately 700,000mt per year of SC6 to satisfy its internal demand after commissioning its planned hydroxide plant expansions.

Under the offtake agreement, Yibin Tianyi will purchase up to 200,000t per annum of SC6 for an initial 3-year term following commencement of production with an option to extend for an additional two years.





The Manono Project is owned by AVZ (60%), La Congolaise dExploitation Miniere SA (30%) (Cominiere, a State-owned enterprise) and Dathomir Mining Resources SARL (10%) (Dathomir, a privately owned company). AVZ is responsible for funding expenditure to completion of a feasibility study and a decision to mine.

We are very pleased to conclude our discussions with Yibin Tianyi and to sign another binding offtake agreement for SC6 to a Chinese converter. This agreement takes our SC6 binding offtake commitments to more than 80% of the Projects annual SC6 production [700kt, with 153kt SC6 production being used for Primary Lithium Sulphate conversion] which is a massive endorsement for the Manono Project and one that satisfies an important condition precedent for our prospective project financiers. At present, we are seeing buoyant market conditions with reported SC6 prices in China increasing circa 30% in the first quarter of the year while during the same time the LME cash tin price has surged circa 30% boding well for the Manono Projects Optimized Definitive Feasibility Study which is due for completion next quarter. Positive market sentiment is greatly assisting our negotiations and while we are not compelled to commit to further forward sales, we are continuing to explore strategic opportunities for our offtakes in both traditional and emerging lithium markets including Europe, US and India. Nigel Ferguson, AVZ Managing Director

The Manono Project is one of the worlds largest lithium-rich LCT (lithium, caesium, tantalum) pegmatite deposits. The Manono pegmatites extend for a strike length of at least 13km and are more than 240m thick in places. The Project covers the historic Manono Mine, a pegmatite deposit mined for its tin content from 1919 to 1982. AVZ also holds a 100% interest in the Manono Extension Project which surrounds the Manono Project.

Two large areas of pegmatite have been identified, with the northeast area, referred to as the Manono sector and the southwest area, referred to as the Kitotolo sector. Mapping within the two sectors has established that there are many pegmatites, representing separate intrusions, including six large pegmatites.

The large pegmatites all contain spodumene mineralization. The majority of the smaller pegmatites also contain spodumene and in some cases other lithium minerals. The two largest pegmatites (known as the Carriere de lEste Pegmatite and the Roche Dure Pegmatite) are each of similar size or larger than the famous Greenbushes Pegmatite in Western Australia.

Based on detailed prospect scale mapping, trenching and drill results, and given the size and mineralized nature of the pegmatites at Manono, AVZ generated an exploration target of between 1Bt to 1.2Bt of 1.25% to 1.5% Li 2 O for the entire Manono Project, including between 300 and 400Mt of 1.25% to 1.5% Li 2 O for the Roche Dure Pegmatite alone. The potential quantity and grade of the exploration target as stated, is conceptual in nature as there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.

The Project will include an open-pit mining operation at the Roche Dure pegmatite deposit, producing lithium, tin and tantalum. The Project will also consist of construction of spodumene concentrate (SC6) and primary lithium sulphate (PLS) processing facilities. It is expected that 700,000 t/year of SC6 and 46,000 t/year of PLS will be produced annually with 153,000 t/year of the SC6 product used as feedstock in the PLS production. Once processed, products will be transported using company-owned vehicles to Kabondo Dianda where it will be loaded onto trains for transport to the port.
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The Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has taken delivery of some items donated by Accra-based Essence Derma Care, a distributor and dealer in surgical and therapeutic skincare products in Ghana.



The items which are valued at GHC13,750 included mostly the company's scar management products.



The official presentation was done on Wednesday 31st March 2021 at the conference room of the Korle-Bu Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre.



The donation was done on behalf of the company by the Operations Manager of Essence Derma Care Mrs Diana Wunyala.



Mrs. Wunyala was also accompanied by her CEO and two officials from the sales and marketing team.



Resident Doctor of the Center, Dr Daasebre Ahensan



The items were subsequently received by the Resident Doctor of the Center, Dr Daasebre Ahensan, on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah. Also present were the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer of the Burns and Plastics Center in the person of Madam Mavis Torgbor, the Administrator of the Center Mr. Ameyaw Bronya, a Senior Consultant, Dr A.G. Laing, and a team of other medical doctors and nurses and workers at the unit.







According to Mrs Diana Wunyala, the donation formed part of her company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.



"This is part of Essence Derma Care's CSR projects and also in response to the challenges that we witnessed last year on 8th December 2020 when we had the opportunity to do a presentation on our scar management products to the center. We were taken around the ward after the presentation and we came to the realisation that the centre needed support, so we had to do something in our own small way," she said.



She mentioned that during the visit, they witnessed some of the patients, who after suffering severe injuries as a result of burns and having being admitted at the hospital for a long time were unable to even foot their bills.



Touching on the operations of Essence Derma Care, this is what the Operations Manager had to share:



"We provide the best of surgical and therapeutic skincare range and this is why we are focused and passionate about helping our clients obtain the best healthy skin care products to keep and maintain healthy beautiful skin.



We are a reliable source of great skincare. We have good products that deal with all manner of scars, professional skincare routine, anti-ageing, acne, among others."



In a remark after receiving the items, Dr Ahensan expressed his profound gratitude to the CEO and the entire Essence Derma Care team.



We've been in contact with this company since December. They came to do a presentation on their scar management products including moisturizers among others. They gave us some samples to test as well. One of us also took them around the burns ward.



Over here, scarring especially for burns is a very major issue. The trauma of the burn injury itself is so devastating and then the cost of managing the issue because the scars after the burns may try to hinder their coming back to society. So how to manage a scar is a very big problem, and so we are so grateful to them for the donations, he concluded.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Featured Video
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Great Wall Motor (GWM) announced its gross revenue rose 7.38% to 103.308 billion yuan ($15.73 billion) in 2020. To be specific, the revenue from the sale of complete vehicles amounted to 92.386 billion yuan ($14.067 billion), climbing 7.11% over a year ago, while the other 10.922 billion yuan ($1.663 billion) was from auto parts and other businesses, a year-on-year jump of 23.32%.

Haval H6; photo credit: Great Wall Motor



According to GWM's 2020 financial results, its full-year net profit attributable to shareholders reached 5.362 billion yuan ($816.519 million), up by 19.25% from the previous year.

The company said its net profit growth was mainly credited to the increase in complete vehicle sales and gross margin. GWM saw its new vehicle sales in 2020 grow 5.41% to 1,111,598 units, topping 1 million units for 5 consecutive years. With an annual sales volume of 750,228 units, Haval brand was honored the No.1 SUV brand in China for the 11th year in a row. WEY became the China's first indigenous premium SUV marque that hit 400,000 units in cumulative sales. Besides, the BEV-focused ORA boasted a hike of 44.8% with its annual sales reaching 56,261 units. The company also sold 225,002 pickups last year, amounting to nearly 50% of China's pickup sales.

GWM noted its product premium kept rising last year. In 2020, the average price per car was 3.1% higher than that of the previous year.

The automaker poured a total of 5.15 billion yuan ($784.164 million) in R&D activities last year, representing an impressive growth of 21.22%. By the end of 2020, GWM's R&D team had over 19,000 members, accounting for over 30% of the group's total employees.
Ogun State Government has sought the support of parents for elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in communities across the state.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Funmi Efuwape, made the call in Ijebu-Ode, during a day sensitisation programme organised by the ministry in collaboration with Ijebu-Ode Local Government, to commemorate year 2021 International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.

Efuwape, represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs and Social Development, Adijat Adeleye, said the state is working towards putting an end to FGM by year 2030, hence members of the public and relevant stakeholders must cooperate to achieve the target.

"FGM comprises of all procedures that involve altering and injuring the female genital for non-medical reasons and is recognised internationally as a violation of human rights, the health and integrity of girls and women," she stated.

The Commissioner noted that girls who undergo FGM face short-term complications such as severe pain, shock, excessive bleeding, infection and difficulty in passing urine, as well as long-term consequences for their sexual and reproductive health, including mental health, among others.
Nicola Sturgeon visits the Roots, Fruits and Flowers store in Glasgow's West End on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election - PA

Nicola Sturgeon has dismissed Alex Salmond's demand to be included in TV leaders' debates for the Holyrood election by suggesting his new Alba Party is too small to qualify.

The First Minister said she does not get to decide who takes part in TV debates but she could not see how his party could meet the criteria set by broadcasters.

In another jibe directed at her former mentor, she said he would be disappointed by the number of SNP defections to his party, with only two MPs and no MSPs jumping ship.

Ms Sturgeon said she did not want to spend "too much time talking about a party that doesn't look, on early polling, as if it's going to get any MSPs elected".

But she also attacked Mr Salmond's claim that Alba and the SNP could together win a "super-majority" in the Holyrood chamber by manipulating the voting system, with nationalists voting SNP in their constituencies and for his party on the regional list.

He claimed this strategy could deliver a Holyrood chamber with 70 per cent of MSPs backing separation, despite this only being supported by around half the population.

Ms Sturgeon said he cannot "bulldoze" his way to Scottish separation, with the Alba Party likely to put off undecided former No voters. She added: "If anything, (it) hinders the independence cause".

Nicola Sturgeon has renewed her attacks on Alex Salmond's Alba Party - PA

Her intervention came the day after Mr Salmond wrote to broadcasters and the regulator Ofcom claiming there was an "unanswerable" case for him to be included in future TV debates.

Alba yesterday disclosed that it had attracted 4,100 members in the first week since its launch, more than the number in the Scottish Liberal Democrats. The party said this buttressed its claim to "parity in broadcasting and debates."

Among the criteria broadcasters use to decide who should participate are a party's history of winning seats and the level of support they are attracting in opinion polls.

But the first poll to include the new party showed only three per cent of Scots intend to vote Alba, meaning it would not gain a single seat.

Story continues

Ms Sturgeon has this week claimed that Mr Salmond is a conspiracy theorist over his allegations of a plot among her inner circle, including her husband, to imprison him.

Asked if she would share a platform with him in a TV debate, she said she would represent the SNP and she did not "get to decide" who else was invited.

But she added: "Looking at it objectively, in terms of the conditions I understand that have to be met, I cant see that his party meets those conditions. But thats a matter for the broadcasters and Ofcom."

Alex Salmond is now leading the Alba Party - Getty Images Europe

Ms Sturgeon also said she did not know what the Alba Party stood for other than Scottish separation and poured scorn on supportive comments by Nigel Farage.

She added: "If it gets the Nigel Farage seal of approval, it's not necessarily a vision that I would sign up to."

The First Minister also claimed her former mentor's decision to make a political comeback "is not making things easier" for the women who lodged complaints about him with whom she is in contact.

She stepped up her attacks ahead of the Alba Party's first candidates' conference on Saturday at which Mr Salmond will set out his argument that an independence "super-majority" is the way to break the political "log-jam" over Scotland's future.

Angus MacNeil, the Western Isles MP and an ally of Mr Salmond, said he had "no intention" of joining the Alba Party but appeared to support the theory behind the former First Minister's 'super-majority strategy'.

He said: "If all SNP votes were to transfer on the list to Alba you would have 30 odd Alba seats and 30 less London party MSPs, but of course that is using logic and sense. Using politics as I do and have to do, it's both votes SNP of course."
Maputo  MORE than 50 000 people affected by the latest deadly violence in northern Mozambique need food assistance.

Struggling financially, the World Food Programme (WFP) has nonetheless intervened following the conflict in Palma, a town in the troubled Cabo Delgado region.

"It's a real humanitarian catastrophe. People are heading all over the place - by boat, on foot, by road," lamented Lola Castro, WFP's Southern Africa director.

"The situation is very bad. It's affecting Cabo Delgado's neighbouring provinces. We don't have enough resources to support the scale-up that is needed."

The conflict has hammered northern Mozambique since 2017, when non-state armed groups attacked police stations in the town of Mocimboa da Praia.

Throughout 2019, as the country reeled from the devastating impact of two cyclones, it has continued - throughout 2020 the violence escalated while the number of displaced people multiplied.

At the start of 2020, there were 18 000 people displaced. By December there were 500 000 people displaced.

In February 2021, that figure reached nearly 670 000 people, around 80 000 of whom are currently inaccessible because of the violence.

WFP requires US$10,5 million on a monthly basis to provide assistance and $98 million is required to provide support for the next 12 months.
Brussels, April 2 : At least 26 police officers were injured while breaking up an illegal mass gathering in Brussels attended by over a thousand people in spite of coronavirus restrictions.

The officers were injured during an operation on Thursday to disperse a large crowd that gathered in the Bois de la Cambre park on the south side of the Belgian capital, dpa news agency reported.

Water cannons and mounted policemen were deployed.

According to estimates by authorities, some 1,500 to 2,000 people gathered in the Bois de la Cambre, where they violated distance and hygiene measures.

In a video published by the public broadcaster RTBF, police could be heard asking people to disperse.

The clashes reportedly took place after the loudspeaker announcement.

The security forces were pelted with bottles from the sometimes aggressive crowd, and some were cornered by the greater number of rioters.

At least one officer was hit in the head and taken to hospital, the Belgian Belga news agency reported citing the police.

Last week, Prime Minister Alexander de Croo announced stricter Covid-19 containment measures, which he dubbed an "Easter break" or "cooling-down period".

The maximum number of people allowed to gather outdoors was reduced from 10 to four.

Over the last week the country has recorded a daily average of 4,742 cases in a 9 per cent increase compared to the previous seven-day period.

In total over 882,000 Covid-19 cases and more than 23,000 deaths have been recorded.
You are here: World

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Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed bilateral cooperation in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, local media reported on Thursday.

Kuleba shared his concerns about the situation in eastern Ukraine, especially about the conflict in Donbas last Friday, when four Ukrainian soldiers were killed.

Blinken replied that Washington is closely monitoring the situation.

They also discussed efforts to counter the COVID-19 pandemic and combat the effects of climate change, according to a U.S. State Department press release.

The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has claimed the lives of some 14,000 people and left as many as 40,000 wounded, began in April 2014.
Palm trees swaying. Infinity pools sparking in the sunlight. Fresh ceviche served alongside tequila. It may sound dreamy, but all this and more is completely within reach with a short flight across the border.

Wondering what its like to visit Puerto Vallarta right now? The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has given the Safe Travels Stamp to the State of Jalisco, where Puerto Vallarta is, in recognition of the strict hygiene and safety standards in place throughout the region.

Tourists from the U.S. continue to discover exactly how well Puerto Vallarta and the State of Jalisco is handling guest health and safety, but perhaps youre still curious of exactly what to expect on your visit.

Read on to learn how Puerto Vallarta is welcoming guests, ensuring CDC-required test compliance, and catering to guest safety and comfort.

Lori A. May

Local airport requirements

While travelers may be focused on the latest CDC requirements to test prior to returning to the U.S. its important to note air travelers arriving in Mexico must comply with local health checks as well.

When entering Mexico, all arriving passengers must provide a completed Questionnaire for Identification of Risk Factors in Travelers. Questions confirm guest health and produce a QR code which must be presented to immigration upon arrival. This form is again required to be completed in preparation for departure from Mexico.

Some airlines will provide a print questionnaire for passengers who forget to complete the online form, and these forms are also available upon arrival at airports. However, its advised to complete the online questionnaire prior to your departure to ensure efficient immigration processing upon arrival in Mexico. Complete a new form immediately prior to arriving at the airport for your return flight home.

CDC testing requirements

The CDC requires all travelers entering the U.S. from an international destination to complete pre-travel testing with negative results obtained within 3 days of flight departure. Test results will be verified prior to boarding, most often at the airline check-in desk prior to entering security. Guests must also provide a signed attestation form confirming their negative test results. This form must be printed and shown at check-in and during boarding.

To comply with the CDC and make the testing experience as seamless as possible, many Puerto Vallarta hotels and resorts are offering onsite testing for guests. Many familiar hotel brands are even offering complimentary onsite testing for registered guests, while a few hotels provide the service for a nominal fee. Travelers are encouraged to review hotels offering testing through the Visit Puerto Vallarta tourism website.

Throughout the pandemic, Puerto Vallartas hotels have gone above and beyond to create a safe and sanitary environment without comprising the overall guest experience, said Abel Villa, speaking on behalf of the Puerto Vallarta Hotel Association. On-site testing administered by qualified medical professionals is the next step to ensuring that hotel guests can quickly and easily obtain COVID-19 results with minimal disruption to their trips.

If you book accommodations not providing onsite testing, Visit Puerto Vallarta has compiled a list of other testing facilities accessible to visitors. PVR airport does have a temporary testing facility in place for passengers who forget to complete the testing requirements prior to arrival.

LORI A. MAY, SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLEPI

Note that most resorts offering onsite testing do so for guests staying a minimum of three nights or more. At Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa, for example, guests staying at least three nights will receive complimentary onsite rapid antigen tests in a private room transformed into a testing center. Guests complete a brief form with contact info and then, after the test is complete, results will be emailed shortly thereafter to ensure timely results. Its advised to schedule your testing as soon as you arrive, to guarantee an appropriate test time aligned with your departure date.

Be sure to save your test results. You will need to show your negative test result when you arrive for boarding at Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Staff will check the test results, your name, and the date and time the test was administered. The form will most likely also be reviewed at the boarding gate, so keep it handy at all times.

Positive test accommodations

While widespread vaccinations will add a little extra comfort to international travelers, it is still important to consider your plans should you test positive when across the border.

While testing negative for COVID-19 is the optimal scenario, travelers can remain confident that Puerto Vallartas hotels will extend our signature hospitality to them should they need to quarantine or extend their stay to accommodate a mandatory quarantine, said Luis Villasenor, managing director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board. These guests will be well taken care of and remain in safe isolation until they are cleared to return home.

In fact, most Puerto Vallarta hotels have a comprehensive plan in place to offer guests accommodations and services should they be diagnosed with COVID-19. Guests who test positive but dont exhibit symptoms may be accommodated for a 14-day quarantine on a designated floor or separate zone within the hotel, provided with three meals daily, and receive medical support if needed.

Guests are advised to check with their individual property of choice to fully understand the contingency plans in place. Some, but not all hotels offer quarantine stays at a reduced rate, so its important to keep personal budgetary considerations in mind.

Guests who present significant symptoms and receive a positive test may be connected to a local medical professional for further treatment. When planning ahead, its advisable to review what your personal travel insurance may and may not cover should you test positive while traveling internationally.

LORI A. MAY, SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLEPI

What to expect at hotels, eateries, and attractions

Puerto Vallarta, as part of the State of Jalisco, has received the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp in recognition of local hygiene and safety standards.

This means guests will see throughout Puerto Vallarta constant cleaning and attention to safety standards. Stores and attractions have prominently offered hand sanitizing stations, as do hotels and restaurants.

At hotels, guests will see staff actively sanitizing and disinfecting public areas. Most entrance points will also have sanitizing mats for wiping your feet prior to entering an establishment. Guests can also expect non-touch temperature checks prior to entering hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions.

Puerto Vallarta guest safety includes mandatory mask wearing in public spaces and on public transportation, as well as within commercial establishments. Hotels and resorts will remind guests to wear their masks properly, and social distancing markers are in place throughout the city.

Digital restaurant menus offered via QR codes are dominant throughout Puerto Vallarta, though guests may also request a sanitized menu if desired. Check to see if your hotel also offers a digital contactless key option.

Upon hotel check-in, guests will be informed of any adjustments to daily housekeeping, with most hotels offering every other day. Guests may express a desired cleaning schedule at some properties or skip housekeeping entirely. Room amenities may otherwise be requested as needed, often delivered in a non-touch manner with items left outside the guestroom.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Before you go

Review the latest CDC guidelines for travelers and familiarize yourself with testing requirements. Ensure your resort offers onsite testing, or otherwise plan to complete the required testing at a convenient Puerto Vallarta facility.

Review your travel insurance coverage to understand how you are covered if you test positive and must self-quarantine while in Mexico. Ask your hotel what accommodations are in place for guests who must complete an extended stay.

Keep up to date with the latest capacity limitations and reopening phases in Puerto Vallarta.
April 2, 2021

U.S. Oil & Gas Plc.

("US Oil" or the "Company")

Operations Update

U.S. Oil & Gas Plc, ("USOIL" or the "Company"), the oil and gas exploration company with assets in Nevada, is pleased to make the following announcement:

Notices of Staking (NoS) have now been submitted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the drilling of three wells on the West Play of the Company's acreage in Hot Creek Valley, Nevada. NoS cover all major aspects of an Application for Permit to Drill (APD), including for each well: the Surface Use Plan of Operations, the Well Plat, the Drilling Plan and Reclamation plans.

In response to the NoS submissions the BLM will schedule site visits and within seven days of those visits provide the necessary feedback to the Company on its APDs.

The three planned wells are sited on the West Play, where the Company's current basin model indicates a structural analogue of Railroad Valley's Grant Canyon field. Seismic, gravity, magnetic and geochemical data support the interpretation that carbonate slip block structures are present and are Grant Canyon analogues. Grant Canyon historically included the most productive onshore well in the USA, flowing at over 4,000 bopd, and produced 21.4 million barrels of oil (data to 2015). In Hot Creek Valley, potentially analagous structures may feature good reservoir properties and, if charged with hydrocarbons, potentially excellent productivity.

The coordinates of the three planned wells are as follows:

Eblana-7 Lat: 38.42955, Lon: 116.32519

Eblana-8 Lat: 38.415, Lon: 116.32847

Eblana-13 Lat: 38.44638, Lon: 116.34114

End

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements in this communication reflect the current thinking of the Board and the Company's present plans. The Company reserves the right to alter plans in the light of developing knowledge and circumstances. Shareholders' attention is drawn to the note below concerning Forward-looking Statements.

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information". Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: business plans and strategies of US Oil and Gas; operating or technical difficulties in connection with drilling or development activities; availability and costs associated with inputs and labour; drilling and exploration costs; the speculative nature of oil exploration and development; diminishing quantities or quality of reserves; synergies and financial impact of completed acquisitions; the benefits of the acquisitions and the development potential of properties of US Oil and Gas; the future price of oil; supply and demand for oil; the estimation of reserves; the realization of reserve estimates; costs of production and projections of costs; success of exploration activities; capital expenditure programs and the timing and method of financing thereof; the ability of US Oil and Gas to achieve drilling success consistent with management's expectations; net present values of future net revenues from reserves; expected levels of royalty rates, operating costs, general and administrative costs, costs of services and other costs and expenses; expectations regarding the ability to raise capital and to add to reserves through acquisitions, assessments of the value of acquisitions and exploration and development programs; geological, technical, drilling and processing problems; treatment under governmental regulatory regimes and tax laws.

All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements

THE DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENTS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT

Neither this announcement nor the information contained herein constitutes an offer or solicitation by U.S. Oil and Gas Plc for the purchase or sale of any securities nor does it constitute a solicitation to any person in any jurisdiction where solicitation would be unlawful.

For further information contact:

Brian McDonnell, Chief Executive Officer +353 (1) 631 9022

About U.S. Oil & Gas:

U.S. Oil & Gas plc is an oil and gas exploration company with a strategy to identify and acquire oil and gas assets in the early phase of the upstream life-cycle and mature them. The Company's

main asset is in Nye County, Nevada where it holds the entire share capital of US-based company, Major Oil International LLC ("Major Oil"). Major Oil has acquired rights to exploration and development acreage in Hot Creek Valley, Nye County, adjacent to the oil and gas rich Railroad Valley area of Nevada, both of which are part of the Sevier Thrust of central Nevada and western Utah, USA.

For further information please refer to our website at: www.usoilandgas.us
Delaware Senate Passes Bills Requiring Handgun Permits, Banning Magazines Holding Over 17 Rounds

The Delaware Senate voted Thursday to require handgun buyers to get permits and training before they can purchase their firearms, joining states like New York and Connecticut, as well as a bill that would ban magazines that hold more than 17 rounds.

The measure passed in a 138 vote, with one Senate Democrat joining Republicans in voting against the bill. The lone Democrat to vote against the bill, Sen. Bruce Ennis, argued that the money used to operate a handgun permit system could be used to target gang activity and crime in Delaware.

Republican lawmakers said the bills infringe on the Constitutions Second Amendment.

Magazines capable of feeding 30, 40, 50, or 100 rounds of ammunition into weapons are a common thread among mass shooters in the United States, said bill sponsor Sen. David Sokola, a Democrat. The more bullets one can fire, the more death and injury one can cause.

It ensures that handgun owners will have undergone firearm training courses to reduce the number of accidental shootings, suicides, and gun deaths, said the bills sponsor, Sen. Tizzy Lockman, a Democrat.

But one Republican lawmaker suggested that such bans are akin to policies implemented by 20th-century authoritarian regimes, such as the Nazis.

Hitler was legal in what he did, and it was because of legislation and legislators that paved the way for that, Sen. Dave Lawson said, reported WHYY. To expect people to obey this and continue this overreach of government is asking to wake up a giant that you may not want.

Gun rights groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) have frequently pointed out that the 1994 assault weapon banwhich also barred high-capacity magazinesthat expired in 2004 did not have a meaningful impact on crime. According to an Urban Institute study, The banned guns were never used in more than a modest fraction of gun murders. Research provided by the RAND Corporation found no evidence that banning high-capacity magazines or assault weapons has an effect on violent crime or mass shootings, according to the NRA.

The terrorist attacks in France and Belgium show that gun bansincluding those on semi-automatic firearms and standard-capacity magazinesdont prevent crime. In both countries, the ownership of firearms, including semi-automatics, is severely restricted, the group wrote.

Democratic lawmakers at the state and federal level, as well as President Joe Biden, have said that more gun laws, including ones that provide more stringent background checks, are needed after two mass shootings in Colorado and Atlanta last month.
Economists think the big job gains reported on Friday are just the beginning. One reason: U.S. households had $2.4 trillion in savings in February, $1 trillion more than a year earlier. And that was before the latest wave of $1,400 relief checks started going out in March.

The primary factor holding back spending has been the pandemic, which has prevented people from spending on restaurant meals, vacations and concert tickets. But with the vaccine rollout accelerating, that could soon change.

About 35 percent of Americans plan to spend more on travel over the next 12 months than they do in a typical year, according to a survey conducted last month for The New York Times by the online research firm SurveyMonkey. About 28 percent plan to spend more than usual at restaurants. And over all, close to 70 percent of adults plan to spend more than usual in at least one category, at least if the health situation allows.

They have the money in the bank, theyre ready to spend it, but what was holding them back was not having a comfort about being able to go out, said Jay Bryson, chief economist for Wells Fargo. Were getting into a critical mass of people that are feeling comfortable beginning to go out again.
(Newser)  Rebecca Roberts' first shock when she went for an ultrasound at around 12 weeks during her pregnancy was finding out she was having twins. The second shock was more of a mystery: Doctors were baffled as to why one of the UK woman's fetuses was much bigger than the othera size difference you'd normally see in fetuses with a three-week age difference. Soon enough, they figured it all out: Roberts' pregnancy was a rare superfetation, in which the woman becomes pregnant for a second time even though she's already pregnant. "[I] was slightly relieved that it was not my mistake but a quite extraordinary pregnancy," Roberts' OB-GYN told Good Morning America, per ABC News. Live Science reports that the superfetation case of the 39-year-old, who already has a teen daughter and had been taking fertility drugs to try to get pregnant, is "extremely rare," first of all because pregnancy hormones usually nix further ovulation.

story continues below

But there are two other "improbable events" that also have to happen: fertilization, usually prevented during pregnancy by a mucus plug that blocks sperm; and implantation, which calls for more space in the uterus for a second embryo. Somehow, a perfect storm in this case allowed it all to take place. There were some scary moments, as doctors feared one of the twins, a girl, wouldn't make it. After it was found she wasn't growing properly, doctors induced labor in September at 33 weeks: Little Rosalie was born at 2 pounds, 7 ounces, while brother Noah was 4 pounds, 10 ounces. Noah spent three weeks in the NICU; Rosalie came home around Christmas. Roberts' "super twins," as she calls them," boast one of the biggest age differences between superfetation babies. "Twins have an amazing bond ... but the story between these two, when they're old enough to find out, they'll feel even more special," she told GMA, adding that Rosalie is catching up in size to her brother (pics here).
(Newser)  The US and Iran said Friday that they would start indirect talks with other major world powers next week to try to get both countries back into an accord limiting Iran's nuclear program. The move comes nearly three years after former President Trump pulled the US out of the deal. State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the resumption of negotiations, scheduled for Tuesday in Austria, "a healthy step forward," per the AP. But Price added, "These remain early days, and we don't anticipate an immediate breakthrough." President Biden has said rejoining the Iran nuclear deal is a priority. But his administration and Iran have differed on any conditions for that to happen, including the timing of the lifting of US sanctions against Iran, and the stalemate on those points had threatened to pose a major foreign policy setback for the new administration.

story continues below

Agreement on the start of multiparty talksbeing held to get Iran and the US over their differences on conditions for returning to the 2015 nuclear dealcame after talks Thursday brokered by other governments that have remained in the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Price said next week's talks will be structured around working groups that the European Union was forming with the remaining participants in the accord, including Russia, China, France, Germany, and Britain. "The primary issues that will be discussed are the nuclear steps that Iran would need to take in order to return to compliance with the terms of the JCPOA, and the sanctions relief steps that the United States would need to take in order to return to compliance as well," Price said. The US, like Iran, said it did not anticipate direct talks between the two countries now. Price said the US remains open to that idea.

(Read more Iran nuclear deal stories.)
There were a few of us waiting the required 15 minutes or so to make sure we didnt have a bad reaction, and as we stood there with our masks on, we chatted about how wed live now that wed taken the second shot. And if we should apply for vaccine passports or simply ask our political leaders for tattoos inked into our foreheads.
Southwestern Connecticut is a highly desirable place to live, with access to high-wage jobs, cultural attractions, and natural beauty. But its not an easy place to find a home. Zillow estimates that a typical single-family home in Fairfield County costs more than half a million dollars, at least $200,000 more than any other Connecticut county. That reflects Fairfields access to the New York job market, but its also a symptom of a statewide housing shortage.

The root cause of the housing shortage is the overregulation of land use.

Property owners in Southwestern Connecticut are regulated more strictly than in most other high-income areas in the United States, including Northern Virginia and even Silicon Valley. In 2019, Yale Law professor Bob Ellickson, a living legend among property rights advocates, documented the prevalence of large lot zoning in Greater New Haven. Ellickson shows that zoning in much of the region prevents not only apartments but also single-family houses with yards smaller than one acre. A one-acre lot size requirement is five times larger than that of the typical house built in America today.

Theres a sturdy research consensus that permitting new housing construction lowers rents and home prices. According to one typical estimate, a 3 percent increase in the number of homes lowers rents by about 2 percent.

A new movement informed by this research  one that says yes to attainable housing, property rights, and inclusion  is afoot nationally and in Connecticut. Weve both joined like-minded neighbors in speaking out in favor of property rights and housing construction at local hearings in our own communities. And we also recognize that state-level legislation protecting property owners from regulatory overreach is a necessary part of the solution.

Towns see the benefits of land use regulations clearly, but they often miss the costs. The benefits tend to accrue to neighbors of a potential new development. Understandably, neighbors may see an advantage to rules that prevent new construction that might increase traffic or change the view from their kitchen windows. Town regulations reflect those concerns.

But these rules come with serious costs, including strained household budgets, young adults priced out of the town where they grew up, and even homelessness. Relaxing these regulations would give more people the opportunity to access housing they can afford by sharing the costs of expensive land across multiple households in apartment buildings, duplexes, or fourplexes.

Unlike the benefits, the costs of each towns regulations are spread across the region, so each town and its voters have little incentive to act. But state policymakers can afford to take a broader view that encompasses costs and benefits. Legislatures can play a role in setting some limits on town regulatory authority.

Bipartisan bills have been introduced or passed that directly rein in local regulatory authority in several states. In North Carolina, for example, the legislature banned minimum size requirements for single-family houses. New Hampshire is considering bills that would cap minimum lot sizes and allow at least four homes on any lot served by water and sewer.

A current proposal in Connecticut takes a less direct approach to easing local restrictions. The bills most notable provision would require towns to allow moderate-density housing on at least half the land within a half mile of each transit station, excluding land without water and sewer infrastructure. Among other things, it would also ease some parking requirements and remove language that requires towns to consider neighborhood character and existing home values when crafting zoning rules. This approach, similar to a new Massachusetts law, leaves localities with control over many aspects of their urban development but requires most towns in Southwestern Connecticut to make modest changes to legalize some new, lower-cost construction.

Small steps toward expanding development rights would open up each of the states localities to a bit more housing construction. This is a crucial step toward improved affordability and new opportunities for old and new residents to start building their own households in the Constitution State.

Emily Hamilton and Salim Furth are senior research fellows and co-directors of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.

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Meet SENSE  Strategic Education through Naval Systems Experiences  an undergraduate research team with on-the-job skills up their sleeves and maritime tech projects under their belts.

With four projects underway and one wrapping up, seven SENSE team members share the rigors and rewards of their endeavors, what its like to work with faculty and industry mentors and why it makes sense for any student to fit Enterprise into their schedules. Or, as team member Fiona Chow sums it up: Cool people. Cool projects. Cool advisors.

Meet the Advisors SENSE, one of Michigan Technological Universitys 25 Enterprise Program teams, got its start from alumnus, acoustic researcher and Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) Director Andrew Barnard 02 04. Dr. B, as his students call him, has a strong background in defense projects, particularly for the U.S. Navy, and formed SENSE to get undergraduates excited about naval architecture and systems. MTU alumnus Timothy Havens 99 00, the William and Gloria Jackson Associate Professor of Computer Systems and associate dean for research in the College of Computing, recently joined Barnard as co-advisor after working with the team on one of its projects.

As with all Enterprise teams, students from any major are welcome to join and spend three to four years learning how to improve their designs and prepare for in-demand careers.

Fiona Chow is a management information systems major projected to graduate in 23. Four of the Huskies who contributed their insights are mechanical engineering (ME) majors, including Stevie Carson 23. The best part of Enterprise is being able to work with real-world sponsors to gain valuable skills, Carson said. The most challenging part is to take a concept or idea you've never worked with before and develop a design or prototype that is useful for the sponsor.

The other three ME majors  Andrea Udovich 21, projected 22 grad Spencer Seeley and projected 23 grad Seth Olson  are pursuing minors in naval systems (Olson also minors in art). Dillon Bennetts, a mechanical engineering technology major projected to graduate in 22, also opted for the naval systems minor. Anna Isaacson 21 is a materials science and engineering major.

Udovich, SENSE Enterprise program manager, appreciates how Enterprise gives engineering majors a chance to explore and choose a project theyre excited about for the required Senior Design project. Beyond capstones, though, she is grateful for the stepping stone to a community where youll meet interesting people and find friends.

"I highly recommend joining an Enterprise! As a transfer student, I had less time to create strong connections with other students. Enterprise has provided a great opportunity for that." Andrea Udovich 21

Even if youre not interested in Department of Defense work, SENSE is worth joining, says Isaacson: All of the project work is applicable to every major and the opportunities to see cool stuff and work on real-world problems is priceless.

Isaacson manages the Mass Rescue project, which got a boost of encouragement in fall 2020 when sponsors flew in, bringing pilots, mechanics and rescue swimmers, on the Coast Guard helicopters Jayhawk of Traverse City and Dolphin of Detroit.

Play Husky Enterprise Teams Up with US Coast Guard video Look who flew into Houghton  crews from the U.S. Coast Guard helicopters Jayhawk (Traverse City) and Dolphin (Detroit). The SENSE Enterprise team at Michigan Tech is working with them to create a lighter, easily deployable, more effective mass rescue craft.

Mass Rescue Craft Project

The team is working on a lightweight, rapidly deployable foam emergency craft in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force Research Laboratory.

For Isaacson, its an engaging project in a string of exciting opportunities. Her favorite? General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) was my first project in the Enterprise, she says. We worked on the integration of exoskeleton technology in military vehicles. I was able to tour the GDLS state-of-the-art lab and get up close and personal with military vehicles and military testing.

"I've worked with multiple project sponsors, from General Dynamics Land Systems to the Air Force Research Laboratory to the U.S. Coast Guard. These sponsors have really shaped my interests and shaped what I want to do with my future. Plus, it's a pretty cool thing to brag about!" Anna Isaacson 21

Project sponsors make Enterprise possible. Its a learning experience for students and mentors alike, and Seeley says it helped him fend off academic burnout. The best part is the way it lets you use your skills for something other than bland homework and exams. The most challenging is that it makes you actually use those skills in a way you arent perfectly prepared for, he says. Our problems are usually more difficult than a problem out of a book.

"If you are struggling to find joy in your engineering classes, do Enterprise. It's a fun, challenging and engaging way to really use your 'boring' skills from your other classes." Spencer Seeley 22 (projected)

Carson, another team member, says Coast Guard and Air Force representatives are outstanding mentors. I like working with them because they give me a real sense of how the workplace operates, he explains. It's win-win, adds Udovich, who worked with Coast Guard representatives and currently collaborates as project manager on an endeavor sponsored by Ford. We have a chance to learn from the sponsor and to produce an amazing project that could be of great use to the company, she continues. The sponsor has the chance to create with young, bright hardworking students. Both benefit from the mentorship.

Ford MEFASO Team

MEFASO stands for Making Experiences with Ford Acoustic Sensor Odysseys. The team is working with Ford to design an acoustic collection system for vehicles that can explore machine learning applications with large data sets.

"It's been a great experience to work with Ford engineers. They understand that we are on this exploration path together to work on new technologies and have lots of useful insights." Andrea Udovich 21

The group recently divided into three subteams. The first deals with hardware, including weatherizing cords and connections outside the system box. The weather station subteam finds ways to integrate the station with the data acquisition system and the LabVIEW subteam develops code for the system.

Ford MEFASO is Olsons first project, and he considers it a great introduction to working on real-world solutions. The best part is the variety of experiences, he says. The most challenging part is waiting on parts.

Putting the sensing in SENSE: The Under Ice Acoustic project team plumbs the depths of the frozen Keweenaw Waterway. (Photo Credit: SENSE)

NEEC Under Ice Acoustic Project Team

Sponsored by the Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC), the group works on transducer integration, data acquisition and data collection and curation, along with outdoor housing design, to develop a machine learning algorithm that can accurately detect objects on top of ice from below its surface.

The students who shared insights for this Unscripted dont directly work on the project. But the group doesnt operate in silos, said Chow, who is the team public relations officer and works on the Ford MEFASO project. Because were a smaller Enterprise we are able to get to know each other well and get to know a lot about the other projects within SENSE by asking questions and getting involved with testing or when other extra help is needed, she says.

SERC Buoyancy Compensation Device

The project, sponsored by the Department of Defenses university-affiliated Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), involves designing and prototyping a device for the Navy. Bennetts is a team engineer.

The best part of being on this Enterprise are the trips and the high-level projects we get, he says. The reports are the most challenging.

The device specifically can be used on small underwater vehicles to adjust buoyancy based on changes in salinity.

Play SENSE Enterprise at Michigan Tech video Head down to the GLRC docks for a flashback to SENSE projects underway in 2019.

NERD (Nautical Emergency Rescue Device)

NERD isnt just a mindset (one many Huskies proudly claim). Its the acronym for an affordable and remote-controlled rescue device akin to a mechanized life ring. It can be sent to rescue someone in the water without the danger of swimming out to them or the wait time of launching a boat.

NERD, the teams longest-running endeavor, received sponsor support from Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. The project has officially run its course, but the sense of fulfillment and the applications for this kind of lifesaving device continue.

Udovich says NERD was her first Enterprise project and is still a favorite: We truly had the opportunity to design, build and optimize an amazing device with the potential to save lives. It shows that the work Enterprises do has the chance to make a difference in the world.

SENSE is tight-knit, said Chow. Her favorite project so far is the Diver Vision System project, her first with the Enterprise. Relatively free rein and a warm welcome contributed to the quality of the experience. Our sponsors had minimal parameters for us to fulfill and present the proof of concept, so we were able to use our full creativity to determine the projects direction and develop a solution in the way we best saw fit, she says. I felt immense support from all members. They made sure I was included, learning, and had a way to contribute to the project.

Being part of an Enterprise team can bring interpersonal and educational enrichment, says Fiona Chow. Keep up with the SENSE team and their research on the teams Instagram @senseatmtu or on Facebook

Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than 7,000 students from 54 countries. Founded in 1885, the University offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, and social sciences. Our campus in Michigans Upper Peninsula overlooks the Keweenaw Waterway and is just a few miles from Lake Superior.




NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian Army will participate in a four-nation military exercise in Bangladesh from April 4 to 12 which is being organised to mark the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of that country's liberation war, officials said on Thursday.



A 30-member Indian Army team comprising officers, junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and soldiers from the Dogra regiment will participate in the exercise 'Shantir Ogroshena' (front runner of peace), they said.



Besides the armies of Bangladesh and India, other participants in the exercise would be the Royal Bhutan Army and the Sri Lankan Army, the Defence Ministry said.



"The theme of the exercise is 'Robust Peace Keeping Operations'. Military observers from the US, UK, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise," it said.



The year 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Bangladesh and the birth centenary of Rahman.



In reflection of close ties, India is also hosting a number of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1971 war that led to liberation of Bangladesh.



Around 93,000 Pakistani troops had surrendered before the joint forces of the Indian Army and the "Mukti Bahini" on December 16, 1971 that paved the way for the birth of Bangladesh.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh on March 26 and 27 during which he attended the golden jubilee celebration of independence of that country.


AFL star Nathan Jones and his wife Jerri have revealed they're expecting twins.

The couple, who last year revealed they suffered three heartbreaking miscarriages, made the sweet announcement on Instagram on Friday.

In a heartwarming video their two children, daughter Bobbi and son Remy, are seen reacting to the news with smiles beaming, before hugging their mum.

Adding to their brood: After experiencing three consecutive miscarriages, AFL star Nathan Jones and his wife Jerri are expecting twins. They announced the news with a sweet video on Instagram on Friday

'We are so incredibly excited to announce we have twins on the way!' Jerri wrote on Instagram.

'It was a journey to get here, we are overjoyed and beyond grateful to grow our family by two. Our hearts are full.'

Meanwhile, Nathan added: 'Our little family will be complete with Jones Twins on the way later this year.'

Little details: In the announcement video, sonogram images and twin onesies were laid out to confirm the exciting baby news

Last October, the wife of Melbourne Demons veteran Nathan bravely revealed she'd suffered three consecutive miscarriages.

She shared her private pain, which at the time coincided with International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

At the time, Jerri revealed she had a dilation and curettage procedure earlier in the day after she tragically suffered another miscarriage.

'Although I'm usually a very private person, it seems fitting, on all days to share,' her heartfelt post read.

Heartbreaking: Last October, the wife of Melbourne Demons veteran Nathan bravely revealed she'd suffered three consecutive miscarriages. She shared her private pain, which at the time coincided with International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

'Pregnancy loss can be very lonely and I hope by sharing part of our story this may help even one person feel less alone in theirs.

'I know that hearing other women share their experiences has helped me immensely.'

Sadly, one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage.

Around 106,000 babies are lost to miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death in Australia each year, according to support organisation Sands.

She added she was grateful for her two beautiful and healthy children, daughter Bobbi, six, and son Remi, five, and feels deeply for other families who have not been so lucky.

'Pregnancy loss can be very lonely and I hope by sharing part of our story this may help even one person feel less alone in theirs,' she said

The fashion label businesswoman invited other women who have experienced pregnancy loss to share their stories or comment with an angel emoji.

'Sending love to anyone that needs it today,' she ended the post.

Her husband of eight years shared the photo his wife uploaded to share the heartbreaking news.

'Lucky is to have you x,' he captioned his Instagram story, along with heart and angel emojis.

Jerri was flooded with messages of support from other footy WAGS, including Kylie Brown, Emma Hawkins, Abbie Vince, Lucy Lewis, Jessica Gawn, Samantha Jetta, Charlotte Viney and Sarah Roughead.

'Been thinking of you so much. So many will benefit from your shared story. You are amazing. Big love to you and Nath,' Bec Judd wrote.

Family: The AFL couple are proud parents of daughter Bobbi, six, and son Remy, five

Surrounded by love: Jerri was inundated with support, including this Instagram story from her husband

Her story also prompted other women to share their own heartbreaking tragedies.

'I have had five miscarriages consecutively since having my two daughters. It's such a harrowing time. Sending love and you will help more than you know, sharing your loss,' one mum wrote.

Nathan has played 294 games for the Demons since 2006 and was club captain for six years until he stepped down for the role at the end of last season.

He and Jerri have been together since Year 12 and married in 2012.

If you've lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or newborn death, Sands provides 24-7 support on 1300 072 637.
As an essential material for the survival and reproduction of almost all aerobic organisms, oxygen is closely related to the formation and development of complex organisms. A recent review provides a systematic overview of the latest advances in the oxygen cycle at different spatial and temporal scales and the important role that oxygen plays in shaping our current habitable Earth.

Professor Jianping Huang from Lanzhou University is the corresponding author of the review entitled "The oxygen cycle and a habitable Earth", which is the cover article of the 64(4) of SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences in 2021.

Based on summarizing the latest research results of predecessors, the authors of this paper propose a coupling model of the five spheres of the earth system with the oxygen cycle as the core, and clarify the link role of the oxygen cycle in it. In this paper, the authors comprehensively summarized the changes of oxygen cycle and its effect on the habitability of the earth on multiple time scales including modern and geological time, and prospected the future development trend of oxygen cycle research.

"We take O2 for granted because it is just there and we breathe it all the time, yet it took billions of years before there was enough of it to keep animals like us alive." Professor Jianping Huang of Lanzhou University, the corresponding author of the paper, points out, "These processes involve the interaction of various spheres of the Earth system, which are complex interdisciplinary issues with multiple temporal and spatial scales." In this paper, the authors illustrate how the key biochemical processes in the oxygen cycle tie together the various spheres of the Earth system through feedback and interaction. "A habitable Earth gradually formed during the long evolution of the oxygen cycle."

The effects of current human activities on the oxygen cycle and biodiversity are also discussed. "Four of the five large-scale species extinctions that have occurred in the history of the earth are related to the lack of oxygen," Professor Huang concluded, "At present, under the compulsion of human activities, our planet is experiencing a large-scale oxygen reduction, with the ocean deoxygenation as a representative. The oxygen cycle of the Earth system is gradually out of balance, which is very worrying."

Studies of the oxygen cycle cover a wide span of timescales from daily to geologic scales. The oxygen cycles of different timescales dominate the control of atmospheric O2 over the corresponding timescales. However, a distinct boundary that divides the long-term and short-term oxygen cycles has yet to be established, and the complex interactions between the short-term and long-term processes remain unclear. Since the earth system is a highly non-linear and strongly coupled system, a minor perturbation can have the potential to cause a series of dramatic changes. "It is a top priority to connect the short-term and long-term oxygen cycles under a comparable timescale rather than separating them. Effective multidisciplinary cooperation among the subdisciplines of Earth sciences (geology, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, paleobiology, etc.), and social sciences should be promoted to reveal the hidden mechanisms that control the trajectory of the Earth system and how the trajectory may influence the future of human beings." said Prof. Huang. Fortunately, efforts have been made to reverse the decline of atmospheric O2. In China, the Green Great Wall, which was designed to mitigate desertification and expand forests has achieved overall success in past decades. Reductions in carbon emission and its related O2 consumption have been achieved in some major cities around the world.

This study has far-reaching scientific significance and important reference value for understanding the potential link between the oxygen cycle and the biodiversity in geological history and exploring the historical evolution and future of the Earth's habitability.

###

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41888101, 41521004 & 41991231), and the China University Research Talents Recruitment Program (111 Projects, Grant No. B13045).
A novel mechanism has been identified that might explain why a rare mutation is associated with familial Alzheimer's disease in a new study by investigators at the University of Chicago. The paper, published on April 2 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, characterizes a mutation located in a genetic region that was not previously thought be pathogenic, upending assumptions about what kinds of mutations can be associated with Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's, a neurodegenerative disease that currently affects more than 6 million Americans, has been characterized by the accumulation of A? peptides into plaques in the spaces between neurons in the brain. These A? peptides are generated when a larger precursor protein, APP, is cleaved into smaller fragments as APP transits through different cellular compartments.

Most mutations that have previously been associated with Alzheimer's lie either within or just next to a region of the APP gene that codes for the eventual A? peptide fragment. However, while the mutation studied by the research team is located in the APP gene, itis quite far from the area where previously characterized mutations are found. The mutation, S198P, was first found in two patients affected by Alzheimer's, and raised eyebrows due to its distance from known disease-associate mutations.

"This mutation, which is not in the region of APP that codes for the A? fragment, was so interesting because it was so far away from where all the other mutations are normally located," said senior author Sangram Sisodia, PhD, the Thomas Reynolds Sr. Family Professor of Neurosciences at UChicago, "Thus it was not clear how this mutation might be contributing to the pathology of the disease."

The investigators, led by Xulun Zhang, Ph.D., a Research Professional in the Sisodia lab, examined how S198P could affect A? peptide production by studying both cultured cells and mice. They found that the presence of the S198P mutation resulted in both cultured cells and mice having elevated levels of A? peptides. To further understand why S198P caused elevated A? levels, the authors looked at different steps of the APP-to-A? production pipeline.

Using cultured cells, the authors found that S198P causes APP to fold more quickly, allowing A? peptides to be produced from mature APP more quickly than from APP that did not contain the S198P mutation. "The rapid folding enhances the egress of APP through the cellular compartments where A? is made, allowing faster production of the A? peptide" said Sisodia. Mice harboring S198P also had more plaques causes by A? accumulation, reinforcing the likelihood that the mutation does indeed contribute to disease.

However, like with many other mutations, the presence of S198P is not a guarantee that Alzheimer's will develop. "This variant is only partially penetrant," said Sisodia, meaning that not every person with S198P will go on to develop Alzheimer's. Similar to mutations in the breast cancer genes BRCA1/2, S198P influences only the probability that an affected person will develop Alzheimer's.

"Geneticists would argue that this is not a pathogenic mutation because you can find this mutation in unaffected people, but this is a complex disease and studying these rare variants uncovers new biology," said Sisodia.

The fact that S198P is located so far away from previously characterized mutations underscores that there is much to still be understood about Alzheimer's. "A lot of mutations that have been described for the past 20 years have been dismissed because they don't look like they follow the normal rules. We need to pay attention to these rare variants because they open up new areas of investigation to completely decipher this disease," said Sisodia.

Though effective treatments for Alzheimer's still remain in development, Sisodia believes his group's findings argue for a renewed focus on A? peptides. "Failures in clinical trials have led some people to think that maybe A? has nothing to do with this disease, but these results clearly support a role for A? in disease pathogenesis. I hope this revives people's notions about the importance of A? in Alzheimer's."

The identification of S198P's mechanism has led Sisodia to plan to go back to other overlooked mutations and investigate them as well. "There are all these other rare variants that were seemingly benign according to other people, but we know from clinical studies that they too drive Alzheimer's pathology and clinical phenotypes," said Sisodia. "We figured out S198P, great! Now let's move on to all these other variants!"

###

The study, "An APP Ectodomain Mutation outside of the A? Domain promotes A? Production in vitro and deposition in vivo," was supported by the Cure Alzheimer's Fund and the JPB Foundation. Additonal authors include Can Zhang, Dmitry Prokopenko, Yingxia Liang, Sherri Y. Zhen, and Rudolph E Tanzi of Massachusetts General Hospital, and Ian Weigle, Weinong Han, and Manish Aryal of the University of Chicago.

About the University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences

The University of Chicago Medicine, with a history dating back to 1927, is one of the nation's leading academic health systems. It unites the missions of the University of Chicago Medical Center, Pritzker School of Medicine and the Biological Sciences Division. Twelve Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine have been affiliated with the University of Chicago Medicine. Its main Hyde Park campus is home to the Center for Care and Discovery, Bernard Mitchell Hospital, Comer Children's Hospital and the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine. It also has ambulatory facilities in Orland Park, South Loop and River East as well as affiliations and partnerships that create a regional network of care. UChicago Medicine offers a full range of specialty-care services for adults and children through more than 40 institutes and centers including an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Together with Harvey-based Ingalls Memorial, UChicago Medicine has 1,296 licensed beds, nearly 1,300 attending physicians, over 2,800 nurses and about 970 residents and fellows.
Tunis/Tunisia  The COVID-19 vaccination campaign for people aged between 60 and 75 will be launched in the coming weeks, chair of the vaccination committee Hechmi Louzir said on Thursday.

Louzir, who is also member of the scientific committee to combat the coronavirus and Director of the Pasteur Institute, told TAP young medical students, pharmacists and dental doctors were administered vaccines because of their dedication to work at the frontline in the fight against the virus.

Their young age does not deprive them of priority in receiving vaccines, given the nature of their work, he pointed out in response to criticism about the matter.

Vaccination goes on according to a national strategy, despite the shortcomings recorded at the administrative level, which are being probed, Louzir noted.

Some 3618 people among medics, paramedics and people over 75 years old have received COVID-19 vaccines , until Wednesday March 31.

The total number of people vaccinated has reached 60,131 from the launch of the campaign on March 13.
SpryPoint is very proud to announce that it has been selected by the Water Department at the City of Aurora, CO (Aurora Water) to implement several enterprise applications to help transform the Departments customer service and operations. SpryPoint will empower Aurora Water with a modern platform of integrated cloud applications designed specifically for utilities. As part of this engagement, SpryPoint will be implementing the following applications:

SpryCIS - Customer Information System

SpryEngage - Customer Engagement Platform

SpryMobile - Mobile Field Service

SpryBackflow - Cross Connection Control

Jo Ann Giddings, Deputy Director of Aurora Water stated:

The City is in the midst of a technology modernization project where we are upgrading multiple systems simultaneously. To address the needs of Aurora Water we were looking for a modern platform that could evolve with our customers rapidly changing expectations. After a diligent 10-month evaluation process our selection committee selected SpryPoint because their platform was the most technologically advanced and functionally rich suite of applications that we reviewed. Our staff was very impressed by the experience and professionalism of the SpryPoint team as well as the flexibility and modern feel of their platform. We are confident that this partnership will provide both City staff and our customers with a best-in-class platform long into the future.

SpryPoints offering is unique in that it offers Aurora Water a new platform of integrated cloud applications which are delivered in a Software as a Service (SaaS) model. The implementation of SpryPoints platform will allow Aurora Water to leverage new tools and re-architect business processes to facilitate their end goals of enhancing employee productivity and improving customer experience.

Ryan Cawley, Managing Partner at SpryPoint noted:

The business and technology needs of utilities have changed immensely in the last 10 years. Unfortunately, legacy CIS vendors and outdated delivery models have not kept up with the needs of the market. There are far too many utilities that struggle with legacy Customer Information Systems that are unable to meet the requirements and customer expectations of a modern utility. Our team started SpryPoint to shake up the CIS market and offer our customers a new alternative with a different level of service. Our support model assumes responsibility for all of the infrastructure management, system monitoring, and application upgrades while freeing up our clients to focus on providing their customers with better service. SpryPoints approach is very well aligned with Aurora Waters vision and we are elated to add the City as our first customer in Colorado.

About SpryPoint

SpryPoint was founded in 2011 to help utilities address the technological advances of the last decade. We believe that efficient business processes are at the core of customer satisfaction and operational effectiveness. To address the evolving utility landscape, SpryPoint has developed a cloud-based platform of enterprise solutions designed to make our customers lives easier. We help utilities improve customer service and operations through business automation. SpryPoint provides Smart Solutions for Smart Utilities.

To learn more about SpryCIS and our platform of cloud solutions for utilities please visit our website at http://www.SpryPoint.com

About Aurora Water

The City of Aurora is the third most populous city in the state of Colorado and the Citys Water Department (Aurora Water) is responsible for enhancing and protecting the quality of life for over 370,000 Aurora citizens by providing quality water, sewer, and stormwater services in a manner that balances social, environmental, and economic needs.

To learn more about Aurora Water, please visit our website at https://www.auroragov.org/residents/water.
Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it has mitigated an issue with its Microsoft 365 services and features, including workplace messaging app Teams and Azure, after many users were unable to access them.

"We have confirmed that the underlying DNS outage has been mitigated. Currently we're validating the recovery of the downstream Microsoft 365 services," it said in a tweet.

We have confirmed that the underlying DNS outage has been mitigated. Currently we're validating the recovery of the downstream Microsoft 365 services. Additional details can be found on https://t.co/AEUj8uAGXl or MO248163 in your admin center.  Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) April 1, 2021

Domain Name System (DNS) is effectively an address book of the internet which enables computers to match website addresses with the correct server.

Earlier, outage tracking website Downdetector showed over 8,000 incidents of people reporting issues with its widely used Teams workplace messaging app.

Downdetector only tracks outages by collating status reports from a series of sources, including user-submitted errors on its platform. The outage might be affecting a larger number of users.
Courtesy Andrea "Vocab" Sanderson

I often tell people that poetry was my first love. Like many a college English major, I took to my journal with poetic verve as a moody teenager. In middle school, I was one of a select few to attend the local districts young writers and authors conference. My own piece de resistance was a lyric poem about a fast red Frisbee that tried to be other circular objects, to no avail. The guest author for that pinnacle conference was none other than local poetry legend Naomi Shihab Nye herself. I remember her vivid recollection of the cheesy motivational posters she used to see in the halls of her own school growing up, and I found this mythical creature  the poet  instantly relatable.

Fast forward to 2020, and I had the honor of listening to Naomi Nyes words reach through my computer screen and into my pandemic locked-down home with her songbird voice of hope once again. There were around 40 of us huddled around our screens, gathered together for the local CreativeMornings chapter on that months theme of Stress. Nye invited us to welcome our own poets mind by writing down the questions we carry. I wondered if my dog would ever let me trim her nails myself.
Tunis/Tunisia  A cabinet meeting on the country's health, financial and economic situation was held Thursday in Kasbah, under chairmanship of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi during which economic and financial bills as well as government decrees were adopted.

Mechichi said at the beginning of the meeting several economic and legal issues and measures that would have a positive impact on investment in the country, revive the economy and monitor distribution channels will be addressed.

The current Article 96 of the Penal Code was a real obstacle to the entrepreneurial spirit within the public administration which remains "a pillar of development" and of the country's stability.

The PM reiterated that the fight against corruption must be carried out through State institutions and texts, "far from political tensions".

Thus, the cabinet meeting approved the bill amending article 96 of the penal code.

It also passed other bills and government decrees including:

A bill approving a funding agreement signed on February 18, 2021, between the Ministry of Economy and Finance and a group of local banks. The goal of this agreement is to finance the state budget.

A draft law approving a loan agreement signed on March 31, 2021, between Tunisia and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). It is an additional $-100 million to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bill finalizing the Decree of June 4, 1957 relating to real estate transactions.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Governance Tunisia By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

// Draft government decrees:

* A draft government decree setting the organisational chart of the Civil Aviation and Airports Office (OACA)

* A draft government decree on the approval of Tunisia's accession to the protocol amending the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft.

* A draft government decree setting the organisational chart of the  Societe d'Exploitation du Canal et Adductions des Eaux du Nord  (SECADENORD)

* A draft government decree setting the organisational chart of the Societe Nationale de Distribution des Petroles (AGIL).

* A draft government decree relating to the expropriation for the public interest of land in Kasserine for the construction of roads around Kasserine.

* A draft government decree relating to the adoption of the list of beneficiaries of the regularisation of the situation of agricultural State lands in the governorates of Tozeur, Kairouan, Beja, Zaghouan and Bizerte through the sale by mutual agreement according to the price of these properties.

* A draft government decree on the amendment of government decree No. 464 of 2016 on the creation of a unit of management by objectives relating to negotiations between Tunisia and the European Union within the framework of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA).
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 22:24:24|Editor: huaxia

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A man wearing a face mask walks past the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 24, 2021. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Friday called on the United States to abide by the one-China principle and stop all forms of official exchange with Taiwan.

"We urge the United States to fully understand the highly sensitive nature of the Taiwan question and adhere to the one-China principle and three China-U.S. joint communiques," spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

Hua made the comments in response to U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price's remarks that the United States will continue to consider "opportunities for visits to Washington and Taipei by senior-level authorities" to advance their unofficial relationship.

"We urge the U.S. side to stop the dangerous practice of challenging the bottom line and playing with fire as the previous administration did," Hua said. She called for prudently and properly handling the Taiwan question, and not sending wrong signals to separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence," so as to avoid undermining China-U.S. ties as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Hua noted that the U.S. ambassador to Palau joined the delegation of Palau on a visit to Taiwan, and asked, "Does the United States really care about the people in Taiwan? Or is it using Taiwan as a pawn in its plot to contain China?"

There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, Hua said, adding that this is a basic fact recognized by the international community.

"The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. ties, and the one-China principle is the political foundation of the China-U.S. relationship, a red line that should not be crossed," she said. 




Smoking will be banned at some of Mornington Peninsulas most popular beaches and public areas in a bid to reduce the tens of thousands of cigarette butts littering the coastline.

The beaches and foreshore areas at Rye, Safety Beach and Mount Eliza will be subject to the smoking bans from this month. The Point Leo Foreshore Reserve management committee said it was also considering a ban this week.

Smoking will be banned on the popular Rye beach. Credit:Eddie Jim

The strategy to reduce smoking and litter is part of a six-month trial that is likely to result in a permanent ban.

The Mornington Peninsula Shire has chosen not to fine smokers who refuse to butt out, but confirmed this could be a future option.
LANSING, MI - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has made it clear: voting bills introduced in the Michigan Senate arent getting past her desk.

Democrats blasted the 39 bill package introduced last week, particularly controls on the mail-in ballot process. Republicans pitched the package with the slogan easier to vote, harder to cheat, which Whitmer and liberal activists arent buying.

Read more: Michigan Senate GOP debuts election reforms critical of Secretary of States handling of November election

It is unacceptable, Whitmer said Wednesday morning on CNN. If and when those bills get to my desk - and they are aimed making it harder for people to vote - they will get vetoed.

With a veto inevitable, Democrats think the next step is a potential citizens petition to ratify the Senate bills and undo Proposal 3, which Michigan voted to pass no-reason absentee ballot voting in 2018. Its a path the Governors office will employ every avenue to stop, said Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist Thursday.

Gilchrist joined Tiffany Muller, executive director of the liberal PAC End Citizens United during a Thursday, April 1 media availability to discuss what theyre calling voter suppression laws from Michigan Republicans.

We have the power to veto this legislation should it ever pass the Legislature, Gilchrist said. As (Muller has) alluded to, Republicans are so afraid of voters, so willing and eager to avoid the will of the people...and run toward their own small, petty, political and partisan goals that they are now working to take advantage of loopholes to completely undermine the integrity of the voting process by going against the will of the people, as was so clearly stated three years ago.

Some of the proposed measures in the Senate package include pre-registering 16-year-olds to vote if they have some form of state ID, easing electronic voting for active duty overseas military, overhauling county canvassing of election results and not allowing Benson or future secretaries of state to use their likeness on election material paid with public money.

Liberal activists are focusing their criticism on the bills that control absentee ballot applications, mailing and submission. Muller pointed to the 67% support of Proposal 3 in 2018 as evidence that Michiganders oppose the Republican plan.

The people have spoken, she said. These reforms are so successful that the state had unprecedented turnout with more than 5.5 million people voting.

Read more: Democrats challenge easier to vote pitch in Senate GOP election package

Michigan Republican Party Chair Ron Weiser confirmed plans for a petition drive last week during a speech to the North Oakland Republican Club, saying it would only happen should Whitmer veto the Senate package.

(The Senate package) would create an opportunity for us to have a fair election in 2022, he said at the time. Weisers comments were captured in a video shared on social media.

To put a petition to put a new statutory law on the 2022 ballot, Republicans would have to collect more than 340,000 signatures.

Its a gross abuse of the system, said Muller, especially given its goal to prevent people, particularly Black and brown people from voting.

The Michigan GOP in a Twitter post called these claims of racism from Democrats as lies and misinformation, requesting specific examples. Gilchrist pointed to bills requiring more documentation to be submitted with absentee ballot applications and restrictions on ballot drop boxes.

When youre talking about things that make it more difficult to vote, (its) because of ID requirements that many low-income people or people of color dont have, he said. Make it more challenging to deploy things like ballot drop boxes that were shown to be incredibly effective in all types of communities for increasing voter turnout.

The Michigan GOP pointed to a poll that shows Black Americans support more photo ID laws, though it was one conducted by Rasmussen Reports. The polling site suggested former Vice President Mike Pence block the certification of six states Electoral Colleges on Jan. 6.

Muller said any potential petition would meet opposition from her organizations 150,000 members in Michigan.

One of the things we will be doing is trying to both raise awareness of these efforts to keep people from voting, to stop people from voting and making sure that were really activating our memberships to organize in efforts to stop these bills from becoming (law).

Gilchrist said the effort will also come from Whitmers office and her political allies in Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Were going to do everything that we can...whatever tool we deploy in our toolbox, and certainly the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Governor...we all stand at the ready to deploy them to make sure we can beat this back again, he said.

Read more from MLive:

Election hearings are back as lawmakers look to clear up confusion, initiate reform

Michigan senate passes resolution to oppose federal election reform bill

Michigan completes general election audits, no foul play found

Auditor-recommended election reforms approved in Michigan House
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The Dutch artist Rembrandt created my favorite painting called Return of the Prodigal Son, which is on display at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Rembrandt based his work on a story Jesus once told his disciples and the teachers of the law. Its the story of the unchanging heart of God and a man Jesus calls the prodigal son.

Jesus begins his story with a father who has two sons. The younger son says, essentially, Dad, I want my inheritance now. I want to make my own way in the world. In biblical times, if you were to tell your parents you wanted your inheritance, you were essentially telling them, I wish you were dead. Jesus' hearers wouldve thought, This son is not treating his father as he should.

To the shock of Jesus listeners, Im sure, the father gives his youngest son what he asks for, and the son goes off and lives a wild life. In America, people go to Las Vegas when they want to go a little wild, hence the saying What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. In Jesus' story, it's as if this young son leaves his home, leaves his legacy, and goes to a place like Las Vegas, where he can party and do whatever he wants. But the problem is that he only has so much money. When the money runs out, the friends and women run out too. All of a sudden he finds himself at rock bottom.

Jesus says the prodigal son reaches the point where he has to work with pigs. In those times, a job like that indicated a complete loss of dignity. He is so hungry he wishes he could eat the pig food. Jesus says it is then the son comes to his senses.

If I can go home, I can be a servant, he thinks. For even a servant for my father has it better off than I do.

But while he is still a long way off, his father sees his son coming home. And he does something very controversial for this time: he runs to his son. The son probably thinks his dad is going to hurt him. He has done everything wrong and he deserves judgment. But Jesus says the father doesn't hurt the son but embraces him and clothes him in apparel reserved for guests of honor.

I don't know where you are right now in life, but I imagine many people are in a broken place. This past year especially, it feels like everything has fallen apart. Maybe you feel like the destitute son.

All of us have a prodigal story. Prodigal simply means someone who has rebelled and wandered off the right path. We all know what it's like to disobey, to feel like we're in trouble, to feel like theres a sense of wrath or guilt hanging over us. But the good news of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday is that Jesus came and paid the price of our shame  he took it on himself and did away with it, forever.

We are all guilty before a holy God. But God loved us so much that he allowed his son, Jesus, to die to redeem us and to overcome the power of death on our behalf.

Maybe youre feeling a stirring that there is more for your life than what youre living right now. The world tries to make us think that money and relationships will make us happy, that living for pleasure will fulfill our deepest desires. But the truth is that only God will satisfy us because each of us has a void in our heart only he can fill.

Weve all done wrong. Weve all messed up. But the good news of the story of the prodigal son is that he decides to go home. And we can too.
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989. She can be reached at jmaschino@berkshireeagle.com.
The United States is ready to support Ukraine if Russian aggression escalates.

This was discussed in a phone conversation between Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Taran and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports.

"Lloyd Austin expressed concern over the recent actions of the Russian Federation and assured the Minister of Defense of Ukraine of his readiness to support Ukraine in the context of Russia's ongoing aggression in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. The U.S. Secretary of Defense stressed that in case of escalation of Russian aggression, the United States will not leave Ukraine alone and will not allow for the implementation of Russias aggressive aspirations regarding Ukraine," the statement reads.

In addition, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine informed the counterpart about the military-political situation on the line of contact with the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in Crimea and around the state border of Ukraine. In particular, Taran paid attention to the events that had taken place near the village of Shumy on March 26. In addition, Taran pointed out the systematic escalation of the security situation in the Joint Forces Operation area and the unwillingness of the Russian Federation to reaffirm its commitment to the ceasefire.

"Strategic dialogue at the level of the heads of defense agencies of Ukraine and the United States is not just maintained, it develops dynamically. American partners are actively initiating contacts, expressing sincere concern over Russia's attempts to aggravate the situation around Ukraine. Today's call from the American counterpart is a clear demonstration of the proactive position of the United States in support of sovereignty and steps to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Minister Taran stressed.

As reported, four Ukrainian servicemen were killed and two others were wounded in shelling by the Russian invaders near the town of Shumy in Donetsk region on March 26.

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Youth Network for Positive Change (YOUNETPO) is poised to host its fourth edition of the Annual Youth Education and Leadership conference in august this year (AYEAL-2021) saying youth education is key to Liberia's development.

Speaking at an event marking the signing of agreements with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) from Montserrado County, YOUNETPO's Human Resource director, William Kei said the event is staged every year to build the capacity of Liberian youth who are often referred to as the future leaders of any nation.

"This is the fourth edition of AYEAL and we have brought together CBOs to sign onto a partnership with our organization" Mr. Kie said.

He indicated that each year, as a youth organization operating in Liberia, we see the need to ensure that the youth gather in a knowledge sharing conference where they can learn leadership as means of empowerment.

"Great Conference needs Great People! - We always support youth by providing necessary platforms to unlock their potentials. We are happy to welcome you as AYEAL Conference Community Based Organization partner (CBO)" the youth organization said in the agreement reached with the CBOs.

As part of the preparations to the fourth edition, YOUNETPO has reached an agreement with over five youth organizations to partner for the conduct of the annual conference.

On Monday, March 29, 2021, they signed the partnership agreement. Monday's signing followed Tuesday's March 23, 2021 pre partnership meeting with 6 Liberian CBO's.

Out of the 6 CBOs that had the pre partnership meeting with the institution, five have already put pen to paper to ensure that the 2021 AYEAL Conference of YOUNETPO becomes a reality.

Individuals who signed on behalf of their institutions included Fatu Tracy Freeman, Executive Director of the Youth Exploring for Development and Empowerment; Liberia Children & Youth Development Organization Chief Executive Officer, Jesse P. B. Sumo; STEM CLUB- TEAM Liberia Chief Executive Officer, Nuepual D. Kortu; Mamadee Diakite Intellectual Forum CEO, Musa Mark Kamara signed to the agreement. Other CBOs are expected to sign the agreement with the YOUNETPO.

As part of the partnership agreement reached, partner organizations are to motivate and convince at least 5 of their individual members to register for conference, try to get out of their inner circle and reach out to members and others to ensure that maximum delegates can attend the conference, something they said will also help them to confidently expand their network.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Liberia Children By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Additionally, partner organizations are required to advertise and advocate for AYEAL Conference in Social Media and or in any possible way by sharing the latest updates and posts that appear on their official page and social media.

"Partner organization agrees to accept and carry out the duties and tasks assigned by the Youth Network for Positive Change-YOUNETPO with the best efforts and responsibilities, Partner Organizations will directly report to the Chief Convener and Organizing Committee Chair" the agreement said.After signing, the

The Executive Director of the Youth Exploring for Development and Empowerment, Fatu Tracy Freeman said they as partner organizations will ensure that the process becomes successful.

"The conference will have people from the 15 counties and we are anticipating the total of 100 young people" he said. She went on to say, "We are thinking that the programs will be held in August of this year" according to her, the change Liberia needs will come from young people with a positive mind set.
The Police Command in Niger have shot and killed three suspected kidnappers and recovered firearms at Fapo village of Lapai Local Government Area of the state.

The command's Public Relations Officer, ASP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a statement in Minna on Saturday.

Abiodun said on March 14 at about 1500 hours, credible information was received that gunmen had kidnapped three persons at different locations and took them to an unknown destination.

Based on the information, he said, Police Operatives attached to Lapai Division and local vigilantes, mobilised and trailed the hoodlums to a place near Fapo village via Lapai local government area where they were engaged in a fierce gun battle.

He said three suspected kidnappers were killed, two AK 47 rifles and one locally fabricated AK 47 rifle were recovered during the encounter.

The police spokesman said other members of the syndicate escaped with gunshot wounds, and that the three victims were rescued unhurt.

He said that the command would continue the onslaught against the hoodlums and urged residents to report anyone seen with bullet wounds or suspicious behaviour to the nearest Police division.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Workers in New York whose jobs are regulated by the federal government are not able to smoke marijuana because its still illegal at the federal level despite it now being legal in the state of New York.

Government employees like FDNY, NYPD, transit workers and thousands of others are not permitted to use marijuana, according to a report by the Daily News.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law Wednesday morning a bill legalizing adult-use marijuana in New York State.

Parts of the law take effect immediately -- like being able to smoke in public wherever tobacco smoke is permitted and decriminalization of possession -- but much of the law, such as the ability to grow marijuana plants at home and the opening of dispensaries, cannot happen until the state establishes the Office of Cannabis Management for regulation, which could take at least 18 months.

A police spokeswoman told the Daily News that the NYPDs rules regarding the use of marijuana have not changed as of Wednesday. FDNY sources told the Daily News the department is reviewing its current policies to see if changes need to be made due to the new law.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employees and others with safety-sensitive jobs are required by the Federal Transit Administration to submit to a urine drug screen before they are hired, if theyve been involved in an accident, and other random times.

Current federal law and the tests do not distinguish between being under the influence today and having taken a puff when you were on vacation last month. In other words, dont smoke it or ingest it no matter what the State of New York does regarding marijuana, said Transport Workers Union Local 100 in a statement.
(Natural News) He is widely recognized as one of the early pioneers of the woke ideological movement. But the late French philosopher Michel Foucault was not the good guy that some have been led to believe he was.

According to fellow intellectual Guy Sorman, Foucault, who died in 1984 at the age of 57, was a pedophile rapist who engaged in sexual activity with young Arab children while living in Tunisia during the late 1960s.

Sorman, 77, claims to have visited Foucault with some friends while on an Easter holiday trip to the village of Sidu Bou, near Tunis, where Foucault was living in the year 1969.

Young children were running after Foucault saying what about me? take me, take me, Sorman recalled during a recent interview with The Sunday Times.

They were eight, nine, ten years old, he was throwing money at them and would say lets meet at 10pm at the usual place. [Foucault] would make love there on the gravestones with young boys. The question of consent wasnt even raised.

The reason there were gravestones is because the location was a nearby cemetery. This is where Foucault lured his prey, which were young boys who had not yet reached puberty.

As progressive as it is, France, Foucaults homeland, never would have tolerated such perversion. This is why Foucault traveled to Africa where he knew he could get away with it.

Foucault would not have dared to do it in France, Sorman stated. There is a colonial dimension to this. A white imperialism.

Homosexuality and pedophilia often go hand-in-hand, as evidenced by Foucaults depraved life

Sorman regrets never reporting Foucault to the police or notifying the press. He says it was ignoble and extremely morally ugly of him not to intervene when he knew he should have.

As it turns out, the French media already knew about Foucaults depravity.

There were journalists present on that trip, there were many witnesses, but nobody did stories like that in those days. Foucault was the philosopher king. Hes like our god in France, Sorman contends.

The son of a surgeon who dressed nicely and appeared wise, Foucault was among the first celebrity intellectuals of the 20th century to push for the legalization of pedophilia. In 1977, he signed a petition calling for adults to be allowed to have sex with children as young as 13.

The most well-known biography of Foucaults life, The Passion of Michel Foucault (1993), also describes his interest in the homosexual, sado-masochistic bath houses of America. Foucault, who eventually died of AIDS, is one of the first known openly homosexual figures in public life.

He is also the most cited scholar in the world, and is directly associated with the rise of identity politics in the United States.

It is almost invariably Foucault to whom contemporary activist studies departments trace their intellectual foundations, wrote Daniel Miller for The Critic magazine.

At the most basic level, Foucault the famous French professor supplies a signature of seriousness for disciplines without clear academic standards or traditions.

Many respected literary and art figures are pedophiles

In 1980s America, Foucaults admirers, known as Foucauldians, enshrined him as a kind of patron saint  whose authority they routinely invoked in order to legitimate, in properly academic terms, their own brand of progressive politics, Miller wrote in a biography.

Sorman also published a book about Foucaults sexual misdeeds, as they were not widely understood by the general public that was being influenced by his theories and persuasions.

Many specialists throughout Great Britain, Sorman says, were surprised to learn about Foucaults sort-of secret life engaging in child rape in Africa.

Theres a big potential for that to have an impact on him, commented Phil Howell, a University of Cambridge researcher. Foucault was interested in sexuality and wrote about it, but child abuse is another thing.

Sorman also added that Foucaults deviant behavior was a symptom of Frances culture of malaise, which dates back to the time of Voltaire.

He believed there were two morals, one for the elite, which was immoral, and one for the people, which should be restrictive, Sorman says.

France is still not a democracy, we had the revolution, proclaimed a republic but theres still an aristocracy, its the intelligentsia, and it has had a special status. Anything goes, he adds, noting that now the world is suddenly changing.

Many others involved with art, literature, and media  well-known influencers, that is  have had similar sordid histories. Publishers, radio personalities, artists and many others are also being outed as pedophiles with an appetite for the very young.

People had forgotten that 1968 thinking promoted pedophilia, wrote philosopher and former education minister Luc Ferry, 70, in Le Figaro.

Every adult had the right even the duty, they argued, to awaken the sexuality that the bourgeoisie was hiding.

Similar stories can be found at Evil.news.

Sources for this article include:

Archive.fo

NaturalNews.com
New Delhi:

In yet another jolt to Pakistan, China has dismissed the calls by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to implement the UN resolution on Kashmir and asked Islamabad to resolve the dispute with India through bilateral talks.

When asked about Chinas stand on the OIC calling for the implementation of the UN resolution on Kashmir, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the issue of Kashmir should be resolved between India and Pakistan.

"China has noted the relevant report. China's position on the Kashmir issue is clear-cut," Lu said.

Lu said Kashmir is an issue left from history and both India and Pakistan should handle it properly to safeguard regional peace and stability.

"The Kashmir issue is left over from history. China hopes India and Pakistan can increase dialogue and communication and properly handle relevant issues and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability," he said.

The 57-member OIC, of which Pakistan is a member, routinely passes a resolution on Kashmir calling for the implementation of the UN resolution.

The contact group of the OIC met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly two days ago.

China's reaction came hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi urged the United Nations to appoint a special envoy to Kashmir and implement the UN Security Council resolution.

This was the second major setback for Pakistan in less than a month when "close friend" China went against the nation on the international level.

Earlier in the month, Pakistan-based terror groups, LeT and the JeM were mentioned in the Summit declaration of the BRICS countries of which China is also a member.

The outcome document of BRICS Xiamen summit also asserted that those responsible for committing, organising or supporting terrorism must be held accountable.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
An Australian man is in hospital suffering from a rare blood clotting condition after receiving the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

The 44-year-old got the jab on March 22 and later presented to Box Hill Hospital in Melbourne suffering fever and abdominal pain.

He was also found to have blood clots in his abdomen and a very low platelet count, prompting concerns from doctors.

Pictured: The Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine is administered in Sydney on March 23

Chief health officers around Australia are urgently reviewing the man's case, with an update to be given on Friday afternoon, The Australian reported.

The Victorian Health Department warned medical professionals to be on the lookout for signs of cerebral thrombosis in patients after they had the jab.

'As a precaution, all clinicians are being advised to refer patients who report headaches 72 hours or more after receiving an AZ Covid-19 vaccine to their nearest emergency department with a referral letter,' the department said.

'Hospitals will further assess the patients and may perform tests to rule out thrombosis as a precaution.'

The man's symptoms are similar to those of prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia in some patients who also had the vaccine.

Some countries restricted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 while others have resumed inoculations, as investigations into reports of rare, and sometimes severe, blood clots continue.

Most Australians will receive the AstraZeneca jab rather than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Paramedic Rhiannon Gallatly (right) receives a AstraZeneca covid vaccination at the Royal Exhibition Centre in Melbourne on Monday March 22

Earlier in the week, Germany said only people aged 60 and over should be administered the AstraZeneca vaccine due to the rare but severe occurrence of thromboembolic side effects.

The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization have said the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks, but are monitoring the developing situation as more cases are reported.

AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish company, said earlier in March its vaccine was 76 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic coronavirus infections in a US trial, and that studies did not indicate higher risks of clotting.

The news of the Melbourne man's symptoms comes amid critcisim over the delays of Australia's vaccine rollout.

A generic image of AstraZeneca covid19 vaccinations inside of the Royal Exhibition Centre in Melbourne

Four million Australians were due to have their jabs by the end of March, a target missed by more than 3.3 million.

Federal opposition health spokesman Mark Butler took aim, saying the government had promised Australia would be at the front of the queue for the vaccine, but instead it had found itself in 108th place.

'We are so far behind the rest of the world,' he said.

'The UK has vaccinated 60 per cent of its adult population. We've managed about two per cent.'

Barely a quarter of the 2.4 million vaccine doses available in the country had been administered and only a third of aged care facilities had received their first doses, he said.

'Every promise they've made hasn't been met.'

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Thursday defended the Commonwealth's vaccine rollout, saying all states and territories will receive doses in accordance with their 12-week plans.

Mr Hunt blamed a global supply issue, with the European Union blocking some vaccine shipments to Australia due to the country's low infection rate and rising cases across Europe.
Christians are marking Good Friday this year amid signs the coronavirus crisis is winding down, with some religious sites open to limited numbers of faithful but none of the mass pilgrimages usually seen in the Holy Week leading up to Easter.

Christians attend a Good Friday service at St Josephs Cathedral in Prayagraj, India (Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP)
Further testimony and new evidence presented this week in the trial of former Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin further implicate him and his partners in the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

New video consisting of security and body camera footage played Wednesday showed what happened between Floyd and officers prior to bystanders arriving. Within seconds of approaching the vehicle Floyd was in, former officer Thomas Lane drew a gun on Floyd and demanded he exit the vehicle.

In this image from video, witness Courteney Ross answers questions as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides Thursday, April 1, 2021, in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool)

Floyd, in a panicked state, immediately apologized and told officers that he did not know what was going on. Floyd pleaded for Lane not to shoot him as Lane removed him from the vehicle, handcuffed him, and placed him on the ground. Floyd did not struggle but expressed his discomfort and confusion.

When officers attempted to put Floyd in the back of their police vehicle, Floyd pleaded for officers to speak with him about the situation, telling them that he was scared and claustrophobic. As he was being forced into the car, Floyd said he had a hard time breathing because he had previously been infected by COVID-19. Before Chauvin arrived and pinned him to the ground with his knee, Floyd told officers that he was not trying to run but wanted to get on the ground.

The videos refute the argument that Floyd was aggressive towards officers or was a tough guy that had to be taken down, in Chauvins words. Officers quickly and immediately escalated the situation and made no attempt to lower tensions or help Floyd, who was visibly distressed.

Thursdays most damning testimony came from Chauvins own supervising officer. Retired Minneapolis Police Sergeant David Pleoger testified that the officers use of force against Floyd should have stopped as soon as he stopped resisting.

When asked when use of force against Floyd should have ended, Pleoger said, When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint.

Prosecutor Steve Schleicher asked Pleoger if that moment was when Floyd was handcuffed and on the ground. Yes, Pleoger replied.

Pleoger also testified that officers did not give him a proper explanation of what transpired when he arrived on the scene. Chauvin did not immediately tell Pleoger he pressed his knee into Floyds neck. When Chauvin did disclose the information, he did not say for how long.

When cross-examining Pleoger, defense attorney Eric Nelson built on his argument that officers were concerned about bystanders. Chauvins defense has argued that the atmosphere created by agitated witnesses distracted officers from properly caring for Floyd. However, when asked by defense attorney Nelson whether it was more important to deal with the immediate threat or a medical emergency, Pleoger stated he would address both simultaneously.

A significant element of the defenses strategy is attempting to vilify Floyd, focusing on the controlled substances found in his blood when he died. Courteney Ross, Floyds girlfriend since August 2017, recounted Thursday how she and Floyd struggled with an opioid addiction triggered by chronic painsomething which millions of American workers are tragically familiar.

Both Floyd and I, our story is a classic story of how we both got addicted to opioids, she testified. We got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times.

Both Floyd and Ross had prescriptions and became addicted and began buying them from others who were prescribed opioids for pain when theirs ran out. Ross explained that they were able to kick the addiction on and off, but she believed Floyd had begun using again in May 2020. While Ross was cross-examined, Chauvins defense attorney Nelson contended Floyd died because of drug use.

Second to testify Thursday was EMS paramedic Seth Bravinder, who described his efforts to resuscitate Floyd after he arrived in an ambulance. Floyd was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived and never developed a pulse. Bravinder stated how urgent medical care was needed during full cardiac arrest.

Basically, just because your heart isn't doing anything at that moment, it's not pumping blood. It's not a good sign for a good outcome, he said.

Defense attorney Nelson questioned Bravinder about the crowd and asked if it influenced the decision to move Floyd to a different location. Bravinder agreed that the crowd was responsible for the decision but later explained it is imperative to get a patient into the ambulance with the medical equipment.

Hennepin EMS paramedic Derek Smith, Bravinders partner, testified he checked Floyd's pulse while three officers continued to pin him to the pavement, and he did not detect one.

I looked to my partner, I told him I think he's dead, and I want to move this out of here and begin care in the back, Smith said, noting the agitated crowd of bystanders. In a living person, there should be a pulse there. I did not feel one. I suspected this patient to be dead.

Minneapolis Fire Captain Jeremy Norton testified that when he entered the ambulance Floyd was in, he saw an unresponsive body on a cot. Norton had been called to the scene and initially arrived at the Cup Foods convenience store near where Floyd was pinned to the ground before meeting up with Bravinder and Smith. After following the ambulance to the hospital, Norton said he felt the need to file a report with his supervisors.

I was aware that a man had been killed in police custody, and I wanted to notify my supervisors to notify the appropriate people above us in the city, in the fire department and whomever else, and then I also wanted to inform my deputy that there was an off-duty firefighter, who was a witness at the scene, he added.
Hunter Biden has revealed his father staged an intervention to get him to give up drugs last year, during the Presidential election, in his first sit-down interview for months where he also admits the damaging laptop with details of his business dealings in Ukraine 'could' be his, but says he was 'hacked by Russians'.

Hunter did two interviews with CBS to promote his new memoir, Beautiful Things. The first will air on Sunday morning, and the second will air on Monday morning.

The network teased a trailer for both on Friday morning. It is the first time it is publicly known that the Biden family staged an intervention for Hunter.

Hunter, 51, who has struggled with drug abuse for years, described how his father, then 77, chased him down the driveway of their Wilmington, Delaware, home, in front of Hunter's daughters, to stop him from getting in the car.

He doesn't say when it was specifically but admits it was during the campaign, in 2020. He also doesn't say what kind of drugs he was taking at the time or what the outcome of the intervention was, but says all he could think about was lying to his elderly father to get 'another hit'. It's unclear when exactly Hunter gave up drugs.

In the interview, Hunter also addressed the laptop that was found last year in a store in Delaware and contained details of Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine, as well as damaging photos of him doing drugs and drunk.

The Biden family has shied away from discussing it at length. He says that he 'for real, doesn't know' if it was his or not.

Scroll down for video

Hunter Biden has revealed how his father Joe Biden chased him down the driveway of their Delaware home when they staged an intervention during the campaign to deal with his drug addiction

Hunter Biden tells @CBSThisMornings @AnthonyMasonCBS about the emotional experience of his family staging an intervention for his substance abuse: I dont know of a force more powerful than my familys love  except addiction. https://t.co/Iz24QzKDii pic.twitter.com/i0OX6E4bF6  CBS News (@CBSNews) April 2, 2021

Photos of Hunter smoking a crack pipe (left) and appearing inebriated (right) that were found on the laptop

Hunter Biden became so addicted to illicit sexual thrills that he once spent $11,400 on a single night of debauchery at a New York strip club and shelled out more than $21,000 to one adult 'live cam' adult website

Revealing the intervention, he said: ''I tried to go to my car, and my girls literally blocked the door to my car, and said: "Dad, Dad, please. You can't. No, no."

'[He] grabbed me  gave a bear hug, and he said  and just cried, and said  "I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. Please'" Hunter said.

'I thought: "I need to figure out a way to tell him that I'm gonna do something, so that I can go take another hit."

'It's the only thing I could think. Literally. That's how powerful. I don't know of a force more powerful than my family's love, except addiction,' he said.

The 'girls' he was referring to are his daughters, Finnegan, 21, Maisy, 20, and Naomi, 27.

They are his children with his first wife Kathleen.

He also has two baby sons; Beau Biden Jr, his son with his current wife, South African native Melissa Cohen who he married within days of their first meeting, and Navy, his lovechild with a former stripper in Arkansas who sued him over not paying child support.

He was dating his late brother Beau's widow, Hallie, when he impregnated Navy's mother, Lunden Roberts.

In the interview, Hunter shirks away from it again, saying 'There could be a laptop out there that was stolen from me.

'It could be that I was hacked. It could be that it was the  that it was Russian intelligence.'

He maintains that he doesn't know if the computer was his, protesting: 'For real! I don't know!'

The laptop was discovered during the campaign and threatened his father's campaign.

Joe and Hunter Biden on November 7. It's unclear when the intervention took place but Hunter said it was during the campaign, in 2020.

It contained emails that showed Hunter communicating with a Ukrainian businessman where the pair discussed what looked like a meeting between the businessman and Joe, when Joe was Vice President.

The emails first emerged in a report by The New York Post.

It suggested that Joe met with Ukrainian businessman Vadym Pozharskyi, months before putting pressure on Ukrainian officials to fire a prosecutor who was investigating Pozharskyi's firm.

Shortly after the purported meeting, a Ukrainian prosecutor who had been investigating the businessman dropped the charges.

It raised serious red flags about whether Joe had abused his power in any way, with some suggesting he'd called in favors to help his son, who earned millions through vague business deals in China and Ukraine.

He was on the board of Burisma Holdings, Ukraine's largest natural gas producer, and was also on the board of BHR Partners, a Chinese private equity firm.

His experience before then had been as a lawyer and lobbyist.

Joe has always denied, broadly, any wrong-doing but Hunter has never been properly quizzed on the specifics of the Ukraine emails.

The email, sent in April 2015, read: 'Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together. Its realty [sic] an honor and pleasure'.

Hunter had just joined Burisma, which was paying him $50,000 a month, and Pozharskyi was the number three executive in the company.

Hunter Biden, pictured with his wife Melissa Cohen and their son Beau Biden Jr. on March 26 as they boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland

Hunter's daughters Maisy, 20, Finnegan, 21, and Naomi, 27, (far left, center left and center right) are pictured with their cousin Natalie (far right) who is Beau Biden's daughter

The Biden family home in Wilmington, Delaware, where it's thought the intervention took place

Eight months later, Biden put pressure on Ukrainian leaders to fire a prosecutor who had publicly announced that they planned to investigate Burisma.

Biden boasted about it at the time.

When the emails emerged in October last year, the Biden campaign was vague in their response to them.

The story was censored by Facebook, which claimed it had not had a chance to 'fact check it', and was also temporarily suspended on Twitter.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey apologized for it afterwards.

It also contained embarrassing images of Hunter smoking a crack pipe, in bed, and in a bathtub, inebriated. The New York Post published emails emails and partially-clothed pictures of Hunter from the laptop - one of them with an apparent crack pipe - and says it has an 11-minute sex-and-drugs video.

It's unclear when exactly the photos were taken, or when Hunter's addiction began.
Facing a brutal new wave of coronavirus cases, India on Thursday made anyone over 45 eligible for vaccination. But the scramble to vaccinate as many people as possible has also meant sharply curtailing exports.

Why it matters: The hopes of vaccinating the world have largely fallen on the shoulders of India, a vaccine manufacturing powerhouse and home to the worlds largest producer, the Serum Institute.

Until recently, India was exporting most of the doses it was producing  a mix of donations to neighbors and other friendly nations, sales to countries like Saudi Arabia and the U.K., and contributions to the global COVAX initiative.

Indian-made vaccines have gone to 82 countries.

Then, after a long lull, cases began to surge. They are now at their highest point since mid-October and are continuing to climb precipitously.

Vaccine exports, which had been ramping up, suddenly fell sharply. Rather than supplying the world, the Serum Institute appears to have redirected nearly its entire supply to the homefront.

Driving the news: India has not imposed an export ban and will continue to supply doses, including to COVAX, a government source tells Axios. But given "domestic requirements," the source added, "there is some recalibration of the supply schedules.

Another official, speaking to Reuters, put it more bluntly: Right now we are dealing with an emergency situation. Whatever we have, we will use it, the official said.

The government aims to vaccinate a minimum of 400 million people, up from 56 million at present (just 4% of the population), the official told Reuters.

By the numbers: India has exported 6 million doses over the last three weeks, with less than 2 million of those going to the COVAX initiative.

Thats down from 31 million in the three prior weeks, of which 16 million went to COVAX

Thats a crippling setback for COVAX, which is a critical source of vaccines for low-income countries, particularly in Africa.

COVAX had expected 71% of its first wave of distribution to consist of AstraZeneca doses produced at the Serum Institute, according to a preliminary forecast.

A spokesman for Gavi, the vaccine alliance, said shipments expected in March and April had been delayed, and COVAX is now in talks with the government of India in the hope of ensuring some supplies are completed during April.

What to watch: If this is anything more than a temporary delay, that would be catastrophic, African CDC director John Nkengasong told reporters Thursday. He said Africa would likely fall short of its vaccination targets this year.

The big picture: The world currently has four major sources of vaccines. The U.S. is the second-largest producer, just ahead of India, but isn't exporting at all.
Four years on, Xiong'an New Area construction at full throttle

Xinhua) 08:42, April 02, 2021

-- Construction of Xiong'an New Area has been forging ahead at full throttle over the past four years, with over 160,000 people currently engaged in implementing more than 120 major projects such as infrastructure construction and ecological restoration.

-- Xiong'an has been designed to become an intelligent city featuring high-tech and innovation as well as a magnet for global talent.

-- "Green" is another buzzword in Xiong'an's grand development plan. It aspires to become a green city with harmonious human-environment interaction.

SHIJIAZHUANG, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Wang Shasha begins her day in the wee hours of the morning, as she climbs up a 50-meter-tall tower crane and starts operating the big machine to move building materials at a construction site in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province.

For the 30-year-old crane operator, the most fulfilling moment of her challenging daily job is when she looks out from the crane cab and sees hundreds of high-rise buildings stand tall in the construction site forming a beautiful skyline against the backdrop of the rising sun.

Having worked in Xiong'an for well over a year, Wang said she always feels proud that she is helping to turn the blueprint of the new area, dubbed China's "city of future," into a tangible reality.

Aerial photo taken on March 31, 2021 shows the construction site of Rongdong area in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an new area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

On April 1, 2017, China announced plans to establish Xiong'an New Area, located about 100 km southwest of Beijing, aiming to build the 1,770-sq-km area into a green city featuring innovation and a national model of high-quality development.

Construction of Xiong'an has been forging ahead at full throttle over the past four years, with over 160,000 people currently engaged in implementing more than 120 major projects such as infrastructure construction and ecological restoration.

In Xiong'an's Rongdong area, a major residential space where Wang works, over 85 percent of the nearly 1,000 buildings planned had been roofed by the end of March and will be ready for handover by June. The area is designed to accommodate about 170,000 people.

An intercity railway linking Xiong'an and Beijing started operation in December last year, slashing the commuting time between the two cities from one and a half hours to about 50 minutes. Meanwhile, the construction of three express lines linking Xiong'an, Beijing and the neighboring Tianjin Municipality is scheduled to open to traffic in May.

Aerial photo taken on March 31, 2021 shows the Beijing-Xiong'an expressway under construction in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an new area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

Infrastructure construction is also proceeding smoothly at Xiong'an's start-up area, which will be part of the Xiong'an city proper. Designed to take over Beijing's functions nonessential to its role as the national capital, the start-up area will serve as a new home for Beijing's colleges, hospitals, business headquarters, and financial and public institutions.

INNOVATION HIGHLAND

Since its inception, Xiong'an has been designed to become an intelligent city featuring high-tech and innovation as well as a magnet for global talented people.

As of February, more than 3,700 enterprises had registered in Xiong'an, of which more than 2,000 firms are in fields of scientific research, software development, information technology and technological services, according to official data.

Leading Chinese tech firms such as Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu are also on the list, as the tech giants are tapping into the area's great potential in developing frontier technologies including autonomous driving, cloud computing, blockchain and big data.

Eye Cool, a company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI), moved its headquarters from Beijing to Xiong'an in 2018, in view of the area's ideal environment for tech start-ups.

"Xiong'an has been billed as the 'city of innovation' since its establishment, and we couldn't wait to grab the opportunities it brought," said Wang Shuqi, the company's marketing director. "We're honored to have grown alongside Xiong'an's development."

Wang said her company's AI-based facial recognition technology has been used in industrial parks, railway stations, service centers and schools in Xiong'an for security purposes and prevention and control of COVID-19.

Aerial photo taken on March 17, 2021 shows the Xiong'an Railway Station of the Beijing-Xiong'an intercity railway in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an new area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

"With artificial intelligence to be widely adopted in every aspect of life in Xiong'an, I believe our company will have a brighter future here," she added.

According to Wu Hequan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an expert advisor to the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of Xiong'an's high-tech and high-end industries will help optimize the region's industrial structure.

Such industries are expected to account for 70 to 80 percent of Xiong'an's economy, Wu noted.

GREEN CITY

"Green" is another buzzword in Xiong'an's grand development plan. It aspires to become a green city with harmonious human-environment interaction.

Aerial photo taken on March 19, 2021 shows a forestation project in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an New Area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

Between 2017 and 2020, Xiong'an added more than 27,000 hectares of trees, raising its forest coverage to 30 percent.

"More trees have helped achieve cleaner air and a better environment," said Wang Zhi, a local forest ranger.

All-out efforts have also been made to restore the ecological environment of Baiyangdian Lake, an important wetland in the region. Over the past four years, local authorities have regulated more than 13,000 heavy-polluting enterprises, built new sewage treatment facilities and reduced fishery areas on the lake.

Aerial photo taken on March 16, 2021 shows the scenery of Baiyangdian Lake in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an New Area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

Thanks to the restoration efforts, the lake has expanded to about 290 sq km and the water quality of its central area has improved from Class V, the worst level in China's water quality grading system, to Class IV, according to Cheng Gang, a researcher with Xiong'an's ecology and environment bureau.

It is Baiyangdian's best water quality in the past decade, Cheng said.

According to the Xiong'an development plan, forests, greenery and water bodies will make up 70 percent of the city's total area.

"Environmental protection has always been a priority in the construction of Xiong'an," Cheng said, adding that a liveable environment will help Xiong'an attract more talented people.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Liang Jun)
 Flash

China on Thursday said it firmly supports promoting peace talks in Myanmar in the ASEAN way, and supports holding a special meeting of ASEAN leaders to mediate Myanmar's situation at an early date.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks when co-meeting press with his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein in Nanping city, Fujian province.

Wang said it is hoped that relevant parties of Myanmar should proceed from the long-term interests of the country and the nation, initiate dialogue and consultation as soon as possible, heal the rift under the constitution and legal framework, and constantly advance the hard-won democratic transformation process.

Calling on all relevant parties to exercise restraint, China and Malaysia agreed that the international community should uphold the basic norm of non-interference in internal affairs, and create a good environment for the domestic political reconciliation in Myanmar.








gettyimagesbank





By Yi Whan-woo







The prosecution recently sold bitcoins seized from a man convicted of running a major pornography website. It made 45 times more profit than the currency was initially worth four years ago, when the man was arrested.







This is the first time that a stash of digital coins linked to criminal activities was sold by authorities after being forfeited and left in cold storage.







The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office said last week it had sold 191 bitcoins seized from a man identified only by his surname Ahn. The coins were collectively worth 270 million won in spring 2017 when they were seized, and were sold for 12.29 billion won ($10.9 million) on March 25.







The cash went into the state coffers.







The bitcoins had been in cold storage, or in an offline wallet for bitcoin storage, as there were no laws or regulations for dealing with cryptocurrency.







Their sale was made possible with the enactment of specific cryptocurrency laws on March 25, amid a growing need to prevent the virtual assets from being used for money laundering, the financing of terrorism and other crimes.







The bitcoin price had fluctuated over the past four years, but has exploded recently. For instance, it cost 64.2 million won per unit on March 25, up from 1.41 million won in the spring of 2017, when the prosecution first arrested Ahn and seized 191 bitcoins belonging to him.







"This was the first case of putting criminal profits in the form of cryptocurrency into state coffers," a representative from the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office said. "We will thoroughly track down criminal profits hidden in cyberspace, confiscate them and block any chance of concealing them."







Ahn was arrested after running the U.S.-based online pornography site, AVsnoop.club, starting in 2013.







It had millions of subscribers. Ahn had asked them to make payments in cryptocurrency and accordingly had raised a profit of over 1.9 billion won.







In 2018, the Suwon District Court sentenced him to 18 months in prison, and in line with the prosecution's request, ordered that his illicit gains, in the form of 191 bitcoins and 695 million won in cash, be confiscated.


The Business Activity Expectations Index, calculated by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), in March rose to 51.4 in March from 48.8 in February, the best result since February 2020, the central bank said on its website.

"In March, companies across all of the surveyed sectors reported more optimistic expectations of their business performance. More specifically, the indices of industrial, trading and services companies moved above the neutral level," it said.

"For two months in a row, industrial companies have been reporting the most robust expectations of their economic performance compared to other sectors  the sector's index was 52.3 in March, up from 50.3 in February. Respondents from industrial companies upgraded their expectations for the amount of manufactured goods and the number of new orders, including export orders," the NBU said.

"Respondents from trading and services companies also improved their expectations of their economic performance  the indices of both sectors moved up to 52.2 and 51.4 in March, from 49.0 in February. Firmer expectations for the number of new orders and the amount of goods for sale and services show that these sectors are resuming operations," the report says.

"Although reporting the weakest expectations, construction (housing construction) companies softened their pessimistic expectations amid a seasonal pick-up in construction activity. The sectors index was 40.6 in March, up from 35.3 in February. Construction companies upgraded their expectations for construction volumes, purchases of raw materials and supplies and the availability of contractors," the NBU said.

"Companies across all sectors expect a rise in their selling prices on the back of higher raw material and supplies prices. They also report no intentions to expand their workforces," the bank said.

This survey was carried out from March 3 through March 24, 2021. A total of 269 companies were polled. Of the companies polled, 40.5% are industrial companies, 30.1% companies in the services sector, 25.7% trading companies, and 3.7% construction companies. Some 34.2% of the respondents are large companies, 28.6% medium companies, and 37.2% small companies.
Dimond Canyon in the East Oakland hills has long been a hotspot for graffiti artists. Spray-painted monikers of daredevil taggers adorn the underside of Leimert Bridge, which spans the forested gorge. Below, a tunnel that Sausal Creek runs through provides a subterranean gallery for those not willing to risk the 100-plus foot drop. In recent months, however, a more kiddie-friendly kind of public art has been drawing big crowds to the upper end of the park.

In September 2020, a wooden figure with shaggy hair made from frayed rope appeared at the base of a redwood tree. In the following months, more scrappy statues began popping up along the entire length of the Bridgeview Trail.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

A blockheaded doll lounged in a mini-hammock strung up in the crotch of an oak. A giant caterpillar constructed from a twisted log, with pool balls for eyes, slithered near the rope swings. Amongst the ivy-covered hillsides, grinning creatures fashioned from fallen branches and construction detritus peered out at hikers.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

So far this spring, the sun-dappled canyon has been crawling with children in a scene reminiscent of the Pokemon GO craze, except now kids are searching for endearingly makeshift statues instead of digital monsters. On a Nextdoor post about the mysterious creatures, one neighborhood resident exclaimed, This is better than Wheres Waldo!

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

The anonymous trio of artists behind The Bridgeview Trolls, the name for this ongoing project, is thrilled by the response. We just did it for fun, one of them told me, in their first media interview. To see happy families out there is great, because a lot of kids don't want to go outside, they just want to play video games.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

The trollmakers only want to be identified by their initials (C, D, and M), but they were willing to share some details about themselves and the origins of this whimsical installation series. C is a graphic designer, D is an electrician, and M is Cs 8-year-old son, who just received his first set of tools for Christmas. While C and D  theyre a couple  handle most of the troll design and construction, M claims credit for the idea of putting little guys in the woods. The inspiration struck while the trio was strolling along Bridgeview Trail. We realized that there are all these little alcoves and the redwoods form a kind of cathedral. So many great little places to tuck things, D said, explaining how they chose the location of their unsanctioned pandemic project.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

The mythological connection between trolls and bridges led to the name of this motley assortment. Taking a cue from the Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who constructs massive trolls from recycled materials, C, D and M fashion their trolls using materials they find in the forest and whatever other scraps happen to be lying around. The body of the first troll, Arthur, is a chunk of redwood left over from a Victorian house that D had been rehabbing; his legs are lichen-covered sticks. In the vein of jazz musicians, the trio improvise as they work, with final creations sometimes bearing little resemblance to initial sketches.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Their biggest limitation is space. The laboratory where the trolls are born is Cs dining room, although she got rid of her table and replaced it with a work bench, so little dining takes place there now. Plus, her small apartment is now perpetually covered in sawdust.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

They often run into fans of their work while installing new trolls, which usually happens on weekends. During these visits, the trio also collects poop bags left by careless dog owners and other trash they see along the trail. So far, we've gotten really good feedback, C said. And we're trying to do it in the least invasive way possible, so we dont hurt the environment.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Despite these efforts to limit negative impacts, a few local residents have complained of increased noise (likely the squeals of laughing children) and overcrowded parking on nearby residential streets. In order to encourage good behavior, C, D and M have begun leaving maps of the trolls locations at the trailheads, which include recommendations on respecting the neighborhood and where to park (Due to very limited parking on Bridgeview Drive, Monterey Boulevard is strongly encouraged).

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

The maps also include the trolls names, which have proceeded in mostly alphabetical order from Arthur and Bebe up through Tabitha, the most recent addition. The next member to join the crew will be Sad Stu, although his arrival may be delayed by the fact that much of the trios efforts are now devoted to repairing the existing trolls. Besides contending with wind and rain, several of the figures have lost limbs at the hands of overzealous children.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

The artists are committed to completing the alphabetical assortment, but theyre locked in a heated debate about what to do after Z. Placing trolls in other parks throughout Oakland is one option, but C said that they dont want to jump the shark and acknowledged that at some point, the trolls will just have to live on their own in the woods without the trios constant upkeep.

If the history of unsanctioned public art projects in the East Bay is any indication, other amateur artists will build on the Bridgeview Trolls in exciting and unexpected ways. From the towering mudflat sculptures that once lined the Emeryville shoreline to the many eclectic installations on Albany Bulb to the beloved gnomes still seen at the base of countless utility poles throughout Oakland, this region has a long track record of spontaneous collaboration. The first guest troll just popped up on Bridgeview Trail and C, D and M are thrilled by its mysterious appearance.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Liam ODonoghue is the host of "East Bay Yesterday," a podcast that explores the history of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Follow him on Twitter.
The has amended rules allowing within 10 kilometres of the National Capital Region (NCR) and in cities with more than 10 lakh population to comply with new by the end of 2022, according to official notification.

A task force will be constituted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to "categorise (TPPs) in three categories on the basis of their location", the ministry said in the notification dated April 1.

Also, TPP units in "non-attainment cities" and those within 10 kilometres of critically polluted areas are required to meet the by December 31, 2023.

Non-attainment cities are those which have consistently failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The CPCB has identified 124 such cities.

Coal-fired power plants in the rest of the areas have to comply with the new standards by December 31, 2024, according to the notification.

TPPs declared to retire before December 31, 2025, are "not required to meet the specified norms in case such plants submit an undertaking to the CPCB and the CEA (Central Electricity Authority) for exemption on ground of retirement", the notification said.

The had revised for particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen for TPPs in December 2015, requiring them to install emission control systems by December 2017.

The deadline was pushed to December 2022 for all power stations in the country in view of implementation issues and challenges. However, power stations in the national capital region were required to comply with the revised norms by December 2019.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Power requested the to extend the deadline for meeting emission norms for all thermal plants from 2022 to 2024, citing delay due to various reasons, including the coronavirus pandemic and import restrictions.

Major pollutants from coal-fired power plants are oxides of nitrogen (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM).

According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), TPPs account for more than 60 per cent of total industrial emissions of particulate matter; 45 per cent of SO2; 30 per cent of NOx; and more than 80 per cent of mercury, in the country.

These are also responsible for 70 per cent of the total freshwater withdrawal by all industries, according to an analysis by the green think tank.

A recent compliance report by CSE showed that out of the 12 power plants located around Delhi, SO2 control technology was available only in two plants.

(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.)
Video Footage Shows 'Executions' in Ethiopia's Tigray Region

Video footage purporting to show the massacre of captives dressed in civilian clothing in Tigray has been investigated by international media groups, which report that the evidence points to Ethiopian federal troops committing war crimes.

In another report in recent days, a New York Times correspondent writes that the war which began in the region last November has been accompanied by atrocities "including widespread sexual assault targeting women." And the Guardian in London reports that a network of sources in Tigray has provided a team at the University of Ghent in Belgium information enabling them to identify nearly 2,000 people killed in more than 150 massacres by soldiers, paramilitaries and insurgents.

On the international front, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the U.S. and the European Union have called for "the end of violence" in Tigray and "a clear inclusive political process" leading to "credible elections and a wider national reconciliation process."
Sitting (BBC4, Wednesday 10.30pm)

Verdict: You'll be drawn in

Rating:

Scaramouche Jones (stream, theatre)

Verdict: Richie re-born

Rating:

Sadie (BBC iPlayer)

Verdict: Gritty but powerful

Rating:

People worry about the wrong things when they're being painted. They think they'll get bored, or restless. But what should really concern them is what they'll say when they start to relax.

I've painted a few portraits in my time, and I know from experience that sitters will share astonishing things with you. As though you were a priest, or a shrink.

Therein lies the brilliance of Katherine Parkinson's play Sitting, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in 2018 and can be seen on BBC4 on Wednesday next week, and iPlayer thereafter.

Katherine Parkinson's play Sitting premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in 2018 and can be seen on BBC4 on Wednesday next week, and iPlayer thereafter. Pictured: Parkinson in Sitting

It's about three people having their portrait painted. One is a working-class decorator, Luke (Mark Weinman), who loves  and loathes  his pregnant wife.

Another is a young actor, Cassandra (Alex Jarrett), who in true millennial style sees herself as 'vulnerable but strong'.

And finally there's Parkinson herself, as a weary, middle-aged woman who fondly recalls her youth when she looked like Meat Loaf (the man, not the main course).

I found it a little contrived at first, but I was soon hypnotised by Parkinson's subtly plotted yarn which deftly draws you in as the trio's secrets emerge. Their final revelations prove unexpectedly moving.

Roxana Halls' paintigs of Mark Weinman, Katherine Parkinson and Alex Jarrett painting used in the play Sitting, about three people having their portraits painted

Parkinson is a wily and observant writer, noting the way people talk when they yawn, or how life-changing phone calls come 'halfway through a satsuma'.

My one regret is that we see the painter  and his portraits  at the end. Jeremy Herrin's production is simple and direct, against a grey backdrop in a bare-board studio, and it speaks directly to the viewer  which is why I didn't want to see the artist, who is only there in lieu of us.

But that apart, this touching trio of performances quite caught me by surprise.

Scaramouche Jones features Shane Richie as you've never seen him before.

Forget Alfie Moon in EastEnders. Here, the cheeky chappie is transformed into a seedy low life  the son of a hooker, born in Trinidad's Port of Spain at the start of the 19th century.

He is sold to an Arab trader, who flogs him to a snake charmer in Senegal. Saved by a Venetian prince, he falls in with gypsies in Mussolini's Italy  and then digs graves in a Nazi concentration camp.

Scaramouche Jones features Shane Richie (pictured) as you've never seen him before

First seen starring Pete Postlethwaite in 2001, Justin Butcher's play is a bitterly sardonic ride through the 20th century. It gurgles with gallows humour and revels in bawdy adventures in markets, brothels and fleapits.

Richie relates the action from his dressing room after a final performance as a circus clown in the last hour of the 20th century.

He is almost unrecognisable in his bowler hat; white face paint streaked with sweat and tears. His iffy Arab accent may be more Russian meerkat than Egyptian souk.

But, directed by Ian Talbot, Richie delivers his character with a slur and a snarl.

Darker still is David Ireland's play Sadie, about a tough Belfast cleaner whose life unravels when she has an affair with a younger man.

It's a bit like The Jeremy Kyle Show, without the safety net of security guards, as Ireland's unwincing story wades into themes of sexual abuse and domes- tic violence.

You'll need a strong stomach for Conleth Hill's production, filmed at Belfast's Lyric Theatre (and now on iPlayer, after opening the BBC's Lights Up season of drama produced with theatres around the UK).

What blew me away was Abigail McGibbon's stunning performance as the caustic cleaner. It's a spellbinding study in volatility, loneliness, rage and despair.

Patrick Jenkins is all-singing bonhomie as her Catholic uncle (by marriage), while David Pearse is weirdly benign as her misogynistic ex-husband.

Be warned: Ireland writes about people whose lives are a traumatised mess. He shows Ulster as he finds it: deeply damaged and disturbed.
The EUs investment deal with China is hanging by a thread after Beijing imposed sanctions on MEPs last week amid a ramping up of diplomatic tension and rhetoric.

The Commission-brokered trade deal with China needs support from the European Parliament to take effect.

But that has become harder after Chinese authorities imposed sanctions on some MEPs and others in Europe in retaliation for EU asset freezes on officials in Chinas Xinjiang province, who the bloc said were guilty of large-scale arbitrary detentions and degrading treatment of the minority Uyghur Muslim people there.

MEPs had already raised doubts over the deal, condemning the lack of binding commitments on forced labour in the text, and are loath to sign it in the wake of Chinas crackdown in Hong Kong and concerns the treatment of Uyghur Muslims and over Taiwan.

Barry Andrews, a Fianna Fail MEP and Irelands only member of the European Parliaments international trade committee, said the future of the deal, known as the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), is very precarious.

I think the CAI is very precarious and has very precarious prospects of ratification, especially after the sanctions on the MEPs, he said.

The mood has definitely changed for the worse.

He also said the Government needs to tread a fine line in trade relations with China and said businesses here should cut their dependence on Chinese supply chains.

Looking at the practicalities, we have to acknowledge our supply chains are heavily reliant on China. The word that should guide our policy is resilience. We should look at diversifying the supply chains that are strategically important to Ireland, he said.

At the same time however, ministers here are pushing to boost sales to China. This week Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue led a virtual trade mission with Chinese companies to push Irish pork, dairy and drinks exports and help reverse a 2020 beef ban.

China is now the fourth largest destination for Irish food and drinks exports, which reached a value of almost 1bn last year. It is the second largest market for Irish dairy and pig meat. Mr McConalogue hopes to boost whiskey and Baileys sales.

Martin Heydon, the Minister of State for new market development, said this week that China is a critical market for the Irish food industry.

German Green MEP Reinhard Butikofer, who was caught in Chinas EU sanctions net last week, tweeted yesterday about the negative impacts which Chinese bullying creates.

At home there is alarm over the case of Dublin businessman Richard OHalloran, who has been barred from leaving China for two years after being caught up in a legal case involving Chinese-owned aircraft.

In recent days Irish journalist Yvonne Murray left China because of what she described as pressure from the authorities there, prompting accusations on social media by the Chinese embassy in Ireland claiming the decision to leave was a sensationalist presentation to sell newspapers.
In the interest of customer convenience and safety in the use of recurring online payments, the framework mandated use of AFA during registration and first transaction.  Representational image

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday extended the timeline for lenders, financial institutions and payment gateways to comply with its guidelines related to recurring online transactions with Additional Factor of Authentication by six months till September 30. This is the second time that regulator has extended the deadline as several players have failed to implement the framework which could have impacted recurring payments of customers such as of utility bills, recharge of phone, DTH among others, post March 31 and led to large scale defaults.

To make digital payments in India "safe and secure", the banking regulator introduced Additional Factor of Authentication (AFA) and directed all banks including Regional Rural Banks, Non Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) and payment gateways to comply with AFA for automatic recurring payment by March 31, 2021, in order to make digital transaction safe and protect customers from fraudulent transactions.However, some of the players failed to meet the deadline and approached the RBI seeking extension of the deadline.

"It is, however, noted that the framework has not been fully implemented even after the extended timeline. This non-compliance is noted with serious concern and will be dealt with separately. The delay in implementation by some stakeholders has given rise to a situation of possible large-scale customer inconvenience and default," RBI said in its statement.

"To prevent any inconvenience to the customers, Reserve Bank of India has decided to extend the timeline for the stakeholders to migrate to the framework by six months, i.e., till September 30, 2021," it said.

"Any further delay in ensuring complete adherence to the framework beyond the extended timeline will attract stringent supervisory action," the RBI warned.

In August 2019, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had issued a framework for processing of e-mandates on recurring online transactions. Initially applicable to cards and wallets, the framework was extended in January 2020 to cover Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions as well.

In the interest of customer convenience and safety in the use of recurring online payments, the framework mandated use of AFA during registration and first transaction (with relaxation for subsequent transactions up to a limit of Rs 2,000, since enhanced to Rs 5,000), as well as pre-transaction notification, facility to withdraw the mandate, etc, it said.

"The primary objective of the framework was to protect customers from fraudulent transactions and enhance customer convenience. Based on a request from Indian Banks' Association (IBA) for an extension of time till March 31, 2021, to enable the banks to complete the migration, Reserve Bank had advised the

stakeholders in December 2020 to migrate to the framework by March 31, 2021. Thus, adequate time was given to the stakeholders to comply with the framework," it said.
*Major spoilers for episode 3 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier below!*

Fans have been waiting to see which characters would finally appear in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and the latest episode introduced one that nobody saw coming.

After an intense fight in Madripoor that included a reunion with Sharon Carter, who has been on the run since Captain America: Civil War, Baron Zemo (who reappears after Captain America: Civil War), Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson head off to Latvia to try to track down Karli and the rest of The Flag-Smashers.

Zemo has made it clear that he's out to take down every single person who has helped create the supersoldier serum that Karli and The Flash-Smashers have been using. But it looks like he has someone else other than the Power Broker on his tail.

In the final moments of the episode, Bucky decides to head back outside and talk a walk. However, instead of just walking around the block, Bucky ends up following a trail of small metal beads that he keeps finding around the street. Well, turns out that it was Ayo who was dropping them on the group all along.

Photo credit: Disney+ - Marvel Studios

Her mission? Taking down Zemo. Of course, it's not too surprising to see her there considering the fact that Zemo is the reason why King T'Chaka is dead.

Florence Kasumba first appeared as the Dora Milaje back in Captain America: Civil War where she was there to protect the Black Panther. She also makes appearances in Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame.

Obviously, this all puts Bucky in a tough spot as he's working with Zemo to try to track down The Flag-Smashers. But after everything that Wakanda gave him to get a fresh start, Bucky might have to rethink his plan.

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La Paz, April 2 : Bolivia will temporarily close its border with Brazil starting from Friday, to prevent the spread of a more contagious Covid-19 variant first detected in Brazil, President Luis Arce announced.

"As part of the measures to protect the population, we are instructing the temporary closure of borders with Brazil for seven days," Arce said via Twitter on Thursday.

In addition, a presidential decree extended until the end of the month "the application of biosafety and epidemiological surveillance measures and actions aimed at reducing the spread of Covid-19", Xinhua news agency quoted Arce as saying.

The decree gives local governments the power to "regulate opening hours of shopping centres, social, sporting and cultural events, bars and nightclubs".

Minister of Health Jeyson Auza told local media on Thursday there will be leeway for some cross-border trade during the border closure.

"It is not possible to take measures that suffocate the economy. Therefore, while this border closure lasts, it is provided that there be daily border traffic for a period of three hours," he said.

Bolivia has reported 272,411 confirmed coronavirus cases and 12,257 deaths.
Arnott's have confirmed pineapple does belong on pizza with a controversial new product drop disguised as an April Fool's Day prank.

The biscuit giant announced Hawaiian Pizza flavour would soon be available, in a tongue-in-cheek post on Facebook on Thursday.

But have since confirmed the product is real and due to hit supermarket shelves across Australia by the middle of May.

Arnott's have confirmed pineapple does belong on pizza with a controversial new product drop disguised as an April Fool's Day prank

An Arnott's spokesperson said Pizza Shapes are one of the company's top-selling products so it made sense to build on that.

'While we know the concept of pineapple on pizza is highly controversial, its also loved by many,' Arnotts marketing manager Shannon Wright said.

He said announcing the new product on the morning of April 1 was a ploy to 'keep the fans guessing'.

And it worked.

Biscuit lovers were divided over the product's existence when the announcement was first made.

'I know this is an April fool's but I would totally eat that,' one man wrote on the company's post.

'I am not falling for it this year,' one woman said - to which Arnott's replied 'go on, take a tumble,' hinting the advertisement was real.

The company then announced the new Shapes flavour is real and will be in stores in May

Poll Which Shapes pizza flavour would you prefer? Original Hawaiian Which Shapes pizza flavour would you prefer? Original 4 votes

Hawaiian 6 votes Now share your opinion





Some were disgusted by the idea of a sweet pineapple taste being added to their Pizza Shapes.

'I know this is a joke but i am triggered,' one woman wrote.

'I am torn, I need to try every new Shapes product but.. pineapple,' one man said.

Others were delighted.

'I was actually excited. These would be far tastier than the cheeseburger,' one woman said.

'These would be delicious,' another said.

While others said they missed the old 'ham and pineapple' Shapes which they hope will taste similar to the new Hawaiian snacks.

This year has been huge already, for Shapes lovers, who were gifted with three 'comfort food' flavours in January.

The flavours were inspired by things Australian's love and are available across the country.

From Triple Cheese Toastie to Sizzling Steak and Onion and Double Cheeseburger - the three flavours proved to be a hit.

This year has been huge already, for Shapes lovers, who were gifted with three 'comfort food' flavours in January

The three cheese flavours in the Triple Cheese Toastie flavour are cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan.

The Sizzling Steak and Onion flavour is reminiscent of a steak sandwich with a smokey, salty steak flavour followed by the taste of caramalised onions.

The Double Cheeseburger tastes like melted cheese, grilled beef, mustard and onion, according to Arnott's spokesperson.

'We know Aussies love Shapes and are all about the flavour hit which is why we are constantly trialing new and exciting flavours that leave fans wanting more,' Shannon Wright, Arnotts Marketing Manager, for savoury said.

'We know the people love the taste of a steak sandwich, a burger and a toastie.'

The Sizzling Steak and Onion flavour is reminiscent of a steak sandwich with a smokey, salty steak flavour followed by the taste of caramalised onions

The three cheese flavours in the Triple Cheese Toastie flavour are cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan

WHAT SHAPES FLAVOURS ARE THERE RIGHT NOW? Pizza Chicken Crimpy Nacho Cheese Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Savoury Vegemite and Cheese Barbecue The new Shapes flavours are limited edition, as were the popular Chicken Parmi Shapes. Advertisement

The company says Australians can now enjoy these flavours as a snack, with the new Shapes range.

According to research done by the company 53 per cent of Australians like their snacks to taste like 'comfort food' - which has helped to inspire the new flavours.

The triple cheese flavour will be available at all national retailers, while the steak sandwich inspired bites will only be available at Woolworths.

The cheese burger flavour will be available at Coles as well as independent retailers.

The new launch comes after the Chicken Parmi flavour was added earlier this year.
Gold traders in Adoni, Nandyal and the Rayalaseema districts are using couriers to transport gold from South African countries and Dubai to dealers.  Representational image

KURNOOL: Kurnool has become a transit point for gold and silver smugglers, as seen from a series of seizure of contraband in the recent past. Gold traders in Adoni, Nandyal and the Rayalaseema districts are using couriers to transport gold from South African countries and Dubai to dealers.

The state is losing revenue as zero business is also one of the reasons for the spurt in channelising gold through illicit means, said a police official.

Kurnool police seized 14.8 kg worth Rs 6.86 crore on National Highway 44, near Panchalingala checkpost on the Telangana state-Andhra Pradesh border under the jurisdiction of the Kurnool taluka police station last week.

A couple of days back , the Kurnool Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) seized 32.3 kg of silver articles and arrested four persons who were smuggling it in a Telanagana state RTC bus and a private vehicle near Panchalingala checkpost early on Wednesday.

The accused were identified as Kurnool residents Mahipal Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Shyam Singh, and Govind Singh from Panchota in Rajasthan.

SEB circle inspector N. Lakshmi Durgaiah said that the accused were to deboard the TSRTC bus near Alampur crossroad in Gadwal district and then reach Pullur village, in the vicinity of Panchalingala checkpost from where they were travelling by a car to go to Kurnool.

Nichenametla Gopal, a gold trader, said there is heavy competition in the business and some unscrupulous traders are resorting to selling gold and silver jewellery without issuing sales invoices and bills and evade GST. It is a revenue loss to the government but customers are not on insisting bills, giving a fillip to the business.

Adoni is a hub of gold business as it is connected on the Chennai-Mumbai rail line. Contraband coming from Sri Lanka is also suspected to be reaching Adoni from Chennai. A few Mumbai traders allegedly deal with the Adoni bullion market, said a person in the know of their operations.

The district police find it challenging to guard the borders with Karnataka and Telangana states.
Defence Minister Florence Parly has refuted the conclusions of a UN investigation which found that a French air attack in January had killed 19 civilians. On a visit to Mali this week, she held a meeting with the interim president Bah Ndaw and members of his cabinet.

"I cannot allow the honour of our soldiers to be sullied in this way," the minister said in Bamako, insisting that UN report was wrong, and that the attack had targeted an "armed islamist group".

Parly restated the official position that the French military had followed a "rigorous targeting process" in accordance with international law.

The United Nations' report, published on Tuesday, says that French aircraft on 3 January bombed a wedding celebration, killing 19 civilians.

"There were no women or children among the victims, and these strikes were intended to neutralise terrorist elements," she said. "There is a difference between the realities of the facts and what is in this UN report."

G5-Sahel summit looks at the future of French-led Operation Barkhane

In Paris, defence ministry spokesman Herve Grandjean told reporters that the UN report did not identify any witnesses and included "no tangible material proof" that civilians had been targeted.

"Let's not be naive. The war we are engaged in is also an information war, and our enemy is aware of this and is undoubtedly exploiting all debates," he said.

Takuba force operational

Several international rights groups have since called for an independent investigation into the attack.

After her Thursday meeting with Mali's interim President Bah Ndaw, Florence Parly said France is determined "to continue our fight against terrorism".

The French minister's Czech and Estonian counterparts accompanied her to the meeting.

Together they announced that a multinational force, Takuba, has become operational in the region.

The force has 500 French soldiers at its core, and is expected to grow to 2,000 troops, who are to operate in close cooperation with the national armies of the region.

It has already seen Czech, Swedish and Estonian troops deployed in the region, though France has so far been unable to obtain significant support from its larger EU partners.
After five-and-a-half years of leading Alphabet's fully autonomous driving unit, Waymo CEO John Krafcik plans to hand over the job of running the company to two of his colleagues. On Friday, Krafcik said he's leaving Waymo in the hands of Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov. The two executives previously served as the company's COO and CTO, respectively. They've also been at Waymo for several years, with Dolgov's tenure going back to 2009 when the unit was still under the Google umbrella. The move is also notable in that it puts a woman of color at the head of one of the world's leading autonomous vehicle technology companies.

Waymo

Krafcik says he'll continue to serve as an advisor to Waymo, but it also seems like he wants to take a break from the tech world. "To start, I'm looking forward to a refresh period, reconnecting with old friends and family, and discovering new parts of the world," he said in the blog post announcing his departure. Krafcik went on to describe his time at Waymo as the "capstone" of his career.

As CNBC notes, one of the defining aspects of Krafcik's time at Waymo was the measured approach he took to expansion. It was only recently the company opened up its Waymo One service to the Phoenix public and started testing vehicles in San Francisco. When he did interviews with the media, Krafcik frequently stressed the importance of making autonomous vehicles as safe as possible. "Part of our responsibility at Waymo is to make sure the world, the cities in which we perform and the regulators who regulate those cities understand our technology," he told the network shortly after an autonomous vehicle Uber was testing in Arizona struck and killed a pedestrian in 2018.

In inheriting Waymo, Mawakana and Dolgov look to continue the work Krafcik started and, by the sounds, potentially accelerate it as well. "We're committed to working alongside you to build, deploy, and commercialize the Waymo Driver and drive the success of our incredible team and this company," the two said in a joint statement. "We're energized by the road and opportunity ahead of us."
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HONOLULU  Bruce Dunford, whose exploits as a longtime Associated Press reporter prompted then-Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle to declare the day he retired Bruce Dunford Day, has died, his family said.

Dunford died in his sleep Friday at a care home in Ewa Beach, near Honolulu, his son Terrence Dunford said. He was 79.

Bruce Dunford reported for the AP for 37 years, including more than two decades covering Hawaii politics. A tongue-in-cheek proclamation Lingle issued upon his 2004 retirement said he would be forever known as the Capitol Jester for his puns, jokes and put-downs.

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The proclamation said he had an uncanny psychic ability to know when Lingle would arrive for work, so he could approach her in the Capitol basement with questions.

Richard Borreca, who covered politics around the same time for what was then the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, recalled gossiping with Dunford over lunch with an appropriate disrespect for all the political players in town. Borreca said one of the charming things about Dunford, whose preferred work attire was a pair of jeans and an aloha shirt and who enjoyed riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, was that he never took himself too seriously.

Bruce was a one of a kind  an irreverent, unimpressionable reporter and the absolute definition of a heart of gold, Borreca said. There wasnt anything he wouldnt do, especially if there was a beer involved.

Born in Medford, Oregon, and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona, Dunford joined the AP in Honolulu in 1967 after learning to be a journalist in the Navy. He met his wife when he was stationed in Hawaii and she was working at the Pink Poodle ice cream parlor in Waikiki, Terrence Dunford said.

Bruce Dunford attended the University of Hawaii for a while after leaving the Navy but started working for the AP when his second son was born and a position opened at the wire service.

Terrence Dunford recalled that when he was in high school, his father worked the evening shift, which gave him the morning to hit the waves.

Sometimes when we were at school, at recess or at lunch, wed see the van heading off to the beach where Dad would go bodysurfing or bodyboarding before going off to work, he said.

Bruce Dunford loved covering politics, his son said.

I know sometimes he would get in trouble for asking questions. But thats his job  is to ask the question, Terrence Dunford said.

Bruce Dunford also is survived by his wife of 56 years, Ann; three other sons, Kenneth, David and Robert; four grandchildren and a sister, Pat Dunford.

___

This story has been corrected to show the last name of Dunfords sister is Dunford, not Guthrie.
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New York is facing a lawsuit filed by people who identify as nonbinary and argue that they face discrimination because the state requires them to indicate that they are either male or female to receive public welfare benefits.

The fact that the Empire State does not provide an X gender option is discriminatory based on gender identity, the claimants argued in the complaint filed Monday against state and local agencies that run public assistance programs.

In 2019, New York began allowing the X gender option on birth certificates, and the same has been promised for drivers licenses. But the plaintiffs assert that the state computer system used by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is outdated because it compels people who say their gender is nonbinary to lie when applying for certain services such as food stamps, Medicaid and other forms of public assistance.

I have been unable to find stable work since the pandemic began and turned to public assistance for help, said Jules Donahue, one of three plaintiffs in the lawsuit. I encountered more barriers to accessing help than others solely because I am nonbinary, and I was forced to choose between forgoing emergency support with medical coverage, cash assistance, and EBT benefits, and the emotional harm of being misgendered at such a vulnerable time. No New Yorker should have to make this choice.

Source:The Christian Post
He is currently prepping for the July 2nd release of the much-delayed action drama film Top Gun: Maverick.

And while that movie and many others in Hollywood hang in the balance due to the pandemic, it seems Jon Hamm is enjoying his time out of the spotlight.

On Wednesday, the 50-year-old Mad Men star was pictured out in Los Angeles walking his beloved dog Splash.

Doing his thing: Jon Hamm was spotted taking in the bright springtime weather as he stepped out for a walk with his dog Splash in Los Angeles on Wednesday

Hamm cut a very casual figure as he wore a bright red t-shirt and a sleeveless black puffy jacket during his time with his rescue pup.

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt actor continued his springtime ensemble with a pair of gray shorts that fell to just above his knees and a set of black sandals.

He tied off his look with a pair of aviator-style sunglasses and a blue cap bearing his last name's first initial, as well as an Apple Watch.

Although the actor appeared to be taking it easy during his walk, he is currently getting ready for the long-awaited release of Top Gun: Maverick.

Comfortable clothing: The Mad Men star wore a pair of gray shorts and sandals as he strolled around the streets of LA with his beloved pup

Staying occupied: Hamm is currently prepping for the July 2nd release of the much-delayed action drama film Top Gun: Maverick

In the sequel to the much-beloved 1986 film Top Gun, Hamm portrays Vice Admiral Cyclone, who will clash heads with star Tom Cruise's character, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell.

Other actors set to round out the cast include Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris, among numerous others.

Val Kilmer is also set to reprise his role from the original movie as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.

Top Gun: Maverick was initially supposed to make its debut in the summer of 2019, although it was later moved up the schedule to June of the following year.

The film underwent several further delays, owing to post-production issues and the onset of the global pandemic, before it finally received a premiere date of July 2nd, 2021, where it currently stands.

Big role: Hamm will portray Vice Admiral Cyclone, who will clash heads with Tom Cruise's iconic character, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

Returning actor: In addition to Cruise, Val Kilmer is set to reprise his role as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in the upcoming feature

In an interview with KSDK, Hamm spoke about his expectations for the upcoming film and expressed that, although the movie will feature high-flying action, it will have an emotional core as well.

'It's going to leave a lot of people with their minds blown I think...It's really visually stunning. And I think people are going to be moved by the story as well,' he said.

The Baby Driver actor also recalled his experience watching the movie in its post-production stage and noted that he was grateful for the opportunity to view the feature in person as opposed to having to screen it at home.

He remarked, 'I got the good fortune to see it over the summertime. They opened a theater for us and we all had to sit 15 feet apart and wear masks and everything, but we got to see it on the big screen, which is the right way to see it.'
America's top health agency has rowed back on a bold claim made by its director that 'vaccinated people do not carry the virus'.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a TV interview this week: 'Vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don't get sick, and that is not just in the clinical trials but it's also in real world data.'

The CDC has now distanced itself from her claim, issuing a statement saying that 'the evidence isn't clear' and its director was 'speaking broadly'.

The health body, the US equivalent of Public Health England, this week published a study showing Pfizer and Moderna's jabs prevent up to 90 per cent of coronavirus infections.

Vaccines are working well and protecting people, experts say, but one urged people 'don't think for one second that they cannot get infected' after being jabbed.

Dr Walensky's comments are not backed by evidence that the Pfizer and Moderna jabs can totally stop transmission - that claim hasn't been made about any vaccine though most of those tested, including AstraZeneca's, appear to seriously reduce it. No vaccine is 100 per cent perfect and some people will inevitably still get sick after jabs.

The warning echoes comments made by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson today, who said in a Q&A that vaccinated people still can't meet indoors under social distancing laws because the jabs 'are not giving people 100 per cent protection'.

CDC chief Dr Rochelle Walensky said in a US TV interview that people who have had a Covid vaccine 'don't get sick' but her own agency has refuted the claim and said 'the evidence isn't clear'

A study published by the organisation, full name Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this week found that Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines appear to prevent 90 per cent of all infections, including those without any symptoms, which experts said raises hopes they will stop most transmission - but not all of it and not for definite. (Pictured: A man is vaccinated with the Moderna jab in Athens, Greece, today)

A CDC spokesperson told the New York Times: 'Dr Walensky spoke broadly during this interview.

'It's possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get Covid.

'The evidence isn't clear whether they can spread the virus to others. We are continuing to evaluate the evidence.'

Dr Walensky did not elaborate on her comment but admitted later in the interview that it was vital for the US to bring transmission down with social distancing while the vaccines were rolled out.

The CDC published a study this week, however, which showed that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines appear to stop 90 per cent of all coronavirus infections, including ones that don't cause any symptoms.

The research, carried out on 3,950 key workers in the US of whom 2,956 got a vaccine, tested people for coronavirus every week for three months.

It found that cases tumbled 90 per cent in people who had been fully immunised and 80 per cent after a single dose.

Although it couldn't prove that people who don't test positive can't spread the virus, scientists hope this will be the case.

VACCINATED PEOPLE SHOULD NOT MEET INDOORS BECAUSE JABS DON'T STOP ALL TRANSMISSION, SAYS BORIS JOHNSON British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today said that he doesn't expect vaccines to stop the virus spreading completely so people shouldn't meet up indoors yet, even if they've already had a jab. England's lockdown rules loosened slightly on Monday (March 29) to allow people to meet up in groups of six outdoors. But indoor meetings are still banned, even among people who have had a vaccine. This is because the risk of transmission is significantly higher indoors because ventilation is worse and people are generally closer together. In a Q&A video posted on Twitter the PM said: 'Even though your friends and family members may be vaccinated, the vaccines are not giving 100 per cent protection and that's why we just need to be cautious. 'We don't think that they entirely remove the risk of transmission.' Boris Johnson said in a Twitter video that vaccines don't totally stop transmission Advertisement

A test looks for detectable levels of virus in the airways, and if there isn't any it is unlikely that someone can spread the disease to someone else, even if it's in their body in tiny amounts.

The CDC paper said: 'The findings complement and expand upon these preceding reports by demonstrating that the vaccines can also reduce the risk for infection regardless of Covid-associated illness symptom status.

'Reducing the risk for transmissible infection, which can occur among persons with asymptomatic infection or among persons several days before symptoms onset, is especially important among health care personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers given their potential to transmit the virus through frequent close contact with patients and the public.'

Experts were concerned that Dr Walensky's comment, or others like it, might give people false confidence that the vaccines were a miracle cure.

And it might also fuel criticism that governments aren't being totally open about evidence or jumping to conclusions - that saying vaccines stop all infections was a big leap from vaccines stopping most infections.

Dr Paul Duprex, a vaccines researcher at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, told the New York Times: 'It's much harder for vaccinated people to get infected, but don't think for one second that they cannot get infected.'

He added: 'Clearly, some vaccinated people do get infected.

'We're stopping symptoms, we're keeping people out of hospitals, but we're not making them completely resistant to an infection.'

Trials of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine, which is likely to be the world's most used jab by the time the pandemic is over, suggest it is able to significantly cut rates of virus transmission.

AstraZeneca's own study published in February found that its jab prevented around two thirds of all infections - 67 per cent - when people were tested regularly.

The company said: 'The analysis showed the potential for the vaccine to reduce asymptomatic transmission of the virus.'

While the vaccines don't protect against all infections, most results have shown a 100 per cent protection from severe disease and death.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today said that he doesn't expect vaccines to stop the virus spreading completely so people shouldn't meet up indoors yet, even if they've already had a jab.

In a Q&A video posted on Twitter the PM said: 'Even though your friends and family members may be vaccinated, the vaccines are not giving 100 per cent protection and that's why we just need to be cautious.

'We don't think that they entirely remove the risk of transmission.'
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
SAN FRANCISCO  Pinterest has held talks to buy VSCO, a photography app that spawned a teenage social media craze, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The discussions are ongoing, said the people, who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly. A deal price couldnt be learned; Pinterest has a market capitalization of about $49 billion, while VSCO has raised $90 million in funding and was last valued at $550 million. An acquisition may not materialize, the people cautioned.

Representatives from Pinterest and VSCO (pronounced vis-coe) declined to comment on deal talks.

Julie Inouye, a spokeswoman for VSCO, said the company was focused on expanding its business. Were always meeting with different companies across the creative space at any given time and do not discuss rumors or speculation, she said.

Pinterest and VSCO, which stands for Visual Supply Company, are part of a group of tech companies that are highly focused on digital images and visual editing and that rely less on social networking features. Pinterest, a digital pin board site that went public in 2019, lets its users discover and save images to inspire creative projects or to plan important aspects of their lives, including home renovations, weddings and meals.
One of Ivanka Trumps top initiatives  a legislative overhaul of programs assisting small businesses run by women around the world  was so haphazardly managed by a federal agency that an independent watchdog was unable to determine whether it actually worked.

In a report released on Thursday, the Government Accountability Office found that programs funded through the Womens Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act, which Ms. Trump, the eldest daughter of former President Donald J. Trump, helped usher through Congress in late 2018, were deeply flawed and hampered by poor oversight.

Officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which oversaw $265 million per year in spending on the initiative and an associated antipoverty program, never worked out an explicit definition of who was eligible to receive millions in aid, the report found.

The aid agency was also unable to determine the percentage of funding going to the very poor and enterprises owned, managed and controlled by women, the authors concluded after a 14-month audit, which covered actions taken during both the Obama and Trump administrations.
(Newser)  Horror stories continue to emerge out of Ethiopia stemming from a civil war that erupted in November. Reports of massacres and systemic rape are rampant, and the latest involves the killing of at least 15 unarmed young men on a hilltop. Coverage, some of which is graphic:

Last month, clips emerged on social media of soldiers shooting men point blank and throwing their bodies off a cliff, reports the BBC. An investigation by Bellingcat has identified the location in the northern Tigray region.

The soldiers appear to be from the Ethiopian army, reports CNN, which did its own analysis. It reports that soldiers can be heard encouraging each other amid the killing and taunting their victims. Some are heard advising others not to waste ammunition, that two bullets should suffice.

story continues below

"We have to get this on video, how these people die," says one voice, per the BBC. "We should not free these people. Not even one of them should be spared," says another.

The New York Times, meanwhile, has a lengthy report on hundreds of women in the Tigray region who have been raped and killed. This is ethnic cleansing, says one teenager who survived an attack, though her arm had to be amputated. Soldiers are targeting Tigrayan women to stop them giving birth to more Tigrayans. Most of the perpetrators appear to be Ethiopian soldiers or their Eritrean allies, though it's possible that anti-government rebels in Tigraythe women's own regionmay also be playing a part.

Researchers studying the conflict have identified more than 150 massacres in Tigray and 2,000 fatalities in those massacres, reports the Guardian. The conflict began when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched an offensive against the Tigray People's Liberation Front after the latter group attacked an army base. The government has since declared victory, though the violence continues. (Bellingcat in particular has an explainer on the civil war.)

The prime minister acknowledged some of the abuses this week, telling parliament, Anyone who raped our Tigrayan sisters, anybody who is involved in looting, will be held accountable in a court of law, per the Times. We sent them to destroy the junta (the TPLF), not our people.

The US joined other G7 nations on Friday in calling for an investigation into the allegations of human rights abuses, per Reuters. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes in Tigray.

(Read more Ethiopia stories.)
The US and Iran will take part in indirect talks next week on how to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, a US official said, in what could be a breakthrough for stalled efforts to revive diplomacy.

US officials will not hold direct talks with Iran but be present in Vienna during meetings scheduled for April 6 between the Islamic Republic and the remaining world powers in the deal, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Those talks aim to clearly identify sanctions lifting and nuclear implementation measures, the European Union said after chairing a video conference on Friday with Iran, Russia, China, Germany, France and the UK

The bloc will intensify separate contacts between the participants and the United States, the EU added.

The US will not attend any meeting in which Iran is present, Irans Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement, adding that the Iranian delegation would not negotiate with US officials at any level.

Tehran has repeatedly rebuffed direct talks with the Biden administration on reviving the accord, known as the JCPOA, that former President Donald Trump abandoned. After Trumps withdrawal from the agreement, Iran breached some of the limits that it placed on its nuclear program.

The right track

China on Friday called for the US to lift all illegal sanctions on Iran, saying the countrys nuclear issue was at a critical stage. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying blamed Washingtons unilateral exit from the Iran deal as the root cause of the problem, while saying China welcomes the return of the US

Russias envoy to the UNs atomic agency, Mikhail Ulyanov, wrote in a tweet: The impression is that we are on the right track but the way ahead will not be easy.

Theres no time to lose, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement. A fully respected agreement would be an advantage for the security of the region, and the best basis for talks about other important aspects of regional stability.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Thursday that Washington was ready to return to compliance with the 2015 agreement consistent with Iran doing the same, and said it has been exploring the best way to achieve this, including through a series of mutual, initial steps.

We have been looking at options for doing so, including with indirect conversations through our mutual European partners, Price said.

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in March that his country was in no hurry to revive the and said US policy was doomed to fail unless sanctions against Iran were first removed.
LIMERICKs oldest hospital, St Johns Hospital, is looking to the future with a new long-term strategy aimed at deepening its impact on the people of the city and wider Mid-West region.

Nine years short of its 250th year, St Johns Hospital is setting out on developing a new strategy aimed at responding to the changing needs of the patient population in areas such as chronic disease management and diabetes.

The 89-bed acute public voluntary hospital  a registered charity - with an outstanding reputation for its sense of care and warmth has embarked on a listening process with its staff and Patient Partnership Forum, GPs and the wider public to help inform the strategy.

The strategy is aimed not only at how the hospital can meet the rapidly changing needs of the public, including through expansion of its services, but also address challenges such as the lack of space and need for modernisation, which are significantly constraining progress.

To assist the strategy, the hospital is calling on the public to give its input by adding their opinion through a survey located on the hospital website - stjohnshospital.ie.

Looking to the future

We are looking to the future with a new long-term strategy for our hospital. We invite you to complete a short survey on our website https://t.co/m5GkoEbn6T homepage on the green banner titled St. Johns Hospital Strategic Plan Community Engagement Survey pic.twitter.com/jT1n0AMzwg March 31, 2021

The striking thing for me since I took up the post here just 18 months ago is the incredible togetherness amongst the staff, which translates into and reflects the high quality of patient care, said CEO Emer Martin. No one wants to be in hospital, of course, and while there are always exceptions, people tend to leave here with a sense that they not only got expert medical care but it was delivered with a deep sense of compassion. Thats hugely important to us. Our staff is our greatest asset.

What we now want to do is to broaden our specialities so that we can bring this level of care to more people than ever before. We will do that while continuing at the same time to work in partnership with the UHL Group and the community. To understand what the public wants from us, we have to engage with the public so hence our survey, which will inform the strategy.

Ms Martin continued: We are ruling nothing in or out regarding this new direction but what we do know is that we want to do more, want to positively impact on more lives. Weve already consulted with our staff and Patient Partnership Forum to ask them for their input. We are now going outside the hospital, to our wider stakeholders, such as GPs and, indeed, the general public.

We want this to be as inclusive as possible so we want to engage not only with those who know St Johns Hospital over the decades but those who are new to Limerick, including people who have come to live here from other parts of the world. St. Johns Hospital has always been a hospital of the people and we want it to be that for future generations. So, there is no better way than to ask the people to have their say, to tell us what they would like to see from St Johns Hospital.

By the time we finish that listening process, we will have received a really accurate review of where we are with the public and what it wants from us in the future.
The family and friends of missing British woman Sarm Heslop say they are devastated they cannot travel to the US Virgin Islands to help with her search.

The 41-year-old from Southampton, Hampshire, went missing from a catamaran more than three weeks ago from the Siren Song, a vessel owned and operated by her American boyfriend Ryan Bane.

Her family say they are becoming increasingly concerned for her and have expressed their gratitude for those helping the search.

They said: 'It is now over three weeks since Sarm went missing, 25 days in which we get more and more concerned as we wait for news.

'We know that the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) is doing as much as possible and we are pleased that Hampshire police is also assisting their investigation.

'We want to say a heartfelt thank you to the local community for continuing their efforts to help search for Sarm.

'If we could travel then we would; we just want to be on the island helping with the search and we dream of being able to wrap our arms round our darling daughter.'

The family and friends of missing British woman Sarm Heslop say they are devastated they cannot travel to the US Virgin Islands to help with her search

Heslop, from Southampton, England, met boyfriend Ryan Bane on Tinder eight months ago. She disappeared from Siren Song, which was moored 120ft from Frank Bay on the extreme western end of St. John on March 8. The couple are pictured together

One of Sarm's best friends, who did not wish to be named, added: 'We want to know what happened after Sarm left the restaurant in Cruz Bay.

'As a friends group, we are doing everything we can to help support her parents and each other.

'No matter how insignificant something may seem, the tiniest detail may be relevant so we would encourage people to come forward and speak to VIPD immediately.'

It comes as it was announced British police will be assisting in the investigation into her disappearance.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: 'Hampshire Constabulary is providing operational support in the UK to assist a US Virgin Islands Police Department investigation.

Police searching for Sarm Heslop have narrowed their search to a series of uninhabited islands and coves, DailyMail.com can reveal. The areas being searched include Steven Cay, Salomon Beach and Watermelon Cay

'This assistance is being facilitated through the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Hampshire Constabulary cannot comment further on another force's investigation.'

Police on Wednesday said they had narrowed their search to a series of uninhabited islands and coves.

Officers also shifted their focus further inland, suggesting they no longer expect to find Sarm washed up at the water's edge.

'At this point the possibility of finding a body washed up on shore is considered highly unlikely. That window of possibility is gone,' said a well-placed source.

The areas being searched include Steven Cay, a scrub-covered, rocky island about half a mile west of St. John, where Sarm was living with boyfriend on his catamaran before she vanished March 8.

Nobody lives on the low-lying strip of land but it's a popular tourist destination for scuba diving, kayaking and snorkeling.

Sarm Heslop, right, is pictured with her best friend Kate Owen. The pair moved to the Caribbean together 15 months ago

Cops are also searching the north side of St. John, from Salomon Beach to Watermelon Cay, another tiny island, both of which can only be reached via a small boat or by hiking through the Virgin Islands National Park.

It was revealed this week that Bane was charged with obstructing law enforcement agents who boarded his yacht hours after his girlfriend vanished.

He was handed a citation - not a criminal record - for refusing to allow the US Coast Guard onto his yacht on the afternoon of March 8.

Meanwhile the couple's friend, Kate Owen, who moved with Ms Heslop to the Caribbean 15 months ago, reportedly said she does not understand why Mr Bane is refusing to cooperate with detectives.

Mr Bane told investigators he and Ms Heslop had drinks in Frank's Bay, St John, before returning to his catamaran on the night of March 7 and he awoke in the early hours to find her gone.

But while a marine search was ongoing for Ms Heslop, Mr Bane told officers they could not come inside his 46ft catamaran.

Bane's 46ft yacht Siren Song. He is said to have sailed off in the vessel last Thursday and federal officers have chartered their own boat to track him down

'The operator denied access to the interior and was cited for obstruction of a boarding, in addition to other safety citations that have not been adjudicated,' the coastguard told The Times.

Citations are written notices of non-compliance for an alleged violation, they do not count as a criminal record.

American Mr Bane reportedly sailed away from the US Virgin Island last Thursday and the FBI dispatched vessels to find him.

It comes as the couple's friend Ms Owen demanded answers in the investigation.

Ms Owen has told friends that she does not understand why Mr Bane has stopped contacting her or why he is refusing to cooperate with detectives, The Mirror reported.

She is helping efforts to find Ms Heslop in the Caribbean and wrote online: 'She is a daughter, a sister, a niece and an auntie. A Godmother, a girlfriend, a colleague and my best friend.

In his initial conversations with the VIPD, Bane (pictured) said he finished dinner and went straight back to his boat with Sarm at 10pm

'We will not leave quietly, we need a thorough investigation, we deserve answers. She deserves answers.'

Another friend of Ms Heslop's, Anna Wilson, said she was worried about claims that Mr Bane was refusing to talk.

Ms Wilson, for whom Ms Heslop was a bridesmaid, told The Mirror: 'Ryan had contact with Kate in the early stages but ceased contact.'

Asked what Mr Bane had told Ms Owen, Ms Wilson said: 'He just said everything was fine and they had dinner out and then took the dinghy back to the boat.

'Nothing seemed untoward. They went back to the boat at about 10pm and watched a film. Ryan said that he woke and realised she was gone but that her phone and wallet were still aboard the boat.'

In the search for answers, police are trawling through CCTV from the island to trace Ms Heslop's movements that night to verify his story, The Telegraph reports.

Tony Derima, a spokesman for the Virgin Islands Police Department said: 'Nothing so far actually confirms the couple went back to the yacht together that night.'

Officers are in the process of trying to verify Mr Bane's account of events that night and attempting to confirm if Sarm was on the dinghy which returned to the luxury yacht that night.

The latest development comes as it was revealed the FBI has launched a hunt for Ryan Bane (pictured) after he sailed away from the US Virgin Islands on Thursday

Heslop (pictured) met Bane on Tinder eight months ago and traveled to the Caribbean to work as a cook on Siren Song

Detectives are also reportedly planning to interview staff at 420 to Center, a dive bar popular with St. John locals, where the couple visited.

Federal agents have chartered a boat to try to track down Mr Bane, who disappeared from St. John where his luxury yacht had been anchored for several weeks, according to the New York Post.

Mr Bane was last seen on Wednesday afternoon taking a dinghy to the shore before returning to his 47-ft catamaran with a plastic bag, sneakers and towels.

His yacht had been anchored at the same secluded spot in Frank Bay for weeks but was gone Thursday morning.

Authorities need a search warrant to board the $500,000 vessel but are yet to obtain one because Ms Heslop's disappearance has not been classified as a criminal inquiry.

Bane was last seen Wednesday afternoon (above) returning to his boat. Federal agents have chartered a boat to try to track him down, after he disappeared Thursday from St. John where his luxury yacht had been anchored for several weeks

Ms Heslop met Mr Bane on Tinder eight months ago and traveled to the Caribbean to work as a cook on Siren Song, which he charters out for more than $2,000 a day.

According to friends the pair took their dinghy to Cruz Bay, the island's main tourist hub, for dinner and drinks on March 7 to celebrate a successful charter.

Mr Bane claimed he was woken up at 2am by an anchor alarm, which triggers an alert if the boat strays from its position, and found her gone.

Police say Mr Bane was advised to ring the US Coast Guard but it later emerged they did not receive the SOS call until 11.46am - more than nine hours later.

Coast Guards boarded Siren Song twice but when detectives asked to conduct a full forensic search Mr Bane exercised his constitutional right to say no, reportedly on the advice of his attorney, David Cattie.

He was similarly reluctant to talk about the night Ms Heslop vanished when DailyMail.com caught up with him on shore Wednesday, stonewalling questions by saying 'no comment' four times.
- By GF Value





The stock of Boston Beer Co (NYSE:SAM, 30-year Financials) appears to be significantly overvalued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $1184.68 per share and the market cap of $14.5 billion, Boston Beer Co stock is believed to be significantly overvalued. GF Value for Boston Beer Co is shown in the chart below.





Boston Beer Co Stock Is Believed To Be Significantly Overvalued

Because Boston Beer Co is significantly overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be much lower than its future business growth, which averaged 25.9% over the past three years and is estimated to grow 23.65% annually over the next three to five years.

Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk.

Companies with poor financial strength offer investors a high risk of permanent capital loss. To avoid permanent capital loss, an investor must do their research and review a company's financial strength before deciding to purchase shares. Both the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage of a company are a great way to to understand its financial strength. Boston Beer Co has a cash-to-debt ratio of 2.42, which which ranks better than 67% of the companies in the industry of Beverages - Alcoholic. The overall financial strength of Boston Beer Co is 8 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Boston Beer Co is strong. This is the debt and cash of Boston Beer Co over the past years:

Story continues

Boston Beer Co Stock Is Believed To Be Significantly Overvalued

It is less risky to invest in profitable companies, especially those with consistent profitability over long term. A company with high profit margins is usually a safer investment than those with low profit margins. Boston Beer Co has been profitable 10 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $1.7 billion and earnings of $15.52 a share. Its operating margin is 14.32%, which ranks better than 67% of the companies in the industry of Beverages - Alcoholic. Overall, the profitability of Boston Beer Co is ranked 9 out of 10, which indicates strong profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Boston Beer Co over the past years:

Boston Beer Co Stock Is Believed To Be Significantly Overvalued

Growth is probably the most important factor in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long term performance of a company's stock. The faster a company is growing, the more likely it is to be creating value for shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. The 3-year average annual revenue growth rate of Boston Beer Co is 25.9%, which ranks better than 92% of the companies in the industry of Beverages - Alcoholic. The 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 22.5%, which ranks better than 79% of the companies in the industry of Beverages - Alcoholic.

Another way to evaluate a company's profitability is to compare its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted cost of capital (WACC). Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the ROIC is higher than the WACC, it indicates that the company is creating value for shareholders. Over the past 12 months, Boston Beer Co's ROIC was 21.04, while its WACC came in at 5.75. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Boston Beer Co is shown below:

Boston Beer Co Stock Is Believed To Be Significantly Overvalued

Overall, the stock of Boston Beer Co (NYSE:SAM, 30-year Financials) shows every sign of being significantly overvalued. The company's financial condition is strong and its profitability is strong. Its growth ranks better than 79% of the companies in the industry of Beverages - Alcoholic. To learn more about Boston Beer Co stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.

To find out the high quality companies that may deliever above average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Zeigler Acquires Four Acres of Property with Plans to Renovate and Expand BMW of Orland Park We are excited to continue to elevate the Zeigler experience for all of our customers through these renovations. As always, our goal is to ensure that every customer receives the very best experience from us at all times

Kalamazoo-based Zeigler Auto Group has purchased four acres of property adjacent to its existing BMW of Orland Park store with plans to renovate the luxury dealerships parking lot and showroom.

We are excited to continue to elevate the Zeigler experience for all of our customers through these renovations. As always, our goal is to ensure that every customer receives the very best experience from us at all times, said Aaron Zeigler, president and owner of Zeigler Auto Group.

The project, which is slated to be completed this summer, will consist of the addition of 325 parking spaces in order to give customers a greater selection with more convenience and opportunity while shopping -- as well as an interior showroom and customer lounge redesign.

The interior modifications will be made to bring the dealership up to manufacturer standards. These will include interior finishes such as flooring, ceilings, furniture, a redesigned customer lounge, an overall color palette refresh and more.

BMW of Orland Park is one of Illinois largest volume BMW dealerships handling a large stock supply of new and used luxury BMW cars, crossovers and SUVs.

ABOUT ZEIGLER AUTO GROUP

Zeigler Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the nation with 75 franchises and 30 locations in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all of the domestic and the majority of the imported manufacturers.

Founded in 1975, the company ranks among the top 1% of automotive dealers in the U.S., and has earned recognition for its commitment to both customer service and employee satisfaction. Recently, Zeigler Automotive Group has earned its second title on the coveted 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation list, as well as multiple accolades by the same name in Illinois, Chicago and Michigan.
TriMet and its workers union have reached an initial agreement on a new labor contract that includes a wage increase, new approach to training and increase in some disability benefits.

The transit agency reached a tentative agreement Thursday with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, which represents nearly 2,700 TriMet employees. The agreement came after an impasse in labor negotiations that continued for close to a year.

The transit unions contract expired last November, and the parties were unable to agree to a long-term contract over 15 negotiation sessions and four mediation sessions.

Thursdays tentative agreement came 12 days before a scheduled arbitration hearing.

The agreement includes two retroactive wage increases and a 2.5% wage increase in 2021, as well as a restructuring of TriMets apprenticeship and training programs.

Under the tentative agreement, the transit agency would also create a tuition program for service workers to access professional development and advance their careers.

Both wages and training programs were sticking points during the negotiations.

TriMet is also in the process of hiring a new general manager, as Doug Kelsey retired last month.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
UPDATED at 4:50 A.M. EDT on 2021-04-03

Myanmars embattled citizens struggled with a drastic cut-off of internet and wireless data services Friday following a military junta order aimed at staunching the flow of videos and photos of atrocities to a global audience, activists and web users said.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications on Thursday ordered the suspension of all wireless broadband data services, providers said, intensifying a clampdown on information flows that began with the blocking of social media sites and a 1 p.m.-to-9.a.m. cutoff of wireless service days after the Feb. 1 coup.

"This shutdown is mainly because they don't want the news from citizen journalists on the ground to reach the media and then go from the media to the public, said J. Paing of the Myanmar Press Photo Agency.

"Another purpose is to keep journalists working on the ground uninformed, he told RFAs Myanmar Service, noting that the lack of Internet access made it very difficult to obtain local information. The web is now accessible only to those with physical connections in a country where most users rely on wireless connections.

"Now that new Internet cuts have been made, they might be prepared to commit more brutal human rights violations, said Nicky Diamond, of the NGO Fortify Rights.

We condemn such Internet cuts, and with no Internet access for the public they may get bolder and suppress people with more violence, he said.

They're trying to hide the evidence of their crimes, added Diamond.

In the two months since troops deposed leader Aung San Su Kyis elected government, more than 500 people have been killed and some 2,700 people have been arrested, according to tallies by RFA and a regional NGO.

A scene from the anti-coup Flower Strike in Yangon, April 2, 2021. Credit RFA

I'm no longer safe even at home

Amid daily shootings, one resident of South Dagon, a township of Yangon that has seen a lot of deadly violence against protesters and is under martial law, said lack of access to timely information made people feel insecure.

Life has been difficult since Feb 1, when they staged the coup, and since then, they started a news blackout. The Internet has been cut off, and now the ISPs are cut off, he said.

Without Wi-Fi, we cant get all the news. I don't know exactly what is going on, and feel insecure. I feel I'm no longer safe even at home, he told RFA.

The Internet cutoff has also hampered the sharing of information on the coronavirus pandemic, and made it difficult for those using apps to make payments in the absence of regular banking, which has been disrupted by the coup.

"The Internet is good for us, it's good for social and economic ties, and it's more convenient, said a businessman, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

While severely cutting information channels, Myanmars junta has arrested 56 journalists since the Feb. 1, releasing 30 since, according to an RFA tally.

Underscoring the dangers involved in sharing information on the coup with the outside world, witnesses said police arrested two women from Ten Mile Market in Yangon after they talked to a CNN reporter during her visit Thursday.

Vendors and shops owners in the Ten Mile Market in northern Yangon said the police had arrived at the market and patrolled the area before CNN reporter Clarissa Ward visited.

Around 9 a.m., the reporter and her team arrived at the market and started talking to people, said one vendor.

The people in the neighborhood began to bang the pots and chanting We want democracy or Justice for Myanmar. The people stopped banging the pots when around ten policemen came into the market. But the people were still chanting, added the vendor.

A shop owner woman in the market came down to the scene and talked to the reporter. She got interviewed and she is the one who got arrested, said the vendor. Her family told us that she has been detained at Mayangone police station. They are now fighting for her release.

Roughly five people were seen talking to the CNN reporter and two women who spoke to the U.S. cable news network, the owner of the Asia Light electronic lighting shop owner and her employee, were arrested Friday, the vendor said.

The CNN team asked why the people are banging on pots, when the authorities stated that the country is now peaceful. The interviewee said it is a lie and people are banging on pots because they dont like the government, said a man who overheard the interview Thursday

The interviewee said only two lines and they had to flee as the police had arrived. Now everyone who talked to the reporter are trying to stay away from home to avoid arrest, said the witness, describing people fearing reprisals from the junta for talking to CNN.

Yin Thet Tin, 23, one of the people interviewed in Yangons Ten Mile Market by CNNs Ward was also arrested and taken away to an interrogation center in Shwepyithar by the military forces, her family confirmed to RFA.

A spokesman in Atlanta said CNN was following up on reports in a local Myanmar news outlet and on social media about several arrests after interviews with residents by the network's reporting team Friday at a bazaar in Yangon's Insein township.

"CNN has reached out to the Myanmar military for comment on the reported detentions," Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Vice president for communications, said in an e-mailed comment to RFA.

"CNN is in Myanmar with the permission of the military and is being escorted by the military, including during the visit to the market," he noted.

Mourners at the funeral of shooting victim Su Su Kyi, who was shot March 31 in a car on her way home from work at South Korea's Shinhan, April 2, 2021. Credit: RFA

Flower Protests for slain activists

With the death toll reaching 550, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, and expected to rise as more killings are confirmed, anti-coup campaigners staged symbolic Flower Protests in memory of those who died demonstrating against military regime.

Bouquets of white roses and sprigs of Eugenia leaves with protest notes were placed at popular junctions and at sites in Myanmar cities where protesters were shot by security forces. Anti-junta marchers also carried flowers as they marched.

Family and colleagues held an emotional funeral for Su Su Kyi, an employee of South Koreas Shinhan Bank, who was shot Wednesday in Yangon as she commuted to work.

On Thursday night in Sagaing city, a 36-year-old man named Ko Chan Aye was shot and killed by security forces as they entered the neighborhood shooting indiscriminately, his wife said.

"He was hit just after midnight, and died at about 2.30 a.m. He was hit once in the groin and once in the belly, and also hit on the back by two rubber bullets, she told RFA.

We cremated him early this morning, because we were afraid they would come to get the body."

In other violence in the Sagaing region, clashes broke out between villagers and military junta forces when troops tried to arrest Ven. Thawparka, a Buddhist abbot. One villager was killed and three were seriously injured, a witness said.

At about three o'clock in the morning, I was surrounded at the monastery by a force of about a hundred troops. I hid and when they couldnt get me, they took four villagers hostage, said the abbot. There was a clash between them and the villagers who came to protect me for several hours.

A college student named Maung Nyan Lin was shot and killed Thursday night near Sagaings Kalemyo University by police, with his body left at the university gate Friday morning, local residents told RFA.

In the Northern Shan State city of Lashio, security forces entered houses under the pretext of checking household lists and arrested people in houses where vinyl posters used by protesters were found.

We had those vinyl posters left by youths at my house after the protests, said a resident of Lashios Ward 9 whose wife, Ei Moe, was arrested.

The troops came the first day and asked for Ko Tun Way and they left when we said he was on a road trip. Then they came again the next day, kicked down the front metal door, he said.

"I slipped out of the house from the back. They found the vinyl posters and an NLD flag and they took my wife away, added the man.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane, Ye Kaung Myint Maung and Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
CLEVELAND, Ohio A 27-year-old man is accused of raping two women in separate incidents in downtown Cleveland.

Christian Burks of Cleveland is charged with two counts of rape. He is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on $500,000 bond in connection with the two cases, plus an additional $250,000 in connection with a third case in which he faces charges of abduction and domestic violence.

His case was sent to a Cuyahoga County grand jury on Friday, court records say.

In both rape cases, the women didnt know Burks and were intoxicated, according to police. DNA evidence linked Burks to both rapes, according to court records.

A Cleveland police sex crimes detective wrote in court records that Burks is a person of interest in two other sexual assault cases.

The first incident happened Nov. 15 near Club Ivy on West 6th Street in downtown Cleveland, according to court records.

Burks met a 21-year-old woman, who court records say was intoxicated and could not fend for herself. He raped her in the backseat of his car, court records say.

The second incident happened Dec. 14. Another 21-year-old woman left the Barley House on West 6th Street with friends and stood outside near Lakeside Avenue as they waited for an Uber, according to police.

The woman was highly intoxicated at the time, according to police.

Burks walked up and stood near them. One woman went to flag down the Uber driver, got in the car and told the driver to pick up her friend on Lakeside. When they got there, the woman was gone.

Friends tracked her phone to a motel in East Cleveland. When police arrived, the man was gone.

DNA evidence showed Burks raped the woman at some point, court records say. The woman told police she did not know Burks.

At the time of both incidents Burks was free on $10,000 bond after a May 27 arrest on domestic violence and abduction charges.

In that case, Burks argued with a 24-year-old woman on West 38th Street and Franklin Boulevard. Burks picked the woman up, forced her into his truck and sped away, according to court records.

As Burks exited Interstate 90 at the Eddy Road exit, the woman screamed for help and jumped out of the truck. Two witnesses told police they saw Burks grab the woman by the neck and drag her back into the truck, court records say.

A witness followed behind Burks truck as he called 911, but Burks drove too fast and the witness stopped following him after it became too dangerous, according to court records. Officers caught up with the truck and arrested Burks without incident.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Joan Synenberg increased Burks bond in that case to $250,000 after he was charged in the two rape cases, court records say.

Burks has two prior felony convictions, including a 2012 case where he attacked a man in Bedford. The other convictions is from a 2017 incident where he stole a blank check from a former boss who fired him, and later cashed a $575 check.

Read more from cleveland.com:

Man charged in shootout at Cleveland afterhours club that injured 7

Mayor Frank Jacksons great-grandson charged in attempted break-in at Valley View gun store

Man carjacked at gunpoint in his Lakewood garage, police say
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 22:31:47|Editor: huaxia

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Wu Guixiang (R) talks with her son Zhang Hao at the autism training center she set up in Hedong District, north China's Tianjin, March 30, 2021. In 1998, Zhang Hao was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. Ever since the diagnosis, Zhang's mother Wu Guixiang has spent all her time looking after her son. In order to help Zhang Hao and eight others with autism improve their social engagement after they had become grown-ups, Wu set up an autism training center in 2016, providing them with courses on life, social and vocational skills. Within five years, Zhang Hao learned how to read, write, cook, travel, go shopping, and even bake desserts. "If one day we have to say goodbye to our kids, we hope to see that they have their own friends, choose how they live, have enough support from others, and lead a life that is safe and happy," Wu says. (Xinhua/Li Ran)
File image of workers working on a section of the Pakistan-Iran pipeline (with flags of both countries etched on it) in the Iranian border city of Chah Bahar while it was under construction in 2013. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan Struggles to Stop Its Citizens From Smuggling Oil From Iran

Thousands in Balochistan, a southwestern province in Pakistan, are involved in smuggling oil across the restive border with Iran every year. While the phenomenon is not new, the Pakistan government has recently ordered a halt to the illegal trade as fears mount about economic losses in the billions of rupees.

The falling price of Iranian oil also has led to increased smuggling, according to Fatemeh Aman is a non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.

In a region so economically deprived on both sides of the border, the opportunities for earning a living are often limited to either trafficking drugs or smuggling fuel, Aman wrote in an article published in March by the Jamestown Foundations Terrorism Monitor.

Fuel carriers lack any other income besides carrying gasoline and diesel fuel from Iran to Pakistan, with the big money going to the organizers. In contrast, drivers and truckers receive only a small share of the profit even though they are the ones who take the most risks.

Pakistan Today reports that 1.2 million liters (about 317,000 gallons) of oil are smuggled into Pakistan on a daily basis by way of tankers that operate by bribing officials on both sides12 percent of the total oil smuggled out of Iran.

The illegal sale into neighboring countries markets is actually helping Iran to bypass U.S. economic sanctions, according to Ahmed Quraishi, a Pakistani journalist based in Islamabad who has been covering Iran affairs for more than two decades.

This is especially true in the cases of Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Quraishi wrote, adding that Pakistan is unwillingly subsidizing Irans budget to the tune of $1 billion a year. Each year, 3.6 billion liters of oil, or 63,000 barrels, are smuggled out of Iran to various countries, according to a report by Pakistan Today.

The Iranian government is forcing Pakistan to subsidize the violation of U.S. sanctions and is making Pakistan pay for it. This is a huge favor that Tehran is extracting from Islamabad without giving anything in return.

Within Pakistan, this illicit oil from Iran has caused shortages as well as erratic fuel prices, with authorities attributing a 2020 shortage to it.

Pakistani border security officials (R) and Iranian border security officials (L) shake hands at Zero Point in the Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan, Iran, on April 21, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Crackdown and Violence

At the beginning of the year, the Pakistan administration took action against oil smuggling, approving a comprehensive plan that listed 2,094 illegal petrol retail outlets in three provinces, according to leading Pakistani daily The Dawn.

Following the approval of the action plan by the Pakistani administration, another incident heightened the issue of the smuggling: On Feb. 22, soldiers of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) detained and then opened fire on a group of Baluch fuel carriers that were protesting after the Iranian government blocked the passage of their fuel loads into Pakistan.

Two people were killed and six others wounded. One of the wounded was a Pakistani citizen. Pakistani outlet Arab News reported that Iranian forces had also fired at the smugglers inside Pakistan territory, in a separate incident.

The IRGC gains some funding for its operations from the illicit trade that happens through the border triangle where Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan meet, Quraishi said.

Locals say IRGC officers have stakes in oil and diesel trade, smuggling of contraband, drugs, and electronics. Revenue generated from these operations partially funds IRGCs operations and local proxies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said.

Irans underground economy is estimated to be worth at least $140 billion, and the IRGC is its chief controller and beneficiary, Saeed Ghasseminejad, an associate fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote in a 2015 article. The situation Ghasseminejad describes remains unchanged.

This income provides the Guards with financial independence from Irans civil politicians. It also puts the IRGC in charge of Irans underworld and its criminal gangs, Ghasseminejad wrote.

A man stands next to a horsecart laden with oil drums on a street in Lahore, Pakistan, on Sept. 27, 2020. (Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Pakistan Leverage the Situation?

Pakistan and Iran share a porous 560-mile border through which the smuggling of people, drugs, and petroleum products takes place. Pakistan has often accused the IRGC of making repeated violent incursions into its territory.

But oil is a product of geopolitical significance, and Quraishi believes its important to find out if Pakistan can use the oil smuggling money to leverage cooperation from the Iranian regime in other areas of significance between the two neighbors.

Islamabad has a number of wanted militants and terrorists hiding in Iran and awaiting extradition. These include ethnic militants from Balochistan, and violent religious extremists from Karachi, and Punjab involved in sectarian violence, Quraishi said.

Also, Pakistan has grievances on Baloch and some Sunni extremist groups based in Iran, like al-Qaeda and Uzbek militants, not to mention a long-running Iran-Pakistan competition inside Afghanistan that started after the Khomeinist revolution in 1979, said Quraishi. He suggested that Pakistan should leverage the continuing of oil smuggling from Iran in return for Irans cooperation in Afghanistan.

He also added that this is a hypothetical proposition since Pakistan has currently ordered a crackdown on the smuggling of Iranian oil, but any negotiation in return for cooperation inside Afghanistan would be a win-win for both neighbors.

The only downside to this hypothesis would be that it would put Pakistan in direct violation of U.S. sanctions on Iran, and that is a risk not worth it for Pakistan to take, in exchange for cooperation from an unreliable partner like Iran, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Footage showed one woman being knocked unconscious by a police horse. At least 22 people were arrested

When the mainly young crowd failed to disperse, mounted police charged at them then used water cannons

Authorities declared the event in a Brussels park was fake and said anyone attending risked being arrested

Up to 5,000 people turned out for 'The Party', a supposed festival that had been announced as an April Fool

Several police and revellers were hurt last night as officers on horseback clashed with people at a fake festival

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These astonishing pictures show a topless woman being knocked down and trampled by a police horse during a lockdown-breaching Brussels 'festival' that was arranged as an April Fool's joke, and could be happening again tonight.

Frame-by-frame images show the woman apparently goading police before being knocked to the ground at the Bois de la Cambre.

The woman could be seen lying motionless face down on the ground after being hit. It is not yet known what her condition is.

The event happened last night, but despite police clearing the park with hard-line tactics it looks like there could be another event this evening. Thousands of people have said on Facebook that they are going to a new gathering tonight.

Over 1,500 Facebook users have said they are going, and a further 4,000 said they were 'interested' in the second edition of 'La Boum', meaning the party in French, on Friday.

Astonishing frame-by-frame photos show a reveller at Thursday's lockdown-breaking 'festival' in Brussels, Belgium, being mown down by mounted police

The girl appears to be goading police before being knocked to the ground at the Bois de la Cambre, it's not yet known what her condition is

It remains unclear if the girl was knocked out on impact with the police horse, but she appears to remain motionless after the collision

The girl was flung to the floor by the police horse as terrified festival-goers, who had been dispersed by police using hard-line tactics, looked on

Events are still not allowed under the latest coronavirus measures in Belgium but revellers gathered in their droves in Bois de la Cambre park on Thursday anyway

Events are still not allowed under the latest coronavirus measures in Belgium but organisers said they were unable to 'ignore the crazy energy' of Thursday's event.

Organiser's of Friday's event said the plan was to 'gather in a park in the open air to enjoy music together.'

'It is our duty to take responsibility and organise this big party because we are claiming our right to come together among informed and free citizens,

'There are some people who say we have entered a health dictatorship'.

Unidentified organisers said they 'want to prove that it is still possible to live and party like our grandparents did during the war.'

The new gathering was expected to take place in Brussels' Cinquantenaire park, but was moved by organiserrs when revellers were forcibly dispersed by police last night.

Organisers said the decision was made because 'The Cinquantenaire is completely surrounded by fences and has few exits. That would end badly for everyone,

'The Bois de la Cambre is a good alternative, we are adapting.'

The police have said they are ready to enforce the latest coronavirus lockdown rules at new events.

Mounted police officers charged at and trampled park-goers before turning water cannons on them as thousands of revellers on Thursday.

Clashes erupted as police attempted to clear the Brussels park, with several officers and their horses and at least eight party-goers injured.

Footage showed one woman being knocked unconscious as a police horse smashed into her as she looked the other way. Reports said she was one of two people taken to hospital in an unknown condition.

Up to 5,000 people descended on Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels for 'La Boum' - French for 'The Party' - an event originally announced on Facebook as a joke.

Despite Belgium's Covid rules barring gatherings of more than four people, the revellers had seemingly hoped to be treated 'eight stages, a hundred DJs and zero coronavirus rules' and acts including a one-off reunion of recently split French dance group Daft Punk.

Instead, they met with a stern response from the city's police force after the mayor had demanded the youngsters disperse.

When they refused to leave, police on horseback charged into the crowd while other officers fired water cannons and used tear gas against rowdy party-goers.

Belgian police officers trampled park-goers under horses' hooves after revellers refused to leave a prank festival for April Fools Day

The woman was hit by the horse and sent crashing to the floor. Horrified onlookers rushed to help

More than 2,000 Belgians (pictured being dispersed) rushed to Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels to attend the fake 'La Boum' festival which was announced on Facebook as a joke

A girl was seen being lead away with a bloody nose by two others amid the chaos

A police officer was seen being led away by colleagues covered in blood as the crowd was dispersed in Brussels

A woman was seen covered in blood at the park during the protest in Brussels

A woman is seen clutching her head and crying after the fake La Boum lockdown party descended into chaos

Police were seen firing pepper spray at a party-goer in Brussels during the clashes

One girl stood with her arms out in front of a large fire blocking the road at the festival

Huge crowds - unperturbed by the revelation that the festival was a hoax - launched into a party on the grass, with speakers blasting music and revellers dancing and singing along. Pictured: Police spraying water cannons at revellers

When they refused to disperse, police on horseback charged into crowds while other officers fired water cannons (pictured) and used tear gas against rowdy revellers

Police used batons to beat protesters as they attempted to disperse the crowds

A woman poses with her hands in the shape of a heart in front of a fire set by partygoers in Belgium

A woman is seen running through the spray caused by a water cannon in Belgium on Thursday

Horses were seen rearing up as terrified onlookers jumped away in fear in the Brussels park

Last month, Belgium authorities announced a raft of stricter measures to combat a third wave of Covid-19 sweeping through Europe.

The country has a 10pm curfew in place in most areas and all bars, cafes and restaurants are closed - as are all of Belgium's schools.

Non-essential shops are open but they can only be visited with a pre-booked appointment.

And, as of March 24, all outdoor gatherings are limited to just four people.

Hundreds of revellers descended on the park for the unauthorised festival organised by an anonymous group of people on Facebook

Police were seen spraying pepper spray into the faces of demonstrators who cowered in fear

People are sprayed by a police water cannon during a protest at Bois de la Cambre park

Teenagers clashed with the police as tensions escalated during an unauthorised festival

Revellers remained at the park into the night. Several were seen standing on a van

Mounted police officers surround protesters at the park in Brussels

Water was sprayed into the crowds as protesters defied the aggressive tactics

Protesters were blasted by fast jets of water as police officers tackled the crowd

Party goers were seen standing on a van in Belgium. The windscreen was smashed

Revellers were seen standing by a huge fire they started in Belgium during clashes with police

Belgian youth set a fire as they gathered for a fake concert announced on social media

People are seen holding cloths up to their mouths as they make their way through the tear gas in the park

Some 22 people were arrested and several police officers were injured in the clashes, Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de keere confirmed

Organisers of the La Boum festival told party-goers that the event was fake several times leading up to April 1. Pictured: Police clearing revellers from the park

Organisers of the La Boum festival told party-goers that the event was fake several times leading up to April 1.

But even so, police officers were forced to rush in clear lockdown-breaching revellers from the park at around 5pm.

Those who refused to leave began throwing objects - including bottles - at police.

It was then that officers began using water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray and a drone to break up the party, local paper The Brussels Times reports.

Earlier this week, mayor of the City of Brussels Philippe Close insisted the event was 'unauthorised and fake' - but warned people may gather regardless. Pictured: Police breaking up the event

Belgium has a daily infection rate of 420 - making it the tenth worst-hit nation in Europe. Pictured: People at the event today

Police officers (pictured) were forced to rush in to break up the gathering and clear lockdown-breaching revellers from the park at around 5pm

A woman is seen getting ready to throw a bottle at police officers at the prank festival today

People throw stones and bottles towards the police during a protest at Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels

Party-goers clashed with police in Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels on Thursday

Huge sprays of water from a water cannon were shot at revellers in Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels

Belgians clashed with the police in Bois de la Cambre park. Massive crowds gathered for a fake festival

People were seen throwing stones and bottles towards the police. Many objected to being told to leave a fake lockdown festival

Revellers were seen washing their faces with water after being doused with tear gas and pepper spray in Belgium

Earlier this week, mayor of the City of Brussels Philippe Close insisted the event was 'unauthorised and fake' - but warned people may gather regardless.

He said 'police will be present at Bois de la Cambre and will act with discernment in the event of an actual gathering' and urged party goers to consider officers 'who have a lot of work to do and are subject to complex tasks in the context of the pandemic'.

Belgium has a daily infection rate of 420 - making it the tenth worst-hit nation in Europe.

Over the past week, the UK has recorded an average of 73 cases per one million people every day.

This is a lower rate than all 27 EU nations apart from Denmark and Portugal, which have both adopted strict lockdowns.

Belgium has reported over 882,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 23,000 virus-related deaths. Pictured: The party moments before the police arrived

Hospitalisations due to Covid -19 have risen in recent weeks in Belgium and health authorities have warned that intensive care units could reach a critical level by April 10 if the pace of new infections and hospitalisations does not slow down. Pictured: The party today

Revellers were seen enjoying the party in Bois de la Cambre in Belgium shortly before it was broken up by police

Hungary - the worst-affected EU nation - has a daily rate of 882 cases per one million.

In France it is 571, while the rate in the Netherlands is 449 and in Italy it is 334.

As Europe battles a third wave, UK cases, deaths and hospitalisations have fallen to a six-month low.

On Wednesday, another 43 deaths and 4,052 cases were recorded.

Deaths are now averaging 50 a day, down from a peak of 1,284 deaths on January 19. It also marked a 56 per cent week-on-week drop in deaths on last Wednesday.

And today, Britain's daily coronavirus cases dropped by a third in a week and deaths are continuing to fall.

Department of Health bosses posted 4,479 lab-confirmed cases today and 51 deaths  down 20 per cent on the same day last week.

Figures also showed that more second vaccine doses (404,922) than first shots (241,906) were dished out for the second day in a row.

Data across the board revealed the virus remains in retreat, prompting experts to claim reopening schools had a 'very small' impact on cases and England was in a 'good position' for the next bout of lockdown-easing on April 12.

The Office for National Statistics estimated 148,100 Britons were infected on any given day last week  the lowest figure since before the second wave spiralled out of control and down almost 10 per cent on the previous seven-day spell.

Belgium has reported over 882,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 23,000 virus-related deaths.

Hospitalisations due to Covid -19 have risen in recent weeks and health authorities have warned that intensive care units could reach a critical level by April 10 if the pace of new infections and hospitalisations does not slow down.

Large crowds have been gathering across Brussels' green spaces this week to enjoy the unusually warm weather.

Another event has been advertised for Friday in a different Brussels park, promoted by a group called the Abyss.

The group said it does not question the government's strategy but fights for citizens' rights to gather outdoors.
The Lenox Select Board has signed off on a $25,000 increase for the towns Chamber of Commerce. Annual town meeting voters will have the final say.
A babysitter has been charged with the murder of a nine-month-old baby boy who was in his care.

The baby was found unresponsive after police were called to a home in Sandy Spring, Georgia, on Wednesday, March 31.

According to police, Dehaven Johnson, 28, was babysitting the infant. He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The circumstances surrounding the baby's death are not clear, and it's not clear who called the officers to the home.

Police charged Dehaven Johnson, 28, with felonly murder of a 9-month-old child

An autopsy report revealed that the nine-month-old suffered 'severe injuries, and it's alleged Johnson was responsible.

Johnson was charged with felony murder, first-degree cruelty to children and aggravated battery.

Police have not revealed the baby boy's identity.

Johnsons' arrest is the second in four months involving a babysitter charged with murder in Sandy Springs.

Sandy Springs Police officers responded to a call of an unresponsive child in the Willow Heights Drive in Sandy Springs on March 31

In December 2020, Sandy Springs police charged Kirstie Flood with malice murder in the death of a tw-year-old child in her care.

Her boyfriend, Jeffrey Scott Meyers, 28, was charged with second degree murder and cruelty to children in connection to the death as well.

According to Atlanta News Now, a medical examiner ruled the child she was caring for had died from blunt force trauma.
Korea's two biggest cities, Seoul and Busan, started two days of early voting on Friday for the mayoral by-elections.

Polling stations are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Saturday, and are under strict coronavirus protocol.

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook cast their ballots at a polling station near Cheong Wa Dae on Friday morning.
New Delhi: US President Joe Biden invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the Climate Summit to be held virtually on 22-23 April. PM Modi has welcomed President Biden's initiative and accepted the invitation, according to MEA.

Addressing media here on Friday (April 2), MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, will be visiting Delhi from 5th to 8th April."

Notably, the United States President has invited 40 world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a virtual climate summit, the White House earlier informed about on March 26. The Leaders Summit on Climate will be hosted by Joe Biden on April 22 and 23.

In his invitation, the newly-elected US President earlier urged the leaders to use the Summit as an opportunity to outline how their countries also will contribute to stronger climate ambition.

In an official statement, the White House on March 26 said, "Today, President Biden invited 40 world leaders to the Leaders Summit on Climate he will host on April 22 and 23. The virtual Leaders Summit will be live-streamed for public viewing."

Live TV
Since assuming power in August 2018, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed has been marching at all diplomatic frontiers and spent rosier three years that are worth-telling.

Ethiopia has been on a path of reform since 2018. The wide ranges of reforms have been so fast. In the first few months after he came to power, he lifted the state of emergency, released thousands of prisoners, allowed exiled dissidents to return home and unblocked hundreds of websites and other media outlets.

In an unprecedented manner, Premier Abiy ended a 20-year deadlock characterized by 'no war and no peace' scenario between Ethiopia and Eritrea winning the minds and hearts of world leaders. The peace deal with Eritrea has already had a number of positive outcomes that could contribute to regional stability. The current political reforms can be seen as part of the process of redefining Ethiopia's role in the broader East African region and the continent.

The rapprochement has flickered a ray of hope for the world rocked by persistent conflicts and wars. With the peace deal made without a third-party intervention, the two countries reestablished relations, but the entire African continent has woken up to a new dawn of cooperation. His message of harmony and synergy also reverberated across the Horn with Eritrea and Somalia elevating their relations in to new heights no to forget Djibouti as well.

The two countries Ethiopia and Eritrea signed an agreement at a summit in Saudi Arabia, bolstering an historic peace accord. Following the peace deal between Eritrea and Ethiopia hundreds of thousands of peoples took to the street celebrating the peace accord. Eritreans could hardly contain their joy as Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed touched down in Asmara. The city had seen nothing like it in a generation that knew war rather than peace. Thousands of people lined up on the streets and waved Ethiopian flags as Abiy arrived to seal a peace deal.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Isaias Afwerki have met several times to announce concrete evidence of the peace deal and further cement regional ties. Less than a week later Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki made a reciprocal visit, landing in Addis Ababa to an equally rapturous welcome. In September a formal treaty was signed between the two leaders in the Saudi capital, Jeddah, witnessed by King Salman and the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, who described it as an "historic event."

Reforms currently sweeping through Ethiopia under the new Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed have implications for the relationship between Ethiopia and its neighbors. The current reforms have the potential to bolster Ethiopia's leadership role in the region. And Ethiopia that is perceived as a unifying force could lead to more stability.

After Ethiopia ended the conflict with Eritrea the Prime Minister of Ethiopia also mediated the government of Sudan and the transitional military council to reach an agreement. The government mediated the Sudan government and the Transitional Military Council (TMC). Mediators led by the AU and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have since been trying to broker a return to direct talks between the two sides. Sudan protesters accept Ethiopia's plan for political transition.

Right after Ethiopia's peace proposal, the alliance had announced its acceptance of Ethiopia's proposal. Ethiopia has stepped up diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Sudan, which has been wracked by tensions between the protest leaders and generals.

The alliance said their approval of the Ethiopian plan "pushes all the parties to bear their responsibilities" to find a peaceful solution, and urged the military council to accept the plan "in order to move the situation in Sudan" forward.

On the other hand, Kenya and Somalia have engaged in sideshow wars on diplomatic passports and recognition of the breakaway Somaliland region. Prime Minister Abiy also mediated Kenya and Somalia dispute over the issue. The PM met Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Mohammed Farmajo in Addis Ababa and discussed the issue.

Apart from political diplomacy, the reform reinforces regional economic integration in the Horn of Africa is another key agenda of Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed's administration. Over the last three year, the Premier and his foreign affairs team have conducted successful diplomatic activities in the interest of the people of East Africa.

Abiy also stood shoulder high when it comes to establishing strong ties with Gulf countries bringing immense economic opportunities to his country specially in filling the coffer of hard currency, something which the country was left with empty one. With the warming up relations, some multinational companies are making their way to the country with piles of cash to invest in the country.

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For long, political disorder and tension was going furry between the government and the diasporas something which damaged the reputation of the country. However, Abiy's diplomacy was strong enough to break the walls of hatred and to build a bridge of love and synergic unity with the Diasporas. In fact, he turned the Diasporas from street protestors into vanguard reform backers. This is marvelous achievement for a country very much in need of the highly sought remittance.

He also played an active role in attracting direct foreign investments that saw multinational companies, including huge investment agreement with by the German Auto Manufacturer, Volkswagen. Of late, in what could be said the zenith of diplomatic career, Prime Minister Abiy took part in World Economic Forum where he met major global players including leaders of various countries, diplomats, investors, intellectuals and others. For his achievement, Abiy has already received honorary medal from UAE, Saudi Arabia and also made headlines on the international spotlight and made list of influential leaders by Foreign policy Magazine.

His amicable character towards politicians also changed the political landscape of the country which used to be adversarial.
A Swiss banker convicted in the U.S. for facilitating the looting of Venezuela's state coffers is breaking his silence and revealing what he knows about corruption in the South American country.

Matthias Krull was for years the go-to banker for government insiders as the head of Julius Baer Group's office in Caracas.

Over 14 years he estimates having brought in more than $1 billion in deposits to the Zurich-based bank. Among his would-be clients were President Nicolas Maduro's stepsons.

But in 2018 his charmed life came to an abrupt end when he was arrested on money laundering charges at Miami's international airport while vacationing with his family.

The discreet banker then began his second act as all-star witness to a federal criminal investigation known as Operation Money Flight.

Court documents unsealed this month show that Krull's assistance mapping out how Venezuelan kleptocrats stole billions in oil wealth was rewarded when a judge slashed by 65% a 10-year sentence.

That's one of the biggest reductions ever recorded in Miami federal court.

Krull spoke to the AP over several months about his former clients and the responsibility of his managers in turning a blind eye to proliferating corruption in Venezuela.

He said he regrets not having the courage to blow the whistle on corruptions when he was asked by a longtime client in 2016 to help launder proceeds from a $1.2 billion embezzlement scheme at state-run oil company PDVSA.

But he said he never acted alone and is being made the fall guy for a private banking system built on secrecy and a drive for profits that was taken advantage of by corrupt actors.

He cited the example of a Julius Baer office in Europe that opened an account for a Venezuelan client even after he warned his colleagues the businessman was under intense media scrutiny for corrupt ties to Maduro.

On another occasion his managers decided to keep open the personal accounts of several individuals who they learned were under investigation by U.S. prosecutors.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Umuahia  Special Adviser to the Abia State Governor, on Police Affairs, Dr Collins Ugochukwu Obi, has tasked policemen not to be discouraged by the incessant attacks on police facilities in Abia state and South-East zone.

Obi stated this in Aba while touring police facilities to assess the level of damage by hoodlums during the #ENDSARS protest and the recent criminal invasion of some police stations in Aba and environs. He explained that his visit to Aba was also meant to boost the morale of policemen over the attacks and pledged to report his findings to Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu.

In his words; "We are on a fact-finding visit. The police is in charge of internal security. We are going round to assess police facilities and the morale of officers. This is because when you judge from afar, you may not understand the situation. Look at the problems and needs of the police. We are going round to get first-hand information and inform the government on how things are."

Obi, who is the chairman, Police Community Relations Committee, PCRC, Zone 9, Umuahia, commended Gov. Ikpeazu for investing huge resources to provide security for the people of the state, also commended the efforts of the state commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbede for complimenting the dogged efforts of Abia state governor.

He added that the state government under Ikpeazu places a premium on the lives of Abians, affirming that Abia is one of the safest states in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the Police Area Commander, Aba, ACP Kabiru Ibrahim, harped on the need to sustain community policing to boost security in the state. He assured that the visit would encourage the police command to put more effort, adding that the state government has done well to safeguard the lives and property of Abians.

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Kabiru disclosed that he took over as Area commander in 2020 when the governor completed the tarring of internal roads of the Aba Area command.

In their separate remarks, the Divisional Crime Officer, Eziama Division, Etim Sunday, who represented the DPO Zeletus Okwudiri Idok; DPO Central Police Station, Aba, CSP Robinson, and the DPO, Ogbor Hill Division, Udoh Gabriel Udoh, listed the challenge facing the police in Aba to include lack of operational vehicles, perimeter fence, office accommodation, water and renovation of outdated cells

The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Abayi Police station, Ajimo Oludare whose station was recently attacked by hoodlums, told the delegation that the hoodlums came from the back of the building and destroyed the buildings.

Obi pledged to convey the complaints of the DPOs to the state government.

Vanguard News Nigeria
It had been hailed as a 'golden year for UK tech', with a string of star companies making their stock market debuts.

But after Deliveroo's disastrous float this week, some wonder if such optimism for 2021 has been misplaced.

Ahead of the listing, Deliveroo unveiled a valuation as high as 8.8billion  setting the company up to be London's biggest listing for a decade.

Even Deliveroo's backers concede that the float flop has shaken confidence in what was previously expected to be a huge year for Britain's technology sector

The food delivery firm even boasted rare endorsements from the likes of Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

But within days, the mood around Deliveroo's float turned sour as big investors lined up to denounce the firm's working practices and governance arrangements.

As it fought the public relations crisis, Deliveroo slashed its valuation to 7.6billion  the lowest end of its range  while insisting that demand from investors remained high.

But bosses and bankers were left humiliated on Wednesday as trading began, when the company's shares crashed by as much as 31 per cent.

The tumble in stock price, from 390p to 287.5p, left tens of thousands of small investors who backed the company out of pocket.

And the slide continued yesterday, with the shares finishing another 1.9 per cent, or 5.45p, lower at 282p.

Defenders are quick to point out that the company still raised 1billion in capital and that the firm's fortunes may recover.

But even Deliveroo's backers concede that the flop has shaken confidence in what was previously expected to be a huge year for Britain's technology sector.

While some such as ecard retailer Moonpig and bidding websites business Auction Technology Group have seen shares rise after floating, others including reviews website Trustpilot have struggled to keep momentum.

The mood around Deliveroo's float turned sour as big investors lined up to denounce the firm's working practices and governance arrangements

Yesterday Trustpilot's shares closed at 265p, the same as its listing price.

So was Deliveroo's brutal drop just down to bad timing or was it a one-off?

Analysts remain divided. In the run up to the float, investors had criticised the firm's business model  using 'self-employed' riders on bicycles and mopeds  as 'unsustainable' and vulnerable to legal challenge.

They also raised concerns about special shares that will give founder Will Shu outsized voting powers for at least three years.

During the pandemic, Deliveroo benefited from a huge surge in sales as those under lockdown ordered more takeaways  but this still wasn't enough to prevent it from posting a 224million annual loss in 2020.

The company insists it is still investing heavily in expansion and that the market opportunity remains huge.

In other words, Deliveroo is pursuing the classic tech strategy of seeking scale over profits to begin with  a path famously trodden by others including Amazon, the firm's biggest investor.

But Ian Whittaker, a veteran City analyst, believes that in the end Deliveroo's fundamentals still did not justify the price it asked for.

He dismissed claims that the firm's shares had been driven down by short sellers alone, adding: 'Trying to blame the falls on mysterious hedge funds is an age-old trick.'

Others argue that Deliveroo has become a victim of changing pandemic trends and central bank policy, with investors now seeking traditional safe haven stocks.

Fabian de Smet, head of investment banking at Berenberg, said: 'Deliveroo got caught in the middle of a huge rotation. It was the last IPO of the old Covid world.'

And others worry that Deliveroo's flop could put off other British firms from taking the plunge this year.

'I really hope this doesn't shut down the IPO market,' one person close to the firm's float told the Financial Times.

Companies still slated to make their own debuts this year include cyber security provider Darktrace, savings app Pensionbee, money transfer firm Wise and biotech star Oxford Nanopore.

Investors will be hoping that Deliveroo's listing was just the exception, rather than the rule.
April 02, 2021

The 'Russian Military Build-Up'

There is some concern about a 'Russian military buildup' near Ukraine.

But before we all panic we probably should take a look at previous similar headlines.

Since the 2014 U.S. led coup in the Ukraine the 'Russian military buildup' has happened during spring, summer, fall and winter each and every year.

It is not just near the Ukraine where a 'Russian military buildup' is happening. The same can be said about the Arctic.

It is also in Syria where a Russian military buildup happens and let's not forget the Far East.

In fact, there is a 'Russian military buildup' wherever one looks and at all times.

h/t Malinka

Posted by b on April 2, 2021 at 7:18 UTC | Permalink

Comments

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Jailed Vietnamese democracy activist Tran Huynh Duy Thuc has begun a new hunger strike, his third since October, aimed at reducing his 16-year sentence for subversion to five years in line with revisions to the penal code passed after his 2010 conviction, family members say.

Tran, who has already served 11 years of his prison term, was arrested in May 2009 for writing online articles criticizing Vietnams one-party communist state and was convicted in 2010 on charges of plotting to overthrow the government under Article 79 of Vietnams 1999 Penal Code.

He is now calling for the charges against him to be changed to involvement in preparation to commit a crime, an offense calling only for a five-year term of imprisonment under Vietnams revised 2015 Penal Code, and Trans family and lawyers have tried several times to petition authorities for his sentence to be reduced.

Tran has now begun a new hunger strike just 16 days after ending an earlier 70-day strike on Feb. 3, Trans brother Tran Huynh Duy Tan told RFAs Vietnamese Service on Thursday, following a family visit to Tran at his detention center last week.

He said that he had resumed his hunger strike on Feb. 20 in an effort to urge the Supreme Court to excuse him from serving the remainder of his sentence, Tan said, adding that his brother told him he had begun his strike by drinking soy sauce mixed with lemon juice and antibiotics, but was now drinking only water.

Tran had gained 12 kilograms (26 pounds) during the 16-day interval between his two hunger strikes but had lost 10 kilograms again during the first 43 days of his current strike, Trans brother said.

State media dispute claims

Vietnams state-controlled media have meanwhile tried to cast doubt on Trans hunger-strike claims, with two newspapers quoting Tran as saying in an undated video filmed in secret by police" that he had ended his strike and gained 4.5 kilograms after beginning to eat again.

Trans brother said that Tran was aware of the articles and had sent petitions to both papers asking that they either provide evidence to support their claims or publish an apology.

Trans health in prison has been a continuing source of concern to his family following a series of hunger strikes.

In July 2019, Tran began a hunger strike over poor conditions in detention, including the removal of electric fans from cells in the soaring summer heat, and an earlier strike in August 2018 left him exhausted and thin after he protested police pressure on him to admit his guilt in the offenses for which he was jailed.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Vietnam 175 out of 180 in its 2020 World Press Freedom Index. About 25 journalists and bloggers are being held in Vietnams jails, where mistreatment is common, the Paris-based watchdog group said.

Vietnams already low tolerance of dissent deteriorated sharply last year with a spate of arrests of independent journalists, publishers, and Facebook personalities as authorities continued to stifle critics in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party Congress held in January.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Travelers reclaim their luggage at the airport in Denver, Colo., on Nov. 24, 2020. (Kevin Mohatt/Reuters)

CDC: Fully Vaccinated People Can Travel Without Testing, Self-Quarantine

Americans fully vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 can travel without taking a test or self-isolating, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday in updated guidance.

Once two weeks have elapsed after the final COVID-19 vaccine, people can travel at low risk to themselves, the CDC said.

Fully vaccinated people can travel within the United States and COVID-19 testing or post-travel self-quarantine are not required as long as they continue to take COVID-19 precautions while travelingwearing a mask, avoiding crowds, socially distancing, and washing hands frequently, it added.

Within the United States, a negative COVID-19 test should not be required when a fully vaccinated person is traveling, according to the updated guidance. Additionally, people shouldnt worry about self-quarantining at all after taking a trip.

For example, fully vaccinated grandparents can fly to visit their healthy grandkids without getting a COVID-19 test or self-quarantining, provided they follow the other recommended prevention measures when traveling, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, told reporters during a virtual briefing.

Americans traveling outside the country also do not need to self-quarantine when returning, unless required to do so by a state or local jurisdiction, but they should still obtain a negative test before they board their flight and get a second test between three and five days after their return, the U.S. health agency said.

The guidance for unvaccinated persons remains unchanged. The testing piece is the same as that for international vaccinated travelers. Unvaccinated travelers are also recommended to self-quarantine for at least seven days upon their return.

Cars line up as people wait to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-thru site at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla., on April 1, 2021. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

The CDC cited a growing body of evidence that indicates the real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including one its researchers recently completed.

Every day you get more data, and you change your guidance based on the existing data, Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraskas College of Public Health, told the Associated Press about the updated guidelines, which he said reinforces how safe and effective the vaccines are.

The updated guidance also drew criticism from some who believe it remains too strict.

This is the insanity of the @CDCgov. Must be vaccinated [because] that keeps us safe. But get vaccinated, keep doing those ineffective things that never kept you safe. Play the public like a puppet. Fear, inconsistent messaging, Michael Brown, former undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security, wrote in a tweet.

Walensky during the briefing said people who get vaccinated should still not travel.

While we believe that fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves, CDC is not recommending travel at this time due to the rising number of cases, she said.

Walensky earlier this week said new data suggests that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, dont get sick. The CDC walked back those comments on Thursday.

The agency initially issued guidance for fully vaccinated persons in February, advising them that they did not have to quarantine if they were exposed to someone who had COVID-19. The agency released updated recommendations in March, saying fully vaccinated persons could gather indoors without masks or social distancing.

Fully vaccinated refers to people who have gotten both shots if theyre receiving vaccines from Moderna or Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnsons single shot.

As of April 1, nearly 100 million people in the United States have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, including 56 million who are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
(Natural News) A new report from the Napa Legal Institute found that Big Tech is now censoring religious groups and figureheads at a rate of about one per week, even as these same tech platforms protect and promote pedophiles and Satanists.

LifeSiteNews (LSN), for example, had its YouTube channel permanently removed and banned by Google back in February based on the excuse that it was spreading Covid-19 misinformation. Google, which owns YouTube, declined any further explanation for the move, which resulted in all of LSNs videos being deleted without notice.

Based on an earlier flagging incident, LSN believes Google took issue with a video it published of a Catholic bishop warning against Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines that contain ingredients made from aborted human fetal tissue.

Our best guess is that the channel was taken down for our frank and factual discussion of the controversy around abortion-tainted medicines and vaccines, stated LSNs editor in chief.

Back in January, Bishop Kevin Doran, an Irish Catholic, incurred similar wrath from Twitter after he tweeted a message about how assisted suicide is not an expression of freedom or dignity as is claimed by its proponents.

Twitter not only removed the offensive tweet but also banned Bishop Doran from further tweeting anything. Massive public opposition later prompted Twitter to reverse the ban, but this does not always happen depending on the popularity of the person or account that was targeted.

Also in February, Twitter blocked a post from Daily Citizen, a news source run by Focus on the Family, that respectfully challenged the underlying premise of transgenderism. Twitter ultimately decided to suspend the Daily Citizen account because of this post.

Other victims of Big Tech censorship include the Catholic World Report; Ryan T. Anderson of the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Paul Kengor, author of The Devil and Karl Mark; and Carrie Gress, who wrote a book on rescuing the culture from toxic femininity.

Kimberly Cooks Motherhood Redeemed, which is a book that challenges feminism in the modern world, is not allowed to be advertised on Facebook, while the Susan B. Anthony List has repeatedly been fact checked by Facebook for making misleading claims. And the list goes on and on.

In the world of Big Tech, good is evil and evil is good

Meanwhile, Reddit moderators of the trans variety are spreading child pornography across the platform with the blessing of the Big Tech gods, which have no problem with child sex trafficking and other perversions.

Cuties continues to be streamed on Netflix, and Jack Dorsey has enshrined in the Twitter platforms terms of service that the free speech rights of pedophiles must be protected. At the same time, criticizing pedophiles on Twitter is a violation of its community standards.

Isaiah 5:20 warns about all this:

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

By promoting what is evil and prohibiting what is good, Twitter, Facebook, Google and the rest are revealing to the world their true purpose. They are also fulfilling Bible prophecy, which promises that all such evil will eventually be dealt with in good measure.

Thirty or 40 years ago, these freaks would have been hanged by parents, but now they are designated by the left as a protected group,' wrote one commenter at The Gateway Pundit about pedophiles and the tech overlords who protect and promote their deviant actions against innocent children.

This country is profoundly sick, wrote another.

More related news about Big Tech can be found at SatanicTech.com.

Sources for this article include:

Archive.fo

NaturalNews.com

TheGatewayPundit.com

NaturalNews.com

BlueLetterBible.org
Russia today vowed to 'take extra measures' if Nato sends forces to Ukraine after the Kremlin dispatched 4,000 troops to the disputed border with its neighbour.

'No doubt such a scenario would lead to a further increase in tensions close to Russia's borders. Of course, this would call for additional measures from the Russian side to ensure its security,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He insisted, however, that Russia was 'not threatening' Ukraine, despite an earlier statement which warned a war in Donbass would 'destroy' its neighbour.

Footage has emerged showing shows dozens of military helicopters close to the frontier, and the movement of tanks and other military vehicles by train.

The United States pledged its 'unwavering' support to Ukraine on Thursday as defense officials said they were aware of thousands of troops newly-deployed to the separatist Donbass territory, which is controlled by pro-Moscow factions.

Huge lines of infantry fighting vehicles, left, and tanks, right, travelling down a highway towards the Ukrainian border. US officials estimate another 4,000 troops have been deployed by Russia

Tanks are transported by freight train at a station headed towards the separatist region on the border with Ukraine

A column of tanks and trucks at the roadside as they make their way to the conflict zone

The Biden administration yesterday pledged its 'unwavering' support to the Ukraine (pictured: Russian president Vladimir Putin, left, and Joe Biden, right)

Kiev has put its forces on high alert with drills close to the rebel controlled Luhansk and near Russian-held Crimea, claiming it is responding to visible aggression by Vladimir Putin's military machine.

One video shows 2S19 Msta-S tanks - 152.4 mm self-propelled howitzers - by train bound for Crimea, annexed by Putin from Ukraine in 2014.

As the West marks Easter, Ukrainian intelligence sources said there is rising activity from Russian forces in Bryansk, Voronezh, Rostov regions and in Crimea.

Kiev claims Putin has 28 battalion tactical groups along the Russian-Ukrainian border, in Donbass and Crimea.

This is soon expected to be supplemented by up to 25 more battalion groups.

The build-up is said to be Russian war games but it has escalated tensions.

The Kremlin's veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned against Ukraine and the West provoking a 'hot conflict'.

'Russian President Putin said not long ago, but this statement is still relevant today, that those who would try to start a new war in Donbass will destroy Ukraine,' he said.

'The military understands the harmfulness of any action to unleash a hot conflict. I very much hope that they will not be prompted by politicians, who, in turn, will incite the West, led by the United States.'

Ukraine alleges Russia has 32,700 troops in Crimea, and commands 28,000 separatist servicemen in rebel-held eastern Ukraine.

'Despite significant enemy forces, the Ukrainian army is prepared for all potential scenarios,' said Ruslan Khomchak, the Ukrainian commander-in-chief.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended the troop movement towards border areas.

The Russian Federation moves troops within its own territory at its own discretion,' he said.

'This shouldn't concern anyone, as such actions do not endanger anyone.'

He claimed: 'As you know, intense activity of the armies of NATO member states and other organisations, as well as particular states etc, is being observed on the perimeter of Russian borders.

'We need to stay on guard.'

The Kremlin said Thursday Ukraine and the West should not 'worry' about Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border (pictured, a tank of pro-Russian militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic)

Russia has used trains to move massive military vehicles toward Crimea and in Ukraine's easternmost region, Donbas, which the Pentagon now believes was a military training exercise, but Ukraine's president viewed as a 'threat'

Armoured vehicles mounted on a freight train are dispatched to the front

A train is seen carrying tanks to the Ukraine border

A NATO official said that the Western allies have 'concerns' over Russian 'large scale military activities around Ukraine'.

An American expert on Russia, Michael Kofman said that while there was 'no strong evidence that an attack is imminent' it was clear 'something is up outside of regular exercises or normal troop rotation'.

He warned: 'Russian intentions are unclear.'

Ukraine, Western countries and NATO accuse Russia of sending troops and heavy weapons to prop up its proxies in Donbass who seized a swathe of eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Russia says it only provides political and humanitarian support to separatist fighters in what it casts as an internal conflict.

Ukrainian military intelligence accused Russia of engineering provocations to create a pretext to send additional Russian military units to Donbass.

'In addition, an attempt to advance Russian occupation forces deep into Ukraine is not ruled out,' it said.
While football and University of Georgia fans look forward to the highly-anticipated G-Day s
Fear of physical violence and legal risks are a daily part of the job for Cambodias journalists, a new report says.

The Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association  also known as CamboJa  found 35 cases of harassment against 72 journalists in 2020. Imprisonment and violence were the most common press freedom violations documented by the rights organization, which was founded in 2019. Nearly all cases (64 incidents) involved journalists working at online news organizations.

Journalists who dare to cover and report on the interests of military and powerful officials are still being persecuted through a judiciary system that uses criminal law instead of press law and have been repeatedly beaten and subjected to violence, Nop Vy, executive director of CamboJA, said in a statement.

Meas Sophorn, a spokesperson for Cambodias Ministry of Information, questioned the reports findings, saying that all journalists working in the country have full rights and freedom to report.

The report has motive to distort public about the environment of journalists profession in Cambodia, Meas Sophorn told VOA Khmer.

More than 20 cases documented by the group involved violent attacks or threats while reporting, the report found. In all cases, no one has been held accountable.

The report cited how four reporters were attacked by a group of men armed with knives and axes in September, leaving one journalist with a serious rib injury.

The journalists, who work for the news outlets Phnek Mnoas and Chakra Phup, told VOA at the time they regularly traveled to the region to report on illegal timber routes.

One of them, Ren Samnang, said he believes the attackers apparently went there with the intent to kill.

They broke the [car] window and beat me, he said. I started the car and drove away. They followed us in their van for a kilometer and threw an ax at my car.

Following the release of the CamboJa report, Nop Vy called on the government to ensure the safety and security of all journalists so that they can exercise their rights to freely report without fear.

Chilling effect

In the capital, Phnom Penh, most of the 25 violations the association recorded involved journalists arrested or facing legal action because of commentary on politics and coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, at least 10 journalists remained in prison or pre-trial detention at the end of last year, including Ros Sokhet, of the Cheat Khmer, and radio journalist Sok Oudom, who were convicted of incitement, according to CamboJA. Others, including former Radio Free Asia journalists Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin, have charges still hanging over them.

The harassment of journalists undermines the medias role in a democratic society and strikes fear in those who cover stories or cases involving powerful officials, the CamboJA report said.

The association found that journalists most commonly were charged with incitement to commit felony or extortion, and it said the countrys criminal code is too often used to intimidate and jail journalists.

Journalists jailed under Article 495creating serious turmoil through public speech or writingcan face up to five years in prison.

Government spokesperson Meas Sophom said journalists who have been jailed had violated Cambodian laws. The legal actions against some journalists dont mean harassing, prosecuting or intimidating journalists, he said.

Ith Sothoeuth, media director at the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, said the fact that more than 70 journalists have been harassed is a concern for Cambodia press freedom.

The country has a poor record for free expression, scoring 144 out of 180 countries, where 1 is the most free on the world press freedom index compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
The first quarter of 2021 was the largest since Express Entry launched in 2015.

Express Entry Q1 2021 report: Canada smashes record as it eyes 401,000 immigration goal The first quarter of 2021 was the largest since Express Entry launched in 2015.

Express Entry Q1 2021 report: Canada smashes record as it eyes 401,000 immigration goal The first quarter of 2021 was the largest since Express Entry launched in 2015.

Canada issued invitations to 44,124 immigration candidates in the first quarter of 2021, by far the most it has issued in a quarter since Express Entry was launched in 2015.



Express Entry is the main way that Canada welcomes economic class immigrants. It is a two step process. In step one, candidates must meet the eligibility criteria of one of the three skilled worker programs that are managed under Express Entry. Eligible candidates upload their profiles onto the Canadian governments website and obtain a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on their human capital characteristics such as their age, education, language skills, and work experience.

In step two, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) holds Express Entry draws inviting successful candidates to apply for permanent residence. Generally speaking, IRCC holds draws every two weeks and invites candidates with the highest CRS scores, but it has temporarily departed from this approach due to the pandemic. Now, IRCC is focusing on inviting Express Entry candidates most likely residing in Canada during the pandemic. For the time being, program-specific draws are the new normal.

Get a Free Express Entry Assessment

New normal: program-specific draws

Canada has been holding Express Entry draws throughout the COVID-19 pandemic despite travel restrictions that have been in place since March 2020.

Many foreign nationals are exempt from the restrictions such as the close family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, some temporary foreign workers, and certain international students. However, with few exceptions, newly approved economic class immigrants overseas have been unable to complete their landing in Canada throughout the pandemic.

As a solution, IRCC has shifted to program-specific draws. Whereas it would usually consider all candidates in its Express Entry draws prior to the pandemic, it has been considering certain candidates who are either being invited due to provincial labour market needs, or because the candidates are likely living in Canada at the moment. The group particularly impacted by this policy shift are candidates eligible under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), who made up the bulk of Express Entry candidates who became permanent residents prior to the pandemic.

In the first quarter of 2021, IRCC has been alternating between Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Express Entry draws and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws. Canada held 10 Express Entry draws in the first quarter. Six of them were PNP-only, and four of them only invited CEC candidates. A total of 41,708 went to CEC candidates and 2,416 went to PNP candidates.

Every province or territory operates a PNP except for Nunavut and Quebec. The provinces look to welcome skilled workers to promote economic development. The CEC is a popular immigration pathway for those who studied or worked in Canada. Candidates need to have at least one year of Canadian work experience and meet minimum language requirements.

Saturday Surprise: February 13, 2021 draw does the heavy lifting this quarter

IRCC held a historic draw on February 13, inviting a whopping 27,332 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence. To compare, in its second-largest Express Entry draws ever, IRCC invited just 5,000 candidates.

Only Canadian Experience Class candidates were invited in this record-breaking draw, and they needed a CRS score of just 75 to receive an invitation  the lowest CRS requirement ever. Generally speaking, CRS cut-offs were usually comfortably over 400 prior to this draw.

The draw accounted for 62 per cent of all ITAs issued this quarter. Prior to this quarter, IRCC would issue a comparable level of ITAs in a three-month period as what was issued in a single draw on February 13.

The exceptional draw was a function of the pandemic.

In the first quarter of 2020, Canada had invited a total of 22,600 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence.

That number was almost doubled this quarter as IRCC looks to make up for its immigration shortfall in 2020. IRCC sought to welcome 341,000 new immigrants in 2020 until the pandemic resulted in the weakest year for Canadian immigration since 1998.

To compensate, IRCC announced the most ambitious immigration levels targets in Canadian history.

Canada is hoping to welcome a staggering 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021 with Express Entry set to account for roughly one-fourth of new arrivals.

Recognizing the persistent impact of the pandemic on immigration, IRCC has mainly focused on inviting CEC candidates. IRCC says about 90 per cent of CEC candidates are likely already in Canada.

Express Entry-aligned PNPs

Many PNP streams are aligned with the federal Express Entry system. This means that the provinces and territories use invite immigration candidates who have profiles in the Express Entry pool to apply for a provincial nomination.

This benefits the candidate since a provincial nomination adds a total of 600 CRS points to their score. This effectively guarantees receipt of an invitation to apply in the next Express Entry draw.

Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan have all issued nominations to Express Entry candidates so far this year.

What to expect in Q2 and beyond

IRCC kicked off the second quarter of 2021 by inviting 5,000 CEC candidates on April 1st.

If last year is any indication, we can expect IRCC to continue to hold program-specific CEC and PNP draws over the next few months. However, IRCC returned to all-program draws in the second half of 2020, and it may do the same against this year. The rationale would be that inviting as many PNP and CEC candidates in the first six months of the year will enable IRCC to land as many of these candidates as possible by the end of 2021, which would support its 401,000 newcomer goal for the year. Then, it can hold all-program draws in the second half of this year and complete the landing of these candidates, such as FSWP candidates, once the pandemic situation improves and travel restrictions are lifted.

Following the February 13 Express Entry draw, IRCC noted it looks forward to welcoming candidates currently overseas into Canada once the devastating pandemic has been placed under control.

Hope is on the horizon here in Canada, as the country aims to vaccinate the majority of its population by the summer thanks to major expected shipments of COVID-19 vaccines.

Get a Free Express Entry Assessment

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
India on Friday declined to comment on Pakistan's flip-flop on plans to go for limited imports of sugar and cotton from the country.

"We have seen reports on this. But as is evident, we are not the right party to whom this question should be directed at," said Arindam Bagchi, Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

His response came following questions on the issue at a media briefing.

In a volte-face, Pakistan's Cabinet on Thursday rejected the proposal of a high-powered committee to import cotton and sugar from India.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said there can be no normalisation of ties until New Delhi reverses its decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The somersault came a day after the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) under newly-appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar on Wednesday decided to buy the two key items from India, lifting a nearly two-year-long ban on their import from the neighbouring country.

Asked whether India is planning to restore the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, Bagchi said he does not have any information on it.

India withdrew the MFN status to following the Pulwama terror attack in 2019.

To a question on whether there was any interaction between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Qureshi in Dushanbe on the sidelines of a conference, the MEA spokesperson said he was not aware of any such interaction with the Pakistani delegation.

Both Jaishankar and Qureshi were at the Tajikistan capital earlier this week to attend the Heart of Asia conference.

The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process is an initiative aimed at bringing together all the key stakeholders to bring lasting peace and stability in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

(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.)
Just as the Biden administration is pushing to raise taxes on corporations, a new study finds that at least 55 of Americas largest paid no taxes last year on billions of dollars in profits.

The sweeping tax bill passed in 2017 by a Republican Congress and signed into law by President Donald J Trump reduced the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. But dozens of Fortune 500 companies were able to further shrink their tax bill  sometimes to zero  thanks to a range of legal deductions and exemptions that have become staples of the tax code, according to the analysis.

Salesforce, Archer-Daniels-Midland and Consolidated Edison were among those named in the report, which was done by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning research group in Washington.

Twenty-six of the companies listed, including FedEx, Duke Energy and Nike, were able to avoid paying any federal income tax for the last three years even though they reported a combined income of $77 billion. Many also received millions of dollars in tax rebates. Companies tax returns are private, but publicly traded corporations are required to file financial reports that include federal income tax expense. The institute used that data along with other information supplied by each company on its pretax income.

Catherine Butler, a spokeswoman for Duke Energy, responded in an email that the company fully complies with federal and state tax laws as part of our efforts to make investments that will benefit our customers and communities.



She pointed out that the bonus depreciation, intended to encourage investment in areas like renewable energy, caused Dukes cash tax obligations to be deferred to future periods, but it did not eliminate them. According to a filing at the end of 2020, Duke has a deferred federal tax balance of $9 billion that will be paid in the future.

DTE Energy, a Detroit-based utility that was also found to have paid no federal taxes for three years, said major investments in modernising aging infrastructure and new solar and wind technologies were the primary reasons last year. For utilities, the benefit of these federal tax savings are passed on to utility customers in the form of lower utility bills, it said in a statement.

A provision in the 2017 tax bill allowed businesses to immediately write off the cost of any new equipment and machinery.

The $2.2 trillion CARES Act, passed last year to help businesses and families survive the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus, also contained a provision that temporarily allowed businesses to use losses in 2020 to offset profits earned in previous years, according to the institute. DTE used that provision to get an accelerated refund of credits representing $220 million of previously paid alternative minimum taxes, the company said.

FedEx, too, took advantage of provisions in the CARES Act, using losses in 2020 to reduce tax bills from previous years when the tax rate was higher.

The report is the latest fodder in a debate over whether and how to revise the tax code. Policymakers, business leaders and tax experts argue that many deductions and credits are there for good reason  to encourage research and development, to promote expansion and to smooth the ups and downs of the business cycle, taking a longer view of profit and loss than can be calculated in a single year.

The fact that a lot of companies arent paying taxes says there are a lot of provisions and preferences out there, said Alan D. Viard, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative research group. It doesnt tell you whether theyre good or bad or indifferent. At most its a starting point, certainly not an ending point.



He pointed out that the Biden administration itself supported tax credits for green energy investments.

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has been issuing a form of its report on corporate taxes for decades. During the 2020 presidential campaign, its findings grabbed center stage, with Democratic candidates citing it to argue the tax code was deeply flawed.

Tax avoidance strategies include a mix of old standards and new innovations. Companies, for example, saved billions by allowing top executives to buy discounted stock options in the future and then deducting their value as a loss.

The Biden administration announced this week that it planned to increase the corporate tax rate to 28 percent, and establish a kind of minimum tax that would limit the number of zero-payers. The White House estimated that the revisions would raise $2 trillion over 15 years, which will be used to fund the presidents ambitious infrastructure plan.
Perteet waited until they passed before getting out of his car and going into the gas station. When he emerged, he went back to his car and started fueling up, then turned his head to see the two men approaching. Thinking he was about to be robbed, he walked back toward the building, trying to get inside, Murphy said.
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A single mother has lost a Supreme Court fight to keep her brain-damaged five-year-old alive after judges ruled her life support treatment should end.

Paula Parfitt, from Strood, Kent, wanted daughter Pippa Knight to leave hospital for specialists to stage a homecare trial.

But doctors treating Pippa, who is in a vegetative state at the Evelina Children's Hospital in London, disagreed and said life-support treatment should end.

Ms Parfitt, 41, had already lost fights in the High Court and Court of Appeal and wanted Supreme Court justices to consider the case.

She first had to get permission to stage a challenge to the appeal judges' ruling.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman said on Friday that a panel of three justices had refused to give Ms Parfitt permission to mount a Supreme Court challenge after considering a written application.

Paula Parfitt, from Strood, Kent, wanted daughter Pippa Knight (pictured together) to leave hospital for specialists to stage a homecare trial

Ms Parfitt (pictured at the Royal Courts of Justice) had already lost fights in the High Court and Court of Appeal and wanted Supreme Court justices to consider the case

Doctors treating Pippa, who is in a vegetative state at the Evelina Children's Hospital in London, disagreed with Ms Parfitt and said life-support treatment should end

Campaign group the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (Spuc) has paid for lawyers to represent Ms Parfitt and was willing to fund a Supreme Court challenge.

Spuc's deputy chief executive, John Deighan, said Ms Parfitt was 'understandably devastated' by the Supreme Court decision.

A High Court judge ruled against Ms Parfitt earlier this year.

Mr Justice Poole decided that treatment could lawfully end and said Pippa should be allowed to die.

Pippa was born in 2015 and developed normally, but in December 2016 she became unwell and began to suffer seizures and a court has heard she is now unaware of her surroundings

Doctors had diagnosed acute necrotising encephalopathy and the judge, who heard that Pippa's father was dead, described the case as 'heart-rending'

Three appeal judges had upheld Mr Justice Poole's decision after a Court of Appeal hearing.

Mr Justice Poole heard evidence at a trial in the Family Division of the High Court in London in December, and delivered a ruling in January.

The judge, who heard that Pippa's father was dead, described the case as 'heart-rending'.

Pippa was born in April 2015, and is close to her sixth birthday, and initially developed normally, but in December 2016 she became unwell and began to suffer seizures, the judge heard.

Doctors had diagnosed acute necrotising encephalopathy.
At a time when the electioneering for the April 6 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls is at its peak, Income Tax officials on Friday carried out searches in the premises of DMK President M.K. Stalin's daughter Senthamarai here, sources said.

Senthamarai is married to Sabareesan, who is said to have a major say in the DMK affairs.

The tax officials are also carrying out search operations in a couple of more places connected with the DMK.

Last month Income Tax officials searched former minister and DMK leader E.V. Velu's residence and other premises connected with him.

--IANS

vj/dpb
Park Young-sun, left, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul mayoral by-election candidate, casts a ballot at an early voting station in Jongno District Office, central Seoul, Friday, while Oh Se-hoon, candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, waves during a campaign at Sangam-dong in western Seoul, Friday. Young voters are turning toward Oh of the conservative party, reflecting frustrations with the current liberal Moon Jae-in administration. Joint press corps



By Kwon Mee-yoo



It is commonly perceived that younger people are more liberal than older generations and tend to vote for the more liberal parties or candidates.



Looking at the Seoul mayoral by-election slated for April 7, however, the usual tendency doesn't seem to be applied, as polls have shown that people in their 20s and 30s are more supportive of Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) than Park Young-sun of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).



With the election day drawing closer, the release of new opinion polls has been officially banned since Friday, but polls released the previous day showed Oh was far ahead of Park in support rate from those in their 20s and 30s.



According to a poll conducted by Realmeter on 806 adults in Seoul, 51.2 percent of people in their 20s and 52.8 percent of those in their 30s said they would vote for Oh, compared to 32.7 percent and 39.1 percent for Park, respectively. Oh has been outstripping Park in all age groups.



But contrary to the huge support for Oh from the conservative party, only 19.8 percent of those in their 20s and 19.7 percent of those in their 30s answered their ideological tendency as conservative. This is much lower than the overall average of all age groups, 26 percent.



Political analysts attributed this result to the young generation's disappointment with and antagonism toward the current liberal Moon Jae-in administration, fueled by the recent land speculation scandal involving employees of the state-run Korea Land & Housing Corp. (LH).



The younger generations were highly supportive of the Moon administration from the beginning as they led the candlelit rallies against the corruption scandals involving former President Park Geun-hye.



However, unlike its slogan of justice and fairness, the Moon administration has been embroiled in myriad corruption issues such as former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's alleged influence peddling and academic record forgery to help his daughter enter a prestigious medical school.



Moon's real estate policy also failed to stabilize housing prices, which has made it almost impossible for the young generation to buy homes on their own.



Bae Chul-ho, chief researcher at polling company Realmeter, brought up the idea of "anger voting" as the younger generation wants to send a warning or punishment to the current administration.



"Traditionally those in their 20s and 30s have been favorable to the liberal party, which is now the DPK. However, for this election, strong antipathy and criticism toward the current government and the ruling party is transforming into support for Oh from the conservative party," Bae said.



Bae also noted the young generation in their 20s and 30s are more sensitive to gender issues than the older generations, and the sexual harassment allegations raised against the disgraced former mayors of Korea's top two largest cities  Seoul and Busan  might have influenced the young voters to withdraw their support for the liberal ruling party.



Seoul and Busan are holding the by-elections because of the sexual harassment issues of their former mayors, both belonging to the ruling DPK. Former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon killed himself after being accused of sexually harassing a female secretary, while former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don stepped down after admitting to sexually harassing a female employee at the city government.



A high turnout for early voting, which is being conducted Friday and Saturday, is also traditionally considered a good sign for liberal parties, as younger people tend to choose the early voting to enjoy a day off on the election day. This has usually led liberal parties to encourage young voters to participate in early voting.



However, for this election, Oh and the PPP have been urging young people to vote early assuming they are supportive of him.



Park and the DPK, instead, are striving to win young minds. While on the campaign trail on Thursday, she promised to issue traffic passes for Seoul citizens aged between 19 and 24, which would offer about 40 percent discounts for bus and subway fares. On Friday, she also pledged to provide them with vouchers for free use of 5GB of data, another hurriedly presented promise.


editorial

The battle against Covid-19 is being taken very seriously with Government continuing the lower level lockdown over the Easter holiday and making sure that fewer people will be driving around triggering off a third wave and that Zimbabweans wanting to come home for a break will not bring in a load of virus to infect their families.

At the same time the longer term solution, mass vaccination that will allow life to return to normal, is being stepped up now that large regular supplies of vaccine are arriving allowing a lot more vaccination points and far more people getting their jabs each day.

On Tuesday, President Mnangagwa laid it on the line. He does not want to preside over a third wave requiring massive lockdown measures, seeing hospitals fill up again and having to read the daily death tolls.

He would far rather spend the health budget on vaccines rather than keeping people in intensive care and using the significant increase in nursing staff to man more vaccination points than tending to sick people in Covid-19 wards.

We learnt at Christmas that a lot of people are willing to take a chance when a major religious festival coincides with a spread of public holidays, and enough people took a chance that they triggered off the second wave that required a severe level of lockdown for two months and a lot of people falling sick.

We beat back that second wave, but it cost us, in both infections and in economic and social damage.

It makes sense to keep boarders at school for the break, forbid their parents to drive around visiting them, to maintain the 50-limit on church services, and to ensure that Zimbabweans exercising their right to come home for a break are not infected, and if they are not tested less than 48 hours before arrival then they will be quarantined.

Immigration staff are now more aware of fake certificates and with the help of border health staff can catch and deal with cheats.

Many will feel disappointed with these measures, but health experts obviously feel they are necessary. At the same time those who were not planning on travel should see the risks of having an active social life over the holiday and as far as possible stay at home.

Churches are all co-operating with the measures, fully, but we still believe our radio stations can each set aside an hour on Sunday and combine to broadcast a basic set of services that will cover the range of Christian traditions found in those churches that celebrate Easter. By the looks of it we need four, and perhaps five.

When you group churches and look at the number of adherents we could easily give five stations one preacher each if they co-operated: A Catholic service, an Evangelical service from a nominee of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, an Apostolic service and one, or perhaps two, from the more liturgical protestants in the Zimbabwe Christian Council.

The ZCC might need two to cope with the more liturgical churches like the Anglicans and its daughter congregations like the Methodists, and one for the reformed churches. It would be a lot better than nothing.

Parents and boarders will obviously be disappointed at not meeting, but it is only two or three weeks since they parted, and modern phone networks make some contact easy. Most boarding schools will no doubt make a special effort over the holiday.

But at the same time there is good news. Our first one million plus commercial order of vaccine has arrived to substantially reinforce the generous gifts we have already received from China and India and Government has made it clear that there is budget to make the necessary large further orders, with more gifts still in the pipeline.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care is stepping up the national vaccination programme to make it easier for each group to get their jabs as they are called in.

As Deputy Health Minister Dr John Mangwiro noted this week, the Ministry already has a widespread vaccination infrastructure, the one used to vaccinate all children against that host of childhood illnesses that used to cause so much suffering.

This means that there are the necessary cold rooms and clinic fridges to store vaccines, the proper carrying cases to keep vaccines cold for the few hours needed to take them the final few kilometres to vaccination points and give the jabs, and a whole set of places where most families have already visited to get other vaccines, so they will know where to go.

And there is staff available to add more of those four-nurse teams that administer the Covid-19 vaccines. We hired a lot of extra nurses to staff our new wards and with the second wave beaten back and the potential third wave hopefully averted, there are fewer sick people so some of the extra staff can be switched to the vaccination teams.

As the Deputy Minister noted, we do not need long queues. For a start that defeats the social gathering lockdown rules and secondly is very inconvenient.

Far more people are willing to come forward for jabs. By now well over 80 000 will have had their first jab with zero ill effects, so vast numbers know someone already vaccinated and realise the drivel put out on social media is just that, drivel.

And the inactive vaccines approved for Zimbabwe and the ones we have been given or bought are reckoned to be the ultimate in safe vaccines. They also cope with the varieties turning up far better than the special-target live vaccines.

One interesting bit of recent research has found that the global anti-vaxxer campaign is largely originated by around 12 nutcases in America, some of whom have never been through tertiary education and none of whom has ever done post-graduate studies in immunology.

These nutters are most of the original sources of the garbage that goes viral.

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The one weird attempt to sell fake vaccination cards appears to have been broken up with three people on remand.

So people will have to get genuine free cards from their free vaccinations. With the programme being expanded and speeded up those who feel they need a card for business purposes just have to show a little patience until their group is called in and they get the real thing, for free.

Zimbabwe has done very well in the Covid battle, and we are not about to repeat our one bit of overconfidence over Christmas. Our national vaccination campaign is using the right vaccines and is already a model in Africa as we just get on with it.

Our President and Government are a listening Government, and they have been listening to the health experts and the World Health Organisation when it comes to dealing with Covid-19, rather than playing politics or reading junk on social media.

This means we are winning, in containing infections at low levels and getting on with a properly run vaccination programme that will eliminate the virus in Zimbabwe.

All the rest of us really have to do is follow the lockdown rules properly, since they are based on expert advice, and go for our jabs when we are called in, since that programme is also run by people who know what they are talking about and know what to do.
German wine chateau sees great potential in China

From:ChinaDaily | 2021-04-02 10:08

FRANKFURTFor Schloss Reinhartshausen, a centuries-old wine chateau situated in the Rheingau region in Germany, China will be a key market for white wine in the future as its consumers become more sophisticated in their drinking preferences.

Considering the huge market potential, it is relevant to have an agreement on geographical indications in place between the European Union and China, the chateau's export manager Alexander Lorch told Xinhua News Agency in a recent interview.

Founded in 1337, Schloss Reinhartshausen is one of the oldest wineries in the world. About 90 percent of its vineyards around the chateau are planted with Riesling grapes, destined to be made into Germany's renowned Riesling wine.

"The origin of Riesling is most important to the wine itself, the style, and the character. It is important that consumers are aware of what they are purchasing," Lorch said.

For Lorch, Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the country is shifting from heavy red wine consumption toward a more diversified demand."We see that there is improvement, there is interest and there is experimenting," Lorch said.

He said there exists a large market for white wine in China. "When you have a very strong red wine consumption by history, and then you start to find there is more than red wine, there is white, there is Riesling, there are other varietals," he said.

Riesling would be a good choice for those who prefer less acidity and more fruitiness, Lorch said, adding that the wine accompanies an assortment of dishes without overwhelming the food.

"The white wines will have a great future, at least with the younger population of China," he said.

Although the German domestic market takes up 60 percent to 70 percent of the chateau's sales, China is becoming its most important export market, Lorch said.

"It's important for all of us at Reinhartshausen to really take the chance and develop step by step the Chinese market," he added.

The chateau has already set foot in China's metropolitan areas including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and is expanding.

It was also a frequent presence at wine expos in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and Shanghai before the pandemic.

Lorch said China reopened earlier than other markets in the world after the pandemic lockdowns, another positive factor in its market potential.

He hopes the chateau will welcome Chinese visitors again, possibly from 2022 on, to experience the chateau and the estate.
An airman runs across a road during a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape exercise in Minnesota, April 12, 2014. US Air National Guard/Tech. Sgt. Amy M. Lovgren

When US military personnel are stuck in harm's way, it's often the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency that gets them home.

JPRA is the Pentagon's clearinghouse for personnel-recovery operations and provides specialized training for troops who go into high-risk situations.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

On the night of March 21, 2011, a US F-15E fight jet crashed in Libya while participating in Operation Odyssey Dawn, the air campaign against Col. Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

The pilot and weapons officer managed to eject but were stranded in enemy territory. Within just a few hours, friendly forces had recovered both.

Behind that seemingly easy operation was a little-known Pentagon agency that specializes in personnel recovery.

Created in 1999, the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA) is responsible for the return of US troops and government employees stuck in isolated spots or in harm's way.

The JPRA is also the Pentagon's clearinghouse for all things related to personnel recovery, including Combat Search and Rescue and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE), as well as providing specialized training to high-risk personnel, such as pilots and special-operators.

A US airman finds his location on a map with a SERE cadre member during a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape course at Camp Bullis in Texas, August 17, 2015. US Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm

In addition to training and expertise, the JPRA is also responsible for developing and publishing personnel-recovery doctrine and for working

with allied and partner militaries on related matters.

"We have debriefed all the prisoners of war, evaders, and detainees from Vietnam onward. We also have anecdotal information from Korea, World War II, and World War I to help us with doctrine and training," a retired JPRA officer told Insider.

The JPRA is composed of a mix of civilians and military personnel, with heavy Air Force representation.

During every major operation, there is a Joint Personnel Recovery center providing support and expertise. That way, the force is better prepared to anticipate threats and react to them in a timely and effective manner.

Story continues

"Ours is a passionate focus. Our only job is personnel recovery. We know we're supporting a bigger mission," the retired JPRA officer said.

Is that really you?

Soldiers work with Army instructors from the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency during field training at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, April 25, 2018. US Army/Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Anton

When a US troop is isolated behind enemy lines and evading or escaping enemy forces, there is a procedure to determine their identity. Called the authentication process, it assures the approaching recovery force that the troop in question is indeed a US service member and not part of an attempt to lure them in an ambush.

All high-risk personnel, such as pilots, special-operators, and intelligence officers, must fill out an Isolated Personnel Report (ISOREP) that contains personal information to help the JPRA verify their identity in a real-world contingency.

The ISOREP includes fingerprints, photographs, statements, and other information with which the recovery force can create verification questions, as well as a four-digit authentication number.

Previously, this information was all kept in hard copies, but that prevented rescuers from getting to it in a timely manner during a personnel recovery contingency. The JPRA thus digitized all the ISOREP forms. This allowed a faster authentication process but also inadvertently created a security vulnerability.

A special warfare tactical air control party airman demonstrates how to use a signal mirror during search-and-rescue training in Cascade, Idaho, August 12, 2020. US Air National Guard/Senior Airman Joseph R. Morgan

In its ISOREP files, the JPRA holds some of the most sensitive information in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, making a potential hack catastrophic. China already stole millions of government personnel files by hacking the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in the early 2010s.

There are companies, like the Signature Management Unit (SMU), that offer digital security options to the government and private citizens, but the danger is real.

Once an isolated troop contacts the recovery force, the authentication process begins. The first step takes place over radio. An aircraft over head communicates with the troop to localize their location. The best platform for this is the A-10, though an F-16 or an F-15 can also do it if necessary.

Then the recovery force uses the isolated troop's ISOREP information to verify their identity. Communication happens over secure frequencies to prevent compromise, but authentication can also be done by sending signals with gestures or objects, using flares, or even by using a mirror to send messages in Morse Code.

"New technology has helped save lives, and investment into the new PRQ-7 CSEL digital multipurpose radio has gone a long way in helping troops," the retired JPRA officer told Insider.

The PRQ-7 CSEL offers precise geo-positioning and secure over-the-horizon and line-of-sight communications.

'These things we do so that others may live'

Documents and leaflets created by the JPRA for Delta Force, SEAL Team 6, and Night Stalkers members during the invasion of Afghanistan. Courtesy photo

The JPRA's purview isn't limited to personnel-recovery operations. It can get involved in a hostage-rescue situation if necessary. But that "depends on requests for support and the need" for JPRA, the retired JPRA officer told Insider.

The official overseeing the incident, whether it's an ambassador or a military commander, "has to request assistance, the officer added.

"For example, the Mike Durant incident in Somalia was a personnel-recovery event, but most people outside the US government would see it as hostage rescue," the officer said. "If rescue had occurred, the combatant commander could have tasked JPRA for specific support."

Durant, an MH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as "the Night Stalkers," was captured by Somali militiamen during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993 and released a few days later.

Although the JPRA didn't exist at the time, its predecessor agencies provided training, evasion aids, and intelligence products to US forces deployed to Somalia.

The personnel who are trained by the JPRA and might one day be saved by it value the agency.

An F-16 pilot waits to approach an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during combat-search-and-rescue training in Italy, June 24, 2014. US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Ryan Conroy

"The JPRA and its capabilities provide peace of mind to pilots and guys on the ground," a former special missions unit officer told Insider.

"Sometimes teams or even individuals will go out with zero support - no fighters, no armor, no artillery, no nothing - and also with a very light footprint, just a sidearm and perhaps an M4 here and there. So with the JPRA, they don't feel completely 'alone and unafraid,'" the former officer said, using a common military motto.

Although the JPRA takes the lead on personnel-recovery missions, it has always been a collaborative effort. Countless troops and civilians from the military and the intelligence community have contributed.

Theirs is not a glamorous mission. Their names and faces don't appear on front pages and recognition is scant. But their role is critical, providing the safe and honorable return of American service members.

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A map of the United States showing the rate of excess deaths. The Dakotas, New England, the South and Southwest had some of the highest excess deaths per 100,000 people during the final 10 months of 2020. Credit: Virginia Commonwealth University

Extended surges in the South and West in the summer and early winter of 2020 resulted in regional increases in excess death rates, both from COVID-19 and from other causes, a 50-state analysis of excess death trends has found. Virginia Commonwealth University researchers' latest study notes that Black Americans had the highest excess death rates per capita of any racial or ethnic group in 2020.

The research, publishing Friday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, offers new data from the last 10 months of 2020 on how many Americans died during 2020 as a result of the effects of the pandemicbeyond the number of COVID-19 deaths aloneand which states and racial groups were hit hardest.

The rate of excess deathsor deaths above the number that would be expected based on averages from the previous five yearsis usually consistent, fluctuating 1% to 2% from year to year, said Steven Woolf, M.D., the study's lead author and director emeritus of VCU's Center on Society and Health. From March 1, 2020, to Jan. 2, 2021, excess deaths rose a staggering 22.9% nationally, fueled by COVID-19 and deaths from other causes, with regions experiencing surges at different times.

"COVID-19 accounted for roughly 72% of the excess deaths we're calculating, and that's similar to what our earlier studies showed. There is a sizable gap between the number of publicly reported COVID-19 deaths and the sum total of excess deaths the country has actually experienced," Woolf said.

For the other 28% of the nation's 522,368 excess deaths during that period, some may actually have been from COVID-19, even if the virus was not listed on the death certificates due to reporting issues.

But Woolf said disruptions caused by the pandemic were another cause of the 28% of excess deaths not attributed to COVID-19. Examples might include deaths resulting from not seeking or finding adequate care in an emergency such as a heart attack, experiencing fatal complications from a chronic disease such as diabetes, or facing a behavioral health crisis that led to suicide or drug overdose.

"All three of those categories could have contributed to an increase in deaths among people who did not have COVID-19 but whose lives were essentially taken by the pandemic," said Woolf, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health at the VCU School of Medicine.

The percentage of excess deaths among non-Hispanic Black individuals (16.9%) exceeded their share of the U.S. population (12.5%), reflecting racial disparities in mortality due to COVID-19 and other causes of death in the pandemic, Woolf and his co-authors write in the paper. The excess death rate among Black Americans was higher than rates of excess deaths among non-Hispanic white or Hispanic populations.

Woolf said his team was motivated to break down this information by race and ethnicity due to mounting evidence that people of color have experienced an increased risk of death from COVID-19.

"We found a disproportionate number of excess deaths among the Black population in the United States," said Woolf, VCU's C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Distinguished Chair in Population Health and Health Equity. "This, of course, is consistent with the evidence about COVID-19 but also indicates that excess deaths from some conditions other than COVID-19 are also occurring at higher rates in the African American population."

Surges in excess deaths varied across regions of the United States. Northeastern states, such as New York and New Jersey, were among the first hit by the pandemic. Their pandemic curves looked like a capital "A," Woolf said, peaking in April and returning rapidly to baseline within eight weeks because strict restrictions were put in place. But the increase in excess deaths lasted much longer in other states that lifted restrictions early and were hit hard later in the year. Woolf cited economic or political reasons for decisions by some governors to weakly embrace, or discourage, pandemic control measures such as wearing masks.

"They said they were opening early to rescue the economy. The tragedy is that policy not only cost more lives, but actually hurt their economy by extending the length of the pandemic," Woolf said. "One of the big lessons our nation must learn from COVID-19 is that our health and our economy are tied together. You can't really rescue one without the other."

According to the study's data, the 10 states with the highest per capita rate of excess deaths were Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Arizona, Alabama, Louisiana, South Dakota, New Mexico, North Dakota and Ohio.

Nationally, Woolf expects the U.S. will see consequences of the pandemic long after this year. For example, cancer mortality rates may increase in the coming years if the pandemic forced people to delay screening or chemotherapy.

Woolf said future illness and deaths from the downstream consequences of the devastated economy could be addressed now by "bringing help to families, expanding access to health care, improving behavioral health services and trying to bring economic stability to a large part of the population that was already living on the edge before the pandemic." Among other research, his team's 2019 JAMA study of working-age mortality underscores the importance of prioritizing public health measures like these, he said.

"American workers are sicker and dying earlier than workers in businesses in other countries that are competing against America," Woolf said. "So investments to help with health are important for the U.S. economy in that context just as they are with COVID-19."

Derek Chapman, Ph.D., Roy Sabo, Ph.D., and Emily Zimmerman, Ph.D., of VCU's Center on Society and Health and the School of Medicine joined Woolf as co-authors on the paper published Friday, "Excess Deaths From COVID-19 and Other Causes in the United States, March 1, 2020, to January 2, 2021."

Their study also confirms a trend Woolf's team noted in an earlier 2020 study: Death rates from several non-COVID-19 conditions, such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes, increased during surges.

"This country has experienced profound loss of life due to the pandemic and its consequences, especially in communities of color," said Peter Buckley, M.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine. "While we must remain vigilant with social distancing and mask-wearing behaviors for the duration of this pandemic, we must also make efforts to ensure the equitable distribution of care if we are to reduce the likelihood of further loss of life."

Based on current trends, Woolf said the surges the U.S. has seen might not be over, even with vaccinations underway.

"We're not out of the woods yet because we're in a race with the COVID-19 variants. If we let up too soon and don't maintain public health restrictions, the vaccine may not win out over the variants," Woolf said. "Unfortunately, what we're seeing is that many states have not learned the lesson of 2020. Once again, they are lifting restrictions, opening businesses back up, and now seeing the COVID-19 variants spread through their population.

"To prevent more excess deaths, we need to hold our horses and maintain the public health restrictions that we have in place so the vaccine can do its work and get the case numbers under control."
Tilghman Student Achieves Perfect ACT Score

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Paducah Tilghman High School junior Paige Lauren Kight recently earned a perfect 36 composite score on the March ACT.Historically, fewer than 4 of every 1,000 test takers nationwide earn a perfect score."Paige has been an academic force throughout her years at Clark, Paducah Middle, and now at Tilghman," said Tilghman Principal Allison Stieg. "She is a voracious reader, a gifted writer, and a critical thinker. Given her unparalleled work ethic and her thirst for knowledge, it came as no surprise to me that she aced the ACT. She is well-positioned to start her senior year and I have no doubt that her college application process will be an exciting one."Lauren is an AP Scholar, a member of the National Honor Society, and a member of the Varsity Academic Team. She is a member of PTHS' Band of Blue, a member of the Paducah Symphony Youth Choir, and is active in the 4-H Sewing Club and PTHS' Sustainability Club. Paige Lauren is also a Youth Advisor for parentandteen.com.She was named a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar in 7th grade, a designation that follows her through high school and her undergraduate career.Paige is the daughter of Kelly and Robert Kight.
Press Release

2 April 2021

Synergy Hospitality Management has been selected to manage the Holiday Inn Lancaster located on Chestnut Street in idyllic Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This partnership brings hospitality management expertise that strongly aligns with the ownership's commitment to the improvement and advancement of Lancaster. This expansion of Synergy's third-party managed portfolio showcases the balance of operations and partnership that the company has long been known for.

Advertisements

THE STORIED REVIVAL OF HOLIDAY INN LANCASTER

The Holiday Inn Lancaster has a story to tell as it looks forward to welcoming more visitors in the hospitality rebound of 2021. In 2013 the 45-year-old, 10 story hotel was acquired by a partnership led by John Meeder, Sam Wilkser and other investors. Together they repositioned the property as The Hotel Lancaster, bringing new energy and needed capital to the hotel.

In 2018, the new owners invested nearly $17 million to completely renovate all rooms and public areas of the hotel and bring it a new life, ultimately joining the IHG brand family as the Holiday Inn Lancaster in 2019. Renovations also included the addition of first-class food and beverage outlets in The Imperial Restaurant and the Imperial Ballrooms. In so doing, the hotel has added a premier venue for corporate meetings and social events, as well as employment opportunities and economic revival to the downtown area. Meeder was quoted in 2013 saying, "the hotel is different, and downtown is better off." This statement, now dating back almost 10 years, could not be truer, even today.

OPERATIONAL EXPERTISE BROUGHT BY SEASONED HOTELIERS

As the ownership of the Holiday Inn Lancaster looks ahead to 2021, the experience found within Synergy Hospitality Management will be important to elevate the operations and sales deployment of the hotel. A short distance from the Greater Philadelphia area, the Hotel is positioned in prime operations territory for the Pennsylvania based hotel management company.

"We are looking forward to bringing Synergy's proven operational best practices and unwavering sales ambition to Holiday Inn Lancaster," states Stephen Field, President of Synergy Hospitality Management. "2020 was a difficult year for the entire hospitality industry, but even those challenges have bettered our industry, they have reaffirmed our commitment of being a leader in operational excellence." The selection of Synergy to manage the Hotel was based on its alignment of company values, the ability to drive profitability, and its history of building environments of positive associate engagement and advancement. Meeder adds: "The vison of Synergy closely matches what we set out to do from the start. We are grateful to have a management company that shares our vision and has the demonstrated ability to lead us forward to realize our goals for the hotel and community."

ABOUT HOLIDAY INN LANCASTER

The 215-room Holiday Inn Lancaster, located two blocks from the Lancaster Convention Center, is an ideal location for spring and summer leisure travel, as well as a fit destination for group and corporate travelers. The Hotel offers 19,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, including the Imperial Ballrooms. All spaces include collaborative technology, such as remote meetings and screen sharing capabilities. Additional amenities include the Imperial, a full-service restaurant, a spacious and welcoming lobby, an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, guest laundry center, and a 24-hour market. To round out the guest-pleasing offerings at the Hotel, later this year, a second-floor rooftop patio will hold a grand opening welcoming guests and local patrons.

We welcome you to learn more about Holiday Inn Lancaster.

ABOUT MEEDER DEVELOPMENT

Meeder Development Corporation, led by John Meeder, has been making a positive impact in Lancaster City and County for over 36 years. Focusing on historic and sometimes blighted properties, Meeder has transformed major blocks of Lancaster City. This type of urban development requires creativity, collaboration and integrity. These traits, when combined with perseverance, have led to the completion of numerous projects in downtown Lancaster. Meeder and Sam Wilsker, VP, have led the Holiday Inn Lancaster project with the support of the City of Lancaster, the Economic Development Authority of Lancaster, the Community First Fund, the Lancaster CRIZ Authority and the Commonwealth Finance Authority of PA and several commercial lenders anchored by PeoplesBank. In total, the Holiday Inn Lancaster required nine sources of funds and multiple sources of equity investment to position it where it is today. We are grateful for the business community's continued support so that the Holiday Inn Lancaster can support the Lancaster City and community.
Some high-tech surveillance is so dangerous to privacy that companies must never deploy it against a person without their voluntary opt-in consent. It comes as little surprise that Amazon, the company that brought you Ring doorbell cameras and Rekognition face surveillance, has a tenuous understanding of both privacy and consent. Earlier this week, Motherboard revealed the companys cruel take it or leave demand to its 75,000 delivery drivers: submit to biometric surveillance or lose your job.



Amazons Privacy Policy for Vehicle Camera Technology states it may collect face image and biometric information. The company uses this information, among other things, to verify driver identity, and to provide real-time in-vehicle alerts about driver behaviors such as potentially distracted driving. This sensitive information collected by safety cameras mounted in delivery vehicle cabins is stored for as long as 30 days and available to Amazon on request. The companys Vehicle Technology and Biometric Consent document states: As a condition of delivering Amazon packages, you consent to the use of the Technology and collection of data and information from the Technology by Amazon  Likewise, the companys Photos Use and Biometric Information Retention Policy states: Amazon  require[s] that users of the Amazon delivery application provide a photo for identification purposes. Amazon may derive from your stored photo a scan of your face geometry or similar biometric data 



According to an Amazon contractor who spoke to Motherboard: I had one driver who refused to sign. Its a heart-breaking conversation when someone tells you that youre their favorite person they have ever worked for, but Amazon just micromanages them too much.



According to another Amazon driver, who spoke to Thomson Reuters Foundation last month about this new surveillance program: We are out here working all day, trying our best already. The cameras are just another way to control us.



The new Amazon system, called Driveri, is built by a company called Netradyne. It combines always-on cameras, pointed at both the driver and the road, with real-time AI analysis of the footage. Five U.S. Senators recently sent Amazon a letter raising privacy and other concerns about Driveri, and seeking information about it.



In a recent blog, we detailed why biometric surveillance technologies, such as face recognition, must never be deployed without informed and freely given opt-in consent. As we explained, we cannot change our biometrics, and it is extraordinarily difficult to hide them from other people. With advances in technology, it is easier every day for companies to collect our biometrics, rapidly identify us, build dossiers about us and our movements, and sell all this information to others.



Fortunately, Illinois enacted its Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). This critical law requires companies to obtain opt-in consent before collecting a persons biometrics or using them in a new way. It also establishes a deletion deadline. People whose BIPA rights are violated may enforce the law with their own private right of action. We oppose efforts, past and present, to exempt workplaces from BIPA's scope. A federal bill to extend BIPA nationwide was introduced last year by U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Bernie Sanders.



Of course, when Amazon says to its drivers, give us your biometrics or youre fired  thats not consent. Thats coercion.
YouTube star James Charles has apologised after he admitted messaging underage boys.

The beauty guru, 21, shared a 14-minute video titled holding myself accountable and said he had engaged in flirty conversations with two 16-year-olds.

Charles, who has more than 25 million subscribers on YouTube, said he believed the boys were 18  the age of consent in California, where he lives  when they started talking on Snapchat.

Expand Close James Charles has apologised after admitting he messaged underage boys (PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp James Charles has apologised after admitting he messaged underage boys (PA)

He said: In both of these cases, I added these people on Snapchat, asked how old they were right away, was told that they were 18, believed them, engaged in a flirty conversation and then later on found out that they were actually 16.

Upon finding out, I was immediately embarrassed and blocked both people.

Charles added: I f***** up. These conversations shouldve never happened, point blank, period. There is no excuse for it, there is no ifs, ands or buts and I take full responsibility for that.

Charles said he should have taken a closer look at the boys social media profiles and realised their true ages.

He added: As an adult, it is my job and my responsibility to verify who Im talking to, and therefore there is no one else to blame for this but myself.

My hope has always been to be in a relationship with somebody around my age or older that I can relate to or that can make me laugh and unfortunately, I have not been able to find that person yet James Charles

And apologising to the boys, Charles said: To the guys involved in the situation, I wanna say Im sorry. Im sorry that I flirted with you and Im really sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable. It is completely unacceptable.

Charles said his behaviour was reckless and stemmed from the fact he is desperate for a relationship.

He said he is absolutely not looking for a younger boyfriend.

Charles said: My hope has always been to be in a relationship with somebody around my age or older that I can relate to or that can make me laugh and unfortunately, I have not been able to find that person yet.

The influencer also addressed the power imbalance between him and his fans.

He said: What I wasnt getting before is that the excitement that comes with talking to a celebrity is literally enough to make somebody do or say something they normally wouldnt.

Even if that celebrity isnt even intentionally weaponising their fame, money or power. Thats the concept I just wasnt getting, but I now do.

This is not the first time Charles, who grew his vast social media audience by posting makeup video tutorials, has been accused of inappropriate behaviour.

In 2019 he was accused of trying to manipulate peoples sexuality, with his fellow YouTube star Tati Westbrook saying Charles had tried to trick a straight man into thinking hes gay.
Juvenile Charged After Murray Middle School Threat

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MURRAY - A juvenile has been charged following an investigation into a reported threat at Murray Middle School on Thursday.The Murray Police Department said multiple officers responded to the school at around 3:15 p.m. and determined there was no threat and the school was safe.On Friday, authorities charged a juvenile with third-degree terroristic threatening. The Murray Police Department reminds the public that threatening statements should never be made, even if they are made as a joke.In a Facebook post, Murray Independent School District Superintendent Coy D. Samons said the incident took place after regular afternoon dismissal. Any remaining students and staff were evacuated.
Qureshi links trade resumption to Article 370 restoration

Pakistan's Cabinet on Thursday rejected the recommendation of the Economic Coordination Committee to import cotton and sugar from India. (Photo: AP)

Islamabad: In a volte-face, Pakistan's Cabinet on Thursday rejected the recommendation of the Economic Coordination Committee to import cotton and sugar from India, with two senior ministers saying there can be no normalisation of ties with New Delhi until it reverses its decision in 2019 to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The somersault came a day after the high-powered committee under newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar on Wednesday decided to import the two key items from India, lifting a nearly two-year-long ban on their import from the neighbouring country.

The issue was under speculation since afternoon but officials kept mum and finally the first confirmation came from Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, who is known for her hawkish stand on Kashmir.

"Today Cabinet stated clearly NO trade with India," Mazari tweeted soon after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday.

Mazari said that Prime Minister Khan, who chaired the first Cabinet meeting after testing COVID-19 positive on March 20, "made (it) clear (that) there can be no normalisation of relations with India until they reverse their actions viz Kashmir of August 5 2019.

Later, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a video message said that the Cabinet discussed the issue of import of cotton and sugar from India.

"An impression is being created that relations with India have become normal and trade has been restored " he said. "On this impression, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet had a consensus opinion that until India reviewed the unilateral actions of Aug 5, 2019, it would not be possible to normalise ties with India."

Ahead of the Cabinet meeting, Mazari had said that all ECC decisions have to be approved by Cabinet and only then can they be seen as "approved" by the government.

"Just for the record - All ECC decisions have to be approved by Cabinet & only then they can be seen as "approved by govt"! So today in Cabinet there will be discussion on ECC decisions incl trade with India & then govt decision will be taken! Media shd be aware of this atleast!" Mazari had tweeted.

Azhar's announcement on Wednesday to import cotton and sugar from India had raised hopes of a partial revival of bilateral trade relations, which were suspended after the August 5, 2019 decision of New Delhi to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

India is the world's biggest producer of cotton and the second biggest sugar manufacturer.

In May 2020, Pakistan had lifted the ban on import of medicines and raw material of essential drugs from India amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in Pakistan. Subsequent attacks, including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relationship.

The ties strained further after India's war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

India's move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August, 2019 angered Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties with India and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pakistan also snapped all air and land links with India and suspended trade and railway services.
New Delhi: Rwanda's President Paul Kagame will be visiting India later this month, the first head of state visit from Africa to India amid covid Pandemic. The visit comes even as India is increasing its engagement with Africa, with a number of high-level visits from both sides before the pandemic.

Both India and Rwanda have seen high-level engagement, with Indian PM Modi visiting the country in 2018. Remember during that visit, India had gifted 200 Indian cows that helped in improving the availability of milk for Rwandan children and also increased the income of farmers.

In the month of March, India had supplied Rwanda India made vaccines. 2.9 lakh doses of India made vaccines were sent, of which 2.40 lakh were sent under COVAX, and 0.5 lakh as a gift.

This year, Rwanda's capital Kigali will be hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the month of June.

Kagame while making the announcement had said, CHOGM Rwanda 2021 will be an exceptional occasion to deliberate together on the enormous technological, ecological, and economic challenges and opportunities facing the Commonwealth, particularly our young people, and which are all the more pressing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Indian PM Modi is expected to attend the summit, with India being one of the largest members of the Commonwealth, in terms of size and in terms of population. PM Modi had attended the 2018 commonwealth summit in London.



Live TV
analysis

Southern African writers are publishing books through Facebook and Whatsapp that speak directly to readers' lives . Is this the future or a fad?

As a young teenage bookworm, Lizzie Muchenje would buy novels from bookshops, borrow from libraries and exchange literature with her friends. But in 2018, her reading life changed. A friend added her to a WhatsApp group on which readers and writers share online books in English and Shona. Some require a nominal fee to access but many are free, meaning Muchenje could suddenly access an almost unlimited array of new literature for a dollar's worth of data.

"Since that day, I am addicted to novels," says the now 16-year-old. She spends her leisure time in Zimbabwe reading stories on her mobile phone, with new chapters or series shared almost daily.

Muchenje is far from the only satisfied customer. Across countries in Southern Africa, a trend has emerged of readers turning to books by local authors that are uploaded directly to Facebook pages, Whatsapp groups or shared online as pdfs. The genres span everything from fantasy to crime and self-help. They are often in local languages and some even use emoji to depict action. Many readers find them not only more affordable and accessible, but more relatable.

"Online books are free and entertaining, and are based on true stories affecting us," says Theresa Mwando, another keen reader. "The names and places are real, and one feels attached to the setting. It feels real and interesting to read a thriller by a local author in vernacular, rather than a book written by the thriller author John Grisham who is far away from me."

The lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic have only accelerated this trend. "I am an avid reader but with many libraries closed and expensive printed books, online books are serving me well," says Muchenje.

A novel trend

This new phenomenon began in earnest around five years as more writers in the region - particularly in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe - began trying to circumvent the traditional publishing industry.

For some, such as South African novelist Sanele Shongwe, it started as an experiment. "I started writing on Facebook, using a pen name afraid that people would label me a failure who write stories on Facebook, but the support I got gave me the courage to reveal myself," he says.

He is now proud to put his name to his works and this January started a new Facebook group called Ka-Shongwe Stories. On the page, which already has 1,500 readers, he publishes novels in Zulu for free, one page at a time. "My readers appreciate and like my writing a lot, and send positive comments," he says.

Morgan Tatenda set up his page Dr TM Stories five years ago as a way to reach his audience more quickly and directly. It now has nearly 50,000 followers, who keenly await updates of his detective and love stories. "I write novels in Shona but normally I mix Shona and English because I am trying to attract today's generation," he says. "Nowadays, our generation mix vernacular and English in their conversations. That's what this generation wants."

Tatenda has now published over 27 books online. He provides a few chapters for free and invites readers to pay a fee to read the rest. He says he sells about 500 pdfs of his books each month.

Pride Mawedzere, 24, writes at Suwani Stories, which has nearly 25,000 fans. Like Tatenda, he publishes sections of his writing for free after which readers can buy the complete pdfs for a fee. The Zimbabwean author says he turned to direct online publishing to ensure he received maximum profits and ownership of his work.

"I use my smartphone to type and I take a month to finish a book," he says. "After writing, I give it to a proofreader, then to my editor. It is then designed for typesetting and registered." He explains that he pays these individuals a flat fee, but after that, any income is his.

"There are a lot of disadvantages with publishers," he says. "For instance, the publisher will get the copyrights for your work unlike with self-publishing where you get 100% of the profits."

Fad or future?

The response to this new trend in the traditional publishing industry has been mixed. Some, such as Zimbabwean author Ignatius Mabasa, 50, welcome it. In his decades long career, he has published several books through the traditional publishing industry but has tried to find ways to innovate. Mabasa was one of the first Zimbabwean writers to publish e-books and, in 2012, established Bhabhu Books to support books written in local languages.

"Reading books or stories on a phone is cheaper, easy, accessible and not intimidating," he says. "The more online stories we have, the better our reading culture becomes... If you want your work to have a market, then go to where the people are."

Mabasa has followed the phenomenon with interest and suggests new online authors are now beginning to compete with more established writers by circumventing the "gatekeeping and bureaucracy" of the traditional publishing industry.

"The competition with bookshops is there because online books are creating a new culture which is quick and accessible and flexible," he says. "There is also an interesting aspect: the ability to directly interact with the author can create a new way of co-authored works, or works that gratify readers better."

Others, however, are more sceptical about the impact of online publishing and see it more as a passing phase.

"I don't think it is the future of the publishing industry, but when the economy is down something takes over," says Bridget Impey, publishing director at the South African publishers Jacana Media. "As publishers, we don't see online publishers affecting us, but the competition is from self-publishing authors. It is hard to measure the impact of online authors."

She also points out that publishing online brings with it its own financial risks such as piracy, which can make it less lucrative for writers. This issue was echoed by some online authors. Impey is nonetheless open to hear from writers who have cut their teeth in unconventional ways.

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"I think it is a fascinating and developing trend of flash fiction, but we might be slow off the mark. If the writers tell us what they can do, we will consider their writings. They have followers already," she says.

For some online writers, this is a welcome invitation.

"I have never sent my books to a publisher for consideration... I don't know how book publishers operate," says Shongwe. "It's every person's dream to have a career out of a passion, so I am willing to have that opportunity if there is a chance."

For others, the traditional publishing industry is of no interest. For them, publishing directly online is not merely convenient but an active choice.

"I condemned traditional publishing; to me, it is out fashioned," says Tatenda. "I have to follow what this generation is doing and whether you are in a taxi or a bus or even walking down the streets, you will see everyone glued to their phones... Some of the media houses are now doing everything online. Even radio stations are doing the same. So why not us as authors?"

Derick Matsengarwodzi is a content creator with experience in the media, public relations, advertising and marketing industries, including NGOs. He contributes to regional and international publications.
Author

Kyndall Wiedrich, a Project Manager with the HVS Denver office, graduated from Colorado State University in 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Prior to joining HVS in 2019, Kyndall worked in real estate sales in Fort Collins, Colorado, spent many years working in early childhood education, and held a position on the Group Gives Board of Directors. Kyndall started at HVS as executive assistant to the Americas President, Rodney Clough, which has informed her interest in hotel analysis and given her a deep curiosity about hotel appraisal work. Contact Kyndall at (303) 335-6041 or [email protected]
Not everyone wants to be with one partner forever, even if monogamy has had a long history of being the norm in romantic relationships. As more people begin to challenge old traditions, new forms of relationships are emerging.

At the start of the pandemic, when most of the world longed for connection, Haili Blassingame, the writer of this weeks Modern Love essay, began to feel confined by her relationship and the socially sanctioned norms that governed it. Shortly after ending that five-year relationship, she realized commitment wasnt her issue. What she wanted was the space to embrace a nontraditional, polyamorous lifestyle, where she would have the freedom to engage in relationships with multiple partners.
New Delhi, April 2 : As economic activities continue to gain momentum, the unemployment rate in India declined to 6.5 per cent in March, according to data from the Centre for Monitoring India Economy (CMIE).

In February, the unemployment rate was 6.9 per cent.

Interestingly, the urban unemployment rate rose to 7.24 per cent last month from 6.99 per cent in February, indicating that the Covid-19 pandemic still has its impact on the employment scenario. In January and February, the unemployment rate for urban areas had declined.

The rural unemployment rate, however, declined to 6.19 per cent in March from 6.86 per cent the previous month, as per the CMIE data.

Although the employment scenario in the country seems to be improving, the recent spurt in the number of Covid cases and the resultant local restrictions have raised concerns of another hit in the economy and the job market.

Several experts and industry participants have advocated against stringent lockdowns, even at local and state levels.

"Covid-19 infections have been rising in recent times. In Maharashtra, the rise is alarming enough for the Chief Minister to warn of the possibility of a return to lockdown days. However, unlike a year ago, there are several voices that suggest that a lockdown is not the solution," said Mahesh Vyas, CEO of CMIE.

Noting that science has delivered vaccines against the virus, he said that efficient administration of inoculations along with sustained discipline in maintaining physical distance is a better strategy than a 'draconian' lockdown.

"The livelihood cost of a lockdown is too high. Average household incomes fell by 9.2 per cent in March 2020 and by 27.9 per cent in April 2020 as a result of the lockdown," Vyas said.

He noted that household incomes had not repaired to their pre-lockdown levels even in October 2020, the latest month for which income data is available.

Average household income in October 2020 was 12 per cent lower than what it was a year ago, Vyas said, adding that given that employment in October 2020 was also lower than what it was a year ago, aggregate household income was even lower than the average household income.

Amid a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in Pune, the district administration on Friday came out with a 'mini-lockdown' style night curfew and other stringent norms for a week to control the spread of the virus.

This will include shutting down hotels, restaurants, bars, cinema halls and multiplexes, and extension of the night curfew hours from 8 pm-7 am to 6 pm-6 am, or 12 hours, starting Saturday.

Such stringent measures, if extended or taken up in other places, may result in losses to businesses and further loss of jobs.

Anand Mahindra, the Chairman of the Mahindra Group, had recently urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to avoid a lockdown as it hurts the poor and small businesses.

"The problem, @OfficeofUTji, is that the people a lockdown hurts most are the poor, migrant workers & small businesses. The original lockdowns were essentially to buy time to build up hospital/health infrastructure. Let's focus on resurrecting that & on avoiding mortality," he had tweeted recently.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Sophia Dent

Vandalia, Ohio | Chemical Engineering Major

The accomplishments of Sophia Dent and fellow recipient Michaela Mitchell are so closely linked that the first part of both pages are the same, followed by additional contributions of each recipient. Sophia and Michaela served as president and vice president of Miamis Engineers Without Borders (EWB) organization over the past year. Prior to COVID, EWB members were involved in planning and coordinating multiple simultaneous projects in different locations. Although members stopped meeting in person, these projects did not stop because of the pandemic. Through Sophias and Michaelas leadership, EWB continued to work with a Cincinnati park to survey and design a bridge for hikers, and even worked remotely with communities in Uganda and Rwanda to help supply water to five villages, almost 5,000 total people. Even more impressive, EWB members continued their work with enthusiasm and even recruited a large class of new members in Fall 2020. They kept the organization responsive to members needs, from changing meeting times to including more professional development and more opportunities to interact with the chapters mentors.

Individually, Sophia has traveled to Rwanda twice with EWB, serving as the trip manager the second time. She coordinated logistics that led to the successful installation of a two-mile long water supply pipeline. Sophia has been involved with the Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute and with the Center for Career Exploration and Success, where she coordinated the social media presence.

One nominator put it well, saying that both Sophia Dent and Michaela Mitchell have provided outstanding leadership to Engineers Without Borders, first in separate roles and then working together to guide the chapter through the challenging pandemic year of 2020. They are receiving recognition for their distinguished efforts both separately and together.
Seen is one of the traditional-style schools in Cheonghakdong Village, located in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, which has been embroiled in controversy over school violence cases. Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



The police, education office and county office of Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, launched a joint investigation, Friday, into a series of school violence cases involving traditional-style schools in Cheonghakdong Village there.



The provincial police agency said the investigation is aimed at discovering whether there have been additional cases and taking legal or administrative actions against the traditional school operators if they are found to be responsible for the incidents.



"We are questioning students living in dormitories of the schools as well as their classmates in regular schools," a police official said.



Cheonghakdong Village is a tranquil mountainous town that maintains a traditional lifestyle. Some 100 children there attend nearby Mukgye Elementary School and Cheongam Middle School, and, after the school hours and at night, stay at the dormitories of the traditional schools which are dedicated to moral education.



According to police, a teenage boy was bullied by two others living together with him in one of the dormitories, in February last year. The offenders, who habitually beat the victim and even sprayed their semen on him, were indicted by the prosecution in December for the alleged sex offense.



Police have found several more cases of alleged violence and bullying during their initial investigation into this case, including another boy forced to drink urine in March last year.



Since the cases were made known to the public recently, the mother of a teenage girl posted a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, March 24, claiming that her daughter was also bullied by three others who forced her to drink toilet water as well as laundry detergent.


The vaccines were carried offsite from the Coombe Hospital and given to family members on Friday, January 8

The Coombe Maternity Hospital obstetrician who took two leftover Covid-19 vaccines home to vaccinate family members said today she will not be commenting until the review process is complete.

Dr Carmen Regan is one of eight staff of the maternity hospital who administered 16 surplus vaccines following a vaccination clinic in early January.

Contacted by Independent.ie today, Dr Regan said she has "no comment" at this point and will wait until the "review process is complete."

Read More

A report of an independent review commissioned by the board of the hospital which was published yesterday found that of the 16 family members, nine were over the age of 70 and the remaining were of varying age.

The master of the hospital Prof Michael OConnell, who gave surplus vaccine to two of his children, was asked to resign by former Coombe master Dr Chris Fitzpatrick following the report.

Dr Fitzpatrick said Prof OConnell must be held ultimately accountable.

The review, carried out by senior counsel Brian Kennedy, examined the events of January after a vaccination clinic at the hospital.

The decision to give the vaccine to family members was reached by consensus by a group of eleven staff.

Prof OConnell said he thought of offering the vaccines to local gardai and members of the fire brigade staff but did not suggest it .

He was concerned about consent and their medical history.

In a statement on the publication of the review, the hospital board said guidelines set out in the Government's Template Vaccination Plan in respect of the priority list for vaccination were followed at all times, save for 16 doses administered to the families of some hospital staff.

"These doses were administered after hospital personnel formed the view that no other frontline staff were immediately available for vaccination, the board said.

"The Clinical Guidance then available stated that leftover vaccines were to be discarded, although the subsequent Sequencing Guidance, which post-dated the first round of vaccinations at the hospital, stated that no doses were to be wasted.

The report stated that no vaccine was wasted, but it identified other options that could have been considered, and the difficulties attached to them.

It said at the time, the vaccine guidance was evolving over the use of surplus vaccines and the number of doses that could be taken from each vial, while there was nothing in the guidelines about preparing a standby list.

It also said the absence at the time of a central IT system meant the process had to be managed manually.

The board also noted the pressured environment, compounded by long hours, Covid related staff absences and the challenge of implementing this vaccine for the first time alongside normal functioning of the Hospital.

However, the board said: "Notwithstanding mitigating factors, the Board accepts that mistakes were made, not least in the decision to vaccinate family members and, in one case, in the administration of two vaccines offsite. Lessons must and will be learnt to ensure that similar issues cannot recur.

Commenting, chair of The Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, Mary Donovan, said more than 1,100 doses of vaccine had been given out to frontline staff.

"It is clear from the facts established by the Review that the programme was rolled out at the very early stages of the vaccine programme in quite unique circumstances, she said.

"It is also clear from the Review that those administering the vaccine did maximise the number of doses from the vials and that no vaccines were wasted. The Review also found that on the evening of Friday 8th January the team at the Hospital made efforts to identify other front line staff.

Despite the mitigating factors, and the overall success of the vaccine programme, the Board is disappointed that 16 family members were vaccinated with leftover vaccines. This should not have happened. We are also concerned that in the case of one family, two vaccinations occurred offsite. Again, this should not have happened.

She said the board takes this very seriously and has started a process to address the implications and ensure it nothing similar happens again.
The letter sent to "Mr T" by Darragh and Aodhan Keating.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has this evening reassured the children of Ireland that the Easter Bunny will be permitted to visit their homes this weekend.

With strict travel restrictions in place this Bank Holiday weekend due to Covid-19, Darragh and Aodhan Keating from Cork wrote to the Taoiseach to request that the Easter Bunny be allowed to enter homes.

Attaching cutouts of Easter eggs, bunnies and hens to their letter, the brothers asked Mr T: [An Taoiseach] will the Easter Bunny be allowed into our house?.

The boys asked Mr T to grant the bunny permission to visit them despite the Cova Virus, which has meant they get no visitors to our house.

Read More

Darragh and Aodhan also told the Taoiseach of their dismay that they havent been able to go to the beach in a very long time, and said: we want to make sandcastles.

Mr Martin said the Cork brothers were very good artists indeed and in response to their query as to whether the Easter Bunny would be allowed into their homes, issued the boys a video message to ensure them the bunny could travel beyond his 5km limit.

We all have to be very careful over the next number of days, but I have good news for you.

Theres going to be an eggs-emption for the Easter Bunny so the children of Ireland can get treats, given how hard they have worked all year against Covid-19.

Yes, the eggs-emption will be granted to the Easter bunny, but dont eat them all at once and thanks again for your letter, Mr Martin said in response to the Keating brothers.
[April 02, 2021] KONKA Group Reports 125% Net Profit Surge in 2020, Pushing Further into Optoelectronics

SHENZHEN, China, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KONKA Group Co. Ltd. ("the Company"; 000016.SZ), a leading technology company, has released its financial results for 2020. The Company's net profit last year expanded by 125.26% year-on-year, driven by its environmental technology, semiconductors, new materials and electronics businesses. KONKA is committed to investing in technological innovation, and last year the Company focused on the development of semiconductors and artificial intelligence, with its spending on research and development increasing by 36.57% year-on-year. Specifically, KONKA has optimized its business in the semiconductor industry, especially in the optoelectronic field. For example, the Company built the world's first Micro LED full-process R&D production line, allowing it to carry out trial production. In 2020, KONKA also continued to drive the development of Micro LED- and Mini LED-related development, obtaining nearly 700 core patents. The Company rolled out products such as the Micro LED Watch - the APHAEA Watch and a series of Micro LED and Mini LED 8K televisions. In terms of storage, KONKA primarily designs and markets master storage chips, and has been producing and selling its storage main control chips.



"KONKA categorizes technologies that are in line for more development as Micro LED and categorizes those that have been marketized as Mini LED," Li Hongtao, vice president of KONKA, said. "KONKA will continue to carry out the 'dual wheel' development strategy to aim the Company's R&D power at areas that have yet to see technological breakthroughs and put those that have seen breakthroughs on the market," he said.

A well-rounded R&D system lays a critical foundation for technological breakthroughs. KONKA has formed a research alliance that connects prestigious universities, technology companies, and scientific and technology research institutes, to establish labs dedicated to artificial intelligence, internet of things, 5G, data imagery and communication applications. Such strong R&D capacity has helped diversify KONKA's product lineup. The Company has rolled out smarter electronics and appliances such as its K2 smart TV, APHAEA A5 TV and refrigerators. Meanwhile, KONKA has sold its products through livestreaming in collaboration with its offline stores, to accommodate consumers' changing shopping habits. As for KONKA's white goods business, the segment has grown with the "KONKA + Frestec" dual brand operation after the acquisition of Frestec Electrical Appliances, further amplifying the Company's influence in the market. Last September, the Company acquired Beko Changzhou Plant and entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Arcelik, the parent company of Beko, marking the beginning of a new phase for the Company's drum washing machines  a shift from OEM to independent R&D, design, production and manufacturing. In a bid to build a more integrated mechanism, KONKA has vigorously developed new projects to construct a number of industrial parks. Last year, the Company completed construction of Dongguan Konka Smart Industrial Park, Yibin Konka High-Tech Park, Frestec Smart Home Park, Chengdu Konka Smart Terminal Park, providing new momentum for its smart industrial transformation. In 2021, KONKA aims to pour more efforts into R&D and innovation. On one hand, it will continue to increase its investment in R&D this year. On the other hand, it is set to focus on core technology in the field of semiconductors, seeking for breakthroughs in chip and mass transfer technologies, and to further develop Micro LED. Meanwhile, KONKA will gradually step up its efforts in acquiring intellectual property rights and strengthen its technological advantages in areas such as 5G, 8K, internet of things, Micro LED, semiconductors and storage, aiming to transforming the Company from an electronics company to an even more tech-centric company. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/konka-group-reports-125-net-profit-surge-in-2020-pushing-further-into-optoelectronics-301261349.html SOURCE KONKA

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Colleges on Staten Island are changing the way they handle reports of sexual assault on campus through a partnership with the district attorneys office.

The College of Staten Island (CSI), Wagner College and St. Johns University have partnered with District Attorney Michael McMahons office to make all survivor and investigative services available to the Title IX coordinator at each school should a survivor wish to pursue an investigation.

Counseling, medical resources, discussion of legal options, and a dedicated support person to help guide a survivor through the criminal justice system will all be made available if the survivor wishes to report the incident.

Meeting with an RCDA Victim Services for assistance and counseling will be available even if a survivor chooses not to file a report.

This partnership will continue to develop and grow. College is a time for growth and all parties want students to feel safe in their home away from home, said McMahon, CSI President William Fritz, Wagner College President Joel Martin and St. Johns University President Rev. Brian Shanley in a joint statement.

All incoming students will be made aware of the resources available to them at new student orientations, and the district attorneys office will make itself available at different events and areas throughout the school year for students and staff.

Information and resources will also be posted on each schools website.

The goal we wish to achieve is to create a foundation of trust and understanding with each member of the student body and staff on the different topics associated with sexual assault, the statement says.

FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER.
Two Angus branches have been told to pay back 20,000 in help they should not have been given - Reuters

SNP branches who claimed thousands of pounds in Covid business support were wrong and the money will be paid back, Nicola Sturgeon said on Friday.

The party has been urged to come clean on the number of branches that claimed the support, after two Angus branches were told to pay back 20,000 in help they should not have been given.

The Arbroath and Montrose SNP branches each made successful 10,000 business support grant applications to Angus Council last year, but have since been told the rules dont permit grants to political parties and have been ordered to repay the cash.

Alex King, Arbroath West and Letham SNP councillor and branch treasurer, said the rules around the grants initially did not state that political parties werent entitled to the support.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, the First Minister said she is not aware of other branches claiming the lifeline fund and admitted that it would not be an appropriate use of public money.

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As I understand it the rules weren't broken but the councils have decided that it is not appropriate, and the money in one case has been paid back and in the other case is in the process of being paid back, she said.

If I thought that it was an appropriate use and in the spirit of the rules around the use of public money it wouldn't be getting paid back.

However, the Tories have demanded that the SNP come clean about how much taxpayers money was claimed and alleged that local branches were encouraged to play the system by senior nationalists.

"If they won't come clean, we may need a police investigation to examine if there has been an attempt at fraud here, said Maurice Golden, the Conservative candidate for Angus South.

"This cash was designed to help honest businesses through a global pandemic which has cost thousands of lives in Scotland. Instead, the nationalists used it to line the pockets of their own selfish cause."

Hitting back, Ms Sturgeon said that ten Conservative branches in England have also claimed the support money, adding that the Tory position is somewhat hypocritical.

I don't know, perhaps, you know, somebody wants to ask Douglas Ross when he is commenting on the SNP whether that's all being paid back or not," she said.
Its great to generate votes, then she gets into office and realizes when you are a chief executive of a governmental body, you cant just do whatever you want. You have to pick and choose your battles. The most effective governors and mayors of big cities and presidents are ones that narrowly focus their agenda, University of Illinois at Chicago political science professor Chris Mooney said. You can say your mandate is whatever you want, but if you are out to do 100 things, youre likely not to get anything. The ones that say Ill do these three things are more likely to get it done. They come off the trail, come into office, say I cant do all this stuff.
Stuck: The Diamond Princess, which has around 3,600 people quarantined in Japan. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

The Diamond Princess cruise ship in quarantine due to fears of the COVID-19 coronavirus, seen at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on February 20, 2020. Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images

As the novel coronavirus tore through the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan early last year, passengers confined to their rooms grappled with boredom, inconsistent room service, uncertainty and fear.

But as the new HBO documentary "The Last Cruise" illustrates, the ship's crew members had no time to be bored. They were hard at work, often close together, and sharing living quarters with shipmates who were falling ill.

"We felt like only the rich would be taken care of," said Maruja Daya, a pastry chef and single mother of two. "It's not only the passengers who are threatened by this virus, so why are we still working?"

Before the virus was widespread enough to be called a pandemic, the Princess Cruises-owned ship with 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew members aboard became the site of the largest coronavirus outbreak outside China.

The documentary, which debuted this week and is available to stream on HBO Max, follows the voyage as it changes from a carefree cruise through Asia to a locked-down "ghost ship," as Daya called it.

"We were afraid we would never see our families again," she said.

Expand Close Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where 10 more people tested positive for coronavirus in Yokohama, Japan. File Photo: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon / Facebook

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Whatsapp Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where 10 more people tested positive for coronavirus in Yokohama, Japan. File Photo: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Videos show the transformation and follow the stories of several passengers and crew members.

In the early days after leaving port on January 20, 2020, passengers filled the casino, joining in group activities and wandering freely. The first bad news came in an announcement from the captain on February 3: A passenger from Hong Kong who had been aboard for five days had tested positive.

"As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, the situation is under control and therefore there are no reasons for concerns," the captain said.

Two days later, 10 people had tested positive and passengers learned they would be quarantined in their rooms for at least 14 days. The numbers kept increasing, as shown in updates in the film, until 712 people were confirmed to have the virus and 14 people died.

Expand Close Quarantine officials inspect the Diamond Princess cruise ship (David Abel/Facebook/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Quarantine officials inspect the Diamond Princess cruise ship (David Abel/Facebook/PA)

"We couldn't just stay in our rooms," said Luke Hefner, an entertainer who worked on the ship. "We delivered 3,000 meals, three meals a day, to all the guests." Later in the film, he and three roommates would all been infected.

Crew doctor Franco Swart described the overwhelming scene.

"It was impossible to attend to every single person," he said. "We were basically just surviving, because it was really nonstop from morning to night." And while crew members were working to protect passengers, he said, they were especially vulnerable in their living areas.

"It's such a confined space that it's impossible for them not to have exposure to each other," he said. About a third of crew members who tested positive were asymptomatic, Swart said: "They didn't know that they were spreading it."

Security worker Sonali Thakkar said that her roommate tested positive and that it took four days for her to get her own test.

"It became really difficult for me because we were not even allowed to step out of the cabin," she said. "On the crew decks, there are no windows, no ways that you can look outside. You don't know what time of the day it is until you look at the clock."

Footage shows crew members working in kitchens and cramped hallways, cleaning elevators and gathering to pray. Eventually, passengers were taken off the ship to quarantine on land or return to their home countries on government flights. Many crew members remained aboard.

"I really want to breathe the fresh air outside," said Dede Samsul Fuad, a dishwasher from Indonesia. "After all the passengers were sent home, it was then that we became scared for our lives."

He and other crew members made a public plea asking to be evacuated before they, too, caught the virus. According to the film, directed by Hannah Olson, Indonesian crew members were the last people evacuated from the ship, on March 1.

"Not everyone can have the opportunity to work on a cruise ship," Fuad said. "And I hope I will again soon."

 Washington Post
The Nigerian government says it has intervened in a feud between Nigerian banks and MTN, which left millions of phone users unable to buy airtime Friday.

Talks to resolve a row over the sharing of fees on airtime sales between the two sides reached an advanced stage for suspended services to be restored, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, announced on Twitter late Friday.

On the fallout between @MTNNG and some banks on USSD services today, I engaged with both regulators, the Governor of @cenbank and EVC @NgComCommission. We have reached an advanced stage of resolving the issues, for the services to be restored to our citizens. Many thanks, he said.

Banks removed the telecom giant from their platforms, disallowing MTN users from accessing their bank accounts through the USSD infrastructure to recharge their phones.

Subscribers expressed their frustration online, as MTN advised its customers to seek alternative ways of recharging without explaining what the problem was.

A top industry official who asked not to be named told PREMIUM TIMES the banks cut off the service to protect their profits. He described the move as tyrannical.

Banks have tried to remove the cost of using USSD, but are willing to cut off subscribers to protect their own fees earned through the channel, the source said.

This only has to do with the preservation of bank profits, which are already substantial and growing despite the wider economic conditions.

Banks blame MTN

Bank officials who asked not to be named said they moved against MTN to curb its excesses.

Bank sources said MTN slashed the percentage of airtime fees that go to the banks, and refused to backtrack despite their protests.

MTN recently reduced the discount offered to banks on airtime sales from 4.5 percent to 2.5 per cent and this did not go down well with banks considering the cost of managing the infrastructures and servicing these customers, while MTN continues to make huge spreads, the source said.

The truth is that if MTN gets away with this, banks should expect further reduction if not checked. Over 60 per cent of airtime vending by telcos today are done electronically through the banks, another source said.

A source said other phone networks pay banks more than what MTN pays, yet, have not changed their rates.

MTN has done nothing wrong

MTN insiders, who also requested to speak anonymously, defended the networks decision.

We did a commission optimization which saw the banks commission reducing from an average of 3.5% to 2.5%. This reduction is standard because the volumes compensate for the reduction, one source said.

We reviewed our commissions downwards. Most of the banks are not connected to us directly but through a third party  our convenience channel partners and aggregators.

Communication was shared with the partners who in turn wrote to the banks (the banks here are agents to the partner). Our contract with the partners allows us to do this;

The channels were blocked yesterday midnight leaving our customers stranded. Interesting that the bank MDs met and quickly took a decision. This references our conversation around NCC standing in the gap for the industry. Subscribers to telecommunications are being denied services by the banks even when they have money in their accounts;

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Zenith Bank is connected directly to MTN  their earnings is at 2.70%. They are happy and have not blocked us.

Banks on MTN On Demand had an uplift in their commission from 2.0% to 2.75% yet have blocked services;

Banks with direct connection to us through MTN On Demand got a commission uplift.

Another source claimed that in advanced countries, commissions for the same services are between 0.5 to 0.75%. Even at 2.5%.

Lingering feud over USSD

The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission on March 15 intervened to resolve a similar standoff between banks and telcos over USSD fees.

The USSD allows subscribers to use their mobile phones to access financial services daily.

The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) had said banks owed its members N42 billion and threatened to suspend service.

From March 16, subscribers paid N6.98 each time they used the USSD for banking transactions. That arrangement has angered customers and alarmed advocates of financial inclusion.

The regulators claimed the billing would ensure a much cheaper average cost for customers to enhance financial inclusion.

A PREMIUM TIMES report showed the banks and telcos would realise about N564 million in a year from the new mobile banking fee.
Under gray skies on July 25, 2018, friends, loved ones and family of Richelle Robinson took to the streets of Cambridge to mourn the 15-year-old girls death.

Remembered as friendly, happy and quiet, Robinson was a top-tier student at Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School and had a bright future ahead of her. She was a beam of light and someone who always smiled, according to those who knew her, many of whom marched in the walk and vigil three years ago in honor of the girls life.

The marchers were led by Robinsons mother, who carried a purple towel, her daughters favorite color, and sobbed at various points during the walk. Two former Cambridge mayors stood by her side as she walked the streets of the city to the spot where her daughter was violently shoved to the ground and killed three days earlier.

We have to stand as one so that the mother can feel the love that her child left behind, Pastor Wayne Deleveaux told the crowd that gathered on Cambridge Street.

Three years later, the man responsible for killing Robinson has admitted to the crime.

Last week, Isaias Plaza, a 19-year-old Boston man, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the girls death in 2018, according to a statement from Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville Bard Jr.

Robinson was walking to a friends house around 6:30 p.m. on July 22, 2018, when Plaza shoved her to the ground on a sidewalk, forcing her to fall and strike her head, authorities said.

First responders found Robinson unresponsive and bleeding. She was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead a day later, according to Ryan and Bard. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled her cause of death to be blunt force trauma.

Eyewitnesses told authorities they had seen a person, later determined to be Plaza, leaving the scene of the attack on a bicycle, wearing jeans and black sneakers with white soles. According to authorities, the Boston man later burned the clothes he wore at the time of the assault to avoid being connected to Robinsons killing.

Investigators later learned Robinson and Plaza knew each other and had previously shared a group of friends. They had a falling out in the weeks preceding her death, the district attorney said.

Judge Laurence Pierce sentenced Plaza to serve two and a half years in the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction in Billerica with two years to serve and the balance of his sentence suspended for five years, according to Ryans office.

After being released, he is ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, submit to follow-up treatment, be evaluated for substance abuse, not use drugs, be randomly screened and seek and maintain employment or continue education, officials said.

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LAFAYETTE, N.Y.  When friends visit Doug and Deanne Drumms home at 6530 Thunder Road in LaFayette they tend to wander around in awe.

Can I keep walking through? Doug said they ask. They say it is like visiting a museum.

They have a point.

How many homes have a refinished fishing boat, with oars and fishing poles, on the ceiling of their living room?

We are never going to be in another house like it, Doug said wistfully, adding that he is selling the home that he and his brother, Mark, designed in 2005 with much reluctance.

Every table, every stone, has a story, he said

Everything in this house, has meaning, Deanne added in agreement.

Doug is an artist, who creates one-of-a-kind furniture and artwork out of metal, ceramic, stone, and wood, often salvaging materials wherever he finds it. You can see his artwork, Doug Drumm Creations, on Facebook.

His brother, owner of Drumm Construction, is, his brother proudly boasts, a very knowledgeable homebuilder who is very fussy.

Together the brothers designed the house, perfectly filling almost two acres of land so that every room has a beautiful view from it.

The brothers made a great partnership. While Mark handled the building, Doug was crafting pieces of art which makes this home stand out.

(Clearing the two acres, provided a lot of material to work with.)

The kitchens ceramic backsplash was made by hand by Doug. Tables are made from barn wood and old apple barrels.

The living room, with the custom wooden TV cabinet, has a gas fireplace with a hearth made of stones that Doug and his friends pulled out of a canyon near Alexandria Bay.

The boat on the ceiling was repurposed by a friend and Doug made it into a wonderful conversation starter.

It looks good on the ceiling, he admits.

Even the homes paper towel and toilet paper holders were carved by Drumm.

Their design and Marks construction created a beautiful home that is extremely practical and convenient.

Doug calls it the house with no problems.

It is like a luxury automobile that will not break down, he said.

With more than 3,800 square feet of living space, this ranch is huge. With five children between the couple and a larger close-knit family, it had to be.

Everything was set up to be convenient, Doug said. We have hosted tons of family events and it certainly has been enjoyed by lots of people.

We wanted everybody to be comfortable, he said. There is in-floor radiant heating throughout.

The home features open living and dining rooms, two master suites on the main level and an incredible home office, where Doug built the wrap-around desk himself.

The walk-out lower level has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and its own huge living room. It is also roughed-in for a second kitchen if the new owners want to make an in-law suite.

There are two laundry rooms so the kids could do their own.

Dougs massive workshop has a dust collection system and an air purifier. It could be turned into a large family room.

There are endless possibilities in this house, he said.

The location is excellent, the neighborhood is fantastic, and there are no nagging problems.

With Deanne retiring from teaching and their children having moved out, Doug thinks that it doesnt make much sense to keep their home.

The couple spend their summers at their home along the St. Lawrence River and their winters in Florida. In fact, Doug did the phone conversation for this article from Key West, where he had spent the day before on a boat collecting driftwood for more of his creations.

He says he is willing to sell the home furnished as is if the new owners are interested.

They can have my winter clothes too, Deanne jokes.

For more information about this property or to schedule a showing, please contact Realtor Mary Doody-Horton of Coldwell Banker Prime Properties. Her contact info is below.

THE DETAILS

Address: 6530 Thunder Road, LaFayette, N.Y. 13084

Price: $530,000

Size: 3,808 square feet

Acreage: 1.92 acres

Monthly Mortgage: $1,845 (based on this weeks national average rate of 3.25 percent, according to Freddie Mac, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20 percent down payment. Fees and points not included.)

Taxes: $10,681 (Based on assessed value of $304,000)

Built: 2005

School District: LaFayette

Kitchen: The large eat-in kitchen owner Doug Drumm says is very workable. The home has hosted many family events and was designed to be convenient. Stainless appliances were purchased in 2005 when the home was finished. The kitchen features granite counters and a handmade ceramic tile backsplash. If you look closely, there are fish fossils in the tiles, adding to the natural theme of the home. A beautiful dining area off the kitchen is where most meals are enjoyed, admiring views of Song Mountain.

Living areas: This custom ranch was designed for a family of seven, so there is a lot of room. Well designed, Drumm calls it the house with no problems. Custom woodwork, exposed barn beams, a cherry stairwell and maple flooring, can be seen throughout. There is in-floor radiant heating. The main floor has an incredible living room with gas fireplace and formal dining room. The home office is a great place to work. There are two laundry rooms and an incredible workshop where Drumm creates his art. He is willing to sell the home furnished as is if the new owners are interested.

Bedrooms: There are five bedrooms in the house. The master suite is large enough to easily accommodate a king-sized barn beam bed. It has a butternut wood ceiling. There are two suites on the main level and three bedrooms on the walk-out lower level.

Bathrooms: The master bathroom has a walk-in shower with no doors to clean. It also features double vanities. There are four bathrooms overall.

Lower level: Drumm believes that the spacious walk-out lower level almost doubles the amount of living space and mirrors what is upstairs. There is a second laundry room and a huge living room. It has a been roughed in for a second kitchen if an in-law suite is wanted.

Outdoors: The home is located on almost two acres of quiet and private land. Owner loves the views of the countryside from nearly everywhere inside the house. The large front porch is a great place for a relaxing evening cocktail. He says that the home has a Great location, and is just 10 minutes from downtown Syracuse and 15 minutes from Wegmans. The oversized three-car garage can easily fit the owners cars, tractors, and wood for his projects. There is even more storage space above the garage. The home is conveniently located near LaFayette schools.

Agent: Mary Doody-Horton

Coldwell Banker Prime Properties

Address: 5010 West Genesee Street, Camillus, N.Y. 13031

Phone: (315) 730-7891

Email: MaryDoody@cbpp.com

Website: mary-doody.coldwellbankerprime.com

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See our real estate transactions database

If you know of a beautiful or interesting house currently up for sale, please consider sending a nomination for it to be featured as a future House of the Week. Send an email with the listing to home@syracuse.com.

Do you know of any older homes in Central New York which have fallen on hard times but have a lot of potential should they be restored to their original grandeur? A fixer-upper with a lot of potential? Consider nominating them to our new feature, Save this Home, in which we will spotlight grand houses of the past around Central New York that need to be saved. Send nominations to home@syracuse.com.
Social Security used to provide people with a sense of security about retirement, but the growing cost of living and age requirements for pension are concerning younger Americans. One to two generations prior, it was much easier to buy a home and pay it off before you were in old age. Those in their 20s and 30s had certain security about their future that isnt as common among todays working population. Thats why thinking ahead about retirement is such a good idea no matter how old you are. The younger you start, the better off youll be.

These three methods of saving for retirement are meant to be conventional rather than traditional. You already likely know about individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401ks. So, to help you expand your opportunity to finance your senior years, these are three methods that have even more benefits you can use now.

App Fees and Minimum Best for: Betterment 0.25% per year

no account minimum

Saving for retirement Ellevest $1-$9 per month

no account minimum

Retirement especially for women Personal Capital Free Planning retirement

Start Clipping Coupons

You can save hundreds of dollars a year if you start taking advantage of savings. Look if your favorite stores have apps, which tend to offer exclusive discounts just for using them. Sign up for any rewards clubs, and use browser extensions like Honey to compare prices online before buying. Whatever you save each year, add it up and put it in an account toward retirement. Directly depositing it into your savings and matching whatever you can out of your personal finances is a good annual habit.

Sell Your Life Insurance Policy

You can get a free online estimate to see how much your policy is worth. Reducing costs to free up savings can also result in a generous lump sum payment if you sell your coverage. There are resources that can help you decide whether this is the right choice for you. Life insurance is a versatile tool that many people use to fuel their retirement savings. Many policies also generate a cash value that can become extremely profitable after 20 or 30 years of consistent payments. Selling a life insurance policy can be one of the fastest ways to generate a large sum of money to put toward retirement. In many cases, you have to be near or past retirement age to sell a policy, but you can borrow from a cash value much younger than that.

Use Cash Gifts to Build Savings

Birthday money, Christmas bonuses, and any other financial gifts can become investments in your future. Its okay to split some in half and treat yourself, but think about impulsive buys vs. long-term benefits. In most cases, youll get much more out of building a reliable savings account than you will from a spontaneous buy. To stay additionally motivated, you can plan ahead and think about things youd like to do during your retirement. Envisioning that cross-country European trek can make it easier to put that bonus into savings. A budgeting app can also help you stay on track with your savings. Its important to strike a balance between spending money and savings to avoid losing motivation; a budgeting app helps you set goals, track progress, and stay on track.
The LGBTQ+ association Rosa Letzebuerg urged Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich in an open letter to make a statement regarding this issue.

The letter was signed by Rosa Letzebuerg's administrative board and published ahead of the Easter celebrations.

In its letter, the non-profit expresses its regret over the so-called "responsum ad dubium" by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the blessing of homosexual couples. The Congregation stated in its official assessment, which was approved by the Pope, that the bond between two individuals of the same sex does not correspond to "God's Will" and could thus not be blessed by Catholic priests.

The administrative board of Rosa Letzebuerg states that it "has difficulty" understanding the Congregation's reasoning. The Church's position leads many homosexual Catholics to believe that they have been expelled from the community and thus Rosa Letzbuerg asks Cardinal Hollerich, whether gay people are "still welcome" in Luxembourg's Catholic Church.

The non-profit also suggests the creation of a task force on the topic of sexual orientation and identity.


An Odzi cultist is staying in a sacred mountain with his family and denying his children access to education, social life, health care and proper housing.

The family of six includes Ringisai Manjeese and his wife Therieza Mawoyo, as well as their four children aged 15, nine, six and two. Since November 2020, the Manjeeses have been calling the Urase Mountain in Katsunzuma Village their home.

Forty-nine-year old Manjeese claims that on countless occasions, God instructed him to move to the mountain. Manjeese and his family are staying in a very small one-roomed plastic shack on the Urase Mountain.

There are is no clean water and ablution facilities at the site. When The Manica Post visited the family last Saturday, it was clear that Manjeeses word rules within his small cult. When he instructed his family to sing, his wife and children promptly belted out some songs.

He then shouted that it was time to pray and everyone in the family quickly dropped on their knees for prayer. Manjeese and his wife claim that they live on the principles of the Bible, which they have christened their own constitution.

Unfortunately, this has seen their children dropping out of school. The Constitution of Zimbabwe clearly states that every citizen has a right to basic education.

The couples 15-year-old daughter is supposed to be in Form Three, while the nine-year-old must be in Grade four. The youngest should have been in Grade One but has never set foot at school.

She can neither read nor write. Her elder sisters last went to school in 2019, but have since dropped out because the Lord said so, at least according to Manjeese.

Manjeese confidently says all will be well with his daughters as my wife and l also did not receive any formal education.

I dropped out of school while doing Grade Four. The same applies to my wife. It is not because our parents could not afford to send us to school, but Gods calls made us do so, he said.

The constitution is all about people who are living in the flesh, but my family and I are leading a spiritual life.

We use the Bible as our constitution. My children will not go to school until the Lord says so. We do not lack anything and I do not think I will change my mind before God changes His, said Manjeese, claiming that he is in direct contact with God.

His wife chipped in. Our nine-year-old child died on her way from school after we had not listened to God. We ignored this warning and continued leading our wayward lives.

The angel of death struck again and we lost another child who was only two years old. We then decided to listen to the Lords commandments when our little son was bedridden. Thats when we moved to this mountains she said, adding that her youngest sons life was saved by their decision to move to Urase Mountain.

Manjeese says his family does not need medical attention as the Holy Spirit takes good care of them.

If I had not listened to God and moved my family to this place, we would all be dead by now. At first my father thought I had developed a mental illness, but then accepted my decision to move to this mountain, he said.

The family used to stay in Chipfatsura Village under Chief Marange. Manjeese has been summoned to appear before Chief Maranges court on many occasions, but snubbed the summons.

Chief Marange confirmed the case and said his office is in the process of making a police report.

He refused to appear before my court. I have sent my aides to look for him, but they couldnt find him. He hid from them so our next move is to involve the police. No one is supposed to be staying in the mountains, particularly our sacred Urase Mountain, said Chief Marange.

Manjeeses former school teacher, Mr Simon Gorowa, said it is disturbing that he (Manjeese) is denying his children their right to education when he dropped out of school by choice.

It is totally unacceptable that he is staying with those girls in that little shack and denying them their right to education. Honestly, how can a 49-year-old man be sleeping with his wife and daughters in the same room? The authorities need to do something, said Mr Gorowa.

Director for Hope for Kids Zimbabwe, Mr Misheck Kugoda Mlambo, said Manjeeses children need urgent assistance as they are being abused by their parents in the name of religion. The Government has done well with regards to child care and the provision of education.

Its sad that in this modern age, we still have guardians and parents who do not realise the importance of good parenting

Those children must enjoy their right to education. That is not negotiable. They need to be protected from this abuse, said Mr Mlambo.

The dread-locked Manjeese makes a living through making shoes from old car tyres. Manica Post
First batch of COVID-19 vaccines purchased from China arrives in Azerbaijan

Xinhua) 14:06, April 02, 2021

A staff member unloads the newly-arrived vaccines, manufactured by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, at the airport in Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1, 2021. Azerbaijan on Thursday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines it has purchased from China as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Tofik Babayev/Xinhua)

BAKU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan on Thursday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines it has purchased from China as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The newly-arrived vaccines, manufactured by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, have been introduced by the Azerbaijani authorities for mass vaccination against COVID-19.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Guo Min said China and Azerbaijan have been supporting each other in the COVID-19 pandemic, expressing hope that the Chinese vaccines would help Azerbaijan beat the virus at an early date, and restore economic and social development.

The Chinese ambassador added that China will donate another batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Azerbaijan soon, reaffirming Beijing's readiness to strengthen cooperation with Baku in the fight against the pandemic.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Ramiz Hasanov and Deputy Health Minister Viktor Gasimov thanked China for its help to Azerbaijan amid the pandemic, speaking highly of China's adherence to multilateralism.

The Azerbaijani government and its people trust Chinese vaccines, they said, adding that the country is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the global fight against the pandemic, raising bilateral relations to a new level.

In the past 24 hours, Azerbaijan has registered 2,237 new cases, bringing its total to 261,713, according to the country's Operational Headquarters for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Liang Jun)
The PSNI have issued an appeal for information on the 10th anniversary of the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr.

The 25-year-old officer was murdered in Omagh in 2011 when a booby-trap car bomb exploded under his vehicle outside his apartment in Highfield Close on April 2 as he made his way to work in Enniskillen.

Dissident republicans were behind the attack, however no one has ever been charged for the murder.

In the last two years, the police say their investigation, and an investigation into several linked incidents, has seen a total of 8,203 items being seized and 15,539 individuals featured.

They also said 122 searches have been conducted in houses, vehicles and land and 19 arrests have been made.

In a statement, the family of Constable Kerr said they remember him fondly as the loving son and brother that he was and we miss him every day.

The family added: "We will never forget his caring nature and his sense of humour. As a family, we continue to suffer the devastating impact of having him stolen away in such a vile and cruel way.

His mum, Nuala, said: Not a minute goes by where we dont feel the pain of his loss, and its a searing pain."

Expand Close Ronan's mother, Nuala, described her "searing pain " of her loss / Facebook

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Whatsapp Ronan's mother, Nuala, described her "searing pain " of her loss

Meanwhile, Chief Constable Simon Byrne posted to Twitter: Today my thoughts are with the family and friends of Constable Ronan Kerr who was callously murdered 10 years ago. No one deserves to lose their life for bravely serving their community. Our Serious Crime Branch are committed to bringing his killers to justice.

Read More

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, from the Major Investigation Team, said that he still believes there are witnesses in the community who may hold the key to vital evidence.

He said: Ten years ago today Ronan left his home to travel to work. His job was to protect the community. Despicably, people living in his own community planned and plotted to kill him simply because he was a police officer bravely going out every day to protect people and make communities safer places to live and work.

No one deserves to be murdered because of how they earn their respectable living and I would ask those living in the Omagh area, who know vital information about the bomb attack and those involved, to bring it forward to police on this 10 year anniversary. It is never too late to do the right thing.

Ronans mum and family deserve to have some closure after a decade of intolerable grief. It wont take away their pain nor will it bring Ronan back, but seeing someone brought to justice for his sickening murder will allow them to close that chapter of the process at least.

Their suffering continues every day and they will forever miss their son and brother. I appeal to anyone who has information to search your conscience and bring it to police. I also make a direct appeal to the family and friends of the murderers to come forward. Search your conscience, as now is the time that common humanity should override misplaced loyalty.

Give us the information we need to take this investigation forward and place these violent terrorists before the courts.
Dramatic: Shailene Woodley as Teri Duncan and Jodie Foster as Nancy Hollander in The Mauritanian

Jodie Foster describes her latest character on the big screen as an "amazing ball of contradictions". She is talking about her role in The Mauritanian, which sees her playing tenacious real-life lawyer Nancy Hollander.

Directed by Scottish film-maker Kevin Macdonald, the movie has been blazing a trail through awards season.

It's also in the running for gongs at the forthcoming Bafta film awards, with nominations in the best film category and star Tahar Rahim nominated in the leading actor category.

Rahim, who was recently seen in BBC's The Serpent, portrays Mohamedou Ould Slahi in the movie, which is based on Slahi's best-selling memoir, Guantanamo Diary.

The book details Slahi's time in the detention camp, where he was imprisoned in 2002, held for more than a decade without charge and only formally released in 2016.

"It was an instant yes," reflects Oscar-winner Foster (58) on taking on the role of Slahi's defence lawyer, Hollander.

"Because I read it, couldn't stop reading it, was fascinated, and really wanted to be a part of telling Mohamedou's story. But it was a very long script, and it went off in a lot of different directions so there was some work that needed to be done, just to shape it and focus it.

"I think that's really a testament to Kevin Macdonald, the director, that he was really able to identify the important part of the story and to keep it moving in that direction."

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba was established during George W Bush's administration in 2002, following the devastating 9/11 terror attacks in the US in 2001, which had prompted the 'War on Terror'. And it is against that backdrop and political climate that Slahi's story is set.

"It wasn't an instant yes for me," says Macdonald frankly as we speak over Zoom. After reading the book he says that, while he thought it was a "fascinating piece of testimony from inside the prison system, I couldn't see really how to make it into a film".

The 53-year-old explains: "I thought there had been a lot of documentaries, there'd been a lot of books about this subject and I wanted to make something that would reach a wider audience. It was only when I talked to Mohamedou himself on Skype that I became certain I wanted to do it because he was an amazing character."

For Foster though, playing Hollander, who is still a practising criminal defence lawyer in the US, it meant taking "some licence".

"Nancy is this amazing ball of contradictions. She wears bright red lipstick and bright red nails, likes black leather, and race cars, and yet she's this very sombre, measured, calm presence with a steeliness to her, always suspicious, always looking around, noticing.

"But with that being said, I did take some licence. My Nancy is a lot meaner than her Nancy, she's a lovely person. My Nancy is not so lovely, especially in the beginning (of the film)."

French star Rahim (39) recalls his first meeting with Mohamedou on Skype.

"I was shooting abroad, I wanted to meet him physically but I couldn't. This meeting was memorable to me because I had an idea of Mohamedou from what I've seen and you know he was as a good man, but when I met him it was above this.

"I started to talk with him and it was great. I had to ask him some questions, some touchy questions, and then he changed and I felt that he was very sad, as if he was going back there instantly in Guantanamo being tortured, so I stopped. I felt bad, I felt stupid.

"I understood at this very moment that the best way for me to catch his personality and his spirit was to talk with him, spend time with him and observe him so I can really make him live inside of me."

For Macdonald, there was a balance to be struck on screen.

"In the end it has a rather uplifting message actually," he says, "but sometimes, in order to get a really powerful effect in a film, you need to take the audience to the edge of their comfort levels."

There is also an important message about the importance of the rule of law, he adds.

"So the overriding message of this film is about the importance of the rule of law, which is not a very sexy thing, I suppose, but it is incredibly important to our lives. Without the rule of law, nightmares are bred."

Amnesty International has launched a global campaign calling on American President Joe Biden to close Guantanamo permanently.

In February this year, Mr Biden's aides launched a formal review of Guantanamo Bay but the detention facility is still open.

The Mauritanian is available on Amazon Prime now
Daily cases highest in six months

India reported 81,466 fresh infections on Friday, taking the cumulative caseload to 1,23,03,131, according to a report in the Scroll. The daily rise is the highest in six months. The country saw 469 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 1,15,25,039, according to central health ministry data. The active caseload is at 6,14,696. As many as 6,87,89,138 shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 36,71,242 were given on Thursday. Read more here

Indias Premas Biotech working on a vaccine in capsule form

Gurugram-based biotechnology firm Premas Biotech is developing a Covid-19 vaccine candidate in the form of an oral capsule, the firm's managing director Prabuddha Kundu told ThePrint. The company has partnered with the Jerusalem-headquartered Oramed Pharmaceuticals. A single dose of the vaccine tablet or capsule has proven to be efficacious in animal studies. OraVax product is different as it would not require any special delivery mechanism and cold storage, Kundu said. If proven efficacious, this vaccine will give a lot of benefits to the world as it would not require syringes or administration in hospital settings. Read more here

Explained: Covid vaccine distribution

The vaccine distribution takes place at two levels, according to an explainer in ThePrint. At the local level, hospitals pass on their requests for vaccines to district authorities which are then sent to the state administrations. The central government, meanwhile, routinely places orders with the vaccine makers based on assessments on Covid situations in states. Based on the Centre's demand, the vaccine makers dispatch the shots to various states by air. The vaccines are transported through a temperature-controlled supply chain that maintains their quality from the point of origin to the vaccine beneficiary. The vaccines then reach their destination at various hospitals, where they are administered to beneficiaries. Read more here

AstraZeneca, Bharat Biotech studying Covid shots for children: AIIMS head

British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech are carrying out studies to determine safe and effective doses for children, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria told NDTV. AstraZeneca's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin are being administered in India currently. "If we really need to control the pandemic and have children back to school and be comfortable with that, we will have to look for vaccines which are for children. And I am aware that both the vaccine candidates which are being used in India are conducting studies to look at safety and dose as far as children are concerned," Guleria said. Read more here

Ivermectin should only be used in clinical trials: WHO

The evidence so far on the effectiveness of ivermectin drug in treating Covid-19 is inconclusive and until more data is available, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that the drug only be used in clinical trials, a report in The Indian Express said. Ivermectin is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic agent, included in WHOs essential medicines list for several parasitic diseases. It is also used to treat scabies, the report said. Read more here
(JTA)  After years of contention and revisions, Californias State Board of Education approved a curriculum meant to guide the states schools in teaching ethnic studies, an effort that sparked waves of criticism from Jewish groups.

The Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum aims to teach students about the histories, experiences, contributions and struggles of minority groups in the state. Jewish activists had vehemently criticized the first draft of the curriculum, which schools are not required to use, for both excluding and discriminating against Jews.

On Thursday, those activists had m...
In an outdoor ceremony Thursday at a new park in her district, Andrea Valderrama was welcomed as the newest member of the Oregon House.

She pledged to work to help the Legislature respond expeditiously to the coronaviruss devastating health and economic impacts with a special focus on Black and Indigenous Oregonians and other people of color.

She noted that, as the daughter of a Peruvian immigrant and the mother of a kindergartner who will attend her first-ever day of in-person school on Monday, the issues of racism and the brutal impact of coronavirus on working mothers are personal as well as political.

The new lawmaker serves as policy director for the ACLU of Oregon and chairs the David Douglas school board. She was appointed to replace Diego Hernandez, who resigned after he was found to have committed sexual harassment at the Capitol.

8 Swearing in of Rep. Andrea Valderrama

Multnomah County commissioners chose her from a field of three Democratic women selected by local Democratic Party officials as finalists for the appointment. Her swearing-in made Oregons House membership majority female, a first in state history.

Valderrama chose to hold the public portion of the event in Gateway Discovery Park. She chose the location for several reasons, including that the residents of her district in park-starved East Portland pushed so hard for its creation.

The park is also next door to non-profit housing agency Human Solutions latest affordable and market-rate housing community, The Nick Fish. She serves on the non-profits board and affordable housing has long been a priority cause for Valderrama, according to her spokesperson Bryan Hockaday. The actual swearing-in, presided over by Gov. Kate Brown, took place in a lounge of the complex, which will welcome its first residents within days.

As Valderrama addressed the masked and distanced attendees at the park Thursday afternoon, her kindergarten-age daughter, Rosalia Ong, stood at her side.

Reliable childcare and education is essential to getting our economy back up and running, she said, and its a top legislative priority of mine.

-- Betsy Hammond; betsyhammond@oregonian.com; @OregonianPol
Representatives from Mid Ulster District Council will take up an invitation to meet with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) over waiting times in the area.

The decision, taken at a full council meeting last week, came after the council had written to NIAS raising concern over how long constituents were waiting for emergency response.

Councillors agreed to facilitate a meeting between representatives and the NIAS to resolve the issue.

They themselves felt the issue with putting numbers at the end of lanes was vital to them, and I would encourage that, said Cllr Trevor Wilson.

They too are happy to meet us to discuss ambulance services within the district and I propose we take them up on that offer.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation Thursday overhauling New Mexicos medical malpractice law and cementing a hard-fought compromise by lawyers, doctors and hospitals.

The bill was at the center of some of the Legislatures most emotional debates this year, as families testified about the anguish of losing a loved one after medical wrongdoing.

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Competing plans to reshape the states Medical Malpractice Act  which imposes a $600,000 cap on damages  moved through the Legislature for much of the 60-day session, with lawyers and health care providers on opposite sides of the debate.

But they later reached agreement on a complex compromise and backed the revised proposal, House Bill 75.

Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett announced the governors signing of the legislation.

Key stakeholders convened to craft the compromise measure at the governors behest, Sackett said, and she was glad to sign a bill that balances concerns between providers and patients.

The measure is designed to strike a balance between granting New Mexico doctors access to affordable legal insurance while also ensuring patients harmed by wrongdoing can get justice in court.

The bill calls for:

 Raising the damages cap for hospitals and outpatient facilities to $4 million next year with eventual increases to $6 million.

 Increasing the damages cap for independent physicians and other providers to $750,000.

 Adding certified nurse practitioners, midwives and certain other health care providers into coverage under the law, a move intended to help improve the finances of a patient compensation fund.

Troy Clark, president and CEO of the New Mexico Hospital Association, said the legislation was a true compromise that should ensure patients throughout the state can obtain health care when they need it.

Obviously, its not everything we would have liked and hoped for  for hospitals throughout the state, Clark said. However, we are pleased that we were able to get to a point in the compromise that we feel helped protect the ability to recruit and retain physicians to ensure patients will continue to have access.

House Bill 75 was sponsored by Rep. Daymon Ely, D-Corrales.

Lawmakers faced urgency to revise the medical malpractice system because of the growing strain on the states patient compensation fund, which helps cover the cost of certain legal claims, with help from a $600,000 cap on certain damages.

Lujan Grisham faces an April 9 deadline to act on bills passed in the 60-day session that ended March 20. She has until April 20 to act on bills passed in this weeks special session.

In addition to medical malpractice changes, the governor also signed bills Thursday that make $7 million available to carry out cannabis legalization and that enact temporary election procedures for the contest to fill the 1st Congressional District seat.
Government of Uganda said Thursday that it was deeply concerned about the continued "reckless murder" of its citizens, mostly traders and truck drivers in South Sudan.

The latest killings happened at different times with the most recent being March 29 on the Yei - Juba route.

"Following the news of the attack, the government of Uganda conveyed its serious concern to the Government of South Sudan and has worked with it to facilitate the return of the bodies of the deceased. The Government of Uganda is working tirelessly with the government of South Sudan to recover the remaining bodies. The Government of Uganda has further appealed to the Government of South Sudan to restore security along routes from the Ugandan border points into Juba, to facilitate safe movement of persons, goods and services," reads part of the statement from Ministry of Foreign affairs.

In the meantime, the Government of Uganda has advised its nationals to exercise "extreme caution as they travel to South Sudan."

"They should note that violent crime such as carjacking, shootings, ambushes, assaults, robberies, and kidnappings have taken place in South Sudan, particularly the Oraba - Kaya - Yei - Juba road," the statement issued Thursday added.

The statement comes hours after South Sudan authorities on Wednesday evening handed over four bodies of the deceased Ugandans.

Related

The four; Amati Steven from Maracha District, Dada Gadaffi, Ali Noah, and Sadam Andama residents of Koboko Municipality were killed in Ganji Lanya county along the Yei-Juba road on Sunday (March 28) by suspected South Sudanese gunmen.

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On Wednesday, a delegation from Uganda led by the Mayor Koboko Municipality Wilson Sanya and the Regional Police Commander Aswa Steven Kaija received the bodies at Elegu Border point in Amuru District at 6:30 pm. They were handed over by officials from the South Sudan National Security.

The bodies were later taken to Abuku Health Centre III in Abuku Sub Country for postmortem.

However, four more bodies of the Ugandans who were killed last week's attack are still in South Sudan as families continue to appeal to government of Uganda to intervene and help return the remains of their relatives for burial.

Meanwhile, South Sudanese traders in Koboko Municipality have reopened their shops.

The traders had closed their businesses after receiving reports that Ugandans in the area were planning to attack them following the death of their fellow nationals.

Mr Peter Aringu, the Chairperson of the South Sudanese Refugee Association in West Nile, said that the situation had returned to normal in Koboko.

He added that they had received reports of possible revenge attacks.
[April 02, 2021] Leonardo Awarded Warning System Contract at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Reduce Risk of Runway Incursions

Leonardo, through its US subsidiary Selex ES Inc., will provide Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport with its AeroBOSS Runway Incursion Warning System (RIWS), part of the company's portfolio of airport surface management systems, surveillance, enroute navigation and precision approach and landing systems. The AeroBOSS RIWS can alert drivers of vehicles to any potential hazards before they enter the runway area, helping to prevent runway incursions, enhance coordination between ground vehicles and improve overall safety. The contract includes the supply of hardware and software as well as the integration of RIWS technology onto 500 vehicles. There are nearly 3,100 airports worldwide with commercial air carrier service, but only a small percentage have runway incursion prevention systems. AeroBOSS has been developed for Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) and airports to improve safety in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The RIWS program is expected to become a model for other airports. Selex ES Inc is currently delivering the same world-class level of safety to more than 25 airports worldwide.



Leonardo is committed to supporting and protecting people and communities and contributing to sustainable growth via latest-generation technologies, including those in airport management, in line with its "Be Tomorrow - Leonardo 2030" strategic plan. With a presence in over 150 countries and a broad portfolio of capabilities in this domain, Leonardo is meeting the needs of airports and air transport operators. The company offers Air Traffic Control (ATC) solutions, surveillance sensors, cyber security, communications, weather radars, navigation aids and Baggage Handling System (BHS). Leonardo delivers efficient and reliable support in Air Traffic Management (ATM), including for drone (unmanned) traffic management (UTM). Selex ES Inc.

Leonardo's U.S. subsidiary, Selex ES Inc., is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, USA and is a leading supplier of enroute navigation, precision, approach and landing and surveillance systems to military and civil aviation customers globally. This includes Category I through II/III Instrument Landing Systems, doppler and conventional VHF Omni-Direction Range (VOR), high and low-power Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), a TACAN that is built on the FAA's DME of choice, and modelling, designing and assisting with DME/DME initiatives. The company also designs and manufactures next generation surveillance radars and systems such as Multilateration (MLAT), and Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B). For more information, visit LeonardoCompany- us.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005232/en/

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Alabama will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations to everyone 16 years and older beginning April 5, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Friday.

Ivey made the announcement during a visit to the Alabama National Guard mobile vaccination clinic in Wilcox County.

Our goal is simple. That is to get shots off the shelf and into the arms of Alabamians, Ivey said.

The clinic was at Wilcox Central High School in Camden, Iveys hometown.

I have committed to the people of Alabama that we are on a path forward, and while there is more work to be done, I remain hopeful and optimistic in where we are going. Recent findings from the CDC show preliminary data suggesting that vaccinated individuals do not appear to be spreading the virus, so that is hopeful, underscores the effectiveness of the vaccine and is yet another reason to get the shot, Governor Ivey said. Truly, this vaccine is our ticket back to normal life. We are so close to getting COVID-19 in the rearview, and until then, we should all keep wearing our masks, get vaccinated and use the common sense the good Lord gave us.

Currently the Pfizer vaccine is available to individuals age 16 and up, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are both available to individuals 18 years of age and older.

Follow AL.com coverage of the coronavirus

With the expansion, there will be close to 4 million eligible individuals in the state of Alabama, according to Iveys announcement. The state is receiving about 115,000 first doses each week, according to the governors statement.

We believe that everyone ought to receive this vaccine, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said. Its the way that Alabama gets back to normal. Its the way that we put all this behind us.

Harris, who joined Ivey for the announcement, said slightly more than 1.7 million shots have been given in Alabama.

These shots have gone to more than 1.1 million Alabamians most at risk of illness and death due to COVID-19, Harris said in a press release. As progress has been made, equitable vaccine distribution has been and remains a driving force in immunizing state residents. The increased supply of safe and effective vaccines means all adults who wish to be vaccinated are now eligible to receive the protection vaccines offer.

As of April 1, 1,724,463 doses have been administered, according to Iveys statement.

Dr. Mary McIntyre, chief medical officer for the Department of Public Health, spoke at the press conference and encouraged people to get the vaccine that is available to them soonest and not wait in a specific vaccine. McIntyre also said the temporary side effects that affect some should not dissuade people from getting shots.

That really means the vaccine is working, McIntyre said. Your body is actually mounting the immune response it needs to mount. So if you get a little headache, or you get a little fever for a few days or some chills, that is not unexpected. And it may occur in some people and not in others. But thats not a reason to not take the vaccine.

More than 99 million people in the United States have received at least one dose of a vaccine, the Associated Press reported. But cases have risen slightly, with an average of 64,000 new cases a day this week compared to 55,000 two weeks ago, AP said.

Harris said that uptick has not shown up in Alabama yet.

Obviously we are monitoring that and are concerned with what we see around the country, Harris said. But the fact that our deaths have remained low and our hospitalization numbers have remained low lead us to believe our actual case numbers are low. So, were pleased with that right now.

Harris, as he has done before previous holiday weekends, urged caution about gatherings for Easter.

We still want people to be alert, to be careful, to remember that the pandemic is not over yet, Harris said. We still have a ways to go before we can put this behind us.

For those people who are vulnerable, in particular those people who are older or those people with chronic health problems, our advice still remains the same. Please be careful about getting together in groups. Please wear masks when youre able to do that. Please make sure you are careful about sanitation and hygiene.

Harris reinforced several of the basic guidelines for social events.

Smaller gatherings are better than larger gatherings. Outdoors is better than indoors. A short amount of time is better than a longer amount of time. So, please just do your best to protect yourself and especially protect those most vulnerable people around you, he said.
Gardai are questioning the man in his 50s in a north Dublin station

A north Dublin-based doctor has been arrested by fraud squad detectives who are investigating around 200 insurance claims which were made using false identities and false utility bills supported by false medical certificates.

The suspect is being questioned at a north Dublin Garda station over allegations that he signed off on up to 20 false medical certs for non-existent people.

Senior sources say that this includes insurance claims for soft-tissue injuries and other medical complications arising out of bogus incidents.

It is expected that at least one more doctor will be arrested as part of the detailed investigation which is being carried out by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB).

Fraud squad officers have been investigating the case for around a year after complaints were made to them by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) and another agency.

The doctor is suspected of being involved in this crime over a considerable period of time.

At the very least the arrested doctor is suspected of being reckless in terms of these medical certs. This is a complex investigation into a solicitors company that have set up a virtual office here in Ireland, a senior source said.

It is suspected that multiple claims have been made in the names of people that dont even exist but these things are not easy to prove, the source added.

Gardai announced that the arrest had been made under Operation Fraction.

As part of an ongoing investigation into alleged fraudulent insurance claims as part of Operation Fraction, gardai from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau arrested a man on the morning of Friday, April 2, 2021, a Garda spokesman said.

The man was arrested for offences contrary to Section 6 and 26 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, and is detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a north Dublin Garda station.

It is alleged that approximately 200 insurance claims were made using false identities, false utility bills supported by false medical certificates, the Garda spokesman added.
New Jersey officials have found a potentially deadly bacteria in the water at one of New Jerseys largest prisons, according to a staff memo obtained by NJ Advance Media.

Legionella was detected in a medical building at Northern State Prison in Newark, according to the document, and staff have since moved inmates out of the affected area. The bacteria causes Legionnaires disease, a form of pneumonia especially dangerous for people with compromised immune systems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Experts say prisoners generally have more health problems than the general population.

While an inmate did recently die at that facility, it was not necessarily connected to the bacteria, according to William Sullivan, president of NJ PBA Local 105, the states largest corrections union.

More information about the death, including the prisoners identity, was not immediately available. A corrections spokeswoman did not respond to questions sent late Thursday, and messages left with the state health department on Friday were not immediately returned.

State prisons were already hit hard by the pandemic, and the discovery of the bacteria came almost exactly a year after the first inmate died with the coronavirus.

Legionnaires has also surfaced behind bars in recent years in California and Florida.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control notes that the disease comes from breathing in the bacteria and cant easily spread from drinking contaminated water.

The department has nonetheless brought in bottled water, Sullivan said, and other facilities have also recently been checked. While the bacteria was found in one part of East Jersey State Prison, it was in an area that hadnt been used in years, he added.

Northern State opened in the late 1980s and housed about 1,800 people at the start of the year, according to a state report. Only one other prison had more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com.

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Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Norton legislator Temba Mliswa held a media conference at his house without authority from the regulatory officer in violation of Covid-19 regulations, although he had notified the police of his intentions, a senior police officer has said.

Chief Inspector Joshua Tigere, who is Officer Commanding Harare Suburban District, acknowledged that Mliswa informed the police about his intentions to hold a presser at his Borrowdale residence, but he did not give him the greenlight.

Chief Insp Tigere said this in court yesterday while giving evidence during Mliswa's application for referral of his matter, in which he is accused of violating Covid-19 regulations in February.

Mliswa had appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Tafadzwa Miti, with Mr Tapuwanashe Zvidzai appearing for the State.

"That he notified Borrowdale Police Station is true, but the information for him to conduct that presser had been communicated otherwise," said Chief Insp Tigere.

"In any case, notifying the police was not going to legalise the gathering of more than two people as required by law.

"The fact that police officers went to his house does not mean it was a legal gathering. The officers who went to his house were our intelligence officers.

"The two who went to his residence were not in uniform for the purpose of gathering information. We control gatherings in line with the law."

Chief Insp Tigere said he was the regulating authority who approved such gatherings and on the period in question, he never authorised Mliswa to conduct the presser.

"I was the regulating authority during that time," he said. "I did not grant permission for the presser."

Chief Insp Tigere said they only arrested Mliswa out of the rest of the people who attended the presser because he was the one who had convened the gathering.

"He is the owner of the premises," he said.

"He was addressing people and partaking in the gathering. The law forbids such gatherings.

"SI200/20 only allowed people to travel for providing essential services not to gather."

Chief Insp Tigere is expected to return to court on Tuesday when he will be cross-examined by Mliswa's lawyer, Mr Musindo Hungwe.
Michigans coronavirus trajectory is the worst in the nation as new cases continue to climb to heights not seen since mid-December.

Statewide, the seven-day positive test rate is up to 13.3% compared to 10.1% a week earlier. There are 61 counties over 10%, and 13 counties over 20%, including Sanilac (32.8%), Huron (31.1%), and Oscoda (29.1%) counties.

Below is a look at state and county numbers for new cases and positivity rates, as well as statewide numbers on hospitalizations, deaths and vaccinations.

New cases: The state is averaging 5,061 new cases a day.

The daily case average has been rising since late February, though its been most apparent over the last three weeks. A week ago, the average was 3,493 cases per day.

The average hadnt surpassed 5,000 cases per day since Dec. 12. For context, the height of the second wave was 7,270 cases per day just before Thanksgiving.

Below is an online database that allows readers to see the number of new coronavirus cases in the past seven days compared to the previous week, as well as the per capita number that adjusts for population. The arrows indicate whether the total number of new cases reported in the last seven days has gone up or down compared to the previous seven days.

The top counties in cases per capita over the past seven days: St. Clair, Huron, Sanilac, Macomb, and Missaukee.

The map below is shaded based on the states six risk-assessment levels. The arrows indicate whether the total number of new cases reported in the last seven days has gone up or down compared to March 20-26.

Readers can put their cursor over a county to see the underlying data. (Hint: You can drag the map with your cursor to see the entire U.P.)

Positivity rate: The seven-day average is now 13.3%.

The seven-day positivity rate on coronavirus diagnostic tests was 10.1% a week ago. On Wednesday, 15.4% of coronavirus test results reported were positive.

Sanilac and Huron counties are above 30% positivity. Another 11 counties have rates higher than 20%, including Oscoda, Missaukee, Tuscola, St. Clair, Lapeer, Otsego, Iosco, Macomb, Wexford, Crawford, and Oceana.

The chart below allows you to look up any county by name to see the seven-day average positivity rate for March 25-31. The chart compares the average from the past seven days to the average for the previous week.

The interactive map below shows the seven-day average testing rate by county. You can put your cursor over a county to see the underlying data.

Hospitalizations: 2,721 inpatients on Thursday

Michigan had 2,687 adults patients and 34 pediatric patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 on Thursday, April 1. That includes 511 patients in the ICU.

By comparison, there were 1,843 patients hospitalized on Thursday, March 25.

Deaths: The state is averaging 22 deaths a day.

That compares to an average of 21 deaths a day a week ago.

Its possible that a spike in deaths wont follow the latest surge in new cases, because Michiganders most susceptible to serious COVID-19 are the 65 and older population, of which a majority have been vaccinated.

Still, deaths are a lagging factor so we likely wont have an accurate view of the current surges death toll for a few weeks.

Vaccinations: 33.1% of adults have received at least one dose

As of Wednesday, March 30, a total of 2,811,507 residents 16 years and older have gotten at least one dose of vaccine, and 1,685,844 -- or 20.8% -- are fully vaccinated.

Below is a breakdown by age group of adults who have gotten at least one dose of vaccine and those who are fully immunized.

75 and older: 67.1% initiated; 53% completed.

65 to 74: 67% initiated; 50.5% completed.

50 to 64: 41.5% initiated; 17% completed.

40 to 49: 24.4% initiated; 13.8% completed.

30 to 39: 21.4% initiated; 12% completed.

20 to 29: 13.7% initiated; 7.5% completed.

16 to 19: 5.4% initiated; 1.5% completed.

States overall risk assessment: Five regions at highest level

Five of Michigans MI Start regions are back up to Level E in the states overall risk assessment -- the Detroit, Saginaw, Lansing, Kalamazoo and Traverse City regions.

The Grand Rapids and Jackson regions are at Level D, while the Upper Peninsula is at Level C.

In assigning the risk scores, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services looks at factors such as new cases and deaths per capita, test positivity rates, number of tests administered and emergency department visits for COVID-19 symptoms. The scale used by MDHHS has six levels -- low plus Levels A-E.

Read more on MLive:

First case of B.1.3.5.1 COVID-19 variant found in Lapeer County

Health officials push back on reports Jackson has highest COVID rates in nation

Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine effective at least 6 months, company says

Fact check: Michigans COVID health orders carry the weight of law, have not been proven unconstitutional
ZeroAvia is launching the development program for a 2MW hydrogen-electric powertrain for full-size regional aircraft. The program kick-off is supported by a new raise of $24.3 million, led by Horizons Ventures, joined by a new investor: British Airways.

Existing investors Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Summa Equity, Shell Ventures, and SYSTEMIQ also participated in the financing. This new round accelerates the larger hydrogen-electric engine development for the 50+ seat aircraft and supports additional commercial airlines initiatives to adopt hydrogen in aviation.

The latest funding brings the companys total private investment to more than $53 million and the total funding raised since inception to nearly $74 million.

This funding follows the announcement in December that the UK Governmentthrough the Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), and Innovate UKhad awarded a 12.3-million grant ($17-million) to deliver a breakthrough 19-seat hydrogen-electric powered aircraft that is market-ready by 2023.

ZeroAvia announced its $21.4-million Series A funding round at the same time, accelerating its 600kW development program scheduled for commercial entry in 2024.





ZeroAvia expects to achieve commercialization for its hydrogen-electric powertrain as early as 2024. Its hydrogen aviation solutions will address various markets by initially targeting a 500-mile range in 10-20 seat aircraft used for commercial passenger transport, package delivery, agriculture, and beyond. Accelerated by this new capital infusion, ZeroAvia will also target entering the 50+ seat commercial aircraft segment by 2026.

As the company continues to scale its global operations, ZeroAvia also brings three new members to the senior team:

Christine Ourmieres-Widener joins ZeroAvia's Board of Directors and brings executive experience cultivated from her time spent in top leadership at airline and travel corporations, including Vice-President and GM USA for Air France-KLM, CEO and board member of CityJet, Chief Global Sales Officer of American Express Global Business Travel and CEO of FlyBe. She previously served on the Board of Governors for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and was a Non-Executive Director for the airline retailer Datalex.

Mike Friend, a retired Boeing Senior Technology Director and consultant for Mitsubishi Aircraft, joins the Technical Advisory Board to lend his extensive aerospace technology knowledge to the powertrain development programs. In the early 2000s, he led a historic Boeing Phantom Works project in Spain, resulting in the world's first manned hydrogen-electric airplane flight. Following that, he was a chief engineer in the New Airplane Product Development team at Boeing Commercial Aircraft, playing critical roles in developing multiple vehicle concepts, including Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Mark Blair, a retired FedEx VP of Air Operations and a former Director of Fleet & Government Sales for Cessna Aircraft Company joins ZeroAvia Advisory Board to lend his extensive knowledge in package delivery applications of various sizes of aircraft. Mark is also engaged with a number of cargo and passenger operators in advisory capacities and will bring this diverse operator perspective to ZeroAvia.

ZeroAvia offers hydrogen-fueled powertrain technology to replace conventional engines in commercial aircraft. Adoption of this technology results not only in true zero-emission flight but also in lower fuel and maintenance costs. The company previously completed its first electric flight in the US in 2019, then built the second flying prototype in the UK, and conducted its first electric flight in June of 2020. In September 2020, it achieved the world's first hydrogen-electric flight of a commercial-grade aircraft.

Additionally, the company just completed a ground simulation of the complete power profile for its upcoming first cross-country flight. The ground test demonstrated a full battery shutdown in-flight using the companys unique fuel cell powertrain configuration, allowing for complete removal of the battery system in the next configuration of the powertrain.
A palliative care doctor has suggested that studying Shakespeare's plays could help medical students connect more closely with their patients. Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Dr David Jeffrey, of the Department of Palliative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, investigates how the playwright's empathic approach - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another - can enhance the patient-doctor relationship.

Dr Jeffrey writes that the idea that emotions are disruptive and need to be controlled is deeply ingrained in medical education and practice, contributing to doctors distancing from patients. The coronavirus pandemic, with the need for personal protections, social distancing and video consultations has, he says, created challenges to establishing empathic relationships between patients and doctors.

He argues that a study of Shakespeare's plays may be a creative way of enhancing empathic approaches in medical students. Drawing on references from The Tempest, As You Like It and King Lear, he writes: "It is remarkable that Shakespeare's work remains relevant today. It seems that he had an ability to anticipate our thoughts, particularly in times of crisis."

Dr Jeffrey describes the way Shakespeare depicts the world from the other person's point of view, not just their understanding, but their emotions and their moral perspectives. This approach, he writes, creates a space for interpretation and reflection, to experience empathy. "Creating such a space for reflection is a central part of clinical practice and medical education."

He adds: "Shakespeare speaks through times of crisis, underlining the centrality of empathic human relationships. Medical humanities are often on the fringes of medical education but should be central to medicine culture change. A special study module would be one way of introducing Shakespeare studies to the undergraduate curriculum."

###

Notes to editors

Shakespeare's empathy: enhancing connection in the patient-doctor relationship in times of crisis (DOI: 10.1177/0141076821996005) by David Jeffrey will be published by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine at 00:05 hrs (UK time) on Friday 2 April 2021.

The link for the full text of the paper when published will be:

https:/ / journals. sagepub. com/ doi/ full/ 10. 1177/ 0141076821996005

For further information or a copy of the paper please contact:

Rosalind Dewar

Media Office, Royal Society of Medicine

DL: +44 (0) 1580 764713

M: +44 (0) 7785 182732

E: media@rsm.ac.uk

The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (JRSM) is a leading voice in the UK and internationally for medicine and healthcare. Published continuously since 1809, JRSM features scholarly comment and clinical research. JRSM is editorially independent from the Royal Society of Medicine, and its editor is Dr Kamran Abbasi.

JRSM is a Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine and it is published by SAGE Publishing.
Lets have a little sympathy for Greenwich.

Its not the most obvious candidate for compassion, what with its status among the most sought-after addresses on the planet.

Still, the debate over housing equity in Connecticut has put the states extreme southwest in a poor light  unfairly, local leaders say.

We can grant those leaders have a germ of a point; Greenwich is not all that its detractors imagine it to be. Compared to some neighbors, the town has surprising diversity, including in its public schools. And theres a wider variety of housing stock than other suburbs.

But whatever generosity the rest of the state might be tempted to extend has been tested by those leaders response to potential law changes, specifically regarding zoning.

Greenwich, these officials say, is doing fine on its own, and everyone else is just jealous.

A focus by big-city mayors on state policies that favor suburbs is just political sleight of hand meant to divert attention from their problems as Democratic-run large cities to an imagined one  well-run, generally Republican communities. Thats the view of Dan Quigley, chairman of the Republican Town Committee in Greenwich.

Hes saying, its not our fault you dont know what youre doing. Why doesnt New Haven just run things like Greenwich does?

First Selectman Fred Camillo, also a Republican, echoed the complaints. He acknowledged the worthiness of social equity and affordable housing, but said they should be accomplished through local authorities that are cognizant of their respective community needs, not via state mandates.

In other words, dont change anything. But if what were doing isnt achieving those supposedly worthy goals, how could more of the same be an answer?

Greenwich has a variety of selling points, including a stunningly low mill rate of 11.59 percent. When the average home is worth more than $1.4 million, you can get away with such numbers. New Havens mill rate, meanwhile, is 43.88. But there are many factors that go into those numbers, which Greenwich leaders are happy to elide.

In almost every way imaginable, Greenwich stands alone. A list of the richest towns in America includes some Silicon Valley suburbs and tucked-away enclaves, most with populations of 15,000 or less. Greenwich has 62,000 people.

It got where it is by being blessed with every advantage a community could ask for, helped by unquestionably exclusionary policies. For all the complaints about taxes, theyre lower and simpler than in neighboring Westchester County.

Connecticut cities, meanwhile, have lost nearly everything in the past 50 years that helped them prosper as factories closed and industry fled, while still being asked to serve as their regions focal points for government, health care and social services, none of which are taxable. There have been self-inflicted wounds along the way, but the crisis in Connecticut cities is one thats been replicated across the country.

So were left with a situation where cities jobs are sent away at the direction of the financial sector in search of the best return on investment, a sector that happens to have a major concentration in Greenwich. Meanwhile, the open-air country club that is Greenwich looks down its nose at the cities while asking whatever happened to pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.

Zoning aside, this is a tough time for Greenwich Republicans. The town is now regularly sending Democrats to the state Legislature, and the Greenwich model of a George H.W. Bush-style GOP is dead and gone. Greenwich Republicans are staring into the face of their own obsolescence. No wonder theyre in a bad mood.

Fairfield County likes to complain about being the states ATM, and its true an outsize percentage of state revenue comes from just a few towns. But its not like thats an accident. Their wealth has been protected by generations of policies geared toward keeping their money in and everything else out. Now, when that model is questioned, theyre lashing out.

Whether they like it or not, change is coming to Connecticuts suburbs. It might happen via state law, or it could come from their own electorates. The only question is how loudly theyll complain along the way.

Hugh Bailey is editorial page editor of the New Haven Register and Connecticut Post. He can be reached at hbailey@hearstmediact.com.
Police have smashed an international drugs gang which sold ecstasy, amphetamines and pills on the dark web to customers around the world.

The dealers would sell the drugs under innocent account 'handles' including 'Sundaefundae' and 'Hundredsandthousands'.

Their operation was rumbled when packages were destined for Europe, Asia and the US were seized by Border Force officials last summer, sparking a probe by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Officers seized 90 kilos of MDMA, 134 kilos of amphetamine and more than 6000 Diazepam tablets, also known as alprazolam, over the course of their investigation.

Experts estimate the drugs haul would have been worth a combined value of 4.3 million if the criminals had successfully sold it on the streets.

Two men have been arrested after a series of dramatic raids and police are hunting another two criminals still on the loose. Officers have urged the duo to hand themselves in.

Police have 'dismantled' a drug dealing gang selling large quantities of ecstasy on the dark web in a series of raids (pictured). Experts estimate the drugs haul from their investigation would have been worth a combined value of 4.3 million

The NCA launched their probe into the drugs gang network in June and July last year after intercepting parcels of MDMA.

Some of them were addressed to locations in the UK, US, Israel, Norway, Thailand, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

Officers analysed encrypted messages to identify the behind the operation selling the drugs and laundering money using cryptocurrency.

Two men, aged 24 and 31, were arrested on Thursday in South Shields and Hebburn, South Tyneside, on suspicion of importing and supplying Class A, B and C drugs.

An address in Epsom, Surrey, was also searched, with further raids also carried out at other properties in South Shields.

Officers seized 90 kilos of MDMA, 134 kilos of amphetamine and more than 6000 Diazepam tablets, also known as alprazolam, after the National Crime Agency investigation. Pictured: Stock image

Officers also seized mobile phones, computers and drug packaging paraphernalia in the operation, which was supported by US law enforcement.

Officers discovered the drugs were being imported from Holland and then sold on the dark web under four handles - HundredsUK, Hundredsandthousands, Sundaefundae, and 100and1000s.

NCA operations manager Martin Clarke said: 'This action against an organised crime group supplying drugs via the dark web has dismantled a well-established operation.

'We have worked closely with partners in the US to target the individuals involved, who are ultimately preying on the vulnerable and destroying communities.

'This investigation shows that those who try to use the dark web and encrypted communication devices to anonymously commit crimes can be identified.

'There are two people from South Shields we are still seeking, who we believe are overseas.

'They know they are wanted and I would encourage them to hand themselves in.'
Cong accuse BJP as communal party, but it pact with communal parties to win polls : Nadda Image Source: IANS News

Cong accuse BJP as communal party, but it pact with communal parties to win polls : Nadda Image Source: IANS News

Cong accuse BJP as communal party, but it pact with communal parties to win polls : Nadda Image Source: IANS News

Guwahati, April 2 : BJP national President J.P. Nadda said on Friday that the Congress always accuses the BJP of being a communal party, but for the Assembly elections in Kerala and Assam, the grand old party has itself alligned with the communal forces to win the polls.

Addressing three rallies ahead of the third and final phase of Assembly elections in Assam scheduled on April 6, Nadda said that the Congress has joined hands with communal parties - with the Muslim League in Kerala and with the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam.

Along with Assam, the 140-member Kerala Assembly will go to the polls in a single phase on April 6. All results will be declared on May 2.

"The Congress has no policy, no ideological aim or honesty as the party is fighting against the CPI-M in Kerala, but it has forged an alliance with the Left in West Bengal and Assam," the BJP chief said while addressing election rallies at Chandmari, Patacharkuchi and Boko under the newly created Bajali district.

Assam BJP President Ranjeet Kumar Dass (54) and Asom Gana Parishad leader Jyoti Prasad Das (59) are locked in multi-corner contests in Patacharkuchi and Boko Assembly constituencies, respectively.

Nadda claimed that Assam witnessed unprecedented terrorist violence during the Congress regime that killed thousands of civilians and security personnel.

"Under the dynamic leadership and initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, several thousand militants have surrendered and deposited over 4,000 assault rifles, leading to restoration of peace in Assam after a long time," he said, adding that a Rs 1,500 crore package was also announced for the Bodoland areas.

Asserting that Assam would be made an 'Aatmanirbhar' state by rejuvenating the economy of the rural areas and patronising the poultry, piggery, cottage industries and various other livelihood schems, the saffron party leader said that the BJP government would make a new Assam after the party returns to power for a second term on May 2.

He said that to empower the women under the state's biggest flagship scheme 'Orunodoi', the monthly payments of Rs 830 would be increased to Rs 3,000 covering 30 lakh deserving families.

Detailing the party's election manifesto, Nadda said that it has promised to strengthen and protect 'Namghars' and 'Satras' (traditional Vaishnavite monasteries of Assam) and grants of up to Rs 2.5 lakh will be provided to these traditional institutes.

Introduced by Srimanta Sankardeva, Namghars, literally meaning prayer house, are places for congregational worship associated with the entire Assamese community and the Ekasarana sect of Hinduism, in particular, which is native to Assam.

Accusing the Congress of neglecting Assam, Nadda said that the state's gas royalty was pending for many years with the Central government, but Modi after becoming the Prime Minister sanctioned Rs 8,000 crore gas royalty within a week.

"Assam received three-four times more financial assistance from the BJP-led Central government than what it had received during the Congress regime," Nadda said.
(JNS)  The U.S. Senate is facing a decision about whether to approve or reject the nomination of Colin Kahl for undersecretary of defense. Kahl was a leading voice against the move of the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

He inaccurately believed that it would lead to a violent blowup across the Middle East, when, in fact, it eventually led to the Abraham Accords.

He was also a major advocate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, during his service in the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama. He mistakenly believed...
NEW YORK - The collapse of a billionaire's family investment firm that has some asking whether Wall Street learned its lesson from past financial crises has sparked a different debate among some evangelical leaders over ethical investing.

Archegos Capital Management, which does not function like a regular hedge fund, is a family office, which typically manages the money of a few wealthy families.

READ MORE: Former Houston banker heading to prison after admitting to fraud scheme

Archegos managed $10 billion of Bill Hwang's family fortune, according to Reuters. The firm used borrowed money to buy substantial stakes in media and Internet companies, including ViacomCBS. That position went south this week after Viacom's share price dropped, prompting Wall Street firms that had invested in Archegos to demand it make up some of those losses. When Archegos could not, two banks that financed Archegos' stock purchases warned its own investors of potential losses of billions of dollars, according to several media accounts.

While being overleveraged isn't necessarily illegal, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened a preliminary investigation into the firm's meltdown, Bloomberg News reported; such inquiries are routine and may not lead to charges.

Using Archegos's same Manhattan address across from Carnegie Hall, Hwang also co-foundedone of the nation's largest Christian charitable foundations, the Grace and Mercy Foundation, with nearly $500 million in assets. Recent tax documents from his foundation show it is funded mainly by Hwang; he and his wife are directors. Tax records also show his charity has donated amounts ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars to more than 60 institutions, mostly evangelical ones, including giving $1.2 million to the Museum of the Bible in Washington.

Hwang, 57, was also once close to the late evangelical leader Ravi Zacharias, who was recently in the news over accusations of sexual misconduct, and they spoke together at a conference in 2019. Hwang's foundation gave Zacharias's ministry $255,000 in 2018.

"I cannot think of another foundation or individual that has given significant donations to as many Christian organizations as he has," said Warren Cole Smith, who leads a group called MinistryWatch that monitors Christian ministries' finances.

A spokesman for Hwang did not respond to a request for comment. The president of the Grace and Mercy Foundation, Sumi Kim, did not respond to a request for comment.

Smith said Hwang may not be legally guilty of wrongdoing, but his actions should still give Christians pause because they lead to losses for investors well beyond Hwang's family.

"That kind of risky behavior, especially with other people's money, does have moral and ethical consequences, even if it's not illegal," Smith said.

PPP LOAN SCHEME: Texas man pleads guilty to $24.8 million PPP loan scheme

Hwang is the son of a Korean pastor who immigrated to the United States as a child. He later became one of billionaire Julian Robertson's proteges, and started the Tiger Asia hedge fund. In 2012, the SEC charged Hwang with committing insider trading at Tiger Asia. He agreed to pay $44 million to settle the charges, and he was also barred from trading or giving investment advice for at least five years starting in 2013.

According to interviews with several people who know Hwang and his foundation, Hwang has shared this story as a "come to Jesus" moment, where he would say that he had a sort of spiritual awakening after being caught by the SEC. Since then, he has been given several platforms on Christian conference stages to talk about his business mind-set.

Tony Carnes, who runs a site called A Journey through NYC religions, said he turned down a potential funding call with the foundation because he felt uncomfortable after hearing speculation that Hwang was using his foundation to make a comeback. He said while it's okay for churches and ministries to receive money from people who might not have stellar backgrounds, he was concerned that Hwang was being heralded for his great business and ethics approach.

Carnes believes there are bigger questions Christians must ask over whether it's ethical to take such major risks with other people's money.

"Is capitalism only a Wild West game?" Carnes said. "It's a shootout and see who survives? Or is it more cooperative and you make sure you look for casualties and help them? You recognize you have some limits. The limits might not legally be there, but ethically, [they are] if you care for people."

According to tax documents, Hwang gave $5.5 million to the Fuller Foundation, a family foundation, as well as $2 million to the Fuller Theological Seminary, where he is on the board of trustees, considered to be a list of who's who among influential evangelical leaders.

Rich Mouw, a former president of Fuller Theological Seminary and an evangelical leader, said he remembers bringing Hwang on the board of Fuller after Hwang's investments did so well for the Fuller Foundation. Together, they traveled as friends to Japan and South Korea, and Mouw spoke at Hwang's mother's funeral.

"I have talked a lot with Bill about ethical and spiritual challenges in his work," Mouw said. "I've always found him to be very eager to think in Christian ways."

In a 2018 interview with Fuller, Hwang spoke about using capitalism to help society advance in investing in companies that do good for society, citing LinkedIn as an example.

MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME: Former Citgo exec pleads guilty in $7 million international bribery, money laundering scheme

The Grace and Mercy Foundation has donated to major evangelical ministries across the country, including the International Justice Mission, Cru (formerly Campus Crusade), Prison Fellowship, Young Life and the Navigators. It also has helped to finance several Christian organizations in Manhattan, including Redeemer Presbyterian's Hope for New York and the King's College.

In total, the foundation gave out more than $16 million in grants in 2018, with many donations being likely to make up a significant portion of smaller ministries' revenue.

One evangelical leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared it could jeopardize his relationship with Hwang, said Hwang spoke to him about his financial influence overseas. He said Hwang would talk about how he would consider his investments in a country like Cambodia and then also decide to support an orphanage or congregation as a way to support something for the "kingdom," a reference to God's work on Earth.

Whether Archegos's meltdown could affect the Grace and Mercy Foundation is unclear.Tax returns from 2018 suggest Hwang's foundation purchased shares of several private offshore entities. The foundation also received a donation of a $30 million share in Amazon that was purchased for about $10 million. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) If Hwang made the donations to his foundation, he was probably able to deduct gifts and avoid capital gains taxes, according to David Bea, a Chicago-based attorney who has worked with several religious institutions on their IRS status.

Bea said the foundation, assuming its transactions were properly separated from Archegos, should be safe from Hwang's Wall Street dealings because Hwang and his wife are listed as directors, not owners.

The foundation gave about 3.2 percent of the foundation to mostly Christian, Korean and Asian American nonprofit organizations in 2018, while most foundations in the United States are expected to meet a minimum percentage of 5 percent, according to Bea.

In 2014, Hwang also brought on board Andy Mills, a leader in evangelical institutions such as Focus on the Family and the King's College. Mills has been executive chairman and co-chief executive officer at Archegos, as well as vice chairperson of Hwang's foundation. Mills did not respond to calls requesting comment.

Hwang is among several wealthy Christian philanthropists in the United States who carry financial influence through foundations such as the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, the H.E. Butt Foundation and the Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation. But what's unusual about Hwang is that he has flown largely under the radar even though his finances have touched so many evangelical institutions nationwide.

Hwang is passionate about having the Bible read out loud for people to listen to publicly. Each week, his foundation would host a live session in Manhattan where ministry leaders around the city would gather to hear the Bible read.

Doug Birdsall, honorary co-chair of Lausanne Movement, an international network of evangelicals that has been a recipient of Hwang's generosity, said that when Birdsall lived in New York in 2013, they worshiped together at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, founded by pastor Tim Keller. Hwang gave Lausanne $75,000 in 2018, according to tax records. Birdsall said he admires Hwang for his attitude toward money, pointing to an interview posted on YouTube in 2018 in which Hwang said, "I do it because I like God more than I like money."

Birdsall still has a lot of admiration for Hwang, as well as sympathy for what happened on Wall Street.

"Bill obviously has a high tolerance for risk," Birdsall said. "They say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. He's had setbacks but they've been compensated by his success. I haven't heard anything about illegal or foolish activity. It's a matter of, it was a risk ... and he lost."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites and Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.
Indian American infectious diseases specialist says that adding more layers of material to a mask or wearing two masks reduces the number of respiratory droplets containing the virus that come through the mask. (LinkedIn photo)
SPRINGFIELD  In a possible death blow to what some have called a zombie project, state environmental regulators have revoked approval for a proposed 35-megawatt biomass energy plant in East Springfield.

The state Department of Environmental Protection, in a letter to Palmer Renewable Energy Friday, cited delays in starting construction at the 1000 Page Blvd. site, as well as environmental justice concerns, as the reason for revoking approval.

Local permits for the plant were issued more than a decade ago, and final approval from the state came in 2012. The project has faced legal challenges and other delays since then. Palmer Renewable Energy did recently provide city officials with a list of completed or planned work totaling $11.75 million, including demolition and a signed contract to build a foundation for the smokestack.

From the beginning, the project has faced impassioned opposition from neighborhood residents, environmental activists and city councilors who raised concerns about air pollution. Springfield already has elevated rates of asthma, which critics said would only be made worse by emissions from the biomass plant.

Palmer Renewable Energy has argued the project would not increase pollution nor harm public health. It said its burning of waste wood would also help forest management efforts.

A representative of Palmer Renewable Energy could not be reached for comment Friday. The letter from MassDEP notes the company can request a adjudicatory hearing on the revocation.

Receiving this news feels like the final chapter of a twelve year fight, said state Sen. Adam Gomez, D-Springfield, a former city councilor. The amount of people there is to thank is endless and far-reaching. Thank you to the Department of Environmental Protection for listening to the people, for recognizing the severe impacts that Palmer Renewable Energy would have on nearby environmental justice communities, especially those that are already struggling with some of the highest asthma rates in the country.

Gomez thanked advocates and other lawmakers including Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, adding, To Palmer Renewable Energy  stay out and dont come back. If you appeal, well keep fighting you.

The idea of (siting) a biomass facility in the asthma capital of the United States lacked common sense or regard for equity, and I am relieved that MassDEP issued its decision to revoke the permit, Lesser said in a statement.

State Rep. and Ward 8 City Councilor Orlando Ramos said he was elated by the decision. I, along with many of my colleagues in government and community members have been fighting to protect our community from this project for over a decade, he said.

Among the activist groups opposing the biomass proposal have been the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition and Jobs With Justice.

This is a community disproportionately impacted by environmental racism, that is combatting many medical issues exacerbated by COVID-19, said Jobs With Justice organizer Jacqueline Velez. The pollution this plant would create would not be contained to this community. As a mother of a child with respiratory issues I am a bit relieved. I hope this stops this injustice indefinitely.

Climate Justice Coalition member Zulmalee Rivera called the MassDEP decision a reminder that when people organize and band together, we can overcome deep-pocketed opposition. The city of Springfield will breathe a little easier now knowing that we are stepping forward, hand in hand, in the right direction.

Mireille Bejjani, Western Massachusetts community organizer with Boston-based environmental group Community Action Works, said: We hope todays decision marks a turning point in how our regulations are enforced to protect communities and achieve environmental justice.

Other councilors joined Gomez and Ramos in hailing MassDEPs decision to revoke approval.

The decision of the Springfield City Council to challenge the validity of the Palmer Renewable Energy building permit due to construction inactivity is in line with this decision from the MA Dept. of Environmental Protection, Council President Marcus Williams said in a statement. This decision is further evidence that construction has not commenced. Every project should be held to the same standards and I look forward to our case being heard at the Zoning Board-level.

The council last month enlisted the nonprofit Conservation Law Foundation to challenge the project before the Springfield Zoning Board of Appeals. Members also argued the projects building permit, issued in 2011, was no longer valid.

For too long communities like ours have been targeted by out of town developers seeking to get rich at the expense of the public health and environment of our children, seniors, and all residents, leading to generations of concentrated pollution and health and environmental inequities, said Councilor Jesse Lederman, chairman of the councils Committee on Sustainability and Environment.

State Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides, in a statement Friday, said the biomass facilitys air plan approval was revoked due to a lack of continuous construction as required in state regulation, the nine years that have lapsed since the air plans approval, and public health and Environmental Justice concerns.

Michael Gorski, regional director for MassDEP, sent a letter to Victor Gatto of Palmer Renewable Energy saying the state can revoke any plan if construction has not begun within two years of the date of plan approval.

MassDEP has determined that PRE has performed certain site modifications for the facility but has not commenced construction within two years of the date of a plan approval, Gorski said, citing state law.

U.S. Sens. Edward J. Markey, and Elizabeth Warren, said in a joint statement that they applaud the MassDEPs decision. They wrote a letter in December urging the state to suspend its conditional approval.

We are pleased that MassDEP heeded our call to prioritize environmental justice and air quality concerns, and we are thrilled to celebrate this victory with the Springfield residents who fought so passionately against it, the senators wrote. Todays decision will save lives.

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NEW YORK, April 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bernstein Liebhard, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of MoneyGram International, Inc. (MoneyGram or the Company) (NASDAQ: MGI) from June 3, 2019, through February 22, 2021 (the Class Period). The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.



If you purchased MoneyGram securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit MoneyGram Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Matthew E. Guarnero toll free at (877) 779-1414 or MGuarnero@bernlieb.com

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose to investors: (1) XRP, the cryptocurrency that MoneyGram was utilizing as part of its Ripple partnership, was viewed as an unregistered and therefore unlawful security by the SEC; (2) in the event that the SEC decided to enforce the securities laws against Ripple, MoneyGram would be likely to lose the lucrative stream of market development fees that was critical to its financial results throughout the Class Period; and (3) as a result, defendants public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times.

On February 22, 2021, MoneyGram filed its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, disclosing to shareholders that it was possible that MoneyGram will not resume transacting with Ripple under the commercial agreement and will be unable to receive the related market development fees in 2021 and beyond.

On this news, MoneyGram securities fell 33.2%, from a closing price on February 19, 2021 of $10.87, to a closing price on February 23, 2021 of $7.26 per share.

Story continues

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 30, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesnt require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.

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After Judith Perrey died a few years ago, her daughter Jenny McAllister found the daily journals the Melbourne painter had kept all her life, written longhand into exercise books.

They were mostly pragmatic, matter-of-fact records of her family and artistic life. But one phrase jumped out at Jenny. Why wasnt I born a man?

Reflecting on the past: children of painter Judith Perrey, Jenny McAllister and her brother Peter. Credit:Simon Schluter

And thats the only indication you get, says McAllister, of the frustration her mother felt at the turning point in her life. As a young, supremely talented  but working class and female  artist in the 1940s, she lost a golden opportunity to a man, based on the judgment of men.

More than half a century later, Perreys children Jenny and Peter are mounting a retrospective valedictory exhibition of her work at the Victorian Artists Society Galleries in East Melbourne, to fulfil one of her last requests and in the hope to find her work a home.
Shootings by police officers, especially those that are fatal, are always high-profile events that raise critical questions for the public about tactics and use of force, because of the tragic loss of life and the millions of dollars they have cost taxpayers in lawsuits. Those concerns have only become louder and more immediate in the past year during a national reckoning over controversial uses of force by police in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
On two critical issues, climate change and the global refugee crisis, this weeks Labor Party special platform conference demonstrated the utter political bankruptcy of all those who have insisted for decades that Labor, a thoroughly capitalist party, can somehow be pressured in a progressive direction.

In Labors tightly-controlled two-day event, one of the longest sessionslasting less than an hourinvolved hand-picked trade union and party representatives paying lip service to the need for action on the environmental crisis and criticising the pro-fossil fuel policy of the Liberal-National Coalition government.

Labors energy spokesman Chris Bowen addressing conference from Nissan showroom (Source: Facebook)

Yet the main outcomes were to abandon any carbon emissions reduction target for 2030, mirroring the governments refusal to set such a target, and to recommit any Labor government to continuing to support the mining giants based on the lucrative extraction of the main fossil fuelscoal, gas and oil.

With these outcomes stitched up by the party and union powerbrokers behind closed doors, there was no dissent, even of a token character. Every vote was unanimous.

Because of the insatiable drive for corporate profit, global warming is accelerating. All the scientific reports have warned that unless carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels are urgently reduced, the world is headed for average temperature rises of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, producing intense heatwaves, droughts and fire, more severe tropical storms and flooding, increased acidification of oceans, accelerated permafrost melt, the thinning of ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctica, and rising sea levels.

Despite the global nature of this crisis, Labors policies were recast, more explicitly than ever, in nationalist terms, in line with the conferences overarching focus on strengthening the US military alliance, directed against China, and preparing for war.

Labor will ensure that Australia becomes a renewable energy superpower, is the opening declaration of the partys platform chapter on the environment. In moving the chapter, Labors energy spokesman Chris Bowen even claimed that the development of the continents clean energy sources would make the country a manufacturing superpower as well. He told the conference: The globes climate emergency is Australias jobs opportunity.

Alongside this promotion of green industries to profit from the climate crisis, an agreed amendment was adopted, proposed by Australian Workers Union national vice president Paul Farrow, to specifically hail the coal industry, along with the rest of the mining sector.

Labor recognises and values the economic and employment contribution of Australias mining and extractive resources industries including iron ore, coal, uranium, nickel, rare earths, gold, copper, zinc, silver, gas, bauxite and others, the amendment stated.

Another amendment, sponsored by the Construction Forestry Mining Maritime and Energy Unions mining and energy general secretary Grahame Kelly, reiterated Labors backing for the highly-profitable exporting of coal, oil and gas. Labor supports Australian industry, including agriculture, manufacturing, minerals including coal, oil and gas, the amendment said.

That means backing the further expansion of fracking and other new gas projects, which are widely opposed in urban and regional areas alike.

Speaker after speaker from the mining-related unions insisted that these commitments were essential to give the party any hope of winning back disaffected mining workers, who deserted the party in the 2019 federal election, along with many other workers. But the essential thrust of the platform chapter is to guarantee the super-profits of the coal, oil and gas conglomerates.

To provide a figleaf for these pledges, representatives of the Labor Environmental Action Network (LEAN) were given time to pretend that a Labor government would make a difference to the global warming disaster.

In an attempt to appease the immensely popular concern over climate change, intensified by the 201920 bushfire catastrophe and this years floods, LEAN co-convener Felicity Wade said the conference confirms Labors commitment to showing up to keep Australians safe from a disrupted future where terrifying fire and flood are just the beginning.

An amendment by Labor MPs Ged Kearney (a former president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions) and Josh Wilson said a Labor government would recognise a climate emergency and adopt renewable energy at a rapid pace. Even this purely token gesture was couched in terms of transforming Australia into a renewables superpower.

In reality, that means boosting the fortunes of the mining companies, along with those of the much-hyped green and clean energy businesses that are becoming more prominent in Australian capitalisms corporate and financial elite.

The only climate-related initiatives announced during the conference were subsidies for purchases of electric cars, which remain out of reach for working class people, and for small-scale battery storage projects to facilitate the spread of household solar panels.

These proposals, even if implemented, are dwarfed by the magnitude and global character of the climate crisis. To seriously address global warming it is necessary to carry out a major reorganisation of economic life worldwide. Energy production has to be shifted to renewables, accompanied by the genuine protection and enhancement of the lives and livelihoods of mining workers.

That involves massive international funding for infrastructure and the development of technologies, instead of pouring trillions of dollars into military spending and war preparations and the pockets of the mining magnates and other billionaires. In other words, a socialist solution is urgently required.

No time at all was allocated at Labors conference to the mounting global refugee disaster, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the universal closing of borders by governments. More people are fleeing persecution, violence and poverty than any time since World War II. Increasingly brutal measures are being taken against desperate asylum seekers, from the US-Mexico border to the Mediterranean Sea and Australias detention facilities.

For the past three decades, Labor conferences have featured set-piece debates on the partys anti-refugee policies, which date back to the Keating governments imposition of the mandatory detention of refugees in 1992. Even at the last conference, in 2018, such a charade was conducted in order for supposed opponents of the detention regime to foster illusions that a Labor government would deliver fairness and compassion, in contrast to the Liberal-National government.

No such show was conducted this time. Endorsed without debate, the platform declares unequivocal support for the effectively indefinite detention of asylum seekers on remote Pacific and Indian Ocean islands, which was re-instituted by the Rudd and Gillard Labor governments of 2007 to 2013, along with the denial of their basic democratic and legal right to apply for protection visas.

Cynically seeking to stoke xenophobic anti-refugee sentiment, the platform states: To maintain Australians confidence and trust in the integrity of our migration system, Labor will fund and maintain robust border security measures that support the orderly processing of migration to our country and protect our national interest and our national borders.

A statement in detail adds: To support Australias strong border security regime, Labor will maintain:  An architecture of excised offshore places; and  The non-statutory processing on Christmas Island of persons who arrive unauthorised at an excised place, except where other arrangements are entered into under bilateral and regional arrangements.

More than ever, Labor and the unions are seeking to divert the rising discontent in the working class over yawning social inequality and deteriorating working and living conditions in a reactionary nationalist direction, scapegoating refugees and other workers overseas.

This toxic nationalism plays into the promotion of a wartime-style anti-foreigner political climate. Against this poison, working people need to defend the right of refugees and workers to live and work in whichever country they choose, with full civil and political rights, instead of being treated like criminals.
Haveri : , April 2 (IANS) Exactly a month after directing his staff to visit Karnataka Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil's house to administer the Covid-19 vaccine, the health officer of Hirekerur taluk, Z.R. Makandar, has been suspended by the state's Health and Family Welfare Department.

After conducting a thorough inquiry into the matter, K.V. Trilok Chandra, the Commissioner of the Health and Family Welfare Department, suspended Makandar citing dereliction of duty and violation of the guidelines issued by the Union government.

Patil represents the Hirekerur Assembly constituency in Haveri district in Karnataka, which is around 330 km from Bengaluru. He is one of the 17 legislators who had defected from the Congress and the JD(S), paving the way for the BJP to form government in the state in 2019.

It all started on March 2, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi kick-started the Covid Vaccination Drive 2.0 in the country by taking the vaccine shot at the AIIMS in New Delhi.

On the same day, a team of health officials from the Hirekerur taluk visited Patil's house and administered him the first jab, which was against the guidelines issued by the Central government pertaining to the inoculation drive.

"Took the #COVID19Vaccine with my wife, at my Hirekerur house from the government doctors today. While 'Made In India' vaccines are being immensely appreciated by many countries, some vested interest groups are spreading false information about the vaccines," Patil had tweeted then with a photograph of him taking the vaccine shot.

As his photo soon went viral on social media, many people criticised the minister and the health department.

But Patil in his defence maintained that he did not commit any crime, and wanted to avoid trouble for the public. "Have I done any theft or robbery? I have only taken the vaccine at home, which is not a crime," the minister had told reporters.

He had said that it was good that his inoculation became public, which would inspire others to take the shot, adding that had he gone to the hospital, it would have caused trouble for the people waiting there.

Later, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry sought a detailed report on the matter along with an explanation from the taluk health officer.

The health department then came to know that the health officer of Hirekerur taluk, following request from the minister, had decided to send his staff to the latter's house without consulting any higher authorities.

Incidentally, five members of the minister's family were diagnosed with Covid-19 in July 2020, including Patil, his wife and his son-in-law, who wer put under home isolation.
Trending in China: Xiaomis New Logo Fails to Wow Despite Famous Design Team

Heather Mowbray / Apr 02, 2021 03:55 PM / Trending Stories

Whats trending?

#logo#

On the evening of March 30, at Xiaomi's Spring product conference, Xiaomi Technologys founder Lei Jun was excited to reveal a new Xiaomi logo and logotype made by Japanese designer Kenya Hara, saying the new logo was more suitable for a Chinese smart appliance giant in its mature second decade. The redesign is rumored to have taken three years and cost 2 million yuan (around $300,000).

Whats the story?

Chairman of the Nippon Design Center and professor at Musashino Art University Kenya Hara's presentation of the redesign was posted on social media soon after Lei Jun's announcement. In it, he explained how he incorporated Eastern philosophy and the beauty of the super ellipse, a term meaning halfway between a circle and a square, in the updated icon.

Hara said, In three years, we communicated with Xiaomi designers and professionals in various fields before coming up with the final design plan. Saying that it is not just a simple redesign of the [Xiaomi logos] shape, but an encapsulation of Xiaomis inner spirit, the designer explained how his Alive concept complemented Xiaomi by bridging humanity and technology.

Hara also introduced the new font Xiaomi will roll out for use on products including its smartphones, and said the eleven-year-old company will retain the brand color orange.

What are people saying online?

After the new logo launch, ridicule of the design abounded on social media. One commentor wrote under the introductory video, Did the designer use a Samsung phone, crop a screenshot and just use that?. Another post joked, Three years? This must have been made on the very last day after a lot of procrastination. While another dryly wrote, No one understands just now hard it is to polish four corners down into smooth curves! Or how very expensive the process is.

The more cynical commentors saw the logo redesign as an opportunity to keep Xiaomi in the national conversation. Stirring up a topic, using design as your tool, is nothing new. It works in all circles said one person with no pun intended.

Some people said they liked the classy simplicity of the new design. A Japanese designer will make your product feel prestigious, whereas if you use a Chinese team, the design will undoubtedly disappear in a puff of smoke. Another commented on how easy it is to ridicule a lengthy design process after the fact. Its funny that everyone looks at the new logo and says its so simple they could make it themselves. Once youve seen it, its easy to think thatKnowing which screw to change is worth everything.

One social media user noted that Now Xiaomi has achieved this level of popularity, its original brand recognition cannot be done away with. And judging from the discussion generated [by this change], this has indeed been a successful branding campaign.

Related: Opinion: Will Xiaomis $10 Billion Car-Building Project Be a Winning Bet?

Colgate to Overhaul Racist Chinese Toothpaste Brand
The United States condemns the conviction of seven activists who took part in anti-government protests in by the Chinese and authorities, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday.

"Today's convictions in of seven pro-democracy activists on politically-motivated charges once again show the degree to which the PRC and Hong Kong authorities seek to crush all forms of peaceful dissent in the city," Price said during a press briefing as reported by Sputnik.

Price said the United States continues to condemn China's actions in Hong Kong.

According to Sputnik, earlier on Thursday, seven activists in Hong Kong were convicted for organizing and taking part in anti-government protests in 2019. Among the seven convicted is the owner of the Apple Daily Jimmy Lai, founder of the Democratic Party Martin Lee, and five former lawmakers.

Subversion was made a criminally punishable offence in Hong Kong last year under the Beijing-drafted national security law. According to Beijing, the legislation criminalizes activities related to terrorism, separatism, subversion of state power and collusion with foreign forces, while local pro-democracy activists and certain Western nations claim that the law undermines Hong Kong's civil liberties and democratic freedoms.

(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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London boroughs are still dragging behind the rest of the country in the Covid vaccine rollout, figures show as the Government pushes ahead with a campaign to get jabs to all remaining over-50s.

NHS England statistics up to March 28 showed that up to 93 per cent of people over 50  the last of the priority groups  have now had at least one dose of the vaccine. But 2.8million are still yet to take up the offer.

However, uptake rates have been wildly uneven, with MailOnline analysis showing the two London boroughs of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea have only reached two-thirds of eligible people.

For comparison, mid-Suffolk has already got around to vaccinating 94.3 per cent of its over-50 population, with fewer than 3,000 people left to immunise.

The government is aiming to offer all over-50s one dose of vaccine by the middle of April, just days before rules are loosened further across England, with pubs and shops allowed to reopen.

But NHS bosses have warned the roll-out to first-time patients will effectively be 'paused' in April because of supply issues, with GPs attempting to mop up eligible adults who have yet to accept their invite and to rattle through second doses.

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens yesterday urged all unvaccinated over-50s and younger people with health conditions to book an appointment as soon as possible.

Supplies of a third vaccine, made by US firm Moderna, are set to come on stream within the next few weeks, meaning the campaign could be expanded to over-45s before May.

England's vaccine divide was blown open again today with London boroughs dragging behind the rest of the country as the Government pushes ahead with mopping up all over-50s yet to have their first jab

The government is aiming to offer all over-50s one dose of vaccine by middle of the month before lockdown is lifted

For the first time, this week's NHS vaccination figures also showed the uptake rate in under-65s who are classified as vulnerable or carers and therefore eligible for a priority jab.

London was again far behind the rest of the country, with only 66.8 per cent taking up the offer of a jab, compared to an average of 76.9 per cent across the country.

MailOnline's analysis shows the nation is deeply divided in terms of how well received the vaccine has been.

Percentage uptake figures are calculated using National Immunisation Management Service population estimates  one of two population numbers supplied by NHS England.

Nine areas of the capital have seen fewer than 70 per cent of their over-50s accept the invitation to book a jab appointment.

Bottom of the pack was Westminster, which has only seen 48,182 of its relatively large 76,859 over-50 population, giving it an uptake rate of just 62.7 per cent.

It was followed by: Kensington and Chelsea (62.8 per cent), Newham (66.4 per cent), Hackney (67.1 per cent), Lambeth (67.1 per cent), Hammersmith and Fulham (68.4 per cent), Brent (68.8 per cent), Haringey (69.6 per cent), Southwark (69.7 per cent) and Lewisham (70 per cent).

None of the areas increased their uptake by more than five per cent in the latest week, with the lowest increases seen in Kensington and Chelsea, where just 1.81 per cent more over-50s came forward for a jab.

BOTTOM 10 AREAS OF ENGLAND FOR VACCINE UPTAKE Westminster Kensington and Chelsea Newham Hackney Lambeth Hammersmith and Fulham Brent Haringey Southwark Lewisham 62.7% 62.8% 66.4% 67.0% 67.1% 68.4% 68.8% 69.5% 69.7% 70.0% Advertisement

BOTTOM 10 AREAS OF ENGLAND FOR VACCINE UPTAKE Mid Suffolk Tewkesbury Hambleton Isles of Scilly South Norfolk East Devon South Staffordshire Fareham East Suffolk Malvern Hills 94.3% 94.1% 93.8% 93.8% 93.8% 93.8% 93.7% 93.7% 93.6% 93.6% Advertisement

Meanwhile the Government's push to mop up all over-50s is faring far better in the rest of the country. Some 163 out of the 314 areas of the country reviewed now have uptake rates of more than 90 per cent.

After Mid Suffolk, Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire has the best uptake with 94.3 per cent. It was followed by Hambleton in Yorkshire, the Isles of Scilly, South Norfolk and East Devon (all 93.8 per cent).

Meanwhile, the data also showed just 77.8 per cent of care home workers have taken up the offer of the vaccine. Just 66.2 per cent of carers in London have been jabbed  an increase of just 1.7 per cent on the previous week.

Uptake among the group  who work with the most vulnerable people in society  is lowest in Barnet in north London (45.6 per cent), Barnsley in south Yorkshire (58.5 per cent) and Bath and North East Somerset (58.6 per cent).

The boss of the NHS yesterday urged all the remaining over-50s and younger people with health conditions who have yet to get their Covid vaccine to book an appointment now.

For the first time, today's figures also showed the uptake rate in under-65s who are classified as vulnerable or carers

During April the NHS will focus on second doses but first-dose appointments for all over-50s not yet protected will also be available. Officials are not expected to extend the rollout to people in their 40s because of a supply shortage.

The most up-to-date NHS England data showed that at least 4million vulnerable people were still yet to get jabbed across the nation.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: 'We're well on track to meet our April 15 goal of offering NHS Covid vaccination to everyone aged 50 and over, as well as other high risk groups.

'In just the past two weeks, we've now jabbed nearly 85 per cent of people aged 50-54, and over three million of the highest risk people have also now had their top-up second dose.'

NHS medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, added: 'Our fantastic staff, helped by local organisations and volunteers, have done everything in their power to jab millions of people at speed - an incredible achievement.

'As we start to see signs of normal life returning - seeing family or friends outdoors - protecting those most at risk is even more important.

'So, if you have not been jabbed and are eligible, please do book in - staff are working hard to protect as many as possible, as supply allows.

'I had my jab a few weeks ago - it is easy, quick and effective.'
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The National Elections Commission (NEC) has finally released the long awaited results of the national referendum with none of the prepositions meeting the constitutional requirement for passage.

The release of the 2020 referendum results came after the Supreme Court mandated NEC to announce the final results of the Gbarpolu County Special Senatorial election which were stalled as a result of legal proceedings. The referendum was conducted on December 8, 2020 alongside the special senatorial election.

Eight propositions were voted for including inalienability of the citizenship of natural born Liberians or dual citizenship, Change in the date of election, Shortened time for NEC to hear complaints, and Reduction of the term of office of the President and Vice President.

Others are Reduction of the term of the Senators, Reduction of the term of office of the President Pro-Tempore, Reduction of the term of office of Representatives and Reduction of the term of office of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

According to NEC, inalienability of the citizenship of natural born Liberians or dual citizenship accumulated 202,017 yes votes with 190,814 no votes; change in the date of election got 212, 016 yes votes with 161, 590 no votes; shortened time for NEC to hear complaints obtained 176, 789 yes votes with 175, 347 no votes;, reduction in the term of the office of the President and Vice President accounts for 237, 501 yes votes with 200, 359 no votes; Reduction in the term of the Senators received 227, 884 yes votes with 186, 557 no votes; Reduction in the term of office of the President Pro- Tempore got 221, 236 yes votes with 182, 515 no votes; Reduction in the term of office of Representatives obtained 220, 143 yes votes with 179, 903 no votes and Reduction in the term of office of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker received 217, 325 yes votes and 182, 245 no votes.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Governance Liberia By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Releasing the final referendum results Thursday, NEC Chairperson Davidetta Browne-Lansanah said none of the propositions was able to pass for possible consideration due to failure to meet the constitutional requirement of two-third votes.

Article 91 of the Liberian Constitution states that "this Constitution may be amended whenever a proposal by either (1) two-thirds of the membership of both Houses of the Legislature or (2) a petition submitted to the Legislature, by not fewer than 10,000 citizens which receives the concurrence of two thirds of the membership of both Houses of the Legislature, is ratified by two-thirds of the registered voters, voting in a referendum conducted by the Elections Commission not sooner than one year after the action of the Legislature."

Madam Browne also quoted section 4.4 of the new elections law as saying "the fraction of two third required for approval of a question for referendum is circulated by dividing the number of valid votes cast in approval of the question by the total of the valid votes cast on the question."

According to her, on September 20, 2011, the Supreme Court in its opinion on the challenge to the results of the referendum of 2011 held that invalid votes shall not be included in the sum of the total votes.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, fellow Liberians, the Commission is pleased to announce that based on the results of the 2020 referendum, none of the eight propositions met the constitutional threshold of two third," Madam Lansanah said.
Egypt is expecting more than $1 billion (722 million) in compensation after a cargo ship blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week, according to the top canal official.

Suez Canal Authority (SCA) CEO Ossama Rabei also warned the ship and its some $3.5 billion (2.5 billion) worth of cargo will not be allowed leave Egypt if the issue of damages goes to court.

But he explained that if an investigation went smoothly and the compensation amount was agreed on, then the ship could travel on without problems.

On Thursday, the ship's technical managers, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, said in an email to The Associated Press that the ship's crew was cooperating with authorities in their investigation into what led to the vessel running aground.

They said that Suez Canal Authority investigators have been given access to the Voyage Data Recorder, also known as a vessel's black box.

The Suez Canal Authority has said they plan on seeking $1 billion (722 million) in compensation after the Ever Given ran aground and stopped all operations for nearly a week

The Canal authority plan to ask for $1 billion (722 million) in compensation to recuperate losses sustained when the Ever Given became stuck in the Suez canal for six days on March 23

The news was announced by Rabei in a phone interview with government-run broadcaster Sada Elbalad on March 31.

He said the Canal Authority would demand the $1 billion (722 million) sum in compensation for the six-day delay.

'It's the country's right,' Rabei said, without specifying who would be responsible for paying the compensation.

It is expected either Japanese company Shoei Kisen Kaisha, who own the Panama-flagged Ever Given, or the Taiwanese firm Evergreen Marine Corp, who had charted the ship, will be liable for the compensation.

But Evergreen Marine Corp have said the accident was not their responsibility and doubt they will be sought for compensation.

Rabei said that in the past, canal authorities and the ship's owners have had a good relationship.

Two Egyptian canal pilots were aboard when the ship got stuck.

Such an arrangement is customary to guide vessels through the narrow waterway, but the ship's captain retains ultimate authority, according to experts.

The ship was trapped for six days before authorities finally managed to set it free on Monday.

The Ever Given is now about halfway through the canal in a holding lake called Bitter Lake as the SCA investigates.

All of the ship's crew are reportedly cooperating and have offered all of the logs or information that has been asked of them.

The compensation sum includes the costs of the salvage operation, transit fees that were lost and the costs associated with stopping all traffic in the canal.

The Suez Canal is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world as it creates the shortest distance for vessels to cross from the Indian Oceans into the Atlantic taking roughly 16 hours.

The compensation sum includes the costs of the salvage operation, transit fees that were lost and the costs associated with stopping all traffic in the canal

The Ever Given is now about halfway in a holding lake called Bitter Lake as the SCA investigates. All of the ship's crew are reportedly cooperating and have offered all of the logs or information that has been asked of them

The ship was trapped for six days before authorities finally managed to set it free in an oepration involving tug boats and diggers

The Suez Canal is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world as it creates the shortest distance for vessels to cross from the Indian Oceans into the Atlantic taking roughly 16 hours

The other options would be to sail around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, a voyage that could take around 24 days to complete, or to use the Arctic shipping root, which would add 35 days to the trip

The other options would be to sail around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, a voyage that could take around 24 days to complete, or to use the Arctic shipping root, which would add 35 days to the trip.

The Ever Given had become jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal in high winds early last Tuesday, halting traffic on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

The bow of the Ever Given was finally dislodged from the channel's bank on Monday and towed up the waterway after tugboats had straightened the vessel in an early-morning operation and dredgers had vacuumed away large chunks of sand.

At least 400 vessels are waiting to transit the canal, including dozens of container ships, bulk carriers, oil tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels by the time the Ever Given was freed on Monday.

The Canal reopened for shipping traffic in both directions of Monday evening after the waterway was checked for damage caused by the Ever Given.

But the unprecedented shutdown, which raised fears of extended delays, goods shortages and rising costs for consumers, added to strain on the shipping industry, already under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.
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OLYMPIA, Wash., April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inadequate oversight of mining operations in southern British Columbia and a lack of financial accountability for clean-up costs is a growing threat to communities and the environment in both B.C. and across the border in Washington state, and needs urgent attention, argues Conservation Northwest, a regional non-profit organization.



This threat is highlighted in a new letter sent to B.C. Premier John Horgan from 25 Washington State Legislators who call for policy reforms to protect transboundary watersheds, fish and wildlife and downstream communities and tribes.

The letter points out that there are at least a dozen operating mines or mining exploration projects in the headwaters of rivers that flow from B.C. into Washington state (click here for a map), and warns that a tailings dam breach at one of these upstream operations  like the one that occurred at the Mount Polley Mine in 2014 causing Canadas worst-ever environmental disaster  could have major negative environmental and economic impacts on Washington.

Salmon recovery knows no boundaries. Both the U.S. and Canada have been working to manage and restore salmon runs, but this mining proposal threatens to undo work that has been done, said state Senator Jesse Salomon, who organized the letter.

Ecological needs do not recognize political jurisdictions. But political jurisdictions should recognize cross-border ecological needs and the effects of their decisions, said Sen. Salomon.

Similar arguments were recently made by a hydrogeologist and a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes in this three-minute video, and more than 584 Washingtonians sent approximately 2,080 messages to state lawmakers this session in supporter of the letter.

We fully support and appreciate the Legislators call, said Mitch Friedman, Executive Director of Conservation Northwest. British Columbia has tinkered with mining reform for far too long without getting down to the real issues: safety of communities and protection of the environment, both of which are under threat by mines in southwestern B.C. and elsewhere in the province.

Friedman recently organized a letter from eleven conservation groups and Seattle City Light to Governor Jay Inslee calling on the governor to act through a message to B.C. leadership similar to that from the state lawmakers.

A series of op-eds in The Seattle Times from tribal leaders, fishermen and conservationists have also called attention to mining proposals in the Skagit Headwaters and the lack of sufficient regulations and financial assurances governing mining in the province, and growing threats to U.S. states downstream.

The transboundary region shared by B.C. and the U.S. has become a dangerous hotspot for pollution and chemical spills from the mining industry due to legacy, existing, and proposed mines in the areas upstream of the four bordering states of Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. Many of these mines are in the headwaters of major rivers that provide critical habitat for salmon and wildlife.

For example, a proposed expansion of the Copper Mountain Mine on the transboundary Similkameen River in southcentral B.C. would increase production by 70 percent and raise the tailings dam to 260 metres, a 73 percent increase and 220 metres higher than Mount Polleys tailings dam. Maps and more information are available in this fact sheet.

According to B.C. government inspectors reports, Copper Mountain is a repeat offender when it comes to non-compliance with the regulations designed to protect B.C.s environment.

The Washington State Legislators letter dated March 23, 2021 states that both Canada and the U.S. are obliged to honor the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty, which prohibits pollution on one side of the boundary that would cause injury to life or property on the other side.

But, as the letter points out, thats only possible if B.C. adopts strict regulations, consistent inspections and financial assurances including full bonding for mines to ensure financial resources are available to clean up when they close or following a disaster like Mount Polley.

A recent audit of B.C.s stricter mine tailings storage regulations brought in after Mount Polley is expected to show serious shortcomings in how government inspectors ensure mining companies are complying with the revised rules, which raises even more questions about the safety of tailings storage facilities at mine sites throughout the province.

The safety of communities and the health of the environment in B.C. and Washington state are under serious threat from under-regulated mines and tailings dams, and its time for the Horgan government to act, said Friedman.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THREATS FROM B.C. MINES TO WASHINGTON RIVERS IS AVAILABLE ON CONSERVATION NORTHWESTS HEALTHY WATERSHEDS CAMPAIGN WEBPAGE: www.conservationnw.org/healthy-watersheds-campaign/

For More Information:

Mitch Friedman, Executive Director

Conservation Northwest

mitch@conservationnw.org

360-319-9266

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/05c60bc5-6523-4eac-939b-5105aaa92f44
MCLA Sets Virtual Commencement Ceremonies for Classes of 2020, 2021

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will hold its 121st and 122nd commencement exercises, recognizing the Classes of 2020 and 2021, in two virtual ceremonies on May 15 and 16.

The Class of 2020 had not been able to cross the stage to receive their degrees last year because of the pandemic and it had been hoped that an in-person commencement could be held for both classes this year. However, the pandemic has continued to disrupt routines and the college will close its residence halls on April 11.

Instead, the 121st commencement that recognizes the Class of 2020 will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 16. The 122nd commencement for the Class of 2021, will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 15.

Each ceremony will feature a commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient, as well as speakers from each class. Each graduate will be mailed a class celebration box with festive gifts, the official MCLA diploma cover given during in-person commencement celebrations, and a program.

The commencement speaker for the Class of 2020 will be Mary Dana Hinton, president of Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., and an active and respected proponent of the liberal arts and inclusion. Hinton will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. Jenn Smith, an experienced journalist who began her career at The Berkshire Eagle before becoming engagement editor at the Seattle Times, will receive an honorary doctor of journalism degree.

Ty Allan Jackson, an award-winning children's book author, literacy advocate, and motivational speaker who travels around the country inspiring children and educating adults about the impacts of illiteracy, will be commencement speaker for the Class of 2021, and will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. Stephen Boyd, CEO of Boyd Technologies in Lee and a co-founder and board chair of the Berkshire Innovation Center, and who has dedicated his career to advancing economic development in the Berkshires, will receive an honorary doctor of science degree.

"I'm excited to spend the weekend of May 15-16 celebrating our deserving, resilient, and incredibly impressive Classes of 2020 and 2021," said MCLA President James F. Birge. "Our speakers and honorary degree recipients represent individuals who have accomplished great things in their lives and careers while also creating opportunities for others to do the same. They are exemplary role models for our new graduates, who will now make their own impacts on their communities and on the world."
Within weeks of taking office, President Joe Biden issued a series of executive orders aimed at making the U.S. carbon neutral by 2050. This goal hinges on eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in electricity production -- which necessitate a shift away from fossil fuels, like natural gas and coal, toward clean renewable energy sources, like wind and solar.

Currently, only 17.7% of electricity produced in the United States comes from renewable sources. Nationwide, wind turbines generate the most electricity, followed by hydroelectric power plants and solar thermal power. Biomass, such as wood and agricultural waste, as well as geothermal energy, are renewable sources that account for a very small share of the U.S. energy mix.

Meanwhile, greenhouse gas-emitting coal and natural gas-fired power plants account for over half of all U.S. electricity production.

While, as a nation, the U.S. has a long way to go to achieve carbon neutrality, at a state level, progress is patchy. In some states, less than 5% of electricity production comes from renewable sources, while in others, fossil fuels have been virtually phased out.

In Washington, about 70% of electricity is produced through renewable sources. Though renewables account for a far larger than typical share of electricity production in the state, Washington's reliance on renewable power production has fallen by nearly 5 percentage points in the last decade. The decline is due in part to a regional drought, which has resulted in reduced output in the state's Grand Coulee Dam. The dam, which sits on the Columbia River, is one of the world's largest hydroelectric plants.

Reduced hydroelectric production capacity has resulted in an increased reliance on wind, as well as natural gas, which is the state's largest non-renewable source of electricity.

To determine renewable energy production by state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on electricity generation by source in 2019 from the Energy Information Administration. States were ranked based on the electricity generated from renewable sources -- which include conventional hydroelectricity, wind, wood and wood-derived fuels, other biomass, geothermal, and solar thermal and photovoltaic -- as a percentage of electricity generated from all sources. Data on electricity from non-renewable sources and historical electricity data also came from the EIA. Data on the average sale price of electricity came from the EIA and is for 2019.

It is important to note that not all renewable energy sources are carbon neutral, just as not all non-renewable energy sources emit greenhouse gases. Biomass, such as waste wood and crop residue is renewable, however, when burned to produce electricity, it creates carbon. Similarly, though nuclear power plants are not classified as renewable sources, they do not produce air pollution. Still, some forms of biomass produce far less carbon emissions than fossil fuels.
United Methodist relief group grants $1.1M to help asylum seekers amid border crisis

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The United Methodist Committee on Relief has awarded a $1.1 million grant to Church World Service to help asylum seekers on the southern border and elsewhere in the United States.

At its spring meeting held in March, the UMCOR leadership approved the grant to support CWS Leading with Welcome program, which aids asylum seekers with case management.

Erol Kekic, senior vice president for the Immigration and Refugee Program at Church World Service, told The Christian Post in an interview on Wednesday that the funding will help expand the program to meet a growing need.

The grant comes at a time when thousands of unaccompanied children are in U.S. custody amid an upswing in immigration in recent months.

The program already operates in the surrounding metropolitan areas of Jersey City, New Jersey; Miami, Florida; and Houston, Texas, according to Kekic, who said that it provides case management for asylum seekers as well as access to either free or low-cost legal services.

As the situation escalated at this point in time with the numbers at the border becoming more pronounced than it has been in the past, the need was clearly there to continue to expand this program, to serve more people that are coming across, Kekic stated.

Without access to some sort of a system that is inclusive of legal support and some representation, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for asylum seekers to get the legal relief they need.

Kekic said that the plan is to expand the number of slots that we have available for case management and try to offer services even outside of these three areas through our network of local affiliate offices.

We hope that people will follow suit and join us in this endeavor to try to create a more welcoming community in the United States after years of mistreatment and failed immigration policies implemented by Stephen Miller and the Trump administration, he stated.

Roland Fernandes, general secretary of United Methodist Global Ministries and UMCOR, explained in comments emailed to CP on Wednesday that they were originally planning to offer a grant of $100,000 but changed course when an additional request came in.

In addition to the expanded case management, the approved grant will also provide Leading with Welcome with the means to hire additional staff to help at United Methodist Church-affiliated border shelters. The additional staff will help improve shelter operations, infrastructure, transportation and bed capacity.

UMCOR is one of the member communions of CWS and has a long-standing relationship with the organization. We have worked together on several programs, and in recent years we both have been working to help asylum seekers on the border, explained Fernandes.

Its part of our DNA since we were both founded during World War II to help people dealing with similar circumstances. We are helping restore the infrastructure needed to help people crossing the border and are glad to move forward in a way that will have such an impact.

In the aftermath of World War II, 17 denominations formed CWS to do in partnership what none of us could hope to do as well alone." Those things include feeding the hungry, clothing the poor and sheltering the homeless, among other things.

Fernandes also told CP that he was hopeful that things will get better after what happened the past four years as his organization seeks to rebuild a humane immigration system so that no matter who is president, the situation at the border does not worsen.

While liberals and humanitarian groups that advocate for refugees and immigrants have been critical of the Trump administrations strict immigration policies aimed at thwarting smuggling and illegal immigration through the southern border, conservatives have argued that the Biden administrations reversal of Trump policies has not helped when it comes to the recent spike in immigration at the southern border.

In February, more than 100,000 people were detained at the southern border. By comparison, there were 36,687 immigration enforcement encounters on the southern border in February 2020.

During a March 25 press conference, Biden said that the spike in border crossings tends to happen in the winter months of January, February and March. He claimed that nothing has changed.
Ahead of national elections and beyond, progressives across Nigeria have met in Abuja with a resolve to form a mass workers and labouring masses' political party.

According to a statement issued yesterday by activists, Prof. Toye Olorode, Jaye Gaskiya, and Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), the forces behind the new movement were drawn from trade unions, civil society, students, farmers and peasants from across the 36 states of the Federation.

The promoters said the new movement would wrestle Nigeria from a rainbow coalition of dishonest, corrupt and reactionary politicians currently driving the country to a shipwreck through mass corruption and exploitation of the primordial fault lines for personal fortunes..

The new movement said it would replace hope with despair by uniting the working people and the masses beyond the narrow prism of ethnicity and religion with the hope of attaining a new Nigerian renaissance.

The new group was named The Peoples' Alternative Political Movement, with a socialist ideology tailored to transform the new-colonial Nigerian economy.

"The new movement will build a new country based on justice, equity and protection of the dignity of mankind irrespective of ethnicity, faith or creed. We shall make Nigeria great again and put the country back on her status as the giant of Africa', the promoters said as part of their mission statement. Falana, labour icon and co-Chair of the Committee, Olorode and Committee Secretary, Gaskiya a foremost activist said the communique was issued by some 30 groups that convened the meeting.

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The movement expressed worry that Nigeria, characterised by extreme poverty, arms proliferation, religious intolerance, the rise of hate and ethnic nationalism was moving towards social upheavals due to exploitation of the people, greed and avarice of a spineless political class that has reached its wits end.

The meeting had in attendance present and past labour leaders with a diverse presence of peasants and farmers unions from across the country.

In the communique issued at the end of the meeting held at the Women Development Centre in Abuja the groups said the 'Common Political Platform' would be established as a tool for political engagement, social intervention and contestation for political power.

At the summit were: Alliance on Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Joint Action Front (JAF), Coalition for Revolution (CORE), Take Back Nigeria, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service and Recreational Service Employees (AUPCTRE), National Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON), Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), People's Redemption Party (PRP), Socialist Labour (SL), Socialist Workers and Youth League (SWL), Civil Rights Council (CRC), Social Mobilisation Project (SMP), More Action Less Talk (MALT), Protest to Power (P2P), Human Rights Defenders and Protectors (HRD), Social Action (SA), in Social Accountability and Environmental Sustainability Initiative (SAESI), National Youth Democratic Association (NYDA), Nigerian Youth Choice (NYC), Youth Alternative Leadership Movement of Nigeria (YALMON), Tubali Development Association (TDA).


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One volunteer dressed in a purple hoodie. Two others sported bunny ears. Together, they put on some Easter cheer as they helped to distribute holiday hams and fresh food to hundreds of families on Good Friday at Brooks on San Antonios Southeast Side.

Food Bank CEO Eric Cooper said the special event comes at a time when people still acutely feel the effects of the coronavirus pandemic: the loss of loved ones, jobs, savings and opportunities to gather safely with relatives and friends.

We wanted to do what we could to keep COVID from robbing families of their Easter dinner, he said. On this Friday before Easter, some of the meals that will be prepared this weekend are meals that have tradition. They have a lot more meaning than just the food that gives nourishment to the body.

More than 700 families lined up at Brooks to get groceries, including the traditional hams, which were donated by Broadway Bank.

Bank officials also announced a $50,000 gift to the Food Bank to keep a refrigerated truck in its fleet of vehicles.

David Bohne, the banks president and CEO, said the company has supported the Food Banks Second Servings Program, which collects and distributes prepared food, for five years. It helps families in need, seniors and groups that serve the citys vulnerable residents.

This support for our fleet will deliver not only food but also hope to our community, Cooper said. We could not be more grateful.

On Friday, 755 families, or 3,020 people, each received a ham and about 100 pounds of food, including milk, tomatoes and more, said Michael Guerra, the Food Banks chief resource officer.

Even as the number of new coronavirus cases has been receding, the demand for food has stayed steady at Food Bank events.

Earlier this week, Cooper invited people to take part in All Faiths Fasting Fridays and make a fasting offering equal to the value of a meal missed during the period. The program will continue from now through April 30.

No matter what tradition you follow, whether its Easter, Passover, Ramadan or Vaisakhi, all of us know that no one should go hungry, Cooper said. When were in the service of our fellow beings were only in the service of our God.

Those seeking help arrived early Friday. The distribution was set to begin at 9 a.m. and the first people arrived about 6:30 a.m.

Throughout the morning, volunteers wearing protective masks restocked boxes at drive-through stations spaced several feet apart by food type. Gallons of milk, vegetables and cookie dough were among the items in Deborah Millers car as she neared the last food station.

It really helps a lot, said Miller, 56. Im glad to see all of this help for everybody.

First-time volunteer Jericho Smith, 41, who was wearing the purple hoodie, slid boxes of apple slices into beds of pickups and trunks of cars. Tanaya Fabela, 32, and Lulu Dunklin, 44, wore the cheery bunny ears as they worked.

After Smith loaded each box away, she bid each driver goodbye and Happy Easter!

vtdavis@express-news.net
Fianna Fail Senator Erin McGreehan has welcomed Cabinets approval to amend the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill and to introduce the strengthened Bill at Report Stage in Dail Eireann.

Senator McGreehan commented, This is very welcome news, and I raised this issue recently in the Seanad. How can a society thrive if women and men are not paid at equal rates.

We must create equity. Equity means recognising the glorious differences by creating fairness and a new normal so we can all achieve the same outcome. The gender pay gap is part of this inequity.

In general, women in Ireland earn 14.4% less than their male counterparts.

"This is a critical issue and the pandemic has highlighted pay inequalities harshly. For example, in the earlier waves of job losses, female workers accounted for more than half of all pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, claims.

I am delighted to see Government address this and rectify the gender pay gap.

The Gender Pay Gap Information Bill was originally published in April 2019 and lapsed with the dissolution of the Dail in 2020, before being restored to the Order Paper later that year.

Once implemented, the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill will require employers over a certain size to publish pay differences between female and male employees, including any bonuses.

The Bill provides a regulation-making power to the Minister through which the detail of this can be specified.

The proposed Report Stage amendments will strengthen the Bill by: providing a more comprehensive definition of a public body to ensure that the provisions of the Bill will apply individually to all public bodies; addressing enforcement issues in the legislation, including by providing expanded power to IHREC to make an application to the High Court for an enforcement order where warranted; and requiring a review of the functioning of the legislation before the 4th anniversary of its commencement.




A view shows the deserted Champs Elysees avenue leading up to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, on Dec. 15, 2020. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

Are French Scholars Really Mad Hyenas?

Commentary

The Chinese ambassador in France has called French scholar Antoine Bondaz a small-time thug and mad hyena on Twitter in response to criticism about its human rights record.

The public remarks have caused public uproar, and motivated politicians and academics to issue one condemnation of China after another.

I dont think its necessary to make a fuss about this as it is not a new thing for Chinese Communist Party (CCP) diplomats to violate procedure and etiquette.

Just like the old saying Rome was not built in a day, this incident also has its root.

Western democratic nations have created this issue for themselves. If you keep the gate to your home closed tightly, the wolves cannot get in. If you give it an inch however, it will take a mile.

If democratic nations stand firm to their founding principles based in universal values, they will not be easily manipulated by the CCPs wolf warrior antics.

While the Chinese Embassy in France is throwing around phrases like small-time thug and mad hyena, this is trivial compared to what may come next.

The CCP could escalate its verbal abuse and humiliate French people and political leaders, causing greater discontent.

If the French government does not take decisive measures now, this will likely eventuate.

The root cause of the problem is that France has no clear idea on how it should approach its relationship with the CCP.

France does not appear to know that it is powerful, nor that the CCP is a rogue regime that has enslaved the Chinese people.

Since the establishment of Franco-China bilateral relations, France has been accustomed to indulging the CCP.

Presidents De Gaulle, Pompidou, Mitterrand, Chirac, Sarkozy, and now Macron, almost none of them stood firm in face of the Chinese regime.

Sarkozy, at least, should be given credit for meeting with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, despite opposition from the CCP.

However, Sarkozy changed tack after CCP Premier Wen Jiabao snubbed and bypassed France during his European tour in 2009. Afterwards, Sarkozy never dared to upset the CCP again.

Recently, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been acting wildly all over the world, while besieged by the European Union, United States, Canada, and more than 30 other countries over issues like Xinjiang and COVID-19.

This scenario takes us back to the year 1900, the Year of Gengzi, an inauspicious year that comes around in 60-year cycles.

In 1900, China was invaded by the Eight-Nation Alliance to put down the Boxer Rebellion. In 1960, China experienced widespread famine after the doomed Great Leap Forward.

Last year was also the Year of Gengzi, the year COVID-19 took over.

The CCP made it through the Year of Gengzi. Yet, instead of the Eight-Nation Alliance, it is now besieged by 30 nations.

Meanwhile, while France suffered tremendously from the outbreak of COVID-19, its leaders have been muted in their response. On the contrary, Australia, a large country with a small population in the southern hemisphere, stood up and demanded an independent investigation, which led to trade retaliations from Beijing.

To delve deeper into what has encouraged the CCPs bad behaviour, should France reflect on itself? How did it allow the P4 Laboratory in Wuhan to be built with French participation?

How could French political leaders at the time be so blind as to do such a foolish thing, and cooperate with the devil and open Pandoras Box to the world?

At this point, the French government should take a look at itself and ask whether it should revise its decades-long policy towards the CCP.

This is the only way to make amends after so many losses. Then, it may not be too late.

Australian-based Dr. Chin Jin is the global chair of the Federation for a Democratic China. The group advocates for the democratization of China through opposition to the Communist Party and support for human rights. It was founded following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Chin himself experienced first hand the tragedies of the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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WASHINGTON  The Biden administration on Thursday welcomed a European Union announcement that the participants in the Iran nuclear deal will meet this week to discuss a possible return of the United States to the 2015 accord.

Fridays virtual meeting of officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and Iran comes as the U.S. is exploring ways to rejoin the deal that former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. The State Department praised the meeting and said it would be watched closely by U.S. officials.

We obviously welcome this as a positive step and thats precisely because we have been clear for weeks now that we are ready to pursue a return to compliance with our (nuclear deal) commitments consistent with Iran also doing the same, spokesman Ned Price said. Its a positive step, especially if it moves the ball forward on that mutual return to compliance that weve talked about for a number of weeks now.

Earlier Thursday, the EU said one of its top diplomats, Enrique Mora, would chair the meeting. Participants will discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the (nuclear deal) and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides, it said.

President Joe Biden has said the U.S. will to return to the deal if Iran comes back into compliance with it. Thus far, Iran has refused to entertain the offer unless the U.S. rescinds sanctions that Trump imposed on it. Iran already rejected an EU proposal for a meeting that included the United States. That proposal came in response to a Biden administration statement that it would accept an invitation to attend such talks.

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Meanwhile, the State Department said it had extended a waiver that allows Iraq to continue to buy power from Iran without being subject to U.S. sanctions. penalties. The waiver was renewed for 120 days, an increase in shorter extensions that had become commonplace during the Trump administration.

Price said the extension was granted because of progress Iraq is making in developing its own electricity generation to reduce its reliance on outside sources of power. U.S. and Iraqi officials are resuming a strategic dialogue soon that places energy near the top of priorities and Washington hopes will ultimately allow Iraq to develop its energy self-sufficiency, and we hope to end its reliance on Iran, Price said.

In the interim, renewal of the sanctions waiver is appropriate, until the agreement and development of the Iraqi energy sector can be fully realized and implemented., he said. Price added that the U.S. believed the four-month extension was long enough for Iraq to take meaningful action to promote energy self-sufficiency and to reduce its dependence on expensive Iranian energy.

The Trump administration had only reluctantly approved such extensions because they ran counter to its maximum pressure campaign on Iran. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been granting the waivers but reducing their length to push Iraq to wean itself from Iranian electricity.
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Ercan Tuzun, IT Digital Banking & Payment Solutions VP, Vakif Katilim

Ercan Tuzun, IT Digital Banking & Payment Solutions VP, Vakif Katilim

With the decrease in cashuse, the increase in financial literacy and the development of technology, payment system shave become even more important today. The legal regulations have also contributed to this development. PSDI, which was published in 2007, and then the recently published PSD IIbrought about many innovations. With the PSD II, the world of payment systems is in a very different position. There have been many developments in Turkey and the world after this directive, banks and other financial institutions have increased their work on this issue. After PSD IIUK Banking and The Berlin Group communities have offered their standards and many banks in Europe shared their Open Banking APIs by using these standards.

Aims of PSD II:

 Innovative and secure payment Technologies

 Customer experience

 Get into market for Fintechs

 Easy integration to bank systems

Two payment methods included with PSD II:

 PIS (Payment Initiation Service)

 Guarantees payment when goods/services are delivered

 Allows non-credit cardholders to shop online for low costs

 AIS (Account Information Services)

 Users will be able to view their financial status from a single application or platform

Highlights of this arrangement:

 Securing users payments and personal data

 Providing correct in formation to the user

We are working on two new payment methods. We will be completing our work on the payment initiation service soon. Our bank's customers will be able to shop on e-commerce sites without using cards.

Another issue regulated by PSD II is Open Banking. Open banking allows third party companies to develop financial services with APIs shared by banks.

Aim of regulation of open banking

 Creating a competitive environment

 Enrichment of products and services

With open banking, fintechs began to grow. Number of fintech companies increased after PSD II. There may be those who think fintechs are dangerous to the banking sector but we treat these companies as opportunities. The collaboration of banks and fintechs is called co-opetition. With the co-opetition of Fintech and the banks, the quality of service and product quality of the banks will increase, Fintechs will be able to provide products and services more easily and customers will have easy access to many products and services. Our bank cooperates with fintechs and these efforts will increase rapidly. We will continue to provide better quality and appropriate services to our customers by working with these companies.

As an example of Fintech cooperation, we have worked on the POS solution with the Pay core company. Our product, which is offered with Paycores collaboration, provides contactless payment by merchants without the need for an additional POS device. After installing the application on the NFC-enabled and roid device, the merchant can complete the simple activation process and start receiving payments. Customers can make a payment via contactless cards or devices at merchants that own mobile POS. Classic POS devices cause cost burdens to both banks and merchants such as maintenance/repair, installation of device, and equipment. This application provides a cost advantage by eliminating all costs. Merchants that do not want to purchase POS device because of the cost burden will be able to receive card payment with this application, and the cash usage will decrease and card payment systems will be improved. Cash-only payments in small firms without POS devices cause in for maleconomy. With this application, the number of card payments will increase and will contribute to the development of the country's economy.

The use of cash has disadvantages such as security, fraud, and informal economy. Increased using cards and other payment instruments has eliminated these risks. We also contribute to payment systems by improving our card features and working on products such as mobile wallets.
(Photo : Unsplash)

The business world is marked by dynamism and the quality of unpredictability. The movement of the market cannot be certainly defined. The flow of demand and supply depends on a number of factors than just prices. Besides that, there is a cut-throat completion in every industry that every business has to deal with in order to be successful. In such a scenario, a small business is particularly vulnerable which is why they need to focus on their core activities more than others while try to rise above standards in non-core activities.

Here Are The Advantages Of Outsourcing IT Services

In the current era, the significance of IT services cannot be more stressed. For a small business with limited resources, it is even more important. However, more often than not, these small organizations are found to be struggling to build up an effective IT workforce. In that case, outsourcing comes as a viable option. As per Ascendant Technologies, a business must choose IT service providers based on their cloud services, business backup, IT support, data recovery services, computer support, and business network support, etc. There are multiple benefits of outsourcing IT services that small organizations can capitalize on. Let us have a look at some of them:

Reduced Labour & Operational Costs

This one is self-explanatory. No matter how successful an organization is, some cost savings always come in handy. This is especially true for young and small businesses. When IT services are outsourced, the company is freed from the management of labor or IT operations which saves tons of cost. This also means that you have fewer things to worry about.

Experienced People At Work

Hiring a knowledgeable and skillful employee is not everybody's cup of tea and it is definitely rather difficult. However, when you outsource, you can be sure of quality work and desired results. The outsourcing companies deploy a group of relevant professionals who know the knack of how to get the right work done in time.

Management Of Risks

As mentioned earlier, markets are unpredictable to a great extent which also means there are risks involved. Outsourcing service providers are helpful in that sense. Not only do they assume and manage IT-related risks for you at no extra cost. They know what is right for an organization at a given time, so you can be sure of no-hiccups in the business processes.

Enhanced Competitiveness

IT makes up one of the most important branches of any business. It implies that the strength of IT can define the overall standing of your organization. Outsourcing companies take the charge, refine, and reform services in such a way that positive results and impacts become evident. Since their only focus is IT, they can easily maintain an uninterrupted flow of IT services to customers.

For every organization, big or small, global or local, IT services are very crucial. IT allows a business to interact with the customer, handle their complaints, make effective advertisements, as well as smoothen the business processes. An outsourcing company keeps different aspects in mind and performs to help the business succeed.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents responded to a request for assistance from Yuma County Sheriffs deputies following a bailout from a vehicle stop early Tuesday morning.

BP agents assisted YCSO in apprehending

occupents of a vehicle who "bailed out"

when the local sheriff's department

attempted to stop the vehicle for a missing

headlight.

At approximately 3:30 a.m., deputies attempted to conduct a vehicle stop on a Ford Explorer with a non-working headlight. As the vehicle came to a stop, all occupants except for the driver bailed out and ran from the area. Agents from Yuma stations boat unit and target and enforcement unit responded to the area and tracked the group. Agents located and arrested all six passengers from the vehicle. They were all determined to be Mexican nationals who were illegally present in the United States.

The U.S. citizen driver was detained by deputies and turned over to agents. Agents arrested Felix Omar Alonzo, of Yuma, and seized his vehicle. Record checks conducted on Alonzo, 27, revealed a felony conviction for aggravated assault. He now faces charges for alien smuggling.

Yuma Sector Border Patrol continually works closely and in conjunction with YCSO and other local law enforcement agencies toward the common goal of safeguarding our community and protecting its citizens.
Anti-China hawks are increasingly setting the agenda of British-China relations, upsetting Prime Minister Boris Johnsons effort to balance between Washington and Beijing. In charting a collision course that threatens global war, they have the full support of the Biden Democratic Party administration in Washington and the Labour Party at home.

Screenshot of Iain Duncan Smith's article in the Telegraph

Last week, China announced sanctions against nine British individuals and four UK-organisations including Conservative Party MPs Iain Duncan Smith, Tom Tugendhat, Neil O'Brien and Tim Loughton, Labour peer Helena Kennedy, barrister Geoffrey Nice, as well as anti-China front groups such as China Research and the Conservative Human Rights Commission.

The move was in response to sanctions by the UK, European Union, US and Canada against Chinese officials co-ordinated in a deliberate effort to escalate geopolitical tensions.

Those sanctioned by Beijing are prominent in the campaign demanding punitive measures against China based on unsubstantiated claims that it is carrying out genocide against Uyghur Muslims. Their accusations have nothing to do with genuine concern as to the repressive apparatus of the Chinese police state, which is directed above all against the working class. Their politically-motivated propaganda comes straight from the handbook of human rights imperialism, which has led to more than 30 years of neo-colonial wars and invasions.

Nice, for example, headed the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for eight years, following the NATO-led war against the country utilising the criminal, ethnic-Albanian separatist militia, the Kosovo Liberation Army. He also helped shape the legal pretext, again based on unsubstantiated and exaggerated reports of human rights abuses, for crippling sanctions and a bloody proxy-war against Syrias Bashar al-Assad.

Now similarly suspect accounts provided by CIA-funded organisations such as the World Uyghur Congress, are aimed at justifying economic and military aggression against what they regard as a strategic competitor to the interests of western imperialism that threatens an eruption of nuclear war.

Anti-Beijing provocations have been accelerated by the pandemic. The US, Europe and Britain have ruthlessly imposed a policy of herd immunity, leading to mass deaths and a renewed and even more deadly increase in COVID-19 infections. While western governments have handed over billions to the major corporations and super-rich, millions of workers face an onslaught on their jobs, working conditions and civil liberties.

The demonisation of China is part of diverting growing social tensions outwards. This is led by the Biden administration, which in its first three months in office has ramped up Washingtons confrontation with China, as well as Russia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken set the stage for the showdown using last months Alaska summit to target Chinese Communist Party officials, freeze assets and impose travel restrictions. From there, Blinken went on to the NATO summit where he enlisted the support of Britain and EU to revitalise the Atlantic Alliancespecifically against Beijing and Moscow. Speaking alongside Blinken, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg chillingly argued there was now a reduced threshold for any use of nuclear weapons in a potential conflict, and hailed Londons decision to increase its nuclear weapons stockpile by 40 percent.

Days later, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and vowed to strengthen an alliance that has seen India transformed into a frontline state in Washingtons military offensive against China. Modia Hindu supremacist and leader of the communalist Bharatiya Janata Partyis notorious for introducing the anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act and encouraging pogroms.

Then, days after US Pacific Fleet commander Adm. John Aquilino testified before his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation that war with China over Taiwan is much closer than most think, US Ambassador to Palau, John Hennessey-Niland, undertook a provocative visit to Taiwanthe first by a US ambassador since 1979.

Nonetheless, the official line is that China is the aggressor. Former Tory Party leader Duncan Smith piously announced that he wore the sanctions as a badge of honour. Those of us who live free lives under the rule of law must speak for those who have no voice, he intoned. This is under conditions in which his government is imposing the most draconian assault on civil liberties in the UK since the Second World War with the new Police Bill and extended Coronavirus Act measures.

Duncan Smith is among that who have sought to incorporate an amendment from the House of Lords to the Trade Bill that would be used to escalate sanctions and other measures against China based on claims of genocide. In March, this campaign was defeated narrowly in parliament for the third time. The government argued that such an inclusion was unconstitutional as it is for the courts, not politicians, to determine allegations of genocide. But the Bill only won by 18 votes, as some 27 Tories joined with Labour to back the amendment.

Johnson's hesitation has less to do with constitutional principles, which his government is ripping up, than trying to square the UK's alliance with Washington with maintaining the City of London as a key financial hub for Beijing. As the Financial Times noted, this Janus-faced approach is hardly sustainable and one or another of these goals is going to have to give.

Just what Duncan Smith and his allies are agitating for is made clear by his complaint in the Telegraph that Britain's recent foreign and defence policy Integrated Review (IR), while correctly identifying Russia as an immediate threat, only refers to China as a competitor when it is a growing threat... to the free world itself.

In fact, in addition to committing to hiking UK nuclear warheads to 260, the IR set out a series of military measures to be taken against China in concert with the Biden administration. But if US imperialism is unable to tolerate any threat to its hegemony, then the situation facing the UK is equally frantic.

Labour has set itself as the party most committed to a confrontation with Beijing. In parliament, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade Emily Thornberry urged MPs to vote with their conscience and pass the Lords amendment. Once again, Jeremy Corbyn and the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs, including John McDonnell, joined with the Tory hawks to place Labour unanimously behind this warmongering.

The Guardian functions as the house organ for these provocations. Following Owen Jones' proselytizing in its pages for the left to join the imperialist war bandwagon, its editorial on the sanctions complained that China has grown into a huge international challenge.

Turning reality on its head, it claimed that Beijing represents a threat to the rules-based order created after 1945 and the security, sovereignty and democratic values of the western countries it now daily confronts, and called on Academics and politicians, universities and other institutions to line-up behind Johnson and follow the lead in backing targeted colleagues and bodies associated with Beijing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally in Kanyakumari district on Friday to campaign for the BJP candidate Pon Radhakrishnan.

Modi will address the rally at the Vivekananda college ground in Agastheeswaram.

He will reach Kanyakumari from Konni in Kerala where he will address a public meeting at 1.15 p.m. at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor stadium. He will travel from Konni to Kanyakumari by a helicopter.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan is contesting from Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat where a bypoll was necessitated following the passing away of the sitting MP, H.Vasanthakumar of the Congress owing to Covid related ailments.

Pon Radhakrishnan had won from Kanyakumari in 2014 but in 2019 he lost to Vasanthakumar by a margin of 2,99,000 votes. The BJP is contesting elections in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the AIADMK and this has given much hopes for Pon Radhakrishnan.

Other than the Lok Sabha candidate, NDA candidates contesting the Assembly polls from Kanyakumari district and adjoining constituencies will participate in the Prime minister's programme.

Security has been beefed up in Kanyakumari district and 3,500 policemen are deployed for the programme.

Modi will return to Thiruvananthapuram where he will address a public meeting at Greenfield stadium, Kazhakootam in which all the NDA candidates of Thiruvananthapuram district will participate.
?? Ahora | La presidenta del Consejo de Ministros, junto con el titular del @MininterPeru, sobrevuelan la ciudad para supervisar el cumplimiento de las medidas de inmovilizacion social dispuestas por el Gobierno durante Semana Santa. #NoBajemosLaGuardia pic.twitter.com/rR2uDDs7fH
LENAWEE COUNTY, MI  Multiple guns, drugs and stacks of illicit cash in the hands of parolees were seized by police assisting a Michigan Department of Corrections operation conducting parolee compliance checks.

Investigators from the Region of Irish Hills Narcotics Office, or RHINO, assisted in MDOCs Operation Nighthawk Tuesday night, March 30, conducting surprise compliance checks on addresses of parolees in Lenawee County, according to the Michigan State Police.

During the operation officers located multiple offenders in violation of parole who were in possession of drugs, drug trafficking paraphernalia and guns, police said.

Police seized the following during the operation:

One 12-gauge shotgun

One AK-47 style 7.62 x 39 rifle

Multiple AK-47 magazines including a 75-round drum

One AR-style .22 CR rifle

Multiple AR magazines

One Glock 9mm handgun

Three drum magazine that hold 31, 40 and 50 rounds

One Sig Sauer 9mm handgun

Two Sig Sauer magazines

Two simulated suppressors

More than 1,000 rounds of various handgun, shotgun and rifle ammunition

Marijuana and marijuana extracts

Crack cocaine

$5,000 cash

Charges are pending against one offender while another was taken to the Lenawee County Jail

Troopers from the Michigan State Police Monroe Post, an MSP K9 unit and the MSP Emergency Support Team assisted in the operation

More from MLive:

Washtenaw County sees some increases to COVID vaccine supply, but expects delays once eligibility expands

Michigan Medicine enacts visitor restrictions due to rising COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations

20% of adults in Jackson are fully vaccinated against COVID-19

Health officer leaves Jackson County post as COVID-19 cases rise
SAGINAW, MI  Nearly three years after a single-vehicle crash claimed the life of a mother of five, the Saginaw woman who was behind the wheel has pleaded no contest to two related criminal charges.

However, rather than pleading to the 15-year felony that has been hanging over her head, she pleaded to misdemeanors.

Mercedes V. Kitchen, 25, on Thursday, April 1, appeared via Zoom before Saginaw County District Judge David D. Hoffman and pleaded no contest to single counts of moving violation causing death and moving violation causing serious bodily impairment. The former charge is punishable by up to one year in jail and the latter carries a maximum 93-day sentence.

In exchange for Kitchens pleas, Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Russell Babcock agreed to dismiss a charge of reckless driving causing death. That charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

By pleading no contest as opposed to guilty, Kitchen did not orally admit to having committed a crime. Defense attorney Gena Amos said Kitchen was pleading no contest for reasons of civil liability.

Judge Hoffman relied on police reports and medical documents to enter convictions on the record.

Those records indicate Kitchen crashed a Chevrolet Impala into a utility pole around 2:45 a.m. on July 15, 2018, at King Street and Dixie Highway in Bridgeport Township. Also in the car were 28-year-old Jasmine D. Reed in the rear passenger seat and a now-33-year-old woman in the front passenger seat.

Reed suffered fatal injuries. The other passenger also suffered severe injuries.

Babcock on Thursday told Judge Hoffman that evidence indicated Kitchen had consumed an alcoholic beverage with a high sugar content before the crash, adding she was a known diabetic.

We believe those choices contributed to the accident, Babcock said.

He also noted the women were not wearing their seat belts when the collision occurred.

Of course, it is the operators obligation to ensure the front seat occupants were seat-belted as well, he said.

Kitchen is free on bond pending sentencing, the date of which is pending.

Reed, a mother to two daughters and three sons, graduated from Saginaw High School in 2008.

In her free time, she enjoyed playing cards, bingo, cooking and having fun, her obituary states. Jasmine excelled at many things but her passion was doing hair. She was a natural beautician. She was creative and precise. Knowledgeable and patient. She was funny and kind and her clients enjoyed being around her.

Read more:

Saginaw woman charged in 2018 car crash that killed passenger

Probationer allegedly amassed guns, knives, swords fearing shutdown would get a lot worse

Saginaw mother says husband is innocent of sexually assaulting her son
Estonia will receive an additional 62,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus from April-June under the EU procurement scheme, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has said

HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2021) Estonia will receive an additional 62,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus from April-June under the EU procurement scheme, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has said.

"Estonia to receive circa 62 000 additional doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine thanks to EU solidarity and cooperation," she tweeted.

Kallas added that every dose helped the Baltic nation save lives and bring it "a step closer to our normal way of life."

Estonia has reported more than 107,000 infections with the virus and 908 deaths. The vaccination campaign began in late December. By Friday, almost 16 percent of the country's population received at least one vaccine shot.
Coronavirus has put a damper on many activities, but that hasn't stopped the Kelberman Center from celebrating Autism Awareness Month.

The Kelberman Center is still having their annual Walk for Autism, but this year it will be virtual. You can order t-shirts, create a team, and fundraise online. The Executive Director of the Kelberman Center, Tara Costello, said "And it's very important that you join a team to be able to showcase the importance of the uniqueness of what we do. And to help support this agency, because without that we wouldn't be able to provide all of these services."

But this isn't the only thing the Kelberman Center has to offer. Mrs. Costello said "I encourage anyone to go on our website. We have our spring sessions, spring 1 and 2. And we have a whole calendar of events for April and May."

There's also a few local businesses that are raising awareness for autism and donating money to the Kelberman Center. Mrs. Costello said "Three that I really want to highlight is the Bagel Grove, Holland Farms, and Utica Coffee. Those three businesses this year have decided to promote awareness within their facilities and are donating back to us so we can continue to provide the care to these individuals."

But the most important takeaway is to support those with autism and be inclusive. Mrs. Costello emphasizes "Everybody's different, everybody learns different. I think the importance is to be patient, be kind. Remember that they are human and you know we're just all different."

One young girl with autism who is apart of the Kelberman Center also has something to say to you. Elizabeth Moore said "If you help us, that would mean so much to the kids at Kelberman. Make sure that you are always giving a smile to others."

You can also make a donation to the Kelberman Center on their website.
Creates one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the region

MONTREAL, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - Avison Young today announced it has completed bringing its Montreal operations together with Devencore in Montreal, creating one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the region under the Avison Young brand. The move brings together Devencore's 70-person real estate advisor and broker professionals with Avison Young's 30 real estate professionals in Montreal, resulting in a 100-person team with diverse breadth and depth of experience to deliver innovation and insights to clients.

For additional information, please read more here.

About Avison Young

Avison Young creates real economic, social and environmental value as a global real estate advisor, powered by people. As a private company, our clients collaborate with an empowered partner who is invested in their success. Our integrated talent realizes the full potential of real estate by using global intelligence platforms that provide clients with insights and advantage. Together, we can create healthy, productive workplaces for employees, cities that are centers for prosperity for their citizens, and built spaces and places that create a net benefit to the economy, the environment and the community.

Avison Young is a 2020 winner of the Canada's Best Managed Companies Platinum Club designation, having retained its Best Managed designation for nine consecutive years.

www.avisonyoung.com

Follow Avison Young

Twitter (News)  Twitter (Deals)  Blog  LinkedIn  YouTube  Instagram

For more information:

SOURCE Avison Young

For further information: Kate Murphy, Global Director of External Communications: +1 312 316 6821, [email protected]

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Syracuse, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man was arrested Thursday and accused of writing BLM F-ck 12 on Syracuse police headquarters, according to a police spokesman.

Isaia Seidel, 20, was charged with making graffiti and was released on an appearance ticket, according to Sgt. Matthew Malinowski, the spokesman.

BLM stands for Black Lives Matter. 12 is another way of referring to police.

Just before 4 p.m., Seidel used spray chalk to paint the words on the front windows to the Public Safety Building, Malinowski said. He also set off a smoke bomb against the glass, according to police.

A bag Seidel was carrying had chalk paint, smoke bombs and other firecrackers, Malinowski said.

At the time Seidel was arrested, a protest against police brutality was happening in front of the Public Safety Building.

Correction: This story previously identified Isaia Seidel as a woman. Seidel is a man.

---

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
ARLINGTON, Virginia -- Afghan and Iraqi partners who regularly assist U.S. forces and U.S. humanitarian workers in missions have been key to the success of military operations in the region. These Afghans and Iraqis risk their lives repeatedly to bring stability to their nations and security to those abroad. These interpreters stand side-by-side in the danger zone with our troops as they face the enemy, equally determined to eradicate the global threat of terrorism. As a soldier who was in Afghanistan was quoted in the Military Times, the interpreters act as U.S. soldiers compasses, guiding them on the right path to successful missions  often forming lifelong bonds. Unfortunately, this service puts these individuals in grave danger  and they become even more unsafe after their service has concluded.

The new CBS television show, The United States of Al, set in Columbus, Ohio, which premiered last night on WOIO Channel 19 and other CBS-TV stations around the country, demonstrates the special bond created between the soldiers and these interpreters. In the show, Riley (Parker Young), a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan, even makes Awalmir Al (Adhir Kalyan), the Afghan interpreter who assisted him, his daughters godfather. Riley welcomes Al to live with him when he arrives in the United States and helps him with his adjustment to American life while sharing memories from their operations in Afghanistan.

As highlighted in the show, the means to entry into the United States for these individuals is the Special Immigrant Visa. While the SIV program provides a means to safety for those under threat of violence, applying for this program requires a lengthy waiting process often done in their home country or a neighboring country after having to flee threats of violence against them and their families. Due to this, most of the partners and interpreters are not sure whether their participation in the United States mission will lead them to greater opportunities and help them achieve their American dreams, or if they will remain trapped and left behind after the mission concludes.

Lawyer Howard Manuel serves on the board of "No One Left Behind," which advocates for Special Immigrant Visas for former U.S. military partners and interpreters in Afghanistan and Iraq who are in peril for their lives because of that service. The group also helps with housing and financial aid for interpreters relocated to the United States.

The U.S. government has over the years put in place measures to deal with the issue, but they are simply not enough to meet the growing demand. One such effort was legislation passed by Congress in 2019 which was aimed making it easier for Afghan interpreters who helped American soldiers, were injured, or lost family members by creating an additional 4,500 visas. Other bills in Congress have sought similar relief, such as the Afghan Allies Protection Act, which would authorize 4,000 more visas for Afghan interpreters. The issue has been recognized in the White House; part of a Feb. 4 executive order from President Joe Biden reaffirmed the nations commitment to its Afghan and Iraqi partners and ordered an executive-level review of the Special Immigrant Visa program, including its implementation.

The provision of safe residence for Afghans and Iraqis who participate in American missions is but a small thank you for their sacrifice. Regardless of the possibility of a political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban, the risk to these individuals will not disappear. The United States is morally obliged to award these individuals with a chance to live in safety on America soil and an opportunity to enjoy the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that they have helped to protect.

Howard Manuel is a lawyer and member of the board of directors for No One Left Behind, a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes Special Immigrant Visas for interpreters and translators who worked with U.S. and NATO troops during Afghanistan and Iraq military operations. No One Left Behind also provides financial and housing assistance to individuals and families who have emigrated to the United States under this program.

Read more: Cleveland.coms Joey Morona offers his take on the first two episodes of The United States of Al after the trailer sparked criticism about racial insensitivity and inauthenticity. The show airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS-TV.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
NSW healthcare workers are on alert for signs of a very rare blood clot among people given the AstraZeneca vaccine after Australias first probable case was admitted to hospital on Friday.

The states public health authorities are expecting to see a very small number of adverse reactions, as with any mass immunisation program involving millions of people, the more likely being anaphylaxis.

A Melbourne man has developed a blood clot after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine. Credit:AP

The national medical regulator is investigating the case of a 44-year-old man hospitalised in Melbourne after developing a blood clot more than two weeks after his COVID-19 vaccination. The TGA will meet again on Saturday morning to examine the case.

The case comes after several European countries paused their AstraZeneca rollouts following reports that 31 vaccinated people had developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis among the millions who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe and the UK.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A 39-year-old man from North Carolina was nabbed with a loaded gun in Travis, according to police.

Jamel Hatton of Airport Road in Winston-Salem, N.C., was arrested after police responded Thursday to a dispute on the 4400 block of Victory Boulevard and recovered a 9mm firearm, according to a spokeswoman for the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

Outstanding job by Sergeant Kosa, Sergeant Hoxha, Officer Rooney, Officer Camerada, and Officer Dipaolo for rapidly responding to a dispute and placing an individual in custody for possessing this loaded firearm, police said on the 121st Precinct Twitter feed.

A photo attached to the tweet shows a Ruger handgun, bullets and a magazine.

Hatton has been charged by police with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm.
Kendall Jenner has filed documents for a restraining order against a nude trespasser who tried to terrorize her on Sunday.

According to TMZ, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star filed for the restraining order after the 27-year-old man broke into her property on Sunday to search for her before attempting to go for a nude swim in her pool.

The 25-year-old model has reportedly moved out of her Beverly Hills home for good after another stalker allegedly said he planned to murder her before killing himself.

Protection: Kendall Jenner, 25, filed a request for a restraining order on Thursday after a man broke onto her property searching for her on Sunday and tried to take a nude swim in her pool, TMZ reports; seen in 2019 in NYC

Kendall filed her legal documents requesting a restraining order on Thursday following the frightening run-in with the nude trespasser.

The man reportedly got onto her property around 2 a.m. on Sunday and began pounding on her doors and windows while calling out her name.

Kendall was home at the time of the intrusion, though it's a large home and she was able to stay in a safe location within the house while her security sought out the man.

After giving up on finding her, he allegedly took off his clothing in an attempt to go skinny-dipping, though he was apprehended before he was able to take the swim.

Frightening encounter: The 27-year-old man reportedly got onto her property around 2 a.m. on Sunday and banged on the windows while calling for her

Close call: Kendall was at home in a safe place and security detained the man after he stripped down and tried to go skinny-dipping. He was charged with a misdemeanor by police

The police arrived after security had detained the man and charged him with a misdemeanor count of trespassing.

So far, the charge has been little more than slap on the wrist, as the man was only in jail for six hours due to Covid-19 protocols designed to slow the reach of the novel coronavirus, which can easily spread within a confined jail.

A judge is currently reviewing Kendall's restraining order request, though it's unclear when they will rule on it.

The nude trespasser and another recent stalker have led Kendall to move out of her Beverly Hills home permanently for her safety and peace of mind.

She previously moved out of her last home, located in West Hollywood, in 2017 after she was the victim of a burglary.

She's done: Kendall has already decided to move out of the Beverly Hills home permanently following another recent scare with a stalker; seen in 2019 in NYC

Death threat: The supermodel was granted a restraining order on Monday against Malik Bowker, 24, after an LAPD detective said Bowker planned to buy an illegal firearm to shoot her

Kendall already secured one temporary restraining order on Monday after she told a judge that a Los Angeles Police Department detective told her that a 24-year-old man named Malik Bowker had traveled across the country with the intention of purchasing an illegal firearm to murder her.

They claimed that he then intended to kill himself.

The catwalk star was swiftly granted the temporary order, which required Bowker to stay at least 100 yards from her.

He's currently being held in a hospitals psychiatric ward, though she claimed that she feared he would seek her out after being released, TMZ reported.

Temporary hold: Bowker is currently being held in a hospitals psychiatric ward, though she claimed that she feared he would seek her out after being released, TMZ reported; spotted on March 27 in LA

Since moving out of her Beverly Hills home, Kendall is reportedly staying in a safe location with her beefed-up security team at her side.

So far, it's unknown if she'll immediately try to sell the house of if she'll sit on it for the time being.

Back in 2018, a stalker managed to get onto her property twice, and he also took refuge by her pool.

The man was later deported back to Canada following the break-ins.

However, the frighteningly frequent run-ins with stalkers had already made her consider moving out of the property prior to the two most recent incidents.
Whatever faint flicker of hope remained for the creation of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 storming of the U. S. Capitol has been extinguished, another casualty of the polarization gripping Congress.

The idea of a commission similar to that established following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, gained momentum in the immediate aftermath of the assault on the Capitol, but floundered when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell disagreed over the makeup of the commission and its scope of responsibility.

Pelosi sought an 11-member panel of seven Democratic appointees and four Republicans, while McConnell suggested the commission expand its inquiry to the violent protests that erupted in several American cities last summer.

Despite their initial expressions of support for a commission, the suspicion lingers that neither was seriously committed to it.

Both have been in Congress long enough (Pelosi for 34 years and McConnell for 36) and are intimately familiar with its traditions, customs and maneuverings to understand the most effective way to bury an idea is to create a stalemate based on seemingly reasonable grounds.

Each knew in advance the other would reject their suggestions, normally a preliminary step toward a negotiated compromise. Not this time.

The longer a standoff drags on, interest wanes, other issues emerge to demand attention, the media moves on and it fades from the public consciousness.

McConnell attacked the proposed partisan makeup of the commission as Pelosis attempt to guarantee a predetermined outcome, placing blame on former President Trump and the Republican Party for inciting their supporters to storm the Capitol to prevent Congressional certification of the Electoral College vote tabulation.

Pelosi criticized expanding the scope of the commissions duties as a distraction to focus on the civil unrest and the demands of protesters to defund the police, an issue which many Democrats blamed for the partys stunning loss of 15 House seats in 2020.

Neither is eager for a Democratic-dominated commission to spend months  potentially spilling over into the 2022 midterm elections when control of Congress hangs in the balance  in a public debate over the role of ex-president Trump in the Capitol assault (McConnells fear) or on the politically dangerous demands to defund police departments (Pelosis concern).

While they arrived at the conclusion independently, Pelosi and McConnell share the political calculation that abandoning the commission proposal poses a far less risk than the perils of thrusting the issue into next years campaigns.

Both are adept at navigating the cross currents and competing agendas endemic to Congressional politics to achieve a desired outcome. More importantly, each has mastered the inside game  the unspoken wink and nod deal and the promise of future rewards - to either secure a victory or assure a defeat.

With the enactment of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, the migrant crisis at the southern border, rising demands for action on a massive infrastructure program, tax increases, voting rights and climate change, the Jan. 6 commission tumbled far down the priority list.

Committees in the House and Senate have held hearings on the Capitol siege, taking testimony primarily from law enforcement, the military and intelligence community.

Many believe Congressional committees are the proper and appropriate forum to conduct inquiries into the assault and to propose legislative action to address reported failures in security preparedness, communications protocols, and the role of the military.

The Biden Administration expressed general support for a commission, but emphasized it was a matter for Congress to decide - a pledge of non-interference and a promise the president would not pressure Democrats to back its creation.

It will be left to historians to sift through the evidence and formulate a comprehensive, definitive account of the most serious assault on the center of U.S. government by its own citizens in history.

For now, the American people will confront two truths  a Democratic truth and a Republican one  each promoting explanations and conclusions colored by partisanship and ideology.

Both sides can and will blame a paralyzing polarization for the failure to reach a consensus in support of an independent inquiry, one that, like the 911 commission report, will win the confidence of the American people.

It didnt have to be that way.

Carl Golden is a senior contributing analyst with the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University in New Jersey. He can be reached at cgolden1937@gmail.
(Natural News) Despite the fact that there is hard data proving  not suggesting but proving  there is no such thing as systemic racism being practiced by whites against minorities, the woke left demands that everyone believe the lie or else suffer consequences.

And what would those consequences be? Public shaming. Loss of status. Loss of job. Loss of income. And no ability whatsoever to redeem oneself once he or she has been banished from society.

In 2021, nearly 150 years after our country outlawed systemic racism (slavery) and 60 years after further codifying the illegality of racism in the 1960s civil rights legislation, racism is still alive and well in America, only its not being practiced by whites. Its being directed towards whites, because the left is pushing hard and fast to completely destroy our society so they can move in and rebuild it, Soviet-style, complete with demands for compliance and hard penalties for those who disobey (like busting rocks for 20 years).

We saw another example of this abject tyranny last week when the once-prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suspended its top editor, Dr. Howard Bauchner, for allowing another physician to push back on the systemic racism hoax.

Structural racism is an unfortunate term, said deputy editor Dr. Ed Livingston during a Feb. 24 podcast. Personally, I think taking racism out of the conversation will help. Many people like myself are offended by the implication that we are somehow racist.

JAMA then wrote in a tweet containing a link to the podcast, both of which have been deleted, No physician is racist, so how can there be structural racism in health care?

Lets stop right there. Who wouldnt get fed up with being called a racist when theyre not, and especially by people who dont even know the person theyre labeling racist? Most people would, and apparently, Dr. Livingston is one of them.

But we cant have that speaking power to truth thing in todays Marxist America.

The decision to place the editor-in-chief on administrative leave neither implicates nor exonerates individuals and is standard operating procedure for such investigations, said the independent panel that manages JAMA in a statement, The New York Times reported.

As for Bauchner, he threw Livingston (and by default every other white American who is sick and tired of black and brown racists making their baseless accusations) under the bus.

Racism and structural racism exist in the U.S. and in health care. After careful consideration, I determined that the harms caused by the podcast outweighed any reason for the podcast to remain available on the JAMA Network, he wrote.

I once again apologize for the harms caused by this podcast and the tweet about the podcast. We are instituting changes that will address and prevent such failures from happening again, Bauchner added.

In a separate statement, Bauchner said, The language of the tweet, as well as portions of the podcast, do not reflect my commitment as editorial leader of JAMA and JAMA Network to call out and discuss the adverse effects of injustice, inequity, and racism in medicine and society as JAMA has done for many years.

Statement from Howard Bauchner, MD, Editor in Chief JAMA and The JAMA Network pic.twitter.com/A1AJNnMWB4  JAMA (@JAMA_current) March 4, 2021

Livingston has since reportedly resigned, because of course.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Raymond Givens, a Black cardiologist in New York, described JAMAs removal of Bauchner as a reasonable first step but it should not be seen as mission accomplished.

Without diversity, you dont know what you dont know, Givens, long a critic of the lack of diversity among JAMAs editors, added. With such a non-diverse panel of people, you have all these blind spots that allow these podcasts to go from execution to publication without anybody saying, Wait a minute, this is ill-advised.

Americans of all ethnicities have to begin pushing back on this toxic woke nonsense or our country will disintegrate into Balkanized regions of warring factions and we will cease to be a country, let alone the worlds premier superpower.

See more reporting like this at RaceWar.news.

Sources include:

NYTimes.com

APNews.com

NaturalNews.com
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Congressional candidate Dan Rodimer (TX-06) is running to solve illegal immigration and keep the citizens of Texas's 6th Congressional District safe. He has now announced his intention to pass desperately needed legislation that he calls the Angel Act. It will address the humanitarian and security crisis at our Southern border that's hit headlines since Biden rescinded Trump's Immigration policies on his first day in office.

Dan Rodimer has released his Angel Act to solve what he calls the "Biden Border Crisis." Migrants seen lining up to be detained by Customs and Border Patrol (U.S. Customs And Border Control / Flickr)

"It's time that we codify Trump's Remain in Mexico policy into law so that we can stop Biden's border crisis and make sure that future Presidents don't get rid of an America First immigration policy that keeps us safe," says Rodimer.

The act was inspired by Dan's recent visit to the border where he met several "Angel Moms" that have lost children or loved ones to illegal immigration. Dan has previously said in interviews that he was so inspired by meeting them that he wanted to put something into law that would stop this from happening to Texans.

The goal of the Angel Act is three fold:

1. Stop the illegal immigration and human trafficking surge at our border by enacting Trump's immigration policy into law.

2. Stop the Biden or any other liberal administration from opening our borders at whim.

3. Keep our citizens safe and put American families first by keeping criminals from other countries off our streets.

The campaign has released the following about the act, which will be featured on the website: "Under Rodimer's proposed Angel Act, the crisis at the border would be greatly alleviated, as there would be a consistent law and thus the Executive Branch would not be able to change immigration policies every 4 to 8 years. Enactment of the Angel Act would reduce the number of aliens who are currently taking advantage of U.S. law, and discourage false asylum claims. Aliens would not be permitted to disappear into the U.S., as they currently do, before a court issues a final decision on whether they will be admitted and provided protection under U.S. law. Instead, they will await a determination in Mexico and receive appropriate humanitarian protections there. This will allow DHS to more effectively assist legitimate asylum-seekers and individuals fleeing persecution, as migrants with non-meritorious or even fraudulent claims will no longer have an incentive for making the journey. Moreover, the Angel Act would reduce the extraordinary strain on our border security and immigration system, freeing up personnel and resources to better protect our sovereignty and the rule of law by restoring integrity to the American immigration system."

The Rodimer campaign says they are also "focused on stopping Biden's proposed 30% tax increase on small businesses in the middle of a pandemic. This will make it harder for our businesses to get people back to work and pay them more."

As part of their community outreach, the Rodimer campaign will be holding a free wrestling themed event in Mansfield, Texas, called "Wrestle for Your Rights." It will be held on Saturday, April 17, at 4 PM CST at 110 S. Main St. Mansfield, TX 76063. The event will feature Dan Rodimer, CD6 Candidate, and Mayor of Knox County Glenn "Kane" Jacobs and other former WWE stars. Tickets can be picked up for free: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wrestle-for-your-rights-a-free-family-event-tickets-148020418055

Learn more about Congressional Candidate for Texas's 6th Congressional District Dan Rodimer (TX-06) at danrodimer.com.

Contact:

RC Maxwell

480-613-1898

[email protected]

SOURCE Paid For By Dan Rodimer For Congress
Tax Increases to Outweigh Benefits of Biden Infrastructure Plan, Experts Warn

WASHINGTONPresident Joe Biden has unveiled his ambitious infrastructure package, which proposes substantial tax increases on U.S. corporations to pay for the $2 trillion price tag. However, experts say the economic harm from an increase in corporate taxes will offset the benefits created by the infrastructure investment, raising skepticism about the plan.

Biden described his proposal as the largest American jobs investment since World War II in a speech in Pittsburgh on March 31.

By spending on infrastructure, Biden pledges to create millions of well-paying jobs, expand the economy, and make the United States more competitive vis-a-vis China.

The eight-year infrastructure plan will be fully paid for by tax increases on U.S. companies spread over 15 years. Increasing the federal corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent is one of the several ways proposed in Bidens infrastructure plan.

Studies, including ones conducted by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), however, show that raising taxes would lead to less investment, less productivity, fewer jobs, and lower wages.

The administration has to make the case for tax increases as the benefits of the Biden infrastructure plan wont outweigh the cost to the economy of the tax increases, Scott Hodge, president of the conservative-leaning think tank Tax Foundation, said in a report.

Federal investment financed by debt or taxes could do more economic harm than good because federal borrowing and taxes crowd out private investment, Hodge wrote.

To avoid harming the economy, he said federal investments should be financed through cutting spending in other discretionary programs.

The CBO models, for example, show that federal investment financed by an increase in taxes would lead to lower economic output and personal consumption.

Increasing the corporate tax rate to 28 percent would raise the U.S. federal-state combined tax rate to 32.34 percent, according to the Tax Foundation. This increase will make the U.S. corporate tax rate the highest in the OECD, reducing U.S. competitiveness. The average corporate tax rate among the OECD countries, excluding the United States, is 23.4 percent.

What were talking about is just raising it to a rate that is lower than it has been through the vast majority of the timeover the last 70 years, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a press briefing on April 1.

She defended the corporate tax hikes saying that 91 of the Fortune 500 companies paid no federal taxes in 2018.

That is not something that the American people believe is fair, that we believe is fair, and what were talking about here is making adjustments to the tax code to make it more fair, Psaki said.

The infrastructure plan imposes a 15 percent minimum tax on large corporations book income to ensure that large companies such as Amazon dont avoid paying U.S. federal taxes. It also eliminates certain deductions and credits for the fossil fuel industry.

The statutory corporate tax rate in the U.S. today should be contextualized with the average in other countries, which has fallen over the past 30 years, Garrett Watson, senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, told The Epoch Times.

The rate that prevailed 50 years ago would not matter in that context, he added.

The White House isnt only proposing to increase the corporate tax rate; its also pitching $800 billion to $900 billion in additional taxes on companies through other methods, Watson said.

The tax-code overhaul of 2017 reduced corporate tax receipts by about 0.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), he said, but Bidens infrastructure plan raises them by six times as much to 0.6 percent of GDP.

Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, applauded the Biden administration for making infrastructure investment a priority but strongly opposes the tax increases.

The Chamber stated on Twitter, The proposal is dangerously misguided when it comes to how to pay for infrastructure.

We strongly oppose the general tax increases proposed by the administration, which will slow the economic recovery and make the U.S. less competitive globally.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on April 1 denounced the proposal and pledged to fight the plan every step of the way.

Republicans also criticized the plan for not heavily focusing on infrastructure.

Less than 6 percent of this massive proposal goes to roads and bridges. It would spend more money just on electric cars than on Americas roads, bridges, ports, airports, and waterways combined, McConnell said in a statement on March 31.

Bidens infrastructure plan allocates just $115 billion for repairing and rebuilding bridges, highways, and roads.
(Bloomberg)  Iran and the remaining world powers in the 2015 nuclear deal will hold a virtual meeting on Friday to discuss the U.S.s return to the accord, the European Union said in a statement.

The discussion, which will involve officials from Iran, Russia, China, Germany, France and the U.K., will be chaired by the EUs top foreign envoy Josep Borrell and address how the landmark agreement can be fully implemented by all sides, according to the statement.

The U.S. has been trying to use Europe as an intermediary with Iran after Tehran rebuffed talks with the Biden administration on reviving the accord that former President Donald Trump abandoned. After Trumps disavowal of the agreement, Iran breached some of the limits that it placed on its nuclear program.

We obviously welcome this as a positive step, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington on Thursday. He said the U.S. is ready to return to compliance with the 2015 agreement consistent with Iran doing the same and has been exploring the best way to achieve this, including through a series of mutual, initial steps.

We have been looking at options for doing so, including with indirect conversations through our mutual European partners, Price said.

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said this month that his nation was in no hurry to revive the nuclear deal and said U.S. policy was doomed to fail unless sanctions against the Islamic Republic were first removed.

Contact editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

Support quality journalism in China. Subscribe to Caixin Global starting at $0.99.

Follow the Chinese markets in real time with Caixin Globals new stock database.
Up to one in five employees at an academic medical institution are considering leaving their professions due to the strains of coping with the pandemic in their own lives, according to a new University of Utah Health study. Individuals who had caregiving responsibilities were among those most likely to contemplate leaving or reducing hours.

The findings suggest that retaining highly trained doctors, nurses, and scientists in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic could be the next great health care challenge.

"It's sobering to learn that, during a time of economic recession, at least one-fifth of our workforce were considering leaving their jobs because of the severe levels of stress they were experiencing," says Angela Fagerlin, Ph.D., the study's senior author and professor and chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Utah School of Medicine. "Many of these are people who have spent five to ten years of their adult lives training to do this kind of work. Yet, it's so overwhelming and burdensome that they were potentially thinking about giving it all up."

Although conducted at a single health care system, the researchers say these findings could have broader implications.

"We suspect these disturbing trends likely exist within other health care systems nationwide," says Rebecca Delaney, Ph.D., the study's lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the U of U School of Medicine. "These findings are alarming and a warning sign about the morale and well-being of doctors and nurses, as well as non-clinical health care scientists and staff."

The study appears in JAMA Network Open.

Several studies have examined the effects of burnout, stress, depression, and anxiety on frontline medical staff during the global pandemic. However, most have only included frontline workers or physician trainees. Few of these studies have addressed important family-work balance issues, such as childcare needs during the pandemic, which contribute significantly to the stress and burnout of staff.

To remedy this oversight, Delaney and her colleagues distributed a web-based survey of all 27,700 clinical and non-clinical U of U Health faculty, staff, and trainees in August 2020. Survey items measured childcare needs, work-life balance needs, career development impact, and stress related to the pandemic.

Overall, 18 percent (n=5,030) completed the entire survey. The data was consistent across clinical and non-clinical respondents, confirming that everyone--men, women, those with and without children--were struggling with the impact of COVID-19, Delaney says.

Nearly half (48 percent) reported having at least one child 18 years old or younger. In addition, the researchers found:

49 percent of those who had children reported that parenting and managing virtual education for children was causing them stress

Faculty (55 percent) and trainees (60 percent) reported decreased productivity

47 percent of participants expressed concern about COVID-19 affecting their career development, with 64 percent of trainees being highly concerned

30 percent reported considering reducing hours

21 percent reported considering leaving the workforce

In addition to being a single health care system survey, other study limitations included the possibility of selection bias among those who chose to complete the survey. It's also possible that more employees with children aged 18 or younger responded than those without children.

Although the researchers found that burnout, depression, and anxiety were important, they concluded that greater emphasis on work-life balance, accessibility to dependent care, and ongoing psychological and social support could prevent thousands of medical caregivers from joining this potentially devastating exodus.

"Health care systems must develop effective ways to ensure that well-trained clinicians, support staff, and non-clinical scientists are supported during this unprecedented time as well as after it," Fagerlin says. "If they do that, then health systems will be more likely to retain a diverse and effective workforce."

###

In addition to Drs. Delaney and Fagerlin, U of U Health scientists Amy Locke, Mandy L. Pershing, Claudia Geist, Erin Clouse, Michelle Precourt Debbink, Benjamin Haaland, Amy J. Tanner, and Yoshimi Anzai contributed to this study. The study, "Experiences of a Health System's Faculty, Staff and Trainees Career Development, Work Culture, and Child Care Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic" appears in JAMA Network Open. It was supported by a Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair awarded to Fagerlin, who is also a research scientist at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. .
On March 4, my Talmud teacher of thirty years passed away. He was 97 years old, but between bouts of Fentanyl-aided pain reduction, he continued to answer questions others could not  until two weeks before his passing. The earth and all its inhabitants should have collapsed in inconsolable grief, but we did not. In just the same way people would continue on with their lives if the Mona Lisa burned to a crisp or the Hubble telescope fell into the sun, the passing of Professor Heinrich Guggenheimer would not be given its proper importance.

Prof. G. was a genius. That word is overused to describe people of excellence in a particular area. However, Professor Guggenheimer was accomplished in all areas he cared to visit and would be better described as a polymath.

He made his living as a professor of mathematics with a specialty in topography, making him extremely valuable to military and intelligence services. He was, as well, a historian, grammarian, and linguist, reading at least thirty languages.

I once made the mistake of assuming his ignorance. We frequently used an Accadic dictionary when comparing a Hebrew word to its cognate equivalents. When I challenged him about using a translation of the original Accadian pictorial script, he indicated that he felt that the dictionary was adequate, given his comparison of the original Accadian and the dictionary's renderings. In other words, he could read and understand Accadian in its original form. That just blew me away!

Prof. G. had a photographic memory. Such people are different from the rest of us. There is so much material to learn. With knowledge doubling every few years, no one can keep up. So we specialize.

Professor Guggenheimer, however, did not have to specialize. If he touched it, he knew it. I would frequently ask him about difficulties in the Talmud's text. He knew the material so well that he could immediately (I mean instantly) tell me on what page the argument occurred and how other scholars dealt with the issue at hand. He then synthesized their opinions in his answer to the question.

One night many years ago, while walking home from the synagogue at the end of Shabbat, my eight-year-old asked the professor a seemingly simple question: "Why was Esau mentioned in the Hagaddah?"

The professor spent the next fifteen minutes fleshing out both the question and its answer: My son, smart enough (he is a lawyer today), was overwhelmed and deeply impressed, but as you can imagine, he never asked him anything ever again.

Pure intelligence is so scary, especially when allied with a deep ethical sense, because when we finally encounter it, we are overwhelmed, humbled, and afraid of seeming the fool in such a bright light. From my personal perspective, Professor Guggenheimer's abilities were a hint of how we might begin to envision an all-knowing God. It took me many years to accept my personal intellectual limitations so I could speak freely to him without fear of constantly revealing my complete and utter ignorance.

The professor would always describe himself as average in intelligence. I insisted that such a designation could not be accurate. To this, one day, he finally replied that he thought of himself as average among the gifted.

In this era that attempts to level all abilities and eschews any form of excellence in the general population, we would do well to know what we are giving up. By mentally subtracting what each of us can learn and do over a lifetime from what Prof. G. could, and did, accomplish, every day, the vast difference between the two helps us envision what humanity's future could yet be.

Let us think about a world where everyone knows everything they want to know and then compare it to today's world, one in which we can no longer even read the college textbooks from just a generation ago. I think it is safe to assume that poverty of knowledge correlates highly with economic poverty! What kind of America will we have created when a decreasing number of people can major in math, physics, chemistry, and history?

Those on the left who are pushing hard toward ignorance for all are themselves ignorant of the damage they are doing to humanity. Let us hope they will become enlightened and change their ways. Otherwise, the future will be taken from our hands, and we will become manipulable objects instead of actors on our own behalf.

Image: Two books reflecting the range of Prof. Guggenheimer's intellect.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
Mumbai, April 2 : Vijay Varma says the popularity he has gained lately has been a sort of validation because his parents would be disappointed in his early years when he wasn't visible enough.

"I feel a sense of validation and acceptance because when I did not have anything and was struggling and I was not making any news for them I was still like a nobody in terms of profession I have chosen. They watched television, read magazines and newspapers, I was not there. So, for them I was just not working as an actor and I was like films that are un-released," Vijay told IANS.

It was after he featured in the 2016 release "Pink", starring Amitabh Bachchan, that Vijay's father really became proud of him.

"That gave me a lot of validation. Now they do cute stuff like when I go not too many people come and meet me. They try to be my managers! I find that cute," he said.

Vijay's latest work is the sci-fi comedy web series "OK Computer".
MARY Immaculate College has been granted permission to convert an outhouse into student accommodation despite objections from a number of local residents.

The building at the centre of the planning dispute is located at the rear of O Dwyer House  a student residence at Courtbrack Avenue, South Circular Road.

The development, which was approved by Limerick City and County Council late last year, involves the conversion of the existing outbuilding and former artist studio into a two-bedroom apartment.

In their appeal to An Bord Pleanala, several local residents expressed concerns that the development would result in a loss of privacy and that it will give rise to noise and disturbance nuisance.

According to the planning inspectors report, concerns were also expressed that the proposal represents haphazard, backland, piecemeal, ad hoc development and that the it will have a negative impact on residential amenity.

A number of technical concerns were also raised relating to the application and a previous planning permission which, residents submitted, restricts the use of the building as a store room.

However, in her report planning inspector Brid Maxwell stated that she was satisfied that the proposed development should be granted permission.

The use of ODwyer House as a student residence is established and therefore I consider that the principle of change of use of the artist studio structure which is within the curtilage of ODwyer House is acceptable and it therefore appropriate to assess the merits of the proposal in its detail. I consider that the proposal to consolidate the established student residence use is in line with the zoning objectives pertaining, she said.

Permission was granted subject to compliance with a number of conditions.
-- Construction of Xiong'an New Area has been forging ahead at full throttle over the past four years, with over 160,000 people currently engaged in implementing more than 120 major projects such as infrastructure construction and ecological restoration.

-- Xiong'an has been designed to become an intelligent city featuring high-tech and innovation as well as a magnet for global talent.

-- "Green" is another buzzword in Xiong'an's grand development plan. It aspires to become a green city with harmonious human-environment interaction.

by Xinhua writers Liu Xinyu, Gao Bo and Cao Guochang

SHIJIAZHUANG, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Wang Shasha begins her day in the wee hours of the morning, as she climbs up a 50-meter-tall tower crane and starts operating the big machine to move building materials at a construction site in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province.

For the 30-year-old crane operator, the most fulfilling moment of her challenging daily job is when she looks out from the crane cab and sees hundreds of high-rise buildings stand tall in the construction site forming a beautiful skyline against the backdrop of the rising sun.

Having worked in Xiong'an for well over a year, Wang said she always feels proud that she is helping to turn the blueprint of the new area, dubbed China's "city of future," into a tangible reality.

Aerial photo taken on March 31, 2021 shows the construction site of Rongdong area in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an new area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

On April 1, 2017, China announced plans to establish Xiong'an New Area, located about 100 km southwest of Beijing, aiming to build the 1,770-sq-km area into a green city featuring innovation and a national model of high-quality development.

Construction of Xiong'an has been forging ahead at full throttle over the past four years, with over 160,000 people currently engaged in implementing more than 120 major projects such as infrastructure construction and ecological restoration.

In Xiong'an's Rongdong area, a major residential space where Wang works, over 85 percent of the nearly 1,000 buildings planned had been roofed by the end of March and will be ready for handover by June. The area is designed to accommodate about 170,000 people.

An intercity railway linking Xiong'an and Beijing started operation in December last year, slashing the commuting time between the two cities from one and a half hours to about 50 minutes. Meanwhile, the construction of three express lines linking Xiong'an, Beijing and the neighboring Tianjin Municipality is scheduled to open to traffic in May.

Aerial photo taken on March 31, 2021 shows the Beijing-Xiong'an expressway under construction in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an new area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

Infrastructure construction is also proceeding smoothly at Xiong'an's start-up area, which will be part of the Xiong'an city proper. Designed to take over Beijing's functions nonessential to its role as the national capital, the start-up area will serve as a new home for Beijing's colleges, hospitals, business headquarters, and financial and public institutions.

INNOVATION HIGHLAND

Since its inception, Xiong'an has been designed to become an intelligent city featuring high-tech and innovation as well as a magnet for global talented people.

As of February, more than 3,700 enterprises had registered in Xiong'an, of which more than 2,000 firms are in fields of scientific research, software development, information technology and technological services, according to official data.

Leading Chinese tech firms such as Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu are also on the list, as the tech giants are tapping into the area's great potential in developing frontier technologies including autonomous driving, cloud computing, blockchain and big data.

Eye Cool, a company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI), moved its headquarters from Beijing to Xiong'an in 2018, in view of the area's ideal environment for tech start-ups.

"Xiong'an has been billed as the 'city of innovation' since its establishment, and we couldn't wait to grab the opportunities it brought," said Wang Shuqi, the company's marketing director. "We're honored to have grown alongside Xiong'an's development."

Wang said her company's AI-based facial recognition technology has been used in industrial parks, railway stations, service centers and schools in Xiong'an for security purposes and prevention and control of COVID-19.

Aerial photo taken on March 17, 2021 shows the Xiong'an Railway Station of the Beijing-Xiong'an intercity railway in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an new area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

"With artificial intelligence to be widely adopted in every aspect of life in Xiong'an, I believe our company will have a brighter future here," she added.

According to Wu Hequan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an expert advisor to the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of Xiong'an's high-tech and high-end industries will help optimize the region's industrial structure.

Such industries are expected to account for 70 to 80 percent of Xiong'an's economy, Wu noted.

GREEN CITY

"Green" is another buzzword in Xiong'an's grand development plan. It aspires to become a green city with harmonious human-environment interaction.

Aerial photo taken on March 19, 2021 shows a forestation project in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an New Area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

Between 2017 and 2020, Xiong'an added more than 27,000 hectares of trees, raising its forest coverage to 30 percent.

"More trees have helped achieve cleaner air and a better environment," said Wang Zhi, a local forest ranger.

All-out efforts have also been made to restore the ecological environment of Baiyangdian Lake, an important wetland in the region. Over the past four years, local authorities have regulated more than 13,000 heavy-polluting enterprises, built new sewage treatment facilities and reduced fishery areas on the lake.

Aerial photo taken on March 16, 2021 shows the scenery of Baiyangdian Lake in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. The Xiong'an New Area has begun its large-scale development and construction, with more than 100,000 constructors working on over 120 major projects in the area. The "city of the future" is greeting a brand new look day by day. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

Thanks to the restoration efforts, the lake has expanded to about 290 sq km and the water quality of its central area has improved from Class V, the worst level in China's water quality grading system, to Class IV, according to Cheng Gang, a researcher with Xiong'an's ecology and environment bureau.

It is Baiyangdian's best water quality in the past decade, Cheng said.

According to the Xiong'an development plan, forests, greenery and water bodies will make up 70 percent of the city's total area.

"Environmental protection has always been a priority in the construction of Xiong'an," Cheng said, adding that a liveable environment will help Xiong'an attract more talented people.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
Thirty-three self-identified LGBTQ etc. students who are currently attending Christian universities have sued the Department of Education, demanding that all federal funding be withdrawn from those institutions. This suit is an inevitable sequel to the Obergefell lawsuit, which put the whole non-traditional sexual identity spectrum into the Constitution. However, it also highlights that Christian institutions should never have gotten entangled with the federal government.

In typically histrionic terms, the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Eugene, Oregon, claims that it's a necessity because the court must "put an end to the U.S. Department of Education's complicity in the abuses and unsafe conditions thousands of LGBTQ+ students endure at hundreds of taxpayer-funded, religious colleges and universities." According to the plaintiffs  all of whom voluntarily attended Christian universities  they're suffering horribly at the schools of their choice.

What's really happening is that these Christian institutions live by Christian values  and one of the core Christian values is that God created man and woman and intended them to be a matched set. As the old line goes, it's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. And it's certainly not Adam and a human creature who declines to identify as either Steve or Eve but, on different days, will engage in sterilized sexual activity with whatever catches his/her/its fancy. Moreover, the First Amendment explicitly ensures that Christian institutions have the right to hold these beliefs  beliefs, incidentally, that were the norm when the Founders ratified the Bill of Rights.

The recently filed lawsuit became inevitable when the Supreme Court decided Obergefell. Writing for the majority, Justice Kennedy decided that the Constitution has some unwritten provisions about everyone's right to be loved and accepted. Add in a few penumbras and emanations, and  bada-bing, bada-boom  LGBTQ etc. relationships (and, by extension, LGBTQ etc. identities) are constitutionally sanctioned.

At the time they were pressing for same-sex "marriage," leftists promised that a favorable decision would not see them attacking religious institutions, either to force the institutions to perform gay "marriages" or to close them for refusing to do so. After all, they said, they never sued the Catholic Church over abortions.

There were two problems with that argument. First, the Catholic Church doesn't commit abortions. It simply preaches that they're murder, which doesn't sit well with abortion's supporters. Second, when Obamacare came along, the federal government harassed religious institutions like crazy because those institutions, whether religious or secular, did not want to commit abortions by proxy, which is what they'd do if they offered health insurance policies funding abortions.

It was obvious from the get-go that the Supreme Court's conclusion that specific gay rights exist in the Constitution was always going to take the leftists' never-ending attack against Judeo-Christian values to a whole new level. Poor Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker, has been harassed relentlessly because the LGBTQ etc. crowd insists that he bake them cakes celebrating their alternative lifestyles. The fact that there are myriad other bakeries from which to choose (including some nice Muslim ones, I've heard) is irrelevant. Phillips will be made to bend a knee to the LGBT crowd.

In the same way, these thirty-three students knowingly attended Christian colleges that emphasize their traditional, biblical values. Nevertheless, they're complaining because they don't like those same values. You will be made to bow. (As a reminder, the Maccabees refused to bow, and, eventually, although at great cost, they won.)

But there's one more point to be made here: he who pays the piper calls the tune. If these Christian institutions made themselves dependent on federal money, they're going to be stuck with whatever the judicial system decides for them.

The better argument regarding federal monies should come from taxpayers. Taxpayers need to start insisting that all federal funds get withdrawn from all colleges and universities. To the extent these institutions teach values antithetical to the values of at least half of American taxpayers, taxpayers shouldn't have to fund them, just as they shouldn't be forced to fund hard-left PBS and NPR.

With leftists constantly babbling about a Great Reset, maybe it's time for conservatives to come up with a Greater Reset. The conservative version would include pulling federal funds from colleges and universities, leaving them to compete in the free market; ending private and government harassment of traditional religious organizations; securing our border so we have a sovereign country; making masks voluntary across America; lowering taxes on the middle class; requiring voter ID but rejecting vaccine passports; and much more.

I like it. A Greater Reset...it sounds good, doesn't it?

Image: Liberty University's Student Union by Billy Hathorn. CC BY-SA 3.0.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
Congress leader on Friday dubbed Kamal Haasan a "super-NOTA" and said the actor-turned-politician's Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) will not win a single seat in the Assembly polls as it is "not a sustainable political party".

The Congress MP from Sivaganga also slammed the AIADMK-BJP alliance and said the people of do not want a government which has any "stain, scent or shadow" of the BJP as its 'Hindi-Hindutva' agenda "irritates" them.

In an interview with PTI, also claimed that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Congress alliance will win over 200 out of the 234 Assembly seats in the single-phase April 6 polls.

"People do not want a government which will not respect Tamil sentiments, Tamil language and Tamil heritage. They do not want a government which has any stain, scent or shadow of the BJP," said.

The 'Hindi-Hindutva' agenda of the BJP "irritates" the Tamil people and they do not want the BJP in any shape or form, he asserted.

The Congress leader also claimed that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visits to poll-bound and several top BJP leaders' aggressive campaigning, the BJP's "zero MLAs, zero MPs" status will remain.

"They will remain at zero MLAs and zero MPs. The prime minister can make as many trips as he wants to Tamil Nadu, but the BJP's Hindi-Hindutva policies will be roundly rejected by the people," he told PTI over phone while on the campaign trail seeking votes for the DMK-Congress alliance's candidates.

Asked if Haasan and his outfit MNM will impact the polls, Karti Chidambaram said, "He (Haasan) is only a 'super-NOTA', he will not win a single seat and his is not a sustainable political party. They will only congregate for the elections and they will disperse after the elections."



The 'None Of The Above' (NOTA) option on electronic voting machines, was introduced in 2013. After the Supreme Court order in 2013, the EC added the button on the EVMs as the last option on the voting panel.

On the key issues in the Tamil Nadu polls, Karti Chidambaram said the main issue was that of ten years of "non-performance" of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

"The livelihood of the average person has not improved in Tamil Nadu. Then there is the rampant mis-governance and corruption by the AIADMK. It has favoured a few in giving out public contracts, there has been a huge siphoning of resources as well as poor quality of work by the public works department," the 49-year-old leader said.

During the COVID times, the AIADMK did not provide direct cash transfer to the people and only gave Rs 1,000 for ration cards which was "woefully inadequate" for the lockdown period, he said.

Asked if the reported differences within AIADMK were giving the advantage to the Congress and the DMK, Karti Chidambaram said even if the party is united, people will not support the AIADMK which became "abundantly" clear during the parliamentary elections.

"Even if you add the votes of (TTV) Dhinakaran (the leader of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam), the AIADMK would have lost," he asserted.

Karti Chidambaram also expressed confidence that the DMK led alliance will "win handsomely" and repeat the performance of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the UPA won 38 out of the 39 parliamentary seats. He said the alliance will win over 200 seats in the 234-member Assembly.

Asked about the announcement of the Dadasaheb Phalke award to Rajinikath by the Centre on Thursday amid poll campaigning and its impact, the Lok Sabha MP said, "I congratulate Mr Rajinikanth for getting the award. He has had a long innings in the film industry, he should remain in the film industry and this will have absolutely no bearing on elections."



"The BJP has been trying to ride on his (Rajinikanth's) coat-tail for many years and this will have absolutely no impact," he said.

Single phase polling to 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu is scheduled on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2 along with that of Kerala, Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry polls. The Congress is contesting 25 seats in the Tamil Nadu polls



The alliance comprising DMK, Congress and some small parties is taking on the ruling AIADMK that is facing the polls in alliance with the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the BJP, the former union minister GK Vaasan-led Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) along with other smaller parties.

The MNM has been trying to position itself as the only alternative to the Dravidian majors.

(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.)
Santa Clara County health officials warned in a statement Thursday the proportion of cases linked to more contagious COVID-19 variants is climbing in the county and "signals a worrying trend."

The county called on residents to be vigilant about wearing face masks and avoid traveling and quarantine if they must travel.

Genomic sequencing is allowing us to confirm what we already presumed based on national trends, which is the presence and unfortunate increase of variants in our community, Dr. Sara Cody, the county's health officer, wrote in an email. Were already seeing surges in other parts of the country, likely driven by variants. Combined with the data we are seeing locally, these are important warning signs that we must continue to minimize the spread. We can still stop a surge from happening here if we hold onto our tried and true prevention measures for a little longer while we increase our vaccination rates.

In a live press conference, Cody urged residents to not act as if the pandemic is over.

"We need people to just hold on a little bit longer," she said. "Keep wearing your mask. Delay your travel. Don't indoor dine. Don't go into indoor bars. Don't host an indoor gathering at your home. Even if it's allowed by the state rules, don't do it. It's not safe."

Every variant of concern has been detected in the county and last week Santa Clara was the first county in the Bay Area to identify the variant dominant in Brazil.

The variant known as P.1 is highly infectious and research has shown that it can reinfect people who have already had other strains of the virus.

The individual who tested positive for the P.1 variant was identified in mid-March after returning from out-of-state travel, according to the county health department.

What's more, the first two cases of the variants of concern detected in New York (one each of B.1.525 and B.1.526) have now been confirmed in Santa Clara, county officials said.

As of March 27, there are 92 confirmed cases of B.1.1.7 (first detected in the United Kingdom), three confirmed cases of B.1.351 (first detected in South Africa), one case of P.1 (first detected in Japan/Brazil) and over 1,000 confirmed cases of B.1.427 and B.1.429 (first detected in California).

Viruses are constantly mutating, and numerous variants of COVID-19 have emerged in recent months including variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa. They are concerning as researchers believe they may spread more easily and are likely to become the main source of disease.

Early research suggests the vaccines offers protection against the new variants, although they may be slightly less effective and further investigation is needed.
Several studies have now shown that the human body remains in its biological sex upon birth even after transgender therapy.

Studies from the Boston University's School of Medicine in Massachusetts, the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Tel Aviv-Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel, and UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital and UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have shown how people's assigned sex at birth is retained no matter how many procedures to remove body parts or hormone therapy they undergo.

A study conducted by researchers at the Boston University's School of Medicine has found that the body of a biological male will fight to preserve the chemical balances that make him a man despite testosterone therapy. The study published in the journal Endocrine Practice was the "first to investigate the efficacy of transgender treatment in terms of achieving targeted and subsequent stability of testosterone levels achieving over a prolonged period of several years," Eurekalert reported. When transitioning from male to female, patients undergo medication and surgery to decrease or suppress testosterone levels to lower it to match the female range.

The study analyzed how the human body retains biological sex even through transgender therapy by analyzing 98 anonymized transgender women who were treated with oral spironolactone and oral estrogen therapy.

According to standards, patients should be able to reach a testosterone level of <50ng/dl, the usual female physiologic range. Among these study subjects, only 25% were able to do so following spironolactone and estrogens therapy. More interestingly, another 25% could not achieve these female levels and remained below the male range, while 25% were unable to exhibit any significant suppression.

According to The Washington Gazette, another study found that women who undergo testosterone therapy to undergo transition from male to female can in fact still get pregnant if they failed to surgically remove their female body parts. They also give birth the natural way, as normal females do. Furthermore, transgender men or biological females even breastfeed their babies even if they had undergone breast removal surgery.

In 2019, a study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Tel Aviv-Sourasky Medical Center found that despite undergoing a year of testosterone treatment as part of transgender therapy, "ovary function is preserved to a degree that may allow reproduction," Dr. Yona Greenman a deputy director at the institution, explained.

Eurekalert reported that the study was conducted on 52 transgender men aged 17 to 40 who were receiving testosterone therapy over 12 months. Researchers tracked hormone levels in the study subjects' blood and they underwent a pelvic ultrasound to measure ovarian factors that reflect fertility.

Results revealed that despite the expected increase in testosterone blood levels and decrease in estrogen following a year in transgender therapy, participants still had a normal range of fertility as measured by the levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) secreted by the ovarian follicles.

Greenman explained that the levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) found among these trans men undergoing transgender therapy "indicates well-preserved ovarian function."

Conversely, another study revealed how men who used hormonal therapy to transition into women were still able to produce sperm upon stopping treatment and what's even more amazing is that the quality of sperm was unaffected by transgender therapy, meaning that the human body resisted the change and remained its biological sex.

According to Eurekalert, the study was conducted by researchers at the UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital and UPMC Children's Hospital and the results were published in the journal Pediatrics. Lead author Dr. Hanna Valli-Pulaski warned, "Going on and off gender-affirming medications can cause psychological distress in this population and it's important patients have a discussion with their health care provider before starting or stopping any treatment."

These studies simply reveal that the human body knows its own biological sex - and no amount of treatment or therapy can force it to become what it isn't.
The wait for the COVID-19 vaccines is soon coming to an end, state officials say.

Gov. Tom Wolfs administration has accelerated the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. Starting April 19, everyone over the age of 16 will be eligible for the vaccines. Pennsylvania Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam announced the new timetable earlier this week.

With the changes, some key front-line workers can start scheduling appointments now or in the coming days. And even if youre not eligible for a vaccine yet, there are steps you can take to help get an appointment down the road.

Heres a quick rundown of the rollout.

Who is eligible right now?

Everyone in Phase 1A is of course eligible to get appointments for the vaccines right now. Most in this phase have had at least their first shot, Beam said this week.

Those in Phase 1A include health care workers; those 65 years and over; and younger adults with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Others qualifying conditions also include Down syndrome, kidney disease, smoking and obesity.

Many front-line workers are also now eligible for the vaccines and can schedule appointments. Those workers include law enforcement, firefighters, grocery store employees and food and agriculture workers.

An important note: the law enforcement category isnt limited to police. In addition to cops, sheriffs and deputies, constables, corrections officers and staff, and probation and parole staff are all now eligible.

Teachers, school staff and child care workers have been able to get vaccinated for the last few weeks. Most educators have been given their shots, the Wolf administration has said.

Who is next?

Beginning Monday, April 5, all residents in Phase 1B can start scheduling vaccination appointments.

This phase includes mass transit employees, manufacturing workers, postal employees and clergy. People receiving home and community-based services and those in congregate settings not designated as long-term care facilities will also be eligible on April 5.

Who is in the following stages?

Starting April 12, all residents in Phase 1C can start scheduling appointments.

Phase 1C covers more critical workers including those in the energy sector, legal services, housing construction, federal, state and local government workers, financial services, bank tellers and information technology workers.

On April 19, everyone over 16 can get the vaccines. Federal regulators have not yet approved the vaccines for those under 16.

Even after everyone is declared eligible, it may take some time before actually getting your shot.

It is important to remember that eligibility does not guarantee an immediate vaccination appointment, Beam said.

Im not eligible for a vaccine yet. Can I at least register?

Some of central Pennsylvanias major vaccine providers encourage residents to fill out a registration form, even if they arent eligible yet. Some providers ask you to wait until youre actually eligible. Heres a look at some vaccine providers policies and how you can register.

Penn State Health

The system is welcoming everyone to register for vaccines, even if they arent yet eligible. Penn State Health has several thousand patients already registered for Phases 1B and 1C as well as those in the general public, said Barbara Schindo, a spokeswoman.

We encourage everyone who wishes to get a vaccination to register in the system, Schindo said.

Register on Penn State Healths website or by calling 844-774-8883. Many are calling by phone to register so you could have longer wait times than normal.

UPMC

UPMC is asking those who are seeking the vaccine to wait until they are eligible before setting appointments, said spokeswoman Kelly McCall. UPMC is continuing to administer doses to those in Phase 1A but says the system will be ready for the expedited vaccine timetable.

Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMCs chief medical officer and chair of emergency medicine, said the system has been anticipating the state would expand eligibility.

The commonwealth is giving us both notice of deliveries and shipping more vaccine to us recently, Yealy said in a statement. Well schedule as far forward as we can, based on these notices. We want everyone to have the comfort of knowing when you arrive to get vaccinated, well have that vaccine here for you.

You can go online and register at UPMCs website or call 844-876-2822. The phone line gets high volume so UPMC encourages online registration to keep the phone line available for those who dont have computer access.

WellSpan

WellSpan encourages those who want the vaccine to get registered, regardless of your status. If you are not currently eligible, you can fill out the vaccine interest form on MyWellSpan.org and youll be notified to make an appointment when youre eligible. WellSpans COVID-19 hotline is (855) 851-3641.

WellSpan and its partners are ready for the expedited rollout of vaccination phases, said Stephanie Andreozzi, Co-Lead of WellSpan Health vaccination effort.

Appointments continue to be available into next week, so we urge those eligible to make your appointment when it is your turn to ensure access to this shot of hope, she said.

WellSpan expects to offer more appointments as more vaccines become available, she said.

Vaccinate Lancaster

The vaccination center, located at Park City Center in Lancaster, is urging those to register, even if they arent yet eligible for the shots. You can register and once youre eligible, then youll be notified about going in for an appointment.

Dr. Michael Ripchinski, site director for the Lancaster County Community Vaccination Center and chief clinical officer with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, said the center is ready for the accelerated rollout.

We have more than 50,000 available appointments at the Lancaster County Community Vaccination Center through the end of April, so we are ready and able to offer appointments to those who will now be eligible under the states new rollout schedule, he said in a statement. We already have over 30,000 people registered whose eligibility is beyond Phase 1A, and we can begin adding those individuals to our schedule almost immediately, as they become eligible.

Register at VaccinateLancaster.org or calling 717-588-1020.

Im a senior citizen and still having trouble getting an appointment. What can I do?

Senior struggling to get appointments can check with their local Area Agency on Aging. You can find contact information for your local agency here. Or you can call 1-877-724-3258.

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According to information published by Tass on April 2, 2021, the Admiral Kasatonov frigate of project 22350 of the Northern fleet completed its mission in the Mediterranean Sea and sailed to the Atlantic Ocean, the Defense Ministry said.

According to information published by Tass on April 2, 2021, the Admiral Kasatonov frigate of project 22350 of the Northern fleet completed its mission in the Mediterranean Sea and sailed to the Atlantic Ocean, the Defense Ministry said.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Admiral Gorshkov class frigate, Admiral Kasatonov 461 (Picture source: Russian ministry of Defence)

The frigate sailed Gibraltar Strait to the west. It is accompanied by the Nikolai Chiker rescue tug and the Vyazma tanker, it said.

The frigate trained antisubmarine missions with Ka-27PL helicopter and refueled from the tanker. It will hold several drills in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Admiral Kasatonov has sailed close to 17 thousand nautical miles since December 30, 2020 and called at ports of Algeria, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Syria, and Turkey.

The Admiral Kasatonov was built by Severnaya Verf Shipyard in St. Petersburg. Admiral Flota Kasatonov is an Admiral Gorshkov class frigate of the Russian Navy and the second ship of the class. She was laid down on 26 November 2009 and launched on 12 December 2014. She was commissioned on 21 July 2020.

Frigates of project 22350 are designated to fight submarines and warships in oceans and seas and to repel air attacks both independently and within formations. The hull of the frigates is flush-decked. It has a three-island superstructure, one mast-turret and one steel funnel. Stealth technologies were used in the construction to make the warship practically invisible for the radars of the potential adversary. Full displacement is 5000 tons, the length is 135 meters. The speed is 29 knots. The crew comprises over 170 men. Diesel gas-turbine power plant has a capacity of 65000 horsepower. It can carry a Ka-27 helicopter or its modifications.

The main weapons comprise two 16-cell universal vertical launchers 3S-14 for Kalibr missiles. The fourth and fifth frigates will be armed with three 24-cell launchers which can also fire Onix missiles and Tsirkon in future.

The air defense is provided by four Poliment-Redut 32-cell vertical launchers. They can fire four types of short, medium and long-range antiaircraft missiles. Two Palash artillery guns provide close-range air defense.

Artillery guns comprise 130mm A-192M in the bow. The frigate has Paket antisubmarine torpedo complex, as well as Zarya-3 sonar and Vinietka-M towed acoustic station.

 Copyright 2021 TASS Navy Recognition. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
New Delhi: India recorded its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases in the last six months with 81,466 new infections being reported in a span of 24 hours.

The new cases recorded on Friday (April 2) took the total tally of cases to 1,23,03,6131 and over 469 more deaths were reported, taking the total death toll to 163,396, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The country still remains the third-most affected globally, behind the United States and Brazil.

Registering a steady increase for the 23rd day in a row, the active cases have increased to 6,14,696, while the total recovery stands at 1,15,25,039, the data stated.

ALSO READ: COVID-19 situation grim in India, second wave of deadly infections likely from this date

Meanwhile, AAP leader and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to chair an emergency meeting with Delhi Health minister Satyendar Jain and other officials in the national capital on Friday (April 2) in the view of rising COVID-19 cases in the city.

Delhi reported 2,790 COVID-19 infections on Thursday pushing the cumulative total to 6,65,220. Delhi witnessed a huge 53 percent jump in the number of cases from the previous day.

On the other hand, Mumbai reported 8,646 cases of COVID-19 cases, making it the highest one-day spike since the pandemic. 18 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours in the city.

Additionally, India is currently in the third phase of COVID-19 vaccination drive through which everyone above 45 years will get vaccination for free at government hospitals and at a capped price at private hospitals.

Live TV
Safety at the Woodside-operated North West Shelf Gas Venture near Karratha in the north of Western Australia on Jun. 17, 2008. (Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images)

Victoria Govt Rejects Proposal to Build Gas Terminal Amid Looming Shortfall

The Victorian state Labor government has rejected a plan by energy giant AGL to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal along Melbournes Western Port due to unacceptable environmental effects.

This comes just weeks after an ACCC report found that new sources of gas supply and related infrastructure were needed if Australia was to counter a potential gas shortfall, along with the eastern and southern states from 2024.

In a statement on March 30, Victorias Minister for Planning Richard Wynne said the decision to quash the Crib Point facility proposal was based on 6,000 public submissions and a report conducted by the Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC).

Its very clear to me that this project would cause unacceptable impacts on the Western Port environment and the Ramsar wetlandsits important that these areas are protected, Wynne said.

This has been an exhaustive, open, and transparent process and this is the right outcome for the local community, the environment and Victoria as a whole, he said.

But AGL maintains the Crib Point facility is necessary to meet the potential gas scarcity facing Victoria, which federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor described as at risk.

While Taylor acknowledged that proposals need to meet community acceptance and operate in a responsible manner, he added that a gas shortage would be damaging to all gas consumers, the Australian Financial Review reported.

The (federal) Morrison government has long called for the Victorian (state) government to remove bans on gas developments that deny Australians access to local, affordable gas and investment in regional communities, he said.

AGL has spent $130 million on this project to date and has proposal to build a gas import terminal at Crib Point jetty in Western Port. In addition, the proposal included an associated pipeline to be built by APA Group that would run from the terminal in the Mornington Peninsula to Pakenhamspanning 57 kilometres.

Gas would arrive at the moored terminal as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and then be progressively regasified utilising seawater depending on gas demand. Gas would then be transferred via marine loading arms and gas pipes on the jetty to the connection point with the Victorian transmission network.

Detail of proposed gas import jetty works at Crib Point. (Victoria Minister for Planning, March 2021)

According to the planning ministers assessment, chilled seawater discharged by the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) could harm sea life and hurt tourism.

Meanwhile, Westernport and Peninsula Protection Council secretary Karri Giles told The Age that the facility was not appropriate for the area.

There is a place for the right sort of industry. It just has to be at the right scale with minimal damage to the environment, Giles said.

While AGL said in a statement that it would be considering the Victorian governments decision, the companys chief executive said he was open to deals with other companies to build gas import terminals in south-eastern Australia. These include Andrew Forrests Port Kembla plant or Vivas Energys proposal at Geelong oil refinery.

We have been in, and I expect we will continue to be in, active discussion with every potential project if they have good volume and good price, AGL chief executive Brett Redman said. Nothing has changed in that we are a big and great gas trader.

According to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), Andrew Forrests Port Kembla LNG import terminal will avert Australias gas shortfall by two years to 2026 if the project proceeds.
An Alabama-based business is again the focus of a national investigation into how it cares for vulnerable children using state taxpayer dollars.

NBC News will air a one-hour special, Children That Pay, Sunday at 9 p.m. on MSNBC.

The episode examines both the for-profit business model of Sequel Youth & Family Services, which has a corporate office in Huntsville, and the circumstances surrounding the death of 16-year-old Cornelius Frederick in a Sequel facility in Michigan last April.

NBC News Senior National Correspondent Kate Snow told AL.com the program spent several years investigating Sequel.

I think a lot of Americans dont have any idea this industry even exists, Snow said.

Sequel has defended themselves against accusations of abuse, saying breakdowns are rare.

But that doesnt really match with our reporting, Snow told AL.com. The more people we talk to, the more allegations we hear, the more we hear about a climate or a culture inside some of these facilities that is disturbing, frankly.

Sequel operates youth psychiatric care facilities in 19 states, including several facilities in Alabama. In recent years, lawyers and child advocates have surfaced allegations of abuse of children in some facilities, including in Alabama.

Children are placed in facilities like Sequel when they face behavioral and mental health challenges that cannot be handled in their homes or other placements.

It is unclear how many children the Alabama Department of Human Resources has placed in Sequel facilities, but according to figures provided by DHR, approximately 500 to 600 children were placed into facilities like Sequel each year for varying lengths of stay in each of the past five years.

States pay big dollars  taxpayer dollars  to house children in state custody, around $300 per day for each child placed in Sequels Alabama facilities, according to NBC News. Sequel facilities in Alabama were paid $28 million through Medicaid in the last three years.

I dont believe that the taxpayers in Alabama are aware that these programs even exist, Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program investigator Christy Johnson told NBC News. Basically these children are out of sight, out of mind.

Since 2016, the company has secured contracts worth more than $68 million from the Alabama DHR, according to NBC. Facilities in Alabama have come under scrutiny after two escaped residents of a facility were charged with the murder of a construction worker, and after an employee was accused of having sexual contact with students.

Johnson and her team visited all four Sequel facilities in the state in February 2020 and published findings in July, along with a letter asking state agencies that regulate and license Sequels facilities to shut them down, calling them the worst facilities that Ive ever seen.

Over and over, the children told us that they dont feel safe, ADAP Associate Director Nancy Anderson told AL.com in July.

ADAPs 59-page monitoring report lists claims of multiple violent acts by Sequel staff against the children living there. The report states that living conditions are poor, and medical and dental care for children are inadequate as well. At the time, a DHR spokesman said the agency had investigated the claims and found issues were being corrected.

Anderson told AL.com Thursday that the organization is continuing to monitor Sequels facilities and is discussing oversight issues with state officials.

Birmingham attorney Tommy James represents children who have been placed in Sequel facilities in Alabama. In a lawsuit filed in December, James called Sequels Courtland facility a house of horrors for his client, Hunter C.

He has called on Alabama officials to revoke Sequels license to operate and says he fears the worst if Alabama officials dont take these allegations seriously. Other states -- Michigan, Ohio, California, Maryland, Oregon and Washington have stopped placing children with the company or revoked licenses of facilies -- according to NBC.

Its going to take a child to die, James said, before Alabama officials close them down.

In response to NBCs investigation, Sequel told journalists: We remain steadfast in our mission to provide compassionate, therapeutic care knowing that the overwhelming majority of state child-serving agencies in the United States continue to find our services to be essential and operating at, or exceeding, their highest standards.

The NBC special also discusses the 2020 death of 16-year-old Cornelius Frederick while in a Sequel facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Surveillance video shows Frederick being restrained and held down for 12 minutes by seven men in a cafeteria, before going limp and eventually dying at a hospital. His death was ruled a homicide.

The Sequel facility in Michigan was subsequently closed and manslaughter charges were filed against three Sequel employees. Fredericks family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sequel of Michigan in June.
Mitch McConnell warned President Joe Biden that Republicans will resist his $2 trillion infrastructure plan 'every step of the way,' and that his administration is 'left-wing' and headed in the wrong direction.

Mitch McConnell says GOP will fight Biden's infrastructure plan

On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mcconnell told reporters that he likes Biden "personally" and that they have been friends for a "long time." However, he said that the voters did not grant his White House a 'mandate' for their massive spending plan, which would lift taxes on corporations and people earning more than $400,000.

Two days after Biden called him to discuss the proposal, he talked to reporters from his home state of Kentucky. It's a fair assumption that the Republicans will oppose it if the Biden administration succeeds in getting it passed, Daily Mail reported.

President Biden, CDC Give Stark Warning as COVID-19 Rebounds, Urge States To Pause Re-Opening Efforts

McConnell, who has been in the Senate since 1985, has worked closely with Biden for decades in the house, and as a 'cardinal' on the Appropriations Committee, he used to drive forward funding programs himself. In addition to vowing to battle the initiative, McConnell didn't seem to hold out much hope for a compromise settlement, despite his bill being packed with programs for roads, bridges, healthcare, drinking water, and workforce training, many of which are financed by tax hikes.

McConnell blasted the proposal as a "Trojan Horse" for tax increases on Wednesday. However, he also hinted that it could contain provisions that favor his state, such as support for the Brett Spence Bridge over the Ohio River. 'Can it be that there's something in there?' 'It may be,' he said, according to WKRC.

The Senate Minority leader raged in a furious speech that former President Trump 'provoked' the Capitol riot. Still, the chamber did not vote to impeach him, and the chamber has reverted to its usual party splits at the beginning of the session. On Thursday, White House chief of staff Ron Klain said he would appreciate Republican support, but Biden would act with or without it.

Joe Biden Urges $100 Billion Infrastructure Investment to Provide Affordable Internet by 2029

Infrastructure plan would not receive Republican votes

According to Politico, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that President Joe Biden's proposed infrastructure plan would not get Republican votes in the Senate. McConnell allegedly attacked the plan for its possible effect on debt and the associated effort to increase corporate taxes at a Kentucky event.

"As much as we would like to fix infrastructure, the plan that they're bringing together now is not going to get funding from our side," McConnell said. "And I agree the last thing the economy needs right now is a huge tax hike."

If no Republican lawmakers vote in favor of the infrastructure plan, as was the case for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, Democrats will have to revert to party-line reconciliation. Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat, has said he wishes the infrastructure plan to be bipartisan and not approved by reconciliation, but he still wants tax increases.

Democrats are still limited on the number of ways they will use compromise to approve bills in a fiscal year, though this could be more flexible than previously thought, as per the Business Insider.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is looking at a possible loophole that could result in several compromise measures being proposed in the same year, allowing Democrats several attempts to pass one. And the infrastructure plan approved this week will be followed by another in mid-April, which Republicans have shown they will not endorse.

Biden's plan, which includes tax changes and infrastructure spending, as well as a healthcare aspect, is likely to fail as per Politico. The recent White House plan underscores the concept of conflict between the two sides, McConnell said.

Pence Unveils Plans for 2024 Presidential Run Following Reports He's Not Included as Trump's Pick

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tesla announcing an update at the start of April with its CEO being known as one of the "King of Memes" of this era? Sounds suspicious and indeed it was, as the supposed and in-line software update for the electric vehicle's system initially claimed that it would be adding TikTok for an in-car streaming and recording function, was all a prank.

Happy April Fool's Day indeed, as the popular electric vehicle manufacturer and clean energy company has got the public's hopes and dreams up for one of the most ambitious collaborations in technology. Sadly, this feature for the software update is not coming, and there is no news or information as to whether it would come true in the future.

Do not get it wrong, Tesla Update 2021.4.12.6 is a legitimate software patch for the company's electric vehicles but the only joke or prank there was the TikTok feature that should have been coming. The software update was supposed to release by Thursday, Apr. 1, and it was a surprising one but also predictable to be part of the joke.

Read Also: Microsoft Azure, Xbox Live Server Down: Issues Point to DNS-Another April Fools' Joke?

Tesla TikTok Collaboration: Happy April Fool's Day

According to Car Advice Australia on Thursday, April 1, the clean energy company has announced that it would be rolling out the special collaboration between Tesla and TikTok globally, which was a rare occurrence in its history. Most of the time, the software update would be special in the different regions where Tesla is present, while some have delayed releases.

Supposedly, the Tesla TikTok collab would install software with the vehicle's cabin camera to record short videos and upload them using the electric vehicle's systems and infotainment screen. This update was named the "Ego Mode" where the inward-facing camera would be able to record TikTok videos that can be streamed via the EV as well.

Additionally, this update was too good to be true, as it would also utilize the vehicle's stereo system to function as the background music that drivers or passengers can sing or dance to, all licensed from its owners via TikTok. The update has a list of features that would potentially be an upgrade for Tesla and TikTok users, but it remains a prank.

Tesla Update 2021.4.12.6

According to Not A Tesla App, the only confirmed and worldwide update for Tesla electric vehicles is the minor improvements on the cold weather improvements that were initially promised by the company for its users. Additionally, the EV company was rumored to also roll out Additional Language Support for the cars in its different regions.

Notably, Tesla already has TikTok or Douyin (Chinese version) within its infotainment system but is only available in China, and the EV releases there. The app within its infotainment system can only stream and view videos, but cannot record and edit like the initial joke's offer for users. Since TikTok became available for Tesla China, fans and users were hoping for its release worldwide.

Related Article: Tesla Cars TikTok? New China Software Update Adds Short Video App and MORE for Lunar New Year!

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
This year's Easter holidays will not be celebrated as usual in Rwanda, owing to the current need to continue preventing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the notable changes to the celebrations is the fact that Catholics will not carry out "the Way of the Cross," a popular symbolic practice in which a large group of Christians walk a relatively long distance carrying the cross, in remembrance of the sorrowful experience Jesus went through on his way to Calvary where he was crucified 2000 years ago.

Catholics always take part in the ceremony on Good Friday the day on which Jesus Christ died on the cross, and two days before Easter, the day on which he rose from the dead.

According to information from the Ministry of Local Government, the practice will not happen this year, however, Christians will be allowed to attend church services both on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

As such, churches in the country have organised gatherings for Good Friday and Easter Sunday where Christians will listen to the Word of God and key messages from clerics on the important holidays.

Catholics will celebrate mass on Easter Sunday, but not on Good Friday, while some Anglican and Pentecostal churches will have gatherings on both days.

Easter season messages from the clergy

Speaking during a Holy Thursday Mass celebrated on April 1, Cardinal Antoine Kambanda preached about love and selflessness, picking an example from Jesus' service to his disciples during the Last Supper before he was crucified.

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"Like we read from the Gospel, on the night before Jesus died for us, he performed an important sign of washing the feet of the apostles, showing them the selflessness that turns the master into a servant of those he leads," he said.

"If this is how our world perceives leadership, there would be peace and stability, because instead of fighting for honour and wealth, people would struggle to serve others. Everyone would strive to do things that have positive impact on others," he added.

Bishop Nathan Rusengo Amooti, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kigali, told The New Times in an exclusive interview that the Easter season should be a time in which Rwandans should look at their past, evaluate their present, and determine how they are going to live their future.

Noting that the Easter Holiday comes in April when the country is commemorating the Genocide against the Tutsi, he said this can be a season for Rwandans to have hope for a better life,

"When people don't see the hope and light in their future, trauma can take over. People who are alive today should have hope that they can live a better life. There is still hope, the past should not hold us prisoners," he said.

Bishop Fidele Masengo of Four Square Church in Kimironko, Kigali said Easter is "a season of rethinking God's love for us and acquiring new hope."

Despite the fact that this will not be the usual Easter celebrations as we knew them, there has been an improvement from last year when the holidays found Rwanda in a country-wide lockdown where churches were totally closed, and so the Christians celebrated using virtual means.
da-kuk/iStockBy Aicha El Hammar Castano, Kirit Radia and Morgan Winsor, ABC News



(NEW YORK) -- As Brazil emerges as an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic with an outbreak that is virtually unchecked, the country's regional neighbors are experiencing a worrying rise in infections.



Brazil, where a more contagious variant of the novel coronavirus is circulating, saw a record 3,869 people die from COVID-19 on Wednesday, its highest single-day tally so far, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. In total, the country has had more than 12.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including over 325,000 fatalities. Brazil's case count and death toll from the disease are now only second to the United States, Johns Hopkins data shows.



The World Health Organization's regional director for the Americas, Carissa Etienne, has warned that COVID-19 is surging "dangerously" across Brazil and urged all Brazilians to take preventative measures to stop the spread.



Unfortunately, the dire situation in Brazil is also affecting neighboring countries, Etienne said at press briefing last week.



But Brazil's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, remains unconvinced of the need for restrictions on activity, arguing that such measures infringe on personal freedom and the resulting economic doom would be worse than the virus itself.



Many other South American nations are now blaming Brazil's uncontrolled outbreak as they see their own numbers swell. Several have closed borders, suspended flights, imposed lockdowns or implemented other restrictions in an effort to control the virus.



Venezuelas president, Nicolas Maduro, said last week that "Brazil now represents a threat to the world" and blamed Bolsonaro for his "reckless attitude" toward the pandemic. Although the Venezuelan government has not released official COVID-19 figures, Johns Hopkins data shows the country is facing a severe wave of new infections. There were 1,348 newly confirmed cases in Venezuela on Wednesday, the country's highest daily total on record, according to Johns Hopkins data.



An opposition-linked medical group said Venezuelan hospitals are grappling with the number of patients in intensive care and are asking for more ventilators.



In Colombia, there were 11,449 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the country's highest single-day tally since late January, according to Johns Hopkins data.



Last week, Colombian President Ivan Duque canceled a scheduled trip to Brazil to meet with Bolsonaro, citing the country's worsening outbreak. Earlier this year, Colombia banned flights from Brazil due to the variant there.



Ecuador has seen an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases since the start of the year and recently imposed a lockdown with a curfew in eight provinces



There were 7,868 newly confirmed cases in Ecuador on Thursday, the country's highest daily total since mid-June, according to Johns Hopkins data.



Peru announced last week that a study by the country's National Institute of Health found approximately 40% of COVID-19 cases in the capital Lima are due to the Brazil variant, which entered the country's Amazon region at the beginning of the year. The Peruvian government has a ban in place on all flights from Brazil until April 15.



There were 19,206 newly confirmed cases in Peru on March 25, the country's highest single-day tally since early August, according to Johns Hopkins data.



Bolivia has temporarily closed its border with Brazil for seven days, starting Friday. Officials said there will be leeway for some cross-border trade during the closure.



There were 1,072 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Bolivia on Tuesday, the country's highest daily total in more than two weeks, according to Johns Hopkins data.



Chile, which boasts one of the fastest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world, saw its case count surpass the 1 million mark on Thursday amid 7,868 newly confirmed infections, the country's highest single-day tally since mid-June, according to Johns Hopkins data.



The Chilean government has closed the country's borders for the month of April and has tightened restrictions on movement amid an already stern lockdown. The new measures came as officials warned that hospitals were nearing capacity with younger victims of the disease.



Argentina has warned of an "explosive increase" in COVID-19 cases, prompting authorities there to implement new restrictions, encourage people to work from home, close land borders and ban flights from various countries, including Brazil and Chile. The Argentinian government is also now delaying the administration of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines for three months in an effort to get first doses into as many arms as possible "to maximize the benefits of vaccination and diminish the impact of hospitalizations and mortality."



There were 16,056 newly confirmed cases in Argentina on Wednesday, the country's highest daily total since mid-October, according to Johns Hopkins data. Authorities estimated cases increased in the capital Buenos Aires by more than 30% over the past week, compared with the previous week. The fresh wave of infections is suspected to be driven by three highly contagious variants believed to have originated in Brazil, the United Kingdom and the United States.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
The Covid-19 havoc continued for the second consecutive day on Friday with Maharashtra and Mumbai reporting record high infections, health officials said here.

Taking serious note of the worsening situation, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned of stringent norms to be announced shortly, while a decision on whether to go for Lockdown 2.0 will be taken after a review in a couple of days.

The state recorded its highest tally of 47,827 new infections on Friday, up from the previous high of 43,183 new cases registered on Thursday, as the overall tally increased to 29,040,076 -- adding over 1,00,000 infections in just three days, after recording 28,129,80 cases on March 31.

Four days after the death toll crossed the 54,000-mark on March 28, the state added 481 fatalities on Friday, (comprising the day's toll of 202, plus 279 old, reconciled deaths), taking the overall death toll to 55,379, the worst in the country.

Over 2.20 million people are in quarantine, either at home or in institutions, as the state grapples to control the infection.

The state's recovery rate continued to drop further, from 85.02 per cent on Thursday to 84.62 per cent on Friday, while the death rate worsened from 1.92 per cent a day earlier to 1.91 per cent.

The number of active cases has jumped up from 366,533 to 389,832 now.

Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur circles remained the major concern areas due to the galloping figures of deaths and new cases, followed by Latur, Aurangabad, Akola and Kolhapur circles.

Incidentally, the Kolhapur circle -- comprising Kolhapur, Sangli, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts -- is the only one which did not report a single fatality on Friday, besides recording the lowest new cases -- 604 -- for the day.

Mumbai, the country's commercial capital, reported its highest ever single-day tally of 8,844 new cases on Friday, taking up the overall figures to 432,367, besides reporting 11,727 fatalities till now.

The Mumbai Circle -- comprising Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts -- notched its highest daily tally of 15,321 new cases on Friday, taking the total up to 919,382, while its overall death toll reached 20,520.

As cases continue to soar in the glamour capital, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sealed a whopping 657 buildings, besides 70 slums/chawls Mumbai to check the spread of the virus.

Of the day's 481 fatalities (including 279 previous deaths announced on Friday), Thane led the chart with 34 deaths, followed by 30 in Nagpur, 22 in Nanded, 19 in Mumbai, 13 in Pune, 10 each in Palghar and Dhule, 8 each in Nashik and Ahmednagar, 7 each in Amravati and Yavatmal, 4 each in Solapur and Osmanabad, 3 each in Raigad and Jalgaon, 2 each in Aurangabad, Hingoli, Latur, Akola, Buldhana, Washim and Chandrapur, 1 each in Satara, Parbhani, Beed and Wardha, besides 2 outsiders.
Nikkei Asia The Philippines has formally expressed interest in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with the goal of building new relationships with countries outside its existing bilateral free trade agreements.

Ramon Lopez, secretary of trade and industry, sent a signed letter of intent to New Zealand, the depositary nation of the trade bloc, formally the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Lopez asked about the process of joining the CPTPP as well as how it operates, Ceferino Rodolfo, an undersecretary, said recently.

It would be critical for us to engage the CPTPP members that are currently not part or not a partner of the Philippines in FTA, Rodolfo told reporters.

New markets there would be Canada, Mexico, Peru and Chile, with which we still dont have an FTA, Lopez told Nikkei Asia. And we expect more countries joining, even the U.K. and possibly the U.S. may be back under the new Biden administration, and China.

Diversified trade ties could allow the Philippines to be less dependent on China amid simmering tensions, most recently over a flotilla of 200 Chinese vessels surrounding a contested reef in the South China Sea. China is among the countrys top export markets and is its largest trading partner overall.

The U.S. left the original TPP under then-President Donald Trump immediately after his inauguration in 2017. The current version was signed in 2018 by the other 11 countries: Japan, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

The original 12 countries, including the U.S., had held a summit in Manila in 2015. Then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino had expressed an intention to join the TPP, but the country never did.

Its recent interest appears motivated by a need to cultivate domestic manufacturing, including the automotive sector.

Just this year, the Department of Trade and Industry imposed provisional safeguard duties of 70,000 pesos ($1,441) on imported passenger cars and 110,000 pesos on imported light commercial vehicles.

The safeguards will lead to a more technologically advanced domestic industry, Lopez said in a news release.

And since 2016, automakers with a certain level of in-country production have qualified for tax incentives under the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program, or CARS.

The International Monetary Fund estimates that Philippine real gross domestic product shrank 9.6% in 2020  the worst showing among Southeast Asian countries covered. The Philippines is attempting to spark an economic recovery and aims to bring about long-term job creation.

The Philippines was one of the 15 countries to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement this past November. By joining the CPTPP, the Philippines would further expand its supply chain covered by free trade agreements.

The cost of procuring components would decrease, with Philippine manufacturers gaining easier market access.

The U.K., which exited the European Union, has formally applied to join the CPTPP. Other nations, such as China and Thailand, have also expressed interest. But the hurdles to joining are high, owing to the requirement to adhere to stringent rules, such as those governing intellectual property.

This story was first published by Nikkei Asia

Contact editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.

Follow the Chinese markets in real time with Caixin Globals new stock database.
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those who control the political parties are not convinced that the political culture has changed and that therefore the improvements that have occurred in terms of elections becoming freer and fairer would be reversed. The only pathway to change is increased consciousness of voters who must organise to ensure that only candidates genuinely popular with the people get elected into office.

Two days ago, a planning meeting of Professor Charles Soludo, aspirant to the governorship of Anambra in the forthcoming November election, was attacked. Three policemen guarding him were killed and some of his close collaborators abducted. It is often the case that candidates considered to be popular are regularly attacked, killed or frightened off political contests. Mainstream politicians remain convinced that their money, thugs and connections can get them elected as soon as they clear out popular candidates from the arena. This mentality, that it remains possible to rig oneself into office, is very corrosive of democratic culture and most be combated.

Indeed, one of the greatest problems for Nigerias democracy is that honest, competent and sincere people are often afraid of going into politics, leaving the arena to their opposites. Some people of goodwill who have been persuaded to go into politics to make their contributions to developing their communities, on most occasions, get nasty experiences and run away from politics forever. I like my friend Oby Ezekwesili; she is totally crazy. She went into politics, had a terrible experience and what does she do, rather than run away forever, she sets up a School of Politics to Fix Nigerian Politics. Her logic is simple, since she is convinced that there is nothing wrong with her, there must be something wrong with our politics, which she has decided to fix. One of the things I will be telling students of the school, which opens this month, is that our political parties, almost all of them, are rotten, and it is not possible to operate multi-party democracy without functional democratic political parties.

The 2011 elections constituted a turning point in the history of Nigerias democratic development. That was the first time in our post-colonial history when an election organised under the auspices of a hegemonic party in power was considered freer and fairer than the previous election. There was a change in the trend, as while 2003 was worse than 1999 and 2007 was worse than the 2003 elections, 2011 election was better than the previous one. The emergence of Professor Attahiru Jega as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was a critical factor in changing the trend. A significant improvement to the electoral list and the introduction of the biometric card were key elements that induced change. The subsequent introduction of the verification machine was another element.

Once the integrity of elections began to improve, the expectation was that the trend would have an impact on the nature of political parties. Specifically, the popularity principle was supposed to return and parties with more popular candidates to begin to win in response to the stimuli.

Meanwhile, citizens experience of mandate protection measures and their deployment of civic action to protect their votes had been growing since the 2007 elections. President Goodluck Jonathan, who appointed Jega, was also less willing to engage in the brazen manipulation of votes. All these combined to provide the outcome of improved elections. Once the integrity of elections began to improve, the expectation was that the trend would have an impact on the nature of political parties. Specifically, the popularity principle was supposed to return and parties with more popular candidates to begin to win in response to the stimuli.

There was, however, no clear indication that parties had started to change their character because the nature of elections was changing. Nonetheless, the evidence from the field should have provided clear guidance to the parties. The leading opposition party in the 2011 election, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), led by Muhammadu Buhari provided a good example. Buhari had left his previous party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), which he considered was being manipulated by dishonest godfathers. He therefore established the CPC as a different type of party, where justice and fair play would reign and rules would be followed. Buhari was massively popular in the North-East and North-West of Nigeria and his supporters considered him to be a man of integrity.

Political pundits expected that the popularity of Buhari in the two zones would create a political tsunami that would lead his party to win at least six gubernatorial seats in the North-East and North-West. The CPC ran primaries that were hotly contested by many good gubernatorial aspirants, with the popular ones believing they would succeed because this was a party that was really committed to justice and fair play. Following the elections, analysts were surprised that the CPC did not win gubernatorial seats in the North-East and North-West. They produced only one governor, in Nasarawa State, which was not considered to be a stronghold of the party.

In the decade that followed the 2011 election, there is little evidence that political parties have learnt any lesson. In the 2015 primaries and the subsequent primaries for gubernatorial and legislative elections that have taken place since then, it has remained business as usual.

The CPC ran into serious crisis because there were widespread accusations that the primaries conducted had winners who had emerged undemocratically. In many of the states in the zones in which the party was most popular, the names of those who emerged as victors in the primaries were apparently substituted with other names of persons who were alleged to have bribed CPC party barons. It is difficult to determine whether these allegations were true. What is known, however, is that in many States such as Bauchi, Kano and Katsina, there were litigations on the alleged substitution of the names of winners and losers in the primaries, and it affected the CPC because, in many cases, voters did not know the name of the real candidate until a day or two before the election. The most important issue, however, was that supporters of Buhari believed that party officials had betrayed mai Gaskiya  the truthful Buhari, received bribes and imposed unpopular candidates.

Voters in the zones therefore voted for the CPC in the presidential election and voted for other parties in the gubernatorial elections. In other words, supporters punished their party by refusing to vote for their candidates at all levels except the presidential one, because they believed that the CPC, like the other parties, had nothing but disdain for its members. The lesson was not learnt that parties gain by obeying the rule and standing by popular candidates their members had voted for.

In the decade that followed the 2011 election, there is little evidence that political parties have learnt any lesson. In the 2015 primaries and the subsequent primaries for gubernatorial and legislative elections that have taken place since then, it has remained business as usual. Godfathers continue to manipulate the process and impose their candidate at will. What this tells us is that those who control the political parties are not convinced that the political culture has changed and that therefore the improvements that have occurred in terms of elections becoming freer and fairer would be reversed. The only pathway to change is increased consciousness of voters who must organise to ensure that only candidates genuinely popular with the people get elected into office.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.
The implementation of the Nigerian Ports Process Manual (NPPM) has recorded some progress with the decision to stop indiscriminate boarding of vessels calling at the nation's ports by security agencies.

Under the NPPM, only officially designated agencies are allowed to board vessels at the ports jointly as against the practice in the past.

Before now, some agencies chose to board vessels at their own time and schedule in what was described as indiscriminate and time consuming for the ships.

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello, said the council which is the lead agency overseeing the implementation of the process in collaboration with others, had introduced joint boarding of vessels by security agencies to save the time of the vessels.

Bello in a chat with newsmen also disclosed that the number of the agencies has been reduced to achieve the same purpose of trade facilitation, adding that only specified agencies now board the vessels.

On joint boarding of vessels, he explained that some of the specified agencies who are by law empowered to board vessels separately have cooperated to do so for the purpose of saving time of the vessels.

He also said the team of security agencies boarding the vessels try to conclude their inspection in the vessel within 30 minutes of boarding in what he explained was also to save time.

He said: "We are taking one issue at a time, take for example of boarding of vessels. Boarding of vessels should be done by specified agencies. So we have stopped some agencies from boarding vessels.

"There should be joint boarding. Before now agencies board vessels at separate time, but we have been able to get them to board the vessel jointly. Then the time allocated, it will not be more than 30 minutes we are out of the ship because delay is dangerous".

He also disclosed that the implementation of the NPPM by the agencies in the ports has led to arrests of some individuals who demanded bribe from the ships, adding that the bribe proceed (money) has been seized while investigation on the matter continues.

"The issue is doing it as it is based on international acceptability. Do it on time so that our ports will be efficient. So it is about efficiency of the ports, reduction of corruption.

"We have made arrests involving people who go into vessels and demand bribe. We are investigating the issue. We have seized some money and this will be an example to everybody that things have changed now. This is to send signals that it is not business as usual. What we want is validation from stakeholders internationally to know something is happening in Nigeria", Bello said.

Among the specified agencies empowered to board vessels on arriving at the ports for inspection include the Port Health officials who board first separately to check the health status of crew on board, Nigeria Customs, Nigeria Immigration and NDLEA.

He explained, "They will go jointly. We assemble at 8.30am and go by 9am - 9.30am we are out of the place because of delay. Then, we monitor that nobody should demand bribe or anything because there are the unhidden charges that make Nigerian shipping very costly, even the freight."

Bello described the assignment of the port process manual as fascinating experience, adding that it was not new as it is what the ports economic regulator has been doing.

He also explained that the national assignment had been made easy for the ports economic regulator with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) t had developed and introduced in the past.

According to him, with the SOPs developed, the council simply monitors, supervises sand coordinates the process at the ports.

He said what was needed was stakeholders' support, stressing that the council has received a lot of support from the stakeholders, including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), terminal operators, shipping companies, among others, describing such support as exemplary,

For instance, the NPA, he said, had seconded some senior officials who had helped the council tremendously in its assignment.

"It has been very fascinating experience. We need a lot of stakeholders support. But what we have been doing is not new. We have developed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all the stakeholders in the port. That is the issue of 'when, where, why, how' of things to be done at the port. So, we are just supervising and reporting. Many stakeholders abide with their SOPs. Contrary to what people think, we are not doing the operating procedures ourselves, we are monitoring.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Transport By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"The SOPs have already been set, we need to monitor, supervise and coordinate and so far it has been quite challenging but very good. We have had tremendous support from stakeholders. First of all, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has seconded two senior staff to work with us. They have been quite cooperating. We also have within the NPA the Harbours Masters, some pilots and Port Managers. We have had meetings with them and they have been very supportive. The terminals, shipping companies and many operators have been exemplary.

"We have had discussions with the National Drag Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Customs Service, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control and many others who have one thing or the other to do at the ports. The issue is do it as it is based on international acceptability. Do it on time so that our ports will be efficient. So it is about efficiency of the ports, reduction of corruption," he said.
For four long years, Donald Trump led Republicans to all kinds of weird places they didnt want to go -- or shouldnt have wanted to go. Hostility to free trade, a ban on travelers from Muslim countries, praising foreign dictators, deriding an Indiana-born federal judge as a Mexican -- these are not traditional conservative actions or ideas. Yet, President Trump was, as the saying goes, the titular head of the Republican Party, and so the GOP was stuck with his baggage: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Joe Biden ran for president promising to end the ugliness, and to work at uniting the country. He vowed repeatedly that, as president, hed work as hard for those who voted against him as for those who supported him. In his inaugural address, he spoke evocatively about Americans not demonizing one another. Think of those who disagree with you politically as neighbors, he said, not enemies. As for his policies, unlike Trump, Biden embraced the mainstream thinking in his political party. But that positioning is proving incompatible with his desire for national unity. Americans are witnessing the flip side of the Trump dynamic. Biden isnt leading, hes following. And the Democratic Party is taking Biden to places he shouldnt want to go.

In his first presidential news conference, Joe Biden attacked Republicans over voting rights. Democrats say they want to make it easier for all Americans to vote. God bless them for that. Republicans respond that they want to ensure that new voting procedures dont lead to voter fraud. In a sane and civil political environment -- the kind candidate Biden said he wants to restore -- the nations two major political parties would seek the middle ground: obliterating barriers to voting, but with safeguards.

But that is neither the environment Biden inherited nor the one he is fostering. Instead, he attacked the GOP position in Georgia and other states as pernicious, sick, un-American -- and utterly racist. This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle, Biden said. I mean, this is gigantic, what theyre trying to do.

Speaking specifically of Georgia, Biden added in an official statement the next day, Among the outrageous parts of this new state law, it ends voting hours early so working people cant cast their vote after their shift is over. This is a falsehood: Although the new Georgia statute does contain a goofy provision barring partisan activists from furnishing water or food to those waiting in line to vote, it neither closes the polls early nor restricts early voting. It expands early voting.

Although invoking Jim Crow was insidious, it didnt spring from Bidens brow: Its a Democratic Party talking point. But if anyone in that party is old enough to know better -- and experienced enough to resist race-baiting -- its the 78-year-old president.

Jim Crow, originally a minstrel act before the Civil War, came to mean a series of laws and customs that took root in the Deep South during Reconstruction. The civil rights movement was about dismantling them. There was a lot to dismantle. Jim Crow wasnt about asking someone for a drivers license as a prerequisite for voting. It was about literacy tests and poll taxes to prevent former slaves or their descendants from ever voting. It entailed laws against interracial marriage and menacing social taboos prohibiting conversation between white women and black men. Jim Crow meant official segregation in schools and workplaces, an economic system designed to favor whites, and a criminal justice system without black lawyers, judges, or even jurors. This vast and sinister apparatus of American apartheid was enforced by white sheriffs, white judges, and white juries -- and if that didnt work, at the point of a gun or the end of rope by armed white mobs.

In 1942, the year Biden was born, two black youths, Ernest Green and Charlie Lang, were castrated and then hanged from a bridge in Clarke County, Mississippi. Ernest was 14 and Charlie was 15. Their offense was the attempted rape of a white girl their own age. As best anyone can tell, the boys never touched her.

Even before that lynching, that span over the Chickasawhay River near the small town of Shubuta was known locally as the hanging bridge. Twenty-four years earlier, four blacks were lynched there: Major Clark and his younger brother Andrew, along with sisters Maggie and Alma Howze. The quartet ranged in age from 16 to 24; both sisters were pregnant. They were most likely impregnated by the white man who was fatally shot as he milked a cow. Although Major Clark was tortured by a sheriffs posse until he confessed, he was almost certainly innocent.

That same year, 1918, a pregnant woman in Georgia was also lynched. She was among the many victims murdered by a frenzied Valdosta mob. It started when a white man who was known to abuse and cheat both black and white laborers was shot in a dispute over wages. Over the next three days a dozen local African Americans were lynched, including the supposed shooter and a woman whose only offense was trying to swear out a warrant against the leaders of the mob for killing her husband. Her name was Mary Turner and she was hung upside down and lit on fire. Mary Turner was eight months pregnant. Her baby was cut from her body by the mob and shot.

A searing study by The Equal Justice Initiative called Lynching in America documented 4,000 such vigilante murders in the Old South from 1877 to 1950. Although this orgy of mob violence had mostly dissipated by the 1930s, it would continue to be used sporadically by those trying to preserve the status quo.

In 1955, the year that 13-year-old Joe Biden moved with his family from Scranton, Pa., to Wilmington, Del., Emmet Till, only a year older than Joe Biden, left his home in Southside Chicago for a summer trip to his familys ancestral home in Mississippi. He never made it back to Chicago, brutalized and murdered for deigning to speak to a white lady.

In 1957, when Biden first strode into St. Norbert Hall at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., four houses of black residents of Birmingham, Ala., were bombed by white supremacists. Ralph Abernathys Montgomery church and home were bombed on the same night. Three other black churches in Montgomery were dynamited that night, as well as the home of a white pastor -- for the second time in less than a year -- who had been active in the citys bus boycott.

Months later, four Ku Klux Klansmen ambushed 24-year-old Winn-Dixie truck driver Willie Edwards Jr., beat him, and forced him at gunpoint to jump to his death off an Alabama River bridge. Edwards, a married father of two daughters with a pregnant wife, was murdered for the same pretext as young Emmett Till -- talking to white women he encountered on his route. In this case, the Klan didnt even have the right victim. Edwards always stayed away from those kinds of situations: He was filling in for another driver that night. His lynching was as obscure as Emmett Tills was notorious.

As Joe Biden started his freshman year at the University of Delaware in 1961, white students rioted after a federal judge ordered the University of Georgia to admit two well-qualified black students, Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes. In response, the school administrators issued suspensions -- to Hunter and Holmes.

And so it went for the next four years: In 1962, riots broke out when James Meredith, a black Air Force veteran, enrolled at Ole Miss; in 1963, Birminghams 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed, killing four girls and earning Alabama the worlds revulsion; in 1964, three young voting rights activists -- James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Mickey Schwerner -- were ambushed and killed in Neshoba County, Mississippi.

In 1965, the year Joe Biden graduated from the University of Delaware with middling grades and a double major in history and political science, Jimmie Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old U.S. Army veteran, a husband and father and the youngest deacon in his church, was shot to death by a state trooper while shielding his family from police batons.

Thats the kind of bravery and sacrifice it took to get the vote in the South. And it explains why African Americans and civil rights leaders are so vehemently opposed to any efforts that they perceive as impediments to voting. What it doesnt explain is why the 21st century Democratic Party and its titular leader would casually compare systematic racial terrorism that lasted generations to legislation requiring all Americans to show identification at polling places. This is more than cheap political demagoguery. Its obscene.

When Donald Trump likened his being impeached to a lynching, living relatives of Willie Edwards and Emmett Till called this comparison ignorant and insensitive and offensive. They were right. But now Biden is invoking racist history, and doing it to score partisan political points. Millions of Americans who voted for him hoped they were done having to listen to such blasphemy from the White House. It took 65 days and one news conference to disappoint them.
Geneva, April 2 : Over 25 leaders from "the G20, G7 and from every region" have unanimously called for an international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief said.

"The pandemic treaty would be a generational commitment to keeping the world safe from new pathogens with pandemic potential in the future," Xinhua news agency quoted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus while addressing a presser on Thursday.

Ghebreyesus said that there is "an acknowledgment and humility from those leaders that collectively the world was not prepared for the first coronavirus pandemic ever seen and that going forward we must collectively do better in future outbreaks." Globally, Covid-19 has infected nearly 129 million people and claimed 2.83 million lives so far.

The world leaders, this week, joined the call for a pandemic treaty, which aims to prepare the world for new pathogens with pandemic potential in the future, which, according to Ghebreyesus, is "not a matter of if but when", the report said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the WHO in a statement said that the Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest challenge to the global community since the 1940s, and that no single government or multilateral agency can address other pandemics and major health emergencies in the future.

The new treaty will charter an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics, the statement said.

It would also be rooted in the WHO constitution and supported by existing global health instruments, especially the International Health Regulations.

"We are convinced that it is our responsibility, as leaders of nations and international institutions, to ensure that the world learns the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic," it said.
Russian doctors stayed behind in a burning, tsarist-era hospital in the country's Far East on Friday to complete open-heart surgery after a fire broke out on the roof while they were operating.

Firefighters who took more than two hours to put out the blaze in the city of Blagoveshchensk said they used fans to keep smoke out of the operating room and ran in a power cable to keep it supplied with electricity.

A group of eight doctors and nurses completed the operation in two hours before removing the patient to another site, the emergencies ministry said.

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"There's nothing else we could do. We had to save the person. We did everything at the highest level," surgeon Valentin Filatov was quoted as saying by REN TV. He said it had been a heart by-pass operation.

The ministry said 128 people were immediately evacuated from the hospital as the fire broke out on the roof.

"The clinic was built more than a century ago, in 1907, and the fire spread like lightning through the wooden ceilings of the roof," the ministry said.

A wiring malfunction is believed to be the cause of the fire at the cardiac surgery center, regional prosecutors told state media.

No one was reported as hurt.

The fire was contained with the help of 59 firefighters, the regional Emergency Situations Ministry told the state-run TASS news agency.

"A bow to the medics and firefighters," said Vasiliy Orlov, the local regional governor.
Kabul, April 2 : At least 305 Afghans were killed and 350 others were injured in a series of explosions and targeted attacks in the past one month, it was reported on Friday.

Based on findings by TOLO News, there has been a 20 per cent increase in the number last month as compared to February.

These are the statistics which are shared with the media, however, according to the security sources, the casualties of war are much higher than this figure and each day there are about 20 to 30 fatalities among Afghan security forces.

According to the TOLO News data, most of the attacks are reported in Kabul, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Helmand, Balkh and Ghazni provinces.

"The Taliban are carrying out these attacks, they claim some of them and deny some others. Overall, the responsibility lies on the shoulders of the Taliban," said Rahmatullah Andar, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

In February, the casualties were around 264, with 278 injuries.
document

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology today received a briefing from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) on the outstanding issues that were raised by students and workers.

The committee has appreciated the worthwhile engagement that it had with the CPUT council, management, students and workers. The committee ensured that this engagement takes place in order to provide a platform for all the CPUT stakeholders to express themselves on the challenges facing them at the institution and how they are being addressed. In its effort to conduct oversight and hold CPUT accountable, the committee ensured that this meeting takes place.

The committee is concerned about the outcry by the Student Representative Council that the policy and processes that the university employs to discipline the students, particularly the student leaders, seem to be unfair and targeting the student leaders in order to discourage them from being critical of the university's leadership. The students complain that too much power seems to be vested in the Vice-Chancellor and the Dean of Students to suspend the students.

After a long engagement, the committee called on the council of the university to immediately review this policy with a view of ensuring that the policy provides for fairness in the process. "It's important that the policy is reviewed so that it is not only fair and justifiable, but it is seen to be fair by those at the receiving end of the policy," remarked Philly Mapulane, the Chairperson of the committee.

The committee is concerned about the reports of complaints about the state of CPUT from both the students and workers while the council and management paint a rosy picture of the institution. The committee has requested the council and management to attend to the stakeholder relationship in a thorough and genuine manner that will yield results that ensure all issues can be ventilated in a manner that will lead to the success of the institution.

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The committee has also requested CPUT to provide a detailed report on the expulsion of the two chairpersons of the trade unions. Mr Mapulane says there seems to be various interpretations of the actual reasons of what has happened. "We do not want to interfere with your labour processes but I think that in this instance we deserve a detailed report from the council on the expulsion of the two union leaders and where the process is now," he said.

The committee has further requested CPUT to provide an expenditure report for all these labour legal issues and the disciplinary cases process for the past two financial years. This will assist the committee to understand whether there is merit to these allegations that have been placed by the union.
Laois and Offaly residents aged in their 90s have yet to be vaccinated, Brian Stanley TD has revealed.

The issue was one of a number of problems raised in the Dail on Thursday by the Sinn Fein TD.

All those over the age of 80 are supposed to have been vaccinated. I know of a 97-year-old woman in my constituency who has not yet been vaccinated.

"Another constituent of mine, a 95-year-old man, has not yet been vaccinated. We cannot get information as to when they will be vaccinated. Both of the constituents to whom I referred are housebound.

"My office telephoned the HSE Helpline but we cannot obtain information;" he said

He also called into question the promise of mobile vaccination. He insists that it is evidence of the need to have a vaccination manager in every county.

"I cannot get an answer regarding the mobile vaccination service and the mobile vaccination unit in Laois-Offaly. Is there such a unit? All Deputies will agree there is no shortage of managers in the HSE. In fact, there are legions of them. Can one person be put in charge of the vaccine roll-out in each county?

"It is a real problem on the ground. I am telling the Minister sincerely that this must be dealt with. It is not acceptable that people who are approaching 100 years of age have not yet been vaccinated," he said.

The TD also put the spotlight on changes to the vaccination schedule and its impact on frontline workers.

"I refer to the announcement this week of changes to the vaccine roll-out. It shows that the Government has abandoned the plan it was pursuing as it has come to the conclusion that the plan is not fit for purpose.

"Key workers such as teachers, gardai and taxi drivers have been downgraded. Taxi drivers who provide services for the HSE, whose situation I raised in the House several months ago, as well as special needs assistants, SNAs, who work in close proximity to others, childcare workers and essential retail workers, have not been vaccinated.

"There has been an outbreak at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise. Prison officers need protection They have to deal with conflict in the prison daily. They work in close quarters with no room to socially distance and they are in a very difficult situation. Some of them have raised this issue with me.

"I refer to family carers and those who work in day services for the intellectually challenged and physically disabled. We need to try to do something to get these service workers and ensure they are safe.

"We need a fair roll-out of the vaccine. I ask that his office revert to my office with an email in that regard, today if possible, because it is a really important issue. It is a life-and-death issue," he said.

Ultimately, he said supply is the key factor in beating the disease.

"If we are to emerge from the pandemic in any sort of efficient or timely manner, we need to significantly increase the supply of vaccines.

"Sinn Fein has called on the Minister to raise the matter with the European Commission and to put pressure on it to be more proactive around approving other effective vaccines.

"Other countries are doing side deals while the Government sits on its hands. Germany has done a deal with Pfizer, as has Denmark. Austria has followed suit.

"Slovakia and the Czechs have signed up for Sputnik, the Russian vaccine. What actions is the Government taking to speed up the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency, EMA, in terms of the approval of other effective vaccines?
SPRINGFIELD - A housefire late Thursday in the Liberty Heights neighborhood caused $100,000 damage to a two-family home and left 5 residents in need of shelter, a fire official said.

One firefighter was injured in the fire at 284 Lexington St., said Capt. Drew Piemonte, aide to Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi. The firefighter was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries that were described as serious but not life-threatening, Piemonte said.

This home at 284 Lexington Street was the scene of a fire late Thursday, April 1, 2021, that caused an estimated $100,000 in damage and displaced 5 people. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/2/2021

The fire was reported at about 10:30 p.m. It began in the second-floor rear and spread quickly to the attic and roof before it could be extinguished, he said.

The Western Massachusetts chapter of the American Red Cross were called in to assist the residents find temporary shelter.

The dwelling, a 2 1/2 story woodframe, was constructed in 1926, according to city records. The property has a total assessment of $183,000.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A woman in her 80s wanted to play with her great-grandchildren when they came to visit, but knee pain made it difficult for her. A man in his late 70s said he enjoyed going out to dinner, but was constrained by the meal preparation guidelines that he needed to follow because of his diabetes.

Both people have multiple chronic conditions. They also have life goals, things they want to do to live their lives fully, like playing with grandchildren and going out to eat. Understanding these goals and barriers to them, helps doctors align care with what matters most to their patients while eliminating unwanted health care, said the authors of a report that was published March 24 in JAMA Network Open.

The report, the first systematic description of older adults' health care priorities, describes a structured process called Patient Health Priorities that health care providers can follow to identify the life goals of older adults with multiple chronic conditions as well as their health care preferences.

"There is growing awareness of the need to transition health care, particularly for people with multiple chronic conditions, from treating single diseases in isolation to health care that is aligned with patients' priorities," said Mary Tinetti, MD, the principal investigator of the Patient Priorities Care study, and the Gladys Phillips Crofoot Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics) at Yale School of Medicine (YSM).

During the study, health care providers asked 163 patients who were 65 and older and have multiple chronic conditions to identify what they value most in life such as connecting with family, being productive, or remaining independent. They then asked what specific and realistic activities they most wanted to be able to do that reflected their values. The participants also were asked to describe the barriers that prevented them from achieving their goals, such as unnecessary doctors' visits, taking too many medications, or health concerns such as fatigue and shortness of breath.

"The medications, health care visits, testing, procedures, and self-management tasks entailed in treating multiple chronic conditions require investments of time and effort that may be burdensome and conflict with what patients are willing and able to do," Tinetti said.

The study was conducted among patients of 10 primary care doctors from a multi-site practice in Connecticut who invited patients to participate during routine visits. Participants had to be 65 or older and have at least three chronic health conditions that were treated with at least 10 prescription medications. They also had to be under the care of two or more specialists, or have visited the emergency room at least two times, or had been hospitalized once, during the past year. Of the 236 patients at the practice, 163 agreed to participate. Most participants were white, female, about 78 years old, and had four chronic conditions. Nearly half had high school-level or less education.

Participants were asked to identify their values with questions such as, "What does enjoying life mean to you?" and "When you have a good day, what happens?" Their health care providers then worked with them to make sure their care was focused on achieving those goals. Participants also were asked what health issues most interfered with their goals, and what aspects of their health care they found helpful and which they felt were unhelpful to too burdensome.

The 163 participants identified 459 outcome goals, the most common of which were sharing meals with friends and family (7.8%); visiting with grandchildren (16.3%); going shopping (6.1%), and exercising (4.6%). Twenty participants (4.4%) said they wanted to be able to stay in their homes and live independently. Common barriers to their goals were pain (41%); fatigue, lack of energy or poor sleep (14.4%); unsteadiness (13.5%); and shortness of breath and dizziness (6.1%).

Thirty-two participants (19.8%) felt they were taking too many medications, while 57 (35.0%) reported having bothersome symptoms from their medications but did not mention specific drugs. Also, 43 (26%) participants said that visits to their primary care physicians and specialists were helpful, although 15 (9%) said they have too many visits or doctors. "I'm tired of going to so many doctors."

Understanding what's important to patients can help with patient-doctor communication and decision-making, Tinetti said. "If a patient's outcome goals are not achievable or realistic given their health status, a conversation might include, "I worry that you might not be able to continue driving your friends to the theater. I wonder if there are other ways to fulfill your desire to see shows and connect with your friends that could be more achievable."

Participants were drawn from a single practice with a homogeneous patient population; results may not generalize to other populations, and identifying the priorities of diverse groups is essential, the report's authors noted. "While further research is needed, the study suggests the feasibility of asking people about their goals and preferences, and getting responses that can inform decision-making," Tinetti said.

Self-Directed Website Launches

A newly launched website, MyHealthPriorities.org, grew out of the Patient Priorities Care initiative. People can use the website to identify their priorities so they can discuss them with their health care team.

"When there isn't a healthcare provider available to do the health priorities identification, there is now this option of the self-directed website," said Jessica Esterson, MPH, project director in the Section of Geriatrics at YSM. "We want to spread this capability to as many older adults as possible. By providing the website directly to individuals we greatly expand its reach and potential."

The website walks people through the Patient Priorities Care health priorities identification process. At the end they will have a summary to bring to their doctors that outlines their health prioritiesthe activities they want their health care to help them achieve based on what they are willing and able to do.

Tinetti encourages people of all ages, particularly older adults with multiple health conditions, to use MyHealthPriorities.org. "It will help you think about things you haven't thought about before, and better understand what matters most to you about your health and health care," Tinetti said. "It's important to you, your family, and your doctors."

More information: Mary E. Tinetti et al. Outcome Goals and Health Care Preferences of Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions, JAMA Network Open (2021). Journal information: JAMA Network Open Mary E. Tinetti et al. Outcome Goals and Health Care Preferences of Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions,(2021). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.1271
The Somerset Patriots, the New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate, have unveiled three new uniforms for the 2021 season.

The uniforms are designed to honor the long history and iconic look of the Yankees.

The home jerseys will now feature navy blue pinstripes with the wordmark PATRIOTS in twill across the chest in navy blue and outlined in burgundy. The navy blue numbers, also outlined in burgundy on the back, will continue to be the style always used by the Patriots. The Patriots secondary logo is featured on the left sleeve and the Yankees primary logo is on the right sleeve. The MiLB logo is located on the back of the neck in navy blue, black and silver. The pants worn at home will also feature the navy blue pinstripes.

The road gray jerseys feature SOMERSET in a lightweight kiss cut twill written across the front in navy blue outlined in white in a similar block font used for NEW YORK to mirror the Yankees design. The numbers match the Yankees look and coloring on the back and are lightweight kiss cut twill as well. The sleeves are adorned with the Patriots secondary logo on the left sleeve and the Yankees primary logo on the right sleeve. The MiLB logo is located on the back of the neck in navy blue, black and silver.

An alternate blue jersey also uses the Yankees road look with the word PATRIOTS across the chest in gray with a white outline. The wordmark and the numbers on the back are decorated with lightweight kiss cut twill. The logos once again appear on each sleeve. The navy blue, black, and silver MiLB logo is on the back of the neck. Both the road gray and the alternate blue jerseys will be worn with solid gray pants.

As soon as we announced the partnership with the Yankees, everyone immediately started asking about pinstripes on our uniforms, said Somerset Patriots senior director of merchandise Robert Crossman. We are excited to be able to unveil our new look that marries these two great teams together. I think our fans will really enjoy the design, and hopefully it helps inspire the prospects coming through Somerset of their bright futures ahead.

This is only the third version of the Patriots home uniforms. The team originally featured white vests from 1999-2014. In 2015, a more traditional jersey top was introduced with sleeves.

The team has featured the same road grays throughout their history and had a few variations of their alternate blue jerseys.
Dr. Donna Gessell, a professor of English at the University of North Georgia (UNG), looks for opportunities to listen to her students and fellow faculty members. She said such assistance is crucial at every stage of one's career or time as a student.

"Part of being a mentor is being available and listening. A lot of times people don't need you to say anything," Gessell said. "They know what they're thinking, and they need to say it."

She views her role in this process as a way to "pay it forward" for those who have mentored her. Some moments call for decisive actions, but others allow for the time to help her students and colleagues step back and take a deeper look at what they're facing.

Others have taken notice of her efforts. Gessell has twice won the UNG Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Award, in 2004 and 2017.

Gessell has also played a pivotal part in the community by leading the Dahlonega Literary Festival. She has continued to expand the types of literature highlighted to be more inclusive. Mostly, she appreciates the unifying effect of reading on display at such events.

"It's creating opportunities for people to come together and listen to each other," Gessell said. "The bottom line is community."

Gessell earned bachelor's degrees in English education and comparative literature from The Ohio State University and a master's degree and doctorate in English from Case Western Reserve University.

As a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji right out of her undergraduate experience, Gessell learned the importance of building consensus. She said that bridge-building mindset accomplishes more than trying to force one's ideas on a group.

Gessell also said she learns so much from her students while teaching them. It's a productive collaboration that helps everyone.

"They are willing to enter into that partnership," Gessell said. "You're thinking the big thoughts and talking the big talk."


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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, has defended the security and freedom of Europe and North American for nearly 75 years. In a recent speech at NATO headquarters in Belgium, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the primary challenge going forward is to adapt and renew NATO so that it can meet todays challenges.

Secretary Blinken identified three categories of the greatest threats facing the alliance today. The first is dangers posed by militaries from other countries, including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

The second category is non-military threats from many of these same countries - the technological, economic and informational tactics that threaten the security of NATO member states. The third category of threat is global crises like COVID-19 and climate change. Global terrorism also remains a danger.

To confront and deal effectively with these threats, we must recommit to our alliances, said Secretary Blinken:

Our alliances were created to defend shared values. So, renewing our commitment requires reaffirming those values and the foundation of international relations we vow to protect: a free and open rules-based order.

To remain effective, NATO must continue to modernize. That begins with improving our military capabilities and readiness to ensure it maintains a strong military deterrent, said Secretary Blinken. Weve also got to broaden our capacity to address threats in the economic, technological and informational realms, he said.

Secretary Blinken urged NATO members to form broader coalitions of allies and partners. That, he explained, is the idea behind the Quad - a group made up of Australia, India, Japan and the United States:

We share a vision of a free, open, inclusive, and healthy Indo-Pacific region, unconstrained by coercion, and anchored by democratic values. We make a good team. And our cooperation will strengthen parallel efforts to ensure security in the East and South China Seas and to expand safe, affordable, and effective vaccine production and equitable access.

The way forward for NATO, said Secretary Blinken, is rooted in our shared values, and committed not only to rebuilding our alliances and partnerships, but to building them back better. If we do this, there are no challenges we cannot and will not overcome.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 19:14:35|Editor: huaxia

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KIEV, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian government has raised the age of retirement for women to 60 years old since April 1 this year.

The change was due to the law on raising the retirement age for women from 55 to 60 years old, which was passed by the Ukrainian Parliament in 2011.

Now in Ukraine men and women retire at the same age.

The Ukrainian authorities explained that the increase in the retirement age for women was to mitigate the negative consequences of the aging population, and reduce the deficit of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, which at the end of 2020 reached 13.2 billion hryvnia (474.5 million U.S. dollars).

According to the State Statistic Service of Ukraine, the majority of its population are women, who account for 22.4 million, while 19.3 million are men.

The working-age population in Ukraine (aged over 15 years old) in 2020 were 17.67 million, with 47.6 percent of them being women.

As of January this year, 8.3 million people in Ukraine received the state pension with a minimum monthly payment of 1,769 hryvnia (64 dollars) and at an average of 3,507 hryvnia (126 dollars). Enditem
March 2021 was much warmer than normal. It was also wetter than normal here.

Warmer:

Wetter:

The viewing area was snow-free for March, unlike the past several years:

March 2021 ended up as the 6th warmest on record since 1879 in Greater Lafayette. It also saw the greatest number of days at or above 70 since the historic, warmest March on record of 2012.

Top 10 Warmest Marches

1. 56.6 2012

2. 53.6 1946

3. 51.0 1945

4. 50.0 1921

5. 49.4 1910

6. 48.6 2021

7. 48.5 1929

8. 48.4 1973

9. 48.0 1935

10. 47.8 1938

Now, this brief cold snap has arrived (after up to 0.3" snow in our north & northeastern counties yesterday morning from lake effect snow shower/squall band).....

Our low at our WLFI ob site dropped to 20 this morning. Not far from the weather station are a few apple trees & they are at about the "tight cluster" bud stage. At 21, there is 90% fruit loss. How advanced your apple trees are is dependent upon the cultivar & where you are in the viewing area. The southwestern counties are farthest along in vegetation, so they would be affected the most.

Thoughts are that there was likely 10-40% over a lot of the viewing area (except far north & northeast) with locally up to 90% in southwest.

At the Purdue Airport, the low was 21. The record for Purdue University/Purdue Airport back to 1879 is 10 set in the very cold late winter to spring of 1899 (there was one of the worst Arctic outbreaks on record in February 1899).

Lows ranged from 18-23.

23 Rochester-Fulton County Airport; Kentland Muncipal Airport

21 Purdue University Airport; 6 SE Covington; Peru Municipal Airport; Flora Municipal Airport; Crawfordsville; 2 S New Market

20 WLFI Ob Site; 3 E Attica; Pine Village; 3 E Fowler; Remington

19 Logansport-Cass County Airport; Grissom ARB; Kokomo Municipal Airport; Frankfort Municipal Airport; Flora Municipal Airport

18 Monticello-White County Airport; Delphi; Morocco

______________________________________________________________________________

OUTLOOK High & low in parentheses ( ) are the Greater Lafayette numbers.....

TODAY-SATURDAY, APRIL 10:

Today: Mostly sunny-sunny. High 47-56 (54). Low Tonight: 29-36 (34)

Tomorrow: Sunny. Windy (SW G30-40 mph). High: 64-71 (69). Low: 37-46 (45)

Sunday: Mostly sunny-sunny. Not so windy (SW G20-26 mph). High: 70-77 (75). Low: 46-55 (52)

Monday: Partly cloudy. Windy (SW G 30-40 mph). High: 74-80 (77). Low: 55-60 (55)

Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Windy (SW G 30-35 mph). High 77-82 (81)

Tuesday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Windy (SSW G 25-35 mph). Few sct'd showers & storms. Low 58-63 (62)

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Windy (SSE G26-32 mph). Some scattered showers & storms. High 73-78 (77).

Wednesday night: Mostly cloudy. Windy (S G26-32 mph). Some scattered showers & storms. Low 55-62 (61).

Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Windy (S G 28-32 mph). Periods of showers & storms. Risk of a few severe storms 6-9 p.m. (Up to SLIGHT RISK parameters). My analog & CIPS analog supports this notion.

Thursday night through Saturday: Mostly cloudy with periodic showers & storms. Any severe risk shifts just south of area. Less wind. Highs 64-72 (67-71), lows 47-57 (52-56).

TOTAL RAINFALL TUESDAY NIGHT-SATURDAY: 1-3" (1.75-2.50") Band of 4-7" possible northwest & southeast of our area with flooding. We need to monitor closely & make sure that band does not set up in our area.

----------------------------------------------------

Sunday, April 10: Partly cloudy. High 60-66 (65). Low 37-44 (41).

Monday, April 11: Mostly sunny. High 65-70 (68).

Monday night, April 11-12: Increasing clouds. Low 43-50 (48).

Tuesday, April 12: Partly cloudy. High 65-70 (68) Low 41-50 (47)

Wednesday, April 13: Increasing clouds & breezy (SSE G20-26 mph). High 66-72 (71)

Wednesday night, April 13-14: Mostly cloudy & breeze (SSE G22-30 mph). Sct'd showers & storms. low 50-57 (56).

Thursday, April 14: Showers & storms. Some severe risk possible (MARGINAL to SLIGHT RISK parameters) Windy (S to NW G 26-35 mph). High 68-77 (76). CIPS data keeps risk in the Plains, my analog shows it extending eastward to our area.

Thursday night, April 14-15: Clearing. Windy (NW G30-40 mph). Low 38-43 (41).

Friday, April 15: Partly cloudy. Windy (NW G30-40 mph). High 57-64 (63). Low 33-38 (37).

Saturday, April 16: Mostly sunny. Windy (NNW G30-40 mph). High 54-62 (60). Low 31-36 (34).

Sunday, April 17: Mostly sunny. Breezy (SE G22-27 mph). High 65-71 (68). Low 50-58 (56).

Monday, April 18: Clouding up. Windy (S G30-40 mph). Few sct'd showers & isolated storms (clipper-type system). High 68-76 (74). Lack of solid instability & displaced steep low-level lapse rate precludes any mention of severe (despite good shear & dynamics). Only way this will change is if steep lapse rates (cold pocket) are displaced atop warm sector & ahead of cold front.

Monday night, April 18-19: Showers ending. Windy (NW G30-40 mph). Low 36-42 (39).

Tuesday, April 19: Partly cloudy. Windy (NNW 30-40 mph) High 53-60 (58). Low 29-32 (31).

Wednesday, April 20: Sunny, then increasing clouds. E wind becoming SE to S. High 58-64 (62). Low 38-46 (45).

Thursday, April 21: Partly cloudy. Breezy (S G26-35 mph). High 65-72 (70). Low 45-56 (54).

April 22-May 1: LOTS of severe weather & severe weather outbreaks in the Plains to Lower & Mid-Mississippi Valley.

We look warmer than normal & wetter than normal. Preliminarly analog & long-range model data show tendency for greatest severe weather risk here for the period in the April 26-27 time frame.

---------------------------------------------------------

Thoughts here are of slight cool-down May 2-3, then warm-up with showers/storms May 4-5, then "Black Locust Winter" May 6-10 with some patchy frost with lows 32-39 (likely around 36 Greater Lafayette).

Warmer, wetter, severe weather pattern with greater & consistent severe risk here shows up May 11-16.

After May 17, looks like much of the substantial severe weather & rainfall risk shifts northwestward to the Dakotas & Minnesota to Iowa & Wisconsin & Ontario like July.

We may have a renegade event here, however.

Nonetheless, it is definitely & hot, dry trend in late May with early onset of summer temperatures of 90 to the 90s. Looks like the hottest late May weather since the record heat of 2018 & before that, the near/record heat of 2012.

June looks hotter & drier than normal with potential drought. The way this would change is IF we can get the "Ring of Fire" pattern with rounds of showers & storms with severe weather across our area, rather than areas northwest, north & northeast of us.

That would be the deciding factor.

Even in the hot, dry pattern here we will see some storms, but if the current pattern continues to hold in analog & model solutions, they will be more few & far between with dominant track north of the area & more airmass, pulsey storms than more typical, widespread June storms.

July looks hotter & drier than normal with drought risk, but "Ring of Fire" will be monitored.

August looks hotter & drier than normal, but the tropics could be of great help & the "Ring of Fire" pattern will be monitored.

In all three months, risk of Progressive Derecho will be monitored, as pattern is good for one to get into our viewing area or nearby.
(Natural News) The media has categorized those who refuse to get injected for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) as anti-vaxxers who spread misinformation in defiance of medical establishment guidelines. The truth, though, is that those perhaps most opposed to the shots are doctors and nurses who work with pharmaceuticals every single day.

Nearly half of all healthcare workers are saying no to Chinese virus jabs, it turns out. A mere 52 percent of those who work in medicine have had at least one Wuhan flu shot while the other 48 percent are not planning to participate. One in six healthcare workers are even planning to quit their jobs if their employers tell them they have to be injected in order to continue working.

About 36 percent of healthcare workers say they question the safety and effectiveness of chemicals that were fast-tracked into production, followed by emergency authorization. None of the jabs have received official approval because all of them are still in clinical trials.

The survey, which was conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation, is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. It covered 1,327 staff working in hospitals, assisted-living facilities, patient homes, and other similar types of settings.

Why risk dying from a vaccine when the virus it supposedly fights is barely even a threat?

Similar research conducted by multiple major institutions, including Brown University and Harvard University, found that nearly 40 percent of all skilled nursing staff passed up getting jabbed for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) the first time around. Their reasons for saying no all make perfect sense.

For one, the so-called vaccine was developed far too quickly. It has also only received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as opposed to official approval  meaning there is no way to truly know if it is safe or effective.

Many healthcare workers have also expressed concerns about being unfamiliar with the ingredients used in the vaccines. One of them is polyethylene glycol (PEG), a chemical preservative that is known to be both toxic and anaphylactic.

As news reports continue to spread about vaccinated people falling ill or dying, many healthcare workers have also indicated that they cannot afford to risk of getting sick and missing work. Many also have families and cannot afford to die over a virus that has a 99.9-plus percent survival rate.

Female nurses and doctors are also concerned about becoming infertile from the jabs, which have also been known to trigger spontaneous miscarriages and abortions.

Finally, there is widespread concern among workers across many different sectors that the long-term effects of Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injections are unknown. It could take months or even years to see the true impact, and by then it will already be too late.

Reasons for vaccine refusal include mistrust of the government and pharmaceutical companies, concerns about side effects made worse by rampant misinformation [sic] about the vaccine on social media, and concerns among Black healthcare workers which stem from a history of medical racism, this other study revealed.

As it turns out, healthcare workers in many other countries feel similarly. The highest vaccine acceptance rate among healthcare workers anywhere in the world is in Israel where 78.1 percent say they would take the jab. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, only 27.7 percent of doctors say they would take it.

By comparison, vaccine acceptance figures from surveys of the general public ranged between 70% and 79%  significantly higher than healthcare workers, reports LifeSiteNews.

More related news stories about Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Prep Golf: Riley Zebroski earns all-conference honors, Arrows take 7th in ESD tourney

MITCHELL  Sophomore Riley Zebroski earned all-conference honors by tying for 5th place on Wednesday in the Eastern South Dakota Conference girls golf tournament at the Lakeview Golf Course.
The fear of more regional activists in the mould of Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu rising up has been expressed, even as youths from the 17 states of the region have ordered all killer-herdsmen to vacate immediately or be 'consumed.'

The youths who met in Umuahia, Abia State on the plank of Southern Nigeria Youth Assembly, SNYA , also asked the Federal Government to immediately halt all forms of harassment and intimidation of all agitators of self determination or brace up for the 'madness' of southern youths.

The Southern youth group specifically warned the Federal Government against touching Alhaji Asari Dokubo; Yoruba freedom fighter, Sunday Igboho; and the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who they described as their proactive sons.

According to them, any attempt to touch any leader of self-determination pro-groups will spell doom for the country as southern youths will no longer tolerate government's hypocrisy over the escalating insecurity in Nigeria.

The group wondered why the security agents would be to weak to rein in the murderous herdsmen maiming and slaughtering indigenous southerners like fowls, but too curious and over zealous in arresting mere peaceful agitators of self-rule.

"It will no longer be business as usual over the activities of herders, under-development and unfair security treatment of the region", the Southern youths thundered in a communique jointly signed by its Chairman, Comrade Alhassan Abidemi; and Secretary, Ukor Brown Ukor.

The SNYA asked the Federal Government to rise against Fulani herdsmen menace or the people will take their destiny in their hands.

The communique read in part: "All criminal herders must vacate our lands and return to wherever they are coming from because their acts are alien to the entire region.

"Our peace is sacrosanct and we are not ready to shortchange it for anything else. We cannot allow the region to degenerate into oblivion.

"The Federal Government must desist from intimidating good spirited agitators like Alhaji Asari, Igboho, Kanu and others who are going about their legitimate businesses and asking questions on behalf of the region.

"Any further intimidation may degenerate to a breakdown of law and order which is the last thing the region or authority needs".

The youths who said they appreciate "the little effort the Federal Government led by President Buhari is making in this region" noted "we still insist that much is yet undone, considering that this region is the life-line of Nigeria's economy.

The youths said that the continued existence of Nigeria as a united entity would not be at the cost of the peace of Southern region.

"It is worthy of note that we stand with Nigeria in her unity in diversity but will not shy away from calling/agitating for her division if these very simple agitations are not given attention."

Other conditions given by the youths for Nigeria's continuity as one country include: security of lives and property of all citizens, immediate infrastructural development of Southern region that produces the resources sustaining the country, and strict compliance with federal character in political as well as appointments and promotion of security officers.

The Southern youths group also warned the political elite from the South against sabotaging the interest of the region because of selfish interests.

They urged southern governors and political elite to emulate their northern counterparts and speak with one voice, placing regional interest above every other consideration.

According to the group, in-house fighting among the region's political leaders has become a source of embarrassment to the region.

They gave feuding political elite from the zone one month ultimatum to resolve their differences or "they will hear from the youths."

Earlier in his opening address, Leader of SNYA, Comrade Chinedu Chika, said the meeting became imperative in view of the worrisome security situation in the country particularly in the Southern region.

"We also came together to create a lasting bond that will be impregnable to enemies of the region", he added."Some of the delegates from all 17 Southern states include: Comrade Dotun Omolaye (vice president-South-West), Engr Njoku Moses (deputy president), Prince Datolu Sukubo (president), and Ukor Brown Ukor (secretary) among others.

There'll be more Sunday Igbohos, Nnamdi Kanus if... -- Ayo Adebanjo

Reacting to the ultimatum, Leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere Chief ,Ayo Adebanjo, said more Sunday Igbohos and Nnamdi Kanus will emerge if the Federal Government fails to do the needful.

His words: "These are the youths, we can't stop them. We have always told them that they need to restructure but when you fail to do restructuring, you are encouraging the youths to be angry.

"I have said it in one of my interviews that there are only few Sunday Igbohos and if the killer herdsmen don't stop, there will be more Sunday Igbohos and Nnamdi Kanus. That is why we are telling this government to save us these troubles.

"They should listen to those of us who have been calling for restructuring. They should allow regional autonomy but if they don't do it (restructuring) we can't control them (youths). That is why I said that I am not supporting secession but I don't oppose it."

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Iwuayanwu warns herdsmen in Igboland

Elder statesman, Chief Emmanuel Iwuayanwu, yesterday warned killer herdsmen that Igbo elders would rise against them for killing their brothers and sisters in Igboland and in Ebonyi state.

Iwuayanwu spoke to newsmen in Owerri, when he was given ambassadorial award by the Nigeria Patriotic Youth Against Corruption and Transparency Initiative led by Godiya Bogoro.

According to Iwuayanwu, it is not acceptable that herdsmen come to Igboland and kill people and go like that.

Iwuayanwu said: "We heard that in Igboland and almost 30 people were killed and houses burnt in Ebonyi State, and we heard that they said that they are coming to Imo State. We, the leadership of Ohanaeze are meeting and to warn them on this plan.

"Youths must rise up and this is very bad. What is happening is very bad. We have said that the elders in Igboland want to remain in Nigeria, the best thing is to restructure this country, so that states can develop on their own pace.

"We can't take it anymore where herdsmen come to our land and kill us in Igboland. We are meeting over it."

Vanguard News Nigeria
The last thing Laura remembers before she left a nightclub in South Yarra in the early hours of a Saturday morning was feeling dizzy.

The room was spinning and I was stumbling, the 22-year-old law student said. I went and found my friend and said, Im feeling really weird. Im going to go, can you help me because I actually couldnt put my address in my phone to order an Uber.

Laura suspects her drink was spiked during a night out in South Yarra.

Laura, who suspects her drink was spiked, blacked out in the taxi on the way home.

The driver was shaking me to wake me up and I somehow managed to get out of the car and crawl up the stairs to my front door, she said. But I didnt have the motor skills to get the key in the door. I just sank into the ground. My whole body was paralysed. It was terrifying.
Highlights Google will skip an exhibition at the MWC 2021 but has promised to attend it next year.

The company cites Covid-19 related risks and travel restrictions as a reason for the absence.

Other firms like Nokia, Ericsson, Sony and Oracle have already backed out of the event.

Google will not participate in this year's Mobile World Congress, an annual event that showcases the latest in the global smartphone industry. The announcement makes Google the latest technology major to skip the event this time.

Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2021 is due to be held in June this year, postponed from its usual dates in February every year. The reason for the delay was the Covid-19 restrictions in place around the world.

Google cited the same reasons for not attending the event in person this year. In fact, Google is not the first to have skipped the MWC 2021, as tech behemoths including Nokia, Ericsson, Sony, and Oracle have already announced that they will not be attending the event this year.

In a statement to The Verge, Google said that it would continue to collaborate with GSMA and support its partners through "virtual opportunities" this year. It also affirmed that it would be present at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next year.

MWC 2021

For those unaware, MWC is the smartphone industry's flagship event that sees a footfall of around 1 lakh visitors every year. That is before the world faced the Coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions were put in place.

The event was cancelled last year, as the world was facing the mounting threat of Coronavirus spread for the first time ever. As travel restrictions eased, its organisers felt they could go ahead with the plans this year but decided to postpone it to June to be safe.

The bet didn't work, as the cases of Covid-19 are yet again on the rise across countries, and several regions are facing an imminent lockdown as a solution.

Citing the obvious health risk to their employees, technology firms are now backing out of the event altogether. It thus does not come as a surprise that Google will also be skipping a physical presence at the event.

There is still time for the MWC 2021, and if the pandemic situation does not improve for the world collectively, we might see more such names backing out of this year's event. If in case it aggravates further, it is possible to see the cancellation of the event altogether.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran on Friday rejected any meeting with the United States in Vienna, where it is taking part next week in a session with the remaining participants in its 2015 nuclear deal, an Iranian Foreign Ministry website reported.

"The United States will not attend any meeting in which Iran is present, including the meeting of the joint commission (of the nuclear accord), and that is certain," Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by the website.

"It is their business, whether other parties to the (nuclear accord) seek to consult bilaterally or multilaterally with the United States..., whether in Vienna or elsewhere," Araqchi added. "The Iranian delegation will not have any talks with the U.S. delegation at any level."

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by David Goodman and Mark Heinrich)
Bao Duongs message was clear: the eight lives lostsix of whom were Asian womenat three Atlanta-area spa businesses last month were more than just a number.

I know sometimes victims can be summarized as a statistic, when really we are talking about such beautiful people and its important to recognize that, Duong said. She commented that she was honored to be the only undergraduate panelist on Wednesday evening during the second installment of Courageous Conversations, an online event designed by the Office of the President and Student Government to build community and find solutions to topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Duong, president of the Asian American Student Association (AASA), emotionally shared that when she thought about the March 16 shooting on a personal level, her heart dropped. And she couldnt help but think of her own mom, who was born in Vietnam, when she saw photos of the victims.

I had to take a day off. And know a lot of the students had to as well. Because we think about our parents, we think about our loved ones, and we worry about them, said Duong, a junior studying neuroscience. She pointed out that even her parents were afraid for her safety because she was speaking at the event and had spoken to media outlets about the tragedy. They feared she would face retaliation.

Duong was one of four panelists who discussed the prejudice being faced by members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Abigail Adeleke, outgoing Student Government president, moderated the discussion. University President Julio Frenk; Yunqiu (Daniel) Wang, a senior lecturer and biology adviser; M. Evelina Galang, a Department of English professor and author; and Ikchan An, an international graduate student at the Miami Herbert Business School made up the panel of guest speakers.

During his opening remarks, Frenk condemned the attacks and emphasized solutions to put an end to the increased violence and hatred.

When members of our community are hurting, we are hurting, said Frenk, an advocate and ally for all marginalized communities at the University. When they take action, we stand with them.

In moving toward solutions, he announced that awardees have been selected for the inaugural Racial Justice Grant Program, and the names will be shared on Monday.

During the online event, Galang provided historical context of anti-Asian hate in the United States during her powerful opening statement. She cited the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which initially prohibited Chinese immigration for 10 years but lasted much longer. And it made Chinese immigrants ineligible for naturalization. Galang also pointed to recent labels from the former presidential administration calling the novel coronavirus the kung flu. She made it clear that AAPIs have been suffering from prejudice long before the pandemic.

This anti-Asian hate toward our brothers and sisters, our father and mothers, and most of all our elders, is not new, said Galang. It is my sincere belief that we must speak our truth.

Wang echoed her sentiments and encouraged all to face it as our countrys history and truth.

A recent report by the University of California in San Francisco directly linked Trumps first tweet about the Chinese virus to a significant increase in anti-Asian hashtags, said Wang. According to a separate report, anti-Asian hate crimes in 16 U.S. cities increased by 149 percent.

Near the end of the event, Adeleke asked the panelists questions submitted by audience members. Many of the submissions showed concern, offered sympathy, and asked for guidance on how to provide support to the Asian American community.

In response, Galang replied: The thing that I want to say to the Asian American students, the Filipino students, my friends out there who are going through this on the campus, its not really our problem to fix, said Galang. Rather than asking us Asian Americans what do we need to do, perhaps you as a community can be proactive, perhaps you can start taking those courses, take history lessons, where mainstream culture becomes the learners, the listeners, the ones taking action.

The University of Miami and the AAPI student groups have organized support groups, workshops, counseling, resources, and guidelines for reporting racist incidents on campus.

I want to express my deep hope that tonights discussion has accentuated why we cannot stay silent when anyone in our Cane community is attacked, judged, placed in a category, or unfairly decimated against because of an aspect of their identity, said Frenk.

The final Courageous Conversations discussion for the semester is scheduled for April 19. Additional information will be shared at a later date.
Ive written this article once before. It was titled Fatal Preservation and appeared in the Summer 1997 issue of City Journal, following the murders of six-year-old Elisa Izquierdo and other New York City children by violent, drug-addicted parents to whose custody they had been returned. I described how a once-sensible liberal reform known as family preservation, designed to keep troubled but essentially functional poor families together by providing them with services and counseling, had been carried to ideological extremes, in which judges and social workers zealously reunified children with monsters.

Later that year, Congress passed, and President Clinton signed, landmark legislation, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA), aimed at curbing the excesses of family preservation. Many in the social-work establishment, including officials in the administrations of New York Citys last two mayors, Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg, have remained hostile to ASFA and committed to the old family-preservation orthodoxy. Now a new spate of child fatalities suggests that de Blasios Administration for Childrens Services (ACS) may be redoubling this commitment. The commissioner brought in to clean up ACS after these deaths has retained the nations leading institutional advocate for family preservation to review the agencys practices. The results could be ominous for the safety of New Yorks children.

While family preservation sounds like the kind of policy that social conservatives would support, its pedigree comes from the Left. It dates from the rights revolution of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when activists reacting to past racial and class injustices came to believe that poor families too often had their children taken away because of cultural bias. They sought to keep such families together when possible by offering them services such as emergency financial assistance and family counseling. Family preservation was originally billed as a means of helping such families through temporary crises involving short-term neglect or isolated abusenot families with a history or serious risk of life-threatening abuse or neglect due to parental addiction, mental illness, or sociopathy.

The law began incorporating the new preference for preserving families in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the language of the statutes seeming to reflect the reasonable original intent to limit the policy to situations in which it did not seriously endanger children. The federal Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 required states, in order to qualify for federal foster-care funding, to make reasonable efforts to keep families together prior to removing a child from the home and to reunify families after removal. Similarly, the New York State Child Welfare Reform Act of 1979 and subsequent legislation required preventive services and reasonable efforts to preserve or reunite families when it was reasonable to believe that this would enable a child to remain with or be returned to his familythat is, when it was reasonably likely that these services would significantly improve the parents behavior.

Implementing this language proved problematic. Because states risked the loss of federal funds for doing too little to preserve families, but not for doing too much, bureaucrats erred on the side of keeping children in dangerous family situations. This tendency was reinforced by the efforts of several large liberal foundations, such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which devoted millions of dollars to promoting preventive-services programs, rather than foster care, as the first option in even extreme cases. These taxpayer-funded servicesincluding payment of housekeepers to cook, clean, and shop for abusive or neglectful parentswere often extraordinarily generous, well out of the financial reach of other poor or even middle-class families.

Carrying the cultural sensitivity that motivated family preservation to an absurd length, one of the foundations proclaimed that child abuse  (in sneer quotes) may simply reflect a groups cultural norms. This ideology found a receptive audience in the new social-work establishment, which, going to the opposite extreme from earlier excesses, began to view keeping even the most dangerous families together as almost always reasonableand not doing so as unacceptably judgmental. A caseworker interviewed in a Bill Moyers television documentary thus deplored the labeling process that puts a crack-addicted single mother in a different category from a working family unable to afford day care. And in one case that I described in the 1997 article, when a Bronx father killed his five-year-old son by hanging him from a coatrack, rupturing his liver and crushing his chestfor taking a piece of cake from the refrigeratorchild-welfare workers listed the permanency goal for the surviving children as return to parent.

Congress acted to contain this lunacy with the enactment of ASFA in 1997. The act made three principal changes to the law governing federal child-welfare funding. First, it expressly declared that the childs health and safety shall be the paramount concern in determining the reasonable efforts to be made to preserve or reunify families. Second, it provided that these efforts werent required in the most egregious casesspecifically, where:

the parent had killed (i.e., committed murder or involuntary manslaughter of) another child;



the parent had severely injured the child in question or another child;



the parents parental rights to another child had been involuntarily terminated; or



the parent had subjected the child in question to other aggravated circumstances to be defined by the individual states, which may include but need not be limited to abandonment, torture, chronic abuse, and sexual abuse.

Third, to end the revolving door in which abused children often bounced back and forth between their biological parents and various foster homes, ASFA required states to move to terminate parental rights, and to begin the process of placing children in permanent adoptive families, when they had spent 15 of the previous 22 months in foster care, as well as in cases of abandonment or where reasonable efforts at reunification were not required because the parent had killed or severely injured a child. Exceptions were made where a child was in the foster care of a relative, if reasonable efforts to keep the family together were still required under the law and had not been made, or if state officials could document a compelling reason that adoption was not in the childs best interest. The definition of compelling reason was left to the states.

The law thus gave states a fair amount of latitude to establish when reasonable efforts could be dispensed with and when termination proceedings would be required. New York State, after missing the compliance deadline, eventually passed one of the weaker ASFA-enabling statutes, as the Democratic-led state assembly sought to retain as much of the family-preservation philosophy as possible. The New York law does add one additional aggravated circumstance to the federally mandated situations, such as murder, where efforts to preserve families are not required: severe or repeated abuse of a child, including rape and other particularly vicious sexual assaults. But unlike the statutes in many other states, it does not include other forms of sexual abuse such as forcible touching or torture that does not result in serious physical injury. And the compelling reasons it specifies for not initiating termination and adoption proceedings are absurdly broad and circular, including there are insufficient grounds and the child has a permanency goal other than adoption. So caseworkers and judges determined to cling to the old family-preservation dogma have always had some leeway to do so in New York.

New York City, however, had begun moving away from this dogma even before the passage of ASFA and the New York implementation law. After Elisa Izquierdos horrific 1995 death following prolonged torture by her crack-addicted mother, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani declared: The philosophy of child welfare has been too rigidly focused on holding families together . . . at the cost of protecting babies and children and When a child is abused, when child safety is in question, then government must act. Giuliani shut down the old Child Welfare Administration, an arm of the Human Resources Administration superagency, replacing it with the new cabinet-level ACS, and tapped Nicholas Scoppetta, a respected former deputy mayor and federal prosecutor and himself once a foster child, as the first commissioner.

Scoppetta seemed strongly committed to the new philosophy at first, even suggesting that the city needed to consider the creation of new orphanages like the one where he and his brothers had lived for seven years. But in 1999, as part of the settlement of a federal class-action lawsuit brought by the advocacy group Childrens Rights against the agency, he agreed to the appointment of an expert panel of monitors funded and staffed by the vehemently pro-family-preservation Annie E. Casey Foundation. When later that year, Childrens Rights issued a report criticizing ACS for still not doing enough to remove endangered kids from abusive homespointing to a 50 percent increase in fatalities of children known to ACS on Scoppettas watchthe Casey panel revealed its ideology. Casey president and panel head Douglas Nelson blasted the report for singling out fatalities, saying that this may reinforce the oversimplified view that we can protect at-risk kids in fragile families with an even more aggressive approach to removal and chiding its Childrens Rights patrons for sounding like Mayor Giuliani. Issuing his own final monitoring report the next year, Nelson reiterated the Casey philosophy that help for families, including birth parents . . . should be at the heart of any child welfare system.

Prosecutors found that the girl, who weighed only 36 pounds, had been systematically tortured for weeks.

In a classic case of going native, Scoppetta began to take on the views of the experts and the bureaucrats left over from the old Child Welfare Administration. He asked the Casey panel to stay on as advisors after the court-ordered monitorship period ended. And by the time he left office with Giuliani at the end of 2001, he was a full convert, grading ACS offices on how swiftly families were reunited and crediting the panel with shifting his focus from child removal . . . toward a recognition that child safety could often be better served by preventing the trauma of foster care placement in the first place.

The ACS commissioners appointed by Mayor Bloomberg didnt have to be converted. Bloomberg was, in many ways, an excellent mayor, but like many successful technocrats, his greatest weakness (and his greatest difference from Giuliani) was a tendency to defer to experts in an unfamiliar field, without realizing the almost invariably liberal bias of their expertise. He followed that instinct in selecting ACS chiefs firmly committed to family preservation. William Bell, who served from 2002 to 2004, was a social-work Ph.D. and former Child Welfare Administration official whom Scoppetta had brought over as deputy commissioner when ACS was formed. He would go on to head Casey Family Programs, a Casey Foundation spinoff, where he has criticized caseworkers viewing children, rather than parents, as their clients. John Mattingly, who served from 2004 to 2011, had been a Casey Foundation official and a member of the Casey-led ACS monitoring panel.

Mattinglys tenure, however, was jolted by several horrendous deaths that, according to disappointed family-preservation advocates, shook his conviction to the cause. The most notorious was the 2006 murder of seven-year-old Nixzmary Brown by her stepfather while her biological mother looked on. Prosecutors found that the girl, who weighed only 36 pounds and whose body was covered with bruises, had been systematically tortured for weekstorture that included binding her to a chair, forcing her to eat cat food and use a litter box, and submerging her head under water. The final beating, in which the stepfather bashed her head against a bathtub, came after she took a cup of yogurt from the refrigerator.

Nixzmary was the fourth child in two months to die while in the custody of parents previously investigated by ACS. In her case, her school had reported eight months earlier that she had been absent 46 days and had several injuries, including a burned hand. The month before she died, the school reported that she had further extensive absences, appeared emaciated, and had a black eye. ACS closed the first case, determining that her 46 absences did not establish educational neglect because they had been due to her mothers inability to get her to school during her pregnancy. They let the second case languish after being denied entry to the home and failing to seek a warrant.

Nixzmarys murder seems to have been a shock that launched Mattingly on something of the reverse course from the one that Scoppetta had traveled. He was not a family-preservation ideologue, he told the New York Times, but thought that a childs safety had to come first, and he acknowledged serious practice problems in the present approach. If you are leaving children in the home just to leave them in the home, that is bad practice and we will fix it. He implemented a new policy requiring caseworkers to seek warrants when denied access to a childs home. Another reforma presumptive policy of seeking removal of newborns from parents who had lost custody of other childrencame two years later, after an infant was beaten to death by his drug-addicted mother, who had been allowed to keep him even though she had lost custody of another baby the previous year.

Discussing this new policy, Mattingly sounded like a man growing frustrated with ideology as it clashed with reality: When I got here three and a half years ago, the assumption was the child would stay in the home, he told an interviewer, but if older siblings are in foster care, and the court has affirmed that they are at substantial risk of harm, it makes very little sense to make the opposite assumption about a six-pound baby coming into the home. He had seen too many deaths in such cases, he said.

Mattingly seems to have taken no further significant steps to limit family preservation or enforce strict compliance with ASFA, though. Even after another gruesome death rocked the city in 2010that of four-year-old, 18-pound Marchella Pierce, who was starved, drugged, and beaten to death by another substance-abusing mother while ACS failed to investigate complaintsMattingly embraced only cosmetic reforms, such as enhanced supervision of caseworkers and service providers. Such proposals, which crop up whenever a child dies, turn on the notion that the dead child slipped through the cracks of an overworked, undertrained bureaucracy. But children like Marchella and Nixzmary and Elisa Izquierdo, all known to the system but left in danger, dont slip through its cracks. They are the victims not of ineptitude but of ideology. Ultimately, Mattingly, though apparently torn, could not shed his ideology; and on his watch, the number of children placed in permanent adoptive homes fell by almost 50 percent (from 2,314 in fiscal year 2005 to 1,186 in fiscal year 2011), while the number of children known to ACS who died increased from 30 to 46 per year.

These numbers seem to have gotten even worse under Bill de Blasios first ACS commissioner, Gladys Carrion, who rewrote the agencys mission statement to proclaim up-front that ACS is deeply committed to . . . ensuring that interventionsincluding child protection . . . are performed in a manner that is respectful of the racial, cultural and economic character of each family involved. Fatalities of children from families with previous ACS involvement or abuse reports spiked at 58 during her first year in office in 2014, though they fell back to 43 in 2015. And adoptions (which had increased somewhat under Mattinglys successor, Judge Ronald Richter, during the last two years of the Bloomberg administration) fell back to slightly lower levels than under Mattingly.

Carrion resigned in December 2016 after another string of horrifying deaths. Two killings in particular stood out. Six-year-old Zymere Perkins of Harlem died in September 2016 after being brutally beaten for over a year by his mothers boyfriend. Subsequent investigations revealed that Zymere had been the subject of five previous abuse reports to ACS, including reports by his school of repeated absences and unexplained injuries, but that the agency had credulously accepted his mothers explanations that he was accident prone. ACS had actually closed two of the five cases as unfounded; and even for those it found to be indicated, it had merely referred the family for preventive services (including mental-health and drug-treatment therapy, for which they failed to keep appointments).

The other death was that of three-year-old Jaden Jordan of Gravesend, Brooklyn, in December 2016. Like Zymere, Jaden was the victim of a savage beating by his mothers boyfriend. Unlike in Zymeres case, there had apparently been only one previous report about Jadenan anonymous tip a few days earlier that he was being kept in a dog cratebut ACS failed to pursue the lead because the caller gave the wrong address. These were by no means the only fatalities during Carrions tenure. A study by Comptroller Scott Stringer found that, in just the three months prior to Zymeres killing, ten other children had died whose families had been the subject of four or more prior child-abuse reports.

An earlier report by the citys Department of Investigation (DOI) analyzed two other fatalities and one near-fatality of abused children previously known to ACS, and demonstrated the link between these tragedies and the agencys systemic violation of the ASFA mandate to place child safety over family reunification. DOI found that ACS repeatedly investigated abuse and neglect allegationsoften the same or similar allegationswithin a family . . . and found credible evidence that the children had been repeatedly abused and neglected, yet rather than seek to remove the children, it provided the same, evidently ineffective, services over and over. In fact, incredibly, in two of the three cases of death or severe injury studied by DOI, ACSs permanency plan for the victims surviving siblings (now finally in foster care) is to return them to their parents. And in the third case, the agency stalled for more than two months in filing an ASFA court motion to end its reasonable efforts to reunify the siblings with the mother who had beaten their sister to death.

DOI also found that ACS habitually violates the ASFA and state law requirement to move to terminate parental rights when children have been in foster care for 15 of the preceding 22 months, thus freeing them for adoption into safe, permanent homes. These petitions have not been filed within the required time in 82 percent of cases, DOI found, resulting in delayed or thwarted adoptions for more than 1,000 children a year. This likely helps to explain the citys drastic reduction in adoption placements.

Its worth quoting at length from one of DOIs case studies, concerning a deceased child it calls Morgan, as it gives a chilling sense of ACSs zeal to keep families together at all costs:

During the 12 years prior to Morgans death, ACS investigated 11 reports of neglect concerning Morgans mother and indicated seven of those reports, repeatedly determining that [she] neglected her children. . . . The findings . . . included exposing some of her children to cocaine in utero . . . and failing to ensure they attended school. Over the course of six years, the family received ACS-contracted preventive services at least five times. . . . [When finally placed] in foster care, the children thrived. They received needed therapeutic and developmental services, took their prescribed medications, and [were] enrolled in school for the first time. During this time, the mother tested positive for cocaine while pregnant with her fifth child despite the fact that she was attending substance abuse treatment. While in foster care, the children made numerous . . . allegations [that] the younger childrens father . . . was abusive . . . including . . . attempting to suffocate two of the children. Neither ACS nor provider agency staff reported these allegations. . . . Morgans foster parent . . . wanted to adopt [her]; however, adoption was not pursued, and, instead, the children were trial discharged to their mother. Following the trial discharge, the mother often failed to cooperate with the services that the family court ordered . . . and the progress the children had made while in foster care began to deteriorate significantly. . . . [W]hile the children were home on trial discharge . . . ACS found that the mother was failing to ensure one . . . attended school and to prevent [them] from injuring each other. However, ACS failed to inform the court of this . . . and the court final discharged the children to the mother. Seven months after being final discharged, two different ACS investigators separately reported that the children were living in a deplorable, unsafe, hazard-filled home and were only sporadically attending school. . . . ACS investigated three reports of neglect during the year and a half following the childrens discharge . . . and indicated all three. . . . However, the children remained in the mothers care. . . . [A] preventive services agency was working with the family up to the day Morgan died. Despite all the evidence of neglect ACS uncovered . . . over many years . . . it failed to . . . consider that the neglect was chronic. ACS repeatedly provided the mother with the same services over and over again, failing to see that this was futile. . . . [T]he mother continued to fail to meet the childrens basic needs.

In view of this agency mind-set, its probably not surprising that children have continued to die since Carrions departure in December 2016. Five-year-old Michael Guzman of Queens was found dead on January 22, 2017. ACS had investigated 13 reports of abuse and neglect of Michael and his five siblings since 2008, finding evidence of physical trauma, sexual abuse, or inadequate food or clothing eight times, but allowed all six children to remain in the home. The problem with ACS is their motto is, Keep the families togetherthey would have kept the Manson family together, an agency source told the New York Post after Michaels death.

A few days later, four-year-old Zamair Coombs of Harlem was beaten to death with a broomstick by his mother, the subject of two previous ACS cases. In February 2017, the 2016 death of one-year-old Nichelle Warring of Bedford-Stuyvesant was ruled a homicide. Her father, a member of the Bloods gang, had been probed by ACS for sexual abuse of another daughter. On March 20, one-year-old Bianca Abdul of Staten Island, whose parents had been investigated seven times by ACS, with three cases substantiated for drug use and inadequate supervision, was found dead in her crib from an opioid overdose. In April, one Bronx infant from a family with a previous ACS history, two-month-old Kadiha Marrow, was savagely beaten, and another, three-month-old Mark Ruane, Jr., was found dead. In response to subsequent deaths, such as that of 16-month-old Nylah Lewis, whose father broke her skull on Fathers Day, ACS has taken to claiming that it is barred by confidentiality laws from saying whether it had any previous involvement with the family.

Appointed commissioner in February 2017, David Hansell, a Yale-educated lawyer, has impressive credentials in government, consulting, and the nonprofit sector. But nothing in his background, including stints at the Gay Mens Health Crisis and as an Obama administration welfare official, or in his statements and actions since taking the job, suggests that he will challenge the progressive family-preservation orthodoxy. Interviewed for a vehemently pro-family-preservation article in the New York Times (which attacked foster care as Jane Crow), he boasted that under his leadership, the agency was trying to steer away from removing children from the home and instead seeking court-ordered supervision, under which families are required to participate in services. Reiterating this position in an op-ed, he noted that ACS is now training new caseworkers in the discredited theory of implicit bias, apparently to curb removals of abused black and Latino children from black and Latino parents.

ACS would have kept the Manson family together, an agency source told the New York Post.

The team that Hansell has brought in to review ACS operations, including retired Los Angeles child-protection chief Philip Browning and Casey Family Programs, also offers no reason for optimism. Browning stepped down from the L.A. job a year ago, after the death of an 11-year-old boy weighing 34 pounds who had been locked in a closet and starved; Brownings agency had kept the boy with his family despite six previous abuse reports. Casey Family Programs, the nations leading family-preservation promoter, is worse. In a 2009 speech, its president, former ACS commissioner William Bell, attacked the child as client paradigm and frankly declared his goal to move our social welfare system from a focus on child welfare to a focus on family welfare. Predictably, Caseys first report to ACS argued against judging an agencys overall safety on the basis of the number of child fatalities that happened on its watch and cautioned against reactive and punitive action against agency staff following high-profile tragedies, lest this lead to fear-based decisions and an increased number of children removed and placed in foster care.

In a forthcoming book, Out of Harms Way, Richard Gelles, former dean of social work at the University of Pennsylvania and a longtime critic of family preservation, laments that the Casey philosophy of focusing on parents, rather than children, already dominates the social-work establishment. This philosophy is directly at odds with the rule that Congress enshrined in ASFA 20 years ago that child health and safety must be the systems paramount concern. Its time to stop subverting the law and start protecting childrens lives.

Top Photo: Seven-year-old Nixzmary Brown was murdered in 2006 by her stepfather, while her biological mother looked on. (ROBERT A. SABO/GETTY IMAGES)
Is there a story to tell in the life of Robert Rocky Balboa before we were introduced to the character in 1976s Rocky? Sylvester Stallone thinks there might be.

This week on his Instagram account, Stallone shared the handwritten notes for a Rocky prequel that he was inspired to write.

I started out this morning by writing a treatment for a Rocky prequel for streaming, Stallone said in the caption. Ideally, 10 episodes for a few seasons to really get to the heart of the characters in [their] younger years.

Basically, Stallone wrote out the entire concept for what this series would look like, presumably to pitch to producers and executives, before beginning to write a pilot script.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone)

Imagine a time machine that will simply transport us back to the origins of Rocky,' Stallone wrote. A cinematic world brimming with characters that have been beloved by people around the world for nearly five decades.

One of the first thoughts that comes to mind is that Rocky Balboas origin story was already told in the first Rocky movie. We were introduced to the future world heavyweight champion when he was a small-time fighter, working as a collector for a loan shark. He gets the break of a lifetime when world champion Apollo Creed picks a local fighter to challenge him after his original opponent bows out due to injury.

But Stallones prequel series would go back nearly 15 years when the boxer is 17 years old. Based on his treatment, he intends to use Rockys early life to take viewers through the 1960s, which he views as historys most impactful generation.

Climbing aboard that time machine will take us to the most transformative generation in modern history: The Sixties.  The Moon Landing

 The Sexual Revolution

 The New Left

 Hippie Movement

 The Cold War

 The Civil Rights Movement

 The Vietnam Disaster

 The Assassination of President Kennedy

 The Death of Martin Luther King

 The Black Panther Movement

 The Cuban Missile Crisis

 The Beatles, Dylan, Muhammad Ali

That is certainly ambitious. Stallone cant be faulted for wanting to tell a story on a big canvas. How a teenage Rocky Balboa fits into all of this isnt clear, though perhaps it shouldnt be assumed that all of the events Stallone lists would feature prominently in the story.

For instance, it seems unlikely that Muhammad Ali wouldnt really figure into the narrative. Stallone is probably just mentioning him as an icon of the time. But including Ali could be feasible. He defeated Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title in 1964. But later on, using Ali would complicate the story. He was the real-life heavyweight champion at the time Rocky takes place. Would Apollo Creed have beaten Ali to win the title?

Questions like this could be what makes a Rocky prequel series intriguing, however. As Stallone writes in his treatment, Rocky Balboa is a lost soul when were introduced to him. What happened in his teens and 20s to make him disillusioned? What derailed his dreams? Did Rocky try being a hippie?

Perhaps this is the equivalent of Stallone getting an idea in the shower or while he was sleeping and jotting it down before he forgets it. Maybe those creative wheels started turning when Creed III  which Stallone may or may not be involved with  was announced.

With so many streaming platforms now available and seeking original content, it certainly seems possible that a Rocky prequel series could be developed somewhere. And if so, its interesting to see the beginnings of that process. But it might also be worth asking if Stallone has told all the Rocky Balboa stories there are to tell.
China, ASEAN member states enjoying closer relations, more shared objectives Senior diplomats of China and its Southeast Asian neighbors are engaged in a slew of intensive talks, and fresh consensuses and outcomes are being reached regarding their joint fight against COVID-19, keeping their economies afloat and ensuring there is no interference in other nations' internal affairs. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in eastern China's Fujian province hosting visiting foreign ministers of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines for a series of one-on-one meetings that started on Wednesday. Observers said the lingering pandemic is bringing China and all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations even closer, and their renewed commitment to common growth and the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts has further transcended geopolitical considerations. As a part of frequent official contacts between China and ASEAN members, Wang paid official visits to Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines from Jan 11 to 16. In addition, Wang talked with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith via video link on Feb 3. After his ongoing series of meetings are completed on Friday, Wang will have held bilateral ministerial-level talks this yearin person or via video linkwith seven of the 10 ASEAN member countries. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and ASEAN countries have maintained frequent high-level contacts, and the fight against the virus has made constant progress, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday. She added that the series of exchanges between Wang and his Southeast Asian counterparts shows the "ever-increasing bond" among the neighbors. ASEAN became China's largest trade partner last year, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of the start of the China-ASEAN dialogue partnership. Beijing looks forward to strengthening strategic mutual trust, boosting the building of the Belt and Road and bringing China-ASEAN ties and bilateral ties with nations to a new level to further ensure regional peace and growth, Hua said. "China is one of the Strategic Dialogue Partners with which ASEAN has the most substantial cooperation," Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Xinhua News Agency before his China trip. Both sides are working to enhance the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement and are tackling new priorities resulting from the pandemic, such as the digital economy and public health, he added. Advancing vaccination and reciprocal recognition of health certificate QR codes to deal with the protracted pandemic were among the topics of Wang's talks with the Singaporean minister on Wednesday. 1 2
 Flash

The second batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines has arrived in Vientiane, Laos.

Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong were among those present at the hand-over ceremony held at the airport late on Wednesday, on the vaccines' arrival.

Ambassador Jiang recalled Feb. 8, when the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China arrived in Vientiane, saying over one month later, the second batch of donated vaccine well demonstrates China's continuous contribution to the vaccine accessibility in developing countries, and displays the spirits of the China-Laos community with a shared future.

Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh said, when addressing the hand-over ceremony, that his country has achieved greatly in pandemic prevention and control, with the total number of confirmed cases remaining under 50.

China, according to the Lao prime minister, contributed to the achievement.

He expressed gratitude to China, saying the inoculation of the first batch of China-donated vaccines has so far seen no report of severe side effects.
While the world is focused on OPEC news and Easter preparations, the Ukrainian crisis is heating up and there is a real threat of a military confrontation involving Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Currently, the Ukrainian military is fighting Moscow-backed separatists in the Donbas region. At the same time, heavy clashes with Russian-backed forces in and around Shymy have been reported. International pressure has been building on Russia to force a direct ceasefire, but no moves have been made. In recent weeks, analysts warned of a possible full-scale military confrontation as they considered the military moves in the region as provocations by Moscow. At the same time, most confrontations were localized, with no real regional impact yet. The military stalemate, however, could well be coming to an end. A growing amount of reports have emerged showing not only largescale Russian military movements towards the Ukrainian border but also Moscows only regional supporter Belarus has deployed new troops to the Ukrainian border. As Julian Ropcke, a German Bild reporter, said on Wednesday, large amounts of Belarus military hardware, including BTR-80 armored vehicles and military trucks are moved to the border region. Kiev has already reacted to the growing threat perception by calling up reinforcements. Ruslan Khomchak, Ukraines Commander-in-Chief, stated to the press that Russia is building up armed forces near Ukraines borders in a threat to the countrys security.

Related: The 2 Nations Driving The Recovery In Offshore Oil

Russian TV channel Russia Today indicated that Moscow is going to support troops of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) to come home. The coming days could be a major watershed for the regions military-geopolitical situation. The West has always assumed that Moscow was more than happy with the current situation, controlling not only the Donbas area but also preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. To expect Putin to be content with this stalemate, however, without having any option for a diplomatic resolution, seems overly optimistic from those powers. Russias ultimate dream is to unify Russia and Ukraine., a dream it is willing to achieve either with hard diplomacy or military means. Moscow appears to have become increasingly unhappy about its lack of progress in achieving that dream, partly due to it being handicapped by the Minsk Accords. The Biden Administration, which is less flexible to Moscows strategies than the previous administration, is also a possible reason for Russias new military adventures. Bidens State Department speech on February 4th included a clear message to Russia that the days of rolling over in the face of Russias actions are over. It is certainly possible that the speech pushed Russia to ramp up its military actions. Meanwhile, in Belarus and Ukraine, the West is perceived to be waging a hybrid war against Moscow. From Putins point of view, the only option now is to actively counter-attack. Military analysts are still arguing about what Moscows options are in the coming days. A majority expect a so-called localized escalation, dramatic and devastating, leading to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers. Such a move could be used to justify future military moves by Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken filed a complaint on Wednesday in which he reiterated Washingtons support for Ukraines territorial integrity in the face of Russias ongoing aggression. If Putin believes the West is weak, however, a military move, which would give Russia access to Crimean water supplies, would be a very attractive one. Ukrainian observers believe the Kremlin may even consider a decisive military push through south-eastern Ukraine to create a land corridor linking Crimea with Donbas and end the peninsulas chronic water shortage  Ukraine has blocked 85 percent of water supplies to the Crimea since 2014.

Related: The Future Of U.S. LNG Hangs In The Balance



A possible full-scale military operation will not only impact regional security but also put the European oil and gas sector under pressure, while maritime logistics could also be hampered. With Europes gas storage currently very low and dependency on Russian supplies still very high, a crisis here could have a major impact. Gas prices will soon be under pressure if the situation escalates. With storage sites at 37% capacity compared to 60% capacity at the same time last year or 74% at the start of this year, inventories are becoming critical. Analysts currently expect levels to fall as low as 16% of total capacity. To count on LNG supplies would be foolish if Asian demand continues to grow. The stranglehold that Russia has over European gas markets may soon become a major geopolitical market factor once again. If a Ukraine crisis erupts, potentially blocking or closing gas and oil pipelines in the region, a new energy crisis would follow closely behind.

It appears that Putins strategists have outmaneuvered Western powers. The weak response from both Brussels and Washington to Russian power moves in recent years appears to have emboldened Putin. Sanctions have been largely ineffective, while military options seem to be out of the question. Russian gas politics could now be a major pivotal factor in stopping any EU-NATO support if a renewed Ukraine conflict were to break out.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Kazakhstan posted its highest daily number of coronavirus cases Friday, as a slow vaccine rollout stokes fears of another nightmare summer in former Soviet Central Asia

NurSultan (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2021 ) :Kazakhstan posted its highest daily number of coronavirus cases Friday, as a slow vaccine rollout stokes fears of another nightmare summer in former Soviet Central Asia.

According to official statistics the country posted 2,077 new cases on Friday, a record since the beginning of the pandemic.

The largest city Almaty, an overall leader in terms of cases, last month broke its coronavirus cases record several times, as health officials warned that fast-spreading British and South African strains of the disease were now in the country.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev strongly criticised his government's slow vaccine rollout of a locally produced version of Russia's Sputnik V jab on Thursday, noting that only 47,000 people in the country of 19 million people had been fully vaccinated.

"The reason is simple. Not enough vaccines," he said, complaining that the situation meant Kazakhstan was "forced to agree to unfavourable commercial and financial conditions to accelerate deliveries".

Officially just 3,078 people have died with the coronavirus in Kazakhstan.

But official mortality data indicates that in the three months of last summer when the disease ravaged the country, deaths were up by 28,000 compared to the same period the year before -- an 85 percent increase.

Neighbours Kyrgystan and Uzbekistan showed similar disparities between official coronavirus deaths and excess mortality.

Tajikistan paused its official count at 13,308 cases and 90 deaths in January, while closed-off Turkmenistan has insisted it has zero cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The tightly controlled gas-rich republic's claim has been undermined by foreign media reports on prominent Turkmen figures who have died with the virus and the British ambassador admitting he contracted the virus while inside the country.
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Although Greene later issued a clarification in response to the backlash 

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 this is far from the first time the lawmaker's exercise routine has sparked controversy. When BuzzFeed News asked CrossFit about the lawmaker, who has openly spoken about her apparent passion for their workouts and reflected fondly on her time as an affiliate gym owner, the company issued a glaring statement, condemning her actions. CrossFit supports respectful fact-based political dialogue to address our common challenges, and we strongly oppose the loathsome and dangerous lies attributed to Ms. Greene, spokesperson Andrew Weinstein told the outlet.

In light of Greene's recent cringe-worthy form, others associated with CrossFit have doubled down on these sentiments, taking to social media to speak out against her butterfly pull-up video and its misleading caption. As a CrossFit affiliate owner for nearly a decade, please stop embarrassing those of us who know science & fitness go hand in hand, quipped Twitter user Michael Muscato, linking the company's Covid-19 guidelines.

So folks, when in doubt on topics relating to health and wellness, please, for the sake of your back, stick to the pros  and stay as far away from Rep. Greene as possible.

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram at @HuntressThompson_, on Twitch.tv @HuntressThompson_ and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.
(TNS)  Private information of staff and students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore was posted on the Internet this week after a ransomware group breached the schools system in December.In a statement, university officials said a ransomware group, known as Clop, had gained access in December to the Accellion file transfer system, which was used by UMB students and staff to transfer encrypted files.The university learned of the data breach this week when the hackers posted evidence online that they had accessed files in the UMB system containing some personally identifiable information, according to university spokesman Alex Likowski. The school did not say what kind of information was posted, but ZDNet reported the data included a federal tax document, passports, addresses and Social Security numbers.The universities of Miami and Colorado as well as Harvard Business School also experienced similar breaches associated with Accellion, according to EdScoop.No other schools in the University System of Maryland are using Accellion, spokesman Mike Lurie said in an email this week.UMB has reported the data breach to federal and state authorities. University officials said they decommissioned the Accellion system in February and there is no evidence that it was compromised at any other time, according to Likowski.Our investigation shows that every appropriate security measure was taken by our Center for Information Technology Services, including rigorous monitoring and the timely installation of all patches and upgrades provided by Accellion, Likowski said.UMB is offering security assistance, including credit monitoring and identity restoration services to individuals whose documents were compromised.This is the latest public institution to suffer a ransomware attack. Baltimore County Schools were shuttered for several days following a crippling attack on its servers the day before Thanksgiving. And Baltimore City also spent millions on recovery from a ransomware attack in 2019.In December, Greater Baltimore Medical Center was forced to reschedule some procedures and take systems offline following a ransomware attack.
A Topshop store assistant earning as little as 7,000 a year splashed out on designer gear, a BMW, private healthcare and holidays to Barcelona, Rome and Mexico while helping boyfriend run cocaine empire.

Emma Lavery, 24, had the latest designer footwear, carried a Gucci handbag and moved into a luxury apartment with Adam Hussain after he set up a drugs racket in which he ran a team of street dealers.

During the racket, gangster's moll Lavery would bag up the drugs for Hussain to pass onto his subordinates sending text messages to him saying: 'Don't forget bags, have you got bags, I need bags.'

Emma Lavery (pictured), 24, splashed out on designer gear and foreign holidays while helping her boyfriend run his cocaine empire

Adam Hussain (right, with Lavery) set up a drugs racket, running a team of street dealers, while his girlfriend bagged up the drugs

Police twice arrested the couple over their racketeering and during one search of their 150,000 flat in a converted mill in the prestigious Heaton area of Bolton, Greater Manchester, found up to 115,000 in cash spread over their bed bundled into 1,000 wads.

In a separate raid officers seized a stash of designer gear including a Rose Gold Rolex watch valued at 28,850, a pair of Gucci Tiger pumps worth 405, Valentino camo flip flops worth 570 and a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes worth 645.

A scrap book was also recovered showing the couple taking holidays to Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Mexico and they had 'his and hers' BMWs parked outside.

Inquiries revealed Lavery had private health care despite earning less than 30,000 from her employers at Sir Phillip Green's Arcadia group between 2015 and 2019 whilst car valeter Hussain, also 24, was apparently paid nothing in wages.

When police searched the couple's flat in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and found up to 115,000 in cash spread over their bed bundled into 1,000 wads. Pictured: Emma Laveryy

At Bolton Crown Court the pair - who are no longer together - admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.

Hussain who also admitted possessing drugs with intent to supply was jailed for six years whilst Lavery, who has an eight month old daughter by him, was given 16 months jail suspended for two years.

The court heard she had been the victim of a bungled kidnapping after their arrest but she declined to help police catch the abductors.

Police first raided the couple's two apartment in May 2019. Lavery was at home whilst Hussain returned a short time later and police found a machete and a freezer bag containing 11 small snap bags containing cocaine and Ecstasy.

Mr Gavin Howie prosecuting said: 'In the master bedroom officers seized a Rose Gold Rolex watch valued at 28,850 and a quantity of cash together with an Apple iPhone and case within which was a Nuffield healthcard in the name of Emma Lavery. Four pairs of designer trainers were also found.

'The money seized was counted and totalled 4218.75 whilst other designer goods valued at 13938 were recovered from the flat making a total of 55001.25 of property and cash. A criminal property schedule includes high value designer goods purchased with cash.

Hussain (left) who admitted possessing drugs with intent to supply was jailed for six years whilst Lavery (right), who has an eight month old daughter by him, was given 16 months jail suspended for two years

'A scrapbook appeared to show a number of trips abroad from 2016 to Barcelona described as 'first holiday, then Rome, Amsterdam, Mexico in August 2017 as well as London in 2018. An enquiry with HMRC for Hussain shows that he had no record of employment for the tax years 2016-2020 and no records of benefits being paid to him.

'HMRC records for Lavery reveals a gross income of 29,973 for the 4.5 year period from 2015 to 2019.

'Hussain can be said to have played a leading role. He is clearly directing and organising the selling of cocaine on a commercial scale and has accumulated substantial financial gain as evidenced by the amount of cash seized and the extravagant lifestyle enjoyed by him and Lavery on little or no income.

'She appears to have performed a lesser role, albeit that any suggestion of a lack of awareness or understanding is rejected.'

Lavery's phone was examined and found to reference 'J' or 'jib' a codename for cocaine.

Hussain is in charge of facilitating the supply of the drugs to three dealers known only as 'John', 'Nathan' and 'Big1' whilst Lavery bagged the drugs in 0.3g deals.

In another raid on the couple's home, officers seized a stash of designer gear including a Rose Gold Rolex watch valued at 28,850, a pair of Gucci Tiger pumps worth 405, Valentino camo flip flops worth 570 and a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes worth 645

In some messages, she directed Hussain to tell dealers to come to her parents home to pick up their cocaine.

One from Lavery to Hussain said: 'If John or Nathan are awake or Big1 tell them come to my mums in 15 mins XX' 'for J.'

The court heard one dealer was selling drugs to clear a drug debt of his own whilst Big1 suggests Hussain get more peddlers.

Other messages Lavery sent to Hussain read: 'I need to at least do some jibs for tomorrow. Have you bought bags. You need to reload. Nothing left.'

The couple were released pending further investigating but police raided their new flat at a luxury development in Bolton on July 25 last year.

Mr Howie added: 'Hussain was found near to the bedroom door and Lavery was inside the bedroom. It was clear that she was heavily pregnant.

In some messages, Lavery (left) directed Hussain to tell dealers to come to her parents home to pick up their cocaine

'A decision was made not to arrest Lavery owing to her condition but she was refused access to her phone.

'Officers discovered a large amount of cash spread out on the bed and the drawers whilst the balcony area was searched and cash was discovered in three different bags and in bundles held by elastic bands similar to those recovered from the bedroom which appeared to be divided into bundles of 1000 each.

'One of the inners bags appeared to have the word 'Profit' written on it. The search also revealed numerous items of high value which included clothing, mobile phones and accessories for both occupants and their unborn child.'

Police searched a BMW 335D estate car used by Hussain and inside the boot area were three large wads of cash held together with elastic bands plus the Gucci handbag which was bought by him with cash at a Selfridges store.

A BMW 1 Series belonging to Lavery was also impounded. Various drugs were found in the estate car including cannabis and a haul cocaine hidden inside a small compartment to the right of the steering wheel. In total, the cash seized by officers in the second bust amounted to over 115,730.

Text messages on a phone found at the flat referred to '10j' and also 'bud' a street name for cannabis and and 'ket' which is ketamine. Hussain and Lavery both gave no comment in police interview.

He has previous convictions for affray and dangerous driving whilst she had a previous offence of drink driving on her record.

In mitigation for Lavery defence counsel Mr Richard Orme said his client had 'prospects' after completing a four year university degree.

Officers also found a scrap book showing the couple taking holidays to Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Mexico and they had 'his and hers' BMWs parked outside. Pictured: Emma Lavery

'She has found herself in court as a result of Mr Husain's stupidity,' he added. ' Diplomatic relations between them have ceased and there will not be a reconciliation. She has learnt a salutary lesson.

'There was a report made that she was kidnapped and you cannot blame a lady of her circumstances not wanting to make a statement to police concerning the sorts of individual who were prepared to take her away and cause her some injury.'

For Hussain Mr Bunty Batra said his client had a 'fixation' with cars and he began drug dealing to pay off a 25,000 debt incurred when he accidentally wrote off a friend's Audi A3 when he was not insured to drive it.

Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Stan Reiz QC told the pair: 'You both benefitted from the supply of cocaine and spent the proceeds on extravagant goods and had a number of holidays that you no doubt enjoyed.'

Lavery was also ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work and was made subject of a four month curfew from 8pm-7am. She and Hussain will face a Proceeds of Crime hearing later.
Ethiopians are marking the 10th Anniversary of the construction of GERD this week tearing down every conspiracy and mendacious propaganda and threats the people had to face simply because they have resolved to construct a dam that would generate electricity by their own resources.

April 2011 marked a turning point and change of the status quo ante in shattering hydro hegemony that was mean to prevent Ethiopia from using its own water resources from the Blue Nile by means of irrational colonial treaties of 1929 and 1959. These treaties were part of the British Scramble for Africa, geared at not only depriving Ethiopia of its rights but also all the Nile riparian countries from ever using the Nile.

Over the last 10 years, Ethiopia conducted the construction of GERD in the most transparent and mutually beneficial manner starting with sharing the blueprint of the dam up to taking the initiative for establishing a tripartite negotiation to ensure the equitable utilization of the waters of the Blue Nile based on internationally accepted principles on the utilization of Transboundary Rivers which included equitable and reasonable utilization of water resources, principle of notification, consultation and negotiations as well as cooperation and information exchange.

For ten years, Ethiopia adhered to these principles of international law and masterminded the Nile Basin Cooperation Framework even before holding a ground breaking ceremony for GERD. Both the framework and initiative were rejected by Sudan and Egypt.

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) encompassing DR. Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, The Sudan, Egypt, Tanzania and Uganda was instituted on February 22, 1999 in which Eretria assumed a status of observer. Following the initiative, a Cooperative Framework Agreement was drafted in 2010 and as the result of their disagreement with Article 14, b of the agreement which stated ... not to significantly affect the internal security of any other Nile Basin State which all countries except for Egypt and Sudan agreed to ratify. Egypt came up with her own version of the article which stated not to adversely affect the water security and current uses and rights of any other Nile Basin State. This amendment suggested by Egypt was in fact meant as a direct endorsement of the former colonial treaties to which Ethiopia was not a party.

In 2015, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt signed the DoP and in 2018, a Joint Research Group was formed but could not agree on the general framework of the research program. With a lobby from Egypt, the Donald Trump Administration and the World Bank attempted to participate in the Tripartite Negotiations as observers but later shifted themselves to the level of arbitrators in which the US Treasury Department issued an agreement document which was not in its mandate and tried to force Ethiopia to sign the document which the country categorically rejected.

Trump openly threatened that Egypt can bombard the dam at any time contrary to international diplomatic ethics giving himself the right to directly interfere in the internal affairs of Ethiopia providing a diplomatic support to Egypt in a similar fashion as some members of the League of Nations blessed Italian aggression on Ethiopia.

On the 19th of June, Egypt requested the UNSC to interfere in the negotiation process but the UNSC referred the case to the AU. On June 25 and 26, the three countries agreed to accept the negotiating role of the AU. However, Sudan and Egypt were repeatedly withdrawing and rejoining the negotiations and were busy looking for a means to pressurize Ethiopia to sign a binding document which stresses drought mitigation measures that Ethiopia should take. Ethiopia continued to stress that the DoP would suffice to come to final agreement.

Shifting her direction from the legal technical content of the negotiations, Egypt continued to politicize the issue of negotiations by taking the case to UNSC which authorized the AU to serve as a lead regional organization for the GERD negotiations. Egypt tried to use her good office in the Arab League and came up with an irrational resolution as a tool for exerting pressure on Ethiopia and as mentioned above tried to rally the US and EU against Ethiopia. Sudan was always swinging between supporting and opposing legitimate measure taken by Ethiopia, changing positions under pressure from Egypt.

Ethiopia has full respect for the AU as a regional organization with the highest caliber to lead the negotiations to conclusion. Ethiopia has the highest regards for its partners including USA, UN and other international organizations but asking these countries to be included in the negotiations has no use except for using the situation as a delaying tactics. The US had adopted a legitimate position of not participating in the negotiations unless the consent of the negotiating parties is acquired.

This flagship project is being built as a gift from the current generation of Ethiopians to the coming generation so that the territorial and water resource utilization sovereignty shall be cherished through generations.

The country has consistently stressed that the country has no intention of harming any neighboring country but strives for the equitable utilization of the waters of the Blue Nile.

Responding to questions raised by the MPs recently regarding the current status of GERD, Prime Minister Abiy said that Ethiopia has no intention to harm the neighboring brotherly countries but will definitely keep the promise made to the peoples of Ethiopia by filling GERD on the second round. I call upon the countries to cooperate with Ethiopia in helping to develop the waters of the Nile for their mutual benefits.

He added that Ethiopia will not allow 65per cent of its population to continue living in darkness but will address the issue in the most legal-technical manner.

Reports from the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy indicate that the overall average construction of GERD has reached about 79 percent. A similar report indicates that although the initial budget earmarked for GERD was 84 billion Birr over the last ten years and is estimated to cost about 160 billion Birr upon total completion in December 2023. Despite the economic challenges the country had to face, Ethiopians have continued to support the construction of GERD in further efforts they are making in purchase of bonds.

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As repeatedly stressed, Ethiopia is building GERD not only for itself but also as part of the regional program of supplementing regional economic integration by providing a hydroelectric power grid for Africa's development programs. GERD is a practical response of Ethiopia's share to the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs.

GERD will convert conflict into peace and competition into cooperation. It will provide unique tourist attraction center for local, African and international tourists. It will serve as a regional center for research in hydrology and aquatic life.

At this point in time, a greater appreciation and recognition needs to be accorded to the peoples and government of Ethiopia for leading the construction, financing and providing moral support through on site visits to GERD. Special appreciation also needs to go to Ethiopians and citizens of Ethiopian origin, persons of creative arts who contributed to the construction of GERD. Ethiopia will foil all conspiracies geared towards sabotaging the construction of GERD and emerge victoriously.
TORRINGTON  The citys regional animal control building, a run-down little structure on Bogue Road over the Harwinton line, was supposed to be replaced by a shiny, new facility in 2019.

Three years later, the project finally may get started, thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act, which is expected to funnel millions of dollars into municipalities and agencies around the country.

Voters approved the project in 2018, after a design and proposal was developed by the Northwest Hills Council of Governments in 2015.

Mayor Elinor Carbone said she is applying for money for the project through the USDA Community Programs funding, established under the ARPA.

Its established to cover the gap between the authorized bonding amount, contributions from partner communities and funds from our annual operating budget, Carbone said.

Torrington needs the extra funding because the projects costs have increased. Voters approved borrowing up to $1 million to build the facility in 2018. But in 2019, the lowest bid was $1.9 million, Carbone said.

Rick Lynn, director of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments, said the agency designed a new dog shelter that was expected to be shared by Torrington, Litchfield and Goshen, and eventually would include other towns. At the time, Lynn said that when requests for proposals were made in spring 2019, construction companies in Connecticut were busy, which resulted in higher bids.

We developed a design plan for a new shelter, that would be shared by Torrington, Litchfield and Goshen, and could eventually include other towns, Lynn said. Unfortunately, the seven bids we received were much higher than we anticipated, between $1.9 million and $2.7 million.

Litchfield then changed its participation commitment in the project, and is looking to contribute to it with annual payments instead of a lump sum, according to Carbone.

The regional animal shelter project was first developed in 2015.

The new facility would be built on Bogue Road where the old building, built in the 1960s, now stands. Officials determined there wasnt enough space for the dogs and cats that are kept there until theyre adopted.

The animal shelter was established to give towns in and around Torrington a place to keep lost or wandering animals. Under the regional agreement, Torrington provides full-time animal control officers seven days a week, with shifts running from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. The lead animal control officer is Caitlin Neild.

Neild was unavailable to answer questions Thursday, but held up two crossed fingers and said, hopefully, when asked whether she thought the shelter project was going forward.

The new shelter would have up to 26 kennels for dogs and 18 to 20 cat cages, as well as additional kennels for a quarantine area for new animals. Currently, cats are sometimes kept in carriers in a small, indoor area near the kennels.
Hugh Jackman made sure to protect his pale complexion during a swim on Friday.

The actor, 52, shared two Instagram images in which he stripped down for a dip in the ocean, explaining that he'd worn loads of sunscreen.

Drenched in the two selfies, the Wolverine actor looked serene as he bobbed in the deep blue sea.

Swim fan: Hugh Jackman (pictured) made sure to protect his pale complexion during a swim on Friday. The actor, 52, shared two Instagram images in which he stripped down for a dip in the ocean, explaining that he'd worn loads of sunscreen

He captioned the photographs, in which he is squinting in the bright sunshine: 'I've been double dipped in SPF 100.'

The X-Men star has been spending time by the sea, enjoyed a surfing session on Tuesday, which didn't all go to plan.

The actor shared a number of videos and photos from the excursion, admitting that he fell off the board after taking the impressive footage.

He captioned the photographs, in which he is squinting in the bright sunshine: 'I've been double dipped in SPF 100'

The Greatest Showman star wrote in his caption: 'Video edited to right before I wiped out.'

Hugh appeared to be enjoying an electronic surfboard session - using a board that was powered by a battery-operated engine.

In the video, Hugh glided effortlessly across the water, despite there being no waves in sight.

Fun: The X-Men star has been spending time by the sea, enjoyed a surfing session on Tuesday

It comes after the star expressed his love for his beloved pets, dogs Dali and Allegra, on National Puppy Day.

In an Instagram post, Hugh shared a portrait photo of himself holding dog Allegra in a throwback photo.

'In honor of #nationalpuppyday, I feel it only right to revisit the first day #Allegra joined our family,' he wrote.

Allegra is a poodle and terrier mix. While Dali, named after artist Salvador Dali, is a French bulldog.
The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):

Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health releases Ontario's COVID-19 modelling at Queen's Park during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Thursday, April 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):

6:10 p.m.

British Columbia is reporting 832 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C.'s total number of deaths has now reached 1,463 people.

She says 296 people are in hospital being treated for COVID-19, with 79 people in intensive care.

Henry started her update today answering questions she says she has received from members of the public, including questions about B.C.'s vaccine strategy.

4 p.m.

Saskatchewan is reporting 199 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, 115 of which are in the capital city, which has become a hot spot for variants of concern.

Health officials warned that the number of faster-spreading variants is also beginning to rise elsewhere in southern Saskatchewan, particularly Moose Jaw and Weyburn.

The province is expanding vaccine eligibility to people 58 and older as of Friday.

So far, 200,633 doses have been administered.

3:05 p.m.

Prince Edward Island is reporting one new case of COVID-19 today.

Health officials say the case involves someone under 19 who is a contact of a previously reported infection.

Prince Edward Island has 13 active reported cases of COVID-19.

The province has reported a total of 160 infections and no deaths linked to the virus.

2:15 p.m.

Health officials in New Brunswick are reporting 10 new cases of COVID-19 in the province today.

One case is in the Moncton region, and the other nine are in the Edmundston region.

There are now 141 active cases, and four patients are hospitalized, including three in intensive care.

Following a recent confirmed case of COVID-19, health officials have declared an outbreak at Foyer St-Jacques, a special care home in Edmundston.

2:05 p.m.

Ontario is imposing a four-week shutdown to combat rising COVID-19 infections.

Premier Doug Ford says the measures will take effect Saturday and remain in place across the province for at least four weeks.

Retail stores will see limits on capacity while restaurants will be restricted to takeout, delivery and drive-thru service.

Ford made the announcement hours after his governments science advisers said a stay-at-home order is needed to control the third wave driven by deadlier and more infectious variants.

1:55 p.m.

Two women in their 40s in Manitoba have died from COVID-19 and there are 52 more cases of the virus.

Screening has also identified three more cases that are variants of concern for a total of 270.

There are 148 people in hospital due to COVID-19 and 30 are in intensive care.

1:05 p.m.

Health Canada says almost three in four Canadians over the age of 80 have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, as have one in three people between 70 and 79.

Overall, almost one in six Canadians have now been given at least one dose, with 5.1 million people vaccinated as of Thursday morning.

About 690,000 of those have received both doses.

Health Canada also issued new data by province today, showing Quebec ahead of the rest of the country in vaccinations, with 17.5 per cent of the adult population in Quebec vaccinated with at least one dose, followed by Saskatchewan at 14.9 per cent, Alberta at 14.6 per cent and Ontario at 13.9 per cent.

Nova Scotia trails way behind at 5.6 per cent, with Manitoba second-to-last at 11 per cent.

1 p.m.

Newfoundland and Labrador health authorities are reporting one new case of COVID-19.

Officials say the case involves a man between 20 and 39 years old and his infection is related to travel within the country.

Public health says contact tracers are still trying to chase down the source of another infection announced Wednesday.

Newfoundland and Labrador hasnt reported a case of COVID-19 whose source wasnt quickly traced to travel or an existing infection since an outbreak swept through the St. Johns region in February.

1 p.m.

Ontario is now offering Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to residents aged 55 and older.

Its also expanding the roster of pharmacies offering shots to include locations in every public health unit.

The province is expecting 583,400 shots of the vaccine to arrive today.

It says pharmacies could start offering the vaccine as early as Saturday.

12:20 p.m.

Canada's first deliveries of vaccine from the international vaccine sharing program known as COVAX will begin in the next few days.

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the military commander overseeing Health Canada's vaccine delivery logistics, says Canada is preparing to pick up 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the coming days and they will be delivered to provinces next week.

Canada is to get 1.9 million doses through COVAX by the end of June.

11:10 a.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting three new cases of COVID-19.

Two of the cases are in the Halifax area, with one related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada and the other being a close contact of a previously reported case.

Health officials say the third case is in the western health zone and is also related to travel outside of the Atlantic region.

The province is reporting a total of 24 active cases of novel coronavirus.

11 a.m.

Quebec is reporting 1,271 new cases of COVID-19 and nine more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, including one in the past 24 hours.

Health officials say hospitalizations rose by two, to 487, and 119 people were in intensive care, a drop of one.

The province says it administered 41,406 doses of vaccine Wednesday, for a total of 1,391,649, representing 16.4 per cent of the population.

Quebec has reported a total of 312,362 COVID-19 infections and 10,676 deaths linked to the virus; it has 9,038 active reported cases.

10:30 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 2,557 new cases of COVID-19 and 23 more deaths linked to the virus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 743 new cases in Toronto, 484 in Peel Region, and 311 in York Region.

She also says there are 131 new cases in Ottawa, 119 in Hamilton and 107 in Durham Region

Ontario says 84,060 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered since Wednesday's update.

10 a.m.

Ontario's science advisers say stay-at-home orders will control the third wave of COVID-19, which is being driven by rising rates of the more deadly variants of concern.

The Ontario Science Advisory Table makes the findings in its latest pandemic modelling data.

Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the group, says short-term case projections will depend entirely on the public health measures implemented by the government and vaccination rates.

He says the province's vaccine rollout is not reaching the highest risk communities, which is delaying its impact as an effective strategy to fight the pandemic.

7:15 a.m.

The Canadian Press has learned that Ontario is expected to announce a 28-day provincewide "shutdown" today to stop the spread of COVID-19.

A source with knowledge of the restrictions says the final details of the new measures are still being worked out.

The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the announcement, says schools will remain open after the Easter weekend.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had an incorrect number of active cases in Quebec.
Supreme Court Gives Georgia Win in Water War With Florida

The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Floridas water lawsuit against Georgia on Thursday, ending the long-running legal fight between the two states.

The case involved the Flint and Chattahoochee rivers in Georgia, which join to form the Apalachicola River at the Florida line.

The court rejected Floridas claim that Georgia uses too much of the water that flows from the Atlanta suburbs to the Gulf of Mexico. Florida said that its neighbors overconsumption is to blame for the decimation of Floridas oyster industry.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for the court that Florida failed to prove its case, which had been before the court twice in the past three years.

Considering the record as a whole, Florida has not shown that it is highly probable that Georgias alleged overconsumption played more than a trivial role in the collapse of Floridas oyster fisheries, Barrett wrote (pdf).

The courts newest justice cautioned that she and her colleagues were not equipped to say what accounts for the steep decline in oysters from Apalachicola Bay.

Of course, the precise causes of the Bays oyster collapse remain a subject of ongoing scientific debate. As judges, we lack the expertise to settle that debate and do not purport to do so here, Barrett wrote.

Oysters are displayed in Apalachicola, Florida, on Aug. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)

And she also noted that, even with its high-court victory, Georgia has an obligation to make reasonable use of Basin waters in order to help conserve that increasingly scarce resource.

Georgia officials called the decision a vindication of their water management.

Today the Supreme Court of the United States, in a unanimous decision, affirmed what we have long known to be true: Georgias water use has been fair and reasonable, Attorney General Chris Carr said.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in a statement on Thursday called the ruling disappointing.

The Supreme Courts ruling is disappointing for the thousands of families whose livelihoods depend on the waters of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochie-Flint River Basin, she said in a statement to media outlets. The Court may have disagreed, but the hardworking Floridians of our oyster fisheries know that water overconsumption by Georgia has contributed to a 98 percent decline in value of Floridas oyster catch. While we work to protect Floridas waters, our Division of Aquaculture will continue working hard to support our oyster industry every way that we can.

Florida had sought a court order forcing Georgia to limit its use of water from the Flint. When the justices first heard the dispute three years ago, Florida also was claiming that the Atlanta areas consumption of water from the Chattahoochee River played a big role in the reduced flows in Florida, but that claim fell out of the case by the time it reached the court again in February.

Last year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously to shut down oyster harvesting in Apalachicola Bay through the end of 2025 because of a dwindling oyster population.

Floridas lawsuit against Georgia was filed in 2013 directly in the Supreme Court, which is mainly an appellate court but hears disputes between states. The court appointed a special master to evaluate the case, and he initially recommended that Georgia should prevail.

By Mark Sherman

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
Lome, Togo (PANA) - The Togolese Minister of Economy and Finance, Sani Yaya, has ordered about 20 financial services companies considered risky to close and immediately reimburse their clients, an official statement said on Friday in Lome
MADRID (Reuters) - A regional office of Spain's leftist Unidas Podemos party was hit by a fire-bomb attack on Friday, police said.

The attack took place in Cartagena in southeastern Spain. The blaze damaged the exterior of the building.

Podemos accused right-wing elements of carrying it out.

"The street terrorism of the far-right will not intimidate us," party leader Pablo Iglesias, who is standing as a candidate in regional elections in Madrid on May 4, said on social media.

Police said no arrests had been made after the attack, which took place in the early hours of Friday morning.

It was the sixth time vandals have struck at the party building, a Podemos spokesman said.

(Reporting by Graham Keeley, Elena Rodriguez; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
[April 02, 2021] Holberton Launches Expanded Program to Accelerate Learning Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence

SAN FRANCISCO, April 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Holberton , making software engineering education affordable and accessible globally, today announced the appointment of a new Machine Learning and Mathematics Team to build out a comprehensive program to accelerate training students in the key tenets of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the engine of the New Economy.

On LinkedIn, there are currently 60,000 machine learning jobs open in the U.S. alone. Many are technology giants such as Twitter and TikTok. But increasingly traditional tech companies are investing in machine learning and recruiting machine learning engineers: even companies like McDonalds. According to LinkedIn , machine learning has created one of the biggest employment opportunities of 2021. Machine learning hiring since 2019 is up by 32%. Machine learning has revolutionized so many fields, ranging from medicine, to social media, to food, to security, said Julien Barbier, CEO of Holberton. This trend has accelerated with COVID-19. While yesterday, every company had to become a digital company to survive, tomorrow they will have to become machine learning companies. Were committed to training the next generation of ML software engineers to meet this demand when there is an urgent global shortage of qualified talent. Holberton provides a portfolio of programs and tools, such as the new Mathematics and ML offerings, that customers can pick and choose amog to make their teachers and students successful. Holbertons offering includes a complete off-the-shelf franchise model, as well as tailored curricula, auto-graded projects, tools and methods. Customers -- who best understand their student needs, job market requirements, and unique accessibility challenges -- use what they want or need to fulfill their education mission. Today Holberton customers  a network of 18 campuses on three continents and growing rapidly -- include franchise campuses, education providers like Pearson, and universities like Honoris United Universities. By unbundling its historical offerings, Holberton has created a new concept that it calls the "OS of Education.''



While many alternative educational institutions, both online and offline, have done a great job at opening the doors to programming, 99% of machine learning hires have a bachelors degree or higher, said Mohamed Amine Ben Amor, PhD, leader of the new Holberton Mathematics and Machine Learning Team and former director of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Paris Dauphine of Tunis. The field of machine learning is still not accessible to most aspirants, and it suffers from a huge lack of diversity that has already sparked many ethical controversies. The machine-learning community needs more diversity in the field. They are creating our future and we want that future to reflect the values and attitudes of everyone. Reporting to Ben Amor, will be new team members Florian Bolgar, Fares Nadjar, Myriam Azzouz and Oumaima Merhbene, all ML experts from industry and academia. Oleksandra Fedorova from Google and Greggory Renard from xBrain and The Frontier Development Lab (an applied research accelerator based at NASA ARC and the SETI Institute), will serve as working advisors to ensure the curriculum is of the highest quality and meets industry needs.

Read more about the news About Holberton

Founded in Silicon Valley in 2015, Holberton s innovative and flexible delivery of the OS of Education provides a unique portfolio of tools, auto-graded tailored curricula and teaching methods to help its customers - education institutions, universities, corporations and franchisees - successfully train the next generation of digital talent at scale. Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on Twitter

Editorial Contact

Lonn Johnston for Holberton

lonn@flak42.com

+1 650.219.7764



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Nigers new President Mohamed Bazoum lashed out on Friday at jihadists who have carried out devastating attacks on his country, accusing them of war crimes as he took the helm of the troubled nation.

His inauguration marked the first-ever transition between elected presidents in Nigers six decades of independence from France  a historic moment that has been widely praised.

But the Sahel countrys problems were deeply underscored in the run-up to Fridays ceremony, after a string of jihadist massacres and an alleged attempted coup just two days before the handover.

In his inauguration speech, Bazoum hit out at terrorist groups whose barbarity has exceeded every limit.

These groups carry out large-scale massacres of innocent civilians, and in doing so, commit real war crimes, Bazoum declared.

Niger is being hit by insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda or the so-called Islamic State (IS), crossing from Mali and Burkina Faso in the west, and by Boko Haram, crossing from Nigeria in the southeast.

Thousands of people have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

Since the start of this year alone, more than 300 people have been killed in three attacks in the west.

In its campaign to roll back the threat, Nigers diplomatic efforts will be centered on Mali, Bazoum said.

IS-linked insurgents are based in Menaka and Gao, in eastern and central Mali respectively, said Bazoum.

Combatting them will be very difficult so long as the Malian state does not exercise full sovereignty over these regions, he said.

The current situation in Mali has a direct impact on domestic security in our country.

Bazoum has previously ruled out any talks with the jihadists.

We cannot envisage any dialogue of any kind so long as there is a single Nigerien jihadist chief, a single jihadist base on our territory, he said in a recent interview with French media outlets RFI and France 24.

 Cowardly act 

Bazoum, 61, is a former interior minister and right-hand man of outgoing president Mahamadou Issoufou, 68, who has voluntarily stepped down after two five-year terms  a move that Bazoum saluted in his speech.

Bazoum won a runoff vote for the presidency in February with 55.6 percent of the ballot, according to official results contested by his opponent, Mahamane Ousmane.

His inauguration has been showcased as a democratic watershed in a country that has suffered four coups in its history, most recently in February 2010.

Reminders of that volatility came in the early hours of Wednesday, when gunfire broke out near the presidency in the capital Niamey.

The government announced an attempted coup had been thwarted  a cowardly and regressive act which sought to threaten democracy and the state of law.

The alleged coup leader is an air force officer in charge of security at Niameys air base and is being actively sought, a source within Nigers security services told AFP on Wednesday.

Another security source said a few members of the army had been behind the coup but had been prevented from approaching the presidential palace by the elite Presidential Guard.

Some arrests were made, the source said.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was among worried foreign leaders, calling on the armed forces to strictly abide by their constitutional obligations.

Bazoum, in his speech, said the attempted coup was very revealing of the state of mind of some of our compatriots (who are) willing to compromise our countrys future.

He said he hoped for the end of putschist and insurrectionist temptations in Niger.

 Education for girls 

Several African heads of state or government attended the ceremonies at Niameys international conference centre, which was adorned with Nigers national colours of green, white and orange.

The VIPs included President Idriss Deby Itno of Chad, who has recently dispatched 1,200 troops to Niger to help shore up security, while France sent its foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian.

In addition to insecurity, Bazoums big task is to ease poverty in a country ranked the poorest in the world under the UNs 189-nation Human Development Index (HDI).

Bazoum vowed to push ahead with a campaign-trail pledge to strengthen education for girls, and be ruthless in fighting corruption, an issue that had stained Issoufous tenure.
(TNS)  More than 40% of Americans have experienced some kind of online hate or harassment, with many of those instances taking place on large social media sites, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League.A new state bill wants to hold large social media companies to account for how they police that kind of harmful content. Introduced by California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills), AB 587 is aimed at social media giants like Facebook and others with gross revenue in excess of $100 million annually. If signed into law, the legislation would require social media companies to make their policies public on how they monitor hate, disinformation, extremism, harassment and foreign interference on their sites.The bill would also force those companies to disclose if they use human or artificial intelligence to monitor instances of harmful content, and to provide data on the effectiveness of their efforts to stop it. "Californians are becoming increasingly alarmed about the role of social media in promoting hate, disinformation, conspiracy theories and extreme political polarization," Gabriel said in a statement "It's long past time for these companies to provide real transparency into their content moderation practices."Facebook, Twitter and Google, which owns YouTube, did not respond to emailed requests for comment about the bill. The goal of the legislation, "Is to create consistency and a mechanism to help the public better understand how content moderation is operating on these platforms," said Lauren Krapf, national policy counsel at the ADL.Krapf said the recent survey found close to three quarter of respondents wanted the companies to report on incidents of hate that crop up on their sites, adding she hopes the bill can be part of a larger strategy aimed at confronting online extremism and its offline consequences.Krapf pointed to "The fluidity between online violence, which does exist, and offline violence, which we've seen too frequently these days." The legislation also comes at a time when some studies have shown The U.S. population is increasingly mistrustful of tech and big tech companies, particularly when it comes to weaponized disinformation.The bill aims to reign in not only some of the largest social media companies in existence, but some of the largest companies overall in terms of value and revenue. That is no small task, with the likes of Facebook and Google spending millions of dollars annually on federal lobbying to influence policy, in particular with respect to the much-debated Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act which shields them from legal liability for what is said on their sites.With that much legal and lobbying heft, enforcing any potential state law could be a challenge."We've seen companies get million dollar fines and not blink," said Krapf of the ADL, noting an enforcement mechanism is still being debated as the bill moves through the legislative process.Without one, she said, "There would be an opportunity to not take this as seriously as it needs to be taken."
The surge in electric vehicles across the world is now quite real as most carmakers are now switching to EVs and strategising their future goals based on it. But some concerns still persist, like setting up ample charging infrastructure or ending dependency on fossil fuel to generate power and reduce carbon footprint. One carmaker has set on a mission to do just that by using solar power to charge up its electric vehicles.

Meet Humble Motors, an electric vehicle startup based in California, which recently showcased World's first solar powered SUV Humble One. Founded in 2020 by industry veterans including an award-winning Formula 1 race car designer, Humble Motors has replaced the sunroof on top and replaced it with a panel that has photovoltaic cells. These cells will help store solar energy that the vehicle will be able to use to recharge itself, even on the go.

Humble Motors is using solar roof, electricity-generating sidelites, peer-to-peer charging, regenerative braking, and fold-out solar array 'wings' for the SUV. With all these technology the SUV can recharge the battery while being parked, generating enough electrical power to increase driving range by 15-95 kms every day. The figures may vary at different places depending on how much sunlight they get every year.

As far as the technical details of the Humble One concept SUV is concerned, the specifications are attractive enough to excite a lot of people. The four-door, five-seat SUV claims to have a range of more than 800 kms on single charge. The figure is better than even some of the leading electric vehicles currently available across the world. Humble Motors also claimed that the SUV can churn out a maximum 1020 hp of power and is 0.25 drag coefficient.

The Humble One concept SUV stands 5,029 mm long, slightly longer than a Toyota Corolla. It is shorter than the Tesla Cybertuck, and weighs 1814 kgs, about 680 kgs lighter than the US carmaker's flagship electric pickup.

Humble founder Dima Steesy said, "We think solar is the future of mobility and that solar-powered electric vehicles are the clear next step to tackling carbon neutrality in the transportation ecosystem."The Humble One solar-powered SUV is still at a concept stage, but it promises some interesting prospects for the industry which is decisively shifting towards electrification. Solar-powered cars will not only reduce dependency on fossil-fuel generated power to recharge electric cars, it also promises to help reduce overall cost for the manufacturer or governments to set up charging infrastructure separately.
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, (PANA)  The African Union (AU) has partnered with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to campaign towards the end of child labour
She famously hung a collage artwork of herself in her $7.3million Melbourne home.

And now AFL WAG Rebecca Judd has shown off her latest artwork that she will hang in her pad.

The 38-year-old shared a post on her Instagram stories showing the interesting new piece, which is an abstract portrait by Australian artist Nunzio Miano.

New piece: Rebecca Judd has splashed out on a new painting (pictured) to hang in her $7.3million Brighton mansion... after showing off a collage artwork of HERSELF that takes pride of place in her living room

She captioned the painting, which depict a person's face, 'Looking forward to hanging this guy'.

Back in 2019, the wife of former AFL star Chris Judd showed off a customised collage artwork of herself, shown hanging in the living room of her Melbourne family home.

The artwork featured three black and white photos of the star, accentuated by bronze, dusty pink and silver patterning.

Art collector: The 38-year-old WAG's post showed an abstract portrait by Australian artist Nunzio Miano

Wall feature: Back in 2019, the wife of former AFL star Chris Judd showed off a customised collage artwork of herself, shown hanging in the living room of her Melbourne family home

She gave her fans a close-up look at the art on her Instagram Stories, tagging the company which made it, Labyrinth of Collages.

At the time, Bec gave fans a glimpse at the sizable artwork in a separate Instagram post, sharing photos of her newly styled living room.

But many followers didn't seem to notice the collage, while others were unsure if it was actually her in the artwork.

'Is that a picture of you on the wall?' commented one curious follower.

More artwork: Judd showed off another painting in her luxurious home in a recent Instagram Story

Bec appeared to have commissioned the artwork, with the company reposting her Instagram Stories photo and labelling it a 'custom collage'.

According to Labyrinth of Collages, the artworks are created by a Melbourne-based artist named Paria.

The former speech pathologist shares her home with husband Chris and their children; sons Oscar, nine, Darcy and Tom, four, and daughter Billie, seven.
Children are silhouetted in front of posters of the Justice and Protection against Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign in 2010. (Jay Directo/AFP/Getty Images)

Texas Family Of Four Charged In Alleged Sex Trafficking Ring At Houston Bar

A Texas family has been charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy to do so, the Department Of Justice (DOJ) announced April 1.

Maria Botello, 54, her son, Edgar Botello, 28, her nephew, Arian Botello, 23 and her daughter, Yudy Lucatero, 31, from Houston allegedly coerced waitresses working at the Houston bar Puerto Alegre to engage in commercial sex acts.

The alleged acts took place between 2007 to 2020, according to a criminal complaint filed March 30. The victims included adults and at least one minor.

Maria Botello is accused of coordinating dates with clients who paid $70 for every 15 minutes with the girls, according to the DOJ.

Her son, Edgar, and nephew, Arian, allegedly acted as enforcers who used weapons, threats, and intimidation to keep the victims working at the bar compliant.

The investigation also accused Maria and her daughter Yudy of discussing the rules and procedures in relation to the sex trafficking.

At least one victim was a 17-year-old girl who was transported into the U.S. specifically for the purpose of forced sex work at the bar, according to investigators.

While there, she was allegedly forced to engage in commercial sex.

The family is expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy at 2 p.m. on April 2.

If convicted, they each face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) initiated the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department (HPD) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack is prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection says one in four victims of human trafficking or modern-day slavery are childrenand women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labor, accounting for 99 percent of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58 percent in other sectors.

Out of the 24.9 million people trapped in forced labor, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million persons in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million persons in forced labor imposed by state authorities.

The State Department found in 2019 the top three nations of origin for human trafficking victims were the United States, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Texas alone saw more than 1,080 human trafficking cases reported in 2019, according to the Human Trafficking Hotline. Of those reported, 933 were female and 261 were minors.

Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott new efforts to stamp out human trafficking related to illegal border crossings amid a surge in apprehensions, including of unaccompanied minors, at the southern border.

The anti-human trafficking efforts will be included in the states Operation Lone Star, which was launched at the start of March to address the smuggling of people and drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas.

As part of the new efforts, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers and agents, as well as the Texas Rangers, will interview unaccompanied minors who crossed the border, to identify victims of human trafficking and gather information to help arrest traffickers.

Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report.
New Online Reservation System open for In-Person Visits;

Popular Online Virtual Tours, Educational Videos and Webinars to Expand in Coming Months

LOS ANGELES, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles , a Japanese cultural destination in the heart of Hollywood, is pleased to welcome back in-person visitors to the Level 2 Gallery for the Nature/Supernature exhibit starting Monday, April 5. Complimentary exhibition tickets for small groups can now be reserved through JAPAN HOUSEs new online reservation system. Additionally, walk-ins are invited as space safely allows. The gallery is open daily from 11 a.m.  6 p.m., with the last reservation block at 5:30 p.m.

We are pleased to welcome our visitors back into our gallery space to explore the history and significance of Japans woodblock prints, said Yuko Kaifu, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles president. The safety of our visitors and staff is our top priority. In opening our gallery, we will put in place ample safety measures for our guests to enjoy this amazing exhibition on-site, as well as through the virtual gallery tour developed during the pandemic.

Due to popular demand, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles will continue its online programming in the months ahead with new content, webinars and virtual exhibits.

GBAC STAR ACCREDITATION

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles has received Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accreditation awarded to facilities that demonstrate the most stringent standard of cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention protocols. For additional details on JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles safety protocols, please visit www.japanhousela.com.

To ensure a safe and comfortable visit, security and new health and safety procedures will be in place in accordance with L.A. County guidelines for museums.

NATURE/SUPERNATURE Exhibition

This powerful exhibition of over sixty Japanese prints from the Scripps College collection features works by some of Japans finest artists such as Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) portraying not only gorgeous vistas of the Japanese landscape, but also the fascinating deities and supernatural creatures believed to inhabit and influence nature  from ghosts, to shape-shifting animals, to trickster spirits. The exhibition delves into these images of the natural world and its supernatural dimensions, as well as the evolution of new woodblock printing techniques as one of the worlds first forms of mass media.

Dates: Now  Monday, May 31, 2021 Time: 11 a.m.  6 p.m. PT Location: JAPAN HOUSE Gallery | Level 2 Fee: Complimentary

In-Person Ticket Reservations: https://japanhousela.swoogo.com/Reservations

Virtual Tour: https://www.japanhousela.com/exhibitions/nature-supernature/



UPCOMING EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAM

Webinar | Scenic Views and Supernatural Beings: New Themes in 19th-century Ukiyo-e Prints

Why were there so many views of nature and images of supernatural beings in Japanese prints of the 19th century? Using the woodblock prints in the NATURE/SUPERNATURE exhibition as a starting point, Professor Ryo Akama from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto and Hollis Goodall from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will explore these questions in a fascinating conversation about the two themes in ukiyo-e prints and in Japanese culture as a whole.

Date: Monday, April 19 Time: 6 p.m.  7 p.m. PT Location: Online Fee: Complimentary

Registration: https://www.japanhousela.com/events/scenic-views-and-supernatural-beings/

For more information, visit the JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles website and social channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

ABOUT JAPAN HOUSE

JAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs, London, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. It seeks to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of Japan in the international community. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles occupies two floors at Hollywood & Highland. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles offers a place of new discovery that transcends physical and conceptual boundaries creating experiences that reflect the best of Japan through its spaces and diverse programs.

Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

Website: www.japanhousela.com
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 2)  The United Kingdom will prohibit the entry of travelers from the Philippines starting April 9 to prevent the spread of the more contagious COVID-19 variants.

The British government on Friday said the Philippines was included in the "red list" alongside Pakistan, Kenya, and Bangladesh. International visitors who departed from or transited through these four countries in the past 10 days will be refused entry into the UK.

Only British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights in the UK, can enter given they undergo a 10-day facility-based quarantine.

The UK said the ban will help reduce the risk of new variants, such as those first discovered in South Africa and Brazil, from entering England.

"The government has made it consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus and has added these destinations to the red list to protect public health," it said in a statement.

The Philippines has confirmed hundreds of cases of the variants first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.

It also has 104 cases of the variant first reported in the Philippines called P.3. The World Health Organization has yet to declare if P.3 is a variant of concern.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Dodo Dulay said the travel ban is "understandable" given the ongoing COVID-19 surge in the Philippines.
Brian Teare, conference alumnus and returning faculty member, is the author of six critically-acclaimed books, the most recent of which, "Doomstead Days," was longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award. His honors include Lambda Literary and Publishing Triangle Awards and a fellowship from the NEA, among others. He teaches at the University of Virginia and heads the micropress Albion Books.

Returning faculty member Matthew Zapruder is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently "Fathers Day," as well as "Why Poetry," a book of prose. He is editor at large at Wave Books, where he edits contemporary poetry, prose, and translations. He teaches at Saint Marys College of California.

Fiction

Returning faculty member Charles Baxter is the author of seven works of fiction, most recently "Theres Something I Want You to Do." His new novel, "The Sun Collective," is forthcoming in early 2021. He has received the Award of Merit in the Short Story and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Rea Award in the Short Story. He teaches at the University of Minnesota.
Were doing something we rarely do, which is to have a single topic  fire  as our centerpiece for almost the entire day, Dillon said of the upcoming meeting. I think their concerns are our concerns  they are everyones concerns.

The Napa County Farm Bureau is also hoping to see wildfire mitigation prioritized at the local level, according to CEO Ryan Klobas; the group plans to submit its own letter to the board ahead of Tuesdays meeting. Economic recovery is also at the top of the list of priorities, Klobas said, noting hes been so far very pleased at the excellent work County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza has been doing in helping to lead an economic recovery workshop hosted by the Farm Bureau.

Its also up to local officials to communicate the situation on the ground to representatives at the state and federal level, Klobas added.

When it comes to our local elected officials, one of their jobs is to truly understand the depth of the issues were involved in, and to really work with state and federal officials to address those, he said.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The city of Albuquerque and an aerospace company thats planning a large New Mexico satellite manufacturing operation have come to terms on a lease for 114.5 acres of Aviation Department land, marking a new milestone for a project that could eventually create thousands of new jobs.

The pending ground lease and development agreement requires Theia Group Inc. to develop the entire site in the next decade, including at least 48 acres by 2025, according to documents Mayor Tim Keller sent this week to the City Council. Failure to meet the development timelines would allow the city to reclaim undeveloped land.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



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The deal  which still needs council approval  also spells out for the first time that the Washington, D.C.-based company intends to seek economic development incentives for the massive campus its planning to build on the former Albuquerque International Sunport runway, though it does not specify the mechanism.

The campus could host 1,000 workers when it opens and eventually grow to 2,500, representatives have said.

Keller last fall began speaking enthusiastically about the project, while simultaneously warning that it was not a done deal. In a statement to the Journal on Friday, he reiterated that the project remains in the beginning stages, but noted this is a promising development.

Getting the lease done puts us one step closer to adding potentially thousands of good-paying jobs for Albuquerque, Keller said. Its still early in the project, but it just became a lot more tangible and real, and well continue working closely with Theia Group to keep it moving.

The agreement between Theia and the city could span 50 years  30 years to start, with two possible 10-year extensions.

Theia Group has agreed to pay the city $1 million on the agreements commencement date  expected to be June 1  and another $1 million a year later, according to the mayors correspondence.

In 2025, annual rent would rise to $1.2 million. It would increase by 2% yearly until 2030, at which time an appraisal would set payments.

Theia Group is the parent firm of Group Orion, which last year began the entitlement process for the planned Southeast Albuquerque campus. The plan includes approximately 4.1 million square feet of development, with the potential to grow. The facility will be used for light manufacturing (assembly), laboratories, offices, a parking structure and employee amenities, such as a food hall and day care, according to documents Orion representatives submitted to the city.

The purpose of this large facility is to receive components, and complete the assembly, integration and testing of satellites, an Orion representative wrote to the city planning commission last fall.

The company, which has previously declined to comment on the project, didnt respond to an inquiry about the lease agreement.

Theia Group is developing a constellation of satellites to cover the entire planet  offering a real-time digital representation of every physical activity, process and object on earth, according to its website.

Keller said last fall that the company had not sought any economic development incentives, but Theias pending agreement with the city indicates that is in its plans.

Theia intends to pursue certain economic development opportunities for development allowed by this agreement, the document states. Nothing in this agreement shall be construed to prohibit (Theia) from pursuing any and all economic development benefits with municipal, county, state or federal governmental entities at any time during the term, including, but not limited to, the issuance of industrial revenue bonds.

A Keller spokesman said Friday that Theia has not yet applied for incentives, but the city will be ready for that conversation if and when they start that process.

Bruce Krasnow, a spokesman for the New Mexico Economic Development Department, said Friday that the state is not currently involved with the project and is not offering incentives at this time.

Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis, who represents the area where Theia plans to build, said the lease and development agreement is a significant mile marker for the Orion Center, making the project real.

Theres a lot of pieces between here and the end, but the first thing in building a new house is to buy the land, and this is that piece, Davis said.

Journal staff writer Stephen Hamway contributed to this report.
Capitalism Is the Greatest Force for Individual Liberation

by Sheldon Richman

This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.

Capitalism is liberating. Maverick feminist Camille Paglia acknowledges that it was capitalism that liberated women. In this issue (October 2001) of Ideas on Liberty Andrew Bernstein points out that it was capitalism that enabled black entrepreneurs to advance in spite of racism and Jim Crow. Undoubtedly, capitalism is the greatest force for individual liberation the world has known.

Why is that so? Abstract philosophical reasons can be provided to answer that question. But in existential terms, one word sums up the case: property.

Private property is central to liberty and capitalism. As F. A. Hayek pointed out, one need not own property to benefit from the institution. Without a system of private property, everyone is but a tenant and employee of the monopoly state. And when thats your only option, you have no freedom.

How delightful to find confirmation of that theme in a movieone that was nominated for the Academy Award for best picture in 2000. Im talking about Chocolat. (I see movies rather long after they first hit the theaters, so forgive this belated discussion. The movie is available on tape and DVD.)

Chocolat is a controversial movie, and it is the controversy that helps emphasize my point that property is central to freedom. In briefest summary it is the story (screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs, based on the novel by Joanne Harris) of a mysterious woman, Vianne, who disrupts or awakens (depending on your point of view) a tradition-bound French village in 1959 by opening an exquisite chocolate shop. It sounds innocuous enough, but this richly textured story has many themes: tradition versus change, tolerance versus intolerance, spirit versus flesh, Christianity versus paganism, the Third World versus the West, feminism versus patriarchy, and others. Its all there, sufficiently nuanced and balanced to make for interesting conversation among friends, even if it indulges in political correctness a little too often.

Luckily, I dont have to sort out the many strands that run through the movie. Rather, I want to take a wider view and focus on the institutional setting of the story. Therein lies an irony I have not seen mentioned by movie reviewers.

Lets begin with a rough generalization. What we think of as left-wingers probably liked the movie. As they saw it, a strong single, unwed mother of Mayan pagan descent upsets a repressed Catholic village (especially its stern mayor) by tempting the residents with a pleasure of the flesh and cultivating the few latent mavericks in town, in particular, an abused wife and a salty old woman whos been cut off from her grandson by her uptight daughter. Vianne opens her shop just as Lent is beginning and announces plans for a fertility festival on Easter Sunday. Moreover, she befriends a band of river rats the town fathers have denounced as immoral undesirables.

The people we think of as right-wingers probably did not like the movie. (Michael Medved says the movie was determined to show the horrid, intolerant, cruel nature of religious conservatives.) This presumptuous heathen with her in-your-face manner offends the sensibilities of decent upstanding folks who didnt need her to intrude on their time-proven virtuous ways.

The movie isnt so black and white, and there is no overt politics or economics in the story. But if we judge the movie at the institutional level, interesting things happen. Heres the irony: many of the people who like the movie will tend to be anti-capitalism, anti-property, and anti-profit (which is to say anti-entrepreneur), yet what happens could not have happened under socialism or even milder government intervention.

Observe: Vianne comes into town and rents a store from a residentproperty rights, free trade, a tenant-landlord relationship. She proceeds to open her chocolaterieprivate enterprise. Shes friendly to the townspeople and invites them into her shop, often giving her potential customers free samples. Shes not just a good businesswoman; shes a Kirznerian entrepreneur, offering people something they dont yet know they want. Had they been surveyed by the Gallup Organization, they might have said they emphatically did not want a chocolaterie in their town.

Mayor Reynaud, keeper of the towns virtue, is clearly threatened by these events. But what does he do about the threat in his capacity as head of government? Absolutely nothing. Yes, he tells his fellow citizens that Vianne represents the devil and that they should resist her temptations. He attempts an informal boycott. But he does not arrest her. He does not close down her shop. We see no policeman at any time during the movie, and the words license and zoning are never spoken.

In other words, the private property of the owner and her tenant-shopkeeper are respected immaculately (with one unofficial exception). It is property that establishes the rule of law and the limits of government power. Because of property, the mayor (officially) tolerates Vianne even while disapproving of her. She is at all times safe with respect to the law. She is not even harassed. (The only threat comes from her friends abusive husband, whose conduct appalls the mayor.)

The Maverick Under Socialism

Now imagine this woman under socialism or communitarianism. She wouldnt have stood a chance. She could not have opened her shop without government permission, which she would not have received. Had she tried to open it anyway, she would have been shut down and fined or imprisoned. The secret police might have taken her away in the night.

But we need not go to extremes. Imagine that town simply with licensing and zoning laws. The reader can fill in the details.

I wonder how many people of the left, as they cheered Vianne on, were struck with the thought that her activities were possible only because the town respected private property. And how many people of the right who scorned Chocolat realized that private property and free markets make all traditions vulnerable to change and even extinction. (This is not to imply that change is necessarily progress.) Through voluntary exchange, people can do much to protect the customs and practices they cherish. Indeed, private property is instrumental in such protection. But in the final analysis a free society is an unplanned order that no one controls. Thus there are no guarantees that any given custom will endure.

Thats why government is so often asked to thwart change. When persuasion fails, physical force through the state is a tempting alternative for many people. But not in Chocolat.

Many factors, cultural and otherwise, will help determine whether a given viewer inclines toward Vianne or Mayor Reynaudor believes a reconciliation is possible. But everyone ought to be able to come away from Chocolat understanding that without private property, freedom is impossible.
[April 02, 2021] Modern Workspace Furniture Provider, Sunon, Launches New-look Website

HANGZHOU, China, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading workspace solution provider, Sunon Furniture, has recently launched their new website after months of work redesigning. The updated modern-minimalist interface better reflects the company's design-centric brand vision, making information about products, services, and trends more accessible to current and future clients. Featuring streamlined navigation and a responsive design for both desktop and mobile users, the layout of the new website has been completely revamped. A whole host of new features including a smart search bar and three new website sections: Solutions, Resources, and Inspiration have been added so users can easily find exactly what they need. "We are excited to be able to better service our valued customers. Through greater complementary integration of our online and offline experiences, we hope that customers realize we are always here and care about their needs," Managing Director of Sunon's International Business Center, Cindy Shi said.

"While Sunon is going global, we understand people in different regions have similarities and differences. For us, 'going globl' means learning to 'go local'. This understanding is reflected in our focus on providing exceptional customer service over the past few years," she added. In the future, Sunon will hone in on specific markets with humanized design and high-quality products with localized services to gain more presence in the global arena.



As a leading office solution supplier, Sunon takes the responsibility of its role as a positive global citizen and achieves growth through sustainable practices  every piece of its furniture is designed with the environment in mind.Considering the impacts of the various materials and resources, Sunon makes green choices when design new products as well as uncover opportunities to improve existing products. Through continued efforts on R&D, high-quality eco-friendly materials such as waterborne painting, recycled-PET felt, and PUR glue has been utilized in furniture making. Additionally, all products are packaged in recyclable materials. Currently, Sunon upholds two of the world's strictest standards for environmental impact, Green guard and FSC.

The manufacturing process is environmentally friendly as well. Sunon's production line is able to eliminate waste, efficiently manage water and energy usage and prioritize using renewable energy such as solar and wind power. A customized off-gas treatment system is used to prevent gases emitted to harm the environment. For waste heat, it is recovered by an air compressor which is then used in the product drying process and bath center. This environmentally conscious approach plays into Sunon's mission of 'Going Global, Acting Local'; ensuring that from start to finish, the company is aware of its place in the world and striving to be a positive impact. About Sunon Founded in 1991, Sunon has risen to the ranks of a global leader in workspace furniture. Following intensive R&D and state-of-the-art design solutions, Sunon has become a headlining manufacturer in the workspace design sector. Until now, Sunon has served 160+ global fortune 500 clients, including Google, Coca Cola, WeWork, Alibaba, Siemens, Huawei, among many others. Learn more: https://www.sunonglobal.com/ View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/modern-workspace-furniture-provider-sunon-launches-new-look-website-301261299.html SOURCE Sunon Furniture

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New Delhi, April 2 : Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has invested in homegrown short-form video app Chingari, the company announced on Friday.

With Salman as global brand ambassador and investor, Chingari said it is looking to augment its position as the market leader. The company, however, did not disclose the funding amount from Salman.

The news came as Bengaluru-based telecommunication firm OnMobile led a $13 million (nearly Rs 95 crore) funding round in Chingari on Thursday.

"It is our pleasure to have Salman on-board as one of our global brand ambassador and investor. We are confident that our association will power Chingari to scale greater heights in the near future," said Sumit Ghosh, Co-founder and CEO, Chingari.

The app currently has more than 56 million users in India.

"I like how Chingari has shaped up in such a short span of time, a platform for millions from rural to urban to showcase their unique talents and be seen by another million's in no time," said Salman.

Chingari allows its users to download and upload videos, chat with friends, interact with new people, share content, browse through feed, and much more.

The platform is available in more than 12 vernacular languages along with English and Spanish.

"Chingari has always focused on empowering the content creators and builds on its strategy to continuously bring exciting content for all users with more relevant and robust features," said Deepak Salvi, Co-Founder and COO, Chingari.
TD state president Atchannaidu said they had not decided on boycotting the MPTC and ZPTC elections and would take a decision after the meeting with the SEC.  DC file photo

VIJAYAWADA: The Telugu Desam is likely to boycott mandal and zilla parishad territorial committee (MPTC/ZPTC) elections, which are slated to be conducted next week.

It has been alleging YSRC illegalities in the unanimous MPTC/ZPTC verdicts and demanding fresh notification for the election.

Top leaders of the principal opposition party are to meet and possibly decide on boycotting those elections.

State Election Commissioner Nilam Sawhney issued the notification Thursday night with regard to conduct of MPTC and ZPTC elections on April 8 from 7 am to 5 pm. Re-poll, if necessary, would be held on April 9 from 7 am to 5 pm, counting of votes would be taken up on April 10.

The elections were first scheduled in March last year but the then SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar postponed elections citing the spread of coronavirus. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy severely objected to the decision of indefinite postponement when there was only one corona case. Later, YSRC alleged that Ramesh Kumar was only safeguarding TD from poll humiliation. TD alleged forceful unanimous elections and demanded fresh notification when the gram panchayat and urban local bodies election process was restored last month.

The TD alleged illegalities when YSRC won 2,217 MPTCs unanimously. TD expected an anti-incumbency wave but to its surprise, YSRC swept both elections. Fearing more illegalities under the new SEC regime, it is planning to boycott the MPTC and ZPTC elections, sources said.

On Thursday, TD politburo member Varla Ramaiah wrote to Sawhney seeking fresh notification for MPTC and ZPTC elections. He stated that YSRC resorted to illegalities through forceful unanimous verdicts in 24 per cent posts in MPTCs and 19 per cent in ZPTCs. He recalled that her predecessor had written a letter to the Union Home Secretary about the sheer violation of norms through forcible unanimous process in MPTC and ZPTC elections. He alleged that the police had also danced to the tunes of the government.

The SEC is convening a meeting of all political parties on Friday to discuss the MPTC and ZPTC elections.

TD AP president K Atchan Naidu said that they would reiterate their demand for fresh notification and explain the reasons. He said that they had not decided on boycotting the MPTC and ZPTC elections and would take a decision after the meeting with the SEC.
Just six weeks after Prince Harry and Meghan were stripped of their cherished roles as president and vice-president of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, I hear of another dramatic departure.

I can disclose that the group's chief executive, Nicola Brentnall, has left her role amid claims that she was too much of a 'cheerleader' for the California-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Brentnall is also said to have caused anger by her involvement in Harry and Meghan's infamous video chat last summer when they linked the Queen's beloved Commonwealth to slavery.

Call: Duke and Duchess in video. Nicola Brentnall, the chief executive of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, left her role amid claims she was too much of a 'cheerleader' for the pair

'It's fair to say that some important people felt it was better that she moved on,' a source tells me.

'We are an organisation that's meant to celebrate the Commonwealth, yet she was letting, or even encouraging, Harry and Meghan to make it sound like we're some backward movement stuck in a racist, colonial past.'

In their video call with young leaders, the Sussexes said the Commonwealth must acknowledge past 'wrongs' in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, even if it is 'uncomfortable', as they discussed historical injustice, unconscious bias and racism.

They claimed that otherwise it would be impossible for the 'family of nations' to progress.

This enraged courtiers, who pointed out that the Commonwealth was an organisation member states had joined voluntarily and had no 'uncomfortable' past.

The Queen is head of the Commonwealth and sees it as one of the greatest successes of her reign.

Ms Brentnall, pictured above, is also said to have caused anger by her involvement in Harry and Meghan's infamous video chat last summer when they linked the Queen's beloved Commonwealth to slavery

A spokesman insists that Brentnall's time as boss has not been cut short.

'In 2016, Nicola Brentnall committed to serve for five years as chief executive of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust. With the team, she has taken the organisation from inception to being a recognised and respected youth organisation, ready to expand its grant-making and support programme to the next level.

'Happily, she remains with us in a consulting role until June and will always be a member of Team QCT.'

Battle royal over Wills and Kate's Earthshot name

With a 50 million pot of cash and national treasure Sir David Attenborough, Colombian pop superstar Shakira and Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett signed up as judges, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Earthshot environmental prize is all set to be a huge success.

However, the couple could struggle to capitalise, as I hear their Royal Foundation faces a battle over the name. It applied to trademark the word 'Earthshot' at the Intellectual Property Office for a vast range of media, from video, audio and multimedia recordings to podcasts, TV and internet broadcasting. But it has just been handed a 'notice of threatened opposition'. In America, there is also a 'notice of provisional refusal'.

The IPO declines to give details. Surely, Attenborough's gravitas and Shakira's charm could win them over?

So-called 'street food' has become trendy, but don't you dare present Elizabeth Hurley with a gourmet burrito from a garishly painted van.

'I can't eat street food as my stomach is very delicate,' the actress declares. 'The last time I tried was when I was in Pakistan with [its President] Imran Khan.

'He persuaded me to eat some kebabs and I projectile-vomited and ended up on a drip.'

The smart set's talking about... Knebworth's American chatelaine

Martha Lytton Cobbold, 56, whose daughter is Burberry model Morwenna, pictured with her husband and screenwriter Henry

While the Duchess of Sussex gave a hellish vision of life in the Royal Family, her fellow American, Martha Lytton Cobbold, is keen to show life in the British aristocracy can be a success.

Martha is married to screenwriter Henry, heir to the 2nd Lord Cobbold and owner of Knebworth, the gothic Tudor pile in Hertfordshire where the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Oasis have performed.

'My husband's grandma said to me, over a cup of tea, 'The thing you need to realise, as a woman from another country, is that many people will believe what you are doing isn't correct.' '

Martha, 56, whose daughter is Burberry model Morwenna, admits on the Duchess podcast: 'I absolutely have put a foot wrong. I've mispronounced names and titles and towns before, and perhaps I've been a little bit ballsy and too forward before.'

Now president of Historic Houses, she says: 'You have to have thick skin, but it doesn't mean you don't get kick back or a punch back on occasion, but you just have to go for it. I quite like trying to rise to a challenge.'

Despite boasting a fortune of more than 20 million, Gavin And Stacey star James Corden admits he has no qualms about stealing food

Despite boasting a fortune of more than 20 million, Gavin And Stacey star James Corden admits he has no qualms about stealing food.

The ambassador for WW, formerly Weight Watchers, has confessed that he and his fellow former History Boys actor Dominic Cooper raided a film set in London.

'We still don't know what film it was, but we went and got lunch,' Corden admits.

'We thought if you're doing it wrong, do it strong. We walked up to the catering thing. We ordered chicken quesadillas, fries and salad, and just took it with us and left the set. We still don't know what was filming there.'

(Very) modern manners

Wondered how the super-rich are still managing to go abroad on holiday, despite all the travel restrictions?

Well, the fashionable Vivamayr detox clinic in Austria  where Kate Moss and Elizabeth Hurley have been regulars in the past  is offering to issue guests with medical certificates claiming their trips are necessary, so they would be allowed to travel.

'When you book a stay with us, you will receive a medical letter from Vivamayr enabling you to travel to Austria without restriction,' its newsletter reads.

A negative Covid test before the stay  which is a minimum of seven days and can cost up to 5,000  is also required.
Emerson Brady is a sophomore studying journalism at UO and is a freelance writer for the Emerald.
Security has been heightened around the US Capitol since the January 6 security breach that left five people dead. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP.

A Capitol Police officer was killed after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the US Capitol building and then emerged wielding a knife.

Video shows the driver of the crashed car emerging with a knife in his hand and starting to run at the pair of officers, Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters. The driver stabbed one of the officers, Pittman said. Authorities shot the suspect, who died at a hospital.

I just ask that the public continue to keep U.S. Capitol Police and their families in your prayers," Pittman said. "This has been an extremely difficult time for US Capitol Police after the events of January 6 and now the events that have occurred here today.

Pittman did not identify the slain officer or suspect. Authorities said that there wasn't an ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism. There was also no immediate connection apparent between Friday's crash and the January 6 riot.

The crash and shooting happened at a security checkpoint near the Capitol as Congress is on recess. It comes as the Washington region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists loyal to former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Bidens presidential win.

Five people died in the January 6 riot, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who was among a badly outnumbered force trying to fight off insurrectionists seeking to overturn the election. Authorities installed a tall perimeter fence around the Capitol and for months restricted traffic along the roads closest to the building, but they had begun pulling back some of the emergency measures in recent weeks.

Pittman said the suspect did not appear to have been on the police's radar. But the attack underscores that the building and campus  and the officers charged with protecting them  remain potential targets for violence.

The officer who died Friday is the seventh Capitol Police member to die in the line of duty in the department's history.

The security checkpoint is typically used by senators and staff on weekdays, but lawmakers are away on break.

The attack occurred about 100 yards (91 meters) from the entrance of the building on the Senate side of the Capitol.

Fencing that prevented vehicular traffic near that area was recently removed, but there was additional interior fencing between the checkpoint and the building.

The suspect had been taken to the hospital in critical condition. One of the officers who was injured was taken by police car to the hospital; the other was transported by emergency medical crews.

The US Capitol complex was placed on lockdown after the shooting, and staffers were told they could not enter or exit buildings. Video showed National Guard troops mobilizing near the area of the crash.

Video posted online showed a dark colored sedan crashed against a vehicle barrier and a police K-9 inspecting the vehicle. Law enforcement and paramedics could be seen caring for at least one unidentified individual.

President Biden had just departed the White House for Camp David when the attack occurred. As customary, he was traveling with a member of the National Security Council Staff who was expected to brief him on the incident.

More to follow..
A number of associations in the Axarquia, including women entrepreneurs in Torrox, La Noria centre for social innovation and together a feminine future have launched a project with the hashtag #HechoEn (MadeIn) in an attempt to combat the problem of depopulation in the area.

The objective of the initiative is to revitalise local communities and commerce through the promotion of traditional jobs, gastronomy and locally produced products, supporting women entrepreneurs and the self-employed.

The initiative also aims to highlight the importance of the Axarquias natural and cultural resources and the recuperation and reinvention of traditional jobs that have died out over the years.

The project will start off in El Borge, before being rolled out in Archez and Canillas de Albaida. In El Borge, the history of banditry will be at the centre of the activities. The village is famous for its museum of banditry, located in a hotel and restaurant which was frequented by some of Andalucias most notorious bandits especially during the 19th century.

In Archez the activities will focus on its Islamic past with gastronomy workshops demonstrating how to use fennel, which is grown in the village. The artisan workshops will provide demonstrations on the local pottery trade.

Canillas de Albaida will pay tribute to its emigrants; the people who left the village particularly in the mid-20th century, in search of work abroad, returning only once or twice a year for Christmas and/or the annual summer fair, while the workshops will demonstrate the local trades of broom-making and handcrafts made with palm trees.
A tent city revolution is underway in this cowtown, take a look at the start of a local uprising as these scamps see a benefit to organizing in Westport, on city hall steps and and beyond.

KC Tenants rally with KC Homeless Union demanding more from KCMO officials KC Tenants is supporting the homeless community in Kansas City, saying more needs to be done for them. "We are not going to be shooed away," said Lulu Livingston, of Kansas City Homeless Union.
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Mayoral candidates political signs lack 2 required Texas Election Code disclosures

JOEL ANDREWS/The Lufkin Daily News A large Roshin Rowjee political sign on Raguet Street near Abney Avenue.

A Lufkin mayoral candidate has potentially violated Texas Election law with political advertisement signs.

Roshin Rowjees political signs dont include the word for and dont include a disclosure statement.

Political advertising and campaign communications may not misrepresent a persons identity or official title, nor may they misrepresent the true source of the advertising or communication, an informational guide on political advertising from the Texas Ethics Commission states.

A candidate may not represent that he or she holds an office that he or she does not hold at the time of the representation. If you are not the incumbent in the office you are seeking, you must make it clear that you are seeking election rather than reelection by using the wordfor to clarify that you dont hold that office.

The word for must be at least one-half the type size as the name of the office and should appear immediately before the name of the office, the guide states.

Rowjees political signs do not include the word for.

Texas Election Code also requires a disclosure statement and notice be placed on political advertisement, the Texas Ethics Commissions guide states.

The statement must say the words political advertising or a recognizable abbreviation such as pol. adv. as well as the full name of one of the following: the person who paid for the political advertising, the political committee authorizing the political advertising or the candidate or specific-purpose committee supporting the candidate, if the political advertising is authorized by the candidate.

Such a disclosure statement does not appear on any of Rowjees signs.

Rowjee said he had no idea about the election laws. He purchased the signs from a company in Austin after sending a template to them.

This is all news to me, Rowjee said. I had no idea all this was required on my signs.

He spent somewhere around $2,500 on the signs, and they have been distributed all around Lufkin, many to people he does not know. He has been in contact with the commission to work on a way to remedy the situation.

Even when the commission finds a violation, it considers the surrounding circumstances when assessing a penalty, including, for example, a candidates efforts to correct his or her mistakes, commission general counsel JR Johnson said.

The commission will consider the number of violations in assessing a sanction, but it will also consider the seriousness of the violations, the history and extent of any previous violations, the demonstrated good faith of the violator and the penalty necessary to deter future violations, Johnson said.

Rowjee said he hopes to work with a local print shop to find some kind of solution like printing a sticker to place on the signs to fix them.

Theres no ill will or deceit intended; I just simply didnt know, he said.

Rowjee has been involved in at least one other political campaign. He ran against U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert in 2018 for the Republican nomination for U.S. representative. He said he did not put up any signs during that campaign and relied on door-to-door advertising to garner the necessary 2,000 signatures to run.

Johnson said the Texas Ethics Commission has statewide jurisdiction to enforce political advertising laws. Any resident of Texas has the right to file a sworn complaint with the commission through the website, he said.

Once a complaint is filed, the enforcement team will look into it. If the complaint alleges a violation that is within the jurisdiction of the commission, the enforcement staff will accept jurisdiction and begin investigating, Johnson said.

Some violations of the Election Code are criminal offenses, the Texas Ethics Commission guide states.

For example, unlawfully using public funds for political advertising can be a Class A misdemeanor. So can misrepresenting ones identity or office title in political advertising, the guide states.

Candidates also can be in violation of election law if they place political advertisements in prohibited places.

Candidates are allowed by law to place campaign signs in the public up to 90 days prior to elections, and our districts maintenance supervisors and crews are currently removing signage placed on state property as they discover it, TxDOT public information officer Rhonda Oaks said. There are usually many signs posted near election time and if a political sign is placed on the right of way, we are required to remove it without notice.

Class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $4,000 or both.

As of yet, no political signs have been removed from rights of way in Angelina County, Oaks said.

TxDOT provided these reminders to candidates and supporters:

It is illegal to place any signs within the state right of way. This includes posting signs on trees, telephone poles, traffic signs and other objects on the right of way.

Campaign signs along Texas roads can be placed on private property with the owners permission.

Signs must be made of lightweight material and be no larger than 50 square feet.

Campaign signs may be posted as early as 90 days before an election (no earlier) and must be removed within 10 days after the election.

Before placing a sign inside an incorporated city limits, check the city for applicable ordinances.

If a sign is placed in the right of way or poses a traffic hazard, it will be removed. All costs/fees associated with any sign removal will be paid by the sign owner.
YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. A stable operational situation with no incidents has been maintained along the Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact of the Armenian state border overnight April 1-2, the Defense Ministry of Armenia told ARMENPRESS.

According to the information provided by the Armenian National Security Service, no border incidents were registered in Vorotan-Davit Bek section of the Goris-Kapan inter-state road which is under the responsibility of the NSS border troops.

The Armed Forces of Armenia and the NSS border troops confidently control the border situation along the entire borderline.
The Victorian government is urging people to keep getting their coronavirus vaccination shots as investigations continue into a case where a man developed a rare blood clotting condition after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Disability and Ageing Minister Luke Donnellan said on Saturday that the government would take advice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) about the safety of all vaccines noting there was no proven direct link between the vaccine shot and the case of the 44-year-old Melbourne man who developed the clots.

The TGA was expected to make a statement later on Saturday following a meeting in the morning.

In terms of the direct link that is something that needs to be looked at ... but we will continue to roll out the vaccine because its just so important, Mr Donnellan said.
Judges have refused the Lockerbie bombers family permission to take an appeal against his conviction to the UKs highest court.

The bombing of Pan Am flight 103, travelling from London to New York on December 21 1988, killed 270 people in Britains largest terrorist atrocity.

Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty in 2001 of mass murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years  the only person convicted of the attack.

In January, judges at the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh rejected a third appeal against his conviction, which was made by his son.

Expand Close Megrahi was the only person convicted of the atrocity (Danny Lawson/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Megrahi was the only person convicted of the atrocity (Danny Lawson/PA)

Lawyers acting for the Megrahi family then sought permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court, but this was refused by five Scottish judges.

Aamer Anwar, the familys lawyer, said they will now seek leave to appeal directly to the UK Supreme Court, the final court of appeal for the case.

A written judgment issued on Thursday by Lord Carloway, the Lord Justice General, said the court has had some difficulty in understanding the exact nature of the challenge.

It said: Although the case is clearly one of public importance, the proposed grounds of appeal do not raise points of law of general public importance.

The principles of law which the court applied were all well known, settled and largely uncontroversial in the appeal.

For these reasons, the court refuses permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

Expand Close Pan Am flight 103 was travelling from London to New York (John Giles/PA) PA / Facebook

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Megrahi was released from prison in 2009 on compassionate grounds while terminally ill with cancer, and died in Libya in 2012.

The third appeal was lodged after the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) referred the case to the High Court in March 2020, ruling a possible miscarriage of justice may have occurred.

Judges then granted his son, Ali al-Megrahi, permission to proceed with the appeal in relation to the argument no reasonable jury could have returned the verdict the court did, and on the grounds of non-disclosure of documents by the Crown.

Appeal court judges in January rejected both grounds of appeal, meaning his conviction stands.

Ali Al-Megrahi said: I have now instructed our legal team to seek leave to appeal directly to the UK Supreme Court which is the final court of appeal for my fathers case.

It is time for a new Libya, but that will never happen until there is justice for those who died in Lockerbie. I regard my father Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi as the 271st victim of Lockerbie.

We now have a new democratic Government and we look to them to support our legal team in their pursuit of justice.

Mr Anwar said: I have no doubt that the new democratic Libyan Government headed by Abdul Hamid Aldabaibai will support this final appeal for justice on behalf of the Al-Megrahi family and help in our efforts to prove the innocence of Libya and its people.
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The New Mexico Pink Boots Society has been unable to gather for about a year due to the pandemic.

March 6, 2020, was the last time members were able to get together for the groups annual brew day. The society annually brews a beer to benefit its organization on National Womens Day. It was uncertain whether the society could meet for this years brew day. But where there is a will, there is a way, and the society held its sixth annual brew day on March 31 at Rio Bravo Brewing Co.

Obviously, its gonna be a little bit smaller than usual, Jess Griego, head of the New Mexico Pink Boots Society, said before the brew day. Were going to have to be mindful about space and mask wearing and all those things. But were still moving forward with the beer. Just because last year, it was actually the Pink Boots brew day was the last time we were all together before we got shut down. So thats kind of been, like, everyones just reminder of what we loved about the industry before COVID. So were excited to continue the tradition.

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Pink Boots Society members brewed a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. The recipe was designed by Rio Bravo Brewing Co. brewer Lindsey Baker.

(Were) so really excited to have a female-crafted recipe and beer this year, Griego said. Id absolutely like to see more women in brewing positions in the industry. And so its really exciting to get her involved and have her leading the whole brew day.

Bakers ale will have notes of dark fruit with a touch of subtle candy.

We will be brewing a Belgian Golden Strong Ale with notes of plum and cherry with a hint of bubble gum, Baker said. Fruity esters with a dry finish.

The ale is tentatively expected to be ready sometime in April. It will be available at several participating breweries, including Bosque Brewing Co., Canteen Brewhouse, New Mexico Ferments, Red Door Brewing Co., Rio Bravo Brewing Co., Second Street Brewery, Sidetrack Brewing Co., Steel Bender Brewyard and Tractor Brewing Co.

Fermentation normally takes about two to three weeks, Griego said. So were thinking mid-April. And were going to be releasing it on draft and in package, so all of the participating breweries, most of them are going to have both.

Previous to 2020, the societys annual beer had been released on draft for four years. That changed with the pandemic shutdowns.

Obviously, because we were all shut down, we had to convert the beer that we made into package, Griego said. That was the first time weve ever released in cans. There was just a really high demand for on-premise beer. So this year, were going to do both, which is exciting. So well have the opportunity for people who are still interested in picking things up and taking them home, theyll have that option at all of our participating breweries, as well as having it on draft at the taprooms.

Proceeds from the beer benefit educational programs offered through the Pink Boots Society. The society was created to empower female beer professionals to advance their careers in the beer industry through education.

New Mexico Pink Boots Society members range from New Mexico college students currently enrolled in brewing programs to brewery managers and owners. The group has about 50 members now, and membership is growing, Griego said.

We usually see a big bump in memberships after the brew day, Griego said. So Im expecting probably about 75 (members) by the end of this year, hopefully. We kind of were on hiatus last year. A lot of the educational events, the happy hour and things that we generally do, were canceled. Its kind of kicking off our chapter again in so many ways.
An urgent investigation has begun into the potential side effects of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine after a man who received the jab was hositalised in Melbourne with a rare blood clotting condition.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration held talks with British regulators overnight probing whether the 44-year-old's low blood platelets and 22 other similar cases in the UK are linked to the vaccine.

Discussions will continue on Saturday between the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

The medical bodies will review the concerning case and weigh the advice handed down in Friday night's virtual meeting.

Pictured: A nurse administers the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at the Austin Hospital on March 17, 2021, in Melbourne

Australia's medicines watchdog has begun an urgent investigation into the potential side effects of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine after a man was hositalised with a rare blood clotting condition after receiving the jab

The patient at the centre of the investigation got the jab on March 22 and later presented to Box Hill Hospital in Melbourne suffering fever and abdominal pain.

He was found to have blood clots in his abdomen and a very low platelet count, prompting concerns from doctors.

Although there is no hard proof the AstraZeneca product can cause thrombosis syndromes in rare cases, the Australian Government has warned doctors and recipients to be on high alert.

'People should be particularly alert to severe persistent headaches occurring four to 20 days after vaccination and which are different to the usual pattern of headaches and do not settle with over-the-counter painkillers,' Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said on Friday.

'If you received the AstraZeneca vaccine and experience symptoms of persistent headaches or other worrying symptoms four to 20 days after the vaccine, you should seek medical advice.'

Australia's leading doctor has revealed the warning signs people need to look out for after getting the AstraZeneca covid vaccine

Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd addressed concerns surrounding the vaccine on Friday

Professor Kidd said though the vaccine could cause blood clotting in people with low platelet counts he stressed that the chances of it happening were 'very small'.

'The serious risk disease and death from Covid-19, if we experience another severe outbreak is far greater than the very small potential risk of a very rare clotting disorder associated with the vaccine,' he said.

'Cerebral venous thrombosis is a very rare disorder that has previously not been known to be associated with vaccination, however it has been noted as a complication of people who have contracted Covid-19,' Prof Kidd said.

'No cases of central venous sinus thrombosis have been reported in Australia to date, in the time period of concern following vaccination, which is within four to 20 days.'

Professor Kid said health authorities were taking the matter 'very seriously' and analysing any links between the vaccine and blood clotting.

'This condition has presented as either a clot appearing in the brain or as thrombosis in other sites, including in the intra-abdominal venous systems,' he said.

'If cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or another severe thrombotic case is suspected in a patient who has received a Covid-19 vaccine, please refer them to an emergency department for further urgent assessment and haematology consultation.'

An infected nurse from Brisbane travelled to Byron Bay for a hen's night last weekend causing the idyllic beach town to undergo tight restrictions

Pictured: A worker at CSL rolls the first batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 24, 2021 in Melbourne

The Victorian Health Department warned medical professionals to be on the lookout for signs of cerebral thrombosis in patients after they had the jab.

'As a precaution, all clinicians are being advised to refer patients who report headaches 72 hours or more after receiving an AZ Covid-19 vaccine to their nearest emergency department with a referral letter,' the department said.

'Hospitals will further assess the patients and may perform tests to rule out thrombosis as a precaution.'

The man's symptoms are similar to those of prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia in some patients who also had the vaccine.

Some countries restricted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 while others have resumed inoculations, as investigations into reports of rare, and sometimes severe, blood clots continue.

Most Australians will receive the AstraZeneca jab rather than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Earlier in the week, Germany said only people aged 60 and over should be administered the AstraZeneca vaccine due to the rare but severe occurrence of thromboembolic side effects.

The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization have said the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks, but are monitoring the developing situation as more cases are reported.

AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish company, said earlier in March its vaccine was 76 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic coronavirus infections in a US trial, and that studies did not indicate higher risks of clotting.

The news of the Melbourne man's symptoms comes amid critcisim over the delays of Australia's vaccine rollout.

A generic image of AstraZeneca covid19 vaccinations inside of the Royal Exhibition Centre in Melbourne

Four million Australians were due to have their jabs by the end of March, a target missed by more than 3.3 million.

Federal opposition health spokesman Mark Butler took aim, saying the government had promised Australia would be at the front of the queue for the vaccine, but instead it had found itself in 108th place.

'We are so far behind the rest of the world,' he said.

'The UK has vaccinated 60 per cent of its adult population. We've managed about two per cent.'

Barely a quarter of the 2.4 million vaccine doses available in the country had been administered and only a third of aged care facilities had received their first doses, he said.

'Every promise they've made hasn't been met.'

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Thursday defended the Commonwealth's vaccine rollout, saying all states and territories will receive doses in accordance with their 12-week plans.

Mr Hunt blamed a global supply issue, with the European Union blocking some vaccine shipments to Australia due to the country's low infection rate and rising cases across Europe.
Mumbai, April 2 : Two-wheeler and commercial vehicle manufacturer Bajaj Auto on Friday reported a 52 per cent growth in total sales during March on a year-on-year basis.

According to the company, total sales during the month under review grew to 369,448 units from 242,575 units sold during the corresponding month of 2020.

Similarly, Bajaj Auto's total domestic sales rose. It stood at 198,55 units -- up 70 per cent -- from 116,541 units sold in March last year.

The company's overall exports zoomed by 36 per cent to 170,897 units from 126,034 units shipped out during the like month of 2020.

In terms of two-wheelers, the company's total sales rose by 56 per cent to 330,133 units from 210,976 units sold in January last year.

Likewise, commercial vehicle sales during the month under review grew by 24 per cent to 39,315 units from 31,599 units sold during the like period of last year.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Fears are growing that people will ignore pleas to have a lockdown Easter as daily cases of Covid-19 rose to 761 yesterday, the highest in weeks.

A further 18 deaths were reported amid concerns the virus will win the race with the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.

It emerged yesterday that around 860,000 doses of vaccine are due to be administered this month  down from the expected one million.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn and his Northern Ireland counterpart Micheal McBride issued a joint statement yesterday appealing to people to continue to follow public health advice over Easter.

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We must ask that once again we work together to prevent a further wave of infection by celebrating this Easter safely.

Dr Glynn this week said six to eight weeks of sticking with restrictions and keeping contacts low are needed to allow the vaccination roll-out provide a level of protection for vulnerable groups that would prevent a fourth wave.

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital fell to 274 yesterday with a drop in seriously ill people in intensive are to 63.

However, HSE chief Paul Reid said that figure is still too high a base if there is a fourth wave, and hospitals would be overwhelmed.

The appeal to people is that if they want to meet with another household to do so outdoors.

Mr Reid said around 860,000 doses of vaccines are due this month but added there are swings and roundabouts, and he still expected around one million doses a month in April, May and June.

Dan Wygal, Country President of AstraZeneca in Ireland, said: We aim to deliver 100 million doses in the first half of 2021, of which 30 million was delivered in quarter one.

New guidelines were issued yesterday for people who are fully vaccinated: those who have had two doses and are up to two weeks on from the second dose. They can visit people in another household who are similarly fully vaccinated without wearing masks or physically distancing.

Mr Reid said that people who sign up for a Covid-19 vaccine on the HSE portal due to open in a few weeks will not have a choice of location where they will get the jab.

He said they will have to attend the clinic, GPs surgery or vaccination centre they have been assigned.

It will be possible to change the time they are allocated.

He said if people skip the queue we will act on it and the system relies on levels of trust.

Up to Monday, March 29, 819,676 doses were administered. Around 120,000-125,000 vaccines will be administered next week. The HSE received a delivery of around 112,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday.

So far 32,000 people in the very high risk category have received a vaccine dose and it is proving difficult to identify them all. In some cases, people have been identified but are delaying vaccination until they speak to their consultant first, he added.

Around 280,000 over-70s have received a vaccine dose.

Mr Reid welcomed the overhaul of the priority list for vaccination saying that prioritising people on the basis of age concurs with what HSE doctors believe.

Meanwhile as the row with teachers and gardai over the change continued, the Department of Education confirmed its secretary-general, Sean O Foghlu, who is a member of the Covid-19 Oversight Committee, was told at a meeting on March 24 that changes to the vaccination allocation strategy were being considered by the National Immunisation Advisory Council (NIAC).

A spokesperson said Education Minister Norma Foley was made aware that the NIAC was in the process of considering changes to the vaccine allocation strategy.

The minister became aware of the output of that process when the Minister for Health brought a memo to Cabinet.

It is not known when Mr O Foghlu advised her of changes being considered.
The 30 member-states of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) were meeting in a special session in the backdrop of alarm over plummeting yellowfin tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean, with conservation groups warning of stock collapse, and an increasing number of European retailers boycotting tuna sourced from the Indian Ocean until a plan to recover stocks is put in place. The bulk of yellowfin tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean are deemed to be overfished.

"We are really disappointed with the lack of progress that we saw this week, we keep seeing the hard decisions that need to be made being delayed from one year to another while the yellowfin tuna stock continues to dwindle each year," Umair Shahid, Indian Ocean Tuna Manager for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) tells l'express.

Before the IOTC special session began, two proposals were made to reduce authorised catch limits for yellowfin tuna for the Indian Ocean. The Maldives proposed that these catch limits be reduced to 346,081 metric tonnes. In 2019, an average of 438,000 metric tonnes of yellowfin was caught there.

The Maldives position on cuts echoes similar positions held by conservation groups such as the WWF that calls for the authorised catch limit to be reduced to between 340,000 and 350,000 metric tonnes. The Maldives proposal included graduated cuts to different types of fishers in the region, with industrial purse seiners from European and East Asian fleets taking a 35% cut and a 20% cut for gillnet fleets mostly used by coastal states within the region. In contrast, the European Union EU) came up with a more modest cut proposal, calling for catch limits to be reduced to 398,000 metric tonnes.

Different interests

The problem is that the IOTC has been, and continues to be, deadlocked by member-states and stakeholders with different interests and stakes when it comes to yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean. Distant water fleets from European and East Asian states account for most of the purse seine catch, which is sold as canned tuna in Europe or sushi in Japan and the United States.

These fleets can move between the Indian Ocean and other regions with tuna stocks, such as the Pacific and the Atlantic. In response to the threat of stock collapse within the Indian Ocean, retailers such as Tesco, Coop and Belgian firm Colruyt announced a boycott of tuna sourced from the Indian Ocean.

The threat of a boycott, however, is not felt as much by coastal states such as Iran, Pakistan, or India, which fish a great amount of tuna, but mostly for domestic consumption and not for export. While yet other coastal states, focused on fishing within their exclusive economic zones or having just recently invested in fishing fleets such as Oman, are less enthused about signing up to cuts in tuna production.

Caught in the middle are the small island states within the Indian Ocean, alarmed by the threat of yellowfin tuna stock collapse within their region while at the same being highly dependent on tuna exports to Europe and Asia for jobs and foreign exchange. Seafood exports, for example, make up nearly a quarter of all Mauritian exports. "The system seems to be broken, there is a disconnect between the countries in the IOTC, they all need to take this bull by the horns now," argues Shahid.

Shifting positions

Although the IOTC's special session ended on Friday 12th March without making any decision, its week-long proceedings saw a shift in the positions of certain states with respect to the use of fish aggregating devices (FAD) by industrial purse seiners. These are buoys that attract schools of fish, mostly intended to catch skipjack tuna.

However, they also end up catching large numbers of juvenile yellowfins before they reproduce, threatening the future viability of yellowfin stock in the region. According to estimates, purse seiners in the Indian Ocean have a by-catch rate of 25% as opposed to a global average of 16%. According to a report from the Blue Marine Foundation, 97% of this is made up of juvenile yellowfins.

Earlier this year, 100 NGOs, conservation groups and retailers, including Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer and Edeka, urged IOTC states to back a joint proposal by Kenya and Sri Lanka to ban the use of FADs aboard purse seiners for three months each year, between July and September and reducing the authorised number of FADs used by each vessel from 300 to 150. This is not an entirely new stance.

In 2014, for example, Mauritius strongly urged a freeze on FAD use in the Indian Ocean at the IOTC. That proposal was rejected. The current IOTC session, however, saw Maldives switch to backing the proposal from Kenya and Sri Lanka along with several other regional states that switched to calling for better control over FAD use such as Mozambique, Pakistan, Somalia, and South Africa.

The arguments resisting any decisions by the IOTC hinged on a lack of data from artisanal fisheries produced at the session as well as questions about the accuracy of the IOTC's own scientific estimates and projections of yellowfin tuna populations. This failing from the IOTC attracted the ire of conservation groups.

Following the end of the IOTC's special session, Jess Rattle, head of investigations at the Blue Marine Foundation, said in a statement, "We heard coastal states describe their fears of social and economic ruin, should the stock collapse; we heard the Maldives beg other members to act now while there is still time, heard Kenya admonish the EU, Korea and Japan for their unwillingness to reduce their use of drifting FADs to save the juvenile yellowfin - all of which fell on the deaf ears of developed, distant water fishing nations and their local flag states of convenience."

The Blue Marine Foundation said that it will be writing to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (under which the IOTC operates) to improve the workings of its scientific committee.

The problem is that, even if in June the IOTC manages to reach a consensus on how to better manage tuna in the Indian Ocean, any such decision can only be brought into effect 120 days after it is announced, that it well into 2022. Meanwhile, the yellowfin stocks in the Indian Ocean continue to take a battering.

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What is driving the yellowfin tuna to collapse in the Indian Ocean?

Yellowfins that can reach sizes of up to 180kg are an apex predator as well as one of the most prized commercial seafood species. In 2019, the global market for canned tuna was estimated at $8.2 billion and is expected to grow by 4.7% each year until 2027. By 2014 alone, tuna made up nearly a quarter of the global seafood market.

The combination of growing demand and the development of fishing technology has led to increased pressure on tuna stocks. Starting in the 1960s, commercial tuna fishing began using purse seiners to catch tuna. However, in the early 1990s, the use of FADs led to dramatically increased catch rates for yellowfins. Until the early 1980s, the average yellowfin catch in the Indian Ocean was between 20,000 and 60,000 metric tonnes. However, by 1993 it had shot up to more than 400,000 tonnes, as more states began using improved fishing technologies to meet growing market and domestic demand for tuna.

The bulk of the fishing in the poorly-regulated Indian Ocean region is done by both coastal and fishing fleets from outside the region.

Who are the members of the IOTC?

Founded in 1993, the members of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission headquartered in Seychelles, are made up of states and regional blocs engaged in fishing for tuna within the Indian Ocean region.
Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Ampion, an Australia-based provider of cyber security, DevOps and quality engineering services.

Ampion was formed through the merger of IT services providers Revolution IT and Shelde. Revolution IT was an IT services company in Australia founded in 2004 and Shelde was a digital IT security company founded in 2010 in Australia. The merged entity, Ampion is headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, and a zone 3 facility in Canberra.

The Australian market is undergoing significant disruption through the adoption of cloud, DevOps, analytics and resilience related digital capabilities, across enterprises and public sector entities. Wipro and Ampions combined offerings, powered by engineering transformation, DevOps and security consulting services will bring scale and market agility to respond to the growing demands of customers.

Wipros new operating model emphasises strategic investments in focus geographies, proximity to customers, agility, scale and localisation. The acquisition of Ampion is an important step for Wipro in this direction, and strengthens the commitment towards clients and stakeholders in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Wipro has been present in the ANZ market for over two decades with deep client relationships across industry sectors and localised domain and delivery capabilities. Today, Wipro is well known for its differentiated technology solutions, and has also been recognized as a Top Employer in Australia for two consecutive years.

I am excited to welcome Ampion to the Wipro family. Ampion has a successful track record and enjoys immense credibility with leading enterprises in the region, a collaborative work culture, and significant local subject matter expertise. We see Ampion as a complementary force that will help us expand our footprint and accelerate our journey in the Asia Pacific region, said N.S. Bala, CEO  APMEA, Wipro Limited.

Our clients, employees and the entire market ecosystem will tremendously benefit from the synergies of Ampion and Wipros combined portfolio of transformation offerings, said Jamie Duffield, CEO, Ampion. We believe that Ampions experience, talent, capabilities and proven client credentials in ANZ, coupled with Wipros global scale, leadership in technology, and a deep understanding of domain and delivery, will make us a truly formidable team. We are pleased to become a part of Wipro and look forward to an exciting journey together.

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the quarter ending June 30, 2021

About Ampion

Ampion is a leading Australian provider of cyber security, DevOps and quality engineering services. With an expert, local team of more than 500 consulting and technology specialists, Ampion is a trusted delivery partner to over 150 clients in Australia comprising of enterprises and public sector entities. Headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane and a zone 3 facility in Canberra, Ampion unites 26 years of engineering excellence from award-winning IT service providers Revolution IT and Shelde.
New Yorks highest court ruled Thursday that the estate of a deceased injured worker with no dependents, who died from causes unrelated to his work injury, is entitled only to the permanent disability benefits he would have received while alive, plus reasonable burial expenses.

The Court of Appeals, in a 6-0 decision, rejected an argument by the estate of Norman Youngjohn that 2009 amendments to the state Workers Compensation Law required Berry Plastics Corp. to pay all of Youngjohns schedule loss of use award  totaling $206,352.46  as a lump sum.

If the legislature intends for a claimants estate to recover the full value of an SLU award under the circumstances presented here, the Workers Compensation Law must be amended to so provide, the court said, affirming a decision by the Appellate Division.

Youngjohn injured his right shoulder and left elbow in December 2014 when he slipped on ice and fell in Berry Plastics parking lot. He filed a workers compensation claim and received temporary disability benefits. In September 2016, he notified the Workers Compensation Board that his injuries were permanent and applied for permanent partial disability benefits.

Youngjohn suffered a fatal heart attack in March 2017, before his claim was resolved. He left behind no surviving spouse or dependents, but did have two adult children.

The estate and Berry Plastics insurer stipulated that Youngjohn had a 55% schedule loss of use to his left arm and a 45% SLU to his right arm with 23 weeks of protracted healing. All told, that amounted to 335.8 weeks of benefits.

An SLU award is a form of permanent partial disability benefits that is paid for injuries to body parts that are specifically designated in the New York Workers Compensation Law.

The estate contended that because of 2009 changes to the Workers Compensation Law, the entire amount of the SLU award accrued at the time of Youngjohns death. A workers compensation judge agreed and awarded lifetime benefits, less any amount already paid.

Berry Plastics insurer appealed to the Workers Compensation Board, arguing that Workers Compensation Law Section 15(4)(d) entitled the estate only to reasonable burial expenses. The board agreed and modified the judges decision.

The estate appealed to the Appellate Division, which led to another modified decision. An appellate panel found that the board had mostly made the right call, but also awarded the amount that would have been periodically due between the date of the injury to the date of Youngjohns death.

The Court of Appeals noted that historically, SLU awards were paid every two weeks unless a lump sum award was deemed advisable in the interests of justice. In 2009, the legislature modified the law to allow all awards to be paid in lump sums at the claimants request. If the claimant does not elect to receive a lump sum, the benefits accrue over time in two-week increments.

The legislature, however, did not modify Section 15(4)(d), which limits SLU awards to the amount required for reasonable burial expenses if the claimant has no dependents. If there are dependents, the law requires payment of the entire SLU to those survivors.

Youngjohns estate argued that the statute implicitly provides that SLU awards are payable in a lump sum, even if the claimant dies before making an election, because under the new statutory scheme those benefits accrue as soon as they are awarded.

The Court of Appeals said in order to accept that argument, it would have to overlook the fact that the legislature did not repeal Section 15(4)(d).

The legislature has unmistakably provided a claimants estate with only a limited right to a discrete portion of the remaining SLU award upon the claimants death if the claimant has no qualifying survivors, the opinion says.

The Court of Appeals affirmed the Appellate Divisions ruling. Judge Jenny Rivera, however, concurred with only the result of the majority decision. She said no lump sum award is due to the estate only because the estate presented no evidence that Youngjohn had requested a lump-sum payment before he died.
The director of a mental health hospital in Hanoi has been suspended from work after a patient was found organizing and running a drug ring inside the infirmary.

The Ministry of Health on Thursday decided to temporarily suspend Vuong Van Tinh, director of the National Mental Hospital 1 in Thuong Tin District.

A similar suspension was also imposed upon Do Thi Luu, head of the hospitals department of functional rehabilitation and traditional medicine, and Ta Thi Them, chief nurse at the department.

The unit was providing treatment for 38-year-old Nguyen Xuan Quy, who had a history of mental illness and was admitted to the National Mental Hospital 1 in November 2018.

Police officers confirmed on Wednesday they had arrested Quy for trading and storing narcotics, as well as organizing drug use.

The patient was also found to have modified his room at the hospital, equipping it with soundproofing, loudspeakers, and laser lights, to use drugs and party with friends, some hospital staff members, and even prostitutes.

He also operated an illegal drug trading ring on the premises of the infirmary and had multiple subordinates.

Officers have initiated legal proceedings against Quy, along with accomplices Nguyen Van Ngoc, 47, Nguyen Trung Nguyen, 38, Nguyen Cong Thuong, 35, and Le Hoang Hai, 26.

This supplied photo shows suspects involved in the drug ring at the National Mental Hospital 1 in Hanoi.

Nguyen Anh Vu, a technician of the hospitals department of functional rehabilitation and traditional medicine, was charged for failure to report a crime.

Police have searched the suspects houses and confiscated 6.1 kilograms of synthetic drugs.

The National Mental Hospital 1 has sent two reports on the case to the Ministry of Health.

In the reports, the infirmary said it was completely unaware of the illegal activities.

The reports did not explain how Quy was allowed to modify his room and run his drug ring.

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Our bodies are exposed to toxins throughout our environment. Without proper detox, the buildup of toxins can lead to a variety of unwanted side effects. Detox Babe can help you take care of your temple, one hot bath at a time.

Using powerful, all-natural ingredients, Detox Babe helps flush out toxins through the skin, promoting optimal health. They offer unique formulas that target specific symptoms, allowing for maximum restorative potential. Each of their soaks combine salts, vitamins, minerals, essential oils and other carefully handpicked ingredients with your health in mind.

Unlike many of the big bath brands in todays market, we only use natural and organic ingredients, says Christina Fontanesi, CEO of Detox Babe. Every ingredient used in our bath soaks holds a specific therapeutic purpose, tailored to detoxifying or a specific symptom. Were proud to be working with Shark Discoveries and help even more people nurture their minds and bodies.

"Detox Babe definitely helps create a bath ritual youll love," says Lisa Vrancken, Executive Vice President of Shark Discoveries. "Youll feel amazing after eliminating toxins with one of their soaks!"

As part of its BRTV campaign with Shark Discoveries, Detox Babe will be appearing in 60 second spots set to air nationwide and feature the original Shark himself, Kevin Harrington. Shark Discoveries is comprised of an award-winning team of producers, writers, videographers, and editors as well as industry veterans dedicated to finding the latest, most innovative products and ideas, and putting them on the BRTV map.

About Shark Discoveries

Headquartered in South Florida, Shark Discoveries is a full-service production, branding, and marketing company that specializes in brand response television, including Celebrity Influencer Videos, and brand building. Based out of a 25,000+ sq ft, state-of-the-art studio, the companys creative team handles every aspect of production from script to screen to airing.

About Kevin Harrington

As the inventor of the infomercial, founder of As Seen on TV, and one of the original Sharks on Shark Tank, Kevin Harrington has worked with some of the worlds biggest celebrities and launched some of the best-selling DRTV campaigns in history. Since producing his first 30-minute infomercial in 1984, Harrington has been involved in over 500 product launches that have resulted in over $5 billion in sales. Now, in his latest venture with Shark Discoveries, Harrington is on the hunt for the best new products and ideas, bringing them to homes everywhere through personalized BRTV campaigns featuring the Shark.

For more information on Detox Babe, please visit http://www.GetDetoxBabe.com.
Dozens of America's largest companies paid no federal taxes last year despite making billions in revenue.

In 2017, then-President Donald Trump signed a new bill law that slashed the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.

This tax cut, in addition to legal deductions and exemptions, have resulted in companies paying $0 in taxes.

A total of 55 companies were named in the report, done by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), representing industries such as telecommunications, utilities and computers.

A further analysis found that 26 of those companies, including FedEx and Nike, have paid no federal income tax for at least three years after the Trump tax cuts.

It comes as President Joe Biden currently proposes raising the corporate tax rate up to 28 percent.

A new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that 55 large U.S. companies paid no federal income tax last year and 26 companies avoided taxes for three years

Companies are not required to publish their tax returns, but must disclose pretax income, federal and state income tax paid on that income, and any significant factors affecting tax expense.

ITEP used this data from The Securities and Exchange Commission to reveal the companies that used tax breaks to get their tax expenses to zero.

In the report, ITEP revealed that for three years - 2018, 2019 and 2020 - the 26 companies had a corporate federal income tax rate that was zero or negative.

This is despite the fact that all the companies were profitable, earning a combined $77 billion in pretax incomes and approximately of $4.6 billion in tax rebates.

The biggest offender over the three-year period is Duke Energy, an electric power holding company with headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Several have used a mix of the Trump tax break, which cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% as well as legal deductions and exemptions to get their taxes down to $0

According to the report, Duke paid no federal income taxes over the last three years despite an income of $7.9 billion, with an effective tax rate of -15.5 percent.

FedEx earned $6.8 billion over three years of Trump tax cuts but was able to escape taxes due to loopholes and ended up with a tax rate of -12.8 percent.

Another company that escaped taxes in 2018, 2019 and 2020 is Nike, which earned $4.1 billion but had an effective tax rate of -18 percent.

In a statement to The New York Times, Catherine Butler, a spokeswoman for Duke Energy, said the company 'fully complies with federal and state tax laws as part of our efforts to make investments that will benefit our customers and communities.'

She claims that Duke used a bonus depreciation - a tax incentive that allows a business deduct a large percentage of the price of assets such as machinery - that merely deferred payments.

FedEx earned $6.8 billion over three years of Trump tax cuts but was able to escape taxes due to loopholes and ended up with a tax rate of -12.8%

Nike earned $4.1 billion in 2018, 2019 and 2020 but had an effective tax rate of -18.0%

The Times reports that, according to a filing from the end of 2020, Duke has a federal tax balance of $9 billion to be paid in the future.

Experts say that this report merely signals that the current U.S. tax code allows for several tax avoidance strategies.

'The fact that a lot of companies aren't paying taxes says there are a lot of provisions and preferences out there,' Alan Viard, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Times.

'It doesn't tell you whether they're good or bad or indifferent. At most it's a starting point, certainly not an ending point.'


@roberts.supertwins/Rebecca Roberts

A new mom in England is breathing a sigh of relief after a harrowing pregnancy allowed her to give birth to two siblings who were conceived weeks apart.

The phenomenon, known as superfetation, occurred when Rebecca Roberts was already pregnant with one baby  son Noah  and then got the shock of a lifetime when, during her 12-week ultrasound, they found a second baby that hadn't been there before.

"My initial reaction was, 'How had I missed the second twin?' " Roberts' OBGYN, Dr. David Walker at Royal United Hospital in Bath, told Good Morning America. "And following this [I] was slightly relieved that it was not my mistake but a quite extraordinary pregnancy."

Superfetation occurs when an egg is released from a woman's ovary after she may be pregnant already, and implants alongside the first embryo in the uterus some time later.

"It was really, really shocking to be told there were two babies instead of one," Roberts, 39, told GMA. "Then they told me there was a three-week size difference between the two babies that the doctors couldn't understand."

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RELATED: California Woman Who Survived the "Most Feared Complication of Childbirth" Now Advocates for Other Mothers

Roberts, who lives in the English town of Wiltshire, was told by her medical team that her younger baby  daughter Rosalie  may not survive.

But when her mother gave birth at 33 weeks gestation with Noah, Rosalie was delivered at 30 weeks before spending three months in the neonatal intensive care unit. Roberts was induced because her daughter had stopped growing, due to an issue with her umbilical cord. Her placenta also "never really grew properly," according to her mother.

Story continues

"With twins it's scary already and then because of my age and the fact that they were conceived at different points, and then we were told that all the odds were against Rosalie," Roberts told GMA of her baby girl, who was born weighing 2 lbs., 7 oz., while her brother weighed 4 lbs., 10 oz.

"What came after getting pregnant was just such incredible hard work," she also said. "It wasn't all happy and rainbows like you expect a pregnancy to be. It was quite scary."

RELATED VIDEO: Mother of Rare Biracial Twins Born in Illinois Speaks Out: "We Don't See Color"

Rosalie left the hospital to come home just after Christmas, and Roberts said that she's already catching up to Noah in terms of her growth.

Their bond is something special, too. "When we lay them down next to each other, it's like they instantly know and they reach out and touch each other's faces and it's just the most beautiful thing," she said. "Twins have an amazing bond anyways but the story between these two, when they're old enough to find out, they'll feel even more special."

Roberts said she and husband Rhys "were trying for ages to" conceive with no luck before the twins, and that they were "worth waiting for."

"They're my super twins," the proud mother of two told GMA. "Every day I look at them and think, 'Wow, I'm so lucky.' "
Australian officials have demanded an Australian academic imprisoned for the last two months in Myanmar after the country's violent military coup be released.

Professor Sean Turnell, an economic advisor to former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was arrested under vague charges earlier this year.

Mr Turnell, Ms Suu Kyi and three of her deposed cabinet ministers, were charged a week ago in a Yangon court with breaching official secrets laws, Reuters reports.

Professor Sean Turnell, who has been detained in Myanmar since the military coup, with wife Ha Vu (pictured)

Mr Turnell has served as special consultant to ousted leader Suu Kyi (pictured) since December 17

'Australia continues to seek his immediate release and official information about the reasons for his detention both in Myanmar and through (its) embassy in Australia,' the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Friday.

'We call on the military regime to allow Professor Turnell to return to his family in Australia.'

Ms Suu Kyi's chief lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, told Reuters by telephone on Thursday that he only learned of new charges two days ago.

A conviction under the law can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Myanmar has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew Ms Suu Kyi's elected government on February 1 citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud in a November election that her party swept.

Pictured: Myanmar's military leader Defence Commander in Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (left) and his wife Daw Kyu Kyu Hla (right)

Ms Suu Kyi - a 75-year-old who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her efforts to bring democracy to Myanmar - and other members of her National League for Democracy, including Prof Turnell, have been detained since the coup.

The junta has previously accused her of several minor offences including illegally importing six handheld radios and breaching coronavirus protocols.

Her lawyers have described the charges as trumped up.

At least 538 civilians have been killed in protests against the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.

Two more Australians have been detained in Myanmar after trying to leave the country in March.

Ha Vu (pictured with economist Sean Turnell) has pleaded for Myanmar authorities to release her husband

Business consultants Matthew O'Kane and Christa Avery are believed to be under house arrest.

Mr O'Kane and Ms 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.

Western countries have condemned the bloodshed and Australia has suspended military co-operation with Myanmar and redirected aid to non-government organisations in response.
A Clare tourism listings site has been slammed by social media users for their April Fool's post about suicide.

Visit Doolin posted the comment on its Facebook page yesterday. It was still visible on the profile at 8am this morning. However, the entire Facebook page now appears to have been deleted.

The post began: Health and Safety changes from Cliffs of Moher will result in the height of cliffs being reduced by 200 metres, before making a crude reference to the Samaritans signs in the locality.

Many people vented their frustrations with the post in the comments, branding it 'insensitive' and 'vile'.

One person commented: I actually cannot believe my eyes. Poor taste doesn't even cover it... I'm at a loss as to how this is one bit humorous... Disgraceful and completely disrespectful.

While another said: If you think this post is funny please take a moment to reevaluate. We have such high suicide rate in our country and this post just laughs in the faces of familys who have lost loved ones to suicide.. vile.

And a third wrote: Very bad... Very insensitive especially with mental health at the moment.

The Samaritans charity has many posters placed around the beauty spot appealing to those suffering to seek support from its helpline.

The Samaritans said it does not wish to comment on the Facebook post but encourages anyone who has been affected by this content to please contact Samaritans on freephone 116 123 or jo@samaritans.ie.

After receiving the criticism, the team behind the Facebook page acknowledged it and apologised, but the original post was still available for a number of hours before deletion.

This morning, the group posted the following: Hi Fans. It seems one of our members posted an April 1st post, while humour intended, it may have caused offence to some If anyone was offended, I will take flak. Niamh

The Facebook page had 14,700 followers and was linked to the www.visitdoolin.ie tourism listings website.

Visit Doolin has been contacted by Independent.ie but has not yet responded to the incident.

Anyone who has been affected by this content, please contact Samaritans on freephone 116 123 or jo@samaritans.ie.
Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were embroiled in another heated Twitter exchange on Thursday.

The two politicians have been wrapped in a list of Twitter encounters in recent months which intensified after the Capitol insurrection. This week, the two argued over immigration.

AOC mentioned language liked "surge" used in discussing conditions at the border.

RELATED: AOC slams Ted Cruz after he agrees with her on Robinhood stance

"A politician's strength isn't based on a trip. It's based on their policy and voting RECORD. And the fact is a LOT of Ted Cruz types who are now going down to meet refugee children in boats outfitted w/ machine guns are the ones who helped create this problem in the first place," she tweeted.

Cruz caught wind of the mention and fired back.

"@AOC explains the real Dem position: abolish ICE," he responded. "Full open borders. Which would make the #BidenBorderCrisis even worse. She says nothing else works. Really? Last year, we had the lowest illegal immigration IN 45 YEARS. This year, we have the highest in 20 years."

READ MORE FROM MADALYN: Sen. Ted Cruz makes Cancun joke during conservative convention

The Twitter debate continued with AOC bringing up Cruz's controversial trip to Cancun in February as Texans froze in their homes without basic utilities during the winter storm.

"Ted, this is pretty rich coming from someone who fled their own home (and responsibilities) during an environmental crisis to cross the border and seek refuge in Mexico. Also you funded cages, expanded cages, and yet youre complaining about cages. You have no policy, just puff," she tweeted.

She continued, "Maybe Mexico shouldnt let YOU in the next time you try to run away from your job to sip umbrella drinks in Cancun."

The congresswoman called on Cruz to resign again.

A reminder that your resignation is 84 days past due. At least," she said.
Pub baron Justin Hemmes has been spotting leaving Sydney airport with an unidentified brunette after returning to the city by private jet just in time for Easter.

The billionaire owner of the Merivale Group, which runs more than 70 bars and restaurants, was innocently seen getting into a blue Rolls Royce with the woman on Tuesday night.

The 48-year-old dressed casually in a buttoned shirt and pants as he exited the plane as he returned to the city.

Spotted: Justin Hemmes got into a car with a brunette woman after jetting into Sydney Airport on Tuesday while his girlfriend Madeline Holtznagel enjoyed a solo outing in Double Bay

He was all smiles as he chatted to the woman as the driver put their bags in car.

Earlier that day, his girlfriend and model Madeline Holtznagel, 24, appeared forlorn as she was spotted walking through Sydney's Double Bay.

She glanced repeatedly at her phone during the walk, wearing tiny black shorts and a P.E Nation jumper.

Back home: After jetting into the state's capital on a private jet, the businessman jumped into a car with the brunette

Chatting away: The pub baron chatted to the female while the chauffeur placed his bags into a blue Royce Rolls

Waiting game: The brunette was spotted standing nearby as their bags were placed into a car

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hemmes and Holtznagel for comment. It is understood that he and the brunette are just friends.

Justin and Madeline were last spotted together on March 10, boarding a seaplane outside his harbourfront estate in Vaucluse.

The pair were believed to be heading to Hemmes' south coast getaway in Berrara.

The publican has substantially increased his holdings in the area, recently buying waterfront pub, The Quarterdeck in Narooma.

Solo outing: Madeline (pictured) was spotted strolling around Double Bay while her boyfriend landed back in Sydney. She appeared downcast as she glanced at her phone during the walk

Last public appearance: Justin and his girlfriend Madeline were last spotted together on March 10, boarding a seaplane outside his harbourfront estate in Vaucluse

Conversation: The brunette was also spotted talking to another woman

Lifting the lid: Madeline lifted the lid on their relationship in October, telling The Sydney Morning Herald she was yet to introduce Justin to her parents. Pictured together in November in Coogee

The couple first sparked romance rumours when they were spotted partying on his Bombardier Challenger jet in August.

Madeline lifted the lid on their relationship in October, telling The Sydney Morning Herald she was yet to introduce Justin to her parents.

'My parents and my sister Anna haven't met him yet, but [her other sister] Simone has been introduced to him and really liked him,' she said.

Leaving: Justin and the brunette were seen leaving the airport together in the blue car

Madeline remained tight-lipped about how long she and Justin had been dating, but hinted they'd been seeing each other for longer than reports suggested.

She said: 'We have known each other for two years and met when I was modelling in Singapore.'

When asked about his new romance, a coy Justin said at the time: 'We hang out a bit.'

Successful: Justin is the chief executive of his family's hospitality firm Merivale, which owns a collection of several pubs and hotels including popular Sydney venues The Ivy, Coogee Pavilion and The Newport Arms

History: He has been in charge of the group since 1997 - a business built from scratch by his father John and was named after John's wife, Merivale. Hemmes is assisted by his sister Bettina, who is the part owner of the Merivale Empire

Justin is the chief executive of his family's hospitality firm Merivale, which owns a collection of several successful pubs and hotels including popular Sydney venues The Ivy, Coogee Pavilion and The Newport Arms.

He has been in charge of the group since 1997, after taking over from his father, John, who named the company Merivale after his wife.

Hemmes runs the business with his sister, Bettina.

Justin's hospitality empire is believed to be worth about $1billion.

Candid: Despite his wealth and endless model companions, Justin told The Daily Telegraph that he 'doesn't think you need money to be happy'

Despite his wealth Justin has previous said he 'doesn't think you need money to be happy'.

'For me, I think working hard, getting lots of exercise and keeping the mind active is what is most important,' he told the The Daily Telegraph.

Justin shares two children, Alexa, four, and Saachi, three, with his ex Kate Fowler, from whom he split in July 2018.

'For me, I think working hard, getting lots of exercise and keeping the mind active is what is most important,' he said

Merivale was found to owe up to $129million to its workers in unpaid wages if it fails to overturn a Federal Court judgement.

Justice Thomas Thawley ruled the hospitality giant's 2009 WorkChoices agreement - which slashed penalty rates and overtime - wasn't valid, despite passing a so-called 'fairness test'.

If the class action succeeds, more than 14,000 Merivale staff will receive millions in compensation.

The class action was taken by staff employed by Merivale 'at any of their venues in a hospitality position, during the six years prior to 24 December 2019'.

Underpayment cannot be claimed dating further back than six years.

According to the Australian Financial Review, Merivale has said the decision was 'extremely concerning' because it believed it had met the so-called fairness-test that applied at the time.

The court heard that Merivale's workplace agreement failed that fairness test twice before being approved by the regulator - but the judgement hinged on that final approval.
Sheep shearers from overseas have been granted a special concession to be able to enter the United Kingdom this year.

The move opens the door for international shearers to assist the national effort in getting UK sheep shorn.

Non-visa nationals will be able to travel to the UK, particularly shearers coming from Australia and New Zealand, between 1 April and 30 June.

All those entering will only be allowed to stay for a three month maximum period, after which they are required to leave.

The National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC) welcomed the news, saying the move would offer a 'vital source' of professional staff to assist UK contractors.

Jill Hewitt, NAAC chief executive said: It is a big relief that the concession is now in place and we can start putting together the necessary paperwork for shearers to safely enter the UK.

"It will inevitably be a slower year; farmers are encouraged to get in touch with their shearers early to plan work, and make certain everyone collaborates so that shearing can run as smoothly as possible."

The NAAC has published a Covid Shearing Checklist to ensure that shearers, wool handlers and farmers operate safely and to high standards of animal welfare this season.

It lists a checklist of actions, such as ensuring that personnel must not be present at shearing if showing Covid symptoms, and they must follow guidance on self-isolating.

All personnel must also maintain a minimum of 2m separation wherever possible and use the minimum number of people to undertake the job.

And where possible, sheep should be shorn outside or in a building with good air flow.
Corine Canoza has a guinea pig now.

She wasnt really expecting to ever have a guinea pig, but, hey. The opportunity presented itself, and her four kids are all animal lovers.

That guinea pig is only one thing Canoza has procured through the Buy Nothing Project, an international network of neighborhood groups that give things away for free.

No, really. Its all free. Theres no trading of goods, no exchanging of money.

I was interviewed one other time and the guy asked me so, you get paid for this, right? Canoza said, laughing. No, no I dont. I get paid in smiles and gratitude.

Canoza is the Facebook admin for her community group in the towns of Montville, Bozrah and Salem. The way Buy Nothing works is that people request to join a Facebook group in their area; once accepted, they can post wishes to see if anyone has the specific thing they need, or they can post gifts to give away the things they have.

Typically, membership is limited to one group. There are rules against the gifting of food or pets, but theres also flexibility within groups. The guidelines are just... guidelines. Groups can choose to follow them as they please.

Canozas group welcomes food and animal gifts. Thats how they got the guinea pig, for example - and a cat, and some chickens.

Its really a family affair. Canoza said her kids often participate in drop offs and pick ups and go around the house to find things they dont use anymore so they can gift those things in the group.

Canozas husband, Ryan, is also involved. Theyre a military family; both Ryan and Corine have served. Corine is now a therapist and Ryan is a personnel specialist.

Since I was born in the Philippines, I didnt really have much growing up, Ryan said. So I actually got involved with Buy Nothing because Im at a point in my life where I actually have abundance, so Im able to donate what I can, anywhere from food to toys.

Rebecca Rockefeller and Liesl Clark, two friends in Bainbridge Washington, started the Buy Nothing Project in 2013, looking to create a hyperlocal gifting group. Now, according to the projects website, there are 5,500 groups in 44 countries.

In 2020, Clark and Rockefeller released a book called The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan, which detailed how to build a gift economy mindset.

The giving out of abundance is a major mantra of the Buy Nothing movement.

Jennifer Heitzke is the Buy Nothing group admin for Monroe.

Its literally just gifting from your own abundance, what you have in your house or what you might have access to, Heitzke said.

Heitzke, a former kindergarten teacher, started her group last April, right at the beginning of the pandemic.

We hear again and again that this for a lot of our members really gave them a sense of hope during all this stuff, she said.

Because of the kindness, the generosity, the friendships weve built.

Members of Heitzkes group have built the kind of relationships where they know each others quirky interests. She collects bees, for example, while her co-admin collects farm decorations. Often, members will offer up those things knowing they would make great fits for certain collections.

Gifting doesnt have to be just physical items either. It can come in the form of services or labor.

Heitzke wanted to make a quilt. She knows how to sew, but she was not an expert quilt square cutter. She made a wish in the group, and someone stepped up and offered to cut the quilt pieces for her.

It can be the gift of time. It can be the gift of knowledge, Heitzke said.

We had people say, Does anybody need help setting up routers for better internet? when the pandemic hit. So this guy was going around  with masks and being safe  saying I can help you. Its been incredible.

When you think about the things people have done for other people, Heitzke said, not just material-wise but simply going out of their way to help other people in town who need help, it kind of floors you.

With the feeling of community and support we have for each other, weve really become like a family.

And every family needs one more guinea pig, right?

sarajane.sullivan@hearstmediact.com, @bysarajane on Twitter
press release

Measles is once again on the rise in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The recent upsurge in cases - more than 13,000 since January 1st - is a major source of concern for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

Between 2018 and 2020, the worst measles epidemic ever recorded in DRC tore through the country. In just two years, more than 460,000 children contracted the disease and nearly 8,000 died from it. Three-quarters of them were under five.

At the time, MSF deployed emergency teams in 22 of the 26 provinces, tracking virus hotpots, treating 90,000 patients and vaccinating more than 2.3 million children. Emergency responses were followed by supplementary vaccinations set up by the authorities for millions of children, which greatly reduced the number of patients, but did not cut the chain of transmission. Despite this, in August 2020, the Minister of Health declared the end of the epidemic.

A worrying increase

"Unfortunately, since the end of 2020, several provinces have started recording new increases in patients with measles, notably the North and South Ubangi provinces," says Anthony Kergosien, coordinator of MSF's emergency response team in the DRC. "We had to urgently send mobile response teams again to help stem the progression and save as many lives as possible."

In December, MSF sent a team to the Bogose-Nubea health zone in South Ubangi. The needs they found there were massive. In only a few weeks, our teams treated nearly 5,000 patients with measles - the vast majority of them children. We vaccinated 70,000 children, quickly halting the spread of the disease. The team then headed to the neighbouring province of North Ubangi, where the Bosobolo health zone was also in critical condition.

"Since we arrived in Bosobolo in mid-February, we have been helping staff to care for their patients in eight health centres and in the general hospital to which complicated cases are referred," explains Faustin Igulu, who is leading the MSF project in Bosobolo. MSF has trained local staff in how to manage patients with measles and supervises the provision of care, notably for patients with severe measles.

"More than 1,200 patients have already been treated thanks to our support," he adds. "The hospital's capacity had been quickly overwhelmed, so we increased the number of beds where they could treat children, some of whom were in a very advanced stage of measles and associated malnutrition."

MSF also launched a vaccination campaign for 66,000 children in this isolated health zone and the work is ongoing with a focus on those living in hard to reach areas. Our teams also trained local health workers in disease surveillance to improve the early detection of new measles outbreaks. However, like many other health zones in DRC, the resources available to local health authorities fall far short of what is needed.

"The local health authority only has one motorbike, and it doesn't work. How can they supervise vaccination activities?" continues Faustin Igulu. "How can they bring vaccines to the most remote areas? It's very complicated."

The most contagious disease in the world

Measles is a viral disease spread by coughing, sneezing or through direct contact with nasal or laryngeal secretions. Children with the disease can face severe complications, as measles 'erases' their immune memory, putting their health and lives at risk for years to come. An inexpensive and 85 per cent efficient vaccine exists, which protects vaccinated people for decades.

"Measles is the most contagious disease in the world, nearly 10 times more than COVID-19" says Anthony Kergosien. "Winning the fight in the DRC against this killer will require a vaccine coverage of 95 per cent with two doses per child, and regular mop-up campaigns to vaccinate those who slip through the cracks, including in the most vulnerable, difficult to access areas. But we are still very, very far from this."

A never-ending fight

In Bosobolo, as in too many areas of DRC, the fight against measles sometimes feels never-ending. Efforts to curb the spread of the disease face enormous challenges. A national vaccination and surveillance programme has been hampered by major weaknesses; a very high birth rate exposes new children to the disease every day; an under-equipped health system is unable to ensure consistent quality healthcare; and health providers trying to access certain regions must overcome entrenched geographic and security difficulties.

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While waiting for structural improvements, the urgency is there: stopping the spread and save lives.

Working to overcome these challenges is key to tackling measles in the long-term. Right now, we must not lose sight of the urgent need for an immediate response, which slows transmission and saves lives.

"MSF teams have been deployed in North Ubangi, South Ubangi, Bas-Uele and Maniema provinces, but we sometimes feel quite alone in caring for patients and supporting local health teams," says Anthony. "Given the current increase in cases, it is imperative to increase the emergency response."
KALAMAZOO, MI  An early morning fire burned two mobile homes Friday morning.

Heavy fire and smoke were coming from a mobile home around 1:25 a.m. Friday, April 2, when Kalamazoo Public Safety Officers arrived at the scene in the 3600 block of Swift Drive, a news release said.

A neighboring mobile home in the park, off Stadium Drive, also caught fire, the release said.

People in both mobile homes made it out safely and no one was injured, the release said. The American Red Cross was called to assist the displaced residents.

The fire took about 40 minutes to completely extinguish, the release said, and is under investigation by the fire marshal.

Anyone with knowledge about this fire should contact Public Safety at 269-337-8994 or Silent Observer at 269-343-2100.

Read more from MLive:

Zeigler Auto Group pays $85K to employees after failing to pay overtime, minimum wage

Police release name of man killed in Otsego motorcycle crash

Controlled burn planned for Asylum Lake Preserve in Kalamazoo
YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. The session of the Council of the CIS Foreign Ministers, which kicked off today in Moscow, continues in an extended format, Armenian foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan said on Facebook.

Earlier she informed that the session of the CIS foreign ministerial council has launched in a narrow format.

On the sidelines of the session Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Aivazian met with his Russian and Turkmen counterparts.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Kelly Macdonald is a new comer to Line of Duty

Line Of Duty star Kelly Macdonald has admitted she struggled to get her head around the show's legendary range of acronyms.

The actress (45), who plays DCI Joanne Davidson in the latest series of the award-winning police drama, sought the help of her co-stars to learn some of the abbreviations including OCG, CHIS and ARU after being baffled with writer Jed Mercurio's script.

In an interview with The Mirror, Macdonald admitted the acronyms made her so nervous, she didnt immediately accept her role in the show.

She said: "I did have to think about it. The shock, really, was when I read the first episode. Suddenly it was just, Oh, theres a massive long stream of dialogue about stuff Ive never heard of'.

"I did have to get over that obstacle in my mind, because I knew that was going to be quite challenging," she added.

Since making her first appearance in Line Of Duty's sixth series, the actress has sparked a flurry of fan theories about her sinister motives after appearing to divert the investigation into the unsolved murder of journalist Gail Vella.

During last Sunday's night episode, her character was grilled by Superintendent Ted Hastings (played by Enniskillen actor Adrian Dunbar), Acting DI Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and DC Chloe Bishop (Shalom Brune-Franklin) over gross misconduct charges.

Read More

By the end of the episode she was let go, seemingly not guilty, after her ex-girlfriend PS Farida Jatri (Anneika Rose) was implemented in corruption.

However, Jo was seen hitching a ride with known bent copper Ryan Pilkington (Gregory Piper) and taken to collect a burner phone, making her look suspicious once more.

While mystified fans regularly have to check the meanings of Line of Duty acronyms, Macdonald had been living in the US since 2010, while starring in TV drama Boardwalk Empire, and had never even seen an episode of the smash hit series.

Luckily she got help with the complicated dialogue from the cast and crew.

She said: "There would be certain acronyms we would discuss in rehearsals. And hair and make-up had a list of what everything stood for.

"Im not brilliant at it still, but I get by."

Line Of Duty continues on Sundays at 9pm on BBC One.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - The next time you run to the grocery store you may be able to pick up an over-the-counter COVID-19 test without a prescription.

The FDA has approved two rapid antigen at-home tests for use. The newly approved test requires users to collect a sample with a nasal swab.

Mayo Clinic says it should come in handy for people who aren't vaccinated yet are and are frequently around others who aren't as well.

Dr. William Morice explained, "It would be good to have one if you work in a setting where not everyone is vaccinated or you think you might be at risk for exposure. You wouldn't have to do it every day, per say, but if you know that you've been exposed a few days prior would be good to use it."

Dr. Morice says that will include schools as well especially since COVID vaccines are not yet authorized for many younger students.

He added, "I think it will be another tool that will help particularly as kids are getting back together and getting engaged in activities here in the spring and summer."

Morice says the tests may also offer schools, workplaces and other groups alternative ways to conduct rapid testing.

There is currently no word on how much the tests will cost or exactly when they'll be available in stores.
The Western Cape's MEC for Transport and Public Works, Bonginkosi Madikizela, is set to seek legal advice over a finding of improper conduct against him by acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka.

The matter goes back to 2019 when, during a sitting of the provincial legislature, fellow MPL Brett Herron, of the GOOD Party, lodged a complaint about statements made by MEC for Transport and Public Works, Bonginkosi Madikizela.

The statements related to inner-city social housing projects.

"Minister Madikizela has rejected the legality of the complaint from the start and is now seeking legal advice," said Bianca Capazorio, spokesperson for Western Cape premier Alan Winde.

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On Wednesday, 31 March, during a media briefing in Cape Town, acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka said Madikizela's conduct had been found to be improper.

The complaint laid by Herron dates back to a July 2019 sitting of the Western Cape legislature, where premier Winde's State of the Province Address was being debated. According to the acting Public Protector's report, Herron complained about statements made by Madikizela, which included: "So he (Mr Herron) went on to say exactly two years ago, in his then capacity at the City of Cape Town,...
Possession of drugs such as cannabis should be treated like speeding with offenders sent on awareness courses, says the president of the Police Superintendents' Association.

Paul Griffiths said people needed to 'understand why they have been intercepted by police' rather than being offered a 'punitive response'.

It comes as the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities appeared to call for the decriminalisation of class B drug possession for personal use.

Mr Griffiths told The Times: 'The comparison [with speeding] is that were looking at the alternative means of education, rather than enforcement.'

The commission said the criminal justice system needed to help 'staunch the flow' of young people into more serious criminal activity.

It effectively called for the decriminalisation of the possession of drugs including amphetamines, barbiturates, cannabis and ketamine.

Paul Griffiths said people needed to 'understand why they have been intercepted by police' rather than being offered a 'punitive response' (file image)

At least eight police forces in England and Wales have been using or creating diversion programmes. It came after senior officers found criminal sanctions for low-level users did nothing to reduce the problem.

Meanwhile, cannabis possession offences have dropped by up to 75 per cent in a decade and, in some areas, users can already take a diversion programme to avoid charges.

Last October, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson backed a 60,000 DIVERT scheme to 'help break the cycle of crime relating to drug offending'.

According to figures released by the PCC, drug related crime currently costs the West Midlands more than 1.4 billion each year.

It is recognised that a person put through the criminal justice system costs the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds during their life time.

Under the scheme, some 1,500 people will be helped during the 12-month pilot project.

Police officers will be able to steer qualifying offenders, who would ordinarily be charged with low-level drugs offences, to drug outreach or education courses.

Those arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply will still face prosecution.

According to a spokesperson for the West Midlands PCC office: 'Evidence suggests that short term prison sentences often lead to the offender committing more crime as opposed to engagement with a diversionary scheme.

West Midlands Police Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, pictured, is funding a 60,000 project to help break the chain of drug offenders committing new crimes by sending them for education courses rather than jail

'We know that drug habits are often exacerbated in prison and many people in prison first get onto drugs whilst serving a custodial sentence. 1 in 5 heroin users, for example, first use the drug whilst in prison.'

A similar scheme operated by Thames Valley Police found that 80 per cent of offenders who engaged with the education and rehabilitation efforts did not reoffend during the next 12 months.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, who led the programme said: 'If we are going to break the cycle of drug related crime, we need to look at new ways to tackle the root cause.

'This new scheme is tried and tested in other parts of the country and has done an excellent job in saving the taxpayer money and stopped individuals becoming drawn into a life of offending.

'Throughout this 12 month pilot we will continue to monitor the progress of the scheme and how well it is working to help people.

'We know that successful diversions away from the criminal justice system is always better and cheaper than putting people into prison or even fines which often go unpaid.'

Only people who would have been prosecuted for possession rather than possession with intent to supply are eligible for the scheme.

At least eight police forces in England and Wales have been using or creating diversion programmes. It came after senior officers found criminal sanctions for low-level users did nothing to reduce the problem (file image)

Superintendent Jane Bailey of West Midlands Police said: 'This is a fantastic scheme which will be able to offer help and support to those in need and in some cases, may help save lives.

'Drug users often find themselves on a downward spiral due to their addictions and they often commit crime to fund their habit.

'However, they are also often some of the most vulnerable within our communities, so this project will help them seek help to fight their addictions and divert them away from a life of crime.

'The scheme also offers support to young people, who are involved in drug taking. It will assist by offering early intervention and support to help them stay in education and reach their potential.

'While those who are more heavily involved in crime, or are dealing drugs, will be offered support via our drug referral agencies, we will continue to deal with them properly for criminal matters.

'The wide range of support which will be on offer as part of this scheme will enable people to get the help they need. Ultimately ending the cycle of drug addiction and crime for those who chose to engage.'
With parts of Maharashtra witnessing record Covid surge, Chief Minister on Friday said he could announce stricter curbs in a day or two, and warned of a if the situation did not improve.

The state government also imposed a week-long 12-hour night curfew in Pune (6 pm-6am) and also ordered the closure of malls, cinema halls, and places of religious worship in the district, which has been the worst-affected in the country in the fresh wave of Covid. Restaurants and bars will remain in open only for delivery and dining wont be permitted.

Thackeray, in his late evening address, said the states health infrastructure would be overwhelmed soon if the cases continued to rise and warned people against flouting Covid rules.

The Maharashtra chief minister, who chaired a meeting with bureaucrats in the evening, painted a grim picture of the Covid-19 situation. He urged rival political parties and critics to come forward and help frontline workers and assist the state in mobilising extra doctors. The state registered 47,827 cases on Friday.

His Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, on the other hand, ruled out a and urged the Centre to allow states to undertake mass vaccination. He said the fourth wave was less serious than the previous ones as there are fewer deaths and hospitalisations this time.

Earlier in the day, Punes Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao announced a week-long night curfew. City bus service in Pune, too, will remain shut for a week, and industries or essential businesses will be able to hire them, he said.

All public gatherings have been banned and restrictions have been placed on attendees at weddings and funerals.

These curbs came as the Centre expressed grave concern over rising Covid-19 cases in 11 states and Union Territories. Tier II and III cities are recording fast growth in active cases, and the growth rate of 6.8 per cent in March surpassed the previous record of 5.5 per cent in June 2020.

Maharashtra remains the worst affected state and accounts for over 60 per cent of the total cases in the country. Eight of the 10-worst affected districts are in Maharashtra and Pune tops the list with over 64,000 active cases.

On Thursday, representatives from the Retailers Association of India (RAI), NRAI, Shopping Centres Association of India and the Multiplex Association of India came together to petition the to bring down the out-of-home restrictions in Mumbai. This was done in anticipation of a limited in the financial capital as Covid-19 cases increased steadily.

Retailers, mall developers, multiplex operators, and restaurant owners argue that limited lockdowns, night curfews, and random rapid antigen testing have hurt their operations over the past month, even as standalone shops, marketplaces, stations and bus-stops continue to remain crowded.

Kumar Rajagopalan of RAI said: Formal retail spaces have the ability to adhere to hygiene standards and can ensure social distancing, as compared to local markets. However, as soon as the pandemic surges, a new wave of restrictions are applied to formal retail spaces.

These restrictions are creating setbacks for retailers and dampening consumer sentiment.




And so one fine day I buckled into the observer/gunners rear seat - the harness looking a bit beyond its use-by date - and we lumbered into the air.

My fearless mate thought his passenger should be treated to the outermost capabilities of his machine.

A Lockheed Hudson bomber (foreground) and a CA-16 Wirraway fly over Canberra during commemorations for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Canberra last year. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It was once used by the Royal Australian Air Force, which seemed unwise, for it was slow and when it burst into life someone had to stand by the engine with a fire extinguisher, lest ignition became incineration.

All seemed bearable until we reached a height my mate felt was suitable for a spot of tomfoolery.

He went into a dive. Looped the loop. Flew upside down for long terrifying minutes.

To add to the experience he announced over the headphones - as I sat paralysed, fearing gravity would tear me from my harness and send me plummeting through the perspex canopy to the landscape below - that the Wirraway was once known as a flying coffin.

Built on the cheap at Melbournes Fishermans Bend, it was tragically outmatched by the Japanese Zero (and just about any other fighter) during World War II. Many crashed during training in Australia and many of the remainder were destroyed in the Pacific and Darwin.

Only once did a Wirraway manage to shoot down a Japanese plane, though this was a better record than the fighter that replaced it, the Boomerang, which had the disadvantage of being based on the Wirraways design.
(Natural News) Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca changed the name of its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine following a string of controversies about its efficacy and several deaths. The vaccine developed by the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company in cooperation with Oxford University is now called Vaxzevria. It was previously known simply as the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

The portal of the Swedish National Medicines Agency confirmed that the name change was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on March 25 following a request from the company. It also noted that the name change is not associated with any other change in the vaccine.

No official reason has been given for the name change.

Controversies hound AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine

AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine has made headlines several times for all the wrong reasons since it received the green light from the EMA in late January. Right after its approval, various countries in Europe decided to not use it for the elderly and chose to wait for more data.

Earlier this month, more than a dozen European countries temporarily suspended the use of AstraZenecas vaccine after cases of blood clots and low platelet counts emerged. (Related: Researchers confirm antibodies from the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine cause blood clots.)

The company had also been accused of withholding data to make the vaccine seem more effective than it actually was in human trials done in the U.S., Chile and Peru.

In response, the company has done its best to fight the controversies.

The company rectified its efficacy data while actually showing a higher efficacy rate at blocking symptoms in people over 65 years old. The latest data showed 85 percent efficacy, five points higher than the figure reported in March 22.

At the same time, the EMAs Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) concluded that the vaccine is not associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic events and that its benefits still outweigh its risks.

But AstraZeneca has still found itself in the middle of another controversy as the European Commission announced tighter new controls on the export of vaccines produced within the European Union.

With the new measures in place, vaccines for export must now be issued with an export certificate by the land of production. The granting of a certificate will be based on two principles: reciprocity and proportionality. This means a member state will not issue a license to export to a country that does not deliver vaccines to the EU, to a country that has a better epidemiological situation than the EU as a whole or to a country that already has a higher vaccination rate.

The EU is proud to be home to vaccine manufacturers who not only supply EU citizens, but export vaccines around the world. But open roads must go both ways, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

AstraZeneca fails to meet delivery schedule to EU

The new vaccine export controllers were triggered by the ongoing row over AstraZeneca vaccines intended for the United Kingdom. Part of the production of the vaccine takes place inside the EU. At the same time, the company has failed to meet its delivery schedule to the EU in the first quarter and is likely to fail again in the second quarter.

The Commission has made it clear that it thinks the company is favoring the UK at the expense of other contracts. It has threatened to stop all exports of vaccines produced in the bloc until its own delivery requirements are satisfied.

The new measure applies to all pharmaceutical companies that produce coronavirus vaccines within the bloc. Pfizer produces vaccines in Puurs in Belgium and has delivered 10 million doses to the UK in the past several weeks. Pfizer has fully delivered in its contracts with the EU, but will still need to get an export certificate next time.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the EU could be the loser if it chose to block exports to the UK and other countries.

I dont think that blockades of either vaccines or medicines or ingredients for vaccines are sensible and I think that the long-term damage done by blockades can be very big, he told the Commons liaison committee after the EU announcement.

I would just gently push anybody considering a blockade or interruption of supply chains that companies may look at such actions and draw conclusions about whether or not it is sensible to make future investments in countries where arbitrary blockades are imposed.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to the coronavirus vaccines.

Sources include:

BigLeaguePolitics.com

BrusselsTimes.com
Seven people in Britain died of a blood clot on the brain after having an AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines out of 18.1million does, the MHRA has revealed as it insists there is no evidence of a link between the two.

It has also emerged that young people are up to 35 times more likely to die of Covid than to develop the type of brain blood clot that European officials fear could be caused by AstraZeneca's jab, figures suggest.

German medics have seen one case of CVST - a type of rare brain blood clot that can cause strokes - in every 90,000 people to receive the vaccine, and say that is higher than expected. It is equal to a rate of 0.0012 per cent.

The UK's MHRA regulator last night announced it has seen 30 cases and similar clots after 18.1million doses - around one in every 600,000 people (0.00017 per cent).

For comparison, Cambridge University academics tracking the Covid outbreak say the risk of dying of Covid for 25 to 44-year-olds is 0.04 per cent - around 33 times higher than even Germany's incidence of CVST.

CVST, or cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, is a blockage in a vein that carries blood away from the brain and it can lead to strokes or bleeding inside the skull.

And even under-25s, who have a vanishingly small risk of being killed by coronavirus, may be four times more likely to die than to develop the condition after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The UK's health watchdog said last night it hadn't seen CVST cases in people who got the Pfizer jab but there was still no proof the AstraZeneca vaccine is raising the risk. This may be because different groups of people are getting different vaccines.

Germany this week went against the European regulator's advice and banned the AstraZeneca jab for under-60s because it fears a link to the condition.

Scientists say the balance of risk is 'very straightforward' and clearly in favour of vaccination because of the 'extreme rarity' of CVST cases.

The risk of dying from Covid-19 is significantly higher than the rate of CSVT blood clots, which haven't even been definitively linked to the vaccines (Based on fatality estimates from Cambridge University and CSVT occurrences in Germany)

UK regulators have now found 22 cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CSVT) in 18m people given the AstraZeneca jab

Officials in Frankfurt recorded 31 cases of the condition among 2.7million people to have been given the AstraZeneca jab and have been alarmed by the number.

But this is a rate of just 0.0012 per cent. By comparison, experts estimate the risk of dying of Covid for 25 to 44-year-olds is 0.04 per cent  33 times higher.

For 15 to 24-year-olds the Covid death risk is 0.005 per cent, making it four times more likely.

Forty under-20s have died in England, out of 86,351 in total, along with 598 20 to 40-year-olds.

And the main benefit of giving the vaccine to younger people is that it protects elderly members of society, whose risk of death is much higher, and therefore allows ministers to loosen lockdown rules.



Professor Adam Finn, a University of Bristol researcher and government adviser on vaccines, said: 'The extreme rarity of these events in the context of the many millions of vaccine doses that have been administered means that the risk-benefit decision facing people who are invited to receive Covid vaccines is very straight forward: receiving the vaccine is by far the safest choice in terms of minimising individual risk of serious illness or death.'

Comparing the rates of CVST to coronavirus death is tricky for a number of reasons, including that it's so rare data aren't clear, and that more people will get a jab than catch coronavirus.

Regulators also don't break down the CVST cases by age, although they are thought to be more common among young adult women.

A TIMELINE OF THE ASTRAZENECA BLOOD CLOT SAGA March 7: Austria suspended the use of one batch of the vaccine after a woman, 49, who had been given it died of a 'severe coagulation disorder' and a 35-year-old developed a blood clot in her lung. March 11: Authorities in Denmark, Norway and Iceland suspended all use of the vaccine following a 60-year-old woman in Denmark died of a blood clot after the reports emerged in Austria. Danish health minister Magnus Heunicke said: 'It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a link.' March 11: European Medicines Agency's safety committee began an investigation into the cases. It confirms 30 cases of 'thromboembolic events'  clots  were reported after five million vaccines in the EEA. March 12: Thailand suspended the use of the vaccine off the back of European worries. Bulgaria also stops using it. March 12: The European Medicines Agency, Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Health Canada, the World Health Organization and AstraZeneca itself, all spoke out to defend the vaccine and say there is no proof it's linked to blood clots. March 13: The Netherlands, Italy and Ireland temporarily stopped using the vaccine as fears about the cases in Austria and Denmark snowballed. March 14: Germany and France suspended the vaccine. March 15: Spain, Portugal and Slovenia suspended use of the jab. March 15: Professor Andrew Pollard, the Oxford expert who ran the clinical trials of the jab, insisted safety data are 'reassuring' and said 'clearly those blood clots still happen' as often as they would in unvaccinated people. March 16: World Health Organization officials met to discuss the issue. European Medicines Agency is still investigating. March 17: Scientists accuse governments of banning the jab on political grouns. AstraZeneca's vaccine has been a flashpoint in the past. March 18: European Medicines Agency holds a press conference on its investigation and rules that the vaccine is 'safe and effective'. It said there wasn't enough evidence to rule out a link to blood clots, but also not enough to prove one. On balance, it would be safer for countries to keep using the vaccine to stop Covid. The investigation would continue. March 18: Germany, France and Italy resume use of the jab after the EMA's conclusion. March 19: Finland suspends the jab after finding blood clot cases in its own population. March 19: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands and Spain all confirm they will start using the jab again. Scandinavian countries did not follow suit and kept the ban in place. March 22: A study is published that found public trust in the AstraZeneca vaccine collapsed in Europe at the time of the blood clot saga. A YouGov survey found more than half of people in Germany, France, Italy and Spain believed the jab was unsafe. March 30: Germany bans the vaccine for people under the age of 60 after officials said they had found 31 cases of CSVT after 2.7million vaccinations. April 2: UK regulators announce a total of 30 blood clots, 22 in the brain, have now been discovered in Britons vaccinated with the AZ jab. Advertisement

And the fatality rates for coronavirus, estimated by Cambridge University experts only include people who get the virus.

This means the average person's actual risk of dying from coronavirus is significantly lower than the estimate because not everyone catches it  although if nobody took the vaccine, the likelihood of them catching it one day is far higher.

Most recent calculations by the Cambridge team suggest the risk of dying of Covid is lowest for toddlers and babies, at 0.00039 per cent, around one in 256,000.

It's highest for over-75s, at 6.9 per cent, or one in 14. And overall, the risk is around 0.3 per cent, meaning that across the whole population around three in every thousand infected people die.

Another complication is that there is no proof the coronavirus vaccine causes CSVT, meaning the cases that happen may have occurred anyway.

If this is the case, the risk caused by the vaccine is effectively zero and the jab is infinitely safer than being unvaccinated.

But even if a link is established, it will be difficult to know how many cases are triggered by the jab in people who would not otherwise have developed CVST.

And CVST is more often survived than it is fatal. Medics say if it's spotted in time  before it blocks the vein  it can be simple to treat with blood thinners.

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, US, estimates that one in every 200,000 people of all ages develop CVST each year.

The European Medicines Agency said on Wednesday, echoing data from Germany, that the risk appears to be one in 100,000 in under-60s who have had the AstraZeneca vaccine.

But much of the data comes from Germany's AstraZeneca vaccine patients, who are mostly young female adults, and young female adults are statistically more likely to get CSVT even when there is no vaccine around.

EMA director Emer Cooke said cases in women usually outnumber those in men by 10 to one.

The contraceptive pill and smoking may be risk factors for this  scientists are investigating the links.

So without the large pool of men, elderly people and children to dilute the pool with their low CVST risks, the rate appears unnaturally high in the vaccinated group.

In the wake of EU scare stories over the AstraZeneca jab, which came amid a row over supplies, the MHRA last month said there had only been five cases of CVST among 11million administered doses.

In yesterday's update, which takes into account all adverse reactions recorded up until March 24, it put the count at 22.

The watchdog also revealed it had eight reports of other serious clotting events associated with low blood platelets.

The MHRA said: 'Our rigorous review into the UK reports of a rare and specific type of blood clot is ongoing.

'On the basis of this ongoing review, the benefits of the vaccines against Covid continue to outweigh any risks and you should continue to get your vaccine when invited to do so.'

The tenuous links between the vaccine and CVST are still mired in confusion because experts in Germany and other countries where the jab has been halted claim the condition is most common in women.

But all five of the original cases in the UK were among men.

The MHRA did not offer any more details about the new 25 cases. It is unclear how many died.

Earlier this week, Germany announced it would stop giving AstraZeneca's jab to under-60s because of the link to CVST.

It said the country had seen 31 cases out of 2.7million people given the jab. This suggests 0.0011 per cent of people who were vaccinated later developed the clot  around one in 90,000 people.

However, other major European countries have also restricted the jab to certain age groups, even though they have seen significantly fewer CVST cases despite vaccinating more people.

If the same rate of CVST in Germany had appeared in the UK, almost 200 people would have been diagnosed with it already because six times as many jabs have been used.

The European regulator the EMA also revealed this week twice as many women had received AstraZeneca's jab in Europe as men, before adding that the people normally most at risk of CVST are females aged 35 to 45.

Until recently, Germany had banned the AZ jab for over-60s due to initial fears about blood clots.

At least 10 countries in Europe, joined by Germany last night, have put some kind of restriction on the use of AstraZeneca's jab, mostly opting to give it only to over-60s because the CSVT cases seem to be happening in younger adults

It raises the possibility that the rates of CVST among vaccinated people Germany can be explained by more women who are susceptible to the condition being targeted by German rollout.

AstraZeneca insists there is no proof the jab causes blood clots and that rates are not higher than expected overall.

Experts have said it would be unusual that the vaccine could make one ultra-specific type of blood clot more likely but not blood clots in general.

Spain, France and Italy have recorded, at most, one CVST case per million patients despite using the jab on similar age groups to Germany.

But scientists and regulators insist there's still no evidence the vaccine is causing blood clots or any other severe side effects and that the risk of Covid is greater.

It was also revealed today that Australia is investigating whether AstraZeneca's Covid jab is linked to blood clots.

Local media reported a 44-year-old man was admitted to a Melbourne hospital with possible clotting days after receiving the vaccine.

Health chiefs said more details would come to light in the coming days and that there was no proof the jab was to blame.

Although there isn't any evidence that the blood clots are developing because of vaccinations, some academics have a theory that it is the immune reaction making it happen.

Research teams in Germany and Norway claim the blood clotting issue may be caused by the jab, in very rare cases, making the body attack its own platelets.

Platelets are tiny chunks of cells inside blood that the body uses to build clots to stop bleeding when someone is injured. But they can also make unwanted clots.

This chart shows how Britain is still racing ahead of the EU in vaccinating its population against Covid-19, more than three months after the continent started its jab programme

Where Britain's vaccine doses are made: AstraZeneca doses (yellow) are mainly produced domestically while Pfizer's are imported from Europe. Moderna's will start to be shipped from n Switzerland, which is not an EU member and so not under the EU's jurisdiction, as well as in Spain

Britain administered a record 400,000 second coronavirus vaccine doses on Wednesday, latest official figures shows

WHAT IS CVST? Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is an extremely rare type of blood clot in the brain. It occurs when the vein that drains blood from the brain is blocked by a blood clot, resulting in potentially deadly bleeding on the brain. Symptoms can quickly deteriorate from a headache, blurred vision and faintness to complete loss of control over movement and seizures. John Hopkins University estimates it affects five in a million people in the US every year, which would suggest 330 patients in Britain suffer from the condition annually. According to the university, it can affect patients with low blood pressure, cancer, vascular diseases and those prone to blood clotting. Head injuries can also trigger the condition. Britain's regulator said CVST is so rare they aren't even sure how common it is in the general population. Advertisement

Experts from Oslo and Greifswald University believe the jab could cause the body to produce antibodies  normally used to fight off viruses  which mistake platelets in the blood for foreign invaders and attack them.

To compensate, the body then overproduces platelets to replace those that are being attacked, causing the blood to thicken and raising the risk of clotting.

They admitted they 'don't know why this is happening'.

But the researchers say the phenomenon is similar to one that can occur in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), when sufferers take a drug called heparin.

Experts say the condition has not been proven to be caused by the jab and may simply be showing up just because millions of people are being vaccinated and reporting their health conditions.

They added that, if spotted early, it could be diagnosed with a simple blood test and quickly treated with blood-thinners.

It comes after it was revealed last night that UK taxpayers pumped 21million into fitting out a Dutch vaccine factory to make AstraZeneca jabs before the EU threatened to ban their export from the continent.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock approved the multi-million pound investment in the Halix factory in Leiden with the guarantee that doses would be sent to the UK.

Initially, it was hoped that Brussels and London could split the jabs produced.

But a senior EU official has threatened to block all AstraZeneca supplies from entering Britain until the drugmaker ups its deliveries to the bloc - putting the factory at the centre of the row.

Thierry Breton - the EU's internal market commissioner - said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe.

He said 'there is nothing to negotiate' between the EU and the UK.

COVID-19 vaccine side effects: Doctors explain the reactions after receiving Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shots, why some people get them - and why you shouldn't worry

Millions of people are currently receiving coronavirus vaccinations as the world works to restore some sense of normalcy from the pandemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30 per cent of the U.S. population has received at least one dose and 16.9 per cent are fully immunized, either from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.

However, some people have been wary of being vaccinated due to fears of experiencing side effects such as fever or headache while others have heard anecdotal reports of more extreme reactions including large rashes on the arm or going into anaphylaxis.

Doctors say that severe reactions are rare, and that common side effects, such as pain at the injection site, are a sign that your immune system is building up a response.

DailyMail.com spoke to three infectious disease experts about what side effects to expect from each COVID-19, why some people get them and what it means.

Infectious disease specialists tell DailyMail.com that side effects from coronavirus vaccines are normal and that reports of severe reactions are rare. Pictured: Jeff Klingberg gets a COVID-19 vaccine in Batavia, Illinois, March 19

PFIZER-BIONTECH

The most common symptoms of the Pfizer vaccine are pain or swelling at the injection site, headache, fatigue, fever, chills and muscle pain.

'Somewhere between 20 to 80 percent of people will experience that,' Dr Richard Kennedy, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, told DailyMail.com.

'They're mostly mild to moderate symptoms and they last about a day or two.'

Dr Thad Stappenbeck, Chair of the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, said that, in his experience, headache is the most common side effect.

'Headache is probably the most common and, anecdotally, from people I know who have been vaccinated,' he told DailyMail.com

Then, there are rarer side effects, such as nausea, vomiting and swelling of the lymph nodes and armpits.

Kennedy says less than one in 10 people will experience these side effects.

Finally, there are the rare allergic reactions to the vaccine, which can includes hives, itching and swelling and even anaphylaxis.

The most common symptoms of the Pfizer vaccine are pain or swelling at the injection site, headache, fatigue, fever, chills and muscle pain. Pictured: Bials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Pfaffenhofen, southern Germany, January 15

Some people have reported suffering anaphylaxis after being vaccinated with the Pfizer, but instances have been rare and treatable

Anaphylactic shock is a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to an allergy from food, medicine or even a type of material.

The immune system releases chemicals that flood the body, blood pressure suddenly drops, and airways narrow, which prevents someone from breathing normally.

Kennedy said that about one in 100,000 people who get the vaccine will experience such a reaction.

However, the good news is that 'it's fairly rare and fairly treatable,' he said.

For this reason, the CDC requires vaccination sites to monitor everyone for 15 minutes after receiving their shot and those with a history of severe allergies for 30 minutes.

The doctors also add that people are more likely to experience stronger reactions after the second dose because the immune system has been primed to fight the virus and mounts a response after getting the final shot, only to realize it's a false alarm.

MODERNA

Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, the most common side effects of the Moderna vaccine include pain at the injection site, fever, chills, headache and tiredness.

Another rare reaction, but only in Moderna patients, is 'Covid arm,' in which people experience itchy and swollen skin, sometimes accompanied by red lumps

'Low-grade fever, aches and pain, difficulty sleeping on night one, they're flu-like symptoms,' Dr Robert Murphy, an infectious diseases specialist at Northwestern Medicine, in Chicago, Illinois, told DailyMail.com.

'They're self-limited and gone within 48 hours.'

Also like Pfizer, people are more likely to have stronger side effects after the second dose.

A very small number of Moderna patients have also reported suffering anaphylaxis following their first dose.

'This is a well-documented phenomenon,' Murphy said. 'They can have hives and swelling, but it's a very small number.'

Some recipients - but only of the Moderna shot - have reported experiencing 'Covid arm,' in which people have itchy and swollen skin, sometimes accompanied by red lumps or hives.

But the splotch is a harmless response from the immune system to the shot that fades from the arm within a week.

The official term used by dermatologists and allergists to describe the side effect is 'delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity.'

'The vaccine attracts immune system cells to the injection site, which is why you see a rash, then it dissipates and within a day or two,' said Stappenbeck.

'It's a little troubling at first, but not significant and there are no long-term effects.'

Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, the most common side effects of the Moderna vaccine include pain at the injection site, fever, chills, headache and tiredness. Pictured: Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, December 2020

JOHNSON & JOHNSON

The Johnson & Johnson single-dose coronavirus vaccine has noticeably milder side effects than either of the vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna.

'Almost across the board fewer people are reporting side effects,' Kennedy said.

'They are more mild. The most common ones are pain at the injection site, which is not surprising since it's a needle entering your arm, which about 50 percent will experience.'

He said about one-third of recipients report fatigue and muscle pain, 10 to 15 percent report nausea, and about 10 percent report swelling and redness at the injection site.

So why does J&J's shot produce fewer side effects? Murphy said it's because this vaccine is different from the other two.

J&J's vaccine combines genetic material from the new virus with the genes of the adenovirus - which causes the common cold - to induce an immune response.

Comparatively, Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines use a newer platform, part of the pathogen's genetic code called messenger RNA, or mRNA, to get the body to recognize the coronavirus and attack it if a person becomes infected.

'They're very different mechanisms and different manufacturing processes,' Murphy said.

There have not been reports of anaphylaxis among J&J recipients, but Stappenbeck said that may be because fewer people have received the shot.

'It could just be a numbers game at this point,' he said.

Side effects are much rarer among those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, potentially due to the fact that it uses a different platform than Pfizer and Moderna. Pictured: Vials of the J&J vaccine at a vaccination operation organized by St John's Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles, California, March 25

WHY ARE YOUNGER PEOPLE HAVING MORE SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS?

As more vaccines have been administered, there have been reports of younger people have more severe side effects compared to younger people.

The doctors say this because immune systems evolve as we age.

'As we get older, everything about or bodies doesn't work as well and the immune system is no exception,' Kennedy said.

Clinical trial data showed that young people reported more side effects after receiving vaccine doses than older people.

'The reality is that younger people have stronger immune systems and when you're older, you don't mount as big of a response,' Murphy added.

However, it does not mean older people aren't protected and that the vaccines are still just as protective in senior citizens as in young adults.

Younger people are much more likely to experience severe allergic reactions

ARE WOMEN MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO HAVE A REACTION?

Also reporting more side effects are women.

Women are more likely to report worse side effects after receiving COVID-19 vaccines then men are, CDC data reveal.

Last month, officials looked at nearly 7,000 reactions reported to the agency's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

They found that nearly 80 percent of the reactions were reported by women, making them four-time more likely to report a side effect than men.

Kennedy said that the reason behind this is a mix of biological and behavioral.

'Women's immune systems behave a little differently, they have a more robust antibody response,' he explained.

'They're also more likely to go to the doctor if something is wrong whereas men are more likely to try and tough it out.'

All three specialists urged people to get vaccinate and said the symptoms of COVID-19 could be much worse than those from immunizations. Pictured: people wait in line to receive COVID-19 vaccines at NYC Health+Hospitals Gotham Health Sydenham, March 29

SHOULD I GET A VACCINE?

All three physicians say that the unequivocal answer is: yes, you should get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available to you.

'The efficacy of these vaccines have been remarkable,' Stappenbeck said.

'Less than one percent of fully vaccinated people are later infected. That's better than the numbers we've gotten in the trials. that's what we call real-world data.'

Stappenbeck also encourages to prepare for the possibility of having side effects, such as being able to take off work the next day just in case and having an adequate supply of water and Tylenol.

However, he suggests not taking the medication as a prophylactic.

'Wait until you have symptoms, if you have symptoms, and then then take it,' Stappenbeck said.

'The limit is four grams per day, and you don't want to overdose on Tylenol.'

The group also adds that any potential side effects you may are less worse than the possibility of getting COVID-19.

'You don't know how sick you will be until you get infected,' said Kennedy.

'You may be asymptomatic or you might be on a ventilator. Then you'll say I wish I had gotten the vaccine and, by then, it is too late
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Tesla Inc. (TSLA) said it delivered 184,800 vehicles in the first quarter. The carmaker delivered 182,780 units of its Model 3 and Model Y, along with 2,020 units of its Model S and Model X. The company produced 180,338 vehicles in the first quarter. The company said it encouraged by the strong reception of the Model Y in China and is quickly progressing to full production capacity. According to the company, the new Model S and Model X have also been exceptionally well received, with the new equipment installed and tested in the first-quarter and the company is in the early stages of ramping production. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The vaccines were carried offsite from the Coombe Hospital and given to family members on Friday, January 8

Local gardai or fire brigade staff were not offered leftover Covid-19 vaccines by doctors in the Coombe Hospital who gave the jabs to their own families, an independent review revealed yesterday.

Coombe master Prof Michael O Connell, who was among doctors who gave left-over Covid-19 vaccines to own family members, told the review he thought of offering them to local gardai or fire brigade staff but did not suggest it to colleagues.

Prof O Connell  referred to a consultant C  in the review report said he was concerned about consent as well as medical history of gardai and members of the fire brigade.

Read More

Nevertheless, one of the consultants was allowed bring vaccines home for two family members.

The report found that 16 vaccines were given to one or more family members of eight staff of the maternity hospital.

Of the 16, nine were over 70 and the remaining seven were of varying age. Two were family members of Prof O Connell.

The vaccines were surplus after a vaccination clinic in the hospital on January 8 last.

The report, carried out by senior counsel Brian Kennedy, revealed that 120 individuals who were not identified by the local HSE community section or the hospital prior to arrival after they got text messages or phone calls from healthcare staff were vaccinated earlier than evening.

The report does not clarify if there were concerns about the medical history of any of these people.

The vaccination of family members came to light through a whistleblower.

The hospital board which commissioned the review said yesterday it takes what occurred extremely seriously and has started a process to address the implications.

A spokeswoman for the hospital declined to say what this process involved.

It said that in addition, key actions and measures are being implemented to ensure such an incident could not occur again and hospital guidelines and protocols will be enhanced with a particular focus on embedding our strong values as a community-based voluntary hospital.

Mistakes were made, not least in vaccinating family members and lessons must be learned, it said.

A copy has been sent to the Medical Council Board. Chairwoman Mary Donovan said the vaccination of two family members at home should not have happened.

The review said decisions on the surplus vaccines were made by a group of 11 staff who met around 9pm.

The decisions reached were by consensus. Staff members interviewed for the review said Prof O Connell expressed some form of agreement.

One of the consultants  not Prof O Connell  took two vials homes and said they understood they had permission from the master.

Prof OConnell said the understanding was that if the consultant was comfortable to take the vaccines home, they were not standing in their way. He said he did not recall actually saying the consultant could take the vaccines home.

It was early days in the vaccine roll-out and the guidance from the HSE at that point was that surplus vaccine be discarded.

At the time, the country was in the throes of a third wave.

The guidance has since changed, saying there should always be a reserve list of people to call if there is leftover vaccine.

The review also points out that there was no consideration or discussion around offering the vaccines to medical students.

There was no consideration given to bringing forward people due a vaccine the following Monday and there was no ready list of names.

During the discussion on what to do with the vaccines, the conversation initially focused on elderly family members and the ultimate consensus applied generally to family members.

Prof O Connell went home to collect his family and bring them to the vaccination centre. He told them it depended on whether there was vaccine available.

The review pointed to mitigating factors including the absence at that time, of a centralised IT software solution and reliance on manual management of the process to include potential recipients.
Myanmars wireless broadband internet services have been shut down by order of the military, a local provider said.

The move comes as protesters continue to defy the threat of lethal violence to oppose the juntas takeover after Myanmars civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was deposed in the coup.

A directive from the Ministry of Transport and Communications instructed that all wireless broadband data services be temporarily suspended until further notice, according to a statement posted online by local provider Ooredoo.

Expand Close Anti-coup demonstrators raise the three finger of resistance and a portrait of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they prepare to confront police in Yangon on Thursday (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Anti-coup demonstrators raise the three finger of resistance and a portrait of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they prepare to confront police in Yangon on Thursday (AP)

Fibre-based landline internet connections were still working, albeit at drastically reduced speeds.

Meanwhile, the New York-based Human Rights Watch issued a report saying that Myanmars military has forcibly disappeared hundreds of people, including politicians, election officials, journalists, activists and protesters and refused to confirm their location or allow access to lawyers or family members in violation of international law.

Brad Adams, Human Rights Watchs Asia director, said: The military juntas widespread use of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances appears designed to strike fear in the hearts of anti-coup protesters.

Concerned governments should demand the release of everyone disappeared and impose targeted economic sanctions against junta leaders to finally hold this abusive military to account.

Expand Close Anti-coup demonstrators gather tires to burn as they prepare to confront police in Yangon (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Anti-coup demonstrators gather tires to burn as they prepare to confront police in Yangon (AP)

The crisis in the south-east Asian nation has expanded sharply in the past week, both in the number of protesters killed and with military air strikes against the guerrilla forces of the Karen ethnic minority in their homeland along the border with Thailand.

In areas controlled by the Karen, more than a dozen civilians have been killed since Saturday and more than 20,000 have been displaced, according to the Free Burma Rangers, a relief agency operating in the area.

About 3,000 Karen fled to Thailand, but many returned under unclear circumstances. Thai authorities said they went back voluntarily, but aid groups say they are not safe and many are hiding in the jungle and in caves on the Myanmar side of the border.

Expand Close Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars civilian leader, whose re-elected government was deposed in the coup as it was about to be sworn in (Paul Faith/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars civilian leader, whose re-elected government was deposed in the coup as it was about to be sworn in (Paul Faith/PA)

The UN Human Rights Office for south-east Asia called on countries in the region to protect all people fleeing violence and persecution in the country and ensure that refugees and undocumented migrants are not forcibly returned, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the use of violence against peaceful protesters. The press statement was unanimous but weaker than a draft that would have expressed its readiness to consider further steps which could include sanctions. China and Russia, both permanent Council members and both arms suppliers to Myanmars military, have generally opposed sanctions.

The statement came after the UN special envoy for Myanmar warned the country faces the possibility of civil war and urged significant action be taken or risk it spiralling into a failed state.
The United States climate tsar John Kerry has told a conference that coal use must be immediately abandoned if the world is to have any chance of meeting Paris agreement targets.

Were heading for over four degrees [global warming], were not on course and the time for discussion is over, Mr Kerry told a net zero conference hosted by the International Energy Agency and the British government and attended by world energy leaders including Australian Energy and Emissions Minister Angus Taylor.

Joe Biden has appointed former US secretary of state John Kerry, pictured, as his special presidential envoy for climate change. Credit:AP

I dont want to be the scold, said Mr Kerry, the US Presidential Special Envoy for Climate. But were here because of science. This is not politics. This is not ideology. This is not some political goal. This is not a pet project of one, or two, or three countries. This is a reality.

He was speaking only hours after the Australian Academy of Science issued a report saying the lower Paris goal of keeping warming to 1.5 degrees was now virtually unattainable.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine and the United States stand side by side when it comes to preserving democracies.

He wrote this on Twitter following his first phone talk with U.S. President Joe Biden, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Pleased to talk to POTUS. Ukraine appreciates the support of the United States at various levels. We stand side by side when it comes to preserving our democracies. I am seriously determined to reform Ukraine, increase transparency and achieve peace," Zelensky wrote.

Zelensky stressed that U.S. partnership is crucial for Ukrainians.

On Friday, April 2, the presidents of Ukraine and the United States had their first phone call since Biden took office on January 20.

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An Ohio philosophy professor has warned the United States is at risk of eroding academic freedoms and freedom of thought, after the college where he taught issued a written warning when he refused to use a transgender student's requested pronouns.

Professor Nicholas Meriwether on Friday was granted permission to sue Shawnee State University over the 2016 warning.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Meriwether's right to freedom of speech and religion had been violated by the college punishing him for resisting rules forcing him to address students by terms of their choosing.

Meriwether on Thursday night said America was at a crossroads.

Professor Nicholas Meriwether appeared on Tucker Carlson's show on Thursday night

Asked by Tucker Carlson why he wanted to sue the college, Meriwether replied: 'If I had not I would have been fired, I would have been terminated.'

But, he added, his main reason was to send a message.

'I think we need to stand up against it,' he said.

'I do think that we are losing our academic freedom, we are losing our freedom to disagree, and unless and until people stand up to it I think it's just going to get worse, much much faster.'

Meriwether was reprimanded in 2016 after a transgender student complained that he used 'Mr' instead of 'Ms' when responding to her in class, and repeatedly treated her like any other biologically male person - despite her wish to be addressed as a woman.

The academic, who said the rules did not reflect 'biological reality' and contradicted his devout Christian beliefs, was given a written warning about his conduct, and said he could be suspended without pay or fired for violating its nondiscrimination policy.

Meriwether's (pictured) refused to address a transgender student as 'Ms' rather than 'Mr'

Writing for a three-judge panel, Trump-appointed Circuit Judge Amul Thapar said Meriwether was simply communicating on a 'hotly contested' matter of public concern, whether one's sex can be changed.

He also said Portsmouth-based Shawnee State offered no proof Meriwether's decision not to use feminine pronouns affected his job, hampered school operations or denied educational benefits to the student, known as Jane Doe, who received a high grade.

'If professors lacked free-speech protections when teaching, a university would wield alarming power to compel ideological conformity,' wrote Thapar.

'A university president could require a pacifist to declare that war is just, a civil rights icon to condemn the Freedom Riders, a believer to deny the existence of God, or a Soviet to address his students as 'comrades,'' he added. 'That cannot be.'

He returned the lawsuit to a Cincinnati judge who dismissed it in February 2020. Several interest groups submitted briefs supporting both sides.

The decision clears the way for Meriwether, who had taught at Shawnee State University since 1996, to appeal for damages.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian conservative law firm based in Arizona specializing in cases involving 'religious freedom, sanctity of life, and marriage and family,' filed the federal lawsuit on Meriwether's behalf in November 2019.

'In January 2018, a male student demanded that Dr. Meriwether address him as a woman because he identified as such and threatened to have Dr. Meriwether fired if he declined,' the lawsuit, the text of which was obtained by NBC News, read.

'To accede to these demands would have required Dr. Meriwether to communicate views regarding gender identity that he does not hold, that he does not wish to communicate, and that would contradict (and force him to violate) his sincerely held Christian beliefs.'

Trump-appointed Circuit Judge Amul Thapar said Meriwether was simply communicating on a 'hotly contested' matter of public concern regarding gender identity

The lawsuit alleged that the university 'punished' Meriwether for 'expressing views that differ from its own orthodoxy and for declining to express its mandated ideological message.'

'Continuing in their role as the self-appointed grammar police, Defendants threaten to punish him again if he continues to express his views,' the lawsuit read.

'Under their policies, all professors must refer to each student - both in and out of class - using whatever pronouns the student claims reflect his gender identity.'

Meriwether argued in his complaint that 'the number of potential gender identities is infinite' and that there are 'over one hundred different options currently available.'

John Bursch, a lawyer at the Alliance Defending Freedom, praised the decision.

'Nobody should be forced to contradict their core beliefs just to keep their job,' he said.
Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths are back at work on the set of their political drama Total Control.

The actresses were on set in Sydney in late February, the pair relaxing on a balcony in between takes.

Rachel, 52, was dressed in character, her normally dark hair dyed blonde for the role.

Hard at work: Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths (pictured) are back at work on the set of their political drama Total Control

The actress wore a cream coloured cardigan with pearl buttons, and matching slacks.

She added some gold accessories, including a necklace and retro watch, and hoop earrings.

Rachel chatted to a staffer on the balcony, at times in deep conversation, and at other times bursting into laughter as the pair spoke.

Break: The actresses were on set in Sydney in late February, the pair relaxing on a balcony in between takes

Smiles: Rachel, 52, was dressed in character, her normally dark hair dyed blonde for the role

Details: She added some gold accessories, including a necklace and retro watch, and hoop earrings

Deborah, 48, was also dressed as her character, wearing a light jacket in a soft caramel tone.

The actress added a matching long skirt in a similar colour, and a pair of simple earrings.

She appeared to be running lines with a crew member, and carried a script with her as she and Rachel headed back inside.

Dressed up: Deborah, 48, was also dressed as her character, wearing a light jacket in a soft caramel tone

Bits and pieces: The actress added a matching long skirt in a similar colour, and a pair of simple earrings

Making sure: She was reading a script as she sat outside on the balcony

Time to reflect: She appeared to be running lines with a crew member

Keeping things casual as she had a breather outside, Deborah wore flip flops and drank from a water bottle.

The star previously revealed she was nervous about 'driving the arc from beginning to end' in the ABC show, despite over two decades of experience.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, she said: 'I did feel a bit more pressure this time round as in if I didn't get it right, then the whole show goes to s*** pretty much.'

Big role: The star previously revealed she was nervous about 'driving the arc from beginning to end' in the ABC show, despite over two decades of experience

'I did feel more pressure than I've ever felt before but having said that I loved every second of being on set all day every day,' she added.

Deborah plays the role of a politician named Alex in the series, who fights for rights to improve conditions for her community.

She said the show brings attention to issues including indigenous land rights in an 'interesting and entertaining way.'

Fun: Rachel chatted to a staffer on the balcony, at times in deep conversation, and at other times bursting into laughter as the pair spoke

Regal: Muriel's Wedding star Rachel plays the Australian Prime Minister in the series

Changes: The series was previously titled Black B**ch but was re-named after claims it was attempting to reclaim a racially charged insult

Fight club: Deborah plays the role of a politician named Alex in the series, who fights for rights to improve conditions for her community

The series was previously titled Black B**ch but was re-named after claims it was attempting to reclaim a racially charged insult.

Muriel's Wedding star Rachel plays the Australian Prime Minister in the series, who clashes with Alex.

Total Control will be back this year and airs on on ABC and iview.
Around 500 unaccompanied immigrant minors will be sheltered in Houston while thousands more could be sent to the city.

The children will be under the care of the National Association of Christian Churches which has an office in Houston.

While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Refugee Resettlement has worked to build up its licensed bed capacity to about 13,500 beds, additional capacity is urgently needed, the agency said in a press release explaining the new intake of immigrant children in Houston as arrivals of children at the southwest border increase.

The move will facilitate transferring the minors from cramped U.S. Custom and Border Patrol facilities where they are initially housed after arriving at the border. Under the care of NACC Houston, they can be safely processed, cared for and either released to a sponsor or transferred to an appropriate (refugee resettlement) shelter for longer term care, the church association said in a release.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Photos provide a glimpse inside Texas border facility where migrant children are held

U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, praised the efforts of the organization and its leader, Pastor Jesus Ortega, in helping to house the immigrant children.

We are grateful that community leaders like Pastor Ortega have stepped forward to provide a safe place for children and youth, said Jackson Lee.

The congresswoman also noted the importance of protecting the privacy of the children while they are in Houston in an undisclosed emergency shelter run by the National Association of Christian Churches.

Local media reports indicated that the organization is also preparing accommodations for up to 1,300 additional minors to be under its care.

NACC refused to provide additional information Thursday.

The new accommodations in Houston follow an announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services Monday of several housing options created recently  the majority of them in Texas  to deal with unaccompanied minors arriving at the border.

In March, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency apprehended and took custody of an average of 486 children, 17 years old and younger, per day arriving unaccompanied at the southwest border, according to statistics from HHS and the Department of Homeland Security.

The children are then transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services while authorities find and verify their relatives to reunite them. Health and Human Services coordinates efforts from different agencies and organizations to house the children.

More from Olivia P. Tallet: Cornyn to introduce bill to fix surge of unaccompanied minors at the border

Many of the minors who come unaccompanied, mostly from Central American countries, already have family members in the U.S., Jackson Lee said.

A daily snapshot with data provided by Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security shows that 5,767 unaccompanied children were under the custody of Border Patrol on March 28, and 11,886, under HHS.

The arrivals of these minors have increased more than 90 percent from February of the past fiscal year to the same month this year.

Among the emergency shelters created to deal with the surge, two are located on military installations in Texas. Fort Bliss in the El Paso area began the intake of 500 children Wednesday and has a capacity of up to 5,000 beds, according to HSS. Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, the other base contracted with the Pentagon, has a capacity of 350 beds.

Two influx facilities were opened recently in Carrizo Springs with a combined capacity of 1,452 beds and another one in Midland, with 700 spots.

Health and Human Services announced in March the opening of a site in Dallas that can be escalated up to 2,300 beds, while 2,000 more were created at Target Lodge Pecos North, in Pecos.

olivia.tallet@chron.com

Twitter.com/oliviaptallet
As reports of atrocities by fighters emerge in Tigray, women are struggling to feed their families. The World Food Programme provided urgently needed supplies to more than 28,000 more people on March 29.

editorial

Three years back nobody thought that a massive reform program was in store for Ethiopia. A wave of public unrest in various parts of the country triggered by socio-economic problems and stalled development programs along with political demands regarding the recognition of ethnic identity and disputes on internal border demarcations added more fuel to the urgent need for reforms.

Several factors forced the EPRDF to resolve to make reforms on a wide spectrum of sectors culminating in the resignation of the former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegen.

Hailemariam submitted his resignation from office on 15 February 2018 in reaction to the fallout from the pervasive mass protest and unrest that led to the transfer of leadership to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Thus, Abiy Ahmed Ali sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Ethiopia in parliament on 2 April 2018, which has paved the way for the reform. This piece of article will look at the achievements, opportunities and challenges of the reform in Ethiopia under the Premiership of Abiy Ahmed.

Achievements:

Addressing the parliament and the people of Ethiopia, Abiy has expressed his commitment to undertake comprehensive reforms including despotic laws. His first year in office showed many encouraging wide-ranging reforms and a new sagacity of buoyancy after years of dissent and flux. Right after his inauguration, and as part of the reform, thousands of political prisoners have been released in a bid to broaden the political landscape in the country. He has taken away opposition groups from the list of terrorist organizations, and expressed his wish for political plurality in the country.

The reform program incorporated various measures ranging from political reforms, introduction of changes in government structures that led to the reduction of the number of ministries and formation of new ones like the Ministry of Peace.

After few months into his leadership, as part of his promise to the HPR on his inaugural speech, the Premier traveled to Asmera to cement peace with Eretria after 20 years of a state of lull and tension.

Abiy traveled to the neighboring countries and even managed to resolve the conflict that flared up in Sudan and masterminded the formation of an interim government that incorporated civilians and the military brass.

Among other things, sector reform programs were designed to speed up the pace of the economic development of the country. A reform program in the army, police and security forces envisaged a sort of apolitical and formation of non-ideological defense and security forces.

A national economic reform program was led by a macro team, chaired by the Prime Minister. The macro team has four sub-teams leading the reform in relevant sectors. The background study of Ethiopia's long term perspective plan suggested to revisit exemptions and tax incentives provided to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Mega projects and State Owned Enterprises (SOE) that failed due to weak project execution capacity to be privatized in order to improved competitiveness.

As part of the national monetary and financial reform program, the government issued new bank notes which enabled millions of citizens to open bank accounts and they were able to save billions of birr. In the service sector, the Government has started to globalize services in aviation, logistics and financial sectors. Opening the logistics and financial sector to foreign companies is envisaged to improve competitiveness.

The 10-Year Homegrown Economic Development Plan also prioritizes infrastructure development in growth potential areas and development corridors based on their comparative advantage. Energy, ICT, road will be given due attention to boost productivity. In addition, the Government intends to avail land and finance for small and medium enterprises to enhance efficiency and competition.

The government introduced citizens focused foreign policy and diplomacy to ascertain the livelihood of citizens in foreign lands. In his subsequent visits to African countries and the Middle East, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed facilitated the immediate release of thousands of citizens who were arrested in these countries.

Finally, On 11th October 2019, the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.

Challenges:

For almost three decades, Ethiopia has been administered by the Ethiopian People's Democratic Front (EPRDF), which was an alliance of four ethnic parties. Hypothetically, the coalition that formed EPRDF appeared to give equal representation to all four of its members, but in veracity it was totally subjugated by its architect, TPLF. This serious inequity brought the legitimacy of the ruling coalition into question and made reforms within the EPRDF as a pressing inevitability.

In November 2019, Prime Minister Abiy introduced a new political party that merged together three of the four allied parties that made up the ruling EPRDF coalition. Most Ethiopians appear to be contented with the merger and introduction the Prosperity Party (PP), considering it as a prospect to fuse the nation and help to end ethnic strife. However, the move was strongly disparaged by the then dominant TPLF and caused much storm across the nation.

Over the couple of years that followed the inclusive reform, mounting strains and conflicts, mainly along ethnic lines, have resulted in considerable displacement and a breakdown in law and order across much of the country, threatening progress on critical reforms that once initiated by the Prime Minister Abiy. Right at the start of the reform program, a battle raged between the reformists led by the Prime Minister and his cabinet and those who were out to deform or destroy the reform process.

On the 4th of November 2020 TPLF and its loyal forces attacked Ethiopian National Defense Forces Base in Tigray. TPLF instigated ethnic conflicts led to the death and displacement of citizens in MaiKadra, Humera, Metekel, Gulisso and several other parts of the country putting national peace and tranquility at stake.

The TPLF Special Forces attached the Northern Command of the Ethiopian army with an attempt to make the country defenseless and weak in the eyes of the enemies of the reform. Various attempts made earlier by the government to settle the dispute with TPLF in a more peaceful and amicable manner failed.

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These were not the only challenges faced the reform initiated by the Prime Minister Abiy. The COVID-19 pandemic also posed another dare on the socio-economic and political reforms of the nation coupled with desert locust infestations.

The onset of COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia further complicated the path to the national reform program as billions of birr were re-budgeted for austerity measures to be taken to minimize the effects of the virus. Moreover, war mongering and campaign of misinformation on GERD has continued unabated. It was under such murky condition that the reform was able to register remarkable achievements in various aspects including the 6.1 percent economic growth in this fiscal year.

Opportunities:

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has embarked on a series of reforms aimed at righting past off beams and deal with the fault-lines of national politics. He managed to maintain the growth impetus and resilient peace.

With the 6th National Elections in sight, the reform programs have continued but certainly not without huge challenges. But there are still opportunities to overcome the existing challenges and much work remains to be done to create a situation contributing to take the reform program a step forward. The general elections should be concluded well in a manner that could promote peace and building democracy. The government should focus on restoring law and order across the country.

As we all know difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations, so too were Prime Minister Abiy's reform devoid of setbacks. Despite the up and downs, the reform programs will continue as eventually, they reveal the wish of most Ethiopians. Since the reform is still unfolding, there is still more to be desired.
The role of a gangster lodged in



Delhi's is being probed in connection with the message on Telegram channel, through which an outfit named Jaish-ul-Hind had claimed responsibility for placing an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house here, a police official said.

The convict, who has links with Mumbai's underworld, has been undergoing treatment in a Delhi hospital since the last few days, he said.

A Mahindra Scorpio car with gelatin sticks was found parked near 'Antilia', the multi-storey residence of Ambani, in south Mumbai on February 25.

Police had said that the Telegram channel was created on February 26 and the message claiming responsibility for placing the vehicle outside Ambani's residence was posted on the Telegram messaging app late in the night on February 27.

However, on February 28, another message from Jaish- ul-Hind surfaced on a social media platform, claiming that the organisation did not have any role in the incident.

"During the probe, which was carried out with the help of a private cyber agency, it was found that the Telegram channel was created inside the Tihar prison," a police official, who was earlier part of the investigation, said.

Currently, the Investigation Agency (NIA) is carrying out the probe into the case related to the recovery of the explosives-laden vehicle.

Indian Mujahideen terrorist Tehseen Akhtar was questioned inside the by a team of the Delhi Police's special cell in this connection, he said.

"During the investigation, it came to light that a gangster lodged in Tihar jail, who is known for his links with Mumbai's underworld, was in touch with some persons in the Maharashtra capital," the official added.

"That convict, who was admitted to a Delhi hospital at that time, was contacted by some persons in Mumbai, who in turn got in touch with his men in Tihar prison. The message was then sent to a phone in Tihar prison and was uploaded after the Telegram channel was created," he said.

This was done to wrongly project that a terror group was involved in the act, police sources said.

The NIA has arrested Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze in connection with the recovery of the explosives-laden vehicle.

(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.)
KY Senate Bill 8 Passed Protecting the Right of Persons to Object to Immunizations Required During Epidemics Based upon Religious or Conscientiously Held Beliefs



From National Health Freedom.org:



Congratulations to Kentucky Medical Freedom Coalition for their win on securing into law the religious and conscientiously held belief exemption for any vaccine that might be mandated by the state due to an epidemic! The Governor did not sign the bill, but also did not veto it so it became law on Saturday, March 22nd 2021. Great work and thank you to everyone who worked to support this legislation!



Here is a link to access the bill (Senate Bill 8): Kentucky Legislative Research Commission Search Options



Here is the bill language that now protects the health freedom right to make your own health care decisions regarding vaccines during an epidemic:

(2) In the event of an epidemic in a given area, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services may require the immunization of all persons within the area of epidemic, against the disease responsible for such epidemic, except that any administrative regulation promulgated pursuant to KRS Chapter 13A, administrative order issued by the cabinet, or executive order issued pursuant to KRS Chapter 39A requiring such immunization shall not include:
The states voting rights act is being signed into law by a governor whose career was nearly derailed by a blackface scandal in 2019. Since then, Mr. Northam has been at the forefront of a host of the states racial justice initiatives and has enjoyed high approval ratings. He said on Wednesday that the Virginia law should become a model for the nation.

At a time when voting rights are under attack across our country, Virginia is expanding access to the ballot box, not restricting it, Mr. Northam said. Our Commonwealth is creating a model for how states can provide comprehensive voter protections that strengthen democracy and the integrity of our elections.

Virginias turn away from its longtime restrictions on voting rights began in 2016, when Gov. Terry McAuliffe restored voting rights to 206,000 felons in the state over the objections of the Republican-led General Assembly and the states Supreme Court. After the court ruled that Mr. McAuliffe did not have the authority to restore felon voting rights en masse, but could do so case by case, he sent 206,000 individual voting rights restoration letters to felons, who were sent envelopes with a Virginia voter application form and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

To me it was a moral, civil rights issue and this was a racist Jim Crow law that needed to be eliminated, Mr. McAuliffe said on Wednesday.

Once Democrats took full control of state government last year, one of the first bills they passed created one of the longest early-voting periods in the country  a 45-day window for no-excuse absentee voting, in which people can vote remotely without having to provide a rationale. More than 2.8 million Virginians voted early in the 2020 election, nearly five times as many as did so in 2016.

This is what my ancestors fought hard for, said Charniele Herring, the author of the early voting bill, who last year became the first Black majority leader in the Virginia House of Delegates. My parents had to have that struggle in the 60s, and this is the time to stop that struggle and to protect everybodys right to vote, no matter their political affiliation.

Republican state legislators all opposed the Virginia Voting Rights Act, arguing that it would inundate local election administrators with lawsuits and complicate routine changes to voting. Glenn Davis, a Republican delegate from Virginia Beach who is running for lieutenant governor, said it was simple human nature that Democrats efforts to make voting easier, like eliminating Virginias photo identification requirement, would result in more fraud.
More than a week after jihadists staged a deadly raid on the northern Mozambican town of Palma, survivors on Thursday streamed into the port of Pemba, capital of gas-rich Cabo Delgado province.

Scores of relatives huddled outside the port, straining to spot family members disembarking from boats arriving from Palma, some 200 kilometres (120 miles) away.

More than 8,000 were displaced, dozens killed and many more are still missing following a coordinated attack on the town of Palma on March 24.

The jihadists reportedly beheaded residents and ransacked buildings in a rampage that forced thousands to seek safety in surrounding forests.

The attack is seen as the biggest escalation of the Islamist insurgency ravaging Cabo Delgado province since 2017.

On fishing boats or on foot, thousands of survivors fled the city of 75,000 inhabitants -- more than 40,000 of whom had already been displaced from their original homes and were living in Palma.

Hundreds more were still arriving in Pemba, the UN said on Thursday.

There is "no sense of normalcy returning, unfortunately," the UN refugee agency's Juliana Ghazi told AFP in Johannesburg from Pemba on Thursday.

A woman wearing a blue denim pinafore and pink face mask sat on the ground at the port, with a vacant stare, one hand clutching a fence, waiting for her son.

Another woman consoled her as she broke down in sobs.

A ferry carrying almost 1,200 passengers, mainly women and children, had docked at the port overnight.

The most vulnerable escapees including unaccompanied and injured children are being flown to the city -- the UN said nearly half of the 8,166 people who are registered as displaced are children.

- 'Utmost concern' -

The attack launched last Wednesday was the latest in a string of more than 830 organised raids by the Islamist militants over the past three years, killing more than 2,689 and uprooting nearly 700,000.

A South African man was among those killed when a convoy of cars trying to evacuate survivors from a hotel was ambushed, his family said.

Story continues

Britain's Times newspaper on Thursday reported that a Briton also died in the ambush and that his remains had been handed to the Special Air Services rescue team.

The defence ministry could not confirm or deny the death.

The African Union has called for urgent and coordinated international action to jointly address the "urgent threat to regional and continental peace and security".

In a statement, AU chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed "utmost concern" at the presence of international extremist groups in southern Africa, calling for an "urgent and coordinated regional and international action".

The regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) held emergency talks in Harare on Wednesday to discuss the violence.

"This has heightened insecurity in the area, leading to a serious humanitarian crisis," the SADC chair, Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi, said in a statement on Thursday.

"It is our fervent hope that the perpetrators will be quickly arrested and brought to justice."

But Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday played down the attack as "not the biggest", despite its unprecedented proximity to Africa's single biggest investment project.

French oil giant Total and other international companies have invested in a multi-billion-dollar gas exploration scheme off the Afungi peninsula, around 10 kilometres (six miles) away from Palma.

Total had already evacuated some staff and suspended construction work in late December following a series of jihadist attacks near its compound.

In Afungi, army commander Chongo Vidigal said the gas project was "protected".

"We are currently in the special area in Afungi and never had a terrorism threat," he said.

The aid-dependent country has sent troops to Palma to try and recapture the town.

On Tuesday, Mozambique's former colonial master Portugal announced plans to send around 60 troops to back them up.

Cabo Delgado's jihadists have wreaked havoc across the province with the aim of establishing a caliphate.

The insurgents are affiliated with the Islamic State group, which claimed the attack on Palma this week.

burs-mgu-sn-sch/har
People take to the beach at Helens Bay during the spring sunshine on Good Friday. Photo by Peter Morrison

One further death and 107 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported by the Department of Health.

The death toll in Northern Ireland now stands at 2,116.

There are 107 new cases from tests on 2,048 individuals.

In the past seven days there have been 846 confirmed cases, the previous week was 1,062.

In total there have been 6,245 cases in Northern Ireland since testing began. In total 886,552 people have been tested.

Hospital occupancy is at 98% across Northern Ireland with 112 suffering Covid and another 17 in intensive care, nine of whom are on ventilators.

Six care homes are dealing with an outbreak.

Latest figures published earlier on Friday by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) show that the toll of Covid-19 linked deaths recorded here has passed 2,900.

The 13 fatalities that occurred in the week March 20-26 took the total number of coronavirus-related deaths recorded by Nisra to 2,908.

Nisra data provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19 than the death toll reported by Stormonts Department of Health.

The departments statistics focus primarily on hospital deaths. They only include people who have tested positive for the virus.

Read More

Meanwhile Health Minister Robin Swann has urged everyone across Northern Ireland to keep themselves safe from Covid-19 over the Easter period.

Once again, we are facing a holiday weekend with restrictions on our lives, Mr Swann said.

I totally understand the widespread frustration and indeed share it. But I would appeal to people not to let their frustrations affect their judgement. These restrictions are in place to protect us from a vicious virus that has brought great tragedy to so many families.

When we are following them, we are helping keep ourselves and others safe  and helping our community get to a better place.

aMake fresh air your friend this Easter weekenda a Health Minister is urging everyone to keep safe this Easter.https://t.co/7OMyboyhxb pic.twitter.com/sVkqU8nlXt  Department of Health (@healthdpt) April 2, 2021

The UUP MLA added: We are continuing to make good progress. The statistics on Covid-19 have been moving steadily in the right direction and more than three quarters of a million people in Northern Ireland have received their first vaccine dose.

We are on a pathway towards gradually easing restrictions. The return of schools and expansion of outdoor activities are the first careful steps on this route map. Some regulations have been eased this week, and more welcome decisions will steadily follow if we can keep Covid-19 infections down.

Make fresh air your friend this Easter weekend  outdoors is much safer than indoors. Please please dont mix indoors with people from other households.

We still need to keep our guard up for this next period, as we look forward to summer.

That message was echoed by PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd.

He said: We understand that people may be frustrated and are keen to return to normal but the fact remains that we are still in the midst of a pandemic and the choices we make have the potential to influence the road map out of the current lockdown.

Expand Close Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd / Facebook

Twitter

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Mr Todd added: The regulations direct that no person may leave or remain away from home without reasonable excuse. Travel or stay at holiday accommodation does not constitute reasonable excuse and we are asking everyone to continue to postpone their visits to holiday accommodation until the regulations change.

It is still Easter and everyone can still celebrate in a safe and slightly different way.

We will continue to use our four Es approach to encourage everyone to follow the regulations and maintain safe spaces for all.
For more than 40 years, investigators were confounded by the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a pregnant New Jersey teenager whose unidentified remains were found in several suitcases along a riverbank in Pennsylvania, along with a nearly full-term fetus.

It wasnt until this month that relatives of Evelyn Colon, who was 15 years old when she disappeared in 1976, said they had learned from the authorities that the remains that had been dumped beneath a highway overpass along the Lehigh River in Carbon County were hers.

Raped, strangled, shot and dismembered, and her fetus removed, she became known as Beth Doe to investigators, who had asked for the publics help in identifying her and had chased some false leads.

Image In 1976, a teenager Evelyn Colon, 15, and her fetus packed into suitcases along a riverbank in Pennsylvania. Credit... WBRE

Then on Wednesday, Luis Sierra, a Queens man who was 19 at the time and who, according to a probable-cause affidavit, was Evelyns live-in boyfriend in Jersey City, was arrested in her death, the authorities said.
The Canadian province of Ontario will go into a four-week lockdown effective Saturday amid a steady rise in variant cases of the disease, Premier Doug Ford announced on Thursday.

"Effective, Saturday, April 3 at 12:01 a.m. [4:01 a.m. GMT], Ontario will pull the emergency brake for the entire province," Ford told reporters. "All 34 public health regions will move into shutdown for a period of four weeks.

(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.)
Congress ministers in the MVA government on Friday discussed the allegations of corruption against Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in a meeting with in-charge for the state H K Patil, sources said.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut's repeated remarks that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar should take over as UPA chairperson also came up during the discussion, sources added.

The meeting in with Patil, an All India Congress Committee secretary, was held for discussing the political situation in the state, sources said.

"They talked about how the state government's image is being tarnished due to the allegations of corruption against NCP leader Deshmukh and how our party is getting maligned unnecessarily," said a Congress leader.

Former police commissioner Param Bir Singh alleged last month that Deshmukh had asked police officials to collect Rs 100 crore a month from bars and hotels, an allegations the latter denied.

"The view in the meeting was that the NCP should have handled the Deshmukh issue in a better way," the leader added.

Congress ministers also complained about Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut repeatedly stating that Pawar be made UPA chairperson by replacing Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The issue of development funds for constituencies of Congress ministers not being disbursed in time also came up, sources said.

The Congress has 12 ministers in the Shiv Sena-led coalition government.
China to ensure SOEs freed from performing social functions

Xinhua) 08:41, April 02, 2021

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China will continue its efforts to free up state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from performing social functions to make them more competitive. So announced a teleconference held Thursday.

Historically, an SOE in China was a social unit, providing not only life-long employment to employees but also nearly all necessary social services to its workers and their families. These included housing, health care, child care, education, and grocery provision.

Transforming SOEs into market-oriented firms entails taking these burdens off their shoulders.

Premier Li Keqiang, in an instruction issued to the teleconference, said China made decisive achievements in freeing SOEs from performing social functions. He called for efforts to consolidate gains, make SOEs more competitive, and perfect social security systems and public services.

He said solving the issues left over by history while pressing ahead with SOE reforms requires adopting measures suiting local conditions and designs according to enterprises' needs.

State Councilor Wang Yong, while attending the teleconference, stressed the role of oversight and inspections to make sure that reform goals are met.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Perhaps the most important warning sign: direct military rule.

Military rulers tend to be more aggressive in deploying troops to crush dissent. And unlike civilian autocrats, they have little reason to fear the troops turning on them, as happened when Romanias armed forces ousted the communist rulers whod ordered them to open fire on protesters in 1989.

But what most primes military rulers for violence, said Erica Frantz, a scholar of authoritarianism at Michigan State University, is their inexperience at ruling any other way.

They get paranoid and dont have a sense for what levels of dissent are acceptable in society, so they might be quicker to use force against their citizens, Dr. Frantz said, adding that such rulers tend to have a kneejerk reactions to threats.

Myanmars generals are typical in this sense: experienced at fighting, politically powerful, but unfamiliar with the give-and-take required of even autocratic rule. Force is the tool they know best.

The country bears another serious risk factor: its civil war, raging against various ethnic militias since the 1940s.

Most militaries see themselves as protectors against foreign threats, with a strong taboo against committing violence at home. But civil war can break that taboo, normalizing the idea that deploying domestically is legitimate, and making it easier to see fellow citizens as enemies.

And it accustoms generals to the idea that their proper place is not guarding the borders but imposing order at home. Myanmars military has considered this its role for decades  even when it allowed elections and limited civilian government in the years before the coup, it granted itself permanent seats in the legislature.
Analysts at Wedbush said that US$174bn earmarked in the plan for EV initiatives is just the start and expected a significant ramp up in incentives for the sector over the coming years

The US$2.25 trillion infrastructure spending plan unveiled by US president Joe Biden overnight is expected to be a boon for green energy and electric vehicles (EVs), according to Wall Street analysts.

Out of the eye-watering total, US$174bn has been earmarked in the plan for EV initiatives, including a commitment to US$12.5bn of new lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity.

This is just the start, said broker Wedbush in a note on Wednesday night, with the industry needing to see an expansion of the tax credits as well as other point-of-sale rebates that could be inserted into the bill as it moves through Congress, which could catalyse consumers to head down the EV path.

Analysts also said they expected the lifting of the 200,000-per manufacturer ceiling on the credits being phased out, which will restore the EV tax advantage for industry stalwarts such as ( ) and ( ).

Another lynchpin of these EV initiatives will be centred around massive expansion of charging stations around the US over the next decade. Today there are roughly 100k public charging ports with another 400k needed over the next decade to support this groundswell EV green tidal wave for consumers/trucking with the goal of 500k by 2030, Wedbush said.

While the stocks and the EV space is clearly going through a painful digestion period, we view this as a short-term pullback in a multi-year upward rallythere are many pure play innovative EV players (consumer/commercial) on the horizon poised to capitalize on a Biden driven green tidal wave domestically with our expectations that the tax credits and incentives around EVs will ramp significantly in the coming years, the broker added.

Transportation and manufacturing to receive billions

While the EV funding news may be one of the more interesting aspects of the spending plan, Bidens bill also includes US$620bn for transportation and US$650bn for measures that include clean water and high-speed internet.

An additional US$580bn has been earmarked for US manufacturing, which includes US$180bn for non-defence research & development, as well as US$400bn for elderly and disabled care.

The programme is expected to be funded by an increase in corporate tax to 28% from the 21% set by the Trump administration in a 2017.

Assessing the proposal, analysts at JP Morgan said the plans imply an additional US$14bn of infrastructure spending per annum, which could be beneficial for construction materials firms such as ( ).

Analysts at RBC, meanwhile, have made a similar assessment, highlighting plumbing and heating products maker ( ) as another potential winner.

But Republicans unlikely to be on board

However, Bidens grandiose plans will still need to make it through both houses of Congress to become law, which includes retaining full support from the Democrats wafer-thin majority in the Senate as analysts are not optimistic that any opposition Republican Senators will support the spending spree.

A particular point of contention is likely to be Bidens plan to partially undo cuts to the corporation tax passed by President Trump.

We suspect that President Joe Biden will struggle to garner bipartisan support for his $2trn in infrastructure spending, even if he was willing to placate centrist Senate Republicans by dropping his proposal to fully fund that investment by raising corporate taxes, said analysts at .

We think the most likely outcome is that the Democrats will end up passing a revenue-neutral infrastructure package using a budget reconciliation early in the next fiscal year, which begins this October," they added.

The infrastructure package is expected to be followed this month by another large investment scheme, said to be around US$1tn, intended to focus on education and childcare and called the American Family Plan.
Sri Lanka Navy arrests night divers, seizes sea cucumbers, shark fins

April 02,2021 | Source: EconomyNext

Sri Lanka Navy said it had arrested over 70 persons and seized their diving gear along with over 10,000 sea cucumbers and shark fins for illegal fishing in several night operations.



North Central Naval Command, during patrols conducted in Walaipadu and Iranativu sea areas, seized 6878 sea cucumbers that were illegally harvested during night diving and took into custody 53 individual and 11 dinghies with diving gear.



In Arippu, Kondachchikuda and Kalpitiya seas, the Northern Naval Command off Allapiddi and Eastern Naval Command in the sea area of Sallimunai had seized 3341 sea cucumbers.



The patrols had apprehended 22 persons, 7 dinghies and diving gear.



Sea cucumbers and shark fins have an export market.



The Navys Eastern, Northern, Northwestern, North Central and Southeastern Naval Commands in operations from February 16 to March 30 had also taken into custody 128 persons and seized 41 boats involved in several illegal fishing practices.



They had fished without valid passes, used unauthorized fishing nets, had illegally caught shark and their fins, were fishing in restricted areas and were in possession of illegally caught lobsters.

 2021 Echelon Media (PVT) Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Theme(s): Fisheries Resources.
Demi Rose has marked Easter weekend with a pair of sizzling Instagram snaps.

The model, 25, set pulses racing on Friday when she hopped up onto the kitchen counter of her Ibiza home for the snap, going bra-free in an open white shirt which she tied stylishly into a knot.

With her brunette hair swept up into a bun as she peeled an orange, Demi teamed her shirt with nothing but a pair of tropical bikini bottoms.

Stunning: Demi Rose, 25, has marked Easter weekend with sizzling new Instagram snaps taken in the kitchen of her Ibiza home

The barefoot beauty opted for glam makeup and captioned her snap: 'An Easter weekend morning. I just want to say I love you Jesus. Thank you for all you did for us - an admirer.'

Demi has been posting a slew of scantily-clad snaps while enjoying the sunny climes of Ibiza.

On Tuesday, the star put on another sizzling display on Instagram as she posed topless in white tie-up corset for a photoshoot with PrettyLittleThing.

The buxom model put on a very racy display as she covered her ample cleavage with a bouquet on flowers.

The mesh corset highlighted Demi's tiny waist as she posed up a storm in matching white knickers.

Sizzling: The model set pulses racing as she hopped up onto the kitchen counter of her Ibiza home for the snap, going bra-free in an open white shirt which she tied stylishly into a knot

Racy: Demi has been sharing a slew of snaps from her sunny travels in recent months  including trips to the Maldives and Tanzania

Demi has been sharing a slew of snaps from her sunny travels in recent months  including trips to the Maldives and Tanzania.

Last week the Demi looked sensational as she posed up a storm in a tiny white bikini top, leaving the straps untied and garment precariously placed over her ample assets.

Demi flaunted her killer physique in a pair of purple and white tracksuit bottoms, making sure to showcase her taut midriff as she snapped a selfie.

The brunette beauty wore her long locks down, letting them cascade over her toned frame and flow into a gentle curl.

Despite her confident display, the Wolverhampton-born beauty recently spoke to MailOnline about how she shot to stardom at the age of 14 after being bullied in school - before going on to sign for a modelling agency at the age of 18.

Demi recalled: 'I was bullied in school, I wanted to make friends outside of it so I ended up spending a lot of time online.

'I was even interested in virtual reality as a kid, I was always on the computer and then MySpace came around and I found my calling.'
New Orleans, Louisiana--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2021) - Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until May 18, 2021 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Root, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROOT), if they purchased the Company's securities between October 28, 2020 and March 8, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period") and/or shares in connection with the Company's initial public offering ("IPO") conducted on or about October 28, 2020. This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

What You May Do

If you purchased securities of Root and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nasdaqgs-root/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by May 18, 2021 .

About the Lawsuit

Root and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information in its IPO Registration Statement and Prospectus and/or during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On March 9, 2021, multiple investor news resources reported that Bank of America Securities analyst Joshua Shanker initiated coverage of the Company with an "Underperform" rating concluding that it is unlikely to be cash flow positive until 2027, and that established market players would continue to impede the Company's profitability with superior telematics data and dominant market positions.

On this news, shares of Root fell $0.18 per share, or 1.46%, to close at $12.17 per share on March 9, 2021, representing a total decline of 54.93% from the Offering price.

Story continues

The case is Kolominsky v. Root Inc., et al., 21-cv-01197.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking to recover investment losses due to corporate fraud and malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com

1-877-515-1850

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/79295
Cash Me Outside girl Danielle Bregoli, who has re-branded herself as the rapper Bhad Bhabie, has revealed she's already made more than $1million after starting up an OnlyFans account on Thursday, days after her 18th birthday.

The rapper claimed she made six figures in just first six hours on the subscription platform, which allows her to post photos, videos and audio clips with subscribing fans.

Just days after turning 18 on March 26, the rapper followed in the footsteps of other celebrities who have turned to the platform to diversify their income.

Massive payday: Bhad Bhabie, 18, claimed that she had made over $1 million in her first six hours after making an OnlyFans account on Thursday; pictured above in one of her videos

Making bank: She posted what appeared to be a picture of her gross earnings to Instagram, with more than three-quarters of a million just being subscription fees

Bhabie (whose given name is Danielle Bregoli) posted what appeared to be a photo of her computer screen showing her gross earnings, which had already surpassed one million dollars in her first day on the service.

She earned over three-quarters of a million dollars from her baseline subscriptions, which currently cost $35 per month, with 50 percent discounts available for longer subscription periods.

She also received more than a quarter of a million dollars via tipped direct messages, and more than $5,000 from tips on her posts.

'Not bad for 6 hours,' she wrote in her caption with a starstruck emoji. 'We broke the f*** out of the onlyfans record.'

Big bucks: In a leaked video from what appears to be one of her OnlyFans videos, the star can ben seen teasing viewers in her underwear

OnlyFans allows content creators to share just about whatever they want with their subscribers, but the service is primarily known for its use by sex workers who post explicit material.

However, celebrities have begun using the service as well, including Cardi B, Jordyn Woods and Bella Thorne, among others.

Elsewhere on her Instagram account, Bhabie promoted her OnlyFans with suggestive videos of herself in lingerie and various states of undress.

Unlikely star: The personality - pictured above in 2018 in LA - is now said to be raking in the cash thanks to her OnlyFans page

Growing audience: The service primarily caters to sex workers who post explicit content, but some content creators post SFW content and celebrities like Cardi B and Bella Thorne have started to use Onlyfans too

'Saw your 6 million comments and now i'm answering your call,' she captioned a short video, referencing people who called on her to start an OnlyFans account, though the request started while she was still underage.

'We breaking all the rules,' she wrote before sharing the link to her page.

Another photo posted Wednesday showed the novelty rapper lying in bed in a white bra and pink pants while staring suggestively at the camera.

'From now on im gonna do whatever the f*** I want,' she wrote.

In her Instagram Stories she shared a screenshot of one of her OnlyFans videos with her chest and panties scribbled over, as if she were in a state of undress.

'The hype is real,' she captioned it.

Showing off: Elsewhere on her Instagram account, Bhabie promoted her OnlyFans with suggestive videos of herself in lingerie and various states of undress

Creepy: The rapper was beset by fans calling for her to make an OnlyFans account, though the calls started even before she turned 18 in late March
LOS ANGELES, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OLASTEO (our lives as seen through each other) is hosting four virtual community events throughout April in honor of Genocide Awareness & Prevention Month (GAPM).

"The foundation of OLASTEO programming is rooted in educating our scholars about both past and contemporary genocides so that they can embark on missions to combat these mass atrocities in the future. It is essential that we shine a light on those voices and films telling the stories young people should hear as they strive to be upstanders," said Ceci Friedman, Co-Founder of OLASTEO.

OLASTEO (our lives as seen through each other) is hosting four virtual community events throughout April in honor of Genocide Awareness & Prevention Month (GAPM).

The OLASTEO GAPM event lineup kicks off on the evening of Tuesday, April 6, at 6:00 p.m. PDT with a special community movie night featuring the eye-opening 2005 film, Sometimes in April. Starring Idris Elba, this historical drama is focused on the 1994 Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsi. The following evening, Wednesday, April 7, at 5:00 p.m. PDT marks the first of two OLASTEO GAPM Speaker Series events, with Dydine Umunyana , a storyteller, human rights advocate, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi, and Co-Founder of Umuco Love .

On Thursday, April 22 at 6:00 p.m. PDT , the second of the two OLASTEO community movie nights will feature the powerful 2016 film, The Promise. Starring Angela Sarafyan, Charlotte Le Bon, Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac, and Shohreh Aghdashloo, this historical drama's purpose was to bring attention to the story of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

The final event for OLASTEO's 2021 GAPM programming will showcase the story of Arno Michaelis , who was once a leader of a worldwide racist skinhead organization and a reverend of a self-declared Racial Holy War. But single parenthood, love for his daughter, and the forgiveness shown by people he once hated all helped to turn Arno's life around, bringing him to embrace diversity and practice gratitude for all life. This highly anticipated GAPM Speaker Series event will occur on Wednesday, April 28, at 5:00 p.m. PDT .

The first 20 students to register for either or both of the GAPM Virtual Movie Nights will receive curated "snack packs" delivered to their doors, filled with goodies from culturally relevant small businesses and partners such as Silverback Coffee of Rwanda , Jaliz Cuisine of East Africa , La Monarca Bakery & Cafe , Rose and Rye , Papillon Bakery , Sasoun Bakery , Ara the Rat , Pipsnacks , PathWater , and more.

Follow OLASTEO on social media (@OLASTEO) to learn more about our April Speaker Series & Virtual Movie Night events. The registration links are as follows:

ABOUT OLASTEO

At OLASTEO (our lives as seen through each other), our mission is to create experiences that empower students to serve as catalysts for social impact. We do this by curating a roster of influential speakers, interactive workshops, and immersive trips, exposing our scholars to a broad range of perspectives and possibilities. With expanded mindsets, OLASTEO alumni are better prepared to take on the world and give back to their communities. Our work is centered around the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts, where we provide diverse and unique opportunities within and beyond LA.

Contact:

Aaron Friedman, Executive Director

OLASTEO

(504) 782-4820

[email protected]

https://olasteo.org/

SOURCE OLASTEO

Related Links

http://www.olasteo.org


U.S. Capitol Police officers stand near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 2, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Suspect Who Rammed Car Into Capitol IDd as Noah Green

The suspect who crashed a car into a U.S. Capitol barrier was identified Friday as Noah Green, according to law enforcement officials.

The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Greens identification as the suspect in the attack.

Police said he had no fixed address. Officials told various media outlets that Green, 25, has connections to Virginia and Indiana, was identified as the suspect in the case. Those media reports said social media accounts belonging to him suggested he was a follower of the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan.

Several news outlets, citing court documents, reported that Green was slated to legally change his name on Friday to Noah Zaeem Muhammad. He did not show up for the hearing.

Green was shot and killed by U.S. Capitol Police after the incident, officials said. One officer died and one was hurt, said Capitol Police in a statement.

The suspect rammed his car into two of our officers and then hit the north barricade barrier, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yoganana Pittman said. At such time the suspect exited the vehicle with a knife in hand. Our officers then engaged that suspect. He did not respond to verbal commands.

The fallen officer was identified as William Billy Evans by Capitol Police.

I just ask that the public continue to keep U.S. Capitol police and their families in your prayers. This has been an extremely difficult time for U.S. Capitol police after the events of Jan. 6, and now the events that have occurred here today, Pittman said.

Police and fire officials stand near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, on April 2, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote Friday that there is still much to be determined about the attack.

Authorities said that there wasnt an ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism, though the Capitol was put on lockdown as a precaution. There was also no immediate connection apparent between Fridays crash and the Jan. 6 breach, officials said.

Robert Contee, the acting chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, said the suspect does not have any ties to a member of Congress.

Pittman said the suspect did not appear to have been on the polices radar before the incident.

The U.S. Capitol complex was placed on lockdown after Fridays shooting, and staffers were told they could not enter or exit buildings. Video showed Guard troops mobilizing near the area of the crash.

Video posted online showed a dark colored sedan crashed against a vehicle barrier and a police K-9 dog inspecting the vehicle. Law enforcement and paramedics could be seen caring for at least one unidentified individual.

Today, once again, these heroes risked their lives to protect our Capitol and our country, with the same extraordinary selflessness and spirit of service seen on January 6, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement. On behalf of the entire House, we are profoundly grateful.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 14:17:02|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's COVID tally rose to 12,303,131 on Friday, as 81,466 new cases were reported from across the country, according to the latest figures released by federal health ministry.

Besides, 469 deaths were reported since Thursday morning took the death toll to 163,396.

- - - -

KUNMING -- China's Yunnan Province reported four new confirmed COVID-19 cases and four asymptomatic cases on Thursday, the provincial health commission said on Friday.

All confirmed cases and three of the four asymptomatic cases were detected in the border city of Ruili during a citywide nucleic acid testing campaign launched on Wednesday, the commission said.

- - - -

ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia reported 486 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 9,327, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Friday.

Meanwhile, two more COVID-19-related deaths were recorded in the country over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 14, said the center.

- - - -

BUENOS AIRES -- A second batch of China's Sinopharm vaccines arrived in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires on Thursday to strengthen the country's mass inoculation campaign against COVID-19.

Argentine Health Minister Carla Vizzotti received the shipment at the Ezeiza international airport, located south of the Argentine capital. Enditem
Jere Brittain: Culture clash puts tranquility in crossfire

Guns are part of the DNA in upper South Mills River community.

The Sitton iron forge and Gillespie long rifle works of the early nineteenth century are commemorated by an historic marker at the intersection of NC-280/191 and South Mills River Road. Some small countries would envy the number and variety of guns in upper Mills River.

A few years ago I was visiting a neighbor to express condolence for loss of his mother. Six local men were sitting together talking and eventually the conversation turned to the subject of guns. I was the only one who was not packing a pistol in my pocket at this wake.

While sitting in a pew of a local church generally regarded as liberal, I overheard two women discussing the pistols in their purses. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!

In a front page article in the March 17 edition of the Hendersonville Lightning, Bill Moss reported on an emotionally charged meeting about a backyard gun range in Henderson County. Protestors claimed that the gunfire frightened their animals and reduced their property values. Spokesmen for the County Planning Board responded that no relief was available under current county ordinances, leaving the issue of sacred gun rights versus the right to the pursuit of tranquility and happiness in a stalemate.

As secretary of the North and South Mills River Community Center, I have recently received complaints about an apparently undocumented gun range on Dalton Road. I believe this range originated as part of concealed-carry training conducted by the owner of the property, a former Henderson County Deputy Sheriff. Over the past few years, the range has evolved to a major shooting venue for county and municipal police departments. This involves rapid-fire, high-powered weapons that are fired for hours, sometimes until 9:00 or 10:00pm. Augmented by echoes off Forge Mountain, the gunfire makes upper South Mills River sound like a war zone. Nearby residents retreat from their decks and porches into their closed houses, where the guns can still be heard at bed time.

The Henderson County Commission and Zoning Board can no longer ignore this issue. Law enforcement agencies are complicit in an activity that clearly disturbs the peace in upper South Mills River community. This has nothing to do with Second Amendment rights. It is about the rights of residents to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of one of the most beautiful valleys in Western North Carolina without assault to their senses by frequent, loud, and incessant gunfire.

Journeying on 

* * * * *

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since Jere Brittain submitted this column, Blue Ridge Community College announced that 24 cadets in a Basic Law Enforcement Training class had completed firearms qualifying at the South Mills River range. The Henderson County sheriff's office said it does not use that range for practice and qualifying. It's unclear whether area law enforcement agencies continue to use the range.

A sixth generation native of Mills River, Lightning columnist Jere Brittain is a retired professor of horticulture at Clemson University, a musician and songwriter and Henderson County history enthusiast who writes about life in and around Mills River.
KENT COUNTY, MI  Ron Koehler will be staying on as interim superintendent for the Kent Intermediate School District for a bit longer as the district waits for conditions to return to some sense of normalcy in its search for new leadership.

The district suspended its superintendent search on Monday, April 1, citing the extraordinary challenge of searching for new leadership amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced this week.

Kent ISD officials have been searching for a new superintendent since last summer, when former Superintendent Ron Caniff announced he would retire at the end of 2020. He took the reins in 2015.

KISDs board president Andrea Haidle said the search has not received the diverse pool of candidates the district has been seeking.

This pandemic has stressed us all, but few have been stressed as much as educators and educational leadership, Haidle said in a prepared statement.

We received just 13 applications for what is widely viewed as one of the premier education leadership positions in the state. One of our primary goals was a diverse pool of candidates, yet we received no candidates of color.

Kent ISD is an education service agency that supports 20 traditional school districts and 23 public school academies in Kent County, serving nearly 120,000 students.

Haidle said the board decided now is not the time for a change after learning that the COVID-19 pandemic and work-at-home orders have weighed heavily on Kent ISDs staff of more than 1,000 members.

Koehler has agreed to remain as interim superintendent until the board finds permanent leadership. He stepped in when Caniff retired on Dec. 31.

Koehler, who retired July 31, 2019, worked for Kent ISD more than 23 years. He spent 14 years overseeing organizational and community initiatives as an assistant superintendent.

Our staff deserve a well known and welcome leader during this time as we work towards a sense of normalcy, Haidle said of Koehler in the news release.

The board adopted its superintendent search criteria in February. The candidate profile states the board is seeking a transformational leader to collaborate with local educational agencies, community members, business partners, parents and staff in elevating programs and services to higher levels of excellence.

Some of the criteria sought in the candidate profile includes:

Has worked in or has clear understanding of the uniqueness of rural, urban and suburban districts

Knowledgeable of the challenges facing education in Michigan

Track record of community outreach and engagement, including English Language Learners, non-English speaking families and traditionally underrepresented stakeholders

Evidence of commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; and improving educational outcomes for marginalized students

Champions all students, especially the marginalized

More on MLive:

School closures could follow spring break if travel leads to COVID-19 surge, officials warn

Majority of teachers at these West Michigan schools are vaccinated or on track to soon be, leaders say

Frustration over spring sports pause growing among Ann Arbor athletes, parents
Honduran migrants in a caravan heading toward the border with Guatemala on their way to the US. (AFP or licensors)

US and Mexican Bishops highlight the plight of migrants at the border of the two countries and call for humanitarian responses that welcome, protect and promote the dignity of people who feel compelled to migrate.

By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ

Bishops along the border of the United States and Mexico issued a joint statement on Thursday on the situation of migration at the frontier of the two countries.

In recent times, the US has faced increased numbers of migrants reaching its border with Mexico, presenting the governments of both countries with significant immigration challenges. Most of the migrants come from the so-called Northern Triangle of Central America  El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, who are experiencing a combination of push factors including poverty, inequality, violence and political instability. These challenges are further worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic and hurricanes last year.

The Bishops expressed their concern for the dilemma that our migrant sisters and brothers face. For most, they explained, the decision to migrate is not motivated by an indifference toward their homeland or the pursuit of economic prosperity; it is a matter of life or death. The situation is all the more difficult for children.

The statement issued on Thursday was signed by nine US Bishops and six others from Mexico, including Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, chairman of the US Bishops committee on migration and auxiliary Bishop of Washington.

Humanitarian solutions for migration

Acknowledging that nations have the right to maintain their borders, the Bishops highlighted that challenges such as these require humanitarian solutions.

They stressed that there is a shared responsibility by all nations to preserve human life and provide for safe, orderly and humane immigration, including the right to asylum, even though the maintenance of borders is vital to the sovereignty and self-determination of countries.

Appeal to governments

In light of the challenging situation, the Bishops appealed to governments, political leaders and civil society to work together to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate migrants in accordance with their intrinsic dignity, as well as work with other countries in the region to eliminate conditions that compel their citizens to resort to dangerous and irregular migration, producing long-term solutions.

Reiterating Pope Francis words, they noted that unlike disagreement and conflict, persistent and courageous dialogue does not make headlines, but quietly helps the world to live much better than we imagine. The Pope, on the eve of Easter Sunday last year, also remarked: "how beautiful it is to be Christians who offer consolation, who bear the burdens of others and who offer encouragement: messengers of life in a time of death.

In managing the situation at the borders, therefore, the Bishops maintained that family unity must be a vital component of any response, and they appealed that special attention be given to vulnerable populations including children. At the same time, they encouraged policies supported by sound scientific rationales, conscious of the importance of public health and safety.

The Bishops also pledged their support to continue helping their respective governments efforts, as well as the ongoing work of Catholic organizations at the border and elsewhere, which are generously tended to by the clergy, laypeople and consecrated persons.

Concluding the joint statement, the US and Mexican Bishops prayed that in Holy Week in which we experience Christs Death and Resurrection, we may feel encouraged to keep going and to help migrants, conscious that while the way ahead is long and arduous, it is not impossible if we journey together.
TORRINGTON  Kelly Considine is still in pain.

Considine, now in her 30s, was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome as a young woman after a sports-related injury. Over time, the pain has increased, and she has lost much of her ability to stand and walk. She is just over six feet tall, and her weight has dwindled to about 100 pounds.

But her determination is strong, shes looking forward to joining others this summer and is organizing a fundraising walk to raise money for research and improve public awareness of the debilitating disease that attacks a persons nervous system.

Considines team, Kellys Crusaders, joined in-person walks in Long Island in 2018 and 2019, and held their own in Torrington in 2020 using the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway.

The second annual Virtual CRPS Awareness Walk is set for June 26 on the greenway, and Kellys Crusaders are ready to go. Considine, a city resident, will be there with her service dog, Gunner, along with supportive friends and family members. This year, her team is already leading with donations. Were hoping for another successful year, she said.

Last year our team raised over $6,800, and this year Ive been asked to be the chairperson of the walk, she said. Im very excited to be more involved because I love spreading awareness in the hopes that one day soon, we an find a cure for this horrendous condition.

Teams of people affected by CRPS around the state and across the country participated in last years awareness walk, sending photos of themselves from Seymour and West Hartford, as well as from Oregon, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Nebraska.

It was so great to see all these people doing it on their own, Considine said.

According to the Mayo Clinic, CRPS usually affects an arm or leg, and typically develops after a injury, a surgery, a stroke or heart attack. The pain, the clinic says on its website, is out of proportion to the severity of the injury.

I went to a surgery center in my freshman year of college, and a surgeon there cut one of the nerves in my ankle, Considine said. He told me Id be off crutches by the end of the day, Considine said. Ever since then, the pain has spread beyond my leg. Its affecting my blood pressure, my heart rate and my GI system, so eating is difficult, and I have to be very careful. The condition has just increased.

The pandemic prompted groups to hold their own fundraisers. My friends said, instead of canceling it, they wanted to have a virtual option, she said. Everyone came together and showed that even with the COVID-19 challenges, we were able to do this. Last year there were 33 teams, and we had participants from 40 states and three other countries.

The money is donated for to the Milford-based nonprofit Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association. Considine found a support group on Facebook that participates in awareness-raising activities.

What our groups been doing is holding a Facebook Live series of talks for people living with the syndrome, Considine said. They also held a virtual conference with physicians, researchers and people with CRPS. Because its so rare, sometimes its hard to find other people who have it. But when you do you dont feel like youre all alone.

The walk begins at 10 a.m. June 26 on the Winsted end of the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway. To make a donation, go to https://secure.qgiv.com/event/rsdsawalk2021/team/874942-KellysCrusaders.

To learn more about the walk or sponsorship opportunities, email Considine at kelly.crpsawareness@gmail.com. To join her team, go to http://bit.ly/Kellys_Crusaders_2021.
Hyderabad/ Amaravati, April 2 : Christian in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, observed Good Friday by fasting and attending special prayers at various churches.

With Covid cases continuously rising, churches made special arrangements for social distancing norms to be followed strictly and asked worshippers to don masks when visiting churches.

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

In Hyderabad and major cities of Andhra Pradesh, such as Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur, special prayer services were conducted.

In view of Covid restrictions, apart from restricting the numbers of visitors, some churches organised online masses, as well. The devout were seen lining up in orderly fashion, their faces covered with masks, and maintaining social distance.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy recalled the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the good of mankind. "Good Friday is the reminder of Jesus Christ's great sacrifice. Love for mankind, kindness towards the weak, forgiveness for enemies, and boundless sacrifice are the message of Jesus' life to mankind," the chief minister tweeted in Telugu.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao tweeted on Friday: "Humanity should follow Christ's path of love, kindness, patience, peace and sacrifice and emulate his ideal of forgiving and loving even the enemy. Urge the Christian brethren to offer #GoodFriday prayers duly following #COVID19 guidelines"
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Prime minister will address a public rally in Kanyakumari district on Friday to campaign for the BJP candidate Pon Radhakrishnan.

Modi will address the rally at the Vivekananda college ground in Agastheeswaram.

He will reach Kanyakumari from Konni in Kerala where he will address a public meeting at 1.15 p.m. at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor stadium. He will travel from Konni to Kanyakumari by a helicopter.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan is contesting from Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat where a bypoll was necessitated following the passing away of the sitting MP, H.Vasanthakumar of the Congress owing to Covid related ailments.

Pon Radhakrishnan had won from Kanyakumari in 2014 but in 2019 he lost to Vasanthakumar by a margin of 2,99,000 votes. The BJP is contesting elections in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the AIADMK and this has given much hopes for Pon Radhakrishnan.

Other than the Lok Sabha candidate, NDA candidates contesting the Assembly polls from Kanyakumari district and adjoining constituencies will participate in the Prime minister's programme.

Security has been beefed up in Kanyakumari district and 3,500 policemen are deployed for the programme.

Modi will return to Thiruvananthapuram where he will address a public meeting at Greenfield stadium, Kazhakootam in which all the NDA candidates of Thiruvananthapuram district will participate.

--IANS

aal/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.)
(JTA)  There was virtual wine spilled and nostalgia for gefilte fish, as well as a serious message to consider the role of women in the bible.

Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harriss Jewish husband, hosted the White Houses first-ever online Passover seder on Thursday, two nights before the holiday formally begins.

We are gathered today for the first Passover celebration of the Biden Harris administration, and Im excited to join you as the first-ever second gentleman, married to the first woman to serve as Vice President of the United States, Emhoff said. And as the f...
Massachusetts education officials have reported new COVID-19 cases among 801 students and 244 teachers as the state this month starts making a shift to fully in-person learning.

Schools across Massachusetts reported those cases from March 25 to 31, according to a weekly report from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Come Monday, 90% of districts will have their elementary schools back fully in-person, DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said previously.

Of the positives in this weeks report, 791 student cases and 228 staff cases were at local school districts, 6 student cases and 10 staff cases were at education collaboratives, and 4 student cases and 6 staff cases were at approved special education schools, per DESE data.

This shows an increase in new cases compared to last week, when DESE reported 910 new cases of the virus, split between 682 students and 228 staff members. The week prior, there were 669 total new cases.

Each Thursday, DESE reports COVID-19 cases among students and members who tested positive for the virus within seven days of being inside a school building. This means students learning remotely are not included.

Barnstable, Quincy, Methuen, Mansfield and Framingham are among the districts that saw some of the highest case counts in students. Boston, Barnstable and Worcester are among the districts that saw some of the highest case counts in staff.

Find numbers for your district or school in this searchable database. If youre having trouble accessing the database, click here.

DESE has required districts to offer five days a week of in-person learning for K-5 students by April 5 and for grade 6-8 students by April 28. Some districts were granted waivers to delay their full-time return.

All elementary schools will have full-time learning by May 3, officials said, though parents can opt to keep their children home for the remainder of the school year.

Districts are encouraged to plan for a return to in-person learning for pre-kindergarten as soon as possible. A return date for high schoolers has not been announced by DESE yet.

More than 1,000 schools in the state have been participating in a pooled COVID testing program run by DESE. So far, the state has tested nearly 159,000 people in 22,679 pools, reporting a collective 0.76% positivity rate, the Baker administration announced Monday.

More than 329,000 students, educators and staff are eligible to be tested each week. Officials said DESE is now offering the testing program at no cost to K-12 public schools through the end of the school year. Previously, state funding was set to end on April 18.

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KALAMAZOO, MI  A Kalamazoo day care had its license suspended after the owner was found overdosed in a bathroom.

The license for Terrys Playhouse, 1417 Crawford St., was suspended March 30. Ashlee Terry, who runs the day care, was found in a bathroom, unresponsive after an overdose Tuesday, March 23, according to a report from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

The LARA Bureau of Community and Health Systems was contact March 25 about the overdose and conducted an unannounced inspection March 26, the report says.

A staff member arrived to work and found kids and their parents on the porch of the day care just before 8 a.m. on March 23. The employee let the kids into the day care and started looking for Terry, the report said.

The employee heard snoring coming from a bathroom and found Terry laying on the floor, unresponsive, the report said. The employee called 911 and Terry was taken to Ascension Borgess Hospital. She was released from the hospital that same day, according to the report.

Terry declined to comment.

Terry admitted to snorting a line or two of cocaine during an interview with the inspectors, the report said. She told inspectors was out with friends around 1 a.m. on March 23, when she got a call from an acquaintance who needed to be picked up from the hospital.

Friends gave her the cocaine to stay awake, she said. She then took the acquaintance back to the day care around 4 a.m. and said she planned to stay awake to provide childcare that day, the report said.

The first child was supposed to arrive at 7 a.m., but Terry got a phone call at 6:50 a.m. saying they were running late. After that, Terry said she went to the bathroom but does not remember much after that.

Surveillance camera footage confirms the time the employee entered the day care and the time first responders arrived, the report said.

Terrys Playhouse was licensed for up to 12 children, per LARA. The day cares website says it allowed kids between 6 months and 6 years old.

Due to the serious nature of the above violations and the potential risk it represents to vulnerable children in Licensees care, emergency action is required, the report said.

Terrys license for the day care is immediately suspended. The department plans to revoke the license, and an administrative hearing will be scheduled.

More from MLive:

COVID-19 vaccine appointments available for drive-thru clinic in Kalamazoo

Fire destroys two Kalamazoo mobile homes

Kalamazoo Public Library to close next week after staff vaccinations
NORFOLK - Nebraska will soon have a flood hazard mitigation plan, but first open houses and public hearings were held across the state to gather comments and present an overview of the project including one in Norfolk Thursday.
Russian FM says Russia-China ties continue to be strengthened

Xinhua) 09:14, April 02, 2021

MOSCOW, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Russia-China relations have been qualitatively strengthened and continue to be further cemented, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.

Bilateral ties are built on a clear-cut and objective foundation of overlapping interests, Lavrov told the Great Game talk show on Russian TV.

The "strategic interaction and multifaceted partnership" between China and Russia are not directed against anyone, but focus exclusively on the interests of the two peoples and countries, he said.

Commenting on some Western countries' approach to dealing with China and Russia, Lavrov said: "no one should be rude to others. But what we see instead is dialogue with a condescending tone towards great civilizations like Russia and China."

"Those who are talking with China and Russia without due respect, or look down on us, or insult us, are worthless politicians and strategists," the top diplomat added.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
A bill has been introduced in the Texas Legislature to create a regional district that could levy taxes and issue bonds to build and maintain a proposed $26 billion storm surge barrier on the southeast Texas coast.

The measure, SB1160, is sponsored by state Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, with a companion bill in the state House filed by Rep. Dennis Paul, R-Houston. The legislation would establish the Gulf Coast Protection District, an entity composed of members from Harris, Galveston, Chambers, Jefferson and Orange counties.

The proposal marks the first time that lawmakers have outlined a clear local funding and management mechanism for the long-discussed coastal barrier, once known as the Ike Dike, the majority of which would be funded by the federal government. In addition to taxing authority, the local protection district could use eminent domain to seize property or land for the exercise of the districts functions, according to the bills text.

Taylor told a Senate committee on Monday that the bill is vital to the Army Corps of Engineers proposed coastal barrier project, which aims to protect the region from the kind of catastrophic storm surge experienced during Hurricane Ike in 2008.

This is a very important bill, and not just not just for the state of Texas, but for our country, Taylor told the Senate Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee. The No. 1 supplier of military aviation fuel is in this area. So if youre talking about national security, (if) this area gets wiped out and we dont have the aviation fuel, that would be a security problem. Its our No.1 military port. And its our No. 1 petrochemical complex.

The barrier proposal calls for a gated structure stretching across the mouth of Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel. It also calls for 43 miles of dunes protecting the Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula coastline, as well as a ring levee that would protect the north side of Galveston island.

The entire coastal barrier project, which includes ecosystem restoration extending southwest to South Padre Island, is expected to cost $26 billion, with the dunes and sea gate at the ship channel alone accounting for $14 billion to $18 billion of that total. Once fully constructed, the Corps estimates the project will save $2.2 billion in storm damages every year.

This project will pay for itself time and time again, Taylor said. Once we get it built, itll be there for the next 80 to 100 years.

A final report on the coastal barrier study will be completed in April, according to the Texas General Land Office, which is co-sponsoring the study. The report will released to the public in September and submitted to Congress for final approval.

The Gulf Coast Protection District would be governed by a board of 11 directors appointed by the governor in consultation with the respective commissioners courts from each county. Each of the five counties would have one representative except for Harris County, which, because of its larger population, would have two. The district would also include one representative each for the regional ports, the environmental sector. the regional industrial complex, and for all of the cities within the five counties.

The district would have to hold a vote among its member counties before it began collecting property taxes, but would be able to issue bonds.

Several witnesses at Mondays committee hearing spoke in favor of the bill, including Hector Rivera, president and CEO of the Texas Chemical Council, a statewide trade association of chemical manufacturing facilities in Texas, and the government relations staffers from the city of Galveston and Galveston County.

Danielle Goshen, a water policy and outreach specialist for the Galveston Bay Foundation, was the only speaker opposed to the bill. Goshen said the environmental organization opposed the bill for providing momentum for a coastal barrier plan that is too expensive, will take too long, and where better alternatives exist.

We could scrap the gate system and spend a fraction of the total cost on a combination of buyouts, flood-proofing, and elevation structures, Goshen said during her testimony.

The Corps estimated that annual maintenance and operation of the coastal barrier would exceed $100 million annually. The protection district would be required to pay 35 percent of the local share of the $26 billion project. A previous report released by the Corps in 2019 estimated that would be nearly $9 billion.

Taylor said he hoped Congress would prove a direct appropriation for the project, much like the Corps levee reconstruction in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. The hope is that a direct appropriation would expedite the construction timeline, which is currently estimated to be anywhere from 10 to 15 years.

I think we have a pretty good case for getting this done on a direct appropriation from Congress, particularly in light of the infrastructure bill (that) is being discussed right now in D.C., Taylor said.
Xinjiang, in the far western land of China, hosted one of the world's first and most important trade routes known as the Silk Road, which linked ancient Chinese civilization to the West through the Eurasian continent.

The land of fortune, however, has not always enjoyed tranquility. Thousands of terrorist attacks from 1990 through 2016 killed large numbers of innocent people and hundreds of police officers. Horrific stabbings and bombings rocked the land, leaving its people in shock, grief and panic. The damage was incalculable while stability in the region quickly deteriorated. Authorities have been trying hard to restore peace to this land.

In CGTN's first three documentaries on fighting terrorism in Xinjiang, we presented never-before-seen footage documenting the frightening tragedies in Xinjiang and the resilience of its people.

The fourth expose "The war in the shadows: Challenges of fighting terrorism in Xinjiang"  the last of the tetralogy  exposes the extremist thinking and the challenges facing China's efforts to tackle terrorism inside and outside of Xinjiang.

It gives answers to these questions: Why has violent terrorism continued to plague Xinjiang? For those who were once known as "Two-faced people" among the legal and political elites in Xinjiang, how much damage have they done to anti-terrorism efforts in the region? How come poisonous education materials alleging ethnic victimization and "Turkic heroes" have been used for 13 years in primary and middle schools? Why must we stop the invisible hand of foreign advocacy alleging violent terrorism infiltrating our country?

The documentary reveals the methods used by extremist and separatist forces including the "Two-faced people" among the region's high-ranking officials, as well as how music and videos advocating violent terrorism and inciting ethnic hatred penetrated the region. Plus, it also tells of the very hardship police officers have been mired in for decades.

Over the past four years, violence has largely been contained, giving way to rapid urbanization and economic growth. Safety and tranquility never come easy. But it's only a preliminary victory in China's fight against terrorism.

The film is 55 minutes long and consists of four parts: "The network," "Enemies within," "The textbooks," and "The black hands."
Only the prevalence of green and gold jerseys distinguished Oakland Athletics fans from vaccine-seekers Thursday night as the Oakland Coliseum opened its doors to fans for the first time since 2019.

It feels like a glimpse of normalcy, said Krista Benavidez, one of the first fans cued up in the parking lot, relieved to be back at the Coliseum after the pandemic shutdown that kept fans away last year.

A season ticket holder, Benavidez, 33, used her vouchers from last years canceled games to score one of the 12,000 seats made available for the opening night match-up against the Houston Astros. Under the stadiums new social distancing requirements, the ballpark capacity was capped at 26%, slightly below the level allowed under Californias reopening blueprint for the orange tier, which includes Alameda County.

Like other fans who arrived early to bask in the late afternoon sun outside the Coliseum, Benavidez and older brother Nick, 35, cracked open a few beers in the parking lot before heading inside, where they would have to order refreshments delivered to their seats using an app. It was a far cry from their usual hours-long tailgate, but the siblings were just happy to be back at the ballpark after a years absence.

Nearby, the Robles family was camped out on the bed of their truck with chicken wings and a cooler of drinks. Their pre-game ritual would normally involve a Weber Grill, said dad Ernie Robles, but attending the As season opener on a beautiful afternoon was nonetheless a welcome change after a year of seclusion.

Weve been saving up things to tell the Houston Astros for a year, he said. Its time.

A born and raised As fan, Ernie said he wasnt bothered by the strict social distancing regulations in place at the ballpark. He and his wife Olivia were more than willing to adapt if it meant their two sons, decked out in jerseys and green beads, could have a brief respite from online learning.

It just feels good to be out, Olivia Robles said.

While tailgating was not permitted, many families lingered at their cars before joining the sea of green caps waiting to enter through security.

At 6:07 p.m., exactly one hour before the first pitch, a call rang out: Open the house!

The voice belonged to longtime As event worker Joe K., who kept a watchful eye over the security gates as the first fans streamed in.

As he surveyed the ocean of green and gold that stretched far into the distance, Joe said his general anxiety about corralling fans nearly outweighed the buoyant mood that only seemed to grow more jubilant as game time approached.

Minutes before the first pitch, as the National Anthem played in the background, John Aguilar passed through security carrying his own life-sized likeness: one of the cardboard cutouts that adorned the Coliseum last season. The ballpark had mailed it back to him, a souvenir of pandemic times.

Its been a long year, Aguilar said. Its awesome that we get to be back here.

Nora Mishanec is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NMishanec
Israelis do not make islands in the shape of palm trees, nor towering skyscrapers, nor expensive hotels, nor do their leaders use cars with solid silver bodies (a clear allusion to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates).

The pride of the State of Israel is that its technologies will soon be able to be used by all humanity:

1. The University of Tel Aviv is developing a nasal vaccine that will protect people from Alzheimers and stroke.

2. Technion, Institute of Technology (Haifa), developed a simple blood test capable of detecting different types of cancer.

3. The Ichlov Center (Tel Aviv) has...
English Lithuanian

Retail turnover (including VAT) of Apranga Group amounted to EUR 10.6 million in March 2021 and has increased by 22.9% comparing to March 2020. In March 2021, the retail turnover of Apranga Group in Lithuania increased by 55.1% year-to-year (from 16th March 2020 until 18th April 2020 all the Group stores in Lithuania were closed, therefore the turnover is not comparable), in Latvia decreased by 14.3% and in Estonia decreased by 15.0%.



Due to epidemic coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, from 16 December 2020, all the Groups stores in Lithuania are temporarily closed. Stores in Lithuania with a separate entrance from the outside and a sales area not exceeding 300 square meters have been open since 15 February 2021. Stores with a separate entrance from the outside and a sales area exceeding 300 square meters have been open since 15 March 2021. In Latvia, stores are temporarily closed from 19 December 2020. In Estonia, stores are temporarily closed from 11 March 2021 (from 6 March 2021 until 11 March 2021 Estonia banned the operation of stores on weekends). These temporary closures had a significant impact on the Group's generated turnover in January-March 2021.

The retail turnover (including VAT) of Apranga Group reached EUR 25.5 million in January through March 2021 or by 44.3% less than in 2020.

During 1st quarter 2021, Apranga Group reconstructed 3 and closed 5 stores.

Currently Apranga Group operates the chain of 174 stores (101 in Lithuania, 48 in Latvia and 25 in Estonia) covering the gross area of 93.4 thousand sq. m., or by 0.2% more than a year ago.

Rimantas Perveneckas

Apranga Group General Manager

+370 5 2390801
Iranians mark Nature Day outdoors despite COVID-19 restrictions

04/02/21

Payvand.com - To prevent the spread of coronavirus, and by order of Coronavirus Prevention and Combat Headquarters, authorities closed all parks and public places in Iran on April 2 and imposed severe penalties for picnicking.

Iran's Health Ministry said on Thursday that the total number of coronavirus cases in the country has exceeded 1,897,000 and the death toll has reached 62,759.

However, desite the official orders and warnings, Iranians across the country gathered outdoors on Friday to celebrate Sizdah-Bedar, the traditional Persian festival of nature. Sizdah-Bedar, an ancient Iranian nature festival, is held on the 13th of Farvardin (first month in Iranian calendar) and marks the end of the Persian New Year (Norooz) celebrations.

Following photos by ISNA show Sizdah-Bedar gatherings in various parts of Iran.





Hamedan



Ahvaz



Arak







Lorestan and Mazandaran provinces



Qom



Mashhad



Shiraz



Tehran



Isfahan



Kerman




NEWS PROVIDED BY

Catholic League

April 2, 2021

NEW YORK, April 2, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the relationship of President Biden and the U.S. bishops at Easter:

During the presidential campaign season last year, it was obvious that candidate Joe Biden was not having an easy time with some U.S. bishops. After he won the election, that observation was validated. Now that we are at Easter, it is undeniably true that the president's relationship with many bishops is rocky, if not seriously strained.

Last summer, Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin issued a tweet that was both sarcastic and pointed. "Biden-Harris. First time in awhile that the Democratic ticket hasn't had a Catholic on it. Sad." The dismissal of Biden's professed Catholic status was lost on no one.

A month before the election, Cardinal Raymond Burke said that Biden should not receive Communion, adding that he was not a Catholic "in good standing."

A few weeks after the election, Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, opined that President-elect Biden supported policies that "attack some fundamental values we hold dear." Noting that it could be confusing to Catholics to see a Catholic in the White House who rejected the Church's teachings on abortion and other matters, Gomez appointed a Working Group, chaired by Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron, to help the bishops "navigate" this "difficult and complex situation."

In December, the recently retired archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, said that Biden's support for gay marriage and abortion rights meant that he "should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic." On the day he was inaugurated, Biden's press secretary, Jen Psaki, called the president a "devout Catholic."

Archbishop Gomez, speaking for the bishops' conference, also weighed in on inauguration day. "I must point out that the new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender. Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences."

A week later, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, chairman of the bishops' Pro-Life Committee, teamed up with Bishop David Malloy, the head of the bishops' International Justice and Peace Committee, to take Biden to task for promoting abortion overseas. "It is grievous that one of President Biden's first official acts actively promotes the destruction of human lives in developing nations." They said his executive order "is antithetical to reason, violates human dignity, and is incompatible with Catholic teaching."

In February, Naumann, the archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas, said that Biden "should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic," noting that he is "100% pro-choice on abortion." He accused Biden of "usurping the role of the bishops and confusing people." What should be done? "The bishops need to correct him, as the president is acting contrary to the Catholic faith."

Within days of Naumann's remarks, Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas declared that "Biden is not a real Catholic." In March, Bishop Richard Stika, who heads the Diocese of Knoxville, tweeted that Biden "likes to brag on his Catholic background when convenient. So very dishonest!"

At the end of March, Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, who leads the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, said that Biden "should not present himself" for Communion. He cited Biden's long history of supporting abortion rights, saying that if politicians are "living in a way or holding positions that are contrary to church teaching, then the Minister of Communion has to deny them the sacrament."

Paprocki's comments were followed by Cardinal Burke's. Speaking of Biden, he said that "a person who claims to be Catholic and yet promotes in such an open, obdurate, and aggressive way a crime like procured abortion is in the state, at least, of apostasy." He concluded that the penalty for the "crime of apostasy" is "excommunication."

As we approach Easter, the bishops, as well as millions of practicing Catholics, are not going to have their concerns about Biden allayed by photos of him clinging to his rosary beads. He cannot at once declare himself to be a "devout Catholic" while at the same time supporting abortion-on-demand, gay marriage, sex transitioning for minors, and the war on religious liberty.

It's time for President Biden to stop living a lie.

Contact White House press secretary: jennifer.r.psaki@who.eop.gov
A Texas sheriff has fired seven officers after a Black prisoner who had been arrested for possession of marijuana died in custody.

Marvin D. Scott III, 26, was detained on March 14 at an outlet mall in Allen after police found him 'incoherent'.

They said he was acting in an erratic manner and were concerned for his safety because of the possible ingestion of drugs.

A Texas sheriff has fired seven officers after Marvin D. Scott III (pictured) who had been arrested for possession of marijuana died in custody

Jim Skinner (pictured), the sheriff of Collin county, suspended the officers involved before announcing their firings on Thursday

He had less than two ounces of the drug on his possession at the time of arrest, which would constitute a misdemeanor.

Officers initially took him to the Texas Health Presbyterian hospital where doctors said he was fit for incarceration after he was treated for three hours.

Mr Scott was then handed over to Collin County jail where he was restrained and pepper-sprayed and a spit hood was placed over his head.

He died later that night.

S. Lee Merritt, a lawyer representing the family, said Mr Scott had schizophrenia and would often use marijuana to self-medicate when his prescription drugs did not work.

Mr Scott was handed over to Collin County jail where he was restrained and pepper-sprayed and a spit hood was placed over his head

He had less than two ounces of the drug on his possession at the time of arrest, which would constitute a misdemeanor

Police violence against Black people since George Floyd's death In September 2020, Roderick Walker was repeatedly punched during a traffic stop in Atlanta, Georgia. The Clayton County Sheriff's Office revealed in a statement that the unidentified deputy who beat Roderick Walker was fired for 'excessive use of force.' In the same city just three months earlier, Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot and killed by police outside a drive-thru after falling asleep in his car. Garrett Rolfe, a six-year veteran, was fired while his colleague Devin Brosnan was placed on leave. Both have been charged over the killing. In December, white officer Adam Coy was fired for fatally shooting Andre Maurice Hill, 47, in Columbus, Ohio. Hill was shot to death in the garage of a house where he had been staying as a guest. In another incident, Texas cop Shaun Lucas was charged with murder over the October 3 killing of city worker Jonathan Price, 31. Price, a motivational speaker employed by the city, was shot four times in the chest by Lucas, who had only joined the police in April. Advertisement

For the past two weeks, members of his family have gathered outside the Collin County jail to protest his treatment.

Jim Skinner, the sheriff of Collin county, said: 'Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established sheriff's office policies and procedures.'

He added that an eighth officer had resigned, the paper said.

A forensic pathologist said it was possible that asphyxiation and a physical struggle against his restraint may have led to his death, according to The New York Times.

The officers who were fired on Thursday had previously been placed on administrative leave.

The sheriff's office launched an internal investigation while the Texas Rangers is also conducting a criminal investigation.

Mr Scott's family are demanding officers be arrested and want security camera footage from the incident to be released.

Sheriff Skinner said: 'While in the booking area, Mr. Scott exhibited some strange behavior.

'Several detention officers tried to secure him to the restraint bed, and during the process used OC spray once, and also placed a spit mask on his face.'

The firings come amid the trial of Derek Chauvin who was charged with murder over the death of George Floyd.

On Thursday, never-before-heard audio of Chauvin speaking with his supervisor moments after Mr Floyd died was played in court as it was revealed the former cop didn't say that he'd knelt on the man's neck until he was directly asked.

Breathless and coughing, Chauvin was briefly caught on cell phone audio in a call from then-Minneapolis Police Department Sergeant David Pleoger, before the recording ended as he shut off his body camera.

Testifying in court on Thursday, Minneapolis Police Department Sergeant David Pleoger said that Chauvin did not tell him that he had applied his knee to Floyd's neck or that he had held him down for any length of time. Video from Pleoger's body camera showed Chauvin in the hospital where Floyd was pronounced dead (right)

Chauvin can be heard telling Pleoger: 'I was just going to call you come out to our scene we had to hold a guy down he was going crazy, wouldn't go in the back of the squad.'

Testifying in court, Pleoger, who recently retired, said that Chauvin did not tell him that he had applied his knee to Floyd's neck or that he had held him down for any length of time.

He said: 'I believe he told me he'd become combative he mentioned he'd injured either his nose of his mouth and eventually having struggled with him.

'He said he'd suffered a medical emergency and an ambulance was called.'
Huawei is officially part of the UK desktop monitor business now with the release of its 23.8-inch IPS monitor. It packs 1920x1080 pixel resolution and covers 72% of the NTSC color gamut with a 178-degree viewing angle. Another neat feature is the vertical tilt of the monitor which can go down by 5 or elevate to 22 depending on your preference.



Huawei Display 23.8"

I/O is fairly basic with a DC input for power, one HDMI and a VGA port. Box contents include a power adapter, a 1.5-meter HDMI cable, quick start guide and warranty. Dimensions come in at 538.5mm x 425mm x 170mm and the overall weight is 4.05 kg. Theres a single black color option.



Huawei Display 23.8"

The Huawei Display 23.8" will go on sale in the UK from April 14 for 149.99. Buyers who place their pre-orders between April 1  13 get a 30 discount and a free Huawei MateDock 2. The monitor is also available across major European markets for 159 as well as in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
document

Via Teleconference, March 29, 2021

MR PRICE: Good afternoon, everyone. I apologize we're running a couple minutes late here but thank you for joining us as we discuss tomorrow's virtual meeting of the foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Small Group. The meeting, as you know, will be co-hosted by Secretary Blinken and his Belgian counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmes.

To help explain the current state of the D-ISIS campaign and our continuing efforts to sustain pressure on ISIS remnants in Iraq and Syria and to counter ISIS networks elsewhere, including in Africa, we have joining us today Acting U.S. Special Envoy for the Global Coalition John Godfrey. As a reminder, this is an on-the-record press preview call, but the contents of this call are embargoed until the conclusion of the call.

And with that, I will turn it over to Special Envoy Godfrey.

MR GODFREY: Thanks very much, Ned, and good afternoon to everyone. Thanks very much for joining the call today. Happy to have a chance to chat. It's good to be here. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with all of you and provide a preview of tomorrow's ministerial meeting. I just have a few opening remarks at the top and then we'll dive straight into Q&A.

As Ned indicated, tomorrow's ministerial will be attended by the foreign ministers of the D-ISIS Coalition Small Group. I'm very pleased to say that we anticipate high-level participation by coalition members reflecting the coalition's continued momentum as we seek to address the continuing ISIS threat. And as Ned noted, we're very pleased to announce that Secretary Blinken will co-host tomorrow's meeting together with his Belgian counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes.

The agenda will largely focus on the coalition's continuing efforts in the so-called core of Iraq and Syria, which of course include our military line of effort but also encompass lines of effort related to stabilization, foreign terrorist fighters, counter-ISIS financing, and counter-messaging efforts. And in that regard, we will be discussing tomorrow's stabilization funding goals for 2021 for Iraq and Syria. In addition, we'll be spending some time discussing the growing threat of ISIS outside of Iraq and Syria, particularly in Africa, and the ways in which the coalition can contribute to collective efforts to ensure ISIS's enduring defeat globally.

I think as you all know, since the defeat of ISIS's fraudulent territorial caliphate in 2019, ISIS has intensified its focus on the activities of its branches and networks. That's perhaps most clearly demonstrated by the events that occurred just this past weekend in the town of Palma in the Cabo Delgado Province of northern Mozambique. The situation there is still unfolding, but the U.S. Government is closely monitoring events on the ground, and the attacks there are horrific, frankly, and show a complete disregard for the life, welfare, and security of the local population.

Attacks such as these are clear indicators that ISIS continues to actively seek to spread its malign activity to new fronts. Ensuring the enduring global defeat of ISIS will entail effectively countering ISIS branches and networks outside of Iraq and Syria, and we as a coalition recognize that.

Turning briefly back to the core, let me start by saying that the D-ISIS campaign across Iraq and Syria has been a major success to date. Although ISIS remains a threat, the group's capabilities have been significantly degraded. The evidence supporting that claim is clear. Millions of Iraqi and Syrian civilians have been able to return to their homes. Public infrastructure and basic services have been restored. And we continue to further strengthen partnerships with the increasingly capable local security partners with whom we work to prevent a resurgence of ISIS.

To be clear, ISIS remains capable of carrying out smaller-scale deadly operations in both rural and urban areas and remains intent on doing so to demonstrate that it constitutes a continuing threat. In Iraq, the recent series of attacks are just the latest reminder that ISIS does indeed remain a threat, one that can still metastasize if left unchecked. That being said, Iraqi Security Forces have become increasingly capable in their efforts to counter ISIS operations. The coalition continues to work with ISF in an advisory capacity and the United States maintains a small number of U.S. troops to carry out a limited mission focused on advising and assisting.

In addition, we appreciate and support the expanded role for the NATO mission in Iraq now under the leadership of our Danish colleagues, whom I would also note recently opened their new embassy in Baghdad. We look forward to continued collaboration to support NMI's anticipated expansion in coordination with CJTF-OIR.

In Syria, our partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces remains strong. We continue to support them in the coalition's fight against ISIS and the SDF continues to do great work in maintaining pressure against ISIS in the northeast part of the country. We continue to closely monitor ISIS activity throughout the country and assess that ISIS has continued its efforts to regroup and carry out attacks in non-SDF-controlled areas - particularly, as one example, in the Badia desert.

And while on the topic of Syria, I'd just briefly note the detention centers and humanitarian camps are a growing issue. Two years after ISIS's territorial defeat, the SDF continue to secure about 10,000 ISIS fighters, including some 2,000 foreign terrorist fighters - that is non-Syrian, non-Iraqi - in makeshift facilities. As these detainees await repatriation and prosecution in their home countries, our local partners need to support - need support to help ensure humane and secure detention conditions.

At the al-Hol IDP camp, the United States is aware of the recent killings and other security threats within the camp. They reflect a persistent threat from ISIS and its criminal affiliates to innocent civilians in al-Hol, which places an increased burden on our local partners to maintain security within the camp.

This is an international problem that requires an international solution. There are more than 60,000 individuals in al-Hol, from dozens of nationalities, the vast majority of whom are children. We urge the international community to consider how they might support both humanitarian agencies who are providing to those populations now, as well as consider the repatriation of their own citizens in order to help relieve the burden on our local partners.

In the interest of time, I'll end my remarks so that we can get into the Q&A, but let me close by saying that tomorrow's virtual meeting is emblematic of the coalition's unwavering commitment to ensure ISIS's lasting defeat. We by no means minimize the challenges we continue to face in defeating ISIS's global network, and the D-ISIS Coalition remains critically important to our efforts and united in its determination to see this enemy destroyed.

And the last point I would note here is that the United States remains fully committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS, which is critical to U.S. national security and that of its partners and allies.

And with that, happy to tackle the questions you might have.

MR PRICE: Great. Operator, would you like to give the instructions for indicating you have a question?

OPERATOR: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to ask a question, please press 1 then 0. If you're using a speakerphone, please pick up the handset before pressing the numbers. Once again, to ask a question, it's 1 then 0. Once your name has been called, please wait until I have said your line is open before speaking. You may go ahead.

MR PRICE: Great. We'll start with the line of Ellen Knickmeyer from the Associated Press.

OPERATOR: Thank you. Your line is open. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi, Ned, thank you. And thank you for doing this. I wanted to ask about ISIS in Syria. Do we consider or do you consider ISIS in Syria still a major security threat to the U.S., or is it no longer a major security threat? And if it's not, is it of the - a problem of a size that the U.S. can trust other countries with their presence there, other forces to take care of, to manage?

MR GODFREY: Thanks, Ellen. So we do assess that ISIS does continue to constitute a significant security threat, both to local partners in Syria as well as more broadly to the region, particularly across the border into Iraq, and even beyond that, ranging further afield to Europe and potentially to North America. One of the reasons for that is that there continues to be a cadre of capable ISIS actors in Syria who have experience with plotting attacks further afield, and who we assess retain aspirations to continue doing that. And they've demonstrated some connectivity to actors further afield that we're very closely focused on, but argues I think for a sustained pressure - counterterrorism pressure, that is - against those elements, working in partnership with the local partners on the ground.

MR PRICE: We'll go to the line of Jennifer Hansler of CNN.

OPERATOR: Your line is open. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi, thank you. I was wondering if you could give us an assessment of whether the U.S. feels the SDF is still able to secure the ISIS prisoners that it has in its camp. And then do you have an update on how many SDF the U.S. has repatriated and how many Americans might still be held in camps abroad? Thank you.

MR GODFREY: Thanks, Jennifer. In terms of the assessment of SDF capabilities, we do assess that the SDF remains capable of maintaining positive control of the foreign terrorist fighters who are held in the network of detention facilities in northeast Iraq. And in addition to that, the SDF I think has also demonstrated an ability to really carry a disproportionate share of the burden with respect to the internally displaced persons camps that also fall in that geographic space. That is not to say that they don't continue to need significant assistance from the international community in the form of principally resources to help enable them to do that, but I think in terms of actual management of those facilities on the ground, they've shown themselves to be quite capable.

In terms of the update on foreign terrorist fighters, the United States to date has repatriated 28 citizens from northeast Syria. That is a figure that encompasses - just one second and I'll get it for you - 12 adults and 16 children. And of the 12 adults, 10 have been or are being prosecuted.

MR PRICE: Let's go to the line of Daphne Psaledakis of Reuters.

QUESTION: Hi.

OPERATOR: Your line is open. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi, thanks so much for doing this. I wanted to ask about Mozambique and the attack in Palma. Could you give your take on the event and how many insurgents took part, where they came from? And additionally, how does this attack compare to others in Mozambique, and what is your view on the Islamic State's claim?

MR GODFREY: Thanks, Daphne. I think that - to your first - the first part of your question about our take on events, I would stress that this really unfolded late last week and quite quickly. There's been quite a lot of conflicting reporting about exactly what the situation is on the ground, including initially who might have actually been the perpetrators of the attacks, and then more broadly about the extent of the attacks and the range.

I think that in general it comports with what we've seen from ISIS-Mozambique in a couple of important and disturbing ways. One, just the sheer brutality of the events on the ground there. The horrific killings of civilians is something that we've seen elsewhere in attacks. And the second is the sort of increased brazenness of ISIS-Mozambique, and that's principally reflected in the fact that they've gone from conducting sort of hit-and-run raids, which is really what characterized their initial activities in 2017 and '18 when they were emerging onto the scene, and now are seeking to take and hold at least for some initial period of time some of the towns that they've conducted these attacks against. And I'm thinking here also of late last year when we had Mocimboa da Praia, which was also occupied briefly by ISIS elements.

So I think in that regard it's consistent with what we've seen in terms of the trend line in Mozambique.

MR PRICE: Let's go to the line of Pearl Matibe.

OPERATOR: Your line is open. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you, Coordinator Godfrey, for taking and for being available today. Just an additional question regarding Mozambique. I notice on your State Department website Mozambique is still not added to the PREACT, the Partnership for Regional East African Counterterrorism. I was of the - I had thought, that maybe the U.S. had already added Mozambique.

And so as you go into this meeting tomorrow, can you share a little bit about where you see that playing out? I know that President (inaudible) from Mozambique is traveling to Zimbabwe day after tomorrow, as well to - in Zambia to meet with Edgar Lungu from the Troika. Will the Troika - how does that play in, in terms of the security? Are you seeing some alliances, or have you got any part in that?

And were any Americans part of the injured or victims at all in what happened in northern Mozambique? Thanks.

MR GODFREY: Thanks, Pearl. Let me maybe take those questions in reverse order. To the issue of any American citizens who were either injured or involved, we were aware of one American citizen who was on the ground in Palma, and that individual, as we understand it, has successfully been evacuated. Obviously, the security and safety of American citizens abroad is one of the absolute highest priorities for the Department of State in any sort of situation like this.

To your question about regional discussions, we are aware of discussions between the Government of Mozambique and its neighbors. We have also been in communication with some of those same neighbors ourselves. There's obviously quite a lot of concern about the potential for the situation in Cabo Delgado to spread further. And in particular, I think since last October when we saw cross-border attacks from Cabo Delgado into Tanzania. That threat became not just an academic but a very real one, and so that's something that is the subject of quite a lot of discussion out in the region.

I will confess on the issue of PREACT I am not certain. And if I could take that question, we will endeavor to get a good answer back to you on that.

MR PRICE: We'll go to Nadia Bilbassy.

OPERATOR: Your line is open. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you so much for doing this. I want to follow up on al-Hol camp. I know that you alluded to it in your opening remarks. One of our reporters actually was recently in that camp, and she was faced with a very concerned reaction, a reaction from the children who have been indoctrinated of ISIS ideology. And as you mentioned, they are in the thousands. So some say that these kids actually are a time bomb unless something is done urgently. Now, you're saying that some have been repatriated, but I'm just wondering in terms of priority, where is - you put in this with your - tomorrow in the Secretary's talk with the Europeans, in particular especially the - many of them actually came from European countries. Thank you.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines U.S., Canada and Africa Conflict Mozambique By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

MR GODFREY: Thanks very much, Nadia, for the question. I would say unfortunately that the experience of your colleague is consistent with that of humanitarian workers and others who are regularly in al-Hol and Roj and the other IDP camps in northeast Syria. And indeed, I think the fact that you have such a large number of children - it's in the tens of thousands - who have been exposed to fairly horrific conditions for a period in some cases of several or more years is something that we and other international partners are quite concerned about.

You put your finger squarely on I think one of the most troubling and potentially dangerous aspects of this, which is that a number of those children either have claims to or already have European citizenship. And so there is the concern that down the road they could end up being able to go to other places and potentially do bad things. That's precisely why, to address the last part of your question, we have been engaged for several years now in urging countries of origin, including European partners, to repatriate and rehabilitate and, where it's appropriate and feasible, to prosecute both foreign terrorist fighters but also, critically, their associated family members.

And just to give you a sense of scale in terms of the non-Syrian and non-Iraqi number of individuals in northeast Syria, the number of foreign terrorist fighters who are non-Syrian and non-Iraqi is about 2,000, and the number of associated family members is about - that is family members associated with that cohort of 2,000 - is about 10,000 individuals. So we're talking about a fairly large scale here, and then on top of that you've got about 30,000 Iraqis that we are working with the Government of Iraq and others to try to get moved back to Iraq as expeditiously and responsibly as we can.

MR PRICE: We have time for a final question or two. Let's go to the line of Muath Alamri.

OPERATOR: Your line is open. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you. My question is about - I was going to ask about al-Hol camp, but it has been asked, so I'm going to ask about the area under Assad and Russia's control. There is a lack of security. There is a lack - there is a chance for ISIS to revive again. Do you have any plan to discuss this tomorrow?

MR GODFREY: Thank you very much. I think we would share the assessment that the areas that are under the control of the Syrian regime and the - Russia have shown that the extent of that control is not as great as those parties represent it to be, and frankly are somewhat problematic. And we're concerned about the potential for resurgence there, so we would share that concern.

MR PRICE: Let's take a final question from Laurie Mylroie.

OPERATOR: Your line is open. Please, go ahead. Maybe you're on mute? Your line is open, Laurie.

QUESTION: Hi, sorry, I was on mute. Could you describe the security situation in Iraq in the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad? Is there a problem with ISIS there?

MR GODFREY: Thanks, Laurie. There is concern that ISIS, which has historically demonstrated an ability to identify areas where it's difficult for governments to project security and governance, have focused on that so-called seam between the two geographic areas in Iraq that you mentioned. There's been a concerted effort by OIR, and frankly more particularly by the Iraqi Security Forces, to address that threat in that geographic space, and there's been some good result lately that I think has really significantly attrited ISIS's capabilities in that sector. I don't want to overspeak here for DOD counterparts, but it is something that we - and that is, coalition partners and Iraqi Security Forces - are very intently focused on.

MR PRICE: Well, thank you very much, Special Envoy Godfrey. Thank you very much to all of you for joining. As I mentioned, this call was on the record and the embargo is now lifted. And we'll plan to talk to you all very soon. Thanks, everyone.
This Resurrection Sunday, President and CEO of Open Doors USA David Curry tells Christians around the world that amid joyous celebration, to also "be mindful of those facing persecution for their faith."

Curry told Faithwire (FW) that "believers in the U.S. and other Western countries have a responsibility to speak out about violence against Christians."

"We speak out for people who have no voice. We pray for them. ... This unity of spirit at Easter is incredibly important," urged Curry while pointing out that many Christians are in dangerous places.

"It's one of the things Jesus prayed, obviously, as He left: 'Let them be united as one.' And that is a big idea, because, so often, we're divided. We have all kinds of disagreements to discuss and argue about that separate us, but the death, the life, the burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the unity of the church," he added.

Further explaining how "the enemy always tries to isolate (Christians)" so he could sow thoughts in their minds that they're alone in their sufferings and that they've been neglected, Curry emphasized the relevance of remembering the persecuted.

"People who believe in the Easter story, those are our brothers and sisters, and we need to stand together," he said.

Curry also noted that in his visits to places where believers are persecuted, they do not ask to be prayed "for" but rather to be prayed "with."

"They want us to be part of the same family. It's so important to people, everywhere I go around the world, that they have a sense that they're not forgotten," he reasoned.

The Open Doors leader also argue that it's not unreasonable to hold countries like Sri Lanka and Indonesia -where extremists boldly attack - accountable whenever they fail to protect Christians' humanitarian rights.

"Because there's not so many churches in these countries that they can't protect them," he said.

"We need to speak out so that Christian churches and all sacred places where people worship should be places that are protected by civil government," stated Curry with conviction.

On Monday, a report states that Sri Lanka's Catholic church demanded justice over the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed 258 people, including 11 Indians. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, also called for the arrest of government officials who ignored prior intelligence about the attack.

"It is absolutely necessary to prosecute, without hesitation, all those political leaders and officials - irrespective of the positions they held - for their failure to prevent the attack," he said. "If I knew about the intelligence information, I would have enforced a curfew, protected the churches and taken appropriate action to arrest them and prevent the attacks."

FW admits that many Christians in the West could not fully grasp the severity of persecution that other believers are experiencing in different parts of the world. Although churches in the U.S. are starting to feel "a rising sense of intolerance," Curry believes that it's nothing near to what others have to go through.

"We should take the uncomfortable things we see within our context and expand our minds to understand there are some people for whom owning a Bible is a death sentence, for whom going to church means you may lose your job.... Yet, they've counted the cost of their faith, and they're still doing it and it's a strong church, it's a joyful church. There's lessons we should learn from them," professed Curry.
On 1 February 2021, a coup detat in Myanmar brought down the civilian government and imposed military rule. The coup and resulting state of emergency quickly resulted in concerns in China over metal and mineral supplies from its neighbor.

Myanmar is the worlds third-biggest miner of tin and in 2020 accounted for more than 95% of Chinas imports of tin concentrate, used by smelters to make refined tin for circuit-board soldering. Chinas overall import reliance is 30-35%.

While China is the worlds dominant producer of rare earths, it relied on Myanmar for about half its heavy rare earth concentrates in 2020.

Myanmar was the worlds 18th-biggest copper producer in 2019, with all output coming from two projects led by Chinas Wanbao Mining, a unit of military supplier Norinco. Refined copper cathode shipments to China from Myanmar were 108,584 tonnes in 2020a negligible part of record imports of 4.5 million tonnes from all countries.

The conflict in Myanmar has escalated significantly in recent weeks. As of 1 April, at least 500 people have been killed in protests against the coup, with at least 1,700 more detained. Protestors have ransacked Chinese-owned businesses after accusations that Beijing had supported the coup.

Although the northern states of Myanmar, such as Kachin, have been less affected by the unrest in the country since the coup, there are now reports that the trade of products across the border with China are being impacted, disrupting the rare earth supply, note Roskill analysts David Merriman and Ross Embleton.

Disruption to the transportation of material is stated as being the main cause of delays to trade across the border between Myanmars Kachin state and Chinas Yunnan province. The relationship between local militia (which control the rare earth mines) and state military (which allows the rare earth mines in Kachin to operate freely), is also being placed under increasing strain. This has the potential to reduce Myanmars rare earth production sharply and swiftly.

Disruption to the supply of rare earth ores, concentrates and semi-processed products between Myanmar and China has the potential to create significant supply chain issues for processors in southern China, the Roskill analysts said.

As reported by Roskill on 25 March, all ionic adsorption clay (IAC) mining operations in China, including those who had operated throughout in 2020, asked to be suspended in late February, and there are no signs of any re-start yet. The proposed introduction of ammonia-free in-situ leaching technology at various IAC projects in China has not materialized over continued concerns regarding pollutants, recovery rate and social impacts.

This means that there are very few operational alternatives to Myanmar-derived production of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) such as dysprosium and terbium, with viable sources either only in pilot scale production or producing mixed HREE products as a by-product of Nd-Pr, the Roskill analysts said.

In 2020, Myanmar accounted for 39% of global HREE mine production, with China itself the only other major producer of HREE mined products at 48% of global supply. In comparison, the next largest producer of HREE mined products was Lynas Corporation at roughly 5.5% global supply. There are reported to be stockpiles of refined HREEs, including dysprosium and terbium compounds, held by both private and public inventories, which could be drawn down in China, though without primary production these inventories would soon become depleted.

As a result of the growing uncertainty and tight supply availability in China, prices for dysprosium and terbium are expected to be supported at higher levels, following the strong price performance observed during 2020 and Q1 2021. This will result in better economic performance for many projects under development and further incentivize investment in capacity, Roskill said.

The payability of certain rare earth products will be unaffected by higher Dy and Tb prices, particularly those with dominant light rare earth (LREE) content, Roskill added. However, with the potential for significant supply deficits for many HREEs if Myanmar production is heavily disrupted for an extended period, even LREE products may see increased payability for certain HREEs.
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The Dutch government said Friday it is temporarily halting AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccinations for people under 60 following reports of very small number of people suffering unusual blood clots after receiving the shot.

The Dutch decision comes three days after authorities in Germany also stopped using the AstraZenecas vaccine in the under-60s, citing fresh concerns over unusual blood clots reported in a tiny number of those who received the shots.

Earlier Friday, a Dutch organization that monitors vaccine side effects said it had received five reports of blood clots with low blood plate counts following vaccinations. All the cases occurred between seven and 10 days after the vaccinations and all the people affected were women aged between 25 and 65 years.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



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The organization said in the period when the five cases were reported, some 400,000 people were vaccinated in the Netherlands with the AstraZeneca shot.

Health Minister Hugo de Jonge says the temporary halt is a precautionary measure.

I think it is very important that the Dutch reports are also properly investigated, De Jonge said. We must err on the side of caution.

The news is another setback for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is critical to Europes immunization campaign and a linchpin in the global strategy to get shots to poorer countries, for it is cheaper and easier to use than rival vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. It comes two weeks after the EU drug regulator said the vaccine does not increase the overall incidence of blood clots following a similar scare.

The European Medicines Agency said at the time that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, but it could not rule out a link between the shot and some unusual kinds of clots, and recommended adding a warning about possible rare side effects.

Most European Union countries, including Germany, resumed using the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 19.

De Jonge said the Dutch pause comes ahead of an update next week from the EU medicines agency on the AstraZeneca vaccine.

___

Follow APs pandemic coverage at

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
The YWCA of the Mohawk Valleys annual Take Back the Night event will be held virtually this year, to continue to spread awareness about sexual assault.

Usually, community members come together for the event and walk together through the area before gathering to share stories and offer support.

This year, survivors and supporters are encouraged to participate in 1 in 3: Take a Walk with Me throughout the month of April. Then on April 21, a virtual rally will be held to replace the traditional march.

It underscores the belief we are stronger together and that when we share what we're going through and reach out for help, help is there. That's what the YWCA is here for - to help those survivors move through these experiences, said Kari Procopio, of the YWCA.

For more information, click here.
(ANSAmed) - ROME, 02 APR - Personnel at the Herculaneum Archaeological Park will be wearing new, light-coloured uniforms made of eco-compatible materials designed in a joint project with the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design at the University of Campania-Luigi Vanvitelli.



The collection "shared uniforms" came from a joint project involving the university and members of the park's staff.



The park said the project involved university professors, young graduates, interns, and park personnel, from creating models to choosing the uniform's fabrics and colour palette, to create comfortable and eco-friendly garments characterised by tones inspired directly by ancient Herculaneum.



"The creation of uniforms for our security personnel is a sign that clearly identifies them as part of the place," said park director Francesco Sirano.



"The simple lines, light colours and eco-compatible materials perfectly portray the spirit of the park, a place of continual rebirth between the past and the future. Our personnel are our calling card and we wanted them to feel comfortable in elegant and recognisable uniforms, from which other clothing items and accessories will be created to offer our visitors. I am very pleased by the synergy with Vanvitelli University and proud of the valorisation of young people in this project, which sends a strong message of the possibilities that this territory offers to the younger generations," he said.



The two institutions work in a reciprocal and parallel way in the area.



The park promotes an increasingly close relationship with its urban and cultural surroundings, facilitating the creation of networks and forms of partnership with institutions and entities.



The university and the department work under the leadership of professor Luigi Maffei, Vanvitelli's vice-rector for technological and IT innovation.



Professor Ornella Zerlenga, director of the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, said the agreement with her department "was signed in order to structure a close connection between the academic environment and the archaeological site, creating new forms of scientific and research collaboration for training, orientation and didactics, on topics of shared interest for both entities, structuring research activities in the areas of culture, production and technology, contributing to strengthening relations between the university, entities, companies, and associations for the development of educational-productive processes". (ANSAmed).
Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

The alternative asset manager focused on sustainable real assets Vision Ridge Partners closed its latest sustainable real assets fund, Sustainable Asset Fund III, at its $1.25 billion hard cap.

"The Fund held its final close just four-and-a-half months after commencing fundraising. Fund III initially targeted $1bn of commitments and drew interest beyond the $1.25bn hard cap," said a press release from the venture capital firm.

The fund aims to make 8 to 12 investments of $75 million to $175 million in companies in industries that are shifting to sustainability, including energy, transportation, and agriculture, it said

"The speed, size, and high-quality LP base of our fundraise speak to increasing investor interest in aligning their portfolios with the transition to a sustainable real economy," said Reuben Munger, Vision Ridge's managing partner.

Fund III had significant and upsized commitments from 80% of the participants in Vision Ridge's previous funds. The Fund's institutional investor base expanded with notable new LPs including leading consultants, endowments, foundations, family offices, and public pensions.

Investors in the fund include Alameda County Employees' Retirement Association, Oakland, Calif.

"Our investors' endorsement of the Vision Ridge team and strategy validates our disciplined, consistent approach to monetizing unique, sustainable real assets," Munger said.

"Sustainable investing is no longer a ......................

To view our full article Click here
Khartoum, April 2 : Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council, has urged the African Union (AU) to support completion of the peace process in the country by bringing in the non-signatory groups.

Al-Burhan issued the call on Thursday while meeting at the presidential palace with the visiting delegation of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), Xinhua news agency quoted the Council as saying in a statement.

"Sudan is looking forward to further support from the AU and AUPSC to complete the peace process and urge the non-signatory groups to join the process," the statement noted.

Al-Burhan reiterated Sudan's keenness to find solutions to all African issues through the efforts of the Africans themselves, it added.

Head of the AUPSC delegation, Mohamed Idriss, voiced the AU's keenness to support Sudan during the coming phase in a bid to achieve peace and stability in the country, according to the statement.

He said the meeting reviewed the challenges facing Sudan as well as the accomplishments achieved, particularly with regard to the Declaration of Principles signed by Al-Burhan and the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Abdel-Aziz Al-Hilu.

On March 28, the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N signed a declaration of principles in South Sudan's capital Juba to pave the way for signing a final peace deal between the two sides.

On October 3, 2020, the Sudanese government and armed groups, under the Revolutionary Front Alliance, signed a final peace deal in Juba to end armed conflicts.

However, Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), led by Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur, a major armed group in Darfur region, still refuses to sit at the negotiation table with the Sudanese government.
The Head of Cyber Ninja, the auditing company hired to audit the result of the 2020 Presidential election in Arizona's Maricopa County, is a supporter of former President Donald Trump. According to The Arizona Republic, Doug Logan, the Florida-based company Cyber Ninjas founder, posted pro-Trump election collusion conspiracy theories on a now-defunct Twitter account.

Cyber Ninja Auditing Company Founder, a Trump Supporter

Arizona's GOP-controlled Senate has hired Logan's company to perform a new post-election analysis of performance in its most populated county. Countless recounts and investigations have reported that Trump lost the county by around 45,000 votes to Joe Biden.

The former President Donald Trump supporter who allegedly spread voter fraud conspiracy theories on social media after Trump lost is the lead person of a firm hired to verify the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona's Maricopa County, according to a recently published article in Newsweek.

Joe Biden Urges $100 Billion Infrastructure Investment to Provide Affordable Internet by 2029

Tweets that Support Election Fraud

A tweet from @Lord_Barrister stated that he is tired of hearing people saying that there was no election fraud one month after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. He also insisted that it happened, it is real, and people or the voters get wise fast.

Another tweet from @cain_nate claimed that "With all due respect, if you can't see the blatant cheating, malfeasance and outright voter fraud, then you are ignorant or lying." He also firmly believed that 77 percent of the Republicans believed that their votes were stolen, according to a published report.

A cached version of the account that supposedly belonged to Logan is still available online, but it only features tweets from late December. Over a week, the account posted tweets from influential personalities connected to pro-Trump conspiracy theories, including former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, the prosecutor who threatened to file "Kraken" litigation to reverse the election outcome and hold the former president in control.

What You Should Know About the Head of Cyber Ninja Auditing

Logan was also interested in an attempt to audit elections in Antrim County, Michigan, where a Republican county clerk's human mistake briefly saw Biden winning the overwhelmingly Republican county in the announcement of unofficial results, according to the USA Today.

Logan claimed to have discovered mistakes that pointed to bribery, but state and local county officials allegedly found several flaws in his research, which they called biased. Neither the Cyber Ninjas website nor its LinkedIn page suggests that it has some experience auditing polling equipment, applications, or something else specific to elections.

Despite this, Cyber Ninjas was employed as the lead firm in the audit, responsible for managing the work of three other firms. The audit team is also said to include CyFIR LLC, Remote Exploration, and Wake Technology Services Inc. The audit will allegedly use technology from Jovan Hutton Pulitzer, who Gizmodo dubbed "the inventor of one of the worst inventions of all time" while talking to the CueCat home barcode reader.

The voting results in Maricopa County have already been confirmed on many occasions. The Arizona Senate recently retained two independent companies to perform election audits published in February and showed that the approved results confirming Biden's victory were reliable. Like so many other investigations into the election results, the audits found no convincing proof of widespread manipulation.

US Military Officials Confirm Pentagon Is on High Alert, on the Lookout for Russian Activities

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A politically conservative student group at the University of North Texas said they were harassed by other students for distributing Easter eggs on campus filled with Bible verses.

On Sunday night, members of the Young Conservatives of Texas UNT chapter placed 250 colorful Easter eggs with Bible verses hidden inside them around campus and posted an announcement on social media about the egg hunt beforehand.

Kelly Neidert, a senior and chairman of YCT's UNT chapter, told The Christian Post in an interview Wednesday that they hid the eggs in part to celebrate Easter and as something fun for students to enjoy since the campus is under lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19.

My group decided we wanted to do this event because our school has really strict COVID guidelines right now, and we just thought that putting some Easter eggs out with some Bible verses would be kind of fun for everybody and a good way to celebrate Easter without breaking our COVID guidelines, Neidert said.

Source:The Christian Post
Benjamin Hannam in a selfie shown to the jury during his trial at the Old Bailey in London. Photo: Metropolitan Police

The conviction of London police officer Ben Hannam for belonging to an extreme right-wing group is a unique case, according to Scotland Yards counter terrorism chief.

Commander Richard Smith was speaking after it emerged that Hannam joined the Metropolitan Police after lying about his association with banned neo-Nazi organisation National Action.

Hannam (22), of Enfield, north London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of membership of the banned right-wing extremist group National Action.

He was also convicted of lying on his Metropolitan Police application and having terror documents detailing knife combat and making explosive devices.

Hannam is the first British officer to be convicted of a terrorism offence.

He was released on conditional bail ahead of sentencing on April 23.

Hannam had been working as a probationary officer for nearly two years when a list of users of the extreme right-wing forum Iron March was leaked online.

Once his email was linked to the forum, investigators uncovered his association with National Action up to the month he applied to join the police in July 2017. We were investigating individuals linked to the Iron March forum, which carries extreme right-wing material, Mr Smith, who is head of the Metropolitan Polices counter terrorism command, said.

We were shocked to find one of the individuals we were seeking to identify turned out to be a serving probationary police officer.

Ben Hannam obviously lied on his application form to join the Met.

He would never have been able to join had we known then of his interest in the extreme right wing and his previous membership of National Action.

Once we identified his involvement with that organisation, we took immediate steps to arrest him and put him before the court.

He said there was no evidence that Hannam was part of a deliberate attempt by the extreme right to infiltrate the force.

A review of his work has not revealed any sign that he tried to draw others into his extreme ideology.

We found no evidence that he used his position as a police officer to further his extremist views, Mr Smith said:

During his time in the force, Hannam had no direct access to the Police National Computer, although he could have asked others to do checks on cases he was dealing with.

The Mets vetting process for new recruits is proportionate, Mr Smith said. The processes we have to vet potential members of the police service are proportionate, thats not to say they cannot be absolutely exhaustive.

He declined to speculate on whether a face-to-face interview, rather than a vetting form, would have exposed Hannams views.

The officer said a reference from the university Hannam attended in the autumn of 2017 did not raise any issues.

To the best of my knowledge this is a unique case, Mr Smith added.

Im not aware of any other police officer ever facing prosecution for membership of a terrorist group.

I would reassure the public by pointing out how swiftly we acted, as soon as he was identified, to arrest and prosecute him.

Ben Hannam had been in the Metropolitan Police less than two years when we got this information and we acted immediately.

People join the Met Police Service with the intent of keeping people safe from harm.

The views Ben Hannam expressed online and was interested in online are totally incompatible with being a police officer.

The court had heard that Hannam was radicalised online and joined National Actions London branch before it was banned.
World powers and Iran will meet by video conference on Friday to discuss the possible return of the U.S. to the Iran nuclear deal, the European Union has stated.

Officials from China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and Iran will attend.

"Participants will discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA, and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides," the statement said, referring to the deal by its initials.

The meeting brings together the group that oversees the implementation of the JCPOA. Former U.S. president Donald Trump pulled the country out of the agreement in 2018.

The online meeting will be chaired by senior EU diplomat Enrique Mora on behalf of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

The 2015 accord saw Iran granted relief from international sanctions in exchange for accepting limits on its nuclear program.

New U.S. President Joe Biden has promised to rejoin the agreement on the condition that Tehran first returns to respecting the commitments it dropped in retaliation for Trump's 2018 decision.

Earlier this month, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran may return to full compliance if Tehran deems Washington has honored its commitments.

The agreement was signed by Iran in Vienna in 2015 with the U.S., China, Russia, Germany, France and the UK under an EU chair.
U.S. President Joe Biden, in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday evening, reaffirmed the United States' unshakable support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of ongoing Russian aggression, the White House reports.

"President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. President Biden affirmed the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's ongoing aggression in Donbas and Crimea," the White House said in a press release on its website.

In addition, Biden, in a telephone conversation with Zelensky, assured him of support for the fight against corruption and the implementation of reforms.

"He emphasized his administration's commitment to revitalize our strategic partnership in support of President Zelensky's plan to tackle corruption and implement a reform agenda based on our shared democratic values that delivers justice, security, and prosperity to the people of Ukraine. The leaders agreed these reforms are central to Ukraines Euro-Atlantic aspirations," said in a press release on the website of the White House.

Biden and Zelensky also discussed the importance of close United States-Ukraine cooperation to contain coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and strengthen democracy in the region.
First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill have issued a joint call for people to "reflect" on the last year, while being "optimistic" for the future.

The united message comes after a week of political tensions and ahead of the Easter weekend.

The DUP leader Arlene Foster noted that this was the second time people have been celebrating an Easter period which has been impacted by coronavirus restrictions and remarked upon the difficulties many have faced.

"This weekend we celebrate Easter, our second of this pandemic. The road has been very hard for so many over the last 12 months," she said.

I would ask people to take a moment this Easter Sunday to remember all those we have lost and those who are continuing to experience pain and hardship. For those of faith this can be through a time of prayer, as discussed recently with church leaders.

We can take comfort from the Easter message of hope and renewal and be encouraged that brighter days are ahead.

Echoing a call for people to reflect on the last year, the deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said there was "optimism" ahead, as a result of the vaccine rollout.

As we approach Easter, we are reminded of just how much our community has been through over the last year," she added.

This will be a time of mixed emotions for many. Our thoughts are with all those coming to terms with the pain and loss they have felt as families and individuals.

Thankfully this year, with the success of our vaccination programme and the gradual easing of restrictions, we can all look to the future together with hope and optimism.
Theobald Gakwaya, a Rwandan genocide survivor, lectured with the aid of a translator at Hamilton College's Science Center Auditorium to a large group of students and faculty on the issue of Rwandan genocide on September 18. Gakwaya was a minister to the Rwandan government for one year and has since dedicated his efforts to human rights issues. Calling the genocide in Rwanda the "great humanitarian disaster of the contemporary world," Gakwaya spoke about the social, political and economic history and problems surrounding the political and ethnic upheaval between the Hutus and the Tutsis. He told the audience that the Rwandan conflict has brought the whole area of the great African lakes onto the brink of war with an estimated five million people dead: two million Rwandan and three million Congolese.

Gakwaya gave a brief history of the events and conditions of Rwanda before the toppling of the monarchy in the mid-twentieth century. He explained that for about five centuries the Tutsi aristocracy enslaved the Hutus, who comprised the majority of the population. Around 1950, several Hutus began writing on the social injustice in Rwanda, fostering the Hutu Awakening. The Hutus raised international awareness of the Rwandan ethnic struggle and addressed the UN on the issue. However, as Gakwaya stated, this action caused problems within the nation. Tutsi King Mutara III denied the Hutus' request for social justice and reaffirmed the myth behind the Tutsi's claim to power.

In 1959, the tension between the Hutus and Tutsis resulted in violent conflict. As Gakwaya explained, the Hutus gained power, toppled the monarchy, and created the Republic of Rwanda. Although four political parties formed and the country attempted to institute democratic pluralism, one Hutu party soon held all the power. Many Tutsis fled to neighboring countries, including the King and his entourage, who created the Rwandan Patriotic Front and instigated a revolt in 1964 that resulted in civil war and lasted until 1967.

Gakwaya said that the corruption and regional favoritism of the government caused serious unrest during the period leading up to the 1994 genocide. Around this time, the U.S. sought a bridge to establish influence in South Africa but knew that in order to gain more control, the U.S. would need to diminish France's power in Africa. As part of this neocolonial conflict, the U.S. encouraged Africans in the region to build armies and provided them with weapons.

Gakwaya explained that the civil war in the 1960s "awakened the demons of ethnic hatred" and pitted both ethnic groups against each other. The Hutus gained support by telling other Hutus that the Tutsis intended to enslave them again, and the Tutsis gained followers by stirring up the desire to regain their previous power. Although the psychosis of war raised each group's suspicions of each other, Gakwaya told the audience that the social bonds of the Rwandan nation that had coexisted for so long should have been strong enough to prevent the genocide that ensued.

Nevertheless, Gakwaya explained, the assassination of the Burundi and Rwandan presidents on April 6th 1994 acted as a trigger for genocide. Within a day after the deaths of the presidents, the Hutus began killing the Tutsis, believing that the Tutsis killed the leaders. As a counterattack, the Rwandan Patriotic Front organized a force to enter the capital and free Tutsi troops, but the force that initially appeared to support liberation quickly became an occupational force. Many Hutus fled to Zaire as refugees, and the Rwandan Patriotic Front destroyed many of the refugee camps, killing thousands of innocent people.

Gakwaya told the audience about some of his experiences in Rwanda during the genocide and civil unrest. He served as the vice president of the Christian Democratic Party in political opposition to the Rwandan president, and upheld the idea that the cause of the upheaval rested in bad governance. His party was founded on the Church because he thought that Christianity and the Bible offered solutions to the corrupt ways of the government. A Hutu himself, Gakwaya recalled how his own people distrusted him and endangered his life because they thought he was a traitor aligned with the Tutsis. He spoke of hiding for his life in the brush separated from his family and related how his house and all his possessions were destroyed after the assassinations of the Rwandan and Burundi presidents.

Gakwaya remarked that he does not believe that the genocide has really stopped: there are lulls in the violence, but then the conflict restarts with each side gaining better weapons and strategies that are more flexible. He noted the shameful failure of the UN and U.S. to help and criticized the international community for allowing the military leaders in Rwanda to wreak destruction. He told the audience that countries like America fund the Rwandan Patriotic Front, allowing it to support a venerable police state in the region. By placing no pressure on the group to start democracy, Gakwaya said that the U.S. is instilling anti-American sentiment and may soon see a situation in Africa similar to the current situation in the Middle East. He warned that 1994 genocide is very likely to reoccur unless Rwanda is forced to enter into dialogue with its neighbors.

-- by Laura Oman '
Linda Torres  a castmate on VH1's Big Ang  has died after contracting the Coronavirus.

The friendly accomplice of the late Big Ang who lost her life five years ago following a battle with throat cancer  was pronounced dead at Staten Island University Hospital on Thursday. She was 67-years-old.

Ang's sister Janine Detore relayed the news to TMZ, sharing that Linda ultimately passed after battling for her life on a ventilator not long after learning of her diagnosis.

Coronavirus battle: Big Ang star Linda Torres has died at the age of 67 after contracting the Coronavirus and battling for her life on a ventilator at Staten Island University Hospital; Linda (R) and Big Ang (L) pictured 2012

Though no timeline was provided from diagnosis to death, Linda was additionally battling breast cancer, and had recently undergone surgery to implant a chemo port.

While recuperating following the procedure she was said to have developed a fever, prompting her daughters to bring her back to the hospital thinking she had an implant-related infection.

Upon returning to the New York hospital she tested positive for COVID-19 and slowly declined from there.

Torres made a few cameos on Mob Wives alongside Ang, and was ultimately made part of the series spinoff which only ran for one season in 2012.

Underlying conditions: Though no timeline was provided from diagnosis to death, Linda was battling breast cancer additionally, and had recently undergone surgery to implant a chemo port; pictured April 2019

Reality fame: Torres made a few cameos on Mob Wives alongside Ang, and was ultimately made part of the series spinoff which only ran for one season in 2012

And Ang  who was a breakout star on the show about women with mob-related ties  became a notable personality on account of her raspy voice and accentuated bust and was given her own show.

She passed away at the age of 55 in 2016, less than a year after a cancerous tumor was discovered in her throat.

Months later the cancer had spread to her brain and lungs, and Torres had made it a point to pay tribute to her on the anniversary of her passing.

Her 2020 post tragically read: 'Life is not the same without you here . I'm broken-hearted I love u Ang til we are all together again rest easy,' and Torres' last social media post came in the form of a January 21 graphic that insinuated struggle.

The post read: 'God never sends you into a situation alone. God goes before you, he stands beside you, he walks behind you. Whatever situation you have right now be confident. God is with you.'
Reopening

2 April 2021

Four Seasons Hotel Bogota will reopen grandly on April 5, 2021, inviting guests to size up artistic talent within the Colombian capital with exclusive private experiences that reveal creativity from the showroom to the streets. Located in buzzing "Zona Rosa," a lively T-shaped district in the northern part of the city sprinkled with designer shops, nightlife and haute cuisine restaurants, Four Seasons Hotel Bogota is a work of the art of hospitality, styled with clean lines and contemporary tones for a feeling of sleek sophistication, and all amenities and services open and operating onsite.

Intimate and elegant, designed with clean lines and contemporary tones, Four Seasons Hotel Bogota offers 35 rooms and 29 suites arrayed with special touches such as hand-knotted carpets and marble bathrooms. The property is set in Zona Rosa, a vibrant district in the northern part of the city that's a scene all its own, with beautiful streets dotted with designer shops, cafes, bars, nightclubs and some of the best restaurants in the country.

The Hotel's signature restaurant Nemo by Harry Sasson is a popular destination for guests and locals alike, designed with the look and feel of an international bar and grille. Mixologists craft creative cocktails from luscious local fruits, while the kitchen creates classics updated by well renowned chef Harry Sasson, with charcoal-seared meats, freshly caught seafood, and colourful, flavourful Colombian cuisine on the menu. Nemo's indoor terrace is a stunning setting for private events up to 50 people before a 60-foot (18 metre) living wall, and its private dining room can host intimate dinners up to eight people. An outdoor terrace can also be reserved for group dining.

The Spa will be open and aglow as well, with everything on the treatment menu except facials available. That leaves plenty for guests and locals to enjoy: Eease out of stress with a Deep Tissue & Stretching treatment combing a variety of compressions, stretches, and cross-fibre friction techniques; or go traditional with a Swedish Massage, ideal for first-time spa-goers or anyone seeking pure relaxation, with massage techniques combining light to medium pressure and long gliding strokes to reduce tension, soothe muscles, and increase circuling for another stay.

Health and safety are top priorities for the team at Four Seasons Hotel Bogota, with physical distancing measures added for all public spaces and services, including contactless check-in, checkout, and housekeeping. The Hotel has further embraced Four Seasons Lead With Care program conceived with an international healthcare leader to enhance health and safety throughout the property and provide care, confidence, and comfort to guests and employees alike. Four Seasons award-winning App and Chat are also available, the better for guests to control how they engage with others and enable them to limit face-to-face interactions while maintaining high levels of personal service.
In this March 29, 2021, file photo, UM-Flint nursing student Michaela Dimello helps administer the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Genesee County residents at Bishop Airport in Flint, Mich. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that the percentage of Americans resisting getting inoculated has shrunk in the past few months. But it's still not enough to pull America out of the pandemic, and reach herd immunity. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)

So few people came for COVID-19 vaccinations in one county in North Carolina that hospitals there now allow anyone 16 or older to get a shot, regardless of where they live. Get a shot, get a free doughnut, the governor said.

Alabama, which has the nation's lowest vaccination rate and a county where only 7% of residents are fully vaccinated, launched a campaign to convince people the shots are safe. Doctors and pastors joined the effort.

On the national level, the Biden administration this week launched a "We Can Do This" campaign to encourage holdouts to get vaccinated against the virus that has claimed over 550,000 lives in the U.S.

The race is on to vaccinate as many people as possible, but a significant number of Americans are so far reluctant to get the shots, even in places where they are plentiful. Twenty-five percent of Americans say they probably or definitely will not get vaccinated, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

They are leery about possible side effects. They tend to be Republican, and they are usually younger and less susceptible to becoming critically ill or dying if they catch COVID-19.

There's been a slight shift, though, since the first weeks of the nation's largest-ever vaccination campaign, which began in mid-December. An AP-NORC poll conducted in late January showed that 67% of adult Americans were willing to get vaccinated or had already received at least one shot. Now that figure has climbed to 75%.

In this March 3, 2021, file photo, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds gets the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during a news conference at Iowa PBS in Johnston, Iowa. Reynolds, a Republican, is trying win over the one-third of adult Iowans who won't commit to getting a vaccine by emphasizing that the shots will help return life to normal. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that the percentage of Americans resisting getting inoculated has shrunk in the past few months. But it's still not enough to pull America out of the pandemic, and reach herd immunity. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register via AP, File)

That, experts say, moves the nation closer to herd immunity, which occurs when enough people have immunity, either from vaccination or past infection, to stop uncontrolled spread of a disease.

Anywhere from 75% to 85% of the total populationincluding children, who are not currently getting the shotsshould be vaccinated to reach herd immunity, said Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington School of Public Health.

A little over three months after the first doses were given, 100 million Americans, or about 30% of the population, have received at least one dose.

Andrea Richmond, a 26-year-old freelance web coder in Atlanta, is among those whose reluctance is easing. A few weeks ago, Richmond was leaning toward not getting the shot. Possible long-term effects worried her. She knew that an H1N1 vaccine used years ago in Europe increased risk of narcolepsy.

Then her sister got vaccinated with no ill effects. Richmond's friends' opinions also changed.

"They went from, 'I'm not trusting this' to 'I'm all vaxxed up, let's go out!'"

In this Feb. 11, 2021, file photo, a healthcare worker prepares to administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that the percentage of Americans resisting getting inoculated has shrunk in the past few months. But it's still not enough to pull America out of the pandemic, and reach herd immunity. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

Her mother, a cancer survivor, whom Richmond lives with, is so keen for her daughter to get vaccinated that she signed her up online for a jab.

"I'll probably end up taking it," Richmond said. "I guess it's my civic duty."

But some remain steadfastly opposed.

"I think I only had the flu once," said Lori Mansour, 67, who lives near Rockford, Illinois. "So I think I'll take my chances."

In the latest poll, Republicans remained more likely than Democrats to say they will probably or definitely not get vaccinated, 36% compared with 12%. But somewhat fewer Republicans today are reluctant. Back in January, 44% said they would shy away from a vaccine.

The hesitance can be seen in Alabama's rural Winston County, which is 96% white and where more than 90% of voters backed then-President Donald Trump last year. Only 6.9% of the county's roughly 24,000 residents are fully vaccinated, the lowest level in Alabama.

In this Feb. 25, 2021, file photo, healthcare workers take down personal information from those waiting in line to receive the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, Texas. The hospital opened vaccines to anyone over 16, no appointment needed, after so few people showed up to get shots. (Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP, File)

Elsewhere in Alabama, health officials tried to counter problems that include reluctance in heavily Black areas where distrust of government medical initiatives runs deep. They targeted a few counties with a pro-vaccine message, especially in the old plantation region where a large percentage of the population is Black and many are poor.

The campaign enlisted doctors and pastors and used virtual meetings and the radio to spread the word.

Dr. Karen Landers, assistant state health officer, said the effort had positive results. For example, in Perry County, where 68% of the population of about 9,300 is Black, more than 16% of the population is fully vaccinated, among the highest levels. Officials likely will make similar efforts for other parts of the state, she said.

Nationwide, 24% of Black Americans and 22% of Hispanic Americans say they will probably or definitely not get vaccinated, down from 41% and 34% in January, respectively. Among white Americans, 26% now say they will not get vaccinated. In January, that number was 31%.

The Biden administration's campaign features TV and social media ads. Celebrities and community and religious figures are joining the effort.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, is trying win over the one-third of adult Iowans who will not commit to getting a vaccine by emphasizing that the shots will help return life to normal.

In this March 25, 2021, file photo, U.S. Department of Defense members administer vaccines to people at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that the percentage of Americans resisting getting inoculated has shrunk in the past few months. But it's still not enough to pull America out of the pandemic, and reach herd immunity. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

In North Carolina's Cumberland County, fewer than 1 in 6 residents have gotten at least one shot.

Amid worries there would be an unused surplus of vaccines, Cape Fear Valley Health hospital systems opened up the shots last week to everyone 16 or older.

"Rather than have doses go unused, we want to give more people the chance to get their vaccine," said Chris Tart, a Cape Fear Valley Health vice president. "We hope this will encourage more people to roll up their sleeve."

On Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, tweeted a video of him getting a free doughnut from the Krispy Kreme chain. Customers who show their vaccine card can get a free doughnut every day for the rest of the year.

"Do it today, guys!" Cooper encouraged viewers. Nearly 36% of North Carolina adults have been at least partially vaccinated, state data show.

Younger people are more likely to forgo a shot. Of those under 45, 31% say they will probably or definitely forgo a shot. Only 12% of those aged 60 and older say they will not get vaccinated.

In this March 26, 2021, file photo, a member of the Philadelphia Fire Department administers the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to a person at a vaccination site setup at a Salvation Army location in Philadelphia. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that the percentage of Americans resisting getting inoculated has shrunk in the past few months. But it's still not enough to pull America out of the pandemic, and reach herd immunity. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

In this March 25, 2021, file photo, Jing Wang, left, receives a vaccine at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that the percentage of Americans resisting getting inoculated has shrunk in the past few months. But it's still not enough to pull America out of the pandemic, and reach herd immunity. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

Ronni Peck, a 40-year-old mother of three from Los Angeles, is one of those who plans to avoid getting vaccinated, at least for now. She's concerned that vaccines have not been studied for long-term health effects. She senses that some friends disapprove of her stance.

"But I've stopped caring about whether or not I feel ostracized and instead have learned to spend more time caring about if I'm doing the right thing for myself and my kids," Peck said.

Deborah Fuller, a professor with the University of Washington School of Medicine, said if the herd immunity level cannot be reached soon, a more realistic target could be vaccinating at least 50% of the population by this summer, with a higher vaccination rate among the most vulnerable to reduce severe disease, hospitalizations and deaths.

"In this scenario, the virus would persist in the population but cease being a major health threat that overburdens our health care systems," Fuller said.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
DAVISON, MI -- A group of parents in Davison are taking matters into their own hands in providing the Davison High School senior class with a private prom.

Davisons official prom ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Since then, Jennifer Allen, mother of five and a former Davison graduate herself, has teamed up with four other parents to organize their own prom, fixed with a roaming photographer, dinner, photo booth and dance floor.

Allen anticipates more than 100 seniors will have interest when tickets go on sale Thursday, April 8. Only senior Davison students will be allowed  no dates or students from other graduating classes.

The group of parents reached out to Davison High School Principal Ron Jacobs before deciding to set this up. Allen said Jacobs gave them his blessing since the prom ceremony is scheduled after the seniors last day of school.

That was my big worry. I am not here to alienate anyone, Allen, a mother of five, said. Quite honestly, we all understand why the school cant do a prom. Their hands are tied.

Davison Community Schools did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this event.

Current Michigan gathering rules dictate that outdoor gatherings cannot have more than 300 people, according to Michigans Coronavirus State Orders and Directives website.

Mask mandates and social distancing rules are still expected to be active in May, too, Genesee County Health Department Deputy Health Officer Kayleigh Blaney said.

Regardless of what age you are it is important to take your comfortability level and medical history into consideration anytime you are choosing to do anything right now, Blaney said. We know that about 25 percent of our cases right now are in the 0-18 age group.

The group of parents plans to abide by Michigans guidelines and say they understand that there will be people whod rather not go. It fully depends on the individual and whether they want to take any risks that go along with gathering, Blaney said.

If guidelines are followed, its lawful, Blaney said. Allen is not worried about the risks involved with gathering during a pandemic.

The chances that a high school student is going to be seriously ill and or die from this is so small, Allen said. I feel like they have a better chance of getting into a car accident on the way to prom than getting sick at the prom.

After spreading the news on Facebook, Allen has received support from other parents who want to make donations, offer dresses and donate food. Even Davison Mayor Tim Bishop will be donating B-Dogs hot dogs at the end of the night.

We are just doing something to support the kids and what they are going through, Bishop said. It is important that these kids at least have a memory for their senior year with all the restrictions.

Allen is holding out hope that gathering restrictions ease further before the prom in May. They are keeping their options open as vaccinations continue in Genesee County and the rest of the country.

Read more on MLive:

Flint Community Schools receives $170,000 grant from lunch program

We cant let up: U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee tours COVID-19 vaccination clinic as cases rise in Genesee County

UM-Flint, Kettering University intend to freeze tuition for 2021-22 academic year

Grants up to $10K available for Genesee County small businesses impacted by pandemic

Ascension Genesys in Grand Blanc Township updates guidelines with no visitor policy amid rising COVID-19 cases


The American robotics company Boston Dynamics recently made public a new robot called Stretch. It is designed to do only one job: to move containers, or boxes, in large storage buildings called warehouses.

Michael Perry is vice president of business development for Boston Dynamics. He said Stretch is the first robot designed for one job that the company has built. He added that the robot was developed because of requests from companies around the world.

We heard pretty much universally across warehousing that truck unloading is one of the most physically difficult and unpleasant jobs... And thats where Stretch comes into play, Perry told Reuters.

Stretch has a small base that permits it to move around small spaces in existing warehouses without having to redesign them. The robot also has an arm with highly developed cameras that can identify and deal with boxes of many shapes and sizes.

Perry said Stretch can pick up boxes that weigh about 23 kilograms. He adds that the robot can move about 800 boxes in one hour.

Boston Dynamics is known for YouTube videos of its dog-like Spot and humanoid Atlas robots.

Perry said now is a good time for its latest robot to benefit from increasing demand for speedy home delivery.

Experts say the warehousing industry experienced strong growth in 2020. That growth is expected to continue this year. They say online buying during the coronavirus health crisis drove the need for a huge expansion in delivery services.

Boston Dynamics has not released a price for Stretch. But the company said the system can be set up without costly redesigns or investments in new buildings or structures.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Matthew Stock reported on this story for the Reuters news service. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

pretty much adv. (informal) not completely but mostly

universally adv. by everyone or everything

base n. the bottom part of something, support beneath something

delivery n. the act of taking something to a person or place
US President Joe Biden on Friday revoked sanctions imposed by Donald Trump on the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court as the new administration seeks a more cooperative approach, resolving an intense disagreement with European allies.

Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo last year denounced the "kangaroo court" in The Hague and imposed both financial sanctions and a US visa ban on its Gambian-born chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.

Pompeo acted after she launched an investigation into alleged war crimes by US military personnel in Afghanistan.

The court in The Hague further annoyed the United States by opening an investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories by Israel, a US ally which rejects the authority of the court.

Biden said the United States still has concerns with the ICC.

But "the threat and imposition of financial sanctions against the Court, its personnel, and those who assist it are not an effective or appropriate strategy," he said in a statement.

Pompeo's successor, Antony Blinken, said the United States continued to "disagree strongly" with the moves on Afghanistan and Israel.

"We believe, however, that our concerns about these cases would be better addressed through engagement with all stakeholders in the ICC process rather than through the imposition of sanctions," Blinken said in a statement.

Biden revoked an executive order by Trump on the sanctions, also lifting sanctions against senior ICC official Phakiso Mochochoko and visa bans on other court staff.

Bensouda is leaving her job in June and will be replaced by British human rights lawyer Karim Khan, who now can open his work without the burden of looming sanctions.

- 'Start of a new phase' -

Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi, the head of the Association of States Parties to the ICC, voiced hope that the decision "signals the start of a new phase of our common undertaking to fight against impunity" for war crimes.

Story continues

France, which like other European allies had been aghast by the last administration's move, hailed the reversal and pledged support for the ICC.

"This decision is excellent news for all who are committed to the fight against impunity, for multilateralism and for an international order founded on the rule of law," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

Blinken said he was encouraged by reforms being undertaken by the court, which has also come under scrutiny over internal matters including judges' salaries.

He noted that the United States has supported specific international judicial initiatives to provide accountability for war crimes or crimes against humanity including in the Balkans, Cambodia and Rwanda.

"Our support for the rule of law, access to justice and accountability for mass atrocities are important US national security interests that are protected and advanced by engaging with the rest of the world to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow," Blinken said.

- 'Restoration of US ideals' -

Blinken announced the decision days before the administration needed to respond to a lawsuit against Trump's executive order filed by the Open Society Justice Initiative, which promotes human rights and democracy.

James Goldston, executive director of the initiative, welcomed Biden's action as a "restoration of US ideals."

"The United States has a long history of using sanctions to punish human rights abusers, but never before was this tool used to punish an independent court that seeks justice for victims of atrocities," he said.

Human Rights Watch praised Biden for ending "this unprecedented and downright warped use of sanctions" and turning the page on Trump's "assault on the global rule of law."

Trump in his final weeks in office granted clemency to three US troops convicted of crimes in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with one of the men later meeting him.

Critics said Trump's intervention undercut his argument in the ICC sanctions -- that the United States had its own judiciary capable of ensuring accountability.

While Democratic administrations have been more supportive of the ICC, the United States remains out of the Rome Statute that established the tribunal with little prospect of it joining amid intense opposition from the Republicans.

The US Congress in 2002 even passed a law authorizing military force to free any US personnel held by the court, theoretically giving the president authority to invade NATO ally The Netherlands.

burs-sct/acb
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 18:43:51|Editor: huaxia

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OUAGADOUGOU, April 2 (Xinhua) -- At least six members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Motherland (VDP) in Burkina Faso lost their lives in an ambush by unidentified gunmen on Thursday in the north of the country, security source said Friday in the capital Ouagadougou.

According to the source, a police officer in the region, the gunfire exchange occured on Thursday afternoon in Dablo community, Sanmatenga province in the north-central part of the country.

"The initial toll established six killled and one injured among the VDPs", he told Xinhua on Friday.

A local politician corroborated the toll, underscoring that the defense volunteers were ambushed during an operation to protect the community.

The VDPs are civilians armed by the Burkina Faso government to support the armed forces in the stabilization of the country.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been facing a worsening security situation with terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of over 1,000 people and displaced thousands of others. Enditem
(Natural News) French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday, March 31, that the country was entering a new national lockdown following public frustration over how his government has been handling the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Before Macrons announcement, around a third of the population of France was living under light lockdown measures, including the Greater Paris metropolitan area. This lockdown prevented people from wandering more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away from their homes. Schools were open, as were most businesses. Workers were still allowed to go to their offices.

The new lockdown, which began on April 3, last for four weeks. It is much stricter and includes all of mainland France.

Speaking from his official residence, the Elysee Palace, Macron said that new lockdown measures were needed after his previous strategy of relying on targeted lockdowns failed to slow down the tide of new coronavirus cases. Public health officials have also blamed the spread of more contagious variants of the virus, as well as the countrys slow coronavirus vaccination campaign. (Related: Hospitals in France forced to SLOW DOWN COVID vaccinations as healthcare workers fall ill in droves.)

We dont have to lock ourselves in, but we need to limit our contacts, said Macron during his announcement. We tried to push back this day for as long as possible  but unfortunately it has now arrived. We will lose control if we do not act now.

This will be the countrys third national lockdown since the pandemic began.

Schools and interregional travel to be shut down for several weeks

As part of the lockdown, schools around the country will be shut down for three weeks beginning on Monday, April 5. Students will have to spend one week in remote learning, after which schools will enter a two-week holiday as this years spring break is shifted to coincide with the last two weeks of the national lockdown.

After the lockdown ends, kindergarten and elementary school students will be allowed to return to in-person instruction. Middle and high school students will do remote learning for one more week before they can return to their physical classes.

School is non-negotiable, said Macron.

Travel between different regions of France is also prohibited for the duration of the light lockdown. The 7 p.m. curfew currently imposed on the 19 regions under the light lockdown will be extended to all of mainland France.

The new national lockdown is threatening to hamstring the already-glacially slow pace of Frances economic recovery from its slump last year. More than 150,000 businesses will have to temporarily shut down, costing the French economy 11 billion euros ($12.897 billion) per month, according to the Ministry of the Economy and Finance.

Frances lockdown will also threaten the recovery of the Eurozone  the 19 countries within the European Union that use the euro as its currency. France is the second-largest economy within the Eurozone, right behind Germany, and its temporary closure will dampen Europes hopes of bouncing back swiftly from the pandemic in the same way that economies around the world are slowly reopening.

Macrons perceived mismanagement of the pandemic has shaken the countrys confidence in his leadership. The next presidential election is just 13 months away, and his approval rating has dipped to below 40 percent. Some of his critics believe he should have imposed a lockdown in January.

We won precious days of liberty, weeks of learning for our children, said Macron. We allowed hundreds of thousands of workers to keep their heads above water without ever losing control of the pandemic. I think we did well.

Macron is now pushing for the country to accelerate the [vaccination] program as much as possible. He has promised to provide coronavirus vaccines for anybody over the age of 60 from April 16, and anyone over 50 from May 15. The president said the country remains on-target to fully inoculate 30 million adults by the middle of June.

Macron said the combination of the strict national lockdown and a sped-up vaccination campaign will allow the country to slowly reopen starting from mid-May, starting with museums and other cultural venues and outdoor bars and restaurants.

We can see a way out of this crisis, said Macron.

Learn more about how countries in Europe like France and Germany are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

WSJ.com

France24.com

Reuters.com
An Alabama police officer has been arrested on child pornography charges stemming from sexually explicit images depicting a teenager that were allegedly discovered on his electronic devices.

Former Bridgeport Police Officer Geoffrey Gile Booth, 48, turned himself in on Thursday morning to face two counts of possessing pornography involving a person under 17 years old.

Under state law, the charge is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

Former Bridgeport Police Officer Geoffrey Gile Booth, 48, has been charged with two counts of possessing pornography involving a person under 17 years old

Jackson County Sheriffs Chief Deputy Rocky Harnen said an investigation into Booth began on March 9, when deputies responded to a domestic violence call from a neighbor's house involving him and his wife.

The call led to a complaint accusing Booth of owning inappropriate images. Deputies said they examined Booths phone and computers and found the images of someone under 17.

Harnen said he believes Booth had already resigned as a Bridgeport officer before deputies were called. He had been on the force for seven or eight years, according to Harnen.

Booth was released from the Jackson County jail (pictured) after posting $5,000 bond

Jackson County jail records show he was released three within hours Thursday on a bond of $5,000.

DailyMail.com reached out to the sheriff's office for seeking further comment on the case and was awaiting a reply.
As of Tuesday, 4,100 migrants, most of whom are unaccompanied children, were being held in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) holding facility in Donna, Texas that only has a capacity for 250 people. The conditions, which have been exposed by a recent visit by reporters sanctioned by the Biden administration, can only be described as a crime against humanity.

Images of children lying side by side under foil blankets with only inches between them could be seen in a video taken within the camp. Children are being kept in eight pods consisting of 500 children each, crowded into cages lined with see-through plastic sheets. The pods only measure around 3,200 square feet and are housed in tents on hard floors with some mattresses. For reference, the average single-family home in the United States in 2019 was 2,301 square feet, according to the Census Bureau.

Leaked photo from a migrant overflow facility in Texas last month, released by the US Representative Henry Cuellar. (Axios)

Children, who are 14 years and older, are processed in an intake building, fingerprinted, photos taken, and then moved to another room where they are given notices to appear for immigration court. No testing for COVID-19 is being done in the camps except on symptomatic individuals.

Illustrating the dire conditions in the camps, all shoelaces were removed by prison officials from child detainees in order to prevent self-harm, as is practiced regularly in US adult prisons. Immigrant advocates have said that there is no adequate access to soap or food.

The horrific images emerging from the camps set up along the US-Mexico border come following the Biden administrations preparations for the escalation of deportations, utilizing Title 42 rules to claim concern for public health to push immigrants back south of the border. A DHS spokesman told the website Axios that the DHS is working with our partners in Mexico to increase their capacity. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas declared on March 21 that the border is closed.

The first pictures from inside the camps during the Biden administration were leaked on March 22 following a visit by Texas Representative Henry Cuellar to the Donna camp. Only recently did the Biden administration allow reporters into one of the camps following growing public anger over its mistreatment and massive detention of immigrants.

When Chuck Todd of NBCs Meet the Press directly asked Mayorkas whether there was a block on media accessing DHS facilities, Mayorkas denied it, claiming, We are also working on providing access so the American public can in a safe way, without jeopardizing our operations, see what is going on. Were working on that.

More than a week later just two journalists from the Associated Press and one TV crew from CBS have been let in to tour the facility. When Mayorkas speaks of reporters jeopardizing DHS operations, he is speaking of the exposure of the systematic imprisonment and deportation of men, women and children fleeing poverty, war and dictatorship, much of which comes as a direct result of US imperialisms operations in South and Central American countries pursued through Democratic and Republican administrations.

Leaked photo from a migrant overflow facility in Texas last month, released by the US Representative Henry Cuellar. (Axios)

As of March 31, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was holding 5,100 unaccompanied minors, more than the 3,200 it was holding on March 11 and 25 percent higher than at the peak of the Trump administrations 2019 crackdown on immigrant children. A DHS official told CNN on March 9 that the Donna facility was already significantly crowded and that The number of kids is alarming and concerning and not good at all.

The detention centers are by law only permitted to detain children for 72 hours, after which they are required to be transferred to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Yet, in practice, these facilities are holding children for far longer in blatant violation of the law. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that at least 5,000 children were detained beyond this period.

In February alone nearly 100,000 immigrants were detained, with 70,000 of those being deported by the Biden administration citing health concerns over COVID-19. Given the administrations record of forcing open schools, just as in overcrowding the camps, against the express warnings of epidemiologists and scientists, the claim of concern over COVID-19 to deport immigrants is blatantly fraudulent.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said that the migrant detention camps can stay open at 100 percent capacity, much like their endorsement of the school reopening campaign, saying they can remain reopen at any level of community transmission. This is a politically motivated lie and an attempt to give a scientific veneer to an irrational and homicidal policy. Schools have become the leading location for confirmed outbreaks, and the detention centers are certainly playing a similar role in spreading COVID-19.

The Donna, Texas facility, which used to be a barracks for oil workers, was converted to a migrant detention center under the Trump administration and was deactivated after public pressure and protests. It was only recently reactivated by the Biden administration following the rise in detentions at the border.

By any measure of human decency these concentration camps should be shut down and refugees be allotted adequate housing to preserve public health, their own well-being and human dignity.
London, April 2 : About 1.1 million Britons have reported having long Covid symptoms, figures from the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed.

Of the 1.1 million people from private households, 674,000 were thought to have symptoms that affected their daily life, with 196,000 estimated to have their ability to undertake everyday tasks limited a lot, Xinhua news agency quoted the ONS as saying on Thursday.

The ONS survey asked people if they had such symptoms as fatigue, muscle pain, and difficulty concentrating over a four-week period ending March 6.

The latest data include those who were self-reported, rather than clinically diagnosed.

Ben Humberstone, head of Health and Life Events at the ONS, told Sky News that the agency was "surprised" by the numbers, adding that "this isn't like other diseases".

"Two thirds of those with self-reported long Covid told us it's limiting their day-to-day activities so they're not able to do the things they would've been able to do before," Humberstone said.

"And when you think this is most prevalent in people of working ages, that's going to have a real impact on the world of work, childcare and things day to day we take for granted." The UK's overall coronavirus caseload and death toll stood at 4,364,541 and 127,006, respectively.

While the country's caseload is the sixth highest in the world, the death toll is the fifth largest.

Nearly 31 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine so far in the UK, according to the official figures.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
NEW YORK, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Serial NYC entrepreneur, non-profit leader, activist, Harvard Elected Director, and co-lead of last Sunday's Rally Against Hate w/Senator Schumer & Andrew Yang -- Ben Wei is bringing together the AAPI community again in an Emergency Rally to bring awareness to the 800% increase in NYC Asian hate crimes and to respond to the brutal attack on Vilma Kari, a 65-year-old Fillipino immigrant woman who was violently beaten in broad daylight in NYC.

Featured Rally Speakers Event Details

The Rally will be fundraising for the Asians Fighting Injustice Launch Fund, which will provide legal and financial aid to victims of Anti-AAPI Hate Crimes, as well as funds for other rally organizers to use to host safe and well-run events. https://cvd.cm/afi



Where: Columbus Park, Chinatown, NY

When: Saturday, April 3rd , 1pm ET - 3pm ET

What: This rally is to:

- Call the nation to action through concrete policy initiatives and to speak out against senseless violence against AAPI

- Provide a platform for diverse grassroots voice to be heard who are a part of the AAPI community

- Share a history of solidarity between Black and AAPI communities and increase dialogue between our communities

- Spread positive energy through music and live performances

- Feature the family of victims and provide them a platform to speak out

Who:

- @RepGraceMeng (Congresswoman of New York's 6th congressional district in Queens)

- @CM_MargaretChin (Council Member for the 1st District of the New York City Council)

- @mrbenwei (Founder of the COVID Foundation & Harvard Elected Director)

- @maxwell (Musician & Philanthropist)

- @itsjulialee (Event MC and Model)

- @markbustos (Community Activist)

- @rachelhu888 (National Organizer for the ANSWER Coalition)

- @riyaortiz (Lead Organizer of Damayan Migrant Workers Association)

- @thatcoffeyboy (Filmmaker, Community Activist and Founder of Running To Protest)

- More to be announced

Event will be livestreamed at:

https://www.facebook.com/asiansfightinginjustice/live_videos/

https://www.instagram.com/asiansfightinginjustice

Asians Fighting Injustice is a non-profit organization dedicated to uniting the Asian / AAPI community in fighting against systemic injustice & hate. The organization is led by Ben Wei, a serial entrepreneur, educator, and activist who has raised millions of dollars to provide relief to marginalized communities most severely impacted by COVID-19 via his "A Million Masks " Campaign and the COVID Foundation (fiscally sponsored 501c3). Ben's work has been recognized by the NYC Mayor's Office , ABC News , The Atlantic, Buzzfeed News, NBC , CBS NY, & the LA Times. Follow Ben on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok/LinkedIn/Facebook: @mrbenwei

Media contact:

Kellisha James

[email protected]

347-775-4085

SOURCE Asians Fighting Injustice
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 18:04:23|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Somali security forces have arrested four al-Shabab militants during operations conducted in Benadir region in the capital Mogadishu.

Police spokesperson Sadiq Aden told journalists on Thursday evening that the police launched a massive operation in the outskirts of Mogadishu where they captured militant cells.

"Following intelligence from the locals, government forces apprehended four al-Shabab militants who were in charge of collecting so-called zakawat (tax) from the public," Aden said.

The security forces also recovered improvised explosive devices during the operation aimed at flushing out al-Shabab militants in the area.

Aden added that the police will hand over the detainees to the intelligence agencies.

The latest incident comes amid a surge of assassinations and roadside bombs in the restive capital Mogadishu. Enditem
Project Manager, Vienna, Austria

Organization: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Country: Austria

City: Vienna, Austria

Office: OSCE Vienna

Closing date: Tuesday, 27 April 2021

Issued by: OSCE Secretariat

Vacancy number: VNSECP01628

Vacancy type: International Contracted

Field of expertise: Human Rights

Grade: P4

Number of posts: 1

Duty station: Vienna

Date of issue: 30 March 2021

Deadline for application: 27 April 2021 - 23: 59 Central European Time (CET/CEST)

Background

Please note that this position is funded under an Extra-Budgetary (ExB) Project, which is expected to run until mid-2024. The initial contract will be issued for 12 months. Extension is subject to project extension and further funding availability.

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, combating human trafficking, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

The OSCE Secretariat in Vienna assists the Chairmanship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions.

The Office of the Secretary General (OSG) plays a key role in supporting the Secretary General in the effective implementation of his/her mandate and specific tasks given to him/her by the OSCE participating States. This includes primarily assisting the Secretary General in his/her activities, serving as a focal point for liaison and support to the Chairperson-in-Office, and co-ordinating tasks across the Secretariat. It groups horizontal services such as Executive Management, Communications and Media Relations, Legal Services, External Co-operation, Security Management, Gender Issues, Conference and Language Services, Central Records Management, and oversees the OSCE Document Centre in Prague (DCiP). The OSG ensures effective co-ordination of policy advice provided to the Secretary General and the Chairmanship, and management decisions taken by the Secretary General. The OSG is led by a Director who also functions as the Head of Executive Management.

The Gender Section of the Office of the Secretary General (OSG) supports the efforts of the OSCE Secretary General to promote a continuous and sustainable gender mainstreaming process across the Organization and the full implementation of the 2004 Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality, as well as other gender-related commitments undertaken by the OSCE participating States. It assists and advises the OSCE structures in the implementation of the Action Plan by providing technical assistance for the mainstreaming of gender in all activities, policies, programmes and projects.

The OSCE Gender Sections new three-year comprehensive project "WIN - Women and Men Innovating and Networking for Gender Equality" will advance gender equality as a necessary prerequisite for achieving and maintaining stable, prosperous and peaceful societies in the OSCE area. The project aims to accelerate the implementation of the OSCE 2004 Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. The project will also focus on the economic and environmental dimension and combating violence against women and girls (VAWG) with the aim of positively changing policy and practice in participating States. The project will strengthen existing and create new networks of female and male gender advocates in governments and civil society in order to foster and enhance an inclusive dialogue in the OSCE region, including in peacebuilding and mediation efforts. Finally, the project will increase participation of women in peace and development processes at all levels.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The Project Manager will primarily be responsible for planning, implementing, monitoring and reporting on WIN activities, as well as co-ordination and outreach with donors and partners, ensuring that consultations take place with all Executive Structures, including the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE field operations and relevant partners.

Under the overall direction and supervision of the Senior Gender Adviser, and in close co-operation and co-ordination with the Senior Co-ordination Adviser and Gender Advisers, the selected Project Manager will perform the following duties: 1. Driving and promoting the WIN project as trend-setting in the field of gender mainstreaming across all OSCE Executive Structures; ensuring the buy-in of internal and external partners, as well as the projects effectiveness and visibility;

2. Integrating advanced approaches to gender mainstreaming including challenging existing structures and conventions;

3. Managing fundraising activities: preparing compelling marketing- and presentation material highlighting the innovative project approach for potential donors;

4. Ensuring the implementation of project milestones, objectives and timelines across OSCE Executive Structures and that donor funds are managed effectively and responsibly; co-ordinating project activities such as webinars, events, consultations, meetings, seminars, study tours, training workshops, publications, etc. to inspire and convince stakeholders and participants;

5. Developing and implementing thematic streams as defined in the multi-year and annual workplan of the project;

6. Supervising the organisation and implementation of networking activities and events; co-ordinating efforts to strengthen existing and support new networks of women in peace and development processes and facilitating exchanges on the integration of gender concerns into comprehensive security;

7. Supervising the creation and maintenance of a WIN community platform for key actors including governments and civil society organizations and OSCE Executive Structures;

8. Supervising the WIN project team, including National Professionals in OSCE sub-regions; preparing terms of reference, identifying and directing service providers, sub-contractors and consultants, ensuring that quality and expected standards are met;

9. Regularly updating, drafting project progress reports for and disseminating promotion products to project stakeholders and various recipients;

10. Establishing and maintaining effective working relations with national, regional and international organizations, OSCE partners and key stakeholders (such as UN Women, UNFPA, EU, COE, EIGE, research institutions and CSOs) as well as the OSCE Institutions and field operations to enhance synergies;

11. Identifying opportunities to present and promote project results at international fora and conferences;

12. Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Secretariat, please see //www.osce.org/secretariat">https: //www.osce.org/secretariat

Necessary Qualifications

Second level university degree in political science, international relations, gender studies or a related field.A first-level university degree in combination with two years of additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree.A minimum of 8 years of project management experience, including the management of large-scale, complex and politically sensitive projects, preferably in an international environment, with ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities; Experience with the topics of gender mainstreaming, gender-based violence and the prevention of violence against women and girls, the Women, Peace and Security agenda and the economic empowerment of women; Proven experience in results-based monitoring and reporting of project outputs and outcomes; Advanced skills in leading and supervising a multicultural team working in different locations; Experience in drafting reports and presentations; proficient communication style and fluency in policy; Computer literate with practical experience with Microsoft applications; Professional fluency in the English language with excellent written and spoken communication skills; knowledge of other OSCE languages would be an asset; Ability to work with minimum supervision and deliver results, under tight timelines and time pressure; Ability to handle politically sensitive issues; Good organizational skills and ability to work both individually and in the team; Problem solving skills combined with result-driven work attitude; Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people of different national, cultural and professional backgrounds, whilst remaining impartial and objective.

Required competencies

Core values

Commitment: Actively contributes to achieving organizational goals

Diversity: Respects others and values their diverse perspectives and contributions

Integrity: Acts in a manner consistent with the Organizations core values and organizational principles

Accountability: Takes responsibility for own action and delegated work

Core competencies

Communication: Actively works to achieve clear and transparent communication with colleagues and with stakeholders of the Organization

Collaboration: Works effectively with others on common goals and fosters a positive, trust-based working environment

Planning: Works towards the achievement of goals in a structured and measured manner

Analysis and decision-making: Analyses available information, draws well-founded conclusions and takes appropriate decisions

Initiative-taking: Proposes and initiates new ideas, activities and projects

Flexibility: Responds positively and effectively to changing circumstances

Managerial competencies (for positions with managerial responsibilities)

Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, builds trust and creates an enabling environment

Strategic thinking: Identifies goals that advance the organizational agenda and develops plans for achieving them

Managing performance: Helps to maximize team performance by providing active feedback and skill development opportunities

Remuneration Package

Monthly remuneration is approximately EUR 7,803, depending on post adjustment and family status. OSCE salaries are exempt from taxation in Austria. Social benefits will include possibility of participation in the Cigna medical insurance scheme and the OSCE Provident Fund. Other allowances and benefits are similar to those offered under the United Nations Common System.

Please note that appointments are normally made at step 1 of the applicable OSCE salary scale.

How To Apply

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCEs online application link found under //jobs.osce.org/vacancies">https: //jobs.osce.org/vacancies.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, to offer an appointment at a lower grade or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

Please, note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see //www.osce.org/participating-states">https: //www.osce.org/participating-states.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization.

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action, which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see //jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model">https: //jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

The OSCE is a non-career organization committed to the principle of staff rotation; therefore, the maximum period of service in this post is 7 years.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1617301480196
- High-level event held in capital of Uzbekistan to mark progress on utility-scale wind farm project - largest in Central Asia

- Masdar signs Implementation Agreement to extend capacity of project to up to 1.5 GW

ABU DHABI, UAE, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Masdar, one of the world's leading renewable energy companies, announced today that it signed an Implementation Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan to extend the capacity of its utility-scale wind farm project - the first such project in Uzbekistan - to up to 1.5 gigawatts (GW).

The agreement was signed in the presence of H.E. Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade for the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Alisher Sultanov, Minister of Energy for the Republic of Uzbekistan, and H.E. Saeed Matar Al-Qemzi, UAE Ambassador to Uzbekistan, during an event in Tashkent to celebrate the groundbreaking on the project, with H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman of Masdar, and H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure for the UAE, attending virtually. H.E. Shukhrat Vafaev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, and H.E. Sherzod Khodjaev, Deputy Minister of Energy, signed the project capacity extension agreement with Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar.

H.E. Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade for the Republic of Uzbekistan, said, "Mobilization of renewable energy potential in Uzbekistan would provide significant contribution to sustainable economic growth and fighting climate change. Along with that, expansion of clean power generation capacities by Masdar will support our objective to double the volume of electricity generation by 2030. Masdar will become a strong bridge connecting our countries, through which new Emirati companies will also invest in Uzbekistan."

H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said, "For the UAE it is important that our actions on climate can help amplify the efforts of others around the world. This partnership is a clear example of how we are putting that tenet into practice. Together, we have an unprecedented opportunity to leverage our collective climate action to enhance sustainable growth in Uzbekistan, while making real progress on global climate goals."

H.E. Alisher Sultanov, Minister of Energy for the Republic of Uzbekistan, said, "We value our partnership with Masdar and welcome this expansion, which will be the largest facility of its kind in our region. This is a vitally important project for Uzbekistan, helping us build towards our target of 25 percent of electricity generated by renewables by 2030."

H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, the UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said, "Today's landmark agreement will enhance co-operation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates in the field of renewable energy. As signatories to the Paris Agreement, Uzbekistan and the UAE are committed to driving collective action on climate. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Uzbekistan further by developing more clean energy projects with them in future."

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said, "Today's event highlights the significant progress we have made, not only on this project but in helping the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan to achieve its clean-energy and climate change objectives. As a global leader in the development of utility-scale wind power, Masdar is proud to support Uzbekistan's low-carbon energy strategy, and to strengthen our partnership with the Government to drive sustainable development."

Masdar entered into bilateral agreements with the Government of Uzbekistan last year to develop, build and operate the 500-megawatt (MW) wind farm project, its second utility-scale clean energy project in the country, and the largest wind farm in Central Asia. The project will attract foreign direct investment of more than US$600 million.

Extending the capacity of the project, located in the Zarafshan district of the Navoi region, to as much as 1.5 GW will further help Uzbekistan achieve its objectives of adding up to 3 GW of wind energy and meeting 25 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources by the end of the decade.

The 500 MW Zarafshan wind farm is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of 2024. At a capacity of 500 MW, the project would provide enough electricity to power 500,000 homes, while displacing 1.1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Masdar signed the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and Investment Agreement for the Zarafshan wind farm with the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan and JSC National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan in June last year.

Last December, Masdar announced financial close on the 100 MW Nur Navoi Solar Project - Uzbekistan's first successfully-financed independent power producer (IPP) solar project. Masdar signed a PPA and Government Support Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in November 2019 to design, finance, build and operate the solar plant. Masdar was announced as the winning bidder for the solar project after tendering the lowest tariff of 2.679 US cents per kilowatt hour in a competitive auction.

In March 2019, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, attended an exchange of agreements, focused on the energy sector, between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Mubadala Investment Company.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1480254/Masdar.jpg
A number of 409 outbreaks of African swine flu were active Thursday, at a national level, with 104,387 animals affected, according to a press release sent by the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA).

Among the 409 outbreaks, 7 are in business holdings, and 6 in business holdings type A, according to the source, agerpres.ro confirms.

During the period of March 26 - April 1 there were recorded 21 new African swine flu outbreaks and 19 were extinguished.

Since the first signalling of the presence of the African swine flu in Romania (July 31, 2017) and until now, there were 5,402 cases diagnosed in boars in 41 counties. Among these, during the period of March 26 - April 1 there were 40 new cases recorded in boars.
Washington, D.C. Federal Court Denies Minister the Right to Hold Good Friday Service at the United States Capitol Building NEWS PROVIDED BY

Christian Defense Coalition

April 1, 2021



WASHINGTON, April 1, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Federal District Judge, James E. Boasberg, denied Rev. Patrick Mahoney's request for injunction relief to hold a Good Friday prayer service on the lower western terrace of the Capitol.





Last year's Good Friday service at the lower western terrace of the Capitol where Rev. Mahoney intended to have this year's vigil.



Rev. Mahoney still plans to have a Good Friday service around a 15ft cross at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Statue in Union Square outside of the Capitol perimeter fence.



The service will be held on Friday, April 2, at 12:00 P.M.



Brian Chavez-Ochoa, who argued the case for Rev. Mahoney, states; "While we are disappointed that the Court denied our Application for a Temporary Restraining Order, we are encouraged by the fact the judge allowed us to amend our complaint and to hold a Preliminary Injunction Hearing at a later date. This matter is not over, and will not be, until the Government permits, once again, the ability for all Americans to exercise their God given First Amendment Rights at the Lower Western Terrace." Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, comments; "Tragically, while business goes on at the United States Capitol Building without interruption, public and peaceful First Amendment activities are being prohibited. The federal court and government have in essence created a 'No Speech Zone' at the Capitol.



"Let's be clear, as of today, the United States Capitol Building is no longer 'The People's House,' but rather is a place where the First Amendment no longer applies. For if free speech can be denied at the Capitol, then First Amendment rights are in danger in every community across America.



"However, in spite of this setback, we will continue to passionately, prayerfully and peacefully work to see the 'People's House' returned to the people and the First Amendment once again honored and cherished at the United States Capitol.



"Tomorrow, we will press forward with our Good Friday Service praying for the healing of our nation and sharing the powerful message of Christ's enduring love and commitment to humanity through his death on the cross." For more information on interviews call:

Attorney Brian Chavez-Ochoa at: 209.772.3013

Rev. Patrick Mahoney at: 540.538.4741



SOURCE Christian Defense Coalition



CONTACT: Brian Chavez-Ochoa, 209-772-3013;

Rev. Patrick Mahoney, 540-538-4741



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The UN Security Council late Thursday strongly condemned the use of violence against peaceful protesters in and the deaths of hundreds of civilians, but dropped the threat of possible future action against the military following the February 1 coup.

The British-drafted press statement approved by all 15 council members after intense negotiations that began Wednesday expressed deep concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation in and reiterated the council's call on the military to exercise utmost restraint.

The original draft was much stronger and would have expressed the Security Council's readiness to consider further steps, which could include sanctions. It would also have deplored the use of violence against peaceful protesters and condemned in the strongest terms the killing of hundreds of civilians by the security forces.

But at the insistence of China, Myanmar's neighbor and friend, the reference to further steps was eliminated and the stronger language, including the words killing and deplore, was softened in the final statement, council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions were private.

The reference to further steps was replaced in the final statement with a sentence saying council members stressed that they continued to monitor the situation closely and would remain actively seized of the matter.

The final council statement also called on all sides to refrain from violence -- which diplomats said Russia demanded -- and reiterated the need to fully respect human rights and to pursue dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of

It noted U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' March 27 statement calling for a firm, unified and resolute response from the community. That was Armed Forces Day when soldiers and police reportedly killed 114 people while suppressing protests in the deadliest bloodletting since the coup.

British Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the council's aim Is to sustain pressure on the military to reverse the coup and support the people in their courageous determination to restore peace and democracy.

She expressed hope the council statement will have that effect alongside the upcoming visit of UN special envoy Christine Schraner Burngener to the region and efforts by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Myanmar.

The press statement followed Wednesday's closed council meeting at which Schraner Burgener warned that Myanmar faces the possibility of civil war at an unprecedented scale and urged the Security Council to consider potentially significant action to reverse the coup and restore democracy.

She didn't specify what action she considered significant, but she painted a dire picture of the military crackdown and told the council in a closed briefing that Myanmar is on the verge of spiraling into a failed state. She urged the council to consider all available tools to take collective action and do what the people of Myanmar deserve prevent a multidimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia.

Chin's UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, warned the council Wednesday in remarks distributed by China's UN Mission that one-sided pressure and calling for sanctions or other coercive measures will only aggravate tension and confrontation and further complicate the situation, which is by no means constructive.

He urged all parties to find a solution through dialogue that de-escalates the situation and continues to advance the democratic transition in Myanmar.

The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades languished under strict military rule that led to isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Aung San Suu Kyi's rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country.

At Wednesday's virtual meeting, Schraner Burgener denounced the killing and arrest of unarmed protesters seeking to restore democracy. She cited figures from Myanmar's Assistance Association for Political Prisoners that as of Wednesday, some 2,729 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced since the coup and an estimated 536 have been killed.

This was the second press statement approved by the council since the coup.

The council also adopted a presidential statement -- one step below a resolution -- on March 10 calling for a reversal of the coup, strongly condemning the violence against peaceful protesters and calling for utmost restraint by the military. It stressed the need to uphold democratic institutions and processes and called for the immediate release of detained government leaders including Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.

The statement approved Thursday also calls for their immediate release and called for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need.

The council addressed another major issue facing Myanmar's military its relations with ethnic minorities, especially Rohingya Muslims in northern Rakhine state. Over 700,000 Rohingya fled a military crackdown in 2017 and are now in camps in Bangladesh.

(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.)
Riot police in Belgium have used horses and water cannon to disperse crowds of revellers gathered in defiance of coronavirus rules, apparently in response to a fake festival created as an April Fools joke.

In recent weeks, some 70,000 people had expressed an interest on Facebook in attending a festival dubbed La Boum, which according to The Brussels Times had advertised eight stages, a hundred DJs and zero coronavirus rules.

Despite the anonymous would-be organisers, police and the citys mayor Philippe Close all making clear that the event was a prank, between 2,000 and 5,000 people made their way to one of Brussels largest parks, the Bois de la Cambre, on Thursday, according to police and local media estimates respectively.

Footage posted to social media showed chaotic scenes as riot police armed with shields and batons moved in to disperse the crowds, which  in addition to some attendees filmed drinking and dancing  appeared to include some people dissatisfied with coronavirus rules currently in force with the aim of preventing a third wave of infections, amid rising case numbers and hospitalisations.

Some clips showed police officers charging into crowds on horseback, as revellers dodged jets from water cannon deployed to break up the unauthorised event, reportedly alongside tear gas and pepper spray.

Read more:

Local media reported that one man had been knocked to the floor by a police horse. A police dog was also visible in another clip.

La Libre Belgique reported that, despite moving in at about 5pm, officers continued to meet resistance for hours, as some in the crowd hurled bottles and other projectiles at law enforcement.

Attention, the police will proceed to disperse the premises, all people will be liable to receive a ticket, were the words blaring from one police vehicle, according to the outlet.

But two hours later, elements of the party are reported to have resumed, with some people filmed standing around a makeshift bonfire as music played from portable speakers  despite police telling the Associated Press that four arrests had been made and three officers injured.

Images taken by photojournalists showed an officer bleeding from his head while apparently detaining someone.

(Hatim Kaghat/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images)

De Morgen reported that efforts to clear the park were still underway at 8pm local time.

At 6.23pm local time the citys mayor wrote on Twitter that while people need to be outside ... we cannot tolerate such gatherings in the Bois de la Cambre.

We therefore evacuated the forest, Philippe Close said. Those who fail to obey police orders run the risk of arrest and prosecution.

He told local media site DHNet: I will do everything possible to ensure that they are prosecuted. And I will send them the invoice.

The prosecutors office is investigating the currently anonymous founders of the fake event, according to VRT.

The organisers have reportedly revealed themselves to be creatives working in the embattled events industry. De Morgen quoted them as saying: We have done nothing wrong, have we? If we had really set up a festival, or a party, then we would. But this is no more and no less than an April Fools joke.

Some in the crowd reportedly appeared to have attended as a show of protest against lockdown restrictions.

It comes as the Belgian government grapples with a Brussels court ruling ordering it to provide a solid legal basis for its coronavirus legislation, or face a fine of 5,000 per day.

As a third wave of the virus hits the continent, Belgium has implemented a night-time curfew, and has banned people from meeting up outside in groups larger than four.

Hospitalisations have risen in recent weeks and health authorities warn intensive care facilities could reach a critical level next week unless the number of new infections slows.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, say goodbye to law and order Joe.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Shares in AstraZeneca fell as the UK reported 25 new cases of rare blood clots possibly linked to the British-produced Covid-19 vaccine, while shares of its main European rival, BioNTech, climbed sharply in Frankfurt trade.

Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said that the latest reports mean that the total number of blood clot cases has risen to 30, but again said that the benefits of using the vaccine far outweighed the risks.

AstraZeneca has been at the centre of a political storm between Britain and the EU.

The UK government, led by Boris Johnson, is relying on AstraZeneca, which was developed by Oxford University, to vaccinate a large share of the population, in a race to lift the Covid restrictions and open the economy.

In contrast, EU president Ursula von der Leyen has accused AstraZeneca of failing to meet the terms of its contract to deliver supplies promised in its last autumn contract that has led to shortages of supply across Europe, including in Ireland. The EU has threatened to use its powers to restrict vaccine exports.

The UK  where about half the population has got at least one jab  and the US are racing ahead with their vaccination programmes, while a number of European countries, including France, have been forced to extend their lockdowns as the number of Covid cases and hospitalisations rise in recent days.

Slow vaccine rollout

Economists say that the economic hits to the eurozone economy will be deeper as a result of the comparatively slow rollout of the vaccine programmes in the EU.

The significance of the new blood clot reports is that while the rate of incidents following the AstraZeneca shot in the UK is about one in 600,000, there are no reports of the same reactions to the vaccine from BioNTech-Pfizer, which is also being used in Britain.

Shares in AstraZeneca fell 1%, which means that the gains for the company have been pared back to only 5.5% in the past year. The stock market values AstraZeneca at 110.5bn.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has accused AstraZeneca of failing to meet the terms of its contract to deliver supplies. Picture: Aris Oikonomou, AP

In contrast, shares in BioNTech, the German company founded by a husband and wife team and which developed the vaccine with the US drugs giant Pfizer, climbed 4% in Frankfurt trade.

Its shares have risen 90% from a year ago, to value the firm at 23.3bn.

Shares in other vaccine makers which are slated to play an important part in Ireland's vaccination programme later this year also rose on Friday.

Moderna rose by over 1% to value the US vaccine maker at 45.2bn. Its shares have soared 300% from April last year.

Shares in Pfizer, which is one of the largest diversified drug makers in the world, were little changed.

Its shares have risen 21% in the past year, to value the firm at 172.3bn.

'Benefits outweigh risks'

On the basis of this ongoing review, the benefits of the vaccines against Covid-19 continue to outweigh any risks and you should continue to get your vaccine when invited to do so, said Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

The AstraZeneca and the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccines have shown very high levels of protection against Covid-19, the agency said, adding that all vaccines and medicines have some side effects.

Earlier this week, the EU drugs regulator said a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare type of blood clot is possible, identifying at least 62 cases of the condition. The European Medicines Agency said its safety committee will probably issue an updated recommendation next week.

Germany has restricted younger people from taking the AstraZeneca vaccine. That followed reports of 31 cases of the rare clots, mostly in women. Norway and Denmark extended suspensions on the use of the shot.

On Friday, Australia reported one case of clotting disorders following inoculation with the AstraZeneca vaccine and is investigating.

Additional reporting, Bloomberg
Editors at Proyekt, a small Russian website, were jittery as they hit the button to publish their latest investigation  one of their most provocative to date.

The team had stumbled on an incredible story: a secret lover of Vladimir Putin, and a teenage daughter who bore a resemblance to the Russian president.

They knew the consequences would be drastic. Since the exclusive was published, some sources no longer take the teams calls. Emails and social media accounts are often hacked. Some of the editors are being followed.

We have been through this before, and we knew what was going to happen, Mikhail Rubin, Proyekts deputy editor-in-chief, said. What we do is considered regular journalism around the world, but in the eyes of the Kremlin were doing something outrageous.

Proyekt is one of a handful of independent outlets challenging the Kremlin and trying to fill the gap left after Mr Putin dismantled Russias previously vibrant newsrooms.

They have had some success, from identifying the culprits behind the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury to reporting on nationwide protests triggered by opposition figure Alexei Navalnys arrest earlier this year. But success has come at a price.

Veteran reporter Veronika Kutsyllo has lost count of the number of times the police have raided the offices of her employer MBK Media, a news website funded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled tycoon. She previously worked at Kommersant, the publisher of Russias leading independent newspaper, but quit in 2011 after her editor was fired for their election coverage. Now she is subject to regular police visits, but counts herself lucky.

Its risky now but Im not ashamed of what I do, she said. Thats a rare thing for journalists in Russia nowadays, and Im in a position to give people who work for us a chance to do the same thing.

Small websites such as MBK Media were a particularly vital source of independent reporting during the nationwide unrest that swept Russia earlier this year following Mr Navalnys arrest.

Among the most cited on social media was Media Zona  partly because Sergei Smirnov, its editor-in-chief, became part of the story.

The day after its live blog on Mr Navalnys key court hearing, which attracted almost 700,000 views, Mr Smirnov was sentenced to 25 days in custody for retweeting a joke about himself in what the prosecutors deemed was a call for illegal rallies. The irony wasnt lost on Mr Smirnov, a political journalist known for his witty Twitter feed.

The brainchild of two members of punk band Pussy Riot who wanted to shed light on the cruelties of the prison system, Media Zona has become Russias most prominent authority on the political trials held by the Kremlin.

But while such websites have an audience among tech-savvy youth in the major cities, they pose less of a risk to Mr Putins popularity nationally, with most people in the provinces still getting their news from state-owned television channels.

And as Septembers legislative elections get nearer, state media have begun to paint independent newsrooms as enemies or spies. Ms Kutsyllo fears that the media are in for carpet bombing but says she isnt going anywhere. When it becomes too dangerous, well, Ill see what I do.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
A 15-year-old woman in the northern province of Yen Bai has given birth to a boy with Harlequin ichthyosis, a rare disease.

The baby was covered with thick, hard white skin, with deep cracks and bleeding.

The baby weighing over 2kg was born in the 37th week of pregnancy at the General Hospital of Nghia Lo, Yen Bai province by cesarean section. The body was covered with thick, hard white skin, with deep cracks and bleeding.

The mother is a 15-year-old ethnic Mong in Tram Tau district, Yen Bai province. During the pregnancy, the young woman never sought prenatal screening.

Dr. Bui Thi Ngoc Quynh, head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Ward of the General Hospital of Nghia Lo, told VietNamNet that the infant suffers from a genetic skin disorder called Harlequin Ichthyosis, also known as fish-scale disease.

The baby was unable to suckle by himself so he was transferred to the Paediatrics Ward for special care. After a few days, the infant could be fed by a spoon, and was in good health.

Because the child has a rare disease that needs complicated care, doctors suggested transferring the child to the Central Children's Hospital in Hanoi for treatment, but the family disagreed. On the 10th day, the family insisted on taking the baby home.

According to Dr. Quynh, Harlequin Ichthyosis is a rare disease with the rate of 1 per 500,000 children. It is a severe genetic disorder that mainly affects the skin. The newborn is covered with plates of thick skin that crack and split apart. The thick plates can pull at and distort facial features and can restrict breathing and eating. Mutations in the ABCA12 gene cause harlequin ichthyosis.

There is no treatment method for the disease. The only treatment is to regularly apply moisturizer to help soften the skin and reduce cracks.

Dr. Quynh said that it is difficult to detect fish scales disease by usual fetal ultrasound, but from the ninth week of pregnancy, women can have a NIPT test to detect genetic defects.

Thuy Hanh
A police officer was killed after a car rammed a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol on Friday afternoon.

The Associated Press originally reported two Capitol Police officers were injured and and the driver was shot. CNN later reported that one of the two officers has died.

Capitol Police told the AP that the crash happened at a checkpoint near the Capitol and that someone rammed a vehicle into two USCP officers. and that a suspect was taken into custody.

CNN also reported the suspect is dead.

The U.S. Capitol continues to be placed on lockdown because of the attack. Fencing around the Capitol had recently been removed, the AP reported.

The attack comes three months after armed insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol Building, many of whom have since been arrested.

Related Content:
A MAN who assaulted a 14-year-old boy and stole his bicycle because he wrongly believed the boy and his friend lit a fire on a beach has been convicted and fined 750.

Darragh Kirk (31) took the law into his own hands when he quizzed the two boys, who told him they didnt light the fire.

He then took one of the boys bikes and told the boys he was bringing it to a garda station so the boys would go there to explain their actions, a court has heard.

While Kirk was attempting to move the bike, he swung it around and accidentally hit the boy in the face with it.

The boy suffered a nose bleed and a 2mm laceration to his left eye as a result.

Kirk, who immediately regretted his actions when he arrived at Balbriggan Garda Station, said he shouldnt have taken the bike and he did not deliberately hit the boy with it, Balbriggan District Court heard.

The defendant, of Hampton Cove, Balbriggan, Co Dublin pleaded guilty to assaulting the boy causing him harm and to the theft of the bicycle at Barnageeragh Beach in Skerries, Co Dublin on August 12, 2020.

He has no previous convictions.

Defence solicitor Siobhan MacNeilis said the defendant thought he was acting as a responsible citizen.

He alleged the boys started the fire but they told him they didnt.

He shouldnt have taken the bike and the injuries caused were absolutely accidental and not deliberate, said Ms MacNeilis.

He is extremely remorseful and his actions on the day were very much out of character, the solicitor said, adding the defendant has 2,000 in compensation for the boy.

However, Judge Sandra Murphy said the compensation element does not concern her and if he wishes to give it to the boy that is up to him.

It wasnt up to him to take the law into his own hands, said Judge Murphy and convicted and fined him 750 for the assault.

The charge of the theft of the bike was taken into consideration.
Pennsylvania Capitol Police are mourning the death of one of their canine officers Friday due to natural causes.

Artie, a 9-year-old German Shepherd, had faithfully served at the Capitol building in Harrisburg as an explosive detection dog since September 2013.

Over the years, Artie became a favorite of those who worked in and visited the Capitol, known for his laid-back demeanor and calm temperament, according to a Facebook post announcing the death. He and Officer (Clark) Godusky have always made a positive impression with their dedication and professionalism.

Whether he was on duty working a crime scene, performing sweeps of the Capitol Complex or demonstrating his keen abilities for the public during Bring Your Child to Work Day or National Night Out, Artie was always eager and ready to go, the Facebook post said.

Troy Thompson, spokesman for the Capitol Police, said Artie was a rock star in Capitol circles.

I know he will definitely be missed, Thompson said. He was the most laid-back German Shepherd youve ever seen.

Artie would usually give Thompson a quick sniff upon arrival at the Capitol and let Thompson pet him. But Artie became a lot more interested in Thompson after Thompson got his own German Shepherd dog that Artie could apparently detect on Thompsons clothing.

He got more excited to see me after that, Thompson said.

Visitors and employees at the Capitol posted their memories of Artie on the Facebook post.

He always liked his belly rubbed, one man wrote. He always put a smile on my face when I seen him.

Im so sorry to hear this, a woman posted. Artie was definitely my favorite K-9 and I loved petting him. He was a very good boy.

READ: Body reported on I-83 overpass was actually a sex doll: police
Scientists at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, combine an inexpensive spectroscopy technique with artificial intelligence to develop a new way of assessing the freshness of beef samples. Their method is remarkably quicker and more cost-effective than conventional approaches while maintaining a relatively high accuracy, paving the way for mass-produced devices to identify spoiled meat both in the industry and at home.

Image Credit: Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

Although beef is one of the most consumed foods around the world, eating it when it's past its prime is not only unsavory, but also poses some serious health risks. Unfortunately, available methods to check for beef freshness have various disadvantages that keep them from being useful to the public. For example, chemical analysis or microbial population evaluations take too much time and require the skills of a professional. On the other hand, non-destructive approaches based on near-infrared spectroscopy require expensive and sophisticated equipment. Could artificial intelligence be the key to a more cost-effective way to assess the freshness of beef?

At Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Korea, a team of scientists led by Associate Processors Kyoobin Lee and Jae Gwan Kim have developed a new strategy that combines deep learning with diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), a relatively inexpensive optical technique. "Unlike other types of spectroscopy, DRS does not require complex calibration; instead, it can be used to quantify part of the molecular composition of a sample using just an affordable and easily configurable spectrometer," explains Lee. The findings of their study are now published in Food Chemistry.

To determine the freshness of beef samples, they relied on DRS measurements to estimate the proportions of different forms of myoglobin in the meat. Myoglobin and its derivatives are the proteins mainly responsible for the color of meat and its changes during the decomposition process. However, manually converting DRS measurements into myoglobin concentrations to finally decide upon the freshness of a sample is not a very accurate strategy--and this is where deep learning comes into play.

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) are widely used artificial intelligence algorithms that can learn from a pre-classified dataset, referred to as 'training set,' and find hidden patterns in the data to classify new inputs. To train the CNN, the researchers gathered data on 78 beef samples during their spoilage process by regularly measuring their pH (acidity) alongside their DRS profiles. After manually classifying the DRS data based on the pH values as 'fresh,' 'normal,' or 'spoiled,' they fed the algorithm the labelled DRS dataset and also fused this information with myoglobin estimations.

By providing both myoglobin and spectral information, our trained deep learning algorithm could correctly classify the freshness of beef samples in a matter of seconds in about 92% of cases." Jae Gwan Kim, Associate Processor, GIST

Besides its accuracy, the strengths of this novel strategy lie in its speed, low cost, and non-destructive nature. The team believes it may be possible to develop small, portable spectroscopic devices so that everyone can easily assess the freshness of their beef, even at home. Moreover, similar spectroscopy and CNN-based techniques could also be extended to other products, such as fish or pork. In the future, with any luck, it will be easier and more accessible to identify and avoid questionable meat.
The Government will, on Friday, April 2 start administering the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to people who received the first one.

Rwanda's nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign that kicked off in early March has been employing Pfizer and AstraZeneca, two of the vaccines that require the recipients to get two doses to increase the protection for their bodies against the virus.

Here are five things that you may need to know about the exercise of administering the second dose:

1. The exercise starts with those who received the Pfizer vaccine

After being vaccinated for the first time, recipients of the Pfizer vaccine have to take between 21 to 28 days to get the second shot, as opposed to their counterparts who received AstraZeneca and need to take between 8 to 12 weeks before they can get the second dose.

This means that the time for receiving the second has arrived for Pfizer recipients, while those who received AstraZeneca will have to wait for a few more days.

According to Dr. Daniel Ngamije, the Minister of Health, over 290,000 citizens of those who got the first dose were vaccinated with AstraZeneca while 51,000 others received Pfizer.

2. No need to go to the place from which you got the first dose, for the second one

Speaking to this newspaper, Julien Niyingabira, the Head of Rwanda Health Communication Centre, said the details of those who were inoculated during the first round were stored digitally and are available to medics at various stations where the vaccination exercises will be taking place.

Due to this, there is no need for a person to go back to the same place where they were vaccinated or meet with the exact people who vaccinated them.

3. SMS notifications

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Text messages will be sent to people reminding them to go for the second shot, and where they can go to get it. The Ministry of Health Officials collected important contact information during the first round of vaccination, for example, phone numbers which aid their efforts in following up on the people in order to give them the second dose of the vaccine.

4. It's highly advisable not to miss the second dose

The second dose increases protection against the virus, and according to medics, it is important not to miss it. If a person completely misses it, this may mean that he or she will have to repeat it all over again.

5. Dates for administering the second dose of AstraZeneca is yet to be communicated

According to the Ministry of Health, the dates for administering the second shot for AstraZeneca recipients will be communicated in the coming days. However, it is expected to be soon since the 8 to 12 weeks required in-between the two shots are drawing close to completion.
YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan visited Abovyan community on April 2 to get acquainted with the projects of constructing a free industrial zone and sustainable community in the sidelines of Build Armenia program, as well as to discuss cooperation opportunities.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Ministry of Economy, Minister Kerobyan and Director of "Hayprospect" CJSC, "Build Armenia" program coordinator Sevak Artsruni signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of Kotayk Governor Mesrop Mesropyan and Abovyan Mayor Vahagn Gevorgyan. The Memorandum is about encouraging the implementation of the "Build Armenia "program and sustainable community building in Armenia.

Vahan Kerobyan noted that according to the Memorandum, the Ministry of Economy is obliged to assist "Hayprospect" CJSC in constructing a huge industrial and residential complex, where numerous businesses and educational facilities will operate. The Minister of Economy assessed the program very progressive and asked Sevak Artsruni to briefly present it.

Sevak Artsruni informed that the program is in the initial stage. Most part of the land has already been acquired, nearly 70 hectares.

Its expected that the infrastructures of the industrial zone will be ready by the end of the year. By now 6 million USD has been invested. By the end of the year they will increase up to 20-30 million USD. The total program is estimated at up to 1 billion USD, he said.

:  

Sevak Artsruni noted that two months ago their company signed a memorandum with Abovyan Municipality and now a memorandum has been signed with the Ministry of Economy and they are very happy for that, since they greatly highlight the cooperation with the Government and the community.

Naturally, this is a business and there is the logic of pursuing profits, but we also assess this something important also for the country, because our final goal is also about repatriation and we know that we can make our country powerful with the help of 10 million Armenians, if we organize everything correctly, Artsruni said.

Sevak Artsruni accompanied the Minister of Economy, Kotayk Governor and Abovyan Mayor to the construction site and presented the ongoing works.

"Hayprospect" CJSC has set a task to give priority to the participants of the war, servicemen with disabilities, as well as to the wives of the soldiers killed during the war during staff hiring. The hiring process will start from May.

"Hayprospect" community will be the first community environmentally and energy sustainable with cost-effective recourses in the region. The residential part of the community will have 10 thousand residents.
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will visit Washington for talks with President on April 16, the government announced Friday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters that Suga will be the first foreign leader to meet Biden in person since he took office in January.

That by itself is proof that the United States places importance on Japan," he said.

It is also significant as we demonstrate the strength of the Japan-US alliance and the U.S. commitment to engage in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

is eager to develop close relations with the new U.S. administration and was hoping to schedule Suga's visit earlier in April, or even sooner. Japanese media, including the Nikkei business newspaper, said Suga's trip was delayed because of a request from Washington.

We have been arranging (Suga's visit) in the earlier half of April, but the date is set on April 16, as we aim to take all possible measures to ensure success of the prime minister's U.S. visit and preparations for it," Kato said.

Tokyo hopes to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance, which it considers a cornerstone of its foreign and security policies, and to discuss ways to cooperate on how to handle China, North Korea and advance a joint vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific" to promote a rules-based order in the region. Climate change and the fight against the pandemic are also among key issues.

(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.)
We are hiking through Cherry Canyon, a dusty trail popping with red, yellow and purple wildflowers on Santa Rosa Island within Channel Islands National Park, and we are looking for one of the worlds smallest foxes. We might see a tiny head peeking out of tall grasses on the hillside, or one of the brazen little creatures could even approach us, a ranger said. But on these warmer spring days, they like to crouch and cool off in their dens, awaiting kits. So far, the only trace of them is abundant scat.

The Channel Islands themselves are a bit like island foxes  little-known, utterly fascinating and ultimately pretty easy to see, if youre willing to make the effort. A springtime visit is particularly rewarding, thanks to the wildflower-painted hillsides, frequent whale sightings and end-of-the-world ambiance. Of the five islands that make up the park, Santa Rosa offers some of the best hiking, and it's only 50 miles off Southern California's Ventura Harbor.

This isnt the most popular island  far more people visit Santa Cruz  and thats because Santa Rosa is more time-consuming and challenging to access. If the weather doesnt cooperate, the island can become very windy or even inaccessible. But on a calm spring day these trails are unbeatable, and lately, visitation to Santa Rosa is growing more than any other island, said park ranger David Begun. In deciding which island Id visit, I also spoke with people who work for island transport and excursion companies and they all agreed: Santa Rosa is their favorite.

Ashley Harrell

My advisers also emphasized that good weather was essential for enjoying the island, but as it happened, the Saturday we booked Island Packers ferry tickets saw ideal conditions. The other thing to remember about a Santa Rosa day trip is that its not just about the time on the island: The 2.5-hour ferry ride involves stops to behold large groups of dolphins and migrating whales, along with a near circumnavigation of Santa Cruz Island via boat and a stop at one of the worlds largest sea caves.

On the crisp, cloudless Saturday that we set out to sea from Ventura Harbor, our Island Packers catamaran was still operating at 50% capacity, with masked-up passengers spread out on two decks and within an interior cabin where food and drinks were available for purchase (but not indoor consumption). My partner was newly amped for the trip because he noticed a sign at the dock that said the Channel Islands were a national park. Which I guess I forgot to mention?

In fairness, I also didnt know much about the Galapagos of California, as these islands are often called, when I started researching the trip. And really its a place every Californian should know.

Isolated for thousands of years, these islands are home to 145 plant and animal species that exist nowhere else on Earth, and they offer a glimpse into what the southern coast of California looked like before it was developed. The protected area extends a mile into the sea surrounding each island, and visitors can scuba dive, camp, whale-watch, hike or just relax, with very few other humans in sight.

Ashley Harrell

That said, for more than 13,000 years, the Native Chumash people hunted, fished and gathered on these islands, up until the 1800s, when the Spanish Mission era brought disease and ruin to the tribe. From there, itinerant hunters and fishers exploited marine life, ranchers installed damaging livestock operations and the military built strategic installations. In declaring the islands a national park in the 1980s, Congress intended to help return the Channel Islands to their unspoiled prime.

On our way out, we were making plans to attempt a 7.5-mile hike to a rare Torrey pine forest, one of just two naturally occurring groves in the world. We would only have three hours for the journey and would be left behind on Santa Rosa if we were late. So when our ferry made a couple of unplanned stops, it meant wed need to do a shorter hike instead.

Couldnt really complain, though  the stops were for whales.

At this time of year, two kinds of whales are regularly spotted in the Santa Barbara Channel: humpbacks and gray whales. The first pair we saw were resident humpbacks hanging out and occasionally diving down, only to resurface with a geyser-like spouting a few minutes later. One humpback seemed to wave goodbye to us with its massive tail, and within just a few minutes, three gray whales were floating on their sides, waving hello with pectoral flippers.

The grays pass through the Santa Barbara channel twice each year on the longest mammal migration on Earth, Capt. Luke Dutton explained, once, on their way from Alaska to Baja California, and again on their way back, with calves in tow. My partner had never seen a whale that close, much less five, and he was therefore more than happy to sub in a shorter hike through a wildflower-filled canyon.

AP

Arriving on the incredibly beautiful island, we got a briefing from a volunteer naturalist and then set off, bypassing the historic ranches and schoolhouse museum to explore the natural side of Wima  the name the Chumash gave this island. It means driftwood, and it was chosen because channel currents brought logs that the Chumash used to build canoes.

Its possible, according to park literature, that gray foxes also arrived this way, essentially rafting on logs through the channel. The other theory is that the Chumash brought them, and either way, once established here, the foxes shrank into a dwarf species, an adaptation common on islands with relatively little food and water.

In the 1990s, the house cat-sized foxes were hunted nearly to extinction by golden eagles. In response, the park initiated a captive breeding program, paired with a relocation program of golden eagles and reestablishment of competing bald eagles, which restored the island foxes population to previous levels.

On the trail, I keep thinking I see foxes out of the corner of my eye, but its always a tingling bunch of wildflowers, or a bird or lizard. The path is rugged, with bright-yellow giant coreopsis dangling over the canyon walls, and purple lupine and red and yellow paintbrush flowers decorating the flanks.

Dawn DeAngelo

The only other mammals here are the Santa Rosa Island deer mouse and the island spotted skunk, and these unique creatures are equally elusive. As we climb out of the canyon and up onto a ridge, the channel, the beach and neighboring Santa Cruz Island comes into view. Theres a picnic table in a perfect spot to rest and enjoy the scenery, and there we meet Dawn DeAngelo, a plant enthusiast and photographer from Oxnard, who has come with her husband to behold the spectacular wildflower show.

Its like stepping into a Monet painting, DeAngelo said of hiking the island, which she regularly does at this time of year. The colors are so vibrant  theyre just splashed on the hillside. For me, it feels surreal, in a very artistic way.

We continue along the ridge, noting its curious cacti and wild morning glory vines, then drop down past the campsites and onto Water Canyon Beach, where just a handful of visitors are sunning themselves on the dunes and skipping rocks in the surf. We wander down the beach and encounter a coastal lagoon, remnants of a washed-up king crab and plenty of seabirds.

Ashley Harrell

It feels utterly wild out here, and we agree to return to these islands someday and spend the night. We linger on the beach, pant legs rolled up and bare feet in the sand, until missing the boat becomes a valid concern.

As it turned out, the best was yet to come, with the boat ride back searing into our minds the specialness of this place. We cruised by impressive rock arches and made a stop at the Painted Cave, a multihued, cathedral-like rock formation that happens to be one of the worlds largest sea caves. Because the tide was low, our boat was able to drift inside, where we joined two playful seals doing what looked like water ballet.

As we continued on our journey, dozens of dolphins showed up. They cruised gracefully alongside the boat, surfing its wake and leaping high in the air to reveal their powerful, glistening bodies. Then a few more humpback whales announced themselves via water spouts, and still more gray whales waved hello.

Dawn DeAngelo

Four humpback whales, five gray whales, at least 100 common dolphins, Capt. Dutton announced. So I would like to think that was a pretty successful trip.

Our last stop was Prisoners Harbor on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island, where a mix-up in 1830 resulted in several dozen Mexican convicts being left there to fend for themselves (they are thought to have built rafts to return to the mainland). We were picking up some overnight campers, and I had heard that sometimes island foxes could be spotted scampering on the shore.

We stared at the beach until the ferry pulled away, but no fox materialized. It was impossible to be upset about it, though, considering the amazing day wed had. Some crew members reassured us that if we camped on Santa Cruz next time, wed end up tired of seeing foxes, and we almost believed them.
Easter, a day when Christians celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, is a time for new beginnings and hope amidst a global crisis, but for Christians in Pakistan, there is a certain uneasiness felt during this season.

In preparation for the Easter holiday, Christians in Pakistan are mobilizing to increase security measures as they anticipate extremists' attacks over the weekend -extremists whose goal is to persecute people of faith have been known to attack during important Christian holidays.

According to the International Christian Concern, the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) revealed just how Christians in Pakistan are gearing up for the Easter holiday. Instead of happy and peaceful celebrations, they are bracing for the worst by anticipating attacks by extremists who target them..

"For the past 12 years, I have been leading young men dedicated to supporting the security guards stationed at the cathedral," William Arif Khan shared to ACN. He is a Christian leader who directs a team of security volunteers at Lahore's Sacred Heart Cathedral. Khan shared that their service to the church is provided without any "reward" and that they are committed by their faith to dedicate their time during the Easter holiday to the church.

"The volunteers are equipped with metal detectors," Khan explained of the security measures they need to undertake. "The police have allowed us to keep some licensed weapons on the church premises, but mostly either my deputy or I are armed with a pistol."

Pakistani Christians have been targeted on important holidays over the past few years. Back in 2015, two churches in the Youhanabad neighborhood of Lahore were attacked by suicide bombers just before Easter. The following year, a public park in Lahore where Christians were celebrating was also attacked by another suicide bomber.

As Christians in Pakistan are bracing for possible attacks, help is on the way for others who have been displaced by the government.

According to UCA News, a diocesan office of Caritas Pakistan has already mobilized to provide ration packs among 100 Christian families who were forcefully evicted in the anti-encroachment campaign by the government. Back in early March, about 450 Catholic families were displaced as their houses in Hyderabad and Karachi cities in the Sindh province were destroyed.

Caritas Pakistan Karachi executive secretary Mansha Noor mused, "It is sad that instead of focusing on charity, fasting and prayers in Holy Week, they are looking for shelter with their relatives or surviving in partially damaged houses."

According to reports, the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and a Seventh-day Adventist church are also set to be demolished by the government and Christians in Pakistan who are living near the drain where sludge and mud had drained from the demolition sites are protesting against the bulldozers and cranes that are set to destroy their homes.

Urban Resource Centre's Zahid Farooq said during a March 30 press conference that as much as 14,000 homes and 3,000 shops will be affected by the Pakistani government's plan to clean and broaden storm-water drains. He urged the government, "Even in times of war, there are breaks allowed for celebrating religious festivals...at least stop the operation during those religious holidays to allow these people to celebrate their festivals in peace."
The girl was being treated at Granada's Hospital de Neurotraumatologia Photo: Google Maps

An Irish teenager who was seriously injured when she fell from a wall in southern Spain has died.

The girl (16), who was a student at a south Dublin school, suffered severe injuries after falling 16 feet from a wall in Andalucia on the outskirts of Granada on Friday, March 19.

She was being treated in the intensive care unit at the citys Hospital de Neurotraumatologia (neurotrauma) but passed away on Thursday.

It is understood the young girl had been on an exchange programme for the last number of months.

Local media reported that the teenager was returning from a social gathering known as a botellon, near the famous Avellano fountain when the tragedy occurred.

Her friends alerted passersby and emergency services rushed to the scene.

Spanish authorities said that police were launching an investigation into the freak accident.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance to her family.

Spanish newspaper Ideal reported that the teen suffered serious injuries to her head and face after the fall.

It said she on an exchange and suffered a fall on the Avellano path when she was returning to the city.

The incident occurred on a day when Granada had just began relaxing Covid-19 restrictions.

Among the measures introduced was the extension of a curfew until 11pm.

A crowd of young people had gathered in the area to socialise that evening and the incident happened around 10pm when the young girl was walking home with friends.

It is not known what caused the accident but authorities are investigating whether it was due to the terrain and the fact it was dark.

She fell from a height of about five metres.

Local police are continuing their investigations into the incident and were making enquiries as to what happened.

It was reported that two young people were injured in the same area a few weeks previously.
Houston police have fired an officer accused of running away from gunfire during a domestic dispute call that ended with the death of veteran Sgt. Harold Preston.

Vanessa Taylor and another officer, Courtney Waller, responded to a call in south Houston in October 2020, along with Preston.

The call was to accompany a woman to her estranged husbands apartment to collect her belongings. It quickly went awry when the husband began shooting at officers, striking Waller and Preston.

The sergeant returned fire, striking Elmer Manzano, the man police say was the shooter. Taylor ran from the scene, multiple sources said. At some point in the altercation, Manzano shot Preston for a second time, striking him in the back of the head.

'We all looked up to him': HPD Sgt. Harold Preston remembered as a mentor who loved his job

Manzano has since been charged with capital murder.

An HPD spokesman confirmed Friday that Taylor had been indefinitely suspended (the term used by the department for firing).

Houston Police Officers Union President Douglas Griffith said that because Taylor was punished for something that occurred during the line of duty, she would be receiving union representation. Griffith declined to comment on the specific accusations against Taylor, saying he had not yet seen her disciplinary paperwork.

Its my understanding she will be fighting the indefinite suspension, he said. Were waiting to find out what happens in arbitration.

Related: Acevedo survived controversy on way to top policing jobs

Prestons death came during a particularly tragic period in late 2020 for local law enforcement. Less than a week before Preston was killed, a Houston Fire Department arson investigator, Lemuel Bruce, was murdered investigating a spate of suspicious fires. And then in early November, HPD Sgt. Sean Rios was shot and killed on his way to work.

Former Police Chief Art Acevedo  who has since moved to Florida to lead the Miami Police Department  said he handed down the discipline after the case worked its way through the departments disciplinary system.

One of the reasons I wanted to stay as long as I did was to make sure that case was taken care of, he said. It happened under my watch.

Taylor joined the department in 2015, according to department records. The discipline against her is the latest fallout from the events leading up to the fatal encounter Prestons death. Waller  who was shot in the arm  was disciplined for 20 days. And a sergeant who responded to another domestic dispute call at Manzanos home the day before the fatal incident received a five-day suspension, Griffith confirmed.
At least 2,300 residents of Arua District have been vaccinated against yellow fever in the just concluded vaccination exercise by the National Medical Stores (NMS).

Dr Paul Bishop Drileba, the district health officer, called for the extension of the exercise due to the high turn up.

"We appreciate this gesture and our request to NMS is to increase the doses going forward. It is clear that the people appreciated this service. However, for NMS to fully vaccinate the people of Arua, we need like 10,000 doses, and the campaign should run for five days," Dr Drileba said on Tuesday.

Mr James Odong, the NMS spokesperson, said the exercise is a token of commitment to consistently contribute towards positive social development and better quality of life of Ugandans.

"We have noted the demand for the vaccine is high in Arua and we commit to continue enabling you and the entire country access quality medicines and vaccines as is your right. We urge you to also visit any health centre where you can also access these vaccines," he said.

Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Some of the symptoms include fever and headache.

New system

Meanwhile, NMS together with partners are set to roll out the customer self-services portal to government health centre IVs and hospitals.

The portal will be used for ordering health commodities and improve visibility of commodity stock information.

While visiting new NMS storage facilities in Kajjansi, Kampala, MPs called for plugging loopholes exploited by officials at the district and health centre levels to steal government drugs.

The NMS is also implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning, a digitised system to ensure effective tracking of the supplies to the final users.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Residents at a Rochester assisted living facility are celebrating after officials relaxed COVID-19 guidelines for them.

Fully vaccinated residents can now dine and interact closer than six feet, and visit family for up to 24 hours without needing to quarantine.

Jon Stene, the executive director of River Bend Assisted Living & Memory Care, says residents are all smiles about the changes.

"Today when I announced it, it was like Christmas in April," Stene told KIMT. "This afternoon we had our first full dining experience, and we haven't done that in over a year. So I mean they are so excited right now, and this afternoon we're celebrating it with happy hour."

Stene adds after months of seclusion, missing loved ones and milestones, residents at River Bend are excited to get closer to normalcy.

"We have people here who haven't seen new grandchildren, and so they get to see them for the first time. So I mean all of this - there's so much excitement right now."

Increased ability to socialize and engage with others may also have a positive impact on their physical health, according to Stene.

"Their mental health is very key to their physical health, and by being able to do this - and to have the sunshine on top of it - I've never seen so many smiles in one place as the last month or so. As we keep opening up little by little, there's just a glow about everyone."

Stene says 82 of 83 residents at River Bend chose to be vaccinated. He encourages everyone to follow their lead so we can all get back to normal.
UISD has announced that district registration will begin online on Monday, April 5 for new and returning students, Pre-K and Kindergarten.

For families planning to register, the district says that the information can be found on their website.

However, in the case where a family is experiencing connection issues or does not have an available computer to use, they can contact the UISD office of admissions at 956-473-6349. This is also the case for parents who plan to enroll their children in Pre-K or Kindergarten for the 2021-22 school year.

For new and returning student registrations, parents can find the Tyler Parent Portal on the UISD website and either log in or create a new account with their email.

To continue with the registration, parents will be tasked with filling out the forms with the necessary items. Following the instructions, an email will be sent to the email provided and parents would then need to contact their childs prospective school to notify them of the submission.

Once reviewed, the student will be enrolled and be given a new ID.

Parents who are returning and have their Tyler username can log in like before to start the process.

According to the district, those who wish to enroll their children in Pre-K and Kinder would need to contact their respective campus and make an appointment so the district can assess the eligibility of the student. They add that the assessment will be in a highly controlled manner as the pandemic continues.

This means that the eligibility assessment will only allow one student and one parent at a time, minimal contact between them and the staff and a plexiglass barrier between the staff and students being tested.

The announcement follows the LISD announcement stating that their registration had begun on Thursday. The process is similar as parents would need to follow the instructions after visiting the LISD website.

LISD laid out that parents who plan to register their students to the district will be required to provide the following documents:

Proof of residency/address (utility bills for gas, water, electricity...). Parent Identification. Student birth certificate. Student Social Security (if applicable). Immunization records. Last report card/transcript. Proof of guardianship (if applicable).

cocampo@lmtonline.com
A landmark study in the UK by teams at University College London, the University of Leicester and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirms how deadly COVID-19 is. It backs up the growing mountain of evidence that the disease results in major organ damage in the human body.

The report, Post-covid syndrome in individuals admitted to hospital with covid-19 was published Wednesday in the BMJ (formerly, British Medical Journal). It found, Over a mean follow-up of 140 days, nearly a third of individuals who were discharged from hospital after acute covid-19 were readmitted (14,060 of 47,780) and more than 1 in 10 (5,875) died after discharge

A nurse holds a phone while a COVID-19 patient speaks with his family from an intensive care unit. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Those readmitted needed to be taken back into hospital within four months of being sent home.

The remit of the cohort study was to quantify rates of organ specific dysfunction in individuals with covid-19 after discharge from hospital compared with a matched control group from the general population. The number of readmittances and deaths, it adds, occurred at rates four and eight times greater, respectively than in the control group.

The study compared medical records of nearly 48,000 people who had received treatment in a National Health Service (NHS) hospital for COVID-19 and been discharged by August 31, 2020. It concluded, Individuals discharged from hospital after covid-19 had increased rates of multiorgan dysfunction compared with the expected risk in the general population.

It has long been known that COVID-19 causes damage to the bodies major organs, including heart damage, kidney damage, lung damage, liver damage, hearing loss and contributing to bringing on Type 1 diabetes. In January, a study found that while no trace of COVID-19 had appeared in the brains of people with the infection, there was evidence of blood vessel damage caused by the bodys inflammatory response in the post-mortem brains of patients who tested positive for coronavirus. This suggests the virus may indirectly attack the organ.

The UK study builds on previous research on outcomes for patients taken into hospital with COVID-19 but based on tens of thousands of cases is able to draw conclusions about the extent of dysfunction in organs of those affected.

The report notes, Most studies so far have focused on symptoms associated with post-covid syndrome rather than organ dysfunction, and few have made use of a control group, allowing the inference of counterfactual outcomes.

It states, Since SARS-CoV-2 infection was recognised in late 2019, the academic and clinical emphasis has been on respiratory manifestations. Increasing evidence exists for direct multiorgan effects, however, and indirect effects on other organ systems and disease processes, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers, through changes in healthcare delivery and patient behaviours.

The BMJ states In a recent study of 1,775 veterans in the United States admitted to hospital with covid-19, 20% were readmitted and 9% died within 60 days of discharge. After restricting follow-up in our study to the same length of time, we found similar prevalence rates of 23% and 9%, respectively. The US study did not analyse organ specific endpoints and was conducted in a specific population. Our study extends these findings as we found that covid-19 was associated with dysfunction in a range of organs after discharge in a broader population of patients admitted to hospital.

The results in the UK survey demonstrate how deadly COVID-19 is. It is already known that approximately one-third will develop symptoms that typify what has been come to be known as Long COVID or long-haulers. It is commonafter their COVID-19 infection has cleared upeven among those who have not required hospitalisation, to suffer from a number of symptoms like chronic fatigue or brain fog.

The phenomenon of Long Covid is still being analysed by scientists, with the BMJ study noting that Long covid, or post-covid syndrome, is not one condition, and is defined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as signs and symptoms that develop during or after an infection consistent with covid-19 which continue for more than 12 weeks and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis.

While Long Covid is still being investigated, it was known almost from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as thousands died, that this was a disease that once present in lungs and blood could spread to other organs, often resulting in fatalities.

Last month, the WSWS noted research published on Medrxiv in October 2020 carried out by a UK team of physicians, scientists and academics, based on a study of 201 patients. The study into Multi-organ impairment in low-risk individuals with long COVID found mild impairment in heart (32 percent), lungs (33 percent), kidneys (12 percent), and liver (10 percent), including pancreas and spleen. Multiorgan impairment was observed in 25 percent, while 66 percent had some form of derangement of a single organ. Among those involved in the study was Dr Amitava Banerjee of the Institute of Health Informatics at University College London.

Banerjee also contributed to the new study published in the BMJ. He told the Guardian, This is a concern and we need to take it seriously We show conclusively here that this is very far from a benign illness. We need to monitor post-Covid patients so we can pick up organ impairment early on.

The findings are proof of the criminal response of the ruling elite internationally, who despite being aware as soon as autopsies showed the deadly impact of highly contagious COVID-19including its significant impact on human organsdid nothing to stop its spread. Instead, in the words of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnsons former adviser Dominic Cummings, to protect the economy a policy of herd immunity should be adopted.

The implications for society globally of this homicidal policy are staggering. The study notes, With over three million people in the UK having tested positive for covid-19 at the time of writing, and many more who have had the disease but have never received a test, our findings suggest that the long term burden of covid-19 related morbidity on hospitals and broader healthcare systems might be substantial. Also, organ dysfunction in hospital patients represents only part of the problem; other symptomatic manifestations of post-covid syndrome in individuals not requiring admission to hospital have the potential to be debilitating for patients, placing a considerable burden on healthcare resources, particularly in primary care.

The number of people infected with COVID-19 globally has risen significantly since the study was completed, with over 4.3 million people having contracted the disease in Britain alone resulting in over 150,000 deaths. Internationally nearly 130 million people have been infected with over 2.8 million people dead.

According to an Office of National Statistics survey published Thursday, an estimated 1.1 million people in Britain (from a population of around 66 million) were suffering with Long Covid symptoms in the four weeks from February 6. The ONS found that one in five people had Long Covid symptoms five weeks after an initial infection and one in seven after 12 weeks.

The survey was based on a large sample of 20,000 participants who tested positive for Covid-19 between April 26 last year and March 6 this year. The sample led to an estimation that of those with Long Covid symptoms, 674,000 reported infection in the previous three months. A staggering 70,000 people said they still had Long Covid symptoms over a year since infection. The ONS said, 674,000 (61.6%) experienced at least some limitation to their day-to-day activities as a result, and 196,000 (17.9%) reported that their day-to-day activities had been limited a lot.

A wide age range among the population were suffering with Long Covid. Living in deprivation was an important factor, found the ONS. Prevalence rates of self-reported long COVID were greatest in people aged 35 to 69 years, females, those living in the most deprived areas, those working in health or social care, and those with a pre-existing, activity-limiting health condition.

Moreover, the disease has mutated numerous times into more contagious strains. The Kent, UK variant B.1.1.7 was first detected last September and by February 9, the variant had spread to 59 countries and has now been traced in over 100 countries. First detected in the United States at the end of December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that it could soon be the dominant variant in that country.
Link's decision to invest more of Woodford victims' money in a little-known firm called Mafic has been branded 'very curious' by a source with knowledge of the company.

It emerged this week that Link Fund Solutions, which is overseeing the collapsed Woodford Equity Income Fund as it returns money to investors, had taken a chunk of the cash which long-suffering savers were due to get back and ploughed it into Mafic.

The business is one of the few left in the Equity Income Fund, which is being wound up following Neil Woodford's fall from grace in 2019.

Neil Woodford is now advising Acacia on its investments and his former customers have been left furious following the Acacia deal which left them missing out on large profits

Most of the remaining businesses held by the fund were snapped up in a cut-price deal last year by Acacia Research, a US investor, as Link sold the companies so it could return cash to Woodford's angry customers.

The Mail understands that Mafic, a small US business which produces a material called basalt fibre, was offered to Acacia last year too  but after a quick look, Acacia declined.

A source with knowledge of the Acacia deal said: 'It is really very curious as to why Link would invest further in the company. Acacia didn't take it.'

Woodford is now advising Acacia on its investments and his former customers have been left furious following the Acacia deal.

Several of the companies which Link sold to Acacia have since soared in value  leaving savers missing out on millions of pounds of profits.

The further investment in Mafic, however, suggests that Link was not able to find a buyer for the firm even now  and that without the extra money, the company could have struggled to survive.

Link declined to reveal how much of investors' money it had put into Mafic.

Woodford investors are still waiting for almost 200million of their savings back.

In a letter to Woodford investors earlier this week, Link said: 'It is sometimes necessary to provide further investment.

After carefully considering all relevant information, we considered this action to be in investors' best interests.'
PWs annual comics retailer survey is an informal and anecdotal report on sales during the previous holiday season, as well as an inquiry into business trends for the coming year. But the pandemic wreaked havoc on the comics shop market and the broader book retailing landscape in 2020, and the retailers who responded to our survey said they spent the past year just struggling to stay afloat.

In 2021, on the anniversary of the World Health Organizations declaration of a global pandemic, we wanted to touch base with the retailers who participated in our 2020 survey. We wanted to hear what they had to do to survive, what kinds of support they received, what their customers wanted to buy, and their projections for the year to come.

This years respondents said theyre seeing accelerating demand for manga, continuing popularity of kids and YA graphic novels, and lively interest in a wide range of backlist titles. Comics shops, in particular, faced a changed distribution landscape for DC titles; online selling was critical to most stores; and, looking ahead, comics retailers are cautiously optimistic as more people are being vaccinated and local lockdown restrictions have begun to ease.

This year, we talked with four retailers from comic book shops that rely on direct market distribution for at least 30%60% of their stock: Brian Hibbs, the owner of Comix Experience in San Francisco; Carr DAngelo, the owner of Earth 2 in Sherman Oaks, Calif.; Jeff Ayers, the general manager of Forbidden Planet in New York City; and Patrick Godfrey, a co-owner of Velocity Comics in Richmond, Va. The direct market is a network of about 2,000 independent comics shops in the U.S. that buy mostly nonreturnable product at wholesale prices from Diamond Comics Distributors, the largest North American comics distributor. These stores sell a mix of traditional periodical comic books (generally superhero comics) and prose books and graphic novels.

The survey also includes representatives from general trade bookstores that maintain large graphic novel sections. This years participants were Benn Ray, a co-owner of Atomic Books in Baltimore; Doug Chase, a buyer at Powells City of Books in Portland, Ore.; Liz Mason, the general manager of Quimbys Books in Chicago; and Carson Moss, a buyer at the Strand Bookstore in New York City.

What books, categories, and merchandise sold well in 2020, and whats selling well in the first quarter of 2021?

Godfrey: Weve seen a huge upswing in two specific areas: manga and back issues of periodical comics. Those are the two biggest moneymakers for us.

DAngelo: Back issues of comic book periodicals continue to be strong. People have more time to read, and they want that break from their screens. People were binge reading, so someone who bought Brian K. Vaughans Saga volumes one through three from us two years ago came back for the other six books. And collecting continues to fuel a lot of business in the direct market.

Ray: Comics-wise, the biggest category to blow up has unquestionably been mangaor, as most of the people looking for manga erroneously refer to it, the animeor anything thats a cartoon and has 50-plus volumes that are impossible to stock or, now, even reorder.

Chase: We continued to see manga and kids graphic novels sell well. Our stores were closed for several months, but our online sales were healthy.

Moss: The type of items the Strand sells has not drastically changed since March 2020, but unfortunately we sell far less of all of it. The popularity of comics for younger readers has not abated.

Ayers: A reduction in sales of single-issue periodical titles has led to a narrowing of the focus and scope of titles we order. Also, speculation [buying from retailers to resell online at higher prices] has risen dramatically. All of this leads to greater sell-through on titles across the board. But the number one sales accelerator over the last yeararound herehas been manga- and anime-related merchandise sales. I really cannot emphasize how big a fervor for the category has resulted from fans staying at home and digesting anime series after series being aired on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and other services.

What did it take for your store to survive the pandemic, the temporary shutdown of Diamond Distribution, and DCs decision to leave Diamond and set up new distribution vendors?

Hibbs: Diamonds shutdown was roughly contemporaneous to our local government lockdown requirements, so it was fine to not have new comics coming in and generating new expenses without concurrent sales. The bigger problems stemmed from DC upending their longtime distribution partnership with Diamond and moving to Lunar, a new and unprepared vendor. This radically increased our costs to carry DCs line of periodicals, both in labor as well as shipping, with absolutely no upside for our operation: working harder in a pandemic for less money is not a formula for success.

Ray: We are fortunate in that we have a dedicated and concerned customer base. So when we had to shut the store down to the public, we could still sell via our website. At the point in the crisis when Diamond shut down, we were so busy trying to figure out how to sell things to our customers, we didnt realize there might be an issue in getting the things our customers wanted to buy. Unfortunately, when Diamond stopped shipping, we did lose some subscribers.

Ayers: Diamond shutting down was a bit welcome for us, as we were unable to operate at any semblance of functionality at the time. With inconsistent regulations from state to state and with California and New Yorkthe comic industrys two biggest marketseffectively shut down, I would have preferred, and mostly got, a unified stoppage of deliveries to the industry. Why release books to niche corners of the industry and put financial pressure on it as a whole when the majority of that industry is not able to operate? DCs distribution shift to UCS and then Lunar was so much more disruptive and unwelcome than Diamonds temporary shutdown.

Mason: I stopped ordering from Diamond, so their goings-on dont affect me really, but we never really ordered much from them anyway. We survived the pandemic by putting as much inventory as we could online, and having an e-commerce function on our website has been really helpful. We started doing customized zine packs [bundles of zines, mini-comics, and chapbooks] that people have been excited about, and that helped.

DAngelo: I had no problem with Diamond shutting down early on. Continuing to ship inventory would have had harsh consequences for those stores shut down by local lockdown restrictions, forcing them to miss out on the sales of months of new books. Diamond did the right thing. The biggest ripple effect for us was the loss of in-store events and signings and the sales they generate. These in-store events are the ways we build our community and customer base.

Moss: The Strand closed its doors in March 2020 and did not reopen until June. With sales down significantly, we have concentrated purchasing on backlist reorders and a much narrower title range out of the frontlist catalogs. From a buying perspective, our margin for error feels much slimmer than it was previously.

How has your states pandemic restrictions impacted your store?

Ayers: We were happy to welcome customers back in June at 50% capacity, as New York state law required. Luckily weve only hit that percentage a few times in the months since. I cant envision more people in the store at a given time until vaccinations increase exponentially. We try to maintain as much social distancing as possible, and will create a line of customers outside who must wait to get in whenever the crowd size starts to get uncomfortable.

DAngelo: In Los Angeles, we literally had to lock the door for three months, from March to June, and through the end of the year our capacity for in-store customers was cut to 20%, which meant we could schedule a couple staffers to serve a handful of customers. We are back to 50% in-store capacity now, with social distancing and mask requirements still in place. The restrictions are fine, and the staff and customers have been cooperative and willing to wait outside.

Mason: Illinois recommended six feet between consumers and keeping staff separated by a plexiglass thing. Thats something weve adopted.

Chase: When we reopened our stores in Portland, we adopted stricter capacity rules than the state required. We still only allow about 15% of normal customer traffic.

Ray: Maryland is lifting indoor capacity restrictions even though Covid cases are climbing in the state again. The city of Baltimore is about to move to 50% in-store customer capacity, but were going to remain at no more than six peoplewho are masked!at a time.

Hibbs: San Francisco, perhaps as an over-correction to the citys history of failure during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic a century ago, when San Francisco led the anti-mask brigade, has been overabundant in caution. We had to shut down early and have remained shut down for a very long time.

Moss: New York City has had a 50% capacity restriction since stores were allowed to reopen in June 2020. The Strand has a comprehensive safety plan based on CDC recommendations, which include visible signage reminding customers to stay masked and socially distant. Plexiglass barriers protect all working stations, and theres a new emphasis on sanitizing those spaces. We have been more than happy to enact any and all protocols to keep our staff and our customers safe.

Godfrey: We have been allowed a maximum of 10 customers at a time, and masks are required. Thankfully, we only have to ask folks to wait to come in periodically. Arguing with people coming in about either not wearing a mask or refusing to cover their noses has been a gigantic stressor.

Has your store benefited from pandemic-related support from direct market comics publishers, crowdfunding sources, small business loans, or grants?

DAngelo: As soon as the lockdown started, comics artist and writer Rob Liefeld started doing a drawing a day, selling them and getting the money to comics shops directly and quickly. Earth-2 was the beneficiary of an illustration Rob did of the Batman character Bane. We have also tapped into whatever PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] funds were available, and received a grant from the Binc [the Book Industry Charitable Foundation], who have done great work supporting comics shops.

Hibbs: We were very happy to receive a grant from Binc this year, and we were able to get an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and PPP money that smoothed out what would have otherwise been a very rough financial picture. Virtually every vendor was utterly exceptional in their understanding of shutdowns and how that impacted small-business storefronts cash-flow.

Ayers: We did receive a PPP loan and a Binc grant, and Ill never forget the help and support we received from some publishers initiatives, which included rebates, extended discounts, and returnability.

Ray: Not really. The American Booksellers Association has been very helpful on the traditional bookstore side, but on the comics side, for what we are and what we carry, Im not sure smaller publishers were in any kind of position to help. The larger ones seemed more concerned about taking the time to set up their own distribution network and encourage digital sales than helping shops stay afloat.

Moss: We are incredibly grateful to have received PPP assistance from the SBA, which has been instrumental to us maintaining operations over this very difficult year. From a sales perspective, to support the store, we launched an effort in October called #SaveTheStrand and appealed directly to our community to boost sales ahead of the holiday season. We received an overwhelming amount of support.

Chase: We have been able to access the PPP loans. This is one factor that has helped us bring back employees. We are a long way from being whole, though, in sales, in customer traffic, and in bringing back all our laid-off employees.

Mason: The owner got a round of PPP loans that helped, but now were back down to a skeleton crew as further financial realities hit.

Godfrey: We havent received support. We did well enough through the past year that I didnt feel right taking SBA money that should be going to restaurants and other businesses who were really knocked out by the pandemic.

What stands out for you as the biggest lesson learned, industry shift, or insight youve had during the tumultuous and disruptive year of 2020?

Mason: People want a customized shopping experience, whether its in person or online.

Hibbs: Because you can no longer possibly please everyone due to the fractioning of the comics market into smaller and smaller segments, leaning in hard to the vision of what you want comics to berather than what some corporate actor has decided comics should beseems like the winning move.

Moss: The biggest lesson learned is just how unpredictable the future is. You have to be willing and able to shift priorities as a business at the drop of a dime.

Chase: We basically had to make plans and change them day-to-day and week-to-week as circumstances changed. Were still in that mode and will be for the foreseeable future.

DAngelo: I hear a lot about pivoting and I agree its important, but some of us like having shops and dont want to transform into an online warehouse business. So how do we keep that local comic shop environment relevant? For me, the big insight is to support publishers that make my job easierpublishers like Boom!, Image, and Aftershockand avoid those that rely on FOMO marketing tactics.

Ray: No matter what you expect and plan for, theres always something else you didnt see coming, so a little flexibility, creativity, and reinvention can go a long way.

Ayers: Every day I come to work, Im reminded that thousands of people keep our business going. That people love this store and the products we sell so much they donated to a GoFundMe to help keep us going. I feel a great responsibility toward this community to not take that for granted.

Godfrey: The insight I gained is that we can survive a global pandemic, and connecting directly with customers and listening to them remains the key to succeeding.

Shannon OLeary writes regularly for PW on comics retailing.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 8:30 am ET Friday, the Labor Department will release U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for March. Ahead of the data, the greenback recovered against its major counterparts. The greenback was worth 110.52 against the yen, 1.1772 against the euro, 1.3831 against the pound and 0.9417 against the franc as of 8:25 am ET. 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.
United Way of Southeast Texas was just wrapping up its Day of Caring event  a donation drive this year to benefit the 20 local non-profits they support  when Mark Hardy, Albanese Cormier property manager at Edison Plaza, reached out with an offer.

They wanted to choose United Way as the recipient of the community outreach portion of their Spring Tenant Appreciation Week.

Hardy said they added a charitable aspect to the semiannual event last year, choosing a different non-profit as beneficiary of their respective fall and spring programs.

The first organization to benefit was Julie Rogers Gift of Life in October 2020. The shutdowns at the start of COVID-19 canceled their 2020 spring event, but Hardy said they were back at it last November, choosing the Southeast Texas Food Bank as its next recipient and now, the United Way.

Its a neat way to get your tenants involved in giving back, because for all of us its important to give, Hardy said. And they certainly did it in a big way.

Some tenants, such as Region 5, turned their donation drive into an interoffice competition to boost their collection. Current, the plazas latest restaurant, donated 10% of the weeks sales to the United Way.

The festive Easter presentation was an added bonus to the spirit of the event.

We always need to have fun, smile and laugh, Hardy said.

The first floor of the plaza  home to 72 businesses  was filled with decorated tables on which sat Easter baskets overflowing with items to benefit 13 of the United Ways sponsored organizations, including ARC of Greater Beaumont, the Womens Shelter, the Salvation Army and more.

We asked [our non-profits] what items they can never have enough of, United Ways John Rollins said, then passed the list on to building tenants.

Looking at the baskets Thursday morning, Rollins said, Literally every item tells a different story, reflecting the unique needs of the organization.

Blankets are in short supply now at the Salvation Army in the wake of last months severe winter storm. For the ARC of Greater Beaumont, it was socks, for others, simple toiletries.

Candy and toy Easter bunnies were set in the baskets among the necessities.

The donations will augment those received in the Day of Caring drive, he said, and will be distributed Monday.

Our office looks like a warehouse right now, Rollins said. Its packed wall to wall with items that have been greatly needed.

Theyll be busy through the weekend sorting and packaging items for next weeks deliveries, he told Handy.

Its a good problem to have, though, right? Hardy asked.

Rollins nodded agreement: Oh, 100%.

The pandemic deeply impacted non-profits, cutting into fundraising efforts with events canceled and people unable to give as usual because of the economic impact many endured.

Its left non-profits of all stripes struggling to keep up with programming needs.

Hardy hopes their efforts will help alleviate the struggle.

We have some great tenants, full of giving. Its amazing, he said.

kbrent@beaumontenterprise.com
ROCHESTER, Minn. - The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting more than 2,000 new cases of coronavirus in a single day for the first time in months.

As cases continue to trend upward, health officials are particularly concerned about a rise in COVID variant cases in Minnesota.

During a coronavirus briefing Thursday, top health experts said they are continuing to see the spread of a number of COVID-19 variants, which appear to be more contagious and, in some cases, possibly more deadly.

MDH Medical Director and State Epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield says the most prominent variant in Minnesota is the B117 strain, first found in the U.K. MDH believes B117 is about 50% more contagious than other strains, and has been associated with a 64% higher death rate in the U.K.

Officials estimate out of 2,600 non-random COVID-positive samples that underwent genomic sequencing between March 22nd and March 27th, 54% - 66% were B117 cases.

Dr. Lynfield says this could be another critical point in the Pandemic.

"I do feel like we are at a critical juncture," Dr. Lynfield said. "We've talked about it on these calls in the past, and it really does feel like a race against the variants- a race of the people getting vaccinated against the variants."

Lynfield adds she understands the impact of pandemic fatigue, but now is the time to focus on stopping the spread.

"I am worried about the spread of B117, and I really urge Minnesotans to be patient, and to continue to mask, and to continue to socially distance, and continue to roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated."

MDH says so far, 943 B117 cases have been identified in Minnesota, though only a fraction of samples across the state undergo genomic sequencing. Experts are also monitoring multiple other variants found in Minnesota, some of which they believe are less responsive to therapies and antibodies from vaccines.
Footage released on Friday from a humanitarian aid group active inside Myanmar's Karen State showed villagers fleeing through the jungle at night and receiving medical treatment, following a succession of air strikes by the Myanmar military which began almost a week ago.

The attacks have contributed to a sudden expansion in the crisis in the Southeast Asian nation, caused by a military coup two months ago.

More than a dozen civilians have been killed and more than 20,000 have been displaced, according to the Free Burma Rangers, which has teams operating in the area that borders Thailand.

About 3,000 Karen fled to Thailand this week, but many returned under unclear circumstances.

Thai authorities said they went back voluntarily because the situation was now safe.

But aid groups say many have not returned to their villages and remain hiding in the jungle and in caves on the Myanmar side, fearful of further air attack.

The UN special envoy for Myanmar has warned the country faces the possibility of civil war.

More than a dozen ethnic minority groups have sought greater autonomy from the central government for decades, sometimes through armed struggle.

Several of the major groups  including the Kachin, the Karen and the Arakan Army  have denounced the coup and said they will defend protesters in their territories.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
ROI-NJ has recognized Marketsmith Inc., CEO Monica C. Smith as one of N.J.s "Top 50 Women in Business." This accolade reflects the hard work and determination of our team and the incredible results weve been able to generate for our clients across a number of industries  from energy/utility companies and consumer brands to government agencies, said Monica C. Smith, Founder and CEO of Marketsmith.

Marketsmith Inc., the largest independent, full-service marketing agency in New Jersey, announced that its Founder and CEO, Monica C. Smith, has been named one of the Top 50 Women in Business (2021) by ROI-NJ.

It has been an impressive year of growth for Marketsmith, one of the fastest-growing woman-owned firms in the state. The company has built its reputation and business on its patented analytics software, MarketsmithIQ, and human ingenuity, giving the agency and its clients the data and analytics to inform the decision-making process.

Some of the firms prominent New Jersey clients include: The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance  Get Covered N.J., New Jersey's Official Healthcare Insurance Marketplace, NJ Lottery, PSE&G NJ and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program.

I am honored to be named an ROI Influencer for the publications Women in Business List, which features a group that I am proud to be a part of, said Smith. This accolade reflects the hard work and determination of our team and the incredible results weve been able to generate for our clients across a number of industries  from energy/utility companies and consumer brands to government agencies.

Marketsmith uses data to optimize brand communication and deliver greater return on investment (ROI) launching products that grow brands from challenger to champions. Its campaigns rely on MarketsmithIQs patented algorithms, which can predict outcomes with 94% accuracy.*

Smith founded Marketsmith in 1999, on the idea that technology and humanity are inextricably linked when it comes to creating successful consumer-centric marketing. She has driven Marketsmith to become one of the largest woman-owned-and-operated independent media and marketing agencies in the country. She is considered one of the strongest active CEOs in media today  especially in omnichannel media strategy driving retail success.

Monica is a woman who lifts the people around her, constantly inspiring and challenging each team member to reach their potential and navigate through complex landscapes to deliver for our clients, said Carina Pologruto, Chief Innovation Officer at Marketsmith. In 15 years of working together, there has not been a day where she has not made me smarter. Its truly an honor to work beside her and continue to see her brilliance, tenacity and heart make our team, community and state better than they were the day before.

Amid challenging economic setbacks due to COVID-19, Marketsmith introduced several new services to accommodate work-from-home (WFH) setups  including remote-produced digital video solutions, turnkey direct-response TV campaigns and other creative services.

Similarly, according to Smith, her leadership style adapted upon the outbreak of the pandemic  focusing more on balancing and managing the demands of her staffs professional and personal lives. The Marketsmith CEO introduced more agility in the firms day-to-day operations  an approach that drove continued professional growth and the hiring of 13 new staffers in the past 12 months.

Smith added: Marketsmiths campaigns create the ability to see around corners and provide total prescriptive solutions for the modern human experience. We are powered by world-class data science, unmatched talent and effective, patented offerings.

Marketsmiths client roster continues to grow, as the company is working with energy and utility entities throughout the region and country, plus prominent companies like Lovesac, SharkNinja, and Brother International, among others.

Smith holds several industry patents and was also named to ROI-NJs Power Technology List in 2021.

For more information about Marketsmiths campaign management and award-winning solutions, visit: http://www.marketsmithinc.com.

About Marketsmith, Inc.

Marketsmith Inc., is one of the largest independent, woman-owned agencies of its kind and is among the nations fastest-growing integrated marketing agencies. Headquartered just miles from New York City for over 20 years, the full-service firm offers marketing, media, creative and data solutions. Marketsmith Inc.s approach is consultative and collaborative for all of its clients needs  these include some of the finest companies and public entities in the Tri-State Area, along with national consumer goods corporations. Marketsmith Inc., has built its reputation and business on its patented analytics software and human ingenuity, giving the agency and its clients the data and analytics to inform every decision from strategy to media to creative. LGBT- and WBENC-certified, the firm makes challenger brands champions. For more info visit: http://www.marketsmithinc.com.

*Confidence level is reliant on client data length of history and availability.
DeWitt, N.Y.  Two Upstate University Hospital doctors have been accused by state police of keying a car in a Wegmans parking lot in DeWitt, causing more than $1,800 in damage.

The Skaneateles couple, Awss Zidan, 34, and Ruham A. Nasany, 34, damaged the other car on Feb. 6 after a dispute over a parking space, Trooper Jack Keller, a spokesman for the State Police, said Friday.

Zidan and Nasany were captured on video causing damage to the hood, the drivers side and the back of the car, Keller said.

The woman who owned the car was inside the store while it was being keyed, Keller said. Upon seeing the damage, the woman reported the incident to a Wegmans employee and called the police, he said.

Zidan and Nasany were both charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. They were given appearance tickets to return to the DeWitt Town Court on April 21, Keller said.

Nasany, an assistant professor of neurology, is director of Upstates brain tumor and neuro-oncology programs, according to Upstates web site.

Zidan is an assistant professor of neurology, with specialties in neurology and pain medicine, according to the hospital web site.

Staff writer James McClendon covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach him at 914-204-2815 or jmcclendon@syracuse.com.
With the City of Laredo experiencing a significant fall in COVID-19 infections over recent weeks, Emergency Management Coordinator Guillermo Heard announced that the city will be making its coronavirus updates much less frequently.

There were 30 positives and one death announced on Thursday, bringing the overall totals to 43,229 positives and 820 fatalities dating back to the emergence of the pandemic locally in March 2020.

According to Heard, media briefings have been scaled back again from twice to once a week coming on Thursday. Meanwhile, the daily reports of COVID-19 metrics will also be reduced, only being reported three times a week  Monday, Wednesday and Friday  starting this week.

However, the move provides a mixed message from the city, which just two days ago saw Laredo Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino urge Laredoans to "not lower their guard and to hold on a little bit longer" while stating that the "virus feeds on our patience and the relaxation of public health measures." Both President Joe Biden and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky also warned the same day of a potential fourth wave as cases have been slowly picking up around the country.

Meanwhile, Laredo is making a similar move it previously made which actually led into its first wave locally. As June began, the city announced it would no longer update COVID-19 totals on weekends. This was at a time the city had never eclipsed 20 cases in a day. The decision lasted only two weekends before cases rose so high they had to be reinstated, with Laredo finding itself surpassing 200 cases in a day by the end of the month.

The city later clarified in a press release that media briefings and COVID updates would instead be tied to the areas Level of Communications on its newest scale.

The city is currently at Level II, which is classified as above 100 active cases and a hospitalization rate and positivity rate greater than 5%. The city currently only hits the initial criteria.

The city also lists Level III as more than 500 active cases and a hospitalization rate and positivity rate greater than 10%. This would result in two media briefings a week and COVID updates on weekdays.

Finally, Level IV is listed as above 500 active cases and a hospitalization rate and positivity rate greater than 15%. This would lead to media briefings three times a week and COVID updates every day.

The city did not list what makes up Level I.

Thursday's developments come as the city reports an all-time low in hospitalizations due to COVID-19. As of the report, only eight people are hospitalized in the Laredo area with the virus  five of which are in the intensive care unit.

The mark is lowest ever reported since the city first started reporting COVID-19 hospitalizations in May of 2020.

However, both active cases and weekly positives continue to climb in the Laredo area.

As of Thursday's report, 142 persons are estimated to be actively infected with the virus  more than has been reported in the last 21 days.

Thursday's report also saw an additional 30 positive cases, meaning 126 cases have been confirmed this week, outpacing the total for each of the previous three weeks with one day to go. The area must be judged on a weekly basis to accurately account for the aforementioned time the city briefly stopped providing weekend updates.

In Thursday's update, a death was reported for second consecutive day. A man in his early 70s died due to the virus on Wednesday.

320,281 tests have been administered in the Laredo area. An estimated 42,267 persons have recovered from a previous infection.

The increase in cases further underlines the concerns of city leaders, who continue to advocate citizens to heed caution against the virus despite the recent fall in the spread of the virus.

"We urge everyone, especially the unvaccinated population, to continue following public health measures," Laredo Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino said. "Our local infection numbers are low, but we're not an island. Increased activity, along with increased travel, can produce more infections if the measures are not followed."

The Texas Department of State Health Services reports a COVID-19 hospitalization rate of 1.9% for the Laredo hospital region based on data from Wednesday. That sets a new historic low dating back to when the figures are first made available by the DSHS in April of last year, and is far below when the Laredo hospital region led the state of Texas in the metric for the majority of December through February.

Local officials also issued an update on metrics detailing vaccine distribution in Webb County.

The city announced that 45.94% of the eligible population in the county has received one or more doses of the vaccine, with 24.43% fully vaccinated.

Registration for vaccine appointments at Sames Auto Arena are set to open once again via curative.com on Saturday afternoon.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque would continue to ramp up police spending in 2022 while simultaneously investing in an entirely new public safety department under Mayor Tim Kellers budget proposal.

Meanwhile, municipal government employees would get a 2% pay raise, the long-awaited Gateway Center homeless shelter and services hub finally would begin operations, and the city would assume total ownership of the Downtown headquarters it currently shares with Bernalillo County.

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Kellers plan would raise total city spending to $1.2 billion in the fiscal year that begins July 1, an increase of about $105 million, or 9.5%, over current levels.

We are poised to lead Albuquerque into a year of recovery, Keller said in a statement.

The proposal now heads to City Council, which can amend it. The council will hold public hearings April 29 and May 6 and is slated to take a final budget vote on either May 17 or May 26.

While Kellers proposal does not account for the $114 million the city will get from the latest federal COVID-19 relief bill, previous federal stimulus dollars are playing a role. Albuquerques ability to boost spending next year is attributed in part to the cushion it built by using 2020 CARES Act money  instead of normal city revenues  to pay certain personnel and other costs this year and last.

Kellers budget would use that surplus in 2022.

One of the reasons that we are spending that money and not leaving the cushion like last year is because we know that (the American Rescue Plan relief) money is coming, Albuquerque Chief Financial Officer Sanjay Bhakta said in a meeting with Journal editors and reporters.

Keller administration officials say they are still getting federal guidance on how exactly they can use the newest round of stimulus and should present a plan for that $114 million by the time the council holds its FY 2022 budget vote.

Under the mayors 2022 proposal, general fund spending  which covers most basic city services such as public safety, animal control and parks upkeep  will grow to $711 million, an increase of about $39 million, or 5.8%, from present, CARES-subsidized levels.

The Albuquerque Police Department would get about $11 million of that hike. Its budget would climb to $223 million, making up about 31% of total general fund spending.

The people of Albuquerque have told us unequivocally that public safety continues to be a top priority, Keller wrote in his budget memo to City Council President Cynthia Borrego. Although we have made progress in the fight against property crime, Albuquerque has not been immune to the national trend of increased violent crime. That means we need to continue to invest in police, including working to bring the number of officers back to their historic levels.

APDs budget includes salaries for 1,100 officers, and grant money would cover up to 40 more, though the city has routinely failed to reach budgeted staffing levels at APD. The current years budget, for example, also has money for 1,100 officers, though there are presently only about 1,000.

We expect again to meet that hiring goal (of 100 officers per year), but of course how many we net this fiscal year has to do with retirement and separations of service that we cant fully predict, Albuquerque Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair said. But we think 1,140 is the right number.

The proposed APD budget also means 11 more investigators for internal affairs and two more communications staffers, plus an extra $2 million for risk recovery.

Kellers budget also would essentially triple expenditures for the fledgling Community Safety Department. Keller announced the department last summer as an alternative 911 responding agency with social workers, counselors and other trained professionals handling calls related to behavioral health, homelessness and public inebriation. But his proposal during the last budget cycle to launch the department with a staff largely made up of existing city security guards and parking enforcement officers hit a speed bump at City Council. Councilors questioned the enforcement-style staffing and whether it achieved the stated departmental goals. The council ultimately slashed Kellers initial budget in favor of further honing the operation.

Keller is now proposing a 2022 Community Safety budget of $7.7 million with 61 total employees across a range of specialities. Nair said some with lower-level certifications will tackle calls about abandoned vehicles and syringes in public places, while others with training in social work and counseling will be available for what she called behavioral health response.

The 2022 budget also includes operational funding for the years-in-the-making Gateway Center. The city is buying the old Lovelace hospital on Gibson for the homeless shelter and services hub, and Kellers administration is allocating $4 million for programming.

The current plan includes 150-175 standard shelter beds, plus a medical respite component that would help between 25 and 50 people who do not have homes and need some place to recover from acute illness and injury. It is unclear exactly when operations would begin, as the city still has to go through a permitting process.

Kellers budget also incorporates a 2% cost-of-living pay raise for city employees in 2022. The city did not include an across-the-board pay increase in the current years budget, as the pandemic prompted officials to keep spending relatively flat.

The city relied in part on a hiring freeze to keep spending level in 2021, but Bhakta said the savings have proven even greater than expected. There are currently 665 general fund-covered jobs vacant, according to a city spokeswoman, which equals about 14% of the workforce.

The mayor also plans to use $11 million in one-time money to buy Bernalillo County out of its half of the Civic Plaza government building the entities now share and to renovate the 11-story structure.

Bernalillo County is slated to move this year to its new $66.5 million headquarters at 415 Silver SW. The county was looking to sell its stake in the government center for $5.55 million, and the city had first right of refusal.

Also in Kellers proposed budget:

 An 18.7%, or $253,000, increase for the Civilian Police Oversight Agency, including money for a new policy analyst;

 $3 million to support Local Economic Development Act projects;

 $2 million for city vehicles;

 $1.9 million for two Southwest Albuquerque spray pads, recreational areas for water play;

 $750,000 to expand a public animal spay and neuter program;

 $350,000 for the Arts and Culture Department  formerly known as Cultural Services  to implement an online ticketing system for its museums and the ABQ BioPark;

 $180,000 in recurring funding for Tingley Beach security guards; and

 A 50-cent fee increase at city pools.
Footage shows the moment a disgruntled Taco Bell customer purposely plowed into a group of employees standing at the fast food chain's entrance afer an argument over her drive-thru order.

Police said the incident happened on Wednesday night in Waldorf, Charles County. An employee told DailyMail.com two women were in the car who argued with the drive-thru employee about their food order.

At one point during the argument, one of the women got out of the car and assaulted the employee before getting back in, according to the Charles County Sheriff's office.

Footage shows the moment a disgruntled Taco Bell customer purposely plowed into a group of employees standing at the fast food chain's entrance afer an argument over her drive-thru order

After the woman assaulted the drive-thru worker, the women then drove to the front of the business where the car rammed into a group of people. The incident was captured on surveillance footage.

The footage shows the group, which includes restaurant employees, gathered at the entrance of the Taco Bell yelling at the driver, and at one point the car runs up to the group but stops inches away.

Police say two people were treated for injuries, but no one was seriously injured following the hit-and-run

Police said after the crash the driver backed out of the restaurant and drove away from the restaurant

The car then reverses away from the group but then it pulls up even faster than before and strikes several people, loudly crashing into the front entrance and breaking the glass as onlookers gasp in shock.

After crashing into the restaurant the driver backed out of the and drove away, authorities said.

Two people were treated for injuries, but no one was seriously injured.

The vehicle was later found the car parked near a home by the Taco Bell, police said.

Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage as they work to identify the driver.
CBP Agent Rescues Sisters Dropped by Smuggler Over 14-Foot Border Barrier

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a video on Wednesday that shows two young children being dropped over the border barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Im appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night, El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said, according to a press release from the department.

If not for the vigilance of our Agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours, she added.

The children, identified as two Ecuadorian sisters aged 3 and 5, were immediately transported to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation after being rescued by CBP authorities.

The girls were medically cleared and currently remain in Border Patrol temporary holding pending placement by Health and Human Services (HHS), the release stated.

An agent with the Santa Teresa sector, which includes parts of Texas and New Mexico, captured the moment a smuggler viciously dropped the sisters over a 14-foot-high barrier before fleeing the area, abandoning the helpless sisters on the north side of the international boundary line.

U.S. border patrol agents stand before the Rio Grande river that separates the United States and Mexico, in the U.S. border city of Roma, Texas, on March 27, 2021. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

We are currently working with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and attempting to identify these ruthless human smugglers so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law, Chavez said.

The incident comes as the Biden administration is being criticized on the condition his administration is leaving children and teenagers who are crossing the border illegally.

Over 16,500 unaccompanied children were in the custody of either the CBP or the HHS as of March 23, according to the HHS Administration for Children and Families.

Republican lawmakers have argued that the border crisis is a result of President Joe Bidens move to reverse several Trump-era immigration policies designed to curb the flow of illegal border crossings. This includes his predecessors cornerstone Migrant Protection Protocol, which effectively ended the problematic catch and release policy, significantly stemming the surge of illegal immigrants that were seen at the southern border in 2019.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed the incident and viral video showing the smugglers dropping the children during a press briefing on Thursday, thanking border patrol agents that rescued the two girls.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a briefing in Washington on March 29, 2021. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Ive seen the video and I think any of us who saw the video were incredibly alarmed by the steps of smugglers, ones that we have been quite familiar with, Psaki said during the White House briefing.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who led a delegation of Republican senators to the border in late March, called the situation at the border a heartbreaking humanitarian crisis that is a direct consequence of policy decisions by the Biden administration.

This needs to stop. It is a crisis, it is a tragedy and it is a man-made crisis. This was avoidable. This was preventable, the Texas senator said.

The Biden administration, on the other hand, has sought to shift the blame onto the administration of President Donald Trump, with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas 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.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.

From NTD News
With the sun rising outside their conference room in Midtown Manhattan, the visitors to a secretive investment empire bent their heads in prayerful meditation.

It was another Friday morning, 7 oclock, and a familiar scene was unfolding again inside Archegos Capital Management, an obscure family office that would go on to shake the financial world.

In the days before the pandemic, 20 or 30 people would squeeze together around the long table and, over coffee and Danishes, listen to recordings of the Bible, according to people who were there.

First might come the Old Testament, perhaps Isaiah or Lamentations. Then came the New, the Gospels, which called out to the listeners drawn from a path known more for its earthly greed than its godly faith:

Hitting the play button and then receding into the background was the host, Bill Hwang, the mysterious billionaire trader now at the center of one of the biggest fiascos of all time.

The story thus far -- of a mind-boggling fortune made in stealth and then wiped out very publicly in a blink -- has sent shock waves through some of the worlds mightiest banks. Estimates of the potential size of his position before it imploded have spiraled toward $100 billion. The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into the disaster, which has set teeth on edge in trading rooms across the globe.





ALSO READ: Archegos fallout wipes $9 bn from market value of Credit Suisse, Nomura

But those accounts tell only part of the story. Interviews with people from inside Hwangs circle, players close to him and documents associated with his multimillion-dollar charitable foundation fill in missing puzzle pieces -- ones that havent been reported previously.

The picture that emerges is unlike anything Wall Street might suspect.

There are, in a sense, not one but two Bill Hwangs.

Christian Capitalist

One of them walks for hours through New Yorks Central Park listening to recordings of the Bible and embraces a new, 21st-century vision of an age-old ideal: that of a modern Christian capitalist, a financial speculator for Christ, who seeks to make money in Gods name and then use it to further the faith. A generous benefactor to a range of unglamorous, mostly conservative Christian causes, this Hwang eschews the trappings of extravagant wealth, rides the bus, flies commercial and lives in what is, by billionaire standards, humble surroundings in suburban New Jersey.

Then theres the other Bill Hwang: a former acolyte of hedge fund legend Julian Robertson with a thirst for risk and a stomach for volatile -- a daring trader who once lost a fortune betting against German automaker Volkswagen AG while running a hedge fund that was supposedly focused on Asian stocks.

This is also the Bill Hwang who then went on to quietly become one of the most successful alumni of Robertsons vaunted Tiger Management. This one masks his dangerous leveraged bets from public view via financial derivatives, was once accused of insider trading and pleaded guilty in 2012 to wire fraud on behalf of his hedge fund, Tiger Asia Management.

That same Bill Hwang, it turns out, is also a backer of one of Wall Streets hottest hands of late, Cathie Wood of Ark Investments. Like Hwang, Wood is known to hold Bible study meetings and figures into what some refer to as the faith in finance movement.

And here, at last, is where the Bill Hwangs collide. The fortune he amassed under the noses of major banks and financial regulators was far bigger and riskier than almost anyone might have thought possible -- and these riches were pulled together with head-snapping speed. In fact, it was perhaps one of the greatest accumulations of private wealth in the history of modern finance.

And Hwang lost it all even faster.

Breakneck Speed

Archegos -- a Greek word often translated as author or captain, and often considered a reference to Jesus -- was believed by many traders doing business with the firm to be sitting atop $10 billion of assets. That figure, representing Hwangs personal fortune, was actually closer to $20 billion, according to people who did business with Archegos.

To put that figure in context: Bill Hwang, a name few even on Wall Street had heard until now, was worth more than well-known industry figures like Ray Dalio, Steve Cohen and David Tepper.

Even more remarkable is the breakneck speed at which Hwangs fortune grew. Archegos started out in 2013 with an estimated $200 million. Thats a sizable fortune but nowhere near big money in the hedge fund game.



ALSO READ: Archegos meltdown to intensify shadow banking regulatory scrutiny: Report

Yet within a decade, Hwangs fortune swelled 100 times over, traders and bankers now estimate. Much of those riches accrued in the past 12 to 24 months alone, as Hwang began to employ more and more leverage to goose his returns, and as banks, eager for his lucrative trading business, eagerly obliged by extending him credit.

Hwangs success enabled him to endow his own charity, the Grace & Mercy Foundation, which had almost $500 million of assets as of 2018, according to its most recent tax filing.

One institution close to Hwang, and a beneficiary of his foundation, is The Kings College, a small Christian school in the heart of New Yorks Financial District.

In a statement to Bloomberg, the college said it was grateful for his generosity and that our prayers are with Mr. Hwang and his staff.

McDonalds Job

The story of both Bill Hwangs begins in South Korea, where he was born Sung Kook Hwang in 1964. The tale he has told friends and associates is a familiar one of immigrant striving -- followed by financial success that few even on Wall Street can fathom.

Hwang grew up in a religious household (like roughly a third of Koreans, his parents were Christian). When he was a teenager, the family moved to Las Vegas, where his father got a job as a pastor at a local church. Hwang has told friends that he arrived in the U.S. unable to speak or write in English and only picked up the language while working nights at McDonalds. Soon after, his father died and his mother moved the family to Los Angeles. Hwang went on to study economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and then picked up an MBA at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Finance beckoned -- and Hwang, it turned out, was very good at it. While a lowly salesman at Hyundai Securities, part of the sprawling Korean chaebol the Hyundai Group, he caught Julian Robertsons eye. Hwang, not yet 33, was then handed a golden ticket to Wall Street: an offer to join Robertsons Tiger Management, then at the top of its game.

Hwang quickly distinguished himself by introducing Robertson to the Korean -- at the time headed into the teeth of the Asian financial crisis -- and masterminding what turned into a lucrative stake in SK Telecom Co.

Hamptons Lunch

Tiger colleagues say Hwang was one of Robertsons most successful proteges -- a quiet, methodical analyst with intense focus. Even today, he keeps his desk free of all clutter, the better to focus his mind. Robertson, these people recall, dubbed him the Michael Jordan of Asian investing.

Robertson, now 88, still considers Hwang a friend, and the two lunched together in the Hamptons a few months ago.

Hes not one to be tiny, thats one thing for sure, Robertson told Bloomberg after news of the Archegos losses broke.

Hwang would eventually strike out on his own as a so-called Tiger cub. Initially, Hwang shot the lights out, returning an annualized 40% through 2007, when he managed $8 billion.

The hot streak didnt last. In late 2008, his Tiger Asia incurred stinging losses on a big bet against Volkswagen. Many other hedge funds were shorting the German automaker, too, and when Porsche Automobil Holding SE abruptly announced that it would raise its stake, all hell broke loose. VW soared 348% within 48 hours, crushing shorts like Hwang.

Tiger Asia ended the year down 23%. Many investors pulled their money, angry that a hedge fund that was supposed to be focusing on Asia somehow got caught up in the massive squeeze.

GameStop Frenzy

It was a painful and instructive lesson for Hwang, people who know him say. In the future, hed hunt out stocks that many traders were shorting and go long instead. Millions of amateur investors took up that approach this year during the social media-fueled frenzy over GameStop and other stocks.

But before the next success, Tiger Asia ran into more trouble -- this time, trouble big enough to bring Hwangs days as a hedge fund manager to an end.

When Tiger Asia pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2012, the SEC said the firm used inside information to trade in shares of two Chinese banks. Hwang and his firm ended up paying $60 million to settle the criminal and civil charges. The SEC banned him from managing outside money and Hong Kong authorities prohibited him from trading there for four years (the ban ended in 2018).

Shut out of hedge funds, Hwang opened Archegos, a family office. The firm, which recently employed some 50 people, initially occupied space in the Renzo Piano-designed headquarters of the New York Times. Today its based further uptown, by Columbus Circle, sharing its address with the Grace & Mercy Foundation.

My journey really began when I was having a lot of problems in our business about five or six years ago, Hwang said in a 2017 video. And I knew one thing, that this was a situation where money and connections couldnt really help. But somehow I was reminded I had to go to the words of the God.

That belief helped Hwang rebuild his financial empire at dizzying speed as banks loaned him billions of dollars to ratchet up his bets that unraveled spectacularly as the financial firms panicked. What ensued was one of the greatest margin calls of all time, pushing his giant portfolio into liquidation. Some of the banks may end up with combined losses of as much as $10 billion, according to analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

As a bruised Wall Street points its collective finger at Hwang, his Christian associates have rallied around him.

Doug Birdsall, honorary co-chairman of the Lausanne Movement, a global group that seeks to mobilize evangelical leaders, said Hwang always likes to think big. When he met with him to discuss a new 30-story building in New York for the American Bible Society, Hwang said, Why build 30 stories? Build it 66 stories high. There are 66 books in the bible.





ALSO READ: Billions in secret derivatives at the centre of Archegos blowup

Before so much went so wrong so fast, Archegos appeared to be ramping up. A year ago, Hwang petitioned the SEC to let him work or run a broker-dealer; the SEC agreed.

Its impossible to say where Bill Hwang, the hard-charging financial speculator, ends, and Bill Hwang, the Christian evangelist and philanthropist, begins. People who know him say the one is inseparable from the other. Despite brushes with regulators, staggering trading losses and the question swirling around his market dealings, they say Hwang often speaks of bridging God and mammon, of bringing Christian teaching to the money-centric world of Wall Street.

If you know how Bill lives, you will never think this man is worth the kind of money he was, said John Bai, a finance executive whos known Hwang for 30 years. Maybe for some its an epic disappearance of wealth, but hes got God on his side. I am not worried about Bill. Hes not about the money.
The 'sugar daddy' website adored by the rich and powerful - including a disgraced New York Congressman, a hotshot Virginia lawyer and Tiger Woods' former mistress - has found itself back in the spotlight after Rep. Matt Gaetz became tied to the website.

The dating site SeekingArrangement was used by Gaetz's ally and former tax collector Joel Greenberg to meet women for sex, it is claimed.

Greenberg then introduced the women to Gaetz who allegedly paid them via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotel, according to a bombshell report about the Justice Department sex trafficking probe.

The damning allegations were revealed in a New York Times report Thursday night which cited several unnamed sources close to the DOJ investigation as well as text messages and payment receipts reviewed by the outlet.

SeekingArrangement is one 'sugar daddy' website used by Greenberg, where rich men pay women in gifts, travel, fine dining and allowances in exchange for going on dates with them, investigators said.

The site, which caters for so-called 'sugar babies' and 'sugar daddies', was at the center of another political scandal when disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner used it to meet Sydney Leathers, one of the women he had extramarital sex with.

The dating website SeekingArrangement adored by the rich and powerful - including a disgraced New York Congressman, a hotshot Virginia lawyer and Tiger Woods' former mistress - has found itself back in the spotlight after Rep. Matt Gaetz became tied to the website

The site, which caters for so-called 'sugar babies' and 'sugar daddies', was at the center of another political scandal when disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner (pictured) used it to meet Sydney Leathers, one of the women he had extramarital sex with

The dating site SeekingArrangement was used by Rep Matt Gaetz's (pictured) ally and former tax collector Joel Greenberg to meet women for sex, it is claimed. Greenberg then introduced the women to Gaetz who allegedly paid them via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotel

With subscriptions starting at $19.95 a month and launched in 2006, the site differs from standard dating sites by connecting people looking for 'arrangements' with members being able to 'define their terms' on what they're looking for.

Traditionally, sugar babies are looking to be taken care of financially with their sugar daddies willing to foot the bills.

The site was also used by Tiger Woods' mistress Rachel Uchitel to meet her married boyfriend and San Diego lawyer Ed Batts, 47.

Uchitel, 45, has a profile on SeekingArrangement where she touts herself under the strapline 'high class discretion'.

The site was also used by Tiger Woods' mistress Rachel Uchitel (pictured) to meet her married boyfriend and San Diego lawyer Ed Batts, 47

Uchitel, 45, has a profile on sugar daddy website Seeking Arrangement where she touts herself under the strapline 'high class discretion'

Since joining in November, she has made at least two 'arrangements' with men she has met on the site  one of whom is Batts, 47, who dumped his wife and her three kids from a previous marriage five days before Christmas to move to Palm Beach, where Uchitel is living.

DailyMail.com obtained texts in January this year sent by Uchitel to a friend where she boasts about corporate lawyer Batts taking over her rent - but worried he was a 'one' in terms of looks.

Uchitel went on to talk about how he offered to pay her a monthly allowance, bought her an iPhone and offered to change the locks on his $5.5 million San Diego mansion so she that she could move in after his devastated wife was moved out.

Batts's wife Robyn told DailyMail.com at the time how the 47-year-old kept his plans to move to Florida quiet, secretly filing for divorce on December 17 and shipping his Porsche to Palm Beach before breaking the news and leaving on a red-eye flight on December 19.

Batts has denied he had left his wife for Uchitel and claimed they were not dating.

Her other fling on the site was with a Florida businessman that netted her $10,000  and she sent her friend a photo of herself cradling an envelope containing $5,000 in cash after they spent their first night together on his yacht.

Batts' (left) devastated wife Robyn, 59, (right) told DailyMail.com how he allegedly began an affair with Uchitel at the end of November after meeting her online and walked out less than a month later  leaving her heartbroken

The site defines a sugar baby as 'attractive people looking for the finer things in life' who 'appreciate exotic trips and gifts'. It says sugar daddies are men who 'know what they want. Money isn't an issue, thus they are generous when it comes to supporting a Sugar Baby'.

The site is free to sugar babies and it offers a free trial to sugar daddies.

Men who then wish to continue with the service have several tiers of subscriptions to choose from that run from $19.95 a month for a premium subscription up to $249.95 a month for a Diamond membership, which buys sugar daddies greater visibility on the site.

The site was also the stomping ground for Virginia lawyer Matthew Erausquin who allegedly used it to meet half a dozen high school girls.

Erausquin, 45, a founding partner of top law firm Consumer Litigation Associates, was taken into custody last in December last year, accused of sex trafficking six minors after targeting them on the sugar daddy website.

Virginia lawyer Matthew Erausquin faces a sex-trafficking charge for coercing and paying at least six teenage girls to have sex with him

Cops say he leveraged his wealth and power to lure the students aged 16 and 17 into sordid group sex sessions and paid them with off with drugs, cash and $20,000 handbags.

One alleged victim told detectives she got an Uber from her school to Erausquin's apartment where she took a hit of marijuana, passed out and woke up with no clothes on.

Another suffered a breakdown and had to be hospitalized after she caught a sexually transmitted virus, though the federal litigation specialist denied he was the source of the infection.

When two of the girls demanded more money and threatened to tell police they were underage Erausquin said he would sue them for extortion, according to a criminal complaint filed in Fairfax County, Virginia.

The 45-year-old was taken into custody in December last week after targeting minors on a sugar daddy website. He allegedly engaged in relationships with teens from at least three different high schools since 2017 and the victims said he knew they were underage

The bullying tactic was straight out of Erausquin's playbook, according to a former girlfriend who told DailyMail.com how her high-rolling ex believed his wealth and legal clout made him untouchable.

Victim 'J' met Erausquin on the SeekingArrangement website, also known as seeking.com, where DailyMail.com can reveal he operated under the profile WantingMore465: 'Your father would be upset but still respect you'.

He began by sending her $200 for a video of her sucking on a toothpaste bottle, the police affidavit alleges, before inviting J and her friend, 'G', for lunch.

The trio began meeting regularly for three-way sex, with the two students being paid up to $900 per session and receiving 'edible marijuana from Erausquin in the form of chocolate bar edibles.'

J pretended she was 18 in order to join Seeking.com but she told cops that Erausquin 'indicated  he kind of knew their ages the entire time and liked it,' the filing alleges.

Investigators were also able to retrieve a Snapchat video she had sent him showing girls practicing lacrosse in her high school gymnasium.

J and G say that they introduced further girls to Erausquin, including 'S' who joined them for a foursome before confiding in another friend, 'GB', that she did something she was 'not proud of' and 'got a lot of money for it.'

When S and GB met the lawyer separately for sex 'they represented they were 18 years old but said it was 'obvious' they were not 18', the filing states.

Consumer Litigation Associates said at the time that Erausquin had separated from the firm and been removed from all their cases.

'We are still processing all that we have learned. We are saddened and will remain bewildered now and maybe forever,' the firm said in a statement.

'Sugar Daddy' lawyer boasted he was friends with Taylor Swift, idolized womanizer Dan Bilzerian and claimed he was on the verge of becoming TV reality star 'Sugar Daddy' lawyer Matthew Erausquin boasted that he was friends with Taylor Swift and was on the verge of becoming a reality TV star, a former-girlfriend has exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com. Creepy Erausquin, 45, claimed to have gotten to know the chart-topping pop superstar while living in the same apartment building as her in New York City. 'He was obsessed with her. He would go to her concerts and sing her songs in the car. He even got the same type of cat as her,' dished his ex. Erausquin - charged with coercing six high school girls into sex  recently announced that he was filming a pilot for a reality show in Los Angeles, though production was apparently halted by the pandemic. He also claimed to have locked horns with the so-called 'King of Instagram' Dan Bilzerian, a poker playing socialite and influencer with 29 million followers. He also claimed to have locked horns with the so-called 'King of Instagram' Dan Bilzerian (pictured shirtless), a poker playing socialite and influencer with 29 million followers Bling-loving Bilzerian claims to have slept with thousands of women, as many as eight in a day. 'Matthew told me the story that he was dating a girl who met Dan Bilzerian on a modelling assignment and ended up sleeping with him,' Erausquin's ex recalled. 'But I think he was less jealous of the girl that he was of Dan's fame and reputation. He followed all his posts on Instagram and TikTok, he even sent me a Snapchat he took while driving past his house. He really wanted to emulate him.' While he didn't have millions of followers, Erausquin nonetheless enjoyed a life of largesse and luxury between mostly rented homes in Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, New York and Miami. He claimed to own a jet and a boat, wined and dined at the finest restaurants and lavished expensive gifts on his young dates. 'As soon as we met he said, I'll get you an apartment, a job and a G-Wagon (Mercedes G-Class). That was his favorite car,' his former 'sugar baby' recalled. 'Our first date must have cost a minimum of $5,000. The first time we flew in the jet he had an Aston Martin waiting for us at the other end. 'He would boast about how much everything cost. He said he had paid for some sort of treatment to make his hair grow back and I know he has Botox injections. 'As for his clothes, he would wear cargo shorts and those awful Affliction t-shirts that were big in the 2000s. His furniture was expensive stuff from Restoration Hardware but it all looked so thrown together. 'He had a collection of hideous artwork. I guess it all goes to prove that money can't buy you style.' Advertisement

Founder Brandon Wade said on the site: 'Every successful relationship is an arrangement between two parties. In business, partners sign business agreements that outline their objectives and expectations.

'Likewise, romantic relationships can only work if two people agree on what they expect, and what they can give and receive from each other.'

Meanwhile, Gaetz denies ever having paid anyone for sex and has not been charged with any crime.

'Matt Gaetz has never paid for sex. Matt Gaetz refutes all the disgusting allegations completely,' his office told the Times in a statement.

'Matt Gaetz has never ever been on any such websites whatsoever. Matt Gaetz cherishes the relationships in his past and looks forward to marrying the love of his life.'

A lawyer for Greenberg declined to comment to the Times Thursday.

Greenberg was indicted last summer on 14 felony charges including child sex trafficking, fraud, identity theft and stalking a former political rival.

SeekingArrangement have been contacted for comment.
(Natural News) A woman from Scotland developed severely painful rashes all over her body after receiving the AstraZeneca Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

Leigh King, 41, a hairdresser from North Lanarkshire in Scotland, said her skin flared up almost immediately after she got her first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on March 12. The rashes covered her face, chest, stomach, back, arms and legs. The rashes remained two weeks later and shes still sore and in a lot of pain.

My skin was so sore and constantly hot, said King. I have never felt pain like this And to say its been the worst time of my life is an absolute understatement.

King became eligible to get the AstraZeneca vaccine early because she acts as the sole caretaker of her autistic 13-year-old son. But because of the excruciating pain caused by the rashes, King said she has been unable to take care of her son. (Related: AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine triggers immune response that can cause fatal blood clots in the brain.)

I am a very healthy person and am not on any medication or anything like that, said King during an interview with a local news outlet. I am not even in a vulnerable category [This is] a horrible feeling. Never in my life was I prepared for what I was about to experience.

According to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the British governments top drug regulator, rashes are listed as an uncommon side-effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Recent data shows it should only affect one in every 100 people.

The British health authorities have received 3,795 cases of rashes as of press time.

Health officials are still trying to figure out why King developed the rashes. They think the rashes are either the result of an allergic reaction or of her immune systems overreaction to the vaccine.

Some British dermatologists consulted by the National Health Service said that due to the hive-like nature of the rashes, it could have been triggered by a number of other causes rather than the vaccine itself, including food allergies, insect bites and cold exposure.

King unable to take care of her autistic son due to the intense rashes

On the day King received her AstraZeneca jab, she said she received a letter instructing her to seek medical assistance if the side effects she experienced persisted after two days.

She went to a nearby emergency department after two days as instructed, but was turned away.

I went back twice more and the last time [I was turned away] I was in such pain I could barely walk out the hospital, said King.

King said she is disappointed in the National Health Service (NHS), Britains publicly-funded and government-run healthcare system, because of the lack of follow-up care she has received for her special case. As of press time, King is still waiting to see a skin specialist regarding her condition. While she is waiting, her main concern has turned to the care of her son, Aidan.

Aidan has also found this whole thing difficult. He is scared to come near me because of how my skin looks and he struggles to understand what is going on. At home is his happy place and I am his best pal, I got this vaccine to care for Aidan but I havent even been able to do that, King said.

This has just been such a tough situation, and has been so physically and mentally draining for the whole family. He is seeing a specialist in Glasgow soon and I wont be able to be there for him. I cant be there when he needs me most.

The mother is confused by the many unanswered questions regarding her condition, and she wants people to be aware of the AstraZeneca vaccines potential side effects.

When pressed for comment, a spokesperson from the NHS said: We are unable to discuss individual patient care and would ask the patient to contact us directly for their concerns.

The NHS later put out a general statement saying that all of the vaccines approved by the MHRA have met the countrys strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness and that the NHS stands by the usefulness of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

So far, millions of people have been given a COVID-19 vaccine and reports of serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, have been very rare. No long-term complications have been reported.

Learn more about the serious side effects that come from receiving a jab from the many coronavirus vaccines out there by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

DailyRecord.co.uk

NYPost.com
Signs will be improved, ramps will be installed and bathroom stalls will be widened in an ambitious statewide effort to make Oregons parks more accessible to visitors with disabilities, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced Thursday.

In a news release, the department outlined what it says a finalized plan to make state parks more accessible by removing barriers that have made enjoying a park difficult or impossible for many visitors.

In all, the department identified 4,872 barriers at 273 facilities. Officials found barriers to access at nearly every part of the park experience, including fee machines that are inaccessible, trails that are too narrow and fire extinguishers that are placed out of reach.

Three issues  doors, parking lots and restrooms  make up 52% of all barriers, the department said.

Each barrier was ranked based on how easy it will be to remedy, with the easiest fixes expected to be done within five years, the parks department said. Bigger projects that require more planning and funding will take up to 25 years to complete.

The process will begin in state parks this July, the department announced.

The long-term plan, called the ADA Transition Plan, shares its goal with the Americans with Disabilities Act that its named for: to ensure equal participation in public life for all Americans with disabilities.

People with disabilities have a right to seek out camping, picnicking and other recreational opportunities with the same expectation to participate as those without disabilities, the parks department said in the plan. It is OPRDs responsibility to ensure that all services, programs and activities, when viewed in their entirety, are readily accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities.

Disability Rights Oregon praised the plan Thursday, saying it was pleased that the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is taking action.

More than 30 years after the passage of the ADA, many other state and local government agencies have yet to improve facilities for people with disabilities, noted Tom Stenson, deputy legal director for Disabilities Rights Oregon. Stenson said he hopes other agencies follow in the footsteps of the state parks department.

Sometimes, simple obstacles make the natural beauty of Oregon inaccessible to people with disabilities. For instance, some gates and barriers intended to keep motorized vehicles off paved or level trails also keep wheelchair users off the trails, Stenson said. There are simple solutions that would allow parks to remove barriers to wheelchair users while preserving nature trails, ensuring a whole world of natural beauty is equally available to people with disabilities.

Park officials did not offer a price tag for the long-term project, but made it clear that removing these barriers will be a priority despite recent financial setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires last year.

And while the parks department is celebrating its new plan, officials are also careful to note that its a long-term vision with many years of work ahead.

OPRD has already made great strides in providing access for people with disabilities, but theres much more to be done, said Helena Kesch, ADA coordinator for the state parks department. The ADA Transition Plan moves the agency forward in improving parks so people with disabilities can enjoy them to the fullest. This aligns us with the law, and its also the right thing to do.

--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB
Why Animals Dont Get Lost The New Yorker

Mapping the Worlds Key Maritime Choke Points Visual Capitalist (dk).

The Suez Grounding Was an Accident. The Next Blocked Chokepoint Might Not Be. Defense One (Re Silc).

Global chip supply chain increasingly vulnerable to massive disruption, study finds Reuters (Re Silc).

Banks must act to control fraud epidemic FT

Markets pass the Archegos test Axios

#COVID19

CDC Data Suggests Vaccinated Dont Carry, Cant Spread Virus New York Magazine. I dont know what New York Magazines editors were thinking when they wrote that headline. Its not just wrong, it suppresses the key story, which begins in paragraph five:

Though the study is an impressive piece of evidence of the effectiveness of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, some public-health experts pushed back on Walenskys pandemic-changing takeaway.  There cannot be any daylight between what the research shows  really impressive but incomplete protection  and how it is described , Dr. Peter Bach, director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, told the New York Times on Thursday.  This opens the door to the skeptics who think the government is sugarcoating the science , Bach added,  and completely undermines any remaining argument why people should keep wearing masks after being vaccinated.  Even the Centers for Disease Control hedged on Walenskys claims.  Dr. Walensky spoke broadly during this interview , a CDC spokesperson told the Times. Its possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get Covid-19. The evidence isnt clear whether they can spread the virus to others. We are continuing to evaluate the evidence.

Spoke broadly. Are you [family blogging] kidding me? Rejecting the (not entirely unwarranted) hypothesis that Walensky is stupid and/or incompetent, she spoke as she did to generate the headlines that were in fact generated, and which is all most people read. A Noble Liar, just like Fauci. If anything goes badly wrong with one of the vaccines, these bozos  weeping, or not  will bring down not only the public health care system, but PMC credibility generally (not such a good thing, if you need experts in degrees in Bubblegum and Baling Wire to manage a system that is, in fact, held together with bubblegum and baling wire). Its madness. (I also expect much better of New York Magazine. And no, suggests doesnt cut it.)

BNT162b2 Vaccination in People Over 80 Years of Age Induces Strong Humoral Immune Responses with Cross Neutralisation of P.1 Brazilian Variant (preprint) The Lancet. Interpretation: These data demonstrate that the mRNA vaccine platform delivers strong humoral immunity in people up to 96 years of age and retains broad efficacy against the P.1 Variant of Concern. n =100.

Coronavirus: Pfizer jab stopping 91% of cases in first six months BBC. [T]he crucial question of how long the protection from the vaccine lasts remains unanswered. Since we have no data after six months, yes. Has it really been six months?

Giving Everyone a Fair Shot International Monetary Fund

Company producing J&J vaccine had history of violations AP. American manufacturing has problems. Who knew?

History of AstraZenaca, a thread:

That promise was broken. The Gates Foundation pushed the racist lie that poor people can't make safe vaccines  despite world-leading production facilities in the Global South  and convinced the university to sell exclusive rights to Astrazeneca.https://t.co/EEdch3x9ze 2/  Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) March 31, 2021

* * *

Young vs. old:

ONS survey data out today- looking at the pandemic by age paints a heterogenous picture. We appear to be having two different pandemics- one accelerating among young children since schools re-opened, alongside declines in older age groups possibly due to vaccination/lockdown  pic.twitter.com/N3PLTYc69X  Deepti Gurdasani (@dgurdasani1) April 1, 2021

* * *

Resistance from health experts and business owners could doom vaccine passports even before they launch STAT

Are We Much Too Timid in the Way We Fight Covid-19? Ezra Klein, NYT. One problem is no one, on either side of this debate, really knows what will and wont destroy public trust. Perhaps well find out.
MSU Alumna Creates Pen Pal Program

By West Kentucky Star Staff





MURRAY - Lauran Young, an alumna of Murray State Universitys Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program and a Fulbright grant recipient, has partnered with teachers at Mayfield Elementary School for a pen pal program with students from Spain.The Fulbright U.S. Student program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant programs. Candidates submit a Statement of Grant Purpose defining activities to take place during one academic year in a participating country outside the United States.During their grants, Fulbright recipients meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Through engagement in the community, the individual will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.Young, a 2020 Murray State graduate, was slated to begin her Fulbright to Spain in September 2020, but her travel was pushed back to January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since her arrival in Spain, she has been working at FEC Nuestra Senora a La Piedad in Najera, La Rioja with seven other teachers and up to sixteen classes with students from 3-16 years old.For her Fulbright project, English Language Learning (ELL) primary students from both FEC in Najera and Mayfield Elementary School are partnered in an international pen pal program to promote multiculturalism, target language practice, and create new friendships during the difficult time of a pandemic. They also participate in a shared flip-grid classroom where they can post regulated videos to practice reading, writing, and speaking skills along with target vocabulary in a monitored setting.Currently, each school has about 25 participants. From FEC, the students are in Third Primary, and from MES, the students are in third and fourth grades. Each letter and video's subject matter has already been decided to fall in line with the grammatical and vocabulary content students are learning in class.Students have already exchanged one letter and plan on exchanging at least two more  one for March and April, says Young. They areso excited about writing their new friends and cannot wait to get to know them more.To make all of this happen, Young partnered with two teachers she works with in Spain, along with Ginny Garner, Amanda Edwards, Cassandra Huizar and Veronica Velazquez from Mayfield Elementary. Young serves as the contact point for both schools and has regular planning meetings with Garner."When Lauran approached me about participating in this project with her and her students, I was thrilled because this is such a uniqueopportunity to bring to our EL students here in Mayfield, says Garner. I love how even though our students are on different sides of the world, they still have so much in common, one of which being that they are all English learners.We have written and received our first round of letters and the students absolutely love it! Their faces lit up when they read the letters from their pen pals and I was so proud of the effort they put forth in responding, says Garner. They ask me all the time when we are going to write them again, and are anxious to see what their friends wrote back.As of right now, the letters are virtual and uploaded to Google Drive, says Young. However, in May, we are planning on letting the students decorate envelopes for their new friends before organizing them to be mailed. Each student will receive the envelope with all of the letters they have exchanged, so they can have the real letter to hold on to.I think not only is this a wonderful opportunity for our students to practice their writing skills, which is always a positive thing, but they are also learning about other parts of the world, says Garner. I hope they take away that even if someone is different from you somehow, even from somewhere far away, that we all have more in common than we do that divides us. This connection to others and to the world on a global scale is a powerful thing!"Since 1922, Murray State University has provided a collaborative, opportunity-rich living and learning community that fosters personal growth and professional success through a high-quality college experience. Students receive support from inspiring faculty and staff and will join a distinctive campus community  the Racer Family. With nearly 10,000 students, Murray State prepares the next generation of leaders to join more than 75,000 successful alumni who make a difference in their community, across the country and around the world. We are Racers. The Universitys main campus is located in Murray and includes five regional campuses in Ft. Campbell, Henderson, Hopkinsville, Madisonville and Paducah. To learn more about Murray State University, visit murraystate.edu.
New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is making numerous arrangements for the convenience of the candidates who will be appearing in class 10 and 12 board examinations.

The countdown for the CBSE class 10, class 12 board exams has already begun and the preparations for the upcoming board exams is at its peak, but so is the number of COVID-19 infections in the country.

Amid the rising COVID-19 cases, CBSE has decided to give one more relaxation to the students appearing in class 10 and 12 board examinations.

As per the latest announcement by the Board, candidates who wont be able to give exams due to COVID-19 will get another chance.

CBSE revealed that if any candidate is tested positive for COVID-19 infections he/she will be able to appear for the practical exams at a later date.

"In case a candidate is not appearing in practical because of Covid-19:

1. If any candidate is absent in practical because of being Covid positive or any family member i.e., mother, father, brother and sister etc is reported Covid positive, school will conduct the practical of such candidates at an appropriate time in consultation with the concerned Regional Office but latest by 11th June 2021.

2. While uploading the marks of the batch of the candidate, against the name of such candidates "C" may be uploaded/posted on the link for uploading of marks. In case, a request has been made to CBSE to change the practical centre, the circular read.

Read full circular here:

If any candidate has shifted to some other city/country because of Covid and requested CBSE to change the practical centre, while uploading the marks of the batch of the candidate, against the name of such candidates "T" may be uploaded/posted on the link for uploading of marks. C. Supply of Marks, it added.

Live TV
First step: US, Iran to begin indirect nuclear-limit talks View Photo

The United States and Iran said Friday they will begin indirect negotiations with intermediaries next week to try to get both countries back into compliance with an accord limiting Irans nuclear program, nearly three years after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal.

The announcement marks one of the first bits of tangible progress in efforts to return both nations to terms of the 2015 accord, which bound Iran to restrictions in return for relief from U.S. and international sanctions.

President Joe Biden came into office saying that getting back into the accord and getting Irans nuclear program back under international restrictions was a priority. But Iran and the United States have disagreed over Irans demands that sanctions be lifted first, and that deadlock has threatened to become an early foreign policy setback for the new U.S. president.

Administration officials played down expectations for next weeks talks. State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the resumption of negotiations, scheduled for Tuesday in Vienna, a healthy step forward. But Price added, These remain early days, and we dont anticipate an immediate breakthrough as there will be difficult discussions ahead.

This is a first step, Biden Iran envoy Rob Malley tweeted. He said diplomats were now on the right path.

Trump pulled the U.S. out of the accord in 2018, accusing Iran of continuous cheating and opting for what he called a maximum-pressure campaign of stepped-up U.S. sanctions and other tough actions. Iran responded by intensifying its enrichment of uranium and building of centrifuges in plain violation of the accord, while maintaining its insistence that its nuclear development was for civilian and not military purposes.

Israel, Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies and strategic partners are on perpetual alert against the possibility of their top rival, Iran, attaining nuclear arms, keeping tensions up in a region where the U.S. military is present and has often intervened.

Irans enrichment was seen as upping the pressure for a U.S. return to the nuclear deal and a lifting of Trumps sanctions, which included banking measures aimed at cutting off the country from the international financial system. Other Trump administration measures sanctioned Irans oil sales and blacklisted top government officials.

Agreement on the start of indirect talks came after the European Union helped broker a virtual meeting of officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and Iran, all of which have remained in the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Price said next weeks talks will be structured around working groups that the European Union was forming with the remaining participants in the accord, including Iran.

The primary issues that will be discussed are the nuclear steps that Iran would need to take in order to return to compliance with the terms of the JCPOA, and the sanctions relief steps that the United States would need to take in order to return to compliance as well, Price said.

The United States, like Iran, said it did not anticipate direct talks between the two nations now. Price said the United States remains open to that idea, however.

In a tweet, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the aim of the Vienna session would be to rapidly finalize sanction-lifting & nuclear measures for choreographed removal of all sanctions, followed by Iran ceasing remedial measures.

Iranian state television quoted Abbas Araghchi, Irans nuclear negotiator at the virtual meeting, as saying during Fridays discussions that any return by the U.S. to the nuclear deal does not require any negotiation and the path is quite clear.

The U.S. can return to the deal and stop breaching the law in the same way it withdrew from the deal and imposed illegal sanctions on Iran, Araghchi was quoted as as saying.

Russias ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said the impression is that we are on the right track, but the way ahead will not be easy and will require intensive efforts. The stakeholders seem to be ready for that.

Events since Trump pulled out of the deal complicate the United States return.

Iran since the U.S. withdrawal from the pact has been steadily violating its restrictions, like the amount of enriched uranium it can stockpile and the purity to which it can enrich it.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that over the past two years, Iran has accumulated extensive nuclear material and new capacities and used the time for honing their skills in these areas.

Iran in January increased uranium enrichment at its underground Fordo facility to 20% levels. That puts Tehran a comparatively easier technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran now has enough low-enriched uranium to convert to a higher level of enrichment and make a bomb.

Iran insists it is not seeking to make nuclear bombs.

Iran has said that before it resumes compliance with the deal, the U.S. needs to return to its own obligations by dropping the sanctions.

As part of its ongoing violations of the deal, Iran last month began restricting inspections of its nuclear facilities. Under a last-minute agreement worked out during a trip to Tehran, however, some access was preserved.

Under that temporary agreement, Iran will no longer share surveillance footage of its facilities with the International Atomic Energy Agency but has promised to preserve the tapes for three months. It will then hand them over to the Vienna-based U.N. atomic watchdog if it is granted sanctions relief. Otherwise, Iran has vowed to erase the tapes, narrowing the window for a diplomatic breakthrough.

In the U.S., conservatives have pushed the Biden administration to broaden talks to address other complaints against Iran, including its crucial support to armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Syria and its detention of American citizens, as a condition for lifting sanctions. The administration has pledged in principle to push Iran on those matters, but State Department spokespeople on Friday declined to say if or when those additional points of friction might be raised in resumed talks..

___

Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi from Tehran, Jon Gambrell from Dubai and Daria Litvinova from Moscow contributed to this report.

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and RAF CASERT

Associated Press
: With just three



days remaining for the Assembly polls in Kerala, opposition on Friday came up with a fresh corruption charge against the Left government in the state over its purchase of power from corporate major Adani group even as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejected the allegation.

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the LDF government had signed an agreement with the private group to purchase power at a higher price which involved corruption.

Giving details of the agreement, he charged that the agreement was to buy 300 MW of power from Adani at a higher price and the Left government had colluded with the BJP government at the Centre for the "corrupt deal".

To purchase Rs 8850 crore worth power, a 25-year-long contract was signed with the Adani group, through which the corporate major could make a profit of over Rs 1,000 crore, the leader further claimed.

"Through the contract, a huge burden is imposed on people. Both the state and union governments are equally responsible for the deal," he said.

At present, solar power is available at two rupees.

Then why a pact was signed with the private group to buy power at the rate of Rs 2.82 per unit, Chennithala asked.

"Thus, the common man has to pay Rs one extra for each unit for 25 years. This will help Adani reap a profit of Rs 1,000 crore," he told reporters in Alappuzha.

The agreements signed by the state Electricity Board with the Centre's Solar Energy Corporation Limited (SECL) in June and September of 2019, had paved the way for Adani's business deal in the state, the opposition leader added.

Rejecting the charges, Vijayan, however, told reporters in Kannur that Chennithala was "jealous" of the five years under the LDF government when there had been no load- shedding.

"That's why he is now trying to tarnish the deals of the state Electricity Board," the Chief Minister added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ulster Unionist Party has called for the PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne to resign on Thursday evening.

Mr Bryne had previously faced calls to resign from the First Minister Arlene Foster, after she declared his position "untenable", following the PPS decision that there would be no prosecutions in relation to the funeral of Bobby Storey.

Mrs Foster and her party were joined by the TUV, who described the PPS decision as "perverse" and also called on the chief constable Simon Byrne to resign.

Read More

The Ulster Unionist Party had said that they wished to hear what Mr Bryne said during the Policing Board meeting that took place on Thursday.

However in a statement following that meeting, the UUP Leader Steve Aiken said it was "now time" for Mr Bryne to resign.

Adding that there was "anger" that had been felt across the last number of days due to "Sinn Fein's actions", Mr Aiken said the UUP was a "stalwart supporter" of the rank-and-file members of the PSNI but that the "leadership" had failed.

"They are regularly placed in invidious situations and have to hold the line in a wide variety of situations, including the very real threat of terrorism, and having to deal with public safety issues during this COVID-19 pandemic," he said in a statement.

However, as the events of the recent weeks have shown, the PSNI is not a normal policing role. It is not a police force similar to county constabularies in England, it is one of the most challenging policing roles anywhere and in consequence needs an outstanding level of leadership that can have the support of all communities across Northern Ireland.

"It is very clear to us that the senior leadership of the PSNI has failed, and no longer has the support of much of our community. It is with regret that it has come to this, but it is clear that without the support of much of the community he seeks to serve, it is time for the Chief Constable to resign. He no longer has our support."

Earlier on Thursday during what was a fraught Policing Board meeting, the chief constable faced calls from DUP MLAs to quit.

Expand Close DUP MLA Mervyn Storey / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp DUP MLA Mervyn Storey

DUP North Antrim MLA Mervyn Storey accused the police of "facilitating the most public display by republicans to glorify an IRA man".

"The Chief Constable should apologise to those many hundreds of families who buried their loved in keeping with the spirit and letter of the law and were not afforded the privilege of police acquiescence or police assistance. I am saddened and angered that he has refused to do so," he added.

Accusing the police force of operating a "two-tier policing system", DUP MLA Joanne Bunting added: "Serious questions about the extent of the PSNIs engagement with the organisers remain unanswered.

"Did senior officers know that the return of the remains and the hours of the wake were being widely publicised on social media to encourage people to come? If so was this ignored? Were they certain that the stewards and security company taking part in the procession were not part of or linked to a proscribed organization?

"It is crucial that we establish all of the facts so something like this can never happen again."

Recognising people were angry during the Policing Board meeting on Thursday, Mr Byrne reiterated his desire to remain in the post.

"I recognise that the events surrounding the policing of this funeral have caused outrage and have damaged confidence in policing," he told the board.

"I'm listening. But I'm confident that my officers have acted with good intent and integrity managing what was always going to be a sensitive policing operation."

Mr Byrne said recent days have seen the "most extreme manifestation of the difficulties that policing has faced in trying to balance the dilemmas that fall out of the Covid regulations".

"It's a huge regret about the public reaction to the PPS decision, we were surprised," he said.

Asked about claims of Loyalist anger at police, Mr Byrne said they are determined to build trust and relationships.

"I can't pretend the impact that this decision has had on community relations, in the Loyalist community predominantly, and we need to take the time now to make sense of that, to allow HMIC to get to the heart of just what happened, that might help begin the process of building a bridge," he said.
Twenty years ago on April 1, the mayor of Amsterdam married four couples in City Hall as the Netherlands became the first country in the world with legalized same-sex marriages.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 21:40:19|Editor: huaxia

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File photo taken on Sept. 1, 2020 shows that a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission is held in Vienna, Austria (JCOPA/Handout via Xinhua)

Representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran, known as the participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), met virtually on Friday morning, and "agreed to resume this session of the Joint Commission in Vienna next week, in order to clearly identify sanctions lifting and nuclear implementation measures," the EU said in a statement.

BRUSSELS, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The parties to the Iran nuclear deal will convene in Vienna, Austria next week to discuss the possibility of lifting sanctions on Iran and the country's responsibility for further implementing the agreement, said the European Union (EU) on Friday.

Representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran, known as the participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), met virtually on Friday morning, and "agreed to resume this session of the Joint Commission in Vienna next week, in order to clearly identify sanctions lifting and nuclear implementation measures," the EU said in a statement.

Friday's online meeting was chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General and Political Director of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Enrique Mora, on behalf of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

The participants recognized the prospect of a full return of the U.S. to the JCPOA, or Iran nuclear deal and "underlined their readiness to positively address this in a joint effort, said the statement. They also "emphasized their commitment to preserve the JCPOA and discussed modalities to ensure the return to its full and effective implementation."

Next week, the coordinator will "intensify separate contacts in Vienna with all JCPOA participants and the United States," it said. 
(Natural News) Its taken good investigative reporters more than five years to get to the bottom of the Obama-run operation to ensnare then-GOP presidential contender Donald Trump in the phony Russian collision scandal.

Its taken that long because in the era of Trump, there were so few good reporters willing to investigate what actually happened.

One of them is John Solomon of Just the News.

For the past couple of years, first at The Hill and then running his own operation, Solomon has broken several stories providing intimate details behind the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence operation that sought to ensnare as many of Trumps surrogates as possible, up to and including the president himself, in a lie that would drive them all from office.

Late last month, Solomon managed to obtain new documentation indicating that a long-time CIA asset, Stephen Halper, agreed to become a confidential human source (CHS) for the bureau and record his various contacts with Trump campaign officials in order to frame out the collusion narrative and make it seem real.

In particular, Solomon was able to obtain FBI memos and copies of Form 302  interview notes  that show clearly there was never any reason to go through with the operation because there was never any evidence at all of any collusion.

The Conservative Treehouse reports:

Despite secret recordings showing Carter Page clearly had no idea about any Russian connections to the campaign, or people within it; and despite Page clearly rebuking any effort to draw those inferences; the FBI still went forward with a Title-1 FISA surveillance warrant against Page and never informed the court of the exculpatory recordings.

The memos and 302s show the FBI told Halper in August 2016 (when Trumps campaign had already steamrolled his 16 competitors and he was skyrocketing in the polls) not to focus on George Papadopoulos first but Page instead, whom the bureau described as an opportune target. Papadopoulos code name was Crossfire Typhoon (CT), while Pages was Crossfire Dragon (CD), according to the memos.

The main goal of the operation is to have CD admit that he has direct knowledge of and is either helping coordinate or assisting the RF [Russian Federation] conduct an active measure campaign with the Trump Team, said an Aug. 24, 2016 report providing details of the bureaus interactions that week with Halper.

If getting Page to implicate Trump and the campaign failed, then the FBI team would then change its posture and move forward with an operation against CROSSFIRE TYPHOON, said the report.

More than anything, this was a deep state operation to get their preferred candidate into the White House, as Halper himself essentially admitted. (Related: Man charged with plotting and participating in Capitol incident was former FBI section chief with top-secret security clearance.)

I believe [Hillary] Clinton would be best for US-UK relations and for relations with the European Union. Clinton is well-known, deeply experienced and predictable. US-UK relations will remain steady regardless of the winner although Clinton will be less disruptive over time, he said, according to the uncovered memos.

Trump was an inexperienced, foul-mouthed cretin, you see; his presence in the Oval Office threatened to disrupt or undo decades worth of work setting America up as the global patsy.

As for Halper, this wasnt his first rodeo. The New York Times reported 35 years ago that he was involved in an undercover operation to obtain information on President Jimmy Carters reelection campaign and provide it to then-GOP nominee Ronald Reagan.

In the end, we find out that Obama and his deep state cabal were so fearful of Trump and his promises to actually drain the swamp they went all-out to depose him in one of the most outrageous scandals in the history of our country.

Worse, we see historically how the deep state has operated for decades to undermine the will of the American people who they believe really dont have a say in who they want to lead them.

See more reporting like this at DeepState.news.

Sources include:

TheConservativeTreehouse.com

JustTheNews.com

FalseFlag.news
The Boko Haram terror group has released a video showing its fighters shooting down an aircraft believed to be the alpha jet declared missing by the Nigerian Air Force.

In a seven-minute, thirty seconds video, the jet was seen flying low to the ground while the insurgents shot at it.

The jet went missing on Wednesday evening while carrying out a mission against the terrorists in Borno State.

The spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet, said on Friday morning that the jet may have crashed.

Intelligence report gathered by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) indicates that the Alpha Jet aircraft (NAF475) that went off the radar with 2 crew members on board on 31 March 2021 might have crashed, he said.

Mr Gabkwet, an air commodore, also named the two pilots missing from the incident.

The cause of the crash as well as the whereabouts of the 2 pilots remain unknown. The pilots are Flight Lieutenant John Abolarinwa and Flight Lieutenant Ebiakpo Chapele.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Gabkwet said the alpha jet lost contact with the radar in Borno State during the flight.

He said the plane disappeared while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops. The mission was part of the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in the North East.

BOKO HARAM CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY

According to Humangle, an online newspaper, the terrorists were seen in the video shooting down the aircraft while it came down in flames.

The insurgents were also seen moving towards the debris of the aircraft to remove components of the aircraft and personal effects of the pilots.

Another terrorist was also seen standing on the aircraft while speaking in Hausa and English.

The latest aircraft incident comes weeks after another Air Force aircraft, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i, crashed after reporting engine failure on its way to Minna, Niger State.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the plane was heading to that destination to conduct surveillance missions over Niger State and its environs in connection with the efforts to secure the release of the student and staff abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State.

That February 21 crash led to the death of Flight Lieutenant Haruna Gadzama (Captain), Flight Lieutenant Henry Piyo (Co-Pilot), Flying Officer Micheal Okpara (Airborne Tactical Observation System (ATOS) Specialist), Warrant Officer Bassey Etim (ATOS Specialist), Flight Sergeant Olasunkanmi Olawunmi (ATOS Specialist), Sergeant Ugochukwu Oluka (ATOS Specialist), and Aircraftman Adewale Johnson (Onboard Technician).

The Nigerian Air Force is involved in the anti-insurgency operation in the North-east as well as in the onslaught against bandits in the North-west and North-central geopolitical zones, providing reconnaissance intelligence and aerial covers for ground troops.

The NAF also engages in the bombardment of terrorists enclaves from time to time.

ADVERTISEMENT
When most Democrats learned of the Boulder, CO shooting last week, they salivatingly checked social media to see if the alleged murderer was a white, male Donald Trump voter. Most Republicans scoured story after story to see if he was black or a Democrat (close to redundant, I know).

I, however, did what I always do when I hear of a shooting: I checked who lives in the area, and who's in charge.

What do you think I discovered about Boulder County? I confirmed that the population is the same as it was (and still is) in Newtown, CT; Orlando, FL; Parkland, FL; El Paso, TX; Atlanta, GA; and the city of Boulder: majority Democrat.

In Boulder County, since 2004, the Democrat nominee for U.S. president has received a minimum of 66% of the vote; Biden got 77% last year. In the county, there are 96,319 active registered Democrats and 36,302 active registered Republicans.

The mayor, and all eight council members of the city of Boulder, are "nonpartisan," but the Rorschach Test of the Homo sapiens species  social media  revealed that all are Democrats. On their social media, here is what I found:

Comparing the hunting and killing of prairie dogs to the Holocaust;

Obama alum;

A pronouns obsessive;

Gay pride;

And, last but not least: wear a mask, mentioned two trillion times.

The suspect's name was one of the last bits of information I acquired. I thought: Uh-oh. We'd better soon figure out how to make a guy named Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa a lily-white militia member, with a secret manifesto about the Lost Cause of the Confederacy that's read at the local Aryan Nations cross-burning book club.

The Mass Shooter/Democrat Association

More than who's in office in state legislatures and governorships and who are the U.S. representatives, U.S. senators, and president, shooters are almost always Democrat-created and Democrat-inspired, and they tend to live in a majority Democrat area. That so many of these terrorists are locally produced affirms why local, county, and school board elections are oftentimes more impactful than national elections.

In Newtown, CT, where, in 2012, the deadliest primary or secondary school shooting in U.S. history occurred, sections of the town are among the most affluent in the state. Newtown's political makeup had been majority Republican until 2008, but then it shifted purple. Its county, Fairfield, and metropolitan area, Danbury, have both been majority Democrat for over 9,000 consecutive days. My research has turned up nothing conclusive about the political beliefs of the mass shooter and his parents, who were divorced at the time of the shooting. (Recall that the killer murdered his mother in her sleep and committed suicide in the school.)

Contrary to the popular narrative, the Islamic supremacist from the 2016 Pulse shooting, in Orlando, didn't target the locale because it was a gay club; he wanted a crowded nightclub and chose Pulse because it was the first search result on his phone. Orlando's city council has six seats; four of its councilmen Democrats. Its mayors have been only Democrat for the last 6,500 consecutive days. Orlando is the county seat of Orange; the county mayor (separate from the city mayor) is a Democrat, and five of the six county commissioners are Democrats. There are approximately 381,000 registered Democrats in the county and 225,000 registered Republicans. In Orange, the Democrat nominee for president has won the county every election since 2000; the margin of victory over the last four has never been less than 18 percent.

I have published numerous articles about the Parkland murderer, here, here and here. In 2018, when the shooting occurred, and currently, Democrats are the majority in the city of Parkland, Broward County, the Broward County Public Schools (including its school board) and the Broward Sheriff's Office. There are more registered Democrats in Broward than in any of Florida's other 66 counties. The Democrat nominee for president has won the county every election since 1992; the margin of victory over the last seven has never been less than 30 percent.

The 2019 El Paso, TX shooter, who murdered 23 in a Walmart, was a white supremacist and self-proclaimed "eco-fascist." Predictably, the DMIC (Democrat Media Industrial Complex) promoted the murderer as "far-right," even though white supremacy and environmental extremism are both Democrat inventions; machine gun-owning Hamiltonian federalists aren't white supremacists and eco-fascists. El Paso currently has a Democrat mayor, and the city and county populations are majority Democrat. Texas does not register voters by party. The Democrat nominee for president has won the county every election since 1988; the margin of victory over the last seven elections has never been less than 13 percent, and it has been at least 32 percent over the last four.

Atlanta, site of the massage parlor shootings a few weeks ago, has elected only Democrat mayors for nearly 52,000 consecutive days. Its 16-member city council is "nonpartisan," but online searches and public statements strongly suggest that they're all Democrats. Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton; Georgia does not register voters by party. The Democrat nominee for president has won the county every election since 1976; the margin of victory this past November was 46 percent.

As a postscript to Newtown: In 2019, Sandy Hook Promise, a charity organization formed in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting, produced and released a video of children actors and actresses simulating an active school shooting  complete with casualties and injuries. Think about that: parents politically prostituted their teenage and pre-teen kids to participate in a school mass shooting re-enactment video under the guise of a "public service announcement."

Lastly, I found nothing conclusive about the political demographics of Columbine, CO, in 1999, when twelve students and one teacher died in a mass shooting at Columbine High School. The two murderers committed suicide in the school. Columbine is a Denver suburb; Denver has had only Democrat mayors, and majority Democrat city councils, for over 20,000 consecutive days. In fairness, that doesn't mean Columbine should be considered Democrat  but even if the scene of the crime isn't necessarily majority Democrat, it's never far from a majority Democrat area.

Cold-blooded murders are leveraged to further condition the approximate 160 million non-gun-owning Americans to "if it saves just one life" infringements upon the guaranteed right to keep and bear arms. Democrats cannot win Second Amendment arguments on data, math, numbers, evidence and facts, the Constitution, or existing laws. That's why Democrats always exploit the deceased.

Democrats are the majority decision-makers, and residents, of the cities where gun-related crime rates (including murder) are highest; the individuals who have created the squalid culture of violence, by relaxing enforcement of laws and prosecutions of criminals, are the same ones who expect you and me to believe they'll fix communities' problems. Liars, these Democrats are.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 60,000 to 2.5 million annual defensive gun uses. If you're unarmed, what are you waiting for? Gun-toting killers in malignant majority Democrat areas aren't the new normal; they're just the normal. Don't be a willing victim.

Rich Logis is author of the upcoming book 10 Warning Signs Your Child Is Becoming a Democrat: How to Make America Grown-up Again. He can be reached at OpinionsAreWorthless.com and on Twitter at @RichLogis.

Image via Pxhere.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
ROME, APR 2 - Italy's nationwide COVID-19 Rt reproduction number has dropped to 0.98, below the alarm level of 1 and down from 1.08 last week, according to a draft of the weekly coronavirus monitoring report of the health ministry and the Higher Heath Institute (ISS). The incidence has fallen to 232 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants, down from 240 last week. The ISS said that the proportion of intensive care places in Italy taken up by COVID-19 patients has risen to 41%, up from 39% last week and well above the critical threshold of 30%. It said 14 of Italy's regions/autonomous provinces were above the 30% threshold, up from 12 last week. It said the proportion of coronavirus patients in other hospital departments was 44%, above the critical threshold of 40%. According to a draft of the ISS's weekly COVID report, the RT rate is above 1 in 11 regions: Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Liguria, Marche, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Valle d'Aosta, and Veneto. The report said virus variants "are still dominant" and restrictive measures "must not be eased". Six regions have a high risk level: Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Puglia, Tuscany and Veneto, the draft report said. Thirteen regions or autonomous provinces have a moderate risk. Four regions - Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Puglia and Veneto - present several resilience alerts, the draft monitoring report said. ISS President Silvio Brusaferro said the contagion curve was starting to come down, but "very slowly". He said the saturation of intensive care units was "concerning". Health ministry prevention chief Gianni Rezza said the situation was improving but the burden on hospitals was "still a heavy one". He added that there had been outbreaks of the British and Brazilian variants "among young children too." Italy's regions are anxiously waiting the full data from the report, which will determine whether they are high-risk red zones or medium-high orange zones in Italy's tiered system of COVID-19 restrictions. Veneto and Campania are hoping to go from being red, meaning movements are limited and shops selling non-essential items are closed, to orange. The restrictions in orange zones are far looser and all shops are allowed to open. The whole nation will be a red zone from Saturday until Easter Monday. (ANSA).
Goodwill Employee Finds $42,000 in Donated Sweaters, Gets Reward for Doing The Right Thing

When an Oklahoma Goodwill employee uncovered a stash of $42,000 wrapped in two donated sweaters, she chose to do the right thing. Although she parted with the cash instead of pocketing it, her act paid off in the end.

Mom of one Andrea Lessing had worked at the Norman-based thrift store for a month-and-a-half when she made a shocking find: the largest money stash Goodwill of Central Oklahoma had ever seen.

You want to make sure theres good product, theres no stains, theres no holes, theres no tears, theres no rips, Lessing told KFOR. She inspected the two donated sweaters closely.

Andrea Lessing; (Inset) Donated goods packed in boxes (Courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma)

At first, she thought they were wrapped around books but quickly realized they were stacks of envelopes filled with $100 bills, totaling a whopping $42,000. Her first suspicion was that the bills must be fake.

But they were real. Lessing, who believes in karma, alerted her supervisor.

Bundles of $100 bills totaling $42,000 were found wrapped in two sweaters. (Courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma)

Normally we have no way of knowing who the money belongs to, said Frank Holland, vice president of donated goods at Goodwill. Even if we wanted to try to give it back to someone, there was no way to find who that person was.

Fortunately though, Lessings stash of cash was accompanied by documents that pointed to the sweaters original owner. The mom of one was adamant that the money be returned.

And so it was.

Then came another surprise: the grateful owner, who chose to remain anonymous, wanted to acknowledge Lessing for her integrity. So, he gifted her $1,000 from the returned cash as a reward.

Lessing with Frank Holland receiving the $1,000 reward from the owner (Courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma)

Then, in a second selfless act, Lessing decided to spend the money on her 6-year-old daughters birthday party in July.

I thought I blessed him, but he turned right around and blessed me, she told Fox. He restored my faith that there are really good people out there, even through this pandemic. We dont know their situation, so its better to just be kind.

Jim Priest, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma, commended the outlet and employee for returning the money. Integrity, he said, is a core value we strive to live out every day.

Lessing with her daughter (Courtesy of Andrea Lessing)

Posting the incredible story on Facebook, Goodwill shared a statement from Lessing on receiving the reward.

I never expected anything like this to happen to me of all people, she said. To me, it was just another normal day at work.

I made the right decision, and I did the right thing.

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
YEREVAN.  Fridays court trial of the criminal case against Armenias second President Robert Kocharyan, former CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, and former Deputy PM Armen Gevorgyan started with a discussion of the conduct of the defense lawyers and the prosecutors.

At the March 23 hearing, Kocharyan's lawyers Hayk Alumyan, Hovhannes Khudoyan, and Aram Vardevanyan had left the courtroom in protest.

And the prosecutors were not in attendance at the previous session on Tuesday.

Explaining his aforesaid conduct, lawyer Vardevanyan stated that the reason was the illegal conduct of the court.

The court ignored the lawyer's attempt to defend; practice allows applying to such methods. "The court left me no alternative," said the lawyer, recalling that he had informed the court that the Constitutional Court had left for the deliberation room to consider the constitutionality of Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code. It should be reminded that on the same day the presiding judge had not listened to the lawyer, not considered the motion, announcing the rescheduling of the trial.

Lawyer Hayk Alumyan suggested that the court first rule out organizational violations. As an example, he reminded that the court does not announce what case is being heardas required by the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The court noted that this had not been announced before, to which the lawyer asked to correct the mistake and state what the case this trial was about. Without announcing, the court did not allow Alumyan to continue his remarks, considering them beyond the bounds of appropriateness.

In his turn, lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan drew attention to the presiding judge's conduct and, in fact, starting the examination. "You have changed your conduct and confirmed that you are being pressured," the lawyer said, adding that in this case, the defense had nothing to do in the courtroom.

Prosecutor Petros Petrosyan explained his absence from the previous trial by preparing a motion and notifying the court of his absence. But this contradicts the words of the presiding judge, who said at the last hearing that the notice was received only from Prosecutor Gevorg Baghdasaryan.

Prosecutor Baghdasaryan, in turn, confirmed that his absence was conditioned by the decision of the Constitutional Court and the preparation of a lengthy motion.

Aram Vardevanyan stressed that the decision of the Constitutional Court enters into force from the moment of its publication and cannot be connected with the steps of the prosecution. "The prosecutors deliberately flopped the [previous] hearing," the lawyer said, calling the case an illegal persecution.

The court ruled that the lawyers' actions could not be justified. Also, it reminded prosecutors of the need to be present at the trial, saying that the preparation of a motion could not be a reason for their absence.

The court considered the aforesaid absence of the lawyers and prosecutors illegal, on the basis of which it cautioned them.

This is the second court trial after the Constitutional Court declared Article 300.1 (overthrow of the constitutional order) of the Criminal Code in conflict with Articles 78 (principle of proportionality) and 79 (principle of certainty) of the Constitution, and therefore invalidated it on March 26. It is not clear what kind of overthrow is in question, given that the aforesaid article was adopted under one constitution, and they had tried to amend it under another constitution.

The aforesaid defendants are charged under this very article of the Criminal Code.

In fact, the court needs to terminate these defendants criminal prosecution under the said article, as well as of others who are charged with similar charges in this criminal case.

Nonetheless, the court on Tuesday refused to discontinue this criminal prosecution, and adjourned the hearing due to the absence of the prosecution.

It is not ruled out that an attempt will be made to re-qualify the charge.
CROMWELL  The Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office launched U Drive. U Text. U Pay., a national high-visibility enforcement campaign for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.

In partnership with state and local law enforcement and the U.S. Department of Transportations National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the campaign will step up enforcement efforts to enforce distracted-driving laws through April 30, according to a press release.

Over the past decade, distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of vehicle crashes on the nations roads. In Connecticut, in 2019, more than 6,600 crashes were attributed to distracted driving. According to NHTSA, between 2012 and 2019, 26,004 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver, according to the NHTSA. While fatalities from motor vehicle crashes decreased slightly from 2018, distraction-related fatalities increased by 10 percent.

Cromwell police will be adding special patrols aimed at catching distracted drivers  especially those on their phones. Officers will focus on heavily traveled roadways, including Berlin Road and West Street (Route 372), Shunpike Road (Route 3), and Main Street (Route 99), the release said.

In addition to increased individualized enforcement patrols, teams of officers will be posted in various areas, utilizing a spotter and/or undercover vehicles, and will be relaying any violations observed to officers in the area, Cromwell authorities said. Although dates and times for this enforcement may vary, emphasis will be placed on the morning and afternoon peak drive times.

Connecticut law prohibits the use of any hand-held mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle.

Drivers who are 16 or 17 years of age are prohibited from using a cell phone or mobile device at any time, even with a hands-free accessory. Drivers are reminded that under Connecticuts cell phone and texting law, violations involve heavy fines, ranging from $150 for a first offense, $300 for a second violation, and $500 for each subsequent violation, according to the news release.

For information, visit distraction.go.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
A Pennsylvania police officer has been suspended after he live streamed a rant while on duty during which he said that the Confederate flag was not racist, slavery has been over 200 years ago, and Democrats should get f****d and get the s*** kicked out of them.

Officer Brian Gossert of Denver, Pennsylvania was suspended by the Mansfield Police Department in Tioga County after his online rant went viral.

In the video, Gossert acknowledges that he could lose his job over the live stream, though he vowed to have his union fight any attempt to remove him from the police force, WETM-TV reported.

I dont understand how (the Confederate flag) is racist, it represents the South, Gossert says in the video.

Officer Brian Gossert of Denver, Pennsylvania was suspended by the Mansfield Police Department in Tioga County after his online rant went viral

Gossert live streamed a rant while on duty during which he said that the Confederate flag was not racist, slavery has been over 200 years ago, and Democrats should get f****d and get the s*** kicked out of them.

Just like the Union flag represents the North. No one says that the union flag is racist. So why are we saying the Confederate flag is racist?

Gossert continued: Well they fought against the North. So yeah, technically they fought for slavery, I guess you could say, but again, thats been over 200 years ago, I think its time that people just like, get the f*** over themselves.

Because, if, if thats true. If the symbolism behind that flag is still that hurtful now, then we should still hate the South.

So, why hate them for something that no one is alive from anymore.

Gossert then goes on to attack Democrats and their alleged past affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan.

Gossert is a resident of Denver, Pennsylvania. Gossert was recently hired as a full-time officer. Before September 2020, he was listed as an as-needed officer'

The Mansfield Borough Council released a statement on the police departments Facebook page on Wednesday announcing the suspension

You want to know who started the KKK, the f****** Democrats, probably the same party that you agree with.

So again, get f***** like read a f****** history book.

Everyone wants to call cops racist but yeah you know who starts racism, Democrats.

Its okay we can justify our flag, because its not as bad as the flag next to us.

They need to get the s*** kicked out of them.

THE FLAG OF THE CONFEDERACY The Civil War-era Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia is today known as the symbol of the Confederacy What is today considered the Confederate flag was never the official national flag of the 13 states which made up the Confederate States of America from 1861 until 1865. The banner that is often hoisted at rallies today is a version of the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia. Also known as the 'Dixie flag,' 'rebel flag', or 'battle flag,' the design has come to be associated with the racial history of the South. The Confederate States of America were formed in 1861 when 11 states seceded from the union in order to protect the institution of slavery. The North eventually defeated the South in the Civil War, resulting in the abolition of slavery. But racial injustices continued, particularly in the South, where blacks were subject to systematic discrimination and violence at the hands of whites. While the flag is often flown by non-extremists who cite Southern pride and heritage, the symbol has also been adopted by extremist groups like neo-Nazis and other white supremacist organizations, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The use of the Confederate battle flag by extremist groups has prompted widespread calls for the banner to be banned and for statues and monuments honoring Civil War-era figures from the South to be taken down. Advertisement

Historians have discredited the widely circulated claim that Democrats founded the KKK, though many of its members were Democrats who supported slavery and the Confederacy.

In reality, the KKK was founded by a group of former Confederate soldiers in 1866.

In another part of the clip, Gossert is seen in the police vehicle with a man in the backseat.

'Oh, fun stuff. This is why you dont do meth,' he said, and ended the live stream.

In another clip from the live stream, Gossert says that he is serving right now in a very small town with next to nothing happens at night.

He then says that people protesting racism should dig up all the graves and yell at all of the people from the Civil War era for their role in slavery.

He then says that he has not heard of a single war in the world history that someone didnt appreciate.

No one is arguing over the Revolutionary War, but thats because it gave everyone their freedoms to b**** like a whole bunch of schoolgirls right now, Gossert says in the clip.

Gossert also filmed live video of his undercover police car. The video reportedly shows where certain pieces of equipment are located inside the vehicle.

At one point, he turns on the lights inside the vehicle and begins dancing.

Hopefully theres no business with f****** cameras or else Im f****** screwed, he says in the clip.

Gossert then tells viewers of the live stream that he isnt worried about getting fired for his comment.

I have a union and I would file a grievance if I lost my job over me saying something thats an opinion, he says.

My union, that I pay for, protects that. Yes, I would file a grievance and I would be reinstated.

The Mansfield Borough Council released a statement on the police departments Facebook page on Wednesday.

The Mansfield Borough Council is aware that a borough police officer posted offensive videos on a social media platform which were recorded and posted while he was on duty, the statement read.

The Borough Council is appalled and outraged by this conduct.

The officer has been suspended and an investigation is proceeding.

The views expressed in these videos do not reflect the values of the Borough government.

According to WETM-TV, Gossert was recently hired as a full-time officer. Before September 2020, he was listed as an as-needed officer.

Gossert graduated from Mansfield University Police Academy in 2012.

He live streamed the video on his TikTok account, officer_goose, though that page has since been deactivated.
Syracuse, NY  A bail bondsman sent a Syracuse murder suspect back to jail Friday after telling a judge that hed lost confidence in Yamil Osorios commitment to play by the rules.

Bondsman Marc Cianciola said that Osorio had taken a trip to Atlanta despite being told he couldnt leave the county, let alone the state.

Osorio, 23, is accused of first-degree murder and attempted robbery in the December 2019 shooting of Donjuante Anderson, 30, on the citys North Side. A 15-year-old, Jamal Nobles, is also charged as an accomplice in that case.

Osorio faces up to life in prison, without parole, if convicted.

He had been free since Dec. 12, 2020 on $500,000 bail bond, according to Onondaga County Sheriffs spokesman Sgt. Jon Seeber.

To understand what happened Friday requires an explanation of how bail bond typically works: the bondsman takes responsibility for the $500,000 after the client -- or people on his behalf, called indemnitors -- place a large amount of collateral (such as a house title) into the hands of the bondsman. The bondsman also collects a premium, in this case, a maximum under law of $30,260, which is used to pay for his services.

If the defendant follows the rules set by the court, then the $500,000 lien against the bondsman is cleared after the case is over, regardless of outcome. The bondsman then releases the collateral to the defendant or his indemnitors. The bondsman keeps the premium.

In this case, unnamed indemnitors had taken a gamble on Osorio, providing collateral on his behalf to the bondsman.

Osorio had asked his primary indemnitor if he could travel outside the state. That indemnitor had told him that he couldnt leave the county, Cianciola told a judge Friday.

But theres proof Osorio took a trip to Atlanta, prosecutor Melinda McGunnigle said. That was enough to convince the indemnitor to lose confidence that Osorio would follow the rules. And once the indemnitor pulled his backing, then the bondsman was at risk of losing $500,000 were Osorio to abscond.

So Cianciola told the judge that he wanted to withdraw his $500,000 bond on Osorios behalf, sending the defendant back to jail.

Im looking out for the best interests of myself and several people who put up properties for Mr. Osorio, the bondsman explained.

Osorios lawyer, Michael Vavonese, didnt dispute that his client had traveled to Atlanta. But he noted that the court hadnt set rules prohibiting Osorio from traveling. In addition, the purpose of bail was to secure Osorios return to court when directed, and there hadnt been any problems there.

Vavonese added that his client had also talked to the same indemnitor, who was willing to give him another chance on bail bond. He asked the judge to give Osorio a week to work out the issues with his financial backers.

Judge Stephen Dougherty noted that he was getting two different versions of where the indemnitor stood. And he suggested the bondsman had more credibility than the murder defendant.

Who am I going to believe, Marc Cianciola whos put up $500,000 in bail bond, or your client? the judge asked Vavonese.

Cianciola jumped back into the discussion to add that hed talked to the same indemnitor Friday morning, too, and that person still wanted out of Osorios case.

Its not my bond, the judge ruled. Theyve given me good cause to revoke it, and Im going to revoke it.

With that, Osorio was handcuffed and led away to jail without chance of bail. His only hope for the time being appears to be convincing his indemnitors to give him a second shot.

For now, Cianciola wont be at risk of losing $500,000 and the indemnitors will get their collateral back. Its unclear if the bondsman will still keep the entire premium.

Osorios murder case was indicted in December 2020 and now begins a long path toward trial. Hes due back to court in June.

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.
The historical maximum of calls for emergency medical care is observed in Ukraine at the present time, similar to the situation that was in November-early December 2020, said head of the expert group on the provision of emergency medical care of the Department of Medical Services of the Ministry of Health Oleksandr Danyliuk.

"We see an increase in calls for emergency medical care mainly from patients with complicated COVID-19, because, as a rule, emergency medical care does not have such sharp surges, except in cases of severe icy conditions or bad weather conditions that contribute to injuries. As of now, there is a very sharp increase in the load on the emergency medical care system, so patients are queuing up," he said on the Doctor Bulavinova's YouTube channel on Thursday.

According to Danyliuk, as of April 31, 35,705 calls were made to 103 line for emergency medical care. For these appeals, there were 16,823 visits of the emergency medical aid team, 5,025 hospitalizations were carried out.

"A similar situation was observed in November-early December 2020, but now it is much worse," he said.

At the same time, Danyliuk noted that "with an increase in the number of patients with COVID-19, there is a tendency of increasing number of calls to 103 line, including because people have panic, and they call 103 line just to consult instead of calling the family doctor."

At the same time, he clarified that the travel time to the hospital was reduced, since the network of medical institutions is very large.

"Additional hospitals are opening almost every day in recent days, because those hospitals that were previously referral ones for COVID-19 are already overcrowded," the expert said.

The situation with the supply of oxygen to medical institutions has generally improved, said the representative of the Ministry of Health: "As the oxygen supply infrastructure has improved, the organization of logistics has become more centralized."

However, in the western region it remains critical - due to the breakdown of one of the largest enterprises located there, which provided oxygen to the western regions, the filling of oxygen cylinders has stopped. "This caused a serious crisis in several western regions. The situation is now being resolved by the fact that oxygen is sent from the central and even eastern regions," Danyliuk said.
Dar es Salaam  Prospective beneficiaries of higher education loans for the 2021/22 academic year have reason to smile - thanks to government plans to raise the loans budget by about eight percent.

The current budget for the Higher Education Students' Loans Board (HESLB) stands at Sh464 billion. But deputy Education minister Omary Kipanga told Parliament in Dodoma yesterday that the plan is to raise it to Sh500 billion in the 2021/22 fiscal year.

The move, he said, will be continuation of government efforts in reaching more qualified students so they would access higher education.

He was responding to a question by Mr Atupele Mwakibete (Busokelo; CCM) who wanted to know government plans towards ensuring that all eligible students from across the country benefitted from the loans.

In response, Mr Kipanga said for the 2020/21 academic year, a total of 66,374 students applied for the loans, but only 55,318 were successful in their applications.

"This means there are more than 11,000 students who were eligible but could not secure a loan. That is why we continue to improve this budget so that all qualified students can access the loans," said Mr Kipanga.

He said the government has been increasing the budget for higher education loans whereas in the 2017/18 financial year it allocated Sh427 billion, which rose to Sh464 in the 2020/21 financial year.

In another development, the ministry has said it would review the existing law on levies on higher education loans in order to find a solution to long-standing grievances.

Recently, there have been concerns that sparked debate over what was deemed as heavy burden of deductions that beneficiaries face after graduating.

Yesterday, Special Seats MP Halima Mdee asked in Parliament when the government would table a motion on a review of the loans law to relieve beneficiaries of the heavy burden.

In response, Mr Kipanga admitted knowledge of complaints and pledged to submit proposals to either cancel or reduce the levies.

"We are going to look at it by reviewing all the levies and then we will table a motion on how we are going to deal with these challenges," said Mr Kipanga.
The signing of Georgias voter suppression law has sparked controversy and outrage across the United States. However, despite facing one of the greatest assaults on voting rights since the dismantling of Jim Crow in the 1960s, the Democratic Party has made little effort to mobilize popular opposition to the law.

A protest by state representative Park Cannon, who was arrested last Thursday by state troopers for knocking on the governors door as he was announcing that he had signed the bill, drew a few dozen attendees. A protest in front of Atlanta City Hall on Saturday, organized by The Peoples Uprising, drew a crowd of a little over 100 people.

In this Nov. 3, 2020, file photo, a poll worker talks to a voter before they vote on a paper ballot on Election Day in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

Instead of mobilizing the working class to oppose this law and similar legislation in dozens of states, the Democratic Party is focusing its efforts on court suits and the passage of H.R.1, federal legislation that would override some of the state bills. A few days after the Georgia bill was signed into law, three voter advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit challenging it.

New Georgia Project, founded by Democratic politician Stacey Abrams, Black Voters Matter Fund, and Rise, a student voting group, have filed a joint lawsuit against the law. The lawsuit argues that the bill violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits the restriction of voting rights based on race, as well as the First and 14th Amendments, by creating an undue burden on the right to vote.

A second lawsuit was filed on Sunday by the Georgia chapter of the NAACP, the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda, The League of Women Voters Georgia, GALEO Latino Community Development Fund, Common Cause and the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe.

While these suits wait to be heard, additional voter suppression bills are progressing through state governments throughout the United States.

Last Tuesday, Iowa enacted a law that imposes a host of restrictions on voting. It reduces the time that polls are open until from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m.a small but potentially significant changeand also cuts the number of early voting days from 29 to 20. Additionally, the law restricts local election officials from establishing additional early voting sites unless petitioned to do so.

Like many similar laws, Iowas bill also targets mail-in voting. Prior to the new law, mail-in ballots needed only to be postmarked by the day before the election. The new regulations require that mail-in ballots arrive before polls close on election day. It makes it a misdemeanor for any person, other than an immediate family member, to handle an absentee ballot, whereas any person designated by the voter could do so under prior legislation. Local election officials may also not mail absentee ballots to voters unless they specifically request it.

An even more restrictive bill was advanced out of committee in the Texas Senate on Friday. If made law, this bill would prohibit drive-thru voting, further restrict early voting days, allow partisan poll watchers to record voters who receive assistance with casting their ballot, and forbid local election officials from encouraging voters to request an absentee ballot, even if they are eligible.

A particularly restrictive part of the bill would require disabled voters who request an absentee ballot to provide proof of their disability from a doctor, in what is essentially a poll tax.

The Florida Senate is also currently reviewing a bill that would include attacks on mail-in voting and voter registration. The bill would reduce the validity of an absentee ballot request from two election cycles to one, requiring voters to reapply every two years. In Miami-Dade County alone this change would affect 400,000 out of the countys 1.5 million voters. The bill would also ban any person other than an immediate family member from handling an absentee ballot, on the threat of a misdemeanor charge, and would require that all mail-in ballots arrive by 7 p.m. on election day.

All three of these states have full Republican control over the legislative process, but in Michigan the Republican legislature is attempting to circumvent Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer to impose voter restrictions. The Republican plan is to blend the House and Senate versions of a voter suppression bill and launch a petition drive. If the Republican Party gathers 340,000 signatures, Michigan law would allow the Republican legislature to pass the bill into law without the signature of the governor.

Ron Weiser, chair of the Michigan Republican Partywho has been quoted calling the top three Democrats in the state witches who need to get ready for the burning at the stakesaid that if the bill was not passed into law that Republicans have other plans to make sure that it becomes law before 2022.

The response of the Democratic Party to these assaults on democratic rights has been to promote their extensive election bill, H.R.1, also known as the For the People Act. Now under review by the Senate, if passed the bill would enact several major changes to US election law.

The 600-page bill would establish automatic voter registration, restore the right to vote for those with past criminal convictions, require states to provide two weeks of early voting and drop boxes for absentee ballots, and introduce reforms to campaign finance law and gerrymandering.

Many of these provisions have been, in general, popular reforms for years, especially changes to campaign finance laws. However, deeper examination shows that the law is designed to appease popular demands without actually meeting many of them.

For campaign finance, the law would enact some changes as to how campaign financing is reported to the public, targeting the dark money in American politics flowing through political action committees (PACs).

However, it would not actually impose any substantial restrictions on wealthy donors, whose largest inconvenience from this bill would be having to report, under certain conditions, what political organizations they donate to.

The provisions for gerrymandering, the process of drawing congressional districts with a partisan bias, are also questionable. The bill includes provisions to keep communities together (gerrymandered districts often split cities into multiple districts to separate voters), but the bill only provides that states must minimize the division of communities.

The bill would also ostensibly prevent politically motivated redistricting by requiring states to establish independent commissions to oversee the redistricting process for congressional districts (the gerrymandering of state legislative districts, which is even more widespread, is not subject to federal legislation).

Both parties have engaged in gerrymandering for decades, but the Republican Party has been more effective in the recent period, because it has controlled more state legislatures. A major purpose of the Democratic bill is to eke out a few more seats in the House of Representatives in Republican-controlled states like North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.

The wider concerns of the Democrats are best exemplified through the bills section on countering foreign interference. Doubling down on the Democratic Partys anti-Russia campaign, the bill uses the claim of Russian interference in the 2016 election to justify clamping down on free speech online.

H.R.1 would require online platforms with at least 50 million users to create a database of all requests for political advertisements, including a copy of the ad, the ads targeted audience and number of views, the rate charged for the ad, and the purchaser of the ad. Such a provision could be used to keep files on third-party, independent and socialist political candidates and organizations, potentially being used to censor such groups from purchasing political advertisements on social media.

The bill would also require political committees to notify the FBI of any connections with foreign political parties. The FBI would have to submit an annual report to Congress on the connections between political committees and foreign contacts. This section could be used to justify federal surveillance of any political organization with foreign contacts, including socialist and antiwar groups.

Regardless of the contents of the bill, it is not currently expected to pass the Senate. Without ending the filibuster the Democratic Party will need 60 votes to pass the bill. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat now regarded as the swing vote on such legislation, has publicly expressed preference for bipartisan negotiation.

Last week, Manchin claimed that passing H.R.1 without Republican support would spark further events like the coup on January 6. According to Manchin, existing distrust in the voting process, cultivated by the Republican Partys lie that the election was stolen from Donald Trump, would only be exacerbated by expanding voting rights.

We had an insurrection, Jan. 6, because of voting, right? said Manchin, warning that Congress should not at all attempt to do anything that will create more distrust [in elections].

This is a cowardly and false perspective. The January 6 coup was not some misguided protest spontaneously organized over mistrust in mail-in voting. It was actively organized by fascist militias and elements within the Republican Party, fueled by the former Presidents fascistic and false rantings about a rigged election. Manchin is attempting to downplay the significance of the fascist insurrection and cover for his Republican colleagues, whose approval he values more than the crumbling democratic institutions of the United States.

Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock offered more support to passing the bill during his rounds on Sunday morning talk shows, but he too refused to commit to ending the filibuster. Speaking on CNN, he said of Republicans that the ball is in their court. They could vote the bill up. But if they dont, we have to pass voting rights no matter what.

This language is purposely ambiguous. No matter what could mean anything from abolishing the filibuster to gutting the bill of major provisions in order to win a handful of Republican votes.

The Democratic Party cannot be entrusted with the defense of democratic rights. Even under threat by Republican bills targeting Democratic voters, the party has no solution to offer other than legal challenges and the promise of a voting rights bill destined to die in the Senate.

Instead of calling out mass protests to oppose the Georgia voter suppression law, the Democrats are channeling social opposition behind their own electoral ambitions.

Democratic Party-aligned voting rights organizations are also playing their role in this cynical diffusion of mass anger. Voter advocacy groups have rallied around calls for a boycott of Coca-Cola, in the futile hope that they can pressure the international conglomerate to influence the Georgia government after the bill has already passed. The Democratic Party is only concerned with protecting its electoral competitiveness and ensuring that popular opposition to voter suppression does not emerge outside its political control.

During the civil rights movement it was only the mass upsurge of working class opposition to segregation and racism that forced parts of the Democratic and Republican establishment to concede the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts. This period of reform is long past. There has been a sharp turn to the right in the political establishment as the capitalist system moved to retract the concessions granted in the previous years of bitter class struggle.

No part of the capitalist state, especially its political parties, can be trusted to lead the fight for democratic rights. It has been the Democratic Party in particular that has led the most vicious attacks against third party and socialist candidates. This was demonstrated when the Democratic Party in states across the country prevented the Socialist Equality Party and the Green Party from appearing on the ballot for the 2020 presidential election.

In order to protect and expand the democratic rights of all people, the working class must break free of the confines of the two major capitalist parties and build an independent mass movement in the fight for socialism.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Hongqi, the premium car marque of FAW Group, saw its sales exceed 70,000 units in the first quarter of 2021, representing a year-on-year hike of 180%, according to a posting on FAW's WeChat account.

The automaker has not released the sale volume for March. However, it can be surmised that about 24,500 Hongqi-branded vehicles were sold last month based on the sales in Jan. (32,526 units) and Feb. (13,009 units).



Hongqi HS5; photo credit: Hongqi



The Chinese indigenous premium car brand succeeded in achieving its sales target of 200,000 units last year despite the overall downturn in China's auto market. In January 2021, Hongqi's monthly sales shot up 158% from a year ago to 32,526 units, for the first time topping 30,000 units.

Hongqi's sales hike significantly linked to its improvement in product matrix. Hitting the market in May 2020, the HS5 SUV has become a main sales contributor to Hongqi with its monthly sales standing at around 10,000 units.

Hongqi H9; photo credit: Hongqi



The Hongqi H9 full-sized sedan, which went on sale in last August, caught the eye of many consumers as well. Its cumulative sales surpassed 130,000 units last year.

The brand continues to strengthen its offensive into new energy vehicle (NEV) market. The E-HS9 hit the market in Dec. 2020 and is highly recognized by consumers with its classy exterior, futuristic interior and decent range.

Hongqi will strive to complete a sales volume of 400,000 units in 2021. Besides, it plans to roll out this year such new products as the E-QM5 all-electric sedan and the mid-cycle refresh for the Hongqi HS5.
Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant addresses supporters during her inauguration and "Tax Amazon 2020 Kickoff" event in Seattle, Wash., on Jan. 13, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)

Recall Effort Against Socialist Seattle Councilmember Can Proceed, Court Rules

The Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that efforts to recall Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant can move forward.

Sawant, a socialist representing Capitol Hill and the Central District, faced a recall after being accused of abusing her office by letting a large group of protesters into city hall last year with her passkey, using city resources in promoting a ballot initiative to impose taxes on Amazon, and outsourcing decisions regarding the hiring and firing of city employees to her partys executive committee.

She is also accused of violating code when she led a protest march to Mayor Jenny Durkans private residence even with the knowledge that the mayors address was protected under confidentiality laws because of threats from to her previous work as a U.S. attorney.

A county judge ruled in September 2020 that those four charges were factually and legally sufficient for recall efforts to proceed.

A group of Seattle residents who believe Sawants actions warrant her removal from office began the campaign to recall her, leading to the decision. Sawant appealed that ruling to the state Supreme Court.

In the next 180 days, the petition to oust Sawant, which was first brought by Seattle resident Ernest Lou, must collect 10,000 signatures from residents of Sawants Council District 3 in order to get the recall on the ballot.

Sawants campaign fighting the push to remove her from office has blamed big business and right wing influence for the recall effort.

Big biz and the right wing are furious about the impact of socialist politics and social movements in Seattle & how we have inspired working people around the country, the Kshama Solidarity Campaign wrote on Twitter. They are now trying to use the courts & their deep pockets to overturn Councilmember Sawants 2019 re-election.

Henry Bridger II, campaign manager and chairman of the Recall Sawant committee, has pushed back against that claim. He describes himself as a Democrat and a liberal.

Im unemployed, I live in a studio apartment here on Capitol Hill, Bridger said, The Seattle Times reported. Its not run by any right-wing anything.

Sawant, who was first elected in 2013, and subsequently elected in 2015 and 2019, described the Washington state Supreme Courts ruling as completely unjust in a statement.

But we are not surprised, Sawant said. Working people and oppressed communities cannot rely on the capitalist courts for justice any more than they can on the police. The far-left have continued pushing socialist arguments that private wealth and the police force are solely negative forces in society, while others may point to the good or bad intentions of the individual in a position of wealth or power among law-enforcement establishments.

Read More Capitalism: How Capitalists Took the Word From Communists

If the group are able to gather the 10,000 signatures in the allotted 180 days, a vote would then be held to oust Sawant from office either with Novembers general election, or by early next year, The Seattle Times reported.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
People are seen shopping for fruit and vegetables at the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AAP Image/James Ross)

Pacific Islanders Arrive to Help Victorias Fruit and Vegetable Harvest

More than 100 seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands have arrived in the Australian state of Victoria to help ease the labour shortage on the states fruit and vegetable farms.

Up to 1,500 workers from the Pacific Islands will undergo 14 days of quarantine in Tasmania before arriving into Victoria, under an agreement between the Victorian and Tasmanian state governments.

The arrival of workers is a fantastic step to bolster the local workforce for the Big Victorian Harvest, Victorian Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas said in a statement. We have worked hard to secure these workers in partnership with other jurisdictions following the challenges faced by the coronavirus pandemic.

In return, the Victorian government agreed to take 330 returned travellers from Tasmania into Melbourne hotel quarantine with Tasmania paying the bill, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

This is a great example of what can be achieved when governments, industry, and employers work together for the greater good of agriculture, Thomas said.

The first group of Pacific Islands workers will spend the next few days settling into their new homes as they prepare for work next week.

Workers from the Pacific nations are considered a lower COVID-19 risk and are regular seasonal workers under the Pacific Labour Mobility scheme and Seasonal Worker program.

While the intake of 1,500 Pacific island workers is half of the usual intake, and very much welcomed, Thomas said that its not a silver bullet.

We need to keep working to encourage locals into these jobssomething that the Federal Government should play an active role in, he said.

The Victorian government has offered up to $2,500 for local job seekers to take up seasonal work, which is at a reported shortfall of 26,000 workers due to international border closures.

To entice workers to stay on the job longer, Thomas said the government devised a strategy to split payments so that workers could get the total payment after eight weeks.

Its hard work and some people may want to give it a go and find out after two weeks that perhaps they are not able to continue because it is hard physical work, he said.

Mooroopna grower Peter Hall told the ABC that Australians have always been reluctant to take up fruit harvesting work.

The real issue for our industry, and I think for agriculture generally, is getting a sustainable workforce that enjoys and welcomes harvest labour and the demands of that, he said.

But CEO of Food manufacturer SPC said the cash incentive was clever as the state awaits the arrival of Pacific Islands workers.

It encourages people to start and give them something for 10 days and then encourages them to stay longer, he said.

Our Pacific neighbours will be warmly welcomed on our farms from next week and will join local workers across the state as the harvest continues, Thomas said.

The Victorian government thanked the workers for their commitment and valuable contribution to the state.

AAP contributed to this report.
The Texas Legislature is still trying to figure out what went wrong in February when a few days of cold weather shut down much of the states electric power grid, and that should be one of their top priorities in this session. What lawmakers should not do, however, is try to place all the blame for this mess on renewable energy or try to slow its growth in Texas. Unfortunately, two bills would do just that.

One, filed by state Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, would prohibit local governments from banning any specific energy source in new construction, a ban that realistically would only apply to natural gas or fuel oil. His bill would also prevent governments from assessing additional charges or fees on builders that use one kind of energy over another.

Some cities controlled by liberals in other states have enacted or discussed a ban on natural gas service to new construction. Their clear goal is to speed up the transition to solar or wind power and reduce the pollution from fossil fuels. Its also clear that bans like that would not be popular  now, at least  in a state that produces and refines more crude oil than any other.

But Deshotels bill ignores the fact that few Texas cities would support such a ban now. Even if they did, voters could elect new City Council members in the next election to reverse it  unless they, too, support the ban. Thats the concept of local control that Texas politicians revere for public school districts but sometimes try to evade with proposals like this.

The other bill, pushed by Republicans in the Texas Senate, would add new fees for solar and wind companies in an attempt to discourage this energy source because, in their view, it often failed during the February freeze.

While its true that some wind turbines froze up because they werent prepared for operation in cold weather  a precaution thats routine in many colder states  every power source experienced similar difficulties in the freeze. Natural gas plants were shut down too because they werent weatherized, as did one of the states two nuclear power plants.

Supporters of this bill also say that its wrong to subsidize the production and use of renewable energy, a position that ignores the tremendous subsidies bestowed on fossil fuels for generations to encourage more exploration and drilling for oil and natural gas. If these lawmakers want the free market to work without government interference, they could eliminate those subsidies, too  and of course they wont.

The bottom line here is that renewable energy is becoming prominent in Texas, the nation and the world in coming decades. The transition away from fossil fuels will take decades, but the direction of it is unmistakable and irreversible. Ironically, Texas already produces more wind power than any other state, 26% of the national total. Texas lawmakers should stop trying to fight this trend and focus on making it work as well as possible.
India on Friday reported 81,441 new cases--the most in a day since October 2--and 468 deaths from the disease, as a second wave of the pandemic sweeps through the countrys urban centres. Mumbai saw its biggest single-day spike of nearly 8,700 cases, Delhis tally grew by about 2,800.

A day earlier, India opened its Covid-19 vaccination programme to everyone older than 45 years, hoping the inoculations would slow down the second wave that began around the second half of February with infections spiking in Maharashtra. Infection surges in the past few weeks mirror Indias biggest cities being overrun with the first Covid-19 wave between July and September last year.

Mumbai and Delhi have reported infection spikes, even as other major cities like Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai are also battling a rise in daily infections.

New infections will turn into a "full-blown crisis" if people dont take guard, the Times of India quoted Dr Randeep Guleria, director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, as saying. It took several months for the Covid-19 tally in the country to cross the 70,000 mark during the first wave. This time around, we are seeing a very steep curve, said Guleria, also a member of a national taskforce for Covid-19.

In some states in particular, there is a huge cause for worry, so no state, no part of our country, no district should be complacent, NITI Aayog member (health) Dr V K Paul said on Tuesday during the Union health ministrys weekly Covid-19 briefing.

In a letter to states on Tuesday, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote: the current rise in cases is of concern and has the potential of overwhelming health care systems, unless checked right now.

More than 2.2 million people signed up for vaccines and at least 2 million were given shots till 9 pm on Thursday, the first of the expanded inoculation drive. The government also asked all states to ensure vaccination centres stayed open on all days, including public holidays.
Lucknow: Amid rise in COVID-19 cases in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday (April 2) extended the durations of its order which directed the school authorities to keep the schools closed for Classes 1 to 8. The new date, as per the order, is now April 11.

Earlier, on Tuesday (March 30) the state government had ordered the closure of schools for students up to Class 8 till April 4 in the view of increasing COVID-19 infections. Now the period of the bandh till 4 April has been extended till 11 April.

The Yogi Adityanath government has given out strict instructions to follow the COVID-19 protocol in schools for other classes.

The sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in a state has caused a situation of panic among the citizens. In the meeting, the Chief Minister said that RTPCR investigation should be compulsorily done in suspected cases of COVID-19.

Additionally, to curb the rise of the COVID-19 infections in the state, the chief minister has also ordered concerned officials to increase the number of testing in the state.

"The government employees going in for Covid-19 vaccination must be given a day's off on their due date. Likewise, similar arrangements must be made for private sector employees too," the chief minister said in a statement on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh on Friday, recorded over 8,820 fresh COVID-19 cases and 9 faculties.

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Bob Foley is a Sun Chronicle columnist. Foley, of Mansfield, spent seven years flying F4 planes for the U.S. Marines; 20 years as a middle manager/engineer at Texas Instruments and 13 years as a high school math teacher. His essays are published here each Friday.
New Delhi: AAP leader and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to chair an emergency meeting with Delhi Health minister Satyendar Jain and other officials in the national capital on Friday (April 2) in the view of rising COVID-19 cases in the city.

Delhi reported 2,790 COVID-19 infections on Thursday pushing the cumulative total to 6,65,220.

After the addition of cases on Thursday, the national capitals active cases breached the 10,000-mark.

Delhi also reported 1,121 recoveries, while its death toll has risen to 11,036 with over nine new deaths in the past 24 hours.

The city has been consistently recording over 1,500 cases over the last few days. This sudden surge, also termed as a second wave by the authorities, have forced the AAP-led Delhi government to rethink and reconsider the COVID-19 guidelines in place.

Additionally, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday revealed that COVID-19 testing in the national capital will be increased to 80,000 per day, as per news agency ANI reports.

Listing out Delhi governments plan to fight this sudden surge, the health minister also added that an ample number of beds is available in government hospitals.

Meanwhile, Delhi authorities have also started conducting random COVID-19 testing at Airports, Railway stations and bus terminals for passengers arriving in the city from other states.

In the wake of the rising cases, the government had already put in place guidelines to restrict the number of guests attending a gathering at 100, while funerals can be attended by over 50 people. These guidelines remain in place till the end of this month, which is April 30.

Last week, the Delhi Health minister also addressed the rumors around a second lockdown. Denying all the possibilities and echoing CM Arvind Kejriwals words, Satyendar Jain revealed that a second lockdown in the city is "not a solution".

"As of now, there is no possibility of another lockdown. We had tried it earlier with not much success. Experts had said that due to its 14-day cycle (of the infection), a 21-day lockdown would stop the spread of the virus but that did not happen. So for me, lockdown is no solution," said Satyendar Jain.

"Compared to other states, the situation in Delhi is under control. The testing rate is 5% more than the national average. People should not be careless and wear masks as much as possible, he added.

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Fungi could manipulate bacteria to enrich soil with nutrients

ITHACA, NY, April 2, 2021 - A team of researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) has discovered a distinct group of bacteria that may help fungi and plants acquire soil nutrients. The findings could point the way to cost-effective and eco-friendly methods of enriching soil and improving crop yields, reducing farmers' reliance on conventional fertilizers.

Researchers know that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi establish symbiotic relationships with the roots of 70% of all land plants. In this relationship, plants trade fatty acids for the fungi's nitrogen and phosphorus. However, AM fungi lack the enzymes needed to free nitrogen and phosphorus from complex organic molecules.

A trio of BTI scientists led by Maria Harrison, the William H. Crocker Professor at BTI, wondered whether other soil microbes might help the fungi access those nutrients. In a first step towards examining that possibility, the team investigated whether AM fungi associate with a specific community of bacteria. The research was described in a paper published in The ISME Journal on March 1.

The team examined bacteria living on the surfaces of long filament-like structures called hyphae, which the fungi extend into the soil far from their host plant. On hyphae from two species of fungi, the team discovered highly similar bacterial communities whose composition was distinct from those in the surrounding soil.

"This tells us that, just like the human gut or plant roots, the hyphae of AM fungi have their own unique microbiomes," said Harrison, who is also an adjunct professor in Cornell University's School of Integrative Plant Science. "We're already testing a few interesting predictions as to what these bacteria might do, such as helping with phosphate acquisition."

"If we're right, then enriching the soil for some of these bacteria could increase crop yields and, ultimately, reduce the need for conventional fertilizers along with their associated costs and environmental impacts," she added. Her co-researchers on the study were former BTI scientists Bryan Emmett and Veronique Levesque-Tremblay.

Among the fungi

In the study, the team used two species of AM fungi, Glomus versiforme and Rhizophagus irregularis, and grew them in three different types of soil in symbiosis with Brachypodium distachyon, a grass species related to wheat. After letting the fungus grow with the grass for up to 65 days, the researchers used gene sequencing to identify bacteria sticking to the hyphae surfaces.

The team found remarkable consistency in the makeup of bacterial communities from the two fungal species. Those communities were similar in all three soil types, but very different from those found in soil away from the filaments. The function of these bacteria is not yet clear, but their composition has already sparked some interesting possibilities, Harrison said.

"We predict that some of these bacteria liberate phosphorus ions in the immediate vicinity of the filaments, giving the fungus the best chance to capture those ions," Harrison said. "Learning which bacteria have this function could be key to enhancing the fungi's phosphate acquisition process to benefit plants."

Harrison's group is investigating the factors that control which bacteria assemble on the filaments. Harrison thinks the AM fungi may secrete molecules that attract these bacteria, and in turn, the bacterial communities may influence which molecules the fungus secretes.

Highway patrol

Among the hyphae microbiomes were members of Myxococcales and other taxa that include "bacterial predators" that kill and eat other bacteria by causing them to burst and release their contents.

These predators move by gliding along surfaces so "the fungal filaments could serve as linear feeding lanes," said Emmett, who is currently a research microbiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in Ames, Iowa. "Many soil bacteria appear to travel along fungal hyphae in soil, and these predators may make it a more perilous journey." While not every member of those taxa on the filaments may be predatory, Harrison's group plans to investigate how and why those putative predators assemble there. "It's possible that the actions of predatory bacteria make mineral nutrients available to everyone in the surrounding soil - predators and fungi alike," she said.

###

About Boyce Thompson Institute:

Boyce Thompson Institute is a premier life sciences research institution located in Ithaca, New York. BTI scientists conduct investigations into fundamental plant and life sciences research with the goals of increasing food security, improving environmental sustainability in agriculture, and making basic discoveries that will enhance human health. Throughout this work, BTI is committed to inspiring and educating students and to providing advanced training for the next generation of scientists. BTI is an independent nonprofit research institute that is also affiliated with Cornell University. For more information, please visit BTIscience.org.

This story has been published on: 2021-04-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A Pennsylvania court has ruled against a group of abortion clinics suing the state over a law that limits Medicaid funding for abortion.

A seven-judge panel of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled last week in the case of Allegheny Reproductive Health Center et al v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that the abortion clinics lacked the standing to sue.

At issue in the lawsuit was Pennsylvanias Abortion Control Act, which prohibits the use of state and federal funds for abortions, with exemptions for rape, incest, and life-threatening medical emergency for the mother.

President Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt authored the majority opinion, concluding that women enrolled in Medicaid, not the clinics, had the right to sue the state over the limits.

Source:The Christian Post
According to a new report, LG has decided to close its smartphone mobile division. LG will publicly announce its decision on April 5, bringing to an end a smartphone company that innovated where others did not. Unfortunately, the LG Wing could prove to be the final flagship LG smartphone that comes to market.

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According to The Korea Times, LG has pull back from the smartphone market altogether. Last month, Bloomberg claimed that LG was considering rolling up its mobile division, having failed to negotiate a deal with Volkswagen AG or Vingroup JSC. Apparently, insider sources have informed The Korea Times that:

LG has considered various operations...of the smartphone business, but [it] decided recently to pull out of the business.

LG denies that this is the case, with The Korea Times quoting a company official as having said that 'there's nothing to comment on'. While the same official supposedly stated that LG 'will announce the specific direction' of its mobile division, they stuck to the line that the company continued to explore every possibility.

However, The Korea Times claims that LG will announce the end of its mobile divisions as early as April 5. Added to that, @FrontTron asserts that LG has already closed its FANDOM service in South Korea.

In our opinion, it would be unfortunate if LG were to leave the smartphone market. Its popularity may pale in comparison to Apple's, Samsung's or Xiaomi's, but it does release devices with innovative features. The Wing is an extreme example of that with its secondary display, but the Quad DAC in the V series is a feature that few smartphones have come close to matching. LG was the first company to release a smartphone with an ultra-wide-angle camera too, a now ubiquitous feature for flagship and mid-range devices.
(Newser)  Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, under investigation by the Justice Department in a sex trafficking case, said rumors that he'll resign from the House are false. Gaetz called it "very safe" to say he has no plans to quit, the Hill reports. His communications director, on the other hand, has resigned. In a statement Friday, Gaetz's office said the Florida congressman and Luke Ball "have agreed that it would be best to part ways," per Fox News. All references to Gaetz were removed from Ball's Twitter biography Thursday, per the New York Post. Gaetz is not finding much vocal Republican support, per Politico, even among other Florida politicians.

story continues below

The state's two Republican senators, Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, have stayed silent on his troubles. A spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis said only: "This is an ongoing Department of Justice investigation. We have no comment." One GOP officeholder said Gaetz is being paid back for not being loyal to other Republicans, at times abandoning allies and endorsements. Roger Stone did defend Gaetz on Parler, saying the accusations are a "smear." A state legislator who accused Gaetz last year of starting a game that gave points for having sex with an aide, lobbyist, or lawmaker, called the investigation sad. "I hope the allegations are false," said state Rep. Chris Latvala. "Because if they are true, it means there is a 17-year-old who is a victim." (Read more Matt Gaetz stories.)
Checks at Chitungwiza's Seke South Clinic have found 457 Covid-19 vaccination cards are missing as police investigations intensify into a ring that was selling cards, completed with details of vaccine doses, for US$25 each to people who wanted the card without having the jabs first.

So far two members of staff, a pest controller and a nurse aide, have been arrested and have appeared for their remand hearing along with an alleged agent who found customers and brought them to the clinic.

If the accused had sold all the cards, they would have generated US$11 425. There can be some legitimate wastage, cards filled in wrongly and thrown away while the recording nurse fills in details correctly. This in fact happened with the first card an undercover Herald reporter was given, with last year's dates, and he was given a replacement.

Inspector Gilbert Manyore, the police investigating officer who bust the syndicate, yesterday gave evidence opposing bail for Seke South Clinic pest controller Sekai Gabrile (46) and a nurse aide Shorai Sichori (38) accused of stealing vaccination cards for sale.

They are being charged with criminal abuse of office as public officers.

Lloyd Chidziva separately appeared on conspiracy to criminal abuse after he was allegedly engaged by Gabrile and Sichori to sell the cards on their behalf for US$25 each. Chidziva is not employed at the clinic.

"We are carrying investigations to unearth the syndicate which is responsible for the missing 457 cards at the clinic, said Insp Manyore.

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He thought if the two staff members were released they are likely to interfere with witnesses since they work at the clinic.

"We believe there is a syndicate that is behind all this. They have gone a step ahead to violate Government policy to steal the Covid-19 vaccination cards."

The State led by Mr Isheanesu Zvidzai told the court that Seke South Clinic set up vaccination teams to vaccinate community members. On February 21, the clinic received 2 000 vaccination cards from Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals' Central Vaccines stores, which were to be issued to those willingly vaccinated.

On March 24, Sichori is alleged to have stolen a card from the clinic's storeroom and handed it to Gabrile to prospect for customers. On the same day, Gabrile engaged Chidziva to look for potential buyers of the vaccination card, which was selling for US$25.

The Herald's investigative team received information to the effect that Chidziva was selling the cards and approached him pretending to be potential buyers.

Chidziva is alleged to have led The Herald team to Gabrile and they bought the vaccination card in a bid to expose the syndicate. Sichori, Gabrile and Chidziva were arrested on Wednesday, with police having to seek public assitance to track down Gabrile who they failed to find on Tuesday.

The three are expected to return to court tomorrow for their bail ruling.
From April 4 to 12, the Indian Army will take part in a four-nation military exercise in Bangladesh to commemorate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary and the 50th anniversary of the country's liberation war. The exercise "Shantir Ogroshena" (front runner of peace) will feature a 30-member Indian Army team comprising officers, junior commissioned officers (JCOs), and soldiers from the Dogra regiment.

Indian Army contingent comprising of 30 personnel to participate in military exercise Shantir Ogroshena 2021 (Front Runner of the Peace) in Bangladesh, along with Royal Bhutan Army, Sri Lankan Army & Bangladesh Army from April 4 to April 12: Indian Army  ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021

Indian Army to take part in military exercise in Bangladesh

The Defence Ministry informed that the Royal Bhutan Army and the Sri Lankan Army, in addition to the armies of Bangladesh and India, will take part in the exercise. Indian Army in its official statement said, "Indian Army contingent comprising of 30 personnel to participate in military exercise Shantir Ogroshena 2021 (Front Runner of the Peace) in Bangladesh, along with Royal Bhutan Army, Sri Lankan Army & Bangladesh Army from April 4 to April 12." "The theme of the exercise is ''Robust Peace Keeping Operations''. Military observers from the US, UK, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise," it added.

Bangladesh celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence

Bangladesh is celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence in 2021, as well as the centenary of Rahman's birth. In recognition of their close relations, India is hosting a range of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the war that liberated Bangladesh in 1971.

On December 16, 1971, approximately 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian Army and the "Mukti Bahini," paving the way for the birth of Bangladesh. To mark the golden jubilee celebration of the independence of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited Bangladesh on March 26 and 27. During his visit, PM Modi paid a visit to the National Martyrs' Memorial in Dhaka's Savar Upazila and laid a wreath to remember those who martyred in the 1971 Liberation War.

(with inputs from ANI and PTI)

(Picture Credit: PTI)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 15:57:03|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Friday expressed condolences and sympathy to the casualties caused by a train derailment in Taiwan.

"The mainland is highly concerned about the rescue progress," said Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

A train derailed inside a tunnel in east Taiwan on Friday morning, resulting in at least four deaths and another 36 people showing "no signs of life," according to local authorities at midday on Friday. Enditem
Ghislaine Maxwell has so far unsuccessfully argued that her detention in a Brooklyn jail is harsh, harmful to her health and hinders her ability to adequately prepare for her trial scheduled for July. In her latest bid to be released on bail, the former girlfriend and alleged accomplice of deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein says that her confinement is also sexist.

Maxwell faces multiple charges related to the sex trafficking of minors and is accused of recruiting and grooming four girls allegedly abused by Epstein between 1994 and 2001. She is accused of participating in the abuse of one of the girls herself. She also faces two perjury charges.

If convicted, Maxwell, 59, potentially faces decades in prison, and federal prosecutors have previously argued that the combination of the potentially lengthy sentence and Maxwells access to great wealth make her a flight risk. She also holds citizenship to both England and France, the latter of which doesnt extradite citizens to the United States.

THREE BIDS

Maxwell has made three bids to be released, offering to put up a bail package worth $28.5 million in money and assets belonging to her and family and friends, to be confined to a residence in New York with one of her lawyers and to renounce her citizenship. So far, none of the offers have swayed U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, who is presiding over the case.

In an appeal to the rejection of her third bid for release, Maxwell points to a long list of prominent men facing similarly harsh sentences who were released on bail, including Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Bernie Madoff and Dominique Strauss-Kahn. One of the men cited, New York mafia boss John Gotti, was released on bail numerous times but was actually denied bail the last time he faced criminal charges in 1990. Gotti was subsequently convicted on multiple charges and died in federal prison 12 years later.

The filing, written by a new member of Maxwells legal team, Miami criminal defense attorney David Oscar Markus, doesnt explicitly mention the term sexism and it doesnt specifically say that her treatment constitutes a violation of the equal protection clause of the law.

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The truth is that wealthy men charged with similar or more serious offenses, many of whom have foreign ties, are routinely granted bail so that they can effectively prepare for trial, the filing reads. Ms. Maxwell is entitled to the same opportunity as male defendants to prepare her defense.

TWO PERSPECTIVES

Prominent Miami criminal defense attorney Jayne Weintraub, who has represented her fair share of high-profile clients, including Jose Canseco, Sean P Diddy Combs and George Zimmerman, agrees.

I think she makes a good point, Weintraub said. This is a case that demands hours and hours every day of reading all the discovery and documents that are being thrown at her by the government in addition to trying to find evidence to defend herself.

Weintraub doesnt see the harm in Maxwell being released on bail and sees her continuing confinement as a violation of her constitutional right to an adequate defense. Weintraub knows Maxwells new attorney Markus well and appeared on his criminal defense podcast earlier this year.

Wendy Murphy, a former state prosecutor in Massachusetts who teaches a course on sexual violence and the law, disagrees.

My argument would be that men who probably shouldnt have been released on bail arent enough to convince a court that a woman should be released on bail, she said.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epsteins alleged procurer of young women, was arrested July 2 in New Hampshire.

She points out that the appeal doesnt cite specific case law that would support overturning Maxwells detention based on a claim of sexism and argues that the best point of comparison is Epstein himself, who was held without bail when arrested in July 2019 on sex charges and found dead of suicide in his Manhattan jail cell one month later.

Even if you could make the argument that it creates the appearance of unfair treatment, the fact is Epstein wasnt released and shes basically Epsteins partner, Murphy said.

EPSTEINS ARREST

Epsteins arrest and subsequent death in 2019 came more than a decade after he received an extraordinarily lenient plea deal in Florida in connection with the sexual abuse of numerous girls. Epstein pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges  one for an underage girl  and ultimately served only 13 months in a county jail.

Epsteins plea deal formed the basis of the Miami Heralds 2018 Perversion of Justice series and the renewed attention to Epsteins plea deal helped lead to new federal sex charges against Epstein in 2019.

Maxwell is Epsteins one-time girlfriend turned employee and several of Epsteins alleged victims say she played a crucial role in finding girls and young women to meet Epsteins insatiable sexual appetite, scouring spas and schools for young women whom she groomed for Epstein to abuse under the guise of providing him massages.

She was arrested in July 2020, nearly a year after Epsteins arrest, on a 156-acre New Hampshire estate that had been purchased in late 2019 through a shell company and which Maxwell had toured using a pseudonym. Federal prosecutors have said that Maxwell initially resisted arrest and that she had taken various measures, including wrapping a cellphone in tin foil, to avoid detection.

Maxwell was denied bail and has been held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since being transported from New Hampshire.

HANNIBAL LECTER

In her appeal, Maxwells attorney says she is confined in conditions fitting for Hannibal Lecter, the fictional serial killer portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in the film Silence of the Lambs.

Maxwell is woken up multiple times throughout the night, according to the filing, and effectively kept in solitary confinement. Maxwell was placed in quarantine late last year after being exposed to COVID-19 in the facility. Maxwell ultimately tested negative and it isnt clear whether she is among the nearly 15% of inmates in the facility who have been vaccinated so far.

The filing says that Maxwell hasnt been able to properly able to prepare for her defense because COVID-19 risks have led to fewer visits with her lawyers and the computer she has access to at the facility doesnt allow her to search through the 2.5 million pages of potential evidence turned over by prosecutors. Officials from the facility have previously noted that Maxwell gets greater computer access than anyone else in the facility.

Whats more, Maxwells drinking water is cloudy and her food was being microwaved poorly, causing plastic to melt into it, the filing says, though the improper heating issue has apparently been resolved.

The filing argues, echoing the teams earlier filings, that Maxwell is being punished for Epsteins crimes and that her treatment in the jail is a direct response to Epsteins death while in custody.

The government only made these allegations after Epsteins inexplicable death at [the Metropolitan Correctional Center], the filing reads. She was charged as a substitute for Epstein.

The appeal has taken on a greater urgency after federal prosecutors filed a new indictment earlier this week adding the fourth alleged victim, who is alleged to have been abused between 2001 and 2004. While Maxwell is slated to go to trial in July, the new indictment raises the possibility that her trial date could be pushed back, and her legal team has given no indication that Maxwell is considering a plea deal with prosecutors.

Another of Maxwells attorneys, Bobbi Sternheim, filed a letter earlier this week in response to the new indictment arguing that bringing new charges against Maxwell just over three months before her trial is shocking, unfair, and an abuse of power.

Sternheim wrote in the letter that the new charges put Maxwell in the difficult position of choosing whether to request that the trial be pushed back, which would lengthen the time of her confinement in the Brooklyn facility, or trying to prepare for the new charges on an accelerated timeline. Sternheim wrote that Maxwell should be released from her BOP cage and argued that the court should be able to find suitable bail conditions for Maxwell that would clip her wings.
Natalie Portman seems to be quite the Ghostbusters fan, repeatedly wearing a T-shirt with the cult film's famous logo on it.

The 39-year-old Hollywood actress once again stepped out in her favourite tee in Sydney on Thursday.

The fresh-faced Thor star was spotted running errands in the white top, which she paired with denim cut-off shorts.

Who you gonna call? Natalie Portman seems to be quite the Ghostbusters fan, repeatedly wearing a T-shirt with the cult film's famous logo on it

Natalie has been seen wearing the T-shirt on multiple occasions while in Sydney, including while shopping for groceries and exploring the city with her family.

She also wore a pair of dark grey sneakers, and a yellow, black and white patterned bum bag sat loosely on her hips.

After allowing her shoulder-length brunette hair to air dry, Natalie soon tied it up in a messy bun at the back of her head.

Outfit repeater: The 39-year-old Hollywood actress once again stepped out in her favourite T-shirt in Sydney on Thursday

The Star Wars actress appeared makeup-free on the outing, showing off her flawless complexion.

She later returned to her car clutching her car keys in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other.

Natalie's been in Australia for the past seven months, filming the latest installment in the Thor franchise, Love and Thunder.

Keeping it short: The fresh-faced Thor star was spotted running errands in the white T-shirt, which she paired with denim cut-off shorts

There are even rumours the American actress could be looking to make Australia her permanent home after she was spotted inspecting a property in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Saturday with her husband, Benjamin Millepied.

The couple has been making the most of their downtime, and enjoyed a recent trip to the stunning Blue Mountains.

Natalie's parents, Shelley and Avner, have also joined her and her family, including her son Aleph, nine, and daughter Amalia, four, in Australia.
A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777 comes in over houses, to land at Heathrow airport in west London on June 8, 2020. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Four Countries Added to Englands COVID-19 Travel Ban List

England has expanded its COVID-19 travel ban, adding four countries to its red list to prevent new variants of the CCP virus from entering the country.

From 0300 GMT on Apr. 9, international visitors who have departed from or transited through the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya, and Bangladesh in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England, the UK Department for Transport (DfT) announced on Friday.

Travel Update To protect the UK vaccination programme against #COVID19 variants, the following countries have been added to the red list: Philippines

Pakistan

Kenya

Bangladesh Find out more about the latest travel update herehttps://t.co/9Tifn4UjHH#TravelSafely  Department for Transport (@transportgovuk) April 2, 2021

Englands red list already includes over 30 countries in southern Africa, South America, and the Middle East.

The additional restrictions are intended to reduce the risk of new variants of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virussuch as those first identified in South Africa and Brazilentering the country, DfT said.

Scientists are concerned that these new variants may be more transmissible and more resistant to antibodies, and could reduce the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock speaks during a COVID-19 press conference at Downing Street in London, on Jan. 25, 2021. (John Sibley  WPA Pool/Getty Images)

British and Irish citizens, or those with long-term residence rights in the UK, will be allowed to enter, but they must stay in a government-approved quarantine facility for 10 days.

They must enter the country through a designated port and have pre-booked a quarantine package to stay at one of the governments managed quarantine facilities.

They will also be required to take two COVID-19 tests on day two and day eight of the quarantine period, and will not be allowed to shorten their quarantine even if they test negative.

A woman gestures from her window towards reporters outside the Radisson Blu hotel after arriving at Heathrow airport, and now quarantining, in London, on Feb. 15, 2021. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Under the UK governments hotel quarantine rules, there will be a 1,000 ($1,378) penalty for any international arrival who fails to take a mandatory test.

Anyone who fails to take the second mandatory test will be fined 2,000 ($2,756) and have their quarantine period automatically extended to 14 days.

International arrivals who fail to quarantine in a designated hotel will face a 5,000 ($6,891) fine, rising to 10,000 ($13,782).

Under the rules announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, travellers who try to conceal that theyve been in a red list country in the 10 days before arrival in England will face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Six civilian members of an auxiliary force in Burkina Faso's anti-militants campaign were killed in an ambush late Thursday in the north of the country, local and security sources told AFP

Ouagadougou (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2021 ) :Six civilian members of an auxiliary force in Burkina Faso's anti-militants campaign were killed in an ambush late Thursday in the north of the country, local and security sources told AFP.

"Six were killed and another was wounded" in the attack at Dablo, an official with the Volunteers for the Defence of the Motherland (VDP) said Friday.

The group was ambushed as it was looking for a colleague who had gone missing in the village of Dou, the official said.

The death toll was confirmed by a security official, who said the security forces had launched operations to track down the assailants.

Burkina Faso, a poor, landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel, has been fighting a ruthless jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali in 2015.

More than 1,200 people have been killed and more than a million have fled their homes.
Cement maker Ltd on Friday said securities worth Rs 344 crore have been credited back to the account of its arm by Securities Services following an order of the

Mutual fund units of its two erstwhile subsidiaries were earlier "fraudulently and illegally transferred" by Allied Financial Services Pvt Ltd (AFSPL) "in collusion with Securities Services Limited (ISSL)", said in a regulatory filing.

The two subsidiaries were of Dalmia Bharat's step-down firm Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited (DCBL).

"We hereby further update that the said Securities of DCBL lying with ISSL were released in favour of DCBL and credited back to its account as per said order of the Supreme Court," it said.

Earlier on March 16, 2021, the had modified its previous order of August 2019 and had allowed the release of the securities.

The apex court had directed "release of the Mutual fund units of two erstwhile subsidiaries of DCBL, which is a subsidiary of the Company, valued at approx Rs 344 crore ('Securities') which were fraudulently and illegally transferred by AFSPL in collusion with Securities Services Limited (ISSL) and the same were lying with ISSL," it said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Burma Kachin Armed Group Attacks Factory Owned by Crony Close to Former Myanmar Junta

Yuzana Co Factory. / KDNG

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) carried out an arson attack on a plant of the Yuzana Co in Kachin States Hpakant Township early on Thursday, according to local residents. The company has been embroiled in disputes with local people over the confiscation of land in the Hukawng Valley.

The arson attack took place between 1 am and 2 am. I didnt hear gunshots. The employees inside the factory put out the fire. I could still hear the sound of burning in the morning, a resident who lives near the factory said on Thursday.

The plant which was attacked is located near Ledo in Hpakant and produces tapioca starch and sugar.

Some residents said the factory caught fire while KIA soldiers attacked the juntas security forces. But others said that they did not hear gunshots and that it was purely an arson attack. The KIAs Brigade 2 is active in Hpakant.

The Irrawaddy was unable to reach the KIA for comment. There were clashes between the Tatmadaw (Myanmars military) and the KIA in rural areas of Hpakant and Namti along the Ledo Road on Thursday.

The Yuzana Co was founded by Htay Myint, a businessman linked to the former junta that ruled Myanmar from 1992-2011.

Yuzana has confiscated over 300,000 acres of land in the Hukawng Valley in Hpakant and Tanai townships for cassava cultivation since 2006. The Hukawng Valley is known as the worlds largest tiger reserve.

Kachin residents of Wara Zup village lost their ancestral lands to the Yuzana Co. Their efforts to claim back the land have been met with threats and beatings by Yuzana Co employees in collusion with the local authorities.

Land confiscation has also affected hundreds of Kachin residents along the Ledo Road in Hpakant and Tanai townships. Many have lost their livelihoods along with their land.

The village administrators told me that the fire started around 1 am and that oil tanks were still burning in the morning. They said the oil tanks were bursting open, said Bauk Ja on Thursday. Bauk Ja is the vice chairwoman of a Kachin-based group which was formed to negotiate between the military council and anti-regime protesters in Kachin State,

She is also an activist who has acted for Wara Zup villagers in demanding farmland rights and compensation for confiscated land.

They still mistreat the local people. People are still suffering. The higher-level authorities may not know about it. But things havent changed on the ground. Yuzana Co employees have bullied the local villagers and they are arrogant and still threaten the people, Bauk Ja said.

The Irrawaddy was unable to contact Yuzana Co for comment. Local residents said they could hear oil barrels bursting in the factory until 2.30 pm on Thursday afternoon.

There have been only a few clashes in Kachin since 2018 and the Tatmadaw and the KIA were in the process of negotiating a ceasefire before the militarys Feb. 1 coup. But tensions were reignited after security forces shot dead three anti-regime protesters in the Kachin State capital Myitkyina during the second week of March.

As of March 11, the KIA has attacked military outposts and police stations in Hpakant, Bhamo, Injangyang, Waingmaw, Shwegu and Putao townships. On Monday, the Tatmadaw carried out airstrikes on battalions 11 and 14 of KIA.

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Gasoline, the primary transportation fuel, contains hydrocarbons with 5-11 carbons (C 5-11 ) and is almost derived from petroleum at present.

Gasoline can also be produced from non-petroleum syngas. Nonetheless, achieving high conversions of syngas to C 5-11 with excellent selectivity and stability remains a challenge.

A research group led by Prof. LIU Zhongmin and Prof. ZHU Wenliang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences realized highly efficient and selective conversion of syngas to gasoline-range liquid hydrocarbons over a dual-bed catalyst.

The study was published in Chem Catalysis on April 2.

This dual-bed catalyst, (CZA +Al 2 O 3 )/N-ZSM-5(97), consists of the conventional syngas-to-dimethyl ether catalyst CZA + Al 2 O 3 in the upper bed and a dimethyl ether-to-gasoline catalyst N-ZSM-5(97) in the lower bed.

The selectivity of C 5-11 and C 3-11 in the hydrocarbon products reached 80.6% and 98.2%, respectively, along with 86.3% CO conversion.

The catalyst exhibited excellent stability, and the iso/n-paraffin ratio in the C 5-11 products was up to 18. The nano-sized structure of N-ZSM-5(97) was beneficial for reducing coke and prolonging the lifetime; meanwhile, the low acid content of N-ZSM-5(97) was advantageous for increasing the C 5-11 selectivity.

Compared with the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process, this dual-bed syngas-to-gasoline (STG) process was more suitable for producing high-quality gasoline, along with the co-production of aromatic hydrocarbons.

###

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
New Delhi: In the first-ever official response to the influx of refugees from Myanmar, India on Friday (April 2) said that it is dealing with the situation "as per our laws and humanitarian considerations". Many states in India's northeast have witnessed an influx of refugees from Myanmar following the coup in the country on the 1st of February.

Chief Minister Mizoram, Zoramthanga, has urged the Centre to accept the incoming refugees from Myanmar, as many cross the international border. India is not a party to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol, therefore, the issue is dealt with administratively by New Delhi.

In response to a number of questions on the situation in Myanmar, the new spokesperson of India's ministry of external affairs Arindam Bagchi said, "We condemn any use of violence. We believe that the rule of law should prevail. We stand for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar."

Reiterating New Delhi's stance, he called for "release of political prisoners" and extended support to "any attempts at resolving the current situation, including through the efforts of ASEAN", adding that India has been engaging with its "international interlocutors and at the UN Security Council in an effort to play a balanced and constructive role."

The situation in Myanmar has deteriorated in a major way, with an increased level of violence and deaths and internet shut down. The issue has been discussed several times at the United Nations Security Council.

Asked about the Indian Defense Attache's (DA) presence at an event of Myanmar Military, the MEA spokesperson said, "we have a functioning embassy in Myanmar. Our ambassador, defense attache, and other diplomatic officers continue to discharge their regular diplomatic responsibility. Nothing more should be read into this event" which saw Indian DA's attendance.

Live TV
As noted in Lady Whistledowns post, the shows second season will focus on the oldest of the Bridgerton clan, Anthony (played by Jonathan Bailey), and his quest for love. Based on the second book in Quinns series, titled The Viscount Who Loved Me, the new episodes will notably introduce the fan-favorite character Kate Sharma (played by Sex Education star Simone Ashley). Phoebe Dynevors Daphne Bridgerton (now Duchess of Hastings) will also return for the new season, but while Pages Simon will live on in the Bridgerton world as Daphnes husband, the character will not appear on screen.
Prior to Fake News and slanted news channels on television in the modern era there were also rumors about the paternity of the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, who has historically been credited with saving the country through his support of the Union in the Civil War (War to Suppress the Rebellious) and that his father was not Thomas Lincoln but was Abram Enloe.

The origin of the paternity story started in articles in the September 10 and 17, 1893 editions of the newspaper Charlotte Observer. After it got circulated several other Western North Carolina writers perpetuated the myth.

The most notable source was first published in 1899 by author James H. Cathy in his book entitled Truth is Stranger Than Fiction: True Genesis of A Wonderful Man based on Cathys research and that of one of the earlier writers in 1893 who was identified only as a Student of History.

The most recent reference to the shocking rumor was a Spring 2008 article in a two-page newsletter published by the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), Great Smoky Mountains Colloquy, Spring Volume 9, Number 1.

Other sources that discuss the paternity issue are: (1) Barton, William E. The Paternity of Abraham Lincoln. New York, George H. Doran Co. 1920 and (2) Coggins, James Caswell. Abraham Lincoln: A North Carolinian: A True and Thrilling Story Never Before Published Told by a Third Cousin of President LincolnA Buncombe County, North Carolina Tradition. Asheville Advocate Pub. Co. 1925. Later reprinted as Abraham Lincoln: A North Carolinian with Proof 1927 by author J. C. Coggins; The Tarheel Lincoln by authors Jerry Goodnight and Richard Eller, 2003 and Goodnights individual writing, Searching for Lincoln, 2008.

Bostic, North Carolina around February 12, 2009 made a claim that their town was the original birthplace of Abe Lincoln and conducted a festival commemorating his illegitimate arrival on the alleged 200th Anniversary of his birth.

Bostic is located in Rutherford County about 50 miles east of Hendersonville near the North Carolina  South Carolina border and can be reached easily on Interstate 26 and then on Highway US 74.

The town has created the Bostic Lincoln Center as a museum that was initially housed in a building that was once the railroad ticket office at the train depot in Bostic. It contains Lincoln memorabilia including books and materials that describe Enloe-Lincoln and book signings by authors on the subject have been held there.

There has been discussion over the years to have DNA testing of both Lincoln and Enloe descendants.

The Bostic Lincoln Center has been advertised as part of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and visitors to North Carolina Welcome Centers have been given advertising material making the public aware of its existence. It is located at 112 Depot Street, Bostic, N.C. 28018 Phone (828) 245-9800.

Abram Enloe was a resident of the village of Oconoluftee in Swain County in western North Carolina at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Around 1800 Abram Enloe had in his house a 10-12-year-old orphan servant named Nancy Hanks as well as a legitimate daughter also named Nancy.

Unfortunately, daughter Nancy Enloe eloped with a man with the last name of Thompson to Kentucky against the wishes of her family.

After their daughter left, they discovered that servant Nancy Hanks was pregnant and had a child in either the Enloe home or at a neighbors as rumor number one. The additional allegation was that Abram Enloe was the father of Nancy Hanks' child.

A second version of Nancy Hanks pregnancy was that she was removed from the Enloe home prior to the birth of her son (Abe Lincoln?).

In the meantime Nancy Enloe Thompson returned from Kentucky and made amends with her family and, when she left western North Carolina to return to Kentucky, she took Nancy Hanks, who was either pregnant or had just delivered a son with her. (Abe Lincoln has historically been claimed by Kentucky as a native son by birth).

After Nancy Hanks was taken to Kentucky, she met and married Thomas Lincoln who has always been identified as the late President's father.

What are alleged factors that support the theories that Abram Enloe was Abraham Lincoln's father:

1. The obvious similarity in the first names.

2. The similarity of both men being tall with dark hair.

3. The facial resemblance of several of the 16 children of Abram Enloe including Wesley Enloe and Wesleys daughter, Julia as shown in photos reproduced in Catheys book.

4. Second and third hand hearsay information, if true might be corroborative evidence.

5. Two stories were allegedly told to a local merchant, Joseph R. Collins, from Judge Gilmore of Texas of a conversation with traveling salesman Phillip Wells who often stayed with Abram Enloe. The two-part story that Wells told to author Cathy was that: (a) he and his wife were having problems over the servant girl, Nancy Hanks; and (b) Enloe told Wells that he had sent Nancy Hanks to a family near Jonathan Creek (locations in both North Carolina and Kentucky) to have her baby which she named Abraham; and

6. According to the hearsay accounts of Phillip Wells, Nancy Hanks and her baby were sent to live with relatives in Beechland, Kentucky in Washington County where she met and married Thomas Lincoln, the acknowledged father of Abraham Lincoln.

Other unusual coincidences are that when Abraham Lincolns alleged father, Thomas Lincoln, passed away on January 17, 1851 at the age of 73, the future president did not attend the funeral. On October 5, 1818 his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died at the age of 34 from a disease caused by drinking milk from cows which had grazed on poisonous white snakeroot. In later years Abraham Lincoln allegedly would recall helping to carve pegs for his mothers coffin.

On February 12, 1809, at the Sinking Spring Farm on Nolin Creek near Hodgenville, Kentucky Abraham Lincoln was allegedly born on a bed of poles covered with corn husks.

Conspiracy theories about presidents' lives and deaths have existed throughout history.

Political campaigns up to the present have a way of providing colorful (and often false) news fodder to the hungry public of America!

Portions of this article should be credited to author Wally Avett of Murphy, North Carolina from one of his several books about the history of the adjoining states of Tennessee and North Carolina. It was written in 2017 under the title of Real Mountain Tales.

* * *

Jerry Summers



(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

Cancel Earth Day! The World Needs a Mars Day Instead

April 1 , 2021 (EIRNS)President Joe Biden has invited forty heads of state to attend a virtual summit hosted by Washington on April 22-23, to celebrate Earth Day by ringing in a new era of global Green deindustrialization and depopulation under the guise of achieving zero carbon emissionswhatever that is supposed to meanby 2050.

It cant be done, and it is not going to work. Already one of Indias top climate-change experts and Member of the PMs Council on Climate Change, Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, has stated that India should pay lip service to the global goals, but absolutely cannot be bound by them in their own country, because they are a developing nation that must grow or perish.

The same holds for Bidens $2.2 trillion infrastructure and jobs bill, which the Washington Post today confided has little to do with infrastructure, and everything to do with imposing a dramatic downshift of the energy technological platform, designed to bring about a new medieval era of solar and wind energy. The linchpin of Bidens plan ... is the creation of a national standard requiring utilities to use a specific amount of solar, wind and other renewable energy. This, the Post chuckles, would amount to the most sweeping federal intervention in the electricity sector in generations.

But that also cant be done, and its not going to work. Already the spokesman for Edison Electric Institute, the power sectors biggest trade association, stated that they will be glad to review any proposed clean energy standard closely, but they will not agree to this undermining the affordability and reliability our customers value. You can expect all sorts of manufacturing, trade union, and other professional and business groups to oppose the Green New Deal, as it becomes obvious that it means returning the United States to medieval technologies, and associated medieval levels of population.

The LaRouche Organizations newly-released pamphlet The Great Leap Backward: LaRouche Crushes the Green New Deal Fraud, reveals in detail the nightmare that the adoption of such policies would unleash. But, crucially, it also presents what none of the other critics know how to address: the substantive global solutions to the breakdown crisis, as American economist and statesman Lyndon LaRouche and his associates have detailed them over decades. All of these programmatic proposals hinge on the United States joining with Chinas Belt and Road Initiative to cooperate on great infrastructure projectson this planet, and beyond on the Moon, Mars, and the rest of the Solar System.

So, it would be a much better idea for Narendra Modi of India, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Xi Jinping of China to invite Joe Biden to join them in a summit meeting of these Four Powers on the sidelines of the April 22-23 virtual summit. They could use the occasion to discuss the truly pressing crises facing the planetthe COVID pandemic, the economic collapse, the threat of regional and world warand the needed solutions, including international cooperation on Mankinds next scientific and technological frontier: fusion power-driven space exploration and colonization.

That way Earth Day could be transformed and properly replaced by Mars Day.
Mumbai, April 2 : Kangana Ranaut prepared for the song "Chali chali" in "Thalaivi" for almost a month before shooting it, says the film's "Thalaivi".

Kangana plays late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa in the film, and the director says the shoot was perfect because of the abundant time they spent at rehearsals.

"Jayalalithaa ji's persona on screen was alluring and it was a great responsibility to recreate the same in 'Thalaivi'. However, given the strong screen presence of our very own four-time National Award winner Kangana ji, she worked really hard and rehearsed the song almost for a month to get utmost perfection and the shoot unfolded quite smoothly," he says.

The song recreates the commencement of Jayalalithaa's cinematic journey before she entered politics. The director says that a lot of research was done to make sure that the song is perfect.

"Jayalalithaa ji was the ruling superstar of Tamil cinema, one of the earliest reigning queens of romance and a legend who is still loved and respected dearly. We did extensive research to understand the looks and feels of the films of Jayalalithaa ji and accordingly attempted to replicate the same on screen," he says.

Thalaivi is slated to release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on April 23.
The restaurant and retail business continues to evolve across the Charleston region with one venue closing, four others in the works and another relocating.

South of Summerville, the only restaurant in the developing Summers Corner community will soon turn out the lights.

Corner House Cafe at 1609 Beech Hill Road is slated to close April 3, according to a shop owner Jacki Mariest.

Mariest said she was notified by a lawyer with homebuilder Lennar, which owns and is developing Summers Corner, in early March that the company would not be renewing her lease when it expires in June. Rather than wait until then, and to give her 10 employees an earlier chance to land a new job, Mariest said she decided to go ahead and close.

Mariest said Lennar did not offer a reason for not renewing the lease after the restaurant's nearly four years at the location.

"A lot of homeowners are real upset because this was one of their amenities," Mariest said.

A Lennar representative did not offer a reason for not renewing the lease but said a new occupant could be announced soon.

"We have a number of prospective new tenants we believe will be embraced and enjoyed by the community," said Jason Byham, Charleston division president. "We have no intention of leaving it vacant."

In a Facebook post, Mariest thanked her customers for their support over the past four years.

"You have always stood by our side, especially during COVID," she said. "We are not closing due to COVID or a lack of community support."

An online petition to try to change the landlord's mind had garnered roughly 2,000 signatures by March 30.

Lennar has about 500 houses in Summers Corner with another 100 under construction and hundreds more planned, Byham said.

What's cooking?

A Mount Pleasant restaurant and bar that's been closed since last summer plans to welcome customers once again.

Mainland Container Co. plans to reopen by the end of April at 1528 Ben Sawyer Blvd., a restaurant representative said.

Under new ownership, a company called BCG Holdings LLC recently applied for a state permit to sell alcohol on site. The property has been undergoing a mild facelift. New wooden fencing was recently installed around the patio area.

The restaurant representative said more information will be announced soon.

Also, a brewing company plans to open in the former Kickin' Chicken restaurant site in downtown Charleston.

King Street Brewing Co. LLC has applied for a license to see beer, wine and liquor at 337 King St., between Calhoun and George streets.

The firm is associated with Nate Tomforde, owner of Pour Taproom at 560 King St. Tomforde did not respond for further comment on an opening time frame.

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Kickin' Chicken moved out of the proposed bar location last April after 21 years on King Street. It plans to reopen in a new site by July on the upper peninsula in a reworked former automotive garage at 45 Romney St. near the Charleston Tech Center.

And in Mount Pleasant, Second State Coffee is planning to open a new shop.

The cafe is upfitting a space at 1410 Shucker Circle next to apparel shop Love Bella in Oyster Park. It also plans to serve beer and wine.

Second State has two other locations: at 766 S. Shelmore Blvd. in Mount Pleasant and at 70 Beaufain St. in downtown Charleston.

In northern Mount Pleasant, another restaurant is on the way.

Emoji Poke recently leased 1,255 square feet in The Bend at Carolina Park. It plans to open in the spring of 2022 in the developing strip center at Faison Road and Park Avenue Boulevard across from Costco Wholesale, according to the commercial real estate firm Belk|Lucy.

It will be located between The Front Porch Coffeehouse & Creamery and Blue Sky Endurance, which recently signed leases as well.

Relocating

A decade-old gift and furniture shop plans to relocate in Mount Pleasant.

Coralberry Cottage will build a new facility at 1135 Chuck Dawley Blvd. It currently operates at 976 Houston Northcutt Blvd. in Northcutt Plaza.

The current lease expires in June and, until the new building is constructed, the business plans to operate virtually when it moves out of the shopping center, according to Rutledge Carter, who co-owns the business with Melissa Hempstead and Liz Baker.

The new site, next to Clay Cottage and Art Studio, also has three small apartments that will remain and be called Indigo Studios.

Carter said they hope to be in the new location by the end of the summer, adding the project has been held up by a number of factors, including the coronavirus.

Getting fit

A Chicago-area fitness franchise is bringing its first South Carolina location to the Lowcountry.

Franchisee John Youngblood will open Spenga in a 4,000-square-foot space in the Publix-anchored Queensborough Shopping Center in Mount Pleasant by late summer, according to Jeff Yurfest with The Shopping Center Group.

Spenga, combining spin, strength training and yoga and also forming the brand name, will be located in three of the four available spaces in the recently completed building where Maple Street Biscuit Co. opened in December at 996 Johnnie Dodds Blvd.

Youngblood plans to be open by mid-August after upfitting of the space is completed. Future Spenga sites are planned for northern Mount Pleasant, James Island, Summerville and West Ashley.

Also, a new boutique fitness studio is opening on Johns Island.

Everybody Zen Yoga & Fitness tentatively plans to move in April 1 to a 2,000-square-foot space at 1715 Hollydale Court at Maybank Landing, according to the commercial real estate firms NAI Charleston and ERA Wilder Realty.
This is the moment a 'tired' nursing school student in Mexico injected a 94-year-old woman with an empty syringe instead of giving her a COVID-19 vaccine.

Video of the incident went viral after it was posted on social media last Saturday, prompting health officials in the northwest state of Sonora in Meixco to launch an emergency search for the elderly woman to ensure she was properly vaccinated.

The nursing student, whose name was withheld by Sonora state health authorities, is seen in the video telling the woman in Spanish, 'you're going to feel just a small pinch, OK.'

A nursing school student volunteering at a vaccination site in Sonora, Mexico, apologized after he was caught on video prepping to use an empty syringe on a 94-year-old woman who was expecting to receive a COVID-19 vaccination shot. The Sonora state health department located the elderly woman and vaccinated her

A volunteer nursing school student mistakenly used an empty syringe and jabbed an elderly woman who was expecting to get a dose of a coronavirus vaccine shot in Mexico. Sonora Heath Secretary deputy Jorge Tadeei said the student did it because he was reportedly tired

He then says to her, 'one, two, a pinch,' and proceeds to drive the needle into her left arm.

'It's done,' he says before the video cuts off.

Sonora Heath Secretary deputy Jorge Tadeei assured local reporters that the student, who was volunteering at the vaccination site, never intended to jab the woman with the empty syringe.

'We contacted the guy, who offered an apology. It is a human error. He did it because of fatigue,'' Tadeei said.

'The guy attributes it to human error. He apologized and we also offer one, too. The lady was located and the vaccine was applied, which is what really worries us.'

Tadeei said the health department was thankful that the incident was caught on video, but at the same time said the footage was 'something malicious' that was being utilized as propaganda against the federal government.

A nursing school student volunteering at a vaccination site in northwestern Mexico applies an empty syringe to a woman who thought she was being vaccinated for the coronavirus

Mexican authorities in recent months have dealt with a wide range of scandals tied to the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials in the state of Campeche opened an investigation last week after newspaper Reforma reported that more than 1,000 workers at a factory were injected with fake Sputnik V vaccine shots that had been obtained by a Honduras-based textile company.

The same company is also under investigation after customs and military soldiers discovered 1,555 fake vials of the Sputnik V coronavirus immunization shot hidden in a cooler on a private plane moments before it was set to take off for the Central America nation a week earlier.

In late February, United Nations officials in Mexico issued a warning about a criminal organization that was making phone calls to offer the COVID-19 vaccine for sale.

A clinic in the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon was shut down in mid-February after fake Pfizer vaccines were administered to at least 80 patients who had paid as much as $2,000 per dose.

World Health Organization data shows that at least 6.2 million people have been vaccinated in Mexico.

According to John Hopkins University, the country has tallied 203,664 confirmed COVID-19 deaths as of Friday. However, the government estimates more than 322,000 deaths.

The government has reported 12,839,844 confirmed cases.
Dr Pham Van Phuc has been honored as one of the 10 outstanding young faces of Hanoi in 2021.

Dr Pham Van Phuc

Phuc, a physician at the Intensive Care Department at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, works eight hours a shift in a protective suit in rooms with no electric fans or air conditioners that have been turned off to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

After his shift, the young doctor's clothes are often soaking wet, especially in the summer.

One day in early March last year, when just starting the morning shift, Phuc was informed that two severely ill patients would be transferred from the Department of Emergency to the Department of Intensive Care, and that other patients needed to be relocated.

There were 10 patients at the intensive care unit at that moment. And we had to race against the clock to do a lot of work to prepare for this, from following procedures to relocateming patients, to preparing medical equipment ready for the treatment, Phuc said.

One of them was a 69-year-old British man, and the other was patient No 19. Both of them had to be put on a ventilator.

The condition of the other patient No 19 worsened very quickly, and he needed ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) intervention just after three days. The pathogenesis of Covid-19 had not been fully discovered by that time, so the treatment plans were unclear. Phuc became anxious as no improvement could be seen day after day.

Dr Pham Van Phuc, a physician at the Intensive Care Department at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, works eight hours a shift in a protective suit in rooms with electric fans or air conditioners that have been turned off to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The struggle for the life of patient 19 became fierce when he fell into cardiac arrest. Phuc received an emergency call about the cardiac arrest when he was sleeping and then rushed to the hospital to save the patient.

After electric shock and constant pressure on the heart, the patient had a heartbeat, but then lost the heartbeat again. After the second electric shock, the heart beat for 5 minutes but cardiac arrest occurred again. And the third time, the same thing happened. But physicians did not give up.

The situation was so bad that we thought of the worst scenario, giving the bad news to his family. However, we kept struggling, he recalled.

After 45 minutes of pressure on the heart, the patient gradually improved and physicians thought they saw a light at the end of tunnel.

That night, Phuc and his colleagues spent a sleepless night, checking all documents and analyzing test results, trying to find the reasons behind the cardiac arrest.

Phuc said he often could not sleep when he felt stressed. He did not sleep even though he was not on duty. At some moments, he experienced serious stress, sitting in a corner of the room, raising a lot of questions to himself.

The young physician was only able to escape the stress when the patient became better.

Phuc said he and his colleagues' happiest feeling is knowing that all critically ill Covid patients have been saved at the unit.

However, he understands that the pandemic is still complicated with new virus variants appearing. So he is ready for the next treatment campaign.

Home life

Phuc once stayed at the hospital for two consecutive months when the Department of Intensive Care began receiving patients. After that, he returned home and relaxed before returning to the hospital to continue his work.

For the last year, Phuc has spent more time at hospital than at his home. His wife has to undertake all the work when Phuc is at hospital.

My daughter is two years old and she often falls sick. My wife alone has to take care of my daughter and I could not do anything to help. I feel guilty about that, Phuc said.

After graduating from Hanoi Medical University, Phuc passed the exam to become a resident physician majoring in infectious and tropical diseases at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases and has been working there since.

Phuc said he dreamed of becoming a physician in childhood when he often witnessed his father falling sick. He chose to work in an intensive care unit because of the happiness he feels saving critically ill patients.

I see patients with multidrug-resistant bacteria or critical AIDS patients with almost no chance of survival. And there are patients refused by other hospitals. But they were still saved here, and I felt very happy, he said.

This is what keeps me in this job, he said.

Phuc said he was surprised when he was honored as one of the 10 outstanding young faces of Hanoi in 2021. He said that all of his colleagues are excellent in research and treatment of patients.

Nguyen Lien

Young doctor at COVID-19 frontline honoured among Vietnamese outstanding youth At just 32-years-old, Dr Tran Anh Tu is one of the youngest members of a special team of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
London, April 2 : A London Metropolitan Police officer has been found guilty after acting as a recruiter for a banned neo-Nazi terrorist group, local media reported.

Benjamin Hannam, 22, is the first police officer in Britain to be convicted of involvement in far-right terrorism, Xinhua news agency.

Hannam was arrested in March last year before being found guilty by the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London, known as the Old Bailey, for being a member of National Action, a proscribed terrorist organization, along with two counts of possessing documents useful for terrorism and for fraud.

He was released on conditional bail ahead of sentencing on April 23.

"Obviously there will be some concern that somebody who was a member of a group like National Action was able to become a member of Metropolitan Police Service but once we had identified that fact we acted very swiftly," Commander Richard Smith, head of the Counter-Terrorism Command of the Scotland Yard (metonym for the headquarters of the Met Police), told Sky News on Thursday.

"Clearly having a mindset of that type is completely incompatible with being a police officer," Smith said.

"We are highly concerned that we have a serving police officer who has previously been a member of a proscribed organisation such as National Action and we have followed every line of inquiry as you would expect us to do so." After Hannam's arrest, police found an image on his iPhone showing him in police uniform, with a Hitler-style mustache superimposed on his face and a Nazi badge on his lapel.

He was also found to have downloaded a copy of the "manifesto" of the right-wing extremist Anders Breivik, who murdered more than 70 people, mostly children, in bomb and gun attacks in Norway in 2011.

The document included bomb-making instructions and "exhaustive justifications for his mass-casualty attacks", according to prosecutors.

Hannam joined the Metropolitan Police, the police service for the Greater London area, in March 2018.
(Reuters) -The U.S. drug regulator gave Moderna Inc clearance to speed up output of its COVID-19 vaccine by letting it fill a single vial with up to 15 doses, with the United States banking on rapid immunisation to stem the spread of the deadly virus.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also authorized vaccinators to extract a maximum of 11 doses from the current vials, instead of the ten previously permitted.

In a statement, Moderna said its vaccine can now can be supplied in vials containing 11 or 15 doses, and it expected to begin shipping 15-dose vials in coming weeks.

"Both of these revisions positively impact the supply of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, which will help provide more vaccine doses to communities and allow shots to get into arms more quickly," Peter Marks, director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said.

However, the regulator also warned that without proper syringes and needles it may not be possible to extract more that 13 doses from Moderna's 15 dose vials, and more than 10 doses from the current vials.

Moderna has supplied 100 million doses of its vaccine to the United States as of March 29. Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson's shots are the other two vaccines approved in the country.

With rising cases and several states even lifting mask mandates and with more infectious variants also spreading, health authorities are hoping that the contracts it struck with the currently approved vaccine makers will be enough for its entire population.

U.S. top infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci told Reuters on Thursday that the country may not need AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine even if it wins U.S. regulatory approval.

(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V & Simon Cameron-Moore)
A voter casts a ballot at a polling station in Seoul, Friday. Voters in Seoul and Busan headed to polling stations as a two-day early voting period began, ahead of the April 7 by-elections for mayors of the two cities. Yonhap



Voters in Seoul and Busan headed to polling stations early Friday as a two-day early voting period kicked off ahead of next week's by-elections for mayors of the country's two biggest cities.



Early voting began at 6 a.m. in the morning and will last till Saturday evening at 722 polling stations in Seoul, Busan and other regions ahead of the election day on Wednesday. Besides the two mayoral seats, two regional administrative posts and 17 seats on regional legislative councils are also up for grabs.



In the first hour of early voting, 36,949 of the total 12.16 million eligible voters cast ballots, accounting for a turnout rate of 0.3 percent as of 7 a.m., according to the National Election Commission.



In Seoul with some 8.4 million eligible voters, the turnout rate for the mayoral poll came to 0.33 percent, whereas the corresponding rate reached 0.27 percent for the Busan mayoral poll for which slightly more than 2.9 million voters are qualified to cast ballots.






Northern Irelands political leaders have appealed for calm after 15 PSNI officers were injured during rioting in Belfast which saw loyalist youths clash with police.

Eight people - two of them aged just 13 and 14 - were arrested following the disorder, which flared in the Shaftesbury Square area on Friday night.

Petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks were thrown at police lines with a crowd of up to 200 people involved in the disturbances, which followed a protest advertised on social media earlier in the day.

This afternoon Belfast District Commander Chief Superintendent Simon Walls said the injuries to officers included burns, head and leg injuries, and strongly condemned the appalling behaviour.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Rioting erupts in the Sandyrow area of south Belfast on April 2, 2021 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Rioting erupts in the Sandyrow area of south Belfast on April 2, 2021 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Rioting erupts in the Sandyrow area of south Belfast on April 2, 2021 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph (Picture by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph (Picture by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph (Picture by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook

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Whatsapp Rioting erupts in the Sandyrow area of south Belfast on April 2, 2021 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Mr Walls said he recognised there were significant tensions and unease in some communities but appealed for calm.

The rioting comes amid growing anger within loyalism around post-Brexit trading arrangements, and controversy over a decision not to prosecute 24 Sinn Fein politicians for attending the Bobby Storey funeral during Covid-19 restrictions.

This is in no-one's best interests - not the officers dealing with it and not the mostly young people risking their futures by engaging in it.



It's incumbent on leaders to behave responsibly and dial down the inflammatory rhetoric over recent days.



Words have consequences. https://t.co/HueRap9JIg  Naomi Long MLA (@naomi_long) April 2, 2021

First Minister Arlene Foster warned young people not to get "drawn into disorder, an appeal echoed by Secretary of State Brandon Lewis, who said the violence was completely unacceptable.

Mrs Foster said: I know that many of our young people are hugely frustrated by the events of this last week but causing injury to police officers will not make things better.

"I appeal to our young people not to get drawn into disorder which will lead to them having criminal convictions and blighting their own lives.

Mr Lewis said: The unrest we saw last night is completely unacceptable. Violence is never the answer. There is no place for it in society. It is unwanted, unwarranted and I fully support the PSNI appeal for calm. My thoughts are with the officers injured.

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland said that "once again the outworkings of political flux in Northern Ireland results in our colleagues being attacked. It Tweeted: No excuse for violence, and condemnation across the political spectrum would be welcome.

In scenes reminiscent to the 2012 flag protests, loyalists gathered in a series of locations on Friday to hold mini demonstrations.

Sad to see disorder in Sandy Row. Usual suspects with no vision whip up tension for electoral gain, which they never use to improve life for those they pretend to represent. History repeats, people lose hope, kids get criminal records, communities pull apart. Thereas a better way  Claire Hanna (@ClaireHanna) April 2, 2021

The largest crowd was reported at the corner of Sandy Row and Shaftsbury Square in Belfast.

Police were forced to close off Shaftsbury Square and the Donegall Road to facilitate the protest, which soon turned violent.

Speaking this afternoon, Chief Superintendent Walls said what had started as a small local protest quickly developed into an attack on police.

He added: A total of 15 officers were injured after being subjected to a sustained attack by rioters who threw a number of objects at police, including heavy masonry, metal rods, fireworks and manhole covers. Their injuries include burns, head and leg injuries. As a result we now have four officers who cannot report for duty as a result of their injuries.

Mr Walls continued: The majority of those involved in the disorder last night were young people. In fact two of the eight people arrested were two young boys aged 13 and 14. By engaging in this type of behaviour they are not only risking their safety, they are also risking their futures.

Mr Walls concluded: I understand there are significant tensions and unease in some communities. My job is to keep people safe and I would ask that anyone who has any influence in communities  whether parents, guardians, community or elected representatives  please, use that influence to ensure young people are kept safe and away from harm.

Local communities deserve to live in safe and peaceful areas, free from rioting and violence.

Today politicians from all the main parties condemned the violent scenes.

Naomi Long, the Justice Minister, said: This is in no-one's best interests - not the officers dealing with it and not the mostly young people risking their futures by engaging in it.

It's incumbent on leaders to behave responsibly and dial down the inflammatory rhetoric over recent days. Words have consequences.

Profoundly disappointed and saddened by the scenes taking place in Belfast this evening.



And for what reason?



Some politicians in Northern Ireland should hang their head in shame for leading us to this.  Councillor Peter McReynolds (@cllr_petermcrey) April 2, 2021

DUP MLA Christopher Stalford, whose constituency office is in Sandy Row, said everyone must "abide by the law.

In a reference to controversy around Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill and her attendance at the funeral of senior IRA figure Bobby Storey last June, he said: Given the actions of the deputy First Minister, some folks may believe that they can break the rules. That is not the case - two wrongs don't make a right.

The vast majority of people involved in this incident were under the age of 18. I do not want to see young people, acting out of frustration at recent developments, landing themselves in trouble with the law and ending up with criminal records.

Steve Aiken, the UUP leader, pleaded for those involved to "please stop this violence.

He said: It will not achieve anything, and undermines the legitimate concerns that you have and is damaging our own communities.

UUP Policing Board member Mike Nesbitt said: That riot did not just happen. Someone planned it, someone encouraged people onto the streets.

I challenge them to explain a strategy that portrays loyalists and unionists as law-breakers, prepared to attack the PSNI, injure officers and frankly take the focus off Sinn Fein and the republican movement.

"The history of street violence is unambiguous. It does nothing to advance our cause. It is a huge mistake and should not be repeated.

South Belfast MP Claire Hanna said it was "sad to see disorder in Sandy Row, and blamed what she described as "usual suspects with no vision" for creating "tension for electoral gain.

"History repeats, people lose hope, kids get criminal records, communities pull apart. There's a better way," she said.

Expand Close (Picture by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook

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Sinn Fein MP Paul Maskey also condemned the trouble.

This evening we have unfortunately seen running skirmishes between young people and the PSNI in the Sandy Row area following a protest that was organised by loyalists against the protocol," he said.

It is always sad to see young people being used by sinister elements to advance their regressive agenda.

It is also deeply concerning to see these types of incidents at the height of the Covid pandemic and as we are beginning to make good progress.

The DUP and political unionism are failing unionist working class communities through their dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric which has is continuing to lead to heightened tensions.

This is a time for calm heads and responsible leadership.

Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw said responsible leadership was required from all quarters to stop a repeat of the violence in Sandy Row.

Those engaged in rioting last night have achieved nothing other than bringing misery upon their own area, including the potential for criminal records harming future prospects. There is no future in this type of behaviour, she said.

She added: Political leadership requires the right decisions, not the easy ones.

It often means taking people to places where they are uncomfortable for the sake of the greater good. We are seeing very little of that currently, and it is resulting in serious harm.

Earlier on Friday, there had been fears that a protest planned for a volatile North Belfast interface would end in violence. North Queen Street, which links the nationalist New Lodge to the loyalist Tigers Bay is a notorious flashpoint.

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Despite being advertised by a loyalist Facebook page, there was no protest at the interface, however, police patrols were increased in the area.

Crowds of young people did clash at the Lanark Way interface in West Belfast with stones and bottles being thrown as local community workers tried to defuse the situation.

Protests were also advertised on Facebook to be held at a carpark in Ballymena, where several hundred people showed up. Police closed the road to traffic and observed the crowd.

Loyalist sources say the various protests were not organised by any one group and appeared to be driven by social media.

However, some expressed concerns that they were being promoted mainly by those who had previously been accused of orchestrating unrest in loyalist communities.

The sporadic calls for protest came after several nights of violence in the Waterside area of Derry.

Police were pelted with petrol bombs and masonry during disturbances in the area on Thursday night when a large group of youths gathered in the Rossdowney Road/Lincoln Court.

During the disorder a digger parked in the area was also set alight.

When police and the fire service responded they came under sustained attack.

Anti-PSNI graffiti has appeared in the area in recent days following the PPS decision not to prosecute any Sinn Fein representatives over their attendance at the funeral of Mr Storey.
At least 10 Indian-Americans, including a former Congressional candidate and a top doctor, are running for local elections in the area, reflecting the growing desire in the community to be part of the political process.

Five of the Indian-Americans running for local elections in the Land area are women. The elections are scheduled to be held on April 6. Early voting has already started.

Community leader Jitendra Diganvker is running for Maine Township highway commissioner to be a voice for taxpayers.

Dr Suresh Reddy, immediate past president of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin or AAPI, is running for a trustee seat in Oak Brook, a city located 15 miles west of the Loop.

Nimish Jani is running for Trustee of Schaumburg Township, while Syed Hussaini is a candidate for Trustee for Hanover Park township. Smitesh Shah is running for Clerk for Maine township.

Said to be a direct impact of Vice President Kamala Harris, the five-women candidates running for elections are Vasavi Chakka for Naperville City Council, Mehgana Bansal for Wheatland Township Trustee and Shweta Bair Aurora 10th Ward Alderman. Supna Jain and Saba Haider are running for District 204 School Board.

"This is for the first time that so many Indian-origin candidates are running for elections in Chicagoland for this upcoming Townships election. It's our time to serve for the community we live in," Diganvker told PTI. "It's important that Indian-Americans are represented in local body elections."



Diganvker emigrated to Des Plaines and Maine Township in 1999 and became a United States citizen in 2003. He was a GOP Congressional candidate against Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi a few years ago.

"If elected, my top priority will be to keep roadways open and safe, while also acting as a strong steward of hard-earned taxpayer funds. I plan to lower the tax levy over the next four years to reduce the excess of funds accumulated by my predecessors through over-taxation."



Reddy said he always had a strong passion for bringing a positive outlook and giving back to the community. In recent days, he has earned endorsements from Mayor of Oak Brook Dr Gopal Lalmalani and Trustee Moin Saiyed of Oak Brook.

"With the objective of giving back to the community, utilising my talents, skills and experiences for the greater good of the community, which has always been my passion, I have decided to run for political office: to be a trustee of my hometown," he said.

Meghna Bansal, who is running for the trustee position of Wheatland Township, has an MBA in Finance with IT Certifications and work as a finance executive in a global organisation.

She has been an integral part of Indian Community Outreach Organization (ICO) and has been involved in leading the women's wing, organising India Day festival and many other community and educational events.

Vasavi Chakka has been a seasoned senior IT management professional. In Naperville, she has served on the Chamber of Commerce's board and as a member of the Finance committee. She currently serves as a member of Business Works committee, which promotes and advocates for legislative interests on behalf of the local business community.

Active in the local Indian American community, Jani has been the chairperson of Indian American Republican Organization. He has a degree in physics and mathematics, and holds a diploma in journalism.

(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.)
Constance Demby, whose ethereal music, some of it played on instruments she designed, was much admired by New Age adherents, spiritual seekers and fans of electronica, died on March 19 in Pasadena, Calif. She was 81.

Her son and only immediate survivor, Joshua Demby, said the cause was complications of a heart attack.

Ms. Dembys 1986 album, Novus Magnificat: Through the Stargate, was a breakthrough for both her and the New Age genre, selling more than 200,000 copies, a substantial figure for that type of music. Pulse magazine named it one of the top three New Age albums of the decade and called it a landmark, full-length electronic symphony reminiscent of Baroque sacred music with crystalline effects that take you out of the realm of everyday experience.
analysis

Both federal and resistance forces are digging in for a lengthy battle in Ethiopia's Tigray region. Conditions for civilians are dire, with famine a growing danger. Outside powers should urge Addis Ababa to let more aid into the war zone, while maintaining pressure for talks.

What's new? War rages on in Ethiopia's Tigray region - with civilians bearing the brunt of a brutal conflict marked by atrocities. Under international pressure, Addis Ababa has offered concessions on aid access and pledged that Eritrean troops will withdraw. But prospects of a negotiated settlement appear dim.

Why does it matter? An entrenched Tigrayan resistance combined with Ethiopian and Eritrean authorities' determination to keep Tigray's fugitive leaders from power mean that the conflict could evolve into a protracted war. That would further devastate Tigray and greatly harm Ethiopia, the linchpin state in the Horn of Africa.

What should be done? With a decisive battlefield win for either side a remote prospect, parties should consider a cessation of hostilities that allows for expanded humanitarian aid access. This practical first step would reduce civilian suffering and ideally pave the way for a return to dialogue down the road.

I. Overview

Though Ethiopia's federal government claimed the war in the country's Tigray region was over in November, fighting continues - at great cost to a stricken population trapped in a multi-sided conflict. Tigray's ousted leadership appears to have consolidated its position in rural areas and its resistance commands support from a Tigrayan population that values the region's autonomy. As part of the federal war effort, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed enlisted forces from Eritrea and also from Ethiopia's Amhara region.

This move added to Tigrayans' sense of injustice and broadened backing for the rebellion, particularly as Eritrean and Amhara combatants stand accused of atrocities against civilians. While mounting evidence of abuses and international pressure have forced concessions from Addis Ababa, including an announcement that Eritrean forces will withdraw, the war looks set to continue. Led by the U.S., European Union, African Union and UN, external actors should press for a pause in the fighting as an urgent priority so as to allow increased aid delivery - and keep demanding that the parties pursue a negotiated settlement.

All sides in the conflict in Ethiopia's northernmost region appear to be girding for a protracted battle. The Tigrayan leadership, though driven from power in Mekelle, the region's capital, has rallied under the banner of the Tigray Defence Forces, an armed resistance group. It is led by the removed Tigrayan leaders and commanded by former high-ranking Ethiopian National Defence Force officers.

It currently operates primarily from rural areas in central and southern Tigray, while federal troops control the main roads and urban areas. Eritrean soldiers have their heaviest presence in northern Tigray and Amhara forces patrol western Tigray and the far south. All sides are fixated on securing a military victory.

None appears capable of achieving one in the near term. The Tigrayan resistance appears to enjoy broad support in the region, while federal authorities and their allies are determined to capture its leaders and put them on trial. The parties' positioning means that the conflict could well last for months, or even years, an outcome that would be even more disastrous for Tigray and the rest of the country.

Urgent measures are needed to stem the tragedy. Direct talks between the parties appear a distant prospect at present, given that Prime Minister Abiy rejects the notion of engaging Tigray leaders he portrays as traitors. For now, the U.S., EU, AU, UN Security Council and other actors should press for more limited but critical gains. Notably, they should demand a cessation of hostilities that at least allows for rapidly expanded aid delivery.

To stave off the risk of mass starvation it is critical that ploughing and planting take place as Tigray's rainy season arrives in the next few months. Addis Ababa should also tacitly allow aid groups to negotiate access to Tigray-held areas. Getting Eritrean forces out may not be easy, given Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki's apparent determination to crush the Tigrayan leadership, but Ethiopia's foreign partners should hold Abiy to his pledge that these forces will leave. First steps along these lines could - if all goes well - eventually usher in talks between the federal government and Tigrayan representatives.

II. An Entrenched Resistance

The war in Tigray has become a grinding stalemate. Neither side appears poised to achieve a definitive victory, despite the federal government's success in pushing Tigray's leadership out of Mekelle. The presence of Eritrean and Amhara forces fighting alongside federal soldiers has galvanised Tigrayan resistance to the intervention. On 26 March, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that Eritrean troops would withdraw "effective immediately".

These were welcome words, though it remains to be seen whether the soldiers will in fact depart. Nor is it clear that Eritrean forces can withdraw without giving a boost to the Tigrayan forces Addis Ababa is set on defeating. Amid international outcry, authorities have increased media and humanitarian aid access, while promising to probe atrocities. But outside parties' key demand - the withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces - will not be easy to achieve, given that one of the political imperatives that drew both these actors into the conflict, namely the elimination of Tigray's former ruling party as a political force, remains unmet.

After fleeing to rural areas, Tigray's fugitive leaders have dug in. Their campaign commands popular support, meaning that it will most likely endure. Meanwhile, the federal government has signalled its intent to keep pursuing a military victory. A drawn-out conflict would lead to even greater suffering for civilians, potentially subjecting those in inaccessible areas to mass starvation. It would also threaten Ethiopia's stability and potentially that of the Horn of Africa, given the country's pivotal position in the region.

The rival combatants' fortunes have waxed and waned over the past few months. In the early weeks of fighting, federal forces and their allies made rapid territorial advances, culminating when they ousted Tigray's government and took control of Mekelle on 28 November, just over three weeks after war broke out.

In December, the removed Tigrayan leadership went into survival mode, retreating to far-flung rural areas in the face of a drone-led aerial campaign that killed some leaders and destroyed military hardware commandeered from the federal army. To avoid detection, they shut down all external telecommunications and went to ground. Since December, however, their resistance has hardened. The Tigray Defence Forces appear to have established a foothold in rural central Tigray. Tigrayan media regularly report what they describe as victories by these forces over either the Ethiopian or Eritrean armies. These claims are hard to verify due to an internet blackout and access restrictions.

Broadly speaking, Tigray's territory is now a battleground for four different forces fighting on two sides. The Tigray Defence Forces are on one side. They hold territory in rural parts of Central Tigray Zone, as well as some areas of Eastern, South-eastern and Southern Tigray Zones.

Those forces are pitted against the Ethiopian military, which occupies towns and cities; Amhara regional forces, both regular and irregular, which patrol most of western Tigray and parts of southern Tigray; and the Eritrean army, which is present mostly in the northern sections of North-western, Central and Eastern Tigray Zones. In early 2021, the Eritreans have also fought further south, according to, among others, the UN.

Most of the combat over the past few months has occurred in central Tigray, where Tigrayan leaders fled from Mekelle, and increasingly in the two southern zones. For example, battles erupted in Samre district in South-eastern Zone on 14 February, and again in March, as well as further south in several locations (Tigrayan claims of the latter received rare corroboration from non-Tigrayan media on 14 March). From 9 to 12 February, a major clash broke out between Tigrayan and Eritrean forces to the north in the Werie Leke district of Central Tigray Zone.

February fighting between, on one side, Tigrayan forces and, on the other, Ethiopian and Eritrean forces also clustered around Abiy Adiy town, whose roads the UN says are inaccessible due to insecurity. More recently, the Ofla and Endamehoni districts in southern Tigray experienced heavy fighting, with Tigray forces' victory claims over Ethiopian and Eritrean troops contradicted by media that support the federal intervention. Tigrayan forces also staged a deadly attack inside Amhara region on 18 March.

International pressure appears to have contributed to a shift in Addis Ababa's public positioning on the presence of Eritrean troops. In the third week of March, U.S. President Joe Biden dispatched Senator Chris Coons to deliver a message to Prime Minister Abiy. A Democrat from Biden's home state of Delaware, Coons is close to the president and sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Shortly after the senator's visit, Abiy publicly acknowledged the Eritrean role for the first time. After making a trip of his own to Asmara on 26 March, the Ethiopian premier said Eritrean troops would withdraw.

The presence of Eritrean soldiers - and their reported role in atrocities in the course of the war - has inflamed Tigrayan popular sentiment. While getting the Eritreans out is critical, their exit could bring its own complications. It would give some respite to civilians who seem to have borne the brunt of Eritrean forces' violence and may win some political space for the interim administration, which has demanded that the Eritreans pull out.

But it could also relieve pressure on Tigray's forces and allow its emboldened leaders to claim they had forced the withdrawal, thus intensifying the conflict as they next seek to force a federal retreat. The Eritreans' continued presence, however, particularly if more atrocities ensue, would also strengthen Tigrayan resolve to fight on.

The incursion of Amhara combatants into Tigray has not helped, either. Amhara regional leaders say they have reclaimed territory that they contend the rebels-turned-rulers from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) snatched from Amhara hands as they consolidated their power in the early 1990s.

Even though the western areas are relatively quiet at present in terms of fighting, sustained Amhara control - or formal inclusion of the territory in Amhara region - could trigger years of instability as many Tigrayans, including top officials from the federally appointed interim Tigray government, strongly reject Amhara administration.

The Tigrayan armed resistance seems to have grown in strength, although it has still at times been under considerable pressure, even surrounded. Its commanders include former Chief of Staff General Tsadkan Gebretensae, who led the Ethiopian military into war with Eritrea from 1998-2000, and another, more recently retired former senior officer, Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede.

The Tigrayans appear to have held mostly central rural areas and claim to have been able to stand up to federal and Eritrean forces. The war began with Tigray's leaders capturing tanks, missiles and rocket launchers from the federal military, but that equipment was destroyed or discarded in the face of the aerial campaign. Now, Tigrayan forces are more mobile and lightly armed. While it is unclear how many fighters are involved, Tigrayan ranks are said to be swelling due to popular anger at the intervention, in particular at the atrocities allegedly committed against civilians.

Hundreds of Tigray's fugitive political and military leaders are still at large (including ousted Tigray President and TPLF chair Debretsion Gebremichael), with only around a third of those sought in custody. The Ethiopian government did not report having detained or killed any of the wanted leaders in February or March, again suggesting that the TPLF leadership has steadied its position.

Tigray's commanders claim they routinely capture and kill enemy combatants, and seize trucks, rifles and ammunition to sustain their rebellion. From the outset, senior TPLF figures said they do not need an external supply line (though they would like one), because the supportive population will provide food - even amid the shortages - and they can grab more materiel from their foes.

Federal authorities offer a strikingly different assessment of battlefield dynamics, however. In a 23 March address to parliament, Abiy cast the TPLF as an all-but-defeated force. "What I would like to tell the people of Tigray, the friends of Tigray and the honourable parliament is that the TPLF has now become like grain powder that has been dispersed by the wind. We can't collect it again and make it edible powder".

But in addition to the factors noted above that are fuelling the rebellion, there are other considerations suggesting that the war will continue. For one, a sizeable number of Tigrayans oppose the Eritrean and Amhara forces' presence and are outraged at the atrocities both are reported to have committed against civilians. The fury runs so deep that even the interim Tigray administration, appointed by the federal government, has expressed it. Still, that interim administration enjoys little support. Most Tigrayans back the ousted regional leadership.

Eritrean withdrawal would perhaps ease opposition to the interim administration, but it would be unlikely to dilute anger at the federal overthrow of Tigray's government or at the Amhara irredentism. Even more worryingly for long-term stability in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, many Tigrayans now voice support for secession from the Ethiopian federation. A sustained bid for independence would inflame the Amhara-Tigray territorial dispute and might destabilise Eritrea, causing many years of strife.

With the conflict still in the balance, it remains to be seen whether the federal military will seek to calm the situation somewhat by jettisoning its Eritrean and Amhara allies, thereby risking boosting Tigray's resistance. Even if it wishes to do so, Addis Ababa might find it challenging to move in this direction. Although his government has still not admitted its role, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has an opportunity to claim areas in northern Ethiopia granted to Asmara by a 2002 UN boundary commission decision that Addis Ababa refused to respect.

Moreover, the Eritrean leader has a longstanding ambition to cut the TPLF down to size. Isaias views Tigray leaders as ungrateful junior partners who turned Ethiopia's military against his regime in 1998 despite strong Eritrean support for the TPLF's rebellion against Mengistu Haile Mariam's military dictatorship. Eritrean troops' looting of Tigray could be seen as payback for the destruction Eritrea suffered in the 1998-2000 war, said a close observer, who dismissed the idea the Eritreans would pull out: "Isaias will not sleep until the TPLF is destroyed".

Additionally, federal forces' reliance on Eritrean support has grown amid Ethiopia's armed confrontation with Sudan over a disputed borderland. In mid-December, clashes broke out again in the al-Fashaga area along the Ethiopian-Sudanese border after Sudan's military - taking advantage of Ethiopia's distraction by the Tigray conflict - moved to control territory it claims Ethiopians occupied from the mid-1990s. The hostilities, which also have drawn in Eritrean forces, are of particular concern to Amhara leaders, as farmers from that region were evicted by Sudan's incursion. The border fight means that, for now, an Eritrean exit from Tigray would further stretch Ethiopia's military, unless Asmara repositions troops to Ethiopia's Sudanese border.

Another factor suggesting the conflict will continue is that the federal government has not fully achieved its key intervention objectives: to disarm the TPLF, prosecute all wanted Tigrayan leaders and re-establish a constitutional government in Tigray. With elections in Ethiopia (excluding Tigray) just over two months away, Abiy is likely to worry that he will look weak if he submits to talks with a fugitive Tigrayan leadership that his government has classified as treasonous.

Moreover, Abiy faces little domestic pressure to change course. The war in Tigray enjoys broad popular support in much of Ethiopia and, outside Tigray itself, Abiy has successfully cast the TPLF as villains who have been sowing the seeds of civil strife for the past two years. Nonetheless, whether Eritrean troops maintain a presence or not, Addis Ababa seems unlikely to dislodge the Tigray Defence Forces from rural areas and convince Tigrayans to curtail their support for the resistance. The sad reality is that the war looks set to grind on, probably for months, if not longer, absent significant action by outside powers to bring it to a close.

III. Civilians in the Firing Line

Conditions on the ground are dire. Aid agencies estimated on 5 March that 4.5 million people in the region, or more than two thirds of the population, needed emergency food supplies. The UN's humanitarian agency said the same number of people "have been without access to electricity, communications and other essential services for more than four months".

In March, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network projected that parts of eastern and central Tigray would suffer "emergency outcomes" - just below "famine" conditions - through at least September. Until February, the federal government was blocking media and aid agency access to Tigray. Although it has now relaxed these restrictions, progress has been slow, with aid workers expanding their operations only incrementally over the last few months.

Tigray suffers from chronic food shortages. Even before the war, these had been aggravated by the worst desert locust invasion in decades. Fighting then broke out around harvest time. The shutdown of telecommunications, closure of banks and, seemingly primarily at Eritrean troops' hands, destruction of more than two thirds of health facilities and widespread looting of public and private property - including food stores and oxen for ploughing - has exacerbated the hardship.

Moreover, the conflict has displaced almost one million people inside Tigray, many of them from western Tigray. The federal government said on 30 March that it is delivering food aid to 4.2 million people in Tigray, a huge increase over the 950,000 who needed assistance before the war, while humanitarian actors say they have delivered adequate food to one million of the 3.5 million people in need who are in accessible areas.

International pressure has contributed to the federal government promising "unfettered" aid access, which should lead to more relief getting into areas under federal control. Authorities have also eased bureaucratic obstacles to access to the region and there already are more humanitarian workers on the ground.

But the fact that the Tigray Defence Forces hold territory and the presence of Eritrean troops means aid workers will not reach large parts of Tigray unless authorities allow them to negotiate access to Tigrayan-held areas and persuade the Eritreans to consistently allow increased aid flows. Greater humanitarian access to some Eritrean-held areas did start to occur in March. Yet with no end to the conflict in sight, humanitarian assistance is likely to remain insufficient. There is a genuine threat of mass starvation in the months ahead, especially if the ploughing and planting season is interrupted, with heavy rains starting around June.

All four belligerents stand accused of committing atrocities against civilians. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, a legally autonomous federal institution, has joined Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in accusing Eritrean forces of mass killings of civilians in the ancient city of Axum in late November. Human Rights Watch also said the federal military indiscriminately bombed urban areas.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated on 4 March that "serious violations of international law, possibly amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity may have been committed by multiple actors in the conflict". So far, however, the evidence for such crimes is mainly limited to witness accounts obtained remotely, given that research into the reported atrocities was carried out amid a blanket ban on media and aid agency access. Ethiopian and particularly Eritrean soldiers have reportedly engaged in widespread sexual violence, looting and massacres.

There have also been several reports of serious rights abuses in western Tigray, where federal troops first intervened before Amhara regional forces took control. They suggest that Amhara factions have forcibly moved Tigrayans en masse from western Tigray, with an intensification of the depopulation in the last month. Also in western Tigray, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said Tigrayan militiamen backed by local officials killed hundreds of mostly Amhara civilians in Mai Kadra town on 9 November.

Equally worrying are multiple reports of retaliatory attacks on Tigrayan civilians by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers following armed confrontations with Tigray forces, particularly as such atrocities may well increase as fighting intensifies.

Notable incidents include an early January massacre at Debre Abay to the south west of Shire city, one at Axum in late November and, most recently, the reported murder of civilians by federal soldiers near Wukro town. Although Abiy has recently pledged that Ethiopian soldiers will be held to account for abuses, days before that his office also said Tigrayans will face "misery" if their leaders do not surrender and those who joined the rebellion do not return home.

IV. Preventing Contagion

If war persists, it would pose a serious threat to Ethiopia's overall stability and potentially to that of the entire Horn of Africa. A concern Crisis Group highlighted at the conflict's outset was that it could exacerbate problems in Ethiopia, such as mounting intercommunal killings in Benishangul-Gumuz region, bordering Sudan in the west, simmering discontent in the country's largest region of Oromia, and national fault lines. Growing hostilities with Sudan complicate the picture further.

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For now, the authorities seem to have sufficient control in most areas outside Tigray, but they could lose it. In Oromia, home to a burgeoning insurgency, political discontent is high, though the opposition is relatively fragmented. If fighting intensifies in Tigray - and clashes with Sudan escalate - Addis Ababa's opponents in this region may feel emboldened as the 5 June election approaches. The election could deepen fault lines, particularly given that the main opposition parties in Oromia are boycotting it, citing state repression. Thus, while Abiy still commands domestic support for the intervention in Tigray, protracted conflict there nonetheless risks sparking unrest elsewhere.

Peace talks seem a long way off. On the battlefield, both sides are swinging for a knockout blow, but neither can realistically hope to land one, regardless of whether or not Eritrea withdraws. The federal government cannot eradicate the armed resistance, which appears to be entrenched in rural areas and command widespread popular support. The Tigray Defence Forces have zero chance of re-establishing control over Tigray given the resources - especially manpower - at Addis Ababa's (and Asmara's) disposal.

Moreover, the federal government rejects the idea of negotiating with the ousted Tigray leadership, which it accuses of treason. That position, it seems, still has plenty of popular support in Ethiopia outside of Tigray. Meanwhile, many Tigrayans, including senior former officials, consider the TPLF regional government's reinstatement as essential to honouring Tigray's self-determination rights. It is hard to imagine Addis Ababa acceding to this demand.

Moreover, the path to Eritrean and Amhara withdrawal is strewn with obstacles. In addition to President Isaias, who for reasons noted above, and despite Abiy's announcement that Eritrean forces will withdraw, may baulk at doing anything that eases pressure on the TPLF, Amhara's leaders and activists may present a challenge. They believe they acted in justice's interest by reclaiming territory in Tigray they contend the TPLF annexed in the early 1990s. Even if he wanted to remove the Amhara, Abiy would have to do so by force, which would strain his ties with their leaders, weaken him politically, and so boost Tigray's resistance and Sudan's position.

A federal move against the Amhara would widen rifts in Abiy's Prosperity Party, where tensions are already evident between the two largest regional chapters in Amhara and Abiy's home region, Oromia. Amhara control of western Tigray also creates a buffer zone to prevent the Tigray Defence Forces from resupplying through eastern Sudan. Simmering Khartoum-Addis tensions may tempt Sudan's military to support Tigray's forces if the Amhara leave Tigray.

But despite this bleak picture, there are things outside actors can do. Abiy's declaration that Eritrean troops will exit illustrates how important international pressure is. Foreign leaders should proceed by targeting limited initial goals. They should press for a pause in the fighting to increase aid coverage. Crucially, that would allow more ploughing and planting to occur, with Tigray's rainy season arriving around June.

They should push Addis Ababa to tacitly allow aid groups to negotiate access to Tigray-held areas, as occurs with rebel groups in other war zones. They should also keep pressure on Abiy to fulfil his pledge to get Eritrean troops out, investigate abuses and allow unrestricted aid access. The territorial dispute between Tigray and Amhara can only sustainably be resolved via negotiations and legal means, starting with a boundary commission assessment. The African Union and UN Security Council should follow Brussels' and Washington's lead and pressure all parties to pause fighting. The AU Bureau of Heads of State and Government is well positioned to urge Abiy to abandon the quest for a total victory on the battlefield.

A cessation of hostilities in Tigray and improved humanitarian conditions just might then pave the way for talks. Abiy will perhaps want to pursue those negotiations after the elections, assuming that his Prosperity Party wins a majority in the federal parliament and the premier is in a stronger position.

Talks would focus on finding a sustainable settlement, including the vexatious issue of political representation in Tigray, given the TPLF leadership's broad popular support. As the issues are so thorny, this process should feed into the sort of inclusive National Dialogue that would address Ethiopia's wider destabilising schisms - as Crisis Group and others have long advocated.

V. Conclusion

With Tigray's resistance growing, fuelled by anger at alleged atrocities by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, and given deep popular attachment to the region's hard-won self-determination rights, the conflict looks set to grind on. A long war would further devastate Tigray, wreck any prospect of a democratic transition led by Abiy and destabilise Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa's fulcrum. It is imperative that outside actors do all in their power to encourage Addis Ababa to facilitate access for humanitarian aid, reassess its calculations regarding the war and seek to stop this stain on Prime Minister Abiy's record from spreading.

Nairobi/Brussels, 2 April 2021




Haiti - USA : The UN Security Council deeply concerned about the situation in the country





Statement by US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Acting President of the United Nations (UN) Security Council (March 2021)



Statement by US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield :



"[...]

The Security Council expresses its deep concern regarding the protracted political, constitutional, humanitarian, and security crises in Haiti, and recalling resolutions 2547 (2020) and 2476 (2019), further stresses the primary responsibility of the government of Haiti to address underlying drivers of instability.



The Security Council stresses that the democratic will of the Haitian people must be respected, and underscores the need to address essential security, transparency, and logistical considerations in connection with upcoming electoral processes. The Security Council reiterates the urgent need to hold free, fair, transparent, and credible legislative elections that have been overdue since October 2019. The Security Council also urges that all preparations be made for free, fair, transparent, and credible presidential elections in 2021. The Security Council urges all political stakeholders in Haiti to set aside their differences in the interest of the people of Haiti, to engage constructively to enable the organization of upcoming elections and to ensure elections take place in a peaceful environment, and calls on the inte rnational community to support Haiti in this endeavor.



The Security Council further stresses the importance of an independent judiciary and of the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and the inclusion of all Haitians, including youth, persons with disabilities, and civil society in Haitis political processes.



The Security Council underscores the need to strengthen the rule of law and urges the government of Haiti to step up its efforts against corruption and to ensure accounta bility and transparency in connection with these efforts.



The Security Council emphasizes the need for an immediate and coordinated response by Haitian authorities to demonstrate their commitment to addressing the deteriorating security situation in Haiti, including gang -related criminal activities, increases in kidnappings, homicides, and rape. The Security Council calls for the provision of adequate resources to the Haitian National Police, for the adoption of a sustainable long -term strategy to address the root causes of violence and for concrete measures to address ongoing violence, including that listed in OP 1(b) of Security Council Resolution 2476 (2019).



The Security Council notes with concern reported violations and abuses of international human rights, including those involving the alleged use of deadly force against protesters, as well as reported arbitrary arrests and detentions. The Security Council calls on the government of Haiti to respect freedom of expression and freedom of association, and for the Haitian National Police Inspector General to conduct a thorough investigation of these incidents.



The Security Council stresses the urgency of accountability for human rights violations and abuses and calls on the government of Haiti to take immediate action to end impunity for those responsible, particularly noting the emblematic cases outlined in the most recent report from the Secretary-General, including Grand Ravine (2017), La Saline (2018), and Bel-Air (2019) and the assassination of the president of the Port-au-Prince Bar Association, M. Dorval (2020). The Security Council also urges the government of Haiti to end the practice of prolonged pre-trial detention.



The Security Council notes its concern regarding the humanitarian situation in Haiti, noting in particular growing food insecurity and malnutrition that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and stresses the need for increased support and attention to the humanitarian situation and development needs in Haiti, as well as efforts to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.



The Security Council recognizes the important role of neighboring countries and regional organizations such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of American States (OAS), and underlining the importance of harmonized, coordinated and strengthened efforts, encourages them to continue their active engagement on Haiti and in this regard, welcomes the decision by CARICOM to send a fact-finding mission in support of UN efforts.



The Security Council reaffirms its support for the people of Haiti and underscores the importance of continued international support to Haiti as it seeks to address its urgent ongoing challenges, and to create the conditions for peaceful and democratic elections.



The Security Council encourages continued close collaboration and coordination between BINUH and the United Nations Country Team in Haiti with a view to helping the government of Haiti to take responsibility to realize the long-term stability, development, and economic self-sufficiency of the country."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Mumbai: Sachin Waze was arrested on Saturday (March 13) by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The agency has charged Vaze with sections relating to conspiracy, criminal intimidation, negligent conduct in dealing with explosives, forgery, and possession of counterfeit seal.

In a recent development, The NIA has revealed that Sachin Waze was allegedly running an extortion racket from a five-star hotel at Nariman Point. The probe has revealed that a luxurious room was booked for 100 days especially for Vaze by a businessman. A fake identity card was used by Vaze at the time of checking in.

NIA probe says that Sachin Waze was operating out of room no 1964, and he used a forged Aadhaar Card with the name Sushant Sadashiv Khamkar in order to check in to the property.

A senior NIA official has claimed that "a businessman had booked this hotel for 100 days and for Rs, 12 lakh. He (Waze) was helping out businessman in some dispute." He added by saying that, the booking for this luxurious room was made through a travel agent and Sachin Waze had stayed in the same room in the month of February as he was working with the Mumbai Crime Branch.

The encounter specialist Waze allegedly entered the hotel on Tuesday (February 16) in a Toyota Innova car and left the property on Saturday (February 20) in a Lands Cruiser car. Both the vehicles are seized by the NIA. A senior NIA official said that "the dates also coincide with those when he and his team members were raiding various establishments in Mumbai at night for license violations."

Sachin Waze was working with the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), Mumbai and was in charge of the investigation into the security scare outside Mukesh Ambani's residence Antilia. Sachin Waze was in touch with Mansukh Hiren, a person with a car decor business in Thane who had possession of the "Scorpio" car that cause the security scare outside Antilia. Sachin Waze is a prime suspect in the murder of Mansukh Hiren case.

In connection with the security scare outside Mukesh Ambani's residence Antilia, NIA has conducted searches at another hotel and a club in South Mumbai and a flat in Thane on Thursday. According to the report, NIA has also detained a woman associated with Waze from the Mumbai Airport on Thursday (April 1). The Mira Road flat is alleged owned by this woman.

NIA has inspected the hotel at Naripoint Point and seized the CCTV footage to investigate the matter. A senior official said that "Senior police officials were very well aware of the kind of business Waze was conducting, we have enough pieces of evidence to prove it.

Live TV
A test flight for researching ways to cool Earth by blocking sunlight will not take place as planned in Sweden this June, following objections from environmentalists, scientists and Indigenous groups there.

The Swedish Space Corporation said this week it had canceled plans for the flight, in which it would have launched a high-altitude balloon, on behalf of researchers, from its facility in the Arctic. It would have been the first flight of a long-planned experiment called Scopex, a project led by scientists at Harvard University.

The corporation, which is government owned, said it had consulted with both leading experts on geoengineering and with other stakeholders, as well as with a Harvard committee that is advising the researchers. The decision not to conduct the test was made in agreement with the Harvard panel, it said.

The advisory committee issued its own statement saying it recommended that any test flights be suspended until it can make a final recommendation about those flights based on a robust and inclusive public engagement in Sweden.
The President of the NSW Public Service Association has asked the state industrial commission to investigate her own unions elections as she launches an attempt to be elected general secretary, claiming the voting has been marred by the use of members resources to support the incumbent leadership team.

President Kylie McKelvie is heading a ticket aiming to replace the leadership of the states PSA, which represents almost 39,000 public servants from the Rural Fire Service to prisons and Service NSW, in an election that closes next week.

Stewart Little has defended his record as PSA general secretary. Credit:Public Service Association

General secretary Stewart Little said he and the other union leaders running for re-election, who are organised under the banner of Rank and File, are the victims of a baseless smear campaign by Ms McKelvies grouping, who call themselves Members Coalition, designed to sway the election result.

Documents lodged with the commission by Ms McKelvie indicate paid union staff created documents spruiking the leadership under Mr Little and, in a statutory declaration, she alleges some paid union organisers distributed partisan flyers at members workplaces.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/01/2021



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

alum Nicole Nafziger has shared a life update amid Azan Tefou split rumors.Nicole opened up about why she's been absent from social media in recent weeks via Instagram Stories and hinted her relationship with her fiance in Morocco may be over."Y'all wanted to know how I'm doing since I don't post much. Well, maybe this gives you an idea? I'm working on bettering my life," Nicole, 27, explained to her Instagram followers on Friday, according to In Touch Weekly."Figuring out who I am and knowing what I want in life," Nicole added. "I have good days and bad. But I continue to work for the life I deserve."Nicole reportedly said she's "grown so much" but feels there is still more work to do following her time on the franchise."Wish they had a crash course on knowing yourself," Nicole continued in her post, according to In Touch."And can someone tell me how motivation works? Because I seem to be lacking some lately. Bettering your life is more than a job or situation. Mental state is so important."Nicole concluded her post by saying she plans to be "more active" on Instagram going forward.Other than promoting her mother's homemade face masks for spring, Nicole last posted on Instagram on March 15.Nicole captioned a car selfie at the time and wrote, "Just taking life one day at a time."Nicole fueled breakup rumors -- which have been circulating for many months -- when she deleted all photos of Azan, also known as Hassan M'Raouni, from her Instagram account and wrote some cryptic messages in February.She also previously had written "engaged to H" in her Instagram bio along with a diamond-ring emoji, but now her description just reads, "Mom. Twitch Streamer."For Azan's part, there are no photos of Nicole on his page, although he chose to keep a June 20 photo with Nicole's young daughter May in which the pair were riding an elephant together.Nicole and Azan spent four months together last year in Morocco, and Nicole's trip ended in August 2020 when she returned home to Florida to be with her then five-year-old daughter.Nicole gushed about having "baby fever" once she settled back into her life in the United States."I'm so happy I got to see you baby.A Hopefully next time I won't have to leave and we'll be a family with May," Nicole captioned a photo of the pair on Instagram on August 9.Nicole claims she was stuck in Morocco with Azan beginning in mid-March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the country shutting down international flights.Nicole's mother, Robbalee Nafziger, had told In Touch at the time she was spending quality time with May while Nicole "hunkered down" and quarantined with Azan in Morocco safely.Given there were several flights allowing Americans stuck abroad in Morocco to return home, fans criticized Nicole for being a "bad mom" and not caring about her daughter.When one of Nicole's followers asked her on Instagram why she decided against hopping on one of those flights in June 2020, Nicole clapped back , "Every time I've looked into it, it's [twice or thrice] the price of a normal flight that the passenger has to pay."Nicole continued in her June 26 comment, "Y'all think you've got it all figured out because of whatever you [hear], but [were] you one of the people who had to actually email the government to see? Nope.""Stop judging my [life] and decisions. Just an idea. I know you won't listen because it's easier to pin me as a bad mom and gossip about the drama. Soon enough, y'all can take a [peek] into my real life. Maybe," she concluded.An insider told the magazine last summer Nicole's family wasn't "thrilled" about her trip to Morocco in the first place but "they understand that [Nicole is] an adult and can make her own decisions.""She knows how her family feels about Azan but chooses to follow her feelings over theirs," the insider said, adding that Nicole was thoroughly "enjoying" every moment she got to spend with Azan.Nicole and Azan have been dating for about five years, but prior to Nicole's 2020 trip to Morocco, RadarOnline reported in November 2019 it had been two years since the couple last saw each other."They still talk occasionally, but there have been a lot of fights between them on the phone," a source had said."The family is surprised they're still together ... He can't get a visa. She's talked about going back to Morocco, but she doesn't have money. She has to save."Nicole and Azan met on a mobile dating app years ago when she was 21 years old and living in Bradenton, FL. Azan was 23 years old and from Agadir, Morocco, at the time.Nicole and Azan got their start on reality TV by starring on Season 4 of the original series, followed by Season 5 of the series.That later led into an appearance on Season 3 of : Happily Ever After? and then Season 4. Many fans were led to believe based on the footage that Azan was using Nicole for money.Nicole and Azan's initial wedding plans in Morocco in 2018 fell through due to alleged time and financial constraints.Nicole then planned to meet Azan for a fun vacation in Grenada, but Azan chose to cancel their reunion due to an alleged "family emergency."Nicole therefore booked a trip back to Morocco in 2019, when she thought a wedding would be "highly likely." But the trip got canceled just two weeks later.Nicole never disclosed the reasons behind canceling that trip to Morocco, but the frustration and disappointment all over her face on Season 4 of : Happily Ever After? pointed to Azan being the decision-maker.During the Tell-All special for the spinoff's fourth season, Nicole announced her trip to Morocco didn't happen "because sometimes, things are just personal."Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
With most of the votes counted and no decisive outcome as far as who the next prime minister will be, or if Israel will be headed to an unprecedented fifth national election in less than three years, one thing is clear, the big winners in Israels national election this week were Israeli Arabs.

One might have said that a year ago, after Israels third national election in (what was then) a year. Then, the Joint Arab List, a faction made up of four Arab political parties running together, won a striking 15 seats in Israels Knesset (parliament). This made the Joint List Israel...
A new study suggests that clearing the invasive woody weed Prosopis julifora and grassland restoration in Baringo County, Kenya, may have significant financial benefits for local stakeholders and contribute to climate change mitigation.

A new study suggests that clearing the invasive woody weed Prosopis julifora and grassland restoration in Baringo County, Kenya, may have significant financial benefits for local stakeholders and contribute to climate change mitigation.

Climate change, land degradation, and invasive alien species (IAS) such as Prosopis julifora are major threats to people's livelihoods in arid and semi-arid areas with each of these having negative impacts on ecosystem services - including vegetation biomass, which is a prime resource for pastoralists and agro-pastoralists.

The team, comprising PhD students and established scientists from four countries and different disciplinary backgrounds, developed land use scenarios and assess what the implications of Prosopis management and grassland restoration are for soil carbon accumulation and local communities.

The scientists studied the impacts of Prosopis invasion and grassland degradation on soil organic carbon (SOC) in nine sublocations in Baringo County where it was introduced in the 1980s and promoted by the Kenyan government to provide wind breaks, a source of timber, fuelwood and charcoal.

The study combined data collected by several PhD students of the Woody Weeds project, such as socio-economic data to determine the size of the budget available for Prosopis management (Bekele et al. 2018) and the financial benefits of making charcoal from removed trees, soil measurements to assess changes in SOC following Prosopis removal (Mbaabu et al. 2020) and establishment of grassland. The data were linked to spatially-explicit land cover and land use maps derived from satellite data (Mbaabu et al. 2019). Then, spatially explicit Invasive Alien Species (IAS) management and restoration scenarios were generated.

Dr Rene Eschen, an ecologist working for CABI in Switzerland and lead author of the paper, said, "While Prosopis does provide these benefits, it has also spread rapidly across a large area, leading to a loss of native vegetation, agricultural areas and grazing land. These changes are primarily driven by Prosopis invasion, along with human activities like deforestation, land clearing, overgrazing, and climate change.

"Our results show that the one-off budget based on the average willingness to pay expressed by inhabitants of Baringo would suffice to manage a considerable area of Prosopis in Baringo in a single year, and that the conversion of invaded areas into grassland would provide significant financial benefits. A sustained effort over several years might enable sustainable management of a large part of the areas invaded with Prosopis in most sublocations.

"The results also indicate what generates the financial benefit and which areas could be prioritized for treatment. Although Prosopis management is expensive, the results suggest that a large part of the costs in Baringo can be offset by immediate financial benefits from the sale of charcoal. This is important, because the affected communities have limited human and financial resources for environmental management."

The researchers also argue that there are financial and immaterial benefits of restoring grasslands that may re-establish within 30 years if they are not overgrazed. They say that part of the benefits could, in fact, be realized within less than 10 years with only the full accumulation of SOC needing three decades.

Dr Sandra Eckert, remote sensing specialist of the Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Switzerland, said, "Grasslands provide non-monetary benefits, including cultural and regulating services including the regulation of climate, floods and erosion. However, the likelihood of grasses establishing depends on suitable climatic conditions and grazing management.

"With climate change and the associated higher variability of the beginning and duration of the various seasons, grass is considered a more secure crop compared to local staple crops like maize or beans; particularly perennial grass species require less rain for completion of a cropping cycle. Growing grass for seed production is widespread in some of the sublocations, and farmers can also sell the hay."

"Spatial and integrative management scenarios should be used more extensively to support land management decisions, especially where natural as well as financial resources are scarce and where the costs and benefits of managing IAS are unequally distributed among local stakeholders."

This study of Prosopis in Baringo County shows that relatively small investment in IAS clearing and restoration of degraded grassland in Eastern Africa may result in significant benefits for local communities managing the land that will support traditional livelihoods and increase SOC in the long term.

Dr Charles Kilawe, an ecologist from Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, said that the benefits realized from the management of Prosopis juliflora revealed by this study should not be used to promote the introduction of the species to new areas, as this would likely cause serious negative environmental and livelihood impacts.

Dr Eschen concluded, "Addressing climate change and land degradation are major issues that affect livelihoods of many people and that require targeted use of scarce financial resources. This study describes IAS management scenarios using a novel spatial and integrated approach using various detailed data about IAS distribution and density, management costs, financial benefits and land use history.

"Integrating and linking such data may be particularly useful to develop accurate and realistic IAS management scenarios that can be used to illustrate costs and benefits of management interventions, where they are most needed and most cost-effective, and thus help stakeholders select the most appropriate and feasible approach that suits their needs."

###

Additional information

Full paper reference

Rene Eschen, Ketema Bekele, Purity Rima Mbaabu, Charles Kilawe and Sandra Eckert, 'Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. management and grassland restoration in Baringo County, Kenya: Opportunities for soil carbon sequestration and local Livelihoods,' 29 March 2021, Journal of Applied Ecology, DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13854

This paper can be viewed open access here:

https:/ / besjournals. onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ doi/ 10. 1111/ 1365-2664. 13854

Media enquires

Dr Rene Eschen,

Senior Scientist,

Ecosystems Management, and Risk Analysis and Invasion Ecology,

email: r.eschen@cabi.org

Dr Sandra Eckert,

Senior Research Scientist,

Centre for Development and Environment,

University of Bern,

email: Sandra.eckert@unibe.ch

Wayne Coles,

Communications Manager

CABI,

email: w.coles@cabi.org
Two 40-foot containers of fishing nets arrive in Monrovia, Liberia

April 02,2021 | Source: FPA

As part of efforts to empower local fishermen across Liberia, the government of Liberia through the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) has disclosed the arrival of a huge consignment of internationally recommended multifilament or thread fishing nets. The arrival of the nets is part of World Bank-sponsored project for Sustainable Management of Fishery resources.



A press release quoting the Director General of NaFAA, Madam Emma Metieh Glassco says the consignment of thread nets are in Monrovia for free nets exchange program which only affect licensed fishermen using paddling or Kru canoes.



The NaFAA press release added that the free nets exchange program will begin in Montserrado County with fishermen in fishing communities such as Banjor, Popo Beach, West Point and King Gray.



This means all fishermen using the rubber nets or the monofilament nets will be required to turn over all their rubber nets to NaFAA team during the free distribution to receive the thread nets or the multifilament nets.



NaFAA says after a successful net exchange program and consultation with fisher folks, it shall ban the usage of monofilament or rubber nets in Liberia.



At the same time, NaFAA states that only fishermen who have been paying their fishing license fees since 2019-2020 (past 2 years) will be qualified to receive the free nets. Fishermen who have not paid their fishing license fees since 2018 will not receive the free fishing nets and they will no longer be allowed to use the rubber nets for fishing purposes.



The rubber nets are dangerous to the fishing environment and other aquatic resources.



Meanwhile, the free nets distribution will shortly be followed by the free Yamaha motorized engines distributions to Kru canoes or paddling canoes operated by fishermen in Liberia.

 2021 - FrontPageAfrica. All Rights Reserved.

Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods.
The trustee overseeing the bankruptcy of Parker School Uniforms has reached a settlement of litigation against four former executives over the companys 2018 collapse.

Creditors of the chain, which operated 47 retail stores in San Antonio, Houston and other cities, wont see a big windfall, however.

Chapter 7 trustee Jeoffrey Burtch last month asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to approve a $325,000 settlement with former Parker CEO Troy Pike and CFO Don Van der Wiel of Houston, vice president of sales Amy Allison Balthrope of San Antonio, and vice president of merchandising Susen Sarpa of California.

Lawyers who represented Burtch in the five lawsuits, including one filed in state District Court in San Antonio, stand to receive 40 percent of the settlement, or $130,000.

The rest, minus any other fees or costs, will go to Parkers creditors.

The Houston-based company unexpectedly shut down in early 2018 after 87 years in business. Parker was a major provider of school uniforms to private and charters schools in Texas and other Sunbelt states. Its collapse cost 320 employees in Texas their jobs.

On ExpressNews.com: Toxic atmosphere at Parker School Uniforms led to bankruptcy, lawsuit alleges

Burtch had sued the four former executives on behalf of the bankruptcy estate.

In his San Antonio lawsuit, Burtch called Parkers management a disaster. He accused Pike, Van der Wiel and Balthrope of putting their own interests ahead of the companys, leading to its bankruptcy liquidation.

Parker School Uniforms was torn between factions, and the relationship between Pike and Van der Wiel deteriorated to the point where each was pushing their own agenda at the expense of the company, the suit said.

The toxic atmosphere resulted in numerous grossly negligent decisions that combined to cause the swift downfall of PSU, Burtch alleged.

Replacing Parkers supply-chain management system on the eve of the 2017 selling season was perhaps the most egregious of all the negligent moves made by management, he said. The new system was an abject failure because the company couldnt supply customers in a timely manner.

Burtch also criticized managements decision to pursue a brick-and-mortar business model at a time when the industry was moving to a online platforms. Management pushed massive growth when the company did not have the means to support it, the suit said.

In addition, the complaint said, a substantial portion of the companys inventory was obsolete but was kept on the books for far in excess of its real value.

A trial in the San Antonio case was scheduled to start next week, a court filing says. Pike, Van der Wiel and Balthrope are the defendants in the action. Two Parker directors were named in the suit but were later dropped from the case.

SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox

Burtch also sued the ex-officers individually in bankruptcy court to recover payments that he deemed fraudulent transfers of company assets.

A court filing shows the amount each allegedly received: Pike, $277,902; Van der Wiel, $251,777; Balthrope, $124,700; and Sarpa, $170,557.

Burtch settled the five lawsuits, even though he said he believed he would prevail at trial. The defendants asserted that they met their professional obligations and the applicable standard of care, did not breach their duties, and did not  cause any damages, Burtch said in the filing. They also had legal defenses regarding the allegedly improper payments.

Those defenses may have merit, Burtch said in explaining why he agreed to settle the cases.

Matthew Walker, a Houston lawyer for the four defendants, had no comment Friday. A bankruptcy court hearing to approve the settlement agreement is set for April 14.

The retailer listed about $21.7 million in assets and $31.6 million in debts at the time of its bankruptcy filing.

pdanner@express-news.net
NHS bosses were today urged to expand the coronavirus vaccine roll-out to younger adults in England immediately, with Moderna's jab set to arrive next week.

With health chiefs expecting supply to be short in April, clinics dishing out jabs have been told to temporarily halt first-time bookings.

Focus is now on mopping up adults who are eligible for a jab but yet to take up their offer, as well as ensuring millions of elderly people get their crucial second dose.

But critics say there's no reason why NHS England can't open up the official drive to under-50s next week when Moderna's jab is shipped across the country. Northern Ireland has already began inviting over-45s for their jab.

Moderna's vaccine  proven to be up to 94.1 per cent effective at blocking symptoms in trials  is a two-doser.

It means supplies can only currently be given to unvaccinated people because drug regulators have yet to approve a mix-and-match policy for jabs.

The Adam Smith Institute think tank says England has almost vaccinated everyone in the top nine priority groups, since the roll-out began in December.

It means clinics will inevitably running out of people to invite, especially as ministers know they will never convince everyone to have a jab.

The NHS is coming under pressure to expand the Covid vaccine roll-out to all adults in England, with Moderna's jab set to give the drive a boost from next week. Pictured: Moderna's vaccine is used in Athens, Greece, today

James Lawson, of the ASI, told MailOnline: 'We're now at a point where we've almost completely vaccinated the entire Phase One group, thereby preventing 99 per cent of mortality.

'On top of that, we've got additional supplies inbound.

'With Moderna supplies coming to our shores any day, we will have a third vaccine in our armory and hope to see a supply boost.

'We need to be expanding the campaign to all adults and ramping up distribution so we are using every last dose available as quickly as possible. We want to avoid any wastage or spare slots.

'We would of course keep a priority lane for those in the Phase One group, to get their first dose if they missed it for any reason and they should all be booked in for their second dose.

NHS England's latest data shows that up to 93 per cent of over-50s  the last of the priority groups  had been given at least one dose of the vaccine by March 28

The government is aiming to offer all over-50s one dose of vaccine by middle of the month before lockdown is lifted

For the first time, today's figures also showed the uptake rate in under-65s who are classified as vulnerable or carers

Moderna joins the fight The Moderna jab is, like the Pfizer vaccine, based on mRNA technology which involves injecting synthetic fragments of genetic code that instruct human cells to build the distinctive 'spike' protein found on coronavirus particles. These new spike proteins cannot cause infection, but their presence enables the immune system to recognise Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus particles as dangerous invaders  and so attack any they come across. Moderna is a fledgling American company and the vaccine is its first approved product. In the US, 64.3million doses have been given. Like the Pfizer jab, it must be kept at sub-zero temperatures during transportation and storage, but only at minus 20C rather than minus 70C for Pfizer. The Government has ordered 17million doses, and the EU has 310million, with an option for another 150million in 2022. Advertisement

'As well as avoiding wastage, we need to maximise distribution to help counter the spectre of the third wave that is rising across the channel.'

NHS England's latest data shows up to 93 per cent of over-50s had received at least one dose of the vaccine by March 28.

But uptake rates have been wildly uneven, with MailOnline analysis showing parts of London have vaccinated less than two-thirds of the cohort while the rate is above 90 per cent in half of England's councils.

Scotland's chief medical officer revealed Moderna would come on stream from next week.

Dr Gregor Smith said the company's vaccine would be used alongside jabs from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, according to the BBC.

The UK is initially expecting 500,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine. No10 has order 17million doses from the company in total.

Moderna's vaccine  which has already been deployed in the US and Europe  is being manufactured by the Swiss-based Lonza biotech company.

It comes after the roll-out was expanded to over-45s in Northern Ireland this week.

The country's health minister Robin Swann saying he hoped the drive would be extended to over-40s 'within days'.

Wales and Scotland have not yet moved on to the next phase of the roll-out.

In response to calls to expand the roll-out, the Department for Health and Social Care told MailOnline: 'Our vaccination programme continues to make phenomenal progress  with over 35 million vaccines administered so far.

'We remain on course to offer a first vaccine to all those aged 50 and over by mid-April and all adults by the end of July.'
A St. Petersburg teen accused of killing his grandmother when he was 13 will be tried for murder in an adult court, a judge ruled.

A Pinellas-Pasco judge on Wednesday denied defense motions seeking to transfer the first-degree murder case against 15-year-old Javarick Henderson Jr. to juvenile court. The defense team argued that the Florida law used to move him into the adult system is unconstitutional.

Circuit Judge Nancy Moate Ley rejected their arguments, writing in a March 26 court order that shes not at liberty to ignore the judgment of the Legislature or rulings by higher courts that have backed up the juvenile transfer laws.

A court of appeals and the Florida Supreme Court have, in prior cases, both held that Floridas system is constitutional and provides sufficient due process protections, she wrote in the order, which also denied two other motions that sought the same goal based on different legal arguments.

The question of how the legal system should handle children accused of serious crimes has played out in cases and policy battles all over the state.

The majority of transfers happen through a direct file, in which the State Attorneys Office has the sole discretion to charge a kid as an adult. The second, rarely used method is judicial review, in which a judge makes the call. Thats the gold standard for advocates who believe adult transfer laws are in need of reform.

The third is through a grand jury indictment, which occurs when a child faces a crime punishable by death or life in prison. Thats how Henderson ended up in adult court.

The defense and prosecution debated the issue at a March 9 hearing. That process is cloaked in secrecy conducted in the absence of the child and his counsel, Hendersons public defenders argued in one of the motions, with no required consideration of factors a judge would normally use to decide whether to move a child to adult court.

Prosecutor Amelia Hummel pushed back in court, saying its not unreasonable for the Legislature to treat children who commit serious crimes as adults in order to protect societal goals.

Henderson is accused of fatally stabbing his 56-year-old grandmother, Gloria Davis, in November 2019. There were no signs of a break-in, and only Henderson and his brother, then 12, were home with her at the time.
Police in Beitbridge have arrested four touts for harassing and manhandling an elderly female traveller at Dulivhadzimu long distance bus terminus in the border town last week.

Three of the touts are from Beitbridge, while one is from Chiredzi.

They are Maxwell Kamuda (42) of Dulivhadzimu, Worry Muranda (40) of Dulivhadzimu, Lazarus Chingova (44) of New Stands and Michael Mlambo (35) of Tshovani in Chiredzi.

The incident was captured on video, which immediately went viral on social media, resulting in a public outcry over the conduct of the touts.

In the video clip, the elderly woman can be seen and heard screaming for help, while being harassed at the bus terminus.

She was also violently dragged by at least nine touts who forcibly took her luggage and shoved it into a bus.

Police then vowed to get to the bottom of the issue and bring the perpetrators to book.

Police Officer Commanding Beitbridge district Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo confirmed the arrest, but referred further questions to national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi.

Asst Comm Nyathi applauded the public for cooperation and concern over the conduct of the touts.

"The Zimbabwe Republic Police has arrested the four touts who were involved in the physical manhandling and harassment of a woman in a video which went viral recently," he said.

The incident occurred at Dulivhadzimu Rank, Beitbridge."

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The touts were expected to appear in court yesterday.

Added Asst Comm Nyathi: "The police applauds all Zimbabweans for the cooperation and concern over the conduct of the touts. The public is urged to report all incidents of harassment by touts taking note of the location, date, time and the name of the bus company involved."

He warned bus operators against employing touts as the law did not recognise their activities.

Asst Comm Nyathi said passengers had a right to board public service vehicles of their choice without being manhandled or forced to board a particular bus or kombi against their will.

"The Zimbabwe Republic Police has intensified surveillance and monitoring of all bus termini and ranks in the country," he said. "In this regard, the law will be applied without fear or favour."

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe recently said after viewing the video clip on social media, he was troubled to see how the public was treated when boarding buses.

"I was concerned because of what I saw in that video, even the police is concerned, that what is happening is true, that our people are treated like that when boarding buses," he said.
Recall, Rescind, and Recapitulate in San Francisco

Commentary

The famous satirist and political commentator Will Rogers observed, If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in the State of the Union speeches, there wouldnt be any inducement to go to heaven.

In San Francisco, were hardly able to qualify the school district for heaven with an elected Board of Education that hates American institutions and practices history revisionism. The boards violation of the Brown Act at its Jan. 26 meeting demonstrates its stultifying deception of constituents and taxpayers.

Its Jan. 26 meeting agenda notice referred to the discussion of an advisory committees report on 44 school-renaming recommendations. Thats what citizens would have expected at the public meeting. Instead, the board adopted, in a 61 vote, a resolution instantly requiring the obliteration of the names Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Lowell, among others, from taxpayer-supported public schools.

In a move initiated by North Beach attorney Paul Scott, along with two public school pupils, the George Washington High School Alumni Association, the Lincoln High School Alumni Association, the Lowell Parent-Teachers Association, the San Francisco Taxpayers Association, Lope Yap, and John L. Burton (former congressman, state senator, assemblyman, state Democratic Party chairman, and Lincoln High School alumnus) sued the school district and board for violating the 1953 Brown Act, which controls all public entities.

The San Francisco Superior Court swiftly acknowledged the suits validity, issuing an alternative writ of mandate ordering the board to repeal the illegal resolution or show cause on April 29 why it hadnt done so. The suit also discloses that incorrect history was cited by the advisory committee and utilized by the board in adopting its Jan. 26 resolution.

The plaintiffs are entitled under California law to recover attorneys fees and court costs once a writ of mandate is ordered by the Superior Court this month.

Pedestrians pass a mural of Abraham Lincoln outside of Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco, on Dec. 17, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Concomitantly, a group of San Francisco voters last month began the recall of three of seven board membersPresident Gabriela Lopez, Vice President Alison Collins, and Faauuga Moligawhich, if successful, should send a message to the other four.

A lawyer representing the George Washington High School Alumni Association notified the board on Feb. 17 that it had violated the California Environmental Quality Act in abolishing 44 school names, adding that federal historic review may also be required, plus consideration of the affected schools eligibility for the California Register of Historical Resources and National Register of Historic Places due to alteration of physical features as well as removal of associations with historical persons.

The lawyer, Susan Brandt-Hawley, reminded the board: Criticism of the process and import of renaming has already spread throughout California, our nation, and internationally.

On April 8, Brandt-Hawley will appear in the Superior Court to obtain a court order stopping destructive actions, meaning the removal of a mural (Life of Washington) from Washington High School.

Such capriciousness by the board invites a recapitulation of events leading to the 1971 San Francisco Charter amendment that changed the mayoral appointment of seven members to electing citywide all members. I plead guilty. In 1970, the board unilaterally decided that San Francisco elementary schools were racially segregated, despite no law or resolution supporting such ideologue reasoning, and instituted citywide busing for elementary school pupils.

I was personally involved because my two sons, who attended Lafayette Schooltwo blocks from their homewere bused. Despite litigation to stop such illogic, the board ignored all opponents, including Chinese American parents of Commodore Stockton School and Jean Parker School students who regularly and faithfully attended Chinese language schools in Chinatown after school.

As readers should know, Chinese American children had, under the California Education Code, been the objects of invidious racial discrimination in the 19th century. They werent allowed to attend any but one nearby public school. Japanese, American Indians, and other children of Mongolian ancestry had to attend the same school. The law wasnt repealed until 1907.

Thus, Chinese American children had indeed been the object of racial discrimination and segregation and had a constitutional right to attend desegregated schools. They didnt want to. I represented them, unsuccessfully, in U.S. District Court litigation to stop the school board from assigning them to grade schools outside Chinatown.

Then-Supervisor John Barbagelata and I led an initiative to amend the 1932 Charter by electing school board members. Supported by Mayor Joseph Alioto and public school parents, we secured signatures for inclusion on the November 1971 local ballot. Voters readily approved it.

The first election was in November 1972. Unfortunately, only three of the seven elected to the board voted to halt busing, which has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars since then and contributed mightily to public school enrollment decline to 52,000 currently from 92,000 in 1972.

The present board defies a selection system I helped create 50 years ago. I prefer Mayor London Breeds judgment to board members, whose election appears attributable to the Teachers Union and Democratic County Central Committee, the two most interested entities in deciding school district governance.

Although the counting of gubernatorial recall signatures isnt complete, it appears that approximately 2.1 million signers ensure a recall election in 2021. Under the Charter (Section 14.103), such a recall election permits consolidation of a recall commenced last month to remove District Attorney Chesa Boudin for dereliction of duties, waste of taxpayer money of nearly $400,000 in annual compensation, distorting criminal justice data, causing crime increases in neighborhoods, and malfeasance. To qualify the recall, sponsors need 51,000 ballot signers by Aug. 11.

Thirty proponents include Democrats, independents, and remaining San Francisco Republicans. Boudin answered by claiming that he was elected to reform a legal system that criminalize[d] poverty and ignored root causes of crime. He claimed this is a Republican-initiated effort that will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Of course, there arent many registered Republicans in San Francisco, so thats a dead horse, and such a recall can be combined with Board of Education and gubernatorial recalls in late 2021. The recall committee website is RecallChesaBoudin.org, telephone 415-349-0106. Lets hope its successful.

Ronald Reagan declared more than 30 years ago: We must reject the idea that every time a law is broken, that society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.

Boudin appears more invested in the interests of criminals than those of their victims.

Quentin Kopp is a retired former San Francisco supervisor, California state senator, and judge. He lives in San Francisco, District 7.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
It is illegal in California to record a cell phone conversation without the consent of everyone on the line, the state Supreme Court says in a unanimous ruling that gives a boost to consumer lawsuits against phone solicitors.

Californias 1967 privacy law prohibits recording phone calls and other confidential conversations without consent. But a state appeals court ruled in December 2019 that a 1992 amendment to the law, banning clandestine recordings of calls on cell and cordless phones, applied only to third-party eavesdroppers and not to the caller or the person being called, who can tape either or both sides of the discussion without asking permission.

The states high court disagreed Thursday and said secret recordings of cell phone calls are illegal. Those who make such recordings can be prosecuted in criminal court and can also be sued for damages.

Recording a communication without the speakers consent can implicate significant privacy concerns, regardless of whether a party or someone else is performing the recording, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said in the 7-0 ruling.

She noted that a state Senate committee staff analysis of the 1992 legislation said its main goal was to provide a greater degree of privacy and security to persons who use cellular or cordless telephones.

Those Californians should now be able to file class-action suits against companies that secretly record their sales calls, the only way to protect people against such intrusions, said Adrian Bacon, a lawyer for the plaintiff in the case. He said the ruling was a major victory for consumer privacy.

Bacons client, Jeremiah Smith, got a call on a cordless phone in 2015 from a lending company, LoanMe, that was trying to contact his wife. He said he told the caller that his wife wasnt home, and the sales agent hung up in 18 seconds, without disclosing that the call had been recorded. Smith has filed a proposed class action on behalf of anyone in California who had received such a call in the previous year, seeking $5,000 in damages for each person whose call was secretly recorded.

A Superior Court judge said Smith should have known he was being recorded because the call included a beep three seconds after it started, though there were no words about a recording. The state appeals court did not address that issue and instead ruled that the 1992 law allowed a participant in a call to a cell or cordless phone to record it without consent.

The state Supreme Court rejected that conclusion Thursday and said both sides must knowingly consent to a recording. The justices returned the case to the appellate court to decide whether Smith had implicitly consented to being recorded by staying on the phone after he heard the beep.

A lawyer for LoanMe could not be reached for comment.

The case is Smith vs. LoanMe, No. S260391.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Rep. Randy Bridges Legislative Update

By Rep. Randy Bridges

PADUCAH - After an extremely busy and productive 30-day legislative session, the 2021 Regular Session adjourned sine die at just a few minutes shy of midnight on Tuesday, March 30. Sine die is a Latin term that essentially means without assigning a day for a further meeting or hearing. While this is a short session, our agenda more closely resembled that of a 60-day session, but I am pleased with the work we did for our Commonwealth and plan to spend the next few weeks reviewing some of the bills we passed into law this year. While I generally believe less is more when it comes to government, we can use the legislatures authority as the law-making body to adopt policies that reflect the priorities and values of our people.Because of the infusion of federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in March, this session presented the legislature with a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to invest $2.6 billion into our state. Of that amount, $2.4 billion is to be dedicated to infrastructure projects, direct aid and other limited uses. The remaining $185 million must be spent on capital projects "directly enabling work, education and health monitoring" in response to the pandemic.In addition to holding sole authority for making laws, the legislature also holds the responsibility for raising revenue and spending state dollars. Ultimately, this means that allocating ARPA funds falls under our authority. We are committed to crafting good, long term public policy. The investments we made this session with American Rescue Plan Act funds reflect this philosophy and future allocations will as well. This session we allocated $1.36 billion in federal money to invest in the long-term sustainability of our unemployment insurance program, expanding broadband, and upgrading decaying or inadequate infrastructure.After a great deal of consideration and discussion, the legislature allocated approximately $1.36 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds during the 2021 Regular Session.-We were able to use $575 million of ARPA funds to cover our debt and future costs on the federal unemployment insurance trust fund. (HB 382)-$250 million to the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) to replace aging water infrastructure.-$250 million in ARPA funds directed to the Broadband Deployment Fund to reach unserved and underserved areas. (HB 320)-$50 million of ARPA funds for the deployment of broadband for economic development purposes. (HB 382)-$127 million for replacing and renovating aging public school facilities. (HB 556)-$12 million for county jails to help mitigate spread of COVID-19 (HB 556)-$37 million to help with prison population. (HB 556)-$53 million for interior renovations of Capitol. (HB 556)-$5 million for exterior maintenance and renovations of Capitol Annex. (HB 556)In addition to the ARPA funds, the House and Senate made strategic investments in other areas of our state with general fund dollars, including:-$140 million in additional funding for kindergarten, freeing districts up to invest in remedial programs, as well as focus on improving reading and math comprehension.-$10 million for a new TIF district for West Louisville.-$20 million for rural hospitals through a revolving loan program.-$75 million towards the construction of vocational education facilities.There are no frills in how we spent money this session. Frankly, there should not be as every dollar we spend  both federal and state money - comes out of the pockets of taxpayers. I expect us to continue to be intentional and strategic and seek input as we consider the next step. We know that there will be a rush to appropriate the remaining money but we have the opportunity and obligation to contemplate policies that will benefit Kentuckians for generations.As always, I hope you will feel free to contact me with any questions or issues. I can be reached here at home anytime or through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. Please feel free to email me at Randy.Bridges@lrc.ky.gov.
On Thursday, March 18, Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando hosted its 2021 State of the Agency meeting. The first time going virtual, the meeting was led by JFS Orlando's executive director, Philip Flynn.

Flynn reviewed the work and accomplishments of the agency last year, including how its programs and services remained open, it began a new rental assistance program, and it helped more people in 2020 than in the last five years. With a look into the ongoing year, he listed some of JFS Orlando's goals for 2021, including maintaining and strengthening relationships and diversifying fu...
Oxfords Cheaha Bank has been acquired for $41.1 million by Baton Rouge, La.-based Investar Bank.

Its the completion of a deal more than a year in the making. Investar first announced plans to buy Cheaha in December 2019 but the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to that attempt. This deal was announced in January. It gives Investar four banks in Calhoun County.

Investar President and CEO John DAngelo said the new branches will complement the companys recent entry into the Alabama market. According to The Advocate, Investar moved into the state in 2019 when it purchased the Bank of York. It now has six branches and a loan production office in Alabama.

As a community bank, we are focused on customer service, and we look forward to providing enhanced products and services to the customers and communities that we serve, DAngelo said. We are enthusiastic about this partnership and look forward to welcoming Cheahas customers, shareholders and employees to the Investar family.

The deal will create a combined organization with about $2.6 billion in total assets.

Cheaha Bank President and CEO Shad Williams said the successful closing of the deal is a testament to how well matched Cheahas culture and values are with those of Investar. We know our customers and our local communities will be as pleased with the Investar family as we already are.
MELBOURNE, Australia & BANGALORE, India--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Ampion, an Australia-based provider of cyber security, DevOps and quality engineering services.

Ampion was formed through the merger of IT services providers Revolution IT and Shelde. Revolution IT was an IT services company in Australia founded in 2004 and Shelde was a digital IT security company founded in 2010 in Australia. The merged entity, Ampion is headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, and a zone 3 facility in Canberra.

The Australian market is undergoing significant disruption through the adoption of cloud, DevOps, analytics and resilience related digital capabilities, across enterprises and public sector entities. Wipro and Ampions combined offerings, powered by engineering transformation, DevOps and security consulting services will bring scale and market agility to respond to the growing demands of customers.

Wipros new operating model emphasises strategic investments in focus geographies, proximity to customers, agility, scale and localisation. The acquisition of Ampion is an important step for Wipro in this direction, and strengthens the commitment towards clients and stakeholders in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Wipro has been present in the ANZ market for over two decades with deep client relationships across industry sectors and localised domain and delivery capabilities. Today, Wipro is well known for its differentiated technology solutions, and has also been recognized as a Top Employer in Australia for two consecutive years.

I am excited to welcome Ampion to the Wipro family. Ampion has a successful track record and enjoys immense credibility with leading enterprises in the region, a collaborative work culture, and significant local subject matter expertise. We see Ampion as a complementary force that will help us expand our footprint and accelerate our journey in the Asia Pacific region, said N.S. Bala, CEO  APMEA, Wipro Limited.

Our clients, employees and the entire market ecosystem will tremendously benefit from the synergies of Ampion and Wipros combined portfolio of transformation offerings, said Jamie Duffield, CEO, Ampion. We believe that Ampions experience, talent, capabilities and proven client credentials in ANZ, coupled with Wipros global scale, leadership in technology, and a deep understanding of domain and delivery, will make us a truly formidable team. We are pleased to become a part of Wipro and look forward to an exciting journey together.

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the quarter ending June 30, 2021

About Ampion

Ampion is a leading Australian provider of cyber security, DevOps and quality engineering services. With an expert, local team of more than 500 consulting and technology specialists, Ampion is a trusted delivery partner to over 150 clients in Australia comprising of enterprises and public sector entities. Headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane and a zone 3 facility in Canberra, Ampion unites 26 years of engineering excellence from award-winning IT service providers Revolution IT and Shelde.

For more information, please visit www.ampion.com.au.

About Wipro Limited

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 190,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipros beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipros control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipros growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease technology spending, adversely affect demand for our products, affect the rate of customer spending and could adversely affect our customers ability or willingness to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services and our inability to deliver our customers or delay the provisioning of our offerings, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance. Our operations may also be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331006011/en/

Wipro Media Contact:

Purnima Burman

Wipro Limited

purnima.burman@wipro.com

Source: Wipro Limited
Questions have been raised in the Dail after it was revealed that there were people in their 90s in the Laois Offaly constituency who have yet to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations.

Laois/Offaly TD Brian Stanley revealed the information in the Dail on Thursday

Speaking in the Dail, Deputy Stanley said, if we are to emerge from the pandemic in any sort of efficient or timely manner, we need to significantly increase the supply of vaccines. Sinn Fein has called on the Minister to raise the matter with the European Commission and to put pressure on it to be more proactive around approving other effective vaccines."

Deputy Stanley pointed out that other EU countried had taken the initiative to get more vaccines into their countries.

"Other countries are doing side deals while the Government sits on its hands. Germany has done a deal with Pfizer, as has Denmark. Austria has followed suit. Slovakia and the Czechs have signed up for Sputnik, the Russian vaccine. What actions is the Government taking to speed up the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency, EMA, in terms of the approval of other effective vaccines?"

Deputy Stanley continued, "all those over the age of 80 are supposed to have been vaccinated. I know of a 97-year-old woman in my constituency who has not yet been vaccinated. Another constituent of mine, a 95-year-old man, has not yet been vaccinated. We cannot get information as to when they will be vaccinated. Both of the constituents to whom I referred are housebound. My office telephoned the HSE Helpline but we cannot obtain information.

"I cannot get an answer regarding the mobile vaccination service and the mobile vaccination unit in Laois-Offaly. Is there such a unit? All Deputies will agree there is no shortage of managers in the HSE. In fact, there are legions of them. Can one person be put in charge of the vaccine roll-out in each county?"

The Sinn Fein TD said that it was a real problem on the ground and said it must be dealt with adding that it was not acceptable that people who are approaching 100 years of age have not yet been vaccinated.

"I refer to the announcement this week of changes to the vaccine roll-out. It shows that the Government has abandoned the plan it was pursuing as it has come to the conclusion that the plan is not fit for purpose. Key workers such as teachers, gardai and taxi drivers have been downgraded. Taxi drivers who provide services for the HSE, whose situation I raised in the House several months ago, as well as special needs assistants, SNAs, who work in close proximity to others, childcare workers and essential retail workers, have not been vaccinated."

"There has been an outbreak at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise. Prison officers need protection They have to deal with conflict in the prison daily. They work in close quarters with no room to socially distance and they are in a very difficult situation. Some of them have raised this issue with me."

"I refer to family carers and those who work in day services for the intellectually challenged and physically disabled. We need to try to do something to get these service workers and ensure they are safe.

"We need a fair roll-out of the vaccine. I ask that his office revert to my office with an email in that regard, today if possible, because it is a really important issue. It is a life-and-death issue," Deputy Stanley concluded.
Kriti Sanon has been on a joy ride as she keeps proving her mettle as a versatile actress in the industry. The actress has impressed the critics and fans with some stupendous performances till now. She continues to pick roles that are different and would help to explore her craft better. Out of the many films, one of her most anticipated upcoming films is Ganpath where she is reuniting with her first films co-star  Tiger Shroff. The film demands her to perform some incredible action sequences opposite the kind of action  Tiger Shroff himself. Sharing her thoughts on the same, she expressed that she feels a little bit of nervousness for these action scenes.



Kriti expressed her thought to a news portal saying that she has been waiting for a long time to reunite with Tiger. She said that she does feel a bit anxious but the actor is going to help her perfect all the action bits in the film. She further added that it is quite challenging to do action stunts opposite someone like Tiger Shroff who is flawless in it.







The actress shared how she had to shed some kilos during the lockdown which she had put on for some of her other roles. She said how she was a bit worried as there were no gyms to go to and she had to find other ways to shed those extra kilos, however, she ended up losing 11 kilos.

In other news, she has Bachchan Pandey in her kitty where she will be seen opposite Akshay Kumar, She will also be seen starring opposite Rajkummar Rao in an untitled film for now by Dinesh Vijan. Currently, she is busy shooting Bhediya with Varun Dhawan in Arunachal Pradesh.




According to workers on the picket lines, specialty steel maker Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) is moving forward with plans to hire scabs to replace 1,300 steelworkers for the duration of their strike.

The company has said that it plans to continue production using management, contractors, as well as hiring replacements for the striking workers, but has not yet provided details of how or when they will do this.



Workers outside the USW 1196 union hall in Brackenridge, PA

On Tuesday morning, 1,300 steelworkers at nine mills in five states went on strike against Allegheny Technologies Inc. They had been working without a contract since February, when a one-year extension to their previous four-year contract expired.

The strike is taking place at five Pennsylvania facilitiesBrackenridge, Latrobe, Natrona Heights, Vandergrift and Washingtonas well as at four mills in Lockport, New York; Louisville, Ohio; New Bedford, Massachusetts; and Waterbury, Connecticut.

In 2015-16, ATI locked out the steelworkers for over seven months. During that lockout, the company used scabs from the strikebreaking firm, Strom Engineering, to staff the mills. But, according to one striking worker, it was unable to do so this time since they are tied up in court with them. ATI is in the process of contracting with another strikebreaking firm.

The company has already increased security at all its facilities as it prepares to begin bringing in strikebreakers.

We havent had a raise in seven years, said one worker who has been with the company at its Brackenridge mill for 23 years. The company is saying that they are giving us a raise, but they take that away to pay for health care.

Mark Gibson who has worked for ATI for 29 years and Jerome Lyons with 15 years service

We used to follow US Steel with our contracts, but we have been taking concessions after concessions. We havent kept up with them. We just want a fair contract. They want to eliminate lots of jobs in the Machine Shop, the Locomotive Shop and the truck garage.

Jobs are another major issue for the workers. Since 2015, the number of employees has been cut from 2,200 to just 1,300 today. ATI has closed its Bagdad and Midland mills and cut several product lines.

They are shutting the Number 3 department. Usually when they shut a department down of that size, you would get a severance payment. But they are not giving them anything.

A lot of people are retiring. This is no easy life. We are crawling into all kinds of machines. Ive had my knee replaced, six back and shoulder operations. When you do retire, there is no quality of life. It is a tough environment inside the mill.

That is why health care is so important for us. Other companies provide health care, I dont see why they dont, with all the money we make them. I dont see why they treat us the way they do. We make them a high-quality product; we should be able to take care of ourselves and our families.

ATI is demanding that workers pay increased premiums for their health insurance and that new hires be placed in a plan that provides less coverage and costs more.

Jeff Lewis works in the Brackenridge strip mill. The company will say one thing and then does another. It doesnt matter what contract we sign, they say they are retaining the right to change the contract at any point.

Jeff Lewis, with 25 years service, works in the Brackenridge strip mill

Theyve laid a lot of people off. People need jobs to support their families and themselves. We had no increase for this whole contract, five years. They say they are offering a pay raise, but there are a lot of details they are not telling people.

They just want to keep cutting and cutting us. We have to stand up.

The ATI strike is part of an upsurge in the class struggle throughout the United States. Steelworkers in Atchison, Kansas are also on strike, and 3,000 graduate students at Columbia University in New York City have been on strike for nearly three weeks. Yesterday, 1,100 mine workers at the Warrior Met Coal company in Alabama went on strike. Met Coal was formed in 2016 out of the bankruptcy of Walter Energy, when United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) allowed the bankruptcy court to eliminate the pensions for nearly 3,000 retired miners.

However, far from seeking to unite these struggles, the United Steelworkers (USW) union is seeking to cut off striking ATI workers and isolate their struggle. The strike at ATI comes only a few months after it called off a strike and forced through a sellout contract at NLMK Pennsylvania in Farrell, Pennsylvania.

The USW presents the strike to steelworkers as an unfair labor practice (ULP), as a clever tactic that will allow workers to receive unemployment benefits and bar the company from labeling scabs it hires as permanent replacements. In reality, this has become another union method of isolating the workers. Since the strike has been called over unfair labor practice, the union refuses to present any actual demands for wage increases, job security, health care or pensions.

The union used the same tactic in the 2015 nationwide refinery strike. Calling out only a small portion of the unions membership, it used the ULP designation of the strike to avoid any concrete demands, eventually betraying the strike with a sellout agreement. In spite of the central issue of the strike being safety and dangerous working conditions, the USW left workers at a refinery in Galveston, Texas on strike by themselves when management at the facility refused to accept the national agreement.

From a purely legal standpoint, bargaining in good faith is a very low bar for ATI to meet, and in most cases the National Labor Relations Board will rule in favor of the company. It also allows the union to call off the strike at any time, claiming that the company is now willing to bargain.

In a prepared statement, David McCall, USW international vice president in charge of negotiations, made clear his intentions to end the strike as soon as possible. We are willing to meet with management all day, every day. But ATI needs to engage with us to resolve the outstanding issues. We will continue to bargain in good faith, and we strongly urge ATI to start doing the same.

The way forward for ATI workers is to form independent rank-and-file committees of their own to fight against the isolation imposed by the USW. These committees must demand an end to dangerous working conditions, substantial increases to wages and benefits, full income and health care benefits for all retirees and a reinstatement of the eight-hour day.

Workers must also demand that all negotiations between the USW and the corporations be livestreamed and that the full contract be made available to members to study and discuss for two weeks before voting.

The Socialist Equality Party and the WSWS will do everything possible to support the organization of these committees. Contact us today if you are interested in forming a rank-and-file strike committee at your plant.
Coronavirus vaccine eligibility opens up to people age 16 and older April 5, meaning college students will be eligible.

Alma College, Albion College and Ferris State University are already approved to receive vaccines and are gearing up to administer them.

Alma has partnered with Rite-Aid to host a vaccination clinic April 6-7. The vaccine clinic was originally reserved for students, faculty and staff. However, their current supply will allow the clinic to vaccinate community members between 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. both days.

We are also doing some outreach and some publicity within our community to encourage students to get the vaccine, said Alan Gatlin, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Alma College.

Registration for the clinic is due by noon April 2.

The more students are vaccinated, the more likely Alma will be able to return to normal this fall, Gatlin said. However, all of the colleges coronavirus efforts are focused on the current semester.

Over 80% of classes at Alma are hybrid or in-person this semester, Gatlin said.

We were very much in person this semester and feel confident that we will be even more in person in the fall, still offering an online option probably, but more in person, Gatlin said.

Ferris State University was notified Wednesday that it would receive nearly 2,500 doses for students, faculty and staff next week, according to Bobby Fleischman, provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Ferris plans to vaccinate about 600 people per day at Wink Arena between April 5-8.

Before receiving vaccine allocations, Ferris pharmacy, health profession and business college department worked with lean management professors to create a plan to vaccinate people as quickly as possible, Fleischman said. Lean management is a technique to avoid wasted motion.

During the pandemic, Ferris had 50% of classes in person, Fleischman said. For fall, he said the university plans to be 85% in person, which is typical with or without the pandemic.

Albion College has also solidified a vaccine clinic for its students on April 9 through a partnership with Henry Ford Allegiance Health, Albion College COVID-19 Coordinator Matt Arend wrote in an email statement.

Albion employees who have not started the vaccination process will be able to access the vaccine on April 13 through collaboration with the Calhoun County Department of Public Health.

Albion plans for 100% in-person classes this fall.

We are highly encouraged by vaccine adoption among the Albion community thus far, and look forward to launching these enhanced efforts in the coming weeks, Arend wrote.

Michigan State University has yet to learn if it will get coronavirus vaccine allocations.

The university has let the state know it is ready to distribute vaccines, but have not received any confirmation that the school will receive any, said Dan Olsen, university spokesperson.

Weve got the ability to respond once weve received doses of vaccine and get shots in arms within 48 hours, Olsen said.

Michigan State health clinics have already been approved as a provider of coronavirus vaccines, but have not received any doses, Olsen said.

Even though eligibility is opening up for college students, the university plans to stay at 75% in person for the upcoming fall semester.

Well stick with the 75% for the fall semester, Olsen said. ... Itll take some time to get the majority of our students, faculty and staff a vaccine. So, you know obviously MSU cant provide them just yet because we dont have vaccines, but working with our folks to understand where they can go to get one, itll still take some time.

Read more on MLive:

100% in-person classes coming to Albion College for fall semester

Central Michigan University will hold outdoor graduations for classes of 2020-21

Pfizer begins studying use of COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months to 11 years old

15 things the pandemic changed for now -- and maybe forever

Michigans first case of Brazilian COVID-19 variant in found in Bay County

Michigans COVID-19 surge is the worst in the nation. Whitmer is focused on vaccines, not restrictions.
Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said that it will seek over $1 billion in compensation for the losses caused by the massive container ship which had blocked the vital waterway since March 23.

The compensation for the losses and damages "will reach over $1 billion dollars" Xinhua news agency reported citing SCA chairman Osama Rabie as saying.

"This is the right of the state and we will not give it up."

The 224,000-tonne Panama-flagged ship, Ever Given, was grounded on March 23 after it had veered off its course in a single-lane stretch of the canal during a sandstorm.

It was refloated six days later through the efforts of the SCA in cooperation with the Dutch firm Boskalis and its emergency response team SMIT Salvage hired by Ever Given's owner.

The SCA chairman explained that the compensation demanded by the authority is not only for the financial losses caused by six-day navigation suspension, but includes the expenses of using dredgers and tugboats and the physical damage caused during the salvage process.

resumed navigation in the canal several hours after the Ever Given was freed and re-floated on Monday, after which many of the 422 ships that have been kept waiting started to cross the waterway.

By Saturday at most, all 422 delayed ships will have crossed the Suez Canal, according to Rabie.

Linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, the Suez Canal is a major lifeline for global sea trade since it allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa, thereby reducing the sea voyage distance between Europe and India by about 7,000 km.

Some 12 per cent of the world trade volume passes through the man-made canal.

At least 18,840 ships passed through the canal last year.

The Suez Canal provides one of Egypt's main sources of income, alongside tourism and remittances from expatriates.

Revenue from the waterway reached $5.6 billion last year.

--IANS

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(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.)
Several migrants are being released from the Mexico border into the United States without paperwork and sometimes court notices. The movement from the U.S. authorities on the border is deemed to be time-saving yet confusing the asylum seekers with its sudden implementation, according to an Associated Press report.

The said movement from the authorities lessens the number of people who need to stay in the border facilities which are already overcrowded. It can be remembered that on Monday, temporary Customs and Border facility located in Donna, Texas housed about 5,700 asylum seekers. A great number has surpassed the supposed 250 maximum capacity of the detention center.

READ NEXT: Border Chief Says Smugglers Just Drop Migrants Off the Border, With Bracelets to Track Them

Migrants Without Paperwork From the Mexico Border

The report of the migrants without the said paperwork follows the significant increase in the number of migrants crossing the borders, specifically migrant families and unaccompanied children, according to an Al Jazeera report.

Apart from the paperwork that some migrants were not issued, a court appearance notice is also not issued at times. According to Chris Cabrera, a spokesman from the National Border Patrol Council, preparing a court notice can consume an hour to 90 minutes. The National Border Patrol Council is a union that represents the agents.

What happens is, families are released with booking records and only parents are photographed and fingerprinted, according to WDSU6. The Border Patrol spearheaded the unusual practice in Texas Rio Grande Valley. The area is known to have the highest significant increase in terms of the numbers of migrant families and unaccompanied migrants who are children.

Meanwhile, The Customs and Border Protection echoed what Cabrera said, arguing that preparing even one of the said documents consume hours.

The migrants from the Mexico border will still be issued notices to appear in court. However, it will be done when they had their 60-day check-ins with the ICE.

"Honestly, from my end, I think it's [the non-issuance of the court notices and paperwork] good," said Cabrera. Cabrera explained that the movement has given their people less paperwork to work on. Cabrera is posted in the Rio Grande valley.

Migrants' Other Options

Although the adult migrants were instructed to report with ICE within 60 days, some of them still did not receive their documents. These include migrants from the Mexico border who are seeking refuge at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. About 100 migrants released by the U.S. authorities are arriving in the church to take a rest and sleep.

"We hope they can help with our papers so that we can move on, work, and send [money] to my family," said Carlos Enrique Linga, one of the migrants waiting without documents at the shelter for a week. Linga's wife is still in his homeland, Guatemala, along with his other children.

Immigration attorneys, on the other hand, advise migrants from the Mexico border to apply for a different route to asylum. The lawyers furthered that the migrants would meet with a Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum officer in a different environment, if they are denied, the migrants can still appeal to the judge. The said method is only applicable to migrants who are already inside the United States.

READ MORE: Illegal Migrants Deported Back to Mexico Say Biden Fails to Keep His Promise

WATCH: CBP releasing some migrant families without "notices to appear" in immigration court to save time - from CBS This Morning
New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday (April 2) that there is no plan for lockdown in Delhi, after a meeting with top officials over a huge spike in coronavirus cases. He held an urgent meeting with Health Minister Satyendar Jain along with his department officials to prepare an action plan to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in view of rising cases.

After the meeting, CM Kejriwal told reporters, "Delhi is going through its fourth wave, COVID-19 cases are increasing exponentially, this is worrying. But don't worry, we are keeping a tight watch on things."

"We will concentrate on testing, tracking, and isolating, please follow covid-19 precautions," said Delhi CM, adding "There is no plan for lockdown.

He said, "In the last few days, COVID-19 cases in Delhi have been rising. 3,583 new cases have been reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours. This rise in cases now is the fourth wave. We are taking all possible measures, there is no need to worry."

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal further said that "We are focusing on the COVID-19 vaccination, 71,000 vaccinations were done in Delhi yesterday."

Earlier on Thursday, an official release said that after the orders given by the Chief Minister, beds in 33 private hospitals have been increased by 25 per cent for ICU, and 25 per cent for normal ward beds. The COVID designated beds for normal wards have increased by 842, and there is an increase of 230 in ICU beds. There are now 838 COVID designated ICU beds in 33 private hospitals.

"Post the orders by CM Kejriwal, surveillance and monitoring teams have been sternly observing the situation at the district level. Moreover, traces of up to a minimum of 30 contacts of those who have been tested positive will be done. They will also be required to isolate themselves so that the spread can be contained at the initial stage," the release said. It further stated said that the vaccination centers have been increased to around 600.

Delhi schools closed

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has already decided to close all schools in the national capital stating that no physical classes will be held for the academic session 2021-22 till further orders due to a continuous surge in the COVID-19 cases.

The students of classes 9 to 12, however, can be called to schools only for providing academic guidance following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and with the consent of the parents.

Live TV
As of March 2021, Canadas Liberal government officially failed to meet its five-year, self-imposed deadline to lift all long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations reserves across the country.

More than one year after the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, dozens of Indigenous communities across the country continue to lack drinking water, making it impossible for residents to follow basic hygiene measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and combat other infectious diseases.

Neskantaga First Nation in northern Ontario has been under a do not consume water advisory for 25 years. (Photo credit: Safe Drinking Water Foundation)

In late February, the Auditor General of Canada, Karen Hogan, presented a report documenting the total failure of successive Canadian governments, including Justin Trudeaus Liberals, to provide for Indigenous communities most basic needs. Access to safe drinking water is a basic human necessity, Hogan said at a news conference in Ottawa. I dont believe anyone would say that this is in any way an acceptable situation in Canada in 2021.

In the 2015 election campaign that propelled them back to power after a decade in opposition, Justin Trudeaus Liberals solemnly pledged to address the substandard water conditions faced by First Nations communities across the country. Trudeau specifically committed to having all advisories lifted within five years of entering office. This was accompanied by propaganda, parroted by media outlets, about Trudeaus desire to affect a reconciliation with the Native population, which was focused above all at cultivating ties with a privileged indigenous elite with whom Canadian capitalism could do business. The Liberals miserable failure to meet their own targets on drinking water only goes to show that the fraudulent reconciliation campaign never had anything to offer the vast majority of the Native population, which continues to live in abject poverty.

In the years following the Liberal Partys election victory, over $2 billion was allocated to improving water conditions for the affected First Nations reserves. An estimated $1.79 billion of this had been spent as of November 2020, and at present 101 long-term boil-water advisories have been lifted.

However, 58 long-term advisories remain in effect across Canadasome of which have been in force for over two decades. The Zhiibaahaasing First Nation of Silver Water, Ontario was placed under a boil-water advisory in 1991, and Shoal Lake 40, a First Nation situated on the Ontario-Manitoba border, has been burdened with a long-term advisory for 23 years.

Neskantaga First Nation in northern Ontario has been without access to clean water for more than 25 years. On the home page of the nations website, a tracker is displayed that counts how many days it has been under the boil-water advisory. As of yesterday, April 1, it read 9,555 days.

Neskantaga Nation members have twice been evacuated due to the dangers posed by the lack of access to clean water, most recently in October 2020. That month over 250 residents of the remote community were evacuated after an oily sheen was discovered in their water reservoir. Subsequent testing showed high levels of hydrocarbons in the water. The residents were moved from their homes to a hotel in Thunder Bay, more than 400 kilometres away.

While staying in Thunder Bay, some of the Neskantaga youths held a rally to call for action to be taken and the water crisis to be addressed. Two months passed before residents were able to return to their homes, though their two-and-a-half-decade-long boil-water advisory remains very much in place.

Serious health consequences

Peer-reviewed research published between 2000 and 2015 on water and health in Indigenous communities in Canada suggests that issues commonly reported in relation to contaminated water include cancers, skin problems, gastrointestinal system issues, birth defects, obesity, mental health problems, heart diseases, liver diseases, kidney problems, neurological problems, immunopathology and a high rate of infant mortality.

Infant mortality rates are twice as high among Canadas Indigenous population as they are in the general Canadian population. A crisis often occurs when multiple women in a birth centre are in labour simultaneously, only for the centre to suddenly run out of water.

Midwives from the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve in Ontario estimate that half of all mothers returning home with new babies to their community do not have access to clean water.

Prime Minister Trudeau has cited the COVID-19 pandemic as being a major contributing factor to the federal governments failure to fulfill its pledge to provide First Nations with clean water. However, Auditor General Hogans report makes clear that many of the governments own goals had not been met before the pandemics erupted 13 months ago.

Hogan also pointed out that the government has not updated its funding formula for First Nations water systems for thirty years.

The federal governments priorities are evident when one considers the hundreds of billions of dollars in bailouts made available virtually overnight to big business during the pandemic. While First Nations communities are told that the funding or resources just arent available to end the water crisis any time soon, many of the corporations shown much loyalty by the Canadian ruling elite actively contribute to the degradation and destruction of Indigenous land. The Canadian petroleum company Imperial Oil, for example, received $120 million in government aid.

In stark contrast, the Neskantaga First Nation has received just $16 million, which was used to upgrade its water facility into a chemically-assisted conventional treatment system. The upgrade was initially scheduled for completion in the spring of 2018, but the project was delayed for almost three years.

Another factor in the First Nations water crisis is inefficient decentralized water systems.

In the case of the Tsuutina First Nation in Alberta, a water treatment facility built in 2019 principally serves the area surrounding the local schools. However, this has left many homes without a connection to the treatment centre, forcing their residents to continue to rely on wells and cisterns for their water supply.

Tsuutina resident Kylie Meguinis recently told Global News that for those using a cistern to access water, a water truck arrives roughly every four days to fill the cistern. For large families or houses home to multiple families, it is not uncommon to run out of water long before the next delivery is scheduled. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic, with children homeschooling and people being forced to stay inside more than they previously did.

She explained that she keeps a lock on her laundry room door, members of her household are limited to taking a five-minute shower once every other day, and receptacles like her kettle are never filled higher than a carefully marked line. She spends hundreds of dollars every week on bottled water because she doesnt want her children to consume the water that is available.

In the last six years, Tsuutina First Nation has had over eleven do not consume water advisories (DWA) issued. Studies have shown that cistern systems are prone to contamination. The transportation and storage process allows for E-coli and other dangerous bacteria to thrive and spread.

Concordia Universitys Institute for Investigative Journalism recently uncovered information indicating that the risk of an outbreak of COVID-19 is twice as likely in communities where cisterns are used. Cistern water has also been shown to have long-term detrimental effects on peoples immune systems.

Cistern systems are being used on reserves, rather than providing fresh water through pipes, because they cost Ottawa less money.

Governments refuse to collect data on health crisis

For years, Indigenous people dealing firsthand with water crises have speculated about the ways in which the impure water they are able to access might be affecting their health. First Nations have voiced concerns that contaminated water may be the cause of various illnesses, birth defects and deaths.

However, there is a severe lack of data, making it difficult to impossible to mount a serious epidemiological study.

The Canadian government has not tracked or studied water-related illnesses. Even the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia, the first province-wide health authority established to serve First Nations in Canada, does not track water-related illnesses or deaths on BC reserves.

A year-long investigation into water issues in First Nations communities entitled Clean Water, Broken Promises was published in January. It was the result of a collaborative effort by various universities and media outlets across the country.

The investigation noted that in 2017, researchers from the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo conducted a study reviewing research done on waterborne and foodborne illnesses in Indigenous communities. They found only two studies from the past fifty years which focused exclusively on waterborne illness in Indigenous communities. Three others looked at food and waterborne illnesses, but overall there remains a shocking lack of data and studies on the matter.

Some critics have accused the Canadian government of deliberately failing to collect information and data so as to avoid being held accountable for illnesses and deaths.

Further complicating the issue and hampering potential future investigations or inquiries is the fact that, in Canada, deaths are classified following the World Health Organization system that requires a single immediate cause of death be selected when an individual has died. Unlike in other countries, health professionals are not required to list an underlying cause of death.

This policy no doubt contributes to major data gaps and an underestimation of the impact of water-related diseases, including on mortality rates. In Alberta, Quebec and Yukon there have been no recorded deaths related to drinking water recorded by their respective coroners offices since the year 2000. Nor have any been recorded by the Saskatchewan Coroners Service since electronic records were implemented.

When the Clean Water, Broken Promises investigation reached out to Indigenous Services Canada for comment, spokesperson Leslie Michelson said, There is no national surveillance system specifically for waterborne disease outbreaks. When epidemiological evidence indicates that drinking water is, or may be, responsible for a disease outbreak, a DWA is issued.

Michelson acknowledged that tracking waterborne illnesses can be under-reported as they are difficult to identify, and the collection of information can be incomplete or not widely published/distributed.

Michelson also stated that, since the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch was created in 2003, there has not been a confirmed waterborne disease outbreak identified in a First Nation.

When Indigenous Services Minster Marc Miller had to publicly admit last December that the Liberals commitment to lift all boil-water advisories by March 2021 would not be met, he committed the government to spending an additional $1.5 billion on addressing the water crisis on First Nations reserves. But the expenditure is spread out over the next decade-and-a-half, with the bulk of the money to be spent only after the 2026-27 fiscal year.
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US President Joe Biden affirmed his "unwavering support" for Ukraine in a call to President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday after Kiev accused Moscow of building up military forces on its border.

The call, which was Biden's first conversation with Zelensky since the US leader's inauguration in January, came after Russia warned the West earlier Friday against sending troops to Ukraine to buttress its ally.

It also came as tensions between the United States and Russia have hit rock bottom after Biden last month infuriated Moscow by agreeing with a description of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as a "killer".

The White House said in a statement that Biden "affirmed the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's ongoing aggression".

Zelensky, who this week accused Russia of massing troops on Ukraine's border, said in a video released by his office that "President Biden assured me that Ukraine will never be left alone against Russian aggression."

Weeks of renewed frontline clashes have shredded a ceasefire and raised fears of an escalation of the simmering conflict in eastern Ukraine, where government forces are battling Russia-backed separatists.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would be forced to respond if the US sent troops.

"There is no doubt such a scenario would lead to a further increase in tensions close to Russia's borders. Of course, this would call for additional measures from the Russian side to ensure its security," Peskov told reporters.

He declined to specify which measures would be adopted, while insisting that Russia was not making moves to threaten Ukraine.

"Russia is not threatening anyone, it has never threatened anyone," Peskov said.

- 'Gravely concerned' -

On Friday, Russia said its armed forces would hold military exercises close to Ukraine's border in the country's south to practise defence against attack drones.

Story continues

More than 50 battalion combat teams comprising 15,000 people will take part in those exercises and practise "interaction with electronic warfare and air defence units", the defence military told reporters.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Twitter Friday that he had called his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba to reaffirm "UK support for Ukraine's sovereignty & territorial integrity".

"We are gravely concerned about Russian military activity which threatens Ukraine," he wrote.

But Steven Pifer, a former US ambassador to Ukraine and a fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, said movements by Russia's forces were "90 percent to rattle the Ukrainians".

"I don't see the value to the Russians of taking more territory," he told AFP.

Kiev has been battling pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions since 2014, following Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula after an uprising that ousted Ukraine's Kremlin-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych.

Moscow and Kiev this week blamed each other for a rise in violence along the frontline that has undermined a ceasefire brokered last July.

Zelensky said on Thursday that 20 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed since the start of the year.

Ukraine's military intelligence accused Russia of preparing to "expand its military presence" in the separatist-controlled regions.

Ruslan Khomchak, chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, this week said that more than 2,000 Russian military instructors and advisers were currently stationed in eastern Ukraine.

- Russian denials -

Russia has repeatedly denied sending troops and arms to support the separatists and the Kremlin said Russia is at liberty to move troops on its own territory.

"Russia is not a participant of the conflict," Peskov said on Friday, accusing Ukraine's armed forces of "multiple" provocations in the region.

A senior Russian official dismissed reports of Russia planning an attack on Ukraine as "fake".

"Russia is not interested in any conflict with Ukraine, especially a military one," deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko told state news agency RIA Novosti.

Zelensky was elected in 2019 on promises of ending the conflict, but critics say a shaky ceasefire has been his only tangible achievement.

The fighting has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014, according to the United Nations.

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Staycationers desperate to get away over Easter have been telling holiday lets they will pay in cash, hide their cars and arrive at night in bid to avoid getting caught breaking Covid rules.

The owners of self-catering holiday accommodation in the UK have criticised would-be holidaymakers who have asked to book discrete getaways despite the ongoing coronavirus restrictions meaning overnight stays are not allowed.

Holiday cottages, caravan parks and other self-catered accommodation will be able to welcome guests from a single household as of April 12.

But many holiday-cottage owners claim they are coming under increasing pressure from Brits keen to get away ahead of the Government's easing.

Jill Taylor (pictured) owns the South View Lodges at Shillingford St George, near Exeter, said she has received dozens of calls in recent weeks from people desperate for a holiday

The South View Lodges site (pictured) at Shillingford St George, near Exeter, Devon, comprises of five lodges set in six acres

Jill said most people do not have genuine reasons for staying, such as travelling for work, with most wanting to celebrate birthdays at the site (pictured)

Jill Taylor owns the South View Lodges at Shillingford St George, near Exeter, Devon, comprising of five lodges set in six acres.

She said she has received dozens of calls in recent weeks from people desperate for a holiday.

'They are quite happy to pay cash on arrival. They say they won't go on any social media platforms and they won't let anyone know they are here and they will even leave their vehicle parked somewhere in a lay by or a gateway down the road so no one knows they are actually here,' she added.

Jill said most people do not have genuine reasons for staying, such as travelling for work, with most wanting to celebrate birthdays.

Sue Jewell (pictured) owns a dog-friendly holiday let in Cornwall

The owner of a dog-friendly holiday let near Looe, Cornwall, said she had also received pre-April 12 inquiries from people contacting her via Air BnB - including one man who said he wanted to travel down for a 'house viewing' in the area.

Sue Jewell, of Boturnell Farm Cottages, said: 'I have turned that down because I am not comfortable with it...

'I ended up almost having an argument with the chap with his house viewing who told me yes he could [visit the area], but if I don't take [the booking], and I am not going to, there are going to be people who do.'

Tourism bosses in the region say they have received numerous complaints from businesses about suspected holidaymakers.

They are concerned about the effect another lockdown would have on their sector.

Visit Devon director Sally Everton said: 'There are many many properties in Devon that you still can book and you can book them as of today.

'That concerned me and out of all those I saw only one actually said could you please disclose the reason why you are travelling.'

Ms Jewell, who owns the dog-friendly holiday let (pictured) near Looe, Cornwall, said she had also received pre-April 12 inquiries from people contacting her via Air BnB

In a statement Air B&B said during lockdown 'stays on AirBnB are only available in limited circumstances, in line with Government guidance.

'This is made clear on our website, which restricts bookings to these legal exemptions.'

Meanwhile Devon and Cornwall police confirmed they are investigating a closed social media group which is allegedly encouraging owners of holiday lets and potential customers to breach Covid rules.
New Delhi, April 2 : The six shut schemes of Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund have received Rs 15,776 crore so far from maturities, pre-payments and coupons.

In a statement, the fund house said that all the schemes are cash positive as on March 31, 2021.

"From April 24, 2020 to March 31, 2021, the six schemes under winding up have received INR 15,776 crore from maturities, pre-payments, and coupons. All schemes are cash positive as on March 31, 2021," it said.

It further said that in five out of the six schemes, the cash available for distribution as on January 15, 2021 -- Rs 9,122 crore -- has been distributed to the unitholders (except cases requiring remediation or with incomplete documentation) as per the Supreme Court order.

It also asid tha each scheme will return money to the investors after paying all the obligations, liabilities towards borrowings, expenses or provisions, if any.

Earlier in the day, Franklin Templeton India's President Sanjay Sapre wrote to the investors, asserting that the fund house has no plans to exit its India business.

The statement comes at a time when media reports suggested that Franklin Templeton had requested for talks with the Indian Ambassador to the US over the capital market regulator SEBI's probe into six shut debt schemes of the fund house in the country. The reports also said that Franklin Templeton had threatened to exit India operations if it was not given a fair hearing.

In a letter to investors, Sapre described the reports of a likely exit as speculations and rumours.

The six debt schemes of Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund were shut in April last year after they faced unprecedented redemptions and liquidity issues amid the pandemic.
When a paramedic arrived at the scene of George Floyds arrest, he could not find a pulse and believed that Mr. Floyd was already dead, he testified in court on Thursday.

Derek Smith, the paramedic, said that he had first felt Mr. Floyds neck for a pulse while police officers were still on top of him and that he could not find one.

In lay terms, I thought he was dead, Mr. Smith testified on the fourth day of the trial of Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with murder in Mr. Floyds death. After bringing Mr. Floyd into the back of an ambulance, Mr. Smith still could not find a pulse, and when he placed pads on Mr. Floyds body to monitor his heart, the monitor showed a flatline, meaning his heart had stopped beating.

In efforts to get Mr. Floyds heart beating, paramedics used a device to administer chest compressions and a defibrillator to provide an electric shock, but nothing worked, Mr. Smith said. Mr. Floyds condition had not changed by the time they reached the hospital.
Some churches in Huntsville are having in person Easter services this year.

Something that many churches were unable to do last year at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.

First Baptist Church will have in person Easter services this year. First Baptist Church will have in person Easter services this year.

We spoke with church leaders Thursday about their COVID precautions for services.

Pastor Travis Collins said that last year's services were unusual, but this year people will be able to gather for Easter.

"This time a year ago we were all just sitting around trying to figure out how to be church when you can't be together," said Travis Collins, First Baptist Church Senior Pastor.

Now people can come together for Easter, but with limitations.

Masks, social distancing and capacity limits are all things the church is doing to protect worshipers.

"We understand that the experts are telling us to not let down our guard prematurely and we certainly want to respect that," said Collins.

Collins said they also added an extra Easter service this year to allow for more space.

Other churches in the area are offering some outdoor services, like First Christian Church.

"We are going to be doing an outdoor service on Holy Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon. That service is concentrated for young families, for those who have children as well," said Reverend Paul Allen, Senior Pastor First Christian Church.

People also have the option to attend in person services.

Reverend Paul Allen said there will be multiple precautions in place for them like pews being roped off.

"We're also going to be refraining from congregational signing and congregational speaking, but have plenty of solos available and lots of special music as well," said Allen.

Now there will be around half the amount of people inside both churches, but people will be able to come together this year.

"This Sunday we celebrate the most hope filled day of the entire year," said Collins.

First Baptist Church and First Christian Church both share their services online so, you can still celebrate Easter from your home.

First Christian Church is holding their regularly scheduled service tonight and will start Easter services Saturday.

First Baptist Church will start Easter services on Good Friday.
Kendall Jenner's nude trespasser also made an attempt to break into sister Kylie's property, court documents revealed.

In papers filed by the supermodel, 25, for a restraining order against the 27-year-old man, it was revealed he also showed up at Kylie's gated community shortly after being released from jail.

According to TMZ, Kendall was granted a temporary restraining order on Thursday after the man broke into her property to search for her before going for a nude swim in her pool.

Troubling: Kendall Jenner 's nude trespasser also made an attempt to break into sister Kylie's property, new court documents have revealed

The man reportedly broke into Kendall's property around 2am on Sunday and began pounding on her doors and windows while calling out her name.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was home at the time of the intrusion but was able to stay in a safe location within the house while her security dealt with the issue.

After giving up on finding her, the intruder allegedly took off his clothes and went for a nude swim before being apprehended.

Frightening encounter: The 27-year-old man reportedly got onto Kendall's property around 2 a.m. on Sunday and banged on the windows while calling for her

The police arrived after security had detained the man and charged him with a misdemeanor count of trespassing.

So far, the charge has been jail for six hours due to Covid-19 protocols designed to slow the reach of the virus, which can easily spread within a confined jail.

It has since been said that after being released, the man made his way to Kylie's gated Holmby Hills community a day-and-a-half later.

He was arrested on site on Tuesday for felony stalking.

Second attempt: It's now been discovered that after being released, the man reportedly made his way to Kylie's gated Holmby Hills community a day-and-a-half later

In the documents, Kendall also reportedly detailed the man's alleged criminal history, claiming he's been busted for kidnapping.

He also had photos of her on his social media pages, and she said he's left her in fear for her own safety.

The restraining order also protects Kylie and their mother Kris Jenner, 65, ordering him to stay at least 100 yards away from all parties.

Privacy please! Kylie - who has topped Forbes' list of youngest self-made billionaires - gravitated to the ultra private looking compound, which is protected with a 24/7 guardhouse

The nude trespasser and another recent stalker, who allegedly said he planned to murder her before taking his own life, have led Kendall to move out of her Beverly Hills home permanently for her safety and peace of mind.

She previously moved out of her last home, located in West Hollywood, in 2017 after she was the victim of a burglary.

Prior to her dealings with the nude trespasser, Kendall had secured a temporary restraining order against another man.

On Monday, she told a judge that a Los Angeles Police Department detective told her that a 24-year-old man had traveled across the country with the intention of purchasing an illegal firearm to murder her.

They claimed that he then intended to kill himself.

The catwalk star was swiftly granted the temporary order, which required the man to stay at least 100 yards from her.

He's currently being held in a hospital's psychiatric ward, though she claimed that she feared he would seek her out after being released, TMZ reported.

Since moving out of her Beverly Hills home, Kendall is reportedly staying in a safe location with her beefed-up security team at her side.
Just three years ago, Ethiopia had been at a cusp of collapse. Many parts of the country were rocked by protests with public resentment reaching fever pitch. The crackdown on the press, ethnic oppression, corruption and other malpractices had almost pushed the country into unchartered territory inflicting fear in the international community of region-wide domino effect in the Horn.

As a result, the then administration had been imposing strings of state of emergency to quash the tense public grievances, the protests rather intensified though. The national disobedience also led to party room struggle among the members of EPRDF party. The public struggle coupled with the longtime friction inside the ruling party had resulted in the coming of new leadership under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on April 2, 2018. This development has almost salvaged the country from deep crisis and a bottomless pit.

The early times of the new leadership in particular were adorned with flying colors of a string of sweeping reforms. The release of thousands of political prisoners, the revocation of draconian laws such as terrorism and charities and civil society proclamations, the removal of political parties and media outlets from the lists of terrorism have been one of the groundbreaking achievements initiated by the young leader.

However, the new hope in the country has also reverberated across the region. With Abiy extending the olive branch to his Eritrean counterpart, Ethiopia and Eritrea have been able to achieve the unthinkable. This was indeed nothing short of a miracle. The two countries have come to terms after two decades of animosity and no peace no war situation. While receiving tremendous approval in his home, Abiy also played a central role in brokering a peace deal between Sudanese warring parties and conflicting groups in South Sudan.

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These and other changes had earned him worldwide fame as he was crowned as a noble prize winner in 2019. The peace laureate had before and since received various accolades from international organizations.

However, Abiy's three years of leadership have also been marred with backlogs of challenges. As the saying goes by old habit dies hard, local and foreign anti-reform elements have been leaving no stone unturned to sow discord among Ethiopian people and ignite political crisis, ethnic displacements and other economic setbacks. These conspiracies have in fact brought unimaginable pain to the people.

Some of the problems have been an extension of old failures and problems. These challenges in fact cannot be washed away easily and overnight. It requires a hard work and a longtime to uproot the causes of the socioeconomic and political bottlenecks. But still, the country has many changes to cherish. Democratic institutions are increasingly becoming autonomous and the country is preparing a relatively free and fair poll this year.

This paves away for democratic transition and will leave an unfading mark in the history of democracy in the country. The stakes are high and the pitfalls are too many though. If the country is to continue marching on reforms, the people of Ethiopia and the government must throw their weight behind ensuring peace and stability in the country. After all, it is when peace is ensured that the economic, social and political demands are fulfilled. When everything is said and done, the future would be rosy despite the distracted past!
Earlier this week, China filed sanctions against two chairs of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). U.S. religious freedom advocates USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Vice Chair Tony Perkins were issued sanctions by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) following the United States' condemnation of the ongoing Uyghur genocide in the northeastern Xinjiang province of China.

Despite these sanctions, however, the USCIRF chairs are continuing to advocate for the religious minorities who are the subject of the communist state's abuses.

"USCIRF will not be silenced. We will not stop speaking out against the Chinese government's ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity," USCIRF Chair Manchin said, as reported by International Christian Concern (ICC).

The 73 year old former First Lady of West Virginia has served as Chair of the group of U.S. religious freedom advocates since 2018. In late March, Manchin was appointed by President Joe Biden to fill the position of co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission. The former educator was also previously served in West Virginia's State Board of Education.

USCIF Vice Chair and president of the Family Research Council Tony Perkins, who also received sanctions from the CCP, encouraged the U.S. and its allies to continue to advocate for the religious freedom of the Uyghurs. He said, "We call on the international community, especially U.S. allies who share the same fundamental universal values and principles of freedom of religion or belief and the rule of law, to redouble their efforts and unite in standing up to Communist China."

According to NBC News, Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement defending the U.S. religious freedom advocates, calling the sanctions an attempt to "intimidate and silence those speaking out for human rights and fundamental freedoms."

The sanctions issued upon Manchin and Perkins have prohibited them from entering mainland CHina, Hong Kong, and Macao, and forbid Chinese citizens and organizations from conducting business and organizing any form of exchange with the U.S. religious freedom advocates. These sanctions are China's response to the U.S.'s sanctions on Chinese officials Wang Junzheng, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps secretary, and Chen Mingguo the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau director.

"I feel flattered to be recognized by Communist China for calling out genocidal crimes against religious and ethnic minorities in the country," Manchin told Reuters on Saturday in response to the sanctions she received from the Chinese government. While I don't have plans to travel to China this summer, "I won't stop speaking out when egregious violations of religious freedom are taking place as they are in China."

The Chinese government wants the U.S. religious freedom advocates to "redress their mistakes," warning them that "they will get their fingers burnt" if they continue to attack the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang, overwhelming proof of which has been widely circulated.

The U.S. started calling out China's genocidal acts against the Uyghurs during the time of former President Donald Trump. At the time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "available facts" can easily prove that the CCP is currently committing such horrendous actions.

The British Conservative Party Human Rights Commission also released a report condemning China's human rights violations which are "indicative of genocide." The report, entitled "The Darkness Deepens: The Crackdown On Human Rights In China 2016-2020," showed how the CCP carried out systemic human rights violations against Uyghurs.

The CCP's violations affect more than just Uyghurs. The communist party has also persecuted Christians and Catholics, and people who identify with other faiths such as Buddhism and those who practice Falun Gong, for years.
A Hong Kong court has found seven pro-democracy activists guilty of charges related to anti-government protests in 2019.

Among those convicted on Thursday were media business leader Jimmy Lai and 82-year-old Martin Lee, a longtime democracy movement supporter. Lee has often been called Hong Kongs father of democracy.

The two were found guilty with five former pro-democracy lawmakers. All of the individuals are in their 60s or older. The defendants are to be sentenced on April 16. Some legal experts are predicting jail terms of 12 to 18 months. The longest possible sentence is 5 years.

The charges are linked to a pro-democracy march that took place during huge anti-government protests in 2019. The judge who gave the ruling said evidence in the trial showed the defendants had organized and taken part in an unlawful assembly.

Hong Kongs Basic Law guarantees individuals the right to peaceful assembly. But the judge noted that restrictions are placed on that right for preserving public safety and public order, and protecting the rights of others."

The ruling states the defendants carried a sign that criticized police and called for government reforms during the march, which began at Victoria Park on August 18, 2019. The marchers went from the park through the city center.

Police gave permission for a protest at Victoria Park, but rejected a request for the march. Organizers estimated that 1.7 million people marched on that day in opposition to a proposed Hong Kong extradition bill. The legislation, which was later withdrawn, would have permitted criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial.

That protest started months of pro-democracy demonstrations in the former British territory. Some of the protests led to violent clashes between demonstrators and police.

Under the one country, two systems policy, Hong Kong was guaranteed the right to its own social, legal and political systems. The policy started after Britain returned the territory to Chinese rule in 1997. But moves by China in recent years to restrict freedoms in Hong Kong have resulted in protests.

The pro-democracy movement strongly criticized a national security law passed in June 2020 by the government in Beijing. The law sharply limits speech and other freedoms in Hong Kong. Critics say it is meant to silence dissent. Last month, China also announced changes that greatly reduced the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kongs legislature.

Most of Hong Kongs main activists are now in jail or in self-exile outside of Hong Kong.

Former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan was among those convicted. He criticized the judgement, saying he and all other citizens of Hong Kong have the constitutional right to march. We are firm that we have the right to assemble, he said. It is our badge of honor to be in jail for walking together with the people of Hong Kong.

Six of the nine defendants in the case have been released on bail. Conditions for their temporary release from jail include that they do not leave Hong Kong and that they hand over all travel documents.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

______________________________________________

Words in This Story

convict  v. to prove that someone is guilty of a crime in a court of law

assembly  n. a group of people gathering together

preserve v. to keep something safe from harm; to protect

badge of honor  n. a mark or expression of pride

bail  n. an amount of money given to a court to allow a prisoner to leave jail and return later for a trial
Frances new marine protection strategy should include stronger safeguards, experts say

by Jerome Petit

April 02,2021 | Source: Pew

In January, France unveiled its new global marine conservation strategy with a goal of protecting 30% of its waters by 2022; a third of that would be shielded by high protections under the plan, meaning that extractive activities would not be allowed in the areas. Achieving these goals would be a major step forward for global ocean health because France has the worlds second-largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ)covering 11,691,000 square kilometers (4,514,000 square miles)largely because of its numerous overseas territories, including French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF)



Leading up to Frances announcement, the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project partnered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) French Committee to bring experts and stakeholders together in a series of online conferences exploring the need for, and benefits and importance of, high marine protectionwhich should be the governments focus now, given that it has almost achieved the 30% goal.



The first conference of this series, held in September 2020, featured 12 French experts focused on ocean health and effective approaches to conserving biodiversity, including establishing fully safeguarded, well-managed marine protected areas (MPAs).



The experts explained that MPAs, specifically those with a high level of protection, provide measurable benefits to marine ecosystems and surrounding communities. Such MPAs can protect seagrasses and reefs, which buffer coastal communities from the full impact of waves and safeguard coastlines from erosion. They also can promote carbon sequestration by preserving mangrove forests, which can absorb at least three times as much carbon as terrestrial tropical forests.



In addition, conference participants highlighted how MPAs can benefit local economies. Research proves that fish are larger and more numerous inside an MPA than outside. As fish populations mature and grow, they spill over into fishing grounds, generating greater catch and income for fisherman. MPAs can also help generate significant revenue related to tourism.



The potential benefits of MPAs can be fully realized only if those areas are large and highly protected, according to experts. Although 23.5% of French maritime waters are designated as MPAs, some still permit activities such as industrial fishing that undermine the intended conservation benefits of the protections. According to a recent paper published in the journal Marine Policy, less than 2% of French waters are fully or highly protected, and 80% of that total is concentrated in a single overseas territory: TAAF.



Panelists at another conference, held online in November 2020, noted that these highly protected waters are predominantly located in overseas territories with little traffic and less exposure to human pressures and therefore indicate a lack of representativeness of Frances marine habitats worldwide. During the conference, experts recommended that France establish more highly protected MPAsthat better represent key habitatsacross its territorial waters.



As part of its strategy announcement, France pledged to develop three three-year action plans with input from its overseas territories. The first of these plans was released in January, and the implementation of this plan provides France with an opportunity to enhance its marine protection in order to deliver significant ecological benefits. This would require it to create highly protected MPAs that restrict all extractive and damaging activities, such as industrial fishing.



The best available science tells us that we need to protect at least 30% of the ocean to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems, improve long-term food security, and protect ocean-based livelihoods. Today, more than 70 countries, including France, have publicly committed to achieve this goal by 2030, and more than 100 countries are united in their support for a global biodiversity target to significantly increase the protection and conservation of the planets ocean over the next decade. France plays a leading role in promoting the 30% global target through the High Ambition Coalition. With this global momentum, countries can deliver a post-2020 framework at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity later this year; that framework should include a robust ocean target that calls for effective marine protections, with the focus on areas important for biodiversity and ecosystem services.

 1996-2021 The Pew Charitable Trusts. All rights reserved.

Theme(s): Others.
A shape less recognizable each week, a purpose more obscure. Photo: Mary Smyth/Getty Images

For the first time on record, a majority of U.S. adults do not belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque.

Since 1939, Gallup has been surveying Americans on their religious affiliations. From that year until the turn of the millennium, church membership in the U.S. never dipped below 68 percent. But over the past two decades, that figure has steadily declined  and now, the emerging churchless majority has arrived.

Graphic: Gallup

This is not a story about the rise of remote worship. Declining church membership has been driven primarily by rising godlessness. On the eve of the 21st century, 8 percent of Americans identified with no religion in Gallups polling. Today, that figure is 21 percent.

Pew Research believes the ranks of the nones are even larger. In its polling, 26 percent of the U.S. public prostrates itself before no deity.

In assigning culpability for this trend, one could assemble a long list of plausible co-conspirators. The ascendance of the Evangelical right likely damaged Christianitys brand with social liberals by associating the faith with theocratic politics, while pedophilic priests and their enablers surely drove no small number of American Catholics from the pews. In Gallups polling, the decline in church membership has been especially steep among self-identified Catholics, falling 18 points since 2000, compared to 9 points among Protestants.

But in all likelihood, these contingent developments only expedited Americas atheistic drift. Secularization is a secular trend. In both Gallup and Pews data, the main engine of ascendant faithlessness is generational churn. Two-thirds of Americans born before 1946 belong to a religious institution, according to Gallup. That drops to 58 percent among baby boomers, 50 percent among Generation X, and 36 percent among millennials (the pollsters limited data from zoomers indicates that they are roughly as irreligious as their cooler, wiser immediate predecessors).

Pew shows a similar pattern on the question of religious identification: Each new generation is less religious than the last, while the drop-off between Gen X and millennials is especially sharp:

Graphic: Pew Research Center

To be sure, one might attribute American millennials disaffection with religion to the fact that the Christian right (and/or Catholic church sex abuse scandal) loomed especially large during their formative years. But declining religiosity is not limited to the United States. Rates of religious-service attendance are falling in nearly every Western country. And the United Kingdom  whose Conservative Party endorsed same-sex marriage before Barack Obama did  has witnessed a remarkably similar trend to the U.S. in religious identification, with the percentage of Britons who subscribe to no religion rising 12 points since 2000.

Given that religious identification has been declining continuously with each new generation, across a diverse array of national contexts, the fundamental cause of the phenomenon is likely structural (as opposed to contingent). I cant tell you with much authority what this macrohistorical cause is. But Im inclined to think that industrial development inherently undermines tradition and cultivates individualism, qualities that render it an adversary of faith-based, communitarian institutions. It also seems to me that late capitalism has robbed the church of its monopoly on a wide range of social functions: The welfare state provides social insurance; the universities, metaphysics; Marvel movies, community-binding myths (what are MCU Reddit forums but Bible studies persevering?).

Regardless, my point in emphasizing the deep-seated, structural nature of declining religiosity is simple: It suggests that this trend will not be drastically reversed, absent some kind of social cataclysm.

And that poses a major challenge to the Republican Party.

Americas loss of faith may have won Biden the presidency.

Everyone knows that religion is a major fault line in American politics. But its exceptional salience has been occluded a bit in recent years, as divisions rooted in race and educational attainment have attracted heightened attention. Much digital ink has spilled on the growing split between white voters with college degrees and those without them. And rightly so. Yet it remains the case that whether a white American identifies as an Evangelical Christian is a much more reliable predictor of her partisan preference than whether she went to college.

This reality helps explain some curious aspects of contemporary politics. For example, many pundits have puzzled over the divergent political trajectories of Wisconsin and Ohio. Although both states have shifted right since the Obama era, the former has remained competitive while the latter has gone solid red. If one focuses on race and education, this split is hard to explain. Both states are heavily working-class, with nearly identical percentages of Ohioans and Wisconsinites holding college degrees, while African Americans comprise roughly twice as large a share of Ohios population as they do of Wisconsins. Thus, if you only looked at these two variables, youd assume that the Buckeye State was the bluer battleground. But religiosity presents a countervailing distinction. In Pews polling, 58 percent of Ohioans say they are highly religious, which makes their state the 17th-most religious in the country. By contrast, only 45 percent of Wisconsinites identify as highly religious; only five states demonstrate lower levels of religiosity, and all of them are blue.

As the GOPs electoral fortunes in Ohio (and beyond) indicate, there are worse fates than being the party of white Christians in a time of deepening education polarization. The moral majority may in fact be an ever-shrinking minority. But it is also disproportionately concentrated in rural areas that are overrepresented at every level of government. This reality, combined with the GOPs Trump-era gains among secular noncollege whites  who are also overrepresented in both rural America and the Midwests Electoral College battlegrounds  has enabled Republicans to assemble an extraordinarily efficient coalition. While Democrats waste votes by running up the score in urban House districts and a handful of coastal states, Republicans are spread comparatively evenly across the geography of most regions, and are superabundant in the wildly overrepresented Great Plains states.

Nevertheless, geographic efficiency isnt worth much without numerical sufficiency. In 2020, the Electoral Colleges tipping-point state was nearly 4 points more Republican than the nation as whole. But the nation as a whole gave Donald Trump the lowest share of the popular vote that any incumbent president had received since Herbert Hoover. So Trump lost.

The emerging churchless majority may well have been integral to Trumps plight. In 2016, the mogul was all things to all white cultural conservatives: His reputation as an infamous philanderer reassured a critical mass of a secular, working-class Obama voters in the Midwest that his Bible-thumping was insincere, while his avid support from megachurch pastors (and Mike Pence) kept the Evangelical right in his corner. After four years in power, however, the voting public came to regard Trump as more of a conventional conservative. And his support among the religiously unaffiliated appeared to decline: In Pews data, Clinton won the godless by 41 points, while Biden won them by 49.

If those figures are broadly accurate, then the shift they reflect surely helped Biden secure his narrow margins in key Midwestern states. The pious arent as overrepresented in the Rust Belt battlegrounds as the non-college-educated are: On Pews list of Americas most religious states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are all in the bottom half.

The GOP is caught between the median voter and the moral minority.

Of course, the difficulty for Republicans is less that their coalition is more religious than America writ large than that it is wildly more theocratic and reactionary. For decades, Gallup has taken the publics temperature on the moral acceptability of various social practices. In 2017, it found that on 10 of its 19 moral issues, American opinion had become historically left-wing, while the electorates views had grown significantly more conservative on exactly zero.

This trend is all but certain to continue apace over the coming decade, since its driven by the same generational churn thats emptying Americas pews. As millennials and zoomers replace silents and boomers, it will be increasingly difficult for the GOP to win national elections without distancing itself from moral traditionalism. Marijuana legalization, LGBT rights, and Roe v. Wade are all popular and becoming more so.

The challenge that declining religiosity poses to the Republican Party is therefore twofold. First, the trend directly shrinks the partys core constituency of white Evangelicals, while expanding the core Democratic constituency of the irreligious. Until recently, the GOP may have actually benefited from the decline of Protestantism in the U.S., as erosion in church membership was concentrated in mainline congregations that were disproportionately affiliated with the Democrats. But over the past decade, the ascent of the millennials and sunset of the boomers have reduced the weight of conservative Christians in the electorate. Between 2009 and 2019, the share of the U.S. population that identified as white Evangelical (or born-again) Protestants dropped from 19 to 16 percent in Pews polling. At the same time, the growth in the unchurched population has directly increased the Democrats vote share: Since 2004, the Democratic nominee has never won less than 67 percent of the religiously unaffiliated.

The second problem is that the GOPs most loyal and best-organized mass constituency  the Evangelical right  is increasingly out of touch with mainstream opinion. This tension has been further heightened by the exodus of college-educated professionals from the GOP coalition, which has allowed the moral minority to retain (if not increase) its clout within the party, even as its influence over the broader culture has steadily eroded.

Graphic: @xenocryptsite/Twitter

Republicans have responded to this challenge in part by strategically retreating on some culture-war issues and escalating hostilities on more ecumenical ones. In 2015, the Supreme Court neutralized the wedge issue of same-sex marriage, and the GOP proceeded to drop the subject from its national messaging. Republican presidential hopefuls still cling to radical positions on reproductive rights, with Marco Rubio supporting the prohibition of abortion even in cases of rape and incest. But most have followed Trumps lead in centering issues that unite religious and secular reactionaries, from immigration to cancel culture to belligerent anti-China policy.

Given the GOPs large structural advantage in the Electoral College, it could conceivably build a winning coalition atop terror of migrants and reverence for racist Dr. Seuss books. After all, not all of our politys long-term trends cut against Republicans. The assimilation of Hispanic Americans into white identity is one tailwind for the party. And even the decline of religion isnt without its upside for the right. Although the development hurts Republicans with white voters, the decline of the Black church appears to be helping them with African Americans  both because such institutions are critical for promoting Black turnout, and because unchurched Black voters are a bit less likely to adhere to their communitys traditional partisan preference.

Nevertheless, the Republicans dependence on an increasingly minor religious movement will be a major liability in 2024. The days of Anthony Kennedy nullifying debates that divide the Christian right from the broader populace are over. Todays conservative Supreme Court is far more likely to increase the salience of such wedge issues than it is to sideline them. And neither Marco Rubio nor Josh Hawley nor Tom Cotton boasts Donald Trumps innate connection with those who disdain both political correctness and piety.

The Christian rights answer to declining religiosity is the suspension of democracy.

Whatever its impact on the GOP, the implications of creeping secularism are more dire for social conservatives. The Republican Party can ultimately retain political power by bringing its policy commitments into slightly closer alignment with public opinion. That is not an option for the Christian rights true believers. As a result, the movement is becoming forthrightly anti-democratic. On the one hand, the moral minority hopes to impose its will on the nation by judicial fiat. On the other, it aims to disenfranchise the heathen majority.

Liberal analyses of the GOPs war on voting rights tend to characterize it as a reaction against the nations burgeoning racial diversity. And this is surely one driver of the phenomenon. But its worth noting that the eclipse of conservative Christian America is real, while that of majority-white America is a paranoid delusion. According to Census Bureau projections, white Americans will still comprise over 68 percent of the U.S. population in 2060, so long as one includes Hispanic Americans who identify as white in that category. The complexion of Americas white majority may shift, as it has many times before. But its not actually disappearing. White conservative Christians, by contrast, are already a minority of the U.S. electorate.

Its not surprising then that many of the rights most unabashed advocates for authoritarianism hail from its religious wing. And while no respectable conservatives will publicly argue that nonwhite Americans are unfit for self-government, many are quite comfortable saying as much about the nations socially liberal majority. Glenn Elmers, a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute and research scholar at Hillsdale College, made the case vividly this week:

[M]ost people living in the United States today  certainly more than half  are not Americans in any meaningful sense of the term  They do not believe in, live by, or even like the principles, traditions, and ideals that until recently defined America as a nation and as a people. It is not obvious what we should call these citizen-aliens, these non-American Americans; but they are something else 

Authentic Americans still want to have decent lives. They want to work, worship, raise a family, and participate in public affairs without being treated as insolent upstarts in their own country. Therefore, we need a conception of a stable political regime that allows for the good life. The U.S. Constitution no longer works.

The Republican Party can still compete for political supremacy within Americas existing institutions. But its moral traditionalists cannot regain cultural hegemony absent some kind of a counterrevolution. If such a project is practically implausible, it is increasingly ideologically permissible on the right side of the aisle. Thus, the coming decade of U.S. politics may be defined, in part, by the struggle to prevent conservative Christianity from taking democracy down with it.
Police on Thursday publicly identified the man shot and killed at a North Portland convenience store the day before as a 53-year-old Vancouver resident.

Police said they responded to reports of gunshots at a 7-Eleven store in the 1900 block of North Lombard Street about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday and found Michael Arrington wounded from gunfire. Medics tried to help Arrington, but he died shortly after being taken to a hospital.

Police said Arrington had been shopping at the store when he was shot.

Investigators have not said whether anyone has been arrested in the shooting. They also have not released any information about a suspect or suspects.

Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Travis Law (Travis.Law@portlandoregon.gov; 503-823-0395) or Detective Ryan Foote (Ryan.Foote@portlandoregon.gov; 503-823-0781.)

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
The French-Vietnamese serial killer Charles Sobhraj has many nicknames. One is The Bikini Killer, because of the attire his victims wore, and another is The Serpent due to his ability to deceive the authorities and slither out of the laws clutches.

This second moniker is the title of a BBC One series (which is now on Netflix) about the crimes of Sobhraj, featuring Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) as the murderer, and Victoria star Jenna Coleman as his accomplice and girlfriend, Marie-Andree Leclerc.

Billy Howle (On Chesil Beach) also appears as Herman Knippenberg, the Dutch diplomat whose dogged investigation identified Sobhraj as the killer.

Sobhraj is believed to have killed at least 12 young backpackers on the hippie trail in south-east Asia in the 1970s. They were poisoned, strangled, drowned, stabbed and, in some cases, burned alive.

He lured in his victims by introducing himself as a gem dealer and promising people shelter, drugs, connections and parties.

Sobhraj evaded capture for so long that he became Interpols most-wanted man, and he was eventually caught in 1976, months after his killing spree began.

At a party in New Delhi, Sobhraj attempted to drug 22 members of a French tour party. Some of the group managed to stay awake and alerted the authorities. Sobhraj was jailed for 12 years, initially for the manslaughter of two tourists.

A decade later, Sobhraj drugged the Indian prison guards and managed to escape for a month before being recaptured. He was jailed for another 10 years.

After he was released in 1997, he became a shameless media star, charging journalists for interviews. As recently as 2014, GQ magazine ran an interview with Sobhraj, calling the killer funny, enigmatic, absurd and engaging.

In 2003, Sobhraj made the strange decision to travel to Nepal, one of the few countries where he could still be arrested.

He was soon spotted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a Nepalese jail, where he now remains, aged 76 and in poor health.

Leclerc and Sobhraj (Rex Features)

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Rahim said of playing the killer: Usually I start building a character from the inside. I try to find bridges psychologically between me and him, but here there was nothing. Regular people, balanced people, we dont know what it is to not have empathy. Hes a murderer, a manipulator. Hes what you dont want to be.

The Serpent is on Netflix now.
The second phase of polling in West Bengal and Assam concluded on Thursday with Bengal recording a voter turnout of 80.43 per cent, while 74.69 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Assam, according to the Election Commission.

But, it is not the turnout that made the news, the EVMs topped the headlines on most days throughout the election frenzy.

BCCL

Here's a timeline of events:

March 19, 2021: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued an impromptu three-point checklist for her party workers to follow to prevent rigging of EVMs, a TMC parliamentary delegation submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission of India with a demand to tally VVPAT machines with EVMs.

March 19, 2021: A BJP team too submitted a memorandum to the poll body in Delhi urging action against Banerjee for allegedly spreading propaganda against the BJP and the ECI.

BCCL

March 26, 2021: Wrapping up the last leg of election campaigning in West Midnapores Dantan ahead of phase 1 polls on Saturday, Banerjee urged Trinamool Congress workers to be vigilant against EVM tampering. She urged party workers to keep a vigil on EVMs for a month after polls, saying BJP can do anything.

1 April 2021: Banerjee dialled Governor Jagdeep Dhankar from Nandigram amid a face-off with BJP workers at a polling booth. "Anything might happen at any moment There is total breakdown of law and order with the people outside being in the area," she told the Governor.

1 April 2021: Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien has written to the Election Commission alleging booth capture by BJP workers in Nandigram. "Huge mob of BJP workers have entered booth no.s 6, 7, 49, 27, 162, 21, 26, 13, 262, 256, 163, 20. BJP workers attempting to take control of EVM & rigging the booth," he wrote.

1 April 2021: Nandigram has 355 polling booths. The Election Commission has declared all of them as sensitive and deployed 22 companies of security forces. Around 651 companies of central forces have been deployed at the other 10,619 booths where elections are on.

BCCL

1 April 2021: Upset over what she clearly saw as betrayal, Mamata Banerjee threw her hat into the ring at Nandigram, leaving her existing seat in Kolkata's Bhowanipur.

2 April 2021: Reports emerged late last night of an EVM being transported in a private vehicle belonging to a BJP candidate.

2 April 2021: EC ordered a repoll for a polling station in the Ratabari Assembly seat of Assam.

Screengrab

2 April 2021: Acknowledging that there was a violation of transport protocol, the Commission, in a press statement released Friday morning, said that it has issued a show-cause notice to the Presiding Officer and also suspended him along with three other officers for the lapse.

The opposition has cited the incident to allege "EVM capturing" by the ruling BJP. The Congress's Gaurav Gogoi, for instance, has said "this is the only way the BJP can win Assam".



This is the only way the BJP can win Assam: by looting EVMs. EVM capturing, like there used to be booth capturing. All under the nose of the Election Commission. Sad day for democracy. #EVM_theft_Assam #AssamAssemblyElection2021 https://t.co/5dmlu67Uui  Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) April 1, 2021





Dubbing the BJP a serial offender in such cases, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, in a series of tweets, sought "a serious re-evaluation of the use of EVMs" by all national parties. In another tweet in Hindi, she referred to the Election Commission sarcastically as "masoom" or innocent.



Every time there is an election videos of private vehicles caught transporting EVMs show up. Unsurprisingly they have the following things in common:



1. The vehicles usually belong to BJP candidates or their associates. ....



1/3 https://t.co/s8W9Oc0UcV  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 2, 2021

Assam went through the second phase of polling yesterday, recording over 77 per cent turnout and a few instances of violence. One of the incidents was in Karimganj, with a video of the disturbance being widely shared on social media.

The third phase of polling will take place on April 6 in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be campaigning in Madurai and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu today for the BJP and its alliance partner AIADMK.
Chinese vice premier stresses efforts in rural construction

Xinhua) 15:04, April 02, 2021

CHENGDU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Vice Premier Hu Chunhua has called for efforts to build a more beautiful and liveable countryside. Rural construction has been listed as one of the priorities in the country's socialist modernization.

Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection trip to Luzhou in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Thursday.

While inspecting rural infrastructure in Luxian County, Hu emphasized efforts to optimize spaces that serve production, living and ecology. Efforts must also continue to improve living environments of the rural population.

Countryside planning, urban-rural integrated development, and sewage treatment and garbage disposal in rural households should also improve, Hu added.

(Web editor: Wen Ying, Liang Jun)
When Dr. Rachel Levine became the first transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate, for the role of the assistant secretary of health, it was a breakthrough moment for LGBTQ equality in government. Aria Said, the executive director of San Franciscos Transgender District, called the March confirmation a major victory for the trans community.

How often do we ever hear about trans people being promoted into positions of decision-making and power and being equal in those spaces to talk about the issues our community is facing, Said said. As were seeing more trans people decide to be change-makers in government, America is seeing the breadth of who we are beyond the surface issue of gender identity.

Likewise, when Pete Buttigieg was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as transportation secretary in early February, he made history as the first openly gay Cabinet member to go through the process.

For those of us who have been in this space with this push for so long, it feels very good, said state Sen. Susan Eggman, D-Stockton. It will just be one more step of acknowledgment and integration into society.

And its much more than just Levine and Buttigieg.

The Victory Institutes 2020 Census of Out LGBTQ Elected Officials puts the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at 843, a growth of 88% since their first census in 2017. Those years have also seen a 40% increase in elected trans women, including Sarah McBride, who was sworn in on Jan. 9 as Delaware state senator, the first openly transgender state senator in the country.

Andrew Harnik / Associated Press

Those numbers have some politicians wondering whether were seeing the beginning of a new era for LGBTQ people in politics.

Im old enough to remember when Roberta Achtenberg was nominated by President (Bill) Clinton, she had a terrible time getting confirmed, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a gay man. Achtenberg was appointed assistant secretary for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity in 1993, the first openly LGBTQ person to be appointed and confirmed to a position within a Cabinet office. The Republicans went after her hard as an out lesbian, said Wiener, D-San Francisco.

Or compare the Senate confirmations of Buttigieg and Levine to the experience of James Hormel in the 1990s, when Clinton sought to appoint him ambassador, first to Fiji and then to Luxembourg. The process began in 1994 but was stalled by then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., with backlash to the appointment by right-wing antigay groups. Buttigieg referenced Hormels treatment by the Senate when he accepted the transportation secretary nomination and reached out to the ambassador.

The ultimate reason that I decided to go through what I went through is that it required Senate confirmation to send me out as a personal representative of the president, said Hormel, a longtime Bay Area resident and philanthropist. There had never been a Senate confirmation process (for a gay person) at that level before. When (Buttigieg) said that as a 17-year-old boy he was influenced (watching the hearing), that was the confirmation. What more could one ask? That was the ultimate result of what I did.

Mike Kepka / The Chronicle 2013

Yet, even with these advancements, LGBTQ politicians are still dealing with homophobia. San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said he still receives homophobic messages on social media, although he contends hes only had an amuse-bouche of antigay hatred compared to what other openly LGBTQ politicians have historically dealt with.

Theres no doubt homophobia is alive and well in politics, said Tom Ammiano, a gay former school board member, San Francisco supervisor and state Assembly member. But if you look at the long game starting with Harvey Milk just calling for people to come out, we have seen progress.

For an example of how things have changed for LGBTQ people in politics, look at San Franciscos 2018 mayoral election, which was won by London Breed. Mark Leno, a former San Francisco supervisor and mayoral candidate who was also one of the first two openly gay men elected to the state Senate, said his experience as a candidate in that race was basically absent the kinds of homophobic instances hed encountered in earlier campaigns.

I woke up to a quote from Londons campaign manager one day in The Chronicle who challenged that I could be an agent of change, Leno said. Her comment was, How can Leno be an agent of change? Hes just an old white guy? And I thought, Ive lived almost 70 years thinking I was a Jewish faggot. And now Im just an old white guy?

Jason Minto / Associated Press 2020

More recently, McBrides campaign in Delaware did not center the candidates identity as a trans woman in its narrative, a move that in itself can be seen as a form of progress for a candidate from a minority community. In an interview with the Daily Beast, McBride said that she didnt choose to run as the transgender state senator in her campaign.

Im running to be a state senator who was born and raised in this district, a state senator who is a caregiver, a state senator who is working every single day to ensure more Delawareans get the health care they need, and are supported in the challenges and crises they face with meaningful policies, McBride said.

For Ammiano, though, maintaining that arc of progress represented by candidates such as McBride is contingent on LGBTQ politicians continuing to expand diversity in their own ranks, as well as aligning with other marginalized communities.

Honey Mahogany, a legislative aide to Supervisor Matt Haney as well as the first trans person to serve on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, said that while things have improved, theres hope that President Bidens administration will push for even more gender and ethnic diversity among LGBTQ politicians.

With all these advancements, Wiener now does not find it inconceivable that he may see a LGBTQ president.

Up until 18 years ago no gay man had ever been elected to the California Legislature, Wiener said. To be secretary of transportation is so powerful and impactful, it sends a message, particularly to LGBTQ young people, that you could do anything.

Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TonyBravoSF
JUSTICEINFO.NET IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS Patricia Tobon Yagari

Commissioner in Colombias Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Patricia Tobon Yagari is one of the 11 commissioners serving on Colombias Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), one of three transitional justice institutions created as a result of the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrilla. A member of the Embera Chami indigenous group and a constitutional lawyer, Tobon has led the TRCs work with ethnic minorities.

JUSTICEINFO.NET: You are part of the Embera Chami, one of the many indigenous peoples heavily afflicted by violence during Colombias 52-year-long armed conflict. Were you personally affected by war?

PATRICIA TOBON YAGARI: Yes, my reservation was, and so was I. Guerrillas often came looking for support for their cause. Despite our authorities opposition, we saw several leave and later return with their stories of that cruel war. My communitys position of not participating left a mark on me, as well as its clear awareness that that war did not represent us, nor left-wing movements, the guerrillas or the state. That all of them were deeply indebted to us indigenous people.

From a very young age, I understood snippets of that conflict. When I used to go up to the town Andes, rumours flew that the guerrillas were going to besiege it. I saw indigenous communities displaced from Choco. We suffered kidnappings and cattle rustling. I was especially influenced by the indigenous movement, because the Indigenous Organisation of Antioquia (OIA) was born in my reservation: land recovery mobilisation and womens meetings with my mother, but also threats, imprisonments and the murders of Embera and Sinu indigenous authorities. I remember going with my parents to pay our respects to these communities and to demand armed groups that they stopped assassinating leaders. I have in my mind people who had been in my house and were then killed. When I was older, I witnessed fighting and bombings, I saw people die, I helped pick up the deceased.

When I joined the Commission, I had already heard many stories of victims, of war and even of former combatants. For me the toughest thing has not been listening to these testimonies, but being able to reach agreements on how we understand the conflict.

When I was growing up, many leaders would come up to me and ask me, Youre going to study, right? And Id reply, Yes, of course, Im going to. And you want to be a lawyer, right? And Id say, Yes, Id like to.

Luis Anibal Tascon, Colombias first indigenous lawyer, hailed from your reservation and was murdered -while defending his communitys rights- in 1980. Did he inspire you?

I have always been inspired by his story. Colombia had been a republic for almost two centuries and Id ask myself, how could he be the first indigenous person with a law degree?

Since I was very young, it was evident to me that indigenous peoples were marginalised and that the national states policies towards them were very deficient. I quickly understood that having a lawyer was crucial. Id always hear in meetings that one was needed to solve any issue  and also that they were there for a while but left when their contracts ended. I knew that my community suffered because it didnt have a lawyer.

When I was growing up, many leaders would come up to me and ask me, Youre going to study, right? And Id reply, Yes, of course, Im going to. And you want to be a lawyer, right? And Id say, Yes, Id like to.

I studied law out of necessity, because I would have liked filmmaking or anthropology. From my first semester at the University of Antioquia [in Medellin] I supported indigenous councils in demanding their rights: first in Choco and Valle del Cauca, then in the Orinoquia and La Guajira and, after graduating, outside the country, in the Peruvian Amazon. I also participated in a school for territorial conflict resolution with black and peasant communities in the Pacific, which brought me closer to inter-ethnic processes.

Officially, there are 9 million victims of the armed conflict. Almost 18% of them belong to ethnic minorities: 1.1 million are Afro-Colombian, 515,000 indigenous and 10,000 Roma or Gypsies, when  according to the 2018 census  they amount to 10% of the population. Beyond these numbers, what truths does Colombia need to look in the face?

A crucial one is that the armed conflict we have endured is also the expression of a long-standing ethnic and identity-based conflict, a result of colonial relations that the country has not overcome throughout the construction of the republic. It is difficult for Colombia to accept this root of the conflict, given that it has constructed the theory of its birth based on the Cold War and has understood it as an armed and ideological one.

This is a difficult truth, but a necessary one in order to think about the transition towards peace in comprehensive terms. Indigenous and Afro-descendant victims have suffered multiple acts of victimization, but it is very difficult to redress them because many cannot read or write, because they were excluded for years from public services and educational projects. Getting them out of this poverty gap does not take a compensation on a family-by-family basis, but rather historical reparations that undo this colonial treatment, mitigate social inequalities and dignify them.

One challenge for the TRC is to explain the relationship between these socio-historical factors and the conflict. Its work delving into history by listening to a myriad of voices paves the way for this.

We need to gain awareness of the 115 indigenous peoples in the country, of their history, their conflicts, their needs and their contributions.

Are Colombians aware of the extent to which ethnic peoples were brutalized?

Deep down, were all aware of this reality, but we suffer from a kind of national shame about our ethnic roots, as a consequence of colonialism and this socio-cultural project that we have not overcome. Within this centralist project, of big cities and an education striving to be white, Colombians do not learn about their ethnic peoples or territories. The result is that we have been educated with a distortion of reality.

It will require institutional efforts and educational policies -from early childhood to university- for the country to become aware of its intercultural nature. We need to gain awareness of the 115 indigenous peoples in the country, of their history, their conflicts, their needs and their contributions. It is very difficult to change this if the perspective of knowledge doesnt change. You cannot relate to something you do not know. The TRC allows us to open up this reflection.

How does this ethnic approach function in the TRCs work?

We have managed to lead a tough conversation. I can say today that in the Truth Commission, civil servants have been educated on what an ethnic approach means.

When we began working, I felt that Angela Salazar [the Afro-Colombian commissioner who died in 2020] and I were seen as the diversity of the nation, but nobody really understood what that meant. The first thing we did was gather the ideas that indigenous, black and gypsy peoples had pushed for in recent years on truth-building and the origins of the conflict, as well as reports from the Ombudspersons Office, the Comptroller General and the Inspector General on Colombian state institutions ethnic shortcomings and the recommendations of the UN special rapporteurs for indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples.

From this, we devised an ethnic methodology against racism, racial discrimination and other related forms of intolerance. Why did we call it this? Because our wager was to create an institution that acknowledges that the first thing it must do is reflect on racism within and include ethnic staff. By integrating them, we avoided a repeat of what ethnic communities and victims have long complained about: that public servants would arrive in indigenous territories and take up to three years to understand those who live there.

The three institutions of Colombias transitional justice system carried out consultations with ethnic minorities, something innovative on a global level. Why was this important?

It was a tough process, but in the end this intercultural dialogue transformed the TRC. Some initially opposed it, not out of ill will but because they didnt understand what it was needed for. I especially remember two arguments put forward by indigenous leaders.

They told [TRC chairman] Father Francisco de Roux: You cant study the history of the Muslims with the Catholic Bible because it doesnt cut it. And you cant study the history of the indigenous people with a Western mindset because it doesnt cut it. This is why we need an ethnic chapter with guarantees that we can incorporate our truth freely, so that it becomes part of the national narrative and is not subordinated to a majority culture.

They also told Alfredo Molano [a sociologist, writer and TRC commissioner, who died in 2019]: When we indigenous peoples ask friends for help, were not always asking them to give us a hand, but sometimes for them to take it away. What we now need is to explain the way we understand the conflict from our experience. What they meant was that they do not see the conflict as beginning in 1957, but spanning the Conquest, the Colony and the Republic.

I also remember that Afro-descendants argued that one origin of the conflict is racism. If we look at the way history is told in the Museum of the Caribbean, they said, we see that the people of Barranquilla descended from Italians, Spaniards and Lebanese, but if we look at the Caribbean population, we see that the majority is African. These white descendants kept control of power, narrative and representation of the Caribbean. These debates were very important.

FARC caused ethnic peoples a lot of pain. Paramilitaries and the state did so too. There is not a single reservation that has not been affected.

The Colombian TRC is opting for a mixed model, with a final report and hearings, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Why is an ethnic chapter important?

The fact that there is going to be a chapter [in the final report] on the situation of ethnic peoples is fundamental. On the one hand, the narrative of indigenous, Afro-descendant and gypsy peoples about how the armed conflict arrived in their territories is a historical debt.

On the other hand, FARC caused ethnic peoples a lot of pain. Paramilitaries and the state did so too. There is not a single reservation that has not been affected. Ethnic peoples truth will not justify these actors actions, but focus on the trauma they suffered. For those who see reality in only one colour, this will be tough because theyre here to talk about grey areas.

Finally, I personally hope that the report will contain recommendations on the armed conflict and also on historical reparations, both of which can help to stop the continuum of violence in which we still find ourselves.

I believe that its added value is that it will have an impact on the way in which new generations of Colombians understand their origins and the challenges they face in terms of their history. If we dignify those roots, we can change the way we treat these populations.

One powerful hearing was when the former paramilitary boss Salvatore Mancuso admitted having murdered the Embera leader Kimi Pernia in 2001 and apologized to his daughter Martha Domico. How important was this for indigenous people?

For indigenous peoples, there is redress in seeing that what they have denounced for years is now acknowledged and explained by those responsible for the armed confrontation. Its not the same to see a victim to say it as it is for Mancuso to do it: to see him narrate, for example, how food transport was restricted as a strategy to stigmatize communities, or how in the counter-insurgency struggle the paramilitaries ended up doing the dirty work for the military.

This willingness of indigenous peoples to listen to Mancusos background story, not just the specific events concerning them but also his life story and why he entered the war, allows us all to understand factors of persistence and to unveil issues that we need to look at in depth in a country where cycles of violence continue to happen.

This dialogue between perpetrators and victims has helped the Commission open similar conversations at a national level and has allowed a greater knowledge of many events that Colombian society was not aware of.

How did you arrive at these dialogues between ethnic victims and perpetrators?

It was a methodology born during the process of ethnic consultation. Indigenous authorities decided that they would select some cases and send letters to the perpetrators so that, later on, victims could testify before the TRC in front of them. This paved the way for a much more profound and sincere dialogue between victims and perpetrators. Some conversations were private, others public  but always had both sides talking, with the terms being what victims experienced in their territories.

This year we will hold 16 more dialogues, with former FARC rebels and paramilitaries, with ethnic and peasant victims. In the end, this methodology is another example of the contributions made by indigenous and black peoples in promoting processes of healing, coexistence and truth-seeking.

Indigenous communities have historically had to deal with everyone passing through their territories because, faced with the reality of having to confront people who are armed, one has no protection other than words.

You have spoken of the Embera philosophy of thinking big, which consists not of doing so with family or friends, but with those who think differently. Has the TRC achieved this?

What we have done contributes, but we are still a bit far from sitting down with those who are different in Colombia. Indigenous communities have historically had to deal with everyone passing through their territories because, faced with the reality of having to confront people who are armed, one has no protection other than words. In the midst of this, communities have developed strategies for dialogue and mediation, which we hope will serve to promote more conversations between different people in our country.

In parallel to the TRCs work, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is making progress in building judicial cases of violence against indigenous groups. There is a macro-case centered on the extermination of the Awa in Narino and another on the recruitment of child soldiers many of which were indigenous by the FARC. How have you worked with the JEP?

As a comprehensive transitional justice system, we have to work together. Victims have asked us to do so, insisting that we not make them repeat their truth in multiple institutions, but that we gather what they have already told either of us and work in a coordinated way.

This is the reason why we carried out an ethnic consultation process as a system, including the JEP, the TRC and the Unit for the Search for Disappeared Persons. We have gone to their territories together to listen to victims, to receive their reports  both oral and written  and to learn about the realities of the communities. We have also received from the JEP the information and the testimonies it has gathered, all of which have been fundamental input in the analyses we are carrying out.

How can the TRC ensure that its work has an impact for indigenous peoples?

Including the narratives about the conflict of indigenous, Afro-descendant and Gypsy peoples in this narrative of the nation is undoubtedly a milestone, because until now research on it has been carried out mainly by people who were not born into ethnic groups.

This analysis also includes other issues they want to continue discussing with the rest of Colombians, such as the relationship between the nation-state and indigenous peoples, the relationship between racism and the armed conflict, or the web of economic interests that converge in ethnic territories and that the rest of the country often doesnt see.

Now, more than simply having an impact on indigenous peoples, the TRCs report also seeks to make a mark on Colombian society with regard to ethnic issues, because there is a great deal of work to be done there. I believe that it could be one of the first documents that allows us to generate this conversation with Colombian society. It is a document for the whole nation and, for the first time in the republic, one that tries to break with the colonial narrative with which our national society has been educated.

I believe that this reflection will allow indigenous peoples to advance a much broader agenda of discussion with the whole of Colombian society and the Colombian state.

Many of these debates take time to digest and correct. Is this a long-term agenda?

Yes, it is. I believe that this reflection will allow indigenous peoples to advance a much broader agenda of discussion with the whole of Colombian society and the Colombian state.

In November, the TRCs three-year mandate will come to an end. What would you like its legacy to be?

I think that, when we look at this process with historical perspective, one of its legacies will be the active participation of ethnic peoples  in the construction of the report, in the selection of cases, in its work methodologies, in the process of corroborating information.

The Colombian Truth Commission was the first one in the world to carry out a consultation process with ethnic peoples. It constructed a differentiated methodology, based on recognizing historical deficits and debts, but also the demands for institutional adaptation that ethnic peoples have underscored in relation to the state and the transition towards peace itself. The TRC has made an enormous effort to  truly  incorporate them.

Time will tell us what can happen, but I believe that the work we have done is inspiring. Many indigenous organizations have told us that they want to continue documenting their history, no longer with the Commission but out of their own free will, to show it to the rest of Colombia. I have also seen a huge transformation in my colleagues relation to our ethnic reality. This is all part of rediscovering who we are.

Interviewed by Andres Bermudez Lievano, our correspondent in Colombia


The US Capitol complex was placed on lockdown (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

A police officer was killed and another seriously injured yesterday after a car ploughed into a barrier outside the US Capitol, prompting a major lockdown at a complex on high alert since a violent mob invaded earlier this year.

Capitol Police confirmed reports that shortly after 1pm local time a suspect rammed a vehicle into two officers. The driver then emerged with a knife and lunged at the officers before he was shot. The suspect was taken into custody but died a short while later.

Robert Contee, acting Washington DC police chief, said the suspect was not previously known to Capitol Police and the incident did not immediately appear to be terrorism related.

A spokesman from the Capitol Police said in a press briefing that it had been an extremely difficult time for their unit after the riot in January, which left a number of officers dead.

A video shared on social media appeared to show a dark Sedan smashed against a cordon painted with the word Stop, with the officers lying on the ground nearby.

A sniffer dog was on the scene checking for explosives before police cleared the area.

Stretchers were seen removing the wounded from the area and a helicopter landed in front of the east side of the Capitol building.

Neither the House nor Senate is in session this week, with politicians back in their home states over the Easter break.

President Joe Biden had left to spend the holiday at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland shortly before the incident happened.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said there was a member of the national security team, an acting chief of staff and a member of the press team travelling with him, as was standard operating procedure.

When the incident took place, police alerted remaining staff: Due to an external security threat located, all US Capitol campus buildings, no entry or exit is permitted at this time. You may move throughout the buildings but stay away from exterior windows and doors. If you are outside, seek cover.

The National Guard, which has been stationed in Washington since the siege on the Capitol, was seen returning to the building after the incident.

It happened about 100 yards from the entrance of the building on the Senate side of the Capitol. Fencing that prevented traffic near that area was recently removed as the Capitol has started to open up after the riots.

Constitution Avenue was shut off and was being guarded by dozens of soldiers and a large exclusion zone was set up around the Capitol.

The Capitol has been on heightened security alert since supporters of Donald Trump stormed the building in an attempt to overturn his presidential election defeat. Five people died as a direct result of the attack.

The incident is the latest security alert in Washington. On March 17 police arrested a Texas man outside the US Naval Observatory, the official residence of Kamala Harris, the vice-president, after a rifle and ammunition was found in his car.

Police said that Paul Murray, 31, a veteran from San Antonio, was in possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device. Police reports said he had an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, 113 rounds of unregistered ammunition and five 30 round magazines.
Weber State to Hold Vaccination Clinic for Campus Community with Help of Volunteers

April 1, 2021

Weber State University will host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Dee Events Center for all faculty and staff on April 8 from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Those who participate will be invited back to get their second dose of Pfizer on April 29.

We are fortunate to have this dedicated time for Weber State faculty and staff to receive their vaccinations, said WSU President Brad Mortensen. Having a vaccinated faculty and staff enhances opportunities for in-person classes, on-campus events and other educational activities in any mode that best serves our students and community.

Thanks to the efforts of a volunteer army, Weber State has provided vaccinations and testing for thousands of members of the campus community. Since the Dee Events Center clinic opened on Jan. 5, approximately 50,000 doses have been administered.

Vaccinations and testing have involved a monumental labor of hundreds of dedicated individuals as well as a close collaboration between Weber State and the Weber-Morgan Health Department.

Weber State has been proactive in our community throughout the pandemic, said Brian Cowan, Weber-Morgan Health Department executive director. They acted to ensure their students and faculty have the tools and knowledge to protect themselves from COVID-19, and because they were so prepared, they graciously stepped forward to offer the Dee Events Center to be the mass vaccination site. Our entire community owes them a debt of gratitude.

More than 200 faculty, staff, and students from the Weber State Dumke College of Health Professions are part of the WSU vaccination team and are trained, screened, credential-certified and enrolled with the Weber-Morgan Medical Reserve Corps. The group has provided 50% or more of the staffing for the Dispensing Unit or vaccination area of the clinic at the Dee. Another 128 nursing students, overseen by nursing faculty, have helped with vaccinations.

Weber State also provides a minimum of 30 non-medical employee volunteers at the clinic from many departments across campus, including police, fire, facilities management, Dee Events Center staff, Human Resources, Marketing & Communications, and Environmental Health & Safety. From freezers that store vaccines at precise sub-zero temperatures, to social distancing protocols to staffing, everything had to meet exact guidelines and required coordination and supervision.

"Our relationships with both the state and our local health departments have been amazing, especially our partnership with the Weber-Morgan Health department, said Dane LeBlanc, WSU Public Safety director.

LeBlanc, who has led WSUs emergency planning for many years, notes that emergency preparedness is a field that allows very little margin for error; proactive may be the ideal, but reactive is often the reality. The line between a controlled disaster and one dangerously out of control often depends on accurate and practical training and exercise.

Weber States first pandemic response was back in 2009 with an H1N1 vaccination clinic at the Dee. The continued planning and training efforts allowed the university to respond quickly and efficiently to COVID. University leadership was ready to stand up a task force quickly, close campus, develop re-opening protocols and establish a very large and viable testing program.

Most amazing in all of this is the effort of campus community members who displayed a level of volunteerism that was remarkable, LeBlanc said. I have never been more proud of our university and the faculty and staff who work at Weber State. Our successful testing efforts could not have been possible without our volunteers.

In addition to the vaccination clinic, Weber State volunteers helped keep the campus safer with robust testing clinics at both the Ogden and WSU Davis campus in Layton for symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals.

Volunteers from WSUs Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) program, the Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing, and even many outside of the health professions programs administered more than 16,000 COVID-19 tests.

With over 450 volunteers from all across campus and different departments, Matthew Nicholaou, medical laboratory sciences chair, said the testing process operated like a well-oiled machine.

Setting up the COVID-19 testing process even before broad testing was plausible, Nicholaou and Sally Cantwell, School of Nursing chair, devised a system for testing symptomatic students, faculty, and staff in a mock clinic. The School of Nursing provided full-time faculty to help with check in, administering the tests, recording the results and keeping the site clean. MLS staff assisted in verifying results and maintaining supplies.

Once fall semester approached, Utah gained access to the rapid tests, and Weber State joined the statewide effort to discuss the possibilities and costs of testing on campus. In late November 2020, then-Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox announced that universities across the state would need to conduct asymptomatic testing weekly for students and employees who were on campus.

Having the state help with the costs of the tests made the large scale, asymptomatic testing more feasible, Nicholaou said. But it brought a new challenge.

We depended on volunteers, and all of a sudden when you have to test 1,000 people five times a week, we needed a massive team, Nicholaou said. We put the word out, and it was really cool to see faculty, students and staff from all over campus step up with testing.

Joshua Tay, a medical laboratory science major, has been around for a majority of the process. As a MLS student, he was not only interested but also qualified to conduct testing.

I thought this was one way that I could do something to help with a problem that everyone was going through, Tay said.

Tay estimated he volunteered more than 80 hours since the beginning of COVID testing on campus.

I cannot express how much joy it has brought me, and continues to bring me, to see the collaboration come together among faculty, staff and students across the WSU campus. Cantwell said. Although this has taken many, many volunteer hours, everyone arrives with smiles on their faces because they are helping keep our campus safe and working toward a common goal. I will never forget this experience. I have made friends for life.

Many WSU students, specifically those in the healthcare professions, volunteered their time. Those who needed clinical hours were the ones that Nicholaou and his team contacted first. But others on campus such as faculty, administration and staff made time to help with testing.

History professor Kathryn MacKay said she chose to volunteer because she spends a great deal of time on campus and lives close by.

I found it a satisfying experience, MacKay said. I felt I was being useful,

Moyes College of Education Dean Kristin Hadley began volunteering in January. Many people on campus sacrificed time in order to help the whole WSU community, she said.

As vaccinating has ramped up, testing has contracted, but all the volunteers are proud of their work, which allowed the university to continue its educational mission successfully. A visible measure of the success is reflected in the record number of Wildcats (more than 6,000) who have applied for the 2020-21 graduation.

Jessica Oyler, Human Resources assistant vice president, has helped coordinate much of the volunteer effort. The outcome is rewarding for those volunteers and administrators who have made a significant contribution to the safety of the community during a pandemic.

Our university has always impressed me with how we come together for the good of our community to make things happen, Oyler said. But this last year has been just incredible as our students, faculty and staff have stepped up again and again to keep our campus community safe, while also fostering a welcoming and truly caring environment. I am so proud to be a part of such an awesome group of people.

For photos, visit the following links:

https://wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Marketing-Communications/Covid-19-Response/COVID-19-Vaccine

https://wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Marketing-Communications/Covid-19-Response/COVID-19-Testing

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Some Schuylkill County events are making a comeback after being canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, while a few are still in the works or are canceled again this year.

Were really looking forward to doing things again, said Diana Prosymchak, executive director of the Schuylkill County Historical Society, which has multiple activities planned for the spring.

Heres the status of some of the events:

Kielbasi Festival

The 13th annual Kielbasi Festival in Shenandoah is scheduled to return this year, but the date was moved from May 22 to Aug. 21 due to the states restrictions on outdoor gatherings, Susan Williams, executive director of Downtown Shenandoah Inc., the organizer, said Thursday.

Hopefully by then the restrictions will have been eased, she said. We want to follow the guidelines.

Plans will be revisited in early summer, she said.

The event typically draws hundreds to the borough to celebrate the Eastern European delicacy.

This years festival, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., is planned in conjunction with Heritage Days, typically held in August and also canceled last year.

Williams hopes both celebrations return as separate events at their normal times in 2022.

Interested vendors can call DSI at 570-462-2060 or send an email to swilliams@downtownshenandoahinc.com.

Schuylkill County Fair

This years fair is still on schedule for the summer, but that could change depending on public health guidelines, according to organizers.

A message on the Schuylkill County Fair website states that the event is scheduled to take place Aug. 2-7, but that a decision will be made by April 15.

The safety and well-being of our guests, participants, partners and community comes first, so we are closely following the directives of state and national health agencies, the message reads. As champions of positive change and a better tomorrow, we are dedicated to using our fair facilities and resources to support and serve those affected by COVID-19.

We are grateful for the communitys patience and support as we move through these unprecedented times together.

The 2020 fair, which would have been the 38th, was canceled. It normally draws more than 35,000 people to the fairgrounds near Summit Station.

Meanwhile, Plow Day, sponsored by the Schuylkill County Agricultural Museum and featuring demonstrations using antique tractors, will take place at Felty Farms near Tuscarora on April 10.

Like the fair, Plow Day was also canceled last year due to the pandemic.

Historical society

The historical society, based in Pottsville, is planning a busy spring.

The monthly after-hours programs begin April 28 with a presentation on the 1963 Sheppton Mine Disaster by board member Dave Williams.

Others are Espionage and the American Revolution on May 26; and Look Up: Faces of Pottsville on June 30. The events, typically held the last Wednesday of the month, focus on local history.

Also, the society will debut the memoirs of retired Army General George A. Joulwan with a book signing on May 29 and a fundraising dinner in his honor May 30 at the Fountain Springs Country Inn.

The society will hold two book signings: Wednesday with James Wosochlo Jr., author of Appalachian: Schaumbochs Tavern and April 10 with former county District Attorney Claude A.L. Cal Shields, who wrote a book called 50 Ways to Stay Out of Jail.

Other programs lined up include one to coincide with the Knights of Lithuania Anthracite Council No. 144s Lithuanian Day in August, a Schuylkill County Historical Society Day at Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine & Steam Train in Ashland and haunted history tours in October.

It feels great, Prosymchak said of having the events planned. Were really looking forward to getting things going again.

She said precautions will be in place, with face masks required and attendees spaced out.

Block of Art

The yearly Block of Art event wont take place this year in Pottsville, Mandy Fitzpatrick, executive director of Schuylkill Countys VISION, the events fiscal sponsor, said Thursday.

However, she said the organization continues to work with the Pottsville Free Public Library to provide children with arts kits and is planning a virtual scavenger hunt with the historical society next month.

Block of Art features artists displaying their work downtown in the spring.
MONTREAL - Air Canada and Transat AT have mutually agreed to terminate the $190-million purchase of Transat after the European Commission indicated its unwillingness to approve the transaction.

MONTREAL - Air Canada and Transat AT have mutually agreed to terminate the $190-million purchase of Transat after the European Commission indicated its unwillingness to approve the transaction.

Here are some key events:

April 30, 2019: Transat shares gain more than 40 per cent after the tour and travel operator announces it is in preliminary talks to sell the company.

May 10, 2019: As airline industry observers speculate about Air Canada and other possible buyers for Transat, a number of Quebec-based players express interest in the company. Dominik Pigeon, head of financial services company FNC Capital, says he has a group of interested investors after Montreal real estate developer Group Mach says it has submitted an offer. Pierre Karl Peladeau, president and CEO of Quebecor, says he has requested a financial analysis of the company for a personal investment.

May 16, 2019: Transat announces it is in exclusive talks with Air Canada, which offered to buy the company $13 per share or roughly $488 million. The two companies enter a 30-day negotiation period. Air Canada's stock climbs to a record high.

June 4, 2019: Quebec real estate developer Group Mach Inc. says it will make a takeover offer for Transat worth $14 per share or $527.6 million in cash. The real estate developer was hoping the Quebec government would contribute $120 million in financing.

June 14, 2019: Group Mach formally submits its $14-per-share offer for Transat.

June 25, 2019: One day before the Transat-Air Canada exclusivity talks are set to expire, Groupe Mach announces it has reached an agreement with the Quebec government to support its rival bid, having dropped a key financing condition.

June 27, 2019: Transat's board of directors approves Air Canada's $520-million takeover offer. Despite the agreement, it's unclear whether Transat shareholders will follow suit: Letko, Brosseau and Associates and PenderFund Capital Management, which jointly own a 21.1 per cent stake, had previously said they would not support a $13-per-share purchase price.

July 3, 2019: Group Mach withdraws its bid saying the tour operator chose to ignore its proposal even though it featured a higher price than Air Canada's offer.

July 17, 2019: Unifor president Jerry Dias, head of Canada's largest private-sector union, says in an open letter that Air Canada is employees' best option among Transat's suitors, citing stability.

Aug. 2, 2019: In a bid to block the Air Canada deal, Group Mach offers Transat shareholders $14 per share in an effort to scoop up a large enough stake in the company to vote the bid down.

Aug. 6, 2019: Transat fires back, warning shareholders against what it calls Group Mach's ``abusive'' and ``misleading'' move to block the sale and says it has filed a complaint with Quebec's securities tribunal.

Aug. 11, 2019: Air Canada increases its offer for Transat by $200 million, bringing the total to $720 million of $18 per share. The new offer comes with the backing of Transat's largest shareholder, Letko Brosseau and Associates Inc.

Aug. 12, 2019: Quebec's securities tribunal blocks Group Mach's offer to buy up Transat shares.

Aug. 13, 2019: Peladeau says he plans to vote against the sweetened $18-per-share offer and hints at an alternate proposal.

Aug. 23, 2019: Transat shareholders approve Air Canada's $720-million acquisition offer.

Aug. 26, 2019: The shareholder-approved deal will undergo a 250-day public interest assessment, then-transport minister Marc Garneau announces. Garneau added 100 days to the typical review period for the Transportation Ministry and Competition Commissioner due to the size and scope of the proposed merger.

March 14, 2020: Against a backdrop of steadily climbing cases of COVID-19 worldwide, the federal government advises travellers to avoid all non-essential travel outside of Canada. Airlines, including Air Canada and Air Transat, see a massive decline in the number of passengers.

March 18, 2020: Transat begins a gradual suspension of flights until April 30, while Air Canada suspends the majority of its international flights. Like other airlines in Canada and abroad, temporary route suspensions will continue through the end of the year and beyond due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 27, 2020: The Competition Bureau says in a report to the transportation ministry that the proposed deal likely will hinder competition and result in less choice for Canadian travellers. It identifies 83 overlapping routes, more than half of which are between Canada and Europe. Transat's stock ended the day trading for $8.98 _ half Air Canada's purchase price.

March-April 2020: Air Canada and Transat temporarily lay off thousands of employees as flights slow to a near-halt.

May 25, 2020: European regulators launch an investigation into the acquisition after a preliminary review noted the deal could significantly reduce competition on 33 routes between Europe and Canada. Transat delays the deal's completion date by a month. Its shares end the day at $7.

June 19, 2020: European Union regulators suspend their investigation pending the arrival of more data from the two companies. The investigation resumes in September.

Sept. 10, 2020: Transat reports dire quarterly results, with revenues down 99 per cent. Executives admit the Air Canada deal is no longer certain. Its share price falls below $5, more than 70 per cent below the deal price of $18.

Oct. 10, 2020: The two travel companies announce they have reached terms for a revised deal that will see Air Canada buy Transat for $5 a share or $190 million, a significant discount to the original agreement.

Dec. 15, 2020: Transat shareholders vote to accept the revised takeover offer, with 91 per cent of votes in favour of the deal.

Dec. 22, 2020: Peladeau's investment company Gestion MTRHP Inc. submits an unsolicited proposal to Transat.

Jan. 12, 2020: Transat issues a statement reconfirming its support for the Air Canada takeover, saying the Gestion proposal is not supported by binding, fully committed financing.

Feb. 11, 2021: Government of Canada approves Air Canada's proposed purchase of Transat. The deal is set to expire Feb. 15 unless extended.

Feb. 15, 2021: The deal expires without an extension; both parties say they are continuing discussions while awaiting a decision from European regulators.

April 2, 2021: The takeover attempt dies after Air Canada and Transat AT terminate the deal after the European Commission advised the airlines it wouldn't approve the transaction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC, TSX:TRZ)
Bernadette Cheung poses for a photograph outside Little Mountain Place, where her grandmother, who passed away, was a resident, in Vancouver, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. An inspection of the long-term care home found staffing levels were low and cleaning was inadequate as the virus spread throughout the facility. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Inmates who participated in a Bible-based trauma healing ministry program showed enhanced emotional well-being and a significant decrease in the negative consequences of trauma, a recent study by the American Bible Society and Baylor University revealed.

Through participating in Healing the Wounded Heart, ABS Bible-based Correctional Trauma Healing Program, participants experienced a decline in PTSD and vengefulness. Also, they experienced increases in forgiveness, resilience and meaning in life.

ABS and the Good News Jail & Prison Ministry partnered to train chaplains and volunteers at the Riverside Regional Jail in North Prince George, Virginia, to facilitate the program used for a study conducted by Baylor University.

Of the 349 inmates in the study, 86% had experienced at least one type of traumatic event.

Source:The Christian Post
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
It was a bad idea from the start. Sergio Ramos was part of the Spain squad this international week despite his recent fitness struggles - after all, he was forced to sit out Real Madrids last game before the break, against Celta Vigo. Yet he and Luis Enrique either felt the problem he was carrying wasnt a major issue, or they prioritised his pursuit of the world caps record. Only they know which it is though we can also make our own minds up from what happened next: Ramos played half of the first game and clearly wasnt right; missed the second; and got a late cameo in the third that took him to 180 international appearances. He then joined those who didnt play against Kosovo in some sprints, and promptly broke down.

Ramos should clearly have returned to Real Madrid like Kroos did

An unfortunate episode that stems from not making smarter decisions early doors. By contrast, just look at what happened with Toni Kroos: Ramos Madrid team-mate joined up with Germany, felt a groin problem, and returned to Spain. After that first half against Greece in which it was obvious he wasnt fit, it would have been so much better if the defender had done the same. We dont know what would have happened in that case; whether hed have injured himself anyway. All we know is what happened in reality. Spain got very little out of his presence in the squad (a bad 45 minutes) and Madrid have paid a heavy price. In exchange for all that, he has moved from 178 to 180 caps as he chases down the record of 184.

Latest Ramos injury leaves Perez in stronger position in contract talks

Madrids season is at stake in the three games that Ramos will now miss: both Champions League legs against Liverpool, and the LaLiga clash with Barcelona. For the first time, Ive found Madridistas who are really fuming with him; exemplary in so many other things, hes got this wrong and has chosen a bad time to do it. Having just turned 35 and with his future up in the air, Ramos has now picked up another injury and is on a run of physical setbacks that undermines his strongman, always-ready image. At the very least, hell have to accept that this strengthens Florentino Perezs hand in the game of poker the pair are currently engaged in. Hed be wise to take whatever Madrid are offering, just as Luka Modric has.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 2) The 22.9 billion emergency subsidy budget for those affected by the enhanced community quarantine in the NCR Plus bubble will be downloaded to concerned local governments on Monday, according to the Finance Department.

The subsidy will benefit residents within the greater Manila area  Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal  which were placed under the strictest form of lockdown until Sunday due to the spike in COVID-19 cases.

"The quick release was made possible only because [Budget] Sec. Wendell Avisado signed the SARO and NCA last Tuesday morning (March 29) & because the DOF & Bureau of Treasury had prepared funds in anticipation of this eventuality," Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez told CNN Philippines in a text message on Friday.

But Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said the Metro Manila Council met with the Budget Department last Tuesday where it was promised that the budget will be downloaded to them by Wednesday.

The Social Welfare Department also announced on Wednesday it will be providing a list of individuals to LGUs to serve as their guide in distributing the aid.

So far, the local governments of Taguig, Marikina, San Juan, and Makati have confirmed they have yet to receive the list of beneficiaries.

While waiting for the budget, Belmonte said the DSWD has given the guidelines as to who will be prioritized in the national government's dole-out program.

As per guidelines, primary list will be the DSWD SAP [Social Amelioration Program] list and the DSWD waitlisted list, then other vulnerable groups like 4Ps [Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program], etc, Belmonte said in a text message.

Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano meanwhile said he intends to start the distribution of the financial relief by the end of next week.

Aside from the expected financial aid from the national government, Cayetano added they already started distributing relief goods to some 300,000 families in Taguig.

"We are familiar with the list of DSWD because LGU din naman ang nag ve-verify nito (it is the LGU that verifies this) and we handled SAP distribution nung (during the) 1st wave  we are aligning it next week so we can hit the target of 80% of citizens set by the President. So, this will be dependent of amount of downloaded vs qualified recipients," Cayetano said.

Based on the Budget Departments memorandum, each beneficiary may receive 1,000-4,000 in cash or in kind.

So far, Cayetano, Belmonte, and Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said they will be distributing the aid in cash once the list and the budget are already available.
This week, Variety broke the news that Hammer was dropped from the small-budget Cold War thriller Billion Dollar Spy, in which he was set to star opposite Mads Mikkelsen. Hammer was also set to appear opposite Julia Roberts and Sean Penn in an upcoming series at Starz about Watergate named Gaslit, but this week, Dan Stevens was re-cast in the role originally occupied by Hammer. The Call Me by Your Name actor has a major role in Disneys upcoming Death on the Nile, which will be released in 2022 and was shot long before the scandal.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Citing procedural deficiencies, Turkeys highest court on Wednesday rejected an indictment by a top prosecutor seeking to disband the countrys opposition pro-Kurdish party for alleged links to Kurdish militants, the state-run news agency reported.

The chief appeals court prosecutor filed a case against the Peoples Democratic Party, or HDP, earlier this month, prompting international criticism and deepening concerns about a further backslide in democracy and human rights in the country.

The move had occurred on the same day that authorities stripped prominent HDP legislator and human rights activist Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu of his parliamentary seat following his conviction on terrorist propaganda charges over a social media posting.

The prosecutor is demanding that the party be dissolved over its ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, for it to be deprived of state funding and for more than 600 of its members to be banned from politics for five years.

Constitutional Court justices ruled, however, to return the indictment against the HDP to the prosecutors office, the Anadolu Agency reported. The prosecution is expected to fix the deficiencies before petitioning the court again.

There was no immediate comment from the HDP, which insists that the case against it is politically motivated.

The Turkish authorities moves against the HDP and Gergerlioglu were the latest in a years-long crackdown on the second-largest opposition party in parliament. Dozens of elected HDP lawmakers and mayors  including former co-chair Selahattin Demirtas  as well as thousands of party members have been arrested on terror-related accusations.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Constitutional Court also rejected an appeal by Gergerlioglu for a reversal of the decision to strip him of his parliamentary seat. The ex-legislator said on Twitter he would now appeal his case at the European Court of Human Rights, which based in Strasbourg, France.

The top Turkish court has yet to decide on another petition filed by Gergerlioglu appealing his conviction on charges of propaganda on behalf of the PKK.

The PKK is considered a terror organization by Turkey, the EU and the U.S.
New Delhi, April 2 : Delhi reported 3,594 new Covid cases -- the highest tally reported this year -- on Friday, taking its tally to 6,68,814, while there were 14 fresh deaths taking the toll to 11,050, according to the Health Department bulletin.

A total of 2,084 people recovered in the last 24 hours, while the number of active cases stood at 11,994, it said.

The overall positivity rate in the national capital stands at 4.54 per cent.

A total of 87,505 tests -- 54,898 RT-PCR and 32,607 rapid antigen tests -- were conducted, according to the bulletin.

Delhi, which reported 2,790 cases on Thursday and 1,819 cases on Wednesday, is seeing a staggering rise in new cases from the last few weeks, and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has expressed his concern on the exponential increase. However, he on Friday made it clear that the government is not considering a plan of lockdown again in the city.

The Delhi government has pushed for opening up vaccination to all age groups, as well as involving non-healthcare facilities, saying it was ready for a mass level vaccination drive.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Monrovia  The National Elections Commission (NEC) has certificated Senators-elect for Gbarpolu County Botoe Manneh and River Cess County Wellington Geevon Smith respectively.

Speaking Tuesday at the certification ceremony held at NEC's headquarters in Sinkor, Monrovia the Chairperson of NEC Davidetta Brown Lansanah stated that election is everybody's business and as such it is always worthy to ensure that the processes are transparent and credible.

Madam Lansanah stressed that the commission will maintain its integrity in conducting credible and transparent elections across the nation.

She noted that some candidates can threaten the commission during the process which according to her has the tendency of undermining the democratic process and the peace of the country.

She indicated that the commission has disposal of all complaints and hopes to certificate the remaining senators whose cases were before the Supreme Court of Liberia.

Madam Lansanah expressed thanks and appreciation to the Liberian Government for supporting the Special Senatorial Elections, but appealed to the government for the remaining US$3 million to settle the commission debts.

Meanwhile, Senator Botoe Kanneh has said that Liberian Women should not be intimidated to get involved with the democratic process as part of efforts to increase the number of women parliamentarians at the National Legislature.

Senator Kanneh noted that with all the intimidation from her male counterparts, she was determined to go through the challenges of the electoral process.

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She added that the solidarity of women organizations and Liberian Women in general will go a long way to transform the development of potential women in politics in the country.

For his part, Senator Wellington Geevon Smith promised to champion the fight for budgetary support for the commission at the National Legislature.

Senator Smith stated that without adequate budgetary support for the commission, it could delay the effectiveness as well as the efficiency of the commission's operation.

He stressed that the people of River Cess County have already reconciled their differences and they are ready to work together to move the development of the county forward.

The ceremony was attended by a cross section of citizens of River Cess and Gbarpolu Counties including friends and relatives as well as members of the Liberian Senate.
Otto Staudenmaier, 13, receives an injection during the Moderna trial for children ages 12 to 17. (Eric Staudenmaier)

It's a household divided.

One morning in February, 15-year-old Lewis Polansky and his 13-year-old sister Elsa reported to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine trial site in Banning, Calif., for their experimental shots.

Back home in South Pasadena by midafternoon, Lewis rubbed his sore arm, complained of fatigue and fell asleep. Elsa, who felt nothing, was jealous.

I probably got the placebo, she said with a groan.

Elsa had joined the trial in hopes of being among the first children to be vaccinated  and feeling safe enough to visit Disneyland when it reopens.

Elsa Polansky, 13, receives an injection as part of the Moderna trial for adolescents in Banning, Calif. (Lisa Polansky)

Inoculating children is the critical next step in the U.S. vaccination campaign  and one that public health officials worry could prove difficult because many parents may figure their children are unlikely to become critically ill from the virus and thus will be fine without shots.

This week, Pfizer announced that its vaccine had proven 100% effective at preventing COVID-19 symptoms in a clinical trial for children 12 to 15. Moderna has not said when it expects to have results of its trial involving 3,000 children 12 to 17  including the Polanskys.

Both companies are also testing their vaccines in younger children, as researchers aim to identify the right dosages for age groups as young as 6 months. Johnson & Johnson plans to do the same.

The Pfizer vaccine is currently authorized for people 16 and older, while 18 is the age requirement for the other vaccines.

A total of 101 million people in the U.S.  or 30% of the population  have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Experts say that figure must reach at least 70% to achieve herd immunity, the point at which the virus begins to die out because too few people are vulnerable to infection.

Achieving that will be nearly impossible without vaccinating significant numbers of people younger than 18, who make up about a fifth of the population.

Many adults have been reluctant to get vaccinated, and because young people are far less likely than adults to become ill with COVID-19 and only rarely die from it, the incentive for parents to vaccinate their children is even lower.

Story continues

The main concern from a public health perspective is that they might still spread the virus, even if they have no symptoms. In a possible sign of the difficulty of persuading parents, vaccine makers said they struggled to enroll children in their trials.

Families like the Polanskys are the exception. Lewis said he can understand why some parents don't want "mystery serum" going into their children. But he pointed out that the vaccines have already been proven safe for adults and argued that many teenagers are bigger than many adults.

Were both taller than Mom, he said.

Lewis Polansky, 15, receives an injection at the Moderna trial site in Banning, Calif. (Lisa Polansky)

Both he and Elsa  and their parents  view participation in the trial as a public service that will help them return to normal life. But the teenagers also acknowledged that they were drawn by another perk for enrolling in the trial: payments totaling about $1,600.

"All our friends are really jealous," Elsa said. "I've spent a lot of it already  but honestly, I'm not sure how."

Lewis said he purchased computer chips and engineering parts to build a semiautonomous plane, plus some supplies for a cybersecurity youth organization he runs.

They are among several children in the South Pasadena area enrolled in the Moderna trial and whose families know each other  and call themselves "the trial posse."

One parent, Saida Staudenmaier, said the decision was "a no-brainer." Though COVID-19 is mild in most young people, she worried what an infection could mean for developing young bodies in the long term.

For her children  16-year-old Hannah and 13-year-old Otto  it was more about the hope of escaping the isolation wrought by the pandemic.

Otto's dance classes have often been pre-recorded. Hannahs Girl Scouts meetings are online. Her advanced-placement biology teacher recently reminded Saida that she's never met Hannah in person and only knows her through a two-inch box on her computer screen.

After their second shots, Hannah and Otto were both draped over the couch with headaches, fevers and other flu-like symptoms. They concluded that they were not in the placebo group.

Hannah rolled over, miserable, and said to her mother: Wow, Im so, so happy.

Otto now plans to attend Boy Scouts summer camp in Oregon, and Hannah will tour colleges up the Northern California coast.

Hannah Staudenmaier, 16, receives an injection during the Moderna trial for children ages 12 to 17 in Banning, Calif. (Eric Staudenmaier)

For 15-year-old Aubry Deetjen and her family, the stakes felt more dire. With an immunocompromised father, she committed early on in the pandemic to help create an "immunity bubble" around him. She hasn't seen most of her friends in person in months  not even outside.

When her 18-year-old brother enrolled in the adult trial for Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, she asked her parents for permission to join the Moderna trial. Her mother, Lisa Henderson, agreed  and helped recruit about 25 other children to join as well.

"We have an open discourse about a lot of things in our house," she said. "When they're old enough to talk about these things, they're old enough to make their own decision. Either way, we'd respect it."

If school reopens full time in the fall, Aubry wants to be able to go back without her parents worrying whether shell bring the virus home.

In a phone interview, Aubry described the importance of the coronavirus "spike protein," which she learned during a science unit on RNA-based vaccines.

Understanding what would be happening in my body if I got the vaccine  that cleared any doubts," she said.

A dedication to science was a motivating factor for many parents who are giving the authorization for their children to participate.

Bridgid Fennell took part in a varicella vaccine trial as a child in the late 1970s. She said her 11-year-old son, Kieran Fennell-Molinaro, jumped at the chance to volunteer for the pediatric Moderna study. They were eagerly waiting this week to hear from the company whether he will be invited into the trial.

Kieran Fennell-Molinaro, 11, is eagerly awaiting an invitation to participate in the Moderna trial for children. (Bridgid Fennell)

"This is such a monumental effort, and for him to be a part of it, that's incredible," his mother said.

She called Kieran her "little scientist" and said she is "100% onboard," with no real concerns for his safety  despite warnings on the consent form about the possibility of life-threatening allergic reactions and other side effects. He isn't worried, either.

I have to get a shot, which Im really OK with, and Ill get asked questions, which is pretty easy, Kieran explained. "Plus, I know what a placebo is."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Geographical indicators (GIs) have held an increasingly important role at the trade talk table over the course of the last decade. As European cheesemakers in particular try to protect the market for their cheeses, American dairy processors are forced to fight for recognition of their cheese that often meet the technical specifications for those products.

During the March 24 Hoards Dairyman DairyLivestream, the conversation shifted to grocer and dairy processor views of GIs and the danger they pose to the American dairy industry.

We at Kroger do think that its important that the U.S. not fall for that, and our position is this: If we have a U.S. product that is a better value for our consumers, then they need to be able to purchase it, Mike Brown said of his companys position on GIs.

Jeff Schwager, CEO of Sartori Cheese, echoed those thoughts with this simple conclusion. In the end, we all want the consumer to be able to make the choice, not what some policy is from any given country or trade bloc.

American cheeses have value

We do import some cheeses, but Im proud to say that our biggest sellers in our Murrays are still domestic cheeses, which is kind of fun, Brown said of the specialty cheese counters at many Kroger stores.

These cheese counters feature American-made cheese alongside some imported cheeses, creating an array of options for the casual store goer. Brown emphasized that their goal was to place the purchasing decision right in the hands of the consumer.

We think that there are lots of great American cheeses. A lot of it is actually made to European standards. I dont care if its a Farmers or a Harvarti or a Feta or whatever it might be, theres a lot of high-quality cheese, the Kroger dairy supply chain director said. Our biggest concern as a domestic grocery company is if the U.S. were to agree to some limitations.

Schwager has firsthand experiences with GI-related confrontations. Several years ago, Sartori was able to enter a European cheese contest with a Parmesan cheese. They were happy when it won the category. However, the award was later revoked on issues related to geographical indicators and Italian control of the term Parmesan. That remains just an example of the concern that Schwager and Brown have related to the power of GIs to impact trade and consumer decisions.

An ongoing series of events

The next broadcast of DairyLivestream will be on Wednesday, April 7 at 11 a.m. CDT. Each episode is designed for panelists to answer over 30 minutes of audience questions. If you havent joined a DairyLivestream broadcast yet, register here. Registering once registers you for all future events.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021

April 1, 2021
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 18:30:22|Editor: huaxia

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MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, April 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 militants were killed as fighting planes targeted a Taliban hideout in Charbolak district of northern Balkh province on Thursday, army spokesman in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai said Friday.

Acting on tip off, the sorties struck Taliban gathering in Qala-e-Mir Ahmad village of the restive Charbolak district on Thursday afternoon, killing 10 militants on the spot and injuring four others, the official said.

Following the strikes, the ground forces stormed the hideout and captured 26 militants alive, the official contended.

No security personnel and civilians had been hurt in the raids, Rezai said.

The Taliban outfit has yet to make a comment. Enditem
Pune, April 2 : Amid a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra's cultural and IT capital, Pune, the district administration has come out with a 'mini-lockdown' style night curfew and other stringent norms for a week to control the spread of the virus.

This will include shutting down hotels, restaurants, bars, cinema halls and multiplexes, and extension of the night curfew hours from 8 pm-7 am to 6 pm-6 am, or 12 hours, starting Saturday.

The decision was taken on Friday at a high-level review meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Guardian Minister of Pune district with the local administration, civic, police and health officials attending.

It comes hours before Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is scheduled to address the state at 8.30 p.m. on Friday giving rise to speculation of a possible lockdown 2.0.

Later, Pune's Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao informed that during this period, no public functions of any kind shall be permitted in the district, though 50 guests will be allowed for marriages and 20 mourners at funerals.

"While all bars, hotels and restaurants will be closed, they can undertake parcel/delivery services to customers' homes," he said, appealing to people to strictly adhere to all Covid protocols if they want to avoid a complete lockdown.

Similarly, all religious places shall be completely shut for the next week, as also all public bus services, and the situation would be again reviewed next Friday, Rao added.

The Pune district comprises areas of Pune city under Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PMPC), where over 8,000 new cases are being registered on a daily basis since earlier this week.
The Authors Guild is asking its membership and allies in the publishing industry to contact their senators to express support for the PRO Act, which has passed the House and is under discussion by the Senate. The act would enable freelance writers and authors to bargain collectively with businesses that hire them, something currently restricted by antitrust law. The Guild is also asking that the Senate amend the language of the bill to specifically cover the work of freelancers and authors.

To further discuss the legislation, on April 9, the Guild will host a webinar that will explain how the PRO Act, if enacted, would give freelance writers and authors collective bargaining rights, and what that means, as well as to address any misconceptions. Further details about how the PRO Act will affect freelancers and authors are online.

The letter from the Authors Guild reads as follows:

We are asking you to show your support for the PRO Act. The PRO Act, as passed by the House and currently in the Senate, is the most sweeping, comprehensive labor bill in decades. It amends the National Labor Relations Act to strengthen collective bargaining rights, and it would give many professional freelancers the same rights as employees to collectively bargain with the companies that employ them. This is a profound development for freelance writers.

The Authors Guild has long advocated for laws that would enable book authors, freelance writers, and other freelance creators to collectively bargain. The PRO Act would be a boon in much the same way that collective bargaining power has helped the screenwriters of Hollywood.

Without it, writers and other freelance creators will continue to be restrained by antitrust law from acting together to negotiate better rates or financial terms. Under current law, only employees may collectively negotiate the terms of their employment. Freelancers are treated as though they are independent, competitive businesses with the ability to fully negotiate with the buyers of their services, even though, like employees, they have little or no ability to effectively negotiate the terms of their employment, and they are generally underpaid.

In the last two decades, authors and freelance journalists have seen their incomes precipitously decline, while they also have been forced to hand over to publishers more of their rights. Writers need to be able to stand together to negotiate better terms, set compensation standards, and, when necessary, boycott publishers. The PRO Act would give them the ability to do all of these things and more to improve their bargaining position against publications.

To be clear, the PRO Act would not otherwise affect authors and freelancers legal status as independent contractorsa status that many writers hold dear for key reasons:

Under copyright law, independent contractors get to keep their copyrights when they write (unless a contract provides otherwise). Under the current tax code, independent contractors may deduct business expenses (on the downside, they must pay self-employment taxes). Freelancers have unparalleled flexibility in working hours and workplaces.

To ensure that courts interpret the PRO Act to cover freelance writers and authors without affecting copyright ownership, the Authors Guild requests that this language be added to Section 2 of the bill:

As used in this subsection, a service may include the creation of copyrightable content, and this designation shall not affect copyright authorship or ownership under Title 17, the Copyright Act.
There were violent scenes at Belfasts Shaftesbury Square on Friday night as crowds of loyalist youths clashed with police.

Petrol bomb and bricks were thrown at police lines with a crowd of around 200 people involved in the disturbances which followed a protest advertised on social media earlier in the day.

In scenes reminiscent to the 2012 flag protests, loyalists gathered in a number of locations on Friday to hold mini demonstrations.

Protests were advertised on Facebook to be held at a carpark in Ballymena where several hundred people showed up.

Police closed the road to traffic and observed the crowd.

A PSNI spokesperson said: Police have closed the Larne Road and Crebilly Road in Ballymena due to an ongoing incident.

Motorists were advised to seek a different route.

The largest crowd was reported at the corner of Sandy Row and Shaftsbury Square in Belfast.

Police were forced to close off Shaftesbury Square and the Donegall Road to facilitate the protest, that soon turned violent.

Earlier in the day there were fears that a protest planned for a volatile North Belfast interface would end in violence.

North Queen Street, which links the nationalist New Lodge to the loyalist Tigers Bay is a notorious flashpoint.

Despite being advertised by a loyalist Facebook page there was no protest at the interface, however, police patrols were increased in the area.

Crowds of young people did clash at the Lanark Way interface in West Belfast with stones and bottles being thrown as local community workers tried to defuse the situation.

Loyalist sources say the protests were not organised by any one group and appeared to be driven by social media.

However, some expressed concerns that they were being promoted mainly by an individual widely believed to be a double agent who has in the past been accused of orchestrating unrest in loyalist communities.

Earlier in the evening police said they were closely watching the evolving situation.

Were aware of a social media post referring to a planned event, and we are monitoring the situation.

Clearly we are still in a pandemic and the need not to jeopardise the progress made to date, remains important to all of us. We would therefore ask for people to act responsibly and within the current restrictions.

Ulster Unionist Party MLA Doug Beattie said: Any mass gathering is not a good idea will negate the health message and will cost lives.

The sporadic calls for protest came after several nights of violence in the Waterside area of Derry.
Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times, is urging America to admit it has a racism problem.

"This unconscious bias and racism is pervasive. It's almost inherent, sadly, in the historic fabric of this country," Soon-Shiong, the founder and executive chairman of biotech company ImmunityBio, told CNN Business in his first public comments about the surge of anti-Asian hostilities. "We have to recognize that, accept it and then break it."

Soon-Shiong, who is of Chinese descent and was born in South Africa, expressed dismay at the recent spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans as well as the racial tensions that fueled the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I came from South Africa, where I saw [racism] growing up. The difference, in a funny way, is that it was Apartheid, but it was Apartheid in the open," said Soon-Shiong, who moved to the United States in 1977. "I thought we were coming to the land of the free. And frankly, I've been completely disenchanted."

The comments make Soon-Shiong one of the highest-profile Asian business leaders to speak out about the recent attacks on Asian Americans. And he urged more Asian Americans to do the same.

"Unfortunately, the Asian culture and mentality is to just suck it up. Do your work. Do your thing. Be quiet," Soon-Shiong said. "I don't think that can happen any longer."

'Lack of empathy'

Soon-Shiong, who graduated from medical school at the age of 23 and whose wealth Forbes pegs at $7.5 billion, made his fortune in part by inventing the blockbuster cancer drug Abraxane. He later bought a stake in the Los Angeles Lakers from Magic Johnson, and then acquired the LA Times and San Diego Union-Tribune for $500 million in 2018.

Long before he became one of the wealthiest doctors on the planet and the "Barnum of biotech," as Forbes puts it, Soon-Shiong said he experienced discrimination while working as a surgical resident at UCLA in the 1980s.

"One professor from UCLA that had a house next door quite openly said, 'We don't like people like you here.' It was pretty blatant," he said.

Earlier this week, a 65-year-old Asian woman was attacked in broad daylight in Midtown Manhattan in what police are calling a hate crime: "F**k you, you don't belong here, you Asian," the assailant said prior to the attack, according to the criminal complaint.

"The lack of empathy for the human being, whether she's Asian, green, black, blue  that's a human being, a 65-year-old-lady in severe distress," Soon-Shiong said, adding that he found it "heartbreaking" that bystanders did not intervene.

"This country better wake up to this, because it becomes something that this next generation will deal with," he said.

The Trump factor

The heightened racial tensions come in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic that originated in China.

Soon-Shiong said former President Donald Trump "absolutely" shares some responsibility for the anti-Asian attacks because he called Covid-19 the "Kung Flu" and the China virus.

"That really didn't help at all," Soon-Shiong said. "It didn't help the Asians, didn't help the Black community, the Latino community. The racism was just flamed."

Soon-Shiong, whose company ImmunityBio is working on a vaccine candidate, said the Biden administration has done a "fantastic" job in rolling out Covid vaccines and successfully encouraging Americans to get shots.

Yet he cautioned that no one knows how long the protection afforded by the vaccines will last and said he's "really concerned" about coronavirus variants that have yet to fully reach US shores.

Next-generation vaccines

Last month, Soon-Shiong completed the merger of two of his biotech companies: NantKWest and ImmunityBio. The newly combined company, now known simply as ImmunityBio, is testing a next-generation vaccine that aims to overcome variants by not just blocking the virus, but killing it completely using T-cells.

Soon-Shiong urged governments to fund the next generation of vaccine research and "face the fact that this pandemic may be ongoing if we don't address it now."

Critically, ImmunityBio's vaccine candidate is an oral capsule that can be stored at room temperature. Phase 1 trials are ongoing in both the United States and South Africa.

"You can mail [the pills] across all of Africa. Now you can vaccinate a billion people," Soon-Shiong said, adding that the treatment could also potentially serve as a universal booster.

Soon-Shiong said his work to help South Africa, and Africa broadly, defeat the pandemic fulfills a promise he made decades ago to eventually return to his home country.

"It's taken me a long time," he said, "but I'm coming back."
A medical worker prepares an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine during preparations at the vaccine center in Ebersberg near Munich, Germany, on March 22, 2021. (Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

AstraZeneca Vaccine Suspended Again in Netherlands After Woman Who Received Jab Dies

The Netherlands temporarily suspended AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine for a second time for people under the age of 60 after a woman who had received the jab died and four other women experienced serious complications, according to a report.

The announcement to pause the British-Swedish pharmaceutical companys vaccine was made in a government statement on Friday, which said that due to a new report on side effects, health officials decided not to vaccinate people under the age of 60 in the coming days.

The womans death was reported by the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareba research center that tracks the risks associated with the use of medicines.

These are women between 25 and 65 years old. Three patients had extensive pulmonary embolisms. One died and one also had a brain hemorrhage, Lareb said.

Health officials said a link between the vaccine and the side effects has not yet been established but is being investigated. The complications arose about 7 to 10 days after the people received the vaccine.

It is the first time someone died in the Netherlands after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was previously suspended temporarily in multiple countries in the European Union over blood clot concerns, including in the Netherlands.

Last month, the Netherlandss Health Ministry halted the administration of AstraZeneca for more than two weeks after serious side effects arose in a small number of people.

Germany on Tuesday became the latest European country to also stop injecting people with the AstraZeneca vaccine under the age of 60 amid fresh concerns over unusual blood clots reported in a number of those who received the shots.

France, meanwhile, also said in mid-March it decided to limit the vaccine to people for those aged 55 and older.

The precautionary measure has no impact on planned vaccinations with AstraZeneca for people 60 and older because reports of possible side effects are mainly seen under 60 years of age, health officials wrote in the Dutch government statement.

About 10,000 scheduled appointments for vaccinations have been scrapped as a result of the suspension of the vaccine, news agency ANP reported.

There have been 400,000 AstraZeneca injections performed in the Netherlands. The country has recorded about 1.2 million cases of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, in total and more than 16,500 deaths.

Public Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said it is very important that recent reports in the Netherlands will be properly investigated.

There should be no doubts whatsoever about the safety of vaccines, he said. The crucial question is still whether it concerns complaints after vaccination or due to vaccination. I think it is very important that the Dutch reports are also properly investigated.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Dallas, TX, USA, 04/02/2021 / Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyer  Law Office of John M. Helms /

Why You Should Never Try to Bargain With the Police

The police rely on numerous strategies to get people to admit when theyve committed a crime. If youre stopped by the police, its absolutely critical to know your rights.

When people are uninformed about their legal rights, they can end up admitting things that could hurt their case later on. In the worst cases, people even confess to things they didnt do.

In fact, false confessions due to police interrogation techniques happen more often than many people realize. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, which has collected data on more than 1,800 exonerations since 1989, there were 227 false confessions among that group. Many of these are the result of aggressive police interrogations.



What to Know About Police Interrogations

The word interrogation usually makes people think of small, claustrophobic rooms and police officers hovering over a sweating suspect, yelling at them to tell everything they know.

While this scenario is, unfortunately, a reality in some cases, police interrogations can take many forms. In certain situations, the police may conduct an interrogation of an individual while standing on the side of the road during a routine traffic stop. While the person they stopped might not realize theyre involved in a police interrogation, the police certainly do.

If the police start to ask you questions, its important to understand that police generally ask questions when theyre trying to get someone to confess to a crime. Aside from giving them your basic identifying information, you have the right to and should decline to answer any questions until you have an opportunity to talk to a lawyer.



The Reid Interrogation Technique

Police officers are trained in interrogation techniques, and many learn more than one way to question suspects.

The Reid Technique is the most widely used approach for police interrogation techniques. Its also been around since the 1940s, which means the majority of law enforcement officers are familiar with it.

Another common term for the Reid technique is the good cop, bad cop style of interrogation. When officers use this technique, they tend to work in pairs. One officer takes on the role of the good cop and attempts to befriend the subject and put them at ease. The other officer plays the bad cop by pressuring the subject to confess and may even making threatening statements in an attempt to further pressure the subject.

Reid techniques vary in practice, but they tend to feature three elements:

Isolation  The police usually try to get the suspect alone in a sparsely furnished room. Cut off from any family or friends and isolated in a room with very little stimulation, most people start to feel claustrophobic and anxious. The police may even deny the person food or water, which can cause further psychological and physical distress.

Maximization  In many cases, the bad cop will start the interrogation by declaring that the subject is guilty and that the police can prove it. The officer might even lay out a case, which can make the subject believe the police have evidence to back up the bad cops assertions. During this part of the interrogation, the officer playing the role of bad cop may try and make the subject feel like theyre wasting their time by failing to confess.

Minimization  Once the bad cop is finished, the good cop will move in and reassure the subject. After being frightened and bullied by the bad cop, many people will view the good cop as reliable and trustworthy. The good cop might promise the subject a lighter sentence or a more lenient sentence if the subject confesses.

In reality, the good cop and bad cop roles are just pretenses. Police officers who excel at the Reid technique can often compel suspects and witnesses to divulge information they otherwise wouldnt if they had a lawyer present.



The Police Can Lie to You

Many people are shocked to learn that the police dont have to be truthful when interrogating someone. There is no law that requires police officers to tell the truth when they are questioning someone.

In fact, lying is a common method of interrogation used by police officers. While the police are generally prohibited from making threatening comments, such as telling someone they will go to prison for life if they dont confess, the line between what is permissible and what is prohibited isnt always clear.

Unfortunately, the police can and do lie to people in an attempt to get them to confess to crimes. It is also the reason why its never a good idea to attempt to bargain or negotiate with police officers. Leave the negotiations to an experienced Texas criminal defense lawyer who has years of practice.

If you have been interrogated by the police and confessed to a crime you didnt commit, its important to discuss your case with an experienced Texas criminal defense lawyer. There are ways to defend yourself from false confession. Protect your rights by speaking to a knowledgeable criminal defense lawyer today at the Law Office of John M. Helms in Dallas.

Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer John Helms

Other Resources:

Can the Police Search My Car If Im Pulled Over for DWI?

Dallas Drug Lawyer Explains How To Protect Yourself From Unreliable Field Tests

Media contact:

R. William



Tel: (214) 666-8010

johnhelms.attorney

Sources:

Source: John Helms

Release ID: 17596

Content Disclaimer: The information does not constitute advice or an offer to buy. Any purchase made from the above press release is made at your own risk. Consult an expert advisor/health professional before any such purchase. Any purchase made from this link is subject to the final terms and conditions of the websites selling as mentioned in the above as source. The content publisher and its downstream distribution partners do not take any responsibility directly or indirectly. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the company this news is about.

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A furious shopper allegedly punched a security guard in the face after he was told he had to wear a mask into a shopping centre after a coronavirus outbreak.

The 47-year-old man walked into a shopping centre in Lismore, near Byron Bay on the NSW north coast, about 12.40pm on Thursday.

He was stopped by a security guard and offered a free mask to wear inside, but instead allegedly punched him in the face.

A man has been charged after allegedly punching a security guard and bystanders at a Lismore shopping centre (pictured) when he was told to wear a face mask

The man allegedly continued to punch the guard in the head causing bystanders to rush to the worker's aid.

The man refused to calm down, punching several people in the head and chest - one of which was left battered and bruised, police alleged.

Police were called in and tried to take the man into custody - at which point he allegedly kicked a senior constable in the face and chest.

Pepper spray was used to subdue the enraged man and he was arrested and taken to Lismore Police Station where he allegedly bit an officer on the hands and wrist.

The officer was treated at Lismore Base Hospital.

The man was charged with two counts of assault, assault causing bodily harm, two counts of resisting arrest, assaulting an officer in the execution of duty, affray, assaulting police causing bodily harm, and property damage.

He was remanded in custody to face Lismore Bail Court on Friday.

On top of the charges, he was also fined $1,000 for not complying with the public health order in place on the north coast mandating mask wearing.

The security guard told the man he had to wear the mask to prevent the spread of Covid and even offered him a free one (stock image)

New NSW restrictions The following restrictions apply to the Byron Bay, Ballina, Tweed and Lismore local government areas, which come into affect from 5pm Wednesday (march 31) and continue over Easter until 11:59pm Monday April 5 - Home gatherings restricted to 30 people, including holiday rentals - One person per four square metre rule in public indoor settings including hospitality venues - Customers must be seated at all times in venues - Mandatory masks in shops, transport, taxis Advertisement

Byron Bay in far northern NSW is on high alert after an infected Brisbane nurse unknowingly spread coronavirus while attending a hen's party in Byron Bay last week.

More local venues have been added to the growing list of potential exposure sites after being attended by the infected case last Saturday.

Anyone who visited a retail or takeaway outlet on Saturday March 27 between noon and 4pm in Lawson, Jonson, Browning and Fletcher streets has been ordered to get tested immediately and self-isolate until they return a negative result.

They must then continue to monitor for symptoms and if they appear, isolate and get tested again.

The health alert was issued late Wednesday after a host of businesses in the town's shopping strip joined the list, including Surf, Dive and Ski, Arnhem Clothing, Spell Designs, The Cellar, Main Street Burger bar, Quiksilver, Aldi and Byron Bay Central Pharmacy.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced coronavirus restrictions for Byron Bay and the surrounding Ballina, Tweed and Lismore local government areas, which came into effect 5pm Wednesday will continue over the Easter long weekend until midnight April 5.

Until at least Tuesday, home gatherings will be limited to 30, the 'four square metre' rule reintroduced in indoor public setting and masks mandated in some settings.
WILLINGTON  More than nine months after UConn student Peter Manfredonia was charged in an attack that killed a local man, an award commission has given a medal to the victims neighbor for trying to intervene.

The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced on March 24 that 18 individuals would receive the Carnegie Medal, awarded throughout the U.S. and Canada to those who put themselves in mortal danger to save, or try to save, the lives of others.

Among the recipients was 80-year-old John A. Franco, a U.S. Navy veteran who grew up in Trumbull. He was given the award for his actions during the attack on May 22, 2020.

That morning, Franco heard screaming outside his Willington home and went outside to find an unknown man standing over his 62-year-old neighbor Ted DeMers, slashing him with a sword, the commission said.

Franco shouted at the assailant to stop the assault and moved closer, noticing his neighbor had severe wounds to his hands, head and upper body.

As Franco got closer and shouted, the assailant turned his attention to Franco and attacked, the commission said in a press release. Franco suffered injuries to his hand and head, and fell near his driveway, according to the commission. Police later identified the assailant Manfredonia.

DeMers died on his way to the hospital. Franco was hospitalized for a week after the attack, and spent another week in a rehabilitation center. The Commission said he underwent surgery to repair serious injuries to both hands, but his left hand remains disabled.

After the attack last year, Francos wife, Alice, told Hearst Connecticut Media her husband was a very lucky man to survive the attack.

Manfredonia, who fled the scene in Willington after the attack, led police on a multi-state manhunt for six days before being apprehended in Pennsylvania. Authorities said Manfredonias alleged crime spree included two homicides, an assault, a home invasion and an abduction.

Manfredonia, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder and first degree assault, remains held on $5 million bond.
Recent announcements by the Mexican government make it clear that there are plans to introduce previously unseen surveillance technology to the Latin American nation.

Over the last year new bills have been introduced and new plans announced by the Mexican government which clearly indicate an effort to bring digital surveillance and biometric technology into a nation that has thus far avoided surveillance programs employed by the United States and Canada. The individuals and institutions behind this push frame their efforts as attempts to protect Mexicans from crime, as well as help millions of citizens join the banking system.

Although these measures are promoted as a method for bringing the Mexican population into the digital age and ending their status as unbankable, the reality is that efforts to modernize Mexico will also result in less privacy and security.

The Plan for Biometrics for Cell Phones

Recently, a proposed plan to put millions of cell phone users data in a biometric database has caused controversy and some pushback from companies and privacy groups. The plan calls for America Movil, AT&T Inc and other carriers to collect customers biometric data, including fingerprints or retina scan, which is collected in a database managed by Mexicos regulatory agency.

The bill specifically calls for telecoms to install biometric equipment anywhere cell phones are sold. If someone fails to turn in their data, cell phone carriers will be required to cut their service. Elena Estavillo, a former commissioner of the IFT, Mexicos telecoms regulator, believes this move would further isolate Mexicans who rely on their phones for internet access.

We should highlight this as something very worrying because it can be a circumstance that discourages or, for some people, makes it impossible to have access to these services, which is a fundamental right, Estavillo told Reuters.

Supporters of the measure state there is not enough control of Mexicos cellphone lines, of which 83% use prepaid SIM cards available at corner stores. They argue that criminals take advantage of this situation by using pre-paid phones to commit kidnappings for ransom. Mexico has the highest incidence of the crime in North America and the third-highest globally, according to international consultancy Control Risks.

The bill is opposed by the Mexico Internet Association (MIA) and telecom watchdog Observatel. The MIA has stated that the registry would cost the wireless industry hundreds of millions of dollars, place jobs at risk, and create human rights violations. Observatel said the measure would lead to people being exploited by bad actors and wrongly convicted for crimes committed by others.

Irene Levy, the president of Observatel, told Reuters that criminals are not going to abide by the new measure and would exploit innocent people instead. What criminals do is ask someone to go and buy certain telephone lines, and when there is a crime committed with these numbers, this boy or girl  who took the money out of necessity and registered without knowing the consequences  will go to jail, stated.

The bill has been approved by the lower house of Congress and is expected to have the support of the majority MORENA party and allies when it is taken up in the Senate.

If the measure becomes law it would give Mexico some of the most stringent cellphone database requirements in the world. According to telecoms industry lobby GSMA, about 8% of nations with registries require biometrics for prepaid SIM cards. Some of the countries requiring storing of biometric data are known for their authoritarian practices, including China, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

A Biometric National ID Card?

Another example of the push towards a technocratic control grid is the recent news that the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico approved a new law which could lead to a national digital ID system. Forbes Mexico reports that the General Law on Population, Human Mobility and Interculturality would create a new digital ID and a database of personal data of Mexican citizens, including biometrics.

The Cedula Unica de Identidad Digital would be free to obtain and contain names, surnames, date of birth, place of birth, nationality, and biometric data, together with a unique Population Registration Key (CURP) number.

The measure faces further approval before becoming law, but it is yet another sign that the Mexican government and corporations are beginning to favor the digitizing of all Mexican life.

This became even more clear in late 2020 when bank Santander Mexico announced they had begun to register customers biometric data to make their transactions more secure. Santander says they will invest one billion pesos ($48.9 million USD) over five years to register more than 3.7 million customers during the first stage.

The move by Santander comes in response to a measure passed in 2019 requiring banks to gather biometric data. According to Santander, the biometric data will include scanning fingerprints and facial images to add security elements to in-person transactions.

From Unbanked to Tracked and Traced

Attempts to document Mexicans biometric data for SIM cards, bank accounts, and other transactions are part of a larger effort to modernize a country where nearly 57 percent of the people work outside of the mainstream taxed and documented economy. Mexicans thrive in the so-called informal or counter-economy with millions of people lacking bank accounts and an estimated 90 percent of all transactions completed in cash.

According to a 2018 study, roughly half of Mexican households do not have access to a bank account and, as a result, rely solely on cash. The same research estimates that cash use in the country will grow between 2016 and 2021.



In early 2020, the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank in the United States noted the difference between the highly tracked economy of the U.S. and the large counter-economy of Mexico:

The use of cash in the United States is declining, with the share of consumer transactions settled in dollars and cents falling from 32 percent in 2015 to 26 percent in 2018. The situation is quite different in Mexico, where around 90 percent of retail, rent, utility, service and public transportation transactions were settled in cash in 2018a share little changed in recent years.[2] Payments that could elsewhere be made easily over the web or through an app are instead made in person and in cash.

However, despite the rate of cash exchanges there are recent efforts to limit the use of cash, especially without some form of identity verification. For example, in 2019 it was reported that Mexico is developing rules that would cap the amount of cash that can used to buy real estate.

While the Mexican politicians claim that their efforts are aimed at curbing violence or helping the large rural population of Mexico join the world of biometrics and digital banking for their own benefit, there are reasons to be skeptical of these moves. Requiring people to register their eyes or a faceprint in order to purchase a SIM card for a cellphone, or compelling people to use a digital ID card, or limiting the use of cash will only hurt Mexicos poorest populations. The authorities may promote the schemes as a way to help the marginal groups, but in reality it will only entrench them into the growing international digital dystopia.

Unlike American, Chinese, and British residents, most Mexicans have not yet become accustomed to a 24-hour surveillance grid. There are no Fusion Centers, mass surveillance programs, ubiquitous CCTV cameras watching your every move, or facial recognition tools. However, the Technocratic agenda is a global one and Central and Latin America will likely not be spared. If the Mexican people do not quickly learn about the dangers of this digital panopticon they may mistakenly sleepwalk into the digital nightmare that has become familiar to many citizens of Western nations.

Rather than acquiescing to the demands of the government and banks, the people need to recognize the power that comes from being outside the control grid. Instead of rushing towards the false promises of modernity the Mexican people should look to their indigenous traditions for strength and guidance.

Source: The Last American Vagabond

Visit TheLastAmericanVagabond.com. Subscribe to TLAVs independent news broadcast on iTunes. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Minds. Support at PayPal or with Bitcoin.

Derrick Broze, a staff writer for The Last American Vagabond, is a journalist, author, public speaker, and activist. He is the co-host of Free Thinker Radio on 90.1 Houston, as well as the founder of The Conscious Resistance Network & The Houston Free Thinkers.

https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/category/derrick-broze/
Advertisement

Breathtaking drone video taken in the Arctic Circle captured a spellbinding reindeer cyclone.

When threatened, reindeer will begin to stampede in a circle, making it hard for a predator to find an individual target.

In the clip, the herd's fawns and does are in the middle of the swirl with the bucks running around them in a protective 'dance.'

The deer stampede was captured by a photographer last week in Murmansk, Russia, right before a veterinarian was about to give the herd its anthrax vaccinations.

Such behavior has been observed in dolphins, bison and even elephants, but the aerial viewcoupled with the herds speed and sizemakes for a truly hypnotic visual.

Scroll down for video

A drone captured mesmerizing aerial footage last week of a reindeer 'cyclone' in Murmansk, a region of Russia in the Arctic Circle. The herd was frightened when a vet came to perform anthrax vaccinations

Photographer Lev Fedoseyev used aerial drones to film the reindeer cyclone on March 24, just outside the village of Lovozero, in northwest Russia's Murmansk Oblast.

Reindeer are the only species of deer that's widely domesticated and the Sami people native to Murmansk are known as reindeer herders, using the animals for food, fur and to drive their sleds, called pulks.

When the drone's camera pulls out, a second cyclone can be seen in a nearby enclosure.

The dance is actually a protective maneuver: When a herd senses danger, adult males stampede in a circle that can disorient wolf packs, bears and other predators.

The swift-moving spiral is a defensive maneuver that makes it hard for a predator to pick out an individual target

The Sami people who live in Murmansk are well-known as reindeer herders, using the animals for food, fur and to drive their sleds, called pulks

As an added precaution, does and fawns are huddled in the center of the vortex.

Reindeer cyclones are a real thing, twitter user Science girl wrote in a post sharing the clip. A swirling mass of threatened reindeer stampeding in a circle making it impossible to target an individual.

Reindeer can reach top speeds of 50 miles per hour, according to the San Diego Zoo, fast enough to deter a predator from leaping into the fray.

In this instance, though, it wasn't a predator that spooked the animals: The regional veterinarian service had come to perform anthrax vaccinations.

Reindeer can travel in herds of as few as 10 to a groups with hundreds individuals, according to the US Food and Drug Administration , but in spring they can form super-herds of as many as 50,000 to 500,000 deer.

The largest wild herd in the world, the Taimyr herd of migrating Siberian tundra reindeer, has ballooned to a million animals.

Reindeer can reach top speeds of 50 miles per hour, fast enough to deter a predator from leaping into the fray

The drone camera captured a second reindeer cyclone in a nearby enclosure

Does and fawns are kept in the center of the ring, with bucks running around them in a protective circle

Reindeer are the only deer in which both males and females grow antlers. They're also the only species of deer that is widely domesticated

The 2019 PBS documentary Wild Way of the Vikings featured a viking hunter facing a reindeer cyclone to illustrate how settlers in the region hunted the animals for their meat, hide, antlers and bones a thousand years ago.

Arctic reindeer have evolved a variety of defenses to deal with predators, including ultraviolet vision that allows them to see wolves against the white snow.

They are the only deer in which both males and females grow antlers, though scientists believe they serve different purposes.

Males, who shed their antlers in November or December, use them to fend off attacks from predators and other bucks, and to demonstrate their fitness to potential mates.

Females, meanwhile, keep their antlers until spring, using them to push aside snow aside and gain access to food.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on April 2 said in a press briefing that India condemns use of any violence as the crisis escalated in Myanmar since the February 1 coup. MEA also said that New Delhi has called for the restoration of democracy in the Southeast Asian nation while the immediate release of civilian government leaders who are kept under house arrest since the junta took over power in an unprecedented move engulfing the nation in chaos. Bagchi also said that India has supported any attempts to resolve the situation in Myanmar through ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

We condemn any use of violence. We believe that the rule of law should prevail. We stand for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. We've urged the release of political prisoners & supported any attempts at resolving the current situation including through efforts of ASEAN, said MEA spokesperson.

He added, We remain engaged on this issue with our international interlocutors and at the UNSC, in an effort to play a balanced and constructive role. He also said that India is dealing with the border issue with Myanmar humanely. Further on being asked, If there was any interaction between EAM & his Pakistani counterpart in Dushanbe, Tajikistan?" Bagchi said, I am not aware of any interaction with the Pakistani delegation there.

As far as border crossings are concerned, we are dealing with it as per our laws and humanitarian considerations: Arindam Bagchi, MEA spokesperson on India's stand about allowing Myanmar people to the Indian side. pic.twitter.com/BDFXlVO50A  ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

Bagchis remarks came as Myanmars wireless broadband internet services were shut down on April 2 by the order of the military. The local providers flagged the shutdown as anti-military protests across the nation continued to defy the threat of lethal violence to oppose the juntas rule. According to a statement posted online by local provider Ooredoo, a directive from the Ministry of Transport and Communications on Thursday instructed that all wireless broadband data services be temporarily suspended until further notice.

Myanmar still mired in violence

Two months since the military coup, Myanmar is still mired in violence. While the demonstrations across the nation continue, the security forces have escalated violence and routinely shot protesters. Junta has still remained unsuccessful in crushing the massive public resistance to the February 1 coup. Further, the international criticism and sanctions by the Western nations including the United States have failed to restore peace in the Southeast Asian country.

Shortly after sunrise on April 1, a group of young people gathered in Myanmars biggest city, Yangon. As per reports, the demonstrators then marched through the streets and chanted slogans calling for the fall of the junta and release of deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. protests were also held in Mandalay and other cities as Thursday marked two month anniversary of the grim day.

Image credits: ANI/AP
Kathmandu, April 2

Police in Kathmandu on Friday detained a group of youth activities who staged a protest demanding the government announce a climate emergency and a public health emergency considering the deteriorated climate condition in Kathmandu.

The protesters showed placards that read messages like the Environment Ministry is missing in front of the federal governments headquarters, Singhadarbar. However, police detained them citing demonstrations were banned in the area.

A few days ago, the air quality of Kathmandu and other parts of the country had significantly deteriorated owing to multiple incidents of forest fires among others.

However, sporadic rains on Wednesday and Thursday have somehow improved the conditions.
While the world is focused on OPEC news and Easter preparations, the Ukrainian crisis is heating up and there is a real threat of a military confrontation involving Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Currently, the Ukrainian military is fighting Moscow-backed separatists in the Donbas region. At the same time, heavy clashes with Russian-backed forces in and around Shymy have been reported. International pressure has been building on Russia to force a direct ceasefire, but no moves have been made. In recent weeks, analysts warned of a possible full-scale military confrontation as they considered the military moves in the region as provocations by Moscow. At the same time, most confrontations were localized, with no real regional impact yet.

The military stalemate, however, could well be coming to an end. A growing amount of reports have emerged showing not only largescale Russian military movements towards the Ukrainian border but also Moscows only regional supporter Belarus has deployed new troops to the Ukrainian border. As Julian Ropcke, a German Bild reporter, said on Wednesday, large amounts of Belarus military hardware, including BTR-80 armored vehicles and military trucks are moved to the border region. Kiev has already reacted to the growing threat perception by calling up reinforcements. Ruslan Khomchak, Ukraines Commander-in-Chief, stated to the press that Russia is building up armed forces near Ukraines borders in a threat to the countrys security.

Related: The 2 Nations Driving The Recovery In Offshore Oil



Russian TV channel Russia Today indicated that Moscow is going to support troops of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) to come home. The coming days could be a major watershed for the regions military-geopolitical situation. The West has always assumed that Moscow was more than happy with the current situation, controlling not only the Donbas area but also preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. To expect Putin to be content with this stalemate, however, without having any option for a diplomatic resolution, seems overly optimistic from those powers. Russias ultimate dream is to unify Russia and Ukraine., a dream it is willing to achieve either with hard diplomacy or military means. Moscow appears to have become increasingly unhappy about its lack of progress in achieving that dream, partly due to it being handicapped by the Minsk Accords. The Biden Administration, which is less flexible to Moscows strategies than the previous administration, is also a possible reason for Russias new military adventures. Bidens State Department speech on February 4th included a clear message to Russia that the days of rolling over in the face of Russias actions are over. It is certainly possible that the speech pushed Russia to ramp up its military actions. Meanwhile, in Belarus and Ukraine, the West is perceived to be waging a hybrid war against Moscow. From Putins point of view, the only option now is to actively counter-attack. Military analysts are still arguing about what Moscows options are in the coming days. A majority expect a so-called localized escalation, dramatic and devastating, leading to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers. Such a move could be used to justify future military moves by Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken filed a complaint on Wednesday in which he reiterated Washingtons support for Ukraines territorial integrity in the face of Russias ongoing aggression. If Putin believes the West is weak, however, a military move, which would give Russia access to Crimean water supplies, would be a very attractive one. Ukrainian observers believe the Kremlin may even consider a decisive military push through south-eastern Ukraine to create a land corridor linking Crimea with Donbas and end the peninsulas chronic water shortage  Ukraine has blocked 85 percent of water supplies to the Crimea since 2014.

Story continues

Related: The Future Of U.S. LNG Hangs In The Balance



A possible full-scale military operation will not only impact regional security but also put the European oil and gas sector under pressure, while maritime logistics could also be hampered. With Europes gas storage currently very low and dependency on Russian supplies still very high, a crisis here could have a major impact. Gas prices will soon be under pressure if the situation escalates. With storage sites at 37% capacity compared to 60% capacity at the same time last year or 74% at the start of this year, inventories are becoming critical. Analysts currently expect levels to fall as low as 16% of total capacity. To count on LNG supplies would be foolish if Asian demand continues to grow. The stranglehold that Russia has over European gas markets may soon become a major geopolitical market factor once again. If a Ukraine crisis erupts, potentially blocking or closing gas and oil pipelines in the region, a new energy crisis would follow closely behind.

It appears that Putins strategists have outmaneuvered Western powers. The weak response from both Brussels and Washington to Russian power moves in recent years appears to have emboldened Putin. Sanctions have been largely ineffective, while military options seem to be out of the question. Russian gas politics could now be a major pivotal factor in stopping any EU-NATO support if a renewed Ukraine conflict were to break out.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

Read this article on OilPrice.com
Post Mortem

WSYF representation to CM on Dimapur-Peren border dispute

By Nagaland Post | Publish Date: 4/1/2021 1:39:29 PM IST

Submitted through Deputy Commissioner Dimapur on April 1, 2021

Sir,

According the highest respect to your esteemed office, the Western Sumi Youth Front (WSYF) writes to apprise you of the urgent attention needed at the Dimapur-Peren inter district border which threatens to turn into a volatile situation involving different communities in the aftermath of the March 22, 2021 incident where three persons were killed by unidentified miscreants.

In this regard, it is pertinent to apprise you of the inception of Kiyevi Village and a Chronology of events and the contentions till date. Many views have been expressed in public domain after the March 22nd incident and the WSYF reiterates our condemnation of the killing and appeals that law enforcing agencies apprehend the culprits at the earliest.

At this juncture, the WSYF with utmost sincerity and in good faith presents a chronology of events supported by relevant documents for your kind perusal and necessary steps.

The inception of Kiyevi Village under Dhansiripar Sub-Division, Dimapur with the Chronology of events and supporting documents.

Kiyevi Village was established in the year 1939 under Kohima District, before the creation of Dimapur and Peren District.

The land between Khuva Nallah and Lalung was declared by the then British India government as the Western Sema Region and the same was reaffirmed vide Pol Case No.-1 of 1953 (Kheyakhu G.B of Shokhevi Village Vrs. G.B of Semaguting) Annexure-I pp.1-2. (Map & Sketch Map attached at pp.3-4; page 23 may also be referred for name of Rivers).

3. Picture of Pillar Stone laid/erected by Mr. Lhothavi Sumi and Mr. Puti Zeliang between Sumi and Zeliang. (Ref. p.5).

4. Jhum Cultivation was carried out peacefully by the Kiyevi Villagers in the year 1940, 1956 and 1974 at the present disputed area.

a. As per the traditional practice, Jhum Cultivation is undertaken after a gap of several years. In 1985, when the Kiyevi Villagers went to the land for clearing jungle for jhum Cultivation, they were surprised to see the forest being cleared for cultivation by another group of people from outside their village.

b. The matter was taken up by EAC Jalukie Shri. N. Sangtam, NCS and it was settled by the order by EAC Jalukie vide dated 26/10/85 that an amount of Rs. 1500 was paid to Kiyevi village, as tax deposited by 10 (ten) person @Rs. 150/- per kheti from Mhainamtsi village in connection with the cultivation of TRC kheti within Kiyevi village. The amount was received by Shri. K. Yeshito GB & representative of Kiyevi Village Council (Receipt attached at p.6)

5. In 1992 a group of villagers from Mhainamtsi Village undertook Govt Contract in the present disputed land without the approval of Kiyevi Village (who are bonafide land owner). Therefore, the Kiyevi Village Council complained to SDO(C) and accordingly the case was settled by SDO(C) Jalukie along with DBs and Departmental representatives from the Soil & Irrigation vide order NO.GA/ADMN-3/77 dated 6th July 1992. The estimated cost of seven Irrigation projects & Terrace field by Mhainamtsi in the land of Kiyevi village were prepared and submitted by expert Technician detailed by SDO Irrigation, Jalukie. The total cost of Irrigation & Terrace field was estimated to be Rs.1,46,736/- (Rupees one lakh forty six thousand seven hundred thirty six only). The Kiyevi village was asked to claim the compensation from Mhainamtsi (Copy of Case Settlement Order attached at Annexure -III p.7-8).

6. In 1996, Kiyevi Villagers undertook Jhum Cultivation in the current disputed area without any disturbance.

7. In the year 2000 some outsiders (Rongmei from Manipur) were clearing the jungle in the present disputed land of Kiyevi village for cultivation and unfortunately, six of them were killed by unknown persons on 4th May 2000. (Ref p.9).

8. On 26th Sept 2000, the State Government set up a Committee for inter district boundary between Kohima District and Dimapur District Government vide letter No. CNL-27/2/96, under the Chairmanship of Shri. R. Ezung, the then Secretary, Home. The Committee is commonly known as R. Ezung Committee. (Ref p.10).

9. The Committee had a meeting at Hotel Tragopan, Dimapur on 30th March 2001 in the presence of SDO(C) Jalukie and ADC Dimapur along with the representatives from both the parties. It was decided by the representatives of the Zeliangrong and Western Sumi Hoho that the issue is returned to the Inter District Boundary Committee for Final Settlement. (Ref pp.11-12).

10. Contrary to the decision of the State Government, Zeliangrong Baudi and Western Sumi Hoho; the Lamhai village council issued authorization to outsiders for establishment of new village in Kiyevi village land on 4th September 2018. (Ref p.13).

11. In June 2019, a group of Zeliangrong started jungle clearance to establish village at the land illegally allotted by Lamhai Village Council vide its letter dated 4th Sept 2018, page 13 (within Kiyevi Village Land).

12. Another illegal authorization of Kiyevis village land was issued by the Lamhai village Council to Zeliangrong people on 4th December 2018. (Ref p.14).

13. The Kiyevi village Council and affected neighboring villages submitted representation to Deputy Commissioner Dimapur on 19th June 2019. (Ref pp.15-20).

14. On 14th June 2019 Deputy Commissioner Dimapur Shri. Kevekha Kevin Zehol, NCS wrote letter to commissioner Nagaland vide letter No DCD/MISC/2015-D/1841-46, dated 14th June 2019 stated that on spot verification and on enquiry it was found that few people had pitched 6 (six) temporary tarpaulin tents. On further enquiry, it was reported that the present site/land has been gifted to Zeliangrong Baudi by Lamhai Village for establishing a new village. It was also reported that 20 household from Lamhai village and 3 household from Mhainamtsi village would migrate and join the new proposed village. It was also stated that Kiyevi village reported that people who had come for establishing the new village were armed with sophisticated weapons. However during the time of spot verification the same was not seen. (Ref p.21).

15. On 17th June 2019, Commissioner Nagaland, Shri. M Patton, IAS vide NO.CNG-1/45/COM/KHEHOI-2018/14 (Ref p.22), directed both DC Peren and Dimapur to submit the status report in connection with New Village (Lamhainandi) and confirm:

i. Whether it is purely within Lamhai village jurisdiction as asserted by the Zeliangrong Baudi (N)

ii. If any dispute with the neighbouring villages

iii. Which are the neighbouring villages.

iv. As the demarcation of Peren and Dimapur are currently under examination of the Government, but which district looks after the area in question presently, and submit report at the earliest.

16. Accordingly, on 21st June 2019, Shri. Kevekha Kevin Zehol, NCS, the Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur vide No.GEN-9/2017-D/541-47 submitted the status report (Ref pp.23-26) stating that:

i. Kiyevi village was established in the year 1939 and was placed under erstwhile Kohima District. The land between Khuva Nallah and Langlung River is known as Western Sema block as per the documents made available by the Western Sumi Hoho and Kiyevi Village.

ii. The proposed new Village Lamhai Namdi is bordered by Kiyevi, Vihuto (unrecognized), Mhainamtsi and Khehoi Village (unrecognized). It may be mentioned here that in the year 2000, 6 (six) persons belonging to Mhainamtsi Village were ambushed and killed near the present location where Lamhai Namdi Village is proposed.

In his report, he also enclosed the spot verification report submitted by SDO (C) Dhansiripar dated 14th June 2019 (Ref pp.25-26).

The Deputy Commissioner summed up the report stating that the authority is aware that two disputing parties cannot resolve their own dispute within themselves.

17. With reference to the report of both Deputy Commissioners, the Home Commissioner, Shri. R. Ramakrishnan, IAS on 25th June 2019 issued an order to maintain Status-Quo and directed both sides not to undertake any further activities. [Home Commissioner order No. GAB-1/333/2014(Vol-I)]. (Ref p.27).

18. Even after clear directives given by the State Government, the Lamhai Council allowed their people to continue developing the village. (Picture attached at pp.28-30)

19. On 22nd September 2019, the Rongmei Council Nagaland (RCN) issued a press statement clarifying that the RCN has nothing to do with the establishment of the contentious Lamhainamdi village. (Ref. p.31)

20. The Deputy Commissioner Dimapur Shri. Rajesh Soundararajan, IAS submitted joint verification report to Commissioner Nagaland, vide order NO.GEN-9/2017-D/11489-92, dated 1st February 2021 stating that some activities is being carried out allegedly by people belonging to Peren District and requested to issue directives for maintenance of Status Quo to parties concern to avoid any law and order situation. (Ref. page 32-33)

21. Joint verification report by the District Administration of Dimapur and Peren on 5th March 2021 stated that some outsider cleared the jungle including cutting of teak plantation in the adjourning areas of paddy field which has been cultivating by Kiyevi village for many years. They have also constructed Kaccha houses, proposed Prayer Centre etc. at page 34. (picture attached at pp.35-37)

22. On 19th February 2021, the suspected Zeliangrong attacked the Khehoi village and burnt down houses, and also destroyed plantation, crops etc. but surprisingly there was no condemnation/action by the State Government nor from the Civil Societies. (Enclosed Video Clip)

23. Zeliangrong people continued to develop, construct houses, cultivate by deliberately destroying the plantation of Kiyevi village and established a new self-style Lamhainamdi village in Kiyevi land. They also threatened, provoked Kiyevi villagers and the neighboring Sumi villages with blank fire of guns and by flashing torch lights at night towards Sumi villages.

24. Inspite of reports submitted by the District Administration to the higher authorities, the State Government failed to protect the land of Kiyevi village and its citizens and neighboring Sumi villages; thus leading to the unfortunate escalation of violence on 22nd March 2021, which could have been avoided had the State Government intervened timely.

25. Even after the incident, the so-called Lamhainamdi villagers are still engaged in developing the land and constructing houses in Kiyevi Village land, guarded by the miscreants.

Although the above documental evidences clearly show the disputed land to be under Kiyevi village which falls under Dhansiripar sub-division in Dimapur district, there has been wide attribution of the incident to have happened at so called Lamhainamdi in Peren district.

In the light of the above stated facts and understanding the fact that boundary between the two districts are yet to be demarcated and also the fact that the government has issued order to maintain status quo in the disputed area, the WSYF appeals the State Government to immediately intervene by driving out the illegal settlers in the so-called Lamhainamdi from the disputed land by reiterating the earlier order of the State Government No. GAB-1/333/2014(Vol-I) issued on 25th June 2019 to maintain Status-Quo and direct both sides not to undertake any further activities.

The WSYF also appeals the State Government to finalize the Inter-District boundary between Dimapur and Peren districts at the earliest so that the issue is solved once and for all.

Yours faithfully,

Mughavi Awomi, President, Western Sumi Youth Front

Bohoi Yeptho, General Secretary, Western Sumi Youth Front
[April 02, 2021] Xiaomi's New Model Mi 11 Lite to Debut on Banggood

GUANGZHOU, China, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading multinational retail e-commerce platform Banggood will release the Mi 11 Lite simultaneously in coordination with Xiaomi's official website. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi hosted a new product launch event on March 29, at which the company unveiled three new models  the Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Lite. Banggood will launch the Mi 11 Lite in two configurations: 6GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB. The model, priced at EUR 299, will be available for pre-order starting April 6. "Banggood's growth strategy calls for paying more attention to the expectations of younger buyers who want to be equipped with the latest and most popular consumer electronics. To meet these expectations, we will first focus on providing more products tailored to this audience. Xiaomi has always been one of the most popular brands among younger visitors to the Banggood website, and the Mi 11 Lite is a mobile phone specially designed for the segment. The debut of the new model on Banggood represents the first step of our effort to resonate with te youth market. Looking ahead, we plan to invest more resources to optimize the experience for the demographic, with the aim of making Banggood their go-to e-commerce platform," said Aaron Chen, CEO of Banggood.



In addition to releasing the Mi 11 Lite, Banggood is the only independent website invited to attend the 2021 Mi Fan Festival. From April 1st to April 20th, Banggood, in concert with Xiaomi's official platforms and partners, will join in the celebrations while exploring the possibilities of further collaborative efforts. In tandem with a line-up of exciting interactive activities, Banggood will offer a substantial discount of up to 50% off during the event. The latest and best-selling products such as Redmi Note 10 will be available at the lowest price points online for a limited time. Please get the latest information on Banggood's social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). About Banggood

Founded in 2006, Banggood is a leading e-commerce company running its website www.banggood.com and pages on other platforms to offer tens of millions of registered users more than 500,000 types of products, covering from consumer electronics to clothing. Banggood is headquartered in Guangzhou, China, the city of the supply chain, with a global reach in North America, Europe, Asian Pacific, South America and the Middle East. The company recently unveiled its Top-Selling Products List For First Half of 2020. For more information, please visit: https://www.banggood.com/aboutBanggood.html SOURCE Banggood

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
My Years With The Queen

Rating:

Pandemic 2020

Rating:

When the Queen comes to stay, she brings chocolates. Like anyone's favourite auntie, she turns up with a pressie, to say: 'Thank you for having me.'

And because Her Majesty is jolly well brought up, she brings a second box to keep in her bedroom  so she can nibble on her favourites without having to share. Never underestimate the plain good sense of the royals.

But as Lady Pamela Hicks revealed on My Years With The Queen (ITV), the very posh are different from you and me, in unexpected ways.

Lady Pam  daughter of Louis Mountbatten, Prince Philip's uncle  a lifelong friend of the monarch, chuckled as she remembered how miffed the Queen was when Naola nobbled her chocs.

India Hicks with her mother Lady Pamela Hicks compare their respective bridesmaids dresses at Lady Pamela's home in Oxfordshire on ITV's My Years With The Queen

Naola was Pamela's pet mongoose. She had a free run of the family estate at Broadlands in Hampshire, and apparently possessed a good nose for treats. The little beast took a bite from every chocolate.

Don't imagine you can become an aristocrat yourself, just by investing in a mongoose. The bar is set much higher than that.

Lady Pamela was browsing her family photographs with daughter India, smiling at memories of Highland dancing and Commonwealth tours, when she spotted herself in a diamond tiara.

The jewellery was so priceless, she commented, that it was uninsurable. No broker would take the risk. Yet all ladies-in-waiting were expected to wear such baubles.

What did a girl do, India wondered, if she didn't have a tiara at home? Lady Pam gave her a stony look. 'That kind of family are not!' she said  meaning that anyone who had to count the cost of a royal friendship couldn't afford it in the first place.

At 91, her ladyship is eminently quotable and effortlessly scathing, a real-life model of Maggie Smith's dowager in Downton Abbey.

India Hicks and her mother Lady Pamela compare their bridesmaids dresses. Lady Pamela also browsed her family photographs with India, smiling at memories of Highland dancing and Commonwealth tours

Soft soap of the night Evan Davis was on great punning form as Dragons' Den (BBC1) returned, joking that hand gel entrepreneurs Johnny and Antonia wanted a 'partner in cream'. Investor Tej was the 'cat that got the cream'. Evan got clean away with those gags. Advertisement

She was a childhood friend to 'Lilibet' and a bridesmaid at her wedding, as well as a first cousin to Prince Philip (of whom she has apparently been slightly terrified all her life).

Thinking back to endless crowds at state occasions, she remarked: 'Waving all day long, Lilibet's developed tremendous muscles in her arms.'

She remembered the day in 1952, watching her friend as she learned her father the King was dead and that she was now Queen: 'I gave her a hug and then dropped into a deep curtsey.'

Like the tiara, it was all quite priceless. No wonder Lilibet has valued her company so much throughout their long lives.

The sight of crowds, whether thronging for a glimpse of royalty or simply enjoying a celebration, feels eerily dated now. Pandemic 2020 (BBC2), the first of a three-part documentary of how coronavirus shut down the world, opened with footage of New Year's Eve parties. 'It was beforetimes,' said one interviewee sadly.

This format of archive film combined with intense personal stories was developed for a series about the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. It worked less well here: by focusing on a handful of accounts, the film-makers failed to convey how this was a crisis that affected everyone.

Much emphasis was given to the experiences of a Communist aid worker in Bogota, Colombia  almost a parody of the archetypal BBC2 subject.

Two Chinese video bloggers from Wuhan scolded the West for failing to lock down quickly enough.

My favourites were Ukrainian polka musicians who performed an accordion number called We Don't Want You, Hey! Coronavirus. I'd call it catchy, but that's probably the wrong word...
The Devonian Mass Extinction wiped out 70 percent of life from our planet some 360 million years ago, but what caused the deadly event has remained a mystery- until now.

The animals, mostly marine species, as a result of Earths oceans depleting of oxygen and previous work has suggest a volcanic eruption or even a supernova, but a new study finds it was new forests that grew in the ancient world.

An international team of scientists have uncovered evidence that fresh vegetation released nutrients into the seas that fed massive alga blooms, which devoured all the oxygen and suffocated anything and everything living in the saltwater.

Separate surveys show hundreds of dead zones currently worldwide where life cannot survive due to the same reason that sparked the Devonian extinction and experts say 'it's happening at a pace that's much faster than what was happening during the Late Devonian.'

The Devonian Mass Extinction wiped out 70 percent of life from our planet some 360 million years ago, but what caused the deadly event has remained a mystery. But a study suggests it was new forest growth around the world that sparked the deadly event

The mass extinction is one of the big five that plague Earth and has previously been blamed on asteroid impacts, climate change, sea level changes and large-scale volcanic activity.

Progressive volcanism is hypothesized to have been responsible for the intermittent pattern of oceanic anoxia during the Late Devonian, yet the frequency of volcanic activity is unlikely to have been connected to orbital cycles,' reads the study published in the May issue of Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

'Rather, volcanic eruptions may have altered the chemistry of terrestrial environments (e.g., fertilizing soils) that could contribute to eutrophication and anoxia through orbitally-paced land inputs.'

However, the team told InsideScience that volcanic activity may have had a hand in amplifying the extinctions that carried on for some 20 million years.

An international team of scientists have uncovered evidence that fresh vegetation released nutrients into the seas that fed massive alga blooms, which devoured all the oxygen and suffocated anything and everything living in the saltwater

The Devonian Mass Extinction wiped out 70 percent of mammals from our planet some 360 million years ago, but what caused the deadly event has remained a mystery- until now. Pictured is what our planet looked like some 360 million years ago

This study investigated the Upper Devonian Chattanooga Shale of Tennessee, where they found evidence that proves new forests during the time period are to blame.

This is a geological formation that stretches through Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky Missouri and Tennessee, and is home to a trove of fossils dating back to the Devonian period.

Approximately 65 samples were collected from the site and brought to a lab to measure concentrations of molecules that are known to be associated with oxygen levels in the seas, plankton blooms, plant material, and soil and sediment erosion.

And a fluctuation in these chemical fingerprints, or proxies, led the team to an answer.

They were able to see a correlation when large amounts of nutrients flowed into the oceans and when planktonic activity increased.

Separate surveys show hundreds of dead zones currently worldwide where life cannot survive due to the same reason that sparked the Devonian extinction and experts say 'it's happening at a pace that's much faster than what was happening during the Late Devonian'

The initial radiation of forests is likely to have signicantly altered terrestrial weathering patterns and liberated massive amounts of nutrients that were washed from continents into the ocean, reads the study.

The Late Devonian was plagued with intense monsoons that caused growth of new forests around the globe.

With such vegetation sprouting in troves, the soil became rich with new nutrients that trickled into the oceans in waves and birthed massive plankton blooms that sucked up all the oxygen.

The team, however, warns a similar process is occurring present day and appears to be happening at a much faster rate than some 360 million years ago.
Access the Experts: Rosemary Strasser In this installment, Strasser answers: Is there any kind of study for pet psychology, and how much do we know about animals' minds and personalities?

In This Installment of Access the Experts Associate Professor and Director of UNOs Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, Rosemary Strasser, Ph.D., answers the question: Is there any kind of study for pet psychology, and how much do we know about animals' minds and personalities? About Strasser An animal behavior expert, Strassers research interests include how changes in the environment --including early hormonal environment  influence brain organization and behavior. She is interested in comparing differences both within and between species to further understand the role hormones play in a variety of social behaviors, as well as learning and cognition.

Access the Experts

Access the Experts is an innovative partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and News Channel Nebraska (NCN), where viewers submit their questions to be answered by UNO faculty members.

New segments of Access the Experts air every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:46 A.M. and 6:46 P.M. If youre not sure how to tune in, visit News Channel Nebraskas website to view their coverage areas.

View all segments on our Access the Experts page.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of Americas best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraskas premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Follow UNO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
NZD/USD Exchange Rate Close to Key Levels

CIBC is still backing medium-term gains for the New Zealand US Dollar (NZD/USD) exchange rate and has maintained the 0.7450 target for the end of June.

A weekly close above 0.7000 would boost their confidence in the outlook while a sustained period below this level would indicate a higher risk that there will be a sustained spell below this level.

The New Zealand dollar declined sharply last week with NZD/USD sliding from 0.7160 to lows below 0.6950.

CIBC notes several triggers for the slump including government action to curb strength in the housing sector and underlying US dollar strength. Overall yield spreads are also now less attractive.

The bank, however, also considers a more prosaic reason; A major one of those is our observation that recent NZD strength had simply run too far too fast.

In this context, the bank still expects that NZD/USD will post renewed gains this quarter.

Our forecast for NZD/USD was then, and now for spot to reach 0.7450 at end-2Q. The rally to that point in late February was thus ahead of expected timing.

Nevertheless, CIBC also notes that there are stronger barriers to gains on fundamental grounds.

Firstly, the currency is not now undervalued against the US currency; There are a handful of indicators which suggest previous undervaluation of the NZD has largely been unwound.

CIBC also notes that yield spreads have moved against the New Zealand currency. The bank, however, considers that a wider sell-off in risk appetite and slide in equity marts would represent a bigger threat to the currency.

It also notes that the NZD/USD has approached important levels and further losses would jeopardise the underlying up-turn. At the very least, renewed gains would be postponed.

The 0.7000 is a key pivotal level, as is the 200-day moving average at 0.6880. A weekly close and period below either or both would suggest a return of upside will be delayed.

NZD/USD found support just below 0.6950 on Thursday and rallied to just above 0.7000 after the Wall Street open.
DETROIT - Michigan news anchor, Maurielle Lue, has been hospitalized for nearly a week as she continues to battle COVID-19. One of the anchors of The Nine on FOX 2 News morning, a tearful Lue just updated her social media followers from her hospital bed. UPDATE: FOX 2s Maurielle Lue home following week in hospital with COVID: Most difficult illness Ive ever faced

Lue said live on her Instagram page this evening that she went to the hospital last Sunday, March 28, the day after her 36th birthday and one day after she did her last social media video sharing her battle.

At that time last week, she was having trouble breathing and said she had not eaten in nearly a week because she couldnt breathe to chew. She says once her breathing finally improved, other symptoms hit her hard.

For the first time in a week I can breathe clearly. It is a miracle. However the celebration was short lived, Lue wrote on her Twitter page on Monday. I spent today with a debilitating fever and headache. I was not able to get out of bed today. Odd the fever waited until now.

While updating her condition this evening, Lue said she could not get out of bed for days and is thankful for people who sent her food and who gave her so many messages and advice to help her get through this.

I just wanted to thank everyone who has shown me love, Lue told viewers via Instagram live while wiping away tears. I am feeling better. I want to thank you guys for the well wishes, love and support. This is one of the hardest things Ive ever gone through. The staff and the nurses have been great.

Lue, who has been anchoring from home, says she doesnt know how she caught COVID. She says she stayed home nearly every single day the last year, but went to a car dealership to turn in her car lease last month and then she went out with some friends on Friday and by Saturday, I was down.

Lue says she is hopeful to get out of the hospital soon, but doesnt know yet when that might happen.

I dont know how much longer Ill have it. They dont know. Its crazy and scary. Im hurting. I just wanted to thank you for the love. I value you. We have to look out for each other and be better to each other. We have to be polite and be kind.

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Congress leader Vadra on Friday said the needs to start acting decisively on reports of private vehicles transporting electronic voting machines, and a serious re-evaluation of the use of needs to be carried out by all national parties.

Her remarks came over a video which surfaced on social media allegedly showing electronic voting machines (EVMs) in what was claimed to be the car of a BJP candidate in Assam.

Tagging the tweet which carried the video, said every time there is an election, videos of private vehicles caught transporting show up.

"Unsurprisingly they have the following things in common: 1. The vehicles usually belong to BJP candidates or their associates. 2. The videos are taken as one off incidents and dismissed as aberrations 3. The BJP uses its media machinery to accuse those who exposed the videos as sore losers," the Congress general secretary said.

The fact is that too many such incidents are being reported and nothing is being done about them, she said.

"The EC needs to start acting decisively on these complaints and a serious re-evaluation of the use of needs to be carried out by all national parties," she said in a series of tweets.

(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.)
Slapping regulatory controls on and initiating expensive litigation against successful technology companies have become a central focus of federal and state governments across the country. No doubt many companies are in the crosshairs for recent controversial behavior, but should the government step in to rearrange winners and losers? Does that truly benefit consumers?

Here in Texas, our attorney general is leading a 14-state lawsuit against Google for alleged monopolistic advertising practices. When it comes to the consumer, can there be benefit resulting from a government effort to impose regulatory market controls or regulate Big Tech in case-by-case litigation? That effort can only result in hampering innovation, discouraging competition and ultimately hobbling the tech industry.

In a state that prides itself on being open for business and supportive of free markets, leaders should consider the harmful consequences of Texas participation in the case against Google.

America fosters the greatest startup and entrepreneurial environment in the world. While Google has been the top provider in the adtech  advertising technology space, it is still an emerging market. The largest and most innovative companies in the world fight for market share in online advertising. AT&T, Amazon, Oracle and Facebook are not stepping aside for Google. Historically, antitrust litigation has served more as a major weapon in corporate warfare than as protection for the consumer  an issue our leaders should consider before placing judgment.

History further tells us that when an industry is subjected to regulatory control, the regulated eventually control the regulator. The consequence is higher bars impeding new market entrants, thus competition.

As for antitrust litigation, its expensive and history questions its efficacy. For instance, the U.S. Department of Justices IBM antitrust investigation, starting in 1969, lasted 13 years. When it ended, IBM was no longer Big Blue  not because of government litigation but because of market innovation.

SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox

Also, antitrust litigation is a heavy-handed weapon that Texas should be wary of using. Regulation by litigation can only result in inconsistent decisions and remedies as businesses try to navigate the broader significance of decisions designed only to address the particular issues raised in court. And in this case, the action sends a strong signal that if a company is successful and innovative in its space, our state will impose government control. One can only warn: Watch out, Tesla.

Finally, few legal actions are as expensive as antitrust. The same is true regarding Texas antitrust litigation against Google. Texas taxpayers are being asked to foot a $43 million bill to fund, initially, the Google litigation, and the Texas Legislature is signaling it may grant this request.

But before our legislators succumb to the urge to do something, they must consider that this request by the attorney generals office is only a down payment. The litigation will take years to navigate the trial and appellate courts. It could ultimately cost hundreds of millions of dollars, leaving the state even further in the red.

And whether it ends in Texas favor will ultimately not matter; during all that time, the tech ecosystem will not have been static. If history is the guide, market evolution and competition will prevail, rendering any result from the suit irrelevant.

I have had the privilege of sitting on Texas highest bench and studying the proper role of courts in resolving important issues of the day. Regulation by court decision is the least productive process. But primarily, we Texans champion free markets and pride ourselves on a state that is open for business. Our leaders should contemplate the costly consequences of anti-competitive steps taken in the name of antitrust.

Craig Enoch is a former Texas Supreme Court justice and an immediate past chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce.
Teenage entrepreneurs from Ardscoil Phadraig, Granard, Cnoc Mhuire, Granard, Ballymahon Vocational School and Mean Scoil Mhuire, Longford will represent county Longford at this years virtual Student Enterprise Programme National Final on Friday, May 14.

An estimated 150 students from seven schools took part in the annual programme locally, promoted and organised by Local Enterprise Office Longford, with many of them taking part in the Virtual County Longford Final on Thursday, March 18.

Normally held in a local venue, this years County Final was held online with over 200 viewers tuning in as the final was streamed live over Facebook and YouTube.

Winners

Junior Category: Cian Brady & Ryan Spollen from R&C Controller Stands at Ardscoil Phadraig, Granard.

Intermediate Category: Amy Kelly & Chloe Hopkins from Handy Hooks at Ballymahon Vocational School.

Senior Category: Ella Duggan, Megan Glennon, Anna Flynn & Aoife Cullen from Picture It at Mean Scoil Mhuire, Longford.

Most Creative Business Idea: Save Your Breath by Cian OHara, Cnoc Mhuire, Granard with his idea for a droplet breathalyser test for detecting Covid goes forward to the National Final.

Special guests at the Longford Final included Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Cllr Paul Ross and swimmer Darragh Greene, who will compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Darragh spoke about the commitment and dedication required to become an elite athlete, qualities that are also needed to become a successful business person. He encouraged the young people to follow their dreams and not to be deterred by failure as failure is part of the learning process.

Longford has a successful track record in the student enterprise competition. Recent national awards won by local secondary schools have included Best Commercial Potential award 2018 for Reel Easy from Moyne Community School and 2nd place in the Senior Category in 2017 for J & S Kitchen Aid from Mercy Secondary School in Ballymahon.

Michael Nevin, Head of Enterprise of Local Enterprise Office Longford congratulated the students, saying We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in County Longford, with over 150 students from 7 local schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck on Friday, May 14. Well all be logged on to support them.

He added, In what has been a particularly challenging year for students the programme has offered them an outlet outside of the usual school demands. What our students are learning from the programme is that with the right supports and encouragement, they can take an idea from the classroom and develop it into a real-life business. The skills they learn along the way, such as business planning, market research, selling and team-work, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers.

Further information around the Student Enterprise Programme is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media.
This is a contributed article by Andrew Rose, Resident CISO, EMEA at Proofpoint.



Every CISO knows that the cyber threat landscape is growing ever-more sophisticated, making the mission of keeping the enterprise secure a task with seemingly no end. Our recent survey found that more than half of CISOs and CSOs in the UK&I reported that their organisation suffered at least one significant cyberattack in 2020, with almost two thirds expressing concern that their organisation is at risk of an attack in 2021.

However, the unfortunate reality is that many CISOs struggle to get the resources they require to defend their organisation. This same survey found that half of respondents do not feel their board pays enough attention to delivering effective cybersecurity.

By learning to speak the language of the CFO, CISOs can improve their budgetary win rate and ensure that they get the investment they need to deliver on their accountabilities.

Understanding the CFO

CFOs are naturally, primarily concerned with the financial performance of the organisation, protecting its assets and building the companys ability to create value and increase revenue.

Security and compliance are not something that the CFO spends much time considering; however, they recognise that the cost of a security incident can be devastating. Take Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, for example, the FBI recently estimated the losses from such attacks at $26.5 billion over the past three years.

Despite the proven financial risk, organisations don't have unlimited budgets, and CFOs have to be extremely thoughtful about how money gets spent to address business challenges and risks, including security and compliance.

The CFOs internal dialogue

CFOs have a relatively formal thought process every time a new investment request is brought to their attention by a CISO. These are your key touchstones:

The size of this risk in comparison to revenue.

The cost of this solution in comparison to the impact of a breach over a three-to-five-year period.

What capabilities do we already have, and how effective are they? How effective will this solution be in comparison?

Why do we need this solution, rather than an alternative?

Can we consolidate suppliers for simplicity and greater financial leverage?

The CISO needs to respond to this internal dialogue and ensure that these factors are addressed in their business case.

Making the business case

Before you go to the CFO to discuss new investment, its wise to align your cybersecurity objectives and budget proposal with the wider business and compliance objectives:

1: Highlight the control gap

The first step in making the business case for investment in cybersecurity is to ensure that you clearly and succinctly define the problem.

Describe the control gap in non-technical terms. For example, highlight how gateway systems are allowing malicious emails to pass through; or how your firm lacks the ability to track critical data moving between third-party cloud systems.

Consider using peer comparison to demonstrate that comparable companies have addressed this matter. This ensures that the CFO has visibility of what would be defensible should an event occur.

2: Quantify associated risk and impact levels

Work through the control gap and highlight how this could result in a security incident, using your companys risk models.

Outline the potential losses that could result from a breach - consider using a Value at Risk curve to align with other financial models. Include references to loss as both a percentage of annual revenue, the operational impact of a service outage, and as a reputational matter; include any regulatory fines, or additional costs resulting from increased regulatory scrutiny.

Present the potential losses alongside recent examples from the media to highlight the potential reality.

3: Describe the solution

Adhering to using non-technical language when describing the solution.

Explain why this solution will address the risk when existing controls do not. Include some alternatives to give the CFO some flexibility for exploration, even if you feel the solution is clear.

Highlight the opportunities, such as the ability to simplify the technology estate or to seek greater leverage for discount, or the opportunity to drive efficiencies through automation.

4: Highlight the value

Finally, ensure your business case addresses the specific cost issues, and the business enablement rewards.

Firstly, outline the cost of the product, and the estimated costs associated with the deployment and implementation, including training and project costs.

Demonstrate how the solution can save money overall. Outline the solution in comparison to the financial peril and detail the sunk costs against the revised value at risk over a three-to-five-year period. Outline potential savings from automation, consolidation or product decommission, and then re-affirm the annualised loss this will avoid.

Finally, tie the solution to existing business enablement initiatives. Consider which projects will benefit from this investment. Will it accelerate cloud deployment or assist with a new customer-facing functionality?

Getting closer to the C-Suite

The C in CISO often lacks the gravitas of the C in COO, CFO and CRO, but that needs to change if the security industry wants to truly tackle the challenges that endanger an increasingly digital economy.

The CFO is the most influential person at the table following the CEO. CISOs need to build better C-level relationships and demonstrate a true understanding for operating, and not just securing, a business.

Andrew Rose is Resident CISO for the EMEA Region at Proofpoint. His focus is driving Proofpoints people-centric security vision, strategy and initiatives amongst the companys customer base, bringing hands on experience, knowledge and perspective in managing risk and improving cyber security posture across complex enterprises. Rose was previously Chief Security Officer of Mastercard subsidiary Vocalink, who are responsible for much of the UKs instant and bulk payments covering over 90% of UK salaries, over 70% of UK bill payments and nearly all UK benefit payments.
Queensland has tracked down the missing link between a doctor who was infected with coronavirus weeks ago and the outbreak that locked down Brisbane.

Chief health officer Jeannette Young said a nurse caught the virus from a female doctor, who got it from an Australian returning from Europe who was hospitalised.

The nurse then unwittingly gave it to her partner and from there spread the virus to their circle of friends, forming the cluster that caused the outbreak.

She was listed as a historical case alongside seven other new Queensland cases in hotel quarantine.

The doctor she caught coronavirus from at Princess Alexandra Hospital tested positive on March 12.

The missing link between the Princess Alexandra Hospital doctor and the outbreak has finally been explained

'We believe this historical case is the missing link from the first cluster. So that's fantastic news,' Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

Brisbane and surrounding areas were released from a three-day lockdown on Thursday which earlier was fear would need to be extended over the Easter long weekend.

The nurse was infectious from March 10 to 23 but did not develop symptoms so she had no idea she was infected before passing the virus on.

'So this is a nurse who has unfortunately, through doing nothing wrong, has contracted the infection, from a gentleman who is clearly a super-spreader,' Dr Young said.

'It's not his fault either. He was the gentleman who came from Europe and was admitted and transmitted the infection to a doctor, now, he's also transmitted it to a nurse. That's that process that has happened.

'And then the nurse, again through absolutely no fault of her own, has then gone home and transmitted to her partner, who is one of that group that we know who live in that north Brisbane area and a close social network.'

Queensland health officials have breathed a sigh of relief after tracking down the missing link between a doctor who was infected weeks ago and the outbreak that locked down Brisbane

Relieved Brisbane residents were lifted from a snap lockdown at midday on Thursday following fears it may extend into the Easter break. Pictured are women in the CBD on Thursday

The infected nurse was tested as the result of being a close contact of a case, when her historical infection, which she had recovered from, was found.

'She's treated the same patient that the doctor who got infected treated. So it's clear that's how she got it and she transmitted it to her partner and it moved into that circle of friends and colleagues. Which is what we know Covid does,' Dr Young said.

She said the nurse hadn't yet been vaccinated, which prompted Queensland Health to implement a new policy to ensure only vaccinated healthcare workers manage infected cases.

'That's of course for their safety, and I'm also going to be encouraging anyone who lives in the household of a healthcare worker, that is now dealing with COVID cases, we have included you in IB,' Dr Young said.

'So you can come forward and get vaccinated to try and protect the other members in the household.

'We know even if you have been vaccinated, you still can get the infection and pass it on. We've seen that. So it's important and we want to also protect the people who live in the same household.'

Dr Young believed the cluster was now under control.

Queensland chief medical officer Jeannette Young (pictured) insists the cluster that sparked a Brisbane is now under control

The nurse passed on the to virus to her partner who then spread it to their close circle friends and family in north Brisbane, including the partner's brother, a tradesman from Stafford who tested positive on March 25.

The Stafford man also passed the virus onto his friends, including a Strathpine man accused of hosting a party of 25 at his home while waiting for his test results

Queensland Health later clarified to say there had been a misunderstanding that only four housemates and one other person were at the home at the time.

The second cluster began when another Princess Alexandra Hospital nurse contracted the virus from a second infected return traveller being treated there.

The nurse then passed the virus onto her sister before the pair attended a hen's party in Byron Bay.

There they unknowingly spread the virus to other attendees, including a Gold Coast tradesman who was moonlighting as a male entertainer at the party.

NSW VENUES ON HIGH ALERT

Anyone who attended the following venues must immediately get tested and self-isolate until they receive further advice from NSW Health. Surfit 24/7 Epiq Gym, 5 Snapper Drive, Lennox Head, Sunday March 28, 6-11am Park Hotel/Motel pub restaurant, 223 Broken Heads Road, Suffolk Park Sunday March 28, 1-2pm Anyone who attended the following venue on March 28 must immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result. Ballina Golf and Sports Club, Jameson Street, East Ballina, Sunday March 28 from 2.25pm to 2.35pm Park Hotel in Suffolk Park on Sunday, March 28, between 1.45pm and 2.10pm Anyone who visited the following venues at the following days and times should get tested and isolate until they return a negative result. Ballina Henry Rous Tavern, 117 River Street, Ballina Sunday March 28 from 1.20pm to 2.20pm Byron Bay Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co - Patrons who sat in the laneway (Feros Arcade) Saturday March 27 from 11am to 12pm All retail and takeaway shops in Lawson, Jonson, Browning Street and Fletcher Streets Saturday March 27, 12pm-4pm Black Sheep in Byron Bay Saturday March 27 from 12.30pm to 12.40pm Byron Beach Hotel in Byron Bay Friday March 26 from 7.15pm to 9pm Ghanda Clothing in Byron Bay Saturday March 27 from 12pm to 12.15pm Mokha Cafe - Patrons sitting inside or out the front of the venue (not in laneway in Feros Arcade) Saturday March 27 from 11.00am to 12.00pm Mokha Cafe - Patrons who sat in the laneway (Feros Arcade) Saturday March 27 from 11.00am to 12.00pm Quiksilver Byron Bay Saturday March 27 from 12.40pm to 12.45pm Tiger Lily Byron Bay Saturday March 27 from 12.25pm to 12.30pm Ewingsdale The Farm Byron Bay in Ewingsdale Sunday March 28 from 8.45am to 10.30am Three Blue Ducks restaurant - Terrace in Ewingsdale Sunday March 28 from 8.45am to 9.30am Suffolk Park Park Hotel Bottle Shop in Suffolk Park Saturday March 27 from 7.30pm to 7.45pm Suffolk Park Bakery in Suffolk Park, shop 1/2 Clifford Street Saturday March 27, 11:15am - 11:40am and 2.45pm to 3.15pm Suffolk Park Shopping Centre Plaza Sunday March 28, between 10.30am and 11.45am Suffolk Beachfront Holiday Park  women's communal toilets in Suffolk Park Friday March 26 between 4.00pm to 8.30pm Saturday March 27 between 4.00pm to 8.30pm Sunday March 28 between 4.00pm to 8.30pm Advertisement

Ms Palaszczuk thanked the 35,350 Queenslanders who came forward for testing on Thursday.

A raft of statewide restrictions remain in place for the next fortnight after Brisbane was released from lockdown on Thursday.

They include mandatory masks in public indoor settings and home gatherings restricted to 30.

Visits to hospitals, aged care and disability facilities and prisons are also banned unless in the resident is near death and family want to say goodbye.

Brisbane residents headed away for the Easter long weekend after lockdown was lifted

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk expressed her relief on Friday after contract tracers found the 'missing link' case that sparked a coronavirus outbreak
Professor Autry will be developing and delivering Thunderbird programs and courses in space entrepreneurship, leadership, business and policy, including an entirely new master's degree in Los Angeles to be launched in January 2022 on Global Technological Leadership. Autry will also teach Thunderbird Executive Education courses for professionals earning certificates. He will be working closely with Professor Linda Elkins-Tanton, Managing Director of the ASU Interplanetary Initiative (II), and Professor James Bell, Director of ASU NewSpace Initiative ( NewSpace ) to develop a cross-disciplinary Institute of Space Leadership and Management.

"I am extremely pleased to be joining Thunderbird and Arizona State University," said Professor Autry. "ASU's visionary leadership in space exploration and development combined with Dean Khagram's focus on global innovation at Thunderbird offers the perfect fit for my teaching and research agenda. There is nothing I would rather be doing than teaching space entrepreneurship, leadership and policy in a school with the top-ranked master's in management program at America's most innovative university. I'm particularly excited that with the new LA campus opening, I will be working within the commercial space hub of Southern California. The possibilities for students, industry and humanity are boundless," Autry said.

"Thunderbird is the #1 school for global management and ASU is the #1 university for innovation," said Thunderbird Dean and Director General Sanjeev Khagram. "Outer space offers virtually unlimited opportunities in this 4th Industrial Revolution. As the space sector grows exponentially, private companies and governments will create immense demand for future-ready entrepreneurs, investors, executives and managers. Greg's expertise and experience as an innovator and leader in both the business and policy sides of outer space enterprises will position our graduates for leadership roles at the frontiers of human exploration and discovery," said Khagram. "Greg will turbo-charge our quest to become the Thunderbird Academy of Intergalactic Leadership with our partners at ASU's Interplanetary Initiative and NewSpace in the years to come!"

"Humans are going to explore space both in person and using robots, and how we do it really mattershere we have a chance to connect with and influence space expansion to be more equitable and inclusive as well as more effective and sustainable," said Professor Elkins-Tanton. "Doing exploration right is a big goal, and Greg's expertise in industry and government make him a key expert to help us bring this ecosystem together!"

Greg Autry was an assistant clinical professor of entrepreneurship with the Lloyd Greif Center at the University of Southern California from 2013 to 2020. He taught entrepreneurship, strategy, and macroeconomics at the University of California, Irvine, between 2002 and 2014. Autry also teaches space entrepreneurship at the Kennedy Space Center as part of a graduate certificate program in commercial space from International Space University and the Florida Institute of Technology. His research has focused on the government's role in the emergence of new industries, and he has researched within the booming commercial space industry since 2003.

Scott Pace, Director of the Space Policy Institute and former Executive Secretary of the National Space Council, commented, "Greg Autry is a noted scholar of commercial space enterprise with practical knowledge of both politics and business. He's a terrific addition to Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU."

Professor Autry's extensive experience in space policy includes serving on the 2016 NASA agency review team to establish the Moon program's current return. Autry served as NASA White House Liaison in early 2017, and last year, the President nominated him to serve as the space agency's Chief Financial Officer. By appointment of the Secretary of Transportation, he currently serves as Chair of the Safety Working Group in the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) at FAA. Autry has been a notable advocate for space exploration and development. Currently, he serves as Vice President of the National Space Society and the Beyond Earth Institute, non-profit organizations dedicated to extending humanity's presence into our solar system.

Before entering higher education, Autry had a career as a serial entrepreneur, founding several technology startups. These ventures included a video game developer, computer services firm, and an enterprise software development company in the clinical healthcare space.

Professor Autry holds a BA in History from California Polytechnic University at Pomona and an MBA and PhD from the Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine.

David Radzanowski, who served as Chief of Staff and Chief Financial Officer at NASA during the Obama administration, notes that "Greg's long experience with the space industry and governmental experience combine to give him the ideal background to teach space executives and liaison to the space industry."

About Thunderbird School of Global Management

Thunderbird School of Global Management is a unit of the Arizona State University Enterprise. For 75 years, Thunderbird has been the vanguard of global management and leadership education, creating inclusive and sustainable prosperity worldwide by educating future-ready global leaders capable of tackling the world's most significant challenges. Thunderbird's Master of Global Management was ranked #1 in the world for 2019 by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education. ASU is ranked No. 1 "Most Innovative School" in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for six years in succession. Thunderbird Executive Education has been ranked in the top 10 internationally for decades. Learn more: https://thunderbird.asu.edu

About ASU

Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution committed to access, excellence, and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social, and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.

CONTACT:

Jonathan Ward  Thunderbird Media Relations

[email protected]

+1 480.490.9773

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SOURCE Thunderbird School of Global Management

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Berkshire Housing President and CEO Elton Ogden speaks at the opening of the Highland Woods senior housing project in Williamstown in 2019.

Berkshire Housing Announces Leadership Transition

Eileen Peltier, Executive Director of Downstreet Housing & Community Development, is one of three leads in creating and... Posted by Change The Story VT on Tuesday, May 5, 2020

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The board of directors of Berkshire Housing Development Corp. has announced that Eileen Peltier, currently of Montpelier, Vt., has been selected as its new president and chief executive officer effective April 20.

Elton Ogden, who has led the non-profit since 2006, will continue to oversee completion of Berkshire Housing's major real estate development projects and serve in an advisory capacity through September.

Peltier brings 25 years of experience in non-profit leadership with a focus on housing, community development, and healthcare and was selected by the board at the conclusion of a national search effort.

Over the past 13 years, she has been executive director of Downstreet Housing and Community Development in Central Vermont ( Downstreet.org ). During her tenure, Downstreet has completed several transformative projects including two in Vermont's capital city of Montpelier.

The projects included the rehabilitation of an historic downtown building that had been vacant for 85 years and a long-awaited initiative to create a multimodal transportation hub and affordable housing.

"Eileen has been the city's "go-to" person for housing solutions," Montepelier City Manager Bill Frazier said. "She is a fantastic collaborator and advisor on development issues and community needs. Eileen also brings years of experience bringing together community partners at the intersection of health and housing to ensure all our neighbors have the opportunity to have a home and to thrive."

Peltier said she is looking forward to the opportunity to continue her work in the Berkshires.

"My passion for social and economic justice has inspired my work throughout my career in non-profit leadership within healthcare and housing," Peltier said. "I am inspired by the opportunity to bring my experience, compassion, and commitment to Berkshire Housing."

The chair of the Berkshire Housing board said it is confident Peltier can continue and expand on Ogden's work.

"We feel fortunate to have attracted a leader of Eileen's caliber and qualifications," Michael Ferry said. "She brings a wealth of programming and development experience as Berkshire Housing looks to build upon the successes of Elton and his team. Eileen has been a champion in developing housing and providing support services to residents to further housing stability."

Under Ogden's leadership, Berkshire Housing has expanded its housing assistance programs to assist more households, completed development of six affordable rental housing projects totaling 282 units, formed a unique partnership with Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority to transform the Berkshire Housing Consumer Education Center into a seamless and comprehensive assessment-driven service delivery system for people struggling with housing instability and poverty, and expanded its portfolio of managed properties.

This year Berkshire Housing is celebrating 50 years of mission-driven work to improve lives in the Berkshires by expanding housing opportunities, carrying out community development projects and providing high quality property management services.

Berkshire Housing's current activities include two new affordable rental housing projects under construction with a total of 96 units, administering over $1 million in COVID-19 relief funding targeted to families and individuals at risk of losing their housing as a result of the pandemic, administration of 600 state and federal rental housing vouchers and providing professional management services to 25 properties with over 800 units comprised of rental communities, condominiums and commercial properties.
Some Australian GPs say they have been set up to fail on the vaccine rollout, with the federal government allowing millions of patients to book appointments while providing few doses to clinics.

While other countries have opted for a mass-clinic vaccine approach, the Australian government chose to roll out its vaccines via a network of thousands of GP clinics nationwide. The decision was made with the support of GPs.

Many clinics signed up expecting to receive hundreds of doses a week and spent money installing expensive vaccine fridges to store them. But some have received as few as 50 doses. Other GPs report shipments arriving late or inconsistently.

General practice does an extraordinary job of dealing with uncertainty. But it feels as though we have been set up to fail, said Associate Professor Jared Dart, a Queensland GP and director of the Australian General Practice Alliance.
A two-year-old boy and his baby sister were alone for three whole days in their Virginia home just feet away from where their parents and another teenager were slashed to death in a gruesome triple murder, according to testimony.

James Herdman, a detective with the Spotsylvania County Sheriffs Office, testified during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday in court where three of the five Philadelphia men arrested in the case are being tried for murder.

Body cam footage was played in court showing deputies arriving at the bloody murder scene on May 29, 2019.

Investigators arrived to find the dead bodies of Rachel Ozuna, 34; her son, Kyrrus Ozuna, 14; and her boyfriend, Michael Coleman, 39.

All three victims were bound and had their throats slashed, WRC-TV reported.

Authorities believe that the murders were the result of a drug deal gone bad as Coleman was said to have been trafficking large amounts of cocaine, according to investigators.

The bodies of Michael Coleman (center right), his partner Rachel Ozuna (center left) and her son Kyrrus Ozuna (left) were discovered inside their Spotsylvania, Virginia home on May 29, 2019. Investigators believe they were murdered three days before

A two-year-old boy (above) and his baby sister were alone for three whole days in their Virginia home just feet away from where their parents , Rachel Ozuna and Michael Coleman, and Rachel's teenage son, Kyrrus, were slashed to death in a gruesome triple murder, according to testimony from a detective

From left to right: Durward Anthony Allen, 29; Montel Jaleek Wilson, 28; and Hugh Cameron Green, 31, have all been charged with several counts of first-degree murder

Two other suspects - Jamal Kelvin Bailey (left), 30, and James Christopher Myers (right), 30 - also face first-degree murder charges

Durward Anthony Allen, 29; Montel Jaleek Wilson, 28; and Hugh Cameron Green, 31, have all been charged with several counts of first-degree murder.

Two other suspects - Jamal Kelvin Bailey, 30, and James Christopher Myers, 30 - also face first-degree murder charges.

The murder charges against Green, Allen, and Wilson were certified to a Spotsylvania grand jury after Wednesdays hearing, according to The Free Lance-Star.

Bill Neely, a court-appointed lawyer representing Green, said the case against him was very, very thin.

Myers was only recently extradited to Virginia to stand trial. Bailey is being held in custody in Pennsylvania on an unrelated charge.

Wilson is the nephew of Colemans former wife. He is also the half-brother of Allen, according to investigators.

During the preliminary hearing, a sheriffs deputy played body cam footage showing Rachel lying face down in a pool of blood that covered the nursery floor in the home.

Rachels two-year-old son was standing next to his mothers dead body while her infant daughter was inside a swinging infant seat just a few feet away.

The lead detective in the case believes that the murders took place on May 26, 2019 - three full days before investigators found the bodies and recovered the two surviving children.

The undated file photo above shows Rachel Ozuna, 34. She was found face down in a pool of blood after her throat was slashed, according to investigators

Investigators believe that the motive for the murders was drug-related. It is alleged that Coleman (left) was a major trafficker of cocaine who kept as much as $100,000 in cash in the home

Police were called to the home after the father of Kyrrus Ozuna (above), Benjamin Jimenez, found his son's body. Jimenez went to the home to check up on his son after not being able to reach him for days

In the police body cam footage, a sheriffs deputy is seen speaking softly to the children.

The deputy picks up the two-year-old and then the infant, carrying them past the grisly crime scene and out of the house.

The two children suffered from dehydration and were crying when they were found, but were otherwise not injured.

The boys diaper was overflowing when he was found by deputies, the court heard on Wednesday.

During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors played a 911 call from Kyrrus father, Benjamin Jimenez, who had just arrived at the home to check on his son after he was unable to make contact with him for several days.

During the 12-minute call, Jimenez is heard sobbing as he describes the scene to the dispatcher.

What do you think is going on in the house? the dispatcher asks Jimenez.

Somebody got murdered, Jimenez replied.

Where is your son? the dispatcher asked.

Hes in the bathroom tied up and in a pool of blood, Jimenez responded.

Jimenez's 12-minute 911 call was played in court during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday. The image above shows the home where the bodies were found in May 2019

Jimenez was not aware at the time he made the 911 call that Rachel and Coleman were also in the home having been slashed to death.

Investigators believe that the murders were drug-related. Coleman is alleged to have been a large-scale dealer who kept as much as $100,000 in cash inside his home.

Sheriffs deputies also found equipment used to package kilo-sized packages of cocaine, according to WRC-TV.

According to Herdman, cell phone records indicated that the suspects mobile devices were in the vicinity of the murders at the time they took place.

Investigators claim to have recovered video from the cell phone of one of the suspects.

The video is said to show the suspects at a Philadelphia strip club on June 1, 2019 - just days after the murders.

The suspects are allegedly seen in the video brandishing large stacks of $20 and $100 bills. Authorities believe that those bills were obtained in a robbery of Coleman.

Investigators also said that cell phone data shows that the suspects left Philadelphia on May 25. One photo said to have been obtained by investigators shows the suspects at a motel pool in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

According to investigators, the suspects left the Fredericksburg area at around 1:30pm on May 26 and were back in Philadelphia later that same day.

Coleman (seen above in this undated file photo with his infant son) was 39 years old

Coleman and Ozuna are seen in the above undated file photo

Greens lawyer, Neely, dismissed any suggestion that authorities had evidence to implicate his client.

Hes been held for a year now and theres still been no evidence linking him to the crime, Neely said.

Anybody could have had those phones.

The judge ruled that the combined weight of the circumstantial evidence justified sending the case to trial.

Investigators collected DNA samples from the suspects. Those samples will be compared to traces found at the crime scene.

According to court records, authorities did not obtain those samples earlier due to COVID-19 restrictions in Pennsylvania.
MECOSTA COUNTY  White supremacy propaganda is on the rise in Michigan, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League.

There were 5,125 cases of racist, antisemitic and other hateful incidents reported by ADL in 2020. This is the highest level of cases ever reported, according to the league. ADL reported an average of about 14 incidents reported per day and nearly double the 2,713 cases reported in 2019.

The league is an anti-hate organization founded in 1913 to combat antisemitism and bigotry. It tracks the distribution of racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ fliers, stickers, posters and banners by various members of far right and white supremacist groups.

ADL recorded 57 incidents of white supremacy propaganda in Michigan, a 36% increase from 2019.

There were five groups responsible for the propaganda efforts in Michigan are Patriot Front, Folksfront, Nationalist Social Club, New Order, and the Loyal White Knights, a Ku Klux Klan group. Patriot Front was responsible for 47 out of 57 white supremacy propaganda incidents in Michigan, according to an ADL news release.

Patriot Front is an active nationwide white supremacist group. It was formed after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 that resulted in the death of one civilian and two state police troopers.

Emily Snider, associate regional director for the ADL in Michigan, recommends reporting any instances of white supremacist propaganda through the leagues website.

In some cases, it can also be reported to local law enforcement, like if its vandalism or in a place where fliers arent allowed, Snider told the News Advocate.

ADL records incidents through an interactive HEAT map. HEAT stands for hate, extremism, antisemitism and terrorism.

In northwest Michigan, there were three antisemitic and white supremacist incidents reported in 2020, two in Traverse City and one in Lake Leelanau. In August, it was reported that the entrance to a Jewish cemetery in Traverse City was vandalized with spray paint. In December, someone reported that Patriot Front distributed propaganda that read: Not stolen conquered, Patriot Front, America is not for sale and For the nation against the state.

In Lake Leelanau, someone reported an antisemitic letter to the editor about the COVID-19 pandemic published in a local newspaper in May. The report says that the letter referred to the president as a puppet on the strings of his Zionist masters.

There have been no incidents reported in Mecosta County since the ADL began collecting data in 2002.

Sinder said this could be because incidents havent been reported or simply that the population is more sparse than in other areas of Michigan.

The ADL runs several educational programs, including the Glass Leadership Institute, a 10-month program for young professionals in Michigan.

The league is actively looking for members of its regional leadership board from across the state. More details can be found at michigan.adl.org.
A court in Lilongwe has adjourned to April 12, 2021 a case in which former presidential bodyguard Norman Chisale is answering of theft of a Junior Certificate.

Lawyer for Chisale said his client was unwell and was in isolation.

The matter was in court today with the state ready to parade two witnesses but Chisale could not make it, prompting the hearing to commence online.

Due to technical glitches as explained by lawyers for the state and defense, the case had to be adjourned to a later date.

Lawyer for the former president's security aide, Gilbert Khonyongwa, has only stated that his client is currently in isolation.

The two witnesses brought by the state were supposed to be final witnesses from their side in the case, after which the court has to decide on whether there is a case to answer or not.

Chisale is accused of personating a person named in a certificate, presenting false information to a person employed in public office and intimidation.
Israeli-American Malka Chana (Malki) Roth, who was killed at the age of 15 in the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing in August 2001.

(JNS) - Frimet and Arnold Roth, whose 15-year-old daughter Malki, a U.S. national, was murdered in August 2001 in the Sbarro pizzeria bombing in Jerusalem, published a new video this week calling on the Biden administration to pressure the Kingdom of Jordan to extradite Ahlam Ahmad Tamimi, the Hamas terrorist who orchestrated the bombing, so that she can stand trial in a U.S. federal court.

The release of the video came out four years to the date since the United States announced terrorism charges against Tamimi for carrying out the attack through the use of a "weapon of mass destruction"...
Juanillo brings more than 30 years of experiencemany in senior financial rolesincluding Regional Accounting Director at Marconi Communications, Vice President and Controller at Horizon Banks, and CFO at Navajo Incorporated. Juanillo also served as a Financial Management Consultant, working his way through a variety of financial certifications, including a Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) and as a Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA).

Most recently, Juanillo was instrumental in generating 35% revenue growth as CFO for a leading CPG manufacturer, where he executed a series of financial automation efforts, including the implementation of new reporting systems that saved two weeks in each reporting cycle.

"Dan's technical experience and business savvy make him perfect for the role at this time of company growth," said CEO and President Michael Whife. "We are thrilled to have someone of his caliber on the executive team, with his exceptional leadership skills and contagious optimistic attitude."

Over the course of his extensive career, Juanillo has served in various industries, including banking, telecommunications, government, and financial services. At Selling Simplified, he is focused on three long-term goals: streamlining operations, automating functions where possible, and improving efficiencies.

"It's a great time in SSG history because we're growing very quickly, and it's an exciting market," said Juanillo. He was drawn to the culture at SSG, stating that the company's global reach contributes to the depth of its people and the knowledge they share. "There is an emphasis on what's best for the people," he said.

Juanillo is most looking forward to improving efficiencies related to the 2021 year-end audit and to implementing a more robust financial system. "It's a breath of fresh air to be on the Selling Simplified team, where ideas are encouraged and welcomed," stated Juanillo. "I can't stop smiling every day I'm here."

Juanillo holds an MBA in Corporate Finance & Strategy from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. He joins Selling Simplified after the company was named one of Inc. 5000's Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America for the fifth year in a row.

SOURCE Selling Simplified Group, Inc

Related Links

http://www.sellingsimplified.com






Haiti - Economy : New Head of Office of the World Bank in Haiti





The World Bank informs that the French Laurent Msellati, is the new Head of the Office of the World Bank based in Port-au-Prince in Haiti, since Thursday April 1, 2021.



In his role, Msellati's priorities will be to guide the World Bank's engagement with the Haitian Government, to work in close collaboration with the main development partners, to manage the program and the country team and to provide its support to World Bank staff attached to the Haiti program.



"Haiti has had several difficult years and the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been significant. I look forward to continuing our work to support the Haitian people, focused on inclusive growth and building resilience. I will work in close collaboration with the main actors of Haitian society to support the country's development priorities and provide support to the most vulnerable people," said Laurent Msellati.



Msellati will lead the implementation of the World Bank's Haiti program, which includes a portfolio of 20 active projects worth approximately $915 million funded by the International Development Association and trust funds. The main projects are in the sectors of education, health, transport, energy, agriculture and food security, water supply and sanitation, finance, governance, macroeconomics, social protection and employment, and digital development.



Find out more about Laurent Msellati :

Since joining the World Bank in 1991, Msellati has held several positions in the regions of sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. He most recently served as the World Bank Bureau Chief for Mauritania and was also Director of Global Agriculture Practice in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Laurent Msellati holds a master's degree in business administration, finance and economics from the Luigi Bocconi business school (Italy), and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the national veterinary school of Nantes (France).



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Corrupt CCP Mayors Family Found to Possess More Than 2,700 Real Estate Properties

A recent corruption case that has taken mainland China by surprise involves a senior CCP official from northeastern Chinas Liaoning province, whose family was found to own 2,714 properties in the name of operating family businesses.

Xu Changyuan, a former high-ranking CCP official, was involved in mafia-linked assets worth more than 10 billion yuan (about $1.52 billion).

Xu leveraged his authority to aggressively harvest money for his family businesses, based on Chinas state media reports.

A case in point was a property in Ganjingzi district, Dalian city, Liaoning province that he helped his brothers flip. They earned 500 million yuan ($76.2 million) off that one project due to Xus intervention.

Before he was sacked, Xu had held important administrative positions, including secretary of the Party Working Committee, director of the Administrative Committee of Dalian Jinzhou New District, mayor of Zhuanghe city, Liaoning province, mayor and Party chief of Wafangdian city, and secretary of the Jinzhou District Party Committee.

Xu and his sister and four brothers had run more than 20 family businesses in logistics, mortgage, real estate development, and futures for over 20 years.

Authorities said their family businesses legalized their illegal income, based on Chinas state media outlets.

In the meantime, the Xu family employed violence in collecting debts. An investigation showed they cut some debtors Achilles tendons, forced some into cutting off one of their fingers as a punishment or subjected others to illegal detention.

In Sept. 2020, Xu Changyuan was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of organizing and leading mafia groups, embezzlement, fraud, bribery, and others.

According to the Chinese-language site of Minghui.com, in fact, Xu also committed human rights abuses by getting involved in the persecution of Falun Gong, following the orders of the CCP, during his tenure as the Party chief of Wafangdian and of Jinzhou district, which were not mentioned in the indictment against him.

Xus involvement in the CCPs crackdown upon Falun Gong followers led to the illegal ransacking of the homes of practitioners, kidnapping, illegal detention, forced labor, and imprisonment, Minghui reported.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient Chinese spiritual practice consisting of simple, slow-moving meditation exercises and moral teachings incorporating the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance in everyday life. It grew in popularity during the 1990s, with 70 million to 100 million people practicing Falun Gong in China by the end of the decade, according to official estimates at the time.

China expert Heng He told The Epoch Times that mafia groups in Chinas village governments find their origin in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is their largest backer.

He noted that throughout the history of the CCP, the Party has mobilized villains or thugs to stoke public hostility toward social elites, as in the Chinese Land Reform Movement of the late 1940s and the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s.
Arshakians successor, Hayk Chobanian, has served as governor of northern Tavush province for the last two years.

Pashinian announced his decision to appoint Chobanian as the new minister of high-tech industry during a cabinet meeting held on Thursday. President Armen Sarkissian formalized the appointment with a decree signed on Friday.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Pashinian praised Arshakians track record but did not comment on the reason for his resignation.

Arshakian and his wife dined at a Yerevan restaurant on March 18 when he was approached by Paylak Fahradian, the editor of the Irakanum.am news website. The latter asked the minister to explain why he is not at work. Footage from a security camera showed Arshakian hitting Fahradian in the face and damaging his laptop computer moments later.

Arshakian apologized to the journalist several days after the incident. In a statement issued on Wednesday, he said he will step down because he believes it is unacceptable for an official to use violence against any citizen.

Arshakian, 35, is a senior member of Pashinians Civil Contract party. He has held the ministerial post since October 2018.
Health workers under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) have chided the federal and state governments for aiding the oppressive and suppressive actions of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCAN) against other professionals in the sector.

National chairman of JOHESU, Comrade Biobelemoye Joy Josiah, who attributed the myriads of problems facing the health sector to inequitable distribution of privileges, resources and clamour for liberty among the constituents in the sector, accused the governments of complicity in the "tyrannical blackmail" of physicians.

In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP Friday yesterday in Abuja, Josiah said, "One of the professions and its practitioners - medicine and physicians - aided by the tyrannical instrument of state continues to oppress and suppress all other health professionals in a supposedly multidisciplinary sector.

"Physicians and their umbrella body have blackmailed and intimidated successive administrations in Nigeria at both state and federal levels to continue to insist that appointments as minister of health at federal and commissioners for health at state level remain the birthright of physicians, albeit unconstitutionally.

"This unfortunate spirit is a carry-over of the conqueror mentality imposed on all health workers by physicians by the obnoxious Decree 10 of 1985 which has now metamorphosed to the University Teaching Hospital Act CAP U15 LFN 2004. The decree was the tool of oppression created by the late health minister, Prof. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti in the military era anchored by General Ibrahim Babangida.

"For the records, it was Decree the 10th of 1985 that reversed the gains of the fruitful headship of health administrators in federal health institutions and replaced same with the headship of physicians as the chief medical directors, medical directors, chairman, medical advisory committee, head of clinical services and their numerous deputies in all health institutions across board at state and federal levels. The domination is extended to even appointments into the boards of managements of the various federal health institutions where about eight of 13 slots have been permanently reserved for physicians to the detriment of consumers of health services," he said.

Josiah recalled that towards the end of the President Goodluck Jonathan's administration, physicians under the aegis of their

multiple platforms manipulated the Yayale Panel which recommended amongst others: that all existing professional regulatory councils in the health sector scrapped/merged to become a central regulatory agency to be led by physicians. It also recommended that no profession in healthcare will be structured to run along doctorate inclination.

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According to him, in apocalyptic terms, these physicians barred the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) from recognising the Pharm. D programme for pharmacists, O.D. for optometrists, doctor of physiotherapy for physiotherapists and similar academic layouts.

On the refusal of some federal health institutions to implement the consultant cadre circular for pharmacists, he said, "in December 2020, pharmacists were granted consultant cadre by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. Apart from the University College Hospital, Ibadan and Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, where the boards of management have graciously approved the commencement of this cadre, all the other 55 federal health Institutions have simply refused to allow the execution of the circular."
Two people died when a gender reveal stunt went wrong on Monday afternoon in the Nichupte Lagoon in Cancun, Mexico.

Gender Reveal Went Wrong

A supposed-to-be happy celebration of gender reveal in Cancun, Mexico, became a horrible event. This is after the hired plane that was meant to fly past and announced the gender of the couple's child crashed in Nichupte Lagoon, according to a published report in MSN News.

The video captured screams from the observers when the plane suddenly crashed into the lagoon. According to a published report in the Insider, at about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the expecting parents, relatives, and friends gathered on a boat in the Nichupte Lagoon when the Cessna 206 - leased from a firm named Xomex - was scheduled to fly over them.

The news outlet TODAY reported that people who captured the video were heard screaming, "It's a boy," then the other one said, "It's a girl," before the plane crashed. Eventually, one person said, "It went to the water."

Also read: Gender Reveal Party in Caused Wildfire Reaching 7,000 Acres

Two Persons Died in the Plane Crash

La Prensa Latino, a media outlet in Cancun, reported four people were aboard the plane when it went down. Emergency responders then received a demand for assistance off the coast of Quintana Roo in Mexico's southeast.

According to the media outlet, the responders tried to rescue the passengers. Suddenly, one of them died while receiving immediate medical attention, while the other died while the rescue was ongoing.

In the latest report from The New York Post, the Federal Civil Aviation Agency had already launched an investigation over this matter and found out what has caused the horrible plane crash.

Read also: Fact Check: Did a Fire Caused by Gender Reveal Party Damage More Property Than 2020 Protests?

Other Incidents of Horrible Gender Reveal

This is not the first time a small aircraft used for a gender reveal has gone down in flames. In 2019, a plane carrying 350 gallons of pink water for a gender reveal in Texas stalled and plunged into a field upside down. The pilot was unharmed, but one of the passengers was.

A 28-year-old New York man was constructing a system for his child's gender reveal party when it exploded, killing him and injuring his brother in February. A baby shower earlier that month turned tragic when a small cannon exploded and killed a Michigan man. A woman from Iowa was killed by rubble from a gender reveal blast in 2019.

Additionally, a gender reveal smoked bomb in Tucson, Arizona sparked a fire that cost more than $8 million to put out just a year ago. Hence, it is essential to ensure safety during gender reveal events.

On Twitter, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a public service announcement urging consumers to "choose cake" rather than "improvised explosive bombs." The tweet said not to turn the party into a tragedy.

Good morning. Choose cake. pic.twitter.com/3656Yva9Xt  US Consumer Product Safety Commission (@USCPSC) March 31, 2021

They also suggested having a cake instead and also to leave it to the professionals the use of explosive devices such as fireworks and smoke bombs.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Four candidates are vying for two seats on the Alamo Heights Independent School District board of trustees, looking to replace two longtime incumbents who are stepping down.

The races will determine the trustees for Places 5 and 7 on the seven-member board. Place 6 trustee Lisa Krenger, 56, is unopposed for a third term.

Alamo Heights ISD, which has about 4,800 students, was the only school district in Bexar County not on a military base to receive an A from the Texas Education Agency in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic forced a pause in the TEA accountability ratings.

The district is one of the smallest in Texas for square mileage and is located in one of the most affluent areas in Bexar County. Voters there approved a $135 million bond in 2017.

On ExpressNews.com: Ten candidates in the running for three board seats in Northside ISD

While the bond work continues  including the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing facilities  trustees are looking ahead to a second phase, with another bond proposal expected on the ballot in the next few years.

We have a lot of unfinished business, said Krenger, a college counselor.

She said she had considered stepping down from the board now that her children have graduated from the district but wanted to see the district through the coronavirus pandemic, the bond work and other recently launched projects, including an equity initiative and a community-based accountability system.

These are goals weve made for our district going forward that I want to be a part of, Krenger said. There are a lot of balls in the air and I want to see how they land.

Trustees serve three-year terms. Early voting is April 19-27 and Election Day is May 1.

Place 5

Place 5 trustee Bonnie Giddens will step down in May after completing her third term. Her children have graduated from the district and she said she wants to make room for someone to bring a fresh voice and new perspective, she said.

One of the two candidates seeking the seat is Clay Page, 48, president and founder of RC Page Construction and the father of two current AHISD students.

Page said his 23 years of experience as a general contractor and eight years of experience as a business owner could help the district navigate its ongoing emphasis on construction and renovation.

I think it would be wise for future projects and current projects to have someone on the board that understands how to spend $135 million, Page said, noting that his company handles about $100 million in construction projects each year. I think that I can be an asset for that. ... I want to have fiscal responsibility.

Another point of focus if elected, he said, would be to help foster a culture in the district that more strongly prioritizes students mental health. While its crucial that students be motivated to excel academically, Page said, it is also important to acknowledge that class rankings and standardized test scores arent everything.

I want every kid  I dont care if theyre the last placed kid  I want them to know that he or she can be as successful as the number one (kid), Page said. Positivity goes a long way. As long as you can listen and be respectful, a lot of things can work out.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio ISD board election pits establishment candidates against newcomers' slate

The other Place 5 candidate is Elissa Sangster, 54, the CEO of Forte, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women into business leadership positions and a former assistant dean for the MBA program at the University of Texas at Austin.

Sangster has a daughter in the district. She is a former PTO president at Woodridge Elementary School and also served as Woodridges school board liaison  positions that she said have given her an understanding of how the district works and an ability to develop meaningful relationships with various stakeholders.

The thing thats super important for a trustee is to be open-minded and really seek input from all of our districts constituents, Sangster said. I think I bring that to the board. I know a broad range of people and Im connected across the district in different ways.

A priority if elected would be to advocate for more creative solutions to a wide array of district challenges, she said, from finances to student experiences and outcomes. That process would involve seeking out diverse perspectives from parents, teachers and the greater community and working to realize their ideas.

Really listening in to all of those dimensions requires a lot of extra effort and work, and I think thats really important for our board to prioritize, Sangster said. I want our district to be seen as that shining light, ... that district that gave everybody an opportunity to thrive.

Place 7

Place 7 trustee Perry Shankle is leaving the board after two terms. Two are vying for the seat, including Travis E. Wiltshire, who believes himself to be the first Black trustee candidate in AHISDs 98-year history.

Wiltshire, 53, owner of CNG Engineering and an associate director at Credit Human, has been involved in several local boards, including those of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the ACE Mentor Program of Greater San Antonio.

A father to two AHISD students, one of whom recently graduated, Wiltshire said he has participated in a variety of district programs and initiatives, from field trips and PTO meetings to focus groups such as the districts equity council.

He said he would focus on maintaining a sustainable budget for the district, improving students physical and mental health, and developing ways to support students of different backgrounds and financial means more equitably. Those efforts would include working to reduce stress caused by standardized testing, being tougher on bullying, and improving student access to opportunities that might be out of reach for some, like AP courses.

I believe that with my diverse background and my extensive civic and professional board experiences, along with my business and engineering mindset, Ill provide a valuable new perspective to the board, Wiltshire said.

The possibility of being the first Black trustee in AHISD, where about 2 percent of students are Black, represents an opportunity to make the district more inclusive, Wiltshire said.

Although thats not why Im running and I dont believe thats why anyone should vote for me, I do believe it would be a historic event if that occurred, he said. This is the community in which I live and this is something that is a good fit for what I can bring.

Also running for Place 7 is Carey Watson Hildebrand, 41, a district parent and alumna who has been PTO president at two AHISD schools and sat on the Alamo Heights School Foundation, the districts fundraising arm. She is now a stay-at-home mother.

Hildebrand has served as chief of staff for the executive director of the Wyoming Department of Education and helped lead a small school in Wyoming for children who had been incarcerated or whose parents had been, she said.

Im running to allow the public to come to me with their concerns or their questions, knowing that I will in turn sit down at the board and tell them, This is whats going on, these are the concerns of our community members, Watson Hildebrand said.

Her priorities for the district would include making board decisions more accessible and transparent for families, improving student outcomes and ensuring that the district is spending funds wisely and sustainably.

I want to build upon a long-standing tradition of academic excellence, really grounding ourselves in high academic achievement and responsible citizenship, Watson Hildebrand said. This is about helping our children have every single tool in their toolbox to be successful.

andy.picon@hearst.com | Twitter: @andpicon
Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta, Ga., speaks at the Concordia Summit in Manhattan, N.Y., on Sept. 24, 2018. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Atlanta Mayor Announces Plans to Add 250 New Police Officers to Streets Amid Surge in Crime

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on March 31 announced plans to add 250 new police officers to the streets after homicides surged 58 percent in 2020 amid the CCP virus pandemic.

Speaking at Wednesdays virtual State of the City Address, the Democrat said she was also working with the city council to enact a retention bonus as part of the plan to reduce rising crime rates and gun violence.

Bottoms said the 250 Atlanta police officers would be hired and patrolling within the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, and that there are currently three recruitment classes with a total of 90 recruits in the pipeline.

I have said before that Atlanta is not alone in the rise in gun crimes weve seen over the last year, Bottoms said.

That is not an excuse, it is a fact. But just as we have overcome challenges in the past, Atlanta will get to the other side of this COVID crime wave, and we will get this violence under control.

Atlanta initially saw a nine percent decrease in crime last year but this figure had changed amid the coronavirus pandemic and major cities nationwide have reported a rise in murders and aggravated assaults.

Our court system effectively shut down, people lost jobs, loved ones died, and our crime began to spike, Bottoms said.

The Mayor noted the recent string of massage parlor shootings that left eight people dead, the majority of whom were Asian Americans.

Law enforcement officials arrested 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long after he admitted to killing them.

Bottoms called gun violence a public health emergency and said Atlanta Police officers have arrested 216 people in gun-related incidents since the start of 2021.

Elsewhere during Wednesdays speech, the Democrat also spoke of her administrations response to crime, affordable housing, homelessness, the pandemic, and the social unrest last summer, a moment which she said, demanded acknowledgment and action.

Even before the unrest, our administration had begun the hard work of looking inward at the policies and practices of the Atlanta police department, Bottoms said.

Many of our officers were already following guidelines outlined by President Barack Obamas task force on 21st century policing. Those guidelines call for a change in culture in policing and embraces working with communities to tackle the root causes of crime, she added.

Bottoms went on to explain that federal money will be used to fund crime reduction programs and two new At-Promise Youth centers in southeast and southwest Atlanta to improve community policing efforts.

Atlanta police will also receive new de-escalation training.

The Mayor called the current training spaces for public safety personnel too small, too old and not up to technological standards, and pledged to work with business and philanthropic leaders to build a new top-notch training facility.

Im confident that at the end of this work, Atlanta will influence public safety policies across the nation, she added.
The chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Alieu Momar Njai, on Thursday called on Gambians to fully participate in the 2021 general voter registration exercise.

He made this statement during the opening of a two-day training on Access to Information in elections held at a local hotel in Bijilo.

The voter registration is expected to start in late may this year.

Therefore, the IEC solicits the continued support of the media in the voter sensitisation drive by the Commission.

"This is to ensure that people can be fully aware of the voter registration and other major electoral activities as well." The IEC chairman added that the full participation of the media would be vital.

The chairman also revealed the IEC's commitment to promote and conduct free and fair elections based on democratic principles and practice whilst opening its doors to provide access to information to all those who need it.

"The Commission recognises that providing timely and accurate information promotes the credibility of elections and the electoral process in general," Chairman Njai said.
In the aftermath of the chaos that erupted at Nandigram on Thursday during polling for the West Bengal Assembly Elections, a BJP delegation led by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar met with the Election Commission in the national capital on Friday. The BJP has lodged a complaint with the election body against CM Mamata Banerjee for attempting to incite violence and create unrest at the polling booth in Nandigram. The BJP has also urged the EC to restrict Mamata Banerjee from campaigning further to ensure 'peaceful polls'.

Earlier in the day, a state BJP delegation also met with Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer to protest against the same incident. Addressing the media after their meeting with the EC, Javadekar said the incident that took place in Nandigram on Thursday is a 'shameful' event in India's democracy. Seeking an investigation into the matter, Javadekar also alleged that the TMC chief had violated the MCC by her actions at the polling booth.

"For the first time in history yesterday, the country saw a Chief Minister sit on a dharna inside a polling booth. The Chief Minister's supporters pelted stones at the polling booth. To create unrest, she went there. We have submitted everything including pictures to the EC. We have proved how people were being incited, and a sitting Chief Minister was a part of it, there is nothing more shameful than this in a democracy. There should be an investigation on it. The MCC has been violated as well," Javadekar said.

Met poll panel officials with party leaders seeking action against Mamata Banerjee for protesting at a polling booth and provoking TMC workers to disturb peace. Her name must be removed from TMCs star campaigner list for peaceful polls. pic.twitter.com/WQtZIgzvel  Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) April 2, 2021

The BJP delegation also brought DMK Udhayanidhi Stalin's recent remarks on late BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj to the Election Commission's notice and sought a probe into the matter. Hitting out at the DMK chief MK Stalin's son, Javadekar said that he has 'politicised' the unfortunate death of BJP stalwarts and alleged that it is a violation of the MCC as well.

"In Tamil Nadu, DMK neta Stalin's son, he has made a very insensitive tweet on late Arun Jaitely and Sushma Swaraj. It is a shameful remark. They have politicised the unfortunate deaths of our leaders. It has violated the EC norms. We have urged the EC to investigate this as well," Javadekar said.

Meanwhile, the BJP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks accusing PM Modi of torturing late BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj to death. In a written complaint to EC, the BJP has asked Udhayanidhi Stalin to be disqualified from contesting in the polls from the Chepauk-Trpilicane constituency as he had reportedly violated the Moral Code of Conduct (MCC).

Commenting on the allegations of the EVMs being rigged amid the ongoing Assembly Polls in Assam and West Bengal, Javadekar termed the complaints as Congress and TMC's 'fear' of losing the elections. The Union Minister remarked that the Congress and TMC have already anticipated their defeats in the polls and are finding excuses by blaming it on the EVM.

"The Congress and Mamata Banerjee have already started crying foul over EVM. They have started making excuses for their defeat already. When they win in Punjab and Chattisgarh, EVM is alright but when they lose, they claim fault. This is a result of their disappointment and desperation," Javadekar concluded.
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Every Coloradan over the age of 15 will be eligible to receive a vaccine starting Friday, beginning the final phase of the inoculation effort that will take several weeks at the minimum.
MASON CITY, Iowa - Two people were hospitalized after a stabbing Thursday night in Mason City.

Police said it happened at 6:26 p.m. at 15th St. and N. Pennsylvania Ave. and began over a dispute over property.

The two people injured- one adult and one juvenile - were from Mason City.

Police said there is no ongoing threat to the public. No arrests have been made.

Both victims suffered serious injuries.

The stabbing is not related to a homicide investigation that is ongoing, police said.
About 3% of veterans have refused coronavirus vaccines when offered them by the Department of Veterans Affairs  an amount lower than the agency anticipated, a VA official said Thursday.

The refusal rate is slightly higher in less populated areas, equating to 4% among veterans in rural places and 5% in areas designated as highly rural. Refusal rates are lower among the populations of Black and Hispanic veterans.

We were worried wed see more vaccine hesitancy and disparities across different groups, and were pleasantly surprised were not seeing that in large part, at least so far, said Dr. Ernes Moy, executive director of the VA Office of Health Equity. We are concerned about rural rates  that seems to be the biggest disparity thats out there that we need to address.

In his role, Moy coordinates efforts to reduce disparities in health care among veterans. In the summer, his office began holding focus groups with different demographics of veterans, asking them about their hesitancy to get a coronavirus vaccine.

Based on what they learned during the swine flu pandemic in 2009, veterans of color were more likely to be hesitant about receiving vaccines. For the VA, that was a major concern, Moy said. During the focus groups, the VA learned Black veterans wanted to hear scientific evidence about the vaccines from their health care providers.

Black veterans also wanted the department to address the Tuskegee experiment  a study that has led many Black Americans to mistrust medical systems. The U.S. Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, recruited hundreds of rural Black men for a study of syphilis in 1932, and then withheld medical treatment from them.

They said we couldnt just pretend Tuskegee didnt happen. We got the advice that we needed to address it, Moy said. [With Tuskegee], they were denied the right to make a choice for themselves and not offered treatment. We see this as the exact opposite situation. Were offering a vaccination, this isnt research.

Veterans also advised the VA to make it as easy as possible to sign up for a vaccination and communicate by calling or texting. When VA patients are eligible to receive a vaccine, they get a call from a VA health care provider who schedules their appointments over the phone, Moy said.

As of Thursday, the VA had fully vaccinated about 1.9 million people. About 45% of VA patients ages 75 and older had been vaccinated, as well as 42% of patients between 65 and 74, and 25% of patients ages 64 and younger.

Black and Hispanic veterans older than 75 have been vaccinated at a slightly higher rate  50% had been vaccinated as of Thursday.

We continue to see higher rates of vaccination among Black and Hispanic veterans than among white veterans, Moy said.

The largest disparity in refusal rates is between urban and rural veterans, Moy said. However, the difference is at least in part due to the lack of availability of vaccines in rural places, he said. The VA has found some rural veterans are refusing vaccines because they dont want to make the long drive to a VA facility to receive one.

As vaccines become more widely available, the department expects refusals to drop.

A refusal means, I dont want to have a vaccine at this time, Moy said. When we get more vaccines to rural areas, we expect the refusal rate to decline.

So far, its difficult to compare the refusal rates among VA patients to the larger U.S. population because many other health care systems arent tracking refusals, Moy said. In the instances that they are tracked, they arent broken down by demographics such as age and race, he said.

President Joe Biden and his administration have cited concerns about the spread of myths and misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. On Thursday, the administration unveiled its first television advertisements to encourage Americans to get vaccinated.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Thursday also launched a " Covid-19 Community Corps, a group of local leaders and prominent organizations who were recruited to help inform and encourage Americans who might be hesitant to receive a vaccine. Representatives from national veterans organizations were included in the group.

We have to be honest that in some communities, there is a concern about getting vaccinated, some based on mistrust based on history, some based on  just rooted in misinformation, of which there is a lot out there, Harris told the group Thursday. But no matter the community, trusted leaders are the best way to boost confidence. And trusted leaders  you  are the best way to deliver information.

The VA is also working to combat some myths about the vaccine, including one falsehood about it causing infertility among women. The department put out information on its website titled Debunking Common Covid-19 Vaccine Myths.

A group of senators believe the VA could be doing more. Last week, Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D- Minn., and Rob Portman, R- Ohio, sent a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough urging him to ramp up efforts to combat misinformation about vaccines. Twelve other senators signed onto the letter.

The senators cited a poll of 810 service members, veterans and spouses conducted by Blue Star Families in December. Half of the veteran families polled said they did not plan to get vaccines because they were concerned about their safety and efficacy.

The senators asked McDonough to use some of the funds Congress allocated to the VA last year through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to counter vaccine misinformation.

It is crucial that veterans receive clear and accurate information about the vaccine and your agency can play a major role in helping them identify false information and recognize the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, they wrote.

wentling.nikki@stripes.com

Twitter: @nikkiwentling

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A young NHS patient suffering a sickle cell crisis called 999 from his hospital bed to request oxygen, an inquest into his death was told.

Evan Nathan Smith, 21, died on 25 April 2019 at North Middlesex Hospital, in Edmonton, north London, after suffering from sepsis following a procedure to remove a gallbladder stent.

The inquest heard Smith told his family he called the London Ambulance Service because he thought it was the only way to get the help he needed.

Nursing staff told Smith he did not need oxygen when he requested it in the early hours of 23 April, despite a doctor telling the inquest he had impressed on the nurses he should have it.

Smiths sepsis is thought to have triggered the sickle cell crisis  a condition that causes acute pain as blood vessels to certain parts of the body become blocked.

Read more:

The football stats analyst called 999 from hospital after nursing staff refused his request for oxygen, which is routinely used to relieve such pain.

Sickle cell disease is caused by unusually shaped red blood cells and is common among people of African and Caribbean heritage.

Barnet Coroner's Court heard Smith, from Walthamstow in east London, might have survived if he had been offered a blood transfusion sooner but the hospitals haematology team were not told he had been admitted.

He was being held in a "lodger" bed  a bed added to a ward for extra capacity  and did not have access to oxygen or a call bell.

When he was seen by a haematologist later that day, he was prescribed oxygen but was already in the early stages of a sickle cell crisis.

He suffered a series of cardiac arrests on the night of 24 April and died at 5.55am on 25 April.

A pathologist found his cause of death to be multiple organ dysfunction and cerebral infarction.

Dr Arne De Kreuk, a consultant haematologist who had previously treated Smith at North Middlesex, was not informed of his patient's presence in the hospital until the evening of 20 April  two days after he was admitted.

Dr De Kreuk said he would have "appreciated" being informed of Smith's admission sooner, adding: "With sickle cell disorder, time does matter."

Martin Forde QC, for Smith's family, said: "Do you think that had a transfusion been given when the symptoms appeared on 23 April then the outcome would have been different?"

Dr De Kreuk replied: "On the balance of probabilities, I would say yes."

When asked if he thought a community such as North Middlesex with a high prevalence of sickle cell disease should expect a dedicated ward for the condition, he said: "I totally agree."

Fellow haematologist Dr Joydeep Roy  the doctor who eventually prescribed Mr Smith the oxygen  said he had "impressed" upon the nursing staff that it was vital he be offered it.

He agreed that he would have mandated a blood transfusion sooner if the haematology team had been aware of Smith's presence in the hospital.

Coroner Andrew Walker said: "It seems to me that if a patient is identified as having a sickle cell disease, it should be flagged up to the haematology team."

He added: "A member of that team should be available should a patient show signs of sickle cell crisis."

Dr Roy said: "I would completely agree. At no point earlier in the week had I been informed. I would have liked to have been informed."

Mr Walker suggested that haematologists at North Middlesex "should be called upon much more routinely than they perhaps are" and not seen as a hyper-specialised team.

The inquest is due to conclude on Tuesday.
They have been together for almost 40 years.

And Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon kept things casual as they headed out on a morning walk on Easter Friday.

The mastermind behind The Office and After Life, 59, kept a low profile in a charcoal hoodie and joggers while his long-term partner, 60, bundled up in a navy coat and camouflage leggings.

Low-key looks: Ricky Gervais and his partner of nearly 40 years, Jane Fallon, kept things casual as they headed out on a morning walk on Easter Friday

Opting for practical footwear, Ricky wore trainers while shielding his eyes with classic shades.

He swept his hair over in a signature side part and sported a rugged stubble.

Jane tucked her blonde locks up in a high bun while going make-up free for the outing.

Just last month, Ricky confirmed he received the Covid-19 vaccine as he shared a picture with a needle planted in his arm to Twitter.

Understated: The mastermind behind The Office and After Life, 59, kept a low profile in a charcoal hoodie and joggers while his author partner, 60, bundled up in a navy coat

The comedian furrowed his brow as he received the jab, but did not specify which type of vaccine he received. He wrote online: 'Take that, you COVID ****!'

The star wore an all-black ensemble and a face mask as he received the vaccine - the latest in a string of stars who have been jabbed recently.

This Morning host Phillip Schofield, 58, said he was 'painlessly jabbed up' as he shared a photo in March receiving the Covid-19 Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine.

'Take that, you COVID ****!'Just last month, Ricky confirmed he received the Covid-19 vaccine as he shared a picture with a needle planted in his arm to Twitter

Protection: Phillip Schofield, 58, also shared a photo receiving the Covid-19 Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine while thanking the medical team for administering the 'painless jab'

Fellow morning TV host Lorraine Kelly, 61, received an Oxford/ AstraZeneca injection, taking to Twitter to share the milestone moment.

McMafia star James Norton, 35, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes, said he was 'happy and relieved' to have received the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine.

The recommended dosage for Oxford/ AstraZeneca is two doses to be administered with an interval of 8 to 12 weeks.

The makers of the three vaccines, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna, that the MHRA has approved for use so far, have all said they are aiming to modify their jabs to cope with variants of coronavirus this year.

AstraZeneca, the maker of the Oxford vaccine, said it hopes its new vaccine will be ready by autumn.
One of the final acts of the Trump administration was almost certainly one of the most confounding for Alessandro Bazzoni, a restaurant owner in Verona, Italy.

As part of a crackdown on blacklisted Venezuelan crude, former President Donald Trump's Treasury Department accidentally slapped sanctions against his company on January 19, in a case of mistaken identity.

'It was a mistake,' Bazzoni said, speaking to Reuters by phone from his restaurant in Verona on Thursday.

One of the final acts of the Trump administration was almost certainly one of the most confounding for Alessandro Bazzoni, a restaurant owner in Verona, Italy

As part of a crackdown on blacklisted Venezuelan crude, former President Donald Trump's Treasury Department accidentally slapped sanctions against his pizzeria (pictured) on January 19

On Wednesday, Treasury reversed course and acknowledged its error, removing sanctions from AMG S.A.S. Di Alessandro Bazzoni & C., as well as sanctions on what appears to be a graphic design company in Porto Torres, Italy.

A Treasury official said the department realised the companies were owned by different individuals than the Bazzoni it blacklisted in January.

In 2019, the Trump administration sanctioned Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela seeking to force the resignation of President Nicolas Maduro.

The administration had accused Maduro and his government of corruption, human rights violations, and rigging his 2018 re-election.

The administration on its last full day in office imposed sanctions on a different Alessandro Bazzoni over accusations he was tied to a network attempting to evade sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector.

Treasury also slapped sanctions on companies it said were tied to Bazzoni, including AMG S.A.S. Di Alessandro Bazzoni & C., with the same address as the Dolce Gusto restaurant and pizzeria in Verona, Italy.

Records show the Verona-based Bazzoni owns both companies.

'They resolved the problem. I shouldn't be involved anymore,' he said. 'It was a mistake ... thankfully it was all resolved in a couple of months.'

Treasury also slapped sanctions on companies it said were tied to Bazzoni, including AMG S.A.S. Di Alessandro Bazzoni & C., with the same address as the Dolce Gusto restaurant and pizzeria in Verona, Italy

The Trump administration was seeking to sanction Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela and to force the resignation of President Nicolas Maduro

According to the Treasury, the real Bazzoni was designated for 'operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy' and because he had 'materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, PdVSA.'

The Italian citizenship is believed to be a 'core facilitator' of Maduro's work, along with Francisco Javier D'Agostino Casado (D'Agostino).

Venezuela's oil minister Tareck El Aissami Maddah is also believed to have been involved in the elaborate scheme.

The Trump administration had accused Maduro and his government of corruption, human rights violations, and rigging his 2018 re-election

The sanctions were imposed on the administration's last full day in office in January and were meant to target a different Alessandro Bazzoni over accusations he was tied to a network attempting to evade sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector

At the time, Secretary Steven Mnuchin said: 'Those facilitating the illegitimate Maduro regime's attempts to circumvent United States sanctions contribute to the corruption that consumes Venezuela.

'The United States remains committed to targeting those enabling the Maduro regime's abuse of Venezuela's natural resources.'

The SerigraphicLab di Bazzoni Alessandro, also listed by OFAC, did not reply to emailed requests for comment.

'At the end of the Trump administration they were doing a lot really, really fast with respect to Venezuela, Iran and China,' said Tim O'Toole, a sanctions specialist at law firm Miller & Chevalier.

'When you move that fast, you tend to make mistakes,' he added.
Surjewala said that after the first two phases of polling in Assam on March 27 and April 1, it has become evident that the Congress-led 'Mahajot (grand alliance) would win 101 seats and the state would welcome a new Chief Minister after May 2, when the results will be declared.

Guwahati, April 2 (IANS) By securing 101 seats in the 126-member Assam Assembly, the Congress led 'Mahajot' would form the government on May 5 and in the first session of the Vidhan Sabha, it would initiate the process of implementing its 'five guarantees' for the state, AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala claimed here on Friday.

Surjewala said that after the first two phases of polling in Assam on March 27 and April 1, it has become evident that the Congress-led 'Mahajot (grand alliance) would win 101 seats and the state would welcome a new Chief Minister after May 2, when the results will be declared.

"The people of Assam have gone in the right direction in the first two phases of polling and will show BJP the door this time. The people tested the so-called 'double-engine' government for five years and found that the ruling BJP has not only deprived Assam of any tangible development, but it also destroyed its socio-cultural fabric," Surjewala told the media.

"Assam Congress' 'five guarantees' will prove to be a milestone for the state," he said.

The Congress leader also said that the BJP government has continuously tried to portray itself as a winning political party.

"Whereas the truth is the complete opposite. After the 2014 elections, the BJP has not won big in any of the major state elections, apart from Uttar Pradesh," he said.

"Whether it is Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerela, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, or from Manipur to Goa, despite not garnering a majority in some states, the BJP has managed to muscle its way to power," he claimed.

The AICC General Secretary said that the BJP was on the verge of defeat in Gujarat, while it formed the government "on crutches in Bihar and resorted to buying MLAs in Madhya Pradesh".

"It is clear from the facts that wherever the BJP has formed the government, it is on crutches, while the rest of the states have completely rejected them. The situation in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are not hidden from anyone," Surjewala said, sharing electoral statistics.

He alleged that the BJP only means one thing - "blackmailing opponents, jeopardising democracy and plundering".

"The people of Assam now understand the dirty tricks being employed by the BJP -- how it is breaching the trust of the people and demeaning their mandate," he said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
After historic Black turnout flipped Georgia and sent two Democrats to the Senate, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a new law that could hit Black and other voters of color hard. Now the army of activists who turned Georgia blue are battling to keep it that way. On Fridays episode of A Word, I spoke to LaTosha Brown about the situation. She is the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, one of the groups that helped Democrats win Georgia at the Senate and presidential level. We discussed how activists are fighting back against this new controversial law. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Jason Johnson: So I just want to start with this: Did you all think that this was going to happen no matter what? Did you think that Brian Kemp was always going to sign laws like this? Had it always been in the hopper, or do you think it was a direct response to Democrats doing so well in the state last November?

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LaTosha Brown: If you know the history of the South, and voting behavior in the South, anytime there has been a Black advancement or Black people have showed up, weve seen a white backlash in some form or fashionsomething punitive that normally comes up to try to prevent or marginalize our voice and our votes. And so, on one hand, there was something to be expected. We had this historic turnout in this last election cycle. I dont think we knew that they would go that far.

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Now, mind you, this is a state that both the entire legislative branch and the governors office, those are all Republicans. Fulton County is a county [where] you have a sizable Black population. Atlanta is a majority Black city. DeKalb County is a majority Black county. And so those were the counties, quite frankly, that made the difference in this election cycle, which was propelled primarily by Black voters, with other voters as well, particularly communities of color.

But what is so egregious in this bill is that it would give the GOP the ability to take over power from the secretary of state. And so now within this bill, it will take over the secretary of states office and will actually take over power of the board of elections in the different counties. So DeKalb County and Fulton County, which they could not control, because you do have Black leadership in those places, theyve basically essentially given themselves power that they can actually just nullify and say, We dont agree with the results.

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Tell us some of the things that you and Black Voters Matter have faced in Georgia. What kind of intimidation, and sometimes government sponsored or vigilante levels of violence, have you faced just trying to organize people to vote?

This history of Jim Crow, and this history of how there has always been this parallel of not just voter suppression, but violence, right? That has been inflicted in our communities and directed at Black women. What weve seen in South Georgia is that we would pull up I mean, it was like In the Heat of the Night. We would pull up in these rural communities and at a gas station, and in front of us, the gas station owner would literally take the sign and say closed. He might as well say, Negroes are not welcome. And literally just look at us and close the sign.

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I think when people are fighting you, and your community is under attack, you should use every single tool thats available to you.  LaTosha Brown

One trip, we were going from Alabama to Georgia, coming back to Georgia, and the bus windows got burst out. And the white state trooper refused to even go look at the window to file a report. Black officers came, who were with the city police and the local county sheriffs office. And it was because of them that literally we were actually attended to. Even in Georgia, Ive gotten unknown, unmarked packages from Russia sent to my house. The bottom line is that it is in that kind of contentious environment that weve had to actually hire layers of security as we move around the state. But nevertheless: Cant stop, wont stop, we continue to go.

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A lot of the discussion about Georgia has been putting pressure on businesses. What is the role of putting pressure on Delta or Coca-Cola or Home Depot, or any of these businesses? One, how do you guys do that? Two, is it really effective? Could Home Depot, Delta, or Coca-Cola make a difference in these kinds of laws?

So, thats an excellent question. I think we also have to recognize as organizers, theres always a relationship between the politics and the economics. And so what we have launched in Georgia is a corporate accountability campaign. We took out a couple of ads, full-page ads, in local newspapers, all across the state, including the ones with the largest circulations, just calling the question. Like, Are you standing with the voters of Georgia? A few years ago, there was an abortion ban bill in Georgia. And there were corporations and businessesprimarily the film industry took a lot of the lead that timethat said, Were not coming to Georgia. Were not doing business in Georgia if this is the kind of things that yall are passing. We saw the same thing in North Carolina with the bathroom bill. My point is those corporations have an enormous amount of influence and political capital.

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Tell us a little bit about this slate of Black Fortune 500 CEOs that are out there now doing advocacy work and telling these large businesses that they need to pay attention as well.

Number one, Im going to just lift up that that is what real accountable corporate leadership looks like. To come out and use your power, your space of privilege to say, This is wrong, and our company is going to call and speak to that being wrong. We saw that with Salesforce. Every chance I get, I like to shout out to Salesforce, because theyre not even based in Georgia, and they literally came out with the strongest and the most clear statement around these voter suppression bills in Georgia. These Black CEOs that have come out and said that this voter suppression is unacceptable, and theyre going to use the weight of their companies to really push the defeat of these bills all across the nation, that is something that is critical, that is something that is needed, should be lifted up. And I do think that its going to change the trajectory.

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Theres a real conflict here. Obviously youve shown that you can put pressure on a lot of huge Fortune 500 companies to try to change whats happening with voter suppression in Georgia, but you have other people who say, We should just boycott these companies. Where do you fall on this? Do you think that that corporate pressure on a brand is more effective, or do you think boycotting is the best way to put pressure on state governments to roll back some of these voter suppression laws theyre trying to pass?

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I dont know if I think that theres either/or; I think its and. Theres this idea that Black people should only have access to one form of pressure. I think when people are fighting you, and your community is under attack, you should use every single tool thats available to you. And so the AME Church has actually called for a boycott. And while my organization, in particular, has not called for a boycott, were also not telling people not to boycott. We believe that people should make choices of who they spend their money with, their hard-earned money with those companies that align with their values. But were also saying that there are other strategies as well. And I think that you have to have all of those tools that are working in concert together to put the pressure and light on folks to make these companies actually step up and stand out.

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.
Kathmandu, April 2

The Ministry of Health and Population has informed that the countrys Covid-19 tally has reached 277,640 as of Friday afternoon.

The ministry says 179 new cases were confirmed in the country in the past 24 hours.

In this period, 3,565 swab samples were tested. So far, 2 million and 275,540 people have been tested in the country.

As of today, 1,579 cases are active.

Of the total cases so far, 272,962 people have achieved recovery whereas 3,031 died, according to the ministry. In the past 24 hours, 111 people have been discharged whereas no death was reported.

Over 50 people are quarantined across the country.
Being Memorial Day, memories come flooding in of one of the Angels that God let me an others have the pleasure of knowing. I got to meet John Michael Sullivan while he was in high school at Sequoyah Technical Center (formerly Sequoyah Vocational Technical Center). John represented Sequoyah in the Tennessee Southeast Regional Skills USA Automotive Technology competition. ... (click for more)

There is an inspirational website, or maybe it is a blog, that I found quite by accident in my Morning Readings not long ago and, curiously, it gave 25 reasons why we should cherish every today. The website is MakesMeThink, through Marcandangel.com, and it dawned on me how many of us could begin a sentence with the word, Today  and identify just a similar example for our reason ... (click for more)
A team from Fraunhofer IPT is developing a continuous production line that will be able to process fuel cell components in cycles lasting just seconds. The pilot line is set to be presented at the Hannover Messe Digital Edition from 12-16 April 2021.

In a live stream, Fraunhofer IPT, together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS and the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, will present the Fraunhofer-Gesellschafts action plan and initial research results for the cost-effective, automated mass production of fuel cells.

The aim of the three institutes, which specialize in the field of manufacturing, is to accelerate the economic breakthrough of fuel cells and electrolyzers both nationally and internationally. Moreover, they plan to transfer the action plan and the individual technologies for the production of fuel cells from research to industrial application.





The non-stop production plant at Fraunhofer IPT is set to process fuel cell components in cycles lasting just seconds.  Fraunhofer IPT

Germany and Europe are on their way to a hydrogen future. The German federal government approved its hydrogen strategy in June of last year. The strategy aims to build electrolysis plants for hydrogen production with a total output of 10 GW in Germany by the year 2040.

For Europe, the European Commission is proposing in its Hydrogen Strategy to expand electrolysis output by a further 40 GW. Hydrogen is set to be used in industry and in the future also in road traffic, finally heralding a shift away from gasoline and diesel fuel.

The many millions of vehicles will need many millions of fuel cells to convert hydrogen into power, but as yet, Europe has no mass production facility that could cover this demand. What is most lacking is a closed production chain for making fuel cell components and then assembling them to form the finished item.

We need non-stop production lines that are able to drop and process components in cycles lasting just seconds. Industry in Europe is still quite a long way from that point. Dr. Christoph Baum, Managing Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen

Right now, various components are manufactured by various producers and then assembled to create the fuel cell. And the production steps such as forming, cleaning, coating or joining the fuel cell components are spatially separated from one another in various machine islands.

All in all, the logistics within our production facilities are complex. Parts have to be picked up, placed and buffered multiple timesthats a time-consuming business. Christoph Baum

Therefore, Fraunhofer IPT is developing for the first time in a research environment a non-stop pilot line in which fuel cell components are made and assembled into the finished product in one place.

Specifically, this is about producing the fuel cell stack on which hydrogen is converted to water and the energy is collected. This stack consists of hundreds of bipolar plates arranged on top of one another. The bipolar plates are pulled through an intricate system of millimeter thick channels, the hydrogen being fed in at one end and the water produced by the chemical reaction in the stack being fed out at the other.

Producing these bipolar plates is a challenge in itself. The plates are only about a hundred micrometers thick and tend to resemble a film rather than a plate. They have to be moved very carefully to make sure nothing gets creased or wrinkled.

First, presses are used to emboss the channel structures onto the plate blanks. They are then coated under vacuum to reduce their electrical resistance and make them more corrosion-proof. A finished bipolar plate consists of a left half and a right half, with the fine channel system between. The two halves therefore need to be welded together with a high degree of precision. There are also various cleaning steps.

The team at Fraunhofer IPT has now developed a production line on which special pick-and-place handling devices hand down all components and the bipolar plates in such a way as to create a fluent process.

Because some process steps are faster than others, the challenge is to optimize the flow as a whole so that neither jams nor waiting times occur. The blank pressing process, referred to as deep drawing, is done in just about one second, while the deposition of the protective layer takes much longer.

We are predicting that hundreds of thousands of bipolar plates will be needed for the hydrogen economy of the future. For this reason, we are striving to achieve a throughput of at least one bipolar plate per second across all plants. Christopher Baum

In the CoBIP project (continuous roll-to-roll production of bipolar plates for fuel cells), Fraunhofer IPT is currently driving the automation of the pilot line together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, the Julich Research Center and several industrial partners.

The strip passes through the machine and hence through all process stepsfrom the blank to the forming, the deposition of the protective coating to the cleaning through the joining process by the laser. Only at the very end are the bipolar plates cut off the strip and isolated. This continuous process from the roll to the finished item will save a number of handling steps.

The plant is designed to be so flexible that industrial partners are able to exchange and test individual production modules at will. A high cycle rate allows several devices to operate in parallel or to be connected in series, lasers for joining the plate halves, for example.
Will Waldron/Albany Times Union

On March 17, the United States witnessed yet another attack on its citizens of color by a white person when a man shot eight people in Atlanta, six of whom were of Asian descent. What is tragic is that this is not the first, second or even 10th time we have witnessed internal terrorism in this country.

There has been worsening systemic racism as witnessed in the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, just to name a few. Since the start of the pandemic, Stop AAPI Hate, which tracks reports of violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, received reports of more than 2,800 hate incidents. The Anti-Defamation League says reported instances of white supremacist propaganda almost doubled from 2019 to 2020.
A young family has been welcomed into a new area with a rude expletive-filled note from a furious neighbour.

The homeowners got off on the wrong foot with neighbours after they had an alarm installed before they moved into the new home in Auckland.

Unbeknown to them, one of the sensors was faulty and set off the alarm one night shortly before they moved in to the house in Avondale, in the city's west.

Inundated with noise complaints and no way of contacting the homeowners, police eventually turned up hours later with a locksmith to enter the house to disconnect the alarm.

The new residents had no idea of the drama until they arrived at their new abode to find a harshly-worded printed note on their doorstep.

Recent homebuyers were welcomed into their new neighbourhood with this note (pictured)

'Hey f**king a**hole,' the letter begins.

'Your house alarm went off from 5pm and didn't stop all night long.

'Our school-aged children could not sleep because your irresponsible profit-seeking a** needs a few more dollars flipping a f**king s**thole house in an already overpriced housing market.

'F**k you, you vulture. Sincerely, your 'neighbors'.'

The harsh note was shared with a local Facebook group, which brought the administrator to tears.

'Mistakes happen. Take a breath and try not to make assumptions,' the administrator began the post.

'This person is a new homeowner who is stretched to get a home for their family, not a speculator, as assumed by the writer of this note. You could be neighbours for a long time to come.'

He was told by the homeowners they were 'gutted' by the note and embarrassed by what happened.

The young family were in the process of moving into their new home they had recently bought (stock image)

The couple added they've since apologised in person to their neighbours, who were all 'lovely.'

'We're a family with young children so I'm dismayed at causing someone else's children unrest,' they told the page administrator.

'Whoever wrote us this note caused a lot of hurt and we are not investors whove flipped anything but are a family whove signed on for a huge 30 year mortgage in this overpriced market in hope of owning somewhere to bring our kids up in.'

The Facebook post and note shocked many viewers who commented, which was inundated with support for the homebuyers.

But others were sympathetic to author of the note.

'Twelve hours of no sleep because of the alarm - you can understand why the letter was written,' one man wrote.

'Kids would have had to stay at home so a parent would have had to take a day off to look after them.

'Next time maybe introduce yourself to neighbours first and give them your number to contact.'
(Newser)  Julie Eberly, a mother of six killed in a road rage shooting in North Carolina last week, was laid to rest Thursday. Hours before the funeral, her family was told that a suspect had been arrested. Lumberton, NC, resident Dejywan Floyd was arrested around 12:30am Thursday and is being held without bond, NBC reports. The 29-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder and discharging a weapon into an occupied property. Investigators say that after the SUV being driven by Eberly's husband came close to Floyd's Chevrolet Malibu during a lane change on I-95, Floyd fired multiple shots into the passenger side of the vehicle, killing the 47-year-old woman, the New York Times reports. The Pennsylvania residents had been traveling to South Carolina for an anniversary getaway.

story continues below

Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins says Floyd was tracked with the help of surveillance footage from businesses and residents. "He pulled the sticker off the back glass thinking that would make a difference, but still drove the car around," the sheriff tells WBTW. He says police received hundreds of tips in the case and somebody will be getting the $20,000 reward that had been donated by area residents. "Our detectives were able to notify the family about six this morning that the arrest had been made, and they were beyond pleased," Wilkins told WNCN Thursday. "It made it exciting for us that we are able to bring some sort of conclusion." (Eberly's husband says there was no contact between the cars before the shooting.)
New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday (April 2) fired a fresh salvo at Union Home Minister Amit Shah during her rally at Dinahata in Cooch Behar district and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should control him.

Addressing a campaign rally, Banerjee said, Want to tell PM Modi, control your Home Minister first, then try to control us.

Hitting out at PM Modi, she asserted that she will win from Nandigram, Not your party member that you will suggest me to contest from another seat, will win Nandigram, the West Bengal CM was quoted as saying by PTI. The incumbent CM is pitched against protege-turned-BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in hotly contested Nandigram.

Appealing to people to vote for ruling TMC, she added, I know I will win, but along with me, at least 200 candidates have to win so that we can make our government. That is why cast your vote for TMC candidates.

On Thursday, after Banerjee faced ruckus and intense sloganeering when she reached a polling booth in Nandigram, she had complained to the state Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar of total breakdown of law and order at the polling booth.

"None of the people are speaking in the Bengali language. All of them are outsiders. They are goons sent from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and they are being protected by Central forces," she had alleged.

The second phase of polling concluded in West Bengal on Thursday (April 1). 30 constituencies across four districts went to polls in this phase of the eight-phased West Bengal Assembly elections. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(With inputs from agencies)

Live TV
A roadside bomb attack killed at least five civilians and wounded seven others on April 2 in Afghanistan, local officials said.

Omer Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor in southern Helmand Province, said the five killed were traveling by car near Lashkar Gah, the capital of the province.

He said the death toll could rise.

In a separate roadside bomb attack in western Herat Province, seven women traveling in a minivan were wounded, the provincial governor's office said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Meanwhile, in a statement late on April 1, the extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the killing of a policewoman in eastern Nangarhar Province earlier that day.

A wave of assassinations has in past weeks targeted government employees, academics, rights workers, and journalists as peace negotiations in Qatar between the Taliban and the Afghan government have stalled.

On March 30, three women working to administer polio vaccines were killed in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province.

Earlier last month, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of three female employees of a privately owned media outlet, also in Jalalabad.

Many other killings have gone unclaimed.

Afghan and U.S. officials blame the Taliban, which has denied involvement in many attacks.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and TOLOnews
UUP leader Steve Aiken has been lambasted on social media over a 'car crash' radio interview with BBC presenter Stephen Nolan over the funeral of veteran republican Bobby Storey.

Mr Aiken was speaking after his party called for PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne to resign on Thursday evening following the PPS decision that there would be no prosecutions in relation to the funeral of Mr Storey last June.

Mr Aiken told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme on Friday morning that the PSNI's leadership had now become the problem.

"In all circumstances when we reach a point within an organisation, particularly something as critical and vital as the PSNI, when at least half of the population have lost confidence in their ability to do their job, that's down to the leadership of one person," he said.

"You just have to listen to people across the community in Northern Ireland, and not just the unionist community, about their concerns about the chief constable. Unfortunately it's time for him to go."

"The chief constable should be reflecting on the fact that he is supposed to be managing policing in Northern Ireland by the principle of consent. He must be reflecting right now if he doesn't have the consent of at least half of Northern Ireland, how could he possibly maintain his position?

"If anybody else was in a leadership position like that, they would have reflected on that and done the right thing."

Mr Aiken also questioned the independence of a police inspectorate review of the PSNI's handling of the funeral.

He likened the probe by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to "marking the police service's own homework".

But when Mr Aiken later appeared on BBCs Stephen Nolan Show, he struggled to explain exactly what Mr Byrne had done wrong.

When asked by the presenter if police engagement with organisers ahead of the Storey funeral involved warnings that Covid-19 regulations needed to be observed, Mr Aiken replied: "I don't know".

Expand Close PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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The interview led to a flurry of calls to the show and comments on social media.

Barry Rylands tweeted: "What a car crash interview. I know it's Good Friday so Steve Aiken decides to crucify himself".

John Brennan added: "Steve Aiken this morning may have given his last ever interview as Leader of the UUP. He got destroyed by Nolan it was very hard to listen to."

Other comments included a post from a user called Gareth saying: "If I was the UUP Id be greatly concerned that all the goodwill for the party built up by Robin Swann as health minister as now just been torpedoed Steve Aiken."

Another added: "I'm sure Steve Aiken has now lost the confidence of the Unionist people as well as Simon Byrne after that absolute car crash interview on #Nolan ... and I don't say that with any pleasure either...".

Angus Smyth wrote: "Steve Aiken you need to go - you were talking so much nonsense on The Nolan Show".

Mr Byrne has already faced calls to resign from the First Minister Arlene Foster, TUV and PUP.

He has reiterated his desire to remain in the post, insisting that police engagement with the organisers of events that have the potential to attract significant crowds is "common practice".

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Police Federation of NI, Mark Lindsay has said policing in Northern Ireland has never been more "politicised" or "toxic in our society".

Mr Lindsay said he was "not surprised there was no decision to prosecute, whether that is through the actions of policing or the actions of the PPS".

"I am not surprised at the politicisation of policing, I think that is one of the most disappointing things 23 years on from the Good Friday Agreement that policing has never been more politicised, it has never been more toxic in our society," he also told the BBC.

"I think there are a lot of reasons behind that and not all to do entirely with the PSNI or its leadership."
The entrepreneur who knitted a cardigan for Princess Eugenie's son August said she had no idea her designs were about to be propelled into the spotlight until she saw a picture on Instagram.

Charlene Holden, from Horsforth, is the owner of Uncool Wool, an Etsy shop she started in 2020, selling hand knitted jumpers and cardigans for children.

Baby August, sported a personalised Uncool Wool cardigan in a picture shared by his mother for her 31st birthday.

The entrepreneur was asked to make a sweater embroidered with the name August at the back, but told Hello Magazine she had no idea it was for a royal until she saw the picture of Eugenie on Instagram.

Since word got out, Charlene, a mother-of-one, said she's received requests from all over the world for her cardigans, normally costing 18 to 35.

The woman behind the sweater worn by Princess Eugenie's son August's embroidered sweater in Windsor on her birthday said she had no idea she had made it for a royal, and said sales have blown up since Eugenie shared the look on Instagram

Charlene said discovering that a royal baby was wearing one of her sweaters 'was very surreal, but amazing.'

She said she remembered the request for the August sweater but had not connected the dots at the time and didn't know it was for a royal.

Charlene started the business in December 2020 and was mainly selling designs to family and friends, but the e-shop has exploded since Eugenie showed off the sweater on her social media.

Since then, she claimed that a lot of friends of Eugenie's ordered sweaters as gifts on her website.

The baby sweater for a white wool with blue stitching reading 'August' - they cost between 18 and 40 on Charlene Holden's Etsy shop Uncool Wool

Charlene's business, in Horsforth, West Yorkshire has boomed since the sweater was spotted on Instagram

She's now looking to the future and growing her business, saying that some parents have requested matching adult sweaters to wear with their little ones.

A second snap shows the baby boy nuzzling into his father's shoulder, with just his eyes and star-print white hat peeping out from over the top.

The daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson welcomed her first child, who is 11th in line to the throne, with Jack on February 9 at London's Portland Hospital.

The couple were pictured leaving the hospital three days later on February 12.

Last month, the new mother revealed the name and shared her first family picture with her son - the Queen's ninth great grandchild - which is thought to have been taken in the grounds of Frogmore Cottage, where the couple are currently living.

Posting a series of photographs on Instagram, Princess Eugenie wrote: 'Thank you for so many wonderful messages. Our hearts are full of love for this little human, words can't express. We are excited to be able to share these photos with you.'

After celebrating her 31st birthday yesterday, the new mum took to Instagram to share adorable snaps of baby August, who was born on February 9 - before referring to him as 'the best present she could ask for'

Eugenie went on to reveal the name was a touching tribute to Queen Victoria's Husband Prince Albert, whose birth name was Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel, and Prince Philip, who is currently in hospital, writing: 'On his grandfather's birthday weekend, thinking of my grandfather, we are introducing our little boy.

He is named after his great grandfather and both of his 5x great grandfathers.'

The new mum shared another look at her newborn while celebrating Mother's Day on Instagram earlier this month, with a sweet picture of her baby lying among some daffodils.

Although his head is turned away from the camera, the young royal can be seen donning a patterned babygrow adorned with whales, a knitted white cardigan, matching hat and fluffy rabbit slippers.
An anonymous person called police and said he saw a white male unconscious behind the wheel of his vehicle that was still in drive. Police arrived and found the man was asleep in his vehicle. EMS said he was medically alright. Police did tests on the man and he did not appear intoxicated. The man had a suspended license, so police made him call a friend. The vehicle, a Subaru Outback, had a tag that did not belong on it. The man said it was a friend's vehicle and that he did not know anything about it. He called a friend to come get him and the vehicle.

* * *

A man told police that a 77-inch by 12-foot utility trailer was stolen from one of his construction sites at 1409 Chamberlain Ave. The trailer was entered into NCIC and there is no suspect information.



* * *



A woman at a residence on 5th Avenue told police that her bedroom window was broken out back on July 4th of last year and she already made a report on it. She said that since that time the window has been propped up with a stick to keep it secured. She said she went to bed around 9:30 p.m. the previous night and when she woke up around 7 a.m. she discovered that someone had messed with the stick as if they were trying to "jimmy" it loose, but no further damage was done.



* * *



A woman who lives on Amnicola Highway told police that someone had stolen her Tennessee Valley debit card out of her vehicle while it was parked at her friend's house. She did not provide the address, but said the friend's house was in Hixson. She said that after her debit card was stolen, someone used her name and printed it on seven JP Morgan Chase checks and tried to cash it at Tennessee Valley Bank. She also said that seven unauthorized transactions were made on her bank account for a total of $1,198. She said she had already contacted her bank fraud department about the incident.



* * *



An employee of Starbucks, 827 Market St., called police about a suspicious package. A backpack was located next to a booth in the restaurant, left by a known customer. Prior to any police actions on the backpack, the owner of the backpack arrived, saying he left it by mistake. He took the backpack with him as he left.



* * *



A man on Forest Acres Lane called police and said he ordered a shirt and a Half Face blade knife from a website. He said the package arrived, but the knife was not in it. He said the package was not open, but that the company had forgotten to include the knife. The man said he was in need of a report for the insurance of the knife.



* * *



The property manager of the building housing Crye-Leike Realty, 5870 Highway 153, told police she was informed by a staff member that there was a homeless camp set up directly behind the building. The property manager wanted police to remove the trespassers from the private premises. Police and the property manager walked behind the building, but were unable to locate any homeless camp. Police urged the property manager to summon police for assistance should the unwanted campers return.



* * *



An elderly woman staying at the Chatt Inn, 2000 E. 23rd St., told police that approximately 30 or so minutes before police arrival, an unknown black male stole her walker that she needs to get around. The woman said that as she was locking the door to her room, she let go of the walker, which is when the man grabbed the device and walked away. The woman believes that the man lives somewhere in the Chatt Inn, but does not know who he is.



* * *



Police responded to a shoplifting at the Walmart at 2020 Gunbarrel Road. Police observed a man going through the self-checkout skip-scanning merchandise (scanning one item but bagging multiple). The man then paid only for the scanned merchandise and proceeded to walk out of the business. Police and the business Loss Prevention employee stopped and detained the man. The business decided not to prosecute him for the stolen merchandise ($22.74).



* * *



A man's vehicle broke down at 7635 Lee Hwy. Officers pushed it out of the roadway. While running the man's information, officers discovered he was driving on a suspended license. While on scene, officers were dispatched to a priority one call and did not misdemeanor cite the man due to the priority one call.



* * *



A caller contacted police about suspicious activity at the East Brainerd Laundry, 7953 E. Brainerd Road. Officers approached a man and woman on scene. Once the reporting caller arrived, he identified the two as the ones washing their clothes in the bathroom. The couple was banned from the property by the man. Officers informed them they were not allowed to be on the property any more and would be arrested if they came back. After leaving the scene officers discovered the woman had a warrant.



* * *



Officers were called to the Circle K on 58 Highway where a woman told police she did not have a ride home and asked if they could give her a lift. Police transported her home.

* * *

Police received a call from the Hampton Inn & Suites, 400 Chestnut St. While police were en route, the caller said that he was two feet tall and made claims that he was so small he could be picked up by a lawnmower. Police searched from the seventh floor down to the fourth with the assistance of hotel staff, but were unable to locate this two-foot-tall black male.
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

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In an attempt to halt a New York art collective from using their signature 'swoosh,' Nike has obtained a temporary restraining order against the makers of 'Satan Shoes,' a pair of modified Nikes decorated with symbols of the occult and a drop of human blood.

A US District Court in New York granted Nike's request this week, a move intended to bar MSCHF, the provocative company that produced the shoes, from fulfilling the rest of its orders.

The 'Satan Shoes,' made in collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X to coincide with his Hell-set music video for 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name),' were made from modified Nike Air Max 97s and feature a bronze pentagram, an inverted cross and a sole filled with red ink and, according to MSCHF, 'one drop of human blood.'

Nike claimed the 'Satan Shoes' were 'likely to cause confusion and dilution' or cause fans of Nike to believe it worked with MSCHF to create the shoe, the company said in its complaint.

The company also reiterated that, even though the shoes bore Nike's signature 'swoosh,' the company was not involved in the sneakers' creation and did not endorse them.

'Decisions about what products to put the SWOOSH on belong to Nike, not to third parties like MSCHF,' the complaint read.

An attorney for MSCHF wrote to the court that the shoes were 'individually numbered works of art' and argued they were protected under the First Amendment. She also said 'all but one pairs of the shoes already have been sold and shipped,' rendering the temporary restraining order unnecessary.

In response, Nike's attorneys said the 'appropriate remedy is ... to order a recall of those shoes.'

Though Nike was granted the temporary restraining order this week, MSCHF can still attempt to prove the shoes are protected under First Amendment 'rights of artistic expression,' US District Judge Eric Komitee wrote in the order. Until then, though, the final pair of 'Satan Shoes' can't be distributed.

MSCHF and Lil Nas X say they're surprised and frustrated

The 'Satan Shoes' were priced at $1,018 each, around six times the price of a pair of Air Max 97s sold by Nike currently. It's a reference to the Bible passage Luke 10:18, which reads: 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'

Just 666 pairs of the shoes were produced, and all but one were sold within one minute of their release -- Lil Nas X was set to give away the last pair on Twitter, but MSCHF said the giveaway has been indefinitely paused.

MSCHF said it was 'honestly surprised by the action Nike has taken' in a statement shared with CNN.

The collective questioned why Nike would request a temporary restraining order spurred by the 'Satan Shoes' and not the 'Jesus Shoes,' a pair of modified Nike Air Max 97s that featured a steel crucifix and 'holy water' that were produced one year earlier.

'MSCHF strongly believes in the freedom of expression, and nothing is more important than our ability, and the ability of other artists like us, to continue with our work over the coming years,' MSCHF said. 'We look forward to working with Nike and the court to resolve this case in the most expeditious manner.'

A Nike spokesperson told CNN the company didn't have 'any further details to share on pending legal matters.'

Lil Nas X expressed his frustration with the outcome on Thursday, tweeting that he's 'legally not allowed to give the 666th pair away anymore because of the crying nerds on the internet,' after teasing the giveaway earlier in the week.

'I feel like it's f****d up they have so much power they can get shoes cancelled,' he wrote. 'Freedom of expression gone out the window. But that's gonna change soon.'

CNN has reached out to representatives for Lil Nas X and is waiting to hear back.
NEW DELHI: Bollywood actress and television host Malaika Arora is the latest Indian film celebrity to be vaccinated after Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Sharmila Tagore, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Rohit Shetty and others. The 47-year-old actress received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Friday (April 1). She shared the news in an Instagram post, along with a photo of hers receiving the vaccine jab at a centre in Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai.

"I took the first dose of the COVID vaccine. Because #wereinthistogether! Let's go warriors, let's win this #WarAgainstVirus. Don't forget to take yours soon!" she wrote in the caption. She also gave a shout-out to frontline healthcare staff for being "caring and vigilant".

"A special mention to our amazing frontline workers, who were so caring and vigilant and went about doing everything with a smile. Thank You (and yes I am eligible to take the vaccine)," she added.

Malaika Arora, who has been in a relationship with Arjun Kapoor, celebrated the festivals of Holi in each other's company at a luxurious resort in Alibaug. The duo utlised the long weekend spending quality time with each other, good food - courtesy of which goes to Arjun's cousin Rhea Kapoor, and long walks in the greenery. Both Arjun and Malaika shared the glimpse of their stay at the resort on their Instagram handles.

On the professional front, Malaika Arora was last seen as a judge in the popular dance reality show 'India's Best Dancer' in the year 2020.
On Wednesday, the curtain came down on Women's Month, amid renewed calls to continue removing barriers to female leadership and ensuring that women have access to equal opportunities across the political and economic divide.

Running under the theme; "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid world", most traditional events were blighted by the Covid-19 virus lockdown regulations that restrict public gathering to 50 people.

A few events that passed the litmus test on Covid-19 regulations were held under very strict conditions or on various virtual platforms.

However, the circumstances under which the events were held did not in any way dampen the enthusiasm among women and other stakeholders, who reflected on the long and arduous journey in advocating for equal spaces for men and women.

Such platforms held across the globe also afforded the same populace an opportunity to revisit and strengthen their long-term vision of ensuring that women have equal opportunities with men. If anything, this year's Women Month reinvigorated the gender equality discourse, following the elevation of several women on different platforms, a validation of women's competency and leadership skills, not only in Africa, but also across the globe.

From 1917, when Loretta Walsh became the first woman to join the army, becoming the first American active-duty Navy woman, the gender equality discourse has trudged on for years.

Save for a few patches of successes here and there, attempts to achieve gender equality has been met with structural and physical resistance.

The gender narrative has remained a widely acknowledged discourse, that almost everyone has engaged in, pledged to be part of, yet the results do not reflect the level of commitment made to narrow the gap between men and women. Of course the attempt to address historical imbalances have not been a futile one, judging by pockets of redress that have been made, albeit on ad hoc basis.

As the nation makes a countdown to the Independence Day on April 18, it is important also to take stock of the road that women have trudged in their endeavour to gain leverage in social, economic and political spaces.

Notable achievements have been made in education, with UNICEF saying that the majority of women and girls can now afford to read, having attained primary level education across in most of the African countries.

Outside, the literacy levels gender equality disparities in both economic and political circles, remain a cause for concern that women raise on a daily basis. Naturally attainment of political and economic independence would be the citadel that women have for generations been battling to attain.

While Africa boasts a litany of statutes and legal instruments that call for the political and economic empowerment of women across the globe, the female population has not been considered for meaningful leadership positions.

The swearing in of Madam Samia Suluhu Hassan as Tanzania's first female leader, becoming the second female president in the continent out of the 54, is one of the rare, but exciting pieces of news that multitudes of women and gender activists would love to relish on, but sadly, such developments do not come cheap.

Madam Hassan will join Sahle-Work Zewde, the first elected female President of Ethiopia and their presence on the African leadership table will do nothing to dilute the highly concentrated male environment. The two are a figurative representation of nearly 700 million voices of women across the continent, whose aspirations and expectations have not been captured in equal measure because of gender dynamics in leadership.

With historical gender inequalities that have gone through several generations, the gender equality trajectory can only be carried forward honourably if more women than before sit are accorded space in political and leadership spaces, where hard decisions are made. The glaring absence of women in political spaces not only in Zimbabwe, but across the globe points to the global leadership's failure to support engendered governance.

While the reasons may vary with regions, several factors such as lack of resources, weak political structures to support women's ascendancy to leadership, the abrasive nature of politics that scares away women are some of the averse factors stalling political inclusion of women. In the case of Zimbabwe, it is among several countries that boast of good policies on gender equality, but lack proper implementation, monitoring and evaluation, hence the gap between policy and results.

Apart from the Constitution, which advocates for the uplifting of women, Government has on ad hoc basis adopted several stop-gap measures, remedial measures among them zebra political parties policy policies meant to elevate the status of women in politics

While they might never be a universal template that can be used to promote gender equality, Zimbabwe still needs to pursue its own home- grown solutions to elevate the status of women in politics.

Mentoring, availing of resources, socialising communities to embrace gendered leadership and ending all forms of violence against women are some of the long term solutions that the Government would need to look as part of the many other attempts needed to ensure gender equality.

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Ensuring gender equality is a human right, a feat that is doable once the Government commits to monitor and whip the implementers into line.

Countries such as Rwanda have successfully managed to implement gender equality policies that are already yielding positive results.

Rwanda does acknowledge the role that women play in economic and national development, and has been pushing for the continued inclusion of women in all government sectors.

Speaking during the International Women's Day commemorations a few years back, Rwanda President Paul Kagame said: "gender equality and women's empowerment is a cornerstone of the government of Rwanda's development strategy, and a proven source of development progress".

There is still room for Zimbabwe and other African countries do more towards gender equality once stakeholders and the Government are inspired by the same vision.

With women taking up half the global population, and carrying with them historical baggage of being treated unfairly for generations, it is high time they should get a sizeable share on the leadership and governance tables with men.
Yesterday we linked to Byron Yorks account of Deltas foray into left-wing politics. Deltas CEO, Ed Bastian, issued a foolish statement denouncing Georgias election reform legislation. Bastiens statement parroted false left-wing narratives:

Last week, the Georgia legislature passed a sweeping voting reform act that could make it harder for many Georgians, particularly those in our Black and Brown communities, to exercise their right to vote.

This is false. What the law does is make it harder for non-existent people, people who are not qualified voters, and people who have already cast ballots to vote.

I need to make it crystal clear that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Deltas values. The right to vote is sacred. It is fundamental to our democracy and those rights not only need to be protected, but easily facilitated in a safe and secure manner. After having time to now fully understand all that is in the bill, coupled with discussions with leaders and employees in the Black community, its evident that the bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives. That is wrong.

Again, this is sheer fabrication, and racist fabrication at that. The idea that Black voters are somehow unable to participate in an elementary process like voting is insulting to them.

The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections. This is simply not true. Unfortunately, that excuse is being used in states across the nation that are attempting to pass similar legislation to restrict voting rights.

There is substantial voter fraud in every election, including the 2020 election. Voter fraud denial is epidemic on the left, in defiance of common sense, frequent observation and records of criminal prosecutions. It is outrageous for a major corporation to endorse such denialism. In no state is there actual or proposed legislation to restrict voting rights. Rather, in Georgia and other states there is legislation to protect the integrity of our elections.

Americans want honest elections, which is why polls show that 75% favor voter ID legislation. In denouncing Georgias reform act, Delta has associated itself with fringe left-wing activists, in opposition to the views and interests of the vast majority of Americans.

I am one of Deltas best customers, with well over one million miles flown on that airline. Living in Minnesota, I often have little or no choice; but going forward, I will fly on airlines other than Delta whenever I have the opportunity. Now I have to figure out how to get that message to Mr. Bastien.
Less than three months after New Jersey lawmakers fled a mob of Donald Trump supporters, they watched from afar as another violent incident erupted on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Good Friday and another police officer died.

Members of Congress, who were in their home districts for the Easter and Passover holidays, once again mourned the loss of a Capitol Police officer, a member of the force that protects them when theyre in Washington.

After pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, an officer from New Jersey died. This time, one officer was killed and a second hospitalized after a driver rammed a security checkpoint on the Capitol grounds.

The driver was shot after getting out of his car and brandishing a knife, and later died at a hospital, the Associated Press said.

My prayers today are with the family of the USCP officer who died today defending the Capitol. https://t.co/USIhYBX8BU  Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (@RepBonnie) April 2, 2021

This is heartbreaking news. My thoughts are with the Capitol Police officers family and friends. We are forever indebted to the officers who risk their lives to keep the Capitol complex safe. https://t.co/wr67EnBExI  Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) April 2, 2021

We have lost another Capitol Police Officer. Our police and guard troops have enduring horrible strain since Jan 6 protecting us. Im devastated for their family and the entire USCP force. https://t.co/m9nyFFhchF  Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) April 2, 2021

This is absolutely heartbreaking.



This officer died in the line of duty and I'm praying now for all their family and loved ones.



God bless all our @CapitolPolice, law enforcement, and National Guard who are protecting our Capitol and country. https://t.co/N7ilOPoM4w  Rep Josh Gottheimer (@RepJoshG) April 2, 2021

The sad death at the Capitol today is another heart-wrenching situation for an agency that has suffered with challenges defending our Capitol. Once again, an officer paid the ultimate price of service. Our condolences go out to their families. https://t.co/pu3po6E7s4 pic.twitter.com/MPhwGJZILo  Rep. Donald Payne Jr (@RepDonaldPayne) April 2, 2021

Praying for the @CapitolPolice officer tragically killed today in the line of duty as well as the officer injured during the attack.



My thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends during this difficult time. https://t.co/blGkZrYepB  Donald Norcross (@DonNorcross4NJ) April 2, 2021

I just heard the tragic news that a police officer has died defending our Capitol from todays attack. We stand with the Capitol Police who have suffered so much in recent months in their mission of protect our democracy. We owe them all an enormous debt.  RepAndyKim (@RepAndyKimNJ) April 2, 2021

Please join me in praying for the family of another fallen Capitol police officer, for every officer who has endured such strain this year, and for an end to the manufactured rage that generates political violence in our country. https://t.co/J12WMyEtJL  Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) April 2, 2021

I am heartbroken to learn of the death of a USCP officer, and the hospitalization of another USCP officer, following the incident at Capitol complex earlier this afternoon.  Albio Sires (@RepSires) April 2, 2021

Our hearts go out to the United States Capitol Police force and the family and loved ones of the officer who lost their life today, said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd Dist. The USCP put their lives on the line every single day in defense of this nation and while we still do not have all of our questions answered, these senseless acts of violence have no place in our society.

And Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., said in a statement: Our prayers go out to the family, friends and colleagues of Officer William Billy Evans who was killed in the line of duty on Capitol Hill today. The attack at the north barricade  which also injured another officer  is yet another act of brutal, senseless violence and underscores the extraordinary courage and valor of the men and women who serve and protect.

The incident occurred near the Senate of the Capitol and both of New Jerseys senators weighed in as well on the death of the police officer.

I mourn the loss of a Capitol Police Officer today and pray for the recovery of the officer who was injured.



My heart is with their families and the entire US Capitol Police force. Forever grateful for their sacrifice and service. https://t.co/lmkJs0avWK  Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) April 2, 2021

We owe Capitol Police officers and their families a debt of gratitude for their bravery and service - esp. the officer who has died in the line of duty.  Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) April 2, 2021

Law enforcement officials had removed some of the steel barriers erected following the January riot and the National Guard troops who rushed to Washington in response were being withdrawn.

Kim, D-3rd Dist., whose tweets about cleaning up debris at the Capitol left behind by the rioters in January went viral, also reported that his Washington staff was safe. So did Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist.

Information about the situation at the Capitol is still coming out but were praying for the injured @CapitolPolice officers & are thankful for their quick response.



Our team members on the Capitol complex today are safe and well continue to monitor this developing situation.  Rep. Mikie Sherrill (@RepSherrill) April 2, 2021

Condolences for the fallen officer also came from Trenton.

Our hearts break for the U.S. Capitol Police officer who was killed and the officer who was injured while defending our democracy. Were praying for them, their families, and all of our Capitol Police. May God Bless America and our brave men and women in law enforcement.  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 2, 2021

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

Start your day with the latest from Trenton, D.C. and your town. Get the N.J. Politics newsletter now.


The number of Egyptian vultures dying in Eastern Europe and the Middle East is higher than in sub-Saharan Africa contrary to well-known belief; and part of these disappearances is due to threats of the origin of humans like collision with energy infrastructures, electrocution, direct persecution, or poisoning.

This is revealed in an article released in the Journal of Animal Ecology with the Cavanilles Institute of the University of Valencia participation.

Populations of Migratory Bird

The reduction in long-distance migratory bird populations has always been considered a result of deteriorating states in non-reproductive areas.

While past studies proposed that the reduction in populations of migratory bird in Europe and North America was brought about by threats in Africa and southern countries, new international analysis to monitor the Egyptian vulture (a species of vulture found on the roll of species that has been endangered since 2007)- indicates the opposite. The number of Egyptian vultures who pass away in Eastern and Middle Eastern Europe is more than in sub-Saharan Africa.

Also Read: Flexible Soaring Styles Allow Vultures To Stay Aloft Longer and Focused On Dinner

GPS Remote Tracking Device

Biologist Pascual Lopez-Lopez (Cavanilles Institute of the University of Valencia) including a team of 38 researchers from 12 countries after a couple of decades of monitoring and studying, has published current results in the Journal of Animal Ecology. The work is managed by Evan Buechley - HawkWatch International U.S.; Ron Efrat - University of the Negev, Israel; Steffen Oppel - Centre for Conservation Science, UK, Cambridge.

Since the early 2000s scientists tagged samples with the use of GPS remote tracking devices to learn their behavior and death rate; they collected and made analysis on satellite tracking data from projects conducted in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, which permitted them to make a study on the movements and landing place of 220 Egyptian vultures armed with GPS transmitters.

Rate of Survival in Sub-Saharan Africa

In addition to an increased rate of survival in sub-Saharan Africa, the scientists discovered that about half of the demises whose cause could be recognized were because of human intervention. These deaths happened in all areas of the study and were mostly due to collision with energy infrastructure, electrocution, undeviating persecution by humans for instance, by shooting with guns or trapping, and most especially in poisoning.

Evan Buechley, lead researcher on the study noted that countries of the south cannot be held for this loss of biodiversity. The scientist added that dealing with human origin's threats to Egyptian vultures and several other migratory species is the duty of all countries that are among the migration routes.

Costs of Ecology

The study addresses fundamental concerns of ecology, like the increased costs of ecology in terms of far-distance migration survival, or crucial benefits such as elevated reproductive productivity at latitudes that are higher.

Pascual Lopez said that more research is needed to assess the important commitments in the matters of survival and reproduction all over the life cycle in this endangered species.

The researcher of the Cavanilles Institute of the University of Valencia concluded that migratory birds like the bustard, which reside between several continents - Asia, Africa, and Europe are obvious instance in this sense.

Related Article: Animal Vanity? Vultures Mysteriously Slather Their Faces With Mud as 'Makeup'

For more news, updates about vultures and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly on Friday afternoon voted to relieve State President Nguyen Phu Trong to pave the way for the election of his replacement next week.

The legislature passed a resolution to let Trong, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, step down but he will still play the presidential role until it takes effect on April 5, when his replacement is elected.

Trong, born in 1944, took over from Tran Dai Quang as state president on October 23, 2018, after the latter passed away on September 21, 2018.

Deputy State President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh had been acting state president from September 23 to October 23, 2018.

Trong is the third person in history to have acted as heads of the Party and state at the same time since President Ho Chi Minh and Truong Chinh.

The Vietnamese parliament had dismissed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in a vote on Friday morning, following his nomination for the presidency.

Phuc will also be in charge until a new prime minister is elected on April 5.

Born in 1954, Phuc assumed office as prime minister on April 7, 2016.

Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue, who was born in 1957, was elected as chairman of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

Hue won the election following a majority vote which also gave him the chairmanship of the National Election Council.

Trong, Phuc, and Hue are members of the all-powerful Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Vietnam will hold legislative elections at all levels on May 23.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
UnitedHealth directly competes with U.S. Anesthesia, according to the Texas lawsuit, through an ownership interest in Sound Physicians, a large medical practice that provides emergency and anesthesiology services. Sound Physicians is looking to expand in markets like Fort Worth and Houston, and U.S. Anesthesia claims in the lawsuit that its doctors were contacted by Sound Physicians to induce them to leave and challenge the noncompete provisions in their contracts to work with the United group.

The major insurer throws its weight around in other ways, the lawsuit claims. While the companys Optum unit, which operates the surgery centers and clinics, is technically separate from the health insurer, the doctors accuse United of forcing its OptumCare facilities to sever their relationships with the anesthesiology group and pushing in-network surgeons to move their operations to hospitals or facilities that do not have contracts with U.S. Anesthesia.

United and its affiliates have extended their tentacles into virtually every aspect of health care, allowing United to squeeze, choke and crush any market participant that stands in the way of Uniteds increased profits, the doctors claim in their lawsuit.

It is standard practice, United said, for an insurer to encourage the use of hospitals and doctors within its network.

In contrast to many smaller physician groups that are struggling because of the pandemic, United has maintained a strong financial position, shoring up profits while elective surgeries and other procedures were shut down, resulting in fewer medical claims. So it has continued to expand, hiring more doctors and buying up additional practices. The company says it plans to add more than 10,000 employed or affiliated doctors this year.

The relationship between insurers and providers has become more complicated as more insurance carriers own doctors groups or clinics. They want to be the referee and play on the other team, said Michael Turpin, a former United executive who is now an executive vice president at USI, an insurance brokerage.

Employers that rely on UnitedHealthcare to cover their workers have a difficult time judging who benefits when insurers fail to reach an agreement to keep a provider in network. This is just as much about profit as it is about principle, Mr. Turpin said.
Head of the Expert Group on COVID Response at China's National Health Commission Liang Wannian, center, answers a question as he sits with colleagues Feng Zijian, right, Tong Yigan, second left, at a press conference addressing the World Health Organization (WHO) report on the origins of SARS-CoV-2, at the National Health Committee on March 31, 2021 in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

The WHOs Disappointing COVID-19 Investigation; US Must Hold CCP Accountable

Secretary of State Blinken must continue Pompeos resolve to hold the CCP accountable

Commentary

After a long wait, the World Health Organization (WHO) has finally released its lengthy investigation on the origin of the Coronavirus in China. More than a year after the start of the pandemic, the investigation provides little more than disappointing proof of the Chinese governments unwillingness to offer transparency. Instead of answering the worlds questions, the report has raised more concern and confusion on the origin of COVID-19.

Health experts and governments are collectively criticizing the disappointing investigation for providing little valuable information and evidence on what really caused the spread of the deadly virus that has since killed 2.8 million people worldwide.

Even the WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, often teased as Secretary Ted for his leniency with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), publicly stated his dissatisfaction with the findings. I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough. Further data and studies will be needed to reach more robust conclusions.

The United States joined 14 national governments in issuing an official joint statement, voicing shared concerns that the international expert study on the source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data, and samples.

The massive 124-page report was written by a team of 34 scientists, all specifically filtered for this investigation, by the WHO and Chinese regime. The report loosely addresses four key theories about the origin of the COVID-19 spread in Wuhan, China.

The first finding determines the origin of the virus was transmission to humans from bats, through an intermediary host, as likely.

The second finding claims the most likely origin of the virus was directly from bats to humans.

The third theory validates a claim pushed by Beijing that the virus was transmitted in China through the import of frozen foods, as possible.

The final theory of the virus leaking from a lab in Wuhan, China is labeled in the report as extremely unlikely with little data to back up its dismissal.

The glaring problem with the report is it offers little valuable information for clearing up the shrouded origin of one of the deadliest global pandemics of our lifetimes. This official investigation presented by the World Health Organization uses so-called scientific experts to claim that frozen food is a more likely source of COVID-19 than a leak from a nearby biolab. This dubious report is a clear echo of subjective CCP claims and holds absolutely no credibility for a world struggling to pinpoint the origin of a global pandemic to prevent further catastrophes.

The WHO Director-General revealed in his remarks that investigators who went to China to investigate the epidemic encountered difficulties in obtaining raw data and access to labs.

The Chinese Communist government repeatedly denied offers of foreign help at the start of its domestic outbreak. They delayed WHO scientists from entering Wuhan for an entire year after the first reported outbreak. When finally allowed into Wuhan, the researchers were forced to wait for days. The data was reported to be secondhand from Chinese scientists and interviews were sourced from Chinese government officials and lab employees.

Scientists selected to conduct the investigations had to be handpicked by China and the WHO. Half of the scientists on the investigation team were directly selected by the Chinese government, giving them massive influence over the final conclusions and results. Many of the experts have direct ties to the Wuhan Virology Lab and the Chinese regime, such as Peter Daszak, leader of EcoHealth Alliance. The very same non-profit that received millions to conduct research at the Wuhan Virology Lab.

A key problem in the WHO report that has been seriously questioned by experts is the allegation that the chance that the virus originated from the Wuhan laboratory is extremely low without much support via real data. Most of the information comes second hand through the statements made by researchers and CCP officials.

The allegations that the Wuhan virology lab started the virus are not hearsay and deserve a fair investigation. Wuhan P4 virus laboratory is located ten kilometers away from the South China Seafood Market. As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic started, it was regarded as a primary suspect as an origin.

More and more expert opinions and various analytical articles pointed to the Wuhan Virus Research Institute as the source of the new coronavirus, believing that the leak caused the spread of the epidemic.

The Washington Post reports that as early as January 2018, members of the U.S. Embassy visited the Wuhan Virology Lab. After their visit, they warned the U.S. government of the labs work on bat coronaviruses and of human transmission risk through a new SARS-like pandemic. The same report by U.S. Embassy representatives also warned that sufficient safety measures were not taken in the lab where the bat coronavirus was being studied.

The U.S. government also discovered evidence that as early as the fall of 2019, several researchers inside the Wuhan Virology Lab became sick, with symptoms reminiscent of COVID-19.

In October 2019, the signals received by mobile phones in the Wuhan P4 laboratory and nearby were almost zero, and nearby traffic was stopped for an unknown reason in a report presented by NBC. According to the report, since October 11, 2020, the signals from the Wuhan P4 laboratory and nearby mobile phones was significantly reduced.

The image shows that the external traffic around the laboratory was completely suspended from October 14th to 19th, and roadblocks were suspected to be erected to prohibit traffic and people from approaching the Wuhan P4 laboratory.

After the outbreak of the CCP virus, also known as the novel Coronavirus, the CCP sent a special military biochemical defense force to take over the laboratory and collected all experimental data in the laboratory. Xi Jinping then subsequently passed Chinas first Biosafety Law.

All these incongruities and questions about this laboratory were dismissed by the two lines in the 124-page report, simply claiming that the Wuhan Virology Labs were well-managed, with a staff health monitoring programme.

The United States Must Hold China Accountable

The actions taken by the Chinese government in its handling of COVID-19 are too suspect to be ignored. COVID-19s impact on the entire world is too severe for its origin to be investigated so lightly. The Chinese government delayed investigations into the origin of the virus for months and made active efforts to prevent the spread of information about the virus.

Lets not forget the arrest of Dr. Li Wenliang, the doctor who died from COVID-19 after trying to publicly warn the world about the virus. Numerous journalists, such as Chen Qiushi and Fan Bing, were threatened by police and went missing after truthfully reporting about the start of the CCP in Wuhan.

The WHO is beholden to the whims of the Chinese government. Without access to real data and the virology labs, they are forced to regurgitate claims made by the CCP, with little evidence to support them. These irresponsible actions hurt the entire world, as demonstrated by the pandemic.

While the WHO is responsible for conducting these investigations on a global scale, we should not confuse who must be held responsible for the lack of transparency and cooperation, the Chinese regime.

There has only been one government in the world that has truly strived to hold the CCP regime seriously accountable for its wrongdoings, and that was the Trump administration.

The Trump administrations pursuit of accountability for the CCP was not to pursue the scientific origin of the virus in mainland China, but to hold it responsible for concealing the pandemic from the world in the early stages of the outbreak and deliberately misleading the international community.

Now, we have a new administration, and the issue at hand is investigating the origin of the virus. Truly investigating the Chinese regimes responsibility for the origin is even more threatening to the CCP, because for now, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic is still widely accepted as a random viral spread.

Identifying the hand that directly permitted COVID-19 to spread through mishandling is a direct threat to the legitimacy of the CCPs authoritarian and totalitarian system. This is what scares the CCP more than anything else.

Secretary of State Blinken must continue Pompeos plan to hold the CCP responsible for its actions. There is far too much at stake.

Alexander Liao is a columnist and news reporter for international affairs studies in the United States, China, and Southeast Asia. He has published numerous reports, reviews, and video programs in newspapers and Chinese financial magazines in the United States and Hong Kong.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Divers inspected the hull of the Ever Given on Wednesday (March 31) as the man tasked with investigating how the giant container ship ran aground, choking off international trade through the Suez Canal, boarded the vessel.

Lead investigator Captain Sayed Sheasha, who boarded the Ever Given on Wednesday afternoon, told Reuters that the investigation would include examining the seaworthiness of the ship and its captain's actions to help determine the causes.

The six-day blockage threw global supply chains into disarray after the 400-metre-long (1,300-foot-long) ship became jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

The SCA said on Wednesday that shipping had returned to normal levels, with a total of 81 ships transiting the canal.

Egypt's Leth Agencies said on Wednesday that a total of 163 ships had transited the Suez Canal since its reopening and that 292 ships were currently waiting.

The blocking of the canal is expected to give rise to flurry of insurance claims, with Lloyd's of London expecting a "large loss", possibly amounting to $100 million or more, according to its chairman.

The Japanese owner of the Ever Given said it had not received any claims or lawsuits over the blockage.

Video Transcript

[NO AUDIO]
The St. Louis Jewish Book Festival will hold a Spring Virtual Popup, featuring four nights of author presentations, from April 18-21.

Headlining the event is longtime St. Louis Public Radio host and TV news anchor Don Marsh, who will discuss his latest crime novel, The Damned and the Doomed on Sunday, April 18. Former KSDK news anchor Karen Foss will interview Marsh.

On Monday, April 19, a womens night panel will feature sociologist Hilary Levey Friedman with her book, Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the American Beauty Pageant and New York Times bestselling author Janice Kaplan with her book, The Genius of Women: From Overlooked to Changing the World.

Tech writer Steven Levey will discuss his new book, Facebook: The Inside Story on Tuesday evening and the popup finishes with a conversation with climate activist and politician Solomon Goldstein-Rose and his book, The 100% Solution: A Plan for Solving Climate Change on Wednesday.

ADVERTISEMENT



This Spring Virtual Popup will be presented online in a virtual home edition format featuring guest interviewers and Q&A discussion with attendees.

The festival is offering a Spring Virtual Pass, which grants access to all four presentations for $36 per household. Passes are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting stljewishbookfestival.org. Individual tickets for each program are also available for $18 per household. Books can be purchased online at mainstreetbooks.net.
Federal health officials said fully vaccinated people may travel as evidence mounts of the shots' effectiveness at helping to protect against coronavirus infections and their spread.

But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that even though fully vaccinated individuals are at lower risk of infection, travel is still not recommended due to the rising number of cases in the United States and globally.

The long-awaited guidance is still welcome news for the growing number of vaccinated adults who want greater freedom to visit family members and take vacations for the first time in a year.It is also expected to help boost the travel and airline industries that have been seeking a relaxation of the restrictions.

The agency updated its guidance because of several newly released studies documenting the strong real-world effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines, and the rapid pace of vaccinations, now close to 3 million people a day. On Friday, the United States surpassed the milestone of 100 million people getting at least one shot.

But CDC Director Rochelle Walensky cautioned in a White House briefing Friday that while fully vaccinated people can now travel at low risk to themselves,"I would advocate against general travel overall. Our guidance is silent on recommending or not recommending fully vaccinated people travel. Our guidance speaks to the safety of doing so."

Providing guidance amid a changing pandemic and science is complex, she acknowledged.

"The science shows us that getting fully vaccinated allows you to do more things safely and it's important for us to provide that guidance even in the context of rising cases," Walensky said. " . . . At the same time, we must balance the science with the fact that most Americans are not yet fully vaccinated, which is likely contributing to a rise in cases."

For that reason, she said, CDC has to continue to reinforce messages about the critical importance of public health measures such as mask-wearing.

For domestic travel, people who are two weeks past their final shot do not need to get a coronavirus test before or after trips and do not need to self-quarantine after travel unless it is required by a state or local jurisdiction. That means fully vaccinated grandparents can fly to visit their healthy grandchildren without getting a coronavirus test or self-quarantining, provided they follow the other recommended public health measures, such as wearing masks on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation.

For international travel, fully vaccinated people do not need to be tested before they leave the United States unless it is required by the destination, the guidance says. For their return to the United States, fully vaccinated people should get tested and have a negative result before they board an international flight back to the United States.And they should also be tested three to five days after arrival back in the United States.

Nearly 40 percent of all adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine and more than 1 in 5 adults are now fully vaccinated, including more than half of seniors, according to the CDC. On Friday, the United States is expected to pass the milestone of 100 million people getting at least one dose.

Friday's guidance builds on the agency's initial recommendations last month that said fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing. Those recommendations also say that vaccinated people can come together in the same way with unvaccinated members in one other household considered at low risk for severe disease, such as vaccinated grandparents visiting healthy children and grandchildren. Fully vaccinated people, the agency said, should keep following health and safety precautions in public, including wearing a mask.

Since the initial guidance was released March 8, the number of Americans who are fully vaccinated has almost doubled, to over 56 million people, or about 17 percent of the total population, according to the CDC.

Inoculation efforts in the United States have accelerated as states push to make more adults eligible for shots from one of three authorized vaccines, heeding a call from the president to rapidly expand eligibility. Virtually all states have announced that they have already or will open up eligibility to all those 16 and older by May 1. President Biden has set a goal to have 200 million doses administered under his presidency by April 30, and the nation is poised to meet that target.

The agency updated its recommendations because of newly released studies showing the real-world effectiveness of the vaccines. In one released Monday of about 4,000 health-care personnel and essential workers, the CDC found the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines reduced the risk of infection by 80% two weeks after one shot. Protection increased to 90 percent two weeks after the second dose. The study is significant because it is one of the first to estimate vaccine effectiveness against infection - rather than just monitoring for symptomatic cases - including infections that resulted in no symptoms, according to the CDC.

On Wednesday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced their vaccine was safe and effective in adolescents as young as 12. Data from a trial of the vaccine in nearly 2,300 people between the ages of 12 and 15 will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in coming weeks, with the hope that vaccinations could begin before the next school year for younger teens, pending a regulatory green light, Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently authorized by the FDA for emergency use for people 16 and older.

On Thursday, new data from the ongoing trial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has reinforced early results showing its high efficacy and provided the first hint that the vaccine may work against the more-virulent B. 1.351 variant first detected in South Africa, which has raised global alarm because it can evade some forms of immunity. The updated trial data was announced by news release from the U.S. firm Pfizer and the German company BioNTech and has yet to be peer-reviewed and published.

The CDC's guidance for nonvaccinated travelers remain the same: They must still get tested one to three days before traveling domestically and again, three to five days afterward. And they should also self-quarantine for seven days after the trip's conclusion, or for 10 days if they don't get tested afterward.

The updated recommendations were welcomed by the air and travel industries, which have been pushing the CDC for changes. Last month, airlines recorded their best month for passenger traffic since the pandemic began and CDC's announcement that travel is considered "low-risk" for those who are fully vaccinated will likely fuel additional demand.

"The CDC's data suggests that vaccinated individuals don't transmit the coronavirus, which opens the door much wider for resuming travel, albeit while continuing to carefully follow other health best practices," said Roger Dow, president of the U.S. Travel Association. "Acknowledging that vaccinations eliminate the need for testing and quarantines removes a key barrier to domestic travel."

Officials with the Transportation Security Administration said there were 26 days in March when more than a million people moved through security checkpoints. That number is still far below 2019 when TSA was routinely screening more than 2 million passengers a day, but significantly higher than this point last year. For example on April 1 of last year, only 124,021 people moved through those checkpoints.

But more lucrative business customers still have not returned. Even so, airlines executives are hopeful the spring travel boom will translate to a busy summer season.

In addition to urging the CDC to update its travel guidance for the vaccinated, the industry is also pushing the administration to lift restrictions on international visitors. Last month, a coalition of travel groups, including Airlines for America and the U.S. Travel Association, sent a four-page letter to Jeffrey Zients, the White House's covid-19 response coordinator, saying they were eager to partner with the administration on a plan to reopen the U.S. to international visitors.

"We are ready to welcome back travelers and keep them safe," the coalition wrote. "And the time to plan for and chart a defined road map to reopen international travel is now."

In January, the Biden administration had extended a ban on travelers from Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 other European countries. The administration also added those who had recently been in South Africa to the list. The decision to extend it was part of an effort to help contain the spread of fast-moving variants.

The coalition said in the letter it hoped to have a plan by May 1 that could be implemented this summer, as long as "vaccine distribution and epidemiological trends continue in a positive direction."

But doing away with the ban may prove trickier given infection trends in Europe, where several countries are reimposing restrictions because of a new surge.
For years lifeguards have advocated swimming parallel to the beach to escape rip currents. Milton exclaims this method is obsolete and incomplete. He explains Lifeguards tell swimmers to go parallel to escape rips, they don't say how far, in which direction or where to come in.

The Willis brothers are not alone in denouncing this antiquated lifeguard method. Dr. Jaime MacMahan of the Monterey Institute of Oceanography, who received a substantial grant to study rip currents, has stated swimming parallel to escape rip currents is more dangerous than simply floating and letting the rip take you.

MacMahan maintains the rip current will take a swimmer out and eventually circle around bringing them back to shore.

Milton and Michael endorse Think Waves the Surfers Way. Michael explains waves are always going to the shore, common sense if a swimmer wants to get to the shore swim toward the waves. Thus he says rips out waves in.

Rip currents and waves are like transports of the sea. For years surfers have used the sea's energy and natural occurring currents to get out beyond the breakers and waves to get back in to the shore, it's that simple.

When it comes to avoiding rip currents the Willis brothers say lifeguards will tell you to stay out of the water, Milton and Michael will tell you stay in front of the waves.

The Surfers Way is tried true and proven for hundreds of years by experienced Surfers worldwide the brothers add.

Good news N.O.A.A. who establishes rip current policies has adapted the Surfers Way in pictograph format and now appears in new posters along with "Know your Options".

This isn't enough, Milton says, as most lifeguards despite N.O.A.A.'s endorsing the Surfers Way Think Waves remain unaware of this highly valuable life saving method.

Milton and Michael both know about saving lives. Milton was awarded the Certificate of Life Saving Merit from the City and County of Honolulu for successful rescue under extremely hazardous surf conditions. Michael is credited with rescuing Hawaiian Lifeguard and legendary surfer Titus Kinimaka, the most dramatic rescue in surfing history.

For more information visit ThinkWaves.org

SOURCE Think Waves

Related Links

https://www.thinkwaves.org


All praise and thank be to Allah. He has blessed us with seasons in which the rewards for good deeds are multiplied and attributed, particularly Ramadan with greater virtues and blessings. In it, He the Almighty has urged us to strive in acts of worship.

I bear witness that there is no deity but Him, having no associates.

I also testify that Muhammad is His Messenger, the best of servants who prayed, fasted and honoured ties of kinship. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our master Muhammad, his family, his companions, and all those who will follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment. Ameen.

Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you and myself to be mindful of Allah the Almighty and obey Him, in light of what He says:

O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous. [Surah Al-Baqarah: 183]

Dear Servants of Allah, time goes by so quickly and because days and months are short the noble Quran urges us to recall the days of Allah, as He says:

And remind them of the days of Allah. Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful. [Surah Ibrahim: 5]

The meaning of this Quranic verse is shown in the Hadith by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) when he said:

Days of Allah means the grace (favours) of Allah.

His blessings upon us are countless: He has conferred upon us Islam, guided us to faith, bequeathed us a land that we are benefitting from its goodness, blessed us with abundant provision and granted us a just Prophet who cares for us, to name but a few. For all of these and others we must praise him.

Respected brothers and sisters, it was reported that when the sacred month of Ramadan was approaching, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) would gather his Companions and remind them of Allahs favours upon them, saying:

There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. In it the gates of heavens are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and every devil is chained up. In it Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months; whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.

Dear Servants of Allah, as we are on the threshold of Ramadan, in which Allah grants rewards as measured by Himself as mentioned by the Prophet (Peace be upon him):

Every act of the son of Adam is for him except fasting. It is done for My sake, and I will give a reward for it.

Let us therefore prepare for it with Zikr and praising Allah for He sent down (revealed) the Quran in this noble month. The Glorified and Exalted is He says:

The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. [Surah Al-Baqarah: 185]

Let us also increase our prayers and recitation of Quran and ponder its meanings. The Companions, may Allah pleased with them, used to read Quran and remember Allah, seeking His rewards and pardon as well as purity. The Almighty says:

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O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts (hearts) and guidance and mercy for the believers. [Surah Yunus: 57]

For Muslims, Quran and fasting Ramadan are path to intercession and forgiveness. It was narrated that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

Fasting and Quran will intercede on behalf of the servant, fasting will say, O Allah I deprived him from eating and drinking, let me intercede for him. In addition, The Quran says, O Allah I deprived him from sleeping at night let me intercede for him. In the end, they are permitted to intercede on his behalf.

Dear Servants of Allah, please seize the opportunity while you are closer to Allah by supplicating to Him. Indeed prayer (Dua) is the fruit of worshipping, rather its core and essence. Allahs Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:

verily supplication (Dua) is worship.

As it is associated with fasting. The Almighty says:

And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me  indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided. [Surah Al-Baqarah: 186]

So let us supplicate to our Lord further, for ourselves, our families, our loved ones, living and dead, our leaders, our nations/countries and anyone who has a right upon us, including our leaders and rulers.

Indeed, glad tidings to those who have their minds guided to Zikr and their breasts (hearts) expanded to glorify their Lord. With this spirit, they can think, reflect and ask for forgiveness. Our Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

A man does nothing to rescue himself from Allahs punishment better than remembering Allah (Zikr).

This is a call for us to remember Allah during days and nights because He the Almighty is pleased with His servants who remember Him when they eat and drink, or when they make a mistake or forget. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Indeed Allah is pleased with the servant who, upon eating his food or drinking his drink, he praises Him for it.

So as we remember our Lord, He does, and as we praises Him He increases His blessing upon us.

Dear Muslims, as Ramadan is starting, it is one of the perfect times to remember Allah and ask for His forgiveness. The Exalted is He says:

And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed. [Surah An-Nur: 31]

The believer needs to benefit from the repentance reward and so to make up for what he may forget or ignore. Allahs Messenger (Peace be upon him) used to supplicate:

O Allah, forgive me my faults, my ignorance, my immoderation in my concern. And you are better aware (of my affairs) than myself. O Allah, grant me forgiveness (of the faults which I committed) seriously or otherwise (and which I committed) inadvertently and deliberately. All these (failings) are in me. O Allah, grant me forgiveness from the faults, which I did in haste or deferred, which I committed in privacy or in public and you are better aware (of them) than myself. You are the First and the Last and over all things you are Omnipotent.

Dear Servants of Allah, truly Ramadan is a month of charity, a month of goodness and forgiveness. So please do good for the sake of Allah by giving Sadaqah and Zakah to help the needy fulfill their fasting and prayers. Please pay your Zakah through reliable entities like Mosques and Zakah and Waqf centers and give your Sadaqah to Islamic charities centers so that your giving be beneficially distributed. Another good act during Ramadan is offering Iftar (breakfast meal) for fasting people. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

Whoever provides the food for a fasting person to break his fast with, then for his is the same reward as his (the fasting persons), without anything being diminished from the reward of the fasting person.

Furthermore, you are asked to adopt the best of manners in dealing with people, for fasting is a protection from committing sins. Our beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to advise people to have a good attitude and be patient. He (Peace be upon him) would say:

If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, I am fasting.

Dear brothers and sisters, knowing this, we need to show the positive meaning of fasting by treating everyone well, keeping a smile and accomplishing our tasks and duties perfectly well.

So turn to Allah through acts of worship, pray to him by obedience and sincerely thank Him.

Indeed, whoever is granted mercy during the fasting month, is, by Allahs grace, forgiven; whoever is denied its benefits, is deprived; and whoever fails to avail himself of its goodness for his after-life, is to blame.

With this in mind, may Allah make us to be amongst those who will witness the coming Ramadan, bless it for us all and accept our fasting. May Allah help us also to obey You, Your Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and those You have decreed on us to obey in compliance with You orders. Allah Almighty says:

O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. [Surah An-Nisa: 59]

Dear brothers and sisters, with the most precious guest, the month of Ramadan, just a couple of days away, its time to prepare our hearts to welcome it. And among the ways to do so is by getting a headstart on your good deeds.

Greet your Ramadan with Sadaqah and schedule your donation to our Islamic centres today! Your donation will be automatically processed on the first of Ramadan In Shaa Allah.

May Allah soften our hearts and fortify our souls in preparation for this truly special guest.

May Allah direct us all to the blessings of the Glorious Quran and the Sunnah of His Messenger (Peace be upon him) and benefit us all in whatever is in them.

I say this and ask Allah the Great, the Most Honoured for forgiveness for me, for you and for all the Muslims for every sin committed, so invoke Him for forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

May Allah send His Salah and Salam upon our noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

And all praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.

And I pray, May Allah grant us the opportunity to witness this coming month of Ramadan in good health, ameen.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for, delivery today, Friday, Shaaban 19, 1442 AH (April 02, 2021).
The document gives details of the number of schools, teachers and pupils in the sector.

The Ministry of Basic Education and its partners have validated the statistical directory and the analytical report results of the 2019/2020 school map. The event took place on March 30, 2021 in Yaounde. The Secretary of State at the Ministry of Basic Education, Vivian Asheri Kilo, while presiding at the event said getting the statistics was a tedious procedure which involved all regional and divisional delegates of the Basic Education sector and experts in data collection. After debating on the document for some three-hours, Dr Asheri Kilo said Cameroonians now have a vivid picture of the school map of the Basic Education sector in Cameroon.

Dr Asheri Kilo said that people will no longer complain about images of schools without teachers, pupils studying under trees etc. The document, she noted, has given details of the Basic Education sector and the difficulties in the field. The Secretary of State said these difficulties will be presented to the competent authorities for funding to be made available and the recommendations will be taken into consideration for the proper functioning of the sector.

One of the data analysts, Grace Akpo Ntua, said after analyzing statistics, it was recommended that basic education should be more inclusive and equitable. This will enable all school-aged children to acquire the basic skills required through full primary education. This will be through the effective implementation of policies promoting the reduction of inequalities in educational achievements. The 2019/2020 school map analysis report presents the development of basic education, a global analysis of schooling and internal efficiency of the system, quality of the educational offer, learning conditions and funding in the sector.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Cameroon Education By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The report reveals that from the effective demand for nursery education, out of 10, three children are scolarised in the English sub system while 7 children are in the French sub system. Also, three children out of 10 in the effective demand attend nursery school in the rural area while seven out of 10 do so in the urban area. According to enrolment of pupils by region, about 3 out of 10 pupils are schooling in the Centre and Littoral Regions. The North West and South West Regions are at the baseline with just 3.4 per cent. Effective demand by sub system portrays that enrolment of pupils in the French Sub System is 84.6 per cent while it stands at 15.4 per cent in the English Sub System. In the same light, 43 per cent of primary schools are located in the urban area while 57 per cent are in the rural area.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th March, 2021) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his counterpart from the Dominican Republic, Roberto Alvarez, on Tuesday discussed over the phone the prospects for expanding cooperation between Moscow and Santo Domingo, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"During the conversation, issues of strengthening and expanding Russian-Dominican cooperation, as well as topical issues of the regional and international agenda, were discussed," the ministry said in a statement.

Dominican Ambassador in Moscow Hans Dannenberg Castellanos said in an interview with Sputnik in January that the Dominican government aspired to boost trade relations and cooperation with Russia, including in economic, investment and scientific spheres.
Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a lecturer of the Central University, has challenged the Member of Parliament(MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to disclose the principles on which he has resigned from Parliament's Appointments Committee.



Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa participated in the vetting of some Ministers-designate but after the vetting and approval of Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister, he has issued a letter communicating his decision to resign.



Addressing the letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa stated emphatically that his resignation takes immediate effect.



The North Tongu MP explained his decision comes ''after days of careful reflection and thoughtful considerations. I shall like to state that the reasons for this difficult decision is both personal and on principle", which means he will not be part of the Committee to vet President Nana Akufo-Addos Deputy Minister nominees yet to take place.



Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah says the North Tongu MP's resignation is shrouded in ambiguity.



He stated it will be better for him to make public the set of principles or reasons that informed his decision.



"At what point did he say something didn't go right, so it goes against my principles? When you put it that way, you make it so vague and you'll leave people to speculate. What are your principles which have caused your resignation?'' he queried.





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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Despite rising revenues the firm that owns Costa saw its profits decline

The company that runs Costa Coffee, KFC and Pizza Hut outlets in Ireland saw its profits fall to 9.5m in the 12 months to the end of January 2020, despite revenue rising 5pc to 106.2m.

Even though the accounts being signed off in February this year, the directors of the firm insisted they cant reasonably estimate the impact of the pandemic on their business.

The company behind the brands in Ireland, Tuli Holdings, is owned by brothers Sundeep and Raju Tuli, who are based in Scotland.

A small proportion of the companys revenue relates to activities in the UK.

The firm had generated a profit of 10.1m in the previous financial year. It paid interim dividends totalling 443,000 in 2020, compared to almost 1.8m it paid in 2019.

It declared dividends of 448,000 in respect of the 2020 financial year, the accounts note.

The food and beverage trade has been among the worst-hit sectors over the past year as lockdowns hammered the business.

Tuli Holdings revenue rose in the 2020 financial year as it opened eight additional outlets in the period.

The company controls all Costa Coffee outlets in Ireland, as well as some KFC and Pizza Hut stores.

Last year, Northern Ireland businessman Michael Herbert sold 146 KFC outlets he controlled across the island of Ireland to the UK-based EG Group.

That deal was completed just before Ireland entered its first lockdown.

Tuli Holdings accounts note that the Covid pandemic began to impact the companys business noticeably in the first quarter of its 2021 financial year, which ended in January.

That first quarter covered the period from February to the end of April last year.

During this period, the group complied with Government regulations for mandatory shutdown of its store outlets, it pointed out.

The group has put in necessary safeguards to minimise costs during this time and ensure the safety of its employees and customers.

The related impact on the groups results of operations, cash flows and financial condition will be material, but cannot be reasonably estimated at this time, the directors add in the accounts.

The company had more than 2,000 employees at the end of its 2020 financial year.
The empty parking of the closed Terminal 2A is seen at Charles-de-Gaulle airport on Friday, April 2, 2021. Reuters

France's Charles de Gaulle airport - one of the world's busiest transport hubs - was eerily quiet Friday as nationwide lockdowns snapped into place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

A Reuters photo shows the shuttered Terminal 2A at the Paris airport completely empty. The airport has already seen 75 to 80% fewer passengers compared to a usual Easter travel season, Reuters reported.

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the country would go into lockdown for four weeks to combat the pandemic. Cases across the country have been rising.

Read the original article on Insider
ASHLAND, Ore.  The City of Ashland is looking ahead to the establishment of an urban campground for the homeless, similar to one currently operating in Medford, after receiving a $300,000 grant from the state of Oregon.

The City said in a statement that it is looking to partner with Rogue Retreat to develop and run an urban campground on the south end of the Rogue Valley. Rogue Retreat has a number of emergency shelter and transitional housing services in Medford and Grants Pass, and currently runs the Medford urban campground.

Ashland's proposal would include also include Options for Helping Residents of Ashland for a "multi-pronged approach"  offering sheltering opportunities that are considered non-congregate and COVID-safe for both individuals and families. It would include the purchase of ten pre-fabricated pallet shelters, to be placed in a temporary regulated campground.

"The campground will utilize the coordinated entry and HMIS systems to identify and prioritize residents to be welcomed into the camp, as well as referrals from law enforcement and partner organizations, such as Option for Helping Residents of Ashland," the City said. "Rogue Retreat will oversee the camp and utilize their existing case management model to connect campers to additional community resources and work toward transitioning them to more permanent housing."

The City said that they have not yet found a location for the future urban campground, but they've been working with Rogue Retreat to vet possible locations, with the hope of locking one down in "the next couple of months." It is expected to open in June.

Ashland received the grant from Oregon Housing and Community Services, sourced from CARES Act funding set aside for funding non-congregate shelter options that would be safer during the pandemic.
ANN ARBOR, MI  The University of Michigan Board of Regents called on regent Ron Weiser to resign from his position on the board and passed a resolution, but Weiser said he will not be canceled.

The board called the special meeting to address Weisers comments, which included calling Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson the three witches and said the GOP needs to make sure they are ready for the burning at the stake.

Weiser also referenced the concept of assassination when asked what could be done about Republican U.S. Reps. Peter Meijer and Fred Upton, who voted in favor of impeaching former Republican President Donald Trump.

Weisers comments were captured in a video shared on social media.

Some University of Michigan regents call on Weiser to resign following three witches, assassination comments

Board Chair Denise Illitch introduced a resolution that condemns Weisers language and called on Weiser to resign from the board. The resolution passed 5-0 with Weiser and Regent Sarah Hubbard abstaining. Regent Katherine White was absent from the meeting.

Before the vote, Weiser apologized for his words and took full responsibility and regrets his poorly chosen words that were offhand remarks made at a private Republican Party meeting.

I agree with part of this resolution, Weiser continued, but I will not resign. I pledge to be part of a respectful dialogue going forward and challenge my colleagues and others to do the same. I will not be canceled.

Weiser left the meeting soon after and reiterated that he would not be canceled when asked for further comment after the meeting.

All regents in attendance spoke before the vote, including Board Vice Chair Jordan Acker, who said that Weisers comments on March 26 were no accident.

Regent Weiser had a choice that night. He could have been the leader that we ask our own students to become. He could have stood against cruelty and violence and lies, and set an example that our own students could follow in their own lives when they confront the forces of division, Acker said. Instead, he indulged that hate. He fed it as an arsonist feeds a small flame.

Instead of being a leader, he did not just follow but coaxed the crowd into a dark place, Acker said.

Regent Mike Behm spoke after Acker and said Weisers statements are not only dangerous and warrant violent behavior, but they serve to suppress Michigan citizens from exercising their right to vote and are a form of voter intimidation.

The statements Weiser made are at odds with everything this great university, our state, our country and good people hold sacred, said Regent Paul Brown. He knows Weiser to be an exceptional regent, Brown said, and while he believes in redemption and tries to practice forgiveness, Brown said any official engaging in such speech should not remain in public office, especially at an institution like UM that values gender equality and protection of womens rights.

Regent Sarah Hubbard, the only other Republican on the board, said does not agree with the language used by Weiser and expects respect and professionalism, as other public officials should. Hubbard added that shes looking forward to getting back to important issues facing the university, including striving for academic excellence and focusing on student needs.

Before the vote, Illitch added that if Weiser truly loves the university, he will put the university first and resign.

It has become clear that serving as chair of a statewide political party is simply not compatible with serving on this board, and the situation is only likely to intensify as we get closer to the 2022 elections and the state party chair becomes more and more of a public focal point, Illitch said.

In recent days, many have called on Weiser to resign, including other UM regents, leaders of the Congregations of Catholic Sisters in Michigan, eight state lawmakers and UMs Lecturers Employees Organization. Other officials including UM President Mark Schlissel, Board Chairwoman Denise Illitch, Provost Susan Collins and 21 deans at the university condemned Weisers comments but did not call on him to resign.

Several University of Michigan deans condemn comments made by GOP chairman

After the vote, Illitch used her power as board chair to reassign board members to committees, which included removing Weiser as a member on the finance committee and UM-Dearborn and Flint committee.

Correction: A previous version of this story said the regents voted 6-0 in favor of the resolution with Regent Hubbard abstaining and Weiser absent.

READ MORE:

1,800 University of Michigan faculty members publicly condemn Ron Weisers comments

University of Michigan regent, GOP chair temporarily suspends social media, email accounts after threats

Some University of Michigan regents call on Weiser to resign following three witches, assassination comments
In 1977, luxury automaker Lamborghini demonstrated its new 4x4 off-road prototype vehicle for the U.S. military. Codenamed Cheetah, the Pentagon wasnt impressed with the way the Lamborghini handled, and only one was ever built.

Lamborghini continued tooling the Cheetahs design and eventually produced the LM002, a redesigned luxury version of the Cheetah. Only 328 were built, making it one of the rarest cars of our time.

Now there are 327 LM002s in the world.

In July of 2004, U.S. troops packed one with explosives and blew it up to demonstrate what an vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) can do to the concrete barriers protecting their base.

In the late 1970s, the United States was looking to replace the M151 44 utility truck, a beefed-up version of the classic World War II-era Willys MB Jeep. The M151 was the Jeeps successor, first entering service in the early 1960s. Lamborghini was contracted to produce that potential replacement.

Lamborghini produced a prototype called the Cheetah, which had a rear-mounted V8 engine, three-speed automatic transmission and a roomy interior for soldiers wearing combat gear and carrying M16 rifles. What it didnt have was enough power to meet the requirements for the U.S. military. It also handled like a shopping cart. The Pentagon took a hard pass on the Cheetah.

The automaker didnt give up on the design, however. The next prototype, the LM001, had a different engine but mounting it in the rear of the vehicle still caused handling problems. For the next iteration, Lamborghini finally moved the engine to the front and replaced it with a V12. When the LM002 debuted in 1986, it quickly was nicknamed the Rambo Lambo.

A 1988 LM002 on display in Dusseldorf, Germany.

But the United States already had decided on a replacement for the M151, adopting the AM General HMMWV, the Humvee we all know and love. That was fine by Lamborghini, which began making the cars for the civilian market.

It was the Italian automakers first sport utility vehicle, an off-road car that could reach speeds of more than 100 mph. A new LM002 featured a V12 Lamborghini Countach engine, custom, run-flat tread tires, all-leather interior, power windows and air conditioning. The luxury SUV had a sticker price of $158,000 in 1986 (which is roughly $379,000 in 2021 dollars), so the 328 models Lamborghini produced ended up in the hands of ultra-wealthy buyers, like the Sultan of Brunei and Uday Hussein, son of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Thats how an LM002 ended up in the hands of U.S. troops in 2004. Uday Hussein was killed alongside his brother, Qusay, after a prolonged shootout with the U.S. 101st Airborne Division in July 2003. The soldiers were just doing their job, wiring what looked like a beat-up old vehicle to explode to ensure their walls in Baqubah, Iraq, could withstand the blast.

Army explosives ordnance disposal technicians filled the backseat with explosives to simulate a VBIED attack.

By then, his LM002 didnt look like much, so its hard to blame anyone for not thinking much of it -- but car history lovers still might shed a tear.

The soldiers filled the car up with so much dynamite, all that remained of it was the LM002s engine block and front suspension, making the LM002 even rarer than ever.

Models that survive today are worth as much as $300,000 in private sales but can fetch up to $500,000 at auction.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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People have been urged not break the 5km travel limit to travel to holiday homes to celebrate the Easter break.

Superintendent David Kelly, of Milford Garda station in Donegal, said only necessary journeys should be undertaken this weekend.

Covid-19 is having a big impact on peoples lives. But we are asking people to stick with the public health advice, the vaccines are being rolled out now and we will see the benefit of it, he said.

In relation to people visiting coastal regions like Donegal where they have holiday homes, he said: This virus doesnt respect boundaries. We would be asking people to stay within 5km of their own home address.

He said he would ask people to take a common-sense approach if they have an issue in relation to their holiday home.

I know from policing Donegal over the years, a lot of people who have holiday homes have very good relationships with people in the locality who look out for their houses anyway. I would ask for that sort of system that has worked in the past to be used again, he said.

Dr Anthony Breslin, director of public health in the north-west said: "As cases of Covid decrease, its more important than ever that we all limit the number of contacts we have with others.

"We need to restrict our movements and we must remain vigilant to protect ourselves and our loved ones. We have seen some outbreaks following parties and this has to stop. The more risks people take and the more people they meet can have a really significant impact on the spread of Covid-19.

"This is particularly important if people socialise over the Easter break. If you take a risk today, tomorrow, or over the next few days, then you are taking that risk on behalf of anyone you see. Think about the impact that being diagnosed with Covid-19 would have on those close to you."

Meanwhile, Chief Executive of Donegal County Council Mr John McLaughlin, also asked people not to visit other households this long weekend.

"Easter is traditionally a time of celebration, for gathering together to enjoy the company of family and loved ones, but we must refrain from doing so this year to preserve the progress we have made over the past number of months, he said.

"This is such a difficult thing to do, we have all become weary of the impact of restrictions on our lives, but we must continue to protect our vulnerable, our front-line workers and one another.

"This bank holiday weekend, remember public health advice, together our actions will curb the spread of Covid 19.

Dr Emer Shelley, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health for the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland said: The last thing the country needs right now is for families to be mixing,.

Its really undesirable.

With around 600 new cases popping up no county can assume its safe.

And despite the best intentions to have just immediate family, like parents or siblings, over for a meal or a drink, the virus doesnt differentiate between those nearest and dearest to us and total strangers, she added.

Cases arose in very innocent circumstances, she said, citing a recent example of seeing a group of children all seated together on a blanket in the park with their mothers huddled next to one another drinking takeaway coffees who could well be spreading the virus amongst themselves.

There were a dozen three or four years on a rug with the mums standing around with coffees, she said.

Its just not wise.

Read More

And even if someone appears to be healthy, it still doesnt mean that dont have the virus and can pass it on to others, she added.

Because most cases are asymptomatic, you just dont know if someone has picked it up, she said.

Playdates, all of that extra contact all adds up to extra risk. Even though being outdoors is less risky, its still a risk.

And while two households can meet up outdoors for exercise under the current restrictions, it doesnt mean that they should be socialising, she said.

It doesnt mean standing around on the street chatting. That gives the impression to everyone that its okay.

When children are flying around on scooters theyre low risk. But for the adults standing around chatting to each other with no mask, anything other than just saying hello is not a good idea.

And while she acknowledged that everyone is fed up with the restrictions and are itching to get out and meet friends and family, she said now is not the time to let down our guard.

Its just not safe at this stage. We can still enjoy a few days off this Easter. But in the interests of the wellbeing for the entire country, it just makes sense to be patient. If we can just batten down the hatches for the next couple of weeks.




The WHO is promoting a new international pandemic treaty to be drawn up and signed by the worlds nations. In their announcement on March 30th 2021 entitled COVID-19 shows why united action is needed for more robust international health architecture, the WHO (World Health Organization) predictably appeals to vague general principles and noble-sounding values in an attempt to entice humanity to support its quest for globalism and more centralization of power. While it doesnt use the buzzword sustainable this time, it does use another of its favorite buzzwords equitable. The WHO claims that everyone must have universal and equitable access to safe, efficacious and affordable vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for the current and future pandemics, however it has already gone wrong, since as the facts have shown, COVID is not a pandemic but rather an operation, an agenda, a PCR casedemic and a scamdemic. Those skeptical of authorities asking for more collaboration as a ruse to grab more power should note that the current EU structure came about first via treaties. So lets take a closer look at the words used to push this new international pandemic treaty.

Right on Cue, 23 World Leaders Plus WHO Boss Read Their Scripts to Promote International Pandemic Treaty

When the NWO (New World Order) wants to push their agenda forward, they roll out their devoted system-servers, bootlickers and gofers to get the public on board. In this case, the NWO controllers have used the 3 most powerful Western European leaders (UK prime minister Boris Johnson, German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron), 20 other world leaders plus WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (24 signatories in all), to push the idea of an international pandemic treaty. This NWO move is very predictable since it follows their time-tested formula of creating a crisis then exploiting that crisis to consolidate power, as they always do with false flag operations. Here is the letter reproduced in full:

The Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest challenge to the global community since the 1940s. At that time, following the devastation of two world wars, political leaders came together to forge the multilateral system. The aims were clear: to bring countries together, to dispel the temptations of isolationism and nationalism, and to address the challenges that could only be achieved together in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation: namely, peace, prosperity, health and security. Today, we hold the same hope that as we fight to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic together, we can build a more robust international health architecture that will protect future generations. There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone. The question is not if, but when. Together, we must be better prepared to predict, prevent, detect, assess and effectively respond to pandemics in a highly coordinated fashion. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe. We are, therefore, committed to ensuring universal and equitable access to safe, efficacious and affordable vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for this and future pandemics. Immunisation is a global public good and we will need to be able to develop, manufacture and deploy vaccines as quickly as possible. This is why the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) was set up in order to promote equal access to tests, treatments and vaccines and support health systems across the globe. ACT-A has delivered on many aspects but equitable access is yet to be achieved. There is more we can do to promote global access. To that end, we believe that nations should work together towards a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response. Such a renewed collective commitment would be a milestone in stepping up pandemic preparedness at the highest political level. It would be rooted in the constitution of the World Health Organisation, drawing in other relevant organisations key to this endeavour, in support of the principle of health for all. Existing global health instruments, especially the International Health Regulations, would underpin such a treaty, ensuring a firm and tested foundation on which we can build and improve. The main goal of this treaty would be to foster an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics. This includes greatly enhancing international cooperation to improve, for example, alert systems, data-sharing, research, and local, regional and global production and distribution of medical and public health countermeasures, such as vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and personal protective equipment. It would also include recognition of a One Health approach that connects the health of humans, animals and our planet. And such a treaty should lead to more mutual accountability and shared responsibility, transparency and cooperation within the international system and with its rules and norms. To achieve this, we will work with heads of state and governments globally and all stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector. We are convinced that it is our responsibility, as leaders of nations and international institutions, to ensure that the world learns the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic. At a time when Covid-19 has exploited our weaknesses and divisions, we must seize this opportunity and come together as a global community for peaceful cooperation that extends beyond this crisis. Building our capacities and systems to do this will take time and require a sustained political, financial and societal commitment over many years. Our solidarity in ensuring that the world is better prepared will be our legacy that protects our children and grandchildren and minimises the impact of future pandemics on our economies and our societies. Pandemic preparedness needs global leadership for a global health system fit for this millennium. To make this commitment a reality, we must be guided by solidarity, fairness, transparency, inclusiveness and equity.

An Analysis of the Call for an International Pandemic Treaty

It is useful to take a closer look at some of the language, themes and modes of persuasion employed in this letter.

Firstly, notice how the writers frame the COVID plandemic as similar to a war. That was always the idea: to orchestrate a disruption with the impact of a world war without having to actually conduct a hot war. Wars have always served the NWO, not only as a tremendous source of hate, murder and mayhem, not only for depopulation, but also as a massive force of chaos that allows for restructuring in the aftermath.

Secondly, note the appeal to protection and safety: a more robust international health architecture that will protect future generations. Whatever you think of COVID, its spread or not had little to do with how robust the world health architecture was. This is just a blatant cry for world government. As Plato once said, This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.

Thirdly, note the firm prediction that there will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies  The question is not if, but when which is exactly in alignment with Bill Gates warning of Pandemic 2 or Pandemic II. This is more fear and more predictive programming to entice you to surrender and acquiesce to the idea of an inevitable new normal with wholesale deprivation of freedom and rights.

Fourthly, notice how the writers appeal to humanitys commonality (nobodys safe until everyone is safe) which echoes another idea that has been used as nauseam by officials during this scamdemic (we are all in this together). The idea is based on pretending they care about the common welfare of society and humanity while systematically exploiting the average persons compassion to gain power. It also blatantly ignores the obvious truth that each person, being bestowed with an immune system, is responsible for their own health. As an aside, since those exposing the COVID scamdemic are being labeled as COVID deniers, I wonder if all those pushing the COVID cult could justly be labeled immune system deniers?

Fifthly, such a treaty, if it ever became a reality, would pave the way for even more shared surveillance so that there is literally nowhere you can go in the world without some authority knowing everything about you:  greatly enhancing international cooperation to improve, for example, alert systems, data-sharing 

Sixthly, the idea of such a treaty is also to make vaccines mandatory worldwide and reduce or eliminate vaccine hesitancy: research, and local, regional and global production and distribution of medical and public health counter measures, such as vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and personal protective equipment.

In the sentence The main goal of this treaty would be to foster an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics the underlying idea is to make sure everyone is forcibly included in the governmental remedy. Its all-of-society which means mandatory rules for everyone (except the rulemakers who can break the rules with contempt). You dont want to wear a mask, take a vaccine or stay under house arrest? Tough! We are all in this together, so do what youre told, you filthy peon.

Lastly, the letter finishes by appealing to solidarity, fairness, transparency, inclusiveness and equity which just goes to show that the politically correct woke mentality is everywhere and that you must submit to the religion of inclusivity, even if you dont want to be included.

Final Thoughts

We need to be hyper-aware of such attempts to make order out of chaos and to exploit peoples fear and ignorance to centralize power. This idea of an international pandemic treaty is yet another steppping stone on the way to a NWO One World Government. We would do well to remain vigilant in the face of any further calls for consolidation of decision-making, regardless of whether they are draped in peace, protection, prosperity, sustainability, solidarity, fairness, transparency, inclusiveness or equity  or whatever other sparkly and glittery garb the NWO manipuators use to disguise their nefarious agenda.

*****

Makia Freeman is the editor of alternative media / independent news site The Freedom Articles, author of the book Cancer: The Lies, the Truth and the Solutions and senior researcher at ToolsForFreedom.com. Makia is on Steemit and LBRY.

Sources:

*https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/op-edcovid-19-shows-why-united-action-is-needed-for-more-robust-international-health-architecture

*https://thefreedomarticles.com/covid-cult-and-the-10-stages-of-genocide/

*https://thefreedomarticles.com/operation-coronavirus-next-phases-resurgence-prediction-bioterror-attack/

*https://thefreedomarticles.com/political-correctness-language-thought-control/
Indigo's Vice President Nitin Sethi has joined Adani Group as Chief Digital Officer of Consumer Business, Sethi announced his move in a LinkedIn post.

"I am looking forward to enabling the Digital Transformation, Customer Centric Design Thinking, Customer Empathy, Technology Roadmap, and unified thinking of the Groups consumer businesses", he wrote.

Sethi has 20 years of work experience in Digital Transformation, Product Design, and User Experience. Before joining the Adani Group, he was leading Digital Transformation for Indigo Airlines in Gurugram.

Nitin Sethi has also worked with Quickr as VP and Group Head - Experience and Product Design.

Prior to this, he was also associated with organizations such as Info Edge India (Naukri.com Group), India Art Village, Babyoye.com, Dainik Bhaskar Group, Prism Education, Mega Softwares, rediff.com, Times Internet, and Bharti Airtel.
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Effective 1 April, if you are contributing more than 2.5 lakh in your Employees Provident Fund (EPF), the interest earned on the same will be taxable as per the newly notified rules under the Finance Act 2021.

This has made some people wonder if they should continue contributing towards a voluntary provident fund (VPF) which earns the same interest as that of EPF and enjoys the same tax treatment.

We have got various queries from our clients who are asking if they should continue with the investments or not," said Prakash Hegde, a Bengaluru-based chartered accountant.

Employees will need to inform their employers at the beginning of the financial year about the VPF contributions or any change in the same.

BUDGET PROPOSAL

In Budget 2021, the government proposed to tax the interest earned on employees contribution above 2.5 lakh. The government has further raised the statutory limit to 5 lakh in those cases where there is no contribution by employers. This amendment will benefit government sector employees.

Most of the experts are advising their clients to continue investing in VPF as it is currently offering an interest rate of 8.5%, which is much higher than the interest rate being offered by small savings schemes such as public provident fund (PPF).

PPF is offering an interest rate of 7.1%, which was revised downwards to 6.4% for the quarter ended 30 June 2021. However, after an outcry, the government decided to roll back the decision.

BETTER RETURNS

Even after being taxed at 30%, a person will earn interest at the rate of 5.95%, which is more than the post-tax return of traditional instruments such as a bank fixed deposit.

Suppose a person is contributing 5 lakh towards EPF and VPF combined, then the tax liability will be around 6,375 (30% of 8.5% of 5 lakh minus 2.5 lakh) for the year for the person in the highest tax bracket. Therefore, it will make sense to continue investing in VPF for long-term debt investments.

We are advising our clients to continue investing in VPF as even the post-tax return will be better than most of the other instruments," said Hegde.

Melvin Joseph, Sebi-registered investment adviser and founder, Finvin Financial Planners, added: For those in the higher tax bracket, VPF will remain a good option within the debt category."

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OPEC+ agreed on Thursday to gradually ease its oil output cuts from May, sources said, after the new US administration called on Saudi Arabia to keep energy affordable, mirroring Donald Trump's practice of calling OPEC's leader over oil policy. The group, which has been implementing deep cuts since oil prices collapsed in 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis, agreed to ease production cuts by 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May, another 350,000 bpd in June and further 400,000 bpd or so in July.

It was not immediately clear whether Saudi Arabia would ease up on its own voluntary cuts of 1 million bpd, which it has been implementing in addition reductions under the OPEC+ deal. A source said Riyadh was continuing to review its position. Under Thursday's deal, oil cuts implemented by OPEC+ would be just above 6.5 million bpd from May, compared with existing curbs of slightly below 7 million bpd in April.

Kazakhstan, a member of OPEC+, confirmed that it would produce more oil in May and June, but did not give figures for the broader group. Brent crude, which slipped on news of the deal, was still trading above $62 a barrel, still more than 20% up on the start of the year and not far from this year's high around $71.

"We reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation to ensure affordable and reliable sources of energy for consumers," Jennifer Granholm, the new energy secretary appointed by US President Joe Biden, said on Twitter after her call with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman.

News of the call coincided with signs of a changing mood in the informal discussions between members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and their allies, the group known as OPEC+, although it was not clear if Granholm's intervention was the catalyst.

A few days before Thursday's talks, OPEC+ delegates had said the group would likely keep most existing cuts in place, given uncertainty about the demand outlook amid a new wave of coronavirus lockdowns. But in the 24 hours before the meeting started, sources said discussions had shifted to a possible output increase.

Prince Abdulaziz opened the meeting by saying the group should maintain a "cautious stance," while Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak offered a more bullish overview saying the global economy was recovering and fuel demand was rising. In the past, Trump had used his influence to force Saudi Arabia to adjust policy. When prices spiked, he insisted OPEC raise production. When oil prices collapsed last year, hurting US shale producers, he called on the group to cut output.

Until this week, Biden's administration had refrained from such an approach, keep more of a distance from Riyadh and imposing sanctions on some Saudi citizens over the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Even when OPEC+ decided on March 4 to keep steady output, triggering a price rise, the White House had made no direct comment.

Also read: OPEC+ to debate oil cuts rollover, increase of production
Aizawl: The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a USD 32 million project to improve management capacity and quality of health services in Mizoram, a world bank statement said on Thursday (April 1).

"The project titled "Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project" will strengthen the governance and the management structure of the Mizoram Health department and its subsidiaries, "the statement said.

"It will improve the quality and coverage of services delivered by the state government health systems, and invest in a comprehensive quality assurance programme which would enable quality certification of health facilities," it said.

The key focus will be to strengthen the effectiveness of the state health insurance programme, build synergies with the Government of India's Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY), and thereby reduce financial barriers in accessing hospital services, prevent catastrophic out of pocket expenditure for health by poor families and expand coverage.

The Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project will benefit the people across the state. It will also benefit healthcare personnel by strengthening their planning and management capabilities along with building their clinical skills and competencies.

Mizoram's performance on key health outcomes is mixed when compared to national averages, with significant urban-rural disparities and an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

In 2019-20, under-five mortality in Mizoram was 24 per 1,000 live births, and the prevalence of stunting among under-five children was 28.9 per cent which increased marginally from the previous survey (2014-15).

Non-Communicable Diseases in adults account for more than 50 per cent of the disease burden in the state.

"While Mizoram performs better than the national average on many key health indicators, access to quality health services is a challenge, particularly in rural areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has also adversely impacted the delivery of essential health services," said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India.

"This project will support the state government's efforts to deliver quality healthcare for the poor and vulnerable and those located in remote areas," he said.

As a key strategy, the project will move towards a performance-based financing system where Internal Performance Agreements (IPAs) between the state health department and its subsidiaries would foster more accountability at all levels.

This is expected to go a long way in improving the management of the system to deliver quality health services. The project will invest in infection prevention and control for a more resilient response to future outbreaks, pandemics, and health emergencies. The project will also focus on the proper management of bio-medical waste management in Mizoram through segregation, disinfection, and collection while safeguarding the environment.

"This project will help the state to improve quality certification at health facilities, enhance human resources, improve health insurance and other innovations," said Amith Nagaraj Bathula, senior operations officer, and World Bank's Task Team Leader for the project.

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About 125 fully vaccinated people in Louisiana have tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after their last dose.

That there is a small number of "breakthrough cases" is no surprise. I think its in line with what you would expect from the trials, said Dr. Joe Kanter, the state health officer.

Fully vaccinated people can travel again without getting tested or quarantining, CDC says NEW YORK (AP)  Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday.

A recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 90% effective against infection once two weeks have passed since the second of two doses. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is about 72% effective against moderate to severe disease, according to U.S. trials.

State officials are tracking breakthrough cases to understand coronavirus transmission among vaccinated people and whether the vaccines might not work as well against certain strains of the virus. And though breakthrough cases are rare  126 cases among 568,968 fully vaccinated people in Louisiana works out to about 0.02%, or about 1 case for every 4,500 vaccinated people to date  they are a reminder that people who have had their shots should still take precautions such as like masking and distancing in public.

The vaccine is not a blank check to do whatever you want, said Dr. Julio Figueroa, head of infectious diseases at LSU Health New Orleans.

Breakthrough cases are sometimes identified through mandatory testing before surgery or returning to work, not because vaccinated people are showing symptoms.

+2 As John Bel Edwards eases COVID restrictions, New Orleans staying put with capacity limits New Orleans officials aren't planning to loosen coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday despite the move by Gov. John Bel Edwards to ease rules fo

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As more people get vaccinated, the rate of new breakthrough cases should decrease, Figueroa said. Thats in part because research is showing that vaccinated people who still contract COVID, regardless whether they develop symptoms, carry a lower viral load and are less likely to transmit the disease.

What we want to do is drop the entire populations viral shedding so that we have less and less transmission, Figueroa said.

Other states and researchers are also tracking breakthrough cases, with results that also suggest its rare. One study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found that only four out of 8,121 employees who were at least two weeks beyond their final dose were infected  about 0.04%. Another found that just seven of 14,990 employees at two California hospitals later were infected, a similar rate.

+4 New Orleans EMTs deliver vaccines to homebound residents: 'They just thank us so much' Just after 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning, emergency medical technician Shakera Brown pulled up to a brown house with green trim in the Gentilly ne

In Washington state, only about 100 of 1.2 million fully vaccinated people have tested positive for the coronavirus. Most experienced mild symptoms, in line with results from clinical trials suggesting the vaccines lessen the severity of the disease. But eight of those breakthrough cases resulted in hospitalization, and two people who died were being investigated as breakthrough cases, according to the Washington State Department of Health; both were older than 80 with other health issues.

Louisiana officials did not share data on disease severity in breakthrough cases or say which vaccine the individuals received.

The CDC recommends that vaccinated people continue to wear masks in public and around unvaccinated people. Experts said this guidance might loosen as more people get the shots, but widespread vaccination is necessary to provide a blanket of protection for vulnerable people.

You want to vaccinate the population as much as possible so you get that herd immunity, Figueroa said. Those susceptible people, even if theyve gotten vaccinated, will be protected.
... as president Weah imposes curfew

MONROVIA-The city of Pleebo in Maryland County was a scene of protest on March 31, 2021 when angry protestors took to the streets in total violation of the law, demanding justice for the death of one motorcyclist (student) who went missing on March 25 this year.

Eyewitnesses on the scene that spoke to this paper late Wednesday said the angry protesters were seeing with sticks, cutlasses as well as gasoline in bottles and gallons marching from one place to the other.

"I can see some of them with mineral bottles with gasoline in it. They are angry moving from one place to the other, "one eyewitness said.

According to the protestors, they believe that student Moedical Nyemah was murdered by unknown persons. Even though a suspect was arrested, they think that the death was not done by one person.

Police Chased out:

Due to the protest, the government sent police from nearby city to put the situation under control.

"But as soon as our officers arrived on the scene, they fired in the air to disburse the protestors, but it looked like when you put petrol into fire," one police officer in the area who declined to be name said.

The officer added: "as soon as they heard the sound, they chased our men from the place. The number of protestors overpowered our men, they had to retreat to a nearby place. They ran after the men like dogs running after bush animal." The men Power was low so they had to fall back so they can get reinforcement."

Due to the severity of the situation, the president did not waste anytime but to impose a dust to dawn curfew in the county.

The president made the statement on state radio. He said, the Curfew has been imposed from April 1, 2021 from 6am to 6pm until further notice.

"I am concerned about the recent development in Maryland country. I have been informed about the gruesome killing of a young man in Harper city, Maryland recently. Although the suspect was apprehended by the police and incarcerated pending subsequent investigator in accordance with due process of the law," he said.

He condemned the action which led to the burring down of police station and other public buildings in the city.

In addition to properties damaged, was the house of the Speaker of the House of Reprehensive, Dr. Bhofal Chambers house was set ablaze by angry protesters. He hails from the region.

They are protesting over the gruesome murder of a student-Moedical Nyemah.

The Political officer for the Speaker, Solomon Wakings earlier said his boss was broken down by the sad news from his county. "We are getting the information, but the Speaker is not happy with the report."

But not only the young people that are protesting.

The women of Haper in Maryland also were in the protest moving in the streets in demand for the death of the cyclist.

This is not the first time for demonstration to take place in that city. In 2019, a motorcyclist was killed and according to the protesters, they were unsatisfied with the report released by the government.

According to Wakings, the citizens had heard rumors that the Speaker was sending police to the county to beat those who have gone in the streets to protest.

"The Speaker has spoken against the situation that led to the protest and one of the perpetrators is undergoing investigation," he said.

But in order to maintain law and order, president Weah imposed curfew in the county. He said any grievances should and must be channeled through the legal process as government will not Condon any lawlessness and violence at any time and form on anyone.

"In order to keep the peace and ensure that law and order prevails, a curfew is hereby imposed thought out the Maryland County from tomorrow April 1, 2021 from 6pm until 6am. Until order wise ordered. This curfew will be straightly enforced by the police who will be supported by joint security. All residents of Maryland County are advised to take heed and govern themselves accordingly."

"I am concerned about the recent development in Maryland country. I have been informed about the gruesome killing of a young man in Harper city, Maryland recently. Although the suspect was apprehended by the police and incarcerated pending subsequent investigation in accordance with due process of the law.

"As pleebo city take to the streets to protest the killing and that some have generated in wanton acts of destruction against private properties and public facilities including burring down of police stations and other government buildings. I would like to assure the people of Maryland county that this killing has claimed urgent attention of the government and will be thoroughly, promptly and fully investigated.

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"The perpetrators will face the full weight of the law. Meanwhile I admonish the residents of Maryland County not to take the law into their own hands but to remain calm, peaceful and law abiding. So that the criminal justice system can take its course.

"Any grievances should and must be channeled through the legal process as government will not Condon lawlessness and violence at any time and form on anyone. In order to keep the peace and ensure that law and order prevails, a curfew is hereby imposed thought out the Maryland county from tomorrow April 1, 2021 from 6pm until 6am until order wise ordered.

"This curfew will be straightly enforced by the police who will be supported by joint security. All residents of Maryland County are advised to take heed and govern themselves accordingly. I thank you, may God bless Liberia."
Microsoft Azure, the server software that powers Xbox Live, Teams, Outlook, and other web services went down.

We are aware of an issue affecting the Azure Portal and Azure services, the official Microsoft Azure account tweeted. Please visit our alternate Status Page ... for more information and updates.

The issue appears to have also affected Microsofts other products, including Skype, OneDrive, and its Office 365 workplace suite. It continued fore around five hours before the issue was fixed.

Weve successfully resolved the issue that was causing residual impact for SharePoint Online and weve confirmed that all Microsoft 365 services have returned to a healthy state. Additional details can be found via MO248163, Microsofts support account tweeted at 3:37am GMT.

The Azure status page confirmed during the outage that Network Infrastructure across the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa have been affected - although strangely areas of Germany remain unaffected, as has Microsofts operations in China.

It appeared that Microsoft Exchange business accounts are still operational, a silver lining that could be because the company has not yet finished moving them onto the Azure infrastructure.

The Microsoft 365 support account gave more details on the issue via a Twitter thread, saying: We're investigating an issue in which users may be unable to access Microsoft 365 services and features. We'll provide additional information as soon as possible.

It added that the company rerouted traffic to our resilient DNS capabilities and are seeing improvement in service availability. Were managing multiple workstreams to validate recovery and apply necessary mitigation steps to ensure complete network recovery.

It seemed that administrators, who Microsoft said would be able to access additional information via the companys internal tools, have also been left in the dark.

There's no extra info in the admin panel except Reports indicate that impact is primarily to Microsoft Teams, though other Microsoft 365 and Azure services may be affected, administrator tweeted. Which is wrong. Maybe we'll get more details later? Doubt it.

The companys status page informed readers: DNS issue affecting multiple Microsoft 365 and Azure services Users may be unable to access multiple Microsoft 365 services and features.

It went on to say that Microsoft has identified a Domain Name System (DNS) issue and are working to mitigate impact, and that reports indicate that impact is primarily to Microsoft Teams, though other Microsoft 365 and Azure services may be affected.

Microsoft told The Independent that it had "mitigated the issue impacting some service interruptions that customers may have experienced.

Due to the issues with Xbox Live, a number of video games including the Microsoft-owned Minecraft and Halo, as well as Rainbow Six Seige, Call of Duty, Fifa, and Forza are also experiencing issues, according to Downdetector.

Reports from users on the Downdetector website suggest that the issues first began around 10:00pm GMT, reaching their peak approximately one hour later. A huge number of users went to Twitter to voice their issues.

The majority of users - 72 per cent - had problems online gaming, with another 19 per cent struggling to log in.

More follows...
Xenu and the thetans Founded by US science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s, Scientology has its own elaborate belief system and a long and important history with Australia which has set precedents that have shaped its practices here and elsewhere. L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, using an e-meter to determine whether tomatoes suffer pain. Credit:Hulton Archive It was one of a number of new religious movements to emerge in the past 100 years but it has proved the single most unpopular and controversial, according to a 2019 paper by the University of Notre Dames Dr Bernard Doherty and the University of Nevadas James Richardson. Perhaps the four most salient aspects of this have been its ongoing conflicts with mental health professionals and anti-psychiatric beliefs; its sometimes aggressive and litigious approach to critics; its disputed status as a bona fide religion; and concerns about its internal discipline of its members, they write.

From the outside, some of its beliefs can appear unusual, including the religions foundation story involving Xenu, an intergalactic warlord, which is only revealed to members when they become operating thetan level three  after they have already spent many years and tens of thousands of dollars on courses. Loading Xenu, according to the once-secret writings of Hubbard, brought billions of people to Earth 75 million years ago and killed them with hydrogen bombs near volcanoes. This created body thetans which still cling to humans today. Removing them is a kind of cleansing, an important part of advanced Scientology. In a society such as ours, people are largely free to believe what they like. But one difference between Scientology and mainstream religions is that the revealed truths, such as the story of Xenu, come at a huge financial cost. When Scientology emerged in the 1950s, it quickly gained a following in Australia, in particular in Melbourne, where its emphasis on personal development struck a chord with some in the post-war years. Its first course in Australia was run in Kew in 1954.

Charlatanism and religion Investigative journalist Steve Cannanes book, Fair Game: the incredible untold story of Scientology in Australia, noted the emphasis on money from the start, with 10 per cent of income from Melbourne in the late 1950s going straight into the bank account of a Hubbard organisation. Hubbard knew Australia after having served here during World War II. He had once described it as the country perhaps with the greatest and brightest future on the face of the Earth today. The only story here is the unprecedented growth of the Church of Scientology in Australasia and around the world. Church of Scientology International spokeswoman Karin Pouw But within a few years, his religion was under pressure. Campaigning by the Truth newspaper in Victoria and the medical establishment led to the lengthy Anderson inquiry in the mid-1960s. Its eventual report was scathing.

Scientology is evil; its techniques evil, its practices a serious threat to the community medically, morally and socially; and its adherents sadly deluded and often mentally ill, the report found. Mike Rinder, a former senior executive in Scientology. Credit:SBS The fallout was huge. Scientology was banned in Victoria  the first place in the world  and later in South Australia and Western Australia. Within a few decades, however, Australia swung entirely the other way. While it was still facing intense legal battles in the US over its legal status  infamously, Scientology operatives had infiltrated the Internal Revenue Service and other US institutions  in 1983, the Australian High Court granted it vast legal protections and tax-free status as a religion. The High Court found that charlatanism is a necessary price of religious freedom and that a lack of sincerity or integrity from a religious leader was not incompatible with the religious character of the beliefs, practices. Courts in Britain and New Zealand have cited that decision, while a decade later the IRS gave up after years of legal battles and granted Scientology tax-free status.

Unfortunately, the High Court set a very bad precedent, says Mike Rinder, an Australian who rose to become one of Scientologys top executives and an official spokesman. If there had been lawyers on the government side that really understood Scientology and how it operates and what its policies are, they would have been able to make far better arguments. Rinder, who is now a prominent critic, grew up in a Scientology family and says accumulating money has always been central to its operation, from Hubbards time and now under his successor, David Miscavige. According to the documentary Going Clear, Hubbards ex-wife, Sara, claimed he had said many times during their marriage the only way to make any real money was to start a religion. Scientology dismissed the documentary maker as a propagandist and Hubbards ex-wife as a gold digger who later backed away from the statements.

Tax-free status Until now, Scientologys finances have been largely shrouded in secrecy. In the US, its tax-free status allows the church to not report its wealth. A partial picture emerged about a decade ago in tax filings of a few of its many entities which showed Scientology in the US had wealth of at least $US1.5 billion ($2 billion). The overall figure is guesswork. Former senator Nick Xenophon used parliamentary privilege to detail allegations of abuse against Scientology. Credit:4BC Its the same almost everywhere in the world. When former Australian senator Nick Xenophon in 2009 used parliamentary privilege to detail horrific stories told by ex-Scientologists  including that of Paul Schofield  he called it a criminal organisation and wanted a Senate inquiry into it. That bid failed when the major parties refused to back it. However, it led to a separate broader Senate committee that recommended the establishment of a charities commission.

That became the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, created in 2012. It is one of the only bodies in the world to require Scientology to report financial data. It is this financial data  covering a dozen Scientology-related corporate entities both here and in Britain  which has allowed the best look anywhere at its profitability and wealth. The results show net profits from the Church of Scientology Australia, its main corporate entity, of $65.4 million from 2013 to 2019. Its assets nearly tripled to $172.4 million, while in Britain it grew at a similar rate. Church of Scientology International spokeswoman Karin Pouw says it is in the midst of an explosive expansion in Australia, ongoing since 2007 but would not say whether she accepted the census data that it has a small and declining number of followers.

The only story here is the unprecedented growth of the Church of Scientology in Australasia and around the world, says Pouw, who described most of the questions sent from The Age and the The Sydney Morning Herald as absurd. But while the ACNC has allowed far greater transparency, the charity laws here are weaker than in Britain in one key respect. The Church of Scientologys headquarters in Chatswood. Charities, including religions, in Australia have to pass a public benefit test but the presumption is that religion is for the public benefit. To lose that status, a case would have to be made to the ACNC commissioner. Thats a weaker regime than in Britain, which has no presumption about public benefit for religion. Scientology has not passed the British public benefit test. Melbourne Law School professor Ann OConnell this week questioned if religions that did not provide charitable services should as a matter of policy be eligible for tax concessions.

Despite its claims of growth, when I visited Scientologys Ascot Vale church on a recent weekday morning, I was the only visitor in a brightly lit information room that included tributes to Hubbard and touch-screen videos on their approach to getting off drugs and the like. Ascot Vale was opened only a decade ago by former planning minister Justin Madden and then lord mayor Robert Doyle. A few years later, the Ideal Advanced Organisation centre for the Asia Pacific was opened in Sydney at a cost of more than $50 million. These property openings, says a long-term researcher on Scientology, journalist Tony Ortega, are part of a corporate strategy that has evolved over time as the church got smaller. After 1990, it really started to shrink, he says. There was less and less emphasis on auditing [a session where a minister questions an adherent] and growing membership [as it struggled to find new followers] and more and more emphasis towards real estate, in appearing to expand, not by memberships but through buildings.

Rampant capitalism When Paul Schofield started in Scientology in 1979, he said he was lucky to earn $2 a week working for the organisation. Over the years, he was paid a modest wage but when he left nearly 30 years later, he barely had any money. He had never owned a decent car. But he lost much more than a lifetime of earnings. Hed lost one daughter after she ingested potassium chloride, which was used in Scientologys purification programs. Another daughter, at 14 months old, died after falling down the stairs of a Scientology building in Sydney while under the care of others.
President Muhammadu Buhari has written formally to the Senate seeking the confirmation of Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, who has been in acting capacity as the substantive Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The president, in a release on Thursday by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, said he was making the request pursuant to Section 256 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

In the letter dated April 1, 2021, President Buhari urged the upper legislative chamber to do the confirmation, "in the usual expeditious manner".
BOSTON - New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) provides insights on why people with red hair exhibit altered sensitivity to certain kinds of pain. The findings are published in Science Advances.

In people with red hair (as in numerous other species of animals with red fur), the pigment-producing cells of the skin--called melanocytes--contain a variant form of the melanocortin 1 receptor. This receptor sits on the cell surface, and if it becomes activated by circulating hormones called melanocortins, it causes the melanocyte to switch from generating yellow/red melanin pigment to producing brown/black melanin pigment. Earlier work by David E. Fisher, MD, PhD, director of the Mass General Cancer Center's Melanoma Program and director of MGH's Cutaneous Biology Research Center, demonstrated that the inability of red-haired individuals to tan or darken their skin pigment is traced to inactive variants of this receptor.

To investigate the mechanisms behind different pain thresholds in red-haired individuals, Fisher and his colleagues studied a strain of red-haired mice that (as in humans) contains a variant that lacks melanocortin 1 receptor function and also exhibits higher pain thresholds.

The team found that loss of melanocortin 1 receptor function in the red-haired mice caused the animals' melanocytes to secrete lower levels of a molecule called POMC (proopiomelanocortin) that is subsequently cut into different hormones including one that sensitizes to pain and one that blocks pain. The presence of these hormones maintains a balance between opioid receptors that inhibit pain and melanocortin 4 receptors that enhance perception of pain.

In red-haired mice (and therefore, possibly humans), having both hormones at low levels would seemingly cancel each other out. However, the body also produces additional, non-melanocyte-related factors that activate opioid receptors involved in blocking pain. Therefore, the net effect of lower levels of the melanocyte-related hormones is more opioid signals, which elevates the threshold for pain.

"These findings describe the mechanistic basis behind earlier evidence suggesting varied pain thresholds in different pigmentation backgrounds," says Fisher. "Understanding this mechanism provides validation of this earlier evidence and a valuable recognition for medical personnel when caring for patients whose pain sensitivities may vary."

Fisher adds that the results suggest new ways to manipulate the body's natural processes that control pain perception--for example, by designing new medications that inhibit melanocortin 4 receptors involved in sensing pain.

"Our ongoing work is focused on elucidating how additional skin-derived signals regulate pain and opioid signaling," adds co-lead author Lajos V. Kemeny, MD, PhD, a research fellow in Dermatology at MGH. "Understanding these pathways in depth may lead to the identification of novel pain-modulating strategies."

###

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Melanoma Research Alliance, the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation, and the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation.

About the Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with annual research operations of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2020, Mass General was named #6 in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."
A Facebook logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken (Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier for businesses to pester consumers with phone calls or text messages by tossing out a lawsuit accusing Facebook Inc of violating a federal anti-robocall law.



The justices, in a 9-0 decision authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, sided with Facebook over its argument that text messages the social media company sent did not violate a 1991 federal law called the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).



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The case highlighted the challenge for the justices in applying outdated laws to modern technologies. The ruling sparked calls for the U.S. Congress to update the law, enacted three decades ago to curb telemarketing abuse by banning most unauthorized robocalls.



"By narrowing the scope of the TCPA, the court is allowing companies the ability to assault the public with a non-stop wave of unwanted calls and texts, around the clock," Democratic Senator Edward Markey and Democratic Representative Anna Eshoo said in a joint statement.



The court ruled that Facebook's actions - sending text messages without consent - did not fit within the technical definition of the type of conduct barred by the law, which was enacted before the rise of modern cellphone technology.



The lawsuit was filed in 2015 in California federal court by Montana resident Noah Duguid, who said Facebook sent him many automatic text messages without his consent. The lawsuit accused Menlo Park, California-based Facebook of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's restriction on using an automatic telephone dialing system.



Facebook said the security-related messages, triggered when users try to log in to their accounts from a new device or internet browser, were tied to users' cellphone numbers.



"As the court recognized, the law's provisions were never intended to prohibit companies from sending targeted security notifications and the court's decision will allow companies to continue working to keep the accounts of their users safe," Facebook said in a statement.



Sergei Lemberg, Duguid's lawyer, said anyone could steer clear of liability under the law as long as they use similar technology to Facebook's.



"This is a disappointing ruling for anyone who owns a cellphone or values their privacy," Lemberg added.



In this instance, the lawsuit asserted that Facebook's system that sent automated text messages was akin to a traditional automatic dialing system - known as an autodialer - used to send robocalls.



"Duguid's quarrel is with Congress, which did not define an autodialer as malleably as he would have liked," Sotomayor wrote in the ruling.



The law requires that the equipment used must use a "random or sequential number generator" but the court concluded that Facebook's system "does not use such technology," Sotomayor added.



Duguid said that Facebook repeatedly sent him account login notifications by text message to his cellphone even though he was not a Facebook user and never had been. Despite numerous efforts, Duguid said he was unable to stop Facebook from "robotexting" him.



Facebook responded that Duguid had most likely been assigned a phone number that had been previously associated with a Facebook user who had opted in to receive the notifications.



A federal judge threw out the lawsuit but in 2019 the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived it. The 9th Circuit took a broad view of the law, saying it not only bans devices that automatically dial randomly generated numbers but also stored numbers that are not randomly generated.



The National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions said the decision "to narrowly interpret autodialers is a win for the credit union industry."



"We have long fought for this clarity to ensure credit unions can contact their members with important, time-sensitive financial information without fear of violating the TCPA and facing frivolous lawsuits," the association said in a statement.


Coronavirus cases in the U.S. are continuing on an ominous, upward march with average daily cases rising by about 17 percent this week compared to last.

The seven-day daily average of cases across the United States has been increasing continuously since March 19, Reuters analysis shows.

It comes in spite of encouraging trends in daily COVID-19 deaths. The average number of daily deaths has fallen below 1,000 the past two days in a row, for the first time since November 10.

The average number of new daily COVID-19 cases is only about a third of what it was during the January peak, when the seven-day-rolling average exceeded 270,000.

Even so, 1,064 people died of COVID-19 on Thursday, and the alarming rise in new cases is fanning the flames of health officials warnings that the U.S. is entering a fourth wave of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, nearly a third of the U.S. population has had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. More than 100 million people have had one or more doses, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

The rollout is now moving quickly, but perhaps not quickly enough to outpace areas where the virus is resurging in places like Michigan, Florida and California.

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. are continuing on an ominous, upward march with average daily cases rising by about 17 percent this week compared to last, according to a Reuters analysis

The average number of deaths a day has fallen below 1,000 for the past two days, but the U.S. saw 1,064 new fatalities on Thursday

And with two-thirds of the U.S. still unvaccinated and travel on the rise, these hotspots could be enough to trigger another national surge of COVID-19.

At least 30 states and territories have seen upward trends in new infections over the past two weeks.

Officials in a number of states scattered across the U.S. are warning of upticks in their jurisdictions.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown said Friday that 'the fourth surge of this virus is at our doorstep.' Her state recorded 512 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Vermont's health commissioner Dr Mark Levine said he was worried over the state's rising Covid cases.

'My optimism is for the future, and the future is very near. But when it comes to the present, frankly, I am very concerned,' he said during a Friday press conference.

Puerto Rico is seeing a massive re-emergence of the virus, with new infections rising 75 percent over the past 14 days.

Michigan, on the other hand, far and away leads the pack in the continental U.S.

The state has seen a 65 percent increase in new daily infections over the past two weeks.

Officials there are largely blaming the state's latest wave of infections on the high prevalence of variants.

Michigan has seen a 65 percent increase in new daily infections over the past two weeks with its average daily cases approaching an all-time high

Michigan has 9.5 percent of all confirmed cases of Covid caused by variants in the U.S., with 1,237 cases of the UK's super-covid variant and five cases of the B1351 variant that emerged in South Africa.

On Friday, officials there discovered Michigan's first case of the Brazilian P1 variant.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer blamed the high prevalence of variants in Michigan for the state's surge in infections.

She also pinned the concerning trend on Michigan residents, for failing to follow protocols, but she stood by the state's COVID-19 policies.

Whitmer has not rolled back any of Michigan's reopening steps, including opening indoor dining at 50 percent occupancy.

'If we see serious hospital numbers or increased variants, we may have to make some changes,' she said at a Friday event attended by local outlet WXYZ.

Worrying trends have emerged on the West Coast, too.

California's cases have remained fairly stable since mid-March, but pockets like Silicon Valley are seeing resurgences of new infections. The area has served a bellwether of trends to come for the U.S. over the course of the pandemic

A California community that has been a bellwether of the coronavirus pandemic's rampage across the United States warned on Thursday that the number of cases of more contagious COVID-19 variants is increasing to worrisome levels.

'The region's progress in curbing the pandemic remains precarious,' the health department in Santa Clara County, home to California's Silicon Valley, said.

'County residents are therefore urged to avoid travel, quarantine if traveling, and consistently use face coverings.'

The situation in Santa Clara, which was home to an early surge of coronavirus in California last year and the nation's first death from COVID-19, offers a window into the pandemic's progress across the wider U.S.

Several states, including Florida and Michigan, are struggling to contain a resurgence of the virus linked to new highly contagious variants.

Over the past 13 days, the average daily number of new cases of COVID-19 has increased by about 17 percent, from 55,591 on March 19 to 6,4814 on March 31.

Total cases stand at 30.57 million, including more than 553,000 deaths.

'We're already seeing surges in other parts of the country, likely driven by variants,' Santa Clara Health Officer Sara Cody said in a statement.

'Combined with the data we are seeing locally, these are important warning signs that we must continue to minimize the spread.'

The rise in cases comes despite unprecedented efforts to vaccinate people worldwide and across the United States.

As of Friday, more than 100 million Americans had gotten at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

CDC now advises that it is 'low risk' for fully vaccinated Americans to travel - but still warns that travel in general is a bad idea, as the number of people flying in the US reaches pandemic-highs

That means that nearly 30 percent of the population had received at least one vaccine dose by Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Many U.S. states are moving to ease pandemic public health restrictions, and people who have been vaccinated are starting to venture out from a year of staying mostly at home.

The CDC announced new guidance Friday, advising fully vaccinated people that travel is 'low risk' for them, whether within or outside of the U.S. and doing away with quarantine requirements for them.

However, the CDC is still advising against travel generally, especially amid rising case numbers and the spread of variants.

With the vast majority of the population still unvaccinated, experts warn that could be a recipe for a deadly fourth wave of the disease.

In California, the most populous U.S. state with 40 million residents, about 5.6 million people, or 17.3 percent percent of the population, had received one vaccine dose, the CDC said.

As cases have leveled off in recent weeks, state officials have reopened activities like restaurant dining and are making plans to send children back to school.

However, California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that with at least seven variants of the virus in circulation, the state is not close to achieving so-called herd immunity, which would require the vast majority of people to be inoculated.

'Now is not the time to spike the ball,' said Newsom, who received his own vaccination on Thursday in Los Angeles.

'Now is not the time to announce, 'mission accomplished.'
Think that earthquake Thursday near Shreveport was rare?

It was. But not entirely.

While you might think of Louisiana as more of a magnet for hurricanes than earthquakes (especially south Louisiana), its not totally uncommon for the Pelican State to shake from time to time.

The U.S, Geological Survey, which tracks these things, lists seven Louisiana quakes since 1930 registering 0.5 or more on the Richter scale. But expand the search to nearby areas of Mississippi, Texas and Arkansas, and the Gulf of Mexico, and the list grows to more than 40.

That includes a December 2005 quake in southern Livingston Parish, in the area near French Settlement. And an August 2010 shaker in the Clinton area.

Earthquake shakes Louisiana near Shreveport; scientists asking residents if they felt it A resident in Blanchard told a reporter from KSLA that she heard her cabinet doors rattling.

What about New Orleans, you ask? (Aside from when Alvin Kamara busts a long a run during a Saints game in the Superdome?)

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

There's more to LSU's Earthquake Game than Hodson-to-Fuller Former LSU quarterback Tom Hodson understands the TD pass to Fuller gets the attention, but he calls the 7-6 win, "a great team victory."

In July 1987, the Associated Press reported that a physicist at Loyola University said his seismograph recorded earthquakes being felt at 4:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in the area around Irish Bayou. However, the AP story noted, the U.S. Geological Survey reported only one domestic quake that day, about 30 miles south of Eureka, California.

And its not just actual earthquakes that can prompt reports from nervous people of, well, earthquakes.

In November 1994, a number of people in Algiers, and St. Tammany and St. Bernard parishes told various authorities they had felt tremors.

A quake? None that our instruments detected, said the National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado.

The suspected culprit: A possible sonic boom created by group of aircraft flying out of the Naval Air Station in Belle Chasse.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is a defensive alliance made up of now 30 countries, covering almost a billion people on a voluntary basis. Member states come together around shared values of democracy, freedom, openness, and a rules-based international order to make sure that countries can move forward together peacefully, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

The United States commitment to NATO remains strong. We have a very broad agenda to make sure that this alliance is as effective over the next 75 years. . .as its been in its first 75 years, emphasized Secretary Blinken:

Were determined to revitalize our alliances, to revitalize our partnerships, starting with NATO. . . .When we look at virtually all of the challenges that we face as a country and that are actually going to potentially affect the lives of our citizens, not a single one of them can be effectively dealt with by any one country acting alone, even the United States with all of the resources that we have. We have a profound interest, whether it is tackling some of the new challenges like climate, in the cyber realm, the rise of autocratic states and the challenges they pose  we have a profound interest in doing it together, doing it collectively, relying on collective security. And thats what NATO is all about.

The mission now is to make sure that were bringing NATO fully into this moment to meet the challenges of today, and that is exactly what the 2030 agenda is about, said Secretary Blinken. And we look very much forward to working on that with [NATO] Secretary General [Jens] Stoltenberg and with all of our partners here.
Temple Israel is proud to host a Zoom talk from scholar and educator Zvi Hirschfield, titled "Where Was G-d During the Holocaust?" on Sunday, April 11 at 10 a.m.

Hirschfield teaches Talmud, Halakha, and Jewish thought at Pardes and is a faculty member of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators. He has been training and mentoring Jewish educators for more than 10 years in Tefilah in educational settings, critical issues in modern Jewish thought, and Israel education. Hirschfield also serves as a curriculum writer and is involved in staff training for the Nesiya Institute.

Previously, Hirsch...
Joyce Churchs alarm rang at a quarter past six Tuesday morning, and by 6:45, she was up and about at the Thorvaldson Care Center. She ate a small bowl of Cream of Wheat, a slice of toast, and a banana. Then, as she brushed her teeth, a knock on the door: it was time to get her second dose of the vaccine.

Joyce Churchs alarm rang at a quarter past six Tuesday morning, and by 6:45, she was up and about at the Thorvaldson Care Center. She ate a small bowl of Cream of Wheat, a slice of toast, and a banana. Then, as she brushed her teeth, a knock on the door: it was time to get her second dose of the vaccine.

A few minutes earlier, three cars parked in the back lane, one of them containing a bin holding 65 doses of Pfizer. With precision, the maintenance man slicked aside the slush of a late March snow fall from the staircase, clearing the way for arguably the 65 most anticipated visitors to ever come through the back door.

Church, 92, made her way to the makeshift clinic in the dining room. "I was first in line for the first dose, and I was first in line for the second," she says. After a year of waiting, she didnt want to wait any more. Neighbours such as Gus and Dot and Joan and Gordon were patiently sitting, awaiting a shot of their own.

Soon, Joyce rolled up the sleeve on her bright blue shirt, embroidered with starfish and seashells. The shot was quick; she didnt even notice it going in.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "I was first in line for the first dose, and I was first in line for the second," Joyce Church says.

One by one, every resident got their shot. Under their masks, Jocelyn and Karen Thorvaldson breathed sighs of relief. "Weve worked so hard to get to this point," says Jocelyn, the administrator.

The work started last March, when the family-owned, for-profit centre went into complete lockdown: residents were told theyd be getting no visitors, couldnt take non-essential outings, and moving forward, would have to be distanced from one another during activities. The intermediate care centre became its own self-contained bubble  with an on-site nurse, prepared meals, and a staff that worked there, and only there  benefits not every seniors facility enjoyed.

At the time, Joyce Church was unfazed. Over the phone, she told the Free Press patience would be virtuous.

"We need to be keeping away," she said. "If we do that, well be just fine."

Churchs prophecy has thus far been fulfilled. The centre, which serves a clientele in an environment one rung below personal care homes and one rung above assisted living, managed to accomplish through patience and perseverance something rather miraculous: between last March, and the moment residents rolled up their sleeves for a jab of Pfizer Tuesday morning, zero cases of COVID-19 were found at the Thorvaldson Care Center. Knock on wood.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS When Joan Guttormsson got her shot, she wasnt nervous.

Its something the Thorvaldsons  Jocelyn, Karen and their father, Herman, 86, who founded the centre with his parents in 1959, still comes into work, and got his second dose when the residents got theirs  dont for a moment take for granted.

Sacrifices were and are being made: the rules in place a year ago are in place now, even with the vaccines, which means every interview with a resident for this story took place with a window in the middle.

The Thorvaldsons converted a vacant room into a visiting suite, though it looks more like a recording studio: residents go into the bathroom, where they sit in an armchair. They wear a lapel microphone, connected to a sound system set up in the bathtub. A section of the door was cut out and replaced with glass, and on the other side, masked family members sit and chat via microphone, with a HEPA air filter humming. (Temperatures are checked before and visitors are screened and scheduled).

"I can hear you fine," says 94-year-old Gordon Boucher.

Boucher got his shot shortly after Church. "As with the first, I was delighted by the second," he says, wearing a striped short-sleeved button-up shirt, a new pair of suspenders clinging tight around his shoulders.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "As with the first, I was delighted by the second (shot)," Gordon Boucher says.

"Its been a difficult year," he says, moving in a short time before the pandemic began. Having grown up during the Great Depression on a farm in Renwer, Man., about two miles north of Duck Mountain, it wasnt his first.

"I was just a kid then," he says. "You learn a lot when times are tough."

Boucher is a modest, soft-spoken man. He considers his words carefully  he was in his working days a skilled labour negotiator  and when considering what the vaccine means, he takes his time. "I just think Im lucky," he says. "I have what few people are lucky enough to have."

The shot brings closer the day when he might receive a visit from a friend. It relieves him a great deal of his self-perceived vulnerability. It also reminds him of the joys of his life  a career he loved, a family he built with his wife Betty, winters in Pfarr, Texas, and trips to every Canadian province and all but three American states (Rhode Island, Nebraska and Alaska).

The vaccine got him thinking about that. "I dont know that Im going to have a very active life because of it," he says. "Mind you, I cannot complain. Lifes been good to me." Tuesdays needle was only the most recent blessing.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Joan Guttormisson plays the piano for guests at centre.

When Joan Guttormsson got her shot, she wasnt nervous. "They take a nice little needle, and boom! Youre out of there," she says. After waiting during the post-vaccination observation period, the 90-year-old waltzed into the reception area and sat where shed felt most comfortable since she was an eight-year-old girl: on a piano bench, her hands floating above the keys.

"I played Whos Sorry Now," she laughs, a 1920s standard made famous by Connie Francis in 1958. It was a purposeful choice, addressed to the virus. "You had your way, now you must pay," she sang. "Im glad that youre sorry now."

Jocelyn Thorvaldson admits some tears were shed Tuesday: when the doses arrived, when the residents rolled up their sleeves, when she hit send on an email to residents families to tell them the wonderful news. But while the vaccine means the world, it doesnt mean the self-contained bubble can burst, and not quite yet does it mean life can return to normal.

"We just have to wait," she says, sounding like Joyce Church did in March 2020. "We still have to be patient."

One year later, Church hasnt changed her tune. Shes still being patient, still taking extra precautions. Only now, she has a bandage on her left arm, covering a little dot that makes a big difference.

She stares at her shoulder, smiling, as she looks down at the bandage. "Im glad youre there," she tells it.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
Nine veteran Hong Kong activists await prison sentences after they were convicted yesterday over their roles in an unauthorised assembly at the height of the protest movement that engulfed the territory in 2019.

The defendants feature some of the citys most prominent and moderate pro-democracy figures including distinguished barristers Martin Lee, (82) and Margaret Ng (73).

Mr Lee is known widely as the father of democracy and helped draft Hong Kongs mini-constitution. Media tycoon Jimmy Lai (72), currently in custody after his arrest under Beijings new national security law, was among those convicted.

Their landmark trial, say analysts, signals the further erosion of the rule of law and the basic rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration that underpinned the handing back of the former British colony to China in 1997.

The conviction was linked to a mass rally on August 18, 2019, which was one of a chain of protests where crowds took to the streets to demand universal suffrage, greater police accountability and the abolition of a controversial extradition bill to allow for criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China.

Organisers claimed 1.7 million people gathered that day in Victoria Park on Hong Kongs main island, in what was to become one of the largest rallies of the pro-democracy movement.

The police had given permission for the assembly in the park, but the prosecution accused the group of nine of defying police instructions and encouraging protesters to march through surrounding streets, blocking traffic.

Protests in Hong Kong require the permission of authorities  a restriction that rights groups have long claimed can be misused.

The groups lawyers argued that leading protesters out of the overcrowded park was a necessary safety measure. The mass demonstration remained peaceful throughout the day.

The arrest of the high-profile activists last April was heavily criticised by democratic governments including the US and UK and by the international legal community.

All defendants will next appear in court on April 16 when mitigation pleas will be heard before sentencing.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail and the outcome will be observed as setting a possible precedent for trials for similar charges later this year.

They didnt do anything wrong when you view what they did through the lens of international human rights, said Margaret Lewis, a law professor and China expert at Seton Hall University.

They shouldnt have to argue for mitigation when the very basis of their conviction is fundamentally flawed

The very basis of these convictions is antithetical to fundamental freedoms that are supposed to be guaranteed in Hong Kong."

Seven defendants pleaded not guilty but two former legislators, Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung, pleaded guilty.

Judge Amanda Woodcock granted bail to all but three, including Mr Lai, as they face additional charges.

( Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021).

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Is the revolution finally devouring its children?

Seems like it now that the wokester mob has decided to come for President Obama.

According to Fox News, reporting from Obama's own political hometown Chicago:

Immigration activists are objecting to renaming a Chicago school after Barack Obama. "I will not be part of renaming a school after someone who did not and does not represent the undocumented community," said District 60 school board member Edgar Castellanos, who says he came to the U.S. as an undocumented child, according to ABC 7 Chicago. Waukegan's Board of Education met Tuesday evening to debate renaming Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Daniel Webster Middle School, after it was decided the historical figures either owned slaves or supported slavery. One of the top contenders for Thomas Jefferson Middle Schools new name is that of the first Black president, Barack Obama, and former First Lady Michelle. But that name is drawing the ire of immigration activists and some in the Latino community. Activists staged a protest outside the board meeting Tuesday. "From the time Barack Obama became President until 2017 when he left, he today is still the highest-ranking president with deportations in our nation," said Julie Contreras, who runs shelters for immigrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border. She said Obama failed to deliver on his promises on immigration. "We feel that Barack Obama did disservice to us. He denied us, and he didn't stop the deportations, the way he promised," Contreras continued. "If youre removing the name of Thomas Jefferson, one oppressor, the name of Obama is another oppressor, and our families do not want to see that name," she added.

The ridiculousness of the whole thing is pretty obvious. Radical-left Obama, who ushered in the era of Black Lives Matter by stoking the Ferguson riots, as well as university snowflake wokesters, suddenly finds himself the bad guy, the latest scapegoat for the left. No more first black president; he's now not at all different from a Confederate general. This rather tells you they've run out of historic figures to cancel. As French Revolutionera figure Jacques Mallet du Pan famously wrote: "Like Saturn, the Revolution devours its children."

And what, again, is it that Obama did that was oh, so bad? That cancels out all the left-wing outrages that he did? I think it was partially enforce the border, to keep the television cameras off. The foreigners involved, otherwise known as illegal aliens, are upset they couldn't break into the U.S. as they pleased, and for that, Obama, and all those racists who elected him, must be canceled, erased from history. They write the history now. Fancy that: foreigners canceling an American president and in the wokester era, quite possibly getting away with it.

Obama was a lot like the current Joe Biden. Like Joe, he encouraged waves of illegal immigration, but I guess he had to allow the Border Patrol to do some of its lawfully committed duty. He also built the kids-in-cages cages, not President Trump, though the left tried to pin those on Trump. During his presidency, leftists yelled that he was the "deporter in chief" based on the fact that he encouraged illegal immigration yet didn't completely open the border. The logical outcome of that is obvious: human waves plus kids in cages. Joe Biden, who was placed in charge of the matter at the time, is now making his same old mistakes, senile and unable to learn.

So now we have people who shouldn't be here, and their advocates, demanding that Obama be canceled. They've already done their worst on George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Now they've moved on to Obama. The funny thing here is that if it were anyone but Obama, Obama would support the move. Now that it's Obama's turn in the barrel, and there's no Trump to kick around, it will be interesting to see whether and how he reacts.

Image: Ari Levinson via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. Image filtered with Graphite by BeCasso program.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
By Sun Chenghao

The US and EU have had frequent interactions recently, with US President Biden joining a video conference of 27 EU leaders and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visiting Europe and meeting NATO and EU leaders. These moves indicate Americas eagerness to engage with Europe, mend their ties and reinvent the transatlantic alliance.

However, the damage of Trump years to the transatlantic relationship is just hard to repair. Both Washington and Brussels have realized an eroding consensus within the alliance and the irreversible fact of Europes strategic independence. Biden hoped Europe would follow his lead and adjust its foreign policy. Still, German counselor Merkel said the EU would continue to implement the thought of European sovereignty and that the EU and the US have common ground but are not on the same page on everything.

In fact, Washingtons changed Europe policy is just an expedient to maintain its hegemony rather than a long-term strategy to promote their alliance. The White House has three considerations and goals in mind.

First, it is bridging the gap across the Atlantic Ocean caused by the Trump shock wave and recalibrating the US-EU alliance. As Europe is seeking strategic independence, the US worries that the traditional balance of power is tipped and restricts Americas development in return. In that case, a competitive relationship between the two sides would make it more costly for Washington to manage its allies.

Second, it is reshaping Americas leadership in the West. Biden emphasized that the aim of Americas diplomacy is to consolidate national credibility, and he vowed to revitalize democratic values, including promising to convene a Summit for Democracy. Under the new circumstances, the US and the EU may join hands in promoting western democratic values on new topics and fronts, and take that as the highlight in their efforts to unite with the West, strengthen cooperation and reinforce the alliance, so as to establish the so-called international order of democracy jointly.

Third, it is trying to secure more discourse power on global affairs. The US and the EU are likely to cooperate more on the Iranian nuclear issue and climate change, and US-EU international rule-making will be one of the top priorities of the next phase of the transatlantic relationship. They may work to roll out new international standards and regulations on technology and trade.

Although the US is trying hard to rebuild the alliance across the Atlantic Ocean, patching things up with the EU is easier said than done due to a slew of challenges.

For one thing, behind the US-EU value consensus is the conflict between Americas geopolitical perspective and EUs economy-dominant stance. In the post-Trump period, the US remains a strong force against globalization and liberalism, whereas Europe is inclined to promote a global policy that serves its interest.

For another, the US is shifting its strategic resources to the Asian-Pacific region and no longer takes Europe as the priority in its foreign strategy. Given Americas weakening national strength and poor policy consistency, its economic and military input into the US-EU alliance will hardly meet the latters strategic needs, and Europe, in turn, will not be at Americas beck and call, nor will it give up the chance to consolidate internal solidarity and strength.

At last, Americas attempt to drag Europe into the major-country rivalry goes counter to Europes desire for economic development. Washington wants Europe to be its assistant in the major-country competition. It has pressured Europe many times on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project, a cooperation project with Russia, regardless of European countries demand for energy cooperation with Moscow. Washingtons high-handed approach with Europe has only made things worse.

Although the US wishes to improve the alliance with Europe, their divergences on global governance, regional security, and economic cooperation will not go away. If Uncle Sam is determined to cling to the Cold War mentality, push bloc confrontation  what it calls major-country competition today  by manufacturing an external enemy and view Europe as an assistant to serve its strategy, the US-EU alliance is bound to split or even collapse.

(The author is from the Institute of American Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.)
Fewer than half of inmates in jails and prisons surveyed in a study by the CDC and University of Washington said they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine, while the majority either said they wanted to wait before getting the vaccine or would refuse one.

This is a population already at risk for COVID-19, and outbreaks among incarcerated people can worsen inequities in COVID-19 outcomes as well as contribute to spread in the surrounding community. So culturally and health-literacy informed interventions are needed to help them feel more confident about getting vaccinated." Dr. Marc Stern, Lead Author, Affiliate Assistant Professor of Health Services, UW School of Public Health

The study conducted by CDC researchers and led by Stern was published Wednesday on the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The researchers surveyed more than 5,000 inmates, men and women, in late 2020 from three prisons and 13 jails in Washington, California, Florida and Texas.

Among those asked about their willingness to receive a vaccine, only 45% said they were willing. More than 45% said they would refuse, and nearly 10% said they might or weren't sure they would receive it.

The most common reasons the participants gave for vaccine hesitancy fell into the response categories of waiting for more information or to see others take it first, and efficacy or safety concerns. The most common reason for given for refusal was distrust of the health care system, correctional or government personnel and institutions.

The survey was conducted before vaccines were available, but at the time Black and younger respondents were the least willing to get the vaccine. The researchers added that a lower willingness to receive a vaccine among Black participants was "not unexpected given historical mistreatment and higher rates of distrust" of these institutions.

"People of color are subject to a 'double whammy' -- they are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 and they are disproportionately incarcerated, living in facilities where they are more likely to become infected," Stern said.

"I hope this study sheds light on the need to find ways of assuring high levels of vaccination of incarcerated individuals," Stern added, "not just for their own health, but for the health of the community. Vaccinating incarcerated individuals not only decreases the risk that officers and other staff will bring COVID-19 home to their family, friends and community, it is also an efficient way to vaccinate a large number of people who are otherwise hard for public health providers to reach once they return to their communities."
New Delhi:

Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved which has ambitious plan to expand its footprints in the dairy and apparel is in talks with several investment banks to raise structured credit worth Rs 1,000 crore. Patanjali had recently announced the launch of its packaged drinking water 'Divya Jal' and there were reports of the homegrown business group making an entry in sectors like dairy and apparel.

According to a report in Livemint, one of the two investment banks is a Hyderabad-based boutique firm specializing in the consumer packaged goods segment, adding that the banks have been asked to approach both foreign and domestic funds.

"The discussions assume significance since this is for the first time since its founding in 2007 that Patanjali is exploring an equity-linked fund-raise option," the report quoted some insiders, as saying.

The investment banks have also been asked to explore possible investment structures that suit long-term capital needs of the group. Investment banks have approached several foreign and domestic structured credit funds with an initial proposal, it added.

The talks with banks to raise capital comes amid reports of Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved entering into various sectors. With growing demand of its products, Patanjali is also looking to open a new manufacturing facility in several states.

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
At the end of last week, if you opened up a coronavirus tracker, you might have noticed that the U.S. national 14-day average case rates appeared pretty flat. After a roller coaster of a fall, in which they were mostly going up, and then a surge in January after the holidays, theyd gone down considerably, and then appeared to be leveling off. But rates were still pretty high: about 59,000 new cases per day, much higher than the 35,000 new cases per day we saw in September or the 21,000 we saw in mid-June. The relative low was also short-lived. Now, even as nearly 3 million doses of vaccines go into arms each day, rates of cases are climbing again, up 19 percent over the last 14 days.

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As with many facets of the pandemic, this was very preventable. We have seen that as soon as the vaccine was announced and cases were on the decline, a lot of states made the decision to open back up, says Matthew Fox, an epidemiologist at Boston University. A better decision wouldve been to wait. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security, agrees. Its a bad sign, she says. Part of me feels like, here we go again. But even though its a bad time to willy-nilly indoor dine and workout with a group, theres also good reason to hope that were not still stuck on the same roller coaster that we have been for the past year.

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Though cases are worrisome, the national death rate is still declining, down 26 percent over the last 14 days. This is because a lot of the current transmission is coming from younger adults, says Rasmussen. Though more and more states are expanding eligibility, people under 50 are not yet eligible for vaccinations in many states, unless they qualify for health or job reasons, making them more vulnerable to infection. In Florida for example, a third of hospitalized cases are from people under 45. It might have once seemed like it would be enough to get to a point where older people were protected, and the virus was no longer threatening to overwhelm hospitals and forcing doctors to think about rationing care. Now we know that its not enough to simply flatten the curve: While young people are more likely to have milder symptoms, they can still suffer enduring, debilitating effects, like the chronic fatigue, blood clots, and memory problems of long COVID. Still, cases shifting away from older people is good news.

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With vaccines, were better prepared than ever to reduce spread. Theyre the only thing thats really gone right during this whole pandemic, and people should get a vaccine as soon as its available to them, says Rasmussen. Thats the ticket out of this. Not only did we get vaccines relatively quicklygiven that they typically take years to developthe data that we continue to get about them is excellent. Recently released data based on following trial participants in the real world show both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines yield a 90 percent reduction in all COVID infectionsincluding asymptomatic ones. And while we dont yet have vaccines for people under 16, Pfizer shared Wednesday that its shot is extremely effective in adolescents, according to a report in the New York Times. Even the variants arent likely to outfox vaccines: If future variants can infect vaccinated people (a big if), they likely wont get as sick as unvaccinated people, explains Rasmussen. An infection in a vaccinated person might tend to look more like the common cold.

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Still, as cases creep up again, were at something of an inflection point where we can collectively decide just how bumpy our exit from the pandemic will be. And while Rasmussen and Fox were generally optimistic about the future, both spoke with urgency about the present. We need to get transmission down now, says Rasmussen. We need to stop these new surges in their tracks. Fox agrees: Slowing down the process of reopening until we have a greater percentage of the population vaccinated would be a wise move. Thats because whether we can get case rates down in the short term will help determine the trajectory of the next few months to a year. More cases now just inevitably fuel more cases later. Everything you do now pays off greater over the longer term, explains Fox. This means continuing to follow health guidance to wear masks and distance, except for activities that are either essential or outdoors, unless youre fully vaccinated. It wont be forever; just a couple of months will make a big difference, Rasmussen expects.

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What exactly that trajectory looks like over the next six months to a year depends on a few other factors, too: how many adults choose to get vaccinated, how many kids get vaccinated (when those vaccines are available), and whether the variants evolve to become more concerning than they are right now. A big change in any one of those could lead to big changes in case rates, says Fox.

Given all these unknowns, what kind of case rates should we be looking for to tell us its OK to resume our regular lives? Its not enough for case rates to be flat. Its not enough for them to be decreasing. They have to be low. It might be tempting to see a dropping line or even a flat one as a relief and a reason to loosen up. But 59,000 new cases a daythe relative low point at which things had settled last weekmeans 59,000 new people got COVID each day. Thats tens of thousands of people, each with a chance of being personally affected by the virus. But also, thats tens of thousands of people who could host a new variant, spread it to others, and keep us all living carefully and anxiously even longer.
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A Dallas woman was sentenced to five years in prison for causing a nightclub dancers death by performing an illegal cosmetic butt injection on her in Missouri.

Nitica Deonte Lee, 49, was sentenced Thursday for involuntary manslaughter in the 2015 death of Daysha Phillips, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Prosecutors said Lee traveled from her Dallas home to a hotel in Edmundson, a suburb near St. Louis main airport, where she injected the liquid silicone. Phillips, who was 22, died four days later after the silicone entered her bloodstream and became trapped in her lungs.

Three others accompanied Phillips. One one backed out, and two others who received injections didnt appear to suffer any ill effects, police said at the time.

Lee, who previously served time in prison for robbery, burglary and theft, was charged a few months after Phillips died. But she was a fugitive for five years before being arrested by Dallas police in July. Prosecutors said she spent some of that time in Mexico.

Cosmetic surgeons use fat from elsewhere in the body for enhancements, but black market practitioners sometimes use silicone sourced from hardware stores. Deaths have occurred around the U.S.

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Former Republican House Speaker John Boehner has torn into 'lunatics' and 'morons' in his own party and reveals he was criticized for confirming that Barack Obama was born in America.

In is new book 'On the House: A Washington Memoir,' the chain-smoking, red wine-sipping Boehner says the GOP thought the ex-president was a 'secret Kenyan Muslim traitor.'

He also calls Ted Cruz a 'reckless a**hole', Tea Party member Michele Bachmann a 'lunatic' and describes his constant battles with Fox News over their conservative message and the 'fringe' politicians the network was turning into 'stars.'

Boehner reveals he clashed with Rupert Murdoch at meetings in the 1990s, when Fox News was in its early days, and believes Roger Ailes 'got swept into the conspiracies and the paranoia' of birtherism conspiracy theories.

Boehner was voted speaker in 2010 after midterm elections dominated by the Tea Party, which he believes started turning the party in a different direction.

A year later he was subjected to a wave of criticism when NBC's Brian Williams asked him about the Obama birtherism claims, and he said: ''The state of Hawaii has said that President Obama was born there. Thats good enough for me.'

'You would have thought I'd called Ronald Reagan a communist,' he said about the reaction to a 'simple statement of fact.'

Former House Speaker John Boehner (left) wrote in his new book that Republicans and right-wing media figures truly believed President Barack Obama (right) was a 'secret Kenyan Muslim traitor'

ATTACKED FOR CONFIRMING OBAMA WAS BORN IN HAWAII

Boehner recalled the pushback he received from members of his party when he went on Meet The Press and vouched that Obama was born in the United States.

'The state of Hawaii has said that President Obama was born there. That's good enough for me,' Boehner said in January 2011.

He also wrote about the moment he realized the 'lunatics' had grown more powerful than Republican leadership.

'I got all kinds of sh** for itemails, letters, phone calls. It went on for a couple weeks.

'I knew we would hear from some of the crazies, but I was surprised at just how many there really were,' Boehner wrote.

'All of this crap swirling around was going to make it tough for me to cut any deals with Obama as the new House Speaker. Of course, it has to be said that Obama didn't help himself much either.'

'But on the other hand - how do you find common cause with people who think you are a secret Kenyan Muslim traitor to America?' Boehner observed.

'YOU COULD BE A TOTAL MORON AND GET ELECTED WITH AN 'R' NEXT TO YOUR NAME IN 2010'

Boehner ascended to the speakership in 2011 after the Tea Party movement helped the GOP capture the House majority two years into Obama's tenure.

He recalled how Obama called the experience a 'shellacking.'

'And oh boy, was it ever,' Boehner wrote in an excerpt for Politico Magazine that was released Friday. 'You could be a total moron and get elected just by having an R next to your name - and that year, by the way, we did pick up a fair number in that category.'

Boehner complained about the tone of the new Tea Party-tied members.

'Since I was presiding over a large group of people who'd never sat in Congress, I felt I owed them a little tutorial on governing.

'I had to explain how to actually get things done,' he explained. 'A lot of that went straight through the ears of most of them, especially the ones who didn't have brains that got in the way. Incrementalism? Compromise? That wasn't their thing.'

'A lot of them wanted to blow up Washington. That's why they thought they were elected,' he continued.

CLASHES WITH RUPERT MURDOCH, ROGER AILES AND SEAN HANNITY

On top of that, the conservative media establishment was leaning into conspiracy theories and elevating those who spouted them, Boehner observed.

The former speaker recalled a meeting he had in the early 90s with the late Roger Ailes, who became CEO of Fox News Channel and Rupert Murdoch.

They were talking to Boehner about this new TV network they were starting, Fox News.

Former Speaker John Boehner's book, 'On the House: A Washington Memoir,' comes out on April 13

'I had no idea I was listening to the outline of something that would make my life a living hell down the line,' Boehner observed.

Cut to 2011, and Boehner watched how 'birther-ism' - the conspiracy theory that Obama wasn't born in the United States - went from the internet to, by his calculation, radio host Mark Levin. 'It got him ratings, so eventually he dragged Hannity and Rush to Looneyville along with him,' Boehner said.

'My longtime friend Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News, was not immune to this,' Boehner added. 'He got swept into the conspiracies and the paranoia and became an almost unrecognizable figure.'

Boehner wrote about confrontations he had with Ailes and also with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity.

Ailes, the Ohio Republican recalled, told him how Obama, the Clintons and George Soros were 'trying to destroy him' and so he had installed a 'safe room' in his house.

'It was like he'd been reading whacked-out spy novels all weekend,' Boehner recalled. 'I thought I could get him to control the crazies, and instead I found myself talking to the president of the club. One of us was crazy. Maybe it was me.'

Sean Hannity hit back at Boehner's comments and said 'he will down as one of the worst Republican speakers in history. He added: 'He's weak, timid and what's up with all the crying John?'

'At some point I called him a nut,' Boehner added.

After Hannity started going after Boehner on his show night after night, the House speaker called him up to ask, 'What the hell?'

Hannity, according to Boehner, pushed back that the speaker didn't 'have a plan.'

Look, our plan is pretty simple: we're just going to stand up for what we believe in as Republicans,' Boehner said he shot back.

The Ohio Republican said his relationship with Hannity, after that conversation, never got any better.

Hannity made that clear in a tweet Friday.

'John Boehner will go down in history as one of the worst Republican speakers in history. Hes weak, timid and whats up with all the crying John?' the Fox News Channel host tweeted. 'There was not a single time I was around him when he didnt just reek of cigarette smoke and wine breath,' Hannity added.

'I'm glad he finally found his true calling in life in the "weed industry,"' Hannity said in a second tweet.

Boehner has lobbied for a cannabis group since leaving office.

Boehner (right) referred to Rep. Michele Bachmann (left) as a 'lunatic' and said she was one of the 'first prototypes' out of Fox News Channel's laboratory of 'fringe characters'

TEA PARTY MEMBER MICHELE BACHMANN WAS A 'LUNATIC'

Boehner recalled a conversation he had with Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican, who had presidential ambitions.

Bachmann was one of the 'fringe characters' that Fox was responsible for turning into a media star, Boehner said. 'One of the first prototypes out of their laboratory was a woman named Michele Bachmann,' he said of the overall trend.

Bachmann, who was starting her third term in Congress, told Boehner she wanted to be put on the House Ways and Means Committee, which is the House's most powerful.

That was never going to happen because she would need the approval of the Steering Committee - so it was technically out of his hands - but Boehner was going to be put in a tough position because she didn't do nuance.

When he diplomatically told her no, she pushed back saying, 'Well, then I'll just have to go talk to Sean Hannity and everybody at Fox. And Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and everybody else on the radio, and tell them that this is how John Boehner is treating the people who made is possible for the Republicans to take back the House.'

Boehner introduces Sen. Ted Cruz (pictured) as the 'new head lunatic leading the way' adding that 'there is nothing more dangerous than a reckless a**hole who thinks he is smarter than everyone else'

Ted Cruz responded Friday to an audio clip of John Boehner telling him to f*** himself with a 'Mean Girls' gif

'I wasn't the one with the power, she was saying. I just thought I was. She had the power now,' Boehner said. 'She was right, of course.'

Boehner ended up putting Bachman on the House Intelligence Committee, admitting that she 'did her homework' and impressed other members on the panel.

TED CRUZ: THE LEADER OF THE 'CHAOS CAUCUS'

Boehner concluded his excerpt by previewing what happened to the 'chaos caucus' in the next cycle.

'Ladies and gentleman, meet Senator Ted Cruz,' Boehner wrote, referring to the Texas Republican who took office in 2013. Boehner dubbed Cruz the 'new head lunatic leading the way.'

'There is nothing more dangerous than a reckless a**hole who thinks he is smarter than everyone else,' Boehner said.

Boehner ended the chapter with a cliffhanger: '[Cruz] enlisted the crazy caucus of the GOP in what was a truly dumbass idea. Not that anybody asked me.'

He was likely previewing the chaotic 2013 government shutdown.

On Friday, Axios reporter Jonathan Swan shared a clip of Boehner's audiobook, in which he randomly inserts, 'P.S., Ted Cruz, go f*** yourself.'

Cruz responded to the tweet by sharing a 'Mean Girls' gif that read, 'Why are you so obsessed with me?'
Tony Abbott's sister has defended a mayor lying in a coma following a 'medical incident' hours after he was accused of bullying.

Dubbo mayor Ben Shields was rushed to hospital on Wednesday, where he remains on life support.

Moments before paramedics arrived, Mayor Shields shared on Facebook: 'I have only ever done what is right for Dubbo'.

His hospitalisation came just hours after six councillors accused him of bullying and 'intolerant behaviour,' and signed a letter calling for him to resign immediately.

Dubbo mayor Ben Shields was rushed to hospital on Wednesday, where he remains on life support

Christine Forster, the sister of former prime minister Tony Abbott, threw her support behind Mr Shields in a Facebook post Friday (pictured)

Christine Forster, the sister of the former prime minister, Mr Abbott, threw her support behind Mayor Shields on Friday and slammed 'purely politically motivated attacks'.

'My friend Ben Shields is a better Liberal and a better servant of his community than just about anyone I could name,' she wrote to Facebook.

'His tireless commitment to the people of Dubbo and surrounding region has been his life's work for 22 years and the current success of the city and its people is testament to that.

'The purely politically motivated attacks on him are a disgrace.'

Ms Forster said she hoped Mayor Shields would be back doing his best for the community as soon as possible.

Her wife Virginia Flitcroft also shared a Facebook post praising the mayor in the wake of the medical emergency.

'Ben Shields is an honourable man, who has always put his beloved Dubbo first, to hear that he is in a critical condition in hospital is beyond devastating,' she wrote.

'This political bullying at its most shocking.'

The 40-year-old's family earlier revealed his prognosis is uncertain.

Moments before paramedics arrived, Cr Shields shared on Facebook: 'I have only ever done what is right for Dubbo'

Mayor Shields was also accused of mishandling of a multimillion-dollar proposed Bunnings development, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Deputy Mayor Stephen Lawrence and councillor John Ryan claimed Mayor Shields didn't adhere to consultation protocols.

A letter written on Wednesday - signed by councillors - said Mayor Shields' colleagues no longer had confidence in him and his abilities.

'The council condemns and will not tolerate abuse of power, bullying, harassment, threats and intimidation,' the letter read.

'The council has no confidence in the mayor and calls upon him to resign immediately as mayor and from council and enable council to move forward in the best interests of the community.'

The councillors called for a confidential report to be prepared 'advising on any and all complaints, allegations and suggestions of misconduct on behalf of the mayor that have any stage of the term of council been brought to the attention of any council staff and not been the subject of a code of conduct process'.

Mayor Shields' colleagues were also pushing for him to hand back his mayoral robes, phone, car and office within the next seven days.
MOSCOW - The University of Idaho has recently become aware of an internet scam involving someone improperly impersonating the universitys purchasing department in an effort to purchase large quantities of various types of goods. Emails have been sent to numerous vendors from email addresses ending in unidaho-edu.com, which is NOT a University of Idaho email address. The emails use names of people associated with the university, but who are not purchasing department employees. These emails do not represent U of I, or its associates, in any manner.

U of I encourages anyone who receives one of these emails to report the matter to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov. Further, please contact abuse@uidaho.edu if you are aware of, or have been contacted by, anyone using the domain unidaho-edu.com. You should also report this to your email provider so that future messages can be blocked.

U of I does not use or have any control of the unidaho-edu.com internet domain. The university is pursuing the takedown of the domain address and is providing this notice to the public in an effort to inform you of the scam.

All legitimate U of I emails will come from an email address from the universitys official domain, uidaho.edu. Further, anyone can confirm the identity of a U of I employee by using the universitys employee directory at directory.uidaho.edu and confirming the contact information in the email with the information on the official University of Idaho website. You may also contact the University of Idahos Purchasing Department at purchasing@uidaho.edu or 208-885-6116 to verify purchases coming from the university.
US soldiers walk to an oil production facility to meet with its management team, in Syria, October 27,2020. US Army/Spc. Jensen Guillory

The US still has 3,500 troops in Iraq and several hundred more in Syria.

Any benefit the US may get from those deployments is dwarfed by the risks of keeping them there.

Daniel L. Davis is a senior fellow for Defense Priorities and former US Army lieutenant colonel.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The United States will engage in a "strategic dialogue" with Iraq this month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last week. The key agenda item, she explained, was the US combat deployment there.

How or whether to extend the operation should not be part of the discussion. Nailing down details of the withdrawal should.

The 3,500 US troops currently in Iraq serve no purpose related to American national security. They don't have a militarily attainable mission which could be recognized and signal the end of the deployment. The only benefactor is the government in Baghdad and even they are ready to show America the exit.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi told reporters in Iraq he is approaching April's dialogue with Washington as a chance to push for the withdrawal of American troops. He cited what he considered a positive outcome from the June 2020 strategic dialogue with the US in which Iraq "succeeded in reducing the size of the US combat forces in Iraq by 60%."

In this upcoming meeting, al-Kadhimi added, he will seek the complete "redeployment of [US] forces outside of Iraq." The administration, however, appeared interested in cooling such talk.

A US Army crew chief looks over the Tigris River from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq, March 3, 2021. US Army/Capt. Travis Mueller

At the recent press briefing, Psaki sought to "further clarify that coalition forces are in Iraq solely for the purpose of training and advising Iraqi forces to ensure that ISIS cannot reconstitute." If the troops are not officially engaged in direct combat, some believe, the deployment will be more palatable to the American people.

There is little evidence the US population cares about the nuance, however. Upward of 75% want the troops to return home. Such views are well-founded, as the troops no longer provide even nominal support for US security interests.

Story continues

The reason troops are in Iraq at all today is because President Barack Obama sent them to help Baghdad fend off the rise of ISIS in the summer of 2014.

When President Donald Trump assumed office, he beefed up the military presence and gave them the mission of helping the Iraqi military (and later Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria) retake the territory ISIS had captured. That mission was completed in Iraq in November 2017 and in Syria in March 2019.

Today ISIS has been driven underground, as is the case with numerous other violent insurgent groups in the Middle East. Though ISIS poses a potential terror threat - as literally scores of other radical groups do - the threat they pose is limited and in any case is not diminished by having a few thousand troops on the ground in either Iraq or Syria.

Lt. Gen. Paul Calvert, commander of the US-led counter-ISIS mission in Iraq and Syria, told Defense One that ISIS's "ability to reemerge is extremely low right now."

What does concern Calvert, however, are the volatile cultural and political conditions in both countries. "It's clear to me and people that I've talked to [in Iraqi government]," Calvert said, "there's a significant amount of concern in terms of the possibilities of an internal Shia civil war." Things in Syria are even worse.

A US soldier next to an M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle in northeastern Syria, December 16, 2020. US Army Reserve/Spc. Tarako Braswell

Aside from the ongoing civil war, operating within Syria are Iranian troops fighting alongside Syrian troops, Russian Air Force bombers striking anti-Syrian targets, Russian mercenaries, Shia militias, Kurdish elements Turkey considers terrorists, and Kurdish groups the US considers allies.

American troops have sometimes narrowly avoided armed clashes with Russian combat troops, Syrian troops, and even its NATO-ally Turkey. In somewhat of an understatement, Calvert said the "level of complexity in Syria is immense and is probably one of the most complex environments I have seen in the 33 years that I've been serving."

Whatever incremental security benefit may exist with US troops being deployed in Iraq and Syria, they are dwarfed by the strategic risk we incur every minute we remain on the ground there.

We are in a sea of civil conflict in Syria and in danger of semi-regular rocket attacks in Iraq. Our military presence cannot influence the political outcome in either country.

The best thing Biden can do for the security of the United States and to preserve the lives of our service members from unnecessary risk at the security dialogue with Baghdad is to withdraw our troops, in full, from both Iraq and Syria as soon as possible.

Daniel L. Davis is a senior fellow for Defense Priorities and a former lieutenant colonel in the US Army who deployed into combat zones four times. He is the author of "The Eleventh Hour in 2020 America." Follow him @DanielLDavis1.

Read the original article on Business Insider
One of the most notorious cases in FBI history unfolds on the big screen with the new trailer for Above Suspicion.

Emilia Clarke stars as Susan Smith, a woman desperate to escape her impoverished life in a Kentucky coal mining town.

She sees an opportunity to get out when new FBI agent Mark Putnam (Jack Huston) comes to town and recruits her as his informant... before things fall off the rails.

Trailer: One of the most notorious cases in FBI history unfolds on the big screen with the new trailer for Above Suspicion

Informant: She sees an opportunity to get out when new FBI agent Mark Putnam (Jack Huston) comes to town and recruits her as his informant... before things fall off the rails

The trailer begins with a local sheriff playing guitar at his leisure when he sees a young man in a truck pull a mask over his head.

The young man runs into a bank and declares, 'This is a stick-up' tossing a bag to the teller and instructing her to fill it up with money.

The sheriff bursts in with a shotgun, demanding the robber to put the gun down, as shots are fired.

Sheriff: The trailer begins with a local sheriff playing guitar at his leisure when he sees a young man in a truck pull a mask over his head

Stick-up: The young man runs into a bank and declares, 'This is a stick-up' tossing a bag to the teller and instructing her to fill it up with money

Shots fired: The sheriff bursts in with a shotgun, demanding the robber to put the gun down, as shots are fired

Smith is seen coming out of a shop while Agent Putnam is being introduced to local law enforcement, along with his wife Kathy (Sophie Lowe).

Smith is seen meeting with Putnam, who wants her to meet him in the parking lot at 7 AM, and when she asks why she'd do that, he says, 'to keep your husband out of prison.'

Later Putnam tells Smith she is, 'the key of everything I wanna do here,' as she wants her help to take down this bank robber, then move her and her kids to a new state.

Introduced: Smith is seen coming out of a shop while Agent Putnam is being introduced to local law enforcement, along with his wife Kathy (Sophie Lowe)

Why: Smith is seen meeting with Putnam, who wants her to meet him in the parking lot at 7 AM, and when she asks why she'd do that, he says, 'to keep your husband (Johnny Knoxville) out of prison'

The next morning, her husband catches her going through his bag, before the FBI announces their presence, and he's shot trying to flee the home and arrested.

Later Smith seductively tells Putnam, 'we are one hell of a team,' as their illicit romance begins shortly thereafter.

They're seen holding hands while each inside their own car, as Putnam says he has to go and lets go.

Bag: The next morning, her husband catches her going through his bag, before the FBI announces their presence, and he's shot trying to flee the home

Romance: Later Smith seductively tells Putnam, 'we are one hell of a team,' as their illicit romance begins shortly thereafter

Let go: They're seen holding hands while each inside their own car, as Putnam says he has to go and lets go

Smith tells her friend Jolene (Thora Birch) that she's, 'an important informant,' though she knows what's really going on.

'Ain't nothing good gonna come from messing around with that federal cop,' Jolene says to her plainly.

But when Smith tells Putnam she's pregnant, he starts to back away, saying he has a job and a family.

Important: Smith tells her friend Jolene (Thora Birch) that she's, 'an important informant,' though she knows what's really going on

Ain't nothing good: 'Ain't nothing good gonna come from messing around with that federal cop,' Jolene says to her plainly

Job and family: But when Smith tells Putnam she's pregnant, he starts to back away, saying he has a job and a family

Putnam tells her he doesn't want to see her anymore, but when Smith tries to go home to her husband Cash (Johnny Knoxville), he says she should 'stay at your boyfriend's house' and slams the door in her face.

Someone tries to burn down Putnam's house, but he shoots the Molotov cocktail right out of his (or her?) hand, as Smith says 'that's just a warning.'

The trailer winds down with a number of dramatic shots including Smith getting in a bar fight and Putnam's wife saying she, 'wanted a better life so much you thought you could just take mine.'

Above Suspicion will be released in theaters and everywhere movies can be rented on May 14, with its release on Blu-ray and DVD following on May 18.

Boyfriend: Putnam tells her he doesn't want to see her anymore, but when Smith tries to go home to her husband Cash (Johnny Knoxville), he says she should 'stay at your boyfriend's house' and slams the door in her face

Warning: Someone tries to burn down Putnam's house, but he shoots the Molotov cocktail right out of his (or her?) hand, as Smith says 'that's just a warning'
China, ASEAN member states enjoying closer relations, more shared objectives

Senior diplomats of China and its Southeast Asian neighbors are engaged in a slew of intensive talks, and fresh consensuses and outcomes are being reached regarding their joint fight against COVID-19, keeping their economies afloat and ensuring there is no interference in other nations' internal affairs.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in eastern China's Fujian province hosting visiting foreign ministers of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines for a series of one-on-one meetings that started on Wednesday.

Observers said the lingering pandemic is bringing China and all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations even closer, and their renewed commitment to common growth and the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts has further transcended geopolitical considerations.

As a part of frequent official contacts between China and ASEAN members, Wang paid official visits to Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines from Jan 11 to 16. In addition, Wang talked with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith via video link on Feb 3.

After his ongoing series of meetings are completed on Friday, Wang will have held bilateral ministerial-level talks this yearin person or via video linkwith seven of the 10 ASEAN member countries.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and ASEAN countries have maintained frequent high-level contacts, and the fight against the virus has made constant progress, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday.

She added that the series of exchanges between Wang and his Southeast Asian counterparts shows the "ever-increasing bond" among the neighbors.

ASEAN became China's largest trade partner last year, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of the start of the China-ASEAN dialogue partnership.

Beijing looks forward to strengthening strategic mutual trust, boosting the building of the Belt and Road and bringing China-ASEAN ties and bilateral ties with nations to a new level to further ensure regional peace and growth, Hua said.

"China is one of the Strategic Dialogue Partners with which ASEAN has the most substantial cooperation," Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Xinhua News Agency before his China trip.

Both sides are working to enhance the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement and are tackling new priorities resulting from the pandemic, such as the digital economy and public health, he added.

Advancing vaccination and reciprocal recognition of health certificate QR codes to deal with the protracted pandemic were among the topics of Wang's talks with the Singaporean minister on Wednesday.

Vaccine disparity opposed

Wang said countries should work together to object to "vaccine nationalism" and prevent vaccine disparity. Vivian praised the two nations' mutual support during the pandemic, and looked forward to further exchanges.

China and Singapore agreed to push all contracting parties to finish domestic approval procedures on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade pact.

Regarding the Myanmar situation, Wang said China supports ASEAN's noninterference principle as well as its approach to facilitate Myanmar's return to order and stability.

As the world is increasingly multipolar, international relations should be democratized, both sides agreed.

Xu Liping, a researcher of Southeast Asian affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China and ASEAN are front-runners in the East Asia region's fight against COVID-19 as a result of their mutual support.

"The four foreign ministers' China visits will help advance two-way collaboration on building the Belt and Road and offset the impact brought by the pandemic," Xu said, adding that the visits are also expected to help nurture constructive consensus and solutions on the Myanmar situation.

China and ASEAN countries should rule out interference by external forces when negotiating the expected text of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and their ever-closer friendship is based on lasting cultural and historical links that are not subject to geopolitical games, Xu added.

On Thursday, Wang met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein.

Wang said Beijing and Kuala Lumpur agreed to launch a high-level committee on bilateral cooperation and advance two-way teamwork on vaccines and regional cooperation. They also agreed to promote peace, stability and development in the South China Sea region, further support multilateralism and oppose unilateralism.

On Friday, Wang is expected to meet separately with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi and Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin.

In Manila, the first shipment of Chinese vaccines purchased by the Philippine government, which is the first batch of the 25 million doses ordered from leading Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac, arrived on Monday.

"China now is the first and only country to provide vaccines to the Philippines through both donation and commercial procurement," said Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, adding that more vaccines will arrive to further help boost the Philippines' economic recovery.

Rising ties with ROK

At Wang's invitation, Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Chung Euiyong will visit China from Friday to Saturday in his first trip to the country since taking office in February.

Bilateral political relations "have advanced in a close, efficient manner", and two-way trade grew last year despite global economic headwinds, Chinese Ambassador to the ROK Xing Haiming said last week.

From this year to next year, the two nations will hold the "China-ROK Cultural Exchange Year", and next year marks the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.
The use of lime in acidic soils is credited for contributing to improved farm productivity, but funding deficit has hampered its use in affected soils in Rwanda.

According to information from Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), the total farm area covered by acidic soils is estimated at 213,446 hectares nationwide, requiring application of about 533,615 tonnes and a budget of about Rwf32 billion [annually].

However, RAB said that the budget allocated to the lime subsidy initiative with the aim to support farmers' access to it is insufficient to cater for the total area that needs it.

For instance, during this 2020/2021 fiscal year, just about Rwf1.6 billion was allocated for lime, which will only be enough to purchase 20,500 tonnes that can be used on 8,200 hectares.

Lime - locally called Ishwagara - is defined as calcium or calcium-magnesium containing compounds capable of reducing the harmful effects of an acid soil by neutralising soil acidity and raising the soil pH.

Crops perform poorly in acidic soil because soil acidity prevents them from taking up nutrients from the soil and is blamed for nutrient deficiencies.

Soil acidity has been identified as one of the major obstacles towards achieving the targeted agricultural transformation, with approximately 40 per cent of Rwandan soils classified as 'very acidic', according to data from RAB.

In the locations with severe soil acidity, RAB says, it has been noted that with the farmers' low input system (manure), the profitability of staple crops is negative.

Speaking to The New Times, Charles Bucagu, Deputy Director-General of Agriculture Research and Technology Transfer at RAB said that the soil acidity issue affects 27 districts (of the 30 districts) of the country.

Bucagu said that the money required for lime needed for all the soils in question is about half of RAB's annual budget.

"When lime is not applied [in acidic soil], in combination with manure and chemical fertilisers, a farmer cannot get good yield, even when they use quality seeds," he said of the impact of lack of lime application.

According to RAB, research has shown that with high input system (lime and organic fertilisers, inorganic fertilisers and pesticides, quality seeds) some crops such as [Irish] potato, wheat, maize, and beans could significantly increase their productivity by three times.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Agribusiness Rwanda Food and Agriculture By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Bucagu said that the cost of a kilogramme of lime varies, but estimated at between Rwf50 and Rwf60, while 2.5 tonnes (2,500) kilogrammes are needed per hectare. This means that between Rwf125,000 and Rwf150,000 should be spent on lime to be used per hectare.

However, the farmers said that they buy lime at a higher price - close to Rwf200 a kilogramme.

Verediyana Uwamurera, a farmer in Nyaruguru District told The New Times that getting enough lime has been a challenge for farmers, indicating that this situation has had bad impact on farm productivity.

She said that a kilogramme of lime ends up costing Rwf180 probably because of transport and distribution costs which drive up its price, adding that farmers need support to get enough lime.

"If we get enough lime, we can get better yields so we get surplus for the market," she said.

entirenganya@newtimesrwanda.com

Follow https://twitter.com/EmNtirenganya
New Delhi, April 2 : China said on Thursday that it has shared all data and analyses with the experts of the World Health Organization (WHO) tracing the origin of Covid-19, and it is ready to continue working with global experts to jointly study and analyse the data.

The joint study group of WHO and China to trace the origin of Covid-19 released a report two days ago, in which it flagged that more data will be made available to the investigators by Beijing.

A day after the report was released, India had demanded a comprehensive and expert-led mechanism to expeditiously investigate the origin of coronavirus. The US, the UK and several other countries have also voiced their concerns over the findings.

Reacting to India's demand, China said that they had twice invited WHO experts for the study of the origin of Covid-19 and offered necessary facilitation for the team's work, fully demonstrating its openness, transparency and responsible attitude.

China further said that the joint study group tracing the origin of Covid-19 has unanimously agreed that the allegation of a 'lab leak' is extremely unlikely.

The experts of the joint mission made field trips to several institutions, including the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control, the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, besides visiting the biosafety laboratories, and had in-depth and candid exchanges with the experts there.

"Members of the mission unanimously agreed that the allegation of lab leaking is extremely unlikely, and this is an important scientific conclusion made clear in the joint study report released this time," said the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy.

The spokesperson also said that as for the question of further research, the experts of the WHO mission said that there has always been speculation about lab leak, and work could be done with laboratories around the world if there is further evidence that the hypothesis needs to be reassessed.

The experts also said that the virus may have been spread in places other than China early on, and a global perspective is needed to carry out the origin-tracing work.

"The report also proposes multiple tasks to be conducted worldwide. We hope relevant countries can cooperate with the WHO expert mission in an open, transparent and responsible manner like China did," the spokesperson said.

As for the issue on accessing raw data, after China and WHO agreed on the terms of reference in July last year, China carried out data collection, collation and analysis in accordance with the suggestions of the foreign experts.

The Chinese authorities gathered relevant institutions and several hundred scientists to collect, collate data and conduct initial analysis, and presented item by item raw data of particular concern to the WHO experts.

The international experts have also said on many occasions that they had full and candid discussions with the Chinese side with regard to data issues.

As the medical files contain a large amount of information which concern personal privacy, the relevant data are not allowed by the law to be copied or taken abroad, which is a common practice in many countries. The international experts said they completely understand the situation, the spokesperson said.

Going forward, China stands ready to continue working with international experts to jointly study and analyse the data.

The spokesperson further pointed out that the study of origins is a matter of science.

To politicise this issue will only severely hinder global cooperation in study of origins, jeopardise anti-pandemic cooperation, and cost more lives.

It would run counter to the international community's aspiration for solidarity against the virus.

"Study of origins is also a global mission that should be conducted in multiple countries and localities. We believe the joint WHO-China study will effectively stimulate global cooperation in origin-tracing," the spokesperson said.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)A

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Many countries in the world have showed serious concerns over Chinas recent deployment of over 200 ships around Sinh Ton island cluster in Vietnams Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago

and requested the country to immediately bring these vessels out of the area and end all provocations.



In a regular press conference, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministrys Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said that the operation of the Chinese ships within the territorial waters of Sinh Ton Dong island in the Truong Sa archipelago has violated Vietnams sovereignty and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)s regulations on the operation of foreign vessels in the territorial waters of coastal nations, run counter to the spirit and content of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and complicated the situation which is unfavourable for the process of negotiations between ASEAN and China on a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC).

A Vietnamese soldier guarding on Sinh Ton Dong Island. Photo: VNA

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a diplomatic protest that the swarming and threatening presence of the Chinese ships creates an atmosphere of instability and shows that China is ignoring its commitments to promoting peace and stability in the region.



At a reception for Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto on March 30, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga voiced his concern over Chinas activities in the waters, including the enforcement of its Coast Guard Law which allows patrol ships to use weapons. Both sides spoke highly of the importance of maintaining free and open navigation based on international law.



Meanwhile, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko tweeted that the South China Sea (called the East Sea in Vietnam) issues are directly related to peace and stability and a concern for all parties.



Japan strongly opposes any action that heightens tensions. We support the enforcement of the Rule of Law in the sea and work with the international community to protect the free, open, and peaceful seas, he stressed on his Twitter account.



Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Steven Robinson tweeted that Australia supports an Indo-Pacific region which is secure open and inclusive. The South China Sea  a crucial international waterway  is governed by international rules and norms, particularly UNCLOS. We remain concerned about destabilising actions that could provoke escalation.

Responding to Chinas statement that the vessels operating around the Sinh Ton Island cluster are fishing ships and they were just taking shelter from rough seas, Jay Batongbacal, Director of the University of the Philippiness Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said that a reconnaissance flight by the Philippine Air Force showed that around 200 vessels have been there for weeks.



Satellite photos also show that the decks of these vessels are very, very clean. It's as if they're brand new, he said, adding that One big worry, of course, is that they might be preparing to occupy the reef in order to construct another artificial island.



Gregory B. Poling, who is Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that Chinas acts are suspicious as the boats, tied up with military precision beside each other, are not fishing, they're parked.



Collin Koh, a Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies under Singapores Nanyang Technological University, stated that Chinas activities are escalating tensions in the East Sea.



It can be said that Chinas recent activities in the East Sea have continued challenging international law and violating the sovereignty and sovereign rights of other countries.



In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague issued a ruling rejecting all Chinas illegal sovereignty claims in the East Sea.

VNA

East Sea still site of tense developments Politburo member, Chief of Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, and Deputy Minister of Defense Phan Van Giang gave a presentation on "New perceptions, new thoughts on Vietnam's defense" at a national conference on the 13th Party Congress Resolution.
(Natural News) On Wednesday, March 24, Vice President Kamala Harris sat for a segment with CBS This Morning in which she advocated for a raft of gun control measures. During her anti-gun rant, the former senator from California tried to give the impression that anti-gun politicians are not interested in taking Americans firearms, stating, Stop pushing the false choice that this means everybodys trying to come after your guns. That is not what were talking about. The statement was a flagrant falsehood, uttered by a person who spent much of the 2020 Democratic primary campaign advocating for the confiscation of commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms among a field of other candidates advocating for the confiscation of commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms.

(Article by NRAHQ republished from AmmoLand.com)

On September 6, 2019, Harris told reporters in Londonderry, N.H. that she supported a forced buyback of commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms  whereby current owners would be required to hand over their lawfully-possessed guns for set compensation. Billionaire gun control financier Michael Bloombergs eponymous news outlet cheerfully reported that Harris stated, I think its a good idea, adding, We have to work out the details  there are a lot of details  but I doWe have to take those guns off the streets.

On the September 16, 2019, edition of the The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Harris reiterated her support for gun confiscation. During a question-and-answer session, an audience member asked Harris Do you believe in the mandatory buyback of quote-unquote assault weapons and whether or not you do, how does that idea not go against fundamentally the Second Amendment?

The candidate responded, I do believe that we need to do buybacks. Making clear that she believes Americans Second Amendment rights are for sale, the senator added A buyback program is a good idea. Now we need to do it the right way. And part of that has to be, you know, buyback and give people their value, the financial value.

Further demonstrating her commitment to gun confiscation, Harris called for a mandatory buyback program during an October 3, 2019 MSNBC gun control forum. Harris told those gathered, We have to have a buyback program, and I support a mandatory gun buyback program.

A month later, Harris reiterated her support for gun confiscation to NBC Nightly News. When asked about the specifics of her confiscation program, Harris responded, well what well do is have an incentive for people to turn them in.

Harris isnt the only politician in recent years to make clear that they are in fact trying to come after your guns. Rather, overt calls for gun confiscation have become an obvious fixture of gun control politics.

During the second term of his presidency, Barack Obama repeatedly cited Australias confiscatory gun control measures when advocating for new U.S. gun controls. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton followed suit, expressing her support for Australia-style gun confiscation.

The campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination was replete calls for gun confiscation. In May 2019, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) expressed his support for gun confiscation to CNN, explaining, We should have a law that bans these weapons and we should have a reasonable period in which people can turn in these weapons. During the September 12, 2019, Democratic debate, Robert Francis Beto ORourke was asked about his proposal to confiscate commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms. The former manny responded in part by saying, hell yes, were going to take your AR-15. In November 2018, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) famously suggested that nuclear weapons would make short work of those who might resist his gun confiscation program.

Then there is Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who just introduced a new version of her bill to ban commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms and standard capacity magazines  S.736. Discussing her 1994 semi-auto ban  which sunset in 2004  with CBSs 60 Minutes in 1995, the senator lamented the fact that she was unable to secure the votes to confiscate existing semi-automatic firearms. The former mayor of San Francisco stated, If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of them, Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in, I would have done it.

Perhaps the reason so many gun owners believe that politicians are trying to come after their guns is that so many politicians are on the record advocating gun confiscation. NRA members and other gun rights supporters should work to inform others of these politicians gun confiscation agenda and to expose Harriss shameless dishonesty.

Read more at: AmmoLand.com and KamalaWatch.com.
Mohamed Bazoum will be sworn in on Friday as Niger's new president in the country's first democratic transition of power. In an exclusive interview in Niamey with RFI and our sister station France 24, he talks about clashes, intercommunal conflict, the prospect of France withdrawing its Barkhane forces and plans to emancipate young girls.

The swearing in ceremony of new president Mohamed Bazoum at the Mahatma Gandhi conference centre in Niamey will take place under unprecedented security measures, involving the presidential and national guard, and the police.

The event comes at a particularly fraught time for the country, which has faced a coup attempt, elections marred by violence and hundreds killed in terrorist attacks in recent weeks.

Niger's presidential elections on 21 February saw an unprecedented transition of power between two elected presidents. And yet the election process was marred by violence in the streets of Niamey and elsewhere. Several deaths were reported and hundreds of opposition supporters arrested. This could have cast a shadow on the Mohamed Bazoum's honeymoon period but he insisted the clashes were "artificial".

"There were some tensions in Niamey and they lasted less than two days," he said. "I think this shows how artificial the unrest really was. After those two days, things simply calmed down." While he regretted the unrest he considered it was now "behind us".

The opposition candidate Mahamane Ousmane has contested the results of the election, and on the 25 March, 53 opposition deputies boycotted the first session of parliament, suggesting a rocky debut for the new leader.

In an exclusive interview in Niamey with RFI and our sister station France 24 earlier this week, Bazoum talked the challenges the country faces and his hopes for the future as he prepares to take over from his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou.

Note: This interview was conducted prior to the attempted coup on the night of March 30-31, and has been edited. You can watch the full version in the video here.

Terrorist attacks

Niger has suffered terrorist attacks: jihadists groups like the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) have launched attacks on military camps. Civilians have also been targeted.

More than 300 people have been killed in three attacks in the west of the country since the start of the year. Asked whether ISGS was purposefully challenging Bazoum as he took over the reigns, he said the current situation was "not related to elections and results".

"What we're seeing today is what's going on in the field, the relations between jihadists and the communities that they are trying to control."

He took the example of the recent attack in the Tillaberi region in which 137 people died. Jihadists were using a system of tithes known as 'zakat' to control people, but that system was interrupted when "heavy patrolling by the national guard" meant locals were "less willing to pay". Punitive attacks followed.

Intercommunal conflict

A recent report by the International Crisis Group found that two terror attacks in March were revenge attacks by ISGS jihadists. It suggested that Niger, like some of its west African neighbours, was falling into a spiral of sectarian violence.

Bazoum acknowledged there was a real risk of "intercommunal conflict".

"When you see this kind of action, widespread killings against a particular population [... ] it of course leads to a risk of community-based conflict," he said, "because the jihadists come from particular communities. And the people they attack unfortunately also belong to specific communities.

"Our challenge is to make sure the situation doesn't escalate. We need to defend people against these rogue operations and that is what we do as a state and we will take up that challenge."

Niger is not Mali

Taking up that challenge means beefing up the army, but in neighbouring Mali Prime Minister Moctar Ouane has acknowledged there are limits to a strong-armed solution and is open to negotiations with jihadist groups. Bazoum says you "can't compare" the situation in Niger and Mali as there are no Nigerien jihadists to negotiate with.

"We cannot open dialogue with them because there are no jihadist commanders in Niger, there are no bases for jihadists in Niger and there have been no statements from major ISGS commanders related to Niger," he declared.

"We have north Africans commanding the ISGS forces who are carrying out jihad in Mali - at least that's their position - and who sometimes have operations that spill over into Niger."

French withdrawal

With the French presidential elections just over a year away, the issue of maintaining France's controversial Barkhane force is becoming a hot button issue. The military operation in the Sahel, both expensive and costly in terms of human life, is increasingly unpopular in French public opinion. The question of partly or completely withdrawing French forces is now on the table.

Paris Perspective #5: Sahel operation a modern symbol of French military might

If this should happen "we wouldn't feel abandoned by the French," Bazoum said, viewing Barkhane as a "mainly Mali-based operation".

A "partial" withdrawal of French forces from Niger would not necessarily change the balance of power on the ground.

"If some troops were withdrawn it wouldn't have a big operational impact, it would be more symbolic and political," he said, given the French army "don't have boots on the ground fighting against jihadists".

What matters is for France to maintain its air force.

"What we do need is the air superiority from the French forces which as I understand it would be guaranteed no matter how many troops were withdrawn from the country, if that were to happen."

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Fighting poverty

Niger remains one of the continent's poorest countries: 40 percent of the population lives on less than two dollars a day. Its birth rate - an average of seven children per woman - is the highest in the world. Bazoum said it's crucial to promote the education of young girls.

"It seems fundamentally important to me to underline the importance of educating young girls [... ] We want to make sure they stay in school."

His new approach is to create boarding schools in lower middle schools close to where the girls' families live, thereby encouraging parents not to pull them out of school.

"By building a lot of boarding schools in these local middle schools, keeping girls in school up to the age of 18, we will protect girls from early marriage," he explained.

77 percent of Nigerien girls are married before the age of 18 and 28 percent before the age of 15.

Niger's new president is hopeful that "if we educate young girls and keep them in schools for a long time we have a strong way to fight these early child marriages and also protect them from giving birth before they're 15".

While recognising this was "a big challenge" he promised to "remain strong and make sure we discuss the problem openly".
Petroleum Products Depot Owners Association (PPDOA), made up of depot owning companies who utilise the key jetty located long Dockyard Road, Apapa, for discharge, operation and services of petroleum products to various part of the country, particularly Lagos, has cried out over what it termed injustice and unlawful treatment by the management of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) at the Apapa Ports Complex, Lagos.

The injustice, they alleged was being meted by the Port Manager, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Bolanle Olotu, who for a while now, closed the Waziri Jetty in alleged flagrant disobedience to a subsisting court injunction protecting the group's business operations.

During a briefing in Lagos addressed by the association's Executive Secretary, Mrs. Trisha Okereke , the group consisting of Hensmor Nigeria Limited; A-Z Petroleum Nigeria Limited; G-Eurafric Nigeria Limited; One Terminal Nigeria Limited; Aiteo Energy and NIPCO Plc, alleged that the "port manager has taken up illegalities against the injunction which mandated that NPA, its agents and/or assigns should not lease out the common user facility of the Waziri Jetty and should not interfere with our petroleum business by preventing use and / or access to the Waziri Jetty".

Okereke explained further that the injunction was issued to protect the operators' rights when NPA attempted to stop their business operations in 2007 when the group protested on the lease of the common user jetty land for base oil business, to one of the users of the jetty.

She lamented that, unfortunately, today, the Port manager has locked up the Waziri Jetty, preventing the operators from accessing the jetty for the legitimate operations of their petroleum businesses.

"The port manager's flawed reasoning is based upon investigating erroneous facts and hearsays from one company whom she claims has been given a lease of the jetty land.

"This admittance which the port manager has made in writing, flouts the subsisting court injunction given in favour of the petroleum company users of the jetty", Okereke noted.

Speaking further, she said: "As if that was not enough, the port manager took steps to padlock the jetty waterfront, preventing the users of the jetty from accessing it.

Okereke who described this action as a, "clear and unacceptable abuse of power which the current injunction barred, explained that, "the jetty land which is in dispute and contention is one that borders the jetty waterfront area which is the portion of the jetty used for our operations.

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"But because we are resisting and protesting any lease and /or use of the jetty land, the port manager has taken actions to sanction our protests by preventing our use of the water front."

She said Olotu's actions show a shocking disregard for the law and must there be stopped, adding, "Olotu's reprisal was in direct reaction to our heavy protests against the alleged lease she claimed was issued to Leader Marketing by NPA".

PPDOA lamented further that the closure of the jetty has interfered with their businesses and livelihood that the masses derive from them.

They appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi; members of the National Assembly and all the authorities concerned to come to their rescue.

They urged them to prevail on the port manager, Apapa Ports Complex, to stop her continued lock of the Waziri Jetty as it wantonly interferes with the petroleum business, an industry that is already besieged and almost wiped out by the unfavourable foreign exchange terms and the ravages of COVID 19 in the world's economic situation today.

All efforts to reach the Apapa Port Manager, Mrs. Olotu was abortive as she couldn't be reached on phone.

Her PR personnel, Mr. Nasiru, on the other hand, who spoke with THISDAY on phone said he was in a meeting and will get back but he never did till the time of this report.
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FARMINGTON  Theres a lot more to economic development work than simply compiling and organizing a bunch of facts and figures, something Arvin Trujillo knows very well.

But thats a good place to start. And now, Trujillo  CEO of Four Corners Economic Development Inc., the organization charged with marshaling efforts to bring new business to San Juan County  knows that, for the first time, he has a well-sharpened tool designed to help him do his job.

On April 1, 4CED launched its new website, 4cornersed.com, which was financed by a $20,000 grant from Farmingtons Merrion Family Foundation. Trujillo said his organization had identified the need for a stronger new website as a priority last year, and it put together a proposal seeking funding for the project, sending it to local philanthropic organizations. The Merrion Family Foundation responded with the grant.

4CED contracted with the Golden Shovel Agency  a Little Falls, Minnesota-based economic development marketing firm that emphasizes website development and online communications  to produce the new website, and work commenced seven months ago. Trujillo said new features will continue to be added to the site over the next several weeks, but it was launched this week because officials believed it was important to unveil it to the public.

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Trujillo laughed heartily when he was asked to compare the new site to its predecessor.

Quite frankly, theres really no comparison, he said, explaining that the new site features easy-to-access material about communities throughout San Juan County, including the Navajo Nation, that had never been compiled in one location until now.

It tells a story, he said. Each community expresses whats important to them and the economic development opportunities in their community. It even lists commercial properties on their subpage that are available to develop.

More: Unemployment rate in state, Farmington area jumps again in December

The website offers extensive demographic figures for the county, broken down by age, sex, race, educational attainment, household size, household income and other metrics. It features subpages for communities throughout the county, including Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield and Kirtland.

Trujillo said that aspect of the project was especially important.

This was a community project, he said. The idea was to sell San Juan County. We went to Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield and Kirtland, and asked them to help us build their subpages. It was an opportunity to tell us whats important about your community and why should someone consider moving to your area. Then we helped them clean up the rough edges.

One of the more impressive features of the site is its data mapping tool, which allows visitors to focus on specific areas of the county to unearth a wide range of information. It also has a feature that allows visitors to directly compare the demographics of a local community with those of other regional communities such Santa Fe; Flagstaff, Arizona; or Durango, Montrose or Grand Junction in Colorado.

The data mapping site also allows visitors to examine specific areas of the county for specific types of industrial development, industrial clusters or specific business searches. It also includes pages devoted to industries that have been targeted for growth in the county  agriculture, energy, manufacturing, petrochemicals manufacturing and retail/tourism  and describes the efforts being made to promote their growth.

Trujillo views the new website as a major time saver for anyone considering San Juan County as a possible business development site. Previously, anyone interested in obtaining those demographics would have needed to contact 4CED and supply a lengthy list of questions, then the organization would have had to conduct that research and get back to the inquiring party, he said  a process that could have taken days or weeks.

Now, all that information is just a few keystrokes away.

Trujillo said after an initial website was compiled, a committee made up of two dozen people from various industries reviewed it and offered its feedback. That was a very worthwhile exercise, he said.

News: Farmington, Dineh chambers of commerce sign memorandum of understanding

They came back with a lot of good ideas to improve it, he said.

An enormous amount of work went into the new website, Trujillo said, and nothing about initiating a project of that nature came easily  which may explain why it hadnt been done earlier.

It was a daunting effort, he said. But with (the Golden Shovel Agencys) help, we were able to get through it. It was an especially steep learning curve for me. I had never done anything like this.

The website was launched only a few days ago, so Trujillo hadnt received a lot of feedback from community members. But he said the few things he had heard were positive, and he looks forward to seeing it have an impact soon.

My expectation is, once people start seeing whats available, well start seeing new growth opportunities, he said, explaining that he expects the volume of inquiries received by his agency and representatives of the municipalities throughout the county to increase in the months ahead.

News: Farmers caught up in cannabis crackdown speak against Navajo Nations bid to take land use permits

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: New 4CED website funded by $20k grant from Merrion Family Foundation

___

(c)2021 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)

Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at www.daily-times.com

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 21:45:51|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Kremlin said on Friday extra steps will be taken if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) strengthens forces around Ukraine amid the intensified Kiev-Donbas conflict.

Military build-up of the NATO will undoubtedly escalate tensions near the Russian-Ukrainian border, requiring Moscow to "take additional measures to ensure its security," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing.

Viewing Russia as an enemy in this situation is completely unacceptable and inappropriate as it has never posed a threat to others, he said.

Russia is not a party to this conflict between the Ukrainian government forces and the Donbas insurgents and cannot guarantee a comprehensive ceasefire between them, but it can work to ensure that previously-reached agreements are fulfilled, the spokesman added.

Peskov expressed serious concerns over "provocative actions" from the Ukrainian side and called the situation along the contact line in Donbas "very intimidating."

In a telephone conversation with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington is closely monitoring the situation in Donbas.

The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has claimed the lives of some 14,000 people and left as many as 40,000 wounded, began in April 2014. Enditem
The sinister neo-Nazi cult that had a Metropolitan Police officer in its ranks also boasted members who plotted machete attacks, groomed underage boys and attended 'Miss Hitler' beauty pageants.

Ben Hannam, 22, yesterday became the first British policeman to be convicted of a terrorism offence after it emerged he was once a member of the banned white supremacist group National Action (NA).

The terror organisation, launched by Ben Raymond and Alex Davies in 2013, operated by targeting university campuses as sites for flyering and recruitment in its 'reign of terror'.

It expressed virulent hatred for non-whites and incited violence against its perceived enemies, with those associated with it plotting to kill MPs and launching machete attacks while yelling 'White supremacy!'

Ben Hannam, 22, yesterday became the first British policeman to be convicted of terrorism after it was found he was once a member of banned white supremacist group National Action

When officers searched Hannam's bedroom last year, they found neo-Nazi posters, notes detailing his membership of NA, as well as NA badges and business cards. Nazi propaganda can be seen on the wall by his bed alongside Star Wars posters, which the court heard he likened to the artwork and imagery of fascism

National Action, labelled 'racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic' by the then-home secretary Amber Rudd, was banned in December 2016 after calling on followers to emulate the killer of the MP Jo Cox.

Hannam, a serving Metropolitan Police officer, is the 16th person to be convicted of being a member of the neo-Nazi organisation.

The 22-year-old, who was released on bail ahead of sentencing on April 23, attended training camps, went on graffiti sprees and recruited others to join NA after being absorbed into its ranks in 2016.

He even became a poster boy for the NA and featured in a recruitment video just weeks before he applied to the Metropolitan Police in 2017.

A diary belonging to Hannam in which he detailed 'possible group activities' and his 'life in recent years'

Hannam is seen doing a Nazi salute and holding a National Action flag during a meeting of the neo-Nazi group

Yet shockingly he managed to sail through the vetting process to become a probationary police officer two years after joining the proscribed terror group.

His activity was discovered when an anonymous hacker using the name 'antifa-data' [anti-fascist data] hacked into a neo-Nazi forum called Iron March and published details of its 1,185 users online.

Other ex-members of National Action have previously been convicted of shocking crimes, including assassination plots, bomb-making, and racially motivated attacks.

White supremacist who attacked Sikh dentist with a machete

Zack Davies, then 26, launched a lone violent machete attack at an Asian dentist who had gone to Tesco to buy his lunch in January 2015, shouting: 'This is for Lee Rigby.'

The extremist, who was radicalised online, had posted an image of himself in a balaclava with a large knife and the flag of National Action hours before he attempted to decapitate Dr Sarandev Bhambra in Mold, Flitshire.

Davies, who was found guilty of attempted murder, repeatedly hacked at the terrified 24-year-old as he tried desperately to escape up an aisle of the supermarket, flinging products from the shelves to slow down his grinning attacker.

He is understood to have been a member of National Action before it was proscribed.

Zack Davies (above) launched a violent machete attack at an Asian dentist who had gone to Tesco to buy his lunch in January 2015, shouting: 'This is for Lee Rigby'

Pictured: A Far Right pamphlet dealing with the death of Drummer Rigby, the soldier hacked to death by Islamic extremists near Woolwich barracks in 2013, found at Davies' home

Davies later told police he had singled out Dr Bhambra because of his skin colour, yelling 'white supremacy!' and 'this is revenge!' as he attempted to sever his victim's left hand.

White supremacist and neo-Nazi material was found when police later raided his home, with items including swastika badges, Combat 18 stickers, a copy of Mein Kampf and a Far Right pamphlet dealing with the death of Rigby, the soldier killed by Islamic extremists near Woolwich barracks in 2013.

Davies was said to be obsessed with the 'no compromise' tactics of the Islamic State and Jihadi John. He owned a YouTube account on which he posted neo-Nazi videos.

Davies had posted an image of himself in a balaclava with a large knife and the flag of National Action (above) hours before he attempted to decapitate Dr Sarandev Bhambra

Neo-Nazi who planned to assassinate MP Rosie Cooper

Another prolific neo-Nazi is Jack Renshaw, a former British National Party youth leader who admitted to purchasing a 19-inch replica Roman sword to assassinate Rosie Cooper, the MP for West Lancashire in April 2019.

But the plan was scuppered by whistle-blower Robbie Mullen, who was at a meeting in a pub when Renshaw announced that he was going to kill Ms Cooper in July 2017.

National Action leader Christopher Lythgoe, of Warrington, and his right-hand man Matthew Hankinson, from Merseyside, were present when Renshaw outlined his plans.

They were convicted of membership of NA in 2018 but cleared of encouraging Renshaw.

Jack Renshaw (above at a National Action rally) admitted to purchasing a 19-inch replica Roman sword to assassinate Rosie Cooper, the MP for West Lancashire in April 2019

Renshaw, from Skelmersdale in Lancashire, also pleaded guilty to making a threat to kill detective Victoria Henderson, who was investigating him for grooming.

It later emerged he was jailed in June 2018 for 16 months after he groomed two underage boys - aged between 13 and 15 at time - using a fake Facebook profile.

The defendant had earlier received a three-year prison sentence when he was found guilty of stirring up racial hatred after he called for the genocide of Jewish people.

Renshaw denied membership of National Action, and jurors twice failed to reach a verdict on whether he remained part of the far-Right terrorist group after it was banned in 2016.

National Action leader Christopher Lythgoe (above), of Warrington, and his right-hand man Matthew Hankinson, from Merseyside, were convicted of membership of NA in 2018

Hankinson (left) and Lythgoe (right) were present when Renshaw outlined his plans

Photographs show the neo-Nazi at rallies for the group prior to its ban.

He was forced to leave Manchester Metropolitan University in September 2015 following an investigation into his incitement of racial hatred.

In a shocking speech delivered to the Yorkshire Forum for Nationalists in 2016, Renshaw said: 'I do actually have some problem with the statement 'Hitler was right' in many senses but you know where he was wrong?

'He showed mercy. He showed mercy to people who did not deserve mercy.

'As nationalists, we need to learn from the mistakes of the National Socialists and we need to realise that no, you do not show the Jew mercy.'

Ex-Miss Hitler entrant among four 'diehards' jailed for membership

The most recent National Action members to be convicted of membership of the neo-Nazi group include a woman who competed in Miss Hitler beauty pageants.

Alice Cutter was found guilty of belonging to the terrorist group alongside her former partner Mark Jones and neo-Nazi 'diehards' Garry Jack and Connor Scothern following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court last March.

Cutter, who entered a beauty contest as 'The Buchenwald Princess' in reference to the Second World War death camp, was jailed for three years while Jones was handed a five-and-a-half year sentence.

Alice Cutter was found guilty of belonging to the terrorist group following a trial last March

Cutter, who entered a beauty contest as 'The Buchenwald Princess' in reference to the Second World War death camp, was jailed for three years

Sentencing, Judge Paul Farrer QC said Cutter was an 'intelligent and strong-minded woman' who had offered advice to the leadership of the group on training and security.

Her former partner Jones, then 25, had played 'a significant role in the continuation of the organisation' after its ban in December 2016, and was involved in organising training camps and 'grooming' recruits, he said.

The pair, who lived in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, were involved in trying to recruit schoolgirls aged 15 and 16 as part of a plan for teenage recruitment, according to the prosecution.

Cutter's former partner Mark Jones (above with a copy of Mein Kampf) was jailed for five-and-a-half years

Neo-Nazi 'diehards' Garry Jack (left) and Connor Scothern (right) were also found guilty of membership following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court

Teenager who built a pipe bomb was jailed for downloading manuals

Nazi-obsessed Jack Coulson, who boasted he would kill a Jewish MP and 'put two bullets in the back of her head', was jailed in 2018 for downloading a bomb-making manual.

The teenager was found with 'The Big Book Of Mischief' on his mobile phone, which contains instructions on creating and detonating a wide variety of explosives.

Far-right fantasist Coulson, who 'saw Hitler as a leader', downloaded the manual while subject to a Youth Rehabilitation Order which banned him from using the internet.

Leeds Crown Court heard in 2018 Coulson was a member of the 'secretive neo-Nazi' organisation National Action, but he was not convicted on this charge.

It is understood he had been linked to the group prior to its ban.

Nazi-obsessed Jack Coulson (above), who boasted he would kill a Jewish MP and 'put two bullets in the back of her head', was jailed in 2018 for downloading a bomb-making manual

The court heard he also drunkenly said he wanted to 'kill' Liverpool Wavertree MP Luciana Berger while staying in a hostel on January 3 but that he was not charged over the incident.

Coulson had been convicted of building a pipe bomb the previous February.

When searching his home in Bradford, officers found a white Samsung mobile phone containing the manual. They also found audio footage of a 'Nazi Choir', 'marching military' audio and a clip of a 'screaming crowd' with gunshots heard in the background.

The phone also contained images of handguns, suicide vests, swastikas and soldiers.

Coulson, who a court heard 'explained that his party was 'National Action'', had previously built a pipe bomb and stashed it in bedroom desk drawer.

Police were alerted through suspicious Snapchat messages reported by a member of the public.

Coulson was arrested and later claimed he never intended to use the bomb.

He was handed a three-year youth rehabilitation order at the age of 17.

Far-right couple who named their baby after Adolf Hitler

Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas, who were part of National Action and had a 'long history of violent racist beliefs', gave their child the middle name Adolf in 'admiration' of Hitler.

A search of the couple's Oxfordshire home uncovered Nazi memorabilia, a Ku Klux Klan outfit and an arsenal of deadly weapons including crossbows, machetes and axes.

Pictures later emerged of Thomas, originally from the West Midlands, wearing the white hooded mask synonymous with the white supremacist group as cradling his young child.

The KKK robes that Thomas wore in a series of photos shown to the jury  including one with his baby  were inherited from his great-grandfather, a supporter of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists in the 1930s.

Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas, who were part of National Action and had a 'long history of violent racist beliefs', gave their child the middle name Adolf in 'admiration' of Hitler

Born in Sutton Coldfield but raised in Birmingham, Thomas spent much of his childhood with his maternal grandparents, but he continued to see his parents.

The extremism that would lead him to National Action was already so ingrained in him that at school he was referred to the Government's Prevent strategy after teachers overheard him racially abusing fellow pupils at the age of 13.

The only white child in his class, he was eventually expelled and went to a special school.

Thomas left without any GCSEs but in a bizarre turn of events two years later the self-confessed Holocaust denier moved to Israel, where he lived first in a kibbutz and then a college where he tried to convert to Judaism.

Born in Sutton Coldfield but raised in Birmingham, Thomas (above) spent much of his childhood with his maternal grandparents, but he continued to see his parents

A search of the couple's Oxfordshire home uncovered Nazi memorabilia, a Ku Klux Klan outfit and an arsenal of deadly weapons including crossbows, machetes and axes

Asked about his child's middle name, Thomas said it did 'reflect an interest' and 'admiration' of the Nazi leader

He met Patatas via the encrypted Telegram messaging app  also favoured by Islamic State recruiters  after flying back to the UK in 2016. Patatas was born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, and graduated in English and Germanic philology. She had no known connections to the far Right.

Patatas moved to the UK in 2010 to live with a pagan far Right activist she met on a camping holiday. She fell under Thomas's spell in November 2016 and soon became pregnant with their child.

Asked about his child's middle name, Thomas said it did 'reflect an interest' and 'admiration' of the Nazi leader.

Patatas moved to the UK in 2010 to live with a pagan far Right activist she met on a camping holiday. She fell under Thomas's spell in November 2016 and soon became pregnant with their child

He told the court: 'It definitely doubles up as the name of Adolf Hitler.

'It's undeniable and I don't make a secret of it. It does reflect an interest in that topic and admiration for what it represents.'

Thomas was jailed for six years and six months, and Patatas for five years.

Leading member of Nation Action's Midlands' branch

Another ex-National Action member to be convicted is Daniel Bogunovic, a leading member of the neo-Nazi group's Midlands' branch.

He was described as a leader and strategist for the organisation, and jailed for more than six years following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

The man, from Leicester, was a 'committed National Action leader, propagandist and strategist', according to prosecutors.

Another ex-National Action member to be convicted is Daniel Bogunovic (right), a leading member of the neo-Nazi group's Midlands' branch. Pictured left: Nathan Pryke

Darren Fletcher (left), of Wednesfield, West Midlands, admitted being part of National Action

Bogunovic already had a conviction for stirring up racial hatred by plastering Aston University in Birmingham with the group's offensive stickers.

He was sentenced alongside six others, including Thomas and Patatas.

Darren Fletcher, of Wednesfield, West Midlands, Joel Wilmore, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, and Nathan Pryke, of March, Cambridgeshire all admitted being part of the group at the beginning of their trial.

'Outstanding' corporal who served in Afghanistan

White supremacist and self-confessed racist Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen was convicted of being a member of National Action in November 2018

White supremacist and self-confessed racist Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen was convicted of being a member of National Action in November 2018 and jailed for eight years.

The British Army veteran - who fought in Afghanistan and was described as an 'outstanding' soldier - was at the heart of the neo-Nazi terrorist group which set its sights on recruiting from within the armed forces.

He believed a 'race war' was coming and tried to establish an all-white armed stronghold in Powys, Wales, a court heard.

The Royal Anglian Regiment soldier, who served with distinction since 2012, was convicted of being a member of National Action following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

He was kicked out of the Army after his arrest in September 2017, along with another soldier, as he tried to form an underground network and stockpiled weapons.

A licensed firearms holder, Vehvilainen moved from Finland to the UK with his mother and sibling at the age of four when his parents' marriage broke down.

His mother, formerly from Lincolnshire but now living abroad, said in court that as a teenager her 'mischievous' son was 'a little bit challenging'.

Asked when he might have developed his 'deeply offensive and racist views', she said: 'I really don't know. I was in complete shock and disbelief [when he was arrested in September 2017].'

Vehvilainen believed a 'race war' was coming and attempted to recruit soldiers in the British Army. He was pictured performing a Nazi salute in his native Finland

Vehvilainen was previously known as an 'outstanding soldier' and boxer. Pictured above, believed to be in Afghanistan

When searching two properties, police discovered Vehvilainen kept swastika bunting, an SS ceremonial dagger and a 'crudely made' electromagnetic pulse (EMP) device at his home.

Officers also discovered a swastika flag, Adolf Hitler stickers, and a CD containing Third Reich music at his properties in Brecon and Llansilin, Powys.

Machetes, knuckledusters, a crossbow with arrows, a large knife and a hammer were also recovered from the properties.

He had a picture at the property in Llansilin, which showed him giving a Nazi-type salute at a memorial to his native Finland's independence, in 1917.

Vehvilainen was cleared of possession of a terrorism document - the Anders Breivik manifesto found in Hannam's bedroom in a later case - but he was jailed for being a member of National Action.

Regional commander who cowered in airing cupboard before arrest

Alexander Deakin was among the first eight Britons to be convicted of being a member of National Action after the group was proscribed in December 2016.

Alexander Deakin was among the first eight Britons to be convicted of being a member of National Action

The student, who acted as Midlands regional organiser, was arrested while cowering in an airing cupboard in May 2017.

He had claimed 'incompetent' counter-terrorism officers would never catch him.

The student was exposed as a member of the neo-Nazi group after being caught on CCTV putting up racially offensive stickers on Aston University campus.

Deakin was sentenced to 12 months for inciting racial hatred with the stickers, which had slogans including 'White Zone' and 'Britain is ours  the rest must go'.

He was later jailed for eight years in April 2018 for being a member of the banned group National Action.

In messages from the encrypted chat app Telegram, Deakin had told fellow NA members that in a future 'race war' the organisation would have a 'Ku Klux Klan-themed death squad'.
He urged the court to appoint an expert committee to probe into the illegalities and suggest remedies for bringing accountability in the private health system.  DC file photo

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by journalist Narendhar Kazipet, seeking to direct Care and Global Hospitals to pay Rs 50 crore for alleged negligence and unethical practice assuring to increase the height of people, among other dubious claims.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy was dealing with the PIL filed in 2016.

After noticing several medical negligence cases in corporate hospitals, the petitioner approached the court, seeking a redressal forum for the victims who suffer financial losses and anguish. In the petition, he cited negligence by Care Hospital in not diagnosing cancer in a woman who later died of the disease. He also mentioned the surgery at Global Hospital for increasing the height of a software professional.

He urged the court to appoint an expert committee to probe into the illegalities and suggest remedies for bringing accountability in the private health system and strengthening the public health system. He also sought an exclusive mechanism to determine compensation to family members of victims of negligence and unethical medical practices.

However, the bench was not inclined to pass any directions and advised the petitioner to make a representation to the government on the issues raised in the petition.
BOSTON, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Analysis Group, one of the largest international economics consulting firms, supported the State of Georgia and Kirkland & Ellis LLP in a successful jurisdiction proceeding before the US Supreme Court (Florida v. Georgia). The court ruled unanimously on Thursday in favor of Georgia, ending its decade-long dispute with the State of Florida over water access.

Analysis Group was retained on behalf of Georgia, in defense of a claim by Florida that the defendant was consuming too much water from an interstate network of rivers, known as the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, that terminate in Florida's Apalachicola Bay. Florida claimed this caused salinity levels to spike, contributing directly to the collapse of oyster fisheries in 2012.

Academic affiliate Robert Stavins, the A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development at the Harvard Kennedy School, provided testimony to the Supreme-Court appointed Special Master on the question of apportionment in the matter. Of note, Dr. Stavins opined on the amount of economic activity associated with water use in the region in question, the likely economic costs of water use restrictions on residential and agricultural water users, and the likely economic benefits of increased water availability to the downstream entity.

The Special Master, reporting to the US Supreme Court, found that Florida's proposed remedy would not represent an equitable apportionment of the Basin's waters, referencing Dr. Stavins's estimates of benefits and costs. The Supreme Court agreed with the Special Master's findings, and dismissed the case brought by Florida.

The Analysis Group team supporting Professor Stavins was led by Principal Todd Schatzki and Vice President Jonathan Borck.



To learn more about Analysis Group's capabilities, visit AnalysisGroup.com

About Analysis Group:

Analysis Group is one of the largest international economics consulting firms, with more than 1,000 professionals across 14 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Since 1981, we have provided expertise in economics, finance, health care analytics, and strategy to top law firms, Fortune Global 500 companies, and government agencies worldwide. Our internal experts, together with our network of affiliated experts from academia, industry, and government, offer our clients exceptional breadth and depth of expertise.

Contact:

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Though craft breweries in Minnesota rack up an impressive $2.214 billion in economic impact, it hasnt been enough to convince the legislature to support policy changes that would allow for a significant increase to their economic impact.

The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild (MNCBG) is excited to announce the launch of the MN Craft Beer PAC (PAC). The PAC is a bipartisan committee with the purpose of supporting policies and legislation that champion the cause of craft breweries of all sizes. The sole focus is to assist the influence of craft breweries and apply pressure to the barricades that consistently present themselves in their legislative efforts.

There are currently 200 breweries in the state of Minnesota, but the state remains in last place when it comes to allowances for breweries. A few examples include hard caps on off-sale when a brewery grows past 20,000 barrels and restrictions on what containers can be sold directly from a brewery to consumers. Minnesota brewers continue to struggle to grow without hitting significant roadblocks. Though craft breweries in Minnesota rack up an impressive $2.214 billion in economic impact, it hasnt been enough to convince the legislature to support policy changes that would allow for a significant increase to their economic impact. The PAC will provide a stronger voice for Minnesotas craft beer industry and champion legislation that leads to increased job growth, tourism, consumer choice/access, and economic impact.

Entrenched parties have significant influence over Minnesotas legislature when it comes to liquor laws. Though more and more legislators are actively supporting the efforts of the craft beer and beverage industry, the MNCBG and other craft beverage associations have historically been at a financial disadvantage, putting MN craft beverage producers in a position where even getting a hearing on a bill is challenging.

The timing of the launch coincides with the current push for the modernization of liquor laws through the Drink Local Economic Recovery Package (SF 1176 / HF 1192). The pandemic has put breweries and other craft beverage producers, bars, and restaurants in an impossible position, said Lauren Bennett McGinty, Executive Director of the MNCBG. The MNCBG chose to be part of this unprecedented collaboration because we understand the value of removing arcane statute that prevents these small businesses from being successful. We want to work with our partners in the industry to dig out of the pandemic and thrive in the future.

In order to ensure that Minnesotas craft breweries can continue to grow, the MNCBG felt the time was now to begin building a stronger platform for support. Bob Galligan, MNCBG Board Member and PAC Chair noted, Our efforts have gotten louder and stronger in recent years, but we are taking this step to give our members and consumers a voice in creating a better future for small businesses in our communities. The MNCBG hopes that with so much support across the three-tier system and from the public, the PAC and other efforts will help move the needle on current and future legislation.

The MN Craft Beer PAC is still recruiting additional committee members and has kicked off fundraising at mncraftbeerpac.org.

About the MN Craft Beer PAC

The MN Craft Beer PAC (MNCBPAC) is a bipartisan Political Action Committee (PAC) led by members of the Minnesota craft beer industry and is supported by the craft beer community and our fans. The MNCBPAC works to protect and support Minnesotas craft breweries and their rights by backing legislators and legislation that advocates for the modernization of our current liquor laws and removes barriers to growth for craft breweries.

About the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild

The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild exists to promote, protect, and grow a robust Minnesota craft brewing industry by building a healthy beer culture and community that allows for independent brewers, industry stakeholders, and craft beer fans to thrive.
New Delhi, April 2 : Investors should look to add to cyclical stocks on weakness in the Indian markets, according to Christopher Wood of Jefferies.

In his research note titled 'Greed and Fear', Wood said, "Most notable to Greed & Fear was a 72 per cent and 38 per cent year-on-year increase in property sale registrations in Mumbai and Delhi last month, and 243 per cent and 70 per cent year-on-year so far in March due to the low base. Investors should look to add to cyclical stocks on weakness." The note said that the positive point for India is that it is a fast-emerging manufacturing centre for Covid vaccines.

In the best case, 2021 vaccine quantities for India could cover 78 per cent of the population, with Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax vaccines likely to be available in the second quarter of 2021.

The note said that this is clearly not the case for most emerging markets though. Consider, for example, the Philippines. Based on the data supplied by Regis, the Philippines is not due to get most of the vaccines it has ordered until the end of the year. Cumulative Covid vaccine arrivals are expected to be only 43 million by July and 143 million by December.

The note said that if the American macro story, as well as the policy context, remains fully supportive of the cyclical trade as does the vaccine rollout in the US, there has been a significant setback in continental Europe in terms of the slowness of the vaccine rollout which can definitely put back recovery there by a quarter.

"Vaccines in the Eurozone are running way behind Britain. The share of people who have received at least one dose of Covid vaccine is now 41.7 per cent in the UK, compared with only 9.5 per cent in the EU," the report said.

"This has exposed the problem of the Eurozone as a political entity in the sense that undertaking a vaccine rollout is more akin to fighting a war and the EU has clearly never shown much aptitude for the latter activity," the note said.

"There is now growing talk that the locked-up Brits will not be allowed to go on summer holiday in Europe this year! It is hard to know where post-Brexit political considerations meet public health considerations. But Greed & Fear's sense is that the prime motivation is political," the note added.

The note said that the vaccine rollout is critical given that it has become increasingly evident that Covid is a chronic condition and new variants will likely keep on coming, which is why the world needs to get used to living with Covid and why a new vaccine will probably be needed every year.

The good news is that the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology employed by the likes of Moderna and Pfizer can be easily tweaked for new variants, the note said.
STANIEL CAY, Bahamas, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is now operating 21 new moorings in close proximity to its marina. This addition provides a much-needed secure mooring option for boaters in the area while also protecting the underwater environment from anchor damage.

Moorings can be rented on either a nightly, or 2-hr basis, providing the perfect home-base for visiting all of the incredible sights of the surrounding area  The Original Swimming Pigs, Thunderball Grotto, native iguanas, friendly nurse sharks, pristine beaches and sandbars, and more!

The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is now operating 21 new moorings in close proximity to its marina. Aerial view of Staniel Cay Yacht Club

The SCYC mooring field installation was a collaborative effort by Pioneer Moorings, The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, and the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. For complete details, please visit our website at https://www.stanielcay.com/marina/moorings/.

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Jennifer Valencia at (954) 467.6658, or email [email protected].

Staniel Cay Yacht Club is the perfect getaway for anyone seeking a comfortable, casual vacation on a remote, tranquil island. A boutique resort with 13 intimate bungalows, one gorgeous villa, and a full-service marina, SCYC is set on a charming small island surrounded by the most incredible water you will ever experience. Take your own boat, find your own beach, make your own path. It really is like no other place on Earth.

Staniel Cay Yacht Club is the proud recipient of the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award for the last 11 consecutive years and is one of the first properties in the Bahamas to receive its "Clean and Pristine" certification from the Bahamian government. Our management and staff have created and implemented protocols that exceed all requirements to provide our guests with a clean and safe environment from which to explore and enjoy the Exuma Cays.

Media Contact:

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A 26-year-old man from Leicester was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Worcester in connection with a scheme that fraudulently obtained employment assistance and COVID-19 relief loans, authorities said.

William Cordor was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.

From about June to October 2020, authorities said that Cordor conspired with others to use stolen identities to file false and fraudulent claims for unemployment assistance in several states including Nevada. The scheme, authorities said would wire the payments into prepaid debit card accounts.

Authorities said that police found 21 prepaid debit cards in 13 different names when they encountered Cordor in August of 2020 in connection with a domestic violence incident. Police also found evidence of the scheme on Cordors computer and cell phone, authorities said.

In a second wire fraud scheme, authorities said Cordor used stolen identities to fraudulently apply for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster loans from the Small Business Administration. Again, authorities said, the funding from the loans would be deposited into prepaid debit card accounts

Authorities said Cordor admitted to federal agents of another scheme in May of 2020, where he fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits in Massachusetts. Cordor, authorities said, agreed to surrender to federal authorities $79,000 from his bank account that was generated from the unemployment scheme.

The charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutively to another sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
has temporarily halted its COVID-19 vaccination programme as there was a delay in securing more vaccines from the Serum Institute of India, a top health minister has said.

launched its inoculation programme late January when India gifted 500,000 doses of Oxford- Till Thursday 913,219 people out of the island nation's 21 million population had been vaccinated.

Vaccination programme has been halted from Wednesday night due to the need to use the available Oxford- doses for the second jab of those already vaccinated, primary health care and COVID-19 prevention minister Dr Sudarshani Fernandopulle was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror newspaper on Friday.

She said the COVID-19 vaccination programme was temporarily suspended as there was a delay in securing more AstraZeneca vaccines, the report added.

The (SII) recently suspended exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The WHO has recommended that the second jab must be made available within 12 weeks of the first. The second dose was to be administered from April 19, the report said.

After the free gift, placed an order for more doses of the Indian vaccine. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, Covishield, has been developed in collaboration with SII.

The Pune-based vaccine major has entered into a collaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine.

The Serum Institute had curtailed exports in the recent weeks. So, Fernandopulle said that Sri Lanka was not able to gain any assurances on the arrival of the next consignment from India in time.

This week China donated 600,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines. However neither the local health regulators or the WHO have approved its emergency use. Officials said the Chinese vaccine will be administered on the Chinese workers in the country.

Sri Lanka is also to order 700,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V 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.)
He could just as easily be talking about his work at Brioni, which was founded in 1945 and where, since assuming his current role in the fall of 2018, following stints at Berluti, Louis Vuitton and Lanvin, Stumpfl has balanced timeless luxury with contemporary flourishes, turning out lightly fitted woven and washed silk shirts, sustainable denim pieces, soft cashmere sweaters and wool suits and jackets, some of which are cut from fabric spun with electromagnetic wave technology, yet are hand-stitched down to the button holes. Everything should be in the construction, but that should be hidden away. I do not want the Brioni man to be overpowered by design, he says. Stumpfls own daily uniform consists of navy wool Brioni trousers and a T-shirt or knit top  no shoes, at least not when hes working from home, whether hes among his many books in the living room or taking video calls alongside the fruit trees in the courtyard. (Its the only place I can get a decent connection, he says with a laugh.) He feels at ease in the space, and in his adopted city. Despite the difficulties brought on by the pandemic, he says, the people there remain open and warm. The food is fresh and simple, and the street style is sharp but relaxed. The Italians call it sprezzatura, he says of the way in which shirts are thrown on, rolled up or left unbuttoned  with a studied casualness hes embraced since his arrival. For me, its a reminder that imperfections are human; life is most important.
This system truly lives up to its claims, in terms of ease of use and diagnostic accuracy, and has provided a level of confidence among our clinical staff as they determine the most appropriate course of treatment for their patients as quickly as possible, said Dr. Valeriano.

Allegheny Health Networks (AHN) Jefferson and Allegheny General Hospitals are the first in western Pennsylvania to use breakthrough technology to detect and diagnose non-convulsive seizure activity in critically ill patients to ensure they receive optimal treatment as quickly as possible.

Patients who are critically ill or injured can experience non-convulsive seizures, as the bodys central nervous system reacts to trauma or a serious disease process at work. Since the patient shows no outward signs of seizure activity, physicians must rely on electroencephalography or EEG monitoring, which is not always readily available, to detect it. The longer a seizure, even a seizure without obvious convulsive movements goes untreated, the higher the risk of permanent brain damage or even death for the patient, potentially making the wait time for an EEG a matter of life and death, said James Valeriano, MD, Department Chair of Neurology for AHN.

The Neurocritical Care Society recommends EEG should be initiated within 15 to 60 minutes of suspected seizure activity, and the most recent American Heart Association guidelines require EEG to be promptly performed and interpreted for the diagnosis of seizures in all comatose patients following a cardiac arrest.

With the launch of the Ceribell Rapid Response EEG program, physicians at Jefferson and Allegheny General Hospitals can access EEG information to assist them in the triage of at-risk patients in as little as five minutes. The Rapid EEG is the first of its kind and provides a vital sign of harmful brain patterns that do not produce observable signs in the patient and can only be diagnosed using EEG.

The Ceribell Rapid Response device is comprised of a simple headband with integrated electrodes, a pocket-sized recorder with intuitive software and an on-line portal for remote viewing, and the system can be set up by a healthcare provider in a matter of minutes. Clinicians with no prior background in EEG can triage a seizure quickly and with a high rate of accuracy, and the technologys remote capabilities allow a specialist to review the EEG data, assess response to treatment and optimize care, all in real time, from nearly anywhere.

This system truly lives up to its claims, in terms of ease of use and diagnostic accuracy, and has provided a level of confidence among our clinical staff as they determine the most appropriate course of treatment for their patients as quickly as possible, said Dr. Valeriano.

###

About the Allegheny Health Network:

Allegheny Health Network (AHN.org), a Highmark Health company, is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the greater Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is composed of 13 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, Health + Wellness Pavilions, an employed physician organization, home and community based health services, a research institute, and a group purchasing organization. The Network provides patients with access to a complete spectrum of advanced medical services, including nationally recognized programs for primary and emergency care, trauma care, cardiovascular disease, organ transplantation, cancer care, orthopedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, womens health, diabetes, autoimmune disease and more. AHN employs approximately 21,000 people, has more than 2,500 physicians on its medical staff and serves as a clinical campus for Drexel University College of Medicine and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

ABOUT CERIBELL

Ceribell, Inc. (http://www.ceribell.com), is headquartered in Mountain View, CA. Ceribell is focused on making EEG widely available, more efficient, and more cost-effective to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients at risk for seizures.
New Delhi: Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Friday (April 2) chaired a high-level review meeting with Chief Secretaries, DG Police and Health Secretaries of all states and UTs, with a focus on 11 states/UTs that have been reporting a very high rise in daily cases and daily mortality because of COVID-19 in the last two weeks.

The meeting to review and discuss the COVID management and response strategy was attended by the Chief Secretaries, DGPs, and senior health professionals of all states/UTs along with the Member (Health) NITI Aayog, Union Home Secretary, Union Health Secretary, Union Secretary (I&B), DG ICMR, and Director of NCDC.

Taking note of the present situation due to the continuous deterioration of the COVID scenario over the fortnight, the Cabinet Secretary pointed out that the current COVID case growth rate of 6.8% in March 2021 has surpassed the previous record of 5.5% (June 2020). The country also reported 5.5% growth rate in daily COVID deaths in this period. While the country was reporting about 97,000 daily new COVID cases at the peak of the pandemic in September 2020, the country has now reached the critical figure 81,000 daily new cases of COVID.

Through a detailed and comprehensive presentation, the Union Health Secretary highlighted the current trajectory of COVID in the States/UTs while Union Secretary (I&B) showcased ways of effective Behavioural Change Communication to instil COVID Appropriate Behaviour among the populace.

Dr VK Paul emphasized the need for states to follow a protocol for sharing clinical and epidemiological data for a more detailed study of a mutant strain of the virus for genome sequencing. The Union Home Secretary pointed out that the 11 States and UTs that are showing a surge in daily COVID cases have not shown a commensurate increase in enforcement of containment activities. He urged the Chief Secretaries and DGs (Police) of the States/UTs for taking appropriate strict action in this regard.

11 States/UTs were categorised as States of grave concern on account of their high and rising daily case and higher daily deaths. These have contributed 90% of COVID cases (as on 31st March) and 90.5% of deaths (as of 31st March) in the last 14 days, and have crossed/or close to crossing their early reported peaks during last year. It was pointed out the situation was particularly worrying in Maharashtra.

These states/UTs were advised to take up immediate and high effective measures to ensure containment of Active Cases and Daily Deaths through adherence to the standard Clinical Management Protocol shared earlier with all States and UTs.

Another worrisome aspect pointed out was that Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities along with peri-urban areas have recorded the recent high ruses in COVID cases; the spread of infection from these areas to the rural areas with weak health infrastructure would overwhelm the local administration was also highlighted.

After a detailed and comprehensive review of the measures taken by the States/UTs, the Cabinet Secretary reiterated the necessity of meticulous and hard work regarding stringent enforcement of containment and surveillance measures, in conjunction with ramping up vaccination and strict enforcement of COVID Appropriate Behaviour. The States were specifically asked to:

 Increase testing continuously to ensure that positivity comes down to 5% or less than 5%

 Focus on ensuring RT-PCR tests comprise 70% of total tests

 Reduce waiting time of test results with regular review with testing labs

 Use Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) as a screening test in densely populated areas and where fresh clusters are emerging.

 All symptomatic RAT negatives to be mandatorily subjected to RT-PCR tests.

 Ensure effective and prompt isolation of those infected in institutional facilities (Covid Care Centres). Ensure that patients isolated at home are to be monitored daily. Isolated infected persons to be transferred immediately to health facilities if required.

 Ensure that 25 to 30 such close contacts to be traced for each infected person. Tracing of close contacts and their isolation to be done in 72 hours. Subsequent testing and follow up of all close contacts to be carried out.

 Setting up of Containment Zones/ Micro Containment Zones to break the chain of transmission.

States were also asked to examine Case Fatality Rate hospital-wise, devise an appropriate strategy and mitigate concerns regarding late admission in hospitals and non-adherence to National Clinical Management Protocol. The need to formulate District Action Plans with a focus on mapping of cases, reviewing of the ward/block wise indicators, 24X7 Emergency Operations Center, Incident Command System (Area Specific Rapid Response Team and Timely Sharing of information was stressed upon.

In order to minimize the daily fatalities, the states were advised on strengthening public and private healthcare resources. They were specifically asked to:

 Increase the number of isolation beds, oxygen beds, ventilators/ICU beds as per requirement.

 Plan for adequate oxygen supply.

 Strengthen ambulance service and reduce response time and refusal rate with regular monitoring by local administration.

 Ensure an adequate number of contractual staff and optimum rostering of duties.

 Plan regular teleconsultation of ICU doctors at the districts with AIIMS, New Delhi Core Team or State Core Team. Tele-consultation is being conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.

 Strict enforcement of COVID Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) was reiterated. The following was underscored for immediate compliance by States/UTs:

 Use of Police Act, Disaster Management Act and other legal/administrative provisions for imposing penalties on defaulters.

 Use of local officials, political, cultural, sports, religious influencers to disseminate information proper wearing of masks and maintaining physical distance.

 Focus on markets, fair/melas, social and religious congregation that could become super spreader events.

 Awareness to be enhanced that CAB is equally important as vaccination, and this needs to be followed even after vaccination.

 The message of Dawai Bhi, Kadai Bhi to be effectively and profusely spread through multi-media and multilateral platforms.



In order to saturate vaccination for priority age groups in districting reporting surge in daily COVID cases, the States and UTs were advised for the following:

 Time-bound plan of 100% vaccination of eligible Health Care Workers, Front Line Workers and eligible age groups, to be made.

 Coordination with Union Health Ministry to ensure adequate vaccine doses. It was stressed that there is no shortage of vaccines with States and UTs; the Centre will continually replenish the requirement of the States and UTs.

 Daily review of consumption from each Cold Chain Point at the State level, for required re-appropriation.

The Cabinet Secretary exhorted the Chief Secretaries to galvanize the state administration and to use all resources at their disposal to tackle the recent surge of COVID cases. The need to expand the efforts to departments other than the Health Department through a Whole of Government approach was re-stressed at the meeting today.

It was emphasised that the Centre continues to provide all resources and support to all states and UTs for public health measures and clinical management for fighting COVID19.

Live TV
Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Leonid Kravchuk proposed to include in the delegation a new adviser for relations with representatives of certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO) to process their proposals regarding the conduct of local elections and the special status of the occupied territories, TCG spokesperson Oleksiy Arestovych said.

"According to 'Set of Measures for Implementation of Minsk Agreements' dated February 12, 2015, consultation with representatives of the temporarily occupied ORDLO on self-government and local elections is envisaged. Since these issues are extremely sensitive and there is a need to take into account many nuances of a political settlement, Leonid Makarovych proposed the position of a special adviser to make it easier to navigate the mass of proposals, plans, roadmaps and settlement clusters that come both from Ukrainian public experts in the TCG and from ORDLO," Arestovych told Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, "such an adviser could, if necessary, interview experts from both sides, process proposals regarding a political settlement, divide them 'by tables' and submit them for study to the head of the Ukrainian delegation in the TCG."

The TCG spokesperson said that if Kravchuk finally makes a decision to introduce the position of a special adviser, he "will work on a general civil basis, like the other six already present advisers in the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG on economic issues, information support, humanitarian aspects, and others."

At the same time, Arestovych said that "representatives of ORDLO took Leonid Kravchuk's plan extremely negatively."

"ORDLO decided that they were being forced out of the process. Leonid Kravchuk tried for two hours to explain that this is an internal decision of the Ukrainian delegation, this is not an issue for discussion in the TCG, which does not require either the approval of ODRLO, the OSCE or Russia, does not require a change in format. This is taking into account that Leonid Makarovych is just thinking about such a special adviser," the TCG spokesperson said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 10:59:10|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has fined Deutsche Bank and Discovery Life for weaknesses in their money-laundering control measures, the SARB said on Thursday.

A penalty of 28 million rand (1.91 million U.S. dollars) and 1.5 million rand (102,500 U.S. dollars) has been imposed on Deutsche Bank and Discovery Life respectively, it said.

The SARB said the Deutsche Bank has failed to comply with the governance of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

"It should be noted that the administrative sanctions were imposed because of weaknesses identified in Deutsche Bank's compliance with the provisions of the FIC Act (Financial Intelligence Centre Act), and not because the bank was found to have facilitated transactions involving money laundering or the financing of terrorism," said the SARB in a statement.

Discovery Life failed to comply with cash threshold reporting requirements in terms of section 28 of the FIC Act, it added.

"Deutsche Bank and Discovery Life is cooperating with the SARB and has agreed to the necessary measures to address the identified compliance deficiencies and control weaknesses," the SARB said. Enditem
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The more people who participate, the more effective these programs will be at slowing the spread of the virus, and keeping tabs on it. But there are also clear disincentives to participating, ranging from inconvenience to anxiety over the consequences of a positive result, which can mean missing work, keeping a child home from school or days of quarantine.

There are huge implications of a positive Covid test that a lot of people are very wary of, especially if theyre feeling well, said Dr. May, who studies health disparities and the barriers to accessing health care. I dont know that people are going to come out in droves to get it done.

Although coronavirus screening is new, researchers in several fields  including behavioral economics, implementation science and health psychology  have spent years studying how to encourage people to engage in other kinds of health-related behaviors, including cancer screening, H.I.V. testing and vaccination. Some of these same strategies, they say, could help health officials design coronavirus screening programs, or even vaccination programs, with better participation rates.

The reality is that people are going to have to wake up and decide whether this is something they intend to do on any given day or any given week, said Harsha Thirumurthy, associate director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. And we know  from lots of examples of peoples decisions to seek testing for other health conditions, or even peoples decisions to engage in other health-related behaviors  that people are constantly weighing the costs and benefits of engaging in these services.

Here are five ways that health officials say can help shift the calculus.

Make it easy

Humans have a bias toward the status quo, a tendency to want to keep things as they are rather than shake them up. Many studies have shown that people are more likely to engage in various behaviors, from becoming an organ donor to enrolling in a 401(k) plan, when those behaviors are presented as the default choice.
(Photo : An Exclusive Interview With Cybersecurity Expert Mervyn)

Mervyn is a Singapore-based cybersecurity expert who hopes to help private companies build better cyber defense systems.

Q. Tell us about yourself.

A. My name is Goh En Wei but most people know me as Mervyn. I was born in Singapore and turned twenty-three this year. I have a Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity and I have worked as a Cyber Security Analyst for several private companies. I am also a blockchain manager and a private hedge fund manager for high-net-worth clients who are interested in creating or improving their cryptocurrency portfolios.

Q. When did you start working for private companies?

A. Well, before I started working as an ethical hacker, I was a blackhat. I decided to turn the other way because I wanted to use my expertise to strengthen the backbone of companies that are vulnerable to cyber threats and security issues because they lack domain knowledge and are thus left open for cyber attacks.

Q. How did your interest in cybersecurity come about?

A. Well, I've always been the curious sort. I grew up in a time when cybersecurity or lack of it and its consequences were all the news. That captivated my imagination so I enrolled myself in several programming courses and taught myself various key languages to build basic programs. I think my Eureka moment or the moment when I started to take my skills seriously came when I started developing hacks and formulating exploits and cheats for MapleStory, a popular video game. I was only 14 but become aware of the power of the internet. Thankfully, I wasn't committed to exploiting it but exploring it. As I grew and my expertise grew with me, I decided to undertake those projects that could help me understand the world of cybersecurity better. Luckily for me, I found that I had made the right choice.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Zimbabwean enterprises need to align themselves with good customer service as the service industry is one of the fastest growing industries, Standards Association of Zimbabwe director-general Dr Eve Gadzikwa has said.

She was speaking at the Chartered Institute of Customer Management (CICM)'s 2021 graduation ceremony recently.

"Services will become the next industry on the continent. To unlock much of the unrealised potential, African businesses must therefore pay attention and integrate service delivery in their business models.

"With customer service expectations exponentially dynamic, the global community is becoming aware of the value and role that customer service plays in achieving business success. This highly demanding factor is arguably the critical success factor for many organisations," said Dr Gadzikwa.

"For this core reason among other keys it is important that the customer service profession has its continuous training and development on the subject through CICM so as to remain abreast with the global trends."

"Customer service is a growing sector that will contribute hugely to graduands of African economies in the future."

CICM is a global customer service and call centre professional and academic board currently represented in three continents through its global implementation and certification partnership network with its regional head offices in South Africa.

It offers certification programmes, with its reach extending to 24 countries, largely on the continent, although the institution also has a presence in the United States, the United Kingdom and India.

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The need for efficient customer service has been necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has pushed businesses to engage customers at first point on digital platforms.

Social distancing requirements, in particular, have changed the consumer habits of buying and shopping, as well as how businesses offer their products and services and otherwise engage with their customers. Improving customer experience has therefore become vital.

Dr Gadzikwa urged the graduating class to quickly adapt to the new economic and business realities.

"The environment is more than uncomfortable for organisations, Yes, we are faced with the greatest threat to humanity in the name of Covid-19. However, in the face of all these challenges customer experience will help revive our economies back. It will help heal our people through offering a smile on the face of that distressed customer," she said.

"Going beyond customer expectations begins with you. Individual transformation is very instrumental in the transformation of an organisation as a whole, which translates into a culture that represents us as a nation.

Zimbabwe's customer satisfaction ranking weakened marginally on the latest National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) Report that was published by CICM in partnership with the Contact Centre Association of Zimbabwe (CCAZ) last August.

The overall National Index for 2020 was 62,6, a point decrease from 63,6 in 2019.
Certain countries are now vying to win the race to supply COVID-19 vaccines to other nations. Credit: Hakan German (https://pixabay.com/users/hakangerman-3738496), Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/5897391/)

When Australia, India, Japan and the UScountries strategically allied under the so-called Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialog)switched focus to fighting COVID-19, it was seen as one more of the several 'proxy wars' spawned by the pandemic.

The 'Quad Vaccine,' announced at a virtual summit of the leaders of the four countries on 12 March, is based on a vaccine developed by the US transnational, Johnson & Johnson, produced by India's Biological E Limited, and funded by the other two partners. The plan is to churn out a billion doses by the end of 2022.

Vishnu Prakash, commentator on security issues and former member of India's diplomatic corps, tells SciDev.Net that the Quad has a "focused agenda of raising the cost of misadventure in the region by any expansionist power".

While Prakash and other commentators carefully refrain from naming any country as the focus of Quad, there is little doubt that the expansionist power in question is China.

Says Pankaj Mohan, a leading academic who specializes in Chinese and East Asian studies: "Chinese media have been vocal against the 'Asian NATO' and, notably, the Global Times on 13 March talked about COVID-19 vaccines being used to weaken China's influence in the whole region."

Srikanth Kondapalli, professor in Chinese studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, says that while China is acknowledged as 'factory to the world', India has long had an advantage when it came to the manufacture of drugs and vaccines so that it has a reputation for being 'the world's pharmacy'.

"India's advantage starts with the fact that it was already producing 60 percent of the world's vaccines even before the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded," says Kondapalli. "Domestically, India administers 50 million vaccine doses a year for different diseases in this country of 1.3 billion."

India's privately owned Serum Institute of India (SII), among the world's leading manufacturers, easily entered into an early agreement to manufacture and stockpile Covishield, the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate, says Kondapalli. "For good measure, there was a backup candidate in Covaxin developed and manufactured by the local company Bharat Biotech."

Significantly, says Kondapalli, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a personal interest in the development and early launch of vaccines, even visiting manufacturing units. India pledged early to supply vaccines to the WHO-led COVAXan initiative meant to assist poorer countries access vaccinesas well as bilaterally to individual countries, and this soon led to competition with China in neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar, says Kondapalli. "China has deep interests in these countries but could not supply enough doses to them.

"The exception is Pakistan where China enjoys a near monopoly allowing it to both supply and test its main vaccine CoronaVac made by Sinovac Biotech," says Kondapalli. China's other main vaccine manufacturer Sinopharm also deals to export vaccines to some 50 countries around the world.

Kondapalli says friction between the two Asian countries began over the use of the term 'China virus' in India's media to describe COVID-19. "India's media is autonomous and then the term was coined by then US President Donald Trumpit took pressure from China before WHO began using the name COVID-19."

India-China war averted

Worse than niggling issues like naming a virus, India and China came close to war amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Clashes that broke out in June along their long common border led to more than 24 deaths and both countries amassed troops and armor in the high Ladakh region until a disengagement was negotiated in February.

Rajeswari Rajagopalan, China expert and distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a leading think tank based in New Delhi says that COVID-19 supply "quickly turned into power politics because of the security and strategic dynamics between China and India".

"China has been doing plenty of outreach in India's neighborhood and has been trying to create a favorable narrative about its willingness to provide COVID-19-related assistance," says Rajagopalan.

"But the speed with which India was able to manufacture, stockpile and supply vaccine doses to a large number of countries has created much international goodwill for Indiaespecially at a time when developed countries stand accused of hoarding vaccines," Rajagopalan says.

"Questions have been raised about the safety of Chinese vaccines by African countries and Brazil," says Rajagopal. "China's official media gave full play to its vaccine offers while denouncing vaccines manufactured by other countries, including Indiabut that was not enough to quell safety concerns."

In contrast, information on India's vaccines is readily available on company websites. India has also not allowed domestic obligations to hamper pledges to support the needs of other countries through its "Vaccine Maitri" (Vaccine Friendship) program.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, junior minister for health, informed Indian parliament on 16 March that the government had supplied 58 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 70 nations.

Bangladesh, the biggest beneficiary, has received nine million doses and a state tour by Modi in March saw agreements for 30 million more doses and a free gift of 1.2 million doses. Other recipients in the neighborhood include Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. Further afield, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, UAE, Caribbean and South American nations like Brazil and the African countries of Kenya, South Africa and Rwanda are recipients.

The Serum Institute of India plans to scale up production to a billion doses per year by the end of 2021 and other Indian companies are expected to add significantly to overall production. Bharat Biotech, for example, has contracted to sell 100 million doses of its COVAXIN in the US this year.

However, by mid-March, India was lagging on its domestic program, having carried out just 54 million inoculations while exporting 60 million doses around the world. With the government facing local criticism as a new wave of COVID-19 infections flared up, exports were ordered to slow down.

Meanwhile, China has been pursuing aggressive vaccine deals. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has said that apart from Pakistan, his country is providing vaccine aid to Brunei, Nepal, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Palestine, Belarus, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea.

According to a note issued by the Chinese consulate in Mumbai, Wang told a press conference last month that Chinese companies have been conducting joint vaccine R&D with several foreign partners. "Vaccines made by Sinopharm and Sinovac have been exported to countries including the UAE, Morocco, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil and Chile where clinical studies have been conducted.

"China has been acting through concrete actions on President Xi Jinping's solemn commitment of making COVID-19 vaccines, developed and deployed in China, a global public good, thus contributing to greater accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries," Wang was quoted as saying.

Situation in Africa

At least 19 African countries have lined up to receive Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

Wang was quoted on state media on 22 February as saying that China had donated vaccines to Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea and that the country would use every resource at its disposal to help Africa fight the pandemic. The first shipment of 200,000 doses of the Chinese vaccine arrived in Zimbabwe on 15 February.

Apart from donations, China has signed bilateral deals with Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco to export COVID-19 vaccines with the first shipment of Sinopharm vaccine arriving in Morocco in late January.

The developments follow promises made to African countries by Chinese President Xi Jinping last June at the China-Africa summit that Africa would benefit from the massive distribution of Chinese vaccines.

But some warn that the rush for Chinese vaccines could be counterproductive for the continent due to safety and efficacy issues, stemming from the fact that China accords approvals for its vaccines without publishing data on human trials in peer-reviewed journals.

Joachim Osur, technical director at Amref Health Africa and dean, School of Medical Sciences at Amref International University, Nairobi, says that Africa is desperate to secure vaccines to protect its population, especially amidst sluggish supply from the west.

"Chinese vaccines may be a cheaper, more accessible alternative, but at what cost?" Osur asks.

China's leading COVID-19 vaccines, from Sinovac and Sinopharm, are still under assessment by WHO.

"These countries (Sub-Sahara Africa) rely on WHO to test and verify the vaccines for safety and efficacy in their behalf, so it would be dangerous for them to accept and use vaccines that have not gone through this process because they have no means to independently verify them," Osur explains.

Brazilian battleground

Brazil, which traditionally had good diplomatic ties with China, has become one of the main battlegrounds for vaccines for the two Asian giants.

While Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been a fierce opponent of containment measures for the pandemic and vaccination in the country, he has shown particular disapproval of China's CoronaVac, which is being pushed by his political rival and governor of Sao Paulo state Joao Doria.

On January 17, the first Braziliana nursewas vaccinated against the new coronavirus in the country. She received a dose of CoronaVac, produced in Brazil in a partnership between the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech and the Butantan Institute, a leader in the development and production of vaccine antigens in Brazil, located in Sao Paulo. This was perceived as a political defeat for Bolsonaro.

In September 2020 the Butantan Institute signed a contract with Sinovac for the delivery of 46 million doses of the CoronaVac by December.

In that same month, Fiocruz and AstraZeneca signed an agreement granting the Brazilian institution access to 100.4 million doses of the active pharmaceutical ingredient for final processing and quality control in Brazil, as well as general terms for technology transfer.

Developed by Oxford University with production and distribution rights by AstraZeneca, the Covishield vaccine started being produced in large scale in Brazil on March 8. Fiocruz's aim was to produce 3.8 million doses in March. From March 29 to April 03, the Foundation plans to deliver 2.4 million doses of the vaccine.

While the federal government took part in the Fiocruz/AstraZeneca agreement, President Bolsonaro and the then minister of health Eduardo Pazuello shunned the Butantan-Sinovac agreement, struck by Sao Paulo governor Joao Doria, his former ally and now political foe.

Bolsonaro, who had openly criticized CoronaVac on several occasions, gave in by early January and signed a provisional measure to allow an agreement between Butantan Institute and the Ministry of Health granting 100 million doses of the vaccine to be incorporated in the National Immunization Planwhich includes both Covishield and CoronaVac.

By February 2021, the Foundation had received two million ready-to-use doses from the Serum Institute of India. Fiocruz expects to receive the active ingredient to produce more than 100 million doses by July. In the second semester, the Foundation expects to produce another 110 million doses with technology for in-country production of the active ingredient. Some 2,000 volunteers took part in the tests for Covishield conducted by the Federal University of Sao Paulo in 2020.

Besides Covishield and Coronavac, Brazil has recently signed agreements with Precisa Medicamentos/Bharat Biotech (for the acquisition of 20 million doses of Covaxin) as well as Pfizer, Janssen, Sputnik V and adhered to WHO's Covax Facility. States, municipalities and the private sector are allowed to buy vaccines independently.

Gonzalo Vecina Neto, professor at the Faculty of Public Health at University of Sao Paulo and founder of Anvisa, hopes the negotiations for more vaccines will be successful. "The doses we have are enough only up to January 2022if we have more vaccines, we can finish vaccinating the population faster. And it's also important to think of younger people and children, who are not included in the vaccination plan for now," he tells SciDev.Net.

Covishield clots

But the mother of all COVID-19 vaccine proxy wars has to be the one being fought over Covishield. Developed by the University of Oxford and the British-Swedish company, AstraZeneca, the vaccine's deployment appeared clouded by the UK's traumatic withdrawal from the EU, which became final on 1 January.

Right from launch Covisheld became the subject of claims and counterclaims between the UK and EU over efficacy and safety.

On 25 January, the German newspaper Handelsblatt claimed that the vaccine's efficacy was only eight percent among the elderly, ignoring data to the contrary published in The Lancet.

That was followed by several European countries suspending the use of Covishield over fears that the vaccine was responsible for the development of blood clots in recipients.

Manu Raj, a leading epidemiologist based in Kerala, India, commented that the suspensions were ill-advised as "no strong biological explanation was provided as to why the vaccine would cause a blood clot. Serious blood clots are a common feature of severe COVID-19 infection which can be fully prevented by the same vaccine".

No sooner had the blood clot issue been resolved, with EU regulator, the European Medicines Agency, declaring Covishield safe, another row blew upthis time over the vaccine's supply to the EU.

Under the terms of a contract with AstraZeneca, the UK had priority claim to Covishield doses at units in Oxford and Staffordshire, though the EU saw that as restrictive and violative of pledges of vaccine supply.

On 24 March, the UK government and the European Commission issued a joint statement saying they were working on a solution. "Given our interdependencies, we are working on specific steps we can takein the short, medium and long termto create a win-win situation and expand vaccine supply for all our citizens."

"In the end, openness and global cooperation of all countries will be key to finally overcome this pandemic and ensure better preparation for meeting future challenges," the joint statement said.

But, the lack of global cooperation was most palpable in the differences that surfaced at the WTO over intellectual property rights, including patents on COVID-19 vaccines. On 2 October, India and South Africa asked the WTO to allow waivers of intellectual property rights on vaccines and technologies related to the pandemic. At least 100 countries have since supported the proposal.

According to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), developed countries, especially the EU, UK and the US and bodies representing the pharmaceutical big business have opposed any waiver as potentially counterproductive.

Christos Christou, MSF International President said in a 9 March press release: "Countries must stop obstructing (the proposal to WTO) and show the leadership required to deliver on the 'global solidarity' they have so often declared during this pandemic."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

Provided by SciDev.Net
The CEO of a Michigan company who died two years ago led a double life as the financier of international drug ring, a federal indictment has alleged.

Marty Tibbitts died when the vintage fighter jet he was flying nosedived into a Wisconsin dairy barn in July 2018 just after takeoff, killing 50 cows as well.

Accusations have been made against him in a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indictment which also reveals designs for 'The Torpedo,' a submarine that would have been used to transport cocaine around the world.

The explosive indictment was connected to an investigation of Illinois resident Ylli Didani, 43, who was allegedly in charge of a global drug ring that distributed cocaine in 15 countries.

Marty Tibbitts (pictured) allegedly financed an international drug ring before his death

Tibbitts (pictured with wife) was killed in a tragic plane accident back in July 2018

Those countries are the United States, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, Chile, Albania, Turkey, Brazil, Germany, Dominican Republic, United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands.

Tibbitts, the CEO of Clementine Live Answering Service and avid pilot, was killed at the age of 50 when the vintage fighter jet he was flying crashed.

He was flying a rare 1957 de Havilland DH 112 Venom, a single-engine, single-seat fighter bomber.

Two farm workers were injured in the crash, with one needing to be airlifted to a hospital.

Pictured: 644 kilograms of cocaine seized in February 2020 on a ship in the Netherlands. The transportation of the cocaine on the ship was allegedly financed by Didani's organization

Pictured: A prototype of the submarine Didani allegedly hoped to use for the transportation of cocaine, which was built by the summer of 2018

Pictured: Ylli Didani, who was arrested North Carolina on conspiracy to distribute charges

Tibbitts was survived by his wife, Belinda, two children, a stepdaughter, and his parents.

Didani was arrested in North Carolina this week on charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on a boat in U.S. jurisdiction, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, as well as money laundering, according to The Daily Beast.

Didani is connected to Tibbitts - who went by code name 'Dale Johnson' for his alleged illicit activity - because they allegedly worked together on the submarine.

Tibbitts is not named in the complaint, but The Detroit News was able to identify him using the biographical information listed.

Tibbitts also allegedly financed Didani's activities, beginning their partnership in 2015 and giving more than $1.8 million to the cartel, according to the indictment.

Tibbitts allegedly gave Didani's cartel an $864,000 check in 2016, which may have been cashed at a pawn shop or gold exchange business.

The CEO also allegedly took a private plane to Washington D.C. to give Didani $350,000 during a clandestine late night meeting.

Marty Tibbitts (pictured with wife) is survived by his wife, two children, and a stepdaughter

Tibbitts lost his life when the plane he was piloting nosedived into a Wisconsin barn

At one point, Didani was allegedly trying to transfer $117.6 million from a bank in Germany to a bank in Dubai, leading to a text to a co-conspirator that allegedly read, 'Get with marty asap.' It's not immediately clear when the text was sent.

Allegations state Didani and Tibbitts pooled together over $12,000 via cryptocurrency and an Albanian bank account to pay a company to help develop the submarine, though the company was unaware of its purpose.

It was designed to be remote-controlled and attach to the hull of a cargo ship using a strong magnet.

A fishing boat would then be utilized to retrieve the submarine from the cargo hulls, along with the drugs inside.

A prototype of the submarine was even built by the summer of 2018, but the entire plan was allegedly scrapped, however, when Tibbitts died in a plane crash in 2018.

Belinda and her lawyers could not be reached for comment by The Detroit News following the unsealing of the indictment.

After his death, Didani allegedly struggled to find funding for his cartel, turning to a sponsor in the United Arab Emirates while hundreds of kilograms of cocaine were seized in separate busts in the Netherlands, leading to the downfall of his empire.

One of those busts in February 2020 led to the seizure of 644 kilograms of cocaine off a ship.

According to The Detroit News, neighbors were shocked when they learned of the unsealed indictment involving Tibbitts.

'I think anybody who would hear something like this would be shocked,' said one neighbor.

'I never got any hint of evil intent of anything, never,' said friend Beverly Kindle-Walker.

Prior to his death, Tibbitts was living in Grosse Point Park, Michigan on Lake St. Clair.

His 12,000 square-foot home used to belong to a member of the Silver Bullet Band and was listed in November for $6.4 million.

Tibbitts was the CEO of a company and also founder of the World Heritage Aviation Museum in Detroit prior to the plane crash that took his life in July 2018 (accident pictured)

He was also the founder of the World Heritage Aviation Museum in Detroit.

When he died, condolences came in from around the local community and the larger business world.

'Marty was a joy,' said friend and associate Joe Walker to the Detroit Free Press. 'He was one of those visionaries in business, always had great vision, great ideas.'
A. Well, it's simple. We felines like to be clean! We are meticulous groomers and work very hard at cleaning our beautiful selves. It is estimated that we spend 30%-50% of our day grooming. And we definitely don't like mud baths.

Q. Many people are allergic to cats. Tell me, can cats be allergic to humans?

A. Yes, it's true that humans can be allergic to us, and cat allergies are very common. What most people don't know, though, is that this is a two-way street. Many cats are actually allergic to humans! In fact, some cats are actually allergic to specific humans, though other people cause no reaction at all. Go figure!

Q. When we interviewed Keno he strongly suggested that we not give him a belly rub, but he didn't tell us why. Can you?

A. Keno didn't give you enough information. When we felines throw ourselves on our sides and show our bellies, most people misinterpret this behavior and think that we want our belly rubbed. But you will probably get grabbed and the cat will bite your hand. What we are actually doing is showing a greeting behavior and showing trust. So please do not break that trust.

Q. If you could meet someone famous, who would that be?
WASHINGTON  The U.S. Capitol has been the scene of horrific attacks, including the 1814 burning by British soldiers, the 1954 attack by Puerto Rican nationalists who shot and wounded five lawmakers in the House chamber, and the storming of the building by a pro-Trump mob in January.

Friday's attack, where a driver rammed his car into two officers and a barricade near the Capitol, was the latest tragic episode. U.S. Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans died from his injuries. The suspect, Noah Green, 25, died after being shot by police.

Here's a look at other attacks on the Capitol in the last 50 years:

March 1, 1971 - A bomb planted in a restroom on the Senate side of the Capitol exploded causing damage but no deaths or injuries. The device was detonated by the leftist group, the Weather Underground, to protest the U.S.-backed invasion of Laos.

Shots were fired and the building was locked down.

Nov. 7, 1983: A bomb under a bench outside the Senate chamber planted by a leftist group exploded late at night, blowing the hinges off the door to the office of then-Senate Democratic leader Robert Byrd of West Virginia. The chamber was deserted and no one was hurt. Members of the group, known as the Resistance Conspiracy, were upset about U.S. military involvement in Lebanon and Grenada. They eventually were arrested but the bombing marked the beginning of tightened security measures throughout the Capitol.

July 24, 1998: A gunman, Russell Weston, rushed past a security checkpoint killing U.S. Capitol Officer Jacob J. Chestnut, Jr. A tourist was injured in the initial crossfire between the gunman and Capitol Police. In the ensuing chaos, the gunman killed a second officer  Detective John M. Gibson  after the assailant ran toward a door that led to the suites of then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas.

Oct. 3, 2013: Miriam Carey, a 34-year-old dental hygienist from Connecticut suffering from mental illness, was killed by police after ramming a White House security barrier with her car and leading authorities on a 16-block chase to the Capitol with her year-old daughter in the vehicle. The girl survived.

Story continues

More: https://www.usatoday.com/storytelling/capitol-riot-mob-arrests/

Jan. 6: Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building just as lawmakers in both chambers were conducting a ceremonial count of Joe Biden's Electoral College victory. The assault left five dead, including U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, and scores of officers and assailants injured. The attack forced lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence to flee to safety and temporarily suspended the count but they returned that evening to affirm Biden's win.

April 2: Evans was killed and another officer remains hospitalized after a man rammed a car into a security barrier near the U.S. Capitol building. Police said the man, later identified as Green, drove his vehicle into two USCP officers near the barrier on Constitution Avenue. After Green exited the car, he brandished a knife and lunged towards officers before being shot and killed.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Capitol attack is latest incident of violence at Capitol building
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 13:59:30|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported 486 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 9,327, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Friday.

Meanwhile, two more COVID-19-related deaths were recorded in the country over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 14, said the center.

A total of 5,216 recoveries have been reported across the country so far.

The Asian country launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign late February, with the aim of vaccinating at least 60 percent of the total population.

A total of 323,690 people have been vaccinated against the virus, according to the country's health ministry. Enditem
EDWARDSVILLE  City of Edwardsville residents casting ballots in Tuesdays consolidated election will be asked whether the elected office of the city treasurer should be discontinued and the powers and duties be transferred to the appointed office of city finance director.

Rich Hampton, the current treasurer, has been in office for at least 20 years. He has worked mostly behind the scenes, aiding and guiding the city on fiscal decisions when needed. Some aldermen call him irreplaceable.

After our current city treasurer decided not to seek re-election to the office, said City Administrator Kevin Head, the council wanted to take steps to ensure the citys sound fiscal policy and management continued in his absence. The city was quite fortunate to have benefitted from his knowledge and expertise for more than 20 years. He also serves as the Director of Financial Affairs at SIUE. We were sad to see him not seek re-election; we wish him the best in his next endeavors.

Head provided background on the decision leading to the referendum.

Last May, the city separated the city clerk position from the office of the city collector and developed a department of finance, bringing all financial duties and activities under a director of finance, Jeanne Wojcieszak, who used to be the city clerk/collector.

After learning that 90 percent of municipal treasurers or finance directors are appointed and only 10 percent are elected, we felt consolidating the duties of the treasurer with the director of finance was the best way to ensure the sound fiscal management of the citys treasury, said Head.

The duties of the city treasurer are provided for by the Illinois Compiled Statutes. The treasurer is the custodian of all funds belonging to the municipality. They are authorized to invest public funds as provided for by the statutes and must make a monthly report to the council.

As a Home Rule unit of government, the city may change its officers, its manner of selection and terms of office by submitting a referendum for consideration by the voters of the city. The city submitted such referendum question to the Madison County Clerk last November. Should the referendum pass, the city will change its ordinances to remove the elected office of the city treasurer and the duties will be transferred to the appointed city finance director.

We feel it is in the best interest of the residents to ensure the citys treasury is managed by those with a background, education and experience in municipal finance affairs, said Head.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
Hills has a reputation as the nicest person in comedy. Even though he became quite famous for his rants on The Last Leg  a diatribe against Joan Rivers for fat-shaming Adele is an enduring YouTube highlight - he doesnt like shouting. And there is so much of it right now. The kind of vague point of the show, he said in our conversation a year ago, is that someone in the middle needs to say just chill out everyone, we just need a bit of a calmer head and explain things a bit. Its like being a dad, he said. Like when Im talking about Islamophobia, you know. When you understand Islam, when you learn a few facts about it you go oh hang on, thats not the scary thing I thought it was going to be. If you can unite a room in laughter, youve possibly one less division in the world. Credit:Simon Schluter It sounds terribly well-meaning, but his Australian sunniness makes it work. In Tunbridge Wells, when he asked if there were any Muslims in the audience, not one hand appeared. Then I did all my stuff about Islam. Afterwards I got a tweet from a woman saying Sorry, I am a Muslim. I was too scared to put my hand up but thank you for what you said and please keep saying it. And I thought OK, thats just given me the impetus to keep saying this stuff. Whether those subjects still had heft in the face of the pandemic experience was a question he had to ask himself a year later. He decided they did.

For me, the pandemic is another example of people shouting at each other. Its the conspiracy theorists and deniers, the people who have been shouting about how we want our civil liberties, Im not going to wear a mask and this vaccine is going to put a 5G chip in you, whatever. For me, again, its kind of, no, now is not the time to say yes to mariachi. There is a time for shouting and protest and all that sort of stuff and there is a time for pulling your head in. And pulling together, which is what he sees as comedys highest calling. Facing an audience probably wont be any weirder, truth to tell, than the succession of cancelled flights, sudden airport closures, and TV shows written and performed over Zoom that have been the meat and potatoes of Hills life over the past 12 months. When last years festival was cancelled, he came back to Australia anyway because his family was here. Then followed seven months of lockdown, during which he home-schooled his children (with his wife, singer Ali McGregor) and made a series of The Last Leg from his garage, rehearsing from 3am. He flew back to London, made another series, flew back to Australia for Christmas, flew to London again. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video It wasnt ideal, plus there were the Twitter attacks from people wanting to know how he could get back to Australia when they couldnt. Money, of course; he could afford to pay the asking price. Plus it was legitimately for work. I can see how it looks as if Im just flitting in and out, he says. I kind of want to explain to people that look, just before COVID hit, we decided my wife and kids were going to move to Melbourne and I was going to stay in London and try and go back and forth.

And unfortunately, this thing has meant I had to choose between either feeding my family or seeing them. I tried to do both as best I can. I cant imagine a moment when Hills isnt doing his best. He managed to write two drafts of a childrens book in successive periods of isolation: not a moment wasted. There was even an episode of The Last Leg beamed from his quarantine hotel. We thought it would kind of be a nice novelty. Adam Hills on the set of his British TV show The Last Leg. Doing comedy is a way of doing his best, albeit with the usual ulterior motive that drives showbiz. I think all comedians are dreamers and we all think that what we do is going to make the world a better place, he said over our breakfast. I mean, were all egotists because of that. Or were that because were egotists. We wouldnt do what we did if we didnt think that what we were doing actually makes the world better. Which is a terrible thing to admit. But I think if you can unite a room in laughter, youve possibly one less division in the world. He looks sheepish. That sounds really wanky, but Really, though? There are plenty of comedians who seem permanently furious. He tells me about a new underground of right-wing iconoclasts who enjoy making forbidden jokes to challenge the so-called cancel culture. Or what about someone from our own side like Stewart Lee, eviscerating Top Gear when everyone seemed to love it? Or Hills own rants? No, he says. The joke there is that its funny to see someone get very angry about something that doesnt matter much. He could tear strips off a fat-shamer when we didnt have Trump or Brexit. But with literal Nazis back in the world again, its almost like theyre too important to shout at. It does help, he adds, that The Last Leg is about British politics.

If I went back to Australia, and was talking about Australian politics, Id probably find it harder to be funny about it because Im more invested in it. Id be more wound up about things that are going on. Whereas here I can keep a bit of a distance from it. Loading And he wants to make a common cause of laughter. Im certainly not there to divide a room. I think deep down comedians are desperate to make everyone love them. Well, of course. Youre asking people to laugh at your jokes. Thats on the surface. Its clearly our reason for being. But then underneath that is but I want to make the world a better place, I want to reach an understanding. And then at the very bottom: the need for love is also there as well. Like a vanilla slice? Or a shit sandwich, whichever way you want it. His disability is on the outside, he says  although to see him striding along the street, you would never guess he wore a prosthetic foot  but he maintains, only half in jest, that all comedians are compensating for something. Theres definitely something wrong with you if you want people looking at you on stage and try and seek their approval.
TOKYO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tokyo based food-tech venture Next Meats, established last year in June, announced they will be airing a television commercial on several channels in Japan starting April, which will make it the first time an alternative meat brand will air a commercial on public television in the country.

Next Meats explains that in order to effectively tackle the climate crisis issue and mitigate its effects, great speed and execution is required in all parts of business--which led to the release of their commercial only 10 months after establishment. They noted that their commercial which has three language variations will be played in other countries as well.

English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld3FXjFLohA

Chinese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypkd2yYBJaQ

Japanese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz6q4cp-L_Y

Combined with their recent product release of the NEXT Chicken and success in establishing a retail line for their NEXT Yakiniku meats in Japanese superstore Ito Yokado, they hope this commercial will reach even more consumers and help to preserve the planet for the generations to come.

About Next Meats

Next Meats is a food-tech venture company based in Tokyo, with the company mission "Not letting the Earth End". Their research began in 2017 and the company was officially founded in June of 2020. Next Meats is known for launching the world's first plant-based Japanese BBQ meats "NEXT Yakiniku" series as well as the plant-based Japanese beef bowl, "NEXT Gyudon". In December of 2020 they announced their partnership with Toyota-Tsusho Corporation.

In addition to the facilities in Japan, Next Meats has a production line in Vietnam and has also signed a joint development contract with Hung Yang Foods of Taiwan, and is rapidly expanding their business to the United States, Singapore, Italy, and other countries. They plan to research various types of alternative proteins in the future and aim to replace all animal meats by 2050.

Website: https://nextmeats.co.jp/en-US

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextmeats/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeatsNext

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NextMeats

SOURCE Next Meats Co., Ltd.
ATAGI has also asked people to be alert for potential severe side effects that occur more than four days after vaccination. Consumers should be particularly alert to severe, persistent headaches that are different to their usual pattern and do not settle with paracetamol or other painkillers, it said in a statement. Professor Murphy said in Britain, where more than 18 million people had been given the AstraZeneca vaccine, there were only a few probable cases of blood clots. Britain was also continuing its rollout as the risk from COVID-19 remained far greater. We are talking about extremely rare events, perhaps one to two per million if you look at the UK, and the risk of dying of COVID is one to two per 100, he said.

Professor Kidd said mild symptoms were common and should not concern people. People who have received either of the COVID-19 vaccines should be aware of the common side effects, which include fever, sore muscles, tightness and headaches, he said. These symptoms usually start within 24 hours of receiving the vaccine, and they usually last for only one to two days. The side effects are expected, and are not of concern, unless the symptoms are severe or persistent. The Melbourne patient is believed to have presented to hospital suffering fever and abdominal pain and doctors observed abdominal clots with a very low platelet count.

Professor Murphy said the patient was not in a critical condition. My advice is that his condition is stable, hes not in ICU, doesnt have any of the more serious cerebral or brain thrombosis, and hes being treated with the best available treatment, he said. The European Medicine Agency and the TGA previously conducted reviews of the available evidence and concluded the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks. The EMAs safety committee met on March 31 to discuss its ongoing review of very rare cases of unusual blood clots associated with low numbers of platelets (thrombocytopenia) in people vaccinated with AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine.

Loading Several European countries paused their AstraZeneca rollouts last month following reports that 31 vaccinated people had developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Most of the people affected were women under the age of 55. On Wednesday, Germany suspended the vaccines use in people under the age of 60. Canada also recently halted the rollout for people aged under 55. Australian regulators also reviewed the preliminary data after the earlier reports of blood clotting. That review did not identify any specific risk factors, such as age, gender or a previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events.

A causal link with the vaccine is not proven, but is possible and further analysis is continuing, the EMA said in a statement. Associate professor Paul Griffin, director of infectious diseases at Mater Health in Queensland, warned against assuming there was a link between the mans blood clot and the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying it was likely there was no connection. We shouldnt be concerned, he said. We obviously need to investigate carefully events when they do arise in temporal proximity to the vaccine, but on a whole, what were going to see is things that would have happened anyway occurring.

Loading Professor Griffin did not support pausing the AstraZeneca rollout in Australia at this point. When we do see these events reported we need to trust our regulator, whose role is to investigate these events, he said. The TGA will not allow a vaccine to be used if theres any increased risk of significant adverse events or death. Infectious disease expert associate professor Linda Selvey said when thousands of people are being vaccinated in a short period things can happen coincidentally.
2021-04-02

Maeci

Antony Blinken US Secretary of State

Luigi di Maio Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

Dear Director, this year marks the 160th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Italy and the United States, dating back to 1861, when Italians came together, propelled by the momentous awakening of the Risorgimento, under the banner of a single, unified Nation.

Over the past 75 years, our ties have grown ever closer and our friendship ever deeper. Our bonds are rooted in our shared values and in a common engagement to promote civil liberties and democratic principles, building on strong people-to-people ties, including millions of American women and men of Italian descent. Our societies are enriched by the numerous and dynamic exchanges between our people, businesses, civil society, and academia. Our economies maintain a strong and long-lasting relationship, spanning from the most traditional sectors to innovation, technology, scientific research and space.

During this time of unprecedented global challenges  ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, to climate change; from authoritarianism, to economic and technological disruptions  the strong U.S.-Italy partnership has never been more important.

We share the same goals on the issues that are at the heart of the Italian Presidency of the G20 and of the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP 26.

2021 will be crucial to finally turn the page on the pandemic and to trigger a much needed paradigm shift in how we confront the joint challenges of climate change and economic recovery.

Italy and the United States will work together and with our partners in all relevant multilateral fora to increase global access to vaccines, raise climate ambition, and kick-start the post-pandemic recovery along a path of environmental and social sustainability.

The solutions to todays challenges require bold leadership and unity of purpose by the transatlantic community. Now is the time to revitalize transatlantic relations and strengthen EU-U.S. cooperation across the board.

When it comes to our security, our mutual commitment to NATO is steadfast.

Stability in the broader Mediterranean, extending from Afghanistan to the Sahel, is a primary focus of our cooperation. We support the Libyan people and institutions in their path towards free and fair elections and a sustainable political solution to the crisis within the UN framework. We are on the frontline in fighting terrorism through the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

In Afghanistan, Italian and American troops have stood shoulder to shoulder for the last 20 years  and we will not allow terrorists to use Afghan soil to threaten our and our allies security. We are working to advance solutions for the crises in Yemen, Syria, Iran, Burma, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

Every day, Italian and American diplomats across the globe work side by side, together with our allies and partners, to prevent crises, alleviate tensions and advance our common interests and values. Together with our closest allies, we will continue to coordinate regularly and speak with one voice on the most pressing global issues.

Italy and the United States share an unshakeable conviction that respect for the human rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.

The rights and freedoms protected by the U.S. Bill of Rights and the Italian Constitution constitute the moral and legal architecture that upholds our societies and allows them to flourish.

To strengthen our democracies, we recommit to countering any form of discrimination and intolerance, including when based on race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief. Achieving gender equality, womens empowerment and promoting the full enjoyment of human rights by all members of minority groups and of vulnerable groups are fundamental objectives of our international action.

Central in our foreign policies is our strong commitment to multilateralism. The United States re-engagement with the UN Human Rights Council represents a renewed commitment to advance our common values through the relevant multilateral fora. To this end, we intend to strengthen further our cooperation in the field of human rights.

We mark the 160th anniversary of our diplomatic relations with the commitment to further strengthen our partnership, and to continue working together to advance respect for human rights, peace and security worldwide.
Boko Haram terrorists were killed when the Police and Army repelled an assault on a convoy of some top Borno government officials. Commissio...





Boko Haram terrorists were killed when the Police and Army repelled an assault on a convoy of some top Borno government officials.

Commissioners for Justice  Kakashehu Lawal; Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement  Mustapha Gubio, and Local Government and Emirates  Sugun Mai-Mele were attacked.

The incident happened along Monguno-Nganzai road as they drove from Monguno, where relief materials were distributed to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

PRNigeria reports that the fighter, who rode on several motorcycle guntrucks, emerged from the bush and shot sporadically.

The joint escort team of soldiers and policemen, led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Muhammed Ibrahim, returned fire.

The security forces engaged the sect members in a fierce battle that lasted 15 minutes. Seven insurgents were gunned down, while one was arrested.

The three soldiers injured during the encounter were evacuated to a Hospital in Maimalari for treatment for bullet wounds.








April 28, 2021

9 a.m.

Presidents Panel on Politics and Policy

Social Justice and Structural Racism in Baltimore

Kurt L. Schmoke, JD

Read about previous panels at umaryland.edu/politics-panel.

Register here. If prompted, please use the password "policy."

Schmoke Biography

Kurt L. Schmoke, JD, a former three-term mayor of Baltimore, was appointed the eighth president of the University of Baltimore (UB) in July 2014. Before joining UB, he was dean of the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., from 2003 to 2012, then was appointed general counsel and served as the institutions interim provost.

Schmoke was the States Attorney for Baltimore City from 1982 to 1987, then became the first African American elected as Baltimores mayor, serving from 1987 to 1999. During his mayoral term, he initiated a number of programs in the areas of housing, education, public health and economic development. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush awarded Schmoke the National Literacy Award for his efforts to promote adult literacy. In 1994, President Bill Clinton praised his programs to improve public housing and enhance community economic development.

Schmokes other public service includes an appointment as assistant director of the White House domestic policy staff under President Jimmy Carter in 1977 and a stint as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland from 1978 to 1981.

After his time as mayor, Schmoke returned to the practice of law as a partner with Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering. He became active with the American Bar Association and the National Bar Association, serving a term as chair of ABAs Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice. He also has provided countless hours of pro bono legal services to charitable organizations such as the Childrens Health Forum, a nonprofit established to combat lead poisoning among the nations youth.

During his tenure at Howard University School of Law, Schmoke focused much of his attention on increasing bar passage rates and expanding the clinical law program to emphasize matters of environmental justice, fair housing, and civil rights.

Schmoke earned his undergraduate degree in history from Yale University. He pursued graduate studies on a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University in England and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. He is married to Patricia L. Schmoke, MD, an ophthalmologist, and they have two adult children.
Paris, TX (75460)

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

Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low around 65F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
President Joe Biden has lifted another foreign policy initiative imposed by Donald Trump by lifting sanctions on International Criminal Court officials.

Biden in a statement stressed that the United States still strongly disagreed with some actions by the court, which is a standing body based at The Hague in the Netherlands charged with handling genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The United States is not one of the about 120 member countries of the court.

'We believe, however, that our concerns about these cases would be better addressed' through diplomacy 'rather than through the imposition of sanctions,' Biden wrote, in lifting the measures.

President Joe Biden has lifted another foreign policy initiative imposed by Donald Trump by lifting sanctions on International Criminal Court officials. He is pictured leaving the White House with First Lady Jill Biden on Friday to head to Camp David

The removal of the sanctions was the latest signal that the Biden administration is intent on returning to the multilateral fold.

The Trump administration had unapologetically removed the United States from numerous international institutions and agreements and harshly criticized others, including the ICC, deeming them flawed and working against American interests.

Since Biden took office, his administration has rejoined the World Health Organization, re-engaged with the U.N. Human Rights Council, returned to the Paris climate accord and on Friday started talks aimed at returning to the Iran nuclear deal. Trump had pulled out of all five.

The court was created to hold accountable perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in cases where adequate judicial systems were not available. The U.S. has not joined the ICC, which began operations in 2002 after enough countries ratified the treaty that created it, because of concerns the court might be used for politically motivated prosecutions of American troops and officials.

The U.S. sanctions had targeted ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the courts head of jurisdiction, Phakiso Mochochoko, for pressing ahead with investigations into the United States and its allies, notably Israel, for alleged war crimes.

Two sets of sanctions were imposed, the first being a travel ban on Bensouda in March 2019, and then 18 months later a freeze on any assets she and Mochochoko may have in the United States or U.S. jurisdictions.

The second round also made giving the pair 'material support' a potentially sanctionable offense.

Both sets of sanctions had been roundly denounced by the ICC itself as well as a number of court members and human rights groups. When former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo imposed the financial penalties in September 2020, he attacked the court as 'a thoroughly broken and corrupt institution' and said 'we will not tolerate its illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction.'

U.S. presidents since Bill Clinton have expressed deep reservations about the court, although some, including President Barack Obama, agreed to limited cooperation with it.

The Trump administration, however, was openly hostile to the tribunal and lashed out at Bensouda and others for pursuing prosecutions of Americans for actions in Afghanistan and Israelis for actions against the Palestinians. Israel is not a member of the ICC and, along with the U.S., rejects Palestinian membership because it is not a state.

Biden said the United States sees accountability for atrocities as a national security interest, and pointed to U.S. support for other, often temporary, tribunals globally.

Biden in a statement stressed that the United States still strongly disagreed with some actions by the court, which is a standing body based at The Hague in the Netherlands charged with handling genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes
The Soviet collapse left some early warning radars outside Russia. Some radars were pulled down or exploded, such as Daryal in Latvia and uncompleted Daryal-U in Krasnoyarsk. It created major gaps in the radar field, the Military-Industrial Courier writes.

Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The first EKS satellite took flight in 2015 (Picture source: Russian Ministry of Defense)

Besides the ground, the Russian early warning system has a space element. In Soviet and post-Soviet time it was represented by Oko spacecraft. Some of them were a part of the unified control system and since 1979 operated in high elliptical orbit with the apogee considerably exceeding the perigee. In 1984, US-KS satellite was launched to the geostationary orbit 35-40 thousand kilometers over the equator to increase the reliability of the system. In 1996, it was replaced by US-KMO spacecraft for the survey of seas and oceans. It was equipped with an infrared telescope with a big-diameter mirror and a protective solar screen.

Ten early warning satellites monitored the potential launch sites round-the-clock in 1987. The central command post of the early warning system was built near Serpukhov to receive and analyze the information.

Russia is currently creating Kupol single space system. Open sources said the fourth Tundra satellite was launched in May 2020 and the whole system is to be deployed by 2024. The main advantage of the single space system is the modern Russian element base and information processing in real time. The system of satellites in high elliptical orbits controls all the dangerous launch areas in the northern hemisphere, including the United States.

The engine of a ballistic missile creates a powerful torch during the launch, which is visible for an infrared early warning satellite from an altitude of 40,000 kilometers. The information is immediately transmitted to the ground command post of the orbital grouping and to the central command post after the data is verified. It issues the Attention, Launch, 1st Element command.

The missile defense is alerted. Ground radars track the ballistic target at a distance of 4-6,000 kilometers and determine its characteristics. The central command post issues a missile alert if it flies towards Russia. The alert goes to the national military-political leadership for decision-making. The whole process takes several minutes.

The early warning system is closely interlinked with the system of space control and missile defense. They are interfaced and operate as a single entity.

Official data said the early warning system had detected over 2,000 launches of Russian and foreign ballistic missiles, as well as 1,000 launches of space rockets in its history. In 2020, the main early warning center held over 90 combat trainings.

 Copyright 2021 TASS / Army Recognition Group SPRL. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Michelle Guppy shared this terrific story from the Harris County, Texas Sheriff's Department on Facebook yesterday. Readers know Michelle from her blog From Hell to Hopeism, where she chronicles life with her adult son Brandon.



A Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez



During the month of April, hundreds of our sworn personnel will proudly wear a commemorative blue badge on their uniform that prominently features the autism awareness puzzle piece to bring attention to Autism Spectrum Disorder and to support those living with it.

We are in our communities across Harris County every day, and this is a small way to send a big message: Were here to serve all residents with compassion and understanding.

The distinctive light blue badge with the puzzle piece emblem and engraved words Help Create a Kinder World reinforces our promise to do all we can to improve our interactions with residents, including those with a developmental disability or those experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis. It serves as a reminder to residents of what we can accomplish together.

This is the first year of the Blue Badges for Autism Awareness program and the Sheriffs Office ordered 734 commemorative badges, more than any other law enforcement agency in the nation!

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 54 children has autism. Just this year, deputies responded to more than 1,370 calls for service with a mental health component. Many of those calls involved a person with autism.

Last fall, we launched a new initiative called Project Guardian to help our deputies minimize stress by alerting them in advance that theyre about to interact with a person on the autism spectrum.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 23:31:07|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with the officials, people and school children on-site during a tree-planting activity in Chaoyang District in Beijing, capital of China, April 2, 2021. The activity was also attended by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday joined Beijing citizens to plant trees and urged efforts to build a beautiful homeland with harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a tree-planting activity in Beijing's Chaoyang District.

The activity was also attended by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan.

Xi planted six saplings of different species. While planting the trees, he told young students around him to foster a sense of hard work from childhood, study hard, and be prepared to contribute to the country's development with a strong body and mind.

Noting that 2021 marks the 40th year since China started the nationwide tree-planting campaign, Xi hailed the contributions of the Chinese people from all ethnic groups in making the country greener and helping expand its forest resources.

The president, however, drew attention to prominent problems such as insufficiency in the total forest and grassland resources in the country as well as the relatively low quality of these resources.

Reiterating that the Chinese nation has always laid emphasis on the harmonious development between humans and nature, Xi said as the new stage of development has put forward higher requirements for ecological conservation, greater efforts must be made to advance green development and lead the trend of global development in this regard.

China should remain firm in its commitment to putting the environment first and pursuing green development, Xi added, calling for realizing the goal of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality and safeguarding global ecological security.

Stressing that building a beautiful China requires the efforts of everyone, Xi said that to build a beautiful China is to ensure the health of great rivers and mountains of the motherland, as well as the health of generations of Chinese people.

He urged Party members and cadres to take the lead in fulfilling their responsibilities in afforestation, living a green and low-carbon life, protecting the planet Earth as home of human beings and safeguarding the lucid waters and lush mountains of the motherland, thus enabling the people to lead a high-quality life. Enditem
Porterville, CA (93257)

Today

Sunny. Very hot. High near 105F. SSW winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low around 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Though 48 years is an odd anniversary to celebrate, Vietnam and Australia decided to commemorate the milestone for its occurrence during a difficult pandemic.

We have seen 48 years of deep and continued cooperation across the many areas of our bilateral relationship," Australian Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City Julianne Cowley remarked at the ceremony this week.

"Our capacity to work together is enormous.

"Our partnership is full of potential and opportunities.

"I look forward to more years of prosperous cooperation to come.

The Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City held a gala dinner to celebrate the 48th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia on Wednesday.

The event was an opportunity to reflect on the dynamic Vietnam-Australia partnership across economic, security, knowledge, and innovation sectors.

In her speech, Consul General Cowley emphasized that both countries share a vision for a peaceful, inclusive, sovereign, and resilient region."

COVID-19 has changed a lot, but it has not changed Australia's commitment to ASEAN, she said, referring to the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Australia has dedicated A$10.5 million (US$8 million) to support the recovery of Vietnam from COVID-19, as well as pledging to support the Southeast Asian countrys access to safe and effective vaccines through the A$523 million ($398 million) Indo-Pacific vaccine and health security initiatives.

Agreeing with Consulate General Cowley, Tran Phuoc Anh, director general of Ho Chi Minh Citys Department of External Relations, further noted Australia and Vietnams mutual support at regional and international events to advocate for prosperity, peace, and development in the Indo-Pacific region.

2020 is a testament to the dynamic development of our two countries relations, Anh said.

In the face of impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the natural disasters in central Vietnam [in October-December 2020], the Australian government has provided timely emergency aid for Vietnam to overcome the aftermath of flood and pledged vaccine supply for Vietnam through the Indo-Pacific vaccine and health security initiatives.

After 48 years of diplomatic relationships, Vietnam and Australia enjoy a strong security partnership, including Australias support in transporting Vietnamese deployments to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan aboard a Royal Australian Air Force C-170 Hercules jet last month.

Both countries are strategic partners with a relationship built on mutual respect and deep two-way links.

With a trade and investment relationship of more than A$15 billion ($11.4 billion), the Australian and Vietnamese prime ministers committed to become top 10 trading partners and double two-way investment in 2019.

These goals will be supported by the newly announced A$232 million ($177 million) Mekong-Australia Partnership that will further spur economic integration and resilience across the five countries of the Mekong subregion.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
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Specialist dogs have again failed to find any trace of missing campers and secret lovers Russell Hill and Carol Clay, but investigators say they are close to cracking the case.

Mr Hill, 74, left his property in Drouin, Victoria, on March 19 last year and picked up Ms Clay, 73, from her home in Pakenham in his white Toyota Landcruiser.

Mr Hill was last heard from the next day on March 20 via HF radio, stating he was at Wonnangatta Valley in Victoria's high country.

Campers found Mr Hill's vehicle with signs of minor fire damage at their campsite near Dry River Creek Track in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 21. The campsite had been completely destroyed by fire.

Cadaver dogs, which specialise in locating human remains, were sent to the region over the past few days but failed to find any trace of the pair.

Investigators are still trying to determine how Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, disappeared while camping in the rugged bushland of the Wonnangatta Valley in Victoria's East Gippsland region on March 19, 2020

The pair had been involved in a secret affair for years and had gone on the camping trip before their site was found burned to the ground two days later

It was the second time the dogs have attempted to locate the missing pair in the Wonnangatta Valley, where they were joined by police.

Wild conspiracy theories about the disappearance have emerged, but investigators from the missing persons squad have long maintained the pair, who were engaged in a secret affair, were set upon by unknown attackers.

The squad's acting head, Detective Acting Inspector Anthony Combridge, said police were determined to solve the case.

'It has been over 12 months since Russell Hill and Carol Clay disappeared and we are committed to finding the answers on what happened to them,' Insp. Combridge said on Friday.

'We will continue to search the area and encourage anyone with information to come forward, no matter how small they think that information might be.'

An earlier school of thought from police was that Mr Hill and Mrs Gray were ambushed or shot by deer hunters.

A number of friends agreed, with their bodies then dragged away in their sleeping bags.

Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper told A Current Affair officers are chasing all leads and have zeroed in on a driver of a white ute that was seen in the valley a day before the pair disappeared.

'It might seem like only a very small possibility that those in the white ute will have information about Russell and Carol's disappearance but we can't afford to leave any stone unturned,' he said.

Police have noted the toilet at the campsite had been unused, suggesting the couple had not had time to settle in before they disappeared.

The pair went missing in the Wonnangatta Valley, more than 200km north east of Melbourne

Russell Hill and Carol Clay (pictured) were last heard from on March 20 last year

Friend Rob Ashlin said their bodies could have been disposed of in the sprawling bushland.

'The fact that it's been reported that those sleeping bags were missing, makes me feel that those sleeping bags were carted out of there and... used as body bags,' he said.

'There are a lot of places  the country is very rugged  where they can be got rid of, never to be found again.'

Investigators are also continuing to appeal to anyone who was in the Wonnangatta area around that time, including campers, 4x4 day trippers, hunters, fishermen or trail bike riders.

Detectives also want to speak to anyone who was in the area of Howitt Plains and Zeka Spur Track on March 19 or 20, and the Wonnangatta Valley and Wonnangatta Station between March 20-24.

Campers found Russell's vehicle with signs of minor fire damage at their campsite, which was completely destroyed by fire, near Dry River Creek Track in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 21.

Police would like to speak to anyone who saw this fire or the smoke from it.

Investigators have been told Mr Hill took his DJI Mavic drone with him on the trip and the drone is still yet to be recovered.

Mr Hill's best friend Rob Ashlin (pictured) believe the couple had been attacked during their camping trip

Mr Hill (pictured) had left his Drouin home on March 19 for a camping trip along the Dargo River in Victoria's northeast and planned to leave the region on March 26

A drone was handed into police earlier this month but has been confirmed not to have belonged to Mr Hill.

Police also have appealed for information about a white dual cab ute seen near the pair's campsite on March 19 last year.

Investigators have not been able to account for the vehicle but do not believe it is connected to the pair's disappearance.

Detectives have established Mr Hill was camping alone with his Landcruiser in the area of the King Billy and Bluff Track between March 11 and 13.

An older person or pair were later seen in the Black Snake Creek, Eaglevale River crossing and the Ollies Jump area on March 22 and 23 but investigators have never been able to establish if this was Mr Hill and Ms Clay.

Detectives are calling for anyone in this area, including the pair themselves, to come forward.

Victorian police believe it is 'highly unlikely' that either Ms Clay (pictured) or Mr Hill are alive after they went missing last year

It is still to be determined whether the pair's disappearance is suspicious.

Ms Clay had told friends she was expecting to return by March 29.

'The grief that these families have had to deal with over the past year, coupled with immense public speculation, is immensely difficult to comprehend and our thoughts are with them on this anniversary,' Det Insp Stamper said.

'I know they will be hanging on every phone call and every knock on the door, hoping they will finally get some answers.

'Sadly, at this stage we believe it is highly unlikely that either Russell or Carol are still alive.'
Tunis/Tunisia  Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said he supports all judges in the exercise of their "noble" profession, far from any political bickering and pressure, adding that the Justice and a vector of development of societies.

At his meeting Thursday in Kasbah with President of the Supreme Judicial Council (French: CSM) Youssef Bouzakher, the Prime Minister emphasised the need to preserve the independence and neutrality of the judiciary to ensure its contribution to the establishment of democracy and protection of state institutions.

During this meeting, Mechichi highlighted the role of the CSM in building the rule of law and preserving the independence of the judiciary.
Apr. 1K-12 public schools will be required to hold in-person classes five days a week starting April 19, Gov. Chris Sununu announced Thursday.

During a news conference, Sununu said that 60 percent of New Hampshire schools are already offering full-time in-person classes. Now, the remaining 40 percent will have just over two weeks to prepare to return to a normal schedule.

"We have said all along, and it has been proven, that schools can reopen safely, and that remains as true today as ever," Sununu said during the news conference. "In a few short weeks, all teachers and school staff who want the vaccine will have received their second dose."

He also said that getting kids back into school isn't just an educational concern, but also a matter of mental health and socialization. He said that remote learning was a good substitute in the early days of pandemic, but that it doesn't compare to actually being in a classroom.

Sununu added that districts will still be able to offer a remote option to students who aren't comfortable returning to the classroom.

In February, Sununu announced that all schools would need to offer in-person classes at least two days a week by March 8.

Schools were originally ordered to go remote a year ago, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, though many have since either returned full-time to in-person instruction or have been working with a hybrid model.

In the Monadnock Region, most schools are using some form of a hybrid approach, with in-person learning days ranging from two to four days each week.

Some schools have already returned to full-time in-person schedules, while some others that have been using hybrid models were already in the process of transitioning back to in-person learning prior to Thursday's announcement.

Sentinel staff writer Jack Rooney contributed reporting.

Mia Summerson can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1435, or msummerson@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MiaSummerson
Co-chairs of the joint Ukrainian-French intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation  Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire  have discussed intergovernmental interaction as part of cooperation between Ukraine and France, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's press service has reported.

"The parties discussed the current performance of the joint Ukrainian-French intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation and further steps aimed at developing strategic areas of cooperation," the report reads.

The main focus was on the modernization of freight electric locomotives of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia with the support of the French government and the involvement of French company Alstom in the project.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry recalled that on behalf of President Volodymyr Zelensky, earlier negotiations were held within the joint Ukrainian-French commission to implement a project to supply Alstom electric locomotives with the partial localization of their production and maintenance in Ukraine.

The project was launched in September 2018, when Alstom and Ukrzaliznytsia signed a memorandum of understanding, which officially establishes cooperation in the provision and maintenance of electric locomotives. The financial model of the project involves raising loans from the Treasury of France and other sources.

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LAPEER COUNTY - The Lapeer County Health Department has identified its first case of the B.1.351 variant, also known as the South African variant.

News of the discovery came in the Lapeer County Health Departments March 29 update, which also noted the first two cases of the B.1.1.7 variant -- more commonly known as the U.K. variant -- were discovered one week earlier in the area.

Since that date, a total of 23 confirmed cases of the U.K. variant have been discovered in Lapeer County.

The first case of the variant in the state was identified March 8 by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Laboratories in a boy in Jackson County.

Related: First Michigan case of South African COVID-19 variant identified in Jackson County boy

The state tests between 500-600 samples for variants across Michigan each day, according to the county Health Department update.

Health officials are concerned about the variants because of their increased transmissibility that could lead to faster spread of the virus, which could lead to increase hospitalizations and deaths.

Lapeer County, as well as many parts of the State have been experienced rising cases of COVID-19 over the past several weeks, the Health Departments update reads.

It is imperative that we continue to take precautions when out and about, and get vaccinated as soon as you are able, to minimize both the known serious consequences of COVID-19 infections, as well as the over-all impacts on our limited healthcare resources, per the Health Departments update. Efforts to slow transmission will allow for more of our population to be protected through vaccination.

A total of 5,575 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in Lapeer County, with an additional 965 probable cases, according to Thursday, April 1 Michigan Department of Health and Human Services figures.

Of those cases, 133 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths and two probable deaths have occurred in Lapeer County.

Since the pandemic began in March 2020, Michigan has reported 678,295 confirmed cases and 16,141 deaths related to COVID-19.

The state is averaging 5,061 new COVID-19 cases per day and 22 new deaths per day over the last week. That average has been rising for three weeks.

Read more on MLive:

Michigan reports 6,036 new coronavirus cases, 49 deaths Thursday, April 1

We cant let up: U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee tours COVID-19 vaccination clinic as cases rise in Genesee County

Clio City Hall closed after employee tests positive for COVID-19

Ascension Genesys in Grand Blanc Township updates guidelines with no visitor policy amid rising COVID-19 cases
Chennai, April 2 : Prime minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally in Kanyakumari district on Friday to campaign for the BJP candidate Pon Radhakrishnan.

Modi will address the rally at the Vivekananda college ground in Agastheeswaram.

He will reach Kanyakumari from Konni in Kerala where he will address a public meeting at 1.15 p.m. at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor stadium. He will travel from Konni to Kanyakumari by a helicopter.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan is contesting from Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat where a bypoll was necessitated following the passing away of the sitting MP, H.Vasanthakumar of the Congress owing to Covid related ailments.

Pon Radhakrishnan had won from Kanyakumari in 2014 but in 2019 he lost to Vasanthakumar by a margin of 2,99,000 votes. The BJP is contesting elections in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the AIADMK and this has given much hopes for Pon Radhakrishnan.

Other than the Lok Sabha candidate, NDA candidates contesting the Assembly polls from Kanyakumari district and adjoining constituencies will participate in the Prime minister's programme.

Security has been beefed up in Kanyakumari district and 3,500 policemen are deployed for the programme.

Modi will return to Thiruvananthapuram where he will address a public meeting at Greenfield stadium, Kazhakootam in which all the NDA candidates of Thiruvananthapuram district will participate.
A busy passenger train carrying 490 people has derailed in a tunnel in eastern Taiwan, killing at least 50 and injuring dozens more, authorities said.

The eight car train, traveling to Taitung, came off the rails in a tunnel just north of Hualien Friday morning, causing several carriages to hit the wall of the tunnel, the government-run Central News Agency (CNA) reported, citing the fire department.

The train driver was among the dead, the fire department told the country's executive office, and at least 69 survivors were being treated in several hospitals in the surrounding Hualien County.

Some of the dead are still awaiting identification, the government added Friday, but authorities believe that everyone trapped within the train's heavily damaged carriages have been removed. Officials said a French citizen was killed in the crash, while two Japanese citizens and a citizen of Macau were among those injured.

Authorities earlier said 51 people had died before revising the figure down to 50.

The derailment could have been caused by a vehicle which slipped from a slope near the tunnel and hit the moving train, according to CNA.

A video on social media showed parts of an industrial vehicle heavy equipment, along with what looks like a car door beside the derailed train. In the video, a man can be heard saying, "Our train hit the truck. Where is this place? Qingshui Tunnel, the accident happened at Qingshui Tunnel. The train hit the truck, the truck fell off. It's lucky that I was at the later carriage -- I was at the fourth carriage."

"Is everyone out in carriage four?" a woman is heard shouting from inside the tunnel, in videos provided by the fire department.

Images of the crash scene show carriages inside the tunnel crumbled and ripped apart from the impact, passengers gathering suitcases and bags in a tilted, derailed carriage and others walking along the tracks littered with wreckage. Photos show the rescue operation underway, with passengers walking on top of the train to leave the tunnel and being helped down.

At least 156 people were injured in the crash, a local government official said during a news conference. The official said rescuers believed there was no one left in the train, but that rescue efforts would continue and authorities were checking to see if anyone was still unaccounted for.

"In response to a train derailment in Hualien, Taiwan, our emergency services have been fully mobilized to rescue & assist the passengers & railway staff affected," Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Twitter. "We will continue to do everything we can to ensure their safety in the wake of this heartbreaking incident."

The government has also laid out a compensation plan for every passenger, which will see NT$5.3 million ($185,500) provided to the families of each fatality. Those badly injured will each receive $91,000 and other injured passengers will receive $14,000, officials said.

The accident coincided just as a long weekend kicked off for the Tomb Sweeping Day public holiday. One couple who were on the train told CNA they were on their way to Taitung to sweep tombs and pay their respects to deceased family members, as is traditional for the event. The train was so full that many people were standing.

The crash site is located just east of the picturesque Taroko National Park, a popular tourist destination on the country's mountainous east coast.

In 2018, 18 people died and 175 were injured when a train derailed in northeastern Taiwan, in the island's worst rail disaster in more than three decades.
Holding both his 2-year-old daughter and a phone that was set to record, Lance Karlson saw the octopus and the sea gull sizing each other up.

Then: thwack.

If you ever have occasion to see an octopus lurch toward you, constricting for a brief moment before unfurling its deceptively long arms in a sudden snap, your reaction might be stronger than that of Mr. Karlson, who was on vacation with his wife and daughter on March 18 in the town of Dunsborough, in southwestern Australia.

Oh, golly, he said, with little apparent panic at the near miss.

He regretted that subdued reaction, he said in an interview on Friday, as soon as he posted the video of the octopus on Instagram, a post that would later attract viewers far and wide and international media coverage.

Oh that sounds so cheesy, almost British, he said. But Im glad I did. I had my daughter in my arms, so I wasnt going to swear.
A woman stated that her boyfriend offered her $6,000 to transport immigrants from Laredo to Houston, according to an arrest affidavit.

Elizabeth Marie Flores was arrested and charged with transport, attempt to transport, conspire to transport immigrants who had crossed the border illegally.
The humanitarian situation in Yemen remains of grave concern to the United States. As one of the largest donors to Yemen, the United States has provided more than $3.4 billion in humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of the people of Yemen since the crisis began six years ago. Separately, the United States announced recently that it is restoring humanitarian assistance funding through NGOs in northern Yemen to help meet the needs of vulnerable Yemenis and augment longstanding US support for assistance provided by the UN and other international organizations.

The United States supports the free flow of fuel, food, and other essential commercial goods into Yemen. However, doing so requires not only that commercial goods pass smoothly through ports, but also that they are allowed to pass throughout the country, including areas under Houthi control.

Unfortunately, we know that the Houthis continue to impede that flow, including diverting money from imports that were intended for civil service salaries in direct violation of their obligations under a UN-brokered agreement, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price. As a result, civil servants are not getting paid and therefore lack funds to purchase what food is available. Houthi diversion of fuel imports is just one of the many ways they are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis for the majority of the Yemeni population under their control.

The United States will work with the governments of Yemen and Saudi Arabia to find a way to ensure food and fuel, and other commercial goods get to Yemeni markets and that it is not confiscated by the Houthis for sale on the black market or for use in their war effort.

The United States and the United Nations are urging the parties to start talking under UN auspices. They are proposing an accelerated timeline for peace, in which issues like a ceasefire and access to ports, could be addressed and resolved quickly and simultaneously if the parties commit to working on the details.

Only through a durable peace agreement can we hope to reverse the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen, said Spokesperson Price. Supporting such an agreement is precisely what U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking is seeking to do.
The Church of England has withdrawn its advice for hosting an Easter meal at home following backlash from priests and Rabbis over claims it 'appropriated' Jewish Seder tradition.

The guidance was issued on how to celebrate Maundy Thursday  which marks the beginning of the three-day celebration of Easter  at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It called on families to gather at the table with a bowl of warm water, flatbread, honey and a sprig of rosemary before encouraging them to state: 'This is the night when God delivered his people Israel from bondage and oppression in Egypt.'

But the guide, which also included a recipe for flatbread, has been criticised for 'appropriating liturgy' from Judaism over its similarities with Seder - a meal shared by Jewish people at Passover that includes the preparation of unleavened bread, bitter herbs and salt water.

The Church of England has since withdrawn the advice and issued an apology 'for any offence caused'.

The Church of England's guidance was issued on how to celebrate Maundy Thursday  which marks the beginning of the three-day celebration of Easter  at home amid the coronavirus pandemic

In a document entitled Prayer At Home, published by the Church of England, it said: 'This short form of prayer is intended to be used at home by those who at this time of the pandemic are unable to gather with others to celebrate the Holy Communion on the evening of Maundy Thursday.

'While the prayers and actions echo motifs from the Jewish Seder, this is not such a meal.

'Jewish people will understand the resonance of the symbols and practices in very different ways from Christians.'

The Church also promoted a Facebook event on Wednesday alongside a screenshot from a video, which was never published, that appeared to show a family taking part in a Christian-style Seder.

But members of the clergy have claimed the guidance was inappropriate.

The Church of England has withdrawn its advice following backlash from priests and Rabbis over claims it 'appropriated' Jewish Seder tradition

Father Nick Nawrockyi, dean of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, shared a screenshot of the event alongside a caption that read: 'Eek! The @churchofengland offering for Maundy Thursday online looks worryingly like a "Christian Seder".'

Dr Jo Kershaw, parish priest of St Anne's Wrenthorpe in Wakefield, retweeted it and added: 'A) it is wrong (and harmful) to steal Jewish ritual. We have our own.

'B) they may say this isn't a Christian Seder, but the duck test (if it walks and quacks like a duck....) applies, and that sure as heck isn't what a normal Anglican Eucharist looks like.'

Priest Malcolm French added: 'So, @churchofengland, @JustinWelby, what exactly are you going to do about this?

'Cosplaying someone else's rituals is not appropriate, especially since we've been repeatedly asked not to do this.'

And Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers, from London, wrote: 'I am very heartened by the many Christians on my time line asking people not to appropriate #passover #seder for Easter. Thank you...'

The guide was criticised for 'appropriating liturgy' from Judaism over its similarities with Seder - a meal shared by Jewish people at Passover that includes the preparation of unleavened bread, bitter herbs and salt water (pictured)

The Church of England has since withdrawn the guidance and 'apologised for any offence caused'.

The Revd Dr Richard Sudworth, the Church of England's National Inter-Religious Affairs Adviser, said: 'The brief prayers and actions are not, and were not intended to be a Christianised seder, as the text pointed out.

'Nor was this intended to replace the celebration of face-to-face Eucharist, that we long for so much. Rather, this was an offering to families to be able to pray and interact, across the generations.

'The prayers and readings were offered to help families be mindful of the events of the original Last Supper, and the framing context of the feast of the Passover to Jesus and the disciples, connecting with our Christian Bible texts for this day.

'However, we do not wish to encourage an impression that was not intended by the resource and apologise for any offence caused.

'As we prepare for Easter, we would like to offer our greetings to everyone in the Jewish community as they celebrate Passover.'

MailOnline has contacted the Church Of England for further comment.
Ambassadors of two European countries and America have lauded Arcelor Mittal Liberia for its investment in the country. A press release issued this week said.

"The United States ambassador to Liberia, the Head of the European Union Delegation in Liberia, and the French Ambassador recently visited ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) to learn about the existing operations, discuss the Company's plans for the future and review its readiness to recommence construction," the statement said.

U.S. Ambassador Michael A. McCarthy, E.U. Ambassador Laurent Delahousse, and French Ambassador Michael Roux toured the AML mine, rail and port operations and visited the Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Yekepa. The guests also held a meeting with AML's senior management headed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Scott Lowe.

Briefing the Ambassadors, CEO Lowe said it was a great honor to have them visit AML and reaffirmed the company's strong commitment to Liberia.

CEO sets out the vision for the future

The CEO, said the company has exciting expansion plans for the future in Liberia that will benefit all stakeholders, adding AML is strategically aligned to and supporting the Government's Pro-poor Agenda and working closely with Government representatives.

The statement said, CEO Lowe told the diplomats that AML was planning to make a bold step into the future with the resumption of its expansion project known as Phase II at an additional cost of approximately $800m, taking AML's total investment in Liberia to over $2.5Bn. The AML expansion will triple production from 5mtpa of direct shipment ore (DSO) to 15mtpa of high-value concentrate product with plans for further growth in the future.

Mr Lowe added that the project represents major economic and social benefits for the government and people of Liberia in jobs, revenue, and social development.

The current model of operations will be transformed with the introduction of expanded mining, state-of-the-art processing technology, and upgrades to rail and port infrastructure. Importantly, the project will also involve developing the skills of Liberians and expanding the life of the mine for up to thirty years.

Lowe said: "ArcelorMittal Liberia has been in Liberia since 2006, and we are in this for the long haul. We intend to be a part of Liberia's long term future, delivering growth for the benefit of the country, community, employees, and shareholders."

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Ambassadors provide feedback

U.S. Ambassador McCarthy described the ArcelorMittal Liberia investment as a "hope for the future of Liberia" and encouraged the company and staff to continue the good work.

He said the AML VTC is exactly what Liberia needs, noting that the company has put the future in the people's hands, and they [the youth] need to take it from there.

The French Ambassador Michael Roux shared similar views about the impact of AML's business and also highlighted the role of TVET in Liberia's economic development.

Head of E.U. Delegation in Liberia Ambassador Delahousse spoke of the importance of Public-Private partnership, and hoped that other companies in Liberia or from abroad will come, invest, create jobs and give a future to all young Liberians.

The recent visit of the three diplomats followed earlier high-level visits by other members of the diplomatic corps and most recently, H.E. President George M. Weah to the AML Concession, something CEO Scott Lowe said is an indication of the strong partnership between AML, the government, the international community and people of Liberia.

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Photo: The Canadian Press B.C. Attorney General David Eby talks during a press conference at Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Thursday, May 9, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

British Columbia is applying for a partial stay in a recent B.C. Supreme Court ruling about jurisdiction over motor vehicle injury disputes, pending its appeal of the same decision, Attorney General David Eby said this week.

The March 2 judgment set back the province's plan to divert certain injury claims away from litigation in court in a move officials said would save money for auto insurance ratepayers and the Insurance Corporation of B.C.

Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson declared parts of the amended Civil Resolution Tribunal Act unconstitutional, meaning the tribunal can neither decide whether an injury is minor, nor settle claims up to $50,000.

Hinkson also found that a section of the act requiring courts to dismiss such claims so they could instead proceed to the tribunal did not apply.

When B.C. gave the tribunal jurisdiction over such matters starting in April 2019, the aim was to allow injured people to use the tribunal to resolve "lower-value disputes in a timely and fair manner," Eby said in a statement.

The Trial Lawyers Association of B.C. sued the province over the changes, arguing they denied injured people their constitutional right to go to court.

Hinkson's written decision shows the plaintiffs argued the amended legislation afforded the civil tribunal an unconstitutional judicial role that was "historically within the exclusive jurisdiction of the superior courts."

In applying for partial stay, Eby said the province is seeking to allow the tribunal to resolve disputes that occurred after April 1, 2019 and were moving through the tribunal's process at the time of Hinkson's decision.

Those claims have been on hold and the partial stay, if granted, would also allow new claimants to opt for the tribunal rather than court, he said.

The decision does not affect the tribunal's upcoming jurisdiction over enhanced care benefits, reductions in ICBC rates effective May 1, or rebates for ratepayers after cost savings from fewer crashes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Eby added.

The Civil Resolution Tribunal can still decide whether a person is entitled to accident benefits under the Insurance (Vehicle) Act, as well as claims in motor vehicle accident disputes for damages up to $5,000.
I try not to judge those who see no need for the vaccine, either because they dont believe COVID-19 is a threat to their health or because they fear the side effects more than the virus. And I know there are those plenty on the fence about getting a shot, who I hope will at some point in the near future fall on the side of safety and science and the good of our whole community.
ROME, APR 2 - United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted Friday: "Proud to partner with my Italian counterpart @luigidimaio to highlight the robust U.S.-Italy relationship established 160 years ago! Together we have accomplished much, and we look forward to a bright future of continued cooperation." The State Department noted that this year marks the 160th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Italy and the United States, dating back to 1861, when Italians "came together, propelled by the momentous awakening of the Risorgimento, under the banner of a single, unified Nation". (ANSA).
The Suez Canal Authority has not granted permission for Ever Given to leave the canal until investigators complete an inquiry into how the cargo ship barred the international shipping route for nearly a week. According to the Authority, it will possibly seek an estimated $1 billion in physical and financial damages resulting in the trade route's blockage.

Egypt is expecting the reimbursement, according to a top canal official. He also cautioned that the ship and its cargo would not be permitted to leave the country if the issue of damages goes to court.

Ever Given Stuck Again

The estimated $1 billion does not involve damages for the owners of over 400 boats delayed by the Suez Canal calamity, nor compensation that could be sought by companies whose products or materials were on those boats. According to Lt. Gen. Ossama Rabei, head of Suez Canal Authority, the compensation would cover losses from the cost of six days of dredging, transit fees, tugboat activity, and damage to the canal from the dredging, reported Yahoo News.

Traffic is expected to aggravate at one of Dartmouth's most bustling intersections after the Ever Given, one of the biggest container ships in the world, got stuck for the second time on April 1. Fresh from its Suez Canal chaos, the container ship could be seen in a satellite photo wedged on Route 6, reported Darthmouth Week.

So far, nothing in six frantic and dangerous days of effort had budged the large bulk of the Ever Given. The 200,000 tonnes of steel and consumer goods continue to block Egypt's fourth-busiest shipping lane in the world.

Suez Canal Open Again, Shipping To Be Snarled for Months

The grounding of Ever Given on March 23, which was freed on Monday, may have been bad news for the world economy. However, corks have been popping in the headquarters of the globe's container shipping lines, reported The Economic Times.

The $1 billion does not involve the financial losses incurred by more than 400 boats rerouted because of the canal's blockage. About $9 billion in global trade was delayed each day until the ship was dislodged.

According to Rabei on Wednesday, the amount considers the salvage operation, lost transit fees for the week that the Ever Given had blocked the Suez Canal, and costs of stalled traffic. He added it is the country's right, without identifying who would be held accountable for paying the compensation.

Rabei stated the ship's captain had not responded yet to numerous demands by the canal authority. It involves documents sought for the investigation and surrender of the black box. He added the cargo ship would not be permitted to continue on its journey to the Dutch city of Rotterdam until the investigation is completed.

Ever Given is barring traffic both eastbound and westbound near the junction with Faunce Corner Road. Backups at the intersection typically occur. However, previous traffic studies did not reveal Dartmouth's international shipping route as the root cause.

A sandstorm and high winds reportedly could have played a role in pushing the Ever Given sideways. This could have wedged it between the Suez canal's banks.

Ever Given: Ship That Blocks Suez Canal, Now Partially Free

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
FCW Insider: April 2, 2021

The Defense Department was supposed to submit a review to Congress by March 1 assessing whether components complied with the guidelines of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. That deadline has been pushed to June.

As the Biden administration prepares to deliver its first budget, the question arises of whether there's enough political clout to end the controversial overseas contingency operations account.

The former CISA chief expressed confidence in Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger to help the White House confront the multiple cybersecurity incidents it is facing.

Quick Hits

*** The Department of Veterans Affairs announced a plan on Thursday to vaccinate workers at the National Archives and Records Administration in part to get NARA employees charged with supporting veterans claim processing back in the office.

"The staff at NARA play a vital role in making sure veteran claims for compensation for service-related conditions are processed in a timely manner. By assisting their vaccination efforts, we can make significant progress in processing the backlog in claims, which has increased since March 2020 due to the pandemic," acting Undersecretary for Benefits Thomas Murphy said in a statement.

*** The General Services Administration is rewriting its $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract to take out the requirement that vendors support Internet Explorer as part of their offerings. The move reflects Microsoft's decision to retire support for Internet Explorer last August. In a bulletin posted April 1, GSA noted that "any agency that has a need to continue using IE should work with their vendor(s) to ensure their needs are met."

*** The Government Accountability Project led a letter joined by 264 organizations calling on congressional leadership to update and strengthen laws protecting government whistleblowers.

"By strengthening our whistleblower laws to match or exceed those of other democratic nations, we can restore our nation as the world's leader protecting freedom of speech for whistleblowers as an essential vehicle for accountability," the letter states.
Today, we begin a blockbuster serialisation of one of the most explosive political diaries ever to be published. Alan Duncan, a well-respected Tory MP for nearly three decades, used them to let off steam in private about the monstrous egos that surrounded him.

The diaries cover his final four turbulent years in Parliament, when Brexit split the Conservatives apart. Once a Eurosceptic, Duncan made many enemies himself by deciding to support Remain.

By turns outrageously bitchy, funny and despairing, the diaries eviscerate many of his colleagues  not least Boris Johnson and Theresa May. The ultimate political insider, Duncan had known Mrs May since Oxford University and in 2016 lent her his house for her leadership campaign. Later, as a minister at the Foreign Office, he became Boriss deputy.

Now aged 64, Duncan has also served eight times as a shadow minister, and four years as a minister in the Department for International Development. In 2002, he came out as the first openly gay Conservative MP. Today he lives with his civil partner James Dunseath and their cockapoodle in a village in his old constituency of Rutland and Melton.

The Prime Minister is one of the targets for a series of astonishing personal attacks from Alan Duncan (pictured posing for a photograph in Westminster), his deputy when he was foreign secretary

Friday, January 8, 2016

To Rutland [constituency home]. As I walk in, [my partner] James greets me with a glass of wine. Yippee! He has recorded the first two episodes of the new series of Hawaii Five-0!

Thursday, February 11

Went to Number 10 for my 10.45 meeting with the PM [David Cameron]. We walked through to his study, alone except for Larry the Number 10 cat. At which point DC said, Sofas all yours  next to the pussy. First time for everything!

He was very good at pointing out the dangers of a Leave vote. He said we would just have three years of total Euro-w**k and it risks being a catastrophe.

Saturday, February 20

[Michael] Gove, [Iain] Duncan Smith, [John] Whittingdale, [Theresa] Villiers, [Chris] Grayling and [Priti] Patel are all to campaign for Leave.

Sunday, February 21

Dolled-up Priti Patel on Sky. She really is a nothing person.

Boris will [also] campaign to leave. George [Osborne] and I agree there will be an initial sensation, and then a backwash against Boris, whose leadership intentions are brazen.

Its typical of [Boris]  creating a media circus around himself, fuelling speculation while keeping others in the dark and then coming out on the populist side, despite it being perfectly clear he doesnt believe any of this guff. The long-term Eurosceptics dont trust him, and his self-serving ambition is blatant. But it will play well with the Tory base, which is all he cares about.

Sunday, March 6

Rupert Murdoch wedding to Jerry Hall. So  tell me, Miss Hall, what first attracted you to the 84-year-old billionaire Rupert Murdoch?

Wednesday, March 9

Sun headline Queen Backs Brexit causes a massive row. Whoever was the source of this in the first place is a complete and utter s**t. But that could be quite a long list.

Saturday, March 12

[Tory donor] Michael Ashcrofts 70th birthday party. [Justice Secretary] Michael Gove is there, having briefed earlier in the day that the leak about the Queens view on the EU did not all come from him. Utter sophistry. It was clearly him.

Sunday, March 13

Ive thought about it so much and now Ive decided [to support Remain]. Quite how we extricate ourselves [from the EU] and still expect to trade freely is beyond me.

Wednesday, April 6

Do full round of Yemen meetings. I have never so much as had a meeting with Philip Hammond about this poor dilapidated country, because quite frankly hes not bothered. As Foreign Secretary, hes only interested in the rich ones.

Friday, June 24

Woke up at 6am to hear the result [of the Brexit referendum]. S***! And then  bang! At 8.15am David Cameron announces his intention to resign. What the hell happens now?

Sunday, June 26

Speak to [Tory MP] Ben Gummer, George Osborne, Theresa [May], then the PM. All aghast at the thought of Boris succeeding as Prime Minister.

Pictured: Some of the personal attacks Alan Duncan makes on various politicians in his new, explosive memoir, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel

Monday, June 27

At 6pm I went to see Theresa in her office. I told her, Ive only got one thing to say  you must stand. Im right behind you, go for it!

She was pretty wooden, as she always is. You never quite know whats churning away beneath her undemonstrative demeanour. Theres a tiny bit of me that thinks I might yet stand myself! But Ive zero intention of actually doing so.

Thursday, June 30

News broke that Gove was ditching Boris and standing himself. What an utter s***! Boris then abruptly announced he wasnt going to stand. Extraordinary. One whiff of grapeshot from Gove and he has completely buckled.

Friday, July 1

The Gove campaign launch. Theres something so socially unaware about him: it lies somewhere between shameless and synthetic.

Friday, July 8

[In] an interview [Energy Minister Andrea] Leadsom says she is better equipped to be PM because she has children! I text [Theresas husband] Philip May, Leadsom is despicable  Sarah Palin [former U.S. Vice-Presidential candidate] on crack. [Leadsom pulled out of the race three days later, and May became PM.]

Thursday, July 14

Snakes and ladders during the day. Gavin Williamson as [the new] Chief Whip feels ill-judged. You want someone loyal there, and you wont get that from GW, who is an inexperienced schemer, only in it for himself.

Friday, July 15

I went over to my [constituency] Association President Frances, Duchess of Rutland, who has been virulently pro-Leave, and said, Well, I guess we are both happy: you have the EU result you want, and I have the PM I want. To which she erupted and shouted, Oh you are so disgusting! and walked off in a huff. The trouble is, she thinks shes in charge of everything, and that anyone who doesnt share her opinion is beyond the pale. She really is such a haughty old boot.

The PM offered me Minister of State at the new Department for International Trade. I had to think quickly as I had no wish to be number two to Liam Fox. I suggested that with all my Middle East experience and knowledge, would she consider the Foreign Office instead?

She came back to me, half an hour later, and said yes to the FCO, implicitly as Minister for the Middle East.

Saturday, July 16

At 5.30pm I go to the Foreign Office. All seems clear and agreed that I will be Minister for the Middle East. [But] when I see Boris [now Foreign Secretary] at 6pm it seems a massive problem has arisen, which is nothing short of contemptible. Boris says the Conservative Friends of Israel [CFI] are going ballistic.

If Id ever so much as sided with anti-Semitic people, or said anything near it, theyd be fully entitled to have a go at me, but I never have.

It is for no other reason than that I believe in the rights of Palestinians and its quite clear that they dont. They just want to belittle and subjugate the Palestinians.

Now Number 10 are telling Boris I cannot have the Middle East. This it seems has come from [Mays special adviser, or spad] Nick Timothy, who has also been got at. Appalling.

Sunday, July 17

Sue Gray, in charge of ethics and propriety at the Cabinet Office, puts it to me that I cant have the Middle East because I used to be in the oil business. This is not an issue of propriety. Clearly [CFI members Eric and Lord] Pickles and Polak have been lobbying against me. This is the most disgusting interference in our public life.

Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson, pictured left during his time as Mayor of London at the Spectator Magazine's summer party in 2015, along with MP Alan Duncan, who has lifted the lid on Tory infighting in an unprecedented memoir

Monday, July 18

Serious argy-bargy all day. I am then offered what they insist is the most serious portfolio beneath the Foreign Secretary: EU, Americas, Central Asia, NATO and European security including Iran. Everyone is very concerned that I might immediately resign and cause a massive stink about this outside interference.

Wednesday, August 31

[FCO minister] Tobias Ellwood is being a childish twit, sending texts of complaint to Boris that I had seen the Bahrain ambassador when he is the person in charge of the Middle East. He has cancelled three meetings with me now and is basically refusing to talk to me.

Monday, September 12

David Cameron quits Parliament. Parliament is so in decline and is made weaker by senior personalities preferring to leave. Part of this is the sheer drudge of the parliamentary timetable, but it is more the vacuous cry about being a part-time MP and having to declare in a register whenever you blow your nose.

[Cameron] has remarkable qualities of confidence and clear communication, but was prone to being glib [and] drew his appointments from too narrow a bunch of close associates.

For all his faults he was decent. I divide politicians into those who do or dont pass the holiday test: would you want to go on holiday with them? Blair  yes. Brown  no. Boris  yes. May  no. Cameron passes with flying colours.

Wednesday, September 14

Tobias [Ellwood] turned up at the U.S. embassy last week. Odd he should be so shirty about me just seeing the Bahrain ambassador when there he is demanding accommodation in our Washington embassy and seeing people in the US without telling me, even though it is my brief.

Saturday, September 17

[Mays spads] Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy are throwing their weight around as if they have complete licence to tell anybody what to do in the name of the Prime Minister. Fiona is the worse of the two, abrasive and hectoring.

Monday, October 24

The PM is stopping BoJo from going to the Gibraltar Day annual lunch. She thinks he will goof and overdo it. But he is the Foreign Secretary, and over-controlling him will only sour their relations.

Tuesday, November 1

Meeting with BoJo  the chemistry between us is working very well at the moment. Im studiously keeping out of Brexit and getting on with the diplomacy I enjoy. I will tell him directly if hes ever doing anything which I think does him or our diplomacy harm, but I will say it to his face. My mantra is simple: loyal to Theresa, loyal to Boris, stay out of the news.

Monday, November 28

I attend a reception at Number 10. As I leave, Philip Hammond swanks in through the back gate, and walks straight past me with his nose in the air. He doesnt even say hello. He has no idea how to extend elementary courtesies.

BIG BEAST BOJO IS NOT AMUSED Tuesday, February 21, 2017 Oral Questions [in the Commons]. There have been reports about the discovery of the fossilised remains of an enormous woolly mammoth. During one answer, I quip that the Foreign Secretary is living proof that the woolly mammoth can return from extinction. Boris was not amused. Ridiculous. It was light-hearted and affectionate, so whats the problem? Chill! To Vienna. When I land, [theres] a series of texts saying I had better contact Boris about the woolly mammoth. What on earth is all the fuss about? It was fun and harmless. Its all because he is in a frightful stew about [FCO minister Tobias] Ellwood who failed to answer a topical question on which he had been extensively briefed, leaving Boris to reply with no understanding of either the question or the answer. I have just been caught up in the slipstream. Wednesday, June 21 The Telegraph has run a piece which takes a quote by me [in a documentary] rather out of context suggesting I have publicly told Boris Johnson to stop playing games in respect of any future leadership race. It is of course semantic exaggeration, but [Boris] phones at 8am to suggest I pen a letter to the paper to correct the record. It is an absurd suggestion, as it will only give the issue more legs. It is only on page 7, at the bottom. He loves double-page spreads puffing him up, but is over-sensitive and loses all perspective when he faces an inch of adverse comment. I was due to be announced by him in the FCO as the Senior Minister of State, but he has binned the idea following the Telegraph story. So petty. He is an egotistical showman who just doesnt understand Parliament, or how to run and motivate a team around him. Tuesday, August 29 There is an article tagging Boris as an international joke and [reporting] that civil servants in the Foreign Office are horrified by their bosss lack of discipline and have taken to slipping in to see his deputy Sir Alan Duncan when they need a decision. Boris calls. He wants to see me. For the first time ever, we have something of a stand-up confrontation. He has completely popped and accuses me of briefing [the journalist], which I hadnt. He says, Why do you say they dont take me seriously? I shake my head and say, Just look in the f***ing mirror! Pictured: Boris Johnson Opening of The Emirates Aviation Experience.London Mayor Boris Johnson during the official opening of The Emirates Aviation Experience Advertisement

Tuesday, November 29

KLM to Havana [for Fidel Castros funeral]. Labours Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, arrived a couple of hours earlier. Opposition frontbenchers are not entitled to any assistance from the FCO, but I offered a modest degree of help, such as being met at the airport, the use of the residence, and transport to and from the funeral rally.

Extraordinary  not a word of appreciation or gratitude. It was as if she owned the place, and I was lucky to be allowed to join her. She is a graceless frump.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

[My partner] James [and I] watched Hawaii Five-O, both giggling. It was just so ridiculous it was great.

Monday, January 16

Gove has secured an interview with Donald Trump. It just feels creepy and a***-licking, keeping him on the map as an ex-minister, and no doubt all set up by Rupert Murdoch.

Sunday, January 22

Hawaii Five-O is going downhill.

Monday, January 23

Bump into a DfID [Department for International Development] acquaintance, on their way to a fatuous training course. They hate Priti Patel in DfID, mainly because she seems to hate all of them. She is clearly a complete and utter nightmare.

When Professor Anthony King, the renowned political analyst, died a couple of weeks ago, it was reported there is a current senior MP whose thesis at Essex University he considered abysmal beyond measure. The press named John Bercow, but it was in fact Priti Patel. The Wicked Witch of Witham scores again.

Monday, January 30

FCO all-staff meeting, addressed by Boris. As soon as he begins to touch on anything difficult, or is asked a searching question, he bats it away with short sentences and disarming quips. They like him, but dont really respect him. They just dont take him seriously.

An example is that whenever quizzed about the complexity of securing a deal with the EU, he just lapses into Come on. Come on . . . (clenched fist, punchy arm wave). Be positive! We have to do this. Come on. Lets all just go for it! Come on, guys. Dont be negative. We can do this!

But they know its b*****s: after all, they are the ones who understand the complexity of the details.

Wednesday, February 1

[Tobias] Ellwood has a nutty proposal that the UK should buy Svalbard, the archipelago between Norway and the North Pole  he wants it to become a UK spaceport. Hes bonkers.

Thursday, February 2

Ellwood is still on his Svalbard kick. Apparently he tried it before with Hammond, who just bawled him out and never spoke to him again. The Norwegians think weve gone totally nuts.

Monday, February 6

[Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu is being feted in Number 10, meeting the PM, followed by lunch, and then we let him use the FCO media suite to peddle his pro-settlement propaganda. We are supine, lickspittle, insignificant cowards. I am ashamed of my own Government.

Dinner with [UK ambassador to the USA] Sir Kim Darroch. I said, How do you find Tobias Ellwood? Kim replied, Its funny  whenever he wants to stay we are always full, and Im somehow not in Washington.

Thursday, February 16

Meeting with Police Gold Commander about Assange. [WikiLeaks] Julian Assange has been self-imprisoned in the Ecuador embassy [where he claimed asylum] for years, and we need to get him out but also ensure that he doesnt escape unnoticed. I am gradually taking control of the situation to be 100 per cent sure that the police surveillance is adequate and that we are not caught napping.

Tuesday, March 7

The PM has sacked Michael Heseltine from his advisory positions to the Government (investment in the North; inner-city infrastructure, etc) which is stupidly petty and wont bother him in the least. After all, he is over 80, worth 300 million, and probably regards most of the Government as a load of children. Hes not wholly wrong.

Wednesday, March 8

Flight to Warsaw. Fat Lump [Tory MP Eric] Pickles is in biz class, along with Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former Foreign Secretary, all paid for by our embassy in Poland, while I fly in economy. I suppose that whereas FLP might just fit into an economy seat, he would probably never get out of it again.

Back home the Budget has been broadly cautious and uneventful, and Hammond even made a few gags. But he has no feeling whatsoever for people on low incomes, and is a Spock-like trampler over anyone elses sensitivities.

In our manifesto for the 2015 general election, it explicitly stated that for the full duration of the Parliament we would not increase the rates of income tax, VAT, or national insurance contributions. But he has increased NICs for the self-employed from 8 per cent to 10. This is an undeniable breach of faith, and clearly a broken promise.

Thursday, March 16

[Mays spad] Fiona Hill [has] had a blazing row with Philip Hammond, who just told her to get knotted. She thinks she can just tell any Cabinet minister what to do  shes mental.

Friday, March 24

Reception [in Antalya, Turkey]. Dinner. Unfortunately BoJos speech was just embarrassing. He made incomprehensible public school quips which cannot be translated, and banged on about being a supportive buttress, assisting the EU from outside it, which came over to the Turks in translation as a supportive bucket.

Sunday, March 26

President Trump is turning out to be a complete lunatic.

Ruling class: Theresa Mays Cabinet at Chequers in 2018

Wednesday, March 29

Bumped into Kwasi Kwarteng [Tory] MP in New Palace Yard. He says Boris doesnt appreciate that diplomacy is not about having nice conversations with your friends: its about how you engage with those who are awkward.

Tuesday, April 11

Boris has made a complete Horlicks of the G7. Meanwhile, [I hear] Fi Hill has been shouting and screaming at Boris. I dont know why he just sits there and takes it.

Tuesday, April 18

[At 11am, May announced there would be a general election.] A good result would allow her to see off the extreme Brexiteer nutters, even to the point where she sacks or demotes Boris. It is all to play for, but entirely ours to screw up.

Monday, April 24

Photo with the PM. I said that if she wanted a safe pair of hands to do back-up interviews during the [election] campaign, Id be more than willing. All I got in return was a dead stare. Her social skills are sub-zero. It is odd that, after I did so much to galvanise her leadership campaign, she has never once even said thank you.

Friday, June 2

For Fi Hill to be putting it about that there is a Chancellor shortlist of Amber Rudd and Michael Fallon is inexcusable.

Saturday, June 3

Houston, we have a problem. We started this election with a supposed lead of nearly 20 per cent but it has been the most disastrous campaign imaginable. [May] has looked wooden and defensive, like a frightened rabbit, declining interviews and TV debates. We have engaged in the politics of personality  without any personality.

David Cameron texts me. I share with him my frustrations about the contemptible briefings from the PMs team about a post-election reshuffle. He says he bets Boris wont be moved, as shes scared of him.

Sunday, June 4

Ariana Grande and others give a most emotional benefit concert in Manchester. Chris Martin of Coldplay is quite a hunk. Why have I never noticed him before?

Tuesday, June 6

I remonstrate with [a journalist] who has promoted the need for Gove as a stabilising influence following the election. Gove is an unctuous freak who generates his own publicity, a wacky weirdo who is both unappealing and untrustworthy. God help us if he is thought to be the answer to our woes.

Friday, June 9

[Day after the general election.] We have gone seriously backwards, losing 33 seats. PMs statement outside Number 10 was awful  utterly tone deaf.

Pictured: The cover of 'In the thick of it - the private diaries of a minister' by Alan Duncan, in which he makes a series of personal attacks against Tory politicians after quitting politics himself just 16 months ago

Saturday, June 10

Oh dear. There are rumours that Gove might come back in. Rather better news is that Hill and Timothy are under massive pressure to go, and . . . yippee! Finally they do. Their high-handed tyrannical self-importance has destroyed the Governments majority and may well destroy [May] too. Apparently TM had to be persuaded not to resign.

Sunday, June 11

Have a long chat with [Philip] Hammond. [His] account of dealing with the PM through the ghastly Fiona Hill is damning. The PM was told nothing beyond what she and Nick Timothy let her see. We have to stick with her, but she is a cardboard cut-out.

It is also clear that such is the level of distrust between Boris and Number 10 that he is being excluded from things he has a right to know. He is seen to be in it for himself and has no real understanding of the details of Brexit.

Reshuffle frenzy . . . Andrea Leadsom is to be Leader of the House. Mad. So surely not Gove as Chairman??? Please, please, please no. Phew! Gove is Environment Secretary. It is quite the most unimpressive Cabinet imaginable. Its like a crowd of zombies, aimlessly circling.

Monday, June 12

Day one of the Government of the Walking Dead.

Tuesday, June 13

All-staff [FCO] meeting. Its a critical moment, and BoJo offers little more than a rambling stream of consciousness, devoid of any foreign policy. Its rather embarrassing.

Wednesday, September 6

I visit the Crisis Centre in the basement of the FCO, which is whirring away at full tilt in response to Hurricane Irma, which has belted into the Caribbean, and in particular the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

Thursday, September 7

A pretty full hurricane day. I make a statement in the Commons on it, then attend a COBRA meeting. Im spending all my time helping to coordinate DfID, the MoD and the FCO.

Friday, September 8

The Governor of BVI is very worried about the collapse of law and order on the islands, and fears looting and unrest. RFA [Royal Fleet Auxiliary] Mounts Bay, with supplies and Marines on board, is due there now, and the Governor has asked for some soldiers to reinforce his small police force.

Im in the Crisis Centre at about 10pm when a call comes in from the BVI Governor to say that there has been a prison breakout and 100 fugitives are now roaming about. He is asking for help.

I just go for it: Governor, this is Alan Duncan, the Minister. I authorise you to take 12 Marines off Mounts Bay, and use them as you see fit. It was quite literally a Send in the Marines moment.

The response, both in BVI and in the Crisis Centre, was extraordinary. They almost whooped and cheered. Slightly concerning for me, though, is that the Marines are not really my assets to deploy.

I call Mark Lancaster, Minister for the Armed Forces, to say what I have done. He is just such a superstar cool good guy. He immediately confirms that the instructions are valid, authorised, and should be followed.

Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2016, at the time as Foreign Secretary, along-side the then-Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Alan Duncan. Boris Johnsons Cabinet was rocked last night by an explosive political memoir revealing vicious Tory infighting in Duncan's memoir

Tuesday, September 12

In a meeting about the hurricane and the use of RAF aircraft to help rescue people, I quite seriously suggested using the Royal/PMs Voyager plane. It would be a bit like using the QEII during the Falklands War. It also draws the sting from anyone criticising the PM/Queen having a plane. It would go into folklore. Wheres our imagination? Nowhere . . . so they wont.

Wednesday, September 13

The stupid OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] rules, which define how Overseas Development Assistance can be used, do not permit us to use it for hurricane response in the [Caribbean] because [the islands] are not poor enough. Well, they bloody well are now!

The PM says she is frustrated by ODA. OK, but then tell your stupid ministers (in particular Priti Patel) not to brag about deploying it after the hurricane when they cant.

Saturday, September 16

The DT [Telegraph] headline today is Boris  Im still behind Theresa for a glorious Brexit. I think hes only right behind her so as to push her off a cliff.

Breakfast with Tony Blair. We cover Brexit, Hamas and the Gulf. He loves having his fingers in Middle Eastern things, but I always feel its more to make money than to make peace.

Friday, September 21

Call with Ecuador FM [foreign minister] to discuss Assange. We both want Assange out of the embassy, after six years, but the Ecuador government wont quite yet take the necessary final step for fear of the domestic reaction.

Saturday, September 24

[Boris] despises May, and thinks he is the next Churchill. He has a self-deluding mock-romantic passion which is not rooted in realism. He is disloyal. His comedy routine has gone stale; his lack of seriousness in a serious job rankles; and he has little following among MPs. He seems to have embarked on a reckless journey into oblivion.

I try to be the dutiful number two, but have lost any respect for him. He is a clown, a self-centred ego, an embarrassing buffoon, with an untidy mind and sub-zero diplomatic judgement. He is an international stain on our reputation. He is a lonely, selfish, ill-disciplined, shambolic, shameless clot.

Grrr. Got that out of my system. I feel better now. Smile and press on!

Extracted from In The Thick Of It: The Explosive Private Political Diaries Of A Former Tory Minister, by Alan Duncan, to be published by William Collins on April 15, 25.  Alan Duncan 2021. To order a copy for 22 go to www.mailshop. co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Delivery charges may apply. Free UK delivery on orders over 20. Promotional price valid until 17/04/2021.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack attend a Parliamentary church service at the St Christopher's Catholic Cathedral in Manuka in Canberra, Australia on Feb. 2, 2021. (Dominic Lorrimer/Pool/Getty Images)

He is Risen!: Aussie PM Celebrates Hope and Victory in Easter Message

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has expressed his optimism for the future in his Easter message, saying it is a time for families and communities to come together and celebrate hope and victory.

For Christians around the world, Easter is a time to celebrate the most important words of our faithHe is Risen! Morrison said. Christians everywhere can draw strength and heart from these words.

Morrison said that over the challenging last year the Christian community has heeded the ancient principles of protecting, valuing, and looking out for our family, friends, neighbours, community, and country.

It was more difficult to gather to worship as a faith community normally would, he said. Nor could we sing those joyful songs that mean so much to us.

However, Morrison said Easter Sunday was a chance for the community to remember the words of Psalmist; this is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

So this Easter, as we reflect and draw strength from our faith, we can look forward with a renewed sense of optimism and hope for our future, he said.

Christian worshippers, monks, and friars walk in procession around the Edicule, traditionally believed to be the burial site of Jesus Christ, during a mass to commemorate the Washing of the Feet on Holy Thursday, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, on April 1, 2021. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images)

In a post on Facebook, Morrison wrote that the holiday can be a great time for reflection and renewal for all Australians, regardless of religious values.

Faith is an important part of the life of millions of Australians, he said. It brings them comfort, peace, community, and assurance.

Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Reverend Anthony Fisher described this Easter as one where we run to the empty tomb for new life, hope, and promise in his message.

Twelve months ago, just before Holy Week, we went into lockdown. A year later, were free to worship again, Fisher said. The egg has cracked, the walls been torn down, and new life emerges.

Meanwhile in Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced church services would be allowed to have 100 percent capacity with allocated seating and mandatory masks indoors. This comes after the recent Brisbane snap border closure was lifted.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man has pleaded guilty to viewing child porn in a bathroom during a counseling session mandated by a prior child porn conviction, according to federal prosecutors.

Thomas Sczerbaniewicz, 52, of Syracuse, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing and accessing child pornography with the intent to view it, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York said.

Sczerbaniewicz admitted that while he was in sex offender counseling in January he went to the bathroom and used his phone to get on the internet and look at child exploitation images, federal prosecutors said.

He had previously been convicted in 2009 of possessing child porn and is on supervised release, according to federal prosecutors.

Sczerbaniewicz faces at least 10 years and up to 20 years in prison.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
Phuc made his statement while hosting ROK Ambassador to Vietnam Park Noh-wan, and representatives of the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam (KORCHAM) and five leading high-tech groups from the ROK in Hanoi on April 2.

Highlighting strong growth of the Vietnam  ROK relations across politics, defence-security, and economy-trade-investment in the past time, PM Phuc stated the Vietnamese Government is delighted to see a large number of Korean firms investing effectively in Vietnam.

The Government leader said the foreign-invested sector is an important part of the Vietnamese economy, adding that its long-term growth as well as cooperation and healthy competition with other economic sectors are encouraged and facilitated.

The attraction of investment, particularly from high-tech groups, obtains a special attention from the Vietnamese Government, Phuc underscored.

He took the occasion to thank the ROK Embassy for its efforts to contribute to the development of the bilateral relations so far.

For his part, Park said the ROK highly values Vietnams successful control of COVID-19 and realisation of its dual goals of containing the pandemic and promote socio-economic development. Korean firms in Vietnam are happy with the nation sustaining its high growth rate amid the global spread of the coronavirus.

The ambassador said as the two countries will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year, the ROK wishes to organise high-level delegation exchanges and pushes the ties to new heights.

The ROK also wants to run flights to bring Korean entrepreneurs to Vietnam for business cooperation promotion and hopes the Vietnamese Government will facilitate these flights in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The diplomat said with delight that on April 2, the ROK continued to receive Vietnamese workers to work in the country. In 2021, its Government passed a quota to receive 8,000 to 10,000 Vietnamese workers.

In response, the PM affirmed the Vietnamese Government always creates the best conditions possible for the ROK community in Vietnam and asked for similar support from the ROK Government for the Vietnamese community in the country.

Participating ROK groups expressed their gratitude toward the Vietnamese Governments assistance for their operations and wished for further support in the coming time to expand their investment in the nation.
ORANGE - At only 25, Jonathan Jon Gioia is living the dream with the opening of his Empire Tattoo shop, the name a reference to Star Wars.

Ive been drawing all my life. Once I got my first tattoo at 18, I thought, what an honor to put your art on a persons body, he said. Its always been my dream to have my own shop.

The business is located at 547 Boston Post Road in the same plaza at Greyson Guns.

Gioia, whose specialty is hyper photo realism, started drawing at a young age and just got better and better with no lessons, he and his family said.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

He is self-taught, but was required to serve 2,000 hours of apprenticeship to get a license, so he opened the business with a following.

Clients say he is meticulous, focused on the job and exceptional at blending his artistry and client ideas.

Its an honor to put my art on peoples bodies, he said. I like the satisfaction I get from peoples reaction to my art.

The shop soon will offer non-laser tattoo removal, as well, for those with tattoos no longer relevant or wanted. Non-laser removal means no burning like with laser, as the tattoo is erased by lifting out the pigment with all-natural substance, said Matt Hurlburt, a tattoo artist at the shop who specializes in Japanese-style designs.

Hurlburt said tattoos have gone from an underground movement to being mainstream, and a huge part of the younger generations culture.

Gioia, who grew up in East Haven and now lives in North Haven, said he chose to open in Orange because he likes the demographic and he found the right location.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Dalton Petroccio, 23, a friend and future client, said Gioia really gets in that zone when doing a tattoo.

Jon takes his time when designing the tattoo. He takes your input and mixes it with his artistic ways, Petroccio said. Hes a hard-working, driven person, especially when it comes to art.

Petroccio said he will get a tattoo of his mothers birthday in Roman numerals.

Gioias first tattoo at age 18 was of his mothers birthday in Roman numerals, as he is close to his mother, as is his brother, Joe Gioia, whose tattoo in honor of their mother, Nancy Coughlin, says, My everything, my life. He has My everything on one wrist and My life on the other and it reads as a phrase when he puts his wrists together.

Joe Gioia, 27, said their parents divorced when he was in eighth grade and Coughlin went to extraordinary lengths to raise four boys largely on her own. He said times were so tough financially that there was one year at least when the East Haven familys Christmas gifts came from Goodwill.

Our mother has been everything to us - leader, mentor, best friend, Joe Gioia said. I dont think anyone on this planet could have done what she did.

Gioia also gives a lot of credit for his and his brothers success to their stepfather, John Coughlin.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

While his younger brother didnt create the wrist tattoo honoring their mother, Joe Gioia said hell get a tattoo from his brother soon honoring their late father, James Jimbo Gioia.

He said his brother was always showing the family his latest art and it started to get really good.

Joe Gioia said his brother also has a knack for portraits, and colored pencil work.

It was a talent discovered by him taking it to limits no one thought possible, Joe Gioia said. Im really proud of him.

Jonathan Gioia said business is already popping with new and returning clients and he has a strong following on social media.

Client Chloe Fletcher, 25, has nine tattoos, a flower and a butterfly by Gioia.

Hes very meticulous. She said. He takes his time, hes a perfectionist. Hes awesome.

The shop was welcomed this month by the Chamber of Commerce, with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting attended by state Reps. Kathy Kennedy, R-Milford, and Charles Ferraro, R-West Haven, as well as chamber President Ted Novicki and others.


2020 Annual Report

Sydney, Mar 31, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - During the financial year the principal continuing activities of Empire Energy Group Ltd ( ASX:EEG ) ( OTCMKTS:EEGUF ) consisted of the progression of exploration and appraisal work programs in Empire's wholly owned and operated exploration tenements and applications located in the highly petroleum prospective Northern Territory McArthur Basin (including the Beetaloo Sub-Basin).Key activities completed during the year included the successful drilling of the Carpentaria-1 well in Empire's EP187 permit, intersection of liquids-rich gas at Carpentaria-1, certification of a prospective resources by Netherland, Sewell and Associates Inc and preparation for further exploration and appraisal activities.The production and sale of oil and natural gas in the United States of America. The Empire Group sells its oil and gas products primarily to owners of domestic pipelines, utilities and refiners located in Pennsylvania and New York.To view the Annual Report, please visit:About Empire Energy Group Ltd

Empire Energy (ASX:EEG) (OTCMKTS:EEGUF) holds over 14.5 million acres of highly prospective exploration tenements in the McArthur and Beetaloo Basins, Northern Territory. Work undertaken by the Company since 2010 demonstrates that the Eastern depositional Trough of the McArthur Basin, of which the Company holds 80% has very considerable conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon potential. The Beetaloo sub-Basin, in which Empire holds a substantial position, has independently assessed world class hydrocarbon volumes in place with a major ramp up in industry activity underway to appraise substantial discoveries already made by major Australian oil and gas operators.

Empire Energy is an experienced conventional oil and gas producer with operations in the Appalachia region (New York and Pennsylvania). Empire has been successfully developing and producing oil and gas since 2006.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, April 2, said the national capital is reeling under the "fourth wave" of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that there won't be any lockdown, for now.

If there is a need for a lockdown in the future, a decision will be taken after consultation, he said. However, the fourth wave of coronavirus in Delhi is less serious than the previous ones as there are fewer number of deaths and hospitalisations this time, CM Kejriwal added.

After a high-level meeting, Kejriwal suggested that the Centre should lift the age bar of 45 years for vaccination to pave the way for mass-level inoculation.

If the Centre allowed vaccination at non-healthcare facilities like schools, immunisation be undertaken on a war footing to check the spread of the virus, he said.

Last week, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had also dismissed any possibility of imposing another lockdown in the city.

Delhi recorded 2,790 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, which is the highest daily count so far this year. The positivity rate mounted to 3.57 per cent in the city. So far, 11,036 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in the national capital, while 6.43 lakh people have recovered from it.

Health experts and doctors have attributed the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases to people turning complacent and not following COVID-appropriate behaviour.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi were declining this year till February, with 256 positive cases reported on February 26 being the highest till then. However, daily cases began to rise again in March and have been steadily increasing since then.

The Delhi CM urged people to wear masks, maintain social distancing and regularly wash hands to prevent the spread of the virus.
Sophie Monk has revealed that she once worked with rapper Snoop Dogg on a commercial that never went to air.

The 41-year-old says that she joined the American rapper, 49, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., on an MTV ad.

'I did an MTV commercial with him in Australia and he was so cool, but then I think he got arrested so it never made it to air,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

Work it: Sophie Monk (pictured) has revealed that she once worked with rapper Snoop Dogg on a commercial that never went to air. The 41-year-old says that she joined the American rapper, 49, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., on an MTV ad

The rapper has been arrested a number of times for a range of offenses - three times in 2006 alone - including weapons and drug charges.

Sophie added: 'Every time I listen to this song [Drop It Like It Is Hot] it reminds me of him. Snoop just can't do wrong (with his music anyway).'

I comes after Sophie revealed her plans to have children with Joshua Gross after the pair became engaged in January.

Oh well! 'I did an MTV commercial with him in Australia and he was so cool, but then I think he got arrested so it never made it to air,' she told The Daily Telegraph. Snoop Dogg is pictured

The Beauty and the Geek host told KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show the pair would definitely like to have a family in the future.

'I want to have babies but not right this minute. I would like to [in the future],' Sophie said.

She also revealed the couple would consider adopting a child if they struggled to fall pregnant.

Next step! I comes after Sophie revealed her plans to have children with Joshua Gross (left) after the pair became engaged in January

Sophie continued:'If you couldn't then we would do a different plan but I have frozen heaps of eggs.'

It comes after Sophie confirmed her engaged to Joshua on January 15, after months of speculation.

The couple first met on a flight from Europe to Australia in August 2018, and shared a kiss after enjoying 'three champagnes' in business class.
(Reuters) - The U.S. drug regulator gave Moderna Inc clearance to speed up output of its COVID-19 vaccine by letting it fill a single vial with up to 15 doses, with the United States banking on rapid immunisation to stem the spread of the deadly virus.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also authorized vaccinators to extract a maximum of 11 doses from the current vials, instead of the ten previously permitted.

In a statement, Moderna said its vaccine can now can be supplied in vials containing 11 or 15 doses, and it expected to begin shipping 15-dose vials in coming weeks.

"Both of these revisions positively impact the supply of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, which will help provide more vaccine doses to communities and allow shots to get into arms more quickly," Peter Marks, director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said.

However, the regulator also warned that without proper syringes and needles it may not be possible to extract more that 13 doses from Moderna's 15 dose vials, and more than 10 doses from the current vials.

Moderna has supplied 100 million doses of its vaccine to the United States as of March 29. Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson's shots are the other two vaccines approved in the country.

With rising cases and several states even lifting mask mandates and with more infectious variants also spreading, health authorities are hoping that the contracts it struck with the currently approved vaccine makers will be enough for its entire population.

U.S. top infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci told Reuters on Thursday that the country may not need AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine even if it wins U.S. regulatory approval.

(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V & Simon Cameron-Moore)
Church services have taken place across the island of Ireland as Christians marked another Easter in lockdown.

While face-to-face services remain prohibited in the Irish Republic, the four main churches in Northern Ireland have begun a gradual return to in-person worship having voluntarily stopped as the most recent Covid-19 wave took hold in January.

Regardless of the differing positions on church attendance on either side of the border, thousands of parishioners across the island are again relying on technology to participate in Easter services remotely.

Expand Close David OReilly dressed as Jesus during a Solemn Procession on Good Friday at the Papal Cross in Dublins Phoenix Park (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp David OReilly dressed as Jesus during a Solemn Procession on Good Friday at the Papal Cross in Dublins Phoenix Park (Brian Lawless/PA)

At St Patricks Cathedral in Armagh, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, had both a physical and virtual congregation on Good Friday for a service celebrating the Lords Passion.

Earlier, Mr Martin expressed concern that law makers in the Irish Republic had neglected the spiritual wellbeing of the community during the pandemic.

Its a really difficult balancing act but we would have really hoped to have some opportunity to gather in cautious, small numbers for Holy Week and Easter, as were doing in Northern Ireland, he told RTE.

We have been having very mature and careful conversations with the government here in the North and with the public health authorities who recognise that peoples spiritual, mental and emotional health helps them with their physical health as well.

Expand Close Fr Declan Kelly, curate of the Church of St Peter and Paul in Dunboyne, Co Meath, cleans a crucifix in preparation for the Celebration of the Lords Passion service on Good Friday (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Fr Declan Kelly, curate of the Church of St Peter and Paul in Dunboyne, Co Meath, cleans a crucifix in preparation for the Celebration of the Lords Passion service on Good Friday (Brian Lawless/PA)

The senior cleric highlighted the unusual position of having different restrictions in different parts of the island.

He noted the experience of one cross-border parish that was having to adopt one approach for its two churches in Northern Ireland and another for its solitary church in the Irish Republic.

Were really hoping for the day when across the whole island people can gather to worship safely, said the archbishop.

While traditional church-organised physical events associated with Easter were cancelled in the Irish Republic, in Dublin a group of between 30 to 40 people organised their own Way of the Cross procession to the Papal Cross in Phoenix Park.
Financial Services Commission Chairman Eun Sung-soo, center, answers to questions from lawmakers during the National Policy Committee meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul in this February file photo. With him is Financial Supervisory Service Governor Yoon Suk-heun. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun



By Park Jae-hyuk



The replacement of the heads of the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has become highly probable, since the administration appears to be carrying out a cabinet reshuffle if the ruling party candidates lose the April 7 mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan.



FSC Chairman Eun Sung-soo, who started his career as a government official at the finance ministry, has been mentioned as a successor to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, who became the longest-serving fiscal chief on Thursday. Hong is said to be stepping down after the by-election and is considering running for Gangwon Province governor in the local election in June of next year.



Although the FSC chairman is guaranteed a three-year term, most former chairmen have served for about two years. Eun's predecessor, Choi Jong-ku, also offered to resign on July 18, 2019, a day before his second anniversary there, so the incumbent chairman might also leave his position before the end of the year.



Eun has been wary of such rumors, which have already spread through social media. However, he told reporters Thursday that he knows nothing about personnel affairs.





Former First Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom speaks during a press conference, after a meeting on the economy at the Central Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
Hero surgeons and nurses 'risked their lives' inside a burning hospital on Friday to complete a 'complex' heart bypass operation.

Medics had just cut open the male patient's chest when an inferno engulfed a 114-year-old hospital in south eastern Russian city of Blagoveschensk.

Chief surgeon Valentin Filatov, 29, refused to evacuate his operating theatre despite flames and smoke raging through the building.

'We were scared, of course. We are human,' he said.

'We couldn't leave, we had to save the patient We continued the surgery, what else do you do?'

He explained: 'It was a coronary artery bypass graft, one of the most complex cardiac surgeries.'

Hero surgeons and nurses 'risked their lives' inside a burning hospital on Friday to complete a 'complex' heart bypass operation

Medics had just cut open the male patient's chest when an inferno engulfed a 114-year-old hospital in south eastern Russian city of Blagoveschensk

Chief surgeon Valentin Filatov, 29, refused to evacuate his operating theatre despite flames and smoke raging through the building

After the surgery had been finished, the patient was evacuated and rushed to a nearby hospital

Medics used fans to keep smoke out of the operating room and ran in a power cable to keep the suite supplied with electricity.

Mayor Oleg Imameev praised the 'heroism' of the surgical team for risking their lives and remaining at their post in the operating theatre at the Cardiological Centre of Amur State Medical Academy.

But Dr Filatov said: 'There was no decision-making about it. The operation just had to continue. We completed it in full.'

A team of eight doctors chose to stay in the hospital, despite the blaze, in order to finish the heart operation

Chief surgeon Filatov chose to continue with the surgery because he wanted to save the patient's life

Firefighters took more than two hours to put out the blaze in the tsarist-era hospital, built in 1907.

The ministry said 128 people were immediately evacuated from the hospital as the fire broke out on the roof.

No one was reported hurt and the patient was rushed to a nearby hospital.

A total of 67 patients and dozens of staff were evacuated from the burning hospital by firefighters
Madurai: Fighting her third election, 63-year old Bharathi Kannamma is cheery as she campaigns and crisscrosses the busy lanes of Madurai South, her Assembly constituency. Shopkeepers, burqa-clad women, auto-drivers and curious onlookers receive the promotional pamphlets which enlist Kannammas poll promises, and of course her symbol - Pot. though she is contesting as a candidate of the lesser-known New Generation Peoples party, Kannamma is hopeful that she will be able to create an impact in the voters' mind.

Accompanied by her team of LGBTQ community members, whom she refers to as her children, Kannamma expresses regret that there are just two Transgender candidates in the poll fray in Tamil Nadu. Confident and expressive, she elaborates on the major points of her manifesto - Education for all (as much as they wish), a Government job per household (based on qualification), three meals a day and medical expenses for those below the poverty line.

Ask her where the money for all these promises come from and she shares what she calls her Socialism-inspired poll promise - Anyone who earns above Rs.50,000 a month must pay the remaining part as tax. A large share of people are below the poverty line, for how long can a few well-off ones alone keep adding to their number of homes and car. I just need the votes of the poor people and that can make all the difference she says when quizzed about how this promise would be received by society.

Armed with her educational qualification which even puts mainstream politicians to shame, Kannamma is an inspiration for the transgender community and the ostracized. She has a Bachelors in Economics, Masters in Sociology, Diploma in Computer Engineering and a Doctorate in Sociology. When queried on how and why she forayed into politics despite all her qualifications, she told Zee media I speak six languages English, Tamil, Malayalam, Telegu, Kannada, and Saurashtra language. With all this, how can I stay at home? I need to achieve something.

To the LGBTQ community, which is a little over 5lakh across India, she has a message - Dont spoil your life by getting into sex work or seeking alms, lets live a life that sets examples for others she says with a confident gaze.

Live TV
British police are assisting in the investigation into the disappearance of a 41-year-old woman who went missing from a catamaran in the US Virgin Islands more than three weeks ago.

Sarm Heslop went missing from the Siren Song, a catamaran her friends say is owned and operated by her American boyfriend Ryan Bane, while off the coast of St John in the early hours of March 8.

The family of the 41-year-old, from Southampton, Hampshire, say they are becoming increasingly concerned for her and have expressed their gratitude for those helping the search.

We miss you, mate.

The search continues for our friend #SarmHeslop missing for 3 weeks from the US Virgin Island of St John.#FindSarm pic.twitter.com/f2PXhsoCV7  Zan Lawther (@thgirlwpinkhair) March 30, 2021

They said: It is now over three weeks since Sarm went missing, 25 days in which we get more and more concerned as we wait for news.

We know that the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) is doing as much as possible and we are pleased that Hampshire police is also assisting their investigation.

We want to say a heartfelt thank you to the local community for continuing their efforts to help search for Sarm.

If we could travel then we would; we just want to be on the island helping with the search and we dream of being able to wrap our arms round our darling daughter.

One of Sarms best friends, who did not wish to be named, added: We want to know what happened after Sarm left the restaurant in Cruz Bay.

As a friends group, we are doing everything we can to help support her parents and each other. No matter how insignificant something may seem, the tiniest detail may be relevant so we would encourage people to come forward and speak to VIPD immediately.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: Hampshire Constabulary is providing operational support in the UK to assist a US Virgin Islands Police Department investigation.

This assistance is being facilitated through the UK Governments Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Hampshire Constabulary cannot comment further on another forces investigation.
On March 23 New Zealands Labour Party-led government announced there would be no more funding to continue the underground investigation into the causes of the Pike River Coal (PRC) mine disaster.

Dean Dunbar in 2016 at the families blockade on the road to Pike River mine.

The announcement by Andrew Little, the minister in charge of the Pike River Recovery Agency (PRRA), shocked and angered many families of the 29 men who were killed when multiple explosions tore through the mine, beginning on November 19, 2010. For ten years, successive National and Labour Party governments, along with the police and the judicial system, have ensured that no PRC managers, chief executives or directors have been prosecuted for the extremely unsafe conditions in the mine.

A 2012 royal commission of inquiry found that the company had placed production ahead of its workers safety and, ultimately, their lives. There had been multiple warnings that the mine had grossly inadequate methane-gas drainage and ventilation, with gas levels frequently in the explosive range, making it a death trap. There was also no adequate emergency exit, as required by law. The commissioners, however, could not identify the precise cause of the explosion due to a lack of physical evidence.

The Labour Party and its coalition partners, the Greens and New Zealand First, promised in the 2017 election campaign to re-enter the mine to look for bodies and gather evidence for future prosecutions. More than three years later, however, no charges have been laid.

Miners have explored the drift tunnel, but have stopped at a roof-fall blocking the main workings of the mine. Beyond the obstruction there is likely to be crucial evidence, including an underground ventilation fan, which is a probable source of ignition for the explosion.

On March 30, the Pike River Family Reference Group (FRG), which is part of the PRRA, said in a press release: Families accept advice that going further would be a major, expensive engineering project, with complex potential safety risks Families accept, with heartbreak, Andrew Littles advice that there will be no more government money to expand the project at this time.

In fact, many families were not consulted on this statement and have strongly objected to it. The FRG consists of three family members and two advisers: Rob Egan, a former senior adviser to two Labour Party leaders, and Tony Sutorius, a documentary film-maker close to the unions.

Cloe Nieper, whose husband Kane died in the mine, told Radio NZ: I didnt agree to [the FRG statement], so I dont know why theyre saying that we all agreed to it I feel like Ive been blindsided.

Carol Rose, who lost her son Stuart Mudge in the mine, told the World Socialist Web Site she had heard from 14 families who are against whats happening and knew nothing about the FRGs decision prior to reading the press release. Rose said in her opinion the FRG was not operating democratically and had served to divide and conquer the families.

Before the 2017 election, the families had united against the then-National Party government. They won widespread support in the working class in 2016 when they picketedthe mine access road and stopped the governments plan to seal it forever and prevent any underground investigation.

Carol Rose (Source: Governor-Generals Facebook page, April 2016)

Rose had hoped that Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns government would be more honourable, but she now wondered if the Pike River families were used to get election votes by making these promises, which are now being reneged on.

Minister Little told Stuff on March 30: There never was a commitment to re-enter the mine workings. There was only ever a commitment to recover the drift.

This statement is deeply misleading. Dean Dunbar, whose 17-year-old son Joseph was killed in Pike River, told the WSWS that in 2017 the government agreed that once we reached that roof fall an assessment and a feasibility study would be done, to see what it would take to go further.

He said claims by the FRG that it could cost another $60 to $100 million to explore further in the mine appeared to have been plucked out of the air, and the government was trying to scare everyone into submission with unsubstantiated claims that it is too dangerous.

Responding to claims that the investigation had become too expensive, Rose noted that New Zealand recently hosted the Americas Cup yacht race, which got $250 million in public funds. The government has also distributed tens of billions to prop up businesses throughout the country in response to the economic crisis produced by COVID-19 over the past year.

Technical experts also criticised the government. Tony Forster, New Zealands former chief inspector of mines, announced on March 23 that he had resigned his position as an advisor to the FRG because no one is listening. He told Stuff that the roof fall would be relatively straight-forward to pass and the obstruction was composed of coal, not rock as previously thought.

Forster said: I have a problem with the families being told it is too difficult when it is not. They deserve the truth. He said the government had promised to assemble an expert panel to advise on the feasibility of re-entry into the main mine workings, [but] to my knowledge, that never occurred. So in the absence of that feasibility study, how can anyone say what it would cost?

According to Newshub, geology expert David Bell and ventilation expert Dr. Roy Moreby also said it would be feasible to proceed past the roof fall.

Richard Healey, an electrical engineer who has spent years investigating the disaster on behalf of some of the families, explained to the WSWS that passing the 20-metre roof fall was an absolutely standard mine engineering problem that was tackled every day in mines around the world.

Healey said the government has said its too dangerous, too expensive and too technically difficult without ever assessing the danger, the difficulty or the cost. They dont seem to understand how important that particular area of the mine is This is where we have really good reason to believe that the first explosion was centred.

Examples of Andrew Littles promises as Labour Party leader in 2016 and during the 2017 election campaign.

Bernie Monk, whose son Michael died in Pike River, said he was particularly angry because Little was the leader of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) when the disaster happened, and several of the dead miners were union members. Little entered parliament in 2011 and led the Labour Party from 2014 to 2017. He had attended annual meetings of Pike River families and supporters in Blackball to sing Solidarity and repeatedly promised to do everything possible to recover the bodies.

Monk said immediately after the explosion in 2010 Little announced that Pike River was one of the safest mines, and he had to retract that after he found out he was wrong. Prior to the explosion several union members at Pike River had protested against unsafe conditions in the mine, but the union leadership never attempted to shut down the operation and never criticised the company. It collaborated with PRC to ensure that nothing disrupted the mines operations.

Malcolm Campbell, whose son, also called Malcolm, died at Pike River, told the WSWS that Monk and other family members pushing for a thorough investigation had been treated pretty awful, and the governments decision not to go beyond the roof-fall is heart-breaking. We always thought when the recovery was set in place, the decision about the rock fall would be assessed when they reached it, as nobody really knew how big it was, and now the [experts] say it could be passable.

Bernie Monk (Source: Governor-Generals Facebook page, April 2016)

The WSWS also spoke with Ben Joynson, who was 10-years-old when his father William died in the mine. He said he had been surprised by the FRGs statement and he urged all the families to come together and talk.

Joynson said it was essential to continue the investigation and someone needs to be held accountable for the decisions that caused the explosion. They may not have thrown a match in it, but because of their decisions and their lack of morals, thats what occurred, an explosion that killed 29 men. He added: A lot of corporations, most of them if not all of them, dont do 100 percent of what they should do. At the end of the day it comes down to money.

He said families had suffered many sleepless nights, tears, pain You try to move on, but you cant. For the investigation to stop now would be, as many have said, a betrayal to all of us. Joynson urged the government to do whats morally right by the families People arent just numbers, they are living, breathing creatures that deserve respect.

Monk, Rose and Dunbar all expressed scepticism that the police and crown prosecutors would lay any charges with the evidence gathered so far. In 2013 police dropped an initial investigation into PRC and the governments Department of Labour withdrew charges against chief executive Peter Whittall for health and safety breaches. Police have also destroyed evidence, and some items have gone missing.

Ben Joynson, whose father died in the disaster.

Dunbar and Monk compared their struggle to that of the CTV building families. The building collapsed in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, killing 115 people, because of its extremely unsafe design. Police announced in 2017 that they would lay manslaughter charges against the builders, but the states solicitors intervened to ensure that this did not happen.

Both casesand many similar ones internationallyare examples of class justice, in which the entire political establishment, the trade unions and judicial system has acted in the interests of big business, and against the basic rights of the working class to safe working conditions.

Following the outrage over the governments decision, Little said he will meet the Pike River families next week, with every family invited to attend. Monk, Dunbar and Rose said they and others would keep fighting for the underground investigation to continue and for justice to be done. The WSWS and the Socialist Equality Group (NZ) urge all working people to support this fight.
Scientists have found that several viruses which belong to the Coronaviridae family can infect a wide range of hosts, including birds, humans, and other mammals. These viruses are single-stranded, positive-sense, RNA viruses whose size ranges between 27-32 kb. They are divided into four categories, namely, alpha, beta, delta, and gamma.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and was first identified in the Wuhan province of China in December 2019. Owing to its high infectivity and mortality rate, the World Health Organization announced COVID-19 to be a pandemic on 11th March 2020.

As viruses undergo genomic mutation, it is foremost important to identify the mutating site for vaccine development. Several phylogenetic tree-based analyses have been conducted to understand the evolutionary relationship of SARS-CoV-2 with other beta coronaviruses. A previous study constructed a phylogenetic tree and revealed that the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 is 88% identical with BAT-CoV. In another study, scientists have isolated around 70 SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences from COVID-19 patients and studied the spike glycoprotein gene. This study also reported that the BetaCoV-bat-Yunnan-RaTG13-2013 virus is almost identical to SARS-CoV-2.

Even though a comparative study on the genomic sequences of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 is available, there is a gap in the research in regards to the comparison between four types of coronaviruses, namely, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, BAT-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. A new study, which deals with the genomic comparison between the sequence of the above-stated four types of coronaviruses, has been published in the Journal of Medical Virology. This study utilized multiple genetic markers, including the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), whole-genome sequence phylogeny, mutations in proteins, and microsatellites. These were compared with the SARS-CoV-2 reference genomic sequence that is known as the Wuhan strain (Wuhan-Wu-I). All the sequences were obtained from the NCBI Genbank.

The SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 sequences were obtained from Homo sapiens (host), while the BAT-CoV sequences were collected from eight different types of bats. The results of this study are described below.

Phylogenetic analysis

For phylogenetic analysis of the different coronaviruses sequence, a maximum likelihood approach with 1000 bootstrapped values was used. The phylogenetic analysis revealed different lineages of coronaviruses. The whole genome-based phylogenetic analysis has shown MERS-CoV to belong to outgroup species while the other three were classified as ingroup species. Within the ingroup, two lineages were found, namely, a lineage consisting of SARS-CoV-2 and another consisting of SARS-CoV and BAT-CoV. The branches of the phylogenetic tree indicated that the SARS-CoV had diverged very early from the BAT-CoV. The tree also revealed an independent divergence of SARS-CoV-2 from the BAT-CoV. The phylogeny also showed SARS-CoV-2 to be more closely related with BAT-CoV and SARS-CoV than the MERS-CoV. The Simplot software was used to visualize the similarity plot between the four selected species. It revealed around 98% homology of BAT-CoV with the reference sequence, i.e., the Wuhan stain of SARS-CoV-2. However, 92% similarity was obtained between SARS-CoV and reference sequence, and 58% similarity between MERS-CoV and the Wuhan strain.

Analysis of genetic variants

A variant-based analysis showed that the MERS-CoV genome differed from the Wuhan reference strain at 134.21 sites, the BAT-CoV genome differed at 136.72 sites, the SARS-CoV genome differed at 26.64 sites, and the SARS-CoV-2 genome differed at 0.66 sites. Additionally, the current study also revealed that the probability of mutations at the missense sites of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 is higher compared to SARS-CoV and BAT-CoV. This is due to the reduced number of missense variations in SARS-CoV and BAT-CoV, which has occurred owing to selection pressure on missense sites.

The number of mutations at the Spike protein (S), Envelope protein (E), Membrane protein (M), Nucleocapsid protein (N), and structural proteins were calculated. The SNPs were filtered from S, M, E, and N gene regions by a python script. The S, M, E, and N genes revealed the presence of a varied number of SNPs. The Multialin online tool was used to detect the similarities between four coronaviruses selected for the current study.

Microsatellite analysis

Microsatellite analysis is used to determine the repetitive sequences in the genome. These sequences have a significant impact on the onset of the diseases and their evolution. In this study, microsatellite analysis was performed using IMEX (Imperfect Microsatellite Extractor) and FMSD (Fast Microsatellite Discovery) online tools. No significant presence of microsatellite was found using IMEX. However, FMSD revealed the presence of more microsatellite in MERS-CoV. The SARS-CoV-2 genome showed the presence of the largest incidence of compound microsatellites.

In summary, the phylogenetic tree analysis showed SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to BAT-CoV, and its second-closest relative is SARS-CoV. All MERS-CoV strains showed distal relation to SARS-CoV-2. In the analysis of genetic variants, more mutations were found in MERS-CoV compared to SARS-CoV and BAT-CoV. The phylogenetic analysis, study of genetic variation, multisequence, and microsatellite analysis, showed that the bat is the native host of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, it also concluded that BAT-CoV is closely related to SARS-CoV-2. There is a possibility of the presence of an intermediate host to initiate the transmission of COVID-19 from BAT to humans. However, more research is required to validate this assumption. The FMSD tool revealed that SARS-CoV is more closely associated with SARS-CoV-2 than BAT-CoV.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 17:08:49|Editor: huaxia

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Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass receives an interview with Xinhua in Giza, Egypt, March 28, 2021. The new archeological discoveries recently announced at Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China highlighted the magnificence of the Chinese civilization, renowned Egyptian archeologist Zahi Hawass said in a recent interview with Xinhua. logist" (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The new archeological discoveries recently announced at Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China highlighted the magnificence of the Chinese civilization, renowned Egyptian archeologist Zahi Hawass said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"I believe that the discovery made in that city is of utmost importance for many reasons, the most important of which is that it shows the greatness of the Chinese civilization," Hawass said.

Chinese archaeologists announced in March the finding of six new sacrificial pits and more than 500 items dating back to around 3,000 years at the Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province, according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

The Sanxingdui ruins, located in the city of Guanghan, about 60 km away from Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, belonged to the Shu Kingdom that existed at least 4,800 years ago and lasted more than 2,000 years.

In four of the six pits, they found gold masks, gold foil, bronze masks, bronze trees, miniature ivory sculptures and carbonized rice and seeds. The rest of the newly discovered pits are still under excavation.

Hawass, who once served as Egypt's minister of antiquities, described the discoveries as "a treasure consisting of 500 pieces," adding that it could lead to more archaeological treasures of the Chinese ancient Shu Kingdom, to which the discovered objects are believed to have belonged.

"Those 500 pieces discovered by archaeologists in China can be studied and tell us a great deal of information about that ancient city, including the religious life back then, how they thought of the afterlife, and what the cultural life of the people who lived there was like," said the Egyptologist.

"It was contemporary to the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt, in which there were great kings like Ramses II, Amenhotep III and Thutmose III," he pointed out.

Hawass said that when Chinese artifacts are displayed in museums in the world, they wow visitors, like the antiquities of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs. "If the Pharaohs have their own charm and magnificence, the ancient Chinese (antiquities) equally have their own charm and magnificence."

"I saw Chinese antiquities in a museum in the United States and I was very impressed with this civilization," he added.

Hawass revealed that he had two wishes regarding archeological cooperation with China, the first of which came true through the first Egyptian-Chinese archeological mission that has been working seasonally at the Karnak Temple Complex of Egypt's monument-rich city of Luxor since late 2018.

His second wish is to visit China and excavate there.

"I haven't been there before. So, I wish to visit China and excavate in China, because this is a great civilization with great value," Hawass said.

He emphasized that there is some closeness between the Egyptian and the Chinese civilizations.

"I believe that the world now looks at the Chinese civilization profoundly, knowing that this civilization provided science, art, religion and belief more than 3,000 years ago," Hawass added.

He looks forward to seeing more Chinese archaeological discoveries, hoping that the coming excavations will include written items to provide more information about that region in China.

"I congratulate the Chinese archaeologists on this great discovery because the excavations were done so professionally and scientifically," said the chief Egyptian archeologist.

"We are waiting for future excavations to know more about this great city or the Shu Kingdom," Hawass added, stressing that these discoveries "will undoubtedly rewrite the history of this region." Enditem
Biden is making false claims about Georgia's voting law, fact checkers and pundits say

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Political pundits and independent fact-checkers are pushing back on some of President Joe Bidens claims about a newly passed Georgia law that will reform the states election laws and procedures.

Gov. Brian Kemp, R-Ga., signed into law the Election Integrity Act of 2021 last week, much to the chagrin of Democratic politicians in his state and around the country. The measure comes shortly after the 2020 presidential election, where allegations of fraud caused many to doubt the legitimacy of the results.

Following the passage of the bill, Biden described the measure as an atrocity, alleging that the bill has a provision saying that you cant provide water for people standing in line while theyre waiting to vote. According to Biden, You dont need anything else to know that this is nothing but punitive and designed to keep people from voting.

As Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume explained during an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight Tuesday, the bill permits poll workers and others to distribute water as they so choose. He clarified that what they cant do is walk up on the street and say here, have a little water, and by the way, the water bottle says Vote for Joe, referring to such an act as an example of electioneering.

The text of the law declares that 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 within 150 feet of the outer edge of a building where a polling place is located, within a polling place or within 25 feet of a voter standing in line.

This Code section shall not be construed to prohibit a poll officer from distributing materials, as required by law, which are necessary for the purpose of instructing electors or from distributing materials prepared by the Secretary of State which are designed solely for the purpose of encouraging voter participation in the election being conducted or from making available self-service water from an unattended receptacle to an elector waiting in line to vote, the law continues.

Describing the presidents suggestion that the Georgia election law forbids people from handing out water at polling places as a completely exaggerated claim, Hume said that the aforementioned allegation wasnt even the biggest whopper that the president has publicly told about the law. Biden also claimed that the law reduces the number of voting hours.

The voting hours are exactly the same voting hours they had in this most recent Georgia election, about which nobody complained, Hume stressed before noting that the most recent Georgia election had record turnout. In addition to Hume, Glenn Kessler, a fact checker for The Washington Post, also flagged some of Bidens assertions about the law.

Biden maintained that the law will end voting at five oclock when working people are just getting off work and ends voting hours early so working people cant cast their vote after their shift is over.

As Kessler reported, On Election Day in Georgia, polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and if you are in line by 7 p.m., you are allowed to cast your ballot. Nothing in this law changes that.

Stephen Fowler of Georgia Public Broadcasting outlined some other aspects of the bill, which includes an expansion of early voting for most counties, adding an additional Saturday and formally codifying Sunday voting hours as optional. Additionally, the law will allow early voting to take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Other changes implemented by the law include revisions to the regulations governing the use of absentee ballots. Specifically, it mandates that neither the Secretary of State, election superintendent, board of registrars, other governmental entity, nor employee or agent thereof shall send absentee ballot applications directly to any elector except upon request of such elector or a relative authorized to request an absentee ballot for such elector. In other words, the practice of automatically sending absentee ballot applications to all registered voters will end.

In addition, those hoping to apply for an absentee ballot must provide his or her name, date of birth, address as registered, address where the elector wishes the ballot to be mailed, and the number of his or her Georgia drivers license or identification card issued. Voters without a drivers license will be asked to provide another acceptable form of identification. The applicant is also required to sign an oath affirming that they are a qualified Georgia elector and the facts presented on the application are true.

Critics of the bill dont like this idea of voter ID, Hume added. Voter ID is obviously a very sensical way to protect against people who (are) not who they say they are (from) voting and its particularly important in an age where theyre going to have mail-in balloting on a scale where were now having it.

A Rasmussen poll released on March 17 found that 75% of Americans agree with Hume that voter ID is a sensical way to protect against fraud and that providing identification is a necessary prerequisite to voting.

Hume predicted that Democrats will cite the Georgia law as a reason why Congress must pass the For the People Act, which will federalize the rules for elections, establish a uniform set of regulations across the country and cancel a lot of state regulations that are now in existence. A group of attorneys general opposed to the For the People Act warned that it would dismantle meaningful voter ID laws.

Democratic politicians believe that casting aspersions on the  Georgia law becomes a rationale for federalizing the rules nationwide, which then opens the door to the kind of open-ended goings-on  that these state laws are intended to guard against, Hume contended.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has challenged on Friday in court the government decision to close stores after 6 p.m., on reason that this measure was not thoroughly motivated with scientific proof.

"The Social Democratic Party filed an application for annulment in the Bucharest Court of Appeal against the Government's decision to close the stores after 6 p.m. The main objection against this measure is that 'in the development of HG 348 there was no consideration in any way of a preliminary scientific documentation and analysis/impact study, from which to give relevant information on the impact of the measures envisaged on fundamental human rights and freedoms," the PSD notes in a press release submitted to AGERPRES, agerpres.ro confirms.

The Social Democrats also said that, given that this decision affected the interests of both economic agents and citizens, the Government had an obligation to motivate "fundamentally, with scientific evidence", that the measure does indeed have a positive impact in the fight against the pandemic, justifying the restriction of fundamental rights.

"The Government also did not comply with the obligations on decision-making transparency," it said.
BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a message of sympathy to Pakistani President Arif Alvi over the latter's infection with COVID-19, wishing him an early recovery.

In the message, Xi stressed that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, and that the Chinese government and people will always stand firmly with their Pakistani counterparts to beat the pandemic shoulder to shoulder.

The Chinese president said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Pakistan relations, and is ready to work with President Alvi to push forward the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future for the benefit of both countries and their people.
Lionsgate released the trailer for the upcoming movie Above Suspicion Thursday. Emilia Clarke plays Susan Smith in the true story of an FBI Informant murdered by an agent.

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The trailer shows Susan aiding and abetting her husband (Karl Glusman) robbing a bank. FBI Agent Mark Putnam ( Jack Huston ) offers Susan a deal to inform on the bank robbery gang.

Putnam promises to keep Susan's husband out of prison, and help relocate her and her children. Their arrangements leads to a successful bust at first.

Susan begins an affair with Putnam. Their situation gets further complicated when Susan becomes pregnant with Putnam's child.

The real-life Putnam was released from prison in 2000 after serving 10 years of a 16 year sentence for the murder of Susan. He is the first FBI Agent convicted of murder in the history of the organization.

The cast of Above Suspicion also includes Johnny Knoxville as a criminal ringleader, Sophie Lowe as Putnam's wife, Kathy, Austin Hebert, Thora Birch , Omar Miller, Chris Mulkey and Kevin Dunn

Chris Gerolmo wrote the screenplay, based on Joe Sharkey's book. Phillip Noyce directed Above Suspicion.

Noyce previously directed true stories Catch a Fire and Rabbit-Proof Fence. He also directed the fictional thrillers Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and Salt.

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Above Suspicion opens in theaters and video-on-demand May 14. It comes to Blu-ray and DVD May 18.
Technicians work at a nuclear facility as officials and media visit the site, about 150 miles southwest of Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 23, 2019. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File)

US, Iran to Start Indirect Nuclear Talks Through European Intermediaries

The United States and Iran announced Friday that they would start indirect talks through intermediaries next week in a bid to get both countries back into an accord limiting Irans nuclear program, nearly three years after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the resumption of negotiations, scheduled for Tuesday in Vienna, Austria, a healthy step forward.

These remain early days, and we dont anticipate an immediate breakthrough as there will be difficult discussions ahead, Price said.

Tehran has ruled out face-to-face bilateral talks with the United States, something Price has signaled Washington would be open to.

No Iran-US meeting. Unnecessary, Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter, confirming that Iranian negotiators would take part in a virtual meeting on Tuesday with major European powers.

Aim: Rapidly finalize sanction-lifting & nuclear measures for choreographed removal of all sanctions, followed by Iran ceasing remedial measures, Zarif added, reiterating an oft-repeated Iranian demand for the first move to be a lifting of sanctions.

In 2018, Trump pulled the United States of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)known commonly as the Iran nuclear dealand reimposed sanctions on Iran, saying at the time that America would not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail.

Trump argued that the Obama-era deal failed to address Irans destabilizing influence in the Middle East and the development of its ballistic missile program.

We cannot prevent an Iranian bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement, Trump said at the time.

After Trump pulled out of the deal, Iran violated some of the pacts nuclear restrictions.

President Joe Biden came into office saying that getting back into the accord was a priority. But Iran and the United States have disagreed over Irans demands that sanctions be lifted first, and the stalemate threatened to become an early foreign policy setback for the Biden administration.

The announcement marks the first successful step in efforts to return both countries to the 2015 accord, something former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently said was a bad idea.

If this administration unwinds that and goes back to the crappy deal that we had with Iran when President Obama was in office, America will be less secure, Pompeo said in a March 14 interview on WABC 770. Israel will be less secure. The Middle East will be less secure. And the entire region will be less stable.

Pompeo supported Trumps decision to pull out of the deal.

We didnt get all the way to where we wouldve hoped we could get, in respect to getting Iran to stand down and enter an agreement that wouldve actually avoided them having a nuclear weapon, but we made an awful lot of progress, he said.

On Friday, Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany, and Britainall parties to the 2015 dealheld virtual talks to see how to progress.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement that it was good that talks were resuming.

An agreement that is once again fully respected would be a plus for security for the entire region and the best basis for talks on other important issues of regional stability, he said.

Returning to the Iran nuclear deal has been opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said in a speech last November that was widely interpreted by Israeli media as a message to the incoming president, that, we must stick to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A clinical trial of college students, including those at UC San Diego, will try to answer that question, and whether vaccinated persons might still pose an infection risk to others

COVID-19 vaccines were designed to reduce the likelihood that infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus would lead to severe outcomes, such as hospitalization and death. In that sense, all of the currently approved vaccines -- Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson -- have proven comparably effective.

But much less is known about the actual ability of these vaccines to prevent infection, most notably asymptomatic cases in which vaccinated persons might not become ill or display symptoms, but could still carry sufficient levels of the virus to pose a potential transmission threat to others.

New research is beginning to fill this knowledge gap. A recent UC San Diego School of Medicine study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine of vaccinated health care workers found the risk of infection to be small, but possible. A subsequent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines were highly effective at preventing symptomatic and asymptomatic infections among a larger cohort of vaccinated health care workers and first responders.

Researchers at University of California San Diego, with participating academic institutions across the country, will now look a different demographic group: students.

The randomized, controlled five-month clinical trial will enroll approximately 12,000 healthy university students, ages 18 through 26. Half of the students will receive an immediate Moderna vaccination; the other half will be vaccinated near the end of the trial.

The trial is being conducted under the auspices of the COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN), a collaboration of infectious disease research networks and participating partners. CoVPN was created by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is headquartered at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

The Moderna vaccine is an mRNA vaccine, which provides cells with instructions how to produce a harmless piece of the SARS-CoV-2's characteristic spike protein that primes the body's immune system to subsequently recognize and fend off exposure to the virus. The vaccine requires two injections, spaced approximately 28 days apart.

"The ongoing Phase III trials of the vaccines were not designed to estimate how well they prevented infections, particularly asymptomatic infection, nor their efficacy at reducing viral shedding and transmission risk," said Susan Little, MD, professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine and principal investigator for the UC San Diego site of the new clinical trial.

"As a result, we don't know if being vaccinated reduces the need to wear masks or socially distance. We don't know if vaccinations should be required in certain settings, such as schools or for air travel. Having a better understanding of how effective COVID-19 vaccines are at reducing infections in others is important, both for individuals and for setting public health policy."

Using student volunteers makes considerable sense, said researchers.

First, they comprise a demographic at particular risk of acquiring and transmitting SARS-CoV-2. Their congregate and social living situations (young people tend to live in close proximity to others) heightens risk of exposure and consequent COVID-19 cases.

For example, between August and September 2020, COVID-19 cases among young people ages 18 - 22 increased 55 percent nationally; and between June and August of last year, people ages 20 - 29 had the highest incidence of disease in the country, accounting for more than one-fifth of all cases. These numbers preceded increases among older adults by four to 15 days, indicating that younger people were spreading infection to older, more vulnerable populations.

On the other hand, young people account for just a tiny percentage (0.5) of all deaths due to COVID-19 and at an increasing number of universities and colleges, they are subject to intensive testing and monitoring for infection and disease.

For example, the Return to Learn program at UC San Diego includes a rigorous surveillance program that currently requires at least weekly screening of all students. In addition, environmental monitoring includes daily tests of wastewater samples from university facilities to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2. These efforts have allowed nearly 9,000 students to return to living on campus and thousands more to attending in-person classes.

That increased level of routine health surveillance, said Little, will help researchers track infections in real time. In addition, trial participants will collect daily nasal swabs to record viral loads. Researchers will also gather data on close contacts of trial participants to see if and to what degree an infected participant transmits the virus to others and will compare the rate of secondary transmission events between participants in the immediate and delayed vaccination study groups.

In the event that a secondary transmission is documented, contact tracing will expand to involve more participants, who will also collect daily nasal swabs and provide blood samples for serology (to determine the presence of neutralizing antibodies).

Organizers said the trial will run through the 2021 spring and summer school terms, with a goal to report results prior to the fall school term so that academic institutions can adjust policies accordingly.

###
A RAPE victim has said she is "upset and appalled" after local businessmen gave "glowing" character references in support of her attacker after he was convicted.

Last month Conor McQuaid (26) was jailed for six-and-a-half years for the rape of the woman in Kerry three years ago.

He had denied the allegations but was found guilty following a jury trial.

During the sentencing hearing his defence counsel submitted testimonials to the court in favour of his client.

In a statement to RTE Radio 1's Liveline programme today the woman said she was "upset and appalled" that local businessmen had supported her rapist.

The woman said McQuaid had expressed no remorse and she said it has been difficult for her to come forward in such a small town.

She added it has been a "very tough few years" since the rape was first reported.

Her family said they expected a victim impact statement to be read out in court for the sentencing hearing, and references from the prison service.

The complainant said she was "very upset and appalled" to hear that two prominent businessmen from the town had lodged "glowing references to reduce the sentence of a convicted rapist that shows no remorse".

This included a local publican who described McQuaid as "the best employee ever."

The woman said she gets panic attacks knowing that people who live so close to her had publicly supported a rapist.

"I believe in this day and age the local big boys club should not be allowed lodge testimonials in court," she added.

Last month McQuaid was given a prison sentence of eight years with 18 months suspended for raping a young woman as she slept in her own bedroom.

The Central Criminal Court heard Quaid was in the victim's home on the night as he was a trusted family friend.

Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty said he abused this trust and noted he has not shown any remorse since.

Quaid, of Monaree, Dingle, Co Kerry had pleaded not guilty to rape at a place in the county on June 10, 2018.

After a seven-day trial a jury at the Central Criminal Court found him guilty by a majority verdict of ten to one.

The court heard Quaid had travelled to the home of the victim after a night out drinking in a nearby town. The woman had stayed in that night, wasn't drinking and had gone to bed early.

Quaid went to her bedroom and raped her while she was curled up asleep, Ms Justice Gearty said.

Michael Bowman SC, defending, said his client has a medical history of alcohol dependency and that since this offence he has made efforts to address this.

He said his client's father was a retired garda and his family would be well regarded and well thought of.

He handed in a number of testimonials, which he said were evidence that his client is a hard-working, honest man for whom this offence was out of character.

Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty said the victim had a right to security in her own home and that Quaid violated the sanctity of the woman's home.

The judge said the reason he was there and knew where the victim slept was down to his position as a family friend and she said he had abused this trust.

She imposed a sentence of eight years and said the court had little scope to reduce this because of the absence of a guilty plea or of remorse.

The judge did suspend 18 months on condition he be of good behaviour for three years after his release and stay away from the victim in perpetuity.

Ms Justice Gearty said she was taking into consideration Quaid's relative youth, his lack of previous offending, and the fact that he has struggled and overcome an alcohol addiction.
(Newser)  Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that he agrees with the emotional warning Dr. Rochelle Walensky issued this week about coronavirus cases increasing. But he might have phrased it differently, the Hill reports. "You know, I don't know if I would use the word 'impending doom,'" Fauci said on CBS's This Morning. But he agrees with the general idea. "We're seeing the cases that have plateaued over the last couple of weeks and now they're starting to inch up," he said. "So the point that she was making was very valid." Continue to be careful, he said, and don't "declare victory" too soon. The CDC director had told the nation Monday that the rising number of cases could threaten progress being made against the virus by vaccines.

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Walensky's outlook has brightened since then. In an appearance in Boston on Tuesday, she said that though there's plenty to worry about, there's also "so much reason for hope." Walensky cited the numbers, per WBZ: 95 million Americans have had one dose of vaccine, and 53 million are fully vaccinated. She urged people to be vaccinated as soon as possible and keep wearing masks. Walensky explained her "impending doom" sentiment as "this feeling that I've had surge after surge, serving on the front lines at Massachusetts General Hospital and recognizing that right now it's preventable." (Read more Anthony Fauci stories.)
Ah yes, another glorious day at Grey Sloan Memorial, the place where everything is truly terrible. The new, fun problem is a ventilator shortage. At the start of the hour, Webber informs his doctors there are only five left. As soon as the show introduces a mother and daughter pair who both have COVID, you just know theres going to be a situation where theyre down to one vent and the doctors will have to decide who to save. Weve been doing this for 17 seasons, we know how this show works. Now, as dire as that sounds, Im happy to report that this episode includes some actual moments of joy and  dare I say, some hope? And, oh yeah, there is definitely some dancing. Im not convinced were out of the deep, dark hole yet, but here, in this episode at least, there is a little light at Grey Sloan Memorial. And thats something.

Hey, speaking of Grey Sloan: The two people that name is meant to memorialize are on Merediths Death Beach this week! Yes thats right, both the Grey and the Sloan of Grey Sloan have arrived. Last weeks promo showed us that Lexie would be visiting Meredith in her COVID limbo, but we were doubly blessed with the arrival of McSteamy himself. Oh, friends, I was very happy to see the Grey sisters together again (even if that green screen situation was outrageous) but wow, I really miss Mark Sloan on this show. Hes one of the greats!

Meredith is happy to soak up the sun and watch Lexie and Mark be together and happy on that beach, but really theyre there to remind Meredith of a few lessons that deep down she already knows: Do not waste the precious time youre given, and the depth of the grief she feels for those shes lost is only possible because of the depth of the love that was there in the first place. If anyone has earned the right to reiterate the importance of those lessons to Meredith, its Lexie and Mark. Theyre the Greys poster children for the importance of making every moment count and being grateful for the time you get with the people you love. Mark and Lexies tragic ending haunts all of us and it should haunt Meredith right back into the Land of the Living, okay? This is a nice treat, but for the love of all things in this world, its really time to get off that dang beach.

Back in that Land of the Living, theyre thinking about taking Meredith off of her vent because her stats have been so good, but they know they have to be absolutely sure shes ready; there might not be another ventilator available if things go downhill again.

The ventilator situation is bleak. Maggie is in charge of both Marcella and Veronica, a mother/daughter pair who have COVID. Originally, Marcella was in the hospital and Veronica was at home with a milder case, but that doesnt last long and Veronica is rushed to the hospital. Before Marcella takes a turn, she uses all of her strength to tell both Maggie and Schmitt that they do whatever they have to in order to save her daughter. Of course, over in Veronicas room, shes telling them that this is all her fault  after following all the rules, she went to see her mother for her birthday and gave her a hug, one hug  and they have to save her mother. Its all pretty awful to watch. Then, Marcella crashes and Schmitt has no choice but to intubate, only, when Maggie arrives at the scene its clear theres no ventilator available. Theres no ventilator because Veronicas oxygen levels are also plummeting. Maggie has a split second to decide who gets the vent and since the rules are that you have to save the patient most likely to recover, Maggie gives the last ventilator to Veronica. Schmitt is left bagging Marcella until they can figure out what to do. Its a desperate situation.

Maggie feels the brunt of it. In the midst of all the awfulness, shes been trying to take breaks to be with Winston, her only source of joy at the moment, who is about to leave and go back to Boston. They sit together, they share his earbuds to listen to music together, they talk about how good it is to have each other. Then, inspired by sharing earbuds, Maggie gets an idea: They can have patients share the ventilators (theres a lot of engineering and filtering behind it) by splitting them between two people. Theyll double the amount of vents they have. They try it on Marcella and Veronica and it works. Webber does a celebratory dance. Yes, a dance! This is a win worth dancing over. Their patients are still on a vent, which isnt great, but this is a moment of hope and relief  something our doctors havent felt in a long time.

Can we give it up for our mother/daughter intern duo? Alma and Sara Ortiz have been working on this case, too, and obviously it hits home. That moment of relief means they can fully feel what theyve been stuffing down and daughter intern Sara breaks down into tears  she needs to hug her mom. There are some emotional moments in this story line, but this one takes top prize.

But wait, theres another reason to dance: Owen and Webber decide to take Meredith off her ventilator and although she isnt conscious, she is breathing on her own. This is huge. Webber leads them all in a celebratory dance once more. What a day!

Maggie is certainly feeling the high of it as she and Winston leave the hospital. In fact, she is so inspired by what they accomplished and so inspired by what she and Winston can do together, she doesnt hesitate to tell him that she doesnt want him to go back to Boston. She wants him here with her. Winston asks her to listen to one more song with him before he goes. He takes out his earbud case. You guuuuuuys, there arent earbuds inside  theres a big fat engagement ring! Winston proposes! Maggie says yes! They cannot live without each other! There is joy at Grey Sloan Memorial again, even if only for a moment.

The O.R. Board

 Beach Mark Sloan is very into haunting his loved ones and honestly, that tracks. The fact that he likes to hang out and watch Sofia, Callie, and Arizona and sometimes try to talk to them is a little creepy, but the idea is so bittersweet it might break my heart. All Mark wanted was to be a father and have a family and now hes just watching them from beyond the grave?! Anyway, it was nice that the dirty mistresses got to have some one-on-one time to chat.

 When Beach Mark tells Meredith that when you love someone, you tell them I really thought we were going to get the full Mark Sloan say it loud and go from there speech. Alas, alas.

 Cristina texting Owen and demanding he send her photos of Merediths monitors because she doesnt trust him to do his job was perfect.

 Teddy is still recovering from the Episode We Will Never Speak of Again and instead of leaving her alone with the kids for the day, Owen has Teddy and the kids go hang out with Amelia. The ladies talk about therapy and how Teddy should try it again. Its fine.

 Cormacs sister-in-law Irene is admitted to the hospital with kidney stones. Its extra-complicated because she also has MS. Obviously this all hits Cormac hard  he cant watch his sons lose someone else they love. He cant lose someone else he loves. So, he pulls some strings and gets Catherine Fox to perform the surgery (yes, friends, there are surgeries on Greys Anatomy again!), along with Jo. There are complications, but if anyone can handle it, its Catherine. Irene will recover in no time.

 Irene brings up Cormacs developing feelings for Meredith, which feels like a story line from decades ago. But do we sense a possible Cormac/Jo thing going on? Theyve been spending a lot of time together at work and I dont hate it.

 To end on one more moment of joy: Owen heads to Amelias and gets to tell Zola the good news about her mom. When Amelia thanks Owen for everything hes done for her sister, he says all the credit goes to Teddy. Shes the one who never gave up hope that Meredith would come out of this thing. They smile? Nature is healing!
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MOSCOW  Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has lost a substantial amount of weight in custody, his organization said Thursday, a day after the well-known government critic called a hunger strike to protest what he called poor medical care.

A post Thursday on Navalnys channel in the Telegram messaging app said he weighed 93 kilograms (204 pounds) when he arrived at the prison last month and now is at 85 kilograms (187 pounds).

The statement said he blames the weight loss primarily on a harsh prison regime in which he is awakened eight times every night.

Navalny also is complaining of severe back pains that have spread to one leg and says his other leg is numb. Prison authorities have not provided proper medicine or allowed his doctor to visit him, he said Wednesday when announcing he was going on a hunger strike.

The 44-year-old Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putins most outspoken domestic opponent, was arrested in January upon his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have rejected the accusation.

Last month, Navalny was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for violating the terms of his probation during his convalescence in Germany. The sentence stems from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has rejected as fabricated  and which the European ourt of Human Rights has ruled to be unlawful.

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Navalny was moved this month from a Moscow jail to a penal colony in the Vladimir region, 85 kilometers (50 miles) east of the Russian capital. The facility called IK-2 stands out among Russian penitentiaries for its particularly strict rules for inmates, which include standing at attention for hours.

Navalnys nerve-agent poisoning and conviction have further strained Russias ties with the United States and the European Union, which sank to post-Cold War lows after Moscows 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea, its meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, hacking attacks and other actions.

Although Navalnys doctor has not been able to see him, his organization said the prison on Thursday gave access to a team from the Kremlin-funded satellite TV channel RT led by Maria Butina, who was convicted of acting as an unregistered foreign agent in the United States and served 18 months in prison.

It said Butina declared the prison to be one of Russias best and most comfortable, after which Navalny denounced her as a parasite in front of other inmates.

RT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An Irish tour guide has been forced to apologise to social media users for their 'disturbing' April Fool's post about suicide.

Taking to Facebook yesterday, the page called 'Doolin - Visit Doolin' caused outrage after claiming the local tourist site Cliffs of Moher would be lowered 300ft to give 'jumpers a better survival rate.'

The post, which could still be seen this morning, read: 'Health and Safety changes from Cliffs of Moher will result in the height of cliffs being reduced by 200 metres.

'This may distract from the consumer experience of Doolin Pier rubberneckers but at least the jumpers that did not read the Samitarian signs will have a much better survival rate.'

And many social media users were quick to express their disgust at the 'vile' and 'insensitive' post - with one urging: 'Take it down. Both the wording and the image are utterly irresponsible. No consideration for those who struggle with suicidal ideation or families who have lost a loved one to suicide.'

An Irish tourism listings site has been forced to apologise to social media users for their 'disturbing' April Fool's post about suicide. Pictured, cliffs of Moher

Taking to Facebook yesterday (pictured), the page called 'Doolin - Visit Doolin' caused outrage after claiming the local tourist site Cliffs of Moher would be lowered 300ft to give 'jumpers a better survival rate'

A second commented: 'I actually cannot believe my eyes. Poor taste doesn't even cover it... I'm at a loss as to how this is one bit humorous... Disgraceful and completely disrespectful,' while a third added:

'As a person with mental problems I find this post very disturbing.. I have a good sense of humour but this is very very hurtful to numerous people, family and relations of suicide victims in particular.. Shameful..'

The entire page appears to have since been deleted and following the backlash, the team behind the Facebook page apologised and penned: 'Hi Fans. It seems one of our members posted an April 1st post, while humour intended, it may have caused offence to some If anyone was offended, I will take flak. Niamh.'

The Facebook page appears to be listed as a local travel website with several of businesses in the north Clare village featured on its site and is linked to a website called www.visitdoolin.ie.

Another Doolin social media page separate from 'Doolin - Visit Doolin' penned: 'Another page claiming to represent local businesses in Doolin posted a disgraceful & upsetting status yesterday on their page as an April Fool's "joke". This was no joke. 'The page has since been removed but has been published again with the offending posts removed by the administrator of the page' (pictured)

Elsewhere, another Doolin social media page separate from 'Doolin - Visit Doolin' penned: ***IMPORTANT NOTICE*** - Updated***Hi guys - another page claiming to represent local businesses in Doolin posted a disgraceful & upsetting status yesterday on their page as an April Fool's "joke". This was no joke.

'The page has since been removed but has been published again with the offending posts removed by the administrator of the page.'

The 'Doolin - Visit Doolin' page is NOT endorsed by Doolin Tourism or promoted by us, and it certainly DOES NOT represent the local community of Doolin.'

'It has been a long, continuous battle for Doolin Tourism and our community to get the offending page and its other associated pages removed permanently, as it is causing extreme stress to our community and now the wider public.

Taking to the comments section, one person penned: 'What kind of person does it take to even think like that let alone post it, worrying'

'An Garda Siochana have been made aware of the situation on numerous occasions throughout the years but have advised there is nothing they can do. Facebook continues to allow this page to share hate speech and disturbing content.

'We hope that what happened yesterday isn't repeated and that the offending page is removed permanently by Facebook.'

Many thanked the Doolin Tourism page for clarifying that the offensive Facebook page had been removed, with others saying it was 'too late' because the post had already caused 'a lot of damage.'

'What kind of person does it take to even think like that let alone post it, worrying,' wrote one,' while a second penned: 'We were so disgusted by this web page we were thinking of bi-passing Doolin altogether on our 2022 visit.

'We look forward to enjoying a pint at O'Connor's pub.'

For confidential support call Samaritans on 116123 or go to samaritans.org
Former House Speaker John Boehner tore into right-wing media and what he called the GOP's "crazy caucus" in a book excerpt published by Politico Friday, targeting Sen. Ted Cruz, Fox News' Sean Hannity and the late Roger Ailes, and former Rep. Michele Bachmann.

The big picture: Boehner seeks to cast himself in his new memoir, titled On the House: A Washington Memoir," as one of the last leaders of the GOP's sensible conservative movement, before the party was co-opted by Donald Trump and other members who dedicated themselves to "wedge issues and conspiracies and crusades."

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Highlights

On Obama and birtherism: Boehner recalls how he "got all kinds of shit" for stating, as a matter of fact, that the state of Hawaii said President Obama was born there  writing that "you would have thought Id called Ronald Reagan a communist."

"All of this crap swirling around was going to make it tough for me to cut any deals with Obama as the new House Speaker. Of course, it has to be said that Obama didnt help himself much either. He could come off as lecturing and haughty. He still wasnt making Republican outreach a priority. But on the other handhow do you find common cause with people who think you are a secret Kenyan Muslim traitor to America?"

On Sean Hannity: "Places like Fox News were creating the wrong incentives. Sean Hannity was one of the worst. Id known him for years, and we used to have a good relationship. But then he decided he felt like busting my ass every night on his show. ... At some point I called him a nut. Anyway, its safe to say our relationship never got any better."

On Roger Ailes: Boehner describes meeting with his old friend Ailes, who was ousted as CEO of Fox News in 2016 after sexual harassment allegations, "to plead with him to put a leash on some of the crazies he was putting on the air," telling Ailes that he was making his job harder.

Story continues

"When I put it to him like that, he didnt have much to say. But he did go on and on about the terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, which he thought was part of a grand conspiracy that led back to Hillary Clinton. Then he outlined elaborate plots by which George Soros and the Clintons and Obama (and whoever else came to mind) were trying to destroy him."

"'Theyre monitoring me,' he assured me about the Obama White House. He told me he had a safe room built so he couldnt be spied on."

On Rupert Murdoch: "He was a businessman, pure and simple. He cared about ratings and the bottom line. He also wanted to make sure he was ahead of any political or policy developments coming down the line. ... If he entertained any of the kooky conspiracy theories that started to take over his network, he kept it a secret from me. But he clearly didnt have a problem with them if they helped ratings."

On Michele Bachmann: Boehner calls the former Minnesota congresswoman, who ran for president in 2012, a "lunatic" who embodied the ability of right-wing media to make "people who used to be fringe characters into powerful media stars." Boehner writes that Bachmann wanted to be placed on the powerful House Ways and Means, and that he turned her down.

"Her response to me was calm and matter-of-fact. 'Well, then Ill just have to go talk to Sean Hannity and everybody at Fox, she said, 'and Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and everybody else on the radio, and tell them that this is how John Boehner is treating the people who made it possible for the Republicans to take back the House.'"

"I wasnt the one with the power, she was saying. I just thought I was. She had the power now. She was right, of course."

On Ted Cruz: "By 2013 the chaos caucus in the House had built up their own power base thanks to fawning right-wing media and outrage-driven fundraising cash. And now they had a new head lunatic leading the way, who wasnt even a House member. There is nothing more dangerous than a reckless asshole who thinks he is smarter than everyone else. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Senator Ted Cruz."

Go deeper: Boehner goes off script in audio book, tells Cruz to "go f**k yourself"

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A train partially derailed along Taiwan's east coast, killing at least 34 people and injuring dozens, police said.

Media reported 350 passengers were on board.

Reports said a truck fell from a cliff above and landed on the tracks, where a train emerging from a tunnel smashed into it.

With much of the train still trapped in the tunnel, escaping passengers were forced to scale doors, windows and roofs to reach safety.

The crash occurred near the Toroko Gorge scenic area around 9 a.m. on a public holiday.





A train partially derailed along Taiwan's east coast Friday, injuring an unknown number of passengers and causing potential fatalities.

The crash occurred near the Toroko Gorge scenic area around 9 a.m. on a public holiday.

Media reported 350 passengers were on board, four of whom were listed as in critical condition with injuries. Other unconfirmed reports said four had died and more than 20 suffered serious injuries.

Reports said a truck fell from a cliff above and landed on the tracks, where a train emerging from a tunnel smashed into it. With much of the train still trapped in the tunnel, escaping passengers were forced to scale doors, windows and roofs to reach safety.

The truck apparently hit after the locomotive had emerged, causing the greatest damage to cars 1-5, according to the rescue department of Hualien county.

Television footage and photos posted by people at the scene on the website of the official Central News Agency showed people climbing out the open door of a railcar just outside the entrance to the tunnel. The inside of one car was pushed all the way into the adjacent seat.

The accident came on the first day of the four-day Tomb Sweeping Festival.



Taiwan's last major rail crash was in October 2018 when an express train derailed while rounding a tight corner on the northeast coast, killing at least 18 people and injuring nearly 200.

In 1991, a collision in western killed 30 people and injured 112 in its deadliest train accident.
HOLYOKE  Pending a final nod by Gov. Charlie Baker, Rick Holloway, administrator for a state veterans home in Boise, Idaho, will head east as the new superintendent of the Soldiers Home in Holyoke.

Holloway prevailed over another finalist, Robert Engell, a Longmeadow resident and administrator of the Overlook Masonic Health Care Center in Charlton. Members of the selection committee agreed both candidates were qualified, but more than one said they saw Holloway as the more transformational of the two.

Clearly Rick Holloway is head and shoulders above any other candidate ... based, in part, on the pure depth of the answers he provided, said Brig. Gen. Sean T. Collins, one of seven trustees of the Holyoke Soldiers Home.

In addition to the trustees, three community members including Eric Segundo, director of veterans services for the town of Ludlow; Mary Moscato, a long-term care executive; and Pam Quirk, a retired longtime nurse at the Soldiers Home, weighed in on the choice. Only Moscato cast a vote for Engell.

Cheryl Lussier Poppe, secretary of the state Department of Veterans Services, also was part of the selection committee but recused herself from Thursdays vote.

Be assured that whoever is selected and appointed will receive full support from me and the Department of Veterans Services, Poppe said.

The public vote came two days after Engell and Holloway participated in public interviews conducted by the search committee.

It came nearly one year to the day when former Holyoke Soldiers Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh was suspended during the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 made a deadly crawl through the state-run home and ultimately claimed the lives of at least 77 veterans. Dozens more tested positive, along with more than 80 staff members.

Walsh, who led the home after his hire in 2016, never returned to the facility. The state sent in an emergency response team and the National Guard to quell the outbreak and treat the sick and dying. In the aftermath, Walsh, a retired U.S. Marine, was accused of being an ineffective leader who flubbed the response to the outbreak at a dreadful expense to the residents, their families and staff.

Walsh has countered through his attorneys that state officials failed to help until the virus had already taken hold, then absolved themselves of blame.

After Thursdays meeting, Holloway said during an interview that he was drawn to the opportunity after watching the plight of the Holyoke Soldiers Home play out in news reports.

When I saw what was happening there, it pained me to see the staff and the residents going through that, and then to have that number of residents pass away was just heartbreaking, Holloway said.

The staff didnt ask for what happened to them, and the residents and families certainly didnt, said Holloway, who during his interview said he advocates for hiring talented staff, then getting out of their way and let them do their jobs.

Holloway, 62, has been a licensed nursing home administrator for 30 years. Among the consistent, retrospective critiques of Walsh: he had an impressive battlefield record but no health care background.

While Holloway is not a veteran  as has been the norm for superintendents of the Holyoke Soldiers Home  his father and grandfather were.

Holloway battled his own outbreak at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise months later than the surge at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Fifty-six residents tested positive and nine died, he said. The Boise outbreak began on Oct. 17.

Within a couple weeks or so we were at 28 (positive cases). It was scary, Holloway said, adding that key to a turnaround there was the antiviral drug Remdesivir, the same prescribed to former President Donald Trump when he contracted the virus. It turned our mortality rate down from 38% to 4.

Holloway said the terms of a potential contract have not yet been worked out, but he looks forward to offering a deserving facility, residents and staff a strong leader. Holloway also once owned a string of nursing homes, which he sold. He also helped turn around another set of nursing homes from financial insolvency and closure.

The path to choosing a permanent superintendent to run the Holyoke Soldiers Home was complicated by a battle between the trustees and Bakers administration over who has hiring authority. After a lawsuit was filed, a Hampden Superior Court judge ruled the trustees have the sole hiring authority under state law, although the position is technically a gubernatorial appointment.

I look at this as a watershed moment for the board of trustees, said member Kevin Jourdain. This vote in and of itself is historic.

Jourdain made the motion for a separate trustees vote to choose Holloway; the vote in support was unanimous. The trustees will now formally recommend Holloway to the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

Related content:
News

Microsoft To Fully Reopen Headquarters on Sept. 7

Microsoft now plans to fully reopen its Redmond, Wash.-based campus headquarters on Sept. 7, according to a press account.

The details come from veteran Microsoft reporter Mary Jo Foley in this ZDNet article. The shift was explained in an April 1 internal note sent to Microsoft employees by Kurt DelBene, a Microsoft executive vice president, according to Foley. DelBene, who is planning to retire at the end of Microsoft's fiscal year, had originally outlined Microsoft's six-stage reopening plans in this announcement, which offered the following illustration:

[Click on image for larger view.] Microsoft's six-stage workplace reopening plans. (Source: Microsoft blog)

The full reopen milestone is marked at Stage 6, when COVID-19 is "no longer a significant burden on the local community" and is deemed more like the common flu, DelBene had explained. With the latest update to Microsoft's plans, that full reopen milestone is expected to occur on Sept. 7, rather than July 6, according to Foley's account.

A "soft reopening" of the Redmond campus, where employees are still encouraged to work from home, supposedly already kicked off on March 31.

In other inside-scoop news, Foley reported this week that Microsoft Build, Microsoft's event for developers, is expected to take place on May 25 to May 27.

Microsoft doesn't appear to have posted such information about its next Build event. However, Foley said the dates had been "leaked a couple of times over the past few weeks."
The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. Sign up to get it by email.

For most of the past week, Ive been interviewing current and former members of Parliament about the mistreatment of women in Australian politics. Ive spoken mainly to those with direct experience inside the system, and I found myself starting off with the same question: Does whats happening now feel different?

Everyone  from Tanya Plibersek in Labor, to Dr. Anne Webster of the National Party, to Julia Banks, who gave up her Liberal Party seat in 2019  responded with the same answer. Yes.

They all told me that, six weeks after Brittany Higgins spoke up with her allegation of rape in the defense ministers office when she was a staffer in 2019, the dynamic has changed. Women are angry and unified, speaking up in politics and beyond. More of the men who used to brush off complaints of sexism as whining about the always-tough arena of politics have started to see that its an uneven playing field, where women compete with extra burdens and threats.

But is that enough to change the system, to make it fair and equal? Maybe not, they said  not yet.

It feels different in terms of momentum, in terms of moving toward change, Ms. Banks told me. But I do worry about the leadership and the lack of accountability. Thats what it comes down to. Weve seen a lack of accountability before  it cant be treated like a P.R. issue.
When Jeff Neal was 8 or 9 years old, an older friend would take him and his brother Toby on trips around the city. Theyd go to the Empire State Building or the parks, and one day they went to a large apartment on the Upper West Side that was filled with paintings.

This was the mid-1960s.

The apartment was where Alice Neel lived, and it was the kind of place where people came and went freely. Ms. Neel was not famous yet  it was still a decade before she had her first museum show  and if her visitors caught her eye, she might ask to paint them.

The brothers friend, Allen Tobias, who was like a surrogate older brother, had arranged the visits, and he assured them: Shes going to be a famous painter someday.

The two boys sat for her perhaps a dozen times, returning week after week. And she always gave them snacks, recalled Jeff Neal, whos now 64. Thats what kept me sitting there.
New York, April 2 : The highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant -- B117 variant -- silently spread across 15 countries by mid-November 2020, found a new study underlining the significance of increasing laboratory surveillance.

The B117 variant, which has been more lethal than the original coronavirus strain, was first discovered in early December 2020 in the United Kingdom. But, it was already silently spreading across the globe, revealed the study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

"We estimate that the B117 variant probably arrived in the US by October of 2020, two months before we knew it existed," said Lauren Ancel Meyers, Professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin.

For the study, the team analysed data from 15 countries. They estimated that travellers from the UK introduced the variant into 15 countries between September 22 and December 7, 2020.

In the US, the variant had arrived by mid-October.

"This study highlights the importance of laboratory surveillance," Meyers said.

"Rapid and extensive sequencing of virus samples is critical for early detection and tracking of new variants of concern,"she added.

The research team also developed a novel online calculator that can boost genetic sequencing to detect the presence of variants.

The online calculator can mark the number of virus samples that must be sequenced in order to detect new variants when they first emerge.

For example, if the goal is to detect an emerging variant by the time it is causing one out of every 1,000 new Covid-19 infections, approximately 3,000 SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens per week need to be sequenced.

"Our new calculator determines how many positive SARS-CoV-2 specimens must be sequenced to ensure that new threats are identified as soon as they start spreading," said Spencer Woody, a postdoctoral fellow at the Texas University.

The calculator also helps labs to figure out how quickly they will detect new variants.
Anticipating election results when most of the polling is yet to take place is a hazardous business. Still, given the way that election campaigning has rolled out, it seems safe to say that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in pole position for the electoral contests in both West Bengal and Assam.

In other words, the primary objective of the other parties is to defeat the BJP. If one takes the long view, it does not matter whether it succeeds because, if not this time then the next, the BJP is likely to win in West Bengal. In Assam and much of the Northeast, it is already the incumbent ...
Tottering steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta vowed yesterday that no UK steel plants will close on his watch. His resolve is commendable, but his options are limited.

The problem for Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and the Government is what to do about Gupta's Liberty Steel plants.

Kwarteng has already  quite rightly  turned down a request for 170million of rescue finance, on the grounds UK taxpayers' money might vanish overseas, lost in the magnate's labyrinthine business empire. Boris Johnson has declared it would be 'crazy' not to support steel.

Out of his hands: Steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta vowed yesterday that no UK steel plants will close on his watch

But there is a school of thought that the industry in the UK is no longer viable, and that the Government ought not to use any more public funds in its support.

It is true that the number of jobs  3,000 at Liberty Steel  does not in itself justify a rescue. These are small beer compared with those that will be lost in the pandemic in retail and hospitality.

It is also true that steel has lurched from one crisis to the next, with a succession of failing plants scrabbling to find a buyer and pleading for state support.

The most recent of these was British Steel, which was kept going after it fell into insolvency at a cost to taxpayers of almost 600million, until a buyer emerged in late 2019.

That purchaser was by China's Jingye, any queasiness about the Beijing regime having been overcome by the expediency of avoiding Red Wall job losses in the middle of an election.

The Government is reported to be drawing up similar contingency plans to run Liberty Steel on taxpayer cash whilst looking for a new owner to take it on.

Another option is nationalisation, on the basis that steel, like the banks, is too important to fail. Despite the succession of steel crises in recent years, the Government has not yet made any coherent effort to support the industry  it has merely scrambled to find sticking plasters when trouble has hit.

A proper strategy would include a 'Buy British' policy so that domestically produced steel is used in defence, green technology and big infrastructure projects such as HS2 and Hinkley Point nuclear power.

Gupta himself has been on a potentially promising environmental tack with 'greensteel' or recycled scrap using electric arc furnaces powered by renewables.

His plants still have prospects, even if his ownership does not. The Government could help on business rates and energy costs, which are far higher for UK producers than in France or Germany.

Steel is worth saving. There may be far fewer jobs at stake than in the past, but they are important jobs.

They are in constituencies where the Government cannot afford to lose votes and they create high added value.

And it seems foolish, with all Covid and Brexit have taught us about the danger of complex and far-flung supply chains, to rely on overseas imports.

With a long-term strategy involving government, owners and unions, and a commitment to buy British, we could still save our steel.

Snuberoo

As the City chews over the disastrous Deliveroo float, a consensus seems to have emerged that it represents a black mark against London in terms of attracting tech floats. I'm not sure this is the correct conclusion to draw.

A record of more than 7billion of capital has been raised this year on the London Stock Exchange in 25 initial public offerings, ten of which were tech and consumer internet businesses.

Some companies such as Britishvolt and Cazoo have chosen to list in the US but that doesn't mean there is a hostile climate. Nor does the exuberant debut of The Hut Group, a tech-powered consumer business that floated last year.

Deliveroo's downfall was that it got on the wrong side of too many big traditional City investors, who turned up their noses in a collective snuberoo.

When even James Anderson, the manager of the Scottish Mortgage investment trust that is famed for backing tech, said he was lukewarm then it was clear there was a problem.

Much has been made of investors' dislike of the dual share structure giving founder Will Shu control of voting rights.

This does indeed go against governance norms. But big City institutions usually go along with it if they think the investment case is compelling enough.

That's what they did at The Hut, where founder Matt Moulding has a similar arrangement in the form of a 'golden share'.

Deliveroo might yet come good. Ocado was treated with similar disdain when it floated and went on to be a stellar success  but not before it had re-invented its business model.
The Life Insurance Corporation of India comes with a lot of schemes that prove to be beneficial to the employees of organisations. This time, it is the LIC New Group Leave Encashment Plan, which basically provides the extension of leave encashment to the employees of a company. Besides that, it also gives life cover for employees who either resign from the company or in terms of death or retirement.

To get the benefits of this scheme, the employer needs to attain a minimum age of 18 years and a maximum of 75 years. Also, the employee is required to deposit a minimum of Rs 10,000 and pay the Risk Cover Premium. Also, the minimum sum insured is Rs 1,000 and there is no limit to the maximum contribution.

Furthermore, the maximum maturity age of an employee should be 80 years. This scheme can be renewed within 1 year of the premium date. However, this comes under tax benefits.

The benefits of the scheme include:

Sum assured and

Leave Encashment Benefit as per the scheme rules.

Benefits payable on retirement / leaving service before Retirement: The Leave Encashment Benefits shall be payable as specified in the scheme rules.

The charges involved in the scheme include:

1.Mortality charges: This is the amount required to provide life cover benefits to the group members as per scheme rules. These charges  total for all the members included in the policy  will be deducted from the policy account value every month, in advance.

2.Policy Administration Charges: LIC charges Rs. 0.15 per Rs. 1,000 of the total life cover benefit under the policy as Policy Administration Charge annually which is deducted from the policy account every month in advance.

3.Fund Management Charge (FMC): FMC is deducted from the policy account value at the end of each quarter or at the time of exit which depends on the size of the policy account value of the scheme.

4.Market Value Adjustment (MVA): MVA will be applied at the time of bulk exits and complete surrender of the policy, and will be deducted from the policy account value. It is applicable on withdrawal amounts that are more than 25% of the policy account value. It depends on the market value derived from the revaluation of assets at the time of exit or surrender.

5. Surrender Charges: A surrender charge of 0.05% of the policy account value shall be deducted if a consumer surrenders the policy within 3 years from the date of commencement. The maximum surrender value applicable is Rs. 5,00,000. If the policy is surrendered after 3 policy years, there will be no surrender charge.

6.Service Tax Charge: Service tax will be charged on the policy as applicable.

7.Revision of charges: LIC is well within its rights to change the Fund Management Charges and Policy Administration Charges any time of the year, after getting approval from IRDA. The maximum FMC permissible is 1% annually, and the maximum PAC chargeable is Rs. 0.30 per Rs. 1,000 per annum at the rate of Rs. 500 per member..
In an interview Buba gave in 2017 for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, she told of her other encounter with the infamous doctor. We had to go to  I dont know whether it was an office or a hospital  where Dr. Mengele worked. Cruel, like you have no idea. They lay us down, and I dont have any idea what happened. Its possible they put us to sleep.  What he got up to, I cant say.

Buba painted this, too, choosing, as she would say, cold colors. For all of its scale, the special evil of Auschwitz ultimately lay in the fact that the murder and torture was clinical, something I only really understood after seeing Bubas painting. Notice the animals in the scene: They wear white coats.

*

Nine days before the Red Army liberated Auschwitz, Buba and her sister were among the 56,000 prisoners forced to march 35 miles in the dead of winter. As many as 15,000 of those who began the journey from Auschwitz died. The rest, along with Buba and Icu, were put on trains to Germany.

Even with the war all but lost, the Nazi determination to kill Jews didnt stop.

The SS had us form a single file, Buba said of the march. They eliminated one out of every 10 women. I ran toward Icu so that the same fate would befall us.

It didnt. She and Icu were liberated, from Bergen-Belsen, on April 15 by the British Army. No painting of Bubas haunts me more than the one of her alone, her head in her emaciated arms, the barbed wire still in front, the chimney, still burning, not far behind.
Fifteen years after the award of contracts for the dualisation of the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja highways projects, the Federal Government, has announced December 2021 as the completion timeline for the projects.

The Director of Highway, Construction and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr. Funso Adebiyi, who disclosed this during the inspection tour of section one of the project (Zuba-Gbwagbwalada-Sheda axis) assured the road projects have attained various stages of completion.

Engr. Adebiyi also pledged the commitment of the Federal Government to reduce accidents on Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road if completed.

He assured that the project would be completed at the end of the 2nd quarter of the year, saying that overloading is one of the major challenges affecting the durability of the federal roads.

According to him, "This road links South-west, South-east, South-south to Abuja. We want to make sure that the number of accidents on this road is reduced to the barest minimum. The quality of the work has been engaging, the pace is too slow.

"The general public should bear with us, they should maintain lane discipline, drive carefully, this diversion we did if everybody drives carefully and don't overtake anyhow, there would be no traffic gridlock.

"Everybody is in a hurry and this causes traffic problem, in the completed sections, I discovered that road users are generally impatient, they over-speed a lot. When you see people drive on those sections, you will think they are going to heaven, they will be driving at about 160, 170 kilometres per hour, to where and why are they over speeding?

"The resultant effect of over speeding is colossal, as I am talking to you, two of our bridges have been destroyed and we have to repair those bridges again at our own cost.

"Again, overloading is another challenge. We are working on weighbridges as soon as we complete the roads, some facilities will be there, toll plazas will be there, weighbridges will be there.

"All these things are going to be put there. In fact, we have one already but our people need to be disciplined. When you drive, maintain lane discipline, regulate your speed there is no point over speeding to where?

"Why are we risking our lives like this and for every time there is a fire outbreak maybe a truck hit another, it explodes into the fire, all these destroy our pavement. And you will come back again and accuse us that our pavement does not last, you won't know that you are the one spoiling it.

"The trucks again park indiscriminately and they turn our roads to their workshop, we are begging them to maintain lane discipline, don't drink while you drive, don't drive while you drink; drive carefully and maintain regular speed", Adebiyi said.

Recall the Contracts for the dualisation of the total 196 kilometres Abuja-Lokoja road was awarded in four sections under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006 with a completion timeline of 30 months.

The four sections of the projects include, the Abuja-Lokoja Section 1, Juba to Sheda, 42 kilometres awarded to Dantata & Sawoe, Section II covers Sheda to Abaji, 57 kilometres awarded to RCC Construction Company Limited, Section three covers Abaji to Kotonkarfe awarded to Bulletine Construction Limited and section four which covers Kotonkarfe to Lokoja awarded to Gitto Construction Limited.

The contracts which were awarded to four contractors to the total sum of N42.3 billion has gone through various contracts' variation with each succeeding minister at the Ministry of Works and Housing effecting one amendment or the other.

For example, the initial of Section 1 was N11.2 billion, section 2, N9.6 billion, section three at cost of N9.6 billion as well as section four which, which gulped N11.9 billion, respectively. But the cost has witnessed several upward reviews over time.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance Transport By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The 196 kilometres of the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Federal Highway is one of the roads that play a very important role in the life of the nation in terms of the movement of goods, human beings and other necessities through vehicular transportation.

The road is also very significant to the survival of the nation because it boosts economic activities in the country. Apart from the economic activities, the road also serves as the link between the Southern and the Northern parts of the country.

It linked entire southern Nigeria to the seat of the power-Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and to the rest of the Northern states and became one of the busiest roads in Nigeria today.

Vanguard News Nigeria
A shipment of Covid-19 vaccine by AstraZeneca under Covax scheme arrives at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, April 1, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Cong.

Vietnam has sought assistance from the EU, the U.S. and Japan for accessing Covid-19 vaccine sources, the Ministry of Health said.

In a meeting with diplomats and international institutions Thursday, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long told U.S. ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink that Vietnam was seeking access to Covid-19 vaccines already approved by the U.S., including those produced by Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

Kritenbrink suggested the formation of temporary U.S.-Vietnam joint teams to follow up on this issue.

Long also requested Japan to help and share its Covid-19 vaccine sources, including cooperating in technology transfer so that the vaccines could be produced and tested in Vietnam.

Yamada Takio, the Japanese ambassador, said Vietnam and Japan have supported each other in the Covid-19 fight. In a dialogue late last month with Party Chief and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Japan would provide 220 million ($1.8 million) to support Vietnams efforts to counter the pandemic.

Giorgio Aliberti, the EU ambassador to Vietnam, said the EU has already sponsored global vaccine access mechanism Covax with more than $2.5 billion. Vietnam recently received 811,200 Covid-19 vaccine doses from the facility, he noted. Long asked that the EU continues to help Vietnam by facilitating access to Covid-19 vaccine sources in Europe.

Vietnam aims to secure 150 million Covid-19 vaccine doses this year to cover 70 percent of its population. It has so far received over 900,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses from British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca, either through direct orders or the Covax facility.

As of Friday, over 51,000 Vietnamese had received their first Covid-19 vaccine shots, mainly frontline workers in the pandemic fight.
Despite his attempts to portray himself as a victim of a multimillion-dollar extortion plot, both criminal and civil court actions are forthcoming against embattled Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a source familiar with the matter has revealed.

Gaetz, 38, is expected to be indicted in a federal court over the next few weeks in connection to sexual activity with at least one minor, a 17-year-old girl, after the alleged victim testified before a Florida grand jury that she had sex with the conservative Republican before she turned 18, DailyMail.com has learned.

The staunch Trump supporter was revealed to be under investigation by the Justice Department over claims he had a sexual relationship with a minor two years ago and trafficked her across state lines.

The bombshell report spurred a bizarre chain of events in its wake after Gaetz furiously refuted the allegations in a series of interviews by sensationally claiming they are part of a former DOJ official's plot to extort $25million from his family.

A source familiar with the congressman's mounting troubles says Gaetz is now about to be the target of a defamation lawsuit over his statements.

Rep Matt Gaetz (left) is set to be sued for defamation by former Justice Department official David McGee (right) DailyMail.com has learned

Gaetz accused David McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, of trying to extort millions from him and his family in exchange for making sex trafficking allegations 'go away' on Fox News Tuesday

During his appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight Tuesday, Gaetz insisted the sex allegations were 'totally false' and an extortion attempt led by David McGee, a former federal prosecutor and now one of Pensacola's best-known attorneys.

McGee was not available to comment when DailyMail.com called his office.

'The congressman impugned and damaged the reputation of someone who had nothing to do with this,' the source told DailyMail.com.

'That's going to cost him. Gaetz is a sleaze-bag who used a professional with a sterling reputation to divert the attention on a sex investigation focused on him.'

McGee has denied he tried to extort Gaetz and said he had no involvement in the DOJ sex trafficking probe other than being one of 'a thousand people who have heard the rumors' about the congressman's alleged actions with underage girls.

The federal investigation, which reportedly involves photos of Gaetz taking part in an orgy, is focusing on his friendship with Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who was elected Seminole County Tax Collector in 2016.

In August, federal authorities charged Greenberg with misusing his government position to commit identify theft and sex trafficking children.

Rep Matt Gaetz and his father Don Gaetz. Don served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016. Gaetz claimed McGee had even met with Don, who wore a wire during the meeting

A source told Dailymail.com the purpose of McGee's meeting was to discuss attempts to raise $25million to secure privately the liberation of U.S. hostage Robert Levinson (right) a former DEA and FBI agent who disappeared on an Iranian island in 2007 while on a mission for the CIA

The feds claim Greenberg reportedly used state government databases to access personal information of women with whom he had 'a sugar daddy' relationship, including an underage girl.

A New York Times report Thursday revealed further details of the investigation including claims that Gaetz had paid women via Apple Pay for ecstasy-fueled sex at Florida hotels.

Greenberg (pictured) was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking of a minor between the age of 14 and 17

Gaetz, however, has been adamant that he is a victim of a sinister scheme, saying he and his father - former Florida State Senator Don Gaetz - had contacted authorities and were working with the FBI to investigate the matter.

Don, 73, backed up his son's claims Wednesday confirming he had worn a wire to try to expose McGee's apparent plot during a visit to the lawyer's office.

They accused McGee of demanding the large sum of cash in exchange for making the allegations against Gaetz 'go away.'

According to the source, the purpose of Don and McGee's meeting was to discuss attempts to raise $25million to secure privately the liberation of U.S. hostage Robert Levinson, a former DEA and FBI agent who disappeared on an Iranian island in 2007 while on a mission for the CIA.

The source confirmed the elder Gaetz asked to meet McGee because he had been approached by two men who claimed they could get Levinson freed for $25 million.

Gaetz knew McGee had been the Levinson's family lawyer since he worked with Levinson in the 1990s when Levinson was with the FBI.

Gaetz was reportedly first introduced to the women through Greenberg, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Greenberg, Gaetz and Roger Stone pictured together in 2017

Greenberg met the women through 'sugar daddy' websites such as SeekingArrangement, investigators believe

'Don started asking McGee if the men who approached him were legitimate, whether Levinson could still be alive despite his family's claims he was dead, and whether he could trust the money would be spent the right way,' the source said.

'At one point in the conversation, Don brought up his son out of the blue. Don said he was worried about Matt and said: 'My son is under federal investigation.'

'McGee had heard the rumors but didn't take the bait and said nothing. They then went back to taking about Levinson.'

What Matt Gaetz claimed on Carlson's show is that his dad was wired and recorded his conversation with McGee.

The audio has yet to be released, but Matt Gaetz claims it will provide proof McGee offered to help get rid of the investigation into Matt in exchange for the $25 million to free Levinson.

The source, however, says that conversation never took place.

'McGee did not say or do anything untoward,' the source said. 'At no time does McGee mention money, a bribe, a favor, a threat, a promise or anything like that.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump fired out a series of tweets Tuesday claiming a former Justice Department employee had been trying to extort $25 million from him and his family while 'threatening to smear my name'

'But by bringing up McGee's name on Fox Nation, Matt made a big mistake.'

Gaetz's looming legal troubles mark the latest twist in the bizarre saga involving the Trump ally.

According to The New York Times, the DOJ investigation is also looking into whether one of the women who had sexual relationship with Gaetz was 17 at the time and whether he paid her or gave her gifts to have sex with him.

Sources said the minor is the same 17-year-old girl at the center of Gaetz's sex trafficking probe and the DOJ is investigating whether other men connected to the the congressman and Greenburg also had sex with the minor.

The two men were pictured together on social media with Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress, in 2017.

Gaetz denies ever having paid anyone for sex and has not been charged with any crime.

Fresh allegations surfaced Thursday claiming Gaetz had shown other lawmakers naked photos and videos of women he said he had slept with and boasted about his sexual conquests to his colleagues.

Multiple sources, including two people who said they had been shown the compromising photos first hand, told CNN, the 38-year-old congressman displayed the images of the women on his phone including while he was on the House floor at the US Capitol.

The report sparked further calls for the lawmaker to resign from his role.
(Newser)  She pretended to be a rich New York socialite named Anna Delvey. Now, con artist Anna Sorokin is in the custody of US immigration authorities and facing deportation to her native Germany. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson tells the AP that Sorokin, 30, was detained on March 25 and is now being held in New Jersey's Bergen County Jail. Sorokin's time on the Manhattan scene included her posing as an heiress, swindling banks and hotels using fake paperwork to the tune of $275,000, according to prosecutors. They say she faked having a $67 million fortune stashed in a trust fund in Europe and claimed a father she sometimes said was an oil baron, other times a diplomat (he was actually an ex-trucker who ran an HVAC business). Prosecutors say Sorokin even managed to get one bank to hand over to her a $100,000 overdraft loan, which she defaulted on.

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She kept up the charade for several years but was eventually busted and found guilty in April 2019 of various larceny and theft charges, per prosecutors. Sorokin, nicknamed the "SoHo Grifter," was soon after sentenced to four to 12 years in prison; she was released this past February. Insider had reported at the time of Sorokin's trial that no matter what happened with her criminal case, deportation was likely in the cards, as she'd overstayed her visa. The AP notes Sorokin had actually been set to be deported days ago, which suggests she's fighting the deportation order. Still, despite her legal troubles, the outlet notes that the business deals she's been working on are continuing, including an apparel line with fashion designer Paul Cupo (he says it's still on) and Sorokin's plans to sell NFTs of her prison blogs. The BBC notes Sorokin also received $320,000 from Netflix for the rights to her life story, some of which she used to compensate the victims of her fraud. (Read more Anna Sorokin stories.)
Zimbabwean paediatric surgeons successfully separated conjoined twin girls born three months ago, in an incredibly complex 18-hour operation at the children's wing at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare.

Anotidaishe and Atipaishe were joined at the abdominal-pelvic region, sharing a liver and some parts of their intestines, making the operation exceptionally complex.

In a press statement, Sally Mugabe Central Hospital said the hospital was happy to announce that its teams of healthcare staff had managed to successfully separate the conjoined twins on 23 February at the age of 73 days.

"The procedure took a gruelling 18 hours to accomplish and both babies are in a stable condition with one of them fairing much better than the other," said the hospital.

The conjoined twins were born at the hospital and their parents are smallholder farmers from Banket.

Zimbabwe broke new ground in its medical history by successfully performing the first major operation on conjoined twins in July 2014 with a team of 50 having worked on the eight-hour procedure at the same hospital.

The twin boys christened Kupakwashe and Tapiwanashe, born in April 2014, were joined from the lower chest to the upper abdomen and shared a liver.

The successful separation was conducted on July 1, 2014 by a team of local doctors led by specialists from the University of Zimbabwe's College of Health Sciences.

Zimbabwe has had documented cases of conjoined twins since independence and only one was referred outside the country, while in two instances the babies died before surgery.

In 2005, conjoined Zimbabwean twins were successfully separated in Canada.

In 2009, a Tsholotsho woman gave birth to conjoined twins, but they died a few days after birth when Mpilo Central Hospital failed to secure enough human resources and funding to operate on them.
The Northampton City Council voted in support of decriminalizing entheogenic plants Thursday night, putting the city near the forefront of a budding national movement against enforcing bans on psychedelic substances.

The resolution stopped short of fully eliminating legal penalties for the use of entheogens, a category that includes psilocybin mushrooms. The power to decriminalize those substances is reserved for the state. But the measure made clear the city councils position that no public employees, including police, should prioritize enforcement of criminal charges for possession of natural psychedelics.

It doesnt have the weight of law, Councilor at Large William Dwight said in an interview ahead of the vote. We dont have the authority to decriminalize these things.

But he called the resolution an aspirational document that tried to articulate what the city council feels represents the communitys desire.

Only a handful of cities across the country, including Somerville and Cambridge, have passed similar measures. Denver, Colo. was the first to do so, narrowly approving a ballot initiative in May of 2019 to decriminalize psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms. Only Oregon has legalized the substances for medicinal purposes on the state level.

The measure, written by Dwight and Ward 7 Councilor Rachel Maiore, passed nearly unanimously. Only Ward 4 Councilor John Thorpe abstained.

The resolution declared the enforcement of criminal penalties for using and possessing entheogens to be the lowest priority for the city and said the use of any controlled substances should be first understood as a public health issue.

Police Chief Jody Kasper could not be reached prior to the city council meeting. Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan declined to comment.

The classification of entheogenic plants was first used in 1979 to describe an array of naturally occurring materials, including magic mushrooms, cacti, iboga and ayahuasca.

A growing body of research suggests the substances can successfully treat some mental illnesses, including trauma, depression and addiction, Maiore said in an interview Thursday morning.

A lot of veteran organizations wholeheartedly support decriminalizing psychedelics because they can be used to treat [post-traumatic stress disorder], she added. We need to get out of our own way with psychedelic plants so we can provide our community with all possible treatments for epidemics that are plaguing us, like opioid addiction and depression.

The vote additionally expressed support for two bills before the state legislature. HD.3439 would replace criminal penalties for drug possession with the option of either a $50 fine or a health and wellness screening. HD.3829 would convene a task force to study and ultimately recommend legislation on decriminalizing psychedelic plants across the state.

If enough municipalities chime in with their support it will spur action at the state level where it needs to happen, Maiore said. We can let our will be known and empower our state legislators to make changes around decriminalization that wed like to see.

The resolution specifically noted that it did not authorize the commercial selling of psychedelics.

There are people that will be concerned that this resolution will promote the sale and distribution of the drugs, Dwight said. Were a long way from having that conversation.

Both authors of the measure noted that it sought to correct the policies of the War on Drugs.

A lot of lives have been disrupted, not as much by the drug but by the laws against the drug, Dwight said.

He also compared the resolution to earlier situations in which the city council voted to decriminalize marijuana and recognize same-sex marriages. In both cases, he said, the city was ahead of the state and country on the issues.

Maiore concurred. This is a role that Northampton is comfortable with, being forward thinking on these groundbreaking issues, she said.
Thiruvananthapuram/Pathanamthitta, April 3 : During his last election rally here ahead of the April 6 Assembly elections in Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday slammed the traditional rival political fronts in the state and appealed to the voters to give an opportunity to the BJP-led NDA this time.

The 140-member Kerala Assembly will go to the polls on April 6, while the results will be declared on May 2.

The BJP had managed to open its account in the southern state for the first time in the previous Assembly polls held in 2016, when it managed to win a single seat.

Earlier in the day, Modi was in Konni near the famed Sabarimala temple, where he took on both the ruling Left and the Congress-led opposition in Kerala, saying that people have had enough with both the outfits, while the BJP is putting forward a development agenda for the state.

In Thiruvananthapuram, Modi went a step further and said that the people of Kerala have given several chances to both the fronts -- the LDF and the UDF.

"Next year will mark the 75th year of India's Independence, and the next 25 years will be crucial for all of us. Please bless the BJP-led NDA so that we can build a dream Kerala that all of you want," said Modi.

"The Left and the UDF are twins of misgovernance and corruption. In West Bengal, after each election they get closer. So the logical step for them is a merger and they can name the new party 'CCP' (Comrade Communist Party)," said Modi.

He then lashed out at the Congress and termed it as a shameless party.

"They sacrifice our hard working professionals on the altar of politics. In the fight between the Congress (I) and the Congress (A) (the two major factions of the party in Kerala), Nambi Narayanan's (ISRO scientist) career was destroyed (in the ISRO spy scandal case). But it's not like that for us. After Metroman Sreedharan joined the BJP, he has been an inspiration to many professionals in the country who have joined the BJP," said Modi.

Taking on the ruling Left in in Kerala, Modi said that under the present regime, there is a total 'hartal' on governance.

"They have failed to present any forward looking plan. They do not even use the resources provided by the Centre and all the sectors are lagging behind," Modi said.

Earlier in Konni, the Prime Minister said that like what happened in the country during the Emergency under Jayaprakash Narayan, a similar situation is now being seen in Kerala.

"People have started to speak against the misgovernance and tyranny and a message is being sent out to those in power. Kerala is now seeing a large number of respected professionals coming to the BJP, just like Metroman Sreedharan, and this time it's going to be the BJP-led NDA," Modi said.

After his arrival in Konni, the Prime Minister was greeted by a large gathering of BJP supporters.

Slamming the traditional rival fronts, Modi said that over the years, these fronts have committed seven sins.

"The sins include false pride and arrogance and they feel they can never be defeated and hence they behave with arrogance. The second sin is both are greedy and we have seen solar, dollar, gold, land and bar scams, and over the years both these fronts have looted the state," Modi said.

"I fail to understand which government will use lathis against the devotees and this shows their anger towards their own people. The rival fronts are jealous of each other and they suffer from competitive corruption. Each of them try to beat the other in corruption, and all they want is to make money. They have lust for power and for that they will join hands with the communal and criminal forces," Modi added.

"The next sin is, both promote dynastic politics. Everybody knows what a Left leader's son is doing, but I am not naming as all know who it is. Then there is laziness in work, but when it comes to making money, there are no issues and as a result, the governance is paralysed in Kerala," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said the BJP-led NDA government has always been considerate to Kerala and in the latest Union Budget, an extensive highway plan worth Rs 65,000 crore for 1100 km of road, besides Phase 2 of Kochi Metro and a fishing harbour at Kochi, has been announced.

Modi also said that the BJP-led NDA has worked for a FAST development programme for Kerala and to implement that, all should vote for the BJP this time.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a European cargo, comprising 20,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20), 10,000 tonnes of shredded and 10,000 tonnes of bonus at an average price of $421 per tonne cfr.



The previous cargo sold into Turkey from the US was at $430 per tonne cfr on HMS 1&2 (80:20) basis earlier.



As a result of the fresh European cargo, the daily scrap indices went down on Thursday April 1.



Fastmarkets daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), North Europe origin, cfr Turkey was $416.94 per tonne on Thursday, down by $3.70 per tonne on the day.



After the monthly update in the premiums between grades and regions in the index calculations, the fall in the US index was larger.



Fastmarkets daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), US origin, cfr Turkey was calculated at $422.91 per tonne on Thursday April 1, down by $7.09 per tonne.



This put the premium for US material over European scrap at $5.97 per tonne on April 1, compared with $9.36 per tonne on March 31.



Market participants said the correction occurred because of limited demand from the steel mills.



Most of the Turkish steel producers are still hesitant about buying deep-sea scrap, because they are struggle to reflect the scrap costs in their steel sales when scrap prices go above $400-410 per tonne. That is why the market made a downward correction, a Turkish mill source told Fastmarkets.



Despite the latest rebar export sales to Southeast Asia, the overall demand for rebar is still not strong enough to support scrap purchases in Turkey. The market in Asia is being clouded by the latest tax rebate cut talks in China, which might seriously affect Turkish exports to Asia, a trading source said.



The market is very volatile [because of this] Chinese governments decision could change everything, he added.



A second mill source said the the workable price for HMS 1&2 (80:20) was now $420-425 per tonne cfr for Baltic Sea and US material, because mills are reluctant to go any higher.



However, another mill source was not so sure about the downward correction in scrap prices.



The previous bookings done from the EU were at $410-415 per tonne cfr levels in the last week of March. But I cant be fully certain the market is making a downward correction until I hear lower prices from the Baltic Sea and [the]US.
New Delhi, April 2 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that BJP will win more than 50 out of 60 seats where polling was held in the first two phases of West Bengal Assembly polls. Polling for 30 seats each was held in two phases, first on March 27 and second on April1.

Addressing an election rally in West Bengal, Shah said, "BJP has won more than 50 seats out of 60 in the first two phase of Bengal polls, Didi (Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) herself is losing from Nandigram." A senior party leader said that after yesterday's review meeting the party is confident of winning Nandigram. "The feedback is overwhelming and the reports received from Nandigram shows that Adhikari is winning comfortably," he said.

Banerjee is contesting from Nandigram against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, her former close aide. Even before the end of voting yesterday, the BJP claimed that Adhikari is winning the polls. "I have a personal relationship with every person in Nandigram. I am pretty confident to win the election," Adhikari had said after casting his vote yesterday.

On March 28, a day after the first phase of voting in a press conference, Shah had said, "Based on discussion and feedback received from booth level workers and leaders, I can confidently say that we are winning 26 of 30 seats which went in for polls in the first phase in West Bengal."
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and the United States will cooperate on the supply of critical parts for chips, aiming for an agreement when the leaders of both countries meet later this month, the Nikkei newspaper said on Friday.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is due to become the first foreign leader to visit the United States since President Joe Biden took office. The meeting, originally scheduled for April 9, has been pushed back until April 16, Japan's chief cabinet secretary said.

At a regular news briefing, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed the timing of the visit and said it would be the first by a foreign leader since Biden took office.

The visit comes as the global shortage of semiconductors has squeezed U.S. automakers and other manufacturers, forcing them to cut production. The issue has become important for policymakers, who worry about economic and security risks from the shortage.

Officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan are expected to discuss concerns about the shortage at a meeting on Friday, a senior U.S. administration official said.

"It would be fair to say our three countries hold many of the keys to the future of semiconductors manufacturing technology and we will seek to affirm the importance of keeping these sensitive supply chains secure," the official told reporters.

Suga is now expected to leave Japan on April 15 and depart Washington on April 17, two government sources told Reuters.

The meeting with Biden was postponed because of circumstances on the U.S. side, the Nikkei said.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami, Yoshifumi Takemoto and David Dolan; Additional reporting by Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Matthew Lewis)
Kneeling on George Floyd for nine minutes was totally unnecessary, Minneapoliss longest-serving officer says.

The longest-serving police officer in the Minneapolis Police Department said on Friday that Derek Chauvin had violated department policy by kneeling on George Floyds neck for more than nine minutes as he lay handcuffed on his stomach.

Lt. Richard Zimmerman, who leads the departments homicide unit and responded to the scene of Mr. Floyds death after he was taken away in an ambulance, testified in court that what Mr. Chauvin had done was totally unnecessary.

Pulling him down to the ground facedown and putting your knee on a neck for that amount of time, its just uncalled for, Lieutenant Zimmerman said.

His testimony came on the fifth day of the trial of Mr. Chauvin, the former police officer charged with murder in Mr. Floyds death, and followed testimony from Mr. Chauvins supervisor, who said on Thursday that Mr. Chauvin should have stopped holding Mr. Floyd down once he became unresponsive.
Recently the federal government announced the designation of five international airports as free trade zones to support the implementation of both the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) agreements.

These airports include the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano; Port Harcourt International (PHIA), Omagwa, and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika said that the facilities at these airports would be upgraded to meet international standards so that they would compete effectively with the best facilities in Africa.

Industry observers said that the major challenge would be how to maximise the benefits of these free trade zones, noting that such facilities should provide a platform industrial development, boost in export and impetus to manufacturing.

THISDAY spoke with a specialist in this area who is the Managing Partner, TMSS Logistics and former General Manager, Business Development, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Alhaji Nuhu Adam who pointed out the invaluable gains of a free trade zone, noting that if entrepreneurs and foreigners who wish to invest in the country, explore the offer given by the federal government, the free trade zones would become a game changer in business enterprises around these airports.

Alhaji Adam noted that of the five airports, Port - Harcourt airport has the advantage of a complimentary existing Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone, stating that the logistics hub of this zone should take advantage and set the ball rolling immediately to sustain the gains for Oil and Gas cargo, while building capacity at the airport for agro allied export and others, using the aviation logistics hub.

"Practice in developed and developing countries indicates the existence of numerous and heterogeneous free zones as well as the different role which they have in the economic development of countries that have implemented them.

Different industry-specific economic zones can be created to fill certain business needs with the ultimate goal of empowering the economic potentials of the countries in which they are situated. It is along this premise that we make bold to say the free trade zone would offer a huge potential for continental aviation given the potential of Nigeria's dominant market in the West and Central Africa," he said.

Adam said the Nigeria aviation logistics hub is about to experience a game changer if the Free Trade zone is well coordinated and implemented and private sector driven.

"Aside the increase in the dynamics of economic activities, it will also encourage the advancement of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in aviation value chain, including the establishment of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) supply chain, Fixed Based Operators (FBO), capacity building and generation of new entrepreneurial opportunities in e - commerce fulfilment; this is in addition to the likely changes in the real estate market in the airport and its environs among other services," he also said.

Adam identified the benefits accruable to the establishment of a free trade zone and observed that there are loads of advantages available to a company operating within a Free Zone including, but not limited, to the following depending on the model approved for the airport free trade zone.

"No pre-shipment inspection and issuance of Bank Form M required prior to shipment of material from the country of origin. Customers with Bank Bonds executed with the Customs can take their goods into the Nigerian territory after examination and within a very short time.

"While importing cargo the traditional way, you're subject to clear your material and equipment and pay Customs Duty within 30 days. In the Free zone you are enjoying unlimited time to custom clear your consignment," he disclosed.

Adam explained that this makes for increased shipments and cargo movements, enhances better cash flow management in terns of Customs Duty Scheduling System and with a Bank Bond/Guarantee in place, "you will be able to obtain Customs release of cargo required in the Customs territory."

He said that payment of duty/perfection of Customs entries is then scheduled to be completed within 14 days after delivery - thus deferring Customs Duty payment and obtaining a better cash flow.

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"This further translates into increased revenue and earnings in the associated private sector (airlines, clearing/forwarding agencies, banking/finance, services and supplies), increased government revenue and earnings (for Nigerian Customs, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Cargo Handling Companies, Federal Inland Revenue Service, among others)," he said.

The free trade zone, he said, would enhance the creation of job opportunities and entrepreneurial development of budding investors, technology transfer and enhancement of local content participation in the nation's Aviation industry, no VAT and withholding tax chargeable on Free Zone storage facilities, services and activities and no corporate and personal income tax payable.

"There will be easy facilitation of expatriate employees working in the Free Zone. No expatriate quota and residence permit are required for the expatriate staff working and domiciled within the area delineated as the Free Zone territory," Adam also said.
A medic gave an eight-year-old boy a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas last month in what officials have called an 'oversight' due to 'human error.'

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are only approved for those aged 18 and older and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those aged 16 and older.

But a father said he registered his elementary school-aged son for an appointment at a drive-thru site in Dallas County site run by first responders in Grand Prairie, where a paramedic injected the child, reported NBC DFW.

The father assumed that because he had received a QR code confirming the appointment that the child was eligible to get vaccinated.

He did not know until he spoke to a pediatrician after the fact that children are not eligible to receive coronavirus vaccines.

Currently, several coronavirus vaccine manufacturers including Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca are running clinical trials on children, some as young as six months old.

The father of an 8-year-old boy in Dallas County, Texas, registered his son online to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and took him to a drive-thru site last month, where a paramedic administered the shot (file image)

Dallas County officials say they are looking into why the registration website did not have a fail safe to prevent underage kids from being administered shots. Pictured: People at the Dallas County mass vaccination site at Fair Park in Dallas, January 2021

'He was under the assumption that: "I submit his information and he got an appointment,"' pediatrician Dr Marcial Oquendo told NBC DFW.

'And when he got an appointment, he was like: "We all got an appointment so let's go."'

Oquendo said that the boy's father did not realize children are not eligible to receive vaccines until the the two had a conversation after the appointment.

Chief Robert Fite of the Grand Prairie Fire Department told NBC DFW that on the day the boy got the vaccine, about 3,800 people passed through the vaccination site.

He said he is currently gathering information about how this 'oversight' occurred and is working to find the paramedic that administered the vaccine.

'They're in the car, there's a code, the paramedic did what that paramedic did for thousands of others for that day and went ahead and gave the vaccination, and did not realize it was a child under the age of 18,' Fite said.

COVID-19 VACCINE CLINICAL TRIALS CURRENTLY INVOLVING CHILDREN PFIZER Clinical trial on children ages 12-15, with results on Wednesday that found it was safe and 100% effective at preventing infection

Clinical trial on children ages 6 months to 11, which began last week and results not expected until late 2021 MODERNA Late-stage clinical trial in children ages 12 to 17, with results expected during the summer

Clinical trial in children ages six to 12, in which the first participants were dosed last months ASTRAZENECA Clinical trial in the UK involving children between ages 6 and 17 that began last month Advertisement

Officials say there was no fail safe system in place when the boy's father registered him through the Dallas County website.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said that when the boy's father initially registered him, the child was put on a waitlist.

But when Texas lowered the age of eligibility from age 50 and older to age 16 and older, the website moved everyone on the waitlist over to the eligible list.

'There was human error, and...they failed to scrub for people who were under 18,' Jenkins told NBC DFW.

Jenkins said that the county is working with the IT Department to prevent children from being registered in the future and medics have been spoken to in case they spot anybody who looks too young to be getting vaccinated.

Currently, several vaccine manufacturers are running clinical trials to test their coronavirus shots in children.

On Wednesday, Pfizer announced results from its COVID-19 vaccine trial that found it was safe and 100 percent effective at preventing teenagers between ages 12 and 15 from contracting the disease.

Last week, the company and its partner, BioNTech, launched a global COVID-19 trial testing children from ages six months to 11.

Moderna is running a study looking at its vaccine in children aged six months to less than 12 years old and another from 12 years old to age 17.

Results from the trial of older children are expected in late spring or early summer.

Last month, AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford began a study of their vaccine among six- to 17-year-olds in the UK.

It was only after speaking to pediatrician Dr Marcial Oquendo (pictured) that the father understood he had made a mistake

Children are often the last group to be tested during clinical trials because they are not merely little adults.

Their bodies and immune systems behave differently, meaning they might have different treatment needs.

What's more, children may need different doses or needle sizes depending on their height, weight and age - which is why most children are only vaccinated after safety has been well-documented in the adult population.

'We don't have the data, especially under the age of 12 to say if it works, is it safe, how much should we use, which kid can get it and which kids can't,' Oquendo told NBC DFW.

'It needs to be in a controlled setting of a clinical trial where we are monitoring every possible angle to be able to say if it's safe and effective to use in kids in this age group.'
BARI, APR 2 - A 45-year-old man with a criminal record was stabbed to death in a street in Puglian capital Bari on Thursday night, police said Friday. Giuseppe De Mattia died in a Bari hospital shortly after the stabbing. Police ruled out any link with the local mafia, the Sacra Corona Unita (United Holy Crown, SCU). De Mattia was stabbed after a violent argument with another man, police said, although they said they could not produce any eye witnesses. The stabbing took place in the heart of the Liberta Quarter. (ANSA).
Arkansas State Senate Passes Bill Banning Enforcement of Federal Gun Control Laws

The Arkansas state Senate voted this week to block federal law enforcement officials enforcing certain gun laws and regulations, sending a bill to the state House in the midst of congressional gun-control proposals.

The Senate voted 28-7 to approve the measure, which will then be sent to the House. Arkansas Legislature is overwhelmingly Republican.

All acts, law, orders, rules, and regulations of the United States Government, whether past, present, or future, that infringe on the peoples right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Arkansas Constitution, Article 2, [Section] 5, are invalid in this state, shall not be recognized by this state, are specifically rejected by this state, and shall be considered null and void and of no effect in this state, according to the text of the bill.

The measure will prohibit any law enforcement agencies in Arkansas from cooperating with federal officials to enforce federal gun laws that go in conflict with the rights provided in the Arkansas Constitution, according to Arkansas Online. Some state lawmakers expressed a worry that President Joe Biden would ramp up gun-control measures.

It is more important now than ever that we protect our state rights, Sen. Trent Garner, a Republican, said of the passage of the bill. Once [Democrats in the U.S. Senate] get rid of the filibuster, guess what happens next? It is called packing the courts, he claimed, referring to statements from Democratic lawmakers that the 60-vote legislative be removed in order to pass their agenda items.

You would have to be totally blind to death to not see that our nation is as divided right now as it ever has been and we have elected officials in office in Washington, D.C., who actually dont even care what the Constitution says and decided that they are going to do it their way no matter what happens and have no respect for the 10th Amendment, Republican Sen. Jason Rapert said, according to the news outlet.

State Sen. Jim Hendren said the bill would put Arkansas federal funding at risk and would place an unnecessary hurdle between Arkansas law enforcement and federal agents.

Following two mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado, Biden and top Democrats said that its imperative that new restrictions be passed. Dozens of Democratic House members this week sent a letter to Biden, saying that he should take executive action to ban concealable assault-style firearms such as the semi-automatic Ruger AR-556 pistol that was used in the Boulder shooting.

Concealable assault-style firearms that fire rifle rounds pose an unreasonable threat to our communities and should be fully regulated under the National Firearms Act consistent with the intent and history of the law. The recent tragedy in Boulder, Colorado where 10 people including a police officer were killed is one in a string of deadly incidents involving this style of weapon, Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Val Demings (D-Fla.), and Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) said in a letter to Biden.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last week that Biden is looking to issue an executive order on gun control.
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Ernest Hemingway is known as a prolific writer.

While his works live on today, there is much more tucked beneath the surface of what we know.

Enter Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.

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The documentary filmmakers are no strangers to teaming up together for projects.

This time around, the two chronicled the life of Hemingway.

The three-part, six-hour documentary film premieres at 7 p.m. Monday, April 5, on New Mexico PBS Channel 5.1.

The first part is called A Writer and covers 1899 to 1929.

The second part is titled The Avatar and covers 1929 to 1944. It airs at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 6.

The third part, The Blank Page, chronicles 1944 to 1961. It airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 7.

Novick says the documentary examines the visionary work and the turbulent life of Hemingway.

It weaves his eventful biography with carefully selected excerpts from his iconic short stories, novels and nonfiction, the series reveals the brilliant, ambitious, charismatic, and complicated man behind the myth, and the art he created.

Burns and Novick directed the film, which was written by Geoffrey C. Ward and produced by Sarah Botstein, Novick and Burns.

Novick was drawn to his writing because of the fishing angle.

I didnt know anything about his private life, Novick says. In my early 30s, I went to Key West to see his house. I saw typewriters and rooms. I felt his presence. This was a perfect jumping-off point of starting the work on Hemingway.

Novick and Burns then approached the family to make the film.

The process really changed my understanding of Hemingway, who he was in the world and privately, she says. He was so brilliant, and fame was so complicated for him.

Luckily, theres an abundance of information on Hemingway, thanks to the writer himself, Novick says.

He wrote letters and saved everything, she says. We had access to his daily life. Through these letters, you hear his story. It kind of goes back to Lady Bird Johnson, who recorded her daily activities. We should all be recording our lives.

As each page revealed more of the story, it was then up to Novick and her team to pick the passages from Hemingway that would represent the entire work.

It was a voyage of discovery, she says. I think getting the opportunity to get a deeper understanding was important in telling his story.

Novick said that although Hemingway had wonderful discipline as a writer, he didnt lead an exemplary life.

He treated people very badly, she says. There are parts of his story that are very difficult.

Novick also wanted to answer the question, what does it mean to be hugely famous like Hemingway?

What does it really mean to live an authentic life when you are the story? And how do you keep it real? she asks. He experienced trauma both mentally and physically. This helped him become self-aware, and in a way, his writing was that escape.
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PHOENIX  The Republican-controlled Arizona House on Thursday approved a sweeping abortion bill that makes it a felony for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy because the child has a survivable genetic abnormality and imposes a raft of other provisions Democrats contend unnecessarily add to the states already tough restrictions on abortion.

Opposition by one Republican lawmaker who had been concerned that a woman would have to carry a fetus that could not survive were addressed by an amendment that allows a pregnancy to be terminated in that instance. But Democrats argued the bill still provides for felony charges for doctors and the loophole is so subjective that physicians will be be too scared to provide needed medical care.

Im not comfortable, I might have a county attorney slap charges on me, said Democratic Rep. Randy Friese of Tucson, a trauma surgeon. Im not going to provide abortion termination to this patient.

The result? The patient carries the child to term and delivers a child that is not viable, he said. That is cruel and uncaring.

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Rep. Regina Cobb, the Kingman Republican who last week said she could not support the SB1457, signed on and defended the change.

The proposal backed by the social conservative group Center for Arizona Policy also contains a ban on mail delivery of abortion-inducing medication, confers all civil rights to unborn children, allows the father or maternal grandparents of an aborted child to sue, and bans the spending of any state money with organizations that provide abortion care.

The measure requires fetal remains to be buried or cremated, and it forbids state universities from providing abortion care. It also repeals an old law allowing women to be charged for seeking an abortion, needed in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 decision that found women have a constitutional right to seek an abortion.

This bill is about protecting a child, a genetic disordered child. This is about protecting a disability child, Cobb said. This brings the doctor patient relationship back  they have to have an examination before they can take an abortion pill, so they dont get it by mail.

Cobb had also said she was worried that obstetricians in training would have to leave the state because of the bar on university abortions. Democrats seized on that, warning that the provision could make the states physician shortage worse by forcing doctors in training to go to other states to meet training requirements.

Republicans used a procedural move to shut down debate on the bill after less that 40 minutes, outraging Democrats.

Before we go and start throwing doctors in jail for treating their patients I wish we had had a better debate, Rep. Kelli Butler of Paradise Valley said.

The House approved the bill on a 31-29 party-line vote. It passed the Senate earlier this month along party lines, but senators need to approve the House changes before sending it to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who has regularly signed anti-abortion legislation.

An even tougher anti-abortion bill was approved by a Senate committee late Wednesday. It would ban most abortions even before many women know they are pregnant by making it a felony for a physician to perform the procedure if a fetal heartbeat can be detected. HB2140 would ban nearly all abortions because a heartbeat can often be detected as early as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.

There is an exception if the mothers life is in danger, but not in the case of rape or incest. Physicians and anyone assisting them could face between two and nearly nine years in prison. The woman could not be charged.

That proposal would clearly run afoul of U.S. Supreme Court precedent that says a woman can access abortion care before a fetus is viable. But Arizona lawmakers and Republican-dominated Legislatures in several states emboldened by the possibility that a more conservative court could overturn Roe v. Wade have embraced proposals this year that could completely ban abortion.

In South Carolina, a federal judge has already been blocked a heartbeat bill the governor signed into law last month that would ban most abortions. In Idaho, lawmakers are also considering such a bill. In Arkansas, abortion rights groups have vowed to sue to block a new law banning nearly all abortions.
Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed humanitarian and economic issues, connected to Nagorno-Karabakh, during the meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Moscow Thursday.

During the meeting, which was attended by delegations from both sides, detailed discussions were held on the issues of bilateral cooperation, the current regional situation and the implementation of trilateral statements.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the level of dialogue between Azerbaijan and Russia.

During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on international issues of mutual interest.
Professor Matthew Goodwin

Should you want to succeed in modern Britain, don't be a poor white boy.

That is what you might conclude after reading the controversial new report on race in Britain.

It is not a fashionable thing to say in a society that has lost interest in the white working class, but it is children  and especially boys  from these communities who are most likely to suffer a range of dreadful outcomes.

As the report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities makes clear, they perform worse than every other ethnic group at GCSE, are the least likely of all to make it into higher education, and are among the most likely to experience high rates of family breakdown. The deck is stacked against them from day one.

As somebody who was raised in a white working-class family, I know this all too well. I was brought up by my single mum on the outskirts of London and grew up in a home where stress was a part of daily life.

Even though I got the A-level grades required to attend an elite university  the first in my family to go on to higher education  I never felt good enough to apply.

I ended up at a 'non-elite' university on the outskirts of Manchester, filled with other working-class kids who probably felt the same as me.

But the fact that we were even there was a miracle. Just look at the figures now. By the time they turn 19, white working-class youngsters are the least likely to be in higher education  just 22 per cent, compared with 45 per cent of their peers who are black and 56 per cent of Asian kids.

Indeed, Britain currently has its most ethnically diverse Parliament and Cabinet to date  yet simultaneously, we have never had so few white working-class voices in the corridors of power.

I have recently been advising the Education Select Committee on these issues and we have sat in on one depressing evidence session after another, hearing how it is usually white working-class kids who are at the bottom of the pile.

Ordinarily, you might expect those findings from the report this week to be making headlines and being debated and discussed.

But amid the furore over the new report  which concluded that while racism exists in Britain, the country is not 'institutionally racist'  they were ignored.

Why? Because the fact that it is minority ethnic groups who are pulling ahead of whites and it is whites who are often at the bottom of the pile simply does not sit neatly with 'woke' dogma.

Pictured: Two boys while away their day on the Northwood Estate Kirkby, Merseyside - a notoriously run down inner city area where crime and unemployment are high in August 1996

Increasingly, our schools, universities and media are being infected with this destructive and divisive new orthodoxy imported from the United States, where the story of race is entirely different.

Many of these ideas were shaped by academic theories that first emerged in the 1960s.

This was the time of the so-called 'cultural turn', when many Left-wing thinkers lost interest in the white working class because it showed little interest in their Marxist 'revolution'.

Instead, they turned to an alliance of ethnic minorities, immigrants and bohemian middle-class students, calling on them to 'deconstruct' the established 'power structures', languages, institutions and established ways of life of Western societies.

These ideas have since collided with other theories in the field of 'social justice' to present an utterly different and warped vision of British society from the one that used to be promoted by the sensible Left.

An obsession with class has been replaced by an obsession with the 'trinity' of sexuality, gender and racial equality.

One recent Labour Party rulebook contained 139 mentions of women, 43 of ethnic, 41 of BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic), 26 of gender and 11 of race  but only two of class.

Meanwhile, we appear to have lost interest in the broad and unifying stories that used to hold the British people together, such as our shared citizenship, pride in our history and strong feelings of national identity.

Critics of race report, headed by education expert Tony Sewell (pictured) ignored its findings on the plight of white working-class kids with one dismissing Tony Sewell, as a 'token Black'

In the world of the woke, all of these are 'taboo'  to be deconstructed and dismantled.

And into this vacuum has stepped an incredibly simplistic, divisive and 'binary' view of the world.

There are now only two groups in society  the virtuous 'good' groups like women, non-whites, immigrants and people who are LGBT+, and the 'bad' groups, like straight men and the white working class.

Which brings me back to that race report. The majority of its many vociferous critics, who have flooded the airwaves and social media in the past few days, have completely ignored its findings on the plight of white working-class kids.

Instead, they prefer to attack the members of the commission  all but one from black and minority ethnic backgrounds  who produced it.

They are, apparently, the 'wrong' minority voices, as they do not peddle the woke narrative.

And it is easy to understand why. The report's suggestion that although racism exists, Britain is not 'institutionally racist' dismantles the woke mob's central claim that we are living in a fundamentally racist society that needs to be deconstructed.

Even the BBC and other mainstream media have devoted much of their reaction to scrutinising the commissioners rather than their detailed evidence.

The political and women's rights activist and lawyer Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu went so far as to dismiss the Commission chair, education expert Tony Sewell, as a 'token Black'.

This is out and out racism and an insult to Mr Sewell, who grew up in Brixton as the son of Jamaican parents of the Windrush generation, and has dedicated his life to improving opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Such debates reflect how Britain's culture more broadly is rapidly moving from one that used to value attributes such as courage, service and a quiet dignity to one that is utterly obsessed with 'victimhood'.

Increasingly, the only groups given status, esteem and recognition in society are those that can claim to have been offended along the lines of sexuality, gender or race.

What counts in the new court of public opinion is not actual evidence but people's 'lived experience' or 'their truth'.

Evidence that challenges these claims  such as the reports finding that institutional racism doesn't exist here, that hate crimes are falling, or that ethnic minority children from deprived backgrounds are far more likely to enjoy upward social mobility than their white counterparts  is ignored. Why? Because it does not fit the new ideology.

The American writer John McWhorter calls this woke orthodoxy a 'new religion' that comes with its own 'sacred values' of sexuality, gender and racial equality that can never, ever be questioned.

If anyone dares to do so, the disciples of woke use a combination of cancel culture and reputational attacks to shut down dissenting voices which challenge the central claim that every disparity between different groups is due to 'structural' or 'institutional' racism.

And that is what we have seen again this week, with some simply refusing to even consider the possibility that Britain might not be a racist hellhole.

Highly educated whites are often the most fervent believers in this new religion.

They will seek to raise their own status among fellow believers by signalling their support through hashtags and vague promises to 'do the work'  such as attending to their own 'white privilege'.

As a consequence, everybody is encouraged to view the world through the prism of race  which is ironically what an earlier generation of civil rights campaigners wanted to avoid.

Multinational firms are also jumping on board, indulging in 'woke capitalism' whereby they voice strong support for the new belief system while doing all they can to avoid paying a fair share of tax and doing more for their working-class employees.

The end result is a sort of informal alliance between white elites, corporations and minorities against the white working class, presented as dangerous, threatening or stupid  as we saw during Brexit, when they were derided as 'racists' and 'thickos'.

In some other galaxy where we cared about all groups equally, the Government would be taking far more action to support 'left-behind whites'; celebrities would be expressing outrage and party leaders would be rushing in front of the cameras to perform gestures of solidarity. But I, for one, won't be holding my breath.

Professor Goodwin is an adviser to the Education Select Committee and author of National Populism: the Revolt Against Liberal Democracy.
The Norfolk-based USS Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group started flight operations this week to support the continuing campaign against Islamic State remnants in Syria and Iraq.

Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 3, based at Naval Air Station Oceana, began flying March 31 in support of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve to demonstrate U.S. commitment to security in the region.

We can provide a wide range of options to our nation and allies in deterring adversarial aggression and disruption of maritime security and regional stability, said strike group commander, Rear Adm. Scott F. Robertson.

The strike group deployed five weeks ago, and operations so far included a joint exercise with the Royal Moroccan Navy and Air Force and with a multi-national group led by Romanian forces in the Black Sea.

It is operating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Last week, task force spokesman, Col. Wayne Marotto, reported the latest operations against Islamic State holdouts in northern Iraqs Makhmour Mountains included more than 300 airstrikes, which hit 120 hideouts and killed 27 terrorists.

In addition to the Eisenhower and Carrier Air Wing 3, the strike group includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey and the destroyers USS Mitscher, USS Laboon, USS Mahan and USS Thomas Hudner.

The air wing includes Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 131, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83; Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7; Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74; Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123; Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, and a detachment from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40.

This article is written by Dave Ress from Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
There's no end to the Chinese Communist Party's systematic brainwashing as recent report reveals hidden facilities where Christians are held.

In their report, Radio Free Asia (RFA) states that Chinese Christians arrested and detained by authorities were often subjected to physical and psychological tortures in an attempt to make them renounce their faith.

Having the monopoly in coercive power in China's political system, the Chinese Communist Party would not tolerate dissent, hence their attempts to crush any religious belief that denounces the party's views.

RFA added that the CCP under Xi Jinping has labeled Christianity as "a dangerous foreign import." So to prevent what the party deemed as the "infiltration of Western hostile forces in the form of religion," they have executed crackdowns on Christian churches that would not submit to the CCP-backed Three-Self Patriotic Association.

The Brainwashing Session

Li Yuese (not his real name), who is a member of a Christian "house church" in the southwestern province of Sichuan, recounted his experience at the facility. His church was among those raided by the state security police in 2018.

Li was detained for 10 months in what he described as a "mobile facility" that could just be set up in a basement.

"It was staffed by people from several different government departments," Li said.

"It had its own (CCP) political and legal affairs committee working group, and they mainly target Christians who are members of house churches," Li added.

Li explained that he and his fellow inmates could not be prosecuted, so they were sent to the "transformation" facilities.

"There is no time limit for the brainwashing process," he said.

"They threaten, insult and intimidate you. These were United Front officials, men, women, sometimes unidentified, usually in plain clothes. The police turn a blind eye to this," Li continued. "You have to accept the statement they prepare for you. If you refuse, you will be seen as having a bad attitude and they will keep you in detention and keep on beating you."

Even after his release, Li remains haunted by the memories of that awful experience.

Another Christian, who requested to not be identified, told RFA that other religious groups were also targeted and likewise sent to these transformation facilities.

Based on the accounts of those detained for several years, Zhang, a lawyer from the northern province of Hebei who have represented several Catholic detainees, suspects that these brainwashing facilities have been around China for a long time.

"After the religious affairs officials had arrested the bishops and priests, they didn't pursue criminal charges -- they just disappeared them, sometimes for five, six or even 10 years at a stretch," he said

"Some were sent back home after five or six years, and that was how people learned about the brainwashing centers -- from their accounts," he concluded.

Bitter Winter, an overseas magazine on religious liberty and human rights, released in November 2020 their interview with a former brainwashing victim. The survivor detailed the varied methods used in these transformation centers. Tortures included, as per RFA, "cold showers in sub-zero temperatures, and forcing inmates to carry large buckets of water around their necks."
New week-over-week cases in Worcester dropped, but officials remain wary that the number has plateaued at a level that is too high.

City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. announced on Thursday 311 new cases in Worcester this week, 40 fewer than the previous week. The number, though, remains higher than the weekly total announced a month ago at 261.

Its good that were seeing a decrease but were hovering in the higher number of weekly new cases than I think any of us would like, Augustus said.

Augustus said the days leading up to Thursdays briefing tallied about 60 new COVID cases, including 69 on Thursday. Projected out over a week, the total is 420.

The case totals over the last two weeks in Massachusetts have increased by 42% and by 28% within Worcester County, officials in Worcester said.

Were on the right track but were still several months away from being back to normal, Mayor Joseph Petty said. We dont want to go backward, thats for sure. So again, wear your mask, socially distance and keep washing those hands.

The increasing number of vaccines provided officials with hope that the city could avoid another surge.

More than 46,000 Worcester residents or about 25% of the citys population have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, up 3% from last week.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, but were not there yet, Augustus said. We have to keep our eye on the ball.

Across the city, more than 25,000 or 14% of the citys residents have been fully vaccinated. Among seniors, about 70% in Worcester have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Im not worried about a surge so much from the standpoint of overwhelming the hospital system. I think weve gotten good enough at the hospitals in our area to really beat this thing once its identified very, very early, Hirsh said. But what I am worried about is we see more and more of these long-haulers coming back.

The vaccines  among populations that have been vaccinated  continue to show their effectiveness in staving off COVID.

The first healthcare worker in three weeks tested positive for COVID. At the start of the year, the weekly total eclipsed 160.

Worcester Medical Director Dr. Michael Hirsh said only one first responder has tested positive for the virus in more than a month.

Hirsh also said the effectiveness of the virus is pushing the average age of infection down and decreasing hospitalizations and ICU patients.

The average age of a person infected with COVID in Massachusetts has dropped from 74 to 58, Hirsh said.

That tells us that this older population that weve got close to 75% vaccinated is a really protective measure, Hirsh said.

The citys two hospitals  Saint Vincent Hospital and UMass Memorial Health Care  saw its COVID in-patients drop by three to 48. The total number of COVID ICU patients also dropped by three to 14. In early January, the number of in-patients was 276 and the number of patients in the ICU was 67.

This week the city also reported two more deaths pushing the total since the start of the pandemic to 416.

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Madurai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (April 2) hit out at the Congress-DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu for insulting women. He also stressed on the need of empowering 'nari shakti' recalling some of the renowned women personalities hailing from the region.

PM Modi said that Madurai teaches about empowering 'nari shakti' and referred to the reverence shown to local deity Meenakshi Amman. He also invoked other charismatic women associated with the region like Kannagi Amman, Rani Mangammal and Velu Nachiyar.

Addressing a rally in Madurai, the prime minister said that the schemes of NDA such as Swachch Bharat mission and Ujjwala Yojana were aimed at empowering women.

Modi said that the DMK and Congress have not understood the ethos of Madurai. That is why, he said, the leaders of those parties keep insulting women time and again.

"Our efforts in the Swachch Bharat mission, Ujjwala Yohana and other such schemes are aimed at empowering women. Sadly, the DMK and Congress have not understood the ethos of Madurai. No wonder their leaders keep insulting women again and again," Modi was quoted as saying by PTI.

"I understand that DMK and Congress have no real agenda to talk about but they should control their lies because people are not foolish," he further said.

Modis remarks come days after DMK leader A Raja courted a controversy for making alleged disparaging remarks against Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami's mother during an election rally.

Taking note of a complaint from the ruling AIADMK, the Election Commission had barred Raja from campaigning for 48 hours and also removed him from his party's list of star campaigners for the polls.

Campaigning for the upcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, Modi also recalled the late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran's vision for inclusive development and prosperous society.

Live TV
The Chairman of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, Oba Ajibade Alabi, has appealed to the state monarchs not to be agitated by fear that the state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was planning to acquire lands in some towns for ranching for Fulani herders.

The head of the monarchs, who is the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, said he had got assurances from the state government that the wish of the traditional rulers and Ekiti people would prevail in the matter.

Last Wednesday, some traditional rulers under the aegis of Majority Obas of Ekiti Land (MOBEL) had opposed the establishment of ranching proposed by the federal government under its National Livestock Programme.

The monarchs in a letter dated March 25, 2021, and addressed to the governor expressed opposition to the Ekiti State decision to adopt the project following preponderance of complaints from subjects both home and abroad.

The letter was signed by the Chairman of the Majority Obas in Ekiti Land, Olomuoke of Omuooke-Ekiti, Oba Vincent Otitoju; the Secretary, Onikun of Ikun Amure-Ekiti, Oba Olatunde Olusola, and 79 other monarchs.

They said the federal government proposed plan to acquire land for herdsmen for grazing activities is a 'crystal imperialist agenda' with potent potential to cause serious security challenges for the host communities.

But dousing the tension elicited by the fear that the government was allegedly contemplating keying into the federal government project, Oba Alabi in a statement issued yesterday said: "The attention of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers has been drawn to a publication made by some traditional rulers under the aegis of Majority Obas in Ekiti Land (MOBEL) alleging that Governor Fayemi intends to cede land to some people for cattle ranching or grazing.

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"I wish to state unequivocally that the allegation was not true as the governor has no plans to cede an inch of our land to any group of people for ranching.

"Available information from the state government revealed that the news making the round on plans to cede land was meant to cause disaffection among our people. The chairman of the traditional council, therefore, appealed to monarchs to show some circumspection in reacting to news from social media in this era of misinformation, disinformation and fake news."

He said: "I therefore appeal to all traditional rulers and the various communities in the state to remain calm that there was no cause for alarm or tension on ranching as the governor has made it abundantly clear that no part of our land would be ceded."
Security staff at Magilligan Prison have been praised on Friday, after they foiled an attempt to smuggle suspected contraband including a quantity of drugs.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service announced the find online on Friday, adding that it was a "clear message" sent to those intent on trying to smuggle drugs into prisons.

A clear message to those determined to smuggle drugs into our prisons a we are equally determined to stop you.

A

We will now work with our colleagues in @PoliceServiceNI to bring people before the courts.  NI Prison Service (@NIPrisons) April 2, 2021

The image posted online shows a large number of bags contained within a plastic drinking bottle.

Captioning the photo, the Northern Ireland Prison Service wrote: "Well done to the night staff and security team at Magilligan Prison. A security operation was put in place this morning which recovered a substantive quantity of suspected contraband, including drugs.

"A clear message to those determined to smuggle drugs into our prisons  we are equally determined to stop you. We will now work with our colleagues in @PoliceServiceNI to bring people before the courts."
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SECZ) has issued a directive requiring virtual asset service providers (VASP) to conduct risk assessments on and before launching new products, business practices, technologies or delivery mechanisms.

The directive is in line with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendation 15 on new technologies issued in response to heightened Money Laundering/Terrorist Financing (ML/TF) risks related to virtual assets (like Bitcoin).

A virtual asset (VA) is a representation of currency in some environment or situation and in this context, currency can be defined as either a medium of exchange or a property with value in a specific environment, such as a video or financial trading simulation exercise. SECZ said securities market intermediaries (SMIs) must undertake risk assessments on modern and new products, business practices, new or developing technologies and new delivery mechanisms.

"Regarding the money laundering or terrorism financing risk assessment should take place prior to the launch of the new products, business practices or the use of new or developing technologies," SECZ said.

Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) and Virtual Assets (VA) are regulated for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation (AML/CFT/PF) purposes, and subject to effective systems for monitoring.

The securities commission said in light of the above requirements, whenever a new product or technology is introduced in the Securities sector, the ML/TF risk assessment should be conducted, and the report shared with the Commission. As such, the Securities and Exchange

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"The Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe hereby requests compliance with this requirement with immediate effect.

Those who already launched or embraced virtual assets and did not do risk assessment are required to conduct them and file the reports with SECZ," SECZ said in the recent directive. In March, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) updated pre-existing guidance on its risk-based approach to virtual assets (VAs) and virtual asset service providers (VASPs). The draft updated guidance revises guidance originally released June 2019.

Under the original guidance, FATF members agreed to regulate and supervise virtual asset financial activities and related service providers and place anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism obligations on VAs and VASPs.

The revisions "aim to maintain a level playing field for VASPs, based on the financial services they provide in line with existing standards applicable to financial institutions and other AML/CF-obliged entities, as well as minimising the opportunity for regulatory arbitrage between sectors and countries."

FATF has indicated it intends to consult private sector stakeholders before finalising the revisions, and is separately considering implementing revised FATF standards on VAs and VASPs as well as whether further updates are necessary.
The victim was attacked and killed while working on his farm in Ungwan Fada.

The Kaduna State Government on Thursday said suspected bandits killed a fomer councilor and one other in Birnin Gawri and Kajuru Local Government Areas of Kaduna State.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the killing in a statement issued in Kaduna.

Mr Aruwan said: "Security agencies reported that armed bandits killed a former Councillor of Gayam Ward, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.

He said he was attacked and killed while working on his farm in Ungwan Fada, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.

He also said that in a separate incident, one other person, was killed by bandits at Kasuwan Magani general area of Kajuru.

"Also, troops under the auspices of Operation Safe Haven have reported that a mob attacked some herders and their cattle along the Mabushi Cattle route in Zangon Kataf Kocal Government Area.

According to the report, the herders, who were in the employ of a person in Bakin Kogi, Kauru, were moving their cattle from Fadan Kaje to Bakin Kogi via the cattle route, when they were attacked.

The mob, in large numbers and wielding machetes and other weapons were repelled by troops who responded to a distress call.

Mr Aruwan said the troops provided security cover for the herders to recover their scattered cattle.

"All the cows were recovered, save one which was later found dead in a swamp, one cow was also wounded with a machete cut.

"One of the herders sustained an injury from being pelted over his right eye. He was taken to hospital where he was treated and discharged," he said.

He added that the troops escorted the herders to their destination in Bakin Kogi, Kauru to prevent further tension.

The Commissioner said Governor Nasir el-Rufai prayed for the repose of the souls of the slain and sent condolences to their families.

He said the governor thanked the troops for their prompt intervention against the mob.

He appealed for calm and directed that security be intensified in the general area.
(JTA)  A Holocaust denier from London with previous convictions for inciting hatred against Jews is headed to jail.

Alison Chabloz, 57, was handed a nine-week prison sentence in Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday for saying on the social network Gab that anything thats worth controlling will have Jews there controlling it, and that Jews turn their children into psychopathic maniacs, the Jewish News of London reported.

Prison sentences for hate speech are unusual in the United Kingdom, where the judiciary generally errs in favors of freedom of expression.

ADVERTISEMENT

In 2018, Chabloz was given a suspended sentence for writing, performing and disseminating three songs about Nazi persecution. One was about the young diarist Anne Frank.

She also sang that the Holocaust was just a bunch of lies. When prosecutors played the song for the court in January 2018, Chabloz sang along with the recording.

The Westminster court decided to activate the suspended sentence and impose another nine weeks suspended sentence in case Chabloz engages again in racist incitement.
Ironically, and quite tragically, it was the United States that violated the agreement, not Iran. Trump, who despised anything bearing Obamas fingerprints, never took the time to understand the terms of the agreement nor the opportunities to build upon it. Rather than walking away from the deal, as he did in May 2018, Trump could have negotiated with Tehran to strengthen and lengthen its terms, reduce the quantity and quality of its missile arsenal, and condition further sanctions relief on an end to Irans malign activities in the region.
JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. -- Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves loosened crowd size restrictions in Mississippi as his states COVID-19 numbers continue to drop and vaccinations rise, with more than half a million people now fully vaccinated.

Reeves on Wednesday extended a previously-issued executive order, but amended it to allow up to 75 percent of capacity at indoor venues, including college arenas. It also allows K-12 events to reach up to 50 percent of capacity.

According to the Mississippi Department of Health, another 80,000 people became fully vaccinated in the last week, bringing that total to 506,082. Overall, more than 1.2 million doses of COVID vaccine have been administered across the state, including 142,942 doses on the Mississippi coast, representing 11.3% of the statewide total.

In Jackson County, another 4,613 doses were administered this week, bringing the total to 52,208. Harrison County now totals 76,480 doses after another 8,666 were administered.

While vaccinations continue to rise, the number of new cases of COVID-19 continue to drop rapidly. There were 1,491 new cases reported statewide over the past seven days, down from 1,894 the week prior. The 53 deaths reported were identical to the previous week.

Jackson County had 57 new cases of COVID and two deaths reported, down from 59 and four, respectively, the week prior. On Monday, there were no cases or deaths reported in the county for the first time in roughly a year. Jackson County now totals 13,042 cases and 242 deaths.

Harrison County enjoyed an even bigger drop, with 84 new cases, down from 116. For the second week in a row, only one COVID-19 death was reported in the county, which now totals 17,397 cases and 299 deaths.

The Mississippi totaled 176 new cases, down from 224 the previous week, with three deaths, down from seven. COVID-19 deaths on the coast have dropped by 85 percent in the past month. The coast now totals 34,129 cases and 629 deaths.

Other data from the MDH shows hospitalizations for COVID also continue to drop. As of Friday, there were 195 people hospitalized with COVID statewide, with 61 of those in intensive care. Both numbers are decreases from a week ago, when there were 243 people hospitalized statewide and 80 of those in ICU.

The numbers are even better in Jackson County, where Singing River Hospital and Ocean Springs Hospital reported a combined total of four COVID patients, none in ICU.

The MDH now considers 292,872 Mississippians recovered from COVID-19, with 5,778 known active cases -- a 13.4% drop from this time last week, when there were 6,675 active cases.

Total testing stands at 2,610,281, with 25,042 tests conducted in the past week, while the positive rate continues to remain steady at 11.7%.
The federal government has threatened to apply "no work, no pay" rule against the resident doctors, who embarked on an indefinite strike yesterday to protest alleged failure by the federal government to fulfill its obligations to them.

The doctors whose umbrella body, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had earlier met with the federal government team on Wednesday over their grievances, rejected the proposals put forward by the government on how to make up for the shortcomings in the implementation of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between both parties.

Speaking on a live TV programme, the association's president, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said the strike commenced at 8 am yesterday.

"The strike commenced 8 am, and we enjoin all resident doctors to start the strike immediately.

"We had a meeting with the minister of labour from 4 pm to about 12 am this morning, but as it stands; we are used to memorandum of understandings for over a decade now, and we insist on the implementation of what we wrote on our strike message. "We're not just doing this for resident doctors, we're doing this for all health workers."

Speaking on the proposals put forward by the federal government, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige said, "12 hours is a lot of time. Everybody will be working. Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) will be working. And hopefully by tomorrow, you will experience the payment as agreed here for the second category of doctors (an overflow of the MDCN quota). We hope it must happen tomorrow and continue.

"So, by the time the chairman of the CMDs comes up with his final list and harmonise it with MDCN, we won't have issue anymore over this payment or whether some doctors have not been paid."

With regards to other issues raised by the doctors at the meeting, Ngige explained that timelines had been put on them, stressing that they would reconvene in one month's time to look at the assignments given, to know who performed and who has not performed.

THISDAY however gathered that the minister also reminded the doctors of the sensitive nature of their life-saving work and the fact that the government would not hesitate to activate the 'no work, no pay' rule should they decide to go ahead and withdraw their services.

But the leadership of NARD denounced the agreement it signed Wednesday, saying they were under intense pressure to agree to the suspension of the strike ultimatum.
Sanjib Baruah. In the Name of the Nation: India and Its Northeast. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2020. 296 pp. $30.00 (paper), ISBN 978-1-5036-1128-3.

Reviewed by Berenice Guyot-Rechard (Kings College London)

Published on H-Asia (April, 2021)

When Sanjib Baruahs Durable Disorder came out in 2007, it quickly established itself as an essential introduction to how northeastern Indiaa region that was historically a crossroads between the Indian Subcontinent, the Southeast Asian peninsula, and Inland Asiabecame associated with seemingly unending insurgencies and other forms of disorder, seemingly directed against the Indian state.[1] Baruahs work helped the fledging historian I was then make sense of the troubled relationship between India and its Northeast and raised urgent questions about how to historicize the phenomenon. I cannot be the only scholar of Northeast India to owe such a debt to Baruah. His work once stood out as one of the few book-length touchstones on Northeast India, alongside those of Amalendu Guha or Udayon Misra for instance.[2] Not least of Durable Disorders strengths was how Baruah implicitly took South Asianists to task for their inattention to the Northeast, and thus their imbrication in marginalization processes.

Fifteen years later, it is encouraging to see how much has changed. Scholarship on Northeast India is booming. The rise of interdisciplinary borderlands approaches, pioneered by the likes of Willem van Schendel, is redefining the study of South Asia from its margins in.[3] Understandings of contemporary India increasingly make space for Northeast India. Yet much has changed in another way, too. The Modi era has highlighted the Northeasts centrality to battles over the idea of India.[4] Delhis Act East policy, the penetration of the BJP and Hindu nationalism in a region with huge Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and animist populations, ongoing tensions with China, and above all the fixation on rooting out Bangladeshis from the region through murky citizenship registration processes have made Northeast India a battleground for a new India.

In the Name of the Nation thus could not be timelier. In just under two hundred pages, Baruah distills decades of research to offer a powerful overview of the overlapping mechanisms that have made Northeast India an exceptional example of the shortcomings and failures of the territorially circumscribed post-colonial nation-state (p. 3). Over six chapters, each rich in individual insights yet echoing one another, Baruah takes on the dynamics of region-building (chapter 1), the vexed issue of citizenship and belonging (chapter 2), the politics of development (chapter 3), the Naga conflict (chapter 4), and the entrenchment of the security state (chapters 5 and 6).

What gives the book its peculiar power is the presence throughout of four interlocking strands: the rejection of insurgency as a frame to understand Northeast Indian politics; the characterization of development as an ideology and practice rooted in unequal power relations; the entwined dynamics of incorporation and othering; and finally, the contested, protean nature of the subaltern in Northeast India.

To think of Northeast India is to think of AFSPA: the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. First applied to the Naga areas before being extended across much of the region with remarkable casualness, the act infamously grants exceptional powers and immunity to Indian armed forces in disturbed areas (p. 4). AFSPA, Baruah argues, is but the centerpiece of an exceptionally harsh security regime that entails the outsized assertion of military and police presence in a region deemed ever unstable, unpredictable, and disordered. The leeway this givesnot just to the military but to other armed forces and nonstate actors like plantation ownersto behave with brutality toward the entire population only ends up antagonizing en masse. Tactical counterinsurgency decisions to give de facto amnesties, protection, and license to bear arms to ex-militants turned informants (as was practiced against the United Liberation Front of Asom, in the 1990s), only increase violent crimes and destroy trust in Indias justice system and wider institutions.

Rooted in the assumption that political strife and criminality can only be dealt with through military means, the AFSPA regime is out of proportion with the strength of armed militancy in the Northeast; it also creates the very conditions it is supposed to quell. Framing Northeast India in terms of insurgency vs. counterinsurgency is to miss the fact that so-called insurgents seldom have the popular approval, the reach, or the aim to topple the state, Baruah argues. For some, armed resistance is rather a form of claims-making (p. 4). What is more, in much of the Northeast, state and non-state armed entities are in de facto informal partnership. In this hybrid political regime, groups who make a show of their potential for violence are co-opted by state power and continue exercising their might over local society with the acquiescence, if not the cooperation, of that power (pp. 7-8). Shared sovereignty practices thus become the de facto norm in areas of Manipur and Nagaland where NSCN-IM, the main winner in the cease-fire between Delhi and militants for a greater, independent Nagaland, holds sway. The very structure of the cease-fire undermines the possibility of lasting, people-centered peace.

Such insights matter far beyond Northeast India. Baruah makes a powerful case for the need to stop analyzing democracy at the national unit. In AFSPA, India has devised oppressive legislation (inspired from colonial laws) whose power lies precisely in its ordinariness. That AFSPA does not fall under constitutional emergency provisions, but under ordinary law, means it is embedded at every level of the Indian state in the Northeast. Faced with a security state that only seeks to offer protection and in exchange expects unquestioned acceptance of its decisions, arbitrariness, without accountability or democratic decision-making, Northeast Indians assert their rejection of securitized citizenship (p. 162).

The impossibility of democratic citizenship taints the vocabulary of development that forms the other half of the postcolonial states approach to Northeast India (p. 42). In one of the most fascinating chapters, Baruah draws on recent scholarship by Bengt Karlsson and Dolly Kikon to explore development as the central ideology through which a host of power holdersfrom the central state to regional politicians, from militant groups to economic elitescan justify and maintain their hold over society.[5]

For 150 years, Northeast India has been simultaneously resource and settlement frontier. Even as the label tribal reduced millions to an unchanging, primitive identity, the region historically attracted migrants from all around South Asia, and as far as China. Some of the subcontinental migration continues. In this context, development becomes a site of cultural politics and contestation (p. 88). This new identity discourse can be deployed in the name of tribalness by ethnic elites (and by state authorities keen to bring them on board), so as to exclude entire peoples from the right to economic prosperity, access to land, or decent working conditions. In the hills of Meghalaya, coal mining has enriched Khasi and Jaintia elites who, co-opted by the state, use their protected status to sanctuarize their economic and political power while pristine tribal land is destroyed and the mostly migrant population working the mines is exploited. These issues of political economy deserve far more attention than has so far been the case in a historiography more preoccupied with identity issues, Baruah points out.

Through constitutional provisions guaranteeing special economic rights for Scheduled Tribes, development imaginaries betray another cornerstone of the Northeasts relationship to India: over there, nation-state formation and internal othering go hand in hand. Much of the region was incorporated late into India, sometimes only after independence. Its inhabitants Otherness was assumed based on those same ideas of tribalness, along with specific (yet elusive) physiognomic types.

Seventy-four years after independence, none of this has disappeared. The postcolonial state has enshrined Northeast Indiaa directional, policy-driven place name inherited from colonial rule and laden with power hierarchiesas the term to describe the region. The Home Ministrys North-East Division and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region mark out Northeast India as an Other within, which only a prodigious big leap in prosperity can incorporate into the nation (pp. 44-45). Absent that leap, and given insurgencys illness, Northeast India remains in the perpetual antechamber of India, its inhabitants an object of policy rather than fellow citizens (p. 13). Baruahs point will find echo in scholarship on other parts of the world, such as Tibet.[6]

To grasp the most incisive point in In the Name of the Nation, however, one needs to read chapter 2 only after the rest of the book. The chapter explores how the legacy of colonial rule and Partition, postcolonial ethno-politics, and the advance of Hindutva in the region have combined to throw millions of people into a citizenship limbo and existential vulnerability. Baruah insists that the Northeasts ongoing cultural transformation should not be read through the prism of Bangladeshization, vilified by Assamese nationalists and Hindutva supporters alike. The diversity of Assamese Muslim communities notwithstanding, Miya Muslims (of East Bengali origin) have traditionally adopted Assamese as their language and supported Assamese politicians. The problem for Assamese nationalists today, Baruah argues, following M. S. Prabhakara, is not that their culture will disappear, but that its standard bearers will be those of Bengali origin.[7]

Clashes around migration, citizenship, and belonging betray the most pressing question in the book: who exactly, in todays Northeast India, is the subaltern? Constitutional provisions guaranteeing specific rights for Scheduled Tribes (like the prohibition to own land for nontribals in some areas) have permitted the commodification, if not the destruction, of tribal land at the hand of tribal elites allied with the state and mainland capitalists, even as traditional culture is rapidly changing. Tribal elites capture of claims to indigeneity, resources, and political capital bears the weight of a century and a half of reducing many people to an unchanging, primitive, innocent tribalness. But in the present, it rubs against the widespread reality of a deeply uncertain, vulnerable life for anyone suspected of being a migrant. Baruah ends by warning us, via Mamdani, that if violence in Northeast India can potentially be an act of citizenship by subalterns, this same subaltern identity could, untransformed, generate no more than an aspiration for trading places, for hegemonic aspirations (p. 192).[8]

Such a short, panoramic book necessarily leaves things out. International and transnational dimensions are the most telling absences. The connection goes beyond the geopolitics-infused racialization of Northeasterners in mainland cities as exotic or Chinese-like (p. 17). It nestles within the very idea of the mainland, this place to which Northeast India is linked but by a tiny strip of land. It is there in the way Northeast India, ever since colonial and Nehruvian times, has been concurrently seen as a conduit for invasion and subversion, a buffer-fortress whose function is to protect India, and a conduit to the rest of Asia. And it is there in the way Chinas nearby presence and deepening hold over Tibet, and sights over Arunachal Pradesh, condition Indian state-building.[9] Spelling out the impact of this geopolitical framing of Northeast India would have enhanced an already fascinating book.

My other quibble is one of form. While absolutely engrossing for the interested reader, the book may not be easily accessible for lay audiences. The books condensed and wide-ranging nature makes for a dizzying read at times, which makes it difficult to assign to students other than advanced ones. Since Baruahs insights deserve the widest audience, this is a shame.

That said, In the Name of the Nation is a stellar exposure of the fractal nature of the relationship between India and its Northeast, one rich in insights for anyone seeking to understand not just contemporary India, but also the pitfalls of postcolonial, would-be nation-states. It will be read for a long time yet.

Notes

[1]. Sanjib Baruah, Durable Disorder: Understanding the Politics of Northeast India (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007).

[2]. Amalendu Guha, Planter-Raj to Swaraj: Freedom Struggle and Electoral Politics in Assam, 1826-1947 (New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research, 2006 [1977]); Udayon Misra, The Periphery Strikes Back: Challenges to the Nation-State in Assam and Nagaland, 1st ed. (Shimla: Indian Institute of Advanced Study, 2000).

[3]. Willem van Schendel, Geographies of Knowing, Geographies of Ignorance: Jumping Scale in Southeast Asia, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 20 (2002): 647-68.

[4]. Arkotong Longkumer, The Greater India Experiment: Hindutva and the Northeast (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2020).

[5]. Bengt G. Karlsson, Unruly Hills: A Political Ecology of Indias Northeast (New York: Berghahn Books, 2011); Dolly Kikon, Living with Coal and Oil: Resource Politics and Militarization in Northeast India (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2019).

[6]. Dibyesh Anand, China and India: Postcolonial Informal Empires in the Emerging Global Order, Rethinking Marxism 24, no. 1 (2012): 68-86.

[7]. M. S. Prabhakara, Of State and Nationalism, Frontline, October 9,1999.

[8]. The quote is from Mahmoud Mamdani, Making Sense of Political Violence in Postcolonial Africa, in Fighting Identities: Race, Religion and Ethno-Nationalism, ed. by L. Panitch and C. Leys (Lonson: Merlin, 2003), 144-45.

[9]. Berenice Guyot-Rechard, Shadow States: India, China and the Himalayas, 1910-1962 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017).
Johannesburg, April 2 : With the Easter weekend approaching, a South African Minister warned that police would be deployed in the streets to deal with people not adhering to Covid-19 regulations, especially those regarding alcohol.

Briefing the media on the updated regulations in Pretoria on Thursday, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said police roadblocks would be set up, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Over the weekend, the police will be set up roadblocks... People aren't allowed to be carrying alcohol from one place to another," she said.

The briefing came after President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement that off-site alcohol sales would be prohibited from Friday to April 5.

No person would be allowed to buy alcohol at retailers.

Establishments such as restaurants and bars would sell alcohol but patrons would not be allowed to take it home.

Dlamini-Zuma said the decision to ban alcohol over the weekend was to curb the spread of the virus which had resulted in high levels of hospital admissions in December 2020.

"We have to take precautions because we know that during Easter weekend, there are lots of movements," she said.
A federal judge has upheld San Franciscos ban on sales of fur in the city, rejecting industry arguments that the law did not apply to online sales of fur products delivered to San Francisco.

The ordinance, sponsored by then-Supervisor Katy Tang in 2018 and backed by animal-rights activists, prohibited the sale or distribution of fur products by any means in San Francisco. It exempted sales at secondhand stores, which remain legal, and allowed retailers until the end of 2019 to sell off their inventory.

Similar ordinances were already in effect in Berkeley and West Hollywood. Animal-rights activists support the bans, saying the fur industry holds animals in cramped wire cages and uses brutal methods to kill them.

City officials said fur sales in San Francisco had totaled about $11 million in 2012. On the same day the local ban took effect in January 2019, a new California law barred the trapping of fur-bearing mammals in the state for commerce or recreation. And another state law, due to take effect in 2023, will prohibit the sale and manufacture of fur products statewide, with a few narrow exceptions.

The San Francisco ban was challenged by the International Fur Trade Federation, which said the city was interfering with interstate commerce. U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg rejected that argument in July, saying San Francisco was prohibiting only manufacturing and sales within its borders and was not regulating operations elsewhere.

The federation then amended its suit to contend that the ban did not apply to purchases from the website of a company that has a store in San Francisco and delivers the furs to a customer in the city. Those sales, the trade group argued, do not take place within city limits. Seeborg disagreed Monday and dismissed the suit.

Citing the laws directive to prohibit fur sales in San Francisco by any means, the judge said, The list of banned activities must be read to apply to the broadest range of sales, which necessarily includes internet sales where both the buyer and seller are located in San Francisco.

Seeborg quoted a 2018 statement by Tang, sponsor of the ordinance, that it was intended to cover online fur sales that would actually be delivered to a San Francisco ZIP code.

Attorney Nicholas Arrivo of the U.S. Humane Society, which filed arguments in support of the ordinance, said, The right of cities and states to bar the local sale of cruelly produced animal products  whether in-person or online  has been affirmed.

A lawyer for the industry group could not be reached for comment.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Interview: CPC a model for true embodiment of people's aspirations, says Egyptian party chief

Xinhua) 14:08, April 02, 2021

CAIRO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) is a model for the true embodiment of people's aspirations, a renowned Egyptian politician told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"The CPC is a vigorous mass popular party that has managed to embody all the aspirations of its people and nation for prosperity and progress," said Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban, secretary-general of the Egyptian Socialist Party (ESP).

Shaaban commended the achievements of the Chinese ruling party over the past 100 years that led to the rise of China from a poor country to the world's second-largest economy, describing the accomplishment as a "miracle."

"For the CPC to achieve this miracle in less than four decades, it is an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of humanity," he said.

China will celebrate the centenary of the CPC (1921-2021) later this year.

"In this century, the party has been exposed to problems, attacks, and tough situations, yet it managed to overcome them all and be connected to the people, achieving what no other party has ever achieved in history," said the ESP chief.

Shaaban pointed out that he visited China three times and met Chinese President Xi Jinping twice, once during Xi's visit to Egypt in 2016, and the other time during his visit to China in 2018.

He praised Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, as "a true leader and a high-class statesman" as well as "a model for a leader who believes in his mission, in his cause, and in his people."

The Egyptian party chief is currently writing a book on China's development experience, and has recently written several articles on China, covering its success in eliminating extreme poverty and its successful battle against the COVID-19 crisis.

Under the CPC leadership, China has managed to overcome the ordeal, restore its economic activities and then extend a helping hand to the world with medical aid and expertise to fight the pandemic, according to the Egyptian politician.

"China's CPC-led battle against COVID-19 is the greatest evidence of the party's competence and preparedness to lead humanity to a desirable and positive shared destiny," he said.

Shaaban also described the Egypt-China relations as "historical" and "strategic" that involve "great gains for both sides."

Egypt can benefit from the Chinese experience in fighting poverty, achieving scientific and technological progress and carrying out infrastructure projects, and it can play a major role in building the Belt and Road as a pivotal country in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East, according to the ESP chief.

The Egyptian politician emphasized that among the factors behind the CPC's success are its closeness to the people and ability to gain their confidence through sincerity and fulfillment of promises, as well as its ability to cleanse itself via continuous anti-corruption campaigns.

"The CPC is a party with humanitarian values, which extends its hands to the whole world for common prosperity and seeks relations that achieve the common good of all humankind," Shaaban said.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Following an uneasy year of darkened screens, empty seats and competition with streaming platforms, the first of San Franciscos independent local theaters is finally gearing up to reopen to the public again. On Friday, May 14, the Balboa Theater in the Outer Richmond will welcome patrons to its two-screen cinema for the first time in over a year, the theater announced.

And greeting you in the lobby might be a person inside a Godzilla suit.

Owner and operator Adam Bergeron plans to kick off the theaters newly announced programming with the return of its cult favorite monster showdown Godzillafest  a three-day event spanning 10 of the oldest films in the worlds longest-running franchise, presented in partnership with Bay Area Film Events. Individual tickets for each screening  rather than festival passes  will be sold for $15 each as the theater adheres to 50% capacity guidelines.

As usual, itll be a celebration of all things Godzilla  moviegoers can expect to see vendors selling vintage action figures, Godzilla-themed pieces of artwork, plus raffles and prizes  but also another monster-sized achievement: the theaters survival.

Last month, Bergeron said, the Balboa was barely hanging on. In spite of a solid turnout at its weekly Popcorn Pop-Up events, he was two months behind on rent, and as the funds from his previous PPP grant dried up, he had no choice but to apply for another large loan to keep the venue going until its reopening.

While the business is safe, weve definitely put ourselves in much more debt than wed be comfortable with, he said. But it was either that or we would lose everything.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGate

Bergeron added the theater was not allowed to apply for a second round of PPP loans if they also intended to apply for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant  a $16 billion program administered by the SBA  but that the restriction was lifted just last week. Now, he feels optimistic that the Balboa will receive both loans.

Thats saved the day, he said. It took so much work to get to this point.  if not for the overwhelming support of the neighborhood and the movie community, we just wouldnt have made it. The odds were stacked against a business like ours.

Historic local venues have certainly been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic, and will likely be among the last to reopen. Even when they do get the green light, many still anticipate that people may be slower to return to movie theaters and live shows than other indoor public spaces.

We've had a number of tentative [reopening] dates on the calendar and had to cancel, said Steve Nasser, a representative of the 1,400-seat Castro Theatre. As a large venue, it's not practical for us unless we can host 500 to 600 guests. We'll get there, but I'm unable to pinpoint a date; much will depend on city regulations and the willingness of the public to attend large indoor events.

The Roxie Theater in the Mission District is eyeing a late May reopening date, according to executive director Lex Sloan; however, the nonprofit cinemas virtual screenings and drive-in programming at Fort Mason Flix are still going strong. In April, the Roxie will co-present Guillermo del Toros classic fantasy flick Pans Labyrinth with SF Latino Film Festival and The Mexican Museum, as well as the Oscar-nominated Minari and none other than the locally filmed favorite, So I Married an Axe Murderer, which will be co-hosted by the Chronicles Total SF podcast and the Balboa (SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another).

"It is going to feel so good to fire up our 35mm projectors and have the lobby smelling like popcorn again," said Sloan. "We are planning a very uniquely Roxie return with four days of films and experiences you won't find easily anywhere else."

MORE: Why 'So I Married an Axe Murderer' is an ode to San Francisco's North Beach

After Godzillafest, Bergeron hopes to roll out another festival of sorts at the Balboa, loosely titled Rock n Roll at the Movies. The series would include Monterey Pop  a 1968 documentary following the music festival of the same name  as well as a closer look at some of the live footage of the most famous artists that performed there, including Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding. The Bob Dylan documentary Dont Look Back and This is Spinal Tap would round out the repertory side of the series, but audiences can expect some modern programming too, including a Daft Punk farewell night. The theater also plans to revive its Rewind Wednesday series with the 2002 Britney Spears film Crossroads (which this writer personally endorses).

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGate

As for the Balboas popular parklet and weekly live jazz shows? Bergeron plans to keep those components alive, too. Though all theaters in San Francisco can now serve snacks and soda again under the orange tier of the city's reopening plan, a modified version of the concession stand will remain outdoors.

It behooves us all to keep this going  its all part of maintaining a sense of community, he said. My dream is that people can come by an hour ahead of time, grab a beer and hang out for a while, and then after the movie they can come back and have a space to discuss what they watched. It feels like itll add a cafe quality to the experience.

The Vogue Theatre on Sacramento Street  which is also operated by Bergeron  is expected to open by mid-June. He said both theaters will continue to be cognizant of the safety of their patrons as well as their employees, most of whom are now fully vaccinated.

That was the real tipping point that made me think, Okay, we can reopen now, because the well-being of the staff is definitely paramount, said Bergeron.

Now, hes feeling hopeful as he looks ahead to the highly awaited reopening of his 95-year-old venue.

I think people are eager to go back to fun and familiar things, and theyre also going to be happy to see that a business like ours has made it. I think the public will come back with a renewed appreciation for experiences like movies and live music  itll come back with a force and well remember how much we missed it.

Visit the Balboa Theater's website for tickets to Godzillafest and other upcoming screenings.
Dutch outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the VVD party leaves during a suspension of a debate at the Parliament's Lower House in The Hague on April 1, 2021. (Bart Maat/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

Dutch PM Rutte Fights for Political Life After Blunder

AMSTERDAMDutch opposition parties presented a no-confidence motion in caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte on April 1 and accused him of lying in public about what he had privately discussed during talks to form a Cabinet, presenting the biggest challenge to his leadership in a decade.

Rutte was the clear winner of the March 17 parliamentary elections that were seen as a referendum on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic crisis. Losing a vote of confidence would cripple his ability to form a new government.

It wasnt clear whether centrist parties in Ruttes previous coalition, who are likely to participate in any new coalition, would continue to support him. A debate over the situation appeared likely to last into the early hours of April 2.

The crisis arose on April 1 after Rutte acknowledged having privately discussed what job should go to a prominent member of Parliament who had been critical of his previous Cabinet. Rutte had previously said he didnt do so.

The only thing I can do here is say from the bottom of my heart, my toes, say what happened, what went well, what went wrong, that I never lied, Rutte said in Parliament on April 1.

Rutte, a 54-year-old conservative who has been in office for more than 10 years, pointed to his record and said he hoped to continue leading the country.

Talks on forming a new government were abruptly put on hold on March 25 when one of the chief negotiators unwittingly revealed a sensitive document to a news photographer as she rushed out of Parliament after learning that she had tested positive for COVID-19.

The document showed that negotiators were discussing a position elsewhere for popular MP Pieter Omtzigt, a prominent critic of Ruttes previous Cabinet, though Omtzigts Christian Democrats were part of the ruling coalition. The cryptic remark has been interpreted as implying outside Parliament or outside the Netherlands.

Rutte told reporters on March 25 he hadnt been the one to mention Omtzigts position.

Lied to the Whole Country

In Parliament on April 1, Rutte told skeptical lawmakers that he had forgotten mentioning a Cabinet post for Omtzigt in a private conversation. He said he hadnt hinted at a position elsewhere during talks about the Cabinet, which he said meant he technically hadnt said anything untrue.

Opposition lawmaker Geert Wilders, who filed the no-confidence motion, said Rutte had lied to the whole country. Seek a job elsewhere yourself, Wilders said. We cannot go further with this PM.

Omtzigt, who was sworn in as a member of Parliament on March 31, said the implication he should be removed was an affront to the Dutch voter.

He demanded full transparency about how his name had come to be on the document.

Ruttes conservative VVD party convincingly won Marchs national elections, even though his government resigned in January over a scandal in which thousands of families were wrongfully accused of child care benefit fraud for years, often on the basis of ethnicity.

Omtzigt had persistently asked questions about the matter until it became fully public.

In his defense, on April 1, Rutte appealed to his track record.

I led the country through an economic crisis, an immigration crisis, and through a very serious health crisis, a pandemic, and I am looking very much forward to working on the recovery of this country, he said.

The Omtzigt affair wasnt the first time that Rutte has blamed a poor memory for making false statements in public.

Saying he didnt have an active memory of crucial details, he survived a string of heated debates in recent years, on issues ranging from Iraqi civilians killed in Dutch bombardments to a corporate lobby to scrap the countrys dividend tax.

By Bart H. Meijer & Anthony Deutsch
Sir Georg was running late for the meeting at the Savoy hotel in London, as was common for him, so Valerie went up to his room to find him. He answered the door in his bathrobe, Villella said. He apologized and asked her to help him find his socks. She was married at the time, he separated from his wife, but they were married in 1967. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on stage at Orchestra Hall at a post-concert reception in 1992.
Geopolitics

Its the 11th hour for a true ceasefire in Yemen now as the world waits to see what Saudi Arabia will do next and the Houthis continue to apply pressure. Most recently, the Houthis claimed to have launched drone attacks on Riyadh, though there has been no confirmation of this from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-proposed ceasefire is really coming from Washington and is MBS means of partly repairing his global reputation by looking like the good guy in Yemen. There is a fair amount of motivation right now for the Saudis to pursue a ceasefire in a war that was supposed to last six weeks and is now in its sixth year with Riyadh having failed to achieve any of its objectives. Keep an eye on Marib province, where the oil is, and where the current Houthi offensive is focused.

About four-fifths of Libyas divided institutions have now been unified, including the central bank, parliament, and energy agency, leading analysts to hedge on Libyan oil stability by the end of this year. We think this is a premature hedge at this point, with planned December elections an elephant (on steroids) in the room. Libyas energy industry now is set to get $1.6 billion from the recently approved budget.

Less than a week after French Total SA said it would restart work at its giant LNG project in Mozambique after the government promised heightened security, a massive new push by insurgents is working to ensure that terror reigns and the project meets
A senior detective has appealed for the public's help in closing "a decade of intolerable grief" for the family of murdered police officer Ronan Kerr.

The 25-year-old was killed on April 2, 2011, after a booby-trap bomb exploded under his car outside his home near Omagh.

He had been in the PSNI for just a year.

No one has been convicted of Mr Kerr's murder, although one person was jailed for offences connected to the investigation.

Ahead of today's anniversary his family described how his brutal death was a "searing pain" that has followed them every minute of every day for a decade.

The officer now leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, said he still believes there are witnesses in the community who may hold the key to vital evidence.

He said: "Ten years ago today Ronan left his home to travel to work. His job was to protect the community. Despicably, people living in his own community planned and plotted to kill him simply because he was a police officer bravely going out every day to protect people and make communities safer places to live and work.

Expand Close Ronan Kerr PA / Facebook

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"No one deserves to be murdered because of how they earn their respectable living and I would ask those living in the Omagh area, who know vital information about the bomb attack and those involved, to bring it forward to police on this 10-year anniversary. It is never too late to do the right thing.

"Ronan's mum and family deserve to have some closure after a decade of intolerable grief. It won't take away their pain nor will it bring Ronan back, but seeing someone brought to justice for his sickening murder will allow them to close that chapter of the process at least."

DCI Caldwell made a direct appeal to the family and friends of the killers to come forward.

He told them: "Search your conscience, as now is the time that common humanity should override misplaced loyalty."

Chief Constable Simon Byrne also paid tribute to Mr Kerr.

He said: "My thoughts today are very much with Ronan's mother Nuala, his siblings and wider family circle and friends. Ronan's family deserve to see his terrorist killers behind bars where they belong.

Expand Close Statement: Ronan Kerrs mum Nuala and brother Cathair PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Statement: Ronan Kerrs mum Nuala and brother Cathair

"Major Investigation Team detectives will follow any new evidence.

"They have conducted a lengthy and complicated investigation incorporating several linked incidents, including attempts to murder other police officers, a bomb attack, arms finds and armed robberies.

"There is real potential to bring other people before the courts, but this is heavily dependent on people in the communities of Omagh and east Tyrone coming forward to talk to my officers about anything they know, particularly about the origin and sourcing of the component parts of the bomb."

In an interview this week Mr Kerr's brother Cathair, who now lives in Australia, said he had told his daughter Eabha all about her uncle.

"She would have loved him," he told the Ulster Herald.

"She is able to say his name and calls him Uncle Ronan.

"She points to his photos but she's too young to realise that she will never meet him in person."

Sydney-based Cathair told how Ronan "was great craic to be around" and he said it was a shame he never got to fulfil his potential in the PSNI. "I think Ronan would have made a real difference in community policing as he was able to make a lasting impression on anyone he spoke to, and he could relate to anyone," he said.

Shortly after her son's death Ronan's devastated mother urged Catholics not to be deterred from joining the PSNI.

Cathair said he was heartened to learn some young people had actually joined the police in response to his brother's death.

"As a family we are really proud of Ronan and what he stood for," he told the paper.

"I've had so many people tell me that what happened to him was the main reason they were determined to join the police.

"That tells me Ronan's death has not been in vain and gives us some comfort that those behind this did not achieve anything. In fact, it's the opposite."

In a statement the Kerr family said they still feel the loss a decade later.

"We as a family remember Ronan on his 10th Anniversary. We remember him fondly as the loving son and brother that he was," they said.

"We miss him every day and not a minute goes by where we don't feel the pain of his loss, and it's a searing pain.

"We will never forget his caring nature and sense of humour."
Posted Friday, April 2, 2021 4:00 am

- Washington State Journal

Early childhood care and education in the state would see sweeping reform through the expansion of affordable child health and learning services, if a bill in the state Legislature wins approval.

This is a gamechanger for kids and families across our state, said Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Federal Way, the bills sponsor.

Senate Bill 5237 would fund the Fair Start account and immediately allow more families within 60% of the state median income to become eligible on July 1, 2021. The program provides subsidized daycare services to qualified parents.

The program would take around $357 million of the Democrats proposed 2021-23 budget by relying on a capital gains tax expected to bring in about $550 million per year.

Opponents to the bill were concerned about the cost of the program as well as the possible cooling effect on private daycare companies in the state.

Thats essentially whats proposed in this bill  more government and more spending, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, said.

Depending on where they fall in the states median income, families with a household income within 60% of the state median income would earn eligibility for the program, though copayments would vary.

The act would also increase childcare subsidy rates, expand services to providers, reduce copays and increase eligibility for the Working Connections Child Care and Early Childhood Education and Assistance.

This pandemic didn't cause these problems. It only laid it bare for everyone else to see, Patty Liu, a Seattle mother and member of MomsRising, told the House Committee on Children, Youth and Families.

Liu said she considered quitting her job and raising her children full-time to save money from ballooning childcare costs.

Wilson said the bill helps families by lowering child care copayments, and increasing subsidies so parents do not bear the brunt of care costs. Currently, the state gives subsidies for up to 65% of childcare expenses; the bill would raise it to 75%.

The bill also supports higher pay for providers that also accounts for nonstandard work hours, or hours outside of a regular work day to consider the full cost of child care.

To account for needed staff, more licenses and certification would be offered to qualified childcare providers in the state. Fair Start would also set aside money for caregiver resources, including mental health and technical learning tools.

The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program would also expand to include children from a tribal government or children experiencing homelessness, previously left out of the ECAP eligibility threshold.

Aida Rodriguez, owner of Busy Bees Home Child Care, told the House Committee on Children, Youth & Families on March 18 that most subsidized families who seek childcare are women and children of color. Though she understands their need, Rodriguez can no longer afford to accept those families.

We can't go back to the way things were in childcare because the system didn't work to begin with, Rodriguez said.

Lawmakers voted to pass SB 5237 from the Children, Youth & Families Committee, and it will now be considered in the House Appropriations Committee.

The Washington State Journal is a non-profit news website operated by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation. Learn more at wastatejournal.org.
The Ohio Democrat who oversees the Capitol police said his House committee will review all security procedures after Friday's deadly attack and implored lawmakers to act like 'adults' and drop the politics.

During a Zoom press conference, Rep. Tim Ryan said a security review after a man drove into a Capitol barricade and killed a police officer before being shot dead by cops would need to be a 'bipartisan effort'.

'You know we've seen members of Congress who have, you know, pointed at that wall and made speeches and sent out fundraising emails based on it,' said Ryan, who chairs the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee.

'You know I think it's just the time for us to elevate the conversation, to be adults about how sensitive this is, how important this is to try and get this right.

'And it can't fall into the other political arguments that we're having,' he added.

Some Republican lawmakers had taken to calling the extensive fencing after the January 6 riot 'Fort Pelosi'.

Rep. Tim Ryan, the chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees the Capitol Police, asked Friday that lawmakers act like 'adults' and 'elevate the conversation' as they discuss the security needs of the U.S. Capitol after the latest attack

A police official investigates the scene after a vehicle rammed a barricade outside the Capitol Building

Rep. Lauren Boebert was among the Republicans who referred to the security fence around the Capitol as 'Fort Pelosi'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also took people on a video tour of what she called 'Fort Pelosi'

Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene both used the nickname 'Fort Pelosi' to refer to the barbed wire-lined fence that surrounded the Capitol.

Democratic lawmakers called for it to come down too - as it interfered with D.C.'s traffic and neighborhoods.

The fencing had recently been scaled back for the first time since directly after the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

And on Friday, a man networks identified as 25-year-old Noah Green of Virginia drove to a standard entrance to the Capitol - where the fence had been reopened - smashing his vehicle into driveway security barriers that were put in place after the Sept. 11 attacks. Green mowed down two Capitol Police officers with his Nissan Altima.

'To lose a member of the family like this in such a tragic way, you know on such a holy weekend, it's really disturbing,' Ryan said.

Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans was killed and a yet to be identified officer was injured.

'This is about the security of the nation's capitol, that's the temple of democracy and we've got to make sure it is secure,' Ryan told reporters. 'And I know members are taking it very, very seriously, but today was another blow for the Capitol Hill family.'

Ryan said he and other top committee members, Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, had been talking to the international community about how they keep their facilities safe, including Israel's Knesset.

'But the reality is, we've got to figure out what the sweet spot is with the security,' Ryan said.

He said it was premature, but referred to Friday's incident as a 'lone wolf' attack, and admitted those may be the hardest to fully prevent.

'We don't have all the answers here and, you know, if you're willing to give up your own life in order to kill a cop or kill somebody on Capitol Hill, more than likely you can maybe do that,' he said.
Hyderabad, April 2 : In a tragic incident, six people drowned in Godavari river in Telangana on Friday.

The incident occurred at the VIP Pushkar Ghat at Pochampahad in Nizamabad district.

Police said rescue workers pulled out five bodies while search was on for the sixth.

The incident occured when members of three families from different parts of Nizamabad district went to the river for worship and holy bath.

According to eyewitnesses, two minors stepped into water and as they were drowning some of their relatives also jumped in to save them.

Locals saved a boy from drowning while the remaining six met a watery grave. The deceased were identified as B. Srinivas (40), his sons Sreekar (14) and Siddharth (16), Raju (24) and Yogesh (16). Search was on for another teenager Suresh.

Devotees in large numbers throng the place every Friday for religious rituals and to take holy bath.
Burma China Again Seeks Myanmar Regime's Assurances on Oil, Gas Pipelines Security

Concrete markers and signboards such as these are embedded in townships in northern Shan State through which the China-Myanmar pipelines pass. / The Irrawaddy

China has reportedly requested a meeting with Myanmar over growing concerns about the security of its oil and natural gas twin pipelines project after ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State warned the military regime they would resume hostilities if its brutal killing of anti-coup protesters continued.

Multiple sources in Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar, confirmed to The Irrawaddy that Chinese officials are continuing to pressure the military regime to reinforce security measures for the twin pipelines, particularly in northern Shan State, where clashes with ethnic armed groups would be most likely to occur.

The project spans nearly 800 kilometers, comprising twin pipelines running in parallel from the port of Kyaukphyu in Rakhine State on the Bay of Bengal through Magwe and Mandalay regions and northern Shan State before entering China. The crude oil pipeline is designed to transport 22 million tons annually, while the natural gas pipeline is designed to carry 12 billion cubic meters of gas.

A recent warning from three ethnic armed groups that they are considering a resumption of fighting and joining forces with anti-coup protesters is seen as putting Beijings interests at risk, including the pipelines. Anti-Chinese sentiment has grown in Myanmar since the coup, with many people suspecting Beijing of supporting the military. China has repeatedly blocked efforts at the UN Security Council to take action against the Myanmar coup leaders. Anti-coup protesters have not only urged a boycott of all China-made products, but also called for the targeting of Chinese investment projects.

Among the vast number of China-backed projects, the oil-and-gas pipelines project has been in the spotlight, as it is the largest in the country and has been a source of controversy since 2013, provoking opposition among the affected communities and environmental organizations.

When the military regimes forces intensified their deadly crackdown on anti-coup protesters in late February, Chinese officials held an emergency meeting with Myanmar officials from the Home Affairs and Foreign ministries.

During the meeting, China asked the military regime to tighten security measures for the pipelines, saying the project is a crucial part of Beijings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Myanmar, according to a leaked document.

It also warned that any damage to the pipelines would cause huge losses for both countries and undermine confidence among foreign investors.

In March, Chinese mouthpiece Global Times claimed Myanmar protesters were responsible for attacks that damaged 32 China-backed factories in Yangons Hlaingtharyar Industrial Zone. Protesters denied the allegations, however, saying the attacks were a plot by the military to justify harsher crackdowns on protesters.

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Three NLD Lawmakers Among Nine People Detained in Myanmars Ayeyarwady

US Sanctions Pose Huge Risks for Myanmar Businesses

Myanmar Post-Coup Death Toll Tops 540 Thursday
iStock.com / iStock.com

Most American adults will be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in the coming weeks, which means many will be expected to return to their offices in the near future. After over a year of working remotely, some may find it tough to return to their offices, while others will find the switch back a welcome change. To find out how workers really feel about a return to the office, Envoy surveyed 1,000 full- and part-time employees  heres what it found out.

Read: Handshakes and More Office Rules Changed by COVID

66% of Employees Are Worried About Their Health and Safety

Despite the vaccine rollout, the majority of Americans feel wary about returning to the office for health and safety reasons, the Envoy survey found.

Simply put, there are real concerns among workers about whether or not the workplace will protect them once they return, said Larry Gadea, founder and CEO of Envoy. The data tells us that most employees fear their companies wont adequately protect their health, and a majority are worried their workplace will relax COVID measures too early. For many people, it comes down to the idea that there is a concern that their colleagues may not take the same precautions that they do and that the workplace simply wont have their backs.

If You Go Back: How To Protect Yourself When You Return to Your Office

The survey found that concerns are even higher among people of color (78%) and Gen Z (under age 25) employees (75%).

Gen Z workers and POC employees [may] come into the workplace with a different set of priorities and concerns than older generations or white employees, Gadea said. These priorities and concerns are based both on their own personal experiences as well as the larger systemic forces or cultural factors that shape their communities and generations, and can often leave these groups feeling like the institutions that are intended to protect them are not. Its not surprising that these concerns would extend to their employers.

Story continues

If Youre Looking: How To Interview For a Job When Youre Wearing a Mask

62% of Employees Want Companies To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines

Most employees want their employers to mandate vaccinations before returning to the office, which comes along with its own set of pros and cons.

It will be up to businesses and employees to work together to decide how they navigate this issue, Gadea said. The benefits are clear  employees will feel more comfortable coming into an office that has been fully vaccinated, enabling teams to collaborate and connect more deeply sooner. The potential drawbacks  companies definitely need to strike a careful balance between ensuring safety while not overstepping privacy boundaries. From what were seeing so far, with the right tools in place, that balance is possible. After all, both sides have the same goal  to get back to work in a way that feels comfortable and protected.

Dont Want To Go Back? Companies That Let You Work From Anywhere

48% of Employees Would Like a Hybrid Work Model

Nearly half of respondents would ideally work some days remotely and some days from the office, and 47% of employees say they would likely leave their job if it didnt offer a hybrid work model once the pandemic ends. In addition, 41% said they would be willing to take a job with a lower salary if the company offered a hybrid work model.

This sentiment sends an incredibly important message to business leaders in that, for the first time, employees are expecting significant changes from the workplace when they return, Gadea said. They want to be sure the workplace provides more value, offers more flexibility in where and when people get their work done, fosters more community and social connection, and of course, ensures improved health and safety. The pandemic has shown that many employees are perfectly happy and productive working from home, and the data reveals that the workplace needs to prove itself to employees, or companies risk losing their best workers.

Options: 5 Things To Negotiate at Your Job Other Than Salary

However, even though many employees want a hybrid work model, this wont be feasible for every company.

While there is a new and widespread expectation that work will become more flexible and remote-friendly, its important to note that theres no one-size-fits-all approach, Gadea said. There will be a range of solutions across industries, geographic locations, regulatory considerations and more. Each company will need to find the solution that works best for them, and while we expect to see more hybrid models, we dont anticipate it will be a universal solution.

Employees Continue To Value In-Office Work in Certain Situations

Although many employees want the option to work from home sometimes, many do see the value in going into the office, at least part of the time. When deciding when they would like to go into the office, employees said the factors they would consider most are what they need to get done for work (39%) and who else plans to be at the workplace that day (37%).

What Do You Think? Should Employers Require Workers To Take Time Off?

The data tells us that above all, employees want to return to workplaces together, Gadea said. While many of us can complete independent work from home, we still cant replicate the experience of working together collaboratively in an office environment in a virtual world. The effects of brainstorming and creating together are powerful, and its that kind of group work that we expect to predominantly take place in the workplace moving forward. This kind of team-oriented work often results in the most impactful projects, so it means that companies need to put integrated, smart systems in place so that employees feel safe and confident about going back to the workplace.

More From GOBankingRates

Last updated: April 2, 2021

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Heres How Employees Really Feel About Returning To the Office
Patna, April 2 : Janata Dal-United MLA Gopal Mandal, who is known for controversial statements, has once again triggered a controversy as he alleged that all police officers in the state consume liquor.

He made the statement after meeting the family of Sanjay Yadav who recently died in police custody at Barari police station in Bhagalpur.

"I believe that each and every police officer in Bihar drinks liquor and I have learnt that the officer who arrested the Yadav was also drunk," Mandal said.

He further said that the alleged officer and constables dragged Sanjay Yadav till police station by putting a towel around his neck.

"Sanjay Yadav's family claimed that he was ill and at home when the police officers arrested him. The claim of police officer that Sanjay Yadav was drunk is completely false. The senior officers of Bhagalpur Police and the doctor who conducted the postmortem have prepared false death report," the JD-U MLA said while talking to mediapersons in Bhagalpur.

Bhagalpur Police claimed that Sanjay Yadav became unconscious during questioning. He was taken to Jawahar Lal Nehru hospital in Mayaganj where he died during the treatment.

The police had detained Sanjay Yadav, an employee with the irrigation department, on March 29 for his alleged involvement in a clash. The local residents alleged that the police personnel dragged Yadav to the police station and assaulted him brutally while in custody, which led to his death.

"I appeal to CM Nitish Kumar and DGP SK Singhal to initiate thorough inquiry into the case," Mandal added.
 Close Hunter Biden shrugs off Trumps criticism

The White House announced its border coordinator, who was leading the Biden administrations attempts at halting the surge of migrants, would step down at the end of the month. The announcement on late Friday came just hours after border czar Robert Jacobson outlined the presidents plans to approach US companies to invest in Mexico and Central America to reduce migration.

Joe Biden, meanwhile, announced a $1.5trn budget proposal for 2022, with a 16 per cent increase in domestic spending. The White House outlined the proposal in its discretionary request, which is separate from Bidens latest $2trn spending bill, and the $1.9trn coronavirus aid bill recently passed by the Senate.

The president also ordered a 180-day study of the Supreme Court that includes the possibility of adding more justices. Increasing the number of justices, colloquially known as packing the court, could reverse the current conservative majority into a progressive majority, or, depending on the results of future elections, create a supermajority for one side or the other.

Newly reported emails between Trump administration officials show them bragging about persuading or pressuring the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to alter its releases on Covid-19 transmission and deaths among younger Americans.

As he continues to promote his new memoir detailing his story of grief, addiction and recovery, Hunter Biden used an appearance on Jimmy Kimmels show last night to take a sideways shot at the Trump family, mocking Donald Trump Jr for accusing him of nepotism  an accusation he mocked as wildly comical given the source.

As he writes in his book: Do you think if any of the Trump children ever tried to get a job outside of their fathers business that his name wouldnt figure into the calculation? My response has always been to work harder so that my accomplishments stand on their own.

Floridas Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has begun a lawsuit against the Biden administration to overturn a no-sailing directive that is depriving his states cruise industry of billions of dollars. Mr DeSantis, who has long been a critic of lockdowns and social distancing restrictions, said at a press conference yesterday that we dont believe the federal government has the right to mothball a major industry for over a year based on very little evidence and very little data.

Read more:
HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2021) Tallinn and Beijing secretly expelled one diplomat each late last summer, Hannes Rumm, an ex-senior employee of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, has said.

"At the end of last summer, our government made an unusual decision: a Chinese diplomat was deported from Estonia in connection with improper behavior, but this decision was not made public. In response, China sent home an employee of the Estonian Embassy in Beijing, but the Chinese government similarly decided not to disclose information about the expulsion," Rumm wrote in his column for the Maaleht newspaper.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets declined to comment on the issue.

Lawmaker Urmas Reinsalu, who served as the country's top diplomat from April 2019 to January 2021, told the ERR broadcaster that there are issues about which countries "prefer to keep quiet."

"Sometimes it is inappropriate to talk about what happened in relations between two countries. And it happens that there is a certain agreement between the countries on some issues," Reinsalu added.

The ex-diplomat declined to answer whether the expulsion of the Chinese diplomat was related to the case of famous Estonian marine scientist Tarmo Kouts, who was sentenced in March to three years in prison for spying for China. The court also confiscated 17,000 euro ($20,000) from the 58-year-old as proceeds from the crime.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 16:11:10|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- China's experience in eradicating absolute poverty is inspiring for all countries, especially the developing ones, Egyptian experts have said.

Diplomats, researchers and experts made the remarks at a recent seminar on China's poverty alleviation organized by Cairo-based Tahrir Center for Studies and Research.

The seminar discussed China's methods in tackling poverty, and takeaways for other countries from the process.

Ali el-Hefny, Egypt's former ambassador to China and former deputy foreign minister, said China's experience in uprooting poverty is successful, which added to other successes the country has achieved since the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"The country's achievement of eradicating extreme poverty for 800 million (people) ... is a miracle that shall go down in history," el-Hefny told Xinhua.

China has harnessed the capabilities of all sectors to improve the living standards of the poor, especially in the countryside, he said.

He stressed the Chinese government's keenness on enhancing development and building a well-off society while leaving no one behind has boosted security and development in China.

China's experience is inspiring not only for the developing countries, but also "advanced countries that aspire to raise rates of growth and development," added el-Hefny.

China declared on Feb. 25 that it has scored a "complete victory" in its fight against poverty and accomplished the arduous task of eliminating absolute poverty.

Nasser Abdel-Aal, a professor of Chinese studies at Cairo-based Ain Shams University, said the Chinese experience "is rich and associated with the Chinese policies" since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Praising the CPC's people-centered approach in eradicating poverty, Abdel-Aal said that fighting poverty in China was not based on providing aid for people, but was conducted through public policies and executive plans in the light of a development plan.

The Chinese leadership has established precise criteria for tackling poverty and databased the number of poor people and districts, which made it easier to deal with different cases with different approaches, he added.

Meanwhile, Ahmad al-Saeed, chairman of the Cairo-based Chinese-Egyptian institution Wisdom House for Cultural Industries, attributed China's poverty-reduction success to "the confidence between the people and the government."

Over the past eight years, China has lifted 98.99 million poor rural residents out of poverty, with 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 poor villages removed from the poverty list, according to official data. Enditem
For the first time in more than a year, George Lois is seeing familiar faces.

Regular diners are returning to his Gilligans Bar & Grill restaurants in Lower Paxton, Swatara and Hampden townships.

It was nice to see them. Finally, after they get the vaccines two weeks later they had the courage to come out and have a meal, he said.

I see a future ahead. I think we are going to be OK. We learn to live with it, he added.

As COVID-19 mitigation restrictions loosen for Pennsylvanias restaurant industry starting April 4, owners like Lois are optimistic they will see an uptick in diners pulling up bar chairs and sitting at tables and booths in the coming weeks. They say pent-up demand, additional stimulus money and administration of more vaccines is fueling confidence among diners.

People want to be out. They want to intermix with humans. They are tired of being locked up, said Ted Kalathas, owner of Theos Bar & Grille in Lower Allen Township.

Under the new rules, restaurants are allowed to resume bar seating, alcohol service without purchase of a meal and alcohol sales can once again continue up until 2 a.m. (Previously, last call for alcohol was set at 11 p.m.) Those establishments that self-certify can raise indoor dining levels from 50% to 75% occupancy.

Establishments must continue following social distancing guidance, table spacing, mask use and cleaning procedures.

Despite positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations trending upward, the state is moving forward with the new rules.

In recent days, Pennsylvania has reported some of the highest one-day totals in two months. More than 2,100 people statewide are being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, a number that has grown by nearly 700 in the past two weeks.

Earlier this week, Alison Beam, Pennsylvanias acting Secretary of Health, said the state has no plans to back off on easing restrictions for businesses.

Were closely following our hospitalizations, staffing and bed capacity as we watch the cases, also the deaths and understanding how any of the relaxation of any of our mitigation measures should happen incrementally, Beam said.

The relaxed measures were applauded when Gov. Tom Wolf announced them last month. They mark the states most lenient rules to date for businesses since the pandemic started in March 2020.

With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines improving, and more Americans receiving their shots, it would make sense to begin efforts to repair the Pennsylvania economy by safely easing some restrictions, said Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association.

In Pennsylvania, the health department said 3.5 million residents have received at least one shot and more than 1.75 million have received two shots and are fully vaccinated. Also on March 31, state officials announced everyone over the age of 16 will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines beginning on April 19.

READ MORE:

The accelerated vaccine timetable is anticipated to boost diners confidence about eating indoors. Yet, health officials have advised about moving too quickly. So far, the Center for Disease Control and Preventions guidance for fully vaccinated people only applies to private settings.

Dodge City Steakhouse owner Doug Krick welcomes the relaxed restrictions at a time when business is bouncing back. In the past month, he said weekends have been busier. The Harrisburg city restaurant is accepting Easter Sunday reservations but doesnt anticipate room for walk-ins.

We think its going to be a help. We think its going to be an incentive for people to come out, but as it is we are turning away people on Friday and Saturday because of the [lack of] seating, Krick said.

Restaurant owners say the relaxed regulations dont solve all of their problems. Many like Krick say increased occupancy is good for large restaurants but irrelevant at Dodge City due to space constraints. He said they can barely accommodate 50% occupancy - let alone 75% - due to the configuration of the dining rooms.

Also, Krick said it has been hard to plan because the state didnt immediately send out guidance about the relaxed restrictions. It was issued on April 1.

We get most of our information from the news on TV than any official government agency, which has been my frustration for a year, Krick said.

Seating also is an issue at Subway Cafe in Harrisburg, where co-owner Fotios Lamnatos said they have about eight tables open under the social distancing requirements. The only extra seating will be made available at the bar or outdoor tables.

Seating aside, Lamnatos said the biggest struggle is hiring help. The restaurant is operating with two servers and limited kitchen staff.

Its going to help but the other side is I dont have any employees. Its good they are going to open up the bars. I will get a little more busy. Its a good idea, if you have the help, he said.

Kalathas agreed the applicant pool is dried up, likely on account of enhanced unemployment benefits, something he said will resolve itself. Many bar owners like Kalathas welcome the return of bar seating, which has been absent since the Wolf administration banned it last summer.

Establishments can now resume happy hours and serve during late night televised sporting events.

The difference now is the single person is going to come out, where he couldnt come out before because he had to sit at a table or he had to get something to eat, Kalathas said. Thats the business that was lost on my end.
A delegation for the Biden administration "discussed the climate crisis" with Chinese counterparts during talks in Alaska this week, but the two sides did not form a working group on the issue, contrary to a Chinese media report, a State Department spokesperson tells Axios.

Driving the news: The report followed the first face-to-face diplomatic meetings between officials from the U.S. and China since the start of Joe Biden's presidency. The talks indicated Biden does not "plan to wholly abandon the Trump administrations tough tone in discussions with Beijing" writes NBC News.

What they're saying: "More broadly, we know the climate challenge does not get successfully addressed without significant additional action by China," the spokesperson told Axios. "China represents almost 30 percent of global emissions, in addition to its carbon-intensive investments abroad."

The spokesperson called Chinese President Xi's promise to achieve net zero emissions before 2060 "a significant step forward," but added that China needs to do more to reach Paris Agreement goals.

"We will continue to engage China and other key countries as we move forward to address the climate crisis. All countries must raise their ambitions as we move toward COP26 in Glasgow," the spokesperson said.

Flashback: U.S. Climate envoy John Kerry in January said that the U.S. must deal with China on climate change as a "critical standalone issue," but that the Biden administration will not stop confronting Beijing on human rights and trade abuses.

Go deeper: Democrats see China as a test for Republicans
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) - Cornell University says it will require students to be vaccinated this fall.

The vaccination requirement announced Friday covers the Ivy League schools main campus in Ithaca, the Cornell Tech campus in New York City and its upstate agricultural college.

University officials said that medical and religious exemptions will be accommodated, but they expect that campuses and classrooms will overwhelmingly consist of vaccinated students.

Cornell anticipates that enough students will be vaccinated to make in-person instruction possible, but said theres still uncertainty about conditions this fall.

Cornell has more than 23,000 students overall, with 22% coming from other countries.
The traffic congestion caused by a cargo ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week continued to ease on Friday, with the number of ships waiting to transit falling to 206, canal services firm Leth Agencies said, from over 300 three days ago.

On Monday, salvage teams freed the skyscraper-sized container ship, ending a crisis that had clogged one of the world's most vital waterways and halted billions of dollars a day in maritime commerce.

At the time, Canal officials said that more than 420 ships had been waiting for the Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned ship Ever Given to be freed so they could make the crossing.

Leth Agencies said that a total of 357 vessels have crossed the Canal since the ship was re-floated by a flotilla of tugboats, helped by the tides.

The Ever Given had crashed into a bank of a single-lane stretch of the canal about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez.

That forced some ships to take the long, alternate route around the Cape of Good Hope at Africa's southern tip a 5,000-kilometer (3,100-mile) detour that costs ships hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel and other costs. Others waited in place for the blockage to be over.

The unprecedented shutdown, which raised fears of extended delays, goods shortages and rising costs for consumers, added to strain on the shipping industry, already under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.

(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.)
Vietnams lawmakers dismissed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Friday after he had been nominated for the presidency.

The National Assembly passed a resolution with a 93-percent vote to relieve Phuc, whose five-year term ended accordingly.

The resolution only takes effect when a new prime minister is elected on Monday next week.

So Phuc will continue taking on the prime ministers responsibility until then, the legislature said.

State President Nguyen Phu Trong, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, had submitted a proposal on the dismissal of Phuc on Thursday, as per regulations.

Phuc has been nominated for the state presidency, as Trong will also step down after a National Assembly vote later on Friday, according to Nguyen Hanh Phuc, chief of the legislatures office.

This is the first time a prime minister has been tipped as a future president.

Vietnams new state president will be sworn into office on Monday next week.

Born in 1954, Phuc assumed office as prime minister on April 7, 2016.

Trong, born in 1944, took over from Tran Dai Quang as state president on October 23, 2018, after the latter passed away on September 21, 2018.

Deputy State President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh had been acting state president from September 23 to October 23, 2018.

Trong is the third person in history to have acted as heads of the Party and state at the same time since President Ho Chi Minh and Truong Chinh.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Jaipur, April 2 : Lieutenant General Amardeep Singh Bhinder, AVSM, VSM has taken over the reins of the Sapta Shakti command at a solemn ceremony at Jaipur paying rich tributes to the martyrs at the Prerna Sthal, confirmed Lt Col Amitabh Sharma, PRO Defence, Rajasthan.

He has commanded an Armoured Brigade, an Armoured Division and a Strike Corps on the Western Front. He was Deputy Chief of Army Staff (IS&C) at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) New Delhi, prior to taking over the reins of Sapta Shakti Command, Lt Col Sharma said.

Assuming command on Thursday, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief exhorted all ranks to be operationally prepared to meet the multifaceted security challenges facing the country. He extended his greetings to all Ranks, Veer Naris, Veterans, Civil Defence employees of Sapta Shakti Command and their family members.

Earlier on Wednesday, Lieutenant General Alok Kler, PVSM, VSM, ADCA relinquished charge of Jaipur-based Sapta Shakti Command. On the occasion, the General Officer paid tributes to the Bravehearts at the Prerna Sthal.

A third generation Army officer, General Kler was commissioned in the Armoured Corps in 1982 and had an illustrious professional career spanning over 40 years of his life in uniform and has been known for his leadership qualities, dynamism and passion for adventure.

During his tenure, the Sapta Shakti Command scaled even higher standards of operational readiness as also responded very robustly to the challenges posed by COVID-19.

General Kler cycled from Delhi to Jaipur in September 2019 to take over the reins of Sapta Shakti Command.

On relinquishing Command, Lt Gen Alok Kler extended his warmest greetings to all ranks of Sapta Shakti Command, Veer Naris, Veterans, Civil Defence Employees, their family members and media fraternity.
Migrants: Turkey and Greece trade accusations on Aegean Athens decries 'provocations', Ankara 'illegal pushbacks'

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, 02 APR - Greece and Turkey are once again trading accusations over migrant crossings in the Aegean Sea.



The Greek migration minister on Friday morning decried "various incidents in which the Turkish coast guard accompanied migrant boats to the European border, in an attempt to provoke an escalation with Greece".



In a statement, Greek authorities also accused a Turkish watercraft of having made "dangerous maneuvers" near the island of Lesbo, disturbing Greek naval patrols.



In recent days the Greek government reiterated its request that the Turkish government authorise the sending back of 1,450 migrants to whom the right to asylum was denied in Greece, based on the 2016 accord with the EU.



For its part, in recent hours Turkey newly accused Greece of forced pushbacks of rubber dinghies of migrants, in violation of international law.



The Turkish coast guard said it rescued 37 people off the coast of Izmir, who were allegedly sent back by border patrols to oversee the Greek islands.



The Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in some of these episodes of pushbacks, some of the migrants lost their lives at sea. (ANSAmed).




The woman reported missing on Wednesday afternoon was found safe later that evening, according to Laredo police.

Earlier in the day, authorities had requested help from the community in locating Maria Guadalupe Torres, 59. As per police, she was last seen on Wednesday at about 3:20 p.m. in the area of Texas 359 and Maria Luisa Drive.
Scientists have developed a new batch of biological robots that possess memories as well as the ability to assemble themselves. These are an upgrade to the xenobots we saw last year.

Unsplash

Also Read: Boston Dynamics Robots Dance Some Really Cool Moves To Welcome 2021



Developed by scientists at Tufts University and the University of Vermont, (study published in Science Robotics) the tiny xenobots were initially created from frog cells and were able to do small tasks like moving themselves and things around them as well as showcasing collective behaviour as a swarm.



However, now the new upgrades allow them to assemble into a body from a host of single cells, without the need for muscle cells while also possessing a memory where it can record and recollect whatever has happened to them.

The new xenobots were made from the stem cells researchers extracted from frog embryos. They allowed the robots to assemble themselves, as a frog would under normal circumstances and resulting in the formation of tiny balls with hair-like strands dubbed cilia that can be managed and controlled by the organism.

Tufts University

These cilia are often found in lungs where it helps in kicking out harmful material. However, researchers programmed the cilia to be used as tiny legs to help the xenobot move around.



Also Read: Robot Stocking Shelves In Japan Is Controlled By Staff Working From Home

Michael Levin, professor of biology and director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, explains, In a frog embryo, cells cooperate to create a tadpole. Here, removed from that context, we see that cells can repurpose their genetically encoded hardware, like cilia, for new functions such as locomotion. It is amazing that cells can spontaneously take on new roles and create new body plans and behaviours without long periods of evolutionary selection for those features.

The upgrades make them faster than their predecessors while making them live longer. They even possess the ability to heal themselves. Researchers working on the xenobots claim that theyre constructed just like a normal robot, except instead of using artificial materials, the xenobots use biological ones.

Also Read: Scientists Develop Fish Robots That Swim Underwater For Eco-Conservation Efforts

Tufts University

And while the cells could have numerous other capabilities that could benefit in the field of healthcare or the environment, researchers claim that xenobots have also been able to shed light on the functioning of a human cell and how they work together as a system.



Senior scientist Doug Blackiston explains, On the biology end, this approach is helping us understand how cells communicate as they interact with one another during development, and how we might better control those interactions.
South American nations severely tightened coronavirus travel curbs including shutting their borders with Brazil, where infections are spiralling, as the WHO slammed Europe's "unacceptably slow" vaccine rollout.

Many European Union nations are reeling from dramatic spikes in cases that have forced the reimposition of unpopular restrictions, including in Belgium where police used water cannon to disperse thousands who had gathered in violation of Covid-19 rules.

Read more: EU seeks 10 million AstraZeneca vaccines from India to meet shortfall -Indian source

Spikes in South America have reached alarming levels, fuelled by a more contagious variant first detected in Brazil, as Chile closed all borders, Bolivia sealed its frontier with Brazil, and Peru went into a lockdown over Easter.

"We are in a very critical moment of the pandemic," Chilean government spokesman Jaime Bellolio said Thursday, as the nation announced a border closure starting Monday.

Intensive care units in Chile are close to capacity, and authorities are trying to speed up vaccinations in a bid to stem the spread of Covid-19.

Neighboring Peru started a four-day national lockdown for the Easter weekend as it recorded its highest number of new cases since the start of the pandemic.

The country has a ban in place on all flights from Brazil, Britain and South Africa until April 15 to try and keep out the variants first detected there.

Ecuador's president also announced fresh curbs against an outbreak he described as a "public calamity".

Brazil is the epicentre of the coronavirus wave sweeping South America, reporting a staggering 66,500 Covid-19 deaths in March alone.

Read more: Brazil reports 91,097 new coronavirus cases, 3,769 deaths in 24 hours

At a field hospital in the suburbs of Sao Paulo, one doctor said she was alarmed at the spread of the virus -- and frustrated to see many of her compatriots ignore face masks, shun social distancing guidelines and even flood to underground parties.

"I see no difference in people's behaviour. People don't seem to understand the magnitude of this," said 53-year-old surgeon Marise Gomes.

Europe is also struggling to stop dramatic surges in infections, as the World Health Organization warned Thursday that its sluggish vaccination drive was prolonging a pandemic that has already claimed more than 2.8 million lives worldwide.

"Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic... however, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow," said WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge.

"We must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock."

Only 10 per cent of Europe's total population has received one vaccine dose, and four percent have received two, according to the WHO.

Read more: Opposition against UK vaccine passports grows

The EU's stalling roll-out stands in stark contrast with China, where the virus first originated, where biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac said Friday a third production line for its Covid-19 vaccine has been put into use, doubling its annual capacity of the jabs to two billion doses.

Amid surging cases, authorities in many EU countries including France, Italy and Belgium have been forced to reimpose restrictions, but after more than a year under such measures, populations are becoming increasingly weary.

Frustrations boiled over in Belgium on Thursday, where police used water cannon to disperse a crowd of 2,000 people that had come to a Brussels park despite strict coronavirus restrictions against such gatherings.

AFP journalists at the scene saw projectiles thrown at police in riot gear in the Bois de la Cambre park, venue of a fake concert announced on social media as an April Fool's Day prank.

There was more concern about the AstraZeneca shot on Friday, as Australian health officials said they were investigating a possible link between the vaccine and a case of blood clotting in a man who received it.

Several countries, including some EU nations, have temporarily suspended the AstraZeneca shot over concerns about side effects in recent weeks, but have so far found no evidence linking it with blood clots.

Read more: UK regulator found total of 30 cases of blood clot events after AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine use

The WHO, EU regulators and AstraZeneca say the jab is safe.

War-torn Syria's first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine under the global Covax scheme has been delayed until at least May, as the country's intensive care facilities are overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases.

"There are many patients who need intensive care," said Asma Sbayni, a doctor at the Mouwasat Hospital in Damascus.

"Unfortunately, there are many critical cases who die in front of us... We can't do anything for them."
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We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
Friday, April 2, 2021

Many conspiracy theorists believe that Eladio del Valle, a former Cuban Congressman who was murdered in Miami in February 1967, was involved in the JFK assassination. Was he friends with David Ferrie? Was he David Ferrie's paymaster? Conspiracy theorists love to tell stories about del Valle - but what is the truth?

More about Eladio del Valle including the autopsy results and his death certificate here.

Miami Herald, February 24, 1967

James DiEugenio writes in his book, Destiny Betrayed: (page 85)

"Ferrie developed an obsession for the regime of Fidel Castro. This led him to become more intertwined with the Agency and its underground Cuban exile community in New Orleans. He bombed targets inside of Cuba at the request of former Cuban Congressman Eladio del Valle. Del Valle was linked to the CIA, Santo Trafficante, and Senator George Smathers."

DiEugenio's source is the book Deadly Secrets by Warren Hinckle and William Turner, page 233., and Probe Magazine. Here is an excerpt from page 233 of Deadly Secrets:

There are no footnotes for this paragraph.

James DiEugenio also writes in Destiny Betrayed: (page 226)

"Once Castro took over, Del Valle joined the violent opposition to him. One of the things he did was hire David Ferrie to run fire bomb missions over Cuba. Since Del Valle had run up a small fortune in smuggling contraband with mobster Santo Trafficante, he could afford to pay Ferrie well, 1,500 dollars per mission."

DiEugenio's source is once again Deadly Secrets, page 270 and page 321. Here is page 270:

There are no footnotes in this paragraph and thus no sourcing.

Here is page 321 from Deadly Secrets:

There are no footnotes in this paragraph and thus no sourcing.

While the pages on del Valle in Deadly Secrets have no sourcing, we can still figure out where Turner got his information. His book, Rearview Mirror, has a few pages on del Valle, and his source is journalist Diego Gonzalez Tendedera: (page 142)

And Tendedera did write about Eladio del Valle - in the Spanish-language newspaper El Tiempo which was then reprinted in English in the April 30 1967 edition of the National Enquirer. Here are two articles from the same issue: the first by Charles Golden, and the second by Diego Gonzalez Tendedera.

The key points of the above article:

- A "highly paid source" close to Garrison claimed that del Valle was a "close pal" of David Ferrie.

- Ferrie's death was "apparently suicide."

- Del Valle was located "in a Miami bar" three days before his murder by a Garrison investigator. He convinced del Valle to "help round up several persons believed to have conspired in the President's murder."

- Del Valle identified Manuel Garcia Gonzalez from a photograph with Lee Harvey Oswald. He believed it would take several days to find Gonzalez.

- Del Valle was a bisexual and "sexual deviance is taking on special importance as new evidence comes to light in the assassination probe."

- "There already have been definite signs that a number of people linked to the assassination probe were tied to Cuban politics, to organized crime and to sexual perversion."

- "Ruby has become a prime suspect in the New Orleans-based assassination probe."

- "Torture victim del Valle fits the overall pattern of sexual deviancy and international intrigue."

"del Valle teamed up with Ferrie as early as 1960 for "fire-bomb" raids in Cuba."

"Some of the truth is coming from the homosexual world, where talk is now rife about the obviously "gay" twists within the assassination conspiracy."

"Some key investigators feel Castro's "higher-ups" used homosexuals for the assassination."

The Tendedera article makes the following claims:

- Ferrie flew "scores of missions" with del Valle to drop bombs on Cuba.

- Tendedera "saw Ferrie and del Valle together almost every day" for six months.

- del Valle would pay Ferrie $1,000 to $1,500 per flight depending on whether they were going to bomb or pick up refugees which was "a far more dangerous mission."

- U.S. government agents put a stop to the raids.

- Tendedera has moved his family to a Manhattan hotel.

- "I personally believe del Valle and David Ferrie knew too much about the circumstances surrounding JFK's assassination."

Tendedera was wrong about the murder - del Valle was not hit with a machete and his skull was not split from ear to ear - the coroner said his death was due to blunt force trauma and the gunshot.

It is clear from the above articles that somebody in Garrison's office was talking to Tendedera and Golden - the comments about homosexuality certainly indicate the thinking inside the D.A. office in early March 1967.

There is only one reference to Eladio del Valle in Garrison documents:

Bernardo Torres, a Bay of Pigs veteran, was helping the Garrison investigation in Miami. It appears he talked to del Valle and asked him about photographs. Given the information from the Golden article, he must have been asking him about this picture of Lee Harvey Oswald - taken in New Orleans when he was handing out his Fair Play for Cuba pamphlets:

After Garrison figured out that Clay Shaw was the elusive Clay Bertrand, he invited Dean Andrews to dinner to corroborate his thesis. But Andrews refused to play, and when Garrison wouldn't let up, Andrews decided to test him. He invented a fictitious Cuban acquaintance of Oswald's, Manuel Garcia Gonzalez, and this piqued Garrison's interest. He then convinced himself that the man on the left, who has always been unidentified and who was helping Oswald that day, was Manuel Garcia Gonzalez. He then sent his investigators to Miami to find him.

Garrison couldn't help but shoot off his mouth about Manuel Garcia Gonzalez, and the press reported that Gonzalez was "one of a group of Cubans who reportedly hid behind a billboard in the parade route in Dallas.".

And William Turner mentioned Manuel Garcia Gonzalez in his June 1967 article on the Garrison investigation in Ramparts:

I don't know if del Valle actually saw any photographs - certainly if he was shown the Oswald photograph and did identify Manuel Garcia Gonzalez, then he was certainly playing along. In any case, the first time Garrison ever heard of del Valle was from that memo from Ivon about the Fowler telephone call.

The truth is that Garrison never really checked out del Valle for anything. Here is an excerpt from Garrison's interview with Playboy Magazine from October 1967:

Thus, the only source for the del Valle-Ferrie relationship was Tendedera. So, could there have been any truth to his allegations?

First, what about the claim that Ferrie and del Valle were together every day for almost six months? Stephen Roy, aka Blackburst, posted this on a bulletin board:

"The relationship as reported probably took place in late 1960-early 1961, but the claim that Ferrie and del Valle were together every day for a sixth month period seems to conflict with Ferrie's work record with Eastern Air Lines. None of the thousands of documents I have found relating to Ferrie mention del Valle, and none of his friends seem to remember him. I would be much more comfortable with Tendedera's story of a Ferrie/del Valle relationship if it were confirmed by some other credible first-hand source."

Did David Ferrie fly to Cuba? Once again, here is Stephen Roy :

Having looked very closely into the career of David Ferrie, while I cannot rule out the possibility that he may have made such flights at some juncture, I make the following observations:1) Prior to September 1961, Ferrie was flying for Eastern Air Lines three times a week from New Orleans to Houston and other Texas cities, including two overnighters. There would not have been a great deal of opportunity for him to have made such flights from Florida. (And the flight log on his Stinson contains no indication of any such flights.)2) Prior to April 1961, Ferrie was not fully accepted as an active participant by the anti-Castro Cubans.3) After his August 1961 morals arrests, Ferrie was soon ostracized by the Cubans. Further, his Stinson soon entered a long period of inactivity.Ferrie denied ever going to Cuba. However, he did tell a friend about one sojourn into Cuba in August 1960, which he said was for the CIA. He said he was wounded in the process, but his friends doubted this.So the assertion that Ferrie made "flights" or extensive flights into Cuba is not strongly supported by the evidence.

Del Valle is mentioned a few times in the Richard Billings diary. The f irst entry is from February 25, 1967:

Fowler has new information from Bernardo [de] Torres which proves unlikely . . . Torres has reidentified stocky guy in leaflet photograph, already positively identified as a Lebanese businessman . . . Torres claims his name is Verdaguer, a pilot, and his informant, Yito del Valle, was murdered the past Wednesday night . . . Del Valle turns out to be tied up with Santo Trafficante . . . Giant cuts Torres off as source . . .

And, then in April 15 - April 16 :

We discuss Yito del Valle briefly . . . Garrison interested in fact he knew Ferrie, but this aspect has not been developed by New Orleans . . .

And, then on April 20:

Garrison considers del Valle murder in Miami a side alley not worth pursuing at present . . .

Garrison didn't consider the del Valle murder worthy of investigation. It's interesting that the man in the photo was not identified as Manuel Garcia Gonzalez.

Tendedera's report would seem to have little credibility. And, here is a JMWAVE document from 1963 that also raises some questions.

And, what about the claim that del Valle was a smuggling partner with Santos Trafficante?

Here is an excerpt from an FBI report who talked to Daniel Vazquez, who had worked with del Valle:

Now, to be sure, that is not conclusive that del Valle was not working with Trafficante, but before I conclude that del Valle was his smuggling partner, I'd need some evidence.

Here is a letter from the CIA to the Department of Justice that mentions del Valle:

Rolando Masferrer was on trial for an attempted invasion of Haiti. As you can see from page 3, del Valle might have been murdered because of a trip he made to Haiti.

To sum up - the ONLY source for the del Valle-David Ferrie connection was the article by Tendedera. And, there is no corroborating evidence for its claims. You would think that conspiracy theorists might be a little more circumspect in circulating the del Valle rumors, but there are many books with the allegations.

And, of course, Oliver Stone couldn't help but put Eladio del Valle into three scenes in his film JFK. The first scene is with Jim Garrison and David Ferrie in a hotel room:

Garrison: Who are you scared of?

Ferrie: Everybody. The Agency, mob, Cubans. Follow the Cubans. Check out Eladio del Valle. He was my paymaster when I flew missions into Cuba.

The official screenplay says the source for this scene is Paris Flammonde's book, The Kennedy Conspiracy, page 119. The actual source is page 19 which states "Garrison believes that he was on occasion paid $1.500 per mission by a former Batista man, one Eladio del Valle."

Another scene is with Jim Garrison and his chief investigator Lou Ivon:

Garrison: I know what you're going through with Ferrie. We'll talk tomorrow. I have to catch a plane to Washington. A lead says he's closely connected to these events . . . but he won't come here.

Ivon: I'm onto Ferrie's Cuban paymaster, Eladio del Valle. I need more men. I need to get him in.

The next scene is in Ferrie's apartment after his death:

Garrison: Ferrie was the only one to express any kind of remorse about the whole thing. I think it got him killed.

Susie: More bad news from Miami. Ferrie's friend, Eladio del Valle, was found . . . hacked to death with a machete in his car. He was tortured, shot point-blank in the heart, his skull split open with an ax.

Ivon: Ain't that the devil's piss!

The source for this scene is Turner & Hinckle's book The Fish is Red [which was subsequently republished as Deadly Secrets] and Paris Flammonde's book The Kennedy Conspiracy - the screenplay admits that "they cite as their source Diego Gonzalez Tendedera, the Miami correspondent for El Tiempo."

There's not much left to say. Except that the del Valle story is still being used to bolster claims of conspiracy. Fabian Escalante, a former Cuban intelligence chief, told a conference of assassination researchers in the Bahamas in 1995 that del Valle and Tony Cuesta (one of the founders of Alpha 66) were involved with the JFK assassination.

If you want to read more about that conference, click here.

Very little was said about del Valle at this conference. At one point. Escalante talks about Tony Cuesta:

Escalante was asked about del Valle's murder:

But that was enough to impress Dick Rusell.

And, finally let's go back full circle to James DiEugenio. In his review of my book, On The Trail of Delusion, he brings up Eladio del Valle:

"For example, Litwin does not mention the infamous CIA agent Bernardo DeTorres as an early infiltrator into Garrisons office. DeTorres was later called as a witness before the HSCA. One reason being that he reportedly had pictures of Dealey Plaza in a safe deposit box. A second being he was in communication with people who talked about the assassination before it occurred. (DiEugenio, Destiny Betrayed, Second Edition, pp. 22728) Further, David Ferries colleague for raids into Cubaand a suspect in the JFK caseEladio Del Valle, was found killed, within 24 hours of Ferries death. The report written up for Garrison read, He was shot in the chest and it appears gangland style and his body was left in the vicinity of BERNARDO TORRES apartment." (ibid) If those two deaths, along with DeTorres infiltration, do not at least suggest attempts to cripple Garrisons inquiry, then what does?"

I have written a previous blog post about DiEugenio's missing evidence. Now, del Valle's death helps to prove an attempt to "cripple Garrison's inquiry."

I wonder if Diego Gonzalez Tendedera ever thought that his El Tiempo article would help make Eladio de Valle a legend in the conspiracy world.
Domestic, global economies set to be rattled by Japan's Renesas adding to severe chip crunch

Xinhua) 14:15, April 02, 2021

TOKYO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp. has said it could take up to four months for production at its fire-hit plant to return to normal levels, with the longer-than-expected recovery set to severely impact global automakers' production and rattle both domestic and global economies.

The damage caused by the fire at the Naka plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on March 19, was worse than initially thought.

Renesas President and CEO Hidetoshi Shibata first said that partial production would resume in late April, with full output expected within two months. But later, it updated that the fire damaged more than double of its initial estimate of machines used for chip production.

The Japanese chipmaker produces roughly a third of the global market share for micro-controller chips used in automobiles and is the world's second largest manufacturer of automotive chips.

According to the firm, the machines damaged in the fire aren't immediately replaceable as new ones are likely not to be ready until June at the earliest, and used machines from other plants and manufacturers aren't immediately available.

Therefore, Shibata said that the plant's recovery to pre-fire levels is now expected to take at least around 100 days and possible 120 days from the incident. Furthermore, while partial resumption of production may resume in late April, shipping of extremely limited volumes won't begin until late May at the earliest.

The delay in the plant's production is set to severely impact global automakers' production as makers are already struggling with a dire worldwide shortage of microchips.

Renesas said that owing to its output cuts, its supplies of chips to automakers around the world would dry up by the end of this month.

Shibata said global automakers, including the likes of Toyota, Hyundai, GM and Ford, should expect to feel the adverse effects of the shortfall in chip supply for a month-and-a-half to two months after all its existing stocks are shipped.

Global automakers had been challenged by a severe chip shortage and forced to slash production, in part due to a massive surge in demand for semiconductors used in consumer electronics and digital products as more people stay at home during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

On the domestic front, Japanese automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., have also drastically lowered their output at plants at home and abroad due to the chip supply shortage.

Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. said it expects Japanese automakers would henceforth have to reduce output by as much as 1.1 million vehicles in fiscal 2021, the equivalent of 5 percent of the total forecast.

Toyota Motor said that the extremely difficult situation after the Renesas accident left the carmaker no choice but to plan some sort of production cut.

Such production cutbacks could take a serious toll on Japan's already fragile economy as automobiles account for 18 percent of Japan's exports and 15 percent of the country's entire manufacturing output.

Renesas, a global heavyweight in the chip market, has now majorly contributed to the global chip supply crunch with some industry insiders saying that not only will the already recession-hit Japanese economy take a severe hit, but the global economy could also be rattled.

Nomura Securities has estimated that the ripple effect from the difficult recovery of Renesas could result in global vehicle production plummeting by as many as 1.6 million vehicles in the April-June quarter, which is 7 percent of the planned output, with makers across the United States and Europe likely to be seriously impacted.

Domestic and global economic concerns have prompted the Japanese government to intervene. Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said the ministry has been in talks with chipmakers in other countries to help make up for the Japanese chipmaker's shortfall.

"We are in communication with several manufacturing equipment makers to speed up procurement. The ministry will also work together for a swift recovery by using all possible means," Kajiyama said.

Adding to the chip supply chain's present woes, industry insiders voiced their skepticism, suggesting that Renesas' recovery to full production could take significantly longer than four months, thus dealing a far harder blow to the domestic and global economy.

"Bringing production back completely in three or four months will be extremely difficult, and companies should consider the possibility that effects will last for at least about six months," Sanshiro Fukao, senior research fellow at Itochu Research Institute, was quoted as saying.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
FULTON, Miss. (WTVA) - Fulton police are searching for clues and information surrounding the death of Deborah Evans-Bell.

She disappeared in February 2016.

The former house of Deborah Evans-Bell in Fulton, Mississippi. Photo Date: April 1, 2021

Deborah Evans-Bell Deborah Evans-Bell The former house of Deborah Evans-Bell in Fulton, Mississippi. Photo Date: April 1, 2021

At the time, police said she had traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, for a doctor's visit but hadn't been seen since returning home.

Investigators at the time said she had used a transportation service to make the trip.

Fulton Police Chief Mitch Nabors said the case remained open until her body was found in January of this year.

Related - Remains found inside crawl space in Fulton

Nabors said a man hired to make repairs to the plumbing at a home on East Hill Street found the skeletal remains on January 19. He said she had been buried in a crawl space beneath the home.

Evans-Bell lived there with her husband when she disappeared. However, the home has a new owner.

The police chief said investigators have questioned quite a few people of interest. He added the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is helping with the case.

Currently, investigators are waiting to learn her official cause and manner of death. The case is being investigated as a homicide.

Related - PD investigating death of missing Fulton woman as homicide
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI  While COVID-19 vaccine supplies are increasing, Washtenaw County Health Department officials said they still wont have enough to meet demand once eligibility expands.

The health department is still vaccinating those 65 and older, and those who became eligible on March 22, officials said. On Monday, April 5, all Michiganders age 16 and older are eligible for vaccination.

People can make appointments online with the health department themselves as they become available.

Some appointments may become available at other times if individuals cancel after securing an appointment elsewhere, officials said. Residents should check the website late on Friday or Monday mornings for appointments to open.

Eligilbe residents should fill out the individual vaccine appointment request survey at https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6230164/WCHDIndividual. Those who cannot complete the survey online can call 734-544-6700.

The health department has a vaccination clinic at Chelseas Pierce Lake Elementary School and at Eastern Michigan Universitys Convocation Center.

County health officials also are encouraging residents to check retail pharmacies, such as CVS, Meijer, Walmart, Kroger and Rite Aid, who may have more supply.

Michigan Medicine and IHA are currently vaccinating patients based on supply.

There is also an ongoing mass vaccination site at Ford Field in Detroit. To register at this site, Michigan residents can sign up online at https://clinic.meijer.com/register/CL2021, call 888-535-6136, or text EndCOVID to 75049.

As of March 31, the Washtenaw County Health Department has reported 80% of people age 65 and older and 37% of people age 16 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

As of March 30, 120,241 people have received at least one dose of vaccine in Washtenaw County between its various health systems, state data shows. The Washtenaw County Health Department is responsible for administering 49,234 of those doses, according to county data.

READ MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Ann Arbors TheRide to offer shuttle services to vaccination clinics

Washtenaw County residents can now self schedule for COVID vaccine appointments

Light at the end of tunnel visible for Washtenaw County, health leaders say after one year of COVID

Tens of millions of dollars in stimulus money expected to pour into Washtenaw County
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 21:06:26|Editor: huaxia

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by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) is a model for the true embodiment of people's aspirations, a renowned Egyptian politician told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"The CPC is a vigorous mass popular party that has managed to embody all the aspirations of its people and nation for prosperity and progress," said Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban, secretary-general of the Egyptian Socialist Party (ESP).

Shaaban commended the achievements of the Chinese ruling party over the past 100 years that led to the rise of China from a poor country to the world's second-largest economy, describing the accomplishment as a "miracle."

"For the CPC to achieve this miracle in less than four decades, it is an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of humanity," he said.

China will celebrate the centenary of the CPC (1921-2021) later this year.

"In this century, the party has been exposed to problems, attacks, and tough situations, yet it managed to overcome them all and be connected to the people, achieving what no other party has ever achieved in history," said the ESP chief.

Shaaban pointed out that he visited China three times and met Chinese President Xi Jinping twice, once during Xi's visit to Egypt in 2016, and the other time during his visit to China in 2018.

He praised Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, as "a true leader and a high-class statesman" as well as "a model for a leader who believes in his mission, in his cause, and in his people."

The Egyptian party chief is currently writing a book on China's development experience, and has recently written several articles on China, covering its success in eliminating extreme poverty and its successful battle against the COVID-19 crisis.

Under the CPC leadership, China has managed to overcome the ordeal, restore its economic activities and then extend a helping hand to the world with medical aid and expertise to fight the pandemic, according to the Egyptian politician.

"China's CPC-led battle against COVID-19 is the greatest evidence of the party's competence and preparedness to lead humanity to a desirable and positive shared destiny," he said.

Shaaban also described the Egypt-China relations as "historical" and "strategic" that involve "great gains for both sides."

Egypt can benefit from the Chinese experience in fighting poverty, achieving scientific and technological progress and carrying out infrastructure projects, and it can play a major role in building the Belt and Road as a pivotal country in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East, according to the ESP chief.

The Egyptian politician emphasized that among the factors behind the CPC's success are its closeness to the people and ability to gain their confidence through sincerity and fulfillment of promises, as well as its ability to cleanse itself via continuous anti-corruption campaigns.

"The CPC is a party with humanitarian values, which extends its hands to the whole world for common prosperity and seeks relations that achieve the common good of all humankind," Shaaban said. 
Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick broke up and got back together several times during their relationship. Now, Kim and Khloe Kardashian are trying to reunite the exes for old times sake.

During the latest episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Keeks and Koko attempt to play matchmaker and reignite the flame they believe is still burning between the Poosh founder and the father of her three children. But, do the famous sisters succeed in their mission? Read on below to find out.

Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian posing together while celebrating her birthday in 2015 | Denise Truscello/WireImage

Everyone believes Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick were made for each other

Many have been wondering about the status of Kardashians relationship with Disick, and it turns out that even the Kardashian sisters arent sure whats going on between the exes.

During the latest episode of KUWTK, the Kar-Jenners discuss the former flames relationship after the two spend a seemingly platonic night together at the familys vacation house.

To the family, it appears as though theres still something between Kardashian and Disick, and after they were caught spending the night together, everyone wants them to rekindle their romance.

RELATED: KUWTK: Kourtney Kardashian Curves Scott Disick When He Mentions Their Future

I keep telling her to like give it a shot. I feel like shes just so, like, not trying to, Kendall Jenner tells Khloe and Kim. Everyone thinks theyre definitely made for each other like theyre supposed to be together.

The Good American founder contemplated the possibility of Kourt and Scott getting back together, sharing, I think he would do it in two seconds. I think hes waiting on her to make the first move.

Meanwhile, the KKW Beauty mogul added, I just think she would be devastated if he had kids and a new family.

Kim and Khloe Kardashian parent trap Kourtney and Scott

While the rest of the family is desperate for Kourtney and Scott to reunite, Kim and Khloe come up with a plan to get the exes back together.

The sisters set up a surprise Switzerland-themed dinner disguised as a family gathering at the Kar-Jenners Malibu vacation home.

When Kourtney and Scott discover the romantic setting, they realize theyve been set up, and that the dinner is just for the two of them.

I think the family puts a lot of pressure on Kourtney more so than me, in regards to them wanting her to be back together with me, Disicks admits during his confessional. They just see two people who spend a lot of time together, do a lot of things with their children, so why cant we have a perfect family and a white picket fence? But its just not that simple.

But despite getting duped by their loved ones, Kourt and Scott still enjoy the evening, reminiscing about all the good times they shared and pointing out how comfortable they are around each other.

RELATED: Khloe Kardashian Shades Kourtney Kardashians Ex Younes Bendjima For Being Toxic and Negative

The Kardashian sisters are rooting for Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick to get back together

The next morning, Kim and Khloe find Kourtney and Scott in bed together. While they were convinced the two were officially back together, the Poosh founder soon broke the disappointing news.

Dinner was very nice, but were not back together, the mom of three told her sisters. Maybe were just getting back at you guys for meddling.

However, Kim and Khloe werent convinced.

I dont know if I believe that, the SKIMs founder said, Im rooting for them.

I think were all rooting for them, Koko added. Maybe they just need this time. And maybe they need even more time than right now. Who knows? But were always rooting for them.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr Muhammad Babandede, has warned Nigerians against contracting fake marriages with foreigners.

Babandede, who handed the warning at a briefing with newsmen in Abuja, on Wednesday, said doing so constituted a punishable offence because it deprived the Federal Government of expected revenue of tax and payment for resident permits.

He said that the warning became necessary because the service noticed that in 2020, the number of foreigners who got resident permits in Nigeria had tripled in number.

Babandede explained that the service had arrested a Chinese citizen and several Egyptians who used fake marriages to secure resident permits.

"Last year, if you look at our annual report, we noticed an increase in persons who got resident permits, because of marriage, which suggests the possibility of fake marriages to avoid payment for resident permits and tax is there.

"We are going to be very serious in investigating that and we have already started.

"I am glad to say that at the moment, we have a Chinese citizen whom we have arrested, who presented himself as a visa Agent.

"We have also arrested many Egyptians who have arranged marriages with compromised officers, who are also facing disciplinary actions.

"So, fake marriage will be thoroughly investigated and we will have a special unit to investigate marriages, and we will know how to do it.

"So, we want Nigerians, both male and female, to avoid contractual marriages, because it is an offence under the Act, and any attempt to deny paying revenue to the government, " he said.

Babandede added that henceforth, renewals of resident permits must be accompanied by evidence of tax payment, which would be validated by technology.

He noted that the service's greatest concern was the issue of foreigners coming to take up employment and salary without paying tax.

The NIS boss further stated that the service was collaborating with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to ensure that non-resident migrants and persons staying for less than 183 days in the country and earned income in Nigeria pay their taxes.

Vanguard News Nigeria
Retired Admiral James Stavridis spent 37 years in the military serving in NATO and as head of the U.S. Southern Command. He has spent his career dealing with the worlds great naval powers. VOAs Jela de Franceschi spoke with him about the current state of affairs between Beijing and Washington. VOA Khmer's Sisovann Pin narrates.
A 17-year-old boy killed after he was hit by a train has been described as 'the light of the room' in touching tributes.

Jamie McKitten, from Great Lumley, died at Chester-le-Street railway station in Country Durham on Wednesday.

The teenager was just four when he witnessed his father, Stuart Cummings, murder his mother, Kelly McKitten, in February 2008.

Jamie McKitten (pictured), from Great Lumley, died at Chester-le-Street railway station in Country Durham on Wednesday

Flowers and tributes have been left on the station platform in the wake of this week's tragedy

The full circumstances of Jamie's death are not yet known. Flowers and tributes have been left on the station platform in the wake of the tragedy.

Jamie's mother Kelly McKitten, 31, suffered more than 100 injuries when she was beaten to death by 'possessive' Stuart Cummings on February 20, 2008.

Her two young sons, Jamie and Ross, hid under quilts during the attack at their home in Pelton Fell.

Cummings, then 27, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years in November 2008 after he pleaded guilty to murder. He also raped his victim.

Linda Marshall, a family friend and local Labour councillor, said: 'Poor Jamie just couldn't get over what he witnessed. When you met and talked to him, he was always just such a lovely lad.

'He was well-mannered and had a twinkle in his eyes. He was just the light of the room when he came in, a lovely bairn. People loved him.'

A fundraising page in his memory has already raised more than 8,000.

Organiser Courtney Wilson wrote: 'Our young Jamie gone far too soon, he was the light to all of our lives and the life to all of our parties.

'We're all absolutely heartbroken and you'll be the biggest miss to us all.

The teenager was just four when he witnessed his father, Stuart Cummings (right), murder his mother, Kelly McKitten (left), in February 2008

Mr McKitten's friends gathered to exchange stories and remember the teenager today

The house where Ms McKitten's body was found in 2008 is pictured behind a police cordon

'All donations will be going towards the family for funeral costs, we would absolutely appreciate any help at all.

'Let's give him the biggest send-off he deserves!'

Cllr Marshall said Jamie was raised by his grandmother Shelley - who she has known since school - as well as his grandfather Joe.

As a testament to his character, she recalled how a few years ago Jamie did a litter pick across the village.

Cllr Marshall said: 'Obviously everyone is shocked, they just didn't see it coming - it really is heartbreaking.

'The outpouring around here has been tremendous. I walked around the village this morning, and the number of people talking about him is just incredible.'

One note left with a bouquet of flowers said he was the 'biggest star in the sky'

Jamie's friends today gathered at the station to remember him and leave touching tributes. One note left with a bouquet of flowers said he was the 'biggest star in the sky'.

Durham Constabulary and British Transport Police have been contacted for comment.

To donate to the fundraiser for Jamie's funeral costs, click here.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
A total of 25 convicted paedophiles are currently awaiting forced castration in Kazakhstan, the country's government has announced.

The sex criminals are the latest to undergo a procedure which one man said left him 'aching so badly' he could hardly walk.

A total of 95 men are expected to be chemically castrated this year in the ex-Soviet state, at a cost of 178 per paedophile, with the crash already allocated, according to the Health Ministry.

A total of 25 convicted paedophiles are currently awaiting forced castration in Kazakhstan, the country's government has announced

Convicts in Ust Kamenogorsk prison in north-eastern Kazakhstan, where chemical castrations are carried out

Interior Ministry official Alexey Milyuk said that since the 2018 law came into effect, 'the number of offences against the underaged has decreased by 15.4 per cent'

Interior Ministry official Alexey Milyuk said that since the 2018 law came into effect, 'the number of offences against the underaged has decreased by 15.4 per cent'.

Despite this there has been a 4.8 per cent rise in sex attacks on children, but this may be due to increased reporting of crimes, he said.

The Kazakh government believes that use of forced chemical castration to reduce male libido for life among convicted paedopohiles will ultimately slash sex crimes against children.

'Legislation has been significantly tightened to prevent crimes against the sexual integrity of children,' he said.

'Early parole for paedophiles has been prohibited Jail terms for rape and sexual violence against children have been increased from 12 years to life.'

Kazakhstan now jails all paedophiles in maximum security prisons, Milyuk said.

This year '25 convicts sentenced to forced chemical castration by courts are now in the penitentiary system.'

One child rapist who was castrated said after undergoing the first injection to reduce his libido: 'It is incredibly difficult, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.'

He called for a ban on the 'barbaric' procedure.

Nurse and grandmother Zoya Manaenko, 69, who is tasked with castrating paedophiles in one Kazakh jail, claims the West should also follow the ex-Soviet state's example

Zoya insists it is right that child sex attackers should face this ultimate punishment

But a nurse and grandmother tasked with castrating paedophiles in one Kazakh jail claims the West should also follow the ex-Soviet state's example.

Zoya Manaenko, 69, insists it is right that child sex attackers should face this ultimate punishment.

'These people need to be stopped somehow,' said Zoya who works in a prison hospital.

'They commit terrible crimes against children. So it is right that the law allows this.'

Zoya administers injections that one man said left him 'aching so badly' he could hardly walk

Kazakhstan's no tolerance policy includes publishing pictures, names and addresses of all child sex attackers after their release from jail.

Last year a map showed the location of 234 'potentially dangerous paedophiles' after their release.

Among those on the list of shame was Turegaz Tekebayev, 34, who had molested a five year old.

Another was Igor Trusov, 60, who sexually abused an eight year old, and was released in 2018 after a seven year sentence.

Timur Musin, 32, served a dozen years in jail, for abusing a two year old, according to the blacklist.

Kazakhstan's no tolerance policy includes publishing pictures, names and addresses of all child sex attackers after their release from jail. Last year the map (pictured) showed the location of 234 'potentially dangerous paedophiles' after their release

Paedophiles are named and shamed once they are released from jail in an effort to stop re-offending, Turegaz Tekebayev (left), Igor Trusov (centre), and Timur Musin (right) were among those featured last year

Lawyer Rena Kerimova said of naming and shaming: 'These people have children, families, grandchildren and now they are in this database.

'I believe it is a complex subject, it should have been thought through.

'People who are not repeat offenders should not have been included in the database.'
Giovanni Nardone 'made no reply' in Dublin District Court to the charge. (Stock picture)

A 73-year-old pensioner has been charged with possessing more than 100,000 in crime proceeds at his home in Dublin.

Italian-born Giovanni Nardone, with an address at Glenhill Avenue, Finglas, was arrested yesterday during an operation by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

He was taken to Finglas Garda station where he was charged with possessing 109,000 in crime proceeds at his home address.

The offence is contrary to section seven of Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.

Detective Garda Brian Johnson told Dublin District Court today that Mr Nardone was handed a copy of the charge and made no reply.

There was no objection to bail subject to him obeying a number of conditions outlined by Det Gda Johnson.

Defence solicitor Brian Keenan said the terms have been agreed.

Mr Nardone surrendered his Italian passport and was ordered not to apply for new travel documents. He did not have an Irish passport, the court heard.

Judge Bernadette Owens also told him to provide gardai with a contact phone number, to reside at his current address and not to leave the jurisdiction.

Mr Keenan said his client understood the order and has lived most of his life in Ireland.

An application for legal aid will be heard at a later stage.

The investigating garda said he has yet to see the accuseds statement of means.

Mr Nardone, who has not yet indicated how he will plead, was ordered to appear again on May 21.

Directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions need to be obtained.
New Delhi:

Supreme Court on Friday demanded status report from states on implementation of its September 6 judgment-related to the menace of cow vigilantism.

The Apex court on Friday said states were under obligation to compensate victims of violence by cow vigilante groups. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said states must frame schemes to compensate victims of crime, including those of cow vigilantism as envisaged under the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Karnataka & UP filed their compliance reports on Friday, while Maharashtra Govt said that it will file the report by the end of the day.



Supreme Court said that all states are under an obligation to compensate victims of Cow vigilantism violence cases. Next hearing is on October 31st.

Read | Cow vigilantism: Supreme Court's stern warning to states, take action against gau rakshaks



On September 6, the apex court gave a stern warning to state governments across India asking them to take action against the self-appointed 'gau rakshaks'. The apex court has asked states to appoint a senior police officer in each district as nodal officer to take action against cow vigilantism.



Cow vigilantes have been responsible for injuries and deaths of several innocent cattle traders and meat shop owners, who were beaten up on mere suspicion of beef trading or cow slaughter.



SC also said Central and state governments must take effective steps to stop cow vigilante groups from taking law in their hands.



ASG Tushar Mehta representing Centre told SC that law was there to take care of any kind of untoward incidents.



CJI Dipak Misra said 'We know laws are there, but what action has been taken? You can take planned action so that vigilantism does not grow'.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Russian-occupation forces violated the ceasefire in Donbas 14 times, as a result of the shelling of Krasnohorivka, a civilian was wounded by shrapnel, and two Ukrainian servicemen were also injured, the press center of the Joint Force Operation (JFO) said.

"Since the beginning of the day, 14 violations of the ceasefire by the Russian armed formations have been recorded, of which 13 shelling at the positions of Ukrainian defenders and one shelling of the civil infrastructure of the city of Krasnohorivka. In the area of responsibility of the Pivnich (North) task force, near the village of Zolote-4 Russian-occupation forces opened fire with 82-caliber mortars, while at Svitlodarsk and Novotoshkivske the enemy used large-caliber machine guns and grenade launchers of various systems," the JFO said in the report on the Facebook page.

In particular, in the area of responsibility of the Skhid (East) task force, near Pyschevyk, Krasnohorivka and Hnutove, the enemy opened fire from 120 mm mortars, grenade launchers of various systems and heavy machine guns, and near the village of Opytne, using from an anti-tank missile system.

"As a result of enemy shelling, two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded. The servicemen were promptly provided with the necessary medical assistance. Commands of the military unit and representatives of the Ukrainian Military Law-Enforcement Service are working at the scene. In the area of the village of Krasnohorivka, the enemy fired at civilian infrastructure, as a result of which a civilian was wounded by shrapnel," the headquarters said.

It is noted that the victim was taken to a medical facility.
Marshall County Library Expanding Branch Hours

By West Kentucky Star Staff

BENTON - For the first time since relocating its Benton branch in January of last year, The Marshall County Public Library is reinstating night hours at all three branches, beginning Tuesday, April 6. They will also reopen sections of the second floor at its Benton branch on the same day.The library will be closed on Monday,April 5, but will reopen on Tuesday with the following hours:Benton: Monday-Thursday (9-7) and Friday-Saturday (9-5)Calvert City and Hardin: Monday (9-7) and Tuesday-Saturday (9-5)We are so looking forward to expanding our services and hours to our community, Benton Branch Manager Lenisa Jones said. We have followed all state and CDC recommended guidelines the last year to be able to open and this is just one more step in the right direction of being able to be provide what we feel our community needs. We hope all of our patrons take advantage of this and take some time soon to come in and see us.For the first time, the AV room on the second floor of the Benton branch will be open, so patrons can browse the shelves for DVDs, audiobooks, and other audio/video circulation material. Limited stations in the computer lab will also be open.Additionally, the library will begin taking appointments for patron training on MakerSpace equipment, which includes the 3D printer, laminator, laser cutter, and vinyl cutter.Library staff ask that all patrons entering the libraries wear a mask, use hand sanitizer, and limit their visits to 15 minutes, to protect the health and safety of anyone who might be vulnerable. Curbside service is also still available to those who are unable to wear a mask.To make an appointment for training in the MakerSpace, or to request curbside service, call the library at 270-527-9969 or go to the librarys website at www.marshallcolibrary.org.
BYRON, Minn. - Authorities have released more information regarding a stabbing that left a 14-year-old male hospitalized.

The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office said the call came in at 6:13 p.m. near 3rd Ave. and 4th St. NW in Bryon after a reported fight between juveniles.

The 14-year-old victim was found lying on the walking path near the middle school while a second victim, a 15-year-old male, was swiped at with a knife but was not injured. The boy stabbed suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

A responding deputy saw the suspects walking in the 600 block of 2nd Ave. NW before they fled on foot.

They were taken into custody after a short pursuit in the 500 block of 1st Ave. NW in a church parking lot.

The victim was stabbed with a five-inch long steak knife, authorities said.

Authorities said a 16-year-old male is the one who stabbed one juvenile while a 15-year-old male was the one who attempted to stab the other victim.

All persons involved are known to each other.

The incident was not related to another suspicious activity event reported in Byron earlier this week.
PNL (National Liberal Party) leader Ludovic Orban on Friday said that the draft on the modification of the justice laws sent by Minister Stelian Ion to the CSM (Superior Council of Magistracy) was not discussed by the coalition government nor been subject to an ample public debate.

"The fundamental objective of the PNL, both in the period when we were in opposition and, especially now that we are in power, was to ensure the independence of the judiciary, to ensure a legislative framework at the level of European regulations and standards that will ensure the free access of the citizen to justice, will ensure the independence of the judiciary and allow the justice system to do justice to the citizens. The draft on the modification of the justice laws will have to be the subjected to an extensive public debate. The draft that was sent by the Minister of Justice to the CSM was not discussed by the coalition government and it was not subjected to an ample public debate, as required by the Venice Commission, both in terms of the justice laws and the criminal and criminal procedure codes. They need to be adopted through an ample debate and to truly represent modifications of the law that will ground a modern justice system, at the European standards," Orban said after a visit to the Official Journal.

He added that the draft on the modification of the laws of justice will be debated by the ruling coalition, by the society, professional organizations in the field.

AGERPRES.
and the major powers in the agreement to keep Tehran from developing nuclear weapons said Friday they are ready to welcome the return of the

The chair of the group including the European Union, China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain an said that the participants emphasized their commitment to preserve the JCPOA and discussed modalities to ensure the return to its full and effective implementation," according to a statement after their virtual meeting, referring to the acronym for the accord the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The group said they would resume further talks next week in Vienna, in order to clearly identify sanctions lifting and nuclear implementation measures.

The statement also said that the group's coordinator will also intensify separate contacts in Vienna with all participants of the nuclear agreement and the

(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.)
Suzhou's Xiangcheng spurs local growth with high-tech

From:ChinaDaily | 2021-04-02 10:09

Xiangcheng, one of the fastest-growing districts in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, is stepping up efforts to develop high-tech industries for further regional economic growth.

The 489-square-kilometer district is home to about 1 million people. Located near the cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing in East China, Xiangcheng district boasts connectivity by railway lines with Beijing and other areas.

Some 103 projects worth 23.59 billion yuan ($3.6 billion) were recently signed to boost high-tech development in Xiangcheng.

The projects cover digital finance, intelligent connected vehicles and the industrial internet among other areas.

Xiangcheng also announced it will offer up to 100 million yuan in subsidies to projects and up to 10 million yuan in financial support to attract experts and professionals to the district.

"Developing high-tech R&D as well as related manufacturing industries has been a long-term target for Xiangcheng," said Gu Haidong, Party secretary of the district.

The projects were under the framework of Xiangcheng's five-year plan (2021-25) issued recently to align with the country's 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, which set the main goals and tasks for the country from 2021 to 2025 and beyond.

According to the local government, Xiangcheng's five-year plan sets the main targets for district development over the next five years. It also attaches importance to promoting industrial development, building a modern industrial network, facilitating technology and innovation, enhancing infrastructure construction and improving the overall business environment.

Yang Weimin, head of the China Institute for Development Planning at Tsinghua University and lead editor for Xiangcheng's five-year plan, said development plans made for counties and districts are an important but relatively little recognized part of the country's overall development plan.

Such plans set goals and targets in multiple areas that are closely related with local residents' life and show them government solutions to problems residents care about mostly, like those of education, housing and business environment.

The projects were part of Xiangcheng's concerted efforts to develop industries to boost regional economic growth.

In the past year, the local government has held 125 promotional activities with 627 projects signed entailing investment of 231.9 billion yuan.

The district is home to 1,615 companies in the new economy, covering areas like digital finance, intelligent connected vehicles, industrial internet, advanced materials, blockchain and bio-medicine.

Gu said: "Xiangcheng aims to incubate at least 1,200 companies in the new economy each year for three consecutive years, and their total number is expected to surpass 5,000 by 2023.

"In addition, Xiangcheng will beef up efforts establishing a national-level digital financing industrial cluster, a national-level intelligent connected vehicles industrial cluster, a national-level demonstration zone for blockchain development and many others."
After a slow start, the two front-runners in the San Antonio mayoral race are raising more money than ever.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg raised nearly $318,000 from Jan. 1 to March 22, a campaign finance report filed Thursday shows  more than double the amount he raised at this point in his campaign two years ago. His campaign spent more than $197,000 in that time period.

But Nirenberg started out this race with less in the bank than he did in the last election  and has less cash on hand than he did then. The mayor had about $190,000 in his coffers as of March 22, some $94,000 less than he did at this point in the 2019 campaign.

Likewise, mayoral contender Greg Brockhouse nearly doubled his fundraising, compared with two years ago, after starting out the year with nothing in the bank except a $17,000 loan. The former city councilman brought in $100,755 from Jan. 1 to March 22 and spent more than $68,000 in that time frame.

Brockhouse had more than $25,000 in his savings account at the end of the reporting period  compared with the roughly $15,000 he had at this point in the last mayoral race.

The former councilman said Nirenberg should have raised more money, given that he has a team of more than 100 business and community leaders  100 of the biggest fat cats, Brockhouse said  to help him bring in funds for his re-election.

I doubled and Ron is abysmal, Brockhouse said.

A representative for the Nirenberg campaign did not return a request for comment.

On ExpressNews.com: Despite COVID-19 pandemic and winter freeze, San Antonio mayor's race off to quiet start

Brockhouse faces his own fundraising troubles. Hes campaigning without the financial support of the fire and police unions  which heavily backed him when he tried to knock off Nirenberg two years ago. The unions spent more than $530,000 during that race, helping Brockhouse, who once was a political consultant for them, make up a financing gap with the mayor.

In a dramatic move, the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association decided last month not to endorse any candidate in the mayors race. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Police Officers Association is trying to defeat a ballot initiative pushed by police reform activists to strip the union of its right to collectively bargain its contract with the city  a move proponents say would take away the unions ability to unduly shield officers accused of misconduct.

Police union President John Danny Diaz has said its likely the union will endorse in the mayors race  though it hasnt yet.

Nirenberg last month offered an olive branch to the union by telling Diaz he supports collective bargaining for police officers  though the mayor later insisted hes not taking sides in the ballot initiative fight.

Brockhouse said he knew the police union would have its hands full with the ballot proposition fight and that his team made moves early on to compensate. But he has downplayed the impact of the firefighters neutrality on the mayors race.

I knew this wasnt going to be the same race, and you make adjustments for it, Brockhouse said.

City Council money

The cost of San Antonios 10 City Council races is ticking up  surpassing $585,000.

District 2 Councilwoman Jada Andrews-Sullivan out-raised a crowded field challenging her for the East Side seat and tried to close a fundraising gap with her former staffer Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, a math teacher at Madison High School who has proved an effective fundraiser.

Andrews-Sullivan raised more than $21,000 from Jan. 1 to March 22 and spent $8,400. The first-term councilwoman had $12,679 in the bank at the end of the reporting period.

McKee-Rodriguez, who was Andrews-Sullivans communications director, brought in some $17,000, spent nearly $25,000 and had almost $9,000 in his bank account.

But McKee-Rodriguez has still out-raised and out-spent his former boss this election.

Andrews-Sullivan and McKee-Rodriguez arent the only big fundraisers in the District 2 race. Kristi Villanueva, president of the West San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, raised $16,575 and spent more than $17,000.

On ExpressNews.com: The board is set: More than 80 candidates running for San Antonio mayor and City Council

In the race to represent District 1 in the citys urban core, Councilman Roberto Trevino out-raised environmentalist Mario Bravo by less than $6,000 and out-spent him by a 4-1 ratio in his bid for a final term. But Trevino ended the period with less money in the bank  a little more than $20,000, compared with Bravos $34,000.

On the Northeast Side, District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry kept a substantial financial lead over his opponents. The councils lone conservative raised more than $40,000 in his quest for a third term. He spent more than $8,300 and held on to more than $85,000 at the end of the fundraising period.

Perrys main challenger, Ezra Johnson, vice chair of the VIA Metropolitan Transit board, spent more than Perry  about $14,000  but by comparison raised just $19,000. Johnson had some $14,000 in the bank.

In neighboring District 9, incumbent John Courage brought in more than $33,000, spent more than $31,000 and had nearly $24,000 left to spend. Conservative challenger Erika Moe, an attorney, raked in more than $23,000. She spent some $39,000 and had more than $11,000 in cash on hand as of March 22.

In a crowded race for an open seat in District 3, Phyllis Viagran is outpacing her opponents as she tries to keep the seat in the family. She is the sister of outgoing Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, who has termed out of the Southeast Side seat.

Phyllis Viagran brought in more than $15,000 and had nearly $10,000 on hand. But she was out-spent by architect Marcello Martinez  who spent more than $14,000, compared with the more than $10,000 Viagran spent. Still, she had about $2,000 more in the bank than Martinez.

Meanwhile, former state Rep. Tomas Uresti, brother of imprisoned former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, raised about $6,700 and spent $5,100 in his bid for the District 3 seat.

Norberto Geremy Landin, an executive for San Antonio South Texas Allergy and Asthma Medical Professionals, out-raised and out-spent his 10 opponents in the open race to replace outgoing District 5 Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales. Landin raised more than $15,000 and spent some $17,000. He said in a text message he has about $7,400 on hand.

Realtor Marie Crabb raised just $4,500 in comparison, but she spent $14,000 and had $13,000 leftover. Crabb also reported a $20,000 loan.

The remaining council incumbents  Adriana Rocha Garcia, Melissa Cabello Havrda, Ana Sandoval and Manny Pelaez  held comfortable financial advantages over their opponents.

Fix SAPD, the campaign behind the ballot measure to gut the police union, continued its fundraising streak  raising more than $245,000 and spending nearly $146,000. The political action committee had about $88,000 in its coffers at the end of the period.
The Grand Marina, Saigon, Marriott's largest branded residence project developed by Vietnam's Masterise Homes, was purchased at a starting price of $1 million per apartment in Hong Kong this March.

Artitsts impression of Grand Marina, designed to Marriott standards. Photo by Masterise Homes.

The price, equivalent to a unit price of $18,000 per square meter, is significantly higher than other luxury apartments in Ho Chi Minh City with an average price of nearly $7,000 per square meter, according to CBRE Vietnams 2020 Real Estate Market Spotlight.

However, the price is comparable to those of branded real estate projects in the area like The Residences at Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok and The Residences at St. Regis Singapore.

On the other hand, compared to Hong Kong  one of the most expensive housing markets in the world  the price is significantly lower than the unit price of the city states luxury segment, estimated at an average $46,800 per square meter, according to Savills.

Hong Kong investors get information about the project. Photo by Masterise Homes.

The emergence of a new real estate model in Vietnam, urban branded real estate, has caused the price of luxury apartments to jump and catch up with other countries in the region. With the endorsement of global brands, Savills' Branded Residence 2020 report stated, "The average price difference of the branded real estate market and the unbranded luxury real estate is about 31 percent."

Asia Bankers Club announced many customers have boldly decided to invest in Grand Marina Saigon without visiting the project or a model house.

"The project is backed by the Marriott International brand, which has created confidence for our customers. Moreover, in the context of the global economy, Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian country to record GDP growth in 2020 and is forecasted by the World Bank to increase its GDP by 6.81 percent in 2021," Kingston Lai, founder and CEO of Asia Bankers Club, said.

"Vietnams real estate market is emerging as a bright star, promising growth and opportunities for foreign investors like those from Hong Kong."

According to South China Morning Post, Vietnam welcomes Marriott's largest branded real estate project as investors are betting heavily on this amazingly growing Southeast Asian country. The article reports that Marriott International is making a foray into Vietnam's branded real estate sector, starting with Grand Marina Saigon.

"The success of the Grand Marina Saigon launch event in Hong Kong is a milestone marking the successful export of a new branded apartment product model, in addition to long-established products such as rice and coffee. The appearance of the Marriott International brand in the segment has placed the Vietnamese real estate market on the world map and caught the attention of foreign investors," a Masterise Homes' representative stated.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-01 23:49:38|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in the government-controlled Yemeni provinces on Thursday reported a sudden surge in the daily confirmed coronavirus cases.

Around 174 newly confirmed infections were reported during the last 24 hours in the provinces controlled by the government, raising the caseload to 4,531, the country's health ministry said.

It was the highest daily rise since the outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic in the war-ravaged Arab country.

The pro-government ministry also reported 18 new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 906, while the total recoveries remained at 1,682.

On Wednesday, Yemen received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine just days after the local government began tightening precautionary measures against the spread of coronavirus in the southern port city of Aden.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement that 360,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, 13,000 safety boxes and 1.3 million syringes have just landed in Yemen. "These are the first batch of vaccines shipped through the COVAX to protect health workers, people above 60 and those with existing comorbidities."

"The arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine doses is a critical moment for Yemen," said UNICEF Representative in Yemen Philippe Duamelle.

"As COVID-19 continues to claim lives around the world, Yemen now has the capacity to protect those who are most at risk, including health workers, so that they can safely continue to provide life-saving interventions for children and families. Vaccines work, vaccines save lives, now let's start getting people vaccinated," he added.

This first batch of COVID-19 vaccines is part of 1.9 million doses that Yemen will receive throughout 2021, according to UNICEF.

In February, Yemen's government announced that it approved using the British AstraZeneca vaccine as an emergency COVID-19 vaccine in the country's war-torn provinces.

Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik directed the country's health authorities to work out an inclusive national plan to distribute the vaccines that will be obtained through the COVAX initiative and the WHO, with support from Saudi Arabia's KSrelief center.

He stressed that it is very important to devise a comprehensive plan covering all regions in the country.

The Yemeni government previously called on donors and relevant international humanitarian organizations to provide support to help contain the pandemic.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem
Two-thirds of Catholics say Biden should receive communion: Pew

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A new poll from the Pew Research Center found that an overwhelming majority of American Catholics believe that despite his support for abortion, President Joe Biden should be allowed to receive communion.

Bidens outspoken support for abortion puts him at odds with the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, of which he is a member. The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is gravely contrary to the moral law. In a 2004 memo to then-Washington, D.C., Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Wilton Gregory, who served as Bishop of Belleville, Illinois, at the time, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI, outlined the factors that determined an individuals worthiness to receive communion.

Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a persons formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Churchs teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist, he wrote.

When these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible, and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it, the memo continued.

Bidens position led a priest in South Carolina to deny him communion as he campaigned in the state ahead of the 2020 Democratic Party's presidential primaries. There is division among American Catholics about whether Biden and other Catholic politicians who support abortion should receive communion.

According to the Pew poll, which was released Tuesday, 67% of Catholics disagree with the idea that Biden should be denied communion, while 29% believe that his support for abortion should prevent him from receiving the sacrament. A majority of Catholic Republicans and those who lean Republican (55%) believe that Bidens support for abortion should disqualify him from receiving communion, but their view is canceled out by the 87% of Catholic Democrats and Democrat leaners who feel otherwise.

As a whole, respondents gave an identical response when asked if politicians who disagree with the Churchs teachings on abortion should be able to receive communion. Sixty-seven percent said no while 29% said yes. However, the partisan breakdown differed slightly.

Republican and Republican-leaning Catholics were split almost evenly on whether priests should deny communion to a generic Catholic politician who is at odds with Church teachings on abortion, while 82% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Catholics said a Catholic politicians support for abortion should not disqualify them from communion.

Additionally, members of Catholic Church leadership have offered differing reactions to the action taken by this particular priest. High-ranking American Cardinal Raymond Burke described the priests decision to deny Biden communion as right and just while Gregory, who now serves as Archbishop of Washington, D.C., said that he would serve the then-President-elect communion in spite of his position on abortion.

The polls release comes as a statement made by Archbishop Joseph Naumann, the chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-life Committee, has drawn intense reaction from both sides of the abortion debate.

Two liberal groups, Faithful America and Faith in Public Life Action, have started a petition seeking the removal of Naumann from his position after he declared that Biden should refrain from calling himself a devout Catholic in light of his position on abortion. As of Friday morning, the petition had amassed nearly 20,000 signatures.

President Biden regularly demonstrates how important faith is to his personal life and to his commitment to justice and the common good. Yet instead of following the pastoral model of Pope Francis and other bishops who are building bridges with only the second Catholic president in U.S. history, the chairman of the U.S. bishops pro-life committee has questioned Bidens faith and even praised a priest who once denied Biden communion, the petition stated.

In addition to asking for Naumanns removal, the petition asked the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to select a new leader who will refrain from attacking the presidents personal faith, speak consistently about all life issues, work through sincere differences with respect, and join Pope Francis in seeking common ground with the administration. It also claimed that bishops like Naumann weaponize the sacraments (and) malign the faith of sincere Catholics while accusing Naumann of choosing the culture wars over pastoral leadership.

Meanwhile, the group CatholicVote has written a letter in support of Naumann that is still collecting signatures. As of Friday morning, the letter had received more than 44,700 signatures. We understand that your admonition of President Joe Biden, whose campaign was both funded and endorsed by Planned Parenthood, the nations largest abortion provider, did not make you popular in some quarters, the letter states in part.

In publicly noting that the Presidents unequivocal advocacy for abortion on demand makes him ineligible to receive Holy Communion, you have followed St. Pauls directive to Timothy: Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine. (2 Tim 4:2-3) We thank you for your courage in transmitting sound doctrine and for your commitment to defending the most vulnerable among us.

The Pew poll, which was conducted between March 17, also asked Catholics whether Catholic politicians who disagree with some of the Churchs other teachings should be able to receive communion. Seventy-nine percent of Catholics believe that a Catholic politician who disagrees with the Churchs teachings on homosexuality should be eligible for communion. This view is held by 85% of Catholic Democrats and those who lean Democratic and 68% of Catholic Republicans and Republican leaners.

Higher numbers of Catholics believe that Catholic politicians who divert from the Churchs positions on the death penalty (79%) and immigration (86%) should still be allowed to receive communion. Among Catholics who identify with or lean toward one party or the other, the difference in views about the eligibility of Catholic politicians who disagree with the Churchs teachings on both issues is negligible.
Many people have been missing out on a lot of things during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And for a certain sector of the population, that includes craft cocktails from their favorite restaurants. Because many are avoiding restaurants, data suggests that people have been making more cocktails at home since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

However, the types of cocktails being mixed seem to vary by location.

As a result, the travel rewards company Upgraded Points used Google Trends search data from March 2020 to March 2021 to try and determine the most popular cocktail in every state.

In Michigan, the data suggests that 7 and 7 is the go-to drink. Typically served on ice, the classic cocktail usually contains Seagrams Seven Crown and 7 Up. Michigan was the only state where it was the most popular, based on the search data.

RELATED: This sweet treat is Michigans most popular Easter candy, search data says

The analysis also found that the mimosa was the most popular cocktail in the highest number of states  Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Another champagne-based cocktail  the bellini  dominated in Alabama and Oklahoma. Five cocktails were the top pick in three states each: pina colada, wine cooler, White Russian, margarita and mojito.

Naturally, there were some clear local favorites, like the daiquiri in Louisiana and the mai tai in Hawaii. The data also found that search interest for cocktail recipes almost doubled in March 2020 compared to March 2019.

You can see the complete breakdown here.
The United States tore itself apart with extraordinary violence 160 years ago. Around 750,000 Americans died in the Civil War, which would be about eight million dead today. It is an experience no American should want to go through again.

Yet U.S. policymakers seem drawn to foreign conflicts like moths to light. Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton unaccountably made brutal battles in Lebanon, Somalia, and the Balkans Washingtons own. George W. Bush turned Iraq into a civil war and joined Afghanistans long-running conflict. Barack Obama escalated in Afghanistan, returned to Iraq after leaving, and racked up involvement in three additional bitter conflicts: Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Donald Trump kept the US fighting in all of them, though he launched a last-minute bid to withdraw from the longest one, Afghanistan.

So tired of enduring "endless wars" was the American public that even candidate Joe Biden promised to halt them. But will he? Or will this pledge, like the promises of so many other presidents, end up down the fabled memory hole?

A decade ago the "Arab Spring" swept the Middle East. Protests in Tunisia upended the dictator and led to a democracy which survives against the odds. In Egypt the autocrat also was ousted and a democratic election for president was held. However, the Saudis and Emiratis underwrote the generals, who retook control, creating an even more brutal tyranny that killed hundreds and imprisoned tens of thousands. The Gulf monarchies generally recognized the threat and opened their treasuries to dampen revolutionary sentiments. Bahrain invited Emirati and Saudi troops to back a vicious crackdown on protesters and guarantee the authoritarian Sunni monarchys survival, along with its rule over a majority Shia population.

Most dramatic were Libya and Syria, where peaceful protests turned into civil wars. In the former the US and Europe promoted regime change after making a misleading pitch for United Nations authority to protect civilians. The dictator was killed but the country was wrecked and fighting continued for a decade. Another attempt at a unity government is currently in process.

And there was Syria.

It began with peaceful protests, though the ultimate aims of the demonstrators were disputed. Religious minorities, having seen US military intervention turn Iraq into a national charnel house by removing the secular dictator, leaned toward President Bashar al-Assads government. Washington first called him a "reformer" and then insisted that he be ousted, radicalizing both sides and discouraging negotiation. Hopes for a political settlement went a-glimmering.

The opposition splintered. US efforts to create, arm, and train a moderate army floundered, with extremists, funded by several Gulf states, coming to dominate the insurgency. Assads rule shuddered under pressure, but he gradually retook most of the country with support from Russia, Iran, and Lebanons Hezbollah.

Washingtons efforts ultimately aided jihadists, including the local al-Qaeda affiliate. Only a few years after 9/11 the US helped deliver Idlib to the latter groups not-so-tender rule, which currently is buttressed by Turkey. Journalist Mehdi Hasan observed: "those responsible for arming and backing some of Syrias most thuggish rebel groups include  among many others  the government of the United States."

Washington also intervened directly against the Islamic State. Backed by American airpower a mix of forces led by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces ultimately defeated ISIS, eliminating its physical "caliphate" and capturing its capital of Raqqa. However, Ankara, which initially aided ISIS, and allied Islamist insurgents later attacked the Kurds.

The Islamic States 2017 defeat ended any meaningful role for US troops. Yet members of Washingtons bipartisan war party descended en masse upon President Donald Trump, lobbying to keep the US in yet another of the endless wars he had denounced. Indeed, some used positions of trust to put personal preference before the nations interest. For instance, Ambassador James Jeffrey, an anti-Trumper bizarrely entrusted with implementing the administrations Syria policy, admitted manipulating the president, "playing shell games" to mislead the latter and the country about the number and purpose of Americas deployment. Last year Jeffrey was tapped to chair a program at the Wilson Center.

Today without legal authority several hundred Americans occupy about of a third of Syria. The force is tasked with a variety of unrealistic, even ludicrous purposes, none of which justify the illegal occupation of another nation and dangerous confrontation with multiple, largely hostile, armed forces.

Syria is not and never has been an important American interest. Damascus mattered little to Washington even when a Soviet client during the Cold War. Years ago the country was militarily gelded by Israel, and of late does little to inhibit the latters air and missile strikes against Iranian positions in Syria. As Steven A. Cook of the Council of Foreign Relations observed, this experience suggests "that the Israelis are capable of taking care of themselves in the Syrian conflict."

Washington cited the need to prevent the Islamic States revival, but that groups power has been broken. Now every government in the region, save, perhaps, Ankara, is committed to suppressing ISIS. Ending Washingtons continuing war on Damascus also would leave that battered regime better able to thwart any attempted caliphate revival.

Another professed US objective is ejecting Russia and Iran from Syria. Fears of Russian influence ignore the fact that the Moscow-Damascus relationship goes back decades and the US enjoys overwhelming regional dominance. Irans role in Syria, though malign, is essentially defensive and limited by Israel. The expectation that a few hundred Americans operating illegally amid the detritus of war can oust ground and air forces of Russia, a longtime treaty ally of Damascus, and irregulars and materiel from Iran, Syrias closest regional partner for years, is preposterous. So is the belief that it is Americas responsibility to interrupt a "land bridge" connecting Iran and Syrias government. Such access would change little: the lack of one has not prevented Tehran from supporting the Assad government so far.

Contending with other powers creates risks that far outrange any conceivable benefits. US personnel have endured vehicular jousting matches with Moscows military. Americans also have been fired on by Syrian personnel and Russian mercenaries, who are there legally, and Turkish soldiers, who at least can claim to be protecting their nations security. The violence could escalate. Turks and Syrians have fought and combat incidents between Turks and Kurds are increasing. Illegally occupying Syrian territory and needlessly confronting several different armed forces risks lives and retaliation for no good reason.

The worst purpose of all, which most appealed to Trump, was to steal Syrias oil. He imagined US energy companies establishing operations in a warzone, managing another countrys oil installations without authorization, transporting stolen resources through multiple warring factions, and selling war booty in international markets. That might appeal to a New York City real estate tycoon, but not international energy executives. Other presidential aides merely hoped to divert revenue from Damascus to the Kurds, without the slightest warrant in American or international law.

Indeed, administration officials used Trumps oil fixation to preserve a presumptively permanent presence to guard Syrias Kurds, claiming that the latter were owed protection arising from the battle against ISIS. However, the Islamic States putative caliphate threatened Kurds, not America; they fought, with US assistance, for themselves, not America. Washington had no plausible obligation to protect Kurds beyond battles fought against ISIS, especially involving Turkey, a US treaty ally of nearly seven decades, with security interests in Syria. (There is good reason to toss Ankara out of NATO, but at present it is a member in good standing.)

Anyway, military commanders were not empowered to extend defense guarantees to other peoples, no matter how worthy the latter may seem. To make the Kurdish enclave known as Rojava a formal ally under US protection would require the president to negotiate, and the Senate to ratify, a treaty to that effect. Which isnt going to happen, since forever entangling America in the Syrian conflict would be beyond foolish.

Thus, Washingtons involvement is but a temporary palliative for the Kurds. Robert S. Ford, a former ambassador to Syria now at Yales Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, observed: "Unable to support itself, the autonomous zone will remain dependent on US resources for the foreseeable future." Better for the Kurds to make a deal with Damascus, retaining some autonomy and cooperating against any Islamic State revival while putting the Syrian army on the border, separating them from Turkey. Moscow could help broker the deal, since it shares Syrias desire to spur Americas military exit.

That leaves the goal of ousting Assad. Americas troop presence is backed by immiserating economic sanctions, explicitly designed to impoverish the population and prevent reconstruction. Washington failed to deliver the coup de grace militarily when Assad appeared to be on the ropes, so now it hopes to force his surrender by starving his people. This policy is as stupid as it is immoral.

Assads regime is repressive and murderous, and he bears much blame for the tragic conflict. However, he never threatened America or Europe or in practice even Israel. Moreover, guilt is widely shared. Syria suffered not a genocide, as some claimed, but a bitter, multi-sided civil war in which multiple parties fought and died. Most were awful and some, such as Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate, potentially threatened the US and Europe. All combatants contributed to the estimated half million deaths. So did the groups foreign patrons, including America, which backed most any group of most any ideology so long as it opposed Assad, thereby prolonging the war.

Was it theoretically possible for Washington  meaning the arrogant but maladroit policymakers who had successively destroyed Iraq and Libya and would go on to support Saudi Arabias destruction of Yemen  to act competently and swiftly, separate genuine and faux liberals, funnel aid to fighters committed to creating tolerant social order and political system, defeat Assad, his Iranian and Russian allies, ISIS, al-Nusra, and other jihadists and assorted bad actors, and successfully establish a stable Western-style democracy? Sure, miracles are always possible! Especially in the Middle East, the origin of the three great monotheistic faiths.

But was such a wondrous event ever likely? Not just no, but hell no. Nor is one any more likely today. Assads demise was widely predicted. For much of the conflict the insurgency was lodged in the suburbs of Damascus, just a few minutes drive from the center of Syrias capital. However, Assad survived a decade of war. Having defeated his enemies while being vilified around the world, why would he leave now?

It doesnt matter that Washington believes he should quit. He wont. And absent launching an Iraq-style invasion, the US has no means to force him to do so. Despite the professed concern for oppressed Syrians, sanctions under the Caesar Act are being applied primarily to allow American lawmakers to proudly preen for the cameras, not to free Syria.

Observed Independent columnist Patrick Cockburn: the legislation "was supposedly aimed at Assad and his regime, but there was never any reason to believe that it would destabilize them or compel them to ease repression. Since they hold power, they are well placed to control diminished resources. As with the 13 years of UN sanctions directed against Saddam Hussein between 1990 and 2003, the victims were not the dictator and his family but the civilian population. Iraqi society was shattered, with results that are still with us, and the same is now happening in Syria."

True, the regime presumably is fragile  ravaged country, ruined economy, impoverished people, cosseted elite, brutalized population, and enervated military. Hostility toward the Assad dynasty has been savagely suppressed not eradicated, and resistance has broken out again in some areas. However, many seemingly brittle regimes, such as Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea, have survived long past their expected collapse dates. And an implosion is more likely to deliver renewed civil war and intensified foreign intervention than peace and prosperity.

Continued US occupation of Syria serves no rational purpose. Will the new administration extricate America? Although Biden has offered few thoughts on the issue, his secretary of state reportedly believes the Obama administration, in which he served, should have done more. It is too late for a redo but hope burns eternal in some liberal interventionists.

Bidens campaign position on Syria was sufficiently ambiguous to commit him simultaneously to do a lot and a little: "Biden would recommit to standing with civil society and pro-democracy partners on the ground. He will ensure the US is leading the global coalition to defeat ISIS and use what leverage we have in the region to help shape a political settlement to give more Syrians a voice. Biden would press all actors to pursue political solutions, protect vulnerable Syrians, facilitate the work of non-governmental organization, and help mobilize other countries to support Syrias reconstruction."

However, to court war-weary voters Biden said that he, too, wanted to exit endless wars. He should do so, demonstrating that at least some American policymakers are capable of learning from past mistakes. Indeed, he could offer some common sense foreign policy principles as part of a new Biden Doctrine. For instance, the US should stay out of other peoples civil wars. Especially when most of the combatants are bad. America shouldnt get involved when other nations have more at stake and the ability to act. The US should stay out of fights with serious powers that have more at stake. Waging war in the name of preventing or limiting instability is a fools errand. Washington shouldnt intervene in countries and regions of little and declining importance. Policymakers shouldnt sacrifice the local population for arbitrary ideological or political ends. Finally, a president nevertheless hoping to do any of these should seek congressional approval.

The Biden administration should consider a radically different course in Syria  follow the path suggested by the United Arab Emirates, and offer renewal of diplomatic ties, end of economic sanctions, and access to the international financial markets in exchange for achievable human rights improvements and political reforms. Attempting permanent isolation of the Assad regime mostly punishes his victims. Assad will rule over Syria and live well whether his country recovers or not. But his people desperately need peace and reconstruction.

There no longer is any serious argument for keeping American military personnel in Syria. Even in the best of times, Syria was no geopolitical trophy. Today it is wreck that will require years to recover a shadow of its former strength. Cook concluded that "The clear-cut case for inaction in Syria outweighs the clear-cut case for action."

The president should announce that he plans to avoid, not join, other nations civil wars. Rather than revisit how his predecessors could have intervened more intensively in Syria, he should focus on protecting Americans from similar disasters in the future.

Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is author of Foreign Follies: Americas New Global Empire.
Two City Council Members Seek Report On Journalists Detentions In Echo Park

Two Los Angeles councilmen today introduced a motion requesting a report from the Los Angeles Police Department on officers detention of journalists during demonstrations last week in Echo Park and the departments broader conduct toward journalists.

The right of a free press to cover demonstrations, political protest and police activity is essential to a functioning democracy and must be preserved, Councilmen Mike Bonin and Kevin de Leon said in the motion, which was seconded by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez.

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The motion cites the detention of several journalists, including the Los Angeles Times James Queally and Spectrum News 1s Kate Cagle, after they identified themselves and showed press credentials while reporting on the demonstrations at Echo Park Lake last Thursday.

Knock L.A. reporters Jonathan Peltz and Kate Gallagher were also detained and 182 protesters were arrested during the demonstration. In the days following last weeks arrests, reporters have complained that the Los Angeles Police Department tried to confine them to a `press pen far from the demonstrations they were assigned to cover, that the LAPD has slowed or ceased issuing press credentials, and that LAPD has unclear policies or standards for how members of independent media can be credentialed, the motion states.

If approved, the motion would request a report from the LAPD on their detentions of journalists at Echo Park, as well as an incident in which Lexis- Olivier Ray, a photographer for the website L.A. Taco, was summoned by the City Attorneys Office for a hearing despite not being arrested while covering a

celebration of the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series in October.

The report would include the number of journalists that have been detained, the duration of the detainment and the officers reasoning. It would also request the LAPD to publicly release information about arrests of or physical interactions with members of the news media.

The motion would also request the LAPD report on issues involving credentials, including:

 the departments procedures for recognizing press credentials;

 its criteria for issuing credentials;

 any technical challenges the department faces and the average amount of time to issue credentials;

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 information about training conducted to ensure that officers quickly and correctly identify members of the media; and

 the enforcement and discipline for officers who dont follow protocol.

Lastly, the motion would request the department to report back on crowd control tactics involving journalists, including its procedures to allow

journalists freedom of movement at demonstrations, procedures to ensure that members of the media are exempt from mobility restrictions and curfews, and training that officers have to ensure their awareness of journalists rights to freedom of movement.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, who believes the citys actions were a success, said during his COVID-19 briefing Wednesday that he always supports examining

police conduct. Absolutely, we always want to look at that afterward, we want to make sure folks are identifying themselves, that police are not using disproportionate force, Garcetti said.

A video released Wednesday shows an LAPD officer appearing to fire a projectile weapon at Echo Park protesters who did not pose a physical threat,

in violation of the departments policies.

The LAPD told City News Service Thursday that is conducting a review of the protests and police response at Echo Park, including the use of

projectiles by officers.

Protests began last Wednesday after Councilman Mitch OFarrells office said the city was planning to close the park and clear out its approximately 200 residents to perform more than $500,000 in repairs and restoration caused by homeless people at the park.

Some neighborhood residents had complained about the groups trash and said they no longer felt safe visiting the park, and city officials said multiple deaths and instances of sexual abuse had occurred in the encampment. The park was closed and the group was cleared out last week with the aid of the Los Angeles Police Department.

On Wednesday, 61 faculty members who specialize in urban planning, social work, history, law public policy and public health at USC, UCLA, UC Irvine, and Occidental College wrote a letter to Garcetti and the City Council to express their grave and urgent concerns about the removal of the people living in the park.
A Palm Beach County elementary teacher has been charged with soliciting a two-year-old child. Detectives believe more children could have fell victim.

Xavier Alexander, 27, was arrested Thursday and charged with solicitation of a minor and traveling to meet a minor, the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office said.

Alexander is a fourth grade teacher at Grove Park Elementary School. He is also a babysitter on the website care.com and other nanny websites.

In the about section of his Care.com page, Alexander says he has been working with children for over 10 years in schools, childrens ministries and kids clubs. He was open to taking care of up to three children  ranging in age from 7 months old to 7-years-old and over.

Detectives were not clear regarding the reason for Alexander soliciting the 2-year-old. But they do believe that there could be more victims.

Anyone who believes their child could be a victim of solicitation of a minor is urged to contact Detective Malory Wildove at 561-688-4079 or wildovem@pbso.org. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-8477.

Alexander did not have any disciplinary actions on his teaching license, Florida Department of Education records show.

A previous version of this story listed inaccurate historical charges for Alexander.
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Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.
A Co Down pastor still recovering a year on from a near-fatal battle with Covid has told how he was trolled after posting an online video warning of the dangers of the virus.

Mark McClurg was accused by of working for the Chinese government as he fought for his life at the Ulster Hospital in March last year.

But he refused to dwell on the tiny minority who criticised the video he filmed while in intensive care, in which he warned: "Coronavirus wants to kill you. It wants to take all of the life out of your lungs".

Reacting to the trolls, he said: "I dont lose any sleep over them at all."

Instead, Mark remains inspired by the overwhelmingly positive response his video garnered from strangers around the world.

"When I was in hospital last March and I posted the first video, everyone in Northern Ireland started to pray for me," he said.

"The video went around the whole world  to Russia, China, Japan and Australia.

Expand Close Mark and Claire McClurg / Facebook

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Whatsapp Mark and Claire McClurg

"My phone never stopped with messages from all around the world. It was very humbling."

The evangelical pastor was speaking ahead of his return to the pulpit this weekend.

He is still recovering from blood clots on his lungs that developed at the start of this year and which doctors believe may be linked to Covid.

"I am hoping that, from Easter Sunday, I will be back preaching. Im really looking forward to doing that," he said.

The 41-year-old father-of-three also told how the thought of dying and leaving his wife, Claire, and children gave him the strength to fight the virus as it ravaged his body, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Mark, the pastor at Ards Elim Church, was admitted to hospital last March after developing pains in his chest and back.

As he wasnt displaying Covid symptoms, he went to the emergency department at the Ulster Hospital but was transferred to a specialist ward for people suspected of having the virus.

"A woman came in and collapsed in front of me. All these doctors came running and took her into a side room, where she obviously died," he said.

"I dont know if she died from Covid, but it was my first real introduction to the virus and it was obviously very scary because up to that point all I had seen were pictures of patients lying on the floor in hospitals in Italy. It was very distressing."

Pastor McClurgs condition deteriorated to the point that he had to be moved to the intensive care unit (ICU).

"It felt like I was lying on broken glass, like my lungs were filled with broken glass and I was drowning," he said.

"I was on 100% oxygen at this point, but I still couldnt breathe. I remember telling my wife on the phone that they didnt think I was going to make it.

"At that stage, the ICU doctor came in and the nurse grabbed the phone off me and told my wife they were going to take care of me."

Doctors decided to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to improve Marks oxygen levels.

While he was warned about the invasive nature of the treatment, he was not prepared for how exhausting it would be.

"It felt like I had put my head out the car window while driving on the motorway," he said.

"The machine forces oxygen into your lungs. You barely have any time to breathe out before it is pushing more oxygen into your lungs again.

"Its very hard work to get into a rhythm and stay in a rhythm. I can see how older people give up and die as I found it so hard to tolerate as a young and fit man.

"I was getting weaker and weaker. I was on the CPAP for so many hours. When I came off it to eat, I could only manage maybe two spoonfuls of yoghurt.

"I was only getting one or two hours of sleep a night as well. I lost two stone in two weeks.

"They started talking about putting me on a ventilator because they wanted to give me a chance to rest, but I remember at that stage I had seen the survival rate for people on a ventilator was about 50/50.

"When you were watching the news, people were dying in Italy, people were dying in Spain. No one seemed to be getting better. All you heard about was death.

"They told Claire that if I didnt start to improve, I would have to go on a ventilator.

"When she asked if I was going to be okay, they promised they would do their best.

"I didnt find out until afterwards that they had said that, but I think they were better saying what they did because they were being honest.

"At that stage, I was probably the youngest person in Northern Ireland in an ICU who didnt smoke or drink and had no underlying health conditions.

"They didnt want to put me on a ventilator and I didnt want to go on one either.

"In my head, I felt the need to keep fighting for my children. I wasnt just fighting Covid. I was fighting for my family and I couldnt give up.

"I wasnt scared of dying because I knew I was going to heaven, but I was afraid to leave my family behind."

Pastor McClurgs condition improved without the need for a ventilator and he was eventually allowed home.

But it wasnt the end of his journey because he has been living under the shadow of long Covid since last year.

In January, his health took a turn for the worse again.

"I was in bed and, for the first time in my life, I started to have palpitations," he said.

"It felt like my heart was beating out of my chest and I was having a heart attack.

"My resting heart rate is normally 60 beats a minute, but it was up over 100."

When he returned to hospital to be checked over, doctors found a number of blood clots on his lungs. "Ive suffered from fatigue, pains in and the chest and back and breathlessness at times over the past year," he continued.

"The hardest part has been the fatigue  to go from being young, fit and healthy to living with such fatigue has been difficult.

"I didnt have underlying conditions before Covid, but the virus has given me underlying health conditions.

"When I was back in hospital with the clots, they did lots of tests trying to find out whether it was caused by Covid. Im hoping to hear back in April.

"They know that Covid is linked to blood clots, but the possibility that it can happen 11 months down the line is very worrying for the doctors."








PALERMO, APR 2 - A Sicilian businessman got life in jail Friday for murdering his 30-year-old pregnant Romanian lover after she threatened him with blackmail. Antonino Borgia stabbed Ana Maria Lacramioara Di Piazza 10 times in the street near Palermo on November 22, 2919. Di Piazza had asked for money to prevent her telling Borgia's wife she was pregnant by him, the businessman told police. Borgia confessed to the murder. (ANSA).
The head of Kyrgyzstans security service returned from border talks with Uzbekistan last week claiming that all remaining demarcation disputes between the two former Soviet republics have been resolved 100 percent.

But this week, the same official has been telling residents of some disputed areas that it is not completely a done deal.

Kamchybek Tashiev, the head of Kyrgyzstans State Committee for National Security (UKMK), made the claim on March 26 after two days of talks in neighboring Uzbekistan -- saying the issue of the borders with Uzbekistan has been resolved 100 percent. No issues remain.

Tashiev said agreement was reached for a complicated territorial swap involving land and water rights to settle, once and for all, the border disputes both sides have wrestled with since the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.

It was a stunning announcement after nearly 30 years of border talks that had appeared deadlocked over several areas where neither side was willing to make concessions.

But during the past week, as Tashiev traveled to Kyrgyzstans southern provinces to discuss details of the deal with residents in the affected areas, it quickly became apparent that the border issue with Uzbekistan is not 100 percent resolved.

In the Uzgen district of Osh Province on May 30, the UKMK chief spoke about the village of Birlik in the Kadamzhai district, which borders the Uzbek exclave of Soh.

Earlier in the day, Tashiev had been to Birlik -- the scene of clashes in May 2020 that destroyed several homes and vehicles and left more than 200 people injured. Tashiev views the cause of the violence to be the shared use of a large spring by inhabitants of the Uzbek exclave and neighboring Kyrgyz villages.

Concerning this area, there was no final decision. To be candid, we did not reach an agreement on this section, including adjacent territory, Tashiev said.

Tashiev mentioned the settlement of Chesme in Kyrgyzstan and the neighboring settlement of Chasma in the Soh exclave. Both were at the epicenter of the May 2020 clashes.

There are villages there in which thousands of people live, and there are thousands of hectares [of land], and the fate of these need to be resolved, Tashiev said.

Of course, if the people are against [the land-swap agreements], it is possible that some will not be implemented, Tashiev also said.

Discontent about the land-swap agreements has already surfaced.

On April 1, Kyrgyz residents of the Kara-Suu district of Osh Province protested against part of the agreement that would hand over 50 hectares of land from the village of Yntymak to Uzbekistan.

Tashiev has stressed that Kyrgyzstan will receive some 13,000 square hectares of disputed land under the agreement he announced on March 26. He also listed those areas involved in the land-swap deal.

This breakthrough came after Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov made an official visit to Uzbekistan on March 11-12 and met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev.

Border issues were one of the main topics of their talks. Mirziyoev said the two sides wanted to complete talks on demarcation within three months.

The task of relocating people will be much easier for Mirziyoev because his government has a much tighter grip on society than has been the case with the Kyrgyz government. Japarov came to power after protests in early October 2020 ousted the previous government.

The Kyrgyz presidents legitimacy is still debatable, despite his victory in a snap presidential election on January 10.

Some doubt Japarov can survive his full term in office given the daunting number of problems he faces in a country where protests have led to the ouster of three presidents since 2005.

Japarovs government needs some political victories.

It could be that Tashiev, who once said Kyrgyzstan would never cede even one square centimeter of its territory, has oversold the land-swap deal.

Nevertheless, the agreement represents significant progress for both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan -- even if it hasnt resolved 100 percent of the remaining border issues.

Upcoming border talks with Tajikistan are unlikely to be as successful as Kyrgyzstans negotiations with Uzbekistan.

Tashievs suggestion on March 26 that Tajikistan might make a land-swap deal over its large Vorukh exclave was met with silence by Tajik authorities.

Then, on March 31, RFE/RLs Tajik Service reported that President Emomali Rahmon had scheduled a visit to Vorukh for April 4.

Rahmon had met in July 2019 with Kyrgyzstans then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to discuss their border issues. It was Rahmons first visit to Vorukh in 26 years. So his sudden return there less than two years later raises suspense about the aim of his visit.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstans military and security forces on April 1 started a three-day training exercise in Batken Province in the area near the Tajik border.

In the end, none of these border disputes can be finally and peacefully demarcated without the participation and agreement of border area residents.

Tashiev mentioned when speaking about Chesme that part of the problem with exchanging land there is the presence of an old cemetery.

The major obstacles to drawing definitive borders appear to be related to generational ties to the land by local residents -- such as cemeteries or trees planted and agriculture fields tilled by grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

Concerns of residents that the land they receive in a swap deal will not be as fertile as the land they surrender also appear to be a remaining obstacle to finalizing the lines on the map.
- By GF Value





The stock of Physicians Realty Trust (NYSE:DOC, 30-year Financials) is estimated to be fairly valued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $18.28 per share and the market cap of $3.9 billion, Physicians Realty Trust stock gives every indication of being fairly valued. GF Value for Physicians Realty Trust is shown in the chart below.





Physicians Realty Trust Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Fairly Valued

Because Physicians Realty Trust is fairly valued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be close to the rate of its business growth, which averaged 0.5% over the past five years.

Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk.

Companies with poor financial strength offer investors a high risk of permanent capital loss. To avoid permanent capital loss, an investor must do their research and review a company's financial strength before deciding to purchase shares. Both the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage of a company are a great way to to understand its financial strength. Physicians Realty Trust has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.00, which which ranks in the bottom 10% of the companies in REITs industry. The overall financial strength of Physicians Realty Trust is 4 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Physicians Realty Trust is poor. This is the debt and cash of Physicians Realty Trust over the past years:

Story continues

Physicians Realty Trust Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Fairly Valued

Companies that have been consistently profitable over the long term offer less risk for investors who may want to purchase shares. Higher profit margins usually dictate a better investment compared to a company with lower profit margins. Physicians Realty Trust has been profitable 6 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $437.5 million and earnings of $0.31 a share. Its operating margin is 28.79%, which ranks worse than 70% of the companies in REITs industry. Overall, the profitability of Physicians Realty Trust is ranked 6 out of 10, which indicates fair profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Physicians Realty Trust over the past years:

Physicians Realty Trust Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Fairly Valued

One of the most important factors in the valuation of a company is growth. Long-term stock performance is closely correlated with growth according to GuruFocus research. Companies that grow faster create more value for shareholders, especially if that growth is profitable. The average annual revenue growth of Physicians Realty Trust is 0.5%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in REITs industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth is 0.9%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in REITs industry.

One can also evaluate a company's profitability by comparing its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the return on invested capital exceeds the weighted average cost of capital, the company is likely creating value for its shareholders. During the past 12 months, Physicians Realty Trust's ROIC is 2.82 while its WACC came in at 5.73. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Physicians Realty Trust is shown below:

Physicians Realty Trust Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Fairly Valued

In summary, the stock of Physicians Realty Trust (NYSE:DOC, 30-year Financials) appears to be fairly valued. The company's financial condition is poor and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks in the middle range of the companies in REITs industry. To learn more about Physicians Realty Trust stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.

To find out the high quality companies that may deliever above average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Korea reported 558 new cases of coronavirus as of Friday morning as infections surge amid crumbling lockdown discipline. New cases have stood above 500 for three days running. Group infections have been reported in the southern port city of Busan traced to bars, churches and private crammers. Busan now faces tougher lockdown rules from Friday. Korea is still scrambling to secure vaccines. The scheduled arrival of AstraZenca vaccine supplies, which was thought to have been delayed by three weeks, has been pushed forward again.

Medical workers prepare to vaccinate people over 75 in Seoul on Thursday.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, "Some of the AstraZeneca vaccine shipments whose delivery had been postponed until mid-April will arrive in March after all." But the volume has decreased from 690,000 doses to 258,000 doses. Another 297,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will arrive in late June through the WHO's COVAX Facility, and 6 million doses contracted directly with Pfizer will arrive in batches in April, May and June.

Jeong Eun-kyeong, the chief of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, is being vaccinated at a public health center in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province on Thursday.

Health officials are also struggling to allay mounting public jitters over the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine. KCDA chief Jeong Eun-kyeong was publicly given her AstraZeneca injection on Thursday. She apologized for jumping the queue but said she decided to do so to encourage others. "We urge people to take their injection when their turn comes around," she said. She said the threat of blood clots "is not serious enough to halt or change vaccination schedules." Jeong's deputy Kwon Jun-wook said, "We are speeding up inoculations, but the number of new infection cases is embarrassingly high. Infections with variants have compounded by a spread of the virus, and this could undermine the effectiveness of vaccines."
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Police in Worcester arrested a man on Friday who they say barricaded himself in a home on Canterbury Street armed with knives and a wrench, before then throwing a yellow liquid - which turned out to be a urine mixture - at officers.

Police were called to Canterbury Street at 9:15 a.m. on Friday for a report of a barricaded person, authorities said. After arriving, officers were told that a man was in a room in a first-floor apartment.

Officers positioned themselves outside the building and tried to negotiate with the man, who they said was armed with two knives and a wrench.

At one point, police said, the man came to the back door and began to yell at officers. The man then swung a large wrench at police, authorities said, before going back in the home, grabbing a bowl of yellow liquid and throwing it at officers. One officer was hit in the face by the liquid and was taken to the hospital to get his eyes flushed, police said.

Other officers were also evaluated at the hospital after being hit with the liquid.

After tossing the liquid, which was later determined to include prescription medication, acetone and urine, the suspect started to attack police with the wrench, police said. Officers disarmed the man and arrested him.

Charges are pending against the man, police said.
For the past 15 years, the annual Sugarman Law Firm Wish Ball has raised tens of thousands of dollars for Make-a-Wish Central New York.

After COVID-19 restrictions forced the cancellation of last years black tie gala, the nonprofit had to pivot its fundraising strategy to continue granting life-changing wishes for critically ill children and their families.

The month-long Wish Heroes campaign will be held completely online, with donations made through peer-to-peer fundraising efforts. Supporters will be able to start a fundraising page or donate to others through their Wish Hero pages.

The campaigns goal is to raise $50,000 by World Wish Day, which is April 29.

While COVID stopped the world, it did not stop kids from getting sick, said Diane Kupperman, President and CEO of Make-a-Wish Central New York. You can be a hero to Wish kids that need your help now more than ever.

About 200 critically ill children throughout the 15-county territory that Make-a-Wish Central New York services are waiting for wishes. While travel wishes are out of the cards until further notice, other wishes like play structures, cool campers, and reptile zoo visits are still in the works.

Two Make-a-Wish families shared their stories at the kickoff to explain how impactful getting a wish granted can be.

"The wish helped bring us back from the psychological brink we were living on. It gave us something to look forward to."... Posted by Make-A-Wish Central New York on Thursday, April 1, 2021

Ryan Schmidt and his son 13-year-old son Caden, both from Auburn, told the story of their trip to Zimbabwe and South Africa through Make-a-Wish. Caden had his wish granted when he was 7, and he was then going through treatments for a malignant brain tumor called medulloblastoma.

His immediate response was he wanted to see cheetahs in the wild. They were his favorite animal and had been for quite some time. He wanted to experience that. So they left they said, well see what we can do. And we continued with our treatments, Schmidt said of his son. The family got to meet and interact with a live cheetah, Sylvester, and go on a safari that included riding elephants and seeing rhinoceroses in the wild.

Caden has been cancer free for five years.

We know times are tough. Anything that can be given is helpful can help a kid with going through the kind of experiences that nobody ever wants to have to go through, and it helps to get them open and it helps to give them something to look forward to, Schmidt said.

Katie Green, also of Auburn, spoke on behalf of her daughter Alayah, whose wish brought their family to Disney World. Green teared up while relaying their story.

Make-a-Wish is where her heart is, this is where her drive is, Green said of her daughter. And she is all about ensuring that other kids receive their wishes.

Both Green and Schmidt emphasized that being on the receiving end of a wish makes them want to pay it forward. Make-a-Wish takes care of everything so the family does not have to worry about details and gets to enjoy a much needed break during a difficult time.

Its ensuring the magic is still there without physically being able to go and bring this magic to the families, Green said.

Visit http://site.wish.org/CNYWishHeroes to learn more about the fundraising campaign.

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Millions of Americans are currently receiving coronavirus vaccinations as the U.S. works to restore some sense of normalcy from the pandemic

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one dose and 16.9 percent are fully immunized, either from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.

However, some people have been wary of being vaccinated due to fears of experiencing side effects such as fever or headache while others have heard anecdotal reports of more extreme reactions including large rashes on the arm or going into anaphylaxis.

Doctors say that severe reactions are rare, and that common side effects, such as pain at the injection site, are a sign that your immune system is building up a response.

DailyMail.com spoke to three infectious disease experts about what side effects to expect from each COVID-19, why some people get them and what it means.

Infectious disease specialists tell DailyMail.com that side effects from coronavirus vaccines are normal and that reports of severe reactions are rare. Pictured: Jeff Klingberg gets a COVID-19 vaccine in Batavia, Illinois, March 19

PFIZER-BIONTECH

The most common symptoms of the Pfizer vaccine are pain or swelling at the injection site, headache, fatigue, fever, chills and muscle pain.

'Somewhere between 20 to 80 percent of people will experience that,' Dr Richard Kennedy, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, told DailyMail.com.

'They're mostly mild to moderate symptoms and they last about a day or two.'

Dr Thad Stappenbeck, Chair of the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, said that, in his experience, headache is the most common side effect.

'Headache is probably the most common and, anecdotally, from people I know who have been vaccinated,' he told DailyMail.com

Then, there are rarer side effects, such as nausea, vomiting and swelling of the lymph nodes and armpits.

Kennedy says less than one in 10 people will experience these side effects.

Finally, there are the rare allergic reactions to the vaccine, which can includes hives, itching and swelling and even anaphylaxis.

The most common symptoms of the Pfizer vaccine are pain or swelling at the injection site, headache, fatigue, fever, chills and muscle pain. Pictured: Bials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Pfaffenhofen, southern Germany, January 15

Some people have reported suffering anaphylaxis after being vaccinated with the Pfizer, but instances have been rare and treatable

Anaphylactic shock is a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to an allergy from food, medicine or even a type of material.

The immune system releases chemicals that flood the body, blood pressure suddenly drops, and airways narrow, which prevents someone from breathing normally.

Kennedy said that about one in 100,000 people who get the vaccine will experience such a reaction.

However, the good news is that 'it's fairly rare and fairly treatable,' he said.

For this reason, the CDC requires vaccination sites to monitor everyone for 15 minutes after receiving their shot and those with a history of severe allergies for 30 minutes.

The doctors also add that people are more likely to experience stronger reactions after the second dose because the immune system has been primed to fight the virus and mounts a response after getting the final shot, only to realize it's a false alarm.

MODERNA

Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, the most common side effects of the Moderna vaccine include pain at the injection site, fever, chills, headache and tiredness.

Another rare reaction, but only in Moderna patients, is 'Covid arm,' in which people experience itchy and swollen skin, sometimes accompanied by red lumps

'Low-grade fever, aches and pain, difficulty sleeping on night one, they're flu-like symptoms,' Dr Robert Murphy, an infectious diseases specialist at Northwestern Medicine, in Chicago, Illinois, told DailyMail.com.

'They're self-limited and gone within 48 hours.'

Also like Pfizer, people are more likely to have stronger side effects after the second dose.

A very small number of Moderna patients have also reported suffering anaphylaxis following their first dose.

'This is a well-documented phenomenon,' Murphy said. 'They can have hives and swelling, but it's a very small number.'

Some recipients - but only of the Moderna shot - have reported experiencing 'Covid arm,' in which people have itchy and swollen skin, sometimes accompanied by red lumps or hives.

But the splotch is a harmless response from the immune system to the shot that fades from the arm within a week.

The official term used by dermatologists and allergists to describe the side effect is 'delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity.'

'The vaccine attracts immune system cells to the injection site, which is why you see a rash, then it dissipates and within a day or two,' said Stappenbeck.

'It's a little troubling at first, but not significant and there are no long-term effects.'

Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, the most common side effects of the Moderna vaccine include pain at the injection site, fever, chills, headache and tiredness. Pictured: Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, December 2020

JOHNSON & JOHNSON

The Johnson & Johnson single-dose coronavirus vaccine has noticeably milder side effects than either of the vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna.

'Almost across the board fewer people are reporting side effects,' Kennedy said.

'They are more mild. The most common ones are pain at the injection site, which is not surprising since it's a needle entering your arm, which about 50 percent will experience.'

He said about one-third of recipients report fatigue and muscle pain, 10 to 15 percent report nausea, and about 10 percent report swelling and redness at the injection site.

So why does J&J's shot produce fewer side effects? Murphy said it's because this vaccine is different from the other two.

J&J's vaccine combines genetic material from the new virus with the genes of the adenovirus - which causes the common cold - to induce an immune response.

Comparatively, Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines use a newer platform, part of the pathogen's genetic code called messenger RNA, or mRNA, to get the body to recognize the coronavirus and attack it if a person becomes infected.

'They're very different mechanisms and different manufacturing processes,' Murphy said.

There have not been reports of anaphylaxis among J&J recipients, but Stappenbeck said that may be because fewer people have received the shot.

'It could just be a numbers game at this point,' he said.

Side effects are much rarer among those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, potentially due to the fact that it uses a different platform than Pfizer and Moderna. Pictured: Vials of the J&J vaccine at a vaccination operation organized by St John's Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles, California, March 25

WHY ARE YOUNGER PEOPLE HAVING MORE SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS?

As more vaccines have been administered, there have been reports of younger people have more severe side effects compared to younger people.

The doctors say this because immune systems evolve as we age.

'As we get older, everything about or bodies doesn't work as well and the immune system is no exception,' Kennedy said.

Clinical trial data showed that young people reported more side effects after receiving vaccine doses than older people.

'The reality is that younger people have stronger immune systems and when you're older, you don't mount as big of a response,' Murphy added.

However, it does not mean older people aren't protected and that the vaccines are still just as protective in senior citizens as in young adults.

Younger people are much more likely to experience severe allergic reactions

ARE WOMEN MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO HAVE A REACTION?

Also reporting more side effects are women.

Women are more likely to report worse side effects after receiving COVID-19 vaccines then men are, CDC data reveal.

Last month, officials looked at nearly 7,000 reactions reported to the agency's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

They found that nearly 80 percent of the reactions were reported by women, making them four-time more likely to report a side effect than men.

Kennedy said that the reason behind this is a mix of biological and behavioral.

'Women's immune systems behave a little differently, they have a more robust antibody response,' he explained.

'They're also more likely to go to the doctor if something is wrong whereas men are more likely to try and tough it out.'

All three specialists urged people to get vaccinate and said the symptoms of COVID-19 could be much worse than those from immunizations. Pictured: people wait in line to receive COVID-19 vaccines at NYC Health+Hospitals Gotham Health Sydenham, March 29

SHOULD I GET A VACCINE?

All three physicians say that the unequivocal answer is: yes, you should get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available to you.

'The efficacy of these vaccines have been remarkable,' Stappenbeck said.

'Less than one percent of fully vaccinated people are later infected. That's better than the numbers we've gotten in the trials. that's what we call real-world data.'

Stappenbeck also encourages to prepare for the possibility of having side effects, such as being able to take off work the next day just in case and having an adequate supply of water and Tylenol.

However, he suggests not taking the medication as a prophylactic.

'Wait until you have symptoms, if you have symptoms, and then then take it,' Stappenbeck said.

'The limit is four grams per day, and you don't want to overdose on Tylenol.'

The group also adds that any potential side effects you may are less worse than the possibility of getting COVID-19.

'You don't know how sick you will be until you get infected,' said Kennedy.

'You may be asymptomatic or you might be on a ventilator. Then you'll say I wish I had gotten the vaccine and, by then, it is too late
Guatemalas foreign ministry on Monday condemned the death of a Guatemalan migrant in Mexicos southern Chiapas state, where he was reportedly shot dead by Mexican soldiers.

Mexican newspaper El Universal and TV-station Milenio reported that the soldiers shot the migrant at a checkpoint they erected on a crossing popular with migrants entering Mexico illegally on the way to the United States.

The soldiers were then taken into Guatemalan territory by the residents of the border crossing community known as Bacatum, Mexican media reported.

The @MinexGt condemns the tragic incident in which the Guatemalan citizen Elvin Mazariegos Perez died in Mazapa de Madero, Chiapas State, Mexico, Guatemalas foreign ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment about reports of Mexican soldiers being detained on the Guatemalan side of the border.

Read more:

Mexicos foreign ministry also did not respond to a request for comment.

Guatemalas office of attorney general said in a statement that it has opened an investigation into the killing.

Reuters
5,000+ items sold from six locations attracted 11,100+ online bidders from 70+ countries

CHICAGO, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Ritchie Bros.' regional auction success continued this week with a US$52+ million U.S. Midwest event on March 30  31, 2021. More than 5,000 equipment items were stored, inspected, and sold from six Ritchie Bros. locations in five statesincluding Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Kansas City, MO; East St. Louis, MO; Omaha, NE; and Williston, NDto online buyers across the U.S. and around the world.

More than 11,100 online bidders from 70+ countries registered to bid in the U.S. Midwest auction, with U.S. buyers purchasing approximately 90 percent of the equipment, by dollar value. The remaining 10 percent was purchased by online buyers from as far away as Germany, Guatemala, India, and South Korea.

"We continue to attract record bidder registrationsup 26% compared to the previous event in Septemberresulting in strong returns for the more than 700 consignors in this auction," said Tim Keane, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. "Leading up to the sale, our yards were busy with customers inspecting items and asking questions of our equipment experts, but on auction day everyone was online. We saw a 19% increase in online pageviews and a 12% increase in items added to customer watchlists, demonstrating the power of our hybrid live/online model for both buyers and sellers."

Equipment highlights in the U.S. Midwest auction included a 2016 Caterpillar 745C articulated dump truck that sold for US$235,000 to an online buyer from Alberta, Canada; a 2006 Link-Belt HTC8675 75-ton 8x4x4 hydraulic truck crane sold for US$190,000 to an online buyer from Quebec, Canada; and a 2015 Caterpillar 982M wheel loader that sold for US$175,000 to an online buyer from Minnesota. All items were sold without minimum bids or reserve prices.

AUCTION QUICK FACTS: MIDWEST REGIONAL (MARCH 2021)

Gross Transaction Value (GTV): US$52+ million





Total Registered Bidders: 11,100+





Total Number of Lots: 5,000+





Total Number of Consignors: 700+

Ritchie Bros. will sell more than 39,000 equipment items and trucks in its upcoming auctions, including a Houston, TX auction on April 13 - 14. 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.
Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi says member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will respond in a "meaningful manner" to the deadly Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique. Masisi made the comments Wednesday after meeting with Zimbabwes President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi told reporters late Wednesday he talked to his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa about the deteriorating situation in northern Mozambique prior to his arrival in Harare.

At the State House in Harare, Masisi said his talk with Zimbabwes President Emmerson Mnangagwa was dominated by the situation in Mozambique.

I have reported to President Mnangagwa the contents of the discussions with President Ramaphosa, and we have formed views as [a] Troika. One of them will result in taking this further, so that we as SADC respond in a helpful manner to ensure that we assure the integrity and sovereignty of one of our own never to be assaulted by dissidents, rebellious non-state forces that undermine the democratic credentials and peace of the region, he said.

Since 2017, an Islamist insurgency has raged in Mozambiques oil-rich Cabo Delgado province.



Calling it an acute crisis, UNICEF said this week that approximately 350,000 children have been displaced since the insurgency began. The childrens world body said there is a cholera outbreak underway and COVID-19 is spreading, as well.

Adriano Nuvunga is a coordinator of the Mozambique Human Rights Defenders Network.

Speaking from Maputo via a messaging application, Nuvunga said what is happening in the Cabo Delgado province is barbaric and SADC must quickly come in.

Its quite disturbing to see that SADC is silent, its doing nothing. Since the [SADC] Troika meeting in Harare last May, when they promised to come forth and support Mozambique, nothing has happened. And Mozambique is resorting to international mercenary companies which are committing all sorts of brutalities, human rights abuses and some war crimes. I think SADC is not doing enough," he said.

That program of action must have deliverables and actionable points of what sort of outcomes does SADC require or look up to following the intervention," he said. "It must also provide regional collaborative intervention strategies with east African communities given that there is a likelihood that the conflict may spill into Tanzania, Malawi and therefore that regional comparative approach must also inform program of action.

SADC does not have a standing army, unlike the West Africa bloc ECOWAS. In the past, individual countries have deployed their armies to quell security threats in other member countries. Zimbabwe sent troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Mozambique in the 1980s and in 1998, respectively, while South Africa deployed to quell post-election violence in Lesotho.
The OPEC+ group of oil producing countries, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, has agreed to increase oil output gradually over the next months.

Signaling expectations of rising post-pandemic demand for oil, ministers noted in an April 1 statement "improvements in the market supported by global vaccination programs and stimulus packages in key economies."

The OPEC+ group -- made up of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia -- has been coordinating about 7 million barrels per day (bpd) in production cuts to maintain prices in response to lower demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the latest agreement, OPEC+ countries agreed to increase production by 350,000 bpd in May, 350,000 bpd in June, and 450,000 bpd in July, Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said.

Iran's oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, confirmed the group would boost output by a total of 1.1 million bpd by July.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak told the Rossia-24 TV channel that his country would increase oil production by 114,000 bpd in the May-to-July period within the OPEC+ framework.

However, with coronavirus case surges in Europe and elsewhere potentially impacting energy demand, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman cautioned that any decision could be "tweaked" in the alliance's monthly meetings.

Before the meeting, Abdulaziz said that "the reality remains that the global picture is far from even, and the recovery is far from complete."

Saudi Arabia, which in previous OPEC+ talks had agreed to make steep cuts to maintain oil prices, will phase out its additional voluntary cut by 250,000 bpd in May, 350,000 bpd in June, and 400,000 bpd in July.

Oil prices have been on a run in the past six months, with benchmark WTI and Brent crude jumping from around $40 per barrel in November to above $60 today.

Novak was more optimistic about rising demand.

"Today, there are figures that are much more positive concerning the market, including the level of stocks, which have considerably fallen as demand increases," Novak said.

"Vaccination is already yielding positive results so that demand is recovering," he added.

With reporting by AFP, Bloomberg, Reuters, and TASS
Benton Man Arrested in Burglary Investigation

By West Kentucky Star Staff

BENTON - A Benton man was arrested Friday in connection to a burglary investigation.On March 25, the Benton Police Department began investigating a reported burglary after a victim discovered video footage of a man entering their vacant home.The investigation led to the arrest of 38-year-old Jason Alexander of Benton.Alexander was arrested and lodged in the Marshall County Jail.He faces a charge of third-degree burglary.
The border is not open, the U.S. secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, told me in an interview. What we have discontinued, Mr. Mayorkas promised, is the cruelty of the previous administration.

Well, apparently, in Central America, people only heard the bit about cruelty being over, which is why so many migrants are heading north toward the border. Tens of thousands of asylum seekers, mostly from Central America, have waited for over a year in Mexican border towns and they will not waste this opportunity.

It should come as no surprise that this is happening along a border that divides one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world from one of its most economically unequal regions. Latin Americas poor and vulnerable  struggling amid a pandemic, the devastation of climate change and the violence of their homelands  are moving north to a safer, more prosperous place. Its that simple. And this will keep happening for a long time.

Due to the pandemic, Latin America has experienced its worst social, economic and productive crisis in 120 years, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Two hurricanes  Eta and Iota  devastated Central America late last year. And gangs, corruption, violence, along with the repercussions of the environmental crisis and a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines, have forced many people to leave the region.

Mexico, in particular, has suffered greatly during the pandemic: More than 320,000 people have died from Covid-19, according to a recent government report, and Mexicos economy declined 8.5 percent last year. To make matters worse, there is the terrible and intractable problem of drug-cartel violence. According to the head of the U.S. Northern Command, 30 percent to 35 percent of the country is under the control of transnational criminal organizations. This means that any migrants traveling north through Mexico are in immediate danger.

We must accept this unfortunate reality and create a system that can legally, efficiently and safely absorb more of these immigrants and refugees. They will keep coming; there is no other solution. All the other options  walls, detention facilities, family separation policies, forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, expedited repatriations and mass deportations  have failed. The $4 billion investment in Central America that President Biden has promised is a good starting point for tackling the origins of migration in the region: poverty and a lack of opportunity. That project, however, will take years to yield results.

In the meantime, the United States should start accepting between one and a half and two million authorized immigrants every year.
Ministers of Energy of Ukraine and Qatar Yuriy Vitrenko and Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi (also CEO of Qatar Petroleum) have discussed cooperation in the energy sector.

"Discussions during the meeting dealt with various aspects of cooperation in the energy field between Qatar and Ukraine, and means to enhance them," Qatar Petroleum said on its Facebook page.

As reported, last winter, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine allowed Nebras Power Investment Management B.V. (the Netherlands), a member of the Qatar Nebras group, to receive 50% or more in a number of solar and wind projects in the country.

Qatar is the largest LNG producer in the world. In 2019, the country exported 107.1 billion cubic meters of LNG. By 2027, it is planned to increase production to 126 million tonnes (about 164 billion cubic meters).
 Close Alex Salmond claims Sturgeon will work with Alba Party

The government is facing a legal fight from campaigners over its guidance banning people in residential care over the age of 65 from taking trips outside their homes.

Johns Campaign, an initiative advocating for relatives to have better access to their loved ones in residential care, has accused the government of acting unlawfully by imposing a discriminatory blanket ban.

The advocacy group has said the Equality Act 2010 blocks the kind of discriminatory approach it said the government is taking on home care rules.

The campaign is also fighting to see rules requiring anyone who leaves a care home to self-isolate for 14 days overturned.

Meanwhile, Alex Salmonds pro-independence Alba Party could be over before it has even begun, with new polling suggesting the party is on course to claim zero seats in next months Holyrood election.

A Survation survey marking the first test of support for the new party found that only 3 per cent of Scottish voters would back Alba on the ballot.
30 March 2021, Banjul - The Ministers of Agriculture and the Natural Resources Sectors and FAO have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen collaboration to make agri-food systems more inclusive, productive, resilient and sustainable to better lives and sustainable development.

They committed at the opening ceremony of the FAO-Gambia Country Programming Framework (CPF) Annual Review and Planning Meeting in the face of rising food insecurity, alarming land degradation, biodiversity loss, declining fisheries and forest resources amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic and its induced impacts on income sources and livelihoods of rural and urban populations.

About 90 people participated in the three-day annual event organised with implementing partners to deliberate on the 2020 Programming Cycle Outcomes. They also discussed and defined Actions for 2021 and beyond.

About 1 in 3 was a virtual participant due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Addressing the gathering, Amie Fabureh, Minister for Agriculture, Lamin B. Dibba,Minister of The Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources and James F. Gomez, Minister of Fisheries and Water Resources, all acknowledged with appreciation the 'immense contributions' of FAO in the implementation of the CPF.

They highlighted at length FAO's technical and financial support to the Government towards the realisation of national development priorities.

The three ministers acknowledged the key successes registered in their respective sectors and praisedthe FAO for being "a true and dependable" longstanding partner for the Gambia.

Amie Fabureh, emphasised that the CPF addresses the priorities of the National Development Plan 2018 - 2021. During the period under review, her Ministry had devoted special attention to ensuring strong collaboration and result-oriented implementation.

She informed the gathering that in 2020, over 14,000 farmers benefited from input support, such as seeds and fertilisers. She added that other departments of agriculture also benefitted from capacity building and institutional strengthening.

Lamin B. Dibba praised FAO's efforts to consolidate the "Agriculture Policy" and the "Natural Resources Policy" into one single policy thatwould guide the entire Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) sector's development.

He noted that FAO contributed to policy strengthening and building human and institutional capacity for the forestry department. FAO also helped the Government build local capacities in the management of community forests, supported the establishment of community-based forest enterprises to support efforts geared towards addressing deforestation, land degradation, and poverty.

He urged participants to identify alternatives for fuelwood and timber to help curb communities'high dependency on the forest for livelihoods.

The wood charcoal business has devastating environmental consequences, such as land degradation and biodiversity loss. Furthermore, it is a business that exacerbates climate change impacts, food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty.

"Peoples livelihoods are dependent on the forest. I urge this meeting to explore alternatives to help reduce the high dependency on the forest to increase our carbon sink and achieve our objective under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change", Dibba said.

"The work that FAO is doing in the area of climate change aimed at reducing the impacts of climate change and variability on the agriculture and natural resources sector in the Gambia". Dibba also reiterated the importance of ensuring timely collection, analysis and dissemination of information on the ANR sector to farmers to attain government priorities.

James F. Gomez stated that FAO's support to the Fisheries Sector is in line with the National Development Plan's fisheries objectives, such as strengthening the fisher folks'capacities, particularly women who constitute 80% of the post-harvest operators.

"Our partnership in sustainable development, management, conservation and protection of the fishery has enabled the sector to be responsive, sustainable and efficient in attaining its desired goal," he added.

"FAO Fisheries Technical Cooperation (TCP) project intervention has contributed tremendously to the development of communities' capital assets and have created an environment of trust and partnership among community groups in several aspects, including decision-making processes. On behalf of the Government, the people of the Republic of The Gambia and my own, I want to express sincere appreciation and gratitude to our development partner FAO for providing the necessary support for the strive towards the achievement of fisheries' objectives of the National Development Plan".

MoshibudiRampedi, FAOR, explained that the Government, NGOs, farmers and Civil Society Organizations have all served as valuable Implementing Partners supporting FAO to achieve its goals and objectives.

"In 2020, about GMD469.2 million (USD 9.2 million) was spent implementing the CPF. Working with Implementing Partners, FAO helped build government institutions and farmers' capacities and supported the formulation of policies and strategies, including the National Early Warning Strategy, she noted.

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Rampedi also highlighted that in 2020, FAO made considerable investments in agriculture and natural resources development, production input support and enhanced access to mechanisation, the construction of processing centres for fisheries and livestock production targeting farmers. The main donors for these interventions include the European Union, Global Environment Facility and FAO TCPs, always witha special focus on empowering women and youths.

She, however, reminded the meeting of new challenges that need immediate intervention. These include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on household food security and nutrition, the need to strengthen institutional and national capacities amidst the Avian Bird Flu threat, and the low commercialisation levels in the Agriculture Natural Resources Sector.

'More than ever FAO needs the continued support from the UN Country Team, our Implementing Partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries' she emphasised. FAO thanked the Government of The Gambia for leadership, positive relations and sharing the United Nations' commitment to Deliver as One and Build Back Better.
The United States joins the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's protest against the 12th round of illegal conscriptions in Crimea, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine said.

"We join the MFA of Ukraine in strongly protesting Russia's 12th round of illegal conscriptions in Crimea. As Secretary Blinken stated, Russia's occupation and increasing militarization of Crimea threatens the world's common security," the embassy said on Facebook on Friday.

As reported, the MFA of Ukraine expressed a strong protest against the commission of a war crime by Russia, the conscription of Ukrainian citizens living in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to serve in the Russian Armed Forces.
By Ritah Kemigisa

Women in politics have called for the creation of a special fund to help African women attain parity in political spaces.

Speaking during a post womens month virtual dialogue that was discussing women in politics, the former Kumi Woman MP Monica Amoding said with such a fund, it becomes easy in identification and facilitation of more women to stand in the general seats of parliament.

Amoding says now is the time women moved away from affirmative action positions and party structures which do not support their aspirations and instead build alliances for their increased participation in politics.

Speaking at the same dialogue, the Coordinator of International Idea found in Mozambique, Sifisosami Dube challenged civil society organizations to continue training and empowering women even when they join political offices so that they can move important motions.

The virtual dialogue organized by Akina Mama Wa Africa in collaboration with the African Womens Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) was running under the theme What next for womens participation and decision making power?
TOKYO (AP)  Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will visit Washington for talks with President Joe Biden on April 16, the government said Friday. The trip had previously been announced, but not the exact date.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters that Suga will be the first foreign leader to meet Biden in person since he took office in January.

That by itself is proof that the United States places importance on Japan," he said. It is also significant as we demonstrate the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance and the U.S. commitment to engage in the Indo-Pacific region."

Japan is eager to develop close relations with the new U.S. administration and was hoping to schedule Suga's visit sooner. Japanese media, including the Nikkei business newspaper, said the trip was delayed because of a request from Washington.

We had been arranging (a visit by Suga) in the earlier half of April, but the date is set on April 16, as we aim to take all possible measures to ensure the success of the prime minister's U.S. visit and preparations for it," Kato said.

Tokyo hopes to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance, which it considers a cornerstone of its foreign and security policies, and to discuss ways to cooperate on policy toward China and North Korea and advance a joint vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific" to promote rules-based order in the region. Climate change and the fight against the pandemic are also among key issues.

Japan, whose development of its own COVID-19 vaccine has lagged, also hopes to discuss cooperation in vaccine development for possible future pandemics as part of security cooperation.

We will reconfirm coordination and cooperation between Japan and the United States, Kato said.

Because of the pandemic, the size of a Japanese delegation will be kept to a maximum of about 80 to 90 people, and all participants will be vaccinated ahead of the trip. Suga received his first shot on March 16 and is expected to have a second within days.

___

Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi
The last time he heard from his then-pregnant 15-year-old sister, Evelyn, was 44 years ago, asking their mother to bring homemade Spanish soup to her Jersey City home off Tonnelle Avenue, Luis Colon said.

Luis, 61, spent years wondering what happened to Evelyn after neighbors told him she and her then-19-year-old boyfriend, Luis Sierra, had moved when the family tried to bring them that soup a week later. Luis hasnt seen her since they lived together on Second Street in Jersey City all those years ago.

I went inside, and I saw the baby carriage, it was like one of those 1940s baby carriages, black with big wheels, in the kitchen but there was nobody there, said Luis, who now lives in Stroudsburg, PA.

(Sierra) wrote a letter to my mother on Second Street stating that Dont worry about them. They moved. They already had a baby boy. He was nine pounds.

Pennsylvania State Police announced Wednesday that female remains found on Dec 20, 1976, near the Lehigh River in the Pocono Mountains, have been identified as Evelyn Colon from Jersey City.

Evelyn was finally identified after police submitted a piece of her femur to a business in Texas to create a new DNA file last year, which was then submitted to public DNA databases. Luis said his son, Luis Colon Jr., was flagged as a relative of Beth Doe after submitting his own DNA to genetic genealogy company, 23 and Me.

Evelyn, known as Beth Doe for the last 44 years, was found near the riverbank, along with a nearly full-term fetus, in three suitcases beneath an Interstate 80 overpass, police said.

Police said Thursday they have charged Sierra, now 63, with homicide in Evelyns death. Sierra, who lives in Queens, New York, is currently in custody awaiting extradition to Carbon County, Pennsylvania.

Luis said the whole family thought Evelyn just didnt want to be involved with them. They thought she was safe since she was with her boyfriend, Luis said, which is why they never filed a missing person report. Since then, a lot of the family has moved back to Puerto Rico, he said.

My mother was suffering from depression looking for my sister, Evelyn, because everywhere she used to go she used to tell me Whoa I think I saw Evelyn, Luis said.

A GoFundMe was created Wednesday by Miriam Colon-Veltman, Luis daughter who lives in New Albany, IN, with a goal of $15,000 to cover all costs for memorial services, arrangements, travel, and anything else the family will need to honor Evelyn and her baby. The page has raised $780 as of Thursday.

Elaine Caruso, 58, said she had chills Thursday morning reading what happened to Evelyn, her former classmate at School 5 in Jersey City. Caruso currently lives in Kresgeville, PA, not too far from where Evelyn was found decades ago.

Caruso said she was friendly with Evelyn but never hung out outside of school. She said Evelyns boyfriend was often outside the school watching her throughout the day waiting until she got out.

Everybody knew it was her boyfriend, Caruso said, noting it was common to see girls with older boyfriends back then. He would just stand there by his car and watch her.

She said she always wondered why Evelyn didnt join them at the new Ferris High School. Caruso and Luis said Evelyn had started taking some remedial classes at the old Ferris High School.

I just wondered, wondered and wondered for years where she was, Caruso said. I first thought when we didnt see her in high school that she ran off got married, but then we knew her family was looking for her back then. We knew something was wrong.

Evelyn and Luis are second cousins to former five-term Hudson County Freeholder Nidia Davila-Colon, who served until resigning in 2003. Davila-Colon, who said she lost touch with the family a long time ago, remembers she was just out of college when Evelyn went missing.

She said she read the story Thursday morning but didnt realize it was her relative. Caruso, Luis and Davila-Colon all agree that the composite sketches dont really look like Evelyn.

They looked for her all the time, Davila-Colon said. I was close to her father (Virgilio Colon).

Oh, my goodness. I cannot believe this.

Note: LehighValleyLive.com reporter Kurt Bresswein contributed to this story.
Lucknow, April 2 : The upcoming Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh that are now less than a fortnight away, are proving to be a litmus test for all political parties, ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections.

The three-tier Panchayat elections in the state will be held in four phases and all the major political parties in the state are gearing up to fight it with full strength.

These elections will also mark the debut of the Aam Aadmi Party and Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM -- both of which are testing waters before the Assembly polls.

The biggest challenge in the Panchayat elections lay before the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The BJP is facing the ire of farmers and since the Panchayat elections focus on rural voters, turning the situation into its favour is an uphill task for the ruling party.

The BJP needs to perform exceptionally well to reaffirm its popularity and the party has entrusted its key workers and officials with the task.

Party cadres have been asked to highlight the development work and achievements of the Yogi Adityanath government.

Besides, with Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and now the Apna Dal, announcing to contest the Panchayat elections on their own, the BJP could face a depletion in OBC votes.

The party has also made it clear that no office bearer or his relative will be given a ticket this time. The BJP plans to focus on the young and educated candidates. The party has also appointed an in-charge for every district.

The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, hopes to gain maximum leverage from the ongoing farmer protests and has entrusted its district units with the responsibility of giving tickets to the candidates.

The SP will use the farmers' agitation to position itself against the BJP and also plans to get farmer leaders to campaign for its candidates.

The Bahujan Samaj Party, which has been on the decline since 2012, plans to regain lost ground in the Panchayat polls.

Mayawati has given the responsibility of the distribution of tickets to party's zonal heads. She has made it clear that the tickets in the Assembly elections will be given based on the performance of the Panchayat elections.

The Congress, on the other hand, is banking on the charisma of its General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to put up a respectable performance in the Panchayat polls.

The party claims to have set up its organisational structure at the grassroots level and these elections will test its claims.

The Aam Aadmi Party, which has been aggressively working on the ground since August last year, will also be testing its potential in the Panchayat elections for the first time.

The party has already announced the candidate names for some seats. Top leaders of the party are often seen raising local issues to cement the party's base at the ground level.
Marvin Scott III was inside a sprawling outlet mall in Allen, Texas, last month when police searched him and allegedly found less than two ounces of marijuana. They arrested him and eventually took him to the local jail.

Hours later, the 26-year-old was dead.

Now, seven Collin County, Texas, detention officers have been fired for their role in allegedly restraining Scott, blasting him with pepper spray and placing a hood over his head as he suffered through what his family has described as a mental health emergency. An investigation found the officers had violated policies and procedures, Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said on Thursday.

An attorney representing Scott's family called for the officers to face criminal charges in the case, which the Texas Rangers are investigating.

"#MarvinScottIII's family is relieved these men have been terminated - however they are anxious to see these men arrested and held criminally accountable," attorney Lee Merritt tweeted on Thursday.

The case has sparked outrage in North Texas as Scott's family and local activists question why he was arrested for such a small amount of marijuana -- a drug soon to be fully legal in 16 states and widely decriminalized elsewhere -- and why he was subject to force in jail rather than immediately taken for medical treatment.

Many police departments nationwide have stopped making arrests for small amounts of marijuana, a policy already held by several forces around Dallas and adopted by another area agency this week in the wake of Scott's death.

Police have also faced scrutiny in their response to mental health crises, particularly after the death last year of Daniel T. Prude, a Black man who died after Rochester, N.Y., police restrained him and used a spit hood to cover his head.

Scott was a beloved brother and son, his family members said after his death.

"He was a gentle giant. He would do anything for anybody," his sister, LaChay Batts, said at a news conference after his death. "Y'all really took away a good person - a really good person. He was amazing."

Like Prude, he also battled mental illness that frequently put him in contact with local police. Scott had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, his family said, and in the past, police had taken him to get medical care when he had a crisis.

"He had been arrested several times before where he was taken to a clinic, given his meds and then released," Merritt said in a news conference streamed by KXAS.

On March 14, Scott once again ended up in police custody, this time after he was observed acting strangely in the Allen Premium Outlets, a mall in suburban Dallas, and then allegedly found with a small amount of marijuana. Police initially took him to a hospital, Merritt said, but unlike in previous cases, they then took him to the Collin County Jail instead of a local mental health center.

He was booked into the jail around 6:40 p.m., Skinner said at a news conference. According to Merritt, he was put into a cell with eight other people, but later moved into an isolation cell. When the jail staff feared that he might hurt himself, they sent in seven officers to restrain him, Merritt said.

Video of the encounter shows one officer applying an "illegal choke hold" as the others fought to tie down his arms, Merritt alleged.

Skinner confirmed that video was taken of the struggle, and said the officers used pepper spray once and restrained Scott in a bed. He declined to discuss any other details about the video recording, pending the ongoing investigation.

At 10:22 p.m., the sheriff said, Scott became unresponsive on the restraining bed. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

"As you might imagine, I was brokenhearted to learn that someone had died in our custody," Skinner said days later, calling his death a "tragedy."

Seven detention officers -- a captain, a lieutenant, two sergeants and three officers, none of whom have been named -- were suspended while the sheriff conducted an internal investigation. On Thursday, Skinner announced that they had been fired and said an eighth officer had resigned as a result of the probe.

"Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established Sheriff's Office policies and procedures," Skinner said in a statement to the Dallas Morning News. "Everyone in Collin County deserves safe and fair treatment, including those in custody at our jail. I will not tolerate less."

Merritt praised the move, but also pushed for a full accounting of what happened -- and criminal charges against those responsible.

"We are pleased with this decision and consider this progress, the first step of many more to come," he said in a statement to WFAA. "Next, these former officers need to be arrested and brought to justice."
The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, the Fulani socio-cultural association, has said that some arrested herders in Benue State paid over N100m fine in compliance with the state's anti-grazing law.

The National President of the association, Alhaji Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, and National Secretary, Engr. Saleh Alhassan, said this while speaking with reporters in Abuja on Thursday.

"Between January and March this year, Benue State Government has collected over N100m as fines and penalties from innocent Fulani pastoralists, especially in the Benue-Taraba and Benue-Nasarawa borders."

Bodejo said the major problem facing Fulani pastoralists is the injustices ranging from killings by tribal gangs, negative anti-grazing laws that have emasculated their means of economic livelihood and outright expulsions by some state governors who issued quit notices.

He also said there were organised killings by vigilantes, supported by some state governors.

Asked about what they are doing to stop the injustice, Bodejo said since they are not the government, they can only sensitize the people on the need to live peacefully in the communities they find themselves.

'Only gov't can provide security'

He said, "The issue of providing security is the responsibility of the government, this is the primary responsibility of any government to protect the citizens and we believe that our people have been failed particularly in protecting their lives and means of economic livelihood.

"What our people are facing is a kind of organised state terrorism our people are facing in parts of the country and you have governors enacting laws to destroy their means of economic livelihood without alternatives being put in place.

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"We are really being treated as if we are not citizens of this country and is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise us and at the end radicalized our youths."

Asked on the allegations by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State that their members were responsible for the attack on the governor, he said they have stopped taking Ortom seriously.

He said, "Because his attitude is unexpected of a governor. He has become a specialist in churning out propaganda and profiling of Fulani pastoralists.

"His claim has turned out to be false. Since the time he conceived his wicked anti-grazing law, we started opposing him, and when he enacted the law, we took him to court.

"What Governor Ortom has succeeded in doing with that law is to create a legal monster that he is using to extort our people, through the livestock guard perpetrating all manners of injustices.

"We are still in court and urging President Muhammadu Buhari to call Governor Ortom to order."
Kylie Jenner showcased her gym-honed midriff in a bright yellow halter bikini as she spent Friday lounging by the pool of her $36.5M Holmby Hills compound.

While putting her hourglass curves on full display in a tiny two-piece, the 23-year-old makeup mogul filmed herself preparing to take a dip as she soaked up the sunshine.

She paired footage of herself walking around her backyard with Erin Kaith's 2020 track Down Bad and a filter, which provided a timestamp of just before 11AM.

Soaking up the sunshine: Kylie Jenner showcased her gym-honed in a bright yellow halter bikini as she spent the morning lounging by the pool of her $36.5M Holmby Hills compound on Friday

After two hours of sunbathing, she posed for more selfies and videos, including a closeup of just her toned midriff and a Boomerang of her legs in the pool.

The reality star sported a glamorous makeup look, which included a nude matte lipstick on her plump pout, rosy cheeks and a black eyeliner.

Her wavy dark brown hair hovered just above her waist as she enjoyed the glorious weather seemingly by herself as there was no trace of any of her family or friends in any of her Instagram posts.

Bombshell: While putting her hourglass curves on full display in a tiny two-piece, the 23-year-old makeup mogul filmed herself preparing to take a dip as she soaked up the sunshine

Leisurely afternoon: She paired footage of herself walking around her backyard with the song Erin Kaith's 2020 track Down Bad and a filter, which included a timestamp of 12:00 PM

Later on Fruday, she shared an adorable video of her daughter Stormi holding hands with her cousin True, whose mother is sister Khloe Kardashian.

Earlier this week, she was the target of backlash after she was accused of not donating 'enough' to a GoFundMe supporting her injured former makeup artist.

Days later, however, it was revealed the KUWTK star had recently donated $500,000 to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jenner's hefty donation, as well as monetary assistance given by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend's Teen Cancer America, went towards the construction of a patient space, called the 'Hey, I'm Here For You Teen Lounge.'

Pool day: After two hours of sunbathing, she posed for more selfies and videos, including a closeup of just her toned midriff and a Boomerang of her legs in the pool

Glam: The reality star sported a glamorous makeup look, which included a nude matte lipstick on her plump pout, rosy cheeks and a black eyeliner

Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, often referred to as Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, is described as 'one of the nation's leading children's hospitals, and the largest in the Southeast' that deals with the 'simple to the most complex' of illnesses.

Kylie, who is worth $900million, made the generous donation in honor of her longtime pal and musician Harry Hudson, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013.

The Kylie Cosmetics CEO was by Hudson's side as he battled the cancer of the lymphatic system, which he successfully overcame.

'I am so grateful for Kylie's friendship and the impact she's had on my life and my cancer journey,' said Hudson in a press release. 'She has always been there for me, and together, we wanted to figure out a way to be there for other young people who are battling this disease.'

Family love: Later on Friday Jenner shared an adorable video of her daughter Stormi holding hands with her cousin True, whose mother is Khloe Kardashian.

Charitable: It was revealed Wednesday that Jenner donated $500,000 to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt( located in Nashville, Tennessee); Jenner pictured in 2020
Kirsten Dunst showed off her massive baby bump in a loose black minidress, which showed off her toned legs, as she took her two-year-old son Ennis to the park.

While stepping out for the first time since announcing her pregnancy on Tuesday, the On Becoming a God in Central Florida star doted on her adorable little boy.

She was seemingly joined by her fiance Jesse Plemmons's mother, Lisa Beth Cason, who stayed close to her grandson as they enjoyed Los Angeles' warm weather.

Expecting: Kirsten Dunst showed off her massive baby bump in a loose black minidress, which showed off her toned legs, as she took her two-year-old son Ennis to the park

The three-time Golden Globe nominee paired her laid-back look with a pair of bright yellow with little bows on the front and a white tote bag full of her must-haves.

Looking every inch the doting mom, she held into a juice box for her toddler, who wore a graphic blue t-shirt, red pants and white sneakers with green accents.

During their outing, she kept her mouth and nose covered under a black face mask amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Loving mother: While stepping out for the first time since announcing her pregnancy on Tuesday, the On Becoming a God in Central Florida star doted on her little boy

Just two days before her outing, the actress revealed her growing baby bump while draped in white lace and posing on the cover of W magazine's latest issue.

Kirsten called on her Rodarte designer friends Laura and Kate Mulleavy to create a custom gown for the 'All Dressed Up With Nowhere to Go' photo shoot directed by Sofia Coppola for W's annual Directors Issue.

Dunst looked positively gorgeous in the snaps as she sprawled out across a bed wearing an intricate design.

Family time: She was seemingly joined by her fiance Jesse Plemmons's mother, Lisa Beth Cason, who stayed close to her grandson as they enjoyed a stroll and the warm weather

A thick velvet sash rested above her belly and matched delicate cuffs wrapped around her wrists.

She switched gears into a vibrant floral ensemble complete with feathery cuffs for another classic '60s inspired display.

On working with photographer Zoe Ghertner, she joked that 'every shot was on the floor. I was like, 'I can't get up.' I felt like Urkel.'

Proud mama: Dunst revealed her growing baby bump while draped in white lace and posing on the cover of W magazine's latest issue

Dunst formed a relationship with Coppola through the years having first worked with the director in 1999 on The Virgin Suicides.

'I felt really protected. She made me feel like I was cool, like my teeth were cool, and I was pretty,' she said.

'At 16, I did not think anything of myself. And its nice to have had another woman celebrate that transition, rather than it having been sexualized through a mans perspective.'

Growing family: She also shares two-year-old son Ennis with fiance Jesse Plemmons. They met while working together on set of Fargo in 2016

The pair then joined forces for the film Marie Antoinette in 2006 and once again in 2017 on The Beguiled.

'It's just so beautiful to have that kind of friendship where you've seen each other have children,' Dunst said. 'There are few collaborations, to be honest, where it lasts, where someone knows you that long that's not your family.'

She and her fiance met met while playing high school sweethearts Peggy and local butcher Ed on the FX series Fargo in 2016.
The St. Louis chapter of the Israeli American Council (IAC) is not letting the COVID-19 pandemic keep it from celebrating Yom HaAtzmaut, Israels Independence Day.

For the second year in a row, rather than people congregating outdoors or indoors, the IAC, in conjunction with other local Jewish groups, will hold a drive-in celebration on Thursday, April 15 in the back parking lot of the Jewish Community Centers Staenberg Family Complex near Creve Coeur.

The event is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. and will feature music from Israeli artists the Idan Raichel Project, Sarit Hadad, Rami Kleinstein and T-Slam, as well as games for children.

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The first 100 cars will receive a special gift bag. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and refreshments.

Guests are also encouraged to decorate their cars, and prizes will be awarded for best decorations. For more information, visit https://iac360.org/event/ci-stl/

Kohns Kosher Deli will also offer boxed dinners for preorder. The restaurant is creating a special menu for the holiday, which will be available before April 7.

All orders must be made by noon on April 13. To order, visit kohnskosher.com

Galit Lev-Harir, a regional council member for the IAC, said she and others are organizing the celebration because I think Israel is central to the Jewish experience. Its the homeland for the Jewish people and we want to encourage American Jews to support Israel and have strong ties with Israel.
KONNOR PERRIN, Chariho boys lacrosse, freshman: Perrin established a school record for assists in a game with nine in the Chargers 22-0 win over Ponaganset. Perrin leads the team with 21 assists to go with 14 goals.

LILA RICH, Stonington girls track, senior: Rich won two events at the ECC Division I track meet. Rich was first in the high jump (5-0) and the pole vault (10-0) as the Bears finished third at the meet.

MADIGAN HILTZ, Westerly boys lacrosse, senior: Hiltz scored seven goals and had three assists in pair of victories for the Bulldogs. Hiltz has 17 goals and seven assists for the season.

ADDIE HAUPTMANN, Wheeler softball, junior: Hauptmann was 4 for 9 with a home run and six RBIs in two games. For the season, Hauptmann is hitting .617 with eight homers and 42 RBIs. She has 50 hits.

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Highway developer Bharat Road Network Ltd BRNL has inked pact with Cube Highways for sale of its operating toll project in Uttar Pradesh. The entire 39 percent stake held by BRNL and its SPV partners will be transferred to Cube Highways, according to the company.

The transaction is valued at Rs 1,600 crore and the proceeds will be used by BRNL towards debt mitigation.

"The Share Purchase Agreement provides for the sale of entire stake in Ghaziabad-Aligarh Expressway Private Limited, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) engaged in the development, operation and maintenance of a 126-kilometre toll road project from Ghaziabad to Aligarh on National Highway 34 ("NH34")," BRNL said in a release on Friday.

The project was awarded to the SPV for a 24-year concession in 2011 and involved strengthening and widening the two-lane highway. Toll collection on this road started in June 2015.

Bajrang Kumar Choudhary, Managing Director, BRNL said, "We continue to explore opportunities for value creation through our portfolio realignment. We remain focused towards optimising value through such strategic exits and are equally committed to raise resources to capitalise on the current and upcoming primary and secondary market opportunities in the highway sector."

BRNL, which is listed on both NSE and BSE, is involved in development, implementation, operation and maintenance of roads and highways projects and has presence in UP, Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha.

The company has a project portfolio worth Rs 7,000 crore consisting of six operational BOT projects.

Cube Highways and Infrastructure Pte. Ltd. (Cube Highways) is a Singapore-based company investing in road and highway projects, along with other select infrastructure sectors in India.

Also Read: Will construct 40km highways per day: Nitin Gadkari

Also Read: Centre working on proposal to construct double-decker flyover in Jamshedpur: Nitin Gadkari
KALAMAZOO, MI -- YWCA Kalamazoo is launching a pilot health fund to expand access to reproductive, sexual and gender-affirming health care services to those in need in the community.

The Reproductive Health Fund aims to provide necessary support to low-income people, people of color, Black, Indigenous or undocumented people and the LGBTQIA+ community, according to a news release from the YWCA.

Each of us should be able to live, work, and make decisions about our health and our future with dignity and economic security, said Demetrias Wolverton, director of the YWCAs Mission Impact. YWCA Kalamazoo is on a mission to eliminate racism and empower women, and the Reproductive Health Fund advances those goals by boldly addressing urgent and unmet needs for underserved people in our community.

Systemic racism and other embedded inequalities act as obstacles between many Kalamazoo County residents and access to essential reproductive, sexual and gender-affirming care. These barriers are compounded by the increasing cost of care and lack of insurance coverage, and worsened by the pandemic and resulting economic instability, the release said.

YWCA received funding from two national organizations for the fund. A one-year grant comes from the National Institute for Reproductive Health, and a two-year grant from the Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity, Wolverton said. The YWCA is not authorized to disclose the amount of the grants, they said.

The Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners also introduced a proposed budget amendment at its March 16 meeting to allocate funding to the YWCA Kalamazoo to help residents have access to health care services including doulas, abortion care and gender-affirming care, the release said.

YWCA is asking for about $43,000 from the county, Wolverton said. They hope the community focuses less on how much money the county government could spare and focus instead on the county investing dollars into causes that will expand access and make our community more equitable, Wolverton said.

The commission will vote on whether to allocate the funding to the pilot program at the next meeting on Tuesday, April 6, Chairperson Tracy Hall said in an interview with MLive. The money was originally allocated for Southwest Michigan First, but was rescinded in February due to a controversial CEO hire, Hall said.

I am incredibly excited about the potential partnership with the YWCA Kalamazoo, Hall said in the release. Partnering with the YWCA on this pilot program is a demonstration of Kalamazoo Countys commitment to equity and our goal of reducing health disparities and barriers that impact our community.

As other states across the country are actively working to deny reproductive health care, we want to stay focused on the health and safety of our communities by dedicating local resources for doula care, abortion, and gender affirming care, Hall said.

Wolverton said this program is an opportunity for the county commission to join the YWCA in truly meeting the needs of our community by supporting the Reproductive Health Fund, providing necessary health care services that also reflect the values of our community.

Residents told YWCA in a 2019 survey that a lack of insurance and financial resources were among the most critical barriers to their receiving healthcare. The health fund will ease those financial barriers

In its first year, the fund will focus on expanding access to abortion and increasing the utilization of doula care with a goal of promoting maternal health and decreasing the Black infant mortality rate.

Related: Rooteads birth doula program aims to lower Kalamazoos racial disparity in infant mortality

The fund will also provide financial support to ease the costs associated with hormone treatment, name changes and gender marker updates and post-exposure prophylaxis, a treatment of medications taken after a possible exposure to HIV.

This pandemic exposed the structural inequalities in our system especially when it comes to health care coverage and outcomes and were working to dismantle them, said Komal Razvi, YWCAs health equity lead. One place to start is by ensuring that however much we earn, each of us can make decisions about gender identity, pregnancy and parenting that are best for us.

Black women, trans, and gender non-conforming people in Kalamazoo are the most impacted and therefore are at the center of this new fund, Razvi said.

The YWCAs efforts are backed by community partners including Rootead Enrichment Centers Red Birth Green Initiative, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, as well as local clinics and pharmacies. National partners include National Institute for Reproductive Health, All* Above All, and the Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity, the release said.

Also on MLive:

Kalamazoo issued COVID-19 violation after city utility workers seen without face coverings

Kalamazoo County opens vaccine sign-up to all residents 16 and older

$17 million in emergency rental assistance available to Kalamazoo County residents in need
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commssion (ZACC) this week swooped on Mutoko Rural District Council and arrested the local authority's acting chief executive Samson Zulu over a slew of corruption charges.

He allegedly flouted procurement procedures by corruptly engaging a group of youths for roadworks without going to tender.

Zulu also stands accused of corruptly selling a business stand to an individual.

He also faces another count of awarding a tender for repair of a council vehicle to an individual, who is not on the list of approved dealers, and approved payment without inviting other bidders.

ZACC investigators this week arrested Zulu following an outcry by Mutoko residents.

ZACC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure confirmed the arrest of Zulu saying he had since appeared in court for three counts of criminal abuse of office.

"I can confirm the arrest of Samson Zulu, the acting chief executive officer of Mutoko Rural District Council. He appeared in court facing three counts of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer as defined in section 174 of the criminal law (codification and reform) act chapter 9:23," he said.

A Mutoko magistrate freed Zulu on $10 000 bail.

Mutoko Rural District Council, being a procuring entity under the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, is governed by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act for all its procurement of goods and services.

In January this year, Zulu allegedly mooted an idea to maintain and repair Oliver Newton Road, in Mutoko which was in bad state.

He allegedly flouted procurement procedures and offered the work to a group of young people in Mutoko's Ward 20 without advertising or even considering at least three different bids as provided for in the laws of the country.

He reportedly facilitated the release of $140 000 to the youths without assessment of the work by an engineer.

Since Mutoko Rural District Council engineer was on suspension, council could have sought the services of the District Development Fund engineers.

In February this year, Zulu is said to have corruptly sold a business stand, Number 6940 Mutoko Centre to Clemence Mweleya without following due procedure.

He allegedly instructed Mweleya to deposit into Mutoko Rural District Council CBZ Nostro account number 24148840110 a down payment of US$50 000 for the stand.

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Mweleya undertook to make a full payment on terms that would be set by council.

Mutoko Council's Works Committee, refused to sanitise the property sale.

Upon realising that he had committed an offence and in a bid to cover up the offence, the accused allegedly advertised a tender for the sale of the said stand on February 21.

In February this year, Zulu took council's Isuzu vehicle registration number AAE 9013 to an individual called Peter Paradza in violation of the procurement regulations.

Paradza was not listed among dealers authorised by the Procurement Regulatory Authjority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) but he was paid $58 500 for servicing of the vehicle's brakes.

"Accused person did not follow the above procedure for the fix and supply of brakes of Isuzu vehicle registration number AAE 9013.

"Instead accused handpicked and awarded the job to Peter Paradza who is not an authorised dealer and without sourcing three or more quotations from registered service providers.

"Accused person corruptly authorized Peter Paradza to repair the Isuzu AAE 9013 and later on authorised payment of $58 500-00 for the repair works which was paid to Peter Paradza through Mutoko Rural District Council Steward bank account number 1006704294.

"Accused acted contrary to or inconsistent with his duties as a public officer and his conduct was in apparent show of favour to Peter Paradza and disfavour to prospective registered service providers for the said services had proper procedure been followed," said Comm Makamure.
The World Socialist Web Site is publishing today in Chinese 800,000 COVID-19 deaths in Europe: capitalism, social murder and the case for socialism.

Written by Alex Lantier and originally published on February 25 in English, the article reviews how the political representatives of the financial elite have condemned hundreds of thousands to death from COVID-19. Lantier powerfully explains why the fight against the pandemic requires the political mobilization of the working class against capitalism, based on a socialist and international program.

We invite feedback from Chinese readers.
An Offaly man witnessed history as Ghana became the first country to receive Covid-19 vaccines under the historic COVAX initiative.

Fiachra McAsey, a native of Tullamore, is UNICEFs Deputy Representative in Ghana and for him the delivery of 600,000 vaccine doses to the capital city of Accra, just 11 months after a pandemic was declared, provided much needed hope for the future.

Vaccines mean there is light at the end of the tunnel. They arrived just as Ghana was coping with its second wave. People needed reason to hope, said Fiachra. The vaccines arrived in Ghana in late February.

Especially those living in high-density urban settings, where its often difficult to enjoy basic hygiene, like handwashing.

The shipment to Ghana of 600,000 doses of the vaccine represents the beginning of what should be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history.

In the first stage, 10 million Covid-19 vaccine doses were delivered to 12 countries in just one week  and that is just the beginning.

UNICEF is leading in the procurement and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines for 82 low and lower middle-income countries participating in the COVAX Facility.

TAP TO READ NEXT: Covid-19 rate rises yet again in Tullamore and remains highest in the country

The COVAX Facility, co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, together with delivery partner UNICEF, aims to provide at least 2 billion doses of approved Covid-19 vaccines by the end of 2021, enabling participating economies to protect frontline health care and social workers, as well as other high-risk and vulnerable groups.

Being there for children and their communities

Fiachra and his UNICEF team are now working closely with Government to ensure vaccines reach frontline workers and the most vulnerable. This will help protect the health and education services that children and families depend on.

The next phase is distribution, ensuring efficiency, equity, cold chain reliability and supportive infrastructure. Were here to support as much as possible.

Children were seriously affected by the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020. Schools were closed for nine months and most children could not participate consistently in learning. That gap was significant, given already low learning outcomes for children prior to the pandemic. The disruption was particularly difficult for adolescent girls, who bear the burden of household work and care and have been at heightened risk of early marriage, and sexual and gender-based violence. Getting girls back into school is a priority.

Protecting everyone and protecting the future

Globally, UNICEF is working to make 2 billion vaccine doses available through the COVAX initiative in 2021 and Fiachra believes these cant arrive soon enough for countries like Ghana, which face the reversal of hard fought economic and social progress.

Ghana was the first country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 and has since achieved substantive progress for children. While still facing difficult challenges prior to the pandemic, overall, its development was considered a huge success for Africa.

Covid-19 now threatens that success. The reality is that many households have been severely affected economically and socially.

Many parents are facing a new dilemma  choosing between the economic survival of the family or the education of a child. Between sending your child to school or sending them to work.

A universal moment of standing together

The tragic impact of the pandemic has been felt in every country in the world. However, Fiachra also sees hope in how people are coming together and supporting both their community at home, as well as people around the world.

I think there is a universal feeling of solidarity across the globe. We are all in the same boat.

While the severity may differ, the problems are the same in nature. Everybody understands there are challenges. And everyone knows that help from outside is needed.

The pandemic made it clear that we are all connected, and we cant hope to be rid of Covid-19 until the most at risk are helped. And when it comes to emerging variants, the sooner we act together, the less risk we face individually.

The build back better idea is often talked about. Really, it means combining all available resources now to strengthen the systems for the future  whether thats the healthcare, social protection or education system.

I hope we can all learn enough from this challenge to invest enough to improve resilience against future shocks.

I also hope Ghana can emerge stronger from this experience, better able to do the right things for its children and their future.

COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), with UNICEF as a key implementing partner.

This article is based on a feature first published by UNICEF Ireland.

Companies interested in supporting UNICEFs life-saving work to deliver Covid-19 vaccines around the world, can find more details of how they can support through the Vaccine Fund, https://www.unicef.ie/support-us/

major-donor/the-vaccine-fund/
02 April 2021, Taiwan, Hualien: Rescue members of the Keelung City Fire Department search for people who are stranded and injured in compartments after a train carrying 490 people derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan. At least 66 were injure Image Source: IANS News

02 April 2021, Taiwan, Hualien: Rescue members of the Keelung City Fire Department search for people who are stranded and injured in compartments after a train carrying 490 people derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan. At least 66 were injure Image Source: IANS News

Taipei, April 2 : Forty-eight people were killed on Friday in a deadly train derailment in Taiwan's Hualien county, authorities said, adding the track on which the fatal accident occurred will take seven days to repair.

At 9.28 a.m. (local time), the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) No. 408 Taroko train en route from Shulin, New Taipei, to Taitung, suddenly derailed as it entered the Daqingshui tunnel, reports Taiwan News.

The train comprised eight carriages and had more than 350 passengers on board.

According to the TRA, a construction vehicle reportedly rolled down a slope and hit the passing train which triggered the derailment.

Several carriages were badly deformed, with five of the eight stuck inside the Daqingshui Tunnel, it added.

By Friday afternoon, 16 trains and 6,398 travellers had been affected by the disaster.

The Administration further said that most of the victims were found in the two last carriages.

A total of 118 people were injured, many of them transferred for treatment to several hospitals in the region or receiving first aid at nearby Chongde Railway Station.

The derailment occurred on the first day of a four-day break for Taiwan's annual tomb-sweeping tradition, dpa news agency reported.

The passengers said the accident was terrifying.

"I didn't dare look at the scene, there were many people were lying there," a passenger, who managed to escape, told the state-run Central News Agency.

"It was totally dark. People had no idea what to do." Another passenger told Eastern Broadcasting Company that he and others had had to work together to break a window in order to escape.

Premier Su Tseng-chang, who visited the accident site, apologised to the passengers for the accident and sent his condolences to the victims' families.

President Tsai Ing-wen has instructed the authorities to continue the rescue activities and to fully investigate what caused the accident.

The last major train accident in Taiwan was in October 2018, when 18 people died.
After his interview with daughter-in-law Lara was taken down by Facebook on Tuesday, Donald Trump cautioned on Thursday night that the U.S. was becoming a "Communist country" with strict censorship laws. In an interview with cable channel Real America's Voice, the former president slammed Facebook for removing his interview. On Tuesday, Lara Trump interviewed him for her podcast.

Donald Trump says America has become a "Communist" country

"We are reaching out to let you know that we deleted material from Lara Trump's Facebook page that featured President Trump speaking." Lara received an email after she shared a video clip of their interview on Facebook.

"Further content posted in the voice of Donald Trump will be deleted, resulting in additional restrictions on the accounts," according to the statement. Meanwhile, the former president said it was surprising. He added that nobody thought about what is happening in the country, even its total censorship, Daily Mail reported.

Pence Unveils Plans for 2024 Presidential Run Following Reports He's Not Included as Trump's Pick

Facebook is not behaving fairly, as per Donald Trump. He said that while information damaging to Joe Biden, such as the interview with his daughter-in-law, was excluded, content favorable to him, such as the interview with his businessman son Hunter, was not.

Since January, most social media sites had blocked the former president when they decided that his risk of provoking more violence after the January 6 Capitol insurgency was too high. He said that Twitter was 'very dull' without him and commented about a potential Twitter boycott by his followers.

Trump has long considered launching his own social media platform. Since leaving the White House, the former president has been consulting on launching his own social media site. He did, though, come to the conclusion that is delivering his press statements, which he regularly does, was a more elegant means of engaging than Twitter and that he was pleased with it.

Donald Trump Says He Wrote a Letter to Joe Biden 'From the Heart'

Lara: 'Big tech is out to erase' former President Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump claimed that "Big Tech" wants to "erase" him, says daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Thursday, NY Post reported. According to Lara Trump, her father-in-law is "very upset" about the initiative. Lara Trump spoke out one day after it was announced that Facebook and Instagram had deleted videos of her interviewing the former president, referencing the 45th president's previous ban.

Lara claimed that big tech wants Donald Trump to be forgotten. During an interview on Fox News, Lara Trump said, "They want you to forget he ever existed. They don't want you to see him. They don't want you to be in touch with him."

Trump said that the crackdown is typical of communist nations and that the blackout should concern all Americans, including those who despise the former president. Following the U.S. Capitol protests on January 6, multiple social media sites deleted the former president's accounts.

Donald Trump Slams Joe Biden for Turning the Southern Border Into a 'National Disaster'

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Joaquin Oliver was murdered in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. His parents, Manuel and Patricia Oliver, recognize a pattern, both in how the US media covers mass shootings by rote, and in how Americans are able to look away once the news cycle ends.

On this weeks Kicker, the Olivers, who founded Change The Ref, a nonprofit that works to raise awareness about mass shootings through reducing the influence of the NRA at the federal level, and Kyle Pope, editor and publisher of CJR, discuss how the media can drive urgency in the fight for gun control.

Please sign up for our virtual Gun Violence News Summit, which takes place on Tuesday, April 6. Join Kyle, the Olivers, and industry leaders from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Trace, The Guardian, and others to determine a path forward in the face of never-ending gun violence and mass shootings.

SHOW NOTES

April 6: Gun Violence News Summit sign up

Its time to rethink how journalism covers guns and mass shootings, Kyle Pope, CJR

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Amanda Darrach is a contributor to CJR and a visiting scholar at the University of St Andrews School of International Relations. Follow her on Twitter @thedarrach.
Investigators seek detention of Russias industry official in abuse of office case

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

16:57 02/04/2021

MOSCOW, April 2 (RAPSI)  Investigators have filed a motion seeking to put the director of Russias Ministry of Industry and Trades Metallurgy and Building Materials Department Pavel Servatinsky in detention until June 1, the press service of Moscows Khamovnichesky District Court has told RAPSI.

He stands charged with abuse of office. Other details have not been disclosed yet.

Reportedly, the accused could be involved in the issuance of budget subsidies based on the submitted forged documents.
University of Colorado student Osvaldo Villagrana, 24, gets a first dose of the Moderna vaccine on the Boulder campus, becoming one of the first of 12,000 students nationwide to participate in the Prevent COVID U study. Photo by Glen Asakawa / University of Colorado

Thousands of college students in the U.S. may soon help answer one of the worlds most pressing questions about COVID-19 vaccines: Can these shots, which protect against serious symptoms, also prevent those who might still get infected from silently spreading the disease to others? Designed and managed by researchers at the CoVPN, or COVID-19 Prevention Network, which is headquartered at Seattles Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the study will offer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to 12,000 students willing to swab their noses every day for four months during the course of the clinical trial. Called the Prevent COVID U study, it began enrollment on 21 U.S. campuses this week. It is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fred Hutch professor and virologist Dr. Larry Corey, who directs operations at CoVPN, said plans for the study began in December. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were proven by then to be extraordinarily effective in stopping symptomatic disease, but it was unknown whether vaccinated people could become infected without showing symptoms and spread the virus unwittingly. We needed a different kind of study design  one that uses intensive sampling of the nose, the site of first infection, and can detect the exact time-course of infection, Corey said.

Fred Hutch Professor Dr. Larry Corey, an acclaimed virologist and director of operations for the COVID-19 Prevention Network headquartered in Seattle, has spearheaded the development of the Prevent COVID U study. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service Limited evidence from the current COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials  as well as data emerging as vaccines roll out in the community  suggest but do not prove that the current COVID-19 vaccines do reduce infection, including asymptomatic infection. The newly launched college study is designed to find out for sure. Answers from this new trial will likely signal whether the much-anticipated vaccines will usher in a return to life where people can safely congregate in crowded, indoor settings without fear, or if the era of masks and social distancing is likely to be with us for a long, long time. Results of the trial should be ready in time for students attending college this fall. Although only the Moderna vaccine will be used in the college trials, Corey said the results will apply equally well to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which uses a similar technology (called mRNA) to train the bodys immune system to recognize and attack SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Whatever one learns from Moderna applies to Pfizer, he said. The strand of RNA is identical. There will be no placebo injections given in this trial. Half of the students (aged 18-26) will be randomly selected to receive the Moderna vaccine on the day they enroll, and the remaining 6,000 will get their first shot four months later. 12,000 students, 1.3 million nasal swabs Those nasal swabs  more than 1.3 million of them  will be stored by the participants and shipped off weekly to a laboratory for the same kind of PCR testing performed by public health clinics to determine if someone is infected with SARS-CoV-2. All 12,000 participants will be prompted to fill out weekly electronic diary checking for symptoms of illness and reminding them to complete their daily swab tests. During this time, these same participating students will also receive twice weekly real-time COVID-19 tests from their college health clinics so that, if a person becomes positive for the virus, he or she can quickly be isolated and receive appropriate treatment. Any positive samples found among the daily swabs will be more deeply analyzed to determine how much virus was in them  a measure called viral load. Any viruses detected can also be genetically sequenced to determine which variant of SARS-CoV-2 had infected the individual. Daily testing is key to giving researchers a better handle on the stealthy nature of SARS-CoV-2. Studies suggest that a person appears to be most infectious for only a few days, and those days are often before the onset  if ever  of any COVID-19 symptoms. Roughly half of SARS-CoV-2 infections remain asymptomatic.

Fred Hutch biostatisticians Drs. Holly Janes (left) and Elizabeth Brown (right), led the design of the Prevent COVID U study. Fred Hutch biostatisticians Drs. Holly Janes (above) and Elizabeth Brown (below), led the design of the Prevent COVID U study. Photos by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

In the college study, by testing participants every day we can quantify the amount of virus in the nose of those infected  early and throughout the course of infection  and use that to assess the ability of the vaccine to reduce infectiousness, said Hutch biostatistician Dr. Holly Janes, who helped design the college study. What we would like to see is that the vaccine recipients who become infected have lower levels of virus in the nose or a shorter duration of infection than participants who became infected and are not vaccinated. It would be particularly concerning should this study find that the vaccine only knocks down telltale COVID-19 symptoms but leaves vaccinated people still able to transmit infection. A large increase in the number of asymptomatic spreaders could reverse the obvious advantages of new vaccines shown to cut symptomatic disease by nearly 95%. Janes said that while the large, ongoing efficacy trials of new COVID-19 vaccines are measuring viral load among infected individuals, they are doing so only in those developing symptoms, after the onset of those symptoms. Therefore, these studies will not capture how much virus is present in a person with asymptomatic infection, or how much virus is present early in the course of infection when most transmission occurs. The primary goals of the college study are to assess the ability of the vaccine to reduce the infection rate and infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2. A second, crucial component of the trial will focus on documenting cases of transmission among those who live in close proximity to the participating students who become infected and evaluating how well the vaccine reduces actual transmission of infection. Because the initial focus of vaccine trials was to find one or more that worked, assessing infectiousness and transmission after vaccination has not been a priority in the large-scale trials to date. It has also not been attempted until now, Janes said, because it is so challenging to do it well. For example, people are most infectious early after contracting the virus, so it is important for researchers to reach and test their contacts as soon as possible. That way, if there is a transmission to a close contact, it can be picked up right away. For this strategy to work, researchers ideally want the names of contacts on hand before any potential transmission.

Universities participating in the Prevent COVID U study College students attending the following universities may learn more about enrollment in this important clinical trial by going to PreventCovidU.org. Charles Drew University Clemson University Indiana University  Bloomington Morehouse College Northwestern University Stony Brook University Texas A&M  College Station Texas A&M  Kingsville University of Arizona University of California  San Diego University of Colorado  Boulder University of Florida  Gainesville University of Illinois  Urbana-Champaign University of Kentucky University of Maryland  College Park University of Nebraska University of North Carolina University of Virginia University of Washington Wake Forest Baptist Health West Virginia University To meet that challenge, the 12,000 participants assigned to get a vaccine  immediately or four months into the study  will be asked at enrollment to invite their friends, co-workers or housemates to sign up on a roster of close contacts. These are the people most likely to be exposed if a participant becomes infected. If the researchers already have their names on hand, they can be notified quickly. The researchers plan to sign up 24,000 of these prospective contacts. Each will be asked to monitor their health weekly on an electronic diary. In the event one of the participants in the primary study tests positive, their contacts listed would be notified and provided with kits for two weeks of self-testing. If they are already enrolled in the prospective contact cohort, we have a better chance of intercepting the transmission closer to the time of infection, said Dr. Elizabeth Brown, who shares the lead biostatistician role in the study with Janes. Brown noted that the life of a student becomes chaotic if that person tests positive, so it is helpful to have that list of prospective contacts on hand. Infected students will likely have to relocate for two weeks to dorms set up to accommodate and isolate positive cases. Theyre probably not really going to be thinking about their contacts at that point in time. Theyre going to be packing their stuff, Brown said. Should any of the 12,000 original enrollees become infected, they will also be asked if they can recall close contact with someone they had not previously named in the prospective group. Those potentially exposed individuals might also be offered an opportunity to self-test for two weeks as well, swabbing their noses, filling out the electronic diaries and self-administering blood tests during that time.
A heartbroken family whose little boy was diagnosed with cancer have revealed they first thought he was struck down with a virus.

Brendan and Gemma Schmidt, from the Sunshine Coast, were last month given the devastating news their seven-year-old son, Raef, is battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Jess Schmidt said her nephew's diagnosis took the whole family by 'surprise' after the dinosaur-loving primary school student fell ill with what they thought was 'nothing too alarming'.

'He really wasn't that unwell, he went off his food, he was lethargic,' Jess said.

Gemma and Brendan Schmidt, from the Sunshine Coast, were given the devastating news their seven-year-old son Raef is battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Raef was under the weather for a week or two before a 'reddish' rash appeared on his skin

Raef was under the weather for a week or two before a 'reddish' rash appeared on his skin, immediately alarming his parents.

'They thought it was just a little virus. Once there was the rash, they became really concerned,' Jess said.

Mr Schmidt rushed Raef to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital on the afternoon of Sunday, March 21.

Jess said it was initially thought Raef had meningococcal or meningitis due to the rash.

'Within half an hour (of arriving at the hospital) he was being transported to the Children's Hospital in Brisbane,' Jess said.

The family were then given the upsetting news.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects white blood cells.

The cancer, which typically affects younger people, comes with flu-like symptoms.

Jess Schmidt said her nephew's diagnosis took the whole family by 'surprise' after the dinosaur-loving primary school student fell ill with what they thought was 'nothing too alarming'

Raef will undergo intensive chemotherapy for the next eight weeks

The Schmidt's have been told there is a high survival rate when the cancer is caught early.

'The outcome is expected to be positive but you really feel for other children,' Jess said.

'It's a real silver lining, that's the most common cancer in children.

'It's going to be a long road.'

Raef will undergo intensive chemotherapy for the next eight weeks. It is expected he will spend the next four months in Brisbane, before he can move back to the Sunshine Coast.

Jess said the seven-year-old felt 'quite unwell' when the treatment started this week.

He was put into intensive care as his kidneys 'didn't take it well' but he has since been removed from the unit after feeling better on Wednesday.

WHAT IS ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA? Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a type of blood cancer that starts from young white blood cells in the bone marrow. Anyone can develop ALL, however, it mainly affects younger people. Many ALL symptoms are vague and flu-like, such as: General weakness

Fatigue

Fever

Frequent infections

Bruising or bleeding easily, including nosebleeds, heavy periods and blood in the urine or faeces

Unexplained weight loss

Bone or joint pain

Breathlessness

Swollen lymph nodes

Feeling full

Paler skin than normal Advertisement

Raef (pictured) is the eldest of three children. He has two siblings: Karson, six and Romy, two

When the intensive treatment is completed, Raef will take oral chemotherapy daily for two years. He will also be required to undergo chemotherapy either monthly or fortnightly depending on his condition.

'For Brendan and Gemma, it's really heartbreaking for them. They have two other children Karson, six and Romy, two,' Jess said.

'Trying to have some sort of normality and routine is really tricky for them.'

The family own award-winning building company Brendan Schmidt Constructions.

'Being self-employed they don't have the luxury to take sick leave and annual leave,' Jess explained.

A GoFundMe page has been created on behalf of the parents, who are 'overwhelmed by everyone's generosity'.

The page raised almost $30,000 in just two days.

The Schmidt's have been told there is a high survival rate when the cancer is caught early. 'The outcome is expected to be positive but you really feel for other children,' Jess said

'It's from complete strangers from old friends, old neighbours, school friends, its a real testament to them,' Jess said.

'They're a beautiful family.'

The fundraising page says they are trying to raise money to provide the family with financial support during this 'extremely hard and overwhelming time'.

The money raised will go towards hospital fees, parking fees and the fuel costs for travelling to and from Brisbane.
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Do you think Jesus would have ever said that or that he was ashamed of being born Jewish?

Obviously, he would not. God chose that! He was God in the flesh.

How does a culture get to a place where one must follow the lead of so many others who reject their race because culture has deemed that entire race is racist? Who determines that? It gets there by allowing those who are embittered by the past to exploit history in a way that gives a payback to any group that decides they were mistreated in the past. It is birthed out of their own pain and anger to breed rage.

The Jews have been mistreated for centuries throughout the world with 6 million Jews being exterminated by the Germans. Why shouldnt that race cancel all non-Jewish people and get reparations for the wrongs committed against them by the world? Have they risen up with an injustice? There are others, but this was the worst case in history.

Racial injustice took place in America and all over the world in such an outrageous outpouring. Was it spiritual? Yes! Slavery is a sinful stain upon the world, not just America. Does that mean the world should be paying for the sins of our fathers forever? NO! That in itself is unjust. Besides, this generation had nothing to do with any of the sins of our forefathers. We need to not allow the enemy to cause this division within the Body of Christ. Ask God to open our spiritual eyes to see the enemys deception and to walk in unity of the spirit of Christ.

Every nation has racism to some degree, because of a spirit of entitlement and pride. There are nations that have a cast system that puts one group below the other. Racism and discrimination comes in all shapes and sizes. We should ask the Holy Spirit to show us the true motives of our own hearts. Repent and renounce anything that would not be of Him.

So WHAT is the answer? The answer is that no one has ever had a choice to be whatever race they are and that no one is born racist because of the color of their skin, but this is all learned behaviors and can be changed to see this issue as God sees every individualcreated in the Image of God. You are a racist if you treat another race less than yourself and have bitterness in your heart toward them because of their color. We are all equal in the site of God.

If you allow God to examine your heart you will know whether you are a racist. If you were racist in the past, you may not be a racist today, but ask the Lord to cleanse any residue of that out of your soul. Ask Him to give you a heart of love for all people as His heart of love is for them, no matter what the color or belief of that person.

Recently a woman was refused the opportunity to accept a high-level position at a media company because of something she said 10 years ago as a 17-year old. How many things did you say at 17 that you would definitely regret today? Unfortunately, we live in a social media world that records everything that can now be used against you. Culture is requiring you to have a perfect record. Thank God we do have the perfect record through the blood covenant with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Life is about growing and learning from our mistakes, and from others mistakes to not repeat them, both individually and as a culture. I am a different person than I was 20 years ago. Ive learned from my mistakes and from so many others. That is the Christian life. Culture must provide opportunities for its citizens to ensure equal opportunities, especially for those who have been impacted negatively from our history. The issue is internal, within our soul, versus trying to make those who had nothing to do with a wrong pay. Making financial reparations to one race over another is not the answer, nor denouncing the race God chose you to be uniquely designed to be. Concluding that every person that is white or that is black is racists is also not the answer.

Today we are seeing an incredible over reaction to the sins of our past by cancelling culture at every turn. The woke culture has removed our statues, turned Mr. Potato head into a genderless toy and childrens books and library reading areas into an opportunity to promote racism and to twist the minds of our children to accept this way as normal. Where will it stop? Who will take a stand for righteousness? Are we not a chosen generation, a royal priesthood in Christ? A culture that cant own its past and learn and change is a culture that will make all its citizens live in fear, shame and entitlement. That is not Gods way of making change. We must repent and in love with boldness to stand our ground in the power of Christ we have been chosen to be blessed to live in.

Is America Racist?

I do not believe America as a nation is racist. America would have never elected a black man president if we were. However, I do believe there is racism in America. I believe every nation has people inside their nation that still have racist views. The difference today compared to the 1960s is it is under the hood and not easily recognizable. As a white man I know I can never feel the pain that my brothers and sisters have felt who have been impacted by racism. I acknowledge the sins that we have committed. However, I also believe the Bible gives us the right approach to dealing with our sins, and instilling equality among Gods created people. Only the cross allows respect and true love to be expressed to all people.

The next time someone says you are a racist simply because of the color of your skin, reject that statement in love telling them they too were chosen uniquely just as they are to be used by God, but they must make that choice to follow Him. Acknowledge where there were sins in the past, repent and move toward Gods ideal of equality love for every human being. That is all God ever asks of us.to love!


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A Vietjet aircraft prepares to land at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Budget airline Vietjet Air has reopened international commercial flights connecting Hanoi and HCMC with Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan starting April 1.

Flights from HCMC to Thailand's Bangkok will depart every Friday, while there will be 13 flights connecting Hanoi and Japan's Tokyo this month, with the first scheduled to take off on April 6, the airline said in a press release.

The budget carrier will operate one flight from Hanoi to Taiwan's Taipei City on April 11 and another from the capital city to its South Korean counterpart, Seoul on April 15.

Air tickets are now available on the carriers website.

Airline officials said the international routes would carry Vietnamese citizens wishing to study and work abroad, as well as stranded foreigners wanting to return home.

On return trips, the carrier would only carry Vietnamese citizens being repatriated or foreign experts with permission to enter the country as per government regulations.

Meanwhile, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has said it will reopen international commercial flights connecting Hanoi and HCMC with several Asian destinations including South Korea, Japan and Australia starting this Saturday.

Vietnam closed its national borders and canceled all international flights in March last year. Since then, only Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts and highly-skilled workers are being allowed in with strict conditions.
The Department of Energys cleanup office on Thursday picked an Idaho-based contractor to design and construct the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative, a facility at USC Aiken that has been planned for years and promises to springboard academia and futuristic industries.

North Wind Construction Services LLC will handle the $50 million endeavor, Environmental Management explained in an afternoon announcement, and could lean on local small businesses and other nearby resources.

The selection, and naming, of a contractor is a significant step forward for the project, which has caught snags before.

Construction of the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative  a partnership between USCA and the Savannah River National Laboratory  is expected to be complete in 2024. USCA Chancellor Dr. Sandra Jordan earlier this year said the hope is to break ground in 21, in the fall.

A turning of shovels was previously teased for 2020. Instead, late that year, a 3D model of the prospective facility was unveiled with the help of Energy Department executives and South Carolina elected officials.

This is a big day, and young people, hold on to your hats, Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, said at the time. The best is yet to come. Youre going to see things youve never seen before.

Eight capability statements were submitted after Environmental Management issued a request for information in September 2020. The cleanup office in its Thursday announcement said NWCS has a proven track record of working with DOE and successfully completing similar projects.

The Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative is meant to augment USC Aiken and the Savannah River National Lab  two entities already working together. At its most basic, the collaborative compound is expected to be a home for bleeding-edge tech and top-notch research.

What it is, in effect, is moving many of the research agenda items from the Savannah River National Laboratory out from the woods, and out from behind the barbed wire, onto the campus in a brand new state-of-the-art facility, Jordan has said. This allows for them to share their research, to leverage it outward.

Attracting investments to Aiken County and developing a specialized workforce pipeline here are pluses, too.

We want to make certain we make a bigger impact in the local community in terms of spin outs and new companies based on tech, whether broader tech or energy-related, Paul Dabbar said when he was the under secretary for science. That would be a victory, and thats certainly a big focus of this collaboration.
Erik Lake and Virginia Coombs seemed like a great match at first on Lifetimes Married at First Sight Season 12 in Atlanta. Despite their eight-year age difference and very different personalities, Erik and Virginia had plenty of chemistry to go around.

But Virginia and Erik quickly hit several snags in their marriage. Erik saw Virginia as immature and didnt like the fact that she still partied with guy friends. Meanwhile, Virginia thought Eriks behavior could be controlling and condescending.

After the most recent episode of Married at First Sight, fans took to social media to sound off about Erik and Virginias marital troubles.

Erik and Virginia had several intense arguments on the most recent episode

On the most recent episode of Married at First Sight, it was clear that Erik and Virginia were dealing with major issues in their marriage.

An argument over Virginias dog, Rockie  whom Erik believed needed more obedience training  turned ugly when Virginia had a panic attack. Erik repeatedly told Virginia she could leave if she wanted to. He also yelled that he was done with the marriage.

Meanwhile, Virginia told producers she and her husband were not in a good place at all. She was tired of Erik referencing his previous marriage and more experience in life, arguing that he seemed to believe he was perfect.

Later, Virginia and Erik argued yet again about his behavior after she allegedly disappeared for about half an hour during a night out at the bar. Virginia accused Erik of being especially controlling and condescending when he was drinking. Meanwhile, Erik told Virginia she had been an a**hole to him and to the producers all day.

RELATED: Married at First Sight: Michael Watson Apologizes to Meka Jones on Instagram

Some fans thought Virginia wasnt ready for marriage

Some Married at First Sight fans took to Instagram to argue that Virginia seemed too immature to be a wife. Several viewers referenced her drinking and partying, while others thought she was too involved with her male friends.

He is mature and she is still a wild young girl who wants to party! one viewer wrote. Lots of women would want him. When she grows up, lots of men will want her too! She is sweet and pretty but not ready.

Another fan agreed, writing: Who wants their significant other out drinking and getting drunk Thursday-Saturday?

Yet another argued similarly, Virginia is too immature  she wants to be out with her friends and partywhy did she want to get married?

Others thought Eriks ultimatums were controlling and condescending

But many other Married at First Sight fans thought the problems in Erik and Virginias marriage were not all Virginias fault. In fact, some said they saw red flags in Eriks behavior  especially his tendency to issue ultimatums and threats of divorce when things werent going well.

He is the king of ultimatums, one fan commented.

Another mused, Half the time he seems all in and the other half he gives ultimatums like hell walk away any second?

Many viewers thought Virginia and Erik had trouble because he was too controlling toward his wife.

This guy is passive aggressive and a controlling person who wants to dominate and limit her own sense of self, one critic argued.

He is starting to show his controlling side, another agreed. A great complement to his condescending side.

Another Married at First Sight viewer wrote in the same vein, He comes down on her too hard. About her dog, about the fact shes gone for 40 minutes.

Married at First Sight airs Wednesdays on Lifetime at 8 p.m. EST.
Gurugram, April 2 : Haryana's private job reservation law which provide 75 per cent employment opportunities in private sector for people belonging to the state will come into force from May 1, said Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Friday while inaugurating the newly constructed flyover near village Bandhwadi on the Gurugram-Faridabad road.

The deputy CM stated that after May 1, in case of any new employment opportunity, whether in a new industry or an operational one, out of every four jobs three will be for people belonging to the state.

"Any law is not perfect from day one. The government will also consider suggestions for amendments in this law. Before bringing this law, we had an 8-stage meeting with the industry representatives and entrepreneurs. Written suggestions were also sought from entrepreneurs," Chautala said.

He also informed that just a week ago, a meeting was held with all the industrial associations of the state. In the meeting Nikhil Nanda, Chairman of Escorts, a major automotive manufacturing company of Faridabad, said that such law should come in the state.

"We have also received suggestions that the pay grade of JE in government job should be reduced to Rs 50,000. The government will consider it. Apart from this, there have been suggestions from many people that technical type posts in industries or private institutions in which special skill sets are used, should be excluded from this act. On this, We have already made a provision in the Act that posts with technical skills will be exempted," he added.
80 Unaccompanied Minors Surrender to Border Patrol in Arizona Desert

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has encountered another group of over 80 unaccompanied minors after they illegally crossed into the United States with 50 other illegal immigrants, the agency said this week.

Early this morning, over 130 illegal aliens surrendered to #BorderPatrol agents near San Miguel, AZ after illegally crossing the border, Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin said in a Twitter post. More than 80 were unaccompanied minors. The group was provided masks and transported to #Tucson for processing.

Border officials from the Tucson Sector later told Breitbart that the remaining 50 or more migrants were family unit aliens. They added that about 90 percent of the illegal immigrants came from Guatemala and the rest from Honduras.

U.S. immigration policies are again facing extensive scrutiny as the number of illegal immigrant encounters and apprehensions surged in recent weeks, and the dangerous conditions faced by unaccompanied minors on their journey to the United States attract increasing concern. The Biden administration has been placed under intense pressure to rapidly deal with the continuous flow of illegal border crossings, particular from unaccompanied minors.

While most single adults and some families are being turned back, the Biden administration has been accepting all unaccompanied minorschildren who unlawfully enter the country without an adult. About 17,200 unaccompanied minors were in the custody of either CBP or HHS as of March 29, according to the HHS Administration for Children and Families.

Recent photos and reports from the border facilities in Texas show appalling and overcrowded conditions despite the pandemic, with immigrant children sleeping on floor mats, and in some cases on the floor, in cramped spaces with little or no room to move or walk. Groups of lawmakers have expressed extreme concern for the health and wellbeing of the children, and Republican lawmakers have criticized the administrations immigration policies and actions that they say had caused the humanitarian crisis.

Read More Texas Democrat: Thousands of Illegal Immigrants Released by Border Patrol Without Court Notice

Upon taking office, President Joe Biden reversed several Trump-era immigration policies, including his predecessors key Migrant Protection Protocol, which sought to end the problematic Obama-era catch and release system that is credited for significantly stemming the flow of illegal immigration in 2019.

Biden also tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the administrations effort in curbing the flow of migrants, saying that she is the most qualified person to handle the task, as he trusted her to speak for him on the issue. The White House said Harris is currently only focusing her efforts to address the root causes of migration, not the border.

The administration is also seeking to build capacity for 13,500 beds, with the potential for additional capacity in order to meet what has been a continuous flow of unaccompanied minors coming across the border. In the past week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has opened numerous new emergency holding facilities for accompanied minors in Texas.

During the month of March, Border Patrol apprehended more than 150,000 illegal border crossers50,000 more than Februaryaccording to former CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan. A further 30,000 evaded capture, according to Morgan, who has received the provisional CBP numbers from internal sources.

Other border patrol agents and local authorities have reported appalling incidents of human smugglers leaving unaccompanied children at the border or in the Rio Grande river. A special tactical team operating along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas said that agents rescued a 6-month-old baby who had been thrown off a raft into the Rio Grande River by smugglers earlier in March.

Similarly, U.S. Border Patrol announced on Thursday that agents rescued two toddlers who had been dropped from the top of a 14 foot border barrier into the middle of the New Mexico desert that night. A video of the incident was shared on Twitter by El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez.
President Joe Biden talks to reporters during the first news conference of his presidency in the East Room of the White House in Washington on March 25, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Biden Holds First Phone Call With Ukrainian President Zelensky

President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Friday amid heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine along the eastern border.

According to a statement from the White House, Biden spoke about the United States unwavering support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russias ongoing aggression in the Donbas and Crimea, and emphasized his administrations commitment to revitalize our strategic partnership in support of Ukraines plan to deal with corruption.

In 2019, Zelensky was pulled into American politics after House Democrats impeached former President Donald Trump over a phone call Trump had with Zelenskywhich Democrats said was a quid pro quo attemptbefore the Senate ultimately did not convict him. Biden also courted controversy in Ukraine after his son, Hunter Biden, sat on the board for Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holding for several years, reportedly earning a lucrative monthly salary even as Burisma and its founder were both under investigation. Biden has denied that he knew about his sons overseas business.

The phone call between the two appeared to make no mention of that. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke with Ukraines foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba this week, according to a statement from his office, and condemned Moscows aggression.

He expressed concern about the security situation in eastern Ukraine and offered condolences on the recent loss of four Ukrainian soldiers. Secretary Blinken highlighted the importance of advancing rule of law and economic reforms to strengthen Ukraines democratic institutions and further its Euro-Atlantic integration, according to the Department of State. The Secretary and Foreign Minister also discussed efforts to counter the COVID-19 pandemic and made reference to climate policies, the statement added.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press conference with U.S. Sec. of State Mike Pompeo at the presidents office in Kyiv, Ukraine on Jan. 31, 2020. (Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan have also reportedly held phone calls with their Ukrainian counterparts.

On Friday, Russian officials said any deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would lead to further tensions near Russias borders and force Moscow to take extra measures to ensure its own security.

NATO voiced concern on Thursday over what it said was a big Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine after Russia warned that a serious escalation in the conflict in Ukraines Donbass region could destroy Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the situation at the contact line in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatist forces was frightening and that multiple provocations were taking place there.

Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other for a recent spate of violence in the region. Around 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict since it first erupted in 2014, Ukraine has said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
80 percent voting in second phase despite violence, allegations of booth capturing

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrives at a polling station during the second phase of West Bengal Assembly Polls, at Boyal in Nandigram. (Photo: PTI)

Kolkata: Despite prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of the CrPC, massive presence of Centre-ordered paramilitary forces and aerial surveillance by the Election Commission, Nandigram -- the hot seat in West Bengal Assembly elections where chief minister Mamata Banerjee is taking on her protege-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari -- reeled under violence on Thursday, leaving Ms Banerjee stranded at a polling booth for over two hours.

Ms Banerjee had to be rescued by Central paramilitary forces after she was confined at a polling booth in Nandigram amid an extremely tense face-off between BJP and Trinamool Congress supporters. From the spot, she dialled Governor Jagdeep Dhankar, telling him the situation was a failure of the Election Commission.

"Anything might happen at any moment... There is total breakdown of law and order," wheelchair-bound Ms Banerjee said, adding that she feared for her life. She was escorted out by the security forces, who managed to bring the situation under control after long-drawn negotiations with the villagers.

Soon after, the Governor tweeted, "Issues flagged @MamataOfficial a while ago on phone have been imparted (sic) to the concerned".

Despite this Nandigram recorded voter turnout of over 81 per cent till 5 pm.

Though sporadic incidents of violence and allegations of vote fraud marked the second phase of West Bengal Assembly polls, a large voter turnout of more than 80 per cent was recorded. Bankura recorded the highest turnout at 82.92 per cent, followed by Purba Medinipur at 81.23, South 24 Parganas at 79:65 per cent, Paschim Medinipur at 78 per cent.

The Election Commission has sought a report from the East Midnapore district administration on Ms Banerjee's presence at the booth for a long time and her allegations of electoral malpractices.

Violence erupted across the high-profile constituency as the polling got underway in the morning. At Satengabari, TMC activists pelted stones on the convoy of Ms Banerjee's nemesis, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, and shouted Go Back. Bombs were hurled at Sonachura and Kalicharanpur. In Bhetukiya a BJP worker, Uday Dube (48), was found hanging in his residence. His party accused the TMC of driving him to commit suicide.

Allegations also surfaced against the BJP of not allowing TMC agents at voting booths, rigging and booth capturing at many polling centres. Ms Banerjee, who was keeping a tab on the polling from her temporary address at Reyapara in Nandigram, came out in the afternoon. She visited booth (No. 7) at Boyal Moktab Primary School at around 1.15 pm after getting complaints from her party of booth capturing and rampant rigging by the BJP in the absence of Central paramilitary forces.

The TMC chief was taunted by BJP workers with "Jai Shree Ram" slogan and her party workers, shouting "Khela Hobe", clashed with them. Sitting in her wheelchair inside the booth, a helpless CM was seen calling up Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to complain as the fight between BJP and TMC workers escalated despite prohibitory orders. Stones were hurled and abuses traded, prompting the administration to rush a police contingent to the spot.

Later, IPS officer Nagendra Nath Tripathi, who was deputed by the EC in Nandigram, rushed with Election Commission officials to the CM and spoke with her.

In 2015, Mr Tripathi was sent on compulsory leave by Ms Banerjee for slapping a famous sweet shop owner during Municipal polls in Kolkata. At around 3.15 pm, Central forces and state police personnel escorted Ms Banerjee out of the booth.

Eighty per cent votes here were rigged. Cheating was done in polling here. I lodged 63 complaints to the EC. Why are the goons of the BJP from other states like Uttar Pradesh allowed here? I have never seen such an EC. I urge it to act impartially. I am not blaming the Central forces because Union home minister Amit Shah is giving orders to BSF, CRPF and others, Ms Banerjee said.

"I am not worried about Nandigram because I am winning here. The people love me and cast their votes for me. I am worried about democracy. Even today Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed two rallies in the state while the polling was underway. This is a violation of the EC's Model Code of Conduct, she added.

Confident about his victory, Mr Adhikari said, "The CM, as a candidate who is bounded by electoral Do's and Don'ts, cannot stay inside a booth for such two hours. She directly influenced the voters." The TMC boss claimed she would win a majority of the 60 seats that had gone to polls in the first and second phase.
Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter @JosephVMicallef.

The East and South China Seas have emerged as one of the principal potential flashpoints in China-US military relations. It is the one region in the world where significant U.S. and Chinese military forces operate in close proximity to each other.

Beijing has extended claims to a large portion of the ECS and SCS and has also asserted claims to various island groups within the region. As part of those claims, China has constructed and subsequently militarized seven artificial islands. These actions have been part of an increasingly assertive Chinese military and foreign policy toward its maritime neighbors and have been underscored by repeated violations of Taiwanese airspace by Chinese air forces over the last year.

Taiwan controls a number of island groups in the contested area that are in close proximity to the Chinese mainland and whose seizure by Chinese military forces could become a test of U.S. resolve to defend Taipei from Beijing's aggression, as well as a trial run for an invasion of Taiwan.

To get a firsthand look at the region and its military dynamics as they appear to a serving U.S. naval officer familiar with the area, we recently sat down with Capt. Robert C. Francis Jr. for his perspective. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the interviewee and do not reflect any official policy or view of the Council of Foreign Relations or the U.S. government.

Francis commanded the Navy destroyer Lassen, making multiple patrols to the ECS and SCS. He has also served on multiple aircraft carriers; guided-missile frigates conducting counter-narcotics, counter-piracy and freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPS; and supported multiple Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom missions. His staff assignments include military assistant to the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs and the assistant readiness officer on the Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet staff. Currently, he is a Military Fellow, U.S. Navy, at the Council of Foreign Relations.

Francis earned a Bachelor of Arts in physics from the University of San Diego; a Master of Business Administration from National University; and a Master of Science in engineering management from Old Dominion University.

JM: The U.S. has been conducting FONOPS in the South China Sea since 2013. To date, dozens of naval and aerial operations have been carried out.

Additional FONOPS have been carried out by the naval forces of Great Britain, France, Japan, and Australia. Beyond the symbolic value of formally rejecting China's maritime claims in the South China Sea, is there any practical benefit to conducting these operations? Do you believe that these FONOPS operations have had any impact?

RF: Passing through the South China Sea each year is $3.5 trillion of world trade, which includes 40% of Japanese and 30% of the world trade; 10% of the fish consumed worldwide also comes from the region. Therefore, any threat to the free flow of goods through this important waterway could lead to significant impacts on the global economy.

Freedom of navigation operations by their very nature are designed to challenge unlawful restrictions and excessive maritime claims by any coastal state that chooses to impose restrictions that are contrary to the international laws as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention. Therefore, by the United States and like-minded nations challenging coastal states that impose threats to the legal foundation of the rules-based international order, we are ensuring that freedom of the seas, a right afforded to all nations, is preserved.

The freedom of navigation operations conducted by other countries also send a strong message to the Indo-Pacific region that, in addition to the United States, there's a network of capable navies that are committed to deterrence and preserving the peace. Therefore, the operations have the added benefit of shaping the maritime balance of power in our favor.

JM: Since 2014, China has built seven artificial islands with a surface area totaling about 2,000 acres in the South China Sea. Initially, Beijing claimed that the islands would not be used for military purposes. In the last several years, however, China has deployed anti-missile batteries on the islands and, on at least one occasion, deployed an H-6J bomber. Many of the islands have 3,000-plus-meter runways capable of handling virtually any aircraft in the People's Liberation Army Air Force, or PLAAF. How significant a threat do the military forces on these islands pose to U.S. naval operations in the South China Sea and will they have a bearing on the ability of the U.S. Navy to conduct FONOPS in the region?

RF: It is common for our forces to interact with multiple People's Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, vessels and PLAFF aircraft in the South China Sea. U.S. forces are also queried by controllers from the Chinese artificial islands. However, most of our encounters from PLAN vessels during freedom of navigation operations are professional and have not resulted in escalation.

If competition with China was to turn to conflict, the threat faced by our forces would be bigger than just that posed by the Chinese militarized artificial islands. Our forward-deployed forces must also consider the multilayered fleet of the PLAN, the Chinese Coast Guard, and the People's Armed Forces Maritime Militia, or PAFMM. Additionally, Chinese force modernization efforts mean that U.S. Navy commanders must account for highly capable surface ships, submarines, aircraft carriers, fighter jets and nuclear-capable missile forces, as well as robust space, cyber, electronic and psychological warfare capabilities.

JM: There have been several reports that the artificial islands lack structural integrity and that their airfields cannot sustain the tempo of sustained air operations. Any merit to those claims? Are those islands more for show than a serious threat to U.S. naval forces?

RF: I cannot comment on specific vulnerabilities to our rival's defensive network. However, as a part of that defense network, the Chinese man-made islands pose an overlapping threat to our forces in a conflict. Because the region is persistently surveilled and robustly defended, agile naval forces are needed to offer dynamic and flexible options from which to project combat power. That is why the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are focused on increasing our emphasis on capabilities and operational concepts that will allow us to control the seas to provide joint and allied forces with the freedom of maneuver to attack adversary forces and impose costs globally.

JM: In a recent article, you proposed that the U.S. Navy should adopt a more assertive stance when challenged by the PLAN, China's Coast Guard, PAFMM or unofficial units like military vessels under the control of the PLAN masquerading as fishing boats or other civilian craft. Specifically, you noted that when "forward-deployed forces are assertive without being aggressive, interaction between rivals need not lead to escalation." Can you explain the distinction between assertiveness versus aggressiveness and how to translate those differences into specific rules of engagement?

RF: Our rivals are continuing to employ tactics that fall below the threshold that would normally elicit a military response. For example, PAFMM vessels pretending to be fishing vessels have been called out by their military controllers to intercept and cross in front of U.S. Navy ships conducting freedom of navigation transits. During routine operations at sea, all vessels are required to abide by the international rules of the road as formalized by the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. These PAFMM vessels disregard the rules that all mariners are required to abide by, to impede the FONOP.

Instead of responding only in accordance with the rules of the road and maneuvering out of the way of the fishing vessel, naval vessels should also treat these vessels as force protection threats. This would mean using non-lethal means to deter the inbound fishing vessel from closing on the U.S. Navy vessel and, if necessary, using warning shots to dissuade them from continuing inbound.

For the situation described above, if the U.S. Navy vessel only maneuvered out of the way, then that would be a defensive maneuver. If the U.S. Navy vessel issued warnings to the fishing vessel, then used non-lethal force protection measures like flashing lights and laser dazzlers, then that would be more assertive. An aggressive action would be if the U.S. Navy ship maneuvered in a manner to collide with the fishing vessel and sink it.

The assertive maneuver gives the operators of the fishing vessel the opportunity to reconsider their actions. The aggressive action in this example could cause a loss of life or severe damage to the fishing vessel, and that's an outcome no one wants. How far we go along the continuum of force would also be a determining factor between assertive and aggressive.

JM: China has adopted an increasingly belligerent attitude toward Taiwan. This has included numerous violations of Taiwan's airspace; staging military exercises designed to mimic an invasion of the island; and threats that Beijing would eventually forcefully incorporate Taiwan into the People's Republic of China. Twice in the 1950s, the U.S. threatened to go to war with China, when Chinese military forces shelled the Taiwanese-controlled Quemoy and Matsu Islands. These islands are only 10 nautical miles off the coast of China. The Paracel Islands are another Taiwanese-controlled territory and within China/Hong Kong's air control zone. How could the U.S. Navy respond in the event China attempted to seize control of either one of those island groups?

RF: The U.S. maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity. This means that the U.S. government would respond to acts of aggression to reunify China and Taiwan. However, no U.S. president has clearly committed to using military force to do so. Therefore, any military plan for defending Taiwan or Taiwanese-controlled islands is only one of many options available to the president in resolving a potential conflict in the Taiwan Straits.

While Indo-Pacific Command maintains plans to defend Taiwan from Chinese aggression, it is my sincere hope that we can manage this potential flash point in a manner that will not lead to conflict. Specific to the Paracel Islands -- which Taiwan, China and Vietnam all claim -- the United States takes no position on competing claims to sovereignty over disputed land features in the ECS and SCS. Therefore, I am unclear how the U.S. government would respond to a conflict over the Paracel Islands.

For the U.S. Navy and our joint partners to present a credible deterrent and create space for diplomatic solutions, we need to deploy and sustain combat-credible forces in and around the region. The reassuring presence of forward-deployed naval forces in Asia raises the risk of escalation for our rivals, including any attempts at China-Taiwan reunification that could lead to a U.S.-China conflict.

If deterrence fails, then a military response to defend Taiwan will involve not only the U.S. Navy, but also the U.S. Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Space Force, and several allies and partners working together to deny the Chinese from achieving their objectives and eventually bringing an end to hostilities. Given the network of long-range precision weapons, sensors, missile batteries, highly capable aircraft, surface ships and submarines, it will be an all-domain fight requiring our forces to employ Distributed Maritime Operations and other emerging joint warfighting concepts to complicate the level of uncertainty for the Chinese while maintaining the ability to achieve surprise and prevent meaningful operations.

Rest assured, these operations would be costly for both sides, hence we must continue our focus on modernizing our forces while developing and fielding capabilities to the fleet that will allow us to maintain our technological advantage at sea.

JM: Thank you!

-- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.
The National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, has embarked on a nationwide strike despite an appeal by the federal government.

Speaking during a morning program on a national television, the association's president, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said the strike commenced at 8 am on Thursday.

"The strike commenced 8 am, and we enjoin all resident doctors to start the strike immediately.

"We had a meeting with the minister of labour from 4 pm to about 12 am this morning, but as it stands; we are used to memorandum of understandings for over a decade now, and we insist on the implementation of what we wrote on our strike message.

"We're not just doing this for resident doctors, we're doing this for all health workers."

NARD had threatened to embark on an indefinite strike from April 1, if salaries and allowances of members were not paid.

On Wednesday, the federal government asked resident doctors to suspend the plan.

Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, made the appeal at a meeting with the association in Abuja.

Ngige appealed to the doctors to reconsider going on strike because their withdrawal of service may cause damage to the country's health system which is already stressed by COVID-19.

Vanguard News Nigeria
Kathmandu, April 2

The Consulate General of Nepal in New York received three Nepali lost antiquities from the New York County District Attorneys Office in New York on Thursday.

Nepals Acting Consul General Bishnu Prasad Gautam and District Attorney of New York County, Cyrus Vance Jr, signed an agreement about the recovery, handover and repatriation of various idols to Nepal.

Joan Illuzzi-Orbon, the executive district attorney of New York county, handed over the antiquities to the acting consul general at a ceremony.

Here is a list of the received antiquities:

Seated Ganesha, circa 15-16th Century AD, size 3.13 x 2.12 x 5.5 inch Seated Buddha in Bhumisparsa Mudra, circa 14-15th Century AD, size 7.13 x 4.5 x 9 inch A wooden beam depicting a coloured Apsara, circa 13th Century AD, size 8 x 9 x 50 inch

The consulate will send these treasures to Nepal soon, it has been learned.
Challenging decisions can transform anyone into a politician.

The tough calls  large and small  reliably inspire people to debate, obfuscate or filibuster.

Children impulsively execute these tactics, as well, via similar methods known as arguing, bluffing and holding their breath until they get their way.

For politicians, kids and the rest, the strategy is often to buy time. Maybe a different obstacle will come along and consume attention. Or perhaps the decision will be taken out of their hands.

Theres been no urgency for state officials to determine whether to make it mandatory for young children to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Such a remedy hasnt existed.

That is on the verge of changing now that Pfizer-BioNTech has forwarded encouraging trial results to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

There is wisdom in applying caution to next steps. But the state Department of Public Health and the state Department of Education responded that its too early to declare if a vaccination would be a requirement for eligible students.

Its not that we expect a mandate of an as-yet-unproven vaccine. But state officials have had more than a year to contemplate various scenarios that could help halt this devastating disease. We need to agree that protecting healthy children is as important as shielding everyone they are in contact with  teachers, friends, grandparents and strangers.

If this were a blockbuster movie  and though COVID has threatened that industry it certainly plays like a franchise plot  this is the point where there would be an uplifting montage of children across the nation joining the battle to a swelling Hans Zimmer soundtrack.

Its not just children who dont like getting shots, as evidenced by adults who are unswayed by encouragements to get vaccinated. But federal and state officials need to start the movement to put peer pressure on parents and children.

Left to their own devices, most people dont even bother to get a flu shot. While the U.S. government targets 70 percent of the population as the goal, 49.2 percent of people 6 months and older got a flu vaccine in the 2018-19 season, and those numbers dropped dramatically after age 17.

The counterargument is that this isnt a decision that has to be made now. But we know from the battle in Hartford over efforts to erase the religious exemption on vaccines that there will be an outcry. And the new normal will likely call for annual vaccine shots.

No group needs life to return to normal as much as children. The emotional impact of the past year will likely shape them for the rest of their lives. They will be the COVID Generation.

We may still have a few months of the current academic year remaining until the final alarm, but we are also six months away from schools opening again. If theres a possibility of safely vaccinating children and fully opening classrooms, there should be no debate.
NEW DELHI: In a major development, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has suspended four officials after an EVM was reportedly found in BJP's candidate's car in the poll-bound Assam.

The poll panel issued a statement saying, ''On the examination, the polled EVM comprising of BU, CU and VVPAT was found to be intact without any damage to its seal.''

All the items have been deposited in the strong room, it added. "A report has also been sought from the Special Observer," the EC statement read.

Violence had erupted in Karimganj district of Assam after a mob spotted a BJP candidate's vehicle being used to take a polled EVM to the strong room on Thursday night, forcing the police to fire in the air to bring the situation under control.

The vehicle of the polling party of Indira MV School in the Ratabari constituency broke down on their way to the strong room in Karimganj town, officials said on Friday morning.

"They took a lift in a private vehicle. Incidentally, the vehicle was registered under the name of sitting BJP MLA from Patharkandi Krishnendu Paul. When it reached Nimal Bazar area, some public spotted it," an official of the district administration said.

Paul is also the BJP candidate from the seat this time. The mob, mostly consisting of AIUDF and Congress supporters, vandalised the vehicle, upon which the polling party ran away, leaving behind the EVMs, eyewitnesses said.

"The Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police reached the spot immediately and they tried to pacify the mob. But the crowd did not listen, forcing the police to fire in the air to disperse them," police sources said.

The DC and the SP then brought the EVMs to Patharkandi police station at night, from where it was taken and deposited at the strong room in Karimganj town, they added.

Ratabari and Patharkandi constituencies went for polls in the second phase on Thursday.

Live TV
Ozzy Osbourne has vocalized his support for his wife Sharon following her dramatic exit from The Talk over her defense of Piers Morgan's criticism of Meghan Markle.

The 68-year-old former talk show host's rocker husband, 72, broke his silence on Instagram by posting an old red carpet photo with her, in which he poses with a cupped-hand behind the ear as if he's trying to hear someone better on Thursday.

'I can't f**king hear you!' he captioned the image with the hashtag #TeamSharon to make it abundantly clear he's standing his spouse of 38 years, who he shares three children: Aimee, 37, Kelly, 37, and Jack, 35.

Team Sharon: Ozzy Osbourne vocalized his support for his wife Sharon following her dramatic exit from The Talk over her defense of Piers Morgan 's criticism of Meghan Markle

In less than 24 hours, his post received 116,921 likes and more than a thousand comments, which were largely in support of Sharon, who believed she was being 'silenced.'

'Team Sharon always. True to herself. Unlike some,' one fan commented as others wrote she should sue CBS and that they plan to stop watching the show in protest.

Others, however, suggested that Sharon 'is in the wrong' and should listen to what others are saying.'

'I can't f**king hear you!' he captioned the image with the hashtag #TeamSharon to make it abundantly clear he's standing his spouse of 38 years, who he shares three children: Aimee, 37, Kelly, 37, and Jack, 35 (seen in 2013)

On Thursday, Sharon showed off one of her cutest little furballs with a sweet snap of herself and a fun-sized Pomeranian wearing a matching set of pajamas.

The British-American star posted the light-hearted photo days after she was forced out of The Talk and accused of making racist remarks about her cohosts.

Sharon looked cozy at home in a fuzzy pale pink robe while cradling her dog in her hands.

Well one of them has to change! Sharon Osbourne posted an adorable photo of her Pomeranian dressed in a shirt matching her pajama pants amid the fallout after she was pushed out of her show The Talk

She had the pooch  likely her Pomeranian Bella  held just above her leg to show that the dog was wearing a tiny outfit in the same white and blue striped pattern as her loose-fitting pajama pants.

'I promise we didn't plan this,' she joked in her caption about her and Bella's twinning ensembles, while sporting her standard short burgundy-dyed tresses.

In addition to having close to ten dogs, Sharon also has a few cats who wander in her LA home.

Animal lover: Sharon has more than ten pets at home at various times, including multiple dogs and two cats

The celebrity personality also faced controversy in 2019 after she made an appearance on the BBC game show Would I Lie To You? during which she said she had fired her assistant after they had saved their dogs during a house fire.

Sharon said that the assistant stopped to receive oxygen from firefighters after rescuing the dogs, but she ordered them to save more paintings and put the oxygen mask on one of the dogs.

When they refused, she claimed she fired the assistant.

But after an uproar over the cold-hearted actions, Sharon claimed on The Talk that she had only been joking about stealing the oxygen and sending them back the burning home to make a more humorous story, and that the assistant was later fired for unrelated reasons.

She's out: The wife of Ozzy Osbourne recently left CBS' The Talk after she defended Piers Morgans controversial criticisms of Meghan Markle

Bad blood: Allegations later emerged that she had made racist remarks toward her Talk cohosts over the years, and she was soon forced to quit; seen with (LR) Sheryl Underwood, Sara Gilbert, Aisha Tyler and Julie Chen

Sharon has recently lying low and sharing playful photos to Instagram after she was forced to quit her long-running gig as one of the cohosts of CBS' The Talk.

She originally courted controversy after defending Piers Morgan's comments about Markle, which many viewers found to be racist and harassing.

Amid the uproar, allegations emerged that Sharon had made racist comments to her colleagues in the past.

Page Six reported earlier this week that the broadcaster could be receiving a major payout after being pushed out of the show.

'Sharon is walking away with a $5 to $10 million minimum payout and was able to spin that it was her decision [to leave the show],' a source told the publication.

Page Six Reported this week that Sharon could receive $5 to $10 million for walking away from the program, with the ability to tell her story in the future; still from The Talk in February

The agreement will reportedly leave her open to speaking about the matter publicly in the future.

'She still wants to give her side of the story. She has been on that show for 11 years and knows all the secrets,' the source continued.

However, a CBS spokesperson threw cold water on the reports while speaking to Metro.co.uk, saying the estimated dollar amounts were 'False, inaccurate or untrue. Take your pick.'
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
The on Friday ordered a repoll at a polling booth in Ratabari seat of Assam after a controversy broke out over the presiding officer carrying the EVM after polling in a vehicle which belonged to the wife of a BJP candidate contesting from a neighbouring seat.

To prevent the polling team from being assaulted in Karimganj by a mob which alleged that the electronic voting machine was being taken for tampering, police had to use force.

In a statement, the EC said the presiding officer and three other officials have been placed under suspension.

"Although the seals of the EVM were found intact, it has nevertheless been decided to do a re-poll at No. 149- Indira M V Schoolof LAC 1 Ratabari (SC) as an added precaution," the poll panel said.

A report has also been sought from the special observer, the statement said.

According to details made public by the EC, the polling party of polling booth number 149 of Ratabari constituency comprised of a presiding officer and three polling personnel. They were accompanied bya police constable and a home guard.After completion of polling at 6 pm on Thursday, the polling party left in a vehicle provided by election authorities and was escorted by an armed escort.

It was raining heavily and their vehicle developed a snag.

"Due to the traffic congestion and the prevailing weather condition, the party became detached from its convoy," the statement said.

The polling party got down from the vehicle and asked the sector officer over phone to arrange for a new vehicle.

While the sector officer was arranging for the new vehicle, the polling party decided to arrange a vehicle of its own so as to reach the Material Receipt Centre faster since they were in custody of polled EVMs.

The polling party hailed a passing vehicle and boarded it along with theEVM-- ballot unit (BU), control unit (CU) and paper trail machine (VVPAT)-- and other things without checking the ownership of the vehicle.

As reported by the polling party, they moved towards Karimganj and had to slow down in the traffic. As they slowed down, they were surrounded by a mob of about 50 people which started pelting stones at them.

The mob also started abusing them and did not allow the vehicle to pass. When they asked the leader of the mob, he replied that it was the vehicle ofKrishnendu Paul who is a contesting candidate of a neighbouring constituency (Patharkandi LAC-2) andalleged that "theEVMwas being taken to be tampered with."



"It was only then that they realised that something was amiss and alerted the sector officer. However, a larger crowd had gathered by then and they were attacked and held hostage by a mob along with theEVMin the vehicle at 2145 hrs alleging that theEVMwas being taken to be tampered with," the statement said.

"In the meanwhile, the antecedents of the vehicle were ascertained and it was found to be was registered in the name of Madhumita Paul, wife of contesting candidate, Patharkandi LAC No 2, Krishnendu Paul," the statement said.

Police reached the spot along with district election officer and used force to pull out the polling party.

Later, onexamination, the polledEVMcomprising BU, CU andVVPATwas found to be with its seal intact without any damage whatsoever.

"All the items have been deposited in the strong room," the statement said.
A capacity-building seminar took place at GICAM in Douala on March 30, 2021.

The Standards and Quality Agency on Tuesday March 30, 2021; organised a seminar to sensitise the business community and other concerned actors on the quality control procedures led by the Agency. Organised on the theme; "Judicial and institutional framework of quality control in Cameroon", the seminar featured five presentations namely; the judicial and institutional framework of quality control; quality control: instrument for the protection of consumers and cleansing of the economic milieu; as well as the modalities of work on the special police officer attached to ANOR.

In his opening remarks, the representative of the General Manager of ANOR, the Technical Adviser Number II, Jacques Josue Anaba said the seminar was to kick start the operation to control the quality of both local and imported products on the market and master the legal and regulatory framework for quality control. He said there is need to cleanse the Cameroonian market which is dominated by non-conformist products. Control carried by officials of the Ministry of Trade reveal that 100,000 commercial offenses were committed in Cameroon between 2010 and 2015. Of the 100,000, 35,000 were offences related to the possession and sale of products that do not comply with standards.

In order therefore to improve the effectiveness of national market surveillance system in Cameroon, ANOR was included among structures involved in quality control in 2019. In order to give control officers the necessary competence to carry out this mission, a new unit for control was created at ANOR, with the association of judicial police who take an oath of office and have special powers.

The goal of the operation is to limit the growth of illicit trade and contraband, fight against trade in products that do not comply with standards, protect the interest of manufacturers, importers and distributors, raise awareness among business people on the importance of standards and quality as well as ensure the safety and health of consumers. The ANOR control system provides for the pre-shipment conformity assessment programme (PECAE), local certification, affixing of a national conformity mark to guarantee product quality.
Oxfam has suspended two staff members over accusations of sexual misconduct in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent years, the British charity said on Friday, months after commissioning a broader investigation into abuse claims in the central African nation.

The suspensions were the latest troubles for Oxfam, whose funding from the British government was halted for nearly three years after a sexual exploitation scandal in Haiti in early 2018. The charity was allowed to apply again for that assistance only a few weeks ago.

We have suspended two members of Oxfam staff in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of an ongoing external investigation, which we set up last November, into allegations of abuses of power, including bullying and sexual misconduct, the charity said in a statement on Friday.

The accusations against Oxfam and other aid workers in Congo come amid a broader examination of accusations of sexual abuse by humanitarian aid workers and United Nations peacekeepers working with some of the worlds most vulnerable people in war zones and humanitarian emergencies.
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The projectors at Carlsbads lone movie theater could soon whir back to life as the La Cueva 6 planned to reopen this month in response to the communitys recovery from COVID-19.

Owner of the La Cueva Allen Theaters closed all its New Mexico locations in March 2020 when coronavirus first struck the state and movie theaters were ordered to close as restrictions were placed on high-contact businesses and public gatherings.

The State of New Mexico then implemented a tiered system of restrictions, assigning counties color-based designations based on positive cases of the virus per capita and the rate of infections reported.

News: Carlsbad businesses open as community recovers from COVID-19 pandemic

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In southeast New Mexico, Eddy, Lincoln and Chaves counties recently improved to below both the 8 cases per capita and 5 percent positivity rate benchmarks to attain green status, meaning Allen Theaters locations in those counties could open at a limited capacity.

Otero remained in yellow as of Friday, further delaying its theaters opening.

But Allen Theaters hoped to exercise caution in reopening by waiting until counties achieve a turquoise rating by remaining in green for two straight weeks.

News: Eddy County goes green on updated New Mexico COVID-19 map

Co-owner Russel Allen confirmed the Carlsbad and Ruidoso theaters were planned to reopen on April 23, granted they maintain their COVID-19 status, while the Roswell theater was slated for a reopening on April 16.

No dates were set for Las Cruces and Alamogordo theaters as of Friday, Allen said, as Otero and Dona Ana counties were still in yellow.

For the first few weeks of reopening, theaters will show movies only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays.

News: COVID-19 infections among employees prompt closure of Western Commerce Bank

Allen said the first theater-exclusive release will be Quiet Place 2 on Memorial Day, but until then the theaters will screen past popular releases like Wonder Woman 2, The Croods or Tenant.

You cant have a business if its not open and you cant have customers if its not open. We know our customers are looking and we miss them. We hope that the movies that come out in the next six weeks are movies people want to watch, he said.

If the cases continue to do what theyre supposed to do and those restrictions continue to get reduced, theres still a bit of a grey cloud, but were doing what we can.

News: Eddy County government and business leaders relieved COVID-19 restrictions lessened

Seeing movies on the big screen is vastly superior to home watching, Allen said, and cinemas provide a chance for people to vacate the struggles of the real world, especially during difficult times.

No time has been harder in recent memory than the COVID-19 crisis, he said, and he hoped as movie theaters reopen, people will resume enjoying the multi-sensory solace theyve long provided.

We historically have been a very emotional release for communities. Its the opportunity to leave reality and go into a different world, under the sea, in space and be able to escape your everyday life, Allen said.

Its been a really rough year. Movies have been a way to help people get through tough times. We havent been there but were hoping to resume that service to the community.

News: Eddy County gets clarification from State on COVID-19 spike

When Allen Theaters closed its locations across New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona for about a year amid the pandemic, Allen said the company had layoff up to 450 employees, and spent millions and millions of dollars being closed.

He said the theaters are going to begin calling back managers and hiring in local communities in the coming weeks.

Theaters average about 10-25 workers based on size, Allen said.

It was good business in knowing to save money for a rainy day is how we survived. We prepared well. Were just happy the day has finally come, he said. Now, we got to get back to work. Theres a lot of energy running through our office right now.

Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway applauded the coming reopening as a sign that the Carlsbad community and New Mexico were showing signs of recovery from the year-long pandemic and economic shutdown.

News: Substitute shortage, COVID-19 infections forces Carlsbad High School back into remote learning

He said all places of businesses should be allowed to reopen, provided they use proper COVID-19 protocols.

We welcome the re-opening of the La Cueva 6 in Carlsbad and dont see why the theater, or any other place of business, should not be able to re-open, provided the appropriate COVID-19 safety measures are in place, Janway said.

We are very optimistic about this phase of the recovery process from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our positivity rate and the number of cases every day have continued to stay low, and the vaccine clinics have been going very well.

News: Despite downward trend, COVID-19 continues to spread in Eddy County

Janway reported almost 30 percent of Eddy County residents had at least one of two needed doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

State records show about 46 percent of residents statewide received the first dose, while Eddy County had about 28 percent.

Chaves County was at about 30 percent, with Otero County at 32 percent and Dona Ana 39 percent.

We believe Carlsbad residents are generally doing a good job in terms of following COVID-19 protocols overall, but we all have room for improvement, he said.

Janway said that while Carlsbads local economy appeared on a path to recovery, threats remained from actions at the federal level by the administration of President Joe Biden, who upon assuming the office took steps to slow oil and gas production in an effort to mitigate pollution and climate change.

An ongoing halt on new federal oil and gas leases was particularly troubling, Janway said.

Full economic recovery is another challenge. Were seeing more business in Carlsbad, but President Bidens remaining restrictions on drilling on federal land presents a looming threat that may greatly impede on Carlsbad and New Mexicos recovery, he said.

We all need to continue to do everything we can to support our local businesses, who bore much more than their share of last years many setbacks.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Nuclear waste shipments reduced, projects delayed amid COVID-19

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-618-7631, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Back on the big screen: Carlsbad movie theater to reopen amid COVID-19 recovery

___

(c)2021 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.)

Visit the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) at www.currentargus.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Perspective

Atlanta, Georgia

April 2, 2021

Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh

When there is longstanding and widespread poverty, with its attendant violent orientation, during the male domination of women pushing the limitation of the participation of women in local and national decision making that affects them and designating women to the kitchen and bedroom instead of the Boardroom of decision-making. It is time to stand up for the participation of women. Therefore, this commentary is about promoting the Participation of women, Not the Domination of Women.



Imagine that there continues to be a push to get a Law calling for women to have only 30 percent of the seats in the National Legislature of Liberia! Do the callers of this Law realize that males would be non-existent if women did not exist. It takes a male and a female to produce the entire population! Why should the domination of women continue with the limitation of women to 30 percent participation in the National Legislature?



In the male-dominated context, there is a call for qualification to get income-generating work. Given this call, why should women be limited to 30 percent employment in the cases where more than 30 percent of the women applicants are qualified to do the work? The logical extension of the call for qualification is that people who are qualified, no matter their gender and social standing, should get the work for which they applied.



On March 8, 2021, we celebrated International Womens Day(IWD). This celebration must be transformed from mere words to real action. Look at what we have in Liberia. Half of the population in Liberia is female! Females participate indispensably in the birth of males and females, the entire population. But the Controlling system dominated as it remains by males, continues to limit the participation of women in decision-making that affects the population. With 73 members in the House of Representatives, only 8 members are women!! With 30 members in the House of Senate, only 1 member is a woman.



In pushing for the 30 percent women participation, the pushers are in violation of the Constitution of Liberia, which provides for the Equal Rights of All, males, and females. The constitutionally-based pushing must be for Equal Rights and whatever comes out because the pushing is a process and Equal Rights will not be realized overnight. Let us remember that it was the constitutionally based pushing that led to women becoming voters after the Second World War, when Liberia had attained independence since 1847!! Now, as Liberia is approaching the 174th year of independence, there are only 9 women in the national legislature, which has 103 seats. This is glaring injustice!!



Frequently, the Rwandan government is praised for having 55 percent of the members of the Rwandan Parliament being women. But these women were in the parliament when the Rwandan government attempted to assassinate twice an opposition leader, General Kayuba Nyamwasa, in South Africa in 2010, and assassinated another opposition leader, Colonel PatrickKaregeya, in South Africa, in 2014. In Liberia, women were in the Legislature when the Decent Work Bill dragged on there for five years until much public pressure, led by Ms. Elithia Manning, Founding President General of the Liberia Labor Congress, and me, got the bill passed into law in 2015. Now, much work is being done to get the law implemented. So, you see, the point is not just about getting women into the National Legislature but getting women who can make the difference for the better. Moving from the Domination of Women to the Participation of Women.



Meanwhile, the Struggle Continues to get Justice for All. Although there are some women in the national Legislature of Liberia, these women have to make the difference for the better! As it stands the poverty situation is worsening with the Liberian legislators having access to at least USD 1,000 a day and their foreign friends in the commercial sector having access to at least USD 2million a day, while over 80 percent of the people of Liberia remain poor, having access to at most less than USD 2 a day.



The difference for the better can be made in the National Legislature only when there is a FAIR electoral system in which only persons, men and women, get elected when they have good records, respective of their respective actions over the years not in their own interest but in the interest of the voters, especially the poor voters.



With the Western-oriented educational system in which Liberia remains a male-dominated society, there must be a change for the better. This change for the better can come only using knowledge to raise awareness among the people in ways that motivate them to take non-violent actions to bring down the system of injustice. Liberia can become better for All only when good persons are elected as local and national decision-makers. When good persons are elected, there will be participation of women, not the domination of women; there will be Value Addition Not Value Subtraction; there will be Better Money Management Not More Money Printing, and there will be Transformation Not Contradiction, resulting in the sustained improvement in the living standards of the poor people in the system where justice for All will prevail as All stand up and sing All Hail Liberia All Hail.
As a single adult, I have received three COVID-19 impact checks, totaling $3,200 ($1200, $600, $1,400). Families received more. I did nothing to earn that.

Like many, many people, I have not financially lost because of COVID. I have seen estimates that as high as 50-70 percent of people have not financially lost anything, and many have actually profited. Giving taxpayer money to myself and others who have not financially lost from COVID is wrong.

That goes double for government employees receiving even more from COVID funds by getting bonuses from government grants, or prisoners who live off taxpayer money. Those funds should be only used for COVID response and to help those who have financially lost because of COVID, not given as bonuses for government employees if they have not lost income.

Getting those checks has eaten at my conscious. Today I am sending $3,200 to Partnership for Families, Children and Adults for the River City Youth Collective to aid youth who have aged out of foster care. I am asking others to do the same, whether to this charity or others, such as St. Jude's, Chattanooga Human Education Society, etc.

No person or family should profit from this.

Jim Hill
opinion

Yobe State  I am writing this letter to bring the plight of the good people of Jajere constituency in Fune Local Government Area of Yobe State to the notice of Governor Mai Mala Buni.

Sir, from the moment Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, Jajere constituency has remained one of the strongholds of various political parties in governance. High votes are always assured in this constituency during elections; hence politicians do not take the electorate here for granted during campaigns.

Communities that make up this constituency, comprising Kollere/Kafaje, Kayeri, Jajere A, Jajere B, Marmari/Gudukurka, Mashio and Alagarno wards, share common problems, including dilapidated facilities like roads, health care and a host of other vital amenities. The people are invariably subjected to hardship and poor standard of living.

It may interest you to note that a significant number of people in the affected communities are farmers and cattle herders who have been of immense economic benefit to the state and indeed the North-East.

Sadly, however, many past governments, as well as the current administration, have failed to bring succour to the law abiding people of the area. In particular, the area is inaccessible because of poor roads, thereby making it difficult for locals to transport their agricultural produce. For instance, during the rainy season, motorists can hardly go to the area due to poor road network.

The situation in this constituency is so worrisome that people from the communities are forced to shed tears on a daily basis. One wonders why successive governments have ignored the plight of the people for such a long time.

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Your Excellency, we are very optimistic and believe in your style of leadership, which is aimed at bringing governance closer to the people for desired objectives.

While commending your administration for flagging off the Gujba-Ngalda, Garing Bingel-Koyel Bula roads and other ongoing capital projects across our dear state, we are hopeful that you would address the plights of the good people of Kafaje, Kayeri, Barumari and Borno-kichi with developmental projects.

For instance, your administration will be kind to connect Kafaje, Kayeri and Borno-kichi to Koyel Bula road in Danchuwa, a distance of about 26 kilometres, as well as rehabilitate Tikau-Jajere road, one of the busiest roads in the area. This project will immensely generate more economic benefits to the state government, enhance security, create job opportunities to our teeming youths, as well as improve productivity and sustainable economic development.

This will further complement your strategic development plans toward actualising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include eradication of hunger and poverty, promoting healthy living, provision of quality education for all, sustainable management of water sanitation and building a resilient and sustainable infrastructure.

May I end this piece by appealing to you once again to consider infrastructural development in these communities as you are demonstrating in some places.

Hassan Malam Yalwa Kafaje, a freelance journalist, sent this piece from Kafaje, Yobe State
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  The parent company of Group Orion, an aerospace company that expressed interest in building a massive campus near the Albuquerque International Sunport, has leased a separate 72,000-square-foot building in Southeast Albuquerque.

Steve Gonzalez, principal at Lee & Associates in Phoenix, confirmed to the Journal that Theia Group recently signed a lease to occupy an industrial facility at 10800 Gibson Blvd. SE. The facility is part of the Sandia Science and Technologies Park, which once housed Raytheon Co.s Albuquerque operations, according to previous Journal reporting.

Gonzalez said the company leased the full 72,784-square-foot building, but declined to comment further on the terms of the lease. A brochure produced by Lee & Associates states that the lease is for approximately 10 years, and is due to expire March 31, 2031.

Theia Groups plans to build a massive campus on the parcel of land that once housed the Sunports north-south runway went public last fall. In November, the Albuquerque Environmental Planning Commission approved a new site plan for the approximately 122-acre parcel.

While the city has not yet announced a lease agreement for the larger parcel, the company has announced its intentions to build a multi-building campus, including a 4.1-million-square-foot assembly building facility.

The campus, which would be known as the Orion Center, could house 1,000 jobs when it opens, with room to expand from there, according to a statement from the company.

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St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank CEO will discuss U.S. economy and monetary policy

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Noted economist and scholar James Jim Bullard, the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will discuss the nations economy during a virtual discussion April 8 hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Bullard has served as the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis since 2008. In his post, Bullard participates in the Federal Reserves Federal Open Market Committee, which meets regularly to set the direction of the nations monetary policy.

The discussion, part of the institutes Understanding Our New World series via Zoom, is at 10 a.m.

Bullard and John Shaw, Simon Institute director, will discuss the nations economic policies and challenges facing regional, national and global economies.

Nuanced understanding of economies

Jim Bullard is one of the most respected and influential economic policymakers in the United States, Shaw said. He is highly skilled at translating arcane economic concepts and trends into clear language that will help all of us understand the economic challenges we confront.

Bullard also oversees the Federal Reserves Eighth District, including activities at the St. Louis headquarters and its branches in Little Rock, Arkansas; Louisville, Kentucky; and Memphis, Tennessee.

A native of Forest Lake, Minnesota, Bullard earned his doctorate in economics from Indiana University in Bloomington. He also holds bachelors degrees in economics and quantitative methods and information systems from St. Cloud State (Minnesota) University.

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 to Bullard 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.org/event-information.
British regulators on Thursday said they have identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events after the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, 25 more than the agency previously reported.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it had received no such reports of clotting events following use of the vaccine made by BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc.

Also read: EU medicine regulator says no blood clot risks attached to AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: Germany to restrict AstraZeneca in people over 60 years due to blood clot reports
BRUSSELS  In an April Fools Day joke that went wrong, a fake announcement of a music festival contributed to thousands gathering in a major park in Brussels on Thursday in defiance of Covid-19 restrictions. As the police confronted the crowd, several officers and participants were wounded, and four people were arrested.

The unusually warm weather in the city would most likely have drawn people to the park in higher numbers, but the prank added to the density. The level of frustration, particularly among younger people, is high in Belgium, as new Covid-19 cases are increasing and hospitals become saturated despite months of restrictions.

The hoax festival, announced on Facebook and called La Boum, a slang word in French for a party, promised the appearance of famous DJs, including David Guetta, and claimed that no coronavirus rules would be followed.

The organizers noted that the festival was a hoax, but, according to the police, 1,500 to 2,000 people still gathered in the park, Bois de la Cambre, on Thursday afternoon, after tens of thousands registered on Facebook their interest in the event. Despite several warnings, the police said, the attendees refused to leave, and some chanted Freedom! and threw bottles. The police used water cannons and sent in mounted officers to disperse the crowd.
The latest Department of Labor first-time unemployment claims report revealed an increase of 61,000 state claims compared to the prior week, bringing the weekly total to over 719,000.

In addition to the 719,000 state claims, the report also revealed another 237,025 initial claims were filed under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (PUA), created under the CARES Act. This brought the combined state and federal claims to 951,548, nearly four times the pre-pandemic average of 225,000 claims.

Volunteers carries food to waiting cars at the Utah Food Bank's mobile food pantry Thursday, March 11, 2021, in West Valley City, Utah. Since the coronavirus pandemic began many have relied more on food banks to get enough to eat. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The PUA program, designed for self-employed, contract, and so-called gig workers, along with the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, will both expire in September, barring congressional action. Out of the 18.2 million workers that were claiming some form of unemployment assistance in mid-March, nearly 7,350,000 of those continuing claims were filed under PUA, while roughly 5,515,000 claims were for the PEUC program.

Despite efforts from Republican and Democratic governors alike to abandon limited lockdowns and health and safety measures in the interests of reopening the economy and generating profits for the ruling class, the stubbornly high claims showed that millions are struggling to find permanent, steady and well-paying work.

After limited lockdowns were implemented and then abandoned last spring, some 22 million jobs were lost. One year later, roughly 9 million have yet to return. While trillions of dollars have been made available for Wall Street speculators, large multinational corporations and the politically well-connected, millions of jobless workers and their families remain on the brink of destitution and homelessness. For those that have found work, it has generally been part-time and transitory, such as rideshare, grocery shopping and food delivery services, which also lack steady wages and benefits compared to traditional employment.

While millions remain out of work, Aprils job report is expected to show an increase in employment upwards of 500,000. However, the majority of these jobs are centered in the low-paying service, restaurant, travel and hospitality industries, which have been decimated due to COVID-19 induced lockdowns.

A February report from McKinsey & Company illustrated the character of the unequal recovery in the US. Their research found that the total unemployment rate among those who make under $30,000 a year was at 17.34 percent as of February 2021, compared to only 3 percent for those who reported earning above $150,000.

For workers earning between $30,000 and $50,000 total unemployment was at 9.32 percent, while those who made between $99,000 and $150,000 were recorded at only 3.24 percent. The increased employment rate for the working class tracks with statistics provided by the Federal Reserve last month which estimated that the real jobless rate was between 9 and 10 percent.

While the DOL report found that the overall total of 18.2 million workers claiming unemployment decreased by over 1.5 million from the week prior, this was not an indication that over a million workers found jobs. Instead, state benefits continue to expire, forcing the unemployed to apply for assistance through federal programs. In addition to expiring eligibility requirements, several state governments are reimposing job search requirements in an attempt to blackmail workers back into dangerous job sites.

In Michigan, where COVID-19 hospitalizations are skyrocketing and daily new infections are exceeding 5,400, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the state legislature refused to renew an important element in the state law that would have allowed jobless workers to continue claiming COVID-19 as a valid reason to receive state unemployment. The change, which took effect on April 1, followed another anti-worker decision by Whitmer, which would have allowed jobless workers to claim unemployment benefits for 26 weeks instead of 20.

After the extension passed the legislature last year, Whitmer vetoed the proposal in December, calling it a tax break for big businesses. As of March 6, nearly 640,000 Michiganders were receiving some form of unemployment pay, with nearly 75 percent of the funds distributed via federal pandemic benefits and not state programs.

In Nevada, where the official unemployment rate remains at 5.4 percent and over 5,200 have succumbed to COVID-19, Democratic Governor Steve Sisolaks Department of Employee Training and Retention announced this week that those receiving unemployment payments would have to submit proof that they are actively searching for jobs. Some claimants will also be randomly selected to meet with virtual representatives as part of the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment program.

Despite claims from President Joe Biden and the Democratic party that the misnamed $1.9 trillion American Recovery Act represented the most progressive legislation since the New Deal and Great Society programs, millions of workers have already used up the fleeting and insufficient benefits included in the legislation. Among the miserly benefits touted in the program include one-time $1,400 relief checks and $300-a-week-unemployment checks, down from the $600 included in the CARES Act last year.

CNN has reported, and the Internal Revenue Service has confirmed, that some 8 million eligible people have yet to receive their $1,400 stimulus payments due to the IRS having incorrect filing information. In a note to CNN, Erin Collins from the National Taxpayer Advocate said the issue is [a] problem the law and the IRS have created, Collins said. The rug is being pulled out from under eligible individuals with outstanding debts.

Unlike the $600 stimulus checks passed under the Trump administration in December, the last batch of checks do not include protections that would have prevented the checks from being seized by creditors, debt collectors or for child support payments.

Mark, an unemployed worker in Las Vegas, spoke to this reporter on the current crisis saying that its been frustrating trying to find a decent job.

Despite putting in multiple applications for low-paying work he feels hes overqualified for, Mark hasnt received a call back from any prospective employers.

It seems like every job Ive been looking at has been starting at $11 an hour. Starting wages have been depressed, probably because so many people are out of work, he said.

Mark described the American Rescue Plan as inadequate, and said the election of Biden has brought no relief.

Nothings changed, things have gotten worse, the media is ignoring all the terrible things Biden is doing. Everything Trump was doing, Biden is doing. CNN would report Trumps lies, but just when Biden lies, they are called misstatements. Like, the $2,000 checks we were promised would have been nice. There hasnt been any talk about further relief. Its like we got the $1,400 and that is it. Yet my rent is still going up, now it is over $1,000 a month.

Mark recalled that [Vice President Kamala] Harris campaigned on $2,000 a month, what happened to that? The $1,400 was gone almost immediately.

We cant wait for the Democrats to follow through on their promises, Mark said. The Democrats and the Republicans are both parties of big business. Workers need their own party that will fight for them, like the Socialist Equality Party.
[April 02, 2021] Six U.S. Charities Benefit from over $3M Donation from the State of Qatar

Qatar's Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, announced donations to a series of partners throughout the United States in recognition of World Autism Day and Autism Awareness Month. The donations were to notable charities such as The Dan Marino Foundation, Touro University, Break the Barriers, The Westview School, Organization for Autism Research (OAR), and NEXT for AUTISM. These charities support the autistic community and their families, promote a message of acceptance and understanding, and bolster research into innovative new treatment methods and therapies. The latest partnerships continue the State of Qatar's long-standing commitment to improve the lives of those with autism in the United States, the Middle East, and around the world. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser first proposed World Autism Awareness Day to the United Nations General Assembly in 2007. Since being ratified, this U.N. day has been recognized annually on April 2. This day serves to highlight the importance of improving the quality of life for those with autism and ensuring they can lead full and meaningful lives as integral members of society. "We are committed to enhancing educational resources, providing skills-based training, and promoting programs that boost independence for members of the autism community," said the Ambassador. "Our partners across the United States play a crucial role in this effort, and we applaud their work not only during the month of April, but through their daily commitment to creating a more inclusive world." The Embassy of the State of Qatar is proud to partner with Touro University evada, whose Sharon Sigesmund Pierce and Stephen Pierce Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities was established in 2008 to address an unmet need in the State of Nevada- providing treatment for children on the autism spectrum.



The donation from the Embassy will be used to establish the Qatar Patient Care fund, which will support therapy services for children with autism. In 2019, Touro had more than 5,800 patient appointments. As therapy services return to post-pandemic levels, Touro will hire additional therapists and increase the number of families served. "This partnership with the State of Qatar will be a tremendous resource to our Southern Nevada community in accessing needed therapy services so that finances are not a barrier," said Shelley Berkley, CEO and senior provost of Touro University Nevada. "We are thrilled and honored to work alongside the State of Qatar in helping children achieve their fullest potential."

The Embassy is also honored to be partnering with The Dan Marino Foundation. The Dan Marino team and the Embassy of the State of Qatar will work together to pilot a STEAM ("Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics") enrichment program that incorporates specialized curriculums designed for students with autism, not just in the U.S., but with the potential to expand globally. This program will provide young adults on the spectrum with the opportunity to gain experience in robotics, coding, computer repair, graphic design, and other essential skills for the workplace. "The Dan Marino Foundation strives to create programs and opportunities to advance the independence of those living on the autism spectrum," said Foundation founder Dan Marino. "We will be co-piloting a STEAM initiative with the Embassy of Qatar that will enable students to gain skills and experience that will open doors to greater employment and educational opportunities." About DC/Virginia Donations The Embassy of the State of Qatar is further supporting the efforts of the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) and its "Kit for Kids'' program. This innovative classroom initiative teaches students grades K-8 to see the world through the eyes of their peers with autism. The Embassy's support will expand OAR's ability to reach classrooms across the United States and provide new educational materials that encourage classroom discussions and engagement. "The Organization for Autism Research is thrilled to partner with the Embassy of Qatar to further extend the impact and reach of the Kit for Kids peer education program," said Mike Maloney, OAR's executive director. "The timing coinciding with World Autism Awareness Day could not have been better. Thanks to this partnership, OAR will be able to deliver the Kit for Kids lesson, complete with the newest resource, OAR's Friendship Tip Sheets, to 5,000 K-8 students across the U.S. this year." About California Donations The Embassy of the State of Qatar is proud to partner with Break the Barriers, a nonprofit corporation that celebrates awareness and victories of people and veterans of all abilities, ethnicities, and ages. The organization offers a wide range of classes in which students can learn and grow together through unique programming, outreach, and inclusion education. "Many of our friends have the gift of having the superpowers of the five senses. What we all need is an opportunity to develop the gifts that we have been given," said Deby Hergenrader, founder of Break the Barriers. "If you celebrate in the input, you will celebrate in the victory. Inclusively, let's celebrate World Autism Day!" About Texas Donations The Embassy of the State of Qatar has created a three-year scholarship fund for students at The Westview School in Houston, a private, nonprofit school for children ages 2 to 15 with autism spectrum disorder. Westview's well-rounded curriculum includes a full range of academic programs and a strong emphasis on social and social skills, including opportunities for students to pursue the arts, extracurricular activities, and real-world experiences. "The Westview School is very excited to partner with the State of Qatar. This collaboration will help us serve more children in the greater Houston area with autism spectrum disorder in need of our programs by bolstering our scholarship fund," said John Moring, director of development for The Westview School. "This wonderful partnership with the State of Qatar will help our scholarship fund impact the lives of over 100 Westview families in the next three years." About New York Donations The Embassy of the State of Qatar is funding NEXT for Going Out, a community outing and engagement curriculum designed by NEXT for AUTISM specifically for autistic adults in day habilitation programs. "Given that there are more than 5.4 million U.S. adults with autism, there is a significant need to ensure adults with autism enrolled in day habilitation engage in learning and continue to live meaningful and enriching lives within their communities. Autistic adults deserve to receive quality instruction and become lifelong learners," said Gillian Leek, CEO, NEXT for AUTISM. About the Embassy of the State of Qatar to the United States The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington, D.C. houses Qatar's diplomatic mission to the United States. The primary purposes of the Embassy of Qatar are to highlight Qatar's policies on regional issues, strengthen Qatar-U.S. bilateral relations, and to assist Qatari citizens who travel or live in the U.S. The current Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the United States of America is His Excellency Sheikh Meshal Bin Hamad Al-Thani. Learn more: http://qatar-usa.com/autism/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210402005015/en/

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Ammo Grrrll celebrates as THE COLUMN TURNS 7. She writes:

Well, here we are again, friends. I cannot believe that I just completed my SEVENTH year visiting with you all every Friday. Seven is quite a significant number, alleged to be lucky in a casinos slot machine (more anon).

It is an important number Biblically. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh; Jacob served Laban seven years to earn his beloved bride, Rachel, and found that his father-in-law had subbed in Rachels sister, Leah, a fact that might have flattened a lesser mans ardor, but Jacob served for another seven years. Its an odd story and I always felt sorry for everybody involved, perhaps most for Leah who must have had self-esteem issues, if not PTSD at being a stopgap measure until her husband got the wife he really wanted.

Of course, the rabbis, scholars and sages have a much more positive spin on it, being Gods will and all, and Leah birthing fully HALF of the sons who would form the Twelve Tribes of Israel. I still would have hated to have my husband lift the veil and see that disappointed look on his face when Id say, SURPRISE! Guess who this ISNT?

On the downside of the Number Seven, supposedly that is a marriage milestone when couples get an itch to stray, the famous Seven Year Itch, promoted in a movie of the same name, starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell. And what woman would not want to be off on a little breather to escape the heat of the city and have a 22-year-old Marilyn Monroe move into the apartment upstairs from your 46-year-old husband who is temporarily batching it? (In truth, the character she played was supposed to be 22; the real-life Marilyn was an old hag of 29, which Im sure would have made a substantial difference. Not.)

Most of us not only trust our beloved husbands implicitly, but probably feel we could compete with most run-of-the-mill other ladies. But Marilyn Monroe in her prime? The Marilyn Monroe with her skirt aflutter over the air vent in the money shot for the movie? Goodness gracious, it would be like leaving me in a room with a box of a dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts after a month on KETO. Oh, the humanity!

Let me tell you about my slot machine experience. I had been booked for two different shows for the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep  seriously  at their annual convention in Reno. And, no, none of my punchlines were along the lines of Thats Black Barts girl, funny though that genre of jokes is. These were serious hunters who paid thousands of dollars to be in a lottery to have the CHANCE to shoot at those curly-horned wild sheep. One fella had spent $100,000 to hunt with guides in the Former Soviet Union. At the time, that was roughly twice what I had spent on the house I lived in for 30 years.

I was going to be spending three whole days in the casino hotel and had budgeted the modest sum of $40.00 a day (in late 80s dollars) to put into the slot machines in lieu of simply throwing it down a sewer grate. And I bet the slot devotees can guess right now how its going to go. So, the first day, my $40.00 disappeared in the quarter slots in less than an hour. Quelle disappointing! That would have left an awful lot of time in the day before the breakfast show the next morning to find something else to do. And so, I reasoned, why not spend $80.00 the first day and then skip a day? (Ah, the Bargaining phase of the addict begins.) The second $40.00 took quite a lot longer to evaporate and was kind of fun  win some, lose a little, win some more. I think I was actually up at least $70.00, almost back to break even. So, of course, I was hot and couldnt quit right then.

No. I waited until I had dribbled away all of my winnings. Now, I was so depressed I reasoned that I may as well use the last $40.00 and then just sit in my room and read for 3 days. I mean, that machine HAD to have a big payoff soon, right?

Eventually I was down to my last 5 quarters. All in. The drum spun and up came one, two, three sevens! The pay-off was $125  500 quarters  making quite a jolly clatter. Now the real true gambler would at that point tell his friends that he had won $125. But, unfortunately, I can do Math. So I knew that I had played for the better part of an entire day and had spent $120 to get $125. In other words, I had won $5.00. I would have been richer working a shift at McDonalds, with some free fries thrown in. I cashed in my chips, pocketed my $5.00, plus my original $120 and got out of there as fast as my short little legs could carry me.

Once, in Tahoe, I watched a curvaceous young lady win a Large-sized movie popcorn bucket full of $5.00 tokens. She was playing on money her sugar daddy had given her so she acted much more nonchalant than I would have. It broke my heart to watch her throw it all back in the machine until her great big bucket was empty. I wanted to shake her and scream, You had won! This was full to the brim. Thats called winning. How much more did you even THINK you were going to win under the best of circumstances?! Which is probably just one of many reasons why I dont work in a casino, another being that I cannot walk in high heels.

But what is mere filthy lucre compared to the jackpot I landed with the gift of a platform once a week to entertain, buck up, reminisce with, and rant at my fellow Americans? The famous novelist Max Cossack knows better than to expect much in the way of housework or errands because Friday is MY day to engage with my commenters, to learn, laugh and share. I do, naturally, make challah for Sabbath and prepare a nice dinner but thats about it.

You, the readers, bring me more joy than you will ever know. Additionally, I have gotten to meet and know, either in person or on-line, a variety of impressive human beings. You know who you are. Our four hard-working hosts here, without whom none of this would be possible, are smart and know a great deal about a wide variety of things. But it never ceases to amaze me how the collective commentariat gathered here can weigh in on virtually any subject and deepen and broaden the discussion. Lawyers, doctors, lawyering truck-drivers, military folks, astronauts, teachers, EMTs, law enforcement, writers, seamstresses, veterinarians, and a whole bunch of people who really did Learn to Code. Pick a subject, and somebody will know a ton about it, no matter how arcane or specialized. What a country!

This last year has been so depressing and stressful that I never did release the compilation book for year 6. But its done now, as well as year seven! We will be releasing the year 6 book (Ammo Grrrll Reloads) in early June, after we return from a long road trip, and year 7 (Ammo Grrrll Gets Shot) in mid-September in time for holiday gift-giving. Both will include attractive discounts! So thanks for all the gracious, hilarious and generous comments and stay tuned for the upcoming book releases. May you all stay healthy and go from strength to strength. Onward to Year Eight! Onward to Herd Immunity!
As new, more highly transmissible mutations of COVID-19 continue to circulate in Connecticut and beyond, a top Pfizer executive said Thursday that booster shots are key to fighting the virus going forward.

With the variants we have seen, that are really quite prevalent in the world now, the need to boost is in our reality, said Angela Hwang who joined Gov. Ned Lamont at his virtual coronavirus briefing Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Pfizer and BioNTech reported updated trial data showing their vaccine is around 91% effective at preventing COVID-19, with early signs suggesting it works against a concerning variant that first emerged in South Africa.

The two companies are currently studying booster shoots, and Hwang said researchers will likely know by summer when they would be needed and how that process would work.

The first option is to boost with the same vaccine we have today, keep a very high level of immunogenicity in our bodies and that is the mechanism by which we could manage the new variants, Hwang said.

The other option is to make a new vaccine, which Pfizer estimates it can do in about 116 days, subject to regulatory approval, Hwang said.

What we know today is that we have a highly effective vaccine that is safe, that the duration of protection as we know it is to six months, she said. This next study will help us to understand what are the time intervals by which you need to boost - at six months or at 12 months?

Public health experts in Connecticut estimate that about 30-40 percent of new cases are connected to the B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19, which originated in the U.K. The Yale School of Public Health is doing much of the sequencing and analysis of variants in Connecticut.

So far, Connecticut has identified more than 700 cases involving variants of COVID-19, including nearly 600 which involve variants of concern, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, and 105 cases involving variants of interest.

Lamont reported Thursday that Connecticut remains in the Top 10 states for new cases per capita, but continues to rank low, No. 35 in the country, when it comes to deaths per capita. Connecticuts hospitalizations declined by 21 in the last 24 hours, while coronavirus-related deaths increased by 14, averaging five a day over the last week or two, Lamont said. The states daily positivity rate is 4.4%.

Its a little unnerving to see the positivity going up again, a little similar to where we were exactly a year ago, the governor said.

Lamont wasnt clear on exactly whats causing the Northeast to once again emerge as a hot spot, but pointed to varying restrictions and vaccine roll-outs across states. Connecticut, he said, is still doing much more testing than other states. Public health experts have said new variants, particularly the U.K. variant, are likely a contributor.

Lamont used Connecticuts low ranking in deaths per capita to plug his age based approach to the rollout.

Its just a reminder that vaccinating folks who are most at risk, vaccinating those who are most likely to suffer complications or death made a big difference in terms of where we are in that chart, Lamont said.

The governor said he has no immediate plans to reopen the state to pre-pandemic levels and would err on the side of caution until Connecticut gets closer to herd immunity.
Pham Tran Hai

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last week attended the inaugural ceremony of the Phuoc Dong Industrial Zone and Port in the Mekong Delta province of Long An. The industrial zone is located in the Southern Key Economic Region (KER) and is expected to serve as a magnet to lure investors.

However, it was an expectation only. In reality, this region is facing numerous difficulties in developing socioeconomically as well as in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).

In general, economic growth is not high and lacks sustainability, while the shifting in economic structure is slow. The ratio between the three sectors of agro-forestry-fishery, construction-industry, and services in 2015 was 38, 26, and 31 per cent respectively, while in 2019 the ratio was 31, 33, and 30 per cent, respectively, with balanced out results across the board suggesting a lack of advancement.

The region has yet to attract large-scale FDI. The average capital per project is $10 million, which is $2.42 million lower than the average figure of the whole country. In Ho Chi Minh City, the average investment capital per project is $5.56 million, equalling 44.7 per cent compared to the average scale of the whole country.

The main reason for this is that the infrastructure system has yet to keep up with the needs of socioeconomic development of the region. Traffic jams are by far the most serious congestion point for the region, and which takes place on road, in the air, and on sea routes.

Traffic congestion occurs on almost all national roadway and inner roads, especially the surrounding area of Tan Son Nhat International Airport and seaport clusters in Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, the seaport cluster in the city is considered the regions gateway and make up 67 per cent of the capacity of the countrys entire seaport system.

In addition, overload in almost all schools and training facilities as well as medical examination and treatment facilities in the region, and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, is a barrier for investors as well as experts to arrive in the region to work and live.

Lack of mechanisms to coordinate economic benefits among localities in the region causes ineffectiveness in regional links. Localities have yet to thoroughly take the regions particular advantages and take advantage of mutual development among members.

Furthermore, activities to attract investment and boost economic links have not taken place on a large scale. Linking industry clusters or sharing important technical and social infrastructure has also not been focused enough.

At present, the region is home to numerous industrial parks (IZs) including Bien Hoa, Nhon Trach, Loteco, Amata Dong Nai, and VSIP Binh Duong. However these IZs, which operate effectively, account for only a small ratio compared to the total numbers of IZs in the region.

The ratio of IZs operating in the southern KER accounts for 65 per cent of the total IZs across the country. However, the attractiveness of these IZs has decreased because of weaknesses in developing infrastructure as well as lack of mechanisms to coordinate economic benefits among localities.

During the process to promote socioeconomic development, localities in the southern KER are facing two major problems.

The first one is having to promote innovation and creativity, and adapt to economic development requirements in the context of Industry 4.0, while also having to ensure compliance with legal regulations. The second issue is how to strengthen cooperation for the common development of the region and each locality.

From reviewing these realities in the KER, in order to promote the overall development it is important to have effective solutions to clear these bottlenecks. It is necessary to synchronise the framework infrastructure system, which consists of important arteries for connection between localities in the region.

In the implementation of any solution, it is necessary to ensure consistency and integrity. If the problem of coordination of economic benefits between localities in regional links is resolved, the implementation of investment in infrastructure in the region also becomes easier.

Localities should regularly review, adjust, and supplement appropriate policies to meet the demand on developing socioeconomic growth. Besides that, the southern KER needs to accelerate the preparation, appraisal, and approval of regional and provincial plans. The delay in these works is one of the reasons for disrupting or slowing down the process of regional socioeconomic development and regional integration, as well as the development of each province in particular.

The content of regional planning should clearly highlight what key industries and areas need to link, as well as the roles, duties, and responsibilities of each relevant authority  especially the responsibilities of each locality in regional planning. For regional planning, it is necessary to determine power resources in planning and allocate sufficient resources in the process of implementing the plan, especially financial resources.

Attracting eagles to the nest is a necessary factor for the all KERs in the coming time but it is necessary to have a mechanism that is attractive enough to attract large-scale joint ventures between foreign and domestic investors in order to ensure that overseas investment is more meaningful and sustainable.

At present, Ho Chi Minh City boasts over 90 per cent of foreign-invested enterprises; however, the figure from 2019 showed that less than 10 per cent of them are joint ventures, accounting for 15 per cent of the whole foreign investment capital of the city. This reality causes limits in terms of the ability to learn and absorb experiences from other countries for domestic businesses, especially in technology transfer and business methods.
Brisbane, Australia -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/02/2021 -- Best Car Removals buys unwanted, used, and old and non-functional vehicles in Australia. Some of the types of vehicles the company purchases include vans, buses, trucks, SUVs, RVs, Utes, and many more. Over the years, the company has helped many individuals sell their cars online quickly. They are bonded, licensed, and trustworthy. The company provides hassle-free, same day car removal services. They have well-trained experts who are always courteous and professional in their dealings with clients.



Offering tips for finding the best Cash for Cars in Brisbane, the company spokesperson said, "Cash for Cars is typically a service that entails exchanging money for old, used, junk or unwanted cars. To find the best cash for cars company in Brisbane, clients need to choose a close company as it enables quick pick-up services. They should hire a professional who is easy to contact and has a flexible timeline to accommodate clients' needs."



Best Car Removals is the leading used car buyer in Queensland. They purchase cars in any condition, be it a fairly new car or one that is damaged and rusted. The company has a team of highly trained professionals who have a complete know-how of safe removal of even the most wrecked vehicles. They are committed to ensuring that each of the services, including Cash for Cars, is as convenient for clients as possible. The company understands that having a too old car to be used or too damaged to be repaired can be a daunting affair. That's why they offer clients the opportunity to get cash for a scrap car in Brisbane.



Speaking about the benefits of selling used cars for cash, the company spokesperson said, "Selling a used or damaged car has various benefits for an individual. It enables one to make some considerable gains depending upon the condition of his or her vehicle. Clients also get the power to negotiate in person with the dealer when they decide to sell their cars for cash. For more information about the benefits of selling used cars for cash, clients can visit our website."



Are you looking for 4wd wreckers in Brisbane? Best Car Removals is a leading Brisbane 4wd wreckers. They seamlessly remove in use, used and even unusable 44 and trucks. The company not only offers cash for used cars but also provides complimentary towing service. Their 4wd wreckers team is always ready to reach clients' desired destination, including one's office, garage, home, and many more. The company takes pride in its efficient processes and transparent functioning. They offer instant quotes and the same day car removal.



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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will visit Moscow where he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 7, Press Secretary of the Prime Minister of Armenia Mane Gevorgyan said on Friday.

"Due to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for April 7, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will work in the self-isolation mode beginning on April 2,"TASS cited the spokesperson as saying.

She noted that the head of the Armenian Cabinet of Ministers is working according to the schedule excluding personal meetings and participation in mass events.
People stand by a roadside stall without wearing masks to protect against COVID-19, in Dhaka, April 1, 2021

Bangladesh on Thursday banned air passengers traveling from all countries in Europe - except Britain - and 12 other countries for two weeks, amid a worrying spike in new COVID-19 infections that reached a record high in the South Asian country.

The civil aviation authority of Bangladesh issued a notice that the temporary ban on travelers arriving from those countries would be effective beginning on Saturday, said Group Capt. A.H. M. Touhid-ul Ahsan, director of Dhakas Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Except the United Kingdom, no passengers from all European countries and 12 other countries will be allowed entry into Bangladesh between April 3 and 18. The reason is the spread of coronavirus in Bangladesh, Ahsan said.

The 12 other countries are Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey and Uruguay, Ahsan said.

Bangladesh reported 6,489 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, breaking a daily record set the previous day. With 59 virus-related deaths, COVID-19 fatalities rose to 9,105, government health data showed.

Ahsan said the ban was aimed at stemming the spread of new infections.

However, airline passengers transiting through Bangladesh will have to stay inside the airport terminal, Ahsan said.

For example, Qatar Airways will be able to come to Bangladesh via Doha with passengers from America. However, no passengers from Qatar can come to Bangladesh, he said.

COVID-19 infections in Bangladesh, first detected in March 2020, peaked last June and July. Since then, new infections gradually decreased to between 300 and 400 daily in the last week of February.

They began rising again in the first week of March, mainly because people stopped following health and safety protocols, Zahid Maleque, the health minister, told journalists Thursday.

Actually, we became over confident that coronavirus vanished from Bangladesh. People stopped using masks and abiding by the health safety guidelines after we launched the vaccination in February, Maleque said

Bangladesh kicked off coronavirus vaccinations on Jan. 27, with the Covishield vaccine developed by Anglo-Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca and produced by the Serum Institute of India.

The nation had vaccinated a little over 5 million people as of Thursday, which is not nearly enough to achieve herd immunity in a country with a population of 164.7 million.

On March 29, the government banned all social, political and religious gatherings to contain the rising infections.

We are heading toward a likely disaster. We have to stop the infections right now, otherwise the worst days are waiting for us said Maleque.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also expressed worry about the infections on the opening day of the new parliamentary session on Thursday. But, assistance from the people is necessary to contain it

We have to bring the situation under control as we did earlier, immediately after the coronavirus breakout. But, assistance from the people is necessary to contain it, Hasina said, according to the state-owned BSS news agency.

I have repeatedly told people to wear masks and follow the health guidelines even after taking the jabs against coronavirus, but people have stopped maintaining health protocols.
A US Border Patrol agent processes migrants after they arrived illegally from Mexico on March 29, 2021 in Roma, Texas. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A record number of migrants were taken into CBP custody last month, new data shows.

Over 171,000 migrants were apprehended at the US-Mexico border in March.

In January, the number taken into custody stood at 78,442.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Over 171,000 migrants were apprehended at the US-Mexico border in March, according to a Washington Post analysis of preliminary data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

This marks the highest number of migrants taken into custody in a single month since 2006. In January, the number taken into custody stood at 78,442.

The massive uptick comes as the Biden administration is under increasing scrutiny over the situation at the border, particularly as it pertains to unaccompanied migrant children.

President Joe Biden has faced criticism over holding migrant children in jail-like facilities meant for adults over the legal limit of 72 hours, when they're meant to be transferred from CBP to the custody of Health and Human Services. But the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges in this regarding, leading to limited space as officials seek to uphold public health guidelines.

The Post reports that CBP took in over 18,800 unaccompanied minors in March, marking a 99% increase from February. The previous one-month high comes from May 2019 and is far lower: 11,861 minors.

There are a lot of complicated factors contributing to the situation at the border.

There is generally an uptick in migrant arrivals around spring, when the weather gets warmer, before it levels off around May. The COVID-19 pandemic also created a backlog as people waited to make the journey north. Devastating hurricanes in November that hit the Northern Triangle countries in Central America that many migrants come from - El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala - have also played a role.

Meanwhile, congressional Republicans have blamed Biden's more welcoming messaging on immigration and his plan to provide a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented immigrants for the massive increase in arrivals. They've referred to the situation as a "Biden border crisis," a characterization the White House has vehemently rejected.

Story continues

That said, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently acknowledged that the number of arrivals was reaching historic levels. In a statement last month, he said, "We are on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years."

Democrats, especially progressive-leaning lawmakers, have been critical of the conditions children are being held in and pressured Biden to resolve the situation quickly.

Biden tapped FEMA to help with the situation, as his administration continues to urge migrants not to make the journey up to the border.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Kerrville, TX (78028)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. High near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Pitsami Norm was only 5 when she saw how cruel the world could be.

She was held in a concentration camp, along with her nine siblings and parents, during the Cambodian Civil War. The children were taught how to hold rifles. There was little food, and she watched her two sisters die of starvation.

The family escaped the camp one night wearing no shoes, so their footsteps wouldnt be heard in the woods. They made it to Thailand and later settled in Boston in 1982 with the help of a church. Norm was 6.

But shoes would become a symbol of survival.

When we escaped the Khmer Rouge regime, my father gathered the family in the middle of the night and told us to walk barefoot to avoid the guards, said Norm, who lives in Cypress with her four children. Moonlight was the only source of light that guided us, and I remembered the pain and the blood that was shed during each step of our journey. I appreciated and fell in love with shoes immediately when we first arrived in the U.S. I believe the right pair of shoes can change your life.

She learned English with the help of church parishioners but said fitting into a new, mostly white, culture was hard.

More Information Home: Cypress Style hero: Jackie Kennedy Favorite designer: Dior, Hermes, Marchesa Pairs of shoes in the closet: 75, all high heels except two pairs of running shoes Favorite accessory: Mikimoto necklace Trend you'll never wear: Neon clothing Favorite food: Japanese uni Guilty pleasure: Kaya Gold and Salted Egg Gucci Mochi by Lina Lee's Desserts Signature cocktail: 2003 Vigna Sere Veneto Passito Rosso Favorite travel destination: Cape Cod, Mass. Favorite movie: "Crazy Rich Asians" Celebrity you'd like to have dinner with: Idris Elba Best advice: If you are lucky enough to be different, don't ever change. Surprising thing about you: I am the youngest girl of 10 children. I also love shoes. While working in corporate America, I was known as the "Stilettos Lady." Greatest achievement: Taking a leap of faith to run my own businesses full time. Theme song: "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran See More Collapse

I was one of the few Asians in my school. I felt afraid, and I constantly had to prove myself. I also didnt have nice clothes or shoes. We didnt have the means, Norm said.

While her parents worked manufacturing jobs, Norm and her sister were the first in her family to attend college. Norm graduated with a degree in finance from Northeastern University in Boston and a dream of starting her own business. (Her mother died of cancer in 2009; her father died in 2013.)

After Norm married, she and her then husband moved to Houston. She had a successful career as a portfolio manager for a major bank. In 2008, she started P.S. Affairs, an event-planning company, after helping a friend with a wedding. Then in 2018, she started Houston Pallets and Crates, a manufacturing company that ships internationally.

That same year, she channeled her passion for fashion, decor and charity into hosting the inaugural Laffaire Du Monde Couture for a Cause fashion show at the Ballroom at Bayou Place. It featured designers from Uzbekistan and Cambodia and Houston designers Chloe Dao, Sameera Faridi, Danny Nguyen and Umair Khan with MeruMeru. It also benefited The Rose, which provides mammograms and other breast health services, and the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services.

By 2020, Norm left her corporate job to focus full time on her companies.

Shoes, mostly stilettos, have been part of her wardrobe at every step for Norm, whose colleagues called her the Stilettos Lady.

I would have between five to 10 pairs of shoes in my office. I randomly change heels throughout the day, depending on my mood and meetings. Shoes remind me of how far Ive come, said Norm, who will celebrate Cambodian New Year on April 14.

On that day, she plans to honor her ancestors and express gratitude for her lifes blessings.

And shell be wearing stilettos.

joy.sewing@chron.com
Because The Bronco Nation has the official support of the second-largest U.S. automaker, it naturally has exclusive access to a lot of stuff. That includes the opportunity to showcase each Bronco build promoted in Moab these days separately.First up, naturally, was the Ford Performance-prepared 4-Door Outer Banks example that didnt exactly catch our eye too much, save for the fact that it packed the much-discussed and much-spotted Bestop fastback soft top.Our favorite red example from the lot came second, the 4 Wheel Parts Black Diamond 4-Door revealing most of its secrets , except for the one we really wanted to see most, a practical demonstration of the unique and overlanding-focused Smittybilt overhead tent.Well, weve become accustomed to these video features from Bronco Nation that usually miss out on presenting the very best thing. This time wouldnt be different either, if not for the one thing were mostly interested being splattered all over the ARB Edition. Its the Velocity Blue paint job of this Sasquatched 4-door Bronco Badlands that tickled our sense more than anything else.Naturally, we didnt miss the presentation either, and we even have the separate timestamps for each chapter if youre not interested in seeing the whole lot. Matt, our host from BN, is joined by a representative from ARB, kicking off the discussion with a peek under the hood from the 1:35 mark to catch a glimpse of the companys twin compressor.The frame-mounted bumpers and side protection are also featured up close and personally, and from the 2:20 mark, theres a look at the neatly arranged cargo area, which includes ARBs roller drawer and roller floor kit plus a big fridge and the jack assembly.The Badlands showcases its interior from the 4:06 mark, and the conclusion from the 5:20-minute hints at upcoming new accessories and parts (base rack, full suspension kit, front/rear lockers) that ARB will have ready upon the Broncos release this summer.
A South Carolina senator invoked a Louisiana disaster in his argument for assault rifle access this week.

Republican Lindsey Graham posted a thread of tweets weighing in on the debate for stiffer barriers to gun ownership, which has re-emerged in the wake of mass shooting incidents in multiple U.S. cities in March.

"Now, why would anybody need to own an AR-15? If there is a breakdown of law and order, and that can happen -- we've seen it happen in our major cities," Graham posted, along with clips of him firing an AR-15 at a South Carolina shooting range.

Now, why would anybody need to own an AR-15?



If there is a breakdown of law and order, and that can happen -- we've seen it happen in our major cities.



Remember Hugo, where people were isolated for days? Remember Katrina?  Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 1, 2021 ...

"Remember Hugo, where people were isolated for days? Remember Katrina?"

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

Hurricane Hugo made landfall in South Carolina in 1989 as a powerful, Category 4 storm. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005 and was attributed as the cause of more than 1,800 deaths across Louisiana and Mississippi.

Graham, who has served as a senator since 2002, also cited efforts to "defund the police" in his argument.

Neither South Carolina or Louisiana currently have laws restricting access to assault rifles.
A new study showed that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is 90 percent effective for at least six months and protects against the South African variant. Recent research emerged that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is 90 percent effective for at least six months. It is the result of the study after the second dose, which was participated by over 46,000 persons in the clinical trial, in a published report in the USA Today.

Effectivity of Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine

According to the recently published results, there were no significant safety issues among the 12,000 volunteers who were at least six months into their second dose. However, many people experienced common short-term side effects, including nausea and sore arms.

Yahoo News reported that the data is enough for Pfizer-BioNTech to get full authorization from the U.S. FDA. Pfizer and two other vaccines are still under emergency use authorization (EUA).

South Korea To Issue Digital Vaccine Passports Showing Person's COVID-19 Vaccination Status

Pfizer is Effective Against the South African Variant

The new study also found out that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the South African variant, according to Spectrum News. This new variant is also called B.1.351 and was first detected in South Africa, and is said to be the main source of the spike of new COVID-19 cases.

This data from the leading pharmaceutical company now gives them the advantage to get the full authorization. This is enough or sufficient and has already met the standards set by the U.S. FDA in getting full approval, just like other vaccines for other diseases.

Around 800 study participants were from South Africa, and nine of them, all in the placebo community, got infected with COVID-19. The companies sequenced all nine infected people's genomes and discovered that six were B.1.351 variations.

Vaccine Protection Stronger Among Those Previously Infected by COVID-19, Study Reveals

Emergency Use Authorization and Full Authorization

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been administered in the country nearly 77 million times and is expected to apply for full authorization anytime this month to the U.S. FDA.

Pfizer-BioNTech needs to get full licensure rather than emergency use authorization alone. Once the U.S. FDA grants them the full authorization, this will provide the company security that it will not expire anytime.

Jacob Sherkow, a law professor at the College of Law at the University of Illinois, said that the emergency use authorization is temporary. This means that the EUA can be terminated anytime with or without reason. He also added that EUA would also expire once the emergency is over.

Meanwhile, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said that the data showing their vaccine's efficacy and safety profile gives them the advantage to submit a Biologics License Application. Typically, this license provides the company 12 years of exclusivity of its product.

The Pfizer-BioNTech also announced Wednesday that they would ask the U.S. FDA to provide their vaccine to adolescents whose age is between 12-15 after discovering new data that it is safe for younger adults.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Newser)  They called it the "perfect nature versus nurture" experiment: Astronaut Scott Kelly was sent to the International Space Station for nearly a year, while his identical twin, astronaut and now Sen. Mark Kelly, remained on Earth. When Scott Kelly came back home in March 2016, scientists compared his DNA and body makeup to that of his twin and found Scott was 2 inches taller than he'd been and boasted a lower body mass, among other changes (most of which have since reverted). Now, per a study published Monday in the journal Circulation, another big shift announced: The mass of Kelly's heart shrank during his cosmos travels from 6.7 ounces to 4.9 ounces, or about 27%, though the astronaut didn't seem to suffer any major repercussions because of it. "He did remarkably well over one year," study co-author Benjamin D. Levine, an internal medicine professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, tells the New York Times.

story continues below

CNN's explainer: When humans are dealing with Earth's gravity, the heart has to work harder to pump blood. In zero gravity, however, the heart doesn't have to work so hard and thus atrophies. Levine tells the Times that Kelly's heart did so without becoming "dysfunctional." The study also looked at Benoit Lecomte, an endurance swimmer who tried to cross the Pacific in 2018. The water's buoyancy and Lecomte's near-constant horizontal state during his five-month-plus swim produced conditions similar to Kelly's weightlessness, and his heart reduced in size nearly as quickly. Although Kelly ended up fine, he also worked out quite a bit while in space using exercise gearlikely keeping his heart from weakening any further. Scientists' concern is that astronauts on future missions could be prevented from exercising due to injury, illness, or broken equipment and suffer more serious effects. NASA is funding further research on the heart involving astronauts on both long- and short-haul trips. (Read more discoveries stories.)
NEW ALBANY, Miss. (WTVA) - New Albany police are asking the public for help locating a shooting suspect whom they consider to be armed and dangerous.

Police identified the suspect as Charles Brown, 30.

Hes wanted for a shooting that happened Tuesday in Shady Dell Park.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the New Albany Police Department at 662-534-2222 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi at 1-800-773-8477.

Information leading to an arrest may result in a reward.
As part of its mission to rapidly grow its green energy footprint, Bharti Airtel has commissioned a 14 MWp captive solar power plant to meet the energy requirements of its core and edge data centres in Uttar Pradesh. The telecom major said it aims to meet over 50 per cent of its power input through renewable energy sources by FY22, and contribute to Airtel's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

The facility in Tilhar (Shahjahanpur, UP) is the first of the two solar plants being set up by Airtel in partnership with AMP Energy. The second plant at Begampur, is expected to be functional in the next quarter.

"This will provide a major boost to Airtel's initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint," the telecom major said in a press release.

Airtel had acquired 26 per cent equity stake in AMP Solar Evolution as part of its commitment to green energy-based solutions.

The company said that data centres, which play a key role in the digital ecosystem, have large power requirements. 'Nxtra by Airtel' currently operates 10 large and 120 edge data centres across India.

Rajesh Tapadia, CEO - Nxtra Data: "As a responsible corporate, green energy is a top agenda for Airtel. We take pride in being ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing sustainability initiatives. We will continue to accelerate our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint through multiple interventions."

Airtel said the company is aligned to the Paris Climate Accord. It benchmarks against global standards and transparently publishes the progress it makes against the targets it has set itself. The company is proactively implementing clean fuel-based power solutions for its towers, data centres, switching centers and other facilities. In FY20, the company has achieved an average Carbon Emission reduction (CO2 /PB) of around 114 per cent from the base year 2011-12 against Department of Telecom's target of 30 per cent.

By Chitranjan Kumar

Vodafone Idea lost 2.3 mn users, didn't add 1.7 mn, shows revised TRAI data
Australias $15 billion Inland Rail project from Melbourne would be more than $4 billion cheaper if it used Toowoomba as a hub for local freight rather than extending to Brisbane, a study shows.

International freight, however, would be transported by rail from Toowoomba, through the Surat Basin, then exported from Gladstone, not Brisbane, the study released in February by AEC Group consultants shows.

Gladstone is asserting its case to be considered the destination of Australias now $15 billion Inland Rail project. Credit:AFR

There is still no confirmed costed and approved way to get rail freight from the Acacia Ridge freight processing centre  the destination of the existing Inland Rail route  to the Port of Brisbane, except by tripling the number of trucks driving through Salisbury and Acacia Ridge.

Deloitte Access Economics estimated in 2017 it could cost $2.8 billion to build a link from Acacia Ridge to the Port of Brisbane.
The council agreed to write to the Communities Minister to ask when the commitment to a sign language act contained in the New Decade, New Approach deal would be acted upon.

Belfast City Council has given its support for calls to add sign languages to the curriculum.

East Belfast Alliance councillor Ross McMullan, who brought a motion on the issue, said the councils unanimous backing was an "important show of solidarity" with the deaf community.

"An accessible and inclusive Belfast will only be achieved if there is greater learning of sign languages and awareness and celebration of deaf culture," he added.

"This should start as early as possible. Thats why we agreed the learning of sign languages should be added to school curriculum to ensure all children learn from the earliest opportunity."

The council agreed to write to the Communities Minister to ask when the commitment to a sign language act contained in the New Decade, New Approach deal would be acted upon.

It also agreed to write to the Communities and Education Ministers to ensure the legislation includes provisions for sign languages to be added to the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 curriculum, as well as the introduction of sign languages as a GCSE for secondary school pupils.

"Recognition of the deaf community as a cultural and linguistic minority in a long-awaited and much-needed sign language act, and provision of the resources to equip schools to be able to deliver sign language training, is vital," said Mr McMullan.

"It would be the most effective way to ensure as many people as possible can communicate in a sign language."
ROME, APR 2 - Veneto, Marche, and the autonomous province of Trento will turn from a high COVID risk red zones to a moderate to high orange zone on Tuesday, health ministry sources said Friday. Health Minister Roberto Speranza will sign an ordinance lowering the three areas' risk level after all of Italy spends Easter in red, the sources said. (ANSA).
The University of Pittsburgh ordered students to shelter in place after a large outbreak of COVID-19 cases last week. The number of active infections rose to 76 among staff and students, with 72 infections recorded in the last week alone. The total number of infections at the university now stands at over 1,060 for students and 207 for faculty and staff.

In a statement last week by the COVID-19 Medical Response Office (CMRO), the university noted that the rise in cases is likely tied to the rise in the surrounding community. The five-day moving average rose to 8.6 per day last week, mirroring the broader community trends in Allegheny County. Both the county and the university are reporting an average of 30 cases per 100,000 each day, one of the highest rates of infection in Pennsylvania.

William Pitt Union at the University of Pittsburgh. (Photo: pitt.edu)

Concern over the sudden rise in cases was heightened over the detection of the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus, more commonly referred to as the UK variant.

With the U.K. variant, B.1.1.7, present on the Pittsburgh campus, we are highly concerned about increased transmission rates and a surge in cases. Forty-two new students testing positive for COVID-19 in three days is worrisome, said the statement.

The UK variant is up to 50 percent more transmissible and has been linked to higher death rates in the United Kingdom.

In response, the university issued a shelter-in-place order and moved into Elevated Risk Posture, which will enforce additional restrictions on campus activities in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. The shelter in place had originally been planned for April 16 as a precaution ahead of graduation and will remain in effect until further notice. A tweet by the university informed students that they should only go out for classes, work if needed, safe exercise, takeout food and essentials.

In a statement on Wednesday, the CMRO said: This action is being taken to respond to a consistent increase in positive cases among students. With the presence of the U.K. variant, B 1.1.7., on campus and in Allegheny County, the COVID-19 Medical Response Office (CMRO) is concerned that this trend will continue.

Additionally, the statement noted: Of significant concern is that the increase in positive cases since the end of last week is now among our resident hall students.

The spread of COVID-19 through residence halls is particularly disturbing considering the presence of the UK variant on campus. Given the higher transmissibility of this variant, it is possible that large numbers of students have already been infected and may test positive in the coming days.

The universitys reckless insistence on retaining in-person instruction will no doubt continue to exacerbate the problem. With students still moving and gathering around campus under the new guidelines, the virus will still be able to spread between students and staff, and it has the potential to spread to new residence halls.

The experience of nearby Binghamton University offers a sharp warning. After a spike in cases, the university committed to only partial restrictions and insisted on keeping in-person classes in session. The result has been nearly 1,000 cases this semester. Binghamton University has also reported that they ran out of isolation housing for infected students. In the end, students were told to return to their dorm rooms to wait for an isolation room to be prepared, creating conditions for further spread in the dorms.

Another warning of what Pittsburgh may experience in the coming weeks is Pennsylvania State University. Penn State has also detected the UK variant among students and recorded 264 cases last week with a positivity rate of four percent. Cases have been steadily climbing for the past two weeks, and 223 students are currently in quarantine and isolation.

Centre County, Pennsylvania, where Penn State is located, has also seen a considerable rise in case numbers. The daily infections per 100,000 people more than doubled from 18 in the second week of March to over 44 today. Hospitalizations have also doubled from 11 on March 10 to 22 on March 26, highlighting that the rise in cases is not just affecting students.

The variant was detected through testing of wastewater samples, a common practice at universities used to test large groups of students using fewer resources. The sample in which the variant was detected was collected on March 7, a week before student cases doubled. Under these conditions it is likely that the virus may spread to a significant portion of the campus population if left unchecked.

Remarkably, unlike the University of Pittsbugh, Penn State has not responded with any additional restrictions. Instead, university administrators and health officials called on students to continue to social distance and wear masks. Despite issuing 381 sanctions on students for not wearing masks in public or violating restrictions on gatherings, there are no reported enforcement mechanisms for students to get tested.

Penn States surveillance testing systems is also notably weak. Only one to two percent of the campus population is selected for surveillance testing each day, in contrast to other schools of similar size and stature, like the University of Illinois or Syracuse University, which have weekly testing regimes for each student.

Matt DiSanto, editor of Onward State, an unofficial student newspaper and blog, wrote: As Penn State introduces more and more in-person events and experiences, the harder itll get to use an off-ramp to deescalate student life.  Weve survived nearly eight months without the college experience of years past already, and Id happily continue if it meant fewer students unnecessarily contract COVID-19.

He continued: If Penn State cant handle its COVID-19 outbreak, surrounding communities will hurt, too.

These outbreaks at two of Pennsylvanias largest universities with the presence of a more contagious variant is an alarming development in the fight against the pandemic. Even with the rate of vaccinations rising each day, it is quite possible that the new variants will cause a fourth spike in cases and deaths before the population can be fully vaccinated. If nothing is done to stop the spread of the virus, universities will once again act as vectors for their transmission to the wider community and accelerate the spread of the variant.
A small community in rural Georgia is mourning the death of a high school senior after she was killed in an apparently accidental shooting on Tuesday.

Candace Chrzan, 17, was shot and killed Tuesday at about 8 p.m. while hanging out with friends in the backyard of one of their homes, according to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office.

MORE: Part of 1-year-old's skull removed after Texas police officer accidentally shot child

Chrzan was a senior at Mount Zion High School in Jonesboro, Georgia.

"It was just a couple of friends out in the backyard, from what we were told, possibly doing target practice with a pistol," Ashley Husley, a spokesperson for the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB. "The kids obviously haven't been taught maybe the gun safety that they should have been. And ultimately it resulted in Candace's death."

PHOTO: Candace Chrzan, 17, was shot and killed Tuesday at about 8 p.m. while hanging out with friends in the backyard of one of their homes, according to the Carroll County, Ga., Sheriff's Office. (Carroll County, Ga., Sheriff's Office)

Officials said they are still investigating the death and have not determined whether any charges will be filed. Law enforcement officials have not announced who owned the gun.

"This remains an open and active investigation and all parties involved in this horrific tragedy are cooperating at this time," the Carroll County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

MORE: Boy, 3, dies at his birthday celebration after accidentally shooting himself with family member's gun

Grief counselors were made available to students at Mount Zion High School on Thursday.

"We ask that you keep the family of Chrzan in your thoughts and prayers as they are trying to process the loss of a bright young soul and please respect their privacy at this time," the Carroll County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "We also ask that you remember her classmates at Mount Zion High School as they return to class without her."

Georgia high school senior fatally shot by friend during target practice originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran will meet virtually on Friday to discuss the possible return of the United States to the Iran nuclear deal, the European Union (EU) announced on Thursday.

In a short statement, it announced a meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), called the Iran nuclear deal, reported Aljazeera.

"Participants will discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA, and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides," the official statement said.

The online meeting will be chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General and Political Director of the European External Action Service Enrique Mora on behalf of EU High Representative Josep Borrell.

The JCPOA was reached in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, Britain, Russia, France, China, plus Germany) and the EU. Tehran agreed to roll back parts of its nuclear weapons program in exchange for decreased economic sanctions.

According to Aljazeera news, Washington under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and tightened sanctions on Iran.The United States and Iran are in a standoff over reviving the nuclear deal. The Joe Biden administration said that if Iran returns to full compliance with the JCPOA, the United States would do the same. But Iran insisted its compliance would only take place once U.S. sanctions were removed.

Biden has been seeking to engage Iran in talks about both sides resuming compliance with the deal, under which the and other economic sanctions on Tehran were removed in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme.

(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 Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine proposes to initiate the development of a comprehensive target program to ensure stable Ukrainian broadcasting in vulnerable territories, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov said.

"We really ask the parliament to support us at the time when the state budget for 2021 will be adjusted, and to increase funding for broadcasters to UAH 100 million, in particular, to give us the opportunity to finance another UAH 50 million, so that we ensure effective broadcasting both to the occupied part of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the occupied Crimea and Sevastopol," Reznikov said during the hearings of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy on the topic On ensuring stable Ukrainian broadcasting in the temporarily occupied and border territories of Ukraine on Friday.

As for mid-term decisions, the Ministry of Reintegration proposes to initiate the development of a comprehensive target program to ensure stable Ukrainian broadcasting in vulnerable areas.

The ministry also proposes to develop broadcast passports in context of individual communities.

In addition, according to Reznikov, it is necessary to consider the issue of the development of the state concern of radio broadcasting and television, in particular, so that there is no monopoly of one company in the country, on which the entire information space of the state depends.

The Deputy Prime Minister also said that the time has come to expand the "battlefield" in the legal aspect in the context of the information space.
(TNS)  The secluded beachside community of Boca Chica Village was once a haven for retirees, snowbirds and outdoorsy people who enjoyed dirt biking, fishing or lounging near the water.Today, traffic backs up the lone highway out of the unincorporated area that's now home to only about half a dozen residents  and SpaceX's Starship facility. During the day, selfie-seeking tourists line the road for photos with the stainless steel spaceship under development. At night, excavators plow the earth at the busy construction site. Before test launches, residents receive a notice suggesting they temporarily evacuate for safety.Even more change could be in the Texas neighborhood's future. In March, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted that he wanted to create a city encompassing Boca Chica Village and the surrounding area.Its name? Starbase. "Please consider moving to Starbase or greater Brownsville/South Padre area in Texas & encourage friends to do so!" Musk tweeted this week. " SpaceX's hiring needs for engineers, technicians, builders & essential support personnel of all kinds are growing rapidly."Creating a city could have several benefits for SpaceX. In theory, it might help the private spaceflight company attract future employees, foster a political climate friendly to a business that's bound to be a noisy neighbor and even pave the way for the development of the kinds of amenities that might crop up near a would-be transportation hub.Musk is hardly the first entrepreneur to think about forming a city.The late 19th and early 20th centuries are rife with examples of company towns, chocolate-centric Hershey, Pa., among them. The idea is now gaining new life as tech entrepreneurs voice dissatisfaction with government restrictions and limitations. In Nevada, the governor wants to allow tech companies to essentially create their own local governments."This initiative in Nevada to me reads as a new way of doing business, a new way of trying to avoid some of the common challenges that some of these companies have been running into the last couple of years," said Jared Mondschein, associate physical scientist at Rand Corp. who has studied the digital transformation of cities. "The wild card in all these conversations is always: How will people who live there react?"The company town of old was typically formed to attract workers to new job sites. Industries such as mining and smelting often set up sites far away from population centers  inconveniently far for daily commutes. A company town was almost a necessary overhead expense, said Tracy Hadden Loh, a fellow at Brookings, a D.C.-based think tank.That was the case with Smeltertown, a company town established in Texas in the late 1800s by American Smelting and Refining Co. to focus on copper and lead extraction. Located outside El Paso, the town was segregated: White engineers and plant managers lived in wood-frame homes with indoor plumbing, while workers of Mexican descent resided in smaller, cinderblock homes.El Paso County governed Smeltertown, but American Smelting and Refining operated a company store that was deeply intertwined with workers' finances, offering credit and deducting the costs of purchases from employee paychecks. The company also provided Smeltertown residents with some resources. It had a hand in distributing water, subsidized vocational training and paid for the construction of a road to the town's Catholic church."Often these amenities and relationships that were cultivated between the company and the community could work to everybody's advantage, but in some ways [they were] a form of control," said Monica Perales, associate professor of history at the University of Houston and author of the book "Smeltertown: Making and Remembering a Southwest Border Community." "I've heard it referred to as the iron fist in the velvet glove."Such arrangements have given company towns a reputation for exploiting workers. Many employers paid not in cash but rather in scrip that could be redeemed for goods at the company store. In some cases, the employer owned the workers' homes as well and deducted rent from their pay. With the company holding the power to set prices and extend credit, workers could find themselves mired in debt.Smeltertown is no more. Nearly a century after it sprang up, it was demolished in 1973 amid an air pollution lawsuit against the company and concerns about lead contamination and poisoning in the town's children.A modern iteration of the company-town idea can be found in Silicon Valley. There are tech-firm campuses with laundry amenities, free food and Wi-Fi-enabled buses. Providing such services can erode the boundary between employees' work time and personal time and removes reasons to leave the campus bubble, which can lead employees to stay at work and labor longer.Another iteration: start-up societies, which are small locales that try new policies and forms of governance. They have the potential to make regulatory changes that can accelerate technological progress, but none have moved beyond the planning phase in the U.S.There are questions about whom these start-up societies will help, said Isabelle Simpson, a doctoral candidate in geography at McGill University. The societies are billed as communities of like-minded people. While they're typically presented as a way to help the poor by creating jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities, it's too early to tell whether that will happen.And then there's the concept of innovation zones. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak's proposed plan would allow a company owning at least 50,000 acres of undeveloped and uninhabited land to create its own government with the same kind of authority as a county government. That means the company-created zone could impose and collect taxes, create a school district and court system and provide services, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.The state already has one interested party: Blockchains LLC, which owns 67,000 acres in Storey County near Reno and has said it would be interested in setting up a community that would rely heavily on blockchain technology. The so-called smart city would have a research and development center focused on housing, transportation and energy technologies that could help residents and others, Blockchains Chief Executive Jeffrey Berns wrote in an op-ed in the Reno Gazette-Journal."For too long our state has watched as many of our neighbors reap the benefits advanced technology industries bring," he wrote. "Now is Nevada's time to take a leading role in developing the technology solutions the entire world will use."Berns and Sisolak have insisted the project would not be a company town. In his op-ed, Berns noted that the innovation zone would be run by an elected board of citizens who would answer to the state just as Nevada cities and counties already do. But a draft of the proposal obtained by the Review-Journal states that at least initially, the company interested in creating the innovation zone would get to select the candidates for at least two of the initial three members of the zone's board.Regardless of government structure, in areas where there is a single major employer, that company holds power over elected officials  and by extension, over its employees, said Zoe Willingham, research associate for the economic policy team at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.In such situations, the big employers also can "suppress wages and working conditions without workers quitting because of the lack of other employment options," Willingham said.Sisolak told the Review-Journal that the goal of the innovation zones was "a massive economic development investment in Nevada, and a chance to set down a marker that Nevada is the blockchain technology center of the world." Blockchains LLC, Sisolak and Berns did not respond to questions fromMusk's plans for the city of Starbase are unclear. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment, and Musk himself has given just a few clues on Twitter. This week, he said that he expects Starbase to grow by "several thousand people" in the next year or two, and that he plans to donate $20 million to Cameron County schools and $10 million to the nearby city of Brownsville for "downtown revitalization."At best, planning appears to be in the early stages. SpaceX officials mentioned an interest in incorporation during a conversation with the legal department of Cameron County  of which Boca Chica Village is a part  but neither Musk nor the company has turned in the necessary paperwork to start the process, Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. said last month."There's a lot associated with incorporating, other than just wanting to," he said.For starters, Texas state law requires a potential municipality to have at least 201 inhabitants to incorporate. A Texas Supreme Court ruling also states that there must be a nucleus around which a town can develop, and that the area must be capable of receiving municipal services on a regular basis, said Alan Bojorquez, a municipal lawyer who serves as city attorney for several Texas cities.Inhabitants would then have to vote on whether they want to incorporate the city."The law is very straightforward," said Bojorquez, who is not affiliated with Boca Chica Village or SpaceX's plans. "The difficult part of the incorporation process is truly the public relations and the politics of convincing people who live out in the country to become a city."Successful incorporations happen usually because of "strong support among neighbors to either oppose something or achieve something they can't do on their own," he said.As SpaceX's ambitions grew in Boca Chica Village, the company began offering buyouts to residents. As of March, SpaceX  through an affiliated LLC  owns 110 parcels in Cameron County.The company envisions the site as a future spaceport to the stars, where Starship spacecraft would take off on regular flights. As part of that plan, SpaceX is trying to drill for natural gas  the rocket's fuel  on nearby land and is feuding with an oil company over the issue.Incorporating Starbase could give SpaceX more control over local ordinances, such as zoning, which could enable the company to conduct more test flights and launches without having to evacuate the nearby area for safety. It could also set up the area to be more attractive for potential workers to relocate.Workers could get in on the ground floor of a thriving city  but they also could be vulnerable."The place's own viability is tied to the survival of the company," said Loh of Brookings. "That's not necessarily ideal, and it produces really tough outcomes if the place doesn't make it."South Padre Island resident Louis Balderas has filmed SpaceX's progress at Boca Chica Village for two years for his widely watched YouTube channel, LabPadre. He lives about 45 minutes away and said he would be interested in moving to the city of Starbase, if it were to be incorporated.The city would need more public utilities  the cell reception out there is horrible, he says, and water has to be trucked in each month  but he relishes the idea of having a front-row seat to the action."I would hope that it would be more than just SpaceX employees," he said. "It would be cool to live in Starbase, Texas."
(TNS)  Computer hackers attacked the Broward County school district last month, demanding as much as $40 million in ransom to prevent personal information about students and teachers from being published, according to a transcript the hackers released online.Hackers with the international malware group Conti posted a transcript March 26 of what they say is a two-week negotiation with a representative from Broward County Public Schools. The hackers started with an offer of $40 million and later reduced the demand to $15 million and then $10 million.The unidentified district representative countered with $500,000, which appeared to end negotiations, the transcript shows.We have no intention of paying a ransom, the school district said Wednesday in a statement from the office of Chief Communications Officer Kathy Koch. The district did not confirm or deny the authenticity of the transcript.The statement said the district is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate what happened and restore systems, and that effort is going well.At this point in the investigation, we are not aware of any student or employee personal data that has been compromised as a result of this incident, the statement from Kochs office said. If the investigation uncovers any compromised personal data, the district will provide appropriate notification to those affected.Although any postings from criminals should be viewed with skepticism, school cybersecurity expert Doug Levin and others say theres a good chance the chat is authentic.It doesnt paint the Conti group in a great light, demanding money from a school district, Levin said. Theres certainly no honor among thieves targeting a school district.Levin said that when a breach like this happens, people should assume that personal data is at risk.If I were a parent, student or employee in the district and Id been assured theres nothing for me to worry about, theres evidence to suggest the contrary, said Levin, national director of K12 Security Information Exchange, a nonprofit group based in Virginia that assists school districts facing cybersecurity threats.He said childrens data is often valuable to thieves because they can establish credit using their names without anyone noticing.The hackers told the district they do have personal data, according to a transcript that began March 12, five days after hackers attacked the districts computers and caused a temporary shutdown of most systems. The hacker responded after a representative from the district asked how to retrieve the data.The bad news is that we hacked your network and encrypted your servers, as well as downloaded more than 1 terabyte of your personal data, including financial, contracts, databases and other documents containing (Social Security numbers), addresses, (date of birth) and other information about students and teachers, the hacker wrote.The hacker then said the information could be retrieved for $40 million, a price that flabbergasted the district representative.I am ... speechless. Surely this is a mistake? Are there extra zeros in that number by mistake? the person askedThe hacker responded that a review of school records showed revenues of more than $4 billion so it is a possible amount for you.I am so confused. This is a PUBLIC school district. public, meaning it is free for students to attend, the district representative wrote. You cannot possibly think we have anything close to this!What is your position? the hacker asked.My position is shock and horror that anyone thinks a taxpayer-funded school district could afford this kind of money!The price would be dropped to $15 million if the district agreed to pay within 24 hours in bitcoin, the hacker said. The district representative argued that it was the weekend and banks were closed.We dont have bitcoins! This is a school district. No one here uses a cryptocurrency, the representative said. This is a weekend and we could not even pay you $10 today let alone millions when our bank is closed.The conversation continued for two weeks, with the district representative pleading to lower the price. On March 26, the hackers lowered their price to $10 million, which the district official said was still unreasonable.You attacked a school district that only has money sent to us by the government. We make no profits or anything like that. We have approval to offer $500,000, but the price ranges you started with are too far off for a taxpayer funded school, the representative said.The conversation ended at that point.Kochs office did not respond to questions about why the $500,000 figure was chosen. Under district policy, $500,000 is the maximum the district can pay without School Board approval in a public meeting.Im sure that figure was chosen intentionally, said Levin, the security consultant. If the chat log is accurate, they made the calculation they were willing to pay that money to have it go away.The district made no public comments about the ransomware incident until Wednesday, after the South Florida Sun Sentinel asked questions about the transcript.Aston Henry, director of risk management, sent a note to employees Wednesday afternoon saying a March 7 disruption was caused by unauthorized activity on our computer network. Our security team enacted our incident response plan and promptly took steps to contain this incident and secure the network. We contacted law enforcement and immediately began an investigation.Your confidence and trust are important to us and we regret any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause, Henry wrote. We have already implemented additional security measures to enhance the security of our network, including deploying endpoint threat detection and response tools.As of Wednesday evening, no notice had gone out to parents about the threat.
The Victorian government has been forced to revise a planned increase in repatriations after federal authorities rejected their bid to provide 120 additional places to people trying to return to the state.

The government had intended to increase the number of arrivals from 800 per week, to commence on April 8, to 1120 per week on April 15. Instead, 1000 arrivals will be allowed in Victoria per week.

Acting Premier James Merlino. Credit:Simon Schluter

The government insists the setback will not affect the number of seasonal workers that will come to Victoria under its quarantine arrangement with the Tasmanian government. Under the deal struck between the states in January, Tasmania agreed to oversee quarantine for 1500 Pacific Islanders while Victoria committed to providing quarantine for an extra 330 Australians abroad seeking to come home.

The government said they still expect all 332 Tasmanian residents to arrive by Thursday 13 May  at which time the cap can increase to 1,000 international travellers on commercial flights per week.
U.S. and Iranian diplomats will take part next week in talks in Vienna about bringing Tehran into compliance with the controversial 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under President Barack Obama that Donald Trump rejected  and the U.S. is 'open' to direct engagement.

Officials from Tehran and Washington will travel to Austria next week to try and revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and global powers that was signed under Obama, although they will not hold direct talks, diplomats said on Friday.

In a sign of the tightrope diplomats are walking, Iran Friday rejected any direct meeting with the U.S. in response to news of the in-person talks.

'The United States will not attend any meeting in which Iran is present, including the meeting of the joint commission ... and that is certain,' said Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, according to the ministry's web site.

Although Tehran has ruled out direct discussions for now, it has agreed to a meeting that could be the first step to bring all side back into compliance.

Diplomats from the US, Iran, France, Germany, the U.K., Russia, China and the European Union will all be in attendance.

Donald Trump campaigned against the deal in 2016 and pulled out of it in 2018, calling it the 'the worst deal ever negotiated.'

Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran as part of his new 'maximum pressure' campaign in a hope to drive Tehran back to the negotiating table.

Officials from Tehran and Washington will travel to Vienna next week as part of efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and global powers, although they will not hold direct talks, diplomats said on Friday. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani is pictured left

The purpose of the indirect talks is to 'identify the issues involved in a mutual return to compliance,' a State Department spokesperson told Fox News.

'These talks will be structured around working groups that the EU is going to form with the remaining participants in the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], including Iran," said a State Department spokesperson. 'We do not anticipate presently that there will be direct talks between the United States and Iran through this process, though the United States remains open to them.'

Why Donald Trump pulled out of the 'horrible' Iran nuclear deal negotiated by Barack Obama Former President Donald Trump attacked the Iran nuclear deal throughout his 2016 presidential campaign. He called it the worst deal ever negotiated' and repeatedly went after the Obama for authorizing the repayment of about $1.7 million in money plus interest that had been frozen after the Iranian revolution. He echoed complaints by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the deal didnt have sufficient verification of enrichment activities that it allowed, although with limits. The 2015 deal peeled back some sanctions on Iran that been imposed over a period of years amid Irans nuclear activities and missile launches. Iran maintained its nuclear program was peaceful, but the U.S. and Israel have long considered a nuclear Iran a grave threat to its neighbors. After he took offices, some of his advisors urged him to try to keep the deal intact. This was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made, Trump said in 2018 when he announced the U.S. was pulling out of it. He called the agreement, negotiated by a team headed by former Secretary of State John Kerry, and worked out with European allies as well as UN Security Council members including China and Russia, a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made. Instead, Trump relied on a new maximum pressure campaign, meant to bring Iran back to the table to negotiate a stronger agreement by reimposing sanctions. Iran announced plans to resume enrichment, setting in motion a series of moves and U.S. efforts to try to punish Iran for its moves. Relations hit another low in 2020 when Trump ordered an airstrike that took out Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Trump said he was plotting imminent and sinister attacks and that the leader of the Quds force had been involved in attacks on U.S. forces in the region. Advertisement

Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif tweeted about the in-person talks. 'Aim: Rapidly finalize sanction-lifting & nuclear measures for choreographed removal of all sanctions, followed by Iran ceasing remedial measures. No Iran-US meeting. Unnecessary.'

In response, Tehran violated some of the pact's nuclear restrictions and boosted its enrichment activities.

The announcement of talks comes after Biden launched an airstrike on Tehran-backed militia in Syria at the end of February. He said at the time that it was a warning to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to 'be careful'.

Biden campaigned on reentering the deal but after Iran returned to complying with its limitations. His security team has said it wants to negotiate longer-lasting provisions and seek to limit Iran's ballistic missile program.

Iran holds its presidential elections in June, providing a goal on the calendar to try to force progress.

Biden has said he wants to bring back the accord, but Washington and Tehran have been at odds over who should take the first step. The U.S. has resisted Tehran's demands that sanctions first be lifted to commence talks.

'Iran and the U.S. will be in the same town, but not the same room,' a European diplomatic source said. A Western diplomat said a shuttle diplomacy approach would be adopted.

Western officials have said one move toward a breakthrough came when European powers in contact with Washington pitched an arrangement that would hand Tehran $1 billion in oil revenues frozen by South Korea. They would be able to use it to buy humanitarian items, according to the report.

Biden issued a warning to Iran last month after he authorized U.S. airstrikes in Syria, cautioning the rival not to back proxies or militia groups that threaten U.S. interests.

'You can't act with impunity. Be careful,' Biden said when asked what message the strikes were sending.

The talks will seek to create negotiating lists of sanctions that the United States could lift and nuclear obligations Iran should meet, the EU official said  setting in place a step-by-step framework that could result in the resumed talks.

Those lists 'should marry at some point. In the end, we are approaching this in a parallel way. I do think we can do it in less than two months,' the official said.

He was speaking after Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain - all parties to the 2015 deal - held virtual talks on Friday to see how to progress.

'Aim: Rapidly finalize sanction-lifting & nuclear measures for choreographed removal of all sanctions, followed by Iran ceasing remedial measures,' Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter. 'No Iran-US meeting. Unnecessary,' he added.

This handout satellite image shows the Bushehr Reactor, Iran collected by Space Imaging's IKONOS satellite 0n 01 March, 2001

Iran stepped up some of its enrichment activities after the Trump Administration pulled out of the deal and reimposed sanctions. A uranium plant is pictured in 2007

President Biden authorized a military strike in Syria last month and issued a warning to Iran

An Iranian official said U.S. Iran envoy Rob Malley and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would be in Vienna, but insisted there would be no direct or indirect meetings between Iranian and American officials. U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment.

'If we dont get there in two months we will see what happens, but it will be definitely bad news,' the EU official said.

Under the accord, U.S. and other economic sanctions on Tehran were removed in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme to make it harder to develop a nuclear weapon - an ambition Tehran denies.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said it was good that talks were resuming, but time was of the essence.

'An agreement that is once again fully respected would be a plus for security for the entire region and the best basis for talks on other important issues of regional stability,' he said in a statement.
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Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday hell sign up for COVID-19 vaccine on April 19  the day Pennsylvania plans to make it available to everyone over 16.

He also said hell get his dose in a public setting, adding to the long list of elected officials and celebrities who have been publicly vaccinated to help assure the public of the safety of the vaccine.

Wolf, at 72, has Phase 1A eligibility and could have been vaccinated long ago. However, he has said he would hold off rather than be seen as butting in line for vaccine, which was in short supply for months.

Now, the vaccine supply has grown substantially and the vast majority of people in Phase 1A who want vaccine have been able to get it, state officials said this week.

Those circumstances prompted the state this week to announce a rapid expansion of eligibility, with new groups of people added this week and on April 5 and April 12, with everyone over 16 becoming eligible as of April 19.

Wolf tested positive for COVID-19 in December but said he felt no major symptoms. Scientists are unsure how much immunity people get from having COVID-19, and its recommended that people who have had COVID-19 still get vaccinated.

RELATED: Whats the new COVID-19 vaccine timetable in Pa.? What can you do if youre not eligible yet?
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Rep. Matt Gaetz allegedly showed other lawmakers naked photos and videos of women he said he had slept with and boasted about his sexual conquests to his colleagues, according to a new report.

Multiple sources, including two people who said they had been shown the compromising photos first hand, told CNN, the 38-year-old congressman displayed the images of the women on his phone including while he was on the House floor at the US Capitol.

While there is no known link between these alleged images and the sex trafficking probe into Gaetz, prominent Republicans have largely remained silent on the issue with sources saying the congressman is not well liked because of his avid self-promotion on right-wing news outlets.

The claims come as former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe said there must be a 'significant degree of information' for federal officials to have launched a sex trafficking probe into a sitting member of Congress.

McCabe described the allegations as 'very serious' after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that Gaetz is under investigation by the Department of Justice over claims he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him across state lines.

'It's substantial and very serious. You know [after] 21 years of opening and overseeing, conducting investigations, I can tell you that nobody opens a sex trafficking investigation in which the subject is a sitting member of Congress without having a significant degree of information,' McCabe, who was fired by Trump in 2018, told CNN Wednesday.

'In any case, I can assure you the FBI doesn't open these cases lightly, and don't get briefed to the attorney general without some significant momentum behind them.'

Rep. Matt Gaetz allegedly showed other lawmakers naked photos and videos of women he said he had slept with and boasted about his sexual conquests to his colleagues, according to a new report

Gaetz with his fiancee food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, who he met in early 2020 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club

The complex saga began earlier this week when The New York Times published a report citing three anonymous sources saying that Gaetz was under investigation for his relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

Gaetz has denied having sex with anyone underage or trafficking a girl across state lines.

Instead, he claims he is the victim of an extortion plot involving former Justice Department official David McGee.

He claims McGee was trying to extort him and his family for $25 million using the sex trafficking probe as leverage.

Gaetz said he and his father - former Florida State Senator Don Gaetz - contacted authorities and were working with the FBI on a simultaneous investigation, with Don backing up his son's claims Wednesday that he wore a wire to try to expose McGee's apparent plot.

McGee denied he was extorting Gaetz and said he had no involvement in the DOJ sex trafficking probe into Gaetz other than being one of 'a thousand people who have heard the rumors' about the congressman's alleged actions with underage girls.

On Wednesday, yet another twist emerged in the complex saga as Gaetz released bombshell text message screenshots, an email and a printout purporting to show the alleged extortion plot.

The documents, which were shared with the Washington Examiner, claim to show the congressman was being extorted by McGee and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent in a ploy to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran.

According to the documents, Gaetz had been seen in compromising photos having sex with underage prostitutes, a grand jury had heard testimony from at least one underage girl who says she was paid to have sex with him and Gaetz was about to be indicted on charges.

The alleged extorters claimed they could stop the probe if the Gaetz family put up $25million which would help secure Levinson's release.

Multiple sources, including two people who said they had been shown the compromising photos first hand, told CNN the 38-year-old congressman displayed the images of the women on his phone including while he was on the House floor (above)

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe (above) said there must be a 'significant degree of information' for federal officials to have launched a sex trafficking probe into a sitting member of Congress

Levinson worked for the FBI for 22 years then vanished in 2007 while in Iran.

Nothing was known as to whether he was alive or dead until 2011 when Levinson's family shared images and a video of him being held captive and pleading for help.

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators'

Levinson's family said in March 2020 that they had been informed by US officials that he had died in Iranian custody, while being held in Iran as the longest-held hostage in American history.

But Kent claimed he was very much alive and that if Gaetz provided the money to release him, he would be given public credit for the operation and the 'team' would tell President Biden to give him a pardon in the sex trafficking case.

McGee used to work for the Department of Justice but now works in private practice and is the Levinson family's lawyer. Kent has claimed in the past that he has worked on plans to secure Levinson's release.

Long before this week's saga unfolded, Gaetz had gained a reputation on Capitol Hill for bragging about his sexual exploits to other lawmakers and staff and parading photos of nude women he said he had sex with, sources told CNN Thursday.

One source described one video showing a naked woman with a hula hoop, as another said 'it was a point of pride' for Gaetz to show the images off.

There is no evidence that the nude photos are in any way connected to the DOJ's probe into allegations of sex trafficking.

It is also unclear when these alleged encounters took place.

Gaetz is engaged to food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, who he met in early 2020.

But this isn't the first time Gaetz has been accused of acting inappropriately in Congress.

Last year, Florida State Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of designing a 'game' where he and other Florida House members scored points for 'sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators.'

Latvala leveled the accusations against Gaetz amid a Twitter spat in January 2020.

Gaetz's main support since news of the DOJ probe broke has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene

'And you created a game where members of the FL House got 'points' for sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators. Hope DC is treating you well, Congressman,' he wrote.

Gaetz denied the allegations.

Rumors of a game with a point system involving 'young male FL Reps' first surfaced in a Politico report in 2013 but did not name the alleged culprits.

Florida congressman Gaetz served in the House from 2010 to 2016.

While these alleged instances have no known connection to the DOJ sex-trafficking probe, Gaetz has received little in the way of support from members of his own party since the bombshell claims surfaced.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the allegations 'serious' and vowed to 'find out' the truth over the allegations.

'If a member at my conference gets indicted, they will get removed from a committee,' McCarthy told NBC News.

'He says this is not true. And we have a newspaper report that says something else. We'll find out.'

Meanwhile other top Republicans have stayed silent and Trump has also remained uncharacteristically quiet.

This is perhaps surprising given the two men's closeness. Gaetz backed the former president during both impeachment trials and is a regular fixture at his Mar-a-Lago estate - even proposing to his fiancee there in December.

Bombshell texts, an email and a printout with the heading 'Project Homecoming' detail the alleged scheme involving former DOJ official David McGee (left) and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent to free US hostage Robert Levinson (right)

Several sources told NBC Gaetz is not well-liked on Capitol Hill because of his criticism of fellow Republicans.

Gaetz railed against GOP Rep. Liz Cheney at the Wyoming capitol back in January after she voted to impeach Trump.

This is the text Matt Gaetz's father Don says he received from Bob Kent, an Air Force intelligence officer, on March 16, detailing an extortion plot that would involve the Gaetz family giving up $25million

Meanwhile, his constant self-promotion and near-daily appearances on right-wing news outlets, especially Fox, are also another source of contention among other Republicans, sources said.

His main support has so far come from Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon-supporting freshman Georgia lawmaker who was stripped of her committee assignments in February as it emerged she had pushed unfounded conspiracy theories and showed support for executing top Democrats before being elected to Congress.

'Remember all the conspiracy theories and lies like Trump/Russia collusion and propaganda that the media has spread around. Take it from me rumors and headlines dont equal truth. I stand with @mattgaetz,' she tweeted.

In another tweet she called for the release of FBI tapes Gaetz has claimed prove the extortion plot.

'The DOJ needs to release the tapes instead of allowing another witch hunt to take place,' she wrote.

Gaetz regularly appears on Fox, reportedly racking up on average 90 minutes of screen time a month in the last year.

Hours before the allegations of both sex trafficking and extortion surfaced Tuesday, a report from Axios had revealed Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and taking a media job at Newsmax.

Gaetz then claimed Wednesday he's had 'many conversations' with right-wing TV networks about a career after Congress including Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business and Real America's Voice.

But Fox News instantly denied the claims saying it had 'no interest in hiring him' and denying the congressman had spoken with anyone with authority on the matter.

The network sought to distance itself from Gaetz after he appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night in a bizarre interview where he appeared to try to rope Carlson into the saga.

Carlson later said the segment was 'one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.'

This document was given to Gaetz's father Don on March 17, allegedly by Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent. The plan involved the Gaetz family putting up $25million to secure Levinson's release but it doesn't say how the money would secure that

Another document that Gaetz has produced is an email from the Assistant US Attorney for the Northern District of Florida which confirms that the family was working with the FBI

TIMELINE OF THE GAETZ SAGA MARCH 30: The New York Times reports that Gaetz is under investigation for a sexual relationship with an underage girl. Details are sparse but the relationship is said to have happened two years ago. Gaetz went on Tucker Carlson's FOX News show that night to deny the allegations and claim he was the victim of an extortion plot. He names David McGee as a DoJ official who is extorting him. McGee denies it. MARCH 31: Gaetz's father Don tells Politico that the extortion plot is real and that he was working with his son and the FBI to expose it APRIL 1: Texts emerge to support Gaetz's claim that he was being extorted and they introduce a new element to the saga - that the extortion plot was part of a ruse to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran. WHO'S WHO Rep Matt Gaetz Gaetz, 38, is the representative for Florida's 1st congressional district. He is a Trump ally who has ties to Roger Stone and he's been known to fan the flames of controversy in the past. He has DUI convictions, has been accused of inciting violence on Twitter and claimed that facial recognition technology proved some of the January 6 Capitol rioters were not Trump fans, but 'antifa' masquerading as them. Don Gaetz Gaetz's father who was a well-liked Senator. He sold his company with his partners for $406million in 2004. They had founded VITAS Healthcare in the 1980s. He was a senator for ten years from 2006 until 2016. David McGee McGee was a prosecutor with the Department of Justice but he is now a private practice attorney. According to his bio on his law firm's website, he spent six years as the First Assistant at the United States Attorney's Office and for seven years as the Lead Attorney for a United States Department of Justice Organized Crime Task Force. Bob Kent Kent is an Air Force intelligence officer whose involvement in the alleged plot was only revealed on Wednesday night through the texts. Robert Levinson Levinson spent 22 years working for the FBI before he vanished in Iran in 2007. The government claimed they knew nothing about it but later admitted he had been working there for the CIA. The last time he was seen alive was in 2011, when he appeared in proof of life photos. His family say that this month, they were given reason to believe he was dead. Advertisement

The complex saga took another unexpected turn Wednesday as new texts and documents released by Gaetz Wednesday appeared to support his claim that he was being extorted and suggested that the 'plot' was part of a ploy to rescue American hostage Robert Levinson.

The texts are purportedly from Kent to Gaetz's father, former Senator Don Gaetz. They were sent on March 16 and 17.

'Mr Gaetz, I would like to talk with you immediately about the current federal investigation and the indictment that is about to be filed against your son. I have a plan that can make his future legal and political problems go away,' the first text, sent on March 16 purportedly from Kent, says.

Kent goes on: 'Last summer, we located Robert Levinson in Iran and took two proof of life videos but the US government foiled our rescue attempt. We have one more opportunity to rescue Levinson. If you and Matt are willing to help us privately and clandestinely obtain the release of Robert Levinson, I will ensure...'

There is no screenshot of the next part of the text.

On March 17, the day after the text was sent purportedly by Kent to Gaetz's father, Don claims he met with Kent and Stephen M. Alford, a real estate developer convicted of fraud who McGee has represented in the past, and was given the three-page 'Project Homecoming' document.

It detailed plans for the Gaetz family to give them $25million. They said they would use the money to free Levinson and that in exchange, 'the team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.

The document begins with details of the alleged probe into Rep. Gaetz over 'various public corruption and public integrity issues.'

It outlines some of the most damning allegations to surface against Gaetz to date, claiming the FBI has 'compromising pictures' depicting Gaetz and an unidentified election official in a 'sexual orgy with underage prostitutes' in Maitland, Florida.

The photos came to light during an unrelated probe into political corruption and public integrity in another criminal case, it reads.

Sources previously told the New York Times the probe was part of a wider investigation into Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, who was charged with sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17 last year.

The document says the discovery of the photos and 'subsequent information' has led to Gaetz being the 'target' of a 'widening investigation into serious underage sex trafficking, political corruption, public integrity, and other criminal allegations.'

On Tuesday, Gaetz insisted he had been told he was the 'subject' and not the 'target' of a probe.

The document claims that a Grand Jury has been impaneled to determine if charges should be brought against Gaetz and others.

It says that a number of people have testified to the Grand Jury about Gaetz including one underage girl who claims she was paid by Gaetz for sex and 'other individuals, whom are facing serious criminal allegations themselves'.

'At least one underage female has testified to the Grand Jury that Congressman Gaetz has paid her to engage in sexual activities,' it reads.

The probe is being handled by the Public Integrity Division of the DOJ and is being managed out of the DC field office, with the US Attorney from the Middle District of Florida overseeing the case.

The document goes on to describe a 'strategy' to 'mitigate Gaetz's 'legal and political troubles' by arranging for $25 million in funds needed to apparently release Levinson from Iranian captivity.

The money would be deposited into the trust account of Beggs & Land law firm, where McGee works, no later than March 19, the Examiner reported.

It describes a setup wherein Gaetz could take the credit for Levinson's release and present the captive's return to the US, and would be put forward for a presidential pardon and for all investigations to be dropped.

'In exchange for funds being arranged, and upon the release of Robert Levinson, Congressman Gaetz shall be given credit for facilitating the release of Mr. Levinson. Congressman Gaetz shall also be on the plane that returns Mr. Levinson to freedom, and shall be the person to 'reunited' Mr. Levinson with his family and bring Mr. Levinson back to the United States,' the document reads.

Gaetz and his father Don Gaetz. Don served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016

'The team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President of The United States shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz.'

The three-page document also suggested at least some White House knowledge of the plan claiming: 'The team has been assured by the President that he will strongly consider such matters because he considers the release of Robert Levinson a matter of National Urgency.'

BILL BARR CANCELED AN APPEARANCE TO APPEAR WITH GAETZ BECAUSE OF PROBE Bill Barr was aware of the ongoing sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz and took no objection to it when he was the Attorney General. Instead, he made sure he was never seen with him in public. According to Politico, Barr canceled an event where he was due to appear with Gaetz in the summer of 2020. He had been scheduled to appear at a meet-and-greet with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee but when he saw that Gaetz was also attending, he pulled out of it. Barr has not commented on the investigation into sex trafficking that Gaetz is said to be a target of. Advertisement

The White House did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The Examiner also obtained an email chain allegedly between Don's attorney Jeffrey Neiman and federal prosecutors that appears to confirm the FBI is looking into an alleged extortion.

Assistant US Attorney David Goldberg wrote to Neiman that he could 'confirm that your client is working with my office as well as the FBI at the government's request in order to determine if a federal crime has been committed'.

The FBI declined to comment and directed to DailyMail.com to the DOJ. The DOJ did not return a request for comment.

The release of the documents came after Gaetz's father backed up his extortion claims and said he wore a wire to try help his son expose it.

'The FBI asked me to try and get that information for Matt and an indication we would transfer money to Mr. David McGee,' he told Politico Wednesday.

DailyMail.com has reached out to McGee following the latest claims about the alleged extortion plot.

The attorney denied any involvement Tuesday telling The Washington Post Tuesday he was not part of a plan to extort Gaetz nor was he connected to the DOJ's sex trafficking probe.

But McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, said: 'It is completely false. It's a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that he's under investigation for sex trafficking of minors.

'I have no connection with that case at all, other than, one of a thousand people who have heard the rumors.'

The attorney said Gaetz's father had 'called me and asked to talk to me' and said he would welcome a tape of their conversation being made public. He did not detail what the conversation was about but insisted it was nothing 'untoward' but simply 'a pleasant conversation of a dad concerned about his son and the trouble his son was in'.

He added: 'If there is a tape, play the tape. There is nothing on that tape that is untoward.'

Gaetz had on Tuesday claimed he is the victim of a $25 million extortion plot after it was revealed he is under investigation for sex trafficking over allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl, 17, and paid to have her travel with him.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump accused McGee live on Tucker Carlson of trying to extort millions of dollars out of him and his family in exchange for 'making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away.'

Gaetz accused David McGee, an attorney at Beggs & Lane law firm and the former lead attorney for the DOJ's Organized Crime Task Force, of trying to extort millions from him and his family in exchange for making sex trafficking allegations 'go away' on Fox News Tuesday

Gaetz claimed he had been working with the FBI and his father Don Gaetz had been wearing a wire to expose the alleged scheme after learning of it earlier this month.

Florida lawmaker Gaetz made the bombshell allegation hours after the New York Times revealed the DOJ had launched a probe to investigate whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws.

Tucker Carlson says Gaetz interview was his 'weirdest ever' Fox News' Tucker Carlson was stunned by Rep Matt Gaetz's appearance on his show Tuesday night, calling it one of the 'weirdest interviews' ever. Gaetz claimed he is the victim of a $25million extortion plot after the New York Times revealed he is under investigation for sex trafficking over allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl, 17, and paid to have her travel with him. During the interview Gaetz denied all of the allegations against him. 'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson. 'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.' Fox News' Tucker Carlson was stunned by Rep Matt Gaetz's appearance on his show Tuesday night When asked about the alleged sexual relationship with the teen, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'. However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme'. 'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said. 'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.' In response to that claim, Carlson says: 'I don't remember the women you're speaking of or the context at all honestly.' Following the segment, Carlson told his viewers: 'You just saw our Matt Gaetz interview. That was one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.' 'That story just appeared in the news a couple of hours ago, and on the certainty that there's always more than you read in the newspaper, we immediately called Matt Gaetz and asked him to come on and tell us more. Which, as you saw, he did. I don't think that clarified much, but it certainly showed this is a deeply interesting story and we'll be following it,' Carlson added. Advertisement

Three sources told the Times an investigation was launched into his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl during Trump's final months in office under then-Attorney General Bill Barr.

The inquiry is said to be part of a wider probe into Florida official Joel Greenberg, who was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17. No charges have been filed against Gaetz.

On Wednesday, Politico reported that not only was the sex trafficking investigation underway, but that Bill Barr, the AG at the time, knew about it and had no objection to it.

Gaetz claimed Tuesday night the sex trafficking allegations against him were 'verifiably false' but said he and his family were victims of an extortion effort by McGee to make the allegations and the DOJ investigation 'go away.'

A separate probe was launched by the FBI into the extortion plot, he said. Gaetz claimed the Times report had then foiled a plan to transfer a bribe of $4.5 million to McGee Wednesday which would have then exposed the alleged plot.

However Times' reporter Katie Benner told MSNBC it is the congressman who has in fact 'blown up' the alleged extortion investigation in an effort to divert attention away from the fact the sex trafficking concerns were serious enough for the Trump administration to launch an investigation - even though Gaetz is a close ally of the president. Gaetz, 38, is close to Trump and got engaged to food analyst Ginger Luckey, 26, at his Mar-a-Lago club in late December.

The FBI declined to comment Tuesday night while the DOJ did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Reports of the two investigations came just hours after it was revealed Gaetz is considering retiring from Congress and taking a job at right-wing news outlet Newsmax.

Gaetz's alleged encounters with the 17-year-old girl took place around two years ago with the DOJ investigation focusing on whether the lawmaker paid for her to cross state lines, the Times reported.

Under federal law, it is a crime to transport someone under the age of 18 across state lines, or coerce them to travel across state lines, to engage in sex in exchange for money.

It is not clear when or how Gaetz allegedly met the teenager.

Gaetz, who was the only member of Congress to vote against a largely bipartisan human trafficking bill back in 2017, insisted the allegations are false.

'It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,' he told Carlson.

'The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.'

When asked about his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'.

'The person doesn't exist. I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false,' he said.

However, Gaetz recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme.'

'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said.

'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.'

Instead, Gaetz claimed he and his family have fallen foul to a plot to extort money.

The congressman told Carlson the alleged scheme came to light on March 16 when he claims his father got a text message 'demanding a meeting wherein a person demanded $25 million in exchange for making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away'.

Gaetz's father is Don Gaetz, former member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 and Senate President from 2012 to 2014. Don has not publicly commented on the apparent extortion plot.

Gaetz claimed his family were told about 'pictures of me with child prostitutes' which he insisted are 'obviously false'.

Gaetz named McGee on air on the Fox News show, accusing the lawyer of being behind the extortion plot.

The Republican congressman and close ally of Donald Trump fired out a series of tweets Tuesday claiming a former Justice Department employee had been trying to extort $25 million from him and his family while 'threatening to smear my name'

Rep. Matt Gaetz's father Don sold his hospice company for $406million and used the money to fund his political career Rep. Matt Gaetz's father made millions by selling his hospice company in 2004 and used the money to launch his own political career, years before they were 'extorted' over allegations the younger Gaetz slept with an underage girl. Don, a former Florida Senator from 2006 until 2016, has backed up his son's claims of an extortion plot and says he even wore a wire to a meeting with one of the extortionists to try to help expose the plot. Gaetz claimed the people involved were claiming to extort him to free American hostage Robert Levinson, who was captured in Iran in 2007. He said the extortionists told his family they needed $25million to free Levinson - whose family say is dead - and that in exchange, they would ask Joe Biden to pardon Gaetz from any sex trafficking charges. The amount is the same amount that Don Gaetz's net worth was reported as when he launched his first Senatorial campaign in 2006. He and his partners had sold Vitas, a hospice company, two years earlier for $406million. It's unclear how many partners there were, but when Don was campaigning, his net worth was well reported. The family comes from Niceville, Florida, a conservative, Christian town on the panhandle. Don Gaetz is shown, left, on the Florida Senate floor. He is shown right, with his wife Vicki Don's own father, Jerry, was the mayor of a small town in North Dakota. Don was referred to as 'baby Gaetz' early on in his career. He and his partners founded Vitas in the 1970s and turned it into the largest hospice care provider in the country, after lobbying Congress to have their care paid for under Medicaid and Medicare. They sold the company in 2004 but were later sued for Medicaid fraud. The lawsuit did not name Don specifically, and he denied wrongdoing. Don was well-liked in the Senate because he was considered 'old fashioned' and 'decent'. His views, while Republican, are less extreme than his son's. 'Don Gaetz was very much more of an old-school Republican. He would tell you that Matt is much more tea party Republican than he is,' Ben Wilcox told Mother Jones for a profile on the pair in 2019. Matt launched his political career in Florida in 2010 and has since made a name for himself supporting Trump. He has spoken in the past about how his mother became partially paralyzed due to complications she suffered while pregnant with his sister, and how her devotion to the pregnancy and baby has enforced his anti-abortion views. Advertisement

'His name is David Mcgee. He was a top official in the leadership in the northern district of Florida as a prosecutor,' he said. 'He currently works at the Beggs & Lane law firm.'

He claimed: 'There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators.'

Gaetz said he contacted the FBI and the DOJ and has been working with them to expose the plot.

'Our family was so troubled by that, we went to the local FBI and the FBI and the Department of Justice were so concerned about this attempted extortion of a member of Congress that they asked my dad to wear a wire, which he did with the former department of justice official,' he claimed.

Gaetz claimed that, prior to the Times' report of the sex trafficking inquiry, his family and federal authorities had made a plan to send $4.5 million as a down payment to McGee.

He claimed this plan 'would have shown even more evidence of David McGee's work in this extortion scheme' but that it was 'foiled' by the Times' report.

'What was supposed to happen was the transfer of this money that would have implicated the former colleague of these current DOJ officials.

'But that's obviously not going to happen tomorrow because the New York Times story was leaked in order to quell that investigative effort,' he claimed.

Gaetz called on the FBI to release the tapes of his family's alleged encounters with the extorter in order to prove his 'innocence.'

'If the FBI and department of justice will release the tapes that they are in possession of, the American people will see what is really going on,' he said.

New York Times' Justice Department Reporter Katie Benner hit back at Gaetz's claims telling MSNBC that McGee is not involved in the DOJ's sex trafficking probe as he works in private practice.

'No that person is not involved in the investigations. That person is currently in private practice and does not work at the Justice Department,' she said.

Benner questioned Gaetz's motive for speaking out about the alleged extortion plot in a move that she said has 'destroyed and blown up' the FBI investigation into it.

Gaetz was first to publicly expose the FBI probe into the alleged extortion plot, with no mention made in the Times' initial report.

Benner said she believes Gaetz was speaking out to deflect from the fact that the sex trafficking probe was 'serious enough' to be launched by Trump's DOJ.

'Keep in mind this is an investigation that if you look at the timeline was very serious and was taken seriously by Trump administration officials in the Justice Department,' she said.

'I think that one of the reasons why he has talked publicly about this extortion plot, one of the reasons why he has publicly said that the FBI has asked his own father to wear a wire is in order to try to get people to not pay attention to the fact that it was in fact the Trump admin that felt it was worthy to investigation him.'

She hit back at his claim that the Times' report had 'foiled' the FBI plot.

'In publicly talking about the extortion plot that he has described and publicly saying that his father wore a wire he has basically destroyed and blown up an FBI investigation which is in itself something you would think would be against his own interests,' she said.

'You would think he wold be wanting to work with the FBI and would think he would be wanting to keep this quiet... in doing this and basically blowing up an FBI investigation into people trying to extort his family he has both complicated that investigation and also cast aspersions on something that was serious enough that Attorney General Bill Barr proved it.'

Gaetz went on the defense as soon as the Times story broke Tuesday evening, going on a tweet storm describing the alleged extortion plot and slamming the allegations as 'lies'.

'Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name,' he tweeted.

The congressman said he and his family had been working with the FBI on the plot to extort money from his family.

'We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI's direction to catch these criminals.

'The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation.'

Gaetz called on the Justice Department to release tapes he said shows the alleged scheme by an ex-DOJ employee.

'I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations,' he tweeted.

Gaetz went into damage control mode after news of the inquiry surfaced.

He told the Times his attorneys had been told by the DOJ that he was the subject and not the target of the probe.

'I only know that it has to do with women,' he said. 'I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.'

Gaetz denied the accusations against him after the New York Times revealed Tuesday that the DOJ had launched a probe to investigate whether he had violated federal sex trafficking laws. Pictured Trump and Gaetz

The congressman confirmed the DOJ probe in an interview with Axios and doubled down that the allegations are 'false' and 'unclear' as he blamed the apparent extortion plot.

'The allegations of sexual misconduct against me are false,' he said. 'They are rooted in an extortion effort against my family for $25 million in exchange for making this case go away.'

Axios reported that it had seen screenshots of text messages, emails and documents from Gaetz purporting to show the alleged scheme.

The inquiry is said to be part of a wider probe into Florida official Joel Greenberg (pictured) who was slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking of a minor between the age of 14 and 17

'I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy,' he said.

The 38-year-old said while he often 'provided for' women he was dating when he was single, such as paying for flights and hotel rooms, he was 'absolutely' confident none of the women were underage.

'I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I've dated. You know, I've paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I've been, you know, generous as a partner,' he said.

'I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.'

Sources told the Times that senior Justice Department officials, including some Trump appointees, were aware of the investigation due to its nature and the congressman's profile.

They said it is part of a larger probe into Greenberg, a former tax collector of Seminole County, Orlando, accused of paying for sex with an underage girl and illegally using Florida's DMV database to look up information on her and other women with whom he was engaged in 'sugar daddy' relationships with.

Greenberg was indicted last summer on 14 felony charges including child sex trafficking, fraud, identity theft and stalking a former political rival.

The sex trafficking charge involves alleged encounters with a girl aged between 14 and 17 across a six-month period in 2017.

Gaetz shared this image on Facebook in July 2017 of himself with Greenberg and Roger Stone

He was also accused of violating the Driver's Privacy Protection Act by using his access as an elected official to illegally look up information about the minor in The Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID).

He reportedly looked up the girl's photo, driver identification number, in addition to other information.

Prosecutors say he also used the database to look up other people, with whom he was embroiled in 'sugar daddy relationships' with.

Greenberg had first been indicted by a federal grand jury in June on charges that he stalked political opponent Brian Beute in the Republican primary for the Tax Collector's race and for identity theft.

Greenberg resigned the following day and the additional charges were added in August.

He was arrested earlier this month for violating the terms of his bond after he allegedly traveled to Jupiter and was involved in some type of police incident there.

The extent of Gaetz's relationship with Greenberg is unclear but the ex-tax collector shared a photo on Twitter of the two men together at the White House in 2019.

The year before, Gaetz backed Greenberg's successful bid for local office.

And back in July 2017, Gaetz shared a photo on his Facebook of himself with Greenberg and Roger Stone - Trump's aide who was convicted of lying to Congress before being pardoned by the former president.

News of the sex-trafficking inquiry came the same day reports surfaced that Gaetz is mulling quitting politics altogether for a career as a media personality.

Gaetz has told friends he is considering not seeking re-election in 2022 and may even leave Congress before the end of his term for a job at conservative outlet Newsmax, according to Axios.

The congressman lost much of his personal power in DC when Trump, a close ally, lost the White House and Republicans failed to take back control of the House of Representatives.

Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December. Pictured the couple when they got engaged

Newsmax, meanwhile, has become a favored outlet for conservatives after Trump started criticizing Fox News, leaving an opening for it and competitor One American News.

Gaetz is already a frequent guest on the network, which recently hired former White House staffer Andrew Guiliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani, and former Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators

Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and defended the former president during both impeachment trials.

He also pushed the false claims that the MAGA mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a riot that left five dead were from Antifa. Investigations have proven they were not.

Gaetz also made a name for himself when he became the only House lawmaker to vote against a bill to provide greater funds to fight human trafficking.

The legislation - the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act - gave the federal government more money to tackle human trafficking.

It was backed by both Republicans and Democrats and sailed through the House and Senate.

'Unless there is an overwhelming, compelling reason that our existing agencies in the federal government can't handle that problem, I vote no because voters in Northwest Florida did not send me to Washington to go and create more federal government,' he said at the time.

He also hit headlines for wearing a gas mask on the House floor during the COVID pandemic and criticizing Democrats for banning guns in Congress.

He has previously called for harsher criminal penalties for child sex offenders, with a 2014 Facebook post pushing for minimum 50-year mandatory minimum sentences for violent predators.

Outside of DC, Gaetz is a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago and even proposed to his now-fiancee Luckey there in December.

The couple met at an event at the club sometime earlier in 2020.

Luckey works for a company called Apeel, that says it 'works with nature to reduce food waste and create abundance for all.'
Contributed photo

Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties, located in Ridgefield, will host its annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Memorial Observance online with congregants from the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County, beginning April 7, at 7:30 p.m. On April 8, at 7 p.m., Shir Shalom will join with St. Stephens Episcopal Church (351 Main St., Ridgefield) for an interfaith ceremony.

The observance marks the anniversary of concentration camps being liberated at the close of World War II. Yom HaShoah, which is Hebrew for Remembrance Day for the Holocaust and Heroism, pays homage with a memorial candle lighting to the 11 million people of various faiths who were killed under the Nazi regime. The solemn commemoration takes place all over the world, and has been observed as a national holiday in Israel since 1951.
While congressional Democrats were pushing through Bidens coronavirus relief bill, the American Rescue Plan Act, with zero Republican support, GOP lawmakers and right-wing pundits were tied up with myriad issues of great importance to struggling Americans. Those issues ranged from continuing to undermine the foundation of our democracy by questioning the outcome of the 2020 presidential election to continuing to undermine the health of our country by stirring doubt about the safety of the very safe COVID-19 vaccines.
Malaysian foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein (left) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi greet each other, according to COVID-19 protocols, in Fujian province in China, April 2, 2021.

China and Russia have backed calls for an ASEAN leaders meeting to discuss the turmoil in post-coup Myanmar, where military and security forces unleashed their guns and killed more than 500 pro-democracy protesters during the past two months.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with its share of former military leaders and one-party states, has been roundly criticized for not reaching a consensus on how to deal with member-state Myanmars junta after the military overthrew an elected government on Feb. 1.

China firmly supports the ASEAN in promoting peace talks with the ASEAN way, and supports holding a special meeting of ASEAN leaders to mediate Myanmar's situation at an early date, Wang said after meeting with Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Thursday, a statement on the Chinese foreign ministrys website said.

In meetings held over the past three days in China, Beijings top diplomat held separate talks with Malaysias foreign minister and the chief envoys of three other ASEAN states: Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Both Moscow and Beijing supported an ASEAN summit on Myanmar, said Retno Marsudi, Indonesias foreign minister, after meeting with Wang on Friday.

The PRC has supported ASEANs efforts and offers to help Myanmar, including providing support for President Jokowis initiative to hold an ASEAN summit, Retno told reporters via Zoom.

Two days ago, I also had a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Indonesias top diplomat said. We also discussed the issue of Myanmar, and Russia expressed their support for ASEAN and the initiative of the president of Indonesia for an ASEAN summit.

On March 19, President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin called for an emergency meeting of ASEAN leaders to discuss the Myanmar crisis.

But the situation there has become even more intense and fluid since last Saturday, when the junta killed at least 114 protesters  in the single deadliest day of violence since the coup  and launched air strikes on rebel positions in Karen state.

China supports ASEAN approach

China has extensive economic and strategic interests not just in Myanmar, but in many countries in the Southeast Asian bloc.

So far, Beijing has been muted in its response to the military coup in Myanmar and its violent aftermath. The Asian superpower has mostly called for stability, unlike Western nations which have condemned the toppling of an elected government and the violence.

On Thursday in New York, Beijing, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with veto power, thwarted it from taking potential future action against Myanmars military, although the world body issued a statement condemning the killings of civilians there, reports said.

Angered after China blocked an attempt on Thursday by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to impose sanctions on the junta, pro-democracy supporters in Myanmar have called for the Chinese Embassy in Yangon to be closed, the online Irrawaddy news outlet reported.

The Irrawaddy said that prominent activists and celebrities, posted messages on their social media demanding, China Get Out of Myanmar!, Get Out Chinese Embassy! We dont need Chinese Embassy, Get out of Myanmar Right Now!!

On Wednesday, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met with Wang.

After their meeting, Wang said that China was glad to support ASEANs non-interference principle in promoting stability in Myanmar. Wang referred to this as the ASEAN approach.

But critics have said that ASEANs foundational principle of non-interference in members domestic affairs was a major obstacle.

Besides, of the 10 members of the bloc, only Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines have issued strong statements against the Myanmar military coup and the killings following the takeover of the government by the junta.

And only foreign ministers of those four countries, after a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers held on March 2, had called for the release of Aung Sang Suu Kyi and other democratically elected Myanmar leaders detained by the military.

Balakrishnan said at the time that the inability to reach a common position on the coup could diminish ASEANs credibility and relevance.

It is critical that ASEAN continues to reiterate our guiding principles in light of the unfolding tragedy in Myanmar, Balakrishnan had said after that virtual meeting with his nine counterparts from across the bloc.

If not, we will have no choice but to state our views on the situation as individual ASEAN Member States. But quite frankly, this would starkly underscore our lack of unity, and undermine our credibility and relevance as an organization.

Among ASEAN members, Thai leader Prayuth Chan-o-cha became prime minister after a coup he engineered as the army chief in 2014. The former general retained the post in a 2019 election widely viewed by the opposition parties as rigged in favor of the military.

Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam are all one-party states. And Brunei is a sultanate.

China has good-to-excellent relations with Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, in addition to Myanmar, so whether its call for an ASEAN summit resonates with these nations remains to be seen.

ASEANs difficult position

Chinas latest diplomatic effort on Myanmar comes after a former United States congressman, Thomas Andrews, in his role as U.N. Special Rapporteur, said an urgent meeting of Southeast Asian nations was imperative to prevent things in Myanmar from deteriorating more.

Since the Myanmar coup, analysts have described ASEANs difficult position vis-a-vis Myanmar.

Teuku Rezasyah, a lecturer in international relations at Padjajaran University in Bandung, Indonesia, said last month that ASEAN had to play its hand carefully on the Myanmar issue.

After all, ASEAN is currently in a difficult position, torn between the West and China, Rezasyah told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, then.

So what Im worried about is if ASEAN takes an overtly hard line and is not trying to be accommodative, Myanmar will choose to consult China.

Indonesia is worried that Myanmar, which is under pressure from the West, will decide to leave ASEAN or fall into Chinas embrace, because Southeast Asian countries dont seem to have a single voice regarding the situation there, Rezasyah said.

Azmi Hassan, a political analyst in Malaysia, had indicated that those nations that refrained from commenting on Myanmar were worried about potential fallout in their relations with Beijing.

The problem is that whats happening for the last few days is that a number of ASEAN members are with China by saying that this is an internal matter, Azmi told BenarNews last month.

So, I think it is very important for Malaysia and Indonesia, which have very influential standing in ASEAN itself to pursue, or I would say, force, Brunei as the chairman to call a special meeting regarding Myanmar.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
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Traders at the Bodija market in Ibadan Thursday protested the seizure of bags of rice worth millions of naira by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service.

Hundreds of traders took to the streets of Ibadan to protest against what they called invasion of their shops by men of the customs service who they alleged broke into shops at midnight to seize the bags of rice.

The rice traders; men and women, who were seen carrying placards with various inscriptions, called on the customs authority to return all the rice and money carted away from their shops.

The protesters, who marched from the market to the state secretariat, also claimed that large sums of money left in some stores were missing after the operation of the customs personnel.

One of the affected traders, Olayemi Oladunni, of Block 1, shop 406, said that 100 bags of rice and N2 million cash were taken away from her shop.

Also, R.O. Mosope and E.A. Iyadunni, whose shops were situated at Alao-Akala shopping complex in the market, said the action of the customs operatives was unacceptable.

The duo called on the Nigeria Customs Service to intervene, by ordering its men to return goods and money carted away from their shops.

Addressing the protesters in front of the state secretariat, Agodi Ibadan, Sunday Odukoya, the executive assistant to Gov. Seyi Makinde on security matters, implored the traders to be patient, saying effort was ongoing to speak with the customs authority on the matter.

Mr Odukoya appealed to the protesters to desist from taking laws into their hands.

Gridlock

The protest led to traffic congestion for hours as vehicular and human movements were affected.

Meanwhile, speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the development, the Oyo/Osun Customs Area Commands Public Relation Officer, Kayode Wey, said it was not the officers of the command that raided the market.

Mr Wey said the officers of the Federal Operation Unit (FOU), Zone A, raided the Bodija market, but did not know what happened during the operation.

He said the FOU Zone A has their own comptroller that (who) controls its operation.

NAN gathered that operatives of Nigeria Customs Service raided Bodija market around 1.00 a.m. on Thursday and broke into shops, warehouses and carted away bags of rice in six trailers. (NAN)
(Adds details from the plaintiffs lawsuit, Boeing comment)

By Eric M. Johnson

SEATTLE, March 29 (Reuters) - Boeing Co asked a Delaware court to throw out a shareholders' lawsuit over the safety of its 737 MAX following fatal crashes, saying the board engaged in "robust and well-established" oversight of jet's development.

In an amended complaint unsealed in February, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who heads the state pension fund, and other investors argued that Boeing's board breached its fiduciary duties and acted with gross negligence by failing "to monitor the safety of Boeing's 737 MAX airplanes."

The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Chancery Court, also alleges that the board did not develop any tools to evaluate and monitor airplane safety until after two 737 MAX crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia killed 346 people in a span of five months, and the fleet was grounded.

It also said the board did not receive a briefing about the basics of airplane safety until the end of April 2019, several weeks after the jet's worldwide grounding.

In its motion to dismiss the complaint, made public on Monday, Boeing said the plaintiffs ignore "the robust systems that had long been in place" to keep the board informed about significant risk issues.

"Boeing's Directors maintained this high scrutiny, moreover, during a period in which commercial aircraft, and Boeing's in particular, achieved ever higher levels of safety," Boeing said, "a trend that cannot be squared with Plaintiffs' simplistic narrative about a 'safety-engineering culture' that had been 'intentionally dismantled.'"

Boeing had management briefings at the board and an internal corporate audit group to evaluate risks, as well as a mechanism to receive reports on employee ethics and compliance complaints, Boeing said.

A Boeing representative referred to the filing and declined further comment. A lawyer representing the plaintiffs declined to comment.

Story continues

Since 2019, Boeing's board has implemented changes to improve oversight of Boeing's engineering and industrial operations as the company navigated fallout over the nearly two-year grounding of the best-selling 737 MAX after the crashes.

Emails and memos released under court order on March 4 show executives and board members discussing combating negative press coverage, and one veteran board member suggesting the board elevate its attention to safety and quality at their meetings.

"I believe we should devote the entire board meeting (other than required committee meetings and reports) to a review of quality within Boeing," veteran board member Art Collins wrote to fellow board member Dave Calhoun, now Boeing's chief executive, days after the second crash in 2019.

Boeing later acknowledged, as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department in January this year, that the company concealed details about a crucial flight control system at the center of the two crashes from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

Boeing employees also worked to have references to the system, known as MCAS, omitted from flight crew operating manuals as part of the company's goal of avoiding costlier pilot training requirements, according to the agreement. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
BLACKPINK Lisa's pictorials from Harper's Bazaar China magazine were taken down from Chinese social media sites.

Continue reading to know more.

BLACKPINK Lisa's Pictorials Taken Down from Chinese Social Media

Recently, BLACKPINK's Lisa was featured as the cover model for the April 2021 issue of Harper's Bazaar China. Pictorials of Lisa for the magazine were released and shared on various social media sites.

The BLACKPINK member had been gaining immense popularity in China after featuring as a dance mentor for the Chinese survival show "Youth With You" in seasons two and three.

With Lisa's growing popularity in the country, she was featured as the cover model for the April 2021 issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine.

The release of the pictorials, that were both in black-and-white and colored, garnered heavy attraction for showcasing the dancer and rapper in sexy and chic outfit concepts.

However, on April 1, several of Lisa's pictorials from the magazine were taken down from Chinese social media sites.

In addition, Harper's Bazaar China, who posted the pictorials, also took down the pictorials from their social media.

Fans of the popular Thai K-Pop idol became suspicious as to why her pictorials were removed, but majority of the fans speculated one reason: that BLACKPINK and Lisa are models for Adidas.

Why Lisa Modeling for Adidas Matters in China

Recently, China has sparked global concern after speculations that Xinjiang, where cotton is produced and harvested, is violating human rights against the Uygur minority in the Uygur Autonomous Region through exploitation and forced labor.

Since then, many global fashion brands such as H&M, Adidas, Nike and Burberry have begun to pull out from sourcing their cotton in Xinjiang and is boycotting China.

After the brands started boycotting China, many Chinese K-Pop idols have also ended their partnerships and deals with the global brands, such as GOT7 Jackson, f(x) Victoria, EXO Lay and more.

Currently, the BLACKPINK members are the brand models for Adidas, with their photos being on the cover of Adidas China's official Weibo account and other Chinese social media.

Based on netizens speculations and comments, Harper's Bazaar China took down Lisa's pictorials as BLACKPINK remain as the models for Adidas after the brand refused to import cotton from Xinjiang and given the current circumstances in China.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time the BLACKPINK members have been criticized by Chinese netizens.

In November 2020, fellow group member Jennie was criticized by Chinese netizens and media for holding a panda, which is regarded as China's national treasure, without wearing gloves in a reality show.

Eventually, the video of Jennie and the panda was deleted from various platforms.

What are your thoughts on Harper's Bazaar taking down Lisa's pictorials?

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Robyn Joan
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THE Judicial Services Commission (JSC) plans to establish a High Court seat in Chinhoyi following completion of a state-of-the-art composite building that has taken government nearly 20 years to finish.

Justice minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi said government prioritised citizens' easy access to justice which is one of the pillars of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration's economic blueprint, National Development Strategy (NDS 1) that runs until 2025.

"As government, we came up with our National Development Strategy 1, and among the pillars is governance and access to justice. As the JSC, you have to ensure you drive it and realise it.

"I have been briefed that we have a High Court here. We are excited, and our aim is to have them in all our provincial capitals," said Ziyambi after a tour of the giant complex Thursday.

"Our people in Mashonaland West will not have to travel to Harare to access the High Court.

"They will simply come here and have their cases dealt with closer home. This will go a long way in ensuring that our agenda as government is realised.

"We used to have a concentration of courts in a few areas and these regional courts would be crowded," he said.

Added the minister, "As government, we said we cannot develop our country if access to justice is not there. This is the thrust we are looking at as government, that in terms of NDS 1, how do we move forward."

Establishment of a seat of the superior court at Chinhoyi would bring the number of High Court seats outside Harare to four. Others are at Bulawayo, Mutare and Masvingo.

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JSC secretary Walter Chikwanha hailed Treasury for timely disbursements of funds towards construction of the building. The project was wholly funded by government.

He said furniture and equipment for courtrooms and offices were already on site ahead of the building's completion targeted for end of April.

The complex has eight courtrooms, offices, a library, a canteen and a kitchen.

During the tour, witnessed by provincial minister Mary Mliswa-Chikoka, workmen were busy painting walls in readiness for the building's official opening expected soon.

Construction contracted to a Chinese firm, Haulong, with help from the Public Works Ministry, began in 2001 and had been stalled due to lack of funding.

Works re-started early 2018 at the inception of the 'Second Republic' led by Mnangagwa.

When complete, the single-storey building is expected to ease judicial officers and other ancillary staff accommodation woes.
After over two months since the military coup in on February 1, the country's detained civilian leader was slapped with another charge on Thursday under the official secrets law.

Since her detainment, Suu Kyi is facing a total of five charges, including the latest one, Kyodo News reported.

The charge is related to the indictment of Australian economist Sean Turnell, Suu Kyi's former adviser, who has been detained for violating the country's colonial-era official secrets act, informed her lawyer Min Min Soe.

The lawyer further informed that Suu Kyi was additionally charged under the official secrets act, together with four others, at a Yangon court a week ago and the next hearing will be on April 8.

Suu Kyi has been indicted on four other charges since the coup. She was charged for illegally importing walkie-talkies, flouting coronavirus restrictions, spreading information that fanned social unease, and receiving USD 600,000 and gold from the then chief minister of the Yangon Region, reported Kyodo News.

For these charges, she attended a court hearing in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw through videoconference Thursday where her lawyer defended her and said all the charges were fabricated. The next court hearing on these charges will be held on April 12.

On February 1, Myanmar's military overthrew the government and declared a year-long state of emergency hours before the newly-elected parliament was due to convene. Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, along with other top officials accused of election fraud, have been placed under house arrest.

The coup triggered mass protests in the country which were met by the junta with deadly violence, resulting in more than 500 people being killed since then.

UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab on Thursday announced new sanctions against military-linked conglomerate Economic Corporation (MEC) for its involvement in serious human rights violations.

(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 YORK, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Solvents market will register an incremental spend of about USD 6.38 Billion, growing at a CAGR of 3.81% during the five-year forecast period. A targeted strategic approach to Solvents sourcing can unlock several opportunities for buyers. This report also offers market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Download free sample report

Solvents Market Procurement Research Report

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

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 Solvents market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Solvents 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 2.00%-4.00%.

Identify favorable opportunities in Solvents 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 Solvents suppliers listed in this report:

Story continues

This Solvents procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

Shell Chemicals (Royal Dutch Shell Plc)

BASF SE

Exxon Mobil Corp.

The Dow Chemical Co.

Solvay SA

Eastman Chemical Co.

Celanese Corp.

Ashland Global Specialty Chemicals Inc.

Sasol Ltd.

LyondellBasell Industries NV

To get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment, Subscribe Now for Free.

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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(JNS) - As the World Council of Churches goes full throttle against Israel, Christians United for Israel, one of the most powerful voices for Israel in the United States, marked its 15th anniversary.

"We could never have imagined CUFI would achieve so much, so quickly. But God has blessed us because we are fulfilling our biblical mandate to stand with Israel and His Chosen people," Pastor John Hagee, founder and chairman of CUFI, told JNS. "This said, I noted when we launched CUFI that there was a sleeping giant of Christian Zionism in this country. That giant has now been awakened. When mi...
The CMIMs $240 billion safety net is made up of pledges of $192 billion from China, Japan and South Korea and $48 billion from the 10 ASEAN countries.

Significant revisions to Asias $240 billion regional financial safety net went into effect Wednesday, marking a key step toward financial self-reliance for participating countries using local currencies with less dependence on the U.S. dollar.

China, Japan, South Korea and the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed last year to amend the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM) accord. The changes institutionalize the use of members local currencies in addition to the U.S. dollar for borrowings in a financial emergency, the Peoples Bank of China said in a statement. In addition, the borrowing limits were raised.

The Covid-19 pandemic increased the need for international cooperation in finance. The ASEAN countries, China, Japan and South Korea adopted the CMIM amendment at a September 2020 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors. In the face of the coronavirus crisis and its aftermath, strengthening the regional financial safety net is an important complement to the fiscal and monetary support provided by each country, participants in the meeting said in a statement.

Following the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Asian countries sought to cooperate in managing regional short-term liquidity problems. The CMIM began as a series of bilateral swap arrangements that provided access to U.S. dollar liquidity when a member country suffered a financial shock. But to obtain such liquidity support, member countries had to first negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a 190-nation institution that promotes global financial stability and monetary cooperation. The IMF serves as an emergency lender for member nations under strict conditions.

Reliance on IMF support and the American dollar brought about inconveniences, said Barry Eichengreen, professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley. The previous requirements for crisis financing reflected a lack of confidence in regional currencies, he said.

Since the Asian financial crisis, the CMIM has gone through two major rounds of revisions. After the 2008 global financial crisis, the CMI  as it was then known  created a pool of foreign exchange reserves in 2010 totaling $120 billion. The pool was expanded in 2012 to $240 billion.

As amended, the CMIM increases the amount of money not linked to the IMF that participating nations can borrow to 40% of each member countrys maximum amount from 30%. The limit was initially set at 20% in 2014.

The borrowing limits are set by the CMIM. In the event of a balance of payments or liquidity crisis, a member government can swap its local currency for U.S. dollars from the CMIM pool. Each country's borrowing quota is based on its contributions multiplied by a country-specific multiplier.

The amendment taking effect reflects less of a need to use U.S. dollars for intra-Asian transactions as Chinas renminbi becomes a more important international currency, Eichengreen said. Now member countries are more confident in the CMIMs supervision, reducing the need to rely on the IMF for such functions, he said.

At the operational level, the CMIMs $240 billion safety net is made up of pledges of $192 billion from China, Japan and South Korea, and $48 billion from the 10 ASEAN countries. The liquidity can be provided in local currencies such as renminbi or the Japanese yen with the consent of member countries. The ASEAN nations are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com).

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.

Follow the Chinese markets in real time with Caixin Globals new stock database.
PENULTIMATE weekend, the security crises which had rocked Benue State and indeed, the whole country in recent years reared up once again, this time with an assassination attempt on Governor Samuel Ortom. Benue and its governor have been in the crosshairs of herdsmen militias over claims of ownership of the Benue valley.

The herdsmen attacks on farmers in the area became an open security crisis when Ortom signed the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, Benue State 2017.

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, MAKH, rose in arms against the state and its governor, insisting that the law must be repealed or there would be no peace.

Instructively, Umar Labdo Mohammed, a lecturer in the Northwest University, Kano, in January 2018, outrageously claimed that Benue State belonged to the Fulani herdsmen "by right of conquest".

One of the series of attacks on Benue communities was the New Year Day massacre of 2018, which led to an emotional televised mass burial of 73 people. Governor Ortom's community, Saghev Ward in Guma Local Government Area, was invaded by armed herdsmen on April 2018 and 20 people killed.

Ortom's rice farm has been repeatedly destroyed. So, the ambush and attempted assassination indicates that he is a prime target because of his determination to implement the anti-grazing law. He has also been at the forefront of Benue people's adamant rejection of Ruga and Cattle Colonies by the Federal Government. Ortom has paid countless visits to President Muhammadu Buhari to save his state from the herdsmen terrorists.

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The Federal Government has been seen as engaging in "motion without movement" on this issue.

Former Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, infamously disobeyed Buhari's order to relocate to Benue State after the New Year Day massacres,and gracefully retired thereafter. Also, the Nigerian Army set up the Exercise Ayem Akpatuma.

After a brief lull towards the 2019 general elections, the herdsmen attacks have returned in full scale.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State have warned that Buhari and the Federal Government would be held responsible if "anything" happened to Ortom.

As usual, the Presidency has ordered military engagement to "fish out" the perpetrators. The IGP, Mohammed Adamu, has also ordered a police investigation.

The Federal Government must take decisive action to remove armed hoodlums from Benue and all other states where the same menace is visible.

The inciting claim of " ownership by conquest" of the state by a nomadic group must be dealt with according to the law.

Open grazing is inimical to agricultural productivity and inter-ethnic cohabitation and must be stopped.

Otherwise, armed conflicts will never cease in the area, and all over the country.

Vanguard News Nigeria
The federal government has set April 29 for the second phase of the transition to digital broadcasting.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says over $1 billion would accrue to the government from the sale of the spectrum after the completion of the Digital Switch Over (DSO).

The minister stated this on Thursday in Abuja when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) flagship interview programme, NAN Forum.

NAN reports that the DSO is in the process of transiting from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting and the country has set April 29 for the resumption of the roll-out of the second phase in the remaining 31 states.

The first phase of the roll out had covered the Federal Capital Territory and the five states of Plateau, Kaduna, Kwara, Osun and Enugu.

Mr Mohammed said when the process is completed and there is Analogue Switch Off (ASO), the spectrum band to be vacated by broadcasters would be ceded to the telecom regulatory agency for sale and use in the mobile broadband industries.

"The good side is that when there is analogue switch off, we will be able to sell to telecommunication companies the spectrum band that all of them were occupying which is worth over one billion dollars," he said

Mr Mohammed, who said the DSO would change the entire creative industry ecosystem, pledged that government would ensure its successful completion.

He reiterated that the DSO project is capable of creating one million jobs in three years and generate huge revenue for the country.

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According to him, with the approval of N9.4 billion by the Federal Government and the setting up of a 14-member ministerial task force to drive the process, the remaining 31 states will be successfully covered.

He promised that the reduction in government involvement in the DSO ecosystem and the opportunity given to the private sector to take the lead, on purely commercial terms, would not hamper the process.

The minister said the government was already addressing the concerns raised by the Set-Top Box manufacturers on access to foreign exchange.

"Set-top boxes which is the decoder to transmit the digital signal to homes is a critical component in the DSO process

"We are pushing for the manufacturers for government to reduce to zero per cent duties payable to completely knock down products and reduce from 10 per cent to five per cent duties payable on semi knockdown products.

"We have also asked them to give us a draft of what they want from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

"The ministry will now officially communicate the CBN on their behalf asking that they should be given priority in access to Forex because of the amount of jobs they are capable of creating and the chain effect of a cheaper STB in the system

"We have also licensed another middleware company to crash the cost of the boxes," he said

Mr Mohammed said by creating a level playing ground for all the stakeholders and removing all the barriers, the cost of the boxes would be affordable to ordinary Nigerians.

(NAN)
New Delhi, April 2 : The Congress on Friday asked the Election Commission to cancel the poll to Assam's Tamulpur Assembly constituency, where the candidate of its ally, the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), has defected to the BJP.

Ahead of the poll in the third and final phase of the state Assembly polls on April 6, BPF candidate Rangja Khungur Basumatary alias Ram Das Basumatary, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday in presence of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

The Congress delegation to the Election Commission was led by senior party leader and former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, who argued that it was incumbent upon the poll body to ensure the purity of the electoral process and free and fair polling. He argued that "the defections induced by illegal means even before the counting of votes, is a new phenomenon which is a fraud on the people and robs the electorate of the freedom of choice in the election of their representative".

He said that the nation looks to the Election Commission to exercise its constitutional power to subserve the larger purpose of ensuring the sanctity, transparency and integrity of the electoral process.

The party, also sought an enquiry into how EVMs were loaded in a vehicle belonging to a BJP candidate. The Election Commission informed the delegation that four officers have been suspended.

Another issue raised by the Congress was about the photograph of the Prime Minister on vaccination certificates. While the EC has passed directions ordering the removal of the photos, the party urged the poll panel to ensure that its directions be complied with in states where by-elections are being held.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 77F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph.
Science Center for Marine Fisheries recognizes its women scientists in celebration of Women's History Month

April 02,2021 | Source: ACCESSWIRE

As Women's History Month comes to a close, the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) is celebrating the contributions of the women students and staffers who are a driving force behind the Center's current success, and who are essential to our important fisheries science research.



SCEMFIS operates two main research centers, the Gulf Coast Research Lab at the University of Southern Mississippi and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William and Mary. This year, we have an amazing team of PhD and Master's degree students working at both sites, contributing to our work on finish and shellfish.



Here are the stories of the students and scientists that are part of the SCEMFIS team, who will make up the next generation of leaders in marine science.



Kathleen Hemeon is a third year PhD candidate at the Gulf Coast Research Lab at the University of Southern Mississippi. In her second year as a PhD student, she participated in a National Science Foundation non-academic internship, which funded a six-month collaborative research study at the Population Biology Branch of the NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA. As an intern, she worked to develop age-error estimations and protocols that arise when aging the commercially harvested ocean quahog (Arctica islandica), the longest-lived bivalve on Earth. These data will help researchers identify age-reader bias and precision to report with age estimations, in addition to standardizing aging procedures for an animal that is notoriously difficult to age.



Kathleen will continue her work on ocean quahog with her dissertation, which will better explain the population dynamics of two, Mid-Atlantic quahog populations. This dissertation follows Kathleen's previous work with green sturgeon, inland fisheries, and natural resource management, in addition to an earned B.S. from Western Washington University and M.S. from James Madison University.



Jill Sower is a second-year Master's student at the Gulf Coast Research Lab. Her work at GCRL focuses on examining population dynamics for ocean quahogs off the coast of New Jersey in comparison to different quahog populations from along the coast of New England.



Jill received a B.S. in Wildlife Conservation and a B.A. in Spanish from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. She hopes to graduate in Spring 2022, and after finishing her degree, she would like to continue working in a research position at a coastal university along the East Coast.



Alyssa LeClaire is a Master's student at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Working in collaboration with Virginia Institute of Marine Science, her work includes collecting samples from archived ocean quahog shells found offshore of the Delmarva Peninsula. Carbon dates will be used to determine the time scale of the ocean quahog's range shift across the continental shelf in Mid-Atlantic Bight, coinciding with fluctuation of the Cold Pool and historical climate events. She has sampled shells that are over 4000 years old.



She is applying for an NSF nonacademic internship to work with NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). This five-month internship would be to determine if the Cold Pool has significantly changed, in terms of size and location, and if this change is impacting the available habitat of ocean quahog. Alyssa received her BS in Marine Science at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina.



Laura Solinger is a PhD student in the Gulf Coast Research Lab. Her work focuses on developing a risk-based approach to assess the effectiveness of different management strategies on fisheries resources, including summer flounder and Atlantic surfclam. Laura was awarded an NSF non-academic internship to collaborate with the stock assessment lead for Atlantic surfclam, Dr. Daniel Hennen, at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and she has also collaborated on projects for management of gulf oysters, abalone disease transmission, and forecasts of clam fisheries given projected offshore windmill construction.



Laura received her BS in Biology with a focus on Marine Science from the University of South Florida, and is currently finishing her MS in Fisheries Biology with Humboldt State University. After her PhD, Laura hopes to work with private and public fisheries organizations to develop stock assessment models, assess their effectiveness and continue advancements to incorporate new data sources and environmental variables into models.



Alexis Hollander is a Master's Student at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Dr. Roger Mann's Molluscan Ecology Lab. For her Master's research, Alexis is investigating the impacts of climate change on the growth and distribution of Atlantic surfclams (Spisula solidissima). The moving footprint of the range of exploited surfclams in these regions over the past four decades is now well documented in both Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) stock assessment surveys and the gradual northeasterly movement of harvest activity. This project is developing a 33-year retrospective, spatially explicit time series of growth rates in surfclams collected over the surveyed range to both document the moving footprint in terms of population productivity and provide an explicit forward projection of future productivity.



Alexis has a career goal of serving as an educator and mentor to college students.



Alexandria Marquardt is an ecologist and PhD student in the Department of Fisheries Science at Virginia Institute of Marine Science studying Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) biology and population dynamics in the Chesapeake Bay. Her work focuses primarily on marine invertebrates and addresses applied questions that directly inform management and restoration of harvested species. Alex's PhD research investigates post-settlement growth and mortality in oysters in the Chesapeake Bay and compares existing and fossil oyster reefs. Alex is collaborating with SCEMFIS this spring, assisting with ocean quahog and surf clam research, while searching for fossilized oysters.



Her career goals are to work on research and monitoring programs that engage local communities and stakeholders to share knowledge, build relationships, and facilitate participation in scientific research. Alex completed her BS in Fisheries and Wildlife Science at Oregon State University and MS in Biological Sciences working with Dr. Ben Ruttenberg at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.



About SCEMFIS

SCEMFIS utilizes academic and fisheries resources to address urgent scientific problems limiting sustainable fisheries. SCEMFIS develops methods, analytical and survey tools, datasets, and analytical approaches to improve sustainability of fisheries and reduce uncertainty in biomass estimates. SCEMFIS university partners, University of Southern Mississippi (lead institution), and Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, are the academic sites. Collaborating scientists who provide specific expertise in finfish, shellfish, and marine mammal research, come from a wide range of academic institutions including Old Dominion University, Rutgers University, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, University of Maryland, and University of Rhode Island.

 2021 Verizon Media. All rights reserved.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
On the 26th of March, Huawei Mauritius, in collaboration with the Global Institution of Engineering and Technology again opened an online talk on 5G and set the ball rolling in multiple industries in the country.

More than 100 tech players from industrial partners, technologists, ICT experts, technicians and engineers in Mauritius discussed on the industrial expectations on 5G for the country with the theme of whether Mauritius should Let the Revolution Begin.

The Hon. Deepak Balgobin, Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation marked his telepresence during the webinar by addressing to all attendees who were determined to broaden their knowledge about 5G.

In his speech, Hon. Deepak Balgobin highlighted that Today, we have increasing consumer demand for connectivity, especially in these Covid times. We study, work and spend leisure time on e-Learning platforms, application software, social media and gaming platforms relying on the strengths of the underlying connectivity backbone. He also stated that many industries and companies had the reflex to transition to the work from home environment and set up e-Commerce platforms for seamless continuity of their selling operations. With 5G, the cloud will not be something you just connect to, but will become the intelligent system of the Mauritius Digital Society and Economy in every device and everyones pocket.

The Hon. Deepak Balgobin ended his speech with his expectations on Intelligence, stating The communications infrastructure of Mauritius will not be just about communications. It will be about intelligence, and intelligence comes from our people. 

Partners and stakeholders, investing in people through the innovative programmes even during lockdown, drive innovations and contribute in the ICT talent ecosystem in Mauritius. The Hon. Deepak Balgobin added.

It must be noted that last year, the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation organized a seminar on 5G-The Myth and the Reality of 5G, with the collaboration of Huawei Mauritius, for the benefit of Government officials and researchers. The objective being to expand their knowledge about this upcoming technology. An online training program was also held by Huawei to selected ICT undergraduates during the same period.

Mr. Ian Valentine, Principal Consultant of Huawei Mauritius, as the host of the talk, stated that 5G is the only economical solution to cope with predicted traffic growth. With the help of a Mobile Traffic Annual Growth Towards 2025 prediction graph, it is clear that 5G is not only a solution but also our only option. Ian showcased an outlook of 2025, with a possibility to have a wider joint coverage, better connection efficiency and subversive connection intelligence. 

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The Anambra Police Command says it has arrested four new suspects in connection with the reported attack on Chukwuma Soludo, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The commands spokesman, Toochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the fresh arrest in a statement issued in Awka on Thursday.

Mr Ikenga gave the names of the four suspects as Mbah Victor (30), John Olisakwe (21), Chigozie Omeh (20) and Emmanuel Nnobi ( 28).

The suspects confessed to have actively taken part in the attack and subsequent abduction of the Commissioner for Water and Public Utility, Mr Emeka Ezenwanne, the statement states.

It further states that the command had intensified efforts to rescue the commissioner.

Premium Times reported how Mr Soludo was attacked by gunmen at a political gathering in his Isuofia home town in Aguata Local Government Area on Wednesday.

Three police orderlies attached to him were killed by the gunmen.

The police had earlier confirmed the arrest of one suspect in the wake of the attack.

According to them, efforts are still ongoing to apprehend other fleeing accomplices, unravel the circumstances surrounding the incidence and bring the suspects to book.

Meanwhile, the command reaffirmed its commitment toward ensuring the safety of residents of the state.

It further called on the people to assist the command with useful information that would help to tackle crime and criminality in the state. (NAN)
Mumbai, April 2 : Actor Boman Irani, whose screenplay writing workshop Spiral Bound completed a year recently, is happy with the way it has helped budding writers grow.

The actor says that the workshop has helped him meet people who have amazed him with their "curiosity" and "distinct thought processes".

"I am so happy to have cultivated a fresh hunger for learning cinema through Spiral Bound. Not to mention, the workshop also gave me a family of students, who amaze me with their curiosity and their distinct thought processes," he says.

The actor adds that the workshop has been a memorable journey for him as well.

"It is wonderful to be celebrating the first anniversary of the workshop with them. What started as a step towards being a student of cinema, has resulted in an incredible journey. God bless them," he says.

The first workshop was conducted by Alexander Dinelaris, screenwriter of the Oscar-winning film "Birdman".

Boman will next be seen in "83" and "Mayday".
Aligarh : , April 2 (IANS) This young man was falsely booked for rape and spent 26 months in jail before the DNA test on the survivor's child proved that he was not the biological father.

Amit Kumar, 24, was accused of raping and impregnating a minor girl at his Dattawali village in Aligarh.

Amit, who was working in Faridabad, had come to his village to attend the marriage of his elder brother in July 2018.

Seven months later, he was summoned by the police in February 2019 and accused of raping the girl. His mother and sister-in-law had already been detained.

Amit rushed back and was arrested.

Amit's father, Sajjan Singh, told reporters that he had a dispute with the survivor's father over a piece of land and the case was set up to settle scores.

Amit was charged with rape and under sections of the POCSO Act while his elder brother, Chandra Shekhar, was charged with voluntarily causing hurt. With his younger brother Sunil and a distant relative Teekshan Pal, he was also booked for criminal intimidation and house trespass at the Barla police station.

Chandrashekhar got bail, and Sunil and Teekshan's names were later removed from the charge sheet because there was not enough evidence against them.

Amit was lodged in the Aligarh district jail.

Amit's lawyer Hariom Varshney said they pleaded before the court for a DNA test of the survivor's child to ascertain whether Amit was guilty of having raped her which led to pregnancy.

The survivor came with the child at the hospital in the fifth attempt and the samples of Amit and the child were taken in March last year.

The report came last month which stated that Amit was not the biological father of the child.

"It is apparent that the FIR was lodged after considerable delay, that too, when pregnancy was detected. The victim alleged that the same was a result of rape committed by Amit but DNA report submitted in sealed envelope and opened before this Court reveals that applicant is not the biological father. The bail has finally been granted by the Allahabad High Court," Varshney said.

Aligarh SSP Kalanidhi Naithani, meanwhile, said the police would seek legal opinion from the joint director of prosecution after going over the case diary.

Amit's counsel said that his next step will be to apply for his client's discharge from all charges under which he was booked.
The MEA market for educational technology is expanding quickly, and academic institutions of all sizes require modern learning platforms to cover all their teaching and learning needs. CYPHER LEARNING and ICT WLL will work together to provide learning solutions to the public and private sectors in Qatar and the Middle East. Through this partnership, academic institutions will have the opportunity to improve their edtech strategy using NEO by CYPHER LEARNING , an award-winning learning platform.

NEO is a powerful platform that incorporates all the tools schools and universities need to support efficient teaching and learning while delivering a great user experience. NEO provides an indispensable set of features, including content authoring, competency-based learning, gamification, automation, learning paths, adaptive learning, and integrations with the most popular third-party systems.

Mr. Abdul Salam Knio, the Managing Partner of ICT, said: "This strategic regional partnership is another feather in our cap that reflects our true commitment towards Qatar's vision 2030. ICT WLL is strategically committed to helping customers realize the benefits of the digital economy and mitigate the risks of digital disruption."

To provide flexibility for the clients of this region and ensure they receive the best learning solution, CYPHER LEARNING is launching a NEO version on Microsoft Azure that is fully compliant with all the local regulations regarding cloud security and data privacy.



CYPHER LEARNING already had a strong partnership with Microsoft as NEO integrates with many Microsoft tools such as MS Teams, Immersive Reader, OneDrive, OneNote, and more. CYPHER LEARNING is a certified Microsoft Global Trainer Partner and has an edtech staff fully trained as Microsoft Innovative Educators. ICT WLL, also being a trusted Microsoft Partner, has further strengthened this partnership.

Graham Glass, CEO of CYPHER LEARNING, said: "Our mission is to improve education and have a bigger impact on the way people teach and learn through our platforms. ICT WLL and CYPHER LEARNING are both companies focused on innovation, and we're delighted to have them as a partner in our journey towards providing the best teaching and learning experience to customers."

Due to the increased popularity of CYPHER LEARNING products and the need to best serve clients in this region, CYPHER LEARNING also recently opened a new office located in Amman, Jordan.

About CYPHER LEARNING

CYPHER LEARNING is a company based in San Francisco that specializes in providing learning platforms to organizations worldwide. CYPHER LEARNING has three products: NEO LMS for Schools and Universities, MATRIX LMS for Businesses, and INDIE LMS for Entrepreneurs. All products are used by over 20,000 organizations, support 40+ languages, and have won several awards. CYPHER LEARNING is currently the only company that offers platforms in all major e-learning sectors: academic, corporate, and entrepreneurship.



About IC WLL

ICT WLL is part of the Midis Group, which operates in more than 30 countries, offering technology services to multiple industries: Education, Government, Banking & Finance, Energy, and others. They also provide digital technology solutions in AI, User and Customer Experience, FinTech, IoT & Industry 4.0, Cloud, Analytics, Robotics, and others. As a 4-time Microsoft Partner of the year award-winner, ICT is engaged in multiple National and Industrial initiatives in the Government, Energy, and other sectors.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE CYPHER LEARNING
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 22:30:27|Editor: huaxia

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by Nick Kolyohin

JERUSALEM, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli authorities believe it would be feasible to rely mainly on solar energy while several natural gas power plants will still be used as a backup in a few decades.

Israel, generating about 8 percent of its electricity from solar power plants nowadays, sets a goal of reaching 20 percent of its electricity from solar radiation by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030.

"As Israel doesn't have many different natural resources, we don't have a lot of potential for hydro facilities, and the wind is also quite limited. To reach high targets of renewables, we have to rely on solar energy," said Yoav Katsavoy, acting chairman at Israel's Electricity Regulatory Authority.

Gideon Friedmann, acting chief scientist at Israel's Ministry of Energy, said that Israel is moving toward renewable energy.

"We want to clean our air and reduce emissions. The only viable renewable energy solution in the country currently is solar," he noted.

To reach such a high percentage of solar usage, Israel will need to develop an advanced storage system to accumulate enough energy for periods when the sun doesn't shine.

Israel is a leader in storage installations with around 800 megawatts (MW) of committed solar plants that have an additional four hours of storage that supply electricity at peak demand hours after the sun has gone down.

Solar power generation depends on the solar radiation that is constantly changing due to sun position, day or night, winter or summer, cloudy or clear day.

Another difficulty is the lower stability of solar power plants compared to fossil fuel ones.

"When we set out targets for 2040-2050, we really want to specify our targets in terms of emissions. We say we want to reduce emissions by 80 or 90 percent," according to Friedmann.

Israel's Electricity Authority stated that Israel would become one of the world's leading countries in solar production out of the total output.

Managing an electricity system that is almost entirely reliant on a single source of renewable energy is very complicated, particularly when this source is intermittent, it added.

After decades of the only one governmental company, Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) had produced in its fossil fuels power plants all country's electricity demand.

IEC is the only company that operates coal power plants in Israel, which are scheduled to be closed by 2025, when natural gas and solar energy will become primary sources of energy.

New possibilities have opened up in this field. While just a few companies manage natural gas power plants, there are plenty of companies that install solar facilities on their house roofs or big commercial fields.

One of the leading companies that produce electricity for the national grid is Doral Renewable Energy Resources Group that acting in Israel and globally since 2007.

Yaki Noyman, CEO of Doral Energy, told Xinhua that "solar energy is the cheapest technology in terms of producing energy and it's the cleanest one," adding that there are a lot of manufacturers and developers in the market.

After years of complicated regulation, Israel's Electricity Authority eased the regulation. "Keeping the regulation simple and let the players take their chances and lead the field," Katsavoy told Xinhua.

According to Friedmann, one way to increase solar energy capacity is to double efficiency of photovoltaic panel (PV), so it will convert about 40 percent instead of 20 percent of the solar radiation energy to electricity.

It could be done by using better absorbing and conducting materials, adding more reflections of the sun radiation, using both sides of panels, and implementing more innovative technologies developed by Israeli and global industries.

Another idea is to promote the dual-use of land, installing PV on farming fields, water reservoirs, existing infrastructure, alongside roads, and more solutions could help the faster expansion of the solar sector.

"There are concrete plans right now for an electricity power line to Europe through Cyprus," Friedmann told Xinhua, and mentioned another prospect of connecting Israel's electric grid with Jordan and Egypt. Enditem
ROME, APR 2 - Italy is spending Easter in lockdown after the government made the whole nation a COVID-19 'red zone' from Saturday to Easter Monday in order to prevent social interaction fuelling contagion. This means shops selling non-essential items must close, bars and restaurants can only do takeaways and home deliveries and people need a good reason to be outside the home. It will be possible, however, for up to two adults and their children under 14 to visit the home of another person, with no more than one visit a day, and to attend religious services. The interior ministry on Thursday told Italy's prefects to intensify checks on the respect of COVID-19 restrictions over Easter. Police have been told to focus checks on people who are travelling and to pay special attention areas likely to attract groups of people, such as parks and beaches. (ANSA).
Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Larysa Haladza, during a meeting with Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Roman Mashovets, drew attention to the importance of establishing proper democratic civilian control over the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Haladza noted that the adoption of the necessary bills for this will be an important signal for NATO, the President's Office reported on its official website.

The ambassador also noted that Canada supports Ukraine's efforts to reform the defense and security sector and counter Russian aggression.

According to the report, Mashovets met with Haladza to discuss the deteriorating situation in eastern Ukraine, ways to contain Russian aggression and the state and prospects of reforming the national security and defense sector of Ukraine.
Motorola has started sending out the update to Android 11 to another of its devices. This time it's the One Hyper, a smartphone announced in December of 2019 and launched in January last year.

Android 11 is starting to hit One Hyper units in Brazil, which is one of Motorola's biggest and most important markets. The new version is build RPF31.Q1-21-20, and it arrives with the March 2021 security patches. Those are technically still current (until Monday, since that's when Google releases new ones).

Alongside all the improvements that Google packed into the 2020 version of its OS, the update also includes improvements to animations, Moto Gametime, Moto Audio, and the equalizer. As usual, expect more stuff to be changed under the hood.

We're assuming this is a staged rollout taking place in Brazil right now, so within a few days (or weeks) all Motorola One Hyper units there should get the update notification. Then, hopefully the new release will make it to other countries too.

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Progressives have many reasons to be skeptical of Don Willett, a former justice of the Texas Supreme Court whom Donald Trump placed on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2018. Willett has suggested that the Voting Rights Acts ban on the dilution of racial minorities votes is unconstitutional. He refused to reconsider an anti-abortion decision by his colleagues that flouted Supreme Court precedent. And he declined to revisit a ridiculous, overtly political ruling that threatened to eradicate Obamacare.

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Willett is, in other words, a very conservative jurist. But unlike so many Trump nominees, he does not seem to be a rank partisan in robes. Willett has embarked upon an impressive and even courageous crusade for police accountability, challenging Supreme Court precedents that shield both state and federal law enforcement from liability when they brutalize civilians. Traditionally, its left-leaning judges who try to bend the law toward justice for victims of police violence. Willett, however, has become arguably the most vocal advocate of reform in this area of law among lower court judges. And there are already subtle signs that the Supreme Court is listening.

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The chief target of Willetts ire is the doctrine of qualified immunity, which limits the scope of federal civil rights law. The actual statute, Section 1983, that grants civilians the ability to sue state and local law enforcement in federal court for violating their constitutional rights, says nothing about qualified immunity. But the Supreme Court has grafted this doctrine onto the statute and used it to immunize most officers from civil suits. Under qualified immunity, a victim of police misconduct must prove two things before their case can proceed to trial: first, that the officer violated a constitutional right, and second, that this right was clearly established at the time of the offense. If the victim flunks either test, the officers get qualified immunity, the case is thrown out, and the victim never even gets their day in court.

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It is this second test, the requirement that the right at issue be clearly established, that wreaks the most havoc. Federal appeals courts demand that the right be clearly established by their own precedents, freeing police to violate their own department rules if those rules havent been explicitly affirmed by the court. Yet courts dont even have to decide whether a constitutional right exists in qualified immunity cases; they can simply say that the alleged right is not clearly established, denying future plaintiffs a precedent they could use to overcome qualified immunity.

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Worse, courts frequently grant qualified immunity because of some minor discrepancy between the precedent establishing a constitutional right and the case at hand. For instance, in Taylor v. Riojas the 5th Circuit extended qualified immunity to the prison guards who locked Trent Taylor in a cell covered in human feces for six dayseven though the court had previously held that locking people in feces-covered cells is unconstitutional. In the prior case, the court reasoned, the victim was locked up for months; in this one, he was locked up for six days. Because of this distinction, the court held, Taylors right not to be locked in an excrement-coated cell for six days was not clearly established.

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Willett has consistently criticized both the doctrine of qualified immunity and its perverse consequences. In one opinion, he wrote to register my disquiet over the kudzu-like creep of the modern immunity regime. As he summarized it: No precedent = no clearly established law = no liability. An Escherian Stairwell. Heads defendants win, tails plaintiffs lose. No wonder that to some observers, qualified immunity smacks of unqualified impunity. Willett concluded by adding his voice to a growing, cross-ideological chorus of jurists and scholars urging recalibration of the doctrine.

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There are subtle signs that the Supreme Court may be listening to Willett.

One month later, Willett reiterated his concerns about the entrenched, judge-invented qualified immunity regime. By insulating incaution from consequence, he wrote, the doctrine formalizes a rightsremedies gap through which untold constitutional violations slip unchecked. Victims are left violated but not vindicated. But, he added, as a middle-management circuit judge, I take direction from the Supreme Court. And a majority of the Supreme Court, Willett wrote, disagrees with his critique.

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Do they, really? On Nov. 2, the Supreme Court issued a surprise 71 decision in Taylor v. Riojas reversing the 5th Circuits grant of qualified immunity to the prison guards. (Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, and Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not participate.) In its unsigned decision, issued without oral arguments, the court reprimanded the 5th Circuit for ignoring the obviousness of Taylors right. Because of the particularly egregious facts of this case, the court held, any reasonable officer should have realized that Taylors conditions of confinement offended the Constitution. Then, in February, the Supreme Court ordered the 5th Circuit to reevaluate its decision in another qualified immunity case, McCoy v. Alamu, in light of Taylor v. Riojas.

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As University of South Carolina School of Law professor Colin Miller has noted, these decisions indicate a major shift in the Supreme Courts qualified immunity jurisprudence. The justices appear to be moving away from a comparative standard, which requires a precedent directly on point, toward a no reasonable officer standard, which would deny qualified immunity to an officer whose behavior was obviously unreasonable. This development would address Willetts concerns: Victims of police misconduct would no longer need to identify a virtually identical precedent clearly establishing their rights; they could, instead, demonstrate that any reasonable officer wouldve known that the conduct in question was unconstitutional.

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Willett seems to have picked up on this trend. Shortly after the Supreme Courts decision in Riojas, he denied qualified immunity to two police officers who killed a man who posed no clear threat by pinning him to the ground, shocking him with a stun gun, and beating him with a baton. More recently, on Thursday, Willett denied qualified immunity to an officer who repeatedly shot an unarmed, mentally ill man as he stumbled away from the police, killing him. As Willett summed it up: By 2017, it was clearly establishedand possibly even obviousthat an officer violates the Fourth Amendment if he shoots an unarmed, incapacitated suspect who is moving away from everyone present at the scene.

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To his credit, Willetts distress over law enforcements lack of accountability extends beyond qualified immunity. In March, he wrote an impressive opinion criticizing a huge loophole in federal law: While Section 1983 allows lawsuits against state officers, there is no statute that lets victims sue federal officers, like FBI and Border Patrol agents, for damages. In a 1971 case called Bivens, the Supreme Court tried to remedy this problem by authorizing civil suits for excessive force against federal agents. Since 1980, though, an increasingly conservative SCOTUS has slashed away at Bivens, rendering it close to a dead letter.

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Bemoaning this trend, Willett highlighted the tragic practical consequences of Bivens demise: Private citizens who are brutalizedeven killedby rogue federal officers can find little solace in Bivens, he wrote. In 2021, redress for a federal officers unconstitutional acts is either extremely limited or wholly nonexistent, allowing federal officials to operate in something resembling a Constitution-free zone. That means that if you wear a federal badge, you can inflict excessive force on someone with little fear of liability. Willett questioned the Supreme Courts abandonment of Bivens, citing recent scholarship providing an originalist justification for the decision. And he implored either Congress or SCOTUS to fix the rights-without-remedies regime that they helped to create.

Because Willett was nominated by a lawless con artist, it may be tempting to write off his criminal justice opinions as a disingenuous bid for bipartisan praise. But the consistency and passion with which he has attacked unjust precedents suggests that, at least on police accountability, Willett is the real deal. And given that he might have the Supreme Courts ear, hes well-positioned to bend the law in a more just direction. In todays conservative judiciary, progressives need all the allies they can find.
Australia is deemed the most isolated continent on Earth, but DNA from early indigenous groups spread throughout the world and specifically into the ancient bloodline of South American tribes.

Previous work from 2015 first uncovered a link between ancient Australians and Amazonian groups, but a new study finds it runs even deeper that previously believed.

A genomic analysis of individuals from a number of indigenous South American groups uncovered hallmarks of Australasian influence in Peru and Brazil, and showed it was first introduced through the Pacific coastal route before the formation of the Amazonian branch.

Although the findings may spark a wonderous story of ancient Australians crossing the Pacific Ocean in boats to South America, the new genetic model shows no evidence of an expedition - but instead, they walked.

Researchers propose the ancestry stems from early Australians who integrated with the first Americans who made the long journey from Asia over the Bering Strait Land Bridge some 15,000 years ago.

The genetic analysis also showed these individuals may have clung to the Pacific coast while traveling through North America, which may explain why natives in the US do not have the genetic markers.

Researchers propose the ancestry stems from early Australians who integrated with the first Americans who made the long journey from Asia over the Bering Strait Land Bridge some 15,000 years ago

The Bering Strait Land Bridge, also known as Beringia, formed toward the end of the Ice Age when sea levels began to drop and slowly exposed flat, grassy land hiding beneath.

The land connected Asia to North America, stretching one thousands miles from north to south, and became a vital path of transportation between Asia and North America.

The new study proposes this now gone landmass is what led to South Americans having Australian DNA.

The team built this study on previous researcher that discovered the Australasian population genetic component 'Ypikuera population' or 'Y population' exclusively among present-day Amazonian populations.

A genomic analysis of individuals from a number of indigenous South American groups uncovered hallmarks of Australasian influence in Peru and Brazil, and showed it was first introduced through the Pacific coastal route before the formation of the Amazonian branch

Researchers collected genomic data from 383 individuals, resulting in 438,443 markers, from different South American indigenous tribes.

Following the analysis, the team found the Y signal not only exists in Amazonian groups, but also in the indigenous peoples of Chotuna (living near the Pacific coast of Peru), Guarani Kaiowa (central west Brazil), and Xavante (close to the center of Brazil).

'Our results showed that the Australasian genetic signal, previously described as exclusive to Amazonian groups, was also identified in the Pacific coastal population, pointing to a more widespread signal distribution within South America, and possibly implicating an ancient contact between Pacific and Amazonian dwellers,' the researchers, led by first author and evolutionary biologist Marcos Araujo Castro e Silva from the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil, explain in their study published in PNAS.

The Bering Strait Land Bridge, also known as Beringia, formed toward the end of the Ice Age when sea levels began to drop and slowly exposed flat, grassy land hiding beneath (illustrated above)

The findings also revealed there was at least two migratory waves in South America of ancient people with Australasian genetic DNA.

The first wave settled in the Pacific coastal regions and the one that followed moved eastwards to the Amazon and central Brazil.

The study also acknowledges why Australasian genetic DNA has not been found in the bloodline of Native Americans.

'This genetic evidence for the presence of Y ancestry on the South American Pacific coast indicates that this ancestry likely reached this region through the Pacific coastal route, and therefore could explain absence of this genetic component in the populations of North and Central America studied so far,' the study states.
Lil Nas X has topped the UK singles chart for the second time in his career.

His new song Montero (Call Me By Your Name) was streamed 6.8 million times in the UK this week.

The US rapper, real name Montero Lamar Hill  who is from Atlanta, Georgia, shot to fame in 2019.

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His song Old Town Road topped charts around the world, including in the UK and US.

It first found popularity on the video sharing app TikTok before becoming a mainstream hit.

The song became the longest-running number one in the US Billboard Hot 100 charts history.

In the summer of 2019, he performed the track on stage with Miley Cyrus at Glastonbury in front of a packed crowd.

That year he also came out as gay.

He told GQ Hype he struggled with having a voice in a rap landscape often associated with homophobia.

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He added: Live your life to its fullest potential and dont really care too much about what other people think of you.

I used to say that cliche, but I never really lived by it, until now.

Since I came out, people have been coming up to me saying, Youre making a way for us.

Lil Nas X was recognised at the Grammy Awards in 2020, picking up two prizes in the best music video and best pop duo/group performance categories.

After releasing Montero (Call Me By Your Name) last month, Lil Nas X penned an open letter to his younger self about coming out as gay.

He said the song will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist.
Churches across the state are hosting a diverse range of religious services for Easter Sunday, spanning from indoor to outdoor to virtual as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

One year after houses of worship in New Jersey shifted to virtual services, churches in the state of New Jersey are now allowed to host in-person services at 50% capacity. All those attending a service must continue to wear masks and practice social distancing while inside.
The size of the unit that someone needs depends on a few things.

Rick Runnells from the Paso Robles storage company, River Road Mini Storage, reports that one of the most common questions from storage facility tenants is, How much space will I need? Runnells has prepared some tips to help people calculate what size units are going to best fit their needs.

The size of the unit that someone needs depends on a few things, said Runnells.



The square footage of the space being vacated

The quantity and size of possessions to be stored

How tightly items are packed and fit into the storage unit

Whether an aisle is needed for frequent access to stored items

For example, articles from small 400 square foot space with minimal furniture and boxes that are remaining in storage until moving to a new location, will most likely fit into a roughly 4.5 feet x 9 feet storage unit. With the average height of a storage unit being 8 feet, a 4.5 x9 storage unit provides 45 square feet of floor space and a total 360 cubic feet of storage space.

If those same items are going to be frequently accessed a larger storage unit that has space for an aisle for safe and easy access is necessary. People who store items for businesses often visit the unit to retrieve or return tools or inventory, for example. The Paso Robles storage company can accommodate needs up to 1295 cubic feet.

Heres and idea of what can fit into an average storage space:

A studio apartment or small office can use a storage unit between 360 and 648 cubic feet

The equivalent of a two to three bedroom home needs between 648 to 1295 cubic feet.

There is always the opportunity to rent two storage units so everything fits.

Remember, that packing correctly using sturdy boxes, dismantling tables, and planning the best way to pack items into the storage unit is going to get the most use of any storage space. Everyone is exhausted by the time the home or office is packed up, loaded on the truck and arrives the storage facility. The inclination is to get the stuff into storage, go have dinner and get some sleep. Being tired and feeling rushed can lead to items not being stored and stacked safely and possessions being damaged. Plan the move to allow plenty of time to pack the storage unit is the best manner possible and take advantage of every available cubic foot.

River Road Mini Storage is a Paso Robles self storage facility with a convenient location. The security features include perimeter fencing, security lighting, monitored cameras and personal gate code access. All units have wide drive-up access and are accessible seven days a week. The staff is dedicated to making customer needs the top priority and the facility offers easy payment options.

River Road Mini Storage

1631 North River Road

Paso Robles, CA 93446

(805) 239-4333
Meeting Karthik Muralidharan over Zoom is like running into the Japanese Shinkansen (bullet train) at full throttle. I have in the past come across a few others like him: People whose brain works at a pace the rest of their faculties fail to match, but most jumble up some thoughts in the process.

Muralidharan is an exception. After a few niceties, he plunges straight into his life story, taking me on so many roller coasters that I struggle to remain steady. I am relieved to see he does occasionally pause to catch his breath as I worry he will choke on his thoughts, which are ...
'Xinjiang cotton is my love': Patriots on show at China Fashion Week

Designer Zhou Li holds a cotton bouquet after her autumn/winter 2021 collection show, during China Fashion Week in Beijing, China (Photo : REUTERS/Tingshu Wang)

Designer Zhou Li took to the stage amid applause following her runway show at China Fashion Week with a prop that has political overtones: a bouquet of cotton plants.



"As far as I'm concerned, I think Xinjiang cotton is my sweetheart, my love, which is to say I'm very grateful it has brought me such happiness," Zhou, 56, told Reuters after her show on Tuesday in Beijing.



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Zhou, chief designer and founder of Chinese fashion brand Sun-Bird, is a patriotic supporter of a boycott targeting several major western apparel brands in China that have expressed concern over alleged rights abuses in Xinjiang province.



She said her garments on show on Tuesday, which featured slick minimalist designs with ruffles and ancient Chinese characters, used Xinjiang cotton exclusively.



"For our Chinese designs, I'm certainly right to support the Xinjiang people," she said.



H&M, Burberry, Adidas and Nike are among those hit by consumer boycotts in China after their comments on alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang resurfaced on Chinese social media last week.



The backlash has put the brands in an awkward position given the importance of the market in China, where news and social media are tightly controlled by the Communist Party-controlled government and patriotic campaigns targeting foreign brands are common.



"First of all, as everyone knows, these are false statements (from the brands)", 19-year old fashion model Zhao Yinuo said outside the event. "But of course I can't comment too much on this because it involves political issues."



"I have a sense of national pride," she said.



The European Union, the United States, Britain and Canada last week imposed sanctions on Chinese officials, accusing them of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. China retaliated with sanctions of its own on lawmakers and academics.



Xinjiang produces around 20% of the world's cotton.



Some researchers and lawmakers say Xinjiang authorities use coercive labour programmes to meet seasonal cotton picking needs. China strongly denies the claims, and says all labour in Xinjiang is consensual and contract-based.



"I can't believe our Chinese Communist Party would ever do such a thing," said a 19-year old student surnamed Li at the fashion event. "Our nation is very united."


Capitol Police identify officer killed, knife-wielding suspect who rammed car into checkpoint 25-year-old suspect from Indiana recently lost job, identified as Nation of Islam

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A Capitol Police officer is dead after a man plowed his car into two law enforcement officials and struck a barricade at the United States Capitol Friday.

The suspect, who remained unnamed for much of the afternoon, was identified by NBC News as 25-year-old black man Noah Green from Indiana. Green drove his vehicle into a Capitol security checkpoint on Constitution Avenue, the north side of the complex. He rammed his car into two Capitol Police officers, killing one and injuring the other. The slain Capitol Police officer was identified as William Billy Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force.

Green identified himself on Facebook as a "follower" of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam and had recently lost his job, according to multiplereports.

Yogananda Pittman, the acting chief of the Capitol Police, provided a rundown of the days events, which began shortly after 1 p.m. ET, at a mid-afternoon press conference: The suspect rammed his car into two of our officers and then hit the north barricade barrier. At such time, the suspect exited the vehicle with a knife in hand. Our officers then engaged that suspect. He did not respond to verbal commands. The suspect did start lunging toward U.S. Capitol Police officers  at which time U.S. Capitol Police officers fired upon the suspect.

#BREAKING: Acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police Yogananda Pittman shares what they know so far about the attack on a Capitol checkpoint. She then confirmed that the suspect has died as well as one of the two injured Capitol Police officer. pic.twitter.com/jfuCf4sUcI  Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 2, 2021

The suspect has been pronounced deceased. Two Capitol Police officers were transported to two different hospitals and it is with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries, she continued.

At the time of the press conference, Pittman declined to give detailed information about the victim or the perpetrator because their families had not been notified. She concluded her press conference by asking the public to keep the Capitol Police and their families in their prayers, noting, This has been an extremely difficult time for U.S. Capitol Police after the events of January 6 and now the events that have occurred here today.

According to The Washington Times, Due to the incident, the Capitol was placed on a security lockdown, meaning no one could enter or leave the buildings. Additionally, the incident led to several road closures in the vicinity and forced a handful of public transportation routes to detour. While Congress was not in session and there were fewer employees at the complex than normal on Friday, the Capitol has remained on high alert following the Jan. 6 riot.

The incident comes less than three months after a group of fringe supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol as Congress was certifying the electoral votes of the 2020 presidential election. The storming of the Capitol led to heightened security measures, including the deployment of over 10,000 National Guard soldiers and the installation of tall fencing and razor wire around the Capitol complex.

Late last month, a fence on the outer perimeter of the complex was removed, but a fence around the inner perimeter remains in place. In a statement Friday expressing his deepest condolences to the Capitol Police and to the family of the officer killed in todays tragic incident on Capitol Hill, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin thanked the National Guard troops for supporting the Capitol Police.

In addition to offering his thoughts and prayers to all those affected by this loss and best wishes for a speedy recovery of the injured officer, Austin stressed that events like this remind us of the bravery and skill of law enforcement professionals and of our shared commitment to protecting and defending this great country and its institutions.

In the wake of the Capitol attack, Democrats have tried to portray Trump supporters and white supremacy as major national security threats. Examinations of Greens social media accounts reveal that he was a follower of Louis Farrakhan, who has made anti-Semitic remarks describing Jews as Satanic and likening them to termites. In a March 17 Facebook post, Green referred to himself as Brother Noah X and praised the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan as the man who can carry us through the dark hour.
Every day Queensland was taking in up to nine overseas travellers infected with coronavirus, straining hotel quarantine and the states hospitals, the Premier said.

On Friday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she believed Queensland was taking in the highest number of COVID-positive travellers, and would continue to ask Prime Minister Scott Morrison to reduce travel limits.

Ms Palaszczuk said at national cabinet next week she would raise the high number of positive cases that were coming in from overseas and the demand it was putting on Queensland.

Two clusters across the greater Brisbane region were sparked by what Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young described as a super spreader, a man who flew in from Europe.
The situation is worse for BPC students, heading for the medical courses, who have to take practical exams in the next two weeks.  Representational image/DC

Hyderabad: The second closure of education institutions is proving to be difficult for all stakeholders. This time it is the student community demanding the reopening of colleges ahead of the approaching examinations.

At least 70 students from 10 junior colleges, including Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Narayana Junior College, FIITJEE, gave representations to the the TS Human Rights Commission, education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and TS Board of Intermediate Board (TSBIE) secretary Syed Omar Jaleel, demanding the reopening of colleges ahead of the practical and final exams scheduled next month.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, several students, on condition of anonymity said they need physical classes for at least a few weeks to be able to confidently sit for the exams.

Our future depends on these exams, said one student. Online classes have been of no use to us. Teachers have given us the theoretical, bookish explanations. There have been no practical classes, or even doubt clearing sessions. How are we supposed to clear our practicals in such a situation, they said.

The situation was worse for BPC students, heading for the medical courses, who have to take practical exams in the next two weeks, they said

Another student from the BPC stream said, While we understand that it has been an unusual academic year and circumstances for the 2020 batch have been something no other has seen before, right now we are more concerned about what the future holds for us. We could lose out on a lot of opportunities if we don't get to do our best in our final exams. We were not given enough time to prepare for these exams.

The education department authorities acknowledged the representation from students. There has been no further response from them on the issue.
On Friday, the U.S Capitol went into lockdown after a police officer was killed and another injured when a car rammed into a police barricade at the Capitol. The suspect was shot and killed, and the incident is currently under investigation. Local Texas leaders are sharing their feelings on the incident.

READ MORE: Man rams car into 2 Capitol police; 1 officer, driver killed

Former San Antonio mayor, Julian Castro tweeted out in a statement, My heart goes out to the @CapitolPolice as we learn that another officer has lost their life in a violent attack at the heart of our democracy. These attacks dont happen by accident. Leaders across the spectrum must speak out against the rise in extremism and political violence.

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz took to Twitter to throw his thoughts in the mix as well.  Heidi and I extend our deepest condolences on the loss of one of the U.S. Capitol Police's finest. We will continue to pray for the second officer in the hospital. Thank you to all of the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police.

Police in the area have determined no active threat, and the lockdown in the nation's Capitol has now been lifted.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett mourned for the loss of life sustained saying, "We dont yet know who or why, but another Capitol Police officer has just lost his life defending our Capitol. Every day, these officers put themselves in harms way to protect the heart of our democracy. Let us mourn this loss."

Camille Sauers is a freelance writer based in San Antonio. Follow her on twitter @camillesaccount. Send her emails at camillefrancissauers@gmail.com.
Quavo has broken his silence about his shocking elevator incident with his ex-girlfriend Saweetie, amid a reported Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) investigation.

The Migos star, 29 - who split from the fellow rapper, 27, last month - claimed he wasn't abusive towards her, after a clip of the then-couple engaging in a physical altercation from last year emerged.

Rapper Quavo, real name Quavious Keyate Marshall, told TMZ: 'We had an unfortunate situation almost a year ago that we both learned and moved on from.

'I haven't physically abused Saweetie and have real gratitude for what we did share overall.'

'I haven't physically abused her': Quavo has broken his silence about his shocking elevator incident with his ex Saweetie, amid a reported LAPD investigation (pictured in 2020)

The My Type hitmaker also spoke about the dispute in an official statement, insisting that the pair had reconciled after the fight, and blamed other problems for their recent break-up.

Saweetie, real name Diamonte Quiava Valentin Harper, said: 'This unfortunate incident happened a year ago, while we have reconciled since then and moved past this particular disagreement, there were simply too many other hurdles to overcome in our relationship and we have both since moved on.

'I kindly ask that everyone respect my privacy during this time.'

It has been claimed that the LAPD is investigating the case as a possible domestic violence incident.

'I have real gratitude for what we did share overall': The Migos star, 29 - who split from the fellow rapper, 27, last month - claimed he wasn't abusive towards her (pictured in 2019)

'There were simply too many other hurdles to overcome': The My Type hitmaker also spoke about the dispute in an official statement (pictured in 2020)

Police officers allegedly want to meet with the artists separately after detectives watched the surveillance camera video showing the former couple tussling over a Call Of Duty box, according to TMZ.

The incident could be considered an act of domestic violence where both the couple are in the wrong, according to sources.

The video was taken at a North Hollywood apartment complex where the Best Friend star was living, and begins with Saweetie swinging at Quavo.

Before he dodges her blows, the Bad And Boujee rapper drops the orange video game case, which she grabs before he charges at her and pulls her into the elevator.

The pair scramble over the box, before Quavo yanks on Saweetie's arm, pulling her to the ground.

Examination: It has been claimed that the LAPD is investigating the case as a possible domestic violence incident

He gets up while the 5'7'' songstress appears to remain on the floor of the elevator, perhaps injured.

Quavo - who is 6'2'' - stands by, readjusting his bag while refusing to offer the still grounded Saweetie a hand.

The elevator door opens on another floor, revealing the legs of someone waiting who then decides not to enter.

The Georgia native gathers his backpack and the box as the doors close and they go up another floor, where he gets off as she tries to pull herself off the ground via a nearby handrail.

He then looks back at the rapper and sets down the orange box to block the elevator door from closing as he appears to talk to his partner, who, after several more moments, finally steadies herself and limps off.

Getting to the bottom of things: The incident could be considered an act of domestic violence where both the couple are in the wrong, according to sources (pictured in 2019)

Saweetie confirmed the pair had split on March 19 via social media, suggesting the Motorsport rapper cheated as she told fans she's 'endured too much betrayal.'

The influencer said at the time: 'I'm single. I've endured too much betrayal and hurt behind the scenes for a false narrative to be circulating that degrades my character.

'Presents don't band aid scars and the love isn't real when the intimacy is given to other women.

'I emotionally checked out a long time ago and have walked away with a deep sense of peace and freedom,' she went on in another post. Excited for this new chapter of elevation [Folded hands.]'

'Too much betrayal': The influencer confirmed the pair had split on March 19 via social media, suggesting the Motorsport rapper cheated as she told fans she's 'endured too much betrayal'

'I had love for you and disappointed you did all that': Quavo responded to her posts

'Take care': Media personality Saweetie replied by taking the high road

Quavo responded to her posts as he wrote: 'I had love for you and disappointed you did all that. You are not the woman I thought you were. I wish you nothing but the best [prayer hands emoji]'

Media personality Saweetie took the high road as she quote retweeted the post with: 'Take care.' The duo sparked breakup rumors when they unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed the bombshell unfollowed the Hannah Montana rapper first, before her former beau returned the favour.

Adding fuel to the fire, Saweetie later gave an interview in which she declared 'I don't like liars' but refused to confirm who she was referring to.

During an interview with Justin LaBoy on the Respectfully Justin YouTube channel, the Grown-ish star was asked about the most disrespectful thing a man had done to her.

She responded: 'He break your heart... it's the last straw...' but would not be drawn on who the man was. I think it's lying. It's the principle, I don't like liars.'

The pair's romance began in 2018 when he slid into her DMs with a snowflake emoji referencing her 2017 hit, ICY GRL.

'I told her, ''You an icy girl, you need a glacier boy,''' Quavo said in the August edition of GQ.

Ouch: Eagle-eyed fans noticed the bombshell unfollowed the Hannah Montana rapper first, before her former beau returned the favour

Saweetie added: 'And I sent him the stir-fry [emoji] back' - referencing Migos' 2017 hit song.

In the work department, the Tap In star has extended her publishing agreement with Warner Chappell Music.

The Hayward native and the publishing company of Warner Music Group have inked a new deal and the company has tipped her as 'the next big female breakout star'.

Warner Chappell Music President of A&R, U.S., Ryan Press, said: 'We've been lucky enough to be on this incredible journey with Saweetie since the very beginning.

'We're in the business of taking early bets on artists and helping develop them into global sensations, and that's exactly the trajectory Saweetie is on.

'She's well on her way to becoming the next big female breakout star, and we're so proud to be able to continue to support her.'

The songwriter, who is signed to Warner Chappell's sister label, Warner Records, added: 'Ryan and the whole Warner Chappell team have become family over the years.

'It's amazing to look back at everything we've accomplished together, and I'm excited for this next chapter.'

Saweetie has had success with songs including Back to the Streets featuring Jhene Aiko and Best Friend with Doja Cat.

However, in December, she lashed out at her label, accusing WBR of releasing Best Friend prematurely.

The social media star said at the time: 'I am extremely disappointed in my label WBR for prematurely releasing a single I was so excited about. I feel disrespected.

'I'm hands on with ALL of my creative & had such a dope rollout for best friends. The thirst for clout & $ is real & it overrides the artists' art.' (sic)
BRUSSELS  Alain Walravens, 63, is waiting to be invited for a first coronavirus vaccination. So are Marion Pochet, 71, a retired translator, and her husband, Jean-Marc. At least, Ms. Pochet said, they both have had Covid-19, so we have some immunity, at least for the moment.

All three are sharply critical of the European Union, which took control of vaccine procurement and distribution and is widely considered to have done worse than its main partners, the United States and Britain, let alone Israel, which have all gotten vaccines into a much larger percentage of their populations than Europe.

So far, only about 11 percent of the blocs population has received at least one vaccine shot, compared with 46 percent in Britain and 29 percent in the United States.

As European countries lock down again in a third wave of the virus, the reputation and credibility of the European Union and its executive arm, the European Commission, are much in play.
CREDITORS of the defunct Cold Storage Company have voted Mr Vonani Majoko of Majoko and Majoko Legal Practitioners as the new interim corporate rescue practitioner for the country's meat processor and marketer.

Mr Majoko takes over from Mr Ngoni Kudenga of BDO Zimbabwe who was appointed the interim corporate rescue practitioner by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, Dr Anxious Masuka last year.

The Minister, through a High Court application, successfully placed CSC under reconstruction interdicting creditors from attaching the parastatal's assets.

During CSC first creditors' meeting under interim corporate rescue held in Bulawayo before the Master of the High Court Wednesday, creditors raised concerns that Mr Kudenga's close relationship with Minister Masuka and previous involvement in CSC presented a conflict of interest.

Creditors that attended yesterday's meeting at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre included representatives of former CSC management and workers, urban councils such as Bulawayo, Gweru and Mutare as well as parastatals like the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company, and the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), among others.

On behalf of the CSC workers, Mr Dumisani Dube of Mathonsi Ncube Law Chambers highlighted before the Master of High Court, Mrs Rose Dube, that ratifying Mr Kudenga as the corporate rescue practitioner for the parastatal presented a conflict of interest.

This, he said, was on account of the close relationship between Mr Kudenga and Dr Masuka and also their previous dealings with CSC.

In an interview after the meeting, Mr Dube said: "The Minister of Agriculture (Dr Masuka) is the one who went to Court and got the order to appoint Mr Kudenga the interim corporate rescue practitioner for the Cold Storage Company.

"But the problem is that before the Minister was appointed minister, he was the chief executive officer for the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society and he was reporting to Mr Kudenga.

"Further to that, the Minister seats on a subsidiary of Tongaat Zimbabwe called Mutilikwi and Kudenga seats on Hippo Valley," he said.

Wednesday's meeting, which was CSC' first creditors' meeting under interim corporate rescue, was aimed at receiving a report on the "reasonable" prospects of rescuing the firm and a host of other issues relating to ratifying the appointment of the interim corporate rescue practitioner of CSC in terms of Section 124 (5) of the Insolvency Act (Chapter 6:07).

It emerged during the creditors meeting that Tongaat Hullet at one time indicated keen interest to acquire CSC ranges in Masvingo.

"There is a close relationship between the Minister (Dr Masuka) and Mr Kudenga and also have previous dealings with CSC . . . we want someone who is independent from the process so that he can inspire confidence to properly turnaround the company because we couldn't allow a situation where 'old boys' collate together to the detriment of a national asset," said Mr Dube.

He said for the past seven years, he has attached CSC property and put caveats on behalf of the workers and sold three properties.

"So, it was in the interest of the workers that we need someone who is independent and credible. Also, Mr Kudenga is part of the investigations by the Institute of Chartered Accountants on how he mismanaged NSSA and other banks, so there are questions.

"We want a process where workers are paid. When the investor came in, the investor naturally assumed the credit liability of CSC . . . speaking from a straight perspective CSC is not insolvent, it doesn't owe anyone, it's now up to the investor to pay."

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Following the concerns raised during the meeting, the Master of the High Court disqualified Mr Kudenga as CSC interim corporate rescue practitioner before putting the matter on a vote, where Mr Majoko was announced the new interim corporate rescue practitioner.

He garnered eight votes against to other nominees Mr Philip Ndlovu of PNA Chartered Accountants and Phibion Gwatidzo of Baker Tilly who each got four votes.

The Master of the High Court, after the voting stressed that the outcome of the voting by the creditors entails that the process to rescue CSC was starting afresh.

This implies that another creditors' meeting to save the same purpose as Wednesday's will be called by Mr Majoko at a date to be advised.

At its peak, CSC handled up to 150 000 tonnes of beef and associated by-products annually and exported to the European Union, where it had an annual quota of 9 100 tonnes of beef.

The company used to earn the country about US$45 million per year.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Alba Iulia, Kovacs Gergely, states in his Pastoral address to the faithful on the occasion of the Easter holidays that Evil cannot triumph over Good even when it might seem that diabolical goals driven by greed and desire for vengeance tend to prevail.

"No matter how threatening the signs in everyday life might be, we know that our life is in the hands of God, who loves us so much that He gave his only Son for us. We are stirred by the realization that Evil cannot triumph over Good, lies over truth, hatred over love. Even when it looks like in our world, the diabolical goals driven by greed, thirst for power, jealousy and the desire for revenge tend to prevail," says the Archbishop, agerpres.ro confirms.

He also shows that the Feast of the Passover announces the light and always reigns over the darkness.

"This is announced by the joyful song of the 'Hallelujah', which announces that, although our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, He has risen. He no longer dies. The tomb is empty, and although no one wants to believe it at first, this good news lasts for 2,000 years. Human history is looking at a new beginning," said Kovacs Gergely.

"Our relationship with God, with our neighbor and with ourselves is re-evaluated, because in the light of our Lord's resurrection, we see ourselves differently and interpret the world differently. We are overwhelmed with great hope, with a new zeal, at the same time, we have a new task. We experience that there is no hopeless situation any more, even when we do not find a solution with the help of human reason, when we do not see a way out," said the high Roman Catholic hierarch.

"We, Christians, must live on earth directed towards eternal values. This gives authenticity to our Christian lives. (...) Let us all be witnesses of the risen Jesus Christ in daily life. Let us be signs of hope in difficult situations. Let us live the call of Christians with all our hearts, with joy and enthusiasm," concludes the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Alba.
Taipei, April 2 : A train derailed in Taiwan on Friday, causing multiple casualties, according to authorities.

The derailment occurred in a tunnel in Hualian, Xinhua news agency quoted the country's fire fighting agency as saying.

By around 10.30 a.m. (local time), three severely wounded people had been rushed to a hospital and some 20 others were awaiting treatment, the agency said.

It added that some 80 to 100 people had been evacuated.
EDWARDSVILLE  The Edwardsville CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program is gearing up for its two biggest events of the spring.

The program, which is comprised of seniors from Edwardsville High School, Metro-East Lutheran and Father McGivney Catholic High School, is hosting its Fish Tank business pitch competition from 7 to 8:30 a.m. on April 21-22 and its Trade Show from noon to 3 p.m. on May 2.

Both events will be at the Ink House, 117 N. 2nd St. in Edwardsville.

Edwardsville CEO is an entrepreneurial program but at the heart of it, our goal is to set our students up for success no matter which career path they choose, said Hannah Allison, who is the facilitator for the program. Some of the students come to the program knowing they want to start their own business or work in a particular business field, while other students have no clue what they want to do and theyre looking for direction.

Weve found there are common pillars for success in any chosen career, like working hard, doing what you say youre going to do and being on time. You have to be able to effectively communicate and work with a team. These students get exposed to all of our incredible community members, business owners, managers, and leaders, who share their story with them and help them build a strong foundation of these key pillars.

The CEO class meets five days a week for 90 minutes a day and is a year-long, two-credit high school course. Students also receive four hours of college credit through SWIC.

Funding comes from financial pledges from local businesses and donations from other individual and group community investors. The fiscal agent for Edwardsville CEO is the Edwardsville Community Foundation.

To be selected for the program, participating high school juniors must apply and submit letters of recommendation, a written request for admission and complete an entrepreneurial profile. Only 20 students across all three participating high schools are chosen by the CEO selection committee.

The class meets in local businesses and changes locations throughout the year. CEO mentors help students immerse themselves in real-life learning experiences with the opportunity to take risks, manage the results and learn from the outcomes.

We tour local businesses and get to go behind the scenes with the business owners, who share their personal journey and how they started, said Allison, who taught fifth grade for six years in Belleville before joining Edwardsville CEO when the program started in 2018. We also bring guest speakers to our various host sites in the community including First Mid Bank and Trust, The Ink House and the Public Safety Building.

The students are matched with a mentor that they meet with once a month, and the mentors serve as their one-on-one guide as they are forming their businesses. The business visits and the speakers start with the first week of the program.

The Edwardsville CEO class is divided into two distinct portions.

In the fall semester, the students work together to create their class business endeavor.

They plan everything from the marketing of an event to projecting finances to implementing all of the moving pieces on the day of launch, Allison said.

This past year they were planning a class business in a pandemic, but they absolutely knocked it out of the park. They planned a large-scale drive-in movie night at Edwardsville High School with food vendors and worked with the Madison County Health Department to make it an incredible experience for the community. Proceeds from the class business become the seed money for the individual businesses that they launch the second semester.

The students are responsible for coming up with an individual business endeavor and launching it by the trade show in May.

In addition to all of these business visits and the mentoring program, we have Doug Villhard, who is the Academic Director for Entrepreneurship at Washington University, Allison said. Doug leads a 10-part speaking series with us called, The Art (and Science) of Entrepreneurial Thinking, which is a slightly modified version of the same course he teaches at Wash U.

He walks them through how to discover a customers problem, how to find a loveable solution, how to differentiate from your competition and so much more. Its something that ties the whole experience together and we are extremely fortunate to have Doug along with all of these other great role models.

The business visits, along with Villhards speaking series, set the stage for the Fish Tank, which is loosely modeled after Shark Tank, an entrepreneurial-themed reality show on ABC.

Part of the speaking series that Doug does with us is to help our students learn how to craft an actual pitch deck presentation, Allison said. The students are in the process of crafting a three-minute pitch which they will present live to our amazing panel of judges, and that will be followed by a two-minute Q & A session.

Fish Tank not only allows our students to learn what goes into a business pitch, but it also gives them a trial run for the trade show, where they are going to be talking to people all day and giving multiple pitches for their business.

The Fish Tank is sponsored by the SIUE School of Business and Small Business Development Center for the Metro East and is the last step for the students before the trade show.

Judges for the Fish Tank include:

 Jason Plummer, Illinois State Senator and vice president of RP Lumber

 Kristen Pfund, Co-owner of Pfund Construction and The Ink House

 Steve Cooper, Senior vice president at First Mid Bank & Trust

 Timothy S. Schoenecker, Ph.D., Dean of the SIUE School of Business

 Jay Beard, owner of Goshen Coffee and Boulder Holdings, LLC

 Jennifer Hughey, CEO of Goshen Coffee

 JoAnn DiMaggio May, director of SBDC SIUE

Many of our students have already started selling products and launching services, but for the show, they actually get to set up a booth to display everything they have worked so hard to create, Allison said. This year, students have a wide variety of businesses they are launching including custom earrings, home decor, sustainable apparel, unique music lessons, car detailing, a subscription box featuring local products, an app that connects high school students to the job market and more.

This summer, Edwardsville CEO plans to hold its annual community/investor luncheon, where Allison and members of the CEO board provide a state of the union address to the community about the work that the organization has been doing.

The event was virtual last year due to the pandemic.

This program is unique because its not funded by students and not funded by schools but rather by our local community, Allison said. All of our investors and participants believe in what we are teaching, and we like to share with the community what our students have done over the past year. When you have a program that helps students realize their full potential while also recognizing the opportunities that exist right here in our own community you have something truly special.

For more information about Edwardsville CEO, the Fish Tank or the Trade Show, or to read more about students individual businesses go to https://www.edwardsvilleceo.com/ or visit the Edwardsville CEO Facebook page. You can also reach out to Hannah Allison at facilitator@edwardsvilleceo.com.
Restaurants, bars, malls to be shut for a week in Pune

Eateries, bars and restaurants in district of Maharashtra will remain shut for seven days starting April 3 in view of the spike in cases of late, a senior official said on Friday. A curfew will be in place across the district from 6 pm to 6 am, and malls, cinema halls and places of religious worship will also be shut during this seven-day period, he said. Read more

Reliance gets shareholders nod for hiving off O2C business

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Ltd on Friday said it has secured approval of its shareholders and creditors for hiving off its oil-to-chemical (O2C) business into a separate unit. As per directions of NCLT, the company convened meetings of equity shareholders, lenders and unsecured creditors for consideration of a resolution for transferring the O2C business to a separate subsidiary - Reliance O2C Limited. In stock exchange filings, RIL said 99.99 per cent of shareholders, who participated in the meeting held through video conferencing, voted in favour of the resolution. Read more

Modi colluded with IT officials for raids on DMK, says Stalin

DMK President and Chief Ministerial candidate M.K. Stalin on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of "colluding" with officials to conduct raids on DMK functionaries after Income Tax Dept searched premises of his daughter Senthamarai, and asserting that his party cannot be intimated by such threats. Addressing a poll programme at Jayankondam in Ariyalur, Stalin said: "Prime Minister reached Madurai yesterday night. He conducted meetings with IT officials to conduct raid on the premises of DMK functionaries." Read more

EC orders repoll in one Assam polling booth

The Election Commission on Friday ordered a repoll at a polling booth in Ratabari seat of Assam after a controversy broke out over the presiding officer carrying the EVM after polling in a vehicle which belonged to the wife of a BJP candidate contesting from a neighbouring seat. To prevent the polling team from being assaulted in Karimganj by a mob which alleged that the electronic voting machine was being taken for tampering, police had to use force. Read more
Friday, April 2, 2021

Crisis management expert and author Edward Segal said today the recent passage of a restrictive voting law in Georgia raises important questions on how, when, and why  or if  companies and organizations should take sides on this and other hot-button political and social issues of the day. Microsoft, Bank of America, and Patagonia are among the major companies who have voiced their opposition to the Georgia legislation.

He noted that, "After being criticized for their initial comments when the measure was enacted, Coca-Cola issued a second statement in as many days opposing the law. A company spokesperson has not responded to a request for an explanation of why they released the new statement. Delta Airlines also changed course, and issued a statement critical of the new law."

Segal notes in a story for Forbes.com that, "Corporate activism has been around for decades and was expected to continue during the Biden administration. But the increased polarization of the country and the tribal nature of politics has created fresh concerns about the consequences for businesses that speak up too early, too often or alienate or offend too many people."



"Whether and how corporations address issues such as social injustice and racial inequities can matter to employees," he added.



Segal cited a survey of 2,501 employees in the U.S.that provides insights into what some workers think about the positions their companies have taken on recent hot button issues. According to the recently released Workforce Mindset Study from Alight Solutions, "...less than half of U.S. employees feel proud of how their organization responded to the demonstrations in 2020.



Among other things,the study found that:



- During periods of social unrest, 51% of employees said their employer communicated about inclusion and diversity, but little action was taken afterward.



- 4 in 10 employees believed their employer needs to do more in response to social justice effortsand that number jumps to 66% for Black employees.



Segal's article can be read at http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsegal/2021/04/01/how-and-when-ceos-should-address-hot-button-political-and-social-issues/

He is the author of the recently published book on crisis management  "Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare For and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies" (Nicholas Brealey). It was named by Book Authority.com as the #1 best book to read on crisis management in 2020 and one of the best books of all time about the topic. Order a copy of and learn more about "Crisis Ahead" at https://publicrelations.com/order-book/

Segal also hosts the "Crisis Ahead" podcast which features guests who discuss their experiences and observations about various crisis management situations and what others can learn from those situations.

The podcast can be seen on YouTubebat https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCwx26phRVnXdnnaJt71cqZw, and heard on Apple. Google and other podcast sites including Podbean at https://thecrisisaheadpodcast.podbean.com/

###
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 02.04.21:

The trial of the criminal case against Armenias second President Robert Kocharyan and other former high-ranking officials has resumed on Thursday.

The defendants are charged with the overthrow of the constitutional order under the article of the Criminal Code - which the Constitutional Court declared invalidated.

In this regard, lawyers have earlier presented a motion to terminate the criminal prosecution under this article at the nearest court session, however, the court on Tuesday refused to discontinue this criminal prosecution and adjourned the hearing due to the absence of the prosecution.

The situation was tense in the court on Friday - a judge has been suspending Friday's trial for several times.

In turn, the Prosecutor General of Armenia today appealed to the Constitutional Court on the case of Robert Kocharyan and others.

Armenian FM Ara Aivazian met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov within the sidelines of the session of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers.

FM Aivazian stressed the need to immediately return the Armenian POWs and detainees who are held on the Azerbaijani side in violation of the obligations provided for in the aforesaid tripartite statement.

Foreign Ministers also discussed the current issues related to the humanitarian response in Nagorno-Karabakh and the unblocking of economic and communication links in the region.

Five years have passed since the four-day war in April.

On this occasion, the senior officials of Armenia were visiting Yerablur Military Pantheon.

Flowers were laid by President Armen Sarkissian and on behalf of Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and ex-president Serzh Sargsyan.

Pashinyan was not present personally as he is in self-isolation since Friday up to his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for April 7.

The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Defense Army has reported the names of 52 more soldiers, reservists, and volunteers who had fallen during the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

The number of such casualties from the Armenian side has now reached 2,754.

The Congressional Armenian Caucus is calling for over $100 million in U.S. aid to Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) following Turkey and Azerbaijans devastating attacks last year, the Armenian National Committee of America reported.

They also call for the suspension of all U.S. security assistance for Azerbaijan until it has been verified to have ceased all attacks against Armenia and Artsakh.

The third COVID-19 wave is on its high in Armenia, leaving multiple deaths and recorded cases.

As of Friday morning, 1,116 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 194,852.

Also, 19 more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 3,552 cases.

Meanwhile, Armenia has also reported 10 UK COVID-19 strain cases.

The bodies of a 26-year-old mother and her 7-year-old daughter were found in an apartment in Yerevan at midnight. They had died from acute poisoning in the organism with carbon monoxide.

A criminal case has been launched, and forensic medical and forensic technical examinations have been designated.

The American dollars (USD) exchange rate against the Armenian dram (AMD) comprised AMD 533.17/$1 in Armenia on Friday.

This is up by AMD 1.03 from Thursday, the Central Bank of Armenia reported.
L.A. County Superior Court Judge Patrick E. Connolly. (Nico Smedley/Los Angeles Times)

A state judicial watchdog commission publicly admonished Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Patrick E. Connolly on Friday  his third time being disciplined  for inappropriate demeanor and remarks.

The California Commission on Judicial Performance cited Connolly for improper demeanor with two criminal defense lawyers during an arraignment and for telling a criminal defendant he knew the man was guilty after a jury had just acquitted him.

The arraignment occurred on March 20, 2020, after Gov. Gavin Newsom had imposed a stay-at-home order due to COVID-19. Two defense attorneys , one experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, sought to conduct the arraignment that day by telephone.

Connolly allowed the remote hearing but appeared irritated that the lawyers had not come to court, according to the admonishment. He cited their lack of presence in his courtroom when he dismissed the lawyers' attempts to get their clients released from jail for health reasons.

The judge, a former Los Angeles prosecutor, addressed the lawyers sharply and sarcastically, according to a transcription of his remarks, and turned down their requests to release the defendants.

"OK," Connolly told one of the lawyers. "Im going to stop you there. Because were done. All right. I am not releasing either of these people, with these charges. There are multiple charges. If you wished to present this evidence, you should have been here or had someone represent you."

The commission said the attorneys appeared polite and respectful, and there was "no apparent justification for the judges display of impatience and irritation."

Connolly told the commission that the shutdown order was still new, and no processes had yet been put in place to conduct proceedings remotely.

The commission acknowledged the health crisis had sparked unusual challenges but noted they "affected the defense attorneys as well as the court."

"The commission concluded that the initial lack of clarity about how to handle court proceedings during the public health crisis did not excuse or explain the judges mistreatment of the attorneys," the admonition said.

Story continues

The other incident cited by the commission occurred on Aug. 20, 2018.

After a jury had acquitted a criminal defendant and left the courtroom, Connolly told the defendant, "Let me tell you, youve been given a gift from God because theres no question in my mind that youre guilty of this crime."

The written admonishment order said the comment disparaged the jury's decision and undermined faith in the criminal justice system.

"The judges role in a jury trial is to be neutral," the admonishment said. "Judge Connollys remark was likely to undermine public confidence in the independence of the jury and its important role in the justice system."

"Further," the admonishment added, "contrary to Judge Connollys assertion, a judge does not have a duty to advise a criminal defendant that the defendant has been given the gift of an acquittal. While a judge may encourage a defendant to make better choices and take advantage of opportunities in the future, the judge must not do so at the expense of the jury and its verdict. "

The commission also publicly admonished Connolly in 2016 for abusing his authority and mistreating a defense lawyer and privately admonished him in 2010 for using profanity in his chambers and during discussions with lawyers.

The watchdog commission consists of one Court of Appeal justice and two Superior Courts judges appointed by the California Supreme Court, two attorneys appointed by the governor and six lay citizens  two appointed by the governor, two appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and two appointed by the speaker of the Assembly.

The commission can impose one of five levels of discipline. They range from an advisory letter, the most lenient, to private admonishment, public admonishment, public censure and, the most severe, removal from office. Judges who reach the bench by election tend to have higher rates of discipline than jurists appointed by governors after vetting.

Connolly became a judge by election, not by appointment by a governor. A Los Angeles County Bar Assn. in 2008 found that Connolly and the other candidates for the open seat on the Superior Court were not qualified. The bar faulted Connolly at the time for his temperament.

Connolly was reelected by default in 2020 when no one ran against him. His term ends in 2027.

Neither the judge nor his attorney could be reached for comment.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 04:20:19|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Department of State said on Thursday that it welcomes the EU-led virtual meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) scheduled on Friday.

"We obviously welcome this as a positive step," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters during a press briefing.

"We have been clear for weeks now that we are ready to pursue a return to compliance with our JCPOA commitments, consistent with Iran also doing the same," said Price.

He noted that Washington talked with partners about the best way to achieve this objective, including through a series of initial mutual steps.

The European Union said in a statement earlier in the day that representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain, and Iran will meet virtually on April 2 to discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal.

The United States and Iran are in a standoff over reviving the nuclear deal. The Joe Biden administration said that if Iran returns to full compliance with the JCPOA, the United States would do the same. But Iran insisted its compliance would only take place once U.S. sanctions were removed.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday criticized Washington for the delay in re-embracing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, according to the state TV.

"This would mean a win-win bargain for the region and the entire world, which would benefit them. The Americans were not able to understand that, and they have failed to seize this golden opportunity," Rouhani said.

U.S. media earlier this week reported that the Biden administration planned to put forth a new proposal for Tehran as soon as this week to break the deadlock.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Politico said in a Monday piece that the proposal asks Iran to halt some of its nuclear activities in exchange for some relief from U.S. economic sanctions.

Washington withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and tightened sanctions on Iran under former President Donald Trump. In response to the U.S. moves, Iran suspended the implementation of parts of its obligations under the deal. Enditem
A 38-year-old farmer from Bihar is cultivating a vegetable that costs over USD 1,000 (Rs 85,000) per kg.

Amresh Singh from Karamdih village under Navinagar block of Bihar's Aurangabad district is among the pioneers in hop-shoot cultivation in India.

One kilogram of this vegetable costs about Rs 1 lakh ! World's costliest vegetable,'hop-shoots' is being cultivated by Amresh Singh an enterprising farmer from Bihar, the first one in India. Can be a game changer for Indian farmers ????https://t.co/7pKEYLn2Wa @PMOIndia #hopshoots pic.twitter.com/4FCvVCdG1m  Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) March 31, 2021

Pictures of Amresh in his farm were shared by IAS Supriya Sahu on Twitter. "One kilogram of this vegetable costs about Rs 1 lakh ! World's costliest vegetable, 'hop-shoots' is being cultivated by Amresh Singh an enterprising farmer from Bihar, the first one in India. Can be a game changer for Indian farmers", she wrote.

According to Amresh, while the fruit called hop-cone is used in making beer, the stem is used for medicinal purposes like making antibiotics.

The plant is also used as herb. In Europe, it is used for keeping the skin gleaming and young since it is also a source for antioxidants.

Hop shoots vegetableA farmer growing this vegetable can make as much as Rs 50-60 lakh from each katha, he stated.

It also improves digestive system function, help those suffering from depression and can even cure insomnia.

My grandfather used to own about 200 bighas of land, but we faced some problems and I had no choice but to break my education midway and take up the family profession, he said.
The teachings of Jesus, in both his words and example, were challenging to the accepted views of his generation. Two millennia later, they are still a source of ethics and a point of critique in our own day.

Whether we are in a political crisis in Australia  as is often claimed - or not, public confidence has been rocked by the revelations of appalling conduct and abuse of power by some politicians and some among their staff.

The Reverend Chris Carolane shares Easter eggs at the end of the dawn service at St Pauls Cathedral in Melbourne. Credit:Rebecca Hallas

I am not surprised that these revelations have become public after a year of COVID-19 restrictions. Those who have spoken out have been freed, at least for a time, from the coercive culture of unhealthy workplaces and have named truths that are too often repressed.

Easter always involves repeating the story of Jesus and his truth-speaking, no matter what. In his case, up against Roman imperial authority and all the stage management of an imperial public spectacle, he is condemned to death by crucifixion, the means of death for a slave.
Erin Stewarts examination of missing persons could easily have been another example of true-crime writing. But its the philosophical dimension that makes it so much more than that. Shes interested in the concept of what it is to be missing (to be missing, you have to be missed), ambiguity and living with uncertainty  so many of the cases are never solved and can be read in varying ways. Some get huge attention, such as Madeleine McCann, others go under the radar. Class, race and ethnic factors come into play  missing children from disadvantaged homes are often depicted as the victims of neglectful parenting. Stewart interviewed people around the world, and the result is a poised meditation that draws on the most unlikely sources, such as the paintings of Rene Magritte, and is as much concerned with the question of how we live with not knowing as with the facts of the cases.

The town of New Norcia, with its Spanish-style monastery, is not far from Perth, but it emerges from Alf Taylors memoir like a place from another world. When he was a young boy in the 1950s, Taylor was taken from his Nyoongah family and sent there to be Christianised. Which meant being yelled at by the Benedictine monks and nuns who ran the town, being given the strap routinely, and being constantly told that he would amount to nothing. His tale, told as though channelling the child within, is by turns incredibly sad (learning how to cry silently in the dorms) and comic, Taylor getting up to all sorts of forbidden tricks. At 15, he ran away and was finally re-united with his mother (his father had died, the fact cruelly communicated to him by a monk). The town is small but Taylor has created a private universe from it.

Flames of Extinction

John Pickrell, NewSouth, $29.99

Credit:

The devastation of the Black Summer fires was largely pushed off the front pages of newspapers and TV reportage by COVID-19. This study, passionate and measured, but in no doubt the scope and intensity of the fires were driven by climate change, is a timely reminder of what an apocalyptic summer it was. Each chapter revolves around iconic wildlife species  and the koala is first cab off the rank, the undisputed poster-child of the devastation. Images of burnt, frightened and dehydrated koalas sipping from firefighters water bottles circulated around the world. But the fact is, because of habitat destruction and massive fires, too many of our cute critters (platypus, cockatoos and koala) are in danger of extinction. Readable and full of copious research, this is also a stark reminder of what may happen again.

Reconstruction

John Edwards, Penguin Specials, $12.99
The NHS was today accused of missing a trick after it emerged dozens of vaccination sites around the country are closing for the bank holiday weekend.

The Adam Smith Institute think-tank slammed centres for shutting on the days more people would be able to get their first jab because they are off work.

It said 'the virus doesn't sleep' and nor should the UK as it enters a crucial stage of the roll-out in trying to finish vaccinating everyone over 50 in the next two weeks.

But the NHS hit back, saying jabs are being dished out over the Easter weekend 'in line with available supply' and that most clinics were staying open.

A spokesperson said the 1,600 sites across England would be open based on the needs of the local community but jab clinics in London, Berkshire, Norfolk, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire and Merseyside have all closed today and will remain shut on Monday.

The NHS insists it is on track to hit the target of offering jabs to all over-50s and at-risk adults by April 15.

It praised staff for working so hard throughout the pandemic and said it was up to local volunteers to decide whether they want to work through the holiday.

But critics said the country 'cannot afford delay' and that the virus 'doesn't take weekends off' or 'stop for an Easter egg'.

Jab clinics in London, Berkshire, Norfolk, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire and Merseyside have all closed for the bank holiday weekend from today until Monday. Pictured: A Debenhams store used as a vaccination centre in Folkestone, Kent

James Lawson, of the Adam Smith Institute think tank, told MailOnline vaccination sites should have taken advantage of workers being off over the weekend and therefore better able to book appointments.

He said: 'The vaccine campaign has improved dramatically but it's disappointing to see some centres are slacking off for Easter.

'We are at war with this dreadful virus, and cannot afford delay. The virus doesn't rest, it doesn't sleep, it doesn't take weekends off and it certainly doesn't stop for an Easter egg.

'We need to keep up the campaign seven days a week. If anything we should be extending vaccine centre hours, with demand for 24-hour facilities.

'The holidays would provide ideal slots for many people needing a vaccine but who struggle to get time out or off work during the week.'

NHS England has previously said it was considering its position on whether it would force all vaccination sites to operate over the weekend.

Sonning Common Health Centre in Reading and Parkwood Surgery in Hemel Hempstead both released messages saying they will not be open for jabs from today until Easter Monday.

Meanwhile Cornersway Medical Centre in Knowsley, Merseyside, said it would shut its doors today and Easter Monday.

And Nonsuch Mansion in Sutton, London, confirmed in a special notice on its website its vaccination centre would not be open on Easter Sunday or Monday.

WHERE ARE VACCINE SITES CLOSING FOR EASTER? Nonsuch Mansion, Sutton, London Closed Easter Sunday and Easter Monday Sonning Common Health Centre, Reading Closed from Good Friday to Easter Monday Parkwood Surgery, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire Closed from Good Friday to Easter Monday Cornersway Medical Centre, Knowsley, Merseyside Closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday CCGs in Norfolk and Derbyshire have confirmed most GP surgeries are closed for the entirety of the weekend The NHS said it does not keep data on further sites which could also be closing for the weekend Advertisement

But the NHS does not collect any official data on which sites are remaining open.

An NHS spokesperson said: 'Vaccines are being administered over the Easter weekend in line with available supply, so it's is a shame that the MailOnline seems determined  based on a sample of around one per cent of the 1,600 vaccination sites in England  to write a story criticising the selflessness of volunteers and NHS staff who are giving up their time over the bank holiday to ensure that even more people most at risk of Covid-19 get protected, on top of the 26million people who already have been successfully jabbed.'

But in February, an NHS primary care bulletin confirmed it was considering making it mandatory for GP-led vaccination centres to stay open seven days a week.

It said: 'With the Easter bank holiday weekend fast approaching, we wanted to confirm there are currently no plans to ask all of primary care (general practice, community pharmacy, dentistry and optometry) to routinely open again.

'However, we continue to keep this position under review, subject to the changing demands of the pandemic.

'Local vaccination services remain the exception, where necessary providing a seven-day service, including bank holidays. Further communications on that will follow.

We are extremely grateful to those who will be working over the Easter weekend but hope that everyone will be able to benefit from additional rest days.'

NHS England statistics to March 28 showed that up to 93 per cent of people over 50  the last of the priority groups  have now had at least one dose of the vaccine.

But 2.8million are still yet to receive their first jab, with the Government's target of reaching all of the top nine priority groups in a couple of weeks fast approaching.

It comes after governments in Europe pleaded with local authorities to keep sites open over Easter as the continent faces a third wave of infections.

Spain's Madrid region halted Covid vaccinations Thursday at centres for four days so medical staff can rest over the Easter holiday.

The shutdown came as the country scrambles to make up for lost time in its national vaccination plan due to supply shortfalls.

Spanish health minister Carolina Darias last week urged regional authorities to keep vaccinating over the Easter break, saying it was 'very important' to keep up the inoculation program.

Spain, like other European Union nations, has had a surprisingly slow vaccine rollout that authorities blame on vaccine shortages.

In response to criticism from political opponents, which came about a month before a regional election, the Madrid regional government said its health centres stepped up vaccinations earlier this week to compensate for the closures.
[April 02, 2021] Cox Enterprises Names Patrick Waite as Vice President of Audit Services

ATLANTA, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Enterprises today announced that Patrick Waite has been named vice president of Audit Services for Cox Enterprises, effective April 5. Waite will work with boundary partners across the Cox family of companies to ensure alignment and partnership to achieve the company's long-term objectives. Most recently, Waite served as Cox Communications vice president of supply chain operations, planning, and logistics where he had overall responsibility to develop and execute the fulfillment of all supply chain needs. In 2020, Waite's team was also instrumental in distributing equipment required to keep employees safe. Previously, he was the executive director of process improvement in Cox Communications Operations. "Patrick's more than 20 years of experience in global process improvement will bring a well-rounded perspective to this role," said Lacey Lewis, senior vice president of finance for Cox Enterprises. "We're excited to welcome him to the teamas he continues to leverage his expertise to help his colleagues, employees and customers be successful."



Before joining Cox, Waite held numerous transformation roles within Fortune 1000 companies, including EY, Linde, CHEP and AGCO. Waite is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and earned his MBA from the University of Florida and his bachelor's from Miami University. Outside of work, Waite enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters as well as teaching part-time at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business.

About Cox Enterprises

Cox Enterprises is dedicated to building a better future through our leading communications, automotive and media companies. Our major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Automotive, and we are strategically investing in new industries and emerging technologies, with sizeable interests in clean technology and health care. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Cox is a global company with nearly $20 billion in annual revenues and brands that include Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book and Cox Homelife. Founded in 1898 by Ohio Governor James M. Cox, the company is a family-owned business committed to its people, communities and planet. To learn more about Cox, visit coxenterprises.com , view our Sustainability Report at coxcsrreport.com , or follow us on Twitter via @CoxEnterprises or @AlexTaylor_Cox. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cox-enterprises-names-patrick-waite-as-vice-president-of-audit-services-301261536.html SOURCE Cox Enterprises

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BTS member Suga was forced to stay away from the limelight for quite some time to focus more on the full recovery of his injured shoulder. Alongside Jin, Jimin, Jungkook, J-Hope, RM and V, the South Korean performer has worked so hard to reach where their group is currently at right now that he almost forgot to take care of himself.

So, did Suga's temporary hiatus due to his shoulder injury affect his net worth? Keep on reading to know more about this hard-working and stunning BTS member.

BTS Suga' Net Worth Revealed

According to Celebrity Net Worth, BTS member Suga has a total net worth of $20 million. Reports have it that the K-pop star accumulated most of his wealth from the official activities of BTS and, of course, his solo mixtapes.

Most, if not all, fans can recall that Suga released his first solo mixtape called "Agust D" in 2016, which saw worldwide success. The said mixtape even peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard World Albums Chart and was re-released for streaming and digital purchase due to the public's insistent demand.

In 2020, BTS member Suga dropped his second solo mixtape titled "D-2." It also became a huge success after it peaked at No. 2 on Australia's ARIA Album Chart, No. 11 on the Billboard 200 Chart and No. 7 on the U.K. Albums Chart.

Aside from producing his own songs, Suga has also earned a significant amount of mney for mixing, arranging, composing and writing songs for BTS. As a matter of fact, the South Korean rapper has a total of 70 songs credited to his name as of this writing.

With this, there have been reports claiming that the total net worth of BTS member Suga has reached $23 million to $25 million already. In other words, despite his shoulder injury, the Bangtan Boys member is still able to generate income, which helped him increased his total assets.

BTS Suga Celebrated His 28th Birthday by Helping People in Need

Meanwhile, Suga has given back to those in need when he celebrated his 28th birthday on March 9. Reports have it that the BTS member donated a total of 100 million Korean won, which is equivalent to $132,000, to Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital to help children who are suffering from cancer.

Devoted followers of Suga are very much aware that the idol has been supporting kids with cancer for years already. The BTS member even provided aid to his hometown, Daegu, as it fights against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of course, avid followers of BTS Suga took inspirations from his good deeds that they also organized donation campaigns and humanitarian projects around the world to celebrate the idol's birthday. Boston ARMY, for one, collaborated with Together We Rise for a charity campaign to bring children in foster care the so-called "Sweet Cases," which contain crayons, coloring books, a hygiene kit, a blanket and a teddy bear.

Fans based in the Philippines worked with Popburri and Chef Min's Lutuan to deliver Korean viands to homeless people in Quezon City. The Indonesian ARMYs, on the other hand, have also taken a step forward to conserve and transplant corals in Maluku, Leihitu, Morella and Central Maluku Regency on behalf of BTS member Suga.

For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Nica Vaughn
Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, yesterday, said he would be shocked if Wednesday's attack during a townhall meeting was politically motivated and targetted at him because no office is worth the life of even a chicken.

He spoke on a day the Anambra State Police Command arrested five suspects and beefed up security around him.

Soludo is a front line aspirant for the November 6, Anambra State governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

Soludo in an interview programme on Channels Television, recalled that the gun battle lasted for over 15 minutes during a town hall meeting at Isuofia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State in which three police orderlies were killed.

Soludo thanked the Anambra Police Commissioner and his team for the quick response.

I'll be shocked if attack's politically motivated-- Soludo

The former central banker, who urged immediate freedom for the abducted commissioner, said: "I don't want to pre-empt the investigation that is ongoing because I understand that some of those apprehended are also providing useful information, so I wouldn't like to pre-judge the outcome of that investigation.

"But for some that want to promote the attack on me, it is not just the Anambra way. In Anambra, we talk, we go extra miles and we still remain friends. I am friends with virtually everybody contesting for the office. So, I don't think it is worth the blood of even a chicken let alone that of a human being. So I will be shocked that it was politically motivated and it was aimed at me directly. But part of the thing fuelling this thing is the abduction because the person they abducted has relationship with me and the government of the state.

We pray for the repose of the souls of the three policemen who were senselessly killed."

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Monday Kuryas, led a crack of police to the area for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation, yesterday, as outrage greeted the attack.

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide; the Peoples Democratic Party, Vice Presidential in the 2019 election, and immediate past governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi; and the National leadership of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, led by Edozie Njoku, were among those who condemned the attack on Soludo and tasked the security agencies on fishing out the criminals.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Police Command said last night that it had arrested five suspects in connection with the attack.

Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state, Mr. Ikenga Tochukwu, gave the names of the arrested suspects as Mbah Victor, 30, John Olisakwe, 21, Chigozie Omeh (20) and Emmanuel Nnobi (28). It had earlier arrest one suspect.

"The suspects confessed to have actively taken part in the attack and subsequent abduction of the Commissioner for Public and Utilities, Engr Emeka Ezenwanne, who the command is working assiduously to rescue.

The attack took place at the venue of a stakeholders' community meeting at Isuofia Civic Centre, which came under attack at about 6. 30 pm by armed men.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state, Mr. Ikenga Ntochukwu, in a statement, said the assailants were resisted by security operatives at the event, adding however, that in the ensuing gun duel, three policemen sustained severe injuries and were later confirmed dead in the hospital.

Their corpses have been deposited in the mortuary.

The PPRO said: "Following the incident, the attackers abducted Engr. Emeka Ezenwanne, Commissioner for Public and Utilities in Anambra State. Meanwhile, one person has been arrested in connection with the act.

"The police operatives led by the Command CP, visited the scene and also visited the former CBN governor to reinforce the security in his house and the community entirely.

"The CP, while condemning the act, commiserates with the family and friends of the officers who paid the supreme price, has ordered the immediate launch of a tacit investigation to unravel the mystery behind the incidence, as well as bring perpetrators of the barbaric act to book."

Ohanaeze condemns attack, calls for decentralised policing

Condemning the attack on Professor Soludo, Ohanaeze National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, described the insecurity situation in the South-East as worsening, adding that people in the zone now live in raw fear after no fewer than 23 persons had been killed in the region within the last one week.

Ohanaeze restated the need for a decentralised policing system to enable each geopolitical zone and individual states tackle their security challenges.

Fish out, prosecute Soludo's attackers -- Peter Obi

Also, Mr. Peter Obi urged security agents to fish out those who attacked Professor Soludo, and killed three policemen.

According to Obi, "political violence should have no place in the democratic process in Anambra State."

He tweeted: "The reported attack on Prof Charles Soludo in which some security agents were killed stands condemned. Political violence should have no place in the democratic process in Anambra State. The Ballot and not the Bullet should determine the outcome of our elections.

"Meantime, security needs to be stepped up, and the culprits fished out and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to copycats."

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Attack on Soludo, strange devt -- APGA Nat Chair

On his part, the APGA national chairman, Edozie Njoku, described as the attack on Soludo as a strange development.

Njoku said: "The entire APGA family and Ndigbo in general condemn this strange development in strongest terms. We condole with the families of the police officers that lost their lives in active service. We condole with the IG of police whose men have come under severe attacks of late. We also send our warmest concerns to the family of Soludo and all those that witnessed this dastardly act."

"I shall be addressing our indefatigably and undaunted party men and women in few days to come. We must not relent in cleansing our party of men and women who trade with the collective will and aspiration of our people.

"We wish to encourage the Nigerian Police to do everything within its powers to commence full investigation so as to unravel those behind this nightmare.

"However, it is pertinent to state unequivocally; that acts of violence of this nature are strange to the ideological foundation of APGA. They are unnatural and a total deviation to the ideals that we propagate as a party and a people. It is alien to APGA."

Vanguard News Nigeria
As many as 19,097 people in Ukraine were vaccinated against COVID-19 yesterday, April 1, Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov wrote on Facebook.

In total, 267,833 people in Ukraine have been vaccinated since the start of vaccination campaign. In particular, people vaccinated with first dose  267,831, fully vaccinated people (received 2 doses) - 2.

According to Stepanov, 147 mobile vaccination teams and 791 stationary vaccination points operated across the country to conduct vaccination.

On April 1, the highest vaccination rate was recorded in Kyiv city 1,710 injections per day, in Cherkasy region  1,440, Dnipropetrovsk region  1,340, Lviv region  1,160. The lowest vaccination rate was recorded in Chernihiv region  260.

As reported by Ukrinform, Ukraine launched the coronavirus vaccination campaign on February 24, 2021.

Ukraine recorded 19,893 daily coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, April 1.

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A Labour MP has apologised for handing out campaign leaflets promising would-be voters that her party would 'deal with Traveller incursions.'

Shadow women and equalities minister Charlotte Nichols had been delivering leaflets for the Party ahead of local elections in the Orford area of her constituency.

Among the promises listed on the leaflet which featured the Labour Party's logo was a pledge to 'deal with Traveller incursions,' causing widespread anger among residents and on social media.

Charlotte Nichols tweeted an image of herself with the leaflet and the team ahead of local elections

She later apologised in a statement for the 'hurt caused' among the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities, assuring people it was not in line with her personal views, or that of the party.

She said: 'I would like to unreservedly apologise for the offence and hurt I have caused to the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community.

'I have spoken to the local Labour Party, the leaflet has been withdrawn and the leaflet will be destroyed.

'I regret that this leaflet has been distributed in the town. The leaflet is not in line with my personal values or those of the Labour Party.'

In an earlier statement following outrage on social media over the leaflet, she said she had not been aware of the 'problematic definition' of incursions, which means a sudden invasion or attack.

The Labour MP apologised after the language used on the leaflet caused widespread anger

She said: 'I can understand concerns raised about the language in a recent leaflet, particularly in the context of draconian measures in the Police Crime Courts and Sentencing Bill.

'The terminology around 'incursions appears widely used in legal and local government contexts and I wasn't aware of its problematic definition.

'I am trying to be an ally to the GRT community, but anti-racism is an active process that means being willing to listen and to learn.

'I'm more than happy to sit down with community representatives to discuss more appropriate terminology to talk about sensitive issues like these and how we can work together to best ensure the needs of the community are met going forward.'

One social media user said: 'Really disturbing that you didn't notice this particular phrase on a list of bullet points - essentially your own pledges

'That aside, before the leaflet went to print, WHO designed it & signed it off?

'Who thought 'Traveller Incursions' was an acceptable phrase?'

Another added: 'The leaflet says, under the heading 'Delivering for you' that Labour is 'dealing with traveller incursions' - regardless of whether you knew the full meaning of the word surely you accept that the 'you' here is deliberately, purposefully exclusive of members of the GRT community?'
India on Thursday said that it fully supports the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom's expectation that future collaborative studies will include more timely and comprehensive data sharing but raised concerns over China's delaying tactics and lack of access to "complete, original data and samples".

Tedros, who has been accused of complacency towards China, hardened his tone acknowledging the concerns about China's refusal to share raw data about early Covid-19 cases.

Also Read | Why Kerala may not swing this time round

He conceded the international experts faced problems with data access in Wuhan. "In my discussions with the team, they expressed the difficulties they encountered in accessing raw data. I expect future collaborative studies to include more timely and comprehensive data sharing," he said.

"Although the team has concluded that a laboratory leak is the least likely hypothesis, this requires further investigation, potentially with additional missions involving specialist experts, which I am ready to deploy," Tedros added.

Official Spokesperson from the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said that the report represents an important first step in establishing the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. "It has listed four pathways concerning the emergence of the disease but has stressed the need for next-phase studies across the region. The report also stresses the need for further data and studies to reach robust conclusions," he said.

"It is pertinent to note that the Director-General of the WHO has separately raised the issue of delays and difficulties in accessing raw data for the team conducting the study. We fully support the Director General's expectation that future collaborative studies will include more timely and comprehensive data sharing. In this connection, we also welcome his readiness to deploy additional missions," he added.

Bagchi said that New Delhi joins stakeholders in voicing their expectations that follow up to the WHO Report or further studies, including "on an understanding of the earliest human cases and clusters by the WHO on this critical issue, will receive the fullest cooperation of all concerned."

India's remarks come as a group of 14 countries including the United States and Japan has raised concerns over a report on the origins of Covid-19 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and China, arguing that the WHO team was "significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples."

The WHO released a long-awaited joint report on the origins of Covid-19 on Tuesday. The report pointed to the transmission from bats to another animal and subsequently to humans as the most likely way the pandemic began.

The United States, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia and Israel said in a statement that they "fully" supported the WHO's efforts to bring an end to the pandemic, including understanding how it "started and spread".

But they added it was "essential that we voice our shared concerns that the international expert study on the source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples".

China has been criticised widely across the world for its alleged role in the spread of the novel coronavirus that has infected over 128 million people across the world. More than 2.8 million people have lost their lives to the virus, as per Johns Hopkins University.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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A Zoom interview by Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer on election reform was over-shadowed when eagle-eyed viewers spotted a pillow featuring Dr Anthony Fauci in the background.

The 49-year-old Democrat was lashing out at Republicans during an interview with The Hill when the cushion of the leader of the coronavirus task-force was spotted.

Dr Fauci, 80, became a world-famous face last year following his calm handling of the outbreak of the pandemic.

Similar pillows can be bought online for around $32.

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, pictured in an interview on The Hill, was discussing election reform with a pillow of Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the US's coronavirus task-force, in the background

The pillow featured the 80-year-old who has shot to fame during the pandemic as a result of his calm briefings. Similar pillows are available for around $32

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, pictured in March this year giving a speech on the state roll-out of vaccines

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, pictured in December last year after getting his first dose of the new Moderna vaccine

The Zoom backgrounds of politicians and celebrities have been highly scrutinized during the pandemic as in-person interviews came to a halt and viewers began to see inside their real homes.

Whitmer was discussing attempts by the GOP to push through election reform legislation, including 39 GOP-led bills in the Michigan Legislature that would require new forms of ID, ban prepaid absentee envelopes and cut the number of absentee dropboxes.

'We just came through a historic, free, fair, full election. There was not fraud the way that this big lie perpetuated and fed into peoples anxieties and inspired the unthinkable on January 6,' Whitmer said.

She added: 'But, the fact of the matter is this a solution in search of a problem and it is unacceptable and so, if and when those bills get to my desk and theyre aiming to make it harder for people to vote, they will get vetoed.'

Dr Fauci gained thousands of fans across the US and the world last year when he shot to fame as a result of his coronavirus briefings alongside President Trump.

In March last year he was famously spotted holding his head in his hands, behind President Trump, and even ended up being played by Hollywood actor Brad Pitt on Saturday Night Live.

Dr Fauci, pictured in March 2020 famously holding his head in his hands during a White House pandemic briefing, shot to fame as the 'truth-teller'

Brad Pitt starred as a fact-checking Dr Fauci on Saturday Night Live's cold open in April 2020

He was dubbed 'the truth-teller' for repeatedly contradicting and rebuking the former President's claims about coronavirus.

In March last year Trump told media that there had been positive results after doctors trialed chloroquine on COVID-19 patients, and suggested the drug could be a game-changer.

'It's shown very, very encouraging early results. We're going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately. It's been approved,' Trump exclaimed.

But Dr Fauci put a dampener on the President's excitement just a few hours later, in an appearance on CNN, bluntly stating: 'There's no magic drug for coronavirus right now'.

'Let me put it into perspective for the viewers... there has been anecdotal non-proven data that it [chloroquine] works... but when you have an uncontrolled trial you can never definitely say that it works.'
On Thursday, Dan Bongino urged his audience to watch or just listen to a video of Yuri Bezmenov, a KGB defector to Canada, who came to love America and tried to warn Americans about the KGB's plans. Listening to him is eerie because he spelled out in detail exactly what the Soviet Union was doing  it wasn't planning to take America down through the military. Instead, it intended to destroy America from within by infiltrating the education system, three generations of young people to hate this country and each other and then watching them go forth and plant the seeds of self-loathing throughout the nation.

When it came to understanding how the Soviet Union operated, Bezmenov was the real deal. His father was a high-ranking army officer, so Bezmenov was raised inside the system. He went to KGB schools and worked for the KGB for a decade until he defected to the West, eventually landing in Canada.

In the 1980s, Bezmenov was able to move to Los Angeles, where he lived for five years. It was in L.A., in 1984 or 1985, that he gave an interview to G. Edward Griffin, a conservative writer and thinker. During the interview, Bezmenov explained that the Soviet Union was not interested in fighting America. It was interested, instead, in co-opting it through psychological warfare. It is that interview that you'll see below.

(If you don't want to watch the video, the transcript is here.)

An organized thinker, Bezmenov stated the core principles of his talk in the open minute of the video:

But in reality, the main emphasis of the KGB is not in the area of intelligence at all. According to my opinion and the opinion of many defectors of my caliber, only about fifteen percent of time, money and manpower is spent on espionage as such. The other eighty-five percent is a slow process which we call either ideological subversion or active measures, or psychological warfare. What it basically means is, to change the perception of reality, of every American, to such an extent that despite an abundance of information no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interest of defending themselves, their family, their community and their country. It's a great brainwashing process which goes very slow and is divided into four basic stages. The first one being demoralization. It takes from fifteen to twenty years to demoralize a nation. Why that many years? Because this is the minimum number of years required to educate on generation of students in the country of your enemy, exposed to the ideology of the enemy. In other words, Marxism, Leninism ideology is being pumped into the soft heads of at least three generations of American students, without being challenged or contra-balanced by the basic values of Americanism, American patriotism.

That's it in a nutshell. Bezmenov talks about other things such as the fact that, once the Soviets gained control of a country (e.g., South Vietnam), they'd execute the most pro-Soviet activists. Why?

Because they know too much. Simply because, you see, the useful idiots, the leftists who are idealistically believing in the beauty of Soviet socialist or Communist or whatever system, when they get disillusioned they become the worst enemies. That's why my KGB instructors specifically made a point, never bother with leftists. Forget about [these] political prostitutes. Aim higher.

The big question is whether it's still possible to mount a cultural counterattack and turn the Democrats' triumph into a Pyrrhic victory. I'm actually a little bit optimistic because the Democrats have mistaken a very narrow victory (assuming, for the sake of argument, that they actually received all the votes they claim) for an overwhelming mandate. The reality is that, while their base loves them, most Americans aren't thrilled with open borders, the COVID police state, the destruction of biological norms, the attempt to legislate voter fraud, a $2-trillion spending bill, the sudden love affair with Iran, or any of the other damaging policies the Democrats are advancing.

Bezmenov, were he alive, would not be so optimistic  and note that he describes 2021 to perfection:

Most of the people who (reeducated) in the sixties, drop outs or half-baked intellectuals are now occupying the positions of power in the Government, civil service, business, mass media, educational system. You are stuck with them. You cannot get rid of them. They are contaminated, They are programmed to think and react to certain stimuli in a certain pattern. You cannot change their mind even if you expose them to authentic information, even if you prove that white is white and black is black you still cannot change the basic perception and illogical behavior. In other words, these people, the process of demoralization is complete and irreversible. To get rid society of these people you need another twenty or fifteen years to educate a new generation of patriotically-minded and commonsense people who would be acting in favor and in the interests of the United States society.

Image: Yuri Bezmenov. YouTube screen grab.

You can find this post on MeWe here.
The subsequent letter from the bipartisan group of attorneys general asks the CEOs to respond by April 9 with a plan of how they will comply with the officials request for immediate action to:



Monitor their platforms for ads or links selling blank or fraudulently completed vaccination cards.

Promptly take down ads or links that are selling cards.

Preserve records and information about the ads and the people who are selling them.

Warning letters sent to CEOs

The letters were sent to Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter; Tobias Lutke, CEO of Shopify; and Jamie Iannone, CEO of eBay.

Only nine state attorneys general did not sign the letter, sent under the auspices of the nonpartisan National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). Those officials are from Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and Texas.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, and Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, a Republican, led the signatories.

People receive legitimate COVID-19 vaccination cards from providers when they get their shots. Those who buy a fake card can have information added to it or add details in themselves, so it appears they have been vaccinated when they have not, NAAG said in a release announcing the news.

Legal violations alleged

"The false and deceptive marketing and sales of fake COVID vaccine cards threaten the health of our communities, slow progress in getting our residents protected from the virus, and are a violation of the laws of many states, the letter from the attorneys general states.

Other signers are the attorneys general from Guam, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.

A Shopify official said on Friday that selling vaccine cards violates company policies (Link: Shopify's Acceptable Use Policy) and that since February the firm has been proactively monitoring its platform for the sale of the bogus cards. Violations were swiftly handled, the official said.

"We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the state attorneys general to protect consumers from fraudulent or misleading practices related to COVID-19, added Vivek Narayanadas, Shopify's vice president of legal and data protection officer.

Twitter has received the letter and intends to respond, according to a spokesperson who said that making reliable, authoritative COVID-19 information easily accessible on the platform is a priority for us.

The spokesperson noted that so far during the pandemic, Twitter has removed more than 22,400 Tweets and challenged more than 11.7 million accounts worldwide in line with its COVID-19 misleading information policy.

We prioritize the removal of high-severity violations that could potentially cause real-world harm, the spokesperson added.

At eBay, Trina Somera, senior director of communications, said: We are taking significant measures to block or quickly remove items on our marketplace that make false health claims including vaccine ID cards or similar items that could be used to falsely represent a person has received the vaccine.



eBay has removed or blocked 50 million listings in violation of policies related to COVID, including price-gouging and false medical claims as of late last year, Somera said, and is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to monitor for listings concerning COVID vaccines. "We are prohibiting vaccine ID cards or similar items that could be used to falsely represent a person has received the vaccine," she added.

The FBI, in its alert, noted that the unauthorized use of the seal of any U.S. agency, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a federal crime.
I am captivated by a sense of fear I have never experienced in my entire life  a user named Heehit wrote in a Google Play review of an app called Science of Love. This review was written right after news organizations accused the apps parent company, ScatterLab, of collecting intimate conversations between lovers without informing the users and then using the data to build a conversational A.I. chatbot called Lee-Luda.

A majority of Americans are not confident about how companies will behave when it comes to using and protecting personal data. But it can be hard to imagine the potential harmsexactly how a company misusing or compromising data can possibly affect us and our lives. A recent incident of personal data misuse in South Korea provides us a clear picture of what can go wrong, and how consumers can fight back.

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South Korean A.I. company ScatterLab launched Science of Love in 2016 and promoted it as a scientific and data-driven app that predicts the degree of affection in relationships. One of the most popular services of the app was using machine learning to determine whether someone likes you by analyzing messenger conversations from KakaoTalk, South Koreas No. 1 messenger app, which about 90 percent of the population uses. Users paid around $4.50 per analysis. Science of Love users would download their conversation logs using KakaoTalks backup function and submit them for analysis. Then, the app went through the messenger conversations and provided a report on whether the counterpart had romantic feelings toward the user based on statistics such as the average response time, the number of times each person texts first, and the kinds of phrases and emojis used. By June 2020, Science of Love had received about 2.5 million downloads in South Korea and 5 million in Japan and was preparing to expand its business to the United States. Because I felt like the app understood me, I felt safe and sympathized. It felt good because it felt like having a love doctor by my side, a user named Mung Yeoreum wrote in a Google Play review of the app.

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On Dec. 23, 2020, ScatterLab introduced an A.I. chatbot service named Lee-Luda, promoting it to be trained on more than 10 billion conversation logs from Science of Love. The target audience of this chatbot service was teenagers and young adults. Designed as a 20-year-old female that wants to become a true friend to everyone, chatbot Lee-Luda quickly gained popularity and held conversations with more than 750,000 users in its first couple of weeks. The CEO stated that the companys aim was to create an A.I. chatbot that people prefer as a conversation partner over a person.

Modern chatbots ability to, well, chat relies heavily on machine learning and deep learning models (which together can be called A.I.) to better understand human language and generate human-like responses. If people enjoyed speaking with Lee-Luda, that was because it was trained on a large dataset of human conversations.

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However, within two weeks of Lee-Ludas launch, people started questioning whether the data was refined enough as it started using verbally abusive language about certain social groups (LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, feminists, etc.) and made sexually explicit comments to a number of users. ScatterLab explained that the chatbot did not learn this behavior from the users it interacted with during the two weeks of service but rather learned it from the original training dataset. In other words, ScatterLab had not fully removed or filtered inappropriate language or intimate and sexual conversations from the dataset. It also soon became clear that the huge training dataset included personal and sensitive information. This revelation emerged when the chatbot began exposing peoples names, nicknames, and home addresses in its responses. The company admitted that its developers failed to remove some personal information depending on the context, but still claimed that the dataset used to train chatbot Lee-Luda did not include names, phone numbers, addresses, and emails that could be used to verify an individual. However, A.I. developers in South Korea rebutted the companys statement, asserting that Lee-Luda could not have learned how to include such personal information in its responses unless they existed in the training dataset. A.I. researchers have also pointed out that it is possible to recover the training dataset from the AI chatbot. So, if personal information existed in the training dataset, it can be extracted by querying the chatbot.

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To make things worse, it was also discovered that ScatterLab had, prior to Lee-Ludas release, uploaded a training set of 1,700 sentences, which was a part of the larger dataset it collected, on Github. Github is an open-source platform that developers use to store and share code and data. This Github training dataset exposed names of more than 20 people, along with the locations they have been to, their relationship status, and some of their medical information. In Tensorflow Korea, an A.I. developer Facebook community, a developer revealed that this KakaoTalk data containing private information had been available on Github for almost six months. The CEO of ScatterLab later said that the company did not know this fact until its internal inspection took place after the issue arose.

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ScatterLab issued statements of clarification of the incident intended to soothe the publics concerns, but they ended up infuriating people even more. The company statements indicated that Lee-Luda is a childlike A.I. that just started conversing with people, that it has a lot to learn, and will learn what is a better answer and a more appropriate answer through trial and error. However, is it ethical to violate individuals privacy and safety for a chatbots trial and error learning process? No.

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Even more alarming is the fact that ScatterLabs data source was not a secret in the A.I. developer community, and yet no one questioned whether such sensitive data was collected ethically. In all presentation slides (such as at PyCon Korea 2019), talks (like at Naver), and press interviews, ScatterLab had boasted about its large dataset of 10 billion intimate conversation logs.

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While this incident was a big story in South Korea, it received very little attention elsewhere. But this incident highlights the general trend of the A.I. industry, where individuals have little control over how their personal information is processed and used once collected. It took almost five years for users to recognize that their personal data were being used to train a chatbot model without their consent. Nor did they know that ScatterLab shared their private conversations on an open-source platform like Github, where anyone can gain access.

In the end, it was relatively simple for Science of Love users to notice that ScatterLab had compromised their data privacy to train Lee-Luda. Once the chatbot started spewing out unfiltered comments and personal information, users immediately started investigating whether their personal information was being misused and compromised. However, bigger tech companies are usually much better at hiding what they actually do with user data, while restricting users from having control and oversight over their own data. Once you give, theres no taking back.

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Its easy to think of ScatterLabs incident merely as a case of a startups mismanagement, but this incident is also a result of the negligence of a big tech company. Kakao, the parent company of KakaoTalk and one of the largest tech companies in South Korea, remained silent throughout ScatterLabs incident despite its users being the victims of this incident. Youd wish a big tech company like Kakao to be more proactive when its users rights are violated by another company. However, Kakao said nothing.

One of the biggest challenges big data in A.I. poses is that the personal information of an individual is no longer only held and used by a single third party for a specific purpose, but rather persists over time, traveling between systems and affecting individuals in the long term at the hand of others. Its extremely concerning that such a big tech company like Kakao failed to foresee the implications and dangers of KakaoTalks backup function of which ScatterLab took advantage to obtain KakaoTalk users data. More alarming is that Kakao left this incident unaddressed when it clearly stemmed from the misuse of its own data. In this sense, Kakaos attitude towards its users data privacy was not very different from ScatterLabs: negligent.

Because data protection laws are slow to catch up with the speed of technological advancement, being legal and following industrial conventions are not enough to protect people and society. Then, the question will be whether the A.I. industry and tech companies can innovate themselves to come up with and adhere to more comprehensive and detailed ethical guidelines that minimize harm to individuals and society.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Rescue workers and soldiers carry a wounded person who is fleeing the post-coup violence in Myanmar and seeking medical treatment at a border village in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand, March 30, 2021.

Thailand said Friday it was providing humanitarian assistance to more than 1,000 people who this week fled military action in Myanmar, a day after Bangkok issued a rare statement expressing grave concern about the post-coup violence in the neighboring nation.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha had instructed all relevant relief agencies to give medical and other assistance to the 1,200 or so people who crossed the border amid military strikes in Myanmar states bordering Thailand, Anucha Burapachaisri, a Thai government spokesman, told reporters at a news conference on Friday.

The prime minister has ordered all involved agencies  to assess the situation and to take care of displaced persons who fled to the Thai border, in accordance with international humanitarian basis, Anucha said.

Prayuth had said on Tuesday that people crossing the border from Myanmar who didnt come from areas gripped by post-coup violence ought to go back.

If they are fleeing fighting [and] disasters with deaths on the other side  we will have measures to accommodate them and wont push them back  if they were really in trouble, he said on March 30.

A new group of 961 people from Myanmar had arrived since Thursday, joining 216 of their compatriots who were still in Thailand following an earlier influx from across the frontier over the weekend, Tanee Sangrat, the Thai foreign ministry spokesman, said during the same news conference.

Most of them are children, women, elderly and patients, he said.

Close to 3,000 people from Myanmars Karen state had initially crossed into Thailands Mae Hong Son province, Thai officials said, after air strikes by the military.

Many of them went back in a few days and did so voluntarily, Thailand had said on Tuesday.

We beg Myanmar authorities to exercise restraint to ease the violence and release more detainees. And may all sides involved join together to find a peaceful solution for Myanmar and the people of Myanmar through a constructive dialogue, Tanee said.

A day earlier, Tanee made an unusually strong statement  for Thailand  calling for a halt to the violence, after a weekend of mass killings by the junta, in which the military and security forces killed at least 114 people on Saturday alone.

Regarding the recent situation in Myanmar, Thailand is gravely troubled by the reports of more casualties among the Myanmar people during this past weekend. We reiterate our call for the exercise of utmost restraint and de-escalation of situation.

Myanmar security forces have killed more than 500 unarmed demonstrators protesting the military coup that toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1.

Burmese air strikes on Saturday also targeted villages controlled by Karen National Union (KNU) rebels who hold large swathes of territory in the borderlands with Thailand.

The Free Burma Rangers, a multiethnic humanitarian service movement, said Myanmar military jets continued to kill civilians on Thursday, Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews, reported.

These air attacks raised to more than 20,000 the number of displaced civilians in Karen state.

Potential crisis in Myanmars Shan state

Meanwhile, a Myanmar group that helps people from the state of Shan, which also borders Thailand, expressed grave concern on Friday about the safety of thousands of internally displaced people (IDP) housed in camps.

According to a statement from the Shan State Refugee Committee, the army had announced it would start attacking border positions of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), the NGO said in a statement.

The news of possible attack has terrorized residents of the five IDP camps along the Shan-Thai border, who are mostly women and children. The IDP camps lie on exposed mountain-tops, within easy shelling range of the Burma Army camps surrounding them.

Once these purported attacks begin, the displaced persons only guaranteed safety lies on the Thai side of the border, the NGO said.

Like the KNU, RCSS/SSA is also an armed, ethnic insurgent movement.

Also on Friday, Anutin Charnvirakul, Thai deputy prime minister, traveled to Mae Sariang district in Mae Hong Son province to deliver 2,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines to local officials who are in close contact with the Myanmar refugees.

We brought 2,000 doses of vaccine here to Mae Sariang to cover 2,000 people. We also treated seven injured Karen and did not find any cases of COVID, said Anutin, who is also the health minister, said at the press conference.

If we find those who are ill, we will help them. If necessary, we will need to set up a field hospital.  If there is a [COVID-19] outbreak, we must take care of them.
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Italy may be in a strict coronavirus lockdown this Easter with travel restricted between regions and new quarantines imposed, but a few miles offshore, guests aboard the MSC Grandiosa cruise ship are shimmying to Latin music on deck and sipping cocktails by the pool.

In one of the anomalies of lockdowns that have shuttered hotels and resorts around the world, the Grandiosa has been plying the Mediterranean Sea this winter with seven-night cruises, a lonely flag-bearer of the global cruise industry.

After cruise ships were early sources of highly publicised coronavirus outbreaks, the Grandiosa has tried to chart a course through the pandemic with strict anti-virus protocols approved by Italian authorities that seek to create a 'health bubble' on board.

Italy may be in a strict coronavirus lockdown this Easter with travel restricted between regions and new quarantines imposed, but a few miles offshore guests are enjoying a seven-day cruise aboard the MSC Grandiosa

Smile! In one of the anomalies of the pandemic guests aboard the MSC Grandiosa cruise ship are shimmying to Latin music on deck and sipping cocktails by the pool

The Grandiosa has tried to chart a course through the pandemic with strict anti-virus protocols approved by Italian authorities that seek to create a 'health bubble' on board

Passengers and crew are tested before and during cruises. Mask mandates, temperature checks, contact-tracing wristbands and frequent cleaning of the ship are all designed to prevent outbreaks

Passengers and crew are tested before and during cruises. Mask mandates, temperature checks, contact-tracing wristbands and frequent cleaning of the ship are all designed to prevent outbreaks.

Passengers from outside Italy must arrive with negative COVID-19 tests taken within 48 hours of their departures and only residents of Europe's Schengen countries plus Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria are permitted to book under COVID-19 insurance policies.

On Wednesday, the Grandiosa left the Italian port of Civitavecchia for its weeklong Easter cruise, with 2,000 of its 6,000-passenger capacity and stops planned in Naples and Valletta, Malta, before returning to its home port in Genoa.

Passengers welcomed the semblance of normalcy brought on by the freedom to eat in a restaurant or sit poolside without a mask, even if the virus is still a present concern.

'After a year of restrictive measures, we thought we could take a break for a week and relax,' said Stefania Battistoni, a 39-year-old teacher and single mother who drove all night from Bolzano, in northern Italy, with her two sons and mother to board the cruise.

The pandemic has plunged global cruise ship passenger numbers from a record 30 million in 2019 to over 350,000 since July 2020, according to Cruise Lines International, the world's largest cruise industry association representing 95 per cent of ocean-going cruise capacity.

Currently, fewer than 20 ships are operating globally, a small fraction of CLIA's members' fleets of 270 ships.

The United States could be among the last cruise ship markets to reopen, possibly not until autumn and not until 2022 in Alaska.

Two Royal Caribbean cruise lines that normally sail out of Miami opted instead to launch sailings in June from the Caribbean, where governments are eager to revive their tourism-based economies.

MSC spokeswoman Lucy Ellis said positive virus cases have cropped up on board MSC ships, particularly during the fall surge.

'The important thing is we have never had an outbreak,' she said. On Wednesday, the Grandiosa left the Italian port of Civitavecchia for its weeklong Easter cruise, with 2,000 of its 6,000-passenger capacity and stops planned in Naples and Valletta, Malta, before returning to its home port in Genoa.

On Wednesday, the Grandiosa left the Italian port of Civitavecchia for its weeklong Easter cruise, with 2,000 of its 6,000-passenger capacity and stops planned in Naples and Valletta, Malta, before returning to its home port in Genoa

Passengers welcomed the semblance of normalcy brought on by the freedom to eat in a restaurant or sit poolside without a mask, even if the virus is still a present concern

Each passenger must wear contact tracing wrist bands, meaning if a someone tests positive, medical personnel can identify anyone with whom they were in contact. Once the situation is clear, anyone who is positive is transferred to the shore

The Grandiosa is equipped with a medical centre with molecular and antigen testing facilities, as well as a ventilator, and extra cabins are set aside to isolate suspected virus cases.

Each passenger must wear contact tracing wrist bands, meaning if a someone tests positive, medical personnel can identify anyone with whom they were in contact. Once the situation is clear, anyone who is positive is transferred to the shore.

According to an independent consulting firm, Bermello Ajamii & Partners, just 23 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed on ships since the industry began its tentative relaunch last summer, for a passenger infection rate of 0.006 per cent.

But cruise industry critics say the risk isn't worth it and add that cruise companies should have taken the pandemic timeout to address the industry's longstanding environmental and labor problems.

'All large cruise ships burn huge volumes of the dirtiest, cheapest fuel available,' said Jim Ace of environmental group Stand Earth, a member of the Global Cruise Activist Network.

'Cruise ship companies could have used the COVID shutdown to address their impacts on public health and the environment. Instead, they scrapped a few of their oldest ships and raised cash to stay alive.'

On board, though, passengers are relishing the chance to enjoy activities that have been mostly closed in Italy and much of Europe for a year: a theatre, restaurant dining, duty-free shopping and live music in bars.

The Grandiosa is equipped with a medical centre with molecular and antigen testing facilities, as well as a ventilator, and xtra cabins are set aside to isolate suspected virus cases

The Grandiosa's theatre has remained open for performances for passengers during the pandemic (pictured, actors and dancers practice for a show)

Passengers are relishing the chance to enjoy activities that have been mostly closed in Italy and much of Europe for a year: a theatre, restaurant dining, duty-free shopping and live music in bars

The gym onboard the Grandiosa is open for use, despite most other across the continent remaining closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic

Passengers (left to right) Ilaria Gelli, Matteo Marzocchi, and Federico Marzoochi board the Grandiosa in Civitavecchia, near Rome, ready for their cruise

Passengers aboard the Grandiosa have been able to enjoy mask-free meals aboard the ship because of a self-styled 'health bubble' aboard the ship

The rest of Italy is heading back into full lockdown over the Easter weekend, with shops closed and restaurants and bars open for takeout only to try to minimise holiday outbreaks, but lucky Grandiosa passengers will avoid the shutdown

The rest of Italy is heading back into full lockdown over the Easter weekend, with shops closed and restaurants and bars open for takeout only to try to minimise holiday outbreaks.

In addition, Italy's government imposed a five-day quarantine on people entering from other EU countries in a bid to deter Easter getaways.

'Let's say that after such a long time of restrictions and closures, this was a choice done for our mental health,' said Federico Marzocchi, who joined the cruise with his wife and 10-year-old son Matteo.

The cruise industry is hoping for a gradual opening this spring.

Cruises are circulating on Spain's Canary islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, including the company AIDA catering to German tourists.

Costa Cruises, which with MSC is one of Europe's largest cruise companies, will resume cruises on May 1, with seven-night Italy-only cruises. Costa plans to begin sailing in the western Mediterranean from mid-June.

Britain is opening to cruise ships in May, with MSC and Viking launching cruises of the British Isles, among several companies offering at-sea 'staycation' cruises aimed at capturing one of the most important cruise markets.

The cruise industry is hoping Greece will open in mid-May, but the country hasn't yet announced when it will reopen tourism.

Raffaele Piontecorvo, captain of the MSC Grandiosa, has run keep the cruise ship going as one of the world's only vessels still operating in spite of the pandemic

Passengers are closely monitored to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 (pictured, passengers have their body temperature measured before they enter one of the ship's restaurants)

Britain is opening to cruise ships in May, with MSC and Viking launching cruises of the British Isles, among several companies offering at-sea 'staycation' cruises as a copy-cat of the Grandiosa

Passengers from outside Italy must arrive with negative COVID-19 tests taken within 48 hours of their departures and only residents of Europe's Schengen countries plus Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria are permitted to book under COVID-19 insurance policies (pictured, passengers walk through the terminal before boarding the Grandiosa)

A view of the Grandiosa, one of the only cruise ships in the world to be operating at the moment, picking up passengers ready for a seven-day cruise starting on Wednesday

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a 'framework' for resuming cruises in the US, but the industry says the health agency hasn't spelled out the details that companies need to operate their ships.

Once the CDC provides technical requirements, industry officials say it takes about 90 days to prepare a ship for sailing.

The cruise companies complain that last autumn's CDC framework is outdated and should be scrapped.

They say it was issued before vaccines were available and before the restart of cruises in Europe, which they say have safely carried nearly 400,000 passengers under new COVID-19 protocols.

They also complain that cruising is the only part of the US economy that remains shuttered by the pandemic.

The Cruise Lines International Association trade group is lobbying for an early July start to US cruising.

'Cruisers love to cruise, and they will go where the ships are sailing,' said Laziza Lambert, a spokeswoman for the trade group.

'The longer cruises are singularly prohibited from operating in the United States, the more other places in the world will benefit from the positive economic impact generated by an influx of passengers.'

Several other companies are looking to open up their cruise industries, but most face difficult regulations meaning they may not be back in business until the summer, or autumn
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editor's pick centerpiece featured

Contractor fraud law rigged against victims, some argue

STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Mike Howe stands in the gutted bathroom of his house in League City on Thursday, April 1, 2021. Howe discovered the contractor hed hired to repair the house after pipes burst during the winter storm in February had been indicted for felony theft of clients from other jobs, he said. Howe has hired another contractor to finish the work. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Mike Howe walks through an unfinished room in his house in League City on Thursday, April 1, 2021. He told me he was a general contractor, that he built homes from the bottom up and could help me here, too, Howe said of the man who he paid money to upfront for repair work to be done on his home after Februarys devastating winter storm  and who Howe said took the money without returning to do the work.

Mike Howe was in luck. Hed just hired a contractor to landscape his backyard before the February winter freeze, and the man was eager to help Howe repair damage to his League City house from the storm as well, Howe said.

He told me he was a general contractor, that he built homes from the bottom up and could help me here, too, Howe said.

But after giving the contractor some money up front for both projects, Howe learned, much to his surprise, the man hed hired had been indicted for theft in connection to allegations of contractor fraud after Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Its not clear how Howes situation will play out. Hes still negotiating with the contractor about ending the relationship and recovering some of his money. And although the contractor has been charged in connection with the post-Harvey allegations, he hasnt been tried and remains merely indicted. Attempts to reach the contractor through his attorney of record were unsuccessful.

The case, however, illustrates how quickly and easily homeowners can find themselves at odds with a contractor, especially when theyre in dire straits after a disaster.

Other cases show how hard it can be to recover from trusting the wrong person and to get anything like justice.

League City resident Adrianne Bickham, for instance, is still fighting four years after Hurricane Harvey to convince legal authorities she was a victim of contractor fraud, she said.

Im looking for help, Bickham said, explaining she has learned much in the intervening years about contractor fraud, the law and difficulties of some victims to find justice. We should have learned from Hurricane Ike. How many years between Ike and Harvey? We havent learned anything.

Aside from a few cosmetic details, Bickhams house largely is back to working order after being damaged during Harvey, she said Thursday.

But thats only after spending about $80,000 in the process and losing about $25,000 to a contractor who never finished the work, she said.

Bickham for years has tried to convince the League City Police Department, the Galveston County District Attorneys Office and the Texas Attorney Generals Office she was a victim of a crime, she said. But thus far, no charges have been filed.

Despite Bickhams experience, the district attorneys office can and has prosecuted some cases of contractor fraud in recent years.

A grand jury, for instance, in 2019 charged Josephine Francisca Fox, 57, and Gregory Garland Goodnight, 56, with securing the execution of a document by deceit for more than $300,000 in connection to several reports they defrauded homeowners, court records show. Both cases are still pending.

The difference between a case prosecutors can bring against a contractor and one they cant often boils down to whether the contractor performs any work or not, according to experts in the district attorneys office.

Convicting someone of contractor fraud can be difficult in Texas because state law stipulates prosecutors must prove the defendant had the intent to deceive and steal money without doing work from the onset, First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Petroff said, explaining he was discussing the issue in general and not about specific cases.

Thus, in situations where a contractor shows up, takes money and performs some work before leaving, its hard to prove it was someones intent to steal from the beginning, Petroff said.

Bickham has heard the same explanation, which is why shes advocating that legislators consider changing the law to make it easier to prosecute instances of contractor fraud, she said.

Proving their intent was fraud is almost impossible for any consumer, she said. How do you prove what someone was thinking? How do you go about doing that?

Petroff, while acknowledging issues with the system, also was wary about making changes to the law that might have unintended repercussions, he said.

If you write the law too broadly, you might have someone unhappy with the work or unhappy the work wasnt completed on time, being handled in criminal courtrooms instead of where it is now, which is civil court, Petroff said.

If someone has a problem with a contractor taking off for two weeks and not getting work done fast enough, the property owner can file a lawsuit against a company or a contractor, even if it doesnt rise to the level of criminal charges, Petroff said.

Attorneys representing homeowners, however, dont want to litigate issues unless theres a good chance theyll make money, Bickham said. The $25,000 she lost after Harvey, for instance, wouldnt be enough.

Bickham also wants a new law that dictates all contractors must carry insurance at all times, she said. That will give homeowners a real recourse should something go awry.

Homeowners smart enough to ask for contractors to show insurance now cant be certain that the contractor wont drop the coverage in the middle of the project, Bickham said.

Leah Napoliello, the vice president of operations for the Better Business Bureau of Greater Houston and South Texas, said homeowners should follow a list of tips before hiring any contractor to repair damage.

Homeowners should check out the business thoroughly, should contact their own insurance company quickly, should avoid high-pressure sales pitches, be wary of door-to-door solicitors, require a written contract agreement with anyone, verify whether the business is insured and never pay for repairs in full, or in cash, Napoliello said.

Howe acknowledges he should have done more research before agreeing to let the contractor handle the work, he said. Hes still hopeful the situation might turn out as best as it can.

But he remains dismayed by the whole situation, he said.
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The Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP) on Wednesday, March 31, 2020, held a National Conference on the Safety of Liberian Journalists.

Held in the Liberia YMCA conference hall, the forum also saw the adoption of a communique to guarantee the protection of journalists and media workers in the country.

It is a final activity done in collaboration with the Accra-based Media Foundation for West Africa with funding support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands- in Ghana

titled, "Improving Press Freedom and Safety of Journalists Situation in Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone." CEMESP and MFWA believe the project will help improve the safety of journalists' situation in the three countries.

Malcolm Joseph, the Executive Director of the Center for Media Studies and Peace Building said the forum is "an important step to protecting the safety of journalists to enable them to become conscious of potentially dangerous situations and how they can protect themselves at all times in their line of duty".

Speaking at the opening of the forum, Mr. Joseph said the gathering would as well enable stakeholders to commit to improving the safety of journalists' situation in the country, work out modalities to enable security agencies and the media to have improved understanding of each other's role in the Liberian society

The forum bought together journalists, editors, and managers of media outlets; representatives of the national media regulatory body, security agencies, journalists unions, and other media associations, (such as FEJAL, community radio representatives, association of newspaper publishers, association of broadcaster etc.), police, military, civil society organizations and representatives of journalism training institutions.

Delivering the keynote at the forum, Deputy Information Minister Boakai Fofana who proxy for Information Minister Ledgerhood Rennie said the Liberian Media is constrained with low salary and lack of equipment for journalists which according him has compelled some journalists to indulge into negative media practices that lead to violent reactions by their victims including national security agents.

He said the Weah -led government has an outstanding record of Press freedom based on the principles of the Table Mountain declaration and the Kamara Abdullai Kamara Act of Press freedom.

According to Deputy Minister Fofana, the Liberian government has no grudge against any journalist or media institution, but that frictions between journalists and national security agents are caused by what he called diametric opposition of the works of journalists and that of national security agents.

The Director of the Executive Protective Service, Trokon Roberts, Deputy Information Minister for Press and Public Affairs, Eugene L. Fahngon, and Police spokesman, Moses Carter were among those in attendance that made special presentations.

The Director of EPS in his presentation pleaded with journalists to at all times "respect and follow instructions" given to them when covering the presidency.

"We have to be respectful of each other. Don't praise me but just give me the respect I deserve", said Roberts before committing further- "under my watch, no state security will mistreat, brutalize and manhandle any journalist".

Director Roberts complained that he has been a direct victim of "bad press" but stressed that even at the level of negative reporting, "no one must harm any journalist".

Deputy Information Minister Eugene Fahngon committed the Weah administration's support for the establishment of a working group for the development of an action plan for the safety of journalists in Liberia.

Mr. Fahngon noted that the current government of Liberia headed by President George Weah has no intension of muscling the press.

The Spokesman of the Liberia National Police, Moses Carter used the forum to caution journalists to be careful, seek the truth and verify the information before publication.

He said media institutions must play the role of guarding how their reporters conduct themselves as "many of the issues of safety of journalist and their unfortunate encounters with the police often result from failure to follow instructions given them".

The Center for Media Studies and Peace Building presented the findings of a recent "Survey of the State of Safety Policies and Practices of Media Houses in Liberia".

The survey which presented an overview of the state of safety of journalists' conditions in Liberia, focused on the existence or lack of safety policies in media houses, the perceptions of journalists about the role of regulatory bodies, media managers, owners, and colleagues, in safeguarding journalists in the discharge of their duties.

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According to CEMESP, the study finds that: "the safety of journalists is not prioritized by many media outlets, as none of the forty media outlets selected for the study had a codified general safety policy or a specific safety policy for female journalists".

The study also identifies state security agents as the principal perpetrators of violations against the media, and how journalists covering issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic had come under attacks and threats, with elections and protests accounting for the period of increased attacks and abuse of media rights.

Many of the participants asked questions of concern to the head of government security and agencies present and also proffered recommendations for the protection of journalists in Liberia.

A communique adopted at the end of the forum requests media houses, civil society, including individuals and agencies of government to commit to taking urgent actions that can guarantee the safety and protection of journalists and media workers.
The judge approved of the bond amount because he agrees that Shah is a flight risk. He released her on her own personal recognizance, and she has one week to comply with the conditions. She is only allowed to leave Utah to go to New York City or Washington, D.C., where she is being charged and where her attorneys have offices. He set a number of financial conditions, and said Shah cannot engage in telemarketing or any related business.
The DUP has been accused of objecting to lighting up a council building to mark the anniversary of Lyra McKee's death because of the planned use of rainbow colours.

At Ards & North Down Council's meeting this week, former DUP councillor Tom Smith criticised a proposal by the DUP to write to the family of the 29-year-old journalist for the anniversary of her murder, rather than accepting a recommendation to light up council buildings in the colours of the LGBT rainbow flag.

Mr Smith said the DUP "can't get over" the rainbow flag. Ms McKee was shot dead by the New IRA while observing rioting in Londonderry. Wednesday's council discussion was on the date of what would have been her 31st birthday. DUP councillor Colin Kennedy had proposed that the council write to the McKee family instead of lighting buildings.

He said that "simply and fully lighting up a building must be the worst type of virtue signalling one can imagine. It does not help in a practical fashion, but rather exposes a disturbing shallowness in what motivates the suggestion. Does it really express the totality of our grief?"

Independent councillor Tom Smith said: "I am flabbergasted that we are trying to play one set of victims against another. The problem with this, and let's be honest, is in the last line of the recommendation, and that is the request to light up the building in rainbow colours. The DUP haven't gotten over that."

He added: "She represented our children, she represented our future. The lighting up of the buildings sends out a signal that we stand with Lyra. I stand with Lyra. I am so cross at this."

All councillors, including the DUP, eventually agreed to an Alliance amendment to both write to Ms McKee's family and light up council buildings in rainbow colours, as well as look into establishing a permanent memorial to all victims of terrorism.

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USC Stem Cell study identifies molecular 'switch' that turns precursors into kidney cells

Kidney development is a balancing act between the self-renewal of stem and progenitor cells to maintain and expand their numbers, and the differentiation of these cells into more specialized cell types. In a new study in the journal eLife from Andy McMahon's laboratory in the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, former graduate student Alex Quiyu Guo and a team of scientists demonstrate the importance of a molecule called -catenin in striking this balance.

-catenin is a key driver at the end of a complex signaling cascade known as the Wnt pathway. Wnt signaling plays critical roles in the embryonic development of multiple organs including the kidneys. By partnering with other Wnt pathway molecules, -catenin controls the activity of hundreds to thousands of genes within the cell.

The new study builds on the McMahon Lab's previous discovery that Wnt/-catenin can initiate progenitor cells to execute a lengthy and highly orchestrated program of forming structures in the kidney called nephrons. A healthy human kidney contains a million nephrons that balance body fluids and remove soluble waste products. Too few nephrons results in kidney disease.

Previous studies from the UT Southwestern Medical Center laboratory of Thomas Carroll, a former postdoctoral trainee in the McMahon Lab, suggested that Wnt/-catenin signaling plays opposing roles in ensuring the proper number of nephrons: promoting progenitor maintenance and self-renewal, and stimulating progenitor cell differentiation.

"It sounded like Wnt/-catenin is doing two things--both maintenance and differentiation--that seem to be opposite operations," said Guo. "Therefore, the hypothesis was that different levels of Wnt/-catenin can dictate different fates of the nephron progenitors: when it's low, it works on maintenance; when it's high, it directs differentiation."

In 2015, it became more possible to test this hypothesis when Leif Oxburgh, a scientist at the Rogosin Institute in New York and a co-author of the eLife study, developed a system for growing large numbers of nephron progenitor cells, or NPCs, in a Petri dish.

Relying on this game-changing new system, Guo and his collaborators grew NPCs, added different levels of a chemical that activates -catenin, and saw their hypothesis play out in the Petri dishes.

They observed that high levels of -catenin triggered a "switch" in part of the Wnt pathway that relies on another family of transcription factors known as TCF/LEF. There are two types of TCF/LEF transcription factors: one type inhibits genes related to differentiation, and the other activates these genes. In response to high levels of -catenin, the "activating" members of TCF/LEF switched places with the "inhibiting" members, effectively taking charge. This "switch" triggered NPCs to differentiate into more specialized types of kidney cells.

When they looked at low levels of -catenin, they saw NPCs self-renewing and maintaining their populations, as expected. However, they were surprised to learn that -catenin was not engaged with any of the known genes related to self-renewal and maintenance.

"-catenin does something," said Guo. "That is for sure. But how it does it is kind of mysterious right now."

After publishing these results in eLife, Guo earned his PhD from USC, and began his postdoctoral training at UCLA. Helena Bugacov, a current PhD student in the McMahon Lab and a co-author of the eLife study, is now taking the lead in continuing the project--which has implications far beyond the kidney field, due to the broad role of Wnt throughout the body.

"Understanding how Wnt regulates these two very distinct cell outcomes of self-renewal and differentiation, which is very important for kidney development, is also important for understanding the development of other organs and adult stem cells, as Wnt signaling plays important roles in almost all developmental systems," said Bugacov. "There is also a lot of attention from cancer researchers, as this process can go awry in cancer. Many therapeutics are trying to target this process."

She added, "The more we know about things, the better we can inform work on developing human kidney organoid cultures, which can be more readily used to understand problems in human health, regeneration and development."

###

Additional co-authors of the eLife study include: Albert Kim, Andrew Ransick, Xi Chen, and Nils Lindstrom from USC; Aaron Brown from the Maine Medical Center Research Institute; and Bin Li and Bing Ren from the University of California, San Diego. The research was supported by federal funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (grant number R01 DK054364).

This story has been published on: 2021-04-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The discoveries follow a report which found Cambodia had lost 12 percent of forest coverage in protected areas between 2011 and 2018.

An environmental watchdog group in Cambodia has recorded at least 100 cases of illegal logging in the countrys protected Preah Roka Wildlife Sanctuary over the course of just three days, prompting it to call on the government to strengthen enforcement and allow activists to carry out forest patrols unmolested.

The Cambodian Youth Network (CYN) said in a news release that it had undertaken a 55-kilometer (34-mile) patrol of the Preah Roka Wildlife Sanctuary in the Preah Vihear province districts of Choam Ksan, Tbeng Meanchey, and Cheb from March 19-21, during which it recorded the 100 cases, mostly of rare and priceless timber.

The logging included trees with cross-sections ranging from 45 centimeters (18 inches) to 1.5 meters (five feet) in areas of dense and semi-dense forest, and species such as Teal, Steang, Phteak, Popeal, Pechek, Odom, Korki, and Sokrom, the group said. In addition to targeting individual trees, perpetrators also burned and cleared certain areas of the forest, it said.

Ma Chetra, a senior media official with the CYN, called the forest crimes recent, but said those responsible had yet to be identified.

He expressed concern for the sanctuary because the Ministry of Environment has prevented his group from carrying out patrols, which is when the forest crimes took place.

When [the Ministry of Environment] stopped us, it was of no benefit to the ministry, he told RFAs Khmer Service.

There is no loss in letting us patrol the forest, but it is the nation that will lose by banning us from entering the forest because trees in protected areas are being cut down.

Ma Chetra urged the government to do a better job of policing the sanctuary and other protected areas in Cambodia.

Even if we or the Ministry of Environment patrol the forest from time to time, it wont be enough to stop deforestation, he said.

The only way to end the deforestation is to strictly enforce the law against perpetrators or those behind the crimes. If we want forest crimes to be prevented in Cambodia, the authorities must apply the law to those who trade in the trees.

Ministry of Environment spokesman Neth Peaktra refused to respond to the findings of the CYN, calling the group not a lawful cooperative partner with the ministry.

He acknowledged that forest crimes do take place but called them small in number. Neth Peaktra added that any group is welcome to enter the forest, provided that it registers with the ministry ahead of time.

Preah Roka Wildlife Sanctuary was designated by the Ministry of Environment as a 96,000-hectare (237,220-acre) conservation forest in 2016. Environmental activists say that the sanctuary has been subject to illegal logging operations for years, but that authorities have failed to take effective measures to prevent its destruction.

CYN called on the Ministry of Environment to end restrictions on local communities, forest activists, associations, civil society organizations and the public from participating in patrolling, protecting, conserving and maintaining the forest, in accordance with the provisions on the rights and duties of citizens, as specified in Cambodias constitution and the Law on Protection of Nature.

Activists with Lovers of the Environment document illegal logging in Cambodia's Prey Lang forest, April 22, 2020. Lovers of the Environment

Deforestation report

CYNs call to action followed the March 26 release of a new report by the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, which found that Cambodia lost nearly 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres), or nearly 12 percent, of forest coverage in the countrys protected areas between 2011 and 2018.

The group said that such deforestation disproportionately impacts indigenous communities that rely on the collection of non-timber forest products.

Thousands of trees were illegally destroyed in Preah Roka Wildlife Sanctuary and Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in Kratie province and processed for export during the period, according to the report, which also found that deforestation in Cambodia had continued at an all-time high for the past decade.

The deforestation is a result of Cambodias government investing in economic land concessions for private companies, granting social land concessions, and re-forestation projects, which the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said are granted to investors who typically convert land into profitable monoculture plantations that destroy the ecology of forests and impact local populations.

Forest protection activist San Mala told RFA that the report shows the government must strengthen its protection of the countrys remaining forest and said economic land concessions adjacent to protected forests are often responsible for deforestation.

The government should accept the report to study, research and re-evaluate past projects to determine their positive and negative aspects, he said. What should be improved or strengthened, or what it should keep implementing.

Ministry of Environment spokesman Neth Pheaktra told RFA via social media that his ministry would not comment on the report.

He said the ministry will continue to enforce the law and implement action plans in collaboration with community partners in protected areas for the purpose of protecting and conserving forest resources and wildlife.

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime is a network of more than 500 experts from around the world who jointly researched the deforestation situation in Cambodia between 2018 and 2020.

The experts documented their findings by visiting the sites for several weeks at a time, during which they met with locals and loggers to locate illegal logging. They use GPS and smartphones to record illegal logging activities, as well as drones to document large-scale logging in protected forests.

An illegally felled old-growth tree in Prey Lang forest, April 22, 2020. Lovers of the Environment

Forest crime suspect granted bail

The two forestry reports came as civil society groups and indigenous Phnong villagers criticized the Mondulkiri provincial court Friday for granting bail to military officer Touch Hoeun, who is accused of being the ringleader of a group of people who destroyed 53 hectares (131 acres) of indigenous Pou Treng village community forest last week.

An indigenous villager named Kroeung Tola told RFA that Touch Hoeun is regularly involved in the destruction of community and public forests. He said his community has enough evidence and documentation to prove Touch Hoeun committed the crime, and that the courts decision was unjust.

Touch Hoeun has been involved in many scandals in the province, he said.

Last week, more than 40 villagers stopped Touch Hoeuns tractors from destroying the community forest and local authorities arrested him for allegedly faking documents granting him permission to raze the land.

RFA was unable to reach provincial prosecutor Morm Vanda or Touch Hoeun for comment on Friday.

However, court spokesman Meas Bros told RFA that the public is welcome to appeal the decision.

Please refer questions to the judge, because there must be a reason for his release, he said.

Pen Bunna, senior land and natural resources officer for local rights group Adhoc also criticized the courts decision calling it a double standard.

This is a culture of impunity, he said, adding that the court is regularly quick to punish the poor, but often delays cases against the wealthy and well-connected.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sok Ry Sum and Samean Yun.
A national blueprint to reduce violence against women will commit funding to much more ambitious programs with a sharper focus on prevention amid community demands for stronger measures.

The Morrison government is planning to widen the scope of a three-year deal with the states to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on new services, naming financial and coercive control of women as areas for greater action.

Anne Ruston has named issues such as financial and coercive control and better standards for social media as areas for stronger action to change attitudes everywhere through a suite of policies to be agreed with the states by September. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Social Services Minister Anne Ruston will take the agenda to a meeting with state counterparts on Wednesday to address the horrifying social problem that sees one woman killed every nine days at the hands of an intimate partner.

The next national plan has the ability to be much broader in scope and to be much more ambitious than the last plan, Senator Ruston told this masthead.
LOS ANGELESAVN Media Network is pleased to announce the launch of the Bad Bunny Contest on AVN Stars.

This Easter weekend show off your naughtiest bunny look on AVN Stars and win cash with a personal photo.

This three-day, 72-hour, fan-voting contest starts at midnight PDT on April 2 and goes until 11:59 p.m. PDT on Easter Sunday, April 4.

All AVN Stars are eligible to enter and the Top 10 vote-getters will each receive cash prizes with the winner getting $750! To enter, just go into your Settings, click on the Contests tab and upload your image.

Under contest rules, all uploaded images must feature the content creator; in addition, creators are required to post a tweet about their participation in the contest.

As a reminder, AVN Stars implemented new rules for the 2021 contests. The winner of the previous contest may join the following weeks contest, however for that week their fan votes will only count 50% toward their contest ranking. For example, every 2 votes would count as 1 toward the following weeks contest ranking. The payout amount for votes will remain unchanged.

Additionally, for every consecutive week that the same creator wins a contest, that following week their votes for ranking purposes will be reduced by 50%. For example, if the same creator wins two weeks in a row, their votes for the third week would accrue at 25% toward their contest rank for Week 3.

To join AVN Stars for free, visit stars.avn.com.

Built for adult entertainers, AVN Stars is a subscription-based community where creators can monetize their content without the worry of censorship, discrimination, shadow-banning or suspensions. Creators may charge a subscription fee or make their posts available for free.




(Global Times) US President Joe Biden unveiled a roughly $2 trillion American Jobs Plan focused on infrastructure and the climate crisis in a speech in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. To win support, he said that the "once-in-a-generation" investment would "put [the US] in a position to win the global competition with China in the upcoming years."

Much of infrastructure in the US has been old. Both Democrats and Republicans are on the same page on this matter. US former president Barack Obama in September 2010 proposed his ambitious plan to renew the US' transportation infrastructure, but failed to achieve it in both of his terms. Neither did Donald Trump. Biden launched the third round of such attempt. His plan contains the greatest details and seems to be the most serious one.

However, the Biden administration's infrastructure plan was met with opposition from Republicans when it was announced. Trump slammed the infrastructure plan as a "giveaway to China" in a statement on Wednesday, and said that the proposed tax increases designed to fund the $2 trillion proposal would end up backfiring by sending American jobs overseas. Biden may once again have mired himself down in a situation where everyone agrees that it was the right thing to do, but no one can agree on how to do it or where the money will come from.

US society has been gravely divided. The more interests involved in carrying out a big plan, the more opportunities for political struggles to be created, which will hinder the goal to be achieved. This is the root of the US' problem. To engage in infrastructure construction, the internal driving force of society should have been far greater than the resistance from disputes by different interest groups, but this is not the case in the US. Exploiting "defeating China" as a thrust to push the plan sharply deviates from the appropriate track. This makes the plan hard to achieve.

Has China ever thought of competing with the US as it builds high-speed trains, widen the highway network and build network base stations? They are entirely China's own national agenda. The incentive to invest is strong, and the general public is very supportive. We can say that China's infrastructure advances with ease. Our concern is often that we should not work lavishly on these projects in case they lead to interim waste or debt.

The US now has China everywhere in its mind with regard to its domestic policy, attaching labels of national security randomly, and blaming China for any industrial imbalance in the US. Apart from instigating nationalism, this would do little to solve the problem. Over time, the US will not only be down with an anti-China syndrome and strike at anything Chinese, but will also only be able to make its policy with anti-China elements. This will lead to the misdirection of its goal time and again and cause it lose its way in development.

The US should force itself to forget about China more often. What the US needs to do is struggling with itself. It has been more than a decade since it has called for the construction of the high-speed railway. Why hasn't a single kilometer been built? What does this inefficiency have to do with China? Trump overturned many of Obama's policies and now Biden overturned Trump's policies. Is this what China seduced the US to do?

It is quite impressive that Washington is beginning to value some important lessons from China. Conflict is also a way to learn from each other. China's key experience is to mind its own work well. Biden's determination to improve infrastructure and increase investment in technology seems to have taken something from China's direction. We hope that the US could adhere to this idea. It is the right way forward.

If the US really initiated a new investment in infrastructure, it is believed that Chinese society in general will be optimistic about its success. More of this kind of engagement by the US will increase its market demand, which is a positive factor in the expansion of China's economic growth. After all, the contest between China and the US should have been focused on the competition of domestic development, rather than playing chess on the diplomatic front.

If Washington had refocused its attention, it might not have exaggerated the "China threat" theory as much as it does now. They will find that the benefits of China-US cooperation may outweigh the zero-sum competition with China "from a position of strength." China could be a partner, not a rival, in Biden's plan to revitalize US infrastructure, if Washington so desires.

Obsessive focus on making enemies or confrontation is narrow-minded and an exhausted strategy. It is an unwise one. This is true of a person, and it is also true of a country.


For 44 years, expectant mother Beth Doe didnt have an identity.

Yet, the brutality of her death, and that of her full-term unborn daughter who was cut from her womb, made them upsettingly familiar to local people.

Her dismembered and mutilated remains, and her daughter, were found stuffed in suitcases tossed off an Interstate 80 bridge near the Lehigh River in East Side Borough, Carbon County, just outside of White Haven Borough in Luzerne County on Dec. 20, 1976.

Investigators believe they were tossed from the I-80 west overpass, but instead of plunging into the river from 300 feet above, two of the suitcases smashed on impact near rocks at the river bed. A third was found close by.

Police were called in after a local teenager made the discovery.

A degree of closure for area people began Wednesday when Pennsylvania State Police publicly identified Beth Doe as Evelyn Colon, 15, of Jersey City, New Jersey. State police at Fern Ridge also announced that day that Luis A. Sierra, 63, Ozone Park, New York, was charged with her homicide.

I always say if youre going to commit crime, dont come to Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania always finds the person who committed the crime  sooner or later, Susan Therriault said Thursday, as vehicles raced along a stretch of I-80 visible from her storefront on Main Street in White Haven.

Therriault moved to Pennsylvania from Manhattan, New York, in the 1990s to get away from congestion and crime, and opened her pet shop, Beasty Treats, in 2020.

While she was unfamiliar with the case until recently, she wasnt shocked to hear police filed an arrest warrant. It shows just how determined law enforcement is, she said.

I really hope the family gets the justice they deserve, said Kristy Gower of Renees Cold Cut Hut. Gower lived in the borough for 39 years and the case struck a cord with her as the mother of a now 15-year-old.

Amazing, said Ed Jarrick of the cold case advancing.

Jarrick, of G&A Hardware, a store his family owned since 1966, grew up in White Haven and said the area was isolated from violent crime before Beth Doe became a part of the community.

Living in White Haven, you were oblivious to think that this could happen, Jarrick said.

He was about 15 years old when the remains were found in a popular spot near the Lehigh River where generations of local children would fish and play.

It was determined Colon and the unborn child were killed less than 24 hours prior to the bodies being found, according to Standard-Speaker stories from 1976. Some of Colons remains were wrapped in a Sept. 26, 1976, New York Sunday News newspaper and others were wrapped in a rust-colored chenille bedspread that had yellow, dark green and pink designs on it.

When Colons body was first autopsied by Philadelphia pathologist Dr. Halbert J. Filinger, attached to the medical examiners office, he determined she was strangled and shot in the neck. But he also determined she and the fetus were well taken care of before death. Colon was given the name Beth Doe by the Philadelphia Medical Examiners Office as they already had a Jane Doe that year.

A dental chart was created, fingerprints obtained, her face reconstructed and a sketch drawn in that first year. That information was broadcast to police and published through newspapers across the country, but she still remained unknown.

At White Havens police station, composite sketches of Beth Doe hung on the wall for years with the hope someone knew something that could aid the investigation, said Police Chief Tom Szoke. Any tips officers received over the years were passed to the investigating troopers.

He wasnt surprised troopers never gave up and that they came to a conclusion on her identity and that of the alleged killer.

You dont get into law enforcement just to give up, Szoke said.

He said that while the original investigators did not have the technological and scientific advantages of todays officers, they had foresight to preserve evidence, which allowed todays heroes to make an arrest, said Szoke.

Colons remains stayed at the Philadelphia Medical Examiners Office until it ran out of room in 1983, and were then interred in Carbon Countys Laurytown Road Cemetery, near Weatherly. The mother and unborn child were laid to rest under a modest white cross with a plaque that bore the name Beth Doe.

While the investigation wont bring two lives back, after all these years Evelyn Colons family can finally say goodbye, said Phil Jeffries, who was involved with the case as a deputy coroner when their bodies were exhumed in 2007.

Their daughter disappeared, he said, and they never heard from her again.

Troopers said theyd release more information in consultation with the Carbon County District Attorneys Office in the near future.

Troopers said Sierra is in custody awaiting extradition. His criminal docket doesnt yet indicate a date and time for arraignment. The district court where the case was filed isnt not yet permitted to release the affidavit of probable cause.

According to the New York Daily News, Sierra was Colons boyfriend and the father of the child. They reported the arrest came after a DNA match last year identified Colon and lead them to Sierra. They reported that the couple shared an apartment in Jersey City before the murder, but when the victims sister and mother came to visit in December 1976, the furniture was gone and so were Sierra and Colon.

Jeffries was there when Colons remains were exhumed in 2007 so law enforcement could use advances in science that have aided other cases. With a trail of police vehicles, and a forensic odontologist and anthropologist, they drove to Philipsburg, New Jersey, to have the remains studied. During that examination, Jeffries said, DNA was extracted from Beth Does teeth and her babys rib.

Jeffries later witnessed her reburial and practiced care with her and her baby, who were laid to rest together during a prayer service attended by investigators.

A GoFundMe page established by Miriam Colon-Veltman on Wednesday, which raised $375 of a $15,000 goal, said Colon was taken from a family who loved her and who waited for the day they would see her and her child. She wrote that they never imaged this would be the end.
More loyalist groups have withdrawn support for the PSNI as tensions continue to escalate in opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The decision not to prosecute any members of Sinn Fein in connection with the Bobby Storey funeral is also being used as a defence for loyalist groups announcing they will hold bonfires in July, having abandoned them last year due to the pandemic.

Last month it was reported that some loyalist community groups in east Belfast, Ards and north Down had withdrawn from working along with the PSNI as tensions rose around the protocol. That discontent has now spread to other parts of Northern Ireland.

PSNI officers regularly engage with community representatives in relation to events or gatherings, and ask for assistance in defusing any potential street disturbances. While some areas continue to cooperate with community officers, the number of areas that have withdrawn support has grown. Expand Close PSNI officers regularly engage with community representatives in relation to events or gatherings, and ask for assistance in defusing any potential street disturbances PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp PSNI officers regularly engage with community representatives in relation to events or gatherings, and ask for assistance in defusing any potential street disturbances Read More Eleventh Night bonfires, cancelled last year in response to the Covid pandemic, will now go ahead in July, regardless of the restrictions in place at that time, according to loyalist sources. Loyalists in Moygashel, Co Tyrone, have said they will refuse to liaise with community policing teams about their plans. Loyalists in the Tigers Bay area of north Belfast have also said they will no longer cooperate, saying they were taking a stand against two-tier policing. Further groups have withdrawn support, including organisations from north Antrim, south Derry and mid-Ulster. The South Londonderry and Randalstown Collective posted online: Law as we know it has been cast to the side, just like the unlawful removal of consent mechanisms in the Belfast Agreement which brought about the Protocol/Irish Sea Border. We now call on all shades of unionism to make a stand. Loyalists in the Clooney estate in Londonderry said in a statement: For a number of years now, Clooney estate bonfire has worked tirelessly with our local community policing team to keep them best informed of all plans. This year will be different. We no longer have any engagement with the PSNI involving our bonfire. Our community have simply had enough of the one-sided republican policing across the board here in Northern Ireland. Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: Were aware of the public statements by a number of groups indicating that they will not engage with the PSNI community policing teams ahead of the summer. We understand and are working to address the very serious public concerns around recent events. Its hugely disappointing to us that anyone would decide not to engage with their local neighbourhood officers especially around events which present public safety challenges. As a police service we remain committed to working with all communities to support their safety and wellbeing.


BRATTLEBORO  Public feedback is shaping a scoping study aimed at adding bicycle lanes along Western Avenue on Route 9 for a safer experience.

At a meeting held remotely Monday, Brattleboro Planning Director Sue Fillion said the project started in the fall with state funding and covers Route 9 from Main Street up to the Exit 2 interchange on Interstate 91.

I think this is awesome, said Dave Cohen, director and founder of VBike, which seeks to increase the number of bicyclists in Vermont by making biking accessible in a variety of ways.

Monday marked the second public meeting to solicit feedback. At a meeting in December, the project garnered a lot of support from the community.

Bike lanes on Route 9 find community support BRATTLEBORO  Residents agree that bicycle lanes will add a much-needed layer of safety alon

Engineer Christina Haskins of Dufresne Group said the goal is to improve safety, connectivity and accessibility. Also considered is the use of the roadway by families and children.

Haskins said Brattleboro Department of Public Works staff advised that when sidewalks in town are replaced, they are made 5 feet wide. The sidewalks on Western Avenue are currently about 4 feet wide.

One option involves modifying the roadway to add bike lanes and eliminating some parking. Travel lanes for vehicles would be reduced by about 6 inches to be about 11.5 feet wide.

Another option would add bike lanes, eliminate some parking and widen sidewalks to about 5.5 feet wide. Travel lanes for vehicles would be reduced to about 11 inches.

Wider sidewalks would better accommodate children and families on bicycles as well as pedestrians, Haskins said. They also would improve conditions of the current paths and overall accessibility because they would be constructed in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Bike lanes could be created fairly quickly with minimal cost, Haskins said, whereas sidewalk construction would take longer. She noted that narrower travel lanes for vehicles tend to result in traffic calming where vehicles travel at slower speeds.

By having sidewalks suggested in the final scoping study, Haskins believes the town would be well suited to receive funding assistance from the state in the future.

Alternatives for parking include eliminating parking entirely on the north or south side, or having parking meander back on forth on both sides of the road. No decisions have been made yet on where parking will be removed, Haskins said.

An informal poll to meeting participants resulted in 11 people wanting the parking to meander from side to side throughout the length of the roadway. Three participants said they wanted parking on the north side and just as many wanted it on the south side.

Options for bike lane surface treatments include painting white lines, bicycle symbols, arrows, and dashed lines to indicate the lanes continue where vehicles might be turning; white lines to show the lanes but painted crossings at driveways and intersections; or fully painted bike lanes. The presentation showed painted crossings and lanes being green with white lines on the outside.

The options are respectively estimated to cost $7,000, $14,000 and $680,000. An informal poll of meeting participants resulted in five people wanting nonpainted bike lanes, 13 preferring painted crossings and no one advocating for the fully painted lanes.

The plan is to submit a report to the town and the state in late April, hold a third public meeting in June and submit a final report later that month. Haskins said project leaders want to reach as many community members as possible so Mondays presentation and a survey will be available at brattleboro.org.

The Select Board is expected to decide on a preferred alternative before work begins. The town has no plans to take property under eminent domain for the project, Haskins said.
Data assembled for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by 40 modeling groups, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University, indicates the weekly death rate from COVID-19 will decline in Massachusetts in April, though the number of new cases is expected to rise.

Nationwide, some 223,000 to 723,000 new cases of COVID-19 are said to be likely reported in the week ending April 24, according to the forecasts. There are more than 30.5 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and the death toll from it now at 553,000, is expected to reach between of 565,000 to 585,000 by that date.

So far, about 17 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

Massachusetts  where percentage rates of tests positive are on the rise in most counties  is in a race to vaccinate more residents, particularly those under 50, to halt the spread of the respiratory virus and its lineages.

Some 35 percent of Massachusetts residents have reportedly received at least one dose of a vaccine, while 19 percent are said to be fully vaccinated.

Data shows cases in the state are up 43% in the last 14 days, testing is up 2% and the rate of death to be flat.

Massachusetts has a cumulative case rate of 638,339 or 9,261 cases per 100,000. During the last seven days, some 2,303 cases have been reported in the commonwealth or 33 per 100,000 population.

The state has a cumulative death rate of 17,217 or 250 per 100,000. During the last seven days, it has reported a daily average of 29.6 deaths per 100,000 people.

The Massachusetts profile on the CDC website reveals that for the week ending March 26, the states COVID-19 death rate was up 18 percent from the previous week though much lower than during the states two peak periods.

The current CDC forecast data reflects other compilations tracking the spread and mortality rate of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the country.

According to current data from the New York Times, the number of cases in the country is up 20%, with 77,718 reported April, 1 while deaths are down 29% and hospitalizations down 2%.

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Inspectional services for the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles wont return until next week at the earliest following a malware attack on the system, officials said.

The attack was detected Tuesday and stopped by the RMVs Wisconsin-based vendor, Applus Technologies, Inc. Massachusetts and other states were left unable to conduct vehicle inspections, according to a statement from the company.

Inspections were stopped due to the attack, and drivers havent been able get stickers since. Applus said its first step was to contain the problem by locking down the entire system as soon as the issue was detected.

The company said it anticipates the program will be back online next week at the earliest, making it so inspection stations throughout Massachusetts wont be able to inspect vehicles Friday through Sunday.

In the mean time, the RMV has notified law enforcement to ask them to use their discretion to not cite those with expired inspection stickers who may have visited a station this week. The 60-day retest requirement and free retest will be extended during this time as well, according to Applus.

We truly understand the inconvenience this has caused our agency customers, inspection stations, inspectors and motorists, said Darrin Greene, CEO of Applus. We take very seriously our responsibility to provide the highest quality, most reliable vehicle inspection and emissions testing services to the commonwealth of Massachusetts and pledge to have service restored as quickly as possible.

Due to a production issue with our vendor Applus Technologies, inspection stations will be unable to inspect vehicles Friday 4/2 through Sunday 4/4. Please visit https://t.co/heK9ktsdxk for more information. pic.twitter.com/h9TgvDaWTw  Massachusetts RMV (@MassRMV) April 1, 2021

Applus will regularly update the status of the RMVs inspectional system as additional information becomes available.

It is important to note that we want to make sure we have resolved all issues before restarting the system in order to avoid any additional delays or inconvenience once the program is back up and running, the company said in a statement.

According to Applus, the Massachusetts vehicle check program is one of the most innovative and technologically advanced inspection programs in the country. Due to the sophistication of the software, its important to ensure the entire system is free from malware, thoroughly tested and operating normally before its brought back online, the company noted.

The testing process will involve all of the agencies Applus works with - including the RMV, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the state Department of Environmental Protection - as well as the station owners who operate the computerized equipment used to conduct the vehicle inspections, according to the company.

Applus said its also working with the agencies to conduct virtual meetings Friday with station owners and managers to provide updates and address questions and concerns. The company and the RMV continue to provide the following services for stations and inspectors: all scheduled and future trainings, the processing of new and renewed inspector licenses and the renewal of station licenses.

The Applus team continues to be in constant, often real-time contact, with the state agencies involved, and are providing frequent updates to inspection station owners/managers and inspectors, as well as motorists, throughout the day via email, website updates and through our customer service call center, said Greene.

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CBP Discovers Finches concealed inside Hair Rollers in Guyana Mans Baggage at JFK Airport

Jamaica, New York - This wasnt the usual game of peek-a-boo, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers won anyway after they discovered 29 finches concealed in hair rollers inside a Guyana mans baggage at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday.

CBP officers discovered 29 finches concealed

inside these hair rollers.

CBP officers discovered the finches during a secondary baggage examination after the 26-year-old man arrived on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana. CBP agriculture specialists consulted with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors who directed CBP to seize the finches.

The man, who was destined to an address in New Jersey, was not criminally charged; however, CBP assessed a $300 civil penalty, allowed the man to withdrawal his request for admission, and placed him on a Guyana-bound flight on Monday.

CBP agriculture specialists quarantined the finches and turned them over to United States Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services.

Customs and Border Protection officers and agriculture specialists face a very complex and challenging task and that is to protect our nation, our citizens, our agricultural resources and our economic security, and they meet that challenge with extraordinary commitment and vigilance, said Marty C. Raybon, Acting Director of Field Operations for CBPs New York Field Office.

The smuggling of these birds in hair curlers shows the horror of wildlife trafficking, said Ryan Noel, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. "I would like to thank U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their assistance with this case. By working together, we can help protect humans, and wildlife, for future generations."

The public is encouraged to Report Wildlife Crime tips to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 1-844-FWS-TIPS (397-8477).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service describes the lawful process for importing birds for commercial purposes. Improperly imported birds pose the potential threat of introducing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu, to the United States poultry industry.

CBP quarantined the finches before turning

them over to USDA Veterinary Services.

The U.S. poultry industry suffered severe impacts during a 2015 HPAI outbreak. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, more than 50 million commercial turkeys and laying hens in the U.S. died or were culled to stop the spread of the disease. The losses were estimated at more than $1 billion, and the economic impact much greater as more than 50 poultry trading partners imposed partial to full bans on U.S. poultry imports. The U.S. poultry industry has since recovered.

CBP agriculture specialists have extensive training and experience in the biological sciences and agricultural inspection. They examine international trade shipments and traveler baggage every day in the search for invasive insects, federal noxious weeds, and plant and animal diseases that could have a serious impact on our national agricultural resources.

During a typical day last year, CBP agriculture specialists across the nation seized 3,091 prohibited plant, meat, animal byproducts, and soil, and intercepted 250 insect pests at U.S. ports of entry. See what else CBP achieved on a typical day during 2020.
A further 400 million in grants and loans has been given to cultural venues and organisations across England.

These funds are part of the Cultural Recovery Fund, set to help arts companies while the pandemic continues and restrictions remain in place to help prevent the spread of Covid.

The Criterion Theatre, soon to be home to the freshly announced Amelie the Musical, is receiving 164,501, taking its total support from the Culture Recovery Fund to 493,504.

Stephen Fry, chair of the Criterion Theatre Trust, said: "The Criterion Theatre Trust is just delighted to have received CRF second-round grant funding in support of our plans to re-open in May 2021. Offering live theatre to a socially distanced audience presents a financial challenge, but the support extended through the Culture Recovery Fund is a boost that allows us to re-open in a Covid-safe way.

"The Trust will be able to continue its work and, when that glorious and happy time comes, to welcome audiences back to our beautiful theatre, to enjoy once again the irreplaceable and unforgettable experience of live theatre."

Nimax Theatres, who operate six West End venues (all of which are set to open from late May 2021), will receive close to 900,000, to help prepare for the return of live audiences.

Salford-based arts centre The Lowry Trust will receive 7.3 million while The Sage Gateshead will receive 3 million to support operational costs.

Chichester Festival Theatre will also receive a grant, with supporter Hugh Bonneville saying: "Underlying the UK's international film and TV success is the best of British Theatre. So I am particularly delighted that Chichester Festival Theatre, my local theatre, is being supported so generously by the Culture Recovery Fund. The grant will enable it to reopen its doors with confidence, renew the relationship with its audience and take its place once again at the heart of its vibrant community."

Other recipients include Camden Roundhouse, which is being given an award of 1,500,000 to welcome back audiences to live events. Emma Rice's Wise Children company will receive 173,598 to return to rehearsals and restart their unique professional training programmes. Other recipients included the Young Vic, Belgrade Theatre, Hackney Empire, Park Theatre, Hope Theatre and The Watermill, which was successful this time around after finding itself ineligible in 2020.

Paul Hart of The Watermill said: "We are extremely grateful to DCMS and Arts Council England for awarding The Watermill Theatre a grant in the second round of Culture Recovery Fund which is announced today. It offers renewed optimism as we work towards reopening the theatre after a hugely difficult year. We are confident that thanks to this funding and with the continued support of our loyal audiences we will bounce back to produce bold and imaginative theatre, and we look forward to welcoming audiences to our unique theatre once again. Buoyed by this investment, our commitment to celebrate theatre, inspire creativity and connect communities is stronger than ever."

Curve in Leicester received a further 371,000, with leaders Chris Stafford and Nikolai Foster saying: "As we now look to a brighter future, this second CRF grant will enable us to begin to rebuild our business. We plan to reopen Curve at the end of May with a special season of work celebrating our local artists, our incredible city and the joy of theatre. Through this grant we will be able to employ over 100 freelancers, engage 1000s of learners, participants and audiences, and bring communities back into our city centre. Leicester has been severely affected by Covid-19 and Curve will play a key role in helping our city recover from the devastation of the pandemic."

Glastonbury Festival will receive 900,000 to help the festival continue in 2021, with two smaller events this year, as well as to carry the festival through to 2022.

All of this is against a backdrop of increased frustration among those in the freelance community, many of whom have not received direct support throughout the pandemic. Yesterday, Tamsin Greig spoke to WhatsOnStage about how dire the impact this will have.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-02 13:54:01|Editor: huaxia

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KIEV -- Ukraine will continue negotiating a ceasefire and hopes to achieve peace in Donbas, a region in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his official Telegram channel on Thursday.

Ukraine would like to return to a more effective ceasefire regime in Donbas and is working in this direction, Zelensky said, adding that the country will continue advocating a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas although this process "is not easy." (Ukraine-Donbas-Peace)

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN -- Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah has received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine injection, as the country is gearing up for the rolling-out of national vaccination program starting on Saturday.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, the sultan got his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine injection at the royal palace Istana Nurul Iman Thursday. After the first dose injection, the sultan has consented for the national vaccination program for COVID-19 to be given to the public in stages. (Brunei-Sultan-Vaccine)

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HAVANA -- The European Union (EU) has agreed to mediate in Cuba-U.S. relations, the Cuban News Agency (ACN) reported Thursday.

EU High Representative Josep Borrell on Wednesday accepted the request made by the Group of Friendship and Solidarity with the People of Cuba in the European Parliament "to mediate before the U.S. government in order to remove Cuba from the unilateral list of countries that encourage terrorism," the ACN reported. (Cuba-US-EU Mediation)

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SAO PAULO -- Brazil recorded 91,097 new COVID-19 infections and 3,769 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking its nationwide tallies to 12,839,844 and 325,284, respectively, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

In March, 66,868 people died of COVID-19 in the Latin America's largest and most populous country. (Brazil-COVID-19) Enditem
Joe Biden has been roasted for his policies on the U.S.-Mexico border by two hardline Trump-supporting politicians and the governor of Texas, as White House press secretary Jen Psaki described as 'morally reprehensible' the smugglers who dropped two children over the border fence - but had no answers as to how to prevent it reoccurring.

Biden's approach to the border has been drawing attention for several weeks.

He has appointed Kamala Harris, the vice president, to oversee efforts to improve the situation, but the number of arrivals is causing concern.

Border Patrol agents are currently detaining 5,000 migrants a day, and the Department of Homeland Security expects approximately 500,000 to 800,000 migrants to arrive as part during the 2021 fiscal year that ends in September.

The number would equal or exceed the record numbers who entered in 2019, according to government data reviewed by The Washington Post.

Jim Jordan, a member of the House representing Ohio, appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox News show on Thursday night with a scathing assessment of the situation.

'Today you cannot get into your Capitol, but anybody and everybody can get into your country,' he said.

Jim Jordan, a Congressman representing Ohio, on Thursday night was scathing about Biden's border policies

Mark Meadows (left) and Jim Jordan (center) said that Biden was wrong to reverse Trump's border policies

'It's not a crisis on the border, its chaos on the border.'

Jordan said it was 'chaos' because the Biden administration reversed three of Trump's key policies.

'Remain IN Mexico while you're being processed. They undid that,' he said.

'They said no more deportation. They announce to the world we will not finish the wall.

'Those three things changed everything and you get this terrible situation causing harm to kids and women in all kinds of people on the border.

'That's the Biden administration. That's how ridiculous, that is how crazy today's left is.'

Asylum-seeking migrant children from Central America, who were airlifted from Brownsville to El Paso, Texas, and deported from the U.S. with their mother, play inside the El Buen Samaritano shelter in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on Thursday

Sandra Soto an asylum-seeking migrant from Honduras, sits with her daughter inside the hostel in Mexico on Thursday, having been deported to Mexico

Most of the migrants who cross alone are immediately deported back to Mexico

Children from Central America play on the floor of the shelter in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, having been deported on Thursday

A child is seen inside El Buen Samaritano shelter in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Thursday

Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, agreed, telling Hannity that Biden had 'said basically we are open for business.'

He added: 'Come on in. Send anybody from Central America and Mexico. We'll let you come in.'

Meadows said that the Biden administration 'were warned' about the message their more humane policies would send.

'President Trump had the right policy. We need to return to that,' he said.

'It will keep Americans safer and actually it will keep those coming across our southern border safer as well.'

Meadows spoke amid widespread horror at two young girls being dropped 14ft from the top of the border fence, and left in the New Mexico desert alone at night to be collected by the Border Patrol.

On Thursday the girls were said to be doing well, despite their ordeal, and remarkably without any broken bones or other injuries.

Gloria Chavez, chief of the El Paso sector for the Border Patrol, told Fox News the were sisters aged five and two from Ecuador.

She said they are 'doing fine' and are 'so resilient'.

'I was really horrified and appalled and worried when I first saw the images come through from my staff,' Chavez told host Neil Cavuto.

'When I saw that first child dropped to the ground and then not see her move for a few seconds, I honestly thought this child just probably hit her head and is unconscious.

'And then I see the second child and immediately DHS, obviously, within a few minutes responded to that area to rescue them.'

She said their mother had been located, in New York.

'When I visited with these little girls, they were so loving and so talkative, some of them were asking the names of all the agents that were there around them, and they even said they were a little hungry,' Chavez recalled.

'So I helped them peel a banana and open a juice box and just talked to them. You know, children are just so resilient and I'm so grateful that they're not severely injured or [have] broken limbs or anything like that.'

Gloria Chavez, of the El Paso sector of the Border Patrol, said that the two little girls were 'resilient' and doing well

Psaki, the White House press secretary, called the smugglers who dropped two toddlers over a border fence 'morally reprehensible', but declined to say what the administration is doing to combat the migrant surge.

Psaki said anyone who saw the video from US Customs Border and Protection of two children being dropped over the 14-foot high fence would be alarmed by it.

'Any of us who saw the video, were incredibly alarmed by the steps of smugglers ones that we have been quite familiar with that we've spoken out about our concerns, she said.

She went on to say 'the inhumane way smugglers abused children while profiting off parents' desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible. The president certainly agrees with that and these kids, I believe were rescued from by individuals who are working at the border.'

The girls were rescued by agents and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation.

But Psaki didn't say what the administration was doing to discourage such actions other than to reiterate the message that the border is closed.

Mexican smugglers have been caught on camera dropping two toddlers over a 14-foot-high border barrier into the US (pictured)

'I will say that our concern and our focus is on sending a clear message to smugglers, to the region, that this is not the time to come,' she said at her daily White House press briefing. 'You should not send your kids on this treacherous journey that these smugglers are preying on vulnerabilities in these communities.'

'There's a lot of issues and steps we need to address root causes, so of course our concern is for the safety of these kids, these border patrol agents who save these kids deserve our thanks and our gratitude,' she added.

Thousands of families and unaccompanied children have entered the US along its southern border since Joe Biden took office and vowed to make immigration rules more 'humane'.

However, the influx has led to a bottleneck at custody centers with migrants penned in to facilities that are at around 1,700 percent capacity while smugglers in Mexico are making a living off exploiting migrants heading north to the US.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the smugglers caught on camera dropping two toddlers over a fence at the border 'morally reprehensible'

Cameras set up along the border caught the moment two smugglers dropped the children from the roughly 14-foot high border barrier under the cover of darkness.

An adult was seen on the Mexico side dangling the first child over the US side before letting go, leaving her to fall to the ground below.

The smuggler repeats this with the second child before they are seen instantly running away from the area with another smuggler back into Mexico.

The CBP said the children were left vulnerable to the desert elements on the ground but were luckily spotted by the camera operator who alerted Santa Teresa agents.

The agents hunted for the children and found them, taking them to a local hospital for 'precautionary reasons and further evaluation', the CBP said.

The two sisters were then medically cleared and taken to a temporary Border Patrol facility.

Disturbing footage released by US Customs Border and Protection Wednesday captures the moment two female toddlers from Ecuador, aged three and five, were dumped over the wall just west of Mt. Cristo Rey, near El Paso, Texas, Tuesday evening

The girls, who were rescued by agents and taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for medical evaluation, while the two smugglers ran away

Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, told Hannity on Thursday that Biden had 'created an open season for human traffickers, drug smugglers, cartels and gangs.'

He added: 'This problem is not going to be fixed until the Biden administration does its job to secure our border and to get this crisis under control.'

Abbott said that he had been shocked on Tuesday to see migrants moving in large numbers across his state, even in daylight.

'We were flying over today and in the middle of the day, it used to be people would come over at night. Not during the day,' he told Hannity.

'In the middle of the day there were busloads after busloads after busloads of people loading buses who had just come across the border as we were flying over today.'

He said they were asking the federal government to repay the money Texas was spending on law enforcement along the border.

He said his agents were regularly detaining criminals.

The shocking incident with the two girls came just two weeks after a Texas rangers and Border Patrol agents were forced to rescue a six-month-old baby from the Rio Grande river after smugglers threw the infant to die in the waters.

The horrific incident unfolded back on March 16 in Roma, Texas, after the infant's mom was assaulted and left with a broken leg by a group of smugglers in Mexico, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The mother had paid smugglers $3,500 to take her and her baby across the Rio Grande river that borders Mexico and the US, reported KVEO.

Texas DPS Lt. Christopher Olivarez said she had been waiting to cross from Mexico to the US since December and was finally placed on a raft with 67 other adults and 150 children on March 16.

During the journey, one of the smugglers then threw her baby from the raft into the water.

Meanwhile a mom was assaulted and her six-month-old baby was tossed off a raft into the Rio Grande river where six other migrants drowned. Pictured a member of the South Texas Special Operations Group of the Texas Rangers holding the child after it was pulled from the water

The South Texas Special Operations Group, Texas Rangers Division was assisting US border patrol agents at the time.

They spotted the incident and managed to save the infant from the water.

The baby survived and its mother was also rescued from the smugglers.

Olivarez said they were reunited and are now 'safe' in Border Patrol custody.

Authorities shared a photo of a member of the South Texas Special Operations Group of the Texas Rangers holding the child after it was pulled from the water.

This week, at least six migrants reportedly were found drowned in the Rio Grande river after trying to make the perilous journey toward the US.

The bodies of six migrants were found in a shallow, narrow part of the river by Eagle Pass Tuesday night, according to Newsmax.

Eagle Pass, Texas. Another shallow, narrow part of the Rio Grande. An Eagle Pass police officer tells me they found 6 bodies right around here earlier tonight pic.twitter.com/Nto1hD8Z3s  Logan Ratick (@Logan_Ratick) March 31, 2021

The bodies of six migrants were found in a shallow, narrow part of the river by Eagle Pass Tuesday night, according to Newsmax

A family of migrants cross the Rio Bravo river in El Paso, Texas, from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday

Thousands of families and unaccompanied children have entered the US along its southern border in recent weeks

Central American migrants cross the Rio Bravo in an attempt to get from Ciudad Juarez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, to El Paso, Texas, Tuesday

Migrants are detained by a US Border Patrol agent after crossing the Rio Bravo river from Mexico

The horrifying incidents reveal the dangers facing migrants as they try to make their way into the US from Mexico, given both the perilous conditions crossing the rivers on cramped rafts and the dangers of trusting smugglers.

The Mexican government last week vowed it was limiting nonessential travel on the Guatemala border, shutting down migrant crossings and deploying security forces to clamp down on the flow of migrants from Guatemala into the country before people head north into the US.

But the reality is smugglers make a living off passing migrants entering Mexico, passing through the country and crossing into the US.

Around 16,000 minors have crossed the US-Mexico border in March, with 5,767 children in CBP custody on Sunday, according to CBP data.

Additionally, there are 11,886 children in the custody of Health and Human Services, meaning the Biden administration has more than 17,500 children in custody.

On Tuesday, the Biden administration finally allowed journalists inside the Donna facility in Texas for the first time, after weeks of shutting the media out and releasing their own photos.

It revealed more than 4,000 migrants, including children and families, crammed into pods with the facility now at 1,700 percent capacity.

Media were allowed in to see the border facilities on Texas this week, with shocking scenes like the one above at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility (file photo)

Children are being crammed into the at the shelters like the one above, the Donna Department of Homeland Security, for weeks on end after a huge increase in March in the number of unaccompanied migrants

Border guards say 14 per cent - roughly one in seven - of the migrant children have tested positive for COVID while photos also show detainees being treated for lice, amid fears of an outbreak.

Two thousand children have already overstayed their 72-hour legal limit and at least 39 have been stuck in the cramped quarters for two weeks.

US border officials estimate that up to 184,000 unaccompanied migrant children could arrive at the US-Mexico border this year, according to internal government data reviewed by Reuters.

If accurate, it would be higher than any other year on record since 2010, when CBP began to fully track apprehensions of unaccompanied children.

The next-highest annual total occurred during a spike in 2019 under Donald Trump when around 76,000 unaccompanied children were taken into custody at the border.
With the bank holiday Easter weekend upon us, Dogs Trust Ireland is urging dog owners to keep all chocolate safely out of the reach of their canine companions.

The charity says to ignore the puppy dog eyes this weekend as chocolate must not be shared with our furry friends.

Given the increase in the popularity of dogs over the past year, the charity wants to highlight how toxic chocolate, meant for human consumption, is for our four-legged friends.

Dogs Trust is keen to make owners aware of the signs of chocolate toxicity in a dog, after research conducted by PJM Noble revealed that vets are twice as likely to see dogs with chocolate poisoning at Easter.

The symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive thirst, excitability, drooling, seizures and potential kidney and heart failure.

Veterinary and Welfare Manager at Dogs Trust Ireland, Niamh Curran-Kelly said: Please make sure that children know their chocolate eggs are not for sharing with their furry friends.

"As toxic doses vary greatly, depending on the size of the dog and the type of chocolate ingested, if you suspect your dog has eaten any quantity of chocolate, please contact your vet for advice immediately.

"Prompt veterinary treatment can really improve a dogs chances of making a full recovery

Dogs Trust recommends you store your vets out of hours phone number on your phone in case of emergency such as chocolate ingestion.
Chennai, April 3 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a public gathering at Kanyakumari on Friday came down heavily on the DMK as he said that senior party leaders who had rubbed shoulder to shoulder with Karunanidhi now feel suffocated in that party over the ascendancy of the new 'Crown Prince' and the politics of nepotism and dynasty doesn't have any role in democracy.

Slamming the Congress, Modi said, "The Congress doesn't believe in coalition dharma. It has revoked Article 356 of the Constitution and dismissed both the DMK and the AIADMK governments in Tamil Nadu." He said that while the focus of the BJP and the NDA is governance and development, the Opposition has reduced itself into dynasty politics and securing positions for children and grandchildren.

Modi said that the NDA government at the Centre has a strong track record of pro people and pro good governance which has brought out of the box solutions to pressing problems.

The Prime Minister said, "Rameswaram, Dhanushkodi railway line was damaged in 1964 and it was only our government which started the rebuilding of it after 50 years." He also said that previous governments had ignored Pamban bridge while the NDA government focused on reconstructing it.

Talking about the initiatives of the NDA government, Prime Minister said that in the Budget we commenced Mumbai-Kanyakumari economic corridor and sanctioned Rs 1 lakh crore for the infrastructure development in Tamil Nadu." Talking about the ideology of the BJP and the NDA about 'Sab Ka Sath, Sab Ka Vikas, Sab Ka Vishwas', he said, "We don't discriminate people on the basis of caste, creed or faith while carrying out development." Citing the example of how nurses abducted in Iraq were rescued, Modi said that more than five lakh people from Tamil Nadu were brought home from abroad under the Vande Bharat mission after they were struck following the Covid pandemic.

Modi said that the NDA government is for the overall development. He said, "We are sensitive to the demands of our farmers and committed towards modernisation of the agriculture sector. The MSP for Copra during our tenure is higher that the UPA regime. We are promoting better irrigation practices and are well on track to improve the life of farmers." The Prime Minister also talked about the comprehensive approach for coastal development and empowerment of fishermen. He said, "We are increasing incomes through major push to blue economy, new fishing harbours and fish landing centres. A fishing harbour will come up in Chennai soon and fishermen are getting better navigation materials." Prime Minister also called upon the people to vote for the NDA candidates and talking specifically about the Kanyakumari candidate he said, "Thiru Pon Radhakrishnan is contesting Kanyakumari Lok Sabha bypolls. He is the voice of Kanyakumari in the Parliament so please vote for him and make him victorious."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
With the new project "RoSiLIB", the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden is making a decisive contribution towards a CO2-neutral energy supply in mobility. To this end, new high-energy anodes for lithium-ion batteries are being developed together with partners from the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf e. V., E-Lyte Innovations GmbH, NANOVAL GmbH & Co. KG, VON ARDENNE GmbH and Custom Cells Itzehoe GmbH.

The complete switch to electromobility demanded and promoted by the German government will only be possible with solutions that promote the switch from fossil to electrochemical energy sources. Improving lithium-ion batteries in terms of cost, raw material and energy efficiency is an important step in this process.



In order to meet the necessary improvements in battery cells for electromobility, the targeted innovative anode is being developed along the entire value chain within the project. Crucial to this is the further development of a new cost-effective manufacturing route for nanoporous silicon microparticles. These are to be used to build large-format high-energy battery cells, which cannot be produced with the previous anode materials with high energy density.



The project addresses the hitherto unsolved challenges of large-format cells at several levels: solutions are being developed for both the volume jump of the active material and the outgassing of the electrolyte.



Within "RoSiLIB", the researchers at Fraunhofer IFAM in Dresden are mainly concerned with the further development of nanoporous silicon and are further adapting the internal structure of the particles to the requirements of the battery. For this purpose, the formation of the structure during powder atomization of silicon alloys must be better understood. In this subproject, the results of atomization experiments and simulation calculations are combined for this purpose. At the same time, the chemical processing of the powders will be further developed and scaled up so that up to 500 g of nanoporous silicon can be produced per day.



Within the project, Fraunhofer IFAM Dresden can make impressive use of its extensive expertise in the areas of rapid solidification, chemical synthesis, and the development of high-performance batteries, and build up further know-how for future topics.
Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana has rejected the report issued by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour on the October 20, 2020 shooting incident at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos.

The US in the report, published on Wednesday, said there was no accurate information on the incident.

The report noted that while the Amnesty International alleged that 10 protesters were killed, the Nigerian government disputed the report, adding that no other organisation was able to verify the report.

But in a swift reaction, Falana, in a statement issued yesterday described the US report as an attempt to cover up the brutal killings at Lekki and other parts of Lagos from October 20 to 27, 2020.

The senior lawyer also described the report as a contradictory report, which on one hand, claimed that the members of the security forces were enforcing curfew by firing into the air to disperse protesters, and on the hand alleged that some protesters had turned violent after criminal elements infiltrated them, resulting to the use of fire power by security forces.

Falana said the report did not mention the detachment of the Nigerian army, which perpetrated the mayhem.

"Do soldiers shoot into the air to enforce curfew in the United States?" Falana queried.

Falana urged the media to stop treating Nigerians like colonial subjects by celebrating a foreign report that was subversive of the rule of law in Nigeria. "How can the United States Government be allowed to treat the proceedings before a properly constituted Judicial Panel of Inquiry so contemptuously? The report is prejudicial in every material particular. It should be ignored by the Judicial Panel as it is designed to pre-empt the evidence being adduced by the survivors of the barbaric attack," Falana explained.

The human rights lawyer also pointed out that the report did not acknowledge that the Nigerian army which initially denied that soldiers were present at the Lekki toll gate later turned round to admit that they were there but fired only bland bullets.

"The Americans should update the report by explaining how casualties and amputees were recorded when the soldiers only shot into the air," he added.
With Global Africa, the UGB's LASPAD (Laboratoire d'analyse des societes et pouvoirs / Afrique - Diasporas) aims to report on political, social, economic, environmental, and technological issues, both in Africa and around the world.

The first call for papers for this multilingual journal (French, English, Arabic, and Swahili) will be issued soon, and articles will need to meet international-level evaluation standards. The goal of Global Africa is to include viewpoints beyond the social sciences, drawing on sustainability studies and encouraging interdisciplinary approaches.

It is the product of a collaboration between the UGB's LASPAD, the IRD (Institut de recherche pour le developpement) in France, the Center for Global Studies at the UIR (Universite internationale de Rabat) in Morocco, and LASDEL (Laboratoire d'etudes et de recherche sur les dynamiques sociales et le developpement local) in Niger*. The AFD will help launch the program by providing 1.5 million over four years, bringing the total program budget to 2.65 million.

Training and events to cultivate contributions

Alongside the journal, training courses will be offered to improve the African research production and dissemination ecosystem. These will include online classes on preparing and publishing articles for both researchers and publishing professionals, as well as pop-up seminars for young researchers, helping to grow the community of authors interested in the journal's key topics.

In 2021, a conference will also be organized, and the first two issues of Global Africa will be published.

The knowledge production landscape in Africa is full of contrasts and paradoxes. Africa currently produces a very small percentage of global academic publications (only 3.2 percent in 2016 according to data from Web of Science), despite the fact that along with the African diaspora, it is a hotbed of intellectual activity. African research remains underfunded, even though there are currently ongoing transformations on the continent that are relevant to and will come to affect the rest of the world.

The writing, publication, and dissemination of African academic research is one of LASPAD's top priorities under the UGB's 2021-2025 strategic plan. Since it was founded in 2014, this UGB research laboratory has invested heavily in improving the African academic research production and dissemination ecosystem. LASPAD is active in many different areas, helping to drive the development of university presses on the continent, assisting authors and academic publishers, and supporting African academic institutions so that they can publish and promote innovative new research that will have significant social and environmental impacts.

Research, innovation, knowledge-sharing, and knowledge production more generally are the central focus of the AFD's actions. As part of its 2019-2022 strategic plan, the AFD has committed to strengthening partnerships with research institutions in the countries where it is active, especially in Africa, where more than half of its programs are located. By supporting the launch of Global Africa, it is going further still, helping to create a permanent home for international-level academic publication in Africa, and to promote African research and research about Africa more widely.

###

*Global Africa's goal of increasing collaboration has also attracted the participation of nine country-level institutions (including the Universite de la Manouba in Tunisia, the Les Afriques dans le monde research laboratory and the Institut des mondes africains in France, the Universite virtuelle du Senegal, France's Institut national de la statistique et des etudes economiques, and The Conversation France), as well as institutions at the continental (including the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa and the African Studies Association of Africa) and regional levels (the Reseau des journalistes scientifiques d'Afrique francophone).
New Delhi, April 2 : Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has cancelled her campaign schedule of Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala after her husband Robert Vadra tested Covid-19 positive. However, she has tested negative.

She has released a video message apologising to the people, saying that doctors have advised her to be in self-isolation, so she is following the guideline.

Priyanka Gandhi said, "Just to say that I have been exposed to the coronavirus although the report is negative but doctors have advised me to self-isolate and unfortunately I have to cancel the program which was scheduled for me for Assam campaign today and for Tamil Nadu tomorrow and Kerala a day after tomorrow. I would like to apologise as I will not be able to be there." She also wished all the Congress candidates for their victory. The Congress General Secretary was supposed to address three rallies in Assam on Friday ahead of the last phase of polling.

Robert Vadra wrote on Facebook, "I came into contact with a Covid patient and have tested positive, although I am asymptomatic so far. As per the COVID guidelines, Priyanka and I are self-isolating, although she has tested negative. Fortunately the kids have not been with us these days and everyone else at home has tested negative too. Hopefully we will all be back to normal life soon! Thanks for all the messages that have been coming in, it's really sweet of all of you to send us your best wishes at this time."
San Francisco has opened vaccine access to a small number of people as young as 16 who do not need to have an underlying condition, disability or job that would qualify them for a shot.

The expansion, approved March 26 by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, is relatively narrow and applies only to people who are patients of the San Francisco Health Network, the health care delivery arm of the department. The network, which includes Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and community clinics, provides care to some of the citys lowest-income residents, including many who are uninsured and homeless.

The move came a day after state gave providers serving low-income communities discretion to vaccinate people as young as 16 who are at highest risk. It means about 2,000 underserved San Franciscans between the ages 16 and 49 became eligible for shots about three weeks sooner than most of the state, which is opening up shots for everyone as young as 16 on April 15.

A few California counties, including Contra Costa, Butte and Stanislaus, have opened up shots to all residents 16 and older. San Franciscos approach is much narrower since it does not open up shots to all younger residents, just a small number of the highest risk ones.

San Francisco went ahead with the expansion because a vast majority of the Health Networks patients  92% of its 65,000 patients who are 16 and older  were already eligible as of March 15, when the state and city expanded eligibility to people between 16 to 64 with underlying conditions or disabilities.

The ever-changing criteria were confusing, and many of the networks patients did not realize they were eligible and werent coming in for shots, said Dr. Ellen Chen, who leads COVID-19 vaccinations for the San Francisco Health Network.

This simplifies the message, Chen said. Its really exciting to be able to move to that level and prioritize the populations we serve.

That prioritization is important because Health Network patients are among those at highest risk, and tend to have the least access to vaccines.

They live in areas with some of the highest coronavirus infection rates, often work essential jobs that dont allow them to stay at home, and live in crowded or congregate living situations where infection can spread quickly.

Making vaccines accessible to this demographic is critical to reaching herd immunity, public health officials say.

Removing the last eligibility barriers has led to more of the networks patients coming in to get vaccinated, both at drop-in clinics and by appointment, Chen said.

It definitely got busier, she said. The demand did go up with our patients.

The San Francisco Health Network administers about 520 shots a day at Southeast Health Center, its clinic near the Bayview, and about 1,500 shots a day at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Many of the vaccine recipients are not Health Network patients, but live in the surrounding community such as the Bayview, Mission and Excelsior districts.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
The platform will provide transparent and reliable data about Nigeria's Tech sector and help reduce barriers faced by companies interested in doing business in Nigeria.

The UK government through its UK-Nigeria Tech Hub has launched an open-source business intelligence platform aimed at providing transparent and reliable data about the Nigerian tech sector.

The UK High Commission in Nigeria announced this Thursday through a statement by Ndidiamaka Eze, Press & Public Affairs Officer at the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos.

The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub is an initiative of the UK Government Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport established with the aim to support Nigeria's Tech- ecosystem by promoting high-end digital skills and fostering partnerships between the UK and the Nigeria Tech-ecosystem.

The business intelligence platform which can be accessed here will allow users access to a comprehensive database of startups, tech hubs, and investors operating in Nigeria and access to a live investment tracker showcasing all deals happening in the country.

It will also allow users to crowdsource new entities/players in the Nigerian tech ecosystem.

People with profiles on the platform will also be able to update and edit their profiles as it pertains to their startups, companies, etc, and gather digestible information on an interactive, real-time data visualisation dashboard.

Funded by the UK Government's Africa Technology and Innovation Partnership (ATIP) programme, the business intelligence platform aims at reducing the informational barriers to entry for companies, investors, and researchers interested in doing business in the country.

Nigeria remains a leader across Sub-Saharan Africa for vibrancy and volumes when it comes to the tech landscape and there is an increasing need to provide reliable and legible points of reference.

The new business intelligence platform draws directly on data from Briter Bridges and leverages the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub brand and network to maximise inclusion and access to information about the state of tech in the country.

As part of this commitment, The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub and Briter Bridges (delivery partners for this platform) will be joining forces and leveraging their dual positioning as local-based, globally-focused organisations to bring the ecosystem together via initiatives, research content, and unlocking future funding opportunities.

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Speaking on the Launch, the British Deputy High Commissioner- Ben Llewellyn-Jones said: "The launch of this open-source business intelligence platform will enhance access to valuable information and data necessary for fostering partnership across the UK and the Nigerian tech ecosystems. This is a testament to the role the UK Government can play in supporting the tech ecosystem in Nigeria."

Speaking on the importance of the platform and the UK's support, Leanne Jones, Team Lead, West Africa Research and Innovation said: "We are glad that the UK Government's Africa Technology and Innovation Partnership (ATIP) programme can support the development of this open-source Business Intelligence Platform for the Nigerian technology sector. Access to this kind of information by all industry players will go a long way in addressing information gaps, identifying opportunities for collaboration and increasing access to funding."

The Interim- Country Director of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub-Lamide Johnson stated: "We are excited to have partnered with Briter Bridges to co-develop and launch the Open-Source Business Intelligence Platform, aimed at the providing tech- stakeholders across the board easy access to information required to promote high-end digital tech opportunities."
WASHINGTON (AP)  A Capitol Police officer was killed Friday after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife, law enforcement officials said.

The suspect died at a hospital, officials said. Both officers were hospitalized, and one of them succumbed to his injuries, Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters.

Pittman did not identify the slain officer or suspect. Authorities said that there was no longer an ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism. There was also no immediate connection apparent between Friday's crash and the Jan. 6 riot.

The crash and shooting happened at a security checkpoint near the Capitol as Congress is on recess. It comes as the Washington region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Bidens presidential win.

Five people died in the Jan. 6 riot, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who was among a badly outnumbered force trying to fight off insurrectionists who supported former President Donald Trump's bid to overturn the election. Authorities installed a tall perimeter fence around the Capitol and for months restricted traffic along the roads closest to the building, but they have begun pulling back some of the emergency measures in recent weeks.

There was no immediate connection apparent between Jan. 6 and Friday's crash. Pittman said the suspect did not appear to have been on police radar. But the incident underscores that the building and campus remain potential targets for violence. It occurred about 100 yards (91 meters) from the entrance of the building on the Senate side of the Capitol.

The security checkpoint is typically used by senators and staff on weekdays, but lawmakers are away for recess. Fencing that prevented vehicular traffic near that area was recently removed.

The officials initially said the suspect was being taken to the hospital in critical condition. One of the officers who was injured was taken by police car to the hospital; the other was being transported by emergency medical crews, the officials said.

The U.S. Capitol complex was placed on lockdown after the shooting and staff were told they could not enter or exit buildings. Video showed National Guard troops mobilizing near the area of the crash.

Video posted online showed a dark colored sedan crashed against a vehicle barrier and a police K-9 inspecting the vehicle. Law enforcement and paramedics could be seen caring for at least one unidentified individual.

President Biden had just departed the White House for Camp David when the incident occurred. As customary, he was traveling with a member of the National Security Council Staff who was expected to brief him on the incident.